Read more about a recent trip from NEI's own Mark Richter, technical advisor for supply chain standards, materials & used fuel logistics.
✈ Where was I? Denver, Colorado, attending meetings with the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC) and the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF)!
✍ What was going on? The tribal communities have a deep connection to their ancestral lands and want them protected. These annual meetings are an important opportunity for indigenous tribes to provide input to the DOE, state/regional agencies, and industry representatives. I attend these meetings as an advocate for NEI members to seek solutions and hear concerns related to the transportation of used nuclear fuel.
⚡Lightning round!
Favorite meal: Steak and cakes at Urban Egg—yum!
Notable quote or highlight: “Only two things are preventing the transportation of used nuclear fuel: Congress and a storage location!” – Richard Arnold, member of the Pahrump Paiute Tribe/Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations and the TRMTC Co-chair.
Something you learned: When I first attended these meetings, there was a lot of concern and fear surrounding used nuclear fuel—too dangerous to keep it where it was, yet too dangerous to move. Now, there’s a shared understanding amongst the tribal communities that transportation and consolidation of used fuel is safe and necessary. Consensus is building around nuclear energy and the role it should play in a clean energy future.
