Over 68,000 signatures were handed over to State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth - an overwhelming result.
The collective objection drawn up by the Salzgitter-Peine Metalworkers' Union (IG Metall), Mayor Frank Klingebiel, Arbeitsgemeinschaft (AG) Schacht Konrad and Landvolk Braunschweiger Land and supported by the Salzgitter City Council was thus a huge success.
"68,139 objections in just 3 weeks is a great success and a clear signal to the political decision-makers in Berlin and Hanover," said Mayor Klingebiel happily, "we and the entire region have thus impressively emphasized our demand for a reassessment of the Konrad mine according to the current state of science and technology and the abandonment of the failed concept of non-retrievability of nuclear waste. I am proud of our citizens and would like to thank them for their outstanding commitment."
IGM, AG Schacht Konrad, the Landvolk and many committed associations and organizations used every opportunity up to the last hour to achieve an impressive result for federal politics.
Online support is still possible until May 31 on the AG Schacht Konrad website: http://einwendung.ag-schacht-konrad.de/#unterschreiben (opens in a new tab)
Background:
As is well known, the Federal Ministry for the Environment is currently drawing up a national disposal program for radioactive waste. It is planning to double the storage volume and expand the radiological inventory in the Konrad mine.
In doing so, it is relying on the legal force of the planning approval decision for the Konrad mine and completely ignoring the fact that fundamental cornerstones of the Konrad project no longer correspond to the current state of science and technology and that measures are planned that cannot be remedied.
The public should also be involved in the preparation of the National Waste Management Program. For this reason, all citizens have the opportunity to comment on the draft program until 31 May 2015.
For the alliance, it is clear that this is probably the last opportunity to raise objections to the storage of nuclear waste in Schacht Konrad. Klingebiel also points out that the city is already seeking external legal and scientific expertise to advise and represent its position against the Konrad mine.