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U.S. senator seeks study on proposal for nuke waste near Lake Huron

This Nov. 1, 2013 photo shows rows of chambers holding intermediate-level radioactive waste in shallow pits at the Bruce Power nuclear complex near Kincardine, Ontario. Ontario Power Generation is seeking permission from the Canadian government to permanently store low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in a rock chamber that would be built more than 2,000 feet below the earth's surface and less than a mile from Lake Huron.
This Nov. 1, 2013 photo shows rows of chambers holding intermediate-level radioactive waste in shallow pits at the Bruce Power nuclear complex near Kincardine, Ontario. Ontario Power Generation is seeking permission from the Canadian government to permanently store low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in a rock chamber that would be built more than 2,000 feet below the earth's surface and less than a mile from Lake Huron. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, John Flesher

DETROIT – U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow wants to invoke a treaty with Canada to prevent construction of a nuclear waste disposal facility less than a mile from Lake Huron.

The Michigan Democrat said Monday she’s seeking a study by the International Joint Commission of risks the project might pose to the Great Lakes. The commission was established under a 1909 treaty between the U.S. and Canada to resolve disputes over shared waterways.

READ MORE: Burying nuclear waste near Lake Huron safest option, panel concludes

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Her bill would order the U.S. State Department to ask Canada to delay a decision on the waste facility until the study is finished.

A Canadian Press graphic showing the communities that have signed resolutions opposing Ontario Power Generation’s proposal. The Canadian Press

Ontario Power Generation wants to bury waste from nuclear power plants in rock chambers near Kincardine, Ontario.

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The company says the project won’t contaminate nearby Lake Huron, but opponents say anything could happen over thousands of years.

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