Japan's nuclear reactor emergency triggered a wave of reactions in the European Union, with environment ministers urging stress tests on operating nuclear plants and MEPs calling for nuclear energy to be phased out. Since Luxembourg and Dusseldorf are such an earthquake-prone areas...
While awaiting clearer information from Japan, EU ministers and experts in charge of energy and nuclear issues will meet today (15 March) in Brussels at the request of EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger. They will mull the possible application of EU-wide stress tests for the 143 nuclear reactors currently operating on the bloc's territory, and debate the wider issue of nuclear security in Europe.
EU environment ministers, gathered yesterday (14 March) in Brussels for a regular meeting, expressed support for a proposal from Austria to check the security of operating nuclear plants.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the three-month suspension of a law aimed at prolonging the activity of old nuclear plants. Two of the 17 operating reactors in Germany are expected to be temporary shut down. Leading to temporary rolling brownouts, perchance?
During the moratorium "the security of the situation will be assessed in view of what happened in Japan," Merkel said during a press conference in Berlin. Tsunamis are a big threat in Germany, one supposes.
The two main parties in the European Parliament, the European People's Party (EPP) and the Social Democrats (S&D), called for security checks to be carried out at all nuclear plants in Europe. Spanish and Portuguese environment representatives (both from socialist governments) went further and called for the gradual phase-out of nuclear energy, echoing the position of the Greens. Solar. Cold-fusion. One windmill per farm. Whale-oil lamps.
Britain, France and Italy asked for "calm". France and the UK are the EU countries with the highest number of nuclear reactors, 58 and 19 respectively. Italy has no nuclear plants but has embarked on an ambitious nuclear programme to reduce its dependency on external energy sources. Shirley the oil exporters are supporters.
EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard gave assurances that "all necessary measures will be taken," but added that with 143 operating reactors, "nuclear power will be there for quite some time, whatever happens". See? Climate Action Commissioners are experts on everything!
A few of several positions:
German Socialist & Democrats MEP Jo Leinen said: "In the light of what happened in Japan, we need to look again at safety standards for Europe's nuclear reactors. They will not be hit by a tsunami, of course, but there are other risks, including terrorist attack. In the highly populated European continent, the consequences of a safety breakdown do not bear contemplation. Prudence requires that we re-evaluate our safety measures for nuclear reactors." Sounds calm and intelligent.
Then the wackos weigh in:
European Green Party (EGP) spokesperson Monica Frassoni said that "it is clear that these events only strengthen our determination to quickly phase out from this dangerous, costly and dirty energy source. We have alternatives and now governments should listen more to reality than to manipulative industry lobbies," she said in a note. Like government-supported wind and solar power, government-mandated energy conservation and rationing, government-sponsored electric cars charged by power from ... ummm ... tidal-action generators.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/15/2011 07:49 ||
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Link ||
[11123 views]
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#1
Perhaps the U.S. would do well to worry about our own nuclear power plants. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was supposedly designed to withstand a 7.0 quake because a 6.5 quake was apparently what they felt was the greatest magnitude quake that would occur here. The Northridge quake was a 6.9 and we're always being warned to be prepared for the 8.0. (Everyone but the nuclear power plants apparently).
And take a look at the tsunami protection from the photo at the link...yes, that's fencing above the wall. I feel warm and fuzzy looking at that, don't you?
#2
Harry Reid can go to hell! We need to get the spent rods away from our nuke plants and into the Nevada Waste Facility ASAP!
Reactor #4's fire is H and O burning from a boiling spent rod pit.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
03/15/2011 9:57 Comments ||
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#3
The obvious solution for the Euros is to immediately start rolling blackouts, ration petrol, lay off 25% of all workers & evacuate Brussels. Then the Euros can worry about THAT.
Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly tsunami.
In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation had spread from the four stricken reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant along Japan's northeastern coast. The region was shattered by Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that is believed to have killed more than 10,000 people, plunged millions into misery and pummeled the world's third-largest economy.
Via Mike Allen's newsletter, we see in the first line how the leader of the free world will spend his day during this awful crisis:
President Obama is taping his NCAA picks today, and they'll be revealed tomorrow on ESPN.
#4
Not exactly setting a high bar here, are we, guys.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/15/2011 15:44 Comments ||
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#5
I've been looking at the USGS earthquake map for that part of Japan. There are 479 earthquakes listed on the map, with all but five of them being along the northeast coast of Honshu. At least 40 of them were of magnitude 6.0 or greater. I don't remember even half that number of aftershocks following the Dec 2004 earthquake in Indonesia, nor this many significant shakes. The Japanese are suffering a severe attack from Mother Nature, and doing everything they can to survive it with dignity. I doubt we'd be able to do any better if such a disaster had hit San Francisco or Los Angeles. As for "President" O'bumble, the man is a total disgrace, and needs to flee with his family to Ghana or Togo and live in exile for the rest of his life
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/15/2011 15:56 Comments ||
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#6
It appears the earth has hit a settling period. What concerns me is Caribbean, Chile, Japan makes me think Washington or Australia...I'm just some goofball so don't go waiving hands around.
El Prez is a joke...I'm kinda sure people are not gathered around the ol tube watching that sports soap opera crap. Make a bracket, sure lotsa people will, but making it a big effin deal is a bit shallow at the moment.
Edited out, was going to take the whole thing apart, got tired of just recent examples. Long story short, those halo pics are not halos, but a golden sombrero and only half through the game.
#9
Maybe a little. But I don't miss any of the last several Presidents, least of all Obama, if something were to happen where he was impeached, resigned, or assassinated, so sorry, Joe might actually try harder and be better. I can't believe I just thought that... And I Duhhhhh-fffff-initely don't miss Clinton signing all our jobs away to foreign countries.
Posted by: Fi ||
03/15/2011 19:41 Comments ||
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#10
Lot of W policies and had some disagreements with: amnysty, not putting together a 10 year energy plan post 9/11 with congress, the china spy plane incident I thought ended strangely, a loose afghan mission goal blah blah blah. I miss his character. W would have been all over this for Japan, obama gets handed a free slam dunk and misses the layup. I mean this guy has zero emotion unless at some event where everyone is praising him, notice that? Sure he does the inflections with the hesitancy of a first time reader but its blah. Contrast that with the full vocals at a fundraiser and the difference is extraordinary.
#11
What was the final count on how many high schools submitted requests for the Bracketer-in-Chief to come and assist the TOTUS in the graduation address? as of last week it was an amazing 14, then they extended the contest deadline.
As for Biden taking over, at least HE has a train station named after him, Bumble doesn't even have an outhouse with his name on it (yet)
Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly tsunami.
In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation had spread from the four stricken reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant along Japan's northeastern coast. The region was shattered by Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that is believed to have killed more than 10,000 people, plunged millions into misery and pummeled the world's third-largest economy.
Via Mike Allen's newsletter, we see in the first line how the leader of the free world will spend his day during this awful crisis:
President Obama is taping his NCAA picks today, and they'll be revealed tomorrow on ESPN.
Mayor Elaine Scruggs (D) of Glendale, AZ said that because the word "protest" was used, she reported the situation to the Police Department.
The word protest was in an email from a local Tea Party activist, Annette McHugh. The Tea Party opposes plans for a taxpayer-subsidized $197 million stadium deal. But that mundane issue quickly turned into something else:
Annette McHugh told members that the mayor confronted them with an e-mail McHugh had sent to party members. The e-mail said the group might protest at Scruggs' community town hall Tuesday, although she later said they would not.
When we attend the Community Town Hall on March 15th, we will either be protesting her decision to go through with the Phoenix Coyote full-of-hockey deal outside the venue, or we will be inside the venue applauding if she has decided to stop the transaction, McHugh said in the March 5 e-mail.
McHugh said the mayor on Wednesday "brought up the Tucson (shooting) incident because I said protest in the e-mail...She gave me the impression that (she thought) we were radical nuts."
McHugh added: She [Scruggs] was very defensive and didn't let us talk for the first 20 minutes. She kept looking at me and saying, 'Protest. You know what happened in Tucson? How many people were killed?'
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