Author: admin

— Fukushima rice will be sold in Great Britain

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From Japan Times
Fukushima Minpo
Jun 19, 2016

Fukushima-harvested rice will hit the stores in Britain in July, which might make it the first member of the EU to import the grain, following a sustained effort by a group of Fukushima natives in London fighting rumors about the safety of the crop.

It is also the third nation, after Singapore and Malaysia, to import Fukushima rice since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused three reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. Starting next month, 1.9 tons of Fukushima rice called Ten no Tsubu will be sold in London. A Fukushima branch of National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, a Japanese farmers group better known as Zen-Noh, will export the rice via a British trading company.

“With the U.K. as a foothold, we hope to expand the sale of prefecture-produced rice to other EU member countries,” said Nobuo Ohashi, who heads the Fukushima branch of Zen-Noh.

According to Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the EU has been phasing out its ban on Fukushima food products since the nuclear disaster started. But for Fukushima rice, the EU still obliges importers to submit a radiation test certified by the Japanese government or sample tests by the member nation importing it.

“It’s bright news for Fukushima, which has been struggling with the import restrictions,” said an official at the prefectural office in charge of promoting its products. “We will make further efforts so the restrictions will be lifted entirely.”

There were many hurdles to overcome.

Amid fears that Fukushima products were tainted with radioactive fallout, Yoshiro Mitsuyama, who heads the Fukushima group in London, consulted an official at Zen-Noh’s branch in Germany on how to sell Fukushima products a few years ago.

With the help of Zen-Noh, Mitsuyama’s group started selling Fukushima-made rice, peach and apple juice at the annual Japan Matsuri held at London’s Trafalgar Square three years ago.

The products were popular with London residents. When Visit Japan Ambassador Martin Barrow came to Fukushima last April, he bought some local produce.

“I want to help sell Fukushima fruits like cherries, apples and pears in London as well, not just rice,” said Mitsuyama.

This section, appearing every third Monday, features topics and issues covered by the Fukushima Minpo, the largest newspaper in Fukushima Prefecture. The original article was published on May 25.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/06/19/national/fukushima-rice-set-to-make-first-eu-foray-with-debut-in-britain/#.V2jIyOzn9Qw

Posted under Fair Use Rules.

— Hearing on Senate Bill 968 Diablo Canyon, June 22

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Hearing
Senator Bill Monning’s Senate Bill 968 on Diablo Canyon
Wednesday, June 22
California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
State Capitol, Room 437

The hearing starts at 1:30 pm.

The public may attend and give testimony on opposition to this bill.

( Listen to this hearing )

Mike Gatto, Chair

S.B.No. 968 Monning.Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 powerplant.

http://autl.assembly.ca.gov/hearings

For the committee members and contact info:

http://autl.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff

Committee Phone: (916) 319-2083

Sue Kateley,
Chief Consultant
Email: sue.kateley@asm.ca.gov

Edmond Cheung,
Senior Consultant
Email: edmond.cheung@asm.ca.gov

Heather Hamp,
Committee Secretary
Email:  heather.hamp@asm.ca.gov

 

 

— Diablo Canyon: SB 968 approved unanimously by Senate; first reading in Assembly June 2

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SB 968 passed the California Senate on June 1. It is now in the state Assembly and has had a first reading.

There were a few text changes but not those requested by Mothers for Peace. Interestingly,  a provision for public hearings has been eliminated from the bill.
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB968

Information on bill history :  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB968

— Beta radiation spikes from the Netherlands to Russia + Snapshots of 3-month radiation graphs + (EURDEP)

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From Michaël Van Broekhoven, Allegedly Apparent:

7, 2016 (June 8, 2016, 0:45 am UTC)

NOTICE:

DATA

Scroll down for the two beta radiation data graphs (at the end of this blog post).

The below graphs show three 1-month radiation graphs pasted together (3 months per line), in no particular order.  The exact location can be found with the coordinates listed unde the monitor name.   This adds to many months of documentations that without any doubt:   Something’s up!

For full article:
https://allegedlyapparent.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/breaking-beta-radiation-spikes-from-the-netherlands-to-russia-snapshots-of-3-month-radiation-graphs-eurdep/

— Fukushima medical survey confirms 14 new child thyroid cancer cases, dozens more suspected

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From RT
June 7, 2016

Get short URL
A doctor conducts a thyroid examination on four-year-old Maria Sakamoto, brought by her mother to the office of Iwaki Radiation Citizen Centre NPO, Iwaki town, Fukushima prefecture. © Damir Sagolj
A doctor conducts a thyroid examination on four-year-old Maria Sakamoto, brought by her mother to the office of Iwaki Radiation Citizen Centre NPO, Iwaki town, Fukushima prefecture. © Damir Sagolj / Reuters
The number of child thyroid cancers discovered in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster has reached 131, with the latest panel review adding 14 to the list of those suffering from the deadly disease, along with dozens of new suspected cases.
After the latest review of the ongoing second round of medical checkups conducted on almost 300,000 children who were aged 18 or younger at the time of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011, the prefecture-run program announced that a total 131 people have now been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Some 30 thyroid cancer cases were added to the radiation victims toll following the second round of checkups that began in April 2014. A further 27 people are suspected of having the disease. Previous numbers disclosed in February showed that 16 patients suffered from cancer.

In the latest announcement, scientists also say that a child who was less than five-years-old at the time of the tragedy had also been diagnosed with cancer. The new figures of those confirmed or suspected to have thyroid cancer have tumors ranging from 5.3 mm to 35.6 mm.

The first thyroid cancer detection round studying minors was conducted in Japan between 2011 to 2014 and discovered 101 people with thyroid cancer. With the latest numbers, the new toll stands at 131, while another 41 are suspected of suffering from radiation exposure, Japan Times reports.

“Concerns have been growing among Fukushima residents with the increase in the number of cancer patients. We’d like to further conduct an in-depth study,” said Hokuto Hoshi, head of the panel and a senior member of the Fukushima Medical Association.

He however maintained the panel’s earlier accession that it is “unlikely” that the disease cases was caused by radiation exposure, reiterating claims that there is no direct link between thyroid cancer and the nuclear disaster.

After the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, radioactive elements were released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. After the release, Fukushima Prefecture continued to conduct thyroid screening ultrasounds on all residents agds 18 years and younger. The first round of screening included 298,577 examinees, while the round that began in April 2014 focuses on 267,769 people.

https://www.rt.com/news/345641-fukushima-child-thyroid-cancer/

Press conference in March:

 

— Michaël Van Broekhoven: Fukushima’s full-on China Syndrome, still fissioning

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Posted on Allegedly Apparent

May 27, 2016

Fukshima Full-On China Syndrome, Still Fissioning! Just Another Opinion-Ramble, Sprinkled with Data (+ Possible Correction on Recent German Spikes; & Obama in Hiroshima – 2)

by

Cs137Blip_Spitzbergen

Cesium-137 blowing around in the arctic air…  May 22, 2016

DISCLAIMER – Colorado Rocky Mountains (USA) – May 26-28, 2016

I know it’s overkill by now… I’ve long established the obviousness that the official radiation networks are rigged to hide much of the data when it matters most.  But at the same time, they have let an amazing amount of data slip through the nets, though.  The past couple years of on-and-off scrutinizing of some of this has failed to undo my “mere suspicion” that radioactive clouds continue to come from “Northern Japan somewhere” (or perhaps “something in the Pacific east of there”), with Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Catastrophe site remaining my #1 suspect.

For full post:

https://allegedlyapparent.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/fukushima-opinion-fissioning-co60-coverup-hiroshima-deception-obama/

 

Greg Palast: How the 2016 Election is being and will be stolen… and New Angles on Fukushima

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From OpEd News

The Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show Podcast

Greg Palast Investigative reporter, formerly with Guardian and BBC, now with Rolling Stone

Interviewed by Rob Kall

Broadcast May 24, 2016

Excerpt:

Rob: Tell me about Fukushima

In NY I directed an investigation of nuclear plants, we found that guys who build nuclear plants lie. about the cost, about the safety.

Stone and Webster was found guilty of conspiracy, racketeering and fraud charges against.

I have the notebooks which say that the earthquake proofing had been faked.

In the case of Fukushima, one of the lies spread by the US media, like Anderson Cooper, was that no-one expected a 9.0 earthquake to hit Fukushima.

The nuclear plant at Fukushima, was well under the tolerance Fukushima was supposed to handle.

All the emergency Diesel generators failed. Same used by all the plants– most are old cruise ship engines. They are supposed to snap on when there’s an accident. But cruise ships warm up their engines for h ours before torquing. So, when the Nuclear plants need the power, they have 12 seconds to fire up. So they fail. They know they will fail. They are like Xmas decorations.

There are some “greenies” who say we should resuscitate the Nuclear industry– like Obama.

Rob: So, Stone and Webster are the ones who built Fukushima.

They are literally rebuilding Fukushima, with a new name, Shaw Construction.

They are the problem. They are the danger.

Full transcript and podcast:

http://opednews.com/Podcast/Greg-Palast-How-the-2016-by-Rob-Kall-Election-Integrity_Election-Rigging_Election-Tampering_Election-Voting-Issues-160526-790.html

Taiwan: Explosion completely destroys surge protection device at Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant, May 29; could have caused ‘disastrous damage’

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From RSOE EDIS
Nuclear Event in Taiwan on May 29 2016 04:22 PM (UTC).

Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) yesterday said that it is still investigating what damaged a surge protection device at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District earlier this month, while dismissing allegations that the incident was caused by an explosion.

Three surge arresters of the generator at the plant’s No. 2 reactor – which is undergoing annual maintenance – burned down for unknown reasons on May 16, an incident that was publicized by New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang on Friday. Local residents had reported a fire at the plant, and the Atomic Energy Council on Thursday told Huang the incident was only a “tripping event,” but failed to explain what caused the event.

Huang visited the facility and saw “three surge arresters and bus bars [that] were completely destroyed by an explosion and burned black,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday. “Parts that were blown off [from arresters and bus bars] shattered the casing of a nearby fan, suggesting the power of the explosion. The most shocking part was that the explosion occurred just a few steps away from a hydrogen cooling system, which, had it been ignited, would have caused disastrous damage,” he said.

The aging plant’s damaged equipment had been in use since the plant’s construction in the 1970s, while the power generation system involved in the incident had just passed a Taipower maintenance test that was approved by the council, Huang said, questioning the reliability of the test.

The party caucus plans to propose a motion at the Legislative Yuan this week to suspend reactivation of the reactor until the cause of the explosion is understood, with reactivation subject to approval by the legislature, he said.

Taipower vice president Chai Fu-feng said a task force consisting of company officials and foreign experts is still analyzing what caused the incident, adding that what happened was not an explosion, but rather a “high-temperature compression.”

“The high-temperature compression was caused by overvoltage, with heated inflated gases inside the arrester casings triggering an electric arc effect that damaged the casings. We are still trying to understand what caused the overvoltage and are examining the power generation facilities, including fans and transformers,” Chai said.

The task force has identified a number of factors that might have resulted in overvoltage, which have yet to be confirmed and cannot be revealed at the moment, he added. The reactor was not damaged at all, he said. A complete analysis is to be submitted to the council next month at the earliest, while repairs are expected to be completed in July, meaning the reactor can only be restarted then, he said.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=NC-20160529-53506-TWN

— Diablo Canyon: Action Alert from Mothers for Peace on SB 968

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Update June 6: SB 968 passed the California Senate on June 1. It is now in the state Assembly and has has a first reading. Information on bill history :  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB968

ACTION ALERT FROM MOTHERS FOR PEACE

PLEASE CALL, WRITE, OR FAX YOUR STATE SENATOR

http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ – follow link and enter zip code

VOTE NO – SB 968/THE MONNING BILL

SB968 would require Pacific Gas and Electric Company to submit an assessment of the economic impact for the regions surrounding Diablo Canyon that could occur if the Diablo Canyon power plant Units 1 and 2 were to temporarily or permanently shut down.

In light of the recent heavy push by The Breakthrough Institute, unions, and others to keep the plant open until 2044-2045, we feel that this bill will unintentionally become an organizing tool and “hit piece” for those asking for re-licensing.  Please write, phone, fax or email your state senator – tell them: VOTE NO!

  The bill is still unbalanced:   The inclusion of the words “beneficial” and “net economic effects” does begin the process of balancing the bill but that is where that “balance” ends.  The language of the bill itself still focuses on adverse economic effects.

  “Mitigation” is not clearly defined:  The terms “mitigate” and “mitigation” must be clearly defined or examples of the types of mitigation be described “Mitigation would include exploring the creation of jobs for which some employees at Diablo might be qualified or for which they could be offered training. Mitigation would also include the assessment of alternative renewable forms of energy that might be added at the Diablo Canyon site or at other locations in San Luis Obispo County or nearby regions.”

  There is no call to also study a successful closure:  SONGS was shut down unexpectedly thereby creating a lot of problems that would not have been present in a planned closure.  For a truly balanced study one must also look at another NPP that was “successfully” shut down.  In the State of California, that NPP would be Rancho Seco in Sacramento.  All of the waste is being stored on-site in dry-cask storage and the land around the closed plant is now a solar farm.  There are many lessons to be learned from Rancho Seco and a study of that closure must be included.

  The bill is incomplete; it does not direct a study of what happens in case of an accident: There are two ways Diablo Canyon will shut down.

A planned closure:

  • In 2024-2025 if relicensing does not occur and the plant closes when the current licenses expire

         In 2044-2045 if relicensing does occur.

An unplanned closure:

         The State Lands Commission denies Diablo Canyon land use permits and the plant must close.

         The CA State Water Board rules that Diablo Canyon is no longer exempt from the Clean Air Act and can no longer use Once Through Cooling.  The cost of building cooling towers could cause PG&E to close Diablo like SCGE did at San Onofre because of the generators.

         There is a larger than design basis earthquake that causes a radioactive release, spent-fuel pool fire or, worst case scenario, causes a melt-down in the containment.

Why would one look only at one scenario of early closure and not also look at the cost that an accident would cause?   If the County of San Luis Obispo and surrounding regions are to be able to use the information that this study would provide, they need ALL of the information not just some of it.

To determine who your senator is, go to http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ and enter your zip code.

 

— Mothers for Peace asks Sen. Monning for changes to Diablo Canyon bill, gets no response

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Update June 6: SB 968 passed the California Senate on June 1. It is now in the state Assembly and has had a first reading. There were a few text changes but not those requested by Mothers for Peace. Interestingly,  a provision for public hearings has been eliminated from the bill. Information on bill history :  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB968

Letter from San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace to California Senator Bill Monning May 19, 2016. The proposed text changes to Senate Bill 968 are here.

Senator Monning has not responded. SB 968 was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday, May 27, and goes to the full California Senate for approval this week.

May 19, 2016

Senator Bill Monning
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 313
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 968

Senator Monning & staff;

We would like to try, one more time, to find a way to support rather than oppose SB 968. Below you will find our thoughts on the bill and what we believe it will take for us to retract our opposition. Please note that this comes from SLO Mothers for Peace; we do not speak for the other 30 organizations that have signed on to the opposition letter. When changes are made that we deem viable we will share them with the other signers to see if those changes will change their stance on the bill.

The inclusion of the words “beneficial” and “net economic effects” in the Legislative Digest and in the first part of the body does begin the process of balancing the bill but that is where that “balance” ends. Below we will point out where the language of the bill itself needs to be changed to reflect the balance that is necessary to ensure that this is a true study of all of the economic impacts, adverse and beneficial. In light of the recent heavy push by The Breakthrough Institute, unions, and others to keep the plant open until 2044-2045, we feel these changes are necessary in order to ensure that this study does not unintentionally become an organizing tool and “hit piece” for those asking for re-licensing.

The following is a list of changes and/or additions we would need to see in order to withdraw our opposition to SB 968:

1) 712.5 (a) (1) There is an incongruity in SECTION 1, line 6. It states: “. . .for the region surrounding the County of San Luis Obispo,. . .” Does this mean that the study is only for Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties? Shouldn’t it read something like, “. . .the County of San Luis Obispo, the region surrounding the County of San Luis Obispo, and the state as a whole. . .”?

2) 712.5 (a) (1) Line 15 “. . .for the state and local jurisdictions to consider in order to mitigate the adverse economic impact of a shutdown. . .”. It should also call for enhancement the positive economic effects.

3) 712.5 (b) (1) – “Estimates of any decreases in local or state tax revenues, decreases in workforce populations, losses in indirect or induced economies, and potential impacts to ratepayers from an early shutdown.” We would also like to see something like: “Estimates of any increases in local or state tax revenues, increases in workforce populations, gains in indirect or induced economies, and potential impacts to ratepayers from a transition to reliance on new sources of energy generation from renewables, above and beyond existing state mandates, to replace the power from Diablo Canyon upon its closure.”

4) 712.5 (b) (2) – “A review of the economic impacts that affected the region surrounding the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.” SONGS was shut down unexpectedly thereby creating a lot of problems that would not have been present in a planned closure. For a truly balanced study one must also look at another NPP that was “successfully” shut down. In the State of California, that NPP would be Rancho Seco in Sacramento. All of the waste is being stored on-site in dry-cask storage and the land around the closed plant is now a solar farm. There are many lessons to be learned from Rancho Seco and a study of that closure must be included.

5) 712.5 (b) (4) – “Identification of any contingency plans that could mitigate the adverse economic impact of a shutdown to state and local jurisdictions, the local workforce, and entities receiving enhanced tax revenue.” This is, again, focused to the negative. We believe it should read: “. . .plans that could mitigate the adverse economic impact and enhance the positive economic impact of a shutdown. . .” Also, the terms “mitigate” and “mitigation” must be clearly defined or examples of the types of mitigation be described “Mitigation would include exploring the creation of jobs for which some employees at Diablo might be qualified or for which they could be offered training. Mitigation would also include the assessment of alternative renewable forms of energy that might be added at the Diablo Canyon site or at other locations in San Luis Obispo County or nearby regions.”

6) There are two ways Diablo Canyon will shut down.

  • A planned closure:
    • In 2024-2025 if relicensing does not occur and the plant closes when the current licenses expire
    • In 2044-2045 if relicensing does occur.
  • An unplanned closure:
    • The State Lands Commission denies Diablo Canyon land use permits and the plant must close.
    • The CA State Water Board rules that Diablo Canyon is no longer exempt from the Clean Air Act and can no longer use Once Through Cooling. The cost of building cooling towers could cause PG&E to close Diablo like SCGE did at San Onofre because of the generators.
    • There is a larger than design basis earthquake that causes a radioactive release, spent-fuel pool fire or, worst case scenario, a melt-down in the containment.

Why would one look only at one scenario of early closure and not also look at the cost that an accident would cause? If the County of SLO and its surrounding areas are to be able to use the information that this study would provide, they need ALL of the information not just some of it.

We still have concerns about the selection process of an “independent third party”. However, we do understand that there may be no alternative to that selection process other than as outlined in the bill.

There are also some word changes here and there that would also balance the bill. We have attached a copy of the bill as we would like to see it with our recommendations in bolded, italicized blue font.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

SLO Mothers for Peace Board

Elaine Holder             Sherry Lewis

Lucy J Swanson           Nancy Norwood

Linda Seeley               Molly Johnson

Jill ZamEk

Cc: Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson
Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian

———————————————————————————

SLO Mothers for Peace          PO Box 3608   San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 https://mothersforpeace.org