Wrap up of the week’s nuclear news
Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs
Whistleblower on dangers at Hanford nuclear waste facility
During her testimony to the board she gave different answers than top-
level officials with the Department of Energy and contractors Bechtel National and URS. Afterward, she says her managers asked her to change her answers. Busche said “No.”
She says she was … “Raised by a very good mother, that said, ‘Just don’t lie. ‘Cause once you tell your first one it’s real hard to … they just continue to grow.’”…
Audio http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=145326474&ft=3&f=145326474 Hanford Nuclear Safety Manager Questions Waste Treatment Plant NPR by ANNA KING January 17, 2012 from N3 RICHLAND, Wash. – Waste in underground tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation may have much more plutonium than previously thought. That’s according to a report by a Hanford contractor that’s just been leaked to public radio. It’s also according to the latest high profile whistleblower to raise serious concerns about a waste treatment plant being built at the Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington. Continue reading
USA military were told of radiation data 9 days before Japanese public
Radiation-dispersal data was provided to U.S. before Japanese public, Mainichi Daily News, 17 Jan 12, TOKYO (Kyodo) –– Japan’s science ministry provided data on the dispersal of radioactive materials to U.S. forces a few days after the nuclear crisis erupted at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, far earlier than the disclosure of the information to the Japanese public, a ministry official said Monday.
The revelation came amid criticism that the government’s delay in releasing data from the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information may have resulted in the unnecessary radiation exposure of people who later evacuated from their homes around the plant.
The data was provided to U.S. forces via the Japanese Foreign Ministry on March 14, three days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered the nuclear crisis, according to Itaru Watanabe, an official of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
But it was not until March 23 that the public was officially informed. Watanabe, speaking at a meeting of the nuclear accident investigation panel set up by the Diet, said that the science ministry passed on the data to U.S. forces “to seek support from them” in dealing with the nuclear crisis…..http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120117p2g00m0dm037000c.html
Japan’s media “press club”- subservient to nuclear industry and government
troubling questions whether nuclear power is safe anywhere in this seismically-active archipelago. TEPCO, as on previous occasions, provided incomplete answers, perhaps reflecting valid uncertainties—but also suggesting it is not telling the whole story.
Japan’s nuclear crisis, The meltdown and the media The Economist, Jan 16th 2012, by K.N.C. | TOKYO “…On January 16th, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) held its first public hearing. Some 50 members of the public, and around 100 journalists, attended.
…..Japan’s media operate under a “press club” system that can lead to a form of self-censorship. News is doled out in unofficial interactions with the press. This serves many interests. For government and to a lesser extent business, it keeps the media on a tight leash and controls content. For individual journalists, it gives the veneer of exclusive information and inside access. For newspapers, it lessens the chance of being scooped by rivals, so everyone can work under less pressure. Continue reading
USA and Australia should stop special nuclear favours to India
Australia in particular, along with the United States and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, must review recent decisions to positively discriminate in order to permit nuclear dealings with India.
The evidence is incontrovertible that India was a customer of the Khan network.
Gillard’s sexual education, Crikey, January 18, 2012 –, by NAJ Taylor ”…….. if Playboy’s January issue (the one with Lindsay Lohan on the cover) is approached with open eyes, I believe it has the capacity the recast the Australia-India relationship. In sum, the article by Joshua Pollack concerns an already infamous Pakistani and a group of Indian nuclear scientists – the evidence assembled suggests only one thing: there was once a time when they were all in bed together. Continue reading
Pakistan’s A.Q. Khan’s treacherous nuclear deals with India
The Secret Treachery of A.Q. Khan, PLAYBOY, January 12, JOSHUA POLLACK “…… By now Khan has made nearly every possible claim about who bears responsibility for selling Pakistan’s centrifuge technology. He did it at the behest of the military. He acted purely on his own. The military was solely responsible. It was all done by foreigners. Khan lost many things during his ordeal, including his freedom and his credibility. But throughout, he retained one crucial secret: the identity of a fourth country, after Iran, Libya and North Korea, to which he had provided the shortcut to a nuclear weapon. Continue reading
Independent inquiry: did earthquake first damage Fukushima’s nuclear reactors?
The panel includes legal, nuclear and medical experts. Seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi has long warned of tsunami risks in the earthquake-prone country where all 54 nuclear reactors are built on the coastline. Engineer Mitsuhiko Tanaka designed nuclear reactors at Babcock-Hitachi K.K. and has suggested the March quake damaged the Fukushima reactors before the tsunami.
New probe to cut deeper in Japan nuclear crisis17 JAN 2012 3 News New Zealand, By Mari Yamaguchi
http://www.3news.co.nz/New-probe-to-cut-deeper-in-Japan-nuclear-crisis/tabid/417/articleID/239500/Default.aspx A newly formed investigative panel on Japan’s nuclear disaster will use its subpoena powers wisely and cut deeper into the accident than the government’s probe, according to the leader of the independent commission.
The panel appointed by parliament last month has gained attention here because its 10 members include outspoken critics of Japan’s nuclear policy who long ago questioned the seismic risks to the country’s 54 nuclear reactors.
It is expected to examine the extent to which the 9.0-magnitude earthquake contributed to the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, as well as the ensuing tsunami and radiation alert system. Continue reading
Israeli govt out of step with citizens on nuclear policy
Israelis Willing To Renounce Nuclear Weapons For Mideast Nuclear Free Zone – The Eurasia Review, by: Richard Silverstein January 17, 2012 Shibley Telhami recently released th eextraordinary results of a recent poll (seefull results) of Israeli public opinion about its country’s nuclear program and Iran’s. The answers to the poll’s questions showed rather amazing level of pragmatism regarding Israeli attitudes on the subject:
1. Israelis were almost equally divided on the issue of whether Israel should attack Iran, 43% favored a strike and 41% opposed.
2. 68% believe Iran will eventually develop nuclear weapons. This statistic isn’t surprising. But given this number the results of the following questions are.
3. 65% believe it is better for neither Israel NOR Iran to have nuclear weapons.
4. 60% favor inspections of all nuclear facilities in the region (including Israel’s) in preparation for a nuclear free zone.
5. 63% would favor all nations in the region (including their own) renouncing nuclear weapons in the context of creating a nuclear free zone.
6. 64% favor the creation of a Mideast nuclear free zone.
A separate poll released by Haaretz indicates that nearly 60% of Israelis believe that an attack on Iran will lead to a regional war involving Hezbollah and Hamas…….
Telhami’s poll also indicates just how out of sync the Israeli political leadership is with the body politic on this issue. Even before Israel attacks Iran, almost half the population thinks it would be a bad idea. In my experience, the leadership of a country that goes into a war with the citizens already divided on its efficacy is potentially in big trouble…….
Israel’s nuclear program is a huge irritant in the overall scheme of Israeli-Arab relations. It is one of the reasons (though not the only one) Iran is pursuing a nuclear program (whether or not its pursuing a nuclear weapon is undetermined). It is one of the greatest hypocrisies of Israel’s own claim of “existential threat” post by that country for having the chutzpah to want what Israel has in such great numbers. http://www.eurasiareview.com/17012012-israelis-willing-to-renounce-nuclear-weapons-for-mideast-nuclear-free-zone-oped/
U.N. delegation to Iran for nuclear talks
Iran Says UN Nuclear Team to Visit This Month for Talks VOA News, 17 Jan, Iran says senior U.N. nuclear officials will travel to the country later this month to discuss their concerns about the Iranian nuclear program.
Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Tuesday the U.N. delegation will visit Tehran from January 29 to 31 for talks on topics “of interest” to the agency. He says Tehran’s agreement to host the team led by IAEA deputy
director-general Herman Nackaerts is a “sign of transparency” in Iran’s nuclear activities and engagement with the United Nations.
The IAEA issued a report last November saying it has evidence suggesting that Iran has been researching the development and delivery of nuclear weapons. Iran says the report was based on fabrications. It insists the Iranian nuclear program is only for peaceful use. ….
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iran-Says-UN-Nuclear-Team-to-Visit-This-Month-for-Talks-137497473.html
India leads in renewable energy investment
India Clean Energy Surge Enters Next Phase, Bloomberg, 18 Jan 12, “……Renewable energy offers an exception to India’s history of overpromised goals. The nation overshot its installation target by 100 percent just two years after “Power for All” became policy. Since then, renewable energy in India has been growing quickly. In March 2007, India had 10.2 GW of renewable energy. That more than doubled by the end of 2011, to over 22 GW accounting for 11% of India’s power generation capacity.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance tracks money flowing into projects, venture capital and private equity deals, and public market fundraising. We found that India led nations in the growth of renewable energy investment in 2011, with a 52 percent jump to $10.3 billion, helped by a growing wind sector and accelerating solar market. Continue reading
Japan to pass landmark renewable energy law
Renewable Energy Boom About to Start in Japan, Oil Price.com By Energy Digital, 17 January 2012 Japan’s Parliament readies approval of an energy bill that will spark ‘explosive growth’ in renewable solar and wind
Solar and wind companies, set your sails for Japan! The country is about to pass a landmark bill into law that will see “explosive growth” in both solar and wind energy investment according to Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The bill is designed to reduce Japan’s dependence on nuclear power, which accounts for roughly 30 percent of the country’s energy generation. Japanese lawmakers are readying to sign the bill into law by the end of August.
The bill has been developed and promoted by Prime Minister Kan himself, and seeks not only to move away from nuclear dependence, but also break the energy monopoly held by the country’s 10 major utilities.
The legislation calls for installed renewable energy capacity to rise by at least 20 percent of the country’s total power by the early 2020s.
The bill will require utilities to purchase power from outside providers, such as cooperatives and private companies. The rule aims to promote the use of alternative energy sources, which currently only make up 9 percent of Japan’s total electricity supply….. http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Renewable-Energy-Boom-About-To-Start-In-Japan.html
Israeli experts think that Israel could live with a nuclear Iran
Could Israel live with a nuclear Iran? A gaming exercise suggests yes. Israeli intelligence experts role-played Iran in a simulation exploring the ‘day after’ scenario if Iran were to launch a nuclear explosive test. The results suggest war would not break out immediately.
Christian Science Monitor, By Joshua Mitnick, Correspondent / January 17, 2012 TEL AVIV Three months before the recent upsurge in tension with Tehran over its nuclear program, an Israeli think tank simulated fallout from what many here consider the unthinkable: an Iranian nuclear explosive test. The results of the simulation, published this week, are not the Middle East doomsday that some here have warned of.
Rather than use the weapon to attack the Jewish state – as many Israeli leaders fear – the experts playing Iran leveraged the newly unveiled military power as a bargaining chip with the US and Europe. Those representing Israel played down the new threat….. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/0117/Could-Israel-live-with-a-nuclear-Iran-A-gaming-exercise-suggests-yes
Poor prospects for Australia’s uranium industry with Japan’s dire economic situation
Japan Earthquake Update: Economic Outlook Now Appears Dire Oil Price.com, By Mad Hedge Fund Trader | Tue, 17 January 2012 ”….Japan’s economic outlook now appears far more dire than I anticipated only a day ago….. The Tokyo Stock Exchange absolutely took it on the nose on Monday morning…… Prime Minister Naoko Kan has asked the Bank of Japan “to save the country.” The central bank responded promptly with ¥15 trillion, or $187 billion worth of credit
market purchases….
Uranium miners in Australia took a particular pounding, as the nuclear crisis casts a long shadow over this reviving energy source…. It looks like we are seeing the first multiple partial nuclear meltdowns in history…. Small amounts of low radiation cesium and iodine have already been released, which should be measurable on American roof tops in about ten days. Neighboring countries are enforcing radiation testing of all food imports from Japan….
http://oilprice.com/Finance/the-Markets/Emergency-Japan-Earthquake-Update-Economic-Outlook-Now-Appears-Dire.html
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