Top Japanese nuclear regulator: Fukushima Daiichi a "house of horrors"

As reported by CNN, Japan's top nuclear regulator has compared the devastated and leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to a "house of horrors" at an amusement park, after a growing list of leaks of highly radioactive water.

Tanka's description was also documented in an August 29th op-ed to the Japan Times, calling for the Japanese government to take over the catastrophe recovery operations at the Fukushima Daiichi site:

'...Crises have been arising with such frequency that NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka has described the plant as being like a “haunted house” in which “mishaps keep happening one after the other.”...'.

Above left, Tanaka is shown with U.S. NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane, who visited Japan in December 2012.

Joseph Mangano/RPHP report on radioactivity releases from Palisades and increased death rates in the surrounding area

Entergy's problem-plagued Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, MI, on the Lake Michigan shorelineJoseph Mangano, Executive Director of Radiation and Public Health Project, has published a report, commissioned and endorsed by Beyond Nuclear, Don't Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future, and Nuclear Energy Information Service. Based on government data and documentation on radioactivity releases from Palisades, as well as area health statistics, the report's major findings raise serious questions about the connections between radioactivity releases and increased overall death and cancer mortality rates.

Press release

Full report: NUCLEAR CONTAMINATION AND HEALTH RISKS FROM THE ENTERGY PALISADES NUCLEAR REACTOR.

Beyond Nuclear pamphlet "Routine Radiation Releases from U.S. Atomic Reators: What Are The Dangers?" Note that the water discharge pathway photo was taken (by Gabriela Bulisova) at the Palisades atomic reactor, discharging into Lake Michigan. Although the atmospheric discharge pathway was photographed at the Callaway atomic reactor in Missouri, Palisades has a very similar vent attached to its containment building for aerial discharges of radioactive gases and vapors).

Beyond Nuclear report (published April 2010) by Reactor Oversight Project Director Paul Gunter, "Leak First, Fix Later," with a chapter on Palisades' tritium leaks into groundwater, first reported by Entergy Nuclear in 2007.

Update on August 20, 2013 by admin

WWMT TV 3 Kalamazoo reported on this story -- including a short summary at noon, and a longer story on the evening news -- as have WSBT TV-22 South Bend, Indiana and ABC57 News South Bend, as well as WKZO Radio Kalamazoo and WSJM Radio St. Joe. The Detroit News and Holland Sentinel published articles, as has the Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive. WKZO Radio also interviewed Kevin on Lori Moore's morning show on Wed., Aug. 21st.

The dangers at the Palisades (MI) nuclear plant

U.S. Rep. Upton grilled about problem-plagued Entergy Palisades atomic reactor in S.W. MI

As reported by the Kalamazoo Gazette, U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-MI, photo left) took part in a "Live Chat" with constituents and concerned citizens on August 14th. Lucas Hixson at Enformable Nuclear News got this response back to his question about nuclear safety and the problem-plagued Entergy Palisades atomic reactor, located in Upton's congressional district (Entergy is one of Upton's top campaign contributors):

'...Enformable Nuclear News asked: "As you are the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee please explain what "regulatory capture" means to you? Given your comment that you do not want to "look over the NRC's shoulder" how else do you expect to ensure proper regulation of critical nuclear safety issues?"

UPTON: "I have made it clear from the start that the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) have the proper tools in [sic] ensure safe nuclear power at each of our 100 sites. I brought one of the NRC Commissioners in May to the Palisades facility and in earlier years, the Secretary of Energy. I have a very key staffer with enormous expertise on nuclear issues that has accompanied me as well. I have sat down with just the NRC staff on site at Palisades as well. We are in constant communication between all parties and the message is pretty clear from my end--either safe or off. Palisades did spend some $10 million addressing their tank issue as they should have. There is a planned outage coming in January when a number of tests will be conducted that have to "pass" to be able to see their current license continue. I will be watching that action closely."...' (emphasis added)

Beyond Nuclear joined with Michigan Safe Energy Future--Shoreline Chapter and other local concerned residents to request a meeting with Rep. Upton and NRC Commissioner Svinicki when they conducted their emergency tour of Palisades after its latest leak into the Lake. Given that their request was not even acknowledged, the groups and neighbors decided to hold a vigil at Palisades' front entrance while Upton and Svinicki held a press conference at the reactor.

In addition, that Secretary of Energy visit to Palisades that Upton bragged about orchestrating actually took place at the Cook nuclear power plant, 30 miles south of Palisades -- but then again, all those atomic reactors look alike, eh?! Beyond Nuclear protested Upton's and George W. Bush's Energy Secretary, Samuel Bodman's, pro-nuclear visit to Cook in August 2007.

Many additional questions were asked  on the Kalamazoo Gazette "Live Chat" about dirty, dangerous, and expensive energy sources. They ranged from the million-gallon Canadian tar sands crude oil pipeline spill in the Kalamazoo River in July 2010 -- the worst inland oil spill in U.S. history -- and its clean-up (or lack thereof); to fracking for natural gas; and the climate crisis. However, no such energy issue generated as many questions as Entergy's Palisades atomic reactor, including from Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps. However, Upton only responded to the single one, of many, Palisades-related questions posed, above.

In the spirit of environmental solidarity, on August 13th, Kevin took part in a local 350.org rally held at Upton's Kalamazoo district office. His placard read "Remember the Kalamazoo! Enbridge Dilbit Disaster, 7/25/10, > 1 Mil. gals. 'Save the Bell's' (beer)! ---Another Kalamazooan against tar sands pipelines!"

"Dilbit" is short for "Diluted Bitumin," another name for Canadian tar sands crude oil. The Inside Climate News multi-part series entitled "The Dilbit Disaster: Inside the Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard Of" won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting earlier this year.

Kevin, born and raised in Kalamazoo, carried the same sign at a climate march to, and rally at, the White House a couple weeks ago, the culmination of the five-days-long "Walk for Our Grandchildren" -- through 100 degree heat and high humidity -- from Camp David, Maryland to Washington, D.C. President Eisenhower (who also infamously delivered the "Atoms for Peace" speech at the UN General Assembly in 1953, which launched the nuclear power industry) named the presidential retreat, Camp David, after his grandson. The march and rally were held in opposition to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The sponsors included Beyond Nuclear ally and neighbor Chesapeake Climate Action Network of Takoma Park, Maryland, as well as 350.org.

Paul Gunter discusses Fukushima leaks into the ocean on RT