Many thanks to all the Committee members who have sent updates to their state-specific information in the Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Material through the Midwestern States. This information will be used to update the online version of the Planning Guide and the next print edition of the publication.

In other news, Lisa Janairo will be requesting gubernatorial appointments for the Committee from states that either have a vacancy or elected a new governor last year. She will mail the appointment requests to governors' offices in North Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri on Monday, and will send copies to the current members or alternates from those states to expedite the appointment process. The Committee is also awaiting an appointment from Iowa to replace Major Lance Evans, who retired last year. Later this month, Lisa will also start seeking recommendations for legislative appointments to fill vacant seats. An updated Committee roster is available here.

Finally, please remember to mark your calendars for June 8, 2017, the date of the Committee's Spring Meeting, which is being held in conjunction with the 2017 NTSF Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. Registration is expected to open in March.

On Dec. 19, DOE announced the selection of four companies--including one in the Midwest--to begin exploring the possibility of a deep borehole field test. The Department is "particularly interested in evaluating whether deep boreholes might offer a safe and practical alternative to mined geologic repositories for smaller forms of nuclear waste."

As previously reported in the MRMTC newsletter, the Department's attempts to conduct borehole tests in Spink County, South Dakota, and Rugby, North Dakota, were met with fierce opposition from the communities, who had concerns the test would only open the door for nuclear waste disposal down the road. Both efforts were ultimately abandoned.

The award announcement emphasized that "the contract for this project specifically prohibits the storage, disposal, or use of nuclear waste at the site of the deep borehole field test; and it further requires that, after the project is completed, the borehole will be permanently sealed and the land restored in accordance with state and local regulations."

The four companies that received awards are AECOM which is exploring a site in Texas, ENERCON (New Mexico), TerranearPMC (New Mexico), and RE/SPEC (South Dakota). Each is responsible for engaging the local community on the project and DOE will choose one to move forward with the borehole test.

DOE Releases Draft Plan for Defense Waste Repository
On Dec. 16, DOE issued a Draft Plan for a Defense Waste Repository (DWR) and published a request for public comment in the Federal Register. The report evaluates the possibility of establishing a separate repository for the nation's defense waste.

According to the report's foreword, the Draft Plan for a Defense Waste Repository "begins to describe the different components--including technical, regulatory, risk management, cost and schedule considerations--that need to come together to build a viable program, all within the framework of a consent-based siting process."

The report focuses on the following:

• The proposed DWR siting process, preliminary summary schedule, and preliminary estimates of representative costs;
• The types and quantities of HLW and SNF that have been identified as candidates for disposal in a DWR;
• The transportation of the wastes from their current locations to the DWR; and
• The characteristics of the DWR for permanent disposal of the wastes.

The deadline to submit comments on the Federal Register notice is March 20, 2017. Additional information is available on the DWR website.

Thank you to Erica Bickford (DOE-NE) for sharing the announcement about the report's release.

Three Illinois Counties to Study Train and Truck Shipments of Hazmat
Three counties in central Illinois will conduct a year-long commodity flow study of hazardous material train and truck shipments in the area, under a federal grant program administered by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Reports filed every three months will count shipments of hazardous materials at 20 locations in Sangamon, Menard, and Christian counties, reports the State Journal-Register.

David Butt, director of the Office of Emergency Management for Sangamon County, told SJ-R the data would be shared with local emergency responders to assist in planning for incidents involving hazardous materials.

"It helps the fire departments be aware of what might be coming through their area, and it gives transportation planners a better idea of what is coming through."

According to the article, a final report on rail traffic will be due in March 2018 and on truck traffic in May 2018.