Action Alert - Due Aug 29, 2016 - Letter of Support to Nominate Radionuclides as a Chemical of Mutual Concern in the Great Lakes under the GLWQA

The Great LakesDear Colleagues,

Fe de Leon at the Canadian Environmental Law Association has asked us to circulate the action alert below. Apologies for the short notice, but please note that letters of support even after the August 29th deadline would still be valuable. If your group was one of the 110 organizations that already signed on last March, you don't need to send another letter of support now. (See the link above to check if your group already signed on in March, if you don't remember.) But if your group has not yet signed on, this is your organization's chance to do a letter of support and help this important cause in that way.

Please take action as soon as you can, and spread the word to other organizations which and individuals who would be interested. Note that whatever source the radioactivity comes from -- uranium mines, uranium mills, uranium processing facilities, nuclear fuel fabrication, atomic reactors, radioactive waste storage sites, radioactive waste dumps, nuclear materials and radioactive waste transports, etc., most to all of which takes place in the Great Lakes Basin, unfortunately -- this effort urges the U.S. and Canadian governments to officially address the risks as a Chemical of Mutual Concern in the Great Lakes, under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Please take this action to protect the Great Lakes -- 84% of North America's surface fresh water, 21% of the world's surface fresh water, and drinking water supply for 40 million people in eight U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American First Nations. Thanks.

Kevin Kamps, Beyond Nuclear and Don't Waste Michigan

Action Alert

Letter of Support to Nominate Radionuclides as a Chemical of Mutual Concern in the Great Lakes under the GLWQA

Due Date: Aug 29, 2016

Dear Colleagues,  

We are sending you this email to seek your support in the nomination of radionuclides as a chemical of mutual concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), Annex 3, Part B, Sec. 2. On March 2, 2016, over 110 organizations and advocacy groups signed an open letter to the Great Lakes Executive Committee (GLEC) Co-Chairs in support of the nomination. As Parties to the GLWQA, the United States and Canadian governments will review the nomination of radionuclides in the upcoming months. 

We would appreciate if you could share this Action Alert with your lists or members who may consider submitting a letter in support of the nomination of radionuclides under the GLWQA to the US and Canadian governments.

A letter of support would play an important role in highlighting the concern expressed by the groups which submitted the nomination for radionuclides in March 2016, and in stressing to the governments that it is critical for them to take preventive action to protect the Great Lakes from risks posed by radionuclides – through designating them as a Chemical of Mutual Concern.

The due date to send a letter of support is August 29, 2016. We appreciate that summer is a busy time for families with vacations and scheduling challenges; please be assured that if you are only able to send in your letter of support later on in September, it will still be reviewed and considered. Please keep us in BCC when sending your letter, or forward us a copy if it has already been submitted, so that we can keep track of the letters sent. 

[Linked here] you will find the NGO nomination letter signed by 110 groups along with a report prepared for CELA by John Jackson, titled “Radionuclides as a Chemical of Mutual Concern in the Great Lakes Basin,” and a sample letter which may provide a helpful framework. We have also included copies of letters that were submitted by the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and Great Lakes Fishery Commission in support of the nomination of radionuclides. 

Thank you for your consideration and support. Should you have any questions with this request, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely, 

Fe de Leon (deleonf@cela.ca), and 

John Jackson (jjackson@web.ca)

Canadian Environmental Law Association
55 University Avenue,15th Floor
Toronto, ON
M5J 2H7

Toll free: 1-844-755-1420

Tel.: 416-960-2284 (ext. 7223 for Fe de Leon)

Fax: 416-960-9392

CELA at www.cela.ca