letterhead

 
I have three important things to share with you; 
  • a brief review of the latest Community "ENRAGEMENT" Panel meeting, 
  • the new strategy moving forward and
  • an urgent request for your support by taking actions and giving generously so we can do more to try to prevent a nuclear disaster. 
If you don't have time for an in-depth review, I hope you'll at least be able to look at the words in red. 

If you do have time and want to know more about the nuclear waste settlement agreement watch this debate ( Part 1 and Part 2) at a recent South O.C. Progressives meeting. 

If you have 8 minutes to spare, I'd strongly recommend watching (and sharing) this little gem,  "The Lie We Live". It helps to understand the nature of the challenges we face when confronting the system at large. A small but timely example of what we are up against is this misleading article in the San Clemente Times telling us "the lie we live" by making the public think all is well at San Onofre. I had the chance to talk to the editor about it in person Friday morning at his "Beachside Chat",  recorded by Darin McClure. The true story about the CEP meeting follows.


CEP MEETING

First of all, thanks to the many people who attended, with several making passionate comments.  Virtually every statement from the crowd was against Edison's plan.
A special shout out to Surfrider who came on strong with three representatives, each addressing the panel with well informed questions and powerful statements. 

Katie Day / Surfrider Int'l, 
Staff Scientist
Julia Chun-Heer / Surfrider SD Policy Manager

Denise Erkeneff /Surfrider 
OC Chapter


Although the tone of the meeting was more conciliatory than usual, the fact that the whole point of the meeting was never discussed is why I say it was "enraging". It was supposed to deal with DEFENSE IN DEPTH (DID), the layers of protective measures and emergency procedures they would take in the event of a nuclear accident. Instead, we got DIDn't  as in, they didn't  allow enough time for the main topic, or even to take all of the public comments.

They "promised" to get back to DID at their next meeting on November 9. What we can expect to hear at that time is actually DEFENSE UNDER DEVELOPMENT (DUD). This situation leaves us exposed to a potential radioactive disaster while they struggle to solve technical problems that have eluded them for decades. Currently, they can't even detect a problem with the canisters until it is too late. Having the ability to resolve the problem is even further out of reach.

Here is a link to the entire meeting, but the part worth watching most is the public comments section which begins just past the two hour mark on the slider at the bottom of the video. The rest is "smoke and mirrors", with unsubstantiated hope that someday the nuclear industry will develop technology that can anticipate and prevent radioactive leaks from canisters that were only intended for short term storage.



NEW STRATEGY

Our message is clear and to the point.  Edison failed to consider other long term solutions that need to be explored before it is too late. We want to reinforce our request to REVOKE THE PERMIT  with a letter we intend to have  signed by nuclear experts, civic leaders, NGOs, concerned citizens and other environmental activists across the country, (coming soon).

We were not part of the recent settlement in the lawsuit to revoke the California Coastal Commission (CCC) permit which actually allows Edison to bury lethal nuclear waste next to the ocean, beginning in December. That was done by two plaintiffs and two attorneys who agreed to an insufficient settlement with Edison, and not the CCC. Since the settlement did not represent the local communities when it failed to prevent loading the silos, we need to make it clear to the CCC that we still expect them to revoke the permit.

This may be our last chance to do something about it before we reach the point of no return. Our strategy is to get the CCC to revoke the permit, based on new revelations about risks related to canisters.  We want to hire our own independent experts to give us an honest evaluation and recommendations for a better way forward. 

If at all possible, please attend the next CCC meeting, 8:00 A.M., on Wednesday, October 11, at the Chula Vista City Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista. We will do all we can to help you get there, even if we have to rent a bus.


 INVEST IN OUR EFFORTS

Please consider making a contribution to support this urgent call on the Coastal Commission to revoke the permit they granted.  I'm sure that there are better ideas out there than what Edison has imposed on us. I even came up with an alternative storage solution myself, regardless of my lack of experience in things like this. I ran the idea by Arnie Gundersen, one of the top nuclear experts that helped us during the shutdown campaign. He said "Your concept is interesting. A good idea worth pursuing. May be possible. More study required ". 


Arnie Gundersen has more than 45-years of nuclear power engineering experience and was recipient of a prestigious Atomic Energy Commission Fellowship for his Master Degree in nuclear engineering. Arnie holds a nuclear safety patent, was a licensed reactor operator, and is a former nuclear industry senior vice president. During his nuclear power industry career, Arnie also managed and coordinated projects at 70 nuclear power plants in the US.


Whether my idea has any validity or not, just imagine what we could come up with using independent nuclear experts who prioritize safety over profit! I am simply making the point that other solutions need to be considered before allowing Edison to bury these "Chernobyl Cans" (1 can = amount of radiation from Chernobyl) on the beach. The commissioners need to understand that there may be better ways to meet the reasonable conditions they insisted on for approval of the permit. The previous commissioners should not have granted Edison twenty years to meet these requirements. They should have been prerequisites for approval. Based on the stated mission of the CCC ("To protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline"), they owe it to the public to allow independent experts we trust to evaluate Edison's plan before loading the silos. 

Once they are in the ground, it may be too late. If a leak develops there is no technology to fix it, no way to move it and no way to keep it from contaminating our environment from that point forward. Prevention is the only cure, and that might require reloading the thin canisters into thick casks while we still can. It won't be easy to get Edison to go along with that. They just can't wait to hand this radioactive "hot potato" over to our inept Department of Energy as soon as the pools are emptied.



Your contributions will go towards further research into a strategic plan,  using our own trusted experts We would also like to be able to facilitate transportation to the Coastal Commission meeting, advertise in print, create a larger presence in social media, make t-shirts, signs, etc. Simply put, the more you can give, the more we can accomplish. No  amount  is too small and all donations are much appreciated. Just keep in mind that I'm asking so we can be more effective on your behalf. We've done the best we can with what little we have and wish we could do more. If you haven't donated before, this would be a great time to do so, because time is running out. 
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Checks can be sent to San Clemente Green,
2837 Penasco, San Clemente, CA 92673.

 We do not have tax exempt status, but if you mail us a check for  
$500 or more,  we can get you the deduction. 
Write DELAY THE PERMIT in the memo and  make it out to 
so we can process it through them. 


THANK YOU!