Canadian officials are hearing testimony again this afternoon on a proposal to store low to medium level nuclear waste at an underground repository near Lake Huron.
You can watch the hearings live at this website.
Ontario Power Generation wants to build the repository near the town of Kincardine. The company already has a nuclear power plant located there. The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is one of the biggest nuclear plants in the world.
State Rep. Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores) is worried the proposed repository will threaten the drinking water for 40 million people.
“Why would we take a risk in contaminating, with radioactive materials, contaminating our Great Lakes? It just seems like too big of a risk to take,” Roberts said.
Roberts and other critics hope to bring more attention to the proposal, particularly from federal officials in the United States.
"I fundamentally believe there is an alternative site that is not so close to Lake Huron," Roberts said.
There are a few deep geological repositories for nuclear waste operating in the world. There’s only one in United States, in New Mexico. Plans for another at Yucca Mountain in Nevada have been canceled.
Public hearings on the proposal in Canada are scheduled through mid-October. Find more information and how to take part here.
