2010 March « nuclear-news

China leads, USA way behind, in renewable energy policy

China Leads G-20 Nations In Renewable Energy Finance And Investment Solar Industry:25 March 2010 For the first time, China led the U.S. and other G-20 members in 2009 clean energy investments and finance, according to a new study by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Last year, China invested $34.6 billion in the clean energy economy – nearly double the U.S.’ total of $18.6 billion.

Over the last five years, the U.S. also trailed five G-20 members (Turkey, Brazil, China, the U.K. and Italy) in the rate of clean energy investment growth. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, climate change, renewable | energy efficiency, renewable energy, renewables, solar | Leave a comment

Revival of U.S. nuclear industry in doubt due to waste problem

Waste issue hurting U.S. nuclear revival-panel Lack of plan for waste seen hurting nuclear development Commission told to move beyond Yucca Mountain site Some lawmakers oppose plan to shut down Yucca By Ayesha Rascoe, WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) – The lack of a permanent home for the nation’s radioactive waste is dampening prospects for a resurgence of the U.S. nuclear industry, federal commissioners said at their first public hearing on the subject. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

USA and Russia – tentative steps toward nuclear disarmament

.….Treaty ratification will require 67 votes in the U.S. Senate.

US, Russia Hammer Out New Nuclear Agreement, Voice of America, Peter Fedynsky | Moscow, 25 March 2010, The United States and Russia say a new strategic arms agreement will be formally announced when the presidents of both countries have spoken with one another about it. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | antinuclear, disarmament, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear disarmament and nuclear blackmail

A government serious about preventing nuclear blackmail would be ready to bring something decisive to the non-proliferation review in New York in May. The UK’s claim that we’re working towards full multilateral disarmament while investing £70-odd billion in nuclear rearmament doesn’t exactly have the ring of conviction.

War With The Ghosts | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, 25 March 2010, “………….The only certain means of preventing nuclear blackmail is multilateral disarmament. The only route to multilateral disarmament is for the nuclear powers to show that they are serious about junking their weapons. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear “spinoff” company rejected – ‘financially shaky’

NY regulators reject Entergy nuclear spinoff Google News, By GEORGE M. WALSH (AP) –26 March 2010, ALBANY, N.Y. — New York utility regulators on Thursday rejected Entergy Corp.’s plan to spin off its six nuclear power stations into a separate company.The state Public Service Commission acted after its staff determined the deal wasn’t in the public interest, primarily because the resulting company — Enexus Energy Corp. — could be financially shaky….

The Associated Press: NY regulators reject Entergy nuclear spinoff

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin | Leave a comment

Nuclear foolishness: Bill Gates and his sci-fi reactors

these outlandish designs are extremely unlikely to be produced commercially and offer only another nuclear distraction from the far more urgent problem presented by climate change.

More sci-fi reactors Nuclear Reaction – 26 March 2010, It certainly seems a week for crazy nuclear inventions. Yesterday we had Bill Gates and his sci-fi reactor……The realities of the baseload myth and decentralized energy production seem to have finally occurred to nuclear boffins and they’re trying to catch up with the rest of us.

Unfortunately, just because you make a nuclear reactor smaller it doesn’t mean they don’t have the same problems as their larger cousins. Sometimes the problems are even worse. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, renewable energy | Leave a comment

UK’s nuclear plants viable only with advance levy on customers

Budget 2010: Consumers face levy on energy bills to pay for nuclear plants The Guardian UK 25 March 2010 The government has officially confirmed plans for a new carbon levy on consumer bills which it hopes will make building new nuclear plants viable, as the Guardian revealed in October last year. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, UK | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, reactors | Leave a comment

Pakistan’s Mr Khan and the murky spead of nuclear technology

Pakistan judge delays ruling on nuclear scientist Google News (AP) – 25 March 2010, LAHORE, Pakistan — A judge on Wednesday delayed a ruling on a government petition aimed at questioning Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan over recent media reports that Islamabad arranged the transfer of nuclear technology to Iran, a lawyer said…..

Khan is regarded as the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program. He was detained in December 2003, and in early 2004 he admitted on television that he operated a network that spread nuclear weapons technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran…….

Khan is regarded by many Pakistanis as a hero for his key role in developing its nuclear weapons program. Government officials say he is kept under close watch for his own safety, but many analysts say the powerful military and intelligence agencies restrict his movement because they fear he may implicate them in past nuclear proliferation.

The Associated Press: Pakistan judge delays ruling on nuclear scientist

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Pakistan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Tons of nuclear waste – $billions of cost to taxpayers

Nuclear Waste Piles Up, and It’s Costing Taxpayers Billions, 24 March 2010by: Mark Clayton | The Christian Science Monitor The Bush administration agreed to store nuclear waste from 21 new reactors. But the federal government still can’t meet its commitment to find permanent storage. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, uranium | Leave a comment

UK’s nuclear arsenal completely dependent on USA

War With The Ghosts Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, George Monbiot, 26 March 2010, What are our nuclear weapons for, and who controls them?, “…….. Sharing our [UK’s] nuclear deterrence with France is out of the question. Last week the government slapped down a French offer to reduce the costs of our submarine patrols, by taking turns to prowl the same seas rather than duplicating the effort and occasionally crashing into each other. Continue reading →

March 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, weapons and war | cancer, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Increased radiation cancer risk for airline crews

if crew members and passengers already face largely unreported radiation risks from long-distance flying, we should have the right to know just how whole-body radiation scanning machines are part of this risk.

Flying and Excess Radiation, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Robert Alvarez: March 22, 2010 .….The recent reporting of dozens of cases of harm to patients from the misuse of CAT scans should serve as a cautionary warning.

Unfortunately, the doses of radiation experienced in every-day life, especially flying long-distances in jet aircraft, pose risks we should also carefully heed…..With the rise in altitude, atmospheric shielding decreases and radiation doses increase. Continue reading →

March 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health | antinuclear, cancer, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Now U.S. taxpayer funds not only nuclear loans, but even the loans application!

Energy Department investing $45M for technology for southern Ohio uranium enrichment project, The Washinton Examiner, Associated Press03/24/10 EDTPIKETON, OHIO — The Department of Energy will invest $45 million in ongoing development and demonstration of centrifuge technology for a uranium-enrichment plant in southern Ohio.The department said Tuesday that it will provide the funding by taking title to depleted uranium from USEC Inc. The Bethesda, Md.-based company can then use the $45 million it set aside for uranium disposal. USEC also will provide $45 million in matching funds.

USEC says the demonstration and development work is needed to show progress to gain a $2 billion federal loan guarantee. The company says the guarantee is crucial to obtaining private financing to complete its American Centrifuge project in Piketon.The Energy Department last year delayed its final review of USEC’s loan guarantee application.Piketon is about 65 miles south of Columbus.

Energy Department investing $45M for technology for southern Ohio uranium enrichment project | Washington Examiner

March 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

U.S. taxpayer funding not only nuclear loans, but also uranium enrichment

U.S. funding new uranium enrichment effort BETHESDA, Md., March 24 (UPI) –– The U.S. Department of Energy reached a cost-sharing agreement with uranium giant USEC Inc. to fund the development of uranium enrichment technology. U.S. enrichment company and the Department of Energy agreed on a joint $90 million cost sharing agreement to fund advanced centrifuge research at USEC’s American Centrifuge enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio…..The Department of Energy under the agreement takes care of the disposal of depleted uranium.

U.S. funding new uranium enrichment effort – UPI.com

March 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Ionising radiation’s long-term effects include heart disease and stroke

Correcting for other habits known to be associated with both conditions had no impact on their findings, suggesting that the radiation alone was responsible for their findings.

Survive the A-Bomb, Die Prematurely from Stroke and Heart Disease, Brain Blogger, March 24, 2010 | By T. A. McNamee, MD The survivors of the World War II atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have considered themselves lucky, at least at first. Shortly thereafter, however, those who didn’t die from radiation poisoning learned that the radiation from the bombings placed themselves and their children at increased risk of cancer. Now, they can add heart disease and stroke to their list of potential medical problems. Continue reading →

March 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear double-speak about peace

Nukes are “weapons of peace”, says Kakodkar Mumbai, fullstory Mar 19 (PTI) Nuclear weapons are “weapons of peace” which act as a deterrent, says former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar.

When India tested its nuclear bombs in 1974 and 1998, sanctions were imposed by many countries but for “us it became a real opportunity and our research and development today has reached a robust level” in some of the technologies, Kakodkar said at a function yesterday.

“The philosophical aspect of nuclear weapons can be peaceful and they act as a deterrent. So, I call them weapons of peace,” he said replying to questions posed by eminent science writer Bal Phondke and Dr A P Thatte, President of Vijnan Bharati, an NGO dedicated to science.