A rendering of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ proposed Near Surface Disposal Facility. (Image: CNL)
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is asking its stakeholders (members of the public, industry, elected officials, and employees) to support a proposal to construct the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) to dispose of legacy radioactive waste at the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.
CNL has applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to amend its existing site license to allow the construction of the proposed low-level radioactive waste disposal facility, and the commission has begun hearings on the project with the opportunity for the public to submit comments.
According to CNL, the NSDF is critical to the successful cleanup and remediation of the Chalk River Laboratories campus and the management of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s low-level waste. An engineered containment facility, the NSDF would accept decommissioning waste from more than 100 legacy buildings and structures at the Chalk River site, as well as waste from 70 years of science and technology research, contaminated lands, and continuing operations.
Say yes to NSDF: In an email to stakeholders, CNL said, “On behalf of CNL’s Stakeholder Relations team, we encourage you to participate in this important process. Your opinions on the project can be submitted to the CNSC as a written intervention, which can be in the form of a letter. If you also wish to speak at the hearing, you can request to appear in-person or virtually. While we welcome any support on the NSDF project, we believe that in-person interventions have the potential to make a significant impact on the process.”
Written submissions and requests to appear in-person must be made to the CNSC by April 11. Details on how to submit a request to intervene can be found on the CNSC website.
CNL also invites stakeholders to visit its NSDF virtual visitor center for further information on how to participate in the licensing process.
