RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA
RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE TRANSPORTATION OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND RADIOACTIVE RESOLUTION NO. 96-l9 WASTE THROUGH SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
WHEREAS it is the primary responsibility of local government to assure the
safety of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, in order to do so a local government must be able to guarantee the
safest possible transportation of hazardous material through its communities and
densely populated areas; and
WHEREAS, the proximity of Santa Barbara County to the Diablo Canyon Nuclear
Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County and the eventual need to transport spent
nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste to either an interim or permanent
national repository makes the possibility of the transportation of such waste
material through Santa Barbara County a real and critical public safety
concern; and
WHEREAS, Santa Barbara County is concerned about the potential
transportation of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste via the major freeway
route of north or southbound Highway 101 and the adjacent Southern Pacific
railroad corridor through major population centers; and
WHEREAS, for reasons related to the unique physical characteristics of
Southern Santa Barbara, the only major public transportation systems in and out
of Santa Barbara towards the north or the south are US Highway 101 and the
Southern Pacific railroad corridor adjacent to Highway 101, and
WHEREAS, an experience with the July l99l Southern Pacific train derailment
in the Seacliff area near the boundaries of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
and the June 1990 Painted Cave fire in Santa Barbara County has shown, the
Santa Barbara area is particularly susceptible to isolation and the attendant
public safety concerns in the event of a public emergency or disaster; and
WHEREAS an accident involving nuclear waste could endanger thousands of
people if it were to occur along this area's major freeway corridor, and
decontamination could take a very extended period of time.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Santa Barbara County Board of
supervisors opposes the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive
waste through populated areas of Santa Barbara County, and urges appropriate
federal and state authorities to develop a national policy for transporting
spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste that would:
- Mandate public safety as the highest priority;
- Mandate transportation of these hazardous materials along the least
populated transportation corridors available,
- Provide adequate disaster funding and training to local public safety
authorities of communities affected by such routing.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa
Barbara, State of California, this 23rd day of January 1996.
AYES: Supervisors Schwartz, Graffy, Wallace, Staffel, Urbanske
NOES: none
Absent: none
ATTEST:
Sandra Cholmondeley
Clerk of the Board
APPROVED AS TO FORM-
Stephen Shane Stark
County Counsel
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