It’s Time to Speak Up to Protect the Coastline

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Editor:

Like many fellow Laguna Indy readers, I was raised in Laguna Beach and am deeply protective of both our city’s natural beauty and wonderful community.

The thought of losing my hometown to a nuclear accident is heartbreaking. Much analysis has suggested that the tragedy of Fukushima was preventable. Had the plant’s owner and the Japanese regulator followed international best practices, they could have upgraded the plant in accordance with the highest safety protocols and allowed it to withstand the massive tsunami. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20.

We have an opportunity now to learn from mistakes of the past and prevent being unprepared in the future. We have a few options: we can use a less expensive underground nuclear waste experimental storage system (currently in approval), or we can use a more expensive system that has a track record of withstanding natural disasters.

Even more importantly, the ultimate goal is to move the spent fuel away from the Southern California coast. But in order to move it, the fuel needs to be in stored moveable canisters now. The proposed system may not allow for this. The alternative system certainly will. I think Laguna is worth protecting with all our might and we must speak up.

I am proud of my courageous mother, Rita Conn, and her fellow protestors, for bringing light to this issue. It is not easy to challenge the status quo or stand up for what is right. It is easy to feel small and powerless against the system. But I have seen individuals come together, demand action, fight for what is right, and achieve great change. We all can fight together for this obvious opportunity to protect our future. It’s your turn now – speak up.

Lisa Conn, Cambridge, Mass.

 

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