Bruce Power to postpone nuclear shipment

Bruce Power announced on Tuesday that it has withdrawn its application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to ship 16 used nuclear fuel containers from Lake Huron, Ontario to the country of Sweden via the St. Lawrence River and seaway system.

This postponement of the shipment was made in order to, “engage with the groups who continue to have questions about our plans, particularly First Nations and Metis groups,” the release says. “As we have not set a date for shipping, Bruce Power believes the decision to withdraw our application was a prudent one and a sign of good faith to the groups we are meeting with…”

Local Governments Respond

“The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is glad to hear that Bruce Power has made the rational decision to temporarily halt its application so it can consult with communities along the St. Lawrence River. This time, we hope that it will be a two-way dialogue where the concerns of our communities will be heard and understood. We hope that their actions are genuine, and that this consultation process is not a mere formality,” said the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.

The MCA is also concerned that if Bruce Power has not properly consulted with First Nations communities along the St. Lawrence, then they most likely did not consult with American communities that also reside along the river. According to a release made by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe back in February when this issue first arose, neither government was consulted.

“As a practical matter, and to my knowledge, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe was never consulted or notified of any aspect of this planned shipment,” asserted Tribal Chief Mark Garrow in the February press release.  “This is a matter of protocol and policy. The Tribe became aware of this scheme only after the media picked up the story and other Native Governments objected.”

Original Proposal for the Shipment

This issue originally arose in early February of this year, when Bruce Power announced that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) granted a license to allow the shipment of 16 steam generators containing 100 tons of steel with less than four grams of radioactive material embedded in the pipes. The original announcement cited an informational campaign on the part of Bruce Power; however, the quick public outcry against the shipment from a range of governments along the transport route and non-governmental organizations proved otherwise.

“We always believed this was the right thing to do to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Duncan Hawthorn, President and CEO of Bruce Power in that original press release dated February 4.

“To reduce its environmental footprint, Bruce Power intends to recycle the decommissioned steam generators instead of placing them into long-term storage,” said Bruce Power Media Officer Steve Cannon. “Approximately 90 per cent of the metal in the steam generators can be decontaminated, melted down and sold back into the scrap metal market. The rest will be returned to the Bruce Power site for long-term storage.”

Mohawks Looking for Alternatives

“The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is glad to hear that Bruce Power has made the rational decision to temporarily halt its application so it can consult with communities along the St. Lawrence River. This time, we hope that it will be a two-way dialogue where the concerns of our communities will be heard and understood. We hope that their actions are genuine, and that this consultation process is not a mere formality,” said the MCA. “We recognize that these are potentially dangerous items that can cause catastrophic harm to our environment, wildlife and our people. To this point, Bruce Power has not provided a common sense answer or solution. We think there is too much potential for a shipping accident in our territorial waters. For the Mohawks of Akwesasne, it is a common occurrence during the summer for ships to be grounded along our islands. We are not entirely convinced by the propaganda that this is absolutely safe.”

The Mohawks of Akwesasne are not opposing this for the sake of opposing it. The Mohawk people have high expectations for their leaders to raise these kinds of questions that would provide a good future for the next generation.  Our Elders have reminded us that there are prophecies that direct us to be respectful and mindful of how we treat our Mother Earth. We are obligated to raise these questions in the most respectful manner, but at the same time stress the concerns of our Mohawk community.