The lethal legcy of radioactive waste has mounted since 1942, and we don't even know what to do with the first cupful. It's time to stop making it!Radioactive waste wars have been declared, yet again, by the nuclear power industry and its friends in high places.
In the U.S., House Republicans hope to revive the Yucca Mountain dump for high-level radioactive waste, despite Nevada's long-standing objections. Yucca is not only geologically unsuitable, and would leak massively if ever opened, but it is also Western Shoshone Indian land, and they don't want the dump!
Senate Republicans will likely make their own move to resurrect the Yucca dump via an amendment on the Senate floor. See Beyond Nuclear's Yucca Mountain website section for recent updates.
In Canada, the federal Environment Minister will act by September 6th -- but could act at any time -- on the recommendation by the federal Joint Review Panel to approve the environmental assessment, and go forward with licensing the construction and operation of Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) proposed "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive waste dump on the Great Lakes shoreline. See Beyond Nuclear's Canada website section for recent updates.
Please contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative right away. (You can get patched through to your Senators' and Representative's offices via the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121; fax numbers and postal addresses, as well as web forms, can be found at each of your Congress Members' websites, via the links above.)
Urge your Members of Congress to oppose the Yucca Mountain dump's revival, as included in the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations bill, and likely to be introduced as an amendment to the U.S. Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.
Also urge your Congress Members to co-sponsor bipartisan resolutions opposing OPG's Great Lakes shore radioactive waste dump. (In the House, the resolution is H. Res. 194; in the Senate, the resolution is S. Res. 134. See the list of current co-sponsors, below.)
Please also contact President Obama at the White House. Thank him for his long-standing, strong opposition to the Yucca dump, and urge him to continue to stand strong against congressional Republican efforts to revive the cancelled project. Also urge President Obama to take action to stop Canada's Great Lakes shoreline radioactive waste dump, before it's too late, in order to protect the drinking water supply for tens of millions of people on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes, in eight U.S. states (from west to east: MN, WI, IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, NY).
Current co-sponsors of the congressional resolutions opposing Canada's Great Lakes shoreline radioactive waste dump:
U.S. Rep. Kildee (D-MI) has taken the lead in the U.S. House with H. Res. 194, and has been joined by the following 19 co-sponsors: Benishek (R-MI); Bishop (R-MI); Conyers (D-MI); Dingell (D-MI); Dold (R-IL); Duckworth (D-IL); Duffy (R-WI); Fudge (D-OH); Gibson (R-NY); Higgins (D-NY); Joyce (R-OH); Kaptur (D-OH); Lawrence (D-MI); Levin (D-MI); Miller (R-MI); Moolenaar (R-MI); Renacci (R-OH); Schakowsky (D-IL); Slaughter (D-NY); and Trott (R-MI).
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has taken the lead in the U.S. Senate on S. Res. 134, and has been joined by the following four co-sponsors: Baldwin (D-WI); Durbin (D-IL); Kirk (R-IL); and Peters (D-MI).