Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a consortium of 8 commercial nuclear utilities, is preparing to transport 40,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste across the country to an interim storage facility in Utah. Currently, most of this "spent fuel" is stored on site, near the reactors where it was generated. But the PFS utilities are worried about running out of space on site to store their radioactive garbage, so now they want to dump it in Utah!
The PFS facility would be located on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation, approximately 45 miles west of Salt Lake City. The facility would consist of above-ground, dry-cask storage for 4,000 canisters of high-level radioactive waste. PF S hopes to begin shipping nuclear waste to Skull Valley as soon as 2003.
The PFS proposal for interim storage in Utah assumes that the waste will later be moved to a permanent repository in neighboring Nevada. This assumption is premature because although Yucca Mountain is now being studied as a potential nuclear waste repository, the decision on whether to open a permanent facility is still pending!
Transporting high-level radioactive waste is inherently dangerous because it exposes people along transportation routes to the risk of radiation release in areas where emergency responders may not be equipped for a nuclear accident. The PFS proposal for temporary storage in Utah would unnecessarily increase this risk by requiring waste to be transported more than once over long distances.
PFS proposes to transport nuclear waste to its facility by train. Currently, however, rail lines do not extend to Skull Valley. Permission to build a rail line requires the approval of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Final decisions will be taken by both agencies after the PFS Environmental Impact Statement has been finalized (this process has been delayed but is expected to be completed soon).
As offices of federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and Surface Transportation Board are required to consider public comments in their decision-making processes. Send a letter stating that you oppose PFS's application to build a nuclear railroad, which would needlessly endanger public safety and the environment.
Sample letter and addresses on reverse.
Plan ahead! April 26, the anniversary of the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl, has been identified as a National Day of Action against the PFS proposal. Organize an event in your town! Contact Public Citizen for more information, ideas, or assistance.
March 2001
Secretary Vernon Williams and Alice Stevenson, Project Leader U.S. Surface Transportation Board Salt Lake Field Office 1925 K Street Bureau of Land Management Washington, DC 20423 Salt Lake City, UT 84124
Dear Mr. Williams and Ms. Stevenson,
I am concerned with the proposal of Private Fuel Storage, LLC (PFS) to transport nuclear waste to an interim storage facility on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation in Utah. PFS has applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for rights-of-way on public land to provide transportation to the site. Approval would require amending BLM's Pony Express resource management plan, which does not currently provide for a major right-of-way corridor in the area. PFS has also applied to the Surface Transportation Board for approval to build and operate a rail line in Tooele County under the name of Great Salt Lake and Southern Railroad, LLC.
Transporting high-level nuclear waste is inherently dangerous because it exposes people along transportation routes to the risk of radiation release in areas where emergency responders may not be equipped for a nuclear accident. The PFS interim storage facility would unnecessarily increase this risk by requiring waste to be transported more than once over long distances.
The rail casks that would be used to transport high-level radioactive waste to Skull Valley have never been subjected to full-scale physical testing. A train accident resulting in radioactive release from these casks could contaminate a large area, posing serious risks to people and the environment. Even without an accident, PFS nuclear shipments would routinely emit low levels of radiation, to which children, the elderly, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable.
This imposition of risk is unnecessary. The PFS utilities could continue to store their waste on site near their reactors without introducing the dangers of radioactive contamination to communities and environments along transportation routes. Furthermore, PFS utilities could pursue the option of converting generating capacity to sustainable energy alternatives that do not create radioactive waste.
I strongly object to government resources managed by your agencies being used to promote the flawed PFS proposal, which places the economic interests of the nuclear industry above the safety of citizens and integrity of the environment along transportation routes. I therefore urge you to deny PFS's applications for rights-of way and rail line construction and operation authority.
Sincerely,
Your name (Organization) Address
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