NEI Nuclear Notes

California’s Environmental Protection Agency is required to prepare what are called “periodic science reports on the potential impacts of climate change on the California economy.” This is carried out by the Climate Change Center within the California Energy Commission . The overarching findings contained in the most recent report, ‘ Our Changing Climate 2012 ,’ are seemingly stark: “Temperatures in California will rise significantly during this century . . . by 2050, California is projected to warm by approximately 2.7 degrees F above [year] 2000 averages, a threefold increase in the rate of warming over the last century.” “Springtime warming – a critical influence on snowmelt – will be particularly pronounced.” “Summer temperatures will rise more than winter temperatures . . . Heat waves will be more frequent, hotter, and longer.” “Wildfire risk in California will increase as a result of climate change.” The report (to watch the pr...

Interesting piece from the pages of the International Herald Tribune . Joe Somsel, a one-time contributor to NEI Nuclear Notes, makes an appearance.

Got an interesting piece of information I wanted to pass along. Back on June 28, Tom Cochran Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's nuclear program, testified before the California Energy Commission . Following his testimony, Commissioner James D. Boyd asked Cochran whether or not storing used nuclear fuel in dry casks was safe given California's history with earthquakes. Here's how he answered: As an organization we haven't developed a view but I'll give you my personal view. First of all I think it's nonsense to think that an earthquake is going to damage a dry cask storage container. I think you can shake those as long as you want to and you're not going to -- you might want to go back and re-rack or something in a safe facility but I cannot envision it being shaken open. So I don't think that's an argument, seismicity, for moving dry casks. I think it makes sense to have a place to move spent fuel and store it in dry casks from...