Clear Thinking on Nuclear: Transportation issues Experience, planning, and preparedness Well designed and thoroughly tested containers Coordinated efforts among federal and local officials

Experience, planning, and preparedness The US has a half-century of experience transporting radioactive materials with no radioactive materials being released. Over the last 40 years, 3,000 shipments on spent nuclear fuel have navigated more than 1.7 million miles of US roads and railways. Every shipment is carefully tracked and monitored along public routes that must meet strict safety requirements.

Well designed and thoroughly tested containers Shipping packages, or casks, are designed according to rigorous standards established by the Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The casks are about 15 times thicker than a gasoline tank truck shell and they include three inches of stainless steel with thick lead radiation shields. Typically, for every ton of fuel, there are more than three tons of protective packaging and shielding.

Coordinated efforts among federal and local officials The DOT identifies "preferred routes," of interstate highways and bypass routes around cities. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves all transportation security plans. Satellite tracking of all shipped casks is utilized to ensure location, and the dates of shipments are not publicized. Experienced, specially licensed trucking companies handle spent nuclear fuel shipments, in addition to many other hazardous materials, in the United States.

ANS References 1.ANS Position Statement #18, “The Safety of Transporting Radioactive Materials.” Available materials Nuclear Power: A Sustainable Source of Energy Personal Radiation Dose Chart