| Nuclear waste Re: Atomic Arithmetic, April 15. Norman de la Chevrotiere has exaggerations and misrepresentations regarding the Canadian nuclear industry and waste management costs. Forty years of safe nuclear waste management is a Canadian achievement. Rather than being criticized, the Canadian nuclear industry should be recognized for its excellent waste management practices and safety record. Canada's nuclear industry produces only a tiny fraction of the waste that would have been produced from fossil fuels. Nuclear energy does not harm the environment, as all of the waste is safely contained, stored and managed in steel and concrete canisters on site at nuclear facilities. No Canadian industry worker or member of the public has been injured or harmed by radiation from nuclear waste. When considering that nuclear energy generated over 50% of Ontario's electricity over the last decade, the cost to dispose of its nuclear waste and decommission nuclear plants at the end of their life cycle is only a fraction of the value of the electricity generated, estimated at less than 10%. When compared to other forms of electricity generation, nuclear is among the most responsible and highly regulated industries in the world. In Canada, the regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, monitors closely the plant operations on site. Ontario Power Generation has an excellent record of managing the waste. To compare Canada's nuclear waste program with the repository at Yucca mountain is like comparing a mosquito to a dinosaur. Canada produces nuclear energy for peaceful purposes only and, therefore, the amount of waste generated is minuscule. After forty years of nuclear power generation, the total waste volumes produced could only fill two football fields stored five feet high. With growing concerns over climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and clean air, waste management and disposal issues and the costs of protecting the environment will be shared by all industries. The nuclear industry is taking real steps to build this cost into the life cycle management of their nuclear plants and spent fuel waste facilities. Claudia Lemieux, director of communications, Canadian Nuclear Association, Ottawa. |