Alert! Comment by midnight March 6, 2017 on OPG's "additional information"

Action alert by Kay Cumbow and Great Lakes Environmental Alliance (GLEA):

Hi everyone,

Great Lakes Environmental Alliance (GLEA) has posted key documents/websites with information on the current public comment period to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) on “additional information” provided by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) on their proposed deep underground dump for "low" and "intermediate" radioactive wastes from their 20 Ontario reactors. The additional information was requested by the new Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna.

This dump is proposed to be built deep under Lake Huron’s shores in the Municipality* of Kincardine, Ontario, and adjacent to land occupied by the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station and the Western Waste Management Facility, which together make up the world's largest nuclear facility. The entrance to the dump would be less than a mile from Lake Huron - waters shared by communities in the U.S. and Canada, many First Nations, U.S. Tribes and other Indigenous Peoples as well as wildlife and aquatic freshwater ecosystems. The Great Lakes hold roughly 90% of surface fresh waters in North America. The United States Geological Survey states freshwater is only 3% of the Earth's total water and only .3% of that is available at the surface. 40 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, for fisheries, agriculture, recreation and tourism.

*To my understanding a Municipality is roughly akin to a county in the U.S., though can be larger.

Here is the February 2016 letter from Minister to OPG requiring additional information from OPG
OPG's "additional information" is posted here: CEAR # 2883  (This is what the public is commenting on.)

Finally, here is the CEAA's Public Registry  on the proposed deep underground dump – a wealth of information and questions from intervenors, commenters throughout the Great Lakes, government officials, public hearings and documents from the proponent (OPG).                        

It is best if comments are written in your own words and certainly you are welcome to tell in your introduction who you are, what your connection to the Great Lakes is and why this proposed dump concerns you. Then, do focus on at least part of the information OPG has written and whether or not they have answered the Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s questions adequately. SOS Great Lakes and Northwatch's Updated Backgrounder (both posted below) have good information on this.

Comments will be accepted if they are emailed by midnight of March 6, 2017, or if they have a postmark of March 6, 2017.

Mail to:
Deep Geologic Repository Project Project Manager
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor, Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
Email to:
CEAA.DGR.Project-Projet.DGR.ACEE@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

Here are the posted resources. Thank you to GLEA!

Resources for Understanding OPG's Proposed Nuclear Dump

LINKS TO IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING [THIS COMMENT PERIOD RE:] THE PROPOSED NUCLEAR DUMP ON LAKE HURON

Burying Nuclear Waste at Bruce NGS  www.bruce-nuclear-waste-burial.ca

Northwatch:
Updated Backgrounder(02/2017)

Northwatch also posted a webinar from February 14 on this issue with Jill Taylor (SOS Great Lakes) and John Jackson, long-time Great Lakes activist.

Recording of February 2017 Webinar

Other key NGO resources:

SOS Great Lakes - http://www.sosgreatlakes.org/
Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump - http://www.stopthegreatlakesnucleardump.com/
Beyond Nuclear - www.beyondnuclear.org/Canada
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility - www.ccnr.org (Do a search for OPG's proposed DGR)
Northwatch - www.northwatch.org/
Know Nuclear Waste - http://www.knownuclearwaste.ca/ (focused mainly on high level waste or irradiated fuel in Canada, but has some information on OPG's proposed DGR)

 Other key documents (also listed in my message above):

The CEAA's Public Registry  on the proposed deep underground dump                            
The February 2016 letter from Minister to OPG requiring additional information from OPG
OPG's "additional information" is posted here: CEAR # 2883