January 2023 | The Council of State Governments | Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee

Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee Newsletter

Upcoming Events

*All times are Central Time

January 11:

National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) Planning Committee Call - 12 PM*

January 18 - 19:

Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC) 2023 Midyear Meeting - San Antonio, TX

January 24 - 26:

Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) 36th Annual Spent Fuel Management Seminar - Arlington, VA

February 21 - 22:

Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP) Train the Trainer Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (MERRTT) - Rapid City, SD

February 23:

TEPP Technician MERRTT - Rapid City, SD

February 26 - March 2:

Waste Management (WM) Symposia 2023 - Phoenix, AZ

March 7 - 8:

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Transportation Core Group Meeting - Washington, D.C.

March 28:

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) Winter 2022 Board Meeting - Central Florida

April 3 - 6:

2023 Annual Meeting of the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness (NREP) Conference - Indianapolis, IN

May 8 - 11:

Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) 55th National Conference on Radiation Control - Houston, TX

May 22 - 25:

2023 Annual Meeting of the NTSF - St. Louis, MO

June 11 - 15:

International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM) - Antibes, France

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Committee Happenings
Chris Wells speaks at 2022 SSEB Meetings

Happy New Year to all the members and friends of the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (MRMTC)! Here's hoping you had a great holiday season and are refreshed heading into 2023.


December was a bit of a quiet month for the MRMTC heading into the holidays but some good work was still accomplished. On December 13 and 14, committee staff attended the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) Joint Meeting of the Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee and the Transuranic (TRU) Waste Transportation Working Group. SSEB staffer Chris Wells is pictured above kicking off the meeting that took place in Dallas, TX. There were several interesting sessions including one on the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) work on the funding formula under Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) and another previewing Orano's intermodal transport (including barge) of materials from Crystal River's decommissioning in Florida.


In other committee news, after a bit of a delay due to contracting and legalese complications, MRMTC's project with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to continue developing the Community Preparedness and Planning Pilot Framework Tool is beginning in earnest this month! SwRI staff will benchmark the tool by running the framework and analyzing 10 Midwestern cities' preparedness for future shipments of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). SwRI will then work with MRMTC to hold a group meeting/roundtable with leaders from one of the communities to validate the results for that location and determine if adjustments need to be made. MRMTC members will be consulted in the next few weeks as we work to determine which cities will be analyzed.


Finally, committee officers and staff will be attending the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) Transportation Core Group Meeting in Washington, D.C., on March 7 - 8. At this time, DOE-NE is soliciting input as to what topics should be covered during the meeting. If you are an MRMTC member and have a particular DOE-NE topic or project you would like to learn more about from MRMTC officers or staff, please let Mitch Arvidson know.

National Transportation Stakeholders Forum

Since the last newsletter, the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) has been incredibly busy. The week of December 5 could have been dubbed the "NTSF Week." First, on Monday, December 5, the NTSF Section 180(c) Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) met to discuss the evaluation of the 2008 proposed funding allocation formula for grants under Section 180(c) and DOE's analysis of transportation systems needs. Then, on Tuesday, December 6, MRMTC staff met with Cvent to discuss online registration and a mobile app for the 2023 Annual Meeting of the NTSF in St. Louis, MO, on May 22 - 25. The NTSF Rail/Routing AHWG also met on this day.



On Wednesday, December 7, the NTSF Planning Committee met to discuss the 2023 meeting's agenda, evening event, and possible tour(s). That same day, the NTSF SNF Communications and Outreach AHWG met to discuss and hear updates on the Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START), audience segmentation, and plan for the AHWG's next steps. Finally, on Friday, December 9, MRMTC staff met with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) staff to further plan for the 2023 annual meeting's plenary session, which will be a live demonstration of the ARG-US CommBox.


A few weeks after "NTSF Week," the NTSF Agenda Planning Subcommittee held its first meeting to narrow down a great list of possible annual meeting sessions into the makings of a draft agenda. The subcommittee will present its recommendations and seek input from the NTSF Planning Committee as a whole when it next meets on January 11. Hopefully, the annual meeting agenda will be shared with the NTSF community around the same time that the meeting's registration is launched. Stay tuned for more details and announcements in the coming days and weeks.

Argonne National Lab (ANL) CommBox

ANL's ARG-US CommBox uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to monitor and track packages of radioactive materials during transport.

Focus This Month

FY23 Appropriations for DOE-IWM

On December 29, President Biden signed H.R. 2617 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (PDF version). The $1.7 trillion spending package funds the U.S. government until September 30, 2023 (a continuing resolution funded the government from October 1 to December 29). There were several notable items in the package, including $45 billion for Ukraine and $38 billion for emergency disaster assistance in the American west and southeast.


Of course, the bill also appropriates funding for the offices that work most closely with the MRMTC, including the DOE Office of Integrated Waste Management (IWM). Details on DOE-IWM's congressional directive can be found on pg. 115 of the "Division D-Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023" section. "The Department is directed to move forward under existing authority to identify a site for a federal interim storage facility. The Department is further directed to use a consent-based approach when undertaking these activities. The Department is directed to continue site preparation activities at stranded sites, to evaluate the re-initiation of regional transport, and to undertake transportation coordination efforts."


As can be seen in the table on pg. 159, DOE-IWM will receive an appropriation of $53 million to pay for these activities. DOE-IWM has pointed out that while this appears to be a $35 million increase from FY22, it is actually a $15 million increase. This is because in FY22, DOE-IWM's $38 million in total funding was split in two areas, $20 million under the Nuclear Waste Disposal Account for interim storage and $18 million directly under DOE-IWM. In FY23, these two pots have been combined.


However, this does not mean that funds are not being appropriated for Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF) oversight activities. $10.2 million will be provided in this area and DOE must provide Congress with a briefing on anticipated future-year requirements for NWF oversight activities. The NWF oversight element supports DOE's responsibilities for legal services and non-legal support for nuclear waste disposal activities to carry out the purposes of the NWPA including managing the NWF, administering the Standard Contract, providing legal services for nuclear waste disposal, including but not limited to interim storage, and maintaining the security of the Yucca Mountain site.

Nuclear News

"Not So Fast!" Says Holtec Re: Palisades

Last month's newsletter covered DOE's denial of Holtec's application for funding to keep Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Michigan open. If it had been approved, Holtec would have received funding through the Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program. As laid out in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $6 billion CNC Program is appropriated $1.2 billion per fiscal year 22-26.


So, after the CNC Program gave $1.1 to Diablo Canyon late last year, there is still plenty of funding available. And in December, Holtec announced that they would be reapplying in the second round of funding. DOE will start receiving applications this month. Holtec has said they received supportive feedback from DOE on their first application and continue to have the support of the State of Michigan, local officials, and key stakeholders in their effort to reopen Palisades.


Holtec must demonstrate that Palisades was closed for economic reasons and that pollution and carbon emissions have increased, or will increase, after its closure. While the new application is being reviewed, Holtec will continue decommissioning activities, with a focus on removing SNF from the spent fuel pool and moving it to dry cask storage.


The Detroit News has more details.


New Mexico Proposes Stricter Rules for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

On March 31, 2020, DOE and Nuclear Waste Partnership LLC (NWP) submitted a renewal application for a permit from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to operate the WIPP site near Carlsbad, NM. An updated redline strikeout for the renewal application was also submitted on March 17, 2022.


On December 8, 2022, NMED announced that a Public Notice would be issued on December 20, with the draft permit, starting a public comment period. The 60-day public comment period will close on February 18.

NMED is also proposing several changes to the permit. These include:

  1. Prioritizing the disposal of legacy DOE waste that is generated in New Mexico;
  2. Tying the final closure of WIPP to the end of the new 10-year permit, unless certain conditions are met;
  3. Immediate revocation of the state permit if the U.S. Congress increases the amount of waste allowed at WIPP under the federal Land Withdrawal Act;
  4. Suspending all shipments if allegations or evidence of human health or environmental threats are uncovered; and,
  5. Requiring DOE to submit a yearly report describing the efforts to site another geologic repository outside of New Mexico.


U.S. News & World Report has further coverage.


Midwest News Dump

In the last month or so, there have been several smaller stories related to nuclear energy and radioactive materials in the Midwest. Here are a few highlights:

  • World Nuclear News: "Construction of US radioisotope facility complete"
  • Construction on NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes' facility in Beloit, WI finished in late November. It will produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), which is used in tens of thousands of daily medical diagnostic procedures.
  • World Nuclear News: "NRC issues GEH renewed used fuel storage facility license to 2042"
  • The Morris Operation, the U.S.'s only away-from-reactor spent fuel pool, received U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval to operate for 20 more years. The GE-Hitachi-owned site holds SNF from Connecticut Yankee, Cooper, Dresden, Monticello, and San Onofre.
  • Utility Dive: "FirstEnergy agrees to pay $3.9M for failing to tell FERC about energy bill bribery payments"
  • The embattled Ohio-based utility has agreed to pay a $3.9 million fine for not fully responding to data requests from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Division of Audits and Accounting during 2019 and 2020 investigations into FirstEnergy's lobbying and bribery.


Bon Voyage, Jay Jones!

If you have been around a few NTSF Annual Meetings, MRMTC Meetings, or other events over the years, you probably encountered Jay Jones, and you were probably made the better for it. After many years of working at DOE, first with the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) and then with NE, Jay retired at the end of December. Jay spent much of his time at DOE working with, and advocating for, Tribes, States, and other stakeholders, and we thank him for his service. Congratulations Jay and best of luck on whatever adventure comes next!

DOE's WIPP site may have some stricter rules to follow laid out by the NMED.

Thank you for reading. Watch for the next edition to come out on

February 2, 2023.

Missed a newsletter? Past issues are archived on the committee's webpage.

Please do not reproduce or create new content from this material without the prior express written permission of CSG Midwest.


This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Numbers DE-NE0009117,

DE-EM0004869, and DE-EM0005168.


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 authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.