Mud dumping licence ‘can’t be suspended without evidence’
WALES’ biggest quango has said it would open itself up to a doomed legal action if it sought to revoke a dumping licence for 300,000 tonnes of mud from a nuclear site.
On Monday a demonstration will take place outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay against the dumping of the mud from Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the Severn Estuary off Cardiff.
Thousands of people signed a petition expressing concern that the mud could pose long-term health threats.
But Natural Resources insists the mud is safe.
In advance of Monday’s demonstration it has released a new statement setting out its position.
The statement says: “We have no Wales powers to suspend the licence unless we are presented with new evidence demonstrating that the mud contains radioactive levels above a certain threshold – and no such evidence exists.
“If we suspended the licence without that evidence we’d be operating illegally and the operator could challenge our decision through the courts. We can only act on evidence.”
Explaining why the mud can’t be disposed of near its present site on the English side of the estuary, NRW states: “Sediment dredging operations are very common around the UK and Welsh coast, and the material needs to be disposed of at designated disposal sites.
“This means we can ensure the sediments are released at a suitable site and will not harm sensitive habitats or wildlife. By using a designated disposal site, we can also make sure sediment does not build up in one place, creating a hazard to shipping, for example.
“For the sediments coming from the Hinkley site, the Cardiff Grounds disposal site is the closest designated disposal site. This will also make sure emissions from transporting the material are kept to a minimum.”
In a letter to Neil McEvoy AM, one of the leading opponents of dumping the mud in Wales, Dr Madeleine Havard, the acting chair of NRW, said: “You will also be aware that NRW has taken expert advice from several parties including Cefas (The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and Public Health Wales – who subsequently consulted radiation specialists at Public Health England.
“As well as our own radiological experts, those from the Environment Agency were also consulted. The conclusions provided by our consultees, and the evidence gathered determined that the marine sediment is suitable for disposal, based on current legislation and internationally accepted standards.
“We remain confident that all the requirements under current best practice and international guidelines have been met in our determination of this licence. We are satisfied that the results of the testing meet the standards required for depositing the marine sediment at the designated disposal site, and from the evidence presented we believe that the material is safe for disposal with no risk to people or the environment.
“Therefore, we do not consider it appropriate to suspend the marine licence. It would also be inappropriate for NRW to require any further testing when all such standards have been met.”