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A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 15 OcTOber 2019
Has tech made it safer to move nukes? Depends whom you ask

By SCOTT SONNER and safety." It says science
Associated Press shows scale-model testing
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A fight can be relied on to make
is raging in courts and Con- regulations.
gress over where radioac- "There are a lot of unan-
tive materials should be swered questions about
stored and how to safely what happens," Lyman
get the dangerous rem- said. "A real test of an ex-
nants of decades of bomb- plosive on a real cask con-
making and power gener- taining real spent fuel is a
ation to a permanent rest- dangerous test. It's one that
ing place. hasn't been done."
Nationwide, spent fuel Despite vows the shipments
rods lie in temporary cool- are safe, the Energy Depart-
ing ponds at commercial ment recently announced
nuclear power reactors it will review all radioac-
without a permanent stor- tive waste packaging and
age destination. Plutonium shipping after a Tennessee
also awaits processing for contractor revealed it may
nuclear weapons of war. have mislabeled low-level
As federal officials insist nuclear waste — including
they can move tons of le- such things as contaminat-
thal material without disas- ed equipment and workers'
ter, critics ask how much risk clothing — that was sent to
is acceptable and how far Nevada over six years.
technology has come to Deputy Energy Secretary
safely ship nuclear waste. Dan Brouillette wrote in a
"The question is: 'Are the July memo that he and
regulations for safety and Secretary Rick Perry were
security adequate?'" said increasingly concerned
Edwin Lyman, head of the This undated file aerial view shows the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M. about safe and secure
nuclear safety project at Associated Press packaging, the shipping of
the Union of Concerned waste "and the impact that
Scientists. "My judgment is isters, new communication command posts alleviated it's coming to their commu- this matter could have on
no. They are antiquated. systems to track shipments many past concerns about nity, they don't understand the safety of our workers,
They need at least a fresh and their armed escorts in the security and safety of ... the rigorous requirements the public and the environ-
look." real time, and better com- shipments, said Frank Rus- the casks are under." ment."
Watchdogs like Lyman puter models to examine co, U.S. Government Ac- Senderling and other gov- The memo came during
want the Nuclear Regula- accident scenarios. countability Office environ- ernment officials point to fights in court over a secret
tory Commission, which The biggest change is bet- ment and natural resources decades without a serious federal shipment of weap-
regulates the commercial ter technology to analyze chief. accident. ons-grade plutonium from
nuclear industry, to require accident risks, department The GAO, an independent, The Nuclear Regulatory South Carolina to Nevada
transport containers to be researchers say. Officials nonpartisan arm of Con- Commission said more than last year and in Congress
tested to the point nuclear previously were forced to gress that examines how 1,300 shipments of spent over renewed Trump ad-
waste would be released assume transportation con- taxpayer money is spent, fuel from reactors have ministration efforts to build
— in a fire, catastrophic rail- tainers, called casks, would "has no concerns that casks been completed safely a dump for the nation's
road or truck crash, plunge break and release danger- and rail cars can be built to over 35 years. most dangerous radioac-
into water or by tampering, ous waste because they an acceptably high safety "Four were involved in ac- tive waste 90 miles (145 ki-
sabotage or terrorism. had no proof otherwise. standard," Rusco said. "Get- cidents, but none resulted lometers) from Las Vegas.
"What isn't clear is: 'What Using 3D computer models ting societal acceptance in a release of radioactive With the GAO estimating
are the conditions under for the first time in 2014, the of train loads of that stuff material or a fatality due to that there's enough high-
which the package would Nuclear Regulatory Com- going from all these places radiation exposure," it said level nuclear waste await-
fail?'" said Lyman, who has mission determined no ra- is a bigger challenge." in 2014. ing disposal in the U.S. to
studied hazardous ship- dioactive material would The Energy Department But watchdogs like Lyman fill a football field 65 feet
ments for 25 years. be released if a fuel tanker acknowledges the public say the government relies (20 meters) deep, Perry
Energy Department offi- crashed with a truck haul- has concerns regardless of on computer simulations or pressed Congress to jump-
cials and others say tech- ing spent nuclear fuel. the safety measures. scaled-down tests instead start the Yucca Mountain
nological advances over Upgrades in containers The agency tracks ship- of putting the actual truck project.
25 years have produced and communication be- ments round the clock with or rail containers through "We have to find a solution,"
more robust transport can- tween armed escorts and GPS and real-time apps the rigors of a drop, fire or Perry said earlier this year,
like those used to find cell- immersion in water to see if holding a map of states
phones. Trucks haul spe- they can withstand crash- storing spent nuclear fuel.
cialized trailers, and federal es, sabotage or acts of ter- "Thirty-nine states as reposi-
agents receive thousands rorism. tories is not an appropriate
of hours of training. The Nuclear Regulatory solution."
"The whole radioactive Commission, which sets Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who
waste idea is somewhat testing standards and cer- helped defeat the GOP-
of a mystery to the normal tifies containers, said the led effort to fund Yucca
person," said Mark Sender- computer or scale-model Mountain last May, called it
ling, deputy assistant secre- tests provide "reasonable "the latest attempt to force
tary for waste and materi- assurance of adequate nuclear waste down Ne-
als management. "When protection of public health vada's throats."q