Law in Action

The Disposal of Nuclear Waste in the UK: the policy of voluntarism

questions — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:09:36 +0000

Romney Marsh in Kent, one of England’s most peaceful areas and most wildlife-rich wetlands, has been suggested as a site for Britain’s future nuclear waste dump. Ten thousand letters have been sent to residents of the area by the local district council, Folkestone-based Shepway, canvassing their views about siting the proposed Nuclear Research and [...]

The Military-Industrial Complex: aerospace and defense industry

questions — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:21:45 +0000

The U.S. is the world’s largest aerospace and defense market, and also home to the world’s largest military budget. The growth of the Aerospace and Defense industry depends largely on the spending outlook of government departments, with the U.S. defense budget being the primary driver. The industry largely depends on U.S. government contracts….

Defense [...]

Storage of Nuclear Waste in the United States II: New Mexico

questions — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:02:52 +0000

The (Savannah River Site) SRS Citizens Advisory Board will discuss a recommendation to send some or all of the site’s 3,100 “ready for shipment” canisters of stabilized waste to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M., where lower-level “transuranic” nuclear waste is buried in 250 million-year-old salt deposits a half-mile [...]

Can a Puppet be Effective? Afghanistan

questions — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:05:59 +0000

For much of the past decade, NATO commanders have dictated most aspects of the allied war strategy, with Afghan military officers playing a far more marginal role. But with the signing of an agreement last month, Afghans have now inherited responsibility for so-called night raids — a crucial feature of the war effort. To [...]

Storage of Nuclear Waste in the United States: giant casks

questions — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:25:08 +0000

The nuclear disaster in Japan and the abandonment of a spent fuel repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., have prompted TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) to consider a $298 million contract for giant concrete and steel casks to store nuclear waste outside its operating plants. TVA’s board in April authorized the federal utility to contract with [...]

To Kill an Environmentalist

questions — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:12:16 +0000

The killing of Chhut Vuthy has shaken Cambodia. A well-known environmentalist and founder of the Natural Resource Protection Group, he had travelled to Koh Kong province in the west of the country to try to film illegal loggers. He was in a heavily forested area near the construction of a 338-megawatt hydropower dam being [...]

Damming the Mekong River

questions — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:42:39 +0000

What looked like an admittedly temporary reprieve for the swift currents and extraordinary biodiversity of the Mekong river is now over. In December the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body made up of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, called again for approval of a potentially devastating dam at Xayaburi in northern Laos to [...]

How to Unambiguously Identify Zooming Satellites

questions — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:39:41 +0000

U.S. military observers can have trouble identifying satellites whizzing overheard in Earth’s crowded space lanes. A new Pentagon effort aims to find the unique visual signatures of individual satellites for quick identification, regardless of whether such satellites belong to friend or foe. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hopes such signatures — remotely seen [...]

Who Wants to Open the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site?

questions — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:32:48 +0000

Federal appeals judges indicated they were troubled over the licensing shutdown of Yucca Mountain, but they struggled with whether the nuclear waste project might be too dead to order it revived. Both sides faced sharp questioning in the case pitting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission against plaintiffs that include South Carolina and Washington state, which [...]

Israel and its Weapons: submarines launching nuclear capable missiles

questions — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:25:33 +0000

Israel’s navy has taken delivery of its fourth Dolphin class submarine built by Germany’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, giving the Jewish state the most powerful submarine fleet in the Middle East and boosting its strategic capabilities. The new diesel-electric boat, named the Tannin — Alligator – was handed over during a ceremony at HDW’s Kiel shipyard…The [...]