DOE Gears Up for Nuke Rod Hauls

Truck companies that haul spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactors could face having to equip their tractor-trailers with much-scorned “black boxes” and complying with strict standards to carry the cargo.

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Department of Energy officials have not ruled out black boxes — the recording and tracking devices that have stirred controversy within the industry — in shipping radioactive materials. Those transporting nuclear fuel from reactors would also be monitored by a satellite-tracking system and would be accompanied by armed guards in escort vehicles to prevent a terrorist attack.

However, an official at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance does not think those precautions are too much of a burden.

Jim Daust, program director for the organization’s radioactive material program, said during an April 5 interview that too much safety is a good thing when it comes to nuclear fuel disposal and how the public views it.

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