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Groups petition against new nuclear plant

Groups petition against new nuclear plant
Monroe News by Charles Slat ,March 10. 2009  A coalition of citizen groups is asking federal regulators reject DTE Energy’s plans to build a new Fermi 3 nuclear plant, contending that it would pose a range of threats to public health and the environment.
The groups have filed 14 contentions with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, claiming that a new plant would pose “radioactive, toxic and thermal impacts on Lake Erie’s vulnerable western basin.”DTE Energy, which already operates the Fermi 2 reactor near Newport, is considering building a Fermi 3 plant at the same site, using a new and as-yet unapproved, design.

“For starters, this plant is not needed and we’re prepared to demonstrate that,” said Michael Keegan of Monroe and member of Don’t Waste Michigan, one of the groups opposing the project. “We have national experts and former NRC commissioners — some of the nation’s best minds — who helped compile this document.”
“The proposed Fermi 3 would represent another half-century of safety and security risks for the Great Lakes shoreline,” he said. “Many concerned local residents don’t want to play yet another round of radioactive Russian roulette.”

The groups say that the environmental impacts of the proposed plant have not been determined adequately and the government probably should determine the plant’s environmental impact on a regional basis rather than more local impact.Other contentions are that there is no good way to dispose of the radioactive wastes and fuel the plant generates and that the design of the plant DTE is considering should be approved before the licensing process begins.

MonroeNews.com – The Monroe Evening News, Monroe, MI

March 12, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized