A trial -like licensing procedure for San Onofre nuclear plant
Damaged California Nuclear Plant Faces Restart Safety Hearing WASHINGTON, DC, May 14, 2013 (ENS) –Southern California Edison’s request to restart its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will be decided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission only after a formal license amendment proceeding with full public participation, an adjudicatory panel has ruled. A three-judge panel of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board today granted Friends of the Earth’s petition for a hearing on the NRC’s Confirmatory Action Letter process covering steam generator issues at the San Onofre nuclear power plant.
Southern California Edison had asked the NRC for permission to restart the Unit 2 reactor by this summer and run it at partial power – a request the agency had indicated it would grant with no prior public hearing.
“This ruling is a complete rejection of Edison’s plan to restart its damaged nuclear reactors without public review or input,” said Damon Moglen, energy and climate director for Friends of the Earth.
“The ASLB has announced that the restart plan is an ‘experiment’ and calls the tube wear at San Onofre’s defective steam generators ‘unprecedented,’ as we have asserted all along,” said Moglen.
Southern California Edison must now undergo a trial-like license amendment process before a judge, including public hearings, sworn testimony from expert witnesses and rules of evidence……
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer said in a statement that the Board’s order sets “a legal framework for a full public hearing before any final decision on the restart of the San Onofre nuclear power plant is made by the NRC.”
“It is a comfort to me that the safety board stood up for what is right,” said Senator Boxer.
“Given that the NRC commissioners asked the Board to undertake this review and given that these judges were appointed by the NRC, I expect the commissioners to follow their lead,” said the California Democrat who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that oversees the NRC.
The Board’s ruling requires a license amendment because the restart plan is an ‘experiment’ under Section 5090(ii) of NRC regulations, which would allow the unit to operate beyond the scope of the existing license and without compiling with applicable technical specifications……. http://ens-newswire.com/2013/05/14/damaged-california-nuclear-plant-faces-restart-safety-hearing/
Secretive Trans Pacific Partnership can put USA companies above national laws
Audio The secret trade deal that could let multinationals sue states ’ http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/trade-talks/4689004 RN Breakfast Presented by Fran Kelly 14 May 2013 Cathy Van Extel The latest round of negotiations for the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership starts today in Lima, Peru. The TPP is a multinational trade deal involving 12 countries, including the US and Australia, and if finalised it will 
account for 40 per cent of the global economy. Cathy Van Extel reports that the outcome of the Australian federal election is likely to have a big impact on the terms of the deal. The latest round of negotiations for the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership is kicking off in the Peruvian capital of Lima today.
The TPP is a multinational trade deal involving 12 countries including the US and Australia. If finalised it’ll account for 40 per cent of the global economy.
The trade talks are heavily shrouded in secrecy—and critics are concerned the TPP will benefit multinational corporations at the expense of existing labour and social protections.
The US has been pushing for an agreement by October this year and the Australian federal election is likely to have a big impact on the terms of the major trade deal. The wide ranging trade deal has been under negotiation since 2010 behind closed doors, and that’s a worry for critics like Jane Kelsey, professor of law from the University of Auckland and an activist academic.
She says it’s being rushed through with no public scrutiny. Continue reading
Radioactive trash in St Louis – related to underground landfill fire?
Rolling Stone: “Mass release of floating radioactive particles in metro St. Louis” possible from inferno at landfill? Fire “smells like dead bodies” — 8,700 tons of nuclear waste nearby. http://enenews.com/rolling-stone-mass-release-of-floating-radioactive-particles-in-metro-st-louis-possible-from-underground-inferno-at-landfill-8700-tons-of-nuclear-waste-nearby-fire-smells-like-dead-bodies
Title: St. Louis Landfill Fire
Source: Rolling Stone
Author: Steven Hsieh
Date: May 10, 2013
An underground landfill fire near tons of nuclear waste raises serious health and safety concerns – so why isn’t the government doing more to help?
[…] It’s invisible to area residents, buried deep beneath the ground in a North St. Louis County landfill. […] “It smells like dead bodies,” observes another local.
[…] “Am I going to end up with cancer 20 years down the road?” […]
The Bridgeton landfill fire is burning close to at least 8,700 tons of nuclear weapons wastes. […]
About 1,200 feet south of the radioactive EPA site, the fire at Bridgeton Landfill spreads out like hot barbeque coals. No one knows for sure what happens when an underground inferno meets a pool of atomic waste, but residents aren’t eager to find out. […]
At a March 15th press conference, Peter Anderson – an economist who has studied landfills for over 20 years – raised the worst-case scenario of a “dirty bomb,” meaning a non-detonated, mass release of floating radioactive particles in metro St. Louis. “Now, to be clear, a dirty bomb is not nuclear fission, it’s not an atomic bomb, it’s not a weapon of mass destruction,” Anderson assured meeting attendants in Bridgeton’s Machinists Union Hall. “But the dispersal of that radioactive material in air that could reach – depending upon weather conditions – as far as 10 miles from the site could make it impossible to have economic activity continue.” […]
Robert Criss, a geochemist at Washington University in St. Louis who has studied the issue closely, says the EPA is grossly underplaying a host of risks surrounding West Lake – flooding, earthquakes, liquefaction, groundwater leaching – that could pave the way for a public health crisis. That’s not to mention the recent development of an underground fire nearby. Says Criss, “There is no geological site I can think of that is more absurd to place such waste.” […]
On May 28 Pakistan gets nuclear PM Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif to be nuclear PM DC | Shafqat Ali | 16th May 2013 Islamabad: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif wants to take over power on May 28, the day when he had ordered nuclear tests in 1998 as the Prime Minister….. May 28 holds great significance in the country’s history as well as in the political career of Mr Sharif, as in 1999, on the same day, the Sharif-led government had carried out six nuclear tests in Chaghi in response to the five nuclear blasts conducted by India, rejecting world pressure, particularly from the then U.S. President Bill Clinton. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130516/news-world/article/nawaz-sharif-be-nuclear-pm
NRC wants to change the rules on radioactive transport
Nuclear watchdog seeks to change rules on transporting radioactive material THE HILL, By Julian Hattem – 05/15/13 The nation’s nuclear watchdog wants to issue new rules on transporting radioactive material to bring the United States in line with international standards.
The changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) rules would meet 2009 revisions to regulations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear energy organization, as well as 2011 regulations from the Department of Transportation. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/300017-nuclear-agency-seeks-to-change-rules-on-transporting-nuclear-material#ixzz2TVXVzRAd
Enormous solar rooftop system for Hyundai, South Korea
Hyundai To Install 40,000 Solar Panels On South Korean Plant http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3740 15 May 13, South Korea’s largest automaker, Hyundai, announced last week it will install the nation’s largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant at its manufacturing factory in Asan, Korea.
Hyundai says it plans to install 40,000 solar photovoltaic modules on the rooftops of Asan’s press, welding, assembly and engine buildings by the end of 2013.
In total, the panels will occupy just shy of 145,000 square meters (14.5 hectares) of the building’s massive 213,000 square metre rooftop area.
The 10MW rooftop solar power facility will generate approximately 11.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year; enough to supply the power needs of 3,200 households. At that generation level, 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be avoided annually.
The shading provided by the panels, plus the arrays’ sprinkler cooling systems will also help reduce the temperature in the plant below; offering some energy savings.
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will purchase the electricity produced by the solar modules.
The type of panels to be used on the facility is unknown and while it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume Hyundai solar panels will be the choice; Hyundai Solar is a totally separate company run under different ownership – it is a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Hyundai joins a growing list of automakers turning to solar energy for powering operations or providing an additional revenue stream.
While Hyundai’s Asan project is utility scale, commercial and manufacturing operations large and small can benefit from installing solar panels.
According to Australian commercial solar provider Energy Matters; which specialises in systems with a capacity of 20 kilowatts to 1 megawatt, if businesses are paying more than 20c/kWh for daytime electricity rates, a system sized to daytime load will provide a payback time of between 5 and 7 years – after which time, the electricity generated is essentially free.
USA’s dependence on foreign uranium
Not Just Oil: The US is also Dependent on Foreign Uranium Oil Price.com, By MINING.com | , 14 May 2013 What most Americans don’t realize is that dependence on foreign oil isn’t the main obstacle to US energy autonomy. If you think America’s energy supply issues begin and end with the Middle East, think again. One of the most critical sources of foreign energy is due to dry up this year, and the results could mean spiking electricity prices across the country.
In 2011, the US used 4,128 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. Nuclear power provided 790.2 billion kWh, or 19% of the total electrical output in the US. Few people know that one in five US households is powered by nuclear energy, and that the price of that nuclear power has been artificially stabilized. Unfortunately for us, the vast majority of the fuel used for powering our homes must be imported……
If this information is news to you, you are not alone. While the mainstream media focus on the US’s “Middle Eastern energy dependence,” the real story remains unnoticed. That’s why Casey Research invited the field’s top experts – including former US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Chairman Emeritus of the UK Atomic Energy Authority Lady Barbara Judge – for a frank discussion of what we think is America’s greatest energy challenge.
By. Casey Research via Mining.com http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Not-Just-Oil-The-US-is-also-Dependent-on-Foreign-Uranium.html
Time to tighten regulation of the uranium market
The Global Market in Natural Uranium—From Proliferation Risk to Non-Proliferation Opportunity U
ranium remains a critical component of civil-military nuclear programs. Today, Ian Anthony and Lina Grip reveal that the global market for natural uranium remains relatively unchecked, as does the activities of new exporters from the developing world.
ISN, By Ian Anthony and Lina Grip for SIPRI, 13 May 13,
The effort to cap the number of nuclear armed states in the world has largely focused on limiting the spread of the industrial items and processes needed for the stages of the fuel cycle that can turn uranium or plutonium into forms that could be used to make a nuclear weapon: enrichment or reprocessing.
The most important suppliers of nuclear technology have recently agreed guidelines to restrict access to the most sensitive industrial items, in the framework of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Nevertheless, the number of countries proficient in these industrial processes has increased over time, and it is now questionable whether a strategy based on close monitoring of technology ‘choke points’ is by itself a reliable barrier to nuclear proliferation.
Time to tighten regulation of the uranium market?……Restricting access to natural uranium could be an important aspect of the global efforts to obstruct the spread of nuclear weapons. The time is ripe to start thinking seriously about the design of such control measures and how responsibility can be shared across the non-proliferation regime.http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?lng=en&id=163968
Loss posted for Mega Uranium
Mega Uranium Ltd. Releases Unaudited Results for the Three and Six Months Ended March 31, 2013, Market watch, 14 May 13, “…….Summary results for the three months ended March 31, 2013, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2012:
-- Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2013 was $2.6 million
($0.01 per common share) compared to a net loss of $0.4 million for the
three months ended March 31, 2012 ($0.00 per common share).
….Summary results for the six months ended March 31, 2013, as compared to the six months ended March 31, 2012:
-- Net loss for the six months ended March 31, 2013 was $4.2 million ($0.02
per common share) compared to a net loss of $1.1 million for the six
months ended March 31, 2012 ($0.00 per common share).......
Loss posted for Uranium One
Uranium One posts $9.5m Q1 loss, production up 10% Mining Weekly, By: Natasha Odendaal 14th May 2013 JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – JSE- and TSX-listed Uranium One on Monday reported a net loss of $9.5-million for the first quarter ended March 31.
This was down from earnings of $4.5-million recorded in the comparative period the year before.
The group, which owns assets in Kazakhstan, the US, Australia and Tanzania, recorded a 60% drop in earnings from mine operations, including joint ventures (JVs), reaching $19.6-million during the first quarter, compared with the $49.3-million achieved in the corresponding period the year before.
Revenue for the period dipped to $5.2-million, from $5.3-million in the first quarter of 2012, while its JV operations contributed revenue of $57.4-million, down from the $90.6-million earned in the comparative quarter last year.
Uranium sales also declined year-on-year with 1.38-million pounds of uranium sold at an average price of $45/lb in the first quarter, compared with the 1.8-million pounds sold at $53/lb in the first quarter of 2012…… the company warned that the year ahead would be capital intensive as it incurred capital expenditure of $164-million on its assets in Kazakhstan, the US and Australia.
About $98-million was allocated for wellfield development, and the remaining $66-million for plant and equipment.
Uranium One noted that general and administrative expenses – excluding noncash items – were expected to reach about $40-million.
Exploration expenses were expected to reach $8-million. http://www.miningweekly.com/article/uranium-one-posts-95m-q1-loss-production-up-10-2013-05-14
Check on USA nuclear reactors’ performance with activist toolkit
Nuclear Energy Activist Toolkit #6: Reactor Daily Power Levels Dave Lochbaum, director, Nuclear Safety Project All Things Nuclear, May 14, 2013 When something happens at a U.S. nuclear power reactor like an unplanned shut down or problem that prevents operation at full power, it can be helpful to place that incident in context. One means of providing that context is to examine that reactors’ operating performance. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission posts information online that can help. Each work day, the NRC posts a data setcontaining the daily power levels reported for each nuclear power reactor in the country during the past year.
Each entry in the data set contains a date, the reactor’s name (e.g, Indian Point 2) and the percentage of rated power (i.e., 0 to 100).
The data set can be easily downloaded as a text file and imported into a spreadsheet program like Excel to allow the data to be examined. Those steps for Excel are:……http://allthingsnuclear.org/nuclear-energy-activist-toolkit-6-reactor-daily-power-levels/
Middle East: Why should Israel alone be allowed to have nuclear weapons?
Israel should give up nuclear weapons http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/may/14/letter-israel-should-give-nuclear-weapons/ E.L. Hamilton
Why does the United States insist that Israel be the only nation in
the Middle East with nuclear weapons? With Israel’s record, it should
be the last nation on Earth to have nuclear weapons.
At 2 p.m. on Oct. 6, 1973, Egypt attacked the Israelis across the Suez
Canal. The Israelis were caught off guard, and the Egyptians destroyed
their forces. As the situation deteriorated, Israeli Prime Minister
Golda Meir ordered the French-built Mirage planes loaded with nuclear
bombs. The nuclear missiles were also loaded on their launchers. One
plane was loaded on the runway ready for takeoff. Fortunately, the
planes were not launched.
Israel will never give up the West Bank or the Golan Heights. It needs
it for expansion. If it reaches this goal, it can then annex territory
from neighboring countries with no opposition for future expansion.
Either Israel should be forced to give up its nuclear weapons or
another Middle Eastern country should be permitted to have them as a
counterbalance to Israel.
Israel should be forced to give up the West Bank and the Golan Heights
even if it takes military force. This action would have to be taken by
some nation other than the United States, which is controlled by
Israel.ed May 14, 2013
Now mining companies have to listen to activist shareholders
“They would just ignore them, they would say you’re not really a shareholder,” she remembered over tea sandwiches served following Rio Tinto’s annual general shareholder meeting last month. “There was one big, black aboriginal man who got up on the stage to have his say. The company heavies came up and lifted him out bodily, by the feet. It was quite spectacular.”
This year, Rio Tinto’s 140th anniversary, the attitude toward international visitors was much different. Rio Tinto chairman Jan Du Plessis effusively thanked an Alaskan Native Yupik elder, a Mongolian woman speaking on behalf of nomadic herders and others for making the trip.
Rio Tinto, like other major mining companies, now goes to great lengths to emphasize its “partnerships” with local communities and specifically indigenous people. ……
But members of the increasingly organized international mining watchdog movement say the companies are ultimately still determined to mine wherever, whenever and however they desire, and in the least costly way.
Hence, they say, all this talk about social responsibility is largely rhetoric or “greenwashing” and that companies would have to do a lot more — including making financial sacrifices — to really change their ways………
Progress and priorities
Mine operators have battled with workers and local residents since the dawn of the large-scale mining industry in the mid-1800s; and naturally mining has been a major target of environmentalists since the birth of the environmental movement roughly a century later. In recent years these groups have increasingly worked together in monitoring and fighting mining companies……
The movement has become increasingly focused on London, which is headquarters to many of the world’s biggest mining companies along with the financial institutions that provide mines crucial capital and insurance. Toronto’s stock exchange lists more mining companies than London’s, but Canada is home to more “juniors” whereas the big-money operations are concentrated in London.
In June 2012 the International Institute for Environment and Development issued a 10th anniversary report card on the industry’s progress. It noted that “despite good intentions,” “implementation (of improved practices) across the sector has been highly variable.” It noted that competition from emerging economies, climate change and the increasing desire for governments to nationalize their mineral resources will complicate mining companies’ efforts to be more responsible…..
Now they [mining companies] rate community opposition among the top risk factors.”
Publicizing this risk is a primary reason that critics visit the shareholder meetings.
Though the most prominent investors rarely attend shareholder meetings and the important votes have already been cast ahead of time, people like Paine and peace activist Albert Beale see it as an important way to educate the public. During this year’s meeting, Beale asked why the 2012 annual report did not include the fact that Rio Tinto won the “Greenwash Gold” competition during the 2012 Olympics. Online voters chose Rio Tinto over BP and Dow as the company with the most disingenuous marketing during the Games, for which Rio Tinto provided metal for the medals…….http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/activist-shareholders-mining-rio-tinto-anglo-american
Bloomington City goes for 100% renewable energy in electricity aggregation
City opts for renewable energy, civic fee in electric aggregation Pantagraph.com 13 May 13, BLOOMINGTON — The city’s electricity aggregation program will include 100 percent renewable energy and a fee to reimburse the city for administrative costs.
The City Council on Monday authorized Mayor Tari Renner and Deputy City Manager Barb Adkins to sign bid documents related to the program that will allow the city to bundle Ameren customers’ electricity needs to attract the lowest bid. The two city officials are expected to accept a bid on May 15.
With seven “yes” votes, aldermen approved the inclusion of 100 percent renewable energy at an expected cost of $0.0008 per kilowatt hour.
They also approved a civic contribution of $0.001 per kilowatt hour. The civic contribution would provide the city with up to about $250,000 in revenue.
Mayor Tari Renner said he sees the civic contribution as a “user fee” to cover administrative costs of implementing the program.
City Manager David Hales said he could not at this time provide an estimate of how much the city’s involvement in the program will cost, but the city could be involved in energy efficiency educational efforts going forward. He said staff involvement to date has been “considerable.”…… Bloomington voters in April approved a referendum allowing the city to enter into an electricity aggregation program…… http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/city-opts-for-renewable-energy-civic-fee-in-electric-aggregation/article_211277e0-bc3d-11e2-bf0f-0019bb2963f4.html
Renewable energy forecasting technologies coming
Breakthrough Renewable Energy Forecasting Coming to Grid by 2015 The Energy Collective, Silvio Marcacci May 13, 2013 Breakthrough renewable energy forecasting technologies may be two years away from revolutionizing the efficiency of wind and solar generation on America’s grid. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is adding to its already impressive list of renewable energy innovations with a new two-year plan to develop custom forecasting systems for wind energy and solar power.
NCAR scientists and engineers will develop technology to improve wind power output by predicting sudden changes in wind speed, help wind farm operators avoid curtailment during icy conditions, and predict the amount of energy generated by small-scale solar energy installations…….
The new phase of renewable energy forecasting technology will provide “probabilistic forecasts,” meaning utility managers will be able to make decisions based on high-accuracy predictions of certain weather conditions at a wind farm on the next day. Forecasts will focus on wind “ramp” events, ice and extreme temperatures, and distributed solar.
Anticipating Wind Ramp Events
Of the three, predicting ramp events could mean the most for overall generation. Ramp events refer to sudden and significant changes in wind conditions over the span of a few hours due to passing weather fronts or atmospheric events. NCAR’s Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System (VDRAS) will combine radar data with computer simulations to create accurate forecasts for specific wind farms and reduce intermittency…….
Preventing Cold-Weather Effects On Turbines……
Predicting Small-Scale Solar Output…..
NCAR’s approach to renewable energy forecasting has already been proven to save millions. A wind forecasting system it developed for Xcel in 2010 saved utility customers over $6 million that year by developing 35% more accurate forecasts for wind farm output.
“By creating more detailed and accurate forecasts…we can produce a major return on investment,” said Thomas Bogdan, President of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. “This type of cutting-edge research helps make renewable energy more cost competitive.” http://theenergycollective.com/silviomarcacci/223186/breakthrough-renewable-energy-forecasting-coming-us-grid-2015
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