Conservationists and environmentalists at odds over former nuclear site.The Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. (DNR See dynamic noise reduction and domain name resolver. ) was met with opposition by environmental groups for its plan to put a state recreation area on a former nuclear plant site. The environmentalists say that the former Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant Big Rock Point was a nuclear power plant in Charlevoix, Michigan. Big Rock operated from 1962 to 1997. It was owned and operated by Consumers Energy. Its boiling water reactor was made by General Electric (GE) and was capable of producing 67 megawatts of electricity. site in Charlevoix County could be a risk because of potential contamination and the nearby storage of radioactive waste. The DNR is hoping to buy the property to save it from residential development. The owner of the land, Consumers Energy, is offering 450 acres to the state, which is buffered from the radioactive material radioactive material Radiation A substance that contains unstable–radioactive–atoms that give off radiation as they decay. See Radioactive decay. storage facility by 100 additional acres, for an unconfirmed $20 million. Supporters of the purchase say that the property is habitat to numerous types of wildlife, including endangered species, and the land would be sold for development if the state fails to purchase it. |
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