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"German plans to extend the running time of nuclear-power plants split Chancellor Angela Merkel's government after her environment minister suggested a 40-year limit on their operating life. "What the environment minister said isn't the view of the government," Guido Westerwelle, vice chancellor and head of Merkel's Free Democratic Party coalition partner, said on ZDF television. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen's comments in a Feb. 6 newspaper interview come as Merkel seeks to negotiate the extension with utilities as part of a plan for Germany's future energy mix she wants to present by October. Merkel won Sept. 27 elections pledging to reverse a 2002 law mandating the closure of Germany's 17 nuclear plants by about 2021. She holds to the coalition agreement to extend nuclear plants as a "bridge" to renewable power, her spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said today. "

Beyond ecological imperialism Climate change isn't just a battle between rich and poor - it shows how an obsession with economic growth is a dead end o guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 December 2009 12.30 GMT So the Copenhagen summit did not deliver any hope of substantive change, or even any indication that the world's leaders are sufficiently aware of the vastness and urgency of the problem. But is that such a surprise? Nothing in the much-hyped runup to the summit suggested that the organisers and participants had genuine ambitions to change course and stop or reverse a process of clearly unsustainable growth. Part of the problem is that the issue of climate change is increasingly portrayed as that of competing interests between countries. Thus, the summit has been interpreted variously as a fight between the "two largest culprits" - the US and China - or between a small group of developed countries and a small group of newly emerging countries (the group of four - China, India, Brazil and South Africa), or at best between rich and poor countries. The historical legacy of past growth in the rich countries that has a current adverse impact is certainly keenly felt in the developing world. It is not just the past: current per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world are still many multiples of that in any developing country, including China. So the attempts by northern commentators to lay blame on some countries for derailing the result by pointing to this discrepancy are seen in most developing countries as further evidence of an essentially colonial outlook. But describing this as a fight between countries misses the essential point: that the issue is really linked to an economic system - capitalism - that is crucially dependent upon rapid growth as its driving force, even if this "growth" does not deliver better lives for the people. So there is no questioning of the supposition that rich countries with declining populations mu

Beyond ecological imperialism Climate change isn't just a battle between rich and poor - it shows how an obsession with economic growth is a dead end o guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 December 2009 12.30 GMT So the Copenhagen summit did not deliver any hope of substantive change, or even any indication that the world's leaders are sufficiently aware of the vastness and urgency of the problem. But is that such a surprise? Nothing in the much-hyped runup to the summit suggested that the organisers and participants had genuine ambitions to change course and stop or reverse a process of clearly unsustainable growth. Part of the problem is that the issue of climate change is increasingly portrayed as that of competing interests between countries. Thus, the summit has been interpreted variously as a fight between the "two largest culprits" - the US and China - or between a small group of developed countries and a small group of newly emerging countries (the group of four - China, India, Brazil and South Africa), or at best between rich and poor countries. The historical legacy of past growth in the rich countries that has a current adverse impact is certainly keenly felt in the developing world. It is not just the past: current per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world are still many multiples of that in any developing country, including China. So the attempts by northern commentators to lay blame on some countries for derailing the result by pointing to this discrepancy are seen in most developing countries as further evidence of an essentially colonial outlook. But describing this as a fight between countries misses the essential point: that the issue is really linked to an economic system - capitalism - that is crucially dependent upon rapid growth as its driving force, even if this "growth" does not deliver better lives for the people. So there is no questioning of the supposition that rich countries with declining populations mu

"The Indiana Senate has passed legislation that would boost the state's regulations for radioactive materials being shipped within the state. The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to send the bill sponsored by state Sen. Jim Arnold to the Indiana House for consideration. The LaPorte Democrat says his bill is needed to keep Indiana safe from dangerous materials that require delicate handling because of their radiation threat. His bill would require the state's Homeland Security agency to issue a permit for the transportation of radioactive materials within Indiana. Shippers of radioactive material would have to tell the state how much material they plan to transport, when it will be shipped and what route the shipments will take through the state."

"The Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would allow the storage of nuclear waste in Kentucky, which the bill's sponsor hopes will open the door to nuclear energy facilities in the state. Approval of the bill came despite complaints by one Eastern Kentucky Democrat that the bill could take the focus off coal at a time when Congress and the Obama administration is considering legislation and rules that he said could hurt the industry."

""By promising to fund any extra costs in decommissioning, Labour is gambling taxpayers' money for energy firms who won't pick up the tab," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary. Commenting on today's report by the Comptroller and Auditor General into the sale of the Government's interest in British Energy, Simon Hughes said: "This report shows the Government's blindness to the clean-up costs of nuclear power in its headlong rush to build new plants. "By promising to fund any extra costs in decommissioning, Labour is gambling taxpayers' money for energy firms who won't pick up the tab. "The Government's promises to build new nuclear power stations without public subsidy are virtually worthless when it's already writing blank cheques to private energy firms." "

"If there's one thing the state's Republican governor and the Democratic-led Salt Lake County Council can agree on, it's this: Depleted uranium doesn't belong in Utah. Last month, Gov. Gary Herbert stopped trainloads of depleted uranium from reaching the Beehive State. Now, Utah's most-populous county is making it clear it doesn't want that radioactive waste being shipped through its territory either. The council passed a resolution 8-0 on Tuesday that, although nonbinding, prohibits the transport of depleted uranium through the county. If EnergySolutions has accepted waste that later is found to be unsuitable for its landfill, the resolution states, the company would have to remove it at its own expense. "

"I know we're all fixated on the fate of President Obama's signature mission, but surely we can agree that his newly announced bid to build more nuclear power plants is worth a thousand words. The politics alone are fascinating. Not that long ago, any Democratic president daring to fly a "More Nukes" banner would have been fried by his own base. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and the Boss would have plugged in for a protest concert, just as they did for the "No Nukes" show in '79. But Obama's request for $54 billion in federal loan guarantees, and his State of the Union pitch for "a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants," have barely moved the ire meter."

"Vermont's congressional delegation asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tuesday to reconsider its decision to hold a closed-door session about the Vermont Yankee reactor for elected officials in New Hampshire, saying it further undermines Vermonters' confidence in the commission's oversight. Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders and Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter F. Welch, both Democrats, issued the joint statement late Tuesday afternoon, saying they were "committed to open and transparent government and to honoring both the letter and spirit of Vermont's open meeting laws." They urged the commission chairman, Gregory Jaczko, to move the meeting back to Vermont and comply fully with Vermont's open government law. Jaczko has said recently that he wanted to champion openness and "transparency" in the NRC's dealings."

"Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter on Tuesday voiced cautious criticism against the United Nations sanctions imposed on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), calling them "unproductive." "North Korea (DPRK) has approximately 24 million people, and they have been suffering now for 50 years, not only because of the policies of the government in Pyongyang but because the international community increased that suffering by preventing normal supplies of the basic necessities of life," the 85-year-old former U.S. president said in a question-and-answer session following the speech titled "A Nuclear North Korea and Peace on the Korean Peninsula" at Seoul's Korea University. "My country and your country participate in this punishment of North Korean people," he said, adding that the government in Pyongyang blames the economic plight of its people on foreigners. He also called for a "more direct" negotiation with the DPRK in resolving the nuclear standoff, saying that Pyongyang, which he said appears "very paranoid" about possible foreign attempts to bring down the country, needs reassurance."

"Legislation that would lift Kentucky's ban on construction of nuclear plants has melted down in the House after easily passing the Senate nearly two months ago. Democratic state Rep. Rick Rand, chairman of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, where the bill has been sitting idle since January, said Monday he doesn't expect it to be called for a vote in the current legislative session. "There is opposition to it," Rand said. "Many members have expressed concern about the nuclear issue. Not just members, but also people who have environmental concerns.""

"A measure that would tighten environmental controls over a Fremont County uranium processing mill advanced in the state Senate on Tuesday. Pueblo West's Democratic Rep. Buffie McFadyen said her bill, HB1348, would require cleanup of contamination in Cañon City before the Cotter mill could expand its operations. Mill officials want to expand by refining uranium ore that is mined out of state."

"At a nursing home in Hiroshima's Minami Ward, 86-year-old Suzuko Numata lies in her bed and watches news about defections from the opposition Liberal Democratic Party on television. "When it comes to politics, I can't trust any of the parties," she says with a tired expression. When asked about what she thinks of U.S. President Barack Obama, she replies, "Well, he's the first American (president) to really clearly say he wants nuclear weapons abolished." A little while later, she begins her tale of her globe-spanning efforts to tell the world of the sunny August day in 1945 when she witnessed the horror of a nuclear attack herself."

"People throughout seven Western states --- including anywhere in Utah -- who were exposed to radiation from atomic testing and the uranium industry would be eligible for government compensation, under proposed new congressional legislation. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, has lined up support from Republicans and fellow Democrats for his bill to update the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, the measure championed exactly two decades ago by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch. A House version of the bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, is expected to be introduced later this week. And, while the possible expansion of RECA is being applauded by many of Utah's "downwinders," as the radiation-exposed group calls itself, neither Hatch nor fellow Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett are listed as co-sponsors of Udall's bill. "

"The following is a statement made by Robert A. McConnell, co-founder of the U.S. Ukraine Foundation, on April 21 before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Chairman [Howard] Berman, ranking member [Ileana] Ros-Lehtinen and distinguished members of the committee: As the committee looks at the very important issue of nuclear weapons, their proliferation and the potential of their use by terrorists, as well as reviewing the results of the April 12-13 nuclear security summit, I offer comments and a historical perspective related to one country most in the news during the summit: Ukraine. I do not speak for Ukraine or for anyone in Ukraine, however, as you are aware, I am one of the founders of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S.-Ukraine Foundation [a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that hopes to build peace and prosperity in Ukraine through democratic values] that, having established an office in Kyiv in 1990, is among a select few with an American presence in Ukraine since before independence. Therefore, I speak for myself and my comments are based upon personal knowledge gained from trips to Ukraine made before we opened our office there, meetings with Ukrainian government officials that began before independence, hundreds of hours spent with the leadership of Rukh (the "Movement" that was established in 1989 and was a fundamental catalyst to Ukraine's drive for independence), as well as having participated in numerous meetings between officials of the Ukrainian government and officials of our own government in the early 1990s and since."

"- E.ON AG and RWE AG, Germany's largest utilities, may not get to run their nuclear plants past scheduled shutdown dates after Chancellor Angela Merkel's party lost control of parliament's upper house in a state election. The pro-nuclear leader of the Christian Democrats, punished by voters yesterday for her reversal on aid for Greece, may lose their hold on power in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state. The party's worst result since World War II robs Merkel of a majority in the upper chamber in Berlin, limiting her ability to extend the lifespan of nuclear-power plants. Germany, the European Union's largest power user, plans to scrap a decade-old law that would have forced the shutdown of its nuclear reactors by about 2020. Merkel favors extended use of the plants to meet energy demand and cut output of gases blamed for global warming. An extension would bolster earnings for utilities with nuclear stations and forego spending on replacement plants. "

"One accusation frequently levelled at the Labour administration by the Conservatives was that ministers were moving so slowly on developing energy policy that Britain could see the lights go out. In that context, the decision to give energy policy to one of the five Liberal Democrats offered a cabinet seat looks a curious one. There is much on which Chris Huhne and his new Conservative colleagues will agree - the need for a green investment bank, for example, and the refusal to countenance the building of a third runway at Heathrow. On one issue, however, the LibDems and the Tories remain poles apart: the role of nuclear power in the generation of Britain. "

"New York's senators on Wednesday urged two federal agencies to reform the compensation process for workers at former nuclear sites, including those at the Linde facility in the Town of Tonawanda. Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, or NIOSH, to make it easier for cancer-stricken workers to receive compensation for their illnesses. "Through a simple rule change, justice can finally be delivered to the nuclear workers of Western New York," Schumer said in a statement. "These Cold War heroes became dangerously ill developing the country's nuclear weapons program, and should not have to wait a minute longer for help." Added Gillibrand, "New York's former nuclear workers have been neglected for far too long, and should not have to scale a mountain of red tape or prove the un-provable before receiving the compensation they deserve...Those affected must have an opportunity for their case to be heard.""

"Centrica and E.ON lobby Liberal Democrat energy secretary to commit government to £30bn nuclear newbuild programme Leaders of the nuclear industry have sought urgent meetings with the new energy secretary, Chris Huhne, amid concern that he will not provide the support needed for their £30bn investment programme in a new generation of reactors. Sam Laidlaw, Centrica's chief executive, and Paul Golby, head of E.ON UK, have scheduled talks in the coming days with Huhne, who has strongly indicated that his primary focus is renewable power."

"Energy and climate change secretary "will take pragmatic approach" to new power stations, says EDF's Vincent de Rivaz Vincent de Rivaz: 'The commitments from the coalition government envisage a proper role for nuclear.' Photograph: Eamonn McCabe EDF Energy will announce today that it has received sufficient reassurances from the energy and climate change secretary, Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne, to continue planning for a new generation of nuclear plants in Britain. There were fears that the Lib Dems' manifesto commitment to halt the construction of any more nuclear reactors, and recent sceptical signals from Huhne, could derail its £20bn building programme. But Vincent de Rivaz, the chief executive of EDF in Britain, will tell a conference he is convinced that both sides are committed to the same goal: new reactors without subsidies and at a viable cost."

"No nukes » Matheson says there is no need for new nuke tests; primary foe, GOP nominee agree. U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson said it would be "a giant step backward" to resume nuclear weapons testing and he will oppose any efforts to move down that road. Matheson was responding to recent comments from two Republican Senate candidates -- Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee -- who told The Salt Lake Tribune last week that they supported modernization and underground testing of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. The Democratic congressman will get no argument from his primary opponent, Claudia Wright, nor from Republican nominee Morgan Philpot. Both oppose resumption of nuclear weapons testing. "