NTSF Webinars

The Nuclear Ship (N.S.) Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship, a demonstration project of the U.S. government in service from 1962-1972. After her removal from active service, she eventually found her way to Baltimore to be decommissioned by the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation. This decommissioning included the transport of the radioactive reactor vessel across the U.S. for disposal. This NTSF webinar will explore this story, as well as the N.S. Savannah's unique overall history. 

• Webinar Recording

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In the event of a radioactive materials transportation incident or accident, many assets are available to help assist with all the important facets of the emergency response. This NTSF webinar will focus on two such assets: Civil Support Teams (CSG) and the Radiological Assistance Program (RAP). The presentations will focus on the CST's and RAP's origins, deployment scenarios, and capabilities. 

The presenters will be CPT Colin Randolph, Nuclear Medical Science Officer with the U.S. Army 92nd Civil Support Team, and Conrad Gilbert, Region Program Manager with the DOE Radiological Assistance Program Region 6. 

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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) first created the Safety Compliance Oversight Plan for Rail Shipments of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent-Nuclear Fuel (SCOP) in 1998 for FRA field personnel to use as an inspection guide. In June 2023, the FRA put out an update to the original SCOP to reflect its true purpose, renaming the document the “Safety Coordination and Compliance Oversight Plan for Rail Transportation of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel” (SCCOP). This webinar described the process that FRA went through to update the SCOP to the SCCOP, as well as explored the new document itself. 

The presenter was Jeff Moore, Hazardous Materials Specialist with the FRA.

• Webinar Recording

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An annual event, the Newcomers Orientation Webinar provides an introduction to the NTSF as an organization - its mission, members, and activities to engage states and Tribes in transportation planning and preparedness. The webinar also gave attendees a preview of what to expect at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the NTSF in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 22-25. Each year, the webinar is complemented by an on-site newcomers breakfast to continue the discussion.

The presenters were Mitch Arvidson, Program Manager with The Council of State Governments (CSG) Midwest, Ellen Edge, TEPP Program Manager at DOE-EM's Office of Packaging and Transportation (OPT), Sara Hogan, Transportation Program Manager at DOE-NE's Office of Integrated Waste Management (IWM), and Rodney Pitchford, Radiological Field Services Supervisor with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). 

• Webinar Recording

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On May 30, 2019, at the University of Washington Harborview Research and Training Facility in Seattle, a Cesium-137 source used in an irradiator that was being removed for disposal was breached, leading to a contamination event. Once the dust from the event had settled, the source still had to be disposed of, but with a new plan for its packaging and transportation due to the breach. This webinar told the story of this new packaging and transportation plan. 

The presenters were Todd Sellmer, Manager of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's (WIPP) Packaging & Information Services, Andy Walker, Director of the DOE Carlsbad Field Office's (CBFO) National Transuranic Waste (TRU) Program (NTP) Operations Division, and Bernie White, Senior Project Manager with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Division of Fuel Management.

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This webinar introduced attendees to Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) Used Nuclear Fuel-Storage, Transportation & Disposal Resource and Data System, or UNF-ST&DARDS, which is a comprehensive integrated data and analysis tool being developed for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition program. A description of UNF-ST&DARDS' capabilities and applications by ORNL staff was followed by a use-case example by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff, describing how UNF-ST&DARDS assists the NRC in making safety determinations based on the possibility of criticality in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage canisters.

The presenters were Kaushik Banerjee, Advisor at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Drew Barto, Nuclear Engineer at the NRC.  

• Webinar Recording

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The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Packaging and Transportation (DOE-OPT) led a presentation and discussion on DOE Order 460.2B, Departmental Materials Transportation Management. The revised Order was published in June 2022 and includes important clarifications on topics including advance shipment notifications, public engagement, emergency response, and shipment security. 

• Webinar Recording

• DOE Order 460.2B, Departmental Materials Transportation Management

This NTSF webinar featured an overview of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear power plant site evaluations to identify options for removing spent nuclear fuel, featuring highlights from the 17 site evaluations.

• Webinar Recording

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Ride along with this National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) webinar that took participants through the life of a shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste from Idaho National Lab to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. Follow the TRU waste from characterization to packaging, from loading to inspection, all the way down the winding western roads until it is received and emplaced at WIPP.

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A speaker discussed the radiological decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Station. More specifically, the presentation provided the current status of the shipment campaign and lessons learned in regard to waste packaging, transportation, disposal and other associated issues.

• Webinar Recording

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• YouTube: Vermont Yankee transport of low-level decommissioning waste for disposal

The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) (also known as Naval Reactors) provided an overview of the Navy's spent nuclear fuel (SNF) shipments, including its shipment practices and accident exercises. Naval Reactors representatives also shared their recent experience with heavy-haul shipments of SNF in support of refueling the program's land-based prototype reactor in West Milton, NY.

• Webinar Recording

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• NNPP Spent Fuel Shipment Fact Sheet

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE-NNSA) led a discussion of various shipments including the successful completion of the National Research Universal and National Research Experimental (NRU/NRX) reactors Spent Fuel Campaign. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited shared their experiences working on transports to the U.S. and compared them to how operations are handled within Canada.

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Type B packages are those used to transport materials with high levels of radioactivity, such as spent fuel from nuclear power plants. We've all heard that these packages are "robust," but what does this mean from a regulatory and practical standpoint, and how does a new Type B package design get approved? During this NTSF webinar, participants heard from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy (DOE) on the regulatory and testing requirements that go into determining whether a Type B package design will be approved.

• Webinar Recording

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The revision of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 460.2, "Departmental Materials Transportation and Packaging Management," is nearing completion. In this National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) webinar, DOE presented an overview of the revised Order and highlighted key changes that may be of interest to state and tribal partners. Time was set aside for Q&A at the end of the webinar.

Note: The draft DOE Order 460.2 was distributed to the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC) and the State Regional Groups (SRGs) in advance of this webinar. Please contact your NTSF Planning Committee members for more information.

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The webinar featured presenters from the Department of Transportation (DOT) on funding opportunities for Tribes and States to prepare for potential shipments. The presenters addressed grant opportunities available through the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA). 

• Webinar Recording

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The penultimate 2020 NTSF virtual meeting featured an exploration of the regulations and technology that might be in play for inspecting spent nuclear fuel storage canisters before they are transported. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) shared with attendees their current regulatory framework for pre-transportation inspections, and provided an update on their evaluation of these regulations. The Electric Power Research Institute presented on the status of technologies currently being developed to provide capabilities for remote inspections of the spent fuel storage canisters. 

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In the third installment of the series of NTSF virtual meetings, attendees were treated to an overview of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations and procedures related to radioactive materials packaging approval, shipping notifications, and route approvals. Speakers discussed Code of Federal Regulations Part 71 in relation to NRC certificate holders' and licensees' responsibilities. Speakers also highlighted how NRC regulations interact with corresponding Department of Transportation regulations, including those applicable to Highway Route Controlled Quantities of radioactive material.

• Webinar Recording

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• Transportation Security Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) mentioned by Gerry Jackson

• NRC's ADAMS web page 

• Development of U.S. Regulations for the Transportation of Radioactive Materials - A Look Back Over the Past 40 Years, by Ronald S. Hafner (2005) 

• The Evolution of U.S. Transportation Regulations for Radioactive Materials - A Retrospective, by Ronald S. Hafner (2008) 

The second event in a series of virtual meetings taking the place of the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) 2020 Annual Meeting, this webinar offered a beginner-level overview of several radiation topics. The session covered the basics of radiation, radiation protection, radiobiology, and detection. The presenter was Carlos Corredor, Health Physicist with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security.

• Webinar Recording

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• DOE Ionizing Radiation Dose Ranges Chart

• Factsheet Explaining the DOE Ionizing Radiation Dose Ranges Chart 

• Relative Doses from Radiation Sources

In March, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Western Governors' Association (WGA) made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 NTSF Annual Meeting to help protect the health and safety of attendees and their families in light of COVID-19. Some content from the Annual Meeting agenda was converted to a series of webinars. The first webinar featured updates from DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), and Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO)/Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), as well as the Department of Transportation's (DOE) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

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The NTSF Planning Committee was pleased to present an NTSF webinar on the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy's ongoing development of railcars to meet the Association of American Railroads (AAR) S-2043 Standard, "Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material." It is likely that, whatever its destination, spent nuclear fuel will be transported mostly by rail. S-2043 is the AAR's most rigorous Railcar standard, which requires extensive modeling as well as multi-year testing of railcar prototypes before they receive approval to transport spent nuclear fuel. Dr. Pat Schwab from DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy spoke about the Atlas railcar design and testing progress, and Mr. Bill Reich from Oak Ridge National Laboratory spoke about the security features of the S-2043 railcar.

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An annual event, the Newcomers Orientation Webinar provides an introduction to the NTSF as an organization - its mission, members, and activities to engage states and Tribes in transportation planning and preparedness. The webinar also gave attendees a preview of what to expect at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the NTSF in Arlington (Crystal City), Virginia, on June 10-13. Each year, the webinar is complements by an on-site newcomers breakfast to continue the discussion.

• Webinar Recording

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DOE's Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) supports roadshows offered by states and Tribes along transportation routes to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Roadshows are an educational tool and provide public safety officials, local elected officials, members of the public, and the media with the opportunity for an up-close look at the truck, trailer, and TRUPACT-II shipping packages, as well as a chance to learn more about the WIPP transportation protocols.

In this webinar, James Mason (DOE-CBFO) and Bobby St. John (Nuclear Waste Partnership) explained how states and Tribes can work with DOE and WIPP to plan a roadshow and maximize the impact of the event. James Mason also provided information on trainings offered by DOE and how to request them. Lt. Fred Wurster of the Nevada Highway Patrol provided an overview of the recent weeklong roadshow hosted by Nevada.

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The Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC) hosted this webinar, which aimed to deepen participants' understanding of tribal governments and their unique perspective on issues around engagement and collaboration with federal, state, and local governments, and industry. Moreover, there are specific tribal concerns on transportation of radioactive materials through or near Tribal lands that could have implications for local, state, and federal governments.

• Webinar Recording

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• CSG Midwest's "Planning Guide for Shipments of Radioactive Materials through the Midwestern States"

• NRC's "Individuals to Receive Advance Notification of Radioactive Materials and Nuclear Material Shipments" 

An annual event, the Newcomers Orientation Webinar provides an introduction to the NTSF as an organization — its mission, members, and activities to engage states and Tribes in transportation planning and preparedness. The webinar also gave attendees a preview of what to expect at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the NTSF in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 4-7. Each year, the webinar is complemented by an on-site newcomers breakfast to continue the discussion.

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

To build upon current planning efforts for removing commercial spent nuclear fuel from shutdown nuclear power plants, DOE’s Office of Integrated Waste Management has commissioned studies to further evaluate site-specific logistical, labor, equipment, security and transportation activities necessary to load and transport fuel off-site. During this webinar, Matt Feldman (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) provided an overview of the analyses for the Humboldt Bay and Kewaunee sites, including the scope of the analyses, methodologies, and highlights from the conclusions. The full reports can be found at https://curie.ornl.gov and are linked below.

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

Documents:

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Humboldt Bay

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Kewaunee

To build upon current planning efforts for removing commercial spent nuclear fuel from shutdown nuclear power plants, DOE’s Office of Integrated Waste Management has commissioned studies to further evaluate site-specific logistical, labor, equipment, security and transportation activities necessary to load and transport fuel off-site. During this webinar, Matt Feldman (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) provided an overview of the analyses for the Big Rock Point and Connecticut Yankee sites, including the scope of the analyses, methodologies, and highlights from the conclusions. The full reports can be found at https://curie.ornl.gov and are linked below.

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

Documents:

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Big Rock Point

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Connecticut Yankee

This webinar was intended for individuals who are new to, or would like to have a greater understanding of, the NTSF. Attendees were introduced to the origins and objectives of the NTSF, as well as the products of its various working groups. In addition, tribal and state representatives described the benefits of participating in NTSF activities.

• Webinar Recording

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Documents:

• NTSF State and Tribal Involvement

• NTSF Organization Structure

• NTSF Wiki Tips

To build upon current planning efforts for removing commercial spent nuclear fuel from shutdown nuclear power plants, DOE’s Office of Integrated Waste Management has commissioned studies to further evaluate site-specific logistical, labor, equipment, security and transportation activities necessary to load and transport fuel off-site. During this webinar, Matt Feldman (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) provided an overview of the analyses for the Maine Yankee and Trojan sites, including the scope of the analyses, methodologies, and highlights from the conclusions. The full reports can be found at https://curie.ornl.gov and are linked below.

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

Documents:

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Maine Yankee

• Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Report for Trojan

This webinar provided a review and discussion of the final "Section 180(c) Proposed Policy Implementation Exercise: Lessons Learned" report. The report was developed with input from the states and one Tribe that volunteered to participate in the Exercise, as well as input from the volunteers who assisted with the Mock Merit Review panel. Speakers included Heather Westra for the Prairie Island Indian Community, Teri Engelhart with the State of Wisconsin, and DOE-NE Transportation Program Manager, Erica Bickford. The webinar covered the highlights of the scope of the Exercise, what was learned from the experience, what changes may be recommended for DOE’s Section 180(c) proposed policy based on the experience, and what the next steps are for the Section 180(c) Ad Hoc Working Group.

• Webinar Recording

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By popular demand, the NTSF SNF Rail/Routing Ad Hoc Working Group organized a fourth and final Rail Transport Safety webinar, on May 18. In this installment, Bob Fronczak from the Association of American Railroads - which represents the railroad industry - provided the industry perspective on rail transport safety, route selection, inspections, and transport of radioactive materials and other hazmat.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• AAR Perspective on the Transportation of SNF by Bob Fronczak

• Transcript of audience Q&A

On April 12, the NTSF continued its webinar series on rail transportation safety, organized by the Rail/Routing Ad Hoc Working Group. During this chapter, Kevin Blackwell of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reviewed the regulatory requirements for routing rail shipments (PHMSA routing rule), and the FRA’s approach to rail carrier audits.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Railroad Hazardous Materials Transportation Security Rail Routing by Kevin Blackwell

On Part 2 of the series, state rail safety experts Lugene Bastian (Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission) and Bob Montgomery (New York Department of Transportation) discussed the final two of five rail safety inspection disciplines: Operating Practices and Hazardous Materials. Attendees also heard from Mike Calhoun with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) about the FRA’s State Rail Safety Participation Program.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Lugene Bastian's slides

• Bob Montgomery's slides

• Mike Calhoun's slides

• One-Pager on State Rail Safety Participation Program

• Association of State Rail Safety Managers website

The NTSF kicked off the New Year with the first of a three-part webinar series on rail transportation safety, organized by the Rail/Routing ad hoc working group.

Part 1 featured John Johnson (Oregon Department of Transportation), Brian Lehman (Arizona Corporation Commission), and Mike Stead (Illinois Commerce Commission) discussing three of the five Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspection disciplines: Motive Power and Equipment, Signal & Train Control, and Track.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Mike Stead's slides

• John Johnson's slides

• Brian Lehman's slides

Sponsored by the NTSF Information and Communications Ad Hoc Working Group, this webinar provided a tour of the various methods NTSF participants use to communicate internally. The webinar began with a “how to” session for participating on webinars. With help from Lisa Janairo, attendees explored GoToWebinar features and had an opportunity to practice ways to interact during webinars. Katelyn Tye walked attendees walked through the enhanced NTSF wiki site, and Tammy Ottmer previewed the NTSF New Members Wiki Page. Finally, Uldis Vanags provided an overview of the planned content of the new NTSF Newsletter, and explained how states, Tribes, and other NTSF participants can contribute ideas for this exciting new NTSF publication.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• How to Webinar with the NTSF by Lisa Janairo

• NTSF Wiki Site Tips by Katelyn Tye

• NTSF Newsletter by Uldis Vanags

During this webinar, NRC staff explained how selected routes for spent nuclear fuel shipments are reviewed and approved by the commission staff. Participants learned about requirements for advance notification of shipments of spent nuclear fuel, including the timing, recipients, and restrictions on sharing safeguards information. NRC staff also discussed the change to NRC regulations that allows for advance notification to Tribes, and the steps Tribes can take to begin receiving it.

Additionally, attendees heard about the requirements for pre-planning and coordination (as found in NRC Regulation 10 CFR 73.37) and were provided an overview of NRC Regulation 10 CFR Part 37 (Physical Protection of Category 1 & 2 Quantities of Radioactive Material).

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Gerry Jackson's slides (PDF)

• David Pstrak's slides (PDF)

• Stuart Easson's slides (PDF)

During this webinar, Chris Machenberg, Director of Hazardous Materials at CSX Transportation, introduced participants to rail transport as a shipping mode for spent fuel and high-level waste. The presentation emphasized the special characteristics of rail shipments – for example, how private ownership of the rail lines affects operations and oversight, and how decisions regarding scheduling and routing can be driven by business considerations.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Chris Machenberg's slides (PDF)

On January 29, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed its Safety Evaluation Report on the application for a high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, by issuing the final two volumes of the report. During this webinar, NRC staff reviewed the contents and conclusions of this five-volume report. The featured speaker was Dr. James Rubenstone, Deputy Director of the Yucca Mountain Directorate in the NRC's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• NRC: Safety Evaluation Report

• Dr. James Rubenstone's slides

The Department of Energy provided members of the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum with the latest information on recovery activities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The featured speaker was Alan Jines, Federal Project Director/Operations Activity Manager at DOE's Carlsbad Field Office.

Webinar documents and links:

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

The National Transportation Stakeholders Forum held a webinar, hosted by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE), on the subject of spent nuclear fuel casks. Representatives of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the DOE presented on the following topics:

• Spent Fuel Casks at Nuclear Power Plants, Kris Cummings, NEI

• License and Certificate Renewal Aging Management Program, Mark Lombard, NRC

• Research and Development Activities Related to the Direct Disposal of Dual Purpose Canisters, Bill Boyle, DOE

• Slides

The National Transportation Stakeholders Forum held a webinar on September 23 on high burnup nuclear fuel. "Burnup" is a way to measure the uranium burned in a nuclear reactor and depends on how long the fuel is in the core and the amount of energy it has generated. Over the last few decades, fuel burnup levels have increased, creating the category of spent fuel known as “high burnup” fuel. The burnup level affects the fuel's temperature, radioactivity, and the physical characteristics of both the fuel and the cladding. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission must therefore take burnup into account when approving designs for storage and transportation casks for spent fuel.

To protect people and the environment, casks must provide several layers of protection, with the fuel cladding itself being an important layer. The NRC’s regulations are designed to ensure that the fuel cladding will remain structurally sound and that the casks will provide the necessary protection during storage and eventually during transport of spent fuel to a consolidated storage facility or a repository when these facilities become available.

On this webinar, Dr. Albert Machiels discussed burnup and its significance to the main characteristics of commercial spent fuel. A Senior Technical Executive at the Electric Power Research Institute, Dr. Machiels provided background information on high burnup fuel. In addition, participants learned about safe transportation of high burnup fuel under normal conditions, and whether any special actions might need to be taken in the event of a severe accident.

Attendees also heard from Mark Lombard, Director of the Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation in the NRC Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards. Mr. Lombard addressed licensing issues related to transportation of high burnup fuel.

Webinar Documents and Links:

• Webinar Recording

• Mark Lombard's slides on High Burnup Nuclear Fuel Regulation

• Dr. Albert Machiels' slides on High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel

On this webinar, NTSF members received a briefing on the status of the recovery operations at DOE's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant following a radiation event on February 14. The speaker was Andy Walker, Transportation Logistics Manager for the DOE Carlsbad Field Office.

• Webinar Recording

• Slides

The National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) held a webinar featuring two topics: the U.S. Department of Transportation's Hazardous Materials Automated Cargo Communications for Efficient and Safe Shipments (HM-ACCESS) pilot project and the findings of a recent Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) report on the Level VI inspection program.

Mark Raney from DOT's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center spoke about HM-ACCESS, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Paperless Hazard Communications Pilot Program research effort. Authorized by Section 33005 of the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act’’ (MAP-21), PHMSA launched the pilot program to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using paperless hazard communications systems, or “e-systems,” to improve the delivery of critical HM safety information throughout the transportation chain.

Carlisle Smith, director of CVSA's Hazardous Materials Program, shared the results of CVSA’s 2013 annual assessment of inspection data from Level VI safety inspections of truck shipments carrying highway route-controlled quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive material. He also provided an overview of CVSA’s peer review program, including the plans for upcoming peer reviews.

To view information on HM-ACCESS, visit DOT's website at this link. 

• Webinar Recording

• Mark Raney, DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

• Carlisle Smith, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance 

• Information on the NTSF

On this webinar, attendees saw a demonstration of a new knowledge management website developed by the DOE-NE Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation (NFST) Planning Project. To support its mission, the NFST Planning Project developed the site to provide a centralized location for documents, used nuclear fuel data, public outreach presentations and information, calendar of events, and related news. The Centralized Used Fuel Resource for Information Exchange (CURIE) system is currently being developed and populated with documents. This publicly available website is located at curie.ornl.gov and enables more effective collaboration and sharing of information about used fuel storage, transportation, and disposal among stakeholders and interested parties. The demonstration showed potential users the benefits of the website, including: up-to-date news, document sharing and version control, and other resources. The demonstration covered the registration process, the document creation process, the general site layout, the private group structure, as well as the advanced search capabilities.

In addition to learning about CURIE, participants were introduced to this NTSF wiki site.

• Lisa Janairo, CSG Midwest - NTSF Webinar Introduction and Wiki Site Preview (slides include speaker contact information)

• CURIE User Manual and Content Information

The eighth NTSF webinar focused on the "Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste., prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Strategy is the Obama Administration's response to the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. As such, the document "serves as a statement of Administration policy…; it lays out the overall design for a system to address the issue [of waste disposition]; and it outlines the reforms needed to implement such a system."

Jeffrey Williams, Project Director for the Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Planning Project within DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, provided an overview of the Strategy and shared information on the steps needed to achieve the goal of a "sustainable path forward for disposal of nuclear waste." He also reviewed the findings of a commissioned report on the shutdown reactor sites that would be first-in-line to ship to any consolidated storage facilities that are developed. Finally, participants learned about the recent and upcoming activities of the NTSF. Mike Wangler of the DOE-EM Office of Packaging and Transportation provided the update on the NTSF, including the 2013 annual meeting of the NTSF that will take place in Buffalo, NY, on May 14-16.

Presentations

• Jeffrey Williams, DOE Office of Nuclear Energy

• Mike Wangler, DOE-EM Office of Packaging and Transportation

Additional material

• Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste (January 2013)

• Public Preferences Related to Consent-Based Siting of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities for Storage and Disposal: Analyzing Variations over Time, Events, and Program Designs, by Hank Jenkins-Smith, et al. (February 2013)

The first webinar of 2013 focused on the funding, training, and technical assistance issues that underpin the Department of Energy's policy and implementation of Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). This section of the NWPA obligates the Secretary of Energy to provide financial and technical assistance to states and tribes affected by shipments to NWPA-authorized facilities. The assistance is intended to help states and tribes train personnel in procedures for safe, routine transportation as well as procedures for emergency response. The discussion during the webinar covered the issues and activities that the NTSF Section 180(c) Ad Hoc Working Group is undertaking to provide input into an update of the Section 180(c) program.

• Slides

Communications was the focus of the sixth NTSF webinar. Ken Niles (Oregon Department of Energy) discussed recent public meetings conducted in Oregon focused solely on the topic of radioactive material transportation. Following Ken’s presentation, Ella McNeil (DOE-EM) discussed the ways in which DOE’s Office of Environmental Management communicates with states, tribes, and the public about the department’s shipping campaigns involving radioactive waste. Finally, Tammy Ottmer (Colorado State Patrol) introduced participants to a new tool developed by the NTSF Communications Ad Hoc Working Group for use as a framework for information to be shared in fact sheets for radiological and nuclear waste transportation campaigns.

• Ken Niles, Oregon Department of Energy

• Ella McNeil, DOE-EM Office of Packaging and Transportation

• Tammy Ottmer, Colorado State Patrol

On October 23, the NTSF hosted a webinar on NRC Rulemakings and Other Activities and NTSF Engagement in Preparing for Large-Scale Shipping Campaigns. Earl Easton, NRC Sr. Level Advisor for Transportation, provided an update on the status of new shipment security rules, the commission's Spent Fuel Transportation Risk Assessment, and other topics. Jeffrey Williams with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy discussed DOE's plans for moving forward with implementing select recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future.

• Earl Easton, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

• Jeffrey Williams, DOE Office of Nuclear Energy

The fourth NTSF webinar focused on the recently released draft report of President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, or BRC. John Kotek, Executive Director of the BRC, provided an overview of the Commission and the draft recommendations contained in the BRC's draft report, published for comment on July 29.

• Slides

• BRC web site

This webinar focused on the U.S. Department of Energy's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Disposal of Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) Low-Level Radioactive Waste and GTCC-Like Waste. Arnold Edelman from the DOE-EM Office of Disposal Operations presented an overview of the draft EIS including the inventory of GTCC waste, disposal dates/quantities, and disposal sites being considered. He also discussed the point of origin for the wastes and provided an overview of the transportation analysis, including packaging, estimated number of shipments, site specific analysis, and path forward.

• Slides

Presentations

• Jonathan Kang, DOE/EM Office of Disposal Operations

• Julia Donkin, DOE/EM Office of Packaging and Transportation

Additional material

• Waste Information Management System (WIMS) website

Presentations

• Dr. Yung Liu, Argonne National Laboratory

• Sharon Taylor, Ma-Chis LCITE, Inc.

Additional material

• RAMPAC web page on RFID

• Demonstration of radiofrequency identification system for tracking and monitoring of nuclear materials (2010) (paper by H.C. Tsai, K. Chen, Y.Y. Lui, and J.M. Shuler)

• Life cycle management of radioactive materials packaging (2007) (paper by Y. Liu, S. Bellamy, and J. Shuler)