Wake Up Green America

I'm looking for fresh ideas for a lot of things, and inspiration doesn't come as easily as it used to. We're faced with a lot of dead ends, complex green strategies come to nothing confronted with the immensity of the financial resources at the disposal of the planet thrashers. It's getting harder and harder to stay one step ahead of them, even with social networks.

The Blue Meanies function in their own insulated power universe the best of intentions can't penetrate. Our only weapon is fashion, and guilt... people quit their jobs because they start feeling queasy... that's dangerous in a crap economy, with no golden parachute. In the 60's, you turned on, tuned in and dropped out. Now you try, in vain, to change the world from the inside out.

So 30 years after Earth Day, we're in a great sense, practically back where we started from, not technologically, but politically. The same reactionary mentality rules Washington and the Fortune 500, no better exemplified than by Obama showing his true pro-nuclear colors.

Wake up Green America, it's time to get back to the roots of where the environmental movement began, and that's how absurd nuclear power really is. With the collapse of that industry, will come liberation of all other energy sources, like a ball and chain finally off our feet!

Each year it gets worse, as almost every reactor in the world leaks, it just doesn't stop, does it? You know what happens when the faucet drips? Eventually the sink gets full... climate change will be the least of our worries as the remnants of humanity have to live in radiation shelters!

What I don't get, is how much of a global preoccupation this all was back in the 60's and 70's and how now, everyone has since become so complacent. It's almost as if the same psychological phenomena that takes place in reactor hosting communities, has spread to the entire population at large. The whole planet lives in a state of denial about the deadly poisons we're unleashing for the sake of hanging on to the last threads of the post-industrial civilization.

We're all about to become bedouins!

And the worse part, is that after 30 years, we have developed the alternative means to produce electricity, cheaper, better, cleaner, faster... and yet they STILL want to shuv more nukes down our throats.

These people are monsters and criminals, and much like Jon Stewart demonstrated when he spliced Bush and Obama speeches together, they both say exactly the same words, the same phrases, all that has changed is the tone in their voices.

Who do we have to thank for this... other than the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, who for some weird, strange reason, never minded living in a palacial estate just five miles south from the most dangerous nuclear power plant on earth?

Go figure, we must all be stupid monkeys!

Entergy Is Broke! Long Live Duron!

Entergy is broke, all the tell tale signs are there... The workers at Indian Point are threatening to strike... Entergy is threatening to shut down Vermont Yankee if the Vermont legislature doesn't allow them to operate without sufficient decommissioning funds, because Entergy lost the nest egg playing the market. In turn the state of Vermont is threatening not to issue Entergy a new license because Entergy lied about the extent of a tritium leak which has spread to the Brattleboro water supply... and while all this is going on... Entergy decides to sue the Army Corps of Engineers for $68 million dollars in New Orleans, blaming the Corps for the failure of the levies which flooded their two nuclear power plants during Katrina!

No wonder ConEd decided to sell Indian Point, get itself out from under a jam. Now ConEd can paint itself as a green company, wash their hands of the whole Indian Point debacle, but they're still buying power from Entergy to flow through their grid. So it's still guilt by association!

Now I ask you, what happens if Entergy goes belly up? Who takes over the operation of all their crumbling reactors? And if nobody wants them, why would anyone want a bunch of broken down facilities long past their due date, ready for mothballs, what happens then? Homeland Security steps in? The Navy is the only branch of the Federal Government left which has the man power, the know how and the expertise to tackle such a task. The tax payer is going to flip the bill, or rather, the Bilderbergers keep minting more fresh bills.

We need to get ready not just for the collapse of the cooling tower at Vermont Yankee last year, but the total implosion of the Shaw/Entergy power company, and its consequences on the lives of the residents of reactor hosting communities. It's not about if Entergy keeps operating its reactors, it's about when their operation becomes so obviously, painfully insane do citizens and politicians finally step in to put Entergy out of its misery before another of their regularly scheduled incidents turn into an accident we can't walk away from.

Yes, Haiti... and so many other problems take precedence and seem so timely. But you know what they need most in Haiti right now? Lights! There's a company in India that makes battery solar powered LED lights, for just $130... and a group in Canada which raises money to install them in Haiti, despite so many relief workers getting shot as anarchy rules on the island. Entergy, which everyone in New Orleans keeps called "energy" because they've been trained since childhood to identity the company with power... should have invested in LED companies long ago. Now they probably will need to divest into them, and wouldn't that be a wonderful thing for 2010.

Indian Point - Coup De Grace

For all the gory details...
www.rockthereactors.com

Happy Holidays to Entergy!!! to the tune of Bye Bye Blackbird!

Helen Caldicott speaks at the Copenhagen climate march.

Zombie Nation

"Kernkraft 400", German for "Nuclear Energy 400"

Rat Fink!

The Elements by Theodore Gray

The last chapters on all the radioactive elements are both really instructive and a good laugh. This is a delicious book, many anti-nuclear activists will rejoice including in their library.

http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Posters/index.theelements.html

Seth Leitman at Cortlandt Town Center - Tomorrow!

Seth Leitman

(Rock The Reactors co-founder)

Please join Seth Leitman,

author of the Green Guru Guides.

http://www.greenlivingguy.com

Seth will be discussing renewable energies for your home as well as hybrid technology.

Following his discussion, Seth will be signing his books.

Sunday November 29, 2009

12:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

Cortlandt Town Center
3089 E Main Street
Mohegan Lake, NY 10547
914-528-6275

IP Thyroid Cancer Spreads to ABC News...

Great breakthrough into mainstream news, just a shame about that nasty, bitter woman sitting at the table... isn't it?

Andy Neal LED Lights Soon Sold By Catskill Soap Company

(Update August 28th, 2010. Sadly Andy Neal never delivered on his commitment to produce the "Grid" lights for Ed Koster and the Catskill Soap Company, leaving a lot of good people in a lurch, who spent a lot of time and effort developing marketing tools and materials, many orders left unfulfilled. We are currently looking for alternative LED professionals to produce low-wattage battery powered lights for booths at fair and festivals. ~ Remy C.)

Some LED lamps on the market are still less efficient than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which have an efficiency of 48 to 60 lumens per watt. This isn't the case with Andy Neal's ANL LTD Illuma design, friend of Rock The Reactors, being installed along the Walkway Over The Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York celebrating its grand opening October 2nd.

Friday night, after the fireworks display reaches its climax Andy will flip the switch, sending a huge FU to Indian Point, spelling the beginning of the end of Entergy's old plant!

Straight T-5 and T-8 fluorescent tubes are better than CFLs, with efficiencies of 98 to 105 lumens per watt. Although most LED lamps on the market are about equal in performance to CFLs — Cree produces LED downlights rated at 46 to 60 lumens per watt — they cost significantly more than CFLs.

The majority of LED lighting products on the market produce only 10 and 19 lumens per watt — about the same as an incandescent bulb. Testing of LED lights by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2006 and 2007 revealed that most LED manufacturers were exaggerating lumen output. LED devices that were touted as producing 36 to 55 lumens per watt actually produced only 11.6 to 19.3 lumens per watt. Illuma has come a long way since then with 90 lumens per watt.

We want you to test Illuma for yourself. In a few days, Annie Adams's Catskill Soap Company in Bloomingburg, NY and Ed Koster will put "Grid" for sale up on her website and also on eBay.

Grid is ELV (Extra Low Voltage) as far as UL is concerned, no electrical code issues at 12 volts DC. Grid can be connected to any 12 volt battery, including those that can be re-charged by a solar panel. Total power is around 30 watts.

The connectors are industry standard Neutrik 'Speakon' parts, very tough, the cable is also very high spec' it works down to -40C which is basically the artic!

Andy's 12 volts design will retail for $295, manufactured by the Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled and be available in Black or White frames.

It will be marketed to vendors, campers, boaters and anyone who has a backyard. Ed Koster plans on exhibiting at Javits Center Boat Show, display in online catalogs and at Green Drinks in Beacon, NY.

You can reach Ed Koster at:
ek5257@netscape.net
(Please mention Green Nuclear Butterfly!)

Additional photographs can be seen here.

Take Your Pick! Spread Far and Wide...

Betcee May bebe Magazine Cover

Photographer: Lisa Loftus

Betcee wore bebe at the Pömed party co-sponsored by Lü Magazine & Rock The Reactors in 2006. Green Nuclear Butterfly is thrilled to see Betcee featured on the cover of their new magazine.

We'd like to thank Charles Smith at bebe who RTR contacted back in early June to bring Betcee to their attention. Charles wrote:

"bebe’s begreen is a chain-wide initiative chartered with the development and integration of an environmentally aware & responsible culture in the workplace; decreasing the amount of waste we produce, making smarter decisions in our daily activities, and reducing the impact on our Earth. begreen is a component of the bebeCares program which is committed to creating opportunities that promote corporate citizenship, philanthropy, volunteerism, and cultural diversity in communities where we live and do business."

bebe magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings LLC, the same house which brings you Ocean Drive, Gotham and Hamptons. In 2006 Niche Media's Jason Binn partnered with Greenspun Corporation Chairman Brian L. Greenspun.

The Greenspun Family Foundation supports many causes with an emphasis on education, health, children, Jewish issues, and the greater Las Vegas community.

In 2005, Iranian American Manny Mashouf, founder & chairman of bebe, gave San Francisco State University the largest private individual gift pledge in its history toward a new performing and electronic media arts building for the SFSU College of Creative Arts.

The new 65,000 square feet building will contain instructional and performance spaces -- including a 1,200-seat auditorium, 450-seat theater, 350-seat recital hall and 250-seat "black box" theater -- enhanced by a multi-story, glass-enclosed lobby. The building will house the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department, Theatre Arts Department and School of Music and Dance. Doors will open in late 2012.

You can see all the photographs from the shoot on the bebe website and purchase bebe magazine at any bebe store, Barnes & Noble or other newsstands.

Help Rock The Reactors by going to a bebe store near you to request a free copy of bebe magazine: Store Locator.

Betcee is currently pursuing a parallel career as a green make-up artist:
www.greenblossombeauty.com

RTR Supporter To Put LEDs Over Hudson

James Johannemann, left, president of All Bright Electric, looks over LED lighting tube units developed by Andrew Neal, right, of ANL Ltd., a Salt Point-based company that is partnering with Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled in Poughkeepsie to supply the units to light the Walkway over the Hudson pedestrian bridge. All Bright is a contractor from West Nyack who has been chosen to do the installation. (Craig Wolf/Poughkeepsie Journal)

LEDs will shine a low-cost light
Dutchess firm's system to save power, money
By Craig Wolf • Poughkeepsie Journal • August 27, 2009

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200908270600/BUSINESS/908270326

Lighting on the Walkway Over the Hudson will make use of a new system developed by a Dutchess County company.

The project leaders say it will use much less power and save the taxpayer lots of money compared with other lighting solutions once the state of New York takes over and runs the Walkway, due to open in October.

Tiny light-emitting diodes, semiconductors better known by their initials, LEDs, are the source of light.

They are strung together and contained in a tubular one-inch diameter shell that is both the lighting instrument and its conduit, said Andy Neal, president of ANL Ltd., a Salt Point-based developer of Illuma lighting systems.

"The conduit becomes the light," he said.

Meeting held Neal and others working on the project met Wednesday at the Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled, City of Poughkeepsie, which will assemble the lighting system components.

The components will then be installed by All Bright Electric, a West Nyack, Rockland County, contractor that made the winning bid for electrical and security work on the walkway.

Federal transportation money, obtained by U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, channeled through the city and then to the Walkway, is paying the bill, said Fred Schaeffer, president of the nonprofit Walkway group.

The contract is for about $670,000 and includes electrical work beyond the lighting, Walkway spokesman Steve Densmore said. That covers power outlets, security camera systems and emergency telephones.

Schaeffer said Walkway's team was very satisfied with the lighting solution.

"It provides relatively low- cost lighting," he said. "It's very efficient and you can also direct it down on the deck so it will be lit for safety purposes, but you'll still be able to see the stars and the moon and enjoy the natural atmosphere of the night.

"People are going to be surprised at how beautiful it is," he said.

Neal said, "Because you're using lots and lots of very small sources, it resolves into just a very flat, even illumination."

About 81,200 LEDs will be incorporated into the system that lights the walkway deck.

Bill DelTosta, sales and marketing director for the Mid-Hudson Workshop, said the challenge was that a strip of lights installed on one rail of the walkway needed to throw enough light to reach 20 feet across the deck without creating too much spill upward that would interfere with night vision.

"It's a very tough proposition," he said. "This is the only way it's going to work."

It also cuts the cost of operation by about 80 percent versus the more standard incandescent lights, he said.

James Johannemann, president of All Bright, said, "It's a tough job to be competitive with. It's such a high-profile job for us."

Reach Craig Wolf at cwolf@poughkeepsiejournal.com
or 845-437-4815

Every American Living Within 25 Miles of A Nuclear Reactor Should File a Pro Se Lawsuit to Build a Nuclear Shelter

For those of us who have the misfortune of living near one of the 104 FAILING NUCLEAR REACTORS in America know two very real facts. 1. The NRC in cahoots with the nuclear industry have been rubber stamping every nuclear reactor license renewal application in the name of saving the industry because of National Interests and Security. 2. Local Nuclear Incident Evacuation Plans will not work, and the NRC has shifted its focus to ordering us to "Shelter in Place" in the case of a significant nuclear incident (terrorist attack, plane accident, or serious breach of containment.)


These two very real realities coupled with the high costs of installing a personal in home Nuclear Shelter have given me much food for thought. It seems very unfair that we as citizens are expected to absorb the $400,000 cost to install and operate our personal shelters, seems unfair we have to take such risks as a cost of having a NRC licensee doing business in our communities. For that reason, I have sent the following letter off to the attorney for Entergy...the licensee for the three reactors in my community. I would strongly suggest that EVERY AMERICAN LIVING WITHIN 25 MILES OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR CONSIDER TAKING SIMILIAR ACTION.

Intent to Sue

For the reasons more fully outlined below, XXXXXXXX hereby formally demands payment for the following costs and damages as are related too the expected license renewal for the NRC licensee sites IP1, IP2, and IP3 and known collectively as Indian Point.

Dear NRC and Entergy:

For the following reasons, I am seeking and demanding legal redress in 1. amount of $400,000 dollars (four hundred thousand dollars) to cover the costs of adequately preparing my property for a potential “Sheltering in Place” incident in my home located at XXXXXXX, Peekskill, NY 10566 should a nuclear incident (terrorist attack or significant accident) occur at the Indian Point site between now and the time the three reactors are eventually decommissioned. This estimated costs that have instituted this demand for payment and notice of my intent to sue are as follows:

A bare bones shelter (http://www.bomb-shelter.net/index.html) (does not include the costs of zoning variances, nor costs of installation is listed for $168,000 and will provide barely adequate space for my wife, I and our six cats for an extended period of time. Estimated legal costs for getting zoning approvals is $25,000. Other necessary upgrades (heating system, fuel tanks, water and waste water storage tanks and their installation has an estimated cost of $80,000. Basic survival supplies to prepare the Shelter have a cost of (as example, the CDC site recommends being prepared to Shelter in place for up to 15 days OR LONGER) $27,000 for a total start up cost of $300,000. The additional $100,000 being sought is the estimated cost of yearly upkeep, maintenance and preparation of the Shelter so that it is always in “Shelter In Place” condition, ready to be used when Entergy or the NRC order us to be sheltered in place during a nuclear incident at Indian Point.

Reasons For This Demand For Payment and Notice of Intent to Sue

1. Citizens in the 25 mile radius of death that is the PEAK FATALITY zone, including both my wife and I had a reasonable expectation that Decommissioning of all three licensed reactors at Indian Point would have commenced no later than 2015, but the NRC’s nationwide rubberstamping of license renewal applications has pushed out the date of potential Decommissioning of these problem plagued reactors at least 20 additional years, and documents found on the NEI, EPRI, NRC and Entergy websites would lead the average citizen to believe the NRC actually plans on granting a second 20 year license extension to this crumbling and decaying set of reactors. When on compares the costs (average out over 40 years), $10,000 a year to protect HUMAN LIFE, to make sure we have an adequate Nuclear Shelter should it be required, this sum is a reasonable demand necessary to cover the costs of keeping my family safe as a direct result of Entergy continuing to do business three scant miles from my home.
2. The NRC in conjunction with FEMA and its licensees has made a charade out of the Federal Guidelines and requirements for a workable Emergency Evacuation Plan. In fact and deed, Entergy Officials and members of the NRC staff have both admitted at public meetings held in the host community that the Indian Point Emergency Evacuation Plan WILL NOT WORK (emphasis added) if there is any kind of a significant event occurring on the Indian Point licensees site(s).
3. Furthermore, the nuclear industry, NEI, EPRI and the NRC have finally admitted in various public forums that “Sheltering in Place” would more than likely be the preferred action to be implemented should a nuclear accident or terrorist attack on a nuclear reactor site occur. This new means of dealing with the safety of the General Public, our families and our pets is a dramatic change that places members of the general public, and specifically my wife and I should a accident or terrorist attack occur at Indian Point in grave danger unless we have adequate access to a certified Nuclear Fall Out Shelter…it is also noted here, that the NRC has only required the licensee to have SPACE TO SHELTER 20 Percent of the citizens in the case of a significant nuclear event at the site.
4. The current suggestions for sheltering in place fail miserably in protecting myself, my wife and our cats. As one example, the NRC staff, the staff of Entergy and the State Emergency Responders have refused to answer a simple question…if there is a significant nuclear event at Indian Point during a significant winter storm, how long would the average citizen have before they started feeling the effects of thermal shock, started seeing hyperthermia set in. Instead of answering the question, they condescendingly suggested we buy with our own funds the necessary supplies and equipment to survive THEIR ACCIDENT should we be ordered to “Shelter in Place” as a result of a serious nuclear incident at the Indian Point facility. Such a suggestion places an unfair FINANCIAL BURDEN on us as citizens, places a demand on us as stakeholders to absorb the costs of Entergy doing business in our community, forces a costs on us as citizens because NRC is unwilling to enforce their rules and regulations in 10CFR, because FEMA has wrongfully signed off on an evacuation plan that is doomed to failure.
5. Since “Sheltering in Place” is now the preferred method of dealing with the citizens should a nuclear incident occur, it is only fair that the costs of being able to SAFELY SHELTER IN PLACE be born by the NRC and it’s licensees. The set up costs for such preparation, having an adequate place in which to survive a nuclear incident at Indian Point without negative impacts to our health, the yearly costs of maintaining such a facility are extensive as has been outlined above. It is only fair that those creating the need for such expenditures pay those expenditures.

For this reason, I am making a demand for payment and giving notice of intent to sue against both Entergy, and the NRC, and am encouraging every citizen in every host community in America to follow suit to file suits as Pro Se litigants in their own local courts. I am further making this demand for payment in preparation of filing suit to protect my rights and health as a citizen of the United States of America. Entergy, the NRC and even the Federal Government have a duty to protect human health and the environment.

This duty takes on special importance in communities across America where citizens are having the NRC force them to play host to dangerous nuclear facilities for an additional twenty years of operation.

A license renewal, continued operation of these facilities places new and unexpected risks on host communities, on citizens living in the peak fatality zone. It is only fair that the NRC and its licensees pay the costs incurred by citizens who seek to adequately prepare themselves for the accident we are constantly told to be ready for…as example, the constant testing of the Emergency Notification System. For these reasons, XXXX hereby makes a demand for the sum of $400,000 to build and maintain a personal Shelter at his residence located at Street in Peekskill, NY. Failure to respond with payment of this Demand in 30 days, failure to open up meaningful dialogue towards settlement will result in further legal action to protect my rights, protect my health, and to assure I have the capability of obeying SAFELY a Federal Governmental Agency order to “Shelter in Place” when the time comes, and trust me, the time will come, if not in my own neighborhood, then in another host community that has wrongfully been forced against their will to play host to a aging, failing nuclear reactor for 20 additional years.

Respectfully Submitted,

Certificate of Service:

A true and accurate copy of this letter has been sent the NRC, as well as to legal counsel for Entergy. As a courtesy, additional copies were sent out to various INTERESTED PARTIES including members of the press.

Respectfully,

William C. Dennis*

Assistant General Counsel

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue

White Plains, NY 10601

(E-mail: wdennis@entergy.com)

Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Mail Stop: O-16G4

Washington, DC 20555-0001

(E-mail: ocaamail@nrc.gov)

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of the Secretary of the Commission

Mail Stop O-16C1

Washington, DC 20555-0001

(E-mail: hearingdocket@nrc.gov)

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of the General Counsel

Mail Stop O-15D21

Washington, DC 20555-0001

(E-mail: OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov)

Beth N. Mizuno, Esq.

David E. Roth, Esq.

Brian G. Harris, Esq.

Andrea Z. Jones, Esq.

Office of the General Counsel

Mail Stop: O-15D21

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington, DC 20555-0001

(E-mail: bnm1@nrc.gov)

(E-mail: david.roth@nrc.gov)

(E-mail: brian.harris@nrc.gov)

(E-mail: andrea.jones@nrc.gov)

Indian Point Beauty Contest

Seems like Rock The Reactors had an inspiring effect on the good ladies of the IPSEC coalition. Keep up the good work!

Marilyn Elie writes:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ElieWestCan/MythIndianPoint1And2

Myth Indian Point 1 and 2
Tarrytown, NY -
Jun 3, 2009

The NRC meeting on the status of Indian Point 1 and 2. Judy and Margo brought both reactors to life. Entergy and the NRC did not know what to do when Myth Indian Point 2 talked about her leaky liner and how uncomfortable it is when the technicians start probing about. They sang the industry refrain "No Danger to the Public" with a twist. Stay tuned for the youtube version...

EDF Swine Appropriate Team Green Britain Flag!!!

Read the whole story from our friends at Treehugger written by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC!

Entergy Wants Your Blood!!!

No comment.

Rock The Reactors today at Vassar College

Come visit Rock The Reactors today at Vassar College. We are sharing a table with Andy Neal of Illuma, to promote his new, revolutionary LED lights. The conference, organized by members of Clearwater, will start at 6PM

Sustainable Energy Forum at Vassar College

~ Tuesday, June 30th, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ~

Registration and networking 6:00 p.m.
Program begins at 6:30 p.m.

Bringing Sustainable Energy Infrastructure into the Hudson Valley: An update on the most innovative local & global renewable energy & energy efficiency intiatives, and their possible application here in the Hudson Valley.

Featuring a David Dell from Independent Dutchess Energy Alliance (IDEA) and Town of Babylon's groundbreaking LI Green Homes Program with Supervisor Steve Bellone.

Followed by cutting edge info on wind, solar, geothermal presented by Tom Kacandes of Prism Solar, and Compton Fellow Libby Murphy on the potential for Tidal Power in the northeast; with panel discussion and Q & A.

Vassar College
Rockefeller 300
Raymond Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY

Pre-registration requested at www.sustainhv.org/hvsga

For more info on tabling: mannajo@clearwater.org

Cosponsored by Clearwater, SHV, the Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance, Vassar Committee on Sustainability and others.

Sponsored by:

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance

Sustainable Hudson Valley

Vassar College Committee on Sustainability

Central Hudson

Bringing Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Into the Hudson Valley

An update on the most innovative local & global renewable energy & energy efficiency initiatives, and their possible application here in the Hudson Valley.

Registration: 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Program: 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Welcome Professor Lucille Johnson

Energy Efficiency Initiatives that Really Work

Independent Dutchess Energy Alliance (IDEA)

David Dell, Ph.D.

Case Study:

Long Island Green Homes Program

Steve Bellone, Supervisor, Town of Babylon, Long Island Q&A

Moderator: Melissa Everett, Sustainable Hudson Valley

Update on Renewables in the Hudson Valley:

Brief synopsis of cutting edge information on Solar, Wind & Geothermal

Tom Kacandes, Prism Solar

The Utility Perspective

Sephir Hamilton, Director of Renewable Energy Initiatives,

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.

On the Horizon:

Potential of Tidal Power in Northeast United States

Libby Murphy, Compton Fellow

Q&A Moderator:

Manna Jo Greene, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

Wrap Up

The Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance is a regional partnership of diverse interests including environmental, land conservation, and economic development organizations, builders, realtors, tourism officials, and planning agencies who have come together to build consensus on smart growth principles and promote local and regional solutions to sprawl.

Tour of La Belle Nuclear France

Indian Point Updates by Abby Luby: Fire Safety Regulations at Indian Point Challenged

Indian Point Updates by Abby Luby: Fire Safety Regulations at Indian Point Challenged

Oral arguments against the NRC regarding a fire safety exemption

Monday, May 11 10:00 AM

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
500 Pearl Street, New York, New York
Ceremonial Court Room, 9th floor

(Sadly, the press contact for this event is the same woman who destroyed the FUSE USA coalition, stole materials from our organization, dragged me into court under false pretences, costing me a lot of money which could have been better spent on our efforts, unraveling months of positive networking results, and jeopardizing the whole movement to shut down Indian Point. So I won't mention her pathetic name here. She doesn't deserve the pixel space! If she'd been working for Entergy, she couldn't have done a better job of undermining the anti-nuclear community. It would be in the best interest of this newly formed coalition to remove her from any public responsibility. This would assure a much stronger alliance among all parties involved. RemyC.)

Public Advocacy Groups and Attorney General to Argue Against Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Unsafe Fire Safety Exemption Granted to Indian Point before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

On Monday, May 11 oral arguments will take place at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Ceremonial Court Room, 9th floor, 500Pearl St., New York City at 10:00 a.m. in a case that has been brought against the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by several public interest groups including the Westchester Citiz en’s Awareness Network (WestCAN), the Rockland County Conservation Association, Inc. (RCCA), the Public Health and Sustainable Energy (PHASE), the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter, and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester), and New York State Attorney's General Office has filed an amicus brief. The groups challenge the NRC’s decision to exempt Indian Point Nuclear Facility Unit 3 from fire safety regulations that reduced fire safety standards from one hour to twenty-four minutes.

Under the NRC regulations, a nuclear power facility built prior to 1979 must enclose the cable and equipment necessary for a safe shutdown by using a fire barrier with a one-hour fire rating. According to the exemption Indian Point’s fi re rating has been reduced to twenty-four minutes, a 76% reduction fire safety standard.

Since 1993, the NRC has known that the fire barrier utilized at Indian Point does not meet the one-hour duration. According to the 1993 test, the fire barrier only lasts 23.2 minutes, however the NRC took no action unti l 2005. The 2005 test confirmed that the fire barrier failed to perform for one hour and exceeded temperature limits within thirteen to forty-two minutes.

In 2006, the NRC issued a letter to certain nuclear plants requesting that they propose a resolution for the problems associated with the fire barrier. In response, the owners of Indian Point nuclear facilities, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., requested an exemption from the one hour fire safety standard. On August 16, 2008, the request was revised requesting a reduction from one hour to twenty-four minutes for certain areas. Thirty four days later the NRC granted the exemption.

The result of the NRC’s decision to gr ant the exemption from one hour to twenty-four minutes means that a single fire must be detected, fire brigade assembled and fully extinguished in less than twenty four minutes. Like most operating nuclear reactors, Indian Point Unit 3 contains miles of electrical cables that control and power safety systems, including valves, pumps, motors, and gauges designed to ensure the prompt shutdown of the nuclear reactor. A fire at Indian Point that damaged those cables could disable the critical systems served by the cables preventing safe shut down and ultimately may lead to a major radiation release that could have a disastrous impact on the health and property of the people of New York.

Petitioners will argue that the NRC improperly granted the “exemption”, lacked authority to grant exemptions, failed to allow required public participation, failed to give proper notice, failed to consider relevant evidence in making its decision, and violated National Environmental Policy Act. Petitioners will further argue that the NRC created a potentially illegal loophole by permitting mischaracterization of the request as an “exemption” rather than an amendment, thereby violating the Atomic Energy Act.

The NRC’s decision drastically compromises the safety of the Indian Point nuclear facilities. Upwards of twenty million people work, live, or travel within fift y miles of Indian Point. This case marks the first time the NRC’s right to grant exemptions without notice and hearings has been challenged.

The case will be argued on Monday, May 11 before Honorable John M. Walker, Jr., Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, and Honorable John Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky will be arguing for the Petitioners. Assistant Attorney General John Sipos, Esq. will be arguing on behalf of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. A representative will be arguing on behalf of the NRC, as well as a representative from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc..

“The NRC must not prompt any exemptions to regulations which increase the likelihood of catastrophic risks. The public has been made vulnerable by the NRC’s secretive reduction in fire safety without notice or opportunity for hearings.” Annie Wilson for Sierra Club - Atlantic Chapter

"Finally! An autocratic agency with Byzantine regulations is being called to account by the State of New York and Representative Richard Brodsky. Granting exemptions to existing licensing at the behest of Entergy without public hearings is a violation on the NRC’s charter to protect public health and safety. The serious matter of fire safety cannot be brushed aside. This issue strikes to the very heart of the way safety and the public's right to know has been systematically ignored. Under any reasonable, transparent review process this would have been handled as part of an amendment licensing process and not through a obscure back door out of the public eye." Marilyn Elie is a founding member of Westchester Citizens Awareness Network. Available for interview at 914-954-6739.

“The safety of the public should be of utmost importance. Approving negotiated burn time on decades old wires is like Ford re-branding the Edsel to compete in today's marketplace. It was wrong then and it is wrong now. “ Dorice Madronero Rockland County Conservation Association (RCCA).

" Entergy is sailing up the river in a boat loaded with non-compliance. It is unacceptable that the 0NRC is raising the bridge and lowering the water to let it get to its destination. They are supposed to protecting the public, not accommodating private industry." Maureen Ritter of PHASE (Public Health and Sustainable Energy)

“Fires are recognized as one of the most significant safety hazards at nuclear power plants, they are not uncommon. The NRC’s reckless willingness to dramatically reduce the safety margins to 24 minutes is an egress abdication of is responsibility. The regulations that were exempted are critical safety regulations related to the electrical cables and where enacted in response to the Brown’s Ferry fire. Brown’s Ferry fire started in the insulation of electrical cable trays, it raged for nearly 7 hours, burnt and reactors were out of control for almost two days..” Michel Lee, Board member of Nuclear Information Resource Service (NIRS) and Chair on Council on Conservation & Intelligent Energy Policy (CCIP)

Just a friendly reminder...

That it's still all about the girl! A green model army!

See you all for Harvey Wasserman's
STOPPING NUKE POWER & WINNING SOLARTOPIA
Sunday, May 17, 3 pm
Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries

199 Main Street, Beacon, NY

The Goode Family

Call for Boycott of French Wine & Cheese

In the past months there has been a growing concern that France's aging nuclear power infrastructure has gone from bad to worse, with critical leak and waste problems. Sadly the majority of French nuclear power plants were built in the heart of wine and cheese country, where cows graze and grape grow.

French farmers pride themselves on bio, what we mean by eco, producing some of the best wine and cheese on the planet. But today, because of the rising levels of ionizing radiation coming from nuclear power plants that were built to run only 25 years, not 40 since President Pompidou handed EDF over to Westinghouse.

In solidarity with French farmers, a boycott of potentially irradiated wine and cheese products made from contaminated water, would urge the French authorities to set up transparent radiation monitoring measures of all wells, streams and rivers affecting agricultural regions.

France is facing an unsurmountable decommissioning and waste disposal future. Not having invested in an alternative energy infrastructure as their neighbors did, France is the driving force putting extraodinary pressure on the rest of the world to dive into a nuclear renaissance, this despite the clear evidence that nuclear power is no longer a viable, cost effective way of producing electricity.

So we'd like to call on the boycott of French wine and cheese products until it can be demonstrated that they are all free of contamination.