India: Protests Against Koodankulam Nuclear
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FEBRUARY 8, 2007 | No. 652 INDIA: PROTESTS AGAINST KOODANKULAM NUCLEAR PROJECT INDIA: PROTESTS AGAINST KOODANKULAM NUCLEAR Our most decent, most democratic and most lameduck Prime PROJECT 1 Minister Manmohan Singh signed a deal for four additional USA: NRC MUST REVIEW nuclear plants at Koodankulam with the Russian President Putin N-TERRORISM IN CALIFORNIA on January 27, 2007 even before the public hearing process was LICENSING 2 held for the same. The first hearing was held on October 6. Some SWEDEN: LEAKED REPORT 700 to 800 people unexpectedly turned up and the group REVEALS SAFETY BREACHES AT included many rural women who were not reluctant to speak FORSMARK 3 their minds. The meeting prematurely ended in chaos. The SWEDEN: NUCLEAR CHALLENGE second hearing was scheduled for January 31. TO ENVIRONMENTAL CODE (652.5782) SACCER - Alarmed by the Koodankulam authorities cunningly FAILS 4 plan of the Koodankulam authorities to ducked and conveniently claimed that NUCLEAR POWER POLICY IN take water from the Pechiparai irrigation they were setting up desalination plants EUROPE 5 dam in Kanyakumari district, several with Israeli technology and hence they farmers' organizations and fisherpeople's were not going to take Pechiparai dam ENERGY (R)EVOLUTION: A associations started organizing against water. When we pointed out their claim SUSTAINABLE WORLD ENERGY that dangerous move. This dam water in the official EIA report and in a recent OUTLOOK 6 plan was recorded in the official EIA journal article written by a senior nuclear IN BRIEF 8 (Environmental Impact Assessment) official, they claimed that they were all report that the Koodankulam authorities mistakes. Typical nuclear behaviour! had prepared for the additional four nuclear power plants they were planning The TNPCB (Tamil Nadu Pollution at Koodankulam. Control Board) was going to hold the postponed public hearing for the Several meetings were organized in Koodankulam nuclear power plants III, IV, October 2006 to plan the centenary V and VI on January 31, 2007 at 10:30 celebrations of the Pechiparai Dam and am at Koodankulam. The newspaper ads to think about the ways and means of said that the hearing would be held at preventing the Koodankulam authorities the town hall at Koodankulam but later from usurping the irrigation water from we found out that the public hearing us to use it in the wasteful and would be held at one of their own dangerous nuclear programs. The newly meeting halls in the nuclear power set up "Kanyakumari District Water project township itself. Resources Protection Federation" organized a massive public meeting on The public hearing announcement November 4, 2006 at Thuckalay to indicated that the possible issue of discuss the threats to our water displacement of the local people would resources from various quarters, also be dealt with in the meeting. This including the nuclear dragon. The last straw broke the proverbial camel's back for the Koodankulam public. They all kinds of ridiculous ground plans to Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu into were already deeply disturbed by the explain that they could have upto eight the deadly nuclear trap. The local press facts that the promised 10,000 jobs plants on the existing land. Our most and other media who are pampered by never came and the proclaimed decent, most democratic and most the nuclear ads and booze (and what economic boom never happened. lameduck Prime Minister not) do not want to report anything that When they were also going to be (White)Manmohan Singh signed the is unpleasant for the nuke bosses. The kicked out of their village, the deal for the four additional nuclear political parties that speak so much Koodankulam people said 'enough is plants at Koodankulam with the about the Tamil race and its welfare, enough', founded the "People's Rights Russian President Putin on January 27, tend to think that the people of the Movement" and organized protest 2007 even before the public hearing southern districts are Martians who marches, fasting, road blocks and so was held for the same. Perhaps he deserve to be nuked. The religious forth on three consecutive days in late knows that the whole public hearing elements are busy with their January 2007. exercise is a sham and a fraud on the enlightened escapades. people of India. Seeing the latest developments in So the local people are left to fend for Koodankulam, the neighboring fishing The plan for Koodankulam seems to ourselves. We are organizing slowly, and farming villages also rose up with include six Russian-made VVER steadily but surely. Wish us luck and do fresh energy and enthusiasm. None of nuclear power plants producing 6000 something in your area too for the them want to have four more additional MW power, two Indian-made fast danger of nuclearism is taking over the nuclear power plants in their midst and breeder plants producing 400 MW entire globe. they also want to stop the construction power each, a possible reprocessing of the first two plants. plant, and also a weapons production Source and contact: SACCER (South facility. This dangerous "temple of Asian Community Center for Education Taken aback by this popular upsurge science and technology" will be the and Research) promoting life-long, life- and groundswell, the authorities quietly biggest nuclear facility in the entire wide and life-deep education postponed the public hearing once world. S.P. Udayakumar, 42/27 Esankai Mani again. The nuclear authorities from the Veethy, Parakkai Road Jn, Nagercoil topmost boss to the bottommost peon With the public hearing postponed 629 002, Tamil Nadu, India tried in vain to reassure the people that indefinitely, the nuclear authorities are Tel: +91-4652-240657/253295 nobody would be displaced. Typical scheming on how to trick the people of Email: [email protected], nuclear behaviour! They came up with Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and [email protected] USA: NRC MUST REVIEW N-TERRORISM IN CALIFORNIA LICENSING On January 16, 2007 the United States Supreme Court refused to hear Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) appeal backed by the Bush Administration for a review of the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals' decision concerning the environmental impacts of nuclear terrorism. The lower court had ruled that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must hear the case of the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Sierra Club and Peg Pinard, collectively MFP, as a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). (652.5782) NIRS - The Mothers For 9/11 attacks, that terrorism was "too attacks and acts of sabotage at nuclear Peace (MFP) had challenged the speculative and remote" to be applied power plants. The ruling potentially construction license for a dry cask in any of its site-specific proceedings. effects seven additional licensing radioactive waste storage system at hearings including 20-year license California's Diablo Canyon nuclear PG&E had argued to the high court that extensions for the Oyster Creek, power plant on the consequences of a an environmental impact statement on Palisades, Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee successful terrorist attack. The NRC the consequences of terrorism isn't nuclear power stations and challenges dismissed the hearing request by a required under federal law and "would to an Early Site Permit application for similar Order that has been applied in place an unnecessary and duplicative new construction at Mississippi's Grand earlier National Environmental Policy burden" on the power company. Gulf nuclear power plant, an application Act (NEPA) hearing requests including a to construct and operate an industrial NIRS challenge to license extensions The Supreme Court justices' decision, irradiator in Hawaii, and the state of for Duke Power's Catawba and without comment, opens the door to Utah's appeal of the NRC license McGuire nuclear power stations. In all further legal actions where NRC handed to Private Fuel Storage for an those cases, the federal agency dismissed public challenges on the Away-From-Reactor nuclear dump in concluded, just over a year after the environmental impacts of terrorist Tooele County, Utah. NIRS was 2 NUCLEAR MONITOR 652 involved in two of those seven legal space for irradiated fuel rods in densely The licensing board's decision against challenges. packed nuclear waste storage pools. Massachusetts signals NRC's While the court ruling bars PG&E from intentions to ignore the Supreme "After the events of September 11, off loading the nuclear waste from the Court's rejection in the other legal 2001, it is only reasonable that the pools into storage casks until it circuits. significant health and environmental complies with a hearing it does not halt risks of terrorist attacks be considered the construction of the onsite storage Meanwhile, the NRC Commissioners when designing and building nuclear facility itself. Current onsite nuclear voted on January 29, 5-0, to reject facilities," said MFP spokesperson waste storage designs in the United requirements for nuclear power plants Jane Swanson. The NRC must now States consist of a variety of cask to defend against September 11th style issue a new environmental assessment designs that are openly congregated on attacks. Commission Chair Dale Klein addressing the impacts of an concrete pads. claimed that the nation's nuclear power intentional attack on the proposed plants are structurally robust and can radioactive waste dump. The focus of Within days after the Supreme Court withstand any aircraft attack without MFP is to require a new environmental decision, a NRC licensing board significant consequences. The assessment that would not only dismissed a legal challenge by the Commission also rejected requirements evaluate consequences but Massachusetts Attorney General for a for nuclear power plants to have consideration of hardening onsite hearing on the consequences of a enough defense forces to repel a storage of nuclear waste by building successful terrorist attack on the ground or water borne attack by a berms around more robust casks that nuclear waste storage pool in Vermont force of 19 suicidal attackers are dispersed over the reactor site.