Uranium- No Thanks, say Danville and Pittsylvania County residents
Poll: uranium mining ban should remain in place Go Dan River 14 Sept 12, The majority of Danville and Pittsylvania County residents do not want to see the state ban on uranium mining lifted.
That was the bottom-line result of a poll taken by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Survey and Evaluation Laboratory for the Alliance for Progress in Southern Virginia, which was released at a news conference in downtown Danville on Thursday.
More than 550 Danville and Pittsylvania County residents participated in the poll.
Jay Poole, a spokesperson for the alliance, said he was surprised by two things the survey revealed: the number of people who were aware of the issue, and the number of people who had already formed an opinionon the issue.
“The overwhelming margin of support in opposition to the proposed uranium mine in Pittsylvania County was striking,” Poole said.
Although 54 percent of respondents said they thought a mine might help the local economy, they clearly felt that was offset by potential risks, with 53 percent saying they do not want uranium mining in their backyards, compared to 29 percent who support the idea of a uranium mine at Coles Hill near Chatham.
When asked how they thought agriculture and the wood products industry would be affected, 63 percent said they felt it would be negatively impacted.
Sixty-three percent of respondents also said they are concerned about the affect such a mine could have on water quality, and 60 percent said they believe it would reduce property values in the region…. http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2012/sep/13/poll-uranium-mining-ban-should-remain-place-ar-2202990/
Ending the Nuclear Age- A Mountain of Radioactive Waste
For more information on radioactive waste, see the various sub-sections under Beyond Nuclear’s website section on the subject, as well as its pamphlet entitled “A Mountain of Radioactive Waste 70 Years High”
U.S. Senate hearing lays groundwork for latest Mobile Chernobyl legislation http://www.beyondnuclear.org/radioactive-waste-whatsnew/2012/9/13/us-senate-hearing-lays-groundwork-for-latest-mobile-chernoby.html
at left: The cover of Beyond Nuclear’s pamphlet “A Mountain of Radioactive Waste 70 Years High”
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has acknowledged that the court-ordered revision to its Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision, and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement about the risks on at-reactor storage of irradiated nuclear fuel, will delay the issuance of new reactor construction and operating licenses, as well as old reactor 20 year license extensions, by two years. This has led to a backlash by the nuclear establishment in industry and government. Continue reading
Nuclear power advocate predicts end of the industry,because of waste problem
Nuclear Advocate: “Within 5 years there will be no nuclear power in U.S. unless something is done” — Fuel pools will fill up without Yucca Mt., “There’s nowhere for old material to go” (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/pro-nuclear-advocate-within-5-years-there-will-be-no-nuclear-power-in-u-s-unless-something-is-done-fuel-pools-will-fill-up-without-yucca-theres-nowhere-for-old-material-to-go-v includes 
VIDEO September 13th, 2012 By ENENews interview with Karl Denninger Warren Pollock Sept 12, 2012
Transcript Excerpt at
Karl Denninger, Market Ticker: “… the uranium based system, which, by the way, Jazcko managed to essentially completely torpedo.
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, within 5 years there will be no nuclear power in the United States unless something is done with this administration.
Because what Jazcko did by illegally shutting down Yucca, which by the way was a violation of federal law the way he went about it, through that process he put a hard stop on nuclear power in the United States…
[Inaudible, Repeats Comment] This will result in the denial of license renewals when those fuel pools fill up, because you can’t store the material. There’s nowhere for old material to go and therefore you can’t put any new material in…”
US nuclear waste now much more than Yucca dump would hold
Leading Pro-Nuclear Senator: “Even if Yucca Mountain were open today, we’d still need a second repository very quickly” — Nuclear waste would fill it up very fast -NYTimes
http://enenews.com/leading-pro-nuclear-senator-even-if-yucca-mountain-were-open-today-we%E2%80%99d-still-need-a-second-repository-very-quickly-nuclear-waste-would-fill-it-up-very-fast-nyt June 8th, 2012
By ENENews
Moving From Square One on Nuclear Waste
New York Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD
The idea that the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in
Nevada is dead has not gone down well in Congress, where some
Republicans are trying to allocate new money to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission so it can revive its evaluation of the site’s suitability.
But at a Senate subcommittee hearing on Thursday, some supporters of
the civilian power industry said it was time to move on.
“Even if Yucca Mountain were open today, we’d still need a second
repository very quickly,’’ said Lamar Alexander, a Republican from
Tennessee and one of the Senate’s foremost backers of nuclear power.
“The stuff we have would fill up Yucca Mountain very quickly.’’
Yucca [is] a volcanic structure in the desert about 100 miles from Las Vegas.
US nuclear regulators covered up flood threat to nuke plants
Flood Threat To Nuclear Plants Covered Up By Regulators, NRC Whistleblower Claims, includes UK video HUFFINGTON POST, 09/14/20 In a letter submitted Friday afternoon to internal investigators at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission , a whistleblower engineer within the agency accused regulators of deliberately covering up information relating to the vulnerability of U.S. nuclear power facilities that sit downstream from large dams and reservoirs.
The letter also accuses the agency of failing to act to correct these vulnerabilities despite being aware of the risks for years.
These charges were echoed in separate conversations with another risk engineer inside the agency who suggested that the vulnerability at one plant in particular — the three-reactor Oconee Nuclear Station near Seneca, S.C. — put it at risk of a flood and subsequent systems failure, should an upstream dam completely fail, that would be similar to the tsunami that hobbled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility in Japan last year. That event caused multiple reactor meltdowns.
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Huffington Post, Richard H. Perkins, a reliability and risk engineer with the agency’s division of risk analysis, alleged that NRC officials falsely invoked security concerns in redacting large portions of a report detailing the agency’s preliminary investigation into the potential for flooding at U.S. nuclear power plants due to upstream dam failure.
In addition to the Oconee facility, the report examined similar vulnerabilities at the Ft. Calhoun station in Nebraska, the Prairie Island facility in Minnesota and the Watts Bar plant in Tennessee, among others……
The report concluded, among other things, that the failure of one or more dams sitting upstream from several nuclear power plants “may result in flood levels at a site that render essential safety systems inoperable.” High floodwaters could conceivably undermine all available power sources, the report found, including grid power, emergency diesel backup generators, and ultimately battery backups. The risk of these things happening, the report said, is higher than acceptable. “The totality of information analyzed in this report suggests that external flooding due to upstream dam failure poses a larger than expected risk to plants and public safety,” Perkins’s report concluded, adding that the evidence warranted a more formal investigation…… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/flood-threat-nuclear-plants-nrc_n_1885598.html
Entergy sued over lax security at NY nuclear plant
Sep 13, 2012 (Reuters) – A security guard at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York state sued the facility’s owner, Entergy Corp, for more than $1.5 billion for emotional distress, claiming lax security at the plant. Continue reading
82 year old nun appreciated for showing up nuclear unsafety
A Nun Is Appreciated, but Not for What She Intended http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/a-nun-is-appreciated-but-not-for-what-she-intended/ By MATTHEW L. WALD An 82-year-old pacifist nun facing felony charges for breaking into a Tennessee nuclear weapons plant was publicly thanked on Wednesday by conservative members of a House committee for exposing security flaws. Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican had invited Sister Megan Gillespie Rice of Las Vegas to stand up and be recognized at the hearing, held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on oversight and investigations. Continue reading
Repairs to nuclear plants getting more costly – not viable?
Nuclear Repairs No Easy Sale as Cheap Gas Hits Utilities Bloomberg, By Julie Johnsson – Sep 11, 2012 A damaged Florida nuclear plant that spurred a boardroom coup at Duke Energy Corp. (DUK)in July risks getting scrapped unless the power company can justify spending more than $1.3 billion on the costliest-ever U.S. atomic repair……
Rising Risks The dispute underscores the stakes for U.S. power companies weighing nuclear investments against falling power prices and risks that plants won’t be relicensed or may close prematurely. Regulators haven’t approved Duke’s plans to pass repair expenses on to clients, and decommissioning costs haven’t been tallied.
Edison International (EIX) faces a similar decision with its 30- year-old San Onofre atomic station near Los Angeles , shut down since January because of leaks and unusual wear to its steam generators.
The surplus of gas-fired power plants in the western U.S. weakens the case for repairing and restarting San Onofre’s twin reactors. “The argument that ratepayers need to keep supporting Grandma lasts for about 15 seconds,” John Geesman, a former California energy commissioner, said in a phone interview. He serves as outside counsel for the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, which has lobbied the state to keep that plant idle…..
Oyster Creek Exelon Corp. (EXC) of Chicago decided in 2010 that it was more economical to close its Oyster Creek reactor in Forked River, New Jersey , when its license expired in 2019 than spend as much as $801 million to build a cooling tower demanded by state officials.
Duke’s board faces a more complicated analysis as it decides the best approach to its Crystal River plant, 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Tampa.
The silo-shaped concrete building that houses the Crystal River 3 reactor cracked in 2009 as crews replaced the steam generators, huge pipe assemblies that transfer heat from the nuclear reactor to power-generating turbines. Once the damaged panel was patched, two other sections cracked in March and July 2011 after workers tightened steel tendons intended to strengthen the structure.
“We’re not joking when we call it the Humpty Dumpty reactor,” Stephen Smith , executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said in a phone interview. “We think they ought to quit throwing good money after bad.”
Palisades managers admit problems at nuclear plant, tell regulators how they’re improving Michigan Live By Fritz Klug , September 12, 2012, “…..While the NRC was looking into issues at Palisades, Entergy contracted with an independent firm to survey the plant’s workforce in January. From responses by about 600 employees, the survey found three key takeaways:
There had been a significant loss of confidence in the site’s leadership team, and leadership did not challenge each other to make the right decisions.
Leadership did not value or prioritize processes to improve plant performance or develop “a learning organization.”
Accountability was viewed as punitive.
Management said these problems were widespread across different departments at the plant…. n May, Gregory Jaczko, the NRC chairman at the time, toured Palisades and said Entergy needed to improve on basics of nuclear safety.….. On Thursday, anti-nuclear activist Kevin Kamps will give a talk in Kalamazoo about what he contends are worsening conditions at the plant…. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/09/palisades_nuclear_power_plant_6.html
Solar power use – the top 20 USA commercial users
USA’s Top 20 Commercial Solar Power Users http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3379 by Energy Matters, 12 Sept 12, U.S. commercial solar installations could power more than 390,000 American homes according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative.
The top 20 corporate solar users’ installations alone combined generate an estimated $47.3 million worth of electricity each year; enough to power 46,500 average American homes.
Those who made the top 20 list, in order of on-site capacity are: Walmart, Costco, Kohl’s Department Stores, IKEA, Macy’s, McGraw-Hill, Johnson & Johnson, Staples, Inc., Campbell’s Soup, Walgreens, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Toys ‘R’ Us, General Motors, FedEx, White Rose Foods, Dow Jones, Snyder’s of Hanover, ProLogis, Hartz Mountain Industries and Crayola.
The report states the above companies have installed more than 1.2 million solar panels, which would cover more than 544 acres of rooftops. This is an important point – while large ground mount solar farms certainly have their place; our towns and cities offer a massive and under-utilised rooftop real estate resource. The area of suitable roof space available in Australia is said to be enough to provideall of the nation’s electricity needs.
The SEIA/Vote Solar Initiative report also says just two companies, Walmart and Costco, have more installed solar PV capacity than all of that deployed in the state of Florida, commonly known as the Sunshine State. Furthermore, the top 10 companies (by capacity) have deployed more solar energy than most electric utilities in the USA.
As of the middle of this year, businesses, non-profits and governments across the United States have deployed more than 2.3 gigawatts of commercial solar power systems and during the first half of 2012 one non-residential PV system came online every 72 minutes.
While installing solar panels can help a company’s green credentials, it also makes good business sense in another very important way; slashing operational expenses and buffering against continually increasing electricity costs.
The full Top Commercial Solar Customers in the U.S. report can be viewed here.
New Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposal to ease safety requirements for new plants
New proposal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow nuclear power plants to skip inspections and inservice testing
http://enformable.com/2012/09/new-proposal-from-the-nuclear-regulatory-commission-would-allow-nuclear-power-plants-to-skip-inspections-and-inservice-testing/
A new draft document released for public comment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, would allow nuclear power plants to skip inservice testing and inspection of key safety components such as pumps, valves, welds, nozzles, vessels, and other components due to
impracticality, hardship, unusual difficulty, or when they would like to use a different approach for meeting requirements.
When making a decision on a request for relief, the NRC staff assesses the limitations of the examination or testing, evaluates the susceptibility to known degradation, mechanisms or failure modes, the consequences of a failure at the location where the test or
examination is impractical, and if any other inspections or tests should be implemented to compensate for the impracticality, according to the document.
The industry would also be allowed to submit alternative plans due to hardship regarding radiation exposure during an examination or test, which may offer utilities another argument for exemption if none of the other circumstances apply. The licensee would need to communicate the radiation levels at the test or examination area in this event.
Public comments will be accepted through October 22nd, 2012. Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
San Onofre nuclear decommissioning funds may go into risky investments
CHANGES EYED FOR NUCLEAR-PLANT MONEY, UT San Diego 10 Sept 12 Rules on investment of decommissioning trust funds may be loosened. Utility regulators are considering loosening strict investment restrictions on money set aside for the eventual dismantling of California’s two nuclear plants. Continue reading
Dangerous MOX nuclear plant planned, close to highly populated area
About 35,000 people live within 10 miles of the plant. That’s no place for TVA and DOE to be running an experiment with radioactive material in an aging nuclear plant under increased supervision because of major safety problems.
Alabama.com OUR VIEW: Next door, nuclear research, September 09, 2012, By Mike Hollis, The Huntsville Times The Tennessee Valley Authority says it’s willing to consider using a blend of uranium and weapons-grade plutonium as reactor fuel at its Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens. That’s surprising, given the plant’s safety record.
Part of the problem, critics say, is that this mix of uranium and plutonium oxide fuel, called MOX, makes reactors harder to control, may increase the risk of some types of accidents and raises the threat to public health if an accident results in a major radioactive release. Continue reading
Nuclear waste storage and the “Waste Confidence Rule”
According to the NRC “waste confidence” is a generic finding that spent nuclear fuel can be safely stored for decades beyond the licensed operating life of a reactor without significant environmental effects.
The NRC said the rule enables the agency to license reactors or renew their licenses without examining the effects of extended waste storage for each individual site
NRC Will Study Environmental Impact of Temporary On-Site Storage of Nuclear Waste, Montville Patch 9 Sept 12, Following a lawsuit brought by Attorney’s General of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Vermont, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it will assess the environmental impact of storing spent nuclear fuel at reactor sites for longer periods of time. For towns near Dominion’s Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, including Montville, just 8 miles away as the corw flies, federal heel-dragging on the issue of what to do with the nation’s nuclear waste is increasingly becoming an issue . Continue reading
Opposition to bringng in more nuclear waste to South Carolina
Green groups oppose shipping hot waste to SRS The State, By SAMMY FRETWELL 7 Sept 12, – sfretwell@thestate.com Environmentalists spoke out Thursday against sending highly radioactive waste from commercial power plants to the Savannah River Site near Aiken for storage. The federal government has been trying to decide what to do with spent fuel created by the nation’s 104 atomic energy plants since President
Barack Obama chose in 2009 to abandon the Yucca Mountain, Nev., disposal site. Continue reading
1 This Month
23-25 October – on Zoom – World BEYOND War’s annual global conferenc
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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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