EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
"Nuclear Power Expansion in China Stirs Concerns"
NYTimes, 12/17/2009"China is preparing to build three times as many nuclear power plants in the coming decade as the rest of the world combined, a breakneck pace with the potential to help slow global warming."
"White House Is Urged to Help States With Nuclear Plants Stockpile Thyroid Drug"
NYTimes, 12/08/2009"After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress passed a law instructing the federal government to help states build bigger stocks of a simple, cheap drug to protect people near nuclear power plants in the event of an accident or terrorist attack."
"How Much Would a Nuclear Meltdown Cost?"
Toronto Star, 12/01/2009"What kind of insurance policy do you take out if you operate a large nuclear plant in one of the most densely populated, fastest-growing communities in Canada?"
"U.S. Firm Sheds Liability for Canadian Nuclear Peril"
Toronto Globe & Mail, 11/30/2009"One of the world's largest nuclear plant suppliers has ordered its Canadian division to hermetically seal itself off from its U.S. parent, going so far as to forbid engineers at the U.S. wing from having anything to do with Canadian reactors."
"Effort To Scrap Anti-Nuclear Law in Minnesota Ramps Up"
AP, 11/25/2009"A push to scrap a Minnesota law barring new nuclear power plants gained a pair of influential supporters Tuesday, adding intensity to a debate before a state Legislature that has narrowly resisted the change."
"A Nuclear Reactor Shows Its Age"
NYTimes, 11/24/2009"Almost every plan for limiting carbon dioxide output includes keeping old nuclear plants running. But as those plants age, they turn up new problems. The latest is at a plant owned by Progress Energy in Crystal River, Fla., where a gap was found inside the thick concrete of a containment dome."
"As Nuclear Reactor Fleet Ages, Engineers Ask,' Is 80 the New 40?'"
Greenwire, 11/23/2009"Could nuclear power plants last as long as the Hoover Dam? Increasingly dependable and emitting few greenhouse gases, the U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants will likely run for another 50 or even 70 years before it is retired -- long past the 40-year life span planned decades ago -- according to industry executives, regulators and scientists."
"Nuclear 'Renaissance' Held Up by Fight Between DOE and OMB"
ClimateWire, 11/17/2009"The awards of $18.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for new nuclear plant projects remain held up by an ongoing dispute within the Obama administration over the financial risk the new reactors pose for the government and taxpayers, according to industry and government officials."
"House Panel OKs Bill To Ban Importing Foreign N-Waste"
Deseret News, 11/04/2009"A House subcommittee endorsed Tuesday a bill to ban importing foreign, low-level radioactive waste — which would block an EnergySolutions proposal to import 20,000 tons of it from Italy, process it in Tennessee and dump it in Utah's western desert."
"Deal Drafted on Nuclear Fuel for Iran's Research Reactor"
ENS, 10/23/2009"VIENNA -- A draft agreement on providing Iran with fuel for a civilian nuclear research facility that could defuse tension over Iran's nuclear program has emerged from nearly three days of talks supported by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA."
"Obama's Radioactive Regulator"
Mother Jones, 10/21/2009"Why did the White House pick a cheerleader for nuclear energy to oversee the industry?"
"The Dilemma of Aging Nuclear Plants"
NYTimes, 10/20/2009"Nuclear industry operators are pushing to extend the life of their plants to 60 or even 80 years. Running plants longer is one way to recoup their investment but it has safety implications."
"U.S. Rejects Nuclear Plant Over Design of Key Piece"
NYTimes, 10/16/2009"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday that it had rejected a design by Westinghouse for a new reactor because a key component might not withstand events like earthquakes and tornadoes."
"Political Headwinds Hit a Reactor Project on the Chesapeake"
ClimateWire, 09/21/2009Constellation Energy's proposed Calvert Cliffs 3 plant in Maryland, long a poster child of the industry's hoped-for "nuclear renaissance," faces some doubts at the Maryland State Public Service Commission.
Nukes mean mines: Are we digging a new toxic legacy before the last one’s filled in?
San Antonio Current, 09/19/2009Greg Harman of the San Antonio Current explores the legacy of uranium mining across South Texas as in-situ mining companies, milling outfits, and waste disposal crews prepare for a rebound in uranium prices. With San Antonio poised to lead one of the first nuclear-power expansions in the country, the writer suggests "the risks involved in uranium mining and processing should be a starting point for any debate about the promise and peril of nuclear power, yet it has received scant attention in San Antonio’s decision whether or not to partner in the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear complex."

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