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Tories court property owners with promise of free cost-saving home improvement scheme and pledge 'immediate action to to keep Britain's lights on' The Conservative party annual conference in Manchester. Photograph: Christopher Thomond Every UK homeowners will benefit from an allowance of up to £6,500 to make their properties more energy efficient, under a "green deal" proposed by the Conservatives today. The idea is part of a wider energy and climate change package aimed at kick-starting a green economy in the UK. The shadow energy and climate change secretary, Greg Clark, said a Tory government would immediately approve construction of several nuclear and coal-fired power stations to help prevent electricity blackouts in the next decade, to strengthen the national grid and enable the harnessing of renewable energy sources at sea, and to boost the number of charging points for electric cars.

Tories court property owners with promise of free cost-saving home improvement scheme and pledge 'immediate action to to keep Britain's lights on' The Conservative party annual conference in Manchester. Photograph: Christopher Thomond Every UK homeowners will benefit from an allowance of up to £6,500 to make their properties more energy efficient, under a "green deal" proposed by the Conservatives today. The idea is part of a wider energy and climate change package aimed at kick-starting a green economy in the UK. The shadow energy and climate change secretary, Greg Clark, said a Tory government would immediately approve construction of several nuclear and coal-fired power stations to help prevent electricity blackouts in the next decade, to strengthen the national grid and enable the harnessing of renewable energy sources at sea, and to boost the number of charging points for electric cars.

The job of moving 16 million tons of radioactive waste from the shores of the Colorado River in southern Utah is picking up steam. The U.S. Department of Energy says more than 330,000 tons of uranium tailings have been hauled away from a huge pile near Moab and deposited in disposal pits 30 miles to the north. Crews began running two trainloads a day in August, doubling the amount of waste shipped to Crescent Junction each day. Project manager Donald Metzler says the pace will pick up even more next month with longer trains and more container cars. The work is part of a $1 billion project to clear away a 130-acre heap of waste left behind after the closure of a uranium mill in 1984. The project could be completed by 2022 or earlier if additional funds are secured.

The job of moving 16 million tons of radioactive waste from the shores of the Colorado River in southern Utah is picking up steam. The U.S. Department of Energy says more than 330,000 tons of uranium tailings have been hauled away from a huge pile near Moab and deposited in disposal pits 30 miles to the north. Crews began running two trainloads a day in August, doubling the amount of waste shipped to Crescent Junction each day. Project manager Donald Metzler says the pace will pick up even more next month with longer trains and more container cars. The work is part of a $1 billion project to clear away a 130-acre heap of waste left behind after the closure of a uranium mill in 1984. The project could be completed by 2022 or earlier if additional funds are secured.

Court rules damages paid earlier 'adequate' Twelve victims of radiation poisoning have lost their appeal for 12 million baht in compensation from an engineering and electrical equipment distributor over its reckless storage of radioactive materials. Sonthaya: Right hand crippled SURAPOL PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN The members of the group claimed Kamol Sukosol Electric Co Ltd was negligent when it stored radioactive materials not properly secured in its car park. This allowed a cylinder of cobalt-60 - a radioactive isotope that can cause cancer - to be stolen from the company property. But the Appeals Court yesterday ruled in the company's favour saying the 640,276 baht in compensation the Civil Court had earlier ordered Kamol Sukosol to pay was sufficient.

Court rules damages paid earlier 'adequate' Twelve victims of radiation poisoning have lost their appeal for 12 million baht in compensation from an engineering and electrical equipment distributor over its reckless storage of radioactive materials. Sonthaya: Right hand crippled SURAPOL PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN The members of the group claimed Kamol Sukosol Electric Co Ltd was negligent when it stored radioactive materials not properly secured in its car park. This allowed a cylinder of cobalt-60 - a radioactive isotope that can cause cancer - to be stolen from the company property. But the Appeals Court yesterday ruled in the company's favour saying the 640,276 baht in compensation the Civil Court had earlier ordered Kamol Sukosol to pay was sufficient.

A bakkie carrying radioactive material rolled on the N1 near Bellville, shutting down traffic in both directions for more than two hours yesterday. Two men in the bakkie were taken to Louis Leipoldt Medi-Clinic for treatment after the accident at about 11.30am between Durban and Old Oak roads. The bakkie allegedly swerved to avoid another car and rolled on to the centre island, said Tristan Wadeley, a spokesman for ER24. He said the driver told paramedics who were first on the scene that the bakkie was transporting hazardous material. "It is radioactive, but the container was not broken and it did not spill," said Anzelle Smit, spokeswoman for the Western Cape Health Department EMS.

A bakkie carrying radioactive material rolled on the N1 near Bellville, shutting down traffic in both directions for more than two hours yesterday. Two men in the bakkie were taken to Louis Leipoldt Medi-Clinic for treatment after the accident at about 11.30am between Durban and Old Oak roads. The bakkie allegedly swerved to avoid another car and rolled on to the centre island, said Tristan Wadeley, a spokesman for ER24. He said the driver told paramedics who were first on the scene that the bakkie was transporting hazardous material. "It is radioactive, but the container was not broken and it did not spill," said Anzelle Smit, spokeswoman for the Western Cape Health Department EMS.

"HINKLEY Point A nuclear power station near Bridgwater has achieved a major milestone in its decommissioning programme - by using technology similar to an industrial car wash. The site has decontaminated the last of its huge inventory of nearly 1800 'skips' that were used during generation to store spent fuel elements prior to their despatch to Sellafield. "

"Disturbing reports are coming from Russia that the former nuclear maintenance vessel Severka may have sunk at the wharf of a shiprepairing yard in Alexandrovsk (former Polyarny) on the Kola Peninsula, in close vicinity to the large administrative centre of Murmansk. Russian authorities have yet to confirm or deny the information. Before the 1990s, the Severka was used to move spent nuclear fuel in Soviet-produced shipping containers of the type TK-12 from Andreyeva Bay - the former naval base in the northwestern part of the Kola Peninsula - to a transshipment site in Murmansk dubbed Area SRZ-35. There, not far from the grounds of Atomflot, Russia's nuclear fleet operator, the spent nuclear fuel was reloaded into railway cars to be shipped off to the reprocessing plant Mayak in the Urals. The Severka was also equipped with special tanks for shipments of liquid radioactive waste."

"Although the contents of the two documents are not yet revealed, the US Department of Energy and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have retrieved data on the Huntington Pilot Plant (HPP) from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory vault. The US Department of Energy operated the Huntington Pilot Plant on the same ground as International Nickel (INCO) in Huntington from the mid-50s until the early 60s performing various activities in conjunction with one or more of the DOE's gaseous diffusion plants in Portsmouth (Ohio), Oak Ridge (Tennessee) and Pad (Ky). After remaining in a state of readiness until 1978, the DOE ordered that the plant be demolished. By 1979, all but the ground floor of the plant (now used as a Waste Water Treatment facility by INCO's successor, Special Metals), were demolished and buried in a classified and secret ditch at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio, including even the railroad cars and trucks used to transport the debris. Based on their exposure to such radioactive contaminants as uranium, nickel, plutonium and other metals, workers at the former DOE plant are eligible for compensation. "

In his inaugural address, President Obama gave many reasons why our nation is "in the midst of crisis," concluding with "and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." He continued with "….our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed." Among the bold, swift actions he proposed "not only to create new jobs, but (to) lay a new foundation for growth" was this resolve: "We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories." Wow! A leader who gets it! One who sees that our energy future lies in renewable, sustainable, earth-friendly sources. Here in Vermont, we have an opportunity to make a huge leap in that direction. Hopefully our state legislators are as wise as our president. Hopefully they understand, and will acknowledge with their votes against its relicensing, that the aging, obsolete Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station is no longer acceptable as it poses serious risks to the public's health and safety, and to the environment.

Among the names on the apparent short list for Barack Obama's all-important choice as Secretary of Energy is that of John Bryson, former head of Southern California Edison. As the embodiment of greenwashed corporate piracy and radioactive public bailouts, Bryson's appointment would send a terrible message. Bryson is now being hyped as "an advocate of hybrid cars." No doubt he is reinventing his image. On a personal basis, he may be the finest of individuals.

It is said that all that glitters is not gold. Keep that in mind when considering the bidding war heating up the nuclear power business. France's EDF has offered $6.5 billion for half of Constellation Energy Group's nuclear business and some other assets, trumping Warren Buffett's bid of $4.7 billion for all of Constellation. If plummeting demand for everything from new cars to tin foil could fell BHP's monster bid for Rio Tinto, why wouldn't it weigh on demand for energy? While nuclear power has regained some favor as a cheap, relatively clean alternative to nasty fossil fuels, is it really safe to expect consumers to ramp up electric heat this winter, and air conditioning next summer, when they are worried about losing their jobs?

Reuters) - Several people who could serve as energy secretary in U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration already have been mentioned by Washington insiders, lobbyists and blog writers, including: * U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He advocates renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. * Wesley Clark, retired Army general and former NATO commander who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. * General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt, who says government investment in environmental technologies can create green jobs. * Ray Mabus, former Democratic Governor of Mississippi and U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer. He served as a senior adviser to the Obama campaign. * U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. A long-time critic of OPEC and nuclear power, he supported higher fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. * Dan Reicher, director of climate change and energy initiatives at Google.org. A former assistant energy secretary under President Bill Clinton, he wants more U.S. electricity generated by renewable sources and promotes plug-in vehicles. * Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat who has called for a $850 million state Energy Independence Fund to invest in clean energy projects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. * Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who is a big promoter of developing liquid fuel from coal. * Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat who fought efforts to allow a coal-fired power plant to expand in her state, saying it would spew more greenhouse gas emissions.

Some feel reminded of Kabul, or even Baghdad in the most dangerous times during the insurgency. Since a truck loaded with 600 kilograms of explosives was rammed into the Marriott hotel near the National Assembly building five weeks ago and killed dozens, Pakistan's capital Islamabad has been on high alert. The barricaded government district increasingly resembles a no-go zone. Concrete blocks along Constitution Avenue slow cars down to little more than walking speed, with police checkpoints set up at short distances from each other. Heavily armed security forces patrol side streets. Officials plan to erect a 15-kilometre concrete wall around Pakistan's centre of power, sealing off the ministries, parliament, the Supreme Court and an enclave of foreign embassies.

After a recent column and blog post about the troubles of Trench 13, I heard from a number of folks with stories about the nuclear burial grounds at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. One gentleman, who worked initially in the "laborers' gang" at the lab burial grounds (known as Solid Waste Storage Areas) and who later worked in the office where truck shipments were recorded, said folks might be surprised to know what's deposited in trenches and wells. "We buried all kinds of cars, trucks. We've buried cranes," the former worker said. On one occasion, a truck loaded with hot tools from a nuclear reactor in New York set off alarms before it ever arrived at the monitoring station, he said.

For the past three years, Mary Alice "Mal" Herbert and her friends have spent every Thursday afternoon at Wells Fountain appealing to passers-by to help shut down Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. From 4 to 6 p.m. they stood on the corner waving signs, cheered by the honking of cars driven by those who agreed with them while bearing with a smile the taunts, curses and ridicule of those who did not. Thursday, Mal Herbert's three-year-long vigil ended.

Union workers in Hanford, Wash., protested the Federal Building in nearby Richland Thursday to call attention to changes in the way some radioactive waste will be handled, the Tri-City Herald newspaper reported. As many as 50 workers held signs saying "Tri-City $$$ going to Idaho" and "Don't Outsource Employment" cars from the Department of Energy site in Hanford slowed and honked. DOE plans to send 1,000 drums of transuranic waste - most of it debris contaminated with plutonium - to Idaho for compaction and then shipment to a repository in New Mexico for disposal, the paper reported.

A Cottonwood man will be sentenced in December for threatening to drive a car bomb into the Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan. U.S. Attorney Leura Canary said Anthony Paul Vincze pleaded guilty to a single count of using a telephone to make a threat to damage or destroy a building with fire or explosives.

A U.S. civilian nuclear deal with India opens the taps to the country's fuel-starved reactors, paving the way for them to double output, but building new capacity looks tricky. Obstacles such as land acquisition -- already putting the brakes on projects like Tata Motors' low-cost Nano car -- and a shortage of engineers mean the industry could struggle to attract what the Confederation of Indian Industry hopes will be $27 billion in 18-20 nuclear plants over the next 15 years.

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- ``All zones, fire at the nuclear power plant,'' booms a loudspeaker at 9:00 a.m. near the Volgodonsk station deep in southwest Russia. Within 3 minutes, emergency personnel known as liquidators spill out of fire trucks wearing rubber boots and gloves to guard against electric shock as flames dance inside. At 9:14 a.m. an armored car rolls up, turret slowly twisting, measuring radiation. The command center receives a reading transmission: Abnormal.

Utah has long been the safety valve for states without disposal for radiation-tainted waste. Railroad cars hauled all but 5 percent of the nation's low-level radioactive waste last year to the EnergySolutions Inc. disposal site in Tooele County. But hospitals, universities and nuclear plants that generate low-level waste are beginning to worry about the long-term outlook for a small fraction of the waste they generate, material that has been outlawed in Utah because it is too radiologically hot.

Last summer, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management issued a report that determined an increase in uranium mining in the region would have "no significant environmental impact." The report allowed the DOE to bring back a program that initially fueled atomic weapons but would now go toward powering hair dryers and electric cars.