BUSTING THE NUCLEAR SPIN – theme for November
The nuclear industry is, in reality, in quite a mess. As French, American, South Korean companies scramble to sell nuclear power to the “Third World” – the industry stalls at home. The nuclear emperor’s new clothes are starting to be revealed to the world.
So – loads of money pour into this desperate sales pitch – while it becomes ever clearer that the nuclear industry is expensive, dangerous, and produces long-lasting toxic wastes – for which there is no storage solution.
Meanwhile – technologies for energy efficiency, and renewable energy get cheaper and more practical. And – renewable energy can be operated both as large scale projects on the grid – or as small-scale decentralised forms – very suitable for developing countries.
Thousands of Germans will protest nuclear waste transport
Monday’s attack on a power cable in an S-Bahn rail station came just days before many thousands of anti-nuclear activists are expected to protest on Nov. 5-8 against the transport of nuclear waste to a dump in the northern town of Gorleben.
German anti-nuclear activists disrupt Berlin trains | Reuters BERLIN Nov 2 – German anti-nuclear activists on Tuesday took responsibility for setting a small fire in a Berlin rail station during rush hour that caused widespread disruption to commuters throughout the capital. Continue reading
Uranium mining would ruin Finland’s tourism reputation
a few years of mining operations are not worth ruining the reputations of Kainuu and Lapland as travel destinations.
Greens Want Uranium Mining Ban Uutiset | yle.fi, 31 Oct 10, The Green League’s party council is calling for a ban on uranium mining in Finland. According to the Greens, uranium mining operations have got into the country “through the back door” and they are ruining the country’s reputation as a travel destination, especially in the north. Continue reading
Australia’s nuclear power spinners – theme for November
It is well accepted, (even by Ziggy Switkowski in his 2006 report) that Australia does not need nuclear power. Yet, Ziggy and other old nuclear lobbyists are now urgently “spinning” , promoting nuclear energy for Australia. And new spinners are joining them
Apologies to Bob Hawke – I left that old attention-seeker off the picture!
One reason for this nuclear spinning is the fact that Australia will be expected to take back international wastes, as part of its uranium export industry. So, by getting Australia into the entire nuclear fuel cycle, this would make a smoother transition from “our” nuclear wastes, to “theirs” too.
The radioactive waste question is becoming critical in Australia – with the government’s attempt to impose a dump on Aboriginal land, and with Lucas Heights wastes soon. due to return from England.
Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates visited Australia. Their mission? – to get Australia deeper into the US military machine, with Western Australia, like Pine Gap, part of the Space War project.
The USA’s urgent nuclear waste problem might have been on the agenda in talks with Julia Gillard. We, the great unwashed, would not know. (but for USA to export its nuclear rubbish to Australia could be a bit more difficult now – since the European Union declared that export of nuclear waste overseas is unsafe)
Stacked nuclear discussion panel for Melbourne
In November Melbourne University is to grace the public with another stacked nuclear power panel. ( It’s been a while since Ziggy Switkowski was heckled at the last one)
Despite the fact that nuclear power involves issue such as the environment, health, atomic weapons, even economics, the panel will be dominated by pro nuclear interests, with just one (?token) speaker possibly having some knowledge of environment.
Speakers will be: Ziggy Spinowski – paid nuclear spruiker from ANSTO, Dr Selena Ng, from AREVA, Prof John Daley – background in stockbroking, with ANZ – from Grattan Institute which is largely funded by BHP Billiton, Prof Mike Sandford, geologist, from Pro nuclear Melbourne Energy Institute
None of your “soft” scientists there!
Except possibly Prof Lee Godden – ? token woman – lecturer in human rights, indigenous issues, environment
Hazards in BHP’s planned export of uranium to China
“BHP propose precedent sale of uranium in copper concentrates to China…“This is not sanctioned under Australia’s nuclear treaties … it would compromise our safeguards and environmental responsibilities, and dump some 1.2 million tonnes of long-lived radioactive mine wastes in China every year.
‘Toxic lake’ future for Olympic Dam, Roxby Downs Sun, 25 Oct, 2010 02:26 BHP must present feasible alternatives to prevent or reduce the environmental impacts of the proposed Olympic Dam expansion in the next phase of the Environmental Impact Statement process, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) say. Continue reading
Australian govt to try mediation to get nuclear waste dump on to Aboriginal land
a representative from other clans, Mark Lane Jangala, has launched a Federal Court challenge against the Government and the land council to try to stop the dump.
Nuclear dump parties to enter mediation, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Anna Henderson, 26 Oct 10 The Federal Government and the Northern Land Council have agreed to mediate with Aboriginal clans who oppose a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory. Continue reading
Tax-payer subsidises uranium mine, but unaware of toxic result
“BHP propose to dump radioactive mine tailings on the surface and to leave them there forever rather than to dispose of their wastes,”…“BHP do not intend to rehabilitate the proposed open pit, intending instead to leave a toxic lake as a radioactive scar on the landscape.”.
‘Toxic lake’ future for Olympic Dam, Roxby Downs Sun, 25 Oct, 2010 “…….. BHP had designed the project to leak an average three million litres of liquid radioactive wastes a day until 2050 and only plan to line about 15 per cent of tailings piles. Continue reading
NSW govt dumps plan to dump radioactive waste on Sydney Western suburb
Keneally rules out Kemps Creek as dump for Hunters Hill N-waste, Sydney Morning Herald, Ben Cubby, October 25, 2010 The state government has backed out of using Sydney’s west as a dumping ground for radioactive waste after community opposition. Continue reading
Greens welcome new committee study on nuclear waste dump
“Labor abused the Senate oversight process by whitewashing a committee report earlier this year. This represents the first test of the committee system under the new parliament.”
Opportunity for new approach on nuclear waste dump Scott Ludlam, Adam Bandt, 21st October 2010, The Australian Greens welcome the referral of the Federal Government’s controversial bill to establish Australia’s national radioactive waste dump to a House of Representatives parliamentary committee. Continue reading
Theft of radioactive materials in Victoria
The theft is the most serious incident in the report, which includes another 33 cases where people were exposed to levels of radiation, most often as the result of medical error.
The Brumby Dump: nuclear compounds stolen from the back of a ute | Crikey, by Wez Matthews-Naylor, 22 Oct 120 Dangerous nuclear compounds were stolen from the back of an unlocked ute in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong earlier this year, and remain at large Continue reading
Radiation mishaps in Australia 2005 to 2010
The newly posted ACIRs show errors involving medical uses of radiation are the most common cause of critical incidents.
ARPANSA comes clean on annual reports Karen Dearne, The Australian, * October 22, 2010 DIAGNOSTIC radiology has emerged as the highest-risk area for medical radiation errors, Continue reading
Western Sydney suburb firmly resisting radioactive waste dumping
Uranium dump plan in doubt at Kemps Creek, Penrith Star, BY GEMMA SEYMOUR20 Oct, 2010 A RESOUNDING message is being sent to the state government: we’ve had our fill of the state’s rubbish. There has been opposition from both sides of politics to a plan to truck 5000 tonnes of toxic soil from a Hunters Hill site that used to process uranium ore to a landfill site in Kemps Creek, Continue reading
India stands firm on Nuclear Liability Law
In the run-up to President Barack Obama’s visit here in November, the U.S. side is looking for substantive changes in the nuclear liability law…..American companies such as GE and Westinghouse insist they will be unable to supply nuclear equipment to India unless they are fully insulated from all liability claims in the event of an accident.
India resists U.S. pushback on nuclear liability, The Hindu , Siddharth Varadarajan, 22 Oct 10, No change in the Act is possible, government tells U.S. Continue reading
NSW govt second thoughts on radioactive waste to Western Sydney
A protest by local residents, and attended by Liberal candidate for Mulgoa, Tanya Davis, was due to take place today outside the Sita facility.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 