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.
Japan: 1000s Protest Before Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Anniversary
Deutsche Welle, 03/11/2013"Thousands of anti-nuclear protesters have gathered across Japan. The rallies come on the eve of the two-year anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima disaster."
"Nuclear Industry Withers in U.S. as Wind Pummels Prices: Energy"
Bloomberg, 03/11/2013"A glut of government-subsidized wind power may help accomplish a goal some environmentalists have sought for decades: kill off U.S. nuclear power plants while reducing reliance on electricity from burning coal."
"Safety Breaches Seen Plaguing U.S. Reactors in Report"
Bloomberg, 03/08/2013"Almost one-in-six U.S. nuclear reactors experienced safety breaches last year due in part to poor oversight by federal regulators, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists."
"Incidents including a cooling water leak and unusual wear on steam generator tubes were reported at 16 units owned by companies including Entergy Corp. (ETR) and Edison International (EIX), the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based environmental group said in its third annual report on reactor safety released today.
"Energy Department Plans To Ship Hanford Nuke Waste To New Mexico"
Reuters, 03/07/2013"The Department of Energy on Wednesday put forward a long-term plan to extract and ship low-level radioactive waste from leaking tanks at Washington state's Hanford Nuclear Reservation to a dump in New Mexico."
"Budget Cuts Threaten Work at Leaking Nuke Tanks"
AP, 03/06/2013"RICHLAND, Wash. -- Washington's governor prepared to travel to the nation's most contaminated nuclear site to learn more about leaking radioactive waste tanks there Wednesday, a day after federal officials acknowledged budget cuts may disrupt efforts to empty the aging vessels."
"Vogtle Nuclear Project To Take Longer, Cost More"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 03/01/2013"Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project will take about 19 months longer to complete than originally expected and cost about $740 million more than originally thought, the company said Thursday."
"DOE: Budget Cuts May Slow Nuclear Waste Cleanup"
AP, 03/01/2013"Cleanup of radioactive waste at nuclear sites across the country — including one in Washington state where waste tanks may be leaking 1,000 gallons per year — would be delayed under automatic spending cuts set to take effect Friday."
"Fukushima Disaster Residents ‘Have An Extra Risk of Cancer'"
Times of London, 03/01/2013"Girls living nearest to the Fukushima nuclear disaster zone have almost a 70 per cent increased risk of thyroid cancer, the World Health Organisation says."
"Cancer Risks Higher in Worst Hit Fukushima Area: WHO"
Reuters, 02/28/2013"People in the area worst affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident two years ago have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, the World Health Organization said on Thursday."
"Post-Fukushima, Arguments for Nuclear Safety Bog Down"
NY Times, 02/27/2013"Alarms sounded and lights flashed as control panel dials at a nuclear power plant in upstate New York warned that the power for safety equipment was failing. The room went dark until the emergency lights kicked in. But there was no reason to worry on this frozen winter morning."
Japan: "Survey: No Nuclear Plants Meet New Safety Standards"
Asahi Shimbun, 02/25/2013"None of Japan’s 16 nuclear power plants has satisfied the government's proposed new safety standards, making them ineligible to be restarted in the near future, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey."
Nuclear Waste Seeping From Container in Hazardous Wash. State Facility
NPR, 02/18/2013"They thought they'd managed this problem a few years ago. But Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee got a disturbing call Friday from Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Nuclear waste is leaking out of a tank in one of the most contaminated nuclear waste sites in the U.S."
"Manager Says Safety Issues Are Ignored at Hanford Nuclear Site"
LA Times, 02/14/2013"Donna Busche, a nuclear engineer and health physicist, files a suit alleging that executives tried to dissuade her from raising warnings about serious problems with the waste site's design."
"Obama Calls North Korea Nuclear Test a Threat To U.S."
USA TODAY, 02/12/2013"President Obama on Tuesday called North Korea's third successful nuclear test a 'highly provocative act' that 'undermines regional stability' and threatens action by the international community."
"Minnesota Is a Hotbed for Radioactive Gas Radon"
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 02/11/2013"Officials are alarmed at the lack of awareness about the invisible gas that invades homes."

Advertisements



