The Center, founded in 1985, is an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources and expanding participation in the environmental movement.
Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, left, joined Senator Roy Blunt, right, of Missouri in announcing the establishment of two Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in Missouri. These project areas will set aside acres to grow crops that will be processed into renewable energy to be used for heat, power, liquid biofuels, and bio-based products.
In addition to Missouri, project areas will also be established in Ohio, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. In these project areas, producers can reap financial benefits by growing giant miscanthus, a sterile hybrid warm-season grass that is cultivated through the planting of rhizomes in open fields. Industry estimates show that these project areas and conversion facilities would earn about $50 million per year and create nearly 4,000 jobs by 2014. (USDA)
To Foster a Clean Energy Economy and Spur Innovation
The Obama Administration today (6/13) announced a number of new initiatives designed to accelerate the modernization of the Nation’s electric infrastructure, bolster electric-grid innovation, and advance a clean energy economy. Aimed at building the necessary transmission infrastructure and developing and deploying digital information or “smart grid” technologies, these initiatives will facilitate the integration of renewable sources of electricity into the grid; accommodate a growing number of electric vehicles on America’s roads; help avoid blackouts and restore power quicker when outages occur; and reduce the need for new power plants.
The White House also released a new report by the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) that delineates four overarching goals the Administration will pursue in order to ensure that all Americans benefit from investments in the Nation’s electric infrastructure: better alignment of economic incentives to boost development and deployment of smart-grid technologies; a greater focus on standards and interoperability to enable greater innovation; empowerment of consumers with enhanced information to save energy, ensure privacy, and shrink bills; and improved grid security and resilience.
Smart grid technologies provide a foundation for innovation by entrepreneurs and others who can develop tools to empower consumers and help them make informed decisions. A first generation of innovative consumer products and services—such as thermostats that can be controlled from a smart phone, or websites that show how much energy a house is using—are already helping Americans save money on their electricity bills, and there is great potential to do even more. Similarly, the adoption of distributed energy generation sources (such as solar panels on rooftops), emerging energy storage technologies, and electric vehicles are all spurring changes in how and when energy is being used by businesses and consumers.
Among the public- and private-sector initiatives announced today:
• $250 million in loans for smart-grid technology deployment as part of the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service, which is focused on upgrading the electric grid in rural America.
• The launch of Grid 21, a private sector initiative to promote consumer-friendly innovations while ensuring proper privacy safeguards and consumer protections. Grid 21 will help consumers get better access to their own energy usage information so that they can take advantage of new tools and services to manage their energy use and save on their utility bills.
• New commitments by the Department of Energy to focus on improving consumer access to their own energy information, including the development of a crowd-sourced map to track progress, a data-driven competition designed to harness the imagination and enthusiasm of America’s students to encourage home energy efficiency, and new EIA efforts to measure progress.
o Consumers deserve access to their own energy usage information in consumer-friendly and computer-friendly formats. The Administration is committed to working with States and stakeholders to ensure all Americans can take advantage of new tools and services to manage their energy use and save on their utility bills. With proper privacy safeguards and consumer protections, a smarter electricity system can benefit all consumers.
• Expanded partnerships to continue working with States and stakeholders, including an initiative to share lessons learned from Recovery Act smart grid investments, a series of regional peer-to-peer stakeholder meetings, and updated online resources available at: http://www.smartgrid.gov/ .
• The formation of a Renewable Energy Rapid Response Team, co-led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Energy, to improve Federal coordination and ensure timely review of proposed renewable energy projects and transmission lines, to ensure that renewable energy can power cities and towns across America, and to increase reliability and save consumers money by modernizing the grid.
These efforts build upon the historic $4.5 billion in grid modernization investments provided for in the Recovery Act—matched by contributions of more than $5.5 billion from the private sector—to modernize America’s aging energy infrastructure and provide cleaner and more reliable power. (The White House)
Today, former Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan announced the formation of a new public education and advocacy organization, called the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance (SMTA), dedicated to resolving the chronic transportation challenges facing Maryland jurisdictions in the greater Washington region (Frederick, Montgomery, Prince Georges, and parts of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties).
SMTA’s mission: “To educate policymakers and residents of Suburban Maryland on the real choices we face in improving transportation in the Greater Washington region, to advocate for increased funding for transportation including mass transit and roads, and to encourage leaders at the local, state and regional levels to commit those funds to cost-effective capacity improvements that do the most good in relieving traffic congestion and improving mobility.”
Mr. Duncan will serve as chairman of the Board of Directors, and a separate Advisory Board composed of national, regional and local transportation experts, from a range of disciplines, will provide expert guidance to support the research and public education missions of SMTA. Both boards are still in formation but already include many leading voices in the community.
One of the first priorities of the organization will be to mobilize public and institutional support for increased investments in Maryland’s roads, bridges and mass transit infrastructure, as recommended recently by Governor Martin O’Malley’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, which has identified an urgent need for an $800 million annual infusion of new transportation dollars in Maryland, in addition to stronger protections to prevent future raids on the Transportation Trust Fund. Repeated raids on the Trust Fund have undermined efforts to restore appropriate levels of transportation investment in the past.
A key element of the organization’s program is a new website: http://www.mdtransportation.org/ that will help area residents learn about the choices we face and take action at the grassroots level to demand change.
“I was very excited to see the tremendous turnout in both St. Cloud and Woodbury from so many 6th district residents interested in learning more about the serious ramifications of this cap-and-trade, or as I call it, cap-and-tax, policy proposed by the Obama Administration. While it is being messaged as a tax against big business polluters, the financial burden directly impacts every consumer. This tax will not only result in higher energy bills, it will increase the cost of everything from groceries to school supplies.
But, let’s be honest: This isn’t really about being green, it’s about making green. The Democrats need the revenues this will generate to pay for their expensive spending agenda. But, that’s short-sighted because it will cost far more in the long-run than it will bring in. Any way you look at it, it’s low- and middle-income Americans who will pay dearly for this – especially in Minnesota. Cap-and-trade will increase energy costs for all energy consumers, but it will particularly raise costs for those who get their energy from coal-fired utilities, which are more dominant in the Midwest.
With our economy in the shape that it’s in, everybody’s tightening their belts. Everybody’s worried about making their mortgage payments. Everybody knows someone out of work and wonders if they’ll be next. And, everybody has seen their savings and retirement dwindle. A cap-and-tax policy like this is the last thing families need right now.”
Michele Bachmann voted against the Cap and Trade Program in the form of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which sought to create a system of carbon credits which would be issued to each business, and dictated the amount of carbon each business was allowed to put into the evironment through the creation of goods or the use of energy. The bill passed the house in a 219-212 vote, but was never brought up for a vote in the Senate.
Gas Prices
"Congressional leadership is to blame for the off-the-chart gas prices. It is critical that Congress vote to open our nation’s available shale and off-shore reserves and look to other energy resources like ethanol, nuclear and wind power to solve our energy dilemma. There is more recoverable oil shale in the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming than in the entire country of Saudi Arabia. That’s enough to meet our supply needs for over two centuries and decrease our rising gas costs. Supporting my plan to explore here, explore now, and pay less is critical to helping the struggling middle-class get back on their feet."
Support All Energy Sectors
"Republicans have been talking about drilling off OCS for months now -- even years. Yet, all the Democrats can propose is to consider considering? Right now, America has an abundance of oil and natural gas sources that are readily available. Unfortunately, Congress is standing in the way of their retrieval and is continuing to make it illegal to access these valuable resources.
BLM estimates that the oil shale-rich areas of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming alone hold 1.23 trillion barrels of oil. This oil would completely offset Saudi Arabia’s 1.2 trillion barrels of known reserves making the United States independent of foreign oil all together."
Legislation
U.S Representative Michele Bachmann (MN-6) introduced an energy exploration bill, the Fast Track Shale Act, which would open up U.S. federal lands that contain oil shale, cut red tape binding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulations for commercial development of this shale, and set in place new research and development that will help foster a better process of extracting this form of oil.
BLM estimates that the oil shale-rich areas of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming alone hold 1.23 trillion barrels of oil. This oil would completely offset Saudi Arabia’s 1.2 trillion barrels of known reserves making the United States independent of foreign oil all together.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann introduced a renewable energy bill as part of her All-of-the-Above energy strategy. Bachmann’s legislation would use tax incentives to promote new American energy sources and rein in out-of-control gas prices. The Promoting New American Energy Act would accelerate tax depreciation for investments in renewable energy, paving the way for long-term energy independence. In introducing this legislation, Rep. Bachmann stated:
"To combat this energy crisis, Congress must aggressively pursue all options – oil, gas, coal, wind, solar, biofuels, nuclear – leaving no stone unturned in the effort to provide Americans with relief and secure our energy future. My bill, the Promoting New American Energy Act, is part of a plan to do just that. It would accelerate tax depreciation to 3 years for investments in newer, cleaner, more efficient energy technologies. By encouraging greater investment in solar, wind, geothermal and more, these alternatives become a bigger part of our arsenal of energy options more quickly. And a diverse arsenal of solutions will decrease our dependence on foreign oil and curb our gas costs. By establishing new tax incentives to encourage purchases of energy production equipment and technologies, this bill provides American businesses with the tools needed to increase production and lower our current sky-rocketing energy costs."
Michele Bachmann (MN-6) offered a discharge petition to release H.R. 6107, the American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act, for legislative action. With 181 cosponsors, this bipartisan bill which opens the Costal Plain of ANWR and mandates that the Secretary of Interior issue leases no later than 25 months from the date of enactment, deserves consideration by the U.S. House. According to Bachmann,
"The 2000-acres of the Coastal Plain can deliver an additional 1 million barrels per day or more for 30 years. That's roughly equivalent to what the State of Texas produces daily. And, H.R 6107 would provide this at no cost to the American taxpayer. In fact, this bill would create jobs once the Costal Plain is open."
H.R. 6107 also limits the footprint of development by including environmental regulations and restrictions for drilling. Once signed by a majority of House Members, 218, a discharge petition begins the process of forcing a bill out of a committee for action by the full House.
U.S Representative Michele Bachmann (MN-6) introduced another energy exploration bill, the Fast Track Shale Act, which would open up U.S. federal lands that contain oil shale, cut red tape binding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulations for commercial development of this shale, and set in place new research and development that will help foster a better process of extracting this form of oil.
BLM estimates that the oil shale-rich areas of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming alone hold 1.23 trillion barrels of oil. This oil would completely offset Saudi Arabia’s 1.2 trillion barrels of known reserves making the United States independent of foreign oil all together.
Michele Bachmann (MN-06)re-introduced her package of four bills that promote our nation’s energy independence. Her “all of the above” approach will increase the supply of clean, affordable, American-made energy today and provide tax incentives—instead of energy tax increases as proposed in President Obama’s budget—to invest in newer, more efficient energy technologies for the future.
Her package includes: the Emergency Energy Cut the Red Tape Now Act, the Fast Track Shale Act, the Getting Resources Efficiently and Effectively Now, and the Promoting New American Energy Act.
Currently, the U.S. imports 10 million barrels of crude oil each day. In order to decrease reliance on foreign sources of oil, Bachmann re-introduced the Emergency Energy Cut the Red Tape Now Act, which would allow the Secretary of Interior to access offshore drilling, oil shale reserves, and streamline the refinery process. If the price of oil exceeds $100 a barrel, the Secretary would be required to waive leasing and permitting regulations to open energy stores.
Bachmann also reintroduced the Fast Track Shale Act, which would open federal lands that contain oil shale, cut the red tape at the Bureau of Land Management for commercial development, and set in place new research and development that will help foster even more efficient processes of extracting this form of oil.
"I am also re-introducing the GREEN Act,” said Congresswoman Bachmann. “Environmental protections are important and necessary, but legal challenges to oil and gas leases, aimed at blocking production, can drag on unnecessarily for years.”
The Getting Resources Efficiently and Effectively Now (GREEN) Act would give the President or his designee the authority to review all leases to determine if they comply with applicable federal laws and following such approval no further administrative or judicial review would be permitted.
And, in order to promote an “all of the above” energy solution, Bachmann’s fourth bill, the Promoting New American Energy Act, provides incentives for newer, more efficient and cleaner energy by accelerating tax depreciation to 3 years for investments in newer, cleaner, more efficient energy technologies, including solar, wind, and geothermal investments.
Michele Bachman on carbon dioxide (CO2)
Michele Bachmann voted against the Cap and Trade Program.
Michele Bachmann voted against the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008.
Michele Bachmann voted against the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Tax Act of 2008.
Michele Bachmann voted against the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008.
Michele Bachmann voted against the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007.
Voted NO on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program. (Jul 2009)
Voted NO on protecting free-roaming horses and burros. (Jul 2009)
Voted NO on environmental education grants for outdoor experiences. (Sep 2008)
Voted NO on $9.7B for Amtrak improvements and operation thru 2013. (Jun 2008)
Make tax deduction permanent for conservation easements. (Mar 2009)
Endorsed Targeted as "Dirty Dozen" for anti-environmentalism. (Aug 2010)
Voted NO on enforcing limits on CO2 global warming pollution. (Jun 2009)
Voted NO on tax credits for renewable electricity, with PAYGO offsets. (Sep 2008)
Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (May 2008)
Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)
Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007)
Voted YES on criminalizing oil cartels like OPEC. (May 2007)
Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007)
Bar greenhouse gases from Clean Air Act rules. (Jan 2009)
Cap-and-trade has no impact on global temperatures. (Jul 2010)
Explore proven energy reserves & keep energy prices low. (Jul 2010)
Michele Bachman believes the light bulb efficiency mandates are unconstitutional. Michele Bachmann has introduced legislation to overturn the statute requiring the use of energy-efficient light bulbs. Bachmann’s bill would allow the mandate to stand if the Government Accountability Office can prove the energy efficient bulbs would meet three criteria: that they provide real cost savings for consumers, significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and do not produce health risks for consumers.
Why is this GAO escape-valve unconstitutional? The answer stems from the fact that the General Accountability Office is part of the legislative branch. As GAO’s website says:
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is known as “the investigative arm of Congress” and “the congressional watchdog.” GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people.
According to Bachman, the Supreme Court has made it clear that Congress cannot delegate authority to its own subordinates. According to the Bowsher decision, delegation to legislative officials is unconstitutional because only the executive branch can take part in administering laws. Otherwise, Congress would be in a position to aggrandize its own powers at the expense of the President. Congress can repeal the light bulb requirement (or not). It can mandate that an executive agency like DOE or EPA decide the three issues specified by Bachmann. But Congress can’t make the validity of the light bulb requirement turn on a determination by GAO.
Center Supports Jackson and Implementation of Reasonable Environmental Protections
Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is being attacked by industry, particularly energy industry, for implementing what they consider to be job killing regulation. She appears on Capitol Hill [Statement] again this week (Wednesday) for another special on the Clean Air Act and public health. Senator Inhofe wrote Senate Environment Committee Chair Boxer recently demanding EPW begin holding oversight hearings on expensive new CAA rules. Boxer agreed to hold hearings to examine whether EPA regulations are killing jobs.
Jackson will be joined by public health witnesses, a utility witness from MidAmerican, and epidemiologist Harvey Brenner of Johns Hopkins and University of North Texas. Brenner is perhaps best known for his studies that show that tamping down economic growth and job creation actually results in substantial increases in mortality. Therefore, utilizing Brenner's methodology, EPA's rules can ironically endanger more lives than they actually save. A recent Brenner study shows that if coal were removed from the energy mix, the adverse economic impact would result in approximately 170,000 to 370,000 premature deaths in the US within three years. There was a Wall Street Journal Editorial on the subject today (6/23/2011).
A new analysis by NERA said two of the proposed regulations would be among the most expensive ever imposed by EPA on coal-fueled power plants, dramatically increasing electricity rates and natural gas prices and leading to substantial job losses. The analysis was sponsored by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) and relies on government data for almost all of its assumptions. NERA projects that EPA’s proposals would result in employment losses of over 1.4 million job-years by 2020 and increase electricity rates by over 23 percent in some areas of the United States. A job-year is one job for one year. In addition, consumers will be paying over $8 billion per year in higher natural gas prices because of the proposed rules.
NERA analyzed the combined economic impacts of the EPA’s proposed Transport Rule and its Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements for power plants. The analysis projects that the two regulations alone would cost the American electric sector nearly $18 billion per year, making them some of the most expensive EPA regulations ever imposed on power plants and leading to higher electricity rates and lost jobs. If enacted, the regulations would lead to nationwide employment losses totaling 1.44 million job-years by 2020 and increase Americans’ average electricity bills by 11.5 percent. In some parts of the United States, rates would climb by almost 24 percent. Earlier this year, ACCCE released a report showing electricity has experienced relatively low price increases since 2001, compared to other energy sources used by American households. Coal currently provides nearly one-half of America’s electricity supply, and has contributed to the relative stability of consumer electricity prices. (Frank Maisano)
A recent article in The New York Times, "In Nuclear Crisis, Crippling Mistrust," describes the confusion of the decision makers at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese government after the tsunami disabled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The Center sees the same organizational weaknesses in the United States if there is a complete loss of coolant at a nuclear plant. It is for this reason that we are proposing a Fukushima Protocol that is a predetermined response to a complete loss of coolant at a nuclear power plant, failure of nitrogen injection and failure of hydrogen venting to bring the reactor under control. The Center believes this emergency procedure wil prevent the sort of hydrogen explosions that exacerbated the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant facility. It is being reported that the venting system at Fukushima failed due to loss of electricity and inability of workers to initiate manual venting due to high radiation levels.
The Fukushima Protocol calls for flooding a containment dome or containment building with sand, cadmium, boron, cement and concrete immedicately upon the complete loss of cooling at a reactor. Of course, this means the loss of the reactor and does not necessarily prevent a meltdown. It should be effective in displacing any hydrogen buildup, thus preventing a hydrogen explosion. Cadmium and boron are neutron absorbers and should help in reducing fissioning. The sand can quickly fill the containment structure and the cement/concrete mix will serve to seal the facility.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which has staff on site at nuclear power plants in America, would make the call and order the company to immediately implement the Fukushima Protocol. Although nuclear plant operators will probably oppose this proposal, because they want complete control over every aspect of their billion dollar investment, we believe that the sort of hydrogen explosions that occurred in Japan simply cannot be allowed to happen again under any circumstances. In our opinion, the nuclear plant operator has control of their reactor until the moment of total loss of coolant. At that time the NRC should order the immediate implementation of the Fukushima Protocol. This authority will probably require congressional legislation, but if possible, the NRC should promulgate a rulemaking to establish the protocol.
Not only was there mistrust between the Japanese government and TEPCO, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan did not follow established procedures to address such a crisis, which only made the situation worse. Unlike in the USA where NRC has staff onsite, Kan did not put a government official at the Tepco office until days after the disaster. That was too late. According to one adviser to the prime minister, “There were delays. First of all, we weren’t getting accurate information from Tepco.” Similar 'information problems' occurred at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. The Fukushima Protocol eliminates this problem. (NYT, 6/12/2011, photo courtesy NYT)
Cree is one of the leaders in the LED lighting revolution and notes taht it is making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications.
Cree’s product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.
Aquarius, NASA’s ocean-watching satellite launched into space Friday morning on a mission to fill critical gaps in understanding how the Earth’s oceans affect the planet’s climate. The Aquarius device achieved orbit aboard an Argentine-built satellite, called SAC-D atop a Delta II rocket, built by Boeing. The SAC-D spacecraft carrying Aquarius was built by Argentina’s space agency, CONAE. Brazil, Canada, France, and Italy also contributed to the $400 million mission.
Two previous Earth-watching NASA craft crashed after launching from the same site, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. In March, NASA’s Glory climate satellite splashed into the South Pacific when its nose cone covering failed to detach. In 2009, the agency’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory suffered the same fate, for the same reason. Both launch failures occurred aboard Taurus rockets, made by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles.
Circling pole-to-pole about 400 miles above the Earth, the device’s three sensors are very sensitive. Aquarius senses salinity by bouncing microwaves off the ocean’s surface. Mapping ocean salinity will provide vital clues to ocean circulation patterns while simultaneously mapping rainfall and evaporation. As rain falls over the ocean, salinity decreases; evaporation increases it.
Buoys and other Earth-bound sensors have already painted a picture of rapidly changing ocean salinity patterns. These altered rainfall and evaporation patterns are “changing the structure of the ocean, which can have impacts on fisheries and ultimately, climate.
In addition to Aquarius, the satellite carries seven other cameras and sensors to monitor forest fires, search for space debris, and make measurements of sea ice. (Wash Post, 6/11/2011)
Nuclear Regulator Undermining Safety of Nuclear Power Plants in the United States
NRC Inspector General Report Exposes NRC Chairman
House Hearing (House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy)
Senate Hearing (Full Committee and Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety)
Gregory Jaczko
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko's covert undermining of Yucca Mountain puts the nation at risk because nuclear waste should not reamain in fuel pools and dry caste storage at nuclear power plant sites. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act was passed to provide a safe haven for the permanent storage of nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain was selected by Congress in 2002 as the site for the nation's high-level nuclear waste. The Center supported that congressional decision.
According to a June 6 report by Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General (IG) Hubert T. Bell , Jaczko is undermining this intent of Congress and the American people. For this, he should step down as director of the NRC.
According to the IG report, Jaczko "strategically" withheld information from his colleagues in an effort to stop work on Yucca Mountain. The Center supports Yucca Mountain as the repository for our nation's nuclear waste. At issue is a directive by Mr. Jaczko to agency staffers that effectively halted work on a key NRC report about a proposed waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The inspector general alleges that Mr. Jaczko wasn't forthcoming with his fellow NRC commissioners about the implications of his directive.
Construction and opening of the repository stalled amid opposition from Nevada's congressional delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the Obama administration, which says the repository is not a "workable" option because it lacks support from the state. Even though federal law requires NRC to make a final decision on whether to build the facility, "there are various factors preventing the agency" from doing so, including the Obama administration's effort to terminate the project. The Center opposes the administration's position on Yucca Mountain.
Opposition in Congress has been led by Mr. Reid, for whom Mr. Jaczko once worked as a science-policy adviser. President George W. Bush, after some initial resistance, appointed Mr. Jaczko to a seat on the NRC in 2005 after Mr. Reid blocked Bush nominees for dozens of positions. President Barack Obama elevated Mr. Jaczko to the chairmanship in 2009.
The dispute stems from a decision Mr. Jaczko made last fall to direct commission staffers to wind down the NRC's technical review of an application in favor of the proposed Yucca repository. A memorandum issued by Mr. Jaczko's office to NRC staffers said that because Congress hadn't passed a budget for fiscal 2011, which began last Oct. 1, the staff should use instead Mr. Obama's budget request, which called for terminating the project. The report says Mr. Jaczko "was not forthcoming with" his fellow commissioners about his intent to use the budget guidance to halt work on the Yucca report.
The safety evaluation would have determined whether Yucca met NRC health and safety regulations. The safety report should be made public because it will support the technical and scientific case for the repository. The IG report noted that Mr. Jaczko anticipated that using the budget guidance to halt work "could be controversial" and acknowledged that others might see it as requiring consideration by the full commission. As a result, Mr. Jaczko "strategically provided" three of the four other NRC commissioners "with varying amounts of information" about his intention to prevent publication of the safety documents. The report says that two of the three commissioners "did not fully understand" the implications of Mr. Jaczko's budget guidance, and that a majority of the commissioners "disagreed with" the outcome. (WSJ, 6/10/2011)
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson has floated the idea of a $1 a gallon increase in the gas tax as a way to encourage buyers to purchase smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Akerson said he would support a jump in the gas tax if it came instead of tighter fuel economy regulations that GM and other automakers will have to meet in coming years. By the year 2025, automakers could be forced to hit fuel economy averages of as much as 62 mpg.
The current federal gas tax is only 18.4 cents a gallon.
Akerson has been quoted as saying that if gas hit $4.50 a gallon, "you would probably see people stop visiting our showrooms." (CNN Money, 6/7/2011)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it plans to obtain information on nanoscale materials in pesticide products. Under the requirements of the law, EPA will gather information on what nanoscale materials are present in pesticide products to determine whether the registration of a pesticide may cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment and human health. The proposed policy will be open for public comment.
A number of organizations, as well as government, academic and private sector scientists, have considered whether the small size of nanoscale materials or the unique or enhanced properties of nanoscale materials may, under specific conditions, pose new or increased hazards to humans and the environment.
EPA also recognizes that nanoscale materials have a range of potentially beneficial public and commercial applications, including pest control products. The agency will continue to encourage responsible and innovative development of products containing nanoscale materials to realize these benefits while also addressing health or environmental concerns.
The new proposed policy options will be published in the Federal Register shortly. The notice will also propose a new approach for how EPA will determine whether a nanoscale ingredient is a “new” active or inert ingredient for purposes of scientific evaluation under the pesticide laws, when an identical, non-nanoscale form of the nanoscale ingredient is already registered under FIFRA. This approach will help ensure that EPA is informed about the presence of nanoscale ingredients in pesticide products and allows a more thorough review of the potential risks.
Comments on the Federal Register notice will be accepted until 30 days after publication. The notice will be available at www.regulations.gov in docket number EPA–HQ–OPP–2010-0197. (EPA)
The term “biomass” refers to materials derived from growing or recently grown plant matter and can be generally classified using the following categories:
• Wood residues (forestry, pulp and paper)
• Agricultural residues (bagasse, stover, rice hulls)
• Dedicated energy crops (sawgrass, bamboo, eucalyptus)
• Process wastes (furniture manufacturing, construction and demolition).
Biomass does not store well and some types begin to badly decay within a matter of a few weeks.
Heating value of raw biomass is typically half that of the bituminous coal.
The moisture content of biomass is usually greater than 20 percent and can contain as much as 60 percent.
Biomass Combustion Technologies
In the power generation industry, the most common biomass combustion technologies fall into three categories: 1) stoker/grate firing, 2) fluidized bed combustion (FBC)—including circulating fluidized bed (CFB) and bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boilers—and 3) suspension firing or pulverized fuel (PF) firing.
Stoker/Grate Firing: Grate-type boilers are likely the oldest commercial combustion technology still in use today.
Fluidized Bed Technology: Fluidized bed technology is the most flexible for firing a wide range of fuels and fuels that are variable, including biomass. Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers technology is generally applied to larger capacity units and more broad range of fuels, with the largest CFB to date at around 460 MWe. One of the largest CFB firing 100 percent biomass is 190 MWe and is under construction.
Suspension/Pulverized Fuel Combustion: In suspension fired boilers the pulverized fuel into fine particles burn while suspended in air as opposed to on a grate or in a fluidized bed.
Biomass Emissions
One primary driver for firing biomass is CO2 reduction where it is considered a greenhouse-gas neutral fuel. Firing biomass also reduces other emission such as NOX and SO2.
Fuel Handling and Supply
Where biomass is stored in an enclosed structure for long periods of time, significant off gassing of CO, CO2 and CH4 will occur and will need to be vented for personnel protection and fire prevention.
Dust Hazard Considerations: Biomass can be very dusty when dry. This dust can be an explosion hazard every bit as bad as Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, if not worse. If water spray is used for dust control, it will raise the temperature of the stored biomass and may lead to spontaneous combustion.
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The Center is examing the feasibility of taking conversion of wood to gas for burning in a turbine to produce electricity from bench scale to commercial scale.
The fuel cost for a roundtrip flight from New York to Los is approximately $330. U.S. airlines burn an average of 22 gallons of fuel for every 1,000 miles each passenger flies. The price of a domestic round-trip ticket this summer is forecast to be $430, on average. That includes taxes but excludes baggage fees and other services.
At $3.03 a gallon, airlines are currently spending $330 per passenger just on fuel for a 4,950-mile transcontinental round-trip. Some fliers might have paid less than that for their ticket while others could have spent more than $2,000.
A decade ago, fuel accounted for about 15 percent of airline operating expenses. Five years ago, it was 29 percent. Today, it’s 35 percent.
During the first three months of 2011, the airlines spent $8.7 billion on fuel, 31 percent more than last year. In the current quarter, jet fuel expenses are even higher.
The industry’s remaining expenses break down this way:
• Salaries and benefits account for 28 percent. Ten years ago, it was the biggest expense at 39 percent, but several major airlines filed for bankruptcy and that allowed them to renegotiate labor contracts.
• Aircraft maintenance, airport landing fees and travel agency commissions account for 18 percent.
• Aircraft lease payments, food and drinks and in-flight entertainment account for 5 percent. And that’s even with most airlines no longer serving peanuts.
• Another 14 percent goes to miscellaneous costs, such as updating reservation systems and marketing partnerships with other airlines.
Despite the rising fares and fees, demand for air travel is rising. The airlines expect 206 million passengers this summer, a 1.5 percent increase from last year, according to the Air Transport Association. (The Washington Times, 5/31/2011)
EPA recently released proposed regulations governing cooling water intake structures (CWIS) for existing power plants and manufacturing facilities under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The proposed rule impacts an estimated 1,200 facilities nation-wide, or “over half the water withdrawals in the entire nation.” EPA is accepting comments on the proposal through July 19, 2011.
The proposed rule covers CWIS at existing power-generating, manufacturing, and industrial facilities that: (1) withdraw more that 2 million gallons of water per day; (2) use at least 25% of that water exclusively for cooling purposes; and (3) have a National Pollution Elimination Discharge System (“NPDES”) permit or are required to apply for one. The proposal has three major components: (1) impingement requirements; (2) entrainment requirements; and (3) new units at existing facilities.
Impingement Requirements
The rule imposes a mortality threshold for impingement – i.e., an upper limit on how many aquatic creatures may be killed by being pinned against a facility’s CWIS screens. The proposal designates “traveling fish screens,” combined with a system to return fish captured from the screens, as the best performing technology that will allow facilities to achieve the mortality threshold.
Entrainment Requirements
EPA’s proposal does not designate a specific BTA technology to control entrainment – i.e., death resulting from being sucked into the cooling mechanisms; rather, the rule preserves the status quo by allowing the permitting authority to establish entrainment controls for each facility on a site-specific basis. EPA rejected suggestions to designate “closed cycle cooling technology” as the BTA under § 316(b), even though EPA concluded that closed cycle technology would result in the greatest reduction of entrainment mortality.
The Center supports the proposed rule, however we would have preferred that EPA designate wedgewire screens as BTA technology. We particularly support that EPA rejected closed cycle cooling technology because such a rule would have led to the closure of many needed facilities. (Marten Law, 6/8/2011)
Exxon Mobil Corporation has announced three major oil and natural gas discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. Two of the finds, of natural gas at the Hadrian South prospect and oil at the Hadrian North prospect contain a combined 700 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Last year, Exxon produced 28,000 barrels of oil a day in the Gulf. Exxon could end up producing 200,000 to 300,000 barrels a day of oil equivalent from its new discoveries in the Gulf.
The Washington Post quotes Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) as stating that they intend to treat thousands of tons of highly radioactive water and store it in drums. The Wall Street Journal, on the same day, runs the headline: "Second Japanese Plant To Dump Tainted Water." The treatment and drum storage would supposedly occur at the Fukushima Daiichi facility and the dumping would be at the Fukushima Daini plant. Both plants are owned and operated by Tepco.
The Center opposes the dumping of the highly radioactive water from the Daini plant into the ocean. We consider it a criminal act and the United Nations should condemn it and demand that Japan cease and desist immediately. We are calling for a sarcophagus at the Daiichi site and maybe the highly contaminated water from the Daini site could be entombed there too.
Tepco plans to release 3,000 tons of radioactive water into the ocean from the Fukushima Daini nuclear complex, the sister plant of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi complex. The Daini plant, located about six miles south of the Daiichi complex, took on seawater when the March 11 tsunami flooded the facility. But while the tsunami knocked out power at the Daiichi plant, causing fuel to melt dangerously inside some of its reactor cores, the Daini plant suffered less flooding and less-debilitating power outages. Fukushima Daini's four reactors, which are newer than the four hard-hit reactors at Daiichi, were brought to a state called cold shutdown one to four days after the quake.
Steel tanks will be used to store radioactive wastewater
accumulating at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
After spraying it reactors with ocean water for 21/2 months to cool the melted down reactors, Tepco must remove at least 26 million gallons of radioactive water. Of course, Tepco is having difficulty securing areas to store the radioactive water — more than 100,000 metric tons of it. (WSJ, 6/9/2011, Wash Post, 6/9/2011)
The Senate defeated a measure that would have delayed implementation of a cut in the fees banks are allowed to charge retailers for each debit card transaction. Banks that issue debit cards stand to lose billions in fee revenue after the Federal Reserve issues its new rules on July 21 — rules that were mandated by last year’s Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.
The 54-45 vote on an amendment sponsored by Senator John Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., needed 60 votes to pass and came down to the wire, with proponents and opponents arguing on the floor right up until the vote was held.
The Tester-Corker amendment would have delayed the rules and mandated that the Fed spend six month studying how the swipe fee changes would affect consumers and financial institutions, among other issues. The Fed would then have six more months to rewrite the rules, potentially delaying implementation by a year. According to the National Retail Federation, which opposed the amendment, debit card fees total $20 billion a year.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was the main opponent of the Tester-Corker amendment, and was the author of the measure that mandated the Fed ruling on swipe fees. In several floor speeches Wednesday he made impassioned pleas for a “no” vote on the measure. Durbin argued that the largest banks in America – he named Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America – were fighting for the amendment’s passage because they stood to lose billions of dollars from swipe fees that hurt small businesses and consumers.
According to a proposed set of rules announced by the Federal Reserve in December 2010, a limit of seven to 12 cents per purchase would be part of the new rules, a more than 70 percent decrease from the 2009 average fee. Financial institutions with less than $10 billion in assets would be exempt from the new rules. (PBS News Hour, 6/8/2011)
Center Continues To Demand That Japanese Government Should Seal Site Immediately
The Japanese government has announced that it is creating an independent nuclear agency, breaking up the ministry that both promotes and regulates atomic energy. This action is in response to the Fukushima Daiichi plant disaster. The decision to separate the regulator (the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, or NISA) from the promoter (the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, or METI) came as part of a government report that calls for several major overhauls in the way Japan operates its nuclear plants and provides information about the ongoing crisis after the earthquake and tsunami in March. Previously, NISA was a subdivision of METI, an arrangement that critics say contributed to lax oversight of nuclear safety in Japan.
The Center is also calling for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resign because of his refusal to seal the site. We also called for the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) president to resign and he did. Now the new president of Tepco should either seal the site or resign. The Center is encouraging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama to demand the immediate sealing of the site. Radioactivity from the site has reach the United States. (Wash Post, 6/8/2011)
Part of effort to protect Americans’ health by increasing access to chemical information
In order to ensure the public has as much information as possible about the health and the environmental impacts of chemicals, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made public the identities of more than 150 chemicals contained in 104 health and safety studies that had been claimed confidential by industry. Today’s announcement is another in a series of unprecedented actions that EPA is taking to provide the public with greater access to information on the chemicals that are manufactured and used in the United States.
For these 104 studies, the chemical identity will no longer be redacted, or kept from view. The chemicals involved are used in dispersant formulations and consumer products such as air fresheners, non-stick and stain resistant materials, fire resistant materials, nonylphenol compounds, perfluorinated compounds, and lead.
In 2010, EPA challenged industry to voluntarily declassify unwarranted claims of confidential business information (CBI). The agency also issued new guidance outlining plans to deny confidentiality claims for chemical identity in health and safety studies under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Based on this guidance, EPA notified a number of companies in February 2011 that the agency had determined that their CBI claim was not eligible for confidential treatment under TSCA and that EPA intended to make the information public.
The health and safety studies include some declassified by the agency and other voluntary declassifications by companies in response to EPA’s challenge. EPA is committed to posting new declassified materials under TSCA on the agency website on a regular basis.
In addition to these actions, EPA over the past several months has taken a number of other steps to make chemical information more readily available. The agency has provided the public, for the first time ever, with free access to the consolidated TSCA Inventory on the EPA and Data.Gov websites. EPA also launched a new chemical data access tool that for the first time gives the public the ability to electronically search EPA’s database of more than 10,000 health and safety documents on a wide range of chemicals that they may come in contact with every day. EPA will continue to take actions to increase the public’s access to chemical information. (EPA)
I attended the welcoming ceremony for German Chancellor Angela Merkel at The White House today. The ceremony was held on the South Lawn and about 3,000 were there. The line to get in stretched all the way around the Treasury Department building back around 15th Street to The White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was a beautiful morning. The weather was perfect.
Norris McDonald on South Lawn of The White House
After President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were announced, there was a 19 gun salute. The national anthems of the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany were played by a military band. There was a review of the troops by President Obama and Chancellor Merkel and then they greeted individuals in the crowd. After remarks by Obama and Merkel, military units marched out and then the crowd exited.
It was a wonderful ceremony on a very beautiful day. Special thanks to EPA for the invitation.
Center Is Interested in Facilitating Construction of Plants
According to uranium mining and investment company IBI Corp, China wants to help build nuclear power generation in East Africa. Evidently China's appetite for overseas nuclear expansion is undiminished despite the Japanese nuclear crisis this year. IBI, which has uranium-prospective land in Uganda, held an "encouraging meeting... with the relatively new umbrella organization overseeing China's research and development of Generation 3 and Generation 4 nuclear power plant designs. At the meeting, this entity expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear power plant construction in East Africa."
China is in the early stages of a massive nuclear power expansion to help meet the demands of its power-guzzling economy and to weaken the grip of coal as the dominant source of fuel. Japan's earthquake and tsunami on March 11 and the ensuing nuclear crisis have threatened to put cracks in China's own plans, with the government ordering a halt to further nuclear approvals until it had inspected the existing reactors and construction sites.
China's ambitious domestic nuclear expansion is widely expected to march ahead, although talk of the sector growing to 80-90 gigawatts by 2020 may give way to a target of 70-75 GW. Still, that is a giant leap from China's existing nuclear capacity, which amounted to 10.8 GW, at the end of 2010.
Some of China's new plants will use "third generation" reactors, using technology from France's Areva and U.S.-based Westinghouse, part of Toshiba Corp. But later their technology will be transferred to China, enabling it to build third generation plants in its own right.
Currently there are no nuclear plants in East Africa, and only one country on the continent, South Africa, has nuclear power.
China already has some early-stage interests in uranium in Africa. The overseas arm of China National Nuclear Corp has a 37.2 percent stake in a uranium mine in Niger that began producing on December 30, 2010, as well as exploration projects in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Another state-owned company, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp, earlier this month withdrew a bid for UK-listed Kalahari Minerals, which holds 43 percent of Extract Resources, owner of Namibia's Husab project, potentially the world's second-biggest uranium mine. The Chinese firm, which withdrew its $1.2 billion bid after regulators refused to let it cut its offer in the aftermath of the Japanese nuclear disaster, is considering whether to come back with a fresh offer. (African Scientific Institute)
The Center, through its subsidiary Green Electric (GE), is seeking to build a biomass-to-electricity plant in Port Gibson, Mississippi. We have approval from the City of Port Gibson and Claiborne County Board of Supervisors to proceed. The Center also has an agreement with AREVA to serve as construction manager for the project.
Initial funding for the scoping was provided by National Clean Fuels, Inc. (NACF) of Houston, Texas. Over the past seven months, the Center staff and our contracted engineering firm, Dyson Engineering and Technical Services, visited Port Gibson four times. After exploring three separate sites for the plant, the Center has decided on the location near an electrical substation in Port Gibson. Mayor Fred Reaves and residents of the city are excited by the prospect of the project bringing jobs to the area.
Biomass projects are challenging and not necessarily the most attractive investments for investors. The Center, as a nonprofit organization, has more leverage to make such a business an ongoing operation. Even with a donation of $10 million to build the plant and $5 million to operate for five years, the economics of the project will be challenging. However, the job creation benefits, global climate change mitigation implications and the electricity delivery service are worth the risk of building this facility in this area.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, chaired by Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), held a hearing today to examine “The Department of Energy’s Role in Managing Civilian Radioactive Waste.” It was the committee’s first hearing on our nuclear future since the Government Accountability Office released its report slamming DOE’s decision to withdraw the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s license application for Yucca Mountain.
Mark Gaffigan, Managing Director of Natural Resources and Environment at the GAO, summarized the report’s findings, noting that, “DOE has not cited any technical or safety issues but has stated that Yucca Mountain is 'not a workable option' in large part because of the lack of public acceptance.” GAO blamed “social and political opposition to a permanent repository” as the key obstacle in its report.
Subcommittee members from both parties expressed their frustration and concern with DOE’s decision to shut down Yucca Mountain and questioned whether DOE’s actions were in violation of the law, specifically, whether or not Secretary Chu had the authority to withdraw the NRC application under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. During questioning, Dr. Peter B. Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy, was unable to cite a scientific justification for the department’s decision. Instead, Lyons reiterated the position of Secretary Chu that Yucca Mountain is “not a workable option” due to public opposition.
Members and witnesses agreed there remains a pressing need for a permanent solution to nuclear waste and acknowledged that any long-term storage solution would be timely and costly. Several witnesses testified to the time and taxpayer dollars already exhausted on Yucca Mountain. Gregory Friedman, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Energy stated that, “The United States has invested nearly 30 years of effort and expended over $15 billion to develop a nuclear waste repository.” Friedman went on to say that any further delays in building a nuclear repository would incur additional liability and defense costs on taxpayers.
Greg White, who testified on behalf of the Michigan Public Service Commission, expressed his concerns over the government’s failed commitment to take the nation’s nuclear waste and its mismanagement of the Nuclear Waste Fund, stating, “Yucca Mountain did not fail for lack of the utilities and their ratepayers making the payments into the Nuclear Waste Fund, which exceeded $31 billion, with interest."
Chairman Shimkus pledged that the subcommittee will continue to investigate DOE’s role in the shut down of Yucca Mountain and fight for a permanent solution to store the nation’s nuclear waste. (House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, Press Release)
The twenty-two visionaries in the 2011 Echoing Green Class of Fellows are ready to push forward social change. Solving the world’s most difficult problems requires an ecosystem of support—imaginative leadership, bold ideas, and a vast network of resources.
The 2011 Fellows Challenge is an opportunity for you to triple your impact and strengthen the ecosystem. The Pershing Square Foundation, committed to providing strategic support to entrepreneurial leaders, has challenged Echoing Green to raise $150,000 by June 30th—which they will match two dollars for every dollar given, for a total of $450,000.
Cheryl L. Dorsey
President, Echoing Green
1992 Echoing Green Fellow
The Pershing Square Foundation supports social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas who demonstrate the means to accelerate social change for the most disadvantaged communities in the US and globally. Focus areas include poverty alleviation, education, health, social justice, the arts and social enterprise. They have invested in Echoing Green for four years, and helped us to champion our Fellows working in fields ranging from domestic education to global health and economic development. Today, they have challenged the Echoing Green network to match the boldness of our newest class of Echoing Green Fellows.
Romney advocates the development of all our energy sources, nuclear, oil, natural gas and coal.
Mitt Romney is against the Kyoto Protocol believing it will result in jobs leaving the United States.
Mitt Romney believes the world is getting warmer and that humans are contributing to that pattern. (Wash Post, 6/9/2011)
Governor Mitt Romney supports drilling in ANWR.
Romney opposes the Cape Wind offshore wind farm proposal because he believes it would be a visual detriment to Nantucket: "Nantucket is a critical location for the state, and placing wind turbines there would be detrimental."
* The commitment of state government to “Lead by Example.” To this end, the state has completed its first inventory of the greenhouse gas emissions generated at state facilities and pledged to reduce them 25 percent by 2012, saving the state millions of dollars per year in energy bills;
* Reducing CO2 from cars through aggressive implementation of the California Low Emission Vehicle program;
* Creating partnerships with cities and towns, businesses, colleges and universities to reach climate protection targets;
* A program to assist low-income residents to upgrade old, inefficient oil burners to reduce their energy costs;
* Reducing emissions and soot from diesel vehicles, including trucks, buses, locomotives and construction equipment;
* Including carbon pollution as a criteria when making state decisions on transportation funds;
* Allowing the purchasers of clean cars to have access to the High Occupancy (HOV or carpool) lanes;
* Encouraging the construction of “green” schools and green buildings;
* Purchasing only fuel-efficient vehicles and energy efficient computers and copiers for state use to save on fuel and electricity bills for current and future taxpayers;
* Removing barriers to and encouraging the development of renewable energy;
* Improving efficiency standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
* Developing an emissions banking and trading market in Massachusetts.
States should be able to have their own emissions standards. (Jan 2008)
Response to Big Dig death shows how Romney handles crises. (Mar 2007)
Lit mountain with Olympic rings while placating enviro’s. (Aug 2004)
Clean environment will be a campaign theme. (Mar 2002)
They don’t call it “America warming” but “global warming”. (Jan 2008)
Opposes McCain-Lieberman bill due to $0.50/gal. gas tax. (Jan 2008)
$20 billion package for energy research & new car technology. (Jan 2008)
Need worldwide global warming solutions; not CAFE or US tax. (Jan 2008)
Invest in new technologies to get us off of foreign oil. (Dec 2007)
Develop energy technology like nuclear or liquefied coal. (Oct 2007)
The time for true energy independence has come. (Aug 2007)
Exporting carbon emissions to China hurts US and planet. (Aug 2007)
No-regrets policy: biofuel, nuclear power, drill ANWR. (Jun 2007)
Big Oil should reinvest profits in oil refineries. (Jun 2007)
Develop alternative energy but also drill in ANWR. (Dec 2006)
Can’t become energy independent in a decade, but be on track. (Jan 2006)
The Center has been calling for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, left, to resign because of his mishandling of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. The Center has been recommending sealing the four reactors that exploded in March.
For some unknown reason, the Japanese government is allowing the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to operate like Keystone Cops or the Marx Brothers. In addition to spraying ocean water onto the reactors to try to cool them, the utility company has been sending workers into the facilities to try to regain control. The sprayed water has added to the already highly radioactive water that spilled all over the facility after the explosions and is contaminating the nearby ocean. Most of the post tsunami damage could have been avoided if a timely decision had been made to seal the site. A sarcophagus over the four reactors would mitigate the ongoing leakage of radiation into the environment.
Kan survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote aimed at driving him from power today. Kan, who assumed his job about a year ago, cut a backroom political deal with members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan only hours before the parliamentary vote was to take place. The final tally of the no-confidence vote, sponsored by the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, was 293 against ousting Kan and 152 supporting the move. (LA Times, 6/2/2011)
After musing about the implications of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, I realized that the facility experienced at least one or more reactor core meltdowns. Remember "The China Syndrome" with Jane Fonda, which postulated that such a meltdown would burn its way through the Earth to China? And the brutal irony of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurring just as the movie opened? Don't forget that the Chernobyl accident didn't send a destructive nuclear pile through the Earth either. So what of the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear reactor core meltdown(s)?
Now we know. Nothing of particular interest. Now don't get me wrong, the Fukushima disaster was my worst nightmare as a pronuclear advocate. In fact, I could not have imagined the scenario of THREE reactor buildings exploding and the resulting images being broadcast all over the world. But those were hydrogen explosions and not nuclear explosions that are exemplified by fission or fission/fusion bomb explosions. Note the distinction. The meltdown(s) elevated the temperatures in the containment buildings to the extent that the hydrogen and oxygen in the water separated and the hydrogen encountered a heat source that ignited it.
But to the point: of what would happen if a nuclear reactor melted down? Evidently, not much. Now fission products and other nuclear radiation were spewed into the atmosphere due to the HYDROGEN explosion. EPA even detected elevated levels of radiation at its monitoring stations on the west coast. However, the meltdown did not 'melt to China,' nor did it destroy Japan. The radioactive contamination that has rendered a 12-mile zone around the facility is very serious, however, that is due more to the hydrogen explosions than the core meltdown(s). The bottom line is that the core MELTDOWN(S) did not destroy Japan or the local area around the facility. This worst of nucleaer nightmare scenarios has educated those of us who support nuclear power that maintaining cooling at the plant(s) is of utmost importance.
The Center has aggressively challenged the Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) handling of the post tsunami disaster. We called for the resignation of the president of TEPCO (and he resigned) and we continue to call for the resignation of Japan's prime minister because of his mismanagement of the aftermath of the tsuanmi disaster. They should have sealed the site immediately after they realized that they lost control of the cooling systems. Instead, TEPCO continues to fruitlessly attempt to reclaim the site. This is insanity and represents the worst inclination of big business to navel gaze. The brilliant are blowing it. Seal the site. Seal it now. You should have sealed it before the hydrogen explosions. The disaster was an unfortunate Act of God, but the TEPCO and Japanese government responses continue to be ridiculous.
