Blue Mountains Council Mayor, Mark Greenhill OAM, has condemned NSW Opposition plans to develop a nuclear power plant on the doorstep of the region’s World Heritage area.
In a statement, Mayor Greenhill said he will take a Mayoral Matter of Urgency to the floor of Council’s 25 June meeting initiating a ‘Mayoral Community Campaign Against the Reactor’ to prevent the development of the energy plant.
The Coalition yesterday unveiled seven sites in five states where it proposes to build nuclear power plants if elected.
“They have claimed the first sites can be operational between 2035 and 2037, several years earlier than the timeframe the CSIRO and other experts believe is feasible,” said Mayor Greenhill.
“One such site is Mount Piper, near Lithgow, which is next door to the Blue Mountains Local Government Area.”
The Mayor (pictured, above) says the proposal raises many questions including:
- Will the highway be used to transfer material?
- What are the environmental safeguards?
- What measures are put in place to store and transfer radioactive waste?
“Blue Mountains is a nuclear free zone and has been for decades. This assignation was renewed during my time as Mayor. It is a clear statement that the Blue Mountains community does not want nuclear power stations in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lithgow City Council Mayor, Maree Statham (pictured, above) says the organisation is “cautious about activities involving nuclear processes”, following news a site in the Lithgow municipality has been earmarked for one of the proposed nuclear plants.
“This Council has a historical position on nuclear energy. This position acknowledges that other levels of government determine these policies, but it also signals that Lithgow City Council is cautious about activities involving nuclear processes,” said Mayor Statham.
“Clearly, we lack detail about the Opposition’s announcement today.
“Two things define this Council, first, we are focused on creating a strong future for this city and, second, we make decisions informed by the facts.”
The Mayor said it was not good enough for the NSW Opposition to simply announce a site.
“This Council will be seeking detail from the Opposition about their jobs plan, their workforce transitioning plan, their commitment for more substantial investment in Lithgow and, of course, their environmental policy,” she said.
