APRIL 2, 2009 | No. 686 GERMAN COURT FORBIDS LONGER RUNNING TIMES FOR OLDEST NUKES Good news from the highest administrative court in Germany: The country's two oldest nuclear power stations are not allowed to extend their operation. Anti-nnuclear groups are likely to rejoice. This decision GERMAN COURT FORBIDS makes it even more likely that all nuclear power stations in Germany LONGER RUNNING TIMES FOR OLDEST NUKES 1 will stop operation in a bit more than a decade, as in the corresponding law. ANIMALS MORE AFFECTED BY CHERNOBYL RADIATION (686.5939) Diet Simon - The ruling by the Block A in Biblis was the first nuclear THAN THOUGHT 2 Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig power plant in the then West Germany, concerns the power stations at starting operation in 1961. Brunsbüttel AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT Brunsbüttel, about 90 kilometers from started up in 1976. Both nukes have a POISED FOR ANNOUNCEMENT Hamburg at the mouth of the Elbe River, history of mishaps, including near- ON CONTROVERSIAL WASTE and Biblis A, about 60 kilometers from meltdown at Brunsbüttel. Biblis has the DUMP 3 Frankfurt. Hamburg is Germany's dubious reputation of being a "junkyard AREVA'S MOX TRANSPORT: A second-largest city with about 1.7 million reactor" because of the frequency of its TRAVELING SECURITY people, Frankfurt its fourth-largest with breakdowns. THREAT 650,000. 5 The Leipzig judgment, handed down on Biblis A 2010 26 March, 2009, confirmed those of WIPP REQUESTS STIMULUS lower courts and rejected complaints by FUNDING FOR ALREADY Neckarwestheim 1 2010 FUNDED WORKT 6 the power companies operating the Biblis B 2010 plants. The owners wanted to achieve LOOKING FOR A HOLIDAY longer running times by transferring the Brunsbüttel 2012 DESTINATION IN EUROPE? 6 remaining output quota of another Isar 1 2011 station to these two. FRANCE: TRANSMUTATION TESTS ENDS AFTER CLOSURE Unterweser 2012 PHENIX FBR 7 There is tension in the fractious coalition Philippsburg 1 2012 government of conservatives and social BELARUS, A NUCLEAR POWER democrats over a past government's law PLANT, AND THE KGB 8 Grafenrheinfeld 2014 (the 2000 Phase-out law) to close down Krümmel 2019 all German nuclear power production in RECENT SASKATCHEWAN about ten years. According to the MINING ACTIVITIES AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS 10 Gundremmingen 2015 German Ministry of the Environment Philippsburg 2 2018 (BMU), Biblis A has some 180 IN BRIEF 11 operational days to go ('Restlaufzeit'). Grohnde 2018 Because Brunsbüttel is out of operation Gundremmingen C 2015 since an accident in July 2007 the closure, originally planned spring 2009, Brokdorf 2019 is now set far beyond the September Isar 2 2020 general elections (actually 2012). Neckarwestheim-I will likely be the next Emsland 2020 one to be closed and has some 320 operational days left. According to the Neckarwestheim 2022 phase-out law, the last of the 17 nuclear power plants has to shut down in 2022. demonstration is also to commemorate Source: Diet Simon / website BMU: (See table) the 'Tractor-treck' 30 years ago, when http://www.erneuerbare- farmers from the Wendland-region energien.de/inhalt/43032/4590/ The power industry is lobbying hard to traveled to Hannover (the capital of have the law overturned and is backed Lower Saxony) to protest the plans for Contact: BI Umweltschutz Lüchow- in this by Chancellor Angela Merkel, a a reprocessing plant, a nuclear fuel Dannenberge.v., Rosenstr. 20, 29439 conservative. Nuclear power will be an plant, an interim storage and a final Lüchow, Germany important issue in the coming national disposal-facility at Gorleben. In Tel: +49 5841 4684 elections late September. On Hannover, five days later, 100,000 Email: buero@bi-luechow- September 5, three weeks before the people joined the farmers in one of the dannenberg.de elections, a nation-wide antinuclear largest anti-nuclear demonstrations in Web: www.bi-luechow-dannenberg.de demonstration is planned in Berlin. The Germany. ANIMALS WORSE AFFECTED BY CHERNOBYL RADIATION THAN THOUGHT A French-AAmerican study proves that radiation from Chernobyl nuclear disaster has affected animals far more than previously thought. Three years of extensive research shows a significant correlation between increasing radioactivity and declining number of species of insects and other invertebrates in the vicinity of Chernobyl. The numbers of bumblebees, butterflies, spiders, grasshoppers and other invertebrates are lower in contaminated sites than other areas because of high levels of radiation left over from the blast more than 20 years ago. (686.5940) Laka Foundation - The and barn swallows, but not on been no concerted effort to monitor the authors of the study note: "Pollination abundance of animals in relation to the long-term effects of Chernobyl on free- and predation are considered important disaster. In an earlier publication (2006) living organisms and humans?" And ecosystem services, and disruption the scientists said to be surprised that further on: "The official reports by IAEA, may affect the overall ecosystem up to now only little research has been WHO and UNDP were narrative functioning, suggesting that the done on the biological and ecological renditions of parts of the literature [..]. Chernobyl region and its surroundings consequences of Chernobyl in general. Scientific enquiry depends on rigorous is a perturbed ecosystem." Team They stated: "This research is the analysis of data rather than rendition of leaders Anders Møller, a researcher at consequence of investment by a few anecdotal evidence." the National Center for Scientific individuals, despite the fact that the Research in France, and Timothy effects of the disaster are continent- The only comparable data for Mousseau, at the University of South wide." More than a year ago the abundance and diversity of insects and Carolina, Columbia, report their findings researchers and two colleagues of other invertebrates at Chernobyl is a in an article called "Reduced them mopped the floor with most of the study on birds that show similar abundance of insects and spiders studies on the consequences of patterns. Almost two years ago Møller linked to radiation at Chernobyl 20 Chernobyl that had been done and had and Mousseau studied birds around years after the accident." in Biology received wide attention by the Chernobyl. They examined 7700 barn Letters, a journal published by The international media. They state: swallows from Chernobyl and Royal Society. "Although Chernobyl is perhaps the compared them with birds from largest environmental disaster ever, elsewhere. They found that Chernobyl's Møller and Mousseau say they are there has been minimal monitoring of swallows were more likely to have amazed to see that there had been no the status of free-living organisms or tumors, misshapen toes and feather other studies on this subject. There had humans in stark contrast to Hiroshima deformities than swallows from been published a few articles more and Nagasaki, where careful monitoring uncontaminated parts of Europe. than ten years ago on genetic damage has continued for over 60 years." They Rather than the impact of relocation caused by Chernobyl radiation, on mice asked themselves: "Why has there and stress and deteriorating living Call to participate in international "Chernobyl Day" action On Saturday, the 25th and Sunday, the 26th of April 2009, let's get involved against nuclear power! Let's rally to organize a local "Masks against Denial" action. The action of April, the 26th 2008 found broad echo in the press (179 actions worldwide). In 2009, let's act locally for an even stronger mobilisation. The main action is easy to take even with few people and simply consists in wearing a mask while standing on a symbolic place. 3000 original masks branded with radioactivity signs, symbolising Chernobyl victims and people suffering because of civil and military uses of nuclear technology worldwide, have been designed for this very occasion. Our organisation, Réseau "Sortir du nucléaire", will see to a broad national communication campaign. We can propose you an example for a press release, flyers for the public and a big poster recalling World Health Organisation's 50 years of submission to the International Atomic Energy Agency. All together, during this day, we will make a strong address to the global public opinion. Register your action and order material for your action at: www.chernobylday.org 2 NUCLEAR MONITOR 686 conditions, as suggested by the IAEA in researchers told Reuters they also Sources: Reuters, 18 March 2009 / 2006, they suggested that nuclear found that animals living near the BBC, 18 March 2009 /Anders Pape fallout might be responsible for human damaged reactor or sarcophagus had Møller and Timothy A. Mousseau, birth defects in the region. "We don't more deformities, including "Reduced abundance of insects and fully understand the consequences of discoloration and stunted limbs, than spiders linked to radiation at Chernobyl low doses of radiation," said normal. To a science reporter of BBC 20 years after the accident." Biology Mousseau. "We should be more News Mousseau explained: "We want Letters, published online 18 March concerned about the human to expand the range of our coverage to 2009 / Anders Pape Møller and population." include insects, mammals and plants. Timothy A. Mousseau, "Biological This study is the next in the series." consequences of Chernobyl: 20 years Their latest findings challenge earlier on." Trends in Ecology and Evolution research that suggested animal Møller is suggesting not to restrict their Vol.21 No.4 April 2006 / A.P Møller, T.A populations were rebounding around activities to the direct vicinity of Mousseau, F de Lope and N Saino, the site of the Chernobyl. These studies Chernobyl. He said that many "Anecdotes and empirical research in ignored the fact that animal populations researchers are erroneously focusing Chernobyl." Biology Letters, 23 had grown unimpeded in the absence on the 30-kilometer radius around February 2008 vol.