2014 January 28 « nuclear-news

Irish President called upon to release elderly peace activist

Irish president urged to free ailing peace activist Margaretta D’Arcy Pardon sought for elderly playwright jailed for refusing to stop protests over US military flights at Shannon airport Henry McDonald, Ireland correspondent The Observer, Saturday 25 January 2014

Ireland‘s president, Michael D Higgins, is under growing pressure to release from prison a friend and cancer-stricken peace activist whose cause is being championed by some of the country’s most prominent artists.

Family and supporters of the ailing 79-year-old playwright Margaretta D’Arcy have called on Higgins to pardon the anti-war campaigner and secure her early release from Limerick jail, after she was given a three-month sentence for disrupting US military flights at Shannon airport in Ireland’s south-west….. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/25/irish-president-free-margaretta-darcy

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tennessee govt attorney urges harsh sentence for 84 year old anti nuclear nun

William Killian, the US attorney for the eastern district of Tennessee, wrote to the judge asking him to reject any consideration of non-violence and setting out in stark terms how the US government views this white-haired octogenarian and her co-defendants.

Octogenarian nun awaits sentence for protest break-in at US nuclear plant.Guardian, 27 Jan 14 Megan Rice was charged with sabotage for breaking into Y-12 facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee On Monday morning, three days short of her 84th birthday, Sister Megan Rice ate a hearty breakfast of pancakes and oatmeal at the ungodly hour of 4.30am in Knox county jail, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Rice, a white-haired Catholic nun and anti-nuclear activist, was in fine spirits, giving a broad smile and a thumbs-up sign through the glass partition that separates her from visitors to the jail where she is awaiting sentence, according to her good friend, Pat McSweeney.

McSweeney took Rice letters of support from the anti-nuclear community to bolster her spirits. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine” Rice told her.

Rice was charged with federal sabotage, along with co-defendants Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, a carpenter, and Michael Walli, 64, a Vietnam veteran, for breaking into the Y-12 nuclear facility in Oak Ridge, and they will learn their fate on Tuesday when they appear before Judge Amul Thapar in a federal court in Knoxville, to be sentenced.

The charge of sabotage, under a statute of the US criminal code used against international and domestic terrorism, carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Continue reading →

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Alaska seal deaths may be linked to Fukushima radiation

Fukushima radiation may be linked to unusual Alaska seal deaths, Voice of Russia, 27 Jan 14, “……During summer 2011 it became evident to coastal communities and wildlife management agencies that there was a novel disease outbreak occurring in several species of Arctic ice-associated seals.

Although the skin ailments that appear to be affecting seals and walruses in Alaska have a generic name – ulceratitive dermatitus disease syndrome – there are many unanswered questions about the illnesses. Scientists and hunters here and in Russia want to better understand what’s causing the sicknesses and how concerned about them they should be.

Currently, the underlying etiology remains undetermined. Results on gamma analysis (cesium 134 and 137) of muscle tissue from control and diseased seals is taken, and scientists discuss wildlife health implications from different possible routes of exposure to Fukushima fallout to ice seals. Since the Fukushima fallout period occurred during the annual sea ice cover period from Nome to Barrow, a sea ice based fallout scenario in addition to a marine food web based one is of particular relevance for the Fukushima accident.

Sea ice and snow would have acted as a temporary refuge for deposited radionuclides; thus radionuclides would have only become available for migration during the melting season and would not have entered the regional food web in any appreciable manner until breakup (pulsed release). The cumulative on-ice exposure for ice seals would have occurred through external, inhalation, and non-equilibrium dietary pathwaysduring the ice-based seasonal spring haulout period for molting/pupping/breeding activities.

Many other West Coast animals have gotten sick. Scientists need to get to the bottom of what is making them sick, whether it’s radiation or something else. http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_01_27/Fukushima-radiation-may-be-linked-to-unusual-Alaska-seal-deaths-9364/

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear activists complete their court sentences – essays for the judge

Guilty nuclear resistors write essays for judge, National Catholic Reporter, Megan Fincher | Jan. 27, 2014 Eight nuclear protesters found guilty of trespassing onto the Kansas City Plant were given an unusual sentence Dec. 13 (see story here). Instead of jail or community service, Presiding Judge Ardie Bland sentenced the defendants with homework. They were required to write one-page, single-spaced answers to six questions Bland posed on the spot.

The following are a sampling of the defendants’ answers to the six questions, which their lawyer delivered to Bland Jan. 23. The full text for each defendant can be accessed here. ……http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/guilty-nuclear-resistors-write-essays-judge

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley etc invest in renewable energy

Investors see green in clean energy, Boston Globe By Derrick Z. Jackson GLOBE COLUMNIST JANUARY 25, 2014 IT WAS NOT THE USUAL ROUNDUP OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS SAYING THE SKY IS FALLING. INSTEAD, IT WAS THE BIGGEST BANKERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES CALLING FOR MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN CLEAN ENERGY LEST WE — AND THEY — PAY IN MASSIVE DAMAGES FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.

“It’s the issue of our day,” said former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.

“The costs of another Sandy will grow from $19 billion to $90 billion,” said J. Eric Smith, the CEO of Swiss Re Americas.

Lisa Carnoy, head of global capital markets for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, exhorted her colleagues to fund clean energy projects until “every blue chip company in the S&P and . . . every investment manager has a green energy bond.”

They all spoke last week at the Investor Summit on Climate Risk, a forum of about 500 people sponsored by the UN and Ceres, the Boston-based coalition of investors, industries, and environmental groups that has sought for 25 years to engage big business in environmental protection and the climate change battle. The gathering offered the best evidence to date of corporate capital being thrown into the fight.

In the last two years, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley have announced goals to finance and invest in renewable energy projects, transmission lines, energy efficiency and storage, and transportation, water, and waste projects. Combined with an earlier commitment by Citi, those institutions have pledged a total of $180 billion by 2022. Annual global investment in “green bonds” for renewable energy and climate mitigation projects reached a record $10 billion last year………http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/01/24/investors-see-green-clean-energy/F7sxg6y3Ljfsp2WwARNGZN/story.html

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

20% growth in USA solar jobs in 2013

U.S. Solar Jobs Grew 20% Last Year http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=4144 The fourth annual National Solar Jobs Census shows the U.S. solar industry employed 142,698 Americans in 2013. The Solar Foundation (TSF) census found 23,682 solar jobs were added over the previous year, which represents 19.9 percent growth in employment since September 2012. Of those positions, installers were the most common, growing by 22% – an increase of 12,500 workers. The Census report notes average solar installer earnings are comparable to wages paid to skilled electricians and plumbers and higher than average rates for roofers and construction workers.

Most of the newly created jobs are generally not entry-level positions; with just over half requiring at least some solar experience, and 28% needing at least a bachelor degree. Only approximately 12 percent required an associate degree or certificate from an accredited college.

TSF says solar employment grew 10 times faster than the national average employment growth rate for the period.

“The solar industry’s job-creating power is clear,” said Andrea Luecke, Executive Director and President of The Solar Foundation. “The industry has grown an astounding 53 percent in the last four years alone, adding nearly 50,000 jobs.

In comparison, jobs in the fossil fuel electric generation sector shrank by 8.7 percent during the same period.

The good news on solar jobs appears it will continue during 2014, with employers expecting to add another 22,000 positions this year. Forty-five percent of all solar establishments expect to add staff.

A related press release from TSF states cost savings are driving uptake of solar in the USA – 51.4 percent of customers report going solar to save money, and another 22.9 percent because costs are now competitive with utility rates.

The fourth annual National Solar Jobs Census can be viewed in full here.

National Solar Jobs Census - USA

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

California could reach 50% renewable energy by 2030

Powering California with 50% Renewable Energy by 2030: New Analysis Shows It Can Be Done, Union of Concerned Scientists, Laura Wisland, January 27, 2014 Last week, a new analysis was released that explored the technical, environmental, and economic implications of raising California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS)from 33 percent by 2020 to 50 percent by 2030. I’m excited to report that although the study illuminates the challenges of installing unprecedented amounts of renewables on the grid, it is technically possible. Moreover, California has tools in hand today to scale up renewables, and is developing programs and policies that will continue to lower the cost and technical challenges of doing so.

The study was led by a private consulting firm — Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3) — and commissioned by the state’s five largest electric utilities. E3 modeled a 33 percent by 2030 RPS and compared those results to a 40 percent RPS and several 50 percent RPS cases that varied primarily by the amount and size of photovoltaic (PV) investments…….http://blog.ucsusa.org/powering-california-with-50-percent-renewable-energy-by-2030-393

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

EU’s new binding 27% renewable energy target

EU Sets 2030 Target Of 27% Renewables http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=4143 The European Commission has announced a new 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target of 40 percent below 1990 levels as part of sweeping measures to transform the Union to a low-carbon economy and provide member nations with long-term energy security.

The 2030 goal includes a Union-wide binding renewable energy target of at least 27 percent, as well as energy efficiency and regulatory policies designed to promote investment in new clean energy technologies. Continue reading →

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nova Scotia’s renewable energy success

Nova Scotia set to exceed renewable energy targets: minister http://globalnews.ca/news/1108849/nova-scotia-set-to-exceed-renewable-energy-targets-minister/ By Brett Ruskin Global News HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s Minister of Energy says the province is on track to exceed its renewable energy goals.

In 2010, the government passed a law requiring 25 per cent of the province’s power to come from renewables — like wind and hydro — by 2015. The law’s second target is set at 40 per cent by 2020.

“We have no concerns about meeting that 25 per cent,” said Andrew Young, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Energy.

“In fact, we expect that that will be exceeded.”

Nova Scotia’s electricity production comes from a mix of sources. Renewable energy makes up 18 per cent of that mix, according to the latest estimate from Nova Scotia Power. That estimate might be low and outdated, energy department officials said. A request has been made by the department for Nova Scotia Power to reassess the balance of resources.

A more accurate measure of how much renewable energy Nova Scotia generates is expected in two to three weeks.Nova Scotia’s 40 per cent renewable target for 2020 should be easily met as well. “The fact that we have the Maritime Link coming on stream,” said Younger, “we’re not concerned about meeting the 40 per cent target.”

Younger’s comments come the same week the government announced plans to reinvigorate Nova Scotia’s tidal power opportunities. Companies looking to sell tidal power to the grid can now apply for feed-in tariffs, outlined by a Utility and Review Board decision.In March, the government will grant access to two undersea berths for companies to test tidal technology and possibly begin feeding small amounts of tidal power to the grid.

January 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, renewable | Leave a comment