Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Help Spread the Word: #NuclearIsDirty from the Start!


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Help Spread the Word: #NuclearIsDirty from the Start!


March 21, 2016

Dear Friends,

Last week we launched a new campaign to put an end to the myth of "clean nuclear power," and we are off to a great start. We are rolling out the #NuclearIsDirty campaign with a series of online and social media events over 12 weeks. During that time, we will take you through the entire nuclear fuel chain, from uranium mining all the way to the impossible problems of radioactive waste and contamination.

We are not only going to put on a series of powerful and exciting events, we are combining it with actions you can take and new online (and offline) resources to supplement the campaign.

Our goals are simple: on the one hand to equip you with information and an opportunity to hear from communities and activists on the frontlines. And on the other hand, to spread the word and change the public's consciousness about nuclear power, so that everyone knows nuclear power is dirty energy, and has no place in our energy future.

But we can't accomplish either of those goals without you: both your activism and your support. We need you to participate in these events, and share your questions and insights.

And just as much as your participation and support, we need you to share the #NuclearIsDirty campaign with your friends and social networks. Every new person we can reach ... every new person who attends an event ... every additional action taken ... takes us one step closer to stopping nuclear power.

We also need you to help us take on the industry's PR machine--and to do that, we have to take advantage of a generous matching donation to build the #NuclearIsDirty campaign. That means we need you to donate, as well as activate. Every dollar you give generates another dollar donation to NIRS. And so does every dollar donated by your friends. All donations to NIRS are, of course, tax-deductible. Please donate now here.For decades, the philosophy of movement-building has been, "Each one, reach one." And for on-the-ground, grassroots organizing, there is still no more powerful tool. But the revolution of social media means each of us can reach dozens of people, if not more, each and every day.

With that, we can start our own anti-nuclear chain reaction, and make #NuclearIsDirty go viral!

#NuclearIsDirty ... From the Start! In the first "episode" of the rollout series we are focusing on the roots of nuclear power, the problems that are the very foundation of the nuclear industry:
- Uranium mining and the mountains of waste generated just to produce nuclear fuel.
- Environmental justice, and the targeting of vulnerable communities throughout the fuel chain.
- The dangers of radiation exposure, and its disparate impacts on women and girls.

We kicked things off last week with a presentation on the 1979 Church Rock uranium mill disaster and its impacts on Navajo communities in New Mexico and Arizona. Church Rock released more radiation than the Three Mile Island meltdown, and has never been cleaned up. If you missed it, you can listen to the briefing here.

This week, we will host a webinar with activists from the Clean Up the Mines campaign. Church Rock was just the tip of a massive, dirty iceberg: there are over 15,000 abandoned uranium mines throughout the country, leaking radioactive and toxic waste. And just like Church Rock, Native American communities are disproportionately affected. Communities from Arizona to South Dakota are uniting to take on this problem--and we hope you can join them this Friday, March 25, for a powerful webinar.

Click here to get all the details. And share it with your friends. We'll be posting about the webinar and the #NuclearIsDirty campaign on Facebook and Twitter all week long--jump in and help us spread the word!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Mariotte
President
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org

Stay Informed:

NIRS on the web: http://www.nirs.org

GreenWorld: (NIRS' blog chronicling nuclear issues and the transition to a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy system) http://www.safeenergy.org

NIRS on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nuclear-Information-and-Resource-Service/26490791479?sk=wall&filter=12

http://www.facebook.com/nonukesnirs

http://www.facebook.com/groups/nukefreeclimatefreemarch/


NIRS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nirsnet

NIRS on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nirsnet

Comments re: Docket ID NRC-2015-0070 on behalf of NIRS, CAN, et al

Comments on Nuclear Regulatory Commission Request Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Regulatory Improvements for Decommissioning Power Reactors
Jointly Submitted by Citizens Awareness Network, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, et al

Comments on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities, submitted on behalf of Citizens Awareness Network, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and seventy-five other organizations.

The comments will also be submitted electronically through Regulations.gov.

Sincerely,
Timothy L. Judson, NIRS
Deb Katz, CAN

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

Action Needed: What would it take for YOU to CONSENT to Nuclear Waste

ALERT— ACTION NEEDED—public meetings and comments….

What would it take for YOU to CONSENT to Nuclear Waste? DOE wants to know.

The US Dept. of Energy (DOE) is holding 8 Public Meetings and taking written comments on

“CONSENTING” to TAKE NUCLEAR WASTE

After decades of trying to force-feed the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear dump down the throats of Nevadans and the Western Shoshone Nation, the DOE and nuclear proponents want to know what it will take to get people to “consent” or appear to consent to take nuclear waste.

DOE openly acknowledges this is “consent” to future nuclear waste production as part of the “integrated waste management system.” They say that the future of nuclear energy in this country depends on this.

Meetings will be held from noon or 1 PM to ~ 5PM

CHICAGO, IL           March 29, 2016           University of Chicago Conference Center   
ATLANTA, GA          April 11, 2016             Georgia Institute of Technology Conference Center
BOISE, ID                              )
BOSTON, MA                        )           dates between now and July 2016
DENVER, CO                        )           and exact locations to be announced
MINNEAPOLIS, MN              )
SACRAMENTO, CA              )
TEMPE, AZ.                          )

DOE seeks our input on how to be FAIR, WHO to include, what RESOURCES it will take to induce participation.

They want to identify who adequately represents a community and will “consent” or claim to agree to take nuclear waste.

They are not defining exactly what or how much nuclear waste we would be “consenting” or not consenting to accept.

They are not asking how a community can refuse or express permanent “non-consent,” although you can let them know that if you choose to.

Although they have reports, diagrams of storage containers and systems, ideas and plans for the tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste in this country, they claim to want to negotiate with communities who would “consent” to take it forever or supposedly temporarily.

NO CONSIDERATION OF THE RIGHTS OR CONSENT OF THOSE ALONG TRANSPORT ROUTES IS BEING MADE OR REQUESTED. Although one of the greatest dangers to the most people, environments and ecosystems is the movement of tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste on roads, rails and waterways, DOE stated at its Washington DC ‘kickoff’ meeting that there is complete federal preemption over transport of nuclear waste so that would not be part of the process.

NO Consideration of  the rights of future generations who will inevitably be affected.

The nuclear industry is eager for volunteers or consenting communities to take the waste and for the US Department of Energy to take title to it.

Meetings will be in 8 US CITIES from MARCH TO JULY 2016.

Comment deadline is June 15, 2016 email to consentbasedsiting@hq.doe.gov.  Please include “Response to IPC” in the subject line.

DETAILS:
Federal Register Notice:
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/23/2015-32346/invitation-for-public-comment-to-inform-the-design-of-a-consent-based-siting-process-for-nuclear

DOE website for more of their information and to REGISTER for MEETINGS: http://www.energy.gov/ne/consent-based-siting
 

Info coming soon at www.nirs.org at Stop Fukushima Freeways

More info: dianed@nirs.org; after March 21  maryo@nirs.org; For Chicago meeting neis@neis.org

NRC Presentation: March 11, 2016

Please note that the NRC’s presentation and handout are now publicly available in ADAMS at ML16068A095 and ML16068A100.  The meeting notice will be updated tomorrow with links to these documents.

View Online Presentation

Download Presentation

Security complaint at Susquehanna nuclear power plant; NRC issues violation

NRC INVESTIGATION REPORT NO. 1-2015-018

Download ML16063A473

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 - Notice of Annual Assessment Meeting on March 23, 2016

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will meet with the public to discuss the NRC’s assessment of safety performance at Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1, for 2015, as described in the annual assessment letter dated March 2, 2016. The NRC will respond to questions on specific performance issues at the plant and our role in ensuring safe plant operations.

Download ML16068A005

PPL nuclear power plant still requires additional inspections and oversight

NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nation’s Nuclear Plants

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued letters to the nation’s 99 commercial operating nuclear plants about their performance in 2015. All but three plants were in the two highest performance categories.

“These assessment letters are the result of a holistic review of operating performance at each domestic power reactor facility,” said Bill Dean, director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “In addition to ensuring that the nation’s nuclear power plants are safe by inspecting them, the NRC continuously assesses performance. The purpose of these assessment letters is to ensure that all of our stakeholders clearly understand the basis for our assessments of plant performance and the actions we are taking to address any identified performance deficiencies.”

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NRC to Hold Public Meeting March 23 in Rockville, Md., to Discuss FOIA Program

Press Release 16-012: NRC to Hold Public Meeting March 23 in Rockville, Md., to Discuss FOIA Program


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a meeting March 23 to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the agency’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program. FOIA gives people the right to request government records. Staff will discuss efforts to improve how the NRC implements the program. Discussions will address transparency, consistency and technology used in the FOIA process.

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ACT NOW: Don't Weaken Civil Rights Protections

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Tell the EPA to enforce Title VI!

Waterkeeper Alliance and our partners in environmental justice are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to properly investigate civil rights complaints and enforce the law.

In September of 2014, Waterkeeper Alliance, along with NC Environmental Justice Network and the Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, filed a complaint against NC Department of Environmental Quality for issuing a permit that allows for the operation of over 2,000 industrial hog facilities without adequate protections for African American, Latino and Native American populations that are disproportionately burdened in violation of Title VI. Nearly one year ago, EPA accepted our complaint for investigation, but that was six months after the agency's mandatory deadline to make that determination had passed.

Read Article

Mulga Rock - last chance - Containment film screening + news

containment2.jpg

This coming Tuesday submissions for the Mulga Rock uranium mine proposal will close. This will be the last of the uranium mine assessments for a long time - we really need your help to send as many submissions as possible to the EPA. Mulga Rock is home to many rare and endangered species, in a unique part of the Great Victoria Desert. his proposal is for multiple open pits, 15 million litres of water a day, clearing 3,709 ha and leaving behind 30 million tonnes of radioactive tailings. The project is headed up by Vimy Resources - a company made up of former FMG execs, execs from the Minderoo Group, former Liberal MPs and 27% owned by Twiggy Forrest.

Next Friday - 11th March CCWA and Tugg are hosting the WA Premiere screening of Containment, made by two harvard professors, exploring some of the challenging issues about the world's nuclear waste - never has this film been more relevant as the South Australian debate on nuclear has narrowed to a proposal to store international radioactive waste. Book your tickets here: $15 concession, $20 general, $25 solidarity. 
Remember to tune in to Understorey – and the Radioactive Show this week for all the latest nuclear and peace news. Thanks to Libby for the ongoing supply of news! 
ACTION & EVENTS
SPECIAL EVENT: Containment Film Screening
Cinema Paradiso - 164 James St Northbridge
Friday 11th March - 5th Anniversary of Fukushima 5.30-730pm
Join us on the 5th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster for the screening of the award winning new documentary film "Containment" by two harvard professors - exploring the very real issue of managing the worlds nuclear waste. Funds raised will go to support the important work of the Rainbow Stay project - offering respite to children from Fukushima. Book your ticket here

ONLINE ACTION: No uranium mine at Mulga Rock 
Thanks to people like you the EPA has received over 15,000 submissions against the Kintyre, Yeelirrie and Wiluna uranium mine proposals. Now there is one more - Mulga Rock. We need your help again to send a message to the EPA against the uranium mine plans at Mulga Rock an ancient and fragile landscape in the heart of our outback country upstream from the Queen Victoria Springs Nature Reserve. Mulga Rock is home to the unique marsupial mole, sandhill dunnart and brush tailed mulgara. Plans for the mine include clearing 3,709 ha of native vegetation replacing it with 14 waste rock piles and 9 open pits. This mine and processing facility would take up to 15 million litres of groundwater and leave behind 32 million tonnes of radioactive mine tailings. Take Action now. 

KARLALMYI WALK: 5th - 12th June 2016 Registrations are open: 

"Come with us (Martu) we’ll walk to stop the uranium mining on our country. We’ll walk through Karlamilyi, not far, across Karlamilyi river. Walk through Lullapakujarra up to Punumullara then to Puljcatja - big water, up to Desert Queen Baths and then Kintyre."
WALKATJURRA WALKABOUT: August 2016 (stay posted for details) 
BUMP IS BACK: Next BUMP collective meeting - 15th March 6pm st Clancy's fish bar in Fremantle. 
HOST A FILM SCREENING - A film by an international film maker Rez - following the 2015 Walkatjurra Walkabout will be available soon for people to host a film screening with your friends and family. Contact Lucy p.lucyhancock@gmail.com or Marcus marcus@footprintsforpeace.org

VOLUNTEER: 
Australia Nuclear Free Alliance 2016
We are starting early with plans for a major event in Kalgoorlie in September 2016. We are looking for volunteers to get involved in making this event the show stopper of the campaign we need ahead of the 2017 state election. Call Mia to find out more - 0415380808 
 

NEWS

URANIUM MINING (+FOSSIL FUELS)

Coalition digs deeper into fossil fuels with new “growth centre”The federal government has announced the establishment of a $15.4 million fossil fuel “growth centre”, to help prop up Australia’s oil, gas, coal and uranium sectors during what it describes as a “challenging time” for the industry.http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/coalition-digs-deeper-into-fossil-fuels-with-new-growth-centre-82395
Ben Parr: Fossil fuel growth centre harks back to old ideas about climate costsDo fossil fuels need saving from efforts to combat climate change? The Australian government seems to think so, but that sort of thinking is out of date.On Wednesday, the minister for industry, innovation and science, Christopher Pyne, launched a new “growth centre” for Australia’s fossil fuel industry (and uranium), to be known as National Energy Resources Australia. The government will invest A$15.4 million over four years in the centre, which seeks to make coal and gas firms operating in Australia more competitive with fossil fuel firms operating overseas.https://theconversation.com/fossil-fuel-growth-centre-harks-back-to-old-ideas-about-climate-costs-55433  

Cutting Climate Science, Funding Fossil Fuels’ Growth: Welcome To The Age Of InnovationJust weeks after we learned budget cuts to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will force the loss of 110 climate researchers at the agency, the Federal Government is funding a new ‘growth centre’ for the fossil fuel industry.Christopher Pyne, the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, announced this week that the government will be providing $15.4 million to the oil, gas, coal and uranium sectors.https://newmatilda.com/category/the-insider/(Read the 24/2/16 media release ‘Energy Resources Growth Centre launched’ on Christopher Pyne’s web site at:  https://www.pyneonline.com.au/media-centre/media-releases/energy-resources-growth-centre-launched.)

A New Era of Collaboration for Oil, Gas and Energy Resources in Australia24 February 2016. The newly established National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), which is one of six Growth Centres that form part of the Australian Government’s $248 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative, is set to enable growth through industry-led collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing. ...The National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) enables growth in the oil, gas, coal and uranium sectors through industry-led collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing. NERA is one of six Growth Centres as part of the Australian Government’s $248 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative. NERA is headquartered in Perth, with nodes in Brisbane and Adelaide to come. The NERA headquarters is co-located with the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance (WA:ERA), and the National Resource Sciences Precinct (NRSP), at the Australian Resources Research Centre (ARRC) in Technology Park, Perth. NERA will work with the oil, gas, coal and uranium sectors to unlock commercial opportunities and drive innovation by building links between businesses and industry organisations, training providers and the science and research sector. Its role is one of facilitation, networking, activation not duplication.http://www.nera.org.au/content/new-era-collaboration-oil-gas-and-energy-resources-australia(Recommended reading: WA loses in BHP shake-up... WA iron ore’s most senior BHP executive will be asset president Edgar Basto, previously vice-president of Pilbara mine production, who will continue to be based in Perth and report to Mike Henry, one of the big winners in the management reshuffle to emerge as president operations, minerals Australia.Mr Henry, previously BHP coal boss, now has a remit which includes iron ore, Nickel West and the Olympic Dam copper-uranium asset.https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/30902200/wa-loses-in-bhp-shake-up/

NUCLEAR ISSUES AUSTRALIA 

NATIONAL NUCLEAR WASTE 
Lots of links to media stories on the delegation of 20 people to Canberra yesterday - representatives from each of the six nominated sites for a national nuclear waste dump went to Canberra to meet with politicians to express their opposition to the nomination process and to hosting the nations most dangerous wastes. 

Anica Niepraschk: 'Community consent' without community?

29 February 2016. The federal government - once again - is looking for a place to dump its nuclear waste. All attempts over the last twenty years have failed – and so might this one, at least if the government is sticking to the promises it made in its new approach.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=18055
Australian Greens Media Release: Liberal and Labor vote to ignore waste dump community concerns
22 Feb 2016. The Labor and Liberal parties have voted together against a senate motion acknowledging the community opposition to each of the six locations shortlisted as a site for a nuclear waste dump.
"It's not as though this motion asked a lot of the government, but for the opposition to cower from it is disappointing and weak," Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Nuclear Issues Spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said today.
http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/liberal-and-labor-vote-ignore-waste-dump-community-concerns
MAPW Media Release: Failure of informed consent? Government information on nuclear waste is misleading and omits important facts.
Monday 22 February 2016 – MELBOURNE:  Nuclear medicine has been highlighted as a key reason to have a nuclear waste repository. MAPW President, Dr Margaret Beavis observes that ‘The Commonwealth government fact sheet: Information for communities- Key questions answered is a gross misrepresentation and reads more like a puff-piece for the nuclear industry. The recently released brochure states “One in two Australians – everyone who has ever had a broken bone, heart scan or cancer diagnosis – will need nuclear medicine at some point in their lifetime. “
https://www.mapw.org.au/news/failure-informed-consent-government-information-nuclear-waste-misleading-and-omits-important-fa
Geoff Currie: Nuclear medicine comes from nuclear reactor
The anti-nuclear brigade's argument that you don't need nuclear reactors to produce nuclear medicine is factually inaccurate.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/nuclear-medicine-comes-from-nuclear-reactors-20160225-gn3dlg.html
 
Flinders Ranges communities divided over whether to host Australia's planned nuclear waste dump
Communities in South Australia's Flinders Ranges remain deeply divided over whether nuclear waste should be stored near Hawker
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/flinders-ranges-communities-divided-over-nuclear-waste-dump/7194592 

Traditional owners in the Flinders Ranges say nuclear waste dump threatens cultural heritage
Traditional owners in the Flinders Ranges say a Federal Government nuclear waste dump could destroy significant cultural heritage and countless sacred sites around a permanent spring.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/traditional-owners-flinders-ranges-fears-on-nuclear-waste-dump/7195030


INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR WASTE & SA ROYAL COMMISSION 


Jobs, nuclear waste concerns face SA Government ministers on Port Augusta, Quorn visit
The future for regional employment will be high in residents' minds at a public forum at Port Augusta on Sunday evening, ahead of a South Australian Government country cabinet meeting at Quorn on Monday.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-28/jobs-nuclear-waste-port-augusta-forum-country-cabinet/7205842

John Spoehr: SA’s Nuclear Waste Boom: A Hot Story Requires Cool Heads
February 26, 2016. As the alluring prospect of a nuclear waste storage boom fades a little in our minds, attention needs to turn to the risks associated with large–scale radioactive waste storage.
http://adelaidereview.com.au/opinion/business-finance-opinion/nuclear-waste-boom-a-hot-story-requires-cool-heads/
Michele Madigan: Nuclear waste danger knows no state borders
09 February 2016. The South Australia Royal Commission into the nuclear fuel cycle will give its interim report at the Adelaide Town Hall at 6pm next Monday 15 February.
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=45962#.VtEfwOblwil
How a nuclear dump could save SA's environment
State Labor whip Tom Kenyon continues to advocate for a nuclear storage facility - arguing the billions generated could safeguard the state's national parks and revive its agricultural land.
http://indaily.com.au/opinion/2016/02/25/how-a-nuclear-dump-could-save-sas-environment/

NUCLEAR POWER 

Dick Smith nukes talk of “cheaper” alternative energy in Far North
ELECTRONICS business founder Dick Smith says the Mt Emerald Wind Farm won’t make any difference to energy costs in the Far North.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/business/dick-smith-nukes-talk-of-cheaper-alternative-energy-in-far-north/news-story/7bb2d03e4a584cdcd7ce435997e2597b
 
INTERNATIONAL 
Global wind power capacity tops nuclear energy for first time
The capacity of wind power generation worldwide reached 432.42 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, up 17 percent from a year earlier and surpassing nuclear energy for the first time, according to data released by global industry bodies.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/02/20/national/global-wind-power-capacity-tops-nuclear-energy-for-first-time/#.VtFkbeblwim

NUCLEAR WEAPONS / SECURITY 
Stigmatize and Prohibit: New UN Talks on Nuclear Weapons Start Today
21 Feb 2016. ... The United Nations Secretary-General has said, "There are no right hands for the wrong weapon". But many in the international community often act with implicit acceptance of American, British, French, Russian, and Chinese nuclear weapons.
The "Humanitarian Initiative", however, is challenging this implicit acceptance. Through a series of international conferences on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and a formal pledge to "fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons" endorsed by 123 governments, non-nuclear weapon states are working to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beatrice-fihn/stigmatize-and-prohibit-n_b_9287144.html

United Nations Working on Legalisation of Absolute Nuclear Disarmament
February 22, 2016. United Nations is fighting its way to legalise absolute nuclear disarmament. The decision was made after North Korea’s nuclear weapon test in January, as well as the United States’ mock test for more usable nuclear weapons.
http://www.australianetworknews.com/united-nations-working-on-legalization-of-absolute-nuclear-disarmament/
Mexico issues alert after theft of radioactive material
Five Mexican states have been put on alert after a truck carrying a container of potentially dangerous radioactive material was stolen, the Interior Ministry says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-29/mexico-issues-alert-after-theft-of-radioactive-material/7209140 

CANADA

Radiation from Fukushima nuclear disaster not found in B.C. salmon
Feb. 23, 2016. Five years after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, radioactive contaminants continue to circulate across the Pacific to Canada’s West Coast, but not at dangerous levels.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/radiation-from-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-not-found-in-bc-salmon/article28846578/


CHINA 

China Inc.’s Nuclear-Power Push
In a shift, Chinese state-owned companies seek to roll out advanced reactors for export, a move that adds new competition for already struggling global firms.
Feb. 23, 2016. SHENZHEN, China—China wants to shift from customer to competitor in the global nuclear industry as it seeks to roll out its first advanced reactor for export, a move that adds new competition for already struggling global firms.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-inc-s-nuclear-power-push-1456251331 & http://www.pressreader.com/belgium/the-wall-street-journal-europe/20160224/282020441365372/TextView

EGYPT/ RUSSIA 

Negotiations over establishment of Dabaa nuclear plant ongoing: Minister of Electricity
February 21, 2016.Egyptian minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mohamed Shaker, said the ministry is still negotiating with Russia’s Rosatom over technical, financial, and technological agreements to establish the first Egyptian nuclear power plant in the Dabaa area.
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2016/02/21/negotiations-over-establishment-of-dabaa-nuclear-plant-ongoing-minister-of-electricity/
 

FRANCE / FRENCH POLYNESIA 
France pledges more compensation for Polynesia nuclear tests.
Feb 22, 2016. Residents of French Polynesia who suffered due to 30 years of French nuclear tests in the Pacific archipelago have a legitimate right to compensation, President Francois Hollande said on his first visit to the region on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-nuclear-idUSKCN0VV1XW & http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3609697215988297247
 
GERMANY 
 
R** The End of the Nuclear Age
Feb 24, 2016. Even before the Fukishima disaster, it was clear that nuclear power was dangerous, unreliable and too risky for civil use. The growth of renewable energy is now rendering them obsolete, argues Handelsblatt's energy expert.
https://global.handelsblatt.com/editor/kstratmann

Picking Up the Nuclear Tab
Feb 23, 2016. A leaked draft report on Germany's exit from nuclear power recommends the nation's four big utilities foot the €19.7 billion bill for decommissioning their power plants - but any costs above that may be carried by taxpayers.
https://global.handelsblatt.com/edition/374/ressort/politics/article/utilities-wont-escape-nuclear-clean-up-costs

German nuclear exit plan fails to solve waste storage puzzle
Feb 23, 2016. When Germany committed itself five years ago to phasing out nuclear power by 2022, there was one big gap in its plans -- what to do with the waste that can remain toxic for hundreds of thousands of years.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-nuclear-storage-idUKKCN0VW1Y9

Nuclear commission proposes firms transfer cash by 2022 to pay for clean-up
Feb 22, 2016.BERLIN Feb 22 (Reuters) - Germany's utilities will have to transfer provisions set aside to pay for the interim and final storage of nuclear waste to a fund in cash by 2022, according to a draft report from a government-appointed committee seen by Reuters on Monday.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFB4N10000F 
INDIA
How American Penalties Dwarf the Liability US Nuclear Firms Will Face in India
Feb 21, 2016. A $48-billion (Rs 3.26 lakh crore) penalty claimed by the US government from Volkswagen for cheating on diesel-car emissions is about 200 times as large as the $225 million (Rs 1,500 crore) insurance pool set up by Indian insurance companies to compensate US nuclear companies for mishaps in India.
http://thewire.in/2016/02/21/how-american-penalties-dwarf-the-liability-us-nuclear-firms-will-face-in-india-22207/

 
JAPAN
Former TEPCO bosses indicted over handling of 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
Three former TEPCO executives have been indicted over their handling of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, in what is the first criminal trial linked to the crisis
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-29/former-tepco-bosses-indicted-over-fukushima-nuclear-disaster/7209232 

Charges near for former TEPCO executives over Fukushima nuclear disaster.
February 26, 2016. Lawyers on Feb. 29 are expected to indict three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury in connection with the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201602260087 & http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-633648703360789807

3 ex-TEPCO execs to face indictment Monday
February 26, 2016. Three former top executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. will be indicted Monday over the triple reactor meltdown at the company's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, court-appointed lawyers serving as prosecutors said Friday.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002775103

TEPCO discovers after 5 years that it could have quickly declared Fukushima plant meltdown
February 25, 2016. Nearly five years later, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Feb. 24 that it has discovered a guideline in its operational manual that would have allowed it to announce meltdowns in the nuclear disaster in only days instead of the two months it actually took.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201602250043

5 Years Later, the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Site Continues to Spill Waste
March 1, 2016. The cleanup effort could take decades; meanwhile the amount of radioactive material the plant leaks grows
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/5-years-later-the-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-site-continues-to-spill-waste/

Five years on, Greenpeace assessing marine contamination off Fukushima.
Greenpeace is surveying waters near the Fukushima plant, dredging up sediment from the ocean floor to check both for radiation hot spots as well as places that are not contaminated
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/02/26/national/five-years-greenpeace-assessing-marine-contamination-off-fukushima/#.VtK5o-blwim & http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-5209117700639668001

TEPCO begins burning radiation-tainted work clothes at Fukushima plant
February 26, 2016. OKUMA, Fukushima Prefecture--Tokyo Electric Power Co. has started to incinerate the thousands of boxes of lightly contaminated waste, including clothing used by workers, at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to reduce the amount of tainted waste on the site.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201602260071

TEPCO: Step forward to contain radioactive water
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says it will soon be able to stop the influx of radioactive water at some parts of the plant's reactor facility.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160226_07/

TEPCO nears 'deep freeze' of soil wall at Fukushima plant
February 21, 2016. Packed with bulky silver pipes and freezing equipment, Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s plant to freeze underground soil at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is ready to start chilling.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201602210030

NRA commissioner suggests plan to remove all fuel debris at Fukushima plant may not be best option
FUKUSHIMA – A Nuclear Regulation Authority commissioner has suggested that removing all fuel debris from reactors at the meltdown-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant may not be the best option.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/02/20/national/nra-commissioner-suggests-plan-remove-fuel-debris-fukushima-plant-may-not-best-option#.VtFtO-blwil

For some Fukushima mothers, protecting children from radiation comes at heavy price
February 23, 2016. Three-and-a-half years after fleeing to central Japan, a mother received a package from her husband who had opted to remain at their home in Fukushima Prefecture despite the nuclear disaster.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201602230068

Japan Olympic teams to train in nuclear clean-up zone
22 February 2016. Japan's Olympic football teams will train for the Tokyo 2020 Games at a complex currently being used as a base for thousands of workers cleaning up the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3457926/Japan-Olympic-teams-train-nuclear-clean-zone.html

Japan’s nuclear reactor restarts anger Minami Soma mayor
One video made him one of the most well-known faces of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
http://www.tokyoreporter.com/2016/02/21/japans-reactor-restarts-anger-minami-soma-mayor

No bliss in this ignorance: the great Fukushima nuclear cover-up
20th February 2016. The Japanese were kept in the dark from the start of the Fukushima disaster about high radiation levels and their dangers to health, writes Linda Pentz Gunter. In order to proclaim the Fukushima area 'safe', the Government increased exposure limits to twenty times the international norm. Soon, many Fukushima refugees will be forced to return home to endure damaging levels of radiation. http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2987222/no_bliss_in_this_ignorance_the_great_fukushima_nuclear_coverup.html

Takaama No.4 reactor restarted

The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan has put one of its reactors back online.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160226_39/

 
SOUTH AFRICA
Storm brewing over nuclear energy programme
A storm that has been brewing over the Department of Energy’s nuclear energy programme and PetroSA could erupt, reports News24.
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/156097-storm-brewing-over-nuclear-energy-programme.html

Joemat-Pettersson wants nuclear under IPP office
The 9 600 MW nuclear procurement programme should be run by the Independent Power Producer's (IPP) office, Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson said on Tuesday.
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/nuclear-energy-petrosa-storm-brewing-over-parliament-2016-02-23

Nuclear deal might push SA into junk
Things aren’t looking up for Africa’s second largest economy, with markets on edge awaiting the country’s budget speech, on February 24.
http://benonicitytimes.co.za/245690/nuclear-deal-might-push-sa-into-junk/


SOUTH KOREA

S. Korea rejects calls for nuclear armament, says its committed to nonproliferation
Feb 23, 2016. South Korea is firmly committed to nuclear nonproliferation.
That's according to Seoul's foreign ministry, which on Tuesday dismissed calls for the country to build its own nuclear arsenal to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
https://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.asp?nseq=188516


UKRAINE

Screening truffles for radioactivity 30 years from Chernobyl
Swiss and German researchers have analysed Burgundy truffles collected in central Europe and found they contain only negligible amounts of radioactive caesium, being safe for consumption. 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/egu-stf022216.php

UK


Trident rally is Britain's biggest anti-nuclear march in a generation
Thousands of protesters including Jeremy Corbyn and other party leaders gather in London for CND march and rally
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/27/cnd-rally-anti-nuclear-demonstration-trident-london
 
UK new nuclear plan will fail without private investors, says Horizon chief
14 Feb 2016. Britain cannot just rely on state-backed enterprises like EDF and its Chinese partners to build a fleet of new nuclear reactors, Alan Raymant warns
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/12156773/UK-new-nuclear-plan-will-fail-without-private-investors-says-Horizon-chief.html


USA


Lawsuit targets Duke Energy Florida, FPL over higher rates for nuclear power projects
February 23, 2016. A class-action lawsuit was filed against Duke Energy Florida and Florida Power & Light Co. alleging the monopoly electricity providers force millions of Florida customers to pay unlawful charges in connection with their electricity rates to fund the companies' nuclear power plant projects, some of which have been abandoned.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/duke-energy-florida-fpl-sued-to-end-higher-rates-forced-on-customers-for/2266427

Nuclear industry bemoans Clean Power Plan stay
February 23, 2016. WASHINGTON, D.C. — For an industry that said it was ignored by the Clean Power Plan, nuclear interests sure took it hard when the Supreme Court halted the rule earlier this month.
http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2016/02/23/Nuclear-industry-bemoans-Clean-Power-Plan-stay-by-Supreme-Court/stories/201602230009

Entergy rebuffs latest NY plan to save FitzPatrick nuclear plant
February 23, 2016. SCRIBA, N.Y. – The state Public Service Commission said today it is working on plans to provide financial assistance to the FitzPatrick nuclear plant in a desperate attempt to keep the plant from shutting down.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/entergy_to_cuomo_its_too_late_to_save_fitzpatrick_but_not_indian_point.html

Efficacy of compensation program for nuclear workers under scrutiny
Feb 22, 2016. ...Since Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act in 2000, the government has spent $12 billion in financial restitution for more than 100,000 workers whose onset of cancer, beryllium disease, neurological disorders and other ailments is a result of careers in the more than 300 nuclear facilities across the country. ...
But the program has come under scrutiny lately.  An investigation by the McClatchy DC news service found that fewer than half of the people who have applied for benefits have received them, and workers’ complaints are often suspended in the complex process of paperwork or court hearings, with some claims languishing in the system for up to 10 years.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/efficacy-of-compensation-program-for-nuclear-workers-under-scrutiny/article_7a531d32-b383-54fd-a82e-2d56345d6b42.html

Hanford contamination spread across public highway
February 21, 2016. The Environmental Protection Agency has called the uncontrolled spread of small amounts of radioactive waste at Hanford “alarming” after a Nov. 17 windstorm.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/hanford/article61710052.html

Whistleblowers Call for Inquiry into LANL Employee’s Death
Feb 2, 2016. Three Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) whistleblowers have called for a renewed investigation into the 2002 death of the lab’s former Deputy Director of Operations, Richard Burick. Steve Doran, Glenn Walp, and Chuck Montaño, along with Nuclear Watch New Mexico, have sent their appeal to the New Mexico District Attorney. They cite the Project On Government Oversight’s review of Montaño’s book, and additional interviews POGO conducted with Lab sources.
http://www.pogo.org/blog/2016/02/whistleblowers-call-for-inquiry-into-lanl-employee-death.html

Nuclear waste dumped illegally in Ky.
Drilling wastes containing concentrated but naturally occurring radio active materials made their way into Kentucky, state officials confirmed on Thursday.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2016/02/25/nuclear-waste-dumped-illegally-kentucky/80924622/ & http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-5209117700639667963

Low-level radioactive waste illegally dumped in Estill landfill, state official says
Material generated from oil and gas drilling, not a nuclear plant
Some waste might have gone to a Greenup County landfill, too
Material might be dug up and removed but there are risks
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article62496922.html

Mia Pepper
http://www.ccwa.org.au/ 

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Conservation Council of Western Australia · 2 Delhi St, City West Lotteries House, West Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia 
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Peach Bottom Annual Assessment Letter

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 (REPORT 05000277/2015006 AND 05000278/2015006)

Download ML16060A376

Susquehanna Annual Assessment Letter

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 (REPORT 05000387/2015006 AND 05000388/2015006)

Download ML16061A135

Three Mile Island Annual Assessment Letter


ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 (REPORT 05000289/2015006)

Download ML16054A774


ASLB to Hear Arguments on Nuclear Units under Construction in Georgia

Press Release II-16-004: ASLB to Hear Arguments on Nuclear Units under Construction in Georgia.

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03/22/2016 EXELON FLEET: Pre-application teleconference with Exelon to discuss a potential license amendment request regarding operating training standards

03/22/2016 EXELON FLEET: Pre-application teleconference with Exelon to discuss a potential license amendment request regarding operating training standards.

Download ML16061A137

Opening this Friday, March 4th, 6-9 PM. Fukushima disaster area report

It's the end of February and signs of spring are starting to appear.

I will be a part of the exhibition "Women in the Heights - Transitions" which is part of The Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance's celebration of Women’s History Month.

The opening and artist talk will be this Friday, March 4th, 6-9 PM.
My artist talk, "What is home? Where is home?" will refer to the issue of nuclear refugees.

Friday, March 4 - Tuesday, March 29
Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday 10 AM-4 PM
by appointment  info@nomaanyc.org

Rio III Gallery
Sugar Hill Building, 898 St Nicholas Avenue @ 155th Street, 9th floor, New York NY 10032

March 11, 2016 is the 5th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident. I wrote a report about my November 2015 visit to the Fukushima disaster area that I put on my blog in English.
http://yasuyoart.blogspot.com

I have attached the Japanese article that is an edited version of my blog report. This edited version in Japanese was published in NY Seikatsu, a Japanese language newspaper in New York.

I also have been exhibiting my prints "from key to key"
at Asian language school,  Hills Learning.
315 Madison Ave on 42nd St, Suite 900 New York  NY 10017
(Please call 212-784-0694 to verify access)

I hope to see you at the opening or in the near future.
Yasuyo Tanaka

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