Answer #1

People have been talking about cleaning up the waste for years. Why is it taking so long?

It’s true that the need to complete the cleanup and develop long-term, safe management facilities has been talked about for years. When an eight-year search for a host community for the waste by the federal Siting Task Force ended in 1996 without an agreement to proceed, the local communities took up the challenge. Led by the former Township of Hope, they developed local community concepts for long-term waste management. These efforts resulted in the proposed project — the Port Hope Area Initiative —. Now that the project is underway, it must meet stringent requirements for environmental and public safety. Detailed environmental and technical studies by the Low- Level Radioactive Waste Management Office and are being reviewed by federal and provincial expert authorities. Extensive public consultation has taken place. In the meantime, since 1982, ongoing interim waste management activities have managed the waste safely.