Troubled nuclear company USEC announces bankruptcy plans, rakes in millions in spending bill – MOST APPRECIATIVE
Updated 5:06 p.m. ET, 1/16/2014
Washington (CNN) – Tucked into the $1.1 trillion dollar spending bill racing toward passage in Congress this week is a provision sending tens of millions of dollars to a uranium enrichment company that just last month announced it is filing for bankruptcy.
USEC, a government supported company formerly known as the United States Enrichment Corporation, has already received nearly a quarter billion in federal subsidies in the last two years, and billions over the last two decades. The latest multimillion dollar lifeline to USEC comes even though it has been rejected for loan guarantees by the federal government, despite support from House Speaker John Boehner and other members of the Ohio congressional delegation.
Ryan Alexander with Taxpayers for Common Sense, a government watchdog, points out USEC is in such dire straits the company’s stock was nearly de-listed by the New York Stock Exchange last year.
That was not the company’s only setback in 2013. USEC also closed its only functioning uranium enrichment plant, an outdated facility located in Kentucky that dates back to the early years of the Cold War.
“If you just look at the facts it seems absurd that we continue to throw money at a company that’s failing, that announces, ‘We’re about to declare bankruptcy,’” Alexander said.
USEC, the last remaining American-owned company still in the uranium enrichment business, announced December 16 it planned to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2014.
The company admits it’s been hit hard by plummeting demands for nuclear fuel in the aftermath of the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant nearly three years ago. A USEC spokesperson declined a request for an interview. But in a statement provided to CNN, a USEC spokesman said the company appreciates the latest infusion of federal support.
This week’s nuclear news
Christina Macpherson’s websites & blogs
Fukushima. There’s tacit acceptance by world leaders that the crippled nuclear plant is in a perilous state. Now it is hard to get information: mainstream media is quiet , but Japanese sources highlight the costs, and problems, as the clean-up efforts go on by many contract and casual workers, with health outcomes, and even deaths not reported. The new Japanese secrecy law takes effect concerning radiation health effects TEPCO –Workers deaths are not reported 報道されない原発作業員の死亡について
Japan’s energy and nuclear program delayed, as public anti nuclear sentiment rises. Two former Japanese Prime Ministers speak outagainst nuclear power
Scientist Ken Buesseler organises a thorough study into assessing radioactive isotopes in the Pacific Ocean.
France and Germany to co-operate in a project to reduce nuclear power and develop renewable energy.
Canada: At long last, Port Hope’s radioactive trash problem is being addressed
The new Japanese secrecy law takes effect concerning radiation health effects
Arclight2011 OpEd
15 January 2014
nuclear-news.net
Image source ; http://www.dianuke.org/thoughts-on-3-11-and-9-11-linda-ayres/
The Japanese Secrecy Law might actually have begun when the IAEA and the Fukushima Medical University reached an agreement to cover up the future health effects of ionising radiation and toxic/metal poisoning as reported here;
Fukushima Medical University Signed Secrecy Pact With IAEA
Fukushima government refused to our formal request of age breakdown and more detailed information concerning of thyroid cancer victims since March 2011… It was disclosed that Fukushima had the investigation committee had several secret meetings, I feel the response concerning this issue is unthinkable for a democratic nation.
http://fukushimavoice-eng2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/tokyo-shimbun-article-regarding.html
And to do this they had to stop any information getting out that might connect future health effects from being connected with the triple meltdowns at the beleaguered Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant.
The Japanese government had already stopped a genetic test that needed to be done within three years of the disaster. In 2013 the Japanese government said they could not do this test as the families might discover illegitimate children and so, the government would need to debate the simple genetic test on grounds of ethical reasons. No such debate has happened since and no genetic test on blood have been done.
The only other way to test for radiation damage and possible future health effects on the population is by an even more simple white blood cell count (WBC) test. This was done but the full results have been blocked from publication although the ultrasound test results have been published, and a link to that is here;
小児甲状腺エコーの結果は公表されるが、小児血液検査の結果は公表されないまま
第７回検討委員会（２０１２年６月１２日）配布資料
http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/imu/kenkoukanri/240612shiryou.pdf
I might point out I found some a report on WBC tests on radiation workers in the fukushima prefecture, where there was some slight findings though mostly non definitive and they also tested for the red blood cell count and Hemoglobin content test or hematocrit test. A link to that 2012 report under this paragraph. (I might point out that the study done in 2010 and 2012 was deeply flawed as it did not input any personal epidemiological data concerning nuclear worker smokers whose white blood cells could swamp any readings relevant to ionising radiation). Also the temporary Yakuza employed homeless would be given the high dose jobs that would quickly get them over the 500 millisievert maximum dose in a very short time so they dont get the regular health checks the more protected full time workers get so the study will be slewed.
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/workers/tepco/lhc/pr_130920_a02.pdf
The study also says nuclear workers should be regularly tested and better epidemiological practice to be put in place for 2013. In 2013 we found out about various scandals concerning the workers from criminal gangs running operations and employing homeless people (who likely would be smokers?) and disabled people. How could good nuclear health practise be put in place? heres an extract from the legal requirements concerning nuclear workers;
General medical examination is required at the time of employment and once within every year (every 6 months for those engaged in specified work such as radiation work) on a regular basis.
So are there health effects? Are there any deaths attributable to the nuclear disaster? We have reported health effects such as polydactyl as well as a raft of symptoms in the local population in the early months of the disaster such as the only epidemiological census that was taken (I will post the video at the bottom of this article).
There appears to be a high incidence of the younger generations dying being reported at the obituaries section of the local Fukushima prefectural newspaper. Below is a sample of the paper showing the ages of people under 58 years of age that died and you can compare that with amount of older deaths. The Japanese population in that area has a large percentage of elderly people
Obituary page from local news paper covering Fukushima prefecture
享年が若すぎる福島の新聞のお悔やみ欄。
24歳、34歳、37歳、41歳、44歳、46歳、53歳、58歳…..
The above are the ages of the youngest and they are highlighted on the above page and show in various places around the Fukushima prefecture.
All the above information is liable to come under the new secrecy act that looks to place Japanese bloggers under threat of a five year prison sentence.
From this link
http://blog.livedoor.jp/home_make-toaru/archives/7493393.html
There will be no hope for the “transparency” that Geraldine Thomas (UK Academic) has called for and I am sure that the IAEA and ICRP will find a statistical way to confound the startlingly high incidence of thyroid cancers in young children.
In todays Democracy Now (15 Jan 2014) in an interview with David Mc Neil (A UK connected academic/journalist) said that the childrens thyroid cancer incidence was confounded because no studies have been done in other prefectures . It seems no one wants to admit there is a problem with these confirmed cancer incidences and the nuclear accident timing is likely to be just a coincidence?
Geraldine Thomas @ 12 mins in;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vX_Jurl8Cs&feature=youtu.be&t=6m43s12%20Jan
More info on the plight of the children of Fukushima here;
https://nuclear-news.net/?s=school
A health survey in Fukushima covered up by the Japanese national Media?
An independent local news source did what the big boys couldn’t here;
The Mount Pelerin Society – home of Climate Science Denialism
Mont Pelerin Society Revealed As Home To Leading Pushers Of Climate Science Denial DESMOGBLOG.COM, GRAHAM READFEARN, 14 JAN 14 THERE’S a popular talking point coming from climate change denialists that all people who accept the science and the need to act on it are somehow blinded by faith.
In Australia, climate science contrarian columnists can barely touch their keyboards without typing out the words “global warming faith” or explaining how human-caused global warming is some sort of “new religion”.
This “climate religion” narrative often goes hand-in-hand with another favourite denialist talking point where climate scientists are only doing what they do because there’s a dollar in it.
Presumably the laws of physics, the melting ice sheets, the increasing risk of bushfires, the hottest decades on record and the acidifying oceans are also waiting for their cash…….
Among the notable members is Charles Koch (list excerpt here), the US oil billionaire who has been a Mont Pelerin Society member since 1970.
Charles and his brother David have used their charitable foundations to funnel tens of millions of dollars into free market think tanks which fight environmental protection and deny the dangers of human-caused climate change
The Mont Pelerin Society
The Mont Pelerin Society was established in 1947 by free market economist and philosopher Friedrich von Hayek……
DeSmogBlog has obtained a full list of the society’s members that includes senior representatives of many of the world’s foremost “free market” think tanks actively pushing back on proposed policy solutions to tackle climate change.
The list, from 2010, includes almost 500 people from 52 countries, with the bulk of members coming from the United States and the United Kingdom. The 70-page list includes private contact details. DeSmogBlog has decided to publish only extracts with contact details redacted…..
Mont Pelerin in the United States
The US cohort of Mont Pelerin members includes many senior staff associated with “free market” think tanks that have manufactured doubt about the science of human-caused climate change or the need to act quickly.
Alongside Charles Koch, DeSmogBlog’s document shows that Mont Pelerin Society members include senior staff, directors and associates from groups his family foundations have helped to fund. These include the Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, the Acton Institute, the Reason Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.
Other members include Wall Street Journal editor and columnist Mary O’Grady and John O’Sullivan, a columnist with the conservative National Review.
The UK and Mont Pelerin
Members of UK free market think tanks including The Adam Smith Institute, CIVITAS and the Institute of Economic Affairs have also gained membership with the Mont Pelerin Society.
Long-standing climate science sceptic Julian Morris is also listed as a member.
Another UK member is Linda Whetstone, the daughter of Antony Fisher who founded the influential UK neo-liberal think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs.
Antony Fisher established the Atlas Economic Research Foundation – a vast network of about 400 think tanks around the world that share the ideals of limiting the power of government. Alejandro Chafuen, the current president of Atlas, is also listed as a 2010 Mont Pelerin Society member.
Global network
The Mont Pelerin Society got its name from the location of the very first meeting in Switzerland, and members continue to have ample chance to network in their annual meetings. …….
It should come as no surprise that the Mont Pelerin Society has more than its fair share of climate science deniers within its ranks.
Research has shown that belief in free market ideology is a predictor of the rejection of climate change science. This link was also revealed in Merchants of Doubt, a book by science historians Erik Conway and Naomi Oreskes.
About four out of every five climate denial books ever published, according to one study, have links to conservative and free market think tanks either through the authors or the publishers.
When it comes to efforts to block meaningful policy to tackle climate change, it seems free market groups and societies extolling their version of “freedom” are in fact a “ground zero” for climate science denial. http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/01/15/exclusive-mont-pelerin-society-revealed-home-leading-pushers-climate-science-denial
Fukushima breaking news; GREBES DEAD on the Great Salt Lake in HUGE NUMBERS, Kevin D. blanch 1/15/14
Published on 15 Jan 2014
The Bald Eagle ACUTE UTAH Deaths are being correlated with the GREBES acute death,
“Every time grebes die,” she says, “we send some of the dead birds to a laboratory for testing. Usually, avian cholera jumps out as the cause of death. This year, though, the initial laboratory results were not as conclusive. That led us to believe that something else might have killed the grebes this year.”
France and Germany join in plan to reduce nuclear power, develop renewable energy
France, Germany to coordinate renewable energy development http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2014/01/france-germany-partner-on-renewable-energy-development.html January 15, 2014
“We have a strong interest in the closest possible cooperation on energy policy whether on a political or corporate level,” a spokesman for the German Economy Ministry, which oversees energy, told reporters.
Both nations are looking to diversify their energy sources for power generation and plan to gradually decrease dependence on nuclear power. French President Francois Hollande said the country will lower nuclear power to 50 percent by 2025, down from 75 percent currently. The French-German Office for Renewable Energies is expected to head the coordination effort between the two countries.
“We have already established the structure,” a government source told Reuters. “Now the ministers need to give it the necessary impetus.”
French Environment Minister Philippe Martin said in December that France has started to plan subsidies for renewable energy development, Businessweek reported.
World leaders silent about the huge danger of Fukushima nuclear plant’s situation
TV: Fukushima confirms nightmarish potential of nuclear power; Public living with threat of worst-case scenarios on daily basis — Author: “Super catastrophe” looms at plant(VIDEO) http://enenews.com/tv-fukushima-confirms-nightmarish-potential-of-nuclear-power-under-threat-of-worst-case-scenario-on-dail-y-basis-author-super-catastrophe-looms-at-plant-video
Dr. Michael Parenti, Ph.D.(Yale University) political scientist, historian, author, Jan. 13, 2014: […] President Obama has been as mute about the calamity looming at Fukushima as the Japanese government itself—-and for the same reasons. First, the potential danger is stupendous and it is in the manner of leaders, when facing something that might develop into a super catastrophe, to keep the public’s mind off it. The last thing they want is to put the public into a fright and fury about their own survival […] Should Obama broach the subject of Fukushima he would leave himself open to a host of questions […] It would become apparent that he and the others have no sure answer regarding how they are going to decommission the nuclear plants […]
January 16, 2014 Posted by Christina MacPherson | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment | Edit
Ill treatment of Fukushima workers, afraid to speak out
Sickened Fukushima Worker: “Tepco is God… we are slaves” — Employees beaten, threatened with death for speaking out (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/tv-fukushima-employees-beaten-threatened-with-death-for-speaking-out-sickened-worker-tepco-is-god-we-are-slaves-video
America Tonight, , Al Jazeera America, Jan. 7, 2014:
Anonymous Fukushima worker ‘Tanaka’: “My job was to help workers remove their gear when they came back from dealing with contaminated water and debris, and to check them with a Geiger counter for contamination […] We used to wear charcoal filters, but because of the cost cuts, we got dust filters, like those you’d buy at a convenient store. Tepco employees wore charcoal filters in all locations. […] Tepco is God, the main contractors are kings, and we are slaves. […]
Michael Okwu, Al Jazeera correspondent: Like many nuclear workers approaching their radiation limit it’s unlikely that Tanaka will ever be hired at Fukushima again. He’s since lost his apartment, and is constantly sick. […]
Tanaka: Fatigue, tiredness, I get really tired. I can’t say whether radiation is the cause, but since used-up nuclear workers don’t get any compensation, I’m worried about my future. So some of it could be psychological.
Part II at 2:00 in
Michael Okwu, Al Jazeera correspondent: Unlike some, [Fukushima worker] Sato escaped violent retribution when he complained and then quit.
Takeshi Katsura, a laborer helps workers exploited by the Japanese mafia: I’ve had workers tell me that they’ve been beat up and told, ‘I’ll kill you.’ Threatened with, ‘You know what will happen to you.’
Our nuclear power plants are dangerous, admits pro nuclear scientist
Fox Business: Leading ‘pro-nuclear’ scientist admits our nuclear plants are “dangerous” and “error-prone” — Agrees we don’t even know true extent of Fukushima disaster or its impact(VIDEO) http://enenews.com/fox-business-leading-pro-nuclear-scientist-admits-our-nuclear-plants-are-dangerous-and-error-prone-agrees-we-dont-even-know-true-extent-of-fukushima-disaster-and-its-impact-video
Fox Business, , Jan. 3, 2014 (at 2:00 in):
Lou Dobbs, host: Your thoughts on nuclear power and why you think that’s so critical, given the direction of our climate?
Ken Caldeira, climate scientist in the Carnegie Institution Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University: […] If we look at nuclear power, the facts about the objective risks are also fairly well established, in that nuclear power seems far less risky than coal. And yes, there are risks — we’ve seen Fukushima, and we know that there’s waste disposal issues — but there’s nothing fundamental about nuclear power that says that it can’t be substantially safer than what we’re currently doing.
Dobbs: I don’t want to get into the issue nuclear power itself, other than to say Fukushima — as you put it aside here — I mean, we don’t even know the true extent of that disaster and its impact. You would agree with that right?
Caldeira: I would agree with that. I think Fukushima shows us that the current generation and our current way of operating nuclear power plants is dangerous, but we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just because something is error-prone today doesn’t mean we can’t make it better.
(Caldeira was one of four top climate scientists who recently distributed a much publicized open letter “To those influencing environmental policy but opposed to nuclear power”)
Note that both Carnegie Endowment and Stanford University are included in a Tepco document that shows a small group of U.S. entities “working together” with Tepco to “disseminate” Fukushima-related information.
Watch the broadcast here
A thorough study planned to assess Fukushima radioactive isotopes in the Pacific occean
To trace the path of radiation through the ocean, researchers measure the amount of two tell-tale radioactive isotopes. They measure the levels of cesium-134, which has a short half-life—half of it decays every two years. The sole source of cesium-134 in the ocean is from Fukushima. They also measure cesium-137, an isotope that has been in the oceans for half a century, dispersed from atomic weapons testing in the 1960s. The ratio can tell them how much of the radiation is caused by isotopes coming from Japan.
Crowdsourced radiation monitoring website to measure Fukushima’s footprint http://www.boston.com/news/science/blogs/science-in-mind/2014/01/14/crowdsourced-radiation-monitoring-website-measure-fukushima-footprint/U1B4mLiqWbpkwfcS1YGaJM/blog.html
Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at Woods Hole, announced Tuesday the launch ofourradioactiveocean.com, a website that will allow people and communities to propose sampling sites along the Pacific coast.
Buesseler is quick to point out that the levels of radiation exposure predicted by a number of models is well below the federal regulations for acceptable radiation exposure in drinking water. The expected radiation exposure in waters off the West Coast range from 1 to 30 Becquerels per cubic meter– far below the federal drinking water limit of 7,400 Becquerels per cubic meter.
He does not expect to find unsafe levels of radiation, but he thinks the levels should be measured to allay people’s fears and to contribute to science, allowing regulators and oceanographers to get a better handle on how ocean currents travel. He is specifically interested in parts of the northern United States and Alaska, because the radioactive isotopes are projected to arrive there first.
“Without data, it’s easy to speculate and alarm people,” Buesseler said. “I’m concerned about radioactivity being dangerous, but I want to know what those levels are, and my concern scales with those numbers. … I think we owe it to the public to make those measurements and I think it’s a pity our government hasn’t taken this on directly.” Continue reading
The secret history of how the West helped Israel develop its nuclear arsenal
The truth about Israel’s secret nuclear arsenal Israel has been stealing nuclear secrets and covertly making bombs since the 1950s. And western governments, including Britain and the US, turn a blind eye. But how can we expect Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions if the Israelis won’t come clean? Julian Borger The Guardian, Thursday 16 January 2014.……..”Despite the fact that the Israel’s nuclear programme has been an open secret since a disgruntled technician, Mordechai Vanunu, blew the whistle on it in 1986, the official Israeli position is still never to confirm or deny its existence.
When the former speaker of the Knesset, Avraham Burg, broke the taboo last month, declaring Israeli possession of both nuclear and chemical weapons and describing the official non-disclosure policy as “outdated and childish” a rightwing group formally called for a police investigation for treason
Meanwhile, western governments have played along with the policy of “opacity” by avoiding all mention of the issue. In 2009, when a veteran Washington reporter, Helen Thomas, asked Barack Obama in the first month of his presidency if he knew of any country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, he dodged the trapdoor by saying only that he did not wish to “speculate”.
UK governments have generally followed suit. Asked in the House of Lords in November about Israeli nuclear weapons, Baroness Warsi answered tangentially. “Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. We have regular discussions with the government of Israel on a range of nuclear-related issues,” the minister said. “The government of Israel is in no doubt as to our views. We encourage Israel to become a state party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT].”
But through the cracks in this stone wall, more and more details continue to emerge of how Israel built its nuclear weapons from smuggled parts and pilfered technology. Continue reading
China tackling air pollution with a boost for renewable energy
China to Boost Renewable Energy to Curb Air Pollution, CCTV Says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-15/china-to-boost-renewable-energy-to-curb-air-pollution-cctv-says.html By Bloomberg News Jan 14, 2014 China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, will quicken the development of solar and wind energy this year to help curb air pollution, state television said.
The nation plans to install 14 gigawatts of solar capacity and 18 gigawatts of wind power as well as approve 20 gigawatts of hydroelectric plants, China Central Television reported, citing the National Energy Administration.
The plan surpasses a forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for China’s wind and solar capacity addition in 2014. The nation may install as much as 13.3 gigawatts of solar power and 14.7 gigawatts of wind this year, BNEF estimates. The efforts are targeted at curbing coal power plant emissions to ease smog.
China plans to reduce preferential prices forrenewable energy and achieve parity with coal-fired power by 2020, CCTV reported.
Federal Class Action Lawsuit by US sailors exposed to Fukushima radiation
Fukushima Toll: US Sailors Who First Responded to Disaster Complain of Radiation Related Sicknesses, To File Federal Class Action Lawsuit , International Business Times By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | January 15, 2014 They were the very first who responded to the call for help when the Fukushima nuclear power plant got hit by a massive tsunami on March 2011. But never did the sailors aboard USS Ronald Reagan thought that they too would become victims of the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
An alarming number of US Navy sailors have now started coming out to publicly air their grievances against what happened to their health as they conducted their jobs while in Japan waters three years ago.
Close to 100 U.S. sailors with ailments such as thyroid cancer, brain tumors and leukemia have filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo Electric Power Company. But its progress has been stalled because many more sailors want to join into the lawsuit, according to Bay area lawyer Charles Bonner.
Mr Bonner said they would need to wait until early February to refile the lawsuit accommodate a constant influx of sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and other American ships.
Petitions supporting the sailors have likewise started circulating online on a global scale at nukefree.org, MoveOn, Avaaz and Roots Action, among others.
The suit alleged TEPCO, operator of the crippled Fukushima, purposely withheld information of the release of the radioactive plume. Sailors could have stood a chance and the Ronald Reagan could have escaped the deadly cloud had TEPCO warned the upper authorities……..
The sailors claimed that on their first day at Fukushima, they got drenched in radioactive fallout. They noticed a cloud of warm air with a metallic taste poured over the Reagan.
They thought it was a snow storm. Responding U.S. Navy sailors disregarded it and continued working and helping and rescuing. Some worked 18-hour shifts in the open air throughout a four-day mission, re-fueling and repairing helicopters, loading them with vital supplies and much more. Some even jumped into the ocean just offshore to pull victims to safety.
Worse, all drank and bathed in waters that although had been desalinated, were surely greatly contaminated by radioactive fallout and runoff. When the warm cloud occurred, they even joked it’s a “radioactive snow” which ironically proved to be true. When the USS Ronald Reagan had left the Fukushima area, it was found to be so radioactive that ports in Japan, South Korea and Guam rejected its entry. It’s currently docked in San Diego.
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail: e.misa@ibtimes..com.au
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/534359/20140115/fukushima-navy-sailors-radiation-sickness-lawsuit-thyroid.htm#.UtgY3NJDt9U
Book “Command and Control” examines danger of the nuclear arsenal
Our Nuclear Dilemma, Mehroz Baig HUFFINGTON POST 01/15/2014 “It’s hard to imagine fallible human beings creating machines that are infallible,” Eric Schlosser said in reference to nuclear weapons. Schlosser is an investigative journalist and author of Fast Food Nation and, most recently, Command and Control, which examines nuclear risk. “Nuclear weapons are highly complicated machines and like all machines, they can go wrong,” he added.
Schlosser’s book documents some of the mishaps that have taken place in our history of owning and expanding our nuclear arsenal. However, as Schlosser admits and Walter Russell Mead in a review of his book in The New York Times points out, there hasn’t been a nation that has yet to face the consequences of an accidental nuclear disaster.
Schlosser warned that the likelihood of an accident happening increases every day that there isn’t an accident. “I think we were lucky [that we haven’t had an accident], and there’s no guarantee that that luck will last,” he said.
Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund and author of Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It’s Too Late, joined Schlosser at the Commonwealth Club for a discussion recently on nuclear safety. He noted another argument for reducing our nuclear arsenal: the sheer cost of maintaining and updating nuclear weapons. A report by the Ploughshares Fund estimates that the United States will spend anywhere between $620 and $661 billion dollars on nuclear weapons in the next 10 years……..
the argument that Schlosser, Cirincione, and Benedict make is that the thousands of nuclear weapons we currently possess are an unnecessary source of danger, not only physically but also economically. Cirincione noted that in order to use nuclear weapons as a deterrent, the United States only needs about 500 of them, not the estimated 7,700 we currently have. “Several hundred seems to be what many military and national security experts think will serve our deterrence needs,” he said during his discussion at the Commonwealth Club.
Mead agrees, noting in his review, “[Schlosser’s] core recommendation that the United States explore the possibilities of operating a minimal deterrent, the smallest number of nuclear weapons needed to prevent adversaries from contemplating a nuclear attack on us, may be the most hopeful direction in which we can look.” The United States is slowly moving in that direction, having signed the New START treaty with Russia, which aims to reduce the nuclear arsenals of both nations. The treaty’s duration is 10 years and reduces the number of weapons to 1,550. And though the president is working toward further reducing our nuclear arsenal along with that of Russia’s, we’ll have to wait to see how long it takes, and hope that the luck that’s kept a nuclear accident from happening up until now comes along for the ride. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mehroz-baig/our-nuclear-dilemma_b_4591980.html
US Nuclear missile officers cheated on proficiency test
US suspends 34 nuclear missile officers over cheating on exam JANUARY 16, 2014 THE US military has suspended 34 officers in charge of launching nuclear missiles for cheating on a proficiency test, Air Force leaders have announced.
The scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana marked the latest in a series of damaging revelations dogging the country’s nuclear force, including a separate probe into illegal drugs that came to light last week.”There was cheating that took place with respect to this particular test,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told a news conference. “Some officers did it. Others apparently knew about it, and it appears that they did nothing, or at least not enough, to stop it or to report it.”
The Air Force has come under growing scrutiny over a spate of embarrassing setbacks linked to the nuclear force, amid persistent reports of low morale among the troops assigned to the mission.http://www.news.com.au/world/us-suspends-34-nuclear-missile-officers-over-cheating-on-exam/story-fndir2ev-1226802881502
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Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
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