July 14, 2016 – Sci/Tech Times – Reconstructing the first atomic bomb test from a chunk of scorched earth – If the CSI family of television shows has blunted your appetite for impossibly omniscient crime scene analysis, consider the real, and very serious, science of nuclear forensics. If someone flouts the ban on nuclear weapons testing, we want to know as much about it as possible. And the resources backing that effort are substantial. Seismic waves betray the occurrence of underground tests, and air samples grabbed soon afterward can contain the radioactive proof. But both are transient, and even radioactivity at the site of the explosion can fade too quickly to be of much use. A group of researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a new technique than can reveal the potency of the bomb from the debris—even decades after the fact.

July 14, 2016 – New Times – Nuclear storage is inadequate – As Chris McGuinness wrote in “Wasted forever,” July 7, tons and tons of extremely radioactive nuclear waste will remain right here on our coast for an insanely long time. What the article failed to mention, however, is that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the U.S. allows operators to store the nuclear waste in vulnerable and inadequate 1/2- to 5/8-inch thick canisters instead of the thick (10- to 20-foot) casks that are used in most of the rest of the world, including Japan, Germany, France, and other nations. Why? Because they’re cheaper. It’s as if the nuclear industry here were being run by Montgomery Burns of The Simpsons. Except, it’s not at all funny. What makes it scarier is that these canisters cannot be inspected (even on the outside), repaired, maintained, or monitored prior to a radiation release. Oh, and ours happen to be getting blasts of ocean air while sitting on cement pads in a seismically active area.

July 14, 2016 – MedGadget – X-ray Teleradiology to Remain Largest Segment by Modality in Western Europe Teleradiology Market – According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research “Teleradiology Market – Western Europe Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 – 2023”, the teleradiology market in Western Europe was valued at US$ 305.8 Mn in 2014 and is projected to reach US$ 1443.7 Mn in 2023 at a CAGR of 18.5% from 2015 to 2023. The teleradiology market in Western Europe has been segmented based on modality. X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear imaging are major types of teleradiology services provided in Western Europe. The X-ray teleradiology segment held the largest share of the market in 2014 and is likely to maintain its leadership position during forecast period from 2014 to 2023.

July 14, 2016 – Optics.org – Westinghouse to test laser printing for nuclear components – The US Department of Energy (DOE) is funding a number of photonics-related projects designed to help commercialize promising new technologies for the energy industry – with laser additive manufacturing, Raman analysis and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) all winning backing. Last month the DOE announced that it was supporting 54 energy projects across numerous major US research facilities with a total $16 million through its “technology commercialization fund”. The nuclear power specialist Westinghouse Electric said that one of the funded projects in which it is involved will look to develop a laser 3D printing technique to make metal components.

July 14, 2016 – EnviroReporter.com – Critics question safety of Boeing’s Santa Susana Field Lab hikes – Eighteen demonstrators with vivid placards lined the roads into the Santa Susana Field Laboratory [SSFL] April 23. They were protesting lab owner Boeing’s “Nature Walk Earth Day Celebration” through the so-called 1,143-acre Southern Buffer Zone [SBZ] of the former Rocketdyne lab. Two Protesters April 23 2016“BOEING EARTH DAY FRAUD” and “TURN BACK! Toxic Trails AHEAD” greeted startled hikers arriving in cars at the entrance to the 2,850-acre lab at the top of Woolsey Canyon in the Simi Hills. “SSFL MAKES ME SICK” and “Don’t Let BOEING Fool You” were not exactly what the trekkers expected judging from their shocked faces passing by. Some may have been mystified by one sign that read “MELTDOWN ZONE AHEAD.” The former rocket testing and nuclear research complex has suffered at least three partial meltdowns since the 1950s, one worse than Three Mile Island in radiation spewed into the environment. Little did the walkers know that their hike would take them through much of the drainage of two confirmed nuclear-contaminated areas that are the subject of a decades-long cleanup costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

July 14, 2016 – aaj.tv – Selfies can make you age faster – It is bad news for all the selfies addicts out there, as this habit may cause damage to your skin and appearance and worst make you look older. And how that, one could ask is all thanks to the electromagnetic radiation and light emitted form smartphones, which dermatologists says can damage the skin, promote wrinkles and simply speeds up the ageing process. According to The Summit Express, the startling revelations were made by dermatologists at the Facial Aesthetic Conference and Exhibition in London. Dr. Simon Zoakei, the Medical Director of the Linia Skin Clinic, said people who take a lot of selfies should worry about the dangers of such activity, because the radiation emitted from electronic devices is of different wavelengths, making one’s regular sunscreens and ordinary creams simply ineffective. “Even the blue light we get from our screens can damage our skin,” said Dr. Zoakei.

July 14, 2016 – Japan Times – Iodine jelly to be handed out to infants living within 30 km of nuclear plants – The Cabinet Office said it will soon start distributing iodine jelly to infants living within 30 km of nuclear power plants in a bid to protect their thyroids from possible radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear disaster. According to the office, about 110,000 infants qualify for the iodine jellies. There are 21 prefectures where the 30-km radius applies. In addition, infants living within three other prefectures — Kanagawa, Osaka and Okayama — which have nuclear fuel processing facilities are also part of the initiative. Some local governments have been distributing iodine tablets to all residents for over three years, including in a tablet form for infants that would have to be crushed and mixed with syrup in the event of an accident. But to date this had not been in an iodine jelly form.

July 14, 2016 – Optics & Photonics – Plasmonic Lasers Get a Sharper Focus – Lasers based on coherent surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs)—subwavelength oscillations of electrons that are excited when incident light hits a metal-dielectric interface—hold promise for ultraminiaturized, chip-scale optics, and also as a possible platform for terahertz quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). But there’s a catch: SPP lasers, precisely because of their subwavelength apertures, tend to have divergent radiation patterns, making it tough to produce a sharp, directional beam. Now, a research team led by Sushil Kumar of Lehigh University, Penn., USA, has devised an “antenna feedback” scheme that reportedly can provide single-mode operation and strong, highly directional far-field coupling in such SPP lasers, bringing them “closer to practical applications” (Optica, doi: 10.1364/OPTICA.3.000734). The team’s work includes a proof-of-concept terahertz QCL based on the scheme that, according to the study, achieved the narrowest beam yet reported for such a QCL.

July 14, 2016 – Syracuse.com – ‘Nuclear is an unsafe bridge to clean energy and one not worth the risk’ – Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sleight of hand of a proposed green energy designation for nuclear power is an environmental farce and an obvious effort to avoid closure of the aging nuclear plants in New York state, specifically FitzPatrick and Nine Mile. The only number they clearly haven’t considered in their calculation is the cost of an accident. These plants are now being run long past their intended life span of 40 years. (Nine Mile Unit 1 is the second-oldest plant in the country.) They routinely emit radiation. (Remember the NRC’s statement, “There is no safe exposure to radiation.”) The metal is embrittled, assumptions about “leak before break” are questionable at best, and regulations about firewalls were changed to allow for the materials that failed meet their initial standard. There are no redundant safety features for the waste pools, and on it goes.

July 14, 2016 – Daily Beast – Russia Is Building a Nuclear Space Bomber – The Russian military claims it’s making progress on a space plane similar to the U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B robotic mini-shuttle. That in itself isn’t terribly surprising or even, for the United States, particularly worrisome. Lots of governments and even private companies are working on space planes that can launch from rockets or runways, boost into orbit for a period of time then return to Earth for quick refurbishment and re-use. The tech is pretty basic. But alone among space-plane developers, the Kremlin is proposing to arm its space plane. With nukes.

July 14, 2016 – BBC News – Hinkley Point ‘still worth the cost’ as price tag soars – The government remains committed to building a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, the new chancellor has said. Philip Hammond’s vow came despite the rising potential cost to the government of the electricity it will produce, according to the National Audit Office. He said Hinkley was vital to a strong economy and still worth the cost. The new power station was initially supposed to cost just £6bn, but has more recently been estimated at £18bn. As part of the 35-year deal signed with France’s EDF in 2013 to build the plant in Somerset, the government agreed to pay £92.50 for each megawatt hour of electricity. Wholesale energy prices have fallen since that price was agreed, which meant the government must now make up the difference.

July 14, 2016 – Fox News – First anniversary of Iran nuclear deal marred by massive cheating – Expect the Obama administration to take more victory laps this week by claiming Iran has complied with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that reaches its first anniversary on July 14. However, recent press reports paint a very different picture, one that confirms its critics’ worst fears: massive Iranian violations of the agreement. In an annual security report issued this month, German intelligence said Iran made a clandestine effort last year to acquire illicit nuclear technology and equipment from German companies at a “quantitatively high level,” and that “it is safe to expect that Iran will continue its intensive procurement activities in Germany using clandestine methods to achieve its objectives.” A German intelligence agency reported 141 clandestine Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear and missile technology in 2015 versus 83 in 2013.

July 14, 2016 – Politico – Kerry: Iran nuclear deal has ‘made the world safer’ – Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday heaped praise on the nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and five other powers on the occasion of its one-year anniversary, remarking that it has “lived up to its expectations” and “made the world safer.” “As of today, one year later, the program that so many people said will not work, a program that people said is absolutely doomed to see cheating and be broken and will make the world more dangerous has, in fact, made the world safer, lived up to its expectations and thus far, produced an ability to be able to create a peaceful nuclear program with Iran living up to its part of this bargain and obligation,” Kerry said in Paris before attending a parade for Bastille Day.

July 14, 2016 – Reuters – Hungary says shuts reactor at Paks nuclear plant due to malfunction – Hungary temporarily shut a reactor at the Paks nuclear power plant on Thursday due to a malfunction of control equipment, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority said. The reactor, which automatically stopped due to the malfunction, remains safe, it said in a statement on its website. It could come back online at about 1000 GMT on Friday, said Antal Kovacs, a spokesman for the plant.

July 14, 2016 – International Business Times – Nuclear weapon details exempted from RTI query ambit – Citizens will no longer be allowed to any information about nuclear weapons stockpile or details on their testing through an RTI application after the Strategic Forces Command was added to the list of 25 organisations excluded from the purview of the RTI Act, except for information pertaining to corruption or human rights allegations. The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has responsibility of the process of delivering nuclear weapons and warheads in the event of a planned strike and as per protocol initiates instructions to the Nuclear Command Authority that works under the command of the prime minister.

July 14, 2016 – Briston Herald Courier – Nuclear reactor operating again after steam prompts shutdown – Officials say a nuclear reactor in southwestern Michigan that was shut down after a rupture released steam is back in operation. Cook Nuclear Plant spokesman Bill Schalk tells The Herald-Palladium (http://bit.ly/29GJy3O ) that the Unit 2 reactor was returned to power on Tuesday. Indiana Michigan Power has said the steam was not radioactive but it damaged a wall at Unit 2 early on July 6 in Bridgman. There were no injuries. Inspectors from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission were investigating. Cook’s Unit 1 reactor wasn’t affected.

July 14, 2016 – Investigative Post – Schumer to EPA: assess radioactive hotspots – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer on Wednesday called on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to “move into a higher gear” and conduct a comprehensive assessment of radioactive hotspots in Niagara County and Grand Island. Schumer was responding to an Investigative Post story last week that reported the government has failed to address some 60 properties previously determined to contain elevated levels of radiation. “What I hope will happen next is the EPA will investigate, they’ll find out how many hotspots there are, what their level of radioactivity is, if they present a danger and then we’ll ask them if they do to present a plan to remediate,” Schumer told Investigative Post.

July 14, 2016 – Financial Times – Nuclear waste: keep out for 100,000 years – We are in a red metal cage bumping slowly down a mineshaft to our destination, half a kilometre under the ground near the small town of Bure in eastern France. Above us are yellow fields of oilseed rape. Below is the maze of reinforced concrete tunnels that, if it wins final approval from the French government, will from 2025 be the last resting place for the most destructive and indestructible waste in history. This is the €25bn deep geological storage facility for France’s high and medium-level radioactive waste, the residue of more than half a century of nuclear power. When the work here is finally finished, no one must ever take this journey again or, at least, not for 100,000 years. France is the world’s largest exporter of electricity and the world’s most committed nuclear nation, with 58 reactors producing 75 per cent of the country’s power. As a result, it also produces enough toxic radioactive waste every year to fill 120 double-decker buses (about 13,000 cubic metres worth, or 2kg a year for every French person). The challenge at Bure is not only to build a massive dump for radioactive trash but also to guard it from human intervention for an impossible amount of time — more than 4,000 human generations.

July 14, 2016 – Nuclear Energy Insider – US reactor closures raise urgency of new decommissioning rules – A recent spate of early U.S. plant closures has increased the need for a swift implementation of new decommissioning regulations which match post-operation risk profiles, industry experts said. Challenging power market conditions have prompted a surge in early plant closure announcements in recent months. Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) said it will close its 484 MW Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska by the end of 2016 and Exelon has decided to retire its 1.1 GW Clinton and 1.9 GW Quad Cities facilities in Illinois, in 2017 and 2018. California’s Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced June 21 it would shut down its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant by 2025. Nuclear operators are optimizing spending in response to difficult market conditions and the industry has called for improvements to regulations for post-shutdown operations in order to reduce costs.

July 14, 2016 – Morning Consult – Why Does Nuclear Energy Account For Less Than a Fifth of Our National Energy Mix? – Even though the United States has more nuclear-electricity generating units than any country in the world, nuclear power makes up less than 20 percent of our nation’s energy fuel. It’s the only baseload power source with zero air pollution and the ability to run around the clock. We’re also on the verge of making nuclear fuel completely renewable by pulling uranium from seawater. So why isn’t a power source that’s incredibly clean, with low ongoing fuel costs, cornering our domestic energy market? According to a 2015 International Energy Agency study, nuclear energy offered the lowest level cost of electricity (LCOE) across 22 surveyed countries. But there’s a catch. That’s only the case using a 3 percent discount rate for capital. As the cost of financing nuclear power projects increases, they understandably become less competitive energy options. At a 7 percent discount rate, the median LCOE of nuclear is competitive with coal, and at 10 percent, it is higher than both coal and natural gas.

July 14, 2016 – Daily Caller – Nuclear Agency Brags About Duping Washington Post Reporter – The federal agency in charge of maintaining America’s nuclear weapons stockpile gave a well-choreographed sham tour of their facilities to a senior Washington Post reporter, and then bragged about their ruse in an internal email. When Dana Priest toured a laboratory of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in 2012, she was treated to “a serious rope-a-dope” by the administrators and lab directors, according to an internal NNSA email obtained by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). “Yeh [sic], Ms. Priest was subject to a serious rope-a-dope by Neile [Miller, NNSA Principal Deputy Administer] and the Lab Directors,” an unnamed NNSA official reported internally in an email.

July 14, 2016 – Associated Press – Vermont nuclear plant owner wants to ship radioactive water – The owner of the closed Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is seeking to ship hundreds of thousands of gallons of radioactive water to an Idaho processing facility. The Rutland Herald (http://bit.ly/29vczkt ) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is evaluating responses from Entergy Nuclear after asking the company earlier this year to provide more details on a plan to dispose of 200,000 gallons of radioactive water. The plan calls for the water to be disposed in a torus, a large structure located at the bottom of the reactor core that holds 1.1 million gallons of water.

July 14, 2016 – Pittsburgh Business Times – FirstEnergy moves toward full ownership of Beaver Valley second unit – FirstEnergy Corp. doesn’t completely own the second unit at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station, but the company is taking measures for full ownership by next June, the Beaver County Times reported. Ohio Edison has a 21.6 percent leased interest in Unit 2 and Toledo Edison has 18.2 percent, leases that expire on June 1, 2017. FirstEnergy has already acquired the rights to those ownership interests, Neil Sheehan, a spokesman with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told the newspaper. FirstEnergy is striving for NRC approval for the changes by April 14.

July 14, 2016 – Associated Press – Virginia group says new nuclear plant would be boondoggle – A consumer group says if a new $19 billion nuclear plant in Virginia were built it would be one of biggest ratepayer ripoffs in the history of producing electricity. The Virginia Citizens Consumer Council filed a comments Tuesday with state regulators arguing that Dominion Virginia Power should stop spending money on a potential new nuclear power plant because it will unfairly burden the company’s customers while enriching its investors. Dominion has not committed to build the new plant, known as North Anna 3, but plans to have spent at least $647 million by next year preparing for a potential build. The company says ratepayers will benefit from having the option to build a reliable, long-lasting and carbon-free power source.

July 14, 2016 – Louisiana Record – Man alleges he was exposed to radioactive material on jobsite – A man claims that his work exposed him to radioactive materials that could have damaged his health. George Almeida filed a suit against Chevron USA Inc., ConocoPhillips Co., Shell Oil Co., Shell Offshore Inc., Swepi LP, Devon Energy Production Co. LP, Marathon Oil Co., BP Products North America Inc., BP America Production Co., Atlantic Richfield Co., Oxy USA Inc., Intracoastal Tubular Services Inc., Packard Pipe Terminals LLC and OFS Inc. in the 24th Judicial District Court on June 8. According to the claim, the plaintiff was employed by AMF Tuboscope from 1978 to 1991, during which time he completed various tasks, including visiting and working at a number of pipe-cleaning facilities. While working at the facilities, the plaintiff alleges was caused to breathe in radioactive dust which was released in the cleaning process. The suit further states that the plaintiff was caused great physical damages, including an increased risk of cancer.

July 14, 2016 – The Oak Ridger – Alexander: Energy bill supports research at ORNL – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement today after voting to allow the Senate to begin negotiations with the House of Representatives to resolve differences between the two chambers’ broad, energy policy bills to bolster the United States’ competitive advantage and put the country on a reasonable path to create clean, cheap, reliable energy. “I am glad the Senate voted to begin working with the House of Representatives to negotiate a comprehensive energy bill that will help the United States create clean, cheap, reliable energy innovation to spur our free enterprise system. The Senate bill would reauthorize energy programs in the America COMPETES Act and would increase funding authorizations for the Department of Energy to double funding for basic energy research over the next 10 years – which would include funding for research done at our national laboratories, including at Oak Ridge National Laboratory,” Alexander said.

July 14, 2016 – NBC Chicago – Several Security Guards at Nuke Plant Along Lake Michigan Placed on Leave Amid Scrutiny from Federal Regulators – A nuclear power plant on the shores of the Chicago area’s largest source of drinking water is facing scrutiny from federal regulators over its fire protection practices. NBC 5 Investigates has learned the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert, Michigan, has placed some of its security officers on paid administrative leave as a result, pending completion of an internal investigation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it identified an issue with fire tours at Palisades while conducting routine inspections. According to an NRC spokesperson, inspectors had questions about the tours and began looking further into the issue.

July 14, 2016 – Midwest Energy News – Nuclear advocates eye former coal plant sites for small reactors – As coal plants around the country close, utilities, elected leaders and local residents are all wondering and debating how to deal with the sites. Some plants are being retrofitted to burn natural gas. Others are being torn down, with redevelopment ideas including condos, parks, solar farms, big box stores or breweries. Jeff Terry, a physics professor and nuclear energy expert at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has another vision for these sites, including the former site of the State Line coal plant near his hometown in northwest Indiana. He’d like to see nuclear reactors. Specifically, small modular reactors, or SMRs, nuclear plants with a capacity of 300-600 megawatts or less that are prefabricated and can be shipped around the country on trucks or trains.

July 14, 2016 – Los Alamos Daily Post – In Memoriam – Dr. Abraham (Abe) Van Luik – The Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) workforce is saddened by the recent loss of Dr. Abraham (Abe) Van Luik. Abe was a key member of the CBFO team and was well respected at DOE and in the international community. Abe led the CBFO International Repository Science Program. His work included contributions to coordinated research and sharing of results through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Interacting with several international organizations, he supported the DOE Office of Environmental Management and Nuclear Energy radioactive waste management program plans and international exchanges for developing and operating geological repositories.

July 14, 2016 – Ruidoso News – Two events Saturday honor Trinity fallout survivors; Ruidoso participants sought – The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium is hoping to attract participants from Ruidoso to a pair of events Saturday designed to draw attention to the ongoing health effects of the first atomic explosion more than 70 years ago. Bishop Oscar Cantu of the Diocese of Las Cruces will lead prayers at a candlelight vigil starting at 8 p.m. at the Tularosa Little League field on La Luz Avenue in West Tularosa and deliver a blessing for those who have died or still suffer from cancers believed to have been caused by fallout from the Trinity blast. “The event is beautiful actually and very touching,” said Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Consortium. “It is hard to hear all the names read out loud. We estimate it will be over 600 names this year of those who have passed away.”

July 14, 2016 – Idaho Falls Post-Register – Feds plan Boise nuclear waste meeting – The U.S. Department of Energy is hosting a public meeting Thursday in Boise to gather input on how to deal with the country’s growing stockpile of nuclear waste. The Boise stop is part of an eight-city national roadshow that DOE officials began in March. It will include presentations by top DOE officials, Idaho nuclear experts, and include opportunities for public input. The department is developing a “consent-based siting process” that it hopes will lead to finding a locally accepted location where it can bury the nation’s growing amount of spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste.

July 14, 2016 – Pahrump Valley Times – Commissioner provides county’s voice at Yucca hearing – Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen traveled to Washington, D.C. for a hearing on Thursday to give the county a voice on the issue of Yucca Mountain. Schinhofen said county officials believe in “the integrity of the scientific review process for the Yucca Mountain repository,” adding, “We want to see the federal government follow the law.” Schinhofen was the lone local voice to testify to the Congressional Subcommittee on the Environment and Economy on Yucca Mountain during a hearing titled, “Federal, State, and Local Agreements and Economic Benefits for Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal.” The hearing comes during the latest effort to revive the project in legislation in the House that would allot the U.S. Department of Energy $150 million to continue an application process to license Yucca Mountain as a nuclear storage facility.

July 14, 2015 – KKOH Reno – Money Approved To Fight Yucca Mountain Dump – Nevada’s “State Board of Examiners” has approved another 2.5 million dollars to keep pushing back against the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump. This extends a 7.5 million dollar contract for Egan and Associates, a Virginia law firm. This follows another congressional hearing last week about nuclear waste storage. Governor Brian Sandoval says we must be vigilant and aggressive in opposing Yucca Mountain. He says this money is well spent.

July 13, 2016 – 81 FR 45312-45314 – NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION – Physical Security Hardware–Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comment on draft NUREG-0800, “Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,” Section 14.3.12, “Physical Security Hardware–Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria.” The NRC seeks comments on the draft section revision of the standard review plan (SRP) concerning inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC) related to physical security hardware (PS-ITAAC).

July 13, 2016 – 81 FR 45311-45312 – NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION – Protection Against Extreme Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.117, Protection Against Extreme Wind Events and Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants.” This RG describes an approach that the NRC staff considers acceptable for identifying those structures, systems, and components of light water cooled reactors that should be protected from the effects of the worst case extreme winds and wind-generated missiles, so they remain functional.

July 13, 2016 – 81 FR 45308-45309 – NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION – Program-Specific Guidance About Possession Licenses for Manufacturing and Distribution – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is revising its licensing guidance for possession licenses for manufacturing and distribution. The NRC is requesting public comment on draft NUREG-1556, Volume 12, Revision 1, “Consolidated Guidance about Materials Licenses: Program-Specific Guidance about Possession Licenses for Manufacturing and Distribution.” The document has been updated from the previous revision to include information on safety culture, security of radioactive materials, protection of sensitive information, and changes in regulatory policies and practices. This document is intended for use by applicants, licensees, and the NRC staff.

July 13, 2016 – 81 FR 45309-45311 – NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION – Information Collection: Policy Statement for the “Criteria for Guidance of States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory Authority and Assumption Thereof By States Through Agreement,” Maintenance of Existing Agreement State Programs, Request for Information Through the Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) Questionnaire, and Agreement State Participation in IMPEP – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, “Policy Statement for the `Criteria for Guidance of States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory Authority and Assumption Thereof By States Through Agreement,’ Maintenance of Existing Agreement State Programs, Request for Information Through the Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) Questionnaire, and Agreement State Participation in IMPEP.”

July 13, 2016 – 81 FR 45311 – NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION – Request for a License To Export High-Enriched Uranium – Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 110.70 (b) “Public Notice of Receipt of an Application,” please take notice that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received the following request for an export license. Copies of the request are available electronically through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System and can be accessed through the Public Electronic Reading Room link http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html at the NRC Homepage. A request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene may be filed within thirty 30 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register (FR). Any request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene shall be served by the requestor or petitioner upon the applicant, the office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; and the Executive Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520.

July 13, 2016 – KKOH AM 780 – Money Approved To Fight Yucca Mountain Dump – Nevada’s “State Board of Examiners” has approved another 2.5 million dollars to keep pushing back against the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump. This extends a 7.5 million dollar contract for Egan and Associates, a Virginia law firm. This follows another congressional hearing last week about nuclear waste storage. Governor Brian Sandoval says we must be vigilant and aggressive in opposing Yucca Mountain. He says this money is well spent.

July 13, 2016 – Midwest Energy News – Nuclear advocates eye former coal plant sites for small reactors – As coal plants around the country close, utilities, elected leaders and local residents are all wondering and debating how to deal with the sites. Some plants are being retrofitted to burn natural gas. Others are being torn down or redeveloped for a host of uses including condos, parks, solar farms, big box stores or breweries. Jeff Terry, a physics professor and nuclear energy expert at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has another vision for these sites, including the former site of the State Line coal plant near his hometown in northwest Indiana. He’d like to see nuclear reactors. Specifically, small modular reactors, or SMRs, nuclear plants with a capacity of 300 megawatts or less that are prefabricated and can be shipped around the country on trucks or trains.

July 13, 2016 – Idaho Statesman – Vermont nuclear plant wants to ship radioactive water to Idaho – The owner of the closed Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is seeking to ship hundreds of thousands of gallons of radioactive water to an Idaho processing facility. The Rutland Herald (http://bit.ly/29vczkt ) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is evaluating responses from Entergy Nuclear after asking the company earlier this year to provide more details on a plan to dispose of 200,000 gallons of radioactive water. The plan calls for the water to be disposed in a torus, a large structure located at the bottom of the reactor core that holds 1.1 million gallons of water.

July 13, 2016 – E&T Magazine – Nuclear reactor construction falls to zero globally in 2016 – Construction starts for new nuclear reactors fell to zero globally in the first half of 2016 as the atomic industry struggles against falling costs for renewables and a slowdown in Chinese building. The last time there were no new reactors started over a full year was in 1995, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016. The number of reactors under construction is in decline for a third year, with 58 being built by the end of June, down from 67 reactors at the end of 2013, the report said. The latest figures highlight the struggles the nuclear sector is facing after the Fukushima atomic disaster in Japan five years ago, as higher costs and delays take their toll while other sources of energy become cheaper.

July 13, 2016 – Axis of Logic – UK refusing to help clean up Iraq after raining down radioactive shells – Britain has no intention of cleaning up its deadly radioactive legacy in Iraq or even monitoring the terrifying impact depleted uranium (DU) shells will have on the population in the future, it has been claimed. Writing in the Ecologist on Tuesday, Doug Weir, who is coordinator of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW), says that hidden within the Chilcot report is a previously classified military document setting out the UK’s rejection of any duty to cleanse Iraq of DU of unexploded ordnance (UXO). “In it, the clearance of unexploded ordnance and DU is considered and the Ministry of Defence [MoD] argues that it has: “… no long-term legal responsibility to clean up DU from Iraq” Weir writes.

July 13, 2016 – Sputnik International – Rosatom Set to Develop Technology of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Production – Russia’s atomic energy corporation Rosatom is planning to develop a technology of new nuclear fuel production before the end of the year, the company said Wednesday in its annual report. “The experimental-industrial technology of the dense nitride uranium-plutonium fuel will be developed in 2016,” the report said. The dense nitride uranium-plutonium fuel has the largest levels of fuel depletion, thermal conduction and compatibility with liquid metal coolant.

July 13, 2016 – Westword – Colorado’s Superfund Sites Stretch From Silverton to East Colfax Avenue – On Monday, the Navajo Nation formally endorsed a Superfund cleanup of contaminated mines in southwestern Colorado – including an Environmental Protection Agency-caused spill at the Gold King Mine site that released millions of gallons of contaminated water into the Animas River last August, tainting land stretching from Silverton down to Arizona. Many other past and present Superfund sites are tougher to spot, including the Denver radium sites. Radium, once thought to be a miracle cure for cancer, was big business in Denver before the industry went belly up in the 1920s. Years later, all that remained of the industry were the 65 properties around Denver contaminated with radioactive material, which an EPA official discovered in the late ’70s. Soil at the sites was contaminated with radium, thorium and uranium, the radioactive decay of which produces radon gas, according to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment report.

July 13, 2016 – PhysOrg – Hot electrons detected at solid-liquid interfaces – As seen in diverse applications, such as the refinement of petrol, their use in batteries and fuel cells for electric cars and to aid in the cleanup of hazardous agricultural waste, a variety of catalysts are in constant development to fulfill economic and environmental demands. To maximize the catalytic reaction, a great deal of research effort is made to reveal its mechanism. As a key to understanding catalysis, hot electrons are of great interest in the field. The IBS team led by group leader PARK Jeong Young, reported the direct detection of hot electrons generated at a solid-liquid interface during an exothermic reaction on the surface of metal-semiconductor nanodiodes. This is the first time a research team has succeeded in detecting hot electrons in a liquid interface.

July 13, 2016 – Radiation Therapy News – FDA approves MRI-guided focused ultrasound device to treat tremor – The FDA published the approval of the first focused ultrasound device for the treatment of essential tremor in people who did not respond to treatment. Magnetic resonance (MR) images are taken by ExAblate Neuro during application of focused ultrasound to kill the brain cells which are considered to cause this tremor. “Patients with essential tremor who have not seen improvement with medication now have a new treatment option that could help them to avoid more invasive surgical treatments,” said Carlos Peña, who is the director of the division of neurological and physical medicine devices at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “As with other treatments for essential tremor, this new device is not a cure but could help patients enjoy a better quality of life.”

July 13, 2016 – SiliconIndia – Indian Scientist To Head Germany-Based Group Of Nuclear Physicists – Noted Indian physicist Sibaji Raha has been elected as the first chairman of the Joint Scientific Council of the GSI and the upcoming FAIR facility in Germany for exploring the nature of matter and the evolution of the universe. The Department of Science and Technology had recently shared the development via Twitter. “Prof Sibaji Raha, Bose Institute #Kolkata elected Chair of Jt Inter’ional #Scientific Council of GSI & FAIR #Germany,” a tweet said.

July 13, 2016 – WWAY TV 3 – Damaged pump motor causes Brunswick Nuclear Plant alert – Officials at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant Tuesday night issued an alert after a pump motor was damaged, according to a release. They said the alert was declared just after 8:30 p.m., and it was over just after 9:15 p.m. Officials said an alert is the second of four nuclear emergency classifications. They said the classification is used to describe conditions that require emergency response agencies to be in a heightened state of readiness. They said the unit, one of two at the plant, was reduced to about 70% power because of the damage.

July 13, 2016 – Novinite – Bulgaria’s Socialists Demand Restart of Belene Nuclear Project – Lawmakers of Bulgaria’s biggest opposition party BSP have called on Parliament for a reversal of a 2012 decision that brought the Belene Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project to an end. “We extend a hand and put all of our expert potential to work to solve the problem,” the Bulgarian National Radio quotes Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) MP Tasko Ermenkov, who oversees energy issues. Ermenkov is referring the dilemma facing Bulgaria after an arbitration ruling that forces it to pay EUR 550 M to Russian company Atomstroyexport over the suspension of the Belene project. Transferring the sum, it will also receive in return a nuclear reactor and other equipment produced by Atomstroyexport for the plant’s purposes.

July 13, 2016 – Dow Jones Business News – Entergy in Talks to Sell FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant in New York to Exelon – Entergy Corp. said Wednesday that it is in talks to sell its FitzPatrick nuclear power plant — an 838-megawatt facility it had flagged for sale last year — to Exelon Corp. “The discussions with Exelon are consistent with Entergy’s commitment to consider any viable option that would allow FitzPatrick to remain in operation,” the company said. Entergy’s decision to sell the FitzPatrick facility follows news that it would close its Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts by mid-2019. In addition to a more competitive environment and lower power prices it is bring in, the company has cited regulatory challenges and public policies that it says disadvantage nuclear plants.

July 13, 2016 – Niagara Gazette – City needs to answer ‘spoils pile’ questions – It’s time for some more detailed answers where the so-called “spoils pile” on North Avenue is concerned. What’s known is that the area contains material identified as radioactive by the contractor hired to construct the new North End train station. What’s still not clear is the level of radiation found in the materials at the site. The spoils pile has been surrounded by fencing, but that fencing was bowled over at some point and the plastic tarp covering the soil was allowed to become tattered. Residents and members of the media have rightly questioned whether the material poses a threat to public health.

July 13, 2016 – Northeast Today – Uranium Mining in Meghalaya: Why denying permission could benefit all – There has been a lot said on the issue of uranium mining which has been a bone of contention for most states who have tried to bring it forth. This has been clearly seen in Meghalaya which is still disputing whether it would be a good idea or not. There are numerous reasons as to why environmental groups react negatively to the idea of uranium mining. Here are a few ‘must know’ facts about Uranium Mining.

July 13, 2016 – Mo4ch – ‘Underground Chernobyl’: French parliament OKs nuclear waste facility despite protests – A controversial project of an underground facility storing the most hazardous nuclear waste in France has been recently approved by the parliament. Opponents of the law have already called the project an “underground Chernobyl.” On Monday, the National Assembly adopted the project of a nuclear waste landfill site, named Cigeo (Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal) in the town of Bure, eastern France. The site will be a part of Meuse/Haute Marne Underground Research Laboratory run by the National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (Andra). The laboratory conducts studies of the geological formation in order to evaluate its capacity for deep geological repository of radioactive waste. Andra has repeatedly stated that the deep geological storage project is designed to ensure long term management of France’s radioactive waste.

July 13, 2016 – Daily Energy Insider – Fertel fights for nuclear energy future – Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Marvin Fertel asserted that nuclear energy was key in supporting the increasing demand for electricity at the recent North American Leaders’ Summit in Ottawa, Canada. “When we look out, we see the electrification of America being the frontier we’re moving into, whether it is in transportation or it’s in industrial processes with robots, or it’s what’s been done to the Savannah port, where you’ve made everything electric driven,” Fertel said. “We’re going to use more electricity down the road. We’re going to have very stringent carbon requirements as time goes by, and we see nuclear energy as absolutely critical to helping our country, our economy and our people. Losing current plants that are really good performers is just absurd.”

July 13, 2016 – Business Wire – Westinghouse Awarded $8 Million by DOE to Advance Nuclear Technology – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Westinghouse Electric Company and its research partners to receive $8 million in research awards over the next three years to fund a series of projects. The awards support Westinghouse research in a number of areas including the area of self-powered wireless sensors and laser-based 3D printing.

July 13, 2016 – WTNH 8 – Connecticut lawmaker pushes nuclear waste bill – The legislation is important to people in Courtney’s district, which includes the former home of the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant. The Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability act of 2016 would help communities cover any losses they’ve racked up associated with the storage of nuclear waste. In a statement, Courtney says in part that ‘we cannot allow small communities and municipalities across this country to fall into financial distress because of the congressional gridlock which is holding up the establishment of a federal nuclear waste storage facility’.

July 13, 2016 – World Nuclear News – New York State sets out subsidy proposals – The New York Department of Public Service has put forward a proposal to help preserve New York’s upstate nuclear power plants by valuing their zero-emissions attributes based on the social cost of carbon. The department estimates that the state will realize $5 billion in benefits in the first two years alone if the proposal is implemented. Earlier this year the State of New York Public Service Commission ruled that non-carbon-emitting generation resources including nuclear power plants must be included in the state’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) portfolio. It also directed that the CES must include a support mechanism for upstate nuclear power plants at risk of closure for economic reasons. The Department of Public Service’s proposal sets out such a support mechanism. The Public Service Commission has invited the public to comment on the proposal, published on 8 July. The deadline for written comments is 18 July.

July 13, 2016 – Syracuse.com – NY needs a carbon tax, not nuclear subsidies, to cut emissions – There is no way for New York state utility ratepayers to determine whether the subsidies being proposed for Upstate nuclear plants are justified based on their alleged climate benefits based on what is being published in the media (“NY regulators propose generous Upstate nuclear subsidies,” July 9, 2016). However, some additional research and “back of the envelope” calculations based on the proposed subsidies presented in The Post-Standard and GHG emissions that are avoided from natural gas-fired power plants (the predominant source of electric energy in New York state) as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration suggest that the subsidies proposed by the Public Service Commission amount to approximately $29/ton CO2 emissions avoided in the first year, rising to almost $50/ton in years 11 and 12.

July 13, 2016 – Oswego County Today – Barclay Applauds Public Service Commission’s Proposal to Assist Nuclear Energy – Assemblyman Will Barclay released the following statement today (July 11) after the Public Service Commission proposed to value nuclear as a clean energy source. “I applaud the state Public Service Commission for proposing to financially assist upstate nuclear power plants. Without this assistance, there is a high probability that our nuclear power plants would shut down. Such a scenario would result in tremendous job losses for Central New York, jeopardize New Yorkers access to electricity that is cleanly and efficiently generated, and increase electricity costs over the long run. The PSC should be commended for proposing an innovative and forward thinking proposal and for recognizing that to do nothing is not a viable strategy in addressing New York state’s electricity needs.”

July 13, 2016 – Business Wire – Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition Applauds PSC for Proposal to Support Upstate Nuclear Power Plants in Clean Energy Standard – The Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition (UEJ), a group including elected representatives, business leaders, organized labor, education institutions, economic development organizations and community leaders, today voiced their support for the New York Public Service Commission’s (PSC) latest responsive proposal detailing the nuclear provision within the Clean Energy Standard (CES), a measure introduced by Governor Andrew Cuomo that mandates 50 percent of all electricity consumed in New York by 2030 come from clean and renewable energy sources. The PSC proposal, issued on July 8th, properly values upstate nuclear plants for their contributions to the state’s clean energy goals. “Governor Cuomo and the PSC deserve to be recognized for issuing a proposal that would keep our upstate nuclear energy plants open, and in doing so, allow the state to meet its clean energy goals” “Governor Cuomo and the PSC deserve to be recognized for issuing a proposal that would keep our upstate nuclear energy plants open, and in doing so, allow the state to meet its clean energy goals,” said L. Michael Treadwell, CEO of The County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency. “The PSC’s findings are in line with the independent findings of the Brattle Group and the Navigant Group that affirm that the value of keeping New York’s upstate nuclear plants operating is substantial and far outweighs any costs associated with the program.

July 13, 2016 – Associated Press – Officials: Nuclear plant shuts down abruptly after restart – New Jersey’s Salem 2 nuclear reactor shut down shortly after it came back in service after a generator indicated there might be a problem. PSEG Nuclear spokesman Joe Delmar tells NJ.com (http://bit.ly/29v0O94 ) the plant had begun sending electricity to the regional power grid at 6:35 a.m. Monday, but automatically shut down again at 1:50 p.m. The cause of the shutdown at the Lower Alloways Creek plant is under investigation.

July 13, 2016 – CBS Chicago – Dold Proposes Fund To Reimburse Zion For Storing Nuclear Waste – An Illinois congressman has proposed legislation to compensate north suburban Zion for it years of storage of nuclear waste at a long-shuttered power plant. The Zion Nuclear Power Station closed in 1998, but a plan to permanently store nuclear waste from Zion and other nuclear plants at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has stalled, so U.S. Rep. Bob Dold has introduced a plan to reimburse communities like Zion. “We are, right now, currently storing a significant amount of spent nuclear fuel just a few hundred yards away from the greatest natural resource we have in our area, and that is the Great Lakes,” Dold said. Under his proposal – which Dold said has bipartisan support – Zion would get $15 million per year for up to seven years to make up for lost property taxes on the site, which still can’t be redeveloped.

July 13, 2016 – Illinois Public Radio – Nuclear Plant Closures – One of the two nuclear power generating facilities slated to shut down without state help has taken another step toward decommissioning. The Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station has notified the owner of the power grid it supplies energy through that it will be shuttering the plant. The notice is one more step in Exelon’s plans to shut down both the Quad Cities plant and the Clinton Nuclear Generating Station in central Illinois. State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said keeping the Clinton and Quad Cities power facilities open would save hundreds of jobs. “This would be an absolutely devastating impact to the local economy in central Illinois,” he said. Mitchell said the plant closures would increase all Illinoisans’ electric bills.

July 13, 2016 – Monticello Times – Xcel Energy, employees celebrate 45 years at Monticello nuclear plant – Employees at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant celebrated an important industry milestone last week with plenty of commemorative cake. Xcel Energy marked the 45th anniversary date of commercial operations at the plant June 30 by serving up 14 half-sheet cakes in three flavors that were created by Blue Egg Bakery in Elk River, said Communications Consultant Margaret Church. “We couldn’t bring in full sheets because they were too heavy and would crack.” The celebration also included a banner signing; individual employees inscribe their power-production monikers with the year they started working at the plant, Church said. “We had a really nice event,” she said. “It was wonderful to hear all of the stories people shared about their years here.”

July 13, 2016 – Tri-City Herald – Challenging year ends well for Richland nuclear power plant – The Columbia Generating Station ended its fiscal year in June tallying up the second-highest generation since it began operating in 1984, despite its most challenging 12 months in recent years. The nuclear power plant near Richland, operated by Energy Northwest, generated 9.6 million megawatt hours of electricity, just short of the 9.7 million megawatt hours generated two years ago. The refueling outage that started in May 2015 was a primary contributor to the near-record production year, said Brad Sawatzke, Energy Northwest chief nuclear officer. Not only was a third of the plant’s fuel replaced, as is done every other year, but workers used the shutdown of the plant to install a new feedwater flow meter, which measures the amount of water flowing through the reactor core. The more water that can be used, the greater potential power output.

July 13, 2016 – Las Vegas Review-Journal – 10 things we’d take in exchange for Yucca Mountain – Harry Reid has told me — repeatedly — that Yucca Mountain is dead. It’s fenced off, shut down, closed up, an empty hole in the ground that’s the site of one of the biggest wastes of federal money in the nation’s history. Then again, a House subcommittee was debating the issue last week, pondering whether to spend $150 million on a license application for the supposedly dead nuclear waste repository. The usual suspects said the usual things, but one congressman’s comments stood out. Rep. Mark Amodei said that while he didn’t think Nevada should be singled out as the only place to deposit nuclear waste in the country, Nevadans should take those nuclear lemons and make some glow-in-the-dark lemonade. “Nevadans should use this as an opportunity to dictate the terms of the repository under the best conditions for our state,” Amodei said. Now before Reid accuses Amodei of wanting Nevada to be a big, old, ugly nuclear whore, let’s actually pause for a moment to consider what we might be able to get in exchange for playing host to Yucca Mountain. Here’s a partial list:

July 13, 2016 – Daily Energy Insider – Nevada stakeholders voice input on Yucca Mountain nuclear disposal site – In a hearing held last week on “Federal, State and Local Agreements and Economic Benefits for Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal,” the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment and the Economy Subcommittee heard statements from Nevada stakeholders concerning a repository for spent nuclear fuel at the Yucca Mountain site. “Nevadans deserve to have honest brokers in their federal government, and they deserve to hear the unbiased, scientific results that all of their hard-earned dollars funded,” U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-NV) said. Testimonies at the hearing discussed the impact of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the adequacy of funding provided to the state of Nevada and future infrastructure needs connected to the disposal facility.

July 12, 2016 – 81 FR 45138-45140 – DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY – National Nuclear Security Administration; Amended Record of Decision for the Continued Operation of the Y-12 National Security Complex – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is amending its July 20, 2011, Record of Decision for the Continued Operation of the Y-12 National Security Complex (2011 ROD) (76 FR 43319) to reflect its decision to implement a revised approach for meeting enriched uranium (EU) requirements, by upgrading existing EU processing buildings and constructing a new Uranium Processing Facility (UPF). Additionally, NNSA has decided to separate the single-structure UPF design concept into a new design consisting of multiple buildings, with each constructed to safety and security requirements appropriate to the building’s function. This revised approach is a hybrid of two alternatives previously analyzed in the 2011 Final Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Y-12 National Security Complex, DOE/EIS-0387 (Y-12 SWEIS). The scope of this Amended ROD is limited to actions which have been found necessary to sustain Y-12’s capability to conduct EU processing operations in a safe and secure environment. Those actions are also addressed in a Supplement Analysis (SA) (DOE/EIS-0387-SA-01), issued by NNSA in April 2016. All other defense mission activities and non-defense mission activities conducted at Y-12 under the alternative selected for implementation in the 2011 ROD are outside the scope of this decision. As a result of preparing the SA, NNSA has determined that no further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis is needed to support this Amended ROD.

July 12, 2016 – Chicago Tribune – House bill would compensate Zion for storage of ‘stranded’ nuclear waste – U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, R-Ill., has introduced a bill that would compensate Zion and other communities that have served as storage facilities for nuclear waste. Exelon’s Zion Nuclear Power Station has housed about 1,020 metric tons of used nuclear fuel since it closed in 1998, according to a news release from Dold. In 2002, it was determined the fuel would be moved to the Yucca Mountain storage facility, which has not yet opened. Dold said Zion is one of 13 communities across the country storing nuclear fuel from a closed power plant. The Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act would compensate Zion more than $15 million annually for seven years, an expiration date Dold said he hopes will push elected officials to find a long-term solution.

July 12, 2016 – Northumberland Today – Ground broken on storage mound in Port Hope – The Port Hope Area Initiative joined with its governmental and corporate partners last week for the official ground breaking on the construction of the storage mound at its long-term low-level radioactive waste-management facility. This occasion marked the start of construction of the first cell of the engineered above-ground mound where historic low-level radioactive waste will be safely stored for hundreds of years, the PHAI press release said.

July 12, 2016 – IConnect007 – Supercomputers Fire Lasers to Shoot Gamma Ray Beam – Ever play with a magnifying lens as a kid? Imagine a lens as big as the Earth. Now focus sunlight down to a pencil tip. That still wouldn’t be good enough for what some Texas scientists have in mind. They want to make light even 500 times more intense. And they say it could open the door to the most powerful radiation in the universe: gamma rays. Comic book readers might know about gamma rays. The Incredible Hulk was transformed from mild scientist into wild superhero by gamma rays from a nuclear explosion. The real gamma rays form in nature from radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus. Besides hazardous materials, you’d have to look in exotic places like near a black hole or closer to home at lightning in the upper atmosphere to find natural forces capable of making gamma rays. Scientists have found that gamma rays, like the Hulk, can do heroic things too — if they can be controlled. Hospitals now eradicate cancer tumors using a ‘gamma ray knife’ with surgical precision. The rays can also image brain activity. And gamma rays are used to quickly scan cargo containers for terrorist materials.

July 12, 2016 – Times & Star – Nuclear submarine waste is not going to Sellafield – Campaigners are celebrating the news that large amounts of radioactive waste from nuclear submarines will not be heading to West Cumbria. The Ministry of Defence has announced that the Sellafield site will not be selected from a shortlist to store intermediate-level waste from 27 soon-to-be-dismantled Royal Navy subs. Both Copeland Council and the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholders Group (WCSSG), which scrutinises the nuclear industry locally, had objected to Sellafield being chosen, claiming that the move would have produced “no benefits for the site or the local community”. Capenhurst, in Cheshire, has instead been named as the MoD’s preferred site.

July 12, 2016 – Mid-Hudson News – Radioactive chemical found in Washington Lake – There are apparently more than just PFOS and PFOA contaminants in Washington Lake, Newburgh’s main water supply. City Manager Michael Ciaravino revealed at Monday night’s city council meeting that a radioactive chemical has also been found in the lake. “What I have learned is that when you cut granite, certain radioactive emissions occur in the granite. There is one called strontium, which has been detected in previous water samples,” he said. “We have asked the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to examine the relationship between this granite cutting concern and some of the other contaminants that have yet to be identified in our drinking water.”

July 12, 2016 – RnR Market Research – Global Nuclear Decommissioning Market 2016 Analysis and Forecast to 2020 – According to the nuclear decommissioning market report, a key growth driver is the worldwide shutdown of older reactors. At times, the upgradations asked to run the reactors tend to be too expensive to keep the reactors working. This normally is the case with older nuclear reactors that are already nearing the end of their lifetime. The research analyst predicts the global nuclear decommissioning market to grow at a CAGR over 2% during the forecast period. The global nuclear decommissioning market analyst says continuing trend which will have a positive impact on market growth is international cooperation to ensure nuclear safety. The dependence on nuclear power plant is reduced over a period owing to the disasters such as Fukushima and Chernobyl. Organizations such as the IAEA, the OECD’s NEA, and the commission of the European communities share the experience, technology, and the knowledge about decommissioning among various countries.

July 12, 2016 – Associated Press – Workers at some Hanford tanks stop in dispute over vapors – A coalition of labor unions on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state stopped work Monday at some of the radioactive waste tank farms because of health concerns over chemical vapors. The Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council issued a “stop work” order at the double-walled tanks that contain dangerous wastes from the past production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. Dave Molnaa, president of the council, said workers are demanding that they be supplied with bottled air when they perform work at any of the tank farms. Currently, bottled air is required only when working among the older, single-walled underground tanks where most of the vapor episodes have occurred.

July 12, 2016 – AzoOptics.com – The T1030sc thermal imaging camera from FLIR Systems offers a unique combination of top performance, accuracy and a wide array of advanced features – The T1030sc features a rich set of hardware, software, and optical innovations each tailored to take advantage of its extraordinarily sensitive 1024 X 768 HD-IR detector. High fidelity images are created using FLIR’s OSX™ Precision HDIR optics which features a precision ultrasonic autofocus capability. The combination of the high resolution detector and the variety of OSX lenses available allow users to view problems from longer distances and with greater accuracy, promoting better safety and more efficient workflow. The T1030sc offers a thermal sensitivity of < 20 mK (NETD), more than twice the industry standard and wide temperature operating ranges with calibrations up to 2000°C. Its FLIR OSX™ Precision HDIR Optical System features an ultrasonic drive, ambient temperature drift compensation, and parasitic radiation protection. July 12, 2016 - Knoxville News-Sentinel - Provision wins certificate of need battle for Dowell Springs radiation center – For more than four years, Provision Radiation Therapy has treated patients in the Dowell Springs medical complex off Middlebrook Pike — while various courts considered whether the practice was fulfilling a valid need in the area. Now the Tennessee Court of Appeals has affirmed Provision’s state-granted certificate of need, overturning a 2014 Davidson County Chancery Court decision that reversed the state’s decision to grant the certificate of need to the center, legally “East Tennessee Radiation Therapy Services” and owned by the nonprofit Provision Trust. Provision applied for the original certificate of need to install a linear accelerator in August 2011; it was granted in December 2011, and the center began treating patients in August 2012.

July 12, 2016 – City A.M. – EDF takes big bite out of Chinese wind energy developer – Embattled French utility giant EDF has taken a majority stake in UPC Asia Wind Management. The firm’s renewables unit, EDF Energies Nouvelles, paid an undisclosed amount for a stake in the Chinese company which develops and builds wind projects. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that EDF is selling its coal trading operation, which helps supply coal-fired power stations across Europe. It follows earlier reports that the company was mulling a sale of its British gas and coal plants to invest more in nuclear energy.

July 12, 2016 – Wales Online – Developers of Wylfa Newydd nuclear station have a ‘desire’ to use the local supply chain and workforce – The joint venture behind the development of Wylfa Newydd has said there is a “desire” to use the local supply chain and workforce. Horizon Nuclear Power contracted Menter Newydd as the joint venture created to help deliver its lead nuclear build project on the Island. Comprising Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe, Bechtel Management Company, and JGC Corporation (UK) it boasts a wealth of experience and expertise in nuclear construction.

July 12, 2016 – Defense World Net – India To Lease Second Akula-Class Nuclear-Sub From Russia – India has agreed to lease a second Akula-class nuclear powered submarine Nerpa from Russia. “India agreed to lease a project 971 submarine which will be withdrawn from the Russian Navy,” Sputnik cited an unnamed source as saying to Kommersant Tuesday. The official confirmation about the lease of second nuke submarine even though speculation is rife about India seeking another one from Russia after the success of INS Chakra, the Akula Class submarine that has been on lease from Russia for ten years came up only in February this year. “The hull of the submarine is ready but it has to be refurbished as per Indian needs after the talks are concluded,” Russian Ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin had said.

July 12, 2016 – Union of Concerned Scientists – Nuclear Plant Accidents: Fermi Unit 1 – Jorge Agustin Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, also known as George Santayana, wrote that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Disaster by Design/Safety by Intent #39 described the partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) in California. Workers at the Fermi Unit 1 reactor in Michigan must have remembered this accident pretty well, since they duplicated almost every key aspect of it just seven years later. So, perhaps a companion to Santayana’s point is “Those who remember the past are condemned to repeat it, unless they take steps to prevent it.” Had SRE’s owners copyrighted their accident script, Fermi Unit 1’s owner would probably have had to mail them a royalty check.

July 12, 2016 – Sputnik International – Operator of Japan’s Takahama Nuclear Plant to Fight Court-Mandated Shutdown – Kansai Electric Power, operating Takahama nuclear power plant in western Japan, vowed on Tuesday to appeal a court ruling ordering the shutdown of two reactors at a higher court. Earlier in the day, Otsu District Court upheld its March decision to shut down Reactors 3 and 4, in what was the first such ruling against an operating power plant. “We will make an all-out effort to claim and substantiate the safety of Units 3 and 4 of Takahama Nuclear Power Station…after reviewing the details of the [court] decision statement and subsequently filing a petition or objection to Osaka High Court without delay,” the operator’s statement read.

July 12, 2016 – WTNH – Connecticut lawmaker pushes nuclear waste bill – Connecticut congressman Joe Courtney is part of a bi-partisan group of house lawmakers to introduce a bill to help communities that are struggling with the cost of storing what’s known as ‘stranded nuclear waste’. The legislation is important to people in Courtney’s district, which includes the former home of the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant. The Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability act of 2016 would help communities cover any losses they’ve racked up associated with the storage of nuclear waste.

July 12, 2016 – Crain’s – New Yorkers express fears of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant at documentary screening – The start of a two-week-long Lincoln Center film screening of Indian Point, a documentary about the controversial nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y., gave New Yorkers an opportunity to share their concerns about their safety five years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The film offers a look inside the power plant, located 35 miles from midtown Manhattan on the Hudson River. In addition to speaking with several anti-nuclear advocates, director Ivy Meeropol gained unprecedented access inside the highly guarded plant for her 94- minute documentary. On July 8, Meeropol and the film’s subjects, including Indian Point senior control room operator Brian Vangor and activists Roger Witherspoon, Marilyn Elie and former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko answered New Yorkers’ anti-plant questions after the first screening of the film at Lincoln Center’s 85-seat Howard Gilman Theater. The film will have five showings daily until July 21.

July 12, 2016 – Portland Mercury – A New Lawsuit Says Covered Water Reservoirs Will Poison Portlanders – As the city moved ever closer to shutting down its open air drinking water reservoirs in recent years, lots of opponents offered a steady refrain: They argued the shift to covered reservoirs would result in the harmful gas radon being released via Portlander’s tap water. Now, with the reservoirs formally disconnected from the water system, those claims are poised to get a day in court for the first time. Scott Fernandez, a credentialed microbiologist who’s long railed against closed reservoirs, has sued to get the reservoirs at Washington Park and on Mt. Tabor back into use—or at least disrupt their demise. In a 10-page complaint [PDF] filed last week, Fernandez argues the city is trespassing against him by potentially forcing radon—a radioactive gas and carcinogen—into his home. And he argues the city’s causing a public nuisance by doing the same thing citywide.

July 12, 2016 – KVEW-TV – Hanford cleanup continues after more than 25 years – The site has completed 1,614 milestones, but has about one hundred more projects to finish. Of the finished cleanup projects, 25 percent were completed on or ahead of schedule. One of the most important projects is removing about 7,000 gallons of highly radioactive sludge in a basin near the Columbia River. The Maintenence and Storage Facility is testing the equipment that will be used to vacuum and transfer those waste particles in 20 large vessels. “The hardware that you see that we’ve walked-through today is on schedule to be pumping sludge within two years,” said Neal Sullivan during a tour of the site. Last week the employees were able to test the equipment and practice retrieving material. “While we were confident that it would work the proof is in the pudding and so we actually did that, we moved the simulant,” said Sullivan.

July 12, 2016 – World Nuclear News – Nuclear is strategic imperative for USA, says NEI – Preserving existing nuclear capacity and preparing to build large amounts of new nuclear capacity in the next decade are strategic imperatives for the USA, the Nuclear Energy Institute has told the US Department of Energy. The NEI called for reforms to electricity markets and a systematic effort to create the conditions necessary to deploy advanced reactor technologies in comments submitted to the DOE, as it prepares the next instalment of its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). “A continuing, growing contribution from nuclear energy is essential to produce needed baseload electricity at stable prices and to sustain reductions in emissions of carbon and other pollutants,” it said. The QER process was established by presidential memorandum in 2014 and aims to engage federal agencies and outside stakeholders while enabling federal government to translate policy goals into a set of analytically based, integrated actions for proposed investments over a four-year planning horizon. The first QER, published in 2015, examined the USA’s infrastructure for energy transmission, storage, and distribution, including liquid and natural gas pipelines, the electricity grid, and transport links. The second instalment will focus on the electricity system to produce a set of findings and policy recommendations to help guide modernization of the grid and ensure its continued reliability, safety, security, affordability, and environmental performance in the period to 2040. It is due to be released later this year.

July 12, 2016 – US News and World Report – The New Nuclear Renaissance – There has been a groundswell of activity and investment in recent years surrounding advanced nuclear reactors. A dynamic group of nuclear engineers and scientists are chasing the future – and racing against China and Russia – to develop innovative reactor designs. These technologies hold enormous promise to provide clean, safe, affordable, and reliable energy, not just for our country, but for the world. These innovators have a vision for the future, and they charge ahead backed by more than $1 billion in private capital. The future of nuclear energy is bright. Some would argue that we have been here before. In 2005, Congress passed incentives to encourage a “nuclear renaissance” amid high natural gas prices. The industry stood ready to build a large number of modern light-water reactors, improved versions of existing nuclear technology. But reality fell short of expectations and the result was only five new nuclear plants, with a price tag of $8 billion to $10 billion each. Now, in an age of low-cost natural gas, it is becoming harder for the nearly 100 existing reactors to compete.

July 12, 2016 – PRNewswire – Americas Set to Dominate Spent Nuclear Dry Storage Cask Market, Surpassing $1 Billion by 2020 – The market for spent nuclear dry storage casks in the Americas is set to rise from $602.5 million in 2015 to over $1 billion by 2020, as the region continues to generate the highest demand for nuclear fuel storage globally, according to Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Casks, Update 2016 – Global Market Size, Market Volume, Market Share and Key Country Analysis to 2020 research report now available with RnRMarketResearch.com. Complete report on spent nuclear fuel dry storage casks market spread across 164 pages supported with 58 data tables and 46 figures is available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/spent-nuclear-fuel-dry-storage-casks-update-2016-global-market-size-market-volume-market-share-and-key-country-analysis-to-2020-market-report.html.

July 12, 2016 – Niagara Gazette – City officials consulting with DEC on excavated material piled on North Avenue – Questions remain about the strength of radioactivity identified by city contractors in a pile of excavated material waiting for disposal on North Avenue. The Niagara Gazette sought answers from city hall after an Investigative Post story this week identified similarly described “gravel”-like radioactive material at a minimum 60 properties in Niagara County and Grand Island. Requests to identify how far above typical background radiation levels the pile tested were not answered by city officials. Senior Planner Thomas DeSantis and Alan Nusbaum, the city’s environmental assistant in DeSantis’ office, said they were not the “appropriate” people to speak to the matter. “The city will be consulting with the Mr. Thomas Papura, environmental tradition specialist with the DEC on Monday,” DeSantis said on Friday.

July 12, 2016 – Scranton Times-Tribune – Other nuke meltdown costly – We’re now getting an idea of just how expensive shutting down a nuclear power plant like Three Mile Island can be. According to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts, Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to shutter California’s last nuclear plant by 2025 would cost $15 billion if all of its output is replaced with solar-produced electricity at current prices. PG&E says it will rely heavily on solar energy, along with conservation, in place of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. The news of its planned closing came even though a new study showed that the shutdown of California’s other nuclear plant, San Onofre, triggered a sharp increase in electricity costs and a spike in carbon emissions.

July 12, 2016 – Modesto Bee – Treatment of some veterans is radioactive – I am an “Atomic Veteran.” This is now an official veteran status conveyed both by Congress and the Department of Defense. Impressed? Well, don’t be envious, because it is definitely not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. Our military branches have been extremely careless over the years and have exposed many servicemen and -women to unnecessary and undisclosed hazards, in many cases related to radiation and nuclear fallout.