NH #173: USS Reagan Homeporting - Japan or USA? Masahiko Goto, Carol Jahnkow

INTERVIEWS: 

Two views across the Pacific on homeporting issues for the USS Ronald Reagan, which sailed into the worst of the Fukushima Daiichi radiation plume beginning the day after the earthquake and tsunami set off the nuclear disaster.  Is the ship still radioactive?  What happened to the debris from the purported “clean-up?”  And why would the town of Yokusuka, the proposed new location for the Reagan, put up with two floating nuclear reactors from a contaminated ship in its harbor?

• Mr. Masahiko Goto, attorney for the Japanese coalition trying to block the homeporting of the Reagan in Yokusuka as of Summer, 2015, on the current battle and his planned trip to visit the Reagan lawsuit attorneys and activists in California.
• Carol Jahnkow, a 30-year veteran activist on and now Director Emerita of the Peace Resource Center of San Diego, provides historic perspective and context for understanding issues with our atomic-powered fleet.

NUMNUTZ OF THE WEEK:

Japan goes full NIMBY as Prime Minister Abe-baby’s  government tries to get cities currently storing contaminated waste from Fukushima to hold onto it for just a wee bit more time than the originally promised three years of “interim” storage.

Doesn’t look very “interim” to me… 

PLUS:

• Typhoon Vongfong threatens Fukushima Daiichi with record rain, storm surges and possible tornadoes, as last week’s Typhoon Phanfone caused radiation surges of up to 10 times previous records.  
• California’s “top energy cop” Michael Peevey resigns from Public Utilities Commission… but not before he still gets a chance to swing San Onofre decision in favor of a Southern California Edison bailout;
• New nuke languaging “spin speak” outed by Beyond Nuclear;
• and Ralph Nader taps Michael Mariotte of NIRS for a Lifetime Achievement Award.  Mazel tov, Michael!