Published: April 18th, 2012 at 10:58 pm ET
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Title: Arnie Gundersen Interview
Source: WBAI’s Five O’Clock Shadow
Date: Tuesday April 17, 2012 5:00pm
At ~25:00 in
Host: What about the humpty-dumpty tank in Unit No. 4?
Gundersen: I don’t think Tepco has enough money to tackle the problems that it’s facing.
Download the program here (April 11, 2012 program)
Stream the program here
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Published: April 18th, 2012 at 10:58 pm ET
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sending...
Screw them having the money,…or not. How about them having the will?
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spent fuel pool 4 gathering here. i look forward to posting comments from this ENE thread at Reality Check tomorrow. aloha
http://realitycheck.no-ip.info/forum/index.php/topic,193.msg574.html#msg574
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Many thanks, chemfood.
. I hope the ENEnews Gundersen thread from yesterday gets widely circulated.
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Why didn't someone doing the initial cost estimates for NPP's include the cost of re-terraforming our planet?
I don't think ANY amount of money can fix these issues.
Pandora's box has been opened.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora%27s_box
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The Ukranian-European consortium that has raised $1 BIL to build the Novarka "new arch" to cover and allow decontamination and containment of Chernobyl's cracked and leaking sarcophagus would not agree that money is a limiting factor.
They are, no doubt, in addition, either laughing at, or terrified of, the japan/tepco water cooling, temperature control charade, as well as demoralized by suppositions that money cannot facilitate containment of the world's second major nuclear disaster:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2011/apr/19/novarka-chernobyl-reactor-arch-video
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Novarka represents RIGHT THINKING about the seriousness of the ongoing threat from Chernobyl, and about the BIG SCALE necessary in humanity's response to the disaster. This right thinking must also be applied to Fuku. Concerns about "TEPCO shareholder value" have driven the TEPCO response thus far. The Japanese government response has been to protect TEPCO, even as it has sacrificed the lives and futures of millions of Japanese people in the process. TEP.gov must be swept aside, along with concerns about who will pay the bill for dealing with Fuku. Three coriums must be located and moderated. Fuku Units 1-4 must be walled off from the Pacific Ocean to stop corium and irradiated water from reaching the ocean. Fuku Units 1-4 must be encased in a casket of concrete and lead to prevent outgasing into the atmosphere. Japan, Hawaii, and the area of the US and Canada west of the Rocky Mountains must be permanently evacuated. Food production in these areas for resale must be halted immediately to avoid further internal radiation poisoning. Pacific Ocean seafood must be banned from world markets. Nuke power plants using zirconium tubes in their fuel rods, of the type that may have caused the explosions at Fuku in March, 2011, must be immediately shut down. Zircaloy cladded fuel rods must be removed from spent fuel pools located adjacent to nuclear reactors. Governments must withdraw hugh subsidies from the nuclear industry, and divert these funds to renewable energy.
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A big response to Fuku is inevitable. The longer we wait, the more death Fuku will spread around the world as we dally.
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No one would underwrite this or any other reactor. I still get annoyed at times looking at the official releases. Why would any one body either an underwriting agency, or corporation put up with this misinformation.
My latest is about Tepco not being able to find the holes in reactor 2. Do they really believe that the exit point hole is in the suppression chamber. According to Mr. Gundersen, the path of melted fuel was from the inner vessel where the control rods enter at the bottom. From there into the control rod drive room. The level of the pipes to the suppression chamber are above this on the engineering drawings. From the drawings I have looked at, the drive room for the control rods is a cylindrical space closed off to some extent from the outer room where the suppression chamber exists. Below the drive rod control room, the drawings show a solid material. It is hard to tell if it is soil or man made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=i92VHLRUGeE.
Video showing the most likely path for the melted fuel. So why are they looking in the suppression chamber?
It appears that the control rod drive assembly is in a cylindrical room directly under the reactor vessel. The floor of this room is well below the level of the pipes to the suppression chamber. Under this room it appears to be solid ground although hard to tell from the engineering drawings I have seen so far.
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TheBowRiver,
So 'now' and 'later' they can have an out !
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The official story of #2 rests on TEPCO's claim that the primary containment failed somewhere in the downcomer connections or the torus itself. They are chasing evidence to back up their claim. The data shows the sudden depressurization of containment and yet there are no external signs of this. If the contents of the containment vented within the #2 building, how is it the only one that rad levels are low enough for humans to work? My hope is that they discover the source of the breach and find that the internal structure of the building helped to contain and slow down the contaminants. I believe that the truth will be much, much worse.
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Isn't the basement of #2 submerged?
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This is why they are reaching for loans !
The loan would be on condition the reactors are restarted !!!!
The lenders are concerned if two conditions — raising power tariffs and the restart of the utility's nuclear power plants — can be met in the face of public and political opposition following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster a year ago.
Sources said the most likely option under discussion is for Tokyo Electric to issue bonds backed by collateral to the lenders in exchange for the funds.
"We have a fiduciary duty to our clients and shareholders," said a banking source.
"We cannot make a commitment when we are not sure about these things. We could get sued if things do not turn out as we expect and we cannot recover our loans," said the source, who is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so did not want to be identified.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/us-japan-tepco-banks-idUSBRE8270EF20120308
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Sounds like some in the nuclear energy system !
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To Hell In A Handbasket! That's where we are headed if we don't get a popular movement started…
This fear of litigation is so pervasive in our culture, it is the "cancer caused by crony capitalism"
I see it rampant through the healthcare industry as well as being the cornerstone of U.S. Atomic Policy since its inception…masked as a "national security concern" it allowed government lawyers to redefine the meaning of words like "classified" without public or even congressional discourse.
Considering the dire outlook on SPF 4, any nation in the line of fire (Jet Stream) should be nationalizing every deadly NPP and pooling those profits directly into emergency aid for Japan…they've got the labor force, they will/have sacrificed their health already; their concern at this point will never be the effect this catastrophe is having on the rest of the northern hemisphere…
Japan should be overtaking control of TEPCO by now…they've got the bigger guns as governments always do, but instead of taking this outside to settle like men, everyone seems to tremble at the FEAR OF LITIGATION.
The suit and tie whineasses need to "man up" and realize it's only MONEY, not a bullet to their heads!
THE LOVE OF MONEY is a mental illness, an addiction; our governments and corporations are sesspools of this disease; the sooner the rest of us recognize this and act on it, the greater our chances of preventing total annihilation!
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You new TEPCO investors KNOW full well that you are investing in a criminal enterprise that has destroyed Japan, and exposed the population to fatal radiation doses. All of Japan is poisoned, but you believe you can make money from Fuku by loaning TEPCO the money it needs to avoid bankruptcy. This action by you makes you criminals also. The public will no longer allow nukes to operate on Japanese soil. TEPCO will soon be nationalized. I hope that you TEPCO investors will not receive back so much as one yen of your foolish and criminal investment.
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Collateral? What… if they can't pay you back, you get a spent fuel pool as your very own super olympic sized hot tub?
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xdrfox
I believe I understand your point. The bankers and investors drink whatever Kool-Aid is dished out. Positive news no matter reality. So how can we let them know and get the truth out.
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TheBowRiver,
Hi and welcome, you up in Alberta ?
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The Bow River gave me away.
Hi xdrfox, yes I am and have been following this nightmare since the beginning. Your financial analysis of this was great.
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TheBowRiver,
"The Bow River gave me away." You Think ? LOL : D
On the spot with comments, Every time a Big Corporate has a disaster it has the same script, writer by the expert's and Lawyers ! People have built in forgetters and usually not paying attention as to what they should !
Glad you are here !
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xdrfox
Upon further thought about this, Tepco, being a public company, must put a positive spin or illusion of confidence for these investors. When it comes to public companies, how they are perceived is everything. It seems that they, as a corporation, will continue doing this to their dying breath.
No matter the truth, consequences, or destruction of all around them, the corporation must survive.
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yes, TEPCO is an example of the corporation as selfish psychopath.
Now that the US Supreme Court has decided they are people, we may as well go ahead and examine what kind of people they are.
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Well if they are people, they are now subject to "Citizen's Arrest!"
Let's start with Entergy, then Exelon, then Monsanto, Dow, Searle, Bayer, Pfizer…oh, but where do I put the handcuffs???
Guess they really aren't people if we can't handcuff them and throw their worthless carcasses into jailcells.
Kind of undermines the entire credibility
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Charlie3:
. "Selfish Psychopath". Nice!
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As long as it is framed that Tepco has to go to the bankers to get loans to fix #4 sfp.
we are going to have to wait till hell freezes over. When is the world community going
to come together and take this thing over? When is the United Nations going to step
up and declare this a world wide castastrophe. I am not hopeful at all. At least the
Russians went at it with a million person force. . If there is ever to be a historical
remembrance of this catastrophe this generation of nuclear engineers , scientists and
politicians involved in the design, building of, lies and cover up— all will have to be labeled as Traitors to Humanity. The depth of Evil is beyond words.
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"When is the world community going to come together and take this thing over?"
Sam – it may be a long shot but, I think Senator Wyden's recent call for an international response is an attempt at getting things started. I'm convinced he knows how serious things are and has taken the first steps.
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Buffalojam: Agree 100%.
Senator Ron Wyden For President 2016
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Glad he's not running this year. Sen. Wyden is PRO-NUKE. He thinks the NRC is great and that the US nuclear program is safe. He's just responding to concerns of his constituents, not really helping the world by calling for decommissioning of all nuclear power plants, NO NEW nuclear power plants, no stockpiling or creating new nuclear weapons, no use of uranium or depleted uranium anywhere in the world.
Until he denounces nuclear in every application, he will never have my vote.
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Anne – Your points are well taken. My hope with Wyden would be that after visiting Japan he's had a change of heart and, because of his discovery of the seriousness of the situation, has decided to do the right thing. Lets face it, unless there is a drastic change of thinking by the nuke industry and those who support it there will be no remediation efforts of the type needed to limit further damage. Perhaps this is a foolish hope but it's the only one I have right now.
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We have a candidate this year who is totally against nuclear power plants: Dr. Jill Stein, M.D., Green Party.
We had a candidate 4 years ago: Sen. Hillary Clinton. She won the vote of the American people in the primaries. Through the machinations of the illegal shenanigans of the caucus system (which I viewed first hand), and the vote of the pro-nuke democrats who overrode the American people, she did not receive the nomination.
Until the American people make their anti-nuke stance more vocal, and their hope for democratic representation and processes the rule, the pro-nuke industry will destroy us.
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Your preaching to a member of the Green Party choir. I will vote for Stein without any expectation that she will win or that she could make a difference if she did, regardless of her good intentions. The problem is more a short term one as I believe something must be done soon, on an international level, to mediate the very difficult situation at Fuku. In this regard I will support Wyden's efforts until I become convinced they are not genuine. I would not wish the presidency on him and believe he is probably in a position now to be more effective in doing something positive for Japan than the President. Thank you for the Green Party suggestion and lets hope a lot of folks around here take you up on it. Best wishes.
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Hillary signed a pact with Japan to import their goods after the disaster
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Right! No containment what so ever.
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A wolf can chew his leg off to get out of a trap, to live, but the damage is done. He's still missing a leg, and he won't last long…
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All of the posts are valid. What I take from this is knowing where Tepco are vulnerable.
If Kevin Blanch or MsMilkythelown are reading this, it sounds like a perfect fit for Kevin to comment on. His PhD is in finance and I am certain he can add insight into getting the word out to whatever stock exchanges Tepco is listed on. Stay well Kevin.
As a side note, I received an email today from the White House, wanting me to recommend someone for the 2012 Citizens Medal. Being a Canadian, maybe not much sway with the selection committee. Please, can we all get together on this and nominate Kevin Blanch for this. The url is below.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal/submit-a-nomination.
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YES, KEVIN BLANCH for WORLD PRESIDENT .. Go Kev, you rock!
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Kevin Blanch has leukemia, likely from Utah's legacy of nuclear fallout from above round testing. Kevin's father died from leukemia. He has been quiet in recent days. Our hearts go out to you Kevin! Be well, brother.
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TheBowRiver,
About a month ago, a few of us started looking into Tepco stock and came up with some interesting finds on Wall Street investors !
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Tepco is history. A single nuclear plant is taking out their whole country. Do the math.
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Yes, they can wriggle and squirm and delay the inevitable, but eventually fukushima and tepco's corruption and ineptitude will bring an end to nuclear power. And probably to life on earth itself, unfortunately.
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Well if they are people, they are now subject to "Citizen's Arrest!"
Let's start with Entergy, then Exelon and GE, then Monsanto, Dow, Searle, Bayer, Pfizer…oh, but where do I put the handcuffs???
Guess they really aren't people if we can't handcuff them and throw their worthless carcasses into jailcells.
Kind of undermines the entire credibility of the Supreme Court, dontcha think?
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ion jean: But yes, corporations are people, as the Supreme Court has opined. Since people who are criminals can be arrested, corporate managers and directors can be arrested for the crimes of their corporations. I can get you a good price on handcuffs by the case, ion jean. You're going to need a whole bunch of handcuffs to haul away all the criminals in those corporations!
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Right you are, PhilipUpNorth! But enters the corrupt judicial system and I've rarely seen management held criminally accountable for anything…they pretty much have to embezzle for that to happen cause it's All About The Money, which is a way of thinking that has made me realize is no different than gambling, sexting, drug abuse…MENTAL ILLNESS of a higher magnitude!
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ion jean:
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+100 ion jean!
They have turned their minds onto 'fiend' setting.
They are drug fiends, sex fiends, gambling addicts, egomaniacs, in short, they have ALLOWED their characters to ERODE, many for half a century! Not mush humanity left–as we well see!
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Fukushima De-Commissioning will allow the Gang controlled Utility to profit as never before from and by doing so, further it strangle hold on the Japanese People…
The Yakuza and nuclear power to the Japan
http://is.gd/Ljj4Ff
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EXACTLY! Their stock is pretty much dead, International help is crucial
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I can't find this interview. I listened to most of the April 17th episode, and it is focused on the Trayvon Martin case and the American Legislative Exchange Council. Does anyone know where this interview actually is?
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It may be from the April 11 show. I am checking link, it will be updated in a few minutes. Thanks for the info.
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Well, Tokyo is the largest city in the world, it is TEPCO's(Tokyo Electric Power Company) largest share holder.. this is also the richest industry on the planet.. They have plenty of money, but would rather keep up the charade until taxpayers from all nations come to the rescue..again.. The industry will no doubt offer the loans as a means to feed and bleed itself..eventually..
The shear amount of funds invested in all the new R&D and all the sites and all the lobbyists, and all the paid for politicians, and everything else would be wasted if they are not able to pull off some sort of public relations strategy that occurs to care..
certainly, they are out selling the new tech like crazy before the word gets out to less developed nations.. the promise of lottery riches get them involved, the ugly truth blackmails them to stay.. culpability
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