Why Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) are a BIG Problem for California

Talking Points on SMRs and AB 305

Click HERE to get this document as a one-page pdf.

Situation Analysis:  After the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima disasters, no nuclear power plants have been built in the USA.  In 1976, California also banned all new nuclear reactors until the federal government delivers a safe storage solution for radioactive nuclear waste, also known as “Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF).”  Now,  the California Assembly Committee of Natural Resources, which has no jurisdiction over nuclear power, will vote this Monday to on Assembly Bill 305 (AB-305) to EXEMPT all Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in California.

Here are eight reasons why the risks from SMRs outweigh any benefits:

1. The nuclear waste is eternally deadly.   According to the highly respected science journal Scientific American, a  traditional nuclear reactor’s waste is toxic for at least 250,000 years, or roughly 12,500 human generations. On a Kilowatt hour basis, SMRs produce as much “Spent Nuclear Fuel”  (“SNF”) as large nuclear power plants.

2. Size Matters: SMRs claim to pack an energy punch in a relatively small footprint. But some proposed SMRs can occupy a 35-acre footprint.
3. SMR waste is the most dangerous waste. According to the National Academy of Sciences, and top nuclear safety experts, including the former Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, SMRs create more radioactive waste than old-school nuclear power plants.
4. Nowhere to store the waste. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been searching for a safe location to store America’s deadly Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) for more than 40 years and has failed to find a region or community in the USA willing to accept the SNF.
5. Experimental and untested designs. SMRs have not been licensed by the NRC. While the NRC has provided preliminary “design approvals,” it is still in the process of addressing Congressional demands for effective safety regulation.  Keep in mind that the San Onofre was operating as an unlicensed nuclear power plant when it failed.
6. SMRs are not “small.” Most “Small Modular Reactor” designs range from a footprint of ten acres to 35 acres.
7. “Distributed” nuclear equals higher risks. The nuclear industry intends to pepper California with small modular reactor in every town and neighborhood.  America currently has 52 large nuclear power plants, but the proponents of SMRs envision thousands of small power plants in every town and potentially every neighborhood in the USA.8.  Increased security and terror risk.  An expansion to hundreds or thousands of nuclear reactors will increase the risk of attacks on nuclear power plants by terrorists or foreign adversaries in a time of war.  According to the United Nations, in February of 2024, the failed Chernobyl Power Plant was attacked by a Russian Drone, sparking fears of yet another global nuclear disaster in the Ukraine.

To get this document in a one-page pdf format, click here.