TSUSG members gather for a group photo at the 2024 annual meeting. Credit: Shannon Morgan/ ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Radiological materials are essential parts of medical treatments, research, food sterilization, agriculture and many other areas. Thousands of radiological material shipments move across the United States every year; theft is the one of the largest concerns during the shipping process. To protect shipments from falling into the wrong hands, a group of professionals come together each year to work out best practices and improve operations across shipping organizations.
The Transportation Security UNIFIED Stakeholders Group, shortened to the TSUSG, held their annual meeting Aug. 27-29 in Buffalo, NY. Members came from various organizations, including government regulators, law enforcement, radioisotope producers, shipping and carrier companies, and end users of radiological material. Each organization had different responsibilities to protect radioactive materials. Coming together to find efficient ways to improve shipments and address new threats means hospitals have supplies for nuclear medicine patients, researchers can make science-backed improvements to challenges, and food can be free of harmful bacteria.
“The TSUSG is a growing organization that brings together companies and professionals dedicated to ensuring radioactive shipments arrive at the intended destination without incident,” said Shannon Morgan, TSUSG program manager. “It’s so valuable to have discussions and create collaboration opportunities for those involved in transportation security but who may not get to interact with others outside their industry very often.”
Each year, the TSUSG annual meeting moves to a different location. For the fifth annual event in 2024, Morgan’s team chose Buffalo, New York. The theme, Security through Collaboration, worked well in a border-crossing city to show the importance of a strong economic and regulatory partnership between the U.S. and Canada.
After an introduction to Buffalo by the city’s deputy mayor, Callie Johnson, representatives from Canadian and American trucking companies presented on cross-border carrier challenges and opportunities. Other presenters informed how artificial intelligence is helping and hurting vehicle and shipment tracking, how state regulators address security challenges and how law enforcement manage escort challenges.
At the end of the first day, a representative from the FBI gave a first-hand account of a car accident at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing into Canada on Nov. 23, 2023. The summary provided detail on the incident, how multiple law enforcement organizations worked together to respond, and lessons learned for future unexpected events.
The second day of the annual meeting focused more on preparing for TSUSG’s 2025 strategy. During the year, members meet for virtual quarterly meetings to hear guest presentations and connect on the latest collaborations. Smaller groups within TSUSG focus on topics that require dedicated attention, such as training, cybersecurity, or the emergence of AI. At the annual meeting, attendees talked about what they want to see out of the quarterly meetings and topics for the next small groups.
Several members had the opportunity to tour the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Patrol Peace Bridge border crossing facility. CBP officers showed processing lanes for commercial and personal vehicles entering the U.S. from Canada. Several officers also shared their first-hand accounts of the Rainbow Bridge incident, giving additional information for responding to real-life emergency incident.
The TSUSG is facilitated by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Radiological Security. Anyone can inquire about membership. Visit tsusg.ornl.gov for more information or to talk with a TSUSG representative.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. — Liz Neunsinger
