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.
"Faulty Computer Modeling Caused San Onofre Equipment Problems"
LA Times, 06/19/2012"Faulty computer modeling caused the equipment problems that are expected to keep the San Onofre nuclear plant dark through the summer, federal regulators said Monday."
"Japan Approves 2 Reactor Restarts, More Seen Ahead"
Reuters, 06/18/2012"TOKYO -- Japan on Saturday approved the resumption of nuclear power operations at two reactors despite mass public opposition, the first to come back on line after they were all shut down following the Fukushima crisis."
"FCC Considers Whether To Study Cellphone Radiation"
Wash Post, 06/18/2012"The Federal Communications Commission is seeking to study whether it needs better guidelines to protect people from cellphone radiation, a question it hasn't posed in 15 years."
"Japan Moves Closer To Restarting 1st Nuclear Reactors Since Tsunami"
Wash Post, 06/14/2012"TOKYO — Japan is on the verge of returning to atomic power after a local mayor on Thursday gave his approval to restart a pair of reactors, idled in the wake of last year's nuclear accident.
The nuclear restart could come as soon as this weekend, Japanese media reported. It would mark a controversial victory for the central government, which has spent months arguing that Japan needs nuclear power to sustain its fragile economy.
"Energy Department Steps in to Help Uranium Enrichment Company"
NY Times, 06/14/2012"The Energy Department announced Wednesday that it was stepping in to shore up an ailing company it created in the 1990s to privatize uranium enrichment, calling the rescue vital to maintaining nuclear weapons and national security."
"Use of Imaging Tests Soars, Raising Questions on Radiation Risk"
LA Times, 06/13/2012"Study finds use of CT scans has nearly tripled in the last 15 years. Such radiation exposure increases the risk of cancer."
Court: Nuclear Regulators Must Assess Spent Fuel Storage Dangers
ENS, 06/12/2012"WASHINGTON, DC -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must formally re-evaluate the environmental risks of storing spent nuclear fuel onsite at the nation's more than 100 nuclear reactors."
Davis-Besse Nuclear Plant Operators Find Pinhole-Size Coolant Leak
AP, 06/08/2012"TOLEDO, Ohio -- A FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary said Thursday that they discovered and contained a pinhole-size leak spraying radioactive coolant at their Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio."
"Court Orders DOE To Get Its Head Out of the Sand on Waste Fees"
Greenwire, 06/04/2012"A federal appeals court [Friday] asked the Department of Energy to explain why it should be able to continue to collect fees for its nuclear waste fund despite the fact that there is no operating national repository."
As Tamil Nadu Nuclear Plant Opening Nears, Protests Enter Death Throes
NY Times, 05/31/2012A 23-year-old battle over construction of a nuclear power plant in India's southern state Tamil Nadu seems to be coming to a climax -- as politicians shift sides, protesters go on hunger strikes, and the political fallout from Fukishima settles.
"How Will Nuclear Plants Stand Up to Quakes and Floods?"
Green (NYT), 05/30/2012"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should consider requiring nuclear power plants to analyze their vulnerability to natural hazards like earthquakes by using the same advanced tools that the industry uses to understand the risks from mechanical accidents, a new report from the Government Accountability Office argues."
"Fukushima Radiation Seen In Tuna Off California"
Reuters, 05/29/2012"Low levels of nuclear radiation from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima power plant have turned up in bluefin tuna off the California coast, suggesting that these fish carried radioactive compounds across the Pacific Ocean faster than wind or water can."
"Spent Fuel Rods Drive Growing Fear Over Plant in Japan"
NY Times, 05/28/2012"TOKYO — What passes for normal at the Fukushima Daiichi plant today would have caused shudders among even the most sanguine of experts before an earthquake and tsunami set off the world's second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl."
"Obama Names Allison Macfarlane, Yucca Mountain Critic, As Head Of NRC"
AP, 05/25/2012"Moving quickly to stem a controversy, President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated an expert on nuclear waste to lead the federal agency that regulates the nation's nuclear power plants."
NRC Relicenses Washington's Columbia Nuke Plant for 20 More Years
AP, 05/25/2012"YAKIMA, Wash. -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the license for the Northwest's only commercial nuclear power plant by an additional 20 years, the plant's operator announced Wednesday."

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