ScribbleLive

@Lilly I completely believe it. It's all about PR for the Tepco bigwigs and they simply want to mollify the GoJ by meeting these arbitrary deadlines so the people can return to their homes...as if that should ever happen!!

1st phase of defusing nuclear crisis 'over' [15 July, 2011]: www.yomiuri.co.jp
"The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. have concluded that they have nearly finished the first phase of defusing the nuclear crisis at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to sources.

Goshi Hosono, state minister for conclusion of the nuclear incident, is scheduled to announce Tuesday that the nuclear crisis has been brought out of a dangerous situation after measures were taken to prevent further hydrogen explosions from occurring at the power plant's nuclear reactors and stable cooling operations were achieved.

According to TEPCO's timetable for settling the nuclear crisis, which was announced on April 17, the deadline for completing the first phase is Sunday. Hosono plans to reveal a new timetable on Tuesday, the sources said."

Wow, phase one almost complete. Nothing to worry about any more. It's all over. Move along. </snark>

@RadioGuy , I do not fault them. But they shall have to continue cleaning until tepco can stop the emissions.

@Peter Melzer I know you don't. I'm just appalled by GoJ, and by extension to the whole sorry lot, because our own agencies have shown no more concern for the welfare of the people. Oh right. Welfare of the people. That's that welfare state they keep talking about.

@lillymunster Probably not, though they'll have to do it again. Rainy season will wash it down into the soil. Now it's supposedly only 2 inches deep.

@all What gets me about this decision to move people back in is the precarious nature of 4. What happens when the 8.0 strikes right on top of it? It's irresponsible and criminal to move people back while all the units are spewing and open to the atmosphere. The face palms are multiplying!

@LM Yeah, three is no bastion of stability either.

@Radioguy I couldn't agree more.

Perhaps, the municipalities around the plant could set up dumpsters for rad waste, in which the good people could deposit the scraped up soil.

As to tepco and gov. statements that the crisis is under control. As long as the atmospheric releases of radioactivity from the plant can be measured in teraBq per hour, the crisis is not contained at all.

@elainekirk Here it is:

While some of the water has receded and the conspiracy theories have receded, attention to the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant remains a priority with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC staff is preparing to meet with officials from OPPD, the owner and operator of the plant, for a second time this summer.


The meeting will be open to the public. It will be held at 9am July 27 at the Doubletree Hotel, 1616 Dodge St. The subject of the meeting will be post-flooding recovery actions at the plant, 19 miles north of Omaha.

Fort Calhoun was already shut down when Missouri River flooding began late in the spring. It remains in a safe mode under an Unusual Event, which was declared June 6 because of the rising river.

Members of the NRC staff will also be available to answer questions from the public after the business portion of the meeting.

In June, Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the NRC, toured Fort Calhoun and the Cooper Nuclear Station in southeastern Nebraska. Cooper is operated by NPPD. He reviewed anti-flooding efforts at both plants.

@elainekirk No joke. :)

interesting that it was blocked.