Get San Onofre Nuclear Waste Out Of Earthquake Zone, Bill Urges

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA —It's time to get the spent nuclear fuel away from earthquake-prone San Clemente, state senator Patricia Bates says.

The decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station sits along the SoCal coastline, recently rocking and rolling with a bevy of earthquakes that rattled the entire state. Its hulking form as you head along the I-5 through San Clemente and Laguna Niguel is a reminder of Southern California's leaders' many attempts to relocate the spent fuel within.

Currently, underway is the transfer of that waste from wet to dry storage, which has been much-watched after a spent-fuel canisterbecame stuck and nearly dropped last year.

Since 2016, Laguna Niguel Senator Patricia Bates has urged that the safe storage of that fuel, and removal from the earthquake-prone and densely populated area, should be a priority for all.

Bates has reached across party lines to fellow sponsor Democrat Sen. Bill Monning, of Carmel, for the bill sponsorship of Senate Joint Resolution 11. They are urging both Congress and the President to make the removal of the spent fuel from all decommissioned nuclear sites with high population and seismic hazards a priority.

The new resolution backs a bill proposed by Dana Point Rep. Mike Levin. This bill aims to slice through bureaucratic red tape blocking the removal of nuclear waste from shuttered plants like San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

"California has waited for years for the federal government to do its job and help move the state's nuclear waste away from densely populated and environmentally sensitive areas," Bates said. "The legislature must add its voice for action, and I'm pleased to partner with Sen. Bill Monning to urge passage of pending legislation in Congress. Safeguarding our coast from the dangers of nuclear waste should not be a partisan issue."

Levin introduced his bill May 23. It has been sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

"It's critically important that we get the waste at San Onofre off of our beach, away from fault lines and millions of nearby residents," Levin said. "That's why I introduced federal legislation to prioritize the removal of spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear sites in areas with large populations and high seismic hazard. I'm glad to see that this issue is being addressed at all levels of government. I will continue to work with Senator Bates and other local officials on this urgent challenge."

The State Senate will consider SJR 11 before it adjourns for the year on September 13, 2019.

Read also:

• Wedged Canister Raises Alarm At San Onofre
• San Onofre Nuclear Plant Restarts Fuel Transfer