TV: “Surge in marine mammal strandings” on US West Coast — Scientists: “This is very weird”; “My biggest fear is if this… is everywhere” along coast — Whales, dolphins, sea lions, birds recently washing up in large numbers — Many thousands likely dead — Violent seizures shown on news (VIDEO) enenews/tv-large-numbers-w... “We’re Alarmed”: Chunks missing from bodies of salmon from Pacific — Lesions in over 50% of fish being reported — Experts: “Looks like traumatic insult… followed by bacterial invasions”; Investigating for pathogens — Wounds this significant must impact ability to survive (PHOTO) enenews/alarmed-lesions-re... Fukushima accepts storage facilities Nuclear & Energy Sep. 1, 2014 - Updated 00:28 UTC-4 The governor of Fukushima Prefecture has informed the central government of his approval of the plan to build intermediate storage facilities for highly radioactive waste in 2 towns within the prefecture. Yuhei Sato informed Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara and Reconstruction Minister Takumi Nemoto about the decision at a meeting on Monday. The meeting was also attended by the mayors of the 2 towns -- Futaba and Okuma -- near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Sato said the construction of the facilities will be a heavy burden on local communities, but he wants to restore the environment as soon as possible. The governor urged the central government to quickly enact legislation to stipulate that the stored waste will be moved out of Fukushima Prefecture within 30 years. Fukushima Daiichi workers to sue TEPCO Nuclear & Energy Sep. 1, 2014 - Updated 02:00 UTC-4 Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are planning to sue Tokyo Electric Power Company, demanding it pay wages suited for the dangerous work. Four male workers at a TEPCO subcontractor will file a lawsuit at the Iwaki branch of the Fukushima district court on Wednesday. The workers are doing plumbing work on tanks that store radioactive water at the plant. They say their wages are too low considering the risk of radiation exposure they face. The workers are demanding TEPCO pay each of them about 96-thousand dollars in compensation. They say their wages havent changed even after TEPCO announced an increase in labor payments to subcontractors by around 96 dollars last November. One of the plaintiffs in his 30s said he is worried about his health because his monthly radiation exposure levels sometimes exceed 4 millisieverts. He said though he had been reluctant to voice his concerns over fear of losing his job, the lawsuit will make it easier for workers to speak up. Lawyers call on TEPCO to accept settlements Nuclear & Energy Sep. 1, 2014 - Updated 12:24 UTC-4 A group of Japanese lawyers is urging the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to pay more nuclear damage settlements to Fukushima residents. Lawyers with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations told reporters on Monday that TEPCO is not honoring its promise to respect proposals from the Science Ministrys dispute settlement center. The ministry established the center in 2011 in order to mediate disputes between TEPCO and residents who have serious claims against the utility following the accident at the Fukushima plant. More than 8,000 cases have been settled since the center started accepting applications 3 years ago. But the lawyers said TEPCO have recently rejected a series of the centers settlement proposals. They include a class action suit filed by more than 15,000 residents of the town of Namie.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 05:16:19 +0000