2010 March 13 « nuclear-news

Costs of U.S. nuclear weapons – the facts

50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Pak Alert Press, March 12, 2010 The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project was completed in August 1998 and resulted in the book Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 edited by Stephen I. Schwartz. These project pages should be considered historical.

This article goes on to list the projects and costs – from 1945 – 1998
No. 1. Cost of the Manhattan Project (through August 1945): $20,000,000,000
No. 50. Estimated 1998 spending on all U.S. nuclear weapons and weapons-related programs: $35,100,000,000

50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons « Pak Alert Press

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear power plants employed a terrorism suspect

American terrorism suspect arrested in Yemen worked for nuclear plants- POLITICO.com, by Laura RozenMarch 11, 2010 A Somali-American terrorism suspect arrested in Yemen worked for U.S. nuclear power plants in New Jersey from 2002-2008, the Associated Press reports: A spokesman for a group of nuclear power plants in New Jersey says a U.S. man charged in Yemen with being a member of al-Qaida had previously worked at the plants. PSEG Nuclear spokesman Joe Delmar says Sharif Mobley worked as a laborer for several contractors at its three plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek from 2002 to 2008 carrying supplies and doing maintenance work….. Nuclear reactors remain a tempting target for terrorists, requiring ever vigilant security measures.

Yemeni officials confirmed on Thursday that Mobley is in custody. AP: American terrorism suspect arrested in Yemen worked for nuclear plants – Laura Rozen – POLITICO.com

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | MIDDLE EAST, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy | Leave a comment

What on Earth to do about America’s nuclear wastes piling up?

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And – why on Earth do they want to make more of them???

Debating the Nuclear Waste Problem, NYTimes.com, By MATTHEW L. WALD, March 9, 2010. With Nevada’s Yucca Mountain facility apparently out of the picture as a nuclear waste repository, government nuclear experts say interim measures might be needed for a very long time.

In a speech Tuesday delivered to about 2,700 industry executives, nuclear regulators and other experts gathered for a nuclear energy conference in Washington, Gregory B. Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that his agency needed to determine just how many centuries such fuel can be safely stored above ground, and that it should come up with a policy that would not require amendment for many years.

Debating the Nuclear Waste Problem – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

Even USA’s Right Wing is Worried About Nuclear Loan Guarantees!

The Heritage Foundation Position on Loan Guarantees , The Foundry: Conservative Policy News. 12 March 2010, The Heritage Foundation has not opposed limited loan guarantees (those already authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005). ….. Expanding government intervention into capital markets beyond current authorizations would simply distort long-term market integrity. At a minimum, they create taxpayer liabilities, give recipients preferential treatment, and distort capital markets. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, reactor | Leave a comment

Double standards in nuclear policy on Iran and Israel

Israel and Iran simply highlight the hypocrisy of a larger nuclear policy that endorses a double standard.

The Nuclear Double Standard, Antiwar.com, by Charles V. Peña, March 12, Earlier this week, Israel announced its intention to pursue nuclear power to generate electricity. According to Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, Israel wants to achieve energy independence from coal, which it has to import in significant quantities:…..(Israel, however, practices a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying whether it has nuclear weapons – yet it is generally accepted that Israel has such weapons).. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, Religion and ethics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Colorado becoming a leader in renewable energy jobs

Colorado is the new energy frontier, Michael Bowman, THE HUFFINGTON POST, 12 March 2010, Colorado is emerging as an international player in the next great technological and industrial revolution. The impending state renewables bill is aggressive, job-creating, and could result in as many as 100,000 homes being equipped with solar panels, small wind turbines, or other clean energy sources…. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA | energy efficiency, renewable energy, renewables, solar | Leave a comment

Uranium One’s losses due to low uranium prices

Uranium One announces $36.5m net loss for full year 2009 , 11 Mar 2010,(Reuters) “….– Uranium One Inc (UUU.TO: Quote) posted a net loss in 2009, hurt mainly by lower realized uranium prices, ….Earnings from mine operations fell 41.2 percent to $54.6 million. The company said average realized sales prices fell 30 percent in 2009.

Shares of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based miner closed at C$2.81 Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Canada | nuclear, uranium | Leave a comment

First Uranium rescued by shareholders, from financial disaster

First Uranium shareholders provide capital lifeline Winnepedg Free Press, By: THE CANADIAN PRESS 12 March 2010, TORONTO – First Uranium Corp. (TSX:FIU) is getting a much-needed infusion of capital from a major shareholder and a new chief executive.The Toronto-based gold and uranium company had warned last month that its financial condition had been “severely compromised” by problems getting government environmental approval for a future storage site in South Africa.

First Uranium shareholders provide capital lifeline – Winnipeg Free Press

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Canada | nuclear costs | Leave a comment

Many angiograms unnecessary, and carry radiation risks

Heart Angiograms Show No Disease in Almost 40% BusinessWeek, March 10, 2010, March 10 (Bloomberg) — Doctors may be sending patients too quickly for elective angiograms to detect heart disease, exposing them to radiation and driving up U.S. health-care costs, a study suggests. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Crummy outlook for uranium prices

Outlook for Uranium, Uncommon Wisdom, by Sean Brodrick on March 11, 2010, Gold is shining … oil is heating up … so what’s up with uranium? The once white-hot metal is certainly way off its highs. In fact, the spot price of uranium recently fell to U.S.$40.50…

.Both Macquarie and UBS forecast spot prices will average$47 per pound this year, down from an average of $52 per pound in 2009. In other words: uranium is not expected to join the recovery elsewhere in the commodity space anytime soon.

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, uranium | Leave a comment

Virginia Beach’s uranium deposit much smaller than touted

Uranium Mining Focus of VA Forum, RICHMOND, Va. (AP)A speaker at a Richmond forum on uranium mining in Southside Virginia says the deposit is much smaller than the estimated 119-million pounds stated by its owners. Mar 12, 2010, STEVE SZKOTAK – Associated Press Writer

Uranium Mining Focus of VA Forum

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | spinbuster, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, uranium | Leave a comment

Uranium investors worried by corruption in Kazakhstan

Kazakh ex-uranium boss jailed for corruption, Daily Times , 12 March 2010, ASTANA: A Kazakh court sentenced a former uranium tycoon to 14 years in jail for theft and corruption on Friday in a case that has alarmed foreign investors working in the former Soviet republic. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, Kazakhstan, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, uranium | Leave a comment

Virginia Beach’s water threatened by uranium mining

Virginia Beach city officials have said they oppose the mining proposal because it could threaten the city’s water supply which includes Lake Gaston…..

Experts at Va. symposium see risks in uranium mining | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com. March 12, 2010By Rex Springston, Richmond Times-Dispatch | MCT Regional News Virginian-Pilot writer Cindy Clayton contributed to this report.Mining uranium can create health and economic problems, experts said yesterday.A company called Virginia Uranium Inc. wants to mine uranium in Pittsylvania County in south-central Virginia. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, USA, water | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, radiation, radioactive, uranium | 1 Comment

Don’t try to mix renewable energy and nuclear power

.New nuclear projects will take massive amounts of capital and years to ramp up, and only a few will get built. Renewable projects are relatively smaller and cheaper to build and can be constructed quickly, which means jobs can be created more quickly.

You got your uranium in my biomass! Why renewable policies and nuclear don’t mix, Renewable Energy World, Jennifer Zajac, 12 March 2010“…….There was a series of commercials in the 1980s for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in which one actor would exclaim, “Hey, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and the other actor would respond, “You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” Then an announcer would say, “Two great tastes that taste great together!”Today, lawmakers at the state and federal level are mixing renewable energy policies with nuclear energy. They shouldn’t, because unlike chocolate and peanut butter, biomass and uranium do not go great together….. Continue reading →

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, renewable | antinuclear, energy efficiency, nuclear, renewable energy | Leave a comment

Safety check required for U.S. Nuclear Plants

US Nuclear Power Plants To Undergo Safety Check By Madhuri Dey
Washington,March 12th, 2010, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received an appeal from Entergy Nuclear Operations to be granted some more time to upgrade the security systems in the Pilgrim Station Nuclear Power Plant.
The upgradation of the security systems have been a measure that has been approved by the administration of President Barack Obama, after it came to light that there are enormous loopholes in the security systems of the power plants. The recommendation was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with the aim of safeguarding the materials contained in the plants, and in turn protect the plants as well. In fact, it is not only the Pilgrim Station Nuclear Power Plant, but a number of other plants too that has given a petition for an extension.

March 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin | Leave a comment