Hi Friends,In addition to the horrendous racism inherent in the CIS proposal, how can anyone seriously consider shipping the damaged SNF canisters from San Onofre and SNF canisters from other national reactor sites for long distances after looking at the following three items? (Apologies if you’ve already seen these.)
1) Check out this recent video from Las Vegas news re a huge radioactive reactor pressure vessel from San Onofre being moved to Utah. The reporter is amazed that it’s going right through town! Had it also traveled through Los Angeles and other towns?
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/decommissioned-nuclear-reactor-to-hit-nevada-roads-monday-2062535/
Now there’s also a push for all so-called low level waste from San Onofre decommissioning to be dumped into a regular landfill in Utah to save $ and as you know, to establish this as a new NRC practice for so-called VLLRW all over the country!
2) June 4 there was a rail car fire from a non irradiated fuel rod that combusted from the jiggling which formed pyrophoric zirconium dust. The resulting fire was radioactive. (attached report below)
Imagine if it had been one of the many thousands of intensely irradiated fuel rods like they’re planning to move to NM or Texas! Here’s an excerpt from the report:
“Based on conversations with the shipper, the subject load contained un-irradiated zirconium fuel cladding and other debris enroute from Alaron Nuclear Services in PA to Waste Control Specialists in TX. The cladding at one point contained enriched fuel, so there is approximately 1.3 mCi of uranium present (predominately U-234 at a concentration of 41 pCi/gram and U-235 at 3 pCi/g. Load contains approximately 44g of SNM [Special Nuclear Material]). It is believed that the friction due to transport created pyrophoric zirconium dust which reacted with the surrounding building debris and combustible waste. This debris and combustible waste was also contaminated with radioactive material – approximately 0.8 mCi of Co-60, Cs-134 and Cs-137 each.
3) And did you see the photos of the enormous 12-axel flatbed truck carrying an empty transfer canister to move waste at Vermont Yankee that overturned completely last week?
Truck hauling new, empty nuclear storage cask crashes in Andover Recovery closes Route 11 on Friday and Saturday
The universe is dishing up loads of fresh examples of why transporting thousands of these shipments is insanely risky. Yet that is what the newly released Levin Task Force Report on San Onofre recommends.
Mary Beth