Nuclear Waste
High level nuclear waste remains the biggest unsolved problem for the nuclear industry. The responsibility for dealing with waste is being off-loaded onto future generations who will not have received even one watt of the electricity generated. Meanwhile, the industry continues to lobby for public funds to build more reactors, which will create ever more waste. This page provides information about the technical and social issues around nuclear waste in Saskatchewan and around the world.
Check out these historical clips, we've been here before.
CCGS Position Statement on NUCLEAR WASTE
IN SASKATCHEWAN (Sept 2009)
Primer on radioactive wastes written by Gordon Edwards, photos by Robert Del Tredici
The NWMO has published its Implementation Plan which clearly indicates Saskatchewan is a priority for seeking a location to put a nuclear waste dump.
In 1987 Manitoba passed a law that prohibits high-level waste disposal in its territory.
CCGS Video "High Level Nuclear Waste Dump for Saskatchewan?"
Why geologic storage will not solve the high level nuclear waste problem.
Downloadable PowerPoint Presentation from the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsiblity (1.24 MB)
Nuclear waste has no place to go by Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, March 11, 2009. The nuclear industry has failed to solve the problem of nuclear waste disposal anywhere in the world.
Why Did Manitoba Ban Nuclear Wastes ... Over Two Decades Ago? by Jim HardingThe quest for a nuclear dump began in 1977 when the town of Madoc, Ontario wa s targeted for geological research by the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL). Stealth-like secrecy was their strategy until a story in Harrowsmith revealed that 16,000 acres of nearby crown land had been put into reserve. The AECL had to move north, near Atikokan, to start test drilling. When locals got wind of this, the newly formed Citizens Committee for Nuclear Responsibility quickly collected 1,700 names opposing AECL’s activities, which was more than voted in their last local election. Read the full article...
A Response to the UDP Report - High Level Nuclear Waste. Dr. Bill Adamson, of the Inter-Church Uranium Committee (ICUC), argues the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP) report is a lop-sided sales pitch to sell nuclear reactors and associated uranium technology to Saskatchewan citizens while downplaying toxicity and danger of nuclear waste.
The Uranium Partnership Development Report Recommendations include support for nuclear waste in Saskatchewan, stating on page 8:
15. Support the NWMO consultation and siting process, given the potential benefits of a geological repository, while maintaining flexibility with regard to its ultimate participation
16. Support any willing host community that comes forward through this process and , as appropriate, support the development of the deep geological repository in the context of a broader nuclear development strategy.
What does the nuclear industry tell the public about nuclear waste? Reduce. Reuse. Recycle Spent Fuel by Katherine Berezowskyj (May 21, 2009) from the Areva Blog-North America is informative for what it does not discuss, namely the toxicity of nuclear waste, specifically plutonium.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization 2008 Annual Report notes several meetings with Saskatchewan decision-makers including SARM, SUMA, the FSIN, the University of Saskatchewan and the provincial government. The NWMO has published its Implementation Plan which clearly indicates Saskatchewan is a priority for seeking a location to put a nuclear waste dump.
The Estevan area is being studied as a geologically suitable location for high level nuclear waste storage, as outlined in the 2006 Saskatchewan Geological Survey study, Discussion of an Option for Geological Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel Beneath the Williston Basin of Southern Saskatchewan by Brian Brunskill
The debate over nuclear waste disposal is heating up in New Brunswick. The following two critical articles appeared in the New Brunswick press.
Nuclear waste in N.B. unacceptable (May 8, 2009 Editorial)
Do you want nuclear dump in N.B? Province considered as potential waste disposal site because it's one of Canada's nuclear provinces. (May 7, 2009)
Sellafield: the most hazardous place in Europe by Robin McKie, The Guardian, April 19, 2009. Britain is still dealing with the legacy of its first atomic installation at Sellafield - a toxic waste dump in one of the most contaminated buildings in Europe.
Advice needed: The Obama administration should ensure that science informs the US strategy on nuclear waste. March 4, 2009. This editorial explores the relationship between political interests and science in the development of nuclear waste disposal policies in the U.S. With Saskatchewan being targeted as a waste dump site, citizens need to understand the failed process of choosing Yucca Mountain in Nevada, now abandoned by the new U.S. administration.