USA’s Dept of Energy’s plan for radioactive scrap metal into consumer goods
the DOE wants to deregulate and actually sell 14,000 tons of radioactive scrap metal (both volumetrically and topically contaminated) from the nuclear war system — uranium enrichment, plutonium extraction, etc. — and “recycle” the waste to the commercial clean scrap metal industry. From there, according to the watchdog group Nuclear Information and Resource Service, the radioactive stuff “could be turned into anything from your next pants zipper to baby toys.”
The DOE has never officially acknowledged — in spite of the National Academy of Sciences’ 2006 findings — that the same radiation dose does far more harm to women than to men. The drastically increased vulnerability of fetuses and infants is well known, but the whole population is nevertheless treated as the same big, young, Caucasian male (“reference man”) in most radiation risk assessments.
You can tell the DOE to continue to keep its radioactive metal out of the commercial metal supply, commerce, and our personal items. You can demand a full environmental impact statement. Comment deadline is Feb. 9, 2013. Email to: scrap_PEAcomments@hq.doe.gov (with an underscore after “scrap_”). Snail mail to: Jane Summerson / DOE NNSA / PO Box 5400, Bldg. 401K. AFB East / Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185
The Energy Department’s Crazy Plan for Radioactive Scrap Nuclear Weapons Waste in Your Water Bottle, Hip Replacement, Baby’s Toys, Jungle Gym? http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/23/nuclear-weapons-waste-in-your-water-bottle-hip-replacement-babys-toys-jungle-gym/ by JOHN LaFORGE
Even the deregulation-happy Wall St. Journal sounded shocked: “The Department of Energy is proposing to allow the sale of tons of scrap metal from government nuclear sites — an attempt to reduce waste that critics say could lead to radiation-tainted belt buckles, surgical implants and other consumer products.” Continue reading
USA: Be wary of radiation tainted foods
The Radiation Warnings You Won’t Get from the Mainstream Propaganda Machine The Liberty Beacon January 22, 2013,”……..How can we protect ourselves? First, be aware of what items are likely to be highly tainted
1.) SEAFOOD: Question the origin of ALL seafood. Fish and crustaceans from the Pacific Ocean should all be considered to be poisoned with radiation.
2.) WATER: The rainfall and snowfall are all radiated. Do not drink any water that has not been filtered. The tap water that flows from your faucet has NOT been treated to rid it of radioactive particles. A recent report from the NY Times stated, “A rooftop water monitoring program managed by UC Berkeley’s Department of Nuclear Engineering detected substantial spikes in rain-borne iodine-131 during torrential downpours …
3.) DAIRY PRODUCTS: Milk and milk products from the West Coast states currently have the highest levels of radiation in North America.
4.) PRODUCE: Leafy Vegetables, Wines, Tomatoes, Strawberries….all produce from California or any other West Coast State are also likely to be tainted.
5.) MEAT: If a animal eats any leafy vegetable all along the West Coast, that animal has consumed radiation, and is poisoned. This is any animal from cows, pigs, goats, sheep to wild deer and other game.
If you eat the above foods from areas with high radiation levels, you are eating radiation and feeding it to your children. Slowly the radiation levels within your body will build up. This is PERMANENT.
Infant mortality rates across the United States have increased by more than 35% since the nuclear disaster, according to a court statement by Dr. with independent scientist Leuren Moret, MA, PhD. A study published in The International Journal of Medicine indicates that more than 20,000 deaths right here in North America can be directly attributed to the release of radioactive material from Fukushima.
Radioactive isotopes of the type released from Fukushima have a half life of 30,000 years. This means that we must permanently change the way we prepare our food.
- Wash your food with soap and rinse it in filtered water.
- Be aware of the origins of your vegetables, fish, game and seafood.
- Keep abreast of radiation levels to help monitor where your food is acquired.
- Use only filtered water for drinking, cooking and ice.
Read original here: http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-radiation-warnings-you-wont-get-from-the-mainstream-propaganda-machine_04022012
USA knew about nuclear meltdown risks long before Fukushima
U.S. Warned About Multiple Nuclear Meltdowns Years Before Fukushima, Think Progress,By Jeff Spross Jan 23, 2013 Four years before the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was warned about the possibility of a plant suffering simultaneous meltdowns due to a natural disaster. [NYTimes]
Money pours into Virginia Assembly from uranium company
Uranium firm pumps money into assembly BY MARY BETH JACKSON, The Register & Bee, 21 Jan 13, The Senate bill proposing to lift the moratorium on uranium mining will be considered by a committee in which 80 percent of its members have taken money from Virginia Uranium.
Sen. John Watkins has said the legislation, filed Friday with the Senate Clerk, will be vetted through the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee; 12 of 15 committee members have accepted campaign money and trips from Virginia Uranium since 2008.
Virginia Uranium wants to mine a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit in Pittsylvania County, approximately six miles from Chatham. The company has been lobbying the legislature to write regulations for uranium mining and milling, which would effectively lift a 1982 moratorium on the industry. Continue reading
NRC knew years ago of the flood danger to nuclear reactors
An Early Nuclear Warning: Was It for Naught? NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD January 22, 2013, The accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 alerted the American nuclear industry and its regulators to the possibility that operators at plants with more than one reactor might have to deal with more than one meltdown at a time in a flood, earthquake or other catastrophe. Officials are now working to assure that they could master that situation.
But documents uncovered by a group that is critical of nuclear safety show that a high-level safety analyst at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission posed the possibility to his superiors in July 2007, about four years before the earthquake and tsunami that led to three simultaneous meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi. The documents also show that in August 2008, the commission staff formally acknowledged the issue.
But until Japan’s disaster, progress in the American nuclear industry was glacial. Dave Lochbaum, a nuclear expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, which uncovered the documents, compares them to records located after the crash of the space shuttle Columbia in which engineers voiced concern that debris falling during a launch could damage an orbiter.
Action to prepare for a dual meltdown was not a case of “forewarned is forearmed,’’ he said, but more like “forewarned is forestalled.’’
The warning, which now seems prophetic, predicted “common cause failures,’’ meaning single events that disable different pieces of equipment that are supposedly independent and nearly invulnerable to failing simultaneously on their own. The risk analyst, Richard Sherry, wrote that flooding or earthquakes could disrupt both normal grid power and emergency backup power……http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/an-early-nuclear-warning-was-it-for-naught/
20,000 Tons of nuclear waste coming from Italy to Utah
Plan to Import 20,000 Tons of Italian Nuclear Waste into Utah Approved by US Gov Tree Hugger, Brian Merchant 21 Jan 13, Here’s a troubling plan—the ironically named US company EnergySolutions is seeking approval to import 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy. The waste would be processed in Tennessee, then shipped on over to Utah, where it would be buried in the desert. Given that Yucca Mountain is such a controversial issue, it’s surprising that this plan—which the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it won’t halt—isn’t more hotly debated. Can this caravan of nuclear waste be stopped?Two US Representatives are attempting to do exactly that—they’re sponsoring a bill that would ban foreign radioactive waste from being imported into the US unless it was for a “strategic national purpose,” according to the AP.
They argue that the US should restrict its nuclear storage space to waste created domestically. But their bill has yet to even have a hearing, and it looks like the foreign waste plan is set to go ahead: the NRC says that it doesn’t have the authority to restrict foreign radioactive materials from being imported. They don’t “distinguish between domestic and foreign waste.” Furthermore, the agency has determined that
“as long as the material can be imported safely and someone is willing to accept it, the commission can’t keep the waste out.” EnergySolutions has agreed to limit 5% of their storage space to foreign radioactive waste—but the company’s storage site is already responsible for 36 states’ waste. And it seems a case like this could set a precedent, and maybe even open up a floodgate of tricky, potentially dangerous situations. If importing nuclear waste becomes legally recognized—and profitable—as a sound business practice, it could become a nightmare (not to mention a huge environmental concern) to regulate.
What’s more, it’s widely known that EnergySolutions is a major contributor to the Republican Party in Utah (the vast political majority in the state), and there are allegations that the company has promised to donate 50% of the revenue generated to the state. This certainly muddies up the issue…. http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/plan-to-import-20000-tons-of-italian-nuclear-waste-into-utah-approved-by-us-gov.html
USA: In 2012 49% of new energy capacity was renewable
Nearly half of new U.S. power capacity in 2012 was renewable — mostly wind Grist, By Philip Bump, 18 Jan 13 As predicted, almost half of the new power-generating capacity installed in the United States last year was renewable.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently released its December update on the nation’s energy infrastructure [PDF]. When we last checked on the data, it suggested that some 46 percent of new capacity — January through October — was renewable. Well, that ratio improved over the last two months of the year. Ultimately, 49.1 percent of new capacity was renewable….. http://grist.org/news/nearly-half-of-new-u-s-power-capacity-in-2012-was-renewable-mostly-wind/#.UPoHA3lLia4.twitter
Virginia uranium might well not be profitable, after all
“The industry needs prices at $75 or $80 a pound for future mine production to be profitable.” Thus, the uranium market has a long way to go before the 119 million pound tract around Coles Hill Farm east of Chatham, said to be the largest in the U.S., can actually be profitable to mine.
This is a fact that Virginia Uranium hasn’t really advertised..
The Wobbly World of Global Uranium Prices, Bacon’s Rebellion,
January 19, 2013 by Peter Galuszka
Highly controversial plans to mine and mill a rich tract of uranium in Pittsylvania County are before the General Assembly. Plenty of studies, lobbyists and scads of money are being thrown about on both sides of the argument.
Yet a brief story on page B7 in today’s Wall Street Journal deals with a topic that may be the truly decisive factor in the project…… Continue reading
Removing uranium from water – Kansas residents willing to pay for this
Kansas communities pay to rid water of uranium, Enquirer Herald, 20 Jan 13, The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residents across Kansas have safer drinking water thanks to steps their communities have taken to rid the water of harmful elements such as uranium and arsenic. But those residents also are facing considerable hikes in water bills to pay for the improvements.
Lakin residents are paying water rates about 10 times higher than they had before the city began construction on a $6.5 million water treatment plant to eliminate naturally-occurring uranium from the drinking water.
Rates are up about three times in Clay Center, where the city has built a $10-million treatment plant also to deal with uranium, which can occur in some aquifers….. http://www.enquirerherald.com/2013/01/20/2276642/kansas-communities-pay-to-rid.html
Good news: “backscatter” ionising radiation airport scanners to go
Bye-Bye to the Rapiscan Backscatter Machines The Atlantic, James Fallows, JAN 18 2013, Good news from our friends at TSA: they are getting rid of the hated (by me) Rapiscan “backscatter” screening machines like the one shown at right. These are the scanners in which you stand between two big, opaque boxes, raise your hands, and have X-rays shot at your body. The systems measure the “backscatter” radiation that reflects back from hard and soft surfaces on your body and clothing. Radiation in such backscatter systems is much weaker than medical X-rays, which are of course meant to go right through your body. Still, it is ionizing radiation, which is guilty until proven innocent in terms of possible health effects.
Missouri’s West Lake Landfill Superfund Site- a radioactive time bomb
“Our community can no longer tolerate delays—we’re sitting on a ticking toxic time bomb,”
Community, Environmentalists, Teamsters Tell EPA: Stop Nuclear Fires At Republic Landfill In Missouri, Daily Markets, ST. LOUIS, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Last night, more than 300 people from the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Jobs with Justice, and the Teamsters Union attended a public meeting held by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There, community leaders spoke out against the increasingly dangerous and volatile situation at West Lake Landfill Superfund Site in Bridgeton, Mo. The landfill is operated by Republic Services [NYSE: RSG], the nation’s second-largest trash company.
The site, located in the Missouri River floodplain, is home to radioactive wastes dumped there in 1973 following secret uranium processing in downtown St. Louis. In late October 2012, residents around the landfill began complaining of foul odors and burning eyes—and the Pattonville Fire Department expressed alarm at rising underground temperatures and the danger that the developing underground landfill fire could migrate toward the buried nuclear waste sites. Continue reading
Renewable energy:192,000 acres of government-owned land in Arizona
U.S. Establishes Renewable-Energy Zone on Public Land in Arizona http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-18/u-s-establishes-renewable-energy-zone-on-public-land-in-arizona.html
By Justin Doom – Jan 18, 2013 6
The U.S. identified about 192,000 acres of government-owned land in Arizona that are suitable for commercial-scale solar and wind farms.
The agency also established the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone, 2,550 acres in the state with strong sunlight and few resource conflicts that are well-suited for solar projects, according to a U.S. Interior Department statement today.
Agua Caliente is the third solar zone in Arizona and the 18th in the nation. Establishing such areas will facilitate development by identifying sites where projects are unlikely to face environmental hurdles and other potential problems.
Creating zones for renewable energy “lays a solid foundation for making sure it happens in the right way and the right places,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in the statement. The agency is working with environmentalists, local communities, American Indian tribes and other groups “to reduce potential resource conflicts and expedite appropriate projects.”
The U.S. is promoting wider use of renewable energy to reduce consumption of foreign oil and create clean-energy jobs, Salazar said. The agency has approved 34 utility-scale wind, solar and geothermal projects on public land since 2009 with more than 10,400 megawatts of capacity.
Taos and Santa Fe need cleanup of Los Alamos, not nuclear weapons
a comprehensive cleanup of Area G, the Lab’s biggest
radioactive dump, could create hundreds of high paying jobs while
permanently protecting the environment. The cities and counties of
Taos and Santa Fe should be pushing the New Mexico Environment
Department (NMED) to require comprehensive cleanup, and they should
insist on that now
Taos should back LANL cleanup, not nuclear weapons
http://www.taosnews.com/opinion/article_f8ef67d6-60d5-11e2-abf3-001a4bcf887a.html
17 Jan 13,
Just under two-thirds of Los Alamos Lab’s annual $2.3 billion budget
is for core nuclear weapons programs, and all remaining LANL programs
support them through excessive overhead and internal lab taxes.
Nevertheless, the city and county of Taos have joined a “Regional
Coalition of LANL Communities” funded by the Department of Energy and
the Los Alamos County government (which is enriched by gross receipts
taxes on Lab operations).
The original purpose of the Regional Coalition was to have local
governments lobby Congress in support of the Lab’s cleanup budget, but
this has already been compromised into supporting LANL’s budget in
general.
The city and county of Taos should be clear and insistent
that it is cleanup they support, and not nuclear weapons programs! Continue reading
USA government quietly rejects nuclear reprocessing
Steve Skutnik January 17, 2013 There is a hallowed tradition in Washington known as the “Friday Document Dump,” in which news and announcements the government wishes to bury are strategically timed for Friday afternoons, when such announcements tend to fall through the cracks of the typical news cycle (i.e., assuming reporters are even present to cover the event, the strategic timing tends to ensure it will miss the weekend papers, thus effectively “burying” the story by the time the new week rolls around).
Unknown (but rocketing?) cost of Tennessee’s new nuclear weapons project
We still don’t know how much Tennessee uranium building will cost https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/#inbox/13c4a4790af40902 By John Fleck / Journal Staff Writer , Jan 17, 2013 The latest from Frank Munger at Knoxnews is that we still don’t know how much the Uranium Processing Facility, the big Tennessee nuclear weapons project, will cost. UPF was the competitor to the Los Alamos plutonium laboratory. The multi-billion dollar uranium building got the nod for funding a year ago, while the multi-billion dollar plutonium building was deferred indefinitely.
But how many multi billions will UPF cost? As Frank reports, we’re still stuck with old numbers, with a redesign underway and no new numbers to take their place:
The overall cost of the Uranium Processing Facility is still estimated at between $4.2 billion and $6.5 billion, a cost range that’s been in effect for the past couple of years.
Wyatt, the public affairs manager in the NNSA’s Production Office, declined to give a date for providing a specific cost estimate on the high-profile project.
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