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Why it would be best to just let the nuclear industry die

Nuclear power can’t compete when it comes to both economics and the economics of environmental reform….It would be much better for all of us if the industry was allowed to die – hopefully with no disasters along the way. We don’t need it to tackle climate change and we can’t afford it.

Why I am against nuclear power, WA Today, Geoff Gallop, 30 Aug 11, About 65 nuclear plants will be under construction by the end of 2010, all including cost overruns and delays. Importantly though, none of these are being built as a result of market-based decision-making……Indeed the market hasn’t been all that keen on nuclear power – and no wonder with the high costs, technical complexities and local politics. It’s not exactly a stock-market friendly business – just ask the owners of the Tokyo Electric and Power Company!

The general public have never been all that keen on nuclear power. They have weighed up the risks and have almost always concluded that it is not for them – when asked that is….I think we can see some rational self-interest at work. Continue reading →

August 30, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

New York’s electricity power down, nuclear reactors’ reaction to Hurricane Irene

Power Disruptions Rise as a Weakening Irene Rakes New York, Bloomberg, By Julie Johnsson – Aug 28, 2011 More than 3 million homes and businesses along the U.S. East Coast were without power today as a weakening Hurricane Irene lashed New York with winds and rain…. Exelon Corp. (EXC)’s Oyster Creek nuclear plant in New Jersey shut down its reactor as a precaution ahead of the storm, and other reactors reduced power.

One of the nuclear reactors at Constellation Energy Group Inc. (CEG)’s Calvert Cliffs nuclear station in Lusby, Maryland, shut down automatically after the plant’s main transformer was hit by wind-driven debris, the company said in a statement. The plant remains safe, the company said…..

Nuclear reactors near the coast in New Jersey and Connecticut began powering down as a precaution, said David McIntyre, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Reducing power will allow the plants to shut down faster and more efficiently if it becomes necessary…..http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-27/irene-knocks-out-power-to-420-000-in-north-carolina-virginia.html

August 29, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

U.S. doctors call for stronger safety measures in nuclear reactors

Physicians for Social Responsibility calls for improved safety at nuclear reactor sites. E News, 25 Aug 11The quake was felt from South Carolina to Toronto, with an epicenter in Mineral, Virginia, just a few miles from the North Anna nuclear station. The reactor lost offsite power and had to rely on diesel generators for cooling until late Tuesday night. About a dozen other reactors experienced ‘unusual events’ as a result of the quake.

“This event highlights how absolutely essential backup safety systems are for nuclear reactors. In this instance, only three of the four backup generators functioned as they should. We are lucky,” said Peter D. Wilk, MD executive director of PSR “We call on the NRC to uphold their duties and begin reviewing and implementing the Fukushima Task Force recommendations promptly. Anything less can only be perceived as willful blindness.” Continue reading →

August 26, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japan’s lawmakers committed to nuclear power?

Japan’s redemption ‘emancipation from mental slavery’ Business report, IOL 22 Aug 11William Pesek On a hot Friday evening in Osaka, Japan, street musician Jun Fukuda is channelling Bob Marley on a downtown bridge. Not the feel-good, party-hearty Marley, but the mortality questioning ballad Redemption Song.

As the 20-year-old belts out the lyrics, “emancipate yourself from mental slavery”, he scans the gathering of 20 or so Japanese hipsters to be sure they’re getting the point. “There is no future in Japan for people like me,” Fukuda says. “Our leaders are useless, our economy is bad, there’s nuclear stuff in my food. There is nothing out there for my generation.”……

There’s still hope the events of the past five months will catalyse Japan to reinvent itself. Yet I haven’t found a smidgen of evidence that real change is afoot.

Rather than taking steps to enliven growth, politicians are, as usual, relying on the Bank of Japan to take the lead.

Instead of encouraging fresh alternative-energy research, lawmakers are digging in to protect the primacy of nuclear power…….http://www.iol.co.za/business/opinion/columnists/japan-s-redemption-emancipation-from-mental-slavery-1.1121907

August 22, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Radiation testing of sockeye salmon a wise precaution


“If it’s sockeye (salmon), then it’s a wise precaution,” said fisheries oceanographer Tony Pitcher from the University of British Columbia. Sockeye salmon migrate quite far north and west in the Pacific Ocean into waters that are also crossed by currents coming from Japan, Pitcher said, so there is a chance the salmon will come into contact with organisms carrying some radiation.

Salmon, caribou to be tested for radiation from Japanese reactor, Montreal Gazette By Beatrice Fantoni, Postmedia News August 19, 2011  Salmon caught off the coast of British Columbia will be tested for traces of radiation from the nuclear disaster in Japan, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced. Continue reading →

August 22, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Solar energy’s rise, as nuclear power’s future fades

Solar energy is vast, ubiquitous and indefinitely sustainable. There will never be a major solar accident, there’s minimal waste disposal issues, and we will never go to war over solar energy.

Solar will force coal and nuclear out of the energy business    The Conversation, by Andrew Blakers, 18 August 2011,  A solar energy revolution is brewing that will put the coal and nuclear industries out of business……..In contrast to coal and nuclear, solar is fully sustainable and safe. Solar is now an established industry that is growing very rapidly. Continue reading →

August 18, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Still time to push America’s EPA to protect water from nuclear industry

TELL THE EPA: PROTECT OUR WATER FROM NUKES AND COAL!, COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST 18, 2011 Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Michael Mariotte, 12 Aug 11, Thanks to years of inaction, hundreds of outdated power plants–mostly nuclear and coal–across the country use antiquated cooling water systems that scoop up massive amounts of water from local waterways and trap and crush aquatic life to death in the process.  Each year these power plants kill billions of fish from our lakes, streams, and coastal waters.

Decades ago, the Environmental Protection Agency was supposed to come up with new, national requirements to modernize power plant cooling systems and fix this problem.  But instead the agency is now caving to industry pressure and has proposed a new cooling water rule that takes a weak stance and punts decision making to the states on a case-by-case basis.  This approach hasn’t worked in the past and won’t work now.

Even worse, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has launched an all-out campaign through its Nuclear Advocacy Network to demand an even weaker approach from EPA. NEI claims that more than 7,000 people already have sent letters to the EPA from its side. We need to counter their efforts, and quickly.
Urge EPA to stand up for our waters and wildlife.  You can submit a  comment here urging EPA to adopt a strong standard for modernizing power plant cooling systems in its final rule.

August 13, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Musicians passionate for a non-nuclear future

The Winter of Nucler Energy, CleanTech blog , 11 Aug 11 On Sunday, August 7, a group of the world’s greatest musicians  performed an inspiring benefit concert to support disaster relief in Japan. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Mraz, The Doobie Brothers, Tom Morello, John Hall, Kitaro, Jonathan Wilson,  and Sweet Honey in the Rock sang on behalf of  Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE). Music video links and breaking news are available at NukeFree.Org….

“The disaster in Fukushima is not only a disaster for Japan. It is a global disaster. We come together now across cultural boundaries, political and generational boundaries, to call for changes in the way we use energy, and in the ways we conduct the search for solutions to the problems facing humanity,” says Jackson Browne. “We join with the people of Japan, and people everywhere who believe in a non-nuclear future.”….
http://www.cleantechblog.com/2011/08/the-winter-of-nuclear-energy.html

August 11, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

NRC needs to toughen up regulations on nuclear plant safety

The NRC has a deserved reputation of sometimes being too cozy with the industry it regulates. An Associated Press investigation recently showed that in relicensing power reactors the NRC depends largely on the assurances and information provided by plant operators. 

Millstone scrutiny warranted, The Day.com  08/10/2011 “……The region should welcome the decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to place the Millstone Power Station Unit 2 in Waterford under greater scrutiny. The additional oversight results from an incident earlier this year during which reactor operators made some troubling mistakes. Continue reading →

August 11, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Huge cost to humanity of nuclear weapons and nuclear power

Hiroshima Day, Ban all nuclear weapons,The Guardian, CPA Australia, Anna Pha, 6 August 11, On August 6, 1945, a US B-29 bomber dropped a uranium bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was the first nuclear weapon tested on a civilian population. On August 9 a plutonium bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The immediate death toll of the two bombings was over 200,000 with many thousands injured and thousands more experiencing slow and painful deaths over the years to come.

The 66th anniversary is a time to remember the victims and raise awareness of the current dangers posed by the proliferation and build-up of far more powerful and sophisticated nuclear weapons. The nuclear meltdown at Fukashima is also a grim reminder of the dangers of the nuclear industry. Continue reading →

August 7, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

British nuclear boss admits public don’t trust nuclear industry

Hutton fears nuclear industry has lost confidence of the public, The Independent (UK) By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor, 5 Aug 11,  Britain’s nuclear operators face the gravest challenge for years to persuade the public that new power plants will be safe in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the new head of the industry admitted yesterday….

Just under 30 per cent of those questioned in an opinion poll were favourable towards nuclear power – down four points in six months, while 28 per cent now oppose all new nuclear build…
“The industry faces a very big challenge in responding to Fukushima and we will have to use all of the tools in the box to do so,” Lord Hutton said.

August 7, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear crisis continues in japan: UN chief to visit

UN chief heads to Japan as nuclear crisis simmers, Times of India, AFP | Aug 7, 2011,  TOKYO: UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrives in Japan on Sunday, where he plans to visit the Fukushima nuclear disaster zone, as the crippled atomic power plant simmers and a food safety scare deepens Continue reading →

August 6, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

At Hiroshima, radiation victims will call for an end to nuclear industry

Fukushima Clouds Hiroshima Anniversary – IPS ipsnews.netBy Suvendrini KakuchiTOKYO, Aug 4, 2011 (IPS) – Matashichi Oishi, 78, a radiation victim from Bikini Atoll, the site of a U.S. hydrogen bomb test in 1954, will make his annual lone visit this week to commemorate the Aug. 6 anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima 66 years ago.

This year, says the former sailor, battling lung cancer from exposure to high levels of radiation at Bikini Atoll, his message at Hiroshima will go beyond a routine call to end nuclear weapons.”Against the backdrop of the disastrous Fukushima nuclear plant accident, I will speak of the absolute need for Japan to not only work to ban nuclear weapons but also to completely eradicate dependence on nuclear energy,” he told IPS. Continue reading →

August 5, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

No Nuclear is Safe Nuclear

World is learning: No nuclear is safe nuclear, The Spec.com , Ray Cunnington ,  Aug 03 2011 Saturday observance of Hiroshima bombing reflects on atomic weapons and atomic power Suddenly, old dangers become new again. As South African activist and retired Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu says: “The nuclear power crisis in Japan’s Fukushima power plant has served as a dreadful reminder that events thought unlikely can and do happen. But it must not take another Hiroshima or Nagasaki … before (some leaders) finally wake up and recognize the urgent necessity of nuclear disarmament.”

Worldwide, many powerful movements are calling for the total abolition of nuclear weapons. But it would seem that nuclear catastrophes, through accident, miscalculation or terrorism, cannot be eliminated without recognizing that nuclear power reactors have a close connection to atomic weapons. Continue reading →

August 4, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Uranium mining danger to wondrous ecology of Grand Canyon

some in Congress want to make pork of public lands by handing the Grand Canyon’s watershed over to the uranium industry. Their rider would foreclose any possibility that these 1 million acres — acres that belong to the public and are cherished for their beauty and ecological importance — get the protection they deserve…..

Grand Canyon: Iconic Landscape, Unprecedented Threat, Huffington Post, Kieran Suckling,: 7/28/11, Few places inspire like the Grand Canyon.  Not only is it a geological wonder, it’s also one of the most biologically diverse national parks in the United States — home to more than 1,000 species of plants, 76 species of mammals, 299 bird species, 41 reptiles and amphibians and 16 species of fish.

That’s why it’s so astonishing that some members of Congress would put this world-famous icon in jeopardy.

As early as today, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a budget rider that would halt years of work to protect the Grand Canyon and the surrounding area from dangerous uranium mining. The budget rider would prohibit the Department of the Interior from enacting a ban on new mining claims — and mining on the vast majority of existing claims — across 1 million acres of public land that form Grand Canyon National Park’s watershed.

If the rider passes, the iconic wildlands around Grand Canyon would be dramatically transformed. Roads and mines would be built. Wildlife habitat would be destroyed. The risk of pollution in streams, creeks, seeps and springs would skyrocket. The place that millions consider a national treasure could become a radioactive industrial zone.

Hydrologists warn that more mining would further pollute and deplete aquifers feeding Grand Canyon’s springs and creeks — pollution that would be impossible to clean up…….

some in Congress want to make pork of public lands by handing the Grand Canyon’s watershed over to the uranium industry. Their rider would foreclose any possibility that these 1 million acres — acres that belong to the public and are cherished for their beauty and ecological importance — get the protection they deserve…..

Unfortunately, pollution from past uranium mining already plagues springs, creeks and soil in and around Grand Canyon National Park.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kieran-suckling/grand-canyon-uranium-mining_b_912582.html

July 29, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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