A nuclear waste storage site proposed in this small, eastern Kern County town draws ire from residents
RANDSBURG, Calif. (KGET) — A big project is making noise in the small town of Randsburg, after a flyer made the rounds about nuclear waste.
“We all made copies and we spread them out around town,” said John Sides.
The flyer came from an Orange County entrepreneur who has a vision.
“Just California’s spent fuel could come here to the desert,” Salazar, who owns the land for the proposed storage facility, said. “We watch it until the federal government decides what to do with it.”
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Two miles from Highway 395 sits Rudy Salazar’s 58-acre property. The project faces harsh backlash from the residents of Randsburg. Population: 78.
“No está bien, no está bien,” said Javier Valenzuela Cabrera.
“We don’t want it here,” said John Sides.
“We don’t want your nuclear waste in our backyard,” said DeVerne Wallace.
Salazar wants Randsburg to be a pioneer in nuclear waste storage, moving the waste here, away from the San Onofre Plant in San Diego County.
He says elements like the quartz monzonite and no-fly zone make his land a perfect candidate.
“Randsburg would be on the forefront of being globally responsible with spent fuel and teaching the world how to deal with spent fuel on a regional basis, on how to do it properly,” Salazar said.
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Residents say they’ve seen entrepreneurs come and go, leaving damage behind. DeVerne Wallace’s family has lived in Randsburg for 108 years.
“We don’t want that in our backyard, go take it somewhere else where there are no people, no towns close by. Yeah, we’re not that populated, but by golly we are here,” Wallace said. “I get really irate when people don’t respect this area or respect the locals, and that’s what’s happening.”
For more information on the Randsburg Project click here.
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