Beyond Nuclear joins ocean and conservation groups to protest Japan dumping radioactive water into Pacific

Beyond Nuclear has signed onto a new letter from marine wildlife, environmental and conservation groups calling on authorities in Japan to avoid at all cost the dumping of hundreds and thousands of tons of radioactively contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

Currently, Japanese utility, TEPCO, is planning to release 777,000 tons of waste containing radioactive tritium into the Pacific Ocean from its stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear site. The contaminated water, used to cool the destroyed reactors to avoid further catastrophe, has been stored in tanks on site, but the facility is running out of space. 

The groups urge TEPCO and the Japanese nuclear regulator to find alternatives to once again using our oceans as an irresponsible dumping ground for man-made garbage. Environmental and anti-nuclear groups, along with local Japanese fishermen, have also been calling for TEPCO not to dump the radioactive water into the ocean.

“The time for using world oceans as a dump is over,” reads the letter. To date, the groups include: Turtle Island Restoration Network; WildEarth Guardians; Beyond Nuclear; Endangered Species Coalition; Klamath Forest Alliance; Environmental Protection Information Center; WILDCOAST; Ocean Defenders Alliance; Kurmalliance; Pacific Marine Mammal Center; World Ocean Observatory; Ocean Institute; and Elders Climate Action. The groups are encouraging other organizations to sign on before the letter is submitted on September 3rd.

Read the full press release.

Organizations should contact the Turtle Island Restoration Network to sign on to the letter.