EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SAFETY COMPLIANCE OVERSIGHT PLAN FOR TRANSPORTATION OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL
Introduction
1 The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) defines “spent nuclear fuel” as “fuel that has been withdrawn from a nuclear reactor following irradiation, the constituent elements of which have not been separated by reprocessing.” 2 NWPA defines “high-level radioactive waste” as “(A) the highly radioactive material resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid waste produced directly in reprocessing and any solid material derived from such liquid waste that contains fission products in sufficient concentrations; and (B) other highly radioactive material that the Commission, consistent with existing law, determines by rule requires permanent isolation.” The term “Commission” as used in the definition means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has regulatory oversight for the safety of railroad operations within the United States. Ranking at the top of FRA’s priorities is the safety of rail shipments involving Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) 1 and High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLRW) 2 . These materials have been transported safely by rail in the United States for more than 40 years. In the mid- 1980s, partly as a result of the rail shipments from the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant, FRA implemented its High-Level Nuclear Waste Rail Transportation Inspection Policy 3 for all known rail shipments of SNF and HLRW. Under FRA’s Inspection Policy, there has never been a rail accident or incident involving the transportation of SNF or HLRW that has resulted in a release of the material from the packaging. Furthermore, there has never been a single death or injury resulting from a rail shipment of radioactive material. Nevertheless, past rail shipping campaigns have shown that the nature of the potential hazards associated with radioactive materials elicits a high degree of public awareness and concern regarding the safety and integrity of SNF and HLRW shipments by rail. Furthermore, these shipments are projected to increase dramatically in volume in the forseeable future; 75 to 90 percent of the SNF and HLRW will be transported by rail. Total annual shipments of these materials are expected to increase from the current 15 to 25 shipments per year to between 400 to 600 shipments per year within the next decade. Taking a proactive approach to railroad safety, FRA recognized the need to enhance its high- level radioactive materials rail transportation inspection policy to ensure that the railroad industry’s unblemished safety record for nuclear material shipments will continue unabated, despite a sharp
3
See Appendix A “ Federal Railroad Administration High-Level Nuclear Waste Rail Transportation Inspection Policy”. iii
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