Obama Faces Hungry Nuclear Industry
ENERGY-US: Obama Faces Hungry Nuclear Industry
By Matthew Cardinale
ATLANTA, Georgia, Dec 15 (IPS) – As Democratic President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office in a few weeks, he faces a hungry nuclear industry that wants to be included in his energy plan.At least 31 new plants have been proposed throughout the United States, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) website. Twenty-six of these are already going through the NRC’s environmental impact review and site approval process………………………………“Nuclear power represents more than 70 percent of our non-carbon generated electricity. It is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option,” Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden wrote in their energy plan.
“However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, key issues must be addressed including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation.”
This assumes that nuclear fuel and waste storage are the only problems with nuclear power, however.
As previously reported by IPS, nuclear power also uses vast amounts of water and releases low levels of radioactive pollution, which one study has correlated with increased cancer rates in Burke County, Georgia.
“One thing I haven’t seen them point to, which is the real sticker on this, is the problem of economics. The nuclear executives that want to build don’t want to use their own money. You see them hat in hand here in Washington [seeking] loan guarantees. I can’t see Congress doing that given we’re in the hole financially,” Jim Riccio, a nuclear policy analyst for Greenpeace, told IPS.
The Green Party of the United States said in a statement that it “rejects President-elect Barack Obama’s reckless support for new nuclear power plants, as such an agenda poses unacceptable health and environmental risks and would be fiscally irresponsible in the extreme.” .
Civil plutonium can be used to make effective nuclear weapons
Civil plutonium can be used to make effective nuclear weapons ”
scitizen 15 Dec 08 Can the plutonium recovered from spent civil nuclear-power reactor fuel elements (civil plutonium) be used to fabricate nuclear weapons with significant explosive powers?
…………………..nuclear weapons could be fabricated using reactor-grade plutonium. �The difficulties of developing an effective design of the most straightforward type is not appreciably greater with reactor-grade plutonium than those that have to be met for the use of weapons-grade plutonium�.
More reactor-grade plutonium than weapon-grade plutonium would be required for a nuclear weapon. The bare sphere critical mass of reactor-grade plutonium is about 13 kilograms; that of weapons-grade plutonium is 10 kilograms……supported by Richard L. Garwin, another leading American nuclear-weapon expert expert, who wrote that reactor-grade plutonium is usable in nuclear weapons, whether by unsophisticated proliferators or by advanced nuclear-weapon states (2). Garwin was a consultant for the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1950 to 1993, mostly involved with nuclear weapon design,manufacture and testing……………………………….In 1953, the British exploded a nuclear weapon at the nuclear test site in South Australia made from plutonium of a quality considerably below that of weapons-grade (6). In 1962, the United States conducted a similar nuclear-weapon test (7). The actual amount of Pu-239 in the plutonium used in these tests has not been made public but it was apparently about 19 per cent. The tests were made to prove that reactor-grade plutonium can be used in an effective nuclear weapon.
�� �Given all this evidence, it is, to say the least, surprising that some people still deny that reactor-grade plutonium can be used to fabricate nuclear weapons with significant explosive powers?.
Civil plutonium can be used to make effective nuclear weapons – Scitizen
Washington’s lawsuit over Hanford cleanup is timely and measured response to delays
Washington’s lawsuit over Hanford cleanup is timely and measured response to delays
The Seattle Times
Nuke pursuit anything but PowerWise
Nuke pursuit anything but PowerWise
thestar.com David Suzuki, 15 Dec 08 “…………………nuclear has been touted as the most reliable source of that increasing power. “………..Energy conservation makes a lot more sense, and it has been proven to be effective. After the rolling brownouts engineered in California by Enron in 2001, the state embarked on a conservation program that slashed usage and saved billions of dollars………………………..Building new plants will be incredibly costly. Every nuclear power plant built in Ontario so far has had huge cost overruns, has been behind schedule, has failed to deliver the amount of electricity promised, and has had a shorter lifespan than promised.It gets worse. About half of Ontario’s power plants have had serious problems that have led to shutdowns. So taxpayers paid even more to repair the plants and to purchase electricity from other regions during the shutdowns. Nuclear energy has turned out to be the most expensive form of electricity in Ontario by far. (And that’s not even mentioning the usual concerns, such as terrorism risks and radioactive waste!)
If Ontario’s nuclear power plants were any other kind of high-priced product, customers would demand a refund and complain to the Better Business Bureau. And you can bet they wouldn’t be hoodwinked into making the same purchase again…………………………By focusing on renewable energy, Ontario could create a huge number of sustainable jobs and put clean energy onto the grid immediately. It could retool the manufacturing sector and retrain workers to be part of an innovative green-collar workforce. It could export these products and expertise to other parts of the world.
Dr. Chu’s Nuclear Prescription
Dr. Chu’s Nuclear Prescription
counter[punch By KARL GROSSMAN December 15, 2008
The reaction from safe-energy advocates is mixed to the proposed appointment of Steven Chu as U.S. energy secretary by President-Elect Barak Obama.Mixed is a charitable response to the prospects of Chu being in charge of the U.S. Department of Energy.Although he has a keen interest in energy efficiency and solar power and other clean forms of renewable energy, Chu is a staunch advocate of nuclear power…………………..“The fear of radiation shouldn’t even enter into this,” he said in comparing nuclear and coal. “Coal is very, very bad.”
Chu, a physicist, repeated a claim of nuclear proponents that coal plants produce more radioactivity than nuclear plants—a contention based on coal containing trace amounts of uranium and thorium. But the claim—and Chu—ignore the huge amount of radioactive products created by fission or atom-splitting in nuclear plants, the gaseous ones routinely released, and the many tons that are left, classified as nuclear waste and needing to be isolated, some virtually forever. The claim—and Chu—also ignore the potential of a catastrophic nuclear plant accident discharging much or all of these lethal radioactive fission products into the environment as occurred in the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident, a potential for which there is no comparison with coal………………………Chu shows an understanding of the proliferation problem of nuclear power—that all nuclear plants produce the plutonium from which atomic weapons are made—and reprocessing or separating out parts of nuclear waste allows plutonium to become readily available. But he then repeats the claim of nuclear proponents that “we’ve got to recycle the waste.”…………………..Paul Gunter, director of the Reactor Oversight Project of Beyond Nuclear, asks whether Chu “can afford to squander his commitment to renewables by pouring all these resources down the nuclear rat hole. You can’t have both worlds—particularly in the economic depression we’re sliding into. We’re at a crossroads and we have to make definitive choices.” Gunter says it’s “time to leave 20th century mistakes” such as nuclear power “behind and commit to renewables.”
Renewable energy boom set to go up in smoke
Renewable energy boom set to go up in smoke
Sydney Morning Herald Ben Cubby Environment Reporter
December 16, 2008
UNTIL yesterday the so-called “green revolution” was ready to roll, but the renewable energy industry doubts the Government’s white paper will allow it to get out of first gear.
The fear is that since carbon permits are limited to $25 a tonne, and many are being given away, the emissions trading scheme will simply add a little lead to the saddlebags of heavy polluters without giving enough incentive for investors to switch to emissions-free technology.
“There’s no doubt the white paper is actually undermining the potential for green-collar jobs in Australia,” Mark Diesendorf, the deputy director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of NSW, said.
“We’ve put up a message that says to investors ‘stay away’.
“We have a huge raft of proposals for large wind farms, for baseload solar plants, we have huge potential for jobs in the energy efficiency sector, but that potential needs the right policy settings from government so businesses can start to make investments.”
Among many reports produced in recent months, a study by the ACTU and the Australian Conservation Foundation found that 500,000 jobs could be created in renewable sectors of the economy by 2030.
But the soft start to emissions trading, together with the modest ambitions for carbon cuts, is unlikely to create a jobs boom………………………..
The white paper would be more likely to maintain the status quo than wean Australia off coal-fired power, said Iain MacGill, the director of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at the University of NSW.
“The real winners today are clearly large emitters who appear to have successfully persuaded the Government to propose weak 2020 targets and provide them with billions of dollars of subsidies beyond even those proposed in the green paper,” Dr MacGill said.
Polynesian nuclear workers criticise French compensation offer | Medical Association for Prevention of War
Polynesian nuclear workers criticise French compensation offer
Medical Association for the Prevention of War 13/12/2008 French nuclear veterans have strongly criticised a proposed new law covering compensation for survivors of French nuclear testing in Algeria and French Polynesia. The law would cover former nuclear workers and military personnel whose health was affected by French nuclear tests – but survivors say few people would be eligible.
the announcement has been greeted with scorn by civilian and military personnel who staffed the nuclear tests sites from 1960 until 1996. They argue that the proposed legislation ignores a number of key concerns that have been central to their lobbying over the last decade, and has been designed to replace more comprehensive laws. They argue that almost no survivors would be eligible for compensation, and that thresholds for radiation exposure are well above accepted international safety standards.For many years, there have been repeated statements by government ministers and officials that no one was adversely affected by radiation exposure during the era of French nuclear testing. In Algeria, France conducted four atmospheric tests and 13 underground tests (1960 – 1965). In French Polynesia, 46 atmospheric and 147 underground tests were held at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls (1966 – 1996).
Tags: nuclear, antinnuclear, radioactive, uranium
Proposed TVA Nuclear Plant Comes With Exorbitant Price Tag | TriCities
Proposed TVA Nuclear Plant Comes With Exorbitant Price Tag
Tri Cities.com By Gary Gray
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: December 13, 2008“…………………………Using estimates from the nuclear energy industry, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that the two pressurized water reactors planned for the site near Scottsboro, Ala., range from $9.8 billion to $17.5 billion. That’s compared to estimates of $6.4 billion to $7.1 billion a year ago.
Proposed TVA Nuclear Plant Comes With Exorbitant Price Tag | TriCities
Tags: nuclear, antinnuclear, radioactive, uranium
Bloomberg.com: Europe
Normandy Dairy Towns Challenge EDF on Nuclear Reactor (Update1)
By Tara Patel
Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — The lush green hills overlooking the dairy farms of Le Chefresne in Normandy have become a battleground in France’s efforts to boost power production.
In a corner of France known for Camembert cheese and apples, state-controlled Electricite de France SA plans to build 200 foot-tall steel pylons with high-voltage cables to carry electricity from a nuclear plant. The proposal would add to the 400,000 volts that pylons already carry from two existing reactors…………………….“The public inquiry is a charade,” said Laura Hameaux, of the environmental pressure group Greenpeace France, who is advising the communities. “There is a total absence of democracy regarding the power lines.”
Tags: nuclear, antinnuclear, radioactive, uranium
Years after he died, Flats worker a problem for feds : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News
Years after he died, Flats worker a problem for fedsNeutron radiation exposure occurred, state records show
By Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News13 Decd 08
Lane Christenson has been dead for more than a decade, but he is causing problems for the federal government.
The story of what’s happened to the family of this burly, former atomic bomb builder shows how federal officials have ignored evidence and their own rules to avoid compensating the nation’s sick nuclear weapons workers…………………………
Christenson was an engineer at the top secret Rocky Flats nuclear weapons site near Denver for nearly a quarter-century. The gruff Army veteran literally withered before his family’s eyes. He died in 1997 of thyroid cancer – a type strongly linked to radiation exposure. But when Christenson’s widow applied for the compensation, she was denied.
The government told her it has no records of Christenson being exposed to neutron radiation – a particularly dangerous kind that would have made his widow automatically eligible for $150,000.
But the state of Colorado has such records. Where did Colorado get them?
From the federal government……………………How then do the officials explain that the federal government claims it has no neutron records for Christenson but Colorado has copies of federal records showing years’ worth of neutron exposure for him?
Years after he died, Flats worker a problem for feds : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News
Tags: nuclear, antinnuclear, radioactive, uranium
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=237643&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31269
Nuclear watch
Gulf Daily News 15 Dec 08 By GEOFFREY BEWMANAMA
PREVENTING terrorists from exploiting the nuclear power industry is the biggest challenge facing the Middle East, a top British official said yesterday. Defence Secretary John Hutton said effective international inspection and regulation of the developing sector would be crucial to maintain security and prevent almost certain disaster………………………….he expansion of civil nuclear power also increases the risk of sensitive technologies falling into the wrong hands or being applied for military purposes.
“Nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East would be a disaster for regional and global security.”…………….”Nuclear weapons proliferation is a first order security threat that must be dealt with now and not be brushed under the carpet.”
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=237643&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31269
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Jellyfish: The Jellyfish Are Coming
The jellyfish are coming
13 Dec 08 They are gelatinous, pulsating, tentacled, and sometimes deadly. And they seem to be appearing in ever-increasing swarms across the oceans of the world. In recent years, massive blooms of stinging jellyfish and jellyfish-like creatures have overrun……………And proving that jellyfish can be political animals, knots of jellyfish have done the work of anti-nuclear activists: they have disabled nuclear power plants by clogging intake pipes.
Jellyfish: The Jellyfish Are Coming
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, uranium, radioactive
1 This Month.
Let’s keep radioactive waste away from our river!
Nuclear Power? -Never again
(Switzerland –https://www.greenpeace.ch/de/handeln/atomkraft-nie-wieder/+)
PETITION – Close Down the Monticello Nuclear Reactor on the Mississippi River!
Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
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