"Nuclear waste site should be moved away from Great Lakes"

Robert S. Ball has written a column in the Oakland Press highlighting the doubts cast on Ontario Power Generation's proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for so-called "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive wastes on the Lake Huron shoreline at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada.

He cites Dr. Frank Greening's revelations that OPG's figure for radioactivity content of the wastes to be buried are significantly underestimated.

Ball also cites the Feb., 2014 radioactivity leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as a cautionary tale. In fact, proponents of the Ontario DGR have often pointed to WIPP as a model to follow, although now they are trying to backpedal!

"What’s wrong with proposed nuclear waste dump on Lake Huron?"

Dr. Gordon Edwards of CCNR. Photo by Jim Bloch.Jim Bloch at The Voice has reported on an April 14th presentation in Port Huron, MI, by Dr. Gordon Edwards of Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility in opposition to the Ontario Power Generation Deep Geologic Repository targeted at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine, Ontario. Bruce is located about 110 miles northeast of Port Huron.

Describing OPG's proposal and its attempted justifications, Dr. Edwards said “This is not science. This is a belief system which is based upon the hope that we have a solution. It is not proof that we have a solution.”

"Another Look at the Deep Geologic Repository Plan"

Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump's spokesperson Beverly Fernandez testifies against OPG's DGRAs reported at the Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump website, on April 17th, Beverly Fernandez was interviewed by Agenda producer Hilary Clark about "Another Look at the Deep Geologic Repository Plan." Fernandez is a spokesperson for Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump's efforts in opposition to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) proposal to bury so-called "low" and intermediate level radioactive wastes less than a mile from the Great Lakes -- drinking water supply for 40 million people in 8 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces.

The Agenda web link above also links to another of its reports from back in the autumn of 2013, after the Canadian federal Joint Review Panel wrapped up their first hearings on the DGR proposal. The Agenda hosted a discussion between Larry Kraemer, Mayor of Kincardine and strong advocate for the project, and Brennain Lloyd of Northwatch, an opponent of the proposal. Kraemer claims it was he who approached OPG with the initial idea for the DGR, in 2001. Kincardine and other area municipalities, largely populated by Bruce Nuclear workers, have been and will continue to recieve a million dollars per year from OPG for their support of the DGR proposal.

Resolutions to stop the Great Lakes nuclear dump spreading!

This map from Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Waste Dump shows the growing number of resolutions, representing many millions of Americans and Canadians, opposing Ontario Power Generation's proposed radioactive waste dump targeted at the Lake Huron shoreline.

Please get your community, county, and/or state to pass a similar resolution. Use the ones that have already passed as a model.

Update on April 10, 2014 by admin

Speaking on "Derailing the Lake Huron Nuclear Dump: Sustainable Stewardship Is the Alternative," Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (photo, left), will be hosted on Sunday, April 13th in Detroit by the Alliance to Halt Fermi 3, Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, and the Swords Into Plowshares Gallery and Peace Center. See the event flier here.

Dr. Edwards will then speak in Port Huron, MI on Monday April 14, from 7-9:00 p.m., in Room 201 of the Clara E. Mackenzie Building at St. Clair County Community College, 323 Erie St.

Finally, Dr. Edwards will speak on Tuesday, April 15, 7 PM, Room L-141, Life Science, Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Road, Monroe, MI 48161.

JRP announces additional hearings on OPG DGR

The proposed location of the DUD at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, less than a mile from the Great Lakes shore in Kincardine, OntarioThe three member Canadian federal Joint Review Panel (JRP) overseeing Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) environmental assessment regarding its proposed DGR (Deep Geologic Repository, or, according to critics, DUD -- for Deep Underground Dump) has announced additional hearings to be held at a date still to be announced. The JRP's announcement is below.

If you haven't already, please join over 50,000 others by signing the Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump petition, and widely share it with your contacts! Also, please consider urging your town, county, and state to pass resolutions opposing the DUD, as have dozens of municipalities across Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. The Great Lakes are a planetary treasure -- 20% of the world's surface fresh water, drinking water supply for 40 million people in 8 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American First Nations -- and must be protected for the future!

JRP announcement, March 26, 2014:

Interested Parties:

The Deep Geologic Repository Joint Review Panel has requested additional information from Ontario Power Generation and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The requests are available on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry Internet site at http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents/p17520/98790E.pdf and http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents/p17520/98789E.pdf.  

Once the Panel has received adequate responses to its information requests, it plans to schedule additional hearing days. The purpose of the additional hearing days will be to provide the Panel and Interested Parties with the opportunity to address any outstanding questions in relation to the subjects addressed in information requests issued by the Panel since November, 2013. Details related to the focus, procedures, deadlines and scheduling of the additional hearing days will be provided in the near future.

Interested Parties are encouraged to check the public registry for the information requests that have been issued by the Panel to date and the responses that continue to be received.

Also, please be reminded that the Panel continues to apply criteria to all submissions that it receives to decide whether or not it will accept that submission for consideration in the review. The Panel has decided to clarify section 8.11 of the Public Hearing Procedures. At this stage of the process, the applicable criteria are:

Ø  Whether similar submissions have been made by others;

Ø  Whether the submission contains new information that is within the mandate of the Panel and not already on the record; or

Ø  Whether the submission is from a group or individual that has not previously participated in the review.

Joint Review Panel Secretariat

160 Elgin St., 22nd Floor

Ottawa ON K1A 0H3

Tel.: 1‐866‐582‐1884 or 613‐957‐0301

Email: DGR.Review@ceaa-acee.gc.ca