Dear Friends,

You may have heard the good news that the coal mine in Cumbria has been stopped.

 What you will not have heard in the press is that the first demonstration against the coal mine in 2017 was by nuclear safety campaigners with concerns that the earthquake inducing coal mine would have been just five miles from Sellafield’s stockpiles of plutonium.  

What those campaigners (spot yours truly in the photo?) did not realise is that the coal boss would soon to be appointed as the Government’s “geological disposal facility” advisor on investigations including seismic blasting and boreholes for a deep and very hot nuclear dump up to the size of Bermuda under the Lake District Coast.  His advice to government includes mining techniques which would involve using the exact same companies as his coal mine.  No conflict of interest there then?!

The coal boss’s appointment with the government’s Committee on Radioactive Waste Management has been extended to 2027.  

Nuclear Waste Services the limited liability company set up by Government as the “developer” of a deep and very hot nuclear dump  are advised by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and our friend the coal boss, Mark Kirkbride.  

Cumberland Council have gone into “Partnership” with the developer Nuclear Waste Services (advised by the coal boss).  The full council did not vote or debate on whether to enter this “partnership” it was a delegated decision taken by just four councillors.  

Please do sign and share the petition urging Cumberland Council to hold a full debate and vote on whether or not to continue with this partnership which has one aim “delivery of a geological disposal facility.”  

The coal boss is advising government on the biggest industrial development ever in the UK and the only heat generating nuclear dump under the sea anywhere in the world.  There are thousands of ongoing research projects into containment of hot nuclear wastes.  The industry has proven that it cannot safely abandon nuclear wastes for one million hours (114 years) let alone a million years.

The full petition to Cumberland Council and more information can be found here https://www.change.org/p/massive-mine-shafts-and-nuclear-dump-for-cumbria-coast-tell-cumberland-council-vote-now

Onwards and Upwards!

Marianne