Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster

David Lochbaum, Edwin Lyman, Susan Q. Stranahan, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) have published a book in time for the third anniversary of the beginning of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. The book details the blow by blow unfolding of the disaster at Japan, and serves as a searing indictment of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's dereliction of its safety duty domestically, risking an American Fukushima.

See UCS's web post about the book's publication here. See UCS's press release here. See UCS's blog post here.

UCS's Director of News & Commentary, Elliott Negin posted a blog at HuffPost's Green site. LA Times Pulitzer Prize-winning business columnist Michael Hiltzik has pointed to Fukushima's lessons learned (his column includes a link to his earlier review of the book).

Lochbaum is the head of the UCS's Nuclear Safety Project, and also author of Nuclear Waste Disposal Crisis. Lyman is a senior scientist in the Global Security Program of UCS. Stranahan was the lead reporter of the Philadelphia Inquirer's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Three Mile Island accident and the author of Susquehanna: River of Dreams.

Given the presence of 23 operating GE BWR Mark Is in the U.S., and 8 operating Mark IIs, this book has important Fukushima "lessons learned" to be applied here. This is especially true, given the conclusion of the Japanese Diet (Parliament), that the root cause of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe was not the earthquake and tsunami, but rather the industry-regulatory agency-elected official collusion, which left the nuclear power plant so vulnerable to the natural disasters. Of course, as this book makes clear, we have such collusion in spades here in the U.S.

NRDC: Preventing Hydrogen Explosions in Severe Nuclear Accidents

As the fourth year of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe is about to begin on March 11th, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has published a report, Preventing Hydrogen Explosions in Severe Nuclear Accidents: Unresolved Safety Issues Involving Hydrogen Generation and Mitigation. This report was authored by nuclear safety consultant Mark Leyse. Christopher Paine, who served as contributing editor on the report, has published a blog. NRDC has also put out a press release.

The hydrogen explosions at the General Electric Mark I Boiling Water Reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Units 1, 3, and 4 contributed to Beyond Nuclear's decision to launch its Freeze Our Fukushimas campaign, in April 2011, calling for the immediate and permanent shutdown of the 23 identically-designed U.S. Mark Is, and the 8 similarly-designed Mark IIs, across the U.S.

What's next at Fukushima? Are U.S. nuclear plants at risk? Beyond Nuclear press release

Read the full press release here.

Some excerpts:

“Few lessons from Fukushima have been learned in the U.S. One of the most important should be that high density U.S. pools are emptied into hardened on-site storage as soon as possible, before the worst happens, whether due to natural disaster or terrorist attack.” Kevin Kamps

“The American Medical Association has passed a resolution pressing for seafood testing for the U.S. But independent testing is almost non-existent. We have the highest allowable limit of radioactive cesium in the world, but not the robust food testing needed to see if we are exceeding it." Cindy Folkers

“The U.S. nuclear industry has claimed that our nuclear power plants are not vulnerable to severe earthquakes and tsunamis. In reality, 34 U.S. reactors located downstream of 50 major dams could suffer a prolonged and potentially catastrophic loss of power caused by a dam break and the resulting inland tsunami." Paul Gunter

"Japan’s predicament spotlights exactly how detrimental the nuclear energy path has been to preserving our planet. We cannot take back the disastrous releases of radioactivity. But Japan, like Germany, could now choose to renounce any further such risks.” Linda Gunter

The U.S. has 23 operating GE BWR Mark Is, identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 4, and another 8 operating Mark IIs, very similar in design.

Karl Grossman, commemorating three years of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe

Karl Grossman, reknowned author and educator on the inherent hazards of nuclear technology, brings us up to date on the ongoing catastrophe of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident which began on March 11, 2011. Inherent in any such discussion is what lessons we should have learned, and applied, at "our Fukushimas": 23 GE BWR Mark Is still operating in the U.S. (identical to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 2), and an additional 8 GE BWR Mark IIs (very similar in design). The take home lesson? Shut them down, before they melt down!

"Exelon Nuclear -- Holding Illinois Hostage Yet Again?"

Dave Kraft, Director, Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) of ILDavid Kraft, Director of Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) of IL, has published an analysis, "Exelon Nuclear -- Holding Illinois Hostage Yet Again?".

The Chicago business press has recently reported that Exelon has threatened to permanently close as many as five of its atomic reactors, unless the State of IL provides bailouts to keep them afloat. Specifically, those reactors are: two at Byron, two at Quad Cities, and one at Clinton.

Quad Cities Units 1 & 2 are Fukushima Daiichi twins -- GE BWR Mark Is.

NRC rubberstamped their 20-year license extensions years ago. As Dave's analysis mentions, Byron 1 & 2 have now applied for 20-year extensions as well. Despite the license extensions, the future of these reactors' operations is now quite dubious.

Dominion's Kewaunee atomic reactor in WI permanently shutdown a year ago, despite having already received a 20-year license extension rubberstamp from NRC.

Update on April 27, 2014 by admin

Dave Kraft at NEIS has published a related fact sheet, NO RATEPAYER BAILOUTS FOR EXELON’S “NUCLEAR HOSTAGE CRISIS."