REGION — On the fifth anniversary of the Aug. 3, 2018 near-canister drop at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Reps. Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) reintroduced a bipartisan law that would increase safety protocols for spent fuel canister transfers.
The bill, titled, “Increasing Nuclear Safety Protocols for Extended Canister Transfers (INSPECT) Act,” would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep a resident inspector at decommissioning nuclear power plants like SONGS and Indian Point Energy Center in New York until all spent fuel is transferred from its spent fuel pools to canisters.
According to lawmakers, the bill builds on past efforts to learn from failures and improve safety practices at decommissioning power plants across the country.
“Since my first day in elected office, one of my top priorities has been to safely remove the spent nuclear fuel from SONGS. It cannot remain there long-term,” Levin said. “At the same time, we must continue to prioritize the safe management of spent fuel at sites like SONGS, and this bipartisan bill would do so by requiring NRC inspectors to remain on-site during the spent fuel transfer process at decommissioning power plants.
The move follows an incident that occurred five years ago on Aug. 3, 2018, when a canister of spent nuclear fuel being transferred to dry storage at SONGS became stuck.
Levin said another canister accident cannot be risked, and Lawler agreed.
“Nuclear energy is undeniably a valuable resource that contributes significantly to global energy needs and climate change mitigation,” Lawler said. “However, when nuclear power plants are decommissioned, there must be transparency and accountability both to restore trust in the value of this energy source and assure the public that safety and environmental considerations remain paramount.”
According to Lawler, the bill will enable communities to stay informed about the decommissioning process and its potential challenges and environmental impacts.
This bill builds on the recommendations made by the SONGS Task Force that Rep. Levin convened in January 2019. At the time, Levin called on then-NRC Chairwoman Kristine Svinicki to implement a full-time inspector at SONGS following the announcement of two violations resulting from the 2018 incident.
Levin continued to press Svinicki to implement a resident inspector throughout the transfer process at SONGS, and secured an amendment to an appropriations bill that would prevent the NRC from removing inspectors from nuclear power plants while spent nuclear fuel is being transferred.
The congressman has also advocated for federal action and resources to remove the nuclear waste from SONGS, leading the effort to secure $20 million in the 2021 government funding legislation to restart the Department of Energy’s consent-based siting process. He also helped secure an additional $20 million in 2022 for the department to continue work on consent-based siting, and recently secured an additional $53 million this year to bolster this process.
In June, Levin hosted Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm at SONGS to announce that the DOE was awarding $25.7 million that Levin helped secure to provide resources to tribes, states and communities interested in learning more about consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel and interim storage facility siting considerations.
During the visit, Levin also discussed his bipartisan legislation, the “Spent Nuclear Prioritization Act,” to prioritize the removal of nuclear waste from high-risk commercial nuclear power plants like SONGS.
Levin previously hosted Secretary Granholm at SONGS in April 2022, when the Secretary announced steps in the consent-based siting process, including a willingness for the federal government to financially compensate communities willing to host spent nuclear fuel.
The congressman also formed a bipartisan Congressional Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Caucus to address the challenges associated with stranded commercial spent fuel across the country.
