The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal to pursue partnerships with national laboratories on resolving issues with spent nuclear fuel stored at the closed San Onofre plant. The motion by Supervisor Jim Desmond directs county staff to bring back partnershi p and policy options within 90 days, including any possible costs and potential funding sources. The plan also calls on the county to work with such entities as Southern California Edison, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy. Located in northwest San Diego County near the Orange County border, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was operated for 45 years, starting in 1968. It went offline in June 2013 “due to excessive vibrations and other issues that degraded tubes in the steam generators,” according to county officials. Desmond said that reprocessing spent fuel “could unlock enormous amounts of energy.” He mentioned the Sunday 3.1 earthquake near San Clemente in Orange County, which poses further safety risks. “It’s time we used technology to make our communities safer, reduce costs and hopefully give (residents) a break,” Desmond added. In a statement later Tuesday, Desmond said the board’s approval marks a turning point. “For years, we’ve been told there’s nothing we can do about the nuclear waste sitting on our coastline,” Desmond said. “I refuse to accept that. “ “Californians pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and when energy is expensive, everything is expensive: food, housing (and) transportation,” he added. Supervisor Paloma Aguirre thanked Desmond for his proposal, and suggested that communities along any transport route for spent fuel need to be fully informed. Aguirre said there should be rigorous safeguards to protect workers and nearby residents, and support for related legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Clemente. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less