No Nukes!
Salt Lake City Weekly
August 10, 2000The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) appears poised to approve their own draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) to allow Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a limited liability corporation with no assets, to transport spent nuclear fuel rods from mostly East Coast nuclear power plants (one in California) to the Goshute Native American reservation (properly known as the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes) in Tooele County, about 45 miles west of Salt Lake City.
The rods are proposed to be so-called “temporarily” stored above-ground on about 800 acres of the reservation beneath active and restricted military airspace for testing.
The community is outraged by the NRC’s lack of a sufficient number of public hearings for those potentially impacted by the proposal, and is equally outraged with the seriously flawed, fraudulent DEIS.
The majority of Utahns, including Gov. Mike Leavitt, U.S. Rep. Jim Hansen, and many past and present politicians and private citizens, strongly oppose and will not accept the PFS proposal. Our opposition crosses all lines of political parties and religious faith. Many Goshutes also oppose the proposal, but the Goshute chairman signed an agreement with PFS. The Initial Screening Form, completed either by PFS or the Goshutes, contains false information regarding the suitability of their reservation for this proposal—such as seismic characteristics and dangers, water resources, the closing of nearby military base (Dugway Proving Ground is closing?), the presence of historical sites, and public acceptance. Have a look at the Initial Screening form in Appendix F, Exhibit F.3 of the DEIS and see if it smacks of deception.
The DEIS is evasive, deceptive, contradictory and erroneous. For example, the DEIS points to the Initial Screening form as reason and support for the PFS proposal. However, that screening form falsely states that the proposed waste storage site lies “at least two miles from a capable fault.” In fact, the DEIS and Safety Analysis Report (SAR) show evidence that the proposed location is only 0.5 miles from one capable fault and 1.2 miles from another (SAR, page 2.6-92, “Capable Faults”). Those two faults are capable of experiencing a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, which is enough to swallow everything whole.
The Initial Screening Form also falsely states that there is public acceptance. On the form is an item titled, “Is an area free of a history of pro-active antinuclear referenda?” to which “yes” is the reply. Now, Gov. Leavitt has clearly shown that he is adamantly opposed to the proposal, and that there is anti-nuclear referenda in Utah by virtue of his actions to declare a road near the proposed site a Utah State Road (Skull Valley Road), and his calling upon his staff in various state departments to study the NRC and PFS data and proposals. Gov. Leavitt’s actions most certainly meet the definition of referenda, since the definition of a referendum includes, “a note sent by a diplomatic agent to his own government ...” And we must remember that Downwinders of Utah have been a strong pro-active anti-nuclear force for 20 years.
The DEIS has no Best Management Practices (BMPs) for, among many other things, fire suppression. The nearest reasonably equipped fire department is volunteer and located in the town of Tooele about 40 miles away from the site, and responders would have to travel through a steep, narrow canyon at 25 mph to reach the site. They also have no BMPs for mitigating accidents, wildfires, or fires and explosions caused by fuel spills at any location along its transport route or at the site. The NRC’s evaluation of water resources is seriously flawed and the DEIS fails to properly and adequately evaluate the potential impacts on the existing water resources at and near the proposed facility. Utah is the second driest state in the nation, and we have clear regulations for groundwater and surface water resource protection. The DEIS incorrectly states that groundwater occurs at 125 feet at a proposed rail spur 30 miles north of the proposed storage facility (near Timpie Springs). In fact, Utah state government has case files with abundant data showing that groundwater at that location actually occurs at only 0 to 9 feet deep. Also, the DEIS shows erroneous information regarding the water wells near the proposed facility—information I was able to obtain in 10 minutes from a public Division of Water Rights database.
It is utterly disgusting with the DEIS’s cavalier dismissal of potential impacts of springs near the proposed facility. These springs (Horseshoe Springs) are designated by the federal Bureau of Land Management as an “Area of Critical Environmental Concern.” Those rare and unique sprngs are going to be ruined if this insane and fraudulent proposal is approved by the NRC.
Regarding the No Action Alternative, the DEIS (Executive Summary, page xli, “No Action Alternative,” paragraph 3) concedes that the NRC has determined that continued storage of the nuclear waste at the point of origin (nuclear power plants) is safe and that space is sufficient for 30 years. And the NRC issued a general license for power plants to continue storing the waste to serve that purpose. Local scientists are telling people this proposal is safe; then leave the was
te where it is. On-site storage is feasible and reasonable because the plants have space for continued storage, and they have the expertise to properly manage the waste. The PFS proposal has not been tested. The political motivation behind this proposal cannot be allowed to outweigh the scientific and socioeconomic evidence that proves this proposal is based on fraudulent assumptions.
You may find alarming that the PFS so-called “temporary” proposed facility will be above-ground, in plain sight, covering more than 800 acres, beneath restricted airspace for active military testing. Not only is this an easy target by terrorism (as well as an eyesore in that beautiful little valley), the fact remains that the military has occasional accidents in that area; it’s a testing range, after all, so we understand that accidents do occur.
And finally, for now, a bit on the rods themselves. As you may know, a spent or used waste fuel rod is many times more radioactive than a fresh rod. They are called “irradiated” in this expired state. The useful life of one rod at a nuke power plant is only 18 to 24 months. Here in Utah, where we do not generate nuclear power, nor are we benefiting in any significant way with this proposal, the proposal smacks of supreme waste.
Please help prevent the NRC from approving its seriously flawed EIS, and stop them from issuing a license to PFS. Allowance of this proposal has serious long-term consequences not only for Utah, but the entire nation along the cross-country routes of transport.
Here is what you can do: Learn about the issue by reviewing the Downwinders website at http://www.downwinders.org. Contact your congressmen. Log on to the NRC website to review the DEIS. The NRC is accepting public comment on the DEIS until Sept. 21. When you provide your comments to the NRC, make sure you courtesy copy the Bureau of Land Management and other entities involved in the DEIS.
Robin Jenkins
Erda