HELMS Proposal

Direct link to this page: https://copswiki.org/Common/HelmsProposal

For New Visitors

Hello! Very glad to see you make it to this page to find out about the HELMS Proposal for storing nuclear waste around the country in a sensible way. First, let's agree on one thing. There is no really great way to deal with this waste. The nuclear industry created it, and they have really no good way to deal with it. With that said, there are some really bad ways to deal with it and some much better ways. We have to balance all the issues and promote a positive plan that will be as prudent as we can be, without relying on some future magic. As I frequently say, the favorite five words of the nuclear industry are "We'll figure it out later." The trouble is that it is later, now 20 years after they were supposed to first take the fuel, and it is sitting all around the country. HELMS is a plan to figure this out now, for the good of future generations, we must have a good plan that won't just start failing in a few decades with no backup plan.

PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1. I hope you will take the time to read the HELMS document and the NRC filing (below) so you know what we are asking for.
2. You might want to watch a tutorial video, I suggest this one from March 22, 2018:
   
3. Sign the Public Support Petition: Click Here
4. Comments to the NRC docket are no longer being accepted. Instead, use the Public Support Petition or for longer comments, send to raylutz@citizensoversight.org
5. Continue to help by spreading the word! See Helms Campaign for specific instructions.
6. The NRC process regarding rulemaking petitions is described here: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/rulemaking/petition-rule.html

Overview

HELMS MEANS

• Hardened - Robust facilities that will resist simple surface attacks.
• Extended-life - double-wall design of canisters to provide easy detection of cracks using pressure loss detection and sacrificial outer cask to resist corrosion.
• Local - Move waste from precious water resources but not all the way across the country, to probably a dozen regional consolidated sites.
• Monitored - Standard 7/24 electronic monitoring of critical parameters: temperature, radiation flux, airflow, etc.
• Surface - Forget the deep geologic repository for probably the next 200 years so this waste can cool off.

Regarding nuclear waste, we view the likely near-term solution to be storage on or near the surface, in containers that can be easily and passively cooled, and which can be configured for long-term storage of up to 1000 years without any need to move the containers from that location, and which can be protected so as to be immune from terrorist attack.

At this point, we are seeking members of the public, researchers from academia, etc. to step forward to form a team which will determine design goals and accept various design ideas. The overall paradigm of the project in a particular vision of the future will be established on this topic page as it is enhanced. This is an active project which will be enhanced as new facts come to light, new ideas are put forward, and as the team performs its work.

HELMS Document

• HELMS_document_-_NRC_Petition_Version_v13.pdf: HELMS document submitted with NRC 2.802 Petition

If the document does not display above, click here

NRC HELMS Petition Filing

• NRC_HelmsPetition_FINAL.pdf: NRC 2.802 Petition by Citizens Oversight

If the document does not display above, click here

The Official Filing

• ADAMS Accession number for the Petition (NRC Rule Changes): ML18022B210; the attachment (HELMS Proposal) ML18022B213
• Docket Number for the Petition: PRM-72-8
• Please submit comments of support starting on March 22, 2018, at this page: Click Here SORRY COMMENT PERIOD CLOSED June 5, 2018
• Tracking page on NRC Website: Click Here
• And also listed under PRM Dockets for 2018
• To be published in the Federal Register on March 22; Public comments will be accepted for 75 days.
• 2018-03-16 Response by NRC
  • 03-16-18 Letter to Raymond Lutz, petitioner.pdf: Letter to petitioner regarding HELMS petition filing
  • 03-16-18 PRM 72-8-1.pdf: Federal Register Text to be published on 3/22/2018

HELMS Community Draft

A community Draft of this proposal has been prepared for review and comment. Please provide comments directly to raylutz@citizensoversight.org

• This version was distributed to the San Onofre Community Engagement Panel (CEP) at the Nov 2, 2017 Meeting.
  • HELLMSS_document_V5.pdf: HELLMSS-MELO Community Draft (Nov 2, 2017)
• Version 8 of the Community Draft, updated for 11/15 conference call
  • HELMS_document_V8.pdf: Community Draft V9 for 11/15 conference call

Press Conference Prior to San Onofre Community Engagement Panel Meeting on Nov 2, 2017

Map of all the spent fuel storage

• The official map of all the spent fuel storage is at this link: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1723/ML17233A125.pdf (Updated August 2017)
  • The Colors: Purple means the ISFSI (independent spent fuel storage installation) is not within the isolation area of the plant, or is constructed separately. Some were licensed but have no fuel in them yet. The green ones are right next to a power plant. Interestingly, Diablo Canyon constructed their ISFSI up the hill quite a ways from the plant and pretty far from the water, relatively speaking, so it is purple.

Nuclear Industry has to admit there is a problem

(M1848) 2017-10-19 2017-10-19 Dry Cask Risks Not Known When Design Approved by NRC -- Diablo Canyon Ind. Safety Committee -- Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee, Ecological Options Network,

 

Comments on the NRC Petition and Helms Whitepaper

Name	Date	Description	Link
Philip Couture	2018-06-04		Link
Cord Bauer	2018-06-04		Link
Anonymous	2018-06-04		Link
Kathleen Russell	2018-04-11		Link
Henry Hawthorn	2018-04-11		Link
Thomas Schneider	2018-04-11		Link
Rod Rodarte	2018-04-09		Link
Patricia Hamilton	2018-06-04		Link
Diana Borras	2018-04-11		Link
Donna Shanske	2018-06-04		Link
Anonymous	2018-04-09		Link
Ken Berg	2018-05-10		Link
Anonymous	2018-04-11		Link
Carolyn Jahan	2018-06-04		Link
Ken Berg	2018-05-10		Link
Elizabeth Myers-Chamberlin	2018-05-30		Link
Steve Hops	2018-04-11		Link
James Garb	2018-06-04		Link
Emily Corbett	2018-04-09		Link
Grant Garcia	2018-05-16		Link
Joan Holt	2018-06-04		Link
Steve Schlesinger	2018-04-11		Link
Frank Sloat	2018-06-04		Link
Yvette St. Onge	2018-06-04		Link
Meg Meltz	2018-05-16		Link
Teresa Kempner	2018-06-04		Link
Everett Nunnally	2018-04-11		Link
Janet Azarovitz	2018-06-04		Link
Paul Gardner	2018-05-30		Link

Summary of articles submitted (Add | All):

• (CitizensOversightStatusUpdate2019) 2020-04-13 Citizens Oversight Status Update 2019 -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1902) 2019-04-16 NRC Meeting on Andrews County TX CIS Proposal -- , CitizensOversight,
• (CitizensOversightStatusUpdate2018) 2019-02-09 Citizens Oversight Status Update 2018 -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1862) 2018-07-03 Meeting with Rep. Susan Davis on Nuke Waste, Election Integrity, Single-Payer Healthcare -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight, (1:30 pm) Rep. Susan Davis
• (M1861) 2018-06-27 San Onofre Update Livestream -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1855) 2018-06-13 Presentation on HELMS at Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1852) 2018-06-04 Press Release: Citizens' Oversight's NRC filing 'HELMS' Public Comment Period Ends June 5 at Midnight -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1844) 2018-05-28 COPS Comment on Eddy-Lea Holtec Facility -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight, Emailed to Jill.caverly@nrc.gov
• (M1831) 2018-03-22 San Onofre CEP Meeting -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight, This event is hosted by Southern California Edison and it presents their point of view regarding the decommissioning of San Onofre and plans for nuclear waste storage. Public comment is available (3 min). Press Release announcing acceptance of the petition to the NRC rulemaking process.
• (M1818) 2018-01-24 Yucca Mountain Update and Transportation Impacts -- Robert J. Halstead, Office of the Governor,
• (M1815) 2018-01-11 San Onofre: Activist seeks to move spent fuel inland -- Ken Silverstein, TheCoastNews,
• (M1822) 2018-01-02 Pr Rel: Citizens' Oversight Files Legal Action with NRC to Improve Nuclear Waste Storage Safety -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1823) 2018-01-02 Submission to NRC on HELMS -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight, Set of documents submitted to the NRC under section 2.802
• (CitizensOversightStatusUpdate2017) 2017-12-20 Citizens Oversight Status Update 2017 -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1857) 2017-12 Management and Disposal of U.S. Department of Energy Spent Nuclear Fuel -- A Report to the United States Congress and the Secretary of Energy -- , NuclearWasteTechnicalReviewBoard,
• (M1816) 2017-11-17 2017 11 17 San Onofre Waste and HELMS at Ocean Hills (Ray Lutz) -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (M1821) 2017-11-02 Pr Rel - HELMS Proposal to be announced at CEP Meeting today -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight,
• (HelmsPetition) 2017-11-01 HELMS Public Support Petition -- RayLutz, CitizensOversight, Sign HELMS petition to require double-wall nuclear waste canisters and to move waste to local consolidated surface storage to protect water resources
• (M1854) 2017-10-24 UPDATE REPORT ON SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL MANAGEMENT AND CLOSURE DATE COST COMPARISON AT THE COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION -- RobertAlvarez, InstituteForPolicyStudies,
• (M1848) 2017-10-19 2017-10-19 Dry Cask Risks Not Known When Design Approved by NRC -- Diablo Canyon Ind. Safety Committee -- DiabloCanyonIndependentSafetyCommittee, EcologicalOptionsNetwork,
• (M1797) 2017-10 NUREG-2214 Managing Aging Process In Storage MAPS (draft) -- , NuclearRegulatoryCommission,
• (M1796) 2017-09-30 Preliminary Evaluation of Removing Used Nuclear Fuel from Shutdown Sites -- Maheras et al, DeptOfEnergy,
• (M1799) 2016-08-31 A Historical Review of the Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel -- Connolly & Pope, DeptOfEnergy,
• (M1798) 2014-09 NUREG-2157 Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel -- , NuclearRegulatoryCommission,
• (M1530) 2013-01 STRATEGY FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF USED NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE -- , DeptOfEnergy,
• (M1801) 2012-11-14 NRC NOTICE 2012-20: POTENTIAL CHLORIDE-INDUCED STRESS CORROSION CRACKING OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL AND MAINTENANCE OF DRY CASK STORAGE SYSTEM CANISTERS -- , NuclearRegulatoryCommission,
• (M1529) 2012-01 Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future -- , DeptOfEnergy,
• (M1800) 2007-03 NUREG-1864 A Pilot Probabilistic Risk Assessment Of a Dry Cask Storage System At a Nuclear Power Plant -- , NuclearRegulatoryCommission,
• (M1819) 2006 Going the Distance? -- The Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in the United States -- Committee on Transportation of Radioactive Waste, Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board, Transportation Research Board, NationalAcademiesPress,

Discussion List

See ListServe for all email discussion lists and to add more.

Goto Discussion

Sign the Public Support Petition: HelmsPetition

Please sign the HelmsPetition to support the Helms Proposal and to stop the use of thin, single-layer canisters for storing nuclear waste. Have we not learned anything from the Exxon-Valdez disaster?

• HELMS handout2.pdf: HELMS handout, best if printed in color