Rodney Stevens
Clarence Valley councillors will vote on a motion at the May 23 meeting to declare the Local Government Area a nuclear free zone.
The motion was put forward to council by the Clarence Valley Climate Change Advisory Committee, which is comprised of Deputy Mayor Greg Clancy, CVC Director of Planning and Environment Adam Cameron, seven community members and four council staff.
In 1982, Ipswich City Council became the first council to declare its Local Government Area LGA a nuclear free zone, and since, many LGA’s have been declared nuclear free, including Lismore City.
“Essentially declaring a nuclear free zone is a statement of principle, saying that the LGA does not support the use, storage of or transportation through the LGA of nuclear weapons, high and intermediate level radioactive waste or material, including the development of nuclear power plants,” council’s meeting agenda states.
“The exception to the above is for approved low level applications (e.g., radioisotopes) in medical and hospital industry and research facilities.”
If council votes to declare the LGA a nuclear free zone, it is a symbolic statement unlikely to have any adverse or unintended outcomes, as both the state and federal government’s have the power to reverse the LGA’s declaration, or council could resolve to reverse the declaration in the future.
Both the Clarence Valley Climate Change Advisory Committee and Valley Watch Inc have expressed their support for declaring the LGA a nuclear free zone to council.
Despite the power generated from nuclear reactors being recognised as having low greenhouse gas emissions, the committee believes the proposal reflects community concern with the health and safety and environmental impacts of nuclear energy and its waste.
Councillors will vote on the officer’s recommendation “That Council support the Climate Change Advisory Committee recommendation and declare the Clarence Valley local government area as a nuclear free zone.”
The CV Independent will report on the outcome of the vote in the May 31 edition.