NUCLEAR chiefs in Copeland are split on the creation of controversial storage vaults for radioactive waste amid “moral” concerns. The Government launched its search for a host community before Christmas, prompting the council to come up with a statement that was broadly supportive of the project but also non-committal in terms of the authority’s involvement. But it emerged at a meeting of the borough council’s Strategic Nuclear and Energy Board (SNEB) this week that panel members disagreed over the council’s current position. The board heard that some councillors were “fundamentally” opposed to the very idea of a multi-million-pound underground Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). Speaking at the meeting, councillors Sam Pollen and David Banks both criticised the GDF plans. Mr Pollen said he was not in a position to argue with experts over the facility but stressed that “morality and ethics” should also be considered. He questioned the “rush” to develop a GDF amid concerns over safety and the lack of “retrievability” of the waste once deposited. The councillor, who works at Sellafield, said the waste was now stored “extremely safely” on the Sellafield site which he described as a “big tick in a box for me”.
Carlisle News & Star 14th Aug 2019 read more »