Beyond Nuclear submits written submission opposing Canadian Great Lakes radioactive waste dump

The proposed location for the DUD, less than a mile from the Great Lakes shoreBeyond Nuclear's Radioactive Waste Watchdog, Kevin Kamps, filed a written submission by the arbitrarily short deadline of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)/Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) Joint Review Panel overseeing the Environmental Assessment on Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. This preserves Beyond Nuclear's opportunity to submit oral testimony at the JRP's next -- and likely final -- round of public hearings on the DGR, to be held in Kincardine, Ontario this September.

Kevin also testified at the JRP's previous hearings in Kincardine in Sept. 2013.

Dave Martin of Greenpeace Canada coined the acronym DUD (for Deep Underground Dump), to reflect the inanity -- not to mention insanity -- of the proposal.

OPG wants to bury all the "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive wastes ever generated at Ontario's nearly two-dozen atomic reactors -- a total of 9 reactors at Bruce (including the Douglas Point prototype); 8 reactors at Pickering, just east of Toronto; and 4 reactors at Darlington, a bit further east of Pickering.

In fact, all of the province's reactors have already exported their "low" level radioactive wastes to Bruce, over the past 40+ years. There, incredibly enough, with little to no public notification (especially in the U.S.), they have been incinerated. Little to no information is publicly available as to how bad the radioactive emissions from this nuclear waste incineration have been.

However, hazardous tritium (a radioactive form of hydrogen) saturates even "low" level radioactive wastes (LLRW), and cannot be filtered at an industrial scale, because of its infinitesmally small size. Thus, it is likely that a large part of the tritium contained in Ontario's "low" level radioactive wastes have been discharged to the atmosphere, compliments of the radioactive waste incinerator at Bruce.

Thus, it is the resulting ash from LLRW incineration at Bruce that OPG wants to now bury. This radioactive ash, as well as Bruce's own "intermediate" level radioactive wastes, have been stored for decades on-site at the Western Waste Management Facility (WWMF). The entrance tunnel to the DGR would be excavated immediately next to the WWMF, less than a mile from Lake Huron. The Great Lakes are the drinking water supply for 40 million people in 8 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American/First Nations.

What can you do to stop this insane dump? If you haven't already, please sign the petition to Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump. If you have already signed it, please forward the link to everyone you know.

You can also urge your town, county, or state/province to oppose the DGR, by passing an official resolution, as dozens of others from Minnesota in the west to Ontario in the east already have.

Lastly, you can express your opposition to the DUD in writing, either via email or snail mail. Be sure to note your remarks are re: OPG's DGR, and send them in to:

Snail mail:

Joint Review Panel Secretariat

C/O Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

160 Elgin St., 22nd Floor

Ottawa ON  K1A 0H3

CANADA

or

Email: DGR.Review@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

Beyond Nuclear's "Canada" website section contains many postings with additional information and updates on the resistance to the DUD (as well as other Canadian anti-nuke news)!

Update on July 31, 2014 by admin

Beverly Fernandez, spokesperson for Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear DumpAs reported on the website of Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump, the following three Michigan municipalities passed resolutions against the DUD on July 21st and 22nd:

City of Croswell [Sanilac County] July 22, 2014;
Clay Township [St. Clair County] July 21, 2014;
City of Lapeer [Lapeer County] July 21, 2014.

If your community has not yet passed a resolution against the DUD, please urge your city or county council to do so right away! The Great Lakes represent over 20% of the world's surface fresh water, and over 90% of North America's surface fresh water!

Also, on July 29th, Michigan State Senator Phil Pavlov (R-25th District) hosted a "Save Our Great Lakes Home" town hall meeting opposing the DUD. Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump's spokesperson, Beverly Fernandez, was the keynote speaker (beginning at the 12 minute 40 second mark, ending at the 41 minute 25 second mark).

The Voice reported on the town hall meeting.

The Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump petition has garnered nearly 65,000 signatures thus far. If you have not already signed it, please do. If you have signed it, please pass the link on to everyone you know!

Update on August 7, 2014 by admin

The Times Herald has reported on this story, in an Aug. 2nd article by Beth LeBlanc entitled "Michigan legislators, residents protest nuclear waste facility on shores of Lake Huron."

So has the Toronto Star, in a column by Thomas Walkom entitled "Lake Huron nuclear dump scheme in trouble."

On Aug. 6th, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) have notified Beyond Nuclear's Radioactive Waste Watchdog, Kevin Kamps, that they will grant him 10 minutes to testify before the federal Joint Review Panel (JRP), at what are likely to be the last round of Environmental Assessment hearings on the proposed DUD, to be held in Kincardine, Ontario beginning on Sept. 9th.

Kevin presented 30 minutes of testimony last Sept. at the JRP's initial round of public hearings on the DUD in Kincardine.

Update on August 28, 2014 by admin

Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps submitted his powerpoint by the August 25th deadline, to be presented at his Sept. 16th appearance before the JRP.