Terrorist ZEBRA MUSSELS Close Down Entergy Nuclear Plant

Entergy would have us believe that their Defense In Depth safety and security systems can keep us safe...meanwhile, some renegade Zebra Mussels are causing havoc. Seems these determined predators are causing Entergy millions in profits on a daily basis...too bad, could not happen to a nicer Robber Baron. For those who think the title is over the top...we here at GNB have often pointed out how easy it would be for terrorists to attack water intake systems at Indian Point. These mussels make the point nicely.

Mussels blamed for reactor shutdowns
16 November 2007

[Newshouse News Service, 12 November] Non-native mussels in Lake Ontario have cost Entergy between $1.5 million and $2 million per day in lost revenue by eating the wrong seaweed. Entergy's James A FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in New York state has been shut down three times in the past two months due to seaweed in cooling water taken from Lake Ontario clogging filters. Non-native zebra and quagga mussels that colonized Lake Ontario have been blamed for a surge in the amount of Cladophora, a "filamentous algae" that grows in fine hairlike strands, in the lake. These mussels do not eat cladophora, but they do eat other types of floating algae, making the water clearer. This in turn has lead to the cladophora thriving as sunlight has been able to penetrate to greater depths. The mussels also excrete phosphorus and nitrogen, which fertilize the cladophora. The seaweed becomes a problem in late summer and early autumn when it dies back and winds can make the water choppy, raising the weed from the bottom of the lake. The FitzPatrick plant is making changes to its water intake and filtering system to prevent future problems with the weed. Universities also plan to study the problem next year. Other nuclear power plants on the shores of Lake Ontario, such as Nine Mile Point and Pickering, have not been affected by the problem as their water intake systems have been upgraded.

Former Energy Secretary Richardson

Former Energy Secretary Richardson has called energy security (Albuquerque Tribune) the most important issue facing the United States. He calls for “a massive public and private investment to develop new technologies, particularly renewable technology.” The New Mexico governor once said (Billings Gazette) that he wants his state to be "the Saudi Arabia of Wind, Solar, and biomass."

In December of 2006, he signed an executive order requiring state vehicles to use renewable fuels and state offices to have energy efficient appliances (PDF). In this interview with Tavis Smiley, Richardson says that the United States needs to reduce the amount of imported oil to ten percent of its total from the current 65 percent.

He suggests achieving this by "getting the 100 mile per gallon (mpg) car into the marketplace," according to his campaign. He also says the CAFE standards should reach 50 mpg by 2020.

Richardson says as president, he would push for legislation requiring a 20 percent improvement in energy productivity by 2020. He also believes "carbon clean coal" (Grist) wil play a role in the United States' energy future.

From:
Council on Foreign Relations

Transcript from the Nevada Democratic Debate:

Richardson: Well, you mentioned all the labs, Argonne, Yucca Mountain. I was in charge of them.

Here's what you do. First, the future is renewable. It's not oil. It's not coal. It's not nuclear.

What you do with the waste is you don't put it in Yucca Mountain. All my life, as secretary of energy, as a congressman, I oppose the site, for environmental reasons, water saturation.

I don't think the answer also is in regional sites. There is a technological solution, a scientific solution.

What I would do, I would turn Yucca Mountain into a national laboratory. We have the greatest brains in our national lab scientists. We need to find a way to safely dispose of nuclear waste. There is a technological solution, but while we do that, we shouldn't be giving the nuclear power industry all of these advantages in the Senate bills that are coming forth, or subsidies. Oil, coal and nuclear are getting most of the subsidies.

We need an energy revolution in this country to shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources by 50 percent by the year 2020. Eighty percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are mandated.

We need to have 30 percent of our electricity renewable, and it's going to be also the American people -- I going to say this honestly -- sacrificing a little bit when it comes to appliances, when it comes to being part of an energy efficiency revolution.

From: MSNBC

Green Anti-Nuclear Environmental Congressman John Hall-NOT SO GREEN

Rah, Rah elect John Hall, if he can't close Indian Point, no one can. We all remember those heady days on the campaign trail last fall when our GREEN GUY, John Hall was going up against Sue Kelly. Setting aside the whole impeachment issue, lets focus in on his promise to Close Down Indian Point. He has not exactly been delivering on that promise, and that should be of some great concern to those who got him elected.

A couple weeks back, all hell broke loose when this blog DARED attack our GREEN HERO in Washington. Some quietly behind closed doors agreed with us, but said he was the best we had, and that maybe we needed to give him the BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. You know, the old "He's just a freshman, he means well, and maybe some of his mistakes are nothing more than that, growing pains as he FINDS HIMSELF. So, I decided to follow my own advice, and FOLLOW THE MONEY...the trail is very disturbing.

1. John Hall, under the guise of being PRO-LABOR has been taking quite a bit of money from the very unions that harrass the grassroots at NRC meetings, and are openly very pro-nuclear and very supportive of granting Entergy their requested license renewal. These include:

Operating Engineers Union Pro Nuclear, with direct ties to CASEnergy which is funed by none other than NEI has donated $10,500 to John Hall.

Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $9,000

Plumbers/Pipefitters Union $6,000

Carpenters & Joiners Union Who regularly FLOOD NRC meetings with their membership to intimadate those against License Renwal have donated $5,000

Now, it is obvious that some might say it is unfair to hold John Hall to these high standards, so I took the liberty of looking into some of his other donors, and many of them are NOT SO GREEN once you get past the pretty veneer. A couple of these include:

The Blackstone Group-one of their holdings is Allied Waste Industries. As the old saying goes, you are as green as where you invest your money. We can argue about how clean waste haulers are, so will let everyone do their own research of various and assorted violations.

Then we have the Renco Group, and rather than address this issue myself, shall share what is found on Wikipedia. This is not the kind of donor one would think Congressman John Hall would be courting.

Renco Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Renco Group is a holding company controlled by Ira Rennert. It owned AM General, maker of the Hummer SUV, until a recent deal handed control to Rennert's neighbor, Ronald Perelman. Another Renco subsidiary, U.S. Magnesium, is accused of polluting the Great Salt Lake, and other Renco companies are accused of pollution in Missouri. The Renco Group owns mills and mines around the United States and in South America. Pollution problems at the company's properties have sparked public outcries, environmental lawsuits, and hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental penalties and fines.

Not sure the Grassroots can afford Congressman John Hall's brand of environmental stewardship.

Large Anti-Nuke Demo in Marseille, France

TF1-20h-10112007
Uploaded by sortirdunucleaire

Is Indian Point 3 Power Ending Up in Canada?

A little bird passed this onto Green Nuclear Butterfly, so take it with a grain of salt, as we have not had time to look into it, and that might take some time. BUT, what if we do not need the power from Indian Point 3? More importantly, what if we are not even benefitting from the power produced from Indian Point 3?

The little bird is telling us, that New York Power Authority is well aware of the fact, that through at least 2010 every bit of power from IP 3 is sold through Con Edison at greatly discounted prices to a third party who is flipping it to Canada. As we state, this information is not verified, but worthy of some investigation, as it shoots the hell out of Entergy's argument that they supply 20 Percent of New York City's energy needs. Which reminds us, isn't there a mandate in New York City that they have to produce 80 percent of their own power? Surely Entergy is not producing every kilowatt of the remainder?

So, who knows, maybe someone like Greg Clary or Matt Wald will track this down.

We Are Being Monitored By Entergy, But Not Allowed To See Data

In my usual fashion, I am up late, and cruising the Internet looking for dirt on Entergy, and to be specific, on Indian Point. With only 13 days left to file contentions, our time for raising concerns if fast slipping away, so time is of the essence. I saw an old article (not that old) in Nuclear News on Environmental Monitoring at Indian Point, and thought I would have a closer look at it.

The Environmental Monitoring is not at Indian Point, but rather in certain communities located close to the plant (as in PEEKSKILL). Think we all know, that a company is not going to invest hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars into Environmental Monitoring-which is a polite way of not saying HEALTH MONITORING without good reason. Such as they are worried about levels of RADIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS that are escaping from the plant. Even more disturbing, it looks at if the monitoring equipment is relative close to my home. Talk about slamming home the fact we all live in the PEAK FATALITY ZONE.

As you might imagine, this information had my full attention, so I began to give the article a much closer read. As I approached the end of the article, I found what I consider very disturbing, if not even ALARMING news. Entergy feels they have the right to monitor OUR EXPOSURES, but NOT RELEASE the information to us. The question and answer as it appeared in the article:

Does the public have any involvement in offsite radiation monitoring?

The answer is no, not currently. When considering public involvement, it’s important to think about how the information would be received by someone who has limited knowledge of what the information represents.

God Forbid us dumb old folks in Peekskill should see the results of Environmental Monitoring being done ON US...talk about being human guinea pig in a sick and twisted Entergy Experiment conducted on behalf of either themselves, the NRC or the NEI. LEt me guess, 50 years after we are all dead and gone, many of us dying needless painful deaths from man/nuclear caused cancers those reports will be released for public review and scrutiny? Story

Entergy To Add More Sirens to Failed System

Entergy has announced plans to add new sirens to their failed Emergency Notification Sirens in the hopes of getting FEMA to approve the system...this after their needless cutting down and trimming of trees FAILED TO DO THE TRICK. In a related news item, FUSE USA have been granted a hearing on ground contamination and siren issues that will be held via telephone on December 21st, beginning at 1 PM. If you are interested in listening into this hearing, or want to participate, please send and email to fuse_usa@yahoo.com

Owner of Indian Point nuclear plants to add sirens to new system

By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press Writer

7:34 PM EST, November 15, 2007

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The owners of the Indian Point nuclear power plants will augment their new emergency siren system with about a dozen more sirens in an attempt to satisfy federal regulators that the system is loud enough, officials said Thursday.

The siren system is meant to alert residents within 10 miles when there is a major problem at either of the two reactors in Buchanan, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had declared in September that the new system, which was ordered by Congress, did not meet the loudness standards originally promised by Entergy Nuclear, the plants' owner: 60 decibels in low-population areas and 70 decibels in high-population areas. Full Story

The Two Faces of Lying Hillary "Nuclear" Clinton

I am for Nuclear, but after I am against it. I support an ISA for Indian Point in front of the newspaper reporters, but don't expect me to work to get it through the Senate. Nuclear will not be in my Presidential Energy portfolio unless those bastards at NEI come up with more money for my campaign.

Which is it Hillary? Are you a two faced liar, a lying bitch, or just a confused former First Lady trying to get by the best that you can? We damn sure know you are not truthful, and apparently cannot give us a straight answers if your Presidential Hopes depended on it. How about you stop spending so much time on the Campaign Trail, and a bit more time here in New York listening to OUR CONCERNS where Indian Point is concerned.

BREAKING NEWS...Entergy's Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Funds Inadequate

Just in from the fine folks at the the Rutland Herald, Entergy's Decommissioning Fund for the Vermont Yankee plant is WOEFULLY inadequate...how inadequate you ask?

If Entergy's License Renewal Application is denied, it will take a minimum of FIFTEEN years, with the reactor in mothballs for the funds to become available to begin the Decommissioning Process.

More alarming, is that FUSE USA has raised Decommissioning Fund inadequacy as a very serious contention in their filings to stop the wrongful license renewal of the trouble plagued and failing Indian Point reactors in Buchanan New York.

What we are beginning to see here, is that Entergy's financial planning is fatally flawed, that the owner of over 10 percent of America's aging fleet of crumbling reactors does not have enough funds to decommission ANY OF THEM! This disturbing and troubling news takes on far more serious implications in light of Entergy's bid to spin their deregulated reactors off into a new company, thus creating yet another layer of protection between Entergy the parent company, and the various Limited Liability Dummy Corporations created to be responsible for the NRC licenses.

Article published Nov 15, 2007

Study: Yankee can't afford shutdown

VERNON — If Vermont Yankee nuclear plant shut down today, or even in 2012 when its federal license expires, there would not be enough money in its decommissioning fund to pay for it to be dismantled and disposed of safely. The plant would have to be essentially mothballed for 12 to 15 years for its stock market-invested trust fund to build so there was enough money to dismantle it, Entergy Nuclear engineer David McElwee told the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel Tuesday evening.

Read Full Article

What We Could Do With The $50 Billion The Nuclear Industry Wants

Greetings Readers:

Yesterday, I put out the hypothetical question, how many homes could we equip with solar for the $50 Billion that the Nuclear Industry wants us to give them for New Build reactors...I had done some very conservative estimates, and wanted to paint a more accurate picture in building a case for true renewables, instead of throwing our tax dollars down a nuclear rat hole. Well, ask and you shall receive, and Green Nuclear Butterfly thanks Sally Shaw, one of the noble people trying to help close down Entergy's Vermont Yankee Yankee of collapsing water tower fame for getting us some REAL TIME FIGURES on this important question.

She reached out to an expert in the field (a senior engineer with a very reputable firm) who gave us some time costs, with no incentives...we all know there would be incentives and deals to be had. Anyway, here are some staggering statistics.

For a 2000 square foot Home with 700 square foot of south-facing roof area using an annual load of 3000 KWH/yr load can be offset by a 2.5 KWdc solar array costing $21, 250 (real cost not w/ incentives) per house. Did I just hear a HOLLY MOLLY! When we take this information, we can quickly calculate that 2,352,941 would be solar powered for that same fifty billion dollars that the Nuclear Industry wants us to give them...and keep in mind, that $50 Billion IS ONLY A DOWN PAYMENT, just a start of the public money that the nuclear industry is expecting us to pay out.

For example, some experts are predicting, that GNEP will cost tax payers at least 500BILLION with no guarantee the technology will even work! It is clear, the pathway to a greener tomorrow is renewables, not nuclear.

Norris McDonald, The Black Voice of The Nuclear Renaissance, Some Disturbing Questions

If you attend a License Renewal public meeting, chances are really good that you will see Norris McDonald step up to the podium, take a hit on his inhaler to get your attention, and then he will deliver his well rehearsed speech to be entered into the Official record in his official capacity of self founded AAEA. If you GOOGLE his name, you can find pictures of him with many well known people in the nuclear industry, as well as political figures such as George Bush, and Condi Rice. So, this post from the Nuclear Jesus Blog is quite troubling, as it seems there is another far edgier side to Norris McDonald.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Exposing Norris McDonald's True Self?

Norris McDonald gets around, has positioned himself as the black voice of the Nuclear Renaissance. Give the devil his due in that he's positioned himself well, having his picture taken with the likes of George Bush and Condi Rice to name but a few faces in his never ending game of name dropping as America's premiere braggadocio. As any one could guess, when it comes to the issue of nuclear energy, he and I are on polar opposite spectrum's of the debate. After he showed up at Susan Shapiro's press event with Alex Baldwin this week, and then one of his blogs linked to the Green Nuclear Butterfly, thought it might be appropriate to spend some time on GOOGLE researching Mr. McDonald.

On CNN this week, there has been a huge uproar over the McCain-Bitch scandal, and at the center of this tempest in a tea pot, is the question, is it appropriate for a man to use, and/or condone the use of the word Bitch. It has similarities to the whole N word debate that captured the news media earlier in the year. Personally, I find both words deplorable, but also find a certain hyypocrisy when people believe it OK for some people to use the word, but it is not OK for others to use it. Sorry, but there needs to be a certain standarization of the rules that apply to everyone equally. Liberty and justice is the American way.

Now, what does this have to do with Norris McDonald, and the great nuclear debate taking place in livingrooms all over America? That is for you the reader to decide, but personally, find some of Norris McDonald's expressed views, and the views expressed on the blogs/websites under his control rather disturbing. If NEI and the nuclear industry are allowing him to act as a spokesperson for Nuclear Power, they by association are defacto endorsing and embracing the views and opinions he is writing or allowing to be posted on his Internet sites. If Condi Rice and George Bush are welcoming into their midst, posing for photographs with the man, it would seem they to are accepting his beliefs and political positions. Below are various quotes copied and pasted here, so that Norris McDonald and his blogs/web sites can speak for him/themselves, and it is up to you the reader to decide if some of his stated opinions are far more disturbing than McCain being in the same room where the word Bitch was used in reference to Hillary Clinton.

"So Duane (Dog the Bounty Hunter) Chapman, right, whips out the N-word in private huh? Surprise surprise. We suspected that many whites did this, but now we have confirmation."

From the same post, next paragraph:

"So relax. You know you aint gonna stop saying it in private anyway. We bet you say it real well too. The way many whites can get that eerrrr in the word. We know that most whites see Blacks as a lower species and it is a social stigma to be an N-word lover. In some circles, even outside of hillbilly trailer parks, it is absolutely the lowest thing a white can be. And whether a creationist or an evolutionist, whites still find a way to make Blacks lower. Is that dark skin really THAT distracting? Now run get Rev Sharpton, apologize, and pledge to repent from this particular habit."

From yet another post on http://aaea-la.blogspot.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Nazi: How To Get Away With Saying Nigger In Public

By Alan Smithee

It is slick but we know when you are denying us our reparation and getting away with it. Report on any movie or political act by the current governor of California and instead of saying Swartzenegger say:

"ARNOLD SCHWARZENIGGER"
National reporters and anchors really love to do it. Imagine the rush they get from being able to freely get away with saying nigger to a national audience. What a rush. Freedom to say that word freely in public. Just know that when you say it we see you with a thin little mustache and an outstretched arm. Nazi F--ks.

posted by Norris McDonald at 11:46 AM

Then, there is this seeming slame at the GLBT community:

How does Tyler Perry reconcile dressing like a woman in his films and on stage with his Christianity? Deuterronomy 22:5 ... neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abonimation unto the Lord thy God.

posted by Norris McDonald at 5:16 AM

Next we have what appears to be a race baiting remark in this:

By the way, ever wonder why Broadway is called the "Great White Way?" It started in 1904 and was due to the magnificent illumination of the avenues at Times Square. Of course considering the time period that was probably not the only reason. (Sources: Broadway 101, NY Daily News, NY Post)

WritersPay
posted by Norris McDonald at 5:38 AM

Then, this rather disturbing remark, considering he represents the NEI, Nuclear Industry Agenda of a Nuclear Renaissance:

"Give us a call Mickey. You cannot avoid global politics in addressing climate change. You have to promote aggressive technological solutions to fight global climate change and you have to be willing to push governments and economies to do it. We'll tell you exactly how it should be done and how you can help."

Then, watch the way he shrewdly links Nuclear to Wind:

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

NBC Hosts "Green Week"

NBC is promoting the environment during the week of Nov 4. Mat is in the Arctic and Ann is in the Anarctic and Al is in the rainforest. Their Green Week is unprecedented and provides great information to the public without being too preachy or extremist.

NBC is owned by NBCUniversal, which is owned by General Electric (GE). GE makes windmills and nuclear power plants. So they are 'green' by nature.

On wrongful use of Tasers by police, the war and (his words) eco hillbillies:

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Condi Stares Down Anti War Nut Case

Where is a taser when you need one? Note how cool Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was when the nut case approached her with red paint on her hands. Condi looked at her like "I will kick your ***. Sorry folks, this aint exactly environmental but it does seem as though the antisocial environment is heating up. Bill Maher on the other end of the spectrum was harassed by nut case so called 911 Truthers on last Friday's show. Bill literally leaped out of his chair and jumped down into the audience to help throw out a heckler. Our president was recently disrespected by a some eco hillbillies who want to close all coal plants. We think it is taser time. And when the nut case screams, "Don't tase me bro," he or she should be tasered again.

Then there are inflammatory phrases like extremist environmentalist tossed around as well:

We must also mention an unfortunate incident that involved a long-haired environmental activist harassing Hazel Dukes, President of the New York State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) after her statement before the NRC. This is another recent example of how extremist environmentalists show extraordinary disrespect for Blacks who disagree with them.

So much for Norris McDonald's compassionate love for mankind:

Hotels, corporations and cities are now seeking 'feel good' programs for energy and environmental programs. Will they stop global warming? Nope. Draconian technological measures are the only path to mitigation. Capitalism does not always care about what is good for us. And I love capitalism.

We leave you with this post: Scroll down to find it

http://aaea-la.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

Saturday, December 02, 2006

NIGGER: Our Reparation and Whites Cannot Say It

White people should gladly refrain from using the term nigger anytime, anywhere, for any reason. Although present day whites did nothing to blacks in paticular, the vestiges of past racism can be seen everywhere in the U.S. - - mostly in separate communities. Resource disparities are also apparent due to America's racial history. Thus, whites should acknowledge the bloody and brutal history of their ancestors by paying this small reparation. No land. No money. No apology. And no NIGGER.

The brilliant reporter Darryl Fears wrote a great article on this issue in The Washington Post. Jesse Jackson and some other activisits and entertainers are calling for the complete elimination of the word. We don't think so. It is one of the most endearing terms in the black community. Yo nigger. My nigger. Nigger, nigger nigger. When blacks are conversing with blacks it is a term of great affection. Blacks are careful in trying not to use the term in front of whites. Even though it is freely used as an expression in music culture, whites should feel no loss in preventing themselves from using this term. Of course, some people, like Michael Richards, sometimes cannot resist the urge to scream "Fire" in the theater. All we have to say is that if you will not honor this small reparation, then good luck with the consequences. (Wash Post)

Nuclear Asthmatic Hatchet Man Norris McDonald Writes Own Hollywood Gossip?

Everyone on both sides of the Nuclear arguement know self serving, inhaler toting Pro Nuclear Renaissance, anti coal, self professed Green Nuclear Pitch man Norris McDonald. Like a bad penny, he just keeps showing up everywhere, squirrling a picture of himself next to famous people and large nuclear reactors at various locations and events to feed his hunger for the limelight. Back in September, none of us were surprised to see his PHOTO OP picture with Condi Rice (of Birthing Pains fame) appear on one of his web sites. Posted below for your amusement, and to set the stage for, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story is the article from his web page dated Thursday September 27th, 2007 .

AAEA President & Condoleezza Rice At Climate Summit

AAEA President Norris McDonald attended the "Major Economies Meeting on Energy and Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State. He is pictured at left with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. McDonald expressed AAEA's support for President Bush's climate change programs. He mentioned that AAEA is working hard on climate change mitigation and offered our organization's assistance to the State Department to assure the success of the administration's current effort.

President Bush addressed the delegation at the State Department on the second day. McDonald attended the speech. He proposed a new International Clean Technology Fund that would help developing countries buy nuclear power plants, clean burning coal fired power plants and other technologies.

Now, Fast forward to another Norris McDonald blog dated some two and a half weeks later, and we have to wonder just how desparate for the limelight Mr. McDonald really is? Do we have a pro nuclear hack now trying to write his own celebrity GOSSIP to make himself seem bigger than life, far more important than he really is?

Posted below from the AAEA Hollywood blog is one of those JUICY GOSSIP stories people just love intimating a ROMANTIC CONNNECTION between Norris McDonald and Condi Rice that was supposedly posted by the blogs contributing writer Hollywood! One tiny little problem though for those of us who KNOW HOW BLOGGER WORKS...the poster of the blog entry is always POSTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THEIR POST...if you scroll down to the bottom of this particular post, it appears that Norris McDonald himself has written this JUICY GISSIP himself, is trying to spread the rumor himself, is credited by the blogger software as posting the story to the AAEA Hollywood blog all by himself. Talk about a NEW LOW! Does Norris McDonald have no shame? NEI and the Nuclear Industry claim him as their own?

Saturday, October 13, 2007

AAEA President Denies Relationship With Condi

By Holly Wood

A recent photo of AAEA President Norris McDonald with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, at an official Washington event has led to speculation that there is more than official business going on between the two. McDonald is denying any sort of relationship with Secretary Rice and states that such speculation is simply silly gossip. He added that he has nothing but respect for Dr. Rice.

When I contacted McDonald and mentioned the gossip to him, he acknowledged that "Ms. Rice is a very intelligent and beautiful woman and that any man would be lucky to have her as a wife or friend." He stated that he would love to work with Dr. Rice on climate change issues because AAEA is in the forefront of promoting technological solutions to this serious problem. AAEA also supports the Bush Administration's technology solution programs.

posted by Norris McDonald at 5:50 PM

Nuclear Muscle Gutting Renewable's Out of Energy Bill?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Nuclear Uses Brute Lobbying Force of NEI to GUT Energy Bill

Free FALLOUT Room With Every Reactor License Renewal

The emails are literally flying around the Cosmos of the Internet as activists attempt to stop the Congress and Senate from forcing us down the road to a Nuclear Renaissance by gutting out key provisions in the law for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and all tax provisions benefiting renewables so that they could pass an energy bill through Congress before the Thanksgiving break on Friday, November 16. Pardon the french, but WTF?

A far better idea would be to leave the RPS in, and gut out the $50 BILLION in loan guarantees for the nuclear industry's new reactor builds in the form of loan guarantees. Seriously, even for those on the Pro-Nuclear side of the equation, why should citizens pay to build nuclear reactors that WE DO NOT OWN? How many American homes could be taken off the grid for that same $50 Billion dollars? There is a question I would love to see someone in the renewal/sustainable energy camp step forward and answer for the audience.

In light of Global Warming, where is the ethical sense of gutting out all federal funding for renewable forms of electricity such as solar, wind and geothermal. Such a move on the part of both the House and the Senate is not sound policy speaking, but special interest lobbying dollars hard at work in their never ending battle to override the will of the people.

Let's just suppose, that it would cost $50,000 dollars to take the average American household off of the grid through the use of solar, wind and battery storage of energy. That's 20 homes for a million bucks. So, for $50 Billion dollars, we could take conservatively 100,000 homes off the grid. If we figure the average family of four, conservatively, we greatly reduce the carbon foot print of 400,000 Americans...my guess here, is that my numbers are very conservative. For instance, what kind of price breaks could be negotiated if someone went to the combined solar, wind industry and said we'd like to hook up 100,000 homes in the next 18 months.

Some might disagree with my belief that this gutting of the RPS from the energy bill is being spear headed by the Nuclear Industry...consider these facts. First, the nuclear industry is lying, cheating and breaking the law in their efforts to relicense 104 dangerous aging reactors so that they can maintain MARKET SHARE as they attempt to license and build new replacement reactors. Even if they are successful in this, for decades they are going to basically be at a hold steady point when it comes to their share of the market. It is simply not in their best interests to see the renewal energy sector reach a market share of parity, or even superiority over nuclear power.

Simply stated, the worse case scenario for the Nuclear Industry is to see the renewal energy sector reach that proverbial TIPPING POINT where they can make renewables available to the average America home owner at an affordable price...that would break the utility industry's monopoly, and BIG MONEY does not want that to occur, even if that is in the best interest of solving Global Warming.

The Renewable Portfolio Standard's goal would be to attain a national target of getting 20-25% of the nation's electricity from renewable resources by 2025. Accomplishing such a goal would place renewables on a par, or ahead of every electric source except for coal. Those pushing the Nuclear Renaissance Agenda are not going to let that happen.

Sadly, many of the wind industry companies have been bought out, or are controlled by companies deeply invested in Nuclear Energy, so their lobbyists to a great degree are fighting in the halls of Congress with one arm tied behind their back. Perhaps if their hands were untied, if they could or would come out to the public with the full truth, this important Renewable Portfolio Standard can be put back into the bill, but then that means people like Randall Swisher, Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) need to stop tiptoeing around the nuclear issue, and face it head on...if you sleep with the devil, you are ruled by the devil and unfortunately, in the name of Green Washing, far to many wind companies and their projects are owned and controlled by companies who are placing their big bets on the nuclear renaissance.

This Country Still Works!

She has angry and funny bumper stickers all over her old white Cutlass Ciera.

I wasn't taking no for an answer.........30 years ago I intervened in protest of a planned nuclear power plant in Delaware and I WAS NOT TAKING NO FOR AN ANSWER, got intervenor status and won.

The power of positive thinking still works for me. Thanks for all you do and keep the info coming.

F

"How can you not speak up?" asks 84-year-old Frieda Berryhill, who helped stymie a nuclear power reactor from being built in Delaware 30 years ago. "I love this land. I know the system can work."...

Frieda Berryhill

frieda302@comcast.net

via: No New Nukes Yall list serv

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

The anti-nuclear movement eats its own... and it's all for the good... because the more people talk about the rebirth of the anti-nuclear movement, good or bad, there's no such thing as bad press, just spell my name correctly "so it comes up in Google!"

Look, face it, back in 2006... nobody was even aware that Indian Point was coming up for relicensing... None of the lead organizations in the "movement" (if movement there still was) to shut down Indian Point were getting ready for the big battle on the Hudson.

Everybody in New York had pretty much given up... I remember one woman with a table at the Earthday fair outside Grand Central in April of 2006... I'd just posted our pictures of Betcee May posing in front of Indian Point on my website, Rock The Reactors had just been born... I told her with conviction, "We're going to shut down Indian Point!" and she started crying, because she beleived me... I knew in my heart it was possible... that feeling I had was contagious.

I wasn't taking no for an answer... all these people who came to me and said Remy, you're crazy, you're set as King Green, why go stir that puddle of mud and torpedo your career as green mentor to the rich and famous? But I didn't listen, I found myself at the Vanity Fair green issue party a few days later, and first thing that came to mind, in front of le tout green New York was to walk up to ex-Governor Pataki, stand firmly in front of him, and recite that same mantra: "I'm going to shut down Indian Point!"

I didn't say "we" because at the time, there was no "we"... except for Betcee and Seth Leitman who were both starting to think I'd gone completely crazy... amazing what one will do on blue eye whim... I was all alone... I remember calling on Clearwater and Riverkeeper a few times, offering help and assistance, showing them my new webpage, trying to explain that hey guys, I got experience as an organizer, I've hosted huge parties, I've built nightclubs, I've promoted rock shows and helped put hundreds of green products on store shelves... I can sell this, I can brand this... I can get this all over the news!!! They wouldn't hear of it... It was like talking to a stone wall... they were dead set on the politics of failure, they wouldn't let me in, I didn't exist... That's when I realized I was truly on my own if I wanted to get the job done.

So rather than waste my time climbing up a broken down ol'tree made up of tired, battle worn defeatists, I decided to take it on the road... I'd been planning a trip going down Route 66 to promote electric cars... and so, I made it about electric cars and shutting down Indian Point... I took my message across the entire country, making friends, carving strong alliances with anti-nuclear groups all over the land... by the time Sherwood Martinelli and I discovered each other on the Information Superhighway, we just plugged into each other's network and Green Nuclear Butterfly was born, sweaping the anti-nuclear movement by storm, creating the largest coalition since the Clamshell Alliance, but all invisible to the naked eye, because the media hadn't picked up on it yet, still hasn't really... it's the elephant in the room.

Sherwood is the hardest working son-of-a-bitch I've ever met... I'm a workaolic, he's worse... I keep praying he doesn't give himself a stroke... then all the balls in the air would fall back flat on the ground, and we'd be right back where we started... because there is no campaign to shut down Indian Point without Sherwood Martinelli and his contentions... and there is no campaign to shut down Indian Point without Green Nuclear Butterfly and Rock The Reactors beating the drum with a battle cry! There is no shut down of Indian Point without FUSE USA!

Once IPSEC finally woke up to the fact Sherwood had stumbled on a legal mean to stop Indian Point dead in its tracks, it went looking for him... that's how the IPSEC subcommittee was born, with Susan Shapiro as its point person... they had Sherwood chained to the basement writing his contentions like masters rule over their slave on the plantation. And of course, they kept me at bay... They did everything they could to break us up... we played along, for as long as we could, until it flew apart like a sling shot!

Last night's train wreck on the New York Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough is a testament to IPSEC's incompetence, its complete abject lack of media savvy, the reason why after so many years, Indian Point, despite its horrendous technical and public image problems, is still open, still ticking away, still looming over the Hudson Valley, a disaster waiting to happen. And it's all because Riverkeeper, Clearwater and IPSEC can't get their act together long enough to hire a PR firm! So guess what, de-facto, Sherwood and I became their propaganda arm... Hey, nobody else was doing it, we had the field wide open... We sold the shut down of Indian Point to the masses, with our antics, our blogs, our fierce determination and yes, courage.

But we're not exactly the prim and proper image of quiet affluent Stepford Wives suburbia... so ouch... we sent all these charming wonderful ladies screaming in horror... Pumpkin head riding through Sleepy Hollow, don't take candy from that stranger...

While everyone else was barely doing this part time, raising kids, going to work, Sherwood and I stopped everything in our lives and have done nothing else but this for going on a year now... Because we both know that's how you get a job like that done. Native American groups are working with us, French groups, Australian groups, Canadian groups, activists all over the country now feed us, knowing that shutting down Indian Point would mean the beginning of the end for the nuclear power industry, unraveling their entire web of deceit. That's why the resistance is building up into this gigantic wall of insanity, where even the head of PR for Entergy is out there on National TV, making a complete fool of himself, because we put him to it, and he fell for it hook, line and sinker!

And this is only the second act! Can you imagine what we have in store for you once all the contentions are in, once Sherwood and I can get back to outreach and promotion? Yippie... You know the saying, nobody is going to come to your revolution if it ain't fun... it's got to be a party... I'm going back to my old heavy metal roots, putting out a call to all my heavy metal friends... we can do this guys, we really can... I mean look around you, MySpace and YouTube are making stars out of Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul, the two most unlikely Democrat and Republican candidates any US election has ever known... Pro-nuke Hilary Clinton's got American flags falling down all around her, touching the ground... bad omen... We don't need the media anymore, We're the media!!!

There's a line at the end of Bladerunner... "If she lives..." and that says it all... It behoves us to make sure, as the Trilateral Commission once drafted in its original charter back in 1973... to orchestrate a smooth transition away from oil... and coal... and nuclear... so Mr. Harvey Wasserman, who jumped ship too soon... can have his non-violence, even though they shot Lennon, they shot King, they shot Kennedy, they probably shot Monroe with a needle, and downed Jr.'s plane in front of his mom's house...

They shot everyone... No wonder Robert has cold feet, face it... screaming "join me on the barricades" at Live Earth was a stretch for him... going out on a limb in a moment of wild abandon, forgetting he's done practically nothing about Indian Point for years... except paying lip service to it, thumbs up "good issue" guys! Leaving Lisa Rainwater with the lonely office all the way down at the end of the hall...

Our greatest ally in this fight, as unlikely as this might sound, almost Lyndon Larouchian in enviro-conspiratorial scope... bring back horses... save the planet by throwing it into a feudal dark age... may indeed turn out to be the all-seeing eye Rockefellers, who against all odds, want to shut down Indian Point as badly as we do.

They have revived their 2002 Indian Point Collaboration group, hosting a strategy breakfast meeting December 4th at the offices of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. If anyone's interested in attending, Alex Matthiessen at Riverkeeper holds the keys to that Magic Kingdom!

Doesn't that tell you something, that if the family which owns the Federal Bank Reserve, holds court at the Bohemian Grove and Bilderberg conferences, with its trillions of dollars in secret assets all over the globe... yet that same family still can't find a simple, quick and easy way to unplug an old raggedy nuke just a few miles from its organic hog farm, that something's just a little too politically screwy? Let's not forget Laurance Rockefeller, David's brother, funded the When Cosmic Cultures Meet conference in Washington and a companion UFO report for members of the Hill.

Doesn't that make you think for a second, that maybe, just maybe, it goes deeper than you ever imagined, NRC, DoE, DoD... the layers and layers of classified compartementalization into the shadow government, Wackenhut, which resulted from the National Security Act of 1947 to hide all cutting edge energy conversion discoveries from the civilian population and commercial exploitation... as a desperate measure of self-preservation during the cold war?

It was after all, the Rockefellers who funded Billy Joel's first concert behind the Iron Curtain, which led to Iron Maiden swirling Soviet youth into a metal frenzy, and finally Ozzy... the straw that broke the camel's back! That's how the Berlin Wall fell folks, Gorbachev and Reagan were just spectators in that black-ops seed of dissension three ring circus.

The energy conversion secrets our nation keep under the guise of National Security have created a trillion dollar parallel universe with a network of hundreds of secret military bases... their outpost into our society are each and every one of its nuclear power plants... they even went so far as buying into all the local music halls to make sure no anti-nuclear entertainers could get a chance to perform in nuclear power plant hosting communities! Which is what happened when Bonnie Raitt was refused the Paramount in Peekskill to play a fundraiser for two-faced John Hall.

So now John is out there making deals, thinking that maybe by playing the game, selling out here, selling out there, the NRC will give him Indian Point... making Faustian bargains with a devil... because John forgot his roots in rock & roll... he forgot rust never sleeps, he forgot Sisters of Mercy's Mother Russia... and War Pigs! Selling his soul down the river for an all nuclear Navy... and all this time his friends are standing by him, because they don't know any different... they're so afraid of the new world Sherwood Martinelli and I come from... an unholy alliance between the Grateful Dead and Black Sabbath... they don't see or feel the rumble of the Rainbow warriors, the intentional communities, the tribal subcultures, folks who haven't given up their guitar picks and the song in their heart for a blue suit, a red tie, and a retirement fund!

The debacle on NBC last night was nothing short of shameful... an event FUSE USA had been preparing, scheduling, nurturing, to be something extraordinary and special, stolen from us at the last possible minute, because they couldn't bare Green Nuclear Butterfly keeps pointing out the emperor has no clothes! Nuke Free... into FUSE USA... that's the plan... those who really, really want to shut down Indian Point, not just quietly see it go away, make it into a rallying cry for saving what's left of our humanity, this is where we are every morning, reading this blog... keeping up with the constant soap opera that is our lives.

There is no Phase... there is a new and improved FUSE USA which is going to take the ball all the way down to the finish line... and slam dunk that sucker on the grass so hard, they'll have to pry it out with a crane!

Good morning campus.
RemyC.

Entergy Propaganda-How Low Can They Go?

I was reading a letter put up on the IPSEC list by Marilyn Elie addressed to Mayor Bloomberg wherein she sings the GREEN PRAISES of the mayor, and then encourages him to speak up against the License Renewal of Entergy's failing Indian Point. So, I decided to so a GOOGLE search on Mr. Bloomberg's green record, and got waylayed along the way when I stumbled across a devious Propaganda Trick being played on the general public by Entergy on the radio station WVOX.

For those who fall into the camp of innocent and naive who are wanting to live a greener, friendlier life, who are searching for enlightenment, there are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing looking to prey upon their innocence, lead them astray into the dark abyss. It's called GREEN WASHING, and many companies including Entergy are stooping to ever lower lows in spreading their propaganda out to the masses under the guise of educating the public. One of these sinister Propaganda machines is a wonderfully innocent sounding show on WVOX called, "Green On Energy" hosted by a supposed wonderfully GREEN HOST in one Mr. Lawrence Gottlieb who is described as an energy industry expert. This show, it is stated will be hosted on Westchester radio station WVOX, 1460 A.M., at 12 noon the first Wednesday of every month you can also listen to it live on wvox.com at that time.

Trying to give this show the benefit of the doubt, I at first IGNORED the fact that it is funded by Entergy, owner of the failing Indian Point reactors which are leaking tritium and strontium 90 into the Hudson River, killing men, women and children with cancer causing radiological contaminants spewed into the environment.

Then, I began looking at the list of GUESTS on the show, and became very suspicious.

First up was Ashok Gupta the air and energy program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). He is better known among many in the anti-nuclear movement as someone who has been sucking up to the nuclear industry. This is disturbing, and puts a damper on Marilyn Elie's hopes of Mayor Bloomberg speaking out against Indian Point, seeing as Mr. Gupta is on the Mayor's Energy Task Force.

Third Way, another quest is very PRO NUCLEAR as has been reported in a previous article on GNB.

Of course, also on the show was the man that we in the anti-nuclear camp love to hate, one Patrick Moore, who was also mentioned in Marilyn Elie's letter to the Mayor.

"Green On Energy" was suddenly having a very Pro Nuclear STENCH attached to it as I read on further, and found yet another super Pro Nuclear guest in one Paul Genoa, and the show touted him as, "Paul Genoa is director of policy development for the Nuclear Energy Institute. N.E.I. is a Washington-based think tank and central repository for the latest information and research on nuclear energy — which is a technology being hailed by countries like India and China as their answer to the challenge of generating a lot of electricity without a lot of pollution."

Let's be clear...NEI is the Satan of the Nuclear Industry, a monolithic lobbying group under the guise of a think tank.

Shocked and dismayed, realizing I'd stumbled upon yet another example of how Entergy misleads and fools the public, I decided to check up on the host of the show, our dear Mr. Lawrence Gottlieb! Better known in some circles as Larry Gottlieb, the same Larry Gottlieb who has a LONG TRACK RECORD as Entergy's Communications Director!

So, under the quise of a Green Energy show, Entergy has been trotting out our dear Mr. Larry Gottlieb to spew forth Entergy and the nuclear industry's pro nuclear message to the masses! Shame on WVOX for playing along with this tasteless sham.

PHASE, Alec Baldwin Hold Pro Entergy Press Conference?

Talk about the anti-nuclear movement taking a HUGE BLACK EYE. Today's press conference in New York with Alec Baldwin was it...at least, that is the way it appeared on the coverage seen on NBC's New York Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough this evening on Channel 4.

Lead off hitter was Alec Baldwin, with Susan Shapiro, as always lurking just behind him with her ever present scowl. The first words out of his mouth were, "I'm not necessarily against Nuclear Energy"!

CUT! Let's re roll the footage on that one more time please.

Lead off hitter was Alec Baldwin, with Susan Shapiro, as always lurking just behind him with her ever present scowl. The first words out of his mouth were, "I'm not necessarily against Nuclear Energy"!

Holly CRAP Batman!

That ranks right up there with Maurice Hinchey, Nita Lowey and anti-nuclear musician now Congressman John Hall voting in favor of a all Nuclear Navy. PHASE should have maybe discussed Alex's message with him before he went to the microphone? This movement, supposedly PHASE as an organization is about shutting down dangerous nuclear reactors, not giving a back handed quasi endorsement to the Nuclear Industry that maybe SOME PLANTS could be safe.

Next up, was Joe Mangano who got a decent single up the middle speaking to a very sparse crowd...basically, NBC did not give him much coverage, and did a poor close up of a document assumed to be his work for about five seconds. It is a pity as his work is very important, and deserved far better.

From here on out things went rapidly down hill, as the press conference, and who was allowed to seize control of it should have been much better handled...IE, who let Jim Steets in? Talk about sandbagging the opposition, Susan Shapiro left herself, and thus the anti-nuclear movement wide open for attack today.

There is Joe Mangano speaking, then fad to a picture of the Indian Point reactors, and then, BAM, Susan Shapiro with her mouth gaping in shock is seen standing off to the back and side as she lets Entergy Villain Jim Steets take over and steal the press conference, and turn it into a Pro Entergy infomercial. Did it occur to her to STEP FORWARD and CONFRONT HIM ON CAMERA? Or was she afraid she did not have enough grasp of the facts at hand to carry the day...either way, it was a grave and horrid disaster to watch.

A huge opportunity to bring star power to our movement SQUANDERED AWAY.

Unfortunately, it got worse, or as Cafferty would say, "It's getting ugly out there."

As Jim Steets of Entergy was seizing control of Susan Shapiro's moment in the spot light, her proverbial two seconds of fame, the few anti-nuclear folks there, realizing what was occurring, that Susan was frozen in place out of shock started to react but unfortunately far to late as the damage was done.

A few of them started weakly chanting...ok, it was more like a shrill panicked cackle, "He's Lying". The news piece ended as one panicked or irate cackler literally LUNGED towards Jim Steets of Entergy, stumbling in his general direction.

FINE JOB SUSAN SHAPIRO, fine job. This kind of media coverage has probably set our movement back several months , but that is just one writer's lone opinion.

Have we seen the end of PHASE? Will Susan Shapiro resign from this newly formed organization and create yet another anti-nuclear vehicle, after her self chosen resignation from FUSE USA? Stay tuned to this same Green Butterfly Channel as we watch the exciting exploits of Rockland County's self proclaimed anti-nuclear maven.

PS...what happened to the promised appearance of Christie Brinkley? Enquiring minds want to know.

Three State Organization Join Together on Uranium Concerns

From:

C WHITE FACE

bhdefenders@msn.com

To: Harold One Feather

igmuskala@yahoo.com

PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 10, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORGANIZATIONS FROM THREE STATES JOIN TOGETHER
ON URANIUM CONCERNS

Organizations from South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado met in Rapid City on Saturday, November 10, to discuss their joint concerns about uranium mining in the Region. Citizens from four organizations are voicing their concerns about surface and ground water, human health, and local property values.

Defenders of the Black Hills and ACTion for the Environment are attending from South Dakota, which faces mining proposals along the southern Black Hills. The Powder River Basin Resource Council is attending from Wyoming, where exploratory and mining permits have been applied for in the state. Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction are traveling from the northern part of Colorado where uranium mining is also proposed near Fort Collins.

In all three places, mining is planned by a Canadian company, Powertech Uranium Corporation. The company proposes to use 'in situ' leach mining (ISL) which injects a dissolving solution underground into suspected uranium deposits. The solution dissolves the uranium and its radioactive decay products, as well as heavy metals. This radioactive solution is pumped to the surface. The uranium is then removed and shipped to a mill for concentration into "yellowcake." The water is re-treated and then injected back underground in a cycle that continues until all the uranium has been extracted. Reverse osmosis is then used to remove some of the toxics from the water, and the remaining liquid is either injected underground or retained in shallow ponds.

In Colorado, a Powertech representative said the company also intends to do open pit mining. Other uranium mining companies are currently active in the three states as a result of recent increases in the price of uranium.

"In Wyoming, there are significant questions about regulation and oversight of uranium operations," according to Shannon Anderson, Organizer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council. "Our organization wants the public to have a stronger voice in uranium activities and wants regulators to insure full restoration of mined areas," she said.

In South Dakota, Powertech has started drilling more uranium exploratory wells in an area where they already have 4,000 wells in the southwestern Black Hills. "It's already been proven world-wide that ISL mining contaminates aquifers that cannot be fixed," said Charmaine White Face, Coordinator for Defenders of the Black Hills. "South Dakota relies so heavily on aquifers for drinking water and livestock use that we do not need to add to the destroyed aquifer statistics by doing this kind of mining for uranium here. We've been in a drought for the last ten years and the last thing we need to do is poison our water," she said.

ACTion for the Environment is very concerned that South Dakota taxpayers will once again have to take on the toxic messes that are left when a mining company leaves as happened previously with Canadian companies. "The Board of Minerals and Environment should remember what happened when they gave approval for the Brohm mine. Now SD people are paying for that mess. Are we going to have to pay for a radioactive mess left by another Canadian company?" said Gary Heckenliable, Organizer for ACTion for the Environment. "Not only South Dakota residents but all the taxpayers of the United States are going to have to pay for this for many, many years to come," he said.

Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (CARD), formed earlier this year in response to Powertech's proposal to mine in the rapidly-growing area near Fort Collins. "Of course uranium mining always causes some form of contamination. Water at in situ leach mining sites is not returned to its original condition," said Lilias Jarding, Ph.D., an Environmental Policy specialist with CARD. "Most people don't know that federal policies that subsidize the nuclear industry aren't just about power plants. The nuclear industry's largest negative impacts have always been in uranium mining and milling processes."

The four groups have issued a common statement:

"We want the uranium industry to know that we stand together on this issue. Whether in a rural setting or a populated area, uranium mining causes radioactive contamination. Past uranium sites continue to contaminate the air, land, and water. Any bonds designed to pay for clean-up of former mining areas have not been sufficient, and taxpayers have been forced to pay the bill. We call on the public and all elected officials to do everything possible to protect the water, land, and local economies from proposed uranium activities."

More information can be found at:

Defenders of the Black Hills:

http://www.defendblackhills.org

Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction:

http://www.nunnglow.com

Powder River Basin Resource Council:

http://www.powderriverbasin.org

Contact:
Charmaine White Face (605) 399-1868

Lilias Jones Jarding, Ph.D. Cell: (970) 412-1924

Shannon Anderson
(307) 672-5809 Cell: (307) 763-1816

PeTA, Metal and few less Nukes!

THE AGONIST - Business Suits and Combat Boots

From our friends at Jeff Rense...

US Navy's Floating Coffins

China Sub's Rubber Coating Made It 'Invisible'

Unseen China Attack Sub Surfaces Near US Supercarrier

Neocons To Sacrifice 5th Fleet - New Pearl Harbor

Navy Admits Carriers Dead Ducks - Stops Production

World War 1, World War 2... World War 3? Do we really want an ALL NUCLEAR NAVY?

Uninvited guest: A Chinese Song Class submarine, like the one that sufaced by the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced
By MATTHEW HICKLEY
10th November 2007

When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed.

At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard while the technical wizardry of the world's only military superpower offers an invisible shield to detect and deter any intruders.

That is the theory. Or, rather, was the theory.

American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.

By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.

According to senior Nato officials the incident caused consternation in the U.S. Navy.

The Americans had no idea China's fast-growing submarine fleet had reached such a level of sophistication, or that it posed such a threat.

One Nato figure said the effect was "as big a shock as the Russians launching Sputnik" - a reference to the Soviet Union's first orbiting satellite in 1957 which marked the start of the space age.

The incident, which took place in the ocean between southern Japan and Taiwan, is a major embarrassment for the Pentagon.

The lone Chinese vessel slipped past at least a dozen other American warships which were supposed to protect the carrier from hostile aircraft or submarines.

And the rest of the costly defensive screen, which usually includes at least two U.S. submarines, was also apparently unable to detect it.

According to the Nato source, the encounter has forced a serious re-think of American and Nato naval strategy as commanders reconsider the level of threat from potentially hostile Chinese submarines.

It also led to tense diplomatic exchanges, with shaken American diplomats demanding to know why the submarine was "shadowing" the U.S. fleet while Beijing pleaded ignorance and dismissed the affair as coincidence.

Analysts believe Beijing was sending a message to America and the West demonstrating its rapidly-growing military capability to threaten foreign powers which try to interfere in its "backyard".

The People's Liberation Army Navy's submarine fleet includes at least two nuclear-missile launching vessels.

Its 13 Song Class submarines are extremely quiet and difficult to detect when running on electric motors.

Commodore Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, and a former Royal Navy anti-submarine specialist, said the U.S. had paid relatively little attention to this form of warfare since the end of the Cold War.

He said: "It was certainly a wake-up call for the Americans.

"It would tie in with what we see the Chinese trying to do, which appears to be to deter the Americans from interfering or operating in their backyard, particularly in relation to Taiwan."

In January China carried a successful missile test, shooting down a satellite in orbit for the first time.

Source:
Daily Mail

(Thanks to Patrick DonEgan electricvehicles@mac.com for this item)