The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says they have found trace amounts of iodine-131 in drinking water in the states of Washington and Idaho.
The samples were taken last week, at Boise, Idaho and Richland, Washington. The results were just released.
The EPA also says they picked up trace amounts of radiation in rain water.
I checked the Idaho RadNet site and, so far, there is no mention of the water tests by the EPA. The information is in the most recent EPA press release.
Timothy Geithner is warning the U.S. Congress that if they don’t get their act together soon, the United States government will hit its legal limit on debt.
That could mean defaulting on loans owed to the rest of the world. The Treasury Department is forecasting that the debt limit will be reached between April 15 and May 31.
Some politicians want to reduce spending to prevent default. Others want to legally increase the debt limit.
Surprisingly, Geithner and Ben Bernankie want the debt limit raised. That would only mean getting taxpayers deeper in debt.
Geithner said the Treasury has some actions it can take, until Congress figures out what it’ll do, but that will only delay the debt crisis until July 8.
Some Congressmen have asked if selling off the country’s Federal Student Loans, or selling off gold reserves, would help. Geithner basically said no way: “To attempt a fire sale of financial assets in an effort to buy time for Congress to act would be damaging to financial markets and the economy and would undermine confidence in the United States.”
In other words: Time to get your rear in gear, Congress!
Tokyo Electric said it has started paying Japanese municipalities directly affected by the nuclear disaster.
One town, Namie, refused the money. Basically it is an insult, because when they divided the TEPCO offer by the number of their population and it amounted to only $12.00 per person. Namie officials say money is needed, but it’s obvious TEPCO’s offer wont help anyone.
East Japan Railway Co said it hopes to have all its bullet trains running full service routes by the end of April.
The 11 March, 9.0 quake damaged East Japan Railway rail lines in at least 1,200 places. About 45% of their routes are operational.
In other parts of Japan the problem is still lack of electrical power. That will continue for longer than expected, due to the fact that at least three nuclear power plants are shut down, not counting Fukushima Daiichi.
In northern Honshu, as I posted in an earlier report, 40 year old Diesel engines were brought out of retirement, saved from the scrap heap, to run supplies into the areas of devastation. That may not last long either, due to lack of fuel.
“I’m sorry about your animals, but your life is more important.”-Kato Tokutaro, head of economics for Tamura City
Hundreds of farm animals, and pets, have been left to die by farmers, and families, who evacuated the radiation danger zone. Turns out that radiation levels are much higher than officially reported, after one man had his soil privately tested.
Maruzoi Tomishige, a construction worker, got so fed up with the faulty radiation reports that he decided to break police blockades to get back to his home in the farming community.
He said the police were in full nuclear protective suits, they backed down from his demands to let him through.
Maruzoi’s home is in farm territory, Okuma, just two miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. He said it’s like a scene from a disaster movie: Desolation, farm animals wandering free, no people anywhere.
He was greeted by his dog and cat. He grabbed clothes and a bag full of dirt. He rushed out, leaving his pets behind, his dog frantically chasing after him.
Upon returning to the city of Tamura, Maruzoi had the dirt tested for radiation. The radiation level is so high, that it’s likely no one will be able to return to Okuma for 20-30 years!
Most residents of Okuma thought they’d be retuning home by now, that’s why they didn’t rescue their animals.
“They said everything was safe, but look at this mess. Of course the tsunami was higher than we all expected, but why did TEPCo always say everything was definitely okay?”-Tochikubo Jiro, another former Okuma resident
Even if the radiation doesn’t kill the livestock and pets, they’ll die of starvation, because no one is coming for them.
According to The Japan Times, portable generators are almost sold out, thanks to the 11 March 2011 disasters. Also, because of power outages (ironic), and parts supply problems, producers will not be able to meet current (pun; electric generators) demand.
“We’re completely out. We ran out three days after the quake, but we’ve been receiving orders from hospitals and factories every day.” -Ryuzo Nishikawa, Fuji & Yamaha generator salesman
Yahoo Japan has actually been auctioning off Honda generators. The highest bid so far is ¥178,000 (about U.S. $2,000.00).
Lesson: If you got the money, buy the damn generator BEFORE the disaster!
After it was revealed that Tokyo Electric Power Company’s radiation data was totally faulty, the company has now agreed to use third party monitoring of radiation levels.
Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency blasted TEPCo, twice, for untrustworthy data. TEPCo admits that the faulty radiation level readings, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, were caused by human error.
The third party monitors will include people from government agencies and utility companies.
Fukushima Prefecture is finally testing for radiation contamination at local elementary schools. Fukushima Prefecture is where the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is.
The tests will only run through Thursday. It was demanded by parents.
It’s amazing to me that it wasn’t already being done, and it’s amazing that they’re only doing it until Thursday. The nuclear disaster is still “critical” according to government officials.
Gaddafi said it, exclusive reports in some western media sources said it, and even the U.S. Admiral in charge of NATO said it: Al Qaeda is operating with the Libyan rebels we are supporting. And now they are taking the weapons for the rebels, for later use against the West.
Reuters is reporting that Algerian intelligence has proof that al Qaeda is operating in Libya, and they’re taking Western supplied, and captured Russian, weapons out of Libya.
Algeria, right to the west of Libya, has spent years trying to keep al Qaeda out. Now they’ve stepped up security operations because of the Western backed rebellion in Libya, precisely because they know al Qaeda is involved.
Algerian officials are amazed that the U.S., and other UN coalition countries are supporting, essentially, al Qaeda.
Haven’t we been here before? We supported a certain group who fought in the Afghan/Soviet War, that group became al Qaeda led by bin Laden (by the way not Afghani, but Wahhabi Arab), and that group declared war on the United States. Then we invade Iraq, supposedly because of connections to al Qaeda, which were false, and as a result al Qaeda actually got into Iraq (Saddam Hussein was actively fighting al Qaeda before we invaded). Now there is more and more proof that we are supporting al Qaeda in Libya. Sompin’ funny goin’ on here!
Remember the old “Sanford and Son” TV show? Let me paraphrase Red Fox’s character’s favorite phrase for his son: “Obama, you big dummy!”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Japan Meteorological Agency delayed releasing info on radiation data. He also said, that when the data was released it was so confusing that it has added to the problem of getting people out of harms way.
And as an example of overlapping authority, Meteorological Agency officials say they thought the data was only to be reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency. They pointed out that the ‘data’ was a only computer projection, a simulation, of what could happen, not actual real time data!