Dounreay Broadsheet
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N949 AU6UST ISEPTEMBER 1985 Background Radiation Dounreay Broadsheet Nuclear Leeks! -contents Comment Dounreay: The Rigged Inquiry 3 On May 24th Alistair Goodlad, junior Energy The campaign against the reprocessing Minister, announced that the Department of plant hots up by lan Leveson Energy will be supporting the application by the News 4-5 UKAEA and BNFL to construct the European Background Radiation 6-7 Demonstration Reproc:::essing Plant (EDRP) to Adding to natural radiation won't handle spent fast reactor fuel at Dounreay on harm you? by Don Arnott the north coast of Scotland. Although this Radhealth 7-8 application had been publicised last autumn, the Trades Unions and the IC RP manner and timing of the announcement came by Tony Webb as a surprise to the anti-nuclear movement. Dounreay Information Broadsheet 9-12 lt has long been realised that the activities at Dounreay deserve national prominence, but Nuclear Leeks! 13 understandably the campaigns against Windscale The Welsh Magnox stations' record and Sizewell B haV'e taken much of the move by Hugh Richards ment's attention recently. However, the EDRP NPT- No Peace Tomorrow (5) 14 proposal has instilled in us a sense of urgency Concluding our series for the so we have produced the enclosed fourJ)CI9e Treaty Review Conference broadsheet on Dounreay to assist campaigners by Jos Gallacher to publicise the hazards of this ludicrous pro Greentown - Green Future 15 posal. Milton Keynes' co-operatively run Looking at the plans one can believe that the community by David Olivier applicants have gone out of their way to devise Appropriate Technology 16-17 the worst possible scenario: highly radioactive Reviews 18-19 spent plutonium fuel will be shipped across the Listings, Little Black Rabbit 20 congested and inhospitable North Sea from the Tony Webb works with the Trades Union Radi European mainland (remember the Mont Louis?) ation and Health Information Service. and the plutonium recovered will be flown back Don Arnott is a former Consultant to the Inter to the continent in a powder form (one millionth national Atomic Energy Agency. of a gramme can cause cancer if inhaled) - this Hugh Richards is the Press Officer of the operation will take place approximately weekly. Welsh Anti Nuclear Alliance. We are told that an option exists for the resul Jos Gallacher is a freelance researcher on proliferation issues. ting high level waste to be returned to the coun David Olivier is a member of the Greentown try of origin; this option has never been Group and works as a consultant on energy exercjsed at Windscale. conservation/renewable energy sources. A public incpmy into the application is expec ted to begin 'in the new year and will run for This magaz~ne is pr~ for the Brilish Anti-Nuclear and Safe Energy movements by the Scottish Campaign to Resist 'months rather than years•. On page 3 lan Lev the At~lc Menftce (SCRAM). eson uplains why the inquiry postulated by the Scram, t1 Forth Street, E'dibburgh EH 1 3LE. Scottish Office (with Cabinet backing) will be Tel: on 557 11283/4. Editor: Steve Martin totally inadequate to deal with this sort of News Ecfitor: Frances McGiinchey development and identifies alternative tttctics. Reviews Editor: Rosie Bell Research: lan Leveson lt hardly needs to be said, but SCRAM will Typesetting: Rosie Bell put all its efforts into this campaign and, with Layout: Wilf Plum the broad support of the anti-nuclear movement ISSN 0140 7340 Bi-monthly. This magazine is typeset at the Unemployed Workers Centre, and other concerned groups, we will show this 14 Picardy Place, Edinburgh. scheme up for what it is - a last ditch attempt Deadline for next issue - articles. 6th September. news 13th by the UKAEA and BNFL to stay in business. September. We must therefore reiterate our appeal for do APOLOGY nations to fight this campaign - many have al In the review of books on Space Weapons (p22 SCRAM 48) the phrase in the third paragraph should read 'military satellites ready given but we still need lots more to halt can be both destabilising in that they make nuclear war-fighting this headlong rush into the Plutonium Economy. more feasible, and stablising in that they provide early warning Tell your friends and colleagues. Thank you. of attack and verification of arms control agreements.' We missed out some words which considerably altered what the re viewer meant. COVER PHOTO: MARTIN ROND 2 SCRAM Journal August '85/September '85 Dounreay-The Rigged Inquiry Like nuclear power; fast reactor (FR) Scotland called in the application in mid might come to Dounreay has been gree research has had all-party support and June and stated his intention to hold a ted with growing concern and anger a the unquestioned blessing of every gover Public Local Planning Inquiry (PLPI) be mong residents of the area. The Fishing, nment since 1955, receiving steady fun cause 'the proposed development had Farming and Tourist industries will be ding in excess of £lOOm per year (1984 implications of greater than regional threatened by the plant and are already prices) despite repeated failure to importance'. The Public Notices appear very worried how much effect the mere achieve progress towards building the ed in the Scottish Press on June 14th, threat will have on them. For the first first Commercial Demonstration Fast allowing 21 days for representations. time Caithnessians have openly express Reactor. Originally envisaged for 1970, ed concern about the nuclear industry. the CDFR is now admitted to be not pos Plaming Inquiry Commission The Island Councils of Orkney, Shet sible until 2015. This has not attracted land and the Western Isles are cooper much public or parliamentary scrutiny. At PLPI's, matters of national policy ating in their opposition against the The project is still fostered and protec are not considered to be material to the plans, as are the environmental groups ted by the Dept of Energy (DoEn). fan planning law. Although some discussion in the North, under the umbrella 'Cam Leveson now examines the latest exam was allowed at the Windscale and Size paign Against the Dounreay Expansion ple of Governmental obfuscation. well inquiries, the Windscale report ig (CADE)' which includes the Dunters from The DoEn made an approach to join nored the evidence (we await the pub Orkney, the Wick-based Nuclear Repro the European FR development lication of the Sizewell report). The cessing Concern Group, the Highland programme prior to their review of the Town & Country Planning Acts make Anti Nuclear Group and RADE - Ross British FR programme, completed in No provision for a Planning Inquiry Comm shire Against the Dounreay Expansion vember '82. The review supported further ission (PlC) where the proposed develop - a newly formed group opposing the development, as national strategic pol ment: spent fuel transport route from lnver icy: its details are confidential. 1 involves matters of regional or national gordon (the port of entry). RADE was Following negotiations during summer importance; formed despite the Government's thinly '83 a European Collaborative Agreement 2 has scientific or technical aspects disguised attempt to buy off the Easter was signed in January '84. which are unfamiliar; Ross communities with the promise of However, the House of Commons Se 3 has related activities at other sites; jobs (900 jobs were lost when the alumin lect Committee on Energy; sitting after or ium smelter closed in 1981 ). The High the signing, was not allowed to question 4 has been considered for other sites. land Regional Council has reserved its the programme and 'regretted••• that none position until consultations· end at their of the details of the review (had) been next meeting in September - they may published.' lt criticised the lack of strin still be swayed by public opinion. gent assessment of the F R programmes compared with the severe cost criteria Particles imposed on renewables research. The current Conservative Govern Several recent events have fuelled ment has ignored the recommendation the opposition case. BNFL's court case of .the Flowers Commission and its ac for the October '83 slick caused the ceptanc·e by the Government of the day UKAEA to attempt to distance them that 'the issues should be carefully ap selves at an early stage by claiming that preciated and weighed in the light of it is they who will be running the plant public understanding' before an FR pro and BNFL will only be raising the gramme is embarked upon. The Govern finance. However, particles discovered ment stated that the European Demon on the Dounreay foreshore in 1984, which stration Reprocessing Plant (EDRP) de were claimed to pose 'no hazard to the cision will not 'prejudge any decision to public', have since been estimated to be taken on the timing and siting of a Although a PlC can examine national have been as radioactive as the commercial fast reactor in this country.' policy and make recommendations on Cumbrian beaches after the '83 slick. policy which the planning minister must Also, a week before the announce Application Called In then consider, no PlC has ever been con ment of the planning application, the stituted. (The Roskill Commission into Government quashed a £200m European So much for Parliamentary control London's third airport which was similar grant for agriculture in Highland Region of major investment programmes; and in format predated the 1971 Planning - this is coincidentally the same figure so much for assurances given by success Act). Following the Sizewell inquiry the as the cost for the EDRP. ive governments that there would be a Town & Country Planning Association During the Low Level Radiation Con full public inquiry before Britain embarks has recently made a number of recom ference in Gloucester, a letter to the on an FR programme.