#Radioactive Japan: Kyoto Finally Gives Up on Bringing and Burning Disaster Debris from Miyagi Prefecture

A victory achieved in Kyoto for the opponents of disaster debris incineration in Kyoto, by protesting (including shouting down Minister Goshi Hosono, telling him to go back to where he belongs - that was fun to watch), attending the "town hall meetings" to argue against it, and petitioning.

It's not really that the Kyoto officials finally listened to the opponents (if they did they wouldn't admit), but the opponents, by protracting the process long enough, have made it irrelevant. The amount of disaster debris in Miyagi and Iwate has turned out to be much less, and the prefecture officials (with the exception of the governors who remain eager to distribute the debris) say they are able to process them (not even burning it) within the prefectures.

Kyoto City has formally abandoned the idea of bringing in the disaster debris and incinerating it, and says it will focus on other ways to help the recovery of the disaster-affected areas. As the result, there will be no municipalities in Kyoto Prefecture that will accept and burn the debris with radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear accident, asbestos, arsenic, hexavalent chromium (from the tsunami damage).

That leaves Osaka and Kitakyushu City in the western half of Japan that still adamantly insist on burning the debris which even the officials in the disaster-affected Iwate and Miyagi say may not be necessary at all.

From Kyoto Shinbun (7/25/2012):

京都市、震災がれき処理見送り

Kyoto City to shelve the plan to process disaster debris

東日本大震災で発生した宮城県の震災がれき処理を検討していた京都市は２５日、受け入れを見送ることを決めた。同県で処理のめどが立ったため、同日、環境省が市に協力要請しない方針を伝えた。これにより京都府内でがれきを受け入れる自治体はなくなった。

Kyoto City, which had been planning for disposal of disaster debris from Miyagi, decided to shelve the plan to accept the debris on July 25. The Ministry of the Environment informed the city on July 25 that the ministry would not request the cooperation from the city because Miyagi Prefecture was likely to be able to process the debris within itself. As the result, there are no municipalities in Kyoto Prefecture that will accept the disaster debris.

宮城県が同日示した災害廃棄物処理実行計画で、可燃物の協力要請について現在調整中の自治体と、すでに受け入れている自治体（青森、山形、福島、茨城４県と東京都）に限るとし、新たに要請しない方針を決めた。

According to the disaster debris process plan that Miyagi Prefecture announced on July 25, the prefecture would only request the disposal of flammable debris to the municipalities which are currently in the process of accepting or have already been accepting (Aomori, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tokyo). [Fukushima??]

京都市は市内３カ所の焼却施設で受け入れに向けて試験焼却する方針を示し、５月下旬に処理の安全性を検証する専門家委員会を設置。宮城県内のがれき集積場や焼却施設を視察していた。

Kyoto City was planning to test burn the debris at 3 incineration plants in the city. In late May it set up a committee of experts to study the safety of the process.

門川大作市長は「受け入れの必要性はなくなったと考える。今後とも一日も早い復興を願い、幅広い被災地支援に取り組む」とのコメントを発表した。

Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa issued a comment, saying "We believe there is no need to accept the debris any more. We continue to hope for the earliest recovery, and support the disaster-affected areas in a variety of ways."

京都府内では、舞鶴市と京丹波町もがれき受け入れに向けて準備を進めていたが、岩手県でもすでに処理のめどが立っており、環境省が今月３日、年間数万トン規模の処理能力がある自治体を除き受け入れを見合わせるよう要請していた。

Within Kyoto Prefecture, Maizuru City and Kyotanba-cho were also preparing for the debris acceptance, but the Ministry of the Environment requested on July 3 that municipalities with the disposal capacity of less than several ten thousand tonnes per year should refrain from accepting the debris.

I have a feeling that these cities, denied of the debris and of the opportunity to enrich the cities (government subsidies, repairing and rebuilding aging incineration plants and final disposal sites at the government expense, jobs for their favorite contractors, etc.), may be rather upset with these residents who have opposed.

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