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Governor of Virginia stacks Energy Commission in interests of polluting industries

McDonnell stacks the deck, Washington Post , 11 Sept 11, By , Stacking the deck to boost business interests seems to be the modus operandi of the administration of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell.

On Sept. 9, McDonnell announced his picks for the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission. It is an important decision because the commission will have significant influence on whether the General Assembly decides to end a decades’ long ban on uranium mining and go forward with a proposed and highly controversial operation near Chatham in Southside.

McDonnell has appointed a group of seven people with heavy ties to the energy industry. Not one is an environmental or civic activist. Not one has a scientific background. The list:……

McDonnell did not choose anyone from the Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists or any of the groups that study the impact of fossil fuel on climate change.

Nor did he select anyone from the activist groups in Southside that are concerned that Virginia Uranium’s plan to mine 119 million pounds of toxic uranium might pollute the area and threaten drinking water supplies, including those of Hampton Roads….. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-opinions-are-local/post/mcdonnell-stacks-the-deck/2011/03/10/gIQAlkrMNK_blog.html

September 13, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Dangers of earthquakes, floods, to nuclear plants

NRC staff: Reassess earthquake risk at nuke plants, Fox News,  September 12, 201 WASHINGTON –  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should immediately require U.S. nuclear plant operators to re-evaluate whether their facilities can withstand earthquakes and floods, the agency’s staff said.

A staff report made public Monday identified seven steps the NRC should take “without delay” as it responds to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear plant in Japan.

Most prominently, the report recommended immediate reviews of seismic and flooding risks at the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors. Continue reading →

September 13, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Entergy company argues that nuclear safety less important than Atomic Energy Act rules

Local resistance to the plant hardened after leaky pipes seeped radioactive material into the groundwater in 2010. If Vermont succeeds, it would be the first U.S. state to shut a nuclear power plant that had received an extended operating permit from the NRC….

“The Atomic Energy Act preempts any effort to shutdown Vermont Yankee for reasons of nuclear safety,” Entergy lawyer Kathleen Sullivan said.

Entergy, Vermont battle over nuclear plant’s fate, Sep 12, 2011, Trial to decide fate of 39-yr-old plant By Zach Howard BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Sept 12 (Reuters) – Power company Entergy faced off against the state of Vermont in U.S. court on Monday to fight a landmark effort to force the closure of its aging nuclear power plant. Continue reading →

September 13, 2011 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

USA nuclear weapons spending contrasts with budget realities

Nuclear Plan Conflicts with New Budget Realities   Federation of American Scientists  (FAS) By Nickolas Roth, Hans M. Kristensen and Stephen Young

Note: This is the first of four posts analyzing the FY 2012 Stockpile Stewardship Management Plan, each jointly produced by the Federation of American Scientists and Union of Concerned Scientists.

A new nuclear weapons plan from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which seeks further increases in spending over the next decade for nuclear weapons and for weapons production and simulation facilities, will face real challenges in the new budget environment. Continue reading →

September 13, 2011 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

USA has not learned from Fukushima – say nuclear experts

Nuclear Experts Say U.S. Learned Nothing From Fukushima, Care 2 by , September 10, 2011 “…… three leading U.S. experts held a news conference Friday to outline both what is now known in the wake of the Fukushima and where things stand for the nuclear power industry in the United States.

The overwhelming opinion of the panel, which included Peter Bradford, former member of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Edwin Lyman, Ph.D., senior scientist, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists; and Dr. Andrew Kanter, national board president-elect, Physicians for Social Responsibility, was that major lessons from the Japanese nuclear disaster are in danger of going unheeded.

The experts outlined eight concerns and lessons from this crisis that should guide decisions regarding the future of nuclear power in the U.S.:

1. The U.S. regulatory response since Fukushima has been inadequate. “Six months after Fukushima, it seems clear that the U.S. is not going to undertake the type of fundamental, no-holds-barred look at its nuclear regulatory practices that followed the much less serious accident at Three Mile Island some 30 years ago,” said Peter Bradford.

2. America should avoid post-9/11 mistakes in tightening reactor safety standards. “In responding to Fukushima by issuing orders, the NRC should not make the same mistakes as it did following 9/11, when industry stonewalling delayed implementation of critical security measures for many years…

3. Overall Japanese health dangers are getting short shrift. …

4. The impact on the health of Japanese children is being ignored. “Children are at least three-to-four times more susceptible to radiation than are adults.  …….

5. The U.S. was warned of Fukushima-style problems but failed to act … and is still failing to do so. 

6. Emergency planning zones in the U.S. must be expanded. 

7. The recent East Coast earthquake should spur more NRC safety analysis. 

A streaming audio replay of the entire news event is available at www.nuclearbailout.org.

Take Action: Sign the petition to tell Obama to stop subsidizing nuclear energy.

http://www.care2.com/causes/nuclear-experts-say-u-s-learned-nothing-from-fukushima.html

September 12, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

After 9/11, terrorists see nuclear plants as nice targets

The NRC has now dithered for a decade while suicidal terrorists have eye balled U.S reactors and their radioactive wastes as “nice targets.”

Ten years after 9-11: Nuclear Plants and Their Deadly Wastes Still Vulnerable, Greenpeace by Jim Riccio – September 9, 2011  A decade ago, nineteen suicidal terrorists hijacked airliners and turned them into weapons by flying them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Since those horrific attacks, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the nuclear industry have repeatedly claimed that nuclear plants were not vulnerable to a similar attack.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Continue reading →

September 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons now an incentive to terrorism , says Dick Cheney

Cheney: Nuclear Terrorism Is ‘Most Dangerous Threat’ We Face, The American, By Bridget Johnson, September 9, 2011, Former Vice President Dick Cheney said that the “most dangerous threat” we face is nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists.

“Nuclear weapons will no longer be a deterrent; they’ll be an incentive,” he said at AEI today

September 10, 2011 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear plant not designed to stand such an earthquake

Quake-rattled nuclear plant puts NRC in unprecedented spot, By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY, 9 Sept 11 As the six-month anniversary of Japan’s near meltdown of a nuclear plant looms Sunday, the commercial nuclear industry in the United States is facing its own unprecedented challenge.

For the fist time, on Aug. 23, a U.S. nuclear plant was shaken more by an earthquake than it was designed to handle. So when is it safe to restart the Virginia plant shuttered by the 5.8-magnitude quake? This is the question now bedeviling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

At a public hearing Thursday, a senior NRC official told Dominion, the plant’s operator, that it will likely face a series of meetings and many questions before it gets the NRC’s approval to restart the North Anna Power Station in Mineral, Va…..

Executives of Richmond-based Dominion acknowledge the historic nature of the event. “This is the first time a U.S. plant has exceeded design basis,” Eugune Grecheck, vice president of nuclear development, told reporters after the three-hour public meeting at NRC’s headquarters in Rockville, Md….. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/09/quake-rattled-nuclear-plant-puts-nrc-in-unprecedented-spot/1

September 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

No quick restart for Virginia nuclear plant

NRC rejects quick restart at Virginia nuclear plant, HOUSTON,   Sep 9, 2011  (Reuters) by Eileen O’Grady; Editing by Marguerita Choy– Nuclear regulators shot down an ambitious five-week timeline proposed to restart Dominion’s (D.N) two North Anna reactors in Virginia during a public meeting on Thursday to discuss the Aug. 23 earthquake that knocked the station offline.

The 1,806-megawatt station has remained shut since it automatically tripped last month after the unusually strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck roughly 12 miles (19 km) from the plant in Mineral, Virginia…..

Dominion officials said it now appears the reactors shut when the earthquake caused a problem inside the cores at both units rather than from the loss of outside power to the plant as initially reported. “It looks like the (fuel) rods were going into the core prior to the transformer opening,” possibly from a relay problem, a Dominion executive said.

Dominion is still working to understand the “root cause” of the plant shutdown as multiple automatic trip signals from various indicators were received within seconds of the quake.    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/09/utilities-operations-dominion-northanna-idUSN1E78724S20110909

September 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

NASA hoping to overcome ionising radiation so people can live in space

My question is, who in their right mind would want to live in space, rather than on this beautiful, and less irradiated Earth? – Christina Macpherson

NASA Awards Space Radiobiology Research Grants,The Sacramento Bee, By NASA    WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2011 — NASA is funding nine proposals from eight states to investigate space radiation’s effect on human explorers. The proposals from researchers in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Texas have a total value of approximately $12 million.

The ground-based studies will work to better understand and mitigate risk of damage to the heart and central nervous system from cosmic rays. The studies also will assess cancer risks and how genetics affect space radiation risks.

“These studies will pave the way for new approaches to better prepare astronauts for living in space,” http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/09/3897143/nasa-awards-space-radiobiology.html

September 10, 2011 Posted by | spinbuster, technology, USA | 1 Comment

Nuclear materials illegally transferred to Pakistan

Pakistani pleads guilty in U.S. nuclear export case WASHINGTON by James Vicini, Editing by Sandra Maler Sep 9, 2011 (Reuters) – A Pakistani national pleaded guilty on Friday in a U.S. court to conspiring to commit export violations in a scheme to illegally transfer nuclear-related materials to his home country from the United States…. Continue reading →

September 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Yucca nuclear waste plan pretty much finished off

Nuke regulators bring Yucca Mountain waste plan closer to death, THE HILL, By Ben Geman – 09/09/11  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) acted Friday to end review of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, handing a victory to the Obama administration in its ongoing effort to kill the project. Continue reading →

September 10, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Some USA extreme Christians look forward to nuclear war

At least some portion of the population also practices mental readiness for a nuclear strike. The country’s solitary final assembly plant for nuclear weapons is located in Amarillo, Texas. Twenty-five years ago the journalist A. G. Mojtabai set out to understand how the people of this city bear the psychic burden of this work. As she reported inBlessèd Assurance: At Home with the Bomb in Amarillo, Texas, many members of the population believe in the Rapture—the end of the world and the gathering of true believers into the arms of Christ. For many of these believers, nuclear weapons, far from being something to repudiate, are vehicles to this blissful end-time event…….

Jerry Falwell stated, “In terms of its impact on Christianity, [Left Behind is] probably greater than that of any other book in modern times, outside the Bible.”  But whether or not readers believe in the literal claims of the book, they are surely being counseled to regard nuclear disarmament as morally sinister and nuclear weapons as morally good, even godly...

Until late July 2011, the Air Force had a mandatory course on Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare for its missile officers…The course—“mandatorily teaches its nuclear missile launch officers that fundamentalist Christian theology is inextricably intertwined with the ‘correct’ decision to launch nukes.”

Extreme Injury, Boston Review, Elaine Scarry, September 2011 “…….Our nuclear weapons are, at every minute of the day and night, ready for use  Continue reading →

September 9, 2011 Posted by | Religion and ethics, USA | Leave a comment

160,000 US army bases to get rooftop solar panels

U.S. military to be largest rooftop solar customer CNet News,By: , SEPTEMBER 7, 2011d more:The Department of Energy today backed a deal to connect solar electric panels at 160,000 locations on military bases, a move which could double the number of residential solar installations in the U.S.

The DOE said it has provided a conditional commitment to guarantee a $344 million loan for the SolarStrong Project, which will help the military meet its renewable energy targets and bring solar power to a many states which now have little. SolarCity, which specializes in residential solar installation and financing, has been tapped to install, own, and operate the panels in up to 124 military bases in as many as 33 states. The five-year project will add 371 megawatts of solar capacity, bringing rooftop solar to military families’ homes as well as warehouses and administrative offices on bases.

“This is the largest domestic residential rooftop solar project in history,” Energy secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. “This groundbreaking project is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Americans and provide clean, renewable power to our military families.” SolarCity said it hopes to fill as many jobs as possible with U.S. veterans and military family members.

This deal brings a clever residential financing model to a scale never been done before. Rather than pay for rooftop solar panels, customers pay a monthly fee–either to purchase the energy produced by panels or a solar lease. The arrangement allows consumers to avoid the big upfront cost of panels and lower their monthly spending on electricity.

For the SolarStrong deal, investor U.S. Renewables Group will serve as the lead lender for the project in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The DOE will guarantee loans provided for the residential solar installations……http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20102845-54/u.s-military-

September 9, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation technician falsified tests at nuclear plant

Ex-tech admits falsifying tests at NY nuke plant, WSJ, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Federal prosecutors say a former radiation protection technician at the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant on Lake Ontario has pleaded guilty to violating the Atomic Energy Act.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Michael McCarrick of Oswego admitted he falsified “qualitative fit test” records relating to 32 workers at the nuclear plant in Scriba (SKREYE’-buh), 35 miles northwest of Syracuse. Fit tests are designed to establish a proper respirator seal, but he didn’t perform the tests.

Respirators are protective devices given to employees for use during emergencies, such as a chemical release resulting in fumes that could otherwise endanger worker health…. http://online.wsj.com/article/APd05c4a90d9124978abca596509040e68.html

September 9, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

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