nuclear-news

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

Big savings for Illinois in energy efficiency programs

energy-efficiency

Illinois needs to invest in energy efficiency programs, State Journal Register, Jason Vogelbaugh, Nov 16, 2016 . Concluding a yearlong debate, lawmakers appear ready to consider legislation addressing Illinois energy policy as they return to Springfield this month. To create jobs, save energy and improve air quality, members of the General Assembly must act now to create a stronger energy future for Illinois.

Back in 2007, Illinois leapt ahead of many other states, pioneering energy efficiency legislation that plays a key role to this day in providing Illinois consumers and industrial users with the lowest electricity rates in the Midwest.

But after a decade of inaction, other states have moved ahead of Illinois, seizing private investment and creating jobs that should have come here instead. Last year alone, Illinois lost more than 500 jobs in wind and solar combined, while dozens of other states registered significant gains in these sectors. At the same time, Exelon says that nuclear plants in two communities, the Quad Cities and Clinton, are at risk of closure barring quick action by the Legislature.

To maximize economic and environmental goals, this legislation should not simply address questions about the type of energy we use, it should also address the amount of energy we use by reducing demand through energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency has a proven track record in Illinois, saving money and putting people to work. Since Illinois energy efficiency standards were passed in 2007, customers have saved more than $1 billion on their electric bills. Today 86,000 people statewide work in this field, weatherizing or insulating buildings, designing efficiency measures and upgrading appliances…….

Proponents of the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill (HB 2607/SB 1485) have called for boosting energy efficiency standards statewide and fixing limits that artificially cap investments that utilities can make to save customers money. A bill from ComEd and its parent company Exelon (SB 1585) would expand these programs to save customers in ComEd’s Northern Illinois service area up to $4 billion over the next decade and create thousands of new jobs.

A bill that melds these ideas to expand energy efficiency would be a boon to Illinois customers.

Now that that these parties have put forward a strong energy efficiency initiative, we strongly encourage Ameren Illinois to join them. Central and Southern Illinois customers should not left behind while those in Northern Illinois reap the benefits of lower costs and thousands of new jobs created by expanding energy efficiency.

Programs ensuring that energy efficiency programs are targeted at low-income communities are also under consideration, helping unlock savings for customers who need them most, while accelerating employment opportunities in these areas of Illinois.

Every day wasted by not acting on clean energy is a day Illinois loses out on good-paying jobs. Energy efficiency programs represent the best path to ensure that these jobs — along with big savings — are available to people in every corner of the state. http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20161116/guest-column-illinois-needs-to-invest-in-energy-efficiency-programs

November 18, 2016 Posted by | ENERGY, USA | Leave a comment

Even Isreal and Republicans now urging Trump not to destroy Iran nuclear agreement

Iran deal critics to Trump: Please don’t rip it up, They hated the nuclear agreement. But now they’re urging Trump not to kill it. Politico, By , 11/16/16  
President-elect Donald Trump spent much of his campaign railing against the Iran nuclear deal, even raising the possibility of scrapping the agreement immediately upon taking office.

But many of the deal’s most ardent critics are now saying: “Slow down.”

As the reality of Donald Trump’s White House win sinks in among nuclear deal opponents, some are insisting that pulling out of the agreement is unwise. Instead, they say, Trump should step up enforcement of the deal, look for ways to renegotiate it, and pursue measures to punish Iran for its non-nuclear misbehavior. Such a multi-pronged, get-tough approach may even give Trump cover to fend off any criticism he may get for keeping the deal.

It’s a remarkable moment for the anti-deal crowd, which includes Israel’s prime minister, Saudi princes and Republican lawmakers. Many tried to keep the deal from ever being reached, accused outgoing President Barack Obama of appeasing an enemy and used the agreement to knock Democrats during the 2016 campaign. Now that they have a shot at scuttling the deal they hate so much, they are urging caution.

GOP Sen. Bob Corker, who opposed the deal as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke out against immediately discarding the deal in interviews with cable channels on both Wednesday and Tuesday. The problem is that, as part of the agreement, Iran already has accessed billions of dollars in once-frozen assets, Corker said. Plus, the U.S. is just one of seven countries involved in the deal, in which the United Nations and the European Union also play a role.

“We gave up … all of our leverage on the front end when we gave away the moneys that were stashed in various countries around the world and so now the leverage is with them,” Corker told MSNBC on Tuesday. “I think the beginning point is for us to cause them to strictly adhere [to the deal]. And I think that what we have to remember is, we have to keep the Europeans and others with us in this process.”

The July 2015 nuclear deal is not a treaty. It is a political arrangement put into force largely through presidential executive orders that suspended nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. In exchange for the lifting of such sanctions by the U.S., the EU and the U.N., Iran has dismantled its nuclear infrastructure………

“You don’t want all the blame for the deal falling apart to land on the U.S.,” argued David Ibsen, president of United Against Nuclear Iran, a group that has spent months trying to persuade companies around the world not to invest in Iran despite the lifting of sanctions.

Ibsen and others said Trump can still save face on Iran by making it clear he is serious about enforcing the nuclear deal while also cracking down on Tehran’s nefarious activities…. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/donald-trump-iran-nuclear-deal-231419

November 18, 2016 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Governor Cuomo’s $7.6 billion nuclear bailout excessive. New York would do better with renewable energy

Renewable energy best power source, http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-opinion/article/Letter-Renewable-energy-best-power-source-10619511.php,  Mark A. Dunlea, November 16, 2016 
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to sell his $7.6 billion corporate welfare gift for a few old nuclear power plants as good for the climate (“Nuke subsidy is questioned,” Oct. 28).

Cuomo is going to tax us on our electric bills to benefit one wealthy company — Exelon Corp. The present owners want to shut down these Vietnam-era clunkers as too old and expensive.

Nuclear power is a dirty and dangerous way to produce electricity, especially compared to solar and wind. Renewable energy also is far more cost-effective in creating jobs.

The claim that nukes are carbon-free ignores the life cycle of the plants. The mining and processing of the radioactive uranium fuel has a major carbon footprint. The toxic waste must be safely stored for tens of thousands of years — far longer that human civilization has existed.

When the New York Independent System Operator looked at the planned deactivation of one of these nuclear plants, it found the power wasn’t needed. What is needed is a clean renewable energy future as quickly as possible to give us a chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The governor’s $7.6 billion nuke bailout is much greater than the funding provided for renewable energy. While Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard includes off-shore wind, he has not yet committed to purchasing electricity from offshore wind even though the best site in the United States is off of Long Island. In effect, that means Cuomo hasn’t made a long-term commitment to offshore wind.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency would mean cheaper energy, a healthier environment and more jobs.

November 18, 2016 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA’s Environmental Protection Agency to test areas in Bridgeton for radioactive contamination.

EPA to test areas in Bridgeton for radioactive contamination St Louis Public Radio, 17 Nov 16  The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to test areas in Bridgeton for radioactive contamination.

Federal officials are responding to allegations made by residents near the West Lake Landfill. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday against against landfill owner Republic Services, Michael and Robbin Dailey claimed contamination from the Superfund site was found in their home.

 According to a letter from an EPA lawyer, the agency plans to sample dust and soils at the home and other areas in Bridgeton.

EPA officials have previously said there is no evidence that radioactive material has migrated away from the site.

Original story from Nov. 15 —Residents in Bridgeton have filed a lawsuit Tuesday afternoon in the St. Louis County Circuit Court, alleging that radioactive waste was found at a home near the West Lake Landfill.

The lawsuit names nine companies, including landfill owner Republic Services, the Cotter Corporation and Mallinckrodt Inc. as defendants. The plaintiffs are Michael and Robbin Dailey, who live in the Spanish Village subdivision. According to the lawsuit, sampling conducted at their property last summer found “high levels of uranium decay products, including thorium, lead, radon” in the kitchen, basement and yard. Exposure to such substances can increase the risk to cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

It also claims that dust inside their home contained levels of the radioactive element Thorium-230 that were at least 200 times higher than background levels.

The Daileys have lived in Spanish Village since 1999. Robbin Dailey has long been concerned that exposure to nuclear waste from the Superfund site has adversely affected their health. ……

The West Lake Landfill, a federally listed Superfund site, contains World War II-era nuclear waste that was illegally dumped there in the 1970s. It sits approximately 600 feet from an underground smoldering fire under the Bridgeton Landfill……

Area activists have long pressed for a voluntary buyout for residents living near the landfill. A news release from the group Just Moms STL has called on the EPA and Gov. Jay Nixon to relocate families immediately. ……http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/epa-test-areas-bridgeton-radioactive-contamination#stream/0

November 18, 2016 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

The $trillion costs of not acting on climate change

graph-Climate-Action_vs_InaThe cost of climate change: World’s economy will lose $12tn unless greenhouse gases are tackled Damage caused by rising seas, increased storms and other climate-related problems pose ‘a very serious challenge to poverty eradication efforts in the developing world’ The Independent, Ian Johnston Environment Correspondent  Thursday 17 November 2016 Preventing global warming from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius will mean the world’s economy is at least 10 per cent bigger by 2050 than it would be if action is not taken to reduce greenhouse gases, according to a new report.

The planet’s average temperature has already risen about 1C in about 130 years, with scientists admitting that restricting this to just 0.5C more will be difficult.

 However the report – released by the United Nations Development Programme and a group of 43 developing countries which are highly vulnerable to climate change – argued doing so would be worth it.

As a result, the world’s gross domestic product would fall by $21 trillion by 2050, compared to $33 trillion under a ‘business-as-usual’ approach that allows global warming of 2.5 degrees. This saving of $12 trillion (about £9.6 trillion) represents about 10 per cent of global GDP.

It would also “substantially” reduce the risk of the flooding of large parts of the world’s lowest lying land, “with the Greenland ice sheet facing irreversible decline most likely around 1.6C of warming”.All the ice on Greenland would take some time to melt but would raise sea levels by seven metres once completely gone.

Keeping global warming to 1.5 per cent would mean at least 10 per cent of the coral reefs on the planet would survive; any higher and the “virtual disappearance” of this key marine ecosystem would begin.

The report, called Pursuing the 1.5C Limit, said such changes would dramatically affect the world’s economy…..http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/global-warming-climate-change-world-economy-gdp-smaller-12-trillion-a7421106.html

 

November 18, 2016 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

    Next Entries »