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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

UK govt forging ahead with nuclear program, despite UK’s claim to be “green”

 U.K.’s “Greenest Government Ever” Charges Ahead With Nuclear Power HUFFINGTON POST Mason Inman  05/19/11   Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, has repeatedly pledged to create the “greenest government ever,” and now the country has adopted a new, ambitious goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, aiming by 2025 to slash them by half, compared with 1990. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Indigenous resistance to uranium mining, as Fukushima news continues

before the first pounds of yellowcake are harvested from the tundra, a fearful word has entered the debate: Fukushima. …..Sandra Inutiq chairs a group called Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, which translates to “Nunavummiut can rise up” and she has opposed uranium development. In an interview, Ms. Inutiq warned that allowing uranium development will transform parts of Nunavut into “a wasteland of tailings.”….And, she added, Fukushima has raised the stakes, as Inuit contemplate the ethical implications of allowing uranium from their territory to be exported around the world –

Fukushima chills uranium development NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE, CALGARY— Globe and Mail , May. 19, 2011 It looked to be a nuclear renaissance set on Canada’s sub-Arctic plains.Over the past few years, a series of companies secured rights to remote stretches of Inuit land that hide rich troves of uranium. One project alone, the five mines that make up the Kiggavik proposal from French nuclear giant Areva, stands poised to increase Canada’s uranium output by 35 per cent. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, Uranium | Leave a comment

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission – lax oversight of nuclear power safety

the NRC’s Generic Issues Program….“does not clearly assign ownership for each issue to a particular NRC office and is not transparent to NRC senior management or the Commission.” Also, the safety issues were not always “well-tracked.”…..

Watchdog: Nuclear Regulators’ Action on Safety Issues Is Too Slow, Not Well-Tracked By NICK SCHWELLENBACH, POGO 19 May 11,  As the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan continues to unfold, POGO, like many others, is concerned about the effectiveness of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) oversight of nuclear power here. The NRC’s internal watchdog, the NRC Office of Inspector General (OIG), has questioned the aggressiveness of the NRC’s oversight as well. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Texas environmental agency covered up radiation level in drinking water

Alpha radiation is emitted from radionuclides such as uranium and radium. While health scientists have said it poses little danger if someone is externally exposed to it, the experts maintain that ingesting even the smallest amount of the particles can cause damage to DNA, and in rare cases, cause cancer.

AUDIO  http://www.khou.com/home/-Texas-politicians-knew-agency-hid-the-amount-of-radiation-in-drinking-water-122205439.html  Texas politicians knew agency hid the amount of radiation in drinking water by Mark Greenblatt / KHOU 11 News May 19, 2011  HOUSTON— Newly-released e-mailsfrom the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality show the agency’s top commissioners directed staff to continue lowering radiation test results, in defiance of federal EPA rules. The e-mails and documents, released under order from the Texas Attorney General to KHOU-TV, also show the agency was attempting to help water systems get out of formally violating federal limits for radiation in drinking water. Without a formal violation, the water systems did not have to inform their residents of the increased health risk. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Labour MP in Wales scornful of UK nuclear policy

Welsh MP attacks Government’s nuclear policy, by David Williamson, Western Mail, 19 May 11,  LABOUR MP Paul Flynn yesterday urged Prime Minister David Cameron to abandon the “national virility symbol” of nuclear missiles and challenged Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne to reject a new generation of nuclear power stations.  Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Criminal cover up of workers’ radiation exposures at Piketon former nuclear plant

One of the first signs of trouble, Lawson said, was an irregularity with the badge worn by Walburn and other employees that detected and record radiation exposure.

“When I went to the health physics department and asked about it, they said, ‘We were told that he might sue, and they’re trying to make it easier to understand by saying he got a zero dose.'”

Lawson said Walburn’s worker’s compensation claims were denied in part because of altered records. Court records obtained by 10TV News detailed a pattern of changing dose level records of workers.

Ex EmployeesAllege crimes at Former Piketon Nuclear Materials Plant  May 19, 2011  WBNS-10TV , PIKETON, Ohio — The future of a site where nuclear materials were once developed was being debated on Thursday, as former employees came forward with allegations of criminal conduct.

For nearly 60 years, the Pike County plant enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons, 10TV’s Glenn McEntyre reported. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Ameren electricity company doesn’t support nuclear deal – too costly to customers

Ameren no longer backs nuclear permit compromise , Kansas City.com , 18 May 11 JEFFERSON CITY | Electricity provider Ameren Missouri says it no longer supports a proposed deal that emerged on the final day of the state legislative session to finance a site permit for a potential nuclear power plant.

The legislation had represented a last-ditch compromise among utility companies and industrial energy consumers, among others. It would have let customers be billed for some costs of a site permit application before a nuclear power plant actually is built. But the legislation failed to pass.

Richard Mark is the senior vice president of customer operations for Ameren Missouri. He said Thursday that the company now has concerns the deal could have resulted in significant rate increases for residential customers……Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/19/2887911/ameren-no-longer-backs-nuclear.html#ixzz1MrHa4LRQ

May 20, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Radioactive pollution dumping in Malaysia, by Australian company Lynas

Fuziah Salleh is critical of what she says are lower environmental standards in Malaysia and double standards from Lynas…SINGH: If it’s reasonably that good, why don’t they do the processing within Australia, why send it to Malaysia? it is a classic example of a polluting industry being exported to a developing country………

Demonstrators are planning to rally outside the Australian Embassy in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpor on Friday. Radio Australia, 19 May 11,  They’ll be protesting against the Australian mining company Lynas and its plans to process rare earths in Pahang state. Local communities and environmental groups have raised concerns over the management of radioactive waste. They say the waste product thorium will affect fishing, tourism and public health .. while the Malaysian government has also asked for more information.

Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | ASIA, AUSTRALIA, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

USA Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s safety claims are not convincing

the initial round of (inadequate) Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety assessments found enormous levels of risk at U.S. plants — particularly the backup systems that caused the problems in Japan. While the NRC’s summary blandly assured that “all the reactors would be kept safe, even in the event their regular safety systems were affected by these events,” the detailed reports by the inspection teams made it clear that these bromides were anything but reassuring.

Why They Don’t — and Can’t — Get It Right HUFFINGTON POST< Carl Pope,  05/17/11 Well, now we know that not one but three of Japan’s Fukushima reactors suffered core meltdowns within hours of the earthquake and tsunami that cut off their diesel-generated backup power. Continue reading →

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

Why Japan’s nuclear hierarchy cannot be trusted about Fukushima disaster

Virtually any nuclear engineer connected with the industry he or she supports cannot be fully trusted right now to give us the full truth about Fukushima because the truth is simply too damaging to the nuclear industry and they know it. The attitude that the industry has,  as well as the ugly reality that this same energy is tied to the economy which supports full on capitalism, must be scaled back Tokuhiro advised.

Interview with Akira Tokuhiro, Nuclear Engineer: Fukushima and the Mass Media HUFFINGTON POST, Vivian Norris, 19 May, “Only the mass media can put the kind of pressure on TEPCO and the Japanese government to bring about major change. This will cost at least 10 billion dollars if not 20-30 billion to clean up. It will take at least 10 years if not 20 and roughly 10,000 people working on the cleanup. The nuclear business is global. This needs an international effort to clean up Fukushima.”
— Nuclear Engineer Akira Tokuhiro

In an email today, Japanese born, U.S.-educated nuclear engineering professor Tokuhiro wrote the following: Continue reading →

May 19, 2011 Posted by | Japan, spinbuster | Leave a comment

Fukushima crisis is much worse than authorities say

VIDEO   ….. Fukushima Reactors a Raging Nuclear Inferno | Peak Oil News and Message Boards   Peak Oil News, May 19, 2011  Professor Christopher Busby, who sits on the European Committee on Radiation Risks, told RT yesterday that the reactors at Fukushima are a raging nuclear inferno and he believes at least one of the reactors is now outside its containment structure and emitting vast amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Continue reading →

May 19, 2011 Posted by | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Global nuclear industry slowdown, as investment in renewables grows

The deepening nuclear debate over nuclear energy in France, meanwhile, may have global implications…….Even France’s allegiance to nuclear appears to be loosening…..several candidates vying to take on Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election next year have called for France to begin shifting from nuclear to renewable energy.China and the U.S. are also showing signs of strain over the issue…..In the U.S., nuclear investment plans are wavering

A Worldwide Nuclear Slowdown Continues – Technology Review,  May 18, 2011, By Peter Fairley“……….The German government has already identified renewable energy as the future, setting plans to boost renewable generation to 50 percent of electrical consumption by 2030 (from 17 percent last year) and to 80 percent by 2050.

….Germany’s accelerated nuclear phase-out may also threaten plans in Eastern Europe by undermining support for subsidies. Continue reading →

May 19, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

UK’s Trident nuclear fleet costs soaring above 25 billion pounds

New Trident fleet cost will top £25bn Defence secretary Liam Fox announces new funding but says Lib Dems will oversee review into ‘alternatives’ Richard Norton-Taylor and Allegra Stratton  guardian.co.uk,   18 May 2011, The cost of a new fleet of Trident nuclear missile submarines could more than double to £25bn by the time they are built, the defence secretary, Liam Fox, told MPs. Continue reading →

May 19, 2011 Posted by | weapons and war | Leave a comment

UK govt letting EDF, Centrica, AREVA plan nuclear safety?

it’s very much in the hands of EDF, Centrica, RWE, E.ON, Areva, Westinghouse and the rest to propose the form of modifications….I can’t see any of those parties putting forward suggestions that will significantly increase the cost of their reactor designs and plant lay-outs for the first new nuclear power stations.

Why are we trusting the nuclear giants to suggest safety improvements? Rowena Mason, Telegraph UK,  May 18th, 2011 “…….Today Mike Weightman Britain’s solemn chief inspector of nuclear concluded that nuclear power in Britain is largely safe. Or “has no need to be curtailed”, as he put it…….. he’s willing to let the industry make some suggestions about how their systems could be better, rather than dictate specific modifications. Continue reading →

May 19, 2011 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants anti terrorism plans for reactors

NRC seeks nuke anti-terror plans |Security Info Watch Nuclear plant operators required to submit plans by June 10, Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont) 05-18-2011 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is demanding that operators of the 104 U.S. nuclear reactors submit detailed information about plans to respond to a possible terrorist attack.

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said Wednesday that operators must submit by June 10 details about plans, equipment and personnel in place to respond to a terrorist attack. The agency has required nuclear power plants to prove their ability to respond to terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington…….NRC seeks nuke anti-terror plans |

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

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