This planning guide outlines the expectations of the Midwestern states for all shippers that transport spent nuclear fuel (SNF), high-level radioactive waste (HLW), transuranic (TRU) waste, or highway route-controlled quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive material through the region.
Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Material through the Midwestern States
Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Material through the Midwestern States
a publication of The Council of State Governments Midwestern Office and the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee
The Council of State Governments The Council of State Governments (CSG) is our nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national, and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate, and create problem- solving partnerships. Through its national office in Lexington, Kentucky, a state-federal office in Washington, D.C., and regional offices in New York, Atlanta, Chicago (Lombard), and Sacramento, CSG is dedicated to preserving the role of the states in America’s federal system. The role of CSG’s Midwestern Office (CSG Midwest) is to foster intergovernmental cooperation through the promotion of regional—as well as individual—state responses to common issues and challenges.
Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Material through the Midwestern States
This material is based upon work supported by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Cooperative Agreements DE-NE0008604, DE-EM0004869, and DE- EM00002327. This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Prepared by: Mitch Arvidson, Program Manager, and the CSG Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee
For more information or to order copies, contact:
The Council of State Governments Midwestern Office 701 E. 22nd Street, Suite 110 Lombard, IL 60148 (630) 925-1922
Table of Contents Part I. About the Planning Guide...............................................1 Purpose...................................................................................................................... 1 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 1 Maintenance............................................................................................................ 3 Structure. .................................................................................................................. 4 Part II. Recommended Practices..................................................6 Transportation Planning.....................................................................................6 Mode and Route Selection................................................................................. 9 Mode.................................................................................................................... 9 Route.................................................................................................................... 9 Carrier Selection and Driver/Crew Compliance........................................12 Packaging...............................................................................................................13 Advance Notification of Shipments.............................................................14 Spent Nuclear Fuel.......................................................................................14 Transuranic Waste..........................................................................................15 HRCQ..................................................................................................................16 Public Information...............................................................................................16 Emergency Management Considerations................................................. 18 Emergency Management Plan................................................................. 18 Notification. .................................................................................................... 19 Emergency Response................................................................................... 21 Emergency Management Assistance Compact..................................21 Assistance for the States..............................................................................22 Section 180(c).................................................................................................23 Inspections............................................................................................................ 24 Point of Origin................................................................................................24 En Route............................................................................................................25 Security....................................................................................................................26 Safe Parking...........................................................................................................27 TRANSCOM/Shipment Tracking.................................................................... 28
Weather and Road Conditions....................................................................... 29 Pre-Departure................................................................................................ 30 En Route...........................................................................................................30 Part III. Information Resources..................................................31 Appendix A. Recommended Practices Timeline.......................................31 Appendix B. CSG Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee Roster.................................................................33 Appendix C. Midwestern State Information ..............................................37 Illinois................................................................................................................. 37 Indiana.............................................................................................................. 39 Iowa.................................................................................................................... 41 Kansas............................................................................................................... 44 Michigan...........................................................................................................46 Minnesota .......................................................................................................49 Missouri ............................................................................................................52 Nebraska...........................................................................................................55 North Dakota..................................................................................................58 Ohio................................................................................................................... 60 South Dakota...................................................................................................63 Wisconsin .........................................................................................................65 Appendix D. Midwestern State Fees ...........................................................68 Appendix E. Tribal Information ......................................................................71 Iowa ...................................................................................................................71 Kansas ...............................................................................................................71 Michigan ..........................................................................................................71 Minnesota ........................................................................................................72 Nebraska ..........................................................................................................73 North Dakota .................................................................................................74 South Dakota .................................................................................................74 Wisconsin..........................................................................................................75 Appendix F. Federal Regulations & Other Online Resources ..............77 Appendix G. Acronyms......................................................................................80
PART I. ABOUT THE PLANNING GUIDE
Purpose This planning guide outlines the expectations of the Midwestern states for all shippers that transport spent nuclear fuel 1 , high- level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, or highway route- controlled quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive material through the region. For the purposes of this document, the Midwestern region encompasses the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office (CSG Midwest) prepared this planning guide with assistance from the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (see Appendix B). CSG Midwest organized the committee in 1989 with the support of a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The committee consists of 12 members appointed by the Midwestern state governors and up to 12 legislative members appointed by the chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference. The purpose of the committee is to identify, prioritize, and work with federal agencies and key stakeholders to resolve regional issues pertaining to the transport of radioactive material, with the goal of protecting the health and safety of the public in the Midwest. Objectives The specific objectives of this planning guide are as follows: • To present the Midwestern states’ preferences for how shippers should conduct radioactive material shipments through the region;
1 “Spent nuclear fuel” is sometimes referred to as “used nuclear fuel.” This document uses “spent nuclear fuel.”
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• To provide shippers with a single source of information on the Midwestern states to help in planning shipping activities; and • To improve the efficiency of the transportation process for both the Midwestern states and shippers. The Midwestern states first prepared this planning guide in 2002 in response to an increasing frequency of radioactive material shipments through the region and, with it, an increasing array of practices, procedures, and plans requiring the input and involvement of the states. To date, DOE has conducted most of these shipments with varying levels of state involvement. The states appreciate DOE’s efforts to consolidate and better coordinate its radioactive material transportation activities, particularly through the development in 2002 of a comprehensive Radioactive Material Transportation Practices Manual for use across the department. This Midwestern planning guide complements DOE’s activities by providing a single resource of information on the Midwestern states to be used to develop plans for each new shipping campaign. Because of our long-standing working relationship with DOE on radioactive material transportation planning, we expect DOE to conduct its shipments in a manner that meets the guidelines spelled out in this document. We also look to non- DOE shippers of radioactive waste and material to adopt these guidelines and to work cooperatively with the states as partners in transportation planning. The states take different approaches to regulating radioactive material transportation, but they all base their actions on the type of material and the mode of shipment, not on the identity of the shipper or the points of origin and destination of the shipments. A central principle of this planning guide, therefore, is that shipments of similar material should be handled in the same fashion. In other words, shipments of transuranic waste should follow the same policies and procedures, regardless of whether the shipments are headed to DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot
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Plant (WIPP) or to an interim facility for treatment, consolidation, or repackaging. Likewise, shipments of spent nuclear fuel should be handled in a similar fashion regardless of whether the destination is a repository, a private interim storage site, or a DOE facility. Federal requirements regarding shipment security were tightened after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For example, due to the concern over the potential use of non-fissile radioactive material in the construction of radiological dispersal devices (RDD), or “dirty bombs,” federal requirements (10 CFR 37) were changed to provide enhanced physical protection for Category 1 and Category 2 quantities of radioactive materials. These changes, including background checks for employees, advance notification, and real-time tracking, were codified as regulations in 2013. As co-regulators of transportation, the states are following this same trend toward enhanced security and other protective measures for shipments of HRCQ material. Maintenance Every two years, the CSG Midwest staff will organize an ad hoc working group of Midwestern states to discuss lessons learned from shipping activities during the preceding two years. If necessary, the working group will propose revisions to improve the Midwest’s recommended practices in this planning guide. The Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee will review the recommended changes and revise the planning guide accordingly. In connection with the spring and fall committee meetings, the committee will update the state-specific information contained in the planning guide. Throughout the year, members of the committee will forward updated information to the CSG Midwest staff as it becomes available. The staff will post updated information in the on-line version of the planning guide, which is available at csgmidwest.org/about-us/mrmtp/project-resources.
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Structure This guide is divided into three parts. The first part identifies the purpose and objectives of the document. Part II addresses the states’ preferences for radioactive material shipping activities that will impact the Midwestern region. Part III is a compilation of various types of information on the Midwestern states and on radioactive material transportation. Included in this section are state points of contact, emergency response plans, routes, and statutes pertaining to radioactive material transportation. The points of contact are subdivided by topical area; when in doubt as to whom to contact, shippers should seek assistance from the executive branch appointee to the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee. In 2015, the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee modified the planning guide to include available information on points of contact for federally recognized Indian Tribes located in the Midwest. The tribal information is expected to expand in future editions of this guide. The scope of this planning guide is limited to shipments of spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, and HRCQ material. It does not address shipments conducted for national security purposes (including naval spent nuclear fuel shipments), nor does it cover low-level radioactive waste or mixed low-level radioactive waste shipments. In preparing this planning guide, we drew from various sources, starting with the minimum requirements spelled out in regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as well as DOE orders and other federal guidance. We then added what we consider to be “best practices” based on our experiences with radioactive material shipments. It should be noted that some states enforce NRC regulations themselves.
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Agreement States 2 are those states that entered into an effective regulatory discontinuance agreement with the NRC under subsection 274b of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA). The role of the Agreement States is to regulate most types of radioactive material in accordance with the compatibility requirements of the AEA. Shippers should consider and consult the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) equivalent rules of each Agreement State affected by a planned route. References throughout this planning guide to the CFR should be understood as “CFR or equivalent Agreement State regulations.” We firmly believe that shippers who adhere to these recommendations will enhance the safety—and, ultimately, the efficiency—of their shipments. We also believe that adherence to these recommendations will increase the likelihood of public acceptance of those shipments. The planning guide is, in our view, a useful tool to start the necessary discussions between shippers and the states in the process of pre-planning and coordination of shipments that will affect the Midwest. As public servants, the members of the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee are committed to protecting the health and safety of the public in our jurisdictions. We recognize that our recommended practices, in some instances, extend beyond the explicit regulatory requirements for shipments. We believe these extra-regulatory measures are both reasonable and necessary to ensure that shipments take place in a manner that is safe, secure, and merits public confidence. We also recognize the right of shippers to conduct shipments through the Midwestern region. We offer these guidelines to assist shippers as they exercise their rights in a responsible manner. — CSG Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee
2 The Midwest Agreement States are Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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PART II. RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
Note: The U.S. Constitution recognizes Native American Tribes as distinct governments with the same powers to regulate their internal affairs as federal and state governments. Therefore, shippers should consult with and treat Tribes affected by shipments of radioactive material in the same way they would states. In this guide, “stakeholders” should be understood as “states and Tribes.” 1 Transportation Planning The time required to coordinate with the states on transportation planning depends upon the scale of the shipping campaign. For new campaigns or shipments over routes not previously used, shippers should begin the transportation planning process two years prior to the anticipated commencement of shipments. This recommended time frame will ensure that the institutional aspects of the shipping campaign are addressed in tandem with technical ones. A first step in the transportation planning process is to present preliminary information to the potentially affected states—either individually or, if more than one Midwestern state would be affected, through the biannual meetings of the Midwestern Radioactive Material Transportation Committee. Please refer to Part III. Information Resources, Appendix A. Recommended Practices Timeline for a step-by-step timeline. Shippers and the affected states should consult during the regularly scheduled meetings of the Midwestern Radioactive Material Transportation Committee or meetings involving the affected regional cooperative-agreement groups. If needed, shippers should convene a separate meeting specifically for the purpose of planning a shipment or shipping campaign. Points of contact can be found on the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) website: https://www.ntsf.info/about. Shippers and states benefit from the preparation of transportation plans for all shipments of spent nuclear fuel, 1 These recommended practices have been developed by the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee and the states that make up the committee. Tribes may have their own recommended practices and should be consulted separately.
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high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, and HRCQ material through the Midwestern region. The Midwestern corridor states 2 should review and provide input on at least one draft of each transportation plan. The review process should involve the members of the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee from the affected states and be coordinated through CSG Midwest. For all shipping campaigns, a final transportation plan—having undergone review by the corridor states—should be in place at least two weeks prior to the first shipment. Shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to a national repository, consolidated interim storage facility (CISF), or temporary storage facility will have longer timelines for the finalization of the transportation plans. For shipments conducted as part of these programs, the states expect to be involved in the development of the draft transportation plan, with the final plan in place six months prior to the first shipment. The shipper should annually update the plan’s state-related information in consultation with CSG Midwest. The affected states should have an opportunity to provide input into any substantive changes to the plan, including route identification. Acceptable transportation plans should adhere to the guidelines laid out in this planning guide. Elements of an acceptable transportation plan include: • an explanation of the purpose of, or need for, the shipments; • a definition of the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved; • an emergency management plan (see the section on Emergency Management Plan); • a communications plan, including an approach to provide information to the public and the media;
2 Corridor states should be understood as states in which a shipping campaign originates, terminates, or travels through.
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• shipping mode and carriers to be used; • preferred route and alternatives, if any; • a general description of security considerations, as well as a detailed security plan (the latter to be distributed only to those with a “need to know”); • an incident or accident recovery plan, including a list of local response contractors; • a copy of the NRC or DOE Certificate of Compliance for the shipping container (if applicable); and • a list of lead points of contact for the shipper, the carrier, and the corridor stakeholders. While the elements listed above are best practices and suggestions identified by affected state entities, there are also legal regulations that shippers must follow. These include 10 CFR 73 Subpart E, “Physical Protection of Special Nuclear Material and Spent Nuclear Fuel in Transit” and 10 CFR 37 Subpart D, “Physical Protection in Transit” for Category 1 and Category 2 quantities of radioactive material. In addition to the transportation plan, which may be available to the public, the shipper should provide corridor states with a complete description of the package, its contents, and the activity in the package and dose rates. Shippers may use other successful shipping campaigns as a model for the creation of transportation plans for radioactive waste or material through the Midwestern region. Examples of such transportation plans can be obtained through the DOE Office of Packaging and Transportation at ASKPAT@hq.doe.gov. Following the completion of a shipment or shipping campaign, shippers should compile the lessons learned for the purpose of improving future shipments. These lessons learned reports should be shared with Midwestern states, to the extent permissible. To assist in the compilation of lessons learned, CSG
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Midwest will solicit input from the Midwestern states.
Mode and Route Selection Mode: Selection of the shipping mode is the responsibility of the shipper. Safety should be the primary consideration in evaluating and selecting a mode. The Midwestern states recommend that rail shipments should take place using dedicated trains, not general freight service. Route: Shippers should identify the routes for highway and rail shipments in consultation with the potentially affected states. The DOT regulations for highway route selection can be found in 49 CFR 397 Subpart D – “Routing of Class 7 (Radioactive) Materials”. Regulations for rail route selection can be found in 49 CFR 172.820 – “Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail”. Shippers must follow these regulations when selecting routes for shipments. For all modes, safety must be the primary consideration in deciding routes. For truck shipments, shippers should consider accident rates, population exposure, and time in transit when evaluating routes. For shipments by rail, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) lists 27 factors that rail carriers must consider when conducting annual risk analyses of available routes (see 49 CFR 172.820 and Appendix D to Part 172 – “Rail Risk Analysis Factors”).
• Volume of hazardous material transported; • rail traffic density; • trip length for route; • presence and characteristics of railroad facilities; • track type, class, and maintenance schedule;
• track grade and curvature; • presence or absence of signals and train control systems along the route (“dark” versus signaled territory); • presence or absence of wayside hazard detectors; • number and types of grade
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crossings; • single versus double track territory; • frequency and location of track turnouts; • proximity to iconic targets; • environmentally sensitive or significant areas; • population density along the route; • venues along the route (stations, events, places of congregation); • emergency response capability along the route; • areas of high consequence along the route; including high consequence targets as defined by 49 CFR 172.820(c); • presence of passenger traffic along the route (shared track);
• speed of train operations; • proximity to en-route storage or repair facilities; • known threats, including any non-public threat scenarios provided by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Transportation for carrier use in the development of the route assessment; • measures in place to address apparent safety and security risks; • availability of practicable alternative routes; • past incidents; • overall times in transit; • training and skill level of crews; and • impact on rail network traffic and congestion.
For shipping campaigns involving spent nuclear fuel, high- level radioactive waste, or transuranic waste, the shipper should present proposed route or routes to the states for their consideration at least one year prior to the first shipment. 3 If a state proposes an alternative route that would change the proposed route through one or more other states, both 3 For shipments conducted under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), the states must know the anticipated routes five years prior to the start of shipments, consistent with the DOE’s 2008 proposed policy for implementing Section 180(c) of the NWPA.”
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the proposing state and the shipper should consult with the affected state(s) prior to selection of the alternative route. The Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee is an appropriate forum for addressing any interstate disagreements. Proposed changes to selected routes should be presented to all potentially affected states in a timely manner for their review and consideration. If the shipper consults with the U.S. Federal Railroad Association (FRA) regarding potential rail routes, the shipper should also seek the input of representatives of the state rail safety programs in the potential corridor states (see Appendix C). All highway shipments should be treated as HRCQ shipments as a matter of policy. Additionally, DOT regulations require motor carriers to use only preferred routes that minimize time in transit (49 CFR 397.101). (See Appendix C for information on state routing contacts.) As requested, CSG Midwest will assist states that seek to designate preferred routes. There are applications available to assist in the identification of routes. For federal, State, Tribal, or local government staff for government purposes, and for DOE-authorized activities, there is the Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START). START is a web-based, geographic information system (GIS) tool developed by the DOE Office of Integrated Waste Management to visualize and analyze data related to possible shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. START users can explore options for rail, truck, barge, and intermodal shipping routes and make adjustments based on various criteria. For example, users can determine routes that minimize time in transit, minimize population exposure, or avoid entire population centers or important locations. Additionally, users can view dozens of data layers showing the locations of fire departments, hospitals, Tribal lands, airports, etc. For more
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information on START and to determine if it is available to you, contact START@hq.doe.gov.
Carrier Selection and Driver/Crew Compliance Shippers should select only those carriers that have exceptional performance records. Truck drivers should, at a minimum, meet the requirements in place for WIPP drivers. Specifically, drivers should have logged a minimum of 325,000 total miles in the last five years or 100,000 miles per year in two of the last five years in commercial semi-tractor combination over-the-road operation. These WIPP requirements can be found at www.wipp.energy. gov/fctshts/driver.pdf. For shipping campaigns of long duration, drivers should also have training in Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Level VI inspection procedures, satellite tracking systems such as the Transportation Tracking and Communications System (TRANSCOM), and awareness-level first responder training. Licensees who are shipping material exceeding the NRC’s quantity of concern levels for specific isotopes are required to provide background checks for site personnel and carriers. Quantity of concern levels can be found in Appendix A to 10 CFR 37 – “Category 1 and Category 2 Radioactive Materials.” Shippers should consider only carriers that earn satisfactory DOT ratings, which can be found on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System. In addition, if DOE or one of its contractors acts as the shipper, the carrier must also have satisfactory ratings under DOE’s Motor Carrier Evaluation Program. When selecting carriers for DOE shipments, it is the states’ expectation that DOE will abide by all applicable agreements with the states and the regional groups. Regarding train crews, all locomotive engineers who are assigned to shipments should meet the FRA’s Locomotive Engineer Certification requirements. In addition, all members
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of the train crew should have received hazardous material training. Such certification and training should be verified by the FRA or FRA-certified state inspectors. Although not required by regulation, the FRA’s “Safety Compliance Oversight Plan for Rail Transportation of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel” (SCOP) specifically states that shippers should provide all train crew members with a radioactive material awareness information safety briefing prior to shipments commencing (1998 FRA SCOP). For shipping campaigns of long duration (i.e., greater than one year), the shipper should provide the carrier’s draft management plan to the corridor states for their review and comment at least 45 days prior to the first shipment. CSG Midwest will coordinate the Midwestern states’ review of the draft plan. The carrier management plan should address the following topics: • quality assurance,
• security, • equipment, and • communications.
• emergency response, • driver/crew training, • recovery,
The plan should also contain a statement from the carrier regarding its commitment to adhere to the requirements of the shipper’s transportation plan. In addition, the carrier management plan should address the interface between the carrier, the shipper, and state law enforcement and emergency response personnel. Packaging Shippers must use NRC-approved Type B packaging for all shipments of spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, and HRCQ material. All packaging must be used in accordance with the current certificate of
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compliance. The DOE Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) Radioactive Material Packaging (RAMPAC) website provides guidance for DOE use of NRC certified packages. For the purposes of training responders and conducting public information activities, shippers should provide the affected state agencies with general written information regarding the packaging they plan to use for shipments through the Midwestern region. Advance Notification of Shipments To facilitate long-term planning, the Midwestern states endorse DOE’s Prospective Shipment Report. For private shipments, similar information on upcoming shipments of spent nuclear fuel, transuranic waste, and other radioactive material should be provided to the states in an acceptable format. Shipper points of contact, possible transport mode and route(s), and the general time frame for shipments should also be provided to the potentially affected states. Spent Nuclear Fuel: Advance notification for spent nuclear fuel shipments regulated by the NRC or conducted by DOE under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) must adhere to the NRC’s regulations codified in 10 CFR 71.97, 10 CFR 73.37, and state requirements, and should adhere to other guidance. DOE shipments of spent nuclear fuel conducted outside of the NWPA, such as research reactor shipments, follow advance notification requirements in DOE Order 460.2B, Departmental Materials Transportation Management. Although useful for tracking DOE shipments, TRANSCOM should not be the only means of distributing the advance notification for DOE shipments. Governors’ designees may not wish to become a TRANSCOM user. It is important that recipients can “opt out” of TRANSCOM notifications and instead receive them through traditional means (i.e., mail, email, or phone call). In the event a shipment is canceled or the schedule changes by six hours or more, shippers must notify the governors’ designees
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and tribal officials, as applicable (see Appendices C and E), in the affected jurisdictions by telephone. Please check the NRC’s website, or the online version of the Planning Guide , for the most up to date governors’ designees. As permitted by 10 CFR 73 Subpart D – “Protection of Safeguards Information,” the governor’s designee may share advance notification with other state agencies and local government officials on an “as needed” basis. The governors’ designees recognize their responsibility to protect safeguards information as required by 10 CFR 73 Subpart D. In addition to the NRC-required advance notification, the shipper should provide each corridor state with a “courtesy call” at least two hours prior to the shipment entering the state’s jurisdiction. Arrangements for additional calls may be worked out by the shipper, carrier, and the requesting corridor state. Transuranic Waste: As negotiated, for all shipments, DOE will distribute a biannual projection of shipments to all affected states and CSG Midwest by January 31 and July 31. The annual projection will be directed to the Midwestern governors and the members of the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee in states affected by transuranic waste shipments. The projection will show all planned shipments of transuranic waste for the upcoming 12 months. Information on the shipments will include points of origin and destination, mode, and the number and type of packages. DOE will provide the states and CSG Midwest with a 14-day notification prior to the first five transuranic waste shipments along a particular route. In the event of a significant hiatus in shipments over a particular route (e.g., six months or more), DOE will provide 14-day notifications to the affected states prior to shipments resuming. This notification may consist of a single letter for all five shipments, provided that an accurate schedule for all five shipments has been determined prior to the first shipment. The following information will be included in the 14- day notifications for transuranic waste shipments:
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• name, address, and telephone number of the shipper, carrier, and receiver; • point of origin of the shipment; • destination for the shipment; • description of the shipment (material, type and number of containers, mode, and route); and • estimated date and time of departure from the point of origin. DOE will ensure that an eight-week rolling projection of shipments will be sent via e-mail to the affected states and CSG Midwest. The eight-week rolling projection will be updated as necessary. The states will receive notice of cancellations or delays in scheduled shipments through the eight-week rolling projection or through shipment-specific e-mail notifications from WIPP. All dates in the 14-day and eight-week notices must be actual planned shipping dates, not placeholder dates. Shipments should not be scheduled until all regulatory approvals have been received. Two hours prior to a shipment entering a state, the WIPP Central Monitoring Room or other responsible party will telephone the designated state point of contact. HRCQ: Advanced notification for shipments of HRCQ radioactive material must comply with NRC requirements and state requirements and should comply with other guidance. HRCQ shipments of NRC Category 1 material, found in the Appendix A to 10 CFR 37 , must comply with the pre-planning and advanced notification requirements of 10 CFR Part 37; specifically, 37.75(a), 37.75(e), and 37.77. Public Information As part of the transportation planning process, shippers should
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prepare a communications plan that defines the roles and responsibilities of the shipper, stakeholders, and other parties in providing accurate information on the shipment or shipping campaign to the media and the public in a timely manner. The plan should also identify points of contact and spokespersons of the shipper, affected stakeholders, and other parties (e.g., CSG Midwest). In lieu of recurring communications plans for enduring shipping campaigns, WIPP assists stakeholders through its cooperative agreements by providing funding, materials, and technical/ program support for participating states to conduct public outreach activities regarding transuranic waste shipments. Stakeholders take different approaches to providing the public with information on shipments. Some respond to inquiries while others disseminate information on a routine basis along the proposed routes. Regardless of the approach, these stakeholder- led public information programs benefit from fact sheets and other information provided by the shipper. To the extent practicable, shippers should make use of currently available public information on radioactive material transportation, supplementing these materials with shipment-specific information. Shipment-specific fact sheets should be made available for all significant shipping campaigns, with different versions prepared for different audiences (e.g., emergency responders versus the general public). The Midwestern states encourage shippers to follow the guidelines in the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum’s “DOE Site-Specific Transportation Campaign Fact Sheet Development Guide.” Draft versions of new materials should be distributed to the states for review and comment. This document can be found at https://csgmidwest.org/about-us/mrmtp/ project-resources. The Midwestern states may develop their own public information programs regarding the transport of radioactive material. In responding to inquiries from the media or the public,
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states can answer questions related to their role in radioactive material shipment planning. Questions regarding program- specific matters should be referred to the shipper. Communicating with local government officials regarding shipping activities is primarily a state role. If a local government representative contacts the shipper for information, the shipper should coordinate its response with the appropriate state government agency. Questions regarding state-specific matters should be referred to the appropriate state point(s) of contact. Shippers should provide the state point(s) of contact with sufficient technical information to facilitate responses to inquiries from the public (e.g., through the aforementioned fact sheets). For shipments of spent nuclear fuel and Category 1 material, the shipper’s and corridor states’ public information programs adhere to the NRC’s requirements regarding the protection of safeguards information (10 CFR 73.21) and protecting the information against unauthorized disclosure (10 CFR 37.77), as applicable. If there is a specific window of opportunity for shipping (e.g., April-October), public information material should not mention the exact months and instead refer to seasonal time frames (e.g., summer). Emergency Management Considerations Emergency Management Plan: Shippers should ensure that the transportation plan covering their shipments includes an adequate emergency management plan. As part of that plan, shippers should identify the following information: • an identification of the associated hazards and potential threats; • roles and responsibilities of all potentially involved parties within each stakeholder jurisdiction; • the proper procedures for responding to an incident
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involving the shipment(s) (including emergency communications paths and the appropriate Emergency Response Guides for the material being shipped); • a list of emergency contacts for the shipper, carrier(s), states, and, if applicable, Tribes; • a detailed description of the resources available from the shipper or the carrier to assist the incident commander during an actual emergency; and • the shipper’s plans for conducting any necessary recovery and cleanup operations. In addition, the shipper should ensure that the carrier’s emergency response plan is consistent with the shipper’s emergency management plan. Shipper and carrier plans should commit to following the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The Midwestern corridor states should have an opportunity to review and provide input into both the shipper’s and the carrier’s emergency management plans. Notification: In the event of an incident or emergency , the carrier or designated party should notify the local emergency response organization. After the shipper receives notification of the incident, the shipper should notify the state 24-hour contact. For an event that meets the following regulatory reporting criteria, the shipper will notify the affected states through their 24-hour emergency numbers within one hour of receiving the initial notification: • fatality/injury requiring immediate treatment away from scene;
• evacuation of general public of one hour or more; • fire, breakage, spillage, or suspected radioactive contamination;
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• security breach/incident; • collision resulting in disabling damage or derailment; or • road or facility closure or shut down exceeding one hour. If the shipper is notified of an event that does not clearly meet the reporting criteria listed above, the shipper should determine whether notification to state points of contact is appropriate. For example, an event that does not meet any of the above criteria but might generate public and/or media attention or could cause the dispatch of any services should warrant notification. Any uncertainty as to whether a notification should be made would be resolved by making the notification. As it becomes available, the following information should be provided to the affected states: • the identity of the caller and call-back telephone number; • location of the event; • a brief description of the event (hazards of the material being shipped, injuries, environmental releases and/or personnel exposures, protective actions implemented, protective actions recommended, and on-scene responders); • date and time of the event; and • other notifications that have been made, including to the media. Transportation operations contingencies include adverse weather, natural disasters, vehicle breakdowns, travel and road/rail conditions, and unanticipated delays that could interrupt normal transportation, but do not meet the criteria for emergency notification. For spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, and transuranic waste shipments, notification for any transportation operations contingency should be provided to the 24-hour emergency number or through the applicable satellite tracking system (e.g., TRANSCOM) for an
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anticipated delay of more than two hours (or as specified in the shipping campaign-specific transportation plan). Emergency Response: State, tribal, and local governments have the primary responsibility and authority to respond to and manage emergencies within their jurisdictions. Incident command is the responsibility of the state, tribal, or local government. As required by federal regulations, the shipper should provide emergency response information on shipping papers. This information should include a 24-hour emergency telephone number for the shipper. In the event of an incident or emergency, the shipper should also provide technical assistance for emergency response should the carrier fail to do so. As requested by the incident commander or other responder, the shipper should also provide information to support public information needs. Shipments of Category 1 material will follow the reporting requirements identified in 10 CFR 37.81 as well as the hazardous material emergency response reporting requirements in 49 CFR 171.15 and 171.16. Emergency Management Assistance Compact: All of the Midwestern states are members of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which is administered by the National Emergency Management Association. EMAC is a national mutual aid agreement approved by Congress in 1996. Through EMAC, states can request assistance from other states in the event of “any emergency or disaster that is duly declared by the governor of the affected state(s), whether arising from natural disaster, technological hazard, civil emergency aspects of resources shortages, community disorders, insurgency, or enemy attack.” EMAC also provides for the mutual cooperation among states in emergency-related exercises, testing, or other training activities. In the event of an emergency involving a shipment of radioactive waste or material, EMAC would be available to the states as a means of tapping assistance from other states, including those outside the region.
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Assistance for the States : States have the primary responsibility for protecting the public in their jurisdictions. The Midwestern states can develop their own plans and procedures for responding to an incident involving radioactive material shipments. In most instances, these plans should be part of overall emergency response plans covering all types of hazards. In addition to emergency response plans, the Midwestern states are also responsible for ensuring the safety of the public during routine transportation. Activities related to the safe, routine transportation of radioactive material include inspections, escorts, satellite tracking, contingency route designation, public information activities, and other operational activities. These activities contribute to shipment safety and increase the likelihood of public acceptance. Because shipments translate into real costs for the states, shippers should anticipate that some states could have financial assistance needs in connection with their shipments. Cooperation with the states is crucial for the safe and efficient transport of spent nuclear fuel regardless of the shipper. It is the recommendation of the Midwestern States that private shipments of spent nuclear fuel be handled in a manner similar to those conducted by DOE. Private shippers should cooperate with the states on the routing of the shipments. Private shippers should also provide financial and technical assistance to the states for emergency planning, training, and equipment. Under Section 16 of the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, DOE is obligated to provide funding and technical assistance to corridor states to support accident prevention and emergency preparedness in connection with shipments to WIPP. In addition to providing such assistance for training and equipment, Section 16 also required DOE to provide “in-kind, financial, technical, and other appropriate assistance” to affected states for transportation safety programs that are specific to WIPP. The Midwestern states believe that, as a matter of policy, all of DOE’s shipments of transuranic waste should be treated as “WIPP
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shipments.” Without financial assistance or some other source of revenue, the states would not be able to devote significant resources to developing state and local capabilities specifically for shipments of radioactive waste and material, including shipments of HRCQ material. WIPP funding, for example, helps to defray the costs to state taxpayers of public safety actions in connection with shipments (e.g., safety inspections, security and health physics escorts, emergency responder training, and public information). Private shippers do not provide this type of funding to states in connection with shipments of HRCQ material, even though these materials pose a greater hazard to the public than transuranic waste shipments. As a result, some states have enacted fee systems designed to help offset their costs (see Appendix D). Federal hazardous materials transportation law permits states to charge reasonable fees on shipments as long as the revenue is used for purposes related to hazardous materials shipments. The activities the states undertake in connection with HRCQ shipments are similar to those necessary in connection with shipments of spent nuclear fuel. State shipment fees make it possible for state agencies to undertake these important public safety measures. Section 180(c): Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), requires DOE to provide similar assistance to help states prepare for shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to a federally owned repository or monitored retrievable storage facility. Assistance is not required to be provided to states in preparation for shipments to privately owned interim storage facilities. The Midwestern states maintain that funding and technical assistance under Section 180(c) should be available to the states at least four years prior to shipments. Section 180(c) funding should be predictable and should allow states the maximum flexibility to implement training programs that best meet their needs.
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