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Congressman Opposes Nuclear Waste Facility in Canada

Daniel Mayer/Wikimedia Commons

Congressman Dan Kildee says there should be a better way to store nuclear waste. The Democrat from Flint says a proposed facility in Canada isn't a good answer.

The Democrat, whose district includes Saginaw and Flint held events in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids on Monday. Kildee told WMUK that there should be better place for a nuclear waste storage facility than under Lake Huron in Ontario. He says the chances of an accident releasing nuclear waste into the Great Lakes are small, but "not inconsequential." 

Kildee has introduced a resolution calling on the Canadian government to reconsider the plan. He says there is bi-partisan support for the resolution. Kildee says it also crosses the international border. He has been working with a member of the Canadian Parliament as well. 

Asked about the broader issue of nuclear waste, Kildee says storing waste on the site of nuclear power plants is not a good long-term solution. He says Yucca Mountain seems like a better place to store waste because of its remote location with no source of water nearby. There has been a long debate over making the location in Nevada a nuclear waste repository. Kildee says the details of transporting the waste are important. 

Kildee says the problems with storing and transporting nuclear waste show the need to develop more renewable sources of energy. 

Gordon Evans became WMUK's Content Director in 2019 after more than 20 years as an anchor, host and reporter. A 1990 graduate of Michigan State, he began work at WMUK in 1996.
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