Story Ideas

Samuel Laurence Foundation Story Ideas shares compelling, evidence-based stories on nuclear safety and environmental health, designed to spark ideas, support reporting, and inform public dialogue.

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Silent Threats, Unseen Risks: The Public Safety Gap at San Onofre

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station may be decommissioned, but its spent fuel remains a pressing hazard.

Golden State Pride: CalEnviroScreen

CalEnviroScreen is a mapping tool that has become the shining example for how to best track where inequity and environmental injustice meet. A look back at how the CalEPA set an international standard for determining where the most need for environmental action is.

Regulatory Blind Spots: Who Really Protects Us at San Onofre?

The decommissioning of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2015 transferred emergency responsibility from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Southern California Edison and local agencies. While intended to streamline management, this shift has created a complex web of regulatory gaps that experts say leaves millions of residents at risk.

Surfing on the Edge: Recreation Meets Risk at San Onofre

San Onofre State Beach, known for its waves and wide sandy shores, draws surfers, campers, and families year-round. Yet few visitors realize that beneath the scenic cliffs lies one of the country’s largest nuclear waste storage sites. The decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station houses millions of pounds of spent nuclear fuel in canisters located just steps from the Pacific Ocean.

Buried in Plain Sight: America’s Forgotten Nuclear Waste

Across the U.S., shuttered nuclear plants leave behind a toxic inheritance: spent nuclear fuel with no permanent home. This waste is not just inconvenient; it remains hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years, far beyond any human planning horizon. Yet, in the absence of a national repository, utilities store it onsite in steel canisters or concrete casks, often near water, sometimes in areas vulnerable to natural disasters.

Democracy and Disasters: Why Voting Matters in High-Risk Zone

Natural and man-made disasters often seem beyond local control. But in high-risk zones, from wildfire-prone hillsides to coastal nuclear sites, civic participation may be the strongest form of protection.