Environmentalists win 50 year battle to close San Onofre nuclear plant
opponents of the plant acknowledged that questions remain regarding what will happen to radioactive waste generated by the site and to the region’s energy needs.
Environmentalists Celebrate Nuclear Plant Closing, abc news, By GILLIAN FLACCUS and AMY TAXIN Associated Press axin reported from Tustin. AP Writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. June 8, 2013 (AP)
Using a cane and wearing a hat reading “Peace No Nukes,” 85-year-old Lyn Harris Hicks shuffled to the front gates of the San Onofre nuclear power plant on Friday to celebrate a utility company’s decision to close the seaside facility for good.
A long-time resident of San Clemente in Southern California, Harris Hicks said she has been fighting the plant — which has been idle since last year — since the 1960s over safety concerns. Continue reading
Tokyo anti nuclear rally – 60,000 protest
60,000 in Tokyo Protest Government Plans to Restart Nuclear Power Earth First Newswire by Adam Westlake / Japan Daily Press, 3 June 13
Approximately 60,000 people rallied in Japan’s capital of Tokyo on Sunday, June 2nd in order to protest recent government plans to restart the country’s idled nuclear reactors. People gathered in Shiba Park and later marched towards the parliament building. Among the organizers was Kenzaburo Oe, a Nobel literature laureate, who called on the Japanese government to leave the nuclear power plants in suspension out of fears for safety.
The Japanese government has previously stated that it will most likely allow those reactors to return to power which have been approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), whose new safety guidelines are scheduled to be adopted in July. One of Japan’s largest-ever protests saw 170,000 people gather in a similar fashion in July 2012, around the same time that then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda decided on the first two reactor restarts since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. As of now, the anti-nuclear protestors say they have collected over 8 million signatures of those opposed to reactor restarts…… http://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/60000-in-tokyo-protest-government-plans-to-restart-nuclear-power/
The fight to save Grand Canyon from uranium radioactive contamination
Tribes, Enviros Fight Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon KPBS, June 3, 2013 By Laurel Morales “……environmentalists and Indian tribes oppose mining near the canyon. On a recent sunny day EcoFlight pilot Gary Kraft steered the six-seat Cessna onto the tarmac of the Grand Canyon Airport and gracefully took off. He flew a group over the Grand Canyon to check out mines from above.
“As Gary brings the plane around we’ll get a little better look at the site,” said Grand Canyon Trust’s Roger Clark who served as our guide.
He has been fighting uranium mining companies for many years. Last year he scored a victory. The Obama Administration put a ban on any new mining claims on federal land surrounding the park. In the 1980s and 1990s a dozen mines pocked the landscape surrounding the park. All but a few have been cleaned up and reseeded. But a handful of older claims are still being mined. Continue reading
India’s rural communities angry over uranium and weapons projects
Grasslands bristle over uranium plant, test range http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Grasslands-bristle-over-uranium-plant-test-range/articleshow/20357979.cms Deepika Burli, TNN | May 31, 2013 BANGALORE: Green activists and local villagers have taken serious exception to proposals from defence and research institutions to build sensitive projects on the 10,000 acres of Amrit Mahal Kaval land allotted to them in Challakere taluk of Chitradurga district.
“The Barc plan envisages conducting experiments with uranium, which will not only ruin the fertility of the land but put the lives of so many villagers at risk. Continue reading
Michigan concerns over plans for nuclear waste dump near Lake Huron
Nuclear waste site on Lake Huron concerns Michigan, Sarnia Ontario Power Generation plans to build underground repository in Kindcardine, 1.6 km from Lake Huron CBC News May 27, 2013 The mayor of Sarnia, Ont., is rallying opposition to Ontario Power Generation’s plan to store nuclear waste underground on the shores of Lake Huron…..
Michigan worriedIn Michigan, lawmakers worry that the facility might affect the Great Lakes, and they want Congress to help ensure Michigan’s concerns are fully resolved.
A state Senate resolution that was introduced by Democratic Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood of Taylor passed last week.
According to Ontario Power Generation, the deep geologic repository would be located 680 metres below ground, in stable rock formations over 450 million years old. (Ontario Power Generation)“Lake Huron and the Great Lakes are some of Michigan’s most vital natural resources, containing 95 per cent of North America’s surface fresh water and providing drinking water to tens of millions of people,” Hopgood said in a statement. “This type of nuclear waste repository, planned within water-soluble limestone, is unprecedented and could present a danger to our lakes and our environment.”
According to Hopgood, Michigan law already strictly prohibits the disposal of radioactive waste of any site within 16 kilometres (10 miles) of the Great Lakes and certain other major bodies of water connected to them.
Resolution 58, introduced by Hopgood and passed last week, urges Canada to consider similar criteria……
The group Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump has been opposing the project for six months. It bought billboard space on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto to make its point.
“Burying radioactive nuclear waste beside the Great Lakes — 21 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water, and the supply of fresh drinking water for 40 million people in two countries — defies common sense,” said Beverly Fernandez.http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/05/27/wdr-nuclear-waste-lake-huron-ontario-power-generation.html
VIDEO: Taiwanese protest against unfair nuclear referendum
VIDEO: Hundreds rally against Taiwan nuclear referendum http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/17337705/hundreds-rally-against-taiwan-nuclear-referendum/May 27, 2013, TAIPEI (AFP) – Hundreds of Taiwanese protested in the capital Taipei on Sunday over government plans to hold what they call an unfair referendum on the fate of a nearly-completed nuclear power plant.
Chanting slogans like “Stop dangerous nuclear power”, the protestors stood together in front of parliament to spell out the word “STOP” and held up black and yellow signs.
The demonstration came a few days before the ruling Kuomintang party plans to push through a bill to host a nationwide referendum that will decide whether the the island’s fourth nuclear plant should be completed.
A “No” vote would only be accepted if turnout reaches 50 percent of the island’s 18 million people, rather than a poll based on a simple majority.
“Such a design is unfair,” Liu Hui-min, a spokeswoman for the protest, told AFP.
“Since so many people have voiced against the risky power plant, the government should scrap the project instead,” referring to several public surveys which indicated around 70 percent of respondents opposed the plant.
Concerns about the island’s nuclear power plants have been mounting since the March 2011 Fukushima crisis in Japan……
Over 4000 villagers at hearing on Chutka nuclear power project: but hearing cancelled!
Public hearing on MP’s Chukta nuclear power project cancelled
http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/public-hearing-on-mp-s-chukta-nuclear-power-project-cancelled-113052401095_1.html Led by Ramon Magsaysay award winner Dr Sandeep Pandey and others prominent activists of the state, locals of as many as 38 villages restricted Mandla district administration to organise a public hearing on controversial Chutka nuclear power project.
According to activists, more than 4,000 villagers reached the hearing site at Chutka and stalled the process before it could take place. “The public hearing meeting has been cancelled today,” said a government spokesperson but refused to give details on next schedule.
According to the protesters, agitation against the 1,400 MW Chutka nuclear power project (450 km east from Bhopal) was boiling up. They are likely to intensify agitation against land acquisition process launched by state government. Continue reading
Arrests as protestors rally at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
Cape activists arrested at nuclear plant protest rally –
http://www.wickedlocal.com/capecod/news/x1570561392/Cape-activists-arrested-at-nuclear-plant-protest-rally#axzz2U3qikh4c – Wicked Local 21 May 13, – Cape Cod PLYMOUTH —
Ten people were arrested at last Sunday’s “Rally at the Reactor” at
the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth.
The activists were arrested for trespassing when they attempted to
deliver their message to a representative of Entergy, the corporate
owner of the plant. Arrested were Joyce Johnson of Falmouth, William
Maurer of Falmouth, Janet Azarovitz of Falmouth, Arlene Williamson of
Mashpee, Sarah Thacher of Dennis, Margaret Rice-Moir of Brewster,
Diane Turco of Harwich, Doug Long of Orleans, Femke Rosenbaum of
Wellfleet and Debbie McCullough of Truro, were arraigned in Plymouth
District Court today. They will appear in the Plymouth District Court
for a pretrial hearing July 19.
Cape Downwinders, who organized the rally, stated in its message that
it would no longer tolerate “Pilgrim’s negligence in endangering the
health and safety of the surrounding communities.”
The 41-year-old nuclear facility has exceeded its life span and the
risk of a nuclear accident increases every day, the Downwinders said.
The reactor at Pilgrim is the exact same design as the three reactors
that exploded in Fukushima, Japan in March 2011. The re-licensing of
the Pilgrim Facility took place last year to extend its life for an
additional 20 years even though it was strongly opposed by Gov.
Patrick, Attorney General Martha Coakley, Congressmen Bill Keating and
Ed Markey, state Sen. Dan Wolf as well as the National Park Service.
Gregory Jaczko, the NRC chairman at the time of the relicensing, voted
not to relicense the reactor.
The Downwinders also noted that the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has
had valve leaks, equipment malfunctions, underground pipes leaking
tritium and in the early hours yesterday the turbine auxiliary oil
pumps failed, resulting in a fire.
“When this plant was licensed in the early 1970’s what it was licensed
as was an energy station – it was licensed as an energy station for 40
years,” Wolf said to the crowd at Sunday’s rally. “The legacy that
we’re going to be leaving our children is a 60-year-old nuclear waste
dump. The deal was never that we would keep all the spent fuel here.”
Human Rights Forum urges stop to new uranium mining in Kadapa, India
Excessive mining in AP uranium plant opposed http://www.deccanherald.com/content/333841/excessive-mining-ap-uranium-plant.html Hyderabad, May 21, 2013, DHNS:
The HRF has been opposing the proposed 4,500 TPD (tonnes per day) in comparison with the current 3,000 TPD.
The HRF, in a press release, stated that the excessive mining of uranium will make the land futile and deplete the groundwater. The scars left by increased uranium mining will be permanent. HRF’s claims are backed by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.
The uranium mining can eventually harm individuals. To evaluate the aftereffects of uranium mining, one has just to visit Jaduguda in Jharkhand where uranium mining takes place.
San Onofre at the Brink: Nuclear Free Action now Ready to WIN
It’s common in the nuke blackmail business for a utility to threaten to shut a reactor where jobs and power are desperately needed.
But Edison now has a more desperate theme. The spread of solar throughout southern California will bring far more jobs than San Onofre can begin to promise. A new feed-in tariff in Los Angeles has helped spread solar panels throughout the region (http://prn.fm/2013/04/08/green-power-and-wellness-040813/#axzz2TW6S1BP3 ).
San Onofre at the No Nukes Brink: It’s Time to Take Action & WIN!!! By Harvey Wasserman, editor www.nukefree.org
In January, it seemed the restart of San Onofre Unit 2 would be a corporate cake walk.
With its massive money and clout, Southern California Edison was ready to ram through a license exception for a reactor whose botched $770 million steam generator fix had kept it shut for a year.
But a funny thing has happened on the way to the restart: a No Nukes groundswell has turned this routine rubber stamping into an epic battle the grassroots just might win.
Indeed, if ever there was a time when individual activism could have a magnified impact, this is it.
To take action, go to:
http://www.nukefree.org/stop-san-onofre-re-start-call-petition-now and call, write, and help keep these dangerous, unneeded reactors permanently shut.
This comes as the nuclear industry is in nearly full retreat. Two US reactors are already down this year. Yet another proposed project has just been cancelled in North Carolina. And powerful grassroots campaigns have pushed numerous operating reactors to the brink of extinction throughout the US, Europe and Japan, where all but two reactors remain shut since Fukushima.
In California, it’s San Onofre that’s perched at the brink. Continue reading
Anti nuclear protests draws thousands of marchers in Taipei, Taiwan
THOUSANDS IN TAIWAN RALLY AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER Yahoo 7 News, May 20, 2013, TAIPEI (AFP) – Thousands of Taiwanese marched through the capital Taipei on Sunday urging the government to halt construction of a nearly completed nuclear power plant, citing the Japanese atomic crisis.
The demonstrators chanted slogans like “No Nuke for Our Children” during the march which extended for miles as they evoked memories of the March 2011 Fukushima crisis sparked by an earthquake and tsunami. Continue reading
Now mining companies have to listen to activist shareholders
“They would just ignore them, they would say you’re not really a shareholder,” she remembered over tea sandwiches served following Rio Tinto’s annual general shareholder meeting last month. “There was one big, black aboriginal man who got up on the stage to have his say. The company heavies came up and lifted him out bodily, by the feet. It was quite spectacular.”
This year, Rio Tinto’s 140th anniversary, the attitude toward international visitors was much different. Rio Tinto chairman Jan Du Plessis effusively thanked an Alaskan Native Yupik elder, a Mongolian woman speaking on behalf of nomadic herders and others for making the trip.
Rio Tinto, like other major mining companies, now goes to great lengths to emphasize its “partnerships” with local communities and specifically indigenous people. ……
But members of the increasingly organized international mining watchdog movement say the companies are ultimately still determined to mine wherever, whenever and however they desire, and in the least costly way.
Hence, they say, all this talk about social responsibility is largely rhetoric or “greenwashing” and that companies would have to do a lot more — including making financial sacrifices — to really change their ways………
Progress and priorities
Mine operators have battled with workers and local residents since the dawn of the large-scale mining industry in the mid-1800s; and naturally mining has been a major target of environmentalists since the birth of the environmental movement roughly a century later. In recent years these groups have increasingly worked together in monitoring and fighting mining companies……
The movement has become increasingly focused on London, which is headquarters to many of the world’s biggest mining companies along with the financial institutions that provide mines crucial capital and insurance. Toronto’s stock exchange lists more mining companies than London’s, but Canada is home to more “juniors” whereas the big-money operations are concentrated in London.
In June 2012 the International Institute for Environment and Development issued a 10th anniversary report card on the industry’s progress. It noted that “despite good intentions,” “implementation (of improved practices) across the sector has been highly variable.” It noted that competition from emerging economies, climate change and the increasing desire for governments to nationalize their mineral resources will complicate mining companies’ efforts to be more responsible…..
Now they [mining companies] rate community opposition among the top risk factors.”
Publicizing this risk is a primary reason that critics visit the shareholder meetings.
Though the most prominent investors rarely attend shareholder meetings and the important votes have already been cast ahead of time, people like Paine and peace activist Albert Beale see it as an important way to educate the public. During this year’s meeting, Beale asked why the 2012 annual report did not include the fact that Rio Tinto won the “Greenwash Gold” competition during the 2012 Olympics. Online voters chose Rio Tinto over BP and Dow as the company with the most disingenuous marketing during the Games, for which Rio Tinto provided metal for the medals…….http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/activist-shareholders-mining-rio-tinto-anglo-american
Los Angeles city Council warns on danger of San Onofre nuclear power plant
Los Angeles to San Onofre: ‘Not So Fast!’ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman/los-angeles-to-san-onofre_b_3167482.html 04/29/2013 A unanimous Los Angeles City Council has demandedthe Nuclear Regulatory Commission conduct extended investigations before any restart at the San Onofre atomic power plant.
The move reflects a deep-rooted public opposition to resumed operations at reactors perched in a tsunami zone near earthquake faults that threaten all of southern California. Continue reading
Why India must say “NO” to nuclear power
India has entered into nuclear deals with countries like US who are looking to revitalise their economies, while ignoring the concerns of the poor villagers who live near these plants. At Kudankulam, the agreement indemnifying the Russian supplier against accidents mocks the very absolute liability principle that deters foreign corporations from setting up nuclear plants in India.
Nuclear power is a centralised form of power supply that does not empower the local community. It makes them vulnerable to the decisions and interpretations of scientific and technological experts. All this falls through when a disaster happens. It is the locals and their future generations who bear the brunt of the accident. What India and the world needs are safe, small-scale, renewable power options.
Saying no to nuclear http://www.indianlink.com.au/headline/saying-no-to-nuclear/ The Radioactive Exposure Tour highlights the need for caution when it comes to nuclear power in India, reports?Jyoti Shankar Every time you visit India, you see the change, bigger malls, new flyovers, the lifestyle in the cities not very different to what you experience in the streets of any capital city in Australia, and, fewer power cuts. Move a bit further away from the cities and you realise that not much has changed. Dirt roads, constant blackouts, people struggling to make ends meet. And the paradox of progress hits you.
Nuclear power is just another aspect of this big picture where the pursuit of economic ?growth? at any cost seems acceptable. India is power hungry. It needs power for its burgeoning millions, as well as for industries that supply cheap goods to the consumers in the developed world. And the government is pursuing this objective setting aside all its democratic principles. Nuclear power is portrayed as a greener option, but scratch the surface, and a different story is revealed. Continue reading
Australian doctors reject uranium lobby’s push to remove safeguards
It is essential that appropriate environmental and human safeguards remain, and that uranium mining and milling remains within the definition of “nuclear actions” for the purposes of the EPBC Act. There is a clear need for federal oversight to ensure clear and consistent implementation of these measures
Medical Assocation for the Prevention of War (MAPW) SUBMISSION ON FEDERAL REGULATION OF URANIUM MINING, by Dr Margaret Beavis April 2013 The uranium mining industry is attempting to remove federal overview of uranium mining. MAPW Vice-President Dr Margaret Beavis has prepared this submission to the Productivity Commission arguing that federal oversight should remain, and noting that as risks to health and the environment become more apparent, radiation regulation is increasing internationally.:
It is concerning that the uranium industry has used the expression “mild radiation” to describe its radiological environmental impacts, when there is no regulatory basis or definition to use this term, potentially giving the impression that the levels of radiation in the uranium mining industry are without risk to the environment. The evidence is clear and unassailable that this is not correct. Furthermore, it is appropriate that uranium mining continue to be considered a ‘nuclear action’ as specified by the EPBC Act as the radioactivity derives specifically from nuclear decay processes. Tailings from uranium mining are radioactive for millennia, resulting in unique environmental considerations for every uranium mine.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection has determined that the dose coefficient for radon gas, one of the sources of radioactivity from uranium mining, needs to be doubled, indicating that it is actually thought to be double the previously estimated carcinogenic hazard.1. ARPANSA is currently in the process of revising dose estimates to workers. It follows that risks to others is doubled and makes it even more essential appropriate mitigation strategies are introduced. It also follows that the environmental risk is also increased. Continue reading
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