Canadian plan to bury nuclear waste near Great Lakes meets opposition

Globe and Mail : A retired nuclear scientist and consultant, Frank Greening, has criticized a plan put forth by Canada’s Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to bury some 200 000 cubic meters of nuclear waste deep beneath the Bruce Power Plant near Lake Huron. Greening argues that among other things, OPG underestimated the radioactivity of some of the waste, has not considered all the potential impacts of any catastrophic events, and did not perform a thorough review of its plan. Local residents are also opposed; they cite possible contamination of the Great Lakes. However, the nuclear waste is already at the site and is currently stored above ground. Because of the pressing need to find a permanent solution, a federal review panel has scheduled more hearings, during which OPG plans to address those issues. The hearings are to take place this fall.