Hinkley Mud dumping -Senedd debate 23 May

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!).