Government shutdown: Nuclear Regulatory Commission meetings on San Onofre postponed

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed two California meetings on nuclear waste storage proposals related to the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station due to the federal government shutdown.  

While its website proclaims "NRC Remains Open For Business" on the home page, the agency is postponing public meetings around the country due to the "anticipated lack of federal funding" resulting from the government shutdown.

Two public meetings next week in San Luis Obispo (Monday) and Carlsbad (Wednesday) fell victim to the shutdown. The meetings were meant to present the findings and receive public comments on NRC's proposed rules and environmental study on the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel.

The postponed meetings come at time the NRC is laying out plans to oversee the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Clemente. Those plans are likely to include proposals to store spent nuclear fuel on site for hundreds of years or longer.

The agency said more scheduled meetings in October and November might also be affected if the shutdown continues. The status of these meetings will be updated on the agency's Public Meetings Schedule on the NRC website.