June 13, 2025

Report from Last night's CEP Meeting

Community Engagement Panel and public denied access to all photos of gouged and corroded canisters because they are "company confidential".

We have access to a photo of canister #72 in serious decline, provided by people we can trust, because they believe the public has a right to know. Due to my insistence that we should re-inspect this damaged canister's current condition, Edison agreed to make it part of their agenda for a virtual meeting on Thursday, June 12. These original photos from 2019 compared to the recent inspection could not be shown during the virtual meeting, for some reason that escapes me.

Instead, the public was to be reassured by photos of a tiny portion of canister #72 that looks nothing like photos I provided. Our photos show a large gouge the length of the canister and a patch of corrosion which can lead to "Chloride Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking", the Achilles heel of nuclear waste storage containment throughout the United States. Their photo shows a shallow, shiny scuff mark with no corrosion, not requiring any sort of remediation.



Edison's images from their latest inspection of Canister #72

Therein lies the dilemma we face. Edison selected a different kind of container than the rest of the world uses, because it was only intended for temporary storage. When it was determined that Yucca Mountain was not a suitable site for storing nuclear waste, for political and geological reasons, it became a serious race against time.

Currently, the industry is being handsomely rewarded for overseeing this stranded nuclear waste to the tune of two million dollars a day. The name of their game is to deny any concerns that there is a problem with the thin walled canisters until the Department of Energy takes over liability. The DOE won't accept liability if the canisters are not suitable for transportation. If problems are discovered before that time, it will be up to the industry to resolve this very costly effort. Every canister would need to be repackaged into the thick walled casks, before they can be transported by rail, barge or truck. If this is not done in time, over 70 locations with stranded nuclear waste will eventually and almost simultaneously fail to contain nuclear waste. For the complete story, please take the time to watch the award winning documentary, "SOS, the San Onofre Syndrome" available for free now on Amazon Prime and YouTube, with even more information available at sanonofresyndrome.com.

There is no adequate plan if this catastrophe is ever allowed to take place. Our immediate goal is to make a plan for San Onofre that will set the example for the rest of the country. The plan we envision will store the nuclear waste in the safest, most efficient manner possible, without a profit motive influencing the decisions. That can only be achieved in a transparent and trusting environment, where eventually we come to a reasonable outcome that benefits all. It doesn't matter if you are for or against nuclear power. The waste is something we all have to deal with, and for that reason, we should be able to solve it together in a collaborative manner. Until that happens, we are wasting precious time. Get involved at sanclementegreen.org and learn how you can help!