Environmentalists file multiple challenges to US NRC reactor licensing Washington (Platts)--11Aug2011/323 pm EDT/1923 GMT A group of 25 environmental and anti-nuclear organizations filed challenges Thursday seeking to slow Nuclear Regulatory Commission action in 19 pending administrative proceedings on new reactor licenses and existing reactor license renewals in light of a recent agency report on the Fukushima nuclear accident. In multiple filings, the groups said the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, requires that the environmental implications of the NRC's task force report on Fukushima be taken into account before the agency can act on the licenses in question. The task force last month recommended a number of changes to NRC requirements based on its examination of the accident. Article continues below... "We're quite clear that this triggers a NEPA analysis," said Jim Warren, executive director of the North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, on Thursday. --William Freebairn, william_freebairn@platts.com
La science et la foi au service du bien de l’homme Mgr Zimowski au Congrès de l’Afar | 864 clics ROME, Mardi 28 septembre (ZENIT.org) - Mgr Zygmunt Zimowski estime que la science et la foi peuvent instaurer une « relation féconde et respectueuse » en vue « du bien de l'homme ». Le président du Conseil pontifical pour la pastorale de la santé est intervenu sur le thème « Science et foi : choix de vie » à l'occasion de l'ouverture du 10e Congrès national de l'Afar (Association des Fatebenefratelli pour la recherche) qui se tient à Brescia du 27 au 29 septembre. Dans son intervention, retransmise en partie par Radio Vatican le 27 septembre, Mgr Zimowski rappelle que « la relation entre science et foi n'a pas toujours été harmonieuse » et souligne l'originalité, la mission et la méthode propres à chacune. Si la foi est « vécue et comprise avec droiture », elle ne « gâche pas la soif de connaissance du monde mais l'éclaire et pousse à regarder (...) les merveilles » de la science, affirme-t-il. Marine Soreau
Spain in the spotlight 1. Spain is not going to make it. 25+% unemployment and no growth in the foreseeable future basically guarantees that. 2. The speed with which the present measures were taken will make it a decade or 2 to rebalance these countries' economies and finances. With likely rising debt/GDP levels and no real growth. 3. Effectively the only measures with a proper chance of success is breaking up the welfarestate and get rid of 1/3-1/2 of the civil servants.
Japan to use extra 230,000 b/d oil for power in 2011: IEA London (Platts)--10Aug2011/627 am EDT/1027 GMT Japan is likely to need greater volumes of oil and gas than previously estimated to cover nuclear power plant outages in 2011 and 2012 following this year's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. The additional oil demand to feed power plants is likely to amount to an average of 230,000 b/d in 2011 and 270,000 b/d in 2012, up from a previous estimate of 170,000 b/d, the IEA said in its latest monthly oil market report. The IEA also said Japan's incremental oil demand could rise to 460,000 b/d this winter if none of the shut nuclear reactors are restarted by then. Japan's winter power demand period is usually from December to February. With earlier-than-expected increases in Japan's oil demand from the power sector, the IEA has also revised upward Japan's total oil demand forecasts by 50,000 b/d to 4.5 million b/d in 2012 and by 140,000 b/d to 4.52 million b/d in 2012, it said.
News: Wisconsin files to join lawsuit against stem cell injunction Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday Wisconsin has officially filed to join a lawsuit challenging the injunction banning federal funding for stem cell research. “Families around the world are depending on the stem cell research conducted in Wisconsin to provide life saving medical breakthroughs,” Doyle said in a statement. There are more than 600 bioscience companies, 11 stem cell companies and 34,000 jobs impacted by the stem cell injunction, according to the governor’s office. Although Wisconsin is requesting to join the amicus brief, Republican Attorney General J. Van Hollen’s office maintains Doyle did not provide sufficient information needed by the DOJ to get involved in any lawsuit, regardless of politics. “It would be irresponsible for this office to step into a complicated, highly-charged dispute without having all the facts and information we require,” Bill Cosh, a spokesperson for Van Hollen, said in a statement. U.S.
L'Espagne au régime sec : 27 milliards d'économies cette année - Économie Malgré les manifestations monstres d'hier, le chef du gouvernement, Mariano Rajoy avait promis un budget d'austérité "très, très sévère". Ce seront finalement 27 milliards d'euros qui seront économisés cette année, si l'on en croit le projet de loi de finances présenté en conseil des ministres aujourd'hui. 27,3 milliards, au lieu des 35 attendus : la sévérité a ses limites... Pour réaliser ces économies, le gouvernement va lui-même se serrer la ceinture : les budgets des ministères vont baisser de 16,9% en moyenne, notamment via le gel des salaires des fonctionnaires "Nous sommes face à une situation limite", a expliqué la porte-parole du gouvernement, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria. "Notre première obligation est de revenir à des comptes publics assainis" - l'Espagne s'est engagée à réduire son déficit public, de 8,51% à 5,3% du PIB, d'ici la fin de l'année. Mais cet objectif sera atteint "pas à n'importe quel prix.
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Stem Cells Stocks: Obama vs. U.S. District Judge Lamberth (CYTX, STEM, GERN) | The StockMasters The drama has yet to unfold on if President Obama and company can overturn Tuesday's stem cell ruling that blocks awarding further federal grants for stem-cell research. Should the Powers-that-Be get the ruling squashed and the money back to the researchers and scientists you can bet shares of Cytori Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTX), StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) and Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) are going to rip in a heartbeat. Mastery Sponsors - Become one Today Fellow Masters, its going to take some time for this to play out in court, te federal government intends to appeal the ruling by U.S. As much as we'd love to go long on Cytori Therapeutics Inc. What's terrible is that while the appeals process unfolds, stem-cell scientists who had been receiving federal funds and were expecting more will not necessarily have to quit working, but they will have to begin a frenzied money chase, looking for private investors to pick up the bill when their money runs out.
Pourquoi l'Espagne inquiète ses partenaires L'Espagne a eu droit a un traitement spécial lors du Sommet de l'Eurogroupe. Le ministre allemand des Finances, Wolfgang Schäuble, et son homologue espagnol, Luis de Guindos, se sont réunis en aparté. L'objectif de cette réunion ? Rappeler à Madrid ses engagements en matière de finances publiques. Prenant ses partenaires européens de court, Mariano Rajoy a annoncé, à l'issue du dernier sommet européen, que le déficit public espagnol serait de 5,8% cette année, et non de 4,4% comme prévu dans son programme. Venant d'un petit pays de la zone euro, un tel dérapage aurait été moins grave. Bien sûr, Madrid n'a pas encore renié ses engagements. Autre problème pour l'Espagne : ses régions. Welcome | Energy Products & Services, Oil, Coal Insight, Natural Gas Shipping, Electric Power Methodology Analysis, Metals, Petrochemical, Reference - Platts Video Menu Energy Week TV Market Spotlight View all Platts.com videos © 2014 Platts, McGraw Hill Financial. All Rights Reserved.
U.S. appeals court reinstates stem cell suit Greece and Spain top agenda at Eurogroup meeting 12 March 2012Last updated at 19:03 ET Greece underwent the biggest government debt restructuring in history The eurozone group has backed Greece's second bailout of 130bn euros ($171bn; £109bn) pending a contribution from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Finance ministers from the 17-strong currency bloc had been meeting in Brussels to approve the package. The meeting followed Greece swapping most of its privately-held bonds with new ones worth less than half their original value. Greece's debt-to gross domestic product ratio is also expected to fall to 117%. The chairman of the eurozone group of finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, who is also the prime minister of Luxembourg, made the prediction after the meeting, saying it would reach that level in 2020. Mr Juncker said: "We welcome the [IMF's] proposal to recommend a 28bn euros [contribution] to the Greek facility. He said he was confident the IMF would agree the money but that he was "still dependent on that decision". Steps
First phase of Jaitapur nuclear project may be delayed by 1 year The commissioning of the first phase of the 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra is likely to be delayed by a year, since the developer, Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), would first have to upgrade and strengthen the safety applications in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. The first evolutionary pressurised reactor (EPR) of 1,650 Mw would be operational in 2018-19 instead of the originally planned 2017-18. French nuclear energy firm Areva was asked by the country’s nuclear safety regulatory authority ASN to conduct a safety audit after the Fukushima disaster. NPC and Areva had signed the General Framework Agreement and the Early Work Agreement in December last year. Areva had initially agreed to supply two EPRs of 1,650 Mw each, four additional EPRs to be supplied later. Pawar had strongly defended the Jaitapur project, had and countered the opposition's claim of it being harmful for the region, the state and the country as a whole.
Spain Is Turning Into An Economic Tragedy The Greek PSI will be resolved one way or the other this week. Early reports suggest a weak start and the triggering of collective action clauses and credit default swaps remain a distinct possibility. Portugal is next and, although the credit dynamics and implementation of reforms are superior to Greece, the risk remains high that it will need a second aid package and/or debt restructuring, as it is unlikely to be able to return to the capital markets in H2 2013. With 2 LTROs and collateral liberalization, the 10-year benchmark in Portugal is yielding more than 13%, compared with a bit more than 12% at the end of last year. However, the devolution in Spain is particularly troubling. The problem for Spain is that the 4.4% target was based on forecasts for more than 2% growth this year. This will be the third year in 5 that the Spanish economy contracts. Moody's says that another 25 bln euros in savings is needed for Spain to reach its budget target.