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USA Congress to fund nuclear industry, cut education funding

Congress brazenly puts the interests of corporations above the needs of regular Americans, including teachers and children. This is further proof our political system has been corrupted by corporate influence and special interests.

Nuke Industry Bullies Students, Demands Lunch Money. House Democrats choose pre-emptive bailout for nuclear industry over preventing teacher layoffs. Common Dreams WASHINGTON – July 1
This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on supplemental appropriations for the war in Afghanistan and several domestic programs. The domestic program funding preserves $9 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear reactors, while cutting $13 billion in funds to prevent teacher layoffs. Continue reading

July 2, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , | Leave a comment

Malaysian MPs not impressed by nuclear hype

“The experience in Europe actually shows that there’s a major [cost] overrun. For example, they say it’s €2 billion [but] by the time it’s all done, €4 billion total,”

The talk, featured nuclear industry speakers from Korea, France and the US……

Government nuclear pitch fails to impress PR MPs « Charles Santiago The Malaysian Insider By Yow Hong Chieh July 01, 2010 KUALA LUMPUR,   — A government-organised talk on the nuclear industry last night failed to convince Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs that nuclear power is the energy source most suited to meet Malaysia’s increasing energy demands. Continue reading

July 2, 2010 Posted by | ASIA, spinbuster | , , , | Leave a comment

USA taxpayers fund AREVA and other foreign nuclear companies

Groups: Foreign Companies, Workers Are Big Early Winners Under Federal Loan Guarantees For Nuclear Reactors Taxpayer-Backed Nuclear Loan Guarantees Make July 4th “Energy Non-Independence Day”; 2 of 3 Leading Loan Guarantees Candidates Have Major Foreign Ownership, Large Reactor Component Construction Jobs Are Overseas.WASHINGTON, July 1  USNewswire/ — The notion that taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for more nuclear power means energy independence in the United States is a hoax that could cost unwary U.S. taxpayers tens of billions of dollars while richly benefiting profitable foreign corporations and non-U.S. workers, according to a new report from the nonprofit Nuclear Information & Resource Service (NIRS). Continue reading

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

Non existent nuclear security for USA’s railroads and coastlines

DHS Effort to Counter Nuclear Terrorism Leaves Huge Gaps, Expert Says | Security Debrief -1 July 2010, The Department of Homeland Security office responsible for protecting the nation against nuclear terrorism grew so distracted over efforts to develop next-generation radiation detectors that it failed to draft a strategic plan to coordinate interagency counterterrorism efforts, a government expert told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

The absence of a plan has led to a major security gap, Eugene E. Aloise, director of the GAO’s Natural Resources and Environment Division, said. Because it has focused on improving equipment to detect nuclear materials entering U.S. seaports and border stations, which already have monitors, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) neglected to build capacity along international railroads and the coastline, where defenses don’t exist, he said.

DHS Effort to Counter Nuclear Terrorism Leaves Huge Gaps, Expert Says | Security Debrief – a blog of homeland security news and analysis

July 2, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Claim that Dubai ports used to smuggle nuclear equipment to Iran

Iran uses Dubai ports to smuggle nuclear equipment, Jewish News, Jul 01, 2010 According to the “Telegraph“, Hamad al-Kaabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, was quoted saying earlier today that “Security forces have interdicted scores of ships suspected of carrying illicit cargo and seized numerous sensitive shipments that could be used for the manufacture of weapons systems, including specialized aluminum sheets, titanium, high-speed computers and sophisticated machine tools.”Mr al-Kaabi added: “The UAE has implemented many notable United Nations security council resolutions. A lot of these have banned certain goods going to certain countries.” Additionally, at a meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism in Abu Dhabi, a senior figure revealed the extent of the trade in weapons and “dual-use” goods. According to this source, officials have admitted that Dubai is being used by Iran as a transit point for smuggling both money and illegal goods….

Iran uses Dubai ports to smuggle nuclear equipment | World of Judaica

July 2, 2010 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, secrets,lies and civil liberties | , , , , , | 1 Comment

BP oil spill puts safety of nuclear plants at risk

A May 12 situation report from the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability acknowledged the potential for problems.
If water supply for these facilities becomes contaminated with oil, cooling water systems could be damaged,” it said.

Gulf Coast nuclear plants at risk from BP oil spill, FACING SOUTH, 1 July 2010, Watchdog groups are warning about the BP oil spill’s potential damage to Gulf and Atlantic coast nuclear power plants that use seawater to cool pumps and other safety equipment. Earlier this month, representatives of the nuclear watchdog groups Beyond Nuclear, Three Mile Island Alert and Unplug Salem wrote a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking details on oil plume monitoring efforts to guard against damage to plants’ safety systems. The letter was copied to the Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Continue reading

July 1, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA new nuclear plant an expensive pipe-dream

Province doesn’t need another reactor, telegraphjournal.com , DAVID BEAUDIN, New Brunswick, Canada, 29 June 2010, “……..the provincial government is actively negotiating with Areva to construct Lepreau II.Considering the financial, technical and power generating debacle resulting from the attempted refurbishment of the Lepreau nuclear plant, one sincerely hoped that the government would, at least be “once bitten, twice shy.” New Brunswick has no need for the power to be produced by a second nuclear plant. It’s for export, part of the political “energy hub” pipedream. Continue reading

July 1, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strong opposition to nuclear power in Thailand

Green group urges Thailand to shelve nuclear plans, Google hosted news, AFP) –  1 July 2010, BANGKOK — Environmental campaigners on Wednesday urged Thailand to shelve its nuclear power proposals, warning that the cost of the project could be much greater than expected.Greenpeace said the government’s provisional plans to build five nuclear plants could face “huge cost overruns” and pressed authorities to instead focus on renewable energy…….

Thailand is exploring the feasibility of tapping atomic power to help meet its growing energy needs, but it has faced strong local opposition to the siting of reactors. Continue reading

July 1, 2010 Posted by | ASIA, politics | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

September start for Iran’s nuclear power plant

Iran’s first nuclear power plant to run in September: atomic chief. TEHRAN, June 30 (Xinhua) — Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali-Akbar Salehi said Wednesday that the country’s first nuclear power plant will run in September, the local ISNA news agency reported.”Bushehr nuclear plant is due to run by mid September,” Salehi told reporters.”We are satisfied with cooperating with Russians and now 3,000 experts from the country (Russia) are working in the plant,” he was quoted as saying……
Earlier in May, Head of Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom Sergei Kiriyenko said that the nuclear power plant in the Iranian southern city of Bushehr would be launched by August……Iran and Russia, after reaching an agreement on nuclear cooperation in 1992, signed a contract in January 1995 to finish the construction of the plant, the completion of which has been repeatedly delayed

Iran’s first nuclear power plant to run in September: atomic chief

July 1, 2010 Posted by | general | , , | Leave a comment

Cracks at Texas nuclear waste site

No room for error at radioactive waste site Dallas Morning News, 1 july 2010 Cracked asphalt provides a stark reminder of the nonexistent margin for error at a controversial radioactive waste dump in West Texas. When state inspectors visited the site in Andrews County, they found cracks up to an inch wide in asphalt near canisters of radioactive material. While cracked asphalt is fairly inconsequential – and pretty much par for the course – when it comes to our city streets, it can be a dangerous proposition at a radioactive waste dump.

A spokesman for Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists, which operates the low-level radioactive waste site, dismissed the cracks as superficial and said they have been repaired. But as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has noted, that asphalt pad is an important safeguard against ground contamination…..

Editorial: No room for error at radioactive waste site | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Editorials

July 1, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Burma’s nuclear weapons program

IAEA to investigate Burma’s nuclear program, Radio Australia:Asia Pacific, 30 june 2010, It’s been a rumour for years but now the international nuclear watchdog has formally turned its attention to Burma. The International Atomic Energy Agency is understood to be investigating a report, written by one of its own former directors. The document draws on a new dossier of material which was smuggled out of Burma, by a Burmese weapons expert. The IAEA has approached the Burmese regime asking it to explain why it appears to be manufacturing parts for nuclear weapons.

Presenter: Jeff Waters
Speakers: Robert Kelly, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Radio Australia:Asia Pacific:Story:IAEA to investigate Burma’s nuclear program

July 1, 2010 Posted by | Burma, weapons and war | , , | Leave a comment

Germany’s nuclear power industry not happy with uranium fuel tax

German Minister:Fuel-Rod Tax Tied To Nuclear Extension – WSJ.com By Jan Hromadko   BERLIN (Dow Jones), 1 July 2010, –The German government’s proposed tax on nuclear energy will be linked to a planned extension of reactor operating lives, deputy economic minister Jochen Homann said Wednesday. Continue reading

July 1, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Germany | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Uranium mining, radiation and indigenous land

VIDEO Another Green World: McCain declares (nuclear) war on Navajo & Sioux McCain declares (nuclear) war on Navajo & Sioux, Another Green World, 1 July 2010Our Mother is suffering….’Radiation levels rising, uranium mining for ‘clean’ nuclear power is killing indigenous land in Arizona and McCain wants more, bet it would be different if his house was next to a radioactive mine.posted by Derek Wall


July 1, 2010 Posted by | indigenous issues, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Atomic Energy Agency still hopes for deal with Iran

IRAN: Nuclear watchdog still hopeful of a deal between Tehran and the West, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2010, The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, flatly stated in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times that a once much-touted deal between Iran and the international community on Tehran’s nuclear program wasn’t going to happen without big change.
The dormant deal, dubbed the TRR (short for Tehran research reactor), involved exchanging a chunk of Iran’s low-enriched uranium stockpile for fuel to power a medical reactor.

But that’s not to say there’s no possibility of some kind of compromise between Iran and the West on the controversial nuclear program, Amano said……….

IRAN: Nuclear watchdog still hopeful of a deal between Tehran and the West | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times

July 1, 2010 Posted by | general | , , | Leave a comment

Canada’s uranium likely to help India’s nuclear weapons

Worry grows over Sask. uranium exports, CBC News 1 july 20201, – Fears that Saskatchewan uranium may be used in weapons have been triggered by a newly signed export agreement with India.Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed a nuclear co-operation agreement on Sunday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was in Toronto for the G20 summit. It allows for uranium exports to India and technological exchanges that could be worth billions to Canada’s nuclear industry.Ann Coxworth, of the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, said she fears the federal deal could make it possible for Saskatchewan’s uranium to end up in weapons.”We need to very seriously consider whether exporting uranium around the world is the kind of business that we should be in,” said Coxworth………..Coxworth said the environmental society is working to raise public awareness in hopes of stopping the India deal…..Canada stopped nuclear co-operation with India in 1974 after the government used plutonium from a Canadian reactor to build an atomic bomb. CBC News – Saskatchewan – Worry grows over Sask. uranium exports

July 1, 2010 Posted by | Canada, politics international | , , , , , | Leave a comment