On Monday, August 26 at 6 pm, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka. The purpose of the meeting is to gather info on Community Advisory Boards for a report to Congress.
Pacific Gas & Electric operated the first commercial nuclear power plant in the U.S. at King Salmon from 1963 to 1976. The decommissioning began in 2009, and all the high-level radioactive waste produced there is now stored in underground casks on a bluff at King Salmon approximately 45 feet above sea level, and only 115 horizontal feet from Humboldt Bay on an eroding bluff.
The underground casks containing the spent fuel rods and dismantled nuclear reactor were designed to last about 50 years, and the PG&E Decommissioning Fund is only funded through 2025. What will happen after that? What are the NRC's plans in case of an emergency? Who will maintain the site after PG&E is restructured or bought out in bankruptcy proceedings? The Community Advisory Board will be there to ask these and other important questions, along with interested community members.
Humboldt Baykeeper has been a member of the PG&E Community Advisory Board since 2013. We hope you will join us at this important meeting, where we will ask questions about the long-term plans for the radioactive waste storage facility. Long-time watchdogs Mike Manetas and Michael Welch of Redwood Alliance will also be there to represent the community, as they have done for decades.
When: Monday, August 26, 6-9 pm
Where: Wharfinger Building, 1 Marina Way, Eureka
For more info:
- Humboldt Bay Nuclear Plant Nears Decommissioning Milestone - Mike Manetas, EcoNews
- Humboldt Bay Radioactivists- J.A. Savage, North Coast Journal
- Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation - PG&E Final Safety Analysis Report Update, 2017
