Rep Levin Co-Sponsors Bill To Remove San Onofre Nuclear Waste

OCEANSIDE, CA — The question of what to do about the waste from the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is more than just a political issue for Oceanside residents that live less than 30 miles from the plant.

It looks like the issue may finally be addressed through a bill being co-sponsored by local representatives Democratic Rep. Mike Levin and Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.

Levin's office issued the following statement in a press release this week.

This week, I reintroduced my bipartisan Spent Fuel Prioritization Act to prioritize the removal of spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear sites in areas with large populations, high seismic hazard, and where the continued storage of spent nuclear fuel represents a national security concern.

With over nine million people living within 50 miles of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and Southern California experiencing some of the greatest seismic hazard in the country, as well as its location on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the bill would make San Onofre one of the highest priority sites in the nation for the removal of spent nuclear fuel.

I'm proud this is a bipartisan effort with Representatives Darrell Issa, Scott Peters, Michelle Steel, Katie Porter, and Young Kim.

“Since I was first sworn into Congress, one of my top priorities has been protecting my constituents and our environment from the risks associated with the spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre,” said Rep. Levin. “With its location on the Marine Corps’ largest West Coast base, millions of people living in the area, earthquake fault lines running through the region, and rising sea levels threatening San Onofre, it is imperative that we move the waste from our community as quickly and safely as possible. We’ve made incredible progress in the last several years to advance the consent-based siting process at the Department of Energy. Now it’s time to pass this legislation and make the commonsense decision to prioritize particularly sensitive sites like San Onofre for the removal of spent nuclear fuel.”

“Federal action on spent fuel storage at the now-closed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is long overdue, and disposal of power plant waste continues to be needlessly delayed by a process that lacks a commitment to a workable solution,” said Rep. Issa. “That’s why our bipartisan legislation should serve as a model in Congress and demonstrate that consensus is possible.”

“Moving spent nuclear fuel away from highly populated areas, particularly those prone to earthquakes, should be a priority. Despite the comprehensive and proactive measures the federal government has taken to ensure the site's security, this kind of onsite storage is an unsustainable option,” said Rep. Peters. “This bill takes commonsense steps to prioritize sensitive areas like San Onofre when removing spent fuel to a long-term facility. We need durable, permanent storage solutions for our nation’s nuclear waste.”

“The San Onofre site has unique risk being close to the ocean, near densely populated residential areas, and in an earthquake zone. It is critical that we prioritize a long-term solution for this spent fuel,” said Rep. Steel. “The Spent Fuel Prioritization Act is a commonsense solution to protect our community, environment, and national security. As a founding member of the Spent Nuclear Fuels Caucus, I am proud to join my Southern California colleagues in introducing this bill.”

"Rep. Levin and I understand the risk that comes with active fault lines running through California," said Rep. Porter. "More than nine million Californians live within 50 miles of the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station and its spent nuclear fuel, and that poses a real threat to our communities in the event of an earthquake. Prioritizing the removal of sensitive waste from regions with large populations and significant seismic hazard, like Southern California, helps keep our country safe."

“It is important to avoid risk for large population centers and military facilities when coordinating the removal and storage of spent nuclear fuel. This is especially important for Southern Californians, as the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in the event of an earthquake poses a hazardous risk to the millions of citizens living in Orange County, surrounding areas, and Camp Pendleton’s facilities,” said Rep. Kim. “The Spent Fuel Prioritization Act is critical to protect our communities from hazardous waste and support long term solutions for the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel. I’m proud to join in this bipartisan effort.”

The Spent Fuel Prioritization Act would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to prioritize the removal of SNF from nuclear power plants based on the size of the population near the plant, seismic hazard associated with the area, and any national security concerns. The bill would add this requirement to the codified Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). The bill does not favor a permanent repository or consolidated interim storage, and does not authorize the transfer of spent fuel to any non-consenting state or locality.

Nearly 3.6 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel are stored in large canisters at the plant, which stopped producing electricity in 2012.