Nuclear Hotseat

Nuclear Earthquake fears for Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors (above) got kicked up by the 7.1 Ridgecrest quake on July 5.  According to veteran activist Harvey Wasserman, if the quake had hit closer than its less than 200 miles from Diablo Canyon, Los Angeles and much of the world would have become "a radioactive dead zone."   

[powerpress]

This Week's Featured Interview:

Nuclear earthquake fears skyrocketed last week as  July 4th's 6.4 and July 5th's 7.1 quakes near Ridgecrest, California - less than 200 miles from the Diablo Canyon reactors in San Luis Obispo - reminded us all how vulnerable we are to nuclear reactors built atop multiple earthquake faults.   Veteran anti-nuke activist, journalist/broadcaster Harvey Wasserman spells out the dangers, the recently ducked bullet... and why we are not yet out of the woods. 
     Details spelled out in Harvey's article: The Quake to Make Los Angeles a Radioactive Dead Zone.
     Listen to Harvey Wasserman's Solartopia program on KPFK-FM, Los Angeles. 

Chernobyl books mentioned during the interview:
Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment -  Yablakov, Nesterenko, Nesterenko
Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future by Kate Brown. 

Harvey Wasserman

Other Earthquake-related Information:

From one of my most trusted sources, Miningawareness.Wordpress.com:  California July 4th Earthquakes in Vicinity of US China Lake Propulsion Labs-Naval Air Warfare Test Range

Dutch Sinse explains recent earthquake clusters.  I'm not a scientist and I cannot vouch for what he's saying, but I found his explanations credible and of interest; YMMV:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_aBKxBRU0I

NOTE: This is for you to check out and decide for yourself if it makes sense.

Numnutz of the Week (for Outstanding Nuclear Boneheadedness):

Here's some of where the money is going that Kris Singh, CEO of Holtec, is squeezing out of nuclear decommissioning funds.  Wonder where his son, also Kris Singh, gets the money for a $4-MILLION DOLLAR CAR?  And he actually says at 3:58 that he hope this dream car stays in his family AS LONG AS THE PLANET EXISTS?!?!?????  WHAT PLANET IS HE FROM?

https://youtu.be/XDDgL0WvtEs

Check out what the son of Holtec CEO Kris Singh (Dad traffics in sub-standard storage systems for nuclear waste and bilking governments out of billions in decommissioning funds) says at 3:58 about how long he wants to keep his newly purchased  $4 MILLION CAR in his family.  Clueless. Seems to be a family trait. 

Radioactive Waste Storage - NUCLEAR NIMBY:
Activists rally against the proposed Holtec-Eddy/Lea consolidated so-called "interim" nuclear waste dump in New Mexico - January, 2019

SPECIAL REQUEST:  Next week, I will be traveling to Navajo Nation in New Mexico to cover the 40th anniversary of the Church Rock disaster, the uranium tailings spill.  Over 94 million gallons of radioactive uranium mining waste spilled into the Puerco River, contaminating water, land, and people over 80 miles downstream.  It has never been cleaned up, nor can it be.  I'm going to help make visible this long-neglected radioactive disaster in our shared nuclear past.  Donations requested to help defray costs.  CLICK HERE to donate - and know that I am grateful for your support!  - Libbe.

This Week's Featured Interviews:

Radioactive waste generated by U.S. nuclear reactors stands at over 80,000 TONS of the stuff - with nowhere safe to store it long-term.  The nuclear industry is pushing hard for an ill-advised so-called "interim" storage site in either New Mexico or West Texas - or both.  Recent hearings held by the House and Senate barely allowed the public to be heard, and more hearings are on their way.  But what does it all mean to the people most immediately affected? 

Nuclear Hotseat's Libbe HaLevy talks with four genuine experts on various aspects of the radioactive waste problem:

• Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Waste Specialist for Beyond Nuclear, gives the horrifying overview.
• Diane D'Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director for Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), goes into the legal issues and current manipulations being attempted by the nuclear industry.
• Leona Morgan, Nuclear Issues Study Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico, reveals what it's like on-the-ground, protesting and working to raise public awareness.
• Karen Hadden, SEED (Sustainable Energy and Economic Development) Coalition, reports on the West Texas proposed site and how the state government is responding to industry pressure... and public outrage. 

Haul No's Leona Morgan at a Halt Holtec demonstration.  That's a mock-up of a transportation cask (much smaller than a real one) in the background.