Town council is asking the provincial government to postpone any commitment with going ahead with the proposed new Darlington nuclear reactors or upgrades until accident and alternative options can be fully explored.

The motion came on the heels of a presentation made by Jennifer Johnston and Kelly Mertens of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). Johnston said that due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many countries are re-evaluating their nuclear strategies and called for Ontario to take similar measures.

According to Johnston, the province has three active nuclear plants which include the Pickering Generating Station, the Bruce Power Station and the Darlington Generating Station and those plants provide more than half the power used by Ontarians every day.

“At this time, the Ontario government is making decisions about the fate of these aging sites and about the future of nuclear energy in our province,” said Johnston. “Ontario nurses as represented by the RNAO are not persuaded by government and nuclear industry leaders here at home to try and assure us about the safety of this industry. The Japanese nuclear industry reiterated those claims prior to the earthquake.”

Johnston pointed out the proximity of Fermi II to Amherstburg and told council of a scare at Fermi I in 1966 when 40 pounds of nuclear fuel melted. She also recalled the partial core meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979.

As recently as March 14 this year. Johnston a failed pump seal at the Pickering nuclear power plan caused 73,000 litres of dimineralized water to be released into Lake Ontario.

A small 4.3-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Ontario two days later, she added.

“Both are reminders that nature is a force unto itself, back-up systems can fail anywhere in the world and nuclear power is an unforgiving technology,” she said. “The staggering health, environmental and economic costs of nuclear power were good reasons to stop investing in nuclear power even before the tragic disaster unfolding in Japan. It is irresponsible to move forward with plans to build new reactors or refurbish existing ones without stopping to learn from Japan’s nuclear tragedy.”

The “exorbitant” cost of nuclear power is a concern, Johnston added, as she stated the province is budgeting $33-billion for its nuclear plans “which alone would elbow out other more cost-efficient and environmentally-sound investments.” She claimed the nuclear industry has “a dismal fiscal track record,” telling council that every nuclear project in Ontario has “gone considerably over-budget, on average about 2.5 times what was initially announced.”

Health impacts of human-produced radiation include cancer, genetic damage, birth defects, mental disability, immune system dysfunction and diabetes, added Johnston.

“Although fears arising from large-scale accident or meltdown are most in our minds of late, the real danger of radiation has shown to be in chronic low-level exposures,” she said.

Johnston and Mertens, on behalf of the RNAO, called for more research and discussion on the issue of nuclear power and wanted Amherstburg council to support a moratorium on decisions being made until further research is done. Town council’s motion will be sent to Essex County council as well as other municipalities for similar action.

via Town wants province to delay going forward with new nuclear reactors – Amherstburg Echo – Ontario, CA.