2014 February 10 « nuclear-news

Some pro-nuclear twitter-trolls might be counter productive?

These tweets puzzle me. I would have written them off as just the idle follies of a crank. Yet the same pro thorium enthusiast continually writes quite professional sounding tweets on the hashtag #thorium. His abusive tweets about me do not appear on that hashtag

John Randall @thjr19 You & yours are climate change deniers BY YOUR ACTIONS @ChristinaMac1. – so SHUT UP!

John Randall @thjr19 Please troll @ChristinaMac1.. Thus sock puppet stands in our way. NO!

John Randall @thjr19 You can scream and shout as much as you like I will expose the hypocrisy of @ChristinaMac1

John Randall @thjr19 Is @ChristinaMac1 as stupid as she pretends to be? Your lies & distortions cause of counter tweets

John Randall@thjr19 No better example of ignorance concealed behind dishonesty than @ChristinaMac1‘s tweets.

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | 4 Comments

US officials destroyed Fukushima documents. Secrecy over nuclear crisis

Professor: U.S. personnel destroyed thousands of documents to prepare for evacuation of Japan after 3/11 — Bloomberg: “Near-Chernobyl experience” for Tokyo even though 200+ kilometers from Fukushima http://enenews.com/professor-u-s-personnel-destroyed-thousands-of-documents-to-prepare-for-japan-evacuation-bloomberg-tokyo-faced-a-near-chernobyl-experience-while-over-200-kilometers-from-f

Bloomberg, , Willianm Pesek in Japan, Feb. 6, 2014: […] Anyone who lived through Tokyo’s near-Chernobyl experience in 2011 may recall how poorly NHK performed even then. The network downplayed risks at every turn to avoid panic. Many of us learned about explosions at Fukushima from CNN, BBC and U.S. military news conferences, not Japan’s most trusted news source. Just imagine the next time disaster strikes. Abe’s secrecy law means journalists and whistle-blowers can go to jail for reporting what the government doesn’t want the public to know. It’s nice to know that during the next crisis, when we’re desperate for news, NHK will be ready to distract us with cheerful PR puff pieces. It’s now official policy.
Number 1 Shimbun, Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Feb. 4, 2014: Paul Blustein, former Washington Post [and Wall Street Journal reporter who is now affiliated with the Brookings Institution] […] accuses some present members [of the FCCJ] of propagating misinformation — even of “journalistic malpractice.” […] “I’m referring to the oft-repeated claim that the accident came perilously close to irradiating the Tokyo metropolitan area. […] it is massively at odds with the facts. Propagating it is not just misinformation; it can now be fairly deemed an act of journalistic malpractice […] It pains me to level such accusations at fellow journalists […] Leading the pack was the New York Times, which carried a front-page story on Feb. 27, 2012 asserting that Kan and his fellow Japanese leaders “secretly considered the possibility of evacuating Tokyo” […] Jeffrey Bader, who had served on President Obama’s National Security Council, explained that modeling of radiation plumes and weather patterns by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – one of the government’s premier scientific facilities – had shown there was no need to consider evacuating Americans from the Tokyo metropolitan area.” […]
Rebuttal from David McNeillThe Economist, Feb. 4, 2014: […] I’m puzzled by this criticism. It seems to suggest that we should outweigh or dismiss the views of Japan’s sitting prime minister at the time of the disaster in favor of those of some U.S. officials in Washington. It also seems to ignore the growing body of evidence to the contrary. To cite only the latest intervention into this debate that I know of, Kyle Cleveland of Temple University Japan has written a well-sourced essay this year revealing that U.S. officials in Japan were concerned enough in March 2011 about the possibility of evacuation to have destroyed thousands of documents at military and diplomatic facilities. Mr. Blustein may also be aware that Kevin Maher, former director of the Office of Japan Affairs also said in his 2011 (Japanese) book, The Japan That Can’t Decide, that U.S. officials in Japan planned to evacuate 90,000 citizens from Tokyo during the disaster. […]

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Tepco unable to stop leakage of radioactive cesium

Japan Nuclear Experts: Footage shows ‘major problem’ at Fukushima Unit 1; Cesium release to continue for next 5 decades — Tepco: Even if we knew where it’s broken, how can we stop it? — “Still in the dark” about other 2 units (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/japan-nuclear-experts-footage-major-problem-fukushima-unit-1-cesium-release-continue-next-5-decades-tepco-knew-broken-stop-dark-about-other-2-units-video 9 Feb 14
NHK Documentary, ‘Radioactive Water: Fukushima Daiichi’s Hidden Crisis‘ — Feb. 1, 2014:

Zengo Aizawa, Tepco VP: “Even if we found out where the water is coming from the question is how to stop it. I think it will be difficult but we have no other choice and if we fail that would be miserable. We just have to succeed somehow.”

Watch the documentary here

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Pro nuclear win in Tokyo’s election, as anti-nuclear vote split

Comprehensive agenda, anti-nuclear failures ensured Masuzoe victory, Japan Times 10 Feb 14 Yoichi Masuzoe’s ability to address a wide range of issues and the failure of his rivals to keep the public’s attention focused on nuclear energy were the keys to his victory in Sunday’s Tokyo gubernatorial election, experts say……

Meiji Gakuin University professor Tomoya Kaji said. “The camps that were calling for phasing out nuclear power were not able to make the matter an important issue.”

Aoyama, however, said the election didn’t see enough discussion of the matter. He said that if the candidates had taken nuclear energy more seriously, they would have discussed not only the makeup of Tokyo’s energy sources, but also how to deal with electricity prices, transmission and distribution after abolition.

“It was not good that the candidates didn’t provide a viable path to” zero-nuclear dependence, Aoyama said……

Moreover, it appears the anti-nuclear vote was split, despite recent requests by a group of anti-nuclear activists that either Hosokawa or Utsunomiya drop out. The two appeared to be running even.

According to a Tokyo Shimbun telephone survey conducted from Feb. 3 to 5 on 1,006 residents, the backing of the 53.3 percent of respondents who oppose reactor restarts was split among Masuzoe, Hosokawa and Utsunomiya, the former chairman of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations…… http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/09/national/comprehensive-agenda-anti-nuclear-failures-ensured-masuzoe-victory/#.UvjWzW

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Huge hurdles to overcome before restarting Japan’s nuclear reactors

Japan’s nuclear re-start bogged down in safety checks and paperwork, Daily Times 9 Feb 14 Hundreds of technicians and engineers are camped out in Tokyo hotels trying to revive Japan’s nuclear industry, shut down in the wake of the Fukushima disaster almost three years ago.

It’s proving a hard slog. A new, more independent regulator is in place, asking difficult questions and seeking to impose tougher safety rules on powerful utilities that were largely their own masters for the past 50 years.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) was created in 2012 and set new safety guidelines in July last year. It now has four teams vetting reactors at nine nuclear power stations on a list of those seeking to re-start. A deadline to complete the checks has been missed as the NRA is still asking for reams of information. No one is able to predict when the first of 48 reactors will be turned back on…..

The regulator and staff from the utilities and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, a leading supplier of nuclear plant equipment, are ploughing through mountains of paperwork on the technical specifications of reactors and their vulnerability to natural disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami that knocked out the Fukushima Daiichi station in March 2011……

nce the checks are done, reactors must undergo planned inspections, which took as long as two months under the previous regime, as well as get the go-ahead from local authorities before they can be turned back on. The plants are being treated as if they have just been built and are seeking certification to start operating for the first time.
Interviews with utility and nuclear industry staff, regulators and government officials reveal a climate of uncertainty, frustration and long hours…..

Utilities must submit thousands of pages of documents outlining their compliance and readiness on a checklist of 27 main items required by the NRA, covering everything from quake protection to their emergency responses. Kyushu Electric, which has applied to re-start four reactors, has alone submitted more than 10,000 pages of documents to the regulator, said spokesman Hiroki Yamaguchi…..http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/foreign/10-Feb-2014/japan-s-nuclear-re-start-bogged-down-in-safety-checks-and-paperwork

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Uranium investing losing its glow – Paladin and Cameco

Weak uranium prices force closure of Paladin mine, Financial Review PETER KER AND ANGELA MACDONALD-SMITH 10 FEB 2014 Uranium miners are starting to cut back production amid a growing belief that the sector will not recover in the near term.

ASX listed Paladin Energy has confirmed one of its two mines will cease production until the uranium price recovers, while one of the world’s biggest uranium miners, Cameco, has cut its growth schedule and warned the ‘‘stagnant, over supplied’’ market was not going to improve any time soon.Cameco had previously promised to increase uranium production by 50 per cent over the next four years, but on Saturday the company said such long-term production forecasts were no longer appropriate in the current market conditions.

‘‘Market challenges have persisted since early 2011 and we expect they will continue for the near to medium term,’’ the Canadian company said in a statement.

Uranium prices have been on a downward trend since the Fukushima nuclear crisis damaged confidence in the industry in 2011……

Cameco deferred its Kintyre uranium project in Western Australia in 2012, and on Saturday it vowed to ‘‘decrease activities in Australia’’ even further.,,,,,,http://www.afr.com/p/business/companies/weak_uranium_prices_forces_closure_6Jq1zMnOONO3LAxC4jQkTM

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kansas and other USA States strongly support renewable energy

Strong Support for Clean Energy, and the Jobs It Creates, Crosses Party Lines http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/plehner/strong_support_for_clean_energ.html 9 Feb 14 A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says the renewable energy industry is responsible for 615,000 jobs in the United States. That’s hundreds of thousands of Americans working to provide this country with clean energy from wind, sun and plants. It’s the military vet in Kansas putting her hydraulics knowledge to work in her new job servicing 300-foot-tall wind turbines. It’s the former glass maker in Toledo, Ohio, who’s now manufacturing solar panels. It’s the farmer who’s got a new buyer in the biofuel plant just across the county line. It’s engineers and managers and truckers and technicians in nearly every state in the nation.

Clean Energy Works for US: Kelley Moore, Clipper Wind

Renewable energy development is making a difference in this country, bringing sorely needed jobs and revenue to communities, while protecting clean air and clean water. Clean, renewable energy is working for us. That’s why so many Americans, from all political stripes, want to see more of it.

A recent national poll found that voters preferred investing in clean energy and efficiency over traditional fossil fuel energy by a margin of nearly 2-to-1. In Kansas, a recent poll found overwhelming support for clean, renewable energy and the government policies that encourage its growth. Roughly three-quarters of Republicans and Independents, and 82 percent of Democrats, support the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires that utilities generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. In fact, two-thirds of voters said they would support increasing the state’s standard to 25 percent. Nine out of ten poll respondents believed that using renewable energy is the right thing to do for the future of Kansas and the country.

Communities in Kansas are not alone in reaping the benefits of clean, renewable energy. Continue reading →

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Taking renewable energy seriously for investors

5 Different Ways to Invest in Renewable Energy greentech media, Tam Hunt outlines the diversifying investment options in clean energy. Tam Hunt February 5, 2014 The renewable energy industry is well past its training-wheels phase and now offers many ways to invest in all types of assets. I’ve been an investor in renewables off and on for the last couple of decades, and I offer in this column a little nonprofessional advice about how best to get into this field as an investor…..

A friend of mine gave me his lifetime of accumulated investment wisdom recently: Figure out the big waves that you want to ride in the long term and position your surfboard accordingly. The renewables revolution is a very big wave in the distance, and more and more people are lining up to catch it. I’m not a trader — I’m a long-term investor. And this article is written to help people who are looking to invest, not to trade.

We are now at the point where individuals and companies can invest directly in renewable energy projects, even in small amounts. …….http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-to-invest-in-renewables

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

High time to face up to the nuclear war threat

Time to face nuclear dangers, Citizen Times, Terrence Clark, 7 Feb 14 Recent stories of exam cheating and drug use among Air Force launch officers have exposed the dangers of America’s nuclear weapons enterprise. Reports from other nuclear armed countries make it clear that their arsenals are no more secure or better managed than our own. And so we find ourselves peering, once again, into the nuclear madness.

Yes, two decades after the end of the Cold War, nuclear bombs are still with us. Nine countries possess 17,000 operational bombs, 95 percent of them in the U.S. and Russia. Though there is plenty of concern about the American stories, even more worrisome is the possibility of a nuclear war elsewhere in the world. The U.S. and Russia are unlikely to unleash their whole arsenals on each other, but what if Pakistan and India used 100 nuclear weapons against each other? ……

It is time for concrete actions that President Obama can promptly take:

• Remove Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles from high alert which would decrease risk of accidental firing.

• Provide leadership at the second Humanitarian Impacts conference Feb. 14-15 in Mexico. The United States was unrepresented at the first conference. We must not abdicate responsibility.

• Dramatically reduce spending requests for new missiles, bombers and submarines in next year’s budget.

• Seek an agreement with Russia for reductions in nuclear weapons beyond the New START agreement.

• Propose a UN Security Council resolution banning nuclear weapon tests worldwide.

• Declare a “no first strike” policy.

We know what nuclear weapons can do. It is time to act.

Terrence Clark, MD is a psychiatrist. He is the chairperson of the Western North Carolina Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The new PSR Report “Nuclear Famine: 2 Billion People at Risk?” is available as a PDF from www.psr.org http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20140208/OPINION03/302080004?odyssey=mod%7Cmostcom

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Diplomatic step forward, as Iran opens more nuclear sites for inspection

Iran offers more nuclear sites for inspection, Aljazeera, 9 Feb 14

IAEA says Iran agreed to implement seven specific steps concerning its nuclear programme by May 15. Iran has agreed to an inspection of the Saghand uranium mine, as part of a seven-step plan with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ease international fears about its nuclear programme.

The IAEA also announced on Sunday that Tehran was ready to “provide information and explanations” for experiments in a type of detonator that the agency said could be used to trigger a nuclear explosion, according to Associated Press news agency.

The agency said in a statement that there had been “constructive technical meetings” within a framework that was agreed last November, according to Reuters news agency……

Sunday’s announcement would be a potentially significant step forward, as the investigation into suspected atomic bomb research has been deadlocked for years because of what the West sees as Iran’s stonewalling of the IAEA.

It could also send a positive signal to separate negotiations between Iran and six world powers, due to start on February 18, that are aimed at reaching a broader diplomatic settlement of the decade-old nuclear dispute…….http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/iran-offers-more-nuclear-sites-inspection-20142915171859936.html

February 10, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment