Japan downplayed Chernobyl concerns at G-7 for energy policy’s sake: declassified documents

Japan downplayed Chernobyl concerns at G-7 for energy policy’s sake: declassified documents

Eager to maintain its energy policy in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Japan made sure concerns about nuclear technology were downplayed at the 12th Group of Seven summit it chaired in Tokyo days after the disaster, according to Japanese diplomatic records declassified Wednesday.

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Vogtle - End of the Nuclear Renaissance

Vogtle - End of the Nuclear Renaissance

While these cost overruns have made national headlines, no one seems to be asking the important question: are these atomic power plants – first designed more than 20-years ago –even safe to operate if they should ever be completed.  For the past eight years, Fairewinds chief engineer Arnie Gundersen has worked with environmental groups all around the southeaster US in their campaigns that prove this AP1000 reactor design simply is not safe.  Bottom line:  Not only is Vogtle too expensive, but the AP1000 reactor is simply not be safe to operate if it is built. 

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A Predictable Nuclear Accident at Hanford

A Predictable Nuclear Accident at Hanford

On May 9, workers discovered a 20-foot-diameter hole where the roof had collapsed on a makeshift nuclear waste site: a tunnel, sealed in 1965, encasing old railroad cars and equipment contaminated with radiation through years of plutonium processing. Potential radiation levels were high enough that some workers were told to shelter in place while others donned respirators and protective suits as they repaired the hole.

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CCTV: Nuclear Sabre Rattling: From North Korea to Yucca Mountain

CCTV: Nuclear Sabre Rattling: From North Korea to Yucca Mountain

Fairewinds Energy Education program researcher Ben Shulman-Reed appeared with Margaret Harrington, host of Nuclear Free Future on CCTV, along with Kevin Kamps of the nuclear waste watchdog, Beyond Nuclear via Skype. Rising nuclear tensions with North Korea as well as the continuous nuclear weapons buildup around the world, including nuclear waste, uranium mining, and nuclear weapons testing were key components of the discussion.

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Arnie Gundersen and Ben Shulman-Reed Appear on CCTV, March 30th

Arnie Gundersen and Ben Shulman-Reed Appear on CCTV, March 30th

Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the recent developments at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors as well as the possible restart of more atomic reactors in Japan were the topics of discussion when Nuclear Free Future host Margaret Harrington invited Fairewinds Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen and Program Researcher Ben Shulman-Reed to join her on the CCTV program.

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