US Rep. Kildee warns against Canadian radioactive waste dump on Great Lakes shore in light of WIPP leak

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)As reported on the website of the group Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump, U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI, photo left) has issued a press release in light of the radioactivity release from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. Ontario Power Generation's proposed Deep Geologic Repository for burial of so-called "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive wastes from 20 reactors across the province, within less than a mile of the Lake Huron shore, is modeled closely after WIPP.

United Tribes of Michigan joins resistance to Ontario's proposed radioactive waste dump on Great Lakes shore

As reported at the website of Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump, in a press release alongside state legislative leaders Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) and Sarah Roberts (R-St. Clair Shores), the United Tribes of Michigan (UTM) has spoken out against Ontario Power Generation's proposed burial site for so-called "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive wastes, from 20 reactors across the province, at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, less than a mile from the waters of Lake Huron.

2/28 Webinars featuring Beyond Nuclear: Paul Gunter on NRC's post-Fukushima safety requirements; Kevin Kamps on HOSS

Friday, February 28th @ 12 noon (Eastern)

Keep It Up! Alternatives to Deep Burial of Nuclear Waste

While deep burial of irradiated nuclear fuel has been the nuclear industry's objective since the 1970s, there are other, broadly supported ideas for immediate safety upgrades that have long been ignored. Kevin Kamps from Beyond Nuclear (USA) will discuss Hardened On-Site Storage as an alternative, interim means of increasing security for high level nuclear fuel waste for the near- to mid-term.

Nuclear Waste On-line

February 2014 Webinar Series

Please join us for our February 2014 series of on-line workshops about nuclear waste in Canada. This webinar series is offered free of charge using the on-line meeting service at www.anymeeting.com. Visit Northwatch's page at www.anymeeting.com/Northwatch for webinar details, to register, and /or to join the workshops.

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NRC's Post-Fukushima Safety Requirements: Current Status, Upcoming Actions, and Implications

1. Fri, Feb 28, 2014 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST

With the third anniversary of the Fukushima accidents coming up and still very little meaningful action by NRC, we want to provide everyone with a full update. The anniversary will provide local media opportunities, and we expect plenty of national media attention for grassroots activists to comment on. We will hear from an expert and movement leaders who have been at the forefront watchdogging and pressuring the NRC, the Post-Fukushima Near Term Task Force, and Congress, throughout the process.

Presenters:

David Lochbaum – Union of Concerned Scientists
Paul Gunter – Beyond Nuclear
Tim Judson – NIRS

David, Paul, and Tim will provide an overview of the actions proposed by NRC, what is missing and unaddressed, where they stand on implementation, upcoming opportunities for engagement, and the safety and economic implications for the industry.

Register now!

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller urges Sec. Kerry to activate IJC on Canadian Great Lakes radioactive waste dump

On Feb. 21st, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) wrote U.S. Sec. of State John Kerry, urging he activate the International Joint Commission to review Ontario Power Generation's proposal to bury so-called "low" and "intermediate" level radioactive wastes from 20 reactors across the province at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. The dump would be less than a mile from the shore of Lake Huron.

Michigan is about 50 miles from Bruce, across Lake Huron. Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders, and millions of Americans, draw their drinking water from the Great Lakes, downstream from the proposed dump.

On March 19th, the State Dept. wrote Rep. Miller back, saying "The Department will review any possible role for the IJC and determine next steps."

The State Dept. had better "determine next steps" pretty quickly, as the Canadian federal decision making process is drawing to a close, after 13 years of considering the insane proposal!

Coalition files Petition to NRC to strengthen reactor license extension rules due to significant new revelations on radioactive waste risks

Environmental coalition attorney Diane CurranA Petition for Rulemaking was filed on Feb. 18th by Washington, D.C.-based attorney, Diane Curran (photo, left), as well as Mindy Goldstein of the Emory U. Turner Environmental Law Clinic, to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Petition seeks to re-open the License Renewal GEIS (Generic Environmental Impact Statement), in order to consider new and significant information about irradiated nuclear fuel storage impacts that was generated by the NRC Staff during the Expedited Spent Fuel Transfer proceeding, carried out under NRC's Fukushima "Lessons Learned" activities. Curran and Goldstein filed the Petition on behalf of three dozen environmental groups, including Beyond Nuclear.

One of these risks newly recognized by NRC Staff is the contribution of high-level radioactive waste storage pool risks to reactor catastrophes, and vice versa.

NRC staff has also admitted that release into the environment of even a small fraction of the contents of a high-level radioactive waste storage pool could cause the long-term dislocation of more than 4 million people, and could render more than 9,000 square miles of land uninhabitable for long time periods. What would the socio-economic costs of such a catastrophe be? Don't people have the inalienable right to safety, health, and environmental protection?

Also, what are the risks to the environment and non-human biota? Answering such questions is part and parcel of the requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, as the Petition points out.

The filing urges that no reactor license extensions be approved by NRC until the Petition for Rulemaking has been integrated into NRC's safety regulations.