[Image above: Texans express non-consent to consolidated interim storage facilities for high-level radioactive waste in their state, or shipments through TX bound for CISFs in other states, such as New Mexico. Learn more at No Nuclear Waste Aqui.]

{Beyond Nuclear, in coalition with hundreds of environmental and environmental justice groups across the country, have resisted CISFs for decades, most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy’s so-called “consent-based siting” initiative, seeking to open one or more CISFs across the country. See the Beyond Nuclear-led coalition comments to DOE, dated March 2022, opposing DOE’s latest initiative — see several posted entries. DOE’s “consent-based siting” ploy is merely a modern day throwback to its “Nuclear Waste Negotiator” process of the late 1980s/early 1990s, which targeted Native American reservations for de facto permanent high-level radioactive waste dumps. The one that went the furthest was Private Fuel Storaage, LLC, targeted at the Skull Valley Goshutes reservation in west Utah. Although NRC licensed that CISF for construction and operation, ground was never broken — thanks to a groundswell of opposition, nationwide.

Please attend this DOE webinar, in order to help hold DOE and the nuclear industry’s feet to the fire, keep track of their schemes, bear witness, and speak truth to power!}

DOE email announcement, dated October 20, 2023 (the announcement does not appear to be posted on DOE’s website; see it for more information on DOE’s latest attempts to dump high-level radioactive waste on low-income and/or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities):

WEBINAR: Join DOE for a Consent–Based Siting Consortia Virtual Open House, Nov. 2 from 4-5 PM EST

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (EST) Nov. 2, 2023

Please join DOE’s Consent–Based Siting Consortia for a Virtual Open House, Nov. 2, 2023, from 4:00 – 5:00 PM ET.

Webinar purpose

The purpose of this interactive webinar is to encourage public dialogue with the consortia and DOE. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions to the consortia regarding their plans to foster community discussion and capture feedback on federal interim storage of spent nuclear fuel.

Agenda

All communities, organizations, and individuals interested in DOE’s consent–based siting and consortia activities are encouraged to attend this interactive webinar. Please pass along this invitation to others who may be interested.

Reasonable Accommodation

A sign language interpreter and captioning will be used during the webinar. If you need other reasonable accommodation, please email your request to consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov by no later than Oct. 23, 2023. If you request an accommodation after Oct. 23, 2023, DOE will try to provide an accommodation, but cannot guarantee that DOE will be able to meet your request.

The discussion will be recorded and made available at energy.gov/consentbasedsiting for anyone unable to attend.

We look forward to seeing and hearing from you!