USA House to vote on cutting back renewable energy, promoting fossil fuels
US House To Vote On Cuts To Renewable-Energy Research, NASDAQ By Ryan Tracy, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, 12 July 11, WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Monday was expected to vote on cuts to renewable-energy research while boosting funding for energy technologies that use fossil fuel, the latest evidence of a partisan divide on energy policy…..http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201107111613dowjonesdjonline000291&title=us-house-to-vote-on-cuts-to-renewable-energy-research
David Wagner reports on the nuclear crisis in Japan
Report From Tokyo: My Final Report, Huffington Post, David Wagner, 11 July 11, “……….I have a list of my own remaining concerns I share here along with my take on how things may play out:
1) Food Chain: I have talked about this issue numerous times and just the past week further evidence of radiation’s spread in to the food chain was confirmed. This will grow in magnitude as time goes on, leading to pressure to establish an effective food monitoring system. Currently, less than 1 percent of all food in Japan is tested for radiation.
2) Child Safety: As I have written in the past, it is the children of Japan that are in harm’s way near the plant. Faced with the dilemma of staying (mortgage, job, family) or leaving (safety, peace of mind), I suspect more and more families will leave affected regions.
3) Hot Spots: The explosions in two nuclear reactors in March created many “hot spots” where radiation gathered and remains. Mapping these, determining who has had exposure to them, and cleaning them up will be a top priority. Recent reports confirm that the clean up process from the mess in Fukushima will take decades. That sounds about right.
4) Brain Drain: Rising numbers of non-Japanese and Japanese alike will leave Japan. The result will be a notable loss in human talent and creativity, both of which Japan needs to remain competitive. Not a good sign for the future for a country I love.
5) Responsibility: A well-known book by Karel Van Wolferen, written in 1989, highlighted the lack of responsibility taken in decision-making in Japan. Nothing has changed since then. I would not count on much movement in this area. If anything, count on more manipulation of public opinion…….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wagner/japan-radiation-_b_893955.html.
France rejects compensatioin for its Pacific atomic test victims
France says no to Pacific compensation, VIDEO from Australia Network News, Nuclear veterans disappointed, Radio Australia News, Geraldine Coutts, 06 Jul 2011
French Polynesia’s nuclear test veterans say they are shocked and disappointed at France’s decision to reject their compensation claims.The rejection comes two years after Paris formally acknowledged that nuclear weapon tests in French Polynesia were not clean and there was an obligation to pay compensation.
There was legislation passed to allow for compensation, but now France has rejected seven out of eight compensation claims filed by veterans. In the 30 years to 1996, France carried out almost 200 nuclear tests in French Polynesia, including 42 atmospheric tests held despite opposition from residents.
President of French Polynesia’s nuclear test veterans organisation, Roland Oldham, has told Pacific Beat the rejections show France is not committed to compensating the veterans.
“As far as we’re concerned, it is clear that the French government does not [plan] to take any responsibility in compensation,” he said.
“[It] is only some sort of masquerade to make the world believe that France is making a big speech, that France is paying compensation for the victims.
“But the matter of fact is France is not really going to pay compensation – that’s a feeling we have from this result.”
Mr Oldham said the French Government was triying to “delay as much as we can to discourage first the victims, and secondly, to hope that in five or 10 years time there will be no former workers alive and it will be even harder for the family to get the paper together.”
“That’s what they’re trying to do.” http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/story.htm?id=41838
Japan to announce new “stress tests” for its idled nuclear reactors
Japan to detail nuclear plant “stress tests” Monday-minister, TOKYO, July 10, 2011 , (Reuters) – Japan will unveil on Monday details of “stress tests” idled nuclear power plants must undergo before they can be restarted, a senior official said on Sunday, as the government seeks to reassure the public over safety after the Fukushima disaster.
Gohsi Hosono, the minister appointed to oversee Japan’s response to the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, told Fuji TV in an interview the government would also announce on Monday a plan for electricity supply over the next “one or two years” to allay businesses’ fears over power shortages. “The results of the new stress tests and the decision on restarts cannot be treated separately,” Hosono said.
He said the tests, intended to assess whether Japan’s nuclear plants could withstand the kind of massive earthquake and tsunami that pushed Fukushima into crisis, would have different standards to those proposed by the European Union, adding: “This will be a Japanese-style test.”
In a sudden shift in policy, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said last week that Japan would administer stress tests for nuclear plants similar to those conducted by the European Union after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant…..http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/10/idUSL3E7IA03G20110710
France’s new Ecology Minister quietly not too keen on nuclear power
Ms Kosciusko-Morizet appears to have been cannier than her predecessor, Jean-Louis Borloo, who antagonised the nuclear lobby with his renewables campaign. She is taking a tack that few French politicians or industrialists dare challenge…..
France aims to rebalance its energy mix, FT.com By Peggy Hollinger, 10 July 11“…….The ecology minister, Ms Kosciusko-Morizet ,one of a young generation of bright ambitious politicians brought into government by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is too aware of the highly sensitive nature of nuclear politics in France to say outright that she is against the construction of new reactors.
But she seems less than enthusiastic about the project to build a second new-generation European pressurised reactor (EPR) – which has been on hold since the Fukushima disaster – or the proposal to showcase new French technology by approving plans for a smaller prototype reactor, known as the Atmea.
“We are in a phase in which there are projects, and there are questions on existing reactors and on the development of renewable energy,” she says. “If we wanted to do only nuclear power, we would not have launched these offshore projects.”
Ms Kosciusko-Morizet appears to have been cannier than her predecessor, Jean-Louis Borloo, who antagonised the nuclear lobby with his renewables campaign. She is taking a tack that few French politicians or industrialists dare challenge…..
Ms Kosciusko-Morizet admits that France lags China and Germany in the race to build a solar power industry. But the government has now restructured incentives that might in the end favour French technology.
“We are reinvesting again in solar, but in very high quality,” she says, and France is now five years ahead on its 2020 objectives to have 5,400MW installed by 2020….
France will consider exiting from nuclear power
An energy ministry official told Reuters one scenario would consider a total exit from nuclear by 2050, or even 2040……A poll last month showed three quarters of the French people interviewed wanted to withdraw from nuclear energy,
France includes nuclear power exit among options, Reuters, Jul 8, 2011 Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Writing by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Anthony Barker)
* France mulls full exit by 2040-2050, not govt’s choice
* Option part of wider study on French future energy mix
* Poll showed three quarters of French want full exit
PARIS, – France raised the possibility for the first time of pulling out of nuclear power Continue reading
Japanese government far too involved in nuclear industry
Too Much Government Support Distorted Nuclear Industry: Inquiry Panel Member, FOX Business News, By Mitsuru Obe, July 08, 2011, Dow Jones Newswires
— Government continues to play overbearing role in nuclear industry, inquiry panel member says
— Generous state assistance, protection encouraged exaggerated move by power companies into nuclear power
— Power plant operators failed to learn lessons from Chernobyl disaster
TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- The Japanese government’s heavy involvement in the nuclear power business has distorted the decision-making of plant operators and led to the construction of nuclear plants without regard to real economic costs, indirectly contributing to the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex, a member of a fact-finding committee said Friday……
“This has distorted the economic incentives and risk profile of nuclear power. Without massive government assistance, utilities would never have gotten into nuclear power so heavily,” Yoshioka said at the second meeting of the committee, which was set up to investigate the causes of the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The 10-person panel was launched early last month and is set to produce an interim report by the end of the year and a final report by next summer……..http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/07/08/too-much-government-support-distorted-nuclear-industry-inquiry-panel-member/
German Parliament seals nuclear exit plan
The nuclear exit scheme cleared its final hurdle in the Bundesrat upper house, which represents the 16 regional states, after the legislation passed the Bundestag lower house with an overwhelming majority last week.
Germany’s seven oldest reactors were already switched off after Japan’s massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing reactors to overheat and radiation to leak.
A further reactor has been shut for years because of technical problems.
The nine reactors currently on line are due to be turned off between 2015 and 2022, an even faster pace than envisaged when Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the decision in May.
Polls indicate a large majority of Germans oppose nuclear power due to fears of a reactor catastrophe and unresolved issues on the long-term storage of highly radioactive atomic waste……http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gnJH-sZ9D1lD39l-ekmBrnx2xuyg?docId=CNG.789d47896547d432d46c547221e2b880.461
Finish nuclear power – says Japan’s potential next Prime Minister
Japan PM contender says ditch nuclear, FT.com, By Mure Dickie and Tom O’Sullivan in Tokyo 4 July 11, A leading contender to replace Naoto Kan as Japan’s prime minister has called for the country to phase out nuclear power over the next two decades.
Seiji Maehara, one of the most popular figures in the ruling Democratic party, told the Financial Times in an interview that construction of new nuclear reactors should “basically be stopped” following the crisis at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant……A Japanese retreat from atomic power would have far-reaching implications for domestic utilities and companies such as Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which are seeking to sell nuclear technology overseas.….
Opinion polls suggest a majority of voters support a gradual reduction in the use of atomic energy. Mr Maehara said Japan should aim to phase out nuclear power completely. “That is what is going to happen and … what should happen, but given that we depend on nuclear power for 30 per cent of electricity generation, we can’t get rid of it right away,” he said. “While increasing the safety of nuclear power, we need to use preferential policies to reduce our dependence on it over 10 or 20 years.”
Mr Maehara’s relative popularity and status as a former leader of the DPJ mean his call for a nuclear phase-out could put the issue at the centre of any party election to replace Mr Kan. Mr Maehara’s status as a possible successor to Mr Kan has been boosted by recent opinion polls. One survey by the Nikkei Shimbun suggested one-fifth of voters thought him the most suitable person to become DPJ leader and thus premier…. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caa106b6-a581-11e0-83b2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1R7kQ1HSH
India not happy with restrictions on nuclear technology purchases
The guidelines restrict the sale of such technology to countries which, like nuclear-armed India, have not signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
India sees the move as a challenge to the waiver from NSG rules — negotiated by the United States — that the country was granted in 2008.
Companies from France, Russia, the United States and Japan are competing for a slice of the $175 billion India plans to spend on nuclear reactors, and Rao hinted that a willingness to provide technology transfers would be a factor in awarding contracts…….http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jkXesvZlAN_8w4o-iAseAmj42rUA?docId=CNG.a2927e2a2a9f66d6246282cccdc54dd8.651
Nuclear and Uranium Policy – Western Australia Labor Party
Labor policy adopted- 25th June 2011, Chapter 4: Economics, Industry and Regional Development, Minerals and Energy, Uranium Mining and Nuclear Energy
241. Recognising the hazards and dangers of nuclear power, especially relating to:
a. The safety of the nuclear fuel cycle;
b. The unsolved problems pertaining to the reprocessing and storage of radioactive wastes and spent fuel;
c. The growing concern about the biomedical effects of even low radiation
d. The coupling of nuclear energy and nuclear weapon developments
e. The added danger of a future plutonium economy and the threats to civil liberties involved in a nuclear economy; and
f. The fact that Labor policy contained herein on fossil fuels, energy conservation and renewable resources will ensure Western Australia energy self sufficiency.
242. Labor will:
a. Reject nuclear power as an option for electricity generation in Western Australia;
b. Oppose the establishment of a nuclear enrichment facility in the State;
c. Reject the establishment of nuclear processing plants or the storage of nuclear wastes in the state;
d. allow no uranium mining or development in Western Australia; and
e. The platform recognises WA long and continuous opposition to uranium mining. The commencement and continuation of any uranium project is inconsistent with Labor Policy. Labor will accept no obligation to complete approval processes or honour contractual arrangements entered into by a previous government where such approvals or contracts are directed towards an outcome inconsistent with Labor s, restrictions and conditions applicable to the mining, processing, sale and transportation of uranium platform.
f. place thorium under the currently mines in Australia as outlines in the Resources and Energy section of the National Platform, so far as they relate to nuclear non-proliferation.
Opposition in Japan to restarting Genkai nuclear reactors
Saga governor comes under fire over Genkai restart, Japan Times, July 2, 2011, KYODO, Saga — Saga Gov. Yasushi Furukawa came under fire at the prefectural assembly Friday over his apparent willingness to approve the restart of two reactors at the Genkai nuclear power station. …
During a session of the assembly’s committee on nuclear power safety, Yasushige Miyazaki, an independent, said a possible future crisis cannot be ruled out at the plant in the town of Genkai, Saga Prefecture.
He also expressed doubts about the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency’s explanation that the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was triggered by the March 11 tsunami rather than the magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
Miyazaki urged the governor to seek more data from the central government to confirm that no serious damage was caused to the crippled Fukushima plant by the initial quake. But the governor rejected the request, saying the government has provided sufficient data.
…..many of the assembly’s 38 members oppose a resumption of operations, citing local residents’ safety concerns.
Furukawa said he will make a final decision after meeting with Prime Minister Naoto Kan on whether to restart the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors of the Genkai plant, which are currently shut down for regular checks. Their restart has been delayed due to the Fukushima crisis……..http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110702a3.html
India’s North Eastern States call for renewable energy funding
North Eastern ministers call for 90% funding The Assam Tribune Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, July 2 – The Power Ministers of the NE States have called for 90 per cent funding from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for the renewable energyprojects in the region.
The Power Ministers also sought help for preparing the State-specific action plans forrenewable energy. They were participating in a meeting convened by New andRenewable Energy Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah to review the implementation of renewable energy policies and programmes in the NE States, here in Delhi today. The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya and the Power Ministers of other NE States, senior officials from the ministry and the State governments.
Official sources said that Dr Abdullah agreed for getting the resource mapping of solar, wind and micro and small hydro projects prepared for these States. The States in the region have also been advised to put in more efforts for popularization of renewable energy for maximizing use of these technologies. The ministers of NE States would be given opportunities to visit showcase projects within and outside the country…..
It was informed during the meeting that out of 4,965 remote villages to be electrified and illuminated through renewable energy systems in the region, 3,841 villages have been provided solar lights. There are over 160 small and micro hydel projects installed in the NE States with 275 MW aggregate capacities… http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jul0311/at07
French government rejecting poll showing unpopularity of nuclear power
French Industry Minister Rejects Poll Backing Nuclear Withdrawal Bloomberg, By Tara Patel June 11 French Industry Minister Eric Besson rejected the findings of an opinion poll that called for the gradual phasing-out of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors…..Fifty-one percent of respondents in an Ifop survey commissioned by the European Green party published March 21 said France’s reactors, along with its nuclear energy policy, should be phased out in the next 25 years. Just 19 percent wanted a more rapid pullout.
France, which depends on nuclear power for about three quarters of its electricity, should “progressively” exit from atomic energy, according to 60 percent of respondents to a Viavoice opinion poll published in today’s Liberation newspaper. Thirty-five percent are against the change, the newspaper said……http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-20/french-industry-minister-rejects-poll-backing-nuclear-withdrawal.html
Japanese govt must deal with the justifiable fears of nuclear plant communities
Are earthquake-resistance capabilities of nuclear power plants, including surrounding facilities, adequate?
Local governments that host nuclear power plants are refusing to agree to the resumption of operations of reactors that have completed their routine inspections.
Government must address local anxieties over nuclear plants, Asahi Shimbun, 2011/06/18, The central government has to seriously listen to the voices of local governments and swiftly re-examine the standards for resumption of operations by taking into consideration the damages from the March 11 disasters.
What is needed in advancing work is close attention to “the worst case.” Up to now, operations of nuclear power plants were based on the assumption that “accidents do not occur.” As far as Fukushima is concerned, damage has been caused not only by the tsunami, but also the earthquake. Continue reading
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Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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