Thursday, November 20, 2008

Haldimand "Is Nuclear Power Right for Haldimand County?"

Petition Seeks Moratorium on Nanticoke Nuclear Proposal
For immediate release: November 18, 2008

Grand Erie Energy Quest, a grassroots group of concerned residents of Haldimand and Norfolk Counties, is launching a petition requesting a moratorium on nuclear development in Nanticoke, Ontario.

Without any formal public consultation, the Municipal Councils of Haldimand and Norfolk Counties have endorsed a Bruce Power proposal for an Environmental Assessment. Resolutions passed by both councils in the spring of 2007 have supported the first stage in Bruce’s proposal to build two nuclear reactors at Nanticoke.

The group’s petition requests that there be a complete moratorium on nuclear development until the issues of contamination, costs, security, and public consultation are adequately addressed.

The lack of public consultation by local municipalities is one of the main points addressed by the petition. Haldimand Council has refused three times to approve a citizen’s delegation regarding concerns about the nuclear proposal.

In addition to the problem of a lack of public input, citizens’ worries revolve around issues such as radioactive waste, cost overruns, social and biotic impact. Some residents feel that competitive alternatives to nuclear power have not been adequately addressed or explored by local political leaders.

“A big concern is that we feel that we’ve been completely left out of a decision-making process that will affect not only our own lives but the lives of our grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren,” said Jim Elve, one of the authors of the petition. “Now that Bruce Power has committed $30 million to the first stage of construction, the snowball is rolling downhill and it won’t be easy to stop.”

Copies of the petition will be available for signing at MPP Toby Barrett’s Energy Symposium in Jarvis this Thursday evening, November 20th.

Grand Erie Energy Quest Jim Elve - 519-443-8085 - P.O. Box 490, Waterford, ON N0E 1Y0 - email: jelve@jelve.comhttp://www.energyquest4nanticoke.ca/

download the petition from the GEEQ website

Nuclear Nanticoke? Not so fast.

To: Norfolk County Council, Haldimand County Council, Legislature of Ontario, the Honourable Diane Finley and the Honourable Toby Barrett.

Without any formal public consultation, County Councils in both Haldimand and Norfolk have unanimously endorsed the first step in building two nuclear reactors.

The nuclear power industry has failed to address public concern over the issues of safety and security in the storage and handling of hazardous radioactive spent fuel.

Nuclear power is not emissions-free with its pollution intensive activities in uranium mining, transportation and refining.

No nuclear project has ever come in on budget or on time with the taxpayer and the utility customer paying for cost overruns that typically range in the billions of dollars.

We, the undersigned citizens, demand a complete moratorium on nuclear development until the issues of contamination, costs, security, and public consultation are adequately addressed.

Second anti-nuclear petition emerges
Posted By Monte Sonnenberg, SIMCOE REFORMER

A second petition is in circulation opposing the idea of nuclear reactors in Nanticoke.

Titled "Nuclear Nanticoke? Not so fast," the petition calls on Norfolk council, Haldimand council, Queen's Park and Ottawa to declare a moratorium on new nuclear generating stations until a host of issues related to the industry are addressed. These include the safe disposal of nuclear waste and the huge cost overruns that plague the industry.

Grand Erie Energy Quest -- sponsor of the petition -- also wants Bruce Power to suspend plans for an environmental assessment in Nanticoke until Norfolk council and Haldimand council fully air the issue in public. GEEQ is angry that Norfolk council and Haldimand council passed resolutions favourable to Bruce Power last year without entertaining public input.

"What Norfolk and Haldimand councils have done is declare Norfolk and Haldimand as willing host communities," says GEEQ spokesperson Jim Elve of Waterford, an environmental activist and member of the Green Party. "We seem to have more of a discussion about where to put a dog park than a nuclear facility."

Dunnville Coun. Lorne Boyko doesn't understand GEEQ's complaint. An environmental assessment, he said yesterday, is the proper means of airing concerns and fielding public input on an issue of this magnitude. Municipal councils, he added, are ill-equipped for the job.

"Is nuclear power right for Haldimand County?" Boyko said. "I don't know. But I know I'll have a pretty good idea after the environmental assessment. It's almost like they are petitioning against themselves. They are getting what they want."

In a news release yesterday, GEEQ described itself as "a grassroots group of concerned residents of Haldimand and Norfolk counties." The group doesn't believe Bruce Power will conduct an environmental assessment. Rather, it describes the $30-million, three-year study as "the first stage of construction."

"The snowball is rolling down hill and it won't be easy to stop," Elve said in his release.

Bruce Power spokesman James Scongack says initiatives like this are to be expected wherever nuclear reactors are proposed.

"There will always be a group of people who -- no matter how adequate the process -- will oppose it," he said. "I don't think anyone at this point is asking anyone to oppose or support anything. I don't put a lot of weight on this. The public consultation -- the public dialogue -- is only beginning."

Scongack plans to make a presentation at Norfolk council Nov. 25. During that presentation, he is expected to announce a series of open houses where Bruce Power will field questions and comments from the public.

Oct. 31, Bruce Power announced it is interested in constructing two nuclear reactors on 2,000 acres of vacant land in the Nanticoke Industrial Park. If the project gets the green light, the reactors will come on line around 2018.

Earlier this month, Donna Pitcher of South Cayuga said she will circulate a petition asking that the issue of nuclear reactors in Nanticoke be included as a question on 2010 municipal ballots in Norfolk, Haldimand, Hamilton and Brant County.

Those interested in downloading a copy of the GEEQ petition can do so by sending an e-mail to petition@energyquest4nanticoke.ca.

519-426-3528 ext. 150
msonnenberg@bowesnet.com

The Hamilton Spectator
NANTICOKE (Nov 19, 2008)

A community group has sprung up to fight a proposal to build two nuclear reactors in the industrial area of Haldimand County.

Bruce Power, which operates a nuclear power plant on Lake Huron near Port Elgin, is seeking to build the reactors beside the coal-fired Nanticoke Generating Station, which is set to close in 2014.

The province is not endorsing the idea, but it has support from both Haldimand and Norfolk councils, plus local MP and cabinet minister Diane Finley.

A group calling itself Grand Erie Energy Quest announced yesterday it has launched a petition requesting a moratorium on nuclear development in Nanticoke.

It will be asking residents to sign it tomorrow night at MPP Toby Barrett's energy symposium at the Jarvis Community Centre.

The group asks that a moratorium be put in place until the issues of contamination, costs, security and public consultation are adequately addressed. Bruce is seeking approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to conduct an environmental assessment.

It could take three years and cost the company $30 million.

Haldimand Mayor Marie Trainer, who has encouraged the province to support the nuclear option for Nanticoke, said she's heard both pro and con from residents, but "the majority have been for it."

7 comments:

  1. I just came away from the Energy Symposium in Jarvis, and the feel there was "the majority was NOT for nuclear".

    Great symposium by-the-way!

    Thanks Toby!

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  2. Great symposium in Jarvis, and it is obvious that the technology for alternative energy, has made leaps and bounds, while nuclear is the same ole, same ole... this technology has not kept up, nor is it taking seriously the consequences and lack of due diligence and their own negligence in their presentations when they spin nuclear data. Why, because they are leaving or believe they can pass due diligence and negligence issues on to the Ontario government, in other words the Ontario tax payer. It was too bad the environment lawyer was not able to be there, because I had tonnes of questions around the issues of due diligence and negligence. Of course Bruce Power will volunteer at to them a cheap rate, compared to their overcosts etc to conduct the environmental assessment. This insures they control the agenda and they respond to the issues presented. These issues are then better addressed and rehearsed with the help of their highly financed spin team for the next presentation, often dismisses as, "that issue was addressed previously in (fill in the blank). Their young representatives were quite defensive and not up to the task instead staying "on the message".

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  3. Unfortunately I could not be there but were there any answers as to how the alternatives to nuclear were going to create much needed jobs for Haldimand? It would be useful to see a comparison between the alternatives and nuclear in regard to job creation.

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  4. Whooee! The Pembina Institute has done some studies on jobs and alternatives. The good thing about alternative energy jobs is they start pretty quick. Even the nuke construction jobs won't start for a few years.

    I was at the symposium, too, and I been to all of 'em. This time, the folks was definitely leanin' against nukes.

    The biggest lie told all night was when the union guy had a slide up on the screen that said:

    Nuclear power = No greenhouse gases

    I reckon they mine all that uranium without fossil fuel. Then, they transport it from Sasky down to Port Hope without fossil fuel. Then, Port Hope refines it without using any fossil fuel. Then, they transport the enriched fuel to the nuke plants without usin' any fossil fuel. Oh yeah... when they built them plants, they paved the site and built all the massive concrete buildings without usin' any fossil fuel.

    How are we supposed to trust anything any of these guys say? They stand up there and say nuclear is safe and we're supposed to take their word for it. I ain't takin' their word for nuclear power equals no greenhouse gases anymore than I'm takin' their word for nuclear is safe.

    They brushed aside the questions about the warmer water goin' into the lake and warmin' up the whole dang lake. "Some fish like warm water." What a crock o' BS! Change the lake temp and yer lookin' fer troublems - big troublems.

    I seen an old Simpsons show where the good folks in Springfield bought into a pie-in-the-sky monorail idea. This is about the same thing.

    JB

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  5. Good question about jobs. Huge answer. This answer should be explored and answered by municipal council.

    In rough terms...

    Nuclear - 1000 jobs + spin-offs

    Nanticoke today 600 jobs + spin-offs

    Coal-gasification: (as a competitive alternative) Build - 3 - 1200mw units @ 200 jobs per unit = 600 jobs + spin-offs (stats from DOE)

    plus....

    1. Coal-gasification: (a clean-coal technology) that captures pollutants then recycles those products back into the manufacturing and agriculture markets at a profit will add many jobs (How many? Who know at this point, but at least there is money to be made)

    2. Sequestering carbon: (a part of clean-coal technologies), laying of 100's of kilometers of 16" pipeline to old gas and oil fields on and off-shore throughout Southern Ontario, build and maintain compressor stations within this grid network, maintain marine systems off-shore with existing local expertise. (many diverse jobs created)

    3. Increase the existing coal infrastructure at Nanticoke, ships, docks, trains etc. (are we close to a 1000 yet?)

    All of this is positive as far as jobs and profit, not to mention it is clean and benign to boot.

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  6. Thanks for your comment everyone.

    I was there last night early on and left just before the speeches. I spoke to quite a few people and picked up a lot of CD's, booklets and information. It was a great turnout. Fantastic job Toby and all that were involved!

    I could not stay for the speakers, a big thanks to the posters who could answer the question in regards to jobs.

    I would also like to add that I met a few people last night that I have been in contact with via the web and phonefor quite some time.

    It was great to meet them all last night. I can now put a face to a name and a voice over the phone!

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  7. I was also at the symposium and I was impressed with the excellent questions posed by the people who attended. They had a lot of serious concerns about what the impact would be on the lake and also the nuclear waste issue is clearly unresolved. My feeling was that the people who attended were definitley excited about persuing alternatives to nuclear...wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and maybe clean coal.....there were very few people who want nuclear there. I think the council members have made a huge mistake and underestimated the intelligence of the citzens of Haldimand and Norfolk. Citizens want to move on to technologies of the 21st century,...there will be jobs...clean jobs created by these new technolgies...let's go for that for Haldimand/Norfolk!

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