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.

U.S. Transport Council Meeting

The U.S. Transport Council held its annual Capitol Hill Summit on April 25-26. Figuring prominently on the agenda was the update on the OCRWM transportation program. Fuel Cycle Weekly prepared a nice, brief summary of the transportation session. With the publisher's permission, we are attaching the summary. Highlights from the session:

• OCRWM is still on target for submitting its license application in June 2008.
• The hold-up in selecting routes nationally may be linked to the recent federal proposed rulemakings pertaining to security of rail shipments of hazardous waste.
• The emphasis on using "transportation, aging, and disposal" (TAD) canisters will preclude truck transportation from all but a few sites.

State Legislation Round-Up

Several Midwestern states have pending radioactive waste legislation. Here's a round-up of activities throughout the region:

• Missouri House Bill 252 and companion Sentate Bill 205 seek to impose transportation fees on radioactive waste shipments that pass through the state. The bills have passed out of committee and are awaiting consideration from the House and Senate.
• Minnesota House File 2436 and companion Senate File 2237 are resolutions encouraging Congress to fully fund the Yucca Mountain repository program. These bills have been referred to the appropriate committees for consideration.
• Michigan House Concurrent Resolution 3 and companion Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 encourage the Department of Energy to fulfill its obligation to establish a national repository. They have been referred to the appropriate committees for consideration.

The text and updated status of these and other federal legislative initiatives can be found on our website.

Benchmarking Study Update

On April 26, OCRWM responded to the committee's input on the program's draft "benchmarking report." In several instances, DOE's response did not reflect thoughtful consideration of the committee's good intentions in recommending improvements to the draft report. Late last week, the CSG Midwest staff sent DOE clarification of several of the region's original comments and reiterated specific suggestions, such as urging OCRWM to assess the status of stakeholder relations. DOE agreed to hold a conference call in a few weeks to discuss the Midwest's and the West's additional feedback on the benchmarking report. A final report is expected in a few weeks.

Click here to see the committee's original comments on the report

Click here to see the committee's clarification of the original comments

Click here to see the revised benchmarking report

Thanks for reading! Look for the next issue in two weeks!

Sincerely,
Lisa Janairo and Sarah Wochos
Committee Staff