Transportation of transuranic nuclear waste to WIPP: A reconsideration of truck versus rail for two sites

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2000

Publication Title

Natural Resources Journal

Publisher

University of New Mexico

Volume

40

Issue

1

Abstract

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a repository for the permanent disposal of radioactive transuranic (TRU) waste generated from the United States' defense programs. In March 1999, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began shipping TRU waste to WIPP by truck while reserving the future option to use rail. This article compares advantages and disadvantages of shipment by truck and by rail and recommends that DOE reconsider the use of rail for the two major generators of TRU waste, the Hanford, Washington, site and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, in view of the potentially large savings in costs and slight reduction in risks.

Disciplines

Environmental Sciences

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited


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