A potential nuclear mess
A potential nuclear mess LAS VEGAS SUN 19 June 09 Many companies are not setting aside enough money for closing of nuclear plants The companies that own most of the nation’s aging nuclear reactors are not putting aside an adequate amount of money to properly close them when the time comes, an Associated Press review of financial records found……………………..
Instead of planning for closure, plant owners are delaying the inevitable, with the help of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC has given 19 plants permission to mothball their reactors for as many as 60 years before closing them. The commission has also granted 20-year license extensions for 54 reactors, more than half of the nation’s plants, which could mean closure would come in 80 years.
The hope, apparently, is that the plant owners will be able to afford closure several decades down the road, and that is dangerous. The plants could become a safety and security risk if the owners don’t have the money to properly maintain and close them. Nuclear power critics wonder whether the companies that plan to mothball their plants will even be around in 60 years.
“Our concern is that they’ll just walk away from it,” said Jim Riccio of Greenpeace. “It’s like a sitting time bomb. The notion that you can just walk away from these sites and everything will be hunky-dory is just not true.”
Supporters of nuclear power like to portray it as a clean, environmentally friendly source of power, but that is not true. Nuclear power has created tremendous environmental and health hazards and the contamination the plants have created will be around, in some cases, for tens of thousands of years. These issues must be adequately addressed, yet the NRC appears to be letting the nuclear plant operators push off the problems to the next generation.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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. Australia Senate delays renewable energy laws – Last News from Earth-Stream.com about Continents
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
Minerals exports and exploration take a dive in first quarter
Minerals exports and exploration take a dive in first quarter
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
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.
Remember Erin Brockovich?
appomatox’s posterous by , Jane Kollmer17 June 09 Four counties in the lower Hudson Valley of New York are reported to have the highest rates of thyroid cancer in the nation. With alarming statistics coming from a specific region, health experts are looking for the culprit, which appears to be the nearby Indian Point Power Plant.The plant produces and emits radioactive iodine particles, which when they enter the human body, attack thyroid cells and lead to cancer and other problems such as hypothyroidism. About 300 residents in the four surrounding counties are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year……………………………….This is to those who believe that open pit uranium mines and mills can be GOOD for you, ie: thinking that uranium ore equals radiation for cancer treatment. No matter how you cut it, radiation is dangerous for humans………………………The difference between using radiation as cancer treatment and radiation that occurs in mining and milling is that there is some transparency in the former.
Remember Erin Brockovich? Image Mag – appomattox’s posterous
Renewable Energy Jobs Boom In Europe
Renewable Energy Jobs boom in Europe Energy Matters 17 June 09 A new study by the WWF has revealed that of the 130 million people employed in the European Union altogether, in excess of 3.4 million European jobs are directly related to renewable energy, sustainable transport and energy efficiency related goods and services – far more than the 2.8 million jobs in polluting industries. Indirect jobs related to the green collar sector are estimated at approximately another 5 million. Close to 400,000 people are employed specifically in renewable energy activities, such as the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of wind turbines and solar panels.
The leading European countries for wind power are Germany, Spain and Denmark. For solar power jobs, Germany and Spain are the front runners. Germany and Spain have or had generous gross feed in tariff programs that were major contributors to the solar power boom in both countries.
Germany, which experiences far less sunlight than countries such as Australia, is light years ahead in solar power uptake. Germany commands close to half the global installations market and is also a leading producer of solar cells.
Renewable Energy Jobs Boom In Europe : Renewable Energy News
Government shelves nuclear power plan
Government shelves nuclear power plan The Jakarta Post Yuli Tri Suwarni , The Jakarta Post , Bandung
June 17, 2009
The ArchipelagoAmid mounting opposition from the public and NGOs, the state electricity firm PLN has temporarily shelved plans to set up a nuclear power plant.PLN director of planning and technology Bambang Praptomo said Monday that a nuclear-generated power plant was not included in his company’s Electricity Procurement Business Plans (RUPTL) outlined for up to 2018.The company’s procurement business plans were based on the National Electricity General Plans (RUKN), which the government recently put together, he added.In the previous RUKN, the government had aimed to start generating nuclear power by 2016.
Funds to shut nuclear plants fall short
Funds to shut nuclear plants fall short B y DAVE GRAM and FRANK BASS – Google News 17 June 09 VERNON, Vt. (AP) — The companies that own almost half the nation’s nuclear reactors are not setting aside enough money to dismantle them, and many may sit idle for decades and pose safety and security risks as a result, an Associated Press investigation has found……………………………..
At 19 nuclear plants, owners have won approval to idle reactors for as long as 60 years, presumably enough time to allow investments to recover and eventually pay for dismantling the plants and removing radioactive material.
But mothballing reactors or shutting them down inadequately could pose dangerous health, environmental or security problems. In the worst cases, generally considered unlikely, risks include radioactive waste leaking from idled plants into groundwater, airborne releases or a terrorist attack.
During the past two years, estimates of dismantling costs have soared by more than $4.6 billion because rising energy and labor costs, while the investment funds that are supposed to pay for shutting plants down have lost $4.4 billion in the battered stock market…………………………..some analysts worry the utility companies that own nuclear plants might not even exist in six decades.”Our concern is that they’ll just walk away from it,” said Jim Riccio, a Greenpeace nuclear policy analyst. “It’s like a sitting time bomb………………………………….Plant operators appear to benefit from NRC rules that don’t require them to set aside money to store old nuclear fuel, demolish buildings, or return the plant sites to pristine states. Although some states require a full site restoration, the federal government does not.
The Associated Press: AP IMPACT: Funds to shut nuclear plants fall short
Sarkozy’s Sugar Poppa Days in Africa are Numbered «
Sarkozy’s Sugar Poppa Days in Africa are Numbered Mo’dernity Mo’problems 17 June 09 Today, French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the funeral of Omar Bongo of Gabon, the world’s longest serving and shortest dictator……………………Mr. Bongo was the grease to France’s sugar poppa politics in Africa. But now, Sarko is weaker in Africa than before and he has to deal with the aftermath of Bongo’s passing, who at time of death was in the middle of a corruption case lodged by Transparency International in French Courts……………………With huge investments in Gabon, a ridiculous court case and the loss of an African ally, Sarko is seems like a sugar poppa no more. From his overtly racist speech in Dakar to his to his absurd claim that new uranium extraction deals with the DRC would help the Congo on its path to peace, French President Nicolas Sarkozy seems more like a bumbling version of Tintin than the president of an post-colonial metropole…………………..His Africa project has all but collapsed.
Sarkozy’s Sugar Poppa Days in Africa are Numbered « Mo’dernity, Mo’problems
1 This Month
10 June – Assessing Canada’s Investments in Small Modular Nuclear Reactors – https://zoom.us/meeting/register/IiqHA5feRhaEBycOLNTJlA#/registration
Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State
PETITION: “Global Appeal to Endorse Palestinian Right of Return of Refugees”
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