Empty Rad Waste Train Derails in Vermont

By Matthew Jahnke

A recent train derailment once again highlights the risk of transporting radioactive waste. On February 29, a train headed to collect rad waste from the now-decommissioned Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor in Vernon, Vermont derailed. A spokesperson for NorthStar Group Services, the company responsible for the transfer of the material told the Battleboro Reformer, “The train was not carrying any NorthStar material at the time of the derailment, no one was injured, no property was damaged as a result, and the derailed train cars remained upright.” The Vermont Yankee reactor has been in the decommissioning process since 2019 and has since been transporting highly radioactive waste fuel rods thousands of miles, via NorthStar, to the Andrews County, Texas, Waste Control Specialists dumpsite, the presumptive destination of the recently derailed empty train cars. This incident comes only a few weeks after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that caused the release of several hazardous materials, a two-day fire, and evacuation of the local community. One can only speculate how a similar derailment of train cars carrying the waste would unfold. — Beyond Nuclear, March 2; Brattleboro Reformer, March 1, 2023