NRC's non-responsive response to NM Governor Lujan Grisham letter

Here is a link to NRC's letter. It essentially states it cannot comment, given the ongoing NRC licensing proceeding.

That is the oldest, and most lazy, trick in NRC's book. When it doesn't want to respond, it cites the impropriety of biasing its already oh so biased (in industry's favor) licensing proceedings.

Unless the federal courts stand up to the NRC's industry-friendly abuses, the public is screwed -- nowehere more so than NM, which will have a CISF rammed down its throat, against its consent!

(Note that various economic sectors' anti-Holtec letters to the NM governor were attached, as enclosures, to the governor's June 7, 2019 letter. Such letters are Exhibits A, B, and C in NM's case that the Holtec dump is not consent-based!)

Three-judge panel of U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia grants NRC's motion, dismisses Beyond Nuclear's appeal against CISFs -- FOR NOW...

See the three-judge panel's ORDER, here.

In essence, the court has deferred to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), for the time being.

What this means is, both the Holtec, NM, and the Waste Control Specialists, TX, consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) licensing proceedings must run their entire course at NRC, before the court will recognize that all administrative remedies have been exhausted.

Beyond Nuclear will pursue its legal objections in those NRC licensing proceedings. But as soon as final licensing decisions have been made at NRC, Beyond Nuclear will renew its appeals in the federal courts.

Update on June 27, 2019 by admin

On June 27, 2019, NRC published a press release, reflecting the ASLB's Order above.

Spent Fuel Storage in New Mexico ‘Unacceptable,’ Governor Says

As reported by the ExchangeMonitor.

"...you can't have economic activity in a radioactive dead zone."

As reported by InsideSources, in an article entitled "Opposition Grows to New Mexico High-Level Nuclear Waste Site."

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear:

Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste specialist at Beyond Nuclear, a nonprofit group that has been one of the leaders in the fight against the site, said environmental groups have partnered with oil and gas companies and agricultural businesspeople — who are in opposition to the Holtec proposal — “because you can’t have economic activity in a radioactive dead zone.”

“Our major concern is that it could become de facto permanent surface storage,” Kamps told Inside Sources. “There is no guarantee that Yucca Mountain will ever open. So New Mexico could be stuck with this waste forever.”

Both Kamps and the governor said since there is no permanent site, over time it is likely the casks holding SNF will lose integrity and require repackaging.

New Mexico’s governor comes out against nuclear waste site

As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.