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! 

2/5/20: Beyond Nuclear on Sputnik International's "Loud & Clear"

Ian Zabarte speaks at a Native American Nuclear Issues Forum he organized at University of Nevada at Las Vegas.https://www.spreaker.com/user/radiosputnik/beyond-nuclear-with-kevin-kamps_84

This episode features Ian Zabarte, Principal Man of the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation of Indians, and Secretary of the Native Community Action Council, based in Las Vegas, NV.

Ian discusses the Treaty of Ruby Valley of 1863 between the Western Shoshone and the United States of America, its violation by nuclear weapons testing in Nevada since 1951, and the further threat of high-level radioactive waste dumping at Yucca Mountain. All the environmental justice violations must stop!

Listen to an earlier joint appearance on Sputnik's "Loud & Clear" by Ian Zabarte and Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps, below. Also posted there is a write up Sputnik did about Ian's revelations on the show.

Update on February 11, 2020 by admin

11/27/19: Beyond Nuclear on Sputnik International's "Loud & Clear"

https://www.spreaker.com/user/radiosputnik/beyond-nuclear-with-kevin-kamps_78

Hosts Brian Becker and Nicole Roussell are joined by Ian Zabarte, Principal Man of the Western Bands of Shoshone Indians, and Secretary of the Native Community Action Council, as well as Beyond Nuclear's Radioactive Waste Specialist, Kevin Kamps.

A good part of the discussion was about the Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste dump, targeted at Western Shoshone Indian land in Nevada.

Update on December 3, 2019

See the article by Sputnik News, with links to additional background info.:

‘Environmental Racism’: US Ignores Native Land Claims, Safety Studies by Pushing Nevada Nuclear Dump

As reported by Sputnik. See the link to the "Beyond Nuclear" interview, by "Loud & Clear," with Beyond Nuclear's radioactive waste specialist Kevin Kamps, and Western Bands of the Shoshone Indians principal man Ian Zabarte. Zabarte also serves as secretary of Native Community Action Council.

High-level nuclear waste storage vessels could degrade much faster than previously thought

As posted at the State of NV Agency for Nuclear Projects' "What's News?" webpage:

Updated - Tuesday, February 04, 2020

• Physics World - High-level nuclear waste storage vessels could degrade much faster than previously thought

Updated - Monday, February 03, 2020

• Science News - The containers the U.S. plans to use for nuclear waste storage may corrode - By Maria Temming
• Futurism - Nuclear Waste Storage Containers Break Down When Exposed To Water - Dan Robitzski

Updated - Friday, January 31, 2020

• Exchange Monitor - Study Finds Corrosion Potential in High-Level Waste Disposal - By Exchange Monitor

As the Exchange Monitor article reports:

“In the real-life scenario, the glass or ceramic waste forms would be in close contact with stainless steel canisters,” lead author Xiaolei Guo, deputy director of the university’s Center for Performance and Design of Nuclear Waste Forms and Containers, said in the release. “Under specific conditions, the corrosion of stainless steel will go crazy. It creates a super-aggressive environment that can corrode surrounding materials.”

Note that the articles are referring to post-reprocessing high-level radioactive waste. After irradiated nuclear fuel is turned into liquid high-level radioactive waste (for fissile plutonium and fissile uranium re-use), it would be re-solidified for ultimate disposal. This has already happened at West Valley, NY. But it has yet to happen at Hanford, WA; Idaho Nat'l Lab; and Savannah River Site, SC.

As also reported in the ExchangeMonitor article:

The Department of Energy is responsible for 11,655 metric tons of defense high-level radioactive waste from production of plutonium and other nuclear-weapon materials, along with 2,195 metric tons of defense spent nuclear fuel, the Government Accountability Office said in 2017. It also holds a small amount of commercial high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel, totaling 379 metric tons.

The "11,655 metric tons of defense high-level radioactive waste from production of plutonium and other nuclear-weapon materials" is what would be re-solidified, in either glass form (vitrification) or ceramic form. Such waste forms are the subject matter of the technical study, and consequent news coverage above.

However, the other DOE-jurisdiction waste forms mentioned, as well as the currently more than 80,000 metric tons of irradiated nuclear fuel from the commercial nuclear power industry (a figure that increases by 2,000 metric tons per year) are a different waste form, un-reprocessed, solid, irradiated nuclear fuel. The study's findings nonetheless raise red flags however, as multiple layers of differing materials would be encased in even these irradiated nuclear fuel waste burial containers. This would include ceramic uranium dioxide fuel pellets at the heart of the zirconium metal clad fuel rods, then encased in multiple layers of steel comprising the waste burial containers.

The targeted dump-site for all of this DOE weapons complex, and commercial nuclear power industry, re-solidified high-level radioactive waste and irradiated nuclear fuel, has long been Yucca Mountain, Nevada -- Western Bands of Shoshone Indian Nation land. It has large amounts of groundwater saturation and flow, making the findings of the study all the more alarming. President Obama cancelled the Yucca dump in 2010, but opponents must stay vigilant, as proponents in industry, Congress, and the White House have tried hard to restart Yucca dump licensing ever since. (President Trump said he opposed the Yucca dump in his 2016 campaign. Then, once in the White House, he proposed over $100 million annual budgets to restart the Yucca dump licensing proceeding in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Now, in 2020, Trump again says he opposes the dump, and will not request any funding for it in Fiscal Year 2021.)

If Yucca would have opened, 90% of its burial capacity is reserved for commercial solid irradiated nuclear fuel, while 10% is reserved for DOE-jurisdiction re-solidified high-level radioactive waste and solid irradiated nuclear fuel. The breakdown is by DOE policy determination. The current burial limit at Yucca is 70,000 metric tons. So the breakdown would be 63,000 metric tons commercial irradiated nuclear fuel, and 7,000 metric tons DOE-jurisdiction wastes.

As can be seen above, this is 20,000 metric tons less than the quantity of commercial irradiated nuclear fuel that exists in the U.S. currently (which increases another 2,000 metric tons per year). And even the 14,229 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste and irradiated nuclear fuel (11,655 + 2,195 + 379) is 7,229 metric tons more than that there is current capacity at Yucca.

So a second permanent geologic disposal repository is needed, because the first has long been full. But we don't even have a first repository. The State of Nevada, the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation of Indians, and more than a thousand environmental and environmental justice organizations will fight at every turn to prevent a revival of the Yucca dump zombie.

Please note that Dr. Arjun Makhijani of Institute for Energy and Environmental Research warned about glassified high-level radioactive waste decomposure in a repository, in a 1991 technical report. It was entitled "Glass in the Rocks: Some Issues Concerning the Disposal of Radioactive Borosilicate Glass in a Yucca Mountain Repository." See <https://ieer.org/resource/repository/glass-rocks-issues-disposal-radioactive/>.

U.S. congressional high-level radioactive waste legislation -- bills that Beyond Nuclear opposes, and supports

Beyond Nuclear opposes these bills:

H.R. 2699, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019 [Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (Democrat from CA-9), U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (Republican from IL-15), et al.]

[See analyses of and commentary on H.R. 2699, by Robert Halstead, director, State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, from June 2019:

---U.S. House Subcommittee hearing testimony;

---Analysis of and commentary on H.R. 2699];

See this November 20, 2019 post re: passage of H.R. 2699 by the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee, by voice vote. 

See this September 26, 2019 post re: passage of H.R. 2699 by the U.S. House Environment and Climate Subcommittee by voice vote. 

Here is the link to the Subcommittee's own website post re: voice vote passage of H.R. 2699 during mark up, one of 15 bills. Here are the opening remarks by Committee Chairman Pallone (D-NJ) at the subcommittee mark up.

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S. 2917, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019 [Sponsored by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND); identical to H.R. 2699].

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H.R. 2995, the Spent Fuel Prioritization Act of 2019 [Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (Democrat from CA-49), et al.].

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H.R. 3136, the Storage and Transportation of Residual and Excess Nuclear Fuel Act of 2019 (a.k.a. the STORE Nuclear Fuel Act) [Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (Democrat from CA-6), et al.].

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See the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing from 6/13/19, re: all three House bills mentioned above (H.R. 2699, H.R. 2995, H.R. 3136), at this link. There you will find the video of the hearing, as well as links to witness introductory remarks and full written testimonies.

See a Beyond Nuclear letter for the record submitted to the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee for the hearing on 6/13/19, expressing opposition to all three bills.

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S. 1234, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2019 [Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Republican from AK), U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (Republican from TN), and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat from CA)].

See the video of the 6/27/19 Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing on this bill, with links to witness introductions and full written testimonies, at this link.

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Beyond Nuclear also opposes funding for the Yucca Mountain, Nevada dump-site, as well as for the New Mexico and Texas consolidated interim storage facilities, in both congressional budget as well as appropriations bills.

The Trump administration roll out for Fiscal Year 2021 budget figures took place on February 10, 2020. It reflected a tweet sent by Trump some days earlier, announcing his administration would not seek any funding for the Yucca dump licensing restart in FY2021. For each of the three previous Fiscal Years, the Trump administration had requested $120 million for Yucca dump licensing restart, but never got any funding, through congressional blocking actions. However, funding for "Interim Waste Management," closely tied to consolidated interim storage proposals, has been passed year after year. In FY2020, the figure was around $25 million. The Trump administration has requested $27.5 million for "Interim Waste Management" in FY2021.

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Beyond Nuclear supports these bills*:

H.R. 1544, the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act/ S. 649, the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act.

[In the U.S. House, sponsored by Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee, Democrats from Nevada. In the U.S. Senate, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, Democrats from Nevada, and co-sponsored by U.S. Sens.: Cory Booker (Democrat from NJ); Kamala Harris (Democrat from CA); Amy Klobuchar (Democrat from MN); Bernie Sanders (Independent from VT); Elizabeth Warren (Democrat from MA); and Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat from NY)]

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S. 1985, the STRANDED Act of 2019 (a.k.a. the Sensible, Timely Relief for America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development Act of 2019). [Sponsored by Tammy Duckworth, Democrat from IL, et al.]

H.R. 5608, the STRANDED Act of 2019 [Sponsored by Bradley Scott Schneider, Democrat from IL, et al.; identical to S. 1985, immediately above]

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H.Res. 805, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin [Sponsored by Dan Kildee, Democrat from MI, John Moolenar, Republican from MI, et al.; identical to S. Res. 470, immediately below]

S.Res. 470, A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lake Basin [Sponsored by Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, Democrats from MI, et al.; identical to H.Res. 805, immediately above]

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*Please note, Beyond Nuclear's support for these bills would include their passage as stand-alone bills, or as part of broader environmental-, health-, and safety-protection legislation. However, their inclusion as sweeteners in dangerously bad bills, like those listed above that Beyond Nuclear opposes, is unacceptable.

Update on January 31, 2020 by admin

What can you do?

Contact your U.S. Representative, and urge opposition to the dangerously bad bills listed above; urge support for the good legislation.

Likewise, you can also contact both your U.S. Senators. Urge them to oppose the bad bills, and to support the good bills.

You can also reach your Congress Members' D.C. offices by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

You can contact your Congress Members' in-district (U.S. Rep.) and in-state (nearest U.S. Senate) offices. Ask for a face-to-face meeting with your Congress Member, or short of that, with their relevant staff on these issues (Energy and Environment Legislative Assistant, or higher up, Legislative Director, Chief of Staff, etc.) Get together with your group's members, your neighbors, family, friends, etc., to meet with your Congress Members' and/or their staff. 

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Lawmakers oppose Lake Huron high-level nuclear waste storage

As reported by MLive, a bipartisan, bicameral resolution opposing high-level radioactive waste dumping near the shoreline of the Great Lakes has been introduced in Congress. The initial sponsors include U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats from Michigan, as well as U.S. Representatives Dan Kildee (Democrat-Flint Twp., MI) and (John Moolenar, Republican-Midland, MI).

See the Congress Members' press release, here.

It reports: The resolution is supported by other Democrats and Republicans in the Michigan delegation, including Congressman Fred Upton (MI-06), Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02), Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12),  Congressman Paul Mitchell (MI-10), Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01), Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13).

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization, comprised of Canada's three nuclear power utilities, has narrowed the list to three remaining candidate sites for the national high-level radioactive waste dump: two neighboring communities, Huron-Kinloss and South Bruce, near the Lake Huron shore, not far (20-some miles) from Kincardine, Ontario, "home" of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station's nine reactors, the biggest nuclear power plant on Earth.

Similarly, a growing bicameral, bipartisan "caucus" of congressional Great Lakes protectors -- also led by Stabenow and Kildee, mentioned above -- has for several long years, opposed a Canadian nuclear power industry proposal to bury so-called "low" and highly radioactive "intermediate" level radioactive wastes on the Lake Huron shoreline, at the BNGS itself.

On January 31st, the very nearby Saugeen Ojibwe Nation (whose territory "hosts" BNGS) will vote in a referendum on whether or not to accept Ontario Power Generation's offer of $150 million. If SON accepts the $150 million, OPG will expect the tribal First Nation community to "host" -- forevermore -- the "low" and highly radioactive intermediate level nuclear wastes from 20 reactors across the province.

On October 19, 2018, the Detroit Free Press published a feature length article about the 60,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste putting the Great Lakes at risk, on both sides of the border.

On January 13, 2020, the Chicago Tribune ran a major article about Ojibwe views regarding the sacredness and fragility of their Great Lakes homelands, as well as the radioactive risks they face.

See 2013 and 1990 maps, depicting the radioactive risks to the Great Lakes from most stages of the uranium fuel chain, including dozens of atomic reactors along their shores.

Don't Waste Michigan and other grassroots environmental watchdog groups have opposed these Great Lakes shoreline radioactive waste dumping schemes since they were first floated in 2001. Beyond Nuclear has opposed them since its founding in 2007, including repeated rounds of testimony before Canadian federal nuclear and environmental regulatory agencies over the course of many years.

Learn more about these issues at the website of Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump.