SAN ONOFRE, CA (KGTV) - Millions of pounds of nuclear waste may have to be buried in San Onofre despite public outcry.
The power plant has been deactivated since 2013 and in 2015 Southern California Edison reached an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to bury the spent nuclear rods in special canisters at the San Onofre site.
“This coastal commission won’t even allow you to plant roses because it’s not a native species yet they allow a nuclear waste dump,“ said Ray Lutz of Citizens Oversight, one of the dozens of groups opposed to what Edison is doing.
Tom Palmisano, chief nuclear officer for SCE, says they have been safely storing waste on site for decades and that this issue is a result of the Department of Energy not building a repository for the waste.
“They’ve collected billions of dollars from utility customers,” said Palmisano, “They were supposed to do that in 1998, but now they’re under breach of contract.”
Local groups are working a letter to the federal government expressing their needs.
