|
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is still
considering proposals to build Consolidated Interim Storage
(CIS) facilities to store nuclear waste in New Mexico and
Texas, and refusing to extend the comment period and hold
in-person public meetings after the COVID crisis ends
Building these so-called ‘interim’ sites would require
hauling dangerous, high-level nuclear waste all over the
country twice: Once to the ‘interim’ sites, then once again to
the permanent site—if that is ever built. If the permanent
site is not built, the ‘interim’ sites could become de-facto
permanent storage sites. Communities in New Mexico and Texas
would become the latest sacrifice to the nuclear industry.
We still have time to flood the NRC with comments
opposing this dangerous scheme, but the deadlines for comments
are coming soon. Tell
the NRC and your member of Congress to say NO to the CIS
facilities in New Mexico and Texas and
ask your Congressmember to call on NRC to hold in-person
public meetings in your state when it's safe to do so.
Hauling nuclear waste is extremely dangerous and risky. To
reduce risk, the waste should be transported only once, from
the reactor site (the site of creation) to a permanent
isolation facility.
Shipping high-level waste could potentially create a
national disaster. Land, water, and air for miles around the
accident site could be threatened by dangerous, possibly
uninhabitable, levels of contamination.
In addition, the NRC is short-circuiting the democratic
process on these decisions by rushing to hold poorly-run
conference calls during the pandemic. Instead, the NRC should
wait until after the pandemic and hold proper public
meetings.
Tell
the NRC and your member of Congress to say NO to the CIS
facilities in New Mexico and Texas, and to call for
an extension of the comment periods and public in-person
meetings.
By taking this action, you’ll send comments to the NRC
opposing the CIS facilities in New Mexico and Texas. You’ll
also send a letter to your member of Congress urging them to
take these actions:
- Oppose pending bills that
legalize CIS facilities
- Extend the NRC comment periods until 6 months after the
end of the pandemic
- And hold public hearings in your district about this.
Building the CIS facilities in New Mexico and Texas would
mean transporting over 90% of the radioactivity in the whole
nuclear power and weapons fuel chain across 44 states and the
District of Columbia for 40 years. That is an unacceptable
risk to take with the health and lives of the American
people. Tell
the NRC and your member of Congress to say NO to the CIS
facilities in New Mexico and Texas.
We’ll keep you posted about new developments on this issue
as they happen. In the meantime, we hope you’re staying
healthy and safe.
Thanks for all you do,
The NIRS Team
Diane D'Arrigo
Luis Hestres
Denise Jakobsberg
Tim
Judson
Contact
Us:
Nuclear
Information
and Resource
Service
6930
Carroll Ave, Ste. 340
Takoma Park, MD
20912
(301)
270-6477
|
Connect
with Us:
   
Email
Preferences:
| | | 
.png)
