MT. PLEASANT, MI (MPRN)-- A group of Michigan lawmakers is asking the Canadian government to change their plans for nuclear waste storage near Lake Huron.
Canada says the facility will be safe, but the legislators and tribal leaders are not convinced.
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization is considering storing radioactive materials more than a thousand feet below the ground in a spot in the Great Lakes Basin.
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe spokesperson Frank Cloutier says there’s no way to guarantee its safety for the thousands of years that the waste will remain dangerous.
Cloutier says he’s not against nuclear power; he’s against storing the waste so close to the Great Lakes.
“All they have to do is find a repository that’s more secure, more inland, with greater guarantees. I’m not saying ‘No’ to nuclear power. Absolutely not. What I’m saying is, make better choices.”
Canada says storing the waste deep underground is the best way to protect people and the environment. The waste management organization says the communities it’s considering for the storage facility have all expressed interest in hosting it.