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Wilson's toxic response to irish protesters
26 April 2002
Friends of the Earth today condemned Energy Minister Brian Wilson's response to the Irish Sellafield protest as misleading word play, designed to hide key safety concerns.
More than a million postcards were delivered to the UK Prime Minister and to the Prince of Wales as part of the Irish-led Shut Sellafield Campaign, but the UK Energy Minister claimed that continued operations at Sellafield were a necessary aspect of cleaning up our nuclear legacy [1] while failing to explain why activities at the nuclear waste production plant were being increased.
Dr Rachel Western, Friends of the Earth's nuclear research officer, said:
“Brian Wilson is misleading the public by playing with words. Everyone recognises the need for Sellafield to remain open to clean up our nuclear legacy, but at the moment the plant is increasing the risks by continuing to process nuclear fuel. Mr Wilson is condemning the people of Britain and Ireland to an ever-increasing legacy of radioactive poison, not just for 100 years as he suggests, but for thousands of years to come.
“By suggesting Sellafield is making an important contribution to the fight against climate change, Mr Wilson is demonstrating his ignorance of the Sellafield operations. Sellafield is a plutonium production site with only a minor power reactor. Furthermore nuclear energy is a major source of pollution through environmental waste, which will remain hazardous for years to come. The British Government must act to close down the operations at Sellafield now and invest in cleaning up the plant. This will be a multi billion pound operation that will guarantee employment in the region well into the future.”
Notes:
[1] DTI Press release P2002/259 26/04/02 “Wilson offers reassurance
on Sellafield.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
