Public meetings on Turkey Point nuclear espansion April 22 and 23, 2015

Florida Power & Light (FP&L) has applied to the federal government for permission to build two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) evaluates this project for safety and environmental impact. As part of deciding whether or not to grant FP&L permission, the NRC must take public comment.

We encourage you to speak out in opposition to the construction of these new nuclear reactors. There are two ways to participate:

The first way to participate is to attend one of the upcoming public meetings in Miami and Homestead. The contact for both is Scott Burnell, of the NRC, who can be reached at (301) 415-8200.

• One hearing will be on Wed., April 22, from 7:00PM -10:00PM at Florida International University's Stadium Club Room, 11200 S.W. 8th Street.
• Another set of hearings will be in Homestead the following day on Thurs., April 23, from 1:00PM - 4:00PM, and then again from 7:00PM - 10:00PM at Hampton Inn & Suites, 2855 NE 9th Street, Reef Room, Homestead FL.

The second way to participate is by commenting in writing. You can offer your comment on regulations.gov by clicking here.

For talking points and background information, click here

Sierra Club Miami Group passes a resolution against the new transmission line plans for FPL and reiterates its stand against putting new nuclear units on the coast.

Resolution: The Sierra Club Miami Group is opposed to the expansion of Turkey Point and the new transmission lines, which will be paid for under the nuclear power cost recovery so are therefore part of the expansion.

Sierra Club believes that conservation measures and alternate energy sources can provide for power needs of South Florida.

We also believe that the proposal to build transmission lines along the edge of Everglades National Park is a proposal for expansion of growth west and a threat to the health and future of the Everglades and the park. 

Florida Cabinet approves FPL request 

On Tuesday May 13, 2014 the Florida Cabinet approved Florida Power and Light's (FPL) request to build Units 6&7 at Turkey Point and the transmission corridors within Everglades National Park and along US1.

This approval happened over the objections of many Miami Group members who called Governor Scott's office to object to the proposal, or at least wait until FPL received a nuclear operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

This news is disappointing but the battle is not over.

Power Plant Siting Hearings Scheduled for this Summer.

The Power Plant Siting hearing for FPL is scheduled to take this summer and they have just announced the following dates for public comment sessions where you can speak up about Turkey Point Units 6&7 siting issues including the transmission corridors within Everglades National Park and along US1.

Dates and places of meetings are:

Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Keys Gate Golf and Country Club, Banquet Hall
2300 Palm Drive
Homestead, Florida 33055

Thursday, July 18, 2013, 8:30pm to 9:30pm
Coral Gables Youth Center
405 University Drive,
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Miami Airport Convention Center,Room MACC1
711 Northwest 72nd Avenue
Miami 

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Miami Airport Convention Center, Room MACC1
711 Northwest 72nd Avenue
Miami 

Resolution Opposing Site Certification and Operating Licenses for the Construction and Operations of Nuclear Reactors 6 & 7 at the Florida Power and Light Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Homestead, Florida - August 2009.

Florida Power and Light Company is applying to obtain site certifications and operating licenses to construct and operate two nuclear reactors of 1,117-MWe each at its Turkey Point nuclear power generating facility on Biscayne Bay. Although nuclear power produces less CO2 than fossil alternatives, nuclear power is not affordable, or clean with currently available technology, and there are safety concerns with the new plants being on the coast, and within 10 miles of large population centers.

* Construction and operations of the proposed nuclear reactors threaten to degrade water quality and damage the marine ecosystems of Biscayne National Park. In addition, the water usage of the additional units (projected by FPL in 2025 to include a 35% increase for public and commercial needs and a 3000% increase for thermoelectric power generation) is a threat to our aquifers and public water.

* Operations of the proposed nuclear reactors threaten to degrade air quality with excessive chlorides, industrial contaminants, and emerging pollutants of concern (EPOCs) affecting Biscayne National Park, Biscayne Bay, protected coastal wetlands, farms, and populated communities. Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park provides habitat for many threatened and endangered species including the West Indian manatee, eastern indigo snake, piping plover, American crocodile, peregrine falcon, Schaus' swallowtail butterfly, least tern, and 5 species of sea turtle.

* New rock mines, specifically proposed for the construction of the nuclear reactors, threaten private wells and municipal wellfields with salt-water intrusion in the Biscayne Aquifer,

* Construction of the proposed nuclear reactors will involve filling wetlands with limestone to a height of 25.5 feet above sea-level, additional new onsite and offsite facilities, new roads and bridges, new rock mines, new pipeline corridors, new transmission line corridors, and new electrical substations, all of which threaten to degrade valuable restoration benefits of several Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects.

* The long term nuclear waste disposal problems remain unresolved and the new units mean more waste is stored on site.

* The dangers from sea-level rise have been ignored or dismissed. FPL needs to be decommissioning existing radiation contamination and sources before sea level rise and storms spread the contaminants. The sea level rise could put Turkey Point on an island in the coming decades, ultimately swamping the power plant.

Sierra Club Energy Resource Policy states: "The path to a sustainable energy future starts by promoting energy conservation, tapping the enormous resource of energy efficiency, directly reducing dependence on nonrenewable fuels and maximizing the benefits of renewable energy".

Therefore, Be It Resolved, the Sierra Club strongly opposes the site certification and the construction of nuclear reactors 6 & 7 at the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant.

Impassioned crowd tells the National Park Service - Just Say No to FPL!

An impassioned standing-room-only crowd told park managers and a Department of Interior attorney to reject a plan to place 15 story-tall  power lines along the edge of Everglades National Park. Twenty-nine of the 30 public speakers, wearing NO powerline stickers, objected to the 70 powerlines, that Florida Power and Light (FPL) is proposing to install.

The only speaker in favor was FPL.

Superintendent Dan Kimball drew fire from livid park users about why the Park would even consider the action. Some speakers asked if tourists would enjoy coming to a park with an "industrial horizon.” Many asked why the Park had even allowed the situation to get to this point. Others were concerned about what this precedent would mean to other national parks. 

The meeting was the first step of an Environmental Impact Statement to review the plan to envelope the eastern edge of the park with high voltage lines to service two proposed additional nuclear power reactors at Turkey Point. According to a Park report, "...wetland-dependent bird species, such as raptors, wading birds, waterfowl and passerines, are likely to be negatively impacted by the proposed power lines."

The Mayor of Pinecrest Cindy Lerner, whose community is also fighting powerlines, called the Park plan “an aberration" and expressed support for those in the audience. The plan involves swapping the existing utility corridor that the Park has failed to acquire since it expanded 22 years ago. Legislation enabling the Park to pursue the swap that would allow construction of the power lines was placed into the 2009 Omnibus Public Lands bill.

National Groups such as Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Clean Water Action and the Izaak Walton League joined by Tropical Audubon Society spoke against the powerline plan and one organization, South Florida Wildlands Association said it was already preparing to sue. NPCA delivered several boxes full of thousands of comments against the powerline plan. 

- Jonathan Ullman, South Florida/Everglades Organizing Representative, Sierra Club

jonathan.ullman@sierraclub.org

Nuclear Power Plants, Paid for By You

Watch the Sierra Club video, Boondoggle

If the video does not play, go to the Sierra Club You Tube site: Boondoggle w/Ed Asner

Repeal Florida Law that requires you the citizen to pay the $ billions $, the total cost of nuclear reactors for FPL. This is a total 'give away', a nuclear 'subsidy' a gift. These new nuclear reactors will be built at Turkey Point, right on the edge of Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay. 

The Press Weighs in on the Boondoggle

Read "The Plant that may never be" in the Tampa Bay News 

Read "Nuclear Lessons" in the Gainesville Sun 

60 Minutes Report: Fukushima Now Radiating Everyone.

Nuclear vs Solar, No Contest.

Editorial by Bradley Stark

Times are changing. We are heading for a future with less infrastructure and more distributed energy. It is a burden to build/maintain capital intensive infrastructure like nuclear plants (and coal plants). Solar power is cheaper than nuclear and getting cheaper.

We have always known that there is a huge potential liability with nuclear power plants. The problems in Japan have greatly increased awareness of the potential. A partial meltdown just 1/8th of that of Japan would put Florida Power and Light Company in bankruptcy. 

Going forward the money will be in trading energy, not making it. As distributed energy (solar in homes and sides of skyscrapers see http://inhabitat.com/chicagos-willis-tower-to-become-a-vertical-solar-farm/ ) comes more on line, the money will be in trading. Taking solar energy from home owners who do not use it in prime time, selling it at higher retail rates to businesses, and then replacing it with cheaper surplus power in the evening will be more profitable.

Here is an analogy. When AT&T was broken up with anti-trust litigation AT&T had a choice. Keep the long distance lines (most profitable portion of business at that moment) or the 'last mile' of service (the local Bells like BellSouth, Bell Atlantic etc.) AT&T chose long distance and it almost ruined them. They recovered by buying back the Baby Bells (the 'last mile' they had been forced to sell). Of course, today long distance lines are useless as long distance is essentially free. This is how it will be with electricity. Generating power is the long distance lines and the smart grid is the 'last mile', the portion that will make the money.

There are more than a few problems with nuclear power. 

First, it is more expensive than solar power and solar is still falling in price. This is with financial incentives for nuclear such as guaranteed insurance/cost recovery etc. and none for solar, according to a study at Duke University. http://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/NCW-SolarReport_final1.pdf Second, nuclear designs will always fail to anticipate something. For example, FPL is now touting that Turkey Point and St. Lucie reactors can withstand a Category 5 storm surge of 20ft. The problem is, in last 16 years alone 2 hurricanes that came through Florida. Katrina in 2005 had a storm surge of 25-28ft and Opal in 1995 had a storm surge of 24ft. If they had come in near Turkey Point, they would have destroyed Turkey Point and turned it into the disaster that is Japan. See http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ssurge/ssurge_overview.shtml Think about that for a moment. Evacuation and contamination around Turkey Point for a radius of 50 kilometers, meaning every community from Tavernier to Hollywood is uninhabitable.

Some final points to think about.

In Spain all new houses are required to have solar panels.

States other than Florida require utilities to purchase REC (Renewable Energy Credits) from green energy like home solar systems. This forces utilities to off-set environmental footprint and funds home solar systems since homeowners can sell their RECs. 

Why should people pay for the upgrade to the FPL nuclear plant (costs go into the rate base)?

Why subsidize monopolistic electricity by funding FPL nuclear plants when individuals can generate a significant percentage of their own power with solar and also increase the value of their home?

- Bradley Stark

According to the NRC Inspector General Report, US nuclear power plant equipment defects are going unreported.

March 24, 2011. Story on Huffington Post website.

Nuclear Power is Not the Answer.

Sierra Club remains unequivocally opposed to nuclear energy. Although nuclear plants have been in operation for less than 60 years, we now have seen three very serious disasters. 

Tragically, it took a horrific disaster in Japan to remind the world that none of the fundamental problems with nuclear power have ever been addressed. Besides reactor safety, both nuclear proliferation and the required long-term storage of nuclear waste (which remains lethal for more than 100,000 years) make nuclear power a uniquely dangerous energy technology for humanity.

What can you do?

Tell your senators that we need to invest in clean, renewable energy, not dirty, deadly, unsafe and costly nuclear energy. Read more on why nuclear power doesn't make sense. Go to Sierra Club paper on Nuclear Power. 

For stories prior to 2010, see our Sierra Club Miami Conservation Archives