Foreign Research Reactor West Coast Shipment Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation - Institutional Program External Lessons Learned

The purpose of the Foreign Research Reactor (FRR) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Shipments Institutional Program was to meet the goals and commitments of the Implementation Strategy Plan for the FRR SNF Shipments. This program provided a systematic approach to planning, implementing, evaluating, and validating preparedness for the first west coast shipment of SNF from Asian countries to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Successful completion of this program, though specifically targeted at the FRR SNF Shipment, provides the framework for institutional planning for all future shipping efforts.

The Institutional Program was based on a philosophy of obtaining informed consent of the public through a process of identifying and assisting stakeholder States, Sovereign Tribal Nations, and local communities in managing their own preparedness programs for safe passage through their respective jurisdictions. This process included providing; public education and awareness, open communication, issue acknowledgment and resolution, assistance in determining incremental risk based needs, training and support where needed, and leaving a legacy of openness, trust, and credibility with the impacted States, Sovereign Tribal Nations and local communities.

Through the program, roles and responsibilities of all key players in the FRR SNF process were identified and a foundational implementation process was put into place for successfully accomplishing goals and objectives.

The program was pro-active and organized in such a way that it did not focus on the reactionary process of “putting out brush fires” or addressing problems only when they surfaced. The structure of this program was to allow stakeholders to become increasingly informed about problems associated with the shipment and to address those problems in such a way that the impact from the shipment was no different than the impact of all other hazardous materials shipments going on in commerce throughout the United States daily.

This report provides an outline of the lessons learned through implementation of the sequential steps taken to; identify stakeholders along primary and alternate routes, meet with these stakeholders to introduce and inform them about the campaign, and assist them in identifying any issues they may have, regardless if the issues were real or perceived. These issues, as they were identified, became part of the institutional planning process and will assist planners in conducting future detailed transportation planning activities. The planning processes were validated through a series of appropriate table top and functional exercises. These exercises (operational and safety) were used as the final operational readiness review step for transportation activities.