***************************************************************** 01/14/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.11 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Blair 'No Longer Believes His Own WMD Arguments' 2 Toronto Star: Editorial: Bush 'outed' on Iraq 3 Scotsman.com: Bush admits he wanted regime change before 11 Septembe 4 War Wire: NKorea willing to resolve nuclear, Japan kidnap issues 5 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: NK Outlines Plan to Resolve Nuclear Stand 6 Las Vegas SUN: China, Russia Hopeful on N. Korea Crisis 7 US: Update: New Evidence on the Origins of Overkill 8 EurActiv.com: Nuclear package adopted in Parliament 9 Las Vegas SUN: Libyan Success Exposes Problem for Bush NUCLEAR REACTORS 10 US: [epa-impact] Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Monticello Nuclear 11 US: [NukeNet] Indian Point May Shut if Workers Strike 12 US: NRC: Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability 13 US: NRC: Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Monticello Nuclear Generat 14 US: NRC: Portland General Electric Company, Trojan Independent Spent 15 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards: Joint Meeting of 16 Haaretz: Suit by former Dimona reactor employees goes to arbitration 17 US: Las Vegas SUN: N.Y. Nuke Plant May Shut if Workers Strike 18 ENN News: Finland stages nuclear drill, readies to build new reactor 19 US: NRC: NRC Issues Report on Improving Reactor Operating Experience 20 US: NRC: NRC Announces Availability of Two New Websites on Conduct o NUCLEAR SAFETY 21 US: [NukeNet] So-Called Anti-Radiation drugs 22 US: [FOODIRRADIATIONCA] San Diego-based SureBeam has filed for 23 US: NRC: Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact and Availability 24 Bellona: Russian admiral charged with negligence over K-159 has gone 25 Cape Argus: How SA tip set up US 'nuke' sting NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 26 [NukeNet] Yucca Plaintiffs on Today's EPA Case 27 [NukeNet] Yucca Mt. Phony Time Argument- 300, 000 Years Will 28 US: NM: Radioactive Refuse Rolls by Rez, Gallup, Grants 29 [CMEP] Yucca Plaintiffs on Today's EPA Case 30 US: deseret news: Waste bill may stir 'hot' debate 31 Times-Journal: Uranium enrichment plan coming to Piketon 32 chillicothe gazette: More jobs coming to Chillicothe - 33 chillicothe gazette: USEC says it can get money to build uranium ref 34 Las Vegas RJ: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Nevada gets its day in court 35 US: CNEWS Canada: Federal minister says he will consider helping cle 36 Herald: Some Tega Cay area residents say they are 'guinea pigs' in M 37 Las Vegas SUN: Judges question EPA's Yucca standard 38 RGJ: Guinn must tell voters his logic 39 MercoPress: Radioactive cargo scheduled to cross Cape Horn. 40 US: Waste News: Lawyers argue pros, cons of federal government nucle 41 Pahrump Valley Times: Nuclear conflict 42 Paducah Sun: Uranium conversion plants impact statements due in July 43 Senator Reid: Reid Statement On Yucca Mountain Lawsuits 44 Nevada Makes Appeal in Washington 45 US: CBC Saskatchewan: Uranium mine cleanup back on the agenda - Effo 46 Las Vegas SUN: Courts to Hear Yucca Mountain Arguments 47 Las Vegas RJ: Nevada fights Yucca Mountain waste repository 48 War Wire: Argentine judge bans US ship with nuclear cargo NUCLEAR WEAPONS 49 Guardian Unlimited: Libya Ratifies Nuclear Test US DEPT. OF ENERGY 50 DOE: National Energy Technology Laboratory; Notice of Availability o 51 Seattle Times: Hanford workers move closer to closing tank 52 Tri-City Herald: Hanford nearing first tank closure 53 Paducah Sun: Bidders for DOE job listen to union - 54 Newsday.com - BNL: New Bid System Hurts Us OTHER NUCLEAR 55 Pro-nuclear space cadets thrilled by Bush's promise of more 56 Google News Alert - nuclear ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Blair 'No Longer Believes His Own WMD Arguments' Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 11:42:46 -0600 (CST) Blair 'No Longer Believes His Own WMD Arguments' Scotsman.com Monday 12 January 2004 Tony Blair faced fresh questions over his claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction today after admitting they might never be found. The Prime Minister yesterday insisted he was right to act on intelligence that Saddam Hussein had a chemical and biological arsenal. But Mr Blair said it may well not be surprising if it was never be uncovered. The PMs words were seized on as an admission of defeat by former Labour ministers who opposed the war. Conservatives said it called into question statements about intelligence he had given in the Commons. Weapons had not been found at sites where coalition military chiefs had expected them, Mr Blair said. Not finding them did not mean they were not there, he insisted. I believe that we will but I agree there were many people who thought we were going to find this in the course of the actual operation, he said. We were looking for Saddam Hussein, who was an individual on the move about whom we had reasonable intelligence ... and yet it took us six months to find him. In a land mass twice the size of the UK it may well not be surprising you dont find where this stuff is hidden. Mr Blair again insisted the Iraq Survey Group had already uncovered evidence of secret Iraqi weapons programmes. Paul Bremer, the US official charged with running Iraq, last month rejected Mr Blairs claim that the ISG had unearthed massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories. However, Mr Blair said yesterday: What they have found already is a whole raft of evidence about clandestine operations that should have been disclosed to the United Nations, a network. Former minister Glenda Jackson, an outspoken critic of Mr Blair, said: I never believed in the need for a war against Iraq. I still dont. I never believed the arguments that the Prime Minister put up and it would seem the Prime Minister is no longer believing his own arguments. Ex-armed forces minister Doug Henderson added: Now there seems to be a hint that we wont find weapons of mass destruction. Therefore the question is going to arise what was this evidence that led us into war? That led to the loss of very many lives because of the war? Tory shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram called the Prime Ministers admission extraordinary. The Prime Minister only in July was telling us this survey group in his mind he had no doubt would find weapons of mass destruction, Mr Ancram said. Tories say the war was justified regardless of the issue of WMD but Mr Ancram rejected charges of point-scoring. I really do begin to wonder what the basis for the claims he made about weapons of mass destruction were, he said. As the Prime Minister is the one person who, if you like, is the font of information in Parliament not only to us as politicians but to the public as well you have a right to trust him if he tells you he has information. If he hasnt, that raises very serious questions about the way the Prime Minister was conducting himself and using information in the run-up to this war and, indeed, as I pointed out, afterwards. ***************************************************************** 2 Toronto Star: Editorial: Bush 'outed' on Iraq TheStar.com - Jan. 13, 2004. 01:00 AM And so it comes out. Invading Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein was a top priority at U.S. President George Bush's very first National Security Council meeting — seven full months before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks Bush then cited as a reason for "pre-emptively" disarming Saddam's regime. "From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go," former Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill has confirmed in a whistle-blowing appearance on the CBS program 60 Minutes. "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying `Go find me a way to do this.'" O'Neill even saw a secret memo entitled Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq and other related documents. This won't shock the 7 in 10 Canadians who were unpersuaded by Bush's 9/11 case for war. But it may hurt him with the 6 in 10 Americans who were taken in. During two years in cabinet, O'Neill "never saw anything I would characterize as evidence of weapons of mass destruction." And Saddam's alleged coziness with Osama bin Laden has never been documented. These comments have caused a stir, and remind Prime Minister Paul Martin to arm himself with skepticism as he begins to manage tricky Canada/U.S. issues ranging from mad cow to missile defence. This White House has forfeited any right to have its utterances taken on faith. Right up to the March, 2003, invasion, Bush led the world to think war might be avoided. "I believe the free world . . . can disarm this man (Saddam) peacefully," he said five months before the troops landed. While the U.S. had wanted "regime change," Bush hinted Saddam could yet redeem himself. "If he were to meet all the conditions of the United Nations . . . that in itself will signal the regime has changed," Bush said. Now we know differently. Saddam's fate had been sealed years earlier. Diplomacy was irrelevant. Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All ***************************************************************** 3 Scotsman.com: Bush admits he wanted regime change before 11 September Tue 13 Jan 2004 MARGARET NEIGHBOUR THE United States president, George Bush, yesterday appeared to support claims made by one of his former advisers that he was intent on invading Iraq long before the 11 September attacks triggered a more aggressive focus to US foreign policy, saying his administration was "for regime change". Speaking during a visit to Mexico, Mr Bush said that, while US policy altered after the terror attacks on New York and Washington, his government had inherited plans to remove Saddam Hussein as leader of Iraq from the previous Clinton administration. His comments came as White House officials sought to play down statements made by the former treasury secretary Paul O’Neill about Mr Bush’s policy on Iraq. Mr O’Neill said ousting Saddam was a top priority from the first National Security Council meeting he attended soon after Mr Bush took office in January 2001. "From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go," Mr O’Neill said on Sunday. "For me, the notion of preemption, that the US has the unilateral right to do whatever we decide to do, is a really huge leap." Yesterday, Mr Bush’s spokesman, Scott McClellan, rejected Mr O’Neill’s criticism. "The president exhausted all possible means to resolve the situation in Iraq peacefully," he said. "Saddam Hussein has been a dangerous man for a long time." But speaking after a meeting with the Mexican president, Vicente Fox, Mr Bush said: "Like the previous administration we were for regime change... We were fleshing out policy along those lines and then September 11 happened and, as president of the United States, my most solemn obligation was to protect the security of the American people. "I took that duty very seriously and not only did we deal with the Taleban, we got working through the United Nations and the international community and made it clear that Saddam should disarm." Mr Bush said the US had acted to remove Saddam after he had ignored the warnings to disarm. "Now he is not in power and the world is better for it," he added. Mr O’Neill, who was sacked in December 2002 as part of a shake-up of Mr Bush’s economic team, has become the first major Bush administration insider to attack the president. He likened Mr Bush at cabinet meetings to "a blind man in a room full of deaf people". Mr O’Neill’s comments caused surprise in Washington, given the strong bonds of loyalty that Mr Bush fosters among members of his team. Mr O’Neill was fired due to differences with Mr Bush over economic policy. Mr O’Neill’s remarks emerged during an interview to promote a book about his term as the treasury chief, by former Wall Street Journal reporter Ron Suskind, The Price of Loyalty. Mr McClellan said the criticism from Mr O’Neill "appears to be more about trying to justify personal views and opinions than it does about looking at the results that we are achieving". "People have a right to express their views," he said. "And the president is going to continue to be forward-looking." He also defended the president against Mr O’Neill’s assertion that, during cabinet meetings and one-on-one sessions, Mr Bush appeared disengaged and uninterested. "The president is a strong leader who acts decisively on our big priorities, someone who asks tough questions and makes tough decisions," Mr McClellan said. He said he did not know if members of the administration had tried to talk Mr O’Neill out of his kiss-and-tell story. Both the vice-president, Dick Cheney, and defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, were close to Mr O’Neill and Mr Suskind told CBS that Mr Rumsfeld phoned Mr O’Neill and urged him not to contribute to the book. "It’s just not something this administration gets caught up in," Mr McClellan said. The book is likely to provide fodder for attacks on Mr Bush from Democratic presidential candidates who have accused him of using faulty intelligence on the extent of Iraq’s weapons programme as a pretext for war. Meanwhile, the US Treasury yesterday requested a probe into how a possibly secret document appeared in the televised interview with Mr O’Neill. ***************************************************************** 4 War Wire: NKorea willing to resolve nuclear, Japan kidnap issues : US delegates WAR.WIRE TOKYO (AFP) Jan 14, 2004 North Korea appears willing to resolve the nuclear standoff and the abduction of Japanese citizens through dialogue, US delegates who traveled to Yongbyon told a top Japanese ruling party official Wednesday. Congressional staffers Frank Jannuzi and Keith Luse made the assertion in a 45-minute talk with Shinzo Abe, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party secretary general, Abe told reporters later. Abe spoke with reporters on condition he was not quoted directly. The US staffers, who were part of an unofficial five-member team that visited North Korea's nuclear facility in Yongbyon last week, did not reveal the details of the state of North Korean nuclear arms development, Abe said. North Korea said last weekend that it had showed its "nuclear deterrent" to the US visitors and US newspapers later reported that delegation appeared to have seen reprocessed plutonium, a key ingredient for making nuclear bombs. The US team said it would not speak about the details of their trip until it had reported back to the US Senate, Abe said. But Jannuzi and Luse told Abe that North Korea appeared willing to solve the standoff over its nuclear weapons through the six-nation talks involving China, Russia, the United States, Japan and the two Koreas, the Japanese politician said. The first round of talks ended inconclusively in August, and reports have said a second round is expected in February. The US staffers also told Abe that they discussed the abduction of Japanese citizens for more than an hour with North Korean foreign ministry Asian bureau vice-chief Song Il-Ho, who deals with Japan-North Korean relations. Song told them North Korea wants to respect the wishes of the five former kidnappees who returned to Japan in October 2002 but left their families back in Pyongyang. The abductees -- snatched in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese customs and language to North Korean spies -- have repeatedly demanded their seven children, and one American husband, be allowed to join them in Japan. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 5 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: NK Outlines Plan to Resolve Nuclear Standoff Updated Jan.14,2004 20:24 KST by Ju Yong-jung (midway@chosun.com) WASHINGTON, D.C. - North Korea recently sent a letter to a private American policy research organization, the Center for National Policy (CNP), in which it said it would be willing to completely abolish its nuclear program if the United States accepts what is being called a "simultaneous package deal" on the issue, it was learned Tuesday. The CNP's Maureen S. Steinbruner recently disclosed the letter, received in December last year, and signed by Ri Gun, deputy director general of the American Affairs Bureau in the North Korea's Foreign Ministry. ***************************************************************** 6 Las Vegas SUN: China, Russia Hopeful on N. Korea Crisis January 13, 2004 By HANS GREIMEL ASSOCIATED PRESS SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Russia and China held out new hope Tuesday for a resolution to the North Korean nuclear crisis as Americans who had recently viewed Pyongyang's disputed reactor traveled to Tokyo to brief Japanese allies. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Moscow welcomed a North Korean offer to freeze its nuclear weapons program, adding that he hoped Washington would respond positively. "It is a step forward that provides a reason to hope for a constructive U.S. answer," Ivanov said during a visit to Mongolia, the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said China hopes six-nation talks on easing tensions will reconvene "at an early date" but wouldn't confirm reports Beijing wanted to hold the talks as early as February. Kong also acknowledged that the Chinese government is offering North Korea aid, but would not confirm a report that the money it is meant to coax Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. China's No. 2 leader, Wu Bangguo, discussed aid to North Korea during a visit to Pyongyang in October, Kong said at a news briefing. But Kong didn't respond to questions about a weekend report by Japan's Asahi newspaper that China was offering $50 million if the North took part in new nuclear talks. The United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas have been trying to arrange a new round since the first one was held in Beijing in August without much progress. Diplomats had hoped to hold talks in December, but later pushed back the schedule amid disagreements between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea has insisted it needs nuclear weapons to deter a possible U.S. attack. It says it will freeze its nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts sanctions against it, resumes shipments of heavy oil and removes North Korea from a State Department list of countries that sponsor terrorism. In response, the United States has demanded that North Korea first verifiably begin dismantling its nuclear programs before receiving any concessions. Two U.S. congressional aides who visited North Korea's Yongybon nuclear plant last week were in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss their visit with Japanese officials. South Korean officials, briefed Monday by the Americans, said the U.S. aides have a lot of information to digest before they can say how far the secretive communist country has come in its nuclear weapons development. Republican aide Keith Luse and Democratic colleague Frank Jannuzi, both staffers for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said they will not publicly discuss what they saw until they report to Washington. North Korea said Saturday they were shown the country's "nuclear deterrent," but it was unclear whether this meant an atomic bomb, nuclear weapons-making technology or something else. Separately, experts from North Korea and a U.S.-led consortium will hold talks this week on a project to build to other nuclear reactors in the communist state that was suspended because of the nuclear dispute, a South Korean official said. North Korea, angered by the suspension, said it will not allow the consortium to remove any equipment or materials from the construction site and demanded compensation. Construction of the two light water reactors were part of a 1994 deal to supply North Korea with electricity in exchange for a promise by the North to stop its weapons development. The nuclear dispute flared in 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a secret nuclear program in violation of a 1994 deal requiring the North to freeze its nuclear facilities. Washington and its allies have since cut off free oil shipments, also part of the 1994 accord. Meanwhile, European businesses opened their first chamber of commerce in Pyongyang, hoping for a head start if the isolated nation finally welcomes the world. The Korea-Europe Technology and Economy Services center, a two-person satellite office of the European Union chamber of commerce in Seoul, opened its doors Jan. 5. Unlike U.S. competitors who are hobbled by Cold War sanctions in doing business, European companies are relatively free to set up shop. The chamber's mission is to help European businesses break into the North Korean market with support in finding partners, dealing with communist authorities, finding investment opportunities and funds, navigating red tape and jumping language barriers. So far, the Swiss-Swedish engineering company ABB is the only major European company with a permanent office in North Korea. -- ***************************************************************** 7 Update: New Evidence on the Origins of Overkill Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:45:44 -0600 (CST) National Security Archive Update, January 14, 2004 For more information contact William Burr (202) 994-7032 New Evidence on Nuclear Weapons Effects Shows That U.S. Nuclear War Plans Underestimated Destructiveness of Nuclear Arsenal By Ignoring Firestorms http://www.nsarchive.org Washington, DC - A nuclear weapon at the "small" end of historic strategic arsenals that exploded over the Pentagon would create a mass fire that would engulf the Washington, D.C. area as far as Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, and Alexandria. According to a study published this month, the detonation would not only unleash the well-known blast effects and hurricane force winds that would crush the Pentagon and knock over nearby buildings, but the bomb would also generate a "hurricane of fire" that would destroy almost everything within 40 to 65 square miles. A firestorm is a predictable effect of a nuclear detonation in an urban area, but since the 1940s, U.S. war planners have disregarded the problem of mass fire by focusing attention on blast effects only. A new book and the cover story of the current issue of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Stanford University scholar Lynn Eden detail the scenario of the nuclear devastation of the Washington, D.C. area. Exploring why the military disregarded nuclear firestorms, Eden argues that the resulting underestimation of the destructiveness of nuclear weapons made top officials poorly informed about weapons effects and contributed to unnecessarily high levels of nuclear forces. The organizational failure to understand weapons effects, Eden argues, could have produced a nuclear catastrophe; similar organizational failures produced the Titanic disaster and the poor fireproofing of the World Trade Center. Today the National Security Archive publishes on its web site an electronic briefing book exploring the problem of "overkill" and weapons effects in U.S. nuclear war plans together with a computer graphic of the fire effects on Washington, D.C. Documents from the 1950s and early 1960s provide evidence of the powerful influence of the blast damage approach among civilian and military nuclear weapons experts. Other documents show that some officials recognized that mass fires were routine effects of high-yield nuclear weapons, but target planners continued to emphasize blast damage. * A 1957 State Department briefing characterized nuclear blast as the "primary destruction agent." * After getting briefings on nuclear war plans in 1960, top officials were concerned that nuclear strikes would produce "undesirable overkill" because the plans did not consider fire effects. According to CNO Admiral Arleigh Burke: "it is certain that there will be many firestorms and damage by neutrons beyond the area of blast damage." * A few months later, the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff overrode those concerns when it declared that fires are not a "special characteristic of nuclear explosions. They may or may not occur." * Physicist Harold Brode, under contract for the Defense Nuclear Agency, revisited the mass fire problem when he wrote in 1983 that a nuclear detonation "ensures a very large number of ignitions and the rapid development of a large area fire" and that "fire damage can be predicted with useful consistency." Brode developed a method to predict damage from nuclear firestorms but the Pentagon rejected this approach in the early 1990s. Eden's new book, Whole World on Fire: Organizations, Knowledge and Nuclear Weapons Devastation explains why. http://www.nsarchive.org _________________________________________________________________________ THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from foundations and individuals. _________________________________________________________________________ PRIVACY NOTICE The National Security Archive does not and will never share the names or e-mail addresses of its subscribers with any other organization. Once a year, we will write you and ask for your financial support. We may also ask you for your ideas for Freedom of Information requests, documentation projects, or other issues that the Archive should take on. We would welcome your input, and any information you care to share with us about your special interests. But we do not sell or rent any information about subscribers to any other party. _________________________________________________________________________ TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE LIST You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF NSARCHIVE" command to . You can also unsubscribe from the list anytime by using the following link: ***************************************************************** 8 EurActiv.com: Nuclear package adopted in Parliament Date: 14/01/2004 08:10 In short: MEPs have adopted two non-binding resolutions on the Commission's 'nuclear package', underlining the responsibility of the Member States on issues of nuclear safety. Brief News: On 13 January 2004, the Parliament adopted two reports on the nuclear package, one by Esko Olavi Seppänen (GUE/NGL, Finland) and one by Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca (PPE, Spain). The report on nuclear safety focuses on the following main points: + the responsibility for nuclear installations should lie with the Member States rather than the Commission; + a Regulatory Authority Committee (in which national regulatory bodies would be represented) should be established to carry out reviews and horizontal controls in the area of nuclear safety. The report on nuclear waste takes the following view: + an EU-wide solution to the issue of nuclear waste would be valuable and actions must be taken soon to deal with spent fuel and high-level waste held in temporary storage; + certain disposal methods such as dumping at sea, under-sea repositories and space disposal should be excluded for environmental issues, but deep geological disposals would be an effective solution. + a two-step timetable for the development of deep geological disposal sites should be developed, replacing the Commission's proposal of a single timetable for all Member States; + Member States should be banned from signing any contracts for shipments of nuclear waste to third countries whose facilities do not meet EU and international norms and standards. A third report has been adopted on the issue of Euratom loans to finance power stations (see EurActiv 14 January 2003). Links: Official Documents: + Parliament: Green light for nuclear package directives (13 January 2004) + Parliament: Report on the safety of nuclear installations (24 September 2003)[FR] [DE] Esko Seppänen + Parliament: Report on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste (1 December 2003) [FR] [DE] Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca + Commission: Proposal for a directive setting out basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations and Proposal for a directive on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste (COM 2003/32) + Commission DG TREN: Nuclear Energy: Package of new legislative proposals + Commission: Press release on nuclear package 6 November 2002 [FR] [DE] + DG TREN: Memo "Towards a Community approach to nuclear safety" [FR] [DE] + Eur-Lex: Communication: Nuclear Safety in the European Union, COM(2002) 605 final [FR] [DE] + Economic and Social Committee: Opinion on Draft proposal for a Directive (Euratom) on the safety of nuclear installations and a Directive (Euratom) on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste (26 March 2003) [FR] [DE] EU Actors' positions: + Greens/EFA: Greens/EFA condemn draft nuclear rules (13 December 2003) + FORATOM: PFORATOM Welcomes EU Vote on 'Nuclear Package' (13 January) + Friends of the Earth: Call to suspend new European "Nuclear Package" (5 November 2002) + Eurelectric: Eurelectric calls for retention of clear national responsibility for nuclear safety [FR] [DE] © EurActiv 2000 - 2003 ***************************************************************** 9 Las Vegas SUN: Libyan Success Exposes Problem for Bush Today: January 14, 2004 at 3:05:27 PST By MATT KELLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - As the Bush administration works to crack down on the international trade in weapons of mass destruction, it faces a dilemma: A vital ally in the war on terror - Pakistan - appears to have been a main supplier of nuclear know-how to Libya and possibly Iran and North Korea. Libya announced last month it was giving up its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs and pledged to name its suppliers. Officials say many of the names probably will be Pakistani. They say evidence points to Pakistani nuclear experts as the source of at least some technology that Libya used, and similar reports have arisen about probable Pakistani assistance to Iran and North Korea. "This ought to get front-and-center attention," said Henry Sokolski, a Pentagon arms control official in the first Bush administration. The United States has shown Pakistan evidence that its scientists were involved in the spread of nuclear weapons technology, Secretary of State Colin Powell said last week. Powell said he didn't have enough information to say whether Pakistan was a source for Libya's program. While strongly denying government involvement, Pakistani authorities last month detained two top nuclear scientists and questioned the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan. Pakistani officials said they were acting on information from Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Pakistan presents a difficult diplomatic problem for Washington. Critics say the idea that a major ally is giving nuclear technology to three countries on Washington's list of terror exporters is an embarrassment to President Bush, who has argued his top priority is keeping weapons of mass destruction away from terrorists and rogue states. They want the Bush administration to lean harder on Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, to stop his country's clandestine nuclear activities. "These activities were tightly held, state-run activities," said Sokolski, who now heads the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center in Washington. "The idea that they would be shared with countries of this sort, without the knowledge of people senior in the government, strikes me as very unlikely." Other experts say that if Washington pushes Musharraf too far, Pakistan could scale back its anti-terrorism help. In a worst-case scenario, Musharraf could fall, and Islamic extremists hostile to the United States could get their hands on Pakistan's nuclear technology. "How do you stop Pakistan? No one has found a way," said David Albright, a former United Nations nuclear inspector. "We have this set of conflicting priorities. The United States is reluctant to crack down too hard." At issue are high-speed centrifuges that can separate uranium into its highly enriched form to be used in nuclear bombs. Khan helped start Pakistan's program when he stole uranium centrifuge designs in the 1970s from Urenco, a European uranium processing consortium. Among evidence pointing to Pakistan's proliferation is that centrifuges and centrifuge parts found in both Iran and Libya are similar to the Urenco designs, both U.S. officials and outside experts say. Pakistani scientists distributed a brochure several years ago offering to sell parts and plans for such centrifuges. The United States last year sanctioned Pakistan's Khan Research Laboratory, its main nuclear weapons lab, for cooperating with North Korea on missile technology. Powell says he has raised the nuclear proliferation problem repeatedly with Musharraf. "We know that there have been cases where individuals in Pakistan have worked in these areas, and we have called it to the attention of the Pakistanis in the past," Powell said last week. "And I'm very pleased now that President Musharraf is aggressively moving to investigate all of that." Pakistan is vital to Bush's war on terror in part because it borders Afghanistan, and several top al-Qaida figures have been captured there. Many experts believe the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden, is hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In the past, the U.S. government sanctioned Pakistan repeatedly for its nuclear weapons program, even before it went public with a 1998 nuclear test. Bush lifted most of those sanctions shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when Musharraf agreed to help fight al-Qaida. --- On the Net: Federation of American Scientists on Pakistan's nuclear program: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/index.html -- ***************************************************************** 10 [epa-impact] Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Monticello Nuclear Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 10:51:53 -0500 (EST) http://www.epa.gov/fedreg/EPA-IMPACT/2004/January/Day-14/index.html http://www.epa.gov/fedreg/ ======================================================================= [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2163-2164] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-101] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-263] Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-22, issued to Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC), for operation of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant (Monticello), located in Wright County, Minnesota. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact. Environmental Assessment Identification of the Proposed Action The proposed action would revise the Monticello operating license to change the Monticello design bases and the Updated Safety Analysis Report (USAR). The proposed action would revise the existing analyses for the following: [sbull] Long-term containment response to the design-basis loss-of- coolant accident (LOCA). [sbull] Containment overpressure (the pressure above the initial containment pressure) required for adequate available net positive suction head (NPSH) for the low-pressure emergency core cooling system (ECCS) pumps following a LOCA. NMC intends to use these analyses to justify restoring the service water temperature to its licensing-basis value of 90 degrees F. NMC administratively [[Page 2164]] limits the service water temperature to 85 degrees F because the results of previous analyses of a scenario (reactor vessel isolation with high-pressure coolant injection being unavailable) showed that the design temperature for the piping attached to the wetwell would be exceeded. NMC's revised analyses shows the design temperature is not exceeded. The proposed action is in accordance with NMC's application of December 6, 2002, as supplemented September 24, 2003. The Need for the Proposed Action NMC needs this license amendment because it has determined, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59(c)(2)(viii), that the updated containment analyses involve different evaluation methods from those currently described in Monticello's USAR and previously approved by the NRC. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The NRC staff reviewed NMC's amendment request and will issue a safety evaluation documenting its review. The NRC staff has reviewed NMC's calculation of the mass and energy releases that are used to determine containment pressure response, including the methods and key underlying input assumptions (e.g., decay heat generation). NMC used conservative assumptions in its reanalyses which underestimate the containment pressure and overestimate the suppression pool water temperature. Some overpressure is necessary to ensure sufficient available NPSH. The conservative assumptions used in NMC's calculations and the cautions in Monticello's emergency operating procedures are intended to ensure that this pressure will be available. The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes, as set forth below, that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed changes to the Monticello design basis and USAR. The details of the NRC staff's review of the amendment request will be provided in the related safety evaluation when it is issued by the NRC. The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or amounts of effluents that may be released off site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action are similar. Alternative Use of Resources The action does not involve the use of any different resource than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for Monticello dated November 1972. Agencies and Persons Consulted On January 6, 2004, the staff consulted with the Minnesota State official, Nancy Campbell of the Department of Commerce, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no comments. Finding of No Significant Impact On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. For further details with respect to the proposed action, see NMC's letter of December 6, 2002, as supplemented September 24, 2003. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1- 800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of January 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. L. Raghavan, Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-789 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ------------------------------------------ You are currently subscribed to epa-impact as: NEWS@ENERGY-NET.ORG To unsubscribe, send a blank email to leave-epa-impact-46782Y@lists.epa.gov OR: Use the listserver's web interface at https://lists.epa.gov/cgi-bin/lyris.pl to manage your subscription. For problems with this list, contact epa-impact-Owner@lists.epa.gov ------------------------------------------ ***************************************************************** 11 [NukeNet] Indian Point May Shut if Workers Strike Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:14:06 -0800 http://www.nytimes.com http://snipurl.com/3tbz http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Nuclea r-Plant-Labor.html N.Y. Nuke Plant May Shut if Workers Strike By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: January 14, 2004 ARTICLE TOOLS E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Format Most E-Mailed Articles TIMES NEWS TRACKER Track news that interests you. Filed at 2:10 a.m. ET WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- The Indian Point 3 nuclear power plant should be shut down if control room operators and other workers go on strike, a county official said. Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said Tuesday he was not worried about security, since security workers are not involved in the current contract dispute. He was worried, however, about possible operating problems inside the plant, one of two reactors in Buchanan. The plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, insisted its contingency plan -- with managers filling in for strikers -- would keep the plant safe. Spano's statement threw a jolt into the tense contract negotiations between Entergy and Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents 276 operations and maintenance workers at the plant. But the talks continued and both sides expressed hope for a settlement. The workers have authorized a strike for midnight Saturday, when the existing contract expires. The company said it was ``disappointed'' that Spano would make his announcement in the midst of bargaining. Spano, who has previously called for the shutdown of the plant and its twin, Indian Point 2, on security grounds, said he was ``not reassured that the replacement workers ... can guarantee the plant's safety.'' The plants, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, became the focus of a shutdown campaign after the terror attacks of 2001. Last year, however, federal agencies refused to move toward a shutdown, finding that evacuation plans were adequate. The union, which had staunchly defended Indian Point against a security shutdown last year, cheered Spano's statement. ``Anyone would want the people who work there every day -- not managers who take a crash course -- to be the ones running the plant,'' spokesman Steve Mangione said. Alex Matthiessen, a leader of the movement to close down the plants, said the plant would be staffed by ``benchwarmers and second-stringers.'' But Jim Steets, an Entergy spokesman, said many of the managers, including those who would take over the control room, have experience in the very jobs they would be assuming. Neil Sheehan, an NRC spokesman, confirmed that the commission had reviewed the company's strike contingency plan and ``found it to be acceptable.'' In a statement, Entergy said it would shut down Indian Point 3 ``before putting the safety of its employees or the community at risk.'' _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 12 NRC: Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability FR Doc 04-788 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2165] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-103] The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued for public comment a proposed revision of a guide in its Regulatory Guide Series. Regulatory Guides are developed to describe and make available to the public such information as methods acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, techniques used by the staff in evaluating specific problems or postulated accidents, and data needed by the staff in its review of applications for permits and licenses. The draft guide is temporarily identified by its task number, DG- 1129, which should be mentioned in all correspondence concerning this draft guide. The proposed Revision 3 of Regulatory Guide 1.75, Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1129, ``Criteria for Independence of Electrical Safety Systems,'' is being developed to describe a method that is acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the NRC's regulations with respect to the physical independence requirements of the circuits and electric equipment that compose or are associated with safety systems. The guide proposes to endorse the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard IEEE Std. 384-1992, ``Standard Criteria for Independence of Class 1E Equipment and Circuits.'' This draft guide has not received complete staff approval and does not represent an official NRC staff position. Comments may be accompanied by relevant information or supporting data. Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Rules and Directives Branch, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; or they may be hand-delivered to the Rules and Directives Branch, Office of Administration, at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. Copies of comments received may be examined at the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. Comments will be most helpful if received by March 12, 2004. You may also provide comments via the NRC's interactive rulemaking Web site through the NRC Home page (http://www@nrc.gov">http://www@nrc.gov). This site provides the ability to upload comments as files (any format) if your Web browser supports that function. For information about the interactive rulemaking web site, contact Ms. Carol Gallagher, (301) 415-5905; e-mail CAG@NRC.GOV. For technical information about Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1079, contact Mr. S.K. Aggarwal at (301) 415-6005, (e-mail SKA@NRC.GOV). Although a deadline is given for comments on these draft guides, comments and suggestions in connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time. Regulatory guides are available for inspection at the NRC's Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD; the PDR's mailing address is USNRC PDR, Washington, DC 20555; telephone (301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-42056; fax (301) 415-3548; e-mail PDR@NRC.GOV. Requests for single copies of draft or final regulatory guides (which may be reproduced) or for placement on an automatic distribution list for single copies of future draft guides in specific divisions should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Reproduction and Distribution Services Section, or by fax to (301) 415-2289; e-mail DISTRIBUTION@NRC.GOV. Telephone requests cannot be accommodated. Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not required to reproduce them. (5 U.S.C. 552(a)) Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of December 2003. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Michael Mayfield, Director, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. [FR Doc. 04-788 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 13 NRC: Nuclear Management Company, LLC, Monticello Nuclear Generating FR Doc 04-789 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2163-2164] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-101] Plant Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-22, issued to Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC), for operation of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant (Monticello), located in Wright County, Minnesota. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact. Environmental Assessment Identification of the Proposed Action The proposed action would revise the Monticello operating license to change the Monticello design bases and the Updated Safety Analysis Report (USAR). The proposed action would revise the existing analyses for the following: [sbull] Long-term containment response to the design-basis loss-of- coolant accident (LOCA). [sbull] Containment overpressure (the pressure above the initial containment pressure) required for adequate available net positive suction head (NPSH) for the low-pressure emergency core cooling system (ECCS) pumps following a LOCA. NMC intends to use these analyses to justify restoring the service water temperature to its licensing-basis value of 90 degrees F. NMC administratively [[Page 2164]] limits the service water temperature to 85 degrees F because the results of previous analyses of a scenario (reactor vessel isolation with high-pressure coolant injection being unavailable) showed that the design temperature for the piping attached to the wetwell would be exceeded. NMC's revised analyses shows the design temperature is not exceeded. The proposed action is in accordance with NMC's application of December 6, 2002, as supplemented September 24, 2003. The Need for the Proposed Action NMC needs this license amendment because it has determined, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59(c)(2)(viii), that the updated containment analyses involve different evaluation methods from those currently described in Monticello's USAR and previously approved by the NRC. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The NRC staff reviewed NMC's amendment request and will issue a safety evaluation documenting its review. The NRC staff has reviewed NMC's calculation of the mass and energy releases that are used to determine containment pressure response, including the methods and key underlying input assumptions (e.g., decay heat generation). NMC used conservative assumptions in its reanalyses which underestimate the containment pressure and overestimate the suppression pool water temperature. Some overpressure is necessary to ensure sufficient available NPSH. The conservative assumptions used in NMC's calculations and the cautions in Monticello's emergency operating procedures are intended to ensure that this pressure will be available. The NRC has completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes, as set forth below, that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed changes to the Monticello design basis and USAR. The details of the NRC staff's review of the amendment request will be provided in the related safety evaluation when it is issued by the NRC. The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents, no changes are being made in the types or amounts of effluents that may be released off site, and there is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. With regard to potential nonradiological impacts, the proposed action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does not affect nonradiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant nonradiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action are similar. Alternative Use of Resources The action does not involve the use of any different resource than those previously considered in the Final Environmental Statement for Monticello dated November 1972. Agencies and Persons Consulted On January 6, 2004, the staff consulted with the Minnesota State official, Nancy Campbell of the Department of Commerce, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official had no comments. Finding of No Significant Impact On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. For further details with respect to the proposed action, see NMC's letter of December 6, 2002, as supplemented September 24, 2003. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1- 800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of January 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. L. Raghavan, Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-789 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 14 NRC: Portland General Electric Company, Trojan Independent Spent Fuel FR Doc 04-790 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2163] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-100] Storage Installation; Notice of Docketing of Materials License SNM-2509 Amendment Application By letter dated December 9, 2003, Portland General Electric Company (PGE) submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission), in accordance with 10 CFR part 72, requesting the amendment of the Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) license (SNM-2509) and the Technical Specifications for the ISFSI located at Columbia County, Oregon. PGE is seeking Commission approval to amend the materials license and the ISFSI Technical Specifications to reflect completion of dry storage cask loading operations and incorporation of an administrative change to the Trojan ISFSI Technical Specifications to conform to a recent NRC Final Rule, ``Event Notification Requirements,'' (63 FR 33611 dated June 5, 2003). This application was docketed under 10 CFR part 72; the ISFSI Docket No. is 72-17 and will remain the same for this action. The amendment of an ISFSI license is subject to the Commission's approval. The Commission may issue either a notice of hearing or a notice of proposed action and opportunity for hearing in accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(1) or, if a determination is made that the amendment does not present a genuine issue as to whether public health and safety will be significantly affected, take immediate action on the amendment in accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2) and provide notice of the action taken and an opportunity for interested persons to request a hearing on whether the action should be rescinded or modified. For further details with respect to this amendment, see the application dated December 9, 2003, which is publically available in the records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). The NRC maintains ADAMS, which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day of December, 2003. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Christopher M. Regan, Project Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 04-790 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 15 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards: Joint Meeting of the FR Doc 04-791 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2164-2165] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-102] ACRS Subcommittees on Materials and Metallurgy and on Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittees on Materials and Metallurgy and on Thermal- Hydraulic Phenomena will hold a joint meeting on February 3-4, 2004, Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Portions of the meeting may be closed to public attendance to discuss Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) proprietary information per 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4). The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 3-4, 2004--8:30 a.m. Until the Conclusion of Business The Subcommittees will review the resolution of certain items identified by the ACRS in NUREG-1740, ``Voltage-Based Alternative Repair Criteria,'' related to the Differing Professional Opinion on steam generator tube integrity, as well as the status of resolution of remaining items. The purpose of this meeting is to gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official, Mr. Bhagwat P. Jain (telephone: 301-415-7270), five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic recordings will be permitted. Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by contacting the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are [[Page 2165]] urged to contact the above named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes to the agenda. Dated: January 8, 2004. Sher Bahadur, Associate Director for Technical Support, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. 04-791 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 16 Haaretz: Suit by former Dimona reactor employees goes to arbitration ., January 15, 2004 Tevet 21, 5764 Israel Time: 01:56 (GMT+2) By Yuval Yoaz The state has agreed to private arbitration in the suit by 37 former employees of the nuclear reactor in Dimona who claim they have contracted cancer as a result of their work there. In 31 of the cases, a panel of medical specialists appointed by the court ruled there was no connection between their illnesses and their work at the reactor. The Atomic Energy Agency, which is responsible for the research centers in Dimona and Nahal Soreq, agreed to finance the arbitration process. The case by the research center employees against the state has been going on for nine years in Jerusalem District Court , while a similar suit filed by more than 20 other Dimona workers is underway in Tel Aviv District Court. Two years ago, a panel of medical experts was appointed by the Jerusalem court to examine the medical connection between work at the nuclear plants and the illnesses affecting the workers. The committee, headed by Prof. Eran Dolev, a former chief medical officer for the army and head of internal medicine at Ichilov Hospital, handed in its report two months ago, ruling that in 33 of the cases, there was no connection between the cancers and the patients' work at the nuclear plants. In six cases, the committee said that it would give the benefit of the doubt to the patient and recognized a connection. Judge Vardi Zeiler, who as president of the Jerusalem District Court appointed the committee, retired two months ago - but now he will be the privately hired judge to arbitrate in the case. The Jerusalem District Court yesterday gave its approval for the arbitration, ruling that whatever Zeiler decides will have the authority of a court. The state's decision to go to arbitration is a step toward the plaintiffs, though formally the state still has not admitted responsibility for paying compensation because of the illnesses. © Copyright Haaretz. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 17 Las Vegas SUN: N.Y. Nuke Plant May Shut if Workers Strike January 13, 2004 By JIM FITZGERALD ASSOCIATED PRESS WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - The Indian Point 3 nuclear power plant should be shut down if control room operators and other workers go on strike, a county official said. Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said Tuesday he was not worried about security, since security workers are not involved in the current contract dispute. He was worried, however, about possible operating problems inside the plant, one of two reactors in Buchanan. The plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, insisted its contingency plan - with managers filling in for strikers - would keep the plant safe. Spano's statement threw a jolt into the tense contract negotiations between Entergy and Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents 276 operations and maintenance workers at the plant. But the talks continued and both sides expressed hope for a settlement. The workers have authorized a strike for midnight Saturday, when the existing contract expires. The company said it was "disappointed" that Spano would make his announcement in the midst of bargaining. Spano, who has previously called for the shutdown of the plant and its twin, Indian Point 2, on security grounds, said he was "not reassured that the replacement workers ... can guarantee the plant's safety." The plants, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, became the focus of a shutdown campaign after the terror attacks of 2001. Last year, however, federal agencies refused to move toward a shutdown, finding that evacuation plans were adequate. The union, which had staunchly defended Indian Point against a security shutdown last year, cheered Spano's statement. "Anyone would want the people who work there every day - not managers who take a crash course - to be the ones running the plant," spokesman Steve Mangione said. Alex Matthiessen, a leader of the movement to close down the plants, said the plant would be staffed by "benchwarmers and second-stringers." But Jim Steets, an Entergy spokesman, said many of the managers, including those who would take over the control room, have experience in the very jobs they would be assuming. Neil Sheehan, an NRC spokesman, confirmed that the commission had reviewed the company's strike contingency plan and "found it to be acceptable." In a statement, Entergy said it would shut down Indian Point 3 "before putting the safety of its employees or the community at risk." -- ***************************************************************** 18 ENN News: Finland stages nuclear drill, readies to build new reactor Wednesday, January 14, 2004By Matti Huuhtanen, Associated Press LOVIISA, Finland  Shortly after the start of the workday, a passer-by reports unusual activity at a nuclear power station in southern Finland. Within minutes, officials confirm a radioactive leak inside the plant. In an hour, the leak grows and a state of emergency is declared as a radioactive cloud heads east toward the Russian port of St. Petersburg, 220 kilometers (135 miles) away  threatening millions of lives. Fearing a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl, rescue workers evacuate 100 people who live near the plant, the Finnish Cabinet meets in emergency session and Russian officials are alerted to the threat. Luckily, none of the above took place. It was a computer-simulated drill. But that's how it could happen, and the Nov. 25 scenario has since been thoroughly analyzed as Finland works to improve its already excellent reputation for nuclear safety while preparing to build another reactor, in the first expansion of nuclear power in the European Union since the early 1990s. This sparsely populated land of 5.2 million on Europe's northern fringe has long, cold winters, and officials say it could not survive without the contentious energy form that has been on a decline in much of Europe. Finland's four reactors  the first of which went on line in 1977  provide more than a quarter of the country's electricity. In 2002, lawmakers voted 107 to 92 in favor of a controversial government proposal to build a fifth reactor. The Finnish power company TVO, responsible for the new plant, officially applied for planning permission on Jan. 8, a few months after it had awarded a ¬3 billion (US$3.7-billion) contract for the reactor to a French-German consortium headed by Framatome and Siemens. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said it will likely issue the permit for the consortium's plan in early 2005 after various government departments give their opinions. At 1,600 megawatts, the reactor will be twice as big Finland's largest existing one. Construction is expected to begin in 2005, with onsite preparations starting later this year. The reactor  which will begin producing electricity in 2009  will be the country's biggest building project, involving more than 60 Finnish firms. Timo Rajala, board chairman of TVO, said a new reactor was essential to meet the country's energy needs. "We are here in the northeastern corner of Europe and our circumstances are quite different to those of much of the rest of Europe. It's cold, and our industry requires a lot of electricity," Rajala said. "This sort of solution is well-suited to Finland, and it doesn't necessarily mean that it would be good for any other country." The Green Party resigned from the ruling coalition to protest plans for the reactor, and environmental activists bemoaned an increased reliance on atomic power. Two nuclear reactors of 750 megawatts each are already situated at Olkiluoto, where the pressurized water reactor will be built along the western coast 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of the capital, Helsinki. Finland's other two reactors, each 500 megawatts, are outside Loviisa, a town of 7,500 on the southern coast, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Helsinki. The Nov. 25 drill was one of many since the country's first atomic reactors in Loviisa started producing electricity. The units here, based on Russian technology with Western safety features, have suffered no incidents above grade two on an international scale classifying nuclear accidents from zero to seven. Grade two is regarded as an incident  not an accident  and causes no harm to the environment or people in and around the facility. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority upgraded security requirements for new atomic plants, demanding protection against strikes by commercial and military aircraft. The Nov. 25 nuclear "accident" was classified as grade six  just short of a possible environmental disaster. The computer-simulated drill was intended to test the flow of information among plant officials, rescue workers, the nuclear safety authority and the media. Officials from dozens of municipalities, rescue organizations, the military and government departments, including the prime minister's press office, provided details in Finnish, Swedish, and English. A dozen reporters from radio, TV, the Finnish news agency, regional newspapers, and The Associated Press wrote mock reports. Officials declared a pretend regional emergency, meaning inhabitants in seven nearby communities would have been advised to remain indoors and take iodine pills to ward off the effects of radiation poisoning. The simulated drill was connected to computers of the Russian nuclear safety authority, and neighboring Sweden and Norway were advised. Unlike in previous exercises, TV and radio did not report the mock accident on the air to avoid a repeat of a panic during a 1990s drill. Then, Karelians in Russia  who speak some Finnish  heard radio reports about a nuclear problem but failed to recognize the word for drill. Early in the Loviisa exercise, information was scant and contradictory, especially about the gravity of the situation. Power station officials often provided details which conflicted with information from the nuclear watchdog. After receiving confirmation by phone about the "accident," an AP reporter had a mock news alert ready at 8:30 a.m., a good half hour before Finnish rescue crews learned about the incident. "We are still studying the feedback, but the flow of information was slow  too slow," said Matti Virpiaro, a regional safety inspector. "We are already planning to take action to improve our service." While it was all make-believe, the activity had been so intense that participating news reporters sighed with relief when officials sounded the all clear eight hours after the "accident" had first been reported. Source: Associated Press ENN is a registered trademark of the Environmental News Network Inc. Copyright © 2004 Environmental News Network Inc. ***************************************************************** 19 NRC: NRC Issues Report on Improving Reactor Operating Experience Programs News Release - 2004-00 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-004 January 14, 2003 report on the agencys programs for evaluating and learning from operating experience at commercial nuclear power reactors. The task force found the functional portions of NRCs current operational experience programs, such as short- and long-term efforts to identify and address reactor safety issues, are working well. However, several recommendations were developed to improve these programs. More than 20 specific recommendations for improving the agencys reactor operating experience activities include: -- Develop a clear vision of how the various programs should work together, and update management directives and office procedures accordingly; -- Assign a senior manager as a single point of contact for coordinating operating experience activities, including periodic assessments and program status reports; -- Create and maintain a central clearinghouse of operating experience data, with an accompanying web site; and -- Use operating experience review results, insights and lessons learned to support NRC knowledge transfer and training. The full document, Reactor Operating Experience Task Force Report, will be available through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS), by entering accession number ML033350063 on the agencys web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC Public Document Room staff at 301-415-4737 or 800-397-4209, or by sending a message to pdr@nrc.govvia e-mail. Last revised Wednesday, January 14, 2004 ***************************************************************** 20 NRC: NRC Announces Availability of Two New Websites on Conduct of Hearings and Pending Applications News Release - 2004-00 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-005 January 14, 2003 websites on agency hearings. The first is designed to help familiarize members of the public with the NRCs new regulations governing the conduct of hearings. The second includes information on the NRCs receipt of major licensing applications and opportunities to request a hearing or petition to intervene for major applications and regulatory actions. The new website on the conduct of agency hearings is located at http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/adjudicatory/part2revisi ons.html. As previously announced (in a press release dated November 14), the NRC is amending the regulations governing the hearing process to make them more effective, efficient and understandable to the public. The revisions were published in the Federal Register today and will be effective on February 13. Included in this website are several user tools providing: (1) answers to frequently asked questions about the revised rules, (2) cross-references between corresponding sections of the former and new rules, and (3) a quick reference guide outlining relevant actions and deadlines for various types of hearings. This site also contains copies of former and new regulations, which appear in Part 2 of the Commissions regulations, and a copy of the Federal Register notice announcing the new regulations. The second website is available to inform the public of the NRCs receipt of major applications for licensing actions or certifications, pre-applications, or notices of intent to file applications, as well as opportunities for the public to request a hearing or to intervene for major applications and regulatory actions. This website can be found from the web address in the Federal Register notice or at http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing-lic ense-applications.html. Last revised Wednesday, January 14, 2004 ***************************************************************** 21 [NukeNet] So-Called Anti-Radiation drugs Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:14:04 -0800 " Please don't continue the myth that KI is an "anti-radiation" drug. It provides protection against radioactive iodine. The broad term used in headlines is misleading and causes people to think that there is an anti-radiation drug. There are a few other isotopes which can be chelated from the body with "Prussian Blue." Scott Portzline" Dear Scott, I stated the fact that iodine pills does not protect against the whole spectrum of isotopes. Of course it's a myth...like nuclear being a "clean" source of electric power...is a myth. Dennis F. Nester _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 22 [FOODIRRADIATIONCA] San Diego-based SureBeam has filed for Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:49:26 -0800 *apologies for cross-posting* GOOD NEWS! SUREBEAM FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY! SureBeam, one of the leading food irradiation companies, based out of San Diego, has watched their stock price plummet in recent months, and now has filed for bankruptcy. There are three SureBeam commercial irradiation facilities in the U.S.: one in Sioux City, IA, one in the Chicago suburb of Glendale Heights, and one in Hilo, Hawaii (Hawaii Pride). Many of the details remain unclear as to which facilities will be shut down. What we do know is that a lack of consumer demand for irradiated products, improper accounting practices, and almost 20 class action lawsuits by company shareholders have been major blows to the company. This is a major development for our campaign!! SureBeam has been the most vocal proponent of irradiation for the past few years, and theirdemise casts a shadow of doubt on the entire industry and their claims of safety. Unfortunately, other food irradiation companies remain on the scene: -- Titan (Surebeam was a spinoff company of Titan, which is a big defense contractor also based out of San Diego. Titan still owns many of the patents for the machines SureBeam made, and there is a possibility that Lockheed Martin may acquire SureBeam.) -- IBA (Ion Beam Applications, based in Belgium) -- FTS (Food Technology Services, based in Mulberry, FL) -- STERIS/Isomedix (based in Mentor, OH) -- MDS Nordion (Canadian company, supplies Cobalt 60) -- Graystar (built new irradiator in Milford Twp, PA) Read the articles below for more information. ********************************** USA: SureBeam to file for bankruptcy, cease operations 13 Jan 2004 Source: just-food.com SureBeam, a US food safety technology company, has announced that it is to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and plans to cease operations at the end of the week. Under Chapter 7, a trustee is appointed by the court to liquidate the company and its principal operating subsidiary, SB OperatingCo. SureBeam plans to cease operating its business by the end of day, 16 January 2004. SureBeam, which provides irradiation technology to kill food-borne bacteria, said it has been unable to reach a restructuring agreement with its senior secured lender, and the lender has indicated its intent to accelerate the maturity and to demand payment of SureBeam's debt. In addition, the company has been unable to raise additional funds it needs to continue its operations. The company had been hoping that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would grant its approval for the irradiation of ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, deli meats and frozen entrees. But the FDA approval, expected last February, never came. In October 2003, SureBeam was delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market for failing to file quarterly earnings reports. The company also faces class action lawsuits from investors alleging that the company reported favourable financial results in its public filings, press releases and other public statements by, among other things, artificially inflating the company's revenue and earnings by improper revenue recognition practices. ********************************** Reuters UPDATE - SureBeam to file for bankruptcy, cease operations Monday January 12, 9:39 pm ET DENVER, Jan 12 (Reuters) - SureBeam Corp. (Other OTC:SURE.PK - News), which makes electron beam processing systems aimed at killing food-borne bacteria, said on Monday it plans to file bankruptcy and cease operations on Friday because a lender demanded payment and the company was not able to find additional funding. San Diego, California-based SureBeam said it was not able to reach a restructuring agreement with its senior secured lender. The lender plans to accelerate the payment maturity and demand payment of SureBeam's debt. Last month the company said it named a new auditing firm to replace its previous auditor Deloitte & Touche LLP, which it fired after the auditor questioned how SureBeam booked revenue from some contracts. SureBeam was delisted from Nasdaq because it had failed to file quarterly earnings reports. The company will file for Chapter 7 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and a trustee will liquidate its holdings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tracy Lerman Senior Organizer Public Citizen, California Office 1615 Broadway, 9th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 ph: 510-663-0888 x 103 f: 510-663-8569 tlerman@citizen.org www.citizen.org/california Keep irradiated food out of your child's lunch! Visit www.safelunch.org to find out more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ********** To unsubscribe, please send a email to tlerman@citizen.org with "unsubscribe foodirradiationca" in the subject line. ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact and Availability of FR Doc 04-787 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2162-2163] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-99] Environmental Assessment for License Amendment of Materials License No. 37-30369-01; Adolor Corporation, Malvern, PA AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Dolce Modes, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406, telephone (610) [[Page 2163]] 337-5251, fax (610) 337-5269; or by email: kad@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to Adolor Corporation for Materials License No. 37-30369-01, to authorize release of its facility in Malvern, Pennsylvania for unrestricted use and has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed action is to allow for the release of the licensee's Malvern, Pennsylvania facility for unrestricted use. Adolor Corporation was authorized by NRC from August 20, 1997 to use radioactive materials for research and development purposes at the site. On July 18, 2003, Adolor Corporation requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted use. Adolor Corporation has conducted surveys of the facility and determined that the facility meets the license termination criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. III. Finding of No Significant Impact The NRC staff has evaluated Adolor Corporation's request and the results of the surveys and has concluded that the completed action complies with 10 CFR part 20. The staff has prepared the EA (summarized above) in support of the proposed license amendment to terminate the license and release the facility for unrestricted use. On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that the environmental impacts from the proposed action are expected to be insignificant and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. IV. Further Information The EA and the documents related to this proposed action, including the application for the license amendment and supporting documentation, are available for inspection at NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML031880271, ML032030484, ML032541074 and ML040060259). These documents are also available for inspection and copying for a fee at the Region I Office, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406. Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 7th day of January, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John D. Kinneman, Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I. [FR Doc. 04-787 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 24 Bellona: Russian admiral charged with negligence over K-159 has gone to trial on Monday Admiral Gennady Suchkov, commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet went to trial Monday in a closed door military court on charges of negligence over the sinking of the retired K-159 nuclear submarine that sank while being towed to be fully decommissioned, Russian press agencies reported. 2004-01-14 13:41 The K-159 sank in heavy weather, killing nine of the 10 crew members aboard. The vessel was being transported to the Polyarny shipyard on the northern Kola Peninsula in Russia’s northwest Murmansk region from the Gremikha Naval Base, taking with it 800 kilograms of spent nuclear fuel that were in its reactors when it sank in 240 metres of water. Suchkov, who was suspended as commander of Russia's Northern Fleet after the incident, appeared at a military court with other officials, the BBC reported, though it was not immediately clear who else was with him. Trial judge Alexander Khomyakov told reporters Mr. Suchkov had been charged with "negligence causing the death of one or more persons." The trial at the naval base of Severomorsk, in Russia's Far North, is being held behind closed doors to protect military secrets, according to Russian authorities. Khomyakov said 85 witnesses were expected to give testimony in hearings that could last several months, the BBC reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Admiral Suchkov in September, amid allegations of a series of "preventable" mistakes. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 25 Cape Argus: How SA tip set up US 'nuke' sting ONLINE EDITION POWERED BY IOL Wednesday 14th January SOUTH AFRICA How SA tip set up US 'nuke' sting January 14, 2004 By Murray Williams The city businessman charged with allegedly exporting potential nuclear triggers from the United States was betrayed by a fellow South African. Asher Karni, a respected member of the Jewish community, is out on bail after being arrested as he entered the US on New Year's Day. He has been charged with "exporting, attempting to export or conspiring to export products with nuclear weapons applications" from the US to Pakistan without the required export licence. And the charge sheet prepared by American authorities says they were tipped off by "an anonymous source in South Africa". The parts are "triggered spark gaps", high-speed electrical switches that can be used either as detonating devices for nuclear weapons or for medical purposes - as Karni says they were intended to be used. He was held in custody in Denver, Colorado, for 11 days before being granted bail by a US judge at midnight on Monday. Lawyers for Karni in Cape Town told the Cape Argus that he had not known he was doing anything wrong and had been unaware that the parts could be used for nuclear weapons. Karni originally ordered the parts from Cape Town through an export company in the state of New Jersey, to be sent to his company, Top-Cape, in Ocean View Drive in Green Point. They were supplied by Massachusetts hi-tech firm Perkin Elmer Optoelectronics. It is alleged the export documents indicated the parts were destined for Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and were to cost just under half a million rand. But before the export company sent them off, the US authorities say, they received a tip-off that Karni intended to sell them on to a Pakistani company. What followed, according to prosecutors, was a sophisticated sting operation. First, Perkin Elmer was ordered by the federal government to secretly render the parts useless and impossible to repair. The first consignment was to comprise 66 of of a total of 200 triggers. The delivery of the parts went routinely, from the manufacturer to the export company. But the American authorities say they were tracking the consignment throughout. They say this was facilitated by their South African source providing them with precise information about the freighting of the parts. The parts were delivered to Top-Cape on October 8. The tip-off source in South Africa kept federal authorities posted with a fax detailing alleged correspondence between Karni and his Pakistani buyers, a Pakistani medical organisation. The Americans tracked the parts to Dubai, from where they were destined for Islamabad. At this point US agents tried to stop the shipment and inspect it, but Dubai officials blocked this. The South African source then sent the US investigators a computer disc purportedly containing correspondence from Karni to his Pakistani clients. The US authorities allege that this suggests that Karni knew that he was not allowed to export the parts to Pakistan. On December 11, Karni's Cape Town business was searched by South African police. They either seized or recorded several documents. And on the basis of the US investigation findings, Karni was arrested as he stepped off an airliner at Denver International Airport with his family on holiday. The charge sheet closes with the allegation: "In sum, there is probable cause to conclude that Karni has exported, attempted to export, and conspired to export triggered spark gaps from the United States to Pakistan without first obtaining an export licence and with the knowledge that such an export licence was required if the goods were destined for Pakistan. "Moreover, Karni structured the transaction so as to conceal his true purpose from the American authorities. In particular, Karni designated a false end-user for placement on US export documents." But Karni has denied any deliberate wrongdoing. In a statement to the Cape Argus on Monday night, his lawyer said his client was guilty only of "ignorance of the (US) law". Karni had co-operated fully and said his Pakistani clients had at all times said that they intended to use the parts for "hospital purposes" only. Karni's lawyer commented: "It would seem (Karni) was an unfortunate casualty of the 'orange (terror) alert' security situation in the US." He said the federal authorities had "over-reacted" to what was a misdemeanor. Karni has been a prominent member of the Arthur's Road Orthodox Hebrew Congregation in Sea Point for 18 years and is an assistant to its rabbi. The rabbi, Jonathan Altman , said: "The congregation is very upset. "He has always been a very upstanding person, very well-liked, very charitable, a very good person. So every one is very shaken by it and hopes it will be resolved." ©2004 The Cape Argus. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 26 [NukeNet] Yucca Plaintiffs on Today's EPA Case Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:14:01 -0800 *** P R E S S R E L E A S E *** CITIZEN ACTION COALITION OF INDIANA · CITIZEN ALERT · NEVADA DESERT EXPERIENCE · NEVADA NUCLEAR WASTE TASK FORCE · NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE · NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL · PUBLIC CITIZEN For Immediate Release: Jan. 14, 2004 CONTACT: Judy Treichel, Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, 702-248-1127; Michele Boyd or Brendan Hoffman, Public Citizen, 202-454-5134; Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 202-328-0002 ext. 14; or Geoff Fettus or Karen Wayland, Natural Resource Defense Council, 202-289-6868 STATEMENT by the plaintiffs in the case against the EPA's radiation release standards for the Yucca Mountain repository: We are convinced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) radiation release standards for the Yucca Mountain repository will not protect the health of future generations. We are optimistic that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears oral arguments today in a lawsuit seeking to block the new standards, will come to this conclusion as well. The EPA arbitrarily gerrymandered the site boundary to meet radiation release standards to compensate for Yucca Mountain's unsuitable geology. Written specifically for Yucca Mountain, the new boundary allows radiation that leaks from the high-level waste to pollute the aquifer and migrate with the groundwater south to a farming community. An unprecedented 18-kilometer "controlled area," in which people are not supposed to access the water for 10,000 years, is being contested by this lawsuit. Outside this huge sacrifice zone, the groundwater is not supposed to be contaminated above standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA claims that it would be too expensive to drill wells in this 18-kilometer area, but two drinking water wells already exist in this area, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) own research has found that drilling in a similar geographical area in Colorado is economically viable. It is also unreasonable to assume that the government will be able to maintain institutional control over any region for the next 10,000 years to prevent future generations from drilling there. The site boundary is only about eight miles from Amagosa Valley, an agricultural area where groundwater is used for irrigation. Moreover, the EPA rule arbitrarily limits the regulatory compliance period to 10,000 years, even though studies show that the maximum doses from the repository are likely to occur in 300,000 years or more. While the Nuclear Waste Policy Act gives the EPA discretion in setting public health standards at the repository, the current EPA rules were written to enable the site to be licensed, not to protect the health of future generations. We seek to have the EPA's Yucca Mountain rules set aside and sent back to the agency to be made consistent with the standards now in effect for other repositories and adjusted to protect people and the environment for the dangerous lifetime of the waste. Because the financial and public health impacts of the Yucca Mountain project will affect people well into the future, we believe that any decision with respect to licensing Yucca Mountain should be based on prudent analysis and public health standards, not political expediency. If the court sends the rules back to the EPA, the project could be delayed for years, and even permanently abandoned if radiation release limits cannot be met. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Yucca licensing rules, which depend on EPA's rules, would also have to be redrafted. At the same time, this court's decision is not the end of the opposition to the Yucca Mountain repository. DOE must still apply and get a construction license from the NRC, and crucial questions about the adequacy of the site remain to be answered. We will remain involved in that process as long as it takes. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 27 [NukeNet] Yucca Mt. Phony Time Argument- 300, 000 Years Will Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:14:12 -0800 The question of time is important because the reliance on engineered barriers to isolate waste at the site would not be possible 300,000 years into the future. ``The maximum risk arises at 300,000 years,'' argued Rossman. Two of the three judges sharply questioned why the EPA chose the 10,000-year mark and noted that a National Academies of Science report suggests a danger long beyond that. The NAS report is ``absolutely clear ... that 10,000 years is incorrect,'' Judge Harry Edwards told a Justice Department attorney. http://www.nytimes.com http://snipurl.com/3tkv http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Yucca- Mountain.html Court Begins Hearing Nev. Nuke Waste Case By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: January 14, 2004 Filed at 12:23 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (AP) -- Opponents of a planned nuclear waste dump in Nevada argued in court Wednesday the government has failed to ensure that the public will be protected when radiation from the entombed waste reaches its peak hundreds of thousands of years from now. Attorneys for Nevada and an environmental group asked a three-judge panel to reject the Bush administration's plan for storing highly radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert unless it can be shown protective radiation standards can be met at least 300,000 years into the future, when some of the isotopes are most dangerous. The arguments before the federal appeals court represent a last-ditch effort by Nevada and other opponents of the Yucca repository to keep 77,000 tons of nuclear waste from being shipped to Nevada for burial. The waste is building up at commercial reactors around the country. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals was expected to make a decision on the Yucca project later this year. The arguments, during a three-hour session, revolved around both constitutional issues and complicated scientific questions. ``All of the legal wrongs ... stem from the fact that the waste will not be isolated,'' Geoffrey Fettus, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the court. Fettus and Antonio Rossman, an attorney representing Nevada, argued that an environmental protection agency radiation standard for the proposed waste site that is pegged to 10,000 years into the future is inadequate. ``The maximum risk arises at 300,000 years,'' argued Rossman. Two of the three judges sharply questioned why the EPA chose the 10,000-year mark and noted that a National Academies of Science report suggests a danger long beyond that. The NAS report is ``absolutely clear ... that 10,000 years is incorrect,'' Judge Harry Edwards told a Justice Department attorney. Edwards and Judge David Tatel repeatedly asked the government attorney why the EPA rejected the NAS recommendation when, they said, that Congress specifically required the NAS findings to be taken into account. ``An agency does not have the authority to do whatever it wants to,'' Edwards said. Christopher Vaden, representing the Justice Department, said the EPA selected the 10,000-year mark for its radiation exposure standard because of policy considerations as well as scientific issues. The question of time is important because the reliance on engineered barriers to isolate waste at the site would not be possible 300,000 years into the future. Nevada officials have argued that Congress required the project to depend on geology to keep the waste isolated. But the government has proposed a plan that requires both geology and man-made barriers to do the job. Nevada's legal team is pinning its case on two central themes: That singling out the state violated its rights under the U.S. Constitution and that the Energy Department illegally abandoned a requirement that the site's geology must be shown to contain the waste for more than 10,000 years without relying on engineered barriers. The court ``is the state's best chance'' to prevail, says Bob Loux, who heads Nevada's Yucca mountain project office and has advised a succession of Nevada governors on the issue over the years. The court has consolidated 13 separate lawsuits, including nine filed by the state or other Nevada jurisdictions. It also has scheduled arguments on issues from the adequacy of federal radiation standards to the constitutional issues surrounding the decision to push the waste site on a small, politically vulnerable state. ``This is the first time that any court in this country is really going to look at the fundamental legal merits of this project,'' said Joe Egan, the lead attorney for Nevada. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said the legal fight will not interrupt the department's plans to continue developing a detailed application for construction and operating permits with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Yucca Mountain site is located 90 miles northwest of Law Vegas. It is expected to cost $58 billion, and -- if the government prevails -- it will be open for initial shipments in 2010. In 1987, with politicians nervous about the prospect of a nuclear waste site in their state, Congress declared Yucca Mountain would be the only site studied further. Last year, President Bush declared that Yucca Mountain was a suitable site. An attempt by Nevada to short circuit the decision was turned back by Congress, which reaffirmed Bush's decision five months later. ^------ On the Net: Yucca Mountain project: http://www.ymp.gov Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov Nevada Office of Nuclear Projects: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste Nuclear Energy Institute: www.nei.org Nuclear Regulatory Commission: www.nrc.gov NIRS: http://www.nirs.org Transportation Routes: http://www.mapscience.org _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 28 NM: Radioactive Refuse Rolls by Rez, Gallup, Grants Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 09:42:32 -0600 (CST) Radioactive Refuse Rolls by Rez, Gallup, Grants Kathy Helms, Dini Bureau http://www.gallupindependent.com/01-08-04radioactiverefuser.html FORT DEFIANCE The shipment of radioactive waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, N.M., is nothing new. More than 2,000 shipments have been delivered to the world's first underground repository for transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste left from the research and production of nuclear weapons since the facility opened. But a shipment of waste which left Wednesday from Nevada Test Site on a circuitous route to the WIPP has drawn national attention, perhaps because it is the first one to travel this route, according to WIPP officials. Casey Gadbury, National TRU Waste Logistics Team leader, and Kerry Watson, assistant manager for the National TRU Program, said Wednesday that for them, the Nevada shipment is just routine. "We understand that this is the first shipment from that particular site and it's traveling through an area where shipments haven't become routine. But it's just one of another 2,200 shipments," Gadbury said. Located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert of Southeastern New Mexico, the WIPP received its first waste shipment on March 26, 1999. Since that time, more than 47,000 drums and 2,300 standard waste boxes have been disposed of in rooms 2,150 feet underground. The rooms were mined in a 2,000-foot-thick salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. The waste on its way from Nevada is the first of seven shipments expected to roll out "in the near term," according to Watson. The waste is considered "contact-handled," meaning it has a lower radiation dose rate than remote-handled waste. Unlike contact-handled waste, the radioactivity of remote-handled waste is not effectively shielded by waste containers. The Nevada shipment is to be transported from the Nevada Test Site along interstate highways in California to Arizona on I-40, through Flagstaff, Gallup and Grants before reaching its destination. "We would really prefer not to give specific times and locations because of the security level that we're at in the country right now. If there's a hazardous cargo route, they will stay on that route," Watson said. The waste stream consists of plutonium-contaminated debris such as gloves, personal protective clothing, pipes, bags, and trash. All shipments to the WIPP are made in Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified Type B packaging. "It's an extremely robust package that's been tested and approved for these types of shipments. It's well beyond DOT (Department of Transportation) requirements," he said. According to Gadbury, all emergency responders along the route have been trained. "That is coordinated with the state and with the local agencies. The way we do that is, as those agencies are identified, they request training that they need to have and we supply any of the training that is necessary to educate them regarding these shipments." That training also includes tribes, Watson said. "We've done a lot of training with Indian nations that are located along the route. If they are near the route, we definitely have touched base with them and provided any training that has been requested." Once state and tribal representatives are notified that a waste shipment is coming through their area, it is up to those agencies to disseminate that information to local responders. "There are hazardous materials going up and down interstate highways and state highways all the time. They're trained to respond if there was an issue with this particular type of hazardous material shipment," Gadbury said. The U.S. Department of Energy developed the Transportation Tracking and Communication System to track and communicate with vehicles transporting "high visibility" unclassified shipments, such as spent nuclear fuel, high-level and transuranic waste. All trucks transporting TRU waste to the WIPP are monitored with this system, which has an around-the-clock control center and uses satellite communications and computer networks to monitor shipments from beginning to end. "The state agencies have the ability to look at the tracking as well," Watson said. "We do advance notifications with states before shipments. It's part of agreements that we have with them to let them know so that the logistics are all in place. That information is not something that we just broadcast out everywhere. "For some reason, and I think it's because it's the first shipment along this route, there's been a lot of interest in this particular shipment. We usually don't have much interest in most of these shipments. They've been pretty routine from sites like Savannah River (S.C.) and Rocky Flats in Colorado, and Los Alamos here in New Mexico, and places like that. I guess this being the first along this route, there's been more interest." Among those interested were a pair of protesters who stood along I-40 near the Munoz Overpass in Gallup early Thursday morning. The WIPP was designed with an operational life of about 35 years based on a receipt rate of approximately 17 waste shipments a week, according to Gadbury and Watson. "That was the planning numbers back at the beginning and we've actually been able to operate more efficiently than what was originally planned," Watson said. "We've actually peaked out at about 30 shipments a week, but right now we're making about 20 shipments a week," Gadbury said. Because of the Type-B packaging, persons traveling alongside the waste transport vehicle would not be exposed to a measurable dose of radiation, according to Watson. "Right now, the radiation levels of our drums are low. Once you put these drums inside of the TRUPACT (Type B) containers, the steel that the TRUPACTs are configured out of will basically shield down. .. You don't have any radiation levels that you would see for a regular person of the public," he said. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.561 / Virus Database: 353 - Release Date: 1/13/04 ***************************************************************** 29 [CMEP] Yucca Plaintiffs on Today's EPA Case Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 09:49:39 -0600 (CST) *** P R E S S R E L E A S E *** CITIZEN ACTION COALITION OF INDIANA 7 CITIZEN ALERT 7 NEVADA DESERT EXPERIENCE 7 NEVADA NUCLEAR WASTE TASK FORCE 7 NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE 7 NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL 7 PUBLIC CITIZEN For Immediate Release: Jan. 14, 2004 CONTACT: Judy Treichel, Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, 702-248-1127; Michele Boyd or Brendan Hoffman, Public Citizen, 202-454-5134; Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 202-328-0002 ext. 14; or Geoff Fettus or Karen Wayland, Natural Resource Defense Council, 202-289-6868 STATEMENT by the plaintiffs in the case against the EPA's radiation release standards for the Yucca Mountain repository: We are convinced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) radiation release standards for the Yucca Mountain repository will not protect the health of future generations. We are optimistic that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears oral arguments today in a lawsuit seeking to block the new standards, will come to this conclusion as well. The EPA arbitrarily gerrymandered the site boundary to meet radiation release standards to compensate for Yucca Mountain's unsuitable geology. Written specifically for Yucca Mountain, the new boundary allows radiation that leaks from the high-level waste to pollute the aquifer and migrate with the groundwater south to a farming community. An unprecedented 18-kilometer "controlled area," in which people are not supposed to access the water for 10,000 years, is being contested by this lawsuit. Outside this huge sacrifice zone, the groundwater is not supposed to be contaminated above standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA claims that it would be too expensive to drill wells in this 18-kilometer area, but two drinking water wells already exist in this area, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) own research has found that drilling in a similar geographical area in Colorado is economically viable. It is also unreasonable to assume that the government will be able to maintain institutional control over any region for the next 10,000 years to prevent future generations from drilling there. The site boundary is only about eight miles from Amagosa Valley, an agricultural area where groundwater is used for irrigation. Moreover, the EPA rule arbitrarily limits the regulatory compliance period to 10,000 years, even though studies show that the maximum doses from the repository are likely to occur in 300,000 years or more. While the Nuclear Waste Policy Act gives the EPA discretion in setting public health standards at the repository, the current EPA rules were written to enable the site to be licensed, not to protect the health of future generations. We seek to have the EPA's Yucca Mountain rules set aside and sent back to the agency to be made consistent with the standards now in effect for other repositories and adjusted to protect people and the environment for the dangerous lifetime of the waste. Because the financial and public health impacts of the Yucca Mountain project will affect people well into the future, we believe that any decision with respect to licensing Yucca Mountain should be based on prudent analysis and public health standards, not political expediency. If the court sends the rules back to the EPA, the project could be delayed for years, and even permanently abandoned if radiation release limits cannot be met. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Yucca licensing rules, which depend on EPA's rules, would also have to be redrafted. At the same time, this court's decision is not the end of the opposition to the Yucca Mountain repository. DOE must still apply and get a construction license from the NRC, and crucial questions about the adequacy of the site remain to be answered. We will remain involved in that process as long as it takes. ********** If you would like to be removed from the CMEP ListServ, send an email to listserv@listserver.citizen.org with the words "unsubscribe CMEP" in the message. Questions about the CMEP ListServ can be directed to CMEP-request@LISTSERVER.CITIZEN.ORG. To learn more about this and other Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program campaigns, visit our website at http://www.citizen.org/cmep/ -Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program ***************************************************************** 30 deseret news: Waste bill may stir 'hot' debate [deseretnews.com] Wednesday, January 14, 2004 Measure would require more state oversight Copyright 2004 Deseret Morning News By Donna Kemp Spangler Deseret Morning News A legislative task force promised that waste issues would not dominate the 2004 session. But that's something easier said than done. A bill that could stir up some debate is one that primarily targets radioactive waste giant Envirocare of Utah. Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, plans to introduce legislation that would require Envirocare or any other waste disposal firm to receive legislative and governor approval before accepting any waste "hotter" in radioactivity than what is allowed under its current federal and state license. The bill is still being drafted so it's uncertain how the law will define "hotter" waste, whether it be measured by its radioactive half-life or picocuries, a measurement of radioactivity. Also uncertain is if it will target waste that contains radium-226, an isotope outlawed in Utah because of its hot radioactivity and the time it takes to decay. "The devil is in the details," Urquhart said. "When we say 'hotter' are we talking half-life? Picocuries? That's what we have to figure out. Not everyone agrees." Urquhart may have a hard time convincing some lawmakers influenced by Envirocare's well-heeled lobbyist. But he is optimistic his law will win passage. Perhaps he has a reason to be upbeat. He has public support and possibly, Envirocare's as well. A Dan Jones &Associates poll conducted for the Deseret News and KSL-TV found that 81 percent of those questioned would strongly favor or somewhat favor a law that requires legislative and governor approval for specific types of radioactive waste that now need only regulatory approval. The poll of 408 Utahns has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent. On the face of it, Envirocare isn't opposed to the law. "We haven't seen the text of the bill so we're reserving judgment," said Tim Barney, senior vice president of Envirocare. "We think it's unnecessary, but we don't see the harm." Rep. Jim Gowans, D-Tooele, is skeptical. "I don't know what he (Urquhart) is getting at," Gowans said. "I do think it's unnecessary." Currently Envirocare's landfill in Tooele County primarily handles Class A wastes, which consists of mostly dirt that's slightly contaminated with radioactivity from government cleanup projects. Some Class A wastes contain radium, a naturally occurring, cancer-causing element that decays to radon and lasts in the environment for 16,000 years. Federal regulations do not set limits on waste with radium concentrations. But the state of Utah classifies waste with radium as so-called "hotter" Class B and C radioactive wastes, which are primarily the by-products of decommissioned nuclear power plants. That means the company seeking to take that waste would need political approval as well as regulatory approval. Urquhart's bill was prompted to stop Envirocare from disposing uranium mill tailings from Fernald, Ohio, which is 10 times hotter in radioactivity than the waste now being stored at Envirocare. Mounting opposition led Envirocare to back off its plan to take the waste. The company was in the process of modifying its federal license to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would enable it to accept the "hotter" waste but then withdrew its application. Complicating the issue, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality is in the process of taking over federal regulatory oversight for all types of radioactive waste. So some may question the need for the law. It's purely political. The Legislature and governor would have the final say on whether the waste should end up in Utah. "I think everyone is anxious to have more of a say in the kinds of waste (Utah) receives," Urquhart said. The law also could prevent another Fernald, Ohio, controversy from erupting again. On the horizon is a federal cleanup project of similarly hot radioactive waste from Niagara Falls, N.Y., that potentially could end up in Utah should Envirocare pursue it. (Although company officials say they don't have any plans to do so.) In the meantime, Utah lawmakers have placed a moratorium on accepting Class B and C wastes, until after the Hazardous Waste Regulation and Tax Policy Task Force completes its two-year study. Envirocare wants to accept the hotter wastes, and state regulators have already given their approval to the company's license application. The task force ended its first year of study with a recommendation to the 2004 Legislature not to take any action on wastes during the session with two exceptions: Urquhart's bill and a bill sponsored by Rep. Eli Anderson, D-Tremonton, that would roll back the tax and fee hikes on hazardous waste facilities. Urquhart said he doesn't foresee any of the big waste fights that have hit the Legislature in the past. "I think the Legislature is anxious for this bill," said Urquhart. "It's going to be well received. I don't sense any dark clouds." E-mail: donna@desnews.com © 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 31 Times-Journal: Uranium enrichment plan coming to Piketon Jackson County, Ohio Wed, Jan 14, 2004 11:04 PM The Times-Journal by Brandi Betts Like a bolt of lightening, news shot quickly through southern Ohio Monday about the region’s victory in an ongoing fight to bring a $1.5 billion uranium enrichment facility to Piketon. United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) President and CEO William H. Timbers said the facility at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon will be up and going by the end of the decade and will employ 500 people. U.S. Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18) welcomed the announcement Monday when USEC officials said the Ohio plant won its bid for the technology over a similar competing facility in Paducah,KY. "This is absolutely tremendous news for our region, and I thank USEC for choosing Piketon," Ney said. "While our economy has been slowly recovering, it just received a jolt in Piketon this morning and 500 new jobs will soon be coming to the area. Piketon has long been a leader in the development of nuclear energy and our workers are among the very best in the world. This decision will help ensure more of them will be on the job for years to come. Again, I applaud USEC for today's decision and commend everyone involved for their hard work and determined efforts to strengthen the economy in southern Ohio." Both the Paducah and Piketon plants have produced enriched uranium using the old method of gaseous diffusion. According to USEC, the new plant will use centrifuge processing, a more efficient technology. In centrifuge processing, enriched uranium and waste are separated by gravity in tall, spinning cylinders. The method uses less power needed for gaseous diffusion and produces less waste, according to a news release from USEC Monday. The technology will be tested at the facility next year and construction is planned to begin in 2006. State Representative Clyde Evans (R-Rio Grande) said he hopes the addition of these 500 high paying jobs will give Piketon and all of southern Ohio the economic boost it greatly needs. “This plant helps us to take a giant step in rebuilding Southern Ohio’s economy,” Evans said. “It will bring about growth and development, opportunities and positive change in our communities and, even more importantly, more jobs, better pay, and stronger financial stability for folks throughout our region,” he said. The Portsmouth plant was constructed in 1952 to produce bomb grade material for the United States military and was later converted to enrich uranium for the domestic energy industry. USEC stopped uranium production at Piketon in 2001 and cut 530 jobs while consolidating operations at the Paducah plant. Piketon was kept on cold standby with more than 1,300 workers maintaining the plant and doing environmental cleanup. USEC said Monday that the new facility will replace the 1,200 employee Paducah plant, which will continue operating until 2010. “The American Centrifuge is an investment in the future of U.S. national security and energy security, the nuclear power industry, USEC and the State of Ohio,” said Timbers. “We were fortunate to have had the option of two first-class sites and workforces in Piketon and Paducah.” State Development Director Bruce Johnson said the Ohio Department of Development offered USEC $100 million in incentives for the project, including grants, a loan, a bond and tax credits and exemptions. USEC is expected to begin the processes to obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. bbetts@timesjournal.com Editor The Times-Journal: Committed to serving the best interests of Jackson County, Ohio. ***************************************************************** 32 chillicothe gazette: More jobs coming to Chillicothe - Wednesday, January 14, 2004 By LISA ROBERSON Gazette Staff Writer Employment opportunities are on the rise in the Scioto Valley. One day after U.S. Enrichment Corp. announced Piketon will be the future home to a $1.5 billion uranium enrichment plant expected to bring with it 500 jobs, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is further brightening the area's employment picture. About 50 jobs are coming to Chillicothe in February once a new 10,000-square-foot facility opens on Western Avenue, in the annexed Sunrush Development area. The facility will process applications for unemployment benefits from four counties: Ross, Pike, Jackson and Fayette. The move-in date is tentatively set for Feb. 23. "We know it's not 500 jobs, but these people are coming next month and will bring with them income tax revenue for the city, and that's something to get excited about," said Sunrush developer Pat McAllister. The facility will be located in a new $1.1 million building Sunrush will own but lease to the state. Developer Steve Houseman said the lease is already locked in for the next six years. Once the building is complete, existing Job and Family Services employees from Washington Court House, Hillsboro, Columbus and Jackson will move to the area. The possibility for additional job openings for local residents may exist once the transfers are complete. Although the staff will primarily be made up of current Job and Family Services employees who transfer into the area, Mayor Joe Sulzer said the revenue they will bring with them will be good for the city. "This project will positively impact the city because these people will likely bring their families and relocate to our city," he said. "And with that comes income tax, the purchase of new homes and the use of city products and services which will increase our revenue base." The additional jobs the facility will bring could be just what the city needs to fuel its economy, said Doug Corcoran, city economic development director. "It's definitely a good start," he said. "Anytime we can have an immediate turnaround in an investment of annexed property will prove good for the economy." "Hopefully, this only means more good things to come for this area," he said. (Roberson can be reach at 772-9376 or via e-mail at lroberso@nncogannett.com) Originally published Wednesday, January 14, 2004 Copyright ©2004 Chillicothe Gazette. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 33 chillicothe gazette: USEC says it can get money to build uranium refinery - Wednesday, January 14, 2004 By GREG WRIGHT Gannett News Service WASHINGTON -- U.S. Enrichment Corp. officials said Tuesday they can find enough investors to build a $1.5 billion uranium refinery near Piketon, but some union members worry USEC could have trouble raising the money. "They (labor union officials) are supportive, but someone needs to run up a red flag to get USEC's attention," said Bob Fisher, a spokesman for the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union, which represents workers at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant near Piketon. USEC announced Monday it will build its so-called American Centrifuge near Piketon instead of at a similar plant in Paducah, Ky. The process will refine uranium for nuclear power-plant fuel using less than 10 percent of the electricity the 50-year-old gaseous diffusion method does. This efficiency, which will keep overhead down, should attract investors. But no investors have forward, said USEC spokesman Charles Yulish, who downplayed the union's concerns. But because USEC already is testing its American Centrifuge project in Piketon, that should attract investment money, said T.J. Justice, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft's economic development representative in the area. "The union just doesn't understand the financing of projects," Yulish said. The American Centrifuge is expected to bring 500 needed jobs to Pike County in Appalachia, as well as 300 to 500 construction jobs. Pike County reported an 8.7 percent unemployment rate in November 2003, well above the statewide rate of 5.2 percent. Labor officials want the centrifuge to be built because it will bring jobs, said Joe Drexler, the union's special projects director. They are just worried that USEC is not up to the task. The private energy contractor reported $3.4 million in net income during third quarter 2003, up from $1.2 million during the same period in 2002. However, USEC has slim profit margins and too much debt, said Philip Potter, a private consultant to the union who tracks the nuclear power industry. USEC reported $500 million in long-term debt as of Sept. 30, unchanged from Sept. 30, 2002. USEC also faces competition from Urenco, a joint U.S.-European venture that seeks to build a similar uranium-processing plant in New Mexico, he said. And trouble is coming from overseas: Russia also is planning to export more uranium for nuclear power plants this year, Potter said. Still, he sees signs the American Centrifuge will be built. Last month USEC named Lisa Gordon-Hagerty as its new chief operating officer and Ellen Wolf as chief financial officer. The women have the clout to attract investors, Potter said. Wolf was chief financial officer at American Water Works and has expertise in utility-company mergers and acquisitions. Gordon-Hagerty worked for the National Security Council, the Energy Department and the House Energy and Water Commerce Committee. And Yulish said USEC's president and chief executive officer, William Timbers, was an investment banker. "I think they can all be addressed," Potter said of the union's concerns about the centrifuge. "We are certainly optimistic it can be built." USEC stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol USU, lost 3 cents a share in Tuesday trading, closing at $8.52 a share. ------ (Contributing: Daniel Prazer, The Chillicothe (Ohio) Gazette) Originally published Wednesday, January 14, 2004 | | Copyright ©2004 Chillicothe Gazette. All rights ***************************************************************** 34 Las Vegas RJ: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Nevada gets its day in court Wednesday, January 14, 2004 By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU A rail line leads into a tunnel at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO WASHINGTON -- Statues of Hammurabi, Justinian, Solon and Moses -- four historically significant lawgivers -- look down from behind the judges' bench in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. The high-ceilinged chamber is where judges heard arguments in the government's long-running antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. and where the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was legally dissected. John Hinckley Jr. was tried there for the attempted assassination of President Reagan. Today, it will be where the state of Nevada will make a major stand, throwing 20 years of accumulated legal ammunition into battle over the Yucca Mountain Project. After failing to persuade the Bush administration and Congress to abandon plans to bury nuclear waste deep in a mountainside 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the state is turning to the third branch of government for what some say is its best chance to be heard. "This is a day that Nevada has been waiting for. Finally, we will be heard in a forum where our statements will not be falling on deaf ears," Attorney General Brian Sandoval said. "We will be heard by this court, and I feel very strongly we have a good chance." Federal court "is the best opportunity to derail this project," said former U.S. senator Richard Bryan. "I don't want to give the impression we could not go forward otherwise, but if we could prevail on the legal issues here, that would be the major victory." "This is our last, best chance at stopping nuclear waste from coming to Nevada," said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., although the state also is mounting other administrative challenges to the project. Conversely, attorneys for the government and the nuclear power industry believe the court system will vindicate efforts to develop permanent storage for highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies now kept at 103 commercial reactors. "We believe our case will be presented in a very thoughtful and efficient manner," Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said Tuesday. "We believe in two things. One, that the science behind Yucca Mountain is sound, and that we have followed the law." A three-judge panel assembled by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will preside over oral arguments in six major cases involving the Yucca Mountain Project. The appeals court is a step below the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to be the next stop for the Yucca Mountain Project no matter which side prevails at the circuit level. Rulings by the appeals court are expected by mid- to late 2004, before a Department of Energy self-imposed deadline to ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to build and operate a Yucca repository. The court could rule in a manner that would effectively kill the project, or it could uphold the government's effort. Or it could remand segments back to federal agencies, an outcome that could cause further delays in a program already five years behind schedule. Federal court officials on Monday relocated the Yucca Mountain proceedings to the Ceremonial Courtroom, the largest in the building with a capacity of more than 200, after fielding dozens of inquiries about the case. Representatives from other states, the nuclear industry, environmental organizations and others involved in the long-running debate over Yucca Mountain will reunite as observers at the courthouse, some together for the first time since the Senate delivered its key vote designating the site on July 9, 2002. "It's important to hear what's going to be said so I can tell what I'm hearing to the people in Nevada," Peggy Maze Johnson, executive director of Las Vegas-based Citizen Alert, said Tuesday before boarding a plane to Washington. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., planned to attend. Six members of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects were to witness the oral arguments and meet the following day with Sandoval and lead attorney Joe Egan to review the proceeding. "For 20 years, Nevada has been fighting 49 other states and administrations, both Democrat and Republican, trying to ship waste to Nevada," Porter said. "It's appropriate for the court to settle this and take the politics out and look at true, sound science." "Our court system is all about putting aside prejudices and doing the right thing," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. "That's all we want, to do the right thing." Margaret Chu, director of DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, along with other Yucca Mountain Project managers from Washington and Las Vegas, also were expected in the courtroom. The hearing is scheduled for three hours, although attorneys said it could go longer if the judges become particularly engaged. The cases will be heard by Judges Harry T. Edwards, a former chief judge who was appointed in 1980 by President Carter; David S. Tatel, appointed in 1994 by President Clinton, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, who President George H.W. Bush appointed in 1990. Edwards and Tatel have reputations as probing jurors during oral arguments, while Henderson customarily asks fewer questions, attorneys said. They also will be watching for signals from Edwards and Tatel, who have participated in other Department of Energy cases. On Monday, Nevada's legal team totaling more than a dozen attorneys sequestered for 10 hours in a downtown office, honing its oral arguments and staging a mock court session. "In terms of preparation and strategy and passion, they've all come together," said Sandoval, who will sit alongside the attorneys in the courtroom but does not plan to address the judges. The state's cases will be voiced by Egan, an attorney and nuclear engineer being paid $4 million to organize Nevada's legal opposition; former Nuclear Regulatory Commission counsel Martin Malsch; California environmental attorney Antonio Rossman, and constitutional law expert Charles Cooper. Justice Department attorneys Michelle Mitchell, Ron Spritzer and John Bryson, and NRC lawyer Stephen Crockett, will defend the government in various segments. The state is charging President Bush, the Energy Department and two other agencies disregarded federal laws and established administrative procedures in pushing to name Yucca Mountain for burial of the nation's nuclear waste. Bush designated the Yucca site on Feb. 14, 2002. Separately, Nevada will argue the law that Congress passed in July 2002 completing the designation of Yucca Mountain over the veto objections of Gov. Kenny Guinn at the repository site violated state protections under the Constitution. Government attorneys plan to counter that congressional approval was fully consistent with powers granted the federal government under the Constitution and, if anything, Nevada was given consideration through the veto power that was exercised by Guinn. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 35 CNEWS Canada: Federal minister says he will consider helping clean up Sask. uranium mines Wed, January 14, 2004 By TIM COOK REGINA (CP) - After years of federal and provincial bickering over cleaning up abandoned uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan, the new federal natural resources minister has said Ottawa will consider kicking in some cash. John Efford said Wednesday he is willing to revisit the idea of paying some money to get the dangerously radioactive sites cleaned up. "The doors are open," Efford proclaimed after meeting with provincial Northern Affairs Minister Buckley Belanger. "I consider this a very serious problem." Efford's stance is in stark contrast to the Liberal government's position as recently as last fall. In a letter sent in late September, Ottawa said the province owns the old mines and Ottawa won't help pay for the estimated $30-million cleanup. But Efford, who was just named resources minister in December, said that is in the past. "I'm not a person who backs away from issues and I'm not an individual who's got a closed mind," Efford said. "I'm not going to look to the past. I am the new natural resources minister of Canada." The fight over who should clean up the abandoned mines in northern Saskatchewan near the boundary with the Northwest Territories has been simmering since the late 1990s. The province maintains that the federal government should do the work because it was Ottawa that first developed and regulated the sites. Most of the mines were used to harvest uranium ore and were abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s when the ore ran out. In 2002, the province released a report saying that many of the sites pose "severe public safety hazards and possible long-term environmental concerns." Two sites were of particular concern in the report. The Gunnar mine, about 25 kilometres southwest of Uranium City, Sask., is said to have deposited 4.4 million tonnes of unconfined radioactive tailings into Lake Athabasca since the operation was shut down in 1964. The site "contains numerous public safety hazards and environmental concerns and is very accessible by tourists and fishermen," the report reads. The Lorado Mill site, about eight kilometres south of Uranium City, is also highlighted in the report. Tailings there are said to be leaching into two nearby lakes. The abandoned mines are of huge concern to the people living in the North. Residents are worried that the radioactive material will kill off wildlife and leach into their bodies, said Dale McAuley, chairman of the New North lobby group and the mayor of Cumberland House, Sask. Some people fear they will get cancer, he said. "The cleanup has to be done because it is going to get into the environment - into the fish, into the animals and so on - and it is just going to spread out more and more," McAuley said. "The sooner we can deal with it and go on with life, the better." Efford said his first priority will be to go back to Ottawa and consult with Finance Minister Ralph Goodale - the only cabinet minister from Saskatchewan. He then plans to return to Saskatchewan in February to tour the sites. Efford said he wants to give either a yes or a no quickly so that everyone can "get on with their lives." Belanger was pleased to hear the new minister's attitude. "I said to him 'we will do our part if they will do their part.' This is a joint effort," Belanger said. "People have been waiting too long." Copyright© 2004, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 36 Herald: Some Tega Cay area residents say they are 'guinea pigs' in MOX fuel program Wednesday, January 14, 2004 By Mac Banks The Fort Mill Times (Published January 14‚ 2004) TEGA CAY -- Residents of Tega Cay and Fort Mill are concerned about Duke Energy's plan to use mixed oxide fuel -- called MOX -- made from weapons grade plutonium at its Catawba Nuclear Station on Lake Wylie. "The possibility of MOX getting into the hands of terrorists is greater than ever," said Sherry Lorenz of Tega Cay. "We are being used as guinea pigs. The real reason Duke likes this program is because the profits will be huge." People on both sides of the issue presented their case Monday at Tega Cay City Hall during the mayor's monthly roundtable. Residents attended, along with Steve Nesbit, Duke Power's MOX fuel project manager; and Louis Zeller, safe energy campaign director for the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. "Using MOX fuel is not new," said Nesbit. "It is a well proven technology. When we are done, the world will be a safer place." MOX fuel contains less than 5 percent of plutonium oxide, which is used to make weapons. It would be blended with 95 percent uranium oxide, which the Catawba plant already is licensed to use. The MOX program is part of an agreement between Russia and the United States to reduce stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium. The program is part of a $4 billion initiative to reduce up to 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium in the United States and Russia. Duke has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to use the fuel at its Catawba or McGuire plants. Testing would take place in 2005. If approved, Duke wouldn't start using the fuel in its reactors until 2008. "This is just a blended fuel," said Sandra Magee, Duke spokeswoman. "We think it is a good way to get rid of the excess plutonium." But others say there is a better way. Zeller with the Defense League believes immobilizing the plutonium is key and Duke's plans are unsafe. If the plutonium was stabilized and buried in a repository in a type of glass log, it would be safer than converting it into fuel, he said. However, the energy department ended the immobilization process in 2001. Zeller added the plutonium would be shipped to France, converted to fuel rods and returned to the United States. He said the constant movement is risky. "What we can't understand is why Duke would take up such a project such as this with the risk involved," Zeller said. Defense league members are to protest MOX on Thursday before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at 9 a.m. in the U.S. Courthouse, 401 W. Trade St., Charlotte. No decision will be made at the hearing, which is open to the public. Contact Mac Banks at 547-2353 or mbanks@fortmilltimes.com. What is MOX fuel? MOX is the blending of plutonium oxide and uranium oxide. To learn more about MOX fuel, you can go to www.dcsmox.com or the www.nrc.gov. Also to learn more about the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's stance against Duke Power using the fuel, go to www.BREDL.org. Copyright © 2004 The Herald, South Carolina ***************************************************************** 37 Las Vegas SUN: Judges question EPA's Yucca standard Today: January 14, 2004 at 11:21:30 PST SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS WASHINGTON -- Opponents of a planned nuclear waste dump in Nevada argued in court today the government has failed to ensure that the public will be protected when radiation from the entombed waste reaches its peak hundreds of thousands of years from now. Attorneys for Nevada and an environmental group asked a three-judge panel to reject the Bush administration's plan for storing highly radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert unless it can be shown protective radiation standards can be met at least 300,000 years into the future, when some of the isotopes are most dangerous. The arguments before the federal appeals court represent a last-ditch effort by Nevada and other opponents of the Yucca repository to keep 77,000 tons of nuclear waste from being shipped to Nevada for burial. The waste is building up at commercial reactors around the country. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals was expected to make a decision on Yucca later this year. The arguments, during a three-hour session, involved both constitutional issues and complicated scientific questions. "All of the legal wrongs ... stem from the fact that the waste will not be isolated," Geoffrey Fettus, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the court. Fettus and Antonio Rossman, an attorney representing Nevada, argued that an environmental protection agency radiation standard for the proposed waste site that is pegged to 10,000 years into the future is inadequate. "The maximum risk arises at 300,000 years," Rossman argued. Judge Harry Edwards asked what Nevada attorneys wanted and asked if the issue of the 10,000 year oversight was a "backdoor issue" for Nevada to argue against the site. "It's not our backdoor, sir, it's our front door," Rossman said. Two of the three judges sharply questioned why the EPA chose the 10,000-year mark and noted that a National Academies of Science report suggests a danger long beyond that. The NAS report is "absolutely clear ... that 10,000 years is incorrect," Edwards told a Justice Department attorney. Edwards and Judge David Tatel repeatedly asked the government attorney why the EPA rejected the NAS recommendation when, they said, that Congress specifically required the NAS findings to be taken into account. "An agency does not have the authority to do whatever it wants to," Edwards said. Edwards said it was "really quite astonishing what the agency did compared to what the National Academies of Science said." Christopher Vaden, representing the Justice Department, said the EPA selected the 10,000-year mark for its radiation exposure standard because of policy considerations as well as scientific issues. But Tatel said the NAS was "the scientific judgment congress wanted." The question of time is important because the reliance on engineered barriers to isolate waste at the site would not be possible 300,000 years into the future. Nevada officials have argued that Congress required the project to depend on geology to keep the waste isolated. But the government has proposed a plan that requires both geology and man-made barriers to do the job. Nevada's legal team is pinning its case on two central themes: That singling out the state violated its rights under the U.S. Constitution and that the Energy Department illegally abandoned a requirement that the site's geology must be shown to contain the waste for more than 10,000 years without relying on engineered barriers. The court "is the state's best chance" to prevail, says Bob Loux, who heads Nevada's Yucca mountain project office and has advised a succession of Nevada governors on the issue over the years. Steve Crockett, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's attorney, told the judges this morning that geological and engineering barriers have been seen as working together. "We have treated engineering barriers and geology for over 20 years with an even hand," he said. The court has consolidated 13 separate lawsuits, including nine filed by the state or other Nevada jurisdictions. It also has scheduled arguments on issues from the adequacy of federal radiation standards to the constitutional issues surrounding the decision to push the waste site on a small, politically vulnerable state. "This is the first time that any court in this country is really going to look at the fundamental legal merits of this project," said Joe Egan, the lead attorney for Nevada. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said the legal fight will not interrupt the department's plans to continue developing a detailed application for construction and operating permits with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Yucca Mountain site is located 90 miles northwest of Law Vegas. It is expected to cost $58 billion, and -- if the government prevails -- it will be open for initial shipments in 2010. In 1987, with politicians nervous about the prospect of a nuclear waste site in their state, Congress declared Yucca Mountain would be the only site studied further. Last year, President Bush declared that Yucca Mountain was a suitable site. An attempt by Nevada to short circuit the decision was turned back by Congress, which reaffirmed Bush's decision five months later. ***************************************************************** 38 RGJ: Guinn must tell voters his logic RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 1/13/2004 09:49 pm Gov. Kenny Guinn should let Nevadans know the reasons for his endorsements in the presidential and U.S. Senate races as soon as possible. Nevada has serious problems that need addressing on national and state levels, and voters need to know what he’s thinking. It’s the least he can do as leader of his state and his state party. The governor’s plans for the coming year include campaigning for President George W. Bush, the strongest voice nationally for turning Yucca Mountain — and thus, Nevada — into a nuclear dump. A statewide majority, including Guinn, opposes the facility. Yet, the governor will serve as Bush’s campaign co-chairman and has declined to support for re-election a U.S. senator who has worked with a cross-party coalition to try to stop the project. Guinn’s reasoning: He doesn’t endorse outside his party, and “I’m the elected Republican governor.” If the reference is to his status as state GOP leader, he’ll have to do better than that. Party alliances may be enough for Gov. Guinn to give a candidate his support, but observers indicate the nation — and Nevadans — will vote on issues more than party affiliation during the upcoming election. That’s as it should be in any election. Party affiliation says nothing about how a candidate would handle specific problems; about what candidates believe, which positions they support and which they don’t; and about the networks they’ve cultivated to move agendas. Those are the things voters need to know about their candidates. Childcare, health care, trade and immigration are only a few issues Nevadans are concerned about. They need to know how the candidate qualifies for candidacy. What he or she will do to help the state with its education, budget and growth problems. And Yucca Mountain, of course. It’s a national tradition to endorse within the party, even though Nevadans have a minor tradition of party-swapping. For that reason it is understandable that Guinn declines to support the Democratic senate candidate. Meanwhile, the candidates he supports for president and will eventually endorse for U.S. Senate could well be the candidates to choose. If they are, as state leader, he should hasten to tell us why. Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Newspaper. Use of this site ***************************************************************** 39 MercoPress: Radioactive cargo scheduled to cross Cape Horn. MercoPress - Falklands-Malvinas & South Atlantic News [MercoPress - www.mercopress.com] - Thursday, 15 January According to Deputy Alejandro Navarro from the Chilean ruling coalition and a member of the Congressional Environment Committee, the long detour plan contemplates three contingency ports for emergencies in Chile: Valparaíso, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, and two in Argentina, Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn. “The dismantled radioactive pieces from the Southern California Edison Co. San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station are to be transported 20,000 kilometres by sea to an Eastern coast nuclear dump in Barnwell, South Carolina crossing Cape Horn. Apparently the US Department of Transport authorized the operation last December”, said Mr. Navarro. “The operators of the cargo have told US authorities that in case of bad weather or mishap they would be calling in any of those contingency ports. However, as far as we know they have not contacted the Chilean or Argentine governments on the matter”. Furthermore apparently there are no plans to recover the radioactive material if the cargo vessel sinks deeper than 91 metres. Originally the plan was to transport the 700 tons of radioactive materials by rail from California to Texas and then by sea to South Carolina. However the rail companies rejected the proposal given the risks and delays involved in the operation. “The transportation of such material in Chilean waters requires previous consultation and authorization, so we will be meeting with Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs to find out what are the Chilean government maritime and diplomatic contingencies if the California company effectively goes ahead with its plan”, concluded Mr. Navarro. MERCOPRESS is a news agency concentrating in Mercosur admin@mercopress.com- Web technical help: webmaster@mercopress.com ***************************************************************** 40 Waste News: Lawyers argue pros, cons of federal government nuclear waste plan [Wastenews.com headlines e-mailed daily] WASHINGTON (Jan. 14) -- Lawyers for the state of Nevada and the Natural Resources Defense Council argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington that the federal government´s plan to build a nuclear waste repository in Nevada would violate Safe Drinking Water Act standards. Attorneys for the state and environmentalists presented oral arguments to a three-judge panel on Jan. 14 in their effort to stop the federal government from building the permanent disposal site for spent nuclear fuel in the desert about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Attorneys for the state of Nevada, the NRDC and other environmental groups argued that Nevada residents are dependent on groundwater for their drinking water and irrigation needs and that the federal government´s plan jeopardizes the quality of that water. NRDC attorney Geoffrey H. Fettus argued that the Environmental Protection Agency set weaker standards for protecting water quality at the Yucca Mountain site than it does at other nuclear sites. "EPA´s dramatically irregular boundary line has no precedent in environmental protection," Fettus said. "It would be laughable if we weren´t talking about dangerous radiation that will be around for thousands of years." Justice Department attorneys are defending the federal government´s selection of the site, saying a combination of geologic and manmade barriers will isolate the waste. The planned repository would serve as the permanent disposal site for spent nuclear fuel from power plants around the country. Entire contents copyright 2004 by Crain Communications Inc. All contact webmaster@wastenews.com ***************************************************************** 41 Pahrump Valley Times: Nuclear conflict January 14, 2004 Mark Waite wrote that the (Department of Energy) is considering building a repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Would someone please tell him that DOE has already spent $4 billion dollars digging tunnels in Yucca? I also noted that the newly appointed federal impact advisory board has six members that have either worked for Bechtel Corporation (who is hired by DOE to build nuclear plants) or worked at Yucca Mountain. I'm sure that these six people have no conflicting interests with our well being. I'm also sure that they are well informed like Mr. Pawlak of the Yucca Mountain Science Center, who, on our tour of Yucca Mountain last year stated that he doesn't read any news about (the project) in the papers. So all he knows is what DOE or the federal government tells him. I'm happy as all heck that they are going on a trip to New Mexico to check out what the effects of storing contaminated uniforms will have on us. The stuff they are going to put in Yucca is the most poisonous substance that there has ever been and will remain so for the next 10,000 years. Like I said, who is watching the chicken coop? RICHARD A. BROWN For comment or questions, please e-mail Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2003 ***************************************************************** 42 Paducah Sun: Uranium conversion plants impact statements due in July Paducah, Kentucky Wednesday, January 14, 2004 By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Final environmental impact statements for plants in Paducah and Ohio that will convert low-level nuclear waste into safer material should be ready by July 31, the federally mandated date their construction must begin. "We plan to have the final EIS by June 23 and publish a record of decision by July 23," said Gary Hartman, Department of Energy document manager for the two statements, one each for Paducah and Piketon. "It's a schedule we have to meet. Congress expects us to do that." About 50 people attended a public hearing Tuesday night on a draft EIS. Four spoke, including two who expressed concerns about transporting the material from a closed uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to Piketon. The Piketon facility will convert the Oak Ridge waste as well as that of the closed Piketon enrichment plant. The Paducah factory, operated by Uranium Disposition Services, will convert about 38,000 cylinders of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6) at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant into safer uranium oxide. Those cylinders will not have to be shipped for conversion. UF6 is mildly radioactive and emits toxic hydrogen fluoride when exposed to moisture. McCracken County Judge-Executive Danny Orazine said the community supports the conversion facility. It is expected to generate $60 million in work, including 100-150 construction jobs over two years and 150 operational jobs for 20 to 25 years. UDS will help sell the hydrogen fluoride extracted from the material and look for oxide markets to help the Energy Department pay for part of the approximate $100 million construction costs of each of the plants. The Energy Department will continue taking public comments until Feb. 2. They may be sent to Gary Hartman, DOE Oak Ridge Operations, P.O. Box 2001, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; e-mailed to Pad_DUF6@anl.gov; faxed toll-free to 866-530-0943, or submitted on the Internet at web.ead.anl.gov/uranium/eis. The toll-free voice line is 866-530-0944. ***************************************************************** 43 Senator Reid: Reid Statement On Yucca Mountain Lawsuits Wednesday, January 14, 2004 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Nevada’s lawsuits against the Yucca Mountain project were heard before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Sen. Harry Reid released the following statement: “The president, his administration and the big nuclear power companies are determined to push the nuclear waste dump through at any cost. I know that storing tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste is a threat to the health and safety of the people living in Nevada, and transporting the waste is a threat to the entire country. A major accident just yesterday shut down I-95, a vital transportation route for the entire East Coast, for 12 hours. A tanker truck carrying a highly flammable petroleum product plunged off an overpass and exploded in a fiery ball. I cannot imagine how tragic this accident would have been if the truck had been carrying nuclear waste. “Our effort to stop a nuclear waste dump from opening in Nevada continues on many fronts. Today, we have had our day in court. The state’s attorneys are competent and capable and argue with the scientific facts on their side. I am hopeful that the court will rule on Nevada’s behalf to slow down, change the course of, or kill the project all together. “As we wait for the decision, I will continue cutting the budget, making it difficult for Yucca Mountain to open, and we will continue to raise awareness of the dangers o f transporting nuclear waste. I believe that ultimately proponents of Yucca Mountain will never be able to prove it is safe to store tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste and that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will deny the license needed to actually open the facility. Every Nevadan should know and understand that the Yucca Mountain project is anything but inevitable.” Sen. Reid has worked for more than 20 years to prevent a nuclear waste dump from opening in Nevada. He twice stopped proponents who tried to create interim storage facilities to rush nuclear waste towards Yucca Mountain. The construction of these facilities would have ensured that Yucca Mountain was chosen as the repository site, bypassing scientific research that is required by law. He also ensured the Department of Energy could not weaken the safety standards required to open the facility. Sen. Reid has cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the Yucca Mountain budget, forcing the DOE to miss its 1998 deadline of opening the nuclear waste dump in the state. Reid has chaired a number of Congressional hearings and requested official investigations into the work at Yucca Mountain, exposing significant mismanagement at the site, poor scientific work, and hundreds of unanswered questions. ***************************************************************** 44 Nevada Makes Appeal in Washington January 14, 2004 A team of lawyers will argue that there is no real rational reason for the highly radioactive waste to be in Nevada Colleen May, Anchor (Jan. 13) -- The fight to keep 77,000 tons of nuclear waste out of Nevada heads to the U.S. Court of Appeals Wednesday. Nevada has been trying for 20 years to keep the highly radioactive waste from being stored at Yucca Mountain. And now it says the best chance to do just that will be in the courtroom. A team of lawyers will argue that there is no real rational reason for the highly radioactive waste to be in Nevada. Lawyers will also argue that the waste is not protected and that it can seep out. They will also argue the environmental impact statements used by President Bush to sign off on the project didn't look at safety factors involved in transporting the waste. Nevada wants those statements re-written. Nearly all of the state's politicians, both Democrat and Republican, are against the project for different reasons. Senator John Ensign said, "If nuclear waste comes here I am not moving my family away. It's not that I believe Yucca Mountain is unsafe; it might be unsafe thousands of years from now. It is wrong. It's a wrong policy for the U.S. That thing is a $60 to $100 billion wasteful project." Lobbyists and groups that support the project say sound science and studies prove Yucca Mountain is the best place for a repository to store the nation's nuclear waste. A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals is not expected until the middle of the year. If the state loses its battle, the next step is to appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Department of Energy will apply for a license -- that could take 5 to 6 years. The state would challenge the granting of that license. Keep in mind that at any time President Bush can kill the project. Eyewitness News will be live from Washington, D.C. as the U.S. Court of Appeals hears Nevada's case against Yucca Mountain. Anchor Gary Waddell will bring you live reports Wednesday at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. Another shipment of nuclear waste is on its way to New Mexico Tuesday. It will be the second shipment in a week. The truck is taking a new route through Albuquerque by way of Interstate-40. Last Thursday's shipment led to the arrests of several protestors in Albuquerque. They argued moving waste on a major interstate is too dangerous. The DOE disagrees saying there have been more than 2,000 safe shipments on similar highways in the last 5 years. Federal officials have released which the preferred route for transporting nuclear waste into Nevada. Jon Summers, Reporter Yucca Mountain Safety Questioned The D.O.E. claims Yicca Mountain is a safe project, but some are questioning whether safety can be determined at this stage. Find out what risks locals might face when it comes to their health and home values. Yucca Mountain Update Congress will allocate enough money in the 2004 budget for the DOE to finsh its license application for the Yucca Mountain Project. Also, the DOE won't be allowed to control unclassified information on Yucca Mountain. More>> Brian Allen, Reporter Hauling Nuclear Waste Not Only Issue All content © Copyright 2000 - 2004 WorldNow and KLAS. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 45 CBC Saskatchewan: Uranium mine cleanup back on the agenda - Efford Web Posted | Jan 14 2004 02:58 PM CST REGINA - Saskatchewan's Northern Affairs Minister Buckley Belanger is encouraged about finally getting abandoned uranium mines in the north cleaned up after meeting with federal Natural Resources Minister John Efford in Regina Wednesday. Efford said after meeting Belanger that the Martin Liberal government will revisit cost sharing the cleanup of the mines abandoned in the late 1950s and early 1960s. + DEC. 17: Ottawa ignoring radioactive waste: ReportEnvironmental groups have been clamouring for attention to the problem citing hazardous radiation levels and rasing alarm bells over serious long-term ecological damage around the sites. Natural Resources Minister John Efford Some of the mines in the area blow radioactive uranium dust into lakes and rivers that flow into the Athabasca lake system. Provincial and federal governments have been haggling about which level should pay for the clean up since the 90s. + SPECIAL FEATURE: Uranium City - Toxic TownLast September former natural resources minister Herb Dhaliwal notified the province that Ottawa would not help pick up the estimated $30 million cost of the cleanup. Efford now said that "no doors are closed," to a cost sharing resolution. He also promised to return to Saskatchewan in February to see the abandoned mine sites for himself. Copyright © 2004 CBC All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 46 Las Vegas SUN: Courts to Hear Yucca Mountain Arguments Today: January 14, 2004 at 0:35:20 PST By H. JOSEF HEBERT ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - Having lost the political fight, Nevada's lonely struggle against becoming the repository for thousands of tons of nuclear waste is moving to the federal courts. Three hours of oral arguments were scheduled by an appeals court Wednesday over whether Congress and the Bush administration acted within the law when they decided the nation's nuclear waste will be buried beneath a ridge of volcanic rock in the Nevada desert. The three-judge panel is expected to decide the matter as early as this summer. Even then, the decision likely will be appealed by the losing side. Nevada's legal team is pinning its case on two central themes: That singling out the state violated its rights under the U.S. Constitution and that the Energy Department illegally abandoned a requirement that the site's geology must be shown to contain the waste for more than 10,000 years without relying on engineered barriers. The court "is the state's best chance" to prevail, says Bob Loux, who heads Nevada's Yucca Mountain project office and has advised a succession of Nevada governors on the issue over the years. The court has consolidated 13 separate lawsuits, including nine filed by the state or other Nevada jurisdictions. It also has scheduled arguments on issues from the adequacy of federal radiation standards to the constitutional issues surrounding the decision to push the waste site on a small, politically vulnerable state. "This is the first time that any court in this country is really going to look at the fundamental legal merits of this project," said Joe Egan, the lead attorney for Nevada. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said the legal fight will not interrupt the department's plans to continue developing a detailed application for construction and operating permits with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Yucca mountain facility is one day supposed to hold 77,000 tons of highly radioactive spent fuel now accumulating at commercial power plants across the country. It is expected to cost $58 billion, and - if the government prevails - it will be open for initial shipments in 2010. Located 90 miles northwest of Law Vegas on the edge of the federal nuclear bomb test site, it has been the focus of debate for years, ever since Congress in 1982 ordered a central repository for nuclear waste be built. The first test holes were dug at Yucca four years before that. In 1987, with politicians nervous about the prospect of a nuclear waste site in their state, Congress declared Yucca Mountain would be the only site studied further. Last year, President Bush declared that Yucca Mountain was a suitable site. An attempt by Nevada to short circuit the decision was turned back by Congress, which reaffirmed Bush's decision five months later. It's been estimated that Nevada has spent more than $100 million fighting the project. The state's lawyers plan to argue that under the Constitution, 49 states can't "gang up" on a single state and impose such a potentially devastating environmental burden. They also plan to argue that Congress required that a site could not be declared suitable unless its geology will assure the radioactivity will be contained. Instead, Nevada argues in court briefs, the Energy Department shifted gears and is now heavily relying on questionable engineered barriers. The state and a lawyer for several environmental groups planned to challenge an EPA standard that establishes allowable radioactive releases from the future site. While the nuclear industry strongly supports the government's case and agrees to the EPA radiation limits, it will argue that a separate EPA contamination standard for groundwater is overly restrictive. --- On the Net: Yucca Mountain project: http://www.ymp.gov Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov Nevada Office of Nuclear Projects: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste Nuclear Energy Institute: www.nei.org Nuclear Regulatory Commission: www.nrc.gov -- ***************************************************************** 47 Las Vegas RJ: Nevada fights Yucca Mountain waste repository Wednesday, January 14, 2004 WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorneys for Nevada and an environmental group today asked a three-judge panel to reject the Bush administration's plan for storing highly radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain unless it can be shown protective radiation standards can be met at least 300,000 years into the future, when some of the isotopes are most dangerous. "All of the legal wrongs ... stem from the fact that the waste will not be isolated," Geoffrey Fettus, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the court. Fettus and Antonio Rossman, an attorney representing Nevada, argued that an environmental protection agency radiation standard for the proposed waste site that is pegged to 10,000 years into the future is inadequate. "The maximum risk arises at 300,000 years," argued Rossman. Two of the three judges sharply questioned why the EPA chose the 10,000-year mark and noted that a National Academies of Science report suggests a danger long beyond that. The NAS report is "absolutely clear ... that 10,000 years is incorrect," Judge Harry Edwards told a Justice Department attorney. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 48 War Wire: Argentine judge bans US ship with nuclear cargo WAR.WIRE BUENOS AIRES (AFP) Jan 14, 2004 An Argentine judge on Tuesday banned from Argentine territorial waters a US ship laden with high-level nuclear waste. Federal Judge Jorge Pflejer decided in favor of a suit by the state government in Chubut, southern Argentina. The US freighter sought to sail around Cape Horn carrying waste from a dismantled nuclear reactor, according to court documents presented by Chabut state attorney Jorge Miquelarena. "The goal is not only to keep the boat out of our ports, but also out of Argentine waters," he said. Environmental groups Greenpeace and Taller Ecologista gave Chabut state Governor Mario Das Neves the information to file the suit. Southern California Edison shipped the dismantled the reactor from San Onofre, California to a waste site in Barnwell, South Carolina. The trip from California, around Cape Horn at the southern tip of Chile and Argentina and up to the Carolinas is about 20,000 kilometers (12,500 miles). WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 49 Guardian Unlimited: Libya Ratifies Nuclear Test January 14, 2004 11:01 PM By GEORGE JAHN Associated Press Writer VIENNA, Austria (AP) - In a new signal that Libya is serious about renouncing its weapons of mass destruction, U.N. officials said Wednesday the North African country has ratified the nuclear test ban treaty. Libya's nuclear program was far from producing a weapon and the treaty is 12 nations short of the 44 ratifications needed for it to enter into force. Still, the announcement by the U.N. agency overseeing the agreement appeared to be a further sign of commitment by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to give up nuclear weapons ambitions. The Vienna-based agency - known as the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Organization - said that in ratifying the pact earlier this month, Libya agreed to host a monitoring station at Misratah. That would be part of a network of 337 stations being set up worldwide to verify compliance with terms of the treaty. Libya announced Dec. 19 it was giving up its weapons of mass destruction after months of secret talks with the United States and Britain. It said then it would sign the test ban treaty and become a party to the convention prohibiting chemical weapons. Once it enters into force, the treaty bans any nuclear weapon test explosion in any environment. A Western diplomat who works with the Preparatory Commission said the ratification ``fit the picture'' of Libya's actions to prove it was serious since announcing it was scrapping programs or stocks of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Since then, both the International Atomic Energy Agency - the U.N. nuclear watchdog - and Washington have sent experts to Libya to take inventory of Libya's nuclear activities ahead of supervising their destruction. Differences continue on who should take the lead, however. Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said the IAEA should assume that role. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei also staked out his agency's claim. But U.S. administration officials insist that with U.S.-British negotiations leading to the Libyan decision, Washington and London should have primacy. While the IAEA says Libya was nowhere near producing a weapon, Washington and London say it was further along than the agency realizes. Both sides sought to play down the dispute Wednesday. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said ``we're doing well'' on bridging differences. IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said the agency is in ``frequent contact with the British, U.S. and other governments to ensure a common understanding of our respective roles ... and discussions are continuing over the coming days.'' Still, diplomats familiar with the agency said differences continue, noting that IAEA officials were not invited to recent talks between U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton and British officials on Libya. The diplomats, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a U.S.-British team and a group of IAEA experts planned new separate inspection trips to Libya in the next two weeks. The two teams would have no direct contact, although information would probably be shared after they were debriefed, they said. Several diplomats said if the dispute is not resolved, the agency and a joint U.S.-British operation might end up performing essentially the same tasks in verifying and destroying Libya's nuclear weapons program. The dispute evokes differences over Iran. The U.S. administration, which accuses Tehran of trying to build nuclear weapons, was rankled at a report last year by ElBaradei that took Iran to task for enriching uranium and other suspect activities but said inspectors found ``no proof'' of an arms program. As part of attempts to ease international concerns, Iran last year agreed to suspend uranium enrichment - a ``dual use'' technology that can be used to generate power or create the nuclear payload for weapons. Diplomats on Wednesday said Iran continues to build centrifuges to enrich uranium, despite the suspension. One of the diplomats said that while the IAEA is unhappy about that, it ``knows exactly what the Iranians are doing or not doing,'' and is generally convinced that Tehran is not hiding any aspects of its nuclear activities. ``The mood is fairly optimistic because ... there is progress and cooperation,'' he said. Meanwhile, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Libya has filed the necessary papers with the United Nations and will formally become the 159th country to join the Chemical Weapons Convention on Feb. 5. Only 13 countries remain that have not signed or ratified the convention, whose members are subject to surprise inspections for banned weapons and chemicals. Libya's decision to join the weapons convention is ``a positive step that can help strengthen global and regional efforts to prevent the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction,'' Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons director Rogelio Pfirter said in a statement. The group, based in The Hague, Netherlands, said it would work closely with Libya, which it said must ``declare and destroy'' its chemical weapons stocks. The organization's members include the world's two largest possessors of chemical weapons, the United States and Russia. The states that have not signed are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, North Korea, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Niue, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, Syria, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. --- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency: http://www.iaea.org Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons: http://www.opcw.org Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 Guardian Newspapers Limited ***************************************************************** 50 DOE: National Energy Technology Laboratory; Notice of Availability of FR Doc 04-782 [Federal Register: January 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 9)] [Notices] [Page 2129-2130] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14ja04-51] a Funding Opportunity Announcement AGENCY: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of availability of a funding opportunity announcement. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intent to issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-PS26-04NT42074 entitled ``Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) Core Technology Program.'' The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is seeking applications under this announcement to develop, through the Core Technology Program, science and technologies that address specific technical challenges and barriers faced by the SECA Industrial Teams. The DOE goal for SECA Industrial Teams is to develop a 3 kilowatt (kW)-10kW solid-oxide fuel cell system that has a Factory Cost of $400/kW by 2010. Development of solid-oxide fuel cell power systems that are applicable to stationary, mobile and military applications with minimal differences in core module components is desired. A goal of DOE is to encourage the entry of one or more fuel cell systems developed in the SECA Program into one or more commercial markets at the earliest possible date. Core Technology Program research and development is an integral part of the effort to achieve the aforementioned goals. DATES: The funding opportunity announcement will be available on the ``Industry Interactive Procurement System'' (IIPS) Web page located at http://e-center.doe.gov on or about January 9, 2004. Applicants can obtain access to the funding opportunity announcement from the address above or through DOE/NETL's Web site at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business . ADDRESSES: Questions and comments regarding the content of the announcement should be submitted through the ``Submit Question'' feature of IIPS at http://e-center.doe.gov. Locate [[Page 2130]] the announcement on IIPS and then click on the ``Submit Question'' button. You will receive an electronic notification that your question has been answered. Responses to questions may be viewed through the ``View Questions'' feature. If no questions have been answered, a statement to that effect will appear. You should periodically check ``View Questions'' for new questions and answers. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Dowdell, Contract Specialist, MS 921-107, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box 10940, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, E-mail Address: Bonnie.Dowdell@netl.doe.gov, Telephone Number: 412-386-5879. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SECA supports the objectives of the Comprehensive National Energy Strategy; in addition, it addresses Presidential Initiatives including Hydrogen Fuel, FutureGen, Climate Change and Clear Skies. Specific benefits of solid-oxide fuel cell technology include: (1) High efficiency. Even without cogeneration a solid-oxide fuel cell system can be twice as efficient as competing technologies due to the direct conversion of fuel to electrical power. With thermal recovery, system efficiency could reach 85%. (2) Fuel cell systems promise to be one of the most reliable power generation technologies. Hospitals, hotels, and telephone companies are now using them as part of critical uninterruptible power supply systems. SECA will result in distributed generation products that will further increase grid reliability and safety. (3) Solid-oxide fuel cell systems are clean. They generate no solid wastes, and due to the higher efficiency and the replacement of fossil fuel combustion with a lower temperature electrochemical conversion, fuel cells significantly lower emissions of nitrogen compounds and greenhouse gases. (4) Fuel cells expand energy choices. They can be used in virtually any application for the production of useful energy from fossil fuels in a very efficient manner. As environmental requirements become more stringent, fuel cells are an important option in producing useful energy in an environmentally friendly way. (5) Fuel cells manufactured as small scalable modules and produced cheaply by taking advantage of economies of production, are well suited for developing countries without an existing energy infrastructure, and will help meet a growing worldwide demand for energy. Solid-oxide fuel cell power systems developed in the SECA Program will not require large one-time investments of capital that characterize large central generation plants. The modules produced will be scalable allowing application of capital in smaller incremental amounts. This is a tenable economic scenario for developing countries. The main objective of the Core Technology Program is to develop science and technologies that will be adopted by the SECA Industrial Teams to increase their success in developing commercially-viable solid-oxide fuel cell power systems. The SECA Core Technology Program provides a direct link for Core Technology participants to market new technology developments to an established customer base via the SECA Industrial Teams. It is expected that this program structure should significantly shorten the time period between Core Technology development and commercialization of same technologies. The following website provides additional information on the SECA Program including the program structure and information on the Core Technology component: http://www.seca.doe.gov. This SECA Core Technology announcement focuses on specific sub- areas of interest under two Core Technology areas of interest: (1) Materials; and (2) Fuel Processing. Applications can only be submitted to one of the sub-areas of interest that follow: Area of Interest 1, Materials, is comprised of four separate sub- areas of interest to which an application may be submitted. (1) Materials--Sulfur-Tolerant Anodes (2) Materials--Interconnects (3) Materials--Cathode/Interconnect Contact (4) Materials--Innovative Sealing Concepts Area of Interest 2, Fuel Processing, is comprised of three separate sub-areas of interest to which an application may be submitted. (1) Fuel Processing--Diesel Fuel Reformation Catalysts (2) Fuel Processing--Integrated Diesel Fuel Injection and Mixing (3) Fuel Processing--Carbon and Sulfur Deposition/Reaction Mechanisms for Diesel Reforming Catalysts DOE anticipates awarding approximately thirteen (13) cooperative agreements under this Program Announcement. This particular program is covered by Section 3001 and 3002 of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct), 42 U.S.C. 13542 for financial assistance awards and requires a cost share commitment of at least 20 percent from non-federal sources for research and development projects. Approximately $7,000,000 in total funding is expected to be available under this announcement. Once released, the funding opportunity announcement will be available for downloading from the IIPS Internet page. At this Internet site you will also be able to register with IIPS, enabling you to submit an application. If you need technical assistance in registering or for any other IIPS function, call the IIPS Help Desk at (800) 683- 0751 or E-mail the Help Desk personnel at IIPS_HelpDesk@e- center.doe.gov. The funding opportunity announcement will only be made available in IIPS, no hard (paper) copies of the funding opportunity announcement and related documents will be made available. Telephone requests, written requests, E-mail requests, or facsimile requests for a copy of the funding opportunity announcement will not be accepted and/or honored. Applications must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms contained in the announcement. The actual funding opportunity announcement document will allow for requests for explanation and/or interpretation. Issued in Pittsburgh, PA on January 6, 2004. Dale A. Siciliano, Director, Acquisition and Assistance Division. [FR Doc. 04-782 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 51 Seattle Times: Hanford workers move closer to closing tank Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. By Shannon Dininny The Associated Press YAKIMA — Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation have finished removing thousands of gallons of thick sludge from an underground storage tank that was once the hottest radioactive-waste tank on the site. The contractor that manages the underground tank farms at Hanford, CH2M Hill, along with the state Department of Ecology and the U.S. Department of Energy now are working to prepare tank C-106 to be secured until the entire tank farm is closed. Exactly what constitutes closure of the tanks has not yet been determined. Options include pulling the tanks from the ground or leaving some residual waste inside and installing barriers or caps. "For a long period of time, these tanks were sitting there. A lot of planning was being done, a lot of analysis was being done. Now, here we are getting to a new phase of managing this waste," said Moses Jarayssi, director of environmental strategies for CH2M Hill. Nearly 54 million gallons of deadly liquid, sludge and salt cake fill 177 underground tanks less than 10 miles from the Columbia River. The tanks are arranged at the site in 12 tank farms. The tank-waste cleanup, directed by Energy's Office of River Protection, is the nation's largest environmental project. The 530,000-gallon C-106 tank, built in 1944, stored waste from nuclear-reactor fuel reprocessing and from two chemical-separation plants that extracted plutonium for the nation's defense arsenal. At its hottest, the C-106 tank reached a temperature of 237 degrees, raising fears the steel-and-concrete tank could explode. The tank was placed on a special-watch list in 1991 because Hanford crews had to add 6,000 gallons of water a month to cool it. At the time, the tank contained about 5 million curies of deadly strontium-90 and generated about 40 kilowatts of energy as heat. Crews began transferring 186,000 gallons of waste from the tank in 1998, and the high-heat problem was considered solved in 1999. Workers finished removing 18,000 gallons of liquid waste from the tank last April. They recently completed removal of another 18,000 gallons of thick sludge and are no longer getting significant volume out of the tank, said Delmar Noyes, tank-farms project director for the Office of River Protection. The 40-foot deep, 70-foot-wide tank is one of 149 aging single-shell tanks at the site, some of which have leaked in the past or are considered at risk of leaking. A draft environmental-impact statement on closure of all single-shell tanks likely will be open for public comment in February or March, said Jeff Lyon, tank-waste-storage project manager for the state Ecology Department. One requirement in closing the tanks is a risk assessment, which requires a review of the short-term and long-term impacts on ground water, the environment and the public, Jarayssi said. A national panel of experts picked by the Energy Department, state Department of Ecology and the contractors was meeting yesterday and today to review a model of the risk assessment for tank C-106 and the rest of the tanks in its farm. A draft report, with suggestions by the panel, is expected in February. Tanks will be closed one by one on an interim basis. When an entire tank farm is ready, tanks will be closed permanently. The parties face an April deadline for completing retrieval of waste, completing the risk assessment and having a closure plan in place for tank C-106. The interim closure of the tank, based on the plan approved in April, is to be completed by the end of December. A $5.6 billion waste-treatment plant is under construction to convert the radioactive material from the tanks into glass cylinders for long-term storage. Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company More local news ***************************************************************** 52 Tri-City Herald: Hanford nearing first tank closure This story was published Wednesday, January 14th, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Sixty years after the federal government began filling underground tanks at Hanford with highly radioactive waste as a temporary storage method, one of them has been emptied. That leaves 176 to go. Tank C-106, with its reputation as one of the baddest actors in Hanford's history, was picked as the demonstration tank for the cleanup work. Today, all that remains in the once-full, 530,000-gallon tank is less than an inch of granular solids at its bottom. Further tests and regulators will determine if that legally constitutes emptying the tank. But for now, the Department of Energy's Office of River Protection and contractor CH2M Hill Hanford are considering the tank as empty as it may ever be. "We believe we're done," said Delmar Noyes, division director of tank farms for the Office of River Protection. In the rush to create plutonium during World War II, Hanford workers began pumping waste into reinforced concrete tanks with a single-shell carbon steel liner buried about 10 feet underground. They believed a better way of storing the waste would be developed before the tanks began to deteriorate. However, over the years, 67 single-shell tanks are believed to have leaked at least 1 million gallons of highly radioactive liquid. Some of it has reached the aquifer beneath Hanford. And there were other problems. Because of safety concerns, C-106 became the first tank to have most of its sludges and liquids removed in 1999. They were pumped to safer double-shell tanks that will hold highly radioactive material until the vitrification plant is completed to turn the waste into glass logs. The low volume of waste left in the tank was one of the reasons it was picked to be the first to be emptied. It also was not a leaker and had relatively low levels of technetium, which would limit damage if the demonstration project went wrong. Technetium is a long-lived isotope that spreads comparatively quickly through the ground. After the 1999 work, 62,000 gallons of waste remained in the tank, which eventually evaporated to 36,000 gallons, Noyes said. It's waste that human eyes don't see. The only access to the tanks is from pipes on the surface that reach down to the tanks. With videocameras, workers could see piles of waste on the tank bottom. But getting it out was something like scrubbing a cooking pot with the lid welded on. Workers poured in a mild acid six times to dissolve the sludge. They also sluiced the tank four times, aiming sprinklerlike nozzles at piles of sludge at the bottom of the tank about 40 feet below ground level. Then, they tried to wash loosened waste toward a pipe that could pump it out. Now, "in many areas of the tank you can see the bottom," said Moses Jarayssi, director of regulatory strategic planning for CH2M Hill Hanford. Dimly lit videos show the faint lines of welds in the bottom of the 75-foot-diameter tank. DOE and the contractor believe as much waste has been removed as possible with the available technology and that not more than 360 cubic feet remain, as specified by the Tri-Party Agreement regulating Hanford cleanup. Now, Hanford workers are determining the content of the remaining waste and verifying measurements of the amount remaining. The tank was filled with waste from B Reactor, the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor, and a processing plant where chemicals were used to extract uranium and plutonium from irradiated fuel. That resulted in a mix of hazardous chemical waste and highly radioactive waste. Ultimately, the public will be asked to weigh in on whether the tank is empty enough. Then, the Washington State Department of Ecology will determine if the tank has had enough waste removed to be considered empty or if Hanford workers will be asked to try to remove more. Long term, the waste remaining in the tank may be sealed in a layer of grout to fix it in place and prevent any of it from leaking from the tank. Eventually, the entire tank could be filled to prevent it from collapsing or the tank could be pulled from the ground. Work has begun to completely empty a second of Hanford's 149 single-shell tanks. Under the Tri-Party Agreement, all of them must be empty in 14 years. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 53 Paducah Sun: Bidders for DOE job listen to union - Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Wednesday, January 14, 2004 PACE says the contractors for infrastructure work were at least open-minded to hiring laid-off plant workers. Atomic workers' union leaders say bidders for infrastructure union concerns that laid-off uranium enrichment workers are hired by a new contractor while keeping their pension and service credit. Union officials met for two days last week with eight bidders for work at the Paducah plant and a closed enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. Leon Owens, former president of the Paducah union local, said bidders were asked to consider signing a memorandum of agreement protecting laid-off enrichment workers. The issue has greater significance following Monday's announcement by USEC Inc. that Piketon, Ohio, will get a 500-job gas centrifuge plant replacing the outdated, 1,270-employee Paducah plant starting in 2010, he said. "No one signed during the meetings, but we didn't expect that," Owens said. "We're going to have continuing dialogue with the bidders." Most of the bidders were open to suggestions and viewed the talks more helpful than a Dec. 8 Department of Energy pre-bid conference, he said. "We made it plain to them that the union isn't seeking anything beyond what DOE has done in the past." Among the bidders participating were four local firms: Infrastructure Services Group, Swift and Staley Mechanical Contractors, Western Kentucky Infrastructure Service and Western Kentucky Services. Last month, U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield and Sens. Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell wrote Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, asking him to heed union concerns. Whitfield asked that DOE's bid request be changed to ensure "a seamless transition" from current cleanup contractor Bechtel Jacobs to a new arrangement favoring small business. Considerable wording was added Dec. 4, but the language still doesn't protect laid-off USEC workers, Owens said. DOE wrote him Dec. 12, saying the bid requests would outline requirements for wages, pension and benefits "for all workers" of new infrastructure and cleanup firms. Displaced USEC workers now qualify for full benefits with Bechtel Jacobs, but only workers of Bechtel Jacobs and its key subcontractors are grandfathered into the new $24 million-a-year contract, covering a variety of work in DOE-controlled areas of the Paducah plant. Bids are due Jan. 28, a contract will be awarded by May 20 and the winning firm will start work Aug. 29. "We're hopeful between now and Jan. 28 to engage DOE," Owens said. "In the event we're not able, we've made it plain that bidders should expect further amendments. We're going to press forward trying to get the amendments added." The union wants the winner to honor bargaining agreements between the union and Bechtel Jacobs, rather than merely "recognize" the union, as the bid request now states. They also want hiring and benefits requirements to "flow down" to subcontractors of the new company, and insist that a firm be hired to integrate job transition at Paducah and Piketon. Bechtel Jacobs currently does that work, managing 300 employees at Paducah and 350 at Piketon. DOE is expected to begin seeking bids Thursday for a $90 million annual Paducah plant cleanup contract. Both it and the infrastructure contract are for five years. Trying to be more cost-efficient, DOE is splitting the old Bechtel Jacobs contract into two contracts each at Paducah and Piketon. Owens said he hopes DOE will issue a draft bid request to allow the union to comment before a final request is released. The union is concerned that the cleanup bid request will have the same language gaps as the infrastructure request, he said. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** 54 Newsday.com - BNL: New Bid System Hurts Us By Indrani Sen STAFF WRITER January 14, 2004 A new two-tiered system of allocating scientific work related to homeland security has New York congressmen worried Brookhaven National Laboratory may lose millions in federal funding, despite Department of Homeland Security officials' assurances to the contrary. Under the new system, which department officials say is necessary to give national labs access to the government contracts they are best suited for, Brookhaven and three other labs were left off a list to do classified internal work for Homeland Security, leaving BNL to compete with private firms and academic institutions for external contracts. BNL director Praveen Chaudhari said money is not the only issue - Homeland Security funding makes up only a small part of the lab's budget, most of which comes from the Department of Energy. He said the system dashes the lab's hopes of playing a lead role in developing radiation detectors and other security devices. "We're being cut out of something we're good at and something we can contribute to homeland security," he said. "That's what riles me up." Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) was joined by all New York congressmen in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge opposing the move. "If you talk to Homeland Security, they will reject any notion of tiering and they will reject any notion of preferred labs, but that's what this is, in my opinion," Bishop said. Department officials argued that the change, made in a memo sent just before Christmas, is necessary for a fair system of allocating contracts. Brookhaven National Laboratory will not lose funding for any programs already under way, and will become eligible for certain contracts it would not be able to bid on otherwise, said Maureen McCarthy, director for research and development in the department's science and technology directorate. The new system designates five labs - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories - whose work for the department will be exclusively "intramural" or on internal government security projects. The division was created to exclude these labs, who will have access to classified documents, from bidding in the "extramural," or open contracts, McCarthy said, because they may have an unfair advantage in the bidding process. Projects are defined as intramural "either because the private sector isn't doing the work, or they involve classified programs, or the handling of special nuclear materials," McCarthy said. This category includes, for example, the development of detectors for radioactive, chemical and nuclear materials. Extramural projects, for which Brookhaven, Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Bechtel Nevada are eligible, are funded by the government but contracted to private-sector entities, academic institutions or research facilities. This category includes cyber-security for the Internet and technologies used to identify people, McCarthy said. Brookhaven didn't make the intramural list because it is more of a science lab than a weapons lab, and because its relationships with academia and industry as well as its New York City connections make it better suited to extramural work, McCarthy said. Chaudhari strenuously disagreed. "We do best in the intramural program rather than the extramural program," Chaudhari said. In particular, he said, BNL has already made proposals worth $14 million to develop radiation, chemical and biological detectors. That would fall under the intramural program, Chaudhari said. He said the lab wouldn't make more money bidding for contracts because the extramural system is aimed to elicit bids from industrial entities. Only $1.4 million of the lab's $451 million projected budget comes from Homeland Security this year, Chaudhari said, and that funding will not be lost under the new system. But the long-term effects could be far more significant. "Homeland Security is going to be around for a long time," Chaudhari said. "If you cut us out now, we're always going to be handicapped for future changes." Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. | Article licensing and reprint ***************************************************************** 55 Pro-nuclear space cadets thrilled by Bush's promise of more Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:14:13 -0800 January 14th, 2004 Today, President Bush promised billions of new dollars to build, among other things, nuclear space ships capable of going to Mars faster than non-nuclear missions. While claimed to be a scientific search for life, in fact, this new plan is little more than a cover for the U.S. military's continued nuclear space initiatives. NASA currently uses, on average, tens of thousands of Curies each year, of the most deadly substance known to mankind -- Plutonium -- as a heat and power source for many of its so-called civilian missions. The U.S. military undoubtedly also uses plutonium for missions encircling the Earth. There is no safe way to launch nuclear materials into space. Space debris and a wide variety of launch accidents make it impossible. But this doesn't stop NASA because they DENY THAT INCINERATED PLUTONIUM IS DANGEROUS!!! It could easily be 100 times more dangerous than they admit -- perhaps even 1000 times more dangerous (at the dose rates that result from an upper-atmosphere dispersion). They deny that the accident rate is as high as it really is, and they deny that the containment systems they design are as useless as they really are. Oppose NASA's new funding initiative! The same amount of money, if it were used to increase science education in our schools, would result, over time, in a much greater increase in human knowledge. Sincerely, Russell Hoffman Technologist Former Editor, Stop Cassini newsletter Concerned Citizen Carlsbad, CA NO NUKES IN SPACE: (FLASH animation): http://www.animatedsoftware.com/mx/nasa/columbia/index.swf or try: http://www.animatedsoftware.com/mx/nasa/columbia/index.html STOP CASSINI web site: http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/index.htm Internet Glossary of Nuclear Terminology / "The Demon Hot Atom": http://www.animatedsoftware.com/hotwords/index.htm List of every nuclear power plant in America, with history, activist orgs, specs, etc.: http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/nukelist.htm List of ~300 books and videos about nuclear issues in my collection (donations welcome!): http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/mybooks.htm Learn about The Effects of Nuclear War here: http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/tenw/nuke_war.htm =================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************* ** THE ANIMATED SOFTWARE COMPANY ** Russell D. Hoffman, Owner and Chief Programmer ** P.O. Box 1936, Carlsbad CA 92018-1936 ** (800) 551-2726 ** (760) 720-7261 ** Fax: (760) 720-7394 ** Visit the world's most eclectic web site: ** http://www.animatedsoftware.com ************************************************* IF YOU RECEIVED THIS EMAIL IN ERROR AND/OR DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE ANY MORE EMAILS FROM US FOR ANY REASON, PLEASE CONTACT RUSSELL HOFFMAN AT: rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com MailTo:rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com?Subject=Unsubscribe-me-please . Please be sure that "Unsubscribe-me-please" appears in the subject line. ***************************************************************** 56 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 16:42:57 -0800 NORTH Korea said to show empty nuclear fuel pond Reuters, India WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An unofficial US delegation that visited North Korea was shown a holding pond for spent nuclear fuel rods that was empty, but whether ... IRAN has yet to agree on nuclear freeze Reuters, UK VIENNA (Reuters) - The UN nuclear watchdog says it has yet to agree with Iran on what constituted suspension of uranium enrichment activities, which Tehran has ... IRAN says brokers, not foreign scientist, helped its nuclear ... SpaceDaily A top Iranian official said Wednesday Iran sought no help from foreign scientists for its nuclear programme but that five brokers helped buy equipment on the ... IRAN denies involvement of Pak in export of nuclear technology PakTribune.com, Pakistan ISLAMABAD, January 15 (Online): Iran has said in an unequivocal terms that Pakistan is neither involved in the export of nuclear technology to it nor the ... BUSH'S nuclear security chief defends new research on low-yield ... Baltimore Sun, MD WASHINGTON - President Bush's top nuclear security administrator defended yesterday the administration's decision to begin research on a new generation of low ... ON the Nuclear Edge New Yorker In the past few weeks, news reports have revealed troubling information about the possible export of Pakistani nuclear technology to countries such as Iran and ... THE proof for the nuclear pudding is rather fleeting Taipei Times, Taiwan ... I think it's going to trigger a real revolution in nuclear physics," he said. The nuclear pudding, as strange as it is, has a simple ... Tests Suggest Scientists Have Found Big Bang Goo - New York Times Researchers find quarks like those from Big Bang - Oakland Tribune Newly Found State of Matter Could Yield Insights Into Basic Laws ... S Korea confident of resolved nuclear crisis ABC Online, Australia South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun says he is optimistic the North Korean nuclear crisis can be settled peacefully. The President ... S.Korea's Roh Urges Patience in North Nuclear Row - Reuters Strong ties to US key to ending nuclear crisis: Roh - SpaceDaily South Korea president: US visit to North Korea nuke plant is step ... SA 'nuclear smuggler' gets strict bail in US Independent Online, South Africa A prominent Cape Town businessman accused of illegally sneaking American-manufactured nuclear weapons detonators into Pakistan may be released on $75 000 ... Israeli arrested in Denver for shipping nuclear-related parts to ... 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