National Assembly for Wales to vote on nuclear mud

On Wednesday, 10 October, the National Assembly for Wales will vote on a motion to suspend the licence that is allowing mud from Hinkley Point nuclear reactor to be dumped in Welsh waters. The debate is expected to take place at 5pm, with a vote on the motion scheduled to take place at 6pm.

The motion was jointly tabled by Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives and calls for Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to suspend the marine licence it granted for the mud to be dumped.

Two further amendments, tabled by independent Assembly Member Neil McEvoy, call for a full Environmental Impact Assessment on the effect of the mud, to be carried out by NRW.

All opposition Assembly Members are expected to vote to support the motion and call for the mud dumping to be suspended. But the Labour group, which has a majority, has proposed its own amendment that would allow the mud dumping to continue, calling for further public engagement to reassure the public. However, two Labour AMs – Julie Morgan and Jane Hutt – have expressed their concern about the mud dumping, with Jane Hutt raising specific concerns about the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment to carry out the dumping. The Labour group on Penarth town council has also issued a statement calling for the dumping to be halted.

The campaign to suspend the mud dumping has gained international attention in recent weeks after rock star Cian Ciaran, from the Super Furry Animals, took NNB Genco to court. NNB is an EDF subsidiary that is carrying out the mud dumping. Both parties later discontinued the case, agreeing to pay their own costs, with campaigners saying an injunction was unlikely to be successful now that there was a political opportunity to stop the dump.

Campaigners have also claimed that court documents show there is no specific Environmental Impact Assessment for mud to be dumped in the Cardiff Ground disposal site. As Cardiff grounds is within a Special Area of Conservation, the campaigners have stated that an EIA must is mandated under law, and that NRW’s granting of a licence, without a specific EIA, is unlawful.

A protest is planned to take place from 4:30pm, outside the National Assembly on the day of the vote. Previous protests in August and September have attracted hundreds of protesters.

Cian Ciaran, campaigner said;

 “This Labour Government has taken the Welsh people for granted and has risked the health of the nation. For me the core message of the campaign remains unchanged; the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence and therefore the precautionary principle should dictate a rethink. We will continue to seek the answers the Welsh public deserve.

“Why wasn’t the Environment (Wales ) Act 2016 upheld requiring more evidence to be gathered in respect of uncertainties? Where is the paperwork stating that Cardiff grounds is a licenced dispersal site to begin with? The dumping continues so why isn’t the Rhodri Morgan FPV out there monitoring and policing the works carried out by NNB, especially in light of the recent reports regarding license violations. These are just a few of the many questions yet to be answered. It is a duty for every Welsh Assembly Member to do right by its people and hold to account the Government that granted the licence unlawfully in the first place”

Neil McEvoy AM said,

“Through our court case we have now established that the Welsh Labour Ministers are responsible for this whole debacle. They’ve risked the health of all of us by refusing to get the mud properly tested. Now they’re doing everything they can to stop the Assembly from voting to suspend the dumping licence  until proper testing is done.

“Thanks to the cross party support of Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives, this matter will now be debated on 10th October in the National Assembly and we are asking the Welsh public to turn out in force to ensure the dumping is stopped. 

“Labour need to know that Wales is not a dumping ground for other people’s waste. Some Labour AMs have expressed their concern about the dumping and we’ll see now if they have the courage to do the right thing and vote with their conscience.

“Finally as a campaign we’d like to thank everyone who has supported us so far, generously giving both their time and money to the cause. That support and pressure must be sustained going forward. The politicians and policy makers must be held to account.”

Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru i bleidleisio ar fwd niwclear

Ar ddydd Mercher, 10 Hydref, bydd Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru yn pleidleisio ar gynnig i atal y drwydded sy’n caniatau i fwd o adweithydd niwclear Hinkley Point gael ei ddympio yn nyfroedd Cymru. Disgwylir i’r ddadl gael ei chynnal am 5pm, gyda phleidlais ar y cynnig i ddigwydd am 6pm.

Cyflwynwyd y cynnig ar y cyd gan Blaid Cymru a’r Ceidwadwyr ac y mae’n galw ar i Gyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (CNC) atal y drwydded forol a ganiatodd i’r mwd gael ei ddympio.

Mae dau welliant pellach, a gyflwynwyd gan yr Aelod Cynulliad Annibynnol Neil McEvoy, yn galw am Asesiad Effaith Amgylcheddol ar effaith y mwd, i’w gynnal gan CNC.

Mae disgwyl i holl Aelodau Cynulliad y gwrthbleidiau gefnogi’r cynnig a galw am i ddympio’r mwd gael ei atal. Ond mae’r grŵp Llafur, sydd â mwyafrif, wedi cynnig eu gwelliant eu hunain fyddai’n caniatau i ddympio’r mwd barhau, gan alw am fwy o ymwneud â’r cyhoedd er mwyn tawelu eu meddyliau. Fodd bynnag, mae dwy AC Llafur – Julie Morgan a Jane Hutt – wedi mynegi eu pryder am ddympio’r mwd, gyda Jane Hutt yn codi pryderon penodol am ddiffyg Asesiad Effaith Amgylcheddol i wneud y dympio. Mae’r grŵp Llafur ar gyngor tref Penarth hefyd wedi cyhoeddi datganiad yn galw am atal y dympio.

Denodd yr ymgyrch i atal dympio’r mwd sylw rhyngwladol dros yr wythnosau diwethaf wedi i’r seren roc Cian Ciaran, o’r Super Furry Animals, fynd â NNB Genco i’r llys. Un o is-gwmniau EDF yw NNB a hwy sy’n dympio’r mwd. Yn nes ymlaen, rhoes y ddwy ochr y gorau i’r achos, gan gytuno i dalu eu costau eu hunain, gyda’r ymgyrchwyr yn dweud nad oedd gwaharddeb yn debyg o lwyddo yn awr bod cyfle gwleidyddol i atal y dympio.

Mae ymgyrchwyr hefyd wedi honni fod dogfennau’r llys yn dangos na wnaed Effaith Amgylcheddol penodol i fwd gael ei ddympio yn safle waredu Tiroedd Caerdydd. Gan fod Tiroedd Caerdydd mewn Ardal Cadwraeth Arbennig, dywedodd yr ymgyrchwyr fod AEA yn rheidrwydd dan y gyfraith, a bod CNC trwy roi trwydded heb AEA penodol, yn groes i’r gyfraith.

Cynhelir protest o 4:30pm ymlaen, y tu allan i’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol ar ddiwrnod y bleidlais. Denodd protestiadau blaenorol ym misoedd Awst a Medi gannoedd o brotestwyr.

Meddai’r ymgyrchydd Cian Ciaran;

“Mae’r Llywodraeth Lafur hon wedi cymryd pobl Cymru yn ganiataol ac wedi peryglu iechyd y genedl. I mi, nid yw neges greiddiol yr ymgyrch wedi newid: nid yw absenoldeb tystiolaethyn dystiolaeth o absenoldeb ac felly dylai’r egwyddor rhagofal fynnu ail-feddwl. Byddwn yn parhau i geisio’r atebion y mae cyhoedd Cymru yn eu haeddu.

“Pam na pharchwyd Deddf Amgylchedd (Cymru ) 2016, sydd yn mynnu casglu mwy o dystiolaeth ynghyklch yr hyn sy’n ansicr? Lle mae’r gwaith papur sy’n nodi fod Tiroedd Caerdydd yn safle wasgarudrwyddedig i ddechrau? Mae’r dympio’n parhau, felly pam nad yw’r Llong Batrolio Pysgodfeydd Rhodri Morgan allan yno yn monitro ac yn plismona’r gwaith sy’n cael ei wneud gan NNB, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni adroddiadau diweddar am dorri amodau’r drwydded? Ychydig yn unig yw’r rhain o’r cwestiynau nad ydynt eto wedi eu hateb. Mae’n ddyletswydd ar bob Aelod Cynulliad i wneud y peth iawn dros eu pobl a dal i gyfrif y Llywodraeth a roes y drwyddedd yn anghyfreithlon yn y lle cyntaf”

Meddai Neil McEvoy AC,

“Trwy ein hachos llys yr ydym yn awr wedi darganfod mai Gweinidogion Llafur Cymru sy’n gyfrifol am y llanast hwn. Maent wedi peryglu ein hiechyd oll trwy wrthod cynnal profion iawn ar y mwd. Nawr maent yn gwneud popeth a fedrant i atal y Cynulliad rhag pleidleisio i atal y drwydded ddympio hyd nes bod profion iawn wedi eu cynnal.

“Diolch i gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol Plaid Cymru a’r Ceidwadwyr, caiff y mater yn awr ei drafod ar Hydref 10 yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, ac yr ydym yn awr yn gofyn i gyhoedd Cymru ddod yn llu i sicrhau y rhoddir terfyn ar y dympio.

“Mae angen i Lafur wybod nad yw Cymru yn lle i ddympio gwastraff pobl eraill. Mae rhai ACau Llafur wedi mynegi eu pryder am y dympio a gallwn weld yn awr os oes ganddynt y dewrder i wneud y peth iawn a phleidleisio yn ôl eu cydwybod.

“Yn olaf, fel ymgyrch, hoffem ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi ein cefnogi hyd yma, gan roi yn hael o’u harian a’u hamser tuag at yr achos. Rhaid parhau gyda’r gefnogaeth a’r pwysau hyn. Rhaid dal y gwleidyddion a’r llunwyr polisi i gyfrif.”