WASHINGTON, D.C. – No U.S. Department of Transportation recordable accidents resulted from DOE’s nearly 17,000 radioactive, hazardous material and waste shipments across 3.4 million miles in fiscal 2015.

   That’s among the highlights of a new report on the fiscal 2015 accomplishments of DOE’s Office of Packaging and Transportation (OPT), which is positioned within EM. In comparison, DOE completed more than 12,000 such shipments in fiscal 2014 with no recordable accidents.

   "I am happy to say that OPT made significant accomplishments in fiscal year 2015, most notably that there were no Department of Transportation recordable accidents during the year," OPT Director Joanne Lorence said. "Our team members work together to manage quite a broad spectrum of packaging and transportation activities and programs for the Department and we look forward to continuing to provide the best service possible to the complex."

   OPT provides support and oversight to assure shipments of radioactive and other hazardous materials are carefully planned, tracked, safe, secure, timely and efficient. The office gives centralized support and expertise to the Department’s packaging and transportation activities that cannot be provided through a site-by-site approach across the complex.

   The report details other fiscal 2015 OPT achievements, including: 

• Partnering with state and tribal instructors, emergency responders and others to train more than 1,800 emergency responders in 138 courses in 17 states through DOE’s Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP), which is managed by OPT. 
• Conducting the third-annual Spanish-language emergency response radiological transportation training through TEPP for 45 students in San Diego in collaboration with the Federation of Hispanic Firefighters. A portion of the training involved practical exercises with high-activity radioactive sources.
• Completing 32 certification actions related to review and approval of new transportation packages and other items. In fiscal 2014, OPT completed 40 similar certification actions.
• Receiving accreditation from the University of Nevada, Reno for its graduate level nuclear packaging program and graduate credit for Packaging Certification Program courses toward a degree. Students must complete three required courses and obtain five elective credits to obtain the graduate certificate in nuclear packaging.
• Developing a system with remote monitoring capability in response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011. The battery-powered system, which can remotely monitor facility conditions after the loss of backup emergency powers, is being considered for deployment at nuclear power plants and for monitoring spent fuel casks in extended, long-term dry storage.
• Communicating 47 regulatory actions, including safety advisories, to DOE’s packaging and transportation community. In fiscal 2014, OPT completed 40 similar regulatory actions.
• Assisting EM’s Moab Site, Argonne National Laboratory and Ames Laboratory in transportation compliance self-assessments that captured lessons learned, cost savings opportunities and enhancements for the packaging and transportation community.
• Hosting the annual National Transportation Stakeholders Forum in partnership with other organizations. More than 200 people from federal agencies, state, local and tribal governments, private industry and other entities received timely updates and presentations on packaging and transportation topics at the event.

   In fiscal 2016, OPT is exploring innovative ways to improve TEPP training courses to enhance the readiness of responders to transportation incidents involving radioactive material. The office also is improving its Motor Carrier Evaluation Program. In fiscal 2015, OPT completed 13  evaluations of motor carriers involved in transporting the Department’s hazardous materials. OPT worked to make the program more cost effective and streamlined in fiscal 2015.