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Re: [cdn-nucl-l] Bruce low-level waste repository on CBC radio
I thought Glen did a great job in the interview.
Concise and on the mark at all times. Well done Glen.
Bill
At 01:57 PM 16/02/2005, Whitlock, Jeremy wrote:
FYI, the nuclear waste deep
geological repository project at Bruce was on CBC Radio One's current
affairs show "The Current" this morning. The overview
text is attached below. The audio archive of the segment is
available at
www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2005/200502/20050216.html. It includes an
interview with Kincardine mayor Glen Sutton, and Jennifer Heisz of the
group "Women's Legacy" which opposes the project.
"The Current"
invites comment:
thecurrent@cbc.ca
Jeremy
Whitlock
--------
Nuclear Power - Mayor
It's official. The much-debated, long-awaited Kyoto Protocol comes into
force today, requiring countries like Canada to curb greenhouse gases.
But smart cars and fuel made from soybeans won't be enough for a Green
Revolution. Many argue we need clean energy to feed our energy-guzzling
appetites -- and some say nuclear power could be just the
ticket.
In Ontario, nuclear power already provides 40 per cent of the province's
electricity. But with it comes radioactive nuclear waste. And the
question of what to do with it is never easy to answer. No one knows that
better than the residents of the scenic Lake Huron town of Kincardine,
Ontario.
Last month, residents were polled about a town proposal to permanently
bury low-grade nuclear waste---things like mop heads and rags----from the
nearby Bruce Power nuclear plant, where many residents work. Waste from
the province's Darlington and Pickering stations would also be stored in
the rock 660 metres below ground. And the plan would see Ontario Power
Generation -- the province's electricity generator -- pay Kincardine $35
million in exchange for hosting the waste.
Tonight, the town council will release the results of that poll, and
they'll decide if there's enough community support to move forward. If
they do, Kincardine could become the first place in Canada to take on the
permanent burial of nuclear waste. To talk about all this, we were joined
by the Mayor of Kincardine, Glen Sutton.
Nuclear Power - Opponent
Well, not everyone in Kincardine is as convinced as the mayor that
burying nuclear waste -- even if it is low-grade -- is such a bright
idea. And they say the town council is rushing into a decision without
giving residents enough time or space to weigh all their
options.
Jennifer Heisz is a mother of three who lives in Kincardine. She's also a
member of a local group called Women's Legacy, which has been campaigning
against the proposal.
Nuclear Timeline
The Kincardine plan deals with low to intermediate intensity
waste---contaminated gloves and brooms and such. But Canada has an even
greater challenge on its hands. Right now, there are more than 30-million
kilos of nuclear fuel bundles sitting in temporary storage. Fuel bundles
contain the really nasty high intensity waste. And right now the
radioactive rubbish is being kept in pools and concrete storage
facilities around reactors.
The question of just what do with all this nuclear waste has been a
burning issue for 50 years. And not just in Canada - ever since the first
nuclear power plants were built in North America people have been
thinking up ways of dealing with the stuff that gets left behind.
We aired just a few of the ways we've disposed of the waste in the past
and present.
Bill Garland, Professor, Dept. of Engineering Physics, Bldg. NRB 117,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8S 4L7, Tel:
(905)525-9140 x24925 Fax: (905)528-4339 Email: garlandw@mcmaster.ca
Web:
http://nuceng.mcmaster.ca
http://canteach.candu.org
www.unene.ca