Nevada files lawsuit against Texas over moves toward licensing Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste dump
Nevada sues Texas for trying to kick-start Yucca Mountain funding http://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-wants-us-court-to-reject-texas-bid-to-prod-nuke-dump-06-15-2017, by Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada wants a federal appeals court to dismiss a bid by the state of Texas to kick-start government funding and licensing for a long-fought plan to entomb the nation’s most radioactive waste in the desert outside Las Vegas.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval on Wednesday called his state’s filing against a Texas lawsuit pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals an important step in Nevada’s effort to prevent burial of 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain.
Congress approved Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste storage in 2002, over Nevada’s objection.
It then cut off funding after former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid became Democratic majority leader in 2007.
Nevada notes the Trump Administration is already seeking $120 million from Congress to restart the licensing process.
It accuses Texas of trying to usurp the budget process.
European Commission approves Germany’s plan for funding radioactive waste management
Reuters 16th June 2017, The European Commission said on Friday it had approved Germany’s plan to
create a public fund to deal with radioactive waste. Germany intends to
take over the liabilities relating to management of radioactive waste and
spent fuel from nuclear power plant operators.
They would have to pay in about 24.1 billion euros ($26.9 billion). This is made up of a basic amount
equivalent to the provisions already set aside by the operators for this
purpose and a risk premium aimed at covering the risk of cost increases in
the future.
The Commission concluded that the move did involve state aid
because of uncertainties over the cost of a repository for waste and the
possibility of cost overruns. Germany regards the measure as necessary as
it seeks to phase out nuclear energy production by 2022. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-eu-nuclearpower-subsidies-idUSKBN197144
Court rejects citizen group submission, allows restart of Genkai nuclear plant
Court rejects citizens’ plea to delay restart of Genkai plant http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201706130012.html, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN June 13, 2017 SAGA–The Saga District Court on June 13 rejected a class action request for an injunction to delay the restart of the Genkai nuclear power plant.
A citizens group had submitted the request for the temporary injunction on the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Genkai plant, operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co., in Saga Prefecture. The group will appeal the decision to the Fukuoka High Court.
Concerns about the safety of the plant led a total of 202 plaintiffs living in 17 prefectures, including Saga and Fukuoka, to join the court action.
With the Saga prefectural governor and Genkai mayor already giving the green light to resume operations, the plant could be restarted as early as this autumn.
Lawsuit over beryllium exposure
Lawsuit filed against General Dynamics for beryllium exposure http://www.cullmantimes.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-general-dynamics-for-beryllium-exposure/article_c8a5fcf4-4e1d-11e7-b725-63d15c9435f1.html Tiffeny Owens Jun 10, 2017A local man has filed suit against General Dynamics, alleging the company fired him after he filed a worker’s compensation claim for an incurable disease he alleges he contracted from working there.
Gary Miller is suing his former employer for worker’s compensation benefits and retaliatory discharge after he was terminated from the defense contractor in April, according to a lawsuit filed in Cullman County Circuit Court Tuesday.
Miller alleges he was diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease (CBD) by a Denver, Colorado medical facility General Dynamics sent him to see after blood tests showed he had abnormal levels of the Category 1 carcinogen in his system. After working at the manufacturing facility since June 2012, Miller was terminated April 17, according to the law suit.
General Dynamics, located on Alabama 157, machines and processes beryllium and its alloys for optics and optical assemblies. Beryllium is one-third the weight of aluminum but six times stronger than steel with high thermal stability. It’s used in various industries, such as electronics, aerospace, dental, atomic energy and defense.
In his lawsuit, Miller alleges he developed chronic beryllium disease from working at the plant where he “inhaled beryllium dust and powder over a period of time.” Miller reported his symptoms to the company, and according to his complaint, General Dynamics “acknowledged” he had the disease and paid for some of his medical and pharmacy expenses.
CBD is a slowly progressive respiratory disease characterized by the formation of lung lesions called granulomas, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These granulomas and accompanying fibrosis cause impairment of the lung’s ability to expand fully and to oxygenate the blood.
There is no cure, although symptoms can be treated. It has been estimated that as many as 134,000 current U.S. workers in private industry and government may be exposed to beryllium. The rate of progression from less severe to severe disease can vary widely. An estimated 100 people die from the disease annually.
A new rule under the Obama administration was set to lower workplace exposure to beryllium but could be sidelined by the current administration’s call to roll back occupational regulations, potentially exempting major industries.
OSHA estimated the proposed rule would prevent 96 premature deaths each year and prevent 50 new cases of CBD per year, once the full effects of the rule are realized.
Tiffeny Owens can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.
Tiffeny Owens can be reached at towens@cullmantimes.com or at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.
German Chancellor Merkel says budget not affected by court ruling to refund nuclear taxes
The Constitutional Court had earlier found that the 145 euro/gram tax on reactor refueling was illegal, obliging the government to pay a 6 billion euro ($6.8 billion) refund to the utilities EON, RWE and EnBW.
“The finance minister will assess the ruling and implement it, but first we should wait for that assessment and then Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble will make his proposals,” Merkel said. “I don’t think our main targets will be at risk.” (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Madeline Chambers)
German court ruling rejects Germany’s nuclear fuel tax – very disappointing to Environment Minister
German minister says court’s nuclear tax ruling is very irritating, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-nuclear-court-minister-idUSKBN18Y1RK?il=0, 8 June 17
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said on Wednesday that a court ruling that declared Germany’s nuclear fuel tax illegal was a “colossal irritation”.
The ruling from the Constitutional Court raised the prospect of a 6 billion euro ($6.8 billion) refund to utilities at a time of strained balance sheets.
Hendricks, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD) – the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition – said the 2009-2013 government, which was made up of Merkel’s conservatives and the Free Democrats (FDP), had caused “chaos” in nuclear policy.
“The fact that this bodge (of the previous government) is paying out for the nuclear power companies years later makes the Constitutional Court’s ruling a colossal irritation,” Hendricks said.
(Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Madeline Chambers)
Legal appeal against extension of time for Flamanville nuclear construction
La Manche Libre 26th May 2017, two associations filed an appeal to the Council of State for excess of power in the file of the EPR Flamanville (Manche). On Thursday, March 23, 2017, the State had authorized the construction site of the Flamanville EPR for three years more than the initial period of 10 years.
A decision today challenged by two associations, the Crilan (Committee for Reflection, Information and Anti-Nuclear Struggle) and Our Affair to All. On Tuesday, May 23, 2017, they appealed to the Conseil d’Etat for an abuse of power. The application relies on two points of the law of 13 June 2006 on transparency and security in nuclear matters: The fact that the law imposes a time limit for such a project and that it has not been respected. “There are no regulations that allow the state to change the duration of a decree,” advocates the lawyer of Caen Gervais Doutressoulle.
According to him, a new decree should have been taken, but this would have led to a new public consultation. The law also states that, in the event of a “significant” or”substantial” change, the authorization decree then lapses. A new text is needed. The recourse lists nine sets of modifications in relation to the project presented initially. He cites, for example, the composition of the tank, whose fate is expected to be known this summer, the cost spent from 2.8 billion euros to more than 10 billion euros, or the choice of fuel.
The Council of State must now determine when it will consider this appeal. “If he has an important file, it is this one”, judge Gervais Doutressoulle who considers the reasonable time between three and six months. In early 2016, a similar appeal was filed. It has not yet been examined. http://www.lamanchelibre.fr/amp-328703-manche-il-deposent-un-recours-devant-le-conseil-d-etat-contre-l-epr-de-flamanville.html
Legal action against governments, over climate change
If you can’t beat them, sue them. Citizens are increasingly taking governments to court over climate change inaction, with financial lenders – and possibly big firms – next in the firing line.
Some 894 climate change cases have now been filed in 24 countries, according to a report published last week by the United Nations Environment Programme and Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law in New York.
By some distance, most – 654 – have been in the US. Australia sits in second place, with 80 cases, and the UK third, with 49. The number of countries with climate cases has tripled since 2014.
Citizens have filed the vast majority of these cases against governments, with a handful lodged against fossil fuel companies.
Separately, campaign group ClientEarth has written to energy giants BP and Glencore warning them of the risk of investor lawsuits based on over-optimistic statements about future fossil fuel demand in their reporting.
Wins and losses
Recent years have seen significant wins for climate change cases. Environmental group Urgenda, for example, won a landmark case in 2015 that forced the Dutch government to commit to bigger emissions cuts. And in 2015, a Pakistani farmer successfully sued his government for failing to implement adequate climate change action.
Others have not had the same success. Last year, the Australian Conservation Foundation lost a legal battle over the Australian government’s approval of the Adani Carmichael coal megamine. And in the UK, fracking activists recently lost a case against a shale gas operation.
However, the success rate of climate cases is likely to grow following the Paris agreement, says the report. Under the accord, which was ratified late last year, each country is committed to specific emissions targets.
Although these commitments are not legally binding, they make it “possible for constituents to articulate more precisely and forcefully concerns about the gaps between current policy and the policy needed to achieve mitigation and adaptation objectives”, say the authors.
This is already starting to take effect. In March, EarthLife Africa successfully challenged the South African government’s approval of a new coal-fired power station. The high court decision was based partly on the country’s commitment to the Paris agreement.
Getting creative
Legal teams are also finding innovative ways to hold governments to account over climate change, says Brendan Sydes at Environmental Justice Australia. “There’s a whole international effort – a lot of energy and intellect is being poured into developing new legal remedies,” he says.
One example is in the US, where 21 youths have filed a case against the government for failing to safeguard their futures from dangerous climate change. Instead of appealing to environmental laws, the youths have invoked the “public trust doctrine” – an ancient principle holding that certain natural resources belong to everyone and must be protected by the state.
Banks and other financial institutions that lend money to fossil fuel projects may also find themselves the subject of legal action, Sydes says. There is an increasing recognition that directors who fail to consider climate risks could be liable for breaching their duty of due care and diligence, he says.
This is already causing some businesses to distance themselves from carbon-heavy investments, he adds. For example, Australia’s four major banks have all recently ruled out providing loans for construction of the Adani Carmichael mine. And worldwide, almost 700 institutions in 76 countries have committed to ending their investment in fossil fuel companies.
The growth of such litigation worldwide shows that many citizens hope courts can force governments and corporations to act on climate change, says Sydes. “People are increasingly turning to the courts to find duties and obligations of governments and corporations who are currently not acting sufficiently on climate change,” he says. “This trend is likely to continue.”
Costly consequences for UK nuclear industry, following Brexit
UK nuclear industry faces Brexit fall-out, Climate News Network, May 17, 2017, by Paul Brown, Leaving the EU treaty that prevents radioactive materials falling into the wrong hands could prove costly for the UK nuclear industry.
LONDON, – The UK’s vote to leave the European Union has put the country’s nuclear industry at risk because its trade in radioactive materials will be forbidden under international law.
In the worst case scenario, legal experts say, the lights could go out in the UK, but they think the more probable outcome is simply that the government will find itself with an expensive industrial problem and an embarrassing diplomatic mess.
The unintended consequence for the British nuclear industry of last year’s referendum vote to leave the EU is that the decision will also take the UK out of the Euratom treaty that protects the EU’s nuclear industry against radioactive material falling into the hands of rogue states or terrorist groups.
Nuclear power stations already provide about one-fifth of the UK’s electricity, and the government has ambitious plans to build at least 10 more reactors as part of its strategy to cut carbon emissions.
It has withdrawn subsidies from onshore wind and solar power, and underwritten new nuclear stations instead.
However, the industry relies on foreign companies − based both in the EU and outside − that provide parts, fuel and raw materials. When the UK leaves Euratom, this trade will be contrary to international law.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industries Association, which represents 260 companies, says: “There is scope for real and considerable disruption.”
Nuclear materials
The Euratom safeguards are applied by the European Commission to provide confidence that nuclear materials in the EU are not diverted from their declared end use, which is producing electricity from uranium and plutonium, and dealing with the waste that results.
This enables countries inside the EU to trade with other member states in construction and providing parts and staff for nuclear power stations. It also allows trade in such dangerous materials as plutonium, uranium and spent fuel, provided it is both safe and for peaceful purposes.
There is no precedent for a member state leaving the EU. But, in theory, when the UK does so − and therefore leaves Euratom − possibly as soon as two years from now, this trade must cease, otherwise member states will be breaking the terms of the treaty.
This would effectively paralyse not only the UK industry, which relies on international trade to survive, but also many of its trading partners in the EU, and also Japan, China and the US, all of which the UK has nuclear deals with that would need a new safeguard regime in place in order to continue…….
Dame Sue Ion, chair of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board, which was established by the UK government in 2013, said a whole lot of new international agreements would have to be in place before anything in the nuclear sector could be transferred between countries.
“We would be crippled without other agreements in place,” she said. – Climate News Network http://climatenewsnetwork.net/uk-nuclear-industry-fall-brexit/
Sweden cancels arrest warrant for Julian Assange, closes investigation
Sweden shuts down Julian Assange rape investigation, TT/The Local news@thelocal.se 19 May 2017, Swedish prosecutors have decided to end the rape investigation into Julian Assange and lift the Europe-wide arrest warrant against him, but UK police say they will still arrest him.In a statement on its website, the Swedish prosecution authority said that the “Director of Public Prosecution, Ms Marianne Ny, has today decided to discontinue the investigation regarding suspected rape (lesser degree) by Julian Assange”.
In a press conference later in the day, Ny elaborated that it was not possible to formally serve Assange with notice of the suspicions against him, a prerequisite under Swedish law if the investigation was to progress further:
“Ecuador granted legal assistance and made it clear that all measures would be performed with full voluntary participation of Mr. Assange (…) Formal issues are important in a legal system in terms of legal certainty, it is important to be able to serve the suspect with suspicions. The decision to discontinue the investigation is not because we’ve been able to make a full assessment of the evidence, but because we didn’t see possibilities to advance the investigation. So we won’t make any statements on the issue of guilt”………
Assange’s lawyer Per Samuelsson said his client was now considering suing Sweden.
“It’s not about money but redress,” Samuelsson told news agency TT.
He added that he believed Assange would eventually try to move to Ecuador.
The WikiLeaks founder’s lawyer filed a request at Stockholm District Court earlier in May asking for an end to the arrest warrant against his client, arguing it should be dropped now that the US has expressed a desire to charge the 45-year-old.
Assange had been remanded in custody by Sweden ‘in absentia’ over a 2010 rape allegation, and has been taking refuge inside Ecuador’s embassy in London since 2012 in order to escape the warrant, citing fears he may be extradited to the US to be tried over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of classified documents.
One of Assange’s lawyers, Melinda Taylor, indicated earlier on Friday that the preliminary investigation into him being closed or the lifting of the European arrest warrant would not necessarily mean the Australian would make a hasty exit for Ecuador.
“The first thing one likely needs to do is seek guarantees from the British authorities that he won’t be seized in some other way,” she told news agency TT.
Both British and American authorities have “consistently refused to confirm or deny” if there is a request for extradition to the US, she said. Assange is also accused of breaching his bail conditions in the UK for fleeing to Ecuador’s embassy, she noted.
And in a statement released on Friday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it is obliged to arrest Assange should he leave the embassy…….
When the Swedish announcement was made on Friday, WikiLeaks commented through its Twitter account that the “focus now moves to the UK”……
After refusing to travel to Sweden for questioning, Assange was grilled last December by an Ecuadorian prosecutor on questions provided by Swedish officials, with Swedish prosecutor Ingrid Isgren present.
He has always maintained that he is innocent of the rape accusation from 2010….https://www.thelocal.se/20170519/breaking-sweden-lifts-arrest-warrant-against-julian-assange-and-ends-investigation
Greenpeace’s lawsuit against French state aid for Hinkley Nuclear plant – upsetting for UK and French govts
Times 18th May 2017, Britain’s new £18 billion nuclear power plant is being funded by illegal French state aid, according to a lawsuit filed by Greenpeace. The environmental group is urging the European Commission to order EDF, the French state-owned energy giant that is building the plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, to repay the 6.8 billion euros it received from the French
government.
The lawsuit is also a shot across the bows of Theresa May, who approved plans for Hinkley Point C last autumn, and President Macron of France, who organised the bailout of EDF when he was economy minister. At the time, EDF was struggling with debts of more than 37 billion and a requirement to find more than 50 billion to renovate its French reactors.
Critics, including the group’s own financial director, said that it could not afford its two-thirds share of the investment in Hinkley Point.
Greenpeace claims that the deal amounts to unfair state aid. “Instead of acting like a smart investor, the state is providing unconditional support to EDF and its nuclear projects that threaten the health of the company, notably Hinkley Point.
“There is no economic logic,”Laura Monnier, of Greenpeace France, said. “Greenpeace’s lawsuit aims to show that EDF’scapital increase is incompatible with European competition law.” The environmental organisation said that EDF had been wrong to invest in Hinkley Point “when it does not have the funds to invest in the maintenance and safety of its French nuclear fleet”.
Greenpeace’s lawsuit is unlikely to halt the Hinkley Point project, but it adds to the controversy over the scheme on both sides of the Channel.Shares in EDF slumped yesterday after the appointment of Nicolas Hulot, 62, France’s best known environmental campaigner, as minister of ecology and solidarity in Mr Macron’s government. Investors fear that Mr Hulot will press EDF to reduce its dependence on nuclear power and to pump funds into the development of renewable energy.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/hinkley-point-is-being-paid-for-by-illegal-french-aid-btqjg67r3
Greenpeace taking case to European Commission against French government’s increased funding to EDF
Reuters 17th May 2017 Greenpeace is filing a complaint with the European Commission arguing that the French government’s recapitalization of state-controlled EDF amounts to illegal state aid for the utility’s plan to build nuclear plants in HinkleyPoint, Britain.
Greenpeace said the 3 billion euro ($3.33 billion) capital injection for EDF in March, plus 3.8 billion euros of foregone dividends since 2015 – the state leaves money in EDF by taking a share dividend instead of a cash dividend – are incompatible with European Union competition law.
“Instead of acting like a smart investor, the state is providing unconditional support to EDF and its nuclear projects that
threaten the health of the company, notably Hinkley Point. There is no economic logic,” said Greenpeace France legal campaigner Laura Monnier. http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-edf-britain-subsidies-idUKKCN18D0MV
Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged to pull the plug on nuclear bailout, as lawmakers work against it
New York’s nuclear “bailout” faces court challenges and questions from lawmakers, Mc Alester News capital, By Joe Mahoney | CNHI State Reporter May 18, 2017 ALBANY — The Cuomo administration’s effort to drive subsidies to three upstate nuclear-power plants is being challenged in both the courts and the halls of the statehouse.
Lawyers and scientists defend the integrity of climate science
Under Fire, Climate Scientists Unite With Lawyers to Fight Back https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/science/under-fire-climate-scientists-unite-with-lawyers-to-fight-back.html?_r=0 MAY 15, 2017 Lawyers and scientists do not always get along, but some are now finding common cause in an effort to defend the integrity of science — especially climate science — in government and academia.
Washington State taking legal action over collapse of a containment tunnel at a nuclear site
Washington State Demands Nuclear Waste Storage Answers http://www.courthousenews.com/enforcement-action-calls-assessment-nuclear-waste-storage/ RICHLAND, Wash. (CN) — A state agency has taken legal action against the Department of Energy for the collapse of a containment tunnel at a nuclear site in Washington.
The tunnel, which housed eight rail cars of nuclear waste in Hanford – about 200 miles south of Seattle – left a 15-to-20-foot hole when it partially collapsed Tuesday. Although no one was hurt, some workers were evacuated and others sheltered in place while the air around the site was tested for radioactivity. Tests revealed that no radioactivity had leaked from the tunnel, and 50 truckloads of soil were brought in to plug the hole.
On Wednesday, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) filed an enforcement action urging the federal government to immediately assess whether failure of other storage tunnels is likely and to submit a plan to the DOE for the safe storage of the materials as well as a plan for permanent cleanup.
“This alarming emergency compels us to take immediate action – to hold the federal government accountable to its obligation to clean up the largest nuclear waste site in the country,” DOE Director Maia Bellon said in a statement.
According to the Department of Energy, Hanford has produced more than 20 million pieces of uranium metal fuel for nine nuclear reactors along the Columbia River. The five plants at the Hanford site discharged an estimated 450 billion gallons of liquid waste in soil disposal sites and 53 million gallons of radioactive waste in 177 underground storage tanks. Most of the nation’s nuclear weapons, including the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, used plutonium from Hanford.
The Hanford site stopped producing plutonium in the late 1980s, with cleanup efforts beginning in 1989. The cleanup currently employs approximately 11,000 workers.
“Our top priority is to ensure the safety of Hanford workers and the community,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “The collapse of this tunnel raises serious questions about how it happened and what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This enforcement order is necessary to make sure we get greater assurance about the condition of these tunnels and the Department of Energy’s plan to contain any further risks.”
In a press release, the DOE highlighted how the age of some of the storage areas at Hanford are of particular concern. The collapsed tunnel was built in 1956 of timber, concrete and steel and topped with eight feet of dirt. It was sealed with the nuclear-waste-filled rail cars in 1965.
“The infrastructure built to temporarily store radioactive waste is now more than a half-century old,” Bellon said. “The tunnel collapse is direct evidence that it’s failing. It’s the latest in a series of alarms that the safety and health of Hanford workers and our citizens are at risk.”
Workers returned to their jobs at Hanford on Thursday.
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- May 2026 (180)
- April 2026 (356)
- 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)
-
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 