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Oklahoma House Panel promoting nuclear power industry

the bill removes prohibitions in state law that specifically excluded nuclear energy as an eligible power source.

Oklahoma House Panel Greenlights Nuclear Power Bill, – Nuclear Power Industry News, Measure will permit municipalities to buy nuclear energy – Edited by April Murelio 2 April 2010, -According to a report by newsok.com, a House panel has passed a measure that would allow municipal power authorities to buy electricity from nuclear plants and to invest in a joint venture for a nuclear power plant.

The committee voted 21-4 to pass Senate Bill 1668. It now goes to the House of Representatives. Rep. Rex Duncan, House author of the bill, said that the bill removes prohibitions in state law that specifically excluded nuclear energy as an eligible power source. The exclusion was written at a time when it was feared radioactive waste from nuclear plants would threaten public health and natural resources.

Oklahoma House Panel Greenlights Nuclear Power Bill – Nuclear Power Industry News

April 3, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tuareg and uranium: AREVA’s grip on Niger

“You can’t just fight against nuclear power plants and waste repositories,” he said. “If you want to kill the tree, kill the roots”. He was referring to the uranium mines.

Uranium Mining in Niger ‘Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company’ The Blogger: 2 April 2010, “……..A total of 80,000 people live in the two cities Areva created in the desert to service the mines. There are no paved roads, but there is plenty of reddish-brown dust, which penetrates into every crack and pore. Well water is radioactively contaminated, and precious fossil groundwater is used in the uranium ore processing plant. The region’s nomads are finding fewer and fewer pastures for their cattle, and people are affected by fatal illnesses.

Citizens’ organizations critical of Areva claim that the little money the company pays to the Niger state remains in the capital or simply ends up in the pockets of family members of the longstanding president. When Alhacen is asked what the mine has done for people, he says: “Nothing — except radiation, which will be here for thousands of years”. Continue reading

April 3, 2010 Posted by | Niger, politics | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mountainous cost of nuclear wastes and still no plan

The DOE now has no place to put the waste and no plan

Seeking a ‘Plan B’ 
for nuclear waste:  With Yucca Mountain site dead, billions paid into project are in limbo By Margaret Newkirk , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,  April 2, 2010 “…….. Georgia electric customers paid the U.S. government more than $701 million over nearly three decades, in exchange for a service now 12 years overdue.Today, the U.S. government is as far away from delivering on its part of the bargain as it has ever been. Continue reading

April 3, 2010 Posted by | USA, wastes | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s Nuclear Posture Review soon to be released

Nuclear Madness Month at the White House, The Atlantic, Mar 31 2010, Next week kicks off nuclear madness month at the White House — or, as one senior administration official resignedly describes it, “all nukes, all the time.” By mid-May, the world ought to know whether President Obama is really a deterrencer in a dove’s clothing. Continue reading

April 2, 2010 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Censorship of scientists on cancer risks of radiation

Scientist: FDA suppressed imaging safety concerns, Science news,  By Matthew Perrone, 30 March, WASHINGTON — A former Food and Drug Administration scientist said Tuesday his job was eliminated after he raised concerns about the risks of radiation exposure from high-grade medical scanning.
Dr. Julian Nicholas said at a public hearing that he and other FDA staffers “were pressured to change their scientific opinion,” after they opposed the approval of a CT scanner for routine colon cancer screening. Nicholas said that he objected to exposing otherwise healthy patients to the cancer risks of radiation. Continue reading

April 2, 2010 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | , , , , | Leave a comment

Escalating costs of taxpayer funded uranium mining cleanup

Hot Rocks: Hidden Cost and Foreign Ownership of “Clean” Nuclear Fuel Emerging,THE HUFFINGTON POST, D.A. Barber, 1 April 2010,  Western U.S. supporters of “clean” nuclear power say it means more jobs at uranium mines and mills. But critics say the escalating costs of past uranium facility clean-up, billion-dollar subsidies, and the fact that most of the companies are foreign-owned, has seemingly gone unnoticed. Continue reading

April 2, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fires at three U.S. nuclear plants

Fires break out at three U.S. nuclear plants over the weekend, FACING SOUTH,  By Sue Sturgis , March 29, 2010 Emergencies were declared at two Progress Energy nuclear power plants in the Carolinas over the weekend due to fires. There was also a fire at a nuclear power plant in Ohio on Sunday that sent two firefighters to the hospital. The blazes were put out and disaster averted, but the incidents underscore concerns about U.S. nuclear plants’ failure to comply with fire safety regulations…… Continue reading

March 29, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cancer and birth deformities in Serbia – depleted uranium’s deadly legacy

Permanent consequences “The half-life of uranium 238 is very long – 4.5 billion years,” reminds nuclear physicist Miroslav Simic, stating that “this way of throwing away nuclear waste on civilian, but also military targets, is not human as the consequences are permanent.”

Depleted Uranium, Dirty Bombs: NATO’s Deadly Gifts To Kosovo, Serbia  Piotr Bein’s blog 29 March 2010, By Ljubica Vujadinovic, Belgrade: A leading Serbian expert in the field says NATO’s use of depleted uranium ammunition in it’s aggression against Serbia has caused an enormous increase in cancer rates and the number of newborns with genetic malformations. Continue reading

March 29, 2010 Posted by | depleted uranium, EUROPE | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Australia’s Northern Territory Opposes Rudd Govt on Nuclear Waste Dump Plan

NT not able to cope with nuke accident, says Government,  Northern Territory News BEN LANGFORD March 29th, 2010 MOST Territory hospitals and the Port of Darwin are not equipped to deal with a radioactive waste incident or interest from “sophisticated criminal groups”, the NT Government has said.
The Government has told a Senate inquiry into new laws for a nuclear waste dump there would be “negligible economic benefit from the facility” for the NT. Continue reading

March 29, 2010 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Resuscitating the nuclear industry by linking it to nuclear non proliferation

Access To Civil Nuclear Energy Voice of America News.com 29 March 2010“Our efforts to reinvigorate the U.S. domestic nuclear industry go hand-in-hand with our efforts in the international arena.”
Speaking about the vital role that nuclear energy plays in our low-carbon future, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman said the United States is working to reinvigorate its domestic nuclear industry. At the same time, he said the U.S. is working with other nations “to ensure that all countries can access nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in a manner that minimizes proliferation risks.”….. Continue reading

March 29, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, spinbuster | , , , , | Leave a comment

The nuclear lobby jumps on the “peace” bandwagon

Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs

Christina Macpherson.29 March 2010 In April-May there will be international conventions and conferences aimed at reducing the spread of nuclear weapons.
Unfortunately the nuclear lobby is well and truly on this bandwagon. The “peace” message will be joined with the message to increase “civil” nuclear energy, and the George W. Bush initiated plan of “cradle to grave” nuclear fuel cycle of leasing uranium.

Never mind that scientific opinion has already discredited nuclear power as “safe” or “clean”, and discredited George W. Bush’s plan – the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, The GNEP is still being touted as the magic formula that will not only “solve” the nuclear waste problem (by returning wastes to their uranium mining origin). Now the GNEP is going to promote peace too!

March 29, 2010 Posted by | Christina's notes, spinbuster | , , , | Leave a comment

How the war industry contributes to global warming, and not to humanity

“Lockheed Martin has 21 paid lobbyists on Parliament Hill,”   “and none from environment, women or peace groups, which can’t afford it.”

War on Earth, THE COAST, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Against the people’s wishes, governments and the war industry choose destruction over protection.by Chris Benjamin, 25 March 2010,

If money talks, what does it say that Canada spends 12 times more on the Department of National Defence than it does on Environment Canada, and 120 times more on defence than it does on climate change mitigation? Continue reading

March 27, 2010 Posted by | Canada, weapons and war | , , , , , | 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