Please do not bring nuclear energy to Alberta

I was very upset to learn that the Alberta Government is interested in bringing nuclear power to Alberta. In a province that was built on the oil and gas industry, I find this interest in nuclear to be very off-putting and a slap in the face to those workers. I was also shocked to find out they want to build a traditional large scale nuclear power plant near Peace River. This area in the north provides a lot of fresh water for residents of this province, along with farms, ranches, animals, fish, and wildlife. The risk to the natural environment in this area is too great. I strongly oppose nuclear power. I am also very disgusted that nuclear power is being advertised to the Alberta public as clean green energy. This is not true. Nuclear waste is a huge problem! It takes billions of years to break down. There is already a lack of safe storage for the nuclear waste being produced in Ontario. Where is the nuclear waste going to be stored for this proposed Peace River plant??? Unfortunately, environmental protection in Alberta is an afterthought. I do not trust the government or private industry to safely construct a nuclear power plant and safely handle the nuclear waste that goes with it. There is a very bad track record in Alberta with industry and environmental contamination. I do not want to add radioactive material onto the list of damage done to the environment and the people in this province.

I am not the type of person to protest or comment online, but I feel very strongly about this issue. If this nuclear plant goes ahead, I will be moving my family out of Alberta. Nuclear energy is not something I want in my province!

Alternatively, I would like to see Alberta actually embrace real clean green renewable energy. For starters, every single house, business, public building (hospitals, schools, etc.) should have solar panels installed. This can be done immediately and utilize the big skies and sunny days Alberta has so much of. We could still use natural gas for electricity generation as a backup, for now. I would then like to see the province use the skills of all the very knowledgeable workers in the oil and gas industry that have experience with drilling, and put these talented workers to use on developing geothermal energy in our province. I am surprised that geothermal power plants to generate electricity have not been built in Alberta yet. We have the correct location and a pool of skilled workers to do this. We need to look to countries such as Iceland and New Zealand who have successfully developed geothermal in their countries. So then Alberta can keep the traditional oil and gas sector going during the transition, but move to solar right away and then start looking to geothermal energy for future.

Please, do not build one of these old antiquated nuclear power plants. Alberta does not need them. Move to actual renewable energy and utilize the highly trained workforce to help develop these new industries. I do not want my child to inherit the bad decisions of today. Please do not allow this nuclear power plant to be built. Thank you for listening to my concerns.