No Nukes News: nuclear energy prospects dim

Sat Jan 16 17:51:09 EST 2010

No Nukes News

Jan. 16, 2010

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You CAN help

If you can spare a few hours to help blitz Iggy's riding
(Etobicoke-Lakeshore), let me know - we're about 85% complete! This is what
we're distributing door-to-door:
http://ontariosgreenfuture.ca/CostlyNukes_12_09.pdf 

And if you haven't already sent a form-email to Harper and the other federal
leaders expressing your opposition to federal subsidies for nuclear power,
please do so now - it'll just take you 1 minute and you'll feel great:

http://ontariosgreenfuture.ca/send_a_message.php 

Thanks.  

-angela at cleanairalliance.org

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N.B. premier threatens to sue Ottawa over Point Lepreau reactor 

Graham wants feds to cover cost overruns of stalled refurbishment. "We want
to continue dialoguing with the government of Canada, which is an extension
of AECL. This is a government of Canada responsibility," Graham said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/01/11/nb-graham-aecl-lepre
au-225.html

New Brunswick move threatens sale of AECL

New Brunswick has dealt another blow to Ottawa's attempt to sell troubled
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., threatening to launch a messy lawsuit over
delays to AECL's refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear station unless
Ottawa agrees to cover the province's related costs.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/new-brunswick-move-threatens-ae
cl-sale/article1427658/ 

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Bruce Power Shuts Unit 4 at Nuclear-Power Reactor

Bruce Power LP, Canada's only closely held nuclear-plant operator,
<http://reports.ieso.ca/public/GenOutputCapability/PUB_GenOutputCapability.x
ml> shut 770-megawatt Unit 4 at its power station in Ontario last night. 

The unit tripped offline after 11 p.m. during safety system tests and will
be off for a "short duration." Power won't be restored today to Unit 4 or
Unit 3, which has been idled for valve maintenance since Jan. 7. 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082
<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aobVvruhylRM>
&sid=aobVvruhylRM

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Nuclear Energy Prospects Dim, Experts Say

A combination of financing setbacks and waning of public demand is likely to
put U.S. nuclear energy plans on hold, experts said Wednesday.

- Rising Costs

- Financing Pinch

- Safety Concerns

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27668/

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OPG bilking taxpayers again for shortfall

According to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's (CNSC) Commission
Members Document CMD09-M54, OPG is reporting a significant shortfall in
their funding liability to decommission their nuclear facilities like
reactors and waste management sites.

After being caught several years ago by the provincial auditor of using
those special funds for capital projects, those funds then were set aside in
a special trust account that was proposed to grow through contributions and
investment income to an estimated 26 Billion dollars to cover those
liabilities.

OPG tried to speed up the growth of that fund through high-risk investments
and got caught in the stock market crash in 2008. Even in 2009 the loss
amounted to $785 million and is projected to lead to a shortfall of one and
a quarter Billion dollars by next year. 

The solution?

Go to the government and ask for a handout of taxpayers' money, a cool one
and a half Billion as a guarantee that the money is going to be there when
needed. 

The existing Provincial Guarantee of $760 million was supposed to expire at
the end of this year as ' it was projected that the value of the funds would
exceed the decommissioning liability at that time and that the Provincial
Guarantee would no longer be required.' (Page 1 of CMD09-M54).

Now then OPG needs almost twice the amount and taxpayers who almost all are
ratepayers, too, will be bilked twice - that is unless OPG is luckier in
their investment portfolio than before. 

Want to make a bet??

S. (Ziggy) Kleinau,

Citizens For Renewable Energy (CFRE)

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Check out the Physicians for Social Responsibility nuke website:

Nuclear bailout

http://www.psr.org/nuclear-bailout/

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If you haven't seen it yet, you MUST watch this classic NFB documentary from
1990:

Uranium

This documentary looks at the hazards of uranium mining in Canada. Toxic and
radioactive waste pose environmental threats while the traditional economic
and spiritual lives of the Aboriginal people who occupy this land have been
violated. Given our limited knowledge of the associated risks, this film
questions the validity of continuing the mining operations.

http://www.nfb.ca/film/Uranium/

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The scary side of nuclear energy revealed

Scary disasters, frightening incidents and bad economics combine to form a
frightening image of the nuclear energy industry. 

http://green.blorge.com/2010/01/the-scary-side-of-nuclear-energy-revealed/ 

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Wind Power in Ontario Generates a New Record in 2009 while Coal drops to
lowest in 45 years

Wind generation in Ontario rose by more than 60 per cent over the previous
year, up to 2.3 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2009. At the same time, output from
Ontario's coal-fired plants dropped to 9.8 TWh, the lowest output in 45
years.

http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/media/md_newsitem.asp?newsID=5019 

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Obama unveils $2.3 billion for clean energy jobs

President Obama unveiled a program Friday that will provide $2.3 billion in
tax credits for the clean energy manufacturing sector, a move aimed at
creating 17,000 jobs.

The credit is focused on U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies
such as solar and wind. Obama has said he wants to double the amount of
renewable energy the United States uses over the next three years.

In addition to the federal funding, private firms are investing $5.4
billion, which will create 41,000 more jobs, the White House said. 

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/08/news/economy/green_manufacturing_jobs/index.
htm 

Weatherization heats up in 2010

Five billion dollars was included in the economic stimulus legislation for
the US Weatherization Assistance Program, the federal program started in
1976 to help low-income families. And more recently the president has
proposed a "cash for caulkers" incentive program for homeowners. The
Department of Energy estimates that for every dollar invested,
weatherization returns $1.65 in energy-related benefits and $1.07 in other
benefits like reducing pollution and unemployment.

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/12/21/weatherization-heats-up-in-
2010/

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Solar Power Is Now an Option for Even the Most Cash-Strapped Suburbanites

Residential solar leases offer a no-money-down, low-monthly plan that makes
solar electricity cheaper than the stuff we get by wire -- and you don't
have to buy the panels.

"Go solar for $0 down. Now you can afford to go solar without the high
initial cost of installing a system. Instead of buying the equipment, you
simply lease it."

http://www.alternet.org/environment/145205

http://www.thestar.com/Business/CleanBreak/article/748956 

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Conservation working in Ont. says WWF; others say it's due to loss of
industry

Demand for electricity is dropping in Ontario because people are getting the
message that conservation works - and not just because the bottom dropped
out of the economy, the World Wildlife Fund says. 

``Energy conservation is never going to be sexy,'' Keith Stewart, climate
change co-ordinator for the WWF, said. ``But it's the thing that's going to
save us the most money and that's best for the environment.'' 

Stewart pointed to a report released in late December by the Independent
Electricity System Operator, which predicted Ontario will only need 23,000
MW of electrical generation in 2018, 8,000 MW less than a predicted 31,000
MW in 2004 - a significant drop that could mean the province doesn't need to
build expensive nuclear power plants any time soon.

http://www.northernnews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2262307

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Angela Bischoff

Outreach Director

Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246

625 Church Street, #402

Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1

angela at cleanairalliance.org

www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/> 

www.cleanairalliance.org <http://www.cleanairalliance.org/>  

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