nuclear-news

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

Israel’s secrecy on its nuclear weapons is getting ridiculous

Netanyahu’s ‘Crazy’ Talk Seen Threatening Israel’s Nuclear Ambiguity International Herald Tribune, By HARVEY MORRIS, OCTOBER 25, 2012,   LONDON — Israel will face mounting pressure to acknowledge the existence of its nuclear weapons arsenal as an unintended consequence of its government’s belligerent stance towards Iran, according to a former Israeli intelligence chief.

Ami Ayalon, former head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, says, “The world won’t let you have nuclear ambiguity if you act crazy.” In an interview with Rendezvous during a visit to London, Mr. Ayalon said Israel’s special status was at risk as a result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threats of military action against Iran’s nuclear plants if sanctions failed to persuade Tehran to abandon its alleged ambition to build a bomb.

Mr. Ayalon is among a number of serving and former defense and intelligence chiefs  who have challenged the wisdom of threatening Iran with a unilateral strike.

His latest warning came as Finland prepared  to host an international conference soon to debate turning the Middle East into a nuclear weapons-free region. The Israeli government has said it is against such a meeting, at which the issue of Israel’s own unacknowledged nuclear arsenal is certain to be raised.

“Mr. Netanyahu has been playing the role of irresponsible player in the region,” with his threats against Iran, according to Mr. Ayalon. “That raises the questions: Does he mean it? And what is the price?”…. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/netanyahus-crazy-talk-seen-threatening-israels-nuclear-ambiguity/

October 26, 2012 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A horrible combination – fracking and nuclear reactor

Fracking and nuclear side by side in Pennsylvania: A match made in hell? RT.com 25 October, 2012, Plans are afoot to drill a well that will use fracking technology only a mile from a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The parties involved say they are unconcerned, despite evidence showing fracking increases incidence of earthquake….. http://rt.com/usa/news/fracking-nuclear-earthquake-safety-243/

October 26, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Fish caught off Japan’s coast becoming MORE radioactive

 the most contaminated fish found yet off Fukushima were caught in August, some 17 months after the disaster. The two greenlings, which are bottom-feeders, had cesium levels of more than 25,000 becquerels per kilogram, 250 times the level the government considers safe. 

Radiation levels in fish off Japan not declining since nuclear disaster Anchorage Daily News,  October 25, 2012  By MALCOLM FOSTER — Associated Press TOKYO — Radioactive cesium levels in most kinds of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima haven’t declined in the year following Japan’s nuclear disaster, a signal that the seafloor or leakage from the damaged reactors must be continuing to contaminate the waters – possibly threatening fisheries for decades, a researcher says. Continue reading →

October 26, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | 1 Comment

The case for closing Vermont Yankee nuclear plant heard in court

Vermont Yankee Debate Heats Up On Two Fronts http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/96334/vermont-yankee-debate-heats-up-on-two-fronts/ , 10/24/12 The legal debate over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is heating up at federal appeals court and at the state Public Service Board.

The state this week laid out a detailed case for why the plant should not get a new 20 year state permit to operate. Continue reading →

October 26, 2012 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

Petition to Kitakyushu City to stop burning of radioactive wastes

Petitioning The Mayor of Kitakyushu City This petition will be delivered to: Kenji KITAHASHI The Mayor of Kitakyushu City  TO STOP BURNING OF RADIOACTIVE DISASTER DEBRIS IN KITAKYUSHU https://www.change.org/petitions/to-stop-burning-of-radioactive-disaster-debris-in-kitakyushu?utm_campaign=twitter_link&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition
by Horiwaki Kosaku Brooklyn, NY ACT NOW TO PROTECT the safe and clean air, water and soil of the Japanese city of Kitakyushu and the island of Kyushu from further radioactive contamination.

GO TO THIS SITE To SIGN  TO STOP BURNING OF RADIOACTIVE DISASTER DEBRIS. Tell Kitakyushu Mayor Kenji Kitahashi to stop spreading radioactive particles into the Kitakyushu and Kyushu air, land and water. Continue reading →

October 26, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Will ratepayers foot the big bill for restarting San Onofre nuclear power plant?

California Regulators Examining Troubled Nuclear Plant’s Costs Fox Business, October 25, 2012 California regulators said Thursday they would decide whether utility customers should pay to fix and restart the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant in a ruling likely to determine the plant’s future.
The nuclear plant, located on the Pacific Coast between Los Angeles and San Diego, has been shut since Jan. 31, when a pipe ruptured and released radioactive steam…

.. The company plans to restart part of the plant for a limited period, but needs approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission before it can proceed. The NRC has said a decision on that plan, filed earlier this month, will likely take several months.
Asked whether the company might delay its plans for the plant pending the CPUC’s decision on whether customers would foot the bill, a SoCal Edison spokeswoman declined to comment…..  http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/10/25/california-regulators-examining-troubled-nuclear-plant-costs/#ixzz2AR7GkP3a

October 26, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

Solar energy catching on with friends and neighbours

Solar Power Adoption is Contagious,   Dani Thé, ENN , October 22, 2012  
Apparently doing something good can be contagious. Or at least this seems to be the case with solar power adoption. According to a study by Yale and New York University, published though Marketing Science, individuals are most likely to install solar panels on their home if one of their neighbors has also done so. The study, “Peer Effects in Diffusion of Photovoltaic Panels“, took a close look at solar installation clusters between January 2001 and December 2011 throughout the state of California. They found that a resident was most likely to install solar panels if solar panels had already been installed within that resident’s same zip code…… However, without governmental policy measures to create a market for which solar panel installations are desirable, initial installations by a household in a zip code area remains the principal challenge. Without it, a likelihood of adoption domino effect is minimal.

An example of such policy required to kick-start solar technology adoption rates is the “California Solar Initiative”. Established in 2006 by the California Public Commission, it played an integral role of encouraging solar infrastructure installations. Ten years since its establishment, the 3.3 billion dollar, 10-year rebate program encouraged the installation of over 3,000 megawatts of solar infrastructure. This study provides insight into the diffusion process of solar technology infrastructure, and also encourages policy makers to take action. It will require both governmental guidance and business strategy to take full advantage of these findings, so that solar technology adoption rates can quickly grow. The hope is that future studies will discover that the diffusion of other environmentally friendly technologies are just as contagious as solar is. http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/45120

October 26, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

    Next Entries »