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Proposal for World's Largest Nuclear Power Plant and Nuclear Waste Dump Near Lake Huron Close to Approval
Ontario Power Generation is close to receiving approval - without a review from an independent environmental assessment panel - for an underground radioactive waste dump in Bruce County, Ontario, a mere one kilometre (half a mile) from the shore of Lake Huron. In fact, for the first time, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is on the board of review and environmentalists are concerned this will bias decision-making in favour of a pro-nuclear position, despite the risks.
"The Ontario government wants to build a nuclear waste dump on the shores of the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. There are serious risks involved in doing this and we want to ensure a full and independent assessment of what the consequences will be, free of bias from the nuclear establishment," said Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.
"An independent panel is one that has no conflict of interest because its members are not involved in promoting, defending, or licensing nuclear facilities," Edwards continued.
"People from across the Great Lakes region will be living with the consequences of this decision for thousands of years. Their voices, and not only those in favour of nuclear power, must be heard," said Michael Keegan of the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes. "The public deserves an independent and accountable environmental assessment. It is crucial that citizens engage strongly today to ensure their voices are heard during the environmental assessment."
The proposal involves building a deep repository beneath the Bruce Nuclear plant site near Kincardine, Ontario. The largest nuclear power plant in North America, it is looking to build new reactors which could make it the largest nuclear power plant in the world. The dump site would contain all radioactive wastes, except spent radioactive fuel, from Ontario's twenty nuclear reactors. Waste to be stored includes transuranic radionuclides, such as plutonium, contaminated filters from irradiated fuel pools; thousands of highly radioactive metallic pipes and other contaminated items.
"Siting a nuclear waste dump right next to the drinking water supply of over 30 million Canadians and Americans is a disaster waiting to happen" Stated Ziggy Kleinau, Co-ordinator with Citizens for Renewable Energy.
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Public comment is accepted until June 18th. The documents under review and writing and email contacts to submit comments can be found online at: http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/DocHTMLContainer_e.cfm?DocumentID=26204
For more information, contact Michael Keegan with the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes at mkeeganj@comcast.net or Ziggy Kleinau with Citizens for Renewable Energy at cfre@web.ca
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