Fukushima storage plan

 February 5, 2014

Fukushima governor proposes new waste storage plan

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140205_32.html

The governor of Japan's Fukushima Prefecture says he will propose that storage facilities for highly radioactive waste be built in 2 of its municipalities, not 3 as requested by the central government.

Yuhei Sato was speaking on Wednesday about a storage plan that the government in Tokyo announced in December.

The plan calls on the prefecture and the 3 municipalities to allow building of intermediate storage facilities in Okuma, Futaba and Naraha towns. It says the government will buy 19 square kilometers of land in the towns for construction sites.

Sato said he told officials of the 3 towns about his idea of asking the government to drop Naraha from the plan.

He noted that putting the facilities in the 2 other towns would help in rebuilding areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Sato said Okuma and Futaba town officials told him that all municipalities around the plant should discuss the matter apart from whether they will accept construction of facilities. The governor said he wants to hear from them soon.

Naraha has already rejected accepting radioactive debris. It says it's preparing to allow former residents of the town to return after government designation of it as an area where radiation levels are relatively low.

Sato says he wants to ask the government to discuss an alternative storage plan after making arrangements with mayors of municipalities around the plant.

Feb. 5, 2014 - Updated 10:44 UTC

Fukushima gov. to propose storage facilities for radioactive soil in 2 towns

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140205p2a00m0na014000c.html

FUKUSHIMA -- Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato is poised to submit a plan to the central government to build interim storage facilities for radioactive soil in two towns where radiation levels remain high.

Sato informed Okuma Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe and Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa that he intended to urge the national government to build interim storage facilities in their towns. He came up with the proposal after the fellow candidate town of Naraha, where the radiation level is relatively low, refused to accept radioactive waste. The prefectural government would reduce the volume of waste before storing it in the two towns. Watanabe and Izawa withheld their answers on whether to accept the governor's proposal.

Sato explained to the mayors that reducing the scale of the facilities would be an essential part of recovery of the Futaba county following the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster. The two mayors, on the other hand, said the integration of the facilities and the decision on whether or not to accept construction in their towns were separate issues. Futaba Mayor Izawa said that he would make a decision after consulting with town assembly members and residents.

At the end of last year, the Ministry of the Environment proposed a plan to build facilities in towns of Okuma, Futaba and Naraha to store 22 million to 28 million cubic meters of contaminated soil for 30 years.

In both Okuma and Futaba, areas where 96 percent of residents previously lived have been designated as zones where return will be "difficult." This designation applies to areas where the yearly radiation dosage exceeds 50 millisieverts. Meanwhile, in Naraha, all the areas in which residents lived have been designated as "areas preparing to lift evacuation orders" (with a yearly radiation level less than 20 millisieverts), and the municipal government aims to present possible dates for residents' return as early as this spring. At the same time, opposition to building interim storage facilities in the town has grown strong among residents who hope to return.