Updated "Southeast MI in the Radioactive Cross Hairs" backgrounder

At the urging of environmental allies in southeast Michigan, Beyond Nuclear in March 2012 prepared a backgrounder on reactor, radioactive waste, and other nuclear risks in the region. The backgrounder has been updated for use at a presentation by Beyond Nuclear's Radioactive Waste Watchdog, Kevin Kamps, to be held at the Huron Valley Sierra Club Chapter meeting in Ann Arbor, MI on May 20th. The backgrounder complements the "Great Lakes Region Nuclear Hot Spots" map, prepared by Anna Tilman at International Coalition of Concern for Public Health last year.

NRC grants years-long delays on urgent "Fukushima lessons learned" earthquake risk safety upgrades

Looking at the overlap of U.S. nuclear reactors (both power and research facilities) and earthquake zones is pretty alarming.In a press release entitled "NRC Prioritizes Detailed Earthquake Risk Analysis For Central and Eastern U.S. Reactors," the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has given nuclear utilities an extraordinarily long period of time to upgrade safety in light of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.

(A map posted at www.publicintegrity.org, left, superimposes the locations of U.S. atomic reactors onto a USGS map of seismic hazards.)

NRC speaks of having "set a priority list for 21 of 59 nuclear power plant sites in the central and eastern United States to conduct in-depth analyses of the plants’ updated earthquake risk," in recognition that seismic hazards could well be greater than the atomic reactors were originally designed and built to withstand.

And what are NRC's deadlines for the nuclear utilities to take "Fukushima lessons learned" urgent action by? Preliminary analysis, to determine if reinforcements to systems, structures, or components may be needed, is not due till Dec. 31, 2014 -- nearly four years after the Fukushima catastrophe began. If any such upgrades are needed, they need not be installed until Dec. 31, 2016 -- nearly six years post-Fukushima.

Perhaps more astounding, the "detailed," "in-depth risk" analyses described in the press release headline are not due until June 30, 2017 (over six years post-Fukushima) for 10 "priority" sites, and not till June 30, 2019 (more than eight years post-Fukushima) for another 11 "priority" sites.

At another 23 sites, NRC is still yet to decide whether or not they need to do the "in-depth risk analysis." If NRC decides they do, they have until Dec. 31, 2020 (almost a decade post-Fukushima) to get it done.

Apparently, we must simply hope earthquakes stronger than originally designed and constructed against many decades ago won't strike before NRC requires these actions to be taken.

Entergy's Palisades spills 70 gallons of oil on the edge of Lake Michigan

NRC file photo of Entergy's Palisades atomic reactor, as well as the Great Lake and surrounding countryside it puts at riskDespite the industry's claim that nuclear power is "clean energy," Entergy's Palisades atomic reactor has just spilled "approximately 70 gallons" of oil onto the ground, adjacent to the waters of Lake Michigan. As a headwaters for the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan supplies drinking water to 40 million people in eight U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American First Nations.

The Kalamazoo Gazette has reported on this oil leak. This latest incident at Palisades was made public by an Event Notification posted at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's website.

The oil spill comes a year and two days after Palisades leaked 82.1 gallons of radioactive water directly into Lake Michigan. The radioactive spill prompted a protest vigil at Palisades' front entrace, organized by Beyond Nuclear and local concerned citizens' groups, after U.S. Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce (whose district "hosts" Palisades), as well as NRC Commissioner Svinicki, failed to even acknowledge requests for meetings after their hastily arranged emergency tour of the problem-plagued plant. More.

Nuclear Hotseat: Fukushima's Cover-up "Killer Points" w/ Karl Grossman

Karl GrossmanInterview, on Nuclear Hotseat, by host Libbe HaLevy, with award-winning investigative journalist Karl Grossman (photo left), on how the nuclear industry has gamed the media since before Hiroshima, why mainstream media continues to resist coverage of nuclear news, and thoughts on how to start breaking that logjam.

Karl's interview begins at the 14 minute 40 second mark in the YouTube recording.

Karl serves as a Beyond Nuclear board member.

New novel brings Chernobyl experience vividly to life

A novel by Darragh McKeon,  All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, has been published in the U.S. by Harper Collins and will be featured at a Beyond Nuclear special book event on Monday, May 19th at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC.  

A theater director by profession, McKeon spent eight years shaping his debut novel. It follows the stories of four primary characters during the unfolding Chernobyl reactor disaster and the fall of the Soviet Union. Yevgeni is a child piano prodigy living in Moscow; his aunt, Maria, a former dissident journalist, now works in a factory; Maria’s ex-husband Grigory, a talented surgeon, leaves Moscow to treat Chernobyl victims; and another young boy, Artyom, is evacuated from his rural home close to the stricken reactor.

All That Is Solid Melts Into Air is McKeon’s first novel. Originally from Ireland and now living in New York, he was inspired after Chernobyl Children International, an organization created and led by Adi Roche, began bringing children harmed by the aftermath of the nuclear disaster to his home town for “radiation vacations.” 

The book has been praised by fellow Irish writers, Colm Toíbín and Colum McCann and described in reviews as “powerful and moving” and “a supremely accomplished social novel.” An essay accompanying the book describes McKeon’s personal experience visiting Ukraine and Belarus.

McKeon will read from his searingly beautiful novel set during and after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster as the Soviet Union crumbles. The event, hosted by Beyond Nuclear, will take place in the Langston Room of the Busboys & Poets restaurant and bookstore at 2021 14th St. NW, from 7pm-9pm. It is free and open to the public.

Photographs from the Chernobyl region, by Gabriela Bulišová, will be projected onto the big screen before the reading. See the artist's statement here, and the photo captions here.

Copies of the book can be purchased at any time from the Busboys bookstore. It is published by Harper Collins and is also available through various online outlets. McKeon will sign books and answer questions after the talk.

Update on May 5, 2014 by admin

And read McKeon's remarkable essay about his visit to the region. Please circulate the event invitation to your lists.

Update on August 10, 2014 by admin

Anthony Marra has published a favorable book review in the New York Times, featuring the graphic art of Alex Nabaum.