Nuclear Energy

Human Rights Experts Call For Immediate Action On Fukushima

October 22, 2013 Staff, www.PopularResistance.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Health Care, Nuclear Energy

Two conflicting reports on Fukushima – one by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health and the other by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) that will be presented to the UN General Assembly on October 25 at the 3rd and 4th Committees respectively. Mr. Grover, the Special Rapporteur, will speak about his report, and Dr. Rachow will discuss a PSR/IPPNW critique (www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/critique-of-unscear-fukushima.pdf) of the UNSCEAR report and how it can be strengthened. Ms. Inoue will discuss the human rights concerns regarding conditions in Japan. The global implications of these reports will be highlighted. Since the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, individuals and communities in Japan continue to be exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity. There are serious concerns about consequent health effects for citizens in contaminated areas. Residents have a right to live in a safe and healthy environment, however, sufficient protective measures and support are not being provided.

Senior Adviser For Fukushima Cleanup Says Foreign Assistance Needed

October 18, 2013 Faith Aquino, japandailypress.com Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

One of the senior advisers of the Fukushima cleanup said that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) needs foreign assistance. The utility operator may have already sought foreign assistance, but the ones currently available seem to be not enough to ensure that the defunct nuclear plant causes no more trouble. “They need to have a number of foreign firms to come in and assist them with the cleanup,” said Lady Barbara Judge in an interview in Tokyo. Lady Judge, a lawyer by profession, was in charge of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) from 2004 until 2010. During her tenure as head of the agency, a number of nuclear plants were decommissioned while overseeing the cleanup of plutonium and uranium leak at the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at Sellafield in Cumbria of northwestern England.

Radioactivity Level Spikes 6,500 Times At Fukushima Well

October 18, 2013 Staff, rt.com Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

Radioactivity levels in a well near a storage tank at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan have risen immensely on Thursday, the plant’s operator has reported. Officials of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said on Friday they detected 400,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances - including strontium - at the site, a level 6,500 times higher than readings taken on Wednesday, NHK World reported. The storage tank leaked over 300 tons of contaminated water in August, some of which is believed to have found its way into the sea through a ditch. The well in question is about 10 meters from the tank and was dug to gauge leakage. TEPCO said the findings show that radioactive substances like strontium have reached the groundwater. High levels of tritium, which transfers much easier in water than strontium, had already been detected.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons

October 14, 2013 Arnie Gundersen, fairewinds.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy, Video

History shows us that there have been five meltdowns during the last 35 years: TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi 1, 2, and 3 (apologies for not including Windscale, Santa Susana, and about a dozen more reactors). The real numbers show that there is a seven-year frequency between meltdowns. Policy makers and business interests are ignoring history as they attempt to force the relicensure of Indian Point. While demanding that taxpayers cover the risk of a nuclear accident by paying for the Price-Anderson nuclear insurance, it seems that the NRC and every major politician and nuclear fabricator actually believes that A Nuclear Accident Can’t Happen at Indian Point or Pilgrim. When someone’s brain reasons in a way to justify support for what it wants to be true, psychologists call it “Motivated Reasoning”.

Nader: Is This The Best Way To Boil Water?

October 14, 2013 Ralph Nader, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy

To truly understand the cost of nuclear energy, one must consider the absurdity of the nuclear fuel cycle itself. It begins with uranium mines and their deadly tailings, then the fabrication and refinement of the fuel rods, the risky transport of these rods to the multi-shielded dome-like plant where they are installed, and then firing up the plant so it goes critical with a huge amount of radioactivity. Dealing with volatile nuclear reactions requires flawless operation. And then there is the storage and guarding of hot radioactive wastes and contaminated materials that persist for 250,000 years. No permanent site has been located and licensed for that lengthy containment. What is the end purpose of this complex and expensive chain of events? Simply to boil water -- to generate steam to turn turbines to produce electricity.

Thousands Mass For Antinuclear Rally In Tokyo

October 13, 2013 JIJI, www.japantimes.co Resist! Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy

Tens of thousands of people rallied against nuclear power Sunday in what appeared to be the largest demonstration since Japan’s last active reactor went offline for maintenance on Sept. 15. Demonstrators marched in front of government agencies in Tokyo chanting such slogans as “We oppose nuclear power” and “We oppose restarting nuclear reactors.” A total of 40,000 people took part in the rally, organizers said. “I am really angry to see (Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s) lie go unchallenged,” Misao Redwolf said at an event organized by her Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes, referring to Abe’s speech to the International Olympic Committee last month in Buenos Aires.

All Nuclear Reactors Must Go Now, Expert Panels Charge

October 13, 2013 Jacob Chamberlain, www.commondreams.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy

The potential for irreparable disaster at any of the 104 nuclear reactors in the U.S. far outweighs any alleged benefits from the controversial energy source, according to the panel, which included Gregory Jaczko, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair during the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan; Peter Bradford, an NRC commissioner during the Three Mile Island accident; Arnie Gundersen, nuclear engineer; and Naoto Kan, former Japanese Prime Minister. The panelists unanimously "condemned the ongoing delay of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to require stricter safety measures at the nation's 104 reactors following Fukushima Daiichi," Cape Cod Times reports. It may only be a matter of time before the next incident like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima, Gundersen warned.

Fukushima: A Global Solution To A Global Threat

October 10, 2013 Green Shadow Cabinet subcommittee on Fukushima, www.popularresistance.org Resist! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Health Care, Nuclear Energy

In November, 2013, TEPCO plans to begin removal of 1,300 spent fuel rods located in the heavily-damaged Building 4. The rods are in a pool that is 100 feet above the ground. The roof over this pool was destroyed in the earthquake and tsunami two years ago and debris litters the pool which further complicates removal of the rods. Under normal operation, these rods were moved by computer-assisted cranes that knew their exact location, but that equipment was destroyed. The rods must be removed under manual control because of the debris and damage that has displaced them. This is a task that has never been attempted before that requires great skill and precision. If a spent fuel rod breaks, gets too close to another rod or is exposed to the air, there could be a massive release of radiation into the air. Helen Caldicott writes that in the worst case scenario such an accident could release “the radioactive equivalent of 14,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs and 10 times more cesium than Chernobyl.” This would badly contaminate the Northern Hemisphere.

Toshiba Nuclear Reactor For Tar Sands Extraction

October 10, 2013 Staff, www.huffingtonpost.ca Educate! Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy, Tar Sands

Toshiba Corporation has developed a small nuclear reactor to power oilsands extraction in Alberta and hopes to have it operational by 2020, according to news reports from Japan. The Daily Yomiuri reports Toshiba is building the reactor at the request of an unnamed oilsands company. The reactor would generate between one per cent and 5 per cent as much energy as produced by a typical nuclear power plant, and would not need refueling for 30 years. It would be used to heat water in order to create the steam used to extract bitumen from the oil sands. Toshiba has completed design work on the reactor and has filed for approval with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Nikkei.com reported. The company is expected to seek approval from Canadian authorities as well.

Mountain Justice Spring Break

October 8, 2013 Staff, www.mjsb.org Organize! Climate Change, Coal, Energy, Environment, Nuclear Energy

Mountain Justice Spring Break. Register Now for Mountain Justice Spring Break 2014 Sunday March 9 - Sunday March 16 2013 in Northern West Virginia Come to the beautiful mountains of West Virginia for your Spring Break! Learn about the dirty, destructive, dangerous life-cycles of coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. Stand in solidarity with the communities in Virginia, West Virginia, SW Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee facing the ongoing destruction of coal mining, hydraulic fracturing, and nuclear energy! See mountaintop removal coal mining and natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing up close! Take direct action to end the reign of King Coal!

Japan Asks For World’s Help On Fukushima Leaks

October 6, 2013 Staff, www,america.aljazeera.com Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan is open to receiving overseas help to contain widening disaster at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, where radioactive water leaks and other mishaps are now reported almost daily. "We are wide open to receive the most advanced knowledge from overseas to contain the problem," Abe said in his English speech to open the conference on energy and environment at an international science forum in Kyoto in western Japan. "My country needs your knowledge and expertise," he said. Despite Abe's reassurances to the International Olympic Committee last month that the leaks were "under control," many Japanese believe he was glossing over problems at the plant.

A Video Tour Of The Problems At Fukushima

October 4, 2013 Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy, Video

The Planned Risky Repair of Fukushima Scheduled for This November Could Create Radiation Disaster Equal To 85 Chernobyls This is a 20 minute video about all the really intense details and current challenges of each and every reactor at the Fukushima site. Each week Fairewinds receives many questions about the ongoing tragedy unfolding in Japan as a result of the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Join us as Fairewinds' Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen highlights the many problems facing Japan as he takes you on a tour of the Fukushima Daiichi site by combining satellite video, animated graphics and photos to create a comprehensive and easy to follow video tour.

Worldwide Demand For UN Takeover At Fukushima

October 4, 2013 Harvey Wasserman, www.ecowatch.com Educate! Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

The much-hyped “nuclear renaissance” has turned into a global rout. In the face of massive grassroots opposition and the falling price of renewable energy and natural gas, operating reactors are shutting and proposed new ones are being cancelled. This lessens the radioactive burden on the planet. But it makes the aging reactor fleet ever more dangerous. A crumbling industry with diminished resources and a disappearing workforce cannot safely caretake the decrepit, deteriorating 400-odd commercial reactors still licensed to operate worldwide. All of which pales before the crisis at Fukushima. Since the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the six-reactor Daichi site has plunged into lethal chaos.

Risky Fukushima Repair: 15,000 Times Radiation Of Hiroshima, 85 Chernobyls

October 2, 2013 Gaius Publius, www.americablog.com Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

This is the problem today. There are about 1300 fuel rods stored in that room, packed together vertically in racks. Think of a pack of cigarettes standing upright with the top of the pack removed. Normally, the movement of fuel rods is done by a computer-driven machine that reaches into the room from above and removes or replaces a fuel rod by drawing it upward or lowering it downward. The machine knows to the millimeter where each fuel rod is located. Also, the rods are undamaged — perfectly straight. The problem is that this pack of cigarettes is crumpled, and the process must done manually. Therefore, the likelihood that some of the fuel rods will break is high. If that happens and fuel rods are exposed to the air — BOOM. What does “boom” look like?

Earthquake, 5.3 On Richter Scale, Strikes Fukushima

September 20, 2013 Jon Queally, www.commondreams.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Fukushima, Nuclear Energy

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck early Friday at a depth of about 13 miles under Fukushima Prefecture and about 110 miles northeast of Tokyo. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert. Because Japan sits within one of the most active earthquake zones in the world, nuclear experts have repeatedly warned that the technology is ill-suited to the geographic location and the people of Japan have actively campaigned its government to permanently shut down the nation's remaining reactors, calling for transition to a system of renewable and sustainable energy.

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