Re “Jim Desmond’s smart idea on removing San Onofre’s nuclear waste” (Jan. 2): I applaud Supervisor Desmond. The concept of recycling spent nuclear fuel is not new. As pointed out, France has been successfully doing it for many decades. Other countries have been doing it for a long time as well.
Spent nuclear fuel is not “waste”; rather, it’s a valuable resource as well over 90% of it is reusable. It is already noted as being a desirable resource with the soon-to-be-available Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) — clean, safe, lower cost providers of much needed electricity 24-7.
Enterprising politicians and those concerned about the safety of the material may want to consider selling it below market value today rather than having the burden of expense for storing it. I’d prefer to see it reprocessed.
— Gary Flynn, Carlsbad