THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090479
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 139 lines
City officials were surprised to learn last week that the U.S. Department of Energy plans to ship 210 spent nuclear fuel rods through the Portsmouth Marine Terminal this fall.
They were told by a retired naval officer and local Sierra Club activist, Robert Deegan, who learned of the proposal at a nuclear waste conference last month in Pittsburgh.
While city officials are not immediately opposing the shipment, they are nonetheless puzzled and concerned that no federal or state agency told them highly enriched nuclear waste would be passing through their back yard.
``My biggest question is, why didn't anyone send anything to the city?'' asked Marilee Hawkins, city director of environmental services.
Added Portsmouth Fire Chief Donald Newberry, ``The city ought to at least be informed about this so we can take a position.''
When contacted this week, Newberry, whose staff would have to respond to any accident involving the wastes, had just received a copy of shipment plans in the mail and was still reviewing them.
The spent fuel rods, each containing traces of enriched uranium, are coming from a research reactor at the Brookhaven National Laboratory outside of New York City.
The fuel wastes will be packaged in five specially constructed steel casks, trucked to Long Island, loaded onto a barge and steered to Portsmouth by a Richmond-based company, Williams Crane & Rigging, according to Michael Holland, director of nuclear programs at Brookhaven.
The materials are scheduled to arrive in Portsmouth in late November but will stay ``only a minimal amount of time,'' Holland said.
They will then be trucked to the federal government's Savannah River nuclear storage site near Aiken, S.C., via Route 58 and Interstate 95, Holland said.
He said the planned shipment was covered in discussions and public hearings in 1994 and 1995 that concerned overall government policy toward transporting nuclear waste.
Some of those discussions centered on where spent fuel rods from foreign reactors would enter the United States.
Hampton Roads was at first suggested as a port of entry for overseas wastes. But that recommendation was reversed after local opposition mounted; a military port in Charleston, S.C., now is slated to accept most foreign rods.
Holland said the Virginia Department of Emergency Services and the Portsmouth Marine Terminal were both notified of the proposed Brookhaven shipment. City officials were not.
Ralph Jones, director of technological hazards for state emergency services, said Thursday that to date he has only received a report of intended shipment and not a final notice.
Still, Jones said he was ``pretty surprised'' that Portsmouth City Hall was not aware of the New York wastes, adding that ``I'll make sure they get a report right away.''
The Sierra Club's Deegan, meanwhile, wants the Department of Energy to hold a public hearing on the Brookhaven shipment. He wants to know why the wastes can't be barged to Charleston, just like the foreign reactor rods.
So far the government has rejected his request, noting that the issue already has been studied in great detail and at significant expense.
``It just seems like a dumb move to me,'' Deegan said. ``They are proposing to barge this material to avoid driving it through New York and Philadelphia. Which, to me, is a good idea. But why bring it to Hampton Roads? Why not just keep going down to Charleston, which is closer to its final destination anyway?''
Holland said transportation costs, already estimated at $1 million, would grow significantly if the barge went straight to Charleston. Trucking the wastes from Hampton Roads to South Carolina is cheaper, he said. ILLUSTRATION: Map
This fall, the spent nuclear fuel rods are to be shipped through the
terminals near the Midtown Tunnel. They will then be trucked to
South Carolina via Route 58 and Interstate 95.
KEYWORDS: NUCLEAR WASTE NUCLEAR CARGO PORTSMOUTH - CITY
OFFICIALS WERE SURPRISED TO LEARN LAST WEEK THAT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY PLANS TO SHIP 210 SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL RODS THROUGH THE
PORTSMOUTH MARINE TERMINAL THIS FALL.
THEY WERE TOLD BY A RETIRED NAVAL OFFICER AND LOCAL SIERRA CLUB
ACTIVIST, ROBERT DEEGAN, WHO LEARNED OF THE PROPOSAL AT A NUCLEAR
WASTE CONFERENCE LAST MONTH IN PITTSBURGH.
WHILE CITY OFFICIALS ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY OPPOSING THE SHIPMENT,
THEY ARE NONETHELESS PUZZLED AND CONCERNED THAT NO FEDERAL OR STATE
AGENCY TOLD THEM HIGHLY ENRICHED NUCLEAR WASTE WOULD BE PASSING
THROUGH THEIR BACK YARD.
``MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SEND ANYTHING TO THE
CITY?'' ASKED MARILEE HAWKINS, CITY DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES.
ADDED PORTSMOUTH FIRE CHIEF DONALD NEWBERRY, ``THE CITY OUGHT TO
AT LEAST BE INFORMED ABOUT THIS SO WE CAN TAKE A POSITION.''
WHEN CONTACTED THIS WEEK, NEWBERRY, WHOSE STAFF WOULD HAVE TO
RESPOND TO ANY ACCIDENT INVOLVING THE WASTES, HAD JUST RECEIVED A
COPY OF SHIPMENT PLANS IN THE MAIL AND WAS STILL REVIEWING THEM.
THE SPENT FUEL RODS, EACH CONTAINING TRACES OF ENRICHED URANIUM,
ARE COMING FROM A RESEARCH REACTOR AT THE BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL
LABORATORY OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY.
THE FUEL WASTES WILL BE PACKAGED IN FIVE SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED
STEEL CASKS, TRUCKED TO LONG ISLAND, LOADED ONTO A BARGE AND STEERED
TO PORTSMOUTH BY A RICHMOND-BASED COMPANY, WILLIAMS CRANE & RIGGING,
ACCORDING TO MICHAEL HOLLAND, DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR PROGRAMS AT
BROOKHAVEN.
THE MATERIALS ARE SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE IN PORTSMOUTH IN LATE
NOVEMBER BUT WILL STAY ``ONLY A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF TIME,'' HOLLAND
SAID.
THEY WILL THEN BE TRUCKED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S SAVANNAH
RIVER NUCLEAR STORAGE SITE NEAR AIKEN, S.C., VIA ROUTE 58 AND
INTERSTATE 95, HOLLAND SAID.
HE SAID THE PLANNED SHIPMENT WAS COVERED IN DISCUSSIONS AND
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN 1994 AND 1995 THAT CONCERNED OVERALL GOVERNMENT
POLICY TOWARD TRANSPORTING NUCLEAR WASTE.
SOME OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS CENTERED ON WHERE SPENT FUEL RODS FROM
FOREIGN REACTORS WOULD ENTER THE UNITED STATES.
HAMPTON ROADS WAS AT FIRST SUGGESTED AS A PORT OF ENTRY FOR
OVERSEAS WASTES. BUT THAT RECOMMENDATION WAS REVERSED AFTER LOCAL
OPPOSITION MOUNTED; A MILITARY PORT IN CHARLESTON, S.C., NOW IS
SLATED TO ACCEPT MOST FOREIGN RODS.
HOLLAND SAID THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES AND
THE PORTSMOUTH MARINE TERMINAL WERE BOTH NOTIFIED OF THE PROPOSED
BROOKHAVEN SHIPMENT. CITY OFFICIALS WERE NOT.
RALPH JONES, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS FOR STATE
EMERGENCY SERVICES, SAID THURSDAY THAT TO DATE HE HAS ONLY RECEIVED
A REPORT OF INTENDED SHIPMENT AND NOT A FINAL NOTICE.
STILL, JONES SAID HE WAS ``PRETTY SURPRISED'' THAT PORTSMOUTH
CITY HALL WAS NOT AWARE OF THE NEW YORK WASTES, ADDING THAT ``I'LL
MAKE SURE THEY GET A REPORT RIGHT AWAY.''
THE SIERRA CLUB'S DEEGAN, MEANWHILE, WANTS THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BROOKHAVEN SHIPMENT. HE WANTS
TO KNOW WHY THE WASTES CAN'T BE BARGED TO CHARLESTON, JUST LIKE THE
FOREIGN REACTOR RODS.
SO FAR THE GOVERNMENT HAS REJECTED HIS REQUEST, NOTING THAT THE
ISSUE ALREADY HAS BEEN STUDIED IN GREAT DETAIL AND AT SIGNIFICANT
EXPENSE.
``IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A DUMB MOVE TO ME,'' DEEGAN SAID. ``THEY ARE
PROPOSING TO BARGE THIS MATERIAL TO AVOID DRIVING IT THROUGH NEW
YORK AND PHILADELPHIA. WHICH, TO ME, IS A GOOD IDEA. BUT WHY BRING
IT TO HAMPTON ROADS? WHY NOT JUST KEEP GOING DOWN TO CHARLESTON,
WHICH IS CLOSER TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION ANYWAY?''
HOLLAND SAID TRANSPORTATION COSTS, ALREADY ESTIMATED AT $1
MILLION, WOULD GROW SIGNIFICANTLY IF THE BARGE WENT STRAIGHT TO
CHARLESTON. TRUCKING THE WASTES FROM HAMPTON ROADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA
IS CHEAPER, HE SAID. by CNB