Anti-Nuclear Activist Goes on Trial Amid the Fallout of Oppenheimer’s LegacyKansas City’s Ties To The Bomb
Flatland, Clarence Dennis, cdennis@flatlandkc.org 10 Nov 23
At time zero the first thing I noticed was that although facing away from ground zero, it felt like someone had slapped my face: it was of course the heat radiation from a most successful test.”Hugh Richards, Ph.D., “Through Los Alamos, 1945: Memoirs of a Nuclear Physicist”
Last month, Ann Suellentrop, 71, stood before a judge in the 16th Judicial Court of Missouri.
A retired maternal-child nurse and lifelong activist, Suellentrop was one of three people arrested for trespassing during a Memorial Day protest organized by PeaceWorks KC at the National Security Campus of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in south Kansas City earlier this year.
The only property line crosser who would plead not guilty, Suellentrop represented herself in court on Oct. 25. She argued that intentionally crossing the alleged boundary line by 10 feet or less, approximately three-fourths of a mile from the NNSA facility, was not trespass, but a peaceful, “limited protest” on a matter of principle and should not result in fines or jail time.
Facing a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both, the defendant argued her action was an expression of her First Amendment rights and stressed that advanced notice and planning of the annual protest was communicated to police and NNSA campus officials.
In front of more than a dozen supporters sporting bold black stickers that read “NO NUKES Y’ALL,” Suellentrop raised points to Judge Anne LaBella about her own character, the nature of her peaceful protest and the threats nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism pose to human health and society.
Facing a slew of objections based on relevance and witness testimony from the NNSA campus security guard who was on duty during the protest and warned the protesters to step off the property, all signs pointed to a guilty verdict.
Moments after all arguments were heard and the city rested its case, the prosecutor asked the judge to amend the charge to include NNSA campus administrator Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies.
Judge LaBella said the request came too late and she would not amend the charge. She then promptly announced her ruling on Suellentrop’s case.
Not guilty.
Modern-Day Peaceniks
A member of PeaceWorks KC and the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, Suellentrop has been arrested twice before in protests at the NNSA campus. The facility manufactures 80% of the non-nuclear components that go into the national nuclear stockpile……..
“Our ultimate goal is to convert the plant into a peaceful production of hopefully something that can fight the environmental crisis that’s going on. We need those brains, those skills and that money to convert it into something we really need,” Suellentrop said ahead of the trial.
Immediately following the verdict, Suellentrop and her peacenik partners picked up where her testimony left off. The group of mostly older adults gathered outside of the Jackson County Courthouse, taking turns passing a child’s toy microphone, celebrating the win and speaking about the threat nuclear weapons present to anyone who would listen.
“Because there is a group of old people, it doesn’t mean we are wrong. Historically, civil disobedience has played a big role in changing things,” said PeaceWorks KC board chair Chris Mann.
Mann, 73, participated in her first protest in college – a silent vigil during the war in Vietnam.
“Our group is becoming increasingly younger… a tradition of civil disobedience is only one of the measures,” Mann said, speaking to the makeup of PeaceWorks KC. “We think that younger people have a hard way to go now.”…………………………………….
The experience, plus an admiration for Australian physician, author and anti-nuclear advocate Helen Caldicot, fueled a lifetime of activism for Suellentrop, particularly in anti-nuclear efforts.
As for what keeps her civil disobedience going into her 70s, Suellentrop points to her faith.
“Like any person, I have fears and worries and self-doubts and what have you, but I just go to God and prayer,” Suellentrop said. “I get an overwhelming feeling of, ‘I got this.’ God is good and he’s opposing this – and this is an unspeakable evil.”…………………………………………………………………………………………………… more https://flatlandkc.org/news-issues/anti-nuclear-activist-goes-on-trial-amid-the-fallout-of-oppenheimers-legacy/
Together Against Sizewell C wait on outcome of battle with government over new nuclear power plant
https://tasizewellc.org.uk/press-release-tascs-high-court-appeal-1st-2nd-november/
On 1st and 2nd November, the Court of Appeal heard Together Against Sizewell C’s challenge to the development consent for the Sizewell C nuclear power station. The issues of the case are whether the Secretary of State should have assessed the environmental impacts of the power station together with its potable water supply as a single project or, failing that, whether he should have assessed the cumulative effects of the two projects.
TASC Chair, Jenny Kirtley said “As one of the Justices pointed out during one and a half days of legal arguments, in a worse case scenario Kwasi Kwarteng’s decision to grant Sizewell C development consent without identifying or assessing its essential potable water supply could result in a brand new £30 billion+ ‘gleaming power station’ on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast which may never be able to operate. How can granting Sizewell C consent, on the hope that a sustainable and environmentally acceptable supply will someday be found, be lawful?”
Paul Collins, Chair of Stop Sizewell C said “Given the uncertainties that remain around Sizewell C, not only its water but other aspects of the project too, it’s nothing short of scandalous that it has already sucked up over a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money. Potential investors should stay well clear and the government should cut its losses and not waste any more of our hard-earned cash on this risky, damaging project.”
Rachel Fulcher from Suffolk Coastal Friends of the Earth said Rachel Fulcher of Suffolk Coastal Friends of the Earth said: “Our members are heart-broken that Sizewell C Co. is continuing to clear hundreds of acres of the site and its environs, thereby destroying irreplaceable wildlife habitats, even before the outcome of the legal challenge is known.” #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
Court of Appeal: Together Against Sizewell v Sec of State for Energy Security
It could be some time before we know the outcome of the one and a half day
hearing on Sizewell C. Together Against Sizewell C’s KC, David Wolfe, gave
a strong performance and we recommend watching his summing up, 25 minutes
before the end – accessed through the latest of the three videos of this
case. The lead Justice concluded by saying “you’ve given us a lot to think
about”.
Court of Appeal 3rd Nov 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odppDe_GO3Y
Sizewell C campaigners wait for ruling on latest court fight over nuclear plant
Campaigners opposed to the building of a new nuclear power plant near
Sizewell in Suffolk are waiting to see if they have won the latest stage of
a legal battle with the Government.
Protest group Together Against Sizewell
C objects to a decision, made in 2022 by then business secretary Kwasi
Kwarteng, to give the development the green light. The group lost a High
Court fight in June and has now asked three Court of Appeal judges to
consider its concerns. Sir Keith Lindblom, Lady Justice Andrews and Lord
Justice Lewis on Thursday finished overseeing a Court of Appeal hearing in
London and said they would deliver a ruling on a date to be fixed.
Lawyers representing the group told judges the central issue relates to whether a
“development consent order” was lawful “without any assessment” of
the environmental impacts of an “essential” fresh water supply. A
spokesman for Together Against Sizewell C said in a statement outside
court: “It is clear that the business secretary needed to guarantee how a
permanent water supply of two million litres per day for Sizewell C would
be obtained, before giving consent.
Belfast Telegraph 2nd Nov 2023
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/uk-world/sizewell-c-campaigners-wait-for-ruling-on-latest-court-fight-over-nuclear-plant/a781818743.html #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
Sizewell C nuclear plant project disputed at Court of Appeal
Yahoo! Lifestyle, Ben Parker and Brian Farmer, – BBC News and PA Media, Thu, 2 November 2023
A group campaigning against the construction of a £20bn nuclear power station in Suffolk has started to have its case heard in the Court of Appeal.
Together Against Sizewell C has argued the government failed to assess the environmental impact of the project when granting planning permission.
The two-day hearing will focus on how a permanent water supply to the site will be provided.
In June, a High Court judge said the planning permission was lawful.
But Together Against Sizewell C successfully overturned the decision in September, triggering the latest hearing at the Court of Appeal in London.
Lady Justice Andrews and Lord Justice Lewis are presiding over the case, but a result is not expected for some time.
Barrister David Wolfe KC, leading Together Against Sizewell C’s legal team, told the judges the central issue related to whether a “development consent order” was lawful “without any assessment” of the environmental impacts of an “essential” fresh water supply.
A Together Against Sizewell C spokesman said in a statement outside court: “It is clear the business secretary needed to guarantee how a permanent water supply of two million litres per day for Sizewell C would be obtained, before giving consent.
However, the environmental impact of such a plant was not included in the planning application for the nuclear power plant, and therefore was neither assessed nor taken into account.”…………………………….. https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/sizewell-c-nuclear-plant-project-170938633.html #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
Court of Appeal hearing into Sizewell C set to begin
The decision to approve the new Sizewell C nuclear power station will come
under scrutiny tomorrow (Wednesday) when a legal hearing begins at the
Court of Appeal.
Campaigners opposed to the dual reactor development are
appealing against a High Court decision to refuse a judicial review into
then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s decision to give the go-ahead for
the power station in July 2022.
The appeal relates to the issue of whether
a desalination plant will be needed to guarantee a permanent water supply
for the power station. Campaigners Together Against Sizewell C (TASC)
argued that the environmental impact of the plant was not included in the
planning application for the power station and therefore was neither
assessed nor taken into account when approval was given. However, Court of
Appeal Judge Lord Justice Coulson decided that TASC’s arguments for the
desalination plant should be looked at again.
East Anglian Daily Times 31st Oct 2023
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23890892.court-appeal-hearing-sizewell-c-set-begin/
Court of Appeal hearings on Sizewell C will start at 2pm today (1st
November) and continue on Thursday at 10am. You can follow the proceedings
live on You Tube.
Court of Appeal 1st Nov 2023
https://www.youtube.com/@courtofappeal-civildivisio3851/streams
#nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, to investigate allegations that NuScale may have issued misleading business information
Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an
investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of
NuScale Power Corporation resulting from allegations that NuScale may have
issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.
Rosen Law Firm (accessed) 29th Oct 2023 https://rosenlegal.com/case/nuscale-power-corporation/
Lawyers circle nuclear startup NuScale over claims a 24-reactor deal will fail
Short seller brands blockchain firm Standard Power a “fake customer”
October 27, 2023 By Peter Judge https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/lawyers-circle-nuclear-startup-nuscale-over-claims-a-24-reactor-deal-will-fail/
Nuclear power startup NuScale is facing investigation by lawyers after a short-seller’s report alleged that it has sold 24 reactors to a “fake customer.”
NuScale announced a deal earlier this month to supply blockchain firm Standard Power with 1,848MW of power provided by 24 of NuScale’s small modular reactors (SMRs), to power two US data center sites.
Last week its share price dropped around 10 percent after a scathing report from short seller Iceberg Research claimed that the deal, estimated at $37 billion, had “zero chance of being executed.” The shares bounced back around six percent earlier this week, when NuScale responded, saying the Iceberg claims were “riddled with speculative statements with no basis in fact.”
NuScale has contracted to provide Standard Power with 1,848MW of power, but Iceberg predicts Standard Power will be unable to support the contract. Among other things, Iceberg points out that Standard Power’s CEO Maxim Serezhin has an outstanding $54k tax warrant in New York, rendering his assets vulnerable to seizure, adding that a former Standard Power leader, Adam Swickle, was found guilty of securities fraud in 2003.
The Standard Power deal is massively bigger than NuScale’s only other contract, with the government-backed Carbon Free Power Project (“CFPP”) to provide Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (“UAMPS”) with 462MW, and is also bigger than Standard Power’s other major deal, a 200MW contract for nuclear power at Shippingport Pennsylvania.
Iceberg says NuScale has “around 15 months before its cash runs out,” and says the UAMPS contract is reaching a crucial stage, claiming: “NuScale has been given till around January 2024 to raise project commitments to 80 percent or 370 MWe.”
Iceberg also cast doubt on NuScale’s commercial partner Entra1, saying it was set up in 2021 to finance NuScale reactors, has only one employee, and was “very unlikely to be able to finance even a portion of this contract.”
NuScale said it “will not engage in a point-by-point rebuttal of every falsehood,” but issued statements on several points, saying that NuScale has a “solid balance sheet,” and that US Department of Energy (DOE) support for the CFPP “has advanced our SMR technology to the point of commercialization.”
DOE support has been a key factor in NuScale’s development, helping it bring nuclear power down to a commercial price point, however, the price of nuclear electricity from its projected plans has been creeping up, from an initial estimate of $55 per MWh to around $90 per MWh, making it less competitive.
NuScale said it “will not engage in a point-by-point rebuttal of every falsehood,” but issued statements on several points, saying that NuScale has a “solid balance sheet,” and that US Department of Energy (DOE) support for the CFPP “has advanced our SMR technology to the point of commercialization.”
Iceberg suggests that it may not be able to fully deliver without further support from the US government, which it says will “dilute” shareholder value. NuScale went public with a SPAC in May 2022.
Lawyers investigated NuScale on behalf of investors over “possible violations of federal securities laws,” include Howard G. Smith, which issued a press release this week, and Rosen Law Firm, which is planning a class action lawsuit. These releases are classed as “attorney advertising.”
Overall shares in NuScale have fallen around 75 percent since their peak in late 2022, from around $14 to around $3.5.
Rights Lawyers Release Legal Analysis of U.S. Complicity in Israel’s Unfolding Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza
By Center for Constitutional Rights
October 18, 2023, Geneva, Switzerland – On the heels of President Biden’s visit to Israel and as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza passes 3,300, expert attorneys from the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights released a legal and factual analysis of Israel’s unfolding crime of genocide against the Palestinian people and U.S. complicity in this grave international law violation. The emergency briefing paper comes soon after the U.S veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning both Hamas’s attack on Israel and all violence against civilians and calling for humanitarian access to Gaza. It also comes as President Biden seeks to secure additional, unconditional military support for Israel.
According to the emergency briefing paper, there is a credible case, based on powerful evidence, that Israel is attempting to commit or committing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory, and specifically against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. The United States has a duty under Article 1 of the 1948 Genocide Convention to prevent acts of genocide, an obligation that has been domestically implemented through U.S. criminal law. The legal and factual analysis provided by the Center for Constitutional Rights describes how, through its ongoing unconditional military, diplomatic, and political support to Israel, the United States is not only failing to prevent genocide, but is complicit. Under international law, the United States – and responsible U.S. citizens, including and up to the President – can be held accountable for their role in furthering genocide.
According to the International Court of Justice, “a State’s obligation to prevent [genocide], and the corresponding duty to act, arise at the instant that the State learns of, or should normally have learned of, the existence of a serious risk that genocide will be committed.” States are required to take all measures “reasonably available to them” to prevent this risk from that moment onward, “if the State has available to it means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide, or reasonably suspected of harbouring specific intent.”
As scholars and observers increasingly warn of genocide, and as protestors rise up against Israel’s gravest atrocities against Palestinians since 1948, the Center for Consitutional Rights has been asked by Palestinian partners on the ground to offer this analysis as we strengthen our collective efforts towards accountability and freedom. The emergency briefing paper calls on the United States to take all necessary measures to secure a ceasefire, pressure Israel to end all military operations, end all U.S. military aid to Israel, and ensure the provision to Palestinians in Gaza of urgently needed basic necessities for life. The experts also stress in the briefing paper the urgent need to address the root causes of the current catastrophe, especially the 16-year closure of Gaza, the 56-year illegal occupation, and the apartheid regime across all of historic Palestine.
The emergency briefing paper will be submitted to national and international stakeholders, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. It will also be sent to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and other U.S. officials and relevant agencies. Read the emergency legal briefing paper here. For more information, see our resource page. #USA #Israel #Palestine
US Government & NewsGuard Sued by Consortium News
October 23, 2023 https://consortiumnews.com/2023/10/23/us-government-newsguard-sued-by-consortium-news/
The suit accuses NewsGuard of defaming Consortium News and the U.S. government of acting in concert with NewsGuard to violate the First Amendment.
US & NewsGuard Sued for 1st Amendment Violations, Defamation in NY Federal Court
Court Papers: Media ‘Watchdog’ Joined With US Intelligence to Suppress Foreign Policy Dissent
By Consortium News
The United States government and internet “watchdog” NewsGuard Technologies, Inc. were sued today in federal court in Manhattan for First Amendment violations and defamation by news organization Consortium for Independent Journalism, a nonprofit that publishes Consortium News.
Consortium News‘s court filing charges the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, an element of the Intelligence Community, with contracting with NewsGuard to identify, report and abridge the speech of American media organizations that dissent from U.S. official positions on foreign policy.
In the course of its contract with the Pentagon, NewsGuard is “acting jointly or in concert with the United States to coerce news organizations to alter viewpoints” as to Ukraine, Russia, and Syria, imposing a form of “censorship and repression of views” that differ or dissent from policies of the United States and its allies, the complaint says.
Watch the press conference announcing the lawsuit on Monday:
Read the entire complaint and the exhibits.
“The First Amendment rights of all American media are threatened by this arrangement with the Defense Department to defame and abridge the speech of U.S. media groups,” said Bruce Afran, Consortium News‘s attorney.
“When media groups are condemned by the government as ‘anti-U.S.’ and are accused of publishing ‘false content’ because they disagree with U.S. policies, the result is self-censorship and a destruction of the public debate intended by the First Amendment,” Afran said.
NewsGuard uses its software to tag targeted news sites, including all 20,000+ Consortium News articles an videos published since 1995, with warnings to “proceed with caution,” telling NewsGuard subscribers that Consortium News produces “disinformation,” “false content” and is an “anti-U.S.” media organization, even though NewsGuard only took issue with a total of six CN articles and none of its videos.
The suit comes at a time when many in Congress and elsewhere have charged the U.S. government with using private entities and internet platforms as proxies to suppress free speech in violation of the First Amendment.
The complaint seeks a permanent injunction declaring the joint program unconstitutional; barring the government and NewsGuard from continuing such practices and more than $13 million in damages for defamation and civil rights violations.
St. Louis businessman charged with kickback scheme involving nuclear weapons parts
St Louis Post Dispatch, Katie Kull, Oct 19, 2023
ST. LOUIS — A local businessman is facing federal charges in Kansas after authorities say he sent kickbacks and bribes to an engineer at a nuclear weapons parts manufacturer in exchange for subcontracts.
Richard W. Mueller, 63, was indicted Wednesday on six federal charges, including wire fraud and lying to federal agents, after authorities said he paid Kansas engineer Michael Clinesmith more than $1 million in exchange for steering contracts to Mueller’s businesses over the course of a decade………………………………………………………………….. more https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/st-louis-businessman-charged-with-kickback-scheme-involving-nuclear-weapons-parts/article_7a7fff2c-6eb7-11ee-a26a-3f5922548456.html #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
Two Men Plead Guilty to Falsifying Documents Related to Testing of Equipment at Nuclear Power Plants
Office of Public Affairs. Us Department of Justice 18 Oct 23
Two men pleaded guilty today for their roles in creating false calibration certificates in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
According to court documents, Miguel Marcial Amaro, 56, of Newark, Delaware, and Martin Ramos, 52, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, worked for a company that provided acoustic emissions (AE) testing to nuclear power plants to detect structural defects in the plant’s equipment. Following the testing, Marcial and Ramos helped create and transmit final testing reports to the owners of the plants which, among other things, contained calibration certificates for the equipment used.
Between 2010 and 2021, Marcial was responsible for ensuring that the company’s AE testing equipment was calibrated annually; Ramos worked under Marcial as an engineer. The two men created numerous false calibration certificates for AE testing equipment, and 15 of these false certificates were sent a total of 29 times to nuclear plant owners as part of final testing reports required by the NRC. The falsified calibration certificates were discovered in 2021 during an external audit.
Today, we hold defendants accountable for deliberately attempting to bypass testing protocols that are essential to keeping nuclear power plants safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). ………………………………………………………………. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-men-plead-guilty-falsifying-documents-related-testing-equipment-nuclear-power-plants #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes
‘Humanity Must Prevail’ in Gaza, Says UN Official as Refugee Shelters Become IDF Targets
“Wars have rules,” said the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. “Civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics, and UN premises cannot be a target.”
By Julia Conley / Common Dreams SCHEERPOST, October 15, 2023
The emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations on Saturday said that “humanity is failing” as officials in the United States and other powerful Western countries refused to hear the calls of a growing number of humanitarian groups, progressive lawmakers, and governments for a cease-fire in Gaza—allowing Israel to forge ahead with what will likely be an imminent ground assault on the blockaded enclave.
“The past week has been a test for humanity,” said Martin Griffiths one week after Hamas unleashed a brutal surprise attack on Israel, killing at least 1,300 people and taking scores of people hostage. As Israel’s response has targeted Gaza—home to two million people, about half of whom are children—repeated airstrikes have bombarded “homes, schools, shelters, health centers, and places of worship,” Griffith said, leaving at least 2,215 Palestinians dead, including more than 600 children.
“Entire residential neighborhoods have been razed to the ground,” added Griffiths, who serves as under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs at the United Nations. “Aid workers have been killed. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, already critical, is fast becoming untenable.”
Griffith’s comments came as the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that the indiscriminate bombing campaign has placed its own shelters in “unprecedented” danger, making it impossible for workers to ensure the safety of some 270,000 peoplewho have been displaced and sought shelter at 102 schools run by the agency.
“Wars have rules. Civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics, and UN premises cannot be a target,” said the UNWRA said in a statement. “We are sparing no effort to advocate with parties to the conflicts to meet their obligations under international law to protect civilians including those seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters.”……………………………………………………………………………….. more https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/15/humanity-must-prevail-in-gaza-says-un-official-as-refugee-shelters-become-idf-targets/ #Israel #Palestine
New Mexico could try again to challenge nuclear waste storage project in court
Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus, 11 Oct 23
Officials with the State of New Mexico continued their fight against a proposed storage site for spent nuclear fuel in southeast New Mexico during a Tuesday hearing before lawmakers in Carlsbad, and said the project could be challenged a second time in federal court.
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and Office of the Attorney General voiced opposition to such a site during the discussion held at Southeast New Mexico College with the Legislature’s interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee.
Representatives of both agencies called into question the legality of such a site to store nuclear fuel away from a reactor amid the ranchlands and oilfields of the Permian Basin.
Holtec International applied to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license to build the facility in 2017, and it was issued in May………………………………………
The State of New Mexico challenged in court the NRC’s findings in an environmental analysis ahead of the license, but the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state could not object before it was issued.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, her cabinet secretaries and Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard all voiced their opposition to the Holtec project throughout the licensing process, citing risks to the local communities and industries like oil and gas and agriculture.
Bruce Baizel, director of compliance and enforcement with the NMED said the State could file another challenge to the license now that it is issued to Holtec.
He pointed to a federal court ruling earlier this year that vacated a license for a similar site issued by the NRC to Interim Storage Partners in Andrews, Texas, along the New Mexico border, which Baizel said could have legal implications for the New Mexico site.
Assistant Attorney General William Grantham said the Office of the Attorney General believed a federal court would vacate Holtec’s license, arguing federal law did not allow an interim storage site as proposed by Holtec without a permanent repository available.
Also going against the project, during the 2023 Legislative Session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 53 to block state agencies from issuing any permits for any site storing high-level nuclear waste as Holtec’s would.
Baizel said the facility would require five such permits to operate.
“That language would not allow us to process or approve any of those state permits for that project,” he said.
Carlsbad mayor attacks lawmakers for not including nuclear industry voices
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, an ardent Holtec supporter, did not attend the hearing, citing an “imbalance” in the panels, particularly on nuclear storage, according to Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55) of Carlsbad……………………………………………………….
Camilla Feibelman, director of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter said that if Holtec was allowed to operate its facility, New Mexico would take all the risks of the waste with no benefits like the jobs provided to states that do host nuclear power plants.
“Holtec wants to bring the entire store of nuclear waste by rail to southeast New Mexico through thousands of communities along the way,” she said. “Spent nuclear fuel should be stored at the site of origin in the safest manner possible.”
Committee Vice Chair Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-36), who sponsored SB 53, said the “reality” was that it made Holtec’s project and others like it illegal in New Mexico.
“We have passed a law in New Mexico making it illegal to store high level nuclear waste in New Mexico,” Steinborn said. “That is the reality now. Only the courts could change that reality.”
https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/2023/10/11/new-mexico-could-challenge-nuclear-waste-holtec-international-storage-project-in-court/71121256007/–#nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants
Some Israeli actions ‘against international law’ – EU
“There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Gallant told the Israeli media. “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
https://www.rt.com/news/584594-borrell-eu-israel-law-gaza/ 11 Oct 23
Denying Gaza water, food and electricity is not appropriate, Josep Borrell has said
Israel has the right to self-defense, but some of the decisions its government has made are contrary to international humanitarian law, EU foreign policy commissioner Josep Borrell said on Tuesday.
“Israel has the right to defend, but it has to be done in accord with international humanitarian law. And some decisions are contra this international law,” Borrell said in Oman, where he attended the joint meeting of foreign ministers from the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Both the EU and the GCC have condemned terrorist attacks by Hamas, Borrell noted, but also condemned any attacks on civilians, demanded the immediate release of all hostages, and called for Israel to respect international law and not block the delivery of food, water or electricity to the civilian population of Gaza.
The two blocs have also asked Israel to open “humanitarian corridors” from Gaza to Egypt, so that civilians can leave the territory ahead of Israeli reprisal airstrikes.
Borrell’s remarks appeared to be a reference to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s statement on Monday ordering a “complete siege” of Gaza.
“There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Gallant told the Israeli media. “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
Multiple media outlets also quoted Gallant as saying on Tuesday that he had “lifted all the restraints” on Israeli rules of engagement against Gaza.
Israel launched reprisal airstrikes against the Palestinian territory after Hamas, which controls much of Gaza, sent commandos deep into Israeli territory on Saturday. The three days of heavy clashes have resulted in at least 900 dead Israelis and at least 830 dead Palestinians, according to the authorities in West Jerusalem and Gaza, respectively.
Just before Gallant announced the “siege,” the EU declared it would put €691 million ($728.8 million) in aid to the Palestinian Authority under review and suspend all pending payments, citing the “scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people” by Hamas. Borrell later “clarified” those remarks to note that aid will continue, because suspending it would amount to “punishing all the Palestinian people” and damage EU interests in the region. #Israel
1 This Month
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- September 2026 (184)
- August 2026 (330)
- July 2026 (355)
- June 2026 (287)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (267)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (375)
-
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 