2017 August 09 « nuclear-news

Canadian protest against plan for radioactive waste dump close to Ottawa River

Daily Observer 7th Aug 2017, On Sunday afternoon, a flotilla of more than 30 watercraft – from kayaks
to flat bottomed tour boats – carrying 150 people assembled offshore of
Chalk River Laboratories to deliver a message to Canadian Nuclear
Laboratories: a resounding no to the proposed near surface disposal
facility.

The facility is meant to dispose of up to one million cubic
metres of low level radioactive material at a site located about a
kilometre from the Ottawa River.

The flotilla, organized by the Old Fort William Cottagers’ Association, started up the Ottawa River from Fort
William and collected local residents, operating their own watercraft,
along the route before stopping at the mid-point of the river, across from
the CNL operated site. Once assembled, the protesters, many carrying
homemade signs, listened to some words of encouragement from the flotilla’s
organizers and a special guest, the leader of Quebec’s Green Party.
http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2017/08/07/protest-takes-to-the-river

August 9, 2017 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Ultra-efficient ‘next generation’ offshore wind turbines for Scotland .

Business Green 7th Aug 2017, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark has given the green light for
ScottishPower Renewables to develop a 1.2GW offshore wind project 46 miles
off the coast of East Anglia that will use ultra-efficient ‘next
generation’ turbines.

If successful in future Contracts for Difference auctions, ScottishPower Renewables said the project would begin
construction around 2022, with the wind farm up and running by 2025. The
auction is widely tipped to deliver a host of highly competitive projects
that are expected to comfortably exceed the government’s target of offshore
wind farms delivering power at less than £100/MWh.

Some industry insiders have said rapid improvements in turbine technology and project management
should enable low bids that significantly undercut the level of support
offered to new nuclear projects. https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3015222/green-light-for-next-generation-12gw-east-anglia-offshore-wind-farm

August 9, 2017 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable | Leave a comment

Trump’s “NewSpeak” on Climate Change

US Government department tells staff to not use term ‘climate change, A PUBLIC sector department has told employees to cease using the term ‘climate change’ and opt for other more benign words instead. Benedict Brook@BenedictBrook, news.com.au , 8 Aug 17,

In a directive reminiscent of George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, where people were only allowed to communicate in an ever diminishing language called “newspeak”, employees of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been told to ditch the word “climate change”.

They should use “weather extreme” instead.

The clampdown comes as President Donald Trump further distances the US from global moves to limit global warming. Last week, the US formally announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In a series of emails received by the Guardian, the director of the USDA’s soil health department, Bianca Moebius-Clune, listed terms that should be avoided and the alternatives to be used instead.

As well as giving climate change the flick, staff were told to avoid the term “climate change adaptation” and instead opt for “resilience to weather extremes”.

When talking about the cause of climate change, sorry “weather extremes”, saying people should “reduce greenhouse gases” is a big no-no. Rather, staff should talk in favour of “build soil organic matter, increase nutrient use efficiency”.

The email was dated 16 February but has only just come to light.

However, far from being a politically motivated reaction against the science of climate change, the instructions to staff may instead be a way for the Government department to continue its work without ruffling feathers in a White House averse to discussing global warming.

In the missive, Ms Moebius-Clune said that, “we won’t change the modelling, just how we talk about it — there are a lot of benefits to putting carbon back in the soil, climate mitigation is just one of them”.

The Guardian report added that public relations staff from the USDA had advised departments should “tamp down on discretionary messaging right now”.

The USDA denied it was limited discussion of climate change.

In a statement, the department said, “this guidance, similar to procedures issued by previous administrations, was misinterpreted by some to cover data and scientific publications.

“This was never the case and USDA interim procedures will allow complete, objective information for the new policy staff reviewing policy decisions.”http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/us-government-department-tells-staff-to-not-use-term-climate-change/news-story/27acd486093634ad3db49ab5ebcb0b9d

August 9, 2017 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment