1. Spent Nuclear Fuel and Waste Disposition Program Update
Erica Bickford, PhD
Transportation Program Manager
Office of Integrated Waste Management
November 1, 2017 Portland, ME
CSG-ERC Northeast High-Level Radioactive Waste Task Force Fall Meeting

2. Refresh audience on DOE radioactive shipping program organizations

3. Waste Program (NE-8) Organization
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition
NE-8
Office of Spent Fuel & Waste Science and Technology
NE-81
Office of Integrated Waste Management
NE-82
Office of Program Operations
NE-83

4. Staff Changes
Ed McGinnis is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel & Waste Disposition, with Dennis Miotla (NE Chief Operating Officer) managing day-to-day operations on an interim basis
Andy Griffith has moved to NE-3, Nuclear Infrastructure Programs
Mike Reim has moved to NE-4, Nuclear Technology Research & Development
Kelli Markham, former Office Director for NE-83, has moved to NE-3
Alisa Trunzo has moved to a position in the NE front office
Steve Reeves was previously on detail to NE-82, and is now permanent staff

5. (dollars in thousands)
FY18 Funding Proposals
The federal government is currently being funded under a continuing resolution (CR) at FY17 levels.
Proposed FY18 funding:
Subprogram
(dollars in thousands)
FY 2017 Enacted
FY 2018
Request
House Mark
Senate Mark
Used Nuclear Fuel Disp. R&D
62,500
45,000
65,000
Int. Waste Mgmt. System (IWMS)
22,500
35,000
Program Direction & Other
23,000
Yucca Mountain
90,400
120,000
Interim Storage
6,600
Total
85,000
165,000
100,000

6. FY18 Program Priorities Robust Interim Storage:
Draft Implementation Plan for a private services model for transport and storage of spent fuel
Draft Implementation Plan for a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) model for transport and storage of spent fuel
Collect materials and information that could be used for a later request for proposals to acquire interim storage and transportation services

7. Other FY18 Program Activities
Continuing activities
Engagement with tribal and state representatives
Development of Atlas Railcar
Development of a generic design and topical safety analysis report (TSAR) for a pilot interim storage facility (ISF)
Systems analysis tool maintenance

8. Transportation Cooperative Agreements with States and Tribes
Renewed October 1st
Information requests to states and Tribes
Continue participating in DOE’s National Transportation Stakeholders Forum
Annual Meeting planning
Ad hoc working group activities will be reduced in FY18
Maintaining START tool
No new features or functions planned in FY18
Continue working toward public version of START
Atlas Railcar Development

9. DOE Requests Information from CSG-ERC Task Force
Historical input on past waste program privatization proposals
1996 Regional Servicing Contractor Approach
2002 Transportation Integrated Contractor Approach
Others
Economic and social considerations for removing spent fuel from reactor sites
Legal frameworks, by state, for Class 7 HRCQ shipments
Security, escorts, safety inspections
For highway, rail, and barge (where applicable)

10. Atlas Railcar Updates
Signed MOU with the US Navy on the Rail Escort Vehicle (REV) – May 2017
Preliminary designs and analyses submitted to AAR Equipment Engineering Cmte.
“Notice to proceed” – expected November 2017
RFP to TTCI for contract to perform testing of Atlas and buffer railcars - Oct. 2017
Completion of Railcar Design Phase 2 – expected November 2017
Report available to public – expected December 2017
Atlas Phase 3 kick-off and state of prototype fabrication – October 2017
Navy REV kick-off meeting and start of prototype fabrication – November 2017
Atlas and buffer car prototype testing begins – expected March 2019
Completion of single car testing – expected September 2020
Completion of full-consist testing with conditional approval – expected June 2022

11. Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology
High-Burnup Confirmatory Data Project – to provide confirmatory data for models, future SNF dry storage cask design, support license renewals, and new licenses for independent spent fuel storage facilities (ISFSIs)
Transport Fuel Stress Testing – How do stresses on fuel assemblies during normal transport conditions compare to failure limits?
Shaker table tests with surrogate PWR assembly
Multi-modal transport tests with ENSA cask
Prairie Island Dry Storage
HBF – recently received NRC approval for license amendment for modified cask lid. Expect to be loading fuel this fall.
ENSA cask at the Port of Baltimore

12. Questions?