And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 21:49:06 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Sudbury says no; Sault Ste Marie wants forum - transfer of
plutonium
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Sudbury Star 9/08/99
Council opposes nuclear shipment
By Terry Pender/
City council has unanimously voted to oppose the trucking of nuclear weapons fuel from
dismantled American and Russian warheads to the Chalk River nuclear facility. In
voting against the shipment, Coun. Mike Petryna said the idea brought back memories of
the August, 1998 truck blast in Walden. Trucks can’t always safely carry conventional
explosives, and there would be no second chances with the weapons-grade plutonium,
said Petryna at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The federal government wants to ship the fuel from Sault Ste. Marie along Highway 17
to its Chalk River Laboratories, where the plutonium is supposed to be tested at a
CANDU nuclear reactor.
The American shipment is due to arrive in Canada at Sault Ste. Marie, and then travel
east along Highway 17, passing through the North Shore, Sudbury, North Bay and
Mattawa on its way to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.’s laboratories at Chalk River. “We
must first and foremost do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of
our citizens, and protect our environment from any risks as those posed by a potential
accident with horrific consequences,” says the motion approved by city council.
Trucks will carry the material, which is a mixture of uranium and plutonium called
mixed oxide fuel (MOX). The vehicles will pass through through Walden, Nickel Centre
and Sudbury’s Ward 9 on its way through the region. “It’s going through towns and
villages,” said Coun. Doug Craig. “It’s just not a good idea.” The federal government
announced last Thursday it plans to accept up to 100 tonnes of mixed oxide from the
U.S. and Russia every year for 25 years. But first a test burn must be conducted at
the Chalk River reactor. “I’m really shocked the government of Canada would approve
something like this without even consulting communities along the route first,” said
Coun. Ted Callaghan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sault Ste Marie Star 9/08/99 Mayor seeks full public hearings on plutonium
By DAN BELLEROSE, The Sault Star
The mayor of Sault Ste. Marie is requesting an immediate full public hearing with
federal government agencies concerning the proposed transport of nuclear weapons-grade
plutonium through the city en route to Chalk River, Ont. "The public has a right to
know all of the information regarding this issue and full public disclosure is
necessary,'' said Mayor Steve Butland in a press release announcing a letter sent
Tuesday to Ralph Goodale, Minister of Natural Resources. "I have rejected any requests
for a private meeting with council and myself to discuss the issue. I'm content that
(Sault MP) Carmen Provenzano agrees with my call for a public hearing.''
Late last week, Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of External Affairs, announced that Atomic
Energy Canada Ltd. would be accepting mixed oxide nuclear reactor fuel for test burns
at its Chalk River laboratory in the Ottawa Valley. The MOX, a blend of 97 per cent
uranium oxide with three per cent plutonium oxide, will be tested to assess the
suitability of Candu reactor technology to dispose of surplus plutonium from
dismantled U.S. nuclear warheads. The Sault was selected as an access point into
Canada for a shipment containing about 120 grams of plutonium, comparable in size to
two AA batteries, being trucked from Los Alamos, N.M., to Chalk River before the end
of the year.
Seven land routes, including six entry points in Ontario, had been under consideration
by Atomic Energy Canada to carry the controversial cargo. The Department of Transport,
which gave preliminary approval to the route through the Sault at the International
Bridge, has set aside 28 days for public feedback. Cornwall has been selected as a
port of entry for a similar-sized shipment of plutonium arriving by ship from Russia
for similar testing. "My research has provided me with a perspective that dictates the
necessity of my requesting a full public hearing in my community regarding the
transport of MOX fuel,'' Butland said in his letter to Goodale. "I am assured that in
discussions with Michigan Congressman (Bart) Stupak's office and Mayor (Verna)
Lawrence's office in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., that interest in a public hearing could
be international in scope. "Mayor Jack Burrows of North Bay has also requested to be
in attendance at any such forum.''
Butland is requesting the involvement of appropriate government officials from Foreign
Affairs, Natural Resources, Transport Canada and Atomic Energy of Canada. The proposed
shipment coming through the Sault would contain about nine tubes of fuel already
prepared in the United States for immediate placement into a reactor.
The fuel, contained in dense, ceramic pellets and encased in zirconium (metal), will
be transported in sealed containers specifically designed and tested to withstand
impact, puncture, water immersion and fire. The fuel itself, according to government
background papers, is described as stable, solid and not soluble. It cannot spill,
ignite or burn and is not a powder that can be inhaled. The sample, according to the
government, poses minimal risk to public health and safety and the environment. The
MOX program, which has been used throughout Europe, sees plutonium from nuclear
weapons converted to plutonium oxide, which is then added in small amounts to uranium
oxide to make nuclear reactor fuel.
Atomic Energy Canada has entered into a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy
and government authorities in the Russian Federation to assess the operating
performance of MOX fuel. The testing is seen as a way for the U.S. and Russia to
convert plutonium from their nuclear weapons programs into MOX fuel to generate
electricity in nuclear power reactors. Once the fuel is used in a reactor it cannot
readily be used for nuclear weapons.
"Let Us Consider The Human Brain As
A Very Complex Photographic Plate"
1957 G.H. Estabrooks
www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html
FOR K A R E N #01182
who died fighting 4/23/99
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.aches-mc.org
807-622-5407
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine
of international copyright law.
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Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
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