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.
"N.R.C. Skimps on Financial Oversight, Audit Says"
Green (NYT), 05/07/2012"The government does a poor job of estimating what it will cost to tear down a nuclear reactor, Congressional auditors say, and it may not be overseeing plant owners well enough to assure that they set aside enough money to do the job."
"Ojai Vents Smart-Meter Angst"
Ventura County Star, 05/07/2012"The electrical meter for Marleen Luckman's dwelling is sandwiched between two new smart meters, the kind that some Ojai residents are upset about.Luckman says she worries about a wireless world where electromagnetic radiation is everywhere."
"Japan Switches Off Last Nuclear Power Plant; Will It Cope?"
Reuters, 05/04/2012"Japan shuts down its last working nuclear power reactor this weekend just over a year after a tsunami scarred the nation and if it survives the summer without major electricity shortages, producers fear the plants will stay offline for good."
"Court Urged to Order Decision on Nuclear Waste Site"
NY Times, 05/04/2012"Two states with large amounts of military and civilian nuclear waste told a federal court panel on Wednesday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was flouting the law by declining to decide whether the Nevada desert is a suitable burial spot — even if the Obama administration says the storage plan is dead."
"Investigations Into Fukushima Accident Disagree on Key Points"
Asahi Shimbun, 05/02/2012"Despite investigations by four special committees, key questions remain about the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl."
Callaway Nuke: Ameren Corporation License Renewal Request Challenged
AP, 04/27/2012"COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A Missouri environmental group is asking the federal government to more closely scrutinize Ameren Corp.'s request for a 20-year license renewal at the state's only nuclear power plant.
"EPA: New IG Report Faults Agency's Management of Radiation Monitors"
Greenwire, 04/25/2012"Twenty percent of U.S. EPA's radiation monitors were out of service last year when an earthquake caused a meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, according to a new report that confirms some of the claims of environmental watchdogs."
"Burnam: 'Top Secret' Documents Show Risks of Radioactive Waste Dump"
Texas Observer, 04/17/2012"With a manila envelope labeled 'TOP SECRET' propped up in front of him, state Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat, called on the Texas Attorney General to allow the public release of confidential information related to a West Texas radioactive waste dump owned by Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons."
"Growth Prospects for Uranium Stir Concerns"
Texas Tribune, 04/16/2012"HOBSON, Texas -- At the back of a South Texas uranium processing facility, a few dozen black container drums stood outside, waiting to be shipped. Each was filled with about $50,000 worth of yellowcake, a powdery substance created from raw uranium."
"Is Nuclear Power Industry Poised To Repeat 'Managerial Disaster'?"
Tampa Bay Times, 04/09/2012"'The failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale.' The rant of an antinuclear activist? Hardly. It was the first sentence of an in-depth story in a conservative business magazine, Forbes. In 1985."
"Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant Unlikely To Restart Before Fall"
AP, 04/06/2012"BLAIR, Neb. -- Federal regulators said Wednesday it's unlikely the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant will restart before fall because of the extensive inspections and repairs needed."
"Uranium, Cattle Grazing and Risks Unknown"
Green/NYT, 04/05/2012Cattle grazed on land containing abandoned uranium mines in the West are being sold for food. What hazards, if any, this may present to people consuming the beef are unknown.
"Japan Nuclear Plant May Be Worse Off Than Thought"
NY Times, 04/04/2012"TOKYO — The damage to one of three stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant could be worse than previously thought, a recent internal investigation has shown, raising new concerns over the plant’s stability and complicating the post-disaster cleanup."
Fukushima's Radioactivity Found in California Kelp Briefly
EHN, 03/30/2012"Kelp off Southern California was contaminated with short-lived radioisotopes a month after Japan’s Fukushima accident, a sign that the spilled radiation reached the state's coastline, according to a new scientific study."
"Fear Grows In O.C. Cities Near San Onofre Nuclear Plant"
LA Times, 03/30/2012"Concern over the safety of the San Onofre nuclear power plant is growing among Orange County cities closest to the facility, which has been shut down since January because of system failures."

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