Nearly 1 million tons of highly contaminated water is contained in storage tanks on the Fukushima site, increasing by over 4000 tons each month. The government, nuclear regulator and the IAEA all support discharging this water into the Pacific.
[ Correction: The graphic which originally headed this post did not portray radioactive ocean pollution. We apologize for the error and appreciate the corrective feedback from alert readers.]
The California-Fukushima Connection
When the Fukushima disaster began eight years ago, we realized that we needed to take action – and to find others who were also galvanized into action to prevent a Fukushima-like tragedy from happening here in California. We knew the two nuclear power stations then in operation, Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo and San Onofre in San Clemente, are sited in tsunami and earthquake zones, just as in Fukushima.
Since that fateful day in 2011, we’ve been working on a documentary due to be released this year, SHUTDOWN – The San Onofre Story. Alarmed by Fukushima, southern Californian residents win a fight to shut down their leaking nuclear power plant, but they soon discover the threat isn’t over and find themselves battling tons of nuclear waste being dumped, in damaged canisters, just yards from the rising sea.
With a cascade of scheduled shutdowns of America’s fleet of aged nuclear plants just beginning, The San Onofre Story is a preview of the issue soon to be facing other reactor communities across the country: With no national repository in existence, what do we do with decades of accumulated highly radioactive waste that will be deadly for over a million years?
Will the serious mistakes handling radioactive waste at San Onofre contribute to a Fukushima-like future for southern California?
The film website is ShutdownDoc.tv
This is the 3 minute trailer:
The Fukushima disaster is not over. It continues to unfold as tons of radioactive ground water continues to flood daily into the Pacific, hundreds of tons of irradiated cooling water accumulates per day in onsite tanks, winds blow intensely radioactive microparticles long distances and storms inevitably recirculate radionuclides recontaminating previously ‘decontaminated’ land . Thousands of Japanese must choose between remaining perpetual refugees without support or to return to their radioactive homes. Alarmingly, the 2020 Olympics will force international athletes and visitors to risk their lives and genetic futures in an cynical Abe government PR stunt to promote the lie that Fukushima is ‘totally under control.’
Video – Reality of Fukushima – 2019
Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World – a message from Yayoi Hitomi, March 2019
A Plea for Special Protection for Fukushima Children
Eight Years on, Fukushima Still Poses Health Risks for Children
U.S. Court Abandons Fukushima-Injured U.S. Sailors
Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing 14 man their brooms during a countermeasure wash down on the flight deck to remove potential radiation contamination on March 23, 2011. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Nicholas A. Groesch)
San Diego judge dismisses U.S. sailors’ Fukushima radiation lawsuits, rules Japan has jurisdiction
US Naval personnel serving as part of the ‘Operation Tomadachi’ Fukushima relief mission were the first Americans to be impacted by radioactive fallout from the disaster (but probably not the last). Hundreds have experienced serious health effects, cancer ridden babies and some have died. Expectations that they could expect justice in a Japanese court is delusional.
As the article notes, “To seek remedy in Japan, the sailors would have to be able to afford the trip, be healthy enough to travel, hire a Japanese lawyer, have their medical records translated, and appear before a tribunal.
This is a deeply unjust and tragic outcome for this heartbreaking situation that we have been covering since 2012. Our video reports on the case have had thousands of views.
US Sailors Sue TEPCO for Radioactive Fallout Cover-Up
Former Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi supports US sailors injured by Fukushima radiation
Former Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi tears up in dialogue with audience about US sailors
US sailors’ attorney Charles Bonner gives update on lawsuit for Fukushima radiation injuries
Nuclear Scientist Speaks the Truth re the 2020 Olympics
Koide Hiroaki, Matsumoto, July 2018
Koide Hiroaki, retired nuclear scientist from the Kyoto University Reactor Research Institute (presently called the Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science Research), is arguably the most celebrated critic of nuclear power and the handling of the Fukushima disaster.
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and the Tokyo Olympics
Fairewinds Report – Atomic Balm Part 1
Prime Minister Abe Uses The Tokyo Olympics As Snake Oil Cure For The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Meltdowns
Fairewinds Report – Atomic Balm Part 2
The Run For Your Life Tokyo Olympics
Fukushima Update
SimplyInfo.org 2019 Annual Report On The Fukushima Disaster
Nuclear Beadgame:
An autoradiograph image of a radioactive cesium microparticle, which shows the relatively high levels of radioactivity contained in the particle. Credit: Dr. Satoshi Utsunomiya
Radioactive Glass Beads May Tell the Terrible Tale of How the Fukushima Meltdown Unfolded
Nuclear Hotseat #402
Fukushima Anniversary UPDATE SPECIAL #2: Activist Misao Redwolf, Journalist Carole Hisasue, Simply Info’s Nancy Foust, Nuclear Lecturer Dr. Caitlin Stronell, Filmmaker Tsukuru Fors Lauritzen
Nuclear Hotseat #401
Fukushima Update SPECIAL: Microparticles, Medical Data Manipulation, More! Simply Info’s 2019 Fukushima Report w/Nancy Foust
Beyond Nuclear
Beyond Nuclear on the Thom Hartmann Program re: Fukushima nuclear catastrophe
Meanwhile at PG&E’s Diablo Canyon…California’s Other Fukushima-in-Waiting
Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel 2/22/19 and 2/23/19: Spent Fuel Workshops
Setting an important U.S. precedent, a San Luis Obispo citizen group organized a special two-day workshop on how to deal with their about to be de-commissioned nuclear reactor’s high level radioactive waste. The Decommissioning Engagement Panel’s Dry Cask Storage subcommittee, chaired by Linda Seeley, brought government
agencies, vendors and speakers from Germany and the U.S. to present options to the group. The advisory panel is under the auspices of PG&E, Diablo Canyon’s operator.
Day One: PG&E, Government Agencies,Vendors and Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps.
U.S. nuclear vendor Holtec, whose flawed engineering of canister downloads at San Onofre damaged all the irradiated fuel filled canisters and required a major investigation by the NRC, hired as their representative to the San Luis Obispo panel, former PG&E employee, Jearl Strickland.
Strickland explained that he’d been tasked by Holtec to help with the San Onofre snafus and major mishaps. He was grilled by the panel on the San Onofre problems. Holtec is also the vendor chosen by PG&E to provide dry cask storage for their high level radioactive waste.
Strickland assured the Diablo Canyon panel that San Onofre was now ok.
Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear presented information to the group that emphasized the concept of HOSS: Hardened Onsite Storage as being recommended by the nuclear safety community.
Day Two: Concerned Citizens
Molly Johnson of Mother’s for Peace, SLO, presented Nuclear Radiation 101 for the workshop.
Concerned residents from southern California working on the severe safety risks at San Onofre, Donna Gilmore, of San Onofre Safety and Torgen and Lindsay Johnson and their children, Layse and Enzo Johnson, Samuel Lawrence Foundation, made the long drive up to the workshop . They all warned the panel of their experiences with lies told and safety violations at San Onofre. They advised their northern neighbors to be wary of Holtec. The children made a plea for their future safety.
Day 1 Video
Day 2 Video
Nuclear Hotseat #403
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Dangers: Solartopia’s Harvey Wasserman, Mothers for Peace Linda Seeley, Molly Johnson
San Onofre Update
Chernobyl Cans-by-the-Sea
Nuclear waste solution remains elusive amidst polarized debate
San Onofre Safety
Thin-wall 1/2″ to 5/8″ nuclear waste cans contains roughly a Chernobyl nuclear disaster. They can’t be inspected, repaired, or maintained to prevent major radioactive leaks. They can crack and leak in the short-term
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) allows highly radioactive nuclear fuel waste to be unsafely stored in thin-wall canisters, with no plan to prevent or stop leaks and explosions. This is a nationwide problem with all thin-wall canisters
They’re lemons, send ’em back! – The San Onofre beachside nuclear waste storage facility is DEFECTIVE and must be RECALLED to prevent nuclear disaster in Southern California and beyond.
Sign the San Onofre Petition
More Resources San Diego (2019-03-12) — Citizens’ Oversight, the organization that sued the Coastal Commission and Southern California Edison to stop the use of the coastal facility only 100 feet from the ocean and move the waste to a safer place, today sent a letter to the six-member expert team which was formed nearly a year ago as the result of the settlement agreement reached in 2017.This letter
Public Watchdogs
Public Watchdogs launches hard-hitting TV ad campaign
Samuel Lawrence Foundation
Safe Storage of Nuclear Waste
Nuclear expert presents paper at Waste Management Symposium
Nuclear experts: San Onofre officials ‘downplaying risks’
Flawed nuclear storage exposing economy to $13.4 trillion in losses
Economic Report
Waste Problems Report
Safe Storage of Nuclear Waste
Nuclear expert presents paper at Waste Management Symposium
Nuclear experts: San Onofre officials ‘downplaying risks’