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California’s Dangerous Diablo Nuke Hangs in Gov. Newsom’s Hands

February 11, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Denver Federal Center nuclear reactor violations lead to fine, short shutdown 

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/08/denver-federal-center-nuclear-reactor-violations/

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed to have a $7,250 fine levied  Concerns over the operation of a nuclear reactor at the Denver Federal Center has one arm of the federal government proposing to fine another and a reactor supervisor has been reassigned with his access revoked.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed to have a $7,250 fine levied against the U.S. Geological Survey for “research reactor violations,” according to an NRC news release dated Tuesday.

The NRC carried out two separate investigations of the TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) nuclear reactor, which is used for research, and found violations associated with staffing and training requirements, the release stated.

One investigation was completed on Jan. 18, 2018, the other on June 12, 2018, according to a notice of violation letter which identified the supervisor as Brycen Roy.

Roy, who was reached Friday night by phone, declined comment.

The USGS has “implemented corrective actions,” according to the release, but not before “pausing reactor operations to allow for an assessment of the violations and the operational culture of the reactor organization.”

One violation involved “deliberately falsified documentation showing that reactor operators had completed required training, when in fact the training never took place,” the NRC said. The supervisor presented “false documentation” to an NRC inspector, according to the release

A second investigation found that the supervisor “violated staffing requirements by performing certain reactor tests without a second qualified person present, as required by NRC regulations.”

The USGS can dispute the violation and penalty, or could agree to third-party mediation, the release stated.

The Denver Federal Center, a 623-acre campus which houses 28 agencies in 44 buildings, is surrounded by Lakewood. It’s west of Kipling Street, south of West 6th Avenue and north of West Alameda Avenue.

February 11, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Brazil prosecutor calls for emergency safety measures at tailings dam at former Poços de Caldas uranium mine

Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office calls for emergency measures to prevent failure of tailings dam at former Poços de Caldas uranium mine

Decommissioning Projects – South/Central America  8 Feb 2019

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF)  has recommended to the President of the Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB)  and to the President of the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN)  that, by March 30, all necessary steps be taken to fully implement the Emergency Action Plan for Dams (Paemb) on the tailings dam of the Mineral Treatment Unit (UTM), located in the municipality of Caldas, south of the state.
This dam contains radioactive material resulting from the first uranium mine operated in Brazil.
The exploration lasted from 1982 to 1995, when it was closed, on the grounds that the activities were economically unfeasible. Even after the end of the mine, the mine pit containing mud with radioactive waste, a decontaminated ore processing plant, dozens of equipment, and the dam with thousands of tons of uranium, thorium and radium waste remains in the mine.

In September of last year, INB noted that an “unusual event” occurred at the UTM-Caldas dam, which was immediately communicated to CNEN and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment (IBAMA) . Such an event consisted of turbidity and reduction of water flow at the outlet of the overflow pipe system of the structure. Also, actions were immediately initiated to investigate the causes of the event, by collecting special samples and intensifying the field inspections and reading the dam instrumentation.
A technical report produced by an emergency contractor at the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP)  concluded that the overflow pipe system of the tailings dam is seriously compromised and that the infiltrations found on its walls favor the occurrence of so-called piping.
Piping is a process of internal erosion that damages the structure of the dam, increasing the probability of rupture, which requires immediate measures of correction and intervention [view here].

About two weeks ago, representatives of the Brazilian Nuclear Industries presented to the MPF the measures that are being implemented as a matter of urgency to change the mechanism of the overflow pipe dam system, preceded by a provisional auxiliary system, as well as the Paemb and the schedule of its Implementation. Regarding the Paemb, no concrete action has been taken so far.
For the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, the relevance and complexity of the facts, already worrying about the possibility of rupture of the structure, are more serious when the tailings are considered to consist of radioactive material.
The closure of uranium exploration activities occurred in 1995, without concrete measures being taken to decommission UTM-Caldas and environmental recovery for the damages caused. The omission of INB led the Federal Public Prosecutor to file a Public Civil Action No. 4106-80.2015.4.01.3826 , in the year 2015, to demand the full environmental recovery in the area of the project. “The longer this situation lasts, the lack of concrete measures for decommissioning and environmental recovery, the greater the exposure of the environment (fauna and flora) and the population to the risk of serious and harmful events,” warns MPF.

Transparency – Another point addressed in the recommendation concerns the need and the right of the populations neighboring the project, which can be affected in the event of a possible rupture, to receive information about the dam situation in clear and accessible language.
Therefore, the MPF recommended that in five days, INB and CNEN should be widely disseminated to civil society, especially to communities that may be directly affected by a possible incident, about the risks they are exposed to.
The information should cover both the “unusual event” occurred on Sep. 25, 2018, indicating the characteristics and causes of the occurrence, as well as the potential risks arising from the situation in which the dam structure is located, the measures taken by the entrepreneur to stabilization of the enterprise and the content of the Emergency Action Plan (SAP). (MPF Feb. 7, 2019)

The latest Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office action in this case apparently was triggered by the Brumadinho tailings dam disaster on Jan. 25, 2019 (see details). http://wise-uranium.org/udsam.html#POCOSDEC http://wise-uranium.org/udsam.html#POCOSDEC

February 9, 2019 Posted by | Brazil, safety | Leave a comment

California disapproves of Federal Dept of Energy’s plan for cleaning up radioactive Santa Susana Field Lab

SSFL impasse – State disapproves of DOE’s final environmental study , Simi Valley Acorn,    State officials overseeing the cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Lab are criticizing a federal agency’s proposal to address contamination on its portion of the former rocket engine testing site.  On Jan. 28, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control issued a letter accusing the U.S. Department of Energy of reneging on a 2010 cleanup agreement promising to remove all contamination in its part of the 2,850-acre field lab.

SSFL was used for 50 years in the development of ballistic missiles, rockets and space shuttle equipment. A partial nuclear meltdown occurred in Area IV in 1959, but it wasn’t made public until decades later. The DOE is responsible for removing soil and groundwater contamination in Area IV and the northern buffer zone.

“DOE ignores that its preferred alternative is inconsistent with the (agreement which) clearly defines DOE’s obligation to clean up soils in Area IV to background levels, or reporting limits if no background value exists, on a point-by-point basis,” DTSC officials said in the letter.

The state agency said it intends to hold the U.S. Department of Energy accountable to the requirements of the previous agreement, which involves a more thorough cleanup of the property.

The letter also requested that DOE extend the 30-day comment period, which closed at the end of January, through March 1 to allow more “meaningful public participation and opportunity for comment.”

The letter is in response to the Department of Energy’s final environmental study, which was released Dec. 18.

In the study, the federal agency called for the removal of the remaining buildings in Area IV—a radioactive materials handling facility and a hazardous waste management facility—and recommended a combination of treatment and monitoring to deal with the groundwater. It also proposed a “risk-based” soil cleanup plan, in which any contaminant found is removed. Environmentalists have argued in favor of removing much more soil………..

Five activist groups lobbying for complete site remediation, meaning they want to see the property restored to what it was before SSFL was built, voiced their objections the same day DTSC issued its letter.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Southern California Federation of Scientists, Committee to Bridge the Gap, and the Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition all sent letters Jan. 28 accusing the DOE of breaching the legally binding 2010 agreement and violating fundamental environmental laws.

Denise Duffield, spokesperson for Physicians for Social Responsibility, told the Simi Valley Acorn this week that the DOE’s final study is an “unconscionable breach of its commitment to clean up all of its contamination at SSFL.”

DOE, Duffield asserts, wants to leave behind 98 percent of contamination and just “walk away from remediating much of the contaminated groundwater.”

“Polluters do not get to decide how much of their contamination they get to clean up,” she said. “Also, the (study) fails to take into account the devastating Woolsey fire, which started at and burned much of the contaminated SSFL in November.”

Duffield said her group wants local, state and federal officials to lean on the DOE to revise its final study……..
Once DOE issues its record of decision, Jones said, it still has to wait for DTSC to release its final EIR. https://www.simivalleyacorn.com/articles/ssfl-impasse/

February 9, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Pump malfunction causes shutdown at Flamanville nuclear reactor

EDF said the reactor was disconnected safely in order to allow technical teams to carry out repair works on one of the two pumps supplying water to the secondary circuit.

“Both pumps must be available for full power operation of the unit,” EDF said.

The reactor in the north of France restarted production on Jan. 27 after a prolonged outage for its third 10-year overhaul since April 2018.

EDF said it informed nuclear safety authority ASN about the incident which had no impact on other facilities.

The reactor is expected to resume electricity production on Feb. 8

Power production was halted at the Flamanville 2 reactor, which has a similar capacity, on January 10 for its third decennial upgrade. The reactor is expected back online on July 10.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta

February 4, 2019 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Commissioners Disagree on Final Rulemaking in Response to Fukushima Accident

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ad53e9d3-58ca-4bae-bb07-066ea9255afa, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP,  1 Feb  2019

A divided Commission at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on January 24 approved the Mitigation of Beyond-Design-Basis Events rulemaking (Final Rule). The NRC began the rulemaking in December 2016 as part of its efforts to evaluate and implement, if necessary, regulatory changes in response to the Fukushima Daichi event in March 2011. In somewhat of a surprise, the majority of Commissioners last week rejected large portions of the proposed rule submitted by the NRC staff over two years ago. The rationale for changing the Final Rule demonstrates a renewed emphasis on applying backfit analyses. Continue reading →

February 4, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Low-flying choppers monitoring radiation in Atlanta (fears of nuclear terrorism?)

Low-flying choppers monitoring radiation https://wtkr.com/2019/01/27/low-flying-choppers-monitoring-radiation/JANUARY 27, 2019, BY CNN WIRE ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) – If you’re in downtown Atlanta or around Buckhead for the Super Bowl Experience or regular business, you might see some low-flying helicopters over the area.

The choppers are from the U.S. Department of Energy and are serving a specific purpose.

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, is conducting the low-altitude flights as part of security operations for Super Bowl LIII. The choppers will measure naturally occurring background radiation, according to the NNSA.

The measurement of naturally occurring radiation will establish baseline levels and is considered a normal part of security and emergency preparedness, according to the NNSA. The agency said it was making the public aware of the flights to avoid any panic or alarm.

The helicopters, Bell 412 choppers, will fly in a grid pattern over the areas at 150 feet or higher at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour, according to the Department of Energy. Flyovers will occur only during daylight hours and should take roughly three hours to complete per area scanned.

February 2, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Washtenaw County’s preparations – in the event of a nuclear disaster

Here’s what could happen in a nuclear disaster in Washtenaw County, By Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com ANN ARBOR, MI , 1 Feb 19, – As Ann Arbor considers calling on the state and federal governments to better prepare for nuclear disaster, county officials note there already are some emergency plans in place.

Washtenaw County does not stockpile potassium iodide as some city officials are calling for in a proposed resolution, said Dave Halteman, the county’s emergency services director.

But in the event of an incident such as a meltdown at the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant in southeast Michigan, the county would reach out to the state’s Emergency Operations Center to initiate access to a national pharmaceutical stockpile through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This plan has been in place for many years and the CDC stockpiles these pharmaceuticals in strategic locations all over the country,” Halteman said.

“However, given the potential time lapse in getting access to the national stockpile, I will continue to monitor Ann Arbor’s initiative to see how it might work on a county level.”

City Council will consider a resolution Monday, Feb. 4 calling for strengthening local emergency planning by stockpiling nonprescription potassium iodide in communities within 50 miles of the Fermi 2 plant, which is roughly 30 miles from Ann Arbor along Lake Erie.

The resolution would direct the city’s lobbying team to advocate to the state and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to provide the same level of KI protection to residents here as Canadian authorities provide to Ontario residents within 50 miles of the Fermi 2 plant.

The American Thyroid Association has called for pre-distribution of potassium iodide, also known as KI, to households within a 10-mile radius of nuclear power plants such as Fermi 2, and stockpiling it in public facilities such as schools, hospitals, clinics, post offices and police and fire stations in up to a 50-mile radius.

Timely ingestion of KI can reduce the effects of radiation and help prevent thyroid cancer in the event of a nuclear fallout, notes the resolution sponsored by Council Members Anne Bannister, D-1st Ward, and Chip Smith, D-5th Ward.

Without a local stockpile, it could take eight to 12 hours for CDC supplies to arrive, depending on the event, said Cindra James, the county’s public health preparedness administrator.

In some cases, it could be sooner based on local supplies, James said, noting the federal government has caches stockpiled “at various unknown locations that we aren’t privy to,” but those supplies can be accessed depending on need.

As far as potential evacuation of the county if there was a nuclear disaster, there’s no specific plan, but the county would coordinate with the state police and local law enforcement to close roads leading toward any hazard and redirect traffic away from the affected area, Halteman said.

The county’s outdoor warning sirens also would be activated followed by an emergency alert system message to inform the public via the media of the hazard and what actions to take, he said.

“We would also reach out to our transportation partners here in Washtenaw County to assist moving those without transportation,” he said, noting that could include the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority and local school bus systems.

“Certainly the response would be scaled up or down to accommodate the size of the evacuation area,” Halteman said…….. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2019/02/heres-what-could-happen-in-a-nuclear-disaster-in-washtenaw-county.html

February 2, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

USA Pentagon wants to fly small nuclear reactors in transport jets – Gee, I hope they dont crash

The Pentagon Wants a Nuclear Reactor That Fits in a Transport Jet, Foxtrot Alpha , Kyle Mizokami  30 Jan 19, The Department of Defense wants a portable nuclear reactor the size of a main battle tank that’s capable of being lifted to overseas hot spots. The reactor would provide megawatts of power for U.S. forces, providing juice for everything from Xboxes to directed energy weapons. A mobile reactor would also make the military less reliant on diesel fuel for electrical generators, which in some cases must be sent along dangerous resupply lines.

According to the Federal Business Opportunities website, the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office has officially put out a request for information for a “Small Mobile Nuclear Reactor.”………

Despite more than seventy years of development, portable or even semi-portable nuclear reactors have not achieved the kind of success dreamed of early in the Nuclear Age. Between 1964 and 1972 a nuclear reactor, PM-3A, provided 1.8 megawatts of power to the U.S. research station at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Unfortunately the reactor was also seriously buggy, malfunctioning 438 times over its operational lifespan resulting in a reliability rate of just 72 percent. It was also implicated in a spike in cancer-related deaths.

The NB-36 bomber was a proposed nuclear-powered heavy strategic bomber that used the R-1 nuclear power plant for propulsion, but concerns about environmental damage should the plane crash shelved the nuclear-powered aircraft concept indefinitely. …….https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-pentagon-wants-a-nuclear-reactor-that-fits-in-a-tra-1832135363

January 31, 2019 Posted by | safety, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Security dangers in South Asia increase as India and Pakistan develop nuclear weapons programmes

Nuclear programmes of India, Pakistan increase risk of security incident in South Asia: US spymaster, Economic Times, Jan 30, 2019  WASHINGTON: There is an increased risk of a nuclear security incident in South Asia due to continued growth and development of Pakistan and India’s nuclear weapons programmes, America’s top spymaster told lawmakers on Tuesday.

The remarks of National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats is part of US intelligence community’s assessment of worldwide threats in the year 2019.

While Pakistan continues to develop new types of nuclear weapons, including short-range tactical weapons, sea-based cruise missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, and longer range ballistic missiles, India this year has conducted its first deployment of a nuclear-powered submarine armed with nuclear missiles, he said.

“The continued growth and development of Pakistan and India’s nuclear weapons programmes increase the risk of a nuclear security incident in South Asia, and the new types  .. ……..

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/nuclear-programmes-of-india-pakistan-increase-risk-of-security-incident-in-south-asia-us-spymaster/articleshow/67751526.cms

January 31, 2019 Posted by | India, Pakistan, safety, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Security guards kill man at Nevada Nuclear Test Site

Official: Man killed at nuclear site failed to drop object https://news3lv.com/news/local/official-man-killed-at-nuclear-site-failed-to-drop-object by The Associated Press  An aggressive man was killed by officers at a U.S. nuclear security site in Nevada after refusing orders to drop a cylindrical object, authorities said Tuesday.

Investigators declined immediate comment on whether the object was a weapon.

The incident began when the unidentified man failed to stop Monday evening at the security gate at the Nevada National Security Site, located 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Las Vegas, according to Darwin Morgan, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Morgan said the trespasser drove 8 miles (13 kilometers) with officers in pursuit before he parked and approached them with the object in his hand. Deputies and site officers fired at him when he ignored their verbal commands, Morgan said.

The man died at the property formerly known as the Nevada Test Site.

The FBI has been notified and no additional information has been released, Nye County sheriff’s Lt. David Boruchowitz said.

Nevada is currently involved in a legal battle with the U.S. Energy Department to block the shipment of a metric ton of weapons-grade plutonium to the site from South Carolina.

Government scientists conduct tests simulating nuclear explosions at the 1,360-square mile (3,522-square kilometer) site in Nevada that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.

January 31, 2019 Posted by | incidents, USA | 1 Comment

France’s new president of the Nuclear Safety Authority concerned on safety of aging nuclear reactors

Le Monde 29th Jan 2019 “The state of nuclear installations is a real concern”, according to the
president of the Nuclear Safety Authority. The new president of the Nuclear
Safety Authority, Bernard Doroszczuk, is worried about the aging of the
park and the loss of skills.
https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/01/29/l-etat-des-installations-est-un-vrai-sujet-de-preoccupation-selon-le-president-de-l-autorite-de-surete-nucleaire_5416128_3244.html

January 31, 2019 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission votes 3-2 to weaken nuclear power safety rules

Republicans at U.S. nuclear regulator pass stripped down safety rule, CNBC , JAN 24 2019 
Timothy Gardner  WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Republicans on the U.S. nuclear power regulator approved a stripped down safety rule on Thursday that removes the need for nuclear plants to take extra measures based on recent science to protect against hazards such as floods and earthquakes.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a board of three Republicans and two Democrats, approved the rule on a 3-2 vote along party lines. Dissents are rare on the NRC and the two Democrats strongly disagreed with the approval.

They said the Republican decision could allow plants to avoid protections against risks of natural disasters that have become apparent with science methods that have evolved since most plants were built about 40 years ago. …….

Commissioner Jeff Baran, a Democrat, said NRC staff had included the extra safety measures in the draft after years of work, but Republicans had jettisoned them.

“Instead of requiring nuclear power plants to be prepared for the actual flooding and earthquake hazards that could occur at their sites, the NRC will allow them to be prepared only for the old out-of-date hazards typically calculated decades ago when the science of seismology and hydrology was far less advanced than it is today.”

NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki, a Republican, said after the vote that the commission’s work since 2011 has resulted in “tangible safety improvements at every U.S. nuclear power plant.”  ……..

A nuclear power safety advocate said new information showed that plants may experience bigger floods and earthquakes than they are now required to withstand, and that it is possible the commission will not require nuclear plants that face greater hazards to make upgrades.

“Nuclear plants must be protected against the most severe natural disasters they could face today – not those estimated 40 years ago,” when many plants were built, Edwin Lyman, acting director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner Editing by Susan Thomas) https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/reuters-america-republicans-at-u-s-nuclear-regulator-pass-stripped-down-safety-rule.html

January 26, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission agrees to delay relicensing New Hampshire’s Seabrook nuclear power plant

Feds agree to delay relicensing New Hampshire’s Seabrook nuclear power plant

In a notice, the NRC said it would delay relicensing the coastal New Hampshire plant through 2050 until the commission meets with the public.

Last week, congressional delegates from Massachusetts and New Hampshire wrote to the NRC seeking a delay until a hearing can be held this summer on problems with the plant’s structural concrete.

The concrete suffers from alkali-silica reaction, or ASR. The swelling and cracking was identified by plant operators in 2009. NextEra developed a plan to manage and monitor the deformation, a plan that the federal commission has accepted.

A hearing on the concrete problems, to be held before a panel of administrative judges, is set for this summer. A nuclear watchdog group, the C-10 Research & Education Foundation, plans to challenge NextEra’s plan for managing the ASR……..

Last week, Massachusetts Sens. Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren joined U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton to ask that licensing be stayed until the ASR hearing can be held. From New Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan and Rep. Chris Pappas also wrote to the NRC, saying more public involvement was needed. ……..https://www.masslive.com/politics/2019/01/feds_agree_to_delay_relicensin.html

January 26, 2019 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

A close call – a nuclear war just missed, 25 years ago

24 years ago today, the world came disturbingly close to ending, The Russian military mistook a research rocket launched by scientists for a US missile attack. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/25/18196416/nuclear-war-boris-yeltsin-1995-norway-rocket By Today, January 25, 2019, marks the 24th anniversary of the time that I (and many millions of others) came closest in my lifetime to getting nuked to death.

That day, a group of American and Norwegian researchers launched a Black Brant XII sounding rocket from the Arctic Circle island of Andøya in an effort to study aurora borealis (the northern lights).

The scientists had warned Russia, the US, and 28 other countries that they were planning a launch, as they knew there was a chance that the rocket would be mistaken for a nuclear first strike.

But someone forgot to tell Russian radar technicians. The technicians sent an alert to Moscow suggesting that an American first strike might be incoming.

Within minutes, President Boris Yeltsin was brought his black nuclear-command suitcase. For several tense minutes, while Yeltsin spoke with his defense minister by telephone, confusion reigned,” the Washington Post’s David Hoffman reported a few years after the incident. “Little is known about what Yeltsin said, but these may have been some of the most dangerous moments of the nuclear age.”

It was, Hoffman reported, the first time a Russian or Soviet leader had used a nuclear briefcase in response to an actual alert. Yeltsin concluded that it was not actually a first strike and did not retaliate.

For that, I thank him; I don’t know if a Russian second strike would have sent enough warheads to kill 4-year-old Dylan all the way up in New Hampshire, but I’m also glad we didn’t have to find out.

But, of course, the 1995 incident was hardly the only time in the nuclear area we came close to an accidental nuclear exchange.

On October 27, 1962, Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet navy officer, was in a nuclear submarine near Cuba when US naval forces started dropping depth charges (a mild explosive meant to signal for the submarine to identify itself). Two senior officers on the submarine thought that a nuclear war had already begun and wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo at a US vessel. But all three senior officers had to agree for the missile to fire, and Arkhipov dissented, preventing a nuclear exchange.

On September 26, 1983, Soviet Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov was watching the Soviet Union’s missile attack early warning system when it displayed, in large red letters, the word “LAUNCH”; Petrov’s computer terminal gradually indicated that one, then two, then three, and eventually a total of five American missiles were incoming. Petrov declined to report the strike, knowing that if he did, the likely response would be a full nuclear retaliation. And it was good he did, because the Minuteman missiles the detection system thought it saw were actually just the sun’s reflection off clouds.

Oh, and while we’re at it: The Air Force lost a nuclear bomb off the coast of Georgia in 1958, where it remains today. There’s also a nuclear weapon stuck in a field in Faro, North Carolina, because of another time the Air Force screwed up; that bomb came extremely close to detonating.

Also, in 1980, an intercontinental ballistic missile exploded in Damascus, Arkansas, while it had a 9-megaton nuclear warhead — with three times more explosive power than all the bombs of World War II combined — on top of it. The warhead didn’t detonate; if it did, Arkansas wouldn’t exist and you never would have heard of Bill or Hillary Clinton.

We can live safely in the knowledge that much or all of humankind won’t suddenly vanish due to a miscalculation by a radar officer in Russia or the US, and that people near missile sites won’t find themselves incinerated accidentally due to technician error. Or we can continue to have nuclear weapons. But we have to choose.

January 26, 2019 Posted by | history, incidents, Russia | Leave a comment