Secret plan for dumping nuclear waste in Mongolia
Japan, U.S. negotiating construction of nuclear waste facility in Mongolia, Mainichi Daily News 10 May 11 ULAN BATOR, Mongolia — Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the U.S. Department of Energy have secretly been advancing plans to construct the world’s first international storage and disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel in Mongolia, it has been learned. Continue reading
Duke – Progress Energy a powerful nuclear lobbying merger
At Progress Energy’s final annual meeting, it’s all in for nuclear power, Tampa Bay.com By Robert Trigaux, May 10, 2011 “…….it’s the latest tale of the bigger devouring the big. In 2000, Progress Energy gobbled up St. Petersburg’s Florida Power, arguing utilities must get larger to compete. We hear a similar message in Duke’s $13 billion-plus purchase of Progress Energy.……..A merged Duke-Progress Energy will lobby aggressively for such pro-nuclear aid as cheaper government loans and energy incentives.
It will seek the power to charge more consumers up front for the expense of building nuclear plants.
Florida lawmakers already allow utilities with nuclear ambitions to charge customers in advance.
Leery of Japan’s predicament, North Carolina legislators recently rebuffed Duke and Progress Energy for seeking similar powers in their home state…. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/at-progress-energys-final-annual-meeting-its-all-in-for-nuclear-power/1168665
In spite of Bill Gates, renewable energy has a prosperous future
The report stands in contrast to recent comments made by public figures such as Microsoft CEO Bill Gates who endorsed nuclear power at a conference in New York last week. Gates dismissed renewable technologies as “cute,” but unable to meet energy demands…..Gates is not a disinterested party: He has invested in nuclear power company TerraPower
UN: Renewable energies can meet world’s power needs, Smart Planet By David Worthington | May 9, 2011 The United Nations has found that renewable energy alone can meet global power needs – countering the burgeoning belief that nuclear power is the only viable solution. Continue reading
US Japan nuclear marketing scheme, with secret plans for Mongolian waste dump
Negotiations on building the facilities were kept secret as it was feared that if the plans came to light at the negotiation stage, then China and Russia — countries through which the fuel could pass — might interfere and protests could erupt from Mongolian residents.
Japan, U.S. negotiating construction of nuclear waste facility in Mongolia, Mainichi Daily News 10 May 11 ULAN BATOR, Mongolia –“…….the marketing of nuclear plants is big business — a single reactor sells for hundreds of billions of yen. The Japanese government regards the overseas sale of nuclear power plants as a pillar of the nations’ growth strategy. It has already tied a deal with Vietnam and is in negotiations with India and Turkey. However, Russia and other countries have gone a step ahead by marketing their reactors and the collection of spent nuclear fuel together as a set, which has put Japan and the U.S. on the back foot. Continue reading
Insurmountable problem of nuclear power’s financial risks
the insurance industry and financial markets still have not altered their long held position that nuclear power poses unacceptable financial risk.
‘
Smart money’ reflects nuclear power risks Burlington Free Press David R. Abbott, 8 may 11, Is nuclear power safe? Not surprisingly, the owner of Vermont Yankee is spending heavily in an effort to convince us that it is. Perhaps, instead, we should follow the smart, disinterested money in attempting to answer that essential question because, in the case of the nuclear power industry, an unacceptable financial risk is, at the same time, an unacceptable safety risk.
The smart money here is represented by the insurance industry and the financial markets. Continue reading
Nuclear Regulatory Commission under the thumb of Nuclear Industry
Deference to Industry The N.R.C.’s slowness in addressing serious problems is another 
concern……The agency has little choice but to tolerate violations, ……… “Otherwise, nearly all the U.S. reactors would have to shut down,”
Nuclear Agency Is Criticized as Too Close to Its Industry. NYTimes.com, By TOM ZELLER Jr., May 7, 2011 “……..Exelon’s risky decisions occurred under the noses of on-site inspectors from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. No documented inspection of the pipes was made by anyone from the N.R.C. for at least the eight years preceding the leak, and the agency also failed to notice that Exelon kept lowering the acceptable standard, according to a subsequent investigation by the commission’s inspector general.
Exelon’s penalty? A reprimand for two low-level violations — a tepid response all too common at the N.R.C., said George A. Mulley Jr., a former investigator with the inspector general’s office who led the Byron inquiry. “They always say, ‘Oh, but nothing happened,’ ” Mr. Mulley said. “Well, sooner or later, our luck — you know, we’re going to end up rolling craps.” Continue reading
Dirty energy making profits for Duke Energy nuclear company
Duke Energy: still profiting from environmental destruction by mdorozen – Greenpeace USA, May 6, 2011 At Duke Energy’s annual shareholder meeting, the company announced first quarter profits up 15%— profits that don’t reflect the hidden costs of dirty energy: the subsidies, healthcare costs and environmental costs that are passed on to the American public. Profits that Duke built on environmentally destructive practices and at the cost of human lives.
The meeting was marked by significant environmental protests as Duke announced plans for new nuclear plants in Florida and the Carolinas and coal plants in Indiana and North Carolina—in fact, the meeting came on the heels of controversial announcements about the potential merger of Duke Energy and Progress energy, and a weak policy on Mountaintop Coal.
The green coalition press conference and rally, MC’d by Greenpeace’s Charlotte organizer, Monica Embrey, took place on the doorstep of Duke Energy’s annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Speakers from NC WARN and other groups emphasized the risky nature of investing in dirty energy. About fifty environmental demonstrators came out from across the state to express concern about Duke’s merger with Progress Energy, which would make it an even more formidable force for dirty energy interests….. Duke Energy: still profiting from environmental destruction | Greenpeace USA
Entergy Nuclear Company – Nonchalant About Safety
It’s frightening that Entergy has such a cavalier attitude toward the safety of their nuclear power plants. Especially, given the fact that Indian Point and Pilgrim rank as the top two reactors with the highest risk of an earthquake causing core damage. What would it mean to have a Chernobyl or Fukushima scale accident at Indian Point?
VIDEO Will Entergy learn anything from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan? Greenpeace USA by Jarred Cobb – May 6, 2011 Entergy, the company trying to continue running dangerous old nuclear plants like Vermont Yankee, Indian Point in New York, and Pilgrim in Massachsusetts, is holding their annual shareholder meeting today. We sent them a letter highlighting the risks of these old plants, and questioning if the company has learned anything from the nuclear disaster in Japan. Continue reading
USA’s Troubling Nuclear Waste Mess
The findings of the GAO, which serves as the investigative arm of Congress, complicate the Obama administration’s position on Yucca Mountain at a time when lawmakers and regulators are scrutinizing nuclear power and waste policies in the U.S…...
Nuclear waste from power plants is currently stored on-site at dozens of locations across the country. Because the law requires the U.S. government to be responsible for the waste, the government has to compensate the power plants for the cost of storing it.
Scrapping Yucca Mountain exposes U.S. to fines, By Tennille Tracy, May 5, 2011, WASHINGTON -(MarketWatch)– The U.S. government could face fines of $75,000 a day if it fails to find a way to store or handle stockpiles of defense-related nuclear waste by 2035, according to the Government Accountability Office. Continue reading
New plutonium nuclear fuel plant, costly, delayed, and unsafe, too?
More than a decade later, the mixed oxide fuel [2] (MOX) plant is running into mounting troubles [3], including long delays, soaring costs and the lack of utilities committed to use the new fuel in their reactors
But there’s another aspect of the story that has received little attention…
Safety Reviewers Raise Questions about Construction of New Nuclear Fuel Plant, ProPublica By Donna Deedy, w ith Michael Grabell, May 5, 2011, . In the late 1990s, U.S. policymakers approved a plan to turn plutonium from nuclear weapons into fuel for commercial reactors. The first-of-its kind plant [1], now being built in South Carolina, was intended to reduce the Cold War stockpile and the threat of nuclear material theft while supplying the country’s energy needs. Continue reading
North Carolina legislature opposing ratepayer money for new nuclear plant
Duke’s Fading Nuclear Dream The Progressive Pulse May 5, 2011 by Lisa Finaldi On April 15th I questioned if Duke’s dreamto build new nuclear power plants and charge ratepayers in advance of a reactor’s operation wasn’t fading. Events of this week indicate the company’s plans may be dimming. Funny it took Duke CEO Jim Rogers this long to realize it. Continue reading
Hanford radioactive waste cleanup money diverted to storage costs
The alliance is “concerned that using cleanup funding to store and secure defense-related high-level waste and spent fuel might prevent other essential cleanup activities from being completed,”
Hanford group questions nuclear waste storage, ANNETTE CARY, Tri-City Herald, May 4, 2011, RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The Energy Communities Alliance is asking questions about the cost of storing high-level radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel at Hanford and other Department of Energy sites in the absence of a federal repository. Continue reading
Financial and security problems in USA’s foreign owned uranium mines
Foes Highlight Companies’ Foreign Ownership in Bids to Halt Uranium Mining, New York Times, By MANUEL QUINONES, 4 may 11, Environmentalists trying to halt U.S. uranium projects are emphasizing the foreign ownership of mining companies. A key issue: Companies that mine uranium and other hardrock minerals do not pay royalties to the U.S. government. Several companies that mine or are seeking permits to mine U.S. uranium are based in Canada.
Those companies are “able to take this uranium off of U.S. soil without paying taxpayer compensations,” said Jane Danowitz, public lands director for the Pew Environment Group.
“It just goes to show,” Danowitz said, “that this is an issue that should raise concerns beyond environmental impacts.” Among the concerns being raised about foreign ownership of uranium companies is that U.S. uranium could end up in hostile hands. Republican lawmakers last year raised alarms over the Russian-owned company ARMZ taking control from Canadian interests of Uranium One Inc., which has significant U.S. operations.
“This transaction would give the Russian government control over a sizable portion of America’s uranium production capacity,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told President Obama in a letter last December. “As you know, Russia has a disturbing record of supporting nuclear programs in countries that are openly hostile to the United States.”….. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/04/04greenwire-foes-highlight-companies-foreign-ownership-in-90317.html
Nuclear reactors are the biggest water guzzler
Heat Waves Putting Pressure on Nuclear Power’s Outmoded Cooling Technologies, REUTERS By Lisa Song at SolveClimate, May 4, 2011 “……Climate change studies published in research journals such as Science and the Journal of Climate project longer and more intense heat waves over the next century worldwide, adding constraints to water-intensive power systems.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, thermoelectric generation in the U.S. from coal, natural gas and nuclear withdraws more freshwater per year than the entire agricultural sector. Overall, nuclear plants consume up to 25 percent more water than fossil fuel plants…..http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/04/idUS163919996420110504
USA rally against new nuclear plant at Turkey point
Rally opposes new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, Sun Sentinel 3 May 11….. nuclear power opponents rallied Saturday near the Turkey Point plant in southern Miami-Dade County, staging a mock evacuation to protest Florida Power & Light’s plans to expand the plant with two new reactors.
South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard and representatives from nine environmental groups expressed concern about the state’s evacuation plan, the likelihood that FPL customers would see higher bills to finance the new reactors and the strain the new reactors would place on the region’s supply of fresh water…… http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/blogs/green-south-florida/sfl-rally-opposes-new-nuclear-reactors-at-turkey-point-20110502,0,1771069.story
1 This Month
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
-
Archives
- October 2026 (302)
- September 2026 (339)
- August 2026 (330)
- July 2026 (355)
- June 2026 (287)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (267)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
