Saturday, May 24, 2014

ANS Update Nuclear Matinee: Getting to Know Nuclear: Past, Present, and Future

Nuclear Matinee: Getting to Know Nuclear: Past, Present, and Future

By ansnuclearcafe on May 24, 2014 01:00 am

With Memorial Day Weekend at hand, this is a good time to sit down and take a more in-depth look at the history, and the future, of nuclear energy. Dr. Roger Blomquist of Argonne National Laboratory leads a public tour … Continue reading →
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Uncovering Iran's Nuclear Past: Where to Start? Where to Stop?

05/24/14

Jon Wolfsthal

Nonproliferation, Iran

"Preventing a nuclear Iran may not require uncovering every last piece of Iran’s nuclear past, or publicly admitting all its previous actions."

Talks over Iran’s nuclear future have run into the challenging obstacle of Tehran’s nuclear past. It is impossible and unwise to overlook Iran’s twenty-year history of alleged nuclear cheating that includes clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapon components and deliver weapons by ballistic missile. While uncovering the truth about Iran’s nuclear past is vital, some areas of its past are far more critical than others if the goal is preventing Iran from building a bomb in the future. In fact, seeking to uncover and publicly disclose every last part of the military dimensions of Iran previous nuclear work may undermine current negotiation efforts. Policy makers in the United States must decide if they are willing to put at risk a deal that restrains Iran’s nuclear future in order to pursue a complete public accounting of Iran’s nuclear past.

In 2011, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—the UN’s nuclear watchdog— published a report detailing Iran’s suspected weapons-related work. Iran has yet to provide adequate answers to most of these questions, in part because it continues to publicly deny it ever pursued nuclear weapons. This, in the minds of officials, experts and long-time observers is proof that Iran harbors long-term nuclear weapon ambitions and cannot be trusted to implement any new agreement. To others, it seems Iran has painted itself into a corner, and fears risking additional sanctions and pressure, or even political humiliation at home.

Fortunately, not all aspects of Iran’s past work are relevant to whether they can build a nuclear weapon in the future. It would be useful for the IAEA to focus on those parts of the nuclear file pertinent to Iran’s ability to rapidly build a nuclear weapon in the future. While this may leave some questions unanswered, it may unlock the door to an agreement that both sides appear ready to make.

Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/feature/uncovering-irans-nuclear-past-where-start-where-stop-10527

Uranium market expected to soar with renewed global commitment to nuclear energy

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Uranium+market+expected+soar+with+renewed+global+commitment+nuclear+energy/9873138/story.html

U.S. Is cat litter to blame for nuke dump leak?

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/is-cat-litter-to-blame-for-nuke-dump-leak-1.285066

Harper Skeptical of Germany’s Goal to Phase Out Nuclear

Harper Skeptical of Germany’s Goal to Phase Out Nuclear - See more at: http://talknuclear.ca/2014/03/harper-skeptical-of-germanys-goal-to-phase-out-nuclear/#sthash.ABvrSCgr.dpuf

Harper Skeptical of Germany’s Goal to Phase Out Nuclear
http://talknuclear.ca/2014/03/harper-skeptical-of-germanys-goal-to-phase-out-nuclear/

Neutron Death Mystery Has Physicists Stymied

Conflicting results in measurements of how long neutrons live has physicists rethinking their experiments, because solving the riddle may point the way to exotic new physics

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/neutron-lifetime-mystery-new-physics/

Capital Energy: Pipeline fight bolsters nuclear facility; Anti-bottleneck bill introduced

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/energy/2014/05/8545946/capital-energy-pipeline-fight-bolsters-nuclear-facility-anti-bottlene

How Rising Seas Could Sink Nuclear Plants On The East Coast

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/19/maps-rising-seas-storms-threaten-flood-coastal-nuclear-power-plants_n_5233306.html

Why nuclear power may be the only way to avoid geoengineering

http://thebulletin.org/why-nuclear-power-may-be-only-way-avoid-geoengineering7047

Organic Cat Litter Chief Suspect In Nuclear Waste Accident by May 23, 2014

Organic Cat Litter Chief Suspect In Nuclear Waste Accident

May 23, 2014 4:24 PM ET

3 min 42 sec

Workers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are still investigating what caused a radioactive release at the site, but organic cat litter may be the culprit.

DOE/WIPP

In February, a 55-gallon drum of radioactive waste burst open inside America's only nuclear dump, in New Mexico.
Now investigators believe the cause may have been a pet store purchase gone bad.
"It was the wrong kitty litter," says , a geochemist in Richland, Wash., who has spent decades in the nuclear waste business.
It turns out there's more to cat litter than you think. It can soak up urine, but it's just as good at absorbing radioactive material.
"It actually works well both in the home litter box as well as the radiochemistry laboratory," says Conca, who is not directly involved in the current investigation.

Hundreds of drums may contain the wrong cat litter. They are being sealed in larger containers, just to be safe.

C. McDonald/WCS

Cat litter has been used for years to dispose of nuclear waste. Dump it into a drum of sludge and it will stabilize volatile radioactive chemicals. The litter prevents it from reacting with the environment.
And this is what contractors at were doing as they packed Cold War-era waste for shipment to the dump. But at some point, they decided to make a switch, from clay to organic.
"Now that might sound nice, you're trying to be green and all that, but the organic kitty litters are organic," says Conca. Organic litter is made of plant material, which is full of chemical compounds that can react with the nuclear waste.
"They actually are just fuel, and so they're the wrong thing to add," he says. Investigators now believe the litter and waste caused the drum to slowly heat up "sort of like a slow burn charcoal briquette instead of an actual bomb."
After it arrived at the dump, it burst.
"How come nobody caught this and raised a red flag?" asks , New Mexico's secretary of the environment. Flynn says that the cause of the accident still isn't 100 percent clear. Scientists at Los Alamos have yet to find the exact blend of cat litter and nuclear waste that can spark a reaction.
But he says it is clear that the wrong material went into some of the drums. He wants to know why the Department of Energy, which handles the waste, let this happen.
"I'm frustrated," he says.
Flynn says there are more than 500 drums packed with the wrong litter. The majority are relatively safely underground in the dump, but dozens are still at Los Alamos and another . None of these drums have burst so far, but the lab and the company handling the Texas waste have put them in heavy containers for added protection.
Flynn says federal authorities need to come up with a long-term solution and prevent future mix-ups.
"Ultimately [the waste is] the responsibility of the Department of Energy," he says. "It's also now their responsibility to clean it up and fix it."

May 23, 2014 May 23, 2014

More From The Two-Way

Support The Programs You Love

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/23/315279895/organic-kitty-litter-chief-suspect-in-nuclear-waste-accident

Radioactive kitty litter may have ruined our best hope to store nuclear waste

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/23/5742800/did-kitty-litter-just-kill-the-most-successful-nuclear-waste-facility

Climate change spending is already more than one Manhattan project every year or 7 times DARPA annual budget

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/05/climate-change-spending-is-already-more.html

China did not turn on some of the pollution control technology that was already built until recent air pollution protests. It adds over $16 billion/year to electricity prices

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/05/china-did-not-turn-on-pollution-control.html

Get millions of times more bang for your buck by backing LPP fusion

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/05/get-millions-of-times-more-bang-for.html

Why do so many Proposed "Solutions to World or National Problems" Suck even in the Design Phase ? Or Fail to solve the stated problem after implementation ?

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/05/why-do-so-many-proposed-solutions-to.html

Friday, May 23, 2014

PennEnergy's Top Power Headlines 5/27

Top Power Headlines

US charges Chinese military hackers targeting nuclear, solar firms (Video)
U.S. announces charges against five Chinese military hackers for cyber espionage in industries ranging from nuclear, to steel, to renewable energy
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Report: Scale up of SMRs would quash financing for renewable energy
A new report by nuclear financing expert Dr. Mark Cooper says the $90 billion U.S. investment needed to scale up small modular reactors would likely choke off funding for renewable energy, while the technology would arrive too late to avert climate change woes
Full Article
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Top Power News
• EPA finalizes cooling water intake rule for power plants, factories
• SDG&E: All power restored following San Diego wildfires
• Duke Energy to build 750 MW gas plant at coal-fired Lee site
• Enel to build 100 MW of solar power in Chile
• U.S. consumer energy expenditures up $14B this past winter
• China produces, consumes almost as much coal as world combined
• Dominion breaks ground on 1,360 MW gas plant (Video)
• Capital One Bank invests $100MM in residential solar fund
• DolWin3 900 MW HVDC grid connection moves forward (Video)
• Alstom awarded the first fully digital substation contract in Venezuela
• Landis +Gyr to acquire smart grid technology firm PowerSense
• Hydrogen energy storage: power ramp-up at the MYRTE test platform

The "Near-Abroad" Factor: Why Putin Stands Firm over Ukraine

05/23/14

Hilary Appel

Security, Ukraine

"Western leaders should assume that averting conflict is not the priority for Russia if it means losing Ukraine in the long term."

President Vladimir Putin has been hesitant to acknowledge Russia’s role in the escalating violence and instability in eastern and southern Ukraine. Striking a more conciliatory tone, Mr. Putin recently announced a plan to pull back Russian troops from the border in order to ease tensions. Few in the West seem to be buying it, however. Mr. Putin’s credibility was deeply undermined by his past denials of Russian special forces in Crimea, and by the absurd claims that last month’s military exercises on Ukraine’s border were simply routine. As much as the recent aggression in Ukraine flies in face of Mr. Putin’s oft repeated mantra of Russia’s commitment to international law and respect for national sovereignty, in fact his stance is compatible with the ways past Russian leaders have often treated the “near abroad.”

For centuries, Russia has sought to ensure its physical security through its control over neighboring territory. In Russia, the notion of “empire” was not based upon acquiring control over distant unconnected territories on faraway continents, as the British and the French did. Rather, for Russia, an empire was built through acquisition of contiguous territories. This approach to security has left Russia, even after losing its Soviet empire, the largest country in the world geographically. Furthermore, Russia has always made the near abroad—as the territory surrounding Russia’s borders is called—a priority. And while Mr. Putin acknowledged the impossibility of restoring the Soviet Union, he also found unacceptable any further unraveling of Russia’s territorial integrity, for example through the loss of secessionist regions in the Caucasus. His first actions as Prime Minister and acting President were to prevent Chechen independence, even if this required tremendous brutality and violence against Russian citizens in Chechnya.

Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-near-abroad-factor-why-putin-stands-firm-over-ukraine-10517

The Not-So-Mighty Russia-China Gas Deal

05/23/14

Paul J. Saunders

Energy, Russia

Why shifting from celebratory toasts to moving gas out of the ground could prove challenging.

This week’s 30-year $400 billion Russia-China natural gas deal has justifiably attracted considerable attention for both its scale and its symbolism. Indeed, it is an important agreement that could have profound consequences. Nevertheless, there may also be less to the immediate arrangement than meets the eye.

On the surface, the agreement appears to be a major accomplishment for President Vladimir Putin and for Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled natural-gas monopoly, even if the company made price and other concessions to secure the agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation, China’s largest energy producer. Mr. Putin accurately described the deal as "the biggest contract in the history of the gas sector of the former USSR" and, as this thinking goes, artfully deflected Western efforts to isolate Russia politically or economically over the annexation of Crimea, implied that a new Moscow-Beijing axis could produce a global political realignment, and secured an important new role for Gazprom in Asia’s vast energy markets.

Some appropriately question just how much Moscow had to give away—Russia needed this deal, and international observers expected it, so failure could have left the Kremlin looking somewhat deflated. The fact that the Russian president himself acknowledged that the Chinese had been “difficult, hard negotiators” and that the final pricing appears to be below what Gazprom originally sought adds weight to this. Others speculate whether it is really in Russia’s national interest to be too close to China or express skepticism that Moscow and Beijing can ever get along due to mutual suspicion and competing aims. But these are long-term questions and may not be answerable until after Russia, China, Europe, Asia, the United States and others have already experienced the consequences.

Read full article http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-not-so-mighty-russia-china-gas-deal-10518

Southern Co. acquires New Mexico's largest solar facility from First Solar

Southern Co. acquires New Mexico's largest solar facility from First Solar • 9:11 AM

Southern Co. (SO) and and Turner Renewable Energy agree to acquire the largest solar facility in New Mexico, the 50 MW Macho Springs solar facility, from First Solar (FSLR).
The facility is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 18K homes in El Paso Electric's (EE) service territory.
Financial terms are not disclosed.

Read commentshttp://seekingalpha.com/news/1768843-southern-co-acquires-new-mexicos-largest-solar-facility-from-first-solar?uprof=46

Senate Hearing on Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning Challenges

Posted: 22 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT

United States Senator Barbara Boxer’s Environment & Public Works Committee recently held a hearing on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 to assess the various difficulties and challenges concomitant with nuclear reactor decommissioning nationwide.read morehttp://theenergycollective.com/nrdcswitchboard/384346/senate-hearing-nuclear-reactor-decommissioning-challenges?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

New EPA Rules to Come Out June 2, New Report on Technologies for Carbon Reduction

Posted: 23 May 2014 04:00 AM PDT

The Environmental Protection Agency continues to develop its first greenhouse gas performance standards for new and existing power plants. These standards could increase opportunities for both supply- and demand-side advanced energy technologies to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.read morehttp://theenergycollective.com/matt-stanberry/386716/epa-ghg-regs-epa-rules-come-out-june-2-new-report-technologies-carbon-reductio?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Biggest Loser: Thawing Greenland Competes With Collapsing Antarctic For Fastest Ice Loss

http://theenergycollective.com/josephromm/385741/biggest-loser-thawing-greenland-competes-collapsing-antarctic-fastest-ice-loss?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Homeland Security: Utility Control System Was Hacked Through 'Brute Force' Attack

http://theenergycollective.com/jeffstjohn/386316/homeland-security-utility-control-system-was-hacked-through-brute-force-attack?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Energy Quote of the Day: 'Renewable Energy is Fuel of the Past'

http://theenergycollective.com/jared-anderson/384056/energy-quote-day-renewable-energy-fuel-past?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

First nuclear AP1000 steam generator ready for use in China

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140523000050&cid=1102

Is cat litter to blame for nuke dump leak?

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cat-litter-blame-nuke-dump-leak

Coal Plants Around the Globe

Just Released!

Coal Plants Guidebook

This guidebook exclusively features POWER magazine’s top coal plant articles, covering locations from around the globe. It lists what technology is working right, and includes full charts, photographs and graphs previously featured in POWER.

Delivered in a PDF format, 176 pages.

What You Will Find:
TVA’s Shawnee Fossil Plant Unit 6 sets new record for continuous operation
Luminant’s Big Brown Wins for continuous improvement and safety programs
Polish Plant beats the odds to become model EU Generator
TECO’s San Jose Plant Models Safe and Sustainable Practices
Currant Creek Power Plant, Mona, Utah
Monticello Steam Electric Station, Mount Pleasant, Texas
POY--Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Springerville Unit 3
Marmaduke--Nova Scotia Power’s Point Aconi Plant
Westar’s Lawrence Energy Center wins for not blinking on safety
POY--MidAmerican’s Walter Scott Jr Energy Center Unit 4
IGCC demonstration plant at Nakoso Power Station, Iwaki City, Japan
Pleasant Prarie Power Plant Air Quality Control Upgrade Project, Pleasant Prarie, Wisconsin
Polk Power Station Unit 1, Mulberry, Florida
R.E. Burger Plant, Shadyside, Ohio
POY--Wisconsin Public Service Corp’s Weston 4
Marmaduke--Lamar Repowering Project
Boryeong Thermal Power Complex
Dubuque Generating Station
J.K. Spruce Power Plant, Unit 1
Rawhide Energy Station
TS Power Plant
POY--City of Springfield CWLP Dallman 4
Bull Run Fossil Plant
Hirakud Power
Hutsonville Power Station
Nebraska City Station Unit 2
Rockport Power Plant
Seminole Generating Station
POY--Luminant’s Oak Grove Power Plant
Marmaduke--Cleco’s Madison 3 Uses CFB Technology to Burn Petcoke
ADM Clinton Cogeneration Plant
Brandon Shores Generating Station
Brunner Island Power Plant
Dickerson Generating Station
Isogo Thermal Power Station Unit 2
Oak Creek Power Plant, Elm Road Units 1 and 2
Tolk Station
POY--KCP&L’s Iatan 2
Coffeen Energy Center
J.K. Spruce 2
John Twitty Energy Center Unit 2
Masinloc Power Plant
Plum Point Energy Station
St. Johns River Power Park
Also now available is POWER’s Gas Plants Guidebook

Find a full listing of related products at the POWER store today.

Russia, India sign deal on Kudankulam NPP second stage

http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/732752

GE agrees to extend deadline on Alstom bid to June 23

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/22/uk-general-electric-alstom-extension-idUKKBN0E22CJ20140522

Ukraine Crisis Drives a Quiet Lobbying Boom in U.S.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-23/ukraine-crisis-drives-a-quiet-lobbying-boomlet-in-u-s-.html

Nuclear response center opens in West Valley

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2014/05/22/nuclear-response-center-opens-west-valley/2362012/

Nuclear Energy Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2014

Contact: media@nei.org, 202.739.8000 or 703.644.8805 (after hours and weekends)

Nuclear Industry Opens Phoenix Response Center to Enhance Plant Safety

Emergency Equipment at Regional Centers Part of Post-Fukushima Safety Strategy

PHOENIX—The U.S. nuclear energy industry added another layer of public protection with the opening here today of a regional response center established as part of the industry’s post-Fukushima safety strategy. The Phoenix response center, like one that will open later this year in Memphis, will be capable of delivering complete sets of emergency equipment to help facilities respond safely to extreme events no matter what causes them.
Equipment at the response centers supplements permanent safety systems built into nuclear energy facilities and multiple sets of portable, backup safety equipment already positioned at the facilities. Companies also have protocols in place to share backup safety equipment already stored at nuclear power plants.
“With the opening of this center today, and the one in Memphis next month, the U.S. nuclear industry adds yet another layer of safety and protection for the public and our employees,” said Mike Pacilio, the executive sponsor for regional response centers on the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Fukushima Response Steering Committee. Pacilio also is president of Exelon Nuclear and chief nuclear officer of Exelon Generation, the nation’s largest nuclear energy company.
“This is part of the industry’s strategy to provide flexible and tailored backup safety equipment at nuclear power plants in the event of extreme unexpected events. Each of these centers is designed to deliver emergency backup equipment anywhere in America within 24 hours,” Pacilio said.
Equipment stored at the center includes portable backup generators, pumps, standardized couplings and hoses. Each center houses five full sets of equipment, with four ready to be moved to any U.S. nuclear power plant at all times, and the equipment will undergo regular testing for operability.
The startup cost for each facility is about $40 million, with annual operating costs of about $4 million. The costs will be shared by companies operating 100 reactors that generate one-fifth of America’s electricity.
To develop and operate the two facilities, the industry established the Strategic Alliance for FLEX Emergency Response, or SAFER. The SAFER team includes industry personnel and services of the Pooled Equipment Inventory Company (PEICo) and AREVA Inc. PEICo has provided replacement equipment for emergent needs in the nuclear energy industry for more than three decades through the Pooled Inventory Management program. AREVA provides industry-leading services that include emergency response planning and mobilization, project management, engineering, licensing, outage management, and field response experience.
“Equipment from the regional response centers will enable all nuclear plant operators to protect their reactors and used fuel storage pools until normal power and cooling systems are restored. This is in addition to other measures, including built-in safety systems, the use of on-site portable emergency equipment, and portable equipment and materials on hand at all 62 nuclear energy facilities that can be utilized and shared during an emergency,” said Randy Edington, executive vice president and chief nuclear officer of Arizona Public Service Co., which owns and operates the Palo Verde nuclear facility.
“This additional step of activating the regional response centers raises the nuclear industry’s safety network to its highest level ever. We are confident that we have the best prepared and most highly protected commercial nuclear energy facilities in the world.”
In response to the 2011 Fukushima accident, the industry established a flexible and diverse (FLEX) safety strategy to address the key lessons learned from Japan, including the loss of electrical power needed to maintain effective cooling. The regional response centers are one element of the FLEX approach. The two regional response centers, one near Phoenix and one near Memphis, will be capable of delivering the needed equipment within 24 hours using ground and air transport.
“This facility is important,” Pacilio said. “It expands our defense-in-depth safety commitment and adds tremendously to our ability to manage any extreme event.”

http://www.nei.org/News-Media/Media-Room/News-Releases/Nuclear-Industry-Opens-Phoenix-Response-Center-to

The politics of coal The dirty fuel that unites the Right and splits the Left

The politics of coal

The dirty fuel that unites the Right and splits the Left

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21602238-dirty-fuel-unites-right-and-splits-left-politics-coal

Energy-rich Gulf goes hungry for gas

http://www.zawya.com/story/Gulf_goes_hungry_for_gas-TR20140522nL6N0NZ31V2/#utm_source=zawya&utm_medium=web&utm_content=editors-pick&utm_campaign=story

How the Iran Nuclear Deal May Impact Iran’s Approach in OPEC

http://goingtotehran.com/how-the-iran-nuclear-deal-may-impact-irans-approach-in-opec

One of the above: Obama’s bet on gas throws caution to the wind

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f7351b0e-dcf1-11e3-b73c-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz32a0gVphs

Turkey's countdown to nuclear energy

Turkey is a country that relies heavily on foreign energy supplies. In 2013, energy products accounted for $55.9 billion among $251.6 billion in imports. With 2013’s current account deficit of $65 billion, the burden of energy imports on the economy becomes even more striking. Turkey has drawn up a long-term action plan to ease that burden. The Ministry of Economy’s latest projection lists the following objectives for 2023 for boosting energy production:

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/05/turkey-nuclear-energy-countdown.html?utm_content=buffer221f1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Guest Post: The Breakthrough: The Triumph of Climate Pragmatism

For the better part of two decades, a small group of scholars and advocates have argued that United Nations climate treaty efforts were doomed. Caps on emissions and other efforts that make fossil fuels more expensive would fail in world where competitive alternative fuels don't exist, and where billions of people need to consume more, not less, energy.

The Breakthrough: The Triumph of Climate Pragmatism

But it wasn’t until the collapse of United Nations talks in Copenhagen in 2009 that mainstream environmental leaders and policymakers started taking the criticism seriously. Now, two close environmental and liberal allies of President Obama, former senators Tim Wirth and Tom Daschle, have called for the whole treaty framework of mandatory emissions limits to be scrapped.

In a long essay for the widely-respected environmental magazine, Yale Environment 360, they argue that the Kyoto climate treaty framework

depends on national governments, whose first responsibility is to their own people and well-being. For that reason, the climate negotiations have faltered. Nations could not agree on who is to blame, on how to allocate emissions, or on projections for the future.

Wirth’s abandonment of binding limits is particularly significant. Wirth was lead negotiator for the Kyoto treaty, which was centrally focused on limits. He and Daschle have long been close to the President and his climate advisor John Podesta. As such, the publication of the essay yesterday can fairly be described as the moment America's liberal establishment finally walked away from the dream of binding global pollution limits, and as the triumph of climate pragmatism.
In place of an “impossible all-encompassing top-down agreement” predicated on shared sacrifice, Wirth and Daschle write, what is needed is “an approach that builds on national self-interest and spurs a ‘race to the top’ in low-carbon energy solutions.”
The essay echoes arguments that scholars such as Steve Rayner, David Victor, Mike Hulme, Roger Pielke, Jr., and Dan Sarewitz have made for nearly two decades. In 1997, Rayner argued in Nature that top-down pollution limits ignore development concerns of poor countries, and couldn’t succeed. In 2000, Pielke Jr. and Sarewitz argued in The Atlantic that climate policy should focus on energy innovation and adaptation, not carbon controls. And in 2008, we published an essay in Democracy Journal arguing that the focus on making fossil energy more expensive needs to be replaced by multilateral efforts among major emitters to make clean energy cheap.
In the years since, the four of us, along with a growing group of scholars, have coauthored a series of essays and reports, including The Hartwell Paper, Climate Pragmatism, and Our High-Energy Planet, which lay out a new framework for international action. That framework focuses on actions that help societies mitigate and adapt to climate change while offering social, environmental, and economic benefits in the present-day, rather than in the distant future.
Lowering energy costs through technological innovation, cleaning up the air, expanding modern energy services to the global poor, and making societies more resilient to natural disasters are all types of actions that benefit people today, while also helping us mitigate and adapt to changes in the climate in the future.
Focusing on innovation and ecological modernization is more consistent with American culture and history as well as the larger project of human development, making for better policy and politics. Wirth and Daschle agree, arguing that moving from a focus on global carbon caps to bottom-up measures to build cleaner and more prosperous economies

would change the psychology of the climate change issue from one of burden to opportunity, and change the likely outcome from one of hand-wringing about failure to excitement about tangible action to build a better world.

There is still much work to be done. Wirth and Daschle remain overly wedded to the idea that policies to address climate change must be motivated centrally by catastrophic fears of climate change. In reality, where progress has been made – whether in the current U.S. shift from coal to gas, the French build-out of nuclear energy in the 70s and 80s, or increased resilience to tropical cyclones in India – the motivations primarily have been driven by non-climate change related priorities. And Wirth and Daschle remain overly focused on renewable energy and carbon pricing as central mitigation strategies, despite the fact that neither has done much in the real world to reduce emissions.
But what matters most is the larger message the two men are delivering. Effective action to address climate change will focus on pragmatic actions at the national level. Commitments from nations to enact specific measures that have demonstrable impact on emissions and resilience – replacing dirty energy technologies with cleaner ones, developing low carbon technologies that can broadly scale without need of heavy ongoing subsidization, and building communities that are more resilient to natural disasters of all sorts, whether caused by anthropogenic climate change or not – are likely to be more effective than negotiations aimed at establishing arbitrary and ultimately unenforceable emissions targets.
Old paradigms die hard, especially for those who helped build them. Wirth and Dashle should be applauded for taking a hard look at the failure of the framework they helped construct, and for coming to the conclusion that it was time to move on.

____________

Michael Shellenberger, President, Breakthrough Institute

436 14th St, Suite 820 :: Oakland, CA 94612

cell (best): 415-309-4200 :: office: 510.550.8800 x355 :: Skype: Shellenberger

My assistant is Cassie Brunelle, cassie@thebreakthrough.org

http://www.thebreakthrough.org/

EIA: U.S. electricity prices to rise 4% in 2014

EIA: U.S. electricity prices to rise 4% in 2014

Coal plant retirements and environmental regulations are driving the increase. http://www.utilitydive.com/news/eia-us-electricity-prices-to-rise-4-in-2014/266324/

NEI Policy Brief: Electricity Markets Undervalue Nuclear Power Plants

Policy Briefs

Electricity Markets Undervalue Nuclear Power Plants

March 2014

Key Points

· Electricity markets must accord value to nuclear energy’s attributes—including large-scale electricity production, clean air, price stability and the highest reliability of any electric generating source—or these benefits may gradually disappear. By undervaluing nuclear power plants, current market policies and practices threaten the diversity of our nation’s generating portfolio and our ability to meet environmental goals.

· The U.S. electric sector is experiencing a period of sustained economic stress because of stagnant electricity demand, low energy prices and the need for large capital investments to replace aging infrastructure. The situation is particularly difficult for nuclear power plants in merchant markets that are experiencing price suppression. Particularly at risk are the older, smaller plants—like Kewaunee in Wisconsin, which closed in 2013, and Vermont Yankee in Vermont, which will shut down late this year. However, large nuclear energy facilities also may be at risk in some markets.

· Competitive electricity markets are not producing price signals to stimulate investment in new generating capacity—with the exception of natural gas—or to support continued operation of existing power plants. This is clear from assessments of these markets in New England, the Midwest, Texas and elsewhere by independent firms commissioned to monitor market performance. Inefficient pricing may stem from actions by regional transmission operators, weaknesses in market design, or government policies that enable low or negative pricing for some types of electric generation.

· America’s 100 nuclear power plants generate 20 percent of the country’s electricity—and nearly two-thirds of its carbon-free electricity. Shutting down a nuclear plant means a loss of hundreds of jobs, a sharp drop in tax revenue for nearby communities, and a surge in greenhouse gas emissions as other power sources (usually natural gas) fill the gap in electricity generation. Most mainstream analyses of climate change policy show that nuclear energy is essential to reduce carbon emissions.

· The continued economic viability of nuclear power plants depends on several factors, including electricity and capacity prices, natural gas prices, regional growth in electricity demand, economic growth in the region, and political sentiment. The outlook also depends on what actions, if any, policymakers take to address market defects.

http://www.nei.org/Master-Document-Folder/Backgrounders/Policy-Briefs/Electricity-Markets-Undervalue-Nuclear-Power-Plant

First base for US emergency response

23 May 2014

The first of America's regional response centres is now in operation, ready to supply equipment to any of the country's nuclear power plants facing an emergency situation.
The base at Tolleson on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, houses five complete sets of portable backup equipment - pumps, generators, hoses and floodlights. These have standardized connections so that they can be used at any of the country's 100 nuclear power reactors to supplement the plant's own safety equipment to help maintain the safety of reactor systems and used fuel pools. Equipment will be kept ready for use anywhere in the country within 24 hours.
Coming in addition to each nuclear power plant's normal systems and the spares kept at each site, the extra kit at the Phoenix centre represents an "extra layer of public protection," said US nuclear industry body the Nuclear Energy Institute. They should "help facilities respond safely to extreme events no matter what causes them."

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-First-base-for-US-emergency-response-2305141.html

Pakistan: Reliance on imported oil for electricity generation criticised

http://www.dawn.com/news/1108014/reliance-on-imported-oil-for-electricity-generation-criticised

Court ruling stymies restart of nuclear plants in Japan

http://digitaljournal.com/news/environment/japanese-government-remains-pro-nuclear-despite-court-ruling/article/384446

South Korea: Nuclear power plants under special inspection ahead of summer peak power season

Nuclear power plants under special inspection ahead of summer peak power season

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=162823

Share of Nuclear Power in Russia’s Energy Balance Should Reach 25 Percent – Putin

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140523/190076016/Share-of-Nuclear-Power-in-Russias-Energy-Balance-Should-Reach-25.html

Nuclear power is our future

http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Nuclear-power-is-our-future-5499289.php

NRC says Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is being operated safely

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/05/22/3076772/nrc-says-diablo-canyon-nuclear.html?sp=/99/177/183/

German Lesson for Renewable Power Policies

http://theenergycollective.com/jared-anderson/382141/german-lesson-renewable-power-policies?utm_source=tec_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&inf_contact_key=33d8ca2177a40afcf2e0dd23b857b5ffd91f22677837d35e6c74159c833529d3

The Economic Failure of Nuclear Power and the Development of a Low Carbon Electricity Future

The Economic Failure of Nuclear Power and the Development of a Low Carbon Electricity Future
Why Small Modular Reactors are Part of the Problem, Not the Solution
http://www.pennenergy.com/content/dam/Pennenergy/online-articles/2014/05/Cooper%20SMRs%20are%20Part%20of%20the%20Problem,%20Not%20the%20Solution%20FINAL2.pdf

Energy News Roundup: As Dust Settles on Russia-China Gas Deal, Important Questions Remain

By Jared Anderson

After some initially-confused western reporting, it’s now clear Russia’s Gazprom finally did close a long-term natural gas deal with Chinese national oil company CNPC. However, there is still wide speculation about the agreed price – a sticking point that held up the deal’s closure for a decade – and equally if not more importantly, questions

Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2014/05/22/energy-news-roundup-as-dust-settles-on-russia-china-gas-deal-important-questions-remain/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=320ce912fc-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-320ce912fc-407300641

Secretary Moniz’s First Year

By US Department of Energy

It’s been one year since Dr. Ernest J. Moniz was sworn in as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy. Since then, he’s been busy. We’re marking the occasion with a look back at some big moments from Secretary Moniz’s first year in office — including landmark energy policy speeches, visits to some of the Energy Department’s National Labs, the

Keep reading →http://breakingenergy.com/2014/05/22/secretary-monizs-first-year/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=320ce912fc-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-320ce912fc-407300641