RE: Reuters article - Belgian Nuclear Shipments Begin As Court

[Antoine Philippe <pantoine@SCKCEN.BE>]

The shipment has arrived in Dessel at the beginning of Wednesday 5 november.

The first judge had ruled against the transport on the basis that there were
no local emergency plan, for the places were the train  would pass. In the
appeal jugdment, the Ministery of Interior has demonstrated that this case
was taken into account in the federal nuclear emergency plan and in the
emergency plans of the provinces (administrative sub-division of Belgium),
that were concerned.

I have the impression that this sort of situation result from the propaganda
of Greenpeace. It's incredible how the media treat this sort of information.
For most of the time, the journalists give only the opinion of Greenpeace
(with always the same person who is interviewed). Greenpeace can say things
that are untrue but nobody from the journalists, who treat the subject, will
verify it !


Philippe Antoine 
SCK·CEN : Belgian Nuclear Research Center
Boeretang 204
2400 Mol
Belgium

PS : The expressed opinions in this mail are strictly mine.
   



-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Hardeman [mailto:Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us]
Sent: mercredi 5 avril 2000 15:41
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Reuters article - Belgian Nuclear Shipments Begin As Court


Belgian Nuclear Shipments Begin As Court Backs Down 
 
Updated 11:10 AM ET April 4, 2000 

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - A Belgian court has reversed its ban on a rail
shipment of nuclear waste from France destined for storage in Belgium and
the first load is already on its way, the Belgian interior ministry said
Tuesday.
Following a government appeal, the court in Dendermonde, northern Belgium,
reversed a decision made two days earlier to block the shipment on the
grounds that the Belgium government was not prepared for a possible
accident.

"The decision this morning allows the shipment to be executed in the planned
timeframe," read a ministry statement. "The first shipment will leave
therefore today around 2 p.m. (8 a.m. EDT) from Valognes (France) to Dessel
(Belgium)."

The train will bring reprocessed fuel from France's Cogema plant at La
Hague, through a train station in Valognes, and on to a storage depot in
Dessel, northern Belgium.

Synatom, the nuclear power division of Belgian power utility Electrabel,
said the shipment would arrive at Mol train station, close to its final
destination, at 11:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Belgium plans to make 15 shipments, taking back 2,649 cubic feet) of
"vitrified" waste -- used reprocessed fuel stored in canisters -- for
long-term storage. The fuel originates from Belgium's own nuclear power
stations.

Environmental action group Greenpeace had petitioned the Dendermonde court
claiming Belgium had failed to implement an appropriate emergency plan for a
potential accident during transportation.

"(But) we said in our defense that all security measures were taken and
there was no need to try to stop (the shipments)," Interior Minister Antoine
Duquesne's spokesman told Reuters.

The interior ministry said it had ordered additional security to protect the
shipments. 

====================



Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675  fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us
 
!
 

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