HB 2480 Summary

• Establishes definitions for "transport" (movement by road, rail, or water) and "uranium" (natural ore containing uranium minerals or isotopes) in a new chapter of Arizona transportation law.

• Requires the Department of Transportation to work with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Navajo Nation to use drones for monitoring uranium and radioactive materials transportation routes for leaks and spills.

• Directs the Department of Transportation and Environmental Quality to study proposed uranium and radioactive materials transport routes to identify optimal locations for air monitoring equipment and secure funding for water sampling if surface or subsurface water is impacted.

• Requires the Department to cooperate with the Division of Emergency Management to minimize public harm in cases of accidental or excessive radioactive material releases.

• Appropriates $200,000 from the state general fund in fiscal year 2018-2019 to the Department of Environmental Quality for purchasing drones to monitor uranium and radioactive materials transportation routes.