Esteban Ortiz’s Post

Solving Energy and Environmental issues in one stroke. https://t.co/nbYeiyptkD

Interesting paper from The Bellona Environmental Transparency Center on the technical and political considerations around restarting the #ZNPP. https://lnkd.in/eg57YdG9 Some questions come to mind: Which concerns are most salient for decision makers?  Are the risks associated with restarting the plant enough to maintain the status quo? What lessons can we learn from the last two years of ZNPP's occupation? 

via High Country News "This past June, for the fourth year, the #YakamaNation and Columbia Riverkeeper hosted #HanfordJourney at #HanfordReach. “Oftentimes, when we talk about the river, or protecting the river, we’re not around the river,” said Washines. Hanford Journey is a #cultural event designed to get people out on the #land, reminding them it’s more than just a #radioactive wasteland. The two-day event includes a guided boat tour of the Reach and #educational presentations about the clean-up. But federal cleanup has been so slow and expensive that some #government officials have suggested abandoning the site. Just days before the Hanford Journey, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sent tribal leaders a new report listing three possible cleanup strategies, each with a 290-year timeframe — the agency’s best estimate for how long it will take #strontium90 to decay to what they consider acceptable levels in the aquifer. “The upshot is, they’re going to wait for 300 years,” Serres said" Western Leaders Network Cultural Survival Native American Rights Fund Indigenous Environmental Network Truman Center for National Policy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists KUOW Public Radio NPR OPB City of Toppenish City of Yakima City of Richland City of Pasco MacArthur Foundation Open Society Foundations Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Yield Giving Center for American Progress Climate Power Education Fund Colorado School of Mines Stanford Energy Nuclear Threat Initiative Global Zero Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project Zero Hour United States Senate National Caucus of Environmental Legislators National Governors Association Environmental Working Group Pacific Environment Philanthropy Northwest Environmental Law & Policy Center

via States Newsroom & Alex Baumhardt "Dan Serres, advocacy director for the City of Portland and The City of Hood River -based #nonprofit conservation group Columbia Riverkeeper, said such leaks are not only devastating for the river’s health but are a violation of the federal government’s 1855 treaty with the Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon and #Yakama tribes. The tribes ceded millions of acres of their land to the U.S. government in return for hunting and fishing rights at traditional sites in perpetuity. The possibility of thousands of gallons of the waste moving through the state as a liquid, rather than in a solid form outlined in previous plans, are among the parts of the proposal that most alarm State of Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Janine Benner, director of the Oregon Department of Energy." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists WIRED The Council on Strategic Risks Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project Libra Foundation Hispanics in Philanthropy Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment MIT - Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research Indigenous Environmental Network Cultural Survival Indigenous Leadership Initiative First Nations Development Institute United States Senate US Congress The White House https://lnkd.in/gQKMtzDq

After 6 months of negotiations, there is a political agreement to form a right-wing government in the Netherlands, including the far-right party PVV. The title of the document is "Hope, Courage and Pride". For me, the content spells out the opposite. How can I have hope when politicians want to promote gas production, nuclear energy and carbon storage, instead of actively reducing GHG emissions? How can I be proud of a country that wants to adopt the strictest migration policy ever, while halving development aid? And there is no courage at all in business-as-usual by continuing large-scale animal farming. There is one thing that the text anticipates correctly: lack of trust among citizens - I have no confidence in a government that does not offer real solutions, legitimizes discrimination and that undermines environmental laws.

Coal plants fighting to keep polluting the planet instead of pivoting. There are much better sources of energy in the market, including nuclear power. Here is a snippet: "The new [EPA] rule advances carbon capture and storage as the best system of emission reduction to curb 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 23 years, the equivalent of taking 328 million gasoline-powered cars off the road for a year. Facilities have until 2032 to slash or capture 90 percent of their carbon emissions. If they can’t comply, they must exit the grid by 2039." https://lnkd.in/dia8eZpN

Pragmatic changes and adjustments to deal with current and future environmental challenges.

🔍 NNB Generation Company (HPC) has been issued a directive by the UK Information Commissioners Office to comply with the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). This decision follows an appeal by Fish Legal, an organisation dedicated to safeguarding fish and waterways. This pivotal ruling mandates NNB to enhance transparency surrounding its environmental impact, particularly concerning fish populations near the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. Fish protection has been a contentious issue for Hinkley Point C, with particular debate over acoustic fish deterrent (AFD) technology. While a saltmarsh was proposed as an alternative to the AFD, several conservation bodies remain sceptical about its efficacy. They argue that while habitat restoration could be beneficial, it might not suffice to offset the significant fish population losses caused by the plant's cooling intake. 🐟 This ruling by the ICO not only urges NNB to disclose their fish protection plans but sets a precedent for other nuclear developers like Sizewell C. Fish Legal emphasises the importance of full transparency to safeguard our ecosystems, advocating for public oversight to prevent potential environmental damage. 🌍 #EnvironmentalProtection #FishConservation #Energy

via Street Roots "#Kotek’s letter outlined three major concerns with the agreement, including whether the #nuclearwaste will be transported in solid or liquid form and how the agencies will align with #NationalEnvironmentalProtectionAct requirements for transport and disposal. Those concerns echo an uneasiness long embedded in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s secretive experiment. The #HanfordSite, in #EasternWashington, is the most #contaminated area in #NorthAmerica. It is also one of the most expensive cleanup sites in the world — an estimated $300 to $640 billion project expected to conclude in 2084, at the earliest, according to the US Government Accountability Office." Indigenous Environmental Network Native Americans in Philanthropy Western Leaders Network Verde Oregon Just Transition Alliance 350.org GreenLatinos The Climate Center Climate Advocacy Lab Center for Biological Diversity Earthjustice Action The Kresge Foundation Truman Center for National Policy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Alliance for Nuclear Accountability MacArthur Foundation Colorado School of Mines Notre Dame Computer Science and Engineering Clemson University Climate Justice Alliance Communities for a Better Environment Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment NPR States Newsroom State of Oregon United States Senate Inkstick Media Waterkeeper Alliance Women in Water Diplomacy Network

Hinkley Point C faces fresh environmental scrutiny. A fresh planning inquiry looms for Hinkley Point C to consider proposed changes, including removing fish deterrents and creating saltmarshes. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Environment Agency EDF #HinkleyPointC #energycosts #energyprices #energydemand #energycrisis #climatecrisis #climatechange #climateaction #climatesolutions