No Nukes News: Ride for Renewables

Wed Aug 18 15:54:22 EDT 2010

No Nukes News

August 18, 2010

Pass this onto a friend! - a

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Still no news on new reactors for Darlington

The Province continues to "actively and aggressively" lean on the federal government to get to a point where a deal can be made to build new reactors at Darlington, says Energy Minister Brad Duguid. 

http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/business/article/160091

Please help us put the pressure on the feds to NOT support Ontario’s bid for federal subsidies for 2 new reactors! 

Distribute these leaflets <http://ontariosgreenfuture.ca/CostlyNukes_12_09.pdf>  in your community – they’re free and appropriate for distro anywhere in Canada. 

They include postcards to Harper and Ignatieff to oppose federal tax-payer subsidies for new nuclear reactors in Ontario. 

Order them from me – thanks in advance!

- Angela at cleanairalliance.org.

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Coalition Calls for the Halt of Radioactive Steam Generator Shipment

In a letter to U.S., Canadian, and Indigenous leaders last week, Great Lakes United called for a halt to the planned shipment of 1700 metric tonnes of radioactive waste through the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River later this year.

Register for the public hearing:
 <http://glu.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b50150b6b71e8dcf75816ab81&id=abe9a046ad&e=58a4663c5a> http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/commission/pdf/2010-09-29-Notice-2010-H-09-BrucePower-SteamGenerators-Edocs3588493-e.pdf

Background:
 <http://glu.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b50150b6b71e8dcf75816ab81&id=caa135bad4&e=58a4663c5a> www.glu.org/en/campaigns/energy/nuclear/steam-generators

ACTION ALERT: Voice your concern to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regarding Bruce Power's plan to ship radioactive steam generators across the Great Lakes

http://www.cela.ca/newsevents/action-alert/action-alert-voice-your-concern-canadian-nuclear-safety-commission-cnsc-rega

Sign the petition here to Stop Shipment of Radioactive Components through Great Lakes:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3670

Background:  During the early decades of the nuclear age, people were told (and are still being told) that all nuclear waste will undergo "disposal" -- a word with no scientific definition, for humans have never successfully "disposed" of anything.

But in recent years, the nuclear industry has significantly altered its previous doctrine.  The new buzz-word is "recycling". The industry, it seems, wants some of the "good vibes" associated with Environmentalism's "3 Rs" -- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  

But recycling is a deceptive word to use, for the nuclear industry wants to gradually disseminate brand new highly dangerous waste materials -- radioactive species which never existed before --  into general circulation, as invisible contaminants.

These wastes, previously intended for permanent storage, are now intended to be shipped across lakes, oceans, and continents so that the companies who created them can lower their storage costs.  They want to reduce the volume of waste by spreading it around, and "decontaminating" it as they go.

But decontaminating is by no means perfect.  Radioactivity has to go somewhere -- into the air, into the water, into the soil . . . and increasingly, into ordinary items of commerce.  

Thus everyone on earth will soon be receiving their own personal allotment of radioactive plutonium, cesium-137, cobalt-60, iron-55, nickel-63, and many other radioactive waste materials in their household purchases -- a gift from the nuclear industry.

The following text deals with a radioactive metal "recycling" facility in Northern England (Cumbria) that was licensed in February 2008 against the wishes of many local inhabitants.

The plant is operated by Studsvik of Sweden.

Bruce Power's current plan to ship 16 radioactive steam generators, each the size of a school bus, through the Great Lakes, along the St. Lawrence River, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Sweden, is for the express purpose of having Studsvik, there, make 90 percent of the contaminated metal available for "unrestricted use".  - Gordon Edwards.

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Hydro hike looms with break to industry

Homeowners could be zapped with an extra $48 in annual hydro costs after Premier Dalton McGuinty’s cabinet quietly approved a break on electricity rates for huge industrial users, the Star has learned.

The move extends time-of-use pricing now in effect for homeowners — allowing them to use electricity cheaper at off-peak times, such as nights and weekends — to major firms like Ford, Vale Inco, and Imperial Oil.

It will give big power-consuming sectors an incentive to conserve energy, cut their costs and, the government hopes, keep manufacturing, mining and refining jobs in Ontario. 

“Shifting usage to off-peak times helps to reduce costs to the system benefitting all users, because it avoids additional costs incurred by building new generation (power stations),” said one government official.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/848684--hydro-hike-looms-with-break-to-industry

Letter to the Editor: 

Premier McGuinty’s decision to raise peak and lower off-peak electricity rates for residential and industrial consumers makes sense for two reasons.

First, higher peak hour electricity prices, by encouraging energy efficiency and load shifting, will help speed up the phase-out of our dirty coal-fired power plants.  Speeding up the coal phase-out will prevent up to 550,000 asthma attacks and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Second, higher peak hour prices will reduce the need for new high-cost gas-fired peaker plants (e.g., the proposed Pristine power plant in King Township) by providing a strong incentive to reduce peak hour electricity use.  

We need to pay the true costs of the energy we consume and stop kidding ourselves about the real costs of burning coal and meeting summer spikes in electricity demand.

-          Jack Gibbons, Chair, Ontario Clean Air Alliance

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Greenpeace projection at Pickering nuclear site shows cracks in McGuinty’s energy plans
Green power more affordable than replacing Pickering with new nuclear

Greenpeace activists projected an enormous crack onto the dome of the aging Pickering nuclear station last night to demand the McGuinty government replace the aging reactors with green energy instead of expensive new reactors as planned. (Photos here: gallery.greenpeace.ca )

Using a high powered projector, Greenpeace activists projected the messages, “Nuclear: A Dangerous Waste of Time, A Dangerous Waste of Money,” and “Green Energy: Less Risky, More Affordable” onto the 50 meter reactor dome to highlight how massive amounts of time and money have been wasted preparing to replace Pickering with new reactors at the Darlington site 60km east of Toronto. 

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/Greenpeace-projection-at-Pickering-nuclear-site-shows-cracks-in-McGuintys-energy-plans/ 

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Terra Ventures ends Quebec uranium project

A junior exploration company is reportedly shutting down its uranium exploration site near Sept-Îles, Que., after protests from local groups.

The possibility of a uranium mine angered many groups in Sept-Îles, a coastal community where more than 30 area doctors threatened to quit their jobs if the project went ahead. The town also adopted a motion asking for a moratorium on the operation.

Canada is the largest producer of uranium, which is used in nuclear power plants. There are currently no active uranium mines in Quebec.

  <http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/08/13/sept-iles-terra-ventures-project.html#ixzz0wXOWUbTR> http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/08/13/sept-iles-terra-ventures-project.html#ixzz0wXOWUbTR

Angela’s Note: Wow – protest works!

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Videos and Petition

Catch these 2 excellent videos on the Beyond Nuclear website. The first includes a petition to oppose all funding for new nuclear facilities and uranium mines, and to phase out all existing reactors. Canadians are welcome to sign.

http://www.beyondnuclear.org/

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Living the worry-free life in China’s ‘Atomic City’ 

Sheep’s teeth may turn black and fall out, but residents accept official assurances of safety

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/living-the-worry-free-life-in-chinas-atomic-city/article1672870/

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Cameco scales back its sales strategy

The uranium spot market continues to be a near-dead zone. 

 <http://www.financialpost.com/news/Cameco+scales+back+sales+strategy/3396989/story.html#ixzz0weJatvnh> http://www.financialpost.com/news/Cameco+scales+back+sales+strategy/3396989/story.html#ixzz0weJatvnh

Background:  Uranium exploration is spurred by speculation about the future demand for uranium.  In June 2007, uranium "spot" prices peaked at about $140 per pound.  But the much-publicized "nuclear renaissance" which led to this sudden jump in price has not materialized, as new reactors are not being built at a pace that would justify a vastly increased demand for uranium.  Hence the "spot" price of uranium is now less than a third of the peak value. Nuclear optimism keeps the price from falling further, but unless a breakthrough in reactor construction occurs soon, the price of uranium cannot be sustained at its current levels. - Gordon Edwards.

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King coal’s Ontario decline

It's great that we're using much less coal. A policy of gas first whenever technically possible would be even better. It might not lower the dirty fuel's contribution all the way to 1 per cent, but anything to hasten its demise would be welcome. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/environment/article/847373--gorrie-king-coal-s-ontario-decline 

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Quebec Hydro puts AECL plan on ice

Hydro-Quebec is pushing back the revamp of its Gentilly-2 nuclear station amid the uncertainty plaguing Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

http://www.canada.com/technology/Quebec+Hydro+puts+AECL+plan/3406890/story.html 

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The reality of nuclear energy is inconsistent with dreams of a renaissance

Nuclear energy is not on the rise – the hard facts point to a continuing, slow phase-out around the world

 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2010/aug/16/nuclear-energy-renaissance> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2010/aug/16/nuclear-energy-renaissance

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Ontario Government Gives Green Light to Solar Power Projects

Stakeholders congratulate government for protecting Ontario solar program

http://www.greenenergyact.ca/Page.asp?PageID=376 <http://www.greenenergyact.ca/Page.asp?PageID=376&ContentID=1437&SiteNodeID=215&BL_ExpandID> &ContentID=1437&SiteNodeID=215&BL_ExpandID= 

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Solar plant in Guelph could employ 500

Canadian Solar's revenue has climbed from $3 million in 2002 to $600 million in 2009, said Qu. The company has seven manufacturing facilities and employs roughly 8,000 worldwide. The Guelph plant will be one of the largest producers of solar modules in North America. 

The "landmark Green Energy Act is boosting investment in renewable energy projects and increasing conservation, creating green jobs and economic growth in Ontario," Qu said. 

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/760538 

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/846743--guelph-gets-new-solar-panel-plant

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Turning the grid into an info highway

In the near future, utilities and consumers across Canada will access a Web portal to share information about everything to do with energy -- from the state of system loads to power outages to billing. Already, some individuals and businesses are helping to supply their utility with renewable energies and generating a new stream of income for themselves in the process. This is possible because provinces and power generators across Canada are moving forward with smart electricity networks to conserve power, supply new demand and address global warming. 

Ontario in particular has gotten out in front of the smart grid movement in Canada. It has had to. The Ontario government has set an aggressive target to cut 6,300 megawatts of peak demand by 2025. This is equal to taking one in five users off the electricity supply grid. To do that, it is promoting a smart electricity network and will be replacing 80% of its current generating systems over the next 20 years. 

The goal is to create a power grid that will allow homeowners and businesses to generate power on site and feed excess power back into the grid using superconductive transmission lines and smart switching and relay systems. 

Perhaps the most important benefit of a smart grid is its ability to reduce the energy consumption in the network and the cost of running essential systems

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Turning+grid+into+info+highway/3406919/story.html 

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Renewable is Doable, an alliance including Greenpeace, the Canadian Environmental Law Association and the Pembina Institute, released a report last week showing how it’s cheaper to replace Pickering Nuclear station with green energy then to refurbish it.  

Read the report here: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/green-energy-plan/

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Stop Darlington: Ride For Renewables! 

Tuesday, August 24th – ride from Pickering to Darlington nuclear reactors

Premier McGuinty wants to nuke Ontario’s green future.  He wants to spend $26 billion to build new, dangerous and untested reactors at Darlington to replace the aging Pickering reactors, which are set to shut down in 2020. 

Spending billions on new nuclear reactors will lock Ontario into a nuclear future and limit the growth of green energy.  Premier McGuinty should instead use affordable green energy to replace Pickering.

On August 24th, please join us on the Ride for Renewables.  Green energy advocates will ride from the Pickering nuclear station to Darlington to tell Premier McGuinty to go green – not nuclear. 

Cyclists will gather at the windmill (Beachfront Park) at the Pickering nuclear station at 11am.  We’ll then ride the waterfront trail to the Darlington nuclear station (approximately 45 km from Pickering).

Please RSVP to: steve.cornwell at greenpeace.org.  

Those who RSVP can meet at Greenpeace’s office at 9:30 am to take a bus to Pickering.  The Go-Train can also get you to Pickering.   

Or see our Facebook page:
 <http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124793684233089&ref=ts> http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124793684233089&ref=ts

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Human Health and the Biological Effects of Tritium in Drinking Water 

International Scientific Symposium

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

August 26 and 27, 2010

Prudent Policy through Science – Addressing the ODWAC New Recommendation 

Registration and Information:
Contact: Karen Carter -  <mailto:kcarter at mcmaster.ca> kcarter at mcmaster.ca 
Registration - $100 per person, students free

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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

  <http://cleanairalliance.org/get_involved_donate> donate now

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