nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Nuclear physicist plotted terrorist attack

Nuclear researcher sentenced in France for plotting attack  (Reuters) 4 May 12, – A Paris court sentenced a Franco-Algerian nuclear physicist to five years in prison on Friday on charges of helping to plot an attack in France in 2009 with an al Qaeda militant in Algeria.

Adlene Hicheur, 35, a former researcher at the prestigious CERN physics lab in Geneva, was found guilty of providing logistical advice to Mustapha Debchi, a militant for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), using encrypted messages sent via the Internet.

Hicheur said he had been charged over his opinions rather than his acts, but prosecutors called him a “technical attack adviser” and said he had provided Debchi with a terrorist manual….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/04/us-france-crime-idUSBRE8431CK20120504

May 5, 2012 Posted by | France, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Apprehension in Kansas about radioactive waste shipments

Kansas regulates radioactive-waste shipments far more loosely than nearby Missouri, Iowa and other Midwestern states through which such waste travels 

No one who ships nuclear waste through Kansas is required to tell state authorities of their plans 

More nuclear waste headed to Kansas, By Gene Meyer | Kansas Reporter, 4 May 12, FAIRWAY — Missouri lawmakers may relax their state’s monitoring of radioactive-waste haulers, a move that worries some Kansans. Continue reading →

May 5, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Savannah River Nuclear Site – inadequate radiation protection

NRC: SRS Saltstone facility’s radiation exposure may exceed limit in 10K years  Aiken Standard 5/4/2012 By ANNA DOLIANITIS – Staff writer – email:adolianitis@aikenstandard.com A recent report released by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission expressed concern that the Saltstone Disposal Facility at the Savannah River Site may not meet the standards to prevent radiation exposure to the Site’s surrounding population in the long term….. Continue reading →

May 5, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

At critical time, San Diego radiation monitor was not working

San Diego Radiation Monitor Not Working During Fukushima Crisis, Audit Reveals San Diego Reader, Matt Potter, May 3, 2012 An April 19 audit by the Inspector General of the United States Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that major components of the government’s radiation monitoring and reporting system, including an air sampling device in San Diego, were not functioning during last year’s Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown in Japan.

“On March 11, 2011, at the time of the Japan nuclear incident, 25 of the 124 installed RadNet monitors, or 20 percent, were out of service for an average of 130 days,” auditors said.

San Diego’s monitoring device was one of 11 said to be out of service for more than 140 days, according to the findings….. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/news-ticker/2012/may/03/san-diego-radiation-monitor-not-working-during-fuk/

May 5, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Paragliding into a French nuclear power plant!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/france-nuclear-greenpeace-idUSL5E8G2F0C20120502

* Greenpeace enters nuclear site, drops smoke flare

* Intrusion just days before presidential runoff

* France’s high use of nuclear is issue in campaign

* Man entered Civaux plant’s security zone (Adds separate intrusion, details)

PARIS, May 2 (Reuters) – A Greenpeace activist dropped a smoke flare as he flew over a French nuclear reactor on a paraglider on Wednesday, seeking to draw attention to what green activists call gaps in nuclear security four days before a presidential election runoff. The plant’s owner, EDF, confirmed an engine-powered paraglider had landed within its Bugey nuclear site in southeastern France.  [ note – there’s  a  brief video of this flight at: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/02/11504375-greenpeace-bombs-french-nuclear-reactor-could-it-happen-in-us?lite ]

The pilot flew over the plant and threw a red-smoke flare on the roof of a building before landing, television images showed.  Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Costs and safety problems in Japan’s older nuclear reactors

Six reactors in Japan, including Tsuruga’s unit No. 1, have the same design as those that failed at Fukushima—a General Electric Co. model called Mark I originally designed based on tests from the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In 2009, Chubu Electric Power Co.  based in central Japan, decommissioned the No. 1 and 2 reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear-power plant because they were too expensive to keep up to safety standards.

 Japan Assesses Older Nuclear Plants WSJ,  By MARI IWATA and ELEANOR WARNOCK, May 2, 2012, TOKYO—Japan is grappling with the question of whether older nuclear reactors are more prone to spinning out of control when a disaster hits, as the nation pushes to restart units for the first time since last year’s accident in Fukushima. Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Indonesia – earthquake zone – not good for nuclear reactors

 Indonesia should consider the fact that it is located on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, making it prone to disaster.

Indonesians ‘should think twice’ before going nuclear http://www thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/03/indonesians-should-think-twice-going-nuclear.html The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 05/03/2012 Japanese experts have warned the Indonesian government to be very careful when deciding whether to generate power from nuclear energy, arguing that the archipelago is prone to natural disasters. Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by | Indonesia, safety | Leave a comment

USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s pro nuclear enthusiasts, in turmoil

The NRC review, published last July, made about a dozen safety recommendations.

 But the nuclear regulators chose not to enforce those same safeguards before granting a licence to two new reactors at an existing plant in Georgia.

Jaczko – the sole commissioner to object to the licence – argued the new project should have been built to the higher standard.

Republicans in Congress have been gunning for Jaczko since then.

The infighting that threatens to undermine US nuclear safety The Nuclear Regulatory Commission became more powerful post-Fukushima, but it has been beset by division and dissent, Guardian UK, 30 April 12,, , US environment correspondent “……….the real drama, going largely unseen amid the infighting at the regulator, is over the future of America’s nuclear industry after the Fukushima disaster in Japan last year, nuclear experts say.
“All of this in my opinion is a sign of a desperate struggle going on involving the NRC,” said Robert Alvarez, a nuclear expert at the Institute for Policy Studies. “The majority of commissioners were put there largely with the blessing of the nuclear industry, and are now pushing back over potentially expensive upgrades to the reactor fleet after Fukushima.” Continue reading →

May 1, 2012 Posted by | safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear regulators put costs above safety

“If filtered vents are good enough for Sweden, if they are good enough for Germany, if they are good enough for France and for Switzerland,”   “they should be good enough for us.”

Nuclear Safety Advocates Accuse Industry And Regulators Of Foot-Dragging On Basic Safety Measure HUFFINGTON POST, Tom Zeller Jr.04/30/2012  “……  one seemingly straightforward emergency feature: Requiring a filtered vent in the concrete containment buildings surrounding nuclear reactors like the one at Pilgrim.

Such a vent would come into play in only the worst sort of emergency, when the usual means for keeping the reactor core cool are lost and things inside are heating up to the point of becoming explosive. Operators can then open the vent and exhale the pressure directly into the air. The filter would capture dangerous radioactivity, to prevent contamination of the surrounding area.

Until now, vents have been an optional feature for American plant operators, but in March, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its first orders since undertaking a review  of safety systems and procedures at American plants in the aftermath of the disaster in Japan. Among the orders was a requirement  that reactors of similar pedigree to those used at Fukushima should have containment vents installed. For reactors that already have them, steps should be taken to ensure they operate in an emergency, officials declared.

To the dismay of Lampert and others, however, regulators have not required filters, Continue reading →

May 1, 2012 Posted by | Reference, safety, USA | Leave a comment

Revelations of the un-safety of Japan’s nuclear reactors

”All the samples would be considered nuclear waste if found here in the US.”   – Arnie Gundersen on soil samples taken recently from parks, playgrounds and rooftop gardens throughout Tokyo.

Fukushma the Japanese Chernobyl’…a year later and politics still ‘trump’ safety…UK Progressive,   | APRIL 29, 2012  The Japanese Prime Minister Declares Nuclear Plant Safe… Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared that nuclear units 3 & 4 at the Ohi Nuclear Plant were safe for operation.
Prime Minister Noda based this declaration on ‘stress tests’ which were nothing more than computer simulations.  The computer simulations merely estimate any given reactor’s ability to withstand large earthquakes and/or tsunamis, allegedly like last year’s Fukushima disaster.  No other studies, expert testimony or other considerations were mentioned.  Unfortunately, for Japan—and the world—Noda couldn’t be more wrong. Continue reading →

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Reference, safety | Leave a comment

Safety flaws in San Onofre nuclear power plant

“Here’s a tip:  when your nuclear reactor is springing leaks and radioactive pipes are deteriorating 20 times faster than they should, it’s a big deal, and no amount of nuclear spin by Edison or the NRC can hide that fact,”

Study Claims Flaws Caused Nuclear Leak Laguna Beach Independent, Rita Robinson | April 29, 2012   Changes at the San Onofre nuclear power plant that “crammed” 400 additional tubes into one generator required drilling that allegedly weakened the generator’s foundation, according to a study by the nuclear watchdog group Friends of the Earth.

The weakened foundation along with removing a support piece called the “stay cylinder,” designed to prevent vibration, caused the tubes to rub against other apparatus and resulted in radiation leaks, said the report, issued earlier this month. Continue reading →

April 30, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Are California’s 2 active nuclear plants safe from earthquakes?

Both studies should help decide if California’s two active nuclear plants are safe enough to operate into the 2040s

San Onofre’s Seismic Study to Play Role in Nuclear Plant’s Future The nuclear generating station has been offline since January. Southern California Edison is considering whether to re-license or shut down San Onofre after 2022. Poway Patch, April 27, 2012 Operators of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station are about to embark on a costly study on earthquake risk that could determine the future of the plant, it was reported Friday. Continue reading →

April 30, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Incompetence of nuclear safety executives – a world-wide problem

Fukushma the Japanese Chernobyl’…a year later and politics still ‘trump’ safety…UK Progressive,   | APRIL 29, 2012“……Fukushima—revolving door … The problems of Fukushima are endemic to the nuclear industry at large, where executives are frequently selected from government or business ranks rather than the scientific community.  Fukushima was no exception.

In a WikiLeaks revelation—cables sent from the US Embassy in Vienna to Washington DC cited Tomihiro Tanguchi’s weak leadership as head of Safety and Security for the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA).  Complaints mounted concerning Taniguchi’s
incompetence and negligence especially with regards to the Japanese nuclear industry—eighteen months before the Fukushima disaster.

“For the past 10 years, the Department has suffered tremendously because of (deputy director general) Taniguchi’s weak management and leadership skills,” said one despatch on Dec 1, 2009.

“Taniguchi has been a weak manager and advocate, particularly with respect to confronting Japan’s own safety practices, and he is a particular disappointment to the United States for his unloved-step-child treatment of the Office of Nuclear Security,” said another, which was sent on July 7, 2009…..
http://www.ukprogressive.co.uk/fukushima%E2%80%A6-the-%E2%80%98japanese-chernobyl%E2%80%99%E2%80%A6a-year-later-and-politics-still-%E2%80%98trump%E2%80%99-safety%E2%80%A6/article18462.html

April 30, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment

The General Electric Corporations’s connection with Fukushima

5 of the 6 reactors at Fukushima-Daiichi are GE manufactured Mark 1 systems.   To add further insult to injury—the GE Mark 1 reactors at Fukushima—have “23 sisters in the US.”  According to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) data, 23 of the 104 existing nuclear plants in the US are GE boiling-water reactors with GE’s Mark 1 radiation containment systems.  

nuclear reactors such as those at Fukushima are little more than a radioactive time-bomb …”looking for a place to happen.’

Fukushma the Japanese Chernobyl’…a year later and politics still ‘trump’ safety…UK Progressive,   | APRIL 29, 2012  “…….. The GE Connection to Fukushima… Tanaka has not been the only engineer involved in the building and operation of ‘boiling-water’ reactors who became a whistle-blower against corporate practices deemed scientifically negligent in the nuclear industry.  Dale G. Bridenbaugh, Gregory C. Minor and Richard B. Hubbard, all former engineers with GE resigned in protest over major design flaws in the Mark 1 nuclear reactor designs they were reviewing.

Dubbed the “GE Three”—these engineers switched sides and joined the anti-nuclear movement in 1975.  The GE Three were reviewing the Mark 1 system which is among the oldest reactors in use.  Arguing that the Mark 1 system was a disaster in the making to deaf corporate ears—the three engineers quit in disgust. Continue reading →

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Reference, safety, USA | Leave a comment

Earthquake fault underneath spells the end for Tsuruga nuclear plant

Restart of Tsuruga nuclear reactors ‘almost impossible’: safety commission chief  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120427b3.html Kyodo The chances of Japan Atomic Power Co. resuming operations at its Tsuruga nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture are virtually nil now that an active fault is suspected to run directly beneath one of its reactors, the head of the Nuclear Safety Commission said Thursday. Continue reading →

April 27, 2012 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »