nuclear-news

Opinion:

¶ “Clean energy provides jobs boom in state” • Clean Energy Economy Minnesota released an analysis showing that Minnesota gained 2892 clean energy jobs over the last year, a growth rate almost four times faster than the rest of the economy. The clean energy sector now employs over 57,000 people across the state. [St. Cloud Times]

Solar array in Ramsey, Minnesota seeded with a pollinator
habitat by Prairie Restorations, Inc (Photo: Courtesy of PRI)

¶ “Balance of power: Shift toward renewable energy appears to be picking up steam” • Japan introduced a feed-in tariff system after meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Now, despite the power of the political and economic “nuclear village,” people in government and industry are increasingly embracing renewable energy. [The Japan Times]

Science and Technology:

¶ Scientists constantly research materials that might catalyze a revolution in renewable energy harvesting and…

Nuclear regulators who are failing to do their jobs need to take notice of Japan: https://nuclear-news.net/2017/10/10/fukushima-district-court-finds-national-government-and-tepco-responsible Just because in most countries the nuclear industry has limitations on civil liability for nuclear disasters doesn’t mean that there won’t be criminal liability, especially for the government regulators who fail to do their jobs. Plenty of evidence for criminal liability based on willful criminal negligence can be found in our blog, alone. And, for lack of time, our blog hasn’t even touched on so many of their crimes. In particular, US NRC Commissioners Svinicki and Burns can expect to be held criminally liable for blocking NRC staff from keeping the public safer (e.g. Blocking (repeated) staff attempts to address the open phase problems, which afflict all but one US nuclear power station, in a more timely manner. The problem has been admittedly known since 2012.) Some staff may be held criminally negligent on…

Musk gives a technical briefing on his latest big idea

I recently looked at the hyperloop system proposed by SpaceX founder Elon Musk and highlighted a number of problems with the proposed system, notably its likely very high costs, the technical challenges involved in building it, the barf enduing ride and the safety issues. Recently vlogger Thunderf00t (aka Phil Mason) paid the hyperloop prototype track a visit and I thought it would be interesting to review some of his findings.

Firstly he noted that several of the brackets on the hyperloop system are absent and levelling rubber pads have been used here and there to prop up the brackets that remain. He also got out a thermal imaging camera and noted a temperature variation between the top and bottom of the tube. I suspect these two factors are related. Basically the tube is buckling due to the differential…

Science and Technology:

¶ Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder recruited 20 sedentary volunteers to ride electric bicycles to work at least three times a week for a month. The riders were free to choose the level of assist they preferred, but each trip had to take at least 40 minutes. After one month all of the riders showed measurable health benefits. [CleanTechnica]

Researchers demonstrating pedal electric bicycle in Boulder
(Photo: Sydney Chinowsky | University of Colorado Boulder)

World:

¶ In March of this year, Paris suffered through a period of intense smog, during which the air over the city was dirtier than the air over Beijing. The city has since made a series of moves to reduce pollution from vehicles. Now it is considering a plan that seeks to remove all gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles from its streets by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The state-owned Petroleum…

At least oil spills can be seen, unlike the legal and illegal lethal discharges from nuclear power stations and the entire nuclear fuel chain. http://www.makeradiationvisible.org

BP Oil Spill 2010: Dr. Brian Stacy, NOAA veterinarian, prepares to clean an oiled Kemp’s Ridley turtle. (Photo: NOAA and Georgia Dept of Natural Resources)

“BSEE Responds to Oil Release in the Gulf of Mexico
10/13/2017
NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is responding to a report from LLOG Exploration Offshore, LLC of an oil release from subsea infrastructure in 4,463 feet water depth in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 40 miles southeast of Venice, La.

The offshore oil and gas operator, LLOG Exploration Offshore, LLC reported to BSEE that production from the field that flows through the subsea infrastructure is shut-in at this time. The release of oil has ceased. A sheen was observed and reported through…