The one- hour debate at the Senedd on Wednesday showed the
Welsh authorities wanted to close down the issue, despite the Petitions
Committee report being interim, as questions were unanswered.
Anne Greagsby (Barry&Vale FoE) with Welsh Anti-Nuclear Alliance's poster and
new banner behind, on the Senedd steps prior to the debate
Various Assembly members including the Vale’s Jane Hutt and
Cardiff’s Gareth Bennett voiced the concerns of constituents over ‘nuclear
sludge’ being dumped on Wales, arguing that further testing of deeper samples
is needed for public assurance. Jane
Hutt supported Committee member Mike Hedges’ request for review by independent
academics, whom people trust more than official agencies.
Committee chair David Rowlands biased the debate by quoting
the NRW statement on radioactive substances being “no greater concentration at
depth”, yet did not mention the CEFAS** data that showed the contrary - up to
three times the uranium and radium at a few metres depth – as agreed by CEFAS
in a new letter (30 April). He said the
Committee had written to NRW in January asking for deeper samples. The company refused saying “not radioactive”
but neither Rowlands nor the Committee appeared to challenge this obviously false
statement.
David Melding (of Penarth) regretted that the company did
not respond to the request for deep samples, saying he’s open for new evidence
if it’s brought forward. Cardiff AM Neil
McEvoy said the data do show radioactivity is higher at depths of material
which is to be excavated, such that radioactive dose could exceed the “de
minimis” level of international standards for dumping at sea. He wanted the license suspended till further
testing is done.
Simon Thomas supported a pause for more testing, while claiming
he’d ”not seen any evidence that the material is radioactive”. How strange that Plaid’s environment
spokesperson does not understand that the measured gamma radiation is,
actually, radioactivity! He spoke also
about dumping material in the Welsh Severn Estuary avoids landfill tax, which would
deliver £27 million if landfilled in Wales (300 000tonnes @£88.95 per tonne)
Caroline Jones said emotionally, the south Wales coast is
special, we need every action to protect our ecology. Committee member Janet Finch-Saunders was
bothered that this big company refused
to undertake deep sampling. She said the
chemical contaminants are above CEFAS Action Level-1, described by them as a “small
breach”. A breach by any name! She proposed the Welsh government use its Marine
Act powers until the chemicals’ impact on the Severn marine conservation area
had been assessed.
The Minister Hannah Blythyn in reply read a prepared speech,
taking nothing on board and claiming the committee had “carried out a thorough
review”. It said the CEFAS assessment
was “fully in line within international standards”, showing “no radiological
risk to people and the environment”. In
fact, CEFAS ignored the international requirement introduced in 2015 for
assessing radiological impact on ecosystems.
They left the chemical impacts to NRW, who had done nothing. Carwyn’s Government again not listening.
** CEFAS = Centre for Environment, Fisheries
and Aquaculture Science, an executive agency of the Department for
Environment (England).
Friends of the Earth Barry&Vale comment:
we were encouraged by the support of so many AMs, responding to petitions totalling around 100 000. Our evidence was taken up by the committee, but in the end the Committee chair ignored it, choosing not to report the 3-fold increased radioactivity at depth that proved the case for further deep sampling. He also choose not to report that NRW had not carried out an assessment of the added toxic chemicals dumped in the Severn Estuary. We think to take these breaches of European law to the Commission (pre-Brexit!).
