Lawmaker urges discussion about Canadian nuclear waste facility

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) encouraged the U.S. Department of State on Thursday to discuss a recent proposal for a Canadian nuclear waste facility to be built off the shore of Lake Huron.

Miller said the State Department must engage with the International Joint Commission to discuss the report that recommends that the Canadian Minister of the Environment pass the plan proposed by the Ontario Power Generation.

“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.”

If approved, the plan allows for Canada to construct a deep geological repository for its nuclear waste just off the short of the lake.

“Last February, I wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry asking that he engage the International Joint Commission to encourage the Canadian government to reassess their plans to dump nuclear waste near Lake Huron, as such a move could endanger the health of the lakes and create a public safety hazard,” Miller said. “... Canada is getting closer to approving the hazardous project and could even authorize the final license within the next several months.”

On Wednesday night, the plan received the endorsement of a Canadian Joint Review Panel.

“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.”