By letter dated December 22, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) informed state counterparts of the existence of a federal memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the secure transportation of radioactive materials and
 the voluntary opportunity for state participation in implementation of the MOU.

The MOU can be accessed in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession (ADAMS) under Accession Number ML16074A004 or by going to https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/view?AccessionNumber=ML16074A004.

Overview

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 directed the creation of an interagency task force on radiation source protection and security under the lead of the NRC.  The Radiation Source Protection and Security Task Force (RSPSTF) was convened and provided its first report of recommendations and actions to Congress and the President in August 2006.  One recommendation was the development of a transport security MOU to serve as the foundation for cooperation in the establishment of a comprehensive and consistent transport security program for risk-significant radioactive materials.

The MOU for the secure transport of radioactive material was developed to satisfy this recommendation by enhancing cooperation and coordination among federal agencies that have responsibilities related to secure transport of risk-significant radioactive materials including Category 1 and 2 materials (10 CFR Part 20, Appendix E); Categories I, II, and III special nuclear material (10 CFR 73.2); and, irradiated reactor fuel.  The NRC is the lead agency for implementation of the MOU.

For additional information, please contact Albert Tardiff of the NRC at (301) 415-3613 or at Al.Tardiff@nrc.gov.