Hello from Switzerland! Below is a quicklist of the latest articles from a roundup of the web's best nuclear authors and bloggers, followed by more detailed descriptions below.  Also known as the nuclear carnival #224.  Two brand-spanking-NEW blogs and their first-ever articles are highlighted this week too.  Enjoy!

ANS Nuclear Cafe

James Conca, Forbes Contributor
Confidence- what does it mean for nuclear waste?
On Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission made an incredibly important decision about nuclear waste that could finally get nuclear energy moving forward again.  It is now confident that long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel, even over a hundred years, is safe and effective, and we don’t have to wait for a deep geologic repository to get our nuclear program going again. 

Neutron Bytes
TVA within 18 months of completing Watts Bar 2 reactor
TVA officials say they are on pace to start operating the new Watts Bar reactor — the second at the power plant — in December 2015. That could make Watts Bar the nation's first new civilian nuclear power unit to come online in the 21st century. NRC might cause slippage into early 2016. The new Watts Bar reactor could cost as much as $4.5 billion.
About 30 percent of TVA’s power supply comes from its three nuclear plants: Browns Ferry, near Athens, Ala.; Sequoyah, in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., and Watts Bar, near Spring City, Tenn. Those plants alone make enough electricity to power more than three million homes in the Tennessee Valley.

On the origins and history of the Linear No-Threshold radiation cancer risk model - fears of radioactive fallout were key to halting atmospheric testing of atomic bombs, but were other motivations possibly at work that may have encouraged exaggerating the danger from tiny amounts of radiation exposure?

The American Nuclear Society welcomes U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane in an online webinar for nuclear bloggers – details and registration

Atomic Insights
AtomicShow #221 - Acting Locally
On August 25, 2014, a group of atomic energy advocates gathered to share experiences and advice about how nuclear energy advocates can more effectively act locally. We discussed ways to find people who are interested in atomic energy, ways to develop social interaction, ways to show our humanity, and ways to make it fun to support something beneficial to the world’s current population and future generations.



With her Internet connection down, Meredith Angwin of Yes Vermont Yankee read two non-nuclear books.  A book about wilderness survival reminded her of the importance of accurate risk assessment (and avoiding FUD).  A mystery set in Quebec reminded her of the human cost of the James Bay hydro project. These dams are often touted in Vermont as the perfect substitute for Vermont Yankee.