DOE Dishes Constructive Criticism For SRS

Jackson, SC—For more than 20 years, James Gilbert has lived just outside the gates of the Savannah River Site, in Jackson, South Carolina. He says the “nuclear” buzzword that surrounds the Site has never before made him feel insecure.

James Gilbert, Jackson, SC: “I feel safe with my daughter working there, and I feel safe with us living nearby.“

But a recent audit done by the Site’s parent, the Department of Energy, has some residents upset, even worried.

Michael Ennis, Jackson, SC: “I stay just down the street and that really concerns me.”

A report out last month claims SRS did not meet several safety standards, especially when it comes to their multi-billion dollar MOX facility project.

In the audit, an inspector found work on the MOX facility “sub-standard”, “costly”, and “time consuming”....and goes on to say that the worst-case scenario of these faults going undetected, could have led to injuries, to both workers, and the public.

Ennis: “I think about it all the time, because it’s right down the street, and they’ve got all those chemicals and everything.“

The report says an oversight at the Site’s salt processing project “could have resulted in a spill of up to 15,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste.“

And to a long-time believer in the site’s safety, that’s something that simply must be corrected, to keep his faith.

Gilbert: “There’s many people and many families that depend on that for their livelihood. The community depends on the people that work out there. So anything goes wrong, I would like to see it fixed.“

We tried to reach someone at SRS to ask if those problems were fixed. No one was available for an interview; however, we were told the Site is pro-active in identifying and resolving issues, and has responded to the audit.

We were told no one living in the area has any reason to worry.