Statement on "The Last Word" Segment on MSNBC

Last night on his MSNBC show “The Last Word,” host Lawrence O’Donnell mischaracterized the current situation at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).

The plant was permanently retired in 2013 and all of the spent nuclear fuel moved to dry storage, a process completed last August. In this configuration, the spent fuel is extremely safe and isn’t capable of producing the fictional calamities indicated on the show. To believe otherwise is simply untethered from the science of spent fuel and the technology utilized to store it.

Rep. Mike Levin tried to keep the segment focused on the real issue at hand, which is finding solutions that will move the spent fuel from our coastline to a permanent, federally licensed repository. These solutions are not being sought out of fear, but because of the federal government’s legal obligation to act to remove the fuel.

We will continue to support these efforts, including through the recently launched Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now coalition, while we advocate for fact-based discussions of the issue.