By Elicia Sanchez
In November 2018, I wrote an editorial to provide some factual information about used nuclear fuel transport. Recently there have been several statements made in the media related to the storage and transportation of used nuclear fuel. As an officer of Interim Storage Partners and a resident of Andrews, Texas I would like to take another opportunity to be a factual resource to your readers on these topics.
First some background on recent events. On July 10, a two-day Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) hearing began at the Midland County Courthouse about the Interim Storage Partners’ (ISP) license application being reviewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to store used nuclear fuel in Andrews.
The hearing was part of a deliberate, thorough and still-ongoing process in which the NRC hears from those who feel they may be impacted as that agency reviews the application that will allow for the safe storage of used fuel from initially six shutdown plants, and potentially up to 70 plants in Texas and other states, reducing taxpayer costs and enhancing the national management of this material.
This process is a good thing: The ISP joint venture supports and encourages open and factual dialogue.