The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed with the siting of two nuclear waste repositories, and the construction of one repository. Under the provisions of the Act, DOE was also directed to conduct a program of consultation and cooperation with each of the potentially affected states and Indian tribes. The Act also states that "State and public participation is essential in order to promote public confidence in the safety of disposal of ..."waste and spent fuel."

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed special railcars for future large-scale DOE transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants. The designs include the Atlas railcar (designed to transport SNF containers), new buffer railcars, and a new escort railcar for security personnel that was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) transports classified, high-value U.S. Navy ship components by rail, including naval spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE NE)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to ship one container of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from a nuclear power plant to a national laboratory to undergo further research. DOE is coordinating the shipment with Tribal and State governments and offering technical assistance and training.

This report titled “Design and Prototype Fabrication of Railcars for Transport of High-Level Radioactive Materials, Phase 2: Preliminary Design” compiles the work that was completed during Phase 2.

This presentation provides an overview of the DOE-NE recent activities and future plans given by Dr. Erica Bickford, Director, Office of Storage & Transportation at the NTSF Annual Meeting May 20-22, 2025. 

In preparation of an integrated nuclear waste management program, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing for future large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) waste. A part of this preparation includes developing a fleet of railcars to be used for the transport of High-Level Radioactive Material (HLRM) and GTCC waste.

Research project started in 2014 as a collaboration between DOE and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to support safe storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF).

Factsheet about DOE High Burnup Research Cask Project (HBURC) dated April 2025.

As part of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Atlas Railcar Project, the Atlas and Buffer railcars were developed to meet the need for future large-scale rail transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. MxV Rail (formerly Transportation Technology Center, Inc.), a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), performed singlecar certification testing and modeling on these railcars.