[NukeNet] New Reactors and Waste Dump for East Shore of Lake Huron

[Kay Cumbow]

Hi folks,

Technically, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Canadian 
Nuclear Safety Commission released draft guidelines on April 4th, (a 
Friday, one of the worst days of the week to get press coverage.) We need 
everyone to make comments by June 18th. This is insanity to think of 
building 4 more reactors on Lake Huron and putting radioactive waste for 20 
Ontario plants deep underground, less than a mile from the shores of one of 
the Great Lakes - out of mind, out of sight - and eventually out of reach 
to stop/retrieve leaks that certainly will attend this dump over time. It 
also could put these potentially deadly wastes out of reach for retrieval 
and repackaging, if radioactivity increases dangerously, which could happen 
in either an accident or incident.

This proposed dump is essentially a plan that would permanently contaminate 
one of our most precious resources, the Great Lakes Basin. (90 % of the 
U.S. fresh water, one fifth of the World's). It may also well be the 
stepping stone to irradiated fuel going into this dump, and although 
Ontario Power Generation denies that, there are indications that could 
indeed happen. Even minus irradiated fuel, this dump would eventually 
contaminate the Great Lakes Basin, perhaps slowly or more quickly, 
depending on circumstances. And as we all know, we are all connected. Water 
moves downstream and eventually throughout the globe. Wind currents move 
faster and globally as well. Evaporation and rainfall connect the wind and 
water. Slowly but surely, these wastes will outlive their 
containers.  Repackaging underground will be tremendously expensive, 
dangerous to workers - and even if robots are used, may prove impossible. 
All of us have witnessed the many serious radioactive plumes leaking from 
DOE and NRC facilities, many of which have yet to be retrieved for 
storage.  It defies reason to think that this dump will be different.

For 20-40 (60 -80????) years of electricity, those who promote nuclear 
power have bargained all future generations. They have bargained the future 
generations' gene pool, their time, their money, their health.- For it is 
the future generations who will have to guard these toxic and lethal 
wastes, forever. They must never cease watching these wastes for leaks - 
and must repackage them when they leak - an extremely costly, perilous (if 
possible) job. Since nuclear plants worldwide release radionuclides to the 
air and water on a routine basis, and many of those radionuclides bio 
accumulate and many bio concentrate in the food chain, the proponents of 
nuclear power have also ensured that the health of future generations 
(plants, wildlife and humans) is compromised.

We'll keep you posted on these proposed reactors and dump, with more 
information before the comment period ends.

For some good background on the proposed waste dump, see Volume 4 (page 23 
+ ) of Walt Robbins' excellent online book The Great Canadian Nuclear Waste 
Saga at: http://www.nukeshaft.ca/ The whole 4 volumes give the background 
to the Canadian government's ill-thought plans for nuclear waste. - Kay


Hi folks,

Here is an article from Northwatch on the proposed new reactors at the 
Bruce Complex on Lake Huron (directly east of Michigan) and the proposed 
deep underground nuclear waste dump that would be less than a mile from 
Lake Huron. -Kay

From: Northwatch <northwatch at onlink.net>
X-ASG-Orig-Subj: New Reactors and Waste Dump for East Shore of Lake Huron
Subject: New Reactors and Waste Dump for East Shore of Lake Huron
And a short summary of the reviews underway for the Bruce.

Brennain

New Reactors and Waste Dump for East Shore of Lake Huron

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Canadian Nuclear 
Safety Commission released draft guidelines on April 7th for the 
environmental review of two separate projects proposed for the Bruce 
Nuclear Station near Kincardine, on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.

Bruce Power Inc. and Ontario Power Generation are the proponents for the 
projects. Bruce Power is proposing the construction of up to four new 
nuclear reactors at the existing Bruce Nuclear Site, located on the eastern 
shore of Lake Huron, north of Kincardine. The project is expected to 
generate approximately 4,000 megawatts of electricity to the Ontario grid.

Ontario power Generation is proposing to construct and operate a 
deep-geologic disposal facility on the Bruce Nuclear Site to receive low 
and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, produced from the continued 
operation of OPG-owned nuclear generating stations at Bruce, Pickering and 
Darlington, Ontario. Low-level waste consists of industrial items that have 
become contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, during routine 
clean-up and maintenance activities at nuclear generating stations. 
Intermediate-level radioactive waste consists primarily of used nuclear 
reactor components - such as the ion-exchange resins and filters used to 
purify reactor water systems

Review participants, including Northwatch, have until June 18th to review 
and comment on draft guidelines for the Environmental Impact Statement. The 
guidelines identify the information needed to examine the potential 
environmental effects of the proposed project, as well as its requirements 
for a licence to prepare a site. A draft Joint Panel Review agreement is 
also available for public review. The JRP agreement deals with the 
establishment of an environmental review panel to perform an assessment of 
the project's environmental impact and of the application for a licence to 
prepare a site, which will be the first of a series of licences required by 
the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and its regulations. The documents are 
available at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca

Northwatch
Box 282, North Bay    P1B 8H2

tel 705 497 0373   fax 476 7060
northwatch at onlink.net   www.northwatch.org
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