Saturday, February 2, 2013

Alaska lawmaker Feige introduces ‘Lucy Lawless bill

Feige introduces ‘Lucy Lawless bill’
Actress Lucy Lawless with the New Zealand Greenpeace aboard a Shell drilling rig. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace New Zealand)

Feige introduces ‘Lucy Lawless bill’
An Alaska lawmaker has introduced legislation that would make it a felony to interfere with permitted oil and gas, timber or other development projects.
Rep. Eric Feige is calling HB92 the “Lucy Lawless bill,” after the actress last year boarded a Shell drill ship before it left New Zealand for the U.S. She and other activists were arrested.
Feige, a co-chair of the House Resources Committee, says Alaska has a good permitting process, through which the public can raise concerns or complaints. He says there seems to be an increasing tendency within the activist community to try to take the law in their own hands.
He says the bill is his effort to get ahead of any problems in Alaska, where Shell has begun exploratory drilling in the Arctic.
See the original article
Feige introduces ‘Lucy Lawless bill’
 ww.360north.org/2013/02/01/feige-introduces-lucy-lawless-bill/

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Idle No More Anchorage, Alaska J28

Idle No More-  Anchorage    J28






Sunday, January 27, 2013

No more global Fukashima nuclear meltdown disasters. Is America next?

No more global Fukashima nuclear meltdown disasters.  Is America next?

Protest against NRC's absurd rush to restore Entergy Palisades to top-notch safety status




Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps testifies at NRC public meeting in South Haven, MI on 12/11/12 regarding catastrophic risks at Entergy's Palisades atomic reactor. Credit Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio.The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a public meeting in South Haven, MI on Tuesday, Dec. 11th in order to explain to the public its oversight role, Entergy's corrective actions at Palisades, and the reasons why the problem-plagued atomic reactor has been suddenly restored to top-notch safety status. NRC designated Palisades one of the four worst-run reactors in the U.S. last February, but restored its top-notch safety status on Nov. 9th -- under pressure from powerful U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), who chairs the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee -- despite ongoing leaks, and a complete collapse of safety culture. The safety culture collapse was covered up by Entergy and NRC for months, but was recently revealed by Palisades' whistleblowers, their attorney Billie Pirner Garde, and U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). The public isn't buying NRC's and Entergy's flip assurances, and marked the dog and pony show with a game of "Nukespeak Bingo," or "Blinky B'Lingo."



The coalition of concerned local residents and environmental groups put out a press release, as well as a "Blinky B'Lingo" board with 25 Nukespeak words or phrases, and a listing of their translations into plain English. The coalition included in its press packets an article entitled "No Word for Meltdown: The Return of Nukespeak," written just days after the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe had begun, by Rory O'Connor and Richard Bell. Along with Stephen Hilgartner, the three co-authors had published the book Nukespeak: Nuclear Language, Myths, and Mindset in 1982, and re-issued an updated version several months after Fukushima began.



Michigan Public Radio reported on the Nukespeak bingo game in an article. Michigan Radio's "Environment Report" also published an on-air "Palisades: Year in Review." There have been so many "unplanned shutdowns" in 2011 (five safety-significant equipment breakdowns that required emergency shutdowns of the reactor) and "leaks" in 2012 (three so far), Michigan Public Radio created a timeline to keep track of it all.



South Bend's ABC57 television news also reported on this story, as did the Kalamazoo Gazette newspaper.



On the very same day as the NRC meeting in South Haven, David Lochbaum, the Union of Concerned Scientists' Nuclear Safety Project Director, published an "All Things Nuclear" blog entitled "Palisades Reprises Davis-Besse." He compared the primary coolant leaks from Palisades' control rod drive mechanisms to Davis-Besse's infamous Hole-in-the-Head fiasco of 2002.