California Senate approves resolution to remove nuclear waste from San Onofre

SAN ONOFRE (KUSI) — California state Senate approved a resolution that demanded that the U.S. Department of Energy remove stored nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Sen. Patricia Bates authored the proposal, urging President Barack Obama and Congress to approve a bill designed to consolidate the storage of nuclear waste. 

The bill is now in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

"It’s way past time for the federal government to move the nuclear waste stored at San Onofre to a location away from densely populated and environmentally sensitive areas," Bates said. "I’m pleased that my state Senate colleagues have endorsed my call to Washington D.C. to approve pending legislation that would help make Orange and San Diego County residents safer."

The plant in San Onofre has been shut down since January 2012 after a small leak occurred in a steam generator. Southern California Edison, who owned and operated the facility, chose to retire the plants two reactors instead of what would have been a costly repair process. 

Full closure of the facility is projected to take decades, however, leading Edison to be granted permission to expand nuclear waste storage in San Onofre.