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presented to

National Governors Association

Federal Facilities Task Force

National Transportation Program: A Policy Perspective

J. Kent Hancock, DirectorOffice of Transportation

Office of Environmental Management

May 17, 2002

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Transportation -- Critical Link to Cleanup and Closure

• We Must Assure Accelerated Cleanup and Closure is Fully Supported by Timely Availability of Packaging and Transportation Services:

- Supports waste and nuclear materials

- Integrated across EM and NNSA

- Driven by customer needs and priorities

- Maintains superior safety performance

- Responsive to stakeholder concerns

• We’re Carefully Examining Better Ways to do Business for the Services We Provide

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Top-to-Bottom Review: Issue #10

Packaging and Transportation: One of 12 Issues EM Must Address:

“Current packaging and transportation policies and procedures are resulting in delays in the removal of materials from sites, causing increased costs and delayed risk reduction.”

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Top-to-Bottom Review Observations

• Divided responsibility for Package Certification and shipment of materials:

- Complicates negotiations with stakeholders, carriers, and regulatory groups

- Prevents complex-wide priority setting

• Limited organizational accountability for packaging and transportation:

- Creates schedule uncertainty in availability of certified containers

- Hinders development of corporate shipping strategy

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Type B Packaging Planning and Certification is a Key EM Priority

EM has placed greater focus on:

• Identifying and accurately forecasting/tracking EM site near-term and long-range packaging needs

• Identifying a suite of Type B packages to be procured in quantities and on schedules meeting EM site baselines

• Helping assure Type B packages are certified efficiently and on timelines acceptable to both EM sites and the certifying authority

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Our Goal

• DOE shipments are safe, secure, economical, and compliant

• Sites are able to ship nuclear materials and radioactive waste on schedule in approved packagings

• Packagings are available to sites in numbers required and when required

• Institutional/political/stakeholder issues are addressed in a timely manner

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EM’s Focus in Packaging and Transportation

• Addressing Critical Packaging Needs

• Fostering Packaging and Transportation Integration Across the Complex

• Supporting DOE-Wide Shipping Activities and Site-Specific Campaign Planning

• Supporting Regulatory Compliance and Logistics at Shipping Sites

• Providing Risk Analysis and Other Tools for Programs

• Enhancing Transportation Security

• Maintaining Outreach and Communications with Stakeholders

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Transportation and Packaging Initiatives

• Transition EM’s Certified Packaging Authority to NRC

• Expand NNSA/EM Cooperation on Design and Use of Common-Interest Type B Packages

• Support Safety Analysis Reports for Packaging

• Assist Sites in Packaging and Transportation

• Increase Rail and Inter-modal Shipments

• Improve Procurement and Management of Packaging Fleet

• Improve Integration with Non-EM Programs (e.g., NNSA, RW)

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Operations Activities are Functioning Well

• EM provides a wide array of DOE-wide tools and services

- TRANSCOM (Satellite Tracking)

- Campaign Planning

- Technical Assistance

- Public Information

• These Operations are managed by Gary Lanthrum, Director NTP-Albuquerque

- Website Address: http://www.ntp.doe.gov/

- Telephone: (505) 845-6134

- Fax: (505) 845-5508

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Path Forward

• EM is realigning its program scope to be consistent with an accelerated cleanup and closure mission

• EM recognizes its DOE-wide responsibility for transportation and packaging under DOE Order 460.2

- Transition planning is underway

- Opportunities exist for cost-sharing DOE-wide products and services

• Plan is to continue the DOE-wide mission, with support from multiple DOE organizations

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Backup

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Security Issues

• Shipments Initially Suspended After 9-11-01 Attacks, and Again 10-07-01

• We’re Interacting with NRC and DOT on Security Issues

• DOT Conducting “Security Sensitivity” Visits to HAZMAT Carriers

• DOE Shipments Resumed Under Top Management Control, and in Consultation with Safeguards and Security Experts

• High-level Waste, Spent Fuel, and Transuranic Waste Tracked by Satellite

• Emergency Preparedness Plans in Place for All Shipments