Resources Library

Information Resources

Learn more about the high burnup research cask (HBURC) project and related topics such as used nuclear fuel* and transportation safety with this library of informational resources. New items will continue to be added, so don’t forget to check back!

Fact Sheets and Booklets

HBURC Fact Sheet – the basics of the HBURC project.
Emergency Response Training Fact Sheet – available training for first responders along the likely HBURC rail transportation route.
Used Nuclear Fuel – Fact Sheet for First Responders – information for first responders interested in learning more about the HBURC shipment.
Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) – information about support teams available to respond in case of a radiological emergency.
A History of Transportation Safety – summarizes the safe historical transportation record of shipments of used nuclear fuel.
Atlas Fact Sheet – an overview of the specialized railcar that DOE will use to ship used nuclear fuel.
Rail Escort Vehicle – facts about the security railcar that will accompany DOE’s used nuclear fuel rail shipments.
5 Fast Facts about Used Nuclear Fuel – a quick primer on used nuclear fuel basics.
Price Anderson Act Coverage – information about financial protections and liability coverage in the event of a nuclear-related incident.

Miscellaneous

Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP) – offsite link to the DOE Office of Emergency Management training program that is being offered to first responders along the likely HBURC rail route.
HBURC Cask Infographic - shows a general schematic of the HBURC in its shipment configuration, including layers of protection that shield the used nuclear fuel in transit.
Inside One of the Nation’s Biggest Research Projects on Spent Nuclear Fuel – DOE Office of Nuclear Energy article providing an overview of the HBURC project.
Idaho and Trump Administration sign agreement to support US nuclear energy future. – News release discussing the signed waiver to the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement that will allow the HBURC to be shipped to Idaho.

Presentations and Webinars

Reports, Documents, and Technical Papers

Summary of the Regulatory Framework for Transportation of Commercial Used Nuclear Fuel – summarizes the regulations, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations that impact the transportation of commercial used nuclear fuel.
A Historical Review of the Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel – a full-length report that provides a review of publicly available information on the safety record of used nuclear fuel transportation worldwide.
DOE Order 460.2B, Departmental Materials Transportation Management – the DOE Order that provides direction for how DOE will conduct this shipment under its authority.
“U.S. Department of Energy Preparations to Transport a Rail-Sized Research Cask of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel” – Bickford, et al paper from the American Nuclear Society Winter 2025 meeting. [Note: the likely route map depicted in Figure 2 was subsequently updated to a single likely route in the eastern U.S.]

Videos

Video: High Burnup Research Cask Project
Video: DOE’s Atlas Railcar

*The term “used nuclear fuel” is intended to be synonymous with the term “spent nuclear fuel” as used and defined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, and the Standard Contract for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or High-Level Radioactive Waste (10 CFR Part 961).