Anti-nuclear campaigners in Cumbria have hit out at what they claim is misinformation being promoted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on Heysham.

The Heysham power station is pictured here.

The government recently launched a consultation on the building of new nuclear power stations, which will run until 22 February 2010.

Three sites for proposed new plants are in west Cumbria while the Heysham 'consultation' was held on 30th November at Lancaster Town Hall.

The full transcript of the meeting can be found on the Department of Energy  and Climate Change website:

https://www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk/home/events/localevents/

Despite government assurances on display in Lancaster that arrangements exist or will exist for the long term management of radioactive waste generated by Britain’s civil nuclear program, those claims have now been challenged by experts on the issue.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Energy Ed Miliband, four senior members of the original Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) claim the government is going against recommendations made by their own committee of nuclear waste experts.

They say: “We do not consider it credible to argue that effective arrangements exist or will exist at a generic or a site-specific level for the long-term management of highly active radioactive waste arising from new nuclear build,”

Just to add to the government’s smoke and mirrors on nuclear waste, there has been an undemocratic, unjust change to our planning system to push through the building of new power stations.

The Infrastructure and Planning Committee is the result of ‘streamlining’ the planning process, which means that issues like the unsolved nuclear waste problem, safety, health and environment will be excluded from the public’s input into decision making.

In other words, community groups,individuals and Non Governmental Organisations could present conclusive evidence that Heysham is on a geological fault line or that there is a link between radiation and diseases but this would not be considered as relevant by the IPC.

The Infrastructure and Planning Committee was successfully lobbied for by the nuclear industry, which now wants to exclude even the recommendations from government experts.

Marianne Birkby (pictured) from Radiation Free Lakeland said: “Peter McDonald the Head of Nuclear Developments at DECC is pulling the wool over people’s eyes about the Heysham plant when he says that the new power plant will emit less radiation - the operators say otherwise. 

“He also claims there is "no causal link between radiation and cancers"  What he should say is there is a link - we know this from all the evidence, which is why the Germans have opposed new build in their country and have opposed an extention of the life of existing plants.

“However, science  doesn't know how that link between radiation and corruption of DNA works - in just the same way that science doesn't know exactly how the link works between asbestos and asbestosis"

Full transcript of meeting (with "applause"  omitted from many of thestatements opposing nuclear!!

https://www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk/home/events/localevents/

Radiation Free Lakeland is urging people to write to DECC opposing new nuclear build.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change have made the NEW BUILD
consultation documents deliberately confusing and time consuming – just ring DECC, write a letter/postcard -

Write to:
Robin Clarke, OPM, 252b Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8XG.

email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or the time consuming, deliberately difficlult, online 40 page form can be
found at : www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk

Or telephone the Department of Energy and Climate Change:
Tel: 0300 060 4000

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