Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Friday, September 23, 2016
New nuclear research facilities for the UK
New nuclear research facilities for the UK
http://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsnew-nuclear-research-facilities-for-the-uk-5013319
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Friday, September 23, 2016
 |
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
Fukushima Updates 9/22/16
Fukushima Updates 9/22/16
Pacific coastline radioactivity is peaking, but not hazardous… The number of “farm inns” near the F. Daiichi’s evacuation zone is increasing… Namie cattle are now being used to study the effects of low-level radiation exposure… F. Daiichi staff prevents groundwater overflow caused by Typhoon Malakas from reaching the sea… Tokyo forms another Tepco reorganization and management committee. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/117546/117546-6184794664663597060Visit Hanford's nuclear processing facilities, virtually
Visit Hanford's nuclear processing facilities, virtually
http://keprtv.com/news/local/visit-hanfords-nuclear-processing-facilities-virtually
Thursday, September 22, 2016
UK Stable Molten Salt Reactor Design
UK Stable Molten Salt Reactor Design
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/09/uk-stable-molten-salt-reactor-design.html
Department of Energy Task Force Backs Environmental Progress Call to Save Nuclear Power Plants With Temporary Subsidy
Department of Energy Task Force Backs Environmental Progress Call to Save Nuclear Power Plants With Temporary Subsidy
http://www.environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2016/9/22/department-of-energy-task-force-backs-environmental-progress-call-to-save-nuclear-power-plants-with-subsidy-equal-to-that-received-by-wind
Fukushima Updates 9/22/16
Fukushima Updates 9/22/16 –
Pacific coastline radioactivity is peaking, but not hazardous… The number of “farm inns” near the F. Daiichi’s evacuation zone is increasing… Namie cattle are now being used to study the effects of low-level radiation exposure… F. Daiichi staff prevents groundwater overflow caused by Typhoon Malakas from reaching the sea… Tokyo forms another Tepco reorganization and management committee.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
Pacific coastline radioactivity is peaking, but not hazardous… The number of “farm inns” near the F. Daiichi’s evacuation zone is increasing… Namie cattle are now being used to study the effects of low-level radiation exposure… F. Daiichi staff prevents groundwater overflow caused by Typhoon Malakas from reaching the sea… Tokyo forms another Tepco reorganization and management committee.
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.
Pipeline Shutdown Disrupts Gasoline Supply in the Southeast
Pipeline Shutdown Disrupts Gasoline Supply in the Southeast http://www.theenergycollective.com/todayinenergy/2388523/pipeline-shutdown-disrupts-gasoline-supply-in-the-southeast
Nuking the Planet
Nuking the Planet: I’m sure you remember Barack Obama, the guy who entered the Oval Office pledging to work toward “a nuclear-free world.” You know, the president who traveled to Prague in 2009 to say stirringly:
“So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to
seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons... To put
an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons
in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same.”
That same year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize largely for what he might
still do, particularly in the nuclear realm. Of course, that was all
so 2009!
Almost two terms in the Oval Office later, our peace president, the only one who has ever called for nuclear “abolition” -- and whose administration has retired fewer weapons in our nuclear arsenal than any other in the post-Cold War era -- is now presiding over the early stages of a trillion-dollar modernization of that very arsenal. (And that trillion-dollar price tag comes, of course, before the inevitable cost overruns even begin.) It includes full-scale work on the creation of a “precision-guided” nuclear weapon with a “dial-back” lower yield option. Such a weapon would potentially bring nukes to the battlefield in a first-use way, something the U.S. is proudly pioneering.
And that brings me to the September 6th front-page story in the New York Times that caught my eye. Think of it as the icing on the Obama era nuclear cake. Its headline: “Obama Unlikely to Vow No First Use of Nuclear Weapons.” Admittedly, if made, such a vow could be reversed by any future president. Still, reportedly for fear that a pledge not to initiate a nuclear war would “undermine allies and embolden Russia and China... while Russia is running practice bombing runs over Europe and China is expanding its reach in the South China Sea,” the president has backed down on issuing such a vow. In translation: the only country that has ever used such weaponry will remain on the record as ready and willing to do so again without nuclear provocation, an act that, it is now believed in Washington, would create a calmer planet.
You must be kidding!
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176189/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_war%2C_peace%2C_and_absurdity/#more
Almost two terms in the Oval Office later, our peace president, the only one who has ever called for nuclear “abolition” -- and whose administration has retired fewer weapons in our nuclear arsenal than any other in the post-Cold War era -- is now presiding over the early stages of a trillion-dollar modernization of that very arsenal. (And that trillion-dollar price tag comes, of course, before the inevitable cost overruns even begin.) It includes full-scale work on the creation of a “precision-guided” nuclear weapon with a “dial-back” lower yield option. Such a weapon would potentially bring nukes to the battlefield in a first-use way, something the U.S. is proudly pioneering.
And that brings me to the September 6th front-page story in the New York Times that caught my eye. Think of it as the icing on the Obama era nuclear cake. Its headline: “Obama Unlikely to Vow No First Use of Nuclear Weapons.” Admittedly, if made, such a vow could be reversed by any future president. Still, reportedly for fear that a pledge not to initiate a nuclear war would “undermine allies and embolden Russia and China... while Russia is running practice bombing runs over Europe and China is expanding its reach in the South China Sea,” the president has backed down on issuing such a vow. In translation: the only country that has ever used such weaponry will remain on the record as ready and willing to do so again without nuclear provocation, an act that, it is now believed in Washington, would create a calmer planet.
You must be kidding!
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176189/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_war%2C_peace%2C_and_absurdity/#more
EM’s Idaho Site Crews Complete Buried Waste Cleanup Accomplishment
 |
EM News Flash | Sept. 22, 2016 |
An aerial view of the Idaho Site’s Radioactive Waste Management Complex.
EM’s Idaho Site Crews Complete Buried Waste Cleanup Accomplishment
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM’s Idaho Site program
and contractor Fluor Idaho have completed a significant cleanup
accomplishment that further protects the underlying Snake River Plain
Aquifer, the primary drinking and irrigation water source for more than
300,000 Idahoans.
Workers recently satisfied a provision of a 2008 agreement among the
DOE, state of Idaho and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by
packaging a total of 7,485 cubic meters of exhumed hazardous and
radioactive waste generated at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons
production plant near Denver and buried in Idaho in the 1950s and 1960s.
The amount of waste exhumed is equivalent to nearly 36,000 55-gallon
drums of material.
Per
the agreement, crews will continue to remove radioactive and hazardous
waste from a combined area of 5.69 acres of the unlined 97-acre landfill
called the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Radioactive Waste
Management Complex. To date, Fluor Idaho and two previous contractors
have exhumed waste from 4.24 acres, and the project remains about two
years ahead of schedule. Fluor Idaho will continue exhumation until all
of the 5.69 acres are exhumed.
Once exhumed, characterized and repackaged, the waste is shipped out
of Idaho for disposal. Following completion of waste exhumation, a soil
cap will be installed over the entire SDA.
Waste exhumation underway at EM's Idaho Site.
Targeted waste in a drum packaging station for visual examination.
To complete the 2008 agreement between the DOE, state of Idaho the
EPA, just two of nine different areas within the 97-acre SDA are left to
be exhumed.
The
waste exhumation project, which began in 2005, targets removal of the
highest concentrations of solvents and transuranic radionuclides, such
as plutonium and americium, buried in the landfill.
Currently,
crews are 56 percent complete on the eighth area, and are working to
remove hazardous and radioactive buried waste within a steel-framed,
fabric-sided building. Waste exhumation in that building is expected to
continue into 2017. Construction of the building over the ninth and
final area within the SDA began in July of 2016 and should be complete
in 2017.
Waste exhumation will begin post-construction and is expected to be completed in 202
|
33 giant Chinese infrastructure projects that are reshaping the world
33 giant Chinese infrastructure projects that are reshaping the world
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-infrastructure-projects-reshaping-the-world-2016-9?op=0#/#110-million-the-pingtang-telescope-was-finally-turned-on-in-september-of-2016-and-is-now-the-worlds-second-largest-radio-telescope-its-dish-measures-1640-feet-across-1
NRC Blog Update Election Year, the Hatch Act and NRC Employees
Election Year, the Hatch Act and NRC Employees
Posted by on September 22, 2016
Eric Michel
Attorney
Like
most Americans, the employees of the NRC are watching the 2016
elections and considering who to vote for in November. But unlike most
Americans, there are a number of political activities which NRC
employees – as part of the federal government – cannot do.
The prohibitions are contained in the Hatch Act, a law first passed in 1939. The act restricts executive branch employees in their actions related to partisan elections – and not just at work. The intent behind the restrictions is to maintain a politically neutral federal workforce, free from partisan influence or coercion.
As outlined in the NRC’s Management Directive 7.10, NRC employees cannot engage in political activity while on duty or while inside a federal building. They can’t wear a partisan political button, display a campaign sign in their office or use their government computer to send an email advocating for or against a partisan political candidate or political party.
Even while off duty, NRC employees cannot solicit or receive funds on behalf of a partisan candidate or political party. You also won’t find NRC employees on any ballot for a partisan election – that’s prohibited, too.
Activities most NRC employees are allowed to do on their own time includes:
Career Senior Executive Service employees are under a few additional restrictions. Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees, such as the NRC Chairman and Commissioners, have their own specific rules.
Penalties can range from being reprimanded to being fired to being fined up to $1,000.
More information about what NRC and other federal government workers can and cannot do related to elections can be found here.
Attorney
Like
most Americans, the employees of the NRC are watching the 2016
elections and considering who to vote for in November. But unlike most
Americans, there are a number of political activities which NRC
employees – as part of the federal government – cannot do.The prohibitions are contained in the Hatch Act, a law first passed in 1939. The act restricts executive branch employees in their actions related to partisan elections – and not just at work. The intent behind the restrictions is to maintain a politically neutral federal workforce, free from partisan influence or coercion.
As outlined in the NRC’s Management Directive 7.10, NRC employees cannot engage in political activity while on duty or while inside a federal building. They can’t wear a partisan political button, display a campaign sign in their office or use their government computer to send an email advocating for or against a partisan political candidate or political party.
Even while off duty, NRC employees cannot solicit or receive funds on behalf of a partisan candidate or political party. You also won’t find NRC employees on any ballot for a partisan election – that’s prohibited, too.
Activities most NRC employees are allowed to do on their own time includes:
- Register and vote
- Assist in voter registration drives
- Contribute money to political organizations
- Distribute campaign literature
- Attend political rallies and fundraisers
- Volunteer for a campaign
Career Senior Executive Service employees are under a few additional restrictions. Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees, such as the NRC Chairman and Commissioners, have their own specific rules.
Penalties can range from being reprimanded to being fired to being fined up to $1,000.
More information about what NRC and other federal government workers can and cannot do related to elections can be found here.
PennWell Books
11:14 AM (2 hours ago)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Climate change agreement crosses threshold
Climate change agreement crosses threshold
The Paris Climate Change Agreement crossed the first of two thresholds required for it to enter into force after 31 governments yesterday formally submitted their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-Climate-change-agreement-crosses-threshold-2209167.html
The Paris Climate Change Agreement crossed the first of two thresholds required for it to enter into force after 31 governments yesterday formally submitted their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-Climate-change-agreement-crosses-threshold-2209167.html
The benefits of standardisation for nuclear projects
The benefits of standardisation for nuclear projects
The importance of standardisation in the evaluation of reactor designs is key to making nuclear power plant projects more efficient and cost-effective, Jerry Head, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy told delegates at the World Nuclear Association's 41st Annual Symposium in London last week. Head outlined seven areas where such an approach can bring harmony to the process of managing projects from the design licensing stage through to decommissioning.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-The-benefits-of-standardisation-for-nuclear-projects-22091601.html
The importance of standardisation in the evaluation of reactor designs is key to making nuclear power plant projects more efficient and cost-effective, Jerry Head, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy told delegates at the World Nuclear Association's 41st Annual Symposium in London last week. Head outlined seven areas where such an approach can bring harmony to the process of managing projects from the design licensing stage through to decommissioning.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-The-benefits-of-standardisation-for-nuclear-projects-22091601.html
Reactor restarts pivotal to Japan's energy policy, says IEA
Reactor restarts pivotal to Japan's energy policy, says IEA
The restart of Japan's nuclear power reactors is "critical" to the success of the country's energy policy, according to the International Energy Agency. However, it says nuclear power can only be restored provided that the highest safety standards can be met and public trust regained. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Reactor-restarts-pivotal-to-Japans-energy-policy-says-IEA-2209164.html
The restart of Japan's nuclear power reactors is "critical" to the success of the country's energy policy, according to the International Energy Agency. However, it says nuclear power can only be restored provided that the highest safety standards can be met and public trust regained. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Reactor-restarts-pivotal-to-Japans-energy-policy-says-IEA-2209164.html
Join us tomorrow for #NuclearGoingForward
Michele --
Mark your calendar! We’d like to invite you to tune into a livestream tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. EST.
Together with Nuclear Matters, Bloomberg BNA is hosting an event to discuss the clean energy benefits and value of nuclear power. Industry and policy experts will participate in a lively conversation on the questions facing the industry and the future of nuclear energy. Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner, a member of the Nuclear Matters Leadership Council, will be a panelist.
You can livestream the event here: https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/
Join the conversation on Twitter during and after the event by following @Nuclear_Matters and using the #NuclearGoingForward hashtag. We look forward to seeing your tweets!
For more information, visit the event page.
Regards,
Nuclear Matters
http://action.nuclearmatters.
Mark your calendar! We’d like to invite you to tune into a livestream tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. EST.
Together with Nuclear Matters, Bloomberg BNA is hosting an event to discuss the clean energy benefits and value of nuclear power. Industry and policy experts will participate in a lively conversation on the questions facing the industry and the future of nuclear energy. Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner, a member of the Nuclear Matters Leadership Council, will be a panelist.
You can livestream the event here: https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/
Join the conversation on Twitter during and after the event by following @Nuclear_Matters and using the #NuclearGoingForward hashtag. We look forward to seeing your tweets!
For more information, visit the event page.
Regards,
Nuclear Matters
http://action.nuclearmatters.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
An Important Message from the American Nuclear Society
|
An Important Message from the American Nuclear Society
As nuclear professionals, we find ourselves at a pivotal juncture. We face an unprecedented number of premature nuclear plant closures for reasons that have nothing to do with their safety or performance. However, we are also witnessing intense interest in the design and development of advanced reactor systems. Even environmentalists who previously opposed nuclear energy are taking notice of this promising technology. In these turbulent times, it is critically important that the American Nuclear Society continues to speak out on behalf of the entire nuclear community. Since ANS is not aligned with any particular industry or other segment of the nuclear community, we have the unique position of speaking as an independent technical voice that is highly respected and influential in the public policy area. Every day, ANS works with the Congress, Executive Branch, and state governments to advance forward thinking, technically informed policies in a variety of areas, including:
But, we can’t do it alone. ANS is only as strong as its membership. To continue pursuing our common goals, we need your help. Please join us on our vital mission to advance nuclear science and technology by becoming an ANS member. As a demonstration of our commitment, we are offering you free membership for the remainder of 2016. We’ll also waive the $18 membership application fee. ANS Membership also comes with substantial personal benefits including a free subscription to Nuclear News, our flagship magazine, member discounts on meeting registration, online store purchases, access to online mentoring and collaborating networks with fellow members, and much more. See http://www.ans.org/memberinfo. Our strong and growing membership is vital to making our voices heard in the halls of Congress, the offices of federal agencies, and the chambers of state legislatures. Join us so that we can continue advancing nuclear policy and the tremendous benefits of nuclear science and technology. |
|
Enter discount code: DLFPF16 to receive your application fee waiver
and free membership through December. |
|
|
Best regards,
Andy Klein
President American Nuclear Society |
Recognition sought for nuclear's unique attributes
Recognition sought for nuclear's unique attributes
The economics and financing of nuclear power projects and the markets in which they operate was discussed last week by a high level panel at the World Nuclear Association's Annual Symposium. While some countries are investing in new nuclear capacity, some market conditions are forcing the closure of existing reactors, participants said. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Recognition-sought-for-nuclears-unique-attributes-2109164.html
The economics and financing of nuclear power projects and the markets in which they operate was discussed last week by a high level panel at the World Nuclear Association's Annual Symposium. While some countries are investing in new nuclear capacity, some market conditions are forcing the closure of existing reactors, participants said. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Recognition-sought-for-nuclears-unique-attributes-2109164.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)