Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DOE looks at Yucca options

Project managers might ship nuclear waste by truck rather than rail to save money

WASHINGTON -- Spurred by shrinking budgets, the Energy Department is reconsidering its strategy to ship nuclear waste to a planned repository at Yucca Mountain via railroad in Nevada.

Energy Department managers could postpone plans to build a rail spur within the state to the Yucca site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Instead, they may explore the temporary use of tractor-trailers that would transport waste in overweight shipping containers.

A shift in strategy from rail to truck, at least for initial years of repository operations, was among ideas discussed at a March 27 meeting where Energy Department managers looked for cost savings within the Yucca Mountain Project, a spokesman confirmed Monday.

Analysts said shelving the Nevada rail spur could delay up to $1 billion in costs. The Energy Department already has delayed the formation of a transportation strategy, concentrating instead on preparing a license application.

Department officials say budget cuts by Congress, including a 22 percent reduction this year, have spurred cost reviews and could lead the department to postpone a December 2004 license application target.

Allen Benson, a project spokesman in Las Vegas, said no decisions were made at the March 27 meeting, which involved program director Margaret Chu and others.

"It was just a brainstorming session to talk about what the options are," Benson said. Benson said he had no additional details of the meeting nor of the truck proposal, which was reported late last week by the Platts nuclear trade newsletters.

Under the scenario reported by Platts, the Energy Department would seek licensing of multi-ton canisters that could hold spent nuclear fuel assemblies for both truck and rail shipments from commercial power plants.

Once within Nevada, the casks would be "rolled off" rail cars and onto same-height beds of tractor-trailers destined for the repository.

Robert Halstead, a transportation consultant for the state of Nevada, expressed skepticism. He said trucks carrying oversized nuclear waste casks would invariably be classified as "heavy haul" vehicles and would require costly road upgrades.

"It's expensive to build a railroad, but heavy haul, depending on where they do it from, can cost almost as much," Halstead said. "DOE is facing a desperate budget situation, and this is something they're throwing up to buy themselves some time."

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., a critic of the Yucca Mountain Project, said she would challenge nuclear waste truck shipments within the state.

"They are increasing the number of trucks on the roads, making them potential targets for terrorists and for more potential accidents," said Berkley, a member of the House Transportation Committee.