Antinuclear

Last ditch: my submission to Royal Commission into nuclear energy.

To the Attorney-General Department,

I request that you consider the following Terms of Reference to be included for the Royal Commission into nuclear energy. The Royal Commission will be undermined if it doesn’t include the following Terms of Reference.

· The environmental impacts of uranium mining in South Australia. This would include especially the effects on South Australia’s water. South Australia is a water scarse State, and nuclear facilities requre huge amounts of water – both for uranium mining, and nuclear power. Cooling water from nuclear power plants result in heat pollution of water sources – rivers, or sea areas nearby.  Radioactive waste contaminates groundwater, and would threaten Australia’s precious Great Artesian Basin.

.Foodstuffs from Australia are known to be clean and radiation free. This status would be threatened by nuclear operations, and lose Australia’s reputation for clean food exports. Nuclear environmental damage also threatens our tourism industry.

· Nuclear waste; the Royal Commission must look widely at nuclear waste management in South Australia, including uranium tailings. The Commission should examine proposals to host international nuclear waste and status of the waste industry globally.

. Safety. Though nuclear accidents are rare, their consequences are catastrophic. Terrorism is a risk – nuclear facilities and transport of radioactive materials are becoming an attractive target for terrorist attacks.

. Climate change. Climate change is bringing sea level rise which in turn would threaten nuclear facilities near the coast, such as at Port Adelaide. Risks of storm surges and even tsunamis cannot be discounted. Climate change will increase droughts, adding to the water shortage problems that already beset the nuclear industry. Climate change brings extreme weather, with greater risk to transport. The recent Malaysian airliner disappearance in the Indian ocean was almost certainly due to an unprecedented extreme weather event. As we must expect more of these extreme events, this brings into question the danger of transporting radioactive wastes over long distances.  Australia is contracted to take back  a relatively small amount of radioactive waste that originated from Lucas Heights. That is hazard enough, without contemplating an international waste repository as an import business.

· Legacy sites; South Australia’s contaminated nuclear sites including Maralinga, the Port Pirie Uranium Treatment Complex, and Radium Hill. There are unresolved concerns over the status of these sites (in relation to public health and environmental impacts) and the Royal Commission provides an opportunity to finally resolve these issues.

· Insurance, financial risk, public liabilities and subsidies; a comprehensive examination of the potential liability of the SA Government in the case of an incident or accident.

· Exploration of alternative energy sources to address the challenge of climate change, including the potential for growth in renewables and other low carbon technologies

Yours sincerely,

Noel Wauchope

February 16, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews