SEPA is asleep at the wheel as radioactive pollution from UK nuclear subs more than doubles

Why is SEPA asleep at the wheel when it comes to Trident’s radioactive pollution?

Thanks to the Ferret for revealing that radioactive emissions from the Coulport nuclear weapons plant on the Clyde have more than doubled in the last six years. Emissions of radioactive tritium gas which is carcinogenic when breathed in, have risen nearly two and a half times from 1.7 to 4.2 billion units of radioactivity. Scotland is the cancer capital of the world and it has something to do with nuclear weapons and waste.

This should sound alarm bells at the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), but it doesn’t seem terribly concerned, claiming the emissions are well within safety limits. Not surprisingly, the MoD refuses to say what caused the dramatic increase in radiation, but tritium gas is known to leak from ageing nuclear submarine reactors and surprise, surprise - is a key component of nuclear weapons.

https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/

The data also disclosed that from 2018-23, Faslane discharged over 50 billion units of radioactivity from liquids contaminated with tritium into the Gareloch.

A FOIA request obtained a SEPA report revealing that it relaxed the rules allowing tritium-contaminated effluents from nuclear subs to pollute the Gareloch.

The 30-year-old rust bucket Vanguard subs that carry nuclear warheads have experienced chronic problems including undertaking increasingly long patrols of up to 195 days at sea. They look like hell

and are due to be replaced by the delightfully named Dreadnought class in the 2030s at a cost of £41 billion.

Which brings me to SEPA, the public body responsible for protecting Scotland’s environment. It was established as part of the Environment Act 1995 as a non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Scottish Office and its constitution is found in Schedule 6 of the Act.

Note that it says “SEPA shall NOT be regarded as a servant of agent of the Crown.”

At this point, allow me a brief digression about the “Crown.” The Environment Act 1995 is referring to the English Crown, Chuck III, who owns and controls the land and assets of England (something Channel 4’s recent Dispatches segment explored), which are managed on his behalf by the English government through its numerous offices and departments. And the English people are his subjects.

But the Scottish Crown flips the English Crown on its regal head, putting the monarch at the bottom of the pyramid where their role has, since 840, been to serve the People who are sovereign. Scottish monarchs ruled not by by feudal entitlement or divine right but by the consent of the People which is why Scotland’s monarchs have always been Kings and Queens of Scots. The Scottish Crown jewels aren’t stolen rubies, emeralds or diamonds, but are far more valuable - they’re the land and assets of Scotland, which should be used for the benefit of the Scottish People.

Of course when Scotland was colonised by England in 1707, England illegally superimposed the English Crown onto Scotland, hiding the reality of the Scottish Crown. In other words, Scots are still sovereign and possess territorial control over their nation, they just don’t know it.

End of digression.

So what I’m saying is I wish SEPA was regarded as a servant and agent of the Scottish Crown.

Under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998, SEPA became accountable to Scottish Ministers and through them to the Scottish Parliament. But because devolution is a creature of the union and power devolved is power retained by the coloniser, neither SEPA nor the Scottish administration has the real power to protect the Scottish People, nor have they been willing to defy Westminster to do so.

SEPA is one of Scotland's largest NDPBs with a budget of over £101m, 1300 employees and offices in 24 locations. From its website, it states its purpose:

I’d say they’re failing in their remit, wouldn’t you? Here’s how to contact SEPA:

And here’s their Leadership Team and Board of Directors - I couldn’t find any email addresses for them but here’s the LinkedIn profile for the Board Chair, Lisa Tennant.

If SEPA is to become an effective environmental protection agency and serve the interests of the Scottish Crown, the Scottish People need to find a way to end this toxic union.