Hiding on the edge of US atomic consciousness, Chalk River, Ontario has had an operating reactor since 1947. An important source of medical isotopes, the facility is slated to shut down in 2018. As part of the site’s shuttering, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) is primed to “repatriate” liquid uranium waste to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Much has been written about this, including commentary on the lawsuit filed to stop the transports in the US. I think it’s interesting to look at the act of the waste crossing the border. In particular, the act of nuclear waste crossing the Niagara River. Are we witnessing the evolution of a new atomic geography?

Residents in Buffalo, on the US side, and the Niagara Region, on the Canadian side, have concerns about the waste moving over the Peace Bridge. Here are articles from two local papers:

U.S. Court Clears Way for Nuclear Waste Shipments – Welland Tribune

Liquid Nuclear Waste Shipments Over Peace Bridge Could Start in September – Buffalo News