Mitt Romney – all for nuclear, fossil fuels – nix for renewable energy
The Romney energy plan gives the Nuclear Regulatory Commission greater “capabilities for approval of additional nuclear reactor designs” and streamlining “NRC processes to ensure that licensing decisions for reactors on or adjacent to approved
sites, using approved designs, are complete within two years.”
Romney Backs Fossil Fuels and Nuclear, 
Drops Renewables, Environment News Service (http://s.tt/1lA7F) BOSTON, Massachusetts, August 23, 2012 (ENS) – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney today released an energy plan for the nation that supports development of oil, gas and nuclear power but undercuts wind and solar energy.
Continue reading
Shocking increase in amounts of radioactive caesium-137 into Fukushima fish
Fukushima Fish Soaked In Record Levels Of Radiation MARIO AGUILAR, AUGUST 22, 2012 http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/08/fukushima-fish-soaked-in-record-levels-of-radiation/ During last year’s nuclear disaster, the deadly radiation inside Fukushima 1, became one with the surrounding environment, contaminating everything. Things aren’t getting any better. Record quantities of the deadly radioactive isotope caesium-137 have just been discovered in the fisheries around Fukushima.
We’ve known about the untold and nearly inconceivable quantities of caesium-137 released into the surrounding ecosystem for over a year. But these numbers reported by the AFP are still shocking:
The fishes, captured 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) off the plant on August 1, registered 25,800 becquerels of caesium per kilo, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said — 258 times the level the government deems safe for consumption. The previous record in fish and shellfish off Fukushima was 18,700 becquerels per kilo detected in cherry salmons, according to the government’s Fisheries Agency.
Authorities had hoped things were getting better, and as the AFP reports , they allowed fishermen to get back to work for a trial run as long as they were more than 50km from the disaster site and stuck to shellfish. So far, the experimental catches have proven (relatively) clean. Still, while everyone in the region is understandably eager to get back to normal, let’s hope the wishful thinking doesn’t get out of hand. [AFP ]
MOX nuclear fuel poses a grave safety threat
DUKE POWERS PLAN TO USE BOMB-PLUTONIUM FUEL CONCEALS HIDDEN DANGERS AND COSTS Steven Dolley Nuclear Control Institute October 18, 2000
“….MOX fuel poses a grave safety threat. Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, conducted a MOX fuel safety study using the same computer codes employed by DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dr. Lymans study concluded that, in the event of a severe accident resulting in a large radioactive release, an average of 25% more people would die of cancer if the reactor were using a partial core of plutonium-MOX fuel, as opposed to a full core of conventional uranium fuel. DOE itself has concurred with many of Dr. Lymans findings.
Dr. Lyman also found that the impact of MOX fuel on certain reactor characteristics might also increase the chance that such a severe accident would occur. DOE and Duke dismiss such accidents as extremely improbable—but it must be remembered that the accidents that took place at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the Tokai nuclear-fuel plant in Japan last September all had been similarly dismissed as highly unlikely or even impossible events. Continue reading
VIDEO Aruna Roy speaks out for India’s thousands of anti nuclear people
“Place for dissent is shrinking in our country which is evident here (in Kudankulam) where non-violent protests being seen as intolerable by the Indian government.”
Ms Roy said she was very distressed about the action being taken on the non-violent protests against the establishment of a nuclear plant in Kudankulam.
VIDEO Social activist Aruna Roy slams nuclear energy http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/social-activist-aruna-roy-slams-nuclear-energy-258453 by Pallava Bagla, Edited by Shamik Ghosh August 23, 2012 New Delhi: Nuclear energy is bad for development and India should not adopt it – this was the key outcome of a people’s hearing on nuclear energy projects in India held on August 22-23 where concerns of the local communities regarding safety, viability and impacts of these projects on the lives and livelihoods of the surrounding
population and their environment were discussed.
Jury members included social activist Aruna Roy, member of the National Advisory Committee, former Navy chief Admiral L Ramdas, and KS Subrahmaniam, who heard testimonies of people part of the grassroots movements at sites where nuclear plants were coming up like in Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Jaitapur (Maharashta), Chutka (Madhya
Pradesh), Gorakhpur (Haryana), Banswada (Rajasthan), and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), where strong agitations against upcoming and existing nuclear facilities are underway. Continue reading
China going for energy efficiency, to the tune of $372 billion
Seven Chinese cities and provinces will launch CO2 emissions trading schemes over the next two years ahead of a national scheme later in the decade, as China seeks to move away from traditional command-and-control measures to combat spiraling carbon emissions.
China to spend $372 billion on cutting energy use, pollution Planet Ark : 23-Aug-12 Kathy Chen and Stian Reklev China will plough $372 billion into energy conservation projects and anti-pollution measures over the next three-and-a-half years, part of a drive to cut energy consumption by 300 million tonnes of standard coal, the country’s cabinet said Tuesday.
A report from China’s State Council, or cabinet, said the investments will take China almost halfway to meeting its target to cut the energy intensity 16 percent below 2010 levels by 2015.
The government has earmarked $155 billion of the money for projects that shrink energy use, and while the plan did not detail which types of projects or sectors would benefit from the funds, a big share of the cash is expected to go to industry. Continue reading
Reasons why nuclear power no longer makes economic sense
GE (NYSE:GE) Slams Economics of Nuclear Is GE Turning Cold on Nuclear? Green Chip Stocks, By Abhishek Shah , August 20th, 2012 As the whole world is fixated on the debate about on using and not using nuclear power for energy generation, the anti-nuclear protesters have got a new powerful argument about nuclear energy being not economically feasible.
General Electric which is among the world’s top 3 suppliers of nuclear energy equipment along with Toshiba and Areva, has said that it no longer makes economic sense to build nuclear reactors. Continue reading
Assange should be protected by international law, in his bid for asylum in Ecuador
Assange could go to international court THE AUSTRALIAN : AAP August 23, 2012 JULIAN Assange’s legal team will likely apply to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to get the activist out of London to diplomatic asylum in Ecuador.
Former judge at Spain’s top criminal court, and head of Mr Assange’s legal team, Baltasar Garzon, says they are exploring a number of ways to guarantee his safety.
The ICJ is the world’s top arbitration body for disputes between states.
Speaking through an interpreter on the sidelines of the International Council of Archives Congress in Brisbane, Mr Garzon said the United Kingdom is bound by international law to offer his client safe passage to asylum. Continue reading
What is wrong with thorium nuclear reactors? Well, a lot, really
Thorium: Why We Don’t Want It http://nowarnow.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/thorium-why-we-dont-want-it/ By No War Now / 3 August, 2012
“….. Thorium is just another nuclear industry way of persevering their jobs in an energy production method that does not make sense for our planet. Thorium requires mining rare earth elements. Thorium requires the changing of laws to process monazite, currently categorized as “‘prescribed substance’ and the sole domain of the government” per the Atomic Energy Act (Canada and China work in thorium, http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/08/canada-and-china-work-on-thorium-candu.html).
Thorium continues the predatory practice of extracting public money to support its development and operations. Of course, you won’t learn this from the schills and trolls who want to convince you that thorium is the answer to our energy needs and ought be part of our “clean energy” package. Mining is not, and has never been, a clean energy production practice. Especially when it involves uranium. Continue reading
Don’t be sucked in by ‘spin’ promoting thorium nuclear reactors
thorium is merely a way of deflecting attention and criticism from the dangers of the uranium fuel cycle and excusing the pumping of more money into the industry….. the nuclear industry itself is also sceptical
‘ these arereally U-233 reactors,’ This isotope is more hazardous than the U-235 used in conventional reactors, he adds, because it produces U-232 as a side effect (half life: 160,000 years), on top of familiar fission by-products
Don’t believe the spin on thorium being a ‘greener’ nuclear option Ecologist, Eifion Rees 23rd June, 2011 It produces less radioactive waste and more power than uranium but the UK would be making a mistake in looking to it as a ’greener’ fuel. The Ecologist reports….. nuclear radiologist Peter Karamoskos, of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), says the world shouldn’t hold its breath.
‘Without exception, [thorium reactors] have never been commercially viable, nor do any of the intended new designs even remotely seem to be viable. Like all nuclear power production they rely on extensive taxpayer subsidies; the only difference is that with thorium and other breeder reactors these are of an order of magnitude greater, which is why no government has ever continued their funding.’ Continue reading
Unlikely that Israel would attack Iran
Four reasons why Israel probably won’t attack Iran Telegraph, By David Blair World August 23rd, 2012 “…..1. War with Iran would be bad for Israel. The Iranian people would probably respond to outside attack by rallying behind their leaders and strengthening a deeply unpopular regime. Iran would hit back through Hizbollah in Lebanon and by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, with serious civilian casualties in Israel and incalculable consequences for the global economy. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad would have the opportunity to pose alongside Iran as a dual victim of a Zionist plot against the Muslim world. It might be just the boost that Assad needs. And the best the Israeli air force could achieve would be to delay – not derail – Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading
Syrian envoy responds forcefully to suggestion of Israel attacking Syria
Syrian envoy: We’ll destroy Israeli nuclear facilities with 20 missiles Jordanian media report that Syria’s ambassador in Amman, Bahjat Suleiman said that his country is capable of destroying Israel’s nuclear facilities should Damascus come under attack YNet, Roi Kais 08.23.12, Continue reading
Michigan’s initiative for renewable energy jobs and economy
Counterpoint: More renewable energy will create jobs, rein in energy costs M Live Micigan, By Todd Fettig , August 23, 2012, Opponents of increasing Michigan’s renewable energy standard should rethink their obstruction to more Michigan-made energy, more jobs, more clean air and water, and more opportunities for Michigan manufacturers and businesses to compete in the clean energy economy.
They should also rethink using paid and unpaid mouthpieces like former state Sen. Ken Sikkema and Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick Baker to spread misinformation and distortions about what the bipartisan Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs proposal will actually do.
Mark Fisk Just as flat-screen TVs that cost $6,000 in 2002 cost less than $450
today, renewable energy is also getting cheaper with innovation and new technology. Michiganders should know one fact up front: The Michigan Public Service Commission clearly states that renewable energy now costs $58 per megawatt/hour LESS than the cost of building a new coal plant. Continue reading
New fast Lithium Ion Battery for electric cars
New Korean Lithium Ion Battery for EVs Charges in Under 1 Minute http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2012/08/21/korean-lithium-ion-carbonized-battery/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGreenOptimistic+%28The+Green+Optimistic%29#.UDbvH8FlT4Y By Ovidiu Sandru August 21, 2012 A new lithium ion battery developed in Korea could make those long waiting times for an electric car to charge become history. A team of researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) claim they can build a battery that can charge in less than a minute, 30 to 120 times faster than a classic Li-Ion battery. Continue reading
In Africa – uranium mining down: solar energy up
Areva suspends Trekkopje uranium mine project, Paul Langley’s Nuclear history Blog, 24 Aug 12 Areva has decided to suspend the Trekkopje uranium mine project. …. Rumours already started in October Areva planned to abandon the Trekkopje uranium mine project as part of a massive restructuring program that is to be set up in reaction to a drop in demand caused by the German nuclear phase-out and the Fukushima disaster….
Solar Project Aims to Becomes Largest in West Africa By Steve Leone, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com October 25, 2011 DALLAS, Texas — An American-based investment group has secured a power purchase agreement with the Namibian government to build a 500-megawatt photovoltaic power plant near the capital of Windhoek.
If built, the plant would represent the largest solar installation in West Africa, and could eventually include wind generation and grow up to 1 gigawatt. The group, led by Washington-based project developer SSI Energy Solutions (SSIES), is the parent company of Africa Energy Corp., which was set up for the Namibia project. Partners in the project include former SunEdison CEO Jigar Shah, Tom Amis and Nik Patesh of clean-energy law firm Cooley LLP, Eric Henderson of the Beacon Group and Adam Stern and Gary Kleiman of The Gemstone Group……. The project is far bigger than any solar project currently online in the southern hemisphere. South Africa, which borders Namibia, has garned the most interest in the region for large-scale developments…. http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/areva-suspends-trekkopje-uranium-mine-project/
Nuclear power as a solution to Climate Change? not really possible or desirable
Realistically the world might build 100 or so new reactors over the coming decade or so – .. Over this same period a similar number of existing reactors will reach the end of their lives and close, leading to a net growth rate close to zero.
Does the world need nuclear power to solve the climate crisis? Nuclear power looks expensive and repulsive compared to increasingly affordable renewable energy, argues Oliver Tickell, The Guardian, 20 Aug 12, “…..this is the question: does the world need nuclear power for us to solve the climate crisis, as Monbiot claims? To borrow a second thought, this time from Margaret Thatcher, must we accept that there is no alternative?….. Continue reading
1 This Month.
5 January -Webinar-What is Trump’s Golden Dome?
REGISTER AT Massachusetts Peace Action Education
New book – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1923372157?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
-
Archives
- December 2025 (277)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (377)
- September 2025 (258)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
- June 2025 (348)
- May 2025 (261)
- April 2025 (305)
- March 2025 (319)
- February 2025 (234)
- January 2025 (250)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
nuclear-news 