Dear Friends
It has taken a while to properly ponder the letter recieved from Andrew Bowie, Minister for Nuclear. The Minister for Nuclear accuses me of “harassment” (!!) of the CEO of West Cumbria Mining. This "harassment" amounts to four and a half letters worth written every year since 2020 regarding the alarming and continuing appointment of the coal mine CEO to advise Government on their Delivery of a Geological Disposal Facility for heat generating nuclear wastes. This advice on delivery has included "investigation techniques" such as seismic blasting, banned in the Atlantic Ocean as being too dangerous to marine life. The letters and petition are largely to the Dept for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, now the Dept for Energy Security and Net Zero and ask for the removal of the Coal Boss from the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management – the UK Government’s expert voice on geological disposal of nuclear wastes.
The letter and petition of almost 2000 signatures can be seen here
So far the media and it has to be said NGOs have barely raised an eyebrow about this uber dangerous cronyism between coal and nuclear. They prefer to focus on climate/steel/job aspects of the earthquake inducing coal mine just a few miles from what is billed as the biggest pile of plutonium in the world. The plutonium is not classed as waste and not earmarked for a deep geological disposal facility – the plutonium would be likely to stay right where it is at Sellafield on the Lake District coast with a grotesquely enormous mine (Geological Disposal Facility) right alongside under the Irish Sea, alongside that would be the nuclear dump advisors coal mine.
Spookily when the coal mine was approved by Secretary of State in 2022 polluted acid minewater from the honeycomb of old mines started pouring into Whitehaven Harbour. If thats not fair warning to cease and desist with deep mining in the highly vulnerable West Cumbria area I don't know what is! The Coal Authority initially said the pollution wasn't coming from old mines - now they have acknowleged that it is. What is not being acknowledged is that the Coal Mine CEO advising on nuclear dump plans may be responsible in part or in whole for this pollution.
West Cumbria Mining's coal mine explorations hit a methane gas pocket off St Bees sparking an emergency response and has drilled 4000 km of boreholes in the area with nearly 900 cases of core samples being stored now at the old Haig Mining Museum (now West Cumbria Mining) offices. The pollution pouring into Whitehaven Harbour has been going on now for over a year with no end in sight and no meaningful action or investigation by the authorities.
Apologies for highlight this but we are raising funds to find out more about the pollution and people can donate here if they feel able - if not please do share this unfolding environmental disaster which is a stonking great big red flag for deep mining either for coal or for a deep nuclear dump in this area of West Cumbria.
all best wishes
Marianne