2009 April 25 « nuclear-news

Earthlife ridicules nuclear power generation plans

Earthlife ridicules nuclear power generation plans
Namibia Economist 24 April 2009 11:34Propagators of the myth that nuclear power being safe, clean and climate friendly are misleading Namibians, according to Bertchen Kohrs of Earthlife Namibia.Few people are properly informed about the real dangers of the nuclear industry, she added.Earthlife Namibia has repeated its concern over the possibility that government might opt for nuclear power generation in Namibia.Kohrs said instead of opting for a nuclear power plant or coal-fired plant, the country could play a leading role in the development of renewable energy in Africa.“This kind of clean energy production would put Namibia on the world map attracting energy experts and tourists alike. Namibia would receive carbon credits when opting for carbon-free power generation. This money could be used to subsidize power from renewable sources,” said Kohrs.
She also pointed out that Namibia does not have specialists who can run a nuclear power plant and that the country will make itself dependent on foreign experts, whereas there are people who are capable of maintaining a solar or wind power plant.
Another disadvantage such a nuclear power plant would pose for Namibia is the high level of waste as there is no solution for safe storage……………….

………Earthlife and the Labour Research and Resource Institute (LaRRI) are working together on an ongoing awareness campaign, which aims to inform the public of the dangers of a nuclear power plant.
As part of this campaign, Earthlife produced a booklet “Uranium – Blessing or Curse” informing about general issues regarding the uranium industry, while LARRI published a booklet ‘Uranium Mining in Namibia: The mystery behind ‘low level radiation’, which focuses on the impacts of uranium on mine workers’ health

Earthlife ridicules nuclear power generation plans

April 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Namibia, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

– Letting in the sun –

24 Apr 2009 3:45 PM Letting in the sun Business Spectator by keith Orchison there is a submission to the Senate select committee on climate change, now reviewing emissions trading policy, that merits a bit more attention. It has been put in by ANU professor Andrew Blakers.Paraphrased, Blakers is telling Senators that nowhere near enough has been done to promote renewable energy in Australia.The Rudd government’s $150 million energy innovation fund, he says, is inadequate to rebuild research in universities and the CSIRO and to assist start-up companies build up to commercialisation. And it expires in 2012. Build it up to $1 billion over seven years, he argues.Also, introduce a new funding mechanism for commercialisation of renewable energy innovation and give it $2 billion to spend over seven years. And expand the $450 million renewable energy development program, which is focussed on large-scale demonstration projects, to $2 billion over seven years.Blakers also wants the renewable energy target – which Rudd proposes to make 20 per cent of national electricity consumption in 2020 – ratcheted up to 40 per cent by 2030……………………………His submission can be found on the Senate Climate Change committee website

Business Spectator – Letting in the sun – Blog – Keith Orchison

April 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Oyster Creek’s safety issues unresolved

Oyster Creek’s safety issues unresolved

APP.com By JANET TAURO • April 24, 2009 Samuel J. Collins, regional director for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is barring the public from attending an upcoming safety meeting between the owners of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and federal regulators. He is doing so even though the safety issues would never have been considered had citizens not identified them and intervened in relicensing proceedings.
By barring public participation, Collins further erodes public trust and disregards congressional demands for government transparency. Though the commission recently relicensed Oyster Creek for another 20 years, it did so with recommendations that NRC staff enhance enforcement of safety commitments made by Exelon to monitor corrosion of the reactor’s drywell shell, the steel containment shielding the public from radiation. The commission recommended that NRC staff increase enforcement because “Exelon’s series of errors . . . directly contradicts Exelon’s ability to meet the commitments.”
If Exelon and NRC staff were confident ongoing corrosion is resolved or that minimum safety standards are assured, they would welcome the public with open arms. Instead, Collins’ refusal to involve citizens exacerbates the perception of industry coziness and disdain for the public……………….

Oyster Creek’s safety issues unresolved | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

April 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Families Against Radiation to post beach

FARE to post beach Northumberland Today By Louise BarracloughP 24 April 09

Families Against Radiation Exposure (FARE) plans to release soil test results on Saturday, Apr. 25, showing that a popular Port Hope beach playground is contaminated with uranium.The volunteer environmental organization has decided to hand out brochures to fishermen and residents at noon at the East Beach park at Mill and Madison Streets.

FARE believes the public, which uses the beach area, has a right to know that it is contaminated by uranium more than four times higher than guidelines issued by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

What is disturbing is that the testing was done by SENES Consultants for Cameco Corporation and sent in a report to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in June, 2008, but nobody told the municipality or the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO).It was FARE which informed them of the problem on March 20, shortly after receiving them through the federal Access to Information Act from the CNSC.Uranium-in-soil concentrations of more than 98 parts per million were recorded at the park – three times higher than the LLRWMO clean-up criteria.

It is also much higher than the CCME standard of 23 parts per million, which signifies a “no- or low-effect” on human health.The park has been declared safe. Cameco confirmed the soil test results but claims that the uranium contamination has nothing to do with its operations or those of Eldorado Nuclear.FARE believes a public investigation needs to occur to determine what caused the contamination, why the park is not being posted or cleaned up, and why the municipality was not told a year ago.Louise BarracloughInterim president, FAREPort Hope

FARE to post beach – Northumberland Today – Ontario, CA

April 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, environment | Leave a comment

illicit transfer of nuclear materials

FG to halt illicit transfer of nuclear materials

Punch : Dayo Oketola

Published: Thursday, 23 Apr 2009

The Federal Government is making moves to tackle the problem of illicit trans-shipment of nuclear materials in and out of Nigeria,………………..
………….companies like Halliburton Nigeria Limited, AES Nigeria Limited and Greenik Maritime Nigeria Limited had been tried by the government at different times for involvement in illegal and dangerous movement of radioactive sources in the country. The companies repackaged radioactive sources and declared it as mould for export, only to be discovered in Germany.Such occurrences, according to Egbogah,The Presidential Adviser on Petroleum Matters, Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, reflected the country‘s inadequate radiation security facility and training of the officials at the sea and air ports.

The Punch: FG to halt illicit transfer of nuclear materials

April 25, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Nigeria, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Mine contractor not talking on trading halt | The Australian

Mine contractor not talking on trading halt

Matt Chambers | April 25, 2009

Article from: The Australian

CONTRACTOR Macmahon Holdings went into a trading halt yesterday, raising concerns it had lost another mining job as producers cut production and workers

Macmahon was silent yesterday and would not provide any information beyond a statement to the stock exchange.

“The trading halt is requested pending an announcement of the company outlook,” Macmahon said.

One analyst said while Macmahon’s construction business was going well, the mining side was under pressure.

“There is a lot of risk on their mining book and there is a good chance there has been a contract cancelled,” he said. “That has been the biggest area of growth with high margins, but it is pulling back.”

One contract he said was at risk was the underground mining work at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine in South Australia.

A BHP spokesman would not comment late yesterday, saying only that the company did not make statements on individual contracts.