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Great Lakes
Article:
Critics
condemn plan to ship nuclear waste across Lake Michigan
Last
Updated Wed, 01 May 2002 9:17:24
Washington Post
WASHINGTON - A proposal by the United States could see nuclear
waste carried across Lake Michigan by barge, a plan the
Canadian government does not seem to know about.
Under
a new program likely to become law this summer, nuclear
waste from the U.S. will be stored in a cavern dug out
of Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
It will
be shipped by truck or rail, raising concerns from major
U.S. cities along the route who fear a collision or derailment
could lead to a leak.
But
the U.S. Department of Energy also announced plans to
ship thousands of tons of nuclear waste from reactors
on the shores of Lake Michigan to transfer sites on nearby
railroads.
Ohio
Congressman Dennis Kucinich condemned the idea last week
on Capitol Hill.
"Over
35 million people living in the Great Lakes basin get
their drinking water from the Great Lakes and I venture
to guess they will not appreciate the fact that nuclear
waste is being shipped across their drinking water," said
Kucinich.
While
Lake Michigan lies completely inside the U.S., it is part
of the Great Lakes and run by the International Joint
Commission.
But
senior nuclear experts at the Commission told CBC News
that they have no knowledge of the proposal to ship nuclear
waste across Lake Michigan.
Their
counterparts at Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs,
the Department of Transport, the Department of the Environment
and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission also said they
hadn't heard of the proposal.
Because
the barges of nuclear waste will sail inside the US, there
are no legal requirements Canada be informed.
But
Paul Muldoon, head of the Canadian Environmental Law Association
in Toronto, says Canada needs to get involved.
"The
absence of Canadian involvement is a major problem unless
action is taken very soon and the Canadian public is assured
by the Canadian government that it will become involved,
that it will pursue defence of Canadian interests abroad,"
said Muldoon.
If the
disposal plan is approved this summer, barges carrying
nuclear waste could set sail on Lake Michigan in eight
years.
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