NRC Completes Safety Review for Yucca Mountain

On January 29, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission released the final two volumes of its lengthy safety evaluation report (SER) for a repository at Yucca Mountain. The NRC staff found that DOE's license application, submitted in 2008, met the applicable regulatory requirements, subject to conditions, with the exception of requirements related to ownership of land and water rights. Because these requirements are not met, and because DOE still needs to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement, the staff stopped short of issuing a construction authorization. Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the NRC was supposed to complete its review of DOE's license application in less than four years. The long delay resulted from the Obama Administration's cancellation of the Yucca Mountain project and DOE's subsequent attempt to withdraw the application. The work was completed under a 2013 court order. Read about the SER in Nature and watch for it to be the subject of an NTSF webinar in the future. All five volumes of the SER are available on the NRC website. 

DOE Plans Spent Fuel Shipments in 2015 and 2016

While the DOE-NE Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Project is only "laying the foundation" for planning future shipments of spent fuel for the purposes of consolidated storage, the Department of Energy is planning two actual shipments of spent fuel rods to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) starting this year. The first shipment of 25 rods will take place in June, with the second one (also 25 rods) to follow in January 2016. The shipments will originate at the North Anna reactor in Virginia and will travel by truck. In December, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz corresponded with Idaho Governor "Butch" Otter about the shipments, which the state will allow as the result of a somewhat controversial modification to the Idaho Settlement Agreement that established requirements for what DOE can and cannot ship to the site. Although Secretary Moniz's letter mentions that "extensive planning and upfront logistics must take place to ensure the safety of those shipments to INL," DOE has not yet approached the state regional committees about the shipments. Presumably, the shipments will be subject to the requirements in DOE's transportation order and its Radioactive Material Transportation Practices Manual. The regions hope to discuss the shipments at the upcoming DOE-NE Core Group meeting in March.

Farewells

We end this edition with news of two departures. First, we say good-bye to Jeff Williams, formerly with DOE-NE. Jeff had a long and distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Energy, including many years spent working on the Yucca Mountain project. Most recently, Jeff directed the DOE-NE Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Project that is seeking to lay the foundation for the implementation of the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations. Jeff is planning to travel and spend time with family during his retirement, but it's also possible that he'll continue to dabble in the nuclear waste world. We wish Jeff well and hope to see him at a future meeting one of these days.

The second departure is much more sad, and that is the news that former Illinois committee member Rick Hand passed away last month. Rick most recently served as an FRA-certified state railroad inspector for the Illinois Commerce Commission. He represented the state of Illinois on the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee in the early 1990s. Rick had a big heart and was extremely well liked by all who knew him. His jovial spirit was infectious and it was impossible to have a conversation with Rick without smiling. He was a terrific guy and will be sorely missed.