They are metal tubes that are about 12 feet long and less than an inch wide.

Inside those tubes are 11,000 metric tons of radioactive waste.

Some waste has a half-life of 30 years, but other materials stay dangerously radioactive for thousands of years. 

Across Illinois’ six nuclear power plants — the most in the nation — 11 reactors have generated more spent nuclear fuel than any other state.

The waste may be out of sight, but in Illinois it’s never far away.

After four to six years, these nuclear fuel rods can no longer efficiently produce power, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). They then become home to a dangerous, highly radioactive material known as spent nuclear fuel, or nuclear waste. 

The nuclear waste is first stored in pools of water for cooling before it is moved to heavy duty containers built to sustain the material for decades. 

There have been plans to store that waste and the waste from other states permanently in Nevada, but those plans have never been carried out due to legislative difficulties and local opposition.

Thus, according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), most nuclear waste in the state never leaves the power plant where it was produced. Environmental groups say they are concerned.

“Nuclear energy comes with risks and toxic waste that threatens our environment, our water and the health of our society & our planet,” Emily Kowalski from policy and action group Environment Illinois said in an interview. “We don’t think we should be running the risk.”

Because of its concerns about sabotage or terrorism, the federal government keeps the timing and routes of spent nuclear fuel shipments deliberately undisclosed to protect public safety.

“[Nuclear powerplants] also have additional risks when there are weather events or other disasters,” Kowalski said. “This can put the communities that these plants are in in jeopardy.”

Spent nuclear fuel sits following failed permanent disposal site 

Efforts to establish a permanent disposal site in the U.S. have stalled for decades. The Yucca Mountain Project, once designated by Congress in 1987 as the nation’s long-term repository in Nevada, was effectively halted in 2011 due to political and legal opposition.

Since then, the Department of Energy (DOE) has used a consent-based siting approach for future storage facilities, as recommended by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future in 2012. In 2023, the department began asking for public input to help find a community willing to host a temporary nuclear waste site, but no location has been chosen yet.  

In the absence of a permanent solution, nuclear plants in Illinois and across the nation have had to rely on storing spent fuel on-site. This temporary solution has become a long-term reality, changing the way nuclear waste is handled in the U.S. 

One reason this waste continues to accumulate is because the U.S. does not currently reprocess spent nuclear fuel, although the technology exists. Reprocessing separates elements like uranium and plutonium for potential reuse in reactors. 

Despite this technology, concerns over nuclear proliferation and high costs led the U.S. to stop commercial reprocessing in the 1970s. This policy remains in place under current NRC guidelines. 

With reprocessing off the table and no designated permanent disposal site, this temporary storage often sustains for decades, continuing to contribute to the long-term storage and transportation challenges. 

Before any long-term storage can take place, spent fuel pools are used to cool down the fuel immediately after it’s removed from a reactor. The water acts as both a coolant and radiation shield. 

Over time, once the fuel is cooled and less radioactive, it is stored either in massive steel and concrete containers known as dry casks or in some cases, in-ground storage vaults for longer-term management.

The state continues regular environmental monitoring to detect any potential risks. In its 2023 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Report, IEMA found that radiation levels at nuclear facilities across Illinois remained within normal safety thresholds. 

Transporting nuclear waste requires radiological protection, inspection

When waste needs to be moved, it moves by truck or train in shielded containers under strict federal oversight. These shipments are rarely noticed by the public, but the risks and responsibilities associated with them remain. 

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), even low-probability incidents involving spent fuel in transit, such as accidents or equipment failure could result in extensive cleanup, radiation exposure and long-term transportation disruptions. 

Nuclear waste isn’t just spent fuel from power plants. It also includes things like medical equipment, smoke alarms and tools that contain small amounts of radioactive material. All nuclear and radioactive materials are classified under Hazard Class 7 by the U.S. Department of Transportation and are regulated by the NRC and multiple state agencies. 

There are currently no active plans to move nuclear waste through Illinois, and according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, there haven’t been any such shipments this year as of April. 

Still, the state’s monitoring and emergency response systems remain in place. Under current procedures, shipments can be authorized with as little as four days’ notice, following notification from the shipper, emergency management records showed. 

Despite this, public awareness is low.

Only certain types of radioactive materials, such as spent fuel rods and highway route-controlled quantities of materials, trigger inspection and escort requirements by the Illinois State Police and the emergency management agency.

David Pstrak, a senior project manager at the NRC said in an interview that the agency uses a tiered regulatory system to manage the risks of transporting radioactive materials, with stricter rules applied to more dangerous substances. 

“The packaging and transportation requirements for consumer products, such as smoke detectors, and even high-level radioactive wastes, are included within the transportation regulations,”  Pstrak said. “The regulations use a graded approach — meaning, the more hazardous a material is, the more levels of regulation and increased oversight the material requires.”

Although no shipments have been recorded in 2025, the framework for transporting nuclear waste remains active. When shipments do occur, oversight responsibilities are shared between federal and state agencies. 

For high-risk materials like spent nuclear fuel, both the Illinois State Police (ISP) and state emergency management agencies are involved in inspections and escorts. ISP checks the vehicle and driver for safety and security compliance while emergency management personnel conduct a radiological survey of the shipment, according to ISP Lieutenant Mike Link. 

The state’s Inspection and Escort Program for spent nuclear fuel and high level waste outlines additional procedures. Once shipping plans are confirmed, inspectors from IEMA’s Division of Environmental Monitoring are assigned to inspect the shipment, supported by hazardous materials and motor carrier officers from the ISP. 

The state’s Division of Nuclear Safety serves as the lead agency throughout the process. 

“Illinois does not designate its own routes for nuclear waste shipments,” Link said in an email. “Instead, we rely on federal routing protocols that require carriers to take the safest and most secure route available.”

These federal protocols are selected by the U.S. Department of Energy within guidelines prioritizing minimal radiological risk. 

Because of security concerns, these shipments and their routes are not publicly announced or tracked in real time. This lack of transparency is meant to protect public safety, but it also leaves many residents unaware of what could be passing near their homes.

Spent nuclear fuel moves every year in Illinois  

While 2025 has been quiet, Illinois has not been entirely inactive when it comes to nuclear waste transport in recent years. State shipment records, obtained from the IEMA under the Freedom of Information Act, show that more than 50 shipments of spent nuclear fuel have been transported within the state since 2009.

These shipments occurred steadily over the years, typically between three and four per year, with peaks in 2012 and 2017 and continued activity through late 2024.

The most recent documented shipment was in November 2024. 

This recent history shows that nuclear transport isn’t rare or outdated in Illinois. It still happens quietly, with little public attention.

While nuclear waste shipments are tightly regulated and rare, accidents are not impossible. In the event of a transportation incident involving radioactive material, like a crash or fire, local agencies would be the first to respond.

The Champaign Fire Department is among the frontline responders trained to handle hazardous materials incidents in the area, including those involving radioactive cargo. Acting Training Battalion Chief Brian Ball said the department works closely with state emergency management teams, the Illinois State Police and other regional emergency response teams to coordinate response protocols.

“The Illinois State Police would be involved if an incident happens on an interstate or highway, but pretty much throughout the state, the IEMA Division of Nuclear Safety is the authority,” Ball said. “If there was something beyond our capabilities that we needed assistance with, they would be the people we would be calling for help.”

The fire department trains for emergencies involving radioactive materials. That includes learning how to detect radiation and practicing how to respond safely if an incident were to happen.

“On an annual basis we train on it and refresh ourselves on the use of our radiological detection equipment,” he said.

In an actual event, he said, the first steps would be to secure the area, check for any radiation and call in help from state and federal agencies. Serious accidents are very unlikely, but the consequences could be dangerous — especially if it involved strong radioactive material or happened in a busy area.

“Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), their partnerships with local [television and radio] media and also using the city’s social media platforms would be how they get the word out if there was an emergency of these sorts,” Ball said. “There’s also a system that CCEMA has access to that can send out a custom alert text.”

Even though most residents may never be aware that a nuclear shipment is passing through, emergency responders like Ball and his team are trained to act quickly and decisively if that quiet journey is ever disrupted.