Katy Sorenson's Remarks at the Nuke Scoping Meeting. By Geniusofdespair

Turkey Point is probably the most environmentally unlikely nuclear installation in the nation. If we had it to do all over again, would we really put a massive power plant complex on the border of a National Park, in the middle of sensitive wetlands and then convert thousands of acres of coastal mangroves into a giant radiator for two nuclear reactors?

We may not have the chance to do it all over, but we can certainly think better of making things worse.

The Environmental review of an expanding nuclear facility abutting a national park – in the middle of wetlands that the Federal, state and local governments have spent millions working to restore and protect – deserves extra scrutiny.

One of the most important things that the NRC can do as a function of the environmental review of this application is to evaluate the cumulative environmental impacts from all of these plants. After all, the reactors are called 6 & 7, not 1 & 2. Just evaluating this application as if the proposed plants exist in a vacuum as the State is doing through their permitting process would be a disservice to the community and our environment. (Hit read more)

The NRC needs to evaluate the impacts of the two new reactors – direct impacts like wetland losses, dredge fill pads, permanent on-site nuclear waste storage, and “temporary” 20 year roads through an Everglades restoration project – in the context of the impact already caused by the existing power plant complex.

There is growing evidence that the thousands of acres of cooling canals designed for Turkey Point 3 & 4 are exacerbating saltwater intrusion in the area, and is believed to be impeding the flow of groundwater to Biscayne National Park. If no solutions to these impacts are addressed in this application review, then you will have contributed to the degradation of our national parks and our quality of life in Miami-Dade.

I know it isn’t the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s place to determine need, but I do believe that there is a deep reservoir of available energy if we would only embrace energy efficiency. A recent report by Duke University and Georgia Tech concluded that the Southern States could meet our future energy demand through aggressive energy conservation programs. There are a lot more jobs to be had putting people to work now – not 5, 10, 15 years from now – retrofitting homes and businesses throughout our community.

And we don’t have to pay for these jobs and reduced energy bills through an “Early Cost Recovery” fee.

I also want to join the voices of the Mayors from Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. We object to the environmental impact of power lines along the US 1 corridor which would destroy our communities’ plans for mixed-use pedestrian and transit oriented development, compact urban form that holds the line on sprawl and which in turn, protects our Everglades and environmentally sensitive areas.

I urge you to consider all of these environmental issues. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this process.