Efforts to squash plans for nuclear waste dump on Lake Huron escalate via The Voice

Posted on 2017/09/25 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Rep. Mitchell sends message to Canadian government

U.S. Congressman Paul Mitchell, representing Michigan’s 10th District, recently delivered an indirect message to the Canadian government, urging it squash the proposed development of a deep geologic repository for nuclear waste on the shores of Lake Huron.

On Sept. 14, Mitchell offered an amendment to a House funding bill that would prohibit U.S. staff members of the International Joint Commission from attending a water resources conference next year.

Is the amendment anything other than symbolic?

Frank Bevacqua, public information officer for the IJC, had not heard about Mitchell’s amendment as of Sept. 17.

“My amendment serves to highlight to the Canadian government the gravity of this issue,” said Mitchell, as heard on C-SPAN. “The International Joint Commission was developed to resolve binational water disputes between the United States and Canada, yet they have not addressed this critical issue to the Great Lakes.”

The IJC was formed in 1909 as part of the Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada.

[…]

Mitchell called his amendment a “step to protect the Great Lakes.”

“Ontario Power Generation, an Ontario energy company, has proposed to build an underground nuclear waste facility along the shores of Lake Huron, which borders my district,” Mitchell said on the floor. “Their plan is nothing short of irresponsible. Any failure at this site would have devastating impacts on Michigan and Canada, who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, tourism and commerce. Canada and OPG have displayed intransigence in the face of the near-universal objection of my constituents and the residents of the Great Lake region.”

As of June, 227 resolutions opposing the waste dump had been passed by governmental bodies on both sides of the border, according to the website Stop the Great Lakes Nuclear Dump. Earlier this year, the city councils of Marysville and St. Clair restated their opposition to the dump.

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浜岡建設受け入れ５０年 原発マネー依存今も via 中日新聞

Posted on 2017/09/25 by yukimiyamotodepaul

　旧浜岡町（御前崎市）が中部電力浜岡原発の建設を受け入れてから二十八日で五十年を迎える。地元は事故やトラブルと向き合いながら、原発が落とす交付金などに頼ってまちづくりを進めてきた。しかし、二〇一一年三月の福島第一原発事故以降、南海トラフ巨大地震の想定震源域に立つ浜岡原発は全炉停止したまま。先行きは見通せない。

　町は一九六七（昭和四十二）年九月二十八日、安全確保などを条件に原発計画を受け入れた。約八年半後に１号機が営業運転を開始。二〇〇五年一月までに２～５号機も続いた。

　半世紀前は、農業が産業の柱だった旧浜岡町。これまでに約五百億円の電源三法交付金が入った。総合病院や図書館などが次々と建ち、道路も整備されて街並みはみるみる変わった。ただ、原発誘致に携わった元浜岡町長の鴨川義郎さん（９０）は「裕福になり、職員や住民に知恵がなくなった」と、原発マネーに依存するあまり、自主的な行政運営能力が劣化した状況を憂う。

　御前崎市の一七年度一般会計当初予算百七十一億円に占める原発関連収入の割合は２７％に上るが、固定資産税の減少などに伴って減っている。３、４号機の再稼働を巡る原子力規制委員会の審査は、優先した４号機の申請から三年半を過ぎた今も序盤の段階。耐震設計の目安となる地震の揺れなどについて、規制委と中部電力の間で議論が続いている。

（略）

一九六七年四月の旧浜岡町の町長選。当選した故河原崎貢さんはその翌月に初めて原発計画を知った。町企画室長だった鴨川さんとともに、建設候補地の佐倉地区出身で産経新聞社長などを務め「財界四天王」と称された故水野成夫さんに相談に出向き、「泥田に金の卵を産む鶴が舞い降りたようなもの」と受け入れを勧められた。

　お茶、たばこ、サツマイモ。町の産業は農業だけだった。貧しいねぇ。新しい事業も道路の舗装も、河川の改修もできません。職員は使用済みの封筒の裏表をひっくり返し、議員に出す通知に使っていた。私は原発計画を、元町長の父啻一（ただいち）から町長選前の六七年三月ごろに聞いていた。町長選の争点にならないように「言うなよ」と口止めされてた。産経新聞に載った七月頃から町民が騒ぎ出した。役場で化学を知っていたのは、専門学校で農芸化学を学んだ私ぐらい。町民には、原爆じゃなく、管理された原子力だから安全だと伝えるのが大変だった。

　浜岡原発１号機が稼働する中、マグニチュード８程度の地震が起きるという東海地震説が七六年に発表。七九年の米スリーマイル島原発事故、八一年には敦賀原発１号機放射能漏れと問題が集中、浜岡原発にも地元住民から冷ややかな視線が注がれた。

　八二年に着工した３号機増設の時が一番大変だった。生活もまだ不便で、増設するなら町立病院を造らなきゃという気持ちがあった。中電からは十八億円かな、病院建設費の足りない分をもらった。

　原発は五基できた。市は交付金の恩恵を受け、浜岡原発で働く約千五百人が市内で暮らしている。

　依存している。金がなければ何とかして財源を生みだそうとするが、あるからのうのうとするわけだ。職員も住民も。原発がないと日本はやっていけない。地域発展や国策のために協力してきた。浜岡は防潮堤を造り、福島のようにはならないと思う。でも、河原崎町長も言っていたが、一生十字架を背負っている。何かあれば、当時の責任者として、受け入れた側の責任を感じる。

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「韓国のＷＴＯ敗訴確実」　日本の水産物規制で与党議員 via 日本経済新聞

Posted on 2017/09/25 by yukimiyamotodepaul

　【ソウル＝共同】韓国が東京電力福島第１原発事故を理由に日本からの水産物輸入を規制しているのは不当な差別だとして、日本政府が世界貿易機関（ＷＴＯ）に提訴している問題で、韓国の与党「共に民主党」の奇東旻（キ・ドンミン）議員は24日、ＷＴＯが韓国に送った意見書の内容から、「一審」での敗訴は「確実だ」と述べた。

奇議員が国会で記者会見したと聯合ニュースが報じた。

奇議員によると、ＷＴＯは23日にこれまでの検討内容を記した意見書を韓国に送付。これで日本が主要争点としてきた「差別性」と「貿易制限性」の点で、日本に有利な解釈が行われていることを確認したとしている。

（略）

ただ、一審に当たる紛争処理小委員会（パネル）の審理で韓国が敗れても「最終審」である上級委員会に上訴することなどにより、少なくとも2019年までは規制は解除されないとの見通しを示した。

全文は「韓国のＷＴＯ敗訴確実」　日本の水産物規制で与党議員

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Chiba court recognizes nuke disaster evacuees’ ‘loss of hometown’ for first time via The Mainichi

Posted on 2017/09/24 by nfield

When on Sept. 22 the Chiba District Court ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) to pay some 376 million yen in damages to a group of Fukushima nuclear disaster evacuees, it gave concrete recognition to the evacuees’ loss — of hometowns, jobs and personal relationships — for the first time.

[…]

Six and a half years after the disaster, even in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted, the reconstruction of the communities that once thrived there is still a distant prospect. However, though it absolved the government of legal liability, this court ruling — the second in a slew of class action suits filed against TEPCO and the government — can be said to be a breakthrough far exceeding previous compensation levels.

“The Maebashi District Court (in March) recognized the responsibility of both the government and TEPCO, but this ended up feeling like a victory in name only, with no ‘reward.’ But it can be said that the Chiba (District Court) decision finally reaped ‘rewards,”’ commented lawyer Katsuyoshi Suzuki, lead counsel of the plaintiffs’ legal team in the Maebashi court case, who was at a gathering in Chiba awaiting the Sept. 22 ruling.

[…]

What stood out was that the court explicitly recognized the payout as compensation for the loss of hometowns, jobs and personal relationships suffered by the nuclear disaster evacuees. The majority of the plaintiffs in the Chiba case were residents of designated evacuation zones, and claimed they lost their livelihoods, relationships and local customs to the nuclear disaster, and were stripped of their right to live a peaceful life. They had sought 20 million yen in compensation each, saying that the interim guidelines did not accurately reflect the pain of losing their hometowns.

Concerning communities where the evacuation orders had been lifted by this spring, including the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, TEPCO cited falling radiation levels and infrastructure restoration as evidence that the plaintiffs’ claim that they lost their hometowns permanently was false. As such, TEPCO argued that their current compensation standards were sufficient.

However, even in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted, only roughly 10 percent of former residents have returned. The court decision stated, “(The plaintiffs) have lost their close connections to their local communities over a substantial period of time. Simply lifting evacuation orders will not immediately relieve this suffering,” awarding 36 of the plaintiffs an average of some 3 million yen each. Nevertheless, some of the plaintiffs are not satisfied by the results.

[…]

 

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Nearly 20% of Japan’s quake recovery funds still sit idle via Nikkei Asian Review

Posted on 2017/09/24 by nfield

Six years on, communities struggle to start projects worth nearly $5bn

[…]

The Nikkei compiled government survey data and determined that — six years after an earthquake and tsunami ripped through the region — reconstruction projects worth 534.6 billion yen ($4.85 billion) have not started, in the absence of contracts for them. That equates to 19% of all allocations for rebuilding in three prefectures: Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

What is the holdup? Part of the problem is the difficulty of building a consensus in affected communities. Other factors include a shortage of labor and the complex task of coordinating multiple construction projects that all need to move at once.

[…]

The March 2011 disaster, which claimed nearly 20,000 lives, destroyed a staggering number of homes along with critical infrastructure.The central, prefectural and municipal governments that launched reconstruction projects at the same time are still struggling with “traffic control” issues.

For municipal governments like that of Kesennuma, the workload has soared.

The Kesennuma city office has a general-account budget of some 100 billion yen for fiscal 2017, up from around 30 billion yen before the disaster. At one point after the disaster, the budget hit 200 billion yen. The number of government workers, though, has remained almost unchanged. Each staff member is saddled with three to six times more work.

This also explains the project delays.

Then there is that matter of consensus-building:[…]

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労働時間がいちばん長い都道府県は？ ランキングで明らかになる「格差」via niftyニュース

Posted on 2017/09/24 by nfield

労働時間が長い都道府県１位はどこだろうか？
近年、ブラック企業が問題視されているが、ニュースになるのは大都市かその周辺にある都道府県のようなイメージがある。

ところが、厚生労働省の「毎月勤労統計調査」（2015年）によると、労働時間が長い都道府県１位は、意外なことに「福島県」だという。

この調査は、「５人以上の事業所」と「30人以上の事業所」に分けられているが、どちらも１位は「福島県」。
ちなみに、５人以上のランキングは、「２位：岩手県」「３位：青森県」「４位：山形県」「５位：宮崎県」。30人以上では「２位：長崎県」「３位：青森県」「４位：富山県」「５位：岩手県」と続く。

地方ばかりがランクインするのは、「人手不足」が関連していると思われる。
同じ仕事量でも、少ない人数で働かないといけない環境ならば、ひとりひとりの労働時間が長くなるのは無理もない。

こうしたさまざまな都道府県のランキングを調査した一冊が『都道府県格差』（造事務所著、 橘木俊詔監修、日本経済新聞出版社刊）だ。

[…]

 

 

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福島でバス運転手不足が深刻化　高賃金の復興事業へ流出 via 朝日新聞

Posted on 2017/09/24 by nfield

[…]

被災地域では交通網の整備が帰還政策の重要な柱だけに、運転手の確保が喫緊の課題となっている。

[…]

 

■空港バス運休も

いわき市に本社を置く新常磐交通によると、震災前、相双地区に約５０人いた運転手は、避難や高齢化で数人に減少。平日通学時に運行する１日約８５０本を１８０人に満たない運転手で支える。

ログイン前の続き運転手を増やそうと大型二種免許の取得費を補助するなどの工夫を施すが、運転手は廃炉事業に関わるバスやトラックに流れる。

一番の理由は賃金差だ。

あるバス会社によると、廃炉関連では特殊勤務手当（危険手当）が支払われる分、おおむね月１０万円前後、賃金が高くなる。

加えて、中間貯蔵施設への汚染土の搬入が本格化すれば運転手の需要はさらに高まる。新常磐交通の担当者は「給料の高い会社に人材が流れる動きは止められない。既存路線も含めてギリギリの状況で運行している」。運転手不足から、いわき市内と福島空港を結ぶ高速バスは１０月からの運休が決まった。

■人材育成を支援

一方、避難指示が解除された自治体は市町村をまたぐバス路線など広域交通網の整備を強く望む。県生活交通課の担当者は「車の運転が難しくなった高齢者が通院などで利用しやすい」と説明。「交通網整備で生活が成り立つことを理解してもらい、帰還につなげたい」と話しており、バス会社は板挟みの状況にある。

県も運転不足を解消しようと、今年７月から、バス運転手の育成支援を開始。バス会社に委託し、被災求職者に限り、賃金約１５万円と人材育成経費約４６万円を上限に支援する。

被災地域間の公共交通網の整備に関わる福島高専の芥川一則教授は「運転手不足には賃金差の解消以外、思い浮かばない」と語る。全国的に人口が減り、利用客の大幅の増加が見込めないなか、「数十年後に日本の各地で起こることが今の浜通りに起きている。公共交通をどう使い、補助金をどう活用するか。公共交通の役割の再考が必要だ」と指摘している。（長谷文）

 

 

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原発事故後の子どもの甲状腺がん 電話相談に不安の声 via NHK News Web

Posted on 2017/09/24 by yukimiyamotodepaul

東京電力福島第一原発の事故の後、甲状腺がんと診断された子どもの支援を行っている民間の基金による医師の無料の電話相談が行われ、がんが発症しないか不安を訴える相談などが寄せられています。

電話相談を行っているのは、民間の基金「３・１１甲状腺がん子ども基金」で、２４日は東京都内の事務所で４人の医師が相談に応じています。

原発事故のあと、福島県が事故当時１８歳以下の子どもを対象に行っている甲状腺検査では、これまでに１９１人が、がんやがんの疑いと診断され、再発するケースも出ています。

(略）

基金では、がんと診断された患者に１人当たり１０万円の療養費の支援をしていて、２４日の電話相談では、医師たちが医療的なアドバイスのほか、医療機関や支援制度の紹介も行っています。

基金の崎山比早子代表理事は「がんの再発や転移への不安の声も寄せられている。周りに相談できない人も多い。何か不安があれば電話してほしい」と話しています。

電話相談は２４日午後４時まで受け付けていて、電話番号は０１２０－９６６－５４４です。

全文は原発事故後の子どもの甲状腺がん 電話相談に不安の声

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Of the power of having nuclear weapons via The Valdosta Daily Times

Posted on 2017/09/24 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Through the years, I have always wondered why, except for China, the only nations that are permanent members of the United Nations are nations that are considered white: Great Britain, France, Russia, and the United States. They all have nuclear weapons.

As soon as Muammar Khadafy gave up his nuclear weapons, he was taken down. When Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, he agreed to give up his nation’s nuclear weapons and destroy them. He was applauded but South Africa, which had always been ruled by whites, was left defenseless in a world of nuclear weapons.

Although a great attempt was made to prevent other brown and black nations, like Pakistan and Libya, from obtaining the bomb, nonetheless they were able to get it. When Libya gave up its nuclear weapons, immediately she was invaded and Khadafy was taken out. The same can be said of Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein. Perhaps, just perhaps, North Korea has taken notice.

[…]

Other nations with nuclear capability, but cannot use it without the approval of one of the permanent members of the Security Council: United States, France, Russia, Great Britain, or China: Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Italy. Japan, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Ukraine, Ukraine, Uruguay. They can all vote, but any of the five permanent members can make their vote null and void.

When a vote is taken, led by the United States, we are all quick to say that the world community has spoken. When, in fact, the world community has not spoken. Whites, plus China, have spoken.

Let us be clear: Whites make up 6 percent of the world’s population, but they control most of the world’s resources. Like the City of Valdosta, where 51 percent of the population is black, 43 percent is white, and Hispanics and others make up the rest, but all of the positions of power are concentrated in the hands of whites. The city manager is white. The mayor is white. The police chief is white. Every at-large seat on City Council and the Board of Education is occupied by whites.

Blacks have no decision-making power. None.

In his speech before the United Nations, President Trump said, “there are 123 nations represented in this hall.” What he failed to say was that only 15 of them could vote, and any of the five permanent members could veto their vote.

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Oversight panel: Nuclear lab workers violated safety rules via Herald.Net

Posted on 2017/09/24 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Putting plutonium or other materials too close together could cause a nuclear reaction.

SANTA FE, N.M. — A national laboratory’s workers producing a shell for a triggering device for nuclear weapons violated safety rules in August by storing too much material at one location in a facility for plutonium, a highly radioactive material, a federal oversight panel reported.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board memorandum called the Aug. 18 incident at the Los Alamos National Laboratory a “criticality safety event” and said workers there discovered the placement error made by a casting crew three days later when they moved the grapefruit-sized shell again.

The workers at that point failed to follow proper procedures for reporting the Aug. 21 action, the safety board said in a one-page memorandum dated Sept. 1. The report doesn’t specify whether the shell itself contained plutonium.

[…]

Los Alamos released a statement saying “there was no criticality accident” and that the lab “employs extremely aggressive limits on the quantities nuclear material in any given area, to assure there cannot be an unexpected criticality. The Laboratory takes criticality safety very seriously and is conducting a full fact finding.”

In physics, the term criticality refers to the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining.

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