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Editor:
I am writing in response to the article in the Saturday, March 10, 2007 Daily Observer regarding the application by SRB Technologies (SRBT) to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to amend its licence.
Like the Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County, Ottawa Riverkeeper has serious concerns regarding SRBT’s application.
First, we are concerned that the public cannot adequately assess this application given the insufficient timeline to review. On March 21, we received copies of the documents for the amendment hearing and the CNSC has only given the public until March 30, 2007 to present written comments on the SRBT application.
Organizations such as Ottawa Riverkeeper rely on review and comments from independent experts in the field and this quick turn-around time does not allow us to consult with our science experts and do our own research. We wonder how important or relevant the CNSC considers public input in its decision-making process.
According to the information presented to date, SRBT has significantly polluted the soil, air and water around its facility. Ottawa Riverkeeper sees an immediate need for a better understanding of the groundwater contamination problem. This is a serious threat to local residential well-users as well as to the Ottawa River.
Ottawa Riverkeeper is also concerned that SRBT does not yet have an approved decommissioning plan to deal with the current contamination issues, and no financial guarantee for decommissioning. Given that the CNSC has stated “the licensee shall have in place, by no later than July 31, 2007, the financial guarantee equivalent to the cost of safe shutdown state of the facility and the licensee shall have the full amount of the financial guarantee in place no later than May 31, 2008,” Ottawa Riverkeeper recommends that no applications from SRBT be considered until May 31, 2008 when SRBT has the financial guarantee in place. This act will give the public some confidence that SRBT is acting as a responsible corporate citizen.
In our written submission against altering SRBT’s licence, we urged the CNSC to take a precautionary approach to licensing and regulating SRBT’s Pembroke facility and to include the public in decision-making around this contentious facility.
John Bouza, president,
Ottawa Riverkeeper,
Ottawa, ON