USA « nuclear-news

Finance facts could end Obama’s pro-nuclear push

some experts are predicting a repeat of the experience of the 1980’s, in which the costs of many projects soared in price until they became prohibitive and the plants were abandoned before completion.

Nuclear Power Gets Strong Push From White House

The New York Times By MATTHEW L. WALD

January 29, 2010

The Obama administration moved vigorously on two fronts Friday to promote nuclear power, proposing to triple federal loan guarantees for new projects and appointing a high-level panel to study what to do with nuclear waste. Continue reading →

January 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin | Leave a comment

Costly cleanup at notorious Hanford Nuclear Site, Washington

the notorious distinction of being one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the Western Hemisphere……………

Federal funds aim to clean up nuclear wasteland By Patrick Oppmann, CNN January 29, 2010

— The federal government has set aside nearly $2 billion in stimulus funds to clean up Washington state’s decommissioned Hanford nuclear site, once the center of the country’s Cold War plutonium production. Continue reading →

January 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Time to shut down Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor

Former Yankee co-owner says shut it down: Times Argus Online By DANIEL BARLOW VERMONT PRESS BUREAU January 29, 2010 MONTPELIER – One of the former co-owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant called on lawmakers Thursday to vote this year against continued operation of the troubled Vernon reactor beyond 2012. Continue reading →

January 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

Unecessary and cruel radiation experiments on squirrel monkeys

There are obvious flaws to this research: 1) High doses of radiation are not the same as low levels of radiation. 2) Squirrel monkeys are not the same as humans. 3) The dangers of radiation are not a secret. And, of course, the fact that animals will suffer needlessly.

More Radiation for Space Monkeys ANIMAL WELFARE Stephanie Feldstein 29 Jan 2010 It’s not the first time monkeys have been exposed to radiation. So many studies have documented the painful and disturbing effects of exposure, that there’s no reason for further animal research. But NASA doesn’t see it that way. Continue reading →

January 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Religion and ethics, USA | 3 Comments

Obama understands that nuclear power is neither safe nor clean

Indeed, Obama knows better. Candidate Obama understood that nuclear power is neither safe nor clean. Watch this video taken early in his presidential campaign,

Nuclear Information and Resource Service Michael Mariotte 28 Jan 2010 If you were watching last night’s State of the Union address, I’m sure you were as appalled as I was when President Obama suddenly spoke in support of “safe, clean nuclear power” (not to mention support for offshore oil drilling and “clean” coal).

Politically, Obama likely was simply parroting the effort being led by Sens. John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham to gain support for a climate bill by adding massive subsidies for nuclear power, offshore oil and “clean” coal. But recycling George W. Bush energy talking points is no way to solve the climate crisis or develop a sustainable energy policy.

Indeed, Obama knows better. Candidate Obama understood that nuclear power is neither safe nor clean. Watch this video taken early in his presidential campaign, in which he expresses concern for his daughters growing up in Chicago and surrounded by nuclear reactors. He says he is not a nuclear proponent and speaks out directly against taxpayer subsidies for nuclear power…www.nirs.org

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Latest poll shows that the young, and women, oppose Obama’s nuclear power policy

A Run at the Latest Data from ABC’s Poobah of Polling. Gary Langar The Numbers The President and Nuclear Power

ABC News January 28, 2010“…………..Obama’s been most popular by far among young adults, a group critical to his election. Yet they oppose nuclear plants by significant margin. Support’s highest among seniors, long Obama’s weakest support group by age; they favor nuclear power by a vast 67-28 percent. Continue reading →

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, energy efficiency, nuclear, nuclear spin, reactor, reactors, renewable energy, renewables, solar, uranium | Leave a comment

Obama panders to nuclear lobby, loses credibility with his supporters

Demoralizing his Supporters, Obama calls Nukes, Coal and Oil Drilling “Clean Energy Jobs” Think Progress, by Brad Johnson 9 Jan 2010 President Barack Obama’s discussion of energy policy in his first State of the Union address pandered to corporate interests while demoralizing his progressive supporters. Though Obama made a strong case that real investments in clean energy such as solar technology, advanced batteries, high-speed rail and efficiency are critical to job creation and international competitiveness, he also offered sops to established corporate polluters.

Republicans, who spent much of the address refusing to applaud Obama’s call for economic reforms, ecstatically applauded his praise of polluting industry. Embracing the language of the John McCain campaign, Obama described nuclear power, offshore oil and gas drilling, and coal as “clean energy jobs”: – (” a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country”)………Obama’s actual supporters were dismayed. Continue reading →

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, politics, USA | antinuclear, energy efficiency, nuclear, nuclear wastes, reactors, renewable energy, renewables | Leave a comment

Obama’s State of Union speech: double standards on nuclear power?

Iran Accuses Obama of Double Standards on Nuclear Power Voice of America 28 Jan 2010 Iran is accusing U.S. President Barack Obama of double standards for supporting the building of nuclear power plants in the United States while threatening Tehran for pursuing a similar goal. Continue reading →

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

Truth being withheld about depleted uranium and cancer

It is abhorrent that the DoD and mainstream media has stood shoulder to shoulder with locked arms blocking this information from the masses — military and civilian –

“Depleted uranium from sea to shining sea”: Cancer kills U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. THE HUFFINGTON POST R.B. Stuart 29 Jan 2010 As early as 2007, four years after the war in Iraq, the medical journal Lancet Oncology observed a trend: that several cancer registries were being locked out of Veteran’s Administration [VA] data beginning late 2004 (a year after the war in Iraq). For decades the VA had voluntarily shared its data, allowing access to cancer patients. A Centers for Disease Control spokesman said that as a result of the lock out, “Potentially, 40 000 to 70 000 cases were missed nationally each year.” With the national estimate of cases askew, the spike in cancer rates of soldiers being diagnosed with cancer post 2003 deployment — remains unreported. Continue reading →

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | antinuclear, cancer, depleted, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Vermont nuclear reactor’s future? Legislators unhappy about radiation leaks

Radiation Levels Cloud Vermont reactor’s Fate The New York Times January 27, 2010 By MATTHEW L. WALD

Levels of radioactive tritium have risen rapidly in recent weeks in the groundwater surrounding Vermont’s sole nuclear power plant, leading both longtime supporters and foes of the reactor to question whether it will be allowed to keep operating…….the rising radiation levels, an indication that reactor water is leaking into the soil, have stirred deep concern about the plant’s safety and the credibility of its operators……

Dozens of reactors around the country have had their 40-year licenses extended by 20 years without much debate. Under the Atomic Energy Act, such decisions are usually the sole purview of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

But Vermont struck a deal with Entergy when it bought the plant in 2002 that gave legislators a veto role. An official with the federal nuclear commission noted that if the state blocked a license renewal, Entergy could file a court challenge.

Vermont Yankee is the largest generator of power in Vermont. But New England’s power grid has a surplus of electricity because of the recession. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/business/energy-environment/28nuclear.html

January 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Nuclear contamination from Tritium – dangerous and super-costly to fix

the Environmental Protection Agency’s tritium standards are far too liberal…..the real focus should be on tritium and the nuclear industry’s continued release of the isotope into the environment,

Expert: No level of tritium safe Times Argus By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau : January 27, 2010 MONTPELIER – The federal government may have set a safe drinking water standard for tritium, but no amount of that radioactive isotope, which is now leaking from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, is safe, according to a national expert. Continue reading →

January 27, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Colorado bill will force uranium mills to clean up

“Taxpayers have given a one billion dollar bailout to uranium companies to clean up past mill sites, just in the state of Colorado,”s.hauser@krdo.com

Bill Announced To Crack Down On Uranium Mills NEWSCHANNEL 13 by Sean Hauser Jan 27, 2010 FREMONT COUNTY – A major bill was announced in Canon City Tuesday to deliver a message to Uranium Mills in Colorado that enough is enough. Continue reading →

January 27, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Lack of proper rules on radiation medical errors

the number of errors may be massively underreported due to a lack of enforcement of reporting requirements.

Severe and Fatal Radiation Medical Errors Often Unreported – AboutLawsuits.com January 27th, 2010 Medical errors from the use of radiation therapy can lead to severe and sometimes fatal injuries, Continue reading →

January 27, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, radiation | Leave a comment

Utah’s heavy burden from uranium

Depleted uranium gets more and more hazardous for at least 1 million years. In contrast, most of the Class A waste at the Utah site is supposed to pose virtually no radiation risk after 100 years………..

Public largely critical of depleted uranium disposal – State has already borne a heavy burden from the nuclear industry, one Utahn says. By Judy FahysThe Salt Lake Tribune: 01/26/2010 Utah’s depleted uranium regulations should ensure no harm will come to the public or the environment as long as the waste remains dangerous — and that, said some Utahns on Tuesday, means the radioactive waste does not belong in a shallow disposal site in western Utah. Continue reading →

January 27, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Now the nuclear lobby is using schools to spin its propaganda

NJ utility uses center to promote nuclear power Business Week By GEOFF MULVIHILL The Associated Press January 25, 2010″…….
New Jersey’s largest utility opened its new $2 million Energy & Environmental Resource Center, education Monday as the company prepares to apply to put a fourth nuclear reactor on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Township, a few miles away in this marshy, remote corner of New Jersey along the Delaware Bay. Continue reading →