Nuclear Waste Watch

[Kathie Brosemer <kathie@cleannorth.org>]

Hello,

this in from the groups listed in the header.  I am very strongly inclined 
to endorse this, it's consistent with every statement we've made so far on 
MOX, nukes, etc., it's consistent with Sault and Area Nuclear Awareness, a 
group which amalgamated with Clean North about ten years ago.

Your comments please.  I've copied and pasted the body of the message so 
that it will go to the list, but the attachments referred to are not 
attached.  If you want them, ask.  I'll send them separately.

k

Memo - November 14, 2003

To: Clean North and other Canadian Groups Concerned about Radioactive Waste
and Nuclear Power

From: Brennain Lloyd, Northwatch; Dave Martin, Sierra Club of Canada; Nest
Pritchard, Voice of Women; Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear
Responsibility; Walt Robbins, Campaign STOP; Norm Rubin, Energy Probe;
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout.

PLEASE JOIN THE NEW
NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE NETWORK...
"NUCLEAR WASTE WATCH"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are writing to ask you to join "Nuclear Waste Watch" --  a new national
network of Canadian organizations concerned about high level radioactive
waste and nuclear power.

In text below is the 6-point Nuclear Waste Watch Position Statement. This
has also been attached in a Word file. Also attached is the Structure
Document for Nuclear Waste Watch, and a Background Document. We are asking
you to endorse the Position Statement and the Structure Document.

Please consider this matter urgently...
PLEASE TRY TO RESPOND BY MONDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2003.

We would like to go public with our position initially in response to the
first "Discussion Paper" of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization
(NWMO), which is expected before the end of November (this will report on
their consultations and research activities over the last year). We will
issue a news release at that time. If you would like to be listed as a
contact person on that news release, please note that on the response form
below. You may also wish to issue the news release in your locality, or
modify it for your own use.

If you are unable to meet this deadline, please proceed with your approval
process regardless. It is our intention to watchdog the activities of the
NWMO as well as setting our own agenda over the next two years and beyond.
The NWMO is mandated under the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to make a
recommendation to the federal government on the long-term management of high
level radioactive waste (irradiated fuel) by November 2005.

Enclosures:
- Nuclear Waste Watch Position Statement
- Nuclear Waste Watch Structure Document
- Nuclear Waste Watch Position Background

PLEASE SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO:
Dave Martin
Sierra Club of Canada
E-mail: nucaware@web.ca
Fax/Tel: 905-852-0571

*********************************************
NUCLEAR WASTE WATCH MEMBERSHIP FORM
YES, our organization wants to join Nuclear Waste Watch!
SIGN US UP! We have read the Position Statement and Structure Document -

Date:
Group name:
Contact Person:
Mailing address:
Tel:
Fax:
E-mail:

Would you like to be listed as a contact person on our news release later
this month?
Yes/no
*********************************************

NUCLEAR WASTE WATCH
A Network of Organizations Concerned about
High Level Radioactive Waste and Nuclear Power in Canada

POSITION STATEMENT
November 2003

1.  The first priority of responsible waste management is reduction at
source. High level radioactive waste in Canada can only be reduced at source
through a binding commitment to the early phaseout of nuclear power. Early
nuclear phaseout means that there would be no new reactors and no major
refurbishment of reactors to prolong their current lifespans.

2.  Neither the safety nor the acceptability of deep geological disposal of
radioactive waste in perpetuity was established to the satisfaction of the
federal environmental assessment panel (the Seaborn Panel) that reviewed the
evidence.  Any waste management option should, for the foreseeable future,
be based on surface and/or near-surface monitored and retrievable storage --
at least until a nuclear power phaseout has been achieved, the technical
case for an alternative option (or options) has been thoroughly reviewed,
and a social consensus has been achieved.

3.  The Seaborn Panel called for the creation of nuclear fuel waste
management agency "at arm's length" from the nuclear industry, with its
board of directors representative independent "key stakeholders". In direct
opposition to this, the government created the Nuclear Waste Management
Organization (NWMO) with its board comprised solely of nuclear industry
representatives. The nuclear industry strongly supports deep geological
disposal of radioactive waste, so the ability of the NWMO to make an
objective recommendation is questionable.

4.  Given the importance of this issue to present and future generations of
Canadians, the government should guarantee a joint federal/provincial
environmental assessment panel on the full range of radioactive waste
management options following the NWMO recommendation in November 2005. The
process should be adequately funded by the proponents in order to allow
public interest intervenors to retain independent technical expertise. The
federal government should also guarantee a full parliamentary debate and
free vote on the recommendations of the NWMO and the environmental
assessment panel.

5.  If the Government of Canada decides on any kind of centralized waste
management option (whether above or below ground), there will be risk to
communities along the transportation route, as well as to the potential
recipient community. In such a case, the potential recipient and transport
route communities should all have veto power, and should receive funding
from proponents for independent research and community education.

6. The Nuclear Fuel Waste Act should be amended to guarantee that Canada
will not consider the importation of high level radioactive waste, at least
until there is a global phaseout of both nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
A similar restriction should apply to the importation of any fresh reactor
fuel if the irradiated fuel is to remain in Canada.



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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sierra Club of Canada Nuclear Campaign
c/o P.O. Box 104
Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada  L9P 1M6

tel/fax: 905-852-0571
e-mail: nucaware@web.ca
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~