BrattleboroCitizens'Breakfast September20,2013 GibsonAikenCenterBrattleboroVT NOTESFROMVYisClosing:Nowwhat? Presenter:LissaWeinmannlrweinmann@gmail.com LissaWeinmann,aSeniorFellowattheWorldPolicyInstitute,haslongspecializedinUSCuba relationsandinternationaltradelawsandhasworkedonavarietyofdomesticandinternational policyinitiatives..Shesaidshethoughttherewouldbenothingtougherandmorepolarizedthan dealingwithUSCubapolicybutthathalfcenturyimbrogliopalesincomparisontotheequally aslonglivedandintractableproblemssurroundingnuclearwastepolicy. Herfocusinthispresentationistobrieflyaddresswhatishappeningnationally,howitisgoingto impactuslocally,toraiseawareness,identifythepolicyleaders,andsparkdialogwiththegoal ofinfluencingnuclearwastepolicytoassureabrighterfutureforthesoutheastcornerof Vermontandotherreactorcommunitieswithwhomwesharetheproblemofunplannedfor storageofhighlevel,superdangerousandresourceconsumingradioactivewaste.

Nuclearenergypolicy,fromtheAtomsforPeaceprogramanditsassociationwithnuclear weaponsisfraughtwithsecrecy,gagordersandamilieuinwhichnuclearpolicydecision makingiskeptatthefederallevel,incontrasttothatinvolvingotherenergysources.Thepolicyis anachronistic,basedinColdWarerathinkinganddoesnotreflecttherealitiesoftoday.Even thelawsthatgovernnuclearwastedatebacktothe80s.Statesarefightingback,fightingfora democraticvoiceinenergydecisionmakingandprotectionfromregulatorswhohavelost credibilityduetotoocozytiesthethenuclearindustry.NineotherstatesjoinedVermontinthe Entergyv.Shumlincase.1 MomentumisbuildingtowardatotaloverhaulofUSnuclearenergy anditsconcomitantnuclearwastepolicy.VermontandCaliforniaareintheforefront. TherecentCommonssponsoreddiscussionofaPostNuclearEconomywasmaddeningin howacceptingparticipantswereofthedictumthatEntergyhastwoyearstodecidehowto decommissiontheplant(whichistrueaccordingtocurrentrules)andofhavingfaithinEntergy todotherightthing.ThetruthisthatEntergywilldowhatisrightforEntergysbottomline,and thatmaynotcoincidewithwhatisbestforus. Thisreasoningmissesthemarkbecausewecaninfluencethecurrentrewritingoffederal nuclearwastepolicysuchasS.1240,theNuclearWasteAdministrationAct,whichwilldirectly impactourcommunity.WealsohaveanopportunityRIGHTNOTtocompelregulatorsto executeofexistingsafetyregulationstheycurrentlyignoreand,rightnow,theNuclearRegulatory Commissionscourtorderedoverhaulofitsthewasteconfidencerulethathasrecklessly
New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Utah http://www.atg.state.vt.us/news/ninestatesandthenationalconferenceofstatelegislaturesjoinattorneyge neralsappealofvermontyankeecase.php
1

allowedradioactivewastetobuildupinunsustainablewaysinunsuspectingcommunitieslike ours.PeoplewhocareabouttheircommunitiesmustcontacttheNRCtotellthemtheydonot wantradioactivewastestoredinspentfuelpoolssubjecttoproblemsthatcouldquickly escalatetotragedyofincalculableproportions. Peopletalkaboutimmediatelydecommissioning,butthattermincludesdifferent methodologies:SAFSTORwouldleavetheplantandthewasteinplaceforatleast60years DECONwouldrequiredecontaminationandwouldnotcauseabreakwiththepastbyusing personnelfamiliarwiththeplanttoperformthework.Decommissioningcouldmeaneither thing.SAFSTORmaybecheaperforEntergy,intheshortterm2 Theimportantnews WednesdaynightisthatStateRep.MikeHebertsaidthecivilwarwasoveronplantclosing, butthatVernonwasundecidedaswhattypeofdecommissioningwouldbenefitthetown.Vernon needstodecideandshouldbeincludedintheprocessofeducationaboutdecommissioningand nuclearwastemanagement.Afterextensivestudies,theWindhamRegionalCommissionfound thatDECONwouldbepreferablebothbecauseofjobsretentionandsothesiteiscleanedup morequickly. 3 Oneproblemisnocentralrepositoryfornuclearwasteandlikelihoodthattherewillnotbeone forthenext50years.ThespentfuelpoolsatVermontYankeearefilledtobeyonddesignspecs andwillreachmaximumcapacitywithinthenextyearorso.Theoriginaldesigncalledforstoring onespentfuelcoreinthepoolandthenmoveitoutinfiveyearstosaferdrycaskstorage.Itis currentlyholdingabout7or8coresworth,anunprecedentedsituationwedontreally understandtheimplicationsofintermsofpotentialdeterioration.In1998thefederal governmentrenegedonacentralrepositorybutnuclearreactorscontinuedtobuildup unsustainably. TheYuccaMountainrepositorycameaboutthrougha1982federallaw.Thiswasbasedon somescience,butnotenoughandwhiletherewasnopushbackfromapoliticallyweak Nevadaatthetime,now,aftersome$12billionhasbeenspent,ithasbeenfoundnottobea goodsitegeologicallyandthestatehasmorepowertogetwhatitwants. In2010,theObamaadministrationsuspendedplansforYuccaMountainandestablishedaBlue RibbonCommissiontolookatnuclearwastemanagement.Despitepublicmeetingsaroundthe country,inwhichtheNewEnglandCoalitionandothergroupsparticipated,whichreiteratedthat ongoingspentstoragepoolswerenotdesignedforlongtermuse,theCommissionsfinal recommendationdidnotreflectthewidespreadnationalconcernsaboutspentfuelpoolsversus saferdrycaskstorage. [Thisyear,theDCCircuitcourtorderedtheNuclearRegulatoryCommissions(NRC)to
2 3

http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doccollections/factsheets/decommissioning.html cf:http://windhamregional.org/news/311vyclosure

http://windhamregional.org/news/315fromthedirector1309

continuewithitsmandatetolicenseYuccaMountain,despitetheAdministrationsposition.]4 TheNRCscontendsthatspentfuelpoolsanddrycaskstorageareequallysafeandacourt casechallengedthedetermination,asitfliesinthefaceofscientificfindings.5 TheNRCmust nowgrapplewiththematterinitsrulesrevisionprocesscommentsarebeingaccepteduntil Nov.27,2013.6 WhiletheNRCretainsthepowertomakerules,weneedtoinvolveourselvesintheprocessto makecommentstotheNRC.BecauseoftheDCCircuitCourtsdecisionthattheNRC determinationsonthesafetyofspentfuelpoolsdoesntpassthesnifftest,alllicensingand relicensingofplantshasbeenhalteduntiltheNRCrevisitsthespentfuelpoolrules.Theyare takingcommentsnationallynowforaNovemberdeadline,butaslow,soberassessmentis needed. AnotherdevelopmentisSenateBill1240,theNuclearWasteAdministrationActof2013,7 inthe, introducedbytheUSSenateEnergyCommitteechair,Sen.RonWyden[D/OR],whovisited JapaninthewakeofFukushima.TheRankingMemberisSen.LisaMurkowski[R/AK]andSen. BernieSanders[I/VT]isthethirdrankingmemberofthecommittee. 8 (Berniesupportsrepealof thePriceAndersonActwhichessentiallyholdtheUStaxpayerliableforcostofanuclear accident.)9 ThebillinitscurrentformpromotesrecommendationsoftheBlueRibbon Commission,butignoresthecommentaryontheimportanceofrelievingspentfuelpoolsthat thatCommissionheard.ItproposestocreateanewagencytheNuclearWaste AdministrationbutwithnoclearneedtodosobutperhapsbecausetheNRCandthe DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)havebeenpassingtheballbackandforthonthisissueformany years.Thebillperpetuatesthenotionoftaxpayerresponsibilitystandingbehindthenuclear industry.Insum,thislegislationsimplydoesnotgofarenoughanditdoesnotaddressamatter ofutmostimportance:movingspentfuelfrompoolstodrycasksassoonasfuelrodsarecool enoughtodosoandrelievingtheoverlydensestorageinthesepoolsthatnowexists.
4

InRe:AikenCounty,decidedAugust13,2013 http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/BAE0CF34F762EBD985257BC6004DEB18/$file/111271 1451347.pdf 5 3StatesChallengeFederalPolicyonStoringNuclearWaste,NewYorkTimes,Feb.15,2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16nuke.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Nuclear&st=cse& NewYork,etal.v.NRC,decidedJun.8,2012 http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/57ACA94A8FFAD8AF85257A1700502AA4/$file/111045 1377720.pdf 6 WasteConfidenceContinuedStorageofSpentNuclearFuelProposedRule10CFRPart51 http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1325/ML13256A004.pdf 7 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS113s1240is/pdf/BILLS113s1240is.pdf 8 http://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/members 9 PriceAnderson...plac[es] a cap, or ceiling on the total amount of liability each holder of a
nuclear power plant licensee faced in the event of an accident. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/funds-fs.html

BrunchwithBernieMarch16,2012[cf.@7:35min.&@24:13]] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TA2cuIPXXg

RepublicansarenotgoingtomoveonlegislationuntilYuccaMountainisused,butevenifit openedtomorrow,itwouldalreadybefull.TheHousehasnotyetintroducedlegislationalongthe linesofS.1240.EventhoseinCongresswhoarepronuclearseenuclearwastemanagement asaconcern.TheHousecommitteetodealwiththisissueistheEnergyandCommerce committeePeterWelch[D/VT]isamember.10 ItisimportanttoeducateRepresentativeson thisissue. OnSeptember8,2011,severalmembersofCongress,headedbyformerRep.(nowSen.) Markey[D/MA],Capps[D/CA]andLowey[D/NY]wrotetothenNRCChairmanJaczkoaskingfor expeditedprocessesinthewakeofFukushimadisaster.Rep.Welchsnamewasnoticeableby itsabsenceonthisletter.11 SpentfuelatdecommissionedMaineYankeeisstoredindrycasks.Drycaskstorageissafer thanstorageinspentfuelpools.DrycaskstorageatFukushimasurvivedintactwhereasthe worldisstillterrifiedaboutthecontinuedthreatofaspentfuelpoolcollapes.Amajorproblem withspentfuelpoolsistheirsusceptibilitytolossofbackuppowertocoolthepoolsintheevent ofanaturaldisaster.Ontheissueofdrycaskstorage,therearenumberofallies,includingboth formerNRCChairGregoryJacsko,andcurrentChairAllisonMacfarlane,aswellastheNational AcademyofSciencesandRobertAlvarezaformerDOEseniorpolicyadvisor.12

10 11

http://energycommerce.house.gov/about/membership http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/nuclear_power/lettercongresstonrc.pdf 12 http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11263