2009 June 19 « nuclear-news

With nuclear waste piling up, FPL seeks Turkey Point rezoning

With nuclear waste piling up, FPL seeks Turkey Point rezoning Miami Herald 19 June 09 Florida Power & Light is seeking a zoning change at Turkey Point that most environmentalists know nothing about.

BY JOHN DORSCHNER

jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com

After more than two million pounds of nuclear waste has piled up in South Dade over 35 years, Florida Power & Light is quietly seeking a zoning change to allow six acres of its Turkey Point site to be used for new above-ground storage casks.

Environmentalists have known for a long time FPL planned to use casks but they knew little, if anything, about the need for a zoning change, which generally allows for public discussion that could lead to modifications of the utility’s plans……………………………….

Environmentalists emphatically want a hearing. ”There are very important issues here,” said Reynolds. “Because this site is so close to the water, we’re concerned about rising water levels with global warming and storm surges from hurricanes.”

LAST CHANCE

A county hearing may be the environmentalists’ last chance to stop expansion of the storage area. Last month, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection gave its approval for the site change.

For more than 30 years, FPL has stored the Turkey Point waste in stainless steel-lined covered concrete pools. Those pools will be filled in the next two years, Veenstra wrote in an e-mail, and FPL plans to switch to dry-cask storage in silo-shaped structures six feet wide and 16 feet tall, consisting of ”stainless steel containers secured inside concrete modules,” two to four feet thick………………………………..The environmentalists’ main concern is protecting the water. ”You’re asking for all kinds of trouble with water intrusion,” said Oncavage of the Sierra Club. “You could have hurricanes on top of global warming — how high do you have to have the casks raised so they’d be safe from storm surge?”

With nuclear waste piling up, FPL seeks Turkey Point rezoning – Miami-Dade – MiamiHerald.com

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive, wastes | Leave a comment

SC jobseekers line up to clean nuke waste

SC jobseekers line up to clean nuke waste google News By MEG KINNARD 19 June 09 “…………………..The jobs, most of them cleaning up the nuclear waste, are only temporary, funded through September 2011 as part of the federal stimulus package…………………….The new employees will be hired by the end of this summer and will focus on closing down several unused facilities, cleaning up about 600 acres of contaminated soil and disposing of or storing about waste created by processing spent nuclear fuel. Workers will also be tasked with closing several old reactors and evaporating millions of gallons of contaminated water.

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, wastes | Leave a comment

A holy terror

A holy terror Catholic archbishops speak out against nuclear reactors VICTORIA HANDYSIDES METRO NEWS 18 June 09 EDMONTON Toxic waste, terrorist threats and depleted natural resources could be part of Alberta’s future if nuclear reactors are erected in the province, a reality of which citizens are largely unaware, Alberta’s Catholic archbishops said yesterday. Continue reading →

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, Religion and ethics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, wastes | Leave a comment

UN urges countries to boost clean development

UN urges countries to boost clean development http://www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-19 UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) — The United Nations on Thursday urged countries to invest more in renewable and clean energy sources which could help world mitigate climate change as well as defy global economic downturn.

At a UN General Assembly interactive thematic dialogue held here in the UN headquarters, UN General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann said that the time for renewable sources of energy has arrived.

“The prospects for renewable energy have never looked better, even in the face of recession,” D’Escoto told the meeting focusing on energy efficiency, energy conservation, and new and renewable sources of energy.

He said all the people, especially those are more vulnerable, hope to recover from the slump before too long. “It would be an enormous step forward if this recovery were coupled with visionary policies, innovative technologies and broad incentives for new and renewable sources of energy.”

UN urges countries to boost clean development_English_Xinhua

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change, ENERGY | antinuclear, renewables | 1 Comment

Australian Senate delays renewable energy laws

CANBERRA (Reuters) – The Australian parliament’s upper house Senate on Thursday postponed a debate on renewable energy laws until at least August, dashing government hopes of passing the laws by the end of June.

The laws, which set a 20 percent target for renewable energy use by 2020 in Australia’s coal-reliant electricity supply, would unlock up to $22 billion worth of investment in solar and wind projects.

The government and Greens opposed the delay, saying the move would undermine investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector and would lead to job losses.

“The people who are pushing for this delay are the big emitters. I want to see this legislation through, I want to give certainty to the renewable energy industry that they have got their target,” Greens Senator Christine Milne told parliament.

The government and Greens opposed the delay, saying the move would undermine investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector and would lead to job losses.

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Environment groups speak out against government shortcomings |

Environment groups speak out against government shortcomings

G-Online 19 June 09 Australian environment organisations are uniting in opposition to the Federal Government’s proposed emissions trading legislation, and speaking out against compromises made on pre-election commitments to take strong action on climate change.A recent emergency meeting of national and peak state-based environment organisations, representing more than 400,000 Australians, has also produced a new report outlining a suite of measures that could bein place within two years to put Australia within reach of halving its greenhouse emissions within a decade.They are urging the Rudd Government “to abandon the fundamentally flawed CPRS and commit Australia to this new approach to tackle climate change,” said one of the groups behind the report, Friends of the Australia………………………

In order to expediate the move towards a clean energy economy, the groups are also urging for Australia’s current renewable energy target to be doubled to 90,000 gigawatt hours by 2020 in conjunction with the phasing out of coal-fired plants.

The report also outlines a needed shift to low emissions vehicles and sustainable cities, including measures such as setting targets for fuel efficiency, developing sustainable transport infrastructure and incentives for the development of electric vehicles………………………..

“The good news is that many of these measures will create jobs, reduce fuel and electricity bills
and create a new clean energy economy.”

The environment organisations involved in this initiative include The Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Environment Victoria, Queensland Conservation Council, Nature Conservation
Council of NSW, Conservation Council of SA, Environment Tasmania, Conservation Council WA, and Conservation Council ACT Region.

Environment groups speak out against government shortcomings | G-Online, the best of green

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Minerals exports and exploration take a dive in first quarter

Minerals exports and exploration take a dive in first quarter

by Australian Journal of Mining Jun 17, 2009 Uranium
Australia’s uranium production declined by 14 per cent to 2297 tonnes U3O8 in the March quarter, as production at both Energy Resources Australia’s Ranger operation and BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam declined as lower grade ore was processed.

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Anti-nuclear boat gets warm welcome in Auckland Harbour

Anti-nuclear boat gets warm welcome in Auckland Harbour 3news 17 June 09

Auckland Harbour put on its best, to welcome the veteran of countless anti-nuclear protests.

It was not the biggest welcome, but a better one than Greenpeace boat The Vega received in Mururoa in 1973.

That was when she was rammed in international waters by a French minesweeper.

Greenpeace founder, David McTaggart, was also assaulted and arrested by French soldiers.

This morning, the welcome was much warmer.

“Oh it’s awesome… all the way… fantastic… she knew the way all the way home,” Mr Taggart says.

Vega’s skipper Daniel Mares has been with her for many years, sailing sometimes in friendly waters, and sometimes, as in Mururoa, not so friendly.

3 News > National > Story > Anti-nuclear boat gets warm welcome in Auckland Harbour

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

US ships on their way for war games

US ships on their way for war games Sydney Morning Herald Peter Veness June 18, 2009US warships are on their way to Australia in preparation for the Talisman Saber war games across the north of the country in July.The USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group, made up of three warships, has left Okinawa, Japan for Australia along with the 1,400 strong 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), private intelligence firm Stratfor reported on Thursday.

Essex’s arsenal includes Sea Stallion, Sea Hawk, Super Cobra and Huey helicopters, along with Harrier jets.

Talisman Saber (TS09) will involve 20,000 US personnel and 10,000 Australians…………………………

Green and peace groups are highly concerned by the biennial US-led war games, especially the involvement of nuclear powered US submarines and an aircraft carrier.

Peace group Peace Convergence says the war games are part of a broader US plan.

“The US is intent on upgrading and expanding its military capabilities in Australia,” the group says.

US ships on their way for war games

June 19, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment