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Report: Dry cask studies 'inadequate' - Brattleboro Reformer
The Vermont Public Service Board should not have given the OK for the storage of spent nuclear fuel produced by Vermont Yankee on the banks of the Connecticut River, according to a report that was discussed Monday in the Statehouse in Montpelier.
Testimony that was given during hearings conducted by the PSB were "affected by insufficient data to have reached a conclusion of acceptability of the site and granting of a permit," stated William Steinhurst, who holds a Ph.D. in geology.
Steinhurst presented the report on behalf of Synapse Energy Economics, which hired Prof. Michael Wilson of SUNY-Fredonia to evaluate the geological characteristics of the plant's spent fuel storage site.
The Public Service Board issued a certificate of public good in 2006 allowing Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, to store nuclear waste in dry casks on a concrete pad just to the north of the plant's reactor building.
Hanford News: Study recommends demolishing FFTF, banning waste imports
Ground work for significant Hanford cleanup is laid out for decades to come in a draft version of a massive new environmental study of Hanford released in the Tri-Cities on Monday.
Among decisions it recommends are entombing Hanford's Fast Flux Test Facility, emptying 99 percent of waste from underground tanks, leaving the emptied tanks in the ground, and continuing to ban some, but not all, radioactive waste from being sent to Hanford.
The Draft Tank Closure and Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement is more than 6,000 pages and has been in the works since 2003. Topics it covers have been expanded several times in that time.
The draft study will be the basis for a final study and followed by decisions by the Department of Energy.
Feds keep lid on Atomic Energy Canada sale report
The federal government said late Monday it had received a report it commissioned on the best way to break up and sell Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. — but refused to release the report's recommendations, citing "commercial confidentiality considerations."
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt announced last spring that the government was prepared to break up AECL, a Crown corporation, into two parts.
One part would include the business responsible for selling and building CANDU reactors, the large powerful machines that provide electricity at plants in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. The government signalled its intention to a seek a private sector partner to buy all or part of the CANDU business.
Report looks at hidden health costs of energy production - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com
Generating electricity by burning coal is responsible for about half of an estimated $120 billion in yearly costs from early deaths and health damages to thousands of Americans from the use of fossil fuels, a federal advisory group said Monday.
A one-year study by the National Research Council looked at many costs of energy production and the use of fossil fuels that aren't reflected in the price of energy. The $120 billion sum was the cost to human health from U.S. electricity production, transportation and heating in 2005, the latest year with full data.
The report also looks at other hidden costs from climate change, hazardous air pollutants such as mercury, harm to ecosystems and risks to national security, but it doesn't put a dollar value on them.
Cooper Report on Nuclear Economics PDF
Within the past year, estimates of the cost of nuclear power from a new generation of
reactors have ranged from a low of 8.4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to a high of 30 cents. This
paper tackles the debate over the cost of building new nuclear reactors, with the key findings as
follows:
• The initial cost projections put out early in today’s so-called “nuclear renaissance” were about
one-third of what one would have expected, based on the nuclear reactors completed in the
1990s.
• The most recent cost projections for new nuclear reactors are, on average, over four times as
high as the initial “nuclear renaissance” projections.
• There are numerous options available to meet the need for electricity in a carbon-constrained
environment that are superior to building nuclear reactors. Indeed, nuclear reactors are the worst
option from the point of view of the consumer and society.
• The low carbon sources that are less costly than nuclear include efficiency, cogeneration,
biomass, geothermal, wind, solar thermal and natural gas. Solar photovoltaics that are presently
more costly than nuclear reactors are projected to decline dramatically in price in the next
decade. Fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage, which are not presently available, are
projected to be somewhat more costly than nuclear reactors.
• Numerous studies by Wall Street and independent energy analysts estimate efficiency and
renewable costs at an average of 6 cents per kilowatt hour, while the cost of electricity from
nuclear reactors is estimated in the range of 12 to 20 cents per kWh.
• The additional cost of building 100 new nuclear reactors, instead of pursuing a least cost
efficiency-renewable strategy, would be in the range of $1.9-$4.4 trillion over the life the
reactors.
Report: VY deal not good for Vermont - Brattleboro Reformer
This is the final of two stories detailing a new report on the economics of closing Vermont Yankee in 2012. BRATTLEBORO -- A revenue-sharing agreement between Vermont Yankee and the state's utilities that goes into effect if the nuclear power plant continues to operate past 2012 is not all it's cracked up to be, said a pair of men who reviewed reams of documents filed with the Vermont Public Service Board.
BRATTLEBORO -- A revenue-sharing agreement between Vermont Yankee and the state's utilities that goes into effect if the nuclear power plant continues to operate past 2012 is not all it's cracked up to be, said a pair of men who reviewed reams of documents filed with the Vermont Public Service Board.
"While there is a small chance that it will have small value, conceivably as high as around $150 million, this could come only against the backdrop of Vermonters' buying over $3 billion of electricity from VY at market rates," said John Greenberg, who with Michael Daley, authored the study, which was released in August.
EDF nuclear waste stored in open air in Russia: report | Green Business | Reuters
Waste from French power stations was being deposited in the open air in Russia, French newspaper Liberation said on Monday.
The paper said 13 percent of French radioactive waste produced by power group EDF could be found in the open air in a town in Siberia to which access is forbidden. The paper said it based its information on an investigation due to be broadcast on TV channel Arte on Tuesday.
An EDF spokeswoman declined to confirm the 13 percent figure, or that waste was stored in the open air, but confirmed EDF sends nuclear waste to Russia.
GAO: Evaluate leaving more waste in Hanford tanks -Tri-City Herald
Given the high cost to empty and treat Hanford's radioactive tank wastes, the government should consider leaving more waste in the underground tanks, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
The report also challenges the Department of Energy to find ways to reduce costs for retrieval and final disposal of high-level radioactive wastes, saying they could be more costly than justified by the reduction in risk.
The estimated price tag to empty Hanford's underground tanks of radioactive waste and treat it are rapidly escalating and could be from $86 billion to more than $100 billion -- rather than the $77 billion that DOE estimates, according to the report. The study was prepared at the request of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.
Cost escalation is the result of a range of issues, including the difficulties Hanford workers have had in emptying the leak-prone tanks of millions of gallons of waste, questions about how well vitrification plant technology will work and a decision not to send treated wastes to Yucca Mountain, Nev., for disposal, the report says.
Uni radiation probe to be published - Manchester Evening News
A REPORT into a possible radiation link to the deaths of Manchester University staff will be published today.
Ernest Rutherford, known as the father of nuclear physics, won the Nobel prize for research carried out at the university in the early 20th century.
Campaigners believe his former laboratories, which are now used as offices, may have been contaminated by harmful materials in his pioneering experiments.
The deaths of six university workers have been linked to the radiation scare
Dounreay publishes off-site contamination report on Environmental Expert
Dounreay today publishes the findings of its investigation into the discovery of a radioactive particle in land adjacent to the licensed site.
The investigation report has been distributed to the land-user and nearby residents following its submission to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It can be downloaded here.
An investigation was carried out into the discovery of contamination during a survey last month of the off-site area designated for development as a repository for low level radioactive waste from the site decommissioning.
One find was determined to be a 'minor' DFR particle and the second was found to be a disperse area of radioactive contamination containing caesium.
From expert advice neither of the finds poses a health risk.
Both of the finds were well below the ground surface indicating they have been there for 10 years or longer.
The reason for the contamination at this location was not definitively determined.
Metro - Report says most Saskatchewan people don't back nuclear power plant idea
A new report has found that most Saskatchewan residents oppose building a nuclear power plant in the province, but that doesn't mean the idea has hit a dead end, according to the government.
The 166-page report released Tuesday gathered reaction from public consultations held on the future of uranium development in Saskatchewan. There were more than 1,400 responses specifically on the nuclear power issue and 84 per cent of those opposed the idea.
Energy Minister Bill Boyd suggested that's not a sign to stop, but says his "foot is off the accelerator."
"When I look at this report, it's neither a green light nor a red light for the future uranium development. It's more like a yellow light - take any next steps with great caution," said Boyd.
"There's no question there's strong opposition, I've never said that there wasn't. Of the people that attended the meetings, there was a very strong concern about the future in this area."
Clean energy to create more jobs than coal: study | Green Business | Reuters
A strong shift toward renewable energies could create 2.7 million more jobs in power generation worldwide by 2030 than staying with dependence on fossil fuels would, a report suggested Monday.
The study, by environmental group Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), urged governments to agree a strong new United Nations pact to combat climate change in December in Copenhagen, partly to safeguard employment.
"A switch from coal to renewable electricity generation will not just avoid 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but will create 2.7 million more jobs by 2030 than if we continue business as usual," the report said.
Governments were often wrong to fear that a shift to green energy was a threat to jobs, said Sven Teske, lead author of the report at Greenpeace. He said that the wind turbine industry was already the second largest steel consumer in Germany after cars.
The Energy Daily: Ten-Year Probe Offers First View Of Los Alamos Releases
After 10 years of sifting through thousands of pages of classified records and overcoming secrecy obstacles at the nuclear weapons lab, independent investigators have provided the first rough estimates of radioactive and toxic releases from Los Alamos National Laboratory dating back to its earliest operations and the potential health impact of the nation’s first atomic bomb blast on ranchers and other nearby residents in New Mexico.
Investigators for the Los Alamos Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment (LAHDRA) project released a draft final report in late June that—while far from definitive in its conclusions—said there was persuasive evidence from spotty, decades-old emissions monitoring data that radioactive releases during Los Alamos’ early years were so significant that they could dwarf the cumulative releases from all of the Energy Department’s other early nuclear weapons production sites.
In particular, the researchers said that although the lab did not monitor emissions from many of its earliest plutonium processing facilities, fragmentary records—especially “industrial hygiene,” or worker safety, reports from 1955 and 1956—suggest plutonium releases in the late 1940s and early 1950s were much higher than has been acknowledged by the government to date.
Verdict to settle uni radiation deaths riddle - Health - News - Manchester Evening News
A REPORT into whether atomic experiments by a Nobel scientist led to the deaths of Manchester University staff will be published this month.
Ernest Rutherford carried out Nobel prize-winning nuclear research at the university between 1907 and 1919.
His laboratories were later used as offices for staff at the university's psychology department.
Deaths
Campaigners believe harmful materials used by Rutherford have contaminated the rooms and may have led to the deaths of six former members of staff.
Radiation from medical imaging can accumulate over time | University of Michigan Health System
Radiation from x-rays and CT scans can accumulate to substantial doses, according to a study that estimates as many as 4 milion adults have high exposure
ATLANTA – Many types of medical imaging procedures, such as x-rays, computed tomography scans, and nuclear medicine scans, expose patients to ionizing radiation, which over time can accumulate to substantial doses, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“We know that radiation is not benign and some people are getting high exposures,” says Reza Fazel, M.D., the lead author of the study and a cardiologist at Emory University.
Associated Press: Two-thirds get medical tests with radiation dose
As many as two-thirds of adults underwent a medical test in the last few years that exposed them to radiation and in some cases, a potentially higher risk of cancer, a study in five areas of the U.S. suggests.
It is the latest big attempt to measure how much radiation Americans are getting from sometimes unnecessary medical imaging.
Though the annual average radiation exposure from X-rays, CT scans and other tests was low, researchers found about 20 percent were exposed to moderate radiation doses and 2 percent were exposed to high levels. "Super X-rays" to check for heart problems accounted for nearly a quarter of the radiation people received.
"Given the growing use of medical imaging procedures, our findings have important implications for the health of the general population," the researchers reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
NRC - NRC Issues Final Safety Evaluation Report for Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) for the proposed renewal of the operating licenses for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit numbers 2 and 3, and concluded that there are no open items that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation.
The report documents the results of the NRC staff’s review of the license renewal application and site audits of the plant’s aging management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation. It represents the culmination of NRC’s comprehensive review of the application and inspection of the plant to verify license renewal implementation is consistent with the application. Overall, the results show that the applicant has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in the appropriate systems, structures and components of the plant and that their functions will be maintained during the period of extended operation.
WNYC - Nuclear Plant Clears One Hurdle, Groups Say Not Enough
Indian Point nuclear plant has passed a major test. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its final safety report today. It found owner Entergy can safely manage Indian Point 2 and 3 as they age over the 20-year period that new licenses would cover. But environmental advocates disagree. Deborah Brancato is with Riverkeeper.
BRANCATO: We're not surprised at all by the NRC staff's findings. They have consistently sided with Entergy throughout the proceedings, which is why interveners like Riverkeeper and the state of New York will continue to raise relevant concerns and make sure the agency does a thorough review.
A separate NRC examination of environmental issues is still underway for Indian Point. And several objections to the relicensing -- including some from New York State -- remain to be heard.
Plan to Pay Sick Nuclear Workers Unfairly Rejects Many, Doctor Says - ProPublica
Carla McCabe spent a decade building nuclear bombs at the sprawling Rocky Flats complex near Denver. When she developed a brain tumor and asked for help, federal officials told her that none of the toxic substances used at the top-secret bomb factory could have caused her cancer.
Now, on the eighth anniversary of the federal program created to help sick nuclear weapons workers, the man who until recently was the program's top doctor says that McCabe, now 55, and many others like her are being improperly rejected.
Dodging the Evidence - Leukemias and Nuclear Power Plants | open Democracy News Analysis
The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) is a quango that is supposed to be a watchdog on the health issues arising from the activities of nuclear installations in the UK. COMARE's terms of reference are "to assess and advise Government . on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research".
But how seriously does this body take its responsibilities? Not very, it seems.
A recent authoritative health study commissioned by the German government entitled KiKK (Kinderkrebs in der Umgebung von KernKraftwerken, or Childhood Cancer in the Vicinity of Nuclear Power Plants) found increased leukemias near all German nuclear facilities. The Environmental Health Sub-Committee of the West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group, a group that discusses nuclear issues mainly concerning Sellafield, raised the findings of this study with COMARE and asked for its views. A one-page COMARE briefing was sent by Professor Alex Elliott, the COMARE chairman, and was read out to the May 2009 meeting of the Environmental Health Sub Committee as COMARE's official view. It is likely that other stakeholder groups near other UK nuclear sites were informed along similar lines. However the COMARE briefing was never published on its website.
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