ML18178A160
| ML18178A160 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | HI-STORE |
| Issue date: | 06/25/2018 |
| From: | Dale B - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch |
| References | |
| 83FR13802 00187, NRC-2018-0052 | |
| Download: ML18178A160 (2) | |
Text
PUBLIC SUBMISSION Docket: NRC-2018-0052 Holtec International HI-STORE Consolidated lnterim Storage Facility Project Comment On: NRC-2018-0052-0058 Holtec International HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage Facility Project Document: NRC-2018-0052-DRAFT-0157 Comment on FR Doc # 2018-10418 Submitter Information Name: Bruce Dale General Comment See attached file( s)
Attachments BDale Holtec comment SUNSI Review Complete COMMENT (187)
As of: 6/26/18 9:42 AM Received: June 25, 2018 Status: Pending_Post Tracking No. lk2-93x7-x7fu Comments Due: July 30, 2018 Submission Type: Web Template = ADM-013 E-RIDS=ADM-03 PUBLICATION DATE: 3/30/2018 CITATION# 83 FR 13802 ADD= Antoinette Walker-Smith, Jill Caverly (JSC1)
I am a 42-year resident of New Mexico. I urge NRC to support Holtec Intemational's application to build and operate a Consolidated Interim Storage (CIS) facility in Lea County, New Mexico. The project will be good for the local economy and is environmentally benign.
I am satisfied that no unaddressed or unsolved safety issues exist, either for the transportation or storage of the material. The cannisters and transportation systems have been extensively tested at U.S.
Department of Energy laboratories, covering any conceivable accident scenario.
Much of the opposition to this application stems from ignorance of the science and technology of nuclear materials and supporting systems. Indeed, there is much emotion displayed in the hundreds of comments in the record. However, it is important that NRC base its decision on the technological merits of the application for meeting regulatory requirements.
As we know, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Energy back in the 1980s to develop a permanent repository for spent fuel from the nation's nuclear power reactors. Political opposition has delayed implementation of a permanent repository ever since. Although Holtec' s application is for interim storage, consolidating material at a single secure site is surely safer and more economical than the current situation of dozens of dispersed storage locations.
In my opinion, it is not really accurate to view this material as "waste" or even as "spent" fuel, because only a fraction of its recoverable energy has been extracted. A new generation of walk-away-safe reactors, currently under development, includes designs that can consume this material, reducing both the volume and radioactive lifetimes of fission products. Thus, it may be more accurate to regard this material as a future energy source that holds the potential to power the United States carbon-free for centuries. The Holtec repository is an appropriate holding location pending the transition to the next generation of nuclear power reactors. That transition will be essential for the nation's energy security and clean power generation for the future.
I appreciate the opportunity to comment.
Bruce C. Dale Albuquerque, New Mexico