Harrison Township, MI – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, called on the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to provide a full review of the Canadian energy company Bruce Power Ltd.’s plan to ship 16 radioactive steam generators via the St. Clair River and Lake Erie before continuing along the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean and to their final destination in Sweden where they will be decontaminated and recycled. These generators are currently being stored on-site at Bruce Power Ltd.’s Owen Sound facility in Ontario, Canada, and are all embedded with low-level radioactive waste.
“Protecting the magnificent Great Lakes is of the upmost importance to me and my constituents and this shipment is causing concern in our community,” Miller said. “The district that I represent in Congress is bordered by several environmentally sensitive stretches of this route and I believe that it is imperative to extensively review on all levels the shipment of radioactive steam generators before they are allowed to proceed.”
“In the U.S., our relevant federal agencies have a duty to ensure that our land and waters are protected, as well as have effective response plans in place in the event of a disaster. I am requesting that PHMSA begin now to investigate this controversial shipping plan before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issues their final approval for Bruce Power’s shipment plan,” said Miller. “It is my belief that the Coast Guard specifically should be consulted and included in the shipping plan, as they will undoubtedly be one of the first responders in the event a disaster occurs. The Great Lakes are an unparalleled natural resource, representing a full twenty percent of the world’s freshwater drinking supply. It is vitally important to ensure that the utmost care is taken to avoid any chance of damaging the Great Lakes and that the government is fully prepared for all possible scenarios should an incident occur during shipment.”
The proposed route for transporting these radioactive generators to Sweden is via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The generators would be loaded on to cargo ships in Ontario, Canada, and would then travel south down Lake Huron until reaching the narrow entrance of the St. Clair River. From there, this shipment would travel through Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie before continuing along the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has already held hearings on approving this controversial shipping plan, and they have indicated that a final decision on approval will be released this month.
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Letter to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration