Were you outraged??

We’re outraged. And we expect you were, too. On April 23, 2012, the Washington Post editorial board writers callously dismissed the Fukushima nuclear disaster as “non-catastrophic.”

The Post advocated the continued use of nuclear energy and dismissed Germany's green revolution as an "anti-nuclear frenzy," while omitting inconvenient deal-breakers such as cost, waste, safety, health risks and human rights. The paper taunted Germany and Japan - and the anti-nuclear movement - for looking to renewables but misrepresented Germany’s successes. And they utterly ignored those who have already paid the price for the nuclear fuel chain, like indigenous uranium miners, and its newest victims, the children of Japan whose future has been stolen. You can review the original editorial here. 

Tell the Washington Post what you think!  We're fighing back. Please forward our alert and reference our longer rebuttal document. Write to the editorial board at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071-0001. Or contact the editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt at fredhiatt@washpost.com or 202-334-7281. You can also contact the Ombudsman, Patrick Pexton, at ombudsman@washpost.com. 

Dennis Kucinich decries the folly of nuclear "bet-the-farm" loan guarantees

General Electric Stockholders Seek Freeze on 23 U.S. Fukushima-Design Reactors

The General Electric Stockholders' Alliance, in coalition with Beyond Nuclear and Don't Waste Michigan, sent out a media release after its presentation of an anti-nuclear power shareholder resolution at GE's Annual Meeting in Detroit, Michigan on the eve of the 26th annual commemoration of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

Could GE have prevented the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe, involving four GE Mark I reactors?

NRC file photo of Fermi 2, on the Lake Erie shoreline 35 miles south of Detroit, MichiganThe General Electric Stockholders' Alliance (GESA), Beyond Nuclear, and Don't Waste Michigan has published a media release two days before General Electric's annual shareholders meeting. GESA has tapped Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear, and Michael Keegan of Don't Waste Michigan, to represent its anti-nuclear resolution at the meeting. The meeting is taking place in downtown Detroit, 35 miles north of the Fermi 2 atomic reactor (see photo, left), identical in design to the four reactors involved in the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.

Kevin is quoted: “The high-level radioactive waste storage pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 is at precarious risk of failure, which would lead to a fire and catastrophic radioactivity release even worse than what has already occurred, due to the lack of radiological containment over the pool. But the Fermi 2 pool contains far more high-level radioactive waste than Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 4 put together, and is itself an accident waiting to happen.  With the loss of ability to circulate water, the Fermi 2 irradiated nuclear fuel pool could begin to boil off in 4.2 hours.” 

Michael is quoted: “The potential of a cataclysmic accident at an untested General Electric-Hitachi ESBWR design is always there.   The next greatest immediate impacts are costs associated with the loss of opportunity to move toward renewable and energy efficiency. With the cost of Fermi 3 now projected at $15 billion, and the potential of skyrocketing cost overruns, we can either go nuclear, or pursue the promise of efficiency and renewables, but we can’t do both. To lock the state of Michigan into pursuit of the proposed Fermi 3 is a colossal travesty.”

Reporters and the public can watch the GE Annual Meeting during a live webcast at 10 am EDT on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at  www.ge.com/investors/index.html.

Fire at closed San Onofre nuclear plant

Despite being shuttered for months, a fire broke out at the already troubled San Onofre nuclear plant in southern California that has been closed since January 31 after a steam tube ruptured and released radioactive steam. The fire was quickly extinguished but environmental organizations and local groups are engaged in keeping the two reactors at the dangerous facility permanently shut down. Even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreed that the plant should not reopen for the time being given problems with the piping and while officials conduct technical investigations at both reactors. The plant sits on a beach near San Clemente in a popular surfing area.

Update on April 23, 2012 by admin

Rally Against Nuclear Power at San Onofre on April 29th.

Nuclear Industry Expert Daniel Hirsch and Irvine City Councilmember Larry Agran will join a dozen other speakers at the “Shut Down San Onofre” rally at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on Sunday, April 29, to support the view that the reactor should never be restarted. The event occurs just after the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the 33-year anniversary of the Three-Mile Island accident, and the first Fukushima Daiichi meltdown anniversary — an accident which is far from over. More.