Part 1 of 2 Parts
Southern California Edison (SCE) is part owner and was the operator of the now closed San Onofre nuclear power plant. They have just released a report on their plans to find a way to move three million six hundred thousand pounds of spent nuclear fuel generated during the operational lifespan of the plant. The three-volume report concludes that there are no easy answers. Significant progress will require pushing the federal government to act which will take time and effort. At the same time, a new coalition has been launched that will enlist local governments, businesses and other involved groups to generate momentum for the project.
Kevin Payne is the CEO of SCE. He said, “It is clear that to make tangible progress on this issue, the federal government must act. Rather than wait for this to happen, we are going to be a catalyst for change.”
The SCE report was written as part of an out-of-court settlement in 2017 between SCE and the San Diego law firm of Aguirre & Severson (A&S). A&S represented two plaintiffs who challenged a California Coastal Commission permit which was issued to SCE to store spent nuclear fuel on the site of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The terms of the settlement required SCE to assemble a team of experts to explore alternative locations where the spent nuclear fuel could be stored.
Maria Severson is an attorney at the A&S law firm. She said that the report identifies “issues and obstacles and it’s up to the utility now to continue to move the ball forward. It’s up to the people of California, most specifically neighboring communities, to reach out to their legislators and elected leaders to find a place to move the waste.”
The new coalition is called Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now. It is made up of Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, the city of Riverside and elected representative from San Diego and Orange counties. The representative for San Diego County is Jim Desmond who is a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. He is also a member of the SONGS Community Engagement Panel. This Panel provides the public with quarterly updates on the activities and decommissioning work at SONGS. The coalition is trying to get other stakeholders and community members to join.
Desmond said, “To tackle an issue as complicated as removing spent nuclear fuel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, it will take both local and federal help. While it’s just the beginning, I’m optimistic that working with SDG&E, Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and the federal government, we will make positive efforts towards removing the nuclear waste.”
The waste issue at SONGS is not a unique situation. There are about eighty thousand metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants across the U.S. because the federal government has not yet constructed a repository to store any of it.
Please Read Part 2 next