Sen. Wyden’s Release On His Trip To Japan

[WillyT]

Sen. Wyden’s release on his trip to Japan
Following is a release from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on his trip to Japan to inspect damage at the Fukushima nuclear power plant:

(start of release)

After an onsite tour of what remains of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facilities decimated by last year’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, sent a letter to Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki looking for ways to advance and support clean-up and recovery efforts.

Wyden’s principal concern is the relocation of spent fuel rods currently being stored in unsound structures immediately adjacent to the ocean. He strongly urged the ambassador to accept international help to prevent dangerous nuclear material from being released into the environment.

“The scope of damage to the plants and to the surrounding area was far beyond what I expected and the scope of the challenges to the utility owner, the government of Japan, and to the people of the region are daunting,” Wyden wrote in the letter. “The precarious status of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear units and the risk presented by the enormous inventory of radioactive materials and spent fuel in the event of further earthquake threats should be of concern to all and a focus of greater international support and assistance.”

Wyden visited Fukushima on April 6 while on a congressional delegation trip to the region. He and a staff member wore radiation suits as they toured the facility and met with workers and managers from the Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, which is responsible for the clean-up.

Wyden found that the facilities designed to house spent nuclear fuel and the reactors themselves were still in a state of disrepair and located in areas that would make them susceptible to further damage from future seismic events. The reactor buildings still contain large amounts of spent fuel — making them a huge safety risk. The only protection from a future tsunami, Wyden observed, is a small, makeshift sea wall erected out of bags of rock.

Wyden is also sending letters today to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Greg Jaczko asking them to identify additional resources and assistance that their agencies could provide to Japan to address these risks.

(end of release)

— Peter Wong

Link: http://community.statesmanjournal.com/blogs/capitolwatch/2012/04/17/sen-wydens-release-on-his-trip-to-japan

[stevedeshazer]

1. He's my Senator, and he's a year too late. This is just more grandstanding.

I have completely lost confidence in Senator Wyden. His Medicare stunt with Paul Ryan did it for me.

Oregon is sufficiently blue that Wyden could get tossed by a more progressive primary challenger in 2016. I'll be first in line to work for such a candidate.

I don't know what happened to this guy. He's Oregon's Joe Lieberman. He doesn't even live here. It's a pity, because the guy was once a leader in progressive politics in Oregon. He's basically a carpetbagger from New York now, no offense to New York, but I like my Senators to actually be from the state where I live.

It's like he somehow figured out a year later that the Fukushima disaster is a big deal. Well, no shit Sherlock! And Oregon, along with all of western North America from Alaska to California, was the recipient of radioactive fallout an entire damn year ago. Way to go, buddy! Thanks for nothing!

Now, his most recent proposal is to provide college kids with a spreadsheet to explain the costs of college loans. Not a plan to rectify the ridiculous truth that American college grads owe ONE TRILLION DOLLARS in a nation that should instead find a way to educate young people in an increasingly competitive world.

Sorry, but we Lefties don't owe him any favors.

[WillyT]

2. I Defer To Your Local Experience...

and expertise...

Still... I'm glad he said SOMETHING about Fukushima...

Many want to ignore it... completely.

[stevedeshazer]

3. True.

At least there's that.

[RobertEarl]

4. Its f'n scary

Been a year and the place could again blow sky-high.

All the big money behind nukes, not to mention the DoD power to keep weapon material stocks growing, meant that anyone speaking out harshly against Fukushima was sure to get their balls busted.

But now comes Wyden. Probably the NRC has been whispering in a few ears about the looming disaster. Probably the NRC got him to go take a look. And what he saw scared him good. Otherwise why say anything? Why not be like the rest of government that has been sweeping this under the rug?