WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today requested a status update from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on their review of Bruce Power Ltd.’s, the Canadian energy company, plan to ship 16 steam generators with radioactive contents to Sweden by way of the Great Lakes. Additionally, Miller asks that PHMSA includes the United States Coast Guard fully during their review process and ensure that there is a plan for the U.S. Coast Guard to provide an escort in concert with their Canadian counterparts if these shipments are allowed to transit thru the Great Lakes.

“On a project such as this, there is absolutely no room for error. An incident in shipping these generators could affect the drinking water of millions of Americans and Canadians, as well as permanently damage Great Lakes water quality,” Miller said. “PHMSA must undertake their review in concert with the U.S. Coast Guard and their Canadian counterparts with the scrutiny required to make certain that Bruce Power’s plan is safe, responsible and minimizes all risk.”

The generators are currently being stored on-site at Bruce Power’s Owen Sound facility in Ontario, Canada, and are all embedded with low-level radioactive waste. The proposed route for transporting the 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.

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*Congresswoman Miller’s Letter to PHMSA and the U.S. Coast Guard