Congressman Dan Kildee Introduces Congressional Resolution to Protect Great Lakes from Threat of Nuclear Waste

Aboard the Appledore IV schooner on the Saginaw River, Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced a congressional resolution he will be introducing to protect Michigan’s Great Lakes from the threat of nuclear waste that Canada is proposing to permanently store underground less than a mile from Lake Huron.

The new congressional resolution “expresses the sense of the U.S. House of Representatives that the President and Secretary of State should ensure that the Canadian Government does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin.”

The underground nuclear waste storage facility, proposed by Ontario Power Generation, could store over 50 million tons of radioactive waste. The plans include burrowing nuclear waste 2,200 feet underground in Kincardine, Ontario, less than a mile from the shared Great Lakes Water Basin.

“As Michiganders, we know that our Great Lakes are an invaluable and precious resource that we must protect now and for future generations,” Congressman Kildee said. “That’s why Canada’s proposed plan to permanently store millions of tons of radioactive waste near Lake Huron is so troubling, and why we must take action to ensure such a storage facility is never built so close to our shared water resources. Nuclear waste is highly toxic and can take tens of thousands of years to decompose. Storing it less than a mile from the Great Lakes would jeopardize billions of dollars in economic activity every year that comes from the fishing, boating and tourism industries. Such nuclear waste storage would also threaten our livelihood and way of life as Michiganders. It’s too big of a risk to take, and my congressional resolution seeks to ensure that a permanent nuclear waste site would not be located in our Great Lakes Basin.”

In the event of an accident, a nuclear storage facility so close to the Great Lakes could threaten a large supply of the world’s freshwater resources. Lake Huron, along with Lakes Superior, Erie, Michigan and Ontario, constitute the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth, comprising over a fifth of the world’s freshwater resources. Approximately 40,000,000 people – in both the U.S. and Canada – depend on fresh water from the Great Lakes for drinking water.

Recently, a growing number of cities and municipalities – both in Michigan and Canada – have publicly expressed opposition to the new proposed plant, including Bay County, Mich., Toronto, Ontario, St. Clair Shores, Mich., Wayne County, Sarnia, Ontario and Essex County, Ontario.

The new congressional resolution is the latest in a series of actions that Congressman Kildee has taken to protect Michigan’s water resources and express concern with Canada’s proposal to store nuclear waste near the Great Lakes.

Last October, Congressman Kildee wrote a letter to the Joint Review Panel of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission expressing “serious concern” with the proximity to Lake Huron of the proposed long-term nuclear waste facility in Kincardine. Congressman Kildee’s office has also met directly with members of the Canadian government to express concerns with the proposed storage facility.

Additionally, last month, Congressman Kildee wrote a letter to Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, raising questions about Canada’s past opposition to similar nuclear waste storage facilities near shared water basins. In the 1980s, when the U.S. was exploring potential locations to store nuclear waste, Canadian officials expressed concern about proposed locations within the Great Lakes Basin. Ultimately, no U.S. nuclear storage facility was built near the Great Lakes.

The congressional resolution will be formally introduced when Congress resumes for legislative business on Monday, September 8.