Nuclear Project Hits Obstacle As Exelon Balks – WSJ.com
Nuclear Project Hits Obstacle As Exelon Balks THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By REBECCA SMITH 27 Nov 08
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has a problem with its latest nuclear reactor: getting someone to build it.
A decision by Exelon Corp. to drop the next-generation GE Hitachi reactor at the Chicago firm’s proposed Texas nuclear project casts a shadow over the design that, so far, exists only on paper and is mired in a difficult certification process at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Exelon said this week it no longer intends to build GE Hitachi’s ESBWR reactor — short for “economic simplified boiling water reactor” — if it proceeds with its project because it has concluded the reactor can’t clear regulatory hurdles fast enough for Exelon to qualify for federal loan guarantees. The decision is significant because Exelon is the largest operator of nuclear reactors in the U.S.
The Argosy.ca
Canada’s deadly secret Retired professor visits Mount Allison to discuss Canada’s nuclear industry Argosy.ca 29 Nov 08 By Zoe Williams This Sunday, Jim Harding, a retired professor, and author of the book Canada’s Deadly Secret, visited Mount Allison and gave a talk that shed some light on a Canadian secret – the nuclear industry.
According to Harding, there is a concerted push in this country to expand the nuclear sector, which includes both mining and nuclear plants, and indirectly, nuclear weapons.
Canada, he said, has been at the forefront of the nuclear industry since the beginning, and although today, there is a decline in interest in nuclear globally,…………………..we are the major producer of uranium and that is an environmental carcinogen that we are exporting around the world, that we need to start thinking in terms of environmental ethics a little more, that Canada is not a leader in renewable energy, and there are reasons why, because the non-renewable sector is so powerful as a lobby.”
Harding blames the powerful business interests behind non-renewable energy, including nuclear, for stifling Canadian innovation……………….The nuclear industry has promoted itself as being both more efficient and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel-based energy, but Harding said this is demonstrably false.
“They have over their 60 some year history, falsely promoted themselves as being a cheap source of energy, and all the economics show that when you do full costing, they are five or six times the cost, and I don’t know how you do cost-management of plutonium over thousands of years.”
“They promote themselves as peaceful, when it is a carcinogenic product, let alone that it finds its way into the weapons stream and they have promoted themselves as safe in terms of the radiation, when the cumulated knowledge all over the world shows that the levels of radiation that are permissible under regulations are going to increase cancers and particularly childhood cancers around nuclear facilities…they are doing what the tobacco industry did around smoking and cancer.”
Why has this dangerous and inefficient industry been as successful in Canada as it has been? Harding believes the answer lies in the support it receives from the government, in the form of subsidies.
“If these subsidies were pulled they wouldn’t be around, they are state backed [...]”
The reasons for these subsidies come from the historical connection between nuclear energy and weapons manufacturing.
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Nuclear waste piles up in state – PittsburghLIVE.com
Nuclear waste piles up in state By Andrew Conte
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, November 28, 2008The Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport could run out of space for its low-level radioactive waste in two to five years.
A local university and hospital have changed their practices so they don’t have to keep radioactive isotopes on their campuses.
The problem is that Pennsylvania, like 35 other states, no longer has a place to get rid of its low-level radioactive waste. That means anyone generating the material has to store it, at least temporarily, until a permanent site becomes available.
And that could take years…………….With the waste scattered at sites across the United States rather than in one central depository, some critics fear it is more vulnerable to terrorism and could be used to build a “dirty” bomb, an explosive device that spreads radioactive material……………….About three-quarters of the waste comes from nuclear power plants. Ninety of the nation’s 104 nuclear power plants no longer have a place to dispose of Class B and C waste
The Sydney Morning Herald: national, world, business, entertainment, sport and technology news from Australia’s leading newspaper.
Solar wants tax break
Ben Cubby
November 28, 2008
RENEWABLE energy researchers and businesses believe the Federal Government is allowing Australia to become a solar backwater, and that the proposed emissions trading scheme is not enough to help the nation meet its clean energy targets.
A new national tariff that pays households for all the green power they can produce is essential to make renewable energy competitive with cheaper coal-fired power, according to many delegates at an international conference in Sydney.
“We’re ready to go, the technology is ready to go, the investors are ready to go,” said Dr David Mills, the Australian chairman of the solar thermal company Ausra, of California.
Govt offers further funding for Indigenous environmental projects – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Govt offers further funding for Indigenous environmental projects ABC News 29 Nov 08 The Federal Government says it is offering more opportunities for Aboriginal groups to get funding for environmental projects.It has announced more targets for its $2 billion Caring for Our Country Program, including employing 300 more Indigenous rangers.It also wants to pay Aboriginal communities to conserve biodiversity, and fight weeds and feral animals on an extra 2 million hectares of their land each year.The Australian Conservation Foundation’s Corey Watts says more money is needed to make a real difference to the environment, and it will be good for many communities.”One of the main criteria for funding for many projects, specifically projects linked to Indigenous communities, is that Indigenous communities benefit socially and economically, as well as in terms of improving land health,” he said.”So there are real opportunities here for Government money to catalyse real economic and regional development opportunities.”
Mr Watts says overall the amount of money being spent will still only scratch the surface of what is needed.
“There’s a recognition that Northern Australia has a special culture, has special social issues to deal with and has special natural heritage,” he said.
“A lot of that is still fairly intact. We have a good chance of preserving that, and of developing economic opportunities for communities in the north from conservation.”
Good times wane for BHP | Herald Sun
Good times wane for BHP
herald SunNovember 28, 2008
Felicity WilliamsTwo days after BHP dumped its $102 billion bid for Rio Tinto in the face of the global financial crisis, chief executive Marius Kloppers warned the climate made it difficult to predict customer demand.
“The world has changed significantly in the past three months and, in our world of mining and resources, that rate of change has accelerated rapidly within the last month,” Mr Kloppers told the 800-odd shareholders attending the company’s annual meeting in Melbourne.
He added: “These challenges are impacting every part of the economy and, as a major global supplier of many key commodities, we will not be immune from the effects.”…………………….
The abandoned Rio bid was the subject of surprisingly few shareholder questions.
Investors appeared more concerned about plans to mine the world’s largest uranium resource at Olympic Dam in South Australia.
timestranscript.com – Author argues against uranium mining
Author warns against uranium mining
Times and Transcript (Canada) 27 nov 08 The author of a book that strikes down uranium exploration in Canada is applauding the New Brunswick government for its recent roadblocks to mining the element in the province.Jim Harding, a retired environmental and justice studies professor and author of Canada’s Deadly Secret: Saskatchewan Uranium and the Global Nuclear System, made a stop in Moncton yesterday on a cross-country tour to chastise any move towards mining the radioactive rock.Harding argued the thesis of his book, which flatly states uranium creates more problems than solutions, backing his claim on a timeline of Saskatchewan’s mining experience.He then turned his attention to New Brunswick, saying the province has taken some smart steps, but that the next should being an outright ban…………………………Harding’s book chronicles the struggle over Saskatchewan’s uranium mining, isolating the negative impacts the industry has had on environmental health, while arguing nuclear energy is not the answer to global warming due to its waste issues.
His book also aims to expose the role the government plays in perpetuating nuclear propaganda through campaigns that call it an energy solution.
timestranscript.com – Author argues against uranium mining
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
Rokkasho plant too dangerous, costly: expert | The Japan Times Online
Rokkasho plant too dangerous, costly: expert
The Japan Times Nov. 27, 2008 By ERIKO ARITA Japan’s plan to reprocess and recycle spent nuclear fuel in a reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, will be a huge waste of electricity users’ money and an environmental threat, according to a French atomic power expert……………………….The fast-breeder reactors in France had been planning to use plutonium separated from nuclear waste. But because the plan failed, France has 55 tons of weapons-grade plutonium stock, Schneider said.
Japan had 31.2 tons of plutonium as of the end of last year, the majority of which has been stored in reprocessing plants in France and the U.K., according to the Japan Atomic Energy Commission.
“Plutonium separation also means the largest radioactive emissions in the overall nuclear fuel chain and has significant contribution to the collective global dose (of radiation),” Schneider said.
In fact, reprocessing plants in France and the U.K. have been disposing of radioactive emissions into the ocean. One of the radioactive materials, iodine 129, has been found on the northern Norwegian coast and the Baltic Sea,
according to Riso National Laboratory in Denmark.
Some 4 tons of iodine 129 had been discharged by the reprocessing plants by 2004 and the concentration of iodine 129 in the Baltic Sea in 2000 was 1,000 times higher than before nuclear energy existed………….
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, a major investor in JNFL, said in 2003 it would cost ¥11 trillion to construct, operate and dismantle the Rokkasho reprocessing plant. The cost is to be paid for by future electricity customers.
Schneider said the public will have to shoulder the huge cost unless the reprocessing plant is suspended.
“It’s up to the decision of Japanese people to say (Japan should) stop (the reprocessing) or we pay for it,” Schneider said. “But the problem is there is no interaction between people who pay for it and people who spend the money.”………………………..
“The Japanese nuclear industry hasn’t been even able to operate its (existing) nuclear reactors,” Schneider said. The energy plan is “some kind of fantasy.”
Schneider said earthquakes are the major factor that make nuclear power an unreliable energy source in Japan.
In July 2007, a fire broke out and water containing radioactive material leaked at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Niigata Prefecture.
“The situation at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa shows how difficult it is to operate nuclear reactors in Japan because of the earthquake risk,” Schneider said.
Rokkasho plant too dangerous, costly: expert | The Japan Times Online
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
France finally agrees to pay damages to nuclear test victims | World news | The Guardian
France finally agrees to pay damages to nuclear test victims• Radiation illnesses must be recognised – minister• Veterans’ relief at end to 40-year wall of silence
The Guardian Angelique Chrisafis 27 nov 08 – “…………..The soldiers and civilians who worked on France’s notorious nuclear tests in the Sahara desert and south Pacific have long fought for compensation for the cancer and long-term health effects they blame on the state’s failure to protect them.But for years France resisted, fighting veterans in the courts and building a wall of silence around the dangers of the controlled explosions.
Yesterday the French defence minister finally broke the taboo, saying a law would be introduced in January to compensate those suffering illnesses among the 150,000 army and civilians who worked on the tests in Algeria and French-owned Polynesian atolls………………………..n 2006 a French medical research body found nuclear testing had caused an increase in cancer on the nearest inhabited islands.
France finally agrees to pay damages to nuclear test victims | World news | The Guardian
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
The 10 big energy myths | Environment | The Guardian
The 10 big energy mythsThere has never been a more important time to invest in green technologies, yet many of us believe these efforts are doomed to failure. What nonsense, writes Chris Goodall
The Guardian 27 Nov 08 Myth 1: solar power is too expensive to be of much use ……….solar power stations are probably already financially competitive with coal. Europe, meanwhile, could get most of its electricity from plants in the Sahara desert. We would need new long-distance power transmission but the technology for providing this is advancing fast, and the countries of North Africa would get a valuable new source of income.
Myth 2: wind power is too unreliable Actually, during some periods earlier this year the wind provided almost 40% of Spanish power. Parts of northern Germany generate more electricity from wind than they actually need. Northern Scotland, blessed with some of the best wind speeds in Europe, could easily generate 10% or even 15% of the UK’s electricity needs at a cost that would comfortably match today’s fossil fuel prices.
Myth 3: marine energy is a dead-end………….This year we have seen the installation of the first tidal turbine to be successfully connected to the UK electricity grid in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, and the first group of large-scale wave power generators 5km off the coast of Portugal, constructed by a Scottish company.
Myth 4: nuclear power is cheaper than other low-carbon sources of electricity …………the most severe problem may be the high and unpredictable cost of nuclear plants. The new nuclear power station on the island of Olkiluoto in western Finland is a clear example…………..The final cost is likely to be more than twice this figure (£2.5bn). and the construction process is fast turning into a nightmare. A second new plant in Normandy appears to be experiencing similar problems. In the US, power companies are backing away from nuclear because of fears over uncontrollable costs.
The 10 big energy myths | Environment | The Guardian
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
Indigenous permit plan killed in the Senate – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Indigenous permit plan killed in the Senate
ABC News 27 Nov 08 The Federal Government’s plan to restrict public access to Northern Territory Aboriginal communities has been killed in the Senate.The Federal Government wants to reinstate the controversial permit system for Indigenous communities…………..Family First Senator Steve Fielding and Independent senator Nick Xenophon have sided with the Opposition to vote down part of a Labor bill that would have reinstated the permit system. Family First Senator Steve Fielding and Independent senator Nick Xenophon have sided with the Opposition to vote down part of a Labor bill that would have reinstated the permit system.
Indigenous permit plan killed in the Senate – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Tags: aboriginaes
BHP gloomy on short term, defends Rio decision | Reuters
BHP gloomy on short term, defends Rio decision
By Sonali Paul
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Global miner BHP Billiton painted a gloomy near-term outlook for metals demand on Thursday as it defended its decision to drop a $66 billion bid for rival Rio Tinto.
BHP, facing its shareholders for the first time since walking away from the Rio bid on Tuesday, told its Australian annual meeting that uncertainty in commodities markets would continue in the short term and it was ready to close loss-making operations.
“There is no doubt that these are very challenging times, uncertainty in the shorter-term outlook remains and we do not expect to be immune from the changes in the world economy,” Chief Executive Marius Kloppers told shareholders in Melbourne.
BHP gloomy on short term, defends Rio decision | Reuters
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
Scoop: Olympic Dam Legal Privileges A Disgrace
Olympic Dam Legal Privileges A Disgrace
Scoop 27 November 2008, Michaela Stubbs “………………………..Friends of the Earth national nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green said: “For all of BHP Billiton’s hollow rhetoric about corporate social responsibility, the company operates the Olympic Dam uranium/copper mine in SA under an outdated Indenture Act which exempts the mine from key environmental and Aboriginal heritage laws that apply everywhere else in SA.
“The Aboriginal Heritage Act is the key law aimed at protecting Indigenous heritage in South Australia. However, under the Indenture Act, BHP Billiton decides the level of protection that Aboriginal heritage sites receive and which sites are recognised. Ironically, BHP Billiton has provided over $2 million to Reconciliation Australia, yet will not relinquish its exemptions from the Aboriginal Heritage Act. The company’s attitude appears to be ‘do as I say not as I do’.”
Dr Green concluded: “The legal privileges enshrined in the Indenture Act were highly contentious when they were introduced in 1982 and are completely inappropriate as the legislative framework for the proposed expansion of the Roxby Downs mine.”
Scoop: Olympic Dam Legal Privileges A Disgrace
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
Aboriginal elder takes on BHP over mine – Breaking News – National – Breaking News
Aboriginal elder takes on BHP over mine
The Age November 27, 2008 –An Aboriginal elder has taken on the heavyweights at BHP’s annual general meeting to urge the mining giant to abandon plans to expand its Olympic Dam mine because it was taking “sacred water”.
Kevin Buzzacott patiently waited for almost three hours for question time at BHP Billiton’s AGM in Melbourne on Thursday when he meekly stood up to the microphone and read out a prepared speech.
He politely addressed the board of the world’s biggest miner, asking them to stop the planned expansion of the copper, gold and uranium mine in South Australia.
“Do not expand this mine. We don’t want an open cut mine; we do not want any more water taken out of the Great Artesian Basin; we want that to stop,” Mr Buzzacott said.
He was supported by about 100 protesters who gathered on the Melbourne Park lawn outside the venue to oppose the expansion, which would make Olympic Dam one of the largest mines in the world………………Another shareholder, documentary filmmaker David Bradbury, asked the board if it had done forward estimates on how much they would have to pay in future class actions for people, including mine workers, adversely affected by the mining……………………….The protesters claimed the miner is legally able to override important environmental legislation because of the South Australian Roxby Downs Indenture Act.
Aboriginal elder takes on BHP over mine – Breaking News – National – Breaking News
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
Sun2Surf
A senate inquiry
Sun2Surf (Malaysia) Sonia Randhawa – “……..I was attending a Senate inquiry into a proposal to place a nuclear waste dump on the land of various indigenous families in the Northern Territory, Australia. It was an interesting experience,……… the language, the setting and the distance all conspired against the indigenous people. Even I, with English as my mother tongue and being English-educated, found some of the questions impenetrable. Even the appointed lawyer for the group endorsing the nuclear waste dump got tied in knots during some parts of the proceedings…………….The senators at the inquiry seemed sympathetic to the communities. They asked penetrating questions. But there was an obvious clash of cultures – the laws of White Australia and the laws of Aboriginal Australia are clearly different.
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radiation, uranium
1 THIS MONTH
- http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=5755 Mary Olson on how women are more vulnerable to atomic radiation
http://soundcloud.com/flashpoints/flashpoints-daily-newsmag-05-6Fukushima reactor 4 still threatens the world Dr. Micio Kaku
of the week http://www.youtube.com/user/GoddardsJournal
-
San Onofre: Bad Vibrations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP7e83MErWw&feature=share - Low-Dose Radiation ☢ NEW A-Bomb Study http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VAncqK6bl0&feature=share
“Pay-to-print”: How Media Corruption Undermines Indian Democracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbjsQ_dYuJQ&feature=share
VIDEO http://vimeo.com/35212151 Cancer Risk To Young Children Near Fukushima Daiichi Underestimated
- and this VIDEO Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Legacy http://www.euronews.com/2010/04/14/kazakhstan-s-nuclear-legacy/
ACTION
USA EMERGENCY PLANNING PETITION NOW OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS IN FAVOR OF EXPANDING EMERGENCY PLANNING ZONES; IMPROVING REGULATIONS The deadline for public comments is July 16, 2012. You can submit your comments here. more information at http://nuclear-news.net/action/
- Shut down the nuclear restart. Sign now!! http://www.avaaz.org/en/japan_no_to_nuclear_restart_ms/
- Stop Kudankulam - Please sign http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10090 –
EVENTS – USA
- May 31 - Portland, Maine, Bonnie Raitt benefit concert for New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution
The Nuclear Industry and WOMEN- theme for May 2012
Although women have rarely been part of decision-making about nuclear power, they have been at the forefront in opposing it.Women in organisations Strongly present in anti-nuclear activities in peace, environmental, religious and civil liberties, women have also formed their own anti-nuclear organisations . e.g. Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom, Women For Peace. Women Against Nuclear Power, Women Against Nuclear Energy,
“When it comes to opposing nuclear power in Finland, the toughest and most active and conspicuous resistance has been among women. A rather small group of women working as teachers, freelance editors, authors and in rather alternative professions. Women who perfectly well are aware of the fact that they are far too radical to be promoted for high posts within traditional parties or getting well-paying jobs in some big companies. Women who are not trying to reach equality on male values. These women have kept the resistance alive, have invited foreign speakers getting through in the mass media, have arranged post-card campaigns aiming at parliamentarians, have written inserts in daily newspapers, have collected signatures from organizations worldwide against nuclear power, etc.
If women had been asked if nuclear power should be used for energy production or if nuclear weapons should be produced there would hardly be any nuclear power stations in the world and no nuclear weapons. Women represent half of humanity. Our voice must be heard! “- Ulla Klötzer WISE – Nuclear issues information service service
Below, a note on some of the courageous women who have stood out against the nuclear forces and apologies for the thousands of such women who are not mentioned here
Dr Helen Caldicott. - Australia and The World. The single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises, Dr Helen Caldicott, has devoted the last 38 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction. Helen Caldicott – About
Jean McSorley. – UK. A prolific writer and activist, Jean McSorley has advised government and environmental organisations, in the UK and abroad, for many years revealing the facts about Sellafield, and other UK nuclear facilities.
Her MajestyQueen Noor ofJordan is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice. Today Her Majesty Queen Noor plays a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding of Arab and Muslim culture and politics, Arab-Western relations, and conflict prevention. Queen Noor | Global Zero
Ulla Klötzer - Finland. A powerful speaker and writer, Ulla Klötzer continues to oppose uranium mining, nuclear proliferation, and to expose the construction of Finlands reactor, Olkiluto OL 3 – the biggest nuclear reactor in the world.
Satomi Oba –Japan. Another leading voice for non-proliferation and disarmament was Japan’s Satomi Oba, former president of Plutonium Action Hiroshima and chair member of the international non-proliferation movement Abolition 2000. For decades before her untimely death in February 2005, Oba organized grassroots events, spoke to international groups and broke ground for other activists
Dianne Stokes – Australia An Aboriginal elder of the Yapa Yapa clan, which owns land at Muckaty in the Northern Territory, has for years continued the fight against the Australian government’s plan to put a nuclear waste dump on Aboriginal land, – resisting enormous pressure from powerful interests and politicians Toxic feelings at proposed nuclear dump – National – smh.com.au
Jean Grossholtz – (USA) Professor emeritus at the Dept. of Women’s Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, Jean helped organize the Women’s Pentagon Action (1980-82) and has long been active in peace and social justice work.
Ellen Diederich –Germany A peace activist for more than three decades, Ellen Diederich is Director of the German-based International Fasia Jansen Women’s Peace Archive, an extensive collection of books, print, audio-visual and artistic resources on women and militarism and women’s action for peace, world-wide, collected over 25 years.
Corazon Valdez Fabros - Philippines A lawyer by profession, Corazon Fabros is Chairperson of the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (the Secretariat of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement) and Secretary General of the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition, which led the successful campaign to stop the nuclear power plant projects in the Philippines . Currently Philippine Coordinator of the No Nukes Asia Forum and the International Network on Military Activities and Environmental Justice.
Karen Silkwood remembered In 1974, US anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood was killed in a car crash many suspect was deliberately caused by the Kerr McGee nuclear company.Karen Silkwood will be remembered as someone who fought an uphill and often unpopular battle against the ruthless nuclear industry. She is an inspiration to all who believe in environmental justice and workers’ rights BY SHARYN JENKINS. Karen Silkwood remembered | Green Left Weekly
Much of the material here was obtained from Women and Life on Earth: English by Anna Gyorgy, Women & Life on Earth Network coordinator, English website editor. Contact: info(at)wloe.org
-
Archives
- May 2012 (262)
- April 2012 (259)
- March 2012 (342)
- February 2012 (304)
- January 2012 (259)
- December 2011 (274)
- November 2011 (331)
- October 2011 (247)
- September 2011 (272)
- August 2011 (249)
- July 2011 (227)
- June 2011 (195)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- people
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety and incidents
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina background info
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- general
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
