Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday backed legislation that would create temporary storage for nuclear waste from the closed San Onofre plant and other nuclear reactors.
A federal plan to store waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been stalled for years amid powerful opposition from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. the new legislation wouldn’t replace that site, but provide a temporary solution.
“Progress on moving the nation’s nuclear waste to the designated site at Yucca Mountain has been stalled for years due to political posturing,” Issa said. ” This failure of government to act has littered communities across the nation with high level nuclear waste stored in less than ideal conditions, including at the closed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in my own district.”
The Interim Consolidated Storage Act, which Issa co-sponsored, would pair a region that is volunteering to host an interim waste storage facility with communities around the country that have nuclear waste demanding a better storage solution.
“Maintaining the status quo is not an option,” Issa said. “The waste from the closed San Onofre nuclear plant sits near an active fault line, adjacent to the heavily-trafficked Interstate 5 and the Pacific Ocean, and sandwiched between densely-populated Orange and San Diego Counties.”
Issa represents the 49th Congressional District, covering north coastal San Diego County and south Orange County.