2009 April 17 « nuclear-news

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen Brick Township Bulletin Sidney J. Goodman 17 April 09 Anuclear plant reactor tries to safely contain more radioactivity than is in the fallout of 1,000 Hiroshima atom bombs.The Oyster Creek spent fuel rod pool contains much more deadly radioactivity. The pool has a flimsy roof that could easily be penetrated to cause a fuming meltdown.Who would have thought that the World Trade Center could be destroyed so easily? As for nuclear power plants, we haven’t seen anything yet.There is an official rule. It says that a mere 10-mile evacuation zone is perfectly adequate. This is idiotic.The poisons from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident traveled all around the world. Decades after, only 20 percent of the children born in Belarus are healthy. The poisons from the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station traveled hundreds of miles………………………

There is a federal law called the Price Anderson Act. It limits the liability of a nuclear utility to a microscopic fraction of the damage it can cause.

Oyster Creek is afraid to operate without the protection of this law. If there is no risk, as nuclear promoters always say, there is absolutely no justification for the existence of this law.

This law abolishes your property rights to protect the property rights of nuclear utilities. Their insistence that we need this law proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that big guns in the industry do not believe one word of their assurances about health and safety.

Why should you believe them or their agents?……………………. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant must be closed immediately — not in nine years, not in one year, not in one month, but now.

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen | bulletin.gmnews.com | Brick Township Bulletin

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive | Leave a comment

Several nuclear waste trains in Germany next year?

Several nuclear waste trains in D next year? Indymedia 17 April Diet Simon

Several transports of highly radioactive nuclear waste may roll through Germany next year, nuclear opponents have researched, and another 1,000-1,250 tonnes of depleted uranium are being readied for transportation to Russia in about 25 railcars.

The Bürgerinitiative Umweltschutz Lüchow-Dannenberg (BI), which fights waste dumping at the northern village of Gorleben, and other anti-nuclear activists have found out that waste consignments are due next year to all three “interim” dumps at Ahaus (45 linear km northwest of Münster), Lubmin (120 km east of Rostock) and Gorleben (155 km northeast of Hannover).

The BI comments that “thousands are going to take to the streets to oppose this” and says the anti-nuclear movement has had a surge in numbers since last autumn 16,000 delayed another waste load to Gorleben.

“In the autumn we’re doing a tractor run to Berlin to generate pressure to end the crazy plan to make Gorleben the final repository and to get out of nuclear power production.“In 2010 there’ll be a stocktaking across the country, the waste transport continue to be a provocation because they symbolize the disposal dilemma” (of there being no safe storage system anywhere on the globe).

Several hundred nuclear casks with highly radioactive waste, so-called Castor CSDC 28’s, are to be taken from the French plutonium factory at La Hague and a German research facility at Jülich (65 km west of Cologne) to Ahaus. A special high-pressure waste compacting facility has been built in La Hague for the purpose.
The BI notes that this creates a new category of waste which starts medium-active and becomes highly active from heat……………

……..Meanwhile activists have observed another large depleted uranium train being assembled in Germany’s only uranium enrichment factory at Gronau, to go to Russia for dumping in the open air…………………..

………..Anti-nuclear activists are planning an inter-regional demonstration in Münster for 25 April. It will be one of three central ones taking place throughout Germany on the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. The other two will be outside nuclear power stations at Krümmel (40 km southeast of Hamburg) and Neckarwestheim (170 km south of Frankfurt) on the 26th.

de.indymedia.org | Several nuclear waste trains in D next year?

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

– Nuclear plan good news for economy or deadly legacy?

Nuclear plan good news for economy or deadly legacy? Wales News Apr 16 2009THE nomination of Wylfa Peninsula on Anglesey as one of 11 potential sites for a new UK nuclear power station was hailed yesterday as “very good news” for the island’s economy.

But environmental groups criticised the plans as leaving a “deadly legacy” at a cost of billions of pounds. Anglesey’s residents have one month to submit their views on the new power station, which would replace the current plant, due to stop generating electricity in 2010………………..

……….Friends of the Earth said “breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment” was not the answer to the UK’s energy problems.

The group’s energy campaigner Robin Webster said: “Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage.

“And building new reactors would divert precious resources from developing safe, clean renewable power.

“Nuclear firms are already lobbying ministers to water down UK renewable energy targets. Ministers must exploit the UK’s huge potential of wind, solar, marine and hydro power, and embark on a massive national programme of energy efficiency.

“This will create tens of thousands more jobs than the nuclear option, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, tackle climate change and make Britain a world leader in developing a green economy.”

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, radioactive | Leave a comment

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy Yemen Post 5, April, 2009

Minister of Electricity and Energy dismissed Wednesday the idea of producing nuclear energy in the country, saying it was not time to use nuclear power to deal with energy problems, mainly daily electricity cuts.

However, Minister Awadh Al-Socotri affirmed the government has plans to produce wind and thermal energy instead.

He said the government is about to sign deals with the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank to construct a wind-power plant in Makha province.

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy – Yemen Post English Newspaper Online

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | MIDDLE EAST, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, renewableenergy, renewables | Leave a comment

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous

BERLIN, April 16 (UPI) — A leaking nuclear-waste storage site in Germany is also contaminated with several toxic substances.

The problematic site in the Asse mountain range in northern Germany has been abused for several years by companies eager to get rid of toxic substances, including mercury, lead alloy and arsenic, German news magazine Stern reports………………………

Asse was meant to be a place for temporary storage and research but was instead used by companies for careless dumping of waste never intended to see the light of day again.

The cleanup of Asse is estimated to cost at least $2.5 billion.

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous – UPI.com

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

Volunteers protest nuclear power use

Volunteers protest nuclear power use Thu, April 16, 2009

The London Free Press (Ontario) By NATASHA MARAR, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

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Greenpeace members wore masks of a character from The Simpsons TV show in a protest yesterday in London against nuclear power.

The demonstration was held in front of the Hilton hotel, where public hearings into the province’s proposed Green Energy Act were taking place.

Protesters wore plastic masks depicting Simpsons character Mr. Burns, a nuclear plant owner.

“Our main problem with the act is that it’s a lot of greenwashing,” Greenpeace volunteer David Major said.

“It’s presented as a green energy act, but it focuses a lot on nuclear.”

London Free Press – Local News- Volunteers protest nuclear power use

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Energy council fails to endorse nuclear power expansion

Energy council fails to endorse nuclear power expansionPremier promises stronger government efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energyBy Dennis EngbarthTaiwan News, Staff Reporter Taiwan News 17 April 09 A high-profile “National Energy Conference” concluded yesterday without granting the restored Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government a clear endorsement to expand construction of nuclear power plants in Taiwan…………………

n a closing address to the third public-private NEC to be held since 1999, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan Liu renewed the promise issued by President Ma Ying-jeou Wednesday to secure passage of the draft renewable energy development statute, which has been stalled in the KMT-controlled Legislative Yuan since 2002, and other related laws.

Liu also promised stronger government efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in society, industry, transportation, power generation, technology, education and government operations.

Energy council fails to endorse nuclear power expansion – Taiwan News Online

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Taiwan | Leave a comment

Nuke security lacking

Nuke security lacking – The Great Beyond by Eric Hand April 16, 2009 Another day, another security lapse at one of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons labs.The Government Accountability Office is reporting yet again that there are security lapses in the complex, this time at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, near San Francisco.LLNL is one of three DOE national labs that designs, handles and stores nuclear weapons. It also maintains stores of plutonium and enriched uranium.Investigators found 13 specific deficiencies in the security force employed to counteract a terrorist attack……………….

The Great Beyond: Nuke security lacking

April 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive | Leave a comment

Government News: Government News and Issues – Native Title is an uneven playing field: Calma

Native Title is an uneven playing field: Calma By Angela Dorizas 16 April 09 Australia’s native title system is an uneven playing field and in need of serious reform, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma.Speaking at the recent launch of the latest edition of the Australian Law Reform Commissions’ Reform journal, Calma welcomed the introduction of the Native Title Amendments Bill in Federal Parliament, but called for further changes to the troubled system.One of the changes Calma has proposed is greater funding for native title claims and their representatives.He said while non-Indigenous parties were able to come to the negotiation table with qualified legal and economic advice, Indigenous parties seeking native title were significantly under-resourced.“It’s not an even playing field,” Calma told GovernmentNews.

“There’s an imbalance and it’s something that we need to consider.

“When there’s a power imbalance we don’t always see the best outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Indigenous people must have access to sufficient resources to fully and effectively participate in native title. This includes resourcing organisations which are trying to secure a determination of native title or use procedural rights under the act.”

Calma called on the Federal Government to also establish a panel of experts to be drawn upon by various native title parties to “level out” the playing field…………………

“I’ve long voiced concerns about the burden placed on Indigenous people to prove native title, because it’s just simply too great and in fact it is very unjust.”

He said he supported the proposal by the High Court’s Chief Justice Robert French for “certain presumptions in favour of the Indigenous claimant”.

Closing the Gap

Clama said reform of native title would help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, since land was fundamental to the health, livelihood and rights of Indigenous communities.

“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people land is the essence of life,” he said.

“If you get your land back you’re able to associate with that land and from it comes your language and your culture.”

Calma praised the Federal Government’s decision to support the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, describing it as the “watershed moment” in Australia’s modern history.

“The challenge now is for government to build understanding of the declaration amongst government officials and the community and importantly, incorporate the declaration’s principles into government poli