"Cyber war" threatens nuclear facilities

Public Radio International's The World has reported that the U.S. military now recognizes "cyber war" as the "new fifth domain of war between states, after air, land, sea and outer space." It reported "the humanitarian consequences of a cyber attack could include damage to infrastructure like power grids and toxic waste facilities," which could, of course, include atomic reactors and high-level radioactive waste storage pools. Bennett Ramberg warned more than 25 years ago that reactors and radioactive waste could be targeted during war, in his book Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy: An Unrecognized Military Peril. The Stuxnet computer worm, targeted at the Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, is rumored to have been launched by the U.S. and/or Israeli militaries, although no radioactivity releases to the environment from the resulting damage were reported.

Congressman Kucinich expresses concerns on Davis-Besse cracks, urges public hearing before NRC allows reactor re-start

Kucinich has long watch-dogged Davis-BesseOn Nov. 21st, U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) wrote NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko, putting forth a technical theory that could explain Davis-Besse's concrete shield building cracking, and calling for a public hearing on this vital safety issue before the atomic reactor is allowed to re-start. Kucinich wrote a related op-ed in the Toledo Blade.

The shield building is supposed to protect the reactor within from such threats as tornadoes. In June 1998, a tornado scored a direct hit on Davis-Besse, passing between the shield building and the cooling tower, knocking out the primary electrical grid, and causing a near-disaster when the back up emergency diesel generators didn't work properly. An NRC ordered study from 1982 (ironically entitled "CRAC-2") reported that a major radioactive release at Davis-Besse could cause 1,400 "peak early fatalities," 73,000 "peak early injuries," 10,000 peak cancer deaths," and $84 billion in property damage [$185 billion when adjusted for inflation].

NRC allows Davis-Besse re-start despite cracks in shield building

At 4:41 p.m. on Friday afternoon -- a traditional time to try to sneak controversial news past the public -- December 2, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) publicly announced its decision to allow the Davis-Besse atomic reactor to re-start, despite lingering questions about its cracked shield building. NRC did so with a press release, and an attached Confirmatory Action Letter addressed to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company.

The Toledo Blade reported on this story. It quoted Michael Keegan of Don't Waste Michigan:

"Michael Keegan, one of several critics who have intervened in the re-licensing proceedings, called the Confirmatory Action Letter 'a big fat nothing' and repeated his doubts about the wisdom of re-starting Davis-Besse.

The NRC’s re-start approval, he said, is 'a promise to kick the can down the road and roll the dice one more time. The concept of ‘Use As Is,’ when it comes to operating a nuclear power plant, is a risky proposition.' "

Beyond Nuclear, along with Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio, has won standing and admission of several contentions against the 20 year license extension sought by FENOC for Davis-Besse. Terry Lodge of Toledo serves as the environmental coalition's attorney. Al Compaan, emeritus chair of the University of Toledo physics department, serves as the coalition's expert witness. A year ago, Beyond Nuclear published a backgrounder on the many close calls with disaster Davis-Besse has experienced in the past 35 years of operations.

Update on December 4, 2011 by admin

On November 4th, David Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission with questions regarding the cracking in the Davis-Besse shield building walls. He asked NRC to treat the questions as allegations, if they were unable to answer them before approving Davis-Besse's re-start.

What Do You Know About Nuclear Energy? Let's Learn Together! New York City, Dec. 7th

Yuko Tanaka of the NY Women's Network will host a "Learn from 3/11" event, entitled "What Do You Know About Nuclear Energy? Let's Learn Together!" on Wed., Dec. 7th at 6:30pm at the Japanese American Association of New York (15 W. 44th Street, 11th Floor, NY, NY 10036).
 
Doors will open at 6pm, and there will be books to check out, as well as informational handouts to take.
 
Gary Shaw of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, Yuko Tonohira of Todos Somos Japon, and Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear will be speaking, and Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action will skype in from Japan.
 
See the flyer for more information, or check out updates on Facebook:
 
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211429102264216

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Learn-From-311-Lets-learntogether/287771747917483
 
ADMISSION is $10, plus any donation will be appreciated. A portion of the proceeds will go to ‘Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation.’
 
Please RSVP to learnfrom311@yahoo.co.jp if you would like to attend. Please spread the word! Thanks!

Tepco admits worse meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Unit 1

The New York Times reports that Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has admitted for the first time that the melted core at its Unit 1 reactor at the devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has likely "bored" into the concrete floor of the primary containment, coming precariously close to an outer steel barrier, the final line of defense against even more catasatrophic radioactivity releases into the external environment. A critic describes Tepco's latest admission as "still an overly optimistic simulation." Hiroaki Koide, of the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, warns "I have always argued that the containment is broken, and that there is the danger of a wider radiation leak."

Speaking of overly optimistic nuclear disaster simulations, Greenpeace has strongly condemned Japanese government nuclear emergency preparedness for its inadequate "Speedi" radioactive plume computer code. The code only covers a 10 km area, whereas Greenpeace has documented Fukushima fallout 60 km downwind that should -- under international standards -- require evacuation of the population. Greenpeace also documents that actual nuclear catastrophes could be 10,000 times worse than those assumed by Speedi.

Update on December 3, 2011 by admin

CBS News coverage "In meltdown, Japan dodged even bigger disaster." UK Guardian coverage in "Fukushima fuel rods may have completely melted."