2021 March 11 « nuclear-news

Problem in accepting higher level radioactive wastes in Texas

Waste Control Specialists won’t move high level nuclear waste to Permian Basin without state’s approval https://www.cbs7.com/2021/03/10/waste-control-specialists-wont-move-high-level-nuclear-waste-to-permian-basin-without-states-approval/

In a meeting on environmental regulation yesterday, Waste Control Specialists said they would not be moving high-level nuclear waste into the Permian Basin without the state’s approval. By Kate Porter Mar. 10, 2021 ANDREWS, Texas (KOSA) – In a meeting on environmental regulation yesterday, Waste Control Specialists said they would not be moving high-level nuclear waste into the Permian Basin without the state’s approval.

Texas lawmakers, such as Representative Brooks Landgraf, have presented legislation that would shut the door on WCS ever bringing high-level nuclear waste to Andrews county.

Representative Landgraf tells CBS 7 that the nuclear waste facility here in Andrews houses rubber gloves and hospital gowns.

Landgraf says WCS proposed a plan to bring higher-level nuclear waste like rods used at nuclear testing sites.

That proposal spurred representative Landgraf into action – he presented a bill to block all high-level waste being stored or disposed of here in Texas. I reached out to WCS several times today for comment but have not heard back as of right now.

This thinking isn’t isolated to the Republican party.

Midland County Democrat, David Rosen, agrees that high-level nuclear waste does not have a place in the Permian Basin.

The bottom line for Andrews residents: WCS will still store nuclear waste There, but it’s up in the air about the level of radioactivity.

March 11, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

France has consistently underestimated the devastating impact of its nuclear tests in French Polynesia

Guardian 9th March 2021, France has consistently underestimated the devastating impact of its nuclear tests in French Polynesia in the 1960s and 70s, according to
groundbreaking new research that could allow more than 100,000 people to
claim compensation. France conducted 193 nuclear tests from 1966 to 1996 at
Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in French Polynesia, including 41 atmospheric
tests until 1974 that exposed the local population, site workers and French
soldiers to high levels of radiation. By crunching the data from 2,000
pages of recently declassified French defence ministry documents, analysing
maps, photos and other records, and carrying out dozens of interviews in
France and French Polynesia, researchers have meticulously reconstructed
three key nuclear tests and their fallout.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/09/france-has-underestimated-impact-of-nuclear-tests-in-french-polynesia-research-finds

March 11, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, history, indigenous issues, OCEANIA | Leave a comment

Part of Tomioka, 6 miles from Fukushima, is still a no-go zone

Daily Mail 10th March 2021, Part of the town of Tomioka, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, is still a no-go zone 10 years after
a meltdown sent radioactive fallout over the area. The no-go zone is about
12% of the town, but was home to about one-third of Tomioka´s population
of 16,000. It remains closed after the rest of the town in northeastern
Japan was reopened in 2017. Only those with official permission from the
town office can enter the area for a daytime visit.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-9345355/AP-PHOTOS-No-zone-near-nuclear-plant-hosted-picnics.html

March 11, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima continuing | Leave a comment

Nuclear power faces a wobbly future

Scientific American 9th March 2021,Nuclear power faces a wobbly future 10 years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple reactor meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant
in Japan. But the industry’s unstable footing has less to do with the
Fukushima accident—and more to do with how a natural gas glut and the
rise of renewable power have transformed the global energy landscape.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nuclear-power-looks-to-regain-its-footing-10-years-after-fukushima/

March 11, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

A dangerous and toxic culture of bullying at Britain’s Sellafield nuclear site

BBC 10th March 2021, A “toxic culture” of bullying and harassment at Sellafield could let
serious safety concerns go unreported, whistleblowers have told the BBC. In
a leaked letter, the nuclear site’s group for ethnic minority staff
described “shocking stories” of racial abuse.

Other workers said sexist and homophobic bullying had become routine. Sellafield said it was committed to eradicating unacceptable behaviour from the workplace.

A BBC investigation found: Multiple claims of serious bullying and sexual harassment among its
10,000-strong workforce. Allegations of racial abuse outlined in a leaked
letter to senior management. Concerns about the working culture at the site
and how it could impact nuclear safety.

“When I started working there, it quickly became apparent there was rampant bullying in the organisation,” said Alison McDermott, a senior consultant hired in 2017 to work on
Sellafield’s equality strategy. She said staff interviews and focus groups
revealed serious allegations of sexual harassment at the sprawling site on
the Cumbrian coast.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56011909

March 11, 2021 Posted by Christina Macpherson | psychology - mental health, safety, UK | Leave a comment

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