from Sunday Herald, 16 March 2014
The nuclear bomb and submarine bases at Faslane and Coulport near Helensburgh are seeking permission to increase the amount of radioactive waste they discharge into the Clyde and the air, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
But the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is coming under mounting pressure to delay giving the go-ahead to the increases until it has been given the tough new statutory powers promised by the Scottish government last week.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has submitted plans for the Faslane naval dockyard to pour more liquid waste into the Gareloch as the number of UK nuclear submarines based there rises from five to 14 by 2019. The waste comes from the submarines’ reactors and includes radioactive cobalt-60 and tritium.
The MoD also wants to keep emitting tritium gas to the atmosphere from the nuclear weapons stored at Coulport on Loch Long. Annual emissions of tritium have doubled between 2008 and 2012, and are expected to rise with the introduction of upgraded warhead designs.
Proposals to shift some submarine work to Coulport will also mean radioactive waste being transported by road between the two bases. The amount of solid waste to be treated and disposed of at Drigg near Sellafield in Cumbria is also due to increase.
The MoD stresses that all the discharges will be within authorised limits, which are being reduced. But critics say that Sepa and the Scottish government should crack down on the pollution.
In the wake of the MoD’s failure to reveal a 2012 radioactive incident at the Vulcan naval reactor in Caithness, the Scottish environment minister, Richard Lochhead, last week promised to end the MoD’s crown immunity from regulation on radioactive pollution.
"This is not the time for an informal gentleman's agreement,” said John Ainslie, coordinator of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. “After being bullied by the MoD at Vulcan, Sepa should wait until the Scottish Parliament gives them full power.”
Then they should set legally enforceable limits for discharges from Faslane, he argued. “If Scotland votes Yes, Trident and all nuclear submarines will go and the limits for nuclear discharges can then be reduced to zero.”
The Sunday Herald reported last week that the Scottish government planned to send all 14 nuclear-powered submarines back to England if Scotland voted for independence in September.
Glasgow’s Green MSP, Patrick Harvie, called on Sepa to challenge the “environmental arrogance” of the MoD. “We must give our regulator the teeth to get stuck in when necessary,” he said.
“I would urge Sepa and the Scottish government to forget the so-called gentleman’s agreement and instead enforce a proper system of controls.”
Sepa pointed out that under the proposed voluntary letters of agreement with the MoD high discharge limits for radioactive waste from Faslane and Coulport would come down. But it said that the actual discharges would increase as the number of submarines rose.
“At this time Sepa plans to continue the determination on proposed changes to the existing agreements,” said a Sepa spokesman. “Following this determination there is a further consultation period with relevant stakeholders, including Scottish government, before the final decision to change the agreements will be made.”
According to the Scottish government, removing crown exemption from the MoD would enable Sepa to regulate all potential polluters even-handedly. Ministers expected to be consulted on Sepa’s proposed decision, a government spokesman said.
The MoD didn’t comment on the planned increase in radioactive discharges. It had proposed reducing the discharge limits, said an MoD spokeswoman. “HMNB Clyde continues to operate safely and there is no safety risk to the public.”
This runs contrary to the National strategy to ensure
"progressive reduction of concentrations of radionuclides in the marine environment
resulting from radioactive discharges, such that by 2020 they add close to zero to historic
levels."
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/46746/0024243.pdf
Posted by: Fred Dawson | 16 March 2014 at 11:05 AM