Dear Editor,
NEW SEARCH PROCESS FOR A SITE TO BURY THE NATION’S NUCLEAR WASTE
We were disappointed that Border News on 6 February allowed an unusually one-sided piece to be broadcast on the new search process for a site to bury the nation’s nuclear waste. Councillor David Moore implied that the people of Copeland were frustrated that the search process was halted in 2013, and that assertion was allowed to go unchallenged. The borough council executive may well have been frustrated by Cumbria’s decision, but there is little evidence to suggest that view was shared by the public. At the time of the vote, the level of public opposition in Cumbria was overwhelming.
Let’s not forget that the geologist employed by the search process had identified only two areas in Copeland as having any potential, and both of those were within the Lake District National Park. Of those, Ennerdale was considered to be favourite due to its proximity to Sellafield, and yet the NDA’s own environmental reports show just how destructive the search process would be in such a sensitive area. It seems absurd to even consider burying nuclear waste in a National Park but the new search process, which has just started, once again refuses to exclude them. I doubt that the people of Copeland, or anyone that values the Lake District would support such environmental vandalism. A parish poll held in Ennerdale & Kinniside during the last process showed that 94% were opposed to the idea. Under the proposed new process it could be up to 20 years before any test of public support is carried out.
Yours faithfully,
Rod Donington-Smith
for and on behalf of Cumbria Trust
Cumbria Trust 