Eric Schlosser recounts the United States’ clumsy history with nuclear weapons. And it’s terrifying via vox

Posted on 2015/06/16 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Human error is, well, human. Most systems people design break from time to time. Including the United States’ nuclear weapons systems:

The shocking stories in the video come from investigative reporter Eric Schlosser’s book Command and Control,  in which he uncovered a “litany of errors” that go way, way beyond the official record of 33 serious accidents, known as “broken arrows.” Even the first test, 70 years ago this July 16, flirted perilously close with disaster.

Schlosser spent 6 years “in the most crazy nuclear shit imaginable” – and the revelations in the book about times we almost “destroyed a large part of the Florida coast” are seemingly endless.

Continue reading at Eric Schlosser recounts the United States’ clumsy history with nuclear weapons. And it’s terrifying

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Fukushima to end housing aid for voluntary evacuees via The Japan Times

Posted on 2015/06/15 by

FUKUSHIMA – The Fukushima Prefectural Government said Monday it will stop providing free housing at the end of March 2017 to nuclear evacuees whose homes are in official evacuation zones.

Housing assistance to the voluntary evacuees, currently set to expire in March 2016, will be terminated after a one-year extension.

The program was instituted after the 2011 catastrophe at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant forced thousands to flee.

The prefectural government is considering offering financial assistance for home moves, as well as rent subsidies for low-income households, after the end of the free housing program.

Gov. Masao Uchibori said that emergency assistance under the disaster relief law is getting harder to justify after progress in the restoration of infrastructure, contamination work and the construction of public housing.

The prefectural government estimates there are about 25,000 voluntary evacuees, 20,000 of whom are residing outside Fukushima.

The free housing program for voluntary evacuees was originally a two-year measure, but it has been extended annually for a further 12 months.

Housing assistance for those who have evacuated from designated zones will also remain in place through fiscal 2016. The prefecture will consider on an individual basis whether to continue help when evacuation orders are lifted.

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6,500 sign up to save pro-nuclear signs as negative legacy of Fukushima disaster via Asahi Shimbun

Posted on 2015/06/15 by

FUTABA, Fukushima Prefecture–A group has submitted a petition with more than 6,500 signatures to preserve two signboards extolling the future of nuclear power here as a testament to the myth of nuclear safety before the 2011 disaster.

Led by Yuji Onuma, 39, the group submitted the petition to the government and the assembly of Futaba, a town that co-hosts the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, on June 8. All town residents have been evacuated.

After receiving the petition, Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa said, “We will take your request into account, give it serious consideration, and make a decision from a broad perspective.”

Onuma is the author of one of the four slogans on the signboards, which were chosen out of numerous submissions made by the public in 1988 as part of a government initiative to promote nuclear energy.

The slogan penned by Onuma says “Genshiryoku–Akarui Mirai no Energy” (Nuclear power is the energy of a bright future).

“Some people may feel uncomfortable every time they see the signboards. Others have asked whether preserving them has a meaning,” said Onuma. “But it is not necessary to remove them in a hurry. We should keep them and discuss the issue.”

Onuma is evacuating in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture. He has installed solar panels on plots of land he has purchased in the municipalities of Sakura and Nasu-Karasuyama, both in Tochigi Prefecture, to create a life free of reliance on nuclear power.

Another slogan was written by Yoshio Takeuchi, 89, who also signed the petition. It says, “Genshiryoku–Kyodo no Hatten Yutakana Mirai” (Nuclear power will bring hometown development and an affluent future).

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放影研、丹羽氏を理事長選任へ　福島医大特命教授 via 東京新聞

Posted on 2015/06/15 by

被爆者の健康を日米共同で追跡調査している放射線影響研究所（放影研、広島市、長崎市）の大久保利晃理事長が近く退任し、後任に、放射線生物学が専門の京都大名誉教授で福島県立医大特命教授の丹羽太貫氏を選任する方向で調整していることが１５日、放影研関係者への取材で分かった。
[…]
放影研は、東京電力福島第１原発事故直後の緊急作業に従事した約２万人を対象に、生涯健康調査を本年度から始めている。大久保理事長は、退任後も放影研に残り、調査に携わっていくとみられる。

全文を読む。

◇委員と傍聴者が怒鳴り合い～環境省専門家会議　(OurPlanetTV 11/26/2014 – 04:54)

原発事故に伴う住民の健康調査に関して検討している専門家会議で２６日、前回、事務局が提示した中間とりまとめ案の修正について議論が行われた。福島県内と県外を県境で分ける考え方や健康調査全般をきちんと議論できる場の設置など、委員からは厳しい意見が殺到し、目標としていた年内に提言をとりまとめるのは、厳しい情勢となった。次回の会議日程は未定だという。
　
前代未聞！？～委員と傍聴者が怒鳴り合い
今回、最も議論が白熱したのは、中間とりまとめ案において、福島県と福島県外を単純に区分けしている点。国立医薬品食品衛生研究所の春日文子委員から「福島県と福島県外とざっくり分けるのは、あまりにも非科学的ではないか」と異論が出されると、日本医科大学の清水一雄委員からは、「汚染は同心円状に遠くなるにしたがって、低くなるわけではない。福島県内と県外で区別するのは難しい」と指摘した。
　
これに対し、福島県立医大の丹羽太貫特任教授が「福島県外の被曝量は低い」「放射能は、離れて行くほど低くなる、これが常識的知識」と福島県外の汚染を否定。傍聴席から「科学的議論をしろよ」とヤジが飛ぶと、丹羽委員が突然声を荒げて「うるさいから黙れよ！」と席を立ったために会場は騒然。傍聴者は、「ちゃんとした科学的議論をしろよ！」「ホットスポットがあるでしょう！」「あれ（丹羽委員）をやめさせろ！」などと激しい声がとび、丹羽委員はさらに応酬。議事が中断する事態となった。
　

◇第１３回　原発事故に伴う住民の健康管理のあり方に関する専門家会議（文字起こし）

◇　5/20　フクシマ“考”:１年の教訓／１　放射線影響研究所・大久保利晃理事長　／広島　　　（毎日新聞　2012年04月24日　地方版）

–原発に対するスタンスは。

　◆今の再稼働の議論を聞いていると、再稼働の判断は一部の人たちの利益のために動いているんだろうというのが容易に分かり、おかしい。個人のスタンスとしては、原発はやめるべきだと思う。「原発は安いエネルギーだ」と言われてきたが、全部廃炉にするまでの費用を含めたり、リスクを考えれば全くペイしない。安心して暮らせる環境を考えた時に、あんな危険なものはない。【聞き手・加藤小夜、中里顕】

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Ehime revises Ikata nuclear plant evacuation plan via The Japan Times

Posted on 2015/06/15 by yukimiyamotodepaul

OSAKA – Ehime Prefecture announced Monday revised plans for cooperating with six other prefectures in the event of an accident at its Ikata nuclear plant.

The prefecture will share information and cooperate on nuclear disaster drill planning with Tokushima, Kagawa, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures, which will also accept evacuees in the event of an emergency.

Previous plans called for the nearly 130,000 people in seven towns lying within 30 km of the Ikata plant to be evacuated to locations elsewhere within the prefecture as well as to Oita and Yamaguchi prefectures.

The revised plan calls for Oita to decide which towns and villages would take evacuees from Ehime, based on its own abilities at the time of a disaster, and for Yamaguchi to specify which facilities it would use as evacuation centers.

[…]

Concerned about the central government’s push to restart nuclear plants as quickly as possible without sufficient understanding between local governments and nuclear authorities on how they would carry out evacuations, some prefectures, towns and villages have banded together to press Tokyo to work more closely with local authorities.

The law requires local governments that sit within 30 km of a nuclear plant to draw up evacuation and response measures.

However, many people live in towns and villages that lie outside the prefecture where the plant is located, creating concerns about timely communications between local and prefectural authorities, the utilities and the central government.

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原発ＡＤＲ：栃木７０００人申し立てへ　東電賠償の対象外 via 毎日新聞

Posted on 2015/06/15 by yukimiyamotodepaul

東京電力福島第１原発事故をめぐり、栃木県北部の那須塩原市、大田原市、那須町の住民ら７１２８人が１５日午後、東電に対し、総額１８億５３０８万 円の損害賠償を求め、国の原子力損害賠償紛争解決センターに和解仲介手続き（原発ＡＤＲ）を申し立てる。弁護団が同日午前、栃木県庁で記者会見して明らか にした。弁護団によると、東電がこれまで住民に賠償をしていない地域からの初の集団申し立てで、福島県浪江町（約１万５０００人）に次ぐ規模という。

３市町では、原発事故で福島県中南部と同程度の空間放射線量を計測した地域があったが、東電による賠償の対象になっていない。今回申し立てるの は、東日本大震災が起きた当時に３市町に住んでいた住民と事故後に生まれた子供。東電に対して▽精神的苦痛への慰謝料（１人につき１２万〜７２万円）と生 活費増加分の支払い▽申立人への謝罪▽健康調査や除染実施のための基金の設立−−などを求める。今年３月時点での弁護団のまとめによると、申立人の内訳は ▽１０代未満１６％▽１０代１４％▽３０代１８％▽４０代１４％▽６０代１３％−−などで子育て世代やその子供たちが目立っている。

会見で、申立人の１人で小学生の子供がいる手塚真子さん（４５）は「事故当時は何の情報もなく、庭先の線量も知らないまま子供たちに生活を送らせてしまった。東電から何らかの説明があると思ったが、４年たっても謝罪も説明もない」と話した。

続きは 原発ＡＤＲ：栃木７０００人申し立てへ　東電賠償の対象外

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＜原発賠償と分断＞交渉自治体が主導を via 河北新報

Posted on 2015/06/15 by yukimiyamotodepaul

（抜粋）

－営業損害賠償について、福島でも被害が続く限り賠償するべきだとの声が上がっています。
「一定の線引きをしなければ交渉が始まらない面もあるが、風評被害は個々の事情によって規模も継続する期間も異なる。まして福島では地域間で避難状況に違いが大きく、賠償を一律に終了すれば住民が不幸になるのは当然だ」
「そもそも、原子力災害における賠償がどうあるべきか十分な議論がなかったのが問題だ。国も電気事業者も原発推進を見直すつもりがなく、事故を一刻も早く幕引きにすることしか考えていない。ＪＣＯ事故当時も今も、住民を守るという姿勢が感じられない」
－賠償の継続が自立を妨げるとの意見もあります。

■　地域産業育たず

「もともと原発立地自治体は構造的に原子力マネーに依存してきた。農林水産業も商業も育たず、伝統や文化は消え、地域の誇りが失われた。原発事故による汚染と長期避難によって、福島ではさらに多くの地域が金に依存せざるを得なくなっている。事態はより深刻だ」
－賠償はいかに進められるべきでしょうか。
「個別の事情に応じるのが大事だが、福島の事故は規模が大きく、一人一人に合わせた賠償は難しい。せめて地域ごとに異なる賠償基準が必要ではないか」
「避難区域を抱える市町村の働きが重要になる。首長や役人は住民の代弁者だ。住民の現状を把握し、思いをくみ取り、自治体が前面に立って交渉していかない といけない。町や村が住民に寄り添って行動しなければ、国や東電は画一的な対応しか取らない。被災者の自立も遠くなる」
（聞き手は福島総局・高橋一樹）

全文は福島 文化・暮らし ＜原発賠償と分断＞交渉自治体が主導を

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House panel calls out nuclear officials over repeated failures via The Albuquerque Journal

Posted on 2015/06/14 by

Members of a U.S. House panel said Friday that they are frustrated with decades of security and safety lapses at some of the laboratories, manufacturing facilities and other sites that make up the nation’s nuclear complex.

The lawmakers, during a hearing in Washington, D.C., pushed top officials with the U.S. Energy Department and the National Nuclear Safety Administration for details on how the agencies plan to revamp oversight of the contractors that run the facilities.

The hearing focused on oversight failures that contributed to a 2014 radiation release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that forced the indefinite closure of the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository, near Carlsbad in southern New Mexico. Investigators determined that a container of waste improperly packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory ruptured, allowing radiation to escape.

[…]
Officials reiterated their commitment to making improvements, but lawmakers said they had little confidence because lessons had yet to be learned from past problems. Some described the agencies’ records as alarming.

As for WIPP, an Energy Department official acknowledged during the hearing that it could take several years before full operations resume and that the final price tag is unknown. Preliminary estimates have pegged the cost of resuming some operations at more than $500 million.

[…]
The closure of WIPP has delayed the cleanup of legacy waste like contaminated gloves, tools and clothing from decades of bomb-making across the nuclear complex. In its 15 years of operation, the nuclear dump received shipments from more than 20 sites as part of the Energy Department’s multibillion-dollar-a-year cleanup program.

Read more.

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甲状腺検査1人1000円に　那須塩原、子ども120人受診　ソロプチ宇都宮費用の一部負担via下野新聞

Posted on 2015/06/14 by

【那須塩原】市民団体「那須塩原　放射能から子どもを守る会」（手塚真子（てづかまこ）代表）が13、14の両日実施する子どもの甲状腺エコー検査に対し、国際ソロプチミスト宇都宮（大橋百合子（おおはしゆりこ）会長）が検査費用として１人当たり５００円を負担する。国際ソロプチミスト米国連盟からの支援金を活用。守る会と共催で28日には海の放射能汚染などをテーマにした講演会も市内で開く。

　同検査は、全国の医師と連携する「関東子ども健康調査支援基金」に依頼。原発事故で子どもの健康を懸念する保護者の不安などを軽減するため、２０１４年６月から実施している。
[…]
支援金は同米国連盟の女性と女児のための災害援助金。国際ソロプチミスト宇都宮が、宇都宮大の「福島乳幼児・妊産婦支援プロジェクト」を応援した功績が評価されたという

もっと読む。

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Canada opens comment period on nuclear dump proposed for Lake Huron via The Voice

Posted on 2015/06/14 by yukimiyamotodepaul

A month after the Joint Review Panel decided that the best place for a Canadian nuclear waste dump is less than a mile from the shores of Lake Huron, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is calling for public comment on environmental conditions that would be imposed on Ontario Power Generation if the project gets a final go-ahead. The CEAA made the announcement on June 3.

The general public, Aboriginal groups and registered participants in the Deep Geological Review process have 90 days to comment on 14 pages of “potential conditions.” The deadline is Sept. 1.

As a result, the agency has extended the timeline for a final decision by Minister of the Environment Leona Aglukkaq on the Environmental Assessment of the dump by 90 days. The deadline is now Dec. 2.

“It is interesting that the Minister of the Environment’s decision on the nuclear waste dump is being postponed from Sept. 3 until December, which falls after the federal election in October,” said Beverly Fernandez, founder of the Canadian organization Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump.

[…]

Opponents keep up critiques

Meanwhile, opponents are keeping up the pressure.

“Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump will continue to drive awareness and opposition and will work with the increasing number of politicians and organizations in Canada and the U.S. who are committed to protecting the Great Lakes and future generations by opposing the nuclear waste dump,” said Fernandez.

Among other activities, Fernandez tracks local, state and federal governments that have opposed the nuclear waste repository on Lake Huron. As of May 19, 155 resolutions had been passed opposing the dump.

“It is important for the people of Canada and the U.S. to raise their voices loudly and clearly to help defeat this plan that city upon city and politicians are calling a dangerous and risky plan, a plan that threatens our health, our economies, our environment and our precious Great Lakes,” said Fernandez.

Read more at Canada opens comment period on nuclear dump proposed for Lake Huron

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