The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s current suite of safety regulations should work as intended in the event of a future cross-country nuclear waste transportation campaign, the agency’s material control chief said this week in a public meeting.
“We do feel we are well positioned for any future shipments of spent fuel based on our strong regulatory framework and our good integration, at the federal level, and with our other partners in the programs,” said James Rubenstone, chief of NRC’s material control and accounting branch in its Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards during a virtual public meeting Wednesday.
NRC in December published a report aimed at applying the agency’s current regulatory structure to a potential large-scale transportation campaign of spent nuclear fuel.
“Our review found that we have a well-established and strong regulatory framework that can ensure the safe and secure transport of spent nuclear fuel,” Rubenstone said. “I’d like to say that this was not a surprise to us, but we just wanted to confirm it and document it.”
Although NRC staff found that its current regs work, Rubestone said that the review identified several areas for improvement. Among its recommendations, staff suggested a new set of inspections geared specifically towards spent fuel that may currently be moving to a transportation configuration from dry storage. NRC will be “updating and consolidating” its procedures on that process, Rubenstone said.
The agency is also looking to collect more information on potential schedules and proposed routes for spent fuel transportation that can be used in future oversight, Rubenstone said.
However, Rubenstone noted that NRC is only interested in that information for regulatory purposes. “The primary responsibility for all that lies with our licensees: the possessors of the fuel, the ones who will be shipping it and the ones who will be receiving it,” he said.
NRC does not store or transport spent fuel. The agency regulates the safety and security of spent fuel transportation through activities such as inspecting and certifying waste packages and monitoring shipments.
Meanwhile, NRC will also continue engaging with the public on spent fuel transportation, Rubenstone said.
“We understand that there are numerous questions out there among different constituencies and stakeholders on the transportation of spent fuel, so we’re making an effort to do more outreach and public interaction on spent fuel transportation,” Rubenstone said.
NRC’s report comes as two private companies inch closer to building the nation’s first interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel. The commission in September licensed Waste Control Specialists-Orano USA joint venture Interim Storage Partners (ISP) to build its proposed site in west Texas.
Another company, New Jersey-based Holtec International, has its own application with NRC for a similar site in New Mexico. That licensing process is stalled as NRC awaits more information from the company that the commission needs to complete required safety and environmental reviews.
