Wales has no choice? What an argument.

I am still not convinced that plans to move mud dredged from alongside a new nuclear power plant to near Cardiff,  will mean that it will contain radioactive material but then I am also not convinced it will not.

I am certainly not being helped with the argument put forward by the claims made on Wales Online  Natural Resources Wales insist the mud is safe and that refusing it would end up in legal action Wales would lose,

Wales' biggest quango has said it would open itself up to a legal action it would be certain to lose if it sought to revoke a dumping licence for 300,000 tonnes of mud from a nuclear site.

 In advance of the demonstration at the Senedd Yesterday  it released a new statement setting out its position.

The statement says:

 “We have no 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.”

 Several hundred people were at the protest on Monday afternoon organised by independent AM Neil McEvoy and it may be his populist campaigning on the issue may have put some like myself off.

Nevertheless it does seem he has reasonable argument

He said 

"Many more people are aware now and horrified, and we want the Welsh Government to intervene," r.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said NRW's decision was based on "expert advice" and added tests concluded "the material is within safe limits and poses no radiological risk" to people or the environment.

Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans was at the protest and believes in the precautionary principle.

"If there is any doubt, you take note of that doubt and you don't go ahead unless you are absolutely confident there is no danger," she said. "And I don't believe that's the case here".

The  eexplanation  why the mud can’t be disposed of near its present site on the English side of the estuary, NRW states is hardly reassuring.

“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."

It's as if your next door neighbour,  announced that he was going throw rubbish from his garden over the hedge into yours because it was more convenient

Neil McEvoy AM joined hundreds of locals donning banners and flags who wanted to protest against the move outside the Senedd steps on Monday afternoon.

The Assembly Member tweeted

 "The people of Wales are standing up. We're not going to be overlooked. We're not going to be forgotten. We're not having anyone's nuclear mud dumped on us."
“The mud has not been tested enough. Only five samples below 5cm were tested back in 2009."I asked for the methodology, modelling and raw data to check with scientists opposing the Welsh Government’s position. No raw data was provided, because it was destroyed.
"Why? If any nasty hot radioactive particles exist, they will be below the surface.

 Labour AM Mike Hedges who was not at the protest but was given as much space on the BBc website as those who were there  said the mud samples and data should be made available to "external" experts while David Melding, a Conservative, said he was "satisfied that [the samples] do meet the standards as set by international law".

A Welsh Government spokesman said: 

"The recent Petition Committee's report showed Natural Resources Wales made their determination based on expert advice."It also confirmed all tests and assessments concluded the material is within safe limits, poses no radiological risk to human health or the environment and is safe and suitable to be disposed of at sea

I along with many who initially accepted the Welsh Government and  Natural Resources Wales assurances now feel that Mr McEvoy has at least some points, perhaps nor so much by his arguments but by the way those who are responsible for this deal have handled it.

The least that should happen is an open, in depth  and independent  examination of this mud and a review on why we agreed to this in the first place,