WEBINARS In addition to the annual meetings, the NTSF also hosts periodic webinars for the purpose of informing states, Tribes, and other interested parties about recent transportation-related developments as well as NTSF-related activities. Webinars began in 2010, and in the first few years, they also featured presentations on ad hoc working group products to encourage feedback from NTSF members. More recent webinars have been sponsored by the ad hoc working groups to help to educate other NTSF members about emerging issues and recent developments. The R/R AHWG, for example, sponsored a four-part series on rail transportation in 2016. Webinars have been scheduled periodically, as needed, and have addressed a variety of subjects as identified by the NTSF members; All webinar topics are approved by the Planning Committee and the NTSF Chair. A full list of webinars, including links to slides and video recordings, is maintained on the NTSF wiki site (NTSF 2020b). NTSF WIKI The NTSF wiki is a private website owned and set up by CSG Midwest. In the early years of the NTSF, the wiki was the go-to source of information on NTSF activities and events. The NTSF Planning Committee and all the ad hoc working groups used the site to store materials such as conference call agendas and summaries, draft documents, and event-related information. In recent years, the wiki has gradually experienced a decline in usage. One reason for the decline is the change from having a dedicated team (CSG Midwest staff) maintain the site to assigning responsibility to the various leads for the ad hoc working groups and the Planning Committee. Having the site maintained by many people is in keeping with the purpose of a “wiki” as opposed to a standard website; in practice, however, it makes it difficult to assure that all pages are up to date. Also, in response to the DOE-GC concerns about violating FACA provisions, the NTSF Planning Committee decided to split the ad hoc working group and Planning Committee pages off from the NTSF wiki into their own private wikis accessible only to members of those groups. This change meant the NTSF wiki would no longer be the single source of information on all things NTSF —members now must visit two or more sites, depending on the number of groups on which they serve. In late 2019, CSG Midwest proposed an improvement plan for the wiki that would “[return] the site to its original role as a repository for NTSF groups, webinars, and meetings” (CSG Midwest 2019, p. 1). In addition, CSG Midwest recommended that most of the separate wikis be incorporated back into the main site, adding that — in the future — separate sites should only be created “for those groups that will be working on tasks with implications for DOE policy” (ibid., p. 2). As of August 2020, the Planning Committee had accepted these recommendations but had not yet begun to implement them. AD HOC WORKING GROUPS Replacing the “topic groups” in the TEC/WG framework were ad hoc working groups that would form to address a specific issue and then disband after their task was complete. Once an issue
came to its attention, the Planning Committee would “determine the priority for establishing an ad hoc working group within one (1) month” (NTSF 2010, p. 2). After a decision to convene a new group, the group was expected to “develop a task statement, and develop a timeline for resolution of the issue at the first meeting” (ibid.). This change was intended to help the new NTSF avoid the pitfall of “standing committees” that would languish — sometimes for years —without producing much of lasting value. The 2019 revision of the charter streamlined this language, with the NTSF Management Plan codifying the requirement that AHWGs develop a work plan that includes “a purpose statement, defined goals and objectives, and a provisional timetable” (NTSF 2020a, Section 7.4.1). Much of the work of the NTSF takes place through the ad hoc working groups. Each ad hoc working group has a leadership team consisting of two or three people. One of the co-leads is always a DOE representative, with the others coming from the states, Tribes, or SRG/TRMTC staff. The early ad hoc working groups used the NTSF wiki site as a location for their work, with the result that the site contains a detailed archive of past work done by each of these groups. Some of the ad hoc working groups, however, have limited documentation of their activities on the wiki site. Since its inception, the NTSF has established 16 ad hoc working groups:
• Communications (2) • Financial Guidance • Information & Communications • Management Plan • Notifications • Prospective Shipment Report (PSR) Improvements • Radioactive Materials Practices Manual • Section 180(c)
• Security Communications Protocol • Spent Fuel Transportation Materials
• SNF Rail/Routing • TEPP Training (2)
• Transportation Planning • Transportation Practices
Some of the groups were more active and accomplished than others. Notable products of the ad hoc working groups have included the following: 1. Financial Guidance: Detailed recommendations to DOE’s CBFO regarding the type of guidance that would facilitate common expectations among states and Tribes that receive WIPP funding and help them to better understand the process of applying for funds. 2. PSR Improvements: Substantive recommendations for making this DOE long-term planning information tool highly useful to the states and Tribes affected by shipments. 3. Communications (2011-2014): “Development Guide for DOE Site-Specific Transportation Campaign Factsheets;” an update to the key transportation messages produced by the TEC/WG in 2002; a resource table on “Transportation of Radioactive
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