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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-03-16, Page 7Nuclear waste expert says trust, transparency necessary for successful used fuel repository project Darryl Coote Reporter Nuclear expert Tom Isaacs was touring the region recently to explain best practices for transpar- ency as Canada investigates locations for a used nuclear fuel storage facility. Over breakfast with media at Kincardine's Best Western Plus Governor's Inn on March 2, the former lead advisor on the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future said the success of any large-scale project such as the Nuclear Waste Manage- ment Organization (NWMO)'s long-term used nuclear fuel storage reposi- tory rests on impacted communities having a say over its direction. "It doesn't have to have anything to do with nuclear; it can be a wind tower." Isaac said. "People will react viciously negatively against wind, or solar, or parks. It doesn't matter necessarily. People don't like things sited when they don't feel like they have a role in deciding what gets done and how it gets done. There are lots of examples of things where communities have not felt engaged or communicated with or had a role and turned against the program." Isaac, who has spent more than two decades in the US Department of Energy pri- marily dealing with nuclear issues, was in town the first week of March at the invita- tion of local liaison commit- tees of communities incon- sideration to be the future site of the NWMO project. Of the initial 21 communi- ties that expressed interest in hosting the storage reposi- tory, eight have made it to Step Two (Initial Screening) of the nine -step process including Bruce County municipality's Huron -Kin- loss, South Bruce and Huron Country's Central Huron. As part of step two, the NWMO encourages commu- nities to learn more about the selection process as well as the project itself, which is why Isaac was scheduled to speak at Huron -Kinloss Nuclear Waste Community Advisory Committee regular meeting March 1 and the South Bruce Community Liaison Committee regular meeting March 3. "What I'm doing here largely is I go into commu- nities not to say you should have a repository or you shouldn't, but to say here's how things have been done around the world over time, here's some of the best prac- tices that seem to work, both scientifically and tech- nically. But, as you know, the big issues are often non- technical, they are issues of public acceptance, political issues," he said. Isaac is not too con- cerned with the science behind repository projects because it is imperative that they be safe, however it is the process in which they become built that he is most interested with. Not everyone will be posi- tive about such a project, he said. But to ensure a smooth and transparent process, which will prevent people from viewing the proposal negatively, the interested corporation needs to culti- vate a partnership with the affected public, he said. One important condition that needs to be established to build a relationship of trust, Isaac said, is the community must have con- trol to withdraw from the process at anytime. A program such as the long-term used nuclear fuel storage lasts generations, and the involved communi- ties must be partners in the process from the start. And the corporation needs to cultivate this partnership early. "You invest yourself in the community. You build rela- tionships ... You work closely with these communities. You make sure they have the resources necessary so they can educate themselves so they can participate. You do a lot of listening," he said. This process — called Adaptive Phased Manage- ment, and which is being practiced by the NWMO for its used nuclear fuel storage site — is actually a relatively new way of implementing large-scale projects, he said, adding that previously what was most common place was a method called Decide, Announce, Defend. Scientists would dictate what should be done and how without consideration for social concerns. They would announce the plan and when the public argued against it, they would then defend their initial proposal. But in a democratic society that doesn't work, he said. "What works is working in a way that builds over time a sense of communication and a sense of trust and confi- dence between us that we're working towards the same goals. That we're transparent with each other, that we're open with each other. That I'm willing to listen and react with you," he said. As an example of this Adaptive Phased Manage- ment approach Isaac referred to the case of a repository currently under construction in Finland by Posiva. Isaacs said when the city of Olkiluoto was approached with the pro- ject, Posiva asked them what their concerns were. The response was not worries over public health and safety; it was about the situation facing their senior citizens who needed a new seniors home. Posiva then offered to rent their current seniors home for the next 99 years and use it as their office. They would then pay the lease all upfront so the town could afford to build a new facility for its older population. "It was a huge victory in all sense," said Isaac. "That's an example of building a part- nership in the long term that Wednesday, March 16, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 Darryl Coote/Reporte Former lead advisor on the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future Tom Isaacs says for both the developing corporation and the site location to benefit from a large-scale project such as the NWMO's long-term used nuclear fuel storage repository, the process has to be transparent and built on trust. builds confidence." It is also evidence of the developer being dedicated not only to the project, but to the community, he said. To create this type of part- nership and engagement is "tough" and doesn't happen overnight, nor should it, he said, adding that the there is much that can be learned from how those in Sweden and Finland approach the problem of dealing with their nuclear waste. Sweden, he said, actually changed its program to respond to the concerns of the affected community. "If you go to the Swedish facility for low and intermedi- ate waste, it was designed to bring school buses in, and over the course of their educa- tion every student in Sweden will go and visit that facility. What an education!" he said. The project manager, he said, was probably taken back by this alteration to the plans, "but it was done that way to educate peo- ple, to make them feel a sense of ownership [over the project]." The Fins and the Swedes, Isaac said, are willing to repeatedly visit the commu- nity, move to the community and raise their kids there to better understand its desires and vision for the future. "You need to build a core and earn a core of trust and confidence with people," he said, "and if you can find a place where that can be done and if it makes sense for the community, makes sense for the region and sense for the NWMO and solves the problem and is a safe site beyond question you have yourself moving towards a solution," he said. However, even in E O a a) O a C.0 situations where a strong foundation such as this has been established, it doesn't guarantee shovels in the ground or a plant erected. "And if you decide, 'You know what? It's just not right for me.' I'm going to respect that," he said. For more information, visit the NWMO website at www.nwmo.ca Open House Thursday March 17th 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. R i& 3 Farms Geoff, Sandra, Thomas, & Patrick Farrel Farm is located at 1351 Hwy. 21 South, Kincardine Ontario Sella gI1 es. LIQUID TZCIIIIMQI QQIIIFar. Byron Ballagh PRESIDENT Bus: 519-357-4600 Fax: 519-357-4630 CeII: 519-357-6239 Email: byron@bliquidtech.com Toll Free: 1-877-312-4600 Website: www.bliquidtech.com RR 2 WINGHAM, ON, NOG 2W0 The Water, Manure and Waste Water SOLUTIONS COMPANY!