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Washington, DC -- The Department of Energy announced today that earlier this week the State of Missouri and the department agreed to a series of safety enhancements that will be applied to shipments of spent nuclear fuel on Interstate 70 through Missouri. Based on the agreement, the Energy Department has also set a schedule for shipping spent nuclear fuel by the end of June 2001 from the University of Missouri’s research reactor to the Department’s Savannah River site in South Carolina.

We believe the transportation issues surrounding the use of Interstate 70 have been resolved and we are pleased with the outcome, said Dr. Carolyn L. Huntoon, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. Over the last few months the department worked with the Missouri Governor’s office to address the safety concerns they raised to the use of Interstate 70 for spent fuel shipments.

Copies of the letters outlining the DOE’s safety enhancement and the letter from Governor Bob Holden’s office addressing the safety measures for shipping of spent nuclear fuel are attached.

The safety measures include vehicle inspection at the point-of-entry into the State using enhanced North American standards established by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, training for Missouri inspectors, and the provision of shipment escorts by the State Highway Patrol while the shipments are in transit through Missouri. The shipments also will be scheduled to avoid transit during specified rush hours in St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City; if necessary, shipments will go to designated safe parking areas to avoid specified rush hours in these areas. The State will be provided access to the DOE’s satellite tracking system regulation to monitor the shipments’ progress through Missouri. The Department of Energy will include these safety measures in its instructions to the carrier providing transportation services for the University shipments.

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