Group looks to monitor Seabrook power plant radiation, Seacoastonline.com By Karen Dandurant
news@seacoastonline.com
Jun 3, 2019 at 3:51 DURHAM — A citizens’ initiative group is trying to raise money to improve the capabilities to monitor radiation emanating from the Seabrook Power plant.
Citizens Fundraising Effort for Monitoring in New Hampshire is a group of New Hampshire residents who have launched an effort to raise funds to expand the C-10 system into New Hampshire. A meeting at the Durham home of Dudley Dudley, well known political activist, drew about 20 people, mostly current and past legislators and local politicians.
The group was formed by Natalie Hildt-Treat, executive director of C-10, State Representative Peter Somssich, D-Portsmouth, and Portsmouth resident Damon Thomas. The purpose for the meeting was twofold, to explain the need for additional monitoring of the Seabrook Power plant, and to ask for help in funding the initiative privately.
“I have been concerned about Seabrook from the beginning,” said Dudley. “I was arrested there and I am still waiting for my speedy trial. I am giving money to this and I ask that you all consider giving generously, too.”
Natalie Hildt-Treat, executive director of C-10 Research and Education Foundation, a pro-safety group based in Newburyport, Mass., said their organization has been conducting 24-hour monitoring in the communities within the 10-mile radius of the Seabrook Power plant since 1991 when the plant went online.
“The Citizens Radiological Monitoring Network detects and records beta and gamma radiation,” said Treat. “There are two types of radiation releases. Gamma is the most penetrating and damaging to tissue. Beta is more of an indicator, to let you know something is going on.”………
Treat said the monitoring done in New Hampshire currently, per the requirements of the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is cumulative, using passive radiological monitoring film strips on poles, collected over a three-month period in the towns. Only Portsmouth, Concord and the plant itself have a form of real-time testing.
“I am told the reports from the three locations are sent to Concord,” said Somssich. “I have asked to see the data. What has ever been detected? My suspicion is nothing unless it’s a big releases because the data is cumulative. I would still like to see the historic data, but knowing I was irradiated three months ago does me no good. This system we are proposing would monitor in real time.”
Treat said there are 23 communities within the 10-mile radius, six in Massachusetts and 17 in New Hampshire.
“New Hampshire has never had public finding for monitoring,” said Treat. “Seabrook monitors at the plan, per requirement of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). There have been past legislative attempts to address this, and there was a bill this year that has been put off to the next session. Since the Seabrook Power Plant was just re-licensed to 2050, a decision was made to try and fund the installation of monitoring systems in the New Hampshire town through private funding.”………
We are looking for funding to expand the monitoring from individuals, organizations and municipalities,” Thomas said. “I am happy to say that we have raised about $34,000 so far this year. We are trying to secure pledges for the rest of the funding. So, we are holding meetings to familiarize people with what we are doing and the reasons why.”
Event sponsors for the night included Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth; former State Rep Mindi Messmer, D-Rye; and State Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton.
To learn more, make a pledge or to get involved in the Citizens Initiative, contact State Rep. Peter Somssich at 603-436-5221, or staterep27@myfairpoint.net, or visit www.C-10.org. https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20190602/group-looks-to-monitor-seabrook-power-plant-radiation
June 4, 2019
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Beyond Nuclear 2nd June 2019 , At 7pm, on the 6thof June, at the Village East Cinema, in Lower Manhattan,
Pressenza International Press Agency, of which I am a co-director, will
host the World Premiere of our new documentary on the Treaty to Prohibit
Nuclear Weapons.
The title, The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons, is
a reference to the speech made by Setsuko Thurlow to the assembled throng
of dignitaries and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN)
campaigners, during her Nobel Laureate Speech in December 2017 when the
Peace Prize was awarded to ICAN. The film charts the story of the
development of the atomic bomb through to the negotiations to prohibit
nuclear weapons, and is told through the interventions of 14 people whose
roles have been key in the fields of activism and diplomacy.
https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2019/06/02/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-nuclear-weapons/
June 4, 2019
Posted by Christina MacPherson |
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Daily Mirror 30th April 2019 . Anti-nuclear protesters plan a “die-in” outside Westminster Abbey this week as a service marking the 50th anniversary of Britain’s
submarine-based missile system is held. Prince William, Government
ministers, military top brass and Royal Navy veterans will pack the London
landmark for a ceremony heralding a half century since Operation Relentless
was launched. But some 180 Church leaders have signed a demand calling on
the Dean of Westminster Abbey to “urgently reconsider” the tribute.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary Kate Hudson said:
“Surely Westminster Abbey must now realise it has made a very serious
error of judgement.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/anti-nuclear-activists-plan-die-14974517
May 2, 2019
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APRIL 8 & 9 – TAKE ACTION TO GET KEN AND TARAK HOME! Nuclear Resister,
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Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff, two American members of Veterans for Peace, were arrested at Ireland’s Shannon Airport on March 17 after entering the airfield to inspect and investigate an OMNI Air International plane on contract to the U.S. military. The pair were refused bail in Ennis District Court the following day. They were granted bail at a later court hearing, and released from Limerick Prison on March 29 pending trial. Their passports were taken and they were ordered to stay away from airports. The men are currently not able to leave Ireland before their trial. An April 4 court hearing was postponed until May 8, and they were not able to raise the issue of being allowed to return to the U.S.
SUPPORT ACTIONS NEEDED
People are asked to make calls, letters and visits to Irish Embassies and Consulates, the State Department, and elected officials on April 8 and 9 so that these institutions experience a flood of support for Tarak and Ken and protest against U.S. military flights through Shannon Airport. Letters to the editor of your local paper are also important.
Ask that Tarak and Ken be allowed to return home to the U.S. until their trial, which is months if not years away. Being forced to stay in Ireland amounts to punishment before being convicted, and not being allowed to return home is damaging to their health, their finances and their families. The two U.S. veterans were arrested trying to get the Irish government to enforce the law and end illegal U.S. military flights (including rendition flights) through Shannon Airport, and stop Ireland’s complicity in the illegal U.S. wars in the Middle East.
See “Action Points” here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=d3e3c3f248&e=e8c4dedfda) for details on who to call, and click on “Talking Points” here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=77670525f4&e=e8c4dedfda) for Ed Horgan’s detailed notes about why Ireland should not be allowing the U.S. flights through Shannon. Under the “Resources” link here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=1d2e02f400&e=e8c4dedfda) are samples of letters to the Irish Embassy, Secretary of State Pompeo, and to local newspaper editors.
* Call the Irish Embassy and consulates in the U.S. (click here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=80e2e63f38&e=e8c4dedfda) for a listing).
* Call the State Department: To comment to the State Dept, call 1(202) 647-6575, then press 8. Prepare your short message first, in case you get the machine. If you get a person, engage.
* Call your senators and representatives, especially if you are in New York or New Mexico, where Tarak and Ken are constituents.
* Write a letter and deliver it in person to your local Irish consulate or embassy (see sample letters here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=442e767502&e=e8c4dedfda) ).
* Organize a vigil at your local Irish consulate or embassy.
* Write letters and op ed pieces for your local newspapers.
More information is posted at stopthesewars.org/kenandtarak (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=d9c625c649&e=e8c4dedfda)
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** SIGN A PETITION CALLING FOR ALL CHARGES AGAINST THE KINGS BAY PLOWSHARES TO BE DISMISSED
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One year ago, on April 4, 2018, seven Catholic nuclear disarmament activists entered Georgia’s Kings Bay Trident nuclear submarine base with banners, crime scene tape, hammers and an indictment charging the U.S. government for crimes against peace. Three of the seven Kings Bay Plowshares (Elizabeth McAlister, Fr. Steve Kelly and Mark Colville) remain in jail in Brunswick, Georgia; four are out on bond with ankle monitors (Patrick O’Neill, Carmen Trotta, Clare Grady and Martha Hennessy). They are waiting for the court’s decision on motions for dismissal of their charges based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
SUPPORT ACTION NEEDED
A global petition has been launched in support of the Kings Bay Plowshares, calling for their charges to be dismissed and for a renewal of the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Please join several Nobel peace laureates and others, and sign the petition now! Click here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=7ea924158b&e=e8c4dedfda) to sign.
FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE KINGS BAY PLOWSHARES
Email: kingsbayplowshares@gmail.com (mailto:kingsbayplowshares@gmail.com)
Website: www.kingsbayplowshares7.org (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=59ef2f52ba&e=e8c4dedfda)
Facebook: https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=b05016ed84&e=e8c4dedfda
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kingsbayplow7
Instagram: https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=1a87a344c2&e=e8c4dedfda (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=d1cbfeed9a&e=e8c4dedfda)
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Please support imprisoned anti-nuclear and anti-war activists – The Nuclear Resister needs YOU!
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The Nuclear Resister is a bare bones operation that depends on grassroots support to chronicle anti-nuclear and anti-war resistance, and support the women and men in prison for their acts of conscience. We need your help to continue this work – please read more here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=dd662e0112&e=e8c4dedfda) !! Or go directly here (https://nukeresister.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e793916f1979bfc73458af19&id=c84459d990&e=e8c4dedfda) to make a secure online donation and find information about how to send a check. Each and every donation, large or small, will be gratefully received – thank you!
April 6, 2019
Posted by Christina MacPherson |
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The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will host a live international news conference at 10 a.m. EST/1500 GMT on Thursday, January 24, 2019, to announce the 2019 time of the Doomsday Clock. The news conference will take place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Watch the announcement live on our website, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.
Speakers for the Doomsday Clock announcement on January 24, 2019 include:
- Jerry Brown, executive chair, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; former Governor of California
- William J. Perry, chair, Bulletin Board of Sponsors; former Secretary of Defense
- Rachel Bronson, president and CEO; Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Herb Lin, Bulletin Science and Security Board; Senior Research Scholar for cyber policy and security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford University
- Susan Solomon, Bulletin Science and Security Board; Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sharon Squassoni, Bulletin Science and Security Board; Research Professor of Practice at the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University
It is now two minutes to midnight
2018 Doomsday Clock Statement
Science and Security Board
January 10, 2019
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Huntington News, January 7, 2019 “………IMPACTS OF POTENTIAL DISPOSAL OPTIONS
In December 2018, DOE issued the Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement for Disposition of Depleted Uranium Oxide Conversion Product Generated from DEO’s Inventory of Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride DOE/EIS-0359-S1 and DOE/EIS-0360-S1. The purpose and need for this action is to identify and analyze alternatives for the disposition of DU oxide. If a beneficial use cannot be found for the DU oxide, all or a portion of the inventory may need to be disposed of. The proposed scope of this DU Oxide SEIS includes an analysis of the potential impacts from three Action Alternatives and a No Action Alternative (in accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14). Under the Action Alternatives, DU oxide would be disposed of at one or more of the three disposal facilities: (1) the EnergySolutions LLC site near Clive, Utah; (2) the Nevada National Security Site in Nye County, Nevada; and (3) the Waste Control Specialists, LLC site near Andrews, Texas. Under the No Action Alternative, transportation and disposal would not occur, and DU oxide containers would remain in storage at Paducah and Portsmouth. All other aspects of the DUF6 conversion activities remain as described previously in the 2004 EISs and RODs and are not within the scope of this DU Oxide SEIS.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There is a 45-day public comment period open from December 28, 2018 to February 11, 2019. Public hearings will be web-based and on the following dates:
- Tuesday, January 22, 2019 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. (EST)
- Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (EST)
- Thursday, January 24, 2019, from 7:00 –9:00 p.m. (EST)
Comments will be accepted during the web-based public hearing, by mail, by email and through submittal of comment forms on the DU Oxide SEIS website. Persons who wish to speak may sign up to speak before each meeting by submitting a request to DUF6_NEPA@em.doe.gov. Join web-based public hearing via:
- WebEx Meeting Room: https://doe.webex.com/join/duf6_nepa (Copy and Paste into web browser).
- Phone at US Toll: 1-415-527-5035, access code: 988 230 782 #. Global Call-In Numbers:
- Australia Toll: +61-29037-2586
- Belgium Toll: +32-289-53898
- Japan Toll: +81-345-808170
- Netherlands Toll: +31-20-794-1499
- United Kingdom Toll: +44-203-457-5798
- ……….http://www.huntingtonnews.net/161561
January 10, 2019
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https://eponline.com/articles/2019/01/07/nrc-hearing-on-pilgrim-plant.aspx?m=1
The Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report includes a table showing that the entire period from shutdown of the plant to license termination will last 60 years. Jan 07, 2019
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting in Plymouth, Mass., on Jan. 15 to discuss and accept public comments on Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.’s Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report for the Pilgrim nuclear power plant, which is located in Plymouth, some 38 miles southeast of Boston, and entered commercial operation on Dec. 1, 1972. The report calls for placing the plant into long-term storage before dismantlement and decontamination work begins.
Pilgrim is the only nuclear power plant being operated in Massachusetts.
The NRC staff also will present a webinar on Jan. 8 for interested members of the public to participate in discussions regarding the decommissioning of the plant. The webinar will begin at 2 p.m.. It will provide key facts about the decommissioning process and explain how NRC regulates such activities through on-site inspections and other reviews.
Webinar participants will be able to view slides prepared by NRC staff and ask questions in writing via a web page set up to host the session. Online registration is required to participate.
Holtec Decommissioning International LLC has announced that it plans to acquire Pilgrim and conduct an expedited decommissioning of the plant. The commission is reviewing the license transfer application.
Pilgrim is scheduled to permanently cease operations by June 1, 2019. Entergy plans to use the SAFSTOR decommissioning method. Its report explains that the SAFSTOR approach means that, after a plant is shut down and defueled, the facility is placed in a safe, stable condition and maintained in that state (safe storage). The facility is decontaminated and dismantled at the end of the storage period to levels that permit license termination. During SAFSTOR, a facility is left intact or may be partially dismantled, but the fuel is removed from the reactor vessel and radioactive liquids are drained from systems and components and then processed.
The report includes a table showing that the entire period from shutdown of the plant to license termination will last 60 years.
January 8, 2019
Posted by Christina MacPherson |
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http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201811200015.aspx Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) Taiwan is set to host the annual No Nuke Asia Forum (NNAF) next year, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU) said Tuesday.
Founded in 1993, the NNAF is an annual gathering that brings together experts and academics from various anti-nuclear groups across Asia to discuss and share their visions on how to counter nuclear energy.
Taiwan’s upcoming referendum on the government’s policy of phasing out nuclear power in Taiwan by 2025 has been a topic of popular discussion at this year’s NNAF, which was held in the Philippines Nov. 11-15, the TEPU said.
TEPU Chairman Liu Chih-chien (劉志堅), who attended the event, said Taiwan’s efforts to phase out nuclear energy also garnered widespread support from members from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and India.
During the forum, the union also came to share Taiwan’s past experiences, including a referendum that helped stop the ongoing construction of the country’s fourth nuclear plant in 2014, Liu said.
According to the TEPU, the 26th Asian anti-nuclear forum is scheduled to be held toward the end of 2019.
(By Wu Hsin-yun and Ko Lin)
Enditem/J
November 22, 2018
Posted by Christina MacPherson |
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Ekklesia 13th Sept 2018 , International anti-nuclear campaigners will address a major rally in
Scotland on 22 September 2018. Activists from the United States, Israel,
Russia, Iran, the Netherlands and South Korea will demand support for the
UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as well as highlighting
the majority opposition to Trident in Scotland. The rally – called by
Scottish CND – will take place thirty miles from Glasgow at Faslane, home
to the naval base that hosts Britain’s nuclear submarines.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/26767
September 14, 2018
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Peace activists plan anti-nuclear protests in Massachusetts https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Peace-activists-plan-anti-nuclear-protests-in-12947245.php BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) 25 May 18 — Peace activists are planning nonviolent actions to protest what they call nuclear escalation.
Massachusetts Peace Action says participants in Sunday’s demonstration will stand frozen for two minutes on Battle Green in Lexington. They’ll then walk about three miles to the gates of Hanscom Air Force Base to engage in “acts of peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience.”
The action represents the frigid cold of a nuclear winter as well as the Doomsday .
Clock, which is now at 2 minutes. It also commemorates those who worked in the 1980s to freeze nuclear stockpiles.
Organizers say they chose Hanscom because it’s the future site of a command post that would control weapons in a nuclear war.
The protest originally was set for mid-April but was rescheduled.
May 28, 2018
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http://www.cleanairalliance.org/ndp-greens-call-for-closure-of-pickering-nuclear-station-in-august/
We sent an all-candidates questionnaire to the leaders of the four major parties running in the provincial election. We asked their position on closing the Pickering Nuclear Station, and on water power imports from Quebec.
The NDP and the Green Party are calling for the closure of the Pickering Nuclear Station when its licence expires this August.
The Liberal Party supports the continued operation of the Pickering Nuclear Station until 2024.
The PC Party did not respond.
The Pickering Nuclear Station is the fourth oldest nuclear plant in North America. It was originally designed to operate for 30 years, but it has now been running for nearly half a century. More than two million people live within 30 km of the Pickering Station – at least twice the number of any other nuclear station on the continent.
A recent report looked at what would happen in the GTA if a major accident occurred at Pickering – similar in scale to the accident that took place at the Fukushima Nuclear Station in Japan. The report found that an accident at Pickering could lead to the
evacuation of more than 650,000 people for 30 to 100 years, cause 13,000 cancer deaths, and result in $125 billion in lost real estate value just for single-family homes.
By
immediately dismantling and decommissioning Pickering after it closes, we can create 32,000 person-years of direct and indirect employment between now and 2032. This will permit most of the 300 hectare Pickering waterfront site to be revitalized and returned to the local community by 2032.
The full cost of decommissioning can be funded by money that is already in Ontario Power Generation’s Nuclear Decommissioning Fund.
Ask candidates where they stand when reaching out for your vote, and let them know where you stand.
May 18, 2018
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Powys County Times 8th April 2018, ANTI-NUCLEAR campaigners from all across the UK will be descending on
Machynlleth next week to take part in a one day conference. The Nuclear
Free Local Authorities (NFLA) Welsh Forum is holding a special one day
conference with four other groups (WANA, PAWB, CADNO, CND Cymru) and three
supporting environmental / Welsh language NGOs on Saturday, April 14, in
the Owain Glyndwr Parliament House Centre from 11am to 3.30pm. By the close
of the conference, the groups are expected to make a “Powys
Declaration” against Nuclear Energy outlining the next steps in their
campaign.
http://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/16139618.Machynlleth_hosts_anti_nuclear_conference/
April 11, 2018
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Why sign this petitition? Who has launched it? Whom are we addressing?
February 12, 2018
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