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Vermont rallies to keep its right to veto nuclear power plants

“We are demanding justice for an agreement made 40 years ago,” said Sanders, who drew the loudest cheers. He said the state had the right to determine a “safe energy future for our kids and grandkids.”

Organizers estimated the crowd at between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

Shumlin, Sanders rally anti-nuclear protesters By Susan Smallheer, Rutland Herald,  April 15, 2012, BRATTLEBORO — More than 1,200 anti-nuclear protesters flocked to the Brattleboro Common on Saturday and listened to three of the state’s top politicians — Gov. Peter Shumlin, U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders and Attorney General William Sorrell — take turns criticizing Entergy Nuclear and its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Continue reading →

April 16, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, politics, USA | Leave a comment

Don’t restart nuclear reactors, says Fukushima Governor

Fukushima Gov. blasts gov’t over push to restart nuclear reactors
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120413p2a00m0na014000c.html
April 13, 2012(Mainichi Japan) FUKUSHIMA — Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, whose prefecture hosts the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, has spoken out against central
government moves to restart reactors across the country idled for periodic maintenance.

“The investigation into the Fukushima No. 1 plant disaster isn’t yet complete, but (the government) is already discussing restarting reactors. That is a problem,” Sato told reporters at a regular news conference. “It makes me question whether the government really understands how severe nuclear disasters are.

“As the nuclear disaster progresses, we hear of new incidents every day,” he added, referring to the frequent reports of spreading radioactive contamination and radioactive water leaks since the meltdowns at the No. 1 plant.
Sato also touched on the proposed new nuclear power regulatory agency, which was supposed to start work at the beginning of April but has not yet been launched, saying,

“There’s also a problem when the promotion of nuclear power is happening alongside the regulation of nuclear power, while the government has yet to present a long-term energy
policy.”

April 14, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Secrecy over nuclear problem, opposition to nuclear in Korea

Korea Hydro didn’t report the blackout and deleted it from its records before an outside inquiry discovered it, the committee said last month. The government is investigating why the incident wasn’t reported immediately, ….

 Almost 80 percent of respondents opposed extending the life of older reactors in a February poll of 1,100 people by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.

Nuclear Halt in South Korea Seen Boosting Coal: Energy Markets, Bloomberg News By Sangim Han and Yuriy Humber on April 13, 2012  “…..Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP) (KEP), the nation’s electricity monopoly, says it may boost coal purchases to replace nuclear power generation if the Kori 1 reactor remains shut and the government fails to extend the lifespan of a second reactor.

Kori 1 was closed for safety checks on March 13, five weeks after a power failure caused the temperature of its core to rise. The operating permit for Wolsong 1 expires in November…… Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., a unit of Korea Electric that operates the Kori plant, announced its power failure on March 12, a day after the first anniversary of Fukushima. A 12- minute power loss occurred on Feb. 9 and sent the core temperature to 58.3 degrees Celsius (137 degrees Fahrenheit) from 36.9 degrees, according to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. Continue reading →

April 14, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, South Korea | Leave a comment

Adjoining prefectures oppose restarting of Japan’s nuclear reactors

The Union of Kansai Governments, which is involved in setting electricity conservation targets, remains unconvinced that nearby Fukui’s reactors can be restarted safely, 

Analysis: Japan reactor restart debate swells beyond nuclear frontline By Yoko Kubota OTSU, Japan | Fri Apr 13, 2012  (Reuters) – Japan’s nuclear power industry had never spent much time or money winning over the hearts and minds of people like Susumu
Takahashi, a fisherman angling for small sweetfish from the serene shores of Lake Biwa, a world away from any nuclear reactor.

But with the industry paralyzed after last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, and badly in need of public trust to get moving again, itmay wish it had gone to the trouble.

“If Lake Biwa gets contaminated, then that would be irreversible,” said Takahashi, a doctor who regularly casts his line into the mountain-ringed lake in western Shiga prefecture, which contains none of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors but sits next to Fukui prefecture which
hosts 13 of them.

“The lake is in our hands now but it is also for future generations, and contamination would be passed down for generations. I am against the restarts of halted reactors,” Continue reading →

April 14, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Wellington set the trend for 105 local nuclear free zones

Wellington: 30 years proudly nuclear-free Capital was a benchmark for other cities The Dominion Post, MICHAEL FORBES   14/04/2012 Wellington became a benchmark for others. By the end of 1984, 40 local authorities had nuclear-free policies and by 1988, 72 per cent of the population was living in 105 locally declared nuclear-weapon-free zones.

“The declaration had repercussions way beyond anything I anticipated at the time,” Ms Ritchie says. “I’m pleased that it has stood the test of time. To have it stop at Wellington would have been insufficient.”

To even be able to put such a motion before council was a privilege, Ms Ritchie says; in today’s climate of local government being told to keep their nose out of non-essential matters, it probably would not have happened.

“It was in the days when we could actually do this sort of thing politically, which was great. We could move a motion that was not related to rubbish, rates or drains. Not even related to the agenda. Now, you can’t do that.”….. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6743621/Wellington-30-years-proudly-nuclear-free

April 14, 2012 Posted by | New Zealand, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japanese government still wants to promote the nuclear industry’s future

Critics said the government fears not so much a power crunch as revealing that the country actually can get by without nuclear energy when the last running reactor is halted on May 5 for scheduled maintenance.

Tensions run high over restart of Japan’s nuclear reactors, Times Live,  Takehiko Kambayashi   Sapa-dpa | 10 April, 2012 A 70-year-old temple master went on a week-long hunger strike in late March at the Fukui prefectural government offices against the central government’s efforts to restart idled reactors on the coast of the Sea of Japan.

If idled reactors at the Oi Nuclear Power Plant in the prefecture are allowed to restart, it would lead to the reactivation of other units across the country, said Tetsuen Nakajima, the chief priest of Myotsuji, a temple in Obama city. Continue reading →

April 11, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | 1 Comment

Stop corrupt nuclear power programme – call by Jordan’s Islamists

“We [the IAF] eye the nuclear project as unjustifiable with suspicions of corruption surrounding it and demand halting the project… we call for investing in safe alternative energy resources, with which Jordan is rich,”

Jordan- Islamists call for halt to nuclear programme MENAFN – Jordan Times – 09/04/2012  The Islamist movement on Sunday called for halting the Kingdom’s nuclear programme, claiming that information about the project’s goals and financing were vague and misleading.

Islamist leaders described the project as ambiguous and suspicious, accusing officials in charge of the programme of not being transparent about the programme’s agenda. Continue reading →

April 11, 2012 Posted by | Jordan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japan: Governor of critical region Shiga threatens to oppose nuclear reactor startups

“It appears to me that they are compromising technological safety in a half-baked way,” 

reactors should not be restarted until a new, more independent regulatory agency is set up.

Japan Shiga threatens to rain on nuclear restarts Apr 6, 2012  (Reuters) – Japan’s western Shiga prefecture, one of the nation’s biggest sources of drinking water, threatened on Friday to oppose the restart of nearby nuclear reactors unless the government met several demands designed to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima disaster.

Shiga, whose Lake Biwa provides water for 14 million people, more than one in 10 Japanese, lies near a string of nuclear plants in adjacent Fukui prefecture – giving Shiga a distinctive voice in the debate over the future of atomic power. Continue reading →

April 7, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Protest movement against nuclear power grows amongst rural Indians

“We have been holding a sit-in protest outside the Fatehabad mini-secretariat. We now plan to join hands with protesters fighting against the setting up of a nuclear plant in Jaitapur and those protesting in Koodankulam.”

Farmers are incensed that three elderly protesting farmers have already lost their lives in this agitation which has now completed over 580 days.

Protest against Haryana nuke plant intensifies http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/protest-against-haryana-nuke-plant-intensifies-152
April 3, 2012 By Rashme Sehgal  Farmers in Haryana have stepped up their campaign against the setting up of the Gorakhpur Nuclear Power Plant in the Fatehabad district of the state.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has earmarked over 628 hectares of land to set up a 2,800-MW power plant which will use pressurised heavy water reactors at a cost of `13,000 crores. The villages earmarked for site selection include Gorakhpur, Kumaharia and Kajalhedi. Continue reading →

April 6, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Nuclear dream turning sour in San Clemente, USA

“It’s easy to get distracted by the beauty here and not think about a nuclear meltdown,” he said. But he added he thinks about that more often. “It would be great to just shut it down.”

Residents Rethink a Nuclear Neighbor, Deteriorating Pipes, Japan Disaster Spark Calls to Close California Plant, but Shortages Are Feared WSJ, By TAMARA AUDI, 6 April 12 SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—For three decades, the reactor domes of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station have been fixtures on the coastline here less than five miles south of this surfer’s paradise.

“You see it, you just don’t think about it,” said Dan Kenton, a 49-year-old San Clemente resident.

That appears to be changing. Concern over the plant’s safety is growing in communities around San Onofre—about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego—after officials found deteriorating steam pipes in both reactors earlier this year. Both are now shut….. Continue reading →

April 6, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

84% of Japanese do not believe in safety of Japan’s nuclear reactors

84 percent say government stress tests for nuclear plant restarts inadequate: survey Mainichi Daily News 2 April 12, Despite the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) of Japan’s conclusion that the idled Oi Nuclear Power Plant clears safety standards required for resuming operations, 84 percent of the public do not believe that the government’s safety tests are sufficient, a Mainichi opinion poll has found… Continue reading →

April 4, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Tamil Nadu govt agrees to release prisoners, so anti nuclear activists cease hunger strike

Nuclear activists end fast, but say they will continue their protest TNN | Mar 28, 2012,  anti-nuclear activist S P Udayakumar, who is spearheading the protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, and others on Tuesday ended their fast unto death following assurances by the state government.

The protesters said the government had agreed to their demand of dropping cases and releasing the arrested activists. Udayakumar, convenor of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), and 14 others, including seven women, withdrew their fast around 7pm after Tirunelveli district collector R Selvaraj held several rounds of talks with their representatives.

However, Udayakumar said the protest against the nuclear plant would continue. “We have decided to withdraw the fast respecting the request of Tuticorin bishop Yvonne Ambrose and a number of our well-wishers. But our protest will continue. Continue reading →

March 28, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Hundreds arrested in protest against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

Kudankulam nuclear plant protests: Vaiko among 500 held Times of India, Mar 23, 2012,  TIRUNELVELI, TN: Leaders of various parties and outfits, including MDMK leader Vaiko, were on Friday arrested here when they attempted to proceed to Idinthakarai, the epicentre of protests against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, to express their solidarity with the locals demanding the scrapping of the Indo-Russian project.

Leaders and volunteers of MDMK, PMK, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Nam Tamizhar Iyakkam and Popular Front of India and Anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant People’s Movement co-ordinator ‘Kolathur’ Mani were arrested at Palayamkottai here, police said.

They were arrested in view of the ban orders in force in the entire Radhapuram taluk under which Kudunakulam and Idinthakarai falls. Earlier, they participated in a rally organised here to condemn the central and state governments for their ‘atrocious’ attitude in going ahead with the project and the crackdown on People’s Movement Against Nuclear Engery (PMANE), spearheading the protest…… http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kudankulam-nuclear-plant-protests-Vaiko-among-500-held/articleshow/12380791.cms

March 24, 2012 Posted by | civil liberties, India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister losing popularity, with the crackdown on anti nuclear ptotestors

The plant is a curse not only for us but also our children,”  … “We don’t fear the police. We will go to jail. But we will not allow the plant to function in our soil.”

 “I have always voted for Amma. But now I regret it. She has ditched us. I will never vote
for her again,”

The tide rises against Amma  J Jayalalithaa , Tekelka, 23 March 12, After Jayalalithaa’s green signal for the Koodankulam nuclear plant, the protesters and police are on a collision course, says Jeemon Jacob TENSION IS rising in the coastal village of Idinthakarai, the hub of the anti-nuclear protests in Tamil Nadu.

Around 5,000 men, women and children are camping at the St Lourdes Church grounds to express their solidarity with the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE),
spearheaded by P Udayakumar. They have been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since Monday.

The protesters are in an angry mood after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa made a U-turn in favour of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant and deployed more than 4,000 police personnel to counter the agitation.. Continue reading →

March 24, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Vermont Governor backs anti nuclear protestors, as dozens arrested

Dozens arrested in Vt. nuclear plant protest, Google News, By WILSON RING, Associated Press –24 March 12, BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) — A 93-year-old anti-nuclear activist was among more than 130 protesters arrested at the corporate headquarters of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on the first day of the plant’s operation after the expiration of its 40-year license.
Frances Crowe, of Northampton, Mass., said she wants Vermont Yankee to cease operations because she feels it’s a threat to the people who live nearby.
“As I was walking down, all I could think of was Fukushima and the suffering of all the people, and I don’t want that to happen to New England,” Crowe said, referring to the Japanese nuclear reactor damaged last year after an earthquake and tsunami.

When asked how many times she’d been arrested, she answered: “Not enough.”…..

A crowd estimated at more than 1,000 gathered in a downtown Brattleboro park before they marched the 3 1/2 miles to the headquarters. Some marched on stilts. Others with painted faces carried signs that read “hell no, we won’t glow.” Many chanted: “Shut
it down.”
Gov. Peter Shumlin was sympathetic to the protesters. “I am very supportive of the peaceful protesters gathered today in Brattleboro to express their — and my — frustration that this aging plant remains open after its agreed-upon license has expired,” he
said….
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the plant a 20-year license extension, but the state of Vermont wants the plant to close and the two sides are fighting a legal battle. In January, a federal judge issued an order that allows the plant to continue
operating while the legal case continues in court….. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5id0Xp4AtvKoXSXRWciy2ukdioKyg?docId=594ef1f733024b8f964ef1bcea14c163

March 24, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

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