Hot News and Actions
November 2009: The Renaissance That Wasn’t.  New factsheet from Physicians for Social Responsibility detailing the various delays, cost overruns, credit downgrades and design problems that have plagued the nuclear power industry since January 2008.
October 16, 2009: 10 Days to Stop Calvert Cliffs-3. NIRS Alert.
October 13, 2009: NRC Commissioners order hearing on foreign ownership/domination issues in Calvert Cliffs-3 case and uphold rights of people within 50 miles of any reactor to participate in licensing decisions. NRC rejects all arguments from nuclear utility UniStar Nuclear in appeals case.
September 2009: Letter nominating Arnie Gundersen to serve on Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) signed by 57 groups.
September 22, 2009: Comments By Texans For A Safe Energy Policy, Beyond Nuclear, Friends Of The Earth, Nuclear Information And Resource Service, Public Citizen Texas, Physicians For Social Responsibility, and Union Of Concerned Scientists on proposed changes to DOE nuclear loan guarantee program.
September 17, 2009: WISE-Paris evaluation of the French nuclear programme: "Lessons to be learnt from the French nuclear program - From dreams to promises... of disillusions", presentation by Yves Marignac, Executive Director of WISE-Paris, in Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY.
September 15, 2009: European Expert: U.S. Policymakers Are "As Wrong As They Can Be" About the French Experience With Nuclear Power. Press Release. Listen to Audio From 09.15.09 News Event
September 4, 2009: If this is a nuclear resurgence, what would a retreat look like? New blog posting on DailyKos by Michael Mariotte, examining new report from California Energy Commission that renewables of all kinds will be cheaper than nuclear power by 2018—when new reactors could first come online in U.S.
August 31, 2009: "Cleanup Crew" Calls for State to Protect Lake Erie and Support Full Cleanup of West Valley Site. Press Advisory.
August 27, 2009: Another Major Setback for "Nuclear Renaissance": Industry Goes 0-6 in 2009 Efforts to Overturn State Bans on New Nuclear Reactors. NIRS press release. Streaming audio recording of the news event is here.
August 26, 2009: Take Action Now for a Strong Climate Bill and Against Taxpayer Bailouts of the Nuclear Power Industry! Alert.
August 19, 2009: Please visit GrassRootsNucleus: YOUR new web site for nuclear-free/sustainable energy advocacy. Alert.
August 18, 2009: Top 10 Reasons Nukes Won’t Save Climate. Article from Michael Mariotte, first posted on DailyKos.
July 31, 2009: 100 organizations sign letter to President Obama opposing possible nomination of former DOE nuclear chief William Magwood to Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
July 2009: Nuclear subsidies in the House climate and Senate energy bills. A fact sheet from Physicians for Social Responsibility.
July 2009: List of existing subsidies and incentives for constructing new reactors (from R&D to waste management and everything in-between).
July 9, 2009: Comparison by PSR of current Clean Energy Development Administration (or “Clean Energy Bank”) provisions in House climate bill as passed and Senate energy bill still awaiting action.
July 8, 2009: NRC licensing board admits three contentions in NIRS, Green Party, Ecology Party challenge to Progress Energy’s proposed Levy County (FL) reactors.
July 7, 2009: 80+ organizations send letter to President Obama in support of appointment of independent commissioners to Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
June 30, 2009: Tell President Obama: Don't Let the Senate Climate Bill Get Hijacked by the Nuclear Power Industry! NIRS Alert.
June 22, 2009. 47 organizations, including NIRS, send letter calling for major improvements in House climate change legislation.
June 19, 2009: 10 groups urge NRC to deny permit for import of Italian radioactive waste to U.S., following court decision.
June 18, 2009: New study finds that it would cost taxpayers and ratepayers $1.9 trillion to $4.1 trillion more over the life of 100 new nuclear reactors than it would to generate the same electricity from a combination of more energy efficiency and renewables.
May 4, 2009: Letter to President Obama from hundreds of organizations and 5,000+ individuals, commending him for his actions on Yucca Mountain and suggesting appropriate directions for a re-evaluation of radioactive waste policy.
April 19, 2009: Presentation from Michael Mariotte's talk on nukes and climate at SUNY Stonybrook.
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Reports, Papers and Info You Can Use
November 2009: All Risk, No Reward. New study from Marc Cooper of Univ. of Vermont on why Wall Street refuses to take the risk of investing in new reactors, and why Congress and States shouldn’t expose taxpayers to those risks.
October 2009: New study reveals French nuclear construction costs tripled per kilowatt/installed from 1970-2000. So much for a learning curve.
October 13, 2009: “Four Nuclear Myths: A commentary on Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Discipline and on similar writings.” New piece by Rocky Mountain Institute’s Amory Lovins debunks four key myths often propounded by nuclear power supporters.
September 2009: World Nuclear Status Report 2009, with special emphasis on economics. Study released by German Department of the Environment. Study shows nuclear power is on a downward trend worldwide.
July 2009: Brief Virginia Tech paper showing nuclear power by far the most water-intensive means of producing electricity (page 8). This has enormous implications because, as the report notes, 36 states face water shortages in the next 10 years.
July 2009: Important article on studies of childhood leukemia and cancers near German reactors. Childhood Leukemia and Cancers Near German Nuclear Reactors: Significance, Context, and Ramifications of Recent Studies, Rudi Nussbaum, Journal of Occupational Environmental Health. July-September, 2009.
May 2009: Nuclear France Abroad: History, Status and Prospects of French Nuclear Activities in Foreign Countries. A new report from Mycle Schneider Consulting on the expansion of the French nuclear power industry across the world.
EPR: The French Reactor. A Costly and Hazardous Obstacle to Climate Protection. November 2008 report from Greenpeace International on the problems with the French Evolutionary Power Reactor, proposed for Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania and New York in the U.S.
France’s Nuclear Failures: The Great Illusion of Nuclear Energy, November 2008 report from Greenpeace International on the failures of the French nuclear program.
March 2009: The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why America Should Choose a Clean Energy Future over New Nuclear Reactors, a new report by Maryland PIRG Foundation.
March 2009: Can we go carbon-free, nuclear-free? A resounding Yes! says a new report prepared for Greenpeace by German Aerospace Center (German counterpart to NASA). Energy [r]evolution: A sustainable USA concludes that a virtually carbon-free, nuclear-free energy future for the U.S. is possible by mid-century, at an acceptable economic cost. Download here.
March 2009: Nuclear Loan Guarantees: Another Taxpayer Bailout Ahead? New report from Union of Concerned Scientists warns that the risk to taxpayers of loan guarantees for new reactors could total $360 Billion to $1.6 Trillion.
January 2009: Business Risks and Costs of New Nuclear Power, a new study by CPA Craig Severance, finds that escalating reactor construction and operating costs could lead to electricity from new nukes as high as 25-30 cents per kw/h—significantly higher than industry estimates.
December 2008: New study from Stanford researcher ranks solutions to climate crisis; concludes nuclear and “clean” coal are least effective, least desirable means of addressing climate change. Press release from Stanford University. Article in Energy and Environmental Science.
December 2008: Nuclear Power in France: Beyond the Myth, a new report by Mycle Schneider Consulting for Greens/EFA in the European Parliament, offers a thorough examination of the French nuclear power industry, noting both its strengths and some surprising weaknesses.... Another major new report on the French nuclear industry, from WISE-Paris, titled Nuclear Power, the Great Illusion - Promises, Setbacks and Threats, is available here. Both reports will be very useful for everyone countering the argument that the French nuclear power program is somehow a great success.
July 2008: Study (which reviews 103 previous studies and finds nearly all lacking) concludes that nuclear power is not carbon-free, and its carbon emissions, while far lower than all fossil fuels, are higher than renewable sources of energy. Published in Energy Policy, by Benjamin Sovacool, University of Singapore & Virginia Tech.
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