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Transportation of Radioactive Waste/Transportation Routing

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The National Academies initiated this study to examine the risks and identify key current and future technical and societal concerns for the transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States. On request of Congress, the study’s scope was expanded to review the procedures used by the Department of Energy for selecting routes for transporting research reactor spent fuel between its facilities in the United States. However, the report does not address the security risks for spent fuel and high-level waste transportation due to an inability to access classified and other restricted information.

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Description

Transportation Study Project Scope: This study will examine the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States. It will develop a high-level synthesis of key technical and societal issues for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste transport and will identify technical and policy options for addressing these issues and managing transportation risks. Although the principal focus of this study will be on the transportation in the United States, the study also will draw on international experiences as well as experiences with transporting other waste types.Transportation Study Project sponsors:Department of EnergyDepartment of TransportationNuclear Regulatory CommissionEPRINational Cooperative Highway Research ProgramThe approximate starting date for this project is March 25, 2003.NOTE: This project was extended in January 2005 to carry out a congressionally mandated study entitled "Route Selection for Transportation of Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel." Information about this added scope is given below.Routing Study Project Scope: This study will provide an assessment of the procedures by which the Department of Energy selects routes for transporting spent nuclear fuel from research nuclear reactors to existing Department of Energy facilities, particularly with respect to the use of risk analyses in making route selections. Routing Study Project Sponsor: Department of TransportationA single final report will be issued at the end of this project. That report will address itself to both the transportation study scope and the routing study scope. The report will be issued in December 2005.

Contributors

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Kevin D. Crowley

StaffOff

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Sponsors

Department of Energy

Department of Transportation

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Staff

Kevin Crowley

Lead

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