We’ve said it all along. Gouging is a problem.

Today, two daily newspapers reported stories that acknowledge one of our biggest concerns: gouging on the giant canisters jam-packed with nuclear waste. Scratches can lead to corrosion, cracking and failure.

The papers are reporting that Edison is using robotic cameras to inspect the containers inside the storage vault. We’re encouraged to see an effort at monitoring but it doesn’t go nearly far enough to address the full extent of canister damage. Regulators also should demand that the monitoring data – all of it – be subject to third-party review and made available to the public.

Read the Orange County Register and San Diego Union-Tribune stories.

NRC Allowing Fox to Guard Hen House

Why should we believe that a fine of $116,000 will do anything to change a multi-billion-dollar corporation’s behavior? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined Southern California Edison $116,000 on Monday for almost dropping a 50-ton canister of highly-radioactive waste last summer.

Edison promised to be more careful handling the waste at its San Onofre storage facilities. But it didn’t promise – and the NRC did not require – third-party oversight. That’s what’s needed, especially if the NRC permits the utility to resume the loading of fuel canisters into its seaside storage vault.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Senate investigations into the FAA’s certification of the Boeing 737 Max 8 have revealed a culture of collusion. Lawmakers should apply a similar grilling to the NRC and demand to know why the agency is allowing Edison, a proven fox, to guard the nuclear henhouse.

SLF Backs Youth at Climate Strike

The Samuel Lawrence Foundation was proud to stand alongside nearly 30 teens who demanded action for a livable climate during a March 15 rally at the Oceanside Pier. Participants agreed that storing nuclear waste just a few miles up the beach is unacceptable. The protest was part of a worldwide strike in which students protested their government’s inaction on climate change.