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Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold public meetings Thursday, Dec. 4, in Crystal River, Fla., to discuss the environmental issues the agency should consider in reviewing a Combined License (COL) application for two new reactors proposed for the Levy County site near Crystal River. The NRC will meet with the public from 1 - 4 p.m. and 6 - 9 p.m. at the Florida National Guard Armory, 8551 W. Venable St. in Crystal River. The application's environmental report is available on the agency's Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/levy.html. Copies of the report are also available at the Citrus County Coastal Region Library, 8619 W. Crystal St. in Crystal River; the Bronson Public Library at 600 Gilbert St. in Bronson, Fla.; and the Dunnellon Branch Library at 20351 Robinson Rd. in Dunnellon, Fla.

Nuclear weapons and nuclear power have greatly influenced history from 1945 to the present. This digital library provides an annotated bibliography of over 2,000 books, articles, films, CDs, and websites about a broad range of nuclear issues.

The Coalition for a Nuclear Free Alberta launched its province-wide Green Ribbon Campaign at the Grande Prairie Public Library yesterday. The purpose of the campaign is to urge Albertans to reject what the CNFA deems to be a risky and expensive proposal to develop nuclear power in the province. "People are beginning to see that there's more to this nuclear development story than meets the eye," said Norman Dyck, a spokesman for CNFA. "The information is getting out to the alternate media; people mostly want to be responsible in what we leave to our great-great-great-great grandchildren." The coalition does not see nuclear power as a climate change solution. It believes renewable energy options can be brought about faster and more cheaply, with less risk to the health of Albertans and the environment.

The Coalition for a Nuclear Free Alberta launched its province-wide Green Ribbon Campaign at the Grande Prairie Public Library yesterday. The purpose of the campaign is to urge Albertans to reject what the CNFA deems to be a risky and expensive proposal to develop nuclear power in the province. "People are beginning to see that there's more to this nuclear development story than meets the eye," said Norman Dyck, a spokesman for CNFA. "The information is getting out to the alternate media; people mostly want to be responsible in what we leave to our great-great-great-great grandchildren." The coalition does not see nuclear power as a climate change solution. It believes renewable energy options can be brought about faster and more cheaply, with less risk to the health of Albertans and the environment.

Many Pee Dee residents recall the details of the incident that occurred on March 11, 1958, in Mars Bluff. Now, with the production of a documentary examining the aftermath of the day a 3-ton unarmed nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on a family's farm a few miles outside of Florence, the story is coming full circle. Part of the ETV series Carolina Stories, "The Incident at Mars Bluff" tells the story of the Gregg family from that fateful day when their house and all their belongings were destroyed, through their struggles to receive fair compensation from the U.S. Air Force. On Sunday, approximately 30 people attended a free screening of the program at the Florence County library and Matt Burrows, the director and producer of the documentary, was on hand to field questions about the project.

Many Pee Dee residents recall the details of the incident that occurred on March 11, 1958, in Mars Bluff. Now, with the production of a documentary examining the aftermath of the day a 3-ton unarmed nuclear bomb was accidentally dropped on a family's farm a few miles outside of Florence, the story is coming full circle. Part of the ETV series Carolina Stories, "The Incident at Mars Bluff" tells the story of the Gregg family from that fateful day when their house and all their belongings were destroyed, through their struggles to receive fair compensation from the U.S. Air Force. On Sunday, approximately 30 people attended a free screening of the program at the Florence County library and Matt Burrows, the director and producer of the documentary, was on hand to field questions about the project.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold public meetings Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Winnsboro, S.C., and Wednesday, Jan. 28, in Blair, S.C., to discuss the environmental issues the agency should consider in reviewing a Combined License (COL) application for two new reactors proposed for the Summer site near Columbia, S.C. The NRC will meet with the public on Jan. 27 from 7 - 10 p.m. at Fairfield Central High School, 836 US Highway 321 Bypass S in Winnsboro, and on Jan. 28 from 7 - 10 p.m. at McCrorey-Liston Elementary School, 1978 State Hwy 215 South in Blair. The application's environmental report is available on the agency's Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/summer.html. Copies of the report are also available at the Fairfield County Library, 300 Washington St. in Winnsboro. NRC staff will be available for informal discussions with members of the public during "open house" sessions both evenings from 6 - 7 p.m. Formal comments on the environmental review will only be accepted during the meeting from 7 - 10 p.m.

At the Jan. 27 meeting where the City Council rammed through a waiver for the Library of the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act (NFBA), the council majority's disdain for the public was palpable. Some 30 persons present to speak against waiving the NFBA were not called to speak until 11 p.m. By then the 20 remaining were forced by the mayor to confine their comments to one minute each unless someone else deferred time. This was not in the spirit of the Brown Act which requires equitable treatment of public speakers. Speakers on other agenda items had two minutes.

A public health assessment by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded there were "no public health hazards" from airborne releases at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (also known as the K-25 Site) and the early-era S-50 facility at the Oak Ridge site. The full report is available online and at local libraries. The agency is receiving public comment through Feb. 20. In a release distributed to the news media, the ATSDR said: "The study looked at the atmospheric releases of radioactive and nonradioactive hazardous substances from the K-25/ S-50 facilities between 1944 and 1995 when the facility closed. After evaluating potential chronic and acute exposure to ionizing radiation and uranium releases, ATSDR found those doses were not expected to cause adverse health effects for people living near the ORGDP. The ORGDP is currently known as the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for the Crystal River Nuclear Generating Plant Unit 3 is available for public review. NRC received an application for renewal of the operating license from Crystal River's operator, Progress Energy Florida, Inc., Dec. 18. The Crystal River Nuclear Generating Plant is a pressurized-boiling water reactor located in Crystal River, Fla. The current operating license will expire on Dec. 3, 2016. The application will be available electronically through the Agencywide Document Access and Management System through the NRC Web page at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. The accession number is ML090080053. A copy is also available at the Coastal Region Library, 8619 W. Crystal St., Crystal River, Fla. In addition, the application will be available at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The NRC staff is currently conducting its initial review of the application to determine whether it contains enough information required for the formal safety and environmental reviews. If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally "docket," or file it, and will announce an opportunity for the public to request an adjudicatory hearing on the renewal request.

The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes has donated 90 cubic feet of primary documents to the Archives and Special Collections at SUNY Fredonia. The materials, pertaining to the West Valley Nuclear Demonstration Project, have been collected and maintained over the last four decades by the Coalition, an activist group of primarily Cattaraugus and Erie County citizens. Currently headed by Judith Einach of Buffalo and Joanne Hameister of East Aurora, the Coalition has documented the activities at the West Valley site since it opened in the early 1960s in the Town of Ashford in Cattaraugus County, roughly about 30 miles south of Buffalo. "This collection is the most complete documented history available anywhere about nuclear reprocessing and storage," said Randy Gadikian, director of library services at SUNY Fredonia. "It documents the successes, failures and risks that are entailed in operating such a project, and for the first time, this information is available for public review."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant is available for public review. The Duane Arnold Energy Center has one boiling water reactor, and is located 8 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The current operating license expires Feb. 21, 2014. Duane Arnold's operator, the FPL Energy Duane Arnold, LLC, submitted the application Oct. 1. The application is available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/duane-arnold-energy-center.html. A copy is also available at the Hiawatha Public Library, 150 W. Willman St., in Hiawatha, Iowa. The NRC staff is currently conducting its initial review of the application to determine whether it contains sufficient information required for the safety and environmental reviews. If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally "docket," or file it and will announce an opportunity for the public to request an adjudicatory hearing on the renewal request. Additional information about the NRC's process for reviewing reactor license renewal applications is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

THE private consortium taking over Sellafield has been given a government insurance indemnity against any major insurance or damages claim. And the taxpayer-backed cover note will extend 30 years into the future. But a Labour MP has described the deal as an "outrage" in that MPs were denied time to debate the matter. Details were posted in the House of Commons library after the deal was signed with Sellafield's new parent, Nuclear Management Partners.

A WELSH Labour MP has accused the UK Government of covering up a deal that will land taxpayers with a multi-billion- pound liability in the event of a nuclear accident while a private consortium will reap the profits. Newport West MP Paul Flynn discovered that details of a contract to privatise the management of waste from the controversial Sellafield nuclear power station in Cumbria should have been placed in the House of Commons library in July. If they had been, MPs would have had 14 days in which to raise questions about the deal.

Their homes were bulldozed and burned, but pictures of the White Bluffs sports teams, band and graduating senior class of 1930 give a glimpse of the settlers who were the first casualties of the nuclear age. The story of the early Hanford and White Bluffs residents is being recounted with an exhibit at the main branch of the Mid-Columbia Library on Union Street in Kennewick in October and a reunion on Oct. 25.

The Isle of Wight Citizens Association met with representatives of Dominion Power and discussed the controversial possibility of farmers in the county using treated sewage sludge for fertilizer at their meeting Monday night. Sonny Stanley, the director of nuclear safety and licensing at the Surry Power Plant, told the audience assembled at the Carrollton Public Library that unless additional power plants were constructed, the state would be facing a deficit of 4,000 megawatts by the year 2017.

The Isle of Wight Citizens Association will talk about safety at the Surry nuclear power plant and county spending during a meeting Monday. The group meets at 7 p.m. at the Carrollton Library on New Towne Haven Lane. Two Dominion Virginia Power representatives will be on hand to answer the question of how safe is the nuclear power plant. The group will also talk about whether county government spending is out of control and about treated sewer sludge coming to Isle of Wight to be used as fertilizer.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for the Kewaunee nuclear power plant is available for public review. The Kewaunee Power Station has one pressurized water reactor, and is located 27 miles east of Green Bay, Wis. The current operating license expires Dec. 21, 2013. Kewaunee's operator, Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc., submitted the application Aug. 14. The application is available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. A copy is also available at the Kewaunee Public Library, 822 Juneau St., in Kewaunee.

A global library of information about nuclear power, nuclear weapons,
nuclear waste contamination and citizen action for sustainable energy and
human survival. Exploring paths beyond the global culture of violence.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held the second of two scheduled public meetings on the U.S. Army's application for a license to possess depleted uranium. The first meeting was held Wednesday in Kona. Bigislandvideonews.com covered the second meeting at the Hilo High School Library on Thursday evening. Residual amounts of DU have been found at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, as well as Schofield Barracks on Oahu.

Lawsuits possible if law not changed, energy policy expert says With the Obama adminstration's stance that Yucca Mountain is not an option for disposing the nation's highly radioactive waste, Congress will revisit the process for choosing another repository site, one that probably will draw opposition similar to Nevada's wherever it is. That was the upshot Thursday of a presentation to an independent review board by Mark Holt, a specialist in energy policy for the Congressional Research Service. During his talk to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, Holt stressed that his agency, a branch of the Library of Congress, doesn't make policy recommendations. But given the direction from Energy Secretary Steven Chu to find alternatives to entombing 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel and defense waste in Yucca Mountain, Holt predicts Congress will have to change the nuclear waste law, especially if the Energy Department permanently withdraws its license application from review by nuclear safety regulators.