Proposal for Canadian High-Level Waste to SRS Poses Early Test of President Trump & DOE Secretary Perry: Will it be Business as Usual at DOE or Will Harebrained Dumping-for-Profit Schemes be Halted?

Will the DOE Swamp be Drained or Filled Up with More of Our $$$$$?

Our readers will know that DOE has teamed up with Chalk River Labs in Ontario, Canada to pursue dumping of 6000 gallons of liquid high-level nuclear waste from Chalk River at SRS. DOE would be paid $60 million for the unprecedented transport and dumping of this high-level nuclear material, a byproduct of production of medical isotopes that contains some US-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU).

Environmental and public interest groups, including SRS Watch, have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to require DOE to at least prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposal, including an analysis of the viable and practical option of “downblending” the HEU in waste at Chalk River, solidifying it and managing it there. DOE has for four years refused to prepare an EIS or review the disposal-in-Canada option. (See Feb. 2013 memo to DOE on the matter.)

A federal court hearing was held in court in DC on January 18 and a ruling is expected soon. But no matter what the court does, DOE can send a message to profiteers at DOE/SRS/Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and halt the scheme now. Drain the swamp, as pledged!

See latest court filings from the plaintiffs and Department of Justice/DOE:

1. Filing by plaintiffs’ lawyer, January 12, 2017:

PLAINTIFFS’ REPLY TO DEFENDANTS’ OPPOSITION TO MOTION
TO SUPPLEMENT THE RECORD AND TO SUBMIT EXTRA-RECORD DOCUMENTS

2. Filing by DOJ, January 10, 2017:

DEFENDANTS’ COMBINED REPLY IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MOTION TO STRIKE AND OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO SUPPLEMENT THE RECORD AND TO SUBMIT EXTRA-RECORD DOCUMENTS

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