LA council joins other SoCal cities in concern over safety
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously today to ask federal regulators not to allow the restart of the crippled San Onofre nuclear reactors before the formal public process to determine whether Edison’s experimental restart plan is safe and all needed repairs or replacements are completed.
The resolution by District 5 Councilmember Paul Koretz and District 11 Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, which passed 11-0, expresses support for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to:
make no decision about restarting either San Onofre unit until it has fully reviewed public safety through a prudent, transparent, and precautionary process, has allowed independent experts and the public ample opportunity to comment, and has confirmed that Southern California Edison has completed any resulting mandated repairs, replacements, or other actions necessary to guarantee both short and long-term safe operation of San Onofre . . . [The City also encourages the NRC] to take the time needed to independently determine whether or not the information, analysis and actions provided by Southern California Edison constitute a solid technical basis for the adequate protection of the public and resumption of operations.
LA joins a long list of Southern California cities that have expressed concerns about the safety of restarting either of San Onofre’s twin reactors. Both reactors have been shut down for almost a year, after a leak of radioactive steam led to the discovery of widespread and unprecedented damage to the reactors’ recently installed replacement steam generators.
Edison has proposed to the NRC that it be allowed to restart reactor Unit 2 at partial power and run it as a five month test followed by two years of intermittent shutdowns and startups. Edison has also requested a license amendment with a “no significant hazard” provision that would allow restart with a public hearing to be held only after the fact. NRC staff have given preliminary approval to Edison’s request, but are taking public comments on the proposal through May 15.
“There is a growing consensus from cities in the Southland that Edison’s restart plan amounts to a dangerous experiment that gambles with the safety of millions of Southern Californians,” said S. David Freeman, former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and a senior consultant to Friends of the Earth. “There are serious questions about what went wrong at San Onofre, whether it can be fixed, and whether it is safe to operate that can only be answered adequately in a formal legal proceeding.”
Cities that have passed resolutions or sent letters of concern to the NRC include Del Mar, Encinitas, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Santa Monica, Solana Beach, Vista, Berkley and Fairfax. In addition, the San Diego Unified School District board passed a similar resolution.
Acting on a petition from Friends of the Earth, the NRC is conducting two official proceedings which could require Edison to seek a full license amendment with adjudicated public hearings, expert testimony and rules of evidence.
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Contact: Bill Walker, Friends of the Earth: (510) 759-9911
Paul Michael Neuman, office of Councilmember Koretz: (213) 473-7005
Paul Michael Neuman, office of Councilmember Koretz: (213) 473-7005
Los Angeles City Leaders Oppose San Onofre Restart - Fountain Valley, CA Patch:
The Los Angeles City Council today voted to oppose the restarting of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which was taken off-line in January 2012 after a leak was discovered in one of the reactors.
In a resolution approved today on a 11-0 vote, the City Council urged the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to refrain from making a decision on whether to start up the reactors before public hearings have been held.
The city is asking that the commission "take the time needed to independently determine whether or not the information, analysis and actions provided by Southern California Edison constitute a solid technical basis" for restarting the plant and ensuring the public's safety will be protected.
Earlier this month, officials of Southern California Edison, which owns the majority of the power plant, asked the commission for permission to start up one of the reactors at 70 percent power starting June 1.
The utility wants to then power down the nuclear plant after five months to allow for inspections of the facility's steam pressure tubes while a long- term repair strategy is developed.
After the inspection, the reactor would resume operating at 70 percent power. The company said it would use the collected tube data to determine an appropriate power setting for the long term.
According to Edison, vibrations that led to premature wearing of steam pressure tubes in the reactors don't occur at 70 percent power.
Los Angeles joins several other cities including Del Mar, Encinitas, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Santa Monica, Solana Beach, Vista, Berkeley and Fairfax in opposing the restarting of the plant. The San Diego Unified School District has also come out against the plan.
S. David Freeman, a senior adviser of the environmental group Friends of the Earth, also asked the commission today to delay making a decision.
"There is a growing consensus from cities in the Southland that Edison's restart plan amounts to a dangerous experiment that gambles with the safety of millions of Southern Californians," said Freeman, who previously ran the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"There are serious questions about what went wrong at San Onofre, whether it can be fixed, and whether it is safe to operate that can only be answered adequately in a formal legal proceeding."
The plant has been shut down since January 2012, when a small, non- injury leak occurred in one of the reactors. Another unit was undergoing maintenance and not operating at the time.
The commission has promised to hold a public meeting in Southern California before any final decisions are made on a restart plan. The agency and SCE have repeatedly said they won't restart the plant until they are sure it is safe.
- City News Service
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