Archives for June 2011

Great solar news, but NC utilities impeding the shift – An Update from NC WARN

June 30, 2011

The first two items show that we can get our energy primarily from clean, renewable sources and that solar PV will be cost competitive with traditional fossil fuels soon – even without government subsidies.
The third item relates how Duke Energy and other electric utilities are blocking the transition to clean energy in NC.

Study: Rising Global Temperatures Spur Steepest Sea Level Rise In 2,100 Years – Popular Science

June 24, 2011

The seas are rising at a faster rate right now than at any point since at least the era of Julius Caesar, and there is a direct link between this increase and changes in global surface temperatures, according to a new study. Rising sea levels could have major impacts on not just marine ecosystems, but the entire planet, as coastal areas are swamped by encroaching waters.

Energy Efficiency policies deliver, save consumers billions – ACEEE News Release

June 24, 2011

States across the country have been reaching or exceeding their energy savings goals established through Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS), thereby lowering utility bills for consumers and reducing the need to build costly new power plants.

U.S. regulators opening up on flawed nuclear power plant policing – The Center for Public Integrity

June 23, 2011

These are rocky days at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which finds itself under attack from the outside for decisions ranging from new reactor designs to safety issues that have languished for years, including the agency’s failure to get serious about fire hazards.

Fukushima: It’s much worse than you think – Al Jazeera

June 21, 2011

“Fukushima is the biggest industrial catastrophe in the history of mankind,” Arnold Gundersen, a former nuclear industry senior vice president, told Al Jazeera.

NRC Cheats the Public on Safety

June 21, 2011

Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation’s aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening or ignoring those standards.

Associated Press Exposé
Tritium leaks found at many nuke sites, June 21, 2011
U.S. nuke regulators weaken safety rules, June 20, 2011
Three Minute AP Video Summary, June 20, 2011
Populations around US nuke plants soar, June 27, 2011

Other News Items
U.S. regulators opening up on flawed nuclear power plant policing – Center for Public Integrity, June 21, 2011
NRC waives enforcement of fire rules at nuclear plants – ProPublica, May 11, 2011
A more likely nuclear nightmare –
Center for Public Integrity,
May 10, 2011

U.S. nuke regulators weaken safety rules – The Associated Press

June 20, 2011

Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation’s aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards, or simply failing to enforce them, an investigation by The Associated Press has found.

Thank You

June 17, 2011

Thank you for your contribution to NC WARN. Your support is important to us as we do our part in North Carolina to avert climate catastrophe and move towards clean, renewable energy. Our many successes are a direct result of the encouragement and support we receive, both financially and actively, …

Legal Motion on AP1000 – Press Release by Friends of the Earth, NC WARN, others

June 16, 2011

Citing more design mistakes and omissions, public interest groups call for nuclear regulators to halt the AP1000 reactor approval process; watchdogs press NRC chairman to release damning internal dissent

After Fukushima, a tour of the Shearon Harris nuclear power facility – Independent Weekly

June 7, 2011

On Wednesday, May 18, Progress Energy shepherded a group of Triangle media through the plant on a tour that, we were told, is only conducted once every year or two. The Indy was invited, too, and we really couldn’t say no. The opening credits of The Simpsons are the closest we’ve been to a nuclear power plant.