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Source: Associated Press

Costs tied to the long-running shutdown of California's San Onofre nuclear power plant have soared to $553 million, while the majority owner raised the possibility Tuesday of retiring the plant if it can't get one reactor running later this year.

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SCE has asked federal regulators for permission to restart the Unit 2 reactor and run it at reduced power for a five-month test period, in hopes of stopping vibration blamed for tube damage. Without that approval, Chairman Ted Craver told Wall Street analysts in a conference call that a decision on whether to retire one or both reactors might be made this year.

Carver's disclosure highlighted the growing pressure and uncertainty the company faces as one of California's most important sources of electricity sits idle. When running, the plant's twin reactors can power 1.4 million homes.

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With questions about whether the plant can restart, mounting costs and who picks up the tab, "there is a practical limit to how much we can absorb of that risk," Craver said.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/costs-calif-nuke-shutdown-550-million-19078080

Source: Rutland Herald

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was both praised and condemned Tuesday by local residents for its oversight of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

At the plant’s annual assessment meeting, Yankee was described as meeting all of the safety requirements established by the NRC, but with four minor problems in the past year.

The meeting almost didn’t happen when it was disrupted by anti-nuclear protesters, members of the Shut It Down Affinity Group.

The group of women, all wearing masks of former NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko, stood in back of a table full of NRC officials and said they were “indicting” both the NRC and Entergy for failing to protect the health of people living near nuclear power plants.

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Read more: http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130501/NEWS02/705019893/1003

Source: Times of India

Expressing concern over the continuing buildup of nuclear weapons in South Asia, the US has asked India and Pakistan to restrain their atomic and missile programmes and play a positive role in the global non-proliferation community.

"The United States remains deeply concerned by the dangers posed by the continuing buildup of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems in South Asia," Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman said in his address to the 2015 Review Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons in Geneva on Monday.

"Consistent with our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons, the United States has repeatedly called on India and Pakistan to restrain their nuclear and missile programmes; end the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons; and support the commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament of a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty," he said.

"In that regard, it is with concern and deep disappointment that we note Pakistan's reluctance to support the start of such negotiations," the US official said.

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Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/US-asks-India-Pakistan-to-restrain-their-nuclear-missile-programmes/articleshow/19816234.cms

Source: Bloomberg

Amgen Inc. (AMGN)’s Neulasta and Neupogen and a similar blood-boosting drug from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) may help people survive after a nuclear attack, U.S. regulators said.

Medications known as leukocyte growth factors, which also include Sanofi (SAN)’s Leukine, may help decrease death rates from radiation exposure, Food and Drug Administration staff said today in a report. FDA staff reviewed a National Institutes of Health study on monkeys exposed to radiation that were given Neupogen. Agency advisers plan to meet May 3 to discuss whether the animal study is sufficient to approve the use for humans.

This is the first time an FDA advisory committee will consider a medical countermeasure for use in a radiological or nuclear incident, the staff said. Neulasta, Amgen’s second best- selling drug, and Neupogen together generated about $5.4 billion in sales last year for the Thousand Oaks, California-based company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The drugs are given by injections.

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Of the 24 monkeys that took Neupogen in the NIH study, 79 percent survived after 60 days, compared with 41 percent of the 22 monkeys who didn’t take the drug, FDA staff said. NIH stopped the trial after studying 46 animals because of the comparison.

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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-01/amgen-drugs-may-boost-survival-during-a-nuclear-attack.html

Source: My San Antonio

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission found this week that a foreign company is too heavily involved in plans to build two nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project installation.

Under federal law, companies that are owned, controlled or “dominated” by a foreign individual, company or country are barred from holding licenses to operate nuclear reactors. The regulator notified the groups involved of its finding in a letter that it sent Monday afternoon.

“We think it's encouraging that the NRC is recognizing that this is the law and it needs to remain in effect,” said Karen Hadden, executive director of the SEED Coalition, which has opposed the STP expansion from the beginning.

The matter will now go to a panel of three administrative judges in Washington, D.C., which previously dismissed a series of environmental challenges to the project, said Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the NRC.

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Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/Regulators-Too-much-foreign-ownership-for-4477314.php

Source: Huffington Post

With one week to go before South Carolinians choose their pick for the 1st District seat in Congress, Hustler magazine publisher and founder Larry Flynt made his selection.

In a video posted on Hustler's official YouTube account Tuesday, Flynt endorsed former Gov. Mark Sanford (R), lauding his efforts to expose the U.S.' "sexual hypocrisy."

“Mark Sanford has demonstrated by his words and deeds that traditional values are shameful and that he will not live by such rules," Flynt said. "His open embrace of his mistress in the name of love, breaking his sacred marriage vows, was an act of bravery that has drawn my support.”

Flynt's words come hours after Sanford completed his debate against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert Busch. The fireworks were centered on Sanford's affair, where Colbert Busch jabbed him for taking "money we saved" and leaving "the country for a personal purpose." Sanford claimed he "didn't hear" the comment.

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Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/larry-flynt-mark-sanford_n_3189201.html?ref=topbar

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Source: Rochester City Newspaper

More than 30 members of the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars were arrested this week after participating in a protest outside the Hancock Air National Guard Base near Syracuse. Some of the US military’s killer drones are operated and flown to targets in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries from the air base.

Three of the arrested protestors are from Rochester, according to a statement from the anti-war group, and about 275 people participated in the protest. The coalition staged a mock funeral procession, carrying coffins labeled with the names of countries where US drones have been blamed for civilian casualties.

Arrested protestors were arraigned in the De Witt Town Court with bail ranging from $500 to $3,500, according to the statement.

President Obama’s use of unmanned aircraft for information gathering and aerial attacks is among the most controversial decisions of his presidency. While some military analysts say the drones are more precise, less expensive, and highly effective at killing known terrorists, others disagree.

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Read more: http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/NewsBlog/archives/2013/04/30/local-drone-protesters-arrested

Good article with responses from a number of people about this.

Source: KGTV 10 News

An inside source gave Team 10 a picture snapped inside the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) showing plastic bags, masking tape and broom sticks used to stem a massive leaky pipe.

San Onofre owner Southern California Edison (SCE), confirms the picture was taken inside Unit Three, but did not say when. The anonymous source said the picture was taken in December 2012.

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More than one anonymous source talked about the picture with Team 10. They said the public has a right to know about the plant's condition, as the NRC decides whether the plant will be allowed to restart.

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Records obtained by Team 10 show SONGS staff were concerned about "hundreds of corrosion notifications" and "degraded equipment" throughout the plant. Staff sent a letter to management saying SONGS "clearly has a serious corrosion problem" in pipes throughout the plant.

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Read more: http://www.10news.com/news/investigations/photograph-picture-given-to-team-10-shows-plastic-bags-tape-broomsticks-used-to-fix-leak-at-san-onofre-043013

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Via http://enenews.com/photo-masking-tape-plastic-bags-broomsticks-used-to-fix-leak-at-troubled-u-s-nuclear-plant-it-clearly-has-a-serious-corrosion-problem