Shot at nuclear fuel truck a cause for greater worry
Shot at nuclear fuel truck troubles watchdog group
By TOM FOWLER Houston Chronicle Aug. 28, 2009
Shotgun damage to a truck carrying uranium fuel rods to a Texas nuclear power plant last year posed little, if any, immediate radiation danger, but it highlights potential problems the industry could face, a nuclear power industry watchdog says.
The shotgun damage was discovered on the driver’s side of the truck on the morning of Sept. 20, as it delivered eight uranium fuel rods to the South Texas Project nuclear power plant near Bay City, according to a safety report filed at the plant last year.
The driver of the truck, operated by the Utah firm EnergySolutions, said he heard what sounded like a tire blowout several hours earlier while driving through another state. He stopped the truck to check but didn’t see the door damage…………………
………..a fuel rod that has been in a reactor and undergone fission is highly radioactive and can deliver lethal doses within minutes. That’s why trucks carrying spent fuel have much higher security specifications than vehicles that carry new fuel rods, said Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Shot at nuclear fuel truck troubles watchdog group | Business | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle
Indian Point nuclear power plant shutdown
Shutdown puts Indian Point plant under greater scrutiny
LoHud.com By Timothy O’Connor • August 29, 2009
BUCHANAN – Indian Point 3 faces tighter oversight by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following Thursday night’s emergency shutdown of the nuclear power plant. The power plant was shut down for the second time in a little over two weeks and the fourth time since March. The plant’s turbine tripped off at 7:32 p.m…………………..
Riverkeeper, an environmental group that opposes the relicensing of Indian Point, said the shutdown bolsters its argument against renewing the licenses for 20 years.
“Another unexpected shutdown in such a short amount of time is certainly cause for concern; it demonstrates a fundamental failure to properly monitor and detect problems at the plant, and leads one to question how reliable Indian Point really is as a source of power for the region,” said Deborah Brancato, a staff attorney for Riverkeeper.
Shutdown puts Indian Point plant under greater scrutiny | LoHud.com | The Journal News
USA desperately needing solution to nuclear waste problem
Wanted: A Nuclear Waste Solution to Replace Yucca Mountain
About.com By Larry West 30 August 09
“…………………Here is the problem:
1. There is a lot of radioactive nuclear waste temporarily stored at sites all over the country.
2. Leaving nuclear waste in place and transporting it to some central and supposedly secure location both pose public safety and national security risks.
3. Nuclear waste can remain toxic, and potentially lethal, for 100,000 years or more (roughly equivalent to the length of time between the emergence of modern Homo sapiens and today), and no one knows whether we can safely store radioactive waste for that long.
4. America is not going to stop producing nuclear energy and nuclear weapons; both are considered far too important to our national security.
5. Nobody wants the waste, making nuclear-waste disposal one of the most controversial NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issues in history.There are already about 63,000 tons of used radioactive fuel at 104 operating U.S. nuclear power plants; it is currently stored either underwater or in so-called “dry storage.” Waste from nuclear weapons production, dating back to World War II, is an even bigger problem. It is currently stored at 16 federal sites in 13 states, although most of it is at Hanford in Washington state, the Idaho National Laboratory and Savannah River in South Carolina.Quoting from the McClatchy article:“At Hanford alone, there are 53 million gallons of highly radioactive liquid waste, 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel and nearly 2,000 capsules containing radioactive cesium and strontium.
Nuclear waste court case- a national test case
Appeal begins in high-profile fight over hot waste Court battle
Two more regions to weigh in on EnergySolutions case
By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune 08/28/2009
Utah’s court fight over who controls the flow of radioactive waste is turning into a national test case, as the state and its allies formally launched their appeal on Thursday and waste agencies representing eight more states prepared to join the fray. Continue reading
Medical radiation tests can cause harm
Radiation tests are questioned
Radiation tests are questioned — baltimoresun.comAugust 27, 2009
Skyrocketing numbers of expensive medical imaging procedures – from CT scans to nuclear stress tests – are not just straining the nation’s health care system, but are exposing patients to significant amounts of potentially cancer-causing radiation even though little research has been done into whether those tests actually make people healthier, a new study suggests.
The tests, say the study’s authors, may be doing more harm than good.
“One reason why these tests are being used more is they’re getting better and better and they’re an extremely helpful part of diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Reza Fazel, a cardiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and the lead author of a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. “But just because we have them doesn’t mean we should use them. … There’s a cost with these tests, and it’s not just dollars but radiation risk.”…………………
…..only a few imaging tests – mammograms for discovering breast tumors, ultrasound of the abdomen for diagnosing aortic aneurysms – have been scientifically proved to save lives. Many have never been studied in large-scale clinical trials. In addition to leading to high doses of radiation, some tests can find cancers so small they might never have caused problems, leading to unnecessary surgeries and psychological distress.
Nuclear power a stumbling block to US Senators
Senators and climate McCain-Udall visit showed hope, problems
The Durango Herald August 27, 2009
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., differs from many in his party in acknowledging the science underlying global climate change…………Likewise, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., deserves credit for rethinking his opposition to nuclear power, a stance that probably has little support among his fellow Democrats.
The problem is, the caveats both attach to their positions render them all but meaningless. And that says more about the reality of dealing with climate change than melting glaciers or dying trees………………. Continue reading
Over-exposure to ionising radiation
Americans overexposed to radiation
The News August 28, 2009
CHICAGO: Younger Americans are being exposed to worrisome amounts of radiation from medical scans that increase their risk of cancer, US researchers said late on Wednesday. They said the cumulative risk of repeated exposure to radiation from medical scans is a public health threat that needs to be addressed. “Even though the individual risk for any patient exposed to these kinds of doses may be small, when you add that up over millions of people, that can be a concerning population risk,” Dr. Reza Fazel of Emory University in Atlanta and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Edward Kennedy’s legacy for clean energy, and a clean environment
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, champion of the environment and clean energy, dies at 77
Grist by Joseph Romm 26 August
“He was a great champion of progressive causes, and his death is a great loss,………..
His legacy on “Protecting the Environment and Promoting Energy Efficiency” is below. How many Senators would even mention “energy efficiency” among their achievements?……
Promoting Energy Research and Development
In 2007, Senator Kennedy’s “America COMPETES Act” was passed by both chambers of Congress and sent to the White House to become law. That bill established an Advanced Research Projects Authority at the Department of Energy to be the focal point of federal efforts to support breakthrough research on new clean energy technologies.
In 2009, Senator Kennedy urged that funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act be used to build a wind blade technology testing facility in Massachusetts, and in May 2009, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that $25 million of such funds will be available for the project at the Autoport in Charlestown.
Improving Energy Efficiency
Senator Kennedy was a strong proponent of increasing energy efficiency, which is an essential part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He was a long time supporter of programs like the weatherization assistance program and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps those most in need reduce their energy bills by improving home energy efficiency.
…. Kennedy Fought to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Address Global Warming. During consideration of the FY 2002 Budget Resolution, Senator Kennedy cosponsored an amendment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address concerns related to global climate change. The amendment sought to promote voluntary programs for reducing emissions in the near term. In addition, Senator Kennedy’s amendment included provisions designed to assist developing countries in addressing the danger of global warming and specifically increased funding to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the amendment provided additional funding for programs that assist U.S. businesses willing to export clean energy technologies to developing nations………
Kennedy Opposed the Permanent Nuclear Waste Storage Facility at Yucca Mountain. Senator Kennedy is a strong opponent of the plan to create a permanent storage facility for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The potential for groundwater contamination from the site is yet to be determined, and the transfer of nuclear materials to Nevada from almost every state in the nation raises serious safety concerns. In addition, in March 2005, the Department of Energy admitted that falsified documents were used to ensure the credibility and safety of operations at Yucca Mountain. Until questions are resolved that will guarantee the health of both the public and the environment, it is irresponsible to approve a permanent storage site for nuclear waste.
New Doubts Over Nuclear Plant Safety
Startling Revelations About Three Mile Island Raise New Doubts Over Nuclear Plant Safety
Fooling with Disaster?
CounterPunch By SUE STURGIS April 2009
“…………………It was the single worst disaster ever to befall the U.S. nuclear power industry, and Thompson was hired as a health physics technician to go inside the plant and find out how dangerous the situation was. He spent 28 days monitoring radiation releases.
Today, his story about what he witnessed at Three Mile Island is being brought to the public in detail for the first time — and his version of what happened during that time, supported by a growing body of other scientific evidence, contradicts the official U.S. government story that the Three Mile Island accident posed no threat to the public. Continue reading
Indigenous people fight uranium mining in the Grand Canyon
Havasupai Gather to Halt Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
Brenda Norrell | August 26, 2009
Indigenous Havasupai people held a gathering to stop uranium mining in the Grand Canyon and protect ancestral Havasupai Territory, at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, in July of 2009. Indigenous peoples and activists came from the four directions, from Arizona Hopi land and from as far away as Hawaii, to participate with sacred songs and ceremonies.
For four days, Havasupai elders gathered on sacred Red Butte and listened to the legacy of uranium mining on Indian lands. They heard directly from the victims of the trail of death and cancer left behind by uranium mining corporations that were never held responsible on Pueblo and Navajo lands in the Southwest United States. They also listened to the promise of solidarity from the hundreds who gathered here to stand with them: Navajos from Big Mountain, Hualapai, Hopi, Kaibab Paiute, Paiute, Aztecs, and other American Indians from throughout the Americas.
The Havasupai Nation, with the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and Grand Canyon Trust, sponsored the gathering to halt uranium mining on Red Butte, July 23-26, 2009. Supai elders gave testimony for official U.S. records in their Havasupai (Pai) language and in English. Supai traditional singers sang as a camp was established on this mesa where Toronto-based Denison Mines is threatening to reopen a uranium mine.
Recent congressional legislation protects the Grand Canyon from new mining claims, but does not deter mining under existing claims held by Denison and others………………
………. “In Numbers, There is Strength”
During the panel, Larry King, Navajo from Church Rock, NM, told the gathering how he worked for the United Nuclear Corporation from 1975 to 1983 as an underground mine surveyor. King said he has lived all his life in Church Rock and still raises his cattle on the land where he grew up. Now, a community activist, he said Navajos in the communities of Church Rock, Pinedale, Coyote Canyon, and Iyanbito, NM, have suffered greatly from uranium mining.
…………… Speaking of the corporations who have contaminated this region for decades, Pino said, “Why would they want to mine uranium in one of the natural wonders of the world like the Grand Canyon? If they will mine uranium here, they will mine uranium anywhere. They have no heart, they have no soul.”
America’s worst nuclear meltdown – cover-up revealed
Please go to the following link, to read this fine article.
50 Years After America’s Worst Nuclear Meltdown
Human error helped worsen a nuclear meltdown just outside Los Angeles, and now human inertia has stymied the radioactive cleanup for half a century.Miller McCune.com 25 August 09 By: Joan Trossman and Michael Collins | August 24, 2009
My apologies to Miller McCune for my use of the article.
It was not my intention to steal their material. Rather, I wish to lead people towards the source
Christina Macpherson
Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump plan is being killed off
Yucca Mountain funding nears its demise
Government Executive By Darren Goode Congress Daily August 21, 2009
House and Senate Democrats are well on their way to helping the Obama administration kill Nevada’s Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.Both chambers have approved fiscal 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bills that match the administration’s $197 million request to let the Energy Department officially keep the project open on paper for a year while funding Energy Secretary Stephen Chu’s blue ribbon panel to develop an alternative plan for storing and managing nuclear waste.
The current 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste are held in temporary surface storage facilities at 131 sites in 39 states.
Yucca Mountain funding nears its demise (8/21/09) — www.GovernmentExecutive.com
Texas anti-nuclear groups to take part in legal hearing
Anti-nuke groups win standing in Comanche Peak expansion case
Dallas News Aug 21, 2009 Elizabeth Souder
Several anti-nuclear groups and Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, have won a seat at the table when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decides whether to grant Energy Future Holdings license to expand a North Texas nuclear power plant.The decision means the NRC must hold a contested hearing after staff has finished reviewing the company’s application for a license to build and operate two new reactors.The review is expected to take until 2012, and the contested hearing could delay a final decision on expansion of the Comanche Peak plant in Glen Rose by a few months, according to NRC spokesman Scott Burnell…………………
……………The groups — Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition, Public Citizen, True Cost of Nukes — and Burnam made 19 contentions, and the licensing board agreed that two of the complaints should be addressed.
The two contentions that the board agreed should be heard are:
That Luminant failed to consider what might happen to the new reactors if there were a severe accident at one of the existing reactors,
And, that the company failed to explore alternatives to nuclear power, including “combinations of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, with technological advances in storage methods and supplemental use of natural gas, to create baseload power,” according to the board’s decision.
uranium mine could adversely affect groundwater
Nunn uranium mine could adversely affect groundwater
The Colorado Independent By David O. Williams 8/19/09
Colorado has uranium on the brain these days.
An environmental engineer and lecturer brought in by conservationists told an audience in Fort Collins Tuesday they should be concerned about the deterioration of their water quality if a proposed uranium mine near Nunn goes forward, according to the Greeley Tribune.
“If I was living in this area, I would certainly have concerns about groundwater,” said Dr. Gavin Mudd, an assistant lecturer at Monash University in Clayton, Australia. “Knowing the extent of problems they’ve had at mines in Wyoming and Texas, for example, I would certainly be concerned about protecting my groundwater quality.”
………Mountain communities in Southwest Colorado, meanwhile, are heatedly debating the benefits and risks of a mill that would process uranium in Montrose County………..
http://coloradoindependent.com/35963/nunn-uranium-mine-could-adversely-impact-groundwater-expert-says
Economic Climate Opens Door for Small Wind Energy Projects
Economic Climate Opens Door for Small Wind Energy Projects
REUTERS Renewable Energy World By Sarah Lozanova, Aug 18, 2009
Very few large-scale wind projects are able to obtain financing under the current economic climate. But falling turbine, steel and labor prices have created the perfect environment for mid-scale wind energy projects to thrive. Although total new installed capacity in 2009 may not rival the impressive 8,900 MW installed in North America in 2008, a golden opportunity exists for smaller wind development.
Small wind projects range in size from 100 kW to 30 MW and typically serve schools, farms, rural villages, businesses and municipal utility companies. Because these type of installations can access funding from various sources, they are less vulnerable to the credit crisis than their large-scale wind farm counterparts…………………
…………
Although 2009 may be a year to survive for some players in the wind industry, it presents a golden opportunity for the mid-scale market. Time will tell if this opening will result in a boom in this segment of the industry. “If this opportunity for smaller projects is successful, we will start seeing the turbines ordered this year for projects to be installed later in the year or in 2010,” says Slaymaker. “It sounds like there are a number of small to mid-size projects working towards turbine purchase right now.”
Reprinted with permission from
Economic Climate Opens Door for Small Wind Energy Projects | Green Business | Reuters
1 This Month
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
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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