DOE Delays Transport of Nuclear Fuel Rods Through California

In response to concerns raised by several members of the California congressional delegation, the Department of Energy announced last week that it will delay until at least April shipping spent nuclear fuel rods through the Concord Naval Weapons Station. The shipments, which were expected to begin early in 1998, entail transporting the fuel rods by train from Concord through the Bay Area to Idaho. The official reason for the delay involved concerns about encountering snow enroute. Reps. George Miller (Martinez), Ellen Tauscher (Pleasanton), Wally Herger (Marysville), and Gary Condit (Ceres), joined by other members of the delegation, wrote separate letters to Energy Secretary Federico Pena objecting to the shipments because of several recent train derailments along the possible route of the shipments. Reps. Miller and Tauscher called for a Federal Railroad Administration study before any shipments begin, and Reps. Herger and Condit urged that the shipments go through Oregon or Washington, instead of California.

Although the delay gives the delegation more time, it does not resolve the issue and the California members will continue to oppose the shipments.

Volume 4, Bulletin 35 -- October 16, 1997