ML20267A531
| ML20267A531 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | HI-STORE |
| Issue date: | 09/22/2020 |
| From: | Public Commenter Public Commenter |
| To: | NRC/NMSS/DREFS |
| NRC/NMSS/DREFS | |
| References | |
| 85FR16150 | |
| Download: ML20267A531 (3) | |
Text
From: mary burton riseley <mbriseley@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 8:36 AM To: Holtec-CISFEIS Resource
Subject:
[External_Sender] Proposed Nuclear Waste Depository in SE New Mexico
Dear NRC,
As a New Mexican born in Southeastern New Mexico, I oppose the proposed repository for spent nuclear fuel out of legal and extreme environmental concerns for my state and my country.
Transporting any kind of nuclear waste is inherently hazardous and most of the nuclear power plants are on the east coast. Many states would be exposed to the risk of accidents along the way.
I believe that Buddhist scholar and teacher Joanna Macey was correct when she said that ethically the human beings who have enjoyed the benefits of nuclear power generation should shoulder the risks of fuel rod storage. A safer way to store these wastes on site should be the focus of research now, not proposing to ship them thousands of miles across our country.
Since you at the NRC have said that it is safe to keep the fuel rods where they are for 120 more years, why are you even considering a proposal which only spans 40 years?
Also, why should American taxpayers pay for the proposed transportation? Surely the companies which generated profits from the power plants in generating the waste, or HOLTEC which plans to make a profit from their proposed depository, should bear this expense, not us?
This proposed plan is not legal under current law and should not be allowed to go forward.
The DEIS process promised at least five public meetings on the HOLTEC proposal. Because of the pandemic, only three virtual ones were held, and they were very unsatisfactory with poor connectivity, long waits between testimonies and limited access. I agree with our New Mexico Senators Udall and Heinrich that there is no compelling reason to go forward without rescheduling these public input meetings after a return to public safety is achieved.
Our Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, has written that this proposal "presents significant and unacceptable risks to New Mexicans..." The proposed location, so close to the WIPP site in the already heavily oil company-contaminated, Mordor-like southeastern part of our state, raises in me the memory of an old slogan, "national sacrifice zone." True, there are few people who live there, but we will only survive on this planet by respecting other forms of life which do reside there: antelope, prairie chickens, hawks and many, many other natural creatures.
I also have a grave concern about earthquakes. Because of fracking, the Permian Basin has become one of the most active oil fields in the world. SCIENCE magazine has published articles about the link between hydraulic fracking and earthquakes in Canada. Oklahoma, California, Texas and Arkansas. Most of the quakes are small, but one fracking-related quake near Prague, Oklahoma damaged 14 homes and other structures. Oklahoma now has forty measurable quakes
every year and has instituted new restrictions on locating fracking wells, as has Texas. Arkansas has now suspended fracking wells altogether after a swarm of earthquakes in 2011.
Surely we should not be storing nuclear fuel rods in an area which may prove susceptible to earthquakes? (Of course this raises concern about fracking near WIPP as well.)
The DEIS process you have allowed to proceed is so flawed that I believe you should pause it and resume after the pandemic has passed and it is safe for you to entertain real public comment.
The fundamental concept of bringing ALL of the nuclear power-related nuclear waste to the HOLTEC site in New Mexico will inevitably involve unnecessary endangerment of the public.
I oppose the HOLTEC proposal.
Thank you for your attention.
Mary Burton Riseley 318 B Sena St.
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 And I say to you, I have decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Federal Register Notice: 85FR16150 Comment Number: 4311 Mail Envelope Properties (CAMQ0d84eX1Ops56aKuPq4WT=dtQjRO7t4fPSBdYJFuhTYo+i2A)
Subject:
[External_Sender] Proposed Nuclear Waste Depository in SE New Mexico Sent Date: 9/22/2020 8:35:58 AM Received Date: 9/22/2020 8:36:13 AM From: mary burton riseley Created By: mbriseley@gmail.com Recipients:
Post Office: mail.gmail.com Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 3857 9/22/2020 8:36:13 AM Options Priority: Standard Return Notification: No Reply Requested: No Sensitivity: Normal Expiration Date:
Recipients Received: