Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Fukushima Update 1/1/15

Fukushima Update 1/1/15 –

A Canadian ocean monitoring network says the risk from Fukushima is “insignificant”… Japan’s post-Fukushima “coal binge” fuels international criticism… Most Minamisoma decontaminated “hot spot” residents say they will not return home… The Asahi Shimbun accuses Tepco of “sloppy handling” of dust suppressants in 2013.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Just Shut Down; U.S. Still Has No System for Disposing of Nuclear Waste

http://www.newsweek.com/vermont-yankee-nuclear-plant-just-shut-down-us-still-has-no-system-disposing-295775

Maine and Vermont’s Yankee connection: Nuclear shutdown, natural gas, dry casks

By The BDN Editorial Board,

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/01/01/the-point/maine-and-vermonts-yankee-connection-nuclear-shutdown-natural-gas-dry-casks/

Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor shutdown does not end debate: Editorial

http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/12/vermont_yankee_nuclear_reactor.html

Another Reactor Closes, Punctuating New Reality for U.S. Nuclear Power

As Vermont Yankee shuts down, the U.S. has yet to address industry issues that span decades

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2015/01/150101-vermont-yankee-shutdown-us-nuclear-issues/

PennEnergy's Daily Power Update 1/1/2015


Energy Insights
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Your 2015 Weather Forecast In the past six months, Americans have seen a major decline in gas prices at the pump. For the public, this is a sign of relief; however, businesses working, or invested in the oil and gas industry are starting to sweat with the potential or, in some areas of the world confirmation of profit losses because of the flooded market. …more>>


Requisite Variety Collective human experience has shown over millennia that the more complex the system, the more difficult it is to understand the relationships and their behaviors. Therefore, as system density increases, it acquires greater variety, that is systemic behavior becomes more uncertain. …more>>

Becoming a Part of Speech—Pluses & Minus As a general rule, this author believes that when the company or a product becomes part of the vernacular the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Aggressive trademark defense may actually detract from the brand in this case. …more>>

Energy’s Mustache-Twirling Villains Everybody loves a villain. Why? Because everybody wants to be the hero, and having a bad guy means we’re just that much closer to being the ultimate good guy. This theme plays out in everything from cartoons to global energy. Everyone is the hero in their own story. …more>>

Opportunities for Women in the Clean Economy The emerging clean energy economy offers an opportunity for women to close this gap by building sustainable careers in a sector that is becoming increasingly high-demand. …more>>

As 2014 comes to an end, nuclear power is at a crossroads yet again

Milton Caplan President at MZConsulting Inc

As stated in the 2014 World Energy Outlook, the world needs nuclear but age-old issues remain. http://bit.ly/1tvNZ7H

As 2014 comes to a close, nuclear power is at a crossroads – again! bit.ly

http://mzconsultinginc.com/?p=719

The world needs nuclear power – so says the latest edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO) issued in November. “ Nuclear power is one of the few options available at scale to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions while providing or displacing other...

Vermont Yankee Closure: Even Before Long Winter Begins, Energy Bills Send Shivers in New England

Vermont Yankee Closure
While heat and reliable energy are in high demand this winter, Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant was forced into early-retirement. This plant was operating at over 90% capacity, but couldn't overcome the perfect storm [ http://www.nuclearmatters.com/challenge ] of conditions threatening more plants around the country. It produced 70% of Vermont's electricity reliably and without ANY carbon emissions as well as directly employed 650 employees and thousands more indirectly. Its closure will have devastating impacts on the entire region – The New York Times reports it already has in the article "Even Before Long Winter Begins, Energy Bills Send Shivers in New England [ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/us/even-before-long-winter-begins-energy-bills-send-shivers-in-new-england.html?_r=0 ]."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/us/even-before-long-winter-begins-energy-bills-send-shivers-in-new-england.html?_r=1

Nuclear Matters released a statement on the premature retirement of Vermont Yankee.
- Read the full Nuclear Matters statement here. [ http://www.nuclearmatters.com/news/press-releases/nuclear-matters-statement-on-closure-of-vermont-yankee-nuclear-power-facility ]
- Read the full text of the Nuclear Energy Institute's statement here. [ http://www.nei.org/News-Media/Media-Room/News-Releases/NEI-Vermont-Yankee-Closing-a-Great-Loss ]

Conference Paper for Society for Environmental Toxciology & Chemistry (SETAC)

Scientific Conference: Fukushima a global threat to human health — Radioactivity in food web off Pacific Northwest to “significantly increase” after one year — Salmon forecast to exceed Japan radiation limit

Conference Paper for Society for Environmental Toxciology & Chemistry (SETAC), Dr. Juan Jose Alava & Dr. Frank Gobas, Simon Fraser Univ., published Dec 1, 2014 (emphasis added):

A Marine Food Web Bioaccumulation model for Cesium 137 in the Pacific Northwest — The Fukushima nuclear accident on 11 March 2011 emerged as a global threat to the conservation of the Pacific Ocean, human health, and marine biodiversity… This accident was defined by the [IAEA] as “a major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects requiring implementation of planned and extended countermeasures”. Despite the looming threat of radiation, there has been scant attention and inadequate radiation monitoring. This is unfortunate, as the potential radioactive contamination of seafoods through bioaccumulation of radioisotopes (i.e. 137Cs) in marine and coastal food webs are issues of major concern for the public health of coastal communities… [R]eleases of 137Cs into the Pacific after the Fukushima nuclear accident are… prone to concentrate in marine food-webs… [A] simulation time dependent bioaccumulation model… showed that 137Cs can be expected to bioaccumulate gradually over time in the food web… Bioaccumulation of 137Cs was characterized by slow uptake and elimination rates in upper trophic level organisms and dominance of dietary consumption in the uptake of 137CS. This modeling work showed… magnification of this radionuclide takes place in the marine food web over time.
Reviewer Comments (Dr. Nikolaus Gantner, Univ. of N. British Columbia): “Excellent abstract and an important contribution to the session in terms of modeling efforts and bioaccumulation. Provides long-term perspective on the issue.”

Dataset for Modeling Work, published Dec 1, 2014:

The Fukushima nuclear accident… emerged as a looming threat to the marine biodiversity in the Pacific Ocean and human health in coastal communities. Assessment of long term consequences… should consider the extent of ecological magnification in food-webs… 137Cs cannot be ruled out as a potential bioaccumulative pollutant in regional food-webs, including… in BC waters. — Objective: To model the bioaccumulation of 137Cs in an offshore food web of the Pacific Northwest … Through the oceanic life stage cycle, Pacific salmon species are likely to deliver Fukushima associated 137Cs to the resident killer whales’ food-web in waters off the Pacific Northwest coast… 137Cs activities significantly increase in the food web after one year… 137Cs activities may achieve levels in upper trophic levels that may pose health risks in wildlife species. A rigorous monitoring program would… improve the ability to forecast 137Cs activities in marine organisms and uptake in human populations that consume sea products.
View the poster for this presentation herehttp://enenews.com/conference-fukushima-global-threat-human-health-west-coast-salmon-forecast-exceed-japan-radiation-limit-major-concern-public-health-coastal-communities-poster?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29