GARY HEADRICK, cofounder of San Clemente Green
Truth does not equate to “fearmongering,” and learning from the past is not the same as “living in the past,” as SCE wrongly accused in their column on Feb. 16.
In a disingenuous rebuff to my recent opinion piece, by Manuel Camargo, (representing SCE), he may have unintentionally uncovered the truth. We may have the same objective, but their goals are short-term and ours are long-term.
Looking back, it was discovered that the nearly disastrous steam generator fiasco was entirely avoidable. Congressional investigations into what caused the shutdown found a letter between SCE and Mitsubishi that proves that Edison actually knew there could be catastrophic consequences before they even installed the generators.
These are the same people who are now speculating with our lives that thin steel canisters will be reliable many decades longer than the 20 years of service they were intended to provide, (some are already 17 years in service).
This is a convenient but unsubstantiated claim, considering that there is no longer anywhere like Yucca Mountain to take it. Is it really living in the past or fearmongering to draw attention to these things as we consider our long-term safety well into the future?
SCE chooses to deflect well-meaning criticism and critical reports intended to make us safer. Meanwhile, they continue to pursue the most cost-effective way to hand off the problem to others before anything else goes wrong.
A permanent nuclear waste solution has eluded them for over 50 years, and now they just want out.
We must learn to work together with Edison to make sure long-term safety is always the top priority. More transparency will do the most to reduce fear. We need the facts, not questionable reassurances, especially considering SCE’s track record.
Write to gary@sanclementegreen.org for updates on this most critical issue.
