Meeting Summary
CSG Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee
May 24-25, 2005
Kimberly Lohr
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Committee Business Session
Chair's Report
Thor Strong reported on the current national setting, including the most recent Yucca Mountain licensing setbacks, Private Fuel Storage's (PFS) advancement toward licensing, and House language in the draft energy budget creating federal interim storage.
Project Update
Lisa Sattler, Senior Policy Analyst for Council of State Governments Midwest (CSGMW), reviewed the status of the cooperative agreements between CSGMW and the Department of Energy (DOE) which begin July 1, 2005. The agreements are with the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) and the Office of Environmental Management (EM). Lisa provided details on projects and funding provided through these agreements.
Ms. Sattler next reported on the legislative leaders and governor appointees recommended for the committee. The staff will work with the chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference to finalize all five appointments this summer.
Additionally, Ms. Sattler discussed CSGMW publications and an anonymous member survey available on their Web site.
Reports from Committee Work Groups
Section 180(c) - Thor Strong
Thor Strong described the work group's progress. The group started May 2004, identified four topic areas, and prepared issue papers on funding distribution method, allocation method, allowable activities, and timing and availability. The group also added to their review: definitions, funding pass through requirements, contingencies, rule making, state fees, funding operational activities.
Route Identification - Jane Beetem, Sarah Wochos
Sarah Wochos, CSGMW Policy Analyst, and Jane Beetem, with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, reviewed the Route Identification group activities. Their primary task is to identify a regional suite of acceptable routes to Yucca Mountain, although they may now need to factor in the new idea of interim storage sites. They looked at route comparison factors while running routes from Midwestern reactors and points of entry on the eastern and southern borders of the region. Their work included efforts by the Transportation External Coordination (TEC) Rail Topic Group. Ms. Wochos described in detail the comparison factors, the data needed, and the data sources.
They noted that CSG - Northeast (CSGNE) is looking at their own routes and other factors, while the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB) are currently not making route recommendations.
Security - Julie Maaske
Julie Maaske, with the Nebraska State Patrol, outlined the major themes being reviewed by the Security group: threat assessment, roles and responsibilities, infrastructure security, information security, public information, and security technology. Reviewing information is complicated since some information is classified.
Protocols Revision - Robert Owen
Robert Owen, with the Ohio Department of Health, described the states' position on, and recommended revisions to, the DOE practices manual. Revisions were suggested for language pertaining to the use of rail, shipments to Private Fuel Storage (PFS), secure parking locations, and federal assistance in the case of a radiological accident.
TRANSCOM User Group - Tim Runyon
Tim Runyon, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, shared the letter CSGMW sent to DOE regarding TRANSCOM's transfer to the Carlsbad Field Office. A primary concern was that DOE take into account other DOE sites and shipments, not just TRU waste shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). However, the group had a conference call in February with DOE which addressed most of their concerns.
Mr. Runyon also provided comments on the transition plan received in April, such as information missing from the plan, the work ahead, necessity for updated training, and security procedures.
CSG Midwest Database Project - Sarah Wochos
Ms. Wochos described the relational database she created that captures data along transportation routes. Data includes:
- States/Provinces
- State information, including fees, inspections, escorts, etc.
- Contacts, including committee members, Nuclear Regulator Commission (NRC), and Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP)
- Routes
- Shipments and shipment details
- State specific route segment information
- Plants
- Legislators
Other meetings
Committee members provided information from meetings they had attended over the past six months. Meetings attended were:
- CSGNE meeting- Lisa Sattler
- SSEB meeting - Dave Crose, Sarah Wochos
- U.S. Transport Council Meeting - Thor Strong
- Waste Management Conference - Lisa Sattler
- NRC Regulatory Information Conference - Tim Runyon
- TEC Working Group Meeting - Lisa Sattler and various attendees
- EM Best Practices Meeting - Tim Runyon, Don Flater, Lisa Sattler
New Business - Thor Strong
Thor Strong presented the following new business items to be discussed:
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for greater than Class C waste disposal
- Proposed revisions to practice manual - will discuss the following day
- Next meeting will be in Lansing, MI since it will be Thor's last meeting as Chair
- Bob Owens to take over as Chair; need a new Vice Chair
Regional Activities Roundtable (State Updates)
IL, Tim Runyon
- Still inspecting shipments
- Appreciate DOE information on Fernald shipments
IN, Dave Krose
- New governor
- Vote on daylight time issue
- Getting ready for Fernald shipments, advance fees
IA, Don Flater
- Fees went up for low level waste (LLW) and high level waste (HLW).
- Shipment numbers up for HLW after remaining the same for the past 8-15 years.
- LLW shipment numbers also increasing, with 500 shipments in 04, and already up to 500 in April 05.
- $2920/cask. Basis for increase: fees were originally dropped, now slowly being increased, and are halfway to where they have projected they need to be.
- Representative Elgin added that the bill to keep fees in-house was killed, resulting in an even more complicated funding structure.
KS, Frank Moussa
- November 16, 2004 exercise: two days, naval propulsion, being released as national training video
- No fee program for HLW - asked by governor to revisit
- If funds are received through 180(c) they plan to balance them with fees to recover program costs
- No escorts for Fernald shipments, but state is provided general notification
- Representative Freeborn added it is difficult to get fees. She wants to see the waste stored and thus moved as cheaply as possible.
MI, Thor Strong
- Big Rock Point in final stages of decommissioning - shipped all waste offsite except spent nuclear fuel (SNF)
- Research reactor University of Michigan in initial stages of decommissioning
- Canadian shipments weekly with no escort
MN, John Keer
- Monticello nuclear plant license expires 2010, and is reaching capacity
- Nuclear Management Company pursuing license renewal - submitted application to public utilities commission for certificate of need and will hear back within six months
- Applied to NRC for renewal (required every 20 years) in March 2005 - NRC indicated information is adequate to proceed with technical review
- Legislation introduced this last year in House and Senate to improve fees - referred to committee but nothing happened
MO, Jane Beetem
- New governor, Republican, GOP legislature
- New director, Doyle Childers
- Fee fills introduced by Department of Health and Senior Services as well as Natural Resources - neither made it out
- Anticipate shipment this year from LLW research facility, no escorts
NE, Julie Maaske
- New governor (was Lt. Gov)
- Escort HRCQ shipments, fees the same
OH, Bob Owen
- Legislation reintroduced for fees, not sure of status
- Shipments imminent
- Agree with NRC to allow the state to conduct inspections of nuclear facilities and allow licensing by state - it has gone well
- One barge shipment
- Successful ingestion exercise, another scheduled for June
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
Judith Holm, Director in DOE's Office of National Transportation (ONT) - Operations Development Division, discussed progress in working with CSGMW in the four project areas of infrastructure acquisition, Nevada rail, operational planning, and ONT institution. Ms. Holm reviewed transportation funding, work being done in the TEC working group and with other groups such as the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Ms. Holm then explained ONT's focus on transportation/storage casks, developing a rail line in Nevada, and developing the Operational Plan which will include plans for transportation, security and communication.
Ms. Holm reviewed the DOE standard contract with utilities to take SNF for disposal as required by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. She also provided an update on efforts being made to collaborate with Native American tribal governments.
Office of Environmental Management
Headquarters update - Dennis Ashworth
Dennis Ashworth, Director in DOE-EM's Office of Transportation, described the Office's mission and critical focus on transportation safety. He reviewed the number of shipments in FY 2004 and the projected shipments for FY 2005. Shipments are increasing as EM completes its mission; in FY04 they completed approximately 20,000 shipments of radioactive waste and material and in FY05 they plan to double those numbers while reducing the incident rate. Mr. Ashworth reviewed the efforts of the Transportation Risk Reduction Support Team, such as risk reduction methodology and risk prioritization, and the transportation incidents reported for FY04 and FY05 to date.
TRANSCOM Transition Update - Casey Gadbury
Casey Gadbury from the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office provided an update on transitioning the TRANSCOM program from Albuquerque to Carlsbad. Technical oversight of the program was transferred March 30, 2005 and physical transition will be complete by September 2005. The current contract with National Nuclear Security Administration - Albuquerque has been extended six months to cover the transition. The draft transition plan, which describes the process to implement the physical transfer to Carlsbad, is currently with the states for review.
Mr. Gadbury added that they plan to have an online refresher training and an Oracle update for mapping capabilities.
WIPP Update - Ralph Smith
Ralph Smith from the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office provided an update on shipments being received at the WIPP site. Rocky Flats completed all of its TRU waste shipments, contributing to a total of almost 3600 shipments to WIPP thus far. Ralph also discussed developments pertaining to containers and trailers as well as accidents and events of interest. As the WIPP program is maturing its budget will be reduced by 25% next year, still keeping state funding flat.
Fernald, Battelle, Mound Shipment Updates - John Sattler
John Sattler with DOE's Fernald Closure Project provided status on site cleanup and waste shipments. Cleanup of Silos 1 and 2 at Fernald are underway, with the silo contents emptied and the slurry put into storage tanks. Notification of shipments from Silos 1, 2, and 3 are moving through state agencies, and the shipments may start by the end of the current week. Waste from Silos 1 and 2, uranium byproduct material, will be going to Waste Control Specialists in Texas. The facility has a license to store the waste and has applied for a license for disposal. Low level waste from Silo 3 will be going to Envirocare in Utah.
TEPP Update - Joe DiMatteo
Joe Dimatteo from DOE's TEPP Region 5 reported on the program's major accomplishments in FY 2004, including:
- 87 DOE-sponsored Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (MERRTT) sessions completed
- 12.5 hour Continuing Education Hours approved
- Transportation Community awareness Emergency Response Whistle Stop Tour
- Seven field and tabletop exercises supported
Mr. Dimatteo also described the program's Web site and planning tools, as well as the 2005 revision to MERRTT. Future projects involve self-study programs, assisting the Federal Emergency Management Agency with revising the Hospital Training Program, and working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify planning and training overlaps in radiological response and planning preparedness.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
State and Regional Stakeholders
Idaho MERRTT Program - Kristie Moser-McIntire
Kristi Moser-McINtire, Health Physicist with the Idaho department of Environmental Quality Radiation Control Program, reviewed Idaho's training program for emergency responders. After assessing needs and resources they developed a state-specific program that incorporates MERRTT along with customized modules to reflect state-specific concerns. The Idaho Radiation Emergency Preparedness Program includes MERRTT, hands-on exercise packages, drill exercise packages, and training for hospital personnel.
National Association Of Regulatory Utility Commissioners - Greg White
Greg White, a member of the Michigan Public Service Commission and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), explained who NARUC is and its interest in nuclear waste. NARUC members represent ratepayers in the 41 states that have paid into the federal Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF) to pay for the waste disposal program. It is NARUC's high priority to press for reform of the NWF to get the money into the nuclear waste program.
NARUC principles include: finding a permanent solution to nuclear waste disposal; using the NWF only for its intended purpose; employing interim measures pending a permanent solution; and, maintaining active participation. Mr. White said NARUC is pleased Representative Hobson (R-OH) took steps to include funding for interim storage in energy appropriations, although $10 million won't go far. He suggested considering using Base Realignment and Closure facilities as interim storage, although building storage and getting approval will be very difficult in any case. NARUC is also a proponent of reprocessing SNF.
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Update - Carlisle Smith
Carlisle Smith with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) provided a history of the organization and a background on how inspections works. He reviewed violations from the CVSA report issued in April which reviews data from October 1, 2002 to December 31, 2004. In conclusion he stated that the security risk to the WIPP shipments should be considered with respect to the number of times and the length of time each shipment is stopped en route.
Regional Group Update
WIEB - Scott Field
Mr. Field provided the following highlights:
- WIEB held a joint meeting with Western Governors' Association WIPP Technical Advisory Group (WIPP TAG) earlier in the month.
- The meeting included a PFS workshop - western states stated their expectation for PFS shipments would be the same for any radioactive waste shipments, and the beneficiary of shipments should pay, whether DOE or PFS, but not corridor states.
- Any interim storage site becomes a part of the transportation system, thus DOE should plan accordingly.
- WGA resolution on waste transportation sunsetting, thus they are drafting a renewal.
- WGA will review DOE's route selections, and review Midwest route suggestions.
- WIEB is working with the 180(c) topic group.
- Special projects: 1) review Sandia investment planning model if utility for west to run its own scenarios, 2) prototype means assessment (pilot project 180(c) implementation)
WIPP TAG - Bill Mackie
Mr. Mackie provided the following highlights:
- Security subcommittee meeting March 05
- Added security plan to WIPP Program Implementation Guide (PIG)
- Meeting in Carlsbad September/October 2005 for law enforcement
- Current work issues: bi-annual evaluation of PIG, Brookhaven and Battelle shipments
- Don't believe incident summary is thorough enough, thus they are developing own
- RH shipment notification discussion (leaning toward only states on route being notified)
- Next meeting in fall in Idaho Falls (including Idaho National Lab tour)
NCSL - Linda Sikkema
Ms. Sikkema provided the following highlights:
- Primary current work task: High Level Waste Working Group meeting in June - 60 members from 32 states (including Nevada HLWWG).
- 20 new members - invited to joint Yucca Mountain tour in September with SSEB, and an orientation before the June meeting
- National Caucus of Native American Legislators - get guidance on state interaction with tribes
- Legislative Guide to emergency response and planning
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board - Howard Arnold
Mr. Arnold explained who the NWTRB is and provided the following highlights:
- Next public meeting will be in early November in Las Vegas
- Board involved in smaller informal meetings on repository design and operation
- Concerns: design of canisters, welding, design of repository facility, engineering transportation, safeguards, packages and safeguards, natural systems
- Board is not regulatory body, but will review technical aspects of design and determine if it meets standards
Utility Stakeholders
Big Rock Point Decommissioning - Kurt Haas
Kurt Haas with Consumers Energy first provided a history of the Big Rock Point nuclear energy plant, and then described progress in decommissioning and restoration. He shared lessons learned, including: start planning early; practice dry runs where possible; develop contingencies and practice; consider local concern over damage to roadways; limited/poor railroad equipment; and, beware of fixed price contracts.
The site cleanup is currently in Phase D, which will run until September 2006 and consists of removing remaining structures and the final site survey. Currently 1.5 miles of lakefront property is ready for use and about 90 percent of the 560 acre property is ready for release.
Mr. Haas also discussed the challenge of waste costs versus schedule costs, and noted that waste disposal makes up 17% of the project cost (total project cost $62 million).
Update on Nuclear Management Co. Dry Storage Projects - Suzanne LeBlang
Suzanne LeBlang with Nuclear Management Company (NMC) described NMC operations and recent activities. NMC manages and operates six nuclear plants while still allowing the utilities to maintain ownership. The Midwest nuclear plants are:
- Duane Arnold
- Kewaunee
- Monticello
- Palisades
- Point Beach
- Prairie Island
Ms. LeBlang then described in detail the dry fuel storage of SNF from their operations.
Nuclear Energy Institute Update - Paul Genoa
Paul Genoa, a Senior Manager at Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), stated his organization's position that Yucca Mountain can serve as a scientifically sound geologic repository and can be licensed to standards that provide reasonable assurance of public health and safety. He discussed current strong support for nuclear energy and the necessity for progress in used fuel disposal, emphasizing that storage is not the same as disposal.
Mr. Genoa then described the challenges ahead for Yucca Mountain, including funding, licensing, transportation, falsification of USGS documents, and litigation.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Update
Earl Easton with the NRC provided an update on the safety of shipping SNF by rail. He also described the TruPact III design in-depth, with figures showing how the container is designed to withstand impact.
In discussing rail transport, Mr. Easton stressed that there has never been a release involving the rail shipment of SNF, and significant improvements in tank car design since 1996 will continue to make transport even safer. He then reviewed the causes of rail accidents releasing non-radioactive hazardous materials prior to 1996, and how tank cars have been designed to prevent such accidents repeating. NRC periodically re-assesses the effectiveness of Type B standards to reflect changes in package design and accident statistics.
Mr. Easton also discussed ongoing NRC activities: National Academy of Science (NAS) storage study, NAS transportation study, NRC security assessments, package performance study, Baltimore tunnel fire study, and the highway tunnel fire study.
Committee Business Session
The following topics were worked on:
- Worked on draft letter to Paul Golan and John Parkyn regarding 180(c) funds
- Reviewed 180(c) resolved and unresolved issues (handout). Judith Holm discussed pilot project - a couple states per region, still need to determine criteria by which states selected (training safe transport, not just emergency response and training). Forward comments to Ms. Holm by June 10.
- Reviewed key questions relating to DOE practices manual
- Reviewed key issues shipment planning
- Discussed funding for two special projects: local workshop Minnesota, elected officials Yucca tour
- Next meeting ideas: Oct 25-26, or 26-27. One day DOE - EM, one day DOE - OCRWM.
- New business: Tim Runyon reviewing international guidance. DOE EIS on Greater than Class C waste disposal (maybe).
- Next TEC meeting in Pueblo, CO in September. Discuss rail technical and operational issues.
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- Next TEC meeting in Pueblo, CO in September. Discuss rail technical and operational issues.
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