Palisades nuclear plant being sold as decommissioning approaches

As reported by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps:

Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear said he has concerns about the planned sale, and questions the corporate character of Holtec. 

"We're very concerned about who this company is, for one thing," he said, noting that Beyond Nuclear has had concerns with the company in the past related to activities in the nuclear industry elsewhere."

He is concerned that Holtec will work to try to pocket as much of the Palisades decommissioning funds as possible, which have been set aside to fund the decommissioning process. He fears that an accelerated decommissioning will mean more exposure to workers, and more contamination left behind.

"How deep will the cleanup go? Inches or feet?" he said. "If they rush this job they could leave a lot of contamination behind."

Largest elephant population under threat from uranium mine

The Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania -- a World Heritage Site -- has been left unprotected from plundering uranium mining companies. A major uranium mine is now projected for the park, home to Africa's largest elephant population, already under severe threat of decimation by poachers. We call on the Tanzanian government and the World Heritage Committee to block this deadly scheme and protect Africa's precious wildlife before it is too late. Read the article.

The two Russians who have taken on Rosatom

Journalist, Fedor Maryasov and lawyer, Andrey Talevlin aren't afraid to challenge Rosatom, even though their activities have resulted in the two Russians being labeled "extremists" and "foreign agents." Nuclear-Free Future Award winner, Oleg Bodrov of Green World (pictured above right with Talevlin), tells their story of courage and conviction this week on Beyond Nuclear International. Read the story.

Beyond Nuclear presses NRC to compel “autopsy” of closed reactors: Oyster Creek to close September 17, 2018

Beyond Nuclear is pressing the call for an “autopsy” of New Jersey’s Oyster Creek nuclear power station and other decommissioning commercial power reactors in the United States. Beyond Nuclear covered the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) public meeting in Forked River, NJ with the operator, Exelon Generation, to lay out their decommissioning options. Exelon is considering  "mothballing" for 50-years following the September 17 2018 closure. Oyster Creek is the nation’s oldest nuclear power station. The 49-year old GE Mark I boiling water reactor on Barnegat Bay, is the first and oldest Fukushima-style reactor in the world. Exelon has previously said it could seek to mothball Oyster Creek for up to 50 years before beginning a ten-year dismantlement and decommissioning operation. While shutting down its oldest GE reactor, Exelon has applied to NRC for a second license renewal (60 to 80-year extension) of two of its other GE Mark I reactors at Peach Bottom units 2 and 3 in Pennsylvania. A post-shutdown autopsy to harvest aged material samples from Oyster Creek for scientifically analyze is necessary to assess the material damage on safety margins in aging nuclear power plants seeking dramatic license extensions. More on nuclear autopsies…

Iowa's only nuclear plant, Duane Arnold, to permanently shut down in late 2020

As reported by The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, IA, as well as KCRG-TV9. The electricity supply will largely be replaced by more cost effective renewables, such as wind power. Duane Arnold, a General Electric Mark I Boiling Water Reactor -- a twin design to Fukushima Daiichi in Japan -- will be 46-years old when it is permanently shut down in late 2020. See Beyond Nuclear's Reactors Are Closing website page.