Breaking News Archives - Public Watchdogs: Because the Public has a right to know

Public advocates request a complete halt of nuclear waste burials on the beach at SONGS during COVID19 crisis

March 26, 2020March 26, 2020 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

Update, March 26, 2020 – Southern California Edison’s response to County Supervisor Desmond Two days ago, Public Watchdogs sent San Diego County Supervisor, Jim Desmond, a letter requesting a halt to the ongoing movement of deadly nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Mr. Desmond, is a volunteer member of the SONGS Community Engagement Panel. Today’s public meeting of the Community Engagement Panel …

District Attorney Summer Stephan is calling out price gougers during COVID19 scare

March 20, 2020March 27, 2020 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

Did you know that price-gouging during an emergency is a crime? Today, San Diego district attorney, Summer Stephan, announced that price gouging during the COVID19 outbreak will not be tolerated. California’s tough anti-price gouging statute, Penal Code Section 396, makes raising the price of many consumer goods and services by more than 10% during an emergency unlawful. Get the California Attorney General’s Price Gouging FAQ here….

Downloading and handling of deadly spent nuclear fuel will continue at SONGS during COVID-19 outbreak

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

NRC allows nuclear facilities to self-regulate Today at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC teleconference on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nuclear safety, Donna Gilmore of San Onofre Safety ( https://sanonofresafety.org/ ) asked the NRC if it required testing of nuclear workers for the COVID-19 virus at the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The NRC spokesperson replied that the NRC does not require virus…

Expert warns that lethal radiation geysers are possible at San Onofre

February 4, 2020February 19, 2020 Public Watchdogs 4 Comments

Public Watchdogs has warned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that deadly radioactive geysers could erupt from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, much like the “Old Faithful” geyser at Yellowstone National Park. According to the report, such an accident could rival Chernobyl, Fukushima, or Bhopal in scope.

Public Watchdogs 2.206 Petition for Enforcement Action against SONGS, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station at Nuclear Regulatory Commission

January 22, 2020February 3, 2020 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

Public Watchdogs seeks Enforcement Action against Southern California Edison: Yesterday, January 21, 2020, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) convened a public meeting via teleconference to evaluate Public Watchdogs‘ Supplemental 2.206 Petition seeking enforcement action against Southern California Edison, the owners of the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) “ISFSI.” You can get our unofficial transcript of the proceedings here. A 2.206 Petition is a legal…

Edison fights Public Watchdogs efforts to cut funding to San Onofre Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund

January 7, 2020January 23, 2020 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

On Christmas Eve, 2019, the California Public Utilities Commission formally refused to approve a $400 million-plus funding request from Southern California Edison, the owners of the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The Commission action will delay SONGS funding for at least 120 days, and was issued on the same day that Public Watchdogs filed a form Advice Letter protest with the Commission. “It is our hope that the Public Utilities Commission will review SCE’s profligate spending requests in full and open public hearings,” said Charles Langley, the Public Watchdogs executive director. “The public has a right to know how the public’s money is being spent.”

Today: Nov 25 emergency court hearing on the San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dump

November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 Public Watchdogs 6 Comments

Court hearing to grant or deny an emergency restraining order requested by Public Watchdogs to halt the burial of deadly radioactive waste on the beach at the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, (SONGS), Monday, November 25, Room 4D U.S. District Court

LA Times slams beachfront nuclear waste dump as a disaster waiting to happen

November 20, 2019 Public Watchdogs 1 Comment

Opinion: California’s San Onofre nuclear plant is a Chernobyl waiting to happen The San Onofre nuclear plant was permanently shut down in 2013 after a radioactive leak was discovered in a new steam generator. Humans will need to manage the plant’s nuclear waste for thousands of years. (Los Angeles Times) By Kate Brown Nov. 19, 2019, 9:59 AM – Nuclear accidents often aren’t surprises. Whistleblowers had…

Public Watchdogs urges California Coastal Commission to delay approval of SONGS demolition.

October 11, 2019October 14, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

Today, Public Watchdogs filed documents urging the California Coastal Commission to postpone the approval of Southern California Edison’s plan to demolish the spent fuel pools and other structures at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Get the letter here. Get details for attending the meeting here. Public Watchdogs argues that the vote is premature due to pending litigation, that “special conditions” imposed by Coastal Commission…

Public Watchdogs files 2.206 petition with NRC to halt unsafe storage of spent nuclear fuel at SONGS.

September 30, 2019October 7, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

September 24, 2019 — Today, the nonprofit advocacy group Public Watchdogs announced that it has filed a 2.206 petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting an immediate halt to the ongoing transfer and storage of deadly nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The public has the right to ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to take enforcement action through Title 10…

Public Watchdogs reply in support of Temporary Restraining Order

September 27, 2019October 7, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

September 27, 2019 – Today, Public Watchdogs filed its formal reply to Southern California Edison‘s, objections to our request that the court order an immediate halt to the burial of spent nuclear fuel on the beach at San Onofre State Beach Park. Get the reply here.

Public Watchdogs files lawsuit to halt burial of nuclear waste

August 30, 2019September 22, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

The nonprofit consumer group Public Watchdogs has filed a lawsuit to halt the transport of nuclear waste into steel-lined silos on the beach at San Onofre State Beach Park. Public Watchdogs is the only advocacy group engaged in litigation against the beachfront San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dump owned and operated by Southern California Edison. Public Watchdogs has retained the services of former Department of Justice prosecutor, Chuck La Bella to coordinate a disciplined team of attorneys and subject matter experts in opposition to the project.

PUBLIC SAFETY THREATENED BY FEAR OF RETALIATION AT SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP

August 9, 2019September 4, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

One year ago today, on August 9th, 2018, everything changed at the San Onofre High-Level nuclear waste dump. A whistleblower stepped forward and changed the course of history with an alarming disclosure that Southern California Edison and the NRC had violated the law …

Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no “Plan B” for a canister failure at San Onofre

August 8, 2019September 4, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

Dateline August 8, 2018 — During today’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Webinar, (get the Public Watchdogs Video Capture Here) a top NRC official admitted that the beachfront San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dump, which is owned and operated by Southern California Edison, has no backup plan for repairing or safely storing a damaged nuclear waste container. During the public question-and-answer segment of the Webinar, Donna Gilmore, a…

Edison resumes burial of deadly nuclear waste at public beach

July 17, 2019September 4, 2019 Public Watchdogs Leave a comment

The San Onofre State Beach Park Nuclear Waste dump, known by the Orwellian term “ISFSI” or Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation,” has been portrayed as a safe and clean storage facility for nuclear waste, but critics say that water and nuclear waste don’t mix, and that this particular dump is the most dangerous in the U.S.A.