More great reporting from Mark Willacy in Japan: radiation killing fishing industry

Mark Willacy reports from Fukushima for the Australian Broadcasting Company. An excerpt: "As Akira Kaya lowers his trawling nets he explains how he used to haul in magnificent catches of octopus, horse mackerel and flatfish. And today again a decent catch spills from his nets onto the deck. But none of these fish will ever make it to market. Here, just 20 kilometres out to sea from the shattered remains of the Fukushima nuclear plant, nothing can be sold to the public."

Wallacy concludes the segment: "A few days after our expedition off Fukushima the results of our haul came in - about a quarter of the catch has radiation levels exceeding the safe limit, with one fish 16 times over the limit, more bad news for Akira Kaya and his fellow Fukushima fisherman."

Listen here or read the transcript.

Waiting for the worst: a fuel pool fire at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4

Interviewed by Radio Australia, Institute for Policy Studies' Bob Alvarez addressed what could happen if another major earthquake rocked the coastal Fukishima area. "The drainage of water caused by an earthquake or the toppling of the pool, which would be the worst possible consequence, could result in essentially the cladding around the spent fuel, which is made of an alloy of zirconium, to heat up and catch fire. And then there would be a massive release of radioactivity," he said. "The spent fuel pool in number four at Fukushima contains roughly ten times more caesium 137 than released by the Chernobyl accident," he pointed out.

Mitsuhei Murata (pictured left), a former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland and a career diplomat who fears for the future of his nation, was also interviewed on the show. He also fears that inaction could spell further disaster. "I call it the sickness of Japan," he said. "Colloquially it can be explained that first, we hide; then we postpone; and then we assume no responsibility." When asked by show host, Mark Willacy, whether a problem with the fuel pool at Unit 4 could spell the end of Japan, Murata replied: "Yes. And there is no one who denies that." Read the full transcript or listen to the show.

Update on June 29, 2012 by admin

Writes Bob Alvarez: In a recent report by the Holophi company in Switzerland, "Estimating the Potential Impact of Failure of the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool: A Local Problem for Japan or a Global Mega Crisis?" http://www.holophi.ch/resources/Holophi-Special-Report-on-Fukushima-SFP-4-r.pdf , the authors conclude: "The results of this analysis suggest that a nominal release of 10% of the SFP 4 inventory of cesium and strontium would represent 3-­10 times the March 2011 release amounts, substantially increasing risk levels in Japan and impacting marine life. Release of 100% of the SFP 4 inventory, or 30-­100 times the March 2011 release amounts, could result in significant global impact." The Bellona Foundation has reported and commented on this story.

San Onofre = Nuclear Lemons!

Inspired by the words of Donna Gilmore at a recent Friends of the Earth sponsored press conference in San Juan Capistrano near the San Onofre nuclear power plant, local Laguna Beach artist J. DeStefano created the image to the left!

U.S. Senate confirms Allison Macfarlane as NRC Chair

Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) issued the following statement:

“I am pleased that the Senate quickly confirmed Dr. Allison Macfarlane as the next chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Her experience and focus on the safety and security of all Americans will serve the Commission well. 

“I also would like to thank Chairman Greg Jaczko for his steadfast commitment to the safety and security of our nation's nuclear facilities.  His leadership during the Fukushima nuclear crisis was instrumental in ensuring our nation’s safety in the wake of that disaster. He has served our nation honorably.”

Dr. Jaczko worked as Sen. Reid's Yucca Mountain staffer, before being appointed to the NRC Commission in 2005. In 2009, President Obama named Jaczko NRC Chairman. NRC Chairman Macfarlane (pictured above left), a PhD. geologist, co-edited the book Uncertainty Underground, listing the many scientific unsuitabilities of Yucca Mountain as a high-level radioactive waste burial site. Sen. Reid has devoted his political career, after being steamrolled as a rookie Senator in 1987 by the "Screw Nevada" bill, to stopping the dump.

Update on July 4, 2012 by admin

The Las Vegas Review Journal, a paper of record on the Yucca Mountain issue, has also reported on this story.

NRC Office of Investigations launches probe into Palisades SIRW storage tank leak

The 45-year-old, problem-plagued Palisades atomic reactor sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, drinking water supply for tens of millions downstreamAs reported by the St. Joe Herald-Palladium, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Investigations (OI) has launched a special probe into the leakage of up to 31.4 gallons per day of acidic and radioactive water from the Safety Injection Refueling Water (SIRW) storage tank into the control room and auxiliary building of Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, MI on Lake Michigan's southeastern shoreline. WSJM radio reports that Palisades' PR spokesman Mark Savage denies any safety significance.

The Associated Press has also reported on this story. A Detroit News opinion column also comments on this story, including that "The tank was being refilled when, Tuesday night, new leaks appeared, and at 9 p.m., it was shut down." Entergy Nuclear appears to be in a hurry to re-start Palisades!

In addition, as the Kalamazoo Gazette reports, the NRC is demanding a copy from Entergy Nuclear of an internal survey of Palisades' workforce, revealing a complete collapse of safety culture at the atomic reactor, including fears of retaliation and harassment for questioning management decisions or raising safety concerns. As spelled out in its letter to Entergy, NRC defines safety culture as "the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment." More.