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.

Bob Holds His Owen

Despite a seemingly insurmountable pile of discussion items, presentations and acronyms, Bob Owen deftly guided the committee through another successful meeting. Last week's meeting in Columbus marked Bob's fourth consecutive meeting as facilitator and his last as co-chair. At the end of the meeting he passed the gavel to Jane Beetem, who will take the helm at the spring meeting. The meeting was chock full of good discussion, included a great tour of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and resulted in several important action items for committee members:

• States should consider sending in their own comments on Section 180(c) that reiterate key points from the committee's comments. To see the committee's comments, click here.
• States should provide feedback to Lisa on the committee's draft comments on RW's draft repository supplemental environmental impact statement by December 14th. To see the draft comments, click here.
• States should provide feedback to Sarah on CSG's prototype for customizing the Prospective Shipments Report by December 29th. To see the PRS prototype, click here.

The committee agreed that, if possible, the spring meeting should be held in conjunction with the next Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting, which will be held July 13-16, 2008, in Rapid City, South Dakota. If this can't be arranged, the committee chose the week of June 16th, 2008, in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a back-up. More details will be available in the coming months, but in the meantime, committee members should mark their calendars with both sets of dates.

A full summary of the Columbus meeting will be available in the near future, but presentations and other follow-up items are available now on the meeting website.

Click here for the meeting website.

And congratulations to Thor Strong, who successfully made it through his update without using any undefined acronyms!

Committee Leuers a New Co-Chair

Last week in Columbus, the committee elected Minnesota gubernatorial appointee Kevin Leuer as the next co-chair. Kevin is the Director of the Preparedness Branch of the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. His expertise in emergency management planning and execution will prove invaluable to the committee in the upcoming years as we embark on a 180(c) pilot project and pilot state needs assessment. Kevin said he is looking forward to what former committee Chair Thor Strong called 'a very valuable opportunity," and added that he'll look to Jane's experience as a co-chair to help him through his first year. The committee roster will be updated at the start of the new year to reflect the change in leadership. Congratulations, Kevin!

Click here for a committee roster.

A Perfect 10!

It's a record! For the first time in committee history, 10 legislative appointments are filled. Late last month, Midwestern Legislative Conference Chair Sen. Patty Birkholz appointed Missouri Rep. Edward Robb to the committee. Rep. Robb was the sponsor of radioactive waste transportation fee legislation last session (HB 252) and welcomed the committee to Missouri at the Jefferson City meeting. Please join us in welcoming Rep. Robb to the committee!

Click here for an updated committee roster.

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

Sincerely,
Lisa Janairo and Sarah Wochos
Committee Staff