SAVANNAH RIVER GROUP VOTES AGAINST INTERIM STORAGE

Members of the Savannah River Site Citizen’s Advisory Board narrowly voted Monday night to back a paper opposing interim storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel. The CAB’s draft position paper against any interim storage was supported by 12 members, compared to 10 members who voted for a moderate position paper that supported exploring possible incentives for providing a storage site. It comes as the Department of Energy has said it is engaging areas willing to host interim storage sites, and has emphasized that it will make consent from local communities a key requirement. The paper lists numerous reasons for the CAB’s opposition, including the CAB’s support for Yucca Mountain and a lack of confidence that a permanent repository will be established by DOE’s 2048 goal.

The vote comes after a meeting by the CAB in which the majority of public comment by advocates and individuals from around the region opposed any interim storage at the site. The full CAB will vote next week on whether or not to adopt the anti-interim storage paper. CAB Chair Don Bridges, who supports the more moderate approach, told WC Monitor that if the CAB rejects the paper the issue won’t be taken up again in the near future. “You know, we don’t have a driver on this topic except our own initiative. There’s not anybody knocking on the door saying we’ve got to have an answer.” He added, “While it is a divisive issue, it’s not antagonistic. … We just happen to disagree on this topic.”