Texas Governor Greg Abbott opposes 2 plans for nuclear waste dumping
|
Texas Governor Urges Trump To Oppose Nuclear Waste Plans, Texas Standard, 5 Oct 20, “It’s an unusual thing for environmentalists and oil companies to be on the same page, and we are on this issue,” says an Austin-based environmental advocate.
From Courthouse News Service: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has come out against two rival plans to ship highly radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear power plants to sites on the Texas-New Mexico border, saying either plan would be unsafe and would threaten the region’s sprawling Permian Basin oilfield……. The nuclear waste plans have for years drawn the ire of advocacy groups who worry about a range of possible environmental and safety threats, but oil and gas interests have become increasingly involved in the fight as well. A coalition of oil companies and West Texas landowners called Protect the Basin was launched in 2018 to oppose the plans and has more recently stepped up its outreach. One of the coalition members, a ranching and oil company tied to one of the nation’s richest families, has been involved in fighting the issue all the way up to the D.C. Circuit. “It’s an unusual thing for environmentalists and oil companies to be on the same page, and we are on this issue,” said Karen Hadden, an environmental advocate who leads the Austin-based Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition. In his letter Wednesday, Abbott urged Trump to also oppose the waste plans, echoing a call from Democratic New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who wrote to the president over the summer. For years, two companies have been competing for a federal license that would allow them to take in shipments of “high-level” radioactive waste from all over the country, mostly in the form of used-up nuclear fuel from power plants. Congress and the federal government have been wrangling for decades over how and where to dispose of the nation’s growing stockpile of high-level waste, but a clear path forward has never emerged. The Trump administration once flirted with the idea of reviving a long-stalled plan to dispose of the waste at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, but the president seemed to backtrack on that idea in February. On the New Mexico side, Holtec International wants to build a new facility to house the waste, while a company called Interim Storage Partners plans to bring the waste to an existing facility on the Texas side that has stored less-radioactive types of waste for years. Federal environmental reviews have given both plans the initial thumbs-up, though neither has received a final license to move forward. Neither company immediately responded to a request for comment on Abbott’s letter. The White House also did not immediately respond. In the letter, Abbott suggested that neither of the proposed sites would be a suitable choice for storing the waste. “The proposed sites in Texas and New Mexico do not provide the deep geologic isolation required for permanent storage in order to minimize the risks of accidents, terrorism, or sabotage, which could disrupt the country’s energy supply with catastrophic effects on the American economy,” he said. Abbott has previously voiced displeasure at the general idea of bringing more radioactive types of nuclear waste to Texas, though he hadn’t until Wednesday specifically opposed the two high-level waste plans. Last year, the governor wrote on Twitter that he wouldn’t let Texas become “the radioactive waste dumping ground of America.” Abbott’s letter comes as the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission considers public comments on its initial reviews of both the Texas and New Mexico plans, and as opponents continue to fight the issue in federal appeals courts. There is no set timeline for when the commission might make a final decision on either plan. “We will continue to fight and be very vocal,” said Hadden, the environmental advocate. “It’s great that the governor came out against the projects…but that doesn’t mean that this is over.” https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-governor-urges-trump-to-oppose-nuclear-waste-plans/ |
|
Nuclear power to cut greenhouse gas emissions? a costly waste of time
SCIENTISTS: NUCLEAR ENERGY IS A WASTE OF TIME https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-nuclear-energy-waste-time 5 Oct 20,
Status Quo
It turns out that nuclear energy, which advocates say is a more feasible means of transitioning away from fossil fuels than solar or wind, might not actually be up to the task.
That’s according to research published Monday in the journal Nature Energy, which shows that countries that adopted nuclear energy didn’t actually reduce their carbon emissions a significant amount — but that countries with renewable energy investments did. It’s a compelling case that clean energy initiatives ought to focus on solar and wind, and perhaps skip nuclear as a stepping stone on the road to decarbonization.
Town Ain’t Big Enough
Looking at global data from the years 1990-2014, the University of Sussex science policy researchers also found that nuclear and renewable energy programs don’t play well together, in part since large, centralized nuclear plants require different infrastructure from more distributed solar fields, for example. Since one had a much bigger impact on emissions than the other, the team recommends being strategic.
“This paper exposes the irrationality of arguing for nuclear investment based on a ‘do everything’ argument,” study coauthor Andy Stirling said in a press release.
Least Resistance
With only so much time and money available, study coauthor Benjamin Sovacool argues that spending money on a new nuclear program might effectively block subsequent renewables programs from working and, as a result, continue to emit too much carbon into the air.
“Countries planning large-scale investments in new nuclear power are risking suppression of greater climate benefits from alternative renewable energy investments,” Sovacool said in the release.
India test-fires new version of nuclear capable Shaurya missile
India test-fires new version of nuclear capable Shaurya missile, DECCAN CHRONICLE. | AKSHAY KUMAR SAHOO
Oct 4, 2020, Bhubaneswar: India on Saturday successfully test-fired indigenously developed hypersonic nuclear-capable Shaurya missile, an advanced version of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 (B-05).
The test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from a defence facility off Odisha coast, said reports…..
Ohio nuclear reactors expect tax-payer subsidy, they’re making a profit anyway !
Nuclear plants at center of Ohio subsidy fight operating above wholesale prices, S and P Global,Darren Sweeney, Gaurang Dholakia 5 Oct 20,
As the owner of two Ohio nuclear plants is pressed to open its books on the profitability of the units, the timing of subsidies at the center of a federal criminal investigation may be a larger issue.
An S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis shows Energy Harbor Corp.’s 908-MW Davis-Besse and 1,268-MW Perry nuclear plants, both in northern Ohio, have operating costs higher than wholesale electricity prices. A mid-2019 analysis showed the plants with operating costs running below wholesale electricity prices.
The most recent analysis shows wholesale prices in the PJM Interconnection rising through the end of 2020 and into 2021, which is when Ohio’s clean air credit for nuclear plants kicks in.
House Bill 6, which establishes a $9/MWh credit for clean air resources, provides $150 million in annual financial support for the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear units beginning Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2027…………
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has reportedly told state lawmakers to bring Energy Harbor and FirstEnergy Corp. officials before legislative committees to disclose whether the nuclear plants need the subsidies.
In addition, Yost on Sept. 23 filed a civil lawsuit to halt the collection of ratepayer-backed subsidies for the state’s nuclear plants.
The lawsuit and legislative hearings come after federal prosecutors in July filed bribery charges against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associates. They have been indicted and accused of using “more than $59 million” through a “slush fund” to steer H.B. 6 through the Ohio Legislature. An affidavit filed by an FBI special agent implies that FirstEnergy and affiliated entities, though not mentioned by name, wired funds through a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group called Generation Now to support H.B. 6 and combat a statewide referendum to repeal the law.
Former FirstEnergy subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. emerged from bankruptcy in late February as Energy Harbor. https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/nuclear-plants-at-center-of-ohio-subsidy-fight-operating-above-wholesale-prices-60569193
Scientists find that renewable energy cuts emissions far better than nuclear power does
Countries that backed renewables over nuclear power have cut more CO2, New Scientist . By Adam Vaughan 5 Oct 20 Nations that embraced renewable energy have significantly cut their carbon emissions, but those pursuing nuclear power failed to do so, researchers have found.
Nuclear and renewables are seen as two key ways for governments to decarbonise, but the question of whether one is more effective for tackling climate change hasn’t been fully addressed. With several countries on the brink of deciding whether to back new nuclear plants to meet carbon targets, the answer matters.
To find out, Benjamin Sovacool at the University of Sussex, UK, and his colleagues looked ….. (subscribers only) https://www.newscientist.com/article/2256123-countries-that-backed-renewables-over-nuclear-power-have-cut-more-co2/
New Zealand installs its biggest solar farm, floating on a wastewater pond — RenewEconomy
A 1MW solar plant installed on a wastewater plant in Auckland marks New Zealand’s first ever floating solar array and first megawatt-scale solar project. The post New Zealand installs its biggest solar farm, floating on a wastewater pond appeared first on RenewEconomy.
New Zealand installs its biggest solar farm, floating on a wastewater pond — RenewEconomy
Week to 5 October – climate/nuclear news
As happens all too often, news media is fixated on you know who. Conflicting stories – Donald Trump ‘incapacitated’ by COVID-19 drug side effects, law professor claims. The White House’s medical team said Donald Trump “has continued to improve” since Saturday and could be released as early as Monday. Darned if I know what to think, and how this might affect the U.S. election.
Fierce fighting continues in the Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict . (The media doesn’t mention the Azerbaijan threat to bomb Armenia’s nuclear power plant. But perhaps it’s Azerbaiji fear of radioactive pollution that prevents this)
A bit of good news – Good living standards for the world can be attained with reduced energy use
‘We have a chance’: David Attenborough says $500 billion needed to save earth. A Positive Narrative for the Anthropocene . Extinction crisis: ′The window of opportunity is closing′. Debunking myths about saving the natural world.
The climate crisis is heating up nights faster than days in many parts of the world. Climate change responsible for record sea temperature levels, says study Coastal flooding will disproportionately impact 31 million people globally
The safety of the world requires a nuclear-free planet.
Julian Assange could face life in America’s most dreaded ‘Supermax’ prison.
From 38 million English-language articles, study shows Trump as world’s biggest driver of coronavirus misinformation. Nuclear power and the mainstream media – a convenient advertising platform?
Lunar base woud have to be underground, due to the danger of high radiation on the moon. On the moon ”normal” humans (i.e males) will get 200 Times the Radiation Experienced on Earth, (what about females?).
‘Reverse course’ towards full nuclear disarmament – UN chief.
Nuclear power is now the most expensive form of generation, except for gas peaking plants’. Nano diamond batteries from nuclear waste? Impractical and not likely to ever happen.
Exposed! Extinction Rebellion fact checks pro-nuclear front. Refuting the nuclear lobby‘s nonsense on risks of ionising radiation. It’s important to bust the pro-nuclear spin.
Ionising radiation – the tragedy of the ”radium girls”.
ARCTIC. Accelerating rate of ice sheet loss from Greenland.
USA.
- Trump with Covid-19 – a potential power vacuum. E-6B Mercury nuclear war command posts in flight on each coast. As Donald Trump gets coronavirus, USA’s ”doomsday” planes take flight.
- False claims of hacked voter information likely intended to cast doubt on legitimacy of U.S. elections. America’s nuclear waste crisis doesn’t get a mention in Democrats’ or Republicans’ platform. Joe Biden on climate change. U.S. election: Progressive groups are mobilizing to de-escalate far right violence at the polls. The road to fascism. Trump is quite open about his plans to derail the election. Donald Trump Junior calls for volunteers to join an ”army” and ”secure” the 2020 election. The American election- what will the nuclear order look like after this?
- ”Peaceful” nuclear power for weaponry in space. USA provocation of China, Iran, Russia. Heightened risk of nuclear confrontation between the US and China. USA threatens putting more weapons on bombers and submarines if Russia doesn’t agree to USA conditions for arms talks. The Trump administration’s stances on nuclear negotiations don’t even make sense as a starting point. ”The Bomb’ Presents A ‘Secret History’ Of Nuclear War Planning In America. At Greenfield, Sunderland standouts, residents protest nuclear weapons.
- Do Ohio nuclear stations really need a bailout ? Where’s the evidence?. Greater Cleveland Partnership calls for repeal of Ohio nuclear bailout law. Ohio’s nuclear bailout law caused dissent and trouble for renewables industries.
- One more Utah city withdraws from NuScam small nuclear reactor project.
- USA Dept of Energy unsafely disposing of useless MOX plutonium weapons grade nuclear fuel? State of New Mexico strngly objects to licensing og Holtec’s nuclear waste dump project.
JAPAN. Offshore wind energy could replace more than half of the nation’s generation capacity by 2050. TEPCO’s fitness to operate nuke reactors still open to question. Court rules Fukushima nuclear disaster preventable, increases liabilities. Japanese Government Is Ordered to Pay Damages Over Fukushima Disaster. TEPCO: 11m seawall completed at Fukushima plant. In Rural Fukushima, ‘The Border Between Monkeys And Humans Has Blurred’. Tokyo Olympic torch relay to start on March 25, 2021 in Fukushima. Fukushima and freedom of expression. Japan Struggles to Secure Radioactive Nuclear Waste Dump Sites.
UK. UK to return high-level nuclear waste to Germany. Plans for Bradwell B nuclear power station could collapse. UK govt to give EDF a blank cheque for building Sizewell C nuclear power plant. Call to British govt to not allow restart of Hinkley Point B nuclear reactors, with cracks in their cores.
EUROPE. Severe floods in Italy and France.
RUSSIA. Daunting task of removal of Russia’s spent nuclear fuel rods from Andreeva Bay.
INDIA. Tensions between 3 nuclear-armed powers are rising toward the boiling point .
ARMENIA. Heavy military clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces.
IRAQ. Congenital abnormalities. Thorium and uranium, in infants and children living near an active U.S. military base in Iraq.
GERMANY. Germany launches new search for permanent nuclear waste disposal site. 90 areas in Germany identified as potentially suitable for nuclear waste burial.
FRANCE. Flamanville nuclear reactor – patched up, but – dangerous and illegal , say groups. Two new appeals against the Flamanville EPR. In September, French nuclear production reached its second lowest level on record.
IRAN. UN nuclear watchdog inspects second Iran site.
INDONESIA. Call to Indonesia to ratify UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.
BRAZIL. Brazil has 1.2 million renewable energy jobs. — GO ECO GREEN21
PHILIPPINES. Cost and safety dangers should rule out nuclear power for the Philippines.
AUSTRALIA. China’s zero emissions target is contrasted with Australia’s inaction on global heating.
Nuclear power and the mainstream media – a convenient advertising platform?
Google headlines on ”nuclear” today, Noel Wauchope 5 October 20, Google headlines give you some idea on what the media are saying about nuclear issues. If you look up Google News right now ( 6 pm AEST 5 October 20) – you get a total of 93 headlines.
I went through these 93 articles, and found that 54 of them were clearly nuclear promotion articles. 19 were anti nuclear, or critical of nuclear technology, and 20 were neutral – in the sense that they reported events and facts, without opinion or comment.
The media reflects society, in that they separate issues about nuclear weapons, from issues about nuclear power. It looks as if nuclear weapons get a bad press. That’s OK.
But when it comes to nuclear power, it’s a different story: by and large, it looks as if the mainstream media is happy to function pretty much as an advertising platform for the nuclear industry.
In the 54 articles approving of, or supporting nuclear power , these were the themes:
The dominant theme in 20 articles was ‘New nuclear”- especially small nuclear reactors, depicted as essential to combat climate change -clean, sustainable, future depends on them, should be subsidised. Sometimes portrayed as in tandem with renewable energy, or transitional to renewable energy, sometimes subtly or clearly disparaging renewable energy.
Another theme was nuclear fusion, with 9 enthusiastic articles.
6 countries were described in positive terms as going ahead with nuclear power. Other pro nuclear articles claimed – that it’s necessary for the economy and jobs, that ionising radiation is not really dangerous. Claim about ”diamond batteries” from nuclear wastes. Positive stories about fixing corrosion in nuclear reactors, and about robots solving nuclear waste problems. One article enthused about the benefits of nuclear power for women.There were a couple of articles positive about nuclear weapons – had a style of boasting about their development for the countries concerned .
For anti-nuclear articles, well, themes of nuclear disarmament were prominent. Four articles were about costs, 2 articles about Fukushima, 2 criticising small nuclear reactors, Articles warned on Saudi Arabia getting nuclear power, on China’s development. One article refuted the ”diamond battery”plan for nuclear wastes.
The safety of the world requires a nuclear-free planet
power: A gargantuan threat, Independent Australia By Karl Grossman | 4 October 2020, At the start of 2020, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock to 100 seconds to midnight — the closest to midnight, doomsday, since the clock started in 1947.
There are two gargantuan threats — the climate crisis and nuclear weapons/nuclear power.
The only realistic way to secure a future for the world without nuclear war is for the entire planet to become a nuclear-free zone — no nuclear weapons, no nuclear power. A nuclear-free Earth.
How did India get an atomic bomb in 1974? Canada supplied a reactor and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission provided heavy water for it under the U.S. so-called “Atoms for Peace” program. From the reactor, India got the plutonium for its first nuclear weapon.
Any nation with a nuclear facility can use plutonium produced in it to construct nuclear arms.
Nuclear technology continues to spread around the world — a recent headline: ‘Trump Administration Spearheads International Push for Nuclear Power.’ Russia, despite Chernobyl, is pushing hard at selling nuclear plants.
Can the atomic genie be put back in the bottle? Anything people have done other people can undo. And the prospect of massive loss of life from nuclear destruction is the best of reasons.
There is a precedent: the outlawing of poison gas after World War I when its terrible impacts were tragically demonstrated, killing 90,000. The Geneva Protocol of 1925 and the Chemicals Weapons Convention of 1933 outlawed chemical warfare and to a large degree the prohibition has held.
There are major regions of the Earth – all of Africa and South America, the South Pacific and others – that are Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones based on the United Nations provision for such zones.
But if we are truly to have a world free of the horrific threat of nuclear arms, the goal needs to be more. A world free of the other side of the nuclear coin – nuclear power –is also necessary.
Radical? Yes, but consider the even more radical alternative: a world where many nations will be able to have nuclear weapons because they have nuclear technology. And the world continuing to try using carrots and sticks to try to stop nuclear proliferation — juggling on the road to nuclear catastrophe…………
It took decades of struggle to make the place where I live – Long Island, New York – nuclear-free. The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was stopped and the six to ten more the Long Island Lighting Company wanted to build, prevented. The two reactors at Brookhaven National Laboratory leaking radioactive tritium into its underground water table have been shut down.
On this 50th anniversary of Earth Day, let us strive for the goals of defeating global warming and having all the Earth nuclear-free. These are existential threats that must be overcome.
A version of this article was given as a presentation at the Long Island Earth Day 2020 Program on 21 September.
Karl Grossman is a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York. He is also an award-winning investigative reporter. Click here to go to Karl’s website. https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/nuclear-power-a-gargantuan-threat,14372
Debunking myths about saving the natural world
 An Explorer Debunks 5 Myths About Saving The Earth, National Geographic ecologist Enric Sala explains why protecting the planet is not a selfless act. Huffington Post , By Amanda Schupak 4 Oct 2o, ”…………. Sala picked apart five common misapprehensions about conservation for HuffPost. The following are his responses to each myth, edited for length and clarity. Myth No. 1: Conservation is an altruistic, bleeding-heart pursuit.Sala says: It’s a myth that conserving our life-support system is a luxury. Come on. Everybody’s so worried about the financial markets and the economy, but there is no economy without people. And there are no people without the natural world, because everything we need to survive — the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, the clean water we drink — it’s produced by the work of other species. We cannot replicate any of the goods and services that nature gives us for free. Myth No. 2: Conservation costs too much money.Sala says: Actually, the lack of conservation costs more money. One example: the COVID-19 pandemic. Every single person on the planet has been affected by this. What is the cost of the pandemic? The International Monetary Fund estimated $9 trillion. Other estimates run as high as $15.8 trillion. How much would it have cost to prevent this pandemic? Well, let’s look at the source of the epidemic: wildlife trade. In previous pandemics, it was also wildlife trade — moving species around the world like commodities — but also the destruction of their natural habitat. HIV, Ebola, SARS and many other infectious diseases have come from animals. So, how much would it have cost to prevent the destruction of these places? We released an economic report this year that estimated that, on average, protecting what the science is telling us is the very minimum, which is 30% of the planet (land and sea), would cost $140 billion per year. Is this a lot of money? Well, let’s compare it with a couple of things. One is how much money governments spend today to subsidize activities that actually destroy nature, like burning fossil fuels and industrial agriculture: hundreds of billions to trillions of dollars per year. So what it would cost to protect a third of our life-support system is only a fraction of what the governments of the world spend now to destroy it. This $140 billion is less than what the world spends today on video games. So to people who say, “Well, can we afford it?” I would say that is the most disingenuous argument in the world. The question should be, “How can we afford not to?” Myth No. 3: Ending deforestation is at odds with meeting humanity’s needs.Sala says: We have let ourselves be hijacked by industries that monopolize the use of our land for just a single commodity, at the expense of all the other benefits that society gets if that land is not degraded. ……….. Myth No. 4: We cannot protect more of the ocean because we need to fish more.Sala says: Today only 7% of the ocean is protected, and science is telling us that we need at least 30%. So why don’t we have more of the ocean protected? Because there is a conflict with fishing. We hear from the industrial fishing lobby that we need to fish more because we need to feed more people, but now we’re going to do it sustainably. Well, we reached peak fishing in the mid-’90s ― that was the maximum catch of wild fish and it’s been declining since. Eighty-two percent of fish stocks are overfished, meaning we’re taking them out of water faster than they can reproduce. However, if we get at least 30% of the ocean protected [from fishing], the ocean actually would give us a net gain in fishing catch. In these areas where you don’t kill the fish, they take a longer time to die. They grow larger, they have more sex, they produce many more babies. So this helps to replenish the areas around these reserves. We protect the right 30% of the ocean, [then] actually fishing less, with less effort, we will catch more fish. So what’s not to like here? Myth No. 5: Humans are separate from nature.Sala says: We need to shift from our view of humans as masters of the universe and that everything is centered around us. We are one species living among millions of species of plants and animals and a trillion different types of microbes. And even though, ironically, the fate of all these species is in our hands, without them there will be no us, either. …… https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/explorer-debunks-myths-saving-earth_n_5f74de08c5b66377b27c92cc?ri18n=true |
|
Coastal flooding will disproportionately impact 31 million people globally
Coastal flooding will disproportionately impact 31 million people globally
Indiana University researchers analyzed these geographic regions, which include cities like New Orleans, Bangkok, and Shanghai, using a new global dataset to determine how many people live on river deltas, how many are vulnerable to a 100-year storm surge event, and the ability of the deltas to naturally mitigate impacts of climate change.
Climate change responsible for record sea temperature levels, says study
Climate change responsible for record sea temperature levels, says study
Global warming is driving an unprecedented rise in sea temperatures including in the Mediterranean, according to a major new report published by the peer-reviewed Journal of Operational Oceanography
Severe floods in Italy and France
A storm which moved overnight across southeastern France, and then northern Italy caused major flooding on both sides of the border, damaging homes, destroying bridges, blocking roads and isolating communities………
Unrelenting rainfall overnight hit levels not seen since 1958 in northern Italy’s Piedmont region, where 630mm (24.8 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours, according to the Italian civil protection agency.
Two brothers were swept away by floodwaters while they were tending animals near the French border. One brother managed to grab onto a tree and was saved, while authorities were searching on the French side for the other brother.
Flooding in France
On the other side of the border, in southeastern France, almost a year’s average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours in the mountainous area surrounding the city of Nice.
Local firefighters said at least eight people were missing, including two firefighters whose vehicle was swept away by water when the road collapsed during a rescue operation. Several dozen people were evacuated from their homes overnight, firefighters said.
The storm, dubbed Alex, ravaged several villages around the city of Nice on the French Riviera. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi called it the most severe flooding disaster in the area for more than a century after flying over the worst-hit area by helicopter.
“The roads and about 100 houses were swept away or partially destroyed,” he told French news channel BFM……. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/3/one-killed-25-missing-in-severe-floods-in-italy-and-france
State of New Mexico strngly objects to licensing og Holtec’s nuclear waste dump project
|
New Mexico objects to license for nuclear fuel storage plan, KRQE 23 Sept 20,
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The state of New Mexico is strongly objecting to federal nuclear regulators’ preliminary recommendation that a license be granted to build a multibillion-dollar storage facility for spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants around the U.S. State officials, in a letter submitted Tuesday to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the site is geologically unsuitable and technical analysis has been inadequate so far. They also say regulators have failed to consider environmental justice concerns and have therefore fallen short of requirements spelled out by federal environmental laws. The letter also reiterates the state’s concerns that the storage facility would become a permanent dumping ground for the spent fuel, as the federal government has no permanent plan for dealing with the waste that has been piling up at nuclear power plants. The officials pointed to a legacy of contamination in New Mexico that includes uranium mining and milling and decades of nuclear research and bomb-making at national laboratories, saying minority and low-income populations already have suffered disproportionate health and environmental effects as a result. Given the concerns, state officials wrote that a draft environmental review of the project “fails to demonstrate that residents of New Mexico, including vulnerable populations, will be adequately protected from exposure to the radioactive and toxic contaminants that could be released to air and water by the proposed action.” A group of Democratic state lawmakers also raised concerns, sending separate comments to the commission that pointed to resolutions passed by a number of cities and counties in New Mexico and Texas that are opposed to building the facility…… The deadline to comment on draft environmental review was Tuesday. A study on the project’s impact on human safety is pending and will require another round of public comment. New Jersey-based Holtec is seeking a 40-year license to build what it has described as a state-of-the-art complex near Carlsbad. The first phase calls for storing up to 8,680 metric tons of uranium, which would be packed into 500 canisters. Future expansion could make room for as many as 10,000 canisters of spent nuclear fuel…….. ew Mexico officials blasted numerous elements of the proposal in the comments submitted this week. Among other concerns, the state said that without robust surety and warrant proposals, decommissioning and reclamation of the facility could end up being the state’s responsibility if Holtec should experience financial challenges or unplanned setbacks. Another company also is seeking a license for a similar facility that would be located across the state line in West Texas…… https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-government/new-mexico-objects-to-license-for-nuclear-fuel-storage-plan/ |
|
Ohio’s nuclear bailout law caused dissent and trouble for renewables industries
Revival of renewables sought in debate over nuclear bailout, imaohio.com, By Jim Provance – The (Toledo) Blade, 4 Oct 20, COLUMBUS — EDP Renewables North America, the world’s fourth-largest wind developer, invested more than $700 million into projects in Paulding and Hardin counties when Ohio first rolled out the red carpet.
But more recent signals from the state — including last year’s passage of the $1 billion bailout of two nuclear plants — have convinced the company to look elsewhere for its future investments.
“HB 6 created a false dichotomy — that Ohio must sacrifice a clean-energy future at the expense of its energy past,” Erin Bowser, EDP’s director of project management, on Wednesday told a House of Representatives select committee now considering repealing House Bill 6.
“But rather than pit technologies against each other, we encourage the state to leverage the strengths of each and maximize the contributions that can come from various energy sectors,” she said.
Most of the effects of the law at the heart of a $60 million Statehouse bribery scandal are set to take effect Jan. 1. The law generally creates or expands consumer-fueled subsidies for legacy nuclear and coal-fired power plants in Ohio and offsets those costs by rolling back and eliminating existing surcharges designed to create markets for renewable sources like wind and solar and reduce energy consumption overall.
House Bill 6 — and stricter property-line setback requirements separately enacted several years ago — have rolled up that red carpet first extended in 2008, Bowser said.
The House Select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight, chaired by state Rep. Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, whose district includes Putnam County, is considering two bills — separately introduced by Republicans and Democrats — that would outright repeal House Bill 6.
But the committee is also considering whether to replace the law, which has many moving parts that go well beyond the $1 billion, seven-year bailout of the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant near Oak Harbor and its sister Perry plant east of Cleveland.
The law also contains expanded customer subsidies through 2030 for two 1950s-era, coal-fired power plants in southern Ohio and across the border in Indiana that are owned by a consortium of utilities. American Electric Power holds the biggest share.
It also holds $20 million a year for five specific utility-scale solar projects in Hardin County and southern Ohio
The latter provision has caused a split within the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio, an 18-member trade association for developers, manufacturers, and industry leaders.
“Some of our members benefited from the solar language in current law while others took a loss with the reduction in (the renewable power mandates),” said Jason Rafield, the group’s executive director. “Our members would support a return to the previous (renewable standards) because it’s good for the industry.”
But the projects that have received or been promised a piece of the $20 million solar pie under House Bill 6 don’t want to see that disappear.
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, and four of his allies face federal racketeering charges for allegedly using a non-profit corporation to launder some $60 million in “dark money” from FirstEnergy Corp. and related entities.
The money was used to help elect state representatives loyal to Householder, who then helped to elect him speaker in 2019. The new speaker then used his power to push through the law that would provide $150 million a year to support the two nuclear plants owned by a former FirstEnergy subsidiary now called Energy Harbor.
Once it became law, the funding scheme allegedly continued to fight successfully an effort to ask voters to repeal the law on this fall’s ballot. All of the defendants have been accused of diverting some of the money for their personal use……… https://www.limaohio.com/news/430030/revival-of-renewables-sought-in-debate-over-nuclear-bailout
1 This Month
of the week – Shut Down Drone Warfare!
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
Petition to revoke the licensing of the Near Surface Nuclear Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River. https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7247
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- April 2026 (57)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (268)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (376)
- September 2025 (257)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
- June 2025 (348)
- May 2025 (261)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
nuclear-news 