Minutes - 12-06-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROVED 5115101 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING DECEMBER 6, 2000 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a public forum on Wednesday, December 6, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Town Council Chamber in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Stephen H. Halkiotis and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Moses Carey, Jr. Alice M. Gordon, and Barry Jacobs 1. INTRODUCTIONS AND OPENING REMARKS Chair Halkiotis made the opening remarks and welcomed everyone to the forum. The purpose of the forum was to report on the status of CP&L's application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expand its capacity for stored nuclear waste at the Shearon Harris Plant in Wake County. He welcomed tonight's speaker, Dr. Gordon Thompson, of the Institute for Resource and Security Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He said that two years ago this month, Orange County, with the help of other concerned local governments, mainly Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham County, began its quest to try and shed light on what is a very closed and secretive process. He said that one could only assume, from the experiences over the past two years, that the NRC's permitting process for nuclear power providers, such as CP&L, favors the utility. He said that the Orange County Board of Commissioners has not taken a position on whether or not CP&L should be allowed to increase its spent fuel storage capacity. Given the secrecy of the process it is difficult to determine whether the plan is safe ar not. He said that this Board vigorously opposes any process that would rubberstamp a plan to put the nation's largest repository of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods less than a half hour's drive from the County's border. During this process, CP&L has maintained that their plan is safe and that they have nothing to hide. However, at every turn, CP&L has fought Orange County's attempts to compel the NRC to hold hearings an this important issue. Fortunately for Orange County, it has the expertise of people such as Dr. Thompson. Over the past two years, Orange County has learned that CP&L's plan calls for these dangerous radioactive fuel rods to be stored in a far mare densely packed configuration than the utility currently uses. Orange County has learned that a partial loss of coaling water in the storage pools, which have been unused far years, would have potentially disastrous consequences for this region. Orange County has learned that the use of dry cask storage for the spent nuclear fuel rods would vastly reduce the potential for a nuclear disaster. Orange County has learned that despite all of the evidence that has been presented, the deck is still clearly stacked against the County. Tomorrow morning at 9:30 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, Orange County has the opportunity to present its case again. Due to the rules surrounding the process, Dr. Thompson will be prevented from presenting his testimony. The Board finds it ironic that while the approval of a subdivision is done in public, the review of a plan that could result in the release of dangerous radioactive gas over the homes of more than a million people is conducted behind closed doors. This is why the public was invited here tonight. He said that Dr. Thompson would present his latest findings on the potential dangers of the CP&L plan in full. The NRC, the ASLB, and CP&L may not want to hear what Dr. Thompson has to say, but Orange County believes that it is important that the public hears it. 2. INTRODUCTION OF DR. GORDON THOMPSON