North Coast California News

Oceanside, CA- On June 9, Rep Mike Levin (CA-49) hosted U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) for a press conference to announce the next steps in DOE’s consent-based siting process for the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel.

The DOE announced that it is awarding $25.7 million in funding 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. These resources will help foster innovative community ideas and feedback related to the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The awardees will encourage constructive dialogue with communities and stakeholders and expand mutual learning efforts for effective implementation of an integrated waste management system. DOE selected 13 geographically and institutionally diverse awardees across the country. Awardees will engage with additional partners and communities, expanding the impact of these awards and furthering the conversation around consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear fuel.

“Since I took office in 2019, one of my top priorities has been moving the spent nuclear fuel from San Onofre as quickly and safely as possible. We all know that keeping spent fuel here long term is unacceptable. I helped secure $93 million for the Department of Energy to restart a federal, consent-based siting program for spent nuclear fuel.” said Rep. Levin. “With today’s announcement, the Department of Energy is using the resources and funding I helped secure to take the next step in the consent-based siting process by engaging communities across the country to come up with potential storage sites for spent nuclear fuel. Under Secretary Granholm’s leadership, the Department of Energy is committed to rebuilding trust around nuclear fuel issues. And with my partnership in Congress, we are delivering results.”

“This funding will foster innovative community-driven ideas and solutions for our nation’s spent nuclear fuel,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE is prioritizing mutual learning and capacity building as we move forward with consent-based siting—and we now have 13 teams to serve as partners in this work.” 

Awardees will represent a consent-based siting consortium and will collectively help the Department facilitate engagement activities and dialogue. They will each lead inclusive community and stakeholder engagement efforts, elicit public feedback to refine the Department’s consent-based siting process, and develop strategies that support mutual learning. Throughout this process, DOE and the consent-based siting consortia will work together to build equity and environmental justice principles into the engagement processes.

Today's announcement follows DOE’s update to the Consent-Based Siting Process for Federal Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel in April. DOE is currently in Stage 1 of the consent-based siting process: planning and capacity building. Consistent with that, DOE is not currently soliciting volunteer communities to host federal consolidated interim storage facilities as part of this funding opportunity. 

Rep. 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. During the Secretary’s return visit, Rep. 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.

Since coming to Congress in 2019, Rep. Levin has been advocating for federal action and resources to address the challenges at SONGS and remove the nuclear waste from the region. Rep. Levin led the effort to secure $20 million in the Fiscal Year 2021 government funding legislation to restart DOE’s consent-based siting process. He helped secure an additional $20 million in Fiscal Year 2022 for the DOE to continue work on consent-based siting, and recently secured an additional $53 million in Fiscal Year 2023 to bolster this process.

Original source can be found here.