David Freeman, fierce renewable energy advocate, dies at 94

S. David Freeman, a fierce and tireless advocate for clean air, renewable energy, and public power, passed away of a heart attack on May 12. He was 94.

Freeman, son of an umbrella repairman, obtained degrees in engineering and law, eventually becoming chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) under Carter. Originally established under Roosevelt’s New Deal, under Freeman’s leadership, TVA cancelled numerous atomic reactors.  After he left, Dave would criticize his successors at TVA for failing to fully promote conservation and renewables, and for garnering lavish salaries and perks.

While at first maintaining a conventional view of nuclear power, Dave became convinced that we could have all the energy we needed through energy conservation, rather than through new nuclear power construction. Two women from New Hampshire had visited Dave. Their community was being threatened with the construction of a nuclear power facility and their research demonstrated conservation, not construction, was what was needed. Dave listened, ran the numbers, and realized the women were right. This is how things are supposed to work, although they rarely do.

Freeman also headed other electric utilities in Texas, New York and California. His guidance of the Shuttered San Onofre nuclear station overlooks low-profile solar array. Photo by Griffin5 at English WikipediaSacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) led it into a solar powered future, with installation of solar panels on the Rancho Seco nuclear site, in the immediate aftermath of the popular referendum that shut it down post-Chernobyl. Dave worked to shut down the dreadfully dangerous San Onofre 2 & 3 reactors in 2013 after a year and a half long emergency campaign. Dave also helped obtain the hard won agreement with PG&E and nuclear worker labor unions to shutter the very high-risk Diablo Canyon 1 & 2 at the end of their 40-year licenses (2024 and 2025 respectively).

Dubbed the “Green Cowboy” in his later years, David Freeman was fearless in the face of what can be paralyzing, overwhelming, yet vital anti-nuclear work. His down to earth advice was simple, clear, inspiring, and motivational. At an Institute for Energy and Environmental Research/Dr. Egghead summer school session Dave said, "Well, being activists, we might as well be active." We couldn’t agree more. We will stand on your shoulders, Dave, as we move onward.

Update on May 19, 2020 by admin

Remembering Dave Freeman – green cowboy, pioneer of U.S. energy policy

by Dr. Arjun Makhijani of Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

posted at "Arjun's Science and Democracy Blog"

Speak out against Mobile Chernobyls in your community!

See a sample script for contacting your Members of Congress, to urge they demand public comment meetings in your state/congressional district (once safe to do so, post-pandemic), re: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Holtec International's nuke waste consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) targeting southeastern New Mexico. Links to contact info. for contacting both your U.S Senators and your U.S. Rep. is also provided, at this link.

And please submit comments to NRC on the DEIS. The current deadline is July 22nd, but please act ASAP. Sample comments you can use to write your own are posted here, as are instructions for how to submit them to NRC.

See 2017 State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects' route maps, showing the roads and rails through most states, that would be used to haul high-level radioactive waste to the Southwest. And see barge shipment routes on waterways, here.

Learn more about these issues at our Centralized Storage and Waste Transportation website sections.

Thanks for taking action to oppose these environmentally unjust high-level radioactive waste dumps targeting the Southwest (Hispanic areas of s.e. NM, and Western Shoshone land in NV), and the Mobile Chernobyls, Dirty Bombs on Wheels, Mobile X-ray Machines That Can't Be Turned Off, and Floating Fukushimas that would be launched through countless communities! Please spread the word!

Fermi 2 struggles with large COVID-19 outbreak among workers

NRC file photo of Fermi 2 on the Lake Erie shore in Monroe County, MIA scoop by reporter Dave Battagello, published in the Windsor Star in Ontario, Canada.

As the article reports:

Fermi 2 sits across Lake Erie about 10 km [6.2 miles] away from Amherstburg which would be impacted should any incident occur, along with areas of LaSalle and Windsor.

All three named communities are in Ontario, Canada, across the international border from the Monroe County, Michigan, USA reactor. (See photo, left.)

The large numbers of coronavirus test positives at Fermi nuclear power plant (the article reports more than 200 cases, but May 13 Facebook postings by Fermi employees have put the number as already grown worse, now at more than 300) is likely among the worst known (yet unreported, in the Michigan or U.S. national news media) at any single institution or workplace in Michigan. It also is perhaps the most known (yet unreported, in the Michigan or U.S. national news media) number of cases at any U.S. nuclear facility, whether nuclear power plant or weapons complex site (although the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia is also reporting more than 200 cases).

Fermi 2's owner/operator, DTE (formerly Detroit Edison) will not confirm the figures (in contrast to Southern Nuclear/Georgia Power's willingness to do so at Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, GA). Neither will the Monroe County Health Department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nor any other U.S. federal agency. But it's an open secret, revealed by unofficial, back channel sources.

Although there has been some very important local reporting on the U.S. side (Tom Henry at the Toledo Blade had a very important scoop on May 4th: he was the first to report the unprecedented DTE-declared 'extended safety stand down' due to coronavirus infections in its workforce), many days or even weeks ago, regarding a handful of reported coronavirus positive cases at Fermi, none -- other than Dave Battagello at the Windsor Star in Ontario -- have yet reported the very large numbers now alleged at Fermi.

Also being reported by Fermi employees on Facebook, is that hundreds more Fermi workers are self-isolating after exposure to other fellow workers now confirmed as infected.

Also alleged on Facebook is a report of one worker death at Fermi, due to Covid-19. The allegation is yet to be officially confirmed, or reported by any news media outlet.

Another question that has not been addressed by local or national U.S. media outlets is how DTE obtained enough coronavirus testing to conduct tests on its entire 2,000-person workforce (including a large number of temporary, itinerant workers on-site since at least March 21, 2020, for the now-suspended refueling outage; DTE has announced an 'extended safety stand down,' prolonging the refueling outage).

Fermi 2 is located just 25 miles south of Detroit in Wayne County, which has been the epicenter of Michigan's coronavirus pandemic crisis. A shockingly disproportionate number of Detroit/Wayne County's majority African American population have died due to Covid-19, earning Michigan the dubious distinction of having the fourth highest number of Covid-19 deaths of any state, after only New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. For weeks and even months, the lack of adequate coronavirus testing, for not only patients and concerned residents, but also those on the frontline, like doctors, nurses, and nursing home workers, has greatly complicated and increased the risk of emergency response. This has endangered responders' lives, and the health of their own families.

How did DTE obtain so many tests, at a power plant that is currently not even generating electricity? The lights are still on, despite Fermi 2's current idled state, showing there is a regional glut in electricity supply. Fermi 2's electricity is clearly not even needed right now. While Fermi workers deserve coronavirus testing, as does every American and human, there is a question of priority. Shouldn't tests be prioritized for places of highest need, such as amongst nursing home residents and employees, for doctors and nurses at overwhelmed hospitals, for other vulnerable populations, etc.?

Update on May 14, 2020 by admin

S&P Global Platts has also reported on this story:

"Fermi-2 reactor in Michigan sees over 200 workers test positive for novel coronavirus during outage"

The Update: The nightmare of atomic tests

In this edition of The Update, we remember those who suffered due to atomic testing around the world, and focus on a new 22-minute documentary -- The Atomic Soldiers -- featuring interviews with US military personnel forced to witness the atomic blasts. You can watch the film and read more on the Beyond Nuclear International website.

ACT NOW! Stop Japan from dumping radioactive water!

The Japanese government intends to release 1.2 million cubic meters of water contaminated with radioiodine, radiocesium, radiostrontium and tritium into the ocean. This water, which exceeds emission concentration standards, has been accumulating since the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdowns and explosions in 2011. Yet more contaminated water will likely be dumped from the ruined reactor sites in the future. Japan civil society groups and Fukushima fishing unions are strongly opposed to ocean discharge. For the fishing industry, this is a matter of life and death.

PLEASE SIGN if you have not already done so:

 

FOR GROUPS

1) Please sign on to Beyond Nuclear’s coalition letter addressed to the Japanese national government's Ministry of Energy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

DEADLINE: close of business Eastern time, Wednesday, May 13, 2020. To sign on your group, please email Cindy Folkers of Beyond Nuclear your personal name, title if available, group/organization name, city, state, country.

2) Please also consider signing your group onto a petition.

 

FOR INDIVIDUALS

Please sign a related petition.

Thank you and please share these links.