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Storage of nuclear fuel wastes the big issue at NRC hearing

“Putting on my Blue Ribbon Commission hat, I wholeheartedly agree that we need nuclear repository sites,” Macfarlane said.

Questions on SONGS, storage of spent nuclear fuel fly at NRC confirmation hearing, Power Engineering, Jun 13, 2012 By Brian Wheeler, senior editor, and Sharryn Dotson, online editor The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on June 13 held a hearing on the nomination for Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko’s replacement, Allison Macfarlane. The committee also addressed the reappointment of Kristine Svinicki to the commission.
NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko on May 21 resigned, a position he held since May 2009, effective upon the confirmation of a successor….. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Time for USA to join the trend and ditch nuclear energy

Rory O’Connor is the author of Nukespeak: The Selling of Nuclear Technology from the Manhattan Project to Fukushima, and most, recently, Friends, Followers and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media.   

Breaking up the nuclear family, Aljazeera, Rory O’Connor It’s time for the world’s largest economy – the US – to learn from Japan and Germany, and ditch nuclear power. 13 Jun 2012 New York, NY – In the wake of last year’s devastating nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima, both Japan and Germany – the third and fourth largest economies in the world – have radically turned away from nuclear power generation to meet their energy needs…..

Unsafe and unnecessary Other European states, some with smaller but still sizable economies (including Italy, Belgium and Austria) have also pledged either to eliminate nuclear power entirely or at least to stop building new nuclear plants. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Official disinformation on the seriousness of Fukushima radioactvity

this same pattern of disinformation is being tragically repeated in the failure to depict the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe as the true monstrosity of an emergency it really is. 

Fukushima Daiichi: From Nuclear Power Plant to Nuclear Weapon Global Research, by Prof. Anthony Hall , 13 June 12,  “…….Radioactivity as a Slow But Sure Weapon of Mass Destruction……..More than any other crisis to date, the nuclear debacle at Fukushima illustrates the failure of our species, but especially those who put themselves forward as our leaders, to adapt old ways of thinking to the changes ushered in by the splitting of the atom.

The science of measuring and understanding the effects of radioactivity on biological transformations is still in its infancy. Nevertheless since 1945 the tendency has been for promoters of applied nuclear power to deny, negate, or downplay the effects of radioactivity on life’s natural patterns of renewal.

This culture of denial has its origins in the official response of US government officials to the radioactive contamination of all people, plants and animals that survived the first wave of destruction from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This unwillingness to contend with the effects of radioactivity on the public health of large population groups was captured in a headline in The New York Times on September 13, 1945. That headline proclaimed, “No Radioactivity in Hiroshima Ruin.” http://japanfocus.org/-Gayle-Greene/3672  Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Indian villages fight against uranium mining plan for Mahbubnagar district.

Locals dig in heels against uranium mining plan, Sribala Vadlapatla, TNN | Jun 14, 2012,  HYDERABAD: The dust on the controversy over uranium mining in Nalgonda district is still to settle and already the government has begun efforts to mine the resource in Mahbubnagar district.

Despite opposition from locals, authorities are going ahead with plans to hold a gram sabha at
Urumilla village in Amrabad mandal, in the Nallamala forest area, on June 14…… Presence of uranium in these villages, about 140km southeast of Hyderabad, was established 10 years back but strong opposition from locals saw the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL)
dropping the plan to mine the area…. Padara village has a population of roughly 8,000 people while Urumilla village is 1,500 residents strong.

“We will oppose any move by the authorities to carry out mining in these small villages,” TRS leader Nasarayya said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Locals-dig-in-heels-against-uranium-mining-plan/articleshow/14106609.cms

June 14, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear, Uranium | 2 Comments

Allison MacFarlane suggest New Mexico as USA’s nuke dump site

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nominee Talks New Mexico and Nuke Waste http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/06/13/politics/nuclear-regulatory-commission-nominee-talks-new-mexico-and-nuke-waste.html By , ABQ Journal,  Jun 13, 2012  President Obama’s nominee to chair the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told Congress Wednesday that the U.S. can learn all it needs to know about disposing of nuclear waste by looking at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.

Allison MacFarlane, President Obama’s nominee to head up the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, made the comment at her confirmation hearing Wednesday, according to an article posted on the the Washington Post website today. I don’t think we even need to look to other countries for lessons [on how to handle nuclear waste],” MacFarlane said. “We’re the only country with a deep geological repository already up and running — and it’s in New Mexico.”

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future made a similar observation in January, when it released a comprehensive report on the thorny issue of nuke waste storage. I wrote about that report here.

Some in Carlsbad would like to see a move to store high-level waste in the area, citing high-paying tech jobs and science they think is now safe and sound. Anti-nuke foes in the state strongly oppose such a move. For now, with Nevada’s Yucca Mountain on ice, many pro-nuclear power advocates are taking an especially keen interest in New Mexico.

June 14, 2012 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

New Mexico as site for USA’s national nuclear waste dump?

Study: NM Could Lead in Nuclear Waste Solution, ABQ Journal, By    Jan 27, 2012 WASHINGTON – America has a serious nuclear waste problem that can be fixed only with dramatic changes to national policy, and New Mexico could help lead by example, according to a major federal study released Thursday.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future – a panel of policy experts commissioned by Energy Secretary Steven Chu that included former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. – issued its 180-page report Thursday after nearly two years of study. The report cites the Waste Isolation Pilot Project, which stores nuclear waste near Carlsbad, as a premier example of how to site a nuclear waste disposal.  Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

East Sussex County Council says No to UK’s nuclear waste dump plan for Romney Marsh

Romney Marsh nuclear plan opposed by East Sussex County Council BBC News 13 June 12,  Proposals for a nuclear research and disposal facility at Romney Marsh in Kent have been opposed by East Sussex County Council. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

Poland – same old story – politicians want nuclear energy, but public is against it

Atomic energy: Politicians back nuclear – but voters still wary Financial Times, By Liam Nolan, 13 June 12 “………Despite broad party support, a 2011 ministry of economy survey revealed that only 38 per cent of Poles are in favour of nuclear energy. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | EUROPE, politics | Leave a comment

“Peaceful” nuclear industry inextricably linked with military applications

In the United States especially the military context of the so-called civilian branch of the nuclear industry is very clear. 

The ongoing experimentation with nuclear energy continues by the US Armed Forces and its favoured stable of military contractors.

Some believe that the huge dark budgets directed towards the most covert branches of the national security state have given rise to the discovery of new scientific principles that have not yet been made public. Some of these discoveries may involve new ways of deploying nuclear energy in more targeted and covert ways. 

Fukushima Daiichi: From Nuclear Power Plant to Nuclear Weapon Global Research, by Prof. Anthony Hall , 13 June 12, “………Extending the Frontiers of Nuclear Energy This multiplication and compounding of dangers by making the sites of operating nuclear reactors double as storage facilities for nuclear waste, including spent nuclear fuel rods that require constant cooling, finds its epicenter in the United States and particularly in the earthquake/tsunami zone of California. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Shareholder meetings could be the next impediment to restarting Japan’s nuclear power industry

Fukushima Watch: Next Nuclear Battleground — Utilities’ Shareholder Meetings, WSJ, June 13, 2012,   By Mitsuru Obe With the government inching closer to restarting the first nuclear reactors since last year’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, a new battleground between Japan’s pro- and anti-nuclear camps is emerging: the annual shareholder meetings of the country’s big power companies in June.

Japan’s four biggest utilities hold their shareholder meetings on June 27. The meeting that’s drawing a lot of attention these days is that of Kansai Electric Power Co., which relied on
nuclear plants to supply around half of its electricity, and operates the Oi nuclear plant, whose No. 3 and 4 reactors are first in line to restart. Kansai Electric supplies energy to the region around the city of Osaka, Japan’s third-biggest metropolis and the utility’s largest shareholder, with 8.92% of outstanding shares.

And Osaka has submitted proposals to Kansai Electric that it exit nuclear power and separate
its power-generation operations from distribution and transmission — or control of the electricity grid. Continue reading →

June 14, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Solar panels for IKEA’s buildings in China

IKEA To Use Solar Power on Buildings in China, Market Watch, June 12, 2012, IKEA Group partners with Hanergy to install solar panels on IKEA buildings  BEIJING, Jun 12, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — IKEA Group today announced that, as part of its goal to only use renewable energy to power its buildings, it will partner with Hanergy, one of China’s leading clean energy companies, to install solar photovoltaic panels on IKEA owned buildings in China. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | China, decentralised | Leave a comment

Solar energy investment soaring in world wide renewable energy growth

$257 billion invested in renewable energy in 2011 SMH, FRANK JORDANS, June 12, 2012 Global investment in renewable energy reached a record of $257 billion last year, with solar attracting more than half the total spending, according to a U.N. report released Monday.

Investment in solar energy surged to $147 billion in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 52 percent thanks to strong demand for rooftop photovoltaic installations in Germany, Italy, China and Britain.

Large-scale solar thermal installations in Spain and the United States also contributed to growth during a fiercely competitive year for the solar industry. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Charge nuclear officials under criminal law, say Fukushima residents

Fukushima residents call for criminal charges against nuclear officials http://articles.cnn.com/2012-06-11/asia/world_asia_japan-nuclear-complaint_1_fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-fukushima-residents-tepco?_s=PM:ASIA June 11, 2012|By Kyung Lah, CNN The executives of the Japanese utility that owns the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and a number of the country’s government officials should go to jail, according to a complaint filed by more than 1,000 local residents on Monday.

A total of 1,324 people lodged the unusual criminal complaint with the Fukushima prosecutor’s office, naming Tsunehisa Katsumata, the chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and 32 others.

The complaint argues that the 33 TEPCO executives and government officials are responsible for causing the nuclear disaster that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and exposing the people of Fukushima to radiation.

June 13, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012, Japan, opposition to nuclear | 1 Comment

Disinformation to Japanese public on the relative costs of nuclear and renewable energy

Weapons of Disinformation The most common item in this process of manipulating the public discussion in favor of a vested interest has been the publishing of studies and reports by private “scientific” institutes. These papers by so-called “energy experts” are disguised as objective scientific assessments of the current situation and future developments…. their sole purpose is to convince the public and industrial and political leaders who might not have enough subject knowledge to notice the bias.

Japan: Ignorance and/or Dishonesty of “Energy Experts”, Clean Technica, JUNE 11, 2012 BY THOMAS   Currently, the main focus is on the struggle about whether or not to restart two nuclear reactors at the Ōi Nuclear Power Plant, which has a combined capacity of 2.2 GW of electric power.
Those forces in favor of a nuclear comeback proclaim that there would be no alternative to a restart. According to them, reactivating two nuclear reactors is the only way to ensure the stability of the power grid in the Kansai region, Japan’s second-largest industrial area.
In order to convince the public, industry leaders and the government of this so-called existential necessity, the so-called “nuclear village” bombards the discussion with doomsday scenarios about how dangerous blackouts are – how they risk lives and the economy — as well as trying to reestablish the perception that nuclear power would be the cheapest form of electricity generation.
Considering that the so-called “nuclear village” of Japan finds itself in the unfamiliar situation of an uphill battle to regain trust and favorable public opinion, it is trying everything it can to change the odds in its favor once again. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Court ruling about USA nuclear waste is helpful to Vermont’s legal case

Nuclear Waste Ruling Could Strengthen Vt. Court Case http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/94831/nuclear-waste-ruling-could-strengthen-vt-court-cas/ Vermont Public Radio , 06/12/12 John Dillon A federal court decision on nuclear waste could strengthen the state’s
hand as regulators review Vermont Yankee’s bid to operate for another 20 years.

The state of Vermont was part of a lawsuit that challenged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to allow radioactive waste to be stored at nuclear plants around the country for 60 years or more. Late last week, the federal appeals court in Washington agreed that the NRC failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of using multiple storage sites.
Attorney General Bill Sorrell thinks the ruling provides an opening for Yankee opponents to question the economic and environmental impacts of storing nuclear waste in southern Vermont.
“That decision is going to be cited in any number of proceedings involving Vermont but (also) other states here going forward,” Sorrell said. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

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