Kynard 3 August 15
Yes, people understand that the outcome of commission is a foregone conclusion meant to placate those who are given the impression of having a say.
The only thing that would stop it now is incompetence or the simple fact that in the end the dollars may not add up. Or both.
Particularly the idea of a dump is making certain personality-types swoon the kind of greed which indicates that they’ve already counted the profits and discounted the risks.
Future generations don’t get a say. I’m sure that that far down the track, the countries who’ve dumped their waste on us won’t be paying us to babysit it anymore. The overall trend as all resources decline is continued economic contraction. The only sane growth is degrowth. One way or another we’ll be forced to embrace it. And that’s what people and particularly politicians don’t want to talk about. http://m.indaily.com.au/opinion/2015/08/03/sas-nuclear-debate-lost-in-translation/
August 3, 2015
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NUCLEAR ROYAL COMMISSION 2016 |
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A couple of weeks ago, the Nuclear Royal Commission held a forum at the Marion Cultural Centre as one of a series aimed at engaging the South Australian people in the commission’s work.
The problem is, not one person came. Nobody.
Whether this raises alarm bells for the commission and the Weatherill Government depends on whether they genuinely want to create a community debate, or if they are just going through the motions.
SA’s nuclear debate lost in translation http://m.indaily.com.au/opinion/2015/08/03/sas-nuclear-debate-lost-in-translation/ CRAIG WILKINS | 3 AUGUST 2015 The nuclear fuel cycle royal commission is so bureaucratic that it has failed to engage South Australians in the debate, argues the Conservation Council’s Craig Wilkins.
What if an expensive, high profile inquiry held a public meeting and no-one turned up?
In early February this year, while most of us were slowly emerging out of South Australia’s long, lazy summer break, Premier Weatherill made a surprise announcement. South Australia would hold a first for Australia: a royal commission into the future role our state should play in the nuclear industry.
This came as a bolt from the blue, especially from a Government that had campaigned successfully a decade ago to stop a similar federal push to establish a nuclear waste dump in Woomera. Then Premier Mike Rann was so determined to stop a nuclear dump he enshrined it in state law.
And the timing was strange, with our state strongly embracing renewable energy, and the nuclear industry languishing in a post Fukushima downturn.
So while a typical royal commission is created by a government under pressure to respond to a major issue dominating talkback and dinner table discussions, the task given to ex-Governor Kevin Scarce was both challenging and unusual.
Not only would Scarce have to explore the huge technical and economic challenges of an expensive, divisive energy source with big waste and security issues, he would need to get the South Australian community interested enough to pay attention in the first place.
A couple of weeks ago, the Nuclear Royal Commission held a forum at the Marion Cultural Centre as one of a series aimed at engaging the South Australian people in the commission’s work.
The problem is, not one person came. Nobody.
Whether this raises alarm bells for the commission and the Weatherill Government depends on whether they genuinely want to create a community debate, or if they are just going through the motions.
As a fierce advocate for public involvement in decision-making, I believe the problem lies in the way the commission is going about its task.
The Issues Papers released to stimulate public submissions are an eye-watering challenge – dry, technical and full of assumptions. They appear aimed at industry players, not the general public. They have not been translated into other languages, despite non-English speaking Aboriginal communities being ground zero for any debate over a toxic dump.
Until far too late in the process, no-one with any expertise in engaging with Aboriginal communities was employed to work in the north of the state.
To put in a submission is an exercise in acrobatic hoop jumping including the requirement to appear in 
person before a Justice of the Peace – a huge challenge for anybody in rural or remote SA, and a totally unnecessary step not required for other similar inquiries.The ‘Community Forums’ that have been held so far have missed the mark, focusing on imparting information on the process, rather than an opportunity to debate issues in detail.
Also, Scarce in all his public statements has strongly emphasised that he is seeking “evidence” and “facts”, leaving little room for traditional cultural knowledge, or the perspective of a grandmother who doesn’t want to leave a toxic legacy for her grandchildren. Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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NUCLEAR ROYAL COMMISSION 2016 |
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Mr Kenyon, now a backbench MP, refused to comment on the report.
The Sunday Mail understands it was not presented to Cabinet but became instrumental in prompting the current Royal Commission into the potential for the nuclear fuel cycle to revive the SA economy.
The report found there needed to be a good public relations campaign to convince people of the safety of the plan, and that money raised should be spent on infrastructure like the SA leg of a high speed rail to Melbourne.
It also proposed a model in which SA generate more money by leasing yellowcake mined here and taking it back as waste, and as a trade off people be guaranteed there will be no nuclear power plants in SA.
Nuclear waste dump should be first cab off the rank, report finds by: MILES KEMP From: Sunday Mail (SA) Originally published as Nuclear dump could be key to our riches August 01, 2015 Available on The Australian website http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nuclear-waste-dump-should-be-first-cab-off-the-rank-report-finds/story-e6frg6n6-1227466384020
A BRIEFING paper delivered to the State Government recommended the state accept Taiwan’s nuclear waste, access that nation’s $10 billion disposal fund and establish an Outback nuclear waste dump to revive the economy.
As the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission explores the option to help solve SA’s jobs crisis, the Sunday Mail has obtained a copy of a report prepared for former Employment and Science Minister Tom Kenyon which argues the case for a waste dump near Woomera. Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, NUCLEAR ROYAL COMMISSION 2016, politics, South Australia |
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SA Nuclear royal commission: Waste dump best economic option for state, Business SA says ABC News 3 Aug 15 Establishing an outback nuclear waste dump would be the best economic move for South Australia if the State Government decides to expand its role in the nuclear industry, Business SA says.
It has been revealed Premier Jay Weatherill last year received a report commissioned by former Employment and Science Minister Tom Kenyon, which found setting up a waste dump near Woomera could reap billions for the local economy.
A royal commission headed by Kevin Scarce is in the process of examining the potential for an expansion of the state’s role in the nuclear industry, including whether a nuclear power station or nuclear waste 
dump should be built.
Business SA’s chief executive Nigel McBride (above, at left) said countries such as Japan and South Korea would pay handsomely to dump their nuclear waste in the state’s outback.
We know that there are huge potential financial benefits from being able to provide that service, and it’s logical that they’ve identified somewhere in the Woomera region as a potential site because of course it’s very remote,” Mr McBride said.
“There is a huge market out of countries like South Korea who has got a lot of nuclear waste they need to deal with, Japan and other Asian countries and of course countries around the world.”………..
Mr McBride said South Australia was the ideal location for a waste dump, and could store the nuclear fuel safely.
He said the biggest concern would be transportation options……
More than a decade ago, South Australia’s Labor Government fought and won a vigorous battle against the Howard government to stop a low-level nuclear waste dump being located in far north South Australia.
The royal commission is expected to hand down its findings by May 2016. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/nuclear-waste-dump-best-economic-option-business-sa-says/6666212
August 3, 2015
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NUCLEAR ROYAL COMMISSION 2016, South Australia, wastes |
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Dangers of Bushfires-Wildfires & Nuclear Business miningawareness, 3 August 15 “………
According to the South Australia Country Fire Service, nearly 1/2 of people living in bushfire prone areas don’t understand the threat. This is apparently true of those proposing adding nuclear
anything in Australia.
For, in such a context, the risks of nuclear anything are clearly even higher than average. And, the solar potential in Australia is higher than average. The choice should be clear……..
In January of this year (2015) over 700 South Australian Country Fire Service volunteers fought the Sampson Flat bushfire series, helped by teams from New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Victoria Fire Authority, over the course of a week. On “Black Sunday” 1955 in South Australia, 1,000 Emergency Fire Service volunteers fought fires, but were overwhelmed and 2,500 citizens volunteered to help. For the 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires (II), 130,000 firefighters, defence force personnel, relief workers and support crews worked to fight the bushfires.Clearly this is serious business and dangerous in the best of
circumstances.
Adding nuclear to firestorms is even more dangerous than the Fukushima earthquake-tsunami disaster…………
Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
climate change - global warming, environment, safety, South Australia |
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As expert Jo Abbess states more clearly than anyone, thorium is “quite probably the most well-funded piece of astroturfing propaganda in existence.” Only through awareness and education can we hope to make rational decisions about our energy future. I recommend readers start learning about thorium nuclear from the articles above before making any decisions on the technology.
Thorium Nuclear Information Resources https://kevinmeyerson.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/thorium-nuclear-information-resources/ There is a rash of misinformation on the net about the supposed merits of the ‘new’ nuclear energy source on the block, thorium. I am sure that in a perfect world where nobody lies, thorium would be the perfect answer to the world’s energy needs as is claimed. This is unfortunately not the case.
Apparently, every time there is a new nuclear catastrophe, the thorium ‘miracle’ is promoted again as the ‘savior’ for the world. The Fukushima nuclear radiation catastrophe was not unique and the thorium misinformation artists have come out in droves. It’s the nuclear industry’s defense mechanism – create a new ‘safety myth’ that regular people can latch onto.
In reality, the thorium nuclear fuel cycle has been under development since the very early days of the nuclear industry. India, for example, has spent decades trying to commercialize it, and has failed. The US, Russia, Germany, and many others tried and failed as well. At best, thorium based nuclear power generation may be commercialized in a few decades.
I doubt it.
Fortunately, there are a number of independent trustworthy and expert sources of information on the internet regarding thorium nuclear. Here they are: Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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“Mining giants Cameco and Areva have had to stop shipping uranium from their northern operations as highways and airstrips are periodically closed by smoke and flame.”
Wildfires Force Evacuation of Uranium Mine Sites; Stop Shipments of 
Uranium; Endanger Firefighters and Environment miningawareness, 2 Aug 15, Wildfires and uranium mining make a bad mix, as do all parts of the nuclear energy chain. Cameco’s Crow Butte In Situ Leach (ISL) Mine in Nebraska had to be evacuated in 2012, as did personnel from their Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan operation in 2012, and the MacArthur Lake Mine in 2002, due to wildfires. Shipments of uranium were stopped, a few weeks ago, from Cameco-Areva’s Saskatchewan uranium mines due to wildfires. Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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The role of water in Australia’s uncertain future, The Conversation Amgad Elmahdi Manager Water Resources Assessment Section at Australian Bureau of Meteorology Matthew Hardy Manager, Urban Water at Australian Bureau of Meteorology August 3, 2015 “…….Water security is threatened by a number of factors. These include climate change, rainfall variability, population growth, economic development, and drought.
For instance, across southern Australia climate change is projected to decrease winter and spring rainfall by up to 15% by 2030 regardless of whether greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Rainfall declines are amplified in reduced streamflow and in turn the water in storages. Southwestern Australia has seen streamflow declines of 50% since 1970, while streamflow during the Millennium Drought (1996-2010) in southeastern Australia was half of the long-term average………
Australia also has naturally highly variable rainfall influenced by events such as El Niño and La Niña. An El Niño was declared in May 2015.
The El Niño’s likely impact will be drier and warmer conditions across inland eastern Australia. Importantly the strength of an El Niño does not always indicate how severely Australia may be affected.
These dryer conditions, should they arise, will place increased pressure on the water supply of effected regions. In particular, increased water demands and reduced stream flows will see declining surface water storage volumes. This could mean we need to develop and use more climate resilient sources………https://theconversation.com/the-role-of-water-in-australias-uncertain-future-45366
August 3, 2015
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AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming, South Australia |
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Hundreds Flee California Wildfires as Governor Declares State of Emergency LOWER LAKE, Calif.)—Blazes raging in forests and woodlands across California have taken the life of a firefighter and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as an army of firefighters continue to battle them from the air and the ground.
Twenty-three large fires, many sparked by lightning strikes, were burning across Northern California on Saturday, said state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant. Some 8,000 firefighters were attempting to subdue them, something made incredibly difficult by several years of drought that have dried out California.
“The conditions and fire behavior we’re seeing at 10 in the morning is typically what we’d see in late afternoon in late August and September,” said Nick Schuler ………..Sourced through Scoop.it from: spiritandanimal.wordpress.com http://garryrogers.com/2015/08/01/hundreds-flee-california-wildfires-as-governor-declares-state-of-emergency/
August 3, 2015
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Is Radioactivity Really Good for You? – NRC to be The Decider NoNukesCA.netAugust 1, 2015 by James Heddle
“……./.YOU may be suffering from… RADIOLOGICAL PHOBIA!
Yes, folks, its a new psychosomatic disorder recently discovered in the Fukushima aftermath by ‘health care professionals’ and their allies in the global pro-nuclear lobby and the PR firms that specialize in the ‘manufacture of doubt.’
Just think, the million-plus deaths shown to have resulted form Chernobyl and all the thousands of mutated kids being cared for in orphanages in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine weren’t caused by Chernobyl fallout radiation exposure – its all in their heads (even if their brains are on the outside of their skulls)!
Same with the so-called Fukushima ‘victims.’ Its all about their MENTAL ATTITUDE – their fact- and experience-based BELIEF SYSTEMS.
The cure – as with other related psychosomatic maladies such as: Climate Change Phobia, GMO Phobia, Surveillance State Phobia or Arctic Oil Drilling Phobia – is DENIAL. What could be more simple…or more simple-minded?
NRC Leaps into the Breach
Always ready to uphold its well-earned reputation as Jonny-on-the-Spot for identifying and resolving any conceivable danger to public health and safety from nuclear technology, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in its august wisdom has decided to respond to a petition from three people claiming to represent Scientists for Accurate Radiation Information to revisit in an official proceeding the long-discredited theory of ‘hormesis,’ the idea that chronic exposure to low-level nuclear radiation is actually Good for you, because it makes you better able to withstand higher exposures. Wow, what a liberating, needless worry-reducing concept!
Don’t Be Fooled: Even Low Levels of Radiation Are Bad
Information and links to sources debunking the ridiculous, irresponsible and long-discredited claim that chronic exposure to low-level radioactivity is good for you. are included below……..
Nuclear Cheerleaders Use Voodoo Science to Pretend Low Levels of Radiation Are Safe … Or Even Good For You
Radiation Experts: Radiation Standards Are Up to 1,000 Higher Than Is Safe for the Human Body
Don’t be fooled by the spin: radiation is bad
On chemical hormesis:
Hormesis is a flawed theory
On electromagnetic hormesis (thanks to Nina Beety:
Hormesis and EMF: A Complex Dose-Response Phenomenon (pdf) http://nonukesca.net/?p=692
August 3, 2015
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Nuclear veterans call for radiation health study NZ Herald Aug 3, 2015 Veterans of New Zealand’s frigate protest at nuclear tests in the South Pacific are calling for a study into the effects of radiation on their health and their children and grandchildren.
About 500 men served on HMNZS Otago and HMNZS Canterbury during the 1973 official Labour Government’s sea-borne challenge to testing in the atmosphere at a French Polynesian atoll.
Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group president Wayne O’Donnell said the group wanted to monitor medical problems of the veterans and their families.
However, without a full list of those who served on the frigates, the group needed to get in touch with crew, or their widows and families.
The group aims to set up a trust fund to enable medical testing of veteran’s children and grandchildren.
It sought data on issues suffered by the children and also mothers during conception and child birth.
“It is hoped the results will establish the truth of the genetic transfer of illnesses related to the nuclear exposure encountered by the crews that were sent to Muruoa Atoll in 1973,” said Mr O’Donnell.
Since the group formed two years ago, he said it had met Veterans Affairs Minister Craig Foss and senior officials and more communication was expected from both sides……….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11490895
August 3, 2015
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Geo Harvey , 3 Aug 15 World:
- Western Australia is about to get its first solar powered mine site, with work starting next week on a $40 million solar array to supply Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper mine with a substantial portion of its power. Under a deal with Juwi, the builder, Sandfire will buy power for at least six years, with further agreements if Sandfire keeps the mine going. [The West Australian]
- Plans for Britain’s first nuclear reactor in almost 30 years have come under sustained attack from politicians and City bankers. A report from a top bank this weekend warned that the cost of the £25 billion Hinkley Point C plant was “becoming harder to justify.” HSBC concluded: “We see ample reason for the UK Government to delay or cancel the project.”…….. [This is Money]…….https://wordpress.com/read/post/feed/2620506/768795446
August 3, 2015
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From the tiniest nations of the Pacific to a giant like China, developing countries are demonstrating that reducing poverty and tackling climate change can, and indeed must, go hand in hand. …
In this report we comprehensively debunk the Prime Minister’s now-infamous statement that “coal is good for humanity”. In this report we explore the devastating impacts of coal on communities and reveal how, contrary to industry claims, coal can do little to bring electricity to those still living without it, the majority of whom live in rural areas and beyond the reach of the conventional energy grid.
http://apo.org.au/research/powering-against-poverty-why-renewable-energy-future
August 3, 2015
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The Worst Disaster That You’ll Never Hear Anything About, Criticl, 2 Aug 15 “………Immediately after the incident, a massive amount of misinformation was spread, with news outlets using a map from NOAA about wave height to depict the spread of radiation and a picture of a nearby burning oil refinery as one of the reactor in flames. Misinformation is rife after any disaster, and those in charge did an admirable job at first to redirect the conversation to what appeared to be the facts and reaffirm what seemingly was important to understand.
Notwithstanding, due to the amalgam of reluctance by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government to later accurately report the above facts coupled with the complicity in hiding the realistic risks and dangers, a catastrophe has only been allowed to get worse over the past couple of years. A lack of investigative journalism in Japan along with constraints of the government’s secrecy act creates a culture of apathy around the incident, which the rest of the world sadly is only all too happy to follow. A situation has manifested that continues to spiral out of control, one with no apparent solution and one that is going to have immense long-term consequences across the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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Too expensive…Not needed…top bank report hits out at plans for £25bn Hinkley C nuclear plant, This is Money, By NEIL CRAVEN FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY, 2 August 2015 Plans for Britain’s first nuclear reactor in almost 30 years have come under sustained attack from politicians and City bankers.
A report from a top bank this weekend warned that the cost of the £25billion Hinkley Point C plant was ‘becoming harder to justify’.
HSBC concluded: ‘We see ample reason for the UK Government to delay or cancel the project.’ Continue reading →
August 3, 2015
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Antinuclear 