NRC, Idaho National Laboratory tell Wyoming committee dry casks and transport rules are designed to protect public safety; permanent repository decades away

Cheyenne — Federal and state experts told a Wyoming legislative committee on Thursday that licensed dry-cask storage systems and the certified transport packages used for spent nuclear fuel are designed to withstand severe accidents and protect public health while the nation lacks a permanent repository.

The committee heard a technical and legal overview from Legislative Service Office staff and multiple Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) experts about how spent fuel is stored, inspected and transported and about the limits of state and federal authority for permanent disposal.

NRC regional liaison Ryan Alexander told the committee, “There has never been a failure or release of radioactive material from an NRC approved transportation package or a serious injury or death from a radioactive contents of a package either during routine transportation or a transportation accident.” He summarized the federal rule set and said Type B packages and certified dry-cask designs must survive sequential crash, puncture, fire (800°C), and immersion tests.

Brian Fuller of the Legislative Service Office opened the briefing with a review of federal and Wyoming law, noting…