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SB 100 - Shippers of radioactive waste in or through Missouri shall be subject to statutory fees established by the act. State-funded institutions of higher education that ship nuclear waste shall be exempt from the fees but such institutions shall reimburse the Missouri Highway Patrol for costs associated with shipment escorts. The fee structure is described in the act and the Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the Departments of Health and Senior Services and Public Safety, may promulgate rules necessary to carry out the provisions of the act. Fees collected under the act shall be deposited into the Environmental Radiation Monitoring Fund for use by the Department of Natural Resources for radioactive waste-related activities, including emergency response coordination, environmental remediation oversight, and administrative costs. The act requires the Department of Natural Resources to prepare a report for the General Assembly beginning December 31, 2009, and every two years thereafter on all activities relating to the Environmental Radiation Monitoring Fund. The act provides notification requirements for shippers of radioactive waste. Any shipper who fails to pay a fee or to provide notice of a shipment shall be liable for a civil penalty of an amount not to exceed ten times the amount of the original fee assessed and not paid. The provisions of this act do not apply to radioactive waste being shipped by or for the federal government for military or national defense purposes. The shipping fees and notification requirements, and the Department biennial report, shall sunset six years after the effective date of the section unless reauthorized by the General Assembly. The act requires shipments of certain radioactive waste by rail to move across the state as quickly as possible, make stops only if extremely necessary, and avoid stopping in populated areas. The act allows pregnant employees to refuse to work in or around shipments of certain radioactive waste without penalty. This act is similar to SB 919 (2008), provisions in the perfected version of SB 761 (2008), SB 205 (2007), and SB 976 (2006). ERIKA JAQUES
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