Pro nuclear marketing push under way in Australia
I really thought that it wouldn’t start until March 2011. Seeing that the ALP national conference is not on until later this year.
But – it’s off and away already. The push to market the IDEA of nuclear power to Australians has now begun, with top marketing men Martin Ferguson and Paul Howes leading the way. And of course, BHP Billiton is right in there. But at least it is CEO Marius Kloppers’ paid job to market uranium mining. The other two are supposed to have the interests of the Australian workers and their families at heart, not the interests of the nuclear lobby. – Christina Macpherson
Egypt in turmoil: Wikileaks reveal nuclear plant contract details
Contract Signed for Egypt’s First Nuclear Plant – Telegraph, 16 Feb 2011, “.[Wikileaks] ………On June 18, 2009, [Australian company] WorleyParsons Ltd. signed a contract with the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Energy for the development of Egypt’s first Nuclear power plant. Ambassador Scobey, Australian Ambassador Stephanie Shwabsky, and Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif were present at the signing along with Worley’s President, Ron McNeilly and Dr. Rames Khalil, Worley’s Regional Power Manager for Egypt and Africa…….Contract Signed for Egypt’s First Nuclear Plant – Telegraph
Three USA States sue the federal govt over nuclear wastes
most nuclear plants ended up with too little storage space in their pools to accommodate the waste.
Policy on Storing Nuclear Waste Is Challenged by States – NYTimes.com, Matthew Wald, 16 Feb 2011, WASHINGTON — The attorneys general of New York, Connecticutand Vermont sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday, challenging a new commission policy stating that nuclear waste can be safely stored at a nuclear power plant for 60 years after a reactor goes out of service. Continue reading
Precious groundwater at risk from uranium mining
The conservation council’s Mia Pepper says mining for uranium in Wiluna’s dry climate could be disastrous for local water supplies.
With uranium mining, water uptake is always a really big issue, in a dry and arid area recharge of groundwater is also a problem but the biggest issue is radioactive tailings from uranium mining which will inevitably contaminate groundwater with other uranium mines around Australia,” she said.
Miner urged to rethink uranium plans – ABC North West WA – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 Feb 2011, The Conservation Council of WA says a mining company which has begun testing for uranium, near Wiluna in the mid-west Western Australia, should consider the environmental impacts of its proposed exploration. Continue reading
Native Americans oppose radioactive waste shipment
“The [River] provides drinking water to some 40 million people,” says Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Michael Ahrihron Delisle, Jr., in the joint statement issued February 9. “But for us, it’s much more than that. If there is an accident, there is no place for us to go.” The Mohawk people have been living in the area of the Seaway for at least 9,000 years – and they’re still there today.
Mohawk Communities Oppose Nuclear Waste Shipment , GroundReport, by John Schertow February 14, 2011 The Mohawk Councils of Kahnawà:ke, Tyendinaga and Akwesasne have issued a joint statement rejecting the shipment of nuclear waste through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system. Continue reading
Paul Howes’ union lobbying for uranium industry
Union calls for Qld to lift uranium ban, Sydney Morning Herald, February 16, 2011 “…..The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) on Wednesday passed a national conference resolution calling on the Queensland government to overturn its uranium mining ban…..The AWU wants Victoria and NSW to remove bans on uranium exploration. Mining is also banned in those states. Continue reading
Martin Ferguson lobbying for uranium industry
BHP Billiton to decide on Olympic Dam expansion in 2012
BHP’s $US80 billion expansion plan over the next five years includes expanding its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in Australia, with a decision expected in 2012,…..
Obama’s “clean energy standard” will give $36 billion to nuclear industry
“We don’t think nuclear loan guarantees are a very good bet,” given the industry’s history of cost overruns, said Robert Cowin, a Washington representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The $36 billion the president has proposed is excessive.”
Obama Would Triple Guarantees for Nuclear Reactors, Bloomberg, By Simon Lomax and Jim Snyder – Feb 15, 2011 President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget almost triples U.S. loan guarantees for nuclear power-plant construction, funds development of a new breed of smaller reactors and spends more on “breakthrough” energy research. Continue reading
Antinuclear 