Nuclear Power & Radiation

Prime Minister Declares 'Cold Shutdown' of Fukushima Reactors

"TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan today declared that the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been brought to a state of cold shutdown, turning a corner in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

'The nuclear reactors have reached a state of cold shutdown and therefore we can now confirm that we have come to the end of the accident phase of the actual reactors,' Prime Minister Noda told a news conference.

Source: ENS, 12/20/2011

Study Warns of Health, Environment Hurdles To Uranium Mining in Va.

"RICHMOND, Va. -- A company lobbying lawmakers to unearth in Southside Virginia what is thought to be the nation's largest uranium deposit needs to overcome significant health and environmental obstacles before the site is mined, according to a long-awaited study released Monday."

Source: Wash Post, 12/20/2011

"Nuclear Waste Site Hunt Could Point To Granite"

"MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The likely death of a planned nuclear waste site at Nevada's Yucca Mountain has left federal agencies looking for a possible replacement. A national lab working for the U.S. Department of Energy is now eying granite deposits stretching from Georgia to Maine as potential sites, along with big sections of Minnesota and Wisconsin where that rock is prevalent."

Source: AP, 12/20/2011

Ontario Nuclear Site: "Chalk River's Toxic Legacy"

"CHALK RIVER, Ontario — At 3:07 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, 1952, the National Research Experimental nuclear reactor, then the most powerful research reactor on Earth, raced out of control, rapidly overheated and exploded, destroying the reactor core and spewing radioactive gases and debris into the atmosphere."

Source: Ottawa Citizen, 12/19/2011

"NRC Says New South Texas Nukes Don't Pass Ownership Test"

"The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it would suspend review of the non-foreign ownership requirements of the proposed new reactors at South Texas because Japanese multinational Toshiba effectively controls the project. Foreign companies cannot control nuclear plants in the United States."

"In a letter dated December 13, the NRC said its staff would continue to review the application but would not issue a license until the foreign ownership requirements were met.

Source: Reuters, 12/15/2011

"Leader of Nuclear Agency Hears Litany of Objections"

"WASHINGTON -- In exchanges that ranged from merely testy to caustic, four members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a House committee on Wednesday that their chairman had withheld information from them, berated the agency’s professional staff, reduced female employees to tears with abusive comments and created a 'chilled' atmosphere that was hurting the agency’s ability to function."

Source: NY Times, 12/15/2011

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