UK nuclear sites at risk of flooding, report shows
Rising sea levels because of climate change put 12 of 19 sites at risk, unpublished government analysis shows

Rob Edwards
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 March 2012 07.28 EST


Sizewell nuclear power plant, seen from across the sea at Southwold, Suffolk. Unpublished government analysis shows sites are at risk from flooding due to climate change. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

As many as 12 of Britain's 19 civil nuclear sites are at risk of flooding and coastal erosion because of climate change, according to an unpublished government analysis obtained by the Guardian.


Nine of the sites have been assessed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as being vulnerable now, with others in danger from rising sea levels and storms in future decades. They include all of the eight sites proposed for new nuclear power stations around the coast, as well as numerous radioactive waste stores, operating reactors and defunct nuclear facilities.


Two of the sites for new nuclear stations are said to have a "high risk" of flooding now: Sizewell in Suffolk and Hartlepool in County Durham, where there are also operating reactors. Shutdown and running reactors at Dungeness in Kent are also classed as currently at high risk.


Another of the sites most at risk is Hinkley Point in Somerset, where the first of the new nuclear stations is planned and there are reactors in operation and being decommissioned. According to Defra, it already has a "low" risk of flooding, and by the 2080s will face a high risk of both flooding and erosion.


Other new reactor sites that face some risk now and high risks by ...

New nationwide poll shows wariness about nuclear power
By JUDY FAHYS

Americans haven’t warmed to nuclear energy in the year since the Fukushima meltdowns, according to a new survey.

The poll, done by ORC International for the nonprofit, nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI), found that 57 percent support nuclear power less than they did before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that resulted in the crisis at the Japanese nuclear complex.

In addition, 77 percent said they back “using clean renewable energy resources — such as wind and solar — and increased energy efficiency as an alternative to more nuclear power in the United States.” And an equal percentage said they wanted to see federal loan guarantees shifted from nuclear to wind and solar power.

ORC surveyed 1,032 Americans February 23-26. It compared the results with similar polls a year ago and added a question about public reactions to nuclear incidents in the United States over the past year. Its findings run counter to similar polls that have been published by the nuclear industry.

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“Nuclear power remains expensive, dangerous and too radioactive for Wall Street,” he said. “This survey shows why the industry has no future unless the U.S. government props it up and forces the public to bear the risks.”

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From the Civil Society Institute Press release:
• Nearly six in 10 Americans (57 percent) are less supportive of expanding nuclear power in the United States than they were before the Japanese reactor crisis, a nearly identical finding to the 58 percent who responded the same way when asked the same question one year ago. This contrasts sharply with pre-Fukushima surveys by Gallup and other organizations showing a 60 percent support level for nuclear power.
• More than three out of four Americans (77 percent) say they are now more supportive than they were a year ago "to using clean renewable energy resources - such as wind and solar - and increased energy efficiency as an alternative to more nuclear power in the United States." This finding edged up from the 2011 survey level of 76 percent.
• More than three out of four Americans (77 percent) would support "a shift of federal loan-guarantee support for energy away from nuclear reactors" in favor of wind and solar power. This level of support was up from the 74 percent finding in the 2011 survey.
• In response to a new question in the 2012 survey, more than six in 10 Americans (61 percent) said they were less supportive of nuclear power as a result of reports in the U.S. during 2011 and so far in 2012 of nuclear reactors that had to be shut down due such factors as natural disasters, equipment failure and radioactive leaks.
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TEPCO Shareholders Demand $67 Billion From Company Executives To Compensate Fukushima Victims
By: EW News Desk Team Date: 6 March 2012

Shareholders at Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc (TEPCO) want executives at the utility company to pay out over 5.5 trillion ($67.4 bilion) back to the company, said a report by Reuters, on Monday, in order to use the money to compensate those affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year.

On Monday, lawyers representing 42 of TEPCO’s shareholders filed a lawsuit in a Tokyo District Court, which accused 27 current and former TEPCO directors of “ignoring multiple warnings of a possible tsunami and of failing to prepare for a severe accident.”

The executives, the lawsuit claims, had also downplayed the severity of the disaster during its early stages, which in turn led to delays of the evacuation process – causing unnecessary additional damages to homes and human lives.

Consequently, the company has been saddled with huge bills, including clean-up, compensation and decommissioning costs. According to a lawyer for the shareholders, the compensation cost requested from the executives was based on calculations by a government-appointed experts’ panel on what the company was likely to pay to victims and businesses....

Tsuruga nuke plant sits atop major fault
Kyodo

An active fault running under reactors 1 and 2 at the Tsuruga nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture is much longer than previously thought and could trigger a 7.4-magnitude earthquake, larger than earlier projections, according to a team of government-affiliated researchers.

"The worst-case scenario should be taken into consideration" as the Urasoko fault, now thought to extend at least 35 km, could activate faults on the south side of the Tsuruga plant, warned Yuichi Sugiyama, leader of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's research team.

The government's Earthquake Research Committee and Japan Atomic Power Co., which runs the Tsuruga plant, have estimated that the Urasoko fault, combined with other faults connected to it, was 25 km long and capable of triggering a 7.2-magnitude quake.

But the research team's latest findings suggest that is an underestimate, possibly as Japan Atomic Power did not take oceanic faults into account when assessing the Tsuruga plant's safety.

The research team ...

World Has Much at Stake in Nuclear Power Decision

Nuclear Power Decisions Will Determine Much. Though nuclear power may seem a limited issue -- related only to energy, and only one of several energy sources at that -- the decision whether to pursue nuclear power may prove to be the most important decision now before world leaders. Consider the following:

1. Capital Needs. ...

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2. Climate Change. ...

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3. Employment. ...

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4. Economic Dependence. ...

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5. Military Security. ...

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Due Diligence for New Nuclear Power. This was my contribution to the Potsdam Conference -- a paper showing a sample analysis of new nuclear power as a "business proposal" and applying the five "Due Diligence" tests above. The presentation is posted here.

The conclusion is that new nuclear power does not meet any of the five tests, so it would fail as a business proposal. The financial institutions mentioned above seem to have come to the same conclusion. New nuclear power likely cannot succeed as a business proposal and thus would require massive government support.

This begs the question however -- should not Due Diligence also be applied to the proper use of taxpayer monies? If so much is at stake for the U.S. and the world, should the U.S. really be leading the way in throwing taxpayer monies at an industry without asking the right questions?

The Washington Post Doubles Down on False Balance
By Joe Romm on Mar 5, 2012 at 8:04 pm


Two weeks ago I wrote about how the Washington Post embraced false balance in its flawed piece on the Heartland affair. Not only did the Post quote the head of an organization known for “spreading misinformation” and “personally attacking climate scientists to further its goals,” it also quoted the long-debunked Richard Lindzen. And it quoted a confusionist to frame the “debate” as a he-said/she-said, when it is really about climate science vs. misinformation.

Now the Post has doubled down with another dreadful piece of false balance, but attempts to rationalize it with this rewriting of history:

There is no question that climate scientists have mobilized in recent years to talk more publicly about greenhouse-gas emissions from activities such as driving and coal-fired power plants. For years there were only a handful of researchers on both sides of the debate: the late Stanford University professor Stephen Schneider and James E. Hansen, who directs NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, spoke about the risks associated with climate change while Richard Lindzen, professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Roy Spencer, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, questioned the extent to which humans contributed to the problem.

Now dozens of climate scientists have taken on a more public-advocacy role, contending that mounting evidence suggests the world needs to curb greenhouse-gas emissions from the industrial and transport sectors or risk disastrous consequences.

No. For years there have been hundreds of climate scientists willing to explain climate science to the media and public and policymakers. Indeed, a 2010 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, “Expert credibility in climate change” — coauthored by Schneider — reaffirmed the broad scientific understanding of climate change, while questioning the media’s reliance on a tiny group of less-credibile scientists for “balance.” That analysis ...

Battery range could fit in a wallet
Accutronics, the UK based designer and manufacturer of professional battery solutions, has launched a range of rechargeable Lithium Ion credit card sized batteries for medical, industrial and portable electronic applications.

The credit card batteries have been developed by Accutronics in response to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) demand for a short lead time, compact and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery solution for their portable devices. The products feature accurate impedance tracking fuel gauges, an active protection system and a compact connector, all contained in a package with a footprint identical to that of a credit card.

These new smart batteries are ideal for applications including tele-healthcare devices, data recorders, point of sale terminals, handheld security scanners and numerous other portable electronic devices intended for professional use.

Meeting internationally recognised standards for safety and transportation the batteries are supplied with comprehensive technical back-up enabling the designer to easily integrate the product into the device system. Both the CC2300 and CC3800 come with an active electronic protection system that makes them resistant to over-charging, over-discharging and short-circuiting.

The batteries are exempted from Dangerous Goods shipping, thus ...

STEALTH MARKETING
Caveat emptor: Not all 'word of mouth' blogs unpaid
By MINORU MATSUTANI
Staff writer

Is word-of-mouth information on the Internet trustworthy — or to be taken with a grain of salt?

The operator of a popular website collecting presumably honest consumer commentary about restaurants is endeavoring to gain consumer trust and ensure planted stooges aren't unleveling the playing field.

Kakaku.com Inc., which runs the site Taberogu, said in January it found 39 companies that had been paid by certain restaurants and shops to talk them up and asked that such mercenary practices cease.

Pretending to be a satisfied consumer posting complimentary comments is a classic example of stealth marketing, a practice that has gained greater traction in the online world.

Following are questions and answers regarding stealth marketing:

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Nine More Dirty, Aging Coal Plants Set to Close, Bringing Total U.S. Retirements to 106 Plants Since 2010

Today was a big milestone for people who care about public health and a livable climate. Two utilities announced the planned closure of nine coal plants in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, bringing total retirements (executed and planned) since January 2010 past the 100 mark to 106.

Two plants in Chicago owned by Midwest Generation, the Fisk Plant and the Crawford Plant, had been a key target for local activist groups. These two plants have been in operation since the early 1900?s and were last updated in the late 50?s and 60?s. Along with violating “grandfathered” (i.e. lax) air quality standards and causing hundreds of emergency room visits each year, the two plants represented the largest source of local greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.

Local and national activists groups, along with the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, put intense pressure on Midwest Generation to shut the plants down.

The second set of plant closures come from the wholesale power provider GenOn Energy, which said it will close 3,140 MW of aging plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. All of the plants are coal, except for one that is oil-fired. GenOn said new air quality regulations would make it difficult for the company to keep the plants operating.

A confluence of factors...

Strange Lump of Dark Matter Shouldn't Exist, But Does
by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing EditorDate: 05 March 2012 Time: 06:00 AM ET


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A composite image of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 520 shows the distribution of dark matter, galaxies, and hot gas. The orange picture shows the starlight from galaxies, while the blue picture shows the location of most of the mass in the cluster, which is dominated by dark matter (the dark-matter distribution is derived from gravitational lensing measurements). The green image shows regions of hot gas, and the natural-color photo of the galaxies was taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii.
CREDIT: NASA, ESA, CFHT, CXO, M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis), and A. Mahdavi (San Francisco State University)



A lonely clump of dark matter 2.4 billion light-years from Earth is confounding scientists by its mere presence, researchers say. Contrary to popular astronomy theories, the invisible stuff appears to have been left behind in space after a cluster of galaxies collided.

While the fundamental nature of invisible dark matter remains mysterious, scientists think they have a pretty good idea of how it behaves. For one thing, most galaxies are thought to reside inside larger masses of dark matter, and the two are thought to stay attached, even after cosmic collisions.

Yet this time, it appears the galaxies may have left their dark matter cocoons in the dust.

"This result is a puzzle," astronomer James Jee of the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. "Dark matter is not behaving as predicted, and it's not obviously clear what is going on. Theories of galaxy formation and dark matter must explain what we are seeing."

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