INDIAN POINT SAFE ENERGY COALITION (IPSEC)

Greetings All —

The messages she brings about the fossil fuel industry resonate and match well with the messages we need to use against the nuclear industry on SMNRs and “No New Nukes.”

Enough with the fairy tales! 

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.”  — paraphrasing St. Paul

Good luck!

–Dave–

The Fairy Tales of the Fossil Fuel Industry – and a Better Climate Story | Luisa Neubauer | TED

The post Great messaging on nukes and climate change here appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Neighbouring countries and local fishers express concern as 12th anniversary of nuclear disaster looms

Workers in hazmat suits remove radioactive materials from contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Photograph: Hiro Komae/AP

Almost 12 years have passed since the strongest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history resulted in a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along its north-east coast.

As the country prepares to mark the 11 March anniversary, one of the disaster’s most troubling legacies is about to come into full view with the release of more than 1m tonnes of “treated” water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The tsunami knocked out the plant’s backup electricity supply, leading to meltdowns in three of its reactors, in the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chornobyl 25 years earlier.

Much has changed since the Guardian’s first visit to the plant in 2012, when the cleanup had barely begun and visitors were required to wear protective clothing and full-face masks. Atmospheric radiation levels have dropped, damaged reactor buildings have been reinforced and robots have identified melted fuel in the basements.

But as the Guardian learned on a recent visit, progress on decommissioning – a process that could take four decades – is being held up by the accumulation of huge quantities of water that is used to cool the damaged reactor cores.

Now, 1.3m tonnes of water – enough to fill about 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools – is being stored in 1,000 tanks that cover huge swathes of the complex. And space is running out.

Two steel pillars protruding from the sea a kilometre from the shore mark the spot where, later this year, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], plans to begin releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean, in the most controversial step in the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup to date.

The decision comes more than two years after Japan’s government approved the release of the water, which is treated using on-site technology to remove most radioactive materials. But the water still contains tritium, a naturally occurring radioactive form of hydrogen that is technically difficult to separate from water.

The discharge, which is due to begin in the spring or summer, will take place in defiance of local fishing communities, who say it will destroy more than a decade of work to rebuild their industry. Neighbouring countries have also voiced opposition.

The government and Tepco claim the environmental and health impacts will be negligible because the treated water will be released gradually after it has been diluted by large amounts of seawater. The International Atomic Energy Agency says nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.

Tepco and government officials who guided a small group of journalists around Fukushima Daiichi this month insisted the science supports their plans to pump the “treated” water – they object to media reports describing it as contaminated – into the ocean.

The water will be treated and, if necessary, treated again until the concentration of radionuclides other than tritium have fallen below government limits, said Hikaru Kuroda, a Tepco official overseeing the decontamination and decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi. “By the time the liquid is diluted with seawater, tritium levels will be at less than 1,500 becquerels per litre, or 1/40th of the government standard for discharging water into the environment,” he said.

“We will have contaminated water on the site for as long as we have to cool the reactor basements. And we will release the water very slowly to begin with, so we could be looking at something like 20 to 30 years to complete the process.”

The fiercest opposition has come from Fukushima’s fishers, who say releasing the water risks destroying their livelihoods because consumers will shun their catch and send prices plummeting.

“Even though it is safe, it could still harm sales of Fukushima seafood and lower prices, which is what happened 12 years ago,” conceded Junichi Matsumoto, Tepco’s chief officer for the management of treated water. “We know fishing communities are worried … that’s why we and the government are working on addressing the potential reputational damage.”

An aerial view shows some of the storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters

The Fukushima prefectural government says that, post-disaster, its food safety standards are among the strictest in the world. The government-set upper limit for radioactive caesium in ordinary foodstuffs such as meat and vegetables is 100 becquerels a kilogram, compared with 1,250Bq/kg in the EU and 1,200Bq/kg in the US.

While officials attempt to reassure the public and other countries that Fukushima produce is safe for consumers, Tepco and the government have embarked on a PR offensive, holding regular briefings on the water discharge for Tokyo-based diplomats and journalists, and running ads on TV, in newspapers and online.

“We take other countries’ concerns seriously, which is why we are using every possible opportunity to explain the discharge plan to them,” said Ayako Ogino, a foreign ministry official. “We have made a commitment to discharge the water without harming the environment or human health. To describe the water as contaminated is erroneous, as it implies that it will harm the environment.”

The campaign has had mixed results. South Korea and China have voiced opposition to the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) said recently it had “grave concerns”.

Environmental groups have challenged the Japanese government’s claims that the water will not affect marine life or human health, while the US National Association of Marine Laboratories has pointed to a lack of adequate and accurate scientific data to support its reassurances on safety.

The water release plan received a boost this month, however, when Micronesia, a member of the PIF, dropped its opposition to the water discharge. Its president, David Panuelo, said in Tokyo that his country was “no longer fearful or concerned about this issue now as we trust in Japan’s intention and technological capabilities in not harming our shared oceanic interests”.

Japanese officials have ruled out other options, including long-term storage underground or evaporation, and insist nothing will stand in the way of the discharge plans. “The biggest obstacle to decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi is the debris [inside the reactors],” said Atsushi Wakui, a nuclear accident official at the economy, trade and industry ministry.

“Securing the site so we can begin removing the melted fuel is absolutely essential, and that means urgently addressing the water problem. There are more than 1,000 tanks of water here, and they need to go.”

 This article was amended on 20 February 2023 to clarify that concentrations of radionuclides other than tritium will be treated and, if necessary, retreated until they have fallen below government limits.

By Betsy Reed
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/15/fukushima-japan-insists-release-of-treated-water-is-safe-nuclear-disaster

The post Fukushima: Japan insists release of 1.3m tonnes of ‘treated’ water is safe appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

10.22.21-Docket-ID-NRC-2021-0125-1Download

The post Comments on Indian Point Docket ID NRC 2021-0125 appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope and emits beta rays that can disrupt cell functions if it is ingested or inhaled.  Why would any sensible person want to put something like this in the Hudson River?

We have an Indian Point Decommissioning Trust Fund to pay for a safe clean up. Anything left over is profit for Holtic, the company that owns Indian Point. Discharging water from the fuel pools into the River is the cheapest way to dispose of it.  

Call your elected representatives now and ask them what they are doing about this.  By now I hope you have them in your contacts, if not on speed dial. Amplify this message by posting on social media and sending it to interested friends. Stay tuned to find out more about a Municipal Resolution!

You may remember Brian Vangor from the film Indian Point that was produced by Ivy Meeropol.  He is an excellent photographer and has a book out.  See below for more information.

]

Marilyn Elie

Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition

www.ipsecinfo.org

Public objects to Holtec’s release of radioactive wastewater from Indian Point – Riverkeeper
Riverkeeper
Holtec International, the firm responsible for decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant, has stated that it will resume discharging …

Holtec to Release Radioactive Water | The Highlands Current
The Highlands Current
Holtec International, the company decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant near Peekskill, announced at the Feb.

Lohud Events – They Paved Paradise, Put up a Power Plant 2/11 @2:30pm
Lohud
The Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant: A Presentation with Author Brian Vangor. Many local residents are unaware that Indian Point in the mid-20th …

Public objects to Holtec’s release of radioactive wastewater from Indian Point – Riverkeeper
Riverkeeper
Holtec International, the firm responsible for decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant, has stated that it will resume discharging …

Holtec to Release Radioactive Water | The Highlands Current
The Highlands Current
Holtec International, the company decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant near Peekskill, announced at the Feb.

Lohud Events – They Paved Paradise, Put up a Power Plant 2/11 @2:30pm
Lohud
The Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant: A Presentation with Author Brian Vangor. Many local residents are unaware that Indian Point in the mid-20th …

The post Press from DOB MEETING appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

This new design for turbine blades in dams protects fish and does not decrease the efficiency of the turbines.

https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hydroelectric-dam-turbines-fish-friendly/

“Thus far, Natel has completed three hydro installations: in Oregon, Maine, and Austria. In 2020, tests conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at Natel’s Oregon project — a 1,070 MW, single-turbine installation along a major fish-populated irrigation canal — demonstrated  greater than 99 percent safe passage of 186 large rainbow trout through the installation. In 2021, an evaluation of Natel’s installation at Freedom Falls Mill in Maine demonstrated greater than 99 percent safe passage of 484 juvenile alewife, a species of migratory herring native to Maine rivers. The Freedom Falls Mill was first built in 1834, proving that even the oldest hydropower projects can be retrofitted to meet 21st-century standards of sustainability.”

The New Generation of Hydropower Dams Let Fish Swim Straight Through

Redesigned turbines are solving the problem that has long plagued hydroelectric dams, churning out green energy while leaving fish unharmed.

A fish-friendly hydroelectric turbine. Photo courtesy of Natel Energy

The American eel is a slippery, mysterious fish. Eels live out most of their lives in the freshwater rivers and estuaries of the United States, from New Mexico to South Dakota to Florida to Maine. But when it comes time to reproduce, the species ventures far out to the Sargasso Sea, the area of Atlantic Ocean located south of Bermuda some 900 miles off the eastern coast of the US — or so we think.

Scientists have never actually witnessed wild eel reproduction, only evidence of it. But to the best of our knowledge, there, in the open waters of the Sargasso, female eels lay their eggs and subsequently die. When the orphaned eels are hatched and ready, they return to the continental US, guided by a genetic GPS back to the inland waterways from whence their parents came.

Juvenile herring swim in a holding tank after passing safely through Natel’s Restoration Hydro Turbine in Freedom, Maine. Photo courtesy of Natel Energy

But today, the American eel’s great mysterious migration is more perilous than ever. The species was first recognized as endangered in 2013, and wild populations are estimated to have dropped by as much as 50 percent over recent decades. 

The journey between the States and the Sargasso Sea is complicated not only by the trawling nets of fisherman, but the steep concrete walls and sharp steel turbines of hydroelectric power plants, over 900 of which are located within the native range of the American eel. 

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Such dams provide huge amounts of emissions-free energy to the US, making them an essential tool in fighting climate change. Balancing this benefit with the needs of the eels –– and many other aquatic species –– is propelling a movement to align the dual goals of producing abundant clean energy while protecting biodiversity: turbine by turbine, eel by eel.

In a hydroelectric power plant, water is channeled through turbines to spin the blades that power generators. The sharper these blades are, the more efficiently they can cut through the current to generate power. 

“The typical way to design turbine blades is to have a leading edge that is as sharp as possible, which is intuitively not going to be very kind to fish,” says Abe Schneider, chief technical officer and co-founder of hydropower developer Natel alongside his sister, Gia Schneider, Natel’s chief executive officer. On average, hydropower turbines kill 22 percent of the fish that pass through them. With their elongated bodies, eels are especially vulnerable. Survival rates for eels passing through traditional turbines can be as low as 40 percent.

A Natel technician assembles a Restoration Hydro Turbine at the company’s Alameda, California headquarters. Photo courtesy of Natel Energy

Natel’s mission is to outfit dams with blades that give fish a fighting chance. The company’s Restoration Hydro Turbine system is designed to allow fish safe passage through the turbine itself. It does so through blades with leading edges meticulously blunted, curved, and slanted to minimize danger without compromising efficiency. Moreover, the turbines minimize the gaps between the blades and the turbine walls, vastly reducing the chance that a fish gets trapped between moving and stationary parts.

Graphic courtesy of Natel Energy

A study recently published in the journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society documents the success of the RHT design. In a test, 131 American Eels passed through the turbine as it spun at a rate of 667 rotations per minute — eleven rotations per second. All 131 eels survived, and though some were struck by the turbines, none experienced serious injuries.

Allowing fish to safely pass directly through turbines is a new frontier in making dams fish friendly. Traditionally, hydro plants attempted to keep fish out of their turbines altogether, blocking their path with screens or sending them around through bypasses. No solution is perfect. Screens for juvenile eels, for instance, sometimes must have gaps no bigger than two millimeters in width. These screens can quickly become clogged and even potentially harm fish that end up trapped against the mesh. (And fish inevitably slip through the screens.) 

And while bypasses like fish ladders and spillways allow for some fish passage around turbines, they are not enough to negate the plants’ fracturing effects on local ecosystems. Even with bypasses, dams prevent water temperature equalization, trap sediment, disrupt spawning grounds and reduce oxygen concentration in river waters, among other impacts. “The turbine can’t solve all of [hydro’s] problems, but it can play its part,” says Schneider.

Thus far, Natel has completed three hydro installations: in Oregon, Maine, and Austria. In 2022, tests conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at Natel’s Oregon project — a 1,070 MW, single-turbine installation along a major fish-populated irrigation canal — demonstrated  greater than 99 percent safe passage of 186 large rainbow trout through the installation. In 2021, an evaluation of Natel’s installation at Freedom Falls Mill in Maine demonstrated greater than 99 percent safe passage of 484 juvenile alewife, a species of migratory herring native to Maine rivers. The Freedom Falls Mill was first built in 1834, proving that even the oldest hydropower projects can be retrofitted to meet 21st-century standards of sustainability.

Currently, Natel is developing two more major projects: turbine installations on three existing non-powered dams in Louisiana, and the first in a series of 33 potential installations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country where 90 percent of the population lives without access to electricity. 

Today, renewables account for a fifth of all US power generation, and hydropower accounts for a third of that share, smaller than wind but higher than every other renewable source combined. And though age-old hydro has lost some of the limelight to rapidly cheapening solar and wind, its importance in a low-carbon future has not diminished. 

For one, hydro offers something wind and solar largely can’t: stable, “baseload” power. “It’s a cliche at this point, but there are times of the day when wind isn’t blowing, when the sun isn’t shining, so how do you get renewable energy during that time?” says Shannon Ames, executive director of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI), a New England-based nonprofit that inspects and certifies hydropower facilities, rewarding those that minimize or eliminate negative ecological impacts of power generation.

In certain states, certification from LIHI provides qualified facilities access to preferential green energy markets, where, according to Ames, buyers are increasingly looking for power that is low-emissions, ecologically sustainable, cheap and reliable. “Now there is a much bigger awareness of the role that hydropower can play,” says Ames. “That comes with a greater awareness of hydro’s impact, a greater desire to make sure that people in hydro are working to have the best ecological impact that they can.”

A rainbow trout following its safe passage through Natel’s Restoration Hydro Turbine at the Monroe Hydro Plant in Madras, Oregon. Photo courtesy of Natel Energy

Though new projects like those in the DRC allow Natel to employ more holistic hydro design, opting for less-obstructive structures closer in design to beaver dams than concrete dams. Those projects, at least in the US, are a relative rarity. Domestically, Natel is focused on adapting its turbines to the needs of already existing hydro projects: retrofits and equipment updates.

“The reality of hydropower is that the vast majority of hydro here in the US and in Europe is already in place,” says Schneider. “So the biggest opportunity…is by making changes to what’s already there, not necessarily by building a whole bunch of additional hydro.”

There are some 1,500 active hydropower plants in the United States, along with tens of thousands of non-powered dams. And though these structures are unlikely to be rebuilt from scratch, they do have to be relicensed.

Nearly 40 percent of all currently active hydropower licenses expire in the next 10 years, with three-quarters expiring in the next 20. This impending wave of relicensing, to Schneider, presents an unprecedented opportunity to align the goal of generating clean power with protecting aquatic life. 

“In many cases, owners are already investing in refurbishment or turbine replacement…but never contemplated the possibility that a turbine can pass 100 percent of fish safely,” says Schneider. “It’s critical to get the word out because there’s a real near-term opportunity to make decisions that will then get baked in for the next 50 years.”

By Eric Krebs
Source: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hydroelectric-dam-turbines-fish-friendly/

The post Good news for fish and for dams! appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Dear Friends,

If you didn’t get a chance to tune in to the Indian Point Forum on January 26th with Helen Caldicott, Eric Epstein and Diane Turco talking about the dangers of dumping millions of gallons of radioactive water into the Hudson, grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger) and check it out by clicking on the link attached..

It will take as much dedication, commitment and perseverance to prevent Holtec from proceeding with their catastrophic plan as it did to close Indian Point.

Please consider showing this video to your colleagues and passing it along to anyone you know who thinks protecting the Hudson is a good idea.

Thanks,
The Forum Planning Group

PS -The next Forum is scheduled for Feb.16th at 4 pm. (see link in attachment to register)

Indian Point Forum
grassrootsinfo.org

The post IF YOU MISSED THE JAN 26th ‘PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPACTS EXPERT FORUM appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Health experts raised concerns last week over the discharge of radioactive wastewater that may be dumped into the Hudson River as part of the decommissioning of the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan.

During a Jan. 26 online forum, health professionals and environmentalists addressed Holtec International’s plans to release one million gallons of wastewater from the spent fuel cooling pools, contending the discharge poses a serious threat to public health and the entire ecosystem.

Last September, Physicians for Social Responsibility–New York submitted a letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regarding potential discharges of wastewater from the Indian Point site by Holtec.

“Exposure to toxic effluents including radionuclides poses a serious health and economic risk to communities up and down the Hudson River and can have negative impacts on real estate values,” the group stated. “Quantification and characterization of these discharges are needed in order to properly assess impacts. Independent expert analysis regarding potential health and environmental impacts from these exposures is imperative. Indeed, under the Endangered Species Act, independent environmental expertise is required prior to the discharge of radioactive water.”

After nearly 60 years generating approximately 25% of electricity consumed annually in the lower Hudson Valley and New York City, the last remaining nuclear reactor in operation, Unit 3, powered off April 30, 2021.

Located on the former 240-acre site of an amusement park, Unit 1 first went into service in 1962. Unit 2 took over from 1974 to 2020, while Unit 3 had been operating since 1976.

In 2017, Entergy, owners of the plant, New York State and Riverkeeper stunned local officials when they announced the two operating nuclear reactors at Indian Point would close. In November 2019, Entergy and Holtec filed an application for license transfer with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

In January 2020, the NRC announced that it was considering approval of an application by Entergy to transfer the Indian Point license — and the facility’s trust funds to pay for decommissioning — to Holtec to implement the facility’s decommissioning. The NRC approved the sale in November 2021.

During last week’s forum, some attendees pointed out there has been no prior disclosure of what pollutants or radioactive contaminants are in the wastewater or any public education on the environmental safety and public health risks associated with any potential discharges from the site.

It was noted a similar scenario is playing out in Massachusetts as local, state and federal officials, local organizations and government agencies there have been voicing strong objections to Holtec discharging radioactive wastewater from the Pilgrim nuclear facility into Cape Cod Bay as part of decommissioning operations there.

Dr. Helen Caldicott, acclaimed author, Nobel laureate and co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said, “Physicists talk convincingly about ‘permissible doses’ of radiation. They consistently ignore internal emitters — radioactive elements from nuclear power plants that are ingested or inhaled into the body, giving very high doses to small volumes of cells. They focus instead on external radiation from sources outside the body. Doctors know that there is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation, and that harmful impacts are cumulative.”

Patrick O’Brien, Director of Community Affairs and Communication for Holtec, said the closest community that uses the Hudson for drinking water is Poughkeepsie, about 30 miles north of Indian Point.

“During operations and decommissioning, nuclear power plants, including Indian Point, periodically release treated water. These releases are regulated by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are typically indistinguishable from the natural radioactivity present in the environment,” O’Brien stated. “We have permits from both the EPA and State of New York that govern these treated releases and these continue to occur according to our permits.”

“These discharges are reported and publicly available on the NRC website Indian Point 2 & 3 | NRC.gov  and are often times fractional amounts of the allowable permitted limits,” O’Brien continued. “All nuclear power plants are required to have NRC-approved procedures that require treatment, such as filtration of the water to reduce the radioactivity to levels as low as reasonably achievable. The water can then be released through radiation monitors in batches that are sampled prior to release to ensure the water released is well below regulatory requirements. The facility routinely calibrates and maintains the equipment associated with the processing system and radiation monitors to ensure that they are operating properly and that we remain in compliance with permitted activities.”

Another online forum on decommissioning and other issues, such as emergency preparedness, spent fuel storage and long-term site contamination, is scheduled for Feb. 16.

By Rick Pezzullo
Source: https://www.theexaminernews.com/health-experts-raise-concerns-over-indian-point-wastewater/

The post Health Experts Raise Concerns Over Indian Point Wastewater appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Yesterday BXE rallied in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) office in D.C. – greeting staff and commissioners as they came for the monthly commissioners meeting!

We then supported a #FrontlinesToFERC press conference- a group of Gulf Coast organizers who spoke on the numerous frontline LNG fights coming before FERC.
As the FERC meeting began- 3 BXE activists disrupted the meeting and were hauled out chanting.

Four more BXE members that were not allowed into the meeting (due to past disruptions) managed to get into the meeting anyway- yelling “STOP MANCHIN’S FERC” and deploying a banner. A security guard knocked people over, but we kept on yelling as we were kicked out of the building!

Check out this video for all footage of our disruptions!

If you like our rabble rousing and want to keep the civil disobedience coming … you can donate to BXE here: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/donate-to-support-beyond-extreme-energy

You can support our action, wherever you are, by sending a message to FERC, and ccing President Biden and Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Click here to see all the research, infographics and more.

Our demands are:

1. Congress needs to pass legislation to replace FERC with a Federal RENEWABLE Energy Commission, FREC.
2. Senator Schumer and President Biden must remove Joe Manchin as chair of the Senate Energy Committee.
3. Staff and employees at FERC must resist Manchin. It is these government workers we are speaking directly to today. Telling them not to approve new permits, or turn a blind eye to climate and environmental justice impacts.

Since March Senator Joe Manchin has been putting political pressure on FERC to halt planned reforms to natural gas permitting policy and to streamline fossil fuel development.

Our latest research shows that, since Manchin began to pressure FERC decisions, FERC has approved natural gas projects that amount to a cumulative 282,866,661 metric tons of C02 a year. That is equivalent to:

• 76 coal plants
• 6 Mountain Valley Pipelines
• 1,561,936 Rail Cars of Coal
• 60,949,062 Gas Powered Cars Driving for 1 Year

For more information on today’s action email: actions@beyondextremeenergy.org or check our our social media!

• Visit our website
• Share with us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter

The post How to Make a FERC Meeting Fun? Disrupt It! FRONT LINE WARRIORS AT WORK! appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

https://www.grassrootsinfo.org/indianpointforum

Decommissioning a nuclear power plant is job that requires careful attention to detail in order to protect public health and safety.  On January 26, 2023 four experts were convened to discuss this matter by United 4 Clean Energy, Grassroots Education, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and a coalition of other groups.

Presenters included the renowned Dr. Helen Caldicott, Eric Epstein from Three Mile Island, and Diane Turco from Cape Cod.  Their presentations are short, fact filled and full of advice for what we need to do at Indian Point for a safe decommissioning. What they have to say applies to decommissioning other nuclear power plants as well.

Don’t miss the Introduction by Tina Bolgar. Tina lays out a concise overview of what has happened to bring us to this point. New York State Senator Peter Harkham follows Tina with an excellent summary of the finances and legislation that now governs the decommissing process and what has been done to help the community of Buchanan recover. Senator Harckham realistically acknowledges the long range nature of the fuel rods being stored on site.

The post Experts Panel on Public Health and Safety at Indian Point and other reactors. From 1/2623. Posted! appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 26, 2023 
Contact: Ellen Weininger, Grassroots Environmental Education Email: ellen@grassrootsinfo.org 
914-422-3141 (O) or 646-210-0200 (C) 

Judy Allen, United for Clean Energy 
845-528-6643 (H) or 914-382-1193 (C) 

Press Release 

Health Experts Cry Foul Over Plans to Dump

Radioactive Wastewater into Hudson River 

(Buchanan, NY) A panel of health experts today is raising public alarm as Holtec  International, the owner conducting decommissioning operations at the Indian  Point Nuclear facility, is seeking permission to discharge one million gallons of  radioactive wastewater from the spent fuel cooling pools into the Hudson River  just south of Peekskill, NY. The spent fuel pool has cooled thousands of highly  radioactive fuel assemblies for more than 45 years and includes radionuclides  such as tritium. There has been no prior disclosure of what pollutants or  radioactive contaminants are in the wastewater or any public education on the  environmental safety and public health risks associated with any potential  discharges from the site. 

The Indian Point nuclear facility has been the source of myriad environmental  concerns for decades. The discharge of radioactive wastewater poses a serious  threat to public health and the entire ecosystem as well to the economy of the  region. The Hudson River is a tidal estuary, flowing in each direction, from New  York Harbor to the Troy dam and is the primary drinking water source for more  than 100,000 people in seven municipalities including the City of Poughkeepsie,  Village of Rhinebeck and the Towns of Esopus, Hyde Park, Lloyd, Poughkeepsie  and Rhinebeck and serves as the backup water supply for other communities along the river. It is also a popular destination for fishing, boating and other  recreational and tourism activities. 

A similar scenario is playing out in Massachusetts as local, state and federal  officials, local organizations and government agencies voice strong objections to Holtec discharging radioactive wastewater from the Pilgrim nuclear facility into  Cape Cod Bay as part of decommissioning operations there. Experts agree that  releasing radioactive contaminated water into the bay will undoubtedly have a  devastating environmental and economic impact all along the coastline. Scientific  studies demonstrate that pollutants in the wastewater can have significant effects on human health. Exposure to radioactive contaminants is linked with cancer,  miscarriages, genetic defects and other adverse health effects. 

Deconstruction and open air demolition activities are ongoing at the Indian Point  site despite the absence of dust mitigation protocols and tenting of structures to  contain airborne contaminants. The nearby Buchanan Verplanck Elementary  School, located less than 4000 feet from Indian Point, lacks air, water and soil  monitoring. Although a school air monitoring study has been under  consideration, a Request for Proposal for an air monitoring program was only  recently issued. Still, hundreds of students were allowed to return to the school  this past September. Parents still lack critical information regarding emergency  planning and preparedness, monitoring and protections. A middle school in  Piketon, Ohio was closed in 2019 due to radioactive contamination from a  nuclear enrichment facility conducting open air demolition a little less than 2  miles away. 

Dr. Helen Caldicott, acclaimed author, Nobel laureate and co-founder of  Physicians for Social Responsibility says, “Physicists talk convincingly about  ‘permissible doses’ of radiation. They consistently ignore internal emitters — radioactive elements from nuclear power plants that are ingested or inhaled into  the body, giving very high doses to small volumes of cells. They focus instead on  external radiation from sources outside the body. Doctors know that there is no  such thing as a safe dose of radiation, and that harmful impacts are cumulative.  Children are ten to twenty times more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of  radiation than adults and little girls twice that of boys.” 

Eric Epstein, Coordinator, EFMR Monitoring at Three Mile Island, says,  “Independent radiation monitoring requires quality equipment, regularly  calibrated, and located at scientifically based locations. The data needs to be  analyzed and tracked to provide a constant, reliable, and trusted source of  information.” 

Diane Turco, Director of Cape Downwinders in Cape Cod, Massachusetts stated,  “From California to Massachusetts to New York to Michigan to New Mexico,  Indigenous and civil society groups are connecting in our efforts. Holtec has no  right to dump radioactive wastewater into our waterways or radioactive waste into  our communities.” 

In September, Physicians for Social Responsibility – New York submitted a letter  to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding  potential discharges of wastewater from the Indian Point site by Holtec and  stated, “Exposure to toxic effluents including radionuclides poses a serious  health and economic risk to communities up and down the Hudson River and can  have negative impacts on real estate values. Quantification and characterization  of these discharges are needed in order to properly assess impacts. Independent expert analysis regarding potential health and  environmental impacts from these exposures is imperative. Indeed, under the  Endangered Species Act, independent environmental expertise is required prior  to the discharge of radioactive water.” 

The Indian Point nuclear facility is located in Peekskill in Westchester County,  about 25 miles north of New York City, the most densely populated region in the  United States. Peekskill is an environmental justice community that has been  disproportionately impacted by decades of heavily polluting industries and  infrastructure. The site’s reactors were shut down in 2020 and 2021. Indian Point  is also co-located on top of three large diameter, high pressure gas transmission  pipelines and is the only nuclear facility in the U.S. with gas transmission pipelines. Decommissioning at the site involves hazardous infrastructure, vast  amounts of radioactive waste and heavy deconstruction and excavation activities  and equipment in or near the pipelines’ unmarked right-of-ways (ROWs), which  could compromise pipeline integrity and result in a rupture with catastrophic  consequences. 

Other significant unresolved risks and issues remain including emergency  preparedness, spent fuel storage and long-term site contamination. These issues will be addressed in upcoming expert forums planned as part of this series. The  next forum will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 4pm. 

The post Health Experts Cry Foul Over Plans to Dump Radioactive Wastewater into Hudson River appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Greetings to All;

This is an excellent article to send to electeds and anyone else who thinks Small Nuclear Reactors are a good idea.  

It is short, to the point, easy to read and makes points that cannot be refuted, like the estimated cost of electricity generated by SMR’s. The author is writing about nuclear power in Australia and that makes absolutely no difference.  The construction facts and costs  for SMR’s are the same all over the world.

Read this article and amplify in any way you can.

Marilyn Elie

Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition

Small Modular Reactors: Pricey Power?

“An SMR is a small nuclear power plant that can be pre-fabricated off-site and bolted together on-site. Well, there’s a little more to it than that. SMR tech is described by some as “plug and play”, but others might feel “plug and pray” could be more fitting.”

The post Small Modular Reactors: Pricey Power? appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Dr. Helen Caldicott and other experts on public health and radiation. Please help amplify this event and post to your social media and sending to anyone you know that might be interested.

Media Advisory
Critical Public Health and Safety Impacts of 
Decommissioning Indian Point • Expert Forum Series

Contact: 

Ellen Weininger, Grassroots Environmental Education
(914) 422-3141 (O) or (646) 210-0200

Judy Allen, United for Clean Energy
845-528-6643 (H), 914 382-1193 (C)

What:   First in a Series of Public Health and Safety Experts Forums  

When: Thursday, January 26th 4:00 PM EST

Where: Zoom Registration: bit.ly/3k9qYIh    

Who: 

• Introduction by New York State Senator Peter Harckham, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee
  
• Moderated by Alfred Meyer, Physicians for Social Responsibility – NY

• Dr. Helen Caldicott, Acclaimed author, Nobel laureate and co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, discussing nuclear facilities’ impacts on human health 
• Eric Epstein, Three Mile Island Alert, Inc. discussing independent, state-of-the-art, radiation air monitoring around nuclear facilities
• Diane Turco, Director of Cape Downwinders, Cape Cod, MA, discussing the release of radioactive wastewater and impacts on her community

Background: This forum series presents experts in their respective fields addressing important aspects of public health and safety that should be considered in decommissioning a nuclear facility and the handling of nuclear waste. 

Holtec International, the owner of the Indian Point nuclear facility conducting decommissioning operations, is seeking to discharge one million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River from which seven municipalities source their drinking water and others rely on as a backup source. 

Event Co-Sponsors: Grassroots Environmental Education, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Physicians for Social Responsibility-NY, Safe Energy Rights Group, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group, United for Clean Energy, Upper Nyack Green Committee, WESPAC, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County 

The post SAVE THE DATE. Expert’s Panel on Radiation and Public Health. Jan. 26, 4 PM. appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Hi Manna Jo,

In response to your email, please note the following:

• The presentation slides from the March 19th DOB meeting pertaining to the release of processed waste from IPEC is attached. Based on additional information there have been some changes made.
• As you can see below, your questions (and the associated answers) are broken out based on the text of your email.  In addition, I have included the link to the NRC website where you can obtain a full copy of the Indian Point Energy Center 2021 Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report. The tables referenced in some of the responses are from the report specifically.
• The second attachment is your original email

With that said, note the following question from your email and our response: 

1.     Which Isotopes are able to be filtered out of the water before it is released into the Hudson River and which are not.   

• All radioisotopes can be filtered with the exception of tritium which is consistent with  Nuclear practices across the country. 

2.     For those that are able to be filtered, how effective is treatment?  

• Plant waste processing systems are routinely maintained by operations and chemistry personnel to ensure that the efficiency of the removal filtration systems is optimized. This ensures that the actual dose compared to off-site regulatory limits remains well below guidelines.  
• Consistent / repetitive sampling of the effluent combined with changing the filtration media  ensures the effluent concentrations are maintained low. 

3.     How much of each isotope is able to be filtered out of the water before it is discharged?   

• Filtration removal efficiencies range generally between 90% to over 99.5% of the isotopes being removed.  
• The way we assess the efficiency of the removal process is evaluation of the releases vs the limits to ensure we remain a small fraction (<1%) of what the NRC requires. 

4.     It is important to know that they meet NRC standards, but people are asking for real numbers. 

• The way the nuclear power industry is required to manage the amount of radioactivity that can be released is to ensure that we remain well below the effluent release limits in the NRC regulations. The limits are presented in terms of dose (e.g. units of mrem). 

• To explore “real numbers” one can refer to the Effluent Release Report. The report provides numbers that describe the amounts and isotopes released both in terms of activity amount in curries (e.g. Ci) and dose (mRem). 
  
  To aid in reviewing the data in the report: 
• Table 6-1 Summation of Dose Assessments indicates that the total dose associated with liquid releases (i.e. after filtration) is less than 1% of the annual NRC limit of 3 mrem. Note, this includes tritium which is not affected by filtration as previously noted. 
  In 2021 for example, the dose reported in Table 6-1 for liquid releases to the Hudson is 0.014 mrem which is less than 1% of the 3 mRem limit
• Tables 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 provide the names of the isotopes measured and reported as well as the amount of each isotope released. The sum of all the radionuclides released as listed in these tables results in the doses reported in Table 6-1.

5.     The link to the Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report at NRC.gov is: Indian Point Energy Center – Resubmittal of the 2021 Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report (nrc.gov) 

If additional information, or interpretation of the report is needed for clarity, I would like to have a meeting , preferably face to face, to accommodate discussion. Let me know if this is needed.

Respectfully,
Richard J. Burroni
Site Vice President – Indian Point
Holtec Decommissioning International
450 Broadway, Buchanan, NY 10511
Phone: +1 914 254 6705
r.burroni@holtec.com
www.holtec.com

The post filtration of radioactive water appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

By Regina Clarkin
January 19, 2023

Bringing facts to area residents about the health and safety implications of decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant is the goal of several local environmental organizations who have scheduled  a speaker series that begins on January 26th on a 4 p.m. Zoom webinar.  

 The ‘Public Health & Safety Impacts of Decommissioning Indian Point’ series is co-sponsored by Grassroots Environmental Education, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater,  Physicians for Social Responsibility-NY, Safe Energy Rights Group, Sierra Club Atlantic  Chapter, Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group, United for Clean Energy, Upper Nyack Green  Committee, WESPAC.

The sessions are set for Thursday, January 26, and Thursday, February 16, 2023 on Zoom. This series presents experts in their respective fields addressing important aspects of public health and safety that should be considered in decommissioning a nuclear power plant, and the handling of nuclear waste. 

Dr. Helen Caldicott, a Nobel laureate will speak about health implications of  nuclear power plants.

Speakers for the first session at 4 p.m. on January 26 include an introduction by New York State Senator Peter Harckham, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. The panel will be moderated by Alfred Meyer, of Physicians for Social Responsibility – NY, Dr.Helen Caldicott, an acclaimed author, Nobel laureate and co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility will discuss nuclear facilities’ impacts on human health. Other panelists include Eric Epstein of Three Mile Island Alert, Inc. who will discuss independent, state-of-the art, radiation air monitoring around nuclear facilities and Diane Turco, Director of Cape Downwinders, Cape Cod, MA, discussing the release of radioactive wastewater and impacts on her community.

To register for the free sessions, go here.

Holtec International – the Florida-based company charged with decommissioning the former Indian Point Energy Center – is proposing to release one million gallons of wastewater into the Hudson River, where seven Hudson Valley municipalities source their drinking water and others rely on as a backup source.  

The public safety forum on Thursday, February 16th will include presentations by the experts Michel Lee on site contamination, Paul Blanch on “hot particles” aka Discreet Radioactive Particles (DRP), and Donna Gilmore on nuclear rod casks, cannisters, and storage issues.  For more information, Ellen Weininger, Grassroots Environmental Education (914) 422-3141 (O) or (646) 210-0200  or Judy Allen, United for Clean Energy  845-528-6643 (H), 914 382-1193 (C) 

By Regina Clarkin
Source: https://peekskillherald.com/6585/uncategorized/citizen-groups-cast-wary-eye-on-health-impacts-of-decommissioning/

The post Citizen groups cast wary eye on health impacts of decommissioning appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Media Advisory

Critical Public Health and Safety Impacts of

Decommissioning Indian Point • Expert Forum Series

Contact: 

Ellen Weininger, Grassroots Environmental Education 

(914) 422-3141 (O) or (646) 210-0200 

Judy Allen, United for Clean Energy 

845-528-6643 (H), 914 382-1193 (C) 

What: First in a Series of Public Health and Safety Experts Forums

When: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST 

Where: Zoom Registration: bit.ly/3k9qYIh 

Who: 

• Introduction by New York State Senator Peter Harckham, Chair of the Senate  Environmental Conservation Committee 

• Moderated by Alfred Meyer, Physicians for Social Responsibility – NY 

• Dr. Helen Caldicott, Acclaimed author, Nobel laureate and co-founder of  Physicians for Social Responsibility, discussing nuclear facilities’ impacts on  human health 

• Eric Epstein, Three Mile Island Alert, Inc. discussing independent, state-of-the art, radiation air monitoring around nuclear facilities 

• Diane Turco, Director of Cape Downwinders, Cape Cod, MA, discussing the  release of radioactive wastewater and impacts on her community 

Background: This forum series presents experts in their respective fields addressing  important aspects of public health and safety that should be considered in  decommissioning a nuclear facility and the handling of nuclear waste. 

Holtec International, the owner of the Indian Point nuclear facility conducting  decommissioning operations, is seeking to discharge one million gallons of radioactive  wastewater into the Hudson River from which seven municipalities source their drinking  water and others rely on as a backup source. 

Event Co-Sponsors: Grassroots Environmental Education, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater,  Physicians for Social Responsibility-NY, Safe Energy Rights Group, Sierra Club Atlantic  Chapter, Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group, United for Clean Energy, Upper Nyack Green  Committee, WESPAC.

Suzannah Glidden
United for Clean Energy
(914) 485-1052
suzannahglidden@optonline.net

Indian-Point-Forum-Flyer-finalDownload MEDIA-ADVISORY-final-1Download

The post MEDIA ADVISORY: Experts Forum Jan. 26, 2023 at 4 pm EST via Zoom on Public Health and Safety During Decommissioning of Indian Point appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

The German casks are thick-wall metal (ductile cast iron) over 19″ thick.  They don’t use or need concrete. 

The Fukushima thick-wall casks for storing spent nuclear fuel assemblies are 10″ thick metal (carbon steel and lead).  They survived the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

Either system is better than what we have. Switzerland uses both types of thick-wall casks but requires the highest technical standards of these types from the manufacturers.  The Swiss are a great example of the best available technology standards for storing high level radioactive waste. They also have an on-site hot cell facility for inspecting and retrieving spent nuclear fuel rods. 

Swiss Solution
https://sanonofresafety.org/swiss/

Thin-wall stainless steel canisters are vulnerable to failure through undetectable microscopic cracks. No thin-wall canister has been evaluated for earthquake risks assuming there may be partial cracks. 

Thin-wall canisters do not stop gamma or neutrons. The thin-wall canisters are normally  stored in carbon steel lined concrete casks. The concrete casks have huge air vents for convection cooling. Thick-wall metal casks don’t have or need air vents. 

In the U.S. there are some thick wall metal casks (both ductile cast iron and the steel/iron casks). However, rather than spending money to store these thick-wall casks in hardened buildings, as is done in most of the world, they leave them out in the environment where seals and bolts can prematurely rust. 

Thin-wall canisters systems cannot be stored in buildings, since radionuclides are continuously being released through the air vents. 

Some of the oldest canisters at San Onofre have inlet air vents that measure over 2000 counts per minute. The NRC refuses to tell us why these readings are so high. The NRC also refuses to tell us what the outlet air vent readings are on these older canisters.  Instead, the NRC has eliminated the requirement to even measure radiation levels at the outlet air vents.

The oldest canisters at San Onofre have stainless steel clad rods so are less likely to explode when air enters canisters through cracks. 

Most fuel rods now have Zirconium cladding instead of stainless steel. Due to the longer burnup time of the fuel in reactors (both medium and high burnup), the structure of both the cladding and uranium fuel pellets changes from ductile (flexible) to brittle, making them more likely to fail during transport. Also, some of the  zirconium and uranium metal transforms into zirconium hydrides and uranium hydrides. This increases risks for hydrogen explosions when this material comes into contact with air.  For example, zirconium hydrides in gas or small particle form will explode when exposed to a relatively small amount of air. 

Cask venders will sell anything the U.S. wants. However, as long as the NRC has the authority to make exemptions to safety requirements, companies will never use the safest available technology. 

ASME N3 standards are American Standards for Mechanical Engineers specifically designed for pressure vessels storing and/or transporting highly radioactive fuel waste and other highly radioactive waste. 

Only thick-wall metal casks can meet these American standards. The NRC should not be allowed to give exemptions to these standards. 

Canisters and casks are pressurized with helium instead of air to minimize metal corrosion and to prevent hydrogen explosions. 

See oldest canisters/casks in this 2-page Inventory, sorted by state. 

https://sanonofresafety.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/d32-caskinventorybystate2018-07-14a.pdf

Cracking Canister Problems, Recommendations, and Nuclear Storage Myths Handout

https://sanonofresafety.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/urgentnuclearwastecanisterproblems2016-09-16.pdf

Donna

The post Description of casks for spent fuel storage appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Today on a segment of his show about CLCPA Brian said that nuclear power is clean because it emits no green house gases.  He said it was safe because there have only been two accidents, one in Russia.  The program is already posted and you can listen to it now on WNYC.

This requires a major response. It has been clear for some time that Brian has avoided discussing nuclear topics – even when Indian Point’s last reactor closed.

When I checked the website for an address to send a reply, I found an email for the Community Advisory Board.  

I suggest that we all send individual letters to the CAB and make a big deal out of this. 

His average weekly audience is 969,300. We must respond and demand equal airtime.

I am writing my letter now and suggest that letters to Brian be posted to this thread as they are written. The language may be helpful to others.  

Don’t wait, do it now!

Some ideas; pick one or something different and write a short letter.  Don’t worry about making it perfect.  This is the time for an outraged reader response.

Express shock and dismay at Brian’s naive viewpoint.  

Stress the waste issue and costs of decommissioning. 

How expensive nuclear power is compared to the per kwh cost of renewables.

Talk about the number of nuclear accidents world wide.

Mention experts and use some quotes and  links.  Doubtful if they will accept attachments.

Send an invitation to our forthcoming forums so Brian can get educated.

Contamination of the Hudson River and the fact it is a source of drinking water for 7 communities.

Or something entirely different. 

Post ideas or letters to this thread.  We are not looking for outstanding quality.  We need quantity NOW.

Marilyn

Community Advisory Board

NYPR’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a volunteer group of interested listeners who meet monthly to gather public comments and advise the station as to whether the programming and policies of the station meet the specialized educational and cultural needs of the community. 

You can email your feedback to the CAB at cab@wnyc.org. 

Here’s the letter I sent to WNYC today:

Dear Citizen Advisory Board for WNYC,

On Brian Lehrer’s show for 2023, January 3, he offended a lot of your listeners, and I surely would have been one of them.  He is very much in need of education about nuclear power.

First, he thinks it is clean because it emits no greenhouse gasses (GHG).  But mining, milling, processing, enrichment and fabrication of uranium fuel are all GHG intensive.

I.  About mining: UNDERGROUND mining of uranium requires a lot of GHG to (1) prospect, (2) drill and excavate, (3) prop up the walls of the mine, (4) fashion and install elevators, and (5) bring in rail to get the ore out.  OPEN-PIT mining burns GHG for 1, 2, and 5 above.  LEACHATE mining puts compounds in the ground to dissolve uranium ore (extreme acid or basic compounds), which chemically pollute and contaminate with radioactive isotopes the soil and groundwater. Then the ore is transported (in vehicles that burn fossil fuels) for . . .

II. MILLING:  Milling uranium ore is GHG intensive.  A lot of fossil-fuel power is needed to crush the ore, then the chemicals take over to extract the uranium part and bake it into “yellow cake” or UOX.  This is a highly radioactive stuff that must be specially packaged (to manufacture packages requires GHG at the factory) for transport (in vehicles that burn fossil fuels) to the one and only processing plant in the USA at Paducah, Kentucky.

III. PROCESSING:  To make yellowcake useful requires that the UOX be turned into a gaseous substance.  Now here’s a really filthy process: the processing plant uses HF, fluoric acid.  Maybe you remember from HS chemistry what a dangerous substance HF is.  But tons of it are used in Paducah to create UF6, not just because it’s a gas, but because every UF6 molecules has EXACTLY THE SAME MASS every other UF6 molecule except for one little thing.  99.3% of the molecules contain U with a mass of 238 and 0.7% have U with a mass of 235.  This presents a possibility for physical separation, and the necessity for same.  238U does not split and release energy when hit with a neutron, but 235U does.  So you can’t get heat to boil water (or explosive bombs to kill people) from 238U atoms.  You need to 235U at 5% for NPPs (and 90% for bombs).  So once again the radioactive UF6 is packed up and sent to another venue for . . .

IV.  ENRICHMENT:  The largest buildings in the world were devoted to this process during the Cold War, and these buildings are huge today.  They contain tens of thousands of gas centrifuge tubes for spinning out the 235UF6 from the 238UF6.  The difference in mass of these two gasses is about 1%.  It takes tens of thousands of centrifuge tubes to do this, each manufactured using GHG at the factory.  Then, this stuff is liquified for transport (GHG again) to . . .

V.  FABRICATION:  Don’t know where, don’t know how, but the 5% 235U, 95% 238U ends up as tiny pellets the size of the last joint of your child’s little finger for packing into 10 ft. Tubes made of Zirconium alloy (nickel and some other metals) which are assembled into bundles suitable for a nuclear reactor vessel.  

Oh, wait . . . What about all those buildings where these processes take place. Materials, transportation, etc.  All using GHG.

So we get to the place where lots of filthy, anti-biological isotopes are released into the air, soil and water, but very little CO2.  However, the CO2 that is released contains Carbon 14, a radioactive isotope that replaces the non-radioactive C in nature’s “carbon-unit” organisms (that’s you, me, elephants, whales, octopi, trees, flowers, butterflies, viruses, etc.).

Now let’s jump to the carbon footprint after the fuel is spent (SF) and it is removed from the reactor for storage, or disposal, or whatever happened to it.  Like PFAs it never goes away, but unlike PFAs it last 100,000 years instead of 300 years.

This letter is way too long, so I’m just going to send a picture of an ISFSI (independent spent fuel storage installation) and ask you —¿What do YOU think is the carbon footprint of these concrete casks? 

Sorry this letter is so long, but I get carried away by the ignorance of people who implement main-stream media.  That nuclear power is clean — ¡what clap-trap!  

And one visit to wikipedia shows that there are 5 major accidents, not just 2.  READ ONE MORE BOOK FOR GOODNESS SAKE.  Make it Atoms and Ashes: a global history of nuclear disasters by Serhii Plokhy.  He has a chapter for Castle Bravo, Kyshtym (Google it — EASY for Neil Lehrer; and IT’S HIS JOB), Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.

If the news readers on WNYC haven’t read the books of Kate Brown, MIT prof., then they will surely make a ton of mistakes and pass them on to their listeners.  Also for quick education go to beyondnuclear.org, nirs.org, and NEIS.org

Sincerely, Jan Boudart, 1132 W Lunt Ave, Chicago IL 60626, board member Nuclear Energy Information Service, NEIS.org, 415.301.1129.

The post Brian Lehrer of WNYC Endorses Nuclear Power appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Here’s a video of a rain-soaked, straggly but passionate group of 8 climate justice activists, and a dog, singing directly in front of Joe Biden’s house in Wilmington, De. as 2022 turned into 2023. We begin singing at the 4 minute mark. And below are the words we sang, to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

https://t.co/PTUKkNHgcH

— BeyondExtremeEnergy (@BXEAction) January 1, 2023

Auld Biden Syne

Should old acquaintance with fossil fuels be finally put to an end,
And renewables accelerate, a green new deal amen.
A green new deal,
A green new deal,
Is what the country needs,
And here we are at Biden’s house,
Saying: climate emergency, lead.

Will Biden pledge to change our course
And serve all human kind
No fossil fuels, no klepto rule
Joe Biden, now’s the time
The time is here, for this new year
Emergency declare
The stewards of this earth come forth, so we leave a world to share

The time has sadly passed us by
To avert a major loss
But we cannot lie soundly by
As we see a rising cost
Our brethren facing droughts and floods
Our forests burned to dust
But every life that we can save
Confronts us as a must

For auld lang syne, my friends
For auld lang syne
We’ll breathe a draught of fresher air
If Biden heeds the science
We’ll breathe a draught of fresher air
Extinction be postponed
But Joe must first his conscience search
And strike a righteous tone

When all the science goes for naught and  politicians jeer,
We stand up for our grandchildren and call for Joe to hear.
We call for Joe to hear us now
Demand for Joe to hear
Declare an end to fossil fuels
For life in future years.

The post Auld Biden Syne in front of Biden’s house midnight Dec. 31 appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

Let’s keep this party going!

Well, party might be a stretch. But taking action with comrades to save our biosphere is truly a celebration of life, joy and festivity included!

Another cause for celebration: this is absolutely the last fundraising pitch from Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE) this year lol. We’re close to our $25,000 end-of-year fundraising goal. Can you chip in $5, $10, or $50?

Donate Here

I am sending you this from Wilmington Delaware, near President Joe Biden’s house with Occupy Biden demanding he take real action on climate by declaring a climate emergency and halting federal government approvals of new fossil fuel projects.

Expansion of the oil, coal and gas industries most responsible for the crisis only pushes us closer to irreversible tipping points as the world continues to heat up. Those of low wealth and people of color trapped in polluting sacrifice zones and, indeed, all life on earth, urgently need Biden to lead. He himself has said the climate crisis has reached “Code Red” intensity but has allowed vast expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. This holiday season he must give a gift to the world by addressing global heating at the scale and speed that science requires.

Here in Wilmington today our party has started with a little advertising on Delaware Route 141. After sunset we will be walking to Biden’s house to acknowledge whose land he is on, give witness to the ongoing climate emergency, sing carols and read words of hope and determination, and read our demands and the names of groups all over the country making the same demands.

For some reason I can’t quite explain I feel compelled to share a BXE moment from 2022 with you. It was an action to “shut down” the congressional baseball game during the summer. The very mixed bag of climate action we got with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was announced the day before the action.

Some of the organizers decided to back out of the risk arrest portion of the action because of the IRA announcement, causing disharmony and eroding solidarity with the groups participating. I changed my planned role and risked arrest with several Third Act Virginia members, a Sunrise Movement elder, Line3 water protectors who had traveled from Wisconsin, and some DC-based activists, about 20 of us total.

BXE’s Ted Glick was asked at the very last minute to speak at the rally before the action, to fill in for one of the organizers who had stepped back.

Ted spoke beautifully and focused on the need to stop the side-deal which was announced but still largely an unknown at that point. The game was ultimately shut down by a summer thunderstorm, leaving empty the rain-soaked stadium and all the billboards touting carbon capture and biogas and other false solutions.

BXE is still figuring out specific courses of action for 2023, given FERC leadership changes and the continuing LNG build out. But I believe we will continue trying to step up, not back!

-Andy Hinz

You can join us at Occupy Biden until midnight tonight!

WHAT: Occupy Biden action at President Biden’s house

WHEN: Saturday, December 31, 2 PM to 12 am, January 1

WHERE: Beginning at 2 pm at 909 Centre Rd, Wilmington, DE, 5 pm march to Biden house on Barley Mill Road, for a candlelight vigil with music, performers and speakers.

WHO: Youth, parents and grandparents who insist on the right to life on a stable planet

WHY: Time is running out

Initiating Organizations: Occupy Biden, Beyond Extreme Energy, Third Act Virginia

The post New Years at Occupy Biden appeared first on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.

The Golden Rule will be in NY at some point.

                                   PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           Contact: Gerry Condon, 206-499-1220

December 30, 2022                                         gerrycondon@veteransforpeace.org

                                                                                        Helen Jaccard, 206-992-6364

                                                                                vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com

Historic Golden Rule Peace Boat On Its Way to Cuba

      Veterans For Peace Calls for an End to US Blockade

The historic Golden Rule anti-nuclear sailboat is on its way to Cuba.The storied wooden boat, which was sailed toward the Marshall Islands in 1958 to interfere with US nuclear testing, set sail from Key West, Florida on Friday morning, and will arrive at the Hemingway Marina in Havana on Saturday morning, New Years Eve day. The 34-foot ketch belongs to Veterans For Peace, and implements its mission “to end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons.”

The five crew members will be joined by Veterans For Peace members who are flying to Havana to participate in an educational Arts & Culture program coordinated by the Proximity Cuba tour agency. The veterans will also be visiting communities that suffered great damage from the recent Hurricane Ian, which destroyed thousands of homes in Pinar del Rio province in western Cuba. They are carrying humanitarian aid for people who lost their homes.

“We are on an educational and humanitarian mission,” says Golden Rule Project Manager Helen Jaccard. “We are three-and-a-half months into a 15-month, 11,000 mile voyage around the ‘Great Loop’ of the midwestern, southern, and northeastern United States. When we saw we would be in Key West, Florida at the end of December, we said, ‘Look, Cuba is only 90 miles away! And the world almost had a nuclear war over Cuba.’”

60 years ago, in October 1962, the world came perilously close to a civilization-ending nuclear war during a superpower showdown between the US and the Soviet Union, which had placed nuclear missiles near each others borders, in Turkey and Cuba, respectively. The CIA had also organized an armed invasion of Cuba in a disastrous attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.

“Sixty years later, the US still maintains a brutal economic blockade of Cuba, strangling Cuba’s economic development and causing suffering for Cuban families,” said Gerry Condon, former president of Veterans For Peace, and part of the crew that is sailing to Cuba. “The whole world opposes the US blockade of Cuba and it is time for it to end.” This year only the US and Israel voted No on a UN resolution calling on the US government to end its blockade of Cuba.

“Now the US/Russia standoff over Ukraine has once again raised the specter of nuclear war,” said Gerry Condon. “It was urgent diplomacy between US President John Kennedy and Russian leader Nikita Khruschev that resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis and spared the world a nuclear war,” continued Condon. “That is the kind of diplomacy that we need today.”

Veterans For Peace is calling for an end to the US blockade of Cuba, for a Ceasefire and Negotiations to End the War in Ukraine, and for the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.

For more information about the Golden Rule anti-nuclear sailboat, go to www.vfpgoldenrule.org.

For interviews, call or text Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220, or Helen Jaccard at 206-992-6364.

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