Company Buying Palisades Disputes Environmental Coalition Objections To Nuclear Waste Dump

palisades3-19
palisades3-19

By Doug Cunningham

Holtec International is disputing objections from an environmental group over a proposed nuclear waste dump in New Mexico. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board heard oral arguments about the proposed radioactive waste dump this week.

Holtec is buying the Palisades power plant to decommission it. The company has released a statement saying it is confident in its application for the proposed New Mexico dump.

An environmental coalition opposing the dump that includes a Michigan group says transportation of thousands of tons of nuclear waste to the proposed dump is dangerous. The coalition says dry cask storage onsite is a safer interim solution than keeping the dangerous waste in pools cooled by water. The coalition says the long-term solution is to phase out nuclear power and the dangerous waste it produces in favor of sustainable energy that’s more environmentally friendly.

If waste pools lose water and the radioactive waste catches fire a radioactive cloud could spread for hundreds of miles, forcing millions of people to evacuate. The NRC, however, has concluded that such a scenario is improbable so it isn’t forcing power plants to switch totally to dry cask storage.

The power plants themselves maintain that storage of that nuclear waste in those waste pools is safe.