“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 07, 2024

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (08/07/2024)

Once again, from yesterday’s and many other of my blog posts over the last several months: “Deterrence”, will not save us from nuclear war; it only makes it more likely because the idea of having billions upon billions of nuclear hardware while constantly building more eventually becomes meaningless, nothing more than a waste of all those billions of dollars and other resources, until one day someone in the ‘deterrence’ trio, or perhaps more likely outsider North Korea, finally says, “Oh, to hell with it,” decides to drop out of the nuclear race, and to use what they’ve already got, and that means only one thing: The Earth we live on becomes instantly uninhabitable.

We have boxed ourselves in, and I mean all of us who have the power of nuclear weapons at our disposal. There is no way out, and continuing to build bigger, more powerful, and deployment methods (the nuclear warfare “Triads”, and Russia is threatening to add orbiter nuclear weapons in outer space as a fourth, so how could the U.S. and China be far behind?).

So, I ask you, who are these so-called “Experts” we keep talking about, and just why are they called experts? Believe me, there are no “Experts” related to the ‘All Things Nuclear” world-wide discussion, unless it is those, like me, who know enough to understand that all things nuclear will one day destroy humanity and most other life on planet Earth. Oppenheimer, Einstein, (the long gone ‘genius experts’), and many lesser known experts of the Manhattan Project warned us all, but on August 6th and 9th, 1945 (today is the proverbial “day after”), the USA murdered somewhere around a quarter-million innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan, ending WWII, which should have told us all we needed to know about nuclear weapons, nuclear wars, and nuclear-powered anything and everything. First, the world must disarm, and then we must go the rest of the way to rid ourselves forever of all things nuclear in order to survive . . . ~llaw

The nuclear weapons era is making a comeback, and experts say we’re all not paying attention

Matthew Loh

Aug 7, 2024, 10:07 AM PDT

• Nuclear weapons are poised to once again take center stage, decades after the Cold War ended.
• The US, threatened by a rising China, is being advised to consider an expansion of its nuclear forces.
• Leading experts told BI that few in the public are paying attention the worrying trends.

In 2022, Congress formed the Strategic Posture Commission — a bipartisan team of 12 experts hand-picked to advise the US on what to do with its nuclear weapons.

These are rare. The only other time Congress created such a group was in 2008.

But China was a new concern. Western intelligence says Beijing has since 2020 launched a sudden expansion of its nuclear stockpile, amassing launchers and warheads without explanation.

Alarm bells were ringing in Washington. The Cold War was a stand-off between two nuclear superpowers, and the US now fears China is on a highway to becoming a third.

In its October 2023 final report, the 12-person Commission painted the situation as dire.

“The new global environment is fundamentally different than anything experienced in the past, even in the darkest days of the Cold War,” they said.

The commissioners recommended that the US consider its first nuclear expansion since the Cold War, including more warheads, delivery systems, defenses, and launchers.

All of this underlines a deeper anxiety among leading experts that the international arena, fixated for decades on the post-9/11 war on terror, is now tilting relentlessly back to an era of nuclear build-up and brinkmanship.

Business Insider asked 10 nuclear scholars — including four Commissioners — and US-China relations experts on how the US should act.

They agreed that if global trends do not dramatically reverse, the world is poised to live under the shadow of nuclear threat again.

Several prominent arms control scholars have criticized the Commission’s report, fearing an arms race that they feel is unnecessary and will escalate the risk of annihilating humanity.

But signs are showing that the US government feels a build-up may have to be considered. In a speech on Thursday, Vipin Narang, the Defense Department’s senior official overseeing nuclear policy, said that “we now find ourselves in nothing short of a new nuclear age.”

It’s a looming future that some experts feel is being dismissed in the US, especially among younger generations born after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

“All of the trend lines are going in the wrong direction. So I think we are moving toward a much more dangerous world than it is today,” said James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“And it’s certainly possible that in the future, it could be as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than the original Cold War,” he said.

The Two-Peer Problem

At the crux of the US’ concerns is what American leaders call the Two-Peer Problem.

The US is worried it will need to simultaneously counter two of its equals on the nuclear playing field, when it traditionally only had the power to fight one — namely, the Soviet Union.

Beijing is reported to be rapidly increasing its stockpile to an estimated 500 warheads in 2023, up from 400 in 2022.

At that rate, China will have 1,550 warheads — putting it on par with US and Russian capabilities — by 2035.

That would be the Two-Peer Problem: A three-way tie that experts fear will shatter the past basis for nuclear negotiations.

A simple way to understand this dilemma is to look at the numbers.

The US and Russia previously agreed to limit arsenals to 1,550 deployed warheads each.

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If China were to reach parity, Washington would want an arsenal matching Moscow’s and Beijing’s combined, or theoretically 3,100 warheads.

Russia and China are more likely to think the appropriate equilibrium is for everyone to deploy 1,550 warheads each. However, given their close ties, the US is unlikely to accept such an agreement.

With no common number to reach, the three powers will be prone to rushing to gain the upper hand, Acton said.

“Once this arms race really kicks off, I think it’s going to be very, very, very hard to stop it,” he added.

The race against 2035

By its calculations, Washington now has only 11 years to find and establish a solution by 2035. That’s a short window for nuclear programs, which are generally rolled out over decades, not years.

“Decisions need to be made now,” wrote the Commission.

The recommendations in its report included putting multiple warheads on one intercontinental ballistic missile (known as MIRV), building more B-21 stealth bombers, and basing nuclear weapons in the Indo-Pacific region.

It also advised the US to look into more tactical nukes, which are lower-yield bombs that Russia stockpiles by the thousands. The report made no recommendations on numbers.

Rose Gottemoeller, one of the 12 Commissioners, emphasized to BI that the report only asked the US to begin planning for an expansion, not to pull the trigger on a build-up now.

“We have the opportunity between now and 2035 to try to get Russia back to the negotiating table and to get China to start talking to us about controlling nuclear weapons,” said Gottemoeller, NATO’s deputy secretary-general from 2016 to 2019 and the former US chief negotiator with Russia on nuclear programs.

Washington and Moscow held nuclear talks for decades during the Cold War and beyond, but China has not engaged in such discussion so far.

That’s unacceptable to the US. “They’re not obligated to agree to anything specific, but they are obligated to negotiate in good faith, and they have certainly not done that,” said Marshall Billingslea, former US special presidential envoy for arms control and one of the 12 Commissioners.

Russia, meanwhile, spent the last two years making nuclear threats over the war in Ukraine.

To scholars supporting a US nuclear expansion, the situation has deteriorated so drastically that the time to simply hope for negotiations has passed. America must act, they told BI.

“I think when the United States is strong, our adversaries think: ‘Okay, this is dangerous. We don’t want to get into a conflict with the United States,'” Matt Kroenig, a professor at Georgetown University’s government studies department. He was also one of the 12 Commissioners.

“When the United States is weak, that’s when you see aggression and violence,” he added.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment sent by BI.

Not all experts are convinced

Scholars who disagree said the US is looking at the Two-Peer Problem incorrectly.

Nuclear weapons are widely understood as the ultimate defense against existential threats like invasion, and these experts say the US can maintain that even if it has fewer nuclear weapons.

“We should focus on keeping our nuclear arsenal survivable, safe, secure, and reliable,” said Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “We don’t need to compete with them numerically. It won’t enhance deterrence to do so.”

Francesca Giovannini, executive director of the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, said that while official US-China nuclear talks are frozen, academics and non-governmental organizations are still trying to keep the dialogue flowing.

However, she told BI that the White House’s past moves, such as withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, have sowed doubt in Beijing that the US will keep to its arms control commitments.

“These examples come back often in dialogue,” she said. “In China, arms control is increasingly seen as a mechanism devised by the United States to constrain China’s rising military power.”

That has made talk of arms control an increasingly dangerous line for Chinese experts to defend in the domestic debate, Giovannini added.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 3 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Wednesday, (08/07/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Ask Strider: Those Ashland cats are back

Ashland News

It’s got lots of places to run around, and we can chase each other, and hide from our humans, and all the things. … nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and …

Centrus Board Adds Two Members With Key National Security, Industry, and Nuclear Expertise

PR Newswire

Cloud Computing/Internet of Things · Computer Electronics · Computer … all in order to allow us to continue importing Russian LEU under the …

American Cole Hocker pulls Olympic shocker in men’s 1,500 – Alabama Daily News

Alabama Daily News

This was supposed to be all about a chance for the defending Olympic … Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant turns 50 with plans to continue operations 8/6/24 …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Explosions Heard Just Miles Away From Russian Nuclear Power Plant – Newsweek

Newsweek

Explosions were heard in Kurchatov in Russia’s Kursk region, where a nuclear power plant is located, Telegram channels reported on Tuesday, …

Kaiga steam generator arrives on site – World Nuclear News

World Nuclear News

The first steam generator for units 5 and 6 of the Kaiga nuclear power plant in India’s Karnataka State has completed its journey from L&T’s …

Top 10: Nuclear Power Leaders – Energy Digital Magazine

Energy Digital Magazine

Top 10: Nuclear Power Leaders · Jacob DeWitte, Co-Founder and CEO of Oklo · Andre Liebenberg, Executive Director and CEO of Yellow Cake · David D. Cates, …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Why we need Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant – Cal Coast News

Cal Coast News

This cross-agency training provides for a more integrated emergency disaster response. Both the training and equipment paid for and supplied by PG&E …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Madness, Sanity and Nuclear War in the Middle East

Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies

Most ominously, it could mean Israel’s eventually suffering an Iranian nuclear attack. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Israel’s “Iran nuclear problem …

Amid Deepening Global Mistrust, Divisions, ‘We Cannot Press Our Luck Again’ to Avert …

Meetings Coverage and Press Releases – the United Nations

… Nuclear War, Secretary-General Warns on Anniversary of Atomic Bombings in Hiroshima … Too many are blind to the fact that we were lucky to end the …

‘The threat is very real’: Nuclear war a strong possibility as CBRM marks Hiroshima anniversary

SaltWire

… nuclear war. Sean Howard, campaign co-ordinator for Peace Quest Cape … Howard said that nearly 80 years later, the threat of nuclear war is “horribly …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Into the unknown: Managing conventional and nuclear uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific

Breaking Defense

It is noteworthy that Russia’s nuclear threats, while yet unfulfilled … The age of nuclear systems being defined by Cold War thinking is …

Aging hibakusha remind the world of nuclear horrors – EHN – Environmental Health News

Environmental Health News

As the hibakusha age, their stories are becoming increasingly urgent, especially as global nuclear threats are on the rise. … nuclear war from ever …

The nuclear weapons era is making a comeback, and experts say we’re all not paying attention

Business Insider

Nuclear weapons are poised to once again take center stage, decades after the Cold War ended. · The US, threatened by a rising China, is being advised 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Experts say Yellowstone eruption merely an indicator of regular geological activity, not ‘The Big One’

Dominion Post

The Yellowstone supervolcano rests in a hotspot of molten Earth pooling into a magma chamber, the land above rising as the chamber fills and falling …

What will happen if Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupts? – MSN

MSN

‘ Although the Yellowstone caldera’s initial blast would kill thousands in a ‘super-eruption,’ showering multiple US states in ‘pyroclastic flows’ of …

Young Aussie reduced to tears over ‘hidden’ message on her receipt – MSN

MSN

‘ Although the Yellowstone caldera’s initial blast would kill thousands in a ‘super-eruption,’ showering multiple US states in ‘pyroclastic flows …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 06, 2024

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Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 67 nuclear and thermonuclear weapons

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (08/06/2024)

This article describes exactly why ‘deterrence’ is a ‘time constrained’ non-agreement treaty, or pact, but a ‘power-game of thrones’ to instead simply build bigger, more powerful, and more kinds of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. I’ve said it dozens of times in this blog that such an international policy among nuclear armed nations will fail sooner or later, so what is the point of ‘deterrence’ at all? Deterrence is a game played by bullys on grade school playgrounds. Perhaps it delays WWIII for a few more days, months, or years, but at a global financial cost that is almost as destructive as the idea of ‘build but never use’ more powerful nuclear arms, including additions to the popular ‘triad’ concept. The only way to survive nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants is to, as a united world, “do away” with ‘all things nuclear’ . . .

What the hell is wrong with us? I mean wrong with Humanity, of which we are all a part! We say, as Pulitzer Prize winner Mr. Pincus points out clearly in this article, “why do we continue to prepare for a nuclear war that is unwinnable?” It is evidently based on hate and anger by people and their leaders who live behind borders that may vary from one country to another. There seems to be no humanity, tolerance, empathy, or consideration of those who are of a different racial, color, ethnicity, spirituality or religion, financial, nor even a polite acceptance or the slightest of our differences. It boils down to intolerance and hatred. Why the hell is that?

Think of the wonderful life we could all lead if we had no need for anything military, which, if you understand nuclear weapons, makes a huge national military of old irrelevant and useless, especially for territorial ground troops, often commonly referred to as ‘foot-soldiers’. We are capable of killing off each other world-wide in a matter of not hours, but minutes, with today’s “triads” that we and other nuclear nations have developed to one degree or another, yet the nation that pushes the nuclear button 1st will also die in the same short time-frame as the nation(s) they are attacking. ~llaw

A Nuclear War is Unwinnable, So Why Do We Keep Preparing for One?

Posted: August 6th, 2024

By Walter Pincus

Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics that ranged from nuclear weapons to politics. He is the author of Blown to Hell: America’s Deadly Betrayal of the Marshall Islanders. Pincus won an Emmy in 1981 and was the recipient of the Arthur Ross Award from the American Academy for Diplomacy in 2010.  He was also a team member for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 and the George Polk Award in 1978.  

OPINION — “We must prepare for a world where constraints on nuclear weapons arsenals disappear entirely, modernizing U.S. nuclear capabilities today and preparing for future posture adjustments may help incentivize our adversaries to engage in strategic arms control discussions. However, if our adversaries continue to make choices that make them and the world less safe, the United States is prepared to do what is necessary to successfully compete, to deter aggression, and assure our allies in this new nuclear age.”

That was Dr. Vipin Narang, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, speaking last Wednesday, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, whose Project on Nuclear Issues hosted an event for early- and mid-career nuclear experts.

At the Pentagon, Dr. Narang’s portfolio includes nuclear deterrence, and he chairs an international advisory panel to NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group.  He also helped form the new Nuclear Consultative Group with South Korea. Dr. Narang is on public service leave from MIT where he served as the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science. He is author of Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Age, and Seeking the Bomb: Strategies of Nuclear Proliferation.

Dr. Narang talked about current trends and how they are affecting future planning in more specific terms than have other Biden administration officials. On Capitol Hill and among U.S. allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific area, there is concern about the U.S. facing two peer nuclear powers with Chinese nuclear weapon expansion and Moscow’s developing new nuclear weaponry.

 “Absent a change in the nuclear trajectories of the PRC (People’s Republic of China), Russia, and North Korea, we may reach a point where a change in the size or posture of our current deployed forces is necessary,” Dr. Narang said, adding, “There is no need to grow the stockpile yet, but adjustments to the number of deployed capabilities may be necessary if our adversaries continue down their current paths.”

He also reassured his audience that, “We are confident in our current forces and posture today,” and that “we will also abide by the central limits of New START for the duration of the treaty as long as we assess that Russia continues to do so. But in an uncertain world, preserving the option to change course tomorrow requires that we make necessary decisions and investments today.”

It’s not as if the U.S. is standing still. Dr. Narang pointed out that pushed by Congress, the Biden administration is developing a new nuclear sub-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) for which the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, approved $70 million in the fiscal 2025 budget.

Already in the works, is a new tactical nuclear bomb, the B61-13, designed to attack harder- protected, deeply-based or large-area targets, and is intended to replace the B61-7, which has a yield of up to 360 kilotons – the equivalent of 360 thousand tons of TNT.

I want to pause and try to explain, which is almost never done by U.S. officials when discussing nuclear weapons, what such nuclear weapons could do if they are used in warfare.

There was recently an outcry over U.S. 2,000-pound conventional bombs being delivered to Israel for its war in Gaza based on the damage such a weapon could have on the civilian population. Such a bomb contains roughly 945 pounds of explosives.

A single, one kiloton nuclear weapon contains the equivalent power of 1,000 tons of explosives and thus alone has the explosive power of 2,000 of those U.S. 2,000-pound conventional bombs – the ones the U.S. halted giving the Israelis because of the damage they would cause. And that does not include the enormous heat and long-lasting radiation such nuclear weapons also deliver.

Now think of the extensive and long-lasting, widespread damage that would result from use of one B61-13, should its full 360 kilotons ever be unleashed.

Dr. Narang also said, “The growth in the number of Chinese strategic targets alone I think, leads one to the conclusion that a modernization program sized for a completely different security environment may need to be reassessed in sort of the multiple, nuclear challenger world.”

He is referring to the idea that each silo for a new Chinese nuclear ICBM, each mobile ICBM, each strategic submarine, or nuclear-capable, strategic bomber is a target for a nuclear weapon.

That is how the need for additional nuclear weapons gets driven up, because deterrence strategy since the Cold War, has been a numbers game. To deter a nuclear-armed enemy, you had to have enough nuclear weapons to absorb a first strike, and survive with enough of your own weapons to destroy the enemy’s remaining weapons.

Of course, that is why the U.S. and the Russians have so-called triads of delivery systems – land-based ICBMs, strategic bombers and a major portion of their strategic warheads on difficult-to-find submarines, as have the British, French and Israelis. It is also why the Chinese are creating their own triad with a strategic submarine force – as are the North Koreans.

This idea of nuclear weapons only being used to attack a potential enemy’s nuclear weapons arose because neither the U.S., nor apparently the Soviet Union, wanted to appear to be using nuclear weapons to attack enemy cities because that would result in millions of civilian deaths and appear to violate traditional rules of war.

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In fact, that is exactly why atomic bombs were originally created and used — as terror weapons to kill and wound civilians and thus end the war with Japan. Hiroshima and Nagasaki had some military facilities, but they were also selected as targets because other Japanese cities had already been partially destroyed and thus, the impact of these new atomic bombs would be less dramatic.

Today’s hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than the two atomic bombs used on Japan, so why the U.S. and Russia, which already have thousands of them, would want more is among many questions about the nuclear arms race that is worth asking.

Meanwhile, Dr. Narang last week, voiced concern about “covering” nuclear weapons targets.

“As the security environment continues to deteriorate, and you have the multiple challenger problem, you don’t want to have to rely on triad or strategic forces to deter in the Indo-Pacific,” he said, “especially with the growth in Chinese forces — which would leave strategic targets uncovered.”

The answer to covering China’s non-strategic nuclear weapons, according to Dr. Narang, is “essentially a SLCM-N. It has to be – in the maritime [Indo-Pacific] environment, you can’t have forward land presence [U.S. tactical nuclear-capable fighter-bombers] in the way that we have in Europe.”

In Europe, Dr. Narang pointed out, “We’re completing the modernization of NATO nuclear capabilities through the transition to the fifth-generation F-35 [nuclear-capable, fighter-bombers] and the B61-12 [new nuclear bomb with more accuracy and limited stand-off guidance capability], which are bolstering the military effectiveness and the credibility of the deterrent.”

Dr, Narang described the SLCM-N and B61-12 as “regional capabilities, you know, primarily for regional contingencies.”

What is also underway, is examination and groundwork for, as Dr. Narang put it, “the expiration of New START, if there’s no follow-on treaty and our adversaries continue down this pathway, are we prepared – if necessary, and if the President decides to do so, do we – are we able to potentially, if required, increase the number of deployed strategic capabilities as well?”

Dr. Narang added that, “We don’t need to outpace our adversaries or even the combined number of the adversaries. We do seek a smart, flexible posture that deters, you know, at a strategic level, and assures our allies and partners.”

He went on, “It’s not an unrestrained posture. But I think we are now in the middle of thinking about what a smart posture looks like in a multiple nuclear challenger world where your adversaries have revisionist objectives, they’re modernizing and expanding their arsenals, and you may face them in a collaborative or collusive manner, and you know, what sort of stress that puts on the force.”

On a somewhat positive side, Dr. Narang said at one point, “I think Russia will return to arms control talks akin to whatever following New START will be, when it realizes that an unrestrained, you know, sort of nuclear competition is not in its interest. And I firmly believe it’s not in their interest.”

I hope he is right, not just from the Russian side, but from the U.S. and Chinese sides as well.

My view, as I have often written, is that nuclear weapons have become more diplomatic and/or domestic political weapons, and less weapons to fight actual wars.

The reality is, as leaders of the U.S., Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement just over two years ago, “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” And they also said that such weapons “for as long as they continue to exist should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.”

The first statement remains true, the latter has not yet worked out totally as stated.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 2 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories (may be duplicates from different publications) available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Tuesday, (08/06/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Majority of Americans support more nuclear power in the country – Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center

… all U.S. electricity in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. About half of the United States’ nuclear power reactors (48) …

Opinion | What Today’s Nuclear Arms Race Looks Like to Hiroshima Survivors

The New York Times

As the Cold War closed, many people on the United States stopped thinking about nuclear weapons. … All right. Let me introduce myself. Is it OK …

Cranes, but make it fashion – The Nuclear Threat Initiative

The Nuclear Threat Initiative

Originally, we made this dress for my summer 2022 collection, and that season was all about the crane. We had a hallway of 4,000 cranes strung …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Advanced nuclear energy working toward a future presence in the Permian Basin – YouTube

YouTube

A recent partnership aims to bring liquid fueled molten salt reactors to the region and Texas. The reactors will help water and energy needs as …

CEI’s The Surge: Loper Bright, nuclear exports, and more – Competitive Enterprise Institute

Competitive Enterprise Institute

If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental issues, then we encourage you to subscribe to this new …

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant turns 50 with plans to continue operations

Alabama Daily News

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Ala., the Tennessee Valley Authority’s largest electricity generating asset, is celebrating 50 years of …

Nuclear War

NEWS

A Nuclear War is Unwinnable, So Why Do We Keep Preparing for One? – The Cipher Brief

The Cipher Brief

Cipher Brief Senior National Security Columnist Walter Pincus writes that nuclear wars are unwinnable and asks why we keep preparing for one.

We Need a New Peace Movement to Prevent Nuclear War – Jacobin

Jacobin

Citizen movements against nuclear weapons during the Cold War helped significantly reduce nuclear risks. As global nuclear tension spikes again, we …

Israeli policy means ‘difficult to know’ how close world is to nuclear war, warns anti … – Euractiv

Euractiv

… nuclear war, a leading anti-nuclear weapons group has warned. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)—a Geneva-based Nobel …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

We Need a New Peace Movement to Prevent Nuclear War – Jacobin

Jacobin

Citizen movements against nuclear weapons during the Cold War helped significantly reduce nuclear risks. … People who pay attention to nuclear threats …

Terrifying maps identifies areas of US most likely to be targeted in nuclear war – MSN

MSN

The threat of nuclear war looms over parts of America as Russia’s … Other cities that may face threats include Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, and …

Why China Is Doubling Down on Nuclear Weapons—Experts Weigh in – Newsweek

Newsweek

… nuclear triad,” alongside nuclear threats posed by Russia and North Korea. … nuclear war and on controlling escalation in a nuclear war

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

What will happen if Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupts after 600k-year slumber – Daily Mail

Daily Mail

The Yellowstone caldera, Spanish for ‘cooking pot,’ is defined as a ‘supervolcano’ due to its historic capacity for eruptions that can spew more …

What will happen if Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupts? – MSN

MSN

Although the Yellowstone caldera’s initial blast would kill thousands in a ‘super-eruption,’ showering multiple US states in ‘pyroclastic flows’ of …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 06, 2024

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Image of a nuclear power station in France (from the EastMojo Article below)

LAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (08/05/2024)

Australia has never accepted the idea of nuclear power plants on Australian soil, except for the one mentioned in the story, which is a small reactor for medical products, (the USA’s mysterious military project at Pine Gap near Alice Springs is not mentioned), but Australia would be well-advised to always keep themselves ‘clean’ of any future nuclear projects. This article reminded me of the old novel and movie, “On the Beach”, where the last living souls were the only remaining humans left alive after a nuclear accident, apparently in the USA.

I am surprised that “On the Beach” was not mentioned as one of the more important pop culture films of all time. It was, written by Nevil Shute, published in 1957, made into the referenced major movie in 1959, and there have been two other movie remakes of the story in the early 2000s. But the author’s point is well-made — that ‘all things nuclear’ are a liability we do not want to continue to grow because the pop-culture and its horrifying images of the dark side of nuclear power and nuclear war are enough to drive us away. ~llaw

EastMojo

Northeast India News, Assam News, Breaking News of Northeast | Latest News Live | EastMojo

Everything I know about nuclear power I learnt from The Simpsons

By Marcus K. Harmes, University of Southern Queensland and Michael B. Charles, Southern Cross University in Toowoomba

by 360info.org17 hours ago

Pop culture is likely to be the main way most Australians have learnt about nuclear power. What impact will this have on shaping their views of the technology?

What connects The Simpsons, Doctor Who and HBO’s Chernobyl?

These — along with many other film and television productions — parody, problematise or otherwise show us nuclear power stations in action and, of course, in meltdown.

Such pop culture representations are the closest many Australians will have come to experiencing the nuclear world.

And that could affect what they think of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s proposal to build seven nuclear power plants if elected.

Pop culture has significant potential to influence people’s thinking on important topics. In particular, it informs the frames of reference that people use to form views about controversial issues.

From belief in conspiracy theories, to role models, to the way music can promote racial justice, pop culture powerfully influences the way people perceive themselves and the world.

It has likely played a considerable role in shaping the way Australians think about nuclear power, especially given that Australians have very minimal actual experience with nuclear energy.

There is only one nuclear reactor in Australia, in Lucas Heights, a southern suburb of Sydney. However, unlike the plants in The Simpsons and other pop culture examples, it is used strictly for nuclear medicine and research, not to generate power.

While the day-to-day reality of nuclear energy is largely unknown in Australia — unlike countries such as France where nuclear power stations are largely an everyday part of the landscape — one doesn’t have to look too far to find fictitious and potentially misleading references to nuclear power.

Mr C. Montgomery Burns’ nuclear power plant in The Simpsons is the most prominent and longstanding example in pop culture.

Homer Simpson has spent his entire working life in sector 7G of this power plant as (hilariously) its safety officer.

Mr Burns’ plant has gone into meltdown several times, been condemned for literally hundreds of safety violations, caused strange mutations in local wildlife, leaked radioactive waste into the water supply, caught fire and in general simply loomed above the town of Springfield, its two cooling towers marked with the symbol of atomic energy.

Of course The Simpsons is a cartoon with the inbuilt “reset” switch allowing for any scenario to be undone by the next episode.

Chernobyl and other disasters

HBO’s Chernobyl in contrast shows the terrifying irreversibility of an actual disaster in a nuclear power plant.

Chillingly, the Chernobyl plant is back in the news as one of the battle sites in the war between Ukraine and Russia, with Russian troops choosing to dig into the radioactive soil, while their tanks throw red dust from contaminated sites into the air.

In 1979 the film The China Syndrome pointed to what might happen if nuclear energy is not managed properly.

This Hollywood drama about corruption, coverup and the danger of meltdown in a nuclear power station came into cinemas just days before the actual nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in the United States.

Strikingly, these dramas present the exact same nuclear anxieties and threats as do The Simpsons.

But whereas The Simpsons is a comedy, these other works make it clear that there would be environmental and human disaster if a power plant went into a full meltdown scenario.

In 1991, when the 1986 Chernobyl incident was still fresh, Anglia Television dramatised the murder mystery Devices and Desiresby the British crime writer P.D. James.

Set in and around the fictional Larksoken Nuclear Power Plant, the production filmed on location at the Sizewell Power Station in Norfolk.

The fact the authorities at Sizewell gave permission is surprising as the miniseries takes every opportunity to make nuclear energy look as ominous as it can.

On the soundtrack, warning sirens and the nuclear reactors drone and wail, characters allude anxiously to Chernobyl and the possibility of a meltdown caused by computer hacking. The series even suggests that the actions of a local serial killer may be somehow linked to the effect of nuclear energy on the environment!

Of course, there are no known links between nuclear energy and psychopathic behaviour, but the generally negative attitude to nuclear power seen in popular culture means that outlandish claims and associations can go uncontested, and indeed might even seem plausible.

British television also presented nuclear power stations as places of inherent drama and danger in Doctor Who.

In the 1970 story Doctor Who and the Silurians, a nuclear-powered cyclotron (a type of particle accelerator) went into dangerous levels of overload, posing the same threat that would actually happen at Chernobyl 16 years later: large swathes of the country becoming irradiated.

In these examples the nuclear power is at the service of drama, which extracts tension from the risk of nuclear accidents.

In reality, nuclear power stations have inherent (built-in) safety features. While Chernobyl and Fukishima were famous incidents, they are the only two major accidents in the documented 18,500 reactor years of nuclear-generated power.

Another important consideration is that nuclear weapons, nuclear experimentation and nuclear energy are often conflated in pop culture.

This reinforces the concept of nuclear anything being dangerous to both people and to the environment.

Mutants and monsters

In 1996’s Independence Day, the character played by Jeff Goldblum wants to save the planet and is concerned with things like recycling and scolding people who don’t do so, but baulks at the use of nuclear weapons to destroy the extraterrestrials threatening earth.

Yet the nukes don’t stop the extraterrestrial invaders when deployed and humanity has to come up with a smarter solution to defeat the aliens.

Nuclear experimentation and associated outcomes such as radioactivity also results in ordinary people — or even certain ninja turtles named after Renaissance masters — being given generally helpful superpowers, such as Dr Manhattan in Watchmen and the various reimaginings of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.

But it also results in uncontrollable monsters such as what we see in the Godzilla films, with Godzilla and similarly awakened monstrous creatures from the deep representing physical manifestations of what happens when humans try to “play God” with nuclear testing.

Nuclear energy has also been depicted as a dangerous and primitive source of energy that will soon become dated.

In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Mr Spock, the Enterprise’s science officer, describes fission reactors — that is, conventional nuclear power — as having been phased out in the fusion era.

Nuclear power is thus seen in science fiction as a dangerous 20th century experiment on the way to more genuinely sustainable — and safer — forms of energy.

Such depictions work against the federal opposition’s plan to present nuclear power as a reliable and safe day-to-day energy source and hence clearly differentiate themselves from the Labor government on energy policy.

To get there however, Australians will need to divorce themselves from the predominantly ominous nature of nuclear energy that is presented in pop culture.

Clearly, nuclear power needs to be assessed according to its economic and scientific merits rather than the hyperbolic, and literally cartoonish, depictions of it in pop culture.

But nuclear energy being almost always presented as dangerous, unreliable and experimental assists the narrative of renewables being the safer long-term alternative.

Indeed, pop culture asks us to consider: if somebody as logical as Mr Spock didn’t think that nuclear power had much of a future, should we?

Professor Marcus K. Harmes teaches in the Pathways Program and the Bachelor of Laws at the University of Southern Queensland. His research is focused on science fiction and popular culture (especially Doctor Who), the cultural history of education and education in popular culture.

Associate Professor Michael B. Charles is a member of the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. His current research focuses on infrastructure policy, innovation policy and public values, while the bulk of his teaching corresponds to the pursuit of sustainability, especially in the arena of transport.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (08/05/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

North Korean leader marks the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units

The Hill

… about Kim’s nuclear program have grown as he … all Hill.TV See all Video. Top Stories. See All · Education · Students gearing up for round 2 of pro …

Nuclear Prayer Day: Local church joins global call to end use of atomic weapons

LehighValleyNews.com

… Sign In. DONATE. WLVR. All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:00 PM Fresh Air Weekend. 0:00. 0:00. Available On Air Stations. On Air Now Playing 91.3 WLVR.

Everything I know about nuclear power I learnt from The Simpsons – EastMojo

EastMojo

Everything I know about nuclear power I learnt from The Simpsons. By Marcus K. Harmes, University of Southern Queensland and Michael B. Charles, …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Majority of Americans support more nuclear power in the country – Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center

The partisan gap in support for nuclear power (18 points) is smaller than those for other types of energy, including fossil fuel sources such as coal …

Milestones for Rajasthan reactors old and new – World Nuclear News

World Nuclear News

Days after unit 3 at the Rajasthan nuclear power plant returned to service after the completion of major refurbishment, fuel loading has begun at …

Nuclear Power Long-Term Growth Could Be Staggering | – ETF Trends

ETF Trends

Nuclear power is experiencing a rebirth of sorts — one some experts believe brings with it robust long-term investment opportunities.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Multiday Deluge from Debby Predicted – South Carolina Emergency Management Division

South Carolina Emergency Management Division

Nuclear Power Plants · Hazardous Materials · Terrorism · Drought · Extreme Heat · Your Emergency Plan · Family Disaster Plan · Financial · Checklists …

FP&L Testing Its Emergency Warning Sirens This Week – WQCS

WQCS

FP&L maintains 91 outdoor emergency warning sirens which are necessary in the unlikely event of an incident at FP&L’s St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant …

Potassium Iodide Distribution To Be Held For Limerick Nuclear Plant – Patch

Patch

Another event to distribute the emergency medication will be held later this month. · Find out what’s happening in Limerick-Royersford-Spring Citywith …

Nuclear War

NEWS

North Korea Blasts U.S. ‘Nuclear War Plan’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

Pyongyang warned that Washington and its allies would bear the consequences for “provocations” in the region.

North Korean leader marks the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units

AP News

Concerns about Kim’s nuclear program have grown as he has demonstrated an intent to deploy battlefield nuclear weapons along the North’s border with …

North Korean leader marks the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

Catch up on the developing stories from around the globe making headlines. SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea marked …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

We recognize two terrible anniversaries to alert public to risk of nuclear war (Viewpoint)

MassLive

And Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine have underlined the danger of the current situation. Counter threats by NATO have increased the …

Nuclear brinkmanship keeping the world on edge – Tribune India

Tribune India

Pakistan and North Korea have often rattled their nuclear sabre to ward off what they perceive as superior conventional military threats. The …

North Korean leader marks the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units

The Washington Post

… nuclear program to counter perceived U.S. threats, state media said Monday. … Kim lately has used Russia’s war on Ukraine as a distraction to …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 04, 2024

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The Columbia Generating Station is Washington’s only nuclear energy plant. (Courtesy/Energy Northwest)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (08/04/2024)

“The Columbia Generating Station is Washington’s only nuclear energy plant.” Want to why the image’s caption says that about the Columbia River Generating Station? There is a major reason, and the reason is called “Hanford”. You can learn a lot about the very sad history of nuclear activity in Washington that will never go away, and has been ongoing since the spring of a 1945 nuclear accident, including much of the area surrounding the plant, nearby communities and the entire Columbia river basin and drainage. The plant was built by the U.S. government to provide plutonium for the Manhattan Project and the two bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Read the well-written article and then go do your homework . . . ~llaw

Spin Control: As state studies ‘modular’ nuke plants, history worth remembering

The Columbia Generating Station is Washington’s only nuclear energy plant. (Courtesy/Energy Northwest)

Sun., Aug. 4, 2024

By Jim Camden For The Spokesman-Review

Proponents of nuclear power, who have been wandering for decades like latter-day Israelites in a desert of public skepticism, might be feeling hopeful about a revival of their prospects.

After all, when the National Republican platform supports expanding nuclear power and the Washington Democratic platform doesn’t come out against it, one might assume a window of opportunity is opening. In the push to reduce carbon emissions that come from burning coal, petroleum products or natural gas to generate electricity, some people are even lumping nuclear into the “green” energy column.

The latest push is for so-called modular nuclear reactors, smaller than the nuke plants built in the last half of the 1900s, with claims that they can be sized to a particular need. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation has been mentioned as a possible home for one or more such reactors. The Legislature earlier this year set aside $25 million for a feasibility study on the devices, which some enthusiastic supporters see as a magic bullet to the world’s climate crisis.

Even some people who doubt that there is a climate crisis – or that if one exists it is not manmade and thus cannot be man unmade – are happy to jump on the modular reactor bandwagon.

This seems to gloss over the fact that despite the reactors’ virtues of carbon-free emissions, pollution from spent nuclear fuel has a half-life measured in geologic time. Well, at least it can be encased, carted away and buried somewhere to become the problem of some future, and let’s hope smarter, generation.

Although a price tag in eight figures seems a bit spendy, a feasibility study is all well and good as long as at least someone compiling it remembers that magic bullets sometimes misfire and blow up in your face.

One previous effort to solve a projected power shortage in Washington with nuclear power did just that in the 1980s.

These days, political and business leaders worry about not having enough electricity to attract new server farms and chip manufacturers, and power our computers and electric cars. In the 1960s and 1970s, utility leaders and government officials worried the rapidly growing Northwest wouldn’t have enough power for new business with their lights and machinery and new homes with more heaters, air conditioners and televisions.

The region had some of the cheapest electricity, but pretty much had exhausted its ability to dam the available rivers to generate more cheap hydropower.

In their search for new sources of affordable power, a group of public utilities hit on the idea of building commercial nuclear power plants at Hanford, which had a history with nuclear power – albeit the kind that primarily made bombs. It also had lots of open space owned by the federal government, and thus not likely to generate opposition from pesky NIMBYs.

One of the early selling points of the plants was that the power was going to be “too cheap to meter.” At one point, nuclear proponents talked of building as many as two dozen nuclear power plants at Hanford.

The first never proved true. The second was wildly overblown, but by the end of the 1970s, a consortium of utility districts known as the Washington Public Power Supply System had embarked on plans to build three commercial reactors at Hanford and – in an apparent effort to spread around the wealth of construction billions – two more at Satsop on the Olympic Peninsula. To cut costs, the two at Satsop and two of the three at Hanford were to be “twins” to save money on design and construction.

The financial, legal and political troubles of that grand scheme have filled books. The Cliff Notes version is that cost overruns and schedule delays made the total plan so expensive that the consortium shut down construction on four of the five plants, defaulted on a then-record $2.5 billion in municipal bonds sold to pay for them and led to the universal pronunciation of the WPPSS acronym as “Whoops!”

Because of rebranding – the consortium eventually changed its name to Energy Northwest and the name of the finished reactor from WPPSS 2 to Columbia Generating Station – there are probably people who have moved to the region in the past few decades who have never heard the Whoops story, and even some longtime residents who have forgotten it.

This is not to say that because of the WPPSS debacle the Northwest should never consider nuclear power. But it should at least be included as a cautionary tale about believing all the hype about a new generation of nuclear reactors in that feasibility study.

It should also be noted that the last time a power shortage loomed, the region solved some of its problem with a series of smaller “fixes.” As prices went up, people put more insulation in their old homes and built less energy-hungry new ones; they switched from electric heat to natural gas and bought more efficient appliances. It wasn’t the panacea that some of the anti-nuke forces touted, but it wasn’t as negligible as some utility experts predicted.

Tick, tick, tick

Deadline for your state primary ballot is Tuesday. It must either be placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. or postmarked by then.

If the latter, and you wait until Tuesday to mail, you should not just stick it in your mailbox with the flag up that morning. You should take it to the post office if that’s closer than a drop box.

In Spokane, drop boxes can be found at most public libraries and other locations listed at the Spokane County Elections Office web site.Subscribe

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (08/04/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Putin’s Nuclear Plan As Ukraine Gets F-16s: New ‘Doomsday’ Drone Features Explained | Russia

Hindustan Times

It can withstand nuclear attack and carry out reconnaissance missions. Watch this video to know all about Russia’s ‘doomsday drone. News / Videos …

Former reactor operator, mom reveals what she wishes people knew about nuclear power – MSN

MSN

… about nuclear power: ‘It’s time to get loud’ … “Even in extreme weather, nuclear plants keep running, so my daughter and all our loved ones can stay …

Is something on the web going viral? Or is it going nuclear? – NewsRadio 560 KPQ

NewsRadio 560 KPQ

You have to take into account the speed that things spread. And for that, I would put forward that, yes instead of … All rights reserved.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Is the dream of nuclear fusion dead? Why the international experimental reactor is in ‘big trouble’

The Guardian

The 35-nation Iter project has a groundbreaking aim to create clean and limitless energy but it is turning into the ‘most delayed and …

Spin Control: As state studies ‘modular’ nuke plants, history worth remembering

The Spokesman-Review

Proponents of nuclear power, who have been wandering for decades like latter-day Israelites in a desert of public skepticism, might be feeling …

Nuclear plant owner: Delays could ‘chill’ data-center investment | News | citizensvoice.com

The Citizens’ Voice

Amazon would buy electricity directly from Susquehanna Nuclear. The PJM Interconnection, which runs the multi-state power grid, and PPL Utilities, the …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Doosan Efficiency, Doosan Bobcat, and Doosan Robotics, which are seeking to reorganize …

mk.co.kr

… Emergency to secure new technologies and expand facilities … power plant’s export model and the first 1,400MW nuclear power plant in Korea.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear disarmament seemed possible. The imagined destruction of a Kansas town helped …

Kansas Reflector

… nuclear war. A key part of America’s Cold War strategy, Looking Glass was capable of directing bombers and launching missiles from silos and …

Putin’s Nuclear Plan As Ukraine Gets F-16s: New ‘Doomsday’ Drone Features Explained

YouTube

… nuclear attack and carry out reconnaissance missions. Watch this video to know all about Russia’s ‘doomsday drone. INTERNATIONAL NEWS #putin …

Preserving hegemony by creating confrontation is not acceptable – China Military

China Military

… nuclear war, thereby playing a crucial role in preventing the outbreak of nuclear war and maintaining strategic stability and security in Europe.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Nuclear threats are increasing – here’s how the US should prepare for a nuclear event

CTPost

… warfare – some may think the threat from nuclear weapons has receded. But international developments, including nuclear threats from Russia in the war …

A hidden nuclear threat: North Korea’s role in Israel’s security apparatus – opinion

The Jerusalem Post

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions pose urgent threats globally, but … risks of an unintentional nuclear war. In theory, at least, each side …

Israel prepares for Iran attack amid warnings that regime is close to having nuclear weapon

Fox News

JERUSALEM – As Iran ramps up its threats to launch a massive attack against U.S. ally Israel and possibly American assets in the region, the rogue .

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 04, 2024

1

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The Holtec International Mothballed Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (08/03/2024)

This is where politics and reality don’t mix, but rather cast a shadow over human life versus capitalism and insane carelessness. There is an old saying that applies here — something like “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. But you should, if you are thoughtful and considerate, just accept the fact that the dog is old and leave him be.

We are naively treating the concept of more nuclear energy like it’s an old friend, which it never has been, and never will be. And it will be the death of us , if nuclear war doesn’t accomplish it first, or add nuclear power to the war process, along with a little boost from CO2, the triad can end it all soon, or we can choose our poison, and it will happen by one or the other sooner or later. It seems there is no way out; but we don’t have to hasten the process. ~llaw

US nuclear plant unfit for quick resurrection, former lead engineer says

By Timothy Gardner

August 2, 202410:49 AM PDT Updated a day ago

WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) – The first U.S. nuclear plant to ever try reopening after undergoing preparations for permanent closure is not fit to restart anytime soon because it sidestepped important safety work for years before retirement, a former official at the reactor said.

Power company Entergy (ETR.N), opens new tab closed the Palisades reactor in Michigan in 2022, after the plant generated electricity for more than 50 years. Privately-held Holtec International bought Palisades shortly after and has since secured a $1.52 billion conditional U.S. loan guarantee to restart. Holtec seeks to open the plant in about a year.

The fate of Palisades is closely watched by the nuclear industry as at least two other shuttered plants, including a unit at Constellation Energy’s (CEG.O), opens new tab Three Mile Island, consider reopening.

The administration of President Joe Biden sees nuclear power as a critical tool in the fight against climate change and supports efforts to restart closed plants, delay retirements of existing ones, and speed permitting for new projects.

“I’m pro-nuclear, but they selected the wrong horse to ride to town on,” said Alan Blind, who was engineering director at the Palisades plant from 2006 to 2013 under Entergy.

Blind said the plant got exemptions from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the nuclear safety regulator, allowing it to fall short of safety design standards that more modern plants must adhere to because it was nearing retirement.

Those safety standards include prevention of cooling systems being clogged by the breakdown of insulation on pipes, defense against earthquakes, and reduction of risks to fires, Blind said, adding he had been monitoring the plants’ exemption requests since his retirement.

“I’m worried that the NRC will not insist that the generic safety issues be the fixed before they allow Palisades to restart,” Blind told Reuters.

Scott Burnell, an NRC spokesperson, said the safety review of Holtec’s applications “will include examining how Holtec plans to follow through on technical issues, such as what Mr. Blind describes, that were unresolved when the plant shut down in 2022.”

“Those plans will be public to the greatest extent possible,” and the NRC will allow a restart only if Holtec meets safety and environmental requirements. Burnell added NRC will soon offer an opportunity to offer legal challenges to Holtec’s requests to restart, a standard procedure.

Holtec believes Palisades can restart in about a year within the NRC’s existing regulatory framework, said spokesperson Pat O’Brien. “As part of the repowering, Palisades will undergo extensive inspections, testing, maintenance, system and equipment upgrades and modifications to ensure the continuation of safe and reliable operation throughout the plant’s extended operational life,” O’Brien said.

Entergy supports the effort to re-open Palisades, said spokesperson Mark Sullivan. He did comment on Blind’s concerns about safety standards at the plant.

Entergy shut Palisades in May 2022, two weeks ahead of schedule over a glitch with a control rod, despite a $6 billion federal program to save nuclear plants suffering from rising costs and competition from natural gas and renewable energy.

The Biden administration’s Loan Programs Office at the Department of Energy issued Holtec a conditional $1.52 billion loan guarantee in March to restart Palisades.

The LPO referred questions to the NRC.

The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here.

Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Editing by Nick Zieminski

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Timothy reports on energy and environment policy and is based in Washington, D.C. His coverage ranges from the latest in nuclear power, to environment regulations, to U.S. sanctions and geopolitics. He has been a member of three teams in the past two years that have won Reuters best journalism of the year awards. As a cyclist he is happiest outside.Subscribe

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (08/03/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear war threat again? | CNN Politics

CNN

Nuclear war threat again? 05:43 ; ‘I’ve lost everything‘: Woman speaks after losing son, grandchild in landslide. 01:56 ; Is this dolphin spotted in …

Here’s how Point Beach Nuclear Plant fared in its latest safety inspections

AOL.com

“And when all of a sudden we talk about using nuclear weapons in the Taiwan Strait, we are very clearly blurring the commitments we have made.

TVA’s biggest nuclear plant turns 50 | Chattanooga Times Free Press

Chattanooga Times Free Press

Browns Ferry generates up to 3,954 megawatts of electricity, or about 20% of all of TVA’s power, and supplies enough power for more than 2 million …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

see how the new technology could change the future of nuclear power – Yahoo

Yahoo

Other notable nuclear energy projects include a nuclear power plant being built in Wyoming on the site of a retired coal plant, which drastically …

Nuclear Energy would get slight boost in ’25 Senate appropriations bill; waste account whole

ExchangeMonitor

… Reactor Concepts RD&D, Advanced Fuels and Front End Fuel Cycle: areas that broadly focus on future technology for new nuclear power plants. The …

US nuclear plant unfit for quick resurrection, former lead engineer says – Reuters

Reuters

The first U.S. nuclear plant to ever try reopening after undergoing preparations for permanent closure is not fit to restart anytime soon because …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Florida flooding emergency declared as tropical threat draws near – WPRI-TV

WPRI-TV

Florida flooding emergency declared as tropical threat draws near … Do you support or oppose the development of more nuclear power plants in the US?

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear war threat again? | CNN Politics

CNN

“nuclear war is as dangerous to civilization…. as the incoming asteroid was to the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago – a civilization-ending event,” …

Russian CEO Reveals New ‘Doomsday Drone’ to Use in Nuclear War – Newsweek

Newsweek

Amid escalating nuclear threats, Russia has developed a “doomsday drone” in preparation for potential nuclear attack scenarios, a top executive of …

Banning Sadako Won’t Keep Kids Safe from Nuclear War – LA Progressive

LA Progressive

The story of Sadako Sasaki tells the true story of a 12-year-old girl who survived the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima as a toddler. Why ban it?

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Russian CEO Reveals New ‘Doomsday Drone’ to Use in Nuclear War – Newsweek

Newsweek

Amid escalating nuclear threats, Russia has developed a “doomsday drone” in preparation for potential nuclear attack scenarios, a top executive of …

What is Russia’s ‘nuclear doctrine’? – VOA News

VOA News

On the first day of the war, Putin said “whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the …

Army Intel Report Cites New Long-Range Chinese Missile Threats to US Homeland

Warrior Maven

… threats likely being watched closely by the Pentagon. Certainly … attack is never mistaken for a nuclear strike. It is possible the PRC 

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 02, 2024

1

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (08/02/2024)

Don’t forget to check out the AIEA weekly news at the end of the nuclear news categories. There is always a lot of information from their nuclear news stories, but the most important one, at least for now, is the weekly update concerning the status of the radiation and other dangerous issues of the ZNPP in the middle of the Russia/Ukraine war . . . Here us an introduction to this weeks Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant ZNPP up date:

The water level in the cooling pond at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) continues to decrease. Despite all reactors remaining in a state of cold-shutdown, availability of this water is important for nuclear safety of the plant, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

But my other concern is the soon-to-be, enforced by Congress, restraints on the NRC for all new nuclear power plants, and a general relaxation of controls on existing ones. This is a serious situation that will lead to serious mistakes from modelling, engineering, design, construction, and operations of nuclear power plants. It is a thoughtless ‘crime’ that this leniency has become law, codified by politicians who know nothing about nuclear energy and even less about the unholy propaganda of the nuclear industry. We cannot allow these foolish irresponsible mistakes to continue to be made for nothing more than our constant ‘guiding light’, which is, of course. money. ~llaw (Read on.)New law expands nuclear power, but some question potential safety hazards (From Advantage News

• Kevin Bessler for Advantage News
• The nuclear power industry recently received a boost with a bill that allows expansion, but not everyone is on board.

President Joe Biden signed the ADVANCE Act, which stands for Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy. The act is intended to help speed up the deployment and licensing of new reactors and fuels. The legislation also promotes development of small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs.

Supporters said energy demand is expected to grow over the next decade as electric vehicles, data centers and AI-related operations all search for a reliable source of power.

The ADVANCE Act also directs the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce certain licensing application fees and authorizes increased staffing for NRC reviews to expedite the process.   

Illinois has the largest number of nuclear power reactors in operation in the country, with 11 nuclear reactors located at six different nuclear power plants. A recent Illinois law repealed a nuclear moratorium, which could clear the way for new nuclear plants in the form of SMRs.

David Kraft, director of the Illinois-based Nuclear Energy Information Service, said the act provides less regulatory oversight by ordering the NRC to streamline the licensing process.

“In science you don’t prejudge the outcome, you gather the data, you examine it and tear it apart and come up with a conclusion,” said Kraft. “Here they’re starting the other way around by saying we’re going to have nuclear power, downplay all the public outcry if there is any or any kind of negativity that would cast any doubt on the benefits of nuclear power. That’s just ridiculous.”

Kraft said the law ignores the potential increased risk and harm from having more nuclear reactors large and small, and produces more high-level radioactive waste without first having a disposal method in place for either current or future reactors.

Another development in this bill is its focus on small reactor technologies, known as microreactors. These compact reactors will be small enough to fit on a semi-truck and can be deployed around the country, including remote locations and military bases. The ADVANCE Act directs the NRC to develop guidance to license and regulate microreactor designs within 18 months.

“Nuclear power plays an important role in producing carbon-free power for our electric grid, and now our nuclear industry will have the framework it needs to strengthen America’s energy leadership,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee member U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey.Subscribe

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Friday, (08/02/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

CDT Europe’s AI Bulletin: Summer 2024 – – Center for Democracy and Technology

– Center for Democracy and Technology

Policymakers in Europe are hard at work on all things artificial intelligence, and we’re here to keep you updated. … Nuclear Research (CERN) …

Nuclear verdicts and their impact on trucking | Commercial Carrier Journal

Commercial Carrier Journal

So anytime we talk about nuclear verdict, that’s what we mean. … And those five states that I mentioned accounted for more than half of all of the …

America May Soon Face a Fateful Choice About Iran – The New York Times

The New York Times

Once forged, this would mean that all of America’s Middle East allies would be operating as a counter-Iranian team — Jordan, Egypt, the U.A.E., Israel …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

New law expands nuclear power, but some question potential safety hazards | Local News

AdVantageNews.com

The nuclear power industry recently received a boost with a bill that allows expansion, but not everyone is on board.

Sweden, USA agree to nuclear cooperation

World Nuclear News

The MoU was signed by Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in Washington, DC, …

United States and Ghana Launch Africa’s First Nuclear Energy Training Hub

Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Energy’s Aleshia Duncan and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s Samuel Boakye Dampare sign a statement of intent to launch the …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Belarusian MFA comments on UN Security Council’s emergency meeting – BELTA

BELTA

NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE. President of the Republic of Belarus · The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus · The Council of …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Putin, Xi’s Nuclear Arsenal Scaring Biden? US Reveals Desperate Move To Race Ahead In …

YouTube

A top U.S. Official has said that Washington may reassess its nuclear arsenal & posture. This is because of the nuclear prowess of Russia, …

“Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies”: Remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense …

Department of Defense

While the Administration has long sought to strike a balance between deterrence and arms control, we now find ourselves in nothing short of a new …

Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies: A Conversation with Acting Assistant Secretary Vipin Narang

CSIS

The CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues hosted Dr. Vipin Narang, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, to discuss nuclear threats and …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

“Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies”: Remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense …

Department of Defense

… nuclear threats and nuclear war, Moscow was courting nuclear risk and threatening escalation. Meanwhile, we learned that Russia is developing a …

Pentagon Reveals New Nuclear Weapons Strategy Over Russia-China Threat – Newsweek

Newsweek

“All of us should be concerned with the prospect of Russia putting a nuclear weapon in space, posing a threat to satellites operated by countries and …

Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies: A Conversation with Acting Assistant Secretary Vipin Narang

CSIS

… nuclear threats and nuclear war, Moscow was courting nuclear risk and threatening escalation. … nuclear risks – additional risks in the nuclear

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

65th Anniv. — M7.3 Hebgen Lake Quake (Yellowstone Monthly Update – Aug 2024) – YouTube

YouTube

… Caldera Chronicles — https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/caldera-chronicles?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=usgs-main&utm_campaign=nh …

IAEA Weekly News

2 August 2024

Read the top news and updates published on IAEA.org this week.

2 August 2024

Update 240 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

The water level in the cooling pond at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) continues to decrease. Despite all reactors remaining in a state of cold-shutdown, availability of this water is important for nuclear safety of the plant, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today. Read more →

1 August 2024

Verifying Spent Nuclear Fuel in Deep Geological Repositories

Deep geological repositories present challenges and opportunities for the application of safeguards, and innovative solutions are being developed so that IAEA safeguards inspectors can verify the stored nuclear material.  Read more →

31 July 2024

New Radiopharmacy Database: Enhancing Development, Collaboration and Research

A new IAEA radiopharmacy database will facilitate research, collaboration and the sustainability of safe radiopharmaceuticals for clinical use Read more →

30 July 2024

Strength in Diversity: The Impact of the IAEA’s Work

Experts and professionals worldwide share how their work with the IAEA has enhanced their expertise and nuclear security in their countries, keeping pace with the expansion of peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology to meet development goals. Read more →

29 July 2024

Peru Takes Steps Towards its Goal of Universal Health Care for Cancer Patients

Peru is advancing towards its goal of delivering universal health care to all cancer patients, with the decentralisation of cancer services now well underway and its second National Cancer Control Plan nearing completion. Read more →

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 02, 2024

1

Share

Photograph of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. (National Archives Identifier 22345671)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (08/01/2024)

Will we ever have nuclear disarmament? Only after we have used them all up in a nuclear WWIII and there is virtually no one left on planet Earth, and little other life as well. So arguing in vain for disarmament is an admirable, valiant and humanitarian thing to do, but those deranged power/war-mongers who control the rest of us have other thoughts about ‘all things nuclear’ that has nothing to do with getting rid of them in a world-wide peaceful way.

So disarmament can never happen unless the human social world somehow has an unheard of change of heart (forget about that), or someone(s) come along and takes our ‘nuclear toys’ away from us and rids the planet of ‘all things nuclear’ themselves, but doing so may mean that those someone(s) only want to save Mother Earth and her life-giving world for themselves. Why would they want to include us after what we’ve already done added to what we are threatening to do to ourselves now?

Otherwise, life and planet Earth, as we have known it will die a horrible death at humanity’s own hands. To me, it is very strange way to commit mass suicide, but those who have the power to play ‘nuclear football’ will likely do so, and all it will take is one fumble from one quarterback for us all to lose the game we call humankind.

Please read the following article and reflect on what we Americans did to innocent citizens of Japan on two days in early August of 1945 in order to end WWII, and realize what a planet-full of hundreds of times more powerful nuclear bombs could and would do to the entire world if the ‘next time around’ comes around . . . ~llaw

Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All

79 Years After Hiroshima & Nagasaki: A Grim Reminder of Nuclear Annihilation

• by Thalif Deen (united nations)
• Thursday, August 01, 2024
• Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 01 (IPS) – The upcoming 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which took place on August 6 and 9, 1945, remains a grim reminder of the destructive consequences of nuclear weapons.

The US bombings killed an estimated 90,000 to 210,000, with roughly half of the deaths occurring on the first day in Hiroshima.

But despite an intense global campaign for nuclear disarmament, the world has witnessed an increase in the number of nuclear powers from five—the US, UK, France, China and Russia—to nine, including India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

Is the continued worldwide anti-nuclear campaign an exercise in futility? And will the rising trend continue—with countries such as Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Korea—as potential nuclear powers of the future?

South Africa is the only country that has voluntarily given up nuclear weapons after developing them. In the 1980s, South Africa produced six nuclear weapons, but dismantled them between 1989 and 1993. A number of factors may have influenced South Africa’s decision, including national security, international relations, and a desire to avoid becoming a pariah state.

But there is an equally valid argument that there have been no nuclear wars—only threats—largely because of the success of the world-wide anti-nuclear campaign, the role of the United Nations and the collective action by most of the 193 member states in adopting several anti-nuclear treaties.

According to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations has sought to eliminate weapons  of mass destruction (WMDs) ever since the establishment of the world body. The first resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1946 established a commission to deal with problems related to the discovery of atomic energy, among others.

The commission was to make proposals for, inter alia, the control of atomic energy to the extent necessary to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes.

Several multilateral treaties have since been established with the aim of preventing nuclear proliferation and testing, while promoting progress in nuclear disarmament.

These include the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water, also known as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was signed in 1996 but has yet to enter into force, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation in Oakland, California, which monitors and analyzes US nuclear weapons programs and policies, told IPS: “As we approach the 79^th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world is facing a greater danger of nuclear war than at any time since 1945.”

“The terrifying doctrine of “nuclear deterrence,” which should long ago have been delegitimized and relegated to the dustbin of history and replaced with multilateral, non-militarized common security, has metastasized into a pathological ideology brandished by nuclear-armed states and their allies to justify the perpetual possession and threatened use—including first use—of nuclear weapons,” she pointed out.

“It is more important than ever that we heed the warnings of the aging hibakusha (A-bomb survivors): What happened to us must never be allowed to happen to anyone again; nuclear weapons and human beings cannot co-exist; no more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis!”

This demands an irreversible process of nuclear disarmament. But to the contrary, all nuclear armed states are qualitatively and, in some cases, quantitatively upgrading their nuclear arsenals and a new multipolar arms race is underway, she noted.

“To achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons and a global society that is more fair, peaceful, and ecologically sustainable, we will need to move from the irrational fear-based ideology of deterrence to the rational fear of an eventual nuclear weapon use, whether by accident, miscalculation, or design.”

“We will also need to stimulate a rational hope that security can be redefined in humanitarian and ecologically sustainable terms that will lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons and dramatic demilitarization, freeing up tremendous resources desperately needed to address universal human needs and protect the environment.”

In this time of multiple global crises, “our work for the elimination of nuclear weapons must take place in a much broader framework, taking into account the interface between nuclear and conventional weapons and militarism in general, the humanitarian and long-term environmental consequences of nuclear war, and the fundamental incompatibility of nuclear weapons with democracy, the rule of law, and human wellbeing,” declared Cabasso.

Dr. M.V. Ramana, Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Graduate Program Director, MPPGA at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, told IPS, “The glass is half-full or half-empty depending on how one looks at it.”

“The fact that we have avoided nuclear war since 1945 is also partly due to the persistence of the anti-nuclear movement. Historians like Lawrence Wittner have pointed to the many instances when governments have chosen nuclear restraint instead of unrestrained expansion.”

While South Africa is the only country that dismantled its entire nuclear weapons program, many countries—Sweden, for example—have chosen not to develop nuclear weapons even though they had the technical capacity to do so. They did so in part because of strong public opposition to nuclear weapons, which in turn is due to social movements supporting nuclear disarmament, he pointed out.

Thus, organizing for nuclear disarmament is not futile. Especially as we move into another era of conflicts between major powers, such movements will be critical to our survival, declared Ramana.

According to the UN, a group of elderly hibakusha, called Nihon Hidankyo, have dedicated their lives to achieving a non-proliferation treaty, which they hope will ultimately lead to a total ban on nuclear weapons.

“On an overcrowded train on the Hakushima line, I fainted for a while, holding in my arms my eldest daughter of one year and six months. I regained my senses at her cries and found no one else was on the train,” a 34-year-old woman testifies in the booklet. She was located just two kilometres from the Hiroshima epicenter.

Fleeing to her relatives in Hesaka, at age 24, another woman remembers that “people, with the skin dangling down, were stumbling along. They fell down with a thud and died one after another,” adding, “still now I often have nightmares about this, and people say, ‘it’s neurosis’.”

One man who entered Hiroshima after the bomb recalled in the exhibition “that dreadful scene—I cannot forget even after many decades.”

A woman who was 25 years old at the time said, “When I went outside, it was dark as night. Then it got brighter and brighter, and I could see burnt people crying and running about in utter confusion. It was hell…I found my neighbor trapped under a fallen concrete wall… Only half of his face was showing. He was burned alive”.

The steadfast conviction of the Hidankyo remains: “Nuclear weapons are absolute evil that cannot coexist with humans. There is no choice but to abolish them.”

Addressing the UN Security Council last March, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that with geopolitical tensions escalating the risk of nuclear warfare to its highest point in decades, reducing and abolishing nuclear weapons is the only viable path to saving humanity.

“There is one path—and one path only—that will vanquish this senseless and suicidal shadow once and for all.  We need disarmament now,” he said, urging nuclear-weapon States to re-engage to prevent any use of a nuclear weapon, re-affirm moratoria on nuclear testing and “urgently agree that none of them will be the first to use nuclear weapons.”

He called for reductions in the number of nuclear weapons led by the holders of the largest arsenals—the United States and the Russian Federation—to “find a way back to the negotiating table” to fully implement the New Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, or START Treaty, and agree on its successor.

“When each country pursues its own security without regard for others, we create global insecurity that threatens us all,” he observed.  Almost eight decades after the incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons still represent a clear danger to global peace and security, growing in power, range and stealth.”

“States possessing them are absent from the negotiating table, and some statements have raised the prospect of unleashing nuclear hell—threats that we must all denounce with clarity and force,” he said.  Moreover, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cyber and outer space domains have created new risks.”

From Pope Francis, who calls the possession of nuclear arms “immoral”, to the hibakusha, the brave survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to Hollywood, where Oppenheimer brought the harsh reality of nuclear doomsday to vivid life for millions around the world, people are calling for an end to the nuclear madness.  “Humanity cannot survive a sequel to Oppenheimer,” he warned.

When Nagasaki marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city last year, the mayor Shiro Suzuki, urged world powers to abolish nuclear weapons, saying nuclear deterrence also increases risks of nuclear war, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.

He called on the Group of Seven (G7) industrial powers to adopt a separate document on nuclear disarmament that called for using nuclear weapons as deterrence.

“Now is the time to show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence,” Suzuki said in his peace declaration. “As long as states are dependent on nuclear deterrence, we cannot realize a world without nuclear weapons.”

Russia’s nuclear threat has encouraged other nuclear states to accelerate their dependence on nuclear weapons or enhance capabilities, further increasing the risk of nuclear war, and that Russia is not the only one representing the risk of nuclear deterrence, Suzuki said.

Suzuki, whose parents were hibakusha, or survivors of the Nagasaki attack, said knowing the reality of the atomic bombings is the starting point for achieving a world without nuclear weapons. He said the survivors’ testimonies are a true deterrent against nuclear weapons use, the AP report said.

This article is brought to you by IPS Noram, in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.

IPS UN Bureau ReportSubscribe

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Thursday, (08/01/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Experts say nuclear energy bill is proof of bipartisan consensus – The Hill

The Hill

… things.” Maria Korsnick, CEO at the Nuclear Energy Institute … all Hill.TV See all Video. Top Stories. See All · Senate · Trump splits with …

British nuclear missile submarine fires new torpedo – UK Defence Journal

UK Defence Journal

What happened to supercavitating torpedos that were supposed to make everything instantly obsolete? Reply.

Russia begins third round of drills to train troops in tactical nuclear weapons

Jefferson City News Tribune

About Us · Contact Us · Subscribe · Advertise · Terms of Use · Commercial Printing. Copyright © 2024, News Tribune Publishing. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Experts say nuclear energy bill is proof of bipartisan consensus – The Hill

The Hill

The recent passage of major legislation to boost the deployment of nuclear reactors is evidence of a bipartisan consensus on nuclear power as an …

Uranium Fever – Small Modular Reactors Could Be Part of Nuclear Revival, But Hurdles Remain

RBN Energy

The steam is used to spin large turbines that drive electric generators to produce electricity (see dashed red oval). Large nuclear power plants …

Watch Live: The Nuclear Frontier, Securing America’s Energy Future – The Hill

The Hill

America’s energy future is shining a little brighter after the recent passage of the bipartisan ADVANCE Act to bolster U.S. nuclear power …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

CenterPoint under fire for $800 million spend intended for mobile generators

Power Engineering

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said the massive, more expensive generators purchased by CenterPoint Energy could not be used in nearly all emergencies …

Myanmar’s military regime extends state of emergency by 6 months as civil war rages

WATE

… power in Myanmar 3 1/2 years ago on Wednesday extended the state of … nuclear reactor ‘Hermes’ … Gas station clerk stole $1 million lottery …

Myanmar junta extends emergency rule amid escalating conflict – The Star

The Star

The military put the country under emergency rule for a year when it took power … Talen Energy offers up nuclear–powered crypto mining campus stake, ..

Nuclear War

NEWS

Military begins 3rd round of drills to train troops amid Western threats – YouTube

YouTube

37:17 · Go to channel. The Tanks Winning and Losing The War in Ukraine | War On Tape | Season 1 Marathon | Daily Mail … “After the Big One: Nuclear …

Russian forces test installing dummy warheads as part of nuclear drills – Reuters

Reuters

Russian forces practiced installing special dummy warheads on launch vehicles as part of the third stage of tactic nuclear weapons exercises, …

Exclusive: North Korea wants to restart nuclear talks if Trump wins, says ex-diplomat

Reuters

North Korea wants to reopen nuclear talks with the United States if Donald Trump is re-elected as president and is working to devise a new …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Europe is a major obstacle to nuclear disarmament, latest Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor warns

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Daniel Högsta, Deputy Director of ICAN, welcomed the report: “Amidst the heightened nuclear threats in the context of the war in Ukraine, the urgency …

The Threat of More War – The New York Times

The New York Times

The Threat of More War. We examine the contradictions in the Middle East … Residents are still suffering the effects of a French nuclear test that …

79 Years After Hiroshima & Nagasaki: A Grim Reminder of Nuclear Annihilation

Global Issues

But there is an equally valid argument that there have been no nuclear wars—only threats … risks of nuclear war, according to an Associated Press (AP)

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Recent explosion could teach us more about the birth and life of geysers in Yellowstone

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Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. SUPPORT NEWS YOU …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jul 31, 2024

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The US Energy Department dug an horizontal 25-foot-diameter tunnel under Yucca Mountain to determine its suitability as a geologic repository for the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The project has stalled since the Obama administration attempted to withdraw the license application of the Yucca Mountain project in 2010. (Credit: US Energy Department, via Flickr)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (07/31/2024)

This is a story I know very well from its grass roots in the early 1980s, and, please, do not blame former President Obama for the long, long, long, delay that has lasted right up until some tomorrow someday. Yucca Mountain in Nevada was never and never will be (unless we are incredibly ignorant and stupid), for many reasons, not the least of which is that it would have been built on a geologic fault zone, a fact that Congress has spent more than 40 years trying to ignore, and the last I knew, they still are. But Yucca Mountain will never pass muster, and geologists and other earth science professionals have known that since the very beginning.

It was in the summer or fall of 1982 or ‘83, a year or two after I’d resigned from my employer in the nuclear industry, and had just recently, in 1980, started up a new minerals exploration company that absolutely would never include uranium (the radioactive fuel for all nuclear power plants) exploration, research, and development when I was approached by well-known Wyoming entrepreneur, explaining that he had insider confidential information that Nevada’s Yucca Mountain would be the federal government’s choice of the three sites being considered, who wanted my kind of help to claim ownership of all the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land at and surrounding the Yucca Mountain site, which would soon be highly mineralized property containing untold millions or billions of dollars in reusable nuclear waste, such as plutonium, cesium, and other radioactive residue of that land near Area 51 and Las Vegas. The gentleman had dozens of large surveyed geologic Ozalid blue-print maps where he and his exploration crew had laid out dozens of mining claims that needed to be filed as soon as possible, and that he wanted to create a new corporation and sell stock to finance the entire scheme . . .

Needless to say, I was not interested, and I told him that the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project would never be constructed because the whole concept of the project was impossible to be used as a nuclear waste repository facility because Yucca Mountain itself was a part of a huge fault scarp system and would be subject to not only long-term earthquakes but volcanism as well, and that such ground would never be approved by the U.S. government. Other serious issues came along later as described in the article below.

But, unfortunately, the sad story that follows exposes the ignorance of politicians and some governmental agencies, particularly in Congress and the Energy Department, explaining candidly how and why our nuclear waste still resides in water reservoirs and concrete vaults at all those nuclear power plant sites where the nuclear waste originated. ~llaw

Why US nuclear waste policy got stalled. And what to do about it.

By Victor Gilinsky | July 31, 2024

The US Energy Department dug an horizontal 25-foot-diameter tunnel under Yucca Mountain to determine its suitability as a geologic repository for the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The project has stalled since the Obama administration attempted to withdraw the license application of the Yucca Mountain project in 2010. (See the image above to see the huge tunneling machine.)

It is often said—somewhat accusingly—that it isn’t technical issues that stand in the way of siting a US geologic repository for highly radioactive waste, but political and social ones. In fact, the issues are inextricably connected. The root of the US failure lies in the original motive of the nuclear establishment in siting such an underground repository. It was not to protect public safety, but to protect continued licensing of nuclear power plants from attack in the courts on grounds that there were no provisions for dealing with the plants’ highly radioactive waste.

The disdain for public safety and the rush to open a repository infected the design process and fostered slapdash decisions. These ultimately sank the technical case for the repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain. And while in the end the project was shelved by a political act, behind it were Energy Department and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) actions that left a deep residue of public distrust, so deep that there isn’t likely to be a US geologic repository, ever.

The contrast with successful waste repository projects in Sweden and Finland is clear. Their regulatory standards were much tighter than those applied by the NRC, the sites were chosen carefully from a scientific point of view, and the designs strictly focused on public safety. It is not surprising that the Scandinavian authorities were able to gain the confidence of their public, and not just because they took pains to consult the public—which the Energy Department did not. They presented a good case for a sound underground facility.

Waste become a problem. A deep-underground waste repository wasn’t always the preferred solution for dealing with US high-level waste. Before 1975, when the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was split into the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Energy and Research and Development Administration (ERDA, the forerunner of the Energy Department), the AEC planned to store such waste in an above-ground, so-called “engineered” facility. The new NRC chairman, Bill Anders, a former AEC commissioner, had been spooked by the success of a court challenge to the AEC’s fast breeder project on grounds the commission hadn’t considered the long-term impact of the breeder reactor waste. He was afraid the same argument might stop licensing of conventional power reactors, then (optimistically) projected to soon dominate US electricity generation.

Anders convinced Bob Seamans, the ERDA administrator, to drop the waste storage policy he inherited and adopt deep geological disposal. In 1975, as I was one of the original NRC commissioners, Anders happily told me: “When we put the first fuel assembly underground we can declare victory.” It turned out to be more complicated than that.

The 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act set up procedures for choosing sites for geologic repositories. The Energy Department was to select potential sites and design a facility that the NRC would review and decide on a license. The department came up with a list of candidate sites from which President Ronald Reagan chose three: in Texas, Washington, and Nevada. In 1987, Congress narrowed the list to Nevada’s Yucca Mountain. The inside-baseball explanation was that the House speaker, Jim Wright, was from Texas, so that was out, and the Democratic majority leader, Tom Foley, was from Washington, so that was out, too.

Perhaps that was too cynical.

Yucca Mountain appeared to be the cheapest site to develop as drilling would be horizontal, from ground level into the mountain, as opposed to drilling down. Unfortunately, it was a very bad site in terms of resisting corrosion of metal waste canisters. It has an oxidizing (rust promoting) chemical environment when the opposite, a reducing environment, was wanted. And the more the Energy Department learned about the site, the worse it looked.

RELATED:

To find a place to store spent nuclear fuel, Congress needs to stop trying to revive Yucca Mountain

Selecting a bad site. Yucca Mountain was initially advertised as being very dry. It turned out there was lots more water in the mountain than the Department expected. When I became a consultant for the state of Nevada in 2001, I went down into a test chamber in the heart of the mountain and was surprised by the amount of water dripping on my head. Moreover, rainwater flowed down through the mountain and out to the site boundary much faster than the Energy Department had estimated, at least 10 times faster. It became clear the waste canisters would corrode much more rapidly than forecast and radioactive leakage beyond the site boundary would exceed even the lax standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and adopted by the NRC.

Instead of admitting it had picked a bad site and returning to Congress for instructions on investigating another candidate, as it was required to do by law, the Energy Department invented an ersatz solution to compensate for the inadequate geology: a “drip shield.” Each of the 11,000 waste canisters in the many miles of tunnels would be covered by a 5-ton titanium alloy “mailbox” to shield it from the corrosive water flowing through the Mountain. With these in place, calculations showed that the canister and drip shield combination complied with the EPA and NRC licensing requirements.

In effect, the department was shifting to reliance on metal “engineered barriers,” when the whole point of a using a deep underground repository was to gain the advantage of geologic barriers. If you were going to rely primarily on the metal package, why still bother to put the canisters deep underground?

But there was a catch to this, too, one might even say a fraud was involved.

A flawed licensing process. While the Energy Department wanted credit for the 11,000 drip shields in the NRC review of its license application, it didn’t intend to install them with the waste canisters. For one thing, the cost of the needed 55,000 tons of titanium alloy was substantial, and putting in drip shields would have complicated the waste installation process and required new, as yet undesigned, equipment. Instead, the Energy Department’s plan “postponed” drip shield installation until the repository closed for good, in 100-300 years. But by then it would be impossible to install drip shields over the waste canisters: The internal underground transportation system would not be functioning, and rockfall would anyhow make passage impossible. Asked how the NRC could possibly accept this fantastical commitment, I remember an Energy Department official responding that “the NRC may not question the promise of a sister agency.”

The Energy Department refused to run any computer analyses on how the repository would perform if the drip shields didn’t get installed. Nevada managed to do this and found that, without drip shields, the repository failed the licensing requirement for radioactive leakage from the site. And the failure came early, in around a thousand years after repository closure. The NRC staff should have thrown out the department’s license application at the pre-qualification stage in 2008, but accepted it, rationalizing the Energy Department would address the drip shield issue in the upcoming hearing.

RELATED:

Congress takes aim at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission: ‘It’s déjà vu all over again’

NRC staff participates in all agency licensing hearings. Since at that point staffers had already reviewed the application favorably, they supported the license applicant. In the Yucca Mountain case, the staff outdid itself in its support of the Energy Department. The state of Nevada proposed over 200 issues for litigation before the NRC Licensing Board of three administrative judges; the Energy Department urged the Board to reject every single one of them and the NRC staff agreed in almost every instance. Judge Alan Rosenthal was so shocked at the NRC staffers’ bias that he reprimanded them for being “spear carriers” for the Energy Department. The licensing board rejected the NRC staff position and accepted more than 200 issues for litigation.

Stop the stalemate. The Yucca Mountain project was stalled indefinitely by the Obama administration before any substantive licensing hearing took place. It was not irrelevant that Nevada Senator Harry Reid was the Democratic majority leader, and his former assistant was NRC chairman. But the technical failures were a vital part of the background leading to this decision.

The 2012 report of a “Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future” recommended a “consent-based approach” to managing nuclear waste. The Energy Department got religion and formed an Office of Consent-Based Siting, whose website explains that consent-based siting “prioritizes the participation and needs of people and communities and seeks their willing and informed consent to accept a project in their community.” But the department still didn’t get it. It’s not making a show of consulting the public that gains trust. You need a good technical plan to start with and demonstrated competence and sense of responsibility to carry it out, as was the case in the Scandinavian countries. In my judgment, it’s too late for the Energy Department. I don’t think any state would ever trust the Energy Department to build and operate a nuclear waste repository.

The lack of a repository doesn’t seem to worry nuclear enthusiasts anymore, probably because it doesn’t threaten what reactor licensing there is. Recent legislation—the ADVANCE Act—to accelerate approval of new nuclear technologies does not mention nuclear waste at all. The focus is on subsidizing new reactor projects and “streamlining” licensing.

The United States, however, does need a better system for storing highly radioactive used fuel than the current situation of keeping it at over 80 storage locations in 36 states. A difficulty is that current law requires that, before the Energy Department can go forward with a surface storage facility to consolidate the used fuel, it has to have already selected a new geologic repository site, which isn’t happening. This restriction was inserted into the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to prevent the government from siting a “temporary” storage facility and then giving up on an underground repository for permanent disposal of the waste. Now, because of this restriction, the United States has neither centralized storage nor a repository, and the waste keeps piling up. Relaxing the provision in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act that has prevented temporary consolidated storage has to be the starting point of a sensible nuclear waste policy.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Wednesday, (07/31/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Debating Global South Reactions to Russian Nuclear Threats – CSIS

CSIS

… things like nuclear … But these documents have publicly condemned nuclear saber-rattling and all instances leading to potential nuclear escalation.

New law expands nuclear power, but some question potential safety hazards

NewsCenter1

Supporters said energy demand is expected to grow over the next decade as electric vehicles, data centers and AI-related operations all search for a …

This wasn’t an oil spill or nuclear failure – The Martha’s Vineyard Times

The Martha’s Vineyard Times

There is no comparison of the above with the oil well blowouts or nuclear plant failures we have seen around the world. … All About Pets, All-Island …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

New law expands nuclear power, but some question potential safety hazards – WGIL

WGIL

The nuclear power industry recently received a boost with a bill that allows expansion, but not everyone is on board. President Joe Biden signed …

Singapore signs agreement with US to deepen understanding of nuclear reactors, safety

The Straits Times

The move will help Singapore make a more informed decision on nuclear power as a clean energy source, said the authorities, who stressed that no …

Why US nuclear waste policy got stalled. And what to do about it.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Before 1975, when the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was split into the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Energy and Research and Development …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Classification, Assessment and Prognosis During Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies | IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

Ordering Locally. Please use the following links for an up-to-date list of IAEA distributors: Distributors of IAEA Publications.

Iran reportedly convenes emergency meeting after killing of Hamas leader | News.az

News.az

Future of nuclear energy in Kazakhstan: What will the referendum decide?

What can you do with a master’s degree in emergency management? – EMS1

EMS1

As disasters can strike at any time or location, every field requires some form of an emergency response team. From airports and nuclear power plants …

Nuclear War

NEWS

The United States, North Korea and Nuclear War – Modern Diplomacy

Modern Diplomacy

Among the world’s nuclear trouble spots, North Korea is the most plainly time-urgent. In managing this threat, North Korean “denuclearization” …

Putin often cites Russia’s ‘nuclear doctrine’ governing the use of atomic weapons. But what is it?

AP.org

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin voices have frequently threatened the West with its nuclear.

Russian military begins 3rd round ofls to train troops in tactical nuclear weapons

AP News

The Russian Defense Ministry said the drills will feature units of the central and southern military districts armed with Iskander short-range …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

US must expand nuclear arsenal in face of Russia, China threat | Fox News

Fox News

The strategy of deterrence was established during the Cold War between Washington and Moscow due to the threat of mutually assured destruction should …

What is in Putin’s ‘nuclear doctrine’ that could trigger a Russian attack? | The Independent

The Independent

On Day 1 of the war, President Vladimir Putin said “whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, …

Amid Western threats, Russia starts third stage of tactical nuclear drills – Firstpost

Firstpost

Amid Western threats, Russia starts third stage of tactical nuclear drills … Russia has begun the third stage of drills to practise the deployment of 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

After Biscuit Basin explosion, Yellowstone will look into tracking hydrothermal booms

Gillette News Record

But well before the blast captured the attention of the internet, scientists with the park, universities and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory were …

After Biscuit Basin explosion, Yellowstone will look into tracking hydrothermal booms | State

Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Save. Tags. Geothermal Areas Of Yellowstone · Yellowstone Caldera · Geyser · Volcano · Infrasound · Yellowstone National Park · Hydrothermal Explosion …

Yellowstone Biscuit Basin explosion may have created a new geyser – Live Science

Live Science

Geologists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) estimated the height of the plume by examining photos posted on social media. They also …Nuclear PowerNEWS

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jul 30, 2024

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It’s time to reduce the likelihood of the day after . . .

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (07/30/2024)

Not only you and me, but everybody else on planet Earth should be more than concerned, but absolutely terrified, about the future of nuclear war if Donald J. Trump should win the November presidential election. America and the world cannot let that happen.

This article from the “The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists” not only tells us why, but given the possibility of Trump winning the election, the article tells us how Trump’s authority to single-handedly start a nuclear war might be prevented. But of course, though, the absolute best way to avoid such a “threat” is to elect Kamala Harris and send Trump packing . . . ~llaw

Trump could win back the nuclear codes. Biden should put guardrails on the nuclear arsenal—now.

By Tom Z. Collina | July 30, 2024

It’s time to reduce the likelihood of the day after.

On January 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump inspired a mob attack on the US Capitol to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration. Not only was this an unprecedented attack on American democracy, but it represented a serious national security threat. Many saw and see this as one of many examples of an unstable President Trump acting in dangerous, irrational ways. And throughout his time in office, Trump—like all presidents in the nuclear age—had the unilateral authority to launch the US nuclear arsenal.

At any moment, Trump could literally have ended the world with a phone call. Congressional approval is not needed, and the secretary of defense cannot stop a presidential order to unleash the US nuclear arsenal. The system is built for speed, not deliberation. The whole process, from presidential order to the launch of one or hundreds of nuclear warheads, would take just minutes.

The danger that Trump would do something catastrophic was so acute that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi desperately looked for ways to prevent the “unstable president from … accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike,” according to a letter Pelosi wrote in January 2021 to House Democrats in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was convinced that Trump had suffered “serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election” and took the extraordinary step of ordering his staff to come to him if they received a nuclear strike order from the president. “No matter what you are told, you do the procedure. You do the process. And I’m part of that procedure,” Milley reportedly told the officers. “You never know what a president’s trigger point is.”

Pelosi and Milley had plenty of reasons to worry that Trump could start a nuclear war. In August 2017, in a thinly veiled nuclear threat, Trump warned North Korea that it would be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Trump mocked Kim Jong Un, the North’s leader, writing “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” According to then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Trump privately discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea and suggested he could blame a US strike on another country.

RELATED:

No debate: On existential threats, Biden, Trump, and CNN all largely failed

Actually, however, Milley was not correct when he told his staff that he was part of the formal procedure to launch nuclear weapons. As former Defense Secretary William J. Perry and I wrote in our 2020 book, The Button, policy established during the Cold War puts decisions about the use of nuclear weapons solely in the hands of the civilian president, not Congress and above all not the military. All the president need do is call the Pentagon’s War Room—using the nuclear “football” or some other means—and identify himself and give the order to launch. The president may choose to consult with senior advisors such as Milley but is not required to.

Milley broke these rules, as others broke them before him. During the Watergate crisis, then-Defense Secretary James Schlesinger was so concerned about President Richard Nixon’s mental state and alcohol consumption that he told military commanders that if Nixon ordered a nuclear strike, they should check with him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger first. Sen. Alan Cranston phoned Schlesinger, warning him about “the need for keeping a berserk president from plunging us into a holocaust.”

Should Milley, Schlesinger, or any military leader, let a clearly unstable president start a nuclear war just to follow protocol? Of course not. But officials should not have to break the rules to do the right thing. The United States needs to change the policy that put Milley and Schlesinger in an impossible spot.

With just six months left in office, President Biden can fix the system for himself and all future presidents. To do so, Biden should announce the White House will share authority to use nuclear weapons in any first strike with a select group in Congress. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, not the president. The first use of nuclear weapons is clearly an act of war. In a situation where the United States has already been attacked with nuclear weapons, the president would retain the option to act unilaterally.

RELATED:

Is there any debate? This is the existential threat scorecard you need to rate the Biden and Trump matchup

President Biden would have to make such a policy change by executive order. Passing congressional legislation would be more durable but is unlikely in the current political environment. If Trump wins the election, he would likely reverse Biden’s order. But if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, the new policy could be strengthened over time with legislation.

Such a policy would provide clear directives for the military to follow: A launch could be ordered only if the United States had already been attacked with nuclear weapons or if Congress had approved the decision, providing a constitutional check to executive power. This would be infinitely safer than our current doctrine.

As an important part of his legacy, President Biden must put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war now before the next dangerous leader gets elected—whomever and whenever that may be. We must never again entrust the fate of the world to just one fallible human. This is not about whose finger should be on the button. This is about making good policy that can keep Americans—and people around the world—alive, regardless of whom US voters happen to put in the White House.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Tuesday, (07/30/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

‘The Boiling Moat’ argues U.S. should prepare to help Taiwan defend against China

KERA News

All Things Considered. Next Up: 5:00 PM Notes From America. 0:00. 0:00. All … INSKEEP: Does the United States even have to be prepared for a nuclear …

‘The Boiling Moat’ argues U.S. should prepare to help Taiwan defend against China | KALW

KALW

All Things Considered. KALW. All Things Considered. Next Up: 4:00 PM … I don’t think that the risk of nuclear war is high at all. INSKEEP: I …

‘The Boiling Moat’ argues U.S. should prepare to help Taiwan defend against China

WCMU Public Radio

All Things Considered · Destination Out · Fresh Air · Here and Now · Homespun … INSKEEP: Does the United States even have to be prepared for a nuclear …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear is a toxic idea … here’s why – Environment Victoria

Environment Victoria

Clean energy is already here, generating 40% of our electricity in 2023! It’s on our rooftops, co-existing on farms, embraced by local businesses, and …

Why nuclear energy is not the solution to the climate crisis – UBC News

UBC News – The University of British Columbia

In this Q&A, Dr. M.V. Ramana discusses key insights from his new book and why nuclear power does not help mitigate climate change.

These states have the most nuclear reactors – Quartz

Quartz

Nuclear power is considered an important way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near future. Though there have long been safety fears …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

US buys 4.65 million barrels for emergency oil stockpile – Reuters

Reuters

The U.S. Department of Energy said on Monday it had finalized a contract to purchase 4.65 million barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum …

Gas leaks burden emergency services – PIRG

PIRG

PSE Health Energy released a new study analyzing the burden on emergency response services due to uncombusted gas leaks. … Nuclear power risks …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Putin often cites Russia’s ‘nuclear doctrine’ governing the use of atomic weapons. But what is it?

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

In a blunt signal to discourage the West from increasing military support for Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin says Russia could revise its …

A Nuclear Posture Review for the Next Administration: Building the Nuclear Arsenal of the …

The Heritage Foundation

Without a credible American deterrent, the autocrats in Beijing and Moscow will become increasingly likely to use nuclear coercion against America and …

Trump could win back the nuclear codes. Biden should put guardrails on the nuclear arsenal—now.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

As an important part of his legacy, President Biden should put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war now before the next …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin often cites Russia’s ‘nuclear doctrine’ governing the use of atomic weapons. But what is it?

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

On Day 1 of the war, Putin said “whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian …

A Nuclear Posture Review for the Next Administration: Building the Nuclear Arsenal of the …

The Heritage Foundation

… threatened the West with nuclear war. As the war in Ukraine drags on … The evolving nature of non-nuclear strategic threats, including the growing …

What Public Opinion Says About the Use of Nuclear Weapons | The MIT Press Reader

The MIT Press Reader

Vladimir Putin has issued nuclear threats in the context of the Russo-Ukraine War. As president, Donald Trump publicly warned North Korea of possible 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Scientists find proof of April hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone – Buckrail

Buckrail

But as part of the new Volcano and Earthquake Monitoring Plan for the Yellowstone Caldera System, a monitoring station was installed at the Norris …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Jul 29, 2024

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (07/29/2024)

What a pleasant surprise today to find this article in my “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA automated daily collection in the “Nuclear Power” category of listings. I had almost decided, as I read through today’s material, to Post a story by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists titled: Interview: Rose Gottemoeller on the precarious future of arms control from the “All Things Nuclear” category, which you might want to read on your own.

But instead, Mr. M.V. Ramana’s factual and brilliant excerpt from his recently published book, Nuclear Is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change because he elaborated with absolute both educated and practical technical facts, pointing out and clearly explaining several of my own concerns about why we mistakenly think or even believe that nuclear power could possibly save our increasingly desperate environmental problems.

With constantly increasing global warming/climate change from CO2 and other greenhouse gasses caused by our never-ending reliance on producing energy by burning fossil fuels, we are already contributing to the immanent demise of humanity and other life hand-in-hand with burning radioactive uranium in nuclear power plants, thereby doubly ensuring planet Earth’s 6th Extinction. ~llaw

Literary Hub

Via Verso Books

Atomic Fallacy: Why Nuclear Power Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis

M.V. Ramana Debunks Some Common Arguments About Energy In an Era of Ecological Emergency

By M.V. Ramana

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July 29, 2024

I am scared about how fast climate change is disrupting our world. At a theoretical level, I have known for decades about growing carbon dioxide emissions and resultant changes to global and local temperatures, sea-level rise, severe storms, wildfires, and so on. But it was not till 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast of the United States, that I was directly impacted. The power of that storm was immense, but I knew—theoretically, of course—that people elsewhere had experienced far worse storms.

More recently—in August 2023, as I was finishing this book—it was the turn of wildfires. As the McDougall Creek wildfire came closer to the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Kelowna, students and staff were asked to evacuate. My daughter Shruti is a student there. Because it was summer, she was at home in the Vancouver campus of UBC, where I teach. Had the fires occurred just two weeks later, I would have definitely been panicking.

I can go on for much longer in this vein. But there isn’t any need. Just about anyone alive today has been impacted in some way by climate change. Others have written at length about how the climate crisis is intensifying by the year, and one can stock a small library with published books about the myriad risks flowing from climate change. The library would be even larger if one included literature on the other related multiple cascading ecological crises we are confronting.

Although climate change scares me, I am even more scared of a future with more nuclear plants.

As someone trained in physics, and as an academic paid to research, I have been drawn to studying one essential contributor to these crises: how energy and electricity are produced, especially those methods proposed to mitigate climate change. Prominent among these proposals is nuclear energy.

Although climate change scares me, I am even more scared of a future with more nuclear plants. Increasing how much energy is produced with nuclear reactors would greatly exacerbate the risk of severe accidents like the one at Chernobyl, expand how much of our environment is contaminated with radioactive wastes that remain hazardous for millennia, and last but not least, make catastrophic nuclear war more likely.

Some might argue that these risks are the price we must pay to counter the threat of climate change. I disagree, but even if one were to adopt this position, my research shows that nuclear energy is just not a feasible solution to climate change. A nuclear power plant is a really expensive way to produce electricity. And nuclear energy simply cannot be scaled fast enough to match the rate at which the world needs to lower carbon emissions to stay under 1.5 degrees Celsius, or even 2 degrees.

Cost and the slow rate of deployment largely explain why the share of global electricity produced by nuclear reactors has been steadily declining, from around 16.9 percent in 1997, when the Kyoto Protocol was signed, to 9.2 percent in 2022. In contrast, as the costs of wind and solar energy declined dramatically, and modern renewables (which do not include large dams) went from supplying 1.2 percent of the world’s electricity in 1997 to 14.4 percent in 2022.

Another contrast is revealing. When pro-nuclear advocates talk about solving climate change with nuclear energy, they call for building lots and lots of reactors. The World Nuclear Association, for example, proposes building thousands of nuclear reactors, which would together be capable of generating a million megawatts of electricity, by 2050. Such a goal is completely at odds with historical rates of building nuclear reactors.

Some proponents of nuclear energy refuse to give up on the technology. They blame the decline in nuclear energy and the high costs and long construction periods on the characteristics of older reactor designs, arguing that alternative designs will rescue nuclear energy from its woes. In recent years, the alternatives most often advertised are small modular (nuclear) reactors—SMRs for short. These are designed to generate between 10 and 300 megawatts of power, much less than the 1,000–1,600 megawatts that reactors being built today are designed to produce.

For over a decade now, many of my colleagues and I have consistently explained why these reactors would not be commercially viable and why they would never resolve the undesirable consequences of building nuclear power plants. I first started examining small modular reactors when I worked at Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security. Our group largely comprised physicists, and we used a mixture of technical assessments, mathematical techniques, and social-science-based methods to study various problems associated with these technologies. My colleague Alex Glaser, for example, used neutronics models to calculate how much uranium would be required as fuel for SMRs, which we then used to estimate the increased risk of nuclear weapons proliferation from deploying such reactors. Zia Mian, originally from Pakistan, and I showed why the technical characteristics of SMRs would not allow for simultaneously solving the four key problems identified with nuclear power: its high costs, its accident risks, the difficulty of dealing with radioactive waste, and its linkage with the capacity to make nuclear weapons. My colleagues and I also undertook case studies on Jordan, Ghana, and Indonesia, three countries advertised by SMR vendors as potential customers, and showed that despite much talk, none of them were investing in SMRs, because of various country-specific reasons such as public opposition and institutional interests.

We were not the only people coming up with reasons for not believing in the claim that new reactor designs would solve all these problems. Other scientists and analysts also highlighted the dangers and false promises of SMRs.

Nuclear advocates are not deterred by such arguments. They insist that this time it will be different. Nuclear plants would be cheap, would be quick to build, would be safe, would never have to be shut down in unplanned ways, and would not be affected by climate-related extreme weather events. The evidence from the real world, which I elaborate on later, suggests otherwise. Nuclear reactors are unlikely to possess any of these characteristics, let alone all of them. Thus, what is actually being advocated might be termed faux nuclear plants, existing only in the imagination of some, not in the real world.

My bottom line is that nuclear energy, whether with old reactor designs or new faux alternatives, will simply not resolve the climate crisis. The threat from climate change is urgent. The world has neither the financial resources nor the luxury of time to expand nuclear power. Meanwhile, even a limited expansion would aggravate a range of environmental and ecological risks. Further, nuclear energy is deeply imbricated in creating the conditions for nuclear annihilation. Expanding nuclear power would leave us in the worst of both worlds.

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Proponents of nuclear energy have other reasons to support their preferred technology. They argue that nuclear reactors can do much more than just generate electricity. The “much more” depends on the specific context, and could include creating well-paying jobs, boosting national pride, providing energy independence, supplying clean water, and producing medical isotopes to treat cancer. As the public has become more concerned about climate change, nuclear advocates have appended to this list two more applications for energy from nuclear reactors: capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (direct air capture) and producing hydrogen and high-temperature heat for industrial processes.

All of these are reminiscent of what Admiral Lewis Strauss, one of the central characters in the hit Hollywood film Oppenheimer and the chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s, told the National Association of Science Writers on September 16, 1954. Ten days after the groundbreaking for first US nuclear plant, Strauss told his audience that given the great promise of nuclear technology, it would not be “too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter.”

It is the weakness of the nuclear industry that forces it to seek alliances with other constituencies.

The many claims about what else nuclear reactors can do make one wonder: Is nuclear energy too virtuous to meter?

Let me offer one example from a company called Hyperion Power Generation offering a small nuclear power plant design that was actively covered in the media between 2007 and 2012. In March 2010, the founder of this company, John Deal, told the Albuquerque Journal, “We started this company to clean water in Africa…Our emphasis is helping people not die from not having clean water…If you’ve got energy, you can have all the clean water you want.”

This was not a one-off sales pitch. In their 2011 article in Issues in Science and Technology, writer Ross Carper and academic Sonja Schmid offer this description of Deal in action:

In the middle of Deal’s talk in Denver, he began flipping through some artist-drawn images. The most striking of all shows a small nuclear reactor, buried and unattended at what looked to be less than 15 feet below the surface. Two simple tubes snake upward from the reactor, drawing the eye to a pair of gray above-ground tanks, with the words “Potable Water” stamped on the side. The setting? An impoverished African village complete with about a dozen mud-constructed, thatch-roofed huts. A handful of people were drawn into the image, all of them walking to or from the clean water source, which is apparently powered by a $50 million HPM.

HPM stands for Hyperion Power Module, the nuclear reactor the company was advertising, and the cost estimate of $50 million for a nuclear reactor should be seen in that light as wishfully cheap. (A few years later, PitchBook, a database of private equity-based corporations, listed the company as “out of business.”)

Such promises of atomic energy delivering progress to Africa date back to the beginning of the nuclear age. On January 28, 1947, for example, Waldemar Kaempffert, the science editor of the New York Times, predicted,

The desert of Sahara could easily be irrigated by electric pumps driven by uranium power, with the result that more surplus cotton than we could sell at a profit and more surplus plant food than we could eat would be dumped on the market. Africa would be transformed into another Europe, with savages [sic!] who never saw a steam shovel or railway train transformed into machine tenders.

After more than half a century of experience with nuclear technology, ideas about using it to provide clean water to poor people are delusional at worst and deceptively self-serving at best. Reducing the problem of insufficient clean water to an absence of energy ignores the many other problems that prevent African villagers from accessing clean water and the persisting legacies of colonialism and imperialism that led to “underdevelopment” in the first place.

In his “communal memoir” of the aerospace industry Blue Sky Dream, the journalist David Beers talks about a special characteristic of the former Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, the man sometimes termed “the father of America’s space program” due to his important role in transferring rocket technology to the United States.

The classic American entrepreneurial hero searches out unmet desires in the everyday world and then, with a certain flexible flair, invents the answers, products for the masses to use. Von Braun’s genius lay elsewhere. He was brilliant at inventing new and different uses for the only product he ever desired to make, the space rocket. He was a master at selling his one product to the only customers who could ever afford it, a nation’s rulers.

Much like von Braun, vendors and advocates of nuclear power are really interested only in selling nuclear reactors, and they try to invent different uses for their favored product. Delivering clean water, heating houses or industries, and propelling rockets and ships are all only vehicles for selling nuclear reactors. However, the appeal to other uses for nuclear reactors is also, simultaneously, an expression of the inability of the technology to economically deliver on its primary product: electricity. It is the weakness of the nuclear industry that forces it to seek alliances with other constituencies.

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From Nuclear Is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change by M.V. Ramana. Copyright © 2024. Available from Verso Books.

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There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

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2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
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TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (07/29/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Interview: Rose Gottemoeller on the precarious future of arms control

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

However, I like to point out two things about the “program of record” nuclear modernization. … nuclear weapon: ‘A Bomb for all Asians and Africans’.

Putin threatens to restart production of mid-range nuclear weapons – KULR-8

KULR-8

All the attributes of the Cold War with the direct confrontation are … Great Things in Great Falls – July 27, 2024 · Attorney General ghost …

What will a new push for nuclear energy look like in Missouri and Illinois? – STLPR

STLPR

That’s about a quarter of Ameren’s 2023 electricity — and all of that nuclear power was carbon-free. Callaway Energy Center’s cooling tower on …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

A Radical Reboot of Nuclear Energy – YouTube

YouTube

Nuclear power, once the great hope for a clean way to meet the world’s energy needs, fell out of favor decades ago.

Construction starts on two new Chinese units – World Nuclear News

World Nuclear News

The pouring of first concrete has been announced for both unit 5 at the Ningde nuclear power plant in Fujian Province and unit 1 of the Shidaowan …

Atomic Fallacy: Why Nuclear Power Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis – Literary Hub

Literary Hub

Prominent among these proposals is nuclear energy. Although climate change scares me, I am even more scared of a future with more nuclear plants.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Centre – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Police …

mediaoffice.abudhabi

… Disaster Management Centre – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Police have conducted training for the emergency response members of Barakah Nuclear Energy

Atomic Fallacy: Why Nuclear Power Won’t Solve the Climate Crisis – Literary Hub

Literary Hub

Ramana Debunks Some Common Arguments About Energy In an Era of Ecological Emergency. By M.V. Ramana. July 29, 2024. I am scared about how fast …

Nuclear War

NEWS

North Korea May Test Nuclear Missile Around U.S. Election, South Warns | TIME

Time

North Korea has a habit of timing its provocations to coincide with major political events, and Kim has rolled out new warheads capable of …

Russian President Putin Issues Nuclear Threat over US’ Announcement – YouTube

YouTube

Russian President Putin Issues Nuclear Threat over US’ Announcement | Vantage with Palki Sharma Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a …

‘The Boiling Moat’ argues U.S. should prepare to help Taiwan defend against China – WUFT

WUFT

NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks to Matt Pottinger, editor of “The Boiling Moat,” about the U.S. protecting Taiwan from an ever-encroaching China.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Germany Says Will Not Be ‘Intimidated’ by Putin’s Nuclear Threats – The Moscow Times

The Moscow Times

Germany said on Monday it was not deterred by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear …

In a Perilous Time: Nuclear Dangers, Politics, and the New Cold War

Pressenza – International Press Agency

… risks escalation to nuclear war. The refusal of the nuclear powers and others to eliminate the nuclear and climate existential threats places the …

Berlin ‘Will Not be Intimidated’ by Moscow’s Nuclear Threats, Says German Foreign Minister

Kyiv Post

Berlin ‘Will Not be Intimidated’ by Moscow’s Nuclear Threats, Says German Foreign Minister … Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

After Biscuit Basin explosion, Yellowstone will look into tracking hydothermal booms | Local

Jackson Hole News & Guide

A continuous gas-monitoring station operates near Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin. Scientists with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory …

The Best Social Media Follows Right Now Are Actual Mountains – The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast

Yellowstone itself lacks zest, but the parody accounts for the Yellowstone Caldera and Supervolano are on it. Lake Tahoe likes to riff and each of …

The theory says that complex life on Earth may be much older than previously thought.

La Ronge Northerner

Yellowstone caldera, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone supervolcano, is a volcanic caldera and supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in…