U.S. Energy Official To Attend San Onofre Nuclear Waste Storage Meeting

As it happens, a top official with the US Department of Energy will be in our area, tomorrow, to attend a meeting of the Sanofi community engagement panel. It will continue discussions on the decommissioning. The DOE wants to discuss the creation of sites for interim storage for nuclear waste. If those sites are created, they could eventually house the nuclear waste from Senna no free. Joining me is John Kotek, acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the US Department of Energy and welcome to the program. The news today, Pacific Gas & Electric will close its Diablo canyon nuclear plant, it's the last nuclear plant in California, is this good news or bad news? I can't speak to the specifics of the decision there in California. I can say that broadly speaking, when you look across the United States, nuclear power provides almost 20% of the electricity generated in the US. In its carbon free generation and as a result it's responsible for upwards of 60% of zero carbon generation at a time when we are looking to reduce carbon emissions, meet goals, set under the clean power plan or meet commitments under these cop agreement, we do have concerned about low emission generation when we need to add more low emission generation. The government does still see nuclear energy as a key component of the nation's resources? We do. It's been an important contributor to do domestic electricity supply for decades. In the US and abroad, nuclear can have an important rape -- role to play in meeting. Diablo canyon will be one more site were spent nuclear flu -- fuel has to be stored or removed. Does this, then increase the focus on the plan to create consolidated storage? We've seen, around the country, as we've visited reactor sites with operating nuclear. We've seen forward movement on identifying locations for both the consolidated interim storage spent fuel and the disposal of the spent fuel. We've got high level waste within three dozen states around the United States, we do need to create what we for two as integrated nuclear waste management system to ensure the safe long-term management and disposal of those materials. Tell us about the idea of consolidated interim storage, what does that mean? That means, currently we've got 14 sites around the country, where we had electricity generating nuclear power plants that are no longer in operation. In several of those cases, everything is gone, the react, the administration buildings, they're all gone. The spent fuel remains. We would like to start by moving materials off of those sites to a centralized location, where those materials can be stored, monitored and protect it until there is a spent fuel or repository a final resting place. Where with those sites be? That's really what the consent-based citing processes about. We are at the stage where we are getting input from state, tribal, local governments and others on the design of what we call a consent raised signing process. We want to identify one or more willing and informed communities who are willing to potentially serve as hosts to storage facilities, disposal facilities are both. Before we go out and start looking for communities, we want to get input on what the process of up to look like and what are the considerations that we, as the government, ought to be reflecting in the design of that process. So that, we can ultimately get to the point where we have Willing and informed communities and states and travel governments to the extent that they are involved are willing to be partners with us over the long-term and help us achieve a durable and safe long-term solution. People in San Diego used to be told by Southern Cal Edison storage of the waste at the Sanofi site indefinitely, was perfectly safe. There were no problems with that. Now, Edison supports the Bush to get the waste removed, because it's a. The residents of the region are left with what are we to believe? I can't speak to the specifics of the points that Edison is making. From our perspective, the materials that are in storage at these locations are being stored safely, the regulatory commission has the job of ensuring that storage on reactor sites is being done safely. We actually store spent fuel from Department of Energy activities on DOE sites, one of which I used to work at and I know that that is done safely and reliably. Ultimately, these materials are going to need to be disposed and particularly when you're talking about a shutdown plant, like San Onofre, you're planning on decommissioning the reactor and removing those materials from the site. As we seen in other places around the country, oftentimes the thing that stands in the way of returning that land to the community for other uses is the ability to move the spent fuel off the site. I can see where the focus on spent fuel movement, away from Senna no free would take higher priority when you got a plant that's now entering in the shutdown phase. From what you're saying, you are at the very beginning of this process of developing any interim site. We are. What we are doing, we are building on the recommendations of something called the commission on America's nuclear future, urging the country employee consent-based processes for siting of new nuclear waste management facilities. The key recommendations from that commission were are embodied in the strategy that we are trying to implement. It really does start by getting out, getting input on the design, spending time to talk to people about what their concerns are, the factors that should be reflected in such a process. To design a process that you think -- we think gives us the greatest chance of achieving a durable solution in the long term. I've been speaking with John Kotek, acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy with the US Department of Energy. You'll be speaking at the meeting of the Senna no free community engagement panel at the San Juan Capistrano community center tomorrow night. Coming up, state efforts to manage the use of groundwater are not welcomed by some California growers. You are listening to KPBS Midday Edition.