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Radioactive waste burial at West Valley, NY…
West Valley cleanup info

See the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and submit comments via
www.westvalleyeis.com

More information


Investigation of radioactive waste dispersal practices begins in Tennessee and moves across the country
Not Just Tennessee

The release of NIRS' report Out of Control - On Purpose: DOE’s Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into Landfills and Consumer Products, caused a flurry of media coverage, especially in Tennessee, one of the key locations examined in the report. Demetria Kalodimos of WSMV-TV in Nashville has run several investigative reports on the issue, and received an award for women in radio and TV for the coverage. Watch the videos here. *image courtesy of WSMV-TV


Stop the Renewal of Oyster Creek



 

Welcome to Nuclear Information and Resource Service

& World Information Service on Energy

NIRS/WISE is the information and networking center for people and organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues.

VISIT NIRS STOREFRONT

Visit NIRS's Store

Many people expressed interest in obtaining printed copies of our recent special issue of the Nuclear Monitor, Nuclear Power: The Critical Question; First Hand Reports from the Frontline of the Nuclear Fuel Chain.

Visit NIRS Storefront to purchase this book!

 

SIGN THE PETITION!

President Obama has proposed a $54 billion loan program for construction of new nuclear reactors. But nuclear power remains dirty, dangerous and uneconomic. Tell Congress to reject this proposal and support the safer, cleaner and cheaper renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that can power our future while reducing carbon emissions.

Sign the petition here.

 

Hot News and Actions

March 1, 2010: New public opinion poll: Vermonters overwhelmingly support Vermont Yankee shutdown.

February 25, 2010: Vermont Senate votes 26-4 to close Vermont Yankee! Statement from Citizens Awareness Network. PDF

February 17, 2010: Nuclear Loan Guarantees Aren’t Just Guarantees: They are Actual Taxpayer Loans. NIRS Press Release.

February 17, 2010: Other reaction to President Obama’s announcement of loan guarantees for Georgia’s Vogtle reactors:
Statement of Sierra Club. PDF
Statement of Ralph Nader. PDF
Statement from Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Statement of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Statement of Environment America. PDF

February 17, 2010: International Panel on Fissile Materials: Fast Breeder Reactors Are No Solution to Radioactive Waste. Press release and link to full report.

February 14, 2010: Obama Administration preparing to implement Bush/Mccain energy policy with taxpayer bailout for Southern Company nuclear reactors. NIRS press release.

February 3, 2010: Experts: no good candidates exist for current nuclear reactor loan guarantee bailout funds, much less tripled amount under Obama budget plan. PDF Press release in conjunction with telepressconference.

January 2010: Nuclear Industry has spent more than $600 million on lobbying for a nuclear revival. Thorough report from Investigative Reporting Workshop.

January 30, 2010: Safe, Clean Energy Advocates Reject Obama's Call for More Nuclear Power; More Than 3,000 Write Obama in Less Than 48 Hours. NIRS Press Release.

January 30, 2010: Chu Panel Composition Squanders Opportunity to Develop Consensus Radioactive Waste Policy. Politics and Money Trump Science and Reason on Nuclear Waste Panel; Doomed to Fail. NIRS Press Release

January 29, 2010: Obama Budget Said to Triple Nuclear Loan Guaramtee Program. ACT NOW: Tell Obama and Chu: No Taxpayer Bailout for Dirty Reactors. NIRS Alert.

January 28, 2010: Tell President Obama: Nuclear Power is Neither Safe Nor Clean. Then, Bring the Issue to the Public: Send a Letter to the Editor. NIRS Alert.

January 27, 2010: Urgent: Take Action Now to Stop Dirty Energy Bank. NIRS Alert.

January 15, 2010: Reps. Markey, Hall and Adler request GAO investigation of leaky pipes at nuclear reactors. PDF 34.6KB

IEER/PSR factsheet: Thorium Fuel: No Panacea for Nuclear Power. PDF 34.6KB

January 12, 2010: Comments of Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility and seven other groups (including NIRS) on NRC’s proposed Generic Environmental Impact Statement on reactor license renewal. PDF 34.6KB

January 6, 2010: NIRS, WISE, CNIC (Japan) urge Vietnam to re-examine suspiciously low nuclear reactor cost estimates. Press Release. PDF 34.6KB Letter to Vietnamese officials. PDF 34.6KB

January 2010: Greenpeace fact sheet on Vermont Yankee relicensing. PDF 34.6KB The Vermont legislature will be determining the fate of this reactor soon. Act now!

December 31, 2009: National and grassroots clean energy groups call NRC to ensure independent study of cancers and other health effects around nuclear reactors. Letter to NRC Chair Greg Jaczko. PDF 34.6KB

Amory Lovins describes the myriad of drawbacks to three reactor designs frequently touted by nuclear advocates and others hoping for some type of nuclear holy grail—i.e. a safe, affordable, reduced-waste atomic reactor. PDF 34.6KB Lovins looks at Integrated Fast Reactors, Thorium reactors, and “small” modular reactors. Nope, the search for the grail is still on…..Reprinted from June 26, 2009 Nuclear Monitor.

December 16, 2009: Experts: Three latest industry setbacks further dim nuclear “renaissance;” issues can’t be solved with nuclear socialism. Read the statement and listen to a streaming audio of the press conference embedded in the release.

December 11, 2009: Environmental Groups Oppose Taxpayers Being "Scrooged" by Nuclear Loan Guarantees for New Reactors. Press Release.

December 11, 2009: Taxpayer-Backed Loan Guarantees for New Reactors to Companies in MD, SC, GA and TX are a Risky Venture Lacking Accountability, Must be Halted; PDFenvironmental group statement.

December 2, 2009: 22 Environmental Groups Urge Energy Secretary Chu to Suspend Loan Guarantee Process for Areva EPR Reactors. Press Release.

December 2, 2009: Letter from 22 environmental groups urging Energy Secretary Steven Chu to suspend loan guarantees for EPR reactors due to unresolved safety and economic concerns. PDF

November 2009: The Renaissance That Wasn’t. PDF 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 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. PDF NRC rejects all arguments from nuclear utility UniStar Nuclear in appeals case.

 

Reports, Papers and Info You Can Use

Powering a Green Planet. Interactive website put together by Scientific American that amplifies on the November 2009 cover story: A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030, in which two California professors lay out a clear plan for the U.S. to become 100% renewable-powered by 2030.

November 2009: All Risk, No Reward. PDF 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.” PDF 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. PDF 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). PDF 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, PDF 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. PDF

EPR: The French Reactor. A Costly and Hazardous Obstacle to Climate Protection.PDF 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, PDF 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, pdf 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. PDF

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. PDF

 


donateNote: NIRS relies on contributions from people who use and/or appreciate our services. Your support is crucial! You can donate online by clicking the “Donate” button, or you may mail your tax-deductible check to NIRS. We thank you for your support.  NIRS is located at 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 340, Takoma Park, MD 20912; 301-270-NIRS (301-270-6477); fax: 301-270-4291; E-mail NIRS. WISE-Amsterdam is at P.O. Box 59636, 1040 LC Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 31-20-6126368; fax: 31-20-6892179; E-mail WISE. Web: www.antenna.nl/wise. Our NIRS Southeast U.S. office is at P.O. Box 7586, Asheville, NC 28802; 828-675-1792, E-mail NIRS Southeast office. Worldwide NIRS/WISE relay offices. Photo captions on the page header.