Major waste victory!

Beyond Nuclear Bulletin August 31, 2023 MAJOR WASTE VICTORY! 5th Circuit annuls CISF license   In a major legal victory for opponents to Interim Storage Partners' high-level radioactive waste consolidated interim storage facility in Andrews County, Texas, the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in favor of the State of Texas, and Fasken Land and Minerals, vacating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 2021 license approval for construction and operation. The August 25 ruling came just before the U.S. Department of Energy pushed so-called "consent-based siting" of federal CISFs at a U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board meeting in Idaho, as well as Beyond Nuclear's September 1 Opening Brief filing deadline at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in our many years' long opposition to Holtec's CISF targeted at New Mexico. Read More TRITIUM RELEASES OPPOSED Environmental & health concerns grow   Environmentalists, political and public health officials, and the fishing industry, are coalescing around the world, calling for stricter protective actions to prevent the nuclear industry’s release of tritium -- radioactive hydrogen -- from nuclear power facilities. Massachusetts and New York officials are opposing decommissioning projects to discharge radioactive effluent into aquatic environments by Holtec International Decommissioning (HID). Holtec is now alleged to be evaporating liquid nuclear waste into the atmosphere. Internationally, the Japanese nuclear industry has started discharging millions of tons of Fukushima’s disputed radioactive effluent into the Pacific, sparking international outrage and boycotts of Japanese commerce. Read More ZOMBIE NUKE ALERT! Holtec-NRC lay groundwork for restart   NRC met with Holtec on August 29. The webcast meeting followed those on March 20 and May 24, all devoted to charting an unprecedented pathway to restart the reactor, which supposedly closed permanently on May 22, 2022. Beyond Nuclear and other groups attended and spoke out against the astronomically expensive, very high-risk scheme. Holtec also plans to build four Small Modular Reactors at the site. This would mean both extremes of the risk spectrum, breakdown and break-in phase, and potential for domino effect multiple meltdowns, like at Fukushima Daiichi. Holtec seeks an additional $150 million in state subsidies, added to an already approved $150 million. Holtec has also applied for $8.4 billion in DOE loan guarantees for the schemes. Read More   GOLDEN RULE Lake Michigan voyage culmination   The Veterans For Peace Golden Rule Project is completing its 18-month "Great Loop" journey with events in Wisconsin (8/30 to 9/7 in Milwaukee and Racine), Michigan (St. Joe/Kalamazoo, 9/8-12), and Illinois (Chicago, 9/13-18). Beyond Nuclear's radioactive waste specialist, Kevin Kamps, joined the Golden Rule crew for events in Traverse City, Michigan last week, speaking and information tabling at a rally at the downtown waterfront. He is also an on-the-ground organizer for events in southwest Michigan from September 7 to 12, including concerts, information tabling, an all-day teach-in (that will also be webcast), and documentary film showings about the anti-nuke sail boat's remarkable 65-year long history. Read More Beyond Nuclear | 301.270.2209 | www.BeyondNuclear.org Donate