nuclear « nuclear-news

Thousands of tons of nuclear wastes in above ground casks

– Atomic Waste Gets ‘Temporary’ Home, WSJ.com, JUNE 1, 2010 By REBECCA SMITH “……Power companies are likely to rely on casks even more in coming years. About 80% of reactor sites in the U.S. intend to move used fuel to casks because their storage pools are filling up.

So far, more than 800 casks have been filled and they sit tucked away behind fences on reactor sites. They hold 14,000 metric tons of waste, an amount that is steadily growing. There is an additional 49,000 metric tons being held in spent-fuel pools, used fuel’s first stop after it leaves reactors. Each year, another 2,000 metric tons of nuclear reactor waste is created. Continue reading →

June 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

Oil disaster does not augur well for uranium amd nuclear industry

One virtually certain outcome of the environmental disaster currently blackening the Gulf of Mexico is that federal regulators will take a harder line on enforcement of environmental regulations. Uranium miners are likely to be particularly hard hit because there isn’t a person in the US who doesn’t fear the consequences of radiation exposure…….Playing fast and loose with the environment is no longer a winning strategy.

Uranium Miners Get Some Good News and Some Bad 24/7 Wall St., Paul Ausick, June 1, 2010 “....The first installment of the investment will help USEC to continue its deployment of its American Centrifuge Plant which produces enriched uranium for use in nuclear power generation. The cash will also help support USEC’s $2 billion loan guarantee application with the US Department of Energy. The not-so-good news for uranium companies was delivered Continue reading →

June 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance | Leave a comment

Mordechai Vanunu, lonely anti nuclear whistleblower

Mr. Vanunu’s story is to be seen in the wider context of the secrecy that has surrounded Israel’s nuclear weapons programme and its western allies’ complicity.

Lonely battle of an Israeli whistle-blower, The Hindu, Hasan Suroor , June 1, 2010 Mordechai Vanunu’s case is as much about suppressing dissent by a supposedly democratic state as it is a demonstration of western double standards.

Had Mordechai Vanunu been, say, an Iranian or a Russian whistle-blower and facing persecution at home, he would have been assured of a prominent place in the western pantheon of heroes. But he is an Israeli dissident and Israel’s friends in the West have no time for him. Continue reading →

June 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | 1 Comment

Nuclear Non-Proliferation not solved, nor is Nuclear Waste

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As the May Nuclear Non Proliferation conference ends, the nuclear industry and President Obama continue to use this story as a selling point for the “peaceful” nuclear industry. And for June, perhaps the critical issue is – how to convince the world that nuclear wastes are OK, that this problem is solved, – when it’s not!

Other selling points are emerging now – perhaps a sign of the desperation of the industry?

There’s a push to use a nuclear bomb as a cure for the oil spill – based on Russian experience – for goodness’ sake! Who in their right mind would trust the Russian history of things nuclear?

Then there’s the push for little reactors, thorium reactors, instead of uranium-fuelled reactors. Anything to look as though the nuclear industry is forging on. But it’s not – except for nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, despite all the propaganda, and lack of real government incentives, renewable energy technologies are forging on.

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, disarmament, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, reactors, renewable energy, renewables | 8 Comments

The nuclear industry in decline

Ockham’s Razor – 30 May 2010 – Nuclear energy: a panacea for climate change?

Nuclear energy: a panacea for climate change?. ABC Radio National, Ockham’s Razor, Dr Adam Lucas – 30 May 2010 “………..What is the status of nuclear energy in the world at the moment? And do the arguments of its proponents stand up to scrutiny? Continue reading →

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

Birth defects from depleted uranium bring lawsuit

Atomic radiation has increased the number of babies born with defects in the southern provinces of Iraq.

VIDEO Fallujah babies born with birth defects as a result of Depleted Uranium WMD contaminated dust. | mesothelioma Lawyer,Mesothelioma, Asbestos Cancer, Mesothelioma Treatments, Lawyers / Attorneys

Fallujah babies born with birth defects as a result of Depleted Uranium WMD contaminated dust. 1 June 2010, Iraq WILL sue US and Britain over depleted uranium bombs FULL story here- http://www.presstv.ir Ministry for Human Rights will file a lawsuit against Britain and the US over their use of depleted uranium bombs in Iraq, an Iraqi minister says. Continue reading →

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, Iraq | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Some responses to the idea of “nuking the oil spill”

Using a nuclear device in an attempt to shut down the GOM oil spill seems like using a battleship to cross a river.Success is not guaranteed and the side effects could be horrendous.”

Nuking The Oil Slick? The Oil Drum by Big Gav on May 31, 2010 – ]A recent interview with Matthew Simmons on Bloomberg discussed the possibility of a nuclear explosion being used to seal the leaking Macondo oil well. Continue reading →

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Doctors oppose radiation experiments on squirrel monkeys

Belmont hospital faulted for monkey experiments, BostonHerald.com, By Associated Press , May 31, 2010 BELMONT – An anti-animal research group is preparing to unveil two billboards criticizing McLean Hospital in Belmont for experiments with squirrel monkeys.The Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is scheduled to unveil the billboards Tuesday near the hospital.According to the group, squirrel monkeys will be exposed to harmful radiation at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and will then be sent to McLean for various tests.

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Religion and ethics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

Glut of uranium as prices plummet

Uranium Remains Weak FNArena News – June 01 2010 By Chris Shaw Spot uranium has given up some recent gains, leading industry consultant TradeTech to reduce its indicative spot market price another US25c last week to at US$40.50 per pound. The fall reflects aggressive attempts by sellers to motivate buying interest, which is coming via material being offered at lower prices.

Nuclear giants stockpile fuel while price is cheap Times Online, June 1, 2010 Some of the world’s biggest energy companies are stockpiling the nuclear fuel used to power reactors as they try to capitalise on rock-bottom uranium prices.An oversupply of nuclear fuel on international commodity markets has followed five successive years of rapid growth in uranium ore production in Kazakhstan, which has nearly quadrupled its output since 2004.

Raw uranium prices have tumbled to around $40 per pound — almost one quarter of the levels of $140 in 2007……About one third of the world’s total supply of nuclear fuel comes from Russian nuclear weapons that have been decommissioned as part of a disarmament agreement struck with the United States at the end of the Cold War. Nuclear giants stockpile fuel while price is cheap – Times Online

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, uranium | Leave a comment

Leaking and lying – time for Vermont Nuclear Plant to close

Nuclear Power Plant Leaking AGAIN AGAIN – IndyPosted, by Maggie Romuld May 31, 2010 The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant could close in March 2012 when its current license expires. While that might not be good news for some, it seems fair for a plant that has been plagued with problems for years, and leaked once again over the weekend. And, perhaps more importantly, when you consider that radioactive tritium was found in an underground pipe and plant officials “acknowledged they had misled state regulators and lawmakers regarding whether the plant had underground pipes that carried radioactive substances.”

Nuclear Power Plant Leaking AGAIN – IndyPosted

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, radiation, reactor, reactors | 1 Comment

The nuclear industry promoted under the banner of non-proliferation

Statement by the President on the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, Politics News, usgov, 31 May 2010 The NPT must be at the center of our global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, while pursuing the ultimate goal of a world without them.This agreement includes balanced and practical steps that will advance non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, which are critical pillars of the global non-proliferation regime. ..

Statement by the President on the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, peace | Leave a comment

Israel’s nuclear weapons status is critical to Non Proliferation conference

Israel Key To Conference On Banning Nuclear Weapons, THE HUFFINGTON POST, by Edith M. Lederer, 29 May 2010, UNITED NATIONS — After 15 years, Arab nations finally won agreement from the United States and the other nuclear powers to take the first step toward banning nuclear weapons from the Middle East. Now the next move is Israel’s. Continue reading →

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

UN report that Iran has sufficient fuel for 2 nuclear weapons

Iran Has Enough Fuel To Build Two Nuclear Weapons, Says U.N. Report Daily Intel 5/31/10 According to a report from international nuclear inspectors, Iran now has enough fuel so that, “with further enrichment,” they would be able to make two nuclear weapons. The report comes before the U.N. Security Council’s vote on a potential fourth round of sanctions against the country, which has been supported by the Obama administration. Iran did tentatively agree eight months ago to send some of its nuclear material out of the country, but the White House said the deal would still leave Iran with enough fuel to build one weapon. Furthermore, the report claims Iran has expanded work at one of its nuclear sites. Iran maintains that they are using their nuclear facilities to work toward “peaceful projects.” U.N. Report Says Iran Has Fuel for 2 Nuclear Weapons [NYT] By: Josh Duboff

Iran Has Enough Fuel To Build Two Nuclear Weapons, Says U.N. Report — Daily Intel

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

California to demand recording of medical radiation doses

Calif. could require recording of radiation doses , San Francisco Chronicle May 28, 2010 California would create safeguards to protect patients from being exposed to excess radiation under a bill approved by the state Senate. Continue reading →

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear technology, radioactive | Leave a comment

Syria’s past nuclear experiments revealed

IAEA report: Syria reveals past nuclear experiments, Earth Times News, 31 May Vienna – Syria has revealed details about past nuclear experiments to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA said Monday in a document that otherwise reported no cooperation from the Middle Eastern country.Syria’s lack of transparency has so far prevented the Vienna-based IAEA from fully investigating a site that Israel bombed in 2007 on suspicion it was a secret nuclear reactor being built with North Korean help.In the course of the probe, Syrian officials admitted between March and May that experiments to convert and irradiate uranium chemicals were carried out in 2004.”They failed to report those,” a senior diplomat familiar with the IAEA’s work in Syria said.But he explained that it was too early to say whether these experiments were really purely small scientific projects, as Syria claims, or whether additional work was done…IAEA report: Syria reveals past nuclear experiments | Earth Times News

June 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Syria | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment