BHP, Climate Doubters, involved now in Australia’s CSIRO
A poor climate for debate at CSIRO, The Age, Paddy Manning, July 3, 2010 QUESTIONS are being raised about the closeness of BHP Billiton and the CSIRO under chief executive Megan Clark. A former technology vice president at BHP, Clark was appointed in late 2008 ……. there is concern about the imbalance in research funding at CSIRO, particularly in responses to climate change. Continue reading
Nuclear Lobby’s anti wind power line – Australian Landscape Guardians
The template for the Australian chapter of the landscape guardians is the British Coastal Guardians, an anti-wind power organisation run by climate change sceptics with strong links to the nuclear energy industry.
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, The Age, ADAM MORTON, July 3, 2010 “…….Wind farm opponents also paid for advertisements in the weekly Pyrenees Advocate warning of ”Waubra disease”, an illness said to include symptoms of sleep disturbance, nausea, headaches and increased heart rate that could be ”coming to a house, farm or school near you”.
No evidence was given to back the claims, but the advertisements heightened concerns in the local community Continue reading
Cane Toads a metaphor for uranium nuclear Australia?
Warmer Is Better: Invasive Cane Toads Set to Thrive Under Global Warming ScienceDaily (July 1, 2010) — As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the already destructive cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature, say Australian scientists. Continue reading
Uranium mining exempted from Resources tax, Ferguson fixes it.
Tax deal lifts cloud over miners, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 july 2010, Australia’s biggest miners face paying more tax, but not nearly as much as feared, after winning big concessions from the federal government….
Most importantly, the new tax will not affect BHP Billiton’s $23 billion plan to expand the massive Olympic Dam mine, the world’s biggest uranium deposit ….
Having signed off on the resource rent deal, only one major uncertainty remains for the miners. Will this new tax be approved by Australia’s Senate following an election expected in the next few months? Continue reading
Devastation of indigenous land by uranium mining
VIDEO Another Green World: McCain declares (nuclear) war on Navajo & Sioux McCain declares (nuclear) war on Navajo & Sioux, Another Green World, by Derek Wall, 1 July 2010 ‘Our Mother is 
suffering….’Radiation levels rising, uranium mining for ‘clean’ nuclear power is killing indigenous land in Arizona and McCain wants more, bet it would be different if his house was next to a radioactive mine.
Call to Australians to dump Ferguson’s nuclear waste dump plan
“The Government must stop pushing the Muckaty dump plan and establish an independent and public review of nuclear waste management options based on best science, transparent process and community inclusion and consent, as it committed to do in 2007.”
ACF is seeking community support and donations to run newspaper and billboard advertising in Melbourne, asking for him and the Government to ‘Dump the Dump’.Concerned Australians can find out more and donate at www.dumpthedump.org.au
AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION 2 July 2010 The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched a major new campaign to end Resources Minister Martin Ferguson’s plan for a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty, 120 kilometres north of Tennant Creek. Continue reading
BP oil spill endangers coastal nuclear power plants
A May 12 situation report from the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability acknowledged the potential for problems.
“If water supply for these facilities becomes contaminated with oil, cooling water systems could be damaged,” it said.
(USA) Gulf Coast nuclear plants at risk from BP oil spill, FACING SOUTH, 1 July 2010, Watchdog groups are warning about the BP oil spill’s potential damage to Gulf and Atlantic coast nuclear power plants that use seawater to cool pumps and other safety equipment. Continue reading
Gloomy outlook for uranium share price
“The lack of movement of uranium price is the reason investors are not active. There is no incentive to invest if there is no movement in the underlying commodity.”
Mining Weekly 30 June 2010, “……………the market valuation fell over the past month, with Australian companies suffering a 4% decline and Canadian uranium firms a 2% drop.
Over the past three months, the market valuation fell by 16% for Australian miners and 15% for Canadian miners……most companies had seen share prices drop over the last three months.
ERA suffered a 27% drop in its three-months share price,
Stalled price tanks stocks | The Energy Collective 29 June Uranium price likely to remain flat for next few years – falling prices “…..A review of 12 Canadian uranium mining stocks – three producers and nine juniors – show a dismaying trend since December 2009.
Every quarter FCW compiles tracking information on stock prices across a selected list of producers and juniors. The trends for these companies as of June 11, 2010, is an unmistakable dive from prior values. Of the 12 stocks on our list , seven have seen their prices drop by more than 20% and three have seen their stock prices drop by more than 10%……..
“The lack of movement of uranium price is the reason investors are not active. There is no incentive to invest if there is no movement in the underlying commodity.”
South Australian govt ordered to pay legal costs of anti uranium protestors
Anti-uranium protesters win legal costs from SA Government , ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 30 June 2010, A court has ordered the South Australian Government to pay the legal bills of nine people who were assaulted and unlawfully detained during an anti-uranium protest. Continue reading
Australia must act on Climate Change, but Nuclear is Not the Answer
Australian climate could be a “harbinger of change” to the rest of the world. What scientists say we have ahead of us if global warming is not prevented, such as Severe droughts and Fires, are already rife in Australia as climate change warms their already hot environment……
……All eyes will be on Australia in the coming years. It may well show a bleak future for the rest of us, unless we act now to prevent further global warming. Global Warming In Australia: A Climate Changing | Global Changes
Ionising radiation risk of airport scanning has been underestimated
(UK) Airport body scanners deliver radiation dose 20 times higher than first thought, warns expert, Daily Mail, 30th June 2010 Full body scanners at airports could increase your risk of skin cancer, experts warn…..scientists say radiation from the scanners has been underestimated and could be particularly risky for children. Continue reading
No nuclear waste dump for uranium baron South Australia
with past scientific assessment declaring Woomera in South Australia as the best option, Premier Mike Rann was quickly on the defensive, saying a nuclear waste dump would jeopardise his state’s clean, green reputation.
“We took the Howard government to the High Court to stop the nation’s nuclear waste dump being set up in this state.
Arguments flare again over nuke waste dump, David Nason , The Australian , June 29, 2010 JULIA Gillard’s rise to Prime Minister has sparked a new debate over where to locate a nuclear waste dump. Continue reading
Water scarcity an increasing problem for nuclear industry
what, in particular, does this mean for the nation’s fleet of nuclear power plants?
Drought and heat waves in the United States and other countries have highlighted one of nuclear power’s most intractable vulnerabilities: water scarcity.
(USA) Water Scarcity: Nuclear Power’s Achilles’ Heel, THE HUFFINGTON POST Kyle Rabin: June 28, 2010, Scientists, researchers and other experts warn that the United States is entering an era of water scarcity.
Back in 2003, the US General Accounting Office (now known as the US Government Accountability Office or GAO) projected that 36 states, under normal conditions, could face water shortages by 2013. However, those shortages were realized in 2008 — five years sooner than predicted. Current forecasts suggest that climate change will only exacerbate the challenges of managing and protecting water resources. Continue reading
Zane Alcorn speaks out: the uranium industry must go
Zane Alcorn, candidate for Newcastle , Green Left Weekly, 26 June 2010, We need to stand behind the first people of this country and fight for their land and cultural rights. The government’s so-called concern for Aboriginal welfare and living conditions is nothing but a cloak for a blatant land grab.The uranium-rich land of central Australia is coveted by government and private mining corporations alike. Aboriginal land rights are a direct threat to this potential source of huge wealth. Continue reading
Compensation for uranium industry workers and communities
Senators want uranium compensation on fast track, GJSentinel.com, June 26, 2010 Colorado’s two U.S. senators are seeking a hearing on a bill that would expand the compensation program for the nation’s nuclear-weapons industry workers. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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