Troubled trail ahead for San Onofre’s spent nuclear fuel

Landslides have forced the closure of the seven-mile stretch of railroad through San Clemente multiple times in recent years .

Transit planners are working to determine how much longer the seaside tracks can be maintained.

Some residents, mostly people who live near the tracks, have suggested the entire segment from downtown San Diego through southern Orange County should be shut down.

More than 310 million tons of waste has been shipped by rail and truck from the decommissioned San Onofre plant so far.

Most of the waste generated so far from the demolition is considered Class A, the lowest level of radioactive material.

Nearly all of that goes by rail to a disposal site in Clive , Utah , and Class B and C waste goes to a site in Andrews , Texas .

An explosion at the storage site could spread radioactive material across a wide area.

The facilities are designed to withstand natural disasters such as an earthquake or a tsunami.

One exception is the possibility of a terrorist attack, he said.

“You have to protect that material from being attacked and the industry doesn’t want to spend a lot of money guarding this thing just sitting there,” Lyman said.