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Tiny squirrel monkeys saved from radiation tests – a win for ethics!

In November 2009, PCRM filed a federal petition for administrative action seeking to compel the federal government to halt these experiments because they violate the NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals,..filing legal complaints stating the monkey experiments violate the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Department of Energy Blocks NASA’s Planned Monkey Radiation Experiments , News and Media Center PCRM, 16 Dec 10, Brookhaven National Laboratory Confirms Cancellation of Space Agency’s $1.75 Million Boondoggle WASHINGTON—NASA’s plan to expose live squirrel monkeys to radiation has been canceled, Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | Religion and ethics, USA | Leave a comment

Sellafield nuclear site at risk of terrorist attack

Sellafield is considered to be one of the most at-risk nuclear plants because of its growing plutonium stock.

(UK) Nuclear sites found to be vulnerable to attack by terrorists  Daily Mail   15th December 2010 An anti-terror review has been launched after weaknesses in security measures were found at a nuclear power station.The assessment – being carried out by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary – is focussing on Sellafield in Cumbria where enough plutonium is held to make thousands of nuclear weapons.

A bunker capable of storing 100 tonnes of raw plutonium was completed at the site earlier this year, making it a prime target for a terrorist attack. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Stuxnet computer virus a better idea than Israel attacking Iran’s nukes

whomever pulled the attack created the perfect storm without getting their hands dirty.

Stuxnet Saves Israel Trouble of Iran Strike,  Liveshots, December 15, 2010  by: Leland Vittert It appears the Stuxnet computer virus may have done more harm to Iran’s nuclear program than even the most savage of air strikes could have. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | Israel, technology | Leave a comment

Behind the Arabs’ rush for nuclear energy- the nuclear weapons motivation

“in light of Iranian situation we would be fooling ourselves if we deny there’s not a prospect of another motivation, which is to train their nationals to build weapons of their own if they feel threatened,”…The Wikileaks documents exposed Arab concern over Iran’s nuclear program and support for a military campaign to derail Tehran, contradicting official Arab policy……

Why are Arabs Racing to Go Nuclear?, Energy Tribune, by Andres Cala, 16 Dec 10, A top US energy official said this week in Riyadh that Saudi Arabia expects to generate nuclear power within 10 years.

Egypt will invite tenders for its first nuclear plant later this month. And Kuwait this week not only launched a feasibility study aimed at having nuclear power as early as 2020, it bought a 4.8 percent stake in French Areva, the world’s top reactor supplier.That follows Jordan’s ongoing march to enrich uranium and to build a power plant and the United Arab Emirates’ years-old program aimed at completing its first nuclear power plant by 2017. Syria is believed to have been working on setting up its own nuclear plant before it was destroyed by Israelis…….

“in light of Iranian situation we would be fooling ourselves if we deny there’s not a prospect of another motivation, which is to train their nationals to build weapons of their own if they feel threatened,” said Charles K. Ebinger, senior fellow and director of the Energy Security Initiative in the Brookings Institute. “….

The more concerning case is Saudi Arabia, the regional powerhouse that rivals Iran. Riyadh recently agreed to buy up to $60 billion worth of American advanced weaponry to counter its enemy’s might. The Wikileaks documents exposed Arab concern over Iran’s nuclear program and support for a military campaign to derail Tehran, contradicting official Arab policy……

Energy Tribune- Why are Arabs Racing to Go Nuclear?

December 16, 2010 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Some conservatives in USA now opposing nuclear loan gurantees

The National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Non-proliferation Policy Education Center all signed a letter to Congress on Dec. 8 that called for halting any increase in the amount allocated to the loan guarantees for nuclear plants.

Budget Hawks Oppose Nuclear Loan Guarantees – International Business Times, By Jesse Emspak | December 15, 2010 Fiscal conservatives have started questioning a government program that guarantees billions in loans for new nuclear power plant construction. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Utah shows the way to develop 100% renewable energy

careful development of Utah’s abundant renewable energy resources along with utility-scale energy storage can provide a technically sound, economically feasible and reliable long-term strategy to meet Utah’s growing energy needs through the middle of the this century…..

A Green Energy Plan for the Red Heart of the American West, THE HUFFINGTON POST,  Christopher Thomas, 15 Dec 10, Yesterday, HEAL UTAH released  a study that could change the way the West thinks about energy.The new report, as reported on by the New York Times today, shows that smart renewable energy development with storage can meet 100 percent of Utah’s growing need for electricity by mid-century, using only technologies that are commercially available today……. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

International Atomic Energy Agency to weak to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation

“The uranium-mining assistance appears to have assisted Pakistan in furthering its nuclear-weapons program,”..“What occurred was a lack of effective oversight.”…The IAEA’s failure to prevent the use of its aid for prohibited military purposes raises questions about its ability to police the nuclear material that it helps countries produce.

Pakistani Nuclear Weapons Program’s Aid From UN Shows Weakness of Watchdog, Bloomberg, By Jonathan Tirone – Dec 16, 2010 The United Nations agency tasked with curbing nuclear proliferation may have unwittingly helped Pakistan develop its atomic-weapons program because of weak internal oversight, according to documents and interviews with three former UN scientists. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Huge job losses to follow Britain’s cut-back in renewable energy investment

Given the announcement today that unemployment has now reached 2.5 million, the potential loss of such a large number of jobs from the economy is likely to further weaken Britain’s ability to withstand a double-dip recession.

Scaled-down green investment bank is a disaster, guardian.co.uk, Nicholas Milton, 14 Dec 10, Chris Huhne’s admission that the green investment bank is likely to be no more than a “green bonds” fund not only jeopardises the future of Britain’s renewable energy industry and climate change targets, it will also finally lay to rest any pretence that this will be “the greenest government ever”. The announcement will also be a disaster for jobs,…… Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

$20 billion for Turkey’s nuclear reactor, wastes to go to Russia

Turkey’s first nuclear power plant to cost about $20 bln, WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, 16 Dec 10, On a question about nuclear waste disposal, Lokshin said that nuclear waste would be returned to Russia to be buried. Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, planned to be built by Russian state nuclear company on the southern coast of the country, would cost around $20 billion, a Russian official said on Wednesday…..Turkey’s first nuclear power plant to cost about $20 bln [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]

December 16, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Turkey | 1 Comment

South African nuclear reactor shut down due to radioactivity levels

Eskom Says High Radioactivity Level Prompts Shutdown Of Nuclear Unit, NASDAQ,  By Robb M. Stewart, 16 Dec 10, JOHANNESBURG -(Dow Jones)- South Africa’s state-owned power company said Tuesday it will suspend a unit at its nuclear power station near Cape Town because of higher-than-normal levels of radioactivity.The radioactivity level in Koeberg Unit 1’s primary coolant circuit is the result of one or more defective fuel rods in the reactor, Eskom Holdings Ltd. said in a statement………Eskom Says High Radioactivity Level Prompts Shutdown Of Nuclear Unit

December 16, 2010 Posted by | safety, South Africa | Leave a comment