Antinuclear

Dr Jim Green predicts that Nuclear Commission report will be a “foregone conclusion”

Friends of the Earth anti-nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green said the contents of today’s findings were a “foregone conclusion” accusing the commission of bias.

“We expect that [the findings] will be mostly interested in the idea of making money out of importing high-level nuclear waste,” he said.

Professor Ian Lowe: –  “if the royal commission sticks to the facts and what’s proven, I think they’ll inevitably conclude there’s not a strong case for South Australia getting heavily involved in the nuclear industry,”

Nuclear dump tipped for South Australia amid ‘desperate’ times, ABC News 15 Feb 16 
South Australia’s nuclear royal commission is set to release its tentative findings this morning, with experts from both sides of the debate predicting an outcome in favour of a nuclear dump………The issue has long stirred emotions in South Australia, with former premier Mike Rann and former prime minister John Howard at odds over a nuclear waste dump at Woomera for six years before the proposal was ultimately scrapped in 2004.

Current Premier Jay Weatherill is more receptive to the idea and set up the royal commission, saying there were economic opportunities in the mining, enrichment, energy and storage phases of the fuel cycle.

Flinders University associate professor of politics Haydon Manning said the Premier was looking for political gains as the state struggled with unemployment.

“If you understand the mood of South Australia, there is a degree of desperation,” Mr Manning said……..

Friends of the Earth anti-nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green said the contents of today’s findings were a “foregone conclusion” accusing the commission of bias.

“We expect that [the findings] will be mostly interested in the idea of making money out of importing high-level nuclear waste,” he said.

“There are other aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle which will probably be knocked off, namely uranium enrichment and nuclear re-processing. They’re economic non-starters, so that leaves waste importation and possibly nuclear power.

“The issue of nuclear power, there will be something for everyone. There will be some positive comments but also some qualifications and also a lot of meaningless comments.”

Dr Green said one point he would be looking out for was whether the findings recommended repealing federal laws banning nuclear power in Australia……..

One of the royal commission’s expert advisors, Professor Ian Lowe, said he did not know what the findings would be, and would be awaiting their release at 11:00am.

“I’m not apprehensive because if the royal commission sticks to the facts and what’s proven, I think they’ll inevitably conclude there’s not a strong case for South Australia getting heavily involved in the nuclear industry,” he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-15/nuclear-dump-tipped-for-south-australia-amid-desperate-times/7166966

February 15, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | NUCLEAR ROYAL COMMISSION 2016