Compensation for uranium industry workers and communities
the health impacts on families of uranium workers and residents of uranium-development 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
A little primer on ionising radiation
Ewan Saunders comments on Northern Territory intervention
Ewan Saunders, candidate for Brisbane, Green Left Weekly, 26 June 2010, As Socialist Alliance candidates visit the NT in July to attend a national Indigenous and non-Indigenous convergence, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott will be sitting a very comfortable distance away from the communities affected by the NT intervention.
It makes for a revealing comparison: they can disagree on taxing the mining mega-corporations, but they can agree on stripping away the hard-won land rights of Aboriginal people in this country to hand over the land to mining interests.………Youth candidates to witness NT intervention | Green Left Weekly
Plutonium powered nuclear facilities in space?
We have been seeing — for two months now — the damage of technology run amok in the Gulf of Mexico. Consider the consequences of dangerous, expensive, unnecessary nuclear-powered technology running amok above our heads.
Obama Seeks to Revive Space Nuclear Power, Karl Grossman, June 25, 2010 Despite its huge dangers, the Obama administration is seeking to revive the use of nuclear power in space. Continue reading
Highly Enriched Uranium (for a bomb) easy to get from commercial nuclear reactors
Every nuclear-powered nation on the planet has nuclear material, and not all of it’s under lock and key. Civilian stockpiles in Europe and Japan aren’t staffed by armed guards, nor are most nuclear research reactors on U.S. college campuses. But if you’re looking for a truly easy score, try Russia.
What’s It Take to Build a Nuclear Weapon? | TakePart, by Adam Trunell, 25 June 2010, “…………..The Nuclear Material The most important ingredient in a nuclear bomb is the nuclear stuff itself, which is also the hardest to get. No way can you find nuclear material like plutonium or highly enriched uranium stockpiled in a tool shed behind some half-hearted padlock. Right? Wrong Continue reading
Australia’s nuclear waste danger
Obama’s visit later this year may well lead to Australia becoming an international nuclear waste dump – THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY and RADIOACTIVE WASTES – our theme for June 2010 With the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill, the Australian government is setting Australia up for a possible later step in the sorry story of nuclear wastes.
The decision to impose a nuclear waste dump on Northern Territory Aboriginal land has been followed quickly by an agreement between the Australian government and President Obama, on sharing nuclear technology. And this will now be followed by Obama’s visit to Australia – just at the time when 
Obama is in deep trouble over the USA’s growing mass of nuclear wastes.
At the same time, Obama has set up a (somewhat pro-nuclear industry) “Blue Ribbon Panel” to find out what on earth to do with USA’s nuclear wastes
Australia is still signed up to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation , (that’s the new name for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership), by which uranium -selling countries agree to take back nuclear wastes from overseas countries
Rocketing nuclear reactor costs send AREVA into the red!
While the rocketing costs of the OL3 EPR have dragged down AREVA’s results for years, this is the first time that they have sent the company into the red…..AREVA’s losses are ultimately borne by French taxpayers.
AREVA covers up extent of massive nuclear reactor cost overrun Greenpeace International by jmckeati – June 24, 2010 French nuclear giant AREVA were force to issue a profit warning yesterday. It has had to find an extra 400 million euros to cover the additional costs of building its so-called flagship European Pressurised Reactor at Olkiluoto in Finland. Continue reading
Was nuclear salesman Paul Howes behind Julia Gillard’s rise?
(I hope this is not true – Christina Macpherson)
The Left, the Right and union heavies; 
Julia’s rise to the top, Crikey.com 24 June 2010, ” The shocking idea that a 28-old-year-old right-wing unionist in the form of Howes can put the wheels in motion to dump the nation’s leader, even if acting as cover for Rudd-rival Shorten, has left the Victorian Left incredulous……..Howes won’t escape scrutiny for his role either.
“This was a loathsome performance … what the hell is Paul Howes doing instructing the caucus?,” one senior Victorian left faction source told Crikey this morning.
Uranium company director Ken Talbot and Arkaroola corruption charges
The death of Ken Talbot in an airplane crash puts a stop to the legal proceedings that have been ongoing over corruption charges, and the murky history of uranium miner Marathon resources.
The charges concerned $300,000 allegedly paid by Talbot to Nuttall while Nuttall was a Minister of the Crown. Nuttall was sentenced in July this year to seven year’s jail…………
Arkaroola uranium hunter on bribery charges, The Independent Weekly, HENDRIK GOUT17 Oct, 2009 The owner and director of the largest shareholder in the company which the state government allows to explore the Arkaroola wilderness for uranium, Marathon Resources, is awaiting trial on charges of having bribed a government minister.
Ken Talbot of Talbot Group Investments Pty Ltd is accused of corruptly making payments to Gordon Nuttall, then a Labor minister in the Queensland Government…………In December 2008, Gordon Nuttall and Ken Talbot were committed to stand trial on 35 corruption charges. Continue reading
Surfers against nuclear power
The message is clear from the surf community in Jeffreys Bay and is supported by surfers from all over the world. Don’t build a Nuke at Thuyspunt.
(South Africa) 23 June 2010, The Jeffreys Bay surf community came out in full support of the Supertubes Surfing Foundation’s call to prevent the building of a nuclear power station at nearby Thuyspunt. Continue reading
Victorian Labor Party opposes sale of uranium to Russia
The Victorian ALP State Conference on Saturday 19th June passed a Motion opposing export of uranium to Russia.
This is a strong position and an important challenge to the Federal ALP government’s stated support for the Howard – Putin uranium deal that was cut by the preceding Liberal government before the last federal election.
The Motion calls on Federal ALP to accept the findings of a Federal Parliamentary Inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties that recommended the Russian uranium sales deal should not proceed and placed a set of strong preconditions in its path – conditions that the Federal Labor government are not honouring to date.
Political moves in New Zealand to prevent passage of uranium shipments
Moves to stop uranium shipment Herald Sun: AAP * June 21, 2010 NEW Zealand politicians say they are looking for ways to update anti-nuclear legislation in a bid to block uranium shipments from South Australia passing through New Zealand ports. Continue reading
Tim Flannery goes anti nuclear?
Time Flannery, previous darling of the Australian nuclear lobby – seems to have got off his pro nuclear horse – well – to some degree anyway. He’s just against it for Australia.
But – that’s incurred the wrath of quite a few pro-nuclear columnists – he seems to be out of favour now
Flannery, quoted 20 June 2010, “Why should we take the most expensive option in this country, which has always been recognized as having the most expensive and difficult option.
We are going to see a whole lot of other technologies and innovations which are now well under way which we could use instead of nuclear power……. Such as concentrated PV technology, geothermal technology, wave power, wind power.”
The Uranium Mining Gamble
The gambling is going on in both uranium markets. Some corporations gamble on selling old weapons uranium. Others gamble on digging uranium out of the ground and selling it – (if it goes belly up – well in Australia they’ll try to blame the Rudd government)
Companies Bet on Market for Enriched Uranium, Online Casino Guide, 21 June 2010, Changes in technology and vagaries like future arms control agreements can affect companies like Urenco and USEC.
Companies Bet on Market for Enriched Uranium | Online Casino Guide
…. projects such as BHP’s uranium and copper mine at Olympic Dam in South Australia. This requires billions of dollars in upfront investment projected to be recouped by cash flows in 2020 or later. The relatively high rate of return required is a function of many risks, including cost pressures and assumptions about the uranium market in 2020….. FT.com 20 June 2010,
Discredited Global Nuclear Energy Partnership resuscitated under a new name
In October 2007 a panel of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences condemned the plan – the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) as unproven and risky, and concluded that the program, even if pursued, would not be ready in time to deal with the commercial nuclear waste accumulating at 104 U.S. commercial power reactors and the waste expected to be added from any future reactors. The U.S. Senate and Congress were unwilling to pass funds for this grandiose plan.
The GNEP languished, discredited – until now. The same plan is now resuscitated, and re-launched under a new name – The the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC)
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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