Saugeen Ojibwe Nation votes to block two of three radioactive waste dumps targeted at Great Lakes shoreline!

Beyond Nuclear wishes to express our heartfelt congratulations and thanks to the Saugeen Ojibwe Nation (S.O.N.) for its courage and wisdom. See the S.O.N. vote results, as well as press release. S.O.N., by an 86% margin, turned down Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) offer of $150 million, in exchange for the First Nation of less than 5,000 people agreeing to "host" a provincial dump-site. The dump would have been less than a mile from the Lake Huron shore. It would have been for so-called "low-," and highly radioactive "intermediate-," level radioactive wastes (L&ILRWs) from 20 atomic reactors. OPG proposed that 200,000 cubic meters of L&ILRW be buried at deep geologic repository #1 (DGR1), at its Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (BNGS) in Kincardine, on S.O.N. territory. But OPG was forced to admit that its DGR3, for another 200,000 cubic meters of L&ILRWs, from decommissioning its nuclear power plants, was also targeted at BNGS, instantly doubling the size of the dump. However, unfortunately, DGR2, for all of Canada's high-level radioactive waste (many tens of thousands of tons of irradiated nuclear fuel), is still targeted at S.O.N. country, just 20-some miles from BNGS. So the fight goes on, but the S.O.N. have shown that these dumps can, and must, be stopped.  

 

A large U.S.-Canadian coalition of environmental groups, including Beyond Nuclear, as well as elected officials and municipalities representing the majority of the Great Lakes Basin's population, stand ready to continue to join with S.O.N., to block DGR2 as well, and to shut down BNGS. The Great Lakes (see photo from outer space, above) need protection against a large array of reactor and radioactive waste risks -- they represent 21% of the world's surface fresh water, and 84% of North America's, and they serve as drinking water supply for 40+ million people in eight U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American First Nations. After all, as Ojibwe wisdom has long taught, water is life; and S.O.N. has given us all the precious gift of showing that such daunting battles can be won. For extensive media coverage in the immediate aftermath of the S.O.N. vote, and links to other groups fighting against radioactive waste dumps on the Great Lakes shore, see this link. See updates since, as well as media coverage of the lead up to the vote (including S.O.N. anti-dump statements, and even tribal marches), at Beyond Nuclear's Canada website section. And see what you can do to help, in both the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate! Please take action, and spread the word!