No Nukes News: Reactors weren't built for climate change

[Angela Bischoff]

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May 29, 2019

☢ Let's cut hydro costs instead of the services Ontarians need! Ontario can avoid the need to cut spending on public health, education, environment and social programs by reducing electricity costs instead - just by doing a deal with Quebec for low-cost water power to replace our high cost nuclear reactors.

The World

☢ U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Weren’t Built for Climate Change The risks are increasing as climate change worsens.

☢ I oversaw the U.S. nuclear power industry. Now I think it should be banned The former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the country’s nuclear industry should be banned, after concluding that the dangers of climate change no longer outweigh the risk of catastrophic reactor accidents.

☢ Chernobyl A dramatization of the true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. It’s an HBO mini-series but you can watch it online here for free. For more info and background, see this resource page and this one.

☢ Cataracts, small brains, and DNA damage — Chernobyl's wildlife 33 years after the meltdown "The bottom line is that when you look at what the populations are doing in both the radioactive areas and the non-radioactive areas of the zone, it's very, very clear that the radiation is reducing fertility rates [and] reducing population sizes." - Dr. Timothy Mousseau

☢ Open Letter To the Prime Minister, Parliament and the Federal Government about the handling of Canada’s nuclear waste 24 organizations have grave concerns about the handling of Canada’s federally-owned nuclear waste by a multinational consortium that includes SNC-Lavalin and corporate partners, some of which have faced criminal charges and/or entered into deferred prosecution agreements.

☢ Parliament should investigate what Canadians have gotten for their nuclear waste funding Letter by Dr. Gordon Edwards printed in the Hill Times.

☢ Civil society groups condemn plan to exempt nuclear reactors from Bill C-69 impact assessment “Giving the nuclear power industry a free pass under the Impact Assessment Act is the antithesis of sound and precautionary environmental planning, and should not be countenanced by Parliament.” More here and here.

☢ Indigenous Nuclear Genocide: Uranium Mining on Native Lands The start of the nuclear fuel chain is uranium mining, the weight of which comes down disproportionately on indigenous people, the poor and/or people of color. 1 hour podcast with indigenous activists from Saskatchewan, Nevada and India.

☢ Three Mile Island, site of worst-ever US nuclear plant disaster, will close without financial rescue The plant’s closure continues a spate of bad news for nuclear energy. Only one new reactor has been completed in the last three decades in the US, with recent projects canceled or delayed because of mounting expenses. More here.

☢ UN chief warns nuclear waste could be leaking into the Pacific Cracks in a 40-year-old nuclear 'coffin' are raising concern. The structure in question is in the Marshall Islands where the US conducted 67 nuclear weapons tests 1946 -1958. In the late '70s, waste from those tests was dumped into a crater and capped with a concrete dome 18 inches thick. Now there are cracks.Ontario

☢ There’s a better way to balance Ontario’s budget The Gov't of ON is proposing to reduce spending on public health, education, social, environmental and energy conservation programs by approximately $1.9 billion per year. By importing Quebec power to replace our high cost nuclear power, Ontario can reduce its electricity costs by almost $4 billion/year. These savings would far outstrip the savings the government is anticipating from its spending cuts.

☢ Tories unveil spending estimates and more details on budget cuts Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the Tories' fiscal problems are in part due to the decision to continue massive subsidies to electricity rates — albeit through the treasury instead of the hydro ratepayers' base. "By adopting these artificial subsidies, the Conservatives lose any claim to fiscal responsibility".

☢ Decision on nuclear waste burial facility expected by December It may be the biggest decision in Ontario’s history. Whether or not to bury radioactive waste within 1.2 kilometres of Lake Huron, will be decided by members of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) by year’s end.Renewables and Conservation

☼ Energy Efficiency Employs 436,000 Canadians, More Than Twice the Total in Oil and Gas
 
☼ Legault announces plan to electrify Quebec's economy, reduce oil consumption Quebec Premier Francois Legault says his government will move to electrify transportation, buildings and businesses in order to reduce oil consumption by 40% by 2030.

☼ Canada’s amazing—and invisible—green energy sector As of 2017, 298,000 Canadians were employed in Canada’s clean energy sector, which currently represents 3% of Canada’s GDP,  or around $57 billion in 2017.

☼ Sign the pledge to show your support for a Green New Deal for Canada Read the pact here. It calls for 100% renewable economy based on public ownership and dignified, well-paying work in collaboration with Indigenous Nations.Take Action!

☢ Let's cut hydro costs instead of the services Ontarians need Sign our petition to express your support for cutting hydro costs by making a deal with Quebec instead of cutting valuable public services.

☢ Please contact Premier Ford and ask him to buy low-cost Quebec water power and cancel the high-cost Darlington Re-Build Project. Text his cell phone # is 416-805-2156 or email him at Doug.Ford at pc.ola.org. Click here to email him now. And please sign and share the petition here.

☢ Volunteers needed: We're leafletting mailboxes in Doug Ford's hood of N. Etobicoke. Can you join the group blitzes -- or go out in your own anywhere in ON? If so, please contact  angela at cleanairalliance.org

☢ Canadian Government must protect our rivers from radioactive waste Please sign the petition to protect the Ottawa and Winnipeg Rivers currently threatened by three Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL’s) nuclear waste dump proposals.Events

☢ Ontario is Not for Sale Sat. June 8, Waterloo, ON. Join Ontario’s environmental community to launch a coordinated response to the Ford Gov’t’s attack on our environment and our province.
 
☢ Protest Flotilla to Protect the Ottawa River Sat. July 27. Join us for a family-friendly Flotilla Protest against the federal government and its negligence in regulating the irresponsible proposals made by SNC Lavalin and other multinationals to build low-budget radioactive waste dumps on the shores of the Ottawa River at Chalk River and Rolphton.
 
☢ International Anti-nuclear Summer Camp 2019 Join the gathering in Germany on August 12-18 for networking, exchanging of experiences and knowledge regarding nuclear policies, skill sharing, preparing common campaigns, actions and projects.
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