An influential board in one of two parts of the country expressing tentative interest in storing spent reactor fuel has voted not to endorse the Savannah River Site as an interim storage location for civilian nuclear waste.Last year's report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future and legislation pending in Congress support a consent-based process for finding interim sites to store waste previously destined for the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada. Groups near the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant have expressed support for hosting an interim site in New Mexico, as did a report by the SRS Community Reuse Organization.But on Tuesday, the site's Citizens Advisory Board voted 17-6 to adopt a position opposed to interim storage at SRS. The Augusta Chronicle reported that the board ultimately sided with environmental groups because the waste would reside there for an undetermined length of time, and because there was no evidence to suggest a better alternative to Yucca Mountain would emerge for a permanent repository. Though still the subject of litigation, that project was effectively abandoned early in the first term of President Barack Obama.
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This South Carolina area has benefited from the Savannah River Site for many years and was glad to have new missions come to the site over the years that caused economic growth in the area and provided so many good paying jobs. It time to step up and support the need for dry spent fuel storage in this country. Spent fuel dry storage is safe and you can drive by many nuclear power plants today and see the casks siting on dry storage pads. SRS should lead the nation in this effort and has the technical capabilities to maximize the opportunity. Yes the word is "opportunity". And Yes, storage could be for a very long time before the US government comes up with a final disposition for the spent nuclear fuel but the SRS has been in operations for over 60 years and there will be a near solution to the national problem.
Recycle! That is the word we are looking for! Recycle used fuel, to not do so is beyond stupid.
