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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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Draft p. 3.1.175<br />

Issue<br />

163<br />

WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS<br />

Note the assumption that 90% <strong>of</strong> fuel from reactors to ISFSF and 100% from ISFSF to<br />

Repository goes by rail. This is not likely. This assumption leads to 89,000 truck ship-<br />

ments totalling 280 million km (1.7E+08 miles). This is equivalent to 2.5 highway fata-<br />

lities, which would become 25 highway fatalities if all trucks were used as is more<br />

likely. (154)<br />

Response<br />

Because <strong>of</strong> the great advantage to receiving and loadout efficiencies when handling<br />

large rail casks compared to handling 5 to 10 times as many trucks casks and because <strong>of</strong><br />

reduced radiation exposure to the public during the transport, DOE assumed that all ship-<br />

ments between major waste management facilities such as independent spent fuel storage<br />

basins and geologic repositories would be 100% by rail. Because many reactors do not have<br />

rail facilities, we assumed that 10% <strong>of</strong> the fuel shipments from reactors would be by truck<br />

and one-half <strong>of</strong> the remaining 90% that is shipped by rail would be shipped in intermodal<br />

casks allowing shipment by truck to the nearest rail head.<br />

Draft p. N.2<br />

Issue<br />

The document states that about 50% <strong>of</strong> the operating reactors do not have rail spurs at<br />

the site. The reference system given on p. N.3, line 5, shows 90% by rail and 10% by<br />

truck. Is this 50% by rail, 40% by intermodal rail and truck, and 10% by truck? Note: on<br />

p. N.5, a 45%/45%/10% breakdown is given. (208-NRC)<br />

Response<br />

The fact that 50% <strong>of</strong> operating reactors do not have rail spurs is factored into the<br />

analysis. The 45%/45%/10% breakdown given on draft page N.5 refers to the type <strong>of</strong> casks<br />

used; 45% NLT 19/24 (rail cask), 45% IF300 (intermodal truck/rail cask) and 10% SNF4 (truck<br />

cask). This allows as much as 55% <strong>of</strong> the shipments to start out by truck but 45 <strong>of</strong> 55 are<br />

transferred to rail cars at the nearest rail siding. Thus the 90k% rail 10% truck division.<br />

Draft p. N.3<br />

Issue<br />

The impacts presented in Table N.3 and N.4 <strong>of</strong> the GEIS are based on a shipping<br />

scenario where 100% <strong>of</strong> all shipments are transported either by rail or by truck. Whether<br />

these impacts are presented only for comparison purposes or whether the scenarios upon

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