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Public comment extended to September 1st!

Environmental groups criticize #Hanford #nuclear waste cleanup plan

by Eric Tegethoff
Wednesday, July 24, 2024

"A new agreement on plans for cleaning up nuclear waste at the Hanford site in #WashingtonState is receiving pushback from #environmental groups.

"Public comment was originally scheduled to close at the beginning of August but has been extended to Sept. 1 for the Tri-Party Agreement between the U-S Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Washington Department of Ecology.

"Simone Anter, staff attorney and Hanford program director for the nonprofit #ColumbiaRiverkeeper, said the new agreement means changes to the cleanup efforts including how and where the Hanford #NuclearWaste is stored.

"'If new proposals are coming out to ship either grouted or liquid nuclear waste across the region, communities deserve to know that and deserve to have a voice and deserve to be engaged,' Anter contended.

"The agreement for dealing with 177 underground storage tanks at Hanford took four years of closed door negotiations. Columbia #Riverkeeper and other environmental groups worry the new agreement opens the door for a storage method other than #vitrification, which is used to turn high-level waste into glass.

"Anter noted #TribalNations in the region were not consulted about the proposal. She stressed even if they could not be part of the agreement, the agencies should have been considered before it was presented to the public.

"'#Tribal nations are not members of the public. They are government entities and should have been treated as such,' Anter pointed out.

"Anter added members of the public can play a big role in how the 56 million gallons of nuclear waste at Hanford are handled.

"'It's really important that all these cleanup decisions put human health, the #ColumbiaRiver and the environment first,' Anter asserted. 'I think public comments play an enormous role in reminding the #TPA agencies about this."

Source:
publicnewsservice.org/2024-07-

#WaterIsLife #NoDumping
#FutureGenerations
#NoWar #NoNuclearWeapons
#RethinkNotRestart #NuclearWaste #HanfordNuclearSite

www.publicnewsservice.orgEnvironmental groups criticize Hanford nuclear waste cleanup planA new agreement on plans for cleaning up nuclear waste at the Hanford site in Washington state is receiving pushback from environmental groups. Public comment was originally scheduled to close at the beginning of August but has been extended to Sept. 1 for the Tri-Party Agreement between the U-S Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Washington Department of Ecology. ...

TY to @bojacobs for posting this!

Nuclear fallout victims entitled to free advice and cancer screenings but not compensation

St. George clinic prepping “#downwinders” for possible #RECA revival.

By Mark Eddington
Aug. 22, 2024, 8:00 a.m.

St. George • "A federal program to compensate nuclear fallout victims may be expired, but a St. George clinic tasked with helping them and conducting cancer screenings remains open for business.

"The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a program to compensate victims of radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War, expired June 7.

Efforts to revive the program are currently stuck in the U.S. House of Representatives due to concerns by House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of Utah’s congressional delegation over its $50 billion price tag and debate over whether to expand RECA to cover areas previously excluded by the program.

"Despite the political impasse, Intermountain Health’s Radiation Exposure Screening Clinic at St. George Regional Hospital remains open to assist downwinders — the term given to people exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons testing — get answers about how radioactive fallout may have impacted them and their families, and to conduct free cancer screenings.

"'The Department of Justice cannot accept RECA applications at this time due to the expiration of the program,' Becky Barlow, project director at the St. George clinic, said in a news release. 'But anyone who thinks that they would have qualified for the program if it was still active is welcome to call me to discuss what they could be doing while we wait for the bill to start again.'"

sltrib.com/news/2024/08/22/nuc

The Salt Lake Tribune · Nuclear fallout victims entitled to free advice and cancer screenings but not compensationA federal program to compensate nuclear fallout victims may be expired, but a St. George clinic tasked with helping them and conducting cancer screenings remains open for business.

#China is installing the #wind and #solar equivalent of five large #NuclearPower stations per week

By technology reporter James Purtill
Posted Mon 15 Jul 2024

"While #Australia debates the merits of going #nuclear and frustration grows over the slower-than-needed rollout of solar and wind power, China is going all in on #renewables.

"New figures show the pace of its clean energy transition is roughly the equivalent of installing five large-scale nuclear power plants worth of renewables every week.

"A report by Sydney-based think tank Climate Energy Finance (#CEF) said China was installing renewables so rapidly it would meet its end-of-2030 target by the end of this month — or 6.5 years early.

"It's installing at least 10 gigawatts of wind and solar generation capacity every fortnight.

"By comparison, experts have said the Coalition's plan to build seven nuclear power plants would add fewer than 10GW of generation capacity to the grid sometime after 2035.

"Energy experts are looking to China, the world's largest emitter, once seen as a climate villain, for lessons on how to go green, fast."

Read more:
abc.net.au/news/science/2024-0

ABC News · China is installing the wind and solar equivalent of five large nuclear power stations per weekBy James Purtill

Top #nuclear regulator says [troubled] #Palisades could be running again by August 2025

By Sheri McWhirter
Updated: Jul. 25, 2024

The Palisades #NuclearPowerPlant near #SouthHaven could be back online and generating electricity in just over a year, according to the top U.S. nuclear regulatory official.

"The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission [#NRC] said on Tuesday during a Congressional hearing how he expects the agency’s review of a request to restart the 1970s-era nuclear reactor on #LakeMichigan to be wrapped by May. He said the plant could be operating again by August, if approved."

Source:
mlive.com/environment/2024/07/

mlive · Top nuclear regulator says Palisades could be running again by August 2025By Sheri McWhirter | smcwhirter@mlive.com

Nuclear Power Plants: #NRC Should Take Actions to Fully Consider the Potential Effects of #ClimateChange

GAO-24-106326 Published: Apr 02, 2024.

"Climate change is likely to exacerbate natural hazards—such as #floods and #drought. The risks to nuclear power plants from such hazards include damage to systems and equipment that ensure safe operation.

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's oversight process includes addressing safety risks at these plants. However, NRC doesn't fully consider potential increases in risk from climate change. For example, NRC mostly uses historical data to identify and assess safety risks, rather than data from future climate projections.

"We recommended that NRC fully address climate risks to nuclear power plants.

"Climate change is expected to exacerbate natural hazards—including heat, drought, #wildfires, #flooding, #hurricanes, and #SeaLevelRise. In addition, climate change may affect #ExtremeCold weather events. Risks to nuclear power plants from these hazards include loss of offsite power, damage to systems and equipment, and diminished cooling capacity, potentially resulting in reduced operations or plant shutdowns.

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) addresses risks to the safety of nuclear power plants, including risks from natural hazards, in its licensing and oversight processes. Following the tsunami that led to the 2011 accident at Japan's #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant, NRC took additional actions to address risks from natural hazards. These include requiring safety margins in reactor designs, measures to prevent radioactive releases should a natural hazard event exceed what a plant was designed to withstand, and maintenance of backup equipment related to safety functions.

"However, NRC's actions to address risks from natural hazards do not fully consider potential climate change effects. For example, NRC primarily uses historical data in its licensing and oversight processes rather than climate projections data. NRC officials GAO interviewed said they believe their current processes provide an adequate margin of safety to address climate risks.

"However, NRC has not conducted an assessment to demonstrate that this is the case. Assessing its processes to determine whether they adequately address the potential for increased risks from climate change would help ensure NRC fully considers risks to existing and proposed plants. Specifically, identifying any gaps in its processes and developing a plan to address them, including by using climate projections data, would help ensure that NRC adopts a more comprehensive approach for assessing risks and is better able to fulfill its mission to protect public health and safety."

gao.gov/products/gao-24-106326

#Greenwashing #NoNukes
#NoNewNukes #NuclearPowerPlant #NuclearPlants #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree #RethinkNotRestart #NuclearRegulatoryCommission #ClimateCrisis #ExtremeTemperatures #ExtremeWeather

www.gao.govNuclear Power Plants: NRC Should Take Actions to Fully Consider the Potential Effects of Climate ChangeClimate change is likely to exacerbate natural hazards—such as floods and drought. The risks to nuclear power plants from such hazards include damage...

Canada: #NuclearWaste Petition Tabled in Parliament

Ottawa – "A petition calling on the Government to provide oversight of a controversial nuclear waste burial project has been tabled in the federal House of Commons, with a response required within 45 calendar days.

"Created by #Northwatch project coordinator Brennain Lloyd and sponsored by Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota, the petition gained the signatures of 3,327 Canadians who joined the call on the federal government to require the #NuclearWasteManagementOrganization (#NWMO) to demonstrate that it has the #consent of residents and communities, including #FirstNations and Treaty Organizations, along the transportation route and in the region of and downstream of the candidate repository site(s) before selecting a site.

"'Canadians expect a fair and accountable process when it comes to projects of this size, risk and long-term consequence', said petition organizer Brennain Lloyd, coordinator with Northwatch and an organizer with the Northern Ontario alliance #WeTheNuclearFreeNorth."

Read more:
nuclear-news.net/2024/05/11/1-

nuclear-news · Canada: Nuclear Waste Petition Tabled in ParliamentOttawa – A petition calling on the Government to provide oversight of a controversial nuclear waste burial project has been tabled in the federal House of Commons, with a response  required within …

Article includes map of #Flood vulnerable #US #NuclearPlants

Can Aging U.S. #NuclearPowerPlants Withstand More #ExtremeWeather?

There is no consensus on how #ClimateChange has already affected nuclear power plants globally, but one researcher found an increasing rate of reactor outages linked to climate-related disruptions since 1990.

By James Dinneen
April 24, 2024

"This debate is now playing out again in fights over the future of nuclear power plants as they reach the end of their design lives. Paul Gunter at #BeyondNuclear, an anti-nuclear advocacy group, argues continued vulnerability to climate hazards is a reason the NRC should deny relicensing applications at some plants, such as the #NorthAnnaNuclearGeneratingStation in #Virginia, where Gunter plans to specifically cite the GAO report’s findings on flooding. According to the report, around two-thirds of U.S. #NuclearPlants are in areas with high #flood hazard."

e360.yale.edu/digest/u.s.-nucl

Yale E360Can Aging U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Withstand More Extreme Weather?

OMG! I've been saying this has been a problem for YEARS! Even without #ClimateChange, Route 1A can be full of traffic from June to September -- and if there was a meltdown at #SeabrookNuclearPowerPlant, there will be NO ESCAPE! So, factor in the fact that the BEACH protecting Route 1A is quickly disappearing!!! Not to mention what would happen if the MARSH surrounding Seabrook (with it's concrete already degrading from exposure to seawater), were to RISE!

Tarr details 'new threat' to Salisbury Beach
By Matt Petry | mpetry@northofboston.com Apr 30, 2024

"Tarr emphasized that one of the big reasons the beach is such an urgent issue is that it protects Route 1A.

"Route 1A is the subject of a planned project for reconstruction that literally is going to cost millions of dollars, so there’s a transportation component here, and we’re exploring the synergy potentially between investment in the road and investment in the beach that protects it,' Tarr said.

"Route 1A is also an emergency route for the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station."

newburyportnews.com/news/local

Nothing to see here...

Japan denies reported political donations to #IAEA over #Fukushima findings

June 23, 2023

"Japan on Thursday denied a foreign media report that it made political donations of over €1 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency over the planned release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the ocean."

japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/06/

The Japan Times · Japan denies reported political donations to IAEA over Fukushima findingsBy The Japan Times

TEPCO HOPES TO DUMP MORE "TREATED" WATER!

#Fukushima #nuclear cleanup remains plagued by complexities

Story by Julian Ryall, March 11, 2024

"#Japan on Monday marked the anniversary of the #March2011 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed three of the six reactors at the #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant.

"Shortly after the magnitude-9 earthquake struck on March 11, a series of tsunami inundated four of the reactor buildings and set off a chain reaction in three reactors that resulted in the release of significant amounts of radioactivity into the environment.

Tens of thousands of local people were quickly evacuated and, over the following years, the reactors were stabilized.

"The challenge in recent years has been to gather the large amounts of nuclear fuel that escaped from the reactors in order to halt the release of more #radiation — something that had never been attempted before and has to be carried out in buildings where radioactive #contamination remains dangerously elevated and where debris from the tsunami and subsequent hydrogen explosions still litters the area.

"Tokyo Electric Power Co (#TEPCO), the operator of the plant, has estimated that work to make the plant safe will take between 30 and 40 years, but recent reports on progress at the site have been largely negative.

"In January, TEPCO announced that it would have to delay plans to commence in March the test use of a robotic arm to remove radioactive material from the No. 2 reactor. The initial plan called for tests using the robotic limb to take place in 2021 but were delayed by technical glitches.

"TEPCO is now aiming to have the remote-controlled arm operational in October, although that will be three years behind the original schedule.

"Other areas of the project have also experienced challenges, with the first drones and a robot sent into the No. 1 reactor building earlier this month also suffering faults that meant they had to be withdrawn before they could complete their mission to locate molten fuel debris that has leaked from the reactor and map other damage.

"TEPCO, however, maintains that steady progress is being made and that the 30- to 40-year target for decommissioning remains viable.

[...]

"In addition, each of the three crippled reactors has its own set of specific challenges and there is no disposal site for the highly radioactive nuclear waste that must be recovered from the site, he pointed out.

The key steps now are to remove all the spent nuclear fuel, whether intact or leaked, from inside reactor buildings one and two, and the retrieval and disposal of fuel debris from the partial core meltdowns.

"Gorgues said he favors speeding up the release of treated water from the plant in order to dismantle the hundreds of storage tanks that presently occupy much of the site, with that land needed for new waste treatment and storage facilities.

"The expert also played down suggestions that TEPCO is likely to miss its declared timeline for the decommissioning process, emphasizing that the three- or four-decade schedule is 'a target' rather than a deadline."

msn.com/en-xl/news/other/fukus

www.msn.comMSN
Replied to DoomsdaysCW

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis

(1/2)

"The #PetkauEffect, by #RalphGraeub tells how 👉#radioactivity has harmed trees and forests: "It is assumed that the decisive physiological damage resulting in current forest death must have begun during the 1950's.👈 This is depicted in a reduction in density and width of tree rings, and in reduced growth, which is true in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Himalayas.... Neither aging,...

kolektiva.social/@DoomsdaysCW/

kolektiva.socialDoomsdaysCW (@DoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.social)So, with all that's being revealed about what #ExxonKnew in the 1950's, I thought it might be relevant to post what #WalterRussell, artist, visionary and scientist in the 1950's posted about #AtomicEnergy and #ClimateChange... LOSS OF OXYGEN GLOBALLY "Walter Russell, a visionary artist and scientist, predicted in his book Atomic Suicide? published in 1957 that due to man-made radioactivity we would experience a loss of oxygen in the air that we breathe. In a similar way to the predictions of Andrei Sakharov in the 1950's, Walter Russell's foresight is now coming true. Our current oxygen resources are low. The percentage of oxygen in the air is down to about 19 percent. (BioTech News 1997) The expected amount is 21 percent oxygen. Some experts say that we may have originally evolved in an atmosphere of 38 percent oxygen. But now, due to the loss of forests and ocean plankton, our two sources of oxygen production, measurements of oxygen as low as 12 percent and 15 percent have been made in heavily industrialized areas. This oxygen-depleted condition is a contributing cause of the generalized lack of well-being that many are experiencing. And it does not look good for the future. We need oxygen to live! "Trees and green plants provide about half, and plankton provide the other half of our oxygen. Phytoplankton, which are the base of the marine food chain, is declining. Various studies confirm this: plankton in parts of the Antarctic Ocean is declining up to 12 percent. (S. Weiler. Testimony to Senate Commerce Committee, November 15, 1991) Trees absorb radioactive carbon-14 in place of stable forms of carbon and in this way they are gradually killed. The book, The Petkau Effect, by Ralph Graeub tells how radioactivity has harmed trees and forests: "It is assumed that the decisive physiological damage resulting in current forest death must have begun during the 1950's. This is depicted in a reduction in density and width of tree rings, and in reduced growth, which is true in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Himalayas.... Neither aging, location, nor climate can be considered as the possible sole cause of damage.... The growth ring of a tree shows exactly what effects the tree has experienced, both in terms of time and seriousness.... During the 1950's and 1960's, there must have been a global wave of air pollution which caused the initial damage." "The author speculates that it could not be just the usual chemicals which are so damaging the trees. And he explains that these trees are mainly within the 30th to 60th parallels of northern latitude. "This zone contains the most nuclear power plants -- over 300 -- and almost all nuclear reprocessing centers. Also, the vast majority of nuclear weapons tests occurred in this area." https://ratical.org/radiation/HoLLR.html#p4 #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNewNukes

via @YourAnonRiots

#Fukushima plant operator warned over contaminated water leak

#TEPCO under scrutiny six months after release of treated water began

by SAYUMI TAKE, Nikkei staff writer
February 20, 2024

TOKYO -- Japan's government has warned Tokyo Electric Power Co. after contaminated water was found to have leaked from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Ken Saito, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry, told reporters on Tuesday that he would instruct TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa to ensure the safety of the decommissioning process. "Even a single mistake could result in a loss of trust from the local community and society," Saito said.

The warning comes half a year after the government and TEPCO started to release treated water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean. The activity has sparked safety concerns in other countries.

The operator said on Feb. 7 that 5.5 tonnes of water, estimated to contain 22 billion becquerels of radioactive substances, had leaked from a building for treating contaminated water earlier that day. This raises questions over TEPCO's ability to safely decommission the quake-wrecked plant.

TEPCO said the recent incident was caused by a worker's error in closing a piping valve, but added that no impact had been detected on staff health or the environment outside the plant.

The company is suspected of violating #WorkRules and #safety measures legally prescribed and outlined in its decommissioning implementation plan. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said on Monday that TEPCO failed to manage the work properly as it had not made clear which department was responsible for handling the valve. The watchdog said it would continue to look into the matter.

TEPCO was previously called out for violating the plan last year, after workers at the Fukushima plant were exposed to radioactive liquid waste in October. The company said it would work to prevent such cases occurring again.

asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Envi

Nikkei Asia · Fukushima plant operator warned over contaminated water leakBy SAYUMI TAKE

So, with all that's being revealed about what #ExxonKnew in the 1950's, I thought it might be relevant to post what #WalterRussell, artist, visionary and scientist in the 1950's posted about #AtomicEnergy and #ClimateChange...

LOSS OF OXYGEN GLOBALLY

"Walter Russell, a visionary artist and scientist, predicted in his book Atomic Suicide? published in 1957 that due to man-made radioactivity we would experience a loss of oxygen in the air that we breathe. In a similar way to the predictions of Andrei Sakharov in the 1950's, Walter Russell's foresight is now coming true. Our current oxygen resources are low. The percentage of oxygen in the air is down to about 19 percent. (BioTech News 1997) The expected amount is 21 percent oxygen. Some experts say that we may have originally evolved in an atmosphere of 38 percent oxygen. But now, due to the loss of forests and ocean plankton, our two sources of oxygen production, measurements of oxygen as low as 12 percent and 15 percent have been made in heavily industrialized areas. This oxygen-depleted condition is a contributing cause of the generalized lack of well-being that many are experiencing. And it does not look good for the future. We need oxygen to live!

"Trees and green plants provide about half, and plankton provide the other half of our oxygen. Phytoplankton, which are the base of the marine food chain, is declining. Various studies confirm this: plankton in parts of the Antarctic Ocean is declining up to 12 percent. (S. Weiler. Testimony to Senate Commerce Committee, November 15, 1991)

Trees absorb radioactive carbon-14 in place of stable forms of carbon and in this way they are gradually killed. The book, The Petkau Effect, by Ralph Graeub tells how radioactivity has harmed trees and forests: "It is assumed that the decisive physiological damage resulting in current forest death must have begun during the 1950's. This is depicted in a reduction in density and width of tree rings, and in reduced growth, which is true in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Himalayas.... Neither aging, location, nor climate can be considered as the possible sole cause of damage.... The growth ring of a tree shows exactly what effects the tree has experienced, both in terms of time and seriousness.... During the 1950's and 1960's, there must have been a global wave of air pollution which caused the initial damage."

"The author speculates that it could not be just the usual chemicals which are so damaging the trees. And he explains that these trees are mainly within the 30th to 60th parallels of northern latitude.

"This zone contains the most nuclear power plants -- over 300 -- and almost all nuclear reprocessing centers. Also, the vast majority of nuclear weapons tests occurred in this area."

ratical.org/radiation/HoLLR.ht

Magnitude-4.8 earthquake jolts Tokyo and the Kanto region

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 28, 2024

"An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 4.8 struck Tokyo and outlying areas on Jan. 28 but no casualties or damage were reported.

"The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered in Tokyo Bay about 80 kilometers below the surface. It hit at 8:59 a.m.

"The temblor measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in central Tokyo and eastern areas of neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture.

"Agency officials ruled out any threat from tsunami.

"The quake was felt across the capital as well as Machida in western Tokyo and Yokohama."

Source:
asahi.com/ajw/articles/1513479

The Asahi ShimbunMagnitude-4.8 earthquake jolts Tokyo and the Kanto region | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and AnalysisAn earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 4.8 struck Tokyo and outlying areas on Jan. 28 but no casualties or damage were reported.

#Japan Is Building Underwater #TidalPower Plants on Ocean Currents

Innovation & Technology / By Bojan Stojkovski / June 15, 2022

"Active shipping around the Japanese islands does not allow the Japanese to deploy conventional tidal power plants, and therefore Japanese experts are now developing and testing underwater power plants immersed in water to a depth of more than 50 meters.

"Successful testing of early prototypes of such power plants leads to Japan’s plans to build extensive networks of 2-MW standard tidal turbines by 2030.

"The development of the Kairyu Tidal Ocean Power Plant was started by IHI and NEDO scientists in 2011. By 2017, the partners assembled a 100 kW unit in the form of three 20-m floats with two 11-m blades (two 50 kW generators).

"The immersion depth of 50 meters was chosen for safety reasons during #typhoons, when you will not surprise anyone with the 20th wave, although the closer to the surface, the more influential the movement of water masses.

"The most promising place for installing underwater tidal turbines near Japan is the Japan Current (#Kuroshio) area off the country’s southern and eastern coasts in the Pacific Ocean. The potential current power is estimated at #205GW.

"IHI and NEDO are planning to build a 2MW tidal power plant with 40 blades for commercial use. A distributed network of such turbines could significantly contribute to providing the islands with electrical energy.

"According to Japanese experts, this type of network could generate electricity at the price of #solar energy. At the same time, the efficiency of tidal power plants is much higher than that of solar farms.

"Thus, the installed capacity utilization factor (ICUF) for solar farms is only 15%, while for tidal power plants, it reaches 70% and approaches the ICUU of thermal power plants with 80%.

"After the accident at the #Fukushima #nuclear power plant, Japan has problems with developing a peaceful atom. Also, there are no areas for full-fledged solar energy in the country, and the #winds are not as predictable as in Europe. Tidal power plants could be the foundation in Japan around which the government will build #carbonfree energy."

renewable.news/innovation-tech

Renewable.news · Japan Is Building Underwater Tidal Power Plants on Ocean Currents - Renewable.newsJapanese experts are now developing and testing underwater tidal power plants immersed in water to a depth of more than 50 meters

#HotSprings [businesses] block #Japan's #geothermal potential

With over 100 active #volcanoes, Japan has the world's third largest geothermal resources, but also a powerful industry that has steadfastly opposed developing the sector: hot springs.

By Harumi Ozawa and Etienne Balmer
Mar 21, 2023

"Geothermal is a #renewable resource that harnesses heat from deep below the Earth's crust — a seemingly attractive option for energy resource-poor Japan.

"But the hot springs, or #onsen, that dot Japan are a major business, beloved by locals and #tourists alike, and the industry fears developing geothermal might mean water levels and temperatures drop at their facilities.

"'To be honest, if possible, we want the drive for geothermal energy developments to stop,' said Yoshiyasu Sato, vice president of the Japan Onsen Association.

"So the baths at #TsuchiyuOnsen, nestled between green mountains along a winding river in #Fukushima Prefecture, are a rarity — they coexist with a small geothermal plant.

"It was the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and #nuclear disaster that triggered a change in the town, said Takayuki Kato, president of Genki Up Tsuchiyu, a local government organization that manages the renewable energy scheme.

"The town of 300 people was badly damaged by the quake, and residents began exploring whether geothermal energy might help revive their fortunes.

"'People here have always known the hot springs could be used for other purposes,' but they didn't know how to do it, Kato explained."

japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/

The Japan Times · Hot springs block Japan's geothermal potentialBy Harumi Ozawa

The grim reality of #nuclear #colonialism

RAE STREET highlights the dangers of #UraniumMining and its impact on #Indigenous peoples

November 16, 2023

"THERE is an abundance of reasons why it is folly to continue with building nuclear reactors.

"There is the cost which is huge compared with investing in more genuine sustainable energy. There is the problem with #RadioactiveWaste, for which there is no solution yet for the legacy waste, let alone producing more.

"There is the potential for attack: if wind turbines were attacked it would make for a difficult situation, but if a #NuclearReactor were to be sabotaged it would be the equivalent of a #NuclearBomb going off.

"And the latter also goes for a breakdown at a plant. We need to remember the effects of Chernobyl and Fukushima which continue to this day.

"Looking at #Britain, many of the nuclear reactors are sited on the coast and the proposed #SizewellC on the east coast. With #GlobalWarming, the sea level will rise and there is the chance of tidal surges with a threat to these reactors.

"But there is another factor which is never mentioned by the proponents of nuclear energy — the fuel used is uranium, and it will be in the future.

"This is mined mainly on the lands of indigenous people across the world. Countries and regions where uranium is mined include the land of the #FirstNations in Canada, the lands of the Navajo (Dine) in the southern United States, the land of the indigenous people of #Australia, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC), Niger, Greenland and #Kazakhstan.

"The miners and their families have suffered over the years from mining this dangerous radioactive mineral in poor conditions, with illness and early death.

"In a recent statement printed in the Morning Star, the people of Niger (note this is not Nigeria but Niger, a former French colony) said that they were fed up, 'because for over 50 years, #France has relied on uranium from #Niger for its energy security. We know that French farmers were generously compensated when their land was requisitioned in the 1970s to build nuclear reactors. But for our people the mines have only meant dangerous working conditions, ill health, and historically poor remuneration.'

"From the #DRC, a former Belgian colony, Joe-Yves Salankang Sa Ngol, of the Congolese Civil society in South Africa, said: “Before the uranium would destroy life in #Japan [referring to the nuclear bombs the US dropped on #Hiroshima and #Nagasaki] it first started by destroying life in Shinkolobwe.'

"The #Shinkolobwe mine in the DRC was owned by a Belgian company which sold its first 4,200 metric tons of uranium to the US for the #ManhattanProject.

"Here is what #JoshuaFrank said in his book, #AtomicDays, about the conditions. “Paid very little, at times less than the minimum wage, these miners would enter deep uranium shafts and chip away at the walls, often 1,500 feet below the earth’s crust.

“They filled their wheelbarrows with the uranium ore, all the while choking on soot and dust particles. It was dark. There was no ventilation. It was tremendously difficult, perilous work. They ate in the mines and drank water that dripped from the walls. The water contained high quantities of radon — a radioactive gas emanating from the ore.”

"He continued: '#Radon exposure causes lung diseases, the dangers of which were well known to scientists and the medical community prior to World War II. But the Dine [the #Navajo] were deemed expendable.'

"And Frank also said: 'In addition to the impact on #Dine health, their land too was ravaged. Upwards of three billion metric tons of waste was created as a result of extraction on Dine lands, a dizzying amount to poison native communities throughout the south-west [of the US] to this day.'

"These, and many more stories of the same situation across the globe, show how supporters of nuclear power have turned a blind eye to the suffering of the miners and their families, not to mention the devastation done to their land.

"However, in different regions the local people are fighting back. For example, in #Greenland, in 2021, a ban on uranium came into force after the Inuit government’s successful election campaign.

"There had been a ban earlier, but this was then overturned in 2013. But with the indigenous #Inuit now in control of the government, the ban will probably hold.

"If we turn to Britain, there is no significant amount of uranium to be found and there is no commercial mining. So, Britain must import uranium from #Canada and #Namibia.

"No thought seems to have been given by the two main political parties which support new nuclear build, or the trade unions, or the media proponents of nuclear power, to the shameful history of uranium mining which will continue if new reactors are built. It has been called nuclear colonialism.

"Several recent reports show that there is no need for nuclear; 100 per cent genuine #renewables can provide Britain with enough energy.

"Supporters of nuclear power should think hard about their positions. Surely, for example, workers in Britain would want to act in solidarity with their mining comrades across the world?"

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Morning Star · The grim reality of nuclear colonialismRAE STREET highlights the dangers of uranium mining and its impact on indigenous peoples