How is the facility protected from fires?
First, the PFS facility will be surrounded by a 100-yard wide barrier of crested wheat grass that would resist the progress of any wildfire moving through Skull Valley. Second, the area where the spent fuel will be stored at the facility will have a fireproof surface of crushed rock and a buffer zone of more than 150 feet between the edge of the crushed rock and the closest spent fuel storage cask. The buffer zone would prevent a fire from reaching any of the casks or from causing damage elsewhere at the facility. Furthermore, there will be no flammable materials near the casks that could ignite and cause damage to them. Finally, the casks in which the spent nuclear fuel rods will be enclosed will be constructed of steel and concrete with walls 2-feet thick. They are capable of being engulfed by a fire at a temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit for at least half an hour without suffering any significant damage. Based on scientific observation of real and simulated wildfires, the maxi
