Welcome to the CSG Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee Update. Below are links and summaries of several important happenings from the last few weeks. Please don't hesitate to contact Lisa (920/458-5910) or Sarah (630/925-1922) with any questions or concerns about any of these issues.

When E.F. Sproat Talks, People Listen

Yucca is getting back on track. According to OCRWM Director Edward F. Sproat, DOE will submit the repository license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June. Earlier this year, Mr. Sproat announced that, due to substantial cuts in the program's FY08 budget, OCRWM would be unable to finish the license application by the self-imposed June deadline. The OCRWM budget approved by Congress was nearly $100 million less than requested, resulting in the reprioritization of goals and the laying off of many on-site workers. The reprioritization has apparently paid off, though we'll have to wait until June for the final verdict. Perhaps after the license application is in, OCRWM will again shift priorities - to transportation issues.

Shortly after making the news with his announcement about the license application, Ward Sproat commented that privatizing nuclear waste disposal could result in greater "stability" for the program as well as fix some of the "institutional problems" that have plagued OCRWM's efforts to manage the waste. The AP reported that a briefing by Dennis Spurgeon, DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, refers to a "nongovernmental entity" that would manage the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program, perhaps as part of the overall Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Any changes to the structure of the civilian waste management program would require federal legislation to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). Legislative proposals to amend the NWPA have historically not fared well

Click here to read an article about the license application submission.
Click here to read an article about privatization.

In related news, the committee will not host the Yucca Mountain tour originally planned for June 9th. As noted above, budget cuts forced DOE to scale back personnel at the site, which would undoubtedly compromise the quality of the tour. We'll wait to see the outcome of budget negotiations for FY09. If OCRWM receives sufficient funding to resume normal functions at the site, we'll shoot for holding the tour sometime next year.

The Italian Job

"I don't think Utah should be the dumping ground for the world's waste," said U.S. Representative Jim Matheson (UT) last week. Similar sentiment was expressed by Representatives Bart Gordon (TN) and Ed Whitfield (KY) about their own states. Together, the three have introduced H.R. 5632, which would ban the import of radioactive waste unless it was originally produced in the U.S. All of this is in response to an EnergySolutions proposal to import 20,000 metric tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy.

In its application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, EnergySolutions proposes to import regular operational wastes and large components from power reactor and fuel cycle facility decommissioning projects from undetermined sources in Italy. EnergySolutions would transport the waste through the ports of Charleston or New Orleans to its facility in Tennessee for classification. After classification, EnergySolutions would transport Class A waste by rail or truck for disposal at its Clive, Utah, facility. Any waste unable to meet Class A criteria would be returned to the generator.

The proposal has caused an uproar across the nation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public comment on the application through June 10th, and has already received over 500 comments. In addition to the Congressmen, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, the Utah Radiation Control Board, and other lawmakers and groups have voiced their opposition to the application.

If passed, H.R. 5632 would ban the importation of foreign generated waste unless it is military- or U.S. government-owned waste. It would also allow the importation of waste resulting from material originally obtained by the foreign user from an entity in the United States. A final provision would allow the President to waive the prohibition if the importation serves a national or international policy goal. The co-sponsors of the bill are opposed to EnergySolutions' proposal because it would set a bad precedent. According to Gordon, "The United States is putting itself in the position to become the world's nuclear dumping ground." Gordon admitted that his bill may not make it through Congress in time to affect the outcome of the Italian application, but it will prevent further applications from being filed.

An EnergySolutions representative will attend our June committee meeting in Indianapolis to provide more information on the proposal and the potential impact of shipments on the Midwest.

Click here for a copy of H.R. 5632.
Click here for a compilation of articles on the issue.

Impact of New ROD No Small Potatoes for Idaho

Earlier this month, DOE published an amendment to the Record of Decision (ROD) on the treatment and storage of transuranic waste. The amendment announced DOE's intention to ship thousands of cubic meters of contact- and remote-handled transuranic waste from various generator sites to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Workers at INL will treat the waste prior to shipping it on to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for disposal. What is the impact of this decision on the Midwest? Several hundred of these cubic meters now reside at generator sites in New York, Pennsylvania, and other states to the east, therefore shipments to Idaho could pass through our region. The quantities are not large - these sites are casually referred to as "small quantity sites" - but a very rough estimate indicates the Midwest could see around 100 truck shipments passing through above and beyond what we were originally expecting.

DOE's Bill Mackie will be coming to the committee's meeting in Indianapolis to share information on what will be headed our way, when, and how. In the meantime, Lisa and Sarah have put together a quick analysis of potential quantities, shipment numbers, and routes through the Midwest. Assuming the department follows the precedents it established when selecting the other WIPP routes, the Midwestern states will have input into the final route selections. States that might be affected by the shipments can rest assured that nothing will be moving anytime soon. The region is still waiting for shipments to resume from Argonne National Laboratory. Those shipments were projected to start in the spring of 2007.

Click here for the Record of Decision.
Click here for the Supplemental Analysis.
Click here for the CSG staff analysis of potential shipment numbers and routes.

Thanks for reading! Look for our next update in your inbox in two weeks.

Sincerely,
Lisa Janairo and Sarah Wochos
Committee Staff