|
|
|
Ministers refuse to play ball on nuclear waste burial |
|
|
|
Monday, 25 June 2007 |
The Scottish government today declined to endorse plans to consult on proposals to bury nuclear waste in deep geological facilities in Scotland.
Speaking as the UK government launched a public consultation on plans
for the geological disposal of radioactive waste, Richard Lochhead,
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said:
"We recognise that dealing with the legacy of radioactive waste from
past nuclear activities is one of the most significant challenges we
face.
"The Scottish government does not accept that geological disposal is the right way forward.
"This is a matter of principle for us and I have no doubt that public opinion in Scotland supports our view.
"We do, however, continue to support the Committee on Radioactive Waste
Management recommendations for a robust programme of interim storage
and would also support further joint research on other long-term
management options.
"We do not accept that it is right to seek to bury nuclear waste, which
will remain active for thousands of years, in a deep geological
facility or to expect any community to host such a facility. This out
of sight out of mind policy should not extend to Scotland."
The policy for waste in Scotland is to support long term "near surface
near site" storage facilities so that the waste is monitorable and
retrievable and the need for transporting it over long distances is
minimal.
Lochhead said that the Scottish Government would continue to work
closely with the UK Government and devolved administrations in other
areas of radioactive waste policy where there are shared, agreed
objectives.
No one has commented on this article.
Related news items:
|
Site news...
Translate holyrood.com: We are now testing Google translation on holyrood.com, for more information on this service click here . We hope this will improve access for our international visitors and clients. Let us know what you think at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
|
Holyrood news 
