Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for South East England, has responded to Shepway District Council's consultation about proposals to build a new nuclear research and disposal facility on Romney Marsh.
In his response Keith raises concerns about the risk of flooding on Romney Marsh, the transportation of nuclear waste and the wrong-headedness of continuing to invest in nuclear energy instead of clean renewable energy.
Keith said: "The reason that Dungeness was deselected as a site for a new-build replacement nuclear power station was that it was too vulnerable to sea-level increases. We have to accept that the marsh could change profoundly well before the nuclear waste has ceased to be dangerous. The proposals suggest that measures to protect the facility from flooding could be incorporated into the design, but given the many uncertainties about the extent of flood risk or sea-level rises I find it impossible to believe these measures could cover all eventualities in such a sensitive site for thousands of years."
Keith continued: "Romney Marsh is one of the most precious wildlife-rich wetlands in the country and home to many rare species. This is a common resource which should be protected for people to enjoy. The proposal that it should be turned into an out-of-the-way dump for this country's forgotten toxic waste is not a vision that I can support, and is not one that I believe is in the best interest of local residents."
Keith continued: "Fundamentally, this proposal highlights one of the major problems with nuclear energy generation - there is no safe disposal or decontamination method for nuclear waste. The government is now compounding this problem by backing the creation of new nuclear power plants and hoping they can offload the nuclear waste issue onto the people of Shepway."
Keith concluded: "The UK government would have us believe that nuclear is necessary for a low-carbon future, but this just isn't the case. Renewable energy is affordable, safe and clean and the UK has some of the best resources in Europe. I am fully aware of the urgent need for jobs in the area around Romney Marsh, but these should come from investment in energy efficiency measures and clean renewable energy generation which doesn't leave the toxic legacy of nuclear."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The full response can be read at: http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Romney-Marsh-nuclear-disposal-facility_Shepway-District-Council_18.7.12.pdf
For more information on the work of Keith Taylor MEP, please contact Alice Taylor on 0207 250 8418 or keithpress@greenmeps.org.uk