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Delay in city resolutions on opposition to planned expansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Resolutions opposing LANL plans postponed until next month, Santa  Fe New Mexican, By Tripp Stelnicki | The New Mexican,  22 Aug 17, A pair of proposed city resolutions opposing planned expansion of plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the nuclear weapons agenda of President Donald Trump’s administration ran into hurdles at Monday’s city Finance Committee.

Both resolutions, sponsored or co-sponsored by Councilor Renee Villarreal, were postponed until a committee meeting next month.

One proposal would ask the New Mexico Environment Department to rescind a revised consent order that in 2016 established new milestones for cleanup of contaminated waste from the Cold War-era nuclear research and development at the lab; asks that planned production of plutonium pits — the triggers for a nuclear reaction in weapons — be halted until cleanup concerns are resolved; and asks that the U.S. Department of Energy improve monitoring of surface and groundwater.

 The other proposal states opposition to the Trump administration’s nuclear weapons policies and establishes support for a bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., that would restrict the president’s ability to conduct a first-use nuclear strike.

Councilors Mike Harris and Peter Ives were hesitant to act on the resolutions, saying proposals need to be fleshed out……  Villarreal told the councilors she would welcome amendments and said that the city, as a member of the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities, could have an influence on discussions surrounding pit production and cleanup at the lab.

 “There are issues with the increase of plutonium pit production and the legacy of nuclear waste issues,” Villarreal said.

“The intention is to really look at how this is affecting our communities, including the safety of our drinking water.”

Contact Tripp Stelnicki at tstelnicki@sfnewmexican.com   http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/resolutions-opposing-lanl-plans-postponed-until-next-month/article_bf237802-b3fd-5ad2-8405-06b88a026f66.html

August 23, 2017 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Ottawa’s Environment Minister wants info on impact of nuclear-waste dump on Indigenous community 

Ottawa wants info on impact of nuclear-waste bunker on Indigenous community AUGUST 22, 2017, Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press , TORONTO –– Further information on how a proposed nuclear-waste bunker near Lake Huron might affect area First Nations peoples is needed before the government decides whether to approve the project, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Monday.

In a letter to Ontario Power Generation, McKenna said the updated information will be taken into account as she mulls the fate of the much-delayed mega-project.

“I request that Ontario Power Generation update its cumulative-effects analysis of the potential cumulative effects of the project on physical and cultural heritage,” McKenna said in her letter. “The update must include a clear description of the potential cumulative effects of the project on Saugeen Ojibway Nation’s cultural heritage, including a description of the potential effects of the project on the nation’s spiritual and cultural connection to the land.”

A month ago, the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, whose traditional territory includes the proposed disposal site, wrote McKenna to say the project should not proceed without its support. It called for government assurance that the nation’s views would be taken into consideration before making any approval decision.

“Members of the SON communities are becoming better acquainted with nuclear-waste issues in order to be able to make a well-informed decision on whether they can support the DGR Project,” said the letter signed by Greg Nadjiwon, chief of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, and Chief Lester Anoquot of Saugeen First Nation.

“Our view is that the outcome of this community process and, ultimately, the decision of the communities will be necessary information for you to have prior to your decision respecting the environmental assessment.”……

In June, federal environmental authorities said OPG had provided further information on alternative sites for burying tonnes of radioactive waste, and they would begin drafting a report to McKenna, who has final say over the repository and what conditions might be attached to any approval. It was not immediately clear how her latest request for information would affect the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s plans to complete the draft this summer.

“The government of Canada believes Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision making in matters that affect their rights, and that Indigenous governments, laws and jurisdictions must be respected,” McKenna said in her letter to OPG.

“I will make a decision based on science and traditional knowledge … including the views of Indigenous Peoples, the public and other stakeholders.”…… http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ottawa-wants-info-on-impact-of-nuclear-waste-bunker-on-indigenous-community-1.3554918

August 23, 2017 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, wastes | Leave a comment

Hanford nuclear site – a rich source of comedy for John Oliver

Hanford becomes comical punching bag for HBO’s John Oliver, The Spokesman REview, Aug. 21, 2017,  Thomas Clouse   tomc@spokesman.com  Just days after Energy Secretary Rick Perry made his first trip to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, HBO’s John Oliver used the polluted nuclear site as a satirical punching bag for the nation’s decades of failure to find a permanent storage solution for the millions of gallons of nuclear waste.In the Sunday episode of “Last week Tonight with John Oliver,” the comic pointed out that the U.S. government has failed to create a permanent repository for nuclear waste since the National Academy of Sciences suggested the idea in 1957.

Instead, Oliver pointed out that most nuclear plants around the country continue to store spent fuel rods even though those facilities were not designed to compile the nuclear waste.

“The most frightening example of this is the Hanford site in Washington state which created two-thirds of the plutonium in the U.S. arsenal and is currently storing 56 million gallons of highly toxic and nuclear waste underground,” Oliver said.

He then ripped a local news broadcast that called Hanford the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere.

“Oh it’s right here. We did it guys. Washington state,” Oliver said. “Home to the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere. Thousands of acres of apple orchards and several of Ted Bundy’s grisliest murders. We did it right here.”

Between the gibes, Oliver mentioned the continued health risks at Hanford, including a recent plutonium leak, and criticized officials for the design of a tunnel that collapsed on May 9. Some of the wooden timbers gave way in the tunnel, which exposed highly contaminated machinery…..

We’ve been saying that we were going to fix this for decades now and we seem to be no closer to a solution,” Oliver said. “We are dancing with trouble here. So if anyone says the government can just continue to wait, they are much like a house without a toilet, absolutely full of …”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.  http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/aug/21/hanford-becomes-comical-punching-bag-for-hbos-oliv/

August 23, 2017 Posted by | culture and arts, USA | Leave a comment

2 companies vie for USA’s missile money

Competition to replace US nuclear missiles is down to 2 companies, but uncertainties remain https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/22/competition-to-replace-us-nuclear-missiles-is-down-to-2-companies.html

  • The competition for replacing America’s aging nuclear-tipped Minuteman IIIintercontinental ballistic missiles is now down to two large defense companies.
  • Yet uncertainties remain about the program with estimates showing it could cost upwards of $140 billion, more than the Air Force’s original estimate of $62 billion.
  • Some critics suggest the U.S. could still have a powerful nuclear deterrent capability and save money by delaying the next-generation Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent ICBM weapon system.
Jeff Daniels | 

August 23, 2017 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

California power grid survives solar eclipse unscathed 

SF Gate, By David R. Baker, August 21, 2017 
FOLSOM, Sacramento County — Monday’s partial eclipse statewide took a sharp, sudden bite out of solar power production in California. And the electricity grid survived just fine.

Shortly after 9 a.m., the state’s fast-multiplying solar farms were plunged into semi-darkness, just when they would normally be revving up.

At the control center for California’s electricity grid in Folsom, display screens showed solar generation plummeting as the eclipse neared its midmorning peak. Electricity from hydroelectric dams and natural gas power plants surged to pick up the slack.

Then, as the sunlight returned, solar power rebounded even more quickly than it dropped, while hydropower tailed off.

“If there’s any doubt about how planning pays off, we demonstrated it this morning,” said Eric Schmitt, vice president of operations for the California Independent System Operator. “We didn’t have any major challenges on the system, even minor challenges. We’re very pleased with how smoothly it went.”

 Monday’s event turned into a test for how well an electricity system increasingly reliant on renewable resources can handle an eclipse. California uses far more solar electricity than any other state. Enough large solar facilities have been installed so far to produce — at maximum — more than 10,000 megawatts of electricity, the output of 10 nuclear reactors. Each megawatt supplies 760 typical homes……..http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-power-grid-survives-solar-eclipse-11948034.php

August 23, 2017 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Ohio Governor Not Backing Bailout for State’s Nuclear Plants

Ohio’s governor says he can’t see supporting a proposed bailout of the state’s two nuclear plants.
Aug. 21, 2017 By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press, OREGON, Ohio (AP) — Gov. John Kasich said Monday that he can’t see supporting a proposed financial rescue that FirstEnergy Corp. maintains is needed to keep alive the state’s two aging nuclear plants.

He said it’s up to the utility to figure out how to keep its nuclear plants operating without a state-approved bailout.

Akron-based FirstEnergy wants Ohio lawmakers to sign off on an electricity rate increase for its customers to save the Davis-Besse and Perry plants, which sit along Lake Erie and produce 14 percent of the state’s electricity……https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2017-08-21/ohio-governor-not-backing-bailout-for-states-nuclear-plants

August 23, 2017 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Santee Cooper: Offers to Revive Summer Nuclear Expansion Not Viable

 http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2017/08/santee-cooper-offers-to-revive-summer-nuclear-expansion-not-viable.html, Aug 22, 2017   Editors of Power Engineering

Two companies have offered to buy into the currently-abandoned Summer nuclear expansion, though Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter said neither are viable.

Carter said neither of the parties that made an offer has the assets to undertake the massive and expensive project. In fact, one company is “somehow trying to get into the nuclear business in this country so it can actually build power plants in the Mideast,” The Post and Courierreported. He did not identify the companies.

Santee Cooper has set a September 15 deadline for potential buyers.

The offers came after Carter sent a letter seeking buyers for its 45 percent share in the plant to dozens of power companies earlier this month. SCANA Corp. owns the remaining 55 percent.

Estimates from both companies indicated the final cost of the two new nuclear reactors would be $21 billion, or nearly double the original estimate.

Additionally, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has initiated his own search for a buyer, and has reached out to officials at Duke Energy, Dominion Energy and Southern Power.

August 23, 2017 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

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