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Japan’s atomic bomb victims call for move away from nuclear energy

Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations to strengthen its opposition to nuclear energy, Hiroshima Peace Media Center, (June 14, 2011),by Kohei Okada,  At its annual meeting in Tokyo, held on June 8, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) determined its policy for this fiscal year, indicating that, among other actions, it will demand strongly that the Japanese government move away from the nation’s reliance on nuclear energy and call for the decommission of nuclear reactors that have been shut down. This intention goes beyond its previous policy of demanding “changes in Japan’s energy policy.”……..Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations to strengthen its opposition to nuclear energy – News – Hiroshima Peace Media Center

June 20, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

$1000 billion on nuclear weapons to be spent by Big Powers over a decade

Nuclear powers expected to spend $1,000bn FT.com, By James Blitz in London June 19 2011  The world’s nine nuclear-armed powers are set to spend a total of $1,000bn on the procurement and modernisation of atomic weapons programmes over the next decade, according to an anti-nuclear weapons group whose cause has won high-level US support.

Global Zero, which is campaigning for abolition of the world’s nuclear arsen­als by 2030, will host a London conference this week attended by senior Russian, Indian, US and Chinese figures, among others. It aims to highlight how the cost of nuclear weapons is becoming ever more unaffordable for states whose defence budgets are hard pressed by the financial crisis.

According to the organisation, the nine nuclear states – the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea – are set to spend $100bn between them on nuclear arms programmes this year.

The figure comprises the cost of researching, developing, procuring and testing nuclear weapons.Global Zero calculates that the states will spend the same amount in every year of this decade.

The organisation says spending on atomic weapons accounts for about 9 per cent of total defence spending in these countries – a proportion set to rise because budgets for conventional military hardware are being cut back in many countries….FT.com / World – Nuclear powers expected to spend $1,000bn

June 20, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment

As nuclear power unpopular, France gives Anne Lauvergneon the chop

French Government Fires Anne Lauvergeon, Forbes, Maha Atal, Jun. 17 2011 –   The Wall Street Journal reports that Anne Lauvergeon, the longtime CEO of France’s state-owned nuclear firm Areva SA, has been asked to step down when her term expires in June. There’s been no comment from Lauvergeon, but the WSJ has a few hypotheses as to what happened:1. Nuclear energy is unpopular, to put it mildly, following the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi. France is unique in its dependence on nuclear power (80% of French power generation), and can’t afford to pull back on the technology. Indeed, Lauvergeon has been traveling the world defending the technology in the wake of the disaster. Replacing her pays lip service to public outrage at nuclear execs without making any changes to France’s overall nuclear position. …..
French Government Fires Anne Lauvergeon – Maha Atal – Foreign Exchange – Forbes

June 20, 2011 Posted by | France | Leave a comment

UN assisting renewable energy development in Nigeria

UN, Bank Of Industry to invest in renewable energy in Nigeria, NEXT, By Bassey Udo June 20, 2011  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bank Of Industry (BOI) are to invest about $4.48 million in renewable energy projects in the next three years to boost the productive capacities of micro- small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in the country’s rural and urban areas.Renewable energy projects in volve the utilisation of wind, biomass, small hydro, and solar energy options to generate electricity. The Access to Renewable Energy (AtRE) project package unveiled yesterday in Abuja at the formal launch of the partnership, is expected to facilitate access to affordable and reliable energy supply alternatives independent of the current supply from the national grid, which has been a source of national concern in recent times.  …..UN, Bank Of Industry to invest in renewable energy in Nigeria

June 20, 2011 Posted by | Nigeria, renewable | Leave a comment

Continued investigation of radiation exposure at Perry Nuclear Plant

Perry plant radiation-exposure remains under investigation Beaver County Times By Patrick O’Shea,18 June 11 After nearly two months, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission special investigation into a radiation-exposure incident at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant near Cleveland remains ongoing, and it is unclear when the review will conclude.The Painesville, Ohio, plant, which is operated by FirstEnergy Corp., the same operator as the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station, reported an incident on April 22 that involved contractors that a company official confirmed also work at the Shippingport facility.
According to a NRC release issued four days after the incident, five workers were exposed to higher levels of radiation than normal when a contractor incorrectly installed cables used to pull monitoring equipment from the reactor during a refueling, and the workers were not shielded as well as they should have been…….Perry plant radiation-exposure remains under investigation – Timesonline.com: :

June 20, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Radiation rise forces Japan to halt Fukushima water clean-up

Japan nuclear: Radiation halts water clean-up, The radioactive water will be temporarily stored in special tanks when it is removed from the site, BBC News 18 June 11 Operators of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant have suspended an operation to clean contaminated water hours after it began due to a rapid rise in radiation.

Some 110,000 tonnes of water have built up during efforts to cool reactors hit by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. The contaminated water, enough to fill 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools, has been at risk of spilling into the sea.

A spokesman for the plant operators said engineers were trying to find the cause of the jump in radiation levels.

“The level of radiation at a machine to absorb caesium has risen faster than our initial projections,” a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said. Earlier this week, officials had warned that the growing pools of radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were in danger of spilling into the sea within a week….http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13819767

June 19, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Claims that USA govt covering up crisis at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant

A shocking report prepared by Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) on information provided to them by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the Obama regime has ordered a “total and complete” news blackout relating to any information regarding the near catastrophic meltdown of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant located in Nebraska.

US Orders News Blackout Over Crippled Nebraska Nuclear Plant, Salem-News.com,18 June 11 Report notes the “cover-up” of this nuclear disaster by President Obama is based on his “fantasy” of creating so-called green jobs which he (strangely) includes nuclear power into. …….they built this nuclear power plant in the flood plane of the Missouri River, for God’s sake! It reminds us that there are questions over whether nuclear power developers have souls and they don’t even bother making these places on safe high ground. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | 1 Comment

The smell of uranium corruption in Virginia lawmakers’ acceptance of extravagant travel gifts

The pitch, in a word, stinks. If state legislators want to educate themselves about uranium mining, that’s commendable. But signing up for $10,000 or more in free travel expenses, although allowable under Virginia law, raises big questions about their integrity…...

A junket powered by uranium, Virginia Uranium Inc., a tiny Chatham-based firm that wants to mine uranium in south central Virginia near Gretna, is flying more than a dozen state legislators to France to drum up momentum to end the state’s ban on uranium mining in next year’s General Assembly.Washington Post 17 June 11By  

The lobbying effort includes all-expenses paid and three days off in Paris so the legislators can visit a closed uranium mine in the city of Bessines in western France, where uranium was extracted for a half a century until the late 1990s. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant threatened by Missouri River flooding

Missouri River Flooding Threatens Nuclear Power Plant, Concern is growing about the safety of a nuclear power plant that sits in a Missouri River flood plain. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear plant was cited for inadequate flood protection just last year and is currently a sandbagged island as the Missouri sits at 1.5 feet over flood stage and is expected to rise another five feet., Care 2, 18 June 11 by: Ann Bibby 

Nothing to Worry About

Federal regulators and officials with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) insist there is no danger but list the status of the plant at “notification of unusual event,” which is the lowest emergency level emergency. Spokespeople for the OPPD say there has been no leaking of radioactive materials and none expected.

Conspiracy Theories

In the wake of the recent disaster at Fukushima, rumors have been flying fast across the Internet about Fort Calhoun, fueled by the FAA closing the airspace over the plant and an electrical fire, which temporarily shut down cooling pumps. But the FAA’s closing on June 6th was in response to the flooding, and company officials have stated that the plant’s spent fuel was never in any danger during the brief power outage.

Flooding Continues

The Missouri continues to rise, but officials are confident that the plant is secure. Fort Calhoun has been in cold shutdown since April 9th and will remain so until after the flood waters recede, which is not expected to happen soon. In fact, flooding is likely to remain a concern on and off for the rest of the summer for many parts of the Upper Midwest…..http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/missouri-river-flooding-threatens-nuclear-power-plant/

June 19, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation travelling far and wide in Japan

Elevated radiation levels widespread in eastern Japan, Unsafe levels of radioactive contamination have been reported from multiple sources throughout vast areas of eastern Japan in locations far away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Smart Planet By David Worthington | June 17, 2011 

Science Magazine cites data from the prefectural government of Iwate revealing radioactive cesium has traveled over 100 miles away from Fukushima. Pastoral grasses are contaminated beyond safety standards

Japanese scientists have begun to track background radiation levels independently, according to the magazine’s report. Levels are exceeding acceptable safety limits in many locations.

A “citizens’ map” of radiation levels is being maintained by a group of Japanese bloggers. Levels appear highest near Fukushima and toward its northwest. The vicinity around immediate southwest of the reactors shows elevated radiation, and a large pocket of contamination has settled further south in the outskirts of Tokyo……. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/elevated-radiation-levels-widespread-in-eastern-japan/7160

June 19, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan, Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Radioactive tritium leaking into Missouri River from Fort Calhoun nuclear plant

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant: How Bad Can It Get?, Hawaii News Daily By Tom Burnett, 17 June 11  Radiation, at minimum in the form of tritium, and more likely other particles and radionuclides, are leaking into the Missouri River from theFort Calhoun nuclear generation plant in Nebraska.  …… http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/2011/06/fort-calhoun-how-bad-can-it-get/

June 19, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japanese govt must deal with the justifiable fears of nuclear plant communities

Are earthquake-resistance capabilities of nuclear power plants, including surrounding facilities, adequate?

Local governments that host nuclear power plants are refusing to agree to the resumption of operations of reactors that have completed their routine inspections.

Government must address local anxieties over nuclear plants, Asahi Shimbun, 2011/06/18, The central government has to seriously listen to the voices of local governments and swiftly re-examine the standards for resumption of operations by taking into consideration the damages from the March 11 disasters.

What is needed in advancing work is close attention to “the worst case.” Up to now, operations of nuclear power plants were based on the assumption that “accidents do not occur.” As far as Fukushima is concerned, damage has been caused not only by the tsunami, but also the earthquake. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Another nuclear crisis would wipe out investment in uranium

While currently abandonment of nuclear power remains an option limited to affluent countries, one more cataclysm may nail the coffin lid of the nuclear power industry shut for good…., as another nuclear debacle in the U.S. following in the wake 1979’s Three Mile Island accident will undoubtedly prove too much, even for Madison Ave.’s PR spin doctors. No NPPS have been built in the U.S. since Three Mile Island and should bad things happen at Ft. Calhoun, where the Missouri’s water’s are still rising, the global market for uranium fuel for NPPs worldwide is going to crater, beginning with the U.S.

Kazakhstan’s Uranium Industry Could Lose Its Luster, By. John Daily,  OilPrice.com, 18 June 11-– What a difference a year and a tsunami make!

Western investors have been salivating over the post-Soviet space’s energy riches since the 1991 collapse of communism. While focusing on the Caspian’s hydrocarbon reserves other mineralogical riches awaited development as well, none more so than Kazakhstan’s vast uranium deposits. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Kazakhstan, Uranium | Leave a comment

$10,000 ‘gifts’ for each lawmaker’s Paris jaunt, from Virginia Uranium

The trips, which are permissible under state law, are reported as gifts…..

Virginia Uranium Inc. picking up tab for trip to France for state lawmakers, Washington Post By Associated Press,  : June 17 RICHMOND, Va. — A company that wants to mine a uranium deposit in Southside Virginia is picking up the tab for a trip to France by more than a dozen state legislators who will have a say in whether the state ends a ban on uranium mining. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | politics, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Some Japanese mothers rebel against complacency about Fukushima radiation

Japan has long been a country that values consensus – and thus it’s particularly trying for mothers who are speaking out against the very system that’s responsible for educating their children. Most have invested in their own dosimeters, as the local government is not providing daily radiation readings.

The Geiger Club: Mothers Bust Silent Radiation Consensus, WSJ, By Mariko Sanchanta, 18 June 11″…….Some, who were due in March or April, gave birth overseas or as far away from Tokyo as possible. Most expat wives and their young kids left Japan, leaving their husbands here. Continue reading →

June 19, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

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