5292 - 78 Request cease of storing nuclear waste in NE ohio

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RESOLUTION NO.: 5292 BY: Messrs. Brockman, Brown, Magnotto, McBride, Salmon, Usher A RESOLUTION to express the sense of Lakewood City Council, Lakewood, Ohio that due to potential environmental and ecological hazards, negotiations or agreements between the State and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to consider northeast Ohio, Lake Erie, abandoned coal mines, or other geological formations in Ohio as storage facilities for radio- active nuclear wastes be immediately ceased and all future consideration be eliminated. WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of Lakewood City Council, Lakewood, Ohio, that a feasibility study has been conducted of the possibility of storing radioactive nuclear waste in the salt caverns beneath Lake Erie, in northeastern Ohio and elsewhere in Ohio; and WHEREAS, the Ohio Department of Energy has been working with the United States Department of Energy in the studies for nuclear waste storage in Ohio; and WHEREAS, there is uncertainty within the scientific community as to the exact properties of nuclear waste and its long-term impact on the environment and ecology of Ohio. The direct and indirect radiological consequences of airborne and liquid effluents, as well as of nonradioactive, gaseous particulates and liquid emissions released during normal operations and under accidental conditions, are unpredictable; and WHEREAS, there is minima] experience with the disposal of nnclear wastes in the United States. Atomic wastes have been banoed from transport or storage lin bfinnesota, prohibited from storage in Louisiana salt domes, placed under legislative control in Vermont, and are subject to a one-year moratorium storage in New Mexico; and ~{EREAS, the northeast region of Ohio constitutes the most heavily populated area of the state, as well as one of the more hxghly populated sections of the United States and WHEREAS, to deposit nuclear waste materials in Ohio would be in direct conflict of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's purpose, which is "to assure that the civilian uses of nuclear materials and facilities are conducted in a manner consistent with the public health and safety, environ- mental quality, national security and the antitrust laws"; and WHEREAS, the ll2th General Assembly of the State of Ohio have by Senate Joint Resolution No. 32, which has been introduced and is in committee, indicated a desire to closely view this proposed use of northeastern Ohio there- fore, Be it resolved that we the members of Lakewood City Council in adopting this Resolution, hereby cai]. upon President Jimmy Carter, Governor James A. Rhodes, the Ohio Department of Energy, and the Nnclear Regulatory Commission to cease all studies of Ohio location for nnclear waste storage and to cease ali negotiations which wonld lead to the establishment of nuclear waste storage facilities in Ohio; and be it further resolved; That the clerk of this City Council transmit duly authenticated copies of this Resolution to President Jimmy Carter; to Governor James A. Rhodes to Secretary James R. Schlesinger, United States Department of Energy, to Chairman Joseph M. Henvrie, Nuclear Regulatory Commission; to Director Robert S. Ryan, Ohio Department of Energy; to Senator John H. Glenn; to Senator Howard Metzenbaum; to the Ohio Congressional delegation and to the ll2th General Assembly of the State of Ohio. dopted: .