Nuclear Waste “Russian” Roulette SPECIAL – Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear – Nuclear Hotseat #311

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This Week’s Featured Interview:

• Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Waste Watchdog/Bulldog for Beyond Nuclear, gives an all-encompassing vision of nuclear waste problems faced by not just the United States, but the world.  Included in his discussion are:
  • Hanford Site
  • Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
  • San Onofre 
  • Yucca Mountain
  • US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement

Numnutz of the Week (for Nuclear Boneheadedness):

Ontario Power Generation has studied every aspect of the problem and – believe it or not! – come to the conclusion that what’s a little desecration of First Nation lands and sacred burial grounds, and putting the safety of the entire Great Lakes water basin in nuclear danger when it’s SO convenient to site the nuclear waste REPOSITORY – NOT “BUNKER” AS THEY’RE TRYING TO RE-LANGUAGE IT!!!!! – on its own property. 

LISTEN NOW: Nuclear Waste “Russian” Roulette SPECIAL – Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear – Nuclear Hotseat #311

Experts: US Still 'Needlessly Vulnerable' to Fukushima-Style Disaster | Common Dreams

Fukushima "could have been a hundred times worse had there been a loss of the water covering the spent fuel in pools associated with each reactor," said co-author Frank von Hippel, a senior research physicist at Princeton. (Photo: Getty)

Nuclear industry pressured regulatory commission into low-balling consequences of meltdown, especially in case of reactor fire, new article says

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) did not adequately account for safety hazards when approving certain upgrades to nuclear sites around the U.S., meaning the risk of a Fukushima-like disaster caused by a reactor fire is still high, according to an article published in the journal Science on Friday.

Researchers from Princeton University and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) argued that the NRC "relied on faulty analysis to justify its refusal to adopt a critical measure for protecting Americans from the occurrence of a catastrophic nuclear-waste fire at any one of dozens of reactor sites around the country."

The risk is especially high in the sites' cooling pools—basins that are used to store and reduce the temperatures of used radioactive fuel rods. Spent-fuel pools came into the international spotlight after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi site in Japan, in which an earthquake-triggered tsunami disabled the electrical systems needed for the cooling process, leading to meltdowns at three of six reactors.

NRC commissioners "did not adequately account for impacts of large-scale land contamination events," the scientists wrote. "Among rejected options was a measure to end dense packing of 90 spent fuel pools, which we consider critical for avoiding a potential catastrophe much greater than Fukushima."

Fukushima "could have been a hundred times worse had there been a loss of the water covering the spent fuel in pools associated with each reactor," said co-author Frank von Hippel, a senior research physicist at Princeton's Program on Science and Global Security (SGS), in a statement…

more: Experts: US Still 'Needlessly Vulnerable' to Fukushima-Style Disaster | Common Dreams

Disasters waiting to happen: 8 most dangerous nuclear plants near earthquake fault lines — RT News | Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California

The Japanese government says there won’t be any catastrophic damage, this time, at its nuclear facilities following Thursday night’s devastating earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

Nine people are confirmed dead and more than 1,000 others injured after a 6.5-magnitude quake hit east of the city of Kumamoto.

The disaster revived terrifying memories of the Fukushima disaster, when a 15-meter post-quake tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown that polluted a sizeable portion of the country for decades.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed that there were no abnormalities at any nuclear facilities in the area, the Japan Times reported.

Despite the ‘all clear’, dozens of potential atomic bombs operate along seismic fault lines. Here are eight of the most deadly, including one that may never be built because of Fukushima...

more: Disasters waiting to happen: 8 most dangerous nuclear plants near earthquake fault lines — RT News

INCLUDES: Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California

Situated along by the shores of the Pacific Ocean - and four active fault lines, this plant has come under scrutiny since Fukushima.

Diablo Canyon’s two reactors lie in an earthquake red zone with the Hosgri fault, the Los Osos fault, the San Luis Bay fault, and the Shoreline fault all nearby - and the major San Andreas fault 80km away.

How safe is nuclear power? A statistical study suggests less than expected | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

whats more: fukushima art by @r_cherwink

After the Fukushima disaster, the authors analyzed all past core-melt accidents and estimated a failure rate of 1 per 3704 reactor years. This rate indicates that more than one such accident could occur somewhere in the world within the next decade. The authors also analyzed the role that learning from past accidents can play over time. This analysis showed few or no learning effects occurring, depending on the database used. Because the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has no publicly available list of nuclear accidents, the authors used data compiled by the Guardian newspaper and the energy researcher Benjamin Sovacool. The results suggest that there are likely to be more severe nuclear accidents than have been expected and support Charles Perrow’s “normal accidents” theory that nuclear power reactors cannot be operated without major accidents. However, a more detailed analysis of nuclear accident probabilities needs more transparency from the IAEA. Public support for nuclear power cannot currently be based on full knowledge simply because important information is not available.


How safe is nuclear power? A statistical study suggests less than expected | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Stop Fukushima Freeways Campaign Page - NIRS

The Stop Fukushima Freeways Campaign shows the perils of the massive and unnecessary radioactive waste transportation that would occur across the U.S. if the moribund and scientifically-indefensible Yucca Mountain, Nevada waste dump were to be revived. Such large-scale transport would also occur if, as some in Congress advocate, a "centralized interim storage" site for high-level radioactive waste were created. In that case, the waste would either have to move twice (once to the interim site, and then to a permanent site), thus doubling the risks, or the "interim" site would become a de facto permanent waste dump--without going through the necessary scientific characterization.

The solution to the radioactive waste problem begins with ending its generation as quickly as possible. And we work non-stop to acheive that goal. But for the highly radioactive waste that exists and continues to be produced, putting it on trucks, train cars and barges and transporting it across the country to a scientifically-indefensible site solely for the benefit of the nuclear power industry is an unacceptable risk to our cities, our communities, our agricultural heartland, our entire nation.

Twenty years ago, the Stop Mobile Chernobyl Campaign was launched to defeat a similar Congressional effort to open Yucca Mountain and/or establish a "centralized interim storage" site and thus begin a national radioactive waste transportation program. That campaign ultimately led to a veto by President Bill Clinton of such legislation that was sustained in the Senate by one vote.

Campaign Actions and Updates >>

MORE: Stop Fukushima Freeways Campaign Page - NIRS

Reject Siting of Massive New Spectra Gas Pipeline Next to Indian Point Nuclear Facility | CREDO Mobilize

URGENT! We, the undersigned, strongly urge you to exercise the power of your office to ensure that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rescind its approval of the Spectra Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline expansion project. You must stand with your constituents and local, county and state elected officials to stop the project immediately!

SIGN NOW: Reject Siting of Massive New Spectra Gas Pipeline Next to Indian Point Nuclear Facility | CREDO Mobilize

Citizen ALERT! Nuke Waste Con Game 1st public meeting on Oct. 1 | facebook event

Submit public comments to NRC re: its "Nuke Waste Con Game"

Public comments will be accepted by NRC through various means.

Comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov, using Docket ID No. NRC-2012-0246.

Comments can be submitted via e-mail to Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov, citing Docket ID No. NRC-2012-0246.

Comments can be snail-mailed to: Secretary; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff (cite Docket ID No. NRC-2012-0246 at the top of your comments).

Comments can be faxed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at (301) 415-1101, citing Docket ID No. NRC-2012-0246.

Comments can also be hand-delivered to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, between 7:30 AM and 4:15 PM Eastern Time on Federal workdays; telephone (301) 415-1677.

Comments can also be made by way of oral testimony presented at  a dozen public comment meetings to be held around the country from October 1st to mid-November. We need to pack these meetings, so please spread the word!

UPDATE: "(Two) public meetings [next week in San Luis Obispo (Monday, 10.7) and Carlsbad (Wednesday, 10.9)] have fallen victim to the federal shutdown. The meetings were meant to present the findings and receive public comments on NRC's proposed rules and environmental study on the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel."

UPDATE 2: Due to the lack of an appropriation and the government shutdown, the Waste Confidence Directorate regrets to inform you that we are postponing our two public meetings scheduled for next week:  Tuesday, October 15, in Perrysburg, Ohio; and Thursday, October 17, in Minnetonka, Minnesota.  

The first and last public comment meetings, on October 1st and November 14th, will be held at NRC HQ in Rockville, MD. At these two public comment meetings only, members of the public can take part remotely, online via webcast and/or by telephone conference, and provide oral comments that way. (All other public comment meetings around the country must be attended in person only, in order to submit public comments.)

NRC has requested that participants in the public comment meetings register ahead of time. You can pre-register by phone at (301) 287-9392, or by filling out the webform at:

http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/wcd-public-mtg-reg.html

If there is a large number of persons at a meeting seeking to make public comments, NRC will limit each speaker to 3 minutes. Although one can register on the day of, at the event, those who have pre-registered will be given priority at the microphone.

NRC has provided the following point of contact for any questions about the material in the GEIS:

Sarah Lopas; Mail Stop: 3WFN; 14C64; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; Phone: (301) 287-0675; E-mail: sarah.lopas@nrc.gov.

Click on this link to see Beyond Nuclear sample comments, which you can use to write your own.

> Beyond Nuclear - Radioactive Waste What's New - How to submit public comments to NRC re: its "Nuke Waste Con Game" draft GEIS

facebook event page: Nuclear waste storage legislation ~ Citizen ALERT! 1st national public meeting Oct 1, 2013


see also: whats up: Pack the meetings; Speak Out! | Waste Confidence - NIRS

10.1-11.14 Pack the meetings; Speak Out! | Waste Confidence - NIRS

Public meetings on NRC's "Waste Confidence" policy--October 1--November 14, 2013.

UPDATE: "Two public meetings next week in San Luis Obispo (Monday, 10.7) and Carlsbad (Wednesday, 10.9) have fallen victim to the federal shutdown. The meetings were meant to present the findings and receive public comments on NRC's proposed rules and environmental study on the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel."

Pack the meetings; Speak Out!

Since the summer of 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been unable to issue licenses for new reactors, nor renewals for existing licenses. A federal court threw out the underpinning of the agency's radioactive waste policy--its "waste confidence" rule. That rule had stated that the NRC was confident that high-level radioactive waste always would be stored or disposed safely, and thus could continue to be generated.

But the court found that with the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site effectively cancelled and no alternative in place, the NRC could not be "confident" of permanent disposal. Moreover, the court ruled that the NRC had no technical basis for asserting that current on-site storage practices in fuel pools and dry casks would be safe for the indefinite future. This ruling forced the current moratorium on licensing.

The NRC has now prepared a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) as part of the process of replacing its "waste confidence" rule and it hopes to finalize this document and resume licensing during 2014. In the Fall of 2013, the agency will hold 12 public meetings around the country to explain and receive comment on this document.

These meetings are our opportunity to point out the technical shortcomings in this new document, and to call for making the licensing moratorium permanent. There will be protests and public involvement at each one of these meetings. We hope you will join us.

Note: In the event of a government shutdown due to Congressional failure and intransigence, the NRC meetings likely will be postponed. We will keep you informed of any postponements and developments that may affect the schedule meetings.

Here is a list of all locations and schedules of meetings < click for NRC page

Rockville, MD. Oct. 1 and Nov. 14
Denver, CO. Oct. 3
San Luis Obispo, CA, Oct. 7
Carlsbad, CA, Oct. 9
Perrysburg, OH, Oct. 15
Minnetonka, MN, Oct. 17
Oak Brook, IL, Oct. 24
Chelmsford, MA, Oct. 28
Tarrytown, NY, Oct. 30
Charlotte, NC, Nov. 4
Orlando, FL, Nov. 6

Here is a Facebook page some people are using
to organize for the meetings.

Logos you can download and save to add to your materials:

Nuclear Waste: Stop Making It (circular logo above). (jpg)
Don't Waste America (at bottom of this page) (jpg)

GO TO THE NIRS PAGE FOR THESE LINKS ----

• Download sample press releases, Alerts, and more for each meeting for use by grassroots groups. Note: these are in Word format so you can edit, add your group's information and customize how you wish.

• Talking points for activists and commenters:

Waste Confidence Policy.
Dry casks vs fuel pools.
Waste confidence and climate.
Risks of fire in fuel pools.

• You can pre-register with the NRC to speak at one of the meetings [here]. Note: pre-registration is not required, but may be useful to assure you have a speaking slot in case the meetings are as packed as we expect them to be.

• September 13, 2013 Federal Register notice announcing meetings and written public comment period. Written comments are due by November 27, 2013.

• Download the full Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement here. (pdf)

• [Here] is the June 8, 2012 federal court ruling that voided the NRC's "waste confidence" rule and forced the agency to institute a moratorium on reactor licensing and relicensing until it established a technical basis for its belief that high-level radioactive waste will always be safely stored.

> Waste Confidence - NIRS

see also: whats up: Citizen ALERT! Nuke Waste Con Game 1st public meeting on Oct. 1 | facebook event