Nuclear Waste Shipment on Great Lakes Approved

By Carlet Cleare

Rochester, NY – A coalition of Great Lakes mayors is opposing an extraordinarily large shipment of nuclear waste across several of the lakes, including Lake Ontario. The shipment just won approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Canadian company Bruce Power plans to ship16 school-bus sized, radioactive generators for recycling in Sweden this spring. David Ullrich is the Director of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative. He says the organization of mayors is worried the ship could sink and contaminate the lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Ullrich says "in the saint Lawrence that we've experienced last year several ships did go under ground. there were some oil spills that were a associated with that. we realize these are steel containers they are more protective than a lot of situations. but with the nature of the material and the potential for exposing the water, both for drink the water and human health purposes and environmental purposes has us very concerned."

Canadian regulators say a complete assessment has determined it is safe for the steel generators to travel through the lakes and down the Saint Lawrence River.
Bruce Power still needs permission from the United States and Sweden. The Great Lakes supply drinking water to 40-million people in the U-S and Canada.