TransCanada Pipelines also a nuclear utility!

Bruce nuclear power plant, part owned by TransCanada PipelinesCongratulations 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.)

IAEA report says Iran could be working to get the Bomb

A new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency suggests that there is "credible" evidence that Iran's nuclear activities are designed to build a nuclear bomb but stops short of stating that Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear weapons state. The IAEA sourced intelligence from 10 countries. Although the report contains virtually nothing new and reinforces existing fears that Iran's nuclear activities do not have so-called "peaceful" intentions, the report also marks the first time all the data have been composited into one document. The report concludes: “The information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device." Read more.

Update on November 10, 2011 by admin

The New York Times has also reported on this story. As it reported on Thursday, the Iranian and Russian regimes have strongly criticized the IAEA report.

Lessons of Nuclear Power & the Media, SF, CA, 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!

Japan to offer products from disaster areas as development aid

Japan's Foreign Ministry wants to buy industrial products, including wheelchairs, and marine food products made in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, to provide them free of charge to developing countries. More

Women in Japan to stage sit-in; call for global solidarity

Women in Fukushima will be sitting in at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from October 27th to 29^th to demand the evacuation of Fukushima children and no resumption of nuclear power plant operation (43 of the 54 reactors are currently shuttered for scheduled maintenance.) They are asking women from all over Japan to join the sit-in on October 30^th. The women point out that seven months of government refusal to evacuate Fukushima children is a crime against humanity, and it can no longer be tolerated. The women of Fukushima are calling on women around the world to act in solidarity with similar actions at the same time – whether in front of Japanese embassies or consulates or elsewhere. Shortly before the sit-in a new network – Women for a Nuclear-Free Future – will be launched in Sapporo and Osaka, Japan on October 24^th and in Tokyo on November 23^rd.