Letter to Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister - Great Lakes nuclear storage

Letter

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

Please accept our congratulations on being elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. We are eager to work collaboratively with your administration to advance our many shared interests and mutually reconcile on issues where our countries may differ.

We write to you today about a matter of great concern to the citizens of our respective states: the risks to the Great Lakes of constructing a deep geological repository for storing 7,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste on the shores of Lake Huron in Kincardine, Ontario. As you are aware, the previous Administration postponed to December 2 the deadline for rendering the final decision on whether to permit the planning for constructing the facility.

The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource -- providing drinking water to 40 million people on both sides of the border and billions of dollars to our regional and national economies. Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin. At the very least, we ask that the final decision be postponed until we have an opportunity to discuss this matter with you in person.

Thank you for your consideration of our requests. We look forward to working with you and your Administration.

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