Traders Community : News > Breaking News http://www.traderscommunity.com/ Traders Community where you will find one of the biggest and best collections of trading information. en-gb The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Traders Community and whilst we endeavor to keep the information up-to-date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.Read full disclaimer: Website disclaimer info@nospam.com (Admin) info@nospam.com (Admin) Thu, 23 May 2013 14:34:29 -0500 Thu, 23 May 2013 14:34:29 -0500 http://backend.userland.com/rss e107 (http://e107.org) hourly 1 60 Traders Community : News > Breaking News http://www.traderscommunity.com/images/web_logo88a.gif http://www.traderscommunity.com/ 88 31 Traders Community where you will find one of the biggest and best collections of trading information. Frackers Farmers Draining US Aquifers http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.35119.5
He writes U.S. farmers are withdrawing unsustainable volumes of groundwater to irrigate their crops,resulting in an accelerating decline in aquifers across the
central and western United States, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Groundwater resources have shrunk by 1,000 cubic kilometres since 1900 as the amount of water extracted exceeds the rate at which aquifers are recharged, according to “Groundwater depletion in the United States.” This about double the total amount of water contained in Lake Erie.

And depletion rates are accelerating. The 40 aquifers in the USGS survey declined almost 200 cubic kilometres between 2000 and 2008 alone - a record rate of 24 cubic kilometres per year, which is more than double the 11 cubic km per year lost in the 1990s and the 12 cubic km lost each year in the 1980s.
FALLING OGALLALA AQUIFER

The giant High Plains or Ogallala aquifer, which underlies about 450,000 square km of the central United States including parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota, has lost more than 340 cubic km of water since the beginning of the 20th century.

Nearly 25 percent of the total (82 cubic km) was lost in 2000 to 2008 alone, the most recent eight-year period covered by the survey.

In the worst-affected parts of northern Texas, so much water has been pumped from the High Plains aquifer that the water
table has fallen by more than 150 feet.

Environmentalists blame hydraulic fracturing for adding to the stress in drought-hit areas. Fracking each well can require millions of gallons of water. But groundwater depletion started to accelerate in the 1940s and 1950s, long before fracking widespread in the 2000s.

The bigger problem is water-intensive agriculture. In 2005, around 80 billion gallons of groundwater were withdrawn every day across the United States, of which 53.5 billion were used for irrigation - dwarfing the 14.6 billion gallons used for domestic supply or the 3 billion gallons used by industry.

In Texas, irrigation accounted for over 71 percent of all groundwater extraction, rising to 95 percent in Nebraska.(“Estimated water use in the United States” 2009)

The massive rise in water use for irrigation can be attributed mainly to the introduction of centre-pivot, sprinkler systems in the 1950s.

In North Dakota, which draws most of its water supply from its own giant aquifers, the use of groundwater for irrigation has risen steadily since centre-pivot systems started to become common.

According to one research report, the number of irrigation wells in the state rose from fewer than six in 1960 to almost 1,500 by 1980, which were pumping up to 65 million gallons per day at the height of the irrigation season to water 100,000 acres of land (“Guide to North Dakota’s Ground Water Resources”
1983).

Over-pumping is not a new problem. Between 1900 and 1930, so many artesian wells were drilled in south-eastern parts of North Dakota and eastern South Dakota and allowed to flow freely that the water pressure plunged, and states had to pass laws obliging all wells to be fitted with pressure control valves.

But the withdrawals are now on an unimaginable scale.

The problem is compounded because the recharge rates for the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer are low. Figures for 30-year average annual precipitation range from 36 centimetres in the west to about 81 centimetres in the eastern part of the aquifer.

“Evaporation rates are high relative to precipitation, so there is little water available to recharge the aquifer,” according to USGS. “Potential recharge in non-irrigated areas has been estimated to range from less than 6 millimetres along the western boundary of the aquifer to as much as 127 millimetres in the north-eastern part of the High Plains aquifer.”

FARMERS AND FRACKERS

Continuation of depletion at observed rates makes the water supply unsustainable in the long term ... observed rates of depletion must eventually decrease as economic and physical constraints lead to reduced levels of extraction,” USGS notes.

As President Richard Nixon’s chief economic adviser Herbert Stein noted: if something is unsustainable it will stop.

The rate of depletion is levelling off in some areas or becoming “self-limiting” as constraints set in, according to USGS. Nationwide, however, depletion rates continue to accelerate unsustainably.

Depletion on this scale represents a severe threaten to the environment as well as to supplies of water for drinking and irrigation on which communities depend. Once depleted, the lost storage cannot easily or quickly be recovered, USGS warns.

Fracking opponents like to cite the large volumes of water needed to stimulate oil and gas production by pressure pumping to hydraulically fracture rock formations deep underground. Frackers’ water use is highly visible because the water is normally brought in by the truckload.

In reality, the main pressure comes from farmers. If fracking adds to the pressure on local water supplies at the margin, it is only because intensive agriculture is already rapidly sinking the water table across large parts of the United States.

Source: Reuters
]]>
He writes U.S. farmers are withdrawing unsustainable volumes of groundwater to irrigate their crops,resulting in an accelerating decline in aquifers across the
central and western United States, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Groundwater resources have shrunk by 1,000 cubic kilometres since 1900 as the amount of water extracted exceeds the rate at which aquifers are recharged, according to “Groundwater depletion in the United States.” This about double the total amount of water contained in Lake Erie.

And depletion rates are accelerating. The 40 aquifers in the USGS survey declined almost 200 cubic kilometres between 2000 and 2008 alone - a record rate of 24 cubic kilometres per year, which is more than double the 11 cubic km per year lost in the 1990s and the 12 cubic km lost each year in the 1980s.
FALLING OGALLALA AQUIFER

The giant High Plains or Ogallala aquifer, which underlies about 450,000 square km of the central United States including parts of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota, has lost more than 340 cubic km of water since the beginning of the 20th century.

Nearly 25 percent of the total (82 cubic km) was lost in 2000 to 2008 alone, the most recent eight-year period covered by the survey.

In the worst-affected parts of northern Texas, so much water has been pumped from the High Plains aquifer that the water
table has fallen by more than 150 feet.

Environmentalists blame hydraulic fracturing for adding to the stress in drought-hit areas. Fracking each well can require millions of gallons of water. But groundwater depletion started to accelerate in the 1940s and 1950s, long before fracking widespread in the 2000s.

The bigger problem is water-intensive agriculture. In 2005, around 80 billion gallons of groundwater were withdrawn every day across the United States, of which 53.5 billion were used for irrigation - dwarfing the 14.6 billion gallons used for domestic supply or the 3 billion gallons used by industry.

In Texas, irrigation accounted for over 71 percent of all groundwater extraction, rising to 95 percent in Nebraska.(“Estimated water use in the United States” 2009)

The massive rise in water use for irrigation can be attributed mainly to the introduction of centre-pivot, sprinkler systems in the 1950s.

In North Dakota, which draws most of its water supply from its own giant aquifers, the use of groundwater for irrigation has risen steadily since centre-pivot systems started to become common.

According to one research report, the number of irrigation wells in the state rose from fewer than six in 1960 to almost 1,500 by 1980, which were pumping up to 65 million gallons per day at the height of the irrigation season to water 100,000 acres of land (“Guide to North Dakota’s Ground Water Resources”
1983).

Over-pumping is not a new problem. Between 1900 and 1930, so many artesian wells were drilled in south-eastern parts of North Dakota and eastern South Dakota and allowed to flow freely that the water pressure plunged, and states had to pass laws obliging all wells to be fitted with pressure control valves.

But the withdrawals are now on an unimaginable scale.

The problem is compounded because the recharge rates for the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer are low. Figures for 30-year average annual precipitation range from 36 centimetres in the west to about 81 centimetres in the eastern part of the aquifer.

“Evaporation rates are high relative to precipitation, so there is little water available to recharge the aquifer,” according to USGS. “Potential recharge in non-irrigated areas has been estimated to range from less than 6 millimetres along the western boundary of the aquifer to as much as 127 millimetres in the north-eastern part of the High Plains aquifer.”

FARMERS AND FRACKERS

Continuation of depletion at observed rates makes the water supply unsustainable in the long term ... observed rates of depletion must eventually decrease as economic and physical constraints lead to reduced levels of extraction,” USGS notes.

As President Richard Nixon’s chief economic adviser Herbert Stein noted: if something is unsustainable it will stop.

The rate of depletion is levelling off in some areas or becoming “self-limiting” as constraints set in, according to USGS. Nationwide, however, depletion rates continue to accelerate unsustainably.

Depletion on this scale represents a severe threaten to the environment as well as to supplies of water for drinking and irrigation on which communities depend. Once depleted, the lost storage cannot easily or quickly be recovered, USGS warns.

Fracking opponents like to cite the large volumes of water needed to stimulate oil and gas production by pressure pumping to hydraulically fracture rock formations deep underground. Frackers’ water use is highly visible because the water is normally brought in by the truckload.

In reality, the main pressure comes from farmers. If fracking adds to the pressure on local water supplies at the margin, it is only because intensive agriculture is already rapidly sinking the water table across large parts of the United States.

Source: Reuters
]]> Environmental News traders Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:42 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.35119.5 Exxon Oil Pipeline Spill Investigation by Arkansas AG http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.35105.5
The rupture pipeline released thousands of barrels of barrels of oil into a subdivision. Reuters reported Attorney General Dustin McDaniel saying on Tuesday.

McDaniel said he asked Exxon to preserve all documents and information related to Friday's spill and ongoing cleanup efforts at the site next to a subdivision in Mayflower, Arkansas, about 20 miles northeast of Little Rock.

McDaniel said the spill damaged property and forced evacuations of 22 homes. Crude bubbled up from the line and snaked across lawns, into streets and storm drains.

Local responders quickly built dams of dirt and rock to block a pair of culverts to stop crude from reaching nearby Lake Conway, a fishing lake stocked with bass, catfish, bream and crappie.
McDaniel said in a statement that the request was the "first step in determining what happened and preserving evidence for any future litigation."

Exxon spokeswoman Kim Jordan said the company will "cooperate fully" with any investigation.

Jordan also said Exxon was developing a plan to excavate, remove and replace the ruptured portion of its Pegasus pipeline, which transports heavy Canadian crude oil from Illinois to Texas.

The line remained shut, and Exxon had yet to speculate on how long repairs would take and when it might restart, Jordan said.

Exxon said on Monday that a plan to allow residents to return to their homes was under development. In the meantime, Mayflower police were providing escorts for affected residents to briefly go to their homes to retrieve personal items.

Source: Reuters]]>
The rupture pipeline released thousands of barrels of barrels of oil into a subdivision. Reuters reported Attorney General Dustin McDaniel saying on Tuesday.

McDaniel said he asked Exxon to preserve all documents and information related to Friday's spill and ongoing cleanup efforts at the site next to a subdivision in Mayflower, Arkansas, about 20 miles northeast of Little Rock.

McDaniel said the spill damaged property and forced evacuations of 22 homes. Crude bubbled up from the line and snaked across lawns, into streets and storm drains.

Local responders quickly built dams of dirt and rock to block a pair of culverts to stop crude from reaching nearby Lake Conway, a fishing lake stocked with bass, catfish, bream and crappie.
McDaniel said in a statement that the request was the "first step in determining what happened and preserving evidence for any future litigation."

Exxon spokeswoman Kim Jordan said the company will "cooperate fully" with any investigation.

Jordan also said Exxon was developing a plan to excavate, remove and replace the ruptured portion of its Pegasus pipeline, which transports heavy Canadian crude oil from Illinois to Texas.

The line remained shut, and Exxon had yet to speculate on how long repairs would take and when it might restart, Jordan said.

Exxon said on Monday that a plan to allow residents to return to their homes was under development. In the meantime, Mayflower police were providing escorts for affected residents to briefly go to their homes to retrieve personal items.

Source: Reuters]]> Environmental News traders Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:47:21 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.35105.5 Entergy and Vermont Fight Over Yankee Reactor http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34932.5
* Entergy to spend about $100 million to refuel reactor
* Entergy wants to keep reactor running until 2032
* Vermont wants reactor to shut in 2012

Reuters reports that Vermont's Governor, Peter Shumlin, who led the state legislature's effort to shut the plant in 2010 when he was President of the Senate, wants the 39 year old reactor to shut next year when its old license was to expire.

After winning a 20 year extension of its operating license from federal regulators in March, Entergy, the No. 2 nuclear power operator in the United States, in April sued in federal district court to block the state from shutting the reactor next year. The trial is scheduled for mid-September.
"Our board believes both the merits of the company's legal position and the record strongly support its decision to continue to trial scheduled to begin on Sep. 12. On that basis, the decision was made to move forward with the refueling as planned," J. Wayne Leonard, Entergy's chairman and chief
executive officer, said in a release.

The refueling, expected to start in October, will cost Entergy about $100 million - $65 million for the new uranium fuel and about $35 million for the refueling activities, the company has said.

During a typical refueling outage, which lasts about 30 days, Entergy said workers will replace about 120 fuel assemblies, or one-third of the fuel in the reactor core.

If Entergy is not successful in court and the reactor does shut, it would be the first U.S. nuclear plant to retire from service since 1998 when the 660 MW Unit 1 at Millstone in Connecticut closed.

ISO New England, which oversees the six-state New England power grid, has said shutting Vermont Yankee in 2012 could threaten the reliability of the electric grid in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The ISO is working with local power companies to bolster the transmission grid in case the reactor shuts next year. Business groups in Vermont meanwhile are worried power prices will rise if the reactor shuts.

VERMONT IS UNIQUE

Vermont is the only state in the nation with a say on whether a nuclear reactor within its borders can continue operating.

Nuclear safety is a federal responsibility and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has already determined in March 2011 that Vermont Yankee was safe to run for another 20 years until 2032, but the state still wants it shut.

When Entergy bought the reactor for $180 million from New England utilities in 2002, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators before operating the plant beyond March 21, 2012, when its original license expired.

After working for years to get state politicians to agree to allow Vermont Yankee to continue operating for another 20 years, Entergy filed the complaint in federal court.

Other states, like New York, wish they had that kind of power over nuclear plants within their borders.

In neighboring New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman are using water permits and fire codes in an attempt to stop the 20-year renewal of the operating licenses of Entergy's 2,045-MW Indian Point reactors, which expire in 2013 and 2015.

Indian Point is located about 45 miles north of Manhattan in the nation's most heavily populated metropolitan area - home to more than 18 million people - where the plant's opponents say even the most unlikely chance of an accident is too much.

Some state politicians and environmental groups have been fighting for decades to shut Indian Point, but have been stymied by federal regulators who say the plant is safe.

But since the March 11 earthquake that crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, relicensing Indian Point and other U.S. reactors has become even more contentious.

The NRC staff however has already determined Indian Point is safe to run for another 20 years. But it will take months before the NRC's judicial arm starts to hold hearings on the dozen or so contentions already filed against the renewal and likely years before the commission decides on the license extension after considering all the numerous expected appeals.

The NRC has never denied an application to extend a license, having already renewed licenses for 71 of the nation's 104 reactors, including Vermont Yankee.

-----------------------------------------------------------
PLANT BACKGROUND/TIMELINE
STATE: Vermont
COUNTY: Windham
TOWN: Vernon
OPERATOR: Entergy Nuclear
OWNER(S): Entergy Corp
CAPACITY: 620 MW
UNIT(S): General Electric Boiling Water Reactor
FUEL: Nuclear
DISPATCH: Baseload
COST: $183 million

TIMELINE:
1972 - Reactor enters commercial service
2002 - Entergy buys reactor for $180 million from
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power and enters a
10-year power purchase agreement to sell power
back to the former owners for about 4.5 cents
per kilowatt hour
Jan 2006 - Entergy files with NRC to renew the original
40-year operating license for an additional 20
years
Jan 2010 - Entergy identifies tritium leak
Feb 2010 - Vermont Senate votes 26-4 against authorizing
the Vermont Public Service Board to issue a
certificate of public good that would allow for

the license renewal. Vermont is the only state
in the nation with the authority to block a
license renewal. The state gained that
authority when Entergy bought the plant
Mar 2010 - Entergy stops tritium leak
Nov 2010 - Entergy mulls sale of Vermont Yankee
Mar 2011 - NRC approves of 20 year extension of operating
license
Mar 2011 - Entergy drops plan to sell plant
Apr 2011 - Entergy files complaint in federal district
court in Vermont to block the state from
forcing the plant to cease operation in March
2012 when the original operating license was to
expire
Jul 2011 - Entergy decide to spend about $100 million to
refuel the reactor in October ($65 million for
the fuel and $35 million for the refueling
work)
Sep 2011 - Trial in federal district court before the
Honorable J. Garvan Murtha decided not to to
block state from shutting reactor
Oct 2011 - Entergy expects to shut reactor for refueling
Mar 21, 2012 - Reactor to shut unless state approves of
extension or Entergy wins court case to keep
reactor operating or court appeals keep plant
alive
Mar 2032 - Renewed license expires

Source: Reuters]]>
* Entergy to spend about $100 million to refuel reactor
* Entergy wants to keep reactor running until 2032
* Vermont wants reactor to shut in 2012

Reuters reports that Vermont's Governor, Peter Shumlin, who led the state legislature's effort to shut the plant in 2010 when he was President of the Senate, wants the 39 year old reactor to shut next year when its old license was to expire.

After winning a 20 year extension of its operating license from federal regulators in March, Entergy, the No. 2 nuclear power operator in the United States, in April sued in federal district court to block the state from shutting the reactor next year. The trial is scheduled for mid-September.
"Our board believes both the merits of the company's legal position and the record strongly support its decision to continue to trial scheduled to begin on Sep. 12. On that basis, the decision was made to move forward with the refueling as planned," J. Wayne Leonard, Entergy's chairman and chief
executive officer, said in a release.

The refueling, expected to start in October, will cost Entergy about $100 million - $65 million for the new uranium fuel and about $35 million for the refueling activities, the company has said.

During a typical refueling outage, which lasts about 30 days, Entergy said workers will replace about 120 fuel assemblies, or one-third of the fuel in the reactor core.

If Entergy is not successful in court and the reactor does shut, it would be the first U.S. nuclear plant to retire from service since 1998 when the 660 MW Unit 1 at Millstone in Connecticut closed.

ISO New England, which oversees the six-state New England power grid, has said shutting Vermont Yankee in 2012 could threaten the reliability of the electric grid in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The ISO is working with local power companies to bolster the transmission grid in case the reactor shuts next year. Business groups in Vermont meanwhile are worried power prices will rise if the reactor shuts.

VERMONT IS UNIQUE

Vermont is the only state in the nation with a say on whether a nuclear reactor within its borders can continue operating.

Nuclear safety is a federal responsibility and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has already determined in March 2011 that Vermont Yankee was safe to run for another 20 years until 2032, but the state still wants it shut.

When Entergy bought the reactor for $180 million from New England utilities in 2002, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators before operating the plant beyond March 21, 2012, when its original license expired.

After working for years to get state politicians to agree to allow Vermont Yankee to continue operating for another 20 years, Entergy filed the complaint in federal court.

Other states, like New York, wish they had that kind of power over nuclear plants within their borders.

In neighboring New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman are using water permits and fire codes in an attempt to stop the 20-year renewal of the operating licenses of Entergy's 2,045-MW Indian Point reactors, which expire in 2013 and 2015.

Indian Point is located about 45 miles north of Manhattan in the nation's most heavily populated metropolitan area - home to more than 18 million people - where the plant's opponents say even the most unlikely chance of an accident is too much.

Some state politicians and environmental groups have been fighting for decades to shut Indian Point, but have been stymied by federal regulators who say the plant is safe.

But since the March 11 earthquake that crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, relicensing Indian Point and other U.S. reactors has become even more contentious.

The NRC staff however has already determined Indian Point is safe to run for another 20 years. But it will take months before the NRC's judicial arm starts to hold hearings on the dozen or so contentions already filed against the renewal and likely years before the commission decides on the license extension after considering all the numerous expected appeals.

The NRC has never denied an application to extend a license, having already renewed licenses for 71 of the nation's 104 reactors, including Vermont Yankee.

-----------------------------------------------------------
PLANT BACKGROUND/TIMELINE
STATE: Vermont
COUNTY: Windham
TOWN: Vernon
OPERATOR: Entergy Nuclear
OWNER(S): Entergy Corp
CAPACITY: 620 MW
UNIT(S): General Electric Boiling Water Reactor
FUEL: Nuclear
DISPATCH: Baseload
COST: $183 million

TIMELINE:
1972 - Reactor enters commercial service
2002 - Entergy buys reactor for $180 million from
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power and enters a
10-year power purchase agreement to sell power
back to the former owners for about 4.5 cents
per kilowatt hour
Jan 2006 - Entergy files with NRC to renew the original
40-year operating license for an additional 20
years
Jan 2010 - Entergy identifies tritium leak
Feb 2010 - Vermont Senate votes 26-4 against authorizing
the Vermont Public Service Board to issue a
certificate of public good that would allow for

the license renewal. Vermont is the only state
in the nation with the authority to block a
license renewal. The state gained that
authority when Entergy bought the plant
Mar 2010 - Entergy stops tritium leak
Nov 2010 - Entergy mulls sale of Vermont Yankee
Mar 2011 - NRC approves of 20 year extension of operating
license
Mar 2011 - Entergy drops plan to sell plant
Apr 2011 - Entergy files complaint in federal district
court in Vermont to block the state from
forcing the plant to cease operation in March
2012 when the original operating license was to
expire
Jul 2011 - Entergy decide to spend about $100 million to
refuel the reactor in October ($65 million for
the fuel and $35 million for the refueling
work)
Sep 2011 - Trial in federal district court before the
Honorable J. Garvan Murtha decided not to to
block state from shutting reactor
Oct 2011 - Entergy expects to shut reactor for refueling
Mar 21, 2012 - Reactor to shut unless state approves of
extension or Entergy wins court case to keep
reactor operating or court appeals keep plant
alive
Mar 2032 - Renewed license expires

Source: Reuters]]> Environmental News traders Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:47:03 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34932.5 Radioactive Threat as Nuclear Leaks Plague U.S. Nuclear Sites http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34884.5
If the headline doesn't concern you it should, the nice little radioactive metal has a shelf life believed to be akin to that of uranium - give or take a few billion years.

Unfortunately this is news to 99.99% of us as a. the government has no clue b. the government simply doesn't want us to know c. The nuclear industry being the wonderful lobbyists they are have ensured lack of coverage thereto.

Three Quarters of U.S. nuclear sites have leaked tritium

From the Star gazette in full reprint to provide full unadulterated color. Well as long as you can assume there is no agenda on the reporters behalf.

Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.
The number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licenses of more and more reactors across the nation.

Tritium, which is a radioactive form of hydrogen, has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records reviewed as part of the AP's yearlong examination of safety issues at aging nuclear power plants.

Leaks from at least 37 of those facilities contained concentrations exceeding the federal drinking water standard -- sometimes at hundreds of times the limit.

While most leaks have been found within plant boundaries, some have migrated offsite. But none is known to have reached public water supplies.

At three sites -- two in Illinois and one in Minnesota -- leaks have contaminated drinking wells of nearby homes, the records show, but not at levels violating the drinking water standard.

At a fourth site, in New Jersey, tritium has leaked into an aquifer and a discharge canal feeding picturesque Barnegat Bay off the Atlantic Ocean.

Any exposure to radioactivity, no matter how slight, boosts cancer risk, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Federal regulators set a limit for how much tritium is allowed in drinking water, where this contaminant poses its main health risk.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says tritium should measure no more than 20,000 picocuries per liter in drinking water. The agency estimates seven of 200,000 people who drink such water for decades would develop cancer.

The tritium leaks also have spurred doubts among independent engineers about the reliability of emergency safety systems at the 104 nuclear reactors situated on the 65 sites.

That's partly because some of the leaky underground pipes carry water meant to cool a reactor in an emergency shutdown and to prevent a meltdown. Fast moving, tritium can indicate the presence of more powerful radioactive isotopes, like cesium-137 and strontium-90.

So far, federal and industry officials say, the tritium leaks pose no health or safety threat. Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer of the industry's Nuclear Energy Institute, said impacts are "next to zero."
Leaks are prolific

Like rust under a car, corrosion has propagated for decades along the hard-to-reach, wet underbellies of the reactors -- generally built in a burst of construction during the 1960s and 1970s.

There were 38 leaks from underground piping between 2000 and 2009, according to an industry document presented at a tritium conference. Nearly two-thirds of the leaks were reported over the latest five years.

For example, at the three-unit Browns Ferry complex in Alabama, a valve was mistakenly left open in a storage tank during modifications over the years. When the tank was filled in April 2010, about 1,000 gallons of tritium-laden water poured onto the ground at a concentration of 2 million picocuries per liter. In drinking water, that would be 100 times higher than the EPA health standard.

And in 2008, 7.5 million picocuries per liter leaked from underground piping at Quad Cities in western Illinois -- 375 times the EPA limit.

Subsurface water not only rusts underground pipes, it attacks other buried components, including electrical cables that carry signals to control operations.

A 2008 NRC staff memo reported industry data showing 83 failed cables between 21 and 30 years of service -- but only 40 within their first 10 years of service. Underground cabling set in concrete can be extraordinarily difficult to replace.

Under NRC rules, tiny concentrations of tritium and other contaminants are routinely released in monitored increments from nuclear plants; leaks from corroded pipes are not permitted.

The leaks sometimes go undiscovered for years, the AP found. Many of the pipes or tanks have been patched, and contaminated soil and water have been removed in some places. But leaks are often discovered later from other nearby piping, tanks or vaults.

Mistakes and defective material have contributed to some leaks. However, corrosion -- from decades of use and deterioration -- is the main cause. And, safety engineers say, the rash of leaks suggest nuclear operators are hard put to maintain the decades-old systems.

Over the history of the U.S. industry, more than 400 known radioactive leaks of all kinds of substances have occurred, the activist Union of Concerned Scientists reported in September.

Nuclear engineer Bill Corcoran, an industry consultant who has taught NRC personnel how to analyze the cause of accidents, said that since much of the piping is inaccessible and carries cooling water, the worry is if the pipes leak there could be a meltdown.

"Any leak is a problem because you have the leak itself -- but it also says something about the piping," said Mario V. Bonaca, a former member of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. "Evidently something has to be done."

Even with the best probes, however, it is hard to pinpoint partial cracks or damage in skinny pipes or bends. The industry tends to inspect piping when it must be dug up for some other reason. Even when leaks are detected, repairs may be postponed for up to two years with the NRC's blessing.

"You got pipes that have been buried underground for 30 or 40 years, and they've never been inspected, and the NRC is looking the other way," said engineer Paul Blanch, who has worked for the industry and later became a whistleblower. "They could have corrosion all over the place."

East coast issues

One of the highest known tritium readings was discovered in 2002 at the Salem nuclear plant in Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J. Tritium leaks from the spent fuel pool contaminated groundwater under the facility -- located on an island in Delaware Bay -- at a concentration of 15 million picocuries per liter. That's 750 times the EPA drinking water limit. According to NRC records, the tritium readings last year still exceeded EPA drinking water standards.

And tritium found separately in an onsite storm drain system measured 1 million picocuries per liter in April 2010.

Also last year, the operator, PSEG Nuclear, discovered 680 feet of corroded, buried pipe that is supposed to carry cooling water to Salem Unit 1 in an accident, according to an NRC report. Some had worn down to a quarter of its minimum required thickness, though no leaks were found. The piping was dug up and replaced.

The operator had not visually inspected the piping -- the surest way to find corrosion-- since the reactor went on line in 1977, according to the NRC. PSEG Nuclear was found to be in violation of NRC rules because it hadn't even tested the piping since 1988.

Last year, the Vermont Senate was so troubled by tritium leaks as high as 2.5 million picocuries per liter at the Vermont Yankee reactor in southern Vermont (125 times the EPA drinking-water standard) that it voted to block relicensing -- a power that the Legislature holds in that state.

In March, the NRC granted the plant a 20-year license extension, despite the state opposition. Weeks ago, operator Entergy sued Vermont in federal court, challenging its authority to force the plant to close.

At 41-year-old Oyster Creek in southern New Jersey, the country's oldest operating reactor, the latest tritium troubles started in April 2009, a week after it was relicensed for 20 more years. That's when plant workers discovered tritium by chance in about 3,000 gallons of water that had leaked into a concrete vault housing electrical lines.

Since then, workers have found leaking tritium three more times at concentrations up to 10.8 million picocuries per liter -- 540 times the EPA's drinking water limit -- according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. None has been directly measured in drinking water, but it has been found in an aquifer and in a canal discharging into nearby Barnegat Bay, a popular spot for swimming, boating and fishing.
Exelon's problems

To Oyster Creek owner Exelon -- the country's biggest nuclear operator, with 17 units -- piping problems are just a fact of life.

At 41 years, Oyster Creek, in southern New Jersey, is the nation's oldest operating reactor. At a meeting with regulators in 2009, representatives of Exelon acknowledged that "100 percent verification of piping integrity is not practical."

Of course, the company could dig up the pipes and check them out. But that would be costly.

"Excavations have significant impact on plant operations," the company said.

Exelon has had some major leaks. At the company's two-reactor Dresden site west of Chicago, tritium has leaked into the ground at up to 9 million picocuries per liter -- 450 times the federal limit for drinking water. Leaks from Dresden also have contaminated offsite drinking water wells, but below the EPA drinking water limit.

There's also been contamination of offsite drinking water wells near the two-unit Prairie Island plant southeast of Minneapolis, then operated by Nuclear Management Co. and now by Xcel Energy, and at Exelon's two-unit Braidwood nuclear facility, 10 miles from Dresden. The offsite tritium concentrations from both facilities also were below the EPA level.

The Prairie Island leak was found in the well of a nearby home in 1989. It was traced to a canal where radioactive waste was discharged.Braidwood has leaked more than six million gallons of tritium-laden water in repeated leaks dating back to the 1990s -- but not publicly reported until 2005. The leaks were traced to pipes that carried limited, monitored discharges of tritium into the river."They weren't properly maintained, and some of them had corrosion," said Exelon spokeswoman Krista Lopykinski.Last year, Exelon, which has acknowledged violating Illinois state groundwater standards, agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle state and county complaints over the tritium leaks at Braidwood and nearby Dresden and Byron sites. The NRC also sanctioned Exelon. Tritium measuring 1,500 picocuries per liter turned up in an offsite drinking well at a home near Braidwood. Though company and industry officials did not view any of the Braidwood concentrations as dangerous, unnerved residents took to bottled water and sued over feared loss of property value. A consolidated lawsuit was dismissed, but Exelon ultimately bought some homes so residents could leave.

Public relations effort

An NRC task force on tritium leaks last year dismissed the danger to public health. Instead, its report called the leaks "a challenging issue from the perspective of communications around environmental protection." The task force noted ruefully that the rampant leaking had "impacted public confidence."

For sure, the industry also is trying to stop the leaks. For several years now, plant owners around the country have been drilling more monitoring wells and taking a more aggressive approach in replacing old piping when leaks are suspected or discovered.

But such measures have yet to stop widespread leaking.

Meantime, the reactors keep getting older -- 66 have been approved for 20-year extensions to their original 40-year licenses, with 16 more extensions pending. And, as the AP has been reporting in its ongoing series, Aging Nukes, regulators and industry have worked in concert to loosen safety standards to keep the plants operating.

In an initiative started last year, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko asked his staff to examine regulations on buried piping to evaluate if stricter standards or more inspections were needed.

The staff report, issued in June, openly acknowledged that the NRC "has not placed an emphasis on preventing" the leaks.

And they predicted even more.

The original: http://www.stargazette.com/article/20110620/NEWS01/106200348/75-U-S-nuclear-sites-leaked-tritium?odyssey=nav|head


]]>
If the headline doesn't concern you it should, the nice little radioactive metal has a shelf life believed to be akin to that of uranium - give or take a few billion years.

Unfortunately this is news to 99.99% of us as a. the government has no clue b. the government simply doesn't want us to know c. The nuclear industry being the wonderful lobbyists they are have ensured lack of coverage thereto.

Three Quarters of U.S. nuclear sites have leaked tritium

From the Star gazette in full reprint to provide full unadulterated color. Well as long as you can assume there is no agenda on the reporters behalf.

Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.
The number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licenses of more and more reactors across the nation.

Tritium, which is a radioactive form of hydrogen, has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records reviewed as part of the AP's yearlong examination of safety issues at aging nuclear power plants.

Leaks from at least 37 of those facilities contained concentrations exceeding the federal drinking water standard -- sometimes at hundreds of times the limit.

While most leaks have been found within plant boundaries, some have migrated offsite. But none is known to have reached public water supplies.

At three sites -- two in Illinois and one in Minnesota -- leaks have contaminated drinking wells of nearby homes, the records show, but not at levels violating the drinking water standard.

At a fourth site, in New Jersey, tritium has leaked into an aquifer and a discharge canal feeding picturesque Barnegat Bay off the Atlantic Ocean.

Any exposure to radioactivity, no matter how slight, boosts cancer risk, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Federal regulators set a limit for how much tritium is allowed in drinking water, where this contaminant poses its main health risk.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says tritium should measure no more than 20,000 picocuries per liter in drinking water. The agency estimates seven of 200,000 people who drink such water for decades would develop cancer.

The tritium leaks also have spurred doubts among independent engineers about the reliability of emergency safety systems at the 104 nuclear reactors situated on the 65 sites.

That's partly because some of the leaky underground pipes carry water meant to cool a reactor in an emergency shutdown and to prevent a meltdown. Fast moving, tritium can indicate the presence of more powerful radioactive isotopes, like cesium-137 and strontium-90.

So far, federal and industry officials say, the tritium leaks pose no health or safety threat. Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer of the industry's Nuclear Energy Institute, said impacts are "next to zero."
Leaks are prolific

Like rust under a car, corrosion has propagated for decades along the hard-to-reach, wet underbellies of the reactors -- generally built in a burst of construction during the 1960s and 1970s.

There were 38 leaks from underground piping between 2000 and 2009, according to an industry document presented at a tritium conference. Nearly two-thirds of the leaks were reported over the latest five years.

For example, at the three-unit Browns Ferry complex in Alabama, a valve was mistakenly left open in a storage tank during modifications over the years. When the tank was filled in April 2010, about 1,000 gallons of tritium-laden water poured onto the ground at a concentration of 2 million picocuries per liter. In drinking water, that would be 100 times higher than the EPA health standard.

And in 2008, 7.5 million picocuries per liter leaked from underground piping at Quad Cities in western Illinois -- 375 times the EPA limit.

Subsurface water not only rusts underground pipes, it attacks other buried components, including electrical cables that carry signals to control operations.

A 2008 NRC staff memo reported industry data showing 83 failed cables between 21 and 30 years of service -- but only 40 within their first 10 years of service. Underground cabling set in concrete can be extraordinarily difficult to replace.

Under NRC rules, tiny concentrations of tritium and other contaminants are routinely released in monitored increments from nuclear plants; leaks from corroded pipes are not permitted.

The leaks sometimes go undiscovered for years, the AP found. Many of the pipes or tanks have been patched, and contaminated soil and water have been removed in some places. But leaks are often discovered later from other nearby piping, tanks or vaults.

Mistakes and defective material have contributed to some leaks. However, corrosion -- from decades of use and deterioration -- is the main cause. And, safety engineers say, the rash of leaks suggest nuclear operators are hard put to maintain the decades-old systems.

Over the history of the U.S. industry, more than 400 known radioactive leaks of all kinds of substances have occurred, the activist Union of Concerned Scientists reported in September.

Nuclear engineer Bill Corcoran, an industry consultant who has taught NRC personnel how to analyze the cause of accidents, said that since much of the piping is inaccessible and carries cooling water, the worry is if the pipes leak there could be a meltdown.

"Any leak is a problem because you have the leak itself -- but it also says something about the piping," said Mario V. Bonaca, a former member of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. "Evidently something has to be done."

Even with the best probes, however, it is hard to pinpoint partial cracks or damage in skinny pipes or bends. The industry tends to inspect piping when it must be dug up for some other reason. Even when leaks are detected, repairs may be postponed for up to two years with the NRC's blessing.

"You got pipes that have been buried underground for 30 or 40 years, and they've never been inspected, and the NRC is looking the other way," said engineer Paul Blanch, who has worked for the industry and later became a whistleblower. "They could have corrosion all over the place."

East coast issues

One of the highest known tritium readings was discovered in 2002 at the Salem nuclear plant in Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J. Tritium leaks from the spent fuel pool contaminated groundwater under the facility -- located on an island in Delaware Bay -- at a concentration of 15 million picocuries per liter. That's 750 times the EPA drinking water limit. According to NRC records, the tritium readings last year still exceeded EPA drinking water standards.

And tritium found separately in an onsite storm drain system measured 1 million picocuries per liter in April 2010.

Also last year, the operator, PSEG Nuclear, discovered 680 feet of corroded, buried pipe that is supposed to carry cooling water to Salem Unit 1 in an accident, according to an NRC report. Some had worn down to a quarter of its minimum required thickness, though no leaks were found. The piping was dug up and replaced.

The operator had not visually inspected the piping -- the surest way to find corrosion-- since the reactor went on line in 1977, according to the NRC. PSEG Nuclear was found to be in violation of NRC rules because it hadn't even tested the piping since 1988.

Last year, the Vermont Senate was so troubled by tritium leaks as high as 2.5 million picocuries per liter at the Vermont Yankee reactor in southern Vermont (125 times the EPA drinking-water standard) that it voted to block relicensing -- a power that the Legislature holds in that state.

In March, the NRC granted the plant a 20-year license extension, despite the state opposition. Weeks ago, operator Entergy sued Vermont in federal court, challenging its authority to force the plant to close.

At 41-year-old Oyster Creek in southern New Jersey, the country's oldest operating reactor, the latest tritium troubles started in April 2009, a week after it was relicensed for 20 more years. That's when plant workers discovered tritium by chance in about 3,000 gallons of water that had leaked into a concrete vault housing electrical lines.

Since then, workers have found leaking tritium three more times at concentrations up to 10.8 million picocuries per liter -- 540 times the EPA's drinking water limit -- according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. None has been directly measured in drinking water, but it has been found in an aquifer and in a canal discharging into nearby Barnegat Bay, a popular spot for swimming, boating and fishing.
Exelon's problems

To Oyster Creek owner Exelon -- the country's biggest nuclear operator, with 17 units -- piping problems are just a fact of life.

At 41 years, Oyster Creek, in southern New Jersey, is the nation's oldest operating reactor. At a meeting with regulators in 2009, representatives of Exelon acknowledged that "100 percent verification of piping integrity is not practical."

Of course, the company could dig up the pipes and check them out. But that would be costly.

"Excavations have significant impact on plant operations," the company said.

Exelon has had some major leaks. At the company's two-reactor Dresden site west of Chicago, tritium has leaked into the ground at up to 9 million picocuries per liter -- 450 times the federal limit for drinking water. Leaks from Dresden also have contaminated offsite drinking water wells, but below the EPA drinking water limit.

There's also been contamination of offsite drinking water wells near the two-unit Prairie Island plant southeast of Minneapolis, then operated by Nuclear Management Co. and now by Xcel Energy, and at Exelon's two-unit Braidwood nuclear facility, 10 miles from Dresden. The offsite tritium concentrations from both facilities also were below the EPA level.

The Prairie Island leak was found in the well of a nearby home in 1989. It was traced to a canal where radioactive waste was discharged.Braidwood has leaked more than six million gallons of tritium-laden water in repeated leaks dating back to the 1990s -- but not publicly reported until 2005. The leaks were traced to pipes that carried limited, monitored discharges of tritium into the river."They weren't properly maintained, and some of them had corrosion," said Exelon spokeswoman Krista Lopykinski.Last year, Exelon, which has acknowledged violating Illinois state groundwater standards, agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle state and county complaints over the tritium leaks at Braidwood and nearby Dresden and Byron sites. The NRC also sanctioned Exelon. Tritium measuring 1,500 picocuries per liter turned up in an offsite drinking well at a home near Braidwood. Though company and industry officials did not view any of the Braidwood concentrations as dangerous, unnerved residents took to bottled water and sued over feared loss of property value. A consolidated lawsuit was dismissed, but Exelon ultimately bought some homes so residents could leave.

Public relations effort

An NRC task force on tritium leaks last year dismissed the danger to public health. Instead, its report called the leaks "a challenging issue from the perspective of communications around environmental protection." The task force noted ruefully that the rampant leaking had "impacted public confidence."

For sure, the industry also is trying to stop the leaks. For several years now, plant owners around the country have been drilling more monitoring wells and taking a more aggressive approach in replacing old piping when leaks are suspected or discovered.

But such measures have yet to stop widespread leaking.

Meantime, the reactors keep getting older -- 66 have been approved for 20-year extensions to their original 40-year licenses, with 16 more extensions pending. And, as the AP has been reporting in its ongoing series, Aging Nukes, regulators and industry have worked in concert to loosen safety standards to keep the plants operating.

In an initiative started last year, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko asked his staff to examine regulations on buried piping to evaluate if stricter standards or more inspections were needed.

The staff report, issued in June, openly acknowledged that the NRC "has not placed an emphasis on preventing" the leaks.

And they predicted even more.

The original: http://www.stargazette.com/article/20110620/NEWS01/106200348/75-U-S-nuclear-sites-leaked-tritium?odyssey=nav|head


]]> Environmental News traders Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:27:05 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34884.5 Germany Plans For More Electric Cars http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34852.5 billions of euros in subsidies. The goal is a lofty one, 1 million cars on the road by 2020.

If you want to understand the basic rational why socialist America is failing compare America's bailout of GM and this deal. German subsidies will be further boosted by pledges from the private sector for some 12 billion euros ($US17 billion in FIAT money).

Given the success of the German auto industry it is a good bet that Germany will become leaders in emerging auto technology.

Bild newspaper reported today that Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche has predicted that in 50 years all cars will be electric,

"The German auto industry -- manufacturers and component suppliers -- has the best of chances to become the lead provider as well, thanks to the speed of its innovation," said Matthias Wissmann, president of Germany's VDA auto industry association.

In order to make Germany the world's leading producer of electric cars, research would be especially important, Wissmann added in a statement, and care must be taken to ensure patents are commercially exploited in the country and not elsewhere.
Germany will double state support for research and development to 2 billion euros through 2013. The main aim is improving battery technology. They will also create tax incentives for
companies and individuals to purchase the cars.

Germany will also waive Motor vehicle tax for the first ten years of registration, while taxes for professional use vehicles are to be reduced to help offset the cars' higher price tags compared
to gasoline- and diesel-powered models.

The government also plans to purchase thousands of the vehicles. Ten 10 percent of all new fleet acquisitions or rentals to be electric, while special parking rights and access to designated lanes on the autobahns are planned.

Currently the German auto majors, Daimler,, Volkswagen and BMW have electric car projects or
hybrids in various stages of development, although only 2,307 fully electric vehicles were registered in Germany by 2011.

Sources: Reuters, Bild


From the BAD Desk
]]> billions of euros in subsidies. The goal is a lofty one, 1 million cars on the road by 2020.

If you want to understand the basic rational why socialist America is failing compare America's bailout of GM and this deal. German subsidies will be further boosted by pledges from the private sector for some 12 billion euros ($US17 billion in FIAT money).

Given the success of the German auto industry it is a good bet that Germany will become leaders in emerging auto technology.

Bild newspaper reported today that Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche has predicted that in 50 years all cars will be electric,

"The German auto industry -- manufacturers and component suppliers -- has the best of chances to become the lead provider as well, thanks to the speed of its innovation," said Matthias Wissmann, president of Germany's VDA auto industry association.

In order to make Germany the world's leading producer of electric cars, research would be especially important, Wissmann added in a statement, and care must be taken to ensure patents are commercially exploited in the country and not elsewhere.
Germany will double state support for research and development to 2 billion euros through 2013. The main aim is improving battery technology. They will also create tax incentives for
companies and individuals to purchase the cars.

Germany will also waive Motor vehicle tax for the first ten years of registration, while taxes for professional use vehicles are to be reduced to help offset the cars' higher price tags compared
to gasoline- and diesel-powered models.

The government also plans to purchase thousands of the vehicles. Ten 10 percent of all new fleet acquisitions or rentals to be electric, while special parking rights and access to designated lanes on the autobahns are planned.

Currently the German auto majors, Daimler,, Volkswagen and BMW have electric car projects or
hybrids in various stages of development, although only 2,307 fully electric vehicles were registered in Germany by 2011.

Sources: Reuters, Bild


From the BAD Desk
]]> Environmental News traders Wed, 18 May 2011 09:12:02 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34852.5 Gore, Hansen and Hamilton on Climate Change Reviewed http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34770.5 Books to Help Understand Climate Change

Our Choice, Storms of my Grandchildren, Requiem for a Species are all climate change titles that warn of climate catastrophe. It has not been easy to understand climate change with different scientific and political agendas in the last decade or so. Climate change became the cause of the day with Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth’ but what has happened since? We have seen the failure of the Copenhagen summit to come to any global consensus, no less a solution to climate change.

One can easily come to the conclusion that material goals are paramount in both the west and third world behemoths of China and India. How does the collective conscience come to grips with the problem or does the massive narcissism that is so overriding mean it is a question of ‘who cares what happens in 50years?” as the pervading thought.

Three authors ponder the future which may help us individually look towards solutions. The books are ‘Storms of my Grandchildren’ by James Hansen, ‘Our choice’ by Al Gore and ‘Requiem for a species’ by Clive Hamilton. These tomes will help us decide how we go forward in these times and help us understand climate change. Here I discuss some highlights of Our Choice, Storms of my Grandchildren, Requiem for a Species.
Climate Change Books Reviewed

  • Requiem for a species: Why we resist the truth about climate change by Clive Hamilton

  • Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate change catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity by James Hansen

  • Our choice: A plan to solve the climate crisis by Al Gore


Tips

Read each book individually not all at once piecemeal it does get confusing.
Try and put aside any political opinions for the moment at least.

Requiem for a species: Why we resist the truth about climate change by Clive Hamilton

Firstly let’s start with Hamilton’s book as it helps address why the message of climate change disaster is not being taken as serious as scientists thought, or hoped. His book hits at the main problem, something that is easy to follow give the obsession with growth and the acceptance of the massive deficit spending in the U.S. and Europe in particular.

Very simply the obsession with high growth does not fit well with the high emissions that come from that obsession. So simply we are being told to abandon the high growth, the material goals and at the same time to spend, spend, spend to bail out the economy. In other words it is all too hard so we tend to just move on.

Our choice: A plan to solve the climate crisis by Al Gore

Next we look at Gore’s book, set aside the obvious political purpose and look at his proposals objectively. He looks at innovative solutions that could be accepted. Gore spends time this time studying the wastefulness of agriculture (always a touchy political subject) its emissions and subsidies. He does sound hopeful that there is a way out.

Best left up to Kurt Vonnegut as quoted in Gore’s book;

“We probably could have saved ourselves but were too damned lazy to try very hard…and too damned cheap.”


Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate change catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity by James Hansen


Finally we look at Hansen’s book, which is the most scientific. Refreshingly he is politically independent and hits out at the special interest groups and politicians (very relevant in light of Gore’s books). Headdresses the real challenge and the commitment required rather than wall papering over temporary political or corporate agendas. He also reports on the censorship of scientists that means their results are selectively reported to fulfill agendas rather than a truthful discussion.


There is much common ground here but with different approaches. It will be interesting what each of us gets out of each book in truly understanding climate change.


From the B.A.D. Desk]]> Books to Help Understand Climate Change

Our Choice, Storms of my Grandchildren, Requiem for a Species are all climate change titles that warn of climate catastrophe. It has not been easy to understand climate change with different scientific and political agendas in the last decade or so. Climate change became the cause of the day with Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth’ but what has happened since? We have seen the failure of the Copenhagen summit to come to any global consensus, no less a solution to climate change.

One can easily come to the conclusion that material goals are paramount in both the west and third world behemoths of China and India. How does the collective conscience come to grips with the problem or does the massive narcissism that is so overriding mean it is a question of ‘who cares what happens in 50years?” as the pervading thought.

Three authors ponder the future which may help us individually look towards solutions. The books are ‘Storms of my Grandchildren’ by James Hansen, ‘Our choice’ by Al Gore and ‘Requiem for a species’ by Clive Hamilton. These tomes will help us decide how we go forward in these times and help us understand climate change. Here I discuss some highlights of Our Choice, Storms of my Grandchildren, Requiem for a Species.
Climate Change Books Reviewed

  • Requiem for a species: Why we resist the truth about climate change by Clive Hamilton

  • Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate change catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity by James Hansen

  • Our choice: A plan to solve the climate crisis by Al Gore


Tips

Read each book individually not all at once piecemeal it does get confusing.
Try and put aside any political opinions for the moment at least.

Requiem for a species: Why we resist the truth about climate change by Clive Hamilton

Firstly let’s start with Hamilton’s book as it helps address why the message of climate change disaster is not being taken as serious as scientists thought, or hoped. His book hits at the main problem, something that is easy to follow give the obsession with growth and the acceptance of the massive deficit spending in the U.S. and Europe in particular.

Very simply the obsession with high growth does not fit well with the high emissions that come from that obsession. So simply we are being told to abandon the high growth, the material goals and at the same time to spend, spend, spend to bail out the economy. In other words it is all too hard so we tend to just move on.

Our choice: A plan to solve the climate crisis by Al Gore

Next we look at Gore’s book, set aside the obvious political purpose and look at his proposals objectively. He looks at innovative solutions that could be accepted. Gore spends time this time studying the wastefulness of agriculture (always a touchy political subject) its emissions and subsidies. He does sound hopeful that there is a way out.

Best left up to Kurt Vonnegut as quoted in Gore’s book;

“We probably could have saved ourselves but were too damned lazy to try very hard…and too damned cheap.”


Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate change catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity by James Hansen


Finally we look at Hansen’s book, which is the most scientific. Refreshingly he is politically independent and hits out at the special interest groups and politicians (very relevant in light of Gore’s books). Headdresses the real challenge and the commitment required rather than wall papering over temporary political or corporate agendas. He also reports on the censorship of scientists that means their results are selectively reported to fulfill agendas rather than a truthful discussion.


There is much common ground here but with different approaches. It will be interesting what each of us gets out of each book in truly understanding climate change.


From the B.A.D. Desk]]> Environmental News billyaustindill Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:40:59 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34770.5 BP Gulf Oil Spill Largest Marine Oil Spill in History, Static Kill Drilling Mud http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34760.5 Exxon Valdez disaster. It has so far cost BP's chief executive Tony Hayward his position and it is expected it will cost President Obama and the ruling Democrats many jobs also.

The next step in 'static kill' program to stop the gushing oil is to pump in cement on top of the drilling mud. This will create a seal behind the mud as a seal, but BP said further monitoring was required to see if more mud should be pumped in first. The aim of the static kill is to cap for oil gusher, which was temporarily capped in mid-July. We have seen environmental disaster with Birdlife, fishing, turtles and oysters habitats damaged. We have also seen severe strain on the Gulf Coast economy.

Static Kill

BP said in a statement that the 'The MC252 well appears to have reached a static condition -- a significant milestone. '

'Static kill' could take 33 to 61 hours to complete. It is part one of a two-punch plan to finally seal the leaking Macondo well. Part 2 is a relief well later in the month.
Largest Marine Oil spill in history

U.S. government scientists released revised figures saying nearly 5 million barrels of oil leaked from Macondo prior to the well being temporarily capped on July 15. This surpassed the 1979 Ixtoc well blowout in Mexico's Bay of Campeche. That disaster gushed almost 3 million barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. This made Macondo the largest accidental maritime release of oil ever.

The revised flow numbers suggests BP had underestimated costs by at least $1 billion. Many conspiracy theorists believed that the leak was much larger because of a down hole. The Bp estimate was for 4 million barrels of oil having leaked into the Gulf. The Clean Water Act fine is $1,100 per barrel. BP faces fines of $4,300per barrel if gross negligence is proven.

On a positive development a New York Times report said a government report due to be released shows 75 percent of the oil spilled has already been ‘evaporated, [link], captured or eliminated.’

BP shares were down 1.3 percent at 1030 GMT in London on Wednesday after the report at 410.25 pence. BP tock has recovered about 50% from its low point in late June. The stock remains well below the April pre rig explosion level however. BP has suspended dividend payments while it seeks to shore its defenses up to pay for the spill. As the world continues to cast an eye on the damage from the BP Gulf oil spill, the world’s largest Marine Oil Spill, The Static Kill operation as drilling mud halts the oil gusher brings an important conclusion closer.

From the B.A.D. Desk
]]> Exxon Valdez disaster. It has so far cost BP's chief executive Tony Hayward his position and it is expected it will cost President Obama and the ruling Democrats many jobs also.

The next step in 'static kill' program to stop the gushing oil is to pump in cement on top of the drilling mud. This will create a seal behind the mud as a seal, but BP said further monitoring was required to see if more mud should be pumped in first. The aim of the static kill is to cap for oil gusher, which was temporarily capped in mid-July. We have seen environmental disaster with Birdlife, fishing, turtles and oysters habitats damaged. We have also seen severe strain on the Gulf Coast economy.

Static Kill

BP said in a statement that the 'The MC252 well appears to have reached a static condition -- a significant milestone. '

'Static kill' could take 33 to 61 hours to complete. It is part one of a two-punch plan to finally seal the leaking Macondo well. Part 2 is a relief well later in the month.
Largest Marine Oil spill in history

U.S. government scientists released revised figures saying nearly 5 million barrels of oil leaked from Macondo prior to the well being temporarily capped on July 15. This surpassed the 1979 Ixtoc well blowout in Mexico's Bay of Campeche. That disaster gushed almost 3 million barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. This made Macondo the largest accidental maritime release of oil ever.

The revised flow numbers suggests BP had underestimated costs by at least $1 billion. Many conspiracy theorists believed that the leak was much larger because of a down hole. The Bp estimate was for 4 million barrels of oil having leaked into the Gulf. The Clean Water Act fine is $1,100 per barrel. BP faces fines of $4,300per barrel if gross negligence is proven.

On a positive development a New York Times report said a government report due to be released shows 75 percent of the oil spilled has already been ‘evaporated, [link], captured or eliminated.’

BP shares were down 1.3 percent at 1030 GMT in London on Wednesday after the report at 410.25 pence. BP tock has recovered about 50% from its low point in late June. The stock remains well below the April pre rig explosion level however. BP has suspended dividend payments while it seeks to shore its defenses up to pay for the spill. As the world continues to cast an eye on the damage from the BP Gulf oil spill, the world’s largest Marine Oil Spill, The Static Kill operation as drilling mud halts the oil gusher brings an important conclusion closer.

From the B.A.D. Desk
]]> Environmental News billyaustindill Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:42:07 -0500 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34760.5 Drought Stricken California Pounded By Rainstorms http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34729.5
Huge 25-foot (7.6 metre) waves have pounded beaches and the threat of mudslides is ever present in this type of weather. This at a time when California has been subjected to drought for the past three years. Australians at this week's 'G'day Australia" week have an eerie feeling from the similar rains that hits New South Wales this month. Australia has been ravaged by a drought for the past eight years.

A state of emergency has been declared in five counties by State Attorney General Jerry Brown. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger being out of state. We must wait and see if the benefits of the storms are lasting. California needs the water, no question and over three feet of snow has been dumped on it's mountain ranges.

It has been very hard on those living in the foothills north of Los Angeles still suffering from last year's wildfires. Around 1,000 homes are evacuated in case of mudslides.
The amount of rain has been something else, even in the desert regions. Palm Springs has received half its average annual rainfall this week. Nearby Arizona has also felt the brunt of mother nature. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared a state of emergency after flash floods hit the state.

By Xile

Source: The Uncanny X Man
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Huge 25-foot (7.6 metre) waves have pounded beaches and the threat of mudslides is ever present in this type of weather. This at a time when California has been subjected to drought for the past three years. Australians at this week's 'G'day Australia" week have an eerie feeling from the similar rains that hits New South Wales this month. Australia has been ravaged by a drought for the past eight years.

A state of emergency has been declared in five counties by State Attorney General Jerry Brown. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger being out of state. We must wait and see if the benefits of the storms are lasting. California needs the water, no question and over three feet of snow has been dumped on it's mountain ranges.

It has been very hard on those living in the foothills north of Los Angeles still suffering from last year's wildfires. Around 1,000 homes are evacuated in case of mudslides.
The amount of rain has been something else, even in the desert regions. Palm Springs has received half its average annual rainfall this week. Nearby Arizona has also felt the brunt of mother nature. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared a state of emergency after flash floods hit the state.

By Xile

Source: The Uncanny X Man
]]> Environmental News traders Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:53:01 -0600 http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34729.5 Japan Airlines to file for bankruptcy 0800-0830 GMT http://www.traderscommunity.com/news.php?item.34686.5
The filing would follow a board meeting scheduled for earlier in the afternoon, one of the sources said.
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The filing would follow a board meeting scheduled for earlier in the afternoon, one of the sources said.
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