Here’s the latest in the top news stories. I’ve added logos for all the main subject areas, removed the security section as there are too few articles in that category and changed it to an NRC group.
The Nuclear Weapons tension with Russia continues to escalate due to Bush’s missile Shield. Nuclear policy in India and across Europe continues to be tense. European activists are calling for a global day of action on Uranium Mining on Sept. 20th. U.S. politics around nuclear are starting to build. Check out the Gang of 10 group story! The democrats are looking very weak on energy issues at this point. Not a good sign. Lots of other news on energy and nuclear, too many to mention.
Top Nuclear Stories Index
| Reactors | Safety | NRC | Fuel Cycle | N-Waste |
| Policy | Weapons | DOE | Energy News | Op |
Nuclear Reactor News
Westinghouse, Areva eye India nuclear plants-paper | Reuters
India’s Nuclear Power Corp has tentatively picked four suppliers, including U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric and France’s Areva (CEPFi.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), for planned new projects, the Hindu Business Line reported on Monday.
Associated Press: Reactor shut down after fire at Calif. nuke plant
Authorities are investigating a fire at a California nuclear plant that forced a reactor to be shut down.
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant spokeswoman Sharon Gavin said Monday that there was no danger of a radiation leak after a fire the day before. The blaze was in a non-nuclear part of the plant.
British Energy stalemate puts new nuclear reactors at risk | The Observer
The on-off £12bn takeover saga of British Energy risks delaying plans to build new nuclear reactors on government-owned sites, it has emerged.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the government-backed body, is waiting to launch a formal auction of land surrounding its sites.
Gulf Times: India’s Tata eyeing $3 billion nuclear venture
With Indias nuclear isolation likely to end soon, energy major Tata Power is busy planning and studying a minimum $3bn (Rs.120bn) foray into nuclear power.
“Tata Power will initially venture into nuclear power either on its own or through a joint venture once the sector is opened up to private utilities, said Sharaf Ali Bohra, advisor for Tata Power.
TorontoSun.com – Canada- Nuclear Reaction
Some Canadian energy facts
– In 2007, electricity in Ontario was generated from nuclear (51%), hydro (21%), coal (18%), oil and natural gas (8%) and other alternative sources (2%).
– By 2020, Ontario will need to replace about 80% of its electrical generation (25,000 MW) because of growth in demand and aging plants, about half of which are nuclear.
– Load growth 1997-2007: Ontario’s electricity demand has increased from 146 TWh to 154 TWh over the last decade — less than 1.0% per year and by average 0.5 % per year.*
EADT – Bradwell N-plant ‘already decided’
CAMPAIGNERS claimed last night the Government had already decided to build a new nuclear power station on the Essex coast – before public consultation even begins.
Crack found in nuclear plant coolant pipe 5 times deeper than first thought – Mainichi Daily News
A crack found in a nuclear reactor’s primary coolant pipe here is at least five times deeper than originally believed, and experts say if it widens it could cause a serious accident.
The crack was found on the inside of a weld in the primary cooling water
Fredericksburg.com – Dominion seeks loan guarantee for reactor
Dominion Virginia Power is seeking a federal loan guarantee for the construction of a third nuclear reactor at the North Anna Power Station.
The company announced yesterday that it had filed an application with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Dominion files for Kewaunee nuclear power station license renewal – Energy Business Review
US-based electricity utility Dominion, which is the owner of the 568MW Kewaunee nuclear power station in Wisconsin, filed an application with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew the facility’s operating license.
Helsingin Sanomat – Greenpeace calls for suspension of construction on new nuclear reactor and safety review
The environmental organisation Greenpeace is accusing Boyygues, the company which is building the reactor building of the new nuclear facility in Olkiluoto, of serious security breaches in welding work. The reactor that is being built in the west coast community of Olkiluoto is the third to be built on the site, and the fifth in all of Finland.
Soaring cost of bringing N-plants back on line – nebusiness.co.uk
BRITISH Energy has admitted that the return to service of its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 reactors will cost much more than originally thought.
The company said the timetable for bringing the reactors back online was unchanged, but added costs are now estimated to be around £115m in the 2008/09 financial year, compared with previous hopes for £50m.
11 nuclear power plants to be built by 2030 : SKorea
The government has decided to build 11 more nuclear power plants by 2030, boosting the percentage of power generated by nuclear energy from the current 26 percent to 41 percent. It has also decided to boost the percentage generated by renewable energy sources from 2.24 percent to 11 percent.
Michigan nuclear plan likely faces heavy cost –
DTE Energy in the next dozen years aims to do something no American utility has managed in a generation: bring a new nuclear plant online.
It’s the only one planned today for Michigan, yet DTE will jostle with utilities around the country to meet federal tax credit eligibility — starting with an application deadline this year — and to mobilize a supplier base to a large extent now gone or located overseas.
Company, State at Odds Over Terms for Nuclear Reactor – washingtonpost.com
UniStar Nuclear Energy and state officials are in a dispute about new conditions the state wants to impose for building a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.
Construction of Finnish nuclear site investigated – Forbes.com
Finland’s nuclear safety officials on Wednesday demanded that power utility TVO explain alleged irregularities during the construction of the country’s new 1,600-megawatt atomic power plant.
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority said it is concerned about reports that French company Bouygues (other-otc: BOUYF.PK – news – people ), in charge of construction of the Olkiluoto 3 plant – ordered employees not to report about onsite work methods to TVO.
‘Solar Rollers’ hit the road against Yankee – Bennington Banner
With the Vermont Legislature set to vote on Vermont Yankee’s future next year, groups opposing the nuclear power plant’s relicensing are more active than ever.
On Monday, the “Solar Rollers” coasted down Route 9 into Bennington after a grueling ride from Brattleboro.
Thirty years after their first bike ride to oppose nuclear power, Tom Wilson and David Detmold, both from Massachusetts, are riding through Vermont, along with others, in opposition of nuclear power, and additional years for Vermont’s lone plant, which is owned by Entergy. The duo founded the group in 1978 to oppose the construction of a nuclear power plant in Seabrook, Mass.
Feds OK Millstone generation increase — Newsday.com
The Millstone nuclear power complex in Waterford has won federal approval to increase the generating capacity at one of its reactors by 7 percent.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the plan Tuesday. Millstone’s owner, Virginia-based Dominion, plans to increase the Unit 3 reactor’s capacity from 1,150 megawatts to 1,230 megawatts in the fall.
The Mercury – NRC: Nuclear plant guard hid arrests
About a year after a security guard at Exelon’s Limerick Nuclear Generating Station was fired for sleeping on the job, another was fired for altering his driver’s license to hide the fact that he had been charged by police with three separate offenses.
The State | Business group wants delay on nuclear decision
A committee representing commercial and industrial customers wants state regulators to delay hearings on South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.’s request to build two new nuclear reactors.
The South Carolina Energy Users Committee says it needs more time to prepare for the hearings. The Public Service Commission has scheduled hearings in October.
Nuclear Health and Safety News
Spain nuclear watchdog seeks sanctions over leak | Reuters
Spain’s nuclear watchdog on Monday pressed the government to bring charges against a nuclear plant for seriously breaching safety rules in handling a radioactive leak for which more than 2,600 people were screened.
The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said that even though the leak last November caused no damage to the population or environment, management at the Asco I plant had failed to inform it of the leak in time or adequately protect workers.
Project: Assessing Medical Preparedness for a Nuclear Event – A Workshop
The Institute of Medicine will convene an ad hoc committee with experts in emergency medical response and treatment, medical and public health preparedness, health sciences research, and nuclear medicine to organize a public workshop on medical preparedness for a nuclear event. The workshop will feature invited presentations and discussions that assess the health care capacity to treat an affected population with the goal of assuring a safe and effective response to nuclear incidents by civilian and government medical systems and public health services. Specifically, an agenda for the workshop will be developed with topics to:
Georgia: Terror fears over whereabouts of region’s nuclear material – Telegraph
When the breakaway region of Abkhazia split from Georgia in 1993, the world’s only known case of enriched uranium going missing was reported after up to 2kg of the potentially devastating material was stolen from a laboratory.
There are now fears that the organised criminal gangs that are rife in the region could exploit the confusion of the current conflict to loot other stocks.
Chernobyl children: Nuclear families – Telegraph
In 2005 two 11-year-old girls from Belarus came to stay in rural Ireland with Philip Watson, as part of a scheme that runs recuperative breaks for children affected by the fallout from Chernobyl. Three years on, Watson tracked them down to see if their li
Norwegian fisheries minister in hot water over Murmansk radiation leaks | IceNews – Daily News
Aftenposten has revealed that Norwegian fisheries minister Helga Pedersen admitted knowing that the Russian submarine wreck Murmansk likely contained radioactive chemicals, despite earlier claims to the contrary. She denies charges that she lied about her
Marshall Islanders go to US court of Appeal over nuclear testing
Bikini Islanders in the Marshall Islands hope their case for additional compensation for damage caused US nuclear weapons tests will yield results.
Their quest to be given more money has been revived in a new round of litigation in the US court of appeal
FR: NIOSH: Petition To Designate a Class of Employees for the Tyson Valley Powder Farm, St. Louis, MO
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees for the Tyson Valley Powder Farm, St. Louis, MO, to be included in the Special Exposure Cohort
FR: NIOSH Petition To Designate a Class of Employees for the Connecticut Aircraft Nuclear Engine Laboratory, Middletown, CT
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees for the Connecticut Aircraft Nuclear Engine Laboratory, Middletown, CT, To Be Included in the Special Exposure Cohort
Springville Journal: West Valley Demonstration Project cancer claimants being denied compensation
A group of 15 cancer victims, survivors, relatives and friends who worked or who are still working at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) were expecting to see Senator Chuck Schumer at their meeting held last Friday. But Susanne Klein, whose husb
Lockheed’s Tallevast plans fall on angry ears – Bradenton.com
Anger and frustration erupted at Mount Tabor Church Thursday night as residents demanded Lockheed Martin Corp. stop work on the Tallevast pollution plume until the community is moved out of harm’s way.
The Associated Press: Tests show more at Colo. lab exposed to plutonium
A Boulder, Colo., laboratory says new tests show that more people were exposed to plutonium than originally thought after a June spill there.
No one who was exposed is expected to have significant health effects.
icseftonandwestlancs – Crosby woman suing Government after claiming her father’s death was caused by exposure to radiation while in Merchant Navy
A CROSBY woman is suing the Government claiming her father died as a result of exposure to deadly radiation during his time in the Merchant Navy.
Karen Brogan is hoping her case has been strengthened by the Ministry of Defence admitting last week that more than 150 servicemen were killed after taking part in atomic bomb tests.
Marshall Islanders in pursuit of more US compensation for Bikini tests
Bikini Islanders in the Marshall Islands say they have no option but to pursue the US government in court to get additional compensation for the US nuclear weapons tests of the 1940’s and 1950s.
Their latest case has been heard in the US Court of Appeals which is expected to give its verdict within five months.
Voices – The Depleted Uranium Threat
The DoD, the nation’s biggest polluter, is now cleaning up 29,500 currently or formerly contaminated sites in every state and territory. California alone has 3,912 contaminated sites on 441 current and former DoD installations. Many of DoD’s facilities have already contaminated groundwater sources of drinking water…. The cost to clean up toxic munitions contamination and unexploded ordnance at active and former military installations around the country may reach $200 billion.” – The National Resources Defense Council, April 21, 2004.
ReviewJournal.com – News – Health claim roadblocks end
Agency gives OK to some Area 51 workers seeking compensation
In 1998, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy were keeping mum about the secret work that went on at Area 51, a widely known Air Force installation near the northeast corner of the Nevada Test Site.
That year, the U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal by former Area 51 workers who claimed that they were made sick and that co-workers had died from exposure to toxic fumes from stealth coatings burned in open trenches near the Groom Lake base, 90 miles north of Las Vegas. The site was used to test high-tech aircraft.
Nuclear plant designs share similarities – Columbia Missourian
The design for AmerenUE’s proposed second nuclear plant in Missouri isn’t that different from its existing plant, officials from the utility say.
AmerenUE submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late July for a license to build and operate the proposed plant, which would be built next to its existing plant in Callaway County.
SKAPP :: Case Studies in Science Policy :: Beryllium – Science or Public Relations?
Beryllium is a remarkable metal. It is stiffer than steel, lighter than aluminum, and causes chronic beryllium disease at very low levels of exposure. It is also causes cancer in humans. There is no evidence of a safe exposure level. Beryllium has long been employed in nuclear and defense operations, and is now being used in bicycle frames and other consumer products.
The current OSHA workplace exposure standard was developed in a 1948 discussion held in the back seat of a taxi by two Atomic Energy Commission scientists – for this reason it is known as the “taxicab standard”. This standard is widely acknowledged to be insufficiently protective, and workers exposed to levels below the standard have developed beryllium-related disease.
SKAPP: SKAPP Authors Expose Beryllium Industry Role in Stalling Stricter Worker Protection Rule
In the latest issue of the journal Public Health Reports, there is debate about the role that beryllium giant Brush Wellman played in stalling OSHA action on beryllium, and whether Brush waged a public relations campaign to minimize the hazards of the toxic metal.
In an article in the January-February 2008 issue of Public Health Reports, David Michaels and Celeste Monforton of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) explored how the beryllium industry fought efforts to lower workplace beryllium exposure limits, first by the Department of Energy (DOE) and then by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In “Beryllium’s Public Relations Problem: Protecting Workers When There is No Safe Exposure Level,†Michaels and Monforton criticized Brush Wellman for its efforts to prevent these agencies from lowering exposure limits for beryllium.
Cancer Rife in Group Seeking Cash Settlements – Health – redOrbit
West Valley Demonstration Project employees and former employees have been comparing notes as they help each other obtain cash settlements under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990. What they have learned is unsettling.
Most of the 15 members of the organization, dubbed the West Valley Nuclear Compensation Group, who met Friday in Concord Town Hall for only the second time, have either been treated for cancer, have recently been diagnosed with it or have lost a spouse to the disease.
Help for atomic veterans should be a priority | Chillicothe Gazette
Sir Isaac Newton often has been quoted as stating in paraphrase, “The scientific achievements credited to me are based on standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before me.”
We can extend this thought to the many atomic veterans employed at the Piketon uranium enrichment plant from the 1950s to the present.
Confidential documents reveal Finnish nuclear reactor cannot be guaranteed safe
Finland, August 2008  Confidential documents obtained by Greenpeace reveal that basic safety procedures have not been followed in the construction of the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) Olkiluoto 3 (0L3) in Finland. Greenpeace is calling for an immediate end to construction work on the reactor.
Independent nuclear safety expert Dr. Helmut Hirsh [1] has reviewed the documents and concluded that the safety violations are “a clear case of bad practice and an indicator of bad safety cultureâ€Â, and give “reason for serious concern regarding the resistance of the reactor building of OL3â€Â, increasing the risk associated with external events like earthquakes, blast waves from explosions or missile impact.
NRC News
NRC: News Release – NRC Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement for Vogtle Early Site Permit
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed Early Site Permit (ESP) for the Vogtle site, about 26 miles southeast of Augusta, Ga. The report contains the NRC’s finding that there are no environmental impacts that would prevent issuing the ESP. The report, NUREG-1872, “Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Site,” is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1872/index.html. The staff bases its conclusion on its thorough, independent review of an environmental report from the applicant, Southern Nuclear Operating Co. The EIS takes into account consultations with federal, state, tribal and local agencies and consideration of comments received during the public scoping process.
NRC: – Levy County Application for New Reactors Available on NRC Website
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today made available the public version of a combined license (COL) application for two new reactors at the Levy County site near Crystal River, Fla.
The applicant, Progress Energy, submitted the application and
NRC:NRC Releases Review of Doe’s Hanford Waste Treatment Plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has provided Congress and the Secretary of Energy its conclusion that the Department of Energy’s regulatory processes for its Waste Treatment Plant at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state, if properly implemented, are adequate to ensure public health and safety.
The conclusion is contained in a review delivered Aug. 6 to Congress and the Secretary of Energy and made public today on the NRC’s ADAMS online document system at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html by entering access code ML081150883. Congress required NRC’s review in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2008. The review was conducted with the full cooperation of DOE.
Nuclear Fuel Cycle News
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Radioactive waste now ‘harmless’
Tonnes of radioactive liquid metal – a legacy of the experimental fast reactor programme at Dounreay in Caithness – have been destroyed.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said the material was turned into “harmless” salt water.
Uranium-Action-Day – Europe’s Nuclear Heritage: 10-20-08
On September 20th 2008 the Uranium Action Day is announced. One year after the big Uranium Conference in Germany it is planned to do activities in many places in different countries to refer to the bad consequences of uranium mining and the dangers of transport of such material.
SEC Info – Uranium Resources Inc/DE – Filings
This is the offical page for all of Uranium Resources Inc.’s filings with the SEC.
SEC Info – Uranium Resources Inc Aquires Rio Algom with plans to build a Abrosia Lake NM uranium mill
Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: URRE) (“URI” or the “Company”) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with BHP Billiton to acquire 100% of the ownership of Rio Algom Mining LLC (“Rio Algom”). Under the agreement, URI will pay BHP Billiton $110 million in cash and assume certain retirement benefits and reclamation liabilities of which up to $35 million will be pre-funded at closing. URI will also pay BHP Billiton $16.5 million contingent upon the receipt of a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to construct and operate a conventional uranium mill. The transaction is expected to close on or before June 1, 2008 and is subject to customary closing conditions, financing and regulatory approvals.
Independent – EPA summit addresses uranium cleanup
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Navajo EPA, along with four federal agencies, outlined a five-year plan Wednesday to clean up 50 years of uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation.
Nuclear fuel storage begins – Times-Standard Online
After decades of debate and more than a year of construction, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. workers placed and sealed the first cask of spent nuclear fuel from the Humboldt Bay nuclear power plant into an underground container Friday.
ABC South West WA – Carpenter seeks uranium export answers
The Western Australian Premier has supported calls from regional shires and community groups for the Liberal Party to reveal which ports it would use to export uranium.
Opposition Leader Colin Barnett says the Liberals would allow uranium mining in WA if
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation: The Future of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP): Domestic Stakeholders
While the Bush administration has focused much attention on forging an international coalition to support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), there are also considerable domestic stakeholders involved. In particular, to promote and build support
Navajo Nation: Groups challenge EPA permit – SantaFeNewMexican.com
Environmentalists and Navajo groups who have been fighting a proposed coal-fired plant on tribal land in northwestern New Mexico have appealed an air permit granted for the plant.
The petition filed Thursday alleges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mill cited by state for uranium contamination: Gazette.com
The Cotter Corp. Uranium mill has been cited by the state for radioactive contamination at the adjacent Shadow Hills Golf Club.
Though the mill has long been connected to nearby groundwater contamination – the area has been a federal Superfund cleanup site since 1984 – this is the first time state officials have linked the mill to contamination at the golf course and the first time contamination has been traced to mill operations after 1979, when it was rebuilt.
Nuclear Waste News
Britain holds £160bn stockpile of nuclear fuel – Times Online
Britain has a stockpile of plutonium and uranium that, if converted to fuel, could be worth nearly £160 billion and power three nuclear reactors for 60 years, scientists say.
The future of the stockpile – largely left over from burning fuel – will be decided by ministers over the next year, The Times has learnt. Its value is estimated as the equivalent of 2.6 billion barrels of oil.
PG&E begins relocation of spent nuclear fuel rods | The Eureka Reporter
It’s being described as a major step forward in the safe storage of the Humboldt Bay Power Plant’s spent nuclear fuel as the federal government wrestles with where to store the nation’s growing stockpile of radioactive stuff for the long-term.
Mining company apologises for uranium waste -(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The chairman of Marathon Resources has made a formal apology to the owners of Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary for his company’s misconduct at the site in outback South Australia.
Groups seek AGs’ help in spent fuel fight – Brattleboro Reformer
A handful of citizen groups and residents of Massachusetts and Vermont are urging the Bay State’s attorney general to not give up on forcing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to change the way it evaluates the risks of spent fuel storage at Pilgrim, India
Hanford relieved, nuclear waste tank not leaking
A leak has been ruled out as the cause for a drop in the level of highly radioactive waste in a tank at the Hanford nuclear reservation.
FR NRC: PGE: Humboldt spent fuel storage
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 17, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) issued NRC Materials License No. SNM-2514 to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for the Humboldt Bay Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), located in Humboldt County, California. The license authorizes PG&E to receive, possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated radioactive materials resulting from the operation of the Humboldt Bay Power Plant in an ISFSI at the power plant site for a term of 20 years. The NRC staff also issued an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact related to the issuance of the initial ISFSI license on November 16, 2005, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and in conformance with the applicable requirements of 10 CFR part 51.
Nanotechnology solution for radioactive waste cleanup
Radioactive material is toxic because it creates ions – by stripping away electrons from atoms – when it reacts with biological molecules. These ions can form free radicals, which damage proteins, membranes, and nucleic acids. Free radicals damage components of the cells’ membranes, proteins or genetic material by “oxidizing” them – the same chemical reaction that causes iron to rust. This is called “oxidative stress”. Many forms of cancer are thought to be the result of reactions between free radicals and DNA, resulting in mutations that can adversely affect the cell cycle and potentially lead to malignancy.
State official backs 2nd license for nuclear waste disposal firm – Houston Chronicle
Permit would allow higher level material at site in Andrews County
AUSTIN  A Dallas-based company on Tuesday cleared another hurdle in its multimillion-dollar effort to operate a radioactive waste dump in West Texas.
The executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommended that the commission grant Waste Control Specialists a second license for disposal of low-level nuclear waste in Andrews County.
Nuclear Policy News
American Thinker: Gang of 10 on Nuclear Energy
A new faction within the US Senate, the “Gang of 10”, have put forward a set of energy policy proposals that they see as a compromise between the “soft energy path” types like Speaker Pelosi and the “hard energy” hawks like Newt Gingrich. Again, oil drilling captures the most attention but there are significant impacts from the Gang’s proposals in other areas. Let me address their plans for civilian nuclear power.
Duke settles with whistleblower | Cincinnati Enquirer |
Duke Energy reached an out-of-court settlement this weekend with a former employee who claimed he was fired after raising concerns about payments the utility made to some of its biggest customers.
Lawyers for Duke and John Deeds, the former employee, confirmed the deal today.
• Duke made secret payments to companies.
Nuclear energy: Miss. at crossroads | The Clarion-Ledger
While both national parties’ presidential candidate are touting the theory of more nuclear energy as way to lower dependence on foreign oil, Mississippi is at the crossroads of the issue.
Republican candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after touring a Michigan nuclear plant, recently said: “If we want to enable the technologies of tomorrow like plug-in electric cars, we need electricity to plug into.”
McCain accused Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as opposing nuclear energy. But Obama’s aides accused McCain of misrepresenting his position, saying the Democrat was open to more nuclear plants, but only when such issues as security of nuclear fuel and disposal of waste were resolved.
Westinghouse sees nuclear power growth
Westinghouse Electric Co. yesterday assigned senior executive Ricardo G. Perez to develop the Monroeville-based company’s strategy for capitalizing on anticipated worldwide growth in the nuclear power industry.
US proposes India nuclear waiver, approval in doubt | Reuters
The United States has proposed to waive a ban on nuclear trade with India without conditions such as compliance with a nuclear test ban or U.N. inspections, but diplomats said on Thursday the draft was unlikely to pass.
The draft, circulated among members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and unveiled late on Wednesday by an arms control advocacy, will be discussed by the NSG next week in Vienna.
Scoop: Brazil’s Nuclear Ambitions: Worrisome?
Brazilian authorities gave the final go ahead to the civilian nuclear power company, Electronuclear, to continue construction of the country’s third nuclear power plant. Though the decision to revitalize the 22-year-old nuclear reactor, Angra 3, came late last year, plans were finalized in July by the government’s environmental regulatory agency. Electronuclear, a subsidiary of the state-owned energy firm Electrobras, plans to begin construction in February.
The Hindu: Petition urges SC to declare nuke deal unconstitutional
A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Indo-US nuclear deal on the ground that it is “unconstitutional” as it affects the country’s sovereignty and threatens to take India the Iraq way.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice P Sathasivam and Justice J M Panchal, however directed the petitioner advocate Manoharlal Sharma to file additional documents in support of his arguments.
The Punch: Nigeria seeks safe nuclear energy
Nigeria is committed to implementing international nuclear safeguards and safety regime in the process of generating electricity from nuclear power plants.
This was disclosed by the Director-General, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Prof. Shamsideen Elegba, at a training course for lawyers on nuclear safety and radiological protection in Lagos on Monday.
NY pols seek end to uranium in U.S. labs — Newsday.com
Two New York elected officials urged the federal government Tuesday to bar the use of highly enriched uranium in U.S. civilian research centers.
Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said such use by researchers _ mostly at universities _ could allow the material for nuclear bomb-making to fall into the wrong hands.
The Free Press — No nukes! Challenge Sen. Voinovich’s Pro-Nuclear Stance
Senator Voinovich brags that he introduced 2002 legislation that continued the Price Anderson indemnity for the nuclear power industry, thus allowing further nuclear power development. The Nuclear team of the Ohio Sierra Club is organizing a rally to challenge Senator George Voinovich’s support for the expansion of nuclear power in Ohio. At a time when Ohioans are already reeling from multiple economic blows and environmental devastation, a ramping up of nuclear power will only leave the state with more contamination, more sickness and more debt. Like others in the pro-nuclear lobby, Voinovich has tried pasting a happy face on nuclear power by claiming that nukes are “clean, green, safe and cheap†and that they offer a solution to the global climate crisis. But the truth lies in the opposite direction.
Helsingin Sanomat – Greenpeace calls for suspension of construction on new nuclear reactor and safety review
The environmental organisation Greenpeace is accusing Boyygues, the company which is building the reactor building of the new nuclear facility in Olkiluoto, of serious security breaches in welding work. The reactor that is being built in the west coast community of Olkiluoto is the third to be built on the site, and the fifth in all of Finland.
Soaring cost of bringing N-plants back on line – nebusiness.co.uk
BRITISH Energy has admitted that the return to service of its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 reactors will cost much more than originally thought.
The company said the timetable for bringing the reactors back online was unchanged, but added costs are now estimated to be around £115m in the 2008/09 financial year, compared with previous hopes for £50m.
New Statesman – How nuclear power can save the planet
Increased use of nuclear (an outright competitor to coal as a deliverer of baseload power) is essential to combat climate change
The location for this year’s Camp for Climate Action – outside the Kingsnorth power station in Kent – was well chosen: it is here that E.ON wants to build the first new coal-fired plant in the UK in nearly 30 years. With coal the most global-warming-intensive fuel on the market, and six more coal plants in the pipeline if Kingsnorth gets the go-ahead, there is a clear line to be drawn in the sand.
Not-so-bright ideas – Los Angeles Times
It’s all energy, all the time for Barack Obama and John McCain, who lately have talked about little else than their respective energy plans. Unfortunately, both blueprints could use some work. Obama is so eager to pander to voters angry about high gas prices that he has abandoned his own green principles by opening the door to more offshore drilling and calling for more oil production from domestic shale. Yet that’s nothing compared with McCain, whose plan to boost nuclear power is an insult to voters’ intelligence.
Tuffy worked at the Nevada Test Site from 1961 to 1993 as a miner. The men that prepared the tunnels for the underground tests and worked on Yucca Mountain tunnels are all miners.
NEI: PDF: The Cost of New Generating Capacity in Perspective
Like all new generating capacity, there is considerable
uncertainty about the capital cost of new nuclear generating
capacity. Credible estimates of overnight capital
costs range from $2,400/kWe to as much as $4,540/
kWe. This wide variation in costs can be attributed to
several factors:
Greg Palast » The McCain Plan: Homer Simpson without the Donut
I’m guessing it was excessive exposure to either radiation or George Bush, but Senator John McCain’s comments from inside a nuclear power plant in Michigan are so cracked-brained that I fear some loose gamma rays are doing to McCain’s gray matter what they did to Homer Simpson’s.
South Idaho Press:Nuclear power plants how things can go wrong Part III
This final opinion piece on nuclear power plants will consider natural disasters, terrorist events and how the cost of risk reduction determines how much safety is wan-anted.\n
Helsingin Sanomat – Greenpeace calls for suspension of construction on new nuclear reactor and safety review
The environmental organisation Greenpeace is accusing Boyygues, the company which is building the reactor building of the new nuclear facility in Olkiluoto, of serious security breaches in welding work. The reactor that is being built in the west coast community of Olkiluoto is the third to be built on the site, and the fifth in all of Finland.
Soaring cost of bringing N-plants back on line – nebusiness.co.uk
BRITISH Energy has admitted that the return to service of its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 reactors will cost much more than originally thought.
The company said the timetable for bringing the reactors back online was unchanged, but added costs are now estimated to be around £115m in the 2008/09 financial year, compared with previous hopes for £50m.
New Statesman – How nuclear power can save the planet
Increased use of nuclear (an outright competitor to coal as a deliverer of baseload power) is essential to combat climate change
The location for this year’s Camp for Climate Action – outside the Kingsnorth power station in Kent – was well chosen: it is here that E.ON wants to build the first new coal-fired plant in the UK in nearly 30 years. With coal the most global-warming-intensive fuel on the market, and six more coal plants in the pipeline if Kingsnorth gets the go-ahead, there is a clear line to be drawn in the sand.
US proposes India nuclear waiver, approval in doubt | Reuters
The United States has proposed to waive a ban on nuclear trade with India without conditions such as compliance with a nuclear test ban or U.N. inspections, but diplomats said on Thursday the draft was unlikely to pass.
The draft, circulated among members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and unveiled late on Wednesday by an arms control advocacy, will be discussed by the NSG next week in Vienna.
Nuclear Weapons News
Press TV – Russia mulling Baltic nuke fleet
Russia may arm its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads in response to a US plan to build a missile shield in Poland, Sunday Times reports.
The London-based newspaper quoted senior military sources as saying that the Russian nuclear warheads could be supplied to submarines, cruisers and fighter bombers of the Baltic fleet based in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania.
Georgia: Terror fears over whereabouts of region’s nuclear material – Telegraph
When the breakaway region of Abkhazia split from Georgia in 1993, the world’s only known case of enriched uranium going missing was reported after up to 2kg of the potentially devastating material was stolen from a laboratory.
There are now fears that the organised criminal gangs that are rife in the region could exploit the confusion of the current conflict to loot other stocks.
Russia’s new nuclear challenge to Europe – Times Online
Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the cold war, senior military sources warned last night.
The move, in response to American plans for a missile defence shield in Europe, would heighten tensions raised by the advance of Russian forces to within 20 miles of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, yesterday.
Green Left – Nuclear warships to be banned in Tasmanian waters?
On August 6, in memory of the bombing of Hiroshima by the US in World War II, a vigil to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons was held outside Hobart’s Town Hall. The vigil, attended by 40 people, had a street theatre component to it titled Target X. Members of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) and medical students demonstrated the effect nuclear weapons had on people.
Travel Front – Sierra: A meeting of the natural and the nuclear – sacbee.com
British artist Chris Drury explores the wilds and atomic legacy of Nevada
telegraphjournal.com – Canada falls off nuclear non-proliferation wagon
Just days before last week’s commemorations of the anniversary of the first use of atomic weapons – August 6 in Hiroshima and August 9 in Nagasaki, Japan – Canada took a giant step backwards in the world’s effort to make sure such weapons are never used again. The Harper government has agreed to support a bid by the United States to gain an exemption for India from provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which are meant to prevent the expansion of the global nuclear arsenal.
Department of Energy News
Dominion seeks DOE loan guarantee for new reactor | Reuters
Dominion Virginia Power said it has applied with the U.S. Department of Energy for a loan guarantee for a potential third nuclear reactor at the North Anna Power Station in Central Virginia.
“Today’s filing is another important step in the process we began more than seven years ago to position ourselves to be among the first to get a license for a new nuclear unit,” Mark McGettrick, president and chief executive officer of Dominion Generation, said in a release on Friday.
Video: Hanford 618-7 burial ground – Videos | Tri-City Herald
Hanford workers are making progress digging up the 618-7 burial ground, just north of Richland, Wash., as part of the cleanup of the nuclear reservation. Among debris they’ve unearthed are drums with potentially flammable shavings of a zircaloy and beryllium alloy and some large stainless steel tanks, one of them holding some radioactive thorium oxide powder.
Department of Energy – DOE, NRC Issue Licensing Roadmap For Next-Generation Nuclear Plant
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today delivered to Congress the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Licensing Strategy Report which describes the licensing approach, the analytical tools, the research
Other Energy News
Free-Wheeling Talks Mark National Clean Energy Summit
“Who would have thought last year that me and T. Boone Pickens would be in the same boat pulling the same oar the same way,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada marveled to reporters on a teleconference last week to promote the National Clean Energy Summit that opened here today.
Renewable Power’s Growth in Colorado Presages National Debate – washingtonpost.com
DENVER — When Colorado voters were deciding whether to require that 10 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable fuels, the state’s largest utility fought the proposal, warning that any shift from coal and natural gas would be costly, uncertain and unwise.
Hydrogen Cars Go Cross-Country With Help From Fossil Fuels | Autopia from Wired.com
Hydrogen cars get no respect. A lot of people consider them the stuff of science fiction, a technology as vaporous as the stuff that drives them. But despite some hurdles even Liu Xiang couldn’t clear — creating a fueling infrastructure comes to mind —
Two Large Solar Plants Planned in California – NYTimes.com
Companies will build two solar power plants in California that together will put out more than 12 times as much electricity as the largest such plant today, the latest indication that solar energy is starting to achieve significant scale.
106 mpg ‘air car’ creates buzz, questions – CNN.com
You’ve heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, “Fill it up with air.”
The compressed air car planned for the U.S. market would be a six-seater, a New York company says.
The compressed air car planned for the U.S. market would be a six-seater, a New York company says.
That’s the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.
A Reporter at Large: The Island in the Wind: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
Jørgen Tranberg is a farmer who lives on the Danish island of Samsø. He is a beefy man with a mop of brown hair and an unpredictable sense of humor. When I arrived at his house, one gray morning this spring, he was sitting in his kitchen, smoking a cigarette and watching grainy images on a black-and-white TV.TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | McCain Supports Tax Breaks For Oil Industry — But Not For Wind Power
Here’s something else that could create political complications for John McCain in key swing states as he continues to defend measures that would maintain tax breaks for the oil industry: He recently opposed extending tax breaks for the wind-power industry.
Making this more difficult for McCain, the fledgling wind-power industry is popular in key upper Midwest and central plains states — and here you have McCain protecting such tax breaks for Big Oil, but opposing them for Big Wind, or, if you prefer, Little Wind.
A Reporter at Large: The Island in the Wind: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
Jørgen Tranberg is a farmer who lives on the Danish island of Samsø. He is a beefy man with a mop of brown hair and an unpredictable sense of humor. When I arrived at his house, one gray morning this spring, he was sitting in his kitchen, smoking a cigarette and watching grainy images on a black-and-white TV.
After slow start, wave energy approaches commercial scales | Wave Energy | Electric Power | Platts
After slow start, wave energy approaches commercial scales
The burgeoning wave energy sector, which has endured ups and downs in recent years through initial testing of devices and uncertain government support, has recently set sail with new projects that have brought the industry to the brink of commercial development (Listen to podcast: Emergence of the wave energy industry).
The Associated Press: Russia’s vast energy supplies worry US
The Cold War competition between the United States and Russia  played out in Europe with the threat of mutual nuclear destruction  ended with the collapse of the Soviet empire nearly two decades ago.
But the Russian bear has re-emerged from its cave with a new and powerful weapon  the West’s dependence on Moscow’s vast energy supplies.
The Russians now supply about 25 percent of the European Union’s crude oil needs and half of its natural gas.
frontline: blackout: regulation: public vs. private power: from fdr to today | PBS
The accusations of “market manipulation” hurled at many of today’s power companies echo the criticisms made in the 1920s by FDR, who made reining in the power monopolies an integral part of his New Deal. Here’s an overview tracing the rise and fall of state and federal intervention in the U.S. electricity industry.
ENN: U.S. Renewable Energy Growth Accelerates
Renewable energy markets surged in the United States in the first half of this year despite uncertainty over federal tax credits and a sluggish national economy, according to mid-year figures.
Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are all on the rise. At least 17,000 megawatts (MW) of these three energy sources are now under construction. According to the Energy Information Administration, renewable energy will account for about one-third of new electricity generation added to the U.S. grid over the next three years.
Community Wind Power Ownership Schemes in Europe and their Relevance to the
This is a DOE report on Europe’s community based model for developing wind energy.
CounterPunch: From Off-Shore Drilling to the Georgian War
Many years ago, during the 1970s if memory serves, neoconservative Irving Kristol, echoing John Stuart Mill, called his conservative party, the Republican Party, “the stupid party.â€Â
Kristol was referring to the Republican’s inability to compete on the policy front. Jack Kemp and Ronald Reagan led the Republicans out of the wilderness, but now Republicans have reverted to the stupid party, or more precisely the moronic party.
Gulfnews: Dipping oil prices shift focus from alterantive energy sources
Well finally we have some good news on the oil front. Rather than a one day drop, quickly followed by crude prices resuming their upward march, we saw, prior to Russia-Georgia’s saga, a steady downturn over the last week, coupled with a strengthening dollar.
Keller City Limits » Blog Archive » DHMO
Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings – NYTimes.com
Retailers are typically obsessed with what to put under their roofs, not on them. Yet the nation’s biggest store chains are coming to see their immense, flat roofs as an untapped resource.
Nuclear Editorial and Opinions
New Statesman – How nuclear power can save the planet
Increased use of nuclear (an outright competitor to coal as a deliverer of baseload power) is essential to combat climate change
The location for this year’s Camp for Climate Action – outside the Kingsnorth power station in Kent – was well chosen: it is here that E.ON wants to build the first new coal-fired plant in the UK in nearly 30 years. With coal the most global-warming-intensive fuel on the market, and six more coal plants in the pipeline if Kingsnorth gets the go-ahead, there is a clear line to be drawn in the sand.
timestranscript.com – ‘Nothing unsafe’ about uranium mines
As one of the most controversial topics that the Province of New Brunswick has dealt with this year, even those who have been on the front lines of uranium mining have differing opinions on the potential dangers of the radioactive material.
Wayne MacCallum, 58, is a Miramichi man who worked in a uranium mine in Elliot Lake, Ont., from 1979-90. He says as long as conditions and regulations were upheld, there weren’t any significant safety risks associated with his work.
Reactor will create tons of toxins — baltimoresun.com
I was disappointed that Tricia Bishop’s article “Nuclear plant hearing today” (Aug. 4) failed to discuss the costs or real alternatives to a new nuclear power plant.
In fact, the costs to taxpayers in both government subsidies to the nuclear industry and safety are enormous when nuclear power is compared with investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
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