>>> A CHERNOBYL WAITING TO
HAPPEN.
THATS WHAT M.I.T. PROFESSOR
KATE BROWN CALLS THE POWER PLANT
LOCATED ON AN OTHERWISE
BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF BEACH IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
IT WASNT JUST THAT THE NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT BUILT IN THE 1960s
DEFACED ONE OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL AND VALUABLE STRETCHES
OF BEACH ON THE PLANET.
ITS ALSO THAT ITS LOCATED ON A
BODY OF WATER THAT WAS CALLED
EARTHQUAKE BAY ON A 1855 MAP
BEFORE CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE
SELLERS DECIDED THEY BETTER MAKE
SOME LOCAL NAME SOUND A LITTLE
LESS SCARY.
I FOR ONE HAVE ALWAYS FOUND IT
IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE BY A NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT ON THE PACIFIC COAST
HIGHWAY WITHOUT IMAGINING THE
WORST, WHICH IS WHY IN 2006 WE
IMAGINED THE WORST IN AN EPISODE
OF NBCS "THE WEST WING".
>> HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL IN
SAN ANDREA?
>> ABOUT 30,000.
>> I DONT WANT TO LEASER ELISE.
>> WHATS THE ALTERNATIVE?
AN EXPLOSION THAT SPREADS ACROSS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, PARTS AND
NEVADA AND ARIZONA.
>> HOW MUCH WOULD WE HAVE TO
VENT?
>> ITS SANTA ANA SEASON IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
>> WHICH COULD BE GOOD, THE
RADIATION WOULD SPREAD OVER THE
OCEAN.
>> IN 2013, THE AGING NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT WAS FINALLY SHUT
DOWN WHEN A RADIOACTIVE LEAK WAS
DISCOVERED JUST HAS WE HAD
IMAGINED.
NOW COMES THE IMPOSSIBLE PART --
WHAT TO DO WITH THE 300 MILLION
POUND OS NUCLEAR WASTE THAT IS
SITTING ON THAT BEACH IN SUB
STANDARD THIN WALLED CANISTERS,
CANISTERS THAT CAN REMAIN DEADLY
FOR HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS OF
YEARS?
WHO GETS TO MAKE THE DECISION
ABOUT THIS DEADLY WASTE THAT CAN
THREATEN MILLIONS UPON MILLION
OF PEOPLE FOR HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF YEARS?
THE MAN WHO GOT 81 MILLION VOTES
SLEEPING IN THE WHITE HOUSE
TONIGHT?
NO.
THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, IS
IT UP TO HIM?
NO.
NO ONE WHO ANYONE VOTED FOR TO
DEAL WITH SUCH PROBLEMS GETS TO
DECIDE WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT
NUCLEAR WASTE.
ITS ALL UP TO SOMEONE YOUVE
NEVER HEARD OF, MITCHEL BECKOFF,
A LOCAL LOS ANGELES COUNTY JUDGE
WHO GOT EXACTLY ZERO VOTES IN
HIS LAST ELECTION TO HIS
JUDGESHIP IN 2016 WAS HE WAS
RUNNING UNOPPOSED AND WHEN A
JUDGE IS RUNNING UNOPPOSED THEIR
NAME DOESNT HAVE TO APPEAR ON
THE BALLOT.
HE MIGHT BE A GREAT JUDGE.
I DONT KNOW.
BUT HE SHOULD BE SITTING THERE
DECIDING WILLS CONTESTED BY
FAMILIES, NOT WHAT HAPPENS FOR
THE NEXT COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND
YEARS.
I DONT KNOW.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH SOMETHING
LIKE THIS?
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS EVERYTHING
ABOUT THIS STORY IS JUST CRAZY.
LOCATING A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
ON EARTHQUAKE BAY WITHOUT EVERY
KNOWING WHAT TO DO ABOUT NUCLEAR
WASTE IN THAT POWER PLANT OR ANY
OTHER NUCLEAR POWER ATLANTAPLANT
THEN LEAVING THE DECISION FOR
THE THE NUCLEAR WASTE 53 YEARS
LATER NOT TO A NUCLEAR
SCIENTIST, NOT TO A PRESIDENT
WITH NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS BUT TO A
JUDGE IN A BUSY OPEN COURTHOUSE.
IMAGINE BEING THE CONGRESSMAN
WHOSE OWN HOME, OWN LIFE IS
THREATENED BY THAT NUCLEAR
WASTE.
GIN
JOINING US NOW IS THAT
CONGRESSMAN, MIKE LEVIN.
REPRESENTING CALIFORNIAS 49th
DISTRICT AND HE IS A MEMBER ON
THE COMMITTEE OF NATURAL
RESOURCES.
CONGRESSMAN LEVIN, THIS STAGE,
IT SEEMS, ITS ALL UP TO JUDGE
MITCHELL BECKOFF IN A LAWSUIT
THAT HAS BEEN FILED TO TRY TO
FORCE THE PROPER HANDLING OF
THAT WASTE.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
HERE?
>> WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME,
LAWRENCE.
THERE IS PENDING LITIGATION
RIGHT NOW, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE,
THE DECOMMISSIONING CONTINUES.
THEYRE IN THE PROCESS -- I WAS
JUST THERE A COUPLE DAYS AGO.
THEYRE IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING
APART THE DOMES THAT MANY ARE
FAMILIAR WITH AS THEY DRIVE DOWN
THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST.
AND LETS JUST BE CLEAR ABOUT
THIS -- THE PROBLEM, AS MUCH AS
A PROBLEM AS YOU LAID OUT WELL,
IS REALLY THE SYMPTOM OF A
BIGGER PROBLEM, AND THE BIGGER
PROBLEM IS WE HAVE NOWHERE TO
SEND THE WASTE.
IN FACT, WE HAVE NOWHERE TO SEND
THE WASTE AT THE 80 OR SO SPENT
NUCLEAR FUEL SITES ACROSS THE
UNITED STATES.
THATS WHAT IM FOCUSED ON IN
CONGRESS IS TRYING TO DEVELOP
SOLUTIONS TO THE SPENT NUCLEAR
FUEL CHALLENGES, AND THIS IS AN
ISSUE THAT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO
LONG WITHOUT CONCRETE ACTION
FROM REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION
AND DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATIONS
ALIKE, AND WEVE GOT TO FIX AND
IT MOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
>> AND WHAT ARE THE JUDGES
OPTIONS IN THIS LAWSUIT AT THIS
POINT?
>> WELL, I THINK THEY COULD STOP
THE DECOMMISSIONING PROCESS AS
IT IS ONGOING NOW.
THEY COULD FORCE CHANGES IN THE
WAY ITS BEING DONE, BUT THE
REALITY IS THERE ARE ABOUT 125
OR 126 CANISTERS OF WASTE.
IT WILL GET UP TO 135.
THEN ONCE ITS STORED THERE AND
THE REST OF THE PLANT HAS BEEN
DECOMMISSIONED AND THE LOW LEVEL
WASTE HAS BEEN SENT TO UTAH AND
OTHER PLACES, THE QUESTION IS
WHAT TO DO WITH THE HIGH LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE.
YOU LAID IT OUT WELL.
YOUVE GOT WITHIN 50 MILES OF
THAT PLANT 9 MILLION PEOPLE.
I LIVE ABOUT TEN MILES AWAY FROM
THE PLANT.
YOUVE GOT ACTIVE AND INACTIVE
EARTHQUAKE FAULTS AND OH, BY THE
WAY, YOUVE GOT RISING SEA
LEVELS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I DECIDED WAS
IMPORTANT IS WEVE GOT TO
PRIORITIZE MOVING THE WASTE FROM
THE HIGHEST RISK SITES IN THE
UNITED STATES, AND WEVE
INTRODUCED LEGISLATION IN THE
LAST CONGRESS.
WELL BE PRER AN INTRODUCING IT
IN THIS CONGRESS, THAT SAYS FOR
ALL OF THE NATIONS WASTE, MOVE
FIRST AWAY FROM THE HIGHEST
SEISMIC RISK AND HIGHEST
POPULATION DENSITY.
THATS MAKES ALL THE SENSE IN
THE WORLD.
THERES NOWHERE WORSE YOU COULD
PUT A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT THAN
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
METROPOLITAN CALIFORNIA.
THATS WHY WEVE GOT TO GET IT
OFF THE COAST AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
>> YEAH, HIGH POPULATION
DENSITY, BUT ALSO EARTHQUAKE
BAY.
1964 DID THEY THINK EARTHQUAKE
DAY IS FINE, LETS BUILD IT
RIGHT HERE?
>> YOU PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE TOLD
US THAT BEFORE WE BOUGHT OUR
HOUSE.
NONETHELESS, THE REALITY IS THIS
IS A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY WOMEN
ALL WANT TO STAY HERE.
WE KNOW EARTHQUAKES ARE A
REALITY.
THE FOLKS THERE AT THE PLANT
WILL TELL YOU IT CAN WITHSTAND A
PRETTY POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE, BUT
I DONT WANT TO FIND OUT, WHICH
IS WHY WE NEED SOLUTIONS AND MY
HOPE IS THEY CAN BE PARTISAN
SOLUTIONS.
THERES NO REASON SPENT
REPUBLICAN FUEL SHOULD BE A