The Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (MRMTC) would like to congratulate and recognize Michael Snee (Ohio) on his retirement, which will be effective at the end of this month. He was appointed to the MRMTC in 2011 and has made a tremendous impact on the committee in the 12 years since then. Despite his best efforts, Mike was finally elected to be one of the committee’s Co-Chairs on November 12, 2020 (he had nearly become Co-Chair a few times before then but had other commitments that precluded his election). During his time on the committee, he has helped shape the Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Material through the Midwestern States, represented the Midwest on the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) Planning Committee, and helped guide the committee through the COVID-19 pandemic and return to in-person meetings.

Professionally, Michael Snee is as experienced as they come in the nuclear field. A Navy veteran, he started his career as a technician on a U.S. Navy nuclear powered submarine. After five years in the Navy, he parlayed his experience with naval nuclear reactors into a job as a health physicist at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. After five years at Davis-Besse, Mike joined the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). However, this wasn’t destined to be another five-year stop. He has worked for ODH for 27(!) years, including 12.5 as Chief of the Bureau of Radiation Protection! In retirement, you may see Mike training for his next marathon, or just breathing easy, knowing that Mitch won’t be reaching out again asking him to attend another surprise meeting in Washington, D.C. Congratulations, Mike, on a great career, thank you for everything you’ve done for the MRMTC, and enjoy your retirement!

We are also very pleased to announce the long-awaited Indiana appointment to the MRMTC. Courtney Eckstein is the Radiation Program Director for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. After pursuing education within the medical field, Ms. Eckstein became a radiological emergency preparedness coordinator and progressed through the ranks of government within Indianapolis. In her current capacity, she oversees the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Agreement State Program and the department's Nuclear Response efforts. We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Eckstein to the MRMTC!

Courtney Eckstein

The NTSF Planning Committee has begun discussing the next NTSF Annual Meeting and will provide more details in the months to come. Noteworthy at the moment is the announcement that the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC) will host and coordinate the next NTSF Annual Meeting, which is planned for June 2024 in Denver, CO.

As the form of the 2024 meeting begin to take shape, members now have the opportunity to review and enjoy the presentations from the 2023 meeting for a second time. All presentations that included digital content have been uploaded to the NTSF website and are available for your delectation and delight.

The NRC: The Nuclear Industry's Friend or Foe?

On June 14, 2023, the House Committee on Energy & Commerce held a public hearing, “Oversight of NRC: Ensuring Efficient and Predictable Nuclear Safety Regulation for a Prosperous America.” This hearing was the first time in more than two years that the NRC engaged directly with the House Committee; it was also the first time in more than nine years that all five NRC commissioners appeared in front of the Committee.

The bipartisan goal of the Committee is to advance durable nuclear policy so to expand nuclear energy and its many benefits across the nation, and the June hearing made it clear that members are frustrated by what they deem to be NRC’s bureaucratic policies and regulations. Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina went so far as to suggest that the NRC’s efforts to satisfy the mandates of the 2018 Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) have been a profound disappointment.

NEIMA requires that the NRC establish performance metrics and milestones for licensing and other regulatory actions whilst also requiring the commission to develop a regulatory framework for the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies. Chairman Duncan indicated that industry experts with whom the Committee met in April 2023 suggested that the NRC has failed thus far in those efforts.

Ranking Member Rep. Diana DeGette (CO), too, castigated the NRC for an overly burdensome licensing process sorely in need of reform in order to ensure the highest standards of safety are met without impeding innovation and expansion in the nuclear industry. Rep. Cathy Rodgers’ (WA) derisive observation that Congress enacted incentives for a resurgent nuclear industry in 2005 and the NRC is an agency that has overseen the completion of a mere two reactors from start to finish in over 40-years captured the overwhelming sentiment of the hearing.

NRC commissioner Jeff Baran, whilst delivering testimony at the hearing suggesting his support of efficiency and nuclear expansion, has faced criticism from many stakeholders who oppose his re-nomination to serve another five year term on the commission. A coalition of environmental organizations committed to regulatory and legislative change to accelerate the licensing and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors cite Commissioner Baran's pattern of actions that belie his putative support to modernize the nation's nuclear energy infrastructure. The coalition claimed that Mr. Baran's voting record shows that he stands as the sole vote against reasonable steps to improve the efficiency of the NRC's regulations. His vote, they argued, hinders the deployment of new nuclear. Mr. Baran's term ended on June 30 without a Senate decision on whether he will re-join the NRC.

The next day, NRC was again fustigated at the America Nuclear Society’s annual meeting for inefficiency and impeding growth. Jerry Merrifield, a former NRC commissioner from 1998 to 2007, addressed the Commission’s failure to achieve NEIMA’s mandate regarding a new regulatory framework for advanced reactors. He said that the NRC’s original licensing scheme, called Part 50, was initially 50 pages long. Whilst the commission has worked on a new scheme for advanced reactors called Part 53, the proposed Part 53 that is on the commissioner’s desk is 1,100 pages. “The agency has lost the ability to know when to say ‘enough,’” Mr. Merrifield said.

Within weeks of the public hearing, the NRC announced that it completed its final safety evaluation of Kairos Power's 35-MWth Hermes "non-power" demonstration reactor; the review was completed well ahead of schedule and within 18 months. Andrea Veil, director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, noted that "this reflects the NRC's commitment to maintaining safety, by applying risk-informed approaches, while improving efficiency." Kairos officials said the efficient review stems from a "rapid iterative development approach" that builds upon "extensive pre-application engagement" with the NRC staff. This accords with the testimony of NRC commissioners at the public hearing, where they stated that collaboration between applicants and NRC staff prior to proposal submission would help accelerate the review process.

In all, the public hearing and the maelstrom surrounding Commissioner Baran laid bare two takeaways: 1. the bipartisan support for nuclear energy is enthusiastic; and 2. the NRC's business-as-usual regulatory procedures are no longer acceptable to the Committee as the nation is poised to rapidly expand its nuclear fleet.

Watch the full public hearing here.

Nuclear News

Department of Energy (DOE) Awards $26 Million to Support Consent-Based Siting for Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF)

On June 9, the DOE announced it had awarded $26 million in funding for engagement and training resources to assist communities interested in learning more about interim storage for the nation's SNF. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm explained: "the funds will help the DOE learn from and involve communities across the country in the consent-based siting process, answer questions and concerns, and develop an understanding so that we are good neighbors even before moving in." DOE competitively selected 13 geographically and institutionally diverse awardees -- representing 12 states and the District of Columbia -- who will engage with additional partners and communities, expanding the impact of these awards and further the conversation around interim storage of SNF. Included in the awardees are the Missouri University of Science & Technology, Illinois-based American Nuclear Society, and the Southwest Research Institute with the Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Nation as one of four partners. Read more about this announcement here.

DOE's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Ventilation Shaft Digs Deep

The newest, and eventually the largest, ventilation shaft at the DOE's underground waste repository reached 90% of its total depth on June 8. The shaft, which is 26-feet in diameter and will eventually reach to a depth of 2275 feet beneath New Mexico's arid surface, is the newest shaft installed at the facility and is designed to improve air flow and sub-surface ventilation as part of the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS). The SSCVS is the largest construction project undertaken at WIPP in nearly three decades. The increased airflow ensures that waste emplacement activities can occur concomitantly with facility mining and maintenance operations. Read more about this project here.

NRC Identifies Nine Abnormal Occurrence in FY22 Annual Report to Congress

The NRC published its annual report to Congress for fiscal year 2022 on June 14, 2023. The report identifies any abnormal occurrences involving medical and industrial uses of radioactive material. The NRC defines an abnormal occurrence as "an unscheduled incident or event that the NRC determines to be significant from the standpoint of public health or safety."

Nine abnormal occurrences were identified in the report, seven of which were medical events such as the misadministration of radioactive material during diagnostic procedures or the treatment of an illness. The remaining two occurrences were non-medical overexposures. No events at commercial nuclear power plants in FY22 met the criteria for an abnormal occurrence nor did any events satisfy the criteria for categorization as "other events of interest." The full report can be viewed on the NRC website.

MI Rep. Filler Spearheads Creation of Legislative Caucus Focused on Nuclear Energy

In Michigan's last legislative session, Public Act 218 was enacted, which tasks the Michigan Public Service Commission with conducting a feasibility study on advanced nuclear technology. Rep. Graham Filler is now co-chairing the new Nuclear Energy Legislative Caucus to ensure the legislature is prepared to address the pecuniary and political implications of that study. He stated, "We believe Michigan must closely examine investment in nuclear energy as an important piece of our state's energy future." Read more about this caucus here.

Piketon, OH Facility Moves Closer to Production of HALEU

American Centrifuge Operating (ACO) is one step closer to producing the nation's first high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). On June 16 the NRC cleared the facility to start enrichment operations for the DOE's first-of-a-kind HALEU demonstration project that is expected to produce 20kg of HALEU before the end of the year. The company will then produce 900kg of HALEU in 2024, with additional options to produce more HALEU in future years pending congressional appropriations. The Piketon plant in Ohio is currently the only facility in the U.S. licensed to enrich uranium up to HALEU levels of 20 percent. Read more about this project here.

Executive Session in Indiana Focuses on Fuel Disposal

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) held an executive session during its 2023 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, in which the topic of long-term storage for SNF was the hot topic. ANS recently issued a draft report recommending new generic public health and safety standards for the permanent disposal of commercial used fuel and high-level radioactive waste at future geological repository projects in the U.S. It was noted at the session that the current U.S. geologic repository standards, codified in 40 CFR Part 191 by the Environmental Protection Agency, are out of date and inconsistent with international standards. A recommendation was made during the session that DOE seek the support of Congress where it can, but that it should also pursue bold action independent of congressional direction where it is appropriate to do so. Read more about the session here.

On A Sad Note*

Long-time committee members and other readers will remember Tim Runyon, a giant among past committee leaders (both figuratively and literally). Sadly, Tim passed away on June 8 after bravely battling pancreatic cancer. He left the world far too soon at the age of 64, spending his final months doing the things he loved most with the people he loved most.

Tim was legendary among MRMTC chairs. His three decades at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Division of Nuclear Safety (formerly the Department of Nuclear Safety) meant that, for a very long time, Tim had more direct experience with shipments of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste and materials than anyone working with the state regional groups -- including the transportation staff at DOE.

Tim's tenure as MRMTC vice chair and then chair fell during some of the busiest days for the Midwest, back when the region was gearing up for shipments of foreign research reactor spent fuel from South Carolina, spent fuel shipments from West Valley and Oak Ridge, and shipments of transuranic waste to WIPP. The extent of Tim's activities is documented in a record number of committee letters that he signed as chair. His letter on the draft lessons-learned report for the West Valley shipments was sol bold, direct, and effective that it prompted DOE to rescind the draft and issue a more accurate, less "cherry picked" accounting (Tim's phrase).

For many people, Tim will be remembered best for his razor-sharp wit. Word play came so fast and naturally to Tim that he left us all in his dust -- laughing out loud, groaning loudly, and wondering why our brains didn't spot the obvious the way his did. Following are just a few of his memorable quips:

• His suggestion for aspiring MRMTC chair Jane Beetem's campaign slogan: "If you can't join 'em, Beetem!"
• His excuse for declining an invitation to have dinner at a Turkish restaurant: "I can't eat Middle Eastern food. It makes me falafel."
• His reaction to DOE blaming the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) for its dismantling of the TEC Working Group (predecessor of the NTSF): "They FACA'd it up!"



After retiring from IEMA in 2012, Tim ultimately went on to have a second impactful career working in communications at the Carlsbad Field Office. He also consulted briefly for DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy.

Tim left behind his wife Gail, son Ben and stepdaughter Kim, and grandchildren Briar and Rosalyn. His official obituary is available here.

*The above obituary was written by Lisa Janairo

Tim Runyan