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Tag: environmental benefits of nuclear

Is climate change a business opportunity for the nuclear industry?

September 12, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeSuzy Hobbs Baker

A few months ago, I wrote about the need to have an active dialogue between the nuclear community and the climate change community. Since then, the severity of the drought in the Midwest has continued to worsen and push up food prices, the Mississippi River has been intermittently closed due to low water levels, some private wells are running dry, and the arctic sea ice just hit a new record low.

Climate Change and Nuclear Energy: We Need to Talk

July 25, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeSuzy Hobbs Baker

During my undergraduate studies in art school, I created a body of artwork about micro-organisms. After taking my two required biology courses, I was completely obsessed with cyano-bacteria and diatoms (they are still a central theme in my home décor). Learning that every cell in my body has mitochondrial RNA identical to these ancient life forms floored me, and made me feel completely connected to the planet and all of the other life on it in a very concrete way.

Court upholds EPA greenhouse gas regulations

July 18, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeJim Hopf

In a strongly worded unanimous decision, a federal appeals court recently upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the EPA's "endangerment finding" that holds that those gases present a threat to human health and welfare. The court also upheld the EPA's authority to "tailor" such regulations as it sees fit, which will allow the EPA to exempt small sources of emissions and focus its regulations on large emitters (which would be more practical, and a less expensive way of reducing emissions). The court stated that the EPA's interpretation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements was "unambiguously correct" and that its proposed rules were neither capricious nor arbitrary.

4th Annual Texas Atomic Film Festival

April 26, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

The 4th annual Texas Atomic Film Festival (TAFF) is being held April 26 to May 3, 2012. The festival attracts short films (3 to 5 minutes) produced by students in nuclear engineering courses at the University of Texas at Austin. A public screening of the films, which focus on nuclear and energy related topics, is being held on April 26 at 12:30 pm at the UT Student Activities Center auditorium.

The ANS Student Section of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

April 12, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen visited the ANS student section at the University of Illinois on Tuesday, March 27, followed by dinner with the Central Illinois ANS local section. This event was part of Loewen's "March Madness" speaking tour, building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference (which begins today in Las Vegas).  The occasion gave ANS Nuclear Cafe a chance to catch up with Valentyn Bykov, president of the ANS student section at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to discuss the section and its activities.

Nuclear Matinee: Sustainable energy choices for the 21st century

March 30, 2012, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

This video takes the stance that climate change and sustainability of the global human enterprise are two of the most critical issues of the 21st century. If we are to tackle these problems effectively, we need to make prudent, evidence-based choices about energy. This is the story told in this short animated video-the first to be featured in the ANS Nuclear Cafe "Friday Matinee" series.

Not so strange bedfellows - Sierra Club accepts natural gas money

February 7, 2012, 7:00AMANS Nuclear CafeRod Adams

On February 2, 2012, Time Magazine's Ecocentric blog published a post titled Exclusive: How the Sierra Club Took Millions From the Natural Gas Industry-and Why They Stopped that has rocked the environmental community and the established energy industry. The story included the shocking news that the Sierra Club had accepted donations from Chesapeake Energy or its executives totaling nearly $26 million during the period from 2007-2010.

The Blue Ribbon Commission’s final report

February 6, 2012, 7:00AMANS Nuclear CafeJim Hopf

Soon after declaring that it would end the Yucca Mountain repository project, the Obama administration created the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future to reevaluate the nation's nuclear waste program and policies. The commission was asked to recommend improvements to the waste program and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), and to make general recommendations on the path forward. The commission was specifically instructed to not address the Yucca Mountain project, or any specific project or site. The commission's final report was released this month.

ANS to hold teacher workshop in Phoenix, AZ

February 2, 2012, 7:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

ANS November 2011 Teachers Workshop

Hands-on activity during a November 2011 ANS Teachers Workshop

The American Nuclear Society's Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information and the ANS Outreach Department will be sponsoring a one-day teacher workshop on Sunday, February 26, in Phoenix, Ariz. The workshop-Detecting Radiation in Our Radioactive World-is intended for science educators (including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, physical science, life science, environmental, and general science teachers) at the high school and middle school levels. The workshop will be held prior to WM2012, the international waste management conference that takes place annually in Phoenix.

Full agenda for National Nuclear Science Week 2012

January 20, 2012, 7:15AMANS Nuclear Cafe

National Nuclear Science Week-a week-long celebration to focus local, regional, and national interest on all aspects of nuclear science-has nearly arrived! On January 23-27, events and activities will be held across the United States to recognize the benefits of nuclear science and technology and to introduce the next generation of  scientists and engineers to the applications of nuclear technologies to everyday life. The National Nuclear Science Week website serves as the clearinghouse for next week's activities and is chock-full of great ideas for  how to learn, teach, and celebrate nuclear science and technology.

Pretty Energy

January 11, 2012, 7:00AMANS Nuclear CafeSuzy Hobbs Baker

I recently joined the latest social media phenomenon-"Pinterest"-after some good old-fashioned peer pressure from my pals. Basically it is an online scrapbook, where you can collect images from all over the Internet and organize or "pin" them under categories like "recipes to try" or "ideas for the garden" on your personal page. There is very little text and not much user-to-user interaction. You just browse thousands of images of party dresses, wedding ideas, art, or whatever you or other users have uploaded to the site. Essentially it's a whole lot of eye candy.

ANS president Eric Loewen visits The City College of New York

October 27, 2011, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

Eric Loewen, president of the American Nuclear Society, on October 13 visited the new ANS Student Section at The City College of New York (CCNY). Loewen presented talks on "Fukushima and the Role of Past Severe Accident Research" and "The American Nuclear Society President's Special Committee on Used Nuclear Fuel Management Options" to an audience of more than 50 faculty members and students. (Loewen's previous visit to CCNY, in February 2011, is detailed here).

The Rally for Vermont Yankee: At the Plant Gates During the Refueling Outage

October 26, 2011, 6:00AMANS Nuclear CafeMeredith Angwin

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is undergoing a refueling outage. For most plants, the situation would be business as usual.  The state of Vermont, however, believes it has the power to shut down Vermont Yankee in March 2012, even though the plant has a 20-year license extension from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In order to continue operations at Vermont Yankee, Entergy (the plant's owner and operator) has sued the state.