ML18163A335
| ML18163A335 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | HI-STORE |
| Issue date: | 06/12/2018 |
| From: | Public Commenter Public Commenter |
| To: | Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review |
| NRC/NMSS/DFCSE | |
| References | |
| 83FR13802 | |
| Download: ML18163A335 (3) | |
Text
1 Holtec-CISFEISCEm Resource From:
Walter Gerstle <gerstle@unm.edu>
Sent:
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 11:26 AM To:
Holtec-CISFEIS Resource
Subject:
[External_Sender] Letter regarding the Holtec International project to store spent nuclear fuel near ground level Attachments:
Holtec Letter.pdf To Whom It May Concern at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
I would like to submit, for your consideration, the attached letter regarding the Holtec International project to store spent nuclear fuel near ground level.
Please confirm receipt.
Sincerely, Walter Walter Gerstle, Professor, Ph.D., P.E.
1709 Neat Lane SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 Phone : 505-382-2328 Email : gerstle@unm.edu
Federal Register Notice:
83FR13802 Comment Number:
101 Mail Envelope Properties (CY1PR07MB21833223EBA37078772FB4C6A87F0)
Subject:
[External_Sender] Letter regarding the Holtec International project to store spent nuclear fuel near ground level Sent Date:
6/12/2018 11:26:09 AM Received Date:
6/12/2018 11:26:16 AM From:
Walter Gerstle Created By:
gerstle@unm.edu Recipients:
Post Office:
CY1PR07MB2183.namprd07.prod.outlook.com Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 467 6/12/2018 11:26:16 AM Holtec Letter.pdf 27880 Options Priority:
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Recipients Received:
Walter Gerstle Registered Professional Engineer June 12, 2018 To: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Re: Holtec International project to store spent nuclear fuel near ground level To Whom It May Concern at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
I oppose the plan of Holtec International to store spent nuclear fuel near the ground surface in the Carlsbad-Hobbs area of southern New Mexico. Temporary storage of nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for thousands of years is not a safe engineering solution to the storage of nuclear waste. Either the waste should be permanently and safely stored, or we should not generate the waste to begin with. By allowing temporary storage of nuclear waste, we allow more waste to accumulate, and this waste will be a major problem for future generations.
New Mexico history, from the development and testing of nuclear bombs at Los Alamos and at the Trinity site, to the mining of uranium near Grants, to the contamination of water at Los Alamos and at Sandia National Laboratories, to major problems with the WIPP facility, has shown our inability to handle safely hazardous and radioactive materials.
The government, rather than private companies, should administer nuclear storage. Private companies such as Holtec prioritize their economic interests and the interests of their stockholders over other values, including environmental stewardship and public safety. To store nuclear material with long radioactive half-lives, we must have the assurance that the agency storing it will be in operation in perpetuity, something that private companies simply cannot assure. New Mexico has paid a high price when mining companies have gone out of business and left environmental destruction in their wake. Holtec will likely do the same.
To summarize, the Holtec International project to store spent nuclear fuel near ground level is ill conceived, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission should not permit it.
Sincerely, Walter Herbert Gerstle Professor, Ph.D., P.E.
1709 Neat Lane SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 Phone : 505-382-2328 Email : gerstle@unm.edu