So, I found this article that talks about other possible #NuclearWaste repositories (Pantex in Texas, and Hanford in Washington state). There have been problems with #Pantex and #Hanford because of #ClimateChange, and #YuccaMountain is more seismically active than previously thought! Where to bury the waste is a HUGE problem that I brought up when touring the #SeabrookNuclearPlant before it was operational. Back then I was told, "Oh, we'll figure out that problem when we get to it. Don't worry about it!" Ummmm...

Western Shoshone Nation Opposes Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository

"From our perspective the processes employed by the DOE is environmental racism designed to systematically dismantle the living lifeways of the #WesternShoshone people in relation to our land . . . It’s not about the amount of radioactivity that would permeate the #groundwater . . . The #EnvironmentalRacism lies in the very notion that it would be okay to put any radioactive material there at all."

Commodities, Conflict, and Cooperation

Fall 2016 & Winter 2017

"In 1986, the list was narrowed to three sites in the Western U.S. – Hanford in eastern Washington State, a site in the Texas panhandle [#Pantex] southwest of Amarillo, and Yucca Mountain in southwestern Nevada about 80 miles north of Las Vegas (see photo below)."

Source:
https://sites.evergreen.edu/ccc/warnuclear/shoshone-tribe-opposes-yucca-mountain-nuclear-repository/

#Pauite #PauiteShoshone
#CulturalGenocide #NativeAmericans #nuclear #WaterIsLife #RespectTheTreaties #NoNukes #NoDumping
#InformedConsent #FutureGenerations

#YuccaMountain

via #SacredLandFilmProject

Report By Amy Corbin
Posted October 1, 2004
Updated April 1, 2010

"For more than two decades, the #Shoshone and #Paiute peoples, scientists, #environmentalists, the federal government, Nevada citizens and politicians have wrestled over the fate of Yucca Mountain. The federal government had selected the mountain to become the nation’s primary dumping ground for deadly, high-level #NuclearWaste, but the long-contested project is at last on its way to being closed. Meanwhile, the #WesternShoshone fight off federal efforts to sell their land in order to give multinational #corporations access to its #mineral resources. But the Western Shoshone stand firm. Raymond Yowell, Chief of the Western Shoshone National Council, said, 'Western Shoshone title is still intact… We’ve never accepted their money and never will — our land, the earth mother is not for sale and we will protect her and continue our responsibilities as caretakers under the Creator’s law.'

The Land and Its People

"Yucca Mountain is located within the Western Shoshone Nation and has long been a place of powerful spiritual energy for the Shoshone and the Paiute. To the Western Shoshone it is #SnakeMountain, a place with rock rings that transmit prayers to the Great Spirit and messages back to the people. The late Shoshone spiritual leader Corbin Harney told a traditional story that Snake Mountain will one day be awakened and split open, spewing out poison. This prophecy may predict the potential disaster of #volcanic activity and nuclear waste leakage. Shoshone ancestors are buried in the mountain and the water in the area is sacred, as it is with many desert peoples.

"The 60 million acres of Western Shoshone territory in Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California, which includes Yucca Mountain, was never deeded to the U.S. government. According to the 1863 #RubyValleyTreaty that the Shoshone signed with the government, most of the area now used by the U.S. military for #NuclearWeapons testing and the proposed waste storage site was explicitly recognized as Shoshone land. However, the U.S. government now claims 80 to 90 percent of it, meaning that the Shoshone are unable to control what happens on their ancestral land. Legislators continue to try to persuade the Shoshone to accept financial compensation for this land, which most view as a way to extinguish aboriginal title and preclude future land claims, easing the way for renewed nuclear weapons testing and waste storage, as well as resource #extraction.

"In the late 1970s government scientists began to study Yucca Mountain as a possible repository for nuclear waste, and since 1987 it has been the only site considered for 77,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. While the Yucca Mountain Project has been debated, the amount of nuclear waste needing burial has already surpassed what the repository was designed to hold. In the meantime, nuclear waste continues to sit in steel-lined pools or casks near power plants throughout the country that produce 2,000 tons of high-level waste per year. The waste is lethal for 10,000 years and dangerous for 250,000 years."

[...]

"The Yucca Mountain Project calls for the highly radioactive nuclear waste to be encased in steel containers and buried deep in the mountain. Since the canisters will last for 1,000 years at most, the dryness of the mountain will have to guarantee against leakage and migration — an assumption that environmentalists and many scientists say is flawed and dangerous. Surface water percolating into the mountain will carry radioactive particles into the water table and render it toxic. This water table currently supplies water to local communities and farming regions that produce food products for the entire country.

"In 2005, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman confirmed that internal department e-mails allude to the #falsification of data on how quickly water flows through Yucca Mountain. This revelation caused a federal investigation, and condemnation from Congress triggered the Department of Energy to completely reorganize the project and lay off 500 employees. Robert Hager, attorney for the Western Shoshone, said that the Yucca site would have been disqualified years ago if the true nature of the subterranean water flow was known.

"With several local #FaultLines and a #volcano nearby, earthquakes make it likely that the mountain will fracture the repository and send even more water to the waste. There are also grave concerns about the safety of transporting nuclear waste over long distances through several U.S. states, particularly in an era of terrorist threats. During the later Bush years, as environmental concerns mounted and citizens from other states grew more leery, the project began to look more and more unlikely."

Read more:
https://sacredland.org/yucca-mountain-united-states/

Many #CoralReefs are dying. This one is exploding with life.

Scientists recently observed a rare phenomenon on a reef in #Cambodia that left them in awe — and filled them with hope.

By Benji Jones@BenjiSJones Mar 14, 2024

"Globally, coral reefs, which underpin commercial fisheries and protect coastlines from storms, have declined by half since the 1950s, largely due to #ClimateChange. Spells of extreme #MarineHeat break down the relationship between #coral and a type of symbiotic #algae that gives it both food and its vibrant colors. The coral turns white — a process referred to as #bleaching — and can then easily starve to death.

"The reefs in Cambodia and in the broader #EastAsian region, however, appear to be bucking this trend. Surveys indicate that they haven’t declined in recent decades, perhaps because they’re more resilient to warming. Their secret to survival may ultimately help safeguard ailing reefs elsewhere."

Read more:
https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/24098428/scientists-ocean-coral-spawning-bleaching-great-barrier-reef

#Environment #WaterIsLife
#PacificOcean #DeepSeaEcosystems #NoDumping #CoralReef

After #Fukushima: A Survey of #Corruption in the Global #NuclearPower Industry

Richard Tanter
Asian Perspective
Vol. 37, No. 4, Special Issue: After Fukushima: The Right to Know (Oct.-Dec. 2013)

Abstract:

"Investigations of the #FukushimaNuclearPowerAccident sequence revealed the man-made character of the catastrophe and its roots in regulatory capture effected by a network of corruption, #collusion, and #nepotism. A review of corruption incidents in the global nuclear industry during 2012-2013 reveals that the Japanese experience is not isolated. Gross corruption is evident in #nuclear technology exporting countries such as #Russia, #China, and the #UnitedStates, and in a number of nuclear technology importing countries. The survey results make clear that national nuclear regulatory regimes are inadequate and that the global regime is virtually completely ineffective. Widespread corruption of the nuclear industry has profound social and political consequences resulting from the corrosion of public trust in companies, governments, and energy systems themselves."

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42704842

#IAEALies #TEPCOLies #Bioaccumulation #WaterIsLife #NoDumping
#RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #FukushimaIsntOver

Conditions inside Fukushima's melted nuclear reactors still unclear 13 years after disaster struck

Japan is marking 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country’s northern coasts, killing nearly 20,000 people, wiping out whole towns and destroying the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press
March 11, 2024

"The lack of data, technology and plans on what to do with the radioactive melted fuel and other nuclear waste makes it difficult to understand what's in store for the plant and surrounding areas when the cleanup ends, according to TEPCO’s decommissioning company chief, Akira Ono.

"An overly ambitious schedule could result in unnecessary radiation exposure for plant workers and excess environmental damage, experts say."

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/japan-marks-13-years-massive-tsunami-disaster-closer-108000062

via @verdantsquare

It's not just toxic chemicals: #RadioactiveWaste was also dumped off #LosAngeles coast, scientists conclude

by Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times
February 22, 2024

"Mark Gold, an environmental scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council who has worked on the toxic legacy of DDT for more than 30 years, said it is unsettling to think just how big the consequences of ocean dumping might be across the country and the world. Scientists have discovered DDT, military explosives and now radioactive waste off the Los Angeles coast because they knew to look. But what about all the other dump sites where no one's looking?"

Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-toxic-chemicals-radioactive-dumped-los.html

#Fukushima wastewater release was the first thing I thought... Of course #JGov and #TEPCO immediately chimed in that it was unrelated. Yeah, right... #TEPCOLies has a bad track record, and JGov is perfectly happy to parrot anything they say.

Video: Thousands Of #DeadFish Mysteriously Wash Up On Japan Beach, Officials Stumped

The fish washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, covering a stretch of beach about half a mile long.

December 10, 2023

"Thousands of tons of dead fish including sardines and mackerel washed up on a beach in northern Japan, leaving officials stumped. According to Metro, the fish washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, covering a stretch of beach about half a mile long. After locals started collecting and selling the fish, officials posted a warning urging residents not to consume the fish.

"Though the exact cause behind the mysterious incident is not known, experts have suggested some probable reasons. There has been speculation that the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant could be the reason."

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-thousands-of-dead-fish-mysteriously-wash-up-on-japan-beach-officials-stumped-4651233

Leaks found in hose to transfer #Fukushima #nuclear-contaminated #wastewater

Editor: huaxia, 2023-08-11

"The operator of the crippled #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant has found leaks in a hose used to transfer nuclear-contaminated wastewater, local media reported on Friday.

"Tokyo Electric Power Company (#TEPCO) conducted a probe after higher-than-usual levels of #radioactive material were detected in #rainwater in the dike around a storage tank, public broadcaster NHK reported.

"An inspection found that some water had leaked from cracks of about four centimeters on a hose being used for transferring radioactive wastewater at the time, the report said.

"As the hose was used to transfer radioactive wastewater from another tank, TEPCO analyzed water in the dike around the tank and detected up to 67,000 becquerels of tritium per liter, which exceeded 60,000 becquerels, the standard set by the Japanese government for releasing tritium into the environment.

"TEPCO said that someone caused the cracks with a cutter blade while removing the packaging around the hose after it was delivered, adding that the water that leaked remained inside the barrier.

"TEPCO added that the leak would not affect the plan to discharge the radioactive wastewater from the plant into the ocean.

"Despite strong opposition from neighboring and #PacificIsland countries, as well as local fishermen over the irreversible impacts on the marine environment and public health, the Japanese government and TEPCO have been pushing for release of the radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011."

http://www.chinaview.cn/20230811/04608123df0245b294d5fddaaee87191/c.html

#Japan will soon release #Fukushima #radioactive water into the #ocean. How worried should we be?

Some have cast doubt on the #IAEA’s findings, with China recently arguing that the group’s assessment “is not proof of the legality and legitimacy” of Fukushima’s wastewater release.

By Jessie Yeung, Mayumi Maruyama and Emiko Jozuka, July 5, 2023

"Robert H. Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of #Hawaii at Manoa, is among a group of international scientists working with the #PacificIslandForum to assess the wastewater release plan – including visits to the Fukushima site, and meetings with TEPCO, Japanese authorities and the IAEA. After reviewing the details of the plan, Richmond called it 'ill-advised' and premature.

"One concern is that diluting the wastewater might not be enough to reduce its impact on marine life. #Pollutants like tritium can pass through various levels of the #FoodChain – including plants, animals, and bacteria – and be '#bioaccumulated,' meaning they will build up in the marine #ecosystem, he said.

"He added that the world’s oceans are already under stress from #ClimateChange, ocean #acidification, #overfishing and #pollution. The last thing it needs is to be treated like a 'dumping ground,' he said.

"And the potential risks won’t just affect the #AsiaPacific region. One 2012 study found evidence that bluefin #tuna had transported #radionuclides – radioactive isotopes like the ones in #nuclear #wastewater – from Fukushima across the Pacific to California."

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/07/04/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Interview: #IAEA report on #Fukushima nuke wastewater discharge plan wrong, says #nuclear scientist

"The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report on #Japan's planned dump of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean is wrong, a Pakistani nuclear scientist said.

"Zafar Koreshi, dean of graduate studies at Air University Pakistan, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua.

"'I think it's a very favorable treatment to Japan by the IAEA,' Koreshi said. 'It ignored the interest of the local people who are affected by this and the regional countries who are going to be affected by this.'

"So it's legitimate for China, South Korea and other regional countries to demand a joint mechanism in order to get their concerns addressed, Koreshi said.

"Koreshi urged Japan to immediately cease this plan and work with neighboring countries to conduct scientific research and simulations to study the potential effects on marine life."

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-22/IAEA-report-on-Fukushima-nuke-wastewater-discharge-wrong-scientist-1lExHdC6cFi/index.html

Japan will soon release Fukushima radioactive water into the ocean. How worried should we be?

By Jessie Yeung, Mayumi Maruyama and Emiko Jozuka, CNN, July 6, 2023

"Robert H. Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is among a group of international scientists working with the Pacific Island Forum to assess the wastewater release plan – including visits to the #Fukushima site, and meetings with #TEPCO, Japanese authorities and the #IAEA. After reviewing the details of the plan, Richmond called it 'ill-advised' and premature.

"One concern is that diluting the wastewater might not be enough to reduce its impact on marine life. Pollutants like tritium can pass through various levels of the food chain – including plants, animals, and bacteria – and be 'bioaccumulated,' meaning they will build up in the marine ecosystem, he said.

"He added that the world’s oceans are already under stress from #ClimateChange, ocean #acidification, #overfishing and #pollution. The last thing it needs is to be treated like a 'dumping ground,' he said."

https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/japan-will-soon-release-fukushima-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean-how-worried-should-we-be/1554626

Will Japan release Fukushima water into the Pacific?

Officials in Japan have claimed that water exposed to radiation in the Fukushima nuclear disaster is now safe to dump into the Pacific. Environmentalists say the water is too contaminated.

by Julian Ryall , November 20, 2019

"#TEPCO and the government [of #Japan] have long believed that the best way to dispose of the water is to simply release it into the #ocean. They claimed until this year that contaminated water had been cleansed by a so-called advanced liquid processing system to the point that virtually all the radionuclides had been reduced to 'non-detect' levels.

"Leaked TEPCO documents, however, show that varying amounts of 62 radionuclides — including #strontium, #iodine, #cesium and #cobalt — have not been removed from the water.

"The company has also been criticized for refusing to permit independent organizations to test the water that is being stored at the site.

"Nevertheless, environmentalists fear that preparations are under way to release the water into the environment.

"'Even a year ago, when the first report on options for disposing the treated water was presented to the committee, it seemed clear to me even then that the preferred option was to release it into the ocean,' said Azby Brown, the lead researcher for Tokyo-based nuclear monitoring organization #Safecast Japan. Other options included #evaporation and burying the water.

"'My take on this is that they have already reached a decision and that all these discussions now on the options are purely theater.'"

#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary #NoNewNukes #AtomkraftNeinDanke #AntiAtom

https://www.dw.com/en/japan-environmentalists-say-fukushima-water-too-radioactive-to-release/a-51331676

#Fukushima's Contaminated Wastewater May Be A Bigger Problem Than Realized

Tom Hale, August 2020

"But a new study published in the journal Science suggests this plan is currently a riskier move than previously assumed.

Marine chemists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution argue that #tritium is not the only problem after finding that other isotopes including carbon-14, #cobalt-60, and #strontium-90 still remain in the treated wastewater.

"'The concentrations of these radioactive isotopes are orders of magnitude lower than tritium but highly variable from tank to tank,' the study authors write.

“More than 70 percent of the tanks would need secondary treatment to reduce concentrations below that required by law for their release,' they added."

#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary

https://www.iflscience.com/fukushimas-contaminated-wastewater-may-be-a-bigger-problem-than-realized--56939

Background: Environmental Justice Case Study: The #YuccaMountain High-Level #Nuclear Waste Repository and the Western #Shoshone

"The U.S. government has set aside an area of the Western Shoshone Nation, Yucca Mountain, as a final repository for high level nuclear waste from the U.S. nuclear industry. At present, the Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a scientific investigation of the site that will cost $63 billion and will allow for the repository to be opened by the year 2010.

"Although they are still investigating the area, the DOE is no longer looking for a site elsewhere. The tribe is extremely concerned about observed health and environmental effects on its members, but currently the federal government has not initiated or implemented any official health studies, remedies to the environmental pollution, programs for early detection of environmental disease, or disease surveillance programs.

"Authorities such as the Bureau of Land Management, Forest and Park Services, Fish and Wildlife, Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Defense, and Department of Transportation, now have control over 90% of Shoshone land. This is in direct violation of the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1866, and later upheld by President Grant in 1869, that recognizes Shoshone territorial #sovereignty. "

#NativeAmericans #RespectTheTreaties #NoNukes #NoDumping #EnvironmentalRacism

http://websites.umich.edu/~snre492/kendziuk.html