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News :: Miscellaneous |
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NRC/DOT Regulations: Nuclear Transport Could Get More Dangerous |
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by NIRS
(No verified email address) |
20 May 2002
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Yet more eveidence that "free trade" agreements are undermining important government safety regulations in the name of "harmonizing" such regulations at the lowest possible level of protection. |
 Yet more eveidence that "free trade" agreements are undermining important government safety regulations in the name of "harmonizing" such regulations at the lowest possible level of protection. |
Highway and rail routes most likely to be used to transport high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Nevada through the State of Illinois, along with the estimated number of casks that will travel on each route.
Source: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/states/us.htm
The US Dept of Transportation (DOT) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) propose to Weaken US Domestic Nuclear Transport Regulations
Public Meetings:
JUNE 4, 2002 Chicago, Illinois--- MIDWESTERNERS - TRY TO ATTEND!!
[Hyatt Regency Hotel 151 East Wacker Drive Chicago 60601 from 1-4 PM and
7-10 PM with 'open house' 12-1 and 6-7]
JUNE 24, 2002 Rockville, MD
[Nuclear Regulatory Commission headquarters- day time sessions only]
Comments and Resolutions due JULY 29, 2002 to both NRC and DOT
[See comment submission information below]
Main Threats:
>large amounts of some radioactive elements can be transported as if not radioactive
>the routine, deliberate, untraceable dispersal of radioactive materials into raw materials, personal products, buildings, appliances, the marketplace and our surroundings
>perpetuation of a system for radioactive transportation regulations that is anti-democratic and results in regulations that are clearly opposed by the US population.
>DOT pre-emption of more protective local and state laws and regulations
>failure to improve design and testing requirements for Type B containers which are used to transport irradiated fuel, high level radioactive waste and the "hot" "low-level" radioactive waste, plus possible reduction in existing requirements
>NRC could remove the current requirement for double containment of plutonium.
Some of the specific proposed changes to domestic US radioactive transport regulations include:
1-Legalize the exemption of varying amounts of radionuclides from transportation regulatory control (raising allowable exempt concentrations for majority of radionuclides and allowing exempt quantities of radioactive materials in transit, not permitted before)
2- Allowing greater contamination on surfaces of irradiated fuel and high level radioactive waste containers
3- Weakening of the existing NRC submersion test requirements for Irradiated Fuel at the same time US Dept of Energy proposes hundreds to thousands (1575-3004) of barge shipments throughout the US (See below for states, waterways and ports)****
4-Removing the US requirement that plutonium be shipped in double shelled containers
"HARMONIZATION" (international conformity) is a poor excuse for accepting the nuclear power industry's desires to weaken nuclear transport regulations, yet this is the primary justification given in both the NRC and DOT proposed rules for accepting changes that weaken protections.
This is the first significant opportunity for the public to comment on these transportation changes. We got a glimpse of them when DOT adopted most of them for US INTERNATIONAL regulation in 2001, but that was done with limited access to the information, documentation, and interpretation.
We had NO chance to input the IAEA recommendations and our US representatives to those meetings and rulemakings did not uphold the US opposition to deregulating nuclear wastes and materials. To say we must "harmonize" when we had no say in the rules that were developed is unacceptable. We say NO on the merits of the proposals.
NRC & DOT MOVING in THE WRONG DIRECTION at the WRONG TIME
At a time when we could be facing dramatic increases in the amount of nuclear material on roads, rails, ships, planes and barges in the US and internationally, the trend should be toward tightening up and increasing already-inadequate protections.
If the proposed Yucca Mountain project proceeds, tens of thousands of shipments of irradiated nuclear fuel will move across this country daily.
The new regulations (TS-R-1) are being adopted to relax protections and let more radioactive waste out into commerce unregulated. If our federal agencies are not stopped, more and more radioactive waste will be deregulated-treated as if not radioactive-and deliberately dispersed into commercial items we come into contact with routinely.
****The US Dept of Energy Final Environmental Impact Statement on Yucca
Mountain (pages J 77 et al) lists proposed barge routes in these states and water bodies:
" Southern California Pacific Ocean to Port of Oxnard
" Mo, KS, NE, IA Missouri River
" Maryland Chesapeake Bay to Port of Baltimore
" Virginia James River to Port of Norfolk
" NYC, NJ Hudson River, Atlantic Ocean to Port of Newark
" Connecticut Connecticut River, Long Island Sound
" MI, WI,IL, IN Lake Michigan
" TN, AL, LA, MS Mississippi River, Tennessee River
" Florida Atlantic Ocean Fort Lauderdale, Miami
_______________________________________________________________________
by JULY 29th please SEND COMMENTS and RESOLUTIONS to NRC and DOT:
For NRC proposed rule 67 Federal Register 83:21390-21484, 4/30/2002
MAIL:
Secretary
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001
Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff
UPLOAD Electronic comments via NRC's interactive website
http://ruleforum.llnl.gov
For DOT RSPA (Research and Special Programs) proposed rule 67 FR
83:21328-21382, 4/30/2002; State that your comments refer to
"RSPA-99-6283 (HM-230)"
MAIL 2 copies & enclose a self addressed, stamped postcard for confirmation of receipt:
Dockets Unit
US Department of Transportation, Room PL-401
400 Seventh Street SW,
Washington, DC 20590-0001
UPLOAD Electronic comments via DOT's Docket Management System's website
http://dms.dot.gov and follow instructions
NIRS has requested NRC and DOT to provide Fax numbers and Email addresses for comments.
More information:
Diane D'Arrigo
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS)
1424 16th Street NW Suite 404
Washington, DC 20036,
202-328-0002 ext 16
dianed (at) nirs.org, www.nirs.org
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See also:
http://www.nirs.org/
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