The Flaw in the Non-Proliferation Treaty's Article IV: Nuclear Power and the Pathway to Nuclear Weapons
‘This week, the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) will undergo a review that has taken place every five years since the treaty went into effect in 1970. Delegates from around the world will gather from May 3-28 at the United Nations in New York to assess the status of the treaty. What likely will not happen is a revision of the treaty's Article IV, which states: "Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. . ." In effect, Article IV offers a nuclear reward to non-nuclear weapons countries who sign the treaty; promise never to make the bomb and you can build and operate nuclear reactors. Since the materials, and to a certain degree, the processing involved in arriving at fuel for a civilian reactor or to create an atomic bomb are basically the same, a civilian program can lead to - and has led to - the covert development of nuclear weapons.’

Obama's Nuclear Energy Proposal Sparks Debate Among Black Environmentalists
‘Dr. Robert Bullard sees the red flags waving when it comes to the nuclear reactors President Obama has pledged government aid to construct in the town of Shell Bluff which is located in Burke County, Ga. The first red flag: Burke County is 51 percent African-American and already has nuclear reactors at Southern Company's Plant Vogtle. After looking at environmental injustices over the past 30 years I can't help but question why these reactors are being built in Burke County," says Bullard, an environmental injustice expert and activist. "When a community gets something good, African-American communities are usually not the first to get it." Bullard's sentiments indicate that nuclear advocates who desire to expand in the U. S. must work hard to dispel fears. Anne Lauvergeon is CEO of AREVA, a France-based multi-nation conglomerate that is known around the world for its nuclear energy facilities, including in the U. S. AREVA has invested over $3 billion to rejuvenate the nuclear energy industry in the United States. But, Lauvergeon says she realizes the hurdles that must be overcome as AREVA attempts to expand; especially in or near racially diverse communities.’

Chronic Beryllium Disease and Hanford
‘DOE describes Hanford as the world's largest environmental remediation project. In addition to the remnants of nine plutonium reactors, Hanford holds 4.6 million pounds of irradiated uranium fuel rods and 53 million gallons of radioactive waste buried in underground tanks, some of which have leaked into the groundwater and are moving toward the Columbia River. Radiation has long been the dean of hazards at nuclear cleanup sites, but in April 2009, the Hanford Advisory Board, a group chartered by DOE that includes current and former Hanford workers, medical specialists, environmental and worker-safety advocates, and local government officials, wrote a letter advising the department that "from a worker safety perspective ... beryllium currently rates as a greater hazard than radiation." The letter included a disquieting calculation: Studies have found that between 2 percent and 6 percent of people exposed to beryllium will become sensitized or develop CBD. At the time of the letter, 115 of 4,583 tested Hanford workers were sensitized or had CBD. Assuming the monitored employees are representative of the work force, the numbers imply that between 42 percent and 100 percent of Hanford workers have been exposed to beryllium.’

Feds expected to unload entire stake in Candu division
‘OTTAWA - The federal government is now expected to sell its entire stake in the Candu reactor division of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., a move that could have profound implications for Canada's nuclear industry and billions of dollars in plant refurbishments across the country. When the government announced in December that it was formally inviting bids for the Candu division, federal officials said Ottawa was open to a range of investment options, including a 100 per cent takeover. A spokesperson at Natural Resources Canada says that remains the government's official position. But stakeholders who have been briefed by investment bank Rothschild, which is overseeing the bidding process, have been told the government has now decided to unload its entire stake. "We had always been led to believe . . . that this would be some form of public-private partnership with some government control," said Michael Ivanco, vice-president of the Society of Professional Engineers and Associates, a union that represents AECL engineers and scientists. Without the government retaining at least some ownership, it's difficult to see how the Candu technology will survive, said Ivanco. Companies such as French-owned AREVA have expressed interest in acquiring the division, but it's more likely they would look to sell their own reactors, rather than continue to develop next-generation Candu technology.’

Africa: a coup in Niger raises questions about China's tactics
‘Like Britain and France a century ago, China is finding that its push into Africa is running into a few local difficulties. Even when Beijing arrives offering gifts in return for the mineral resources it covets, it discovers that money isn't everything. Its emissaries must still manage to identify the right movers and shakers to cosy up to. Take Niger, for example. The impoverished country's uranium deposits are world-class. But keeping your grip on the mines is anything but easy. The Chinese-built bridge over the River Niger looks sturdy enough but Beijing's relations with Niamey have been disturbed of late. Last week the military junta that seized power in February's coup d'etat was working out the details of an audit of all mining permits granted under Mamadou Tandja, Niger's Sinophile ex-president. The soldiers have been at pains to stress that they have no intention of booting out investors, Chinese or otherwise. But the exercise could have implications for China's intermediaries in Niger, weaken its previously intimate relations with the national leadership and hold lessons for its engagements elsewhere on the continent. China's acquisition of mining rights at Azelik in late 2007 helped to break the 40-year de facto monopoly of Areva, France's state-owned nuclear group, on the country's bounteous stocks of the metal.’