NUCLEAR SAFETY ISSUES
A primary focus of the Samuel Lawrence Foundation is the environmental threat arising from nuclear waste.
RISKS OF SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR WASTE ARE REAL
Time is not on our side
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Thin metal canisters (5") storage will corrode in decades
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Radioactive waste remains on the coastline for centuries due to politics
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Radioactive waste is deadly for 100,000+ years
People have lost trust in Edison’s management
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Consistent pattern of risk denial and lack of transparency
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Multiple violations and cover-ups exposed by whistleblowers
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Received most severe citation to date from regulators of safety violations
Worst possible storage location
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Containers buried 100 feet from ocean, just 1.5 ft above ground water
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Thin-walled canisters susceptible to marine corrosion
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Risks of sea level rise, earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, and etc.
Potential for radiation exposure
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Waste containment fail from aging, natural disasters and human-caused means
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Damaged canisters release deadly radiation into the air, land, and ocean
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5/8 inch, thin-walled canisters are scratched and gouged when lowered into storage
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Canisters cannot be adequately monitored, inspected, repaired, or replaced
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No emergency plans in place to protect public in event of radiation release
SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR WASTE PROBLEMS
Authors: T. Enlgish, PhD, S. Chakraborty, PhD,
Len Hering Sr. RADM USN
The most serious issues concerning the storage of nuclear waste at S.O.N.G.S. include the damage done to the waste canisters when lowered into the storage vault. These 54-ton thin-walled steel canisters are loaded with nuclear waste and are transported to the on-site concrete storage vault.
The current storage configuration provides the factors contributing to gouges in the external steel walls of the canisters: operators have no visibility of the canister when lowering into storage and precise adjustments cannot be made.
The damage remains undetected and unrepaired due to the lack of thorough inspection and monitoring at the San Onofre Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs). The preliminary findings are found in the report below:
STRAIGHTFORWARD SOLUTIONS
MONITORING
Install most sensitive radiation and leak detection technology, from University of San Diego
HOT CELL
Construct on-site dry handling facility to contain, repair, and replace thin metal canisters with safer casks
MOVE
Move nuclear waste off beach. The beach is inundation zone, with earthquakes, tsunamis and wildfires
Admiral Hering discloses NRC and Edison’s Mismanagement
Containment Challenges
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.
The Guardian: ‘A combination of failures:’ why 3.6m pounds of nuclear waste is buried on a popular California beach
Failures at San Onofre circulated on the streets of London and across the internet with the publication of an article in The Guardian newspaper. The venerable English daily launched in 1812 and today its online edition reaches readers worldwide.
In the article, reporter Kate Mishkin picks apart San Onofre’s political and regulatory gridlock and history of close calls. You would be hard pressed to find a better summary of the dangerous decisions that led to the current crisis at San Onofre, an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
Potential Impact: A Waste Storage Accident Could Cost $13.4 Trillion
In early 2019 SLF released two expert reports on the potential economic impacts and 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 reports.
A potential impact of a nuclear waste accident at San Onofre could exceed $13.4 trillion.
2020 S.O.N.G.S. Task Force Report
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Task Force Report was released this week after 18 months of fact-finding. SLF is proud to have joined scientists, policy makers and community leaders in preparing the document. Thanks so much to Rep. Mike Levin for bringing us together.
We will continue to appreciate his leadership as he advances eight key policy recommendations contained in the report.
We encourage you to review the report and share it widely: