Jan. 25-26, 2017 | Midyear Meeting

Charlotte, NC

2017 Midyear Meeting

Meeting Overview

The Tribal Caucus of the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) met Jan. 25-26, 2017, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, N.C.

NTSF is the organization through which the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) communicates at a national level with tribes and states about shipments of radioactive waste and materials. It connects representatives of tribal and state governments, federal agency officials, local governments and industry to address key institutional issues related to transporting radioactive waste.

Agenda Overview - Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017

Tribal Caucus executive session (tribal members only)

Tribal Caucus open meeting

Welcome to Charlotte- New tribal representatives

Report from Recent Meetings

  • DOE-NE Transportation Core Group Meeting

  • NRC Tribal Policy Statement

  • Consent-Based Siting Meetings

NTSF-related Reports

  • Rail/Routing, Heather Westra, PIIC

  • Information/Communication, Heather Westra, PIIC; Katie Meehan, NCSL

  • Transportation Materials, Talia Martin, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes

  • Management Plan, Richard Arnold, CGTO

  • 180(c) Exercise, Heather Westra, PIIC

U.S. Department of Energy Program Updates and Q&A

  • Joanne Lorence, Michael Wangler, Demitrous Blount, Office of Packaging and Transportation | Presentation

  • Erica Bickford, Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition | Presentation

Updates from State Regional Groups

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Overview and Q&A

WIPP Reopening: Updates from Carlsbad Field Office

WIPP Reopening: Updates from State of New Mexico

  • Eletha Trujillo, State of New Mexico, will share the State’s perspective of WIPP’s reopening and the State’s collaboration with nearby Tribes.

NTSF Annual Meeting Updates and Q&A

  • Michael Wangler and Uldis Vanags provided information on the upcoming NTSF Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA June 5-8, 2017. | Presentation

  • The Tribal Caucus discussed participation in the annual meeting and topics for a potential tribal plenary or breakout session.

Screening of Red Power Energy and Discussion to Follow

The group viewed the Red Power Energy documentary, which is told from the Native American perspective about the tribal lands that are part of today’s energy debate. The film explores the economic, cultural, and environmental issues surrounding the development of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources on American Indian lands.

Agenda Overview - Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017

Waste Control Specialists Updates and Q&A:

Policy and Legislative Perspective

  • Betsy Madru, Waste Control Specialists, provided the group with the state perspective on the current private initiatives for interim storage.

Technical Perspective from AREVA, Inc.

  • Jeffery Isakson, TN Americas, discussed current technology for cask manufacturing, fuel transportation, and the WCS consolidated interim storage project. | Presentation

START Routing Tool Demonstration

  • Erica Bickford, DOE-NE, provided an overview of various factors for consideration in route inspection. The purpose of this presentation is to gauge tribal interest in experiencing and contributing to the decision-making process.

Tribal Roundtable Discussion

Interested tribal participants provided brief information on current transportation topics or interest areas for his/her respective tribe. Topics of conversation may focus on transportation of radioactive waste, emergency response and preparedness, the reopening of the WIPP facility, or any other items of interest.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Updates and Q&A

  • David Pstrak, NRC, provided updates on NRC activities, including decommissioning, the management aging process in storage (MAPS) report, updates on Waste Control Specialists (WCS) licensing process, and the waste classification systems. | Presentation

  • Stuart Easson, NRC, provided updates on the recently released Tribal Policy Statement, as well as a recent Memorandum of Understanding between the NRC, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Transportation.

Closing Remarks

Tribal Business Session

Tribal Caucus executive session (tribal members only)