After a report from a Canadian Joint Review Panel, which recommended that the Canadian government approve Ontario Power Generation’s proposed plan to build a deep geological repository for nuclear waste near Lake Huron, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) spoke out against the proposal on Thursday.
“Millions of people’s social and economic livelihoods are dependent on the Great Lakes and their precious resources, including the fresh drinking water they supply for millions,” Miller said. “That is why it is so critical we do everything within our means to preserve and protect them for future generations, which includes preventing the storage of nuclear waste in close proximity to Lake Huron, as proposed by the Ontario Power Generation company.”
Miller reiterated that she had submitted a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry in February, requesting that he engage the International Joint Commission to encourage the Canadian government to reassess its plans to dump nuclear waste near Lake Huron and suggested that such a move could endanger the Great Lakes, as well as the health of the region’s residents. Miller said she is concerned that the plan is closer to reality, now that the Canadian Joint Review Panel has endorsed it.
“Storing radioactive nuclear waste within a mile of Lake Huron unnecessarily puts our magnificent lakes in danger – posing a threat to both the U.S. and Canadian residents who rely on them,” Miller said. “We must act before it is too late, which is why I am calling on Secretary Kerry again to take action. Canada has always been a great neighbor and ally of the U.S., as well as a great steward of the lakes, and I believe that, working through the International Joint Commission, we can come up with a viable alternate site for their proposed nuclear waste facility.”
“Additionally, instead of just pointing fingers at the Canadians, the U.S. should address its own nuclear storage facility issues and finally advance the long-studied, overdue nuclear waste repository in (Nevada’s) Yucca Mountain that Senate Democrats have blocked,” Miller said.