Trump administration and Israel helping Saudi Arabia towards getting nuclear weapons
Concerns over Saudi plan to build nuclear plants after US deal | Al Jazeera English
Trump Admin Complementing Israeli Effort to Give Nuclear Weapons to Saudi Arabia https://www.mintpressnews.com/israel-saudi-arabia-nuclear-weapons-2/256761/
Already seven of the 10 countries in the world with the highest military budgets are in the Middle East. The development of nuclear weapons in Saudi Arabia has many speculating that it could mark the beginning of an even more dangerous era for the war-torn region. March 29th, 2019, By Alan Macleod
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump’s energy secretary, Rick Perry, has secretly approved the sale of nuclear power technology and assistance to Saudi Arabia, Reuters revealed this week. Saudi Arabia is reportedly attempting to construct at least two nuclear power plants as part of its effort to diversify its energy sector and its economy as a whole. As part of this plan it has accepted bids from Russia, South Korea and the U.S. for the lucrative contract. Perry’s approval is known as a Part 810 authorization, which allows energy companies to begin the process of planning and starting preliminary work in anticipation of the closing of a formal deal in the future.
While the Saudi proposals are presented as civilian and do not mention nuclear weaponry, U.S. approval and sale of nuclear technology has been seen by many as a prelude to the development of a Saudi nuclear weapon, which could potentially spark anuclear arms race in the region. Riyadh has long coveted atomic weaponry and has considered developing its own in its quest to maintain military dominance in the region. “If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit” Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi ambassador to the United States, told the Guardian in 2011, noting that the kingdom may feel “compelled” to pursue the option in the future, if tensions with Iran remain high.
In reality, Iran does not have, nor is it trying to acquire, nuclear weapons technology (something quietly conceded by both the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and the CIA), and has lived up to its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, any such move from Saudi Arabia might provoke a response in kind from Iran, its chief adversary in the region and would sound a death knell for the hopes of the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. The United States has long accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons technology and has placed sanctions on the country.
The Israeli connection
An important nuclear player in the region is Israel, one of the few nations in the world that has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Israel is estimated to possess 100 to 200 nuclear weapons and has taken a strongly adversarial position towards Iran. In 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before a joint session of Congress with a cartoon image of a bomb to give a speech denouncing Iran and warning of an Iranian military threat. Israel has been key in pushing the United States into a more confrontational stance on Iran through a continuous public-relations drive to present the country as a menace.
Last year Mint Press News reported that the Israeli government had begun selling Saudi Arabia nuclear weapons secrets. Ami Dor-on, a senior official and nuclear specialist at the organization Israel’s Homeland Security, blew the whistle on the clandestine practice. The Israeli actions were the latest evidence of a growing cooperation between the two nations. However, the prospect of a nuclear Saudi Arabia has many concerned.
The threat of a nuclear Saudi Arabia
For some time, Saudi Arabia has been making its presence felt in the Middle East, leading to the destabilization of the entire region. In 2011 Saudi tanks rolled into Bahrain to crush the Arab Spring uprising in the island country, and it continues to be a primary driver of the war in Yemen, labeled by some as genocide. At least 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of the Saudi bombardment of the country.
Riyadh also continues to fund various jihadist groups in Syria and is one of the largest financiers of terrorism in the world. Before his election, Trump claimed Saudi Arabia was behind the 9/11 attacks and the White House more recently insisted it would hold the kingdom responsible for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. However, as with unabated American support for the Saudi war in Yemen, these proclamations have fallen short.
The Saudi armed services are already a formidable force. Saudi Arabia spends the third most of any country in the world on the military, behind only the U.S. and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The Saudi military’s size is estimated at nearly a quarter-million active personnel, who are equipped with the most advanced weapons available.
Already seven of the 10 countries in the world with the highest military burden are in the Middle East. The development of nuclear weapons in Saudi Arabia has many speculating that it could mark the beginning of an even more dangerous era for the war-torn region.
Top Photo | U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for Israe from Saudi Arabial, the next stop in his international tour, at King Khalid International Airport, Monday, May 22, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Alan MacLeod is an academic and writer for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. His book, Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting was published in April.
Proof now clear with evidence that Canadian government lied about the SNC Lavalin corruption case
Corbella: Wilson-Raybould’s version behind scandal is indisputable and nuclear, Calgary Herald, LICIA CORBELLA March 29, 2019 Was she or wasn’t she (inappropriately pressured?) That is the central question behind the SNC-Lavalin controversy. All other questions are peripheral.
Licia Corbella is a Postmedia opinion columnist. lcorbella@postmedia.com
i.
U.S. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, approved 6 secret nuclear technology companies’ sales to Saudi Arabia
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U.S. approved secret nuclear power work for Saudi Arabia
The Trump administration has quietly pursued a wider deal on sharing U.S. nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia, which aims to build at least two nuclear power plants. Several countries including the United States, South Korea and Russia are in competition for that deal, and the winners are expected to be announced later this year by Saudi Arabia. Perry’s approvals, known as Part 810 authorizations, allow companies to do preliminary work on nuclear power ahead of any deal but not ship equipment that would go into a plant, a source with knowledge of the agreements said on condition of anonymity. The approvals were first reported by the Daily Beast. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in the document that the companies had requested that the Trump administration keep the approvals secret. “In this case, each of the companies which received a specific authorization for (Saudi Arabia) have provided us written request that their authorization be withheld from public release,” the NNSA said in the document. In the past, the Energy Department made previous Part 810 authorizations available for the public to read at its headquarters. …….. Last month, Democratic House members alleged in a report that top White House aides ignored warnings they could be breaking the law as they worked with former U.S. officials in a group called IP3 International to advance a multibillion-dollar plan to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-nuclear/us-approved-secret-nuclear-power-work-for-saudi-arabia-idUSKCN1R82MG |
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US: Republican Senate Rejects Green New Deal
Trump and Putin are part of a dirty everything coup: dirty energy (fossil fuels and nuclear); dirty money; dirty old men. You can’t call yourself an environmentalist and support or condone either one of them, nor their Congressional lackeys.
From VOA News:
“Republican-led US Senate Rejects Green New Deal
March 27, 2019 0:58 AM VOA News
The Republican-led Senate Tuesday night voted against consideration of the Democratically-supported New Green Deal — the outline of an ambitious plan to get the U.S. off climate-changing fossil fuels.
The vote was 57 to zero against the green proposal. Forty-three Democrats only said “present” when their names were called, refusing to participate in what they say was a Republican sham vote and stunt.
The Green New Deal is a non-binding proposal to shift the United States away from oil, natural gas, and coal to renewable energy sources, including wind and solar power.
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Saudi Arabia announces 2.6GW solar project near Mecca — RenewEconomy
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy announces signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Prince of Makkah Region to start developing a 2.6GW solar project. The post Saudi Arabia announces 2.6GW solar project near Mecca appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Saudi Arabia announces 2.6GW solar project near Mecca — RenewEconomy
Unanswered qestions about the decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Plant
With Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Set To Retire, There Are Questions About Decommissioning Trust Fund WBUR,March 27, 2019, Miriam WasserAs Plymouth’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station prepares to shut down for good, questions are emerging about its nuclear decommissioning trust fund. This is money set aside for “decommissioning” the plant — removing the spent fuel and making the land safe for eventual unrestricted use.The trust fund is like a 401(k) for retired nuclear plants; ratepayers contribute money into a conservatively managed account that accrues interest over time. Pilgrim’s fund was worth about $1.05 billion in October 2018. It cannot be accessed until the plant permanently shuts down.
The big questions about the trust fund: What can plant owners spend the money on? And will there be enough to cover the cost of decommissioning?
Surprisingly, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has no specific regulations on how plant owners can spend trust fund money, only guidelines.
Also surprising: A plant owner also needs an exemption from the NRC to use the money for “spent fuel management” and “site restoration” — the bulk of the decommissioning work — but not for paying the host community what essentially amounts to property taxes.
This all came to light at recent public meetings in Plymouth about Pilgrim, which is supposed to shut down by June 1. The state-appointed Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (NDCAP) questioned a representative of Holtec International, the New Jersey-based company that wants to buy Pilgrim from its current owners, Entergy Nuclear Operators, about the company’s 
finances. …….
Everybody who’s a resident of Plymouth, including all of our town meeting members, should understand that the intention of both Entergy and Holtec is to take ratepayer money to pay their taxes,” said NDCAP Chairman Sean Mullin. ……. https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2019/03/27/pilgrim-decommissioning-trust-fund-pilot-taxes-plymouth
Chelsea Manning back in prison after refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigating Wikileaks
On March 8, former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower Chelsea Manning was jailed for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating Wikileaks. Charged with contempt of court, her imprisonment can extend through the term of the grand jury, possibly 18 months. Manning was placed in administrative segregation after she arrived at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. She has been kept in her cell for 22 hours a day, and can’t be out of her cell while any other prisoners are out. She has no access to books or reading material.
On March 6, Manning had appeared before a Federal Grand Jury and refused to answer questions from prosecutors regarding information she had already disclosed during her 2013 court martial. She responded to each question with the following statement: “I object to the question and refuse to answer on the grounds that the question is in violation of my First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment, and other statutory rights.” Manning objects to the secrecy of the grand jury process, and said she already revealed everything she knows during her court martial.
In 2010, Chelsea Manning was arrested and jailed without bond for exposing atrocities committed by the U.S. military. She was later sentenced to 35 years in prison, and released after nearly seven years behind bars when President Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.
Read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=a00c105d3e&e=e8c4dedfda) .
Nuclear Resisters – in Ireland, Belgium, California, and DesMoines on St Patrick’s Day
** Two U.S. Veterans for Peace released after 12 days in Irish prison for peace action at Shannon Airport
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Two members of U.S. Veterans For Peace – Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers – were arrested on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day after cutting the fence and entering the airfield at Shannon Airport in Ireland to inspect and investigate a plane on contract to the U.S. military. They carried a large banner that said “U.S. Veterans Say: Respect Irish Neutrality – U.S. War Machine Out of Shannon Airport”. The men were refused bail by Ennis District Court on March 18 and jailed at the Limerick Prison, charged with trespass and causing criminal damage. At a preliminary hearing on March 28, the men were granted bail and released on March 29 pending trial. Their passports were taken and they were ordered to stay away from airports. They may not be able to leave Ireland before their trial. Shannon Airport is used for refueling troop and equipment transport planes bound for Middle East wars.
Read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=81d2ae10b5&e=e8c4dedfda) .
Members of European Parliament among 16 arrested at Belgian air base where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored
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Three Green Party politicians from Luxembourg, England and France were arrested with four Agir pour la Paix activists on February 20 after climbing a fence to enter a military base in Belgium where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored. After entering the Kleine Brogel base, they blocked the runway used by F-16 fighter jets. The Members of European Parliament – Molly Scott Cato, Tilly Metz and Michele Rivasi – held a banner that read, “Europe Free of Nuclear Weapons”. The group was soon detained and taken into custody. Nine supporters standing outside the base were also arrested, and authorities erased photos and videos from their cameras and phones.
Read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=bac6bd3950&e=e8c4dedfda) .
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Eleven nuclear resisters arrested during blockade of Lockheed Martin, California
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Eleven nuclear resisters with the Pacific Life Community were arrested on March 18 during a blockade of the main gate of Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California. The group held a banner across the road reading, “Lockheed Weapons Terrorize the World”. They carried with them copies of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to inform Lockheed workers and management that when the treaty is ratified, building nuclear weapons and their delivery systems will be in violation of international humanitarian law.
Read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=a7997992be&e=e8c4dedfda) .
Eight arrested during St. Patrick’s Day blockade of Des Moines drone command center
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Veterans for Peace and Catholic Workers from across the Midwest converged on the Iowa Air National Guard Drone Command Center in Des Moines on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. After a rally, protesters walked onto the base. Eight activists blocked the main entrance gate, holding a banner with a message from St. Patrick: “In Christ There is No Killing”. The blockaders were arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail. One of them bailed out, and the other seven spent the night in jail before pleading guilty on Monday morning. They were fined $100-$1000 and then set free.
Read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=5efb6d6624&e=e8c4dedfda) .
The huge financial risks of nuclear incidents
 Why the financial community should work to prevent the market and economic shocks of a nuclear incident, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, By David Epstein, March 29, 2019 The risks of a nuclear incident—including the detonation of a nuclear bomb or dirty bomb, or a cyberattack on a nuclear power plant—have been discussed ad nauseam. Investment icon Warren Buffett and many international security experts have expounded on the significant risks of a nuclear incident in the coming decades. Many experts, in fact, actually consider it no small miracle that there has not been some major nuclear incident (outside of accidental nuclear meltdowns) since World War II. More than a few of them phrase the potential for some such nuclear catastrophe not as a matter of “if” but of “when.”
Although nuclear issues are sometimes covered by the financial and business media, the risks of a nuclear incident are something of an elephant in the room in the financial and business communities. Most participants in the capital markets discuss nuclear risks little day-to-day and do even less to prepare for a potential incident. They need to do more. As stewards of the capital markets and economy, bankers, money managers, regulators, and leaders of the broader business community should pursue a dual track, working to prevent nuclear incidents while simultaneously preparing for the market and economic shocks that will undoubtedly ensue if prevention efforts fail. An age of nuclear threats. The blustery rhetoric of 2017 has eased, but the North Korean nuclear situation is far from resolved. Recent satellite imagery has indicated that North Korea is currently rebuilding at least one of its missile test facilities. At some point, the world could see renewed tension or even a violent showdown over the definition of and nature of any nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, there has been a terrible deterioration in Western relations with Russia. The United States has announced that it will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia in six months if Russia does not stop violating it. Russia, in response, suspended its own obligations under the treaty, contending that the United States is violating the pact. Separately, there are factions within the Trump administration and the Russian government that believe smaller-payload nuclear weapons could be detonated in limited warfare without setting off a much broader conflict. Such thinking is, to understate, dangerous. Relations between India and Pakistan were recently at their tensest levels in decades. …… Beyond these tensions, the danger of a nuclear terror attack somewhere in the world is ever present. Terrorists have tried many times to obtain nuclear bombs and weapons-grade materials and are assuredly going to make such attempts in the future. ……… Many experts believe that miscalculation—a situation in which two state actors blunder into a nuclear exchange—is a likely way for nuclear conflict to begin. ……… The potential economic aftermath of a limited nuclear incident. Investment portfolios, the capital markets, and the economy in general could have been irrelevant had the United States and Soviet Union allowed the Cold War to turn hot, fighting a full-scale nuclear war that involved tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. But that particular risk has receded. There is now a much higher probability that any nuclear incident the world sees will be a limited one that kills less than one percent of the global population. In such a scenario, the broader public clearly is going to care about what is happening to its investment portfolios and companies, and to the overall economy……… Even if a major incident doesn’t occur in the short to intermediate term (i.e. a couple years or less), the likelihood that a nuclear device will at some point be detonated in a major city should not be ignored. If it does happen, anywhere, the global financial repercussions will likely be enormous. The markets, the level of inflation, and the economy could well react violently in the short-term wake of a nuclear explosion……….. It is actually encouraging that there is currently some momentum on Wall Street toward discussion of climate risk, not just for society generally but in terms of companies’ bottom lines and how they might need to mitigate the effects of future climate risks. These conversations are part of so-called sustainable investing or the related ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing and SRI (socially responsible investing) movements. I hope to similarly increase Wall Street’s attention to risks related to nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and disruption. Nuclear risks differ from climate risk in one major way: Climate change’s destructive force likely won’t manifest itself in a singular, instantaneous event. But a single nuclear event could be so severe and so instantaneous that the economic response could be almost immediate and absolutely catastrophic……….. https://thebulletin.org/2019/03/why-the-financial-community-should-work-to-prevent-the-market-and-economic-shocks-of-a-nuclear-incident/ |
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USA Dept of Energy just keeps on giving finds to the nuclear industry
Department of Energy Further Advances Nuclear Energy Technology through Industry Awards of $19 Million,, Office of Nuclear Energy, MARCH 27, 2019 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced funding selectees for multiple domestic advanced nuclear technology projects. Four projects in two states will receive varying amounts for a total of approximately $19 million in funding. The projects are cost-shared and will allow industry-led teams, including participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories, institutions of higher education, and other domestic entities, to advance the state of U.S. commercial nuclear capability.
Nuclear Bailouts – A Radioactive Cost to Taxpayers
https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/nuclear-bailouts-radioactive-cost-taxpayers March 29, 2019 – 10:11 — Allen 
Johnson
On March 22, 2019, the Trump Administration took another step to act on the president’s campaign promise to financially support coal and nuclear power.
The Department of Energy announced that it would be providing a $3.7 billion loan guarantee to the Vogtle Electric Generation Plant located in near Waynesboro Georgia. That brings the total government financing on this project to $12 billion.
President Obama allocated an $8.3 billion loan to complete the Vogtle facility back in 2010 with the goal of constructing of the first new nuclear plant in the U.S. in 30 years. However, since President Obama’s initial loan, cost increases and delays (in part due to a contractor’s bankruptcy) have left the plant unfinished. Yet, taxpayers will now be forced to throw further good taxpayer money after bad.
Our March 22, 2019, blog highlighted how state-level bailout plans for failing nuclear power generation plants are gaining steam in several states, with the administration’s encouragement. The saga at Vogtle Electric underscores the hefty risk taxpayers would incur as bailouts continue across the country. For an administration keen on cutting wasteful government spending, an additional $3.9 billion loan undercuts that commitment and could be the first step toward a larger grid-intervention policy that will cost taxpayers dearly.
A July 19, 2018, report by the Brattle Group estimated it will cost taxpayers $34 billion over two years if every coal and nuclear plant in the country were bailed out as the administration originally proposed. That is a steep price to pay when those funds could be used for more practical measures like strengthening the nation’s energy grid, investing in cyber-protection technologies, or upgrading general infrastructure to bolster the nation’s natural gas supply.
To bailout a power plant that a private corporation has failed to keep within budget and on schedule brings this flawed policy to a new level. The latest announcement from Secretary Perry signals unnecessary political interference in energy markets. A corporation that cannot manage its projects properly doesn’t deserve a federal bailout by taxpayers. Taxpayer dollars are intended to serve the public, not support corporate irresponsibility.
$77 billion for U.S. Strategic Command for its NC3 – part of $494 billion nuclear weapons update
STRATCOM to design blueprint for nuclear command, control and communications, Space News,
The NC3 system includes terrestrial and space-based sensors that monitor the globe for threats, and a communications architecture that connects the nation’s decision makers to nuclear forces under any conditions. It is a classified system designed in the 1960s and 1970s during the height of the Cold War and is projected to stay in service for years to come. The technology is aging, however, and needs to be modernized so it can connect to the next generation of nuclear platforms the Pentagon is developing and expects to start deploying in the mid to late 2020s: the B-21 stealth bomber, the Columbia-class strategic ballistic missile submarine and the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent intercontinental ballistic missiles.
NUCLEAR WARNING: Radioactive contamination from Fukushima drifts to America
RADIOACTIVE contamination from Japan’s Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant has drifted as far as America, experts claim. By EMILY FERGUSON EXPRESS UK, Mar 28, 2019
When a tsunami and 9.0-magnitude quake hit the Japanese nuclear plant’s reactors in March 2011, meltdowns were triggered at three of the plant’s six reactors. This resulted in radiation leaking into the air, soil and ocean – forcing 160,000 residents to flee. Radioactive contamination has reached as far north as a remote Alaskan island, scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Sea Grant programme announced on Wednesday.
Water tests collected from seawater last year near St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Strait revealed a slight increase in levels of radioactive cesium-137 attributable to the Fukushima disaster.
But scientists say the levels need to be more than 3,000-times higher to pose a safety concern……..
n September last year the Japanese government acknowledge for the first that that a work at the nuclear power plant died from radiation exposure.
The worker, a man in his 50s, had spent his career working at nuclear plants around Japan and worked at the Fukushima Daiichi plant at least twice after the meltdowns at the station.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2016, an official said.
The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry had previously ruled exposure to radiation caused the illnesses of four workers at the plant. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1106867/ukushima-disaster-latest-japan-nuclear-radiation-found-america
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