"Too risky to bury nuclear waste near Great Lakes"

MI State Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair)Michigan State Senator Phil Pavlov (Republican-St. Clair, photo left) has responded to the Detroit News editorial board's pro-dump position with a rebuttal letter to the editor.

While Beyond Nuclear absolutely disagrees with State Senator Pavlov's call for dumping radioactive wastes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, we absolutely agree with his opposition to a Yucca Mountain dump in the heart of the Great Lakes!

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) also rebutted the Detroit News editorial board's "Alas in Atomic Blunderland" pro-dump editorial, a few days earlier.

Take action! Help stop Canada's proposed radioactive waste dump targeted at the Great Lakes shore!

OPG's radioactive waste dump would be located about 3/4ths of a mile from the waters of Lake Huron, unless we stop it!Check out Beyond Nuclear's action alert on things you can do to help stop Ontario Power Generation's proposed radioactive waste dump targeted at the Lake Huron shoreline.

For updates, and to learn more about this "fight of our lives," and for our lives, check out the entries below on Beyond Nuclear's "Canada" website section.

Another great place to learn more about this issue is at Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump's website.

Please take action today, to protect 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 from the risk of radioactive contamination! The Great Lakes are 21% of the world's surface fresh water, and around 85% of North America's surface fresh water! The Great Lakes shoreline is the last place on Earth to bury radioactive wastes!

"Sum of Us" has launched a new petition against Canada's Great Lakes shore radioactive waste dump!

Sum of Us ("Fighting for people over profits") has launched a new petition against Ontario Power Generation's proposal to bury radioactive waste on the Lake Huron shoreline at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, putting the Great Lakes drinking water supply for 40 million people at risk.

The petition simply reads: "Leona Aglukkaq: don't let Ontario Power Generation dump nuclear waste at Lake Huron. The Great Lakes are part of our heritage and should not be put at risk of radioactive contamination."

Aglukkaq is the Canadian federal Environment Minister, part of conservative Prime Minister Steven Harper's cabinet. She is scheduled to make the final recommendation on the so-called Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) by Dec. 2, 2015.

The petition has already garnered well over 50,000 signatures, and is well on its way to reaching its goal of 75,000 signatures. Check out the Sum of Us background on the petition, then please add your name, and spread the word!

"Rep. Kildee: Great Lakes, nuclear storage don't mix"

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)U.S. Representative Dan Kildee (D-MI, photo left) has published an op-ed in the Detroit News, rebutting an "Alas, in Atomic Blunderland" editorial the paper recently published in favor of Canada's proposed shoreline radioactive waste dump, as the "best option" for the Great Lakes.

The Flint Democrat concludes his op-ed:

As a congressman representing Michigan, I take my job of protecting the Great Lakes seriously. Whether it's from Asian Carp, invasive species, or now, the threat of nuclear waste, we have a sacred obligation to future generations to protect the Great Lakes from harm. Our vast water resources are a natural beauty and an economic engine for our state, and threatening their vitality is not good for the U.S. or Canada.

Sen. Kirk urges EPA to protect the Great Lakes against "devastating impact" of proposed Canadian shoreline radioactive waste dump

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (Republican-IL), a long-time defender of the Great Lakes, has written the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Gina McCarthy, and cc'd the EPA Region 5 (HQ'd in Chicago) Administrator, Susan Hedman, demanding action against Canada's proposed radioactive waste dump on the Great Lakes shoreline. (See a PDF copy of the letter, here.)

Sen. Kirk wrote:

"As the Environmental Protection Agency plans to convene with officials from Environment Canada for the binational Great Lakes Executive Committee meetings in Chicago this week, I am resending the letter I sent to President Obama and forwarded to you on May 22, requesting an immediate environmental analysis to be conducted by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to assess the impacts of the proposed permanent nuclear waste repository on the Great Lakes shoreline in Canada. This Administration should block any Canadian plan to contaminate the water for 30 million Americans. The livelihood and health of millions of people in Illinois are dependent on the Great Lakes and I urge you to protect them in these disucssions.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement reaffirms the shared principles of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, emphasizing the commitment of our two countries to protecting the Great Lakes. I urge you to discuss this issue with your Canadian counterparts and urge them to carefully consider the devastating impact this proposal would have on the drinking water of 40 million people, 30 million Americans and 10 million Canadians..."