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Fall in USA nuclear output

U.S. Nuclear Output Falls After Exelon’s LaSalle Reactor Shuts,  Bloomberg, By Aaron Clark – Feb 3, 2011 U.S. nuclear-power production fell after Exelon Corp.’s LaSalle 1 reactor in Illinois automatically shut when a main power transformer tripped offline……. U.S. Nuclear Output Falls After Exelon’s LaSalle Reactor Shuts – Bloomberg

February 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Now a US Democrat senator is calling nuclear “clean”!

Key senator backs nuclear in clean [?] energy proposal – Nation – Macon.com, Jan. 31, 2011   By FREDERIC J. FROMMER – Associated Press WASHINGTON — A clean energy standard that includes nuclear power has the support of the Senate energy committee chairman,……..Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico made his position known Monday, following President Barack Obama’s call in last week’s state of the union for 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to come from clean sources by 2035. Obama expanded on previous efforts that would have focused exclusively on renewable sources like wind and solar by adding nonrenewable sources like nuclear, natural gas and “clean coal.” Key senator backs nuclear in clean energy proposal – Nation – Macon.com

February 2, 2011 Posted by | spinbuster, USA | Leave a comment

Toshiba America Nuclear Energy accused of discrimination against women

“pervasive discrimination against its female employees”

In lawsuit, HR exec accuses Toshiba branch of gender discrimination | Washington Business Journal by Ben Fischer, January 31, 2011, Falls Church-based Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp. is the subject of a $100 million gender discrimination lawsuit filed by its former human resources manager on Monday. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Wikileaks reveal incidents with radioactive and nuclear materials

WikiLeaks: uranium bricks and radioactive trains among nuclear terror scares, Telegraph UK. American officials around the world are locked in a constant race to stop terrorists and rogue states from obtaining nuclear, biological and chemical materials which could be used to construct a “dirty bomb”. By Heidi Blake   02 Feb 2011

These are some of the incidents and extraordinary potential plots involving some of the world’s most dangerous and volatile materials which are disclosed in the WikiLeaks cables: Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment

ElBaradei’s book reveals manipulations of governments in Nuclear diplomacy

“The eye-opening bits will be the degree to which political considerations by various governments trumped real avenues for diplomatic solutions.”

Mohamed ElBaradei Book Rushed to Print – WSJ.com, By JEFFREY A TRACHTENBERG, 2 Feb 2011, As demonstrations in Egypt continue to dominate headlines, a New York publisher is rushing to print the publication of Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei’s book “The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times” Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | resources - print | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste lasting “Into Eternity”

‘Into Eternity’ – A Nuclear Future, With Or Without Us : Film Review, NPR, 2 Feb 2011 Into Eternity is a documentary about a massive crypt called Onkalo (Finnish for “hiding place”), the world’s first permanent underground vault for nuclear detritus. The movie considers the practical problems of burying the deadly stuff so effectively that it won’t be disturbed during the hundreds of centuries necessary for it to decay. But because the time frame is so long — far longer than recorded human history — these problems become philosophical, even mystical……
Scientists discuss the risks and acknowledge that Onkalo won’t contain even all of Finland’s nuke waste — to say nothing of any other country’s. What animates the film is the otherworldliness of the under-construction project and the paradoxes the finished Onkalo will embody….. Movie Reviews – ‘Into Eternity’ – A Nuclear Future, With Or Without Us : NPR

February 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear power merger between Duke and Progress still financially risky

The key questions are, who would pay for those multi-billion dollar projects…?…..New nuclear projects are being abandoned in several states and foreign countries – after millions were invested – due to technical complexities and soaring cost estimates….Even Progress CEO Bill Johnson admitted last month that a merger with Duke would still leave nuclear construction “a risky proposition.”…..

Beware the bill for nuclear plants – Other Views NewsObserver.com, BY LYNICE WILLIAMS AND JIM WARREN, 2 Feb 2011, Recent news of a merger between Duke Energy and Progress Energy sets the stage for North Carolina to become home to the nation’s largest electric utility. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Wikileaks: report on nuclear trafficking

NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT/PORTAL DETECTION AT BUJUMBURA – Telegraph, 2 Feb 2011, Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:00PM GMT 01 Feb 2011(SBU) “……..Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington agencies per reftel that it has received a report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking in nuclear and/or radiological materials. The report was generated by the Defense Attach (DATT) after a meeting with host government intelligence officials, who brought the suspect material into the room. Information concerning this report was initially relayed to PMAT by telephone at 1035Z, and further information was transmitted by email at 1151Z.2.(S/NF) Details of the incident follow:…..”NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT/PORTAL DETECTION AT BUJUMBURA – Telegraph

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

More oversight planned for Entergy’s Vermont nuclear power plant

“I am deeply concerned with Vermont Yankee’s lack of transparency about serious problems that continue to be discovered around the plant,”

Vermont To Create Oversight Committee For Entergy Nuclear Plant – WSJ.com,By Naureen S. Malik, Dow Jones  NEW YORK  2 Feb 2011, -Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has ordered the state utility regulator to appoint a new oversight committee for Entergy Corp.’s (ETR) nuclear plant amid worries over radioactive-material leaks. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Troubled Hartsville nuclear power plant to get more federal scrutiny

SC nuclear plant under increased fed oversight – Bloomberg, HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP), 2 Feb 2011, — Federal nuclear regulators say they will increase oversight of a power plant near Hartsville.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a news release Tuesday additional oversight of the H.B. Robinson nuclear power plant comes after two electrical fires and a plant shutdown in March. The company also reported a problem with an emergency diesel generator and had an excessive number of unplanned reactor shutdowns last year…….As part of the oversight, the plant will be subject to additional inspections by the commission. Those inspections have not been scheduled. SC nuclear plant under increased fed oversight – Bloomberg

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

More taxpayer money needed if USA nuclear industry is to survive

Financial Uncertainty……There’s no clear solution to this problem other than even more aggressive intervention by the government…..Bigger subsidies might also be necessary to get investors to stomach the high upfront costs and slow returns of nuclear reactors…..

Why Are New U.S. Nuclear Reactor Projects Fizzling? The Atlantic- Daniel Indiviglio 1 Feb 2011, About a year ago, President Obama announced a new initiative to encourage the construction of a new generation of nuclear energy reactors. The plan sought to provide $55 billion in loan guarantees for these projects. Matthew Wald of the New York Times provides a progress report today: there hasn’t been much. Two are moving forward, and the others are struggling. What’s the holdup? Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | general | 2 Comments

Power of mining companies to remove a Prime Minister

A snip at $22m to get rid of PM, The Age, Mark Davis,February 2, 2011 HOW much does it cost to bring down a prime minister? The answer: a tad over $22 million.That’s how much the mining industry spent in six weeks last year on its campaign against Kevin Rudd’s plan for a resource super profit tax.The advertising and public relations campaign dominated the airwaves in May and June. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics | Leave a comment

Uranium mining’s risk in times of flood

Beach study warns of risk if uranium mine floods By Aaron Applegate, The Virginian-Pilot, February 2, 2011 Massive flooding near a proposed uranium mine in south-central Virginia could temporarily contaminate Virginia Beach’s water supply, a city study released Tuesday found. City officials oppose mining a Pittsylvania County hilltop rich in uranium, fearing a hurricane or tropical storm could destroy landfill-like containers holding radioactive waste and flush contaminants into Lake Gaston, a main source of city water.
The state is exploring lifting a 29-year ban on uranium mining for the Pittsylvania project, about 200 miles from Virginia Beach……Tom Leahy, director of public utilities.  said flooding from past hurricanes, including Camille in 1969, show the area is at risk. Beach study warns of risk if uranium mine floods | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

February 2, 2011 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | Leave a comment

The waste and water costs of coal and nuclear

200B Gallons of Water Drawn Each Day for U.S. Coal, Nuclear Power, SustainableBusiness.com 31/1 2011, An astounding 200 billion gallons of water withdrawn from America’s water supply each day… and four metric tons of high-level radioactive wastes for every terawatt of electricity produced by nuclear reactors, even though there is no long-term storage solution in place Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Pakistan has greatly accelerated its nuclear weapons program

“The Pakistanis have significantly accelerated production of uranium and plutonium for bombs and developed new weapons to deliver them,”

At 110, Pak N-stock shoots past India’s: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India by Ashish Kumar Sen in Washington DC , 1/2/2011, Pakistan has doubled the size of its nuclear stockpile over the past several years, edging past India and now has more than 100 deployed weapons, according to a Washington Post report. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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