KIM KIM: This week, a hearing was held in Ottawa over a controversial plan to ship 16 decomissioned nuclear generators across the Great Lakes to Sweden to be recycled.

The generators are left over the refurbishment of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, located near Owen Sound, Ontario. Each 100-tonne generator is the size of a school bus and made of steel. Although the generators are empty, they are contaminated on the inside with radiation from years of operation. Bruce Power says the risk of transporting the generators is extremely low, and that recycling is a far better option than storing the vessels on site as it reduces the company’s footprint.

Over the course of two days, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission heard from 78 groups, the majority of which are environmental, aboriginal, or municipal entities opposed to the plan. They say that the plan is too risky and that the consequences of a spill or other accident would be catastrophic. Some are calling for the provincial and federal governments to re-visit the 2005 approval process that allowed the power station refurbishment in the first place. The Commission is expected to rule within 30 business days. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: Academy award-winning film director James Cameron visited the Canadian Tar Sands this week.

In April this year Cameron, the director of Avatar and Titanic, described the Tar Sands as “a black eye for Canada”. At the same time however, he admitted that he knew little about the specifics of the Tar Sands. He made the trip at the invitation of residents of Fort Chipewyan, the community downstream of the Tar Sands. Fort Chipewyan has been the epicenter of concerns of heightened cancer risk and contaminated fish and water from the Tar Sands.

Cameron also toured with officials from Tar Sands producer Syncrude during his three day visit. On the final day, Cameron met with Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach. In an interview with the Globe and Mail Cameron recognized that Premier Stelmach saw the issue primarily through an economic development lens, and that he and the Premier agreed to disagree on many points. The Premier says he tried to impress on Cameron the province’s commitment to environmental responsibility. He also pointed to the province’s existing commitment of $6 billion over the next 5 years to scientific research. [ index ]

KIM KIM: American officials continue to argue over the best way to prevent the invasive Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes. But a series of newly published articles suggests that the fish may not be capable of surviving there thanks to competition from another invasive species: the quagga mussel.

Closely related to the zebra mussel, the quagga mussel is a bit larger and is able to survive in colder water. Both species arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s, hitching a ride in the ballast water of freighter ships from Europe. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher Gary Fahnenstiel, the quagga mussel is fundamentally changing the food web in Lake Michigan. His team measured an 87% decrease in the amount of phytoplankton over the last ten years, a drop he blames mostly on the mussel. The loss of phytoplankton has impacted other species in the lake, including freshwater shrimp, whitefish, and salmon. Asian Carp, which can eat up to 40% of their body mass in a single day, may not find enough food to survive in Lake Michigan. The research was published this week in a special supplement to the Journal of Great Lakes Research. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: The Ministry of the Environment this week announced an independent scientific panel to investigate claims of severe environmental impact from the mining projects. In making the announcement, Environment Minister Jim Prentice “I have had my own concerns about the nature of the testing that’s being done and have proceeded on this basis to get immediate response from some of Canada’s best scientists.”

Minister Prentice had previously downplayed any concerns about environmental hazards from the Tar Sands. Queen’s University professor’s Peter Hodson and Peter Schindler produced a study earlier this year stating that Alberta’s Tar Sands facilities have polluted the Athabasca river and its tributaries with 13 chemicals and metals rated by the EPA as “most hazardous”. Professor Hadson had at the time of that study voiced his surprise at the lack of scientific backing to Mr. Prentice’s reported assertions that any contaminants such as lead or mercury were naturally occurring and were not a result of Tar Sands activity. We will be speaking with John Bennett of the Sierra Club about the issue after the headlines. [ index ]

KIM KIM: An oil spill in the Port of Montreal has been contained, according to officials from Suncor. The leak, which occurred late Tuesday night, affected one of the reservoirs of the company’s refining facility.

The reservoir contained a mix of petroleum products, including oil, bunker fuel, and diesel. An unknown amount of the material entered the St. Lawrence river, creating a slick 2.5-kilometres long. Officials were alerted when residents smelled the fuel and called the fire department. The leak was stopped by pumping water into the reservoir and skimming the oil off the top.

This is the second significant spill in the St. Lawrence in recent months; last June a Canada Steamship Lines freighter ran aground near a lock station just outside of Montreal, resulting in a suspension of shipping that lasted three days. Efforts to clean up the current spill are being monitored by Environment Canada and Environment Quebec; they are expected to be complete by the end of the week. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: In what should have been lauded as an environmental milestone, the Ontario Liberal government instead passed Bill 191 to considerable controversy. The bill, which is also known as the “Far North Act” protects some 225,00 square kilometers of pristine land, including the sensitive boreal forest.

Some aboriginal groups who live in the protected areas voiced strong opposition. Opposition groups complain that they were not consulted sufficiently on a move that could significantly impede their ability to earn their livings. The government on the other hand hailed the bill as progress. Minister of Natural Resources, Lina Jeffery, has cited Bill 191 as key to establishing rules to manage development in the resource rich region known as the Ring of Fire. The ring, more than 500 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, is said to contain on of the world’s largest deposits of chromite – an ingredient used in the production of stainless steel. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: British Petroleum has been the subject of intense scrutiny for its role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but its problems in the region go back to 2005, all relating to its Texas oil refinery. Its history of problems were highlighted this week when BP was fined $15 million for violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act at its refinery in Texas City, the third largest refinery in North America. The fine is the largest ever paid for clean air violations, and is the most recent of a series of problems relating to the refinery. In 2005, an explosion at the facility killed 15 workers, resulting in a $50 million fine. This most recent fine brings to $137 million the total amount paid out BP for violations stemming from the Texas Refinery. The Environmental Protection Agency, which issued the fine, announced that BP will spend $500 million in order to bring the refinery into compliance. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: Three species of amphibians that were believed to have gone extinct have been re-discovered. The findings are part of a project launched by Conservation International which is funding expeditions around the globe to search for 40 amphibian species which have not been seen for over 10 years. The group reports that its search has found three species that had gone missing. These include the Cave Splayfoot salamander in Mexico, the Omaniundu frog in Kenya, and the Nimba frog in the Ivory Coast. The project hopes that by re-discovering species that were thought to be lost, it can provide useful data as well as gain attention in order to help conserve and save these endangered species. [ index ]

ROSE PALMIERI: American Oil giant Chevron was granted an injunction against Greenpeace this week to prevent them from interfering with one of its ships. The wide ranging injunction was granted in Edinburgh, prohibiting them from interfering with the Chevron ship “Stena Carron” from reaching its destination at a drilling site and hindering its “lawful business” in any way. Chevron sought the injunction after Greenpeace sent “wave after wave” of swimmers into the north Atlantic in the ships path to prevent it from reaching its drill site destination. This round of confrontation began when Greenpeace protesters attached a “survival pod” to the anchor chain of the ship last week, effectively preventing it from departing the oilfield for fear of the safety of the people on aboard. Greenpeace was also issued an injunction against the survival pod interference, but sidestepped the court order, which only specifically cited the survival pod by changing tactics. The situation has continued to escalate as these actions are part of a blitz of actions against Chevron oil interests by Greenpeace over the last several weeks. Chevron has also criticized Greenpeace claiming that it is endangering the safety of its protestors in an irresponsible manner. [ index ]