USA nuclear lobby aims to oust Gregory Jaczko, safety conscious head of Nuclear Regulatory Commission
it’s also clear that the nuclear industry is using the conflict to attempt to neutralize or remove Jaczko from the NRC, where he has been a consistent advocate for tighter safety controls
Commissioner William Magwood, who is leading the charge against Jaczko, has deep [nuclear] industry ties. His appointment was opposed by over 100 watchdog groups for that reason. Notably, Magwood did consulting work for Tepco—the company that runs the Fukushima plant.
Action and dysfunction in the Beltway swamp. Republicans Intensify Attacks on the Nuclear Safety Chief The Nation George Zornick on December 14, 2011 If there was any doubt that an imbroglio around the leadership of Gregory Jaczko, [at left] chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, would be used to try to force his ouster from that agency, a Wednesday
hearing before a House panel removed it.
All five members of the NRC appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is chaired by Representative Darrell Issa. Four commissioners publicly aired their grievances about Jaczko’s leadership, which include charges of bullying and intimidation of staff, along with refusing to share information with fellow commissioners.
Jaczko said he did nothing wrong, and cited a report from the NRC inspector general clearing him of legal wrongdoing when it came to sharing information among his colleagues. But Republicans went directly for the jugular. Continue reading
Nuclear waste disposal problem looming large and urgent for USA
U.S. anxious to secure nuclear waste disposal site as China emerges on scene Mainichi Daily News, Japan, By Haruyuki Aikawa, Europe General Bureau, December 14, 2011 “……As the world shifts away from the business of recycling plutonium-based nuclear fuel, the construction of facilities to handle nuclear waste remains a nagging issue. After plans to construct an international disposal facility in Australia fell through, the United States and Japan moved forward in negotiations to build such a facility in Mongolia, an inland country which is believed to hold rich deposits of uranium…..
After the Mainichi Shimbun reported the plans in May, an opposition campaign was launched in Mongolia, and in September this year, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj issued an order prohibiting negotiations, effectively putting an end to the plans…… at the end of March that the rise of emerging nations had weakened the United States’ grip. While it still has power, it wants to secure a place that will accept spent nuclear fuel. The project previously proposed in Mongolia strongly highlights the United States’ anxiousness. … http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/news/20111214p2a00m0na013000c.html
AREVA’s loss making uranium projects halted, in Africa and USA
Areva halts Trekkopje uranium development, The Namibian, By: JO-MARÉ DUDDY, 14 Dec 11 AREVA yesterday said it was putting its investment in the US$1 billion Trekkopje uranium project on hold as the French nuclear fuel and services giant braced itself for a worldwide loss of up to US$2 billion for 2011.
Central to Areva’s financial woes is a provision for an asset write-down of US$1,97 billion for property and equipment at its UraMin operations, which include Trekoppje as well as Bakouma in the Central African Republic and Ryst Kuil in South Africa.
In addition, state-owned Areva slashed its uranium resource estimates at Trekkopje by nearly 42 per cent. ….
The company’s investment freeze also includes shelving a controversial nuclear enrichment plant project in Idaho in the US. Areva would cut its total investments by 34 per cent over the 2012-16 period, compared to the period 2007-11, Oursel said.
USA has a Nuclear Party, as well as Republicans and Democratss
this isn’t just about Republicans vs. Democrats….”There is a sort of nuclear party that transcends Republican and Democratic labels,” …… “The four signers of the letter are all very much in the nuclear party, and the chairman is not.”
U.S. Nuclear Agency Suffers Leadership Meltdown NPR, by CHRISTOPHER JOYCE December 14, 2011 The government organization charged with keeping nuclear power safe is
having a meltdown. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission consists of five commissioners who direct the work of hundreds of nuclear engineers and other experts. They write the rules for how nuclear reactors operate.
Now four of those commissioners say the chairman of the NRC is a bully who’s destroying their ability to do their job. Continue reading
Fort Calhoun nuclear plant to stay closed, as new problems found
Regulators up scrutiny of Fort Calhoun nuclear plant after finding more problems Washington Post, 13 Dec OMAHA, Neb. — Several new problems have been found at a Nebraska power plant that suffered flood damage earlier this year, federal regulators said Tuesday, so inspectors will be watching the plant north of Omaha even more closely as repairs from flooding are made.
The tougher oversight for the Omaha Public Power District plant in Fort Calhoun will likely further delay its restart from early next year until sometime in the spring as it makes repairs from the summer flooding. Continue reading
Problems of foreign ownership hamper USA’s nuclear power expansion
Nuclear expansion review halted over foreign ownership worries Chron.com, By TRACY IDELL HAMILTON, December 14, 2011 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended its review of the foreign ownership portion of the application to expand the South Texas Project nuclear plant over concerns that the owners haven’t done enough to ensure domestic control of the plant.
Toshiba Corp., based in Japan, could obtain an 85 percent ownership stake in the two nuclear plants proposed for the site outside of Bay City, the NRC found, meaning the company could have “the power to exercise ownership, control or domination over NINA,” or Nuclear
Innovation North America.
NINA is a partnership between Toshiba and NRG Energy, which shares ownership of STP’s existing nuclear plants with CPS Energy and Austin Energy…..
The commission asked NRG for more information on its “foreign ownership Negation Action Plan,” in late summer and fall, but that information appears to be insufficient…..http://www.chron.com/business/article/Nuclear-expansion-review-halted-over-foreign-2403395.php
USA must cut spending on outdated and ineffective nuclear weapons systems
The most pressing security threats we face today, such as terrorism and cyber attack, simply cannot be addressed with nuclear weapons.
Time to rethink nuclear weapons spending The Hill, By Tom Z. Collina and Daryl G. Kimball, Arms Control Association, 13 Dec 11 The supercommittee’s failure to reach agreement on a deficit reduction plan may trigger deep, automatic reductions in future U.S. defense spending. At the same time, some in Congress are finally beginning to examine how much the United States plans to spend on nuclear weapons in the years ahead.The automatic reductions, known as “sequestration,” would double the amount of money the Pentagon must cut from its projected budget growth, from about $450 billion to roughly $1 trillion, over the next decade. Continue reading
Nuclear Energy Institute spends up on lobbying USA governmnet
NEI, based in Washington, lobbied the government on measures designed to ensure the nation’s 104 commercial reactors can withstand natural disasters, cyber attacks, and on a proposal that would require the president to issue guidance on a federal response to a large-scale nuclear disaster. It also lobbied on a measure that would require nuclear operators to transfer radioactive spent nuclear fuel from cooling pools inside or near reactor cores to dry casks further fromthe reactors….
NEI also lobbied the government over environmental regulations….
Nuclear group spent $540,000 lobbying in 3Q. CBS News, 12 Dec 11(AP) NEW YORK — The main trade group for the nuclear power industry, the Nuclear Energy Institute, spent $540,000 in the third quarter lobbying federal officials about financial support for new reactors, safety regulations and other issues, according to a disclosure report. Continue reading
Potential for environmental catastrophe with uranium mining in Pittsylvania
digging up and processing the uranium will create 28 million tons of radioactive waste – enough to fill 145 Super Walmart stores – that could poison local wells and seep into the Roanoke River, contaminating the drinking water for nearly 2 million people downstream of the mine.
A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that the dust from uranium mines can spread up to 50 miles, which would include Smith Mountain Lake and parts of the Roanoke Valley.
Uranium in Pittsylvania County: buried treasure or threat?, By Laurence Hammack and Michael Sluss The Roanoke Times, 13 Dec 11“….. a potential public health and environmental disaster. Do the risks of uranium mining outweigh the benefits? That will soon be a question for the General Assembly, which is expected to decide at its upcoming session whether to lift a 30-year moratorium on the practice. Continue reading
USA nuclear industry – delays, shut downs, security problems
Nuclear uncertainty High Country News, Marian Lyman Kirst, 13 Dec 11, The American nuclear industry had some serious shade thrown its way in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant disaster. Almost a year later, U.S. nuclear still can’t seem to catch a break. On Wednesday, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, announced that the agency will likely face delays in renewing licenses for 14 existing nuclear reactors as well as its review of license applications for the construction of two new reactors, the first such applications in more than 30 years.
Workers at nuclear plants in Ohio and Nebraska were exposed to higher than expected radiation levels, Jaczko said, while three other plants were shut down for months because of safety concerns — the first time in more than decade that several plants have been shut down at the same time.
From The Associated Press:The Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida and Fort Calhoun in Nebraska remain shut down, while the earthquake-damaged North Anna plant in Virginia reopened last month after being shut down for three months.
Jaczko is particularly concerned about the ability of plants, old and new, to deal with natural disaster-caused blackouts like the tsunami triggered flooding that led to meltdowns in the Fukushima reactors….
Turmoil over Hanford’s huge radioactive wastes, whistleblowers targeted?
the worst of the waste is still decades away from being completely removed. Millions of gallons of a highly radioactive stew — enough to fill dozens of Olympic-size swimming pools — are stored in aging underground tanks. Some of those tanks have leaked, threatening the groundwater and the river.
Hanford workers filed suit as whistleblowers, claiming they were targeted for reprisals after raising safety concerns.
New concerns about Northwest nuclear waste plant Google News, By SHANNON DININNY,12 Dec 11 RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The federal government says a one-of-a-kind plant that will convert radioactive waste into a stable and storable substance that resembles glass will cost hundreds of millions of dollars more and may take longer to build, adding to a string of delays and skyrocketing price tag for the project.
In addition, several workers at southeast Washington’s Hanford nuclear reservation have raised concerns about the safety of the plant’s design — and complained they’ve been retaliated against for voicing their issues. Continue reading
U.S. weapons makers making a killing out of killing
Covert nuclear war against Iran: Rights violations, profits increasing , Human Rights Examiner, Deborah Dupre. December 7, 2011 Both covert human rights violations against Iran and military-industrial-complex war machine profits predictably increasing as Americans struggle in ‘failing economy’
Voters for Peace reports covert war against Iran has likely begun with drones, Stuxnet, blowing up nuclear facilities and assassinating or kidnapping scientists. Mark Hibbs, nuclear expert at Carnegie Endowment in Germany, reports intensity of the covert war indicates this is where U.S. and Israel are now putting their energy, big business with big profits for war contractors, all despite no evidence that Iran is a nuclear threat and increasing rights violations against Americans struggling in a “failing economy” and “war on terror.”…..
Making a killing out of killing High-tech non-traditional warfare is more covert and more profitable than traditional warfare. “Just like the taxpayers of mediaeval Italian city-states, we are having our money siphoned off into the business of war,”reports the Sydney Morning Herald today.
Terrorists getting into USA armed forces?
Terrorists said to be infiltrating military By Shaun Waterman The Washington Times, 7 Dec 11, Al Qaeda and other terrorists are trying to infiltrate the U.S. armed forces, which makes military facilities in the U.S. dangerous for American troops, lawmakers said Wednesday. Continue reading
Some women may get increased radiation during mammography
Breast-Mammogram Detector Mismatch Results in Excess Radiation By: PATRICE WENDLING, Family Practice News Digital Network 8 Dec 11, CHICAGO – A mismatch between breast size and detector size during mammography resulted in significantly higher doses of radiation for women with large breasts in a study of 886 patients.
On average, women with large breasts screened on a small detector received almost 5 milligray (mGy) of radiation, which exceeds the American College of Radiology guidelines of 3-4 mGy or less for a standard two-view mammogram. When a mismatch occurs, women with large breasts receive significantly higher doses of radiation than women with small breasts or their counterparts with large breasts correctly matched to a large detector, Dr. Cathy Wells said when presenting the award-winning study at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
“Women with large breasts should be imaged with a large detector to avoid an unnecessary increase in radiation dose,” she urged….. http://www.familypracticenews.com/news/more-top-news/single-view/breast-mammogram-detector-mismatch-results-in-excess-radiation/1080647c40.html
Medical radiation listed as a top cause of breast cancer
Medical radiation, alcohol, obesity top IOM’s breast cancer risk report. December 08, 2011 by Brendon Nafziger , DOTmed News Associate Editor Medical radiation from CT scans, being overweight, using combination estrogen and progestin hormone therapy and drinking alcohol were among the usual suspects deemed to have the most convincing evidence showing a link with breast cancer risk, according to a new report by the Institute of Medicine examining environmental factors that contribute to the disease.
In a supplement, the group noted that avoiding “inappropriate medical radiation exposure” was a workable risk reduction goal, even though it also said that it should be balanced against the offsetting risk: missing crucial medical information by skipping a scan. …
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Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
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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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