Public meetings on NRC's "Waste Confidence" policy--October 1--November 14, 2013.
UPDATE: "Two public meetings next week in San Luis Obispo (Monday, 10.7) and Carlsbad (Wednesday, 10.9) have fallen victim to the federal shutdown. The meetings were meant to present the findings and receive public comments on NRC's proposed rules and environmental study on the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel."
Pack the meetings; Speak Out!
Since the summer of 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been unable to issue licenses for new reactors, nor renewals for existing licenses. A federal court threw out the underpinning of the agency's radioactive waste policy--its "waste confidence" rule. That rule had stated that the NRC was confident that high-level radioactive waste always would be stored or disposed safely, and thus could continue to be generated.
But the court found that with the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site effectively cancelled and no alternative in place, the NRC could not be "confident" of permanent disposal. Moreover, the court ruled that the NRC had no technical basis for asserting that current on-site storage practices in fuel pools and dry casks would be safe for the indefinite future. This ruling forced the current moratorium on licensing.
The NRC has now prepared a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) as part of the process of replacing its "waste confidence" rule and it hopes to finalize this document and resume licensing during 2014. In the Fall of 2013, the agency will hold 12 public meetings around the country to explain and receive comment on this document.
These meetings are our opportunity to point out the technical shortcomings in this new document, and to call for making the licensing moratorium permanent. There will be protests and public involvement at each one of these meetings. We hope you will join us.
Note: In the event of a government shutdown due to Congressional failure and intransigence, the NRC meetings likely will be postponed. We will keep you informed of any postponements and developments that may affect the schedule meetings.
Here is a list of all locations and schedules of meetings < click for NRC page
Rockville, MD. Oct. 1 and Nov. 14
Denver, CO. Oct. 3
San Luis Obispo, CA, Oct. 7
Carlsbad, CA, Oct. 9
Perrysburg, OH, Oct. 15
Minnetonka, MN, Oct. 17
Oak Brook, IL, Oct. 24
Chelmsford, MA, Oct. 28
Tarrytown, NY, Oct. 30
Charlotte, NC, Nov. 4
Orlando, FL, Nov. 6
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| Here is a Facebook page some people are using to organize for the meetings. |
Logos you can download and save to add to your materials:
Nuclear Waste: Stop Making It (circular logo above). (jpg)
Don't Waste America (at bottom of this page) (jpg)
GO TO THE NIRS PAGE FOR THESE LINKS ----
• Download sample press releases, Alerts, and more for each meeting for use by grassroots groups. Note: these are in Word format so you can edit, add your group's information and customize how you wish.
• Talking points for activists and commenters:
Waste Confidence Policy.
Dry casks vs fuel pools.
Waste confidence and climate.
Risks of fire in fuel pools.
• You can pre-register with the NRC to speak at one of the meetings [here]. Note: pre-registration is not required, but may be useful to assure you have a speaking slot in case the meetings are as packed as we expect them to be.
• September 13, 2013 Federal Register notice announcing meetings and written public comment period. Written comments are due by November 27, 2013.
• Download the full Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement here. (pdf)
• [Here] is the June 8, 2012 federal court ruling that voided the NRC's "waste confidence" rule and forced the agency to institute a moratorium on reactor licensing and relicensing until it established a technical basis for its belief that high-level radioactive waste will always be safely stored.
> Waste Confidence - NIRS
see also: whats up: Citizen ALERT! Nuke Waste Con Game 1st public meeting on Oct. 1 | facebook event
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