Tonight's City Council meeting included a report from Mayor Dowse on his visit to Washington DC with the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition. This has prompted me to give you my long over due but timely to give you a review of the Used Fuel Transportation Tabletop Exercise Scenario.
First, it was a really great opportunity to be able to attend this exercise. A brief synopsis of the day is overhearing several representatives discuss the very real logistics of moving spent fuel from a fictional facility. The conversations highlighted areas where there is a high level of experience and expertise in moving spent fuel, for example, the logistics in moving both large and heavy objects. The exercise also highlighted areas where more research and learning is needed.
Being new to the Prairie Island Nuclear Generation Plant Committee I found listening to the conversations so helpful and important.
Since December I have had the opportunity to tour PINGP twice. Seeing the dry storage casks and getting a sense of the operations has been so helpful. As importantly, hearing from the Prairie Island Indian Community representatives at the tabletop was so informing.
It's so important that the federal government come up with a plan or allow for private industry to plan for the removal of used fuel. We have come a long way in understanding how to safely handle and transport used fuel. We as citizens are better informed. Whether it be Yucca Mountain, or consolidated interim storage in New Mexico or Texas we owe it to our communities to begin planning for its safe movement.
From Mayor Sean Dowse’s visit with the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition:
More in depth notes from our meeting.
