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Anti-trust law, Barnwell, Barnwell radioactive waste site, campaign donations, campaign fundraiser, cancer, clean water, Clive dump, corruption, dangers of nuclear, Doug Kimmelman, Energy Capital Partners, Energy Solutions, EnergySolutions, environment, Free Speech, Freeport McMoRan, Goldman Sachs, Holtec, Investment Bankers, Kris Singh, Nikki Haley, NRC, nuclear, nuclear accident, nuclear energy, nuclear reactors, nuclear waste, President Trump, private interim storage, private ISF, radioactive waste, radioactive waste burial, risk management, Russia, South Carolina, Texas, Trump, Uranium mine cleanup, US DOJ, US NRC, Utah, water, WCS
This Private Nuclear Waste “Interim” Storage Facility, i.e. Parking lot for high level nuclear waste, comment deadline is even more important since Doug Kimmelman, owner of private nuclear waste company EnergySolutions, was a Trump fundraiser and a large Trump donor ($285,000 to $335,000). EnergySolutions is trying to take-over its main competitor WCS, in clear violation of US Anti-Trust law and is being sued by the US government.
Private Nuclear Waste “Interim” Storage Facility Comment by Friday, 27 Jan. 2017, 11.59 PM Eastern Time(NY-Boston-DC-Atlanta, Miami, etc.) This is one minute till midnight; one minute till Saturday. Comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOE_FRDOC_0001-3256 Due Jan 27 2017, at 11:59 PM ET. ID: DOE_FRDOC_0001-3256. It is quick, painless, and can still be anonymous. It is important simply to have it in the record that there was opposition. If the current administration deletes the record, God will presumably still have it. You should also share your comment widely by whatever means you have at your disposition.
It says that there have been no comments but there have actually been two: https://www.energy.gov/ne/downloads/private-isf President elect Trump is one of the only officials to understand the dangers of nuclear, due to his uncle: “When people talk global warming, I say the global warming that we have to be careful of is the nuclear global warming. Single biggest problem that the world has.” (Donald Trump, NYT, 27 March 2016). Sadly, most of his entourage, including Energy Solutions’ Doug Kimmelman, appear to be “on the make”. And, with the two extremes of Trump’s sensitivity and America’s incivility, the US risks losing its free speech right to criticize government. So, use it while you can. Few have the right to insult the honor of government outside of the English speaking world.
Doug Kimmelman who owns private nuclear waste company EnergySolutions was a Trump fundraiser and is a large Trump donor ($285,000 to $335,000). EnergySolutions is trying to take-over its main competitor WCS, in clear violation to Anti-Trust law and is being sued by the US gov. WCS has applied to be an interim nuclear waste storage facility (dump). Holtec intends to try to open such a nuclear waste dump, as well. Trump appointed Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador. Holtec owner Kris Singh is a large donor to Nikki Haley and he is a family friend and possibly kin. He owns Holtec privately and has been uncooperative in even giving the US government spent fuel cask costs, in the past : https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/gov-nikki-haley-55000-from-holtec-nuclears-kris-singh-sec-of-state-interprets-treaties-possible-conflict-of-interest-in-application-of-nuclear-liability-agreement/
Trump’s Energy Secretary Nominee has ties to the WCS (Waste Control Specialists) nuclear waste site: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/crony-capitalism-rick-perry-us-energy-secretary-former-texas-governors-experience-for-the-job-comes-from-stiffing-the-american-people-and-their-environment/
See more on Kimmelman below the 8 page comment.
Here is an excerpt from a feisty response from a citizen in Oregon:
“Then, there is the interesting aspect of private enterprise being used to “safely store” the waste. Gee, do we have any examples of for-profit companies cutting corners? Do they ever go bankrupt and cease operations? Do they ever leave the general public holding the bag for poisoned, played-out mines? Do they ever fail in due diligence on safety matters? Bhopal, for instance, comes to mind. For how long could we trust a private company to care more about the public health and our common future, than for private profit? The idea is insane.” (Christopher Logan Oregon December 21, 2016) In fact, just this week, January 17, 2017, the US Justice Department, EPA and The Navajo Nation Announced a Settlement for Cleanup of 94 Abandoned Uranium Mines on The Navajo Nation whereby the US government pays half and the mining company (Freeport McMoRan) which is legally liable pays only half (this can still be protested here: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees )
Note that “Thin-walled spent fuel canisters cannot be inspected and may leak 16 years after loaded. The majority of current U.S. irradiated spent fuel storage facilities use thin-walled (mostly 1/2” thick) stainless steel canisters that the NRC acknowledges cannot currently be inspected or repaired and are vulnerable to cracking and leaking 16 years after a crack starts.” Read more here: https://sanonofresafety.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/commentstodoe-ipc-consentsiting2016-07-31.pdf
Donna Gilmore of San Onofre Safety, the foremost expert on Holtec casks, has aptly dubbed these spent fuel casks “Chernobyls in a Can”
Here is the entire Private ISF comment by Chris Logan, Dec. 21, 2016 (Red and yellow highlight our own). The picture shown is exactly what they have in mind for interim storage – not even a covering from the elements, as in most other countries (e.g. Germany, Switzerland, UK).
Christopher Logan Oregon December 21, 2016
Private ISF: https://www.energy.gov/ne/downloads/private-isf
Spent nuclear fuel conceptual drawing for WCS to NRC
If you examine what the US government is doing-planing to do with old government radioactive waste (both US and foreign), including decladding, diluting, and burial in WCS or EnergySolutions dumps, it becomes clear that once the spent fuel casks start to leak that they will simply bury them quickly. Who will monitor? Who will stop them?
Former Goldman Sachs Investment Banker “Alumnus” become nuclear waste man Doug Kimmelman (EnergySolutions) donated between $285,000 and $335,000 to Trump http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml (FEC has $335,000 plus another smaller amount, approx. $2700 by a Margaret Kimmelman – probably his mother or daughter. His wife Carol doesn’t appear to have been a Trump fan. The FEC may have counted one $50,000 donation twice, in which case it is the lower amount.). Kimmelman also has ties with the US-Russia Business Council board through Energy Capital Partners Senior Advisor Daniel Yergin. Doug Kimmelman is Sr. Partner and founder of Energy Capital Partners, which owns EnergySolutions.
Large Trump donor and fund-raiser, Doug Kimmelman’s EnergySolutions is charging 3.5 times more to bury nuclear waste at the Barnwell Site than competitor WCS charges in Texas. The US NRC fails to give us the figures for the relatively arid EnergySolutions Clive Radioactive Waste Dump. Energy Solutions is charging four times more for the concrete “bio-shield” at the Barnwell site than competitor WCS in Texas charges.
Energy Solutions is trying to buy Waste Control Specialists (WCS) which is in clear violation of antitrust law and thus is being sued by the US gov: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-block-energysolutions-acquisition-waste-control-specialists ISN’T THIS WHY HE GAVE SO MUCH MONEY TO DONALD TRUMP AND HELD A FUNDRAISER?
How do these nuclear waste burial costs compare to monitored, above ground, disposal? To a monitored underground facility?
EnergySolutions Clive Radioactive Waste Dump-Burial Ground in arid Utah
WCS Radioactive Burial Ground in arid West Texas
Energy Solutions Barnwell site in hot, humid, i.e. Subtropical, South Carolina
It is entirely unacceptable that the US NRC continues to allow burial of this radioactive waste, most of which is long-lived and not low-level. If it were truly short-lived – meaning half-lives in days – then it could be held on-site. Do these charges include digging the waste up, re-packaging them?
Someone needs to start a petition telling Trump to take his Presidential salary to pay back Kimmelman and other donors in this intermediate range. Kimmelman also did a fund-raiser which can’t be paid back. Before the law was changed, a couple of thousand dollars could buy the attention of a politician. Now large donors give in the millions. Compared to millions, Kimmelman’s hundreds of thousands are probably “intermediate”. Kimmelman gave more to Stanford University, where Condi Rice still works.
This is important to watch since EnergySolutions owner Doug Kimmelman was a big Trump supporter-donor:
“Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Justice Department Sues to Block EnergySolutions’ Acquisition of Waste Control Specialists
Merger Would Eliminate Significant Head-to-Head Competition that Has Led to Lower Prices and Better Service for Customers in 36 States Seeking to Dispose of Low Level Radioactive Waste
The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today seeking to block EnergySolutions’ proposed $367 million acquisition of Waste Control Specialists – a transaction that would combine the two most significant competitors for the disposal of low level radioactive waste (LLRW) available to commercial customers in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico….”
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-block-energysolutions-acquisition-waste-control-specialists
Notice that Free McMoRan pays half and US gov pays half! This can also be commented on:
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Justice Department, EPA and The Navajo Nation Announce Settlement for Cleanup of 94 Abandoned Uranium Mines on The Navajo Nation
The United States and the Navajo Nation have entered into a settlement agreement with two affiliated subsidiaries of Freeport-McMoRan, Inc, for the cleanup of 94 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. Under the settlement, valued at over $600 million, Cyprus Amax Minerals Company and Western Nuclear, Inc., will perform the work and the United States will contribute approximately half of the costs. The settlement terms are outlined in a proposed consent decree filed today in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona. With this settlement, funds are now committed to begin the cleanup process at over 200 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.“… https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-epa-and-navajo-nation-announce-settlement-cleanup-94-abandoned-uranium
Trump quote in context:
“… I personally think it’s the biggest problem the world has, nuclear capability. I think it’s the single biggest problem. When people talk global warming, I say the global warming that we have to be careful of is the nuclear global warming. Single biggest problem that the world has. Power of weaponry today is beyond anything ever thought of, or even, you know, it’s unthinkable, the power. You look at Hiroshima and you can multiply that times many, many times, is what you have today. And to me, it’s the single biggest, it’s the single biggest problem.” Entire interview here:
https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20160421082652/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-transcript.html
Mining Awareness + 
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