UCS questions NRC on status of Davis-Besse shield building prior to restart

NRC inspector examines cracking in wall of Davis-Besse atomic reactor shield buildingDavid Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, has written the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission questioning whether or not NRC has adequately inspected cracking in the Davis-Besse atomic reactor's exterior shield building, and whether this aspect of the design can still fulfill its radiologically protective function against external threats, such as tornado missiles. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has reported upon this story, as has Canada's Windsor Star. On October 20th, NRC issued a Preliminary Notification of Occurrence (PNO). Beyond Nuclear, along with Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario (quoted extensively in the Windsor Star article), Don't Waste Michigan, and the Ohio Green Party, have won standing and the admission for hearing of several contentions against the 20 year license extension sought by FirstEnergy nuclear utility at its problem plagued Davis-Besse atomic reactor.

Atomic powered basketball

USA Today on November 9th advertized on its front page "Aircraft carrier to host hoops: See how the USS Carl Vinson is turned into a basketball venue," and ran a large graphic in its sports section entitled "College basketball lands on the USS Carl Vinson." The President and First Lady are even reported to be attending the Veterans Day game between Michigan State and North Carolina. Interestingly, USA Today's coverage fails to mention that the carrier is nuclear powered.

This is not the only time basketball and nuclear power have mixed. Bob Pollard at Union of Concerned Scientists in his classic book The Nugget File reported one of the strangest nuclear accidents ever. Staff at a nuclear power plant decided to block shut a large diameter pipe with a basketball wrapped in duct tape to match the pipe's inner diameter, so they could perform repairs on the high-level radioactive waste storage pool. The pressure of the water shot the basketball out, risking a pool drain down and catastrophic radioactive waste fire. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's response? Advising that basketballs not be used for such purposes in the future!

In addition, the Utah Jazz NBA basketball team's arena is named after EnergySolutions, the largest radioactive waste company in the U.S. And the spherical Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA bears a strange resemblance to early General Electric atomic reactors such as Big Rock Point in Michigan!

TransCanada Pipelines also a nuclear utility!

Congratulations to environmental allies who have successfully pressured the Obama administration to postpone -- and hopefully ultimately cancel -- TransCanada Pipelines' proposed Keystone XL Pipeline for Canadian tar sands crude oil. But tar sands crude oil isn't the only "dirty, dangerous, and expensive" energy source TransCanada dabbles with. According to its website, it also owns 48.8% of the 3,000 Megawatt-electric (MW-e) Bruce A nuclear power plant, and 31.6% of the 3,200 MW-e Bruce B nuclear power plant. Bruce -- a 9 reactor and radioactive waste complex located in Ontario on the shore of Lake Huron just 50 miles from Michigan -- is the largest nuclear power plant in the Western Hemisphere, and the second biggest in the world. TransCanada entered the nuclear power business despite warnings by NIRS in late 2002 about serious financial and environmental risks. (A primary bone of contention over the Keystone XL pipeline is its proposed route over the irreplacable Ogallala Aquifer; the Waste Control Specialists radioactive waste dump in Texas also threatens the Ogallala.)

"Humpty Dumpty, King Kong spotted at Davis-Besse protest"

King Kong applied nuclear-grade duct tape to a very cracked Humpty Dumpty at an "I Have a Scream!" Halloween protest held in Toledo in solidarity with Beyond Nuclear's rally at the Department of Energy's headquarters in Washington D.C. The Toledo street theater called attention to cracks in the Davis-Besse atomic reactor's shield building first revealed on October 1st. Just today, further cracking was admitted by FirstEnergy, as reported by Bloomberg. Beyond Nuclear, along with Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Ohio Green Party, have intervened against the 20 year license extension sought by FirstEnergy at Davis-Besse, despite the reactor's many close calls with disaster over the past 34 years. Toledo attorney Terry Lodge represents the environmental coalition pro bono.

Lessons of Nuclear Power and the Media, San Fran., 12/3/11

At the request of Japanese anti-nuclear colleagues, Beyond Nuclear is proud to endorse "The Lessons Of Nuclear Power And The Media", to be held December 3, 2011, from 10 AM to 4PM at Burk Hall 28 at San Francisco University (1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco) in California.

After 7 months, Japan keeps failing to stop the radioactive releases from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Why do we risk similar catastrophes in the US? Why did Japan build 54 reactors, and why do we have 104 operating in the US? Where do we dump radioactive wastes? What do we know about this nuke-industrial complex, and how are people fighting against it in Fukushima, Pan-Asia, California and New York? This educational conference will examine the Fukushima nuclear melt-downs, the role of the media in its coverage of this catastrophe, how this crisis has affected the development of nuclear power, and the education of the public about the industry.

Guest speakers will include Anthony J. Hall (Globalization Studies, University of Lethbridge), Barbara George (Marine Clean Energy), Seungkoo Choi (Christian Network for Nuke-Free Earth), Steve Zeltzer (Labor Video Project), and Yuko Tonohira (Todos Somos Japon).

The event is organized by the No Nukes Action Committee, and supported by the California Nuclear Free Coalition. Endorsers also include Beyond Nuclear, Japan Multicultural Relief Fund, San Francisco Peace and Freedom Party, Shut Down Indian Point Now!, TalkNukes, Todos Somos Japon, and Tri-Valley CARES.

For information, call (415)867-0628 or Email 311bayarea@gmail.com or lvpsf@igc.org

Please spread the word about the event! Print out the flyer now!