[Sustain] Fwd: NRC RULING SUPPORTS MOTHERS FOR PEACE AND 23 OTHER GROUPS
Gene Stone
genston at sbcglobal.net
Tue Aug 7 16:58:38 PDT 2012
Amen, and thanks. Well said Don.
Gene Stone
Residents Organized For a Safe Environment (ROSE)
949-233-7724, On twitter @gene_stone
http://residentsorganizedforasafeenvironment.wordpress.com/
www.sanonofre.com
http://coalitionagainstnukes.org/
"The earth and myself are of one mind." ~Chief Seattle, Nez Perce
“It does not require many words to speak the truth.” Sitting Bull
________________________________
From: Don Eichelberger <done7777 at sbcglobal.net>
To: Lucy J Swanson <janeslo at me.com>
Cc: GPSF Sustainability Working Group <sustainability at sfgreens.org>; NIRS Summit
<Nirs at sanonofre.com>
Sent: Tue, August 7, 2012 4:06:41 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: NRC RULING SUPPORTS MOTHERS FOR PEACE AND 23 OTHER GROUPS
Yay, Jane and Mothers, congratulations!
Finally, I hope, the beginning of the end for nukes.
I am always amazed how long it can take to come up with such logical
decisions, when they do so at all.
I don't see San Onofre mentioned in the order, so this decision will not
affect a restart, I guess, although lots of other stuff should keep it
down.
Still, this is a victory that has been long in coming, so Bask, for a
while, and prepare for the next round.
Thanks to all for their hard work,
Don
On 8/7/2012 2:30 PM, Lucy J Swanson wrote:
>
>
>From: Swanson Jane <janeslo at kcbx.net>
>>
>>Subject: NRC RULING SUPPORTS MOTHERS FOR PEACE AND 23 OTHER
>>GROUPS
>>
>>Date: August 7, 2012 2:27:01 PM PDT
>>
>>To: Jane Swanson <janeslo at me.com>, Lucy Jane Swanson
>><janeslo at kcbx.net>
>>
>>
>>Press Release, August 7, 2012
>>San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
>>For immediate release
>> Contacts:
>> Jane Swanson janeslo at me.com
>> (805) 595-2605
>> Linda Seeley lindaseeley at gmail.com
>>
>> (805) 234-1769
>>NRC FREEZES ALL NUCLEAR REACTOR CONSTRUCTION
>>& OPERATING LICENSES IN U.S.
>>Decision Follows 24 Groups’ June Petition in
>>Wake of Major Waste Confidence Rule Decision; Most Reactor
>>Projects Already Stymied by Bad Economics and Cheaper Fuel
>>Alternatives
>>WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 7, 2012 –The U.S.
>>Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) acted today to put a hold on
>>at least 19 final reactor licensing decisions – nine
>>construction & operating licenses (COLS), eight license
>>renewals, one operating license, and one early
>>site permit – in response to the landmark Waste Confidence Rule
>>decision of June 8th by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
>>D.C. Circuit.
>>The NRC action was sought in a June 18, 2012 petition
>>filed by 24 groups urging the NRC to respond to the court ruling
>>by freezing final licensing decisions until it has completed a
>>rulemaking action on the environmental impacts of highly
>>radioactive nuclear waste in the form of spent,
>>or ‘used’, reactor fuel storage and disposal.
>>In hailing the NRC action, the groups also noted that
>>most of the U.S. reactor projects were already essentially
>>sidetracked by the huge problems facing the nuclear industry,
>>including an inability to control runaway costs,
>>and the availability of far less expensive energy
>>alternatives.
>>Diane Curran, an attorney representing some of the groups
>>in the Court of Appeals case, said: This Commission decision
>>halts all final licensing decisions -- but not the licensing
>>proceedings themselves -- until NRC completes a thorough study
>>of the environmental impacts of storing and
>>disposing of spent nuclear fuel. That study should have been
>>done years ago, but NRC just kept kicking the can down the
>>road. When the Federal Appeals Court ordered NRC to stop and
>>consider the impacts of generating spent
>>nuclear fuel for which it has found no safe means of disposal,
>>the agency could choose to appeal the decision by August 22nd
>>or choose to do the serious work of analyzing the
>>environmental impacts over the next few
>>years. With today’s Commission decision, we are hopeful that
>>the agency will undertake the serious work.”
>>San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace spokesperson
>>Jane Swanson noted that, “Mothers for Peace in 1973, as
>>part of its challenge of the original operating license for
>>the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, argued that the Atomic Energy
>>Commission, predecessor of the NRC, should not allow the
>>generation of radioactive wastes without knowing how
>>to isolate those wastes from the environment. Now, 39 years
>>later, the NRC has been forced by the federal court to
>>acknowledge this necessity. Future actions
>>by the agency will determine whether public confidence is
>>enhanced or further weakened. ”
>>Lou Zeller, executive director of Blue Ridge
>>Environmental Defense League, another petitioner to the Court,
>>said: said: “It appears that the Commissioners have, at least
>>initially, grasped the magnitude of the Court’s ruling and we
>>are optimistic that it will set up a fundamentally
>>transparent, fair process under the National Environmental
>>Policy Act to examine the serious environmental impacts of
>>spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal
>>prior to licensing or relicensing nuclear reactors.”
>>Former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford said: “It
>>is important to recognize that the reactors awaiting
>>construction licenses weren't going to be built anytime soon
>>even without the Court decision or today's
>>NRC action. Falling demand, cheaper alternatives and runaway
>>nuclear costs had doomed their near term prospects well before
>>the recent Court decision. Important though the Court decision
>>is in modifying the NRC's historic
>>push-the-power-plants-but-postpone-the-problems approach to
>>generic safety and environmental issues, it cannot be blamed
>>for ongoing descent into fiasco of the bubble once known as
>>‘the nuclear renaissance’.”
>>In June, the following groups filed the petition with the
>>NRC:
>>· Beyond Nuclear, Inc. (intervenor in Fermi COL
>>proceeding, Calvert Cliffs COL proceeding, and Davis-Besse
>>license renewal proceeding; potential intervenor in Grand Gulf
>>COL and Grand Gulf license renewal proceedings);
>>· Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Inc.
>>and chapters (“BREDL”) (intervenor in Bellefonte COL proceeding
>>and North Anna COL proceeding; previously sought intervention in
>>W.S. Lee COL proceeding);
>>· Citizens Allied for Safe Energy, Inc. (former
>>intervenor in Turkey Point COL proceeding);
>>· Citizens Environmental Alliance of
>>Southwestern Ontario, Inc. (intervenor in Fermi COL proceeding
>>and Davis-Besse license renewal proceeding);
>>· Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical
>>Contamination (intervenor in Fermi COL proceeding);
>>· Don’t Waste Michigan, Inc. (intervenor in
>>Fermi COL proceeding and Davis-Besse license renewal
>>proceeding);
>>· Ecology Party of Florida (intervenor in Levy
>>COL proceeding);
>>· Eric Epstein (potential intervenor in Bell
>>Bend COL proceeding);
>>· Friends of the Earth, Inc. (potential
>>intervenor in reactor licensing proceedings throughout U.S.);
>>· Friends of the Coast, Inc. (intervenor in
>>Seabrook license renewal proceeding);
>>
>>· Green Party of Ohio (intervenor in
>>Davis-Besse license renewal proceeding);
>>
>>· Dan Kipnis (intervenor in Turkey Point
>>proceeding);
>>· National Parks Conservation Association,
>>Inc. (intervenor in Turkey Point COL proceeding);
>>
>>· Mark Oncavage (intervenor in Turkey
>>Point COL proceeding);
>>· Missouri Coalition for the Environment,
>>Inc. (Petitioner in Callaway license renewal proceeding;
>>intervenor in suspended Callaway COL proceeding)
>>· New England Coalition, Inc. (intervenor in
>>Seabrook license renewal proceeding);
>>· North Carolina Waste Reduction and Awareness
>>Network, Inc. (admitted as an Intervenor in now-closed Shearon
>>Harris COL proceeding);
>>· Nuclear Information and Resource Service,
>>Inc. (intervenor in Calvert Cliffs COL proceeding and Levy COL
>>proceeding);
>>· Public Citizen, Inc. (intervenor in
>>South Texas COL proceeding; admitted as intervenor in now-closed
>>Comanche Peak COL proceeding; potential intervenor in South
>>Texas license renewal proceeding);
>>· San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Inc.
>>(intervenor in Diablo Canyon license renewal proceeding);
>>
>>· Sierra Club, Inc. (Michigan Chapter)
>>(intervenor in Fermi COL proceeding);
>>· Southern Alliance for Clean Energy,
>>Inc. (intervenor in Watts Bar Unit 2 OL proceeding, Turkey
>>Point COL proceeding, Bellefonte COL proceeding; former
>>intervenor in Bellefonte CP proceeding);
>>· Southern Maryland CARES, Inc. (Citizens
>>Alliance for Renewable Energy Solutions) (intervenor in Calvert
>>Cliffs COL proceeding);
>>· Sustainable Energy and Economic Development
>>(“SEED”) Coalition, Inc. (intervenor in South Texas COL
>>proceeding; admitted as intervenor in now-closed Comanche Peak
>>COL proceeding; potential intervenor in South
>>Texas license renewal proceeding).
>>
>>The 24 groups that sponsored the June 18th petition will
>>strategize in September regarding next steps.
>>
>>
>>On June 8th, the Court threw out the NRC rule
>>that permitted licensing and re-licensing of nuclear reactors
>>based on the supposition that (a) the NRC will find a way to
>>dispose of spent reactor fuel to be generated by
>>reactors at some time in the future when it becomes
>>“necessary” and (b) in the mean time, spent fuel can be stored
>>safely at reactor sites.
>>The Court noted that, after decades of failure to site a
>>repository, including twenty years of working on the
>>now-abandoned Yucca Mountain repository, the NRC “has no
>>long-term plan other than hoping for a geologic
>>repository.” Therefore it is possible that spent fuel will be
>>stored at reactor sites “on a permanent basis.” Under the
>>circumstances, the NRC must examine the environmental
>>consequences of failing to establish a
>>repository when one is needed.
>>The Court also rejected NRC’s decision minimizing the
>>risks of leaks or fires from spent fuel stored in reactor pools
>>during future storage, because the NRC had not demonstrated that
>>these future impacts would be insignificant.
>>The Court found that past experience with pool leaks
>>was not an adequate predictor of future experience. It also
>>concluded that the NRC had not shown that catastrophic fires in
>>spent fuel pools were so unlikely that their risks could be
>>ignored.
>>MEDIA CONTACT: Alex Frank, (703) 276-3264 or
>>afrank at hastingsgroup.com.
>>The NRC Memorandum and Order can be
>>downloaded at http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/licensing/wasteconfruling8712.pdf
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
-- Don Eichelberger Occupy Bohemian Grove 2012 www.occupybohemiangrove.com more
info at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/01/18708527.php Shut down
nuclear power www.nuclearfreecal.org/nfcnet/ www.energy-net.org More about me
at www.Facebook.com/Don Eichelberger Check my original music at
www.MySpace.com/donnyfix "The government of an exclusive company of merchants
is, perhaps, the worst of all governments for any country whatever." Adam
Smith, "Wealth of Nations" Ch.7
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