The Nuclear Crisis No One Is Talking About
- Media
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
We’ve heard a lot — rightfully — about the Tijuana sewage crisis. But there's another ticking time bomb on our coastline that's getting almost no attention: the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant.
San Onofre was shut down more than a decade ago, but the danger hasn’t gone away. In fact, it’s sitting in plain sight.
Roughly 120 massive canisters of spent nuclear fuel — each one standing over a story tall — are now buried in concrete just 30 yards from the Pacific Ocean, and directly on a fault line. These containers vent heat because the radioactive material inside them remains dangerously active for thousands of years.
And yet — there is no long-term plan to move them. No action from Congress.
This isn’t just a local issue. This is a national failure, decades in the making.
Years ago, after extensive study, Yucca Mountain in Nevada was chosen by Congress as the long-term storage site for nuclear waste across the country. It was vetted for seismic safety, groundwater integrity, and environmental impact. Billions were spent to prepare it.
Then politics got in the way. Senator Harry Reid killed the project. The money was spent.
The hole in the ground still sits empty. And now? San Onofre is forced to become the de facto nuclear storage site.
This is unacceptable.
We can’t keep throwing money at studies or waiting for “someday” solutions. The time for action is now. San Onofre’s nuclear waste must be safely relocated to a federally approved storage facility — before it’s too late.
If we don't act, we’re gambling with the safety of hundreds of thousands of residents in Oceanside, San Clemente, Camp Pendleton — and beyond.
We need Congress to reauthorize Yucca Mountain or find a scientifically sound alternative. We need leadership — not excuses.
I’m fighting to make this a national priority. And I’ll keep pushing until the people of Southern California are no longer forced to live next to radioactive waste.
by San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond | April 28, 2025
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