NUCLEAR WASTE RESOURCES
Thomas English PhD, Subrata Chakraborty PhD, Len Hering Sr. RADM USN
In August 2018, a near-accident during the loading of nuclear waste into dry storage triggered a federal investigation and brought new urgency to the debate of how best to store some of the most dangerous waste known to humankind – spent nuclear fuel. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (S.O.N.G.S.) closed in 2012 after a number of serious failures. Since then, Southern California Edison and its contractor, Holtec International, built a concrete storage vault to hold 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste in dry storage. That vault is footsteps from the rising Pacific Ocean. In our brief report, we explore the fatal flaws of this location and recommend moving the storage facility to a technically defensible storage facility at a significantly higher elevation with distance from the ocean.
Statement of Peter A. Bradford Diablo Canyon Press event June 13, 2024
Read Peter Bradford’s comments on California’s nuclear plant and nuclear energy recently presented at the Mothers For Peace/Environmental Working Group press conference.
"The rate of increase in the Diablo Canyon extension cost estimates, with their unfortunate customer and taxpayer implications, that John Geesman has brought to light today is exactly the consequence that one would expect from imprudent power supply decision-making..."
San Onofre Nuclear Waste Problems Report
In 2019 SLF released an expert report on the technical problems of the San Onofre nuclear waste storage. A collaboration of physicists, former military personnel, and engineers with considerable nuclear experience issued the report. To see how these problems could lead to a nuclear waste accident at San Onofre exceeding $13.4 trillion, read our separate Economic Impact Report.
T. English, PhD, S.Chakraborty PhD, Len Hering Sr. RADM USN
San Onofre Radioactive Waste Poll Results
In February 2021, SLF collaborated with UCSD to survey registered voters in the County of San Diego and the County of Orange. The data makes clear that large majorities of registered voters in both counties are highly concerned about the potential consequences of storing radioactive waste at the San Onofre nuclear power plant and support more transparency form utility companies when it comes to radioactive waste storage.
The results further show that, after learning about the radioactive waste stored at San Onofre, an overwhelming majority support more aggressive federal, state, and local action to contain radioactive waste in order to protect the environment, the economy, and our communities.
Federal Roundtable on Potential Health Effects Among Individuals Residing Near Nuclear Power Plants
It recently came to light that the US Department of Health and Human Services declined to conduct a study of cancer around nuclear plants, even though Congress appropriated the money for it last year and directed HHS to carry it out. First the NRC and now HHS have blocked such studies for over a decade. Read a commentary of the issue by Roger Johnson, PhD.
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Task Force Report
The SONGS Task Force report issued by Congressman Mike Levin was developed by stakeholders and experts to address the safety challenges at SONGS and formulate policy recommendations to address the hazardous waste. The Task force was led by former Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko and Rear Admiral Leendert “Len” Hering Sr., USN (Ret).
One Pager: Risks of San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dump
In 2021, SLF collaborated with the Coalition for Nuclear Safety (CNS). We released a summarized one-pager on the problems of the San Onofre nuclear waste site. We encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues to increase awareness on this critical issue that could affect millions of California residents.
A Nationwide Pileup of Nuclear Waste: US Map
The issue of how best to store nuclear waste at San Onofre affects Californians across the state, but the problem extends far beyond our side of the country. In fact, nuclear waste is piled up at nearly 80 locations in 34 states. Of all the locations where nuclear waste is stranded, more than two dozen are on the grounds of shuttered plants. Some of those plants have been dismantled and removed altogether. But the waste stays behind, with nowhere to go.
We encourage you to view and share this map highlighting the widespread issue of nuclear waste storage in the United States.
Do Emissions from Nuclear Power Plants Cause Cancer? Commentary on HHS Roundtable
It recently came to light that the US Department of Health and Human Services declined to conduct a study of cancer around nuclear plants, even though Congress appropriated the money for it last year and directed HHS to carry it out. First the NRC and now HHS have blocked such studies for over a decade. Read the HHS decision document and commentary from Roger Johnson, PhD.
Kate Brown - Chernobyl is Not an Exception (NEIS 5/26/22)
Fukushima: Ongoing Lessons for California
Recommended Readings
Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe
Although there has been much discussion concerning the impacts of nuclear accidents, and Chernobyl in particular, never before has there been a comprehensive presentation of all the available information concerning the health and environmental effects of the low dose radioactive contaminants that were emitted from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Here for the first time, in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan.
Nuclear Politics
When do states acquire nuclear weapons? Overturning a decade of scholarship focusing on other factors, Debs and Monteiro show in Nuclear Politics that proliferation is driven by security concerns.
Nuclear Lies, Deceptions and Hypocrisies
For the first time in decades, this timely book attempts to document the lies, deceptions and hypocrisies in seven countries, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, India and the US.
Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator
A shocking exposé from the most powerful insider in nuclear regulation about how the nuclear energy industry endangers our lives—and why Congress does nothing to stop it.
Manual for Survival
Drawing on a decade of archival research and on-the-ground interviews in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, Kate Brown unveils the full breadth of the devastation and the whitewash that followed.
The Radium Girls
Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...
The Cult of the Atom
Simply required reading for anyone interested in nuclear policy or nuclear power, The Cult of the Atom amply demonstrates that safety was NOT a concern of either the companies building our nuclear power infrastructure, nor of the agencies which were responsible for overseeing it.
Burying Uncertainty
Shrader-Frechette looks at current U.S. government policy regarding the nation's high-level radioactive waste both scientifically and ethically.
Who Killed Karen Silkwood?
Reviews the entire Karen Silkwood case--her lawsuit against Kerr-McGee Corporation, her mysterious death, and her final vindication--and current abuses in the nuclear power industry
Too Hot to Touch
William and Rosemarie Alley provide an engaging and authoritative account of the controversies and possibilities surrounding disposal of nuclear waste in the US, with reference also to other countries around the world.
Targeting of Civilians Is Now the Ugly Norm
Mass bombing was made possible by technology, which
still dictates policies of callous disregard for life.