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Both
Texas and New Mexico are opposed to these
facilities and the rest of the country should be
as well. Both sites are unjustly targeted for
Hispanic communities. Hauling nuclear waste is
extremely dangerous and risky. To reduce risk,
the waste should be transported only once, from
the reactor sites to a permanent isolation
facility.
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. Hispanic communities in
New Mexico and Texas would become the latest
victims of the nuclear industry.
These
is also the issue of consent from the
communities targeted for CIS facilities. Both
bills call for a “consent-based approach” to
building the facilities, but neither New Mexico
nor Texas have consented to them so far. There’s
little chance that they or other states will
consent to CIS facilities in the future.
It’s
time for Congress to pull the brakes on CIS
facilities and work with states to find
scientifically and publicly acceptable
alternatives. Tell
Congress: No taxpayer dollars for CIS facilities
in Texas and New Mexico.
The
national priority must be to better protect
nuclear waste where it sits today – in spent
fuel pools or in dry storage at operating and
decommissioning reactors. Federal funds and
policy must prioritize implementation of
hardened on-site storage (HOSS) and provide for
robust inspection, monitoring, security, and
management of nuclear waste at those sites,
until permanent isolation facilities are
operational.
Dozens
of national and grassroots organizations and
thousands of individuals have already expressed
to Congress and the NRC their strong opposition
to these CIS facilities. Join them today by
telling Congress: No
taxpayer dollars for CIS facilities in Texas and
New Mexico.
Thanks
for all you do!
The
NIRS Team
Diane
D'Arrigo
Luis Hestres
Denise
Jakobsberg
Tim Judson
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