ACT NOW! Tell DOE: No Coercion in Nuclear Waste Dump Siting

Loading....

DOE Wants Our Help Siting ILLEGAL Nuclear Waste Dumps

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to know what it would take for you to “consent” to having a supposedly "interim" nuclear waste dump established near your home.

Tell DOE that, first, the agency must commit to respecting community rejection or non-consent to nuclear waste sites and acknowledge that ‘"interim" nuclear waste sites are illegal in the absence of a permanent repository. Plus, let DOE know that they must NOT target and coerce vulnerable communities into accepting nuclear waste dumps under the guise of “consent.”

Submit your comments by March 4 and tell DOE to prioritize environmental justice, listen to community voices, and respect non-consent in managing nuclear waste.

ACT NOW! Tell DOE: No Coercion in Nuclear Waste Dump Siting

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Address, line 1*

City*

State*

Zip Code*

I'd like to receive updates from this organization

Take Action

Background

In 2015, DOE began developing a consent-based process for siting storage or disposal facilities collaboratively with members of the public, communities, stakeholders, and governments at the Tribal, State, and local levels. As part of this initiative, the Department issued an Invitation for Public Comment ( www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/12/f34/Summary of Public Input Report FINAL.pdf ) and conducted a series of public meetings to seek feedback and inform future efforts. Based on that feedback, as well as the findings of several expert groups, DOE developed and requested public comment on the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste ( the “ Draft Consent-Based Siting Process,” www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Draft Consent-Based Siting Process and Siting Considerations.pdf ) in January 2017.

In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Congress appropriated funds to the Department for interim storage activities. Interim storage is an important component of a waste management system and will enable near-term consolidation and temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel. This will allow for removal of spent nuclear fuel from reactor sites, provide useful research opportunities, and build trust and confidence with stakeholders and the public by demonstrating a consent-based approach to siting.

DOE anticipates that an interim storage facility would need to operate until the fuel can be moved to final disposal. The duration of the interim period depends on the completion of a series of significant steps, such as the need to identify, license, and construct a facility, plus the time needed to move the spent nuclear fuel.

MORE INFORMATION HERE

DOE

Subject: RFI: Consent Based Siting and Federal ‘Interim’ Storage

Message:

The DOE must not target and coerce the most vulnerable communities into accepting nuclear waste dumps under the guise of “consent.” Prioritize environmental justice, listen to community voices, and respect non-consent in managing nuclear waste. Here are my recommendations: 1. Stop making nuclear waste— Cease making and promoting nuclear power and weapons so we can limit the amount of waste that must be isolated for tens of thousands to millions of years. DOE is actively promoting new nuclear power and weapons so, clearly, it has no intention of limiting the amount of waste produced. 2. Stop lying— Nuclear waste is not safe. It remains dangerous to humans, living beings, and the environment for millennia and can cause cancer in addition to many other painful and debilitating health effects. The waste DOE is seeking to site won’t be moving away in the foreseeable future. The sites DOE is seeking are unlikely to be “temporary” or “interim” as claimed because it has no plans for a long-term repository or management program. 3. Don’t try to bribe people—Don’t target poor, Indigenous, Black, or Latino communities and force them to choose between their health and safety and their economic well-being. 4. Do your job— Review and respond to what the public told DOE about consent-based siting in 2016 and 2017, when thousands of people around the country responded to DOE requests for public comment. Six years later, DOE has not responded, nor explained why it is now asking the same questions for the third time. 5. Respect the will of the people— Don’t gang up on communities with concerns by “partnering” with businesses and corrupt officials to strong-arm people into “consent”. 6. Protect people where nuclear waste is stored now— Use any resources allotted for “interim” or “temporary” storage to improve the storage of nuclear waste at and near where it is located. This avoids unnecessary transport through poorer and marginalized communities that would violate environmental justice. 7. Respect non-consent - No means no. Respect and accept communities’ refusal to consent to nuclear waste sites.

Characters remaining:

DOE Wants Our Help Siting ILLEGAL Nuclear Waste Dumps

ACT NOW! Tell DOE: No Coercion in Nuclear Waste Dump Siting

Background

MORE INFORMATION HERE

Thank You for Taking Action!

Donate to NIRS!