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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

The staggering and increasing costs to USA taxpayer of the “nuclear revival”

While the nuclear power loan guarantees essentially subsidize new power plants, what has not been factored in are the hidden costs of “clean” nuclear power: the financial legacy of past mining and milling operations have reached into tens of billions of dollars in the West’s “National Sacrifice Areas.”

Hot Rocks: Hidden Cost and Foreign Ownership of “Clean” Nuclear Fuel Emerging,THE HUFFINGTON POST, D.A. Barber, 1 April 2010, “…..Political Costs Critics say the new nuclear power subsidies should not come as a surprise. Over the last decade, the nuclear industry has spent more than $600 million lobbying Washington and another $63 million in campaign contributions, according to the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.

Critics like Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. have questioned whether banks will back new nuclear plants – which cost nearly 35% more than coal or natural gas plants – until the nuclear waste issue is dealt with. Continue reading →

April 2, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revival of U.S. nuclear industry in doubt due to waste problem

Waste issue hurting U.S. nuclear revival-panel  Lack of plan for waste seen hurting nuclear development  Commission told to move beyond Yucca Mountain site Some lawmakers oppose plan to shut down Yucca  By Ayesha Rascoe, WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) – The lack of a permanent home for the nation’s radioactive waste is dampening prospects for a resurgence of the U.S. nuclear industry, federal commissioners said at their first public hearing on the subject. Continue reading →

March 26, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear “spinoff” company rejected – ‘financially shaky’

NY regulators reject Entergy nuclear spinoff Google News, By GEORGE M. WALSH (AP) –26 March 2010, ALBANY, N.Y. — New York utility regulators on Thursday rejected Entergy Corp.’s plan to spin off its six nuclear power stations into a separate company.The state Public Service Commission acted after its staff determined the deal wasn’t in the public interest, primarily because the resulting company — Enexus Energy Corp. — could be financially shaky….

The Associated Press: NY regulators reject Entergy nuclear spinoff

March 26, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , , , , | Leave a comment

Spread of nuclear technology increasing risk of terrorist radioactive attack

Legitimate uses for such materials also “significantly increases the risk that they may be diverted and exploited by terrorist organisations”….

BRITAIN FACES NUCLEAR THREAT FROM al-QAEDA, GOVERNMENT REPORT WARNS, San Francisco Sentinel, By Duncan Gardham;The London Telegraph, 23 March 2010, Britain faces an increased threat of a nuclear attack by al-Qaeda terrorists following a rise in the trafficking of radiological material, a government report has warned. Continue reading →

March 23, 2010 Posted by | safety, UK | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear ‘renaissance’ threatened by the wastes ‘elephant in the room’

[U.S. government is ] naming an expert panel to find solutions for the waste. The nuclear industry argues it is ready to move ahead regardless of the panel’s deliberations….


ANALYSIS – Toxic waste weighs on revival of nuclear industry Reuters, Mar 17, 2010 By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON Reviving the U.S. nuclear industry could get hung up on the political minefield of how to handle the security, legal and environmental risks posed by a growing mountain of radioactive waste. Continue reading →

March 21, 2010 Posted by | USA, wastes | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The very secret costs of nuclear power

Hidden Costs of the nuclear industry   – Secrecy about Nuclear Costs
The secrecy surrounding nuclear industry costs has two main aspects:
1. Nuclear power is intrinsically connected to nuclear weapons, and the costs of these are kept very much hidden by all states.
2.In States where the government runs the nuclear industry, the true costs are well hidden.  (Spare a thought for the USA – warts and all, the USA, in trying to run a privatised nuclear industry, does allow public flow of information about THE MONEY.) – The true costs of nuclear power – our theme for March 2010


March 7, 2010 Posted by | 1 | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear ‘renaissance’ stalls in Minnesota

Bill to lift nuclear plant construction ban stalls in Senate committee, POLITICS IN MINNESOTA,  by Charley Shaw, March 4,2010,
Last year, the state Senate passed a bill that lifted the state’s moratorium on nuclear power plant construction.

This year, the fate of the same proposal is now bogged down in a Senate committee. On Thursday, the Senate Energy committee approved a controversial amendment….As amended, the bill  bars utilities from charging ratepayers for construction costs before a plant is completed. Doll’s amendment also requires that a federal nuclear waste repository be created before any new Minnesota construction.

» Bill to lift nuclear plant construction ban stalls in Senate committee

March 5, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

US Dept of Energy close to awarding loan guarantee to French nuclear power company

Chu: DOE close to award of $2B loan guarantee to Areva, by Dan Yurman , 03/04/2010 The $2 billion measure would aid financing of the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in IdahoDow Jones reports Mar 5 U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that his department is “closing in” on a final decision for a loan guarantee for Areva’s nuclear project in Idaho.In testimony before a Senate appropriations committee Mar 5, Chu was asked why the nuclear loan guarantee is taking so long to award and said: “We’re closing in on that.”Sen. Bob Bennett (R., Utah) said due diligence on the Eagle Rock uranium enrichment project was completed in October.

Chu: DOE close to award of $2B loan guarantee to Areva

March 5, 2010 Posted by | politics international, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear plants are not safe from terrorist attack

Major Fallout Predicted Over Obama’s Nuclear Power Proposal. by: Grace Huang, t r u t h o u t 22 February 2010“……..According to NuclearBailout.org, though Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers, said that he had considered targeting a nuclear facility instead of the World Trade Center, nuclear reactors are still “not required to be protected against air attack.” Continue reading →

February 23, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No U.S. revival of nuclear power while no waste solution

Nuclear energy can’t expand without a nuclear-waste site The Columbus Dispatch, February 21, 2010 “….No permanent place exists in the United States to store high-level radioactive waste. ………. the waste from the power plants already in operation just keeps piling up in temporary storage sites around the nation, which is not safe.
Without a permanent solution to the waste problem, nuclear energy cannot fulfill its promise as a means to reduce Americans’ dependency on foreign oil and cut emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution. To ramp up nuclear-energy production without solving this problem would be irresponsible.

Editorial: Nuclear energy can’t expand without a nuclear-waste site | The Columbus Dispatch

February 22, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste reprocessing problems

Digging up the dirt on uranium – The National Newspaper Tamsin Carlisle,  February 20. 2010 “……Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to extract more of their energy potential is another option but is expensive and intensely controversial. Continue reading →

February 22, 2010 Posted by | France | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Nuclear Renaissance” just not happening

there have actually been very few new reactors started in recent years, and that nuclear energy as a percentage of global energy production has actually retreated since 2001.

NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE? Nuclear second coming could run out of steam – A Canadian think tank has challenged the idea that a nuclear renaissance is in full swing stating that new reactor construction is likely to be held back by a variety of issues : MineWeb Cameron French (Reuters) 05 Feb 2010TORONTO (Reuters) – Expectations of a sharp rise in nuclear generating capacity over the next two decades are likely overblown, a Canadian think tank said on Thursday, disputing conventional wisdom that a nuclear renaissance is in full swing. Continue reading →

February 6, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | , , | Leave a comment

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