Legislation Would INSPECT All Decommissioning Of Nuclear Plants

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — New federal legislation to require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep a resident inspector at decommissioning nuclear power plants until all spent fuel is transferred from spent fuel pools to canisters, Democratic Congressman Mike Levin's office reported Friday.

Levin's district includes a portion of Orange and San Diego counties, where San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station sits in the middle of its decommissioning process.

A few scares during the removal of spent nuclear canisters have left nearby residents on edge as to the safety of the procedures, including one whistleblower who described the process in detail in 2018. Meanwhile, SONGS operators insist that the process of removing spent canisters is safe.

Read: Wedged Nuclear Waste Canister Raises Alarm At San Onofre

"While the NRC refused to implement a resident inspector at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station during its spent fuel transfer process, Levin's office described the legislation as "builds on the lessons learned by that failure." They say the new legislation will ensure that other decommissioning plants have the added safety benefit of a resident inspector.
The bill mirrors recommendations made by the SONGS Task Force, convened by Levin in January 2019. Two Democratic members of the House from Orange County, Katie Porter and Harley Rouda, cosponsored the bill.

Levin has worked for inspectors at SONGS during the decommissioning, to protect his constituents, he says. "While the NRC refused to take that necessary measure at San Onofre despite multiple safety incidents, we can learn from that failure and improve safety at other decommissioning plants across the country."

Levin's act, according to the statement: Increasing Nuclear Safety Protocols for Extended Canister Transfers, or INSPECT, will ensure that NRC inspectors are in place during the spent fuel transfer process, preventing incidents such as one on Aug. 3, 2018, when a canister loaded with spent nuclear fuel got caught on an inner ring while being loaded into a coastal dry storage structure at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and almost dropped 18 feet in a near-miss that triggered an NRC inspection.

An independent review by the Union of Concerned Scientists determined that the drop wouldn't have posed an immediate threat or risk to the public but could have damaged the spent fuel rods contained inside the canister.

"My top priority is keeping my constituents safe," Levin says, "which is why I repeatedly called for a resident NRC inspector at San Onofre during its spent fuel transfer process."

Patch has reached out to the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station for comment on the proposed legislation and will update this report when that is received.

Read also:

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Restarts Fuel Transfer

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.