No Nukes News: mining, coal, weapons

Mon May 17 11:41:24 EDT 2010

No Nukes News

May 14, 2010

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Hello OCAA contacts and volunteers…

Got a few hours to spare for the planet?

As you know our most recent campaign is calling for a ramped up coal
phase-out in Ontario, specifically by the G-8/20 which is June 25-27. It’s
the perfect opportunity for Premier McGuinty to get global and local
recognition for the most progressive climate initiative on the continent,
and it would show the world that Ontarians do care about the environment!

We’re distributing this leaflet, which includes a postcard to McGuinty:
http://www.cleanairalliance.org/files/active/0/CoalPhaseOut-web.pdf

Can you help us distribute them? Let me know if you can spare some time and
I’ll fill you in on how you can help.

-          angela at cleanairalliance.org

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Council: Shut Down Coal Now!

Hamilton City council is asking the provincial government to shut down
coal-fired electricity plants in Ontario including the massive one in
Nanticoke.  Councillors were told this week that a sharp drop in electricity
demand along with rapidly expanding sustainable energy production means the
McGuinty government can accomplish its planned coal phase-out four years
early.

http://www.viewmag.com/13003-Council%3A+Shut+Down+Coal+Now!.htm

Please contact Premier McGuinty <mailto:Dmcguinty.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>
and asked him to phase-out coal now (and cc me
<mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org> ).

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Coal's Toxic Sludge

Big coal has spent millions of dollars over the past year touting the
virtues of what the industry calls "clean coal," but it's no secret that
coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. When you burn it, coal releases monstrous
quantities of deadly compounds and gases - and it all has to go somewhere.
The worst of the waste - heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium and mercury, all
of which are highly toxic - are concentrated in the ash that's left over
after coal is burned or in the dirty sludge that's scrubbed from
smokestacks. Each year, coal plants in the U.S. churn out nearly 140 million
tons of coal ash - more than 900 pounds for every American - generating the
country's second-largest stream of industrial waste, surpassed only by
mining. If you piled all the coal ash on a single football field, it would
create a toxic mountain more than 20 miles high.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/;kw=[3351,94939]?RS_show_page=0
<http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/;kw=%5b3351,94939%5d?RS_show_page
=0>

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The Crisis Comes Ashore

Why the oil spill could change everything.

By Al Gore

The continuing undersea gusher of oil 50 miles off the shores of Louisiana
is not the only source of dangerous uncontrolled pollution spewing into the
environment. Worldwide, the amount of man-made CO2 being spilled every three
seconds into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding the planet equals the
highest current estimate of the amount of oil spilling from the Macondo well
every day. Indeed, the average American coal-fired power generating plant
gushes more than three times as much global-warming pollution into the
atmosphere each day-and there are over 1,400 of them.

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/the-crisis-comes-ashore

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In the aftermath of the oil spill disaster, voters overwhelmingly support a
comprehensive clean energy bill…. Voters understand the dangers of our
dependence on oil. Now, they’re ready to hold Congress accountable.

http://climateprogress.org/2010/05/10/oil-spill-poll-energy-bill-climate/#mo
re-24783

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Left in the dust

AREVA’s radioactive legacy in the desert towns of Niger.

In one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last in the Human
Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where
more than 40% of children are underweight for their age, water and access to
improved water sources is scarce and almost three quarters of the population
are illiterate1, the French nuclear giant AREVA extracts precious-and
deadly-natural resources, earning billions for its Fortune 5002 corporation,
and leaving little behind but centuries of environmental pollution and
health risks for the citizens of Niger.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/Left-in-the-
dust/

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Nuclear Power Nearly as Dangerous as Weapons, Critics Say

The quest for nuclear disarmament is likely to fail if governments and
corporations continue to promote nuclear technologies as a solution to the
world's energy needs, say independent experts.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51354

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More delays plague N.B. nuclear plant

New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham was in Ottawa last week to ask the Harper
government to help cover the estimated $475 million in cost overruns at
Point Lepreau.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/more-delays-plague-nb-n
uclear-plant-aecl-says-work-to-take-months-longer-92776679.html

Background:  Originally scheduled to be finished by September 2009, at a
fixed price of $1.4 billion, the "refurbished" Point  Lepreau nuclear
reactor is now not expected to be ready before the end of February 2011.
This doubles the total amount of time estimated for the refurbishment, and
there is always a likelihood of further delays.

Refurbishment is a mild term for the complete gutting of the reactor core,
the removal of thousands of highly radioactive and corroded pipes both
inside and outside of the core, and the complete rebuilding of the core and
the primary cooling system of the reactor.

Each day of delay costs the utility about a million dollars in replacement
power, for an additional $450 million at least. This does not include the
added expenses associated

with the delays in the reconstruction work itself.

Back in 2002, the New Brunswick Public Utility Board had advised against the
reconstruction project on the grounds that the risks and uncertainties for
the N.B. taxpayers were

too great.  - Gordon Edwards.

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Radioactive Steam Generator Shipments Put the Great Lakes and Global
Consumer Products at Risk

Upwards of 50 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and groups from a dozen
nations, and over 150 individuals throughout and beyond the Great Lakes and
St. Lawrence Seaway have signed onto a resolution opposing Bruce Power's
plan to transport radioactively contaminated equipment through the Great
Lakes, along the St. Lawrence River, across the Atlantic Ocean and into the
Baltic Sea to Sweden for melting and release into the marketplace.

The original resolution is posted at:
http://www.nirs.org/radwaste/glresradsteamgen.pdf  Please sign on as an
individual or as a group.

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Impending Environmental Disaster: Uranium Mining Begins Near Grand Canyon

In defiance of legal challenges and a U.S. Government moratorium, Canadian
company Denison Mines has started mining uranium on the north rim of the
Grand Canyon. Uranium is a known cause of cancers, organ damage,
miscarriages & birth defects.

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va
<http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18116> &aid=18116

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Coal mining ravages Appalachia mountains

They're ripping the tops off mountains in West Virginia coal country to feed
our insatiable appetite for power. It's cheaper that way. And the trees and
the animals and the flooding? It may not be pretty, but we've got all those
dishwashers to run

What does this have to do with you? This is where Ontario gets 40 per cent
of the fuel powering its coal-fired power plants. Ontario Power Generation
is a big buyer from West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Company
spokesperson John Earl says 40 per cent of its coal comes from there. The
coal is used to stoke burners at its two biggest coal-fired plants,
Nanticoke and Lambton.

http://www.thestar.com/article/306165

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We Need a Road Map to a Coal-Free Future

In the wake of the worst coal mining disaster in 40 years, compromise and
political machinations this spring have resulted in a regulatory crisis of
failure; workplace safety in the mines, including the black lung scandal,
has emerged as a national tragedy; toxic coal ash remains uncategorized as
hazardous waste; mountaintop removal operations and devastating strip mining
in 24 states continue under regulatory plunder, not abolishment; billions of
taxpayers’ dollars pour down the black hole of carbon capture and storage
boondoggles, increasing coal production; climate legislation hangs in the
balance of political games.

Our modern-day Paine, James Hansen at the NASA Goddard Center, has issued a
similar clarion call: “Coal is the single greatest threat to civilization
and all life on our planet. Our global climate is nearing tipping points.”

Clean energy independence, not coal, will bring more sustainable jobs. Wind,
solar, hydropower and turbine manufacturing, along with weatherization,
retrofitting appliances and homes, could create jobs. The Appalachian
Regional Commission found that “energy-efficiency investments could result
in an increase of 77,378 net jobs by 2030″ in the region.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/146763/we_need_a_road_map_to_a_coalfree_
future

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Leachate might contain radioactive contaminants because of past uranium
mining in the area

Leachate treatment raises public concerns
http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true
<http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1584171
> &e;=1584171

Test water for radiation, reader urges
http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true
<http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1714629
> &e;=1714629

Leachate from landfill treated in Barry's Bay
http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true
<http://www.barrysbaythisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1543356
> &e;=1543356

"In a telephone interview on Monday, Manning said that the leachate is not
tested for uranium or radioactivity by OCWA because it is not among the
required tests."

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Windmill Boom Curbs Electric Power Prices for RWE (renewable wind energy)

Twice this year, the nation’s 21,000 wind turbines pumped out so much power
that utilities reduced customer bills for using the surplus electricity.
Since the first rebate came with little fanfare at 5 a.m. one October day in
2008, payments have risen as high as 500.02 euros ($665) a megawatt-hour.

Wind’s impact on prices results from its “low marginal costs,” which
pushes more expensive technologies including natural gas and coal out of the
market, the Poeyry study said. Fossil-fuel burning relies on fuel, which can
boost the price of electricity from those sources.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109
<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aGDZMpv5Y9Vo&pos=13>
&sid=aGDZMpv5Y9Vo&pos=13

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Living Downstream

Canadian Premiere of documentary feature film, Living Downstream

Bloor Cinema, Toronto

Tues. May 18, 7:30 p.m.

General admission: $10. Advance tickets available via Brown Paper Tickets
(http://ca.brownpapertickets.com/event/109106) and in person from all Book
City locations.  Remaining tickets available at the box office one hour
before the screening.

Co-presentation of Planet in Focus and Women’s Healthy Environments Network

Living Downstream is an eloquent feature-length documentary that charts the
life and work of Sandra Steingraber: a biologist, author, cancer survivor
and cancer prevention advocate.  Like the book on which it is based, Living
Downstream documents the growing body of scientific evidence that links
human health with the health of our environment.

http://www.livingdownstream.com <http://www.livingdownstream.com/>

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CANSEC is Canada's largest and most important War-Industry Trade Show - held
June 2-3 in Ottawa.
Please join the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) in opposing it
this weapons bazaar. Be part of this campaign.

What is CANSEC, and why do we oppose it?
http://coat.ncf.ca/CANSEC2010/CANSEC2010article.htm

"CANSEC: War is Business" (50-page COAT publication. Get the nitty gritty)
http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/64/64.htm

"Rally for Peace," June 2, 5-7 pm, Ottawa  (Our main antiCANSEC event)
Includes a list of speakers, poets and musicians, and links to their
websites.
http://coat.ncf.ca/CANSEC2010/Rally.htm

"Peace Bus" from Toronto to Ottawa, June 2: All aboard for the anti-CANSEC
rally
http://coat.ncf.ca/CANSEC2010/TOPeaceBus.htm

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Coal Facts:

-          In 2009, coal-fired electricity generation in Ontario caused the
deaths of 246 people and led to 342 hospital admissions, 406 emergency room
visits and almost 123,000 minor illnesses. If we wait till 2014 before
shutting down our coal plants, that’ll mean the death of 1000 Ontarians
plus hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks.

-          Coal-fired power plants are a major contributor to smog,
producing a significant percentage of Ontario’s nitrogen oxides and sulphur
dioxide emissions, as well as airborne mercury emissions, lead and arsenic.

-          Coal-fired electricity is no longer profitable for Ontario Power
Generation (OPG).  In 2009, OPG received a $412 million subsidy from
electricity consumers to compensate for operating losses at the Nanticoke
and Lambton coal-fired power plants.

-          In 2009, coal was responsible for only 6.6% of Ontario’s total
electricity production.  Ontario’s coal-free electricity generation
capacity is now 23% higher than the forecast peak demand for the summer of
2010 and this excess coal-free capacity is expected to grow. This means that
we don’t need to burn coal to meet our electricity needs!

-          We should continue ramping up green energy procurement such as
wind, solar, geothermal and hydro imports from Quebec. We should be burning
cleaner natural gas rather than dirty coal.  And most importantly, we should
be reducing demand through aggressive energy conservation and efficiency
programs.

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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/>

Our Facebook Group

 <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/petition.php> Sign Our Petition

 <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/nonukesnews.php> No Nukes News

 <http://www.healthpower.ca/> Health Power

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