Is This the Beginning of the End of Nuclear Power in the U.S.?

US power company abandons reactor construction

A US power company says it will abandon plans to build nuclear reactors in Texas, amid the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.

NRG Energy, which operates the South Texas Project nuclear station, planned to build the 2 reactors with Japan's Toshiba Corporation.

The company said on Tuesday that it will write off its investment in the project, citing extraordinary challenges facing US nuclear development due to present circumstances.

The firm also said justifying to its shareholders any further financial participation in the project would be impossible.

The firm is the first in the US to decide to withdraw from nuclear expansion since the start of the Fukushima crisis.
source

reply to post by thorfourwinds
In answer to your question... I can only hope so.

I used to be a proponent of nuclear power, not anymore!

It’s the end of big nuclear but small modular reactors are going to hit the market in just a few years and they are going to be huge .. no pun intended.

www.smartplanet.com...

The problem these days is ... Behind a good idea (with this Nuclear Plant not opening) there's mostly a bad idea brewing ...

reply to post by butcherguy
I used to be pro nuclear power too. I just never thought about how vulnerable they are in the face of a natural disaster. I knew how much potential there is for contamination but thought there were enough safeguards in place to keep that from happening. Then we have the Japanese scenario and all that goes out the window. I now think we should have thought of this possibility before building these things.

reply to post by thorfourwinds


Greetings:

Perhaps it might be interesting to turn some of the spotlight on U.S. nuclear energy and the potential of a Japan-like disaster right here in the homeland.

From just this small sampling (we still have the rest of the alphabet), it would seem that there is a real problem here in America - now.

An interesting place to start is with the letter "A" - as in Areva. Sound familiar?

Loss of criticality safety controls at Areva Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant
During a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection from February 7-11, 2011, a Severity Level IV violation was identified: the licensee failed to implement items relied on for safety for the ammonia recovery facility stripper column to prevent an inadvertent nuclear criticality, which is a credible high consequence event.
(INSPECTION REPORT NO. 70-1257/2011-201 AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION, March 11, 2011)

"Protecting People and the Environment"

Gotta love the Newspeak.

NRC identifies willful falsification of documents at Areva NP's Richland nuclear fuel plant
An investigation initiated on April 3, 2009, by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of Investigations, Region II, determined that a former Advisory Engineer, AREVA NP Inc. willfully falsified transit approval forms regarding overseas shipments of low enriched uranium and also that the same Advisory Engineer failed to follow procedural requirements for release of criticality calculations that pertained to uranium shipments. (NRC EA-10-041, Aug. 10, 2010)

Areva Richland, WA

Loss of criticality safety controls at Areva Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant
During a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection from September 18 through 23, 2009, a Severity Level IV violation was identified regarding the presence of prohibited unfavorable geometry containers (open and unattended plastic bags larger than 5.5 gallons) in Room 102A.
(NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 70-1257/2009-202 AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION, October 21, 2009)

NRC denies Areva NP's request to withhold Advanced Notifications of Export Shipments from public disclosure
On Aug. 19, 2009, NRC denied a request by Areva NP to withhold Areva's Advanced Notifications of Export Shipments from public disclosure. NRC will rather continue to make these notifications available to the public, 30 days after the material has been delivered. (ADAMS Acc. no. ML091550364)

OK. Do I read this right? Areva requested the NRC the right to withhold advance notification of export (read: nuclear) shipments from the public.

So, the NRC denied the request in favor of a policy that informs the public 30 days after the nuclear material has been delivered... what does this really mean? Newspeak?

Security guard falsified access authorization forms at AREVA NP Inc. Richland nuclear fuel plant
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory has issued a Confirmatory Order to AREVA NP Inc.'s Richland facility as part of a settlement agreement involving a security guard who falsified access authorization forms. The guard's actions caused AREVA to be in violation of its security procedures, and allowed unauthorized individuals unescorted access to the Richland, Wash., nuclear materials facility.

> View NRC release July 24, 2009. (This link has been removed from the NRC website.-tfw)
source

In Peace, Love & Light
tfw

reply to post by thorfourwinds


Of course it is, but you will find that it is a difficult road for the general public to convince the nuke developers both in governments and business (which is more or less the same group).

Nuclear accidents are a fact of life. What is even more true as we are increasingly coming to understand is that we are not talking simply about a mechanical breakdown in a industrial plant of some sort, but the potential for a very wide-spread area of destruction that goes far beyond the reaches of the "economic" interest of that facility.

Who pays the tremendous costs in human personal and economic suffering and lives? GE, PETCO or some other entity such as your government rushing in to pick up the pieces (at your expense)?

We don't need atomic weapons when we have nuclear plants scattered at hundreds of locations around the world. They are a danger to us all and not just from typical accidents of quakes, tsunami, natural breakdowns. There is the terrorist factor which is growing increasing every day. It is insane. A war against the entirement just waiting to happen on an even greater scale. And we let it....

Doubtful, the US government does what it wants, whenever it wants regardless of how its people and the world feels about it.

Originally posted by QBSneak000
Doubtful, the US government does what it wants, whenever it wants regardless of how its people and the world feels about it.

Italy freezes nuclear plant construction

The Italian government has frozen a plan to build new nuclear power plants in the country.

On Tuesday, the administration of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi submitted a bill to the Senate that indefinitely shelves the construction of new plants.

The bill says the plan was frozen in order to obtain further scientific proof about the safety of nuclear plants.

After the 1986 Chernobyl accident, Italy shut down all its nuclear power stations and abandoned nuclear power generation.

But the Berlusconi administration had come up with a plan to build new plants as a way to resolve the country's energy shortages.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, Italy announced a one-year moratorium on site selection and plant construction.

The latest move is apparently in response to rising public opposition to nuclear power generation.

A referendum had been scheduled for June on whether to resume nuclear power generation in Italy.

But the Italian media say the referendum is not likely to be held in view of the latest decision.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 10:27 +0900 (JST)

www3.nhk.or.jp...

US power company abandons reactor construction

A US power company says it will abandon plans to build nuclear reactors in Texas, amid the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.

NRG Energy, which operates the South Texas Project nuclear station, planned to build the 2 reactors with Japan's Toshiba Corporation.

The company said on Tuesday that it will write off its investment in the project, citing extraordinary challenges facing US nuclear development due to present circumstances.

The firm also said justifying to its shareholders any further financial participation in the project would be impossible.

The firm is the first in the US to decide to withdraw from nuclear expansion since the start of the Fukushima crisis.

NRG Energy will record a pretax charge of 481 million dollars in the first quarter of this year for impairment of net assets.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 16:35 +0900 (JST)

www3.nhk.or.jp...

Germany to end reliance on nuclear power

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her government will end its reliance on nuclear power as soon as possible by increasing energy generation from renewable sources.

Merkel spoke to reporters about the plan on Friday after meeting with ministers and all 16 state governors to discuss the energy issue. Earlier, she had suspended a plan to extend the life of existing nuclear power stations following the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The Chancellor said German efforts would focus on developing power grids and renewable technologies, including for wind and solar power.

Last year, Merkel reversed a decision by a former government to shut down all German nuclear plants by about 2022.

Saturday, April 16, 2011 09:04 +0900 (JST)

www3.nhk.or.jp...

Originally posted by SirMike
It’s the end of big nuclear but small modular reactors are going to hit the market in just a few years and they are going to be huge .. no pun intended.

www.smartplanet.com...

Greetings:

Excellent! And thank you for your interest, SirMike.

We were going to bring this up a bit further along in the discussion (we're only on "A"), but will consider this an opportune time to identify the possibility of Small Modular Reactors as something to be considered.

As with all discussions regarding nuclear energy, the waste situation needs to be addressed. Nowhere, in any of the literature, is the reality of waste storage addressed.

As evidenced by the spent-fuel storage pools disasters in Japan, this issue is one of possible survival as a species on Planet Earth.

But first, as in all things associated with the government, follow the money. Where does it come from to finance these crimes against humanity? The USGOV, of course.

(...)
Finally, building on the unprecedented investment in clean energy provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act), the Budget provides $36 billion in loan guarantee authority for new nuclear power facilities...

This funding was buried in TARP?

How can we continue to fund an industry that has supposedly been snookered by the withholding of funding for Yucca Mountain - the only proposed waste repository in America?

(We'll cover Yucca at the appropriate time - and we're ready).

This is exactly of which we speak - no transparency - because we, the people, just might object.

If we went after the USGOV/Nuclear Industry the way we have decimated TEPCO, the same fate may not await us in U.S. If the funding isn't there, there will be no further nuclear development.

It also includes: $853 million to support nuclear energy, including research and development of a variety of nuclear technologies, such as Small Modular Reactors; and $453 million for a fossil energy R&D portfolio focused on carbon capture and storage technologies.

The Budget includes funding to accelerate the deployment of new models of energy research pioneered in the last several years, including $550 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, a program that supports breakthrough ideas.

The funding for the infrastructure lurks in every nook and cranny of the 2012 Budget.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Funding Highlights: (a partial list)

• Strengthens national security through funding for the detection, elimination, and securing of nuclear and radiological material worldwide.

• Continues the Nation’s efforts to reduce environmental risks and safely manage nuclear materials.

• Increases the percentage of electricity produced by clean energy sources by encouraging
early commercial deployment of innovative clean energy technologies with additional loan guarantee support for nuclear power plants and innovative energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects.

• Eliminates inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that impede investment in clean energy sources and
undermine efforts to address the threat of climate change.

• Includes $7.6 billion to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear weapons stockpile in support of the planned decrease in deployed U.S. and Russian weapons under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty approved by the Senate.
source

Now, about those pesky Small Modular Reactors.

The Obama administration’s 2012 budget proposal includes a request for funds to develop small “modular” nuclear reactors to power a government lab.

Illustration: Babcock & Wilcox

Would one care to bet what this "government lab" is about?

The reactors would be owned by a utility, and would require $500 million over five years, about 50 percent of the estimated cost to complete two designs and secure approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the New York Times reports.

OK. So where is the other 1/2 billion dollars going to come from?

Some points about the reactors:

• Construction costs, modular reactors: several hundred million to $2 billion.

• Construction costs, conventional reactors: up to $10 billion (for a reactor with 20 times the output of a modular version).

• The federal facility of interest: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee.

The only hurdle, and it’s a major one, is that the design and approval process is prohibitively expensive. Quite simply, it’s too steep to iterate quickly when it’s unclear if there’s a market for the reactors anyway.

There's the door. Eliminate the idea that there is a market potential.

The federal government’s answer: pay half up front and sign a deal to buy power from it, thus guaranteeing revenue for the utility, and consequently making it easier for the utility to receive financing for the project.

Financing from who?

A prerequisite for a construction permit should be an ironclad method of waste disposal.

The process starts with federal facilities: military bases, national laboratories, and so forth.

Secondary targets. Stop the money flow and the project stops.

Let's peruse the Obama budget a bit more.

The short-term reason behind the administration’s request is to help the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) meet federal goals to go green by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. All federal agencies are now required by an executive order to reduce their carbon footprint by 28 percent by 2020.

Now, wouldn't you feel like less a patriot by not backing a measure to "go green"?

The long-term goal, however, is to create assembly-line production of small reactors, considerably reducing costs and giving federal officials a good solution to replace old, coal-fired power plants that won’t pass new federal emissions requirements.

Is this the red herring in this woodpile?

I know, I'm mixing metaphors, but that is how perplexed I am at how we, the people, are being treated by the very people we pay to protect us. This is stupid.

To be continued...

In Peace, Love & Light
tfw

reply to post by zorgon


Greetings zorgon:

Thank you for taking the time to recognize this thread and add to this effort.

Knowledge is power and you always come through with the goods.

We now offer this to the mix.

Radioactive Material Detected in Air, Water in New York

Trace amounts of radioactive iodine believed to have come from Japan's quake-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been detected in the air and rainwater in New York, the state's health department said.

There is no threat to public health, the department said in a statement published Tuesday. ''The most recent analyses show that levels range from 0.01-0.1 picocuries (one-trillionth of a curie) per cubic meter in air. These levels are similar or below what other states are reporting,'' it said.

This is supposed to make one feel better?

It's starting here. Right now.

We need to get a handle on this now.

(Note to self: Must keep a timeline of how this develops.)

In the United States, trace amounts of radioactive materials believed to have come from the Fukushima nuclear plant have also been detected in several other states, including Hawaii, California, Nevada, Florida and Massachusetts.

The amount detected in New York is "'dramatically below levels that would cause human health concerns,'' State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah said in the statement, adding that exposure to this level of radiation is thousands of times lower than common medical imaging procedures, such as chest X-rays.

''We continue to advise New Yorkers that they do not need to take any precautions because of the radioactive emissions from Japan's nuclear plants,'' Shah said.

Do these guys have the same PR agency as TEPCO that spits out this gobbledegook?

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw

reply to post by thorfourwinds


Greetings:

We started with Areva and the Richland, Washington, nuclear facility. Well, here is more of the comedy of errors surrounding just this one plant!

If this is the level of competence at other nuclear facilities, we are in a fine kettle of fish.

24-4-2009
License renewal for AREVA NP Inc. Richland nuclear fuel plant.

On April 24, 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that it has renewed the operating license of Areva NP's nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Richland, Wash., for an additional 40 years of operation. This is the first 40-year renewal of a nuclear facility license in the United States.

12-6-2008
Areva obtains approval for installation of supercritical CO2 uranium recovery process at Richland nuclear fuel plant.

By letter dated June 12, 2008, AREVA NP, Inc., applied for a license amendment of its Richland Facility for the installation of a supercritical CO2 uranium recovery process. The process will be utilized to recover uranium from solid uranium-containing residues, most notably incinerator ash.

23-10-2006
On Oct. 23, 2006, two workers were exposed to HF leaking from a cracked weld of conversion process line 3. One of the two workers was subsequently hospitalized for exposure to HF vapor. On October 26, 2006, evidence of a second crack was found in the weld near the original crack in the line 3 equipment. The licensee shut down line 3 conversion operations.

Here is the actual verbiage from the NRC investigation.

"On the morning of Oct. 23, 2006, a technician at the AREVA Richland plant noticed an unusual odor which was determined to be hydrogen fluoride gas, a non-radioactive chemical used in processing uranium hexafluoride into nuclear fuel. No elevated radiation readings were recorded, personnel were warned that entering the area required respiratory protection equipment, and operations in that area were stopped. The technician was later admitted to the hospital for observation, but there was no exposure to other workers and no release offsite."

27-9-2005

A cargo container filled with about 4.5 short tons of uranium oxide powder fell off a truck leaving Richland's Framatome ANP nuclear fuel plant on Sep. 26, 2005, but company and state officials said there was no sign the toxic material inside had escaped. The accident happened about 3 p.m. when the cargo container fell from a flatbed truck as it pulled out of the plant's gate, said Chris Powers, a project manager for Framatome, which also is known as Areva. (Tri City Herald Sep 27, 2005)

Is this the first time that the name AREVA appears?

16-10-2003
Import of radioactive waste from Germany for uranium extraction and incineration.

On October 16, 2003, the U.S. NRC issued import license IW009, authorizing Framatome ANP Inc. to import 1200 kilograms uranium contained in Class A Radioactive Waste consisting of combustible materials (paper, wood, clothing, plastic) contaminated with low enriched uranium (LEU) oxide powder, enriched to 5% w/o maximum, generated during the LEU fuel fabrication process.

The waste originates from Advanced Nuclear Fuels GmbH (ANF), Lingen, Germany. Framatome ANP Inc. will incinerate contaminated combustible materials to recover uranium. Slightly contaminated non-combustibles from processing will be returned to ANF in Germany, in accordance with NRC export license XW005 (issued Oct. 17, 2003). Arrangements for disposal of low-level radioactive waste at the US Ecology, Inc facility in Richland, Washington are in place.

So, now we are accepting waste from other countries for disposal in the U.S.? As if we had the waste problem solved for our own waste?

20-2-2003
Small fire in the feed hopper of the solid waste uranium recovery incinerator at Framatome ANP Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant.

"On February 20, 2003, at approximately 0630 hrs., a small fire occurred in the feed hopper of the solid waste uranium recovery incinerator involving a cardboard waste box, containing about 9.75 grams of U-235, which caught fire before it was fully fed into a waste incinerator. (...)

There was no release of radioactive material from the facility as demonstrated by stack air sample results and samples taken from the roof and surroundings. The two employees in the facility were checked and no detectable contamination identified. (...)"

3-4-2002
Loss of Criticality Safety Controls at Framatome ANP Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant.

"On April 3, 2002, the licensee reported the loss of criticality mass limit controls (neutron absorbing poison) on a 45 gallon (170 litre) drum of UO2 powder in the UO2 processing building on April 2, 2002. (...) The filled drum contained 250 kg of powder from floor sweepings and dried grinder sludge that was to be reprocessed. (...) According to the licensee, a criticality in the affected drum could theoretically be possible only had the moisture content been over ten times the process limit, or over fifty times the actual moisture content of the affected drum. (...)"

Specifically, operators filled a 45-gallon drum with fissile material before recognizing that the drum did not contain a neutron-absorbing "spider" assembly, one of two primary controls relied on to prevent the inadvertent criticality of fissile material.

31-1-2001
Siemens Power Corp. becomes Framatome ANP Richland, Inc.

In consequence of the merger of the nuclear businesses of Siemens and Framatome into Framatome ANP (Framatome 66%, Siemens 34%), Siemens Power Corp becomes Framatome ANP Richland, Inc.

9-11-2000
Loss of Criticality Safety Controls at Siemens Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant.

On November 9, 2000, Siemens Power Corp. reported the loss of criticality mass limit controls identified during an accountability audit of waste material transfers in the waste handling and packaging area the previous day.

12-10-2000
Loss of Criticality Safety Controls at Siemens Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant.

On October 12, 2000, Siemens Power Corp. reported the loss of criticality mass limit controls identified during operations in the Modular Extraction/Recovery Facility (MERF) the previous day.

 

29-6-2000

On June 29, 2000, a range fire approached the Siemens Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant to 800 meters. Plant production circuits were shutdown and non-essential personnel were evacuated.

 

26-4-2000
Siemens wants to process material with higher transuranics concentrations at its Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant.

By letter dated April 26, 2000, Siemens Power Corporation (SPC) is requesting a license amendment to increase the allowed transuranic activity (from Plutonium and Neptunium) for the UF6 feedstock processed at its Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant. SPC requests a 15-fold increase from 3.3 to 50 Bq/g U.

The transuranics are introduced into the feedstock through uranium reprocessed from spent nuclear fuel. For Np-237, 50 Bq correspond to 1.9 µg, for Pu-239, 50 Bq correspond to 0.022 µg.

30-11-2000
Use of Siemens' Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant waste solutions as fertilizer.

Siemens withdraws license application for use of waste solutions as fertilizer.
In a letter to NRC, dated Nov. 30, 2000, Siemens Power Corp. (SPC) withdraws its application, dated May 19, 1999, for a license amendment to allow release of ammonium hydroxide / ammonium nitrate (AH/AN) solution for use as fertilizer. SPC has committed to the State of Washington to pursue non-agricultural uses for this material.

What happened in the ensuing four months for this to happen?

Was all the product recalled and properly disposed of?

Was AREVA prosecuted in any way?

23-6-2000
Washington Department of Agriculture Registers Siemens Fertilizer.

A liquid fertilizer produced by Siemens Power Corp. (SPC) at its commercial nuclear fuel plant in Richland was registered on June 23, 2000, by the Washington State Department of Agriculture; the stop-sale, ordered on February 11, 2000, is rescinded.

"According to the Department of Health (DOH), use of Siemens' ammonium hydroxide product as a fertilizer will have no adverse impacts on public health or the environment when used as directed. DOH found the level of uranium measured in a test sample was 250 times lower than the maximum level of 0.05 parts per million allowed in Siemens' U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license. In analyzing the product for radiological constituents, results showed the solution contains significantly less uranium than found naturally in soil and is exempt from the DOH's radioactive materials licensing requirements."
(WSDA News Release, June 23, 2000)

11-2-2000
Washington Department of Agriculture Issues Stop-sale Order for Uranium-containing Fertilizer Product

On Feb. 11, 2000, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) issued a statewide stop-sale order to Siemens Power Corporation of Richland regarding the unauthorized distribution of an unregistered, hazardous waste-derived fertilizer.

The product is an ammonium hydroxide solution that is a waste material from the production of nuclear reactor fuel.

WSDA is taking this action after discovering that Siemens Power Corporation has been distributing the waste product for use as a fertilizer since 1996. The stop sale and distribution order is issued under WSDA's authority to prohibit distribution of unregistered fertilizers in the state.

So, after four years of distributing this crap illegally, they now apply for permission?

4-1-2000
Siemens' Richland, WA, nuclear fuel plant plans to sell waste solutions as fertilizer.

"Washington State Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment on Release of Solutions at Siemens Nuclear Fuel Facility.

On January 4, 2000, the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards (FCSS) received a letter dated December 27, 1999, from the Washington State Departments of Health and Ecology commenting on the draft Environmental Assessment associated with a proposal by Siemens to sell solutions containing trace amounts of uranium as fertilizer.

The state raises a number of concerns about the proposal, including state jurisdiction over such releases. FCSS plans to discuss the concerns with the licensee and the state. Once the comments have been adequately addressed, a final decision will be made relative to the acceptability of the Siemens' proposal."

source

Honestly folks, we wish that this stuff was made up for giggles and not true, but, that's not the case.

Everything about this industry radioactive.

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw

NOBODY EVER REMEMBERS TESLA,

free wireless electricity for the whole world no fuel, no cost,

to hard for you fools to believe that reality so you keep spending your money for their fuel,

fuel neccessity is a myth, no energy ever dies only goes somewhere else,

and endless cycle of energy converting back and forth, no energy loss, means no fuel,

btw no fuel free electricity would eventualy mean total death to currency itself, another reality thats to hard for everyone to accept and grasp.

Originally posted by pryingopen3rdeye
NOBODY EVER REMEMBERS TESLA,

free wireless electricity for the whole world no fuel, no cost,

to hard for you fools to believe that reality so you keep spending your money for their fuel,

fuel neccessity is a myth, no energy ever dies only goes somewhere else,

and endless cycle of energy converting back and forth, no energy loss, means no fuel,

btw no fuel free electricity would eventualy mean total death to currency itself, another reality thats to hard for everyone to accept and grasp.

Greetings:

free wireless electricity for the whole world no fuel, no cost,

Perhaps instead of meaningless ranting, you might back up your statement with evidence or other factual information on the three distinct things you speak of: "wireless electricity", "no fuel" and "no cost'?

We are always looking to be enlightened and would like to see more info of " total death to currency itself."

As for your apparent perception of our reality, do not concern yourself with what we may or may not be able to accept and grasp. You might more concern yourself with your own apparent tenuous grip.

Please come back with more info as we are interested.

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw

These same people who are against nuclear energy are also the same ones that will be griping the loudest when they get their electric bill..How Ironic

reply to post by thorfourwinds

Greetings:

We were warned.

March 18, 2011
Official UN Forecast: 'Diluted' Radioactive Fallout Heading To US West Coast



And from our friend Alexander Higgins ...

March 16th, 2011

U.S. radiation experts try to decipher reports from Japan – Japan not releasing radiation levels making it EXTREMELY HARD to gauge danger to U.S. West Coast.

An official United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese nuclear reactors shows it churning across the Pacific, and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.

The Feds have deployed radiation detectors to the west coast to monitor the situation. A link to the radioactive nuclear fallout map is below.

Does that imply the lack of radiation detectors before the deployment?

It will be interesting to track the (admitted) number of units in service at any one time.

And from The NY TIMES...

Scientists Project Path of Radiation Plume
(...)

Health and nuclear experts emphasize that radiation in the plume will be diluted as it travels and, at worst, would have extremely minor health consequences in the United States, even if hints of it are ultimately detectable. In a similar way, radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 spread around the globe and reached the West Coast of the United States in ten days, its levels measurable but minuscule.

The projection, by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, an arm of the United Nations in Vienna, gives no information about actual radiation levels but only shows how a radioactive plume would probably move and disperse.

The forecast, calculated Tuesday, is based on patterns of Pacific winds at that time and the predicted path is likely to change as weather patterns shift.

The NY Times has published an interactive nuclear radiation fallout forecast map.
Here is the current nuclear fallout predictions for March 18th, 2010.


Forecast by the United Nations Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization - New York Times

The same insanity that prevailed (still prevails) in the Japanese MSM is happening here in America. What did you expect?

We were warned.

March 21, 2011
Spike in radiation levels for West Coast?

“Abnormal” readings on 8 of 18 EPA monitors for California, Oregon, Washington —
Devices now “undergoing quality review”

Some Radiation-Tracking Air Monitors May Not Be Working Properly, EPA Says, Bloomberg, March 21, 2011.

Eight of 18 air monitors in California, Oregon and Washington state that track radiation from Japan’s nuclear reactors are “undergoing quality review,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. …

“What we are seeing is not a problem,” [Ronald Fraass, director of the EPA’s National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory in Montgomery, Alabama] said today in a telephone interview. …

Monitors are listed as undergoing review if they report an abnormal reading, Fraass said …

May we enquire as to the "abnormal readings" in question?

An abnormality might mean that the monitor isn’t working correctly, or the device measured a spike in radiation levels attributable to an environmental change, Fraass said. …For example, higher temperatures can cause higher levels of naturally occurring radon gas, he said.

Sounds more like naturally occurring bovine excrement (bravo sierra for you people in Rio Vista).


And here we were under the impression that radiation detectors detect radiation - not temperature.

USGOV Newspeak, again. This is starting to have that fish smell.

A sufficient number of devices are working and can measure any changes in radiation levels from the damaged Fukushima Dai- Ichi reactors, continued Fraass.

How many of these devices constitute a "sufficient" number?

Will the public be warned - no, advised - of the changes in a timely manner?

What is the response mechanism to a radioactive cloud hovering over a U.S. city?

Who exactly is heading up this response mechanism?

FEMA?

The U.S. has 124 stationary air-radiation monitors compared with 50 in use when the reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded in 1986, said Brendan Gilfillan, an EPA spokesman, in an e-mail.

And here is where they are.




124? !!#?%!! That is not even ONE for each of the nuclear facilities in the U.S.!

At least, in the ensuing 35 years, they have managed to add 74 monitors - a couple a year?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Twenty-two monitors weren’t working and were listed as out of service today, Fraass said.

Oh, that's reassuring - only about 20% of our monitors down in a nuclear emergency!

Oh, that's right... everything is OK - just elevated background radiation - no more that you might get in a flight from Los Angeles to New York.

“If a monitor in one area is being repaired, EPA’s network will still be able to detect any fluctuation in background radiation levels,” Gilfillan said.

Let's see now. 124 monitors in America.

22 down means 102 in service.

Sure would like to see an map with the "down" monitors and the closest ones that are picking up the slack by "remote monitoring" from how many miles away?

And here it is.

Does anyone have any stats on the range abilities of the radiation monitors that the EPA is using?



And here's the real-time version to have your way with.

How far are you and your loved ones from a radiation monitoring device?

Link

Remember all the problems associated with the AREVA (Fromatome Richland, WA) nuclear facility outlined in previous posts?

Do you think their monitor is in service?

Remember when we were complaining about almost 20% of the rad monitors were down nationwide during this inundation of radioactivity?

Six out of eleven monitors are out of service in California at this time - 55%!

And the insanity goes on and on.

March 28, 2011

Radioactive Iodine-131 in Pennsylvania rainwater sample is 3300% above federal drinking water standard

Governor Corbett Says Public Water Supply Testing Finds No Risk to Public From Radioactivity Found in Rainwater

… The (Iodine-131) numbers reported in the rainwater samples in Pennsylvania range from 40-100 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Although these are levels above the background levels historically reported in these areas, they are still about 25 times below the level that would be of concern. The federal drinking water standard for Iodine-131 is three pCi/L. …

On Friday, rainwater samples were taken in Harrisburg, where levels were 41 pCi/L and at nuclear power plants at TMI and Limerick, where levels were 90 to 100 pCi/L.

Corbett emphasized that the drinking water is safe and there is no cause for health concerns. …

(Bangs head on desk and reaches for the vice-grips and phone to call George...)

“Rainwater is not typically directly consumed,” Corbett said. “However, people might get alarmed by making what would be an inappropriate connection from rainwater to drinking water. By testing the drinking water, we can assure people that the water is safe.” …
enenews.com...

Newspeak... DoubleSpeak... Gobbledegook... Your choice.

More horrific news to come... we are now behind the eight-ball and need to wake up and do something ...

Thoughts, anyone?

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw

reply to post by thorfourwinds


Nuclear reactor 150 miles from Atlanta shuts down abruptly and unexpectedly
— Triggered if system detects conditions that could be unsafe

Nuclear Reactor In Ga. Shuts Down Abruptly, CBS Atlanta (AP), April 22, 2010 at 2:29 am EDT:
A nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle in eastern Georgia has been taken out of service until authorities determine why it unexpectedly shut down. …

Nuclear reactors are designed to shut down if automatic monitoring systems detect conditions that could be unsafe. Southern Co. spokesman Alyson Fuqua said it was not immediately clear what prompted the shutdown. …
Read the report here.

Fuqua said the shutdown was apparently triggered by equipment related to an electrical turbine. The company was not certain when the reactor would start producing power again.

One down - 103 to go ... ?

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw

reply to post by thorfourwinds


Nuclear waste is a political issue, not a technical one.

Originally posted by SirMike
reply to post by thorfourwinds

 

Nuclear waste is a political issue, not a technical one.

Greetings:

We certainly appreciate your time and consideration to join the discussion.

As ones who have been personally involved in this debate for about 40 years, we would welcome enlightenment.

Please contribute your rejoinder over at the following thread, as it has become the lightning rod of the moment and we feel we can alert the sheeple better there.

America's Being Nuked - Can We Together Stop the Madness Before It's Too Late?

There is another thread we we recommend also:

Will America's Nuclear Power Plants Fail in an 8.0 Earthquake?

Looking forward to your communication.

In Peace. Love & Light

tfw

reply to post by SirMike


Greetings:

... who can say that and keep a straight face?

19 May 2011
At this time, there is no public health threat in the U.S. related to radiation exposure. FDA, together with other agencies, is carefully monitoring any possibility for distribution of radiation to the United States.

At this time, theoretical models do not indicate that significant amounts of radiation will reach the U.S. coast or affect U.S. fishing waters.
source

Perhaps this will interest you also:

23 April 2011
Japan Nuclear Iodine Radiation In San Francisco Milk Over 2600% Above EPA Drinking Water Limit
source

10 May 2011
Hawaii Farmers Treating Milk With Boron After Finding Radiation 2400 Times Above Safe Levels
source

This was around the same time that the EPA stopped Fukushima nuclear radiation tests on milk, drinking water and rainwater saying the levels of radiation were constantly dropping and posed no health risks.

EPA officials, however, [color=limegreen]refused to answer questions or make staff members available to explain the exact location and number of monitors, or the levels of radiation, if any, being recorded at existing monitors in California.

Margot Perez-Sullivan, a spokeswoman at the EPA’s regional headquarters in San Francisco, said the agency’s written statement would stand on its own.

IMHO, these people theoretically work for we, the people, and this type of behavior should not be tolerated!

Where are those people that actually are aware (and care)?

From the lackluster response to many threads dealing with this subject, one might surmise that there are not enough of us - or that we are not connecting in a collective voice to shout from the rooftops:

America's Being Nuked - Can we Together Stop the Madness?

In the unlikely scenario that pollutants could affect fish that have traveled to the U.S., FDA will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to test seafood caught in those areas. Together, FDA and NOAA will also inspect facilities that process and sell seafood from those areas.

The FDA has claimed that there is no need to test Pacific fish for Japan nuclear radiation reports the Anchorage Daily News but when drilled on details by the reporter, the FDA [color=limegreen]refused to answer questions and gave the reporter the run-around.

The FDA says there will be no testing of fish until NOAA testing finds cause for alarm but NOAA [color=limegreen]refuses to answer questions on what kind of monitoring has been done.
source

25 April 2011
New EPA Radiation Tests Show Cesium in California Rainwater at Highest Level Since Crisis Began
source

3 May 2011
Hot Radioactive Particles in Seattle at 50% of Levels Seen in Tokyo
source

OK... 50% of what? Are we, the people, to be the least bit alarmed? Do the EPA and FDA have the best interests of the American people at the forefront of decision-making? Are we really screwed? Does anyone read this? Does anyone care?

Interesting. As we write this, David Morrison (NASA mouthpiece) is in the History Channel talking about ELE's - specifically doomsday asteroids (1,100 1 kilometer or larger). 6,000 to one odds. (More on this buffoon in Cometgate2).

Space Guard Survey promoted heavily as a "... not to worry, feel good" piece. (Bangs head on desk and reaches for Vice-Grips).

But we digress. Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

3 April 2011
140,000 Times More Iodine-131 Released at Fukushima Than Three Mile Island… Using March 22 Estimates
source

3 May 2011
Radiation In US Food Will Be Nationwide Problem, Not Just Regional, From Fukushima Nuclear Radioactive Fallout
source

3 June 2011
5.77 microsieverts per hour of radiation measured near Tokyo at ground level — Government “is desperately trying to keep it quiet...”
source

And from our friend Alexander Higgins:

U.S. Radiation Map

Updated With Real Time EPA RadNet Japan Nuclear Radiation Monitoring For Every Major City In America On A Single Page

In Peace, Love & Light

tfw