How ordinary citizens defeated the crooked tactics of a giant nuclear power company

Although they are not experts in the field of radioactive carcinogens, the residents’ many voices were not too intimidated to call the energy giant to account for its actions.

How residents delivered a major upset to GE-Hitachi Canada’s nuclear operations, rabble.ca, By Zach Ruiter and Liat Mandel| January 28, 2011 David versus Goliath has recently been retold as a story of environmental justice: a small group of Trent students and Peterborough residents defeated the General Electric-Hitachi Corporation of Canada (GE) at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) tribunal.

On December 23, permission for GE’s secretive plans to process enriched uranium downtown were officially revoked. The tribunal decision stated, “the issued license does not authorize activities related to low-enriched uranium (LEU) or possession of the same.”

Amanda Lickers and Matthew Laing-Gibbard, second-year students at Trent, caught sight of GE’s hazy yet green-lighted approval to manufacture LEU rods to power the “CANDU-Two,” the descendant reactors to Canada’s use and export of atomic energy. Having studied the effects of cumulative and non-metabolizable radiation exposure on cell structure, Lickers and Laing-Gibbard knew the health of Peterborough residents was in danger………

Multiple speakers shared the frustration of feeling kept in the dark. Maybe it was the clip-art image of daffodils growing out of a nuclear stack in Mason’s presentation, but GE clearly lost the audience’s trust. For the parents, it was their Erin Brockovich moment. Despite the lack of information they were given, they were qualified to concur as parents and residents of the area that GE made every effort to hide their plans from public consultation.

Hurtling into action, many parents submitted to the CNSC after a deadline for written interventions. The CNSC accepted only written interventions owing to a common complaint that the community was not properly notified as required by law.

With a borrowed minivan, a small group of Trent students arrived in Ottawa on December 8 to deliver oral interventions at GE’s ten year license renewal hearing. Representatives of the CNSC presented, followed by Peter Mason, and then came the critical interventions.

Through quotations, Zach Ruiter’s oral presentation gave the testimony of multiple Prince of Wales parents. This reiterated the extent of GE’s efforts to avoid public consultation by those who would not be silenced…….

Adaszynski cited a 2005 health study of retired GE workers. The study found cancer rates well above the national average; 50 out of the 120 GE Peterborough retirees studied presented life-threatening cancers…….

With almost 50 written and oral interventions from the Peterborough folks and none from Toronto, Peterborough residents stopped GE’s plans to process LEU in both cities. Third, create a diversity of voices. The campaign’s success was strengthened by the collaboration of individuals and not any one source or organization. We created strong allies in the community. People from all walks of life intervened with differing positions; decentralized sources are less apt to be brushed aside by officials.

In the end, GE was not able to justify their plans to process LEU. Although they are not experts in the field of radioactive carcinogens, the residents’ many voices were not too intimidated to call the energy giant to account for its actions.

How residents delivered a major upset to GE-Hitachi Canada’s nuclear operations | rabble.ca