Increasing Public Engagement On The Issue of Nuclear Waste In The USA. Defense Paper (eBook)

Internship Report from the year 2019 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: 4.0, University of Miami, course: Internship, language: English, abstract: This work analysis an internship at a watchdog program against nuclear dumping at San Onofre and discusses some strategies to mobilize people. Marketing actions are the focus.

Public engagement in environmental and public safety decisions are critical in maintaining and preserving National and State parks. Maintaining regulations regarding safety practices of active nuclear power plants and decommissioning power plants are necessary for the safety of nearby communities, protection of surrounding wildlife and the prevention of a major nuclear accident. As fossil fuels are a known major contributor to climate change, the use of nuclear power around the world, and in the United States, is a topic of controversy. Nuclear power in the U.S. accounts for more than 30% of the world’s nuclear generated electricity. Citizens and policy makers often dispute whether nuclear power is, or could be in the future, a sufficient alternative to fossil fuels.

Less understood by the public is the issue of what can be done with nuclear waste generated from nuclear power plants. It is often misconstrued that those advocating for safe disposal and transportation of nuclear waste are against nuclear power, which is another issue, yet not separate from the topic of nuclear waste disposal. The San Onofre State Beach Park in San Onofre, California is the home of the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) and the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) where nuclear waste is being “temporarily” stored. The corporation in charge of both sites, Southern California Edison, has obscured and intentionally concealed important facts regarding public safety.

The public has the right to know what is happening at the sites because it is a critical matter of public safety. The public cannot push for policy change on behalf of the safety of those nearby and the environment without an understanding of what Southern California Edison is actually doing with the nuclear waste. Public Watchdogs of San Diego is working diligently to accomplish two things; to expose the truth of what is happening at the San Onofre State Beach Park and to stop the completion of a substandard ‘temporary’ storage solution that could potentially endanger all life in Southern California. The devastating repercussions of a nuclear accident at the San Onofre State Beach Park could last for thousands of years.