Letter of Heartfelt Thanks Sent to Germany’s Environment Minister on Nuclear Shut Down

A letter of thanks has been sent this weekend from Radiation Free Lakeland to Germany’s Environment Minister Steffi Lemke.  

Dear Steffi Lemke, 

Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Germany

We are a volunteer nuclear safety group in Cumbria, UK and we are writing to thank you for making Germany and Europe safer by closing down Germany’s nuclear power plants.

We agree wholeheartedly that the war in Ukraine makes the case for closing down nuclear reactors worldwide much more urgent.  

Here in the UK our government have employed the CEO of the first deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years to advise on “investigation techniques” and “construction” of a deep hole 1000m x 25km square in which to dump heat generating high level nuclear wastes.  The Irish Sea is in the frame for this very hot very deep nuclear dump.  This Geological Disposal plan is not we believe intended to ensure the safety of the UK, Europe and the world.  But rather to put the waste ‘out of sight and out of mind’  in ‘final disposal’ in order to make ever more (and even hotter “high burn fuel” ) nuclear wastes from the UK’s new nuclear build program. The new nuclear build program in the UK is now being pushed ruthlessly at great expense to the taxpayer and diverting public money away from renewable energy which uses the ‘free’ fuel of wind, solar and tides.

As you know there is is no “away” for nuclear wastes which is why we, like you, are advocating for an end to the manufacture of ever more nuclear wastes and for storage and intergenerational monitoring and repacking when necessary of the existing  wastes.

In addition to Geological Disposal of heat generating wastes our government is pushing novel ways of ‘disposing’ of low and intermediate level wastes including ‘recycling’ metals onto the open market and incineration.  This even includes plans to take more nuclear waste from other countries.   We are writing to European nuclear countries to ask that the intermediate and low level wastes from those countries are not sent to the UK for incineration at the Orwellian named  “Clean Energy Technology Park”  operated by Westinghouse on land owned by the UK government near Preston in the North of England.  This is the site that manufactures nuclear fuel and nuclear materials for the UK and has clients worldwide including Russia!  

There is a plan to import nuclear waste from Europe to this site which would then incinerate the radioactive wastes metres from residential homes and just a few miles from Preston City centre.   I am sure you would agree that this is very dangerous and unethical and will do everything to prevent Germany’s nuclear wastes coming to the north of England for incineration or ‘recycling’.

Thank you so much once again for the decision now enacted after years of campaigning by dedicated nuclear safety activists to stop nuclear power in Germany.  We take great heart from your lead and will campaign with renewed vigour to halt the most dangerous industry in the world.  Deep time has made our radioactive planet habitable.  The only industry to have the capacity to return our planet to that early deep radioactivity must be halted worldwide. Germany has led the way to ensure the future survival of our blue planet.  

yours sincerely,

Radiation Free Lakeland 

and

Lakes Against Nuclear Dump 

Lakes Against Nuclear Dump       

References:

Germany begins powering down nuclear plants Germany begins powering down its last three nuclear plants       

UK Government take advice from CEO of West Cumbria Mining coal boss  over deep nuclear dump plans https://www.lakesagainstnucleardump.com/post/government-take-advice-from-coal-mine-boss-over-deep-nuclear-dump-plans

Recycling radioactive scrap metal https://www.cyclife-edf.com/en/cyclife/governance/cyclife-uk       

Plan for Europe’s nuclear waste to be incinerated near Preston city centre https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newswestinghouse-and-perma-fix-agree-to-partner-on-uk-nuclear-waste-facility-9535817