Statement by Reps. Kildee, Levin, Meijer on Meeting Between President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau
WASHINGTON—Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09) and Congressman Peter Meijer (MI-03) issued the following statement as President Joe Biden meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:
"Canada is an important ally and trading partner to the United States with whom we work on many binational issues, including protecting the Great Lakes. We are disappointed the Canadian government has proposed building a permanent nuclear waste repository in the Great Lakes basin, threatening the drinking water of more than 40 million people on both sides of the border. A growing number of Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, are opposed to this dangerous proposal.
"We ask President Biden to work with Prime Minister Trudeau to ensure that no nuclear waste is permanently stored in the shared Great Lakes water basin. In the 1980s, when the United States was exploring sites to permanently store our nuclear waste, the Canadian government opposed any potential sites that were in our shared water basins. Ultimately, the United States did not pursue this permanent storage site out of respect for our Canadian friends. Now, we urge our Canadian neighbors to extend us this same courtesy. We must work together to protect the Great Lakes."
Representatives Kildee, Levin and Meijer introduced H.Res 647, a bipartisan resolution opposing Canada's plans to build a permanent nuclear waste storage site in the Great Lakes Basin, on September 17, 2021.