Spent Nuclear Fuel Transportation: An Examination of Potential Lessons Learned from Prior Shipping Campaigns

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), as amended, assigned the Department of
Energy (DOE) responsibility for developing and managing a Federal system for the disposal of
spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible for accepting, transporting, and
disposing of SNF and HLW at the Yucca Mountain repository (if licensed) in a manner that
protects public health, safety, and the environment; enhances national and energy security; and
merits public confidence.

OCRWM faces a near-term challenge—to develop and demonstrate a transportation system that
will sustain safe and efficient shipments of SNF and HLW to a repository. To better inform and
improve its current planning, OCRWM has extensively reviewed plans and other documents
related to past high-visibility shipping campaigns of SNF and other radioactive materials within
the United States. This report summarizes the results of this review and, where appropriate,
lessons learned.