Nuclear Waste - last chance to get it right!

Responding to the announcement by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (Sept 12th) that a new consultation is being launched on nuclear waste, W Cumbria & N Lakes Friends of the Earth nuclear issues campaigner Dr Ruth Balogh said

'This is the government's last chance. Nuclear waste policy has been a catalogue of mistakes from the moment the government belatedly woke up to the fact that they needed to take this problem seriously. Time after time government policies have been out of touch with reality and have ended in failure.

There have been two attempts to create a deep underground facility in West Cumbria, one in the 1990s by Nirex, and the more recent MRWS [1] which collapsed in January this year. We very much hope that this consultation will place responsibility for nuclear waste policy where it correctly lies - with the nation. Existing nuclear sites - such as Sellafield - were seen as more likely to 'volunteer' to host a dump, but the best site must be selected from those with suitable geology.

We hope that this consultation will at last provide the kind of sensible approach that we owe to many many future generations, and will be encouraging Cumbrians to contribute to it.'