HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-09-10; City Council; Resolution 2019-166RESOLUTION NO. 2019-166
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, REQUESTING THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE AND
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ADDRESS CONCERNS REGARDING THE SAFE
HANDLING AND STORAGE OF NUCLEAR WASTE GENERATED AT THE
DECOMMISSIONED SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION
Exhibit 1
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad is located within a SO-mile radius of the shuttered San Onofre
Nuclear Generating Station; and
WHEREAS, residents of the City of Carlsbad are among the 8.5 million people living within a
SO-mile emergency planning zone as defined by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); and
WHEREAS, at San Onofre, in total, 3.6 million pounds of high-level radioactive waste is being
transferred into on-site storage located within a few hundred feet of the ocean; and
WHEREAS, the storage period is indefinite; and
WHEREAS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is investigating utility safety procedures
and license compliance following a "near-miss" drop incident that occurred in August 2018 in which a
fully loaded, 54-ton spent fuel storage canister came within a quarter-inch of falling 18 feet into a
below grade storage vault; and
WHEREAS, 31 canisters are currently entombed in the storage vault and an additional 42 are
awaiting transfer; and
WHEREAS, when loaded into on-site storage, thin-walled waste canisters are subject to
gouging, potentially leading to corrosion, cracking and the possible release of radiation into the
environment; and
WHEREAS, the storage facility is vulnerable to damage from seismic activity, landslides,
tsunamis and sea-level rise, which could submerge and potentially inundate the vault with corrosive
sea water; and
WHEREAS, a breach of San Onofre's nuclear storage facilities could disable the busiest
transportation corridor on the West Coast, destroy real estate, cripple military readiness at Marine
Sept. 10, 2019 Item #5 Page 4 of 6
Corps Base Camp Pendleton and prompt damages which, according to economic modeling, could
exceed $13.4 trillion over 50 years; and
WHEREAS, radiation exposure poses potentially lethal health effects to life on Earth.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
1. That the above recitations are true and correct.
2. That the City Council supports the following:
a. That canister loading should be stopped and not commence until there is a loading
and transfer system in place that meets the safety requirements listed below:
i. That the utility regularly inspect and monitor canisters and replace any that
show evidence of material failure or radiation leaks;
ii. That independent, real-time radiation monitoring data of San Onofre's
nuclear waste canisters and containment systems be made available on line
to the public;
iii. That the utility develop procedures for on-site canister repair and
repackaging of spent nuclear fuel in the event of material failure or
malfeasance; and
iv. That a formal, independent audit of Southern California Edison's
decommissioning fund, procedures and nuclear waste storage program be
conducted.
b. That on-site containment be ensured via storing nuclear waste in reinforced
buildings, providing additional environmental and security protection.
c. That stored nuclear waste be moved further inland and to higher ground away
from coastal and flood risks.
d. Congressional efforts to site and open a consent-based, permanent national
repository for the disposal of the nation's nuclear waste.
3. That the City Council requests that the Legislature and the Governor of the State of
California enact appropriate legislation that would address the concerns set forth in
this resolution.
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4. That the City Council requests that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
Speaker of the Assembly, the President Pro Tempo re ofthe Senate and the Governor
of the State of California.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of
Carlsbad on the 10th day of September 2019, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
Hall, Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Schumacher, Hamilton.
None.
None.
MATT HALL, Mayor
liurrwJ!1tkTM~
t~ARBARA ENGLESON, City Clerk
(SEAL)
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