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Yankee nuke extension increases risk

Yankee extension increases risk

Rutland Herald Charles McKenna 20 April 09 “………………………..In addition to the release of radioactive materials during normal operation and the continued production of nuclear waste (for which no permanent disposal method has been found), a nuclear plant allowed to operate beyond its design life increases the risk of catastrophic failure. Such an event would affect life for a very long time over several hundred square miles surrounding the plant’s location at the heart of New England. …………………….http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090420/OPINION02/904200376/1037/OPINION02

April 21, 2009 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

Kewaunee nuclear power plant shut down

Kewaunee nuclear power plant shut down

By Rick Romell of the Journal Sentinel

April 20, 2009 The Kewaunee nuclear power plant remains out of operation after being shut down late Thursday night because of an instrumentation problem.

………………….. An event report posted on the site of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission indicates that a problem with calibration procedures was discovered about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The problem was considered reportable to the NRC under three regulations, including one covering “any event or condition that results in the nuclear plant being in an unanalyzed condition that significantly degrades plant safety.” http://www.jsonline.com/business/43179997.html

April 21, 2009 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

Why one remote Taiwan village is giving nuclear waste the red carpet treatment

Why one remote Taiwan village is giving nuclear waste the red carpet treatment Minnesota Post By Jonathan Adams21 April 09 “……………………Critics of the plan say this poor village is merely being bought off by the government’s generous compensation proposal, and is low-balling the health risks. The debate highlights the growing problem of nuclear waste, as more nations — and especially, neighboring China — turn to this “cleaner” energy source to fuel their economies. It also points to a global phenomenon. Whether it’s inner-city America or a remote Aboriginal village in Taiwan, toxic and other waste often ends up dumped near the poorest, most marginalized communities. In Taiwan, Nantian Village is about as poor and marginal as they come……………….. Taiwan’s Aborigines — 2 percent of the population — are the island’s least advantaged, with poverty and alcoholism rates similar to those on Native American reservations in the U.S. Villagers talk about 5 billion — the payout, in New Taiwan dollars (about $150 million) — that the power company has said will go to the county. How much of that would go directly to these villagers is still unclear………………………..” http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2009/04/20/8193/why_one_remote_taiwan_village_is_giving_nuclear_waste_the_red_carpet_treatment

April 21, 2009 Posted by | indigenous issues, Taiwan | , , , | Leave a comment

Italian Nuclear Waste to be Dumped in Utah

Italian Nuclear Waste to be Dumped in Utah AllGov News by Noel Brinkerhoff April 17, 2009 A uranium isotope is a uranium isotope, regardless of its country of origin. But for two Democratic congressmen, there’s a problem with low-level nuclear waste from Italy being dumped in Utah………………………….

Since the NRC won’t help, Matheson and Gordon have decided to sponsor a bill that would ban the importation of low-level radioactive waste unless the nuclear material originated in the U.S. or the waste was imported for a strategic national purpose. The two congressmen have been joined by Utah’s Republican governor,. Jon Huntsman, who is opposed to the waste coming to his state.
Huntsman can’t get legislation passed in his own state banning the importation of nuclear waste, thanks to the numerous political donations that EnergySolutions has spread around among state lawmakers, and its army of lobbyists. In fact, one of the company’s former lobbyists is Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT), whose district includes the dump site.

AllGov – News – Italian Nuclear Waste to be Dumped in Utah

April 18, 2009 Posted by | USA, wastes | , , , | Leave a comment

Green Party leader condemns Sask. nuclear report

Green Party leader condemns Sask. nuclear report By Kerry Benjoe, Leader-Post April 17, 2009

REGINA — The leaders of the provincial and federal Green Party slammed the report compiled by the Uranium Development Partnership on Friday.

Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, called the report a sham. She said Green Party members from around the world oppose the development of nuclear power.

“The industry doesn’t make sense. It will never survive without tremendous government subsidies,” said May.

She said speaking as a federal leader, this is something that Saskatchewan people should go into with their eyes wide open……………………”The so-called environmental rep is a paid lobbyist for nuclear industry. This is a sham. This is not the report on which a government should base decisions,” said May. “This is the equivalent of a report from lobbyists telling government how they want them to spend their money.”

Green Party leader condemns Sask. nuclear report

April 18, 2009 Posted by | Canada, spinbuster | , , | Leave a comment

Sellafield under fire for ‘catastrophic’ safety error

Sellafield under fire for ‘catastrophic’ safety error North West Evening Mail , 17 April 2009

SELLAFIELD has come under fire from an anti-nuclear group after four highly-radioactive waste stores malfunctioned.

Cooling water was lost when a faulty valve on the waste containers broke down.

The temperature of the waste was allowed to rise for eight hours before Sellafield workers were able to fix the problem……………………….

Details of the malfunction were only released last week.

CORE’s spokesman Martin Forwood said: “The catastrophic result of an extended loss of cooling to these dangerous and increasingly obsolete tanks is well documented and has major implications not only for Cumbria but also for the UK and its European neighbours.

“The incident was dangerously and unacceptably close to resulting in a major off-site release of radioactivity with long-term consequences for human life and the environment”.

North West Evening Mail | News | Sellafield under fire for ‘catastrophic’ safety error

April 18, 2009 Posted by | safety, UK | , , | Leave a comment

Taxpayers own nuclear problems

Muskogee Phoenix  April 17, 2009 02:45 pm -THE PEOPLE SPEAK: Taxpayers own nuclear problemsOklahoma Republicans are being very hypocritical in supporting taxpayer guarantees in funding to build massively expensive nuclear plants………………..

We do not need nuclear plants. Solar thermal (not the same as solar panels) and wind could supply the energy without the dangerous polluting of uranium mining.

Who will pay for the medical expenses for the increased cancer rates around Muskogee if the plant is built here? Who will pay for the decommissioning of these plants when they age?

I think the people will pay and big corporations will benefit. What about contaminated nuclear groundwater as has happened in France? We need a town meeting about this important issue before the Republicans rush things through.

Jean McMahon

Fort Gibson

MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK – THE PEOPLE SPEAK: Taxpayers own nuclear problems

April 18, 2009 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen Brick Township Bulletin Sidney J. Goodman 17 April 09 Anuclear plant reactor tries to safely contain more radioactivity than is in the fallout of 1,000 Hiroshima atom bombs.The Oyster Creek spent fuel rod pool contains much more deadly radioactivity. The pool has a flimsy roof that could easily be penetrated to cause a fuming meltdown.Who would have thought that the World Trade Center could be destroyed so easily? As for nuclear power plants, we haven’t seen anything yet.There is an official rule. It says that a mere 10-mile evacuation zone is perfectly adequate. This is idiotic.The poisons from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident traveled all around the world. Decades after, only 20 percent of the children born in Belarus are healthy. The poisons from the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station traveled hundreds of miles………………………

There is a federal law called the Price Anderson Act. It limits the liability of a nuclear utility to a microscopic fraction of the damage it can cause.

Oyster Creek is afraid to operate without the protection of this law. If there is no risk, as nuclear promoters always say, there is absolutely no justification for the existence of this law.

This law abolishes your property rights to protect the property rights of nuclear utilities. Their insistence that we need this law proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that big guns in the industry do not believe one word of their assurances about health and safety.

Why should you believe them or their agents?……………………. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant must be closed immediately — not in nine years, not in one year, not in one month, but now.

Oyster Creek an accident waiting to happen | bulletin.gmnews.com | Brick Township Bulletin

April 17, 2009 Posted by | safety, USA | , , | Leave a comment

Several nuclear waste trains in Germany next year?

Several nuclear waste trains in D next year? Indymedia 17 April Diet Simon

Several transports of highly radioactive nuclear waste may roll through Germany next year, nuclear opponents have researched, and another 1,000-1,250 tonnes of depleted uranium are being readied for transportation to Russia in about 25 railcars.

The Bürgerinitiative Umweltschutz Lüchow-Dannenberg (BI), which fights waste dumping at the northern village of Gorleben, and other anti-nuclear activists have found out that waste consignments are due next year to all three “interim” dumps at Ahaus (45 linear km northwest of Münster), Lubmin (120 km east of Rostock) and Gorleben (155 km northeast of Hannover).

The BI comments that “thousands are going to take to the streets to oppose this” and says the anti-nuclear movement has had a surge in numbers since last autumn 16,000 delayed another waste load to Gorleben.

“In the autumn we’re doing a tractor run to Berlin to generate pressure to end the crazy plan to make Gorleben the final repository and to get out of nuclear power production.“In 2010 there’ll be a stocktaking across the country, the waste transport continue to be a provocation because they symbolize the disposal dilemma” (of there being no safe storage system anywhere on the globe).

Several hundred nuclear casks with highly radioactive waste, so-called Castor CSDC 28’s, are to be taken from the French plutonium factory at La Hague and a German research facility at Jülich (65 km west of Cologne) to Ahaus. A special high-pressure waste compacting facility has been built in La Hague for the purpose.
The BI notes that this creates a new category of waste which starts medium-active and becomes highly active from heat……………

……..Meanwhile activists have observed another large depleted uranium train being assembled in Germany’s only uranium enrichment factory at Gronau, to go to Russia for dumping in the open air…………………..

………..Anti-nuclear activists are planning an inter-regional demonstration in Münster for 25 April. It will be one of three central ones taking place throughout Germany on the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. The other two will be outside nuclear power stations at Krümmel (40 km southeast of Hamburg) and Neckarwestheim (170 km south of Frankfurt) on the 26th.

de.indymedia.org | Several nuclear waste trains in D next year?

April 17, 2009 Posted by | Germany, safety | , , , | Leave a comment

– Nuclear plan good news for economy or deadly legacy?

Nuclear plan good news for economy or deadly legacy? Wales News Apr 16 2009THE nomination of Wylfa Peninsula on Anglesey as one of 11 potential sites for a new UK nuclear power station was hailed yesterday as “very good news” for the island’s economy.

But environmental groups criticised the plans as leaving a “deadly legacy” at a cost of billions of pounds. Anglesey’s residents have one month to submit their views on the new power station, which would replace the current plant, due to stop generating electricity in 2010………………..

……….Friends of the Earth said “breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment” was not the answer to the UK’s energy problems.

The group’s energy campaigner Robin Webster said: “Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage.

“And building new reactors would divert precious resources from developing safe, clean renewable power.

“Nuclear firms are already lobbying ministers to water down UK renewable energy targets. Ministers must exploit the UK’s huge potential of wind, solar, marine and hydro power, and embark on a massive national programme of energy efficiency.

“This will create tens of thousands more jobs than the nuclear option, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, tackle climate change and make Britain a world leader in developing a green economy.”

April 17, 2009 Posted by | politics, UK | , , , | Leave a comment

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy  Yemen Post 5, April, 2009

Minister of Electricity and Energy dismissed Wednesday the idea of producing nuclear energy in the country, saying it was not time to use nuclear power to deal with energy problems, mainly daily electricity cuts.
However, Minister Awadh Al-Socotri affirmed the government has plans to produce wind and thermal energy instead.
He said the government is about to sign deals with the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank to construct a wind-power plant in Makha province.

Yemen Drops Nuclear Power Idea; To Produce Wind and Thermal Energy – Yemen Post English Newspaper Online

April 17, 2009 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, politics | , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous

BERLIN, April 16 (UPI) — A leaking nuclear-waste storage site in Germany is also contaminated with several toxic substances.

The problematic site in the Asse mountain range in northern Germany has been abused for several years by companies eager to get rid of toxic substances, including mercury, lead alloy and arsenic, German news magazine Stern reports………………………

Asse was meant to be a place for temporary storage and research but was instead used by companies for careless dumping of waste never intended to see the light of day again.

The cleanup of Asse is estimated to cost at least $2.5 billion.

Nuclear-waste dumping site also poisonous – UPI.com

April 17, 2009 Posted by | Germany, wastes | , , , | Leave a comment

Volunteers protest nuclear power use

Volunteers protest nuclear power use Thu, April 16, 2009

The London Free Press (Ontario) By NATASHA MARAR, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

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Greenpeace members wore masks of a character from The Simpsons TV show in a protest yesterday in London against nuclear power.

The demonstration was held in front of the Hilton hotel, where public hearings into the province’s proposed Green Energy Act were taking place.

Protesters wore plastic masks depicting Simpsons character Mr. Burns, a nuclear plant owner.

“Our main problem with the act is that it’s a lot of greenwashing,” Greenpeace volunteer David Major said.

“It’s presented as a green energy act, but it focuses a lot on nuclear.”

London Free Press – Local News- Volunteers protest nuclear power use

April 17, 2009 Posted by | Canada, politics | , , , | Leave a comment

Nuke security lacking

Nuke security lacking – The Great Beyond  by April 16, 2009   Another day, another security lapse at one of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons labs.The Government Accountability Office is reporting yet again that there are security lapses in the complex, this time at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, near San Francisco.LLNL is one of three DOE national labs that designs, handles and stores nuclear weapons. It also maintains stores of plutonium and enriched uranium.Investigators found 13 specific deficiencies in the security force employed to counteract a terrorist attack……………….

The Great Beyond: Nuke security lacking

April 17, 2009 Posted by | safety, USA | , , | Leave a comment

UK Government Obsession With Nuclear Power Costly for the Country

UK Government Obsession With Nuclear Power Costly for the Country Earth Times  15 Apr 2009 “……………………….- The problematic history of nuclear power in the United Kingdom (UK) suggests that a stronger focus on sustainable energy alternatives is a better and more cost-effective option. This is a conclusion of a report released today by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). The British Nuclear Industry: Status and Prospects provides a detailed analysis of the current state of the nuclear power industry in the UK, including its energy strategy and the government’s plans for possible new nuclear capacity. While the political momentum in support of nuclear options continues to grow, the study’s findings show that the government’s strategy is once again thwarting technologies that might prove cheaper and more reliable…………………….notes the author, “The option of building a new series of nuclear power stations is controversial and highly contested,” citing several reports that show there is no need to build new nuclear stations in the UK. The reports argue that a combination of renewable energy, greater energy efficiencies and other technologies can fill the gap as the old nuclear plants become redundant.

UK Government Obsession With Nuclear Power Costly for the Country

April 16, 2009 Posted by | politics, UK | , , | Leave a comment