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ANS > Public Information > Nuclear Matters > Transportation Issues > Talking Points
1:
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.
2:
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.
3:
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.
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