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Nuclear events and policies spell gloom for uranium stocks

political pressure continues to mount against nuclear energy…..Many countries have announced in-depth safety reviews of their nuclear reactors, placing moratoriums on any new plants in the near-term…...

Uranium sector hurt by Germany’s ban By Jonathan Ratner, Vancouver Sun,  May 29, 2011 TORONTO – The uranium sector came under some selling pressure on Monday after Germany announced it will shut down all of its nuclear reactors by 2022, reversing a nuclear energy policy put in place in October 2010. Continue reading →

May 31, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

First Nations want uranium ban to stay, in British Columbia

B.C. uranium ban should stay, First Nations leader says.  Straight.com, By Matthew Burrows, May 30, 2011 The president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs does not believe the provincial moratorium on uranium mining should be lifted.

“The Okanagan Nation Alliance has always been opposed to uranium exploration and mining, as has the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip told the Straight by phone today (May 30). “We’ve never supported uranium exploration and mining, and we’ve always supported those groups and communities that have opposed exploration and mining. And we certainly support a continuation of the moratorium.”

The B.C. Liberals banned the exploration and development of uranium in April 2008…
B.C. uranium ban should stay, First Nations leader says | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com

May 31, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

Nuclear power for Canada? not quite a dead parrot

As they say in the old Monty Python skit, “this parrot is not dead.” ….Will we continue to blindly follow the nuclear cult leaders or do what the smart money is doing in Switzerland and pursue a clean energy future “without any hesitance and a strict no, to the nuclear possibility?”

Ontario’s Nuclear Ostriches, Bruce Cox:  27 May 11 On Wednesday May 25 at 3:30 in the afternoon the Swiss government pulled the plug on their nuclear future. They will shelve plans for three new reactors, phase out their aging reactors, and focus their efforts on energy efficiency and clean renewable energy production.The nuclear industry has spent the last handful of years declaring a global “nuclear renaissance” in the face of a growing climate change crisis with the hopes of spawning more nuclear sales and government subsidies. Continue reading →

May 27, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Indigenous resistance to uranium mining, as Fukushima news continues

before the first pounds of yellowcake are harvested from the tundra, a fearful word has entered the debate: Fukushima. …..Sandra Inutiq chairs a group called Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, which translates to “Nunavummiut can rise up” and she has opposed uranium development. In an interview, Ms. Inutiq warned that allowing uranium development will transform parts of Nunavut into “a wasteland of tailings.”….And, she added, Fukushima has raised the stakes, as Inuit contemplate the ethical implications of allowing uranium from their territory to be exported around the world –

Fukushima chills uranium development NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE, CALGARY— Globe and Mail , May. 19, 2011 It looked to be a nuclear renaissance set on Canada’s sub-Arctic plains.Over the past few years, a series of companies secured rights to remote stretches of Inuit land that hide rich troves of uranium. One project alone, the five mines that make up the Kiggavik proposal from French nuclear giant Areva, stands poised to increase Canada’s uranium output by 35 per cent. Continue reading →

May 20, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, Uranium | Leave a comment

Ontario politicians want permanent ban on nuclear transport over Great Lakes

Ontario NDP calls for ban on nuclear shipments on Canal, Great Lakes, Siobhan Morris, 610 CKTB News5/18/2011 The provincial NDP is asking the McGuinty government to permanently squash shipment of steam generators across the Welland Canal and Great Lakes. Environment Critic for the New Democrats, Peter Tabuns raised the issue at Queen’s Park Wednesday. Tuesday, Bruce Power pulled its request for US permission for a shipment from Owen Sound to Sweden. They need that approval because the trek would take boats into American waters.Bruce Power hit pause on the project in Canada in March. The company said the delay was to allow more time to discuss their plan with concerned groups, especially First Nations. Environmental groups & Great Lakes mayors worry about contamination of drinking water should there be an accident. Tabuns says the government has failed in its basic duty to protect the citizens of Ontario. He wants to know why it has not asked for an environmental assessment of the plan……News Talk 610 CKTB :: Ontario NDP calls for ban on nuclear shipments on Canal, Great Lakes :: Local News – Story

May 19, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Dead radioactive nuclear reactors will NOT be transported through Great Lakes

the controversial shipment,..would have essentially seen 1,600 tonnes of radioactive waste transported across the lakes for the first time..…

Bruce Power scraps plans to ship generators through Great Lakes, Vancouver Sun,  By Mark Iype, Postmedia News May 16, 2011  Ontario utility company Bruce Power has withdrawn its request for approval from the U.S. to transport 16 decommissioned nuclear reactors across the Great Lakes for recycling, despite permission from Canadian regulators, according to a Michigan state lawmaker. Continue reading →

May 17, 2011 Posted by | Canada, environment | Leave a comment

Projections of costs for nuclear plants leave out full fuel cycle and risks

When comparing energy choices, nuclear versus solar for instance, the full life cycle costs are rarely used. Nor are the financial risks taken into account,

The Nuclear Cost Shell Game, By Stephen Leahy, UXBRIDGE, Canada, May 6, 2011 (IPS)“…….Experts estimate the U.S. nuclear industry’s liability cap of 10 billion dollars amounts to “an indirect subsidy of about 33 million dollars per plant per year over the lifetime of a nuclear plant,” according to a study published in Energy Policy in April.

If that 33 million dollars-per-plant-per-year indirect subsidy was instead used for loan guarantees for solar panel manufacturing plants, the U.S. would gain 5.3 trillion dollars worth of additional electricity over a 100-year time span, the study reported.”Wind might be even better than solar under this scenario,” said co- author Joshua Pearce, a mechanical and materials engineer at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
“We’re wasting money on nuclear energy. It makes no economic sense,” Pearce told IPS. Continue reading →

May 8, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

Action on Climate Change will at last have a Canadian political advocate

Elisabeth May will help ensure that climate change and clean energy issues are a prominent part of the national conversation over the next four years

Canada’s Green party looks to bright future following Elizabeth May victory, Guardian UK 4 May 11,  The environment may finally play a part in Canada’s political debate now the Green party has its first seat • Canada elects its first Green MP

Green party leader Elizabeth May added to Canada‘s psephological earthquake on Monday night by winning her party’s first seat in British Columbia, just as Canada swept Stephen Harper’s government to its first majority. Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Canada’s New Democrats gaining support for opposing nuclear subsidies

Canada’s New Democrats  – Jack Layton and New Democrats advocate ending public subsidies for nuclear energy industry.

 Jack Layton on nuclear power in Canada, Gordon Edwards, 27 April 2011  Canadians go to the polls on Monday May 2 to elect new representativesfor the House of Commons, Canada’s elected Parliament

Jack Layton is the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), which has received a very dramatic surge in popular support in recent days, a surge which is mainly felt in the province of Quebec but which is also being noticed across Canada. Continue reading →

April 30, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Saskatchewan petition against nuclear fuel cycle

Petition against nuclear waste to go to Saskatchewan legislature – Winnipeg Free Press By: The Canadian Press 04/13/2011 SASKATOON – A group says it will present the Saskatchewan government with a petition calling for a law that bans nuclear waste.

The Coalition for A Clean Green Saskatchewan has a petition with more than 4,800 signatures. Spokeswoman Cathy Holtslander says the petition opposes nuclear reactors, uranium refineries, uranium conversion, reprocessing or nuclear waste storage and disposal facilities.

The coalition hopes the petition pushes the government to ban nuclear waste from being stored in the province.It also hopes it raises awareness of the issue.Saskatoon Nutana MLA Pat Atkinson will present the petition in the legislature Thursday morning.Petition against nuclear waste to go to Saskatchewan legislature – Winnipeg Free Press

 

April 14, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Increased radiation in Ontario since Fukushima disaster

Radiation in Ontario higher since Japan crisis: officials TheRecord -, 12 April 11, TORONTO — Elevated levels of radiation have been found in Ontario since the Japanese nuclear disaster but health authorities say people should not be alarmed.On Tuesday, Energy Minister Brad Duguid said radiation levels have gone up slightly since a devastating earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on March 11 crippling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors.Some U.S. states have also found elevated radiation levels, Duguid said. But he added there is no reason for alarm here as officials regularly test the air, water and food.The news comes the same day that Japan increased the severity rating of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant to the same level as the Chornobyl disaster…. TheRecord – Radiation in Ontario higher since Japan crisis…

April 13, 2011 Posted by | Canada, environment | Leave a comment

Ontario Power Generation’s flawed statement on nuclear power

the province has never completed an integrated power system plan that would establish the need for new generators…… The environmental impact statement submitted by OPG also fails to consider alternatives to a major nuclear project,

Law association argues nuclear approval process flawed – thestar.com, 4 April 11, John Spears Ontario Power Generation has failed to consider alternatives to building new nuclear reactors at Darlington, the Canadian Environmental Law Association argued Monday.That means it hasn’t submitted an adequate environmental impact statement under federal law, the association told a panel reviewing the proposal for new reactors.And that in turn means the panel isn’t in a position to recommend giving the go-ahead for OPG to proceed with preparing the site for construction, Continue reading →

April 5, 2011 Posted by | Canada, Legal | Leave a comment

Amti uranium concerns in Nanavut

(Canada) Japan’s reactor disaster raises Nunavut nuclear fears ,The Canadian Press  Apr. 3, 2011  The hall in the tiny Nunavut community of Baker Lake was packed last Thursday and the debate lasted all night and into the morning.The crowd of about 150 people — nearly 10 per cent of hamlet’s entire population — didn’t stop talking until 1:30 a.m.They were talking about uranium, a familiar subject in the community where French nuclear giant Areva has proposed a $1.5-billion mine for the radioactive metal.But this forum, one of several organized by the territorial government, was different than so many previous community meetings on the topic. About halfway through, an elderly Inuit man stood and asked the question that underlined why.

“His question was, if it’s so safe, why are people in Japan asked to leave their homes and not to come back?” recalled Sandra Inutiq, a member of a Nunavut anti-nuclear group. “If it’s so safe, why are people in Japan so scared?”

Nunavummiut have been asking whether they want uranium mining on their land for years……..Japan’s reactor disaster raises Nunavut nuclear fears – CTV News

April 4, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

Canada’s former nuclear watchdog supports Greens

Former nuclear watchdog supports May, slams Tory minister. Ottawa Citizen, By Cindy Harnett, Postmedia News April 1, 2011 VICTORIA — Canada’s former nuclear watchdog threw her support behind Green party leader Elizabeth May on Friday, three years after she was fired by the Harper government……Keen was fired from her post as CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission after she forced a shutdown in late 2007 at a Chalk River reactor that provides vital isotopes for medical uses, and refused to restart it until safety systems were in place, despite intense political pressure……She also used the opportunity to link the nuclear issue to the crisis in Japan, where the Fukushima nuclear plant was badly damaged in an earthquake last month, and has leaked radiation to surrounding areas. “I think all Canadians can agree that there can be no short cuts or compromises on nuclear safety,” said May, who became friends with Keen after she was fired…….Former nuclear watchdog supports May, slams Tory minister.

April 2, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

How many $trillions is the nuclear industry going to cost?

No insurance company would — or will, or can — insure such risks. So who insures them? You do. Canada’s Nuclear Liability Act, proclaimed in 1976, caps the liability of nuclear operators at $75 million. Beyond that, the taxpayer pays.

Nuclear power is the worst option,  TheChronicleHerald.ca, By SILVER DONALD CAMERONSun, Mar 27 – “…….The first major unknown cost is insurance. Nobody knows what a catastrophic nuclear accident might cost. If the crippled Japanese reactors suffer meltdowns, how many lives will be lost, how many people will be injured, how much property will be rendered unusable? In 1996, informed observers speculated that the cost of a catastrophic accident at Darlington, Ont., could reach $1 trillion. Continue reading →

March 28, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

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