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:

1. Mandate public safety as the highest priority;
2. Mandate transportation of these hazardous materials along the least populated transportation corridors available,
3. 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