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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representative John James (MI-10) joined Representative Dan Kildee (MI-08) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) in sending a letter to authors of the FY 2025 national defense bill, requesting that they include a bipartisan measure to oppose the permanent storage of nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin.

As it stands, Canada has plans to build a facility that would permanently store more than 50,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste in South Bruce, Ontario, which is located within the Great Lakes basin.

“High-level nuclear waste is the most dangerous form of nuclear waste and remains hazardous for tens of thousands of years. Any accident involving radioactive waste near the Great Lakes would have devastating and long-term consequences for the health of Michiganders and all other people who depend on the Great Lakes for their livelihood,” the letter reads in part.

The FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by the House of Representatives, included Kildee’s bipartisan amendment opposing the permanent storage of nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin. This letter asks that this amendment be included in the final FY 2025 NDAA negotiated between the House and Senate.

The letter was also signed by Senators Gary Peters (MI), Richard Durbin (IL), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Tammy Baldwin (WI), and Tammy Duckworth (IL), as well as Reps. Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Elissa Slotkin (MI-07), Haley Stevens (MI-11) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).

The full letter text is below:

Dear Chairman Reed, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Wicker, and Ranking Member Smith:

We write to you regarding the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 (FY25 NDAA). As conference negotiations on the final bill continue, we urge you to include language from the House of Representatives-passed FY25 NDAA opposing the Government of Canada’s plan to permanently store high-level nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin.

The Great Lakes are one of our most precious natural resources. They are the largest source of fresh water on Earth, and over 40 million people in the U.S and Canada depend on them for clean drinking water. The Great Lakes are also an economic engine for our region—generating over $82 billion in economic activity annually and supporting over 1 million good-paying jobs.

This is why we are deeply concerned by the Government of Canada’s ongoing plan to permanently store more than 50,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin. High-level nuclear waste is the most dangerous form of nuclear waste and remains hazardous for tens of thousands of years. Any accident involving radioactive waste near the Great Lakes would have devastating and long-term consequences for the health of Michiganders and all other people who depend on the Great Lakes for their livelihood.

The U.S. and Canada have historically worked together to prevent the permanent storage of nuclear waste in our shared water basins. In the 1980s, when the U.S. was exploring several potential domestic sites to permanently store nuclear waste, then-Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Minister for External Affairs Joe Clark expressed serious opposition to sites located in or near shared water basins—including sites in the Great Lakes basin. Ultimately, the U.S. agreed and decided not to pursue these contentious sites.

Many of us support bipartisan, bicameral legislation—H.Res.243 and S.Res.117—expressing the sense of Congress that President Biden and his administration should work with the Government of Canada to ensure nuclear waste is not permanently stored in the Great Lakes basin. We urge you to include Sec. 3123 from the House of Representatives-passed FY 2025 NDAA, which reflects the intent of this resolution, and expresses the sense of Congress that neither Canada nor the U.S. should permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin.

We appreciate your commitment to crafting a FY25 NDAA that supports our servicemembers and military families, invests in our military facilities and defense sector and strengthens U.S. national security. We urge you include this language to protect our Great Lakes as well.

Sincerely,

Daniel T. Kildee

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI)

Rep. John James (MI-10)

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (IL)

Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04)

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN)

Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI)

Rep. John R. Moolenaar (MI-02)

Sen. Gary C. Peters (MI)

Rep. Jack Bergman (MI-01)

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL)

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-07)

Rep. Haley M. Stevens (MI-11)

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)

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