Look at the alternatives for nuclear waste

To the editor,

When South Bruce council, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and other Bruce Nuclear personnel decided to purchase 2,000-plus acres of land on Concession 8 near Teeswater in 2009, no one even knew this was purchased until about four years ago. Everything that council and the NWMO has done has always been kept quiet! Now that the ordinary people know of their plans, most are very much against it.

Drive around and take notice of the ‘NO NUCLEAR DUMP’ signs! We are not getting to vote on this! I believe this is a done deal.

We now know that they (the NWMO) want to bury 7.2 million radioactive rods underneath the ground some 750 metres deep or more. This has never, ever been done anywhere in the entire world! This is very unrealistic and dangerous on their thinking. It is only 30 km to Lake Huron, connecting all Great Lakes. All of the American states bordering the other four Great Lakes oppose this dump. Where does our federal government stand on this and why are they not concerned? And when this dump leaks, all fresh waters for 80 million-plus people would be destroyed forever. Land, livestock, vegetation and houses would be unusable and not fit to live in. Milk and other products would be unsafe to use for any creamery nearby.

Research has found that there is a working solution to this dilemma. It is called molten salt reactors. Countries like China and Denmark are building these reactors, with positive results and interest from Japan, France and four companies in North America.

These salt reactors can use up to two-thirds of the energy left in conventional rods, making them less of a problem to dispose of. These molten salt reactors are unparalleled in safety and are a solution to nuclear waste and stockpiles of plutonium. When rods are spent in this solution, very little actinides (radioactive elements) are left. The rods are then only slightly radioactive for 300 years or less. Why haven’t Bruce Power, Darlington, Pickering and other nuclear plants even looked at this viable solution? Why dig and bury rods that can be made less volatile and more stable when all of their heat energy can be used to create more cheaper and cleaner hydro?

Where are these so-called nuclear engineers? Are they just seeing dollar signs in their companies’ pockets and not worried about our future?

It is time to stop digging and put these stagnant rods to proper use. We, the people, demand this!

Someone please make the NWMO open their eyes and save our area and the Great Lakes. Will the federal and provincial governments pay heed. We hope they will. 

Bob Dielbold

Teeswater