CSG Midwest leads project to ensure safe shipment of radioactive materials through region

Members of the The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee met in October as part of an ongoing partnership among states and the U.S. Department of Energy. Through the CSG-led interstate committee, legislators and representatives from the Midwest’s state executive branches work across state lines on issues related to the DOE’s transport of radioactive waste and materials, including possible shipments of spent nuclear fuel, through the region.

At their recent meeting, members discussed the inspection processes for highway and rail shipments; learned about a proposed, private interim storage facility in New Mexico where used nuclear fuel from U.S. nuclear plants could be shipped and stored; and toured DOE’s Waste Isolation Plant in New Mexico.

The committee also elected officers at its fall meeting. They are shown in the picture to the right: Tad Rumas of the Ohio Public Services Commission will continue to serve as co-chair, and the new co-chair is Mark Paulson of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

If you have questions about the work of the committee, please contact CSG Midwest’s Mitch Arvidson, program manager for the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Project.