NukeNews No. 26 - ENGLISH

************************************************************ *    NukeNews #26 - Anti-Nuclear Information Service      * ************************************************************ -- 0. Preface -- The International Anti-nuclear Action Summer declared by several groups in different countries is over, many events took place and gathered interested people in different formats taking a stance against atomic power. One of them was the International Anti-nuclear Summer Camp in Döbeln organized by activists with the Nuclear Heritage Network where we discussed tools like the NukeNews supposed to support the anti-nuclear work of committed people all over the world. There we brought some 50 people from thirteen co5untries on four continents together getting to know each other and each other's struggles, discussing strategies and planning on activities in future. In this newsletter we basically inform about updates on nuclear developments in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Canada, and publish reports on some anti-nuclear activities in the United Kingdom and United States. If you and your group have interesting news, reports or announcements of campaigns or actions to be shared, please send them to us. Find more information for that in the last section of this newsletter! -- Outline of the current NukeNews issue #26 -- 0. Preface 1. Czech liability for nuclear damage in billions instead of     trillions 2. CZ: Bukov Laboratory - research on geological conditions in an     unsuitable location 3. Slovenia: Construction of dry depository for spent nuclear fuel at     Krško NPP 4. UK: "No Need For Nuclear" conference videos 5. UK: Beware nuclear trains bearing gifts 6. UK: "The last radioactive particle has been picked up" from St     Bees beach 7. UK: Events to remember the 60th Anniversary of Windscale Fire of     10th October 1957 8. Canada: Further Delay of Decision on OPG's Nuclear Waste Burial Plan 9. Canadian federal government wants more information on impact of     proposed nuclear-waste bunker near Indigenous community 10. Anti-nuclear updates from California 11. World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017 released 12. Keep Space4Peace - USAF Croughton 13. Upcoming events 14. About NukeNews -- 1. Czech liability for nuclear damage in billions instead of     trillions -- CEZ operator insures its nuclear power plant assets against damage of up to tens of billions crowns, while the Czech administration avoids fully insuring residents and entrepreneurs around Dukovany and Temelin Nuclear Power Plants against a nuclear accident. Is it just an effort to save money? What’s hiding behind the behavior of Czech institutions? Read the complete article: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Czech_liability_for_nuclear_damage_in_billions_instead_of_trillions -- 2. CZ: Bukov Laboratory - research on geological conditions in an     unsuitable location -- The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA) does not want to make a technical-economic study on the implementation of the research program in the Bukov underground research facility available to the public. Thus, the public can not verify whether the Bukov site, located in the former Dolní Rožínka uranium mines, the Vysočina Region, is really suitable for research activities for the deep repository. In August 2017, Calla warned about this dodgy behaviour in its press release. Read the complete article: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/CZ:_Bukov_Laboratory_-_research_on_geological_conditions_in_an_unsuitable_location -- 3. Slovenia: Construction of dry depository for spent nuclear fuel at     Krško NPP -- The Association of Environmental Movements Slovenia and Posavian Nuclear Local Partnership Krško are convinced that Krško NPP when planning the construction of a dry depository of spent nuclear fuel did not have all necessary permissions. In a letter sent to the Ministry for Environment, Space and Infrastructure Karel Lipič from the Association and Aleš Zajc from the Local Partnership wrote that this is not just a safety upgrade, like the NPP claims, but a whole new nuclear facility, which requires a national spatial plan and comprehensive approach according to the Environmental Protection Act. Krško NPP has planned to construct this only according to the Building Construction Act. "In our opinion the Ministry, the Nuclear Safety Administration and Krško NPP must start all procedures about social acceptability and allow residents participation in accordance with international conventions. The transition to dry storage will be carried out by the American company Holtec with a contractual value of 68.3 millions euros and shall be done until 2028. Learn more: https://www.dnevnik.si/1042777467/lokalno/zasavje-in-posavje/suho-skladisce-izrabljenega-goriva-v-nuklearni-elektrarni-krsko-bo-zasciteno-tudi-pred-padcem-letala -- 4. UK: "No Need For Nuclear" conference videos -- On 17th June, 2017, we in London held a conference, "No Need For Nuclear: The Renewables Are Here", in Conway Hall, London. We filmed the 16 speakers, and made 16 little videos of their speeches and their slide presentations, (plus one of the welcoming/intro speeches.) Here is a link to the videos. Read more: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/UK:_%22No_Need_For_Nuclear%22_conference_videos -- 5. UK: Beware nuclear trains bearing gifts -- As announced in the last newsletter, British activists with "Close Capenhurst" and "Radiation Free Lakeland" took an action at Direct Rail Services open day on 22nd of July in Carlisle. Braving the rain in Carlisle campaigners went to bear witness to the Nuclear Industry’s whitewashing of its seemingly never ending transports of mountains of spent fuel and nuclear materials. Created in 1994 by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. (now the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) to take over British Rail’s handling of nuclear material. DRS has since diversified into other freight operations including food. Learn more: https://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2017/07/22/beware-nuclear-trains-bearing-gifts/ -- 6. UK: "The last radioactive particle has been picked up" from St     Bees beach -- On 30th of July Cumbria Wildlife Trust held again an annual event "Beached Art" for young children at St Bees beach encouraging them to play for hours in this same sand where there are the most dangerous radionuclides which should be kept separate from the biosphere. This sand sculpture event organised by a trusted charity is not only unethical but it is aiding and abetting the continuing tsumani of radioactive wastes being dumped into the Irish Sea. Radiation Free Lakeland point out that the Sellafield Annual Report states that one of the last radioactive particles to be picked up from St Bees was a tiny metal particle of Cobalt 60 which is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. CWT insist that all radioactive particles have been picked up from St Bees beach. However, Sellafield themselves admit that their monitoring is limited, they do not pick up all radioactive particles, monitoring stops over Easter, Summer and Christmas in order not to frighten beach users. Learn more: https://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2017/07/26/the-last-radioactive-particle-has-been-removed-from-st-bees-cumbria-wildlife-trust-presented-with-award/ -- 7. UK: Events to remember the 60th Anniversary of Windscale Fire of     10th October 1957 -- 9th October 1pm: Banner Making Event at Maple Farm with opportunity to hear from nuclear activists about Preston’s key role in fueling the Windscale Fire in Pile 1. 9th October 3.30 pm Vigil at Springfields (with freshly minted banners!) outside the UK's nuclear fuel manufacturing plant just 5.5 miles from PNR fracking site. 10th October 11am in Keswick Town Centre. Vigil to remember the Windscale Fire and the unnamed children and adults who have died (and are dying) of radiation linked diseases as a result. 10th October approx. 2pm Laying an Autumn Wreath on the Windscale Fire Memorial Plaque outside Sellafield. 10th October approx. 3pm meet at St Bridgets Church, Beckermet – site visit to view the proposed Moorside plan within the shadow of the still too dangerous to ‘decommission’ Windscale Pile 1 chimney. More information: https://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/60th-anniversary-of-the-windscale-fire/ -- 8. Canada: Further Delay of Decision on OPG's Nuclear Waste Burial Plan -- The federal Minister of the Environment and Climate has released a letter to OPG with a third request for additional information. With this request, the timeline for the reviews completion and the Minister's decision has been suspended. Read the complete article: http://mailchi.mp/9bc6bc1794a1/sko9xiuupq-2752985?e=f56b9c558c -- 9. Canadian federal government wants more information on impact of     proposed nuclear-waste bunker near Indigenous community -- Further information on how a proposed nuclear-waste bunker near Lake Huron might affect area First Nations peoples is needed before the government decides whether to approve the project. Learn more: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/21/federal-government-wants-more-information-on-impact-of-proposed-nuclear-waste-bunker-near-indigenous-community.html -- 10. Anti-nuclear updates from California -- Other than the bay area's annual nuclear weapons action at Livermore Labs, activists have been watching three legal cases in California and the Trump administration's push to restart Yucca Mountain. The World Business Academy's lawsuit to reverse the state's decision to extend Diablo Canyon's lease of state's lands beyond 2018 failed (our last chance to close it early). Diablo Canyon's Public Utilities Commission process to close Diablo Canyon in 2024 is winding down, and attempts to reverse the amount of money the owner of San Onofre wants for closing the twin reactors is also in a legal quagmire. On 8-28 a judge accepted a proposed settlement between a number of public interest groups and the utility operating San Onofre, that the company would move the reactors spent fuel inland to a safer location within five years even though there is no repository - possibly to the Palos Verde reactor in AZ. San Onofre is less than 50 miles from Los Angeles and is near a number of active earthquake faults. -- 11. World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017 released -- 12th of September, 2017, the new World Nuclear Industry Status Report in the 2017 edition has been published. Independent nuclear consultants Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt are the main authors of this critical annual report that sketches the ongoing decline of the global nuclear industry, that has been published every year since 2007. It is an important, if not the most relevant, study on the development of commercial atomic reactors in the world. The authors not only compare statistical data on constructions starts, cancellations and closures, but analyze the economic situation of nuclear operators and the atomic policies in several countries. While the report shows again that the nuclear industry is in a financial crisis and affordable prices on electricity produced by atomic power plants remains an illusion, it also points out the rapid development of the competing renewable energy installations. Read the complete article: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/World_Nuclear_Industry_Status_Report_2017_released -- 12. Keep Space4Peace - USAF Croughton -- Oxford CND have organised their annual Croughton demo as part of the space4peace international week of actions against the militarisation and nuclearisation of space. The March and Rally will take place on Saturday 7th Oct and will include speakers: Dave Webb (CND), Paul Mobbs (Croughton Watch), Nikki Clark (South West Against Nuclear) http://www.fraw.org.uk/croughtonwatch/posts-2017/croughton_2017_leaflet.pdf -- 13. Upcoming events -- Feel free to send us your local and international events for the large upcoming events collection on Nuclear Heritage Network website, and for this extract in the NukeNews! http://upcoming.nuclear-heritage.net soon possible:    3rd Castor transport from Obrigheim NPP to                    Neckarwestheim NPP (D) 28/09/17 5 PM:    Protest: No Nuclear War at Downing Street in London (UK) 30/09/17 12 PM:   rally "60 years Mayak atomic accident - nuclear                    phaseout worldwide now" at Opernplatz in Hanover (D) 30/09/17 2.30 PM: Demonstration against the EPR at Place de la Mairie in Saint Lo (F) 10/10/17-15/10/17: Uranium Film Festival in Berlin (D) 14/10/17 10 AM:   international conference "Confrontation or                    cooperation? Nuclear abolition in dangerous times" at Arlington Conference Centre, 220 Arlington Road, in London (UK) 02/11/17-04/11/17: Antinuclear World Social Forum 2017 in Paris (F) 06/11/17-17/11/17: World Climate Summit and protests in Bonn (D) 27/11/17-30/11/17: ICOND 2017 - International Conference on Nuclear Decommissioning 2017 in Aachen (D) http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Castor_Resistance_in_Germany_2017 http://www.cnduk.org/get-involved/events/item/3542-protest-no-nuclear-war http://www.grohnde-kampagne.de/termine/#c588 http://www.can-ouest.org http://uraniumfilmfestival.org/en/preliminary-program-berlin http://www.cnduk.org/get-involved/events/item/3440-confrontation-or-cooperation?-nuclear-abolition-in-dangerous-times http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Antinuclear_World_Social_Forum_2017 http://www.bonn.de/wirtschaft_wissenschaft_internationales/konferenzstandort/weltklimakonferenz/index.html?lang=de http://www.conference-service.com/conferences/radiation-protection.html -- 14. About NukeNews -- NukeNews is a multilingual newsletter system of the Nuclear Heritage Network. It reflects the activities, topics and struggles of anti-nuclear activists connected through this international community. The messages are written and translated by activists, additionally to their usual anti-nuclear activities. The newsletter aims to inform and update as well activists as the interested audience. Your contributions to the NukeNews are welcome! Send them via email to "newsletter AT nuclear-heritage DOT net". The text should be very brief and in English. Please don't make it longer than one paragraph. We need a concise headline for your article, and you can add a link to a webpage providing more information. Deadline for the 27th issue of the NukeNews is 26th of November, 2017. Spread the word and learn more about the NukeNews: http://NukeNews.Nuclear-Heritage.NET