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With all of the brouhaha following Defense Secretary Gates' announcement yesterday to scale back on wasteful defense programs, it has not yet been mentioned that Gates also announced an additional budget request of $700 million for "nuclear surety." Surety means making sure nuclear weapons cannot be used by those who did not create them and may have stolen them. But there is much debate over whether or not we even have a surety problem--we've spoken with several insiders who say there isn't one. While the new funding came up during the Q & A at yesterday's Pentagon press conference as it related to nuclear stewardship across the DOD enterprise based on the non-specific recommendations of the Schlesinger task force's report, it's not exactly clear what DoD will use these funds for.

A huge maintenance hangar at former MCAS El Toro remains "radiological restricted" over California Department of Public Health concerns about a Navy radiological survey. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has not approved an MCAS El Toro hangar contaminated with Radium-226, despite a July 2002 Navy report recommending unrestricted use.

"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."

"A new poll shows Entergy Vermont Yankee has lost the trust of a majority of Vermonters. The poll says a radiation leak at the plant has severely eroded public support for the plant to operate after 2012. VPR's John Dillon reports: (Dillon) The poll of 802 Vermont residents was commissioned by the Civil Society Institute, a Massachusetts-based non profit that says it opposes nuclear power. The survey was taken just days before the Senate voted overwhelmingly to block Entergy Vermont Yankee's request for a 20-year license extension. "

"MORE than 100 people took to the streets of Thornbury last week to protest against plans for a new nuclear power station. Local people were armed with placards with slogans such as Don't Blight our Horizon, Save the Severn Vale and No 2 Nuclear. The group, which included residents, parents, young children, teenagers and older people, walked from Thornbury Town Hall to the Cossham Hall chanting "What do we want? E.ON out. DECC see the light." "

"After decades of research and debate, Nevada's Yucca Mountain will not become the country's long-term nuclear waste storage facility. By long-term, I mean for the next million years or so. Due to the high radioactivity of some of the waste, the Supreme Court has ruled that any nuclear repository must be certified geologically stable for one million years."

"A team of solicitors will travel to Tennant Creek today to prepare their case against the Federal Government's plan to build a nuclear waste dump north of the town. The Darwin based legal team will speak to traditional owners as part of a push to challenge the nomination of the site at Muckaty Station. A Senate committee has endorsed it as a suitable site for the facility. Solicitor George Newhouse says the Northern Land Council failed to consult with the traditional owners which makes the nomination invalid. "

Regarding Carolyn D. Heising's Oct. 13 guest opinion: The more urgent question should have been: What is the future for nuclear power? I would agree with Heising on just two points: The United States needs an aggressive program of energy efficiency, and the stakes are too high for vital (energy) decisions to be made on the basis of hope and faith. Not one of her 10 paragraphs even hints at the horrendous problems and worries of nuclear-power generation. Nuclear power has to be perfect, lest a Chernobyl-type accident once again spiels radioactive waste capable of destroying surrounding countryside for generations to come.

Regarding Carolyn D. Heising's Oct. 13 guest opinion: The more urgent question should have been: What is the future for nuclear power? I would agree with Heising on just two points: The United States needs an aggressive program of energy efficiency, and the stakes are too high for vital (energy) decisions to be made on the basis of hope and faith. Not one of her 10 paragraphs even hints at the horrendous problems and worries of nuclear-power generation. Nuclear power has to be perfect, lest a Chernobyl-type accident once again spiels radioactive waste capable of destroying surrounding countryside for generations to come.

Once vilified by environmentalists and its future dim, nuclear energy has become a pivotal bargaining chip as Senate Democrats seek Republican votes to pass climate legislation. The nuclear industry's long-standing campaign to rebrand itself as green is gaining acceptance amid the push to curtail greenhouse gases. Nuclear power still faces daunting challenges, including what to do with radioactive reactor waste. Reactors also remain a tempting target for terrorists.

Once vilified by environmentalists and its future dim, nuclear energy has become a pivotal bargaining chip as Senate Democrats seek Republican votes to pass climate legislation. The nuclear industry's long-standing campaign to rebrand itself as green is gaining acceptance amid the push to curtail greenhouse gases. Nuclear power still faces daunting challenges, including what to do with radioactive reactor waste. Reactors also remain a tempting target for terrorists.

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato has expressed anger at the central government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., saying both "betrayed" the people of Fukushima Prefecture with repeated assurances about the safety of nuclear power plants. "We feel we were betrayed [by the central government and TEPCO]," Sato said during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Thursday, nearly a month after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the outbreak of a series of accidents at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. "The central government and TEPCO repeatedly told us, 'Nuclear power plants are safe because they've got multiple protection systems,' and, 'Earthquake-proof measures have been taken,'" Sato said.