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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Said to Renege on Nuclear Promises
2 AFP: South Korean envoys leave for Japan, US for nuclear talks
3 Korea Herald: N.K. likely to focus diplomacy on nuclear deal with U.
4 KR Washington Bureau: North Korea showed U.S. delegation apparent pl
5 FT: Time running out in North Korean crisis
6 Asia Pacific News: North Koreans want talks with South to form anti-
7 KoreaTimes: Japan, France Vying for Koreas Nuclear Project
8 KoreaTimes: Despite Disturbances, North Still Finding Ways to Surviv
9 KoreaTimes: [Feature] Nuclear Dispute Creates Drag on South Korean E
10 Bill Berkowitz: WMD: Goodbye to all that
11 AFP: US agrees to let UN nuclear watchdog lead disarmament in Libya
12 War Wire: Pakistani nuclear official's detention challenged
13 War Wire: US, British weapons experts already in Libya: report
14 BBC: India, Russia sign defence deal
15 Economic Times: Govt seals Rs 7,000-cr Gorshkov deal
16 Washington Times: 'Hero' suspected in nuke transfer
17 UK Independent: Court studies Blair 'war crimes' claim
18 Daily Times: Pakistan will not extradite nuclear scientists: Rashid
19 Hi Pakistan: N-tech transfer proof not found: FO
20 Hi Pakistan: N-assets will be protected, Senate told
21 Asia Times: Arming Asia: Russia's $5 billion forte_
22 AFP: Israel must give up nukes first: Assad
NUCLEAR REACTORS
23 US: NRC: NRC Issues Review Standard for Extended Power Uprates
24 US: NRC: NRC to Hold 16th Annual Regulatory Information Conference M
25 US: NRC: News Release - 2004-009 - NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor
26 US: NRC: Wisconsin Public Service Corporation and Wisconsin Power an
27 US: NRC: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.; Notice of Withdra
28 War Wire: Czech nuclear workers demand EU-level pay
29 US: PCNH: FirstEnergy fails to restore any public confidence
30 SF Chronicle: Aftermath of the Bam Earthquake / Shut nuclear plant
31 Scotsman.com News: Nuclear Plant Clean-Up Hailed by Energy Chiefs
32 US: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Nuclear stake gets bigger -
33 US: NRC: NRC Dispatches Special Inspection Team to Look into Safety
34 US: NRC: NRC Approves Power Uprate for Fort Calhoun
NUCLEAR SAFETY
35 US: [DU-WATCH] isotope analysis shows exposure to depleted uranium
36 [DU-WATCH] Radioactive Iraqi Scrap Metal
37 [DU-WATCH] FW: Iraq: No way out for Bush
38 BBC: Radiation pills move explained
39 US: Silver City Daily Press: Depleted uranium will be focus of meeti
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
40 US: [NukeNet] Empty Nuclear Fuel Shipping Trucks Crash After
41 US: Gallup Independent: Area uranium plant in process of shutdown_
42 Elizabethton Star: NRC grants second license amendment to NFS for BL
43 US: Gallup Independent: Convention to mark activist group's impact o
44 US: Las Vegas SUN: More hazardous waste may be shipped to Nevada
45 US: Las Vegas SUN: Nuclear waste official resigns
46 RGJ Carson Neighbor: Retired engineer worked on Yucca Mountain
47 The Herald: Dounreay a weighty tome at 230 tonnes
48 US: PISJ: Public meetings slated on faster INEEL waste cleanup propo
49 US: New Mexican: Groups: State Stuck With Waste_
50 Columbus Dispatch: Piketon Focusing On New Jobs
51 US: Star Online: Storage for nuclear waste
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
52 UK WMD Storage Base Blockaded
53 CANADIANS PROTEST ROLE IN U.S. STAR WARS
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
54 Power Online: NUKEM CORPORATION WINS DOE DISPOSAL CONTRACT
55 Oak Ridger: DOE consolidates financial services
56 Oak Ridger: K-25 warning sign sold on eBay
57 Oak Ridger: Health Effects Subcommittee needs new members
58 Oak Ridger: Y-12 plant names new security leader
59 Oak Ridger: Radioactive material contract awarded to RWE NUKEM Corp.
OTHER NUCLEAR
60 [du-list] Bad days at all points till we people get our $#!*
61 MJ: A free-market-embracing, green-power-supporting alternative
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Said to Renege on Nuclear Promises
Today: January 20, 2004 at 10:45:11 PST
_By GEORGE JAHN_ ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA, Austria (AP) -
Western diplomats and nuclear experts voiced growing concern
Tuesday that Iran has reneged on its promise to fully suspend
uranium enrichment - a process that can be used to make nuclear
weapons.
Worries over Tehran's nuclear intentions coincided with decreased
concern among nuclear watchdogs about Libya's nuclear ambitions.
Tripoli volunteered last month to give up chemical, biological
and nuclear weapons or weapons programs.
Disarmament teams are in Libya to start dismantling the country's
weapons of mass destruction, and diplomats say the North African
country apparently was sincere in its vow to disarm.
The most recent developments threaten, therefore, to put Iran at
center stage at the next top-level meeting of the International
Atomic Energy agency in March.
Tehran announced it had suspended uranium enrichment late last
year as it sought to blunt international concern it was running a
secret weapons program and to defang U.S. attempts to gain U.N.
Security Council involvement.
Now, diplomats told The Associated Press on condition of
anonymity, even key European nations who negotiated the deal with
Tehran have started to question Iran's commitment because it
appears to be using semantics - the meaning of the word suspend -
to keep some of its nuclear enrichment program operational.
The IAEA last fall asked Iran to stop "enrichment-related
activities." But while Tehran has stopped introducing uranium
into enrichment equipment, it continues to make and assemble that
equipment - centrifuges used to spin uranium into low grade fuel
for peaceful use or high-grade material, for weapons.
If the Iranian program becomes central at the March IAEA meeting,
the issue could pit Washington against France, Germany and
Britain, which secured Iran's suspension pledge last summer in
exchange for a promise to ease restrictions on technology exports
to Tehran.
"We fully expect the next board meeting will discuss the matter,"
said one of the diplomats.
"They have been clearly called on to adopt a comprehensive
suspension of all enrichment activities, so naturally that's what
we will discuss in March."
The United States interprets suspension as encompassing the whole
process - including a halt in assemblage of enrichment equipment.
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher warned last week
that failure by Iran to indefinitely suspend "all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities would be deeply
troubling."
The IAEA continues to negotiate with Iran on what constitutes
suspension, but one diplomat told AP that Mohamed ElBaradei, the
agency's director general, "feels strongly" that Iran should also
stop making and assembling centrifuges.
While the European Union has not commented publicly, diplomats
familiar with the issue told AP it is also an EU concern.
They said Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy
chief, brought up the continued manufacture of centrifuges with
Hasan Rowhani, head of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security
Council, during his visit to Tehran last week. The French also
raised the issue Thursday, when Rowhani visited Paris, the
diplomats said.
For his part, Rowhani suggested Iran would not expand its narrow
interpretation of what constituted an enrichment embargo - and
pointedly urged the Europeans to deliver on promises of increased
technological aid.
"Iran will not accept restrictions on its peaceful nuclear
program," he said, while in Paris. "Iran expects its European
friends to honor their commitments."
One of the diplomats suggested an oversight on the part of
France, Germany and Britain when they made their deal with Iran.
"Right from the beginning, everybody asked, 'what is suspension,'
but the Europeans and Iranians never defined it," he said.
Diplomats also said U.S. and British weapons experts began
arriving in Libya over the weekend. They also said members of a
separate team from the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
"The idea is to move quickly," said one of the diplomats,
speaking specifically of plans to dismantle Libya's nuclear
program. "Those involved expect to be well on the way to
accomplishing our goal within weeks."
Confirming the presence of an IAEA team, agency spokesman Mark
Gwozdecky said experts "arrived yesterday and they are at work
today, verifying the details," of Libya's nuclear programs.
"More experts are to follow over the coming weeks," he added.
On the Net:
IAEA, www.iaea.org
2004 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
2 AFP: South Korean envoys leave for Japan, US for nuclear talks
SEOUL (AFP) Jan 20, 2004
South Korea's top presidential aide heads for Japan Tuesday to
discuss a resumption of six-nation talks aimed at ending a crisis
over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, officials said.
President Roh Moo-Hyun's national security advisor Ra Jong-Yil
will have "consultations on North Korea's nuclear issue and
six-way talks" with Japanese leaders, Roh's office said.
Ra is to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and others during his two-day stay
in Tokyo.
Seperately, deputy foreign minister Lee Soo-Hyuk, Seoul's chief
negotiator for the six-way talks, will leave for Washington
Tuesday to "fine-tune policy in preparation for a new round" with
US and Japanese officials, the ministry said.
Lee is scheduled to hold a three-way meeting with his US and
Japanese counterparts in Washington Wednesday and Thursday.
The United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia have
recently stepped up efforts to convene a second round of
negotiations with North Korea on the 15-month crisis over
Pyongyang's nuclear weapons drive.
Officials here said this week that a new round of talks could
take place in February.
The first round of six-nation talks made little headway in
Beijing in August.
The crisis erupted in October 2002 when Washington said Pyongyang
had admitted to having a clandestine uranium-enrichment program
in violation of a 1994 nuclear freeze accord.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
3 Korea Herald: N.K. likely to focus diplomacy on nuclear deal with U.S.
By Shin Yong-bae
(shinyb@heraldm.com)
2004.01.21
North Korea is expected this year to focus its diplomacy on
improving relations with the United States, while seeking to draw
security guarantees from the former Cold War adversary in return
for giving up its nuclear development plan.
At the same time, the Stalinist country will likely attempt to
strengthen its ties with China and Russia, its former Cold War
allies, while attempting to normalize relations with Japan.
During the last year, the North used the "carrot and stick"
policy approach toward the United States in hopes of a major
breakthrough in their relations, which have been troubled since
the inception of the Bush administration in early 2001.
The North has taken steps to reactivate its nuclear plants in
Yeongbyeon, which were mothballed in accordance with the Agreed
Framework that ended the previous nuclear crisis of 1994.
On the other hand, the communist regime has not shunned contact
with U.S. officials to discuss how to set the form of
negotiations on the nuclear dispute and other bilateral issues.
But analysts say the North failed to soften what it claimed to
be a hostile U.S. policy toward Pyongyang, although it succeeded
in bringing Washington to the negotiation table in August to
hammer out a diplomatic deal over its nuclear program.
Instead, the North was able to form cooperative relations with
China and Russia to compete with the three-way alliance among
South Korea, the United States and Japan in dealing with the
nuclear issue.
The six countries are players in multilateral talks aimed at
ending the nuclear standoff caused by the North's withdrawal from
the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and its expulsion of
international inspectors of its nuclear reactors.
In angry response to what was viewed by many as the North's
brinkmanship tactics, the United States suspended its supply of
heavy oil to the energy-stricken communist country.
North Korea watchers said one of the diplomatic achievements the
North had last year was that it drew consensus from Beijing and
Moscow that the Americans' tough policy toward the North is the
major stumbling block to resolving the nuclear dispute.
Public attention is now being paid to whether this year the
North will push to develop nuclear weapons or accept the U.S.
demand for the dismantling of the nuclear program in an
"irreversible, verifiable and permanent" manner.
The general view held among North Korea experts is that whether
or not the six-party talks reopen will be a weathervane on
Pyongyang's future course of action.
The six nations held the first talks in August in Beijing but
made little progress on the resolution of the nuclear issue as
the two sides stuck to their earlier positions. The North wanted
the conclusion of a non-aggression pact while the United States
called for the North first to dismantle its nuclear program.
The second round of six-party talks was expected to take place
in December last year. But the continued tug-of-war between the
United States and North Korea regarding what should be included
in a joint statement to be issued at the end of the meeting made
it impossible for fresh talks to be scheduled.
Also, the prospects for the resumption of the six-party talks
further dimmed when Bush in December rejected the North's offer
to freeze its nuclear program if the United States excluded
Pyongyang from the list of states supporting terrorism. Bush
insisted that what his country wants is not to freeze the nuclear
program but to dismantle it.
Being excluded from the blacklist is crucial for the North as it
bars the communist country from getting access to soft loans from
international lending agencies, such as the World Bank, to
resuscitate its moribund economy.
As the United States showed no signs of easing its hard-line
stance toward the Pyongyang regime, the North recently invited
experts and congressional officials to the reclusive country and
allowed them to visit the Yeongbyeon nuclear complex.
A U.S. envoy who made the visit to the nuclear site said the
North told the delegation that they moved 8,000 spent fuel rods
for reprocessing into plutonium, a key material needed to
manufacture nuclear bombs.
It is widely viewed in South Korea that the North's surprise
permission of the U.S. delegation was aimed at pressing the
United States to accept its demand by indicating that it is on
the verge of churning out nuclear weapons.
But some North Korea watchers express guarded optimism about the
possibility of the North and the United States finding a
diplomatic breakthrough in their second round of six-party talks.
They expect that Bush will take more conciliatory steps toward
the North to resolve the nuclear standoff diplomatically given
the November presidential election in the United States.
"The Bush administration is expected to stay away from its
policy of unilateralism based on military strength and to attempt
to resolve the nuclear issue diplomatically," Jeon Kyung-man, a
senior researcher at the Defense Institute, was quoted as saying
by Yonhap News Agency.
Seoul officials have said the next talks will likely come next
month in Beijing as the six players have been in contact to iron
out differences between Pyongyang and Washington.
*****************************************************************
4 KR Washington Bureau: North Korea showed U.S. delegation apparent plutonium sample
| 01/20/2004 |
_By Warren P. Strobel_ _Knight Ridder Newspapers_
WASHINGTON - North Korea allowed a leading U.S. nuclear
expert to hold in his hand an apparent sample of plutonium for
nuclear weapons during a visit two weeks ago, U.S. officials said
Tuesday.
The dramatic moment came during a visit to North Korea's
main declared nuclear facility at Yongbyon by a private American
delegation that included Siegfried Hecker, former director of Los
Alamos National Laboratory and a metallurgist by training.
Hecker "said he thought it was plutonium," said one U.S.
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity but is privy to the
delegation's briefings for the Bush administration after it
returned.
Hecker is due to testify Wednesday before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. He spoke in a classified,
closed-door session Tuesday.
While North Korea clearly intended the demonstration to
underscore its nuclear capabilities, U.S. officials said, it may
only deepen the uncertainty surrounding its weapons programs.
They said that without sophisticated equipment, which the
delegation didn't have, there was no way to tell whether the
apparent plutonium sample was recent or from a small inventory
that the CIA thinks North Korea manufactured more than a decade
ago, before a 1994 agreement meant to end the country's nuclear
development.
North Korea declared last year that it had extracted more
plutonium from 8,000 spent nuclear-reactor fuel rods, in response
to perceived U.S. threats. That would give it enough material for
a half-dozen nuclear bombs, in addition to the two it's already
believed to have.
The CIA said it hasn't been able to confirm that the
reprocessing has been completed.
However, another delegation member, retired U.S. diplomat
Charles Pritchard, said last week that the group was shown an
empty cooling pond that once had held canisters containing the
8,000 fuel rods. The implication was that the rods had been
reprocessed chemically to extract the plutonium.
International inspectors were kicked out of Yongbyon in
late 2002 in the midst of an escalating U.S.-North Korean nuclear
dispute.
While plutonium, along with uranium, is the basic fuel
for nuclear weapons, the substance isn't particularly dangerous
if handled with care and not ingested.
"Outside of the body, plutonium presents little danger,"
according to a Web site run by the Energy Department's Amarillo
National Research Center. "The most predominant form of radiation
it emits, alpha radiation, is incapable of penetrating a sheet of
paper and is easily stopped by human skin with no damage to the
person."
Hecker handled the substance, which was heavy and warm to
the touch, with gloved hands, the officials said.
About KRWashington.com | Terms of Use &Privacy Statement | Copyright
*****************************************************************
5 FT: Time running out in North Korean crisis
Published: January 20 2004 4:00
Roh Moo-hyun, the South Korean president, had soothing words for
his political supporters this week when they discussed the
imminent withdrawal of all 7,000 US soldiers from the capital,
Seoul. South Korea, he said, had done its best in negotiations
with the US military and there was "nothing to worry about".
Mr Roh may be right about the militarily prudent repositioning of
US troops guarding South Korea against attack from the North.
However, on almost every other issue concerning the North Korean
dictatorship and its nuclear weapons programmes there is plenty
of cause for concern.
In contrast to the good news from south Asia, where nuclear-armed
neighbours India and Pakistan have agreed to talk peace, and from
north Africa, where Libya has renounced weapons of mass
destruction, there has been no recent progress in resolving the
dangerous stand-off in north-east Asia. In fact, the crisis has
deepened.
South Korea, which should be pushing for a new round of six-party
talks over North Korea, is in confusion over foreign policy and
its attitude to Washington. Yoon Young-kwan, the foreign
minister, resigned last week after ministry officials accused Mr
Roh's advisers of anti-Americanism. Ban Ki-moon, his replacement,
repaired only some of the damage by promising there would be no
change in Seoul's attitude towards the US.
There was even a confused reaction to the deal on closing the US
garrison in Seoul. After years of vociferous complaints about the
American soldiers in their midst, some South Koreans are having
second thoughts, just as Filipinos did when the US closed its
military bases in the Philippines in the 1990s.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, continues to threaten the world and demand
foreign aid in exchange for an unverifiable promise to freeze its
unverified weapons. Worse, it has deliberately covered its tracks
by hiding fuel rods that could be reprocessed to make
weapons-grade plutonium. These were previously kept under
international inspection at the Yongbyon plant. US experts who
visited Yongbyon this month on a private trip are due to brief
the US Senate today but have already said the pond where the rods
were once kept is empty. The status of a separate uranium
enrichment project - its existence condemned by the US and denied
by North Korea - is a mystery.
It is thus difficult to be optimistic, even if Beijing is still
trying as hard as it claims to convene the next round of talks
involving North and South Korea, the US, China, Japan and Russia.
Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, is probably delighted to
see confusion in Seoul and divisions among those who want him to
abandon nuclear weapons. This makes it all the more vital that
North Korea be given no chance to exploit these splits as it has
in the past. Nor should it be given indefinite time to develop
new weapons while its people go hungry in the harsh Korean
winter.
Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2004. "FT" and
"Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. Privacy
*****************************************************************
6 Asia Pacific News: North Koreans want talks with South to form anti-US alliance
Channelnewsasia.com
Posted: 20 January 2004 1154 hrs
SEOUL: North Korea has called for talks with South Korea to plan
for reunification and pool resources for a joint struggle against
the United States.
Top officials from the Communist Party and the government set the
agenda for "energetically pushing forward the movement for
national reunification this year" at a meeting in Pyongyang on
Monday, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said.
Preparatory meetings were proposed for Pyongyang, Seoul, Mount
Kumgang, a South Korea-operated tourist resort in North Korea,
and other locations between officials from North and South Korea
"to pave a wide avenue for independent reunification through
national cooperation," KCNA said.
"All the Koreans in the north and the south should turn out in a
sacred struggle to foil the US moves to provoke nuclear war by
the concerted efforts of the nation," KCNA said.
South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with
North Korea, said the meeting of top Pyongyang party and
government officials was an annual event usually held in February
or March.
"North Korea has talked up reunification for quite a while. It is
nothing new. We tend to think they are emphasizing national
cooperation because of the international situation," said a
ministry official.
The Korean peninsula was split into communist north and
capitalist south after World War II, a division cemented when
Chinese-backed North Korea forces and South Korea and its US
allies clashed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The 15-month nuclear crisis has clouded reconciliation efforts
promoted by former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung.
He travelled to Pyongyang in June 2000 for a historic summit with
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, signing a joint declaration
calling for stepped-up economic and humanitarian exchanges to
promote reunification.
The effort has produced a series of agreements on relinking roads
and railways severed since the Korean War and building a South
Korea-funded industrial zone in Kaesong, just north of the
heavily fortified inter-Korean border.
Kim's successor, Roh Moo-Hyun, elected two months after US
officials said North Korea had admitted to running a clandestine
uranium enrichment programme, triggering the nuclear crisis, is
also an ardent advocate of reconciliation.
"But the policy is no longer the same," said a Foreign Ministry
official. "South Korea's is not willing to engage in new
cooperation projects until the nuclear crisis is resolved."
The North Korean appeal for unity with the South is seen here as
Pyongyang's latest move in its longstanding strategy of driving a
wedge between Seoul and Washington.
"They would like South Korea to cooperate in an anti-US stand,"
said the Unification Ministry official.
The US hardline on North Korea and the presence of 37,000 US
troops in South Korea has stirred anti-US sentiment in South
Korea, a phenomenon Pyongyang is keen to exploit.
"All Koreans should turn out in an anti-US patriotic struggle to
achieve national cooperation and protect the well-being and peace
of the nation from the US moves to estrange Koreans from each
other," KCNA said.
- AFP
Copyright 2004 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
7 KoreaTimes: Japan, France Vying for Koreas Nuclear Project
Hankooki.com > Korea Times > Biz/Finance
By Cho Jin-seo Staff Reporter
France and Japan recently have sent high-ranking officials to
South Korea, since it will play the key role in the selection of
the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) site
which will begin construction in 2005 with an estimated cost of
$10 billion.
France's Cadarache region and Japan's Rokkashomura region are
two candidates for the experimental site, which will begin
operation in 2014. The six-member countries of ITER will select
the site in a meeting late this month and Korea is expected to be
the key player in the vote.
French Minister for Research and New Technologies Claudie
Haignere met with South Korean Minister of Science and Technology
Oh Myung here Monday to ask for Korea's support for its Cadarache
region in the selection of the ITER site. Haignere promised
privileges in fusion energy businesses and supports for Korea's
own fusion energy research project, Kstar, on the condition of
Korea voting for EU. Haignere also met Kwon O-kyu, the
presidential secretary for policy planning, to deliver French
President Jacques Chirac's letter to president Rho Moo-hyun.
Japan deployed Science and Technology Minister Takeo Kawamura to
Korea on Jan. 14, to attract Korea's vote to its Rokkasho-mura
region in the competition with EU.
ITER, a joint project of EU, Japan, China, Russia, U.S., and
South Korea, is the largest international collaborative
scientific and technological project second to Space Station
project. EU, Russia and China are allegedly standing by EU, while
U.S. is firmly supporting Japan for the ITER site.
Korea, which will pay for 10 percent, or $1 billion, of the total
cost of the project, was allegedly favorable to Japan in a ITER
meeting last December but didn't express its official stand so
far.
Fusion is a relatively safe, clean and sustainable energy source
and considered the next-generation energy of the planet.
indizio@koreatimes.co.kr 01-20-2004 16:08
*****************************************************************
8 KoreaTimes: Despite Disturbances, North Still Finding Ways to Survive
Hankooki.com > Korea Times > Special
By Andrew Carroll News Editor
When it comes to dealing with North Korea, little is certain or
easy to predict and that definitely is the case when it comes to
the effects of the nuclear crisis on the economy.
Early expectations were that North Korea's economy, as weak as
it already was, would be hard hit as an isolated country became
further isolated due to the displeasure it created with its
nuclear weapons program. However, the few numbers coming out of
the secretive North don't add up to collapse. ``I would have
thought that the nuclear drama would have had a direct, immediate
negative impact on the North Korean economy because the North
Korean economy is so distorted and aid dependent,'' said Nick
Eberstadt, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a
North Korea watcher for over 20 years. ``In a sense its a sign
of self-defined success that North Korea can use military
extortion in the way that it does to attract foreign aid.''
Still the North Korean economy is anemic at best and there seems
little hope on the horizon for improvement.
Aid continues to trickle in but has been drastically cut and
most sources of investment, with the exception of South Korea,
have dried up or been scared away. Adding to the North's woes is
the U.S.-led proliferation security initiative which has cut off
many of North Koreas channels for bringing in external revenue
such as missiles and drug running.
``All of that taken into consideration one would have imagined
that an economy so close to the bone would be seeing a pinch now.
But the information on the ground is somewhat contradictory,''
Eberstadt explained.
For a country so dependent on aid the sharp reduction of support
from countries such as the U.S., China and Japan, should have
sent the economy into a tailspin. Initially that seemed to be the
case but recent data show signs of stabilization.
One example Eberstadt provides is that the freefall in the value
of the North Korean won starting in July 2002, before the crisis,
has abated. In the year that followed, the wons black market
rate increased up to seven-fold, a rate approaching
hyperinflation.
``But since spring of this year and the end of the year the
wons black market value seems to have gone from 700 to 1,000
per dollar,'' Eberstadt said. ``Its still a 50-percent increase
in less than a year. Thats not so stable but its an awful lot
less than hyperinflation.''
However, the damage done to investment prospects, practically
killed by the showdown with the United States, couldn't have come
at a worse time. Just as the North Korean regime was opening up
with several projects such as the special economic zones, the
opening for growth was slammed shut by the increasing tensions.
Marcus Noland, senior fellow at the Institute of International
Economics, says that the nuclear crisis exerts a drag on the
North Korean economy in two ways.
The first, he explains, is that as North Korea is a very
politicized society, North Koreans tend to regard all other
societies as being the same. So when they look at American firms
they tend to regard them as tools of the U.S. government just as
North Korean companies are instrumentalities of the Kim Jong-il
regime. As the diplomatic environment deteriorates, so does the
business environment.
Like it or not the United States is the world's No. 1 economic
power so as long as the confrontation goes on, the single biggest
source of investment is out of reach for North Korea.
Second, fears of increased tensions and the specter of sanctions
or an embargo will prevent any company looking at exporting from
doing business in the North. The only exception has been South
Korean firms such as Hyundai Asan that have other interests in
mind, including inter-Korean relations.
``So the diplomatic tensions between North Korea and the rest of
the world do reduce the attractiveness of North Korea as a
location for doing business,'' Noland says. ``Both because of the
North Koreans own behavior with respect to foreign and especially
American firms but also just because you get the sense that you
may be investing money and then you'll just find yourself in a
situation where you can't export the products that you were
expecting to.''
carrolland@hotmail.com 01-20-2004 17:21
*****************************************************************
9 KoreaTimes: [Feature] Nuclear Dispute Creates Drag on South Korean Economy
Hankooki.com > Korea Times > Special
By Andrew Carroll News Editor
Whether they like it, the South Korean economy is directly
affected by the events that take place north of the demilitarized
zone.
It has been that way for decades but now with the South's
advanced economy ranked among the world's biggest there is more
to lose than ever before. As a result, the North's nuclear
weapons program is a high stakes gamble that could determine the
welfare of the region for years to come.
But this is not simply a matter of what could happen if the
six-way talks fail. The effects are real and they are already
taking place.
``(The nuclear dispute) clearly has had a very negative
effect,'' explains Nick Eberstadt, senior fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute ``And its in exactly the sort of
intangible ways that one might expect because it has affected
domestic and international business confidence in (South Korea).
And that has had an impact in foreign direct investment and to
some degree also upon trade.''
Foreign direst investment (FDI) and trade are two of the main
pillars of the economy so when these are affected the whole
economy feels it.
The past year has been a difficult one economically worldwide so
it is difficult to quantify exactly what the damage has been from
North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship. Still, the South's economy,
reeling from mass defaults in the home loan and credit card
sectors, while at the same time slipping in competitiveness
compared to rising Asian countries like China, could do without
another cause for concern.
However, according to Marcus Noland, senior fellow at the
Institute of International Economics, foreign companies looking
to set up shop in South Korea are not being scared off by fears
over security. Unfortunately, he points out, there are other
concerns that are proving more worrisome.
``My impression talking to a lot of these investors is that
(security) is not their number one consideration,'' Noland says.
``Their number one consideration is labor market problems. But
concerns about the North make it into the top five. It's
something that's in people's minds but I don't think it has a
major impact at this point.''
The current situation is not unprecedented but Noland says that,
despite the similarities, people shouldn't draw any comforting
parallels to the 1994 nuclear crisis because there have been some
major reforms to the economy.
First of all, the institutional mechanisms for moving money out
of the country exist now that didn't exist back then. Foreigners
also have become a major force in the financial markets while the
use of financial derivatives has grown significantly over the
past few years as well.
``So when you put those together the market is less amenable to
manipulation by the government,'' he says. ``If the government
wants to calm things down because people are getting nervous
politically it is much more difficult to do it than it was in
1994.''
This means that the market is open and subject to outside
influences and fluctuations. While that is the standard for
matured economies it also means matters are basically out of the
government's hands if the showdown between the United States and
North Korea heats up.
However, Noland doesn't expect there to be serious repercussions
due to investor jitters.
``My impression is that South Koreans have lived for so long
with the tensions surrounding the division of the peninsula that
they are relatively immune from this,'' he said. ``There is some
evidence that when the tensions get worse South Koreans tend to
move their money out of the stock market and into safer
investments.
``And the situation exists now, unlike in 1994, in which if the
situation got bad, South Koreans can move their money out of the
country. But to my knowledge there has been no evidence of
capital flight there is just kind of a flight to quality.''
There have been other costs as well since, as Noland points out,
the tensions on the peninsula have affected the way others look
at the prospects for business in Korea. Ratings agencies Moodys
and Standard &Poors came out last month and said they were
maintaining their negative outlook on South Koreas sovereign
ratings as long as the nuclear crisis continues.
``There is concern that North Korea could collapse presumably
due to some sort of crisis or perhaps an embargo and that the
cost of reunification would be very high, he said. ``And
that, for example, was cited by Standard &Poors as one of the
factors pushing down South Koreas sovereign bond ratings.
``So in that sense the situation in North Korea has a direct
implication for South Korean taxpayers because it means the
interest rates they have to pay on government bonds and other
instrumentalities of the South Korean government are higher than
they would be otherwise.
carrolland@hotmail.com 01-20-2004 17:22
*****************************************************************
10 Bill Berkowitz: WMD: Goodbye to all that
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 01:01:28 -0600 (CST)
Bill Berkowitz thought you would be interested in this article
posted on WorkingForChange.com - the independent journal of news
and opinion published by Working Assets
Bill Berkowitz wrote: Has the US given up on finding weapons of
mass destruction, and does it matter that they weren't found?
WMD: Goodbye to all that Has the US given up on finding weapons of
mass destruction, and does it matter that they weren't found?
By Bill Berkowitz
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=16291
For more political news, commentary and cartoons visit
http://www.workingforchange.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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11 AFP: US agrees to let UN nuclear watchdog lead disarmament in Libya
VIENNA (AFP) Jan 19, 2004
The United States and Britain agreed on Monday to let the UN
nuclear watchdog oversee Libya's atomic disarmament, but for US
and British experts to carry out the removal and destruction of
equipment, the watchdog's chief said.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), was speaking after meeting in Vienna with US Under
Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
John Bolton and British envoy William Ehrman to resolve a dispute
over the two sides' roles in Libya.
Under the deal, the United States and Britain would provide
logistical support to the inspection missions carried out by the
IAEA, ElBaradei said.
"I think we have agreement on what needs to be done. Clearly the
agency role is very clear that we need to do the verification,"
ElBaradei commented.
Non-proliferation expert Gary Samore told AFP the idea was "to
work out some accommodation, so that both sides can say they
carried out their missions."
The meeting came amid a turf battle over who should take the
leading role in verifying that Libya is making good on its
promise to give up nuclear, biological and chemical weapons
programs.
IAEA, US and British weapons inspectors have all been to Libya
since Tripoli announced the shift in mid-December following
months of secret negotiations between Tripoli, London and
Washington.
The US administration of George W. Bush had accused the IAEA,
which is mandated to monitor adherence to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of rushing into Libya.
But ElBaradei said that "obviously we do the verification, to
make sure that we have seen everything in Libya" and that all
weapons programs have been declared.
Then the IAEA will need help with moving weapons of mass
destruction equipment out of Libya or destroying it.
"Clearly we will need American and British support with
logistics," ElBaradei said.
"I think we have reached a good agreement on how to proceed," he
said, adding that consultations would continue.
Bolton said: "It was a very productive meeting. I think we are on
the same page with the IAEA."
IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky told AFP last week that the IAEA
was the international community's sole institution mandated to
inspect nuclear programs.
The IAEA, which is monitoring Iran's atomic program and did this
in Iraq as well until the war and US occupation there, is clearly
concerned about maintaining its role.
A Vienna-based diplomat said there were "hurt feelings" at the
IAEA when the United States and Britain surprised the world, and
the agency, with the agreement they won December 19 from Tripoli
to abandon biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programs.
The New York Times in December quoted a senior US official who
called ElBaradei's visit to Libya shortly after the agreement "a
badly advised public relations exercise at a time when the US
Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's MI6 spy agency were
developing strong bonds with Libya's military and intelligence
chiefs."
The United States disagrees with IAEA assessments that Libya was
far from developing nuclear weapons as it thinks Tripoli was
further along in nuclear technology.
Samore, who is from London's International Institute for
Strategic Studies (IISS), said the "IAEA's ability to find
clandestine facilities is very limited unless armed with
intelligence information" from countries like the United States
and Britain.
But ElBaradei said the IAEA was "getting lots of good
information" from these two countries as well as its own
inspection teams.
He said new IAEA teams would be visiting Libya "over the next 10
days."
The United States, which has not had an embassy in Libya since
the 1980s, is considering setting up an office there to give US
inspectors there logistical, technical and secretarial support.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
12 War Wire: Pakistani nuclear official's detention challenged
ISLAMABAD (AFP) Jan 20, 2004
The detention of a senior Pakistani nuclear official taken from
his home Saturday night has been challenged by the man's wife in
a court petition amid allegations nuclear information was leaked
to Iran.
Pakistani High Court Judge Anwar ul Haq confirmed Tuesday he
accepted a petition regarding Major Islam ul-Haq, a senior aide
to the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.
Islam and seven others linked to Pakistan's key uranium
enrichment facility Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) were
picked up from their homes late Saturday for "debriefing
sessions" in the wake of reports from an international nuclear
watchdog.
"We have sought the high court's intervention to declare the
detention of Major Islam as illegal and unconstitutional," lawyer
Ikram Chaudhry told AFP.
The petition was filed on behalf of Islam's wife Nilofer, he
said.
"We have asked the court that the government be restrained from
handing him over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
or any other foreign agency," Chaudhry said.
The judge has directed the government, including the military's
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to submit a response to the
court on Friday, Chaudhry said.
Pakistan has been barraged over the past year by accusations that
its scientists passed nuclear knowledge to Iran, North Korea and
Libya -- allegations the government has firmly rejected.
But Information Minister Sheikh Rashid confirmed Tuesday the
government had received a letter from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), though the contents "cannot be disclosed,"
he told AFP.
He said the debriefing of eight officials associated with KRL --
four scientists, one technician and three retired army officers
-- was ongoing.
Foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan said Monday that the
investigations were initiated after Pakistan received "some
information shared by the government of Iran ... and some
information shared by the IAEA."
He said also said the investigations were continuing "but no
conclusion has so far been drawn" whether a transfer of
technology occurred.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, there's no presumption of guilt."
Islam is the principal staff officer of doctor Abdul Qadeer Khan,
who in 1970s established KRL near Islamabad and headed it until
retiring in 2002.
Two other KRL directors, Yasin Chohan and Farooq Mohammad, were
also taken from their homes in December for questioning. Chohan
has since returned home but Farooq is still being held.
Khan, who in December said that some individual scientists may
have passed on nuclear secrets for "personal greed", stressed
Monday that "no government institution or entity was ever
involved in any such alleged transaction."
He ruled out the possibility of handing over the KRL officials
over to any foreign agency and said that no foreign agency was
involved in the investigations.
Pakistan went public as a nuclear power in May 1998 when it
conducted underground nuclear tests in response to similar tests
by rival India.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
13 War Wire: US, British weapons experts already in Libya: report
WASHINGTON (AFP) Jan 20, 2004
US and British weapons experts are already in Libya planning for
the destruction of materials and technology related to weapons of
mass destruction, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Headed by Donald Mahley, the US State Department's special
negotiator for chemical and biological arms control issues, the
US-British team of about a dozen experts was in Tripoli planning
how to destroy tons of mustard gas and how to evacuate any higly
enriched uranium from Libya, a senior US official told the daily.
The illicit materials, the senior official said, would likely be
shipped to a secure facility in Britain or the United States.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), met Monday in Vienna with US Under Secretary of State for
Arms Control and International Security John Bolton and British
envoy William Ehrman to discuss aspects of Libya's voluntary
atomic disarmament.
The three officials agreed to let the UN nuclear watchdog oversee
Libya's atomic disarmament, but for US and British experts to
carry out the removal and destruction of equipment, the IAEA
chief said.
The officials spoke to reporters after the meeting in the
Austrian capital, but did not mention the arrival in Tripoli of
the joint US-British team.
IAEA, US and British weapons inspectors have all been to Libya
since Tripoli announced the shift in mid-December following
months of secret negotiations between Tripoli, London and
Washington.
A Western official told The New York Times that US officials were
considering opening an office in Tripoli to facilitate the work
of weapons experts and to serve as a channel for direct
diplomatic contact between Libyan and US officials.
The senior US official also said Libya would probably extend the
deadline for the remainder of the compensation payments it agreed
to make to the families of the victims of the 1988 Lockerbie
tragedy.
Libya was under international sanctions for years over the
December 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 a US airliner over the
Scottish town of Lockerbie that killed 270 people.
The United Nations lifted its embargo in September after Tripoli
agreed to pay 2.7 billion dollars in compensation and accept
responsibility for the bombing. That followed the conviction of a
former Libyan intelligence agent for the bombing.
US sanctions remain in place however.
Libya so far has paid four million dollars to each family of the
Lockerbie victims. But under the terms of the agreement, it may
forgo outstanding compensation payments of six million dollars if
US sanctions are not lifted by May 12.
Libya recently reminded Washington that the
four-million-dollar-per-family payments would not be made if the
US Congress did not act to lift US sanctions on Libya by May.
The State Department responded earlier this month by saying that
US sanctions on Libya would not be lifted until Tripoli met the
disarmament requirements for their removal and not before.
The senior official told The New York Times that if it appeared
by May that both the disarmament tasks and action by the US
Congress appeared to occur, Libya would probably extend the
period of payment.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
14 BBC: India, Russia sign defence deal
Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 January, 2004
[Russian MiG-29 combat jet]
Russia is India's largest supplier of military hardware
_India has signed a $1.6bn deal to buy a refurbished aircraft
carrier and 12 warplanes from Russia. _
The agreement was signed in the Indian capital, Delhi, and
witnessed by Defence Minister George Fernandes and his Russian
counterpart, Sergei Ivanov.
Russia says it will deliver the carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, by
2008.
Russia is India's largest supplier of military hardware and
military co-operation forms a key part of relations between the
two countries.
Tuesday's signing ceremony is the high point of a three day visit
by Mr Ivanov to India.
Mr Ivanov was unwilling to into details of Tuesday's deal when he
spoke to journalists in Delhi.
"Military and technical co-operation is a highly sensitive area
and so I am not making any more comment on that," he said.
He did, however, describe the agreement as a "landmark deal".
Mr Fernandes described the signing as a "historic occasion".
_'Fine deal'_
The Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier is a 29-year-old ship which
the Russians took out of service in 1994.
The deal has been criticised over the years by some in India who
feel too much is being spent for a relatively old ship.
But last December India's navy chief, Admiral Madhvendra Singh,
defended the purchase, saying it would be a "fine deal".
Russia is now committed to giving the Gorshkov a total overhaul.
The 12 warplanes included in the deal are MiG-29 fighter jets.
Mr Ivanov said the deal included other "components", although he
did not specify what they are.
Some reports say they include helicopters, missiles and
electronics systems, the AFP news agency reports.
Last May, the two countries' navies held war exercises in the
Arabian Sea, with the aim of consolidating defence relations
between the two countries in addition to strengthening Russian
presence in the area.
Mr Ivanov's visit to India also includes talks on combating
terrorism and nuclear issues.
*****************************************************************
15 Economic Times: Govt seals Rs 7,000-cr Gorshkov deal
Indiatimes>The Economic Times >Politics/Nation
>Article
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2004 05:45:08 PM ]
NEW DELHI: India and Russia have delinked the proposal to lease
two Akula-class nuclear submarines from the sale of the aircraft
carrier Admiral Gorshkov, for which a mega deal worth Rs 7,000
crore was signed today by defence minister George Fernandes and
his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov.
The delinking comes somewhat as a surprise as it had been widely
believed that the talks were over a comprehensive package that
included the offer to acquire two nuclear subs on medium-term
lease of 10 years. However, while announcing the acquisition of
the Soviet-era 45,000 tonnage aircraft carrier, to be refurbished
and sent to India by ‘08 along with its complement of 28 MiG
29-K fighters, Mr Fernandes and Mr Ivanov today denied that
negotiations covered the leasing of nuclear submarines. Mr Ivanov
though indicated that negotiations for lease of four TU-22
bombers, which also double as long range reconnaissance aircraft,
were on.
Reports said the two subs were the Nerpa, a Shchuka B-class
nuclear-powered attack submarine, and the Kuguar, still under
construction at the Sevmash facility in the far North. In
deference to the Missile Technology Control Regime, though, the
proposal had envisaged replacing the submarines’ 3,000-km-range
cruise missiles with 300-km-range missiles.
The acquisition of the submarines will change strategic balance
in the sub-continent and help India counter Chinese influence in
the Indian Ocean. It would also cater to India’s search for a
“second strike” nuclear capability.
India had first leased a Soviet nuclear-powered attack submarine
in 1988, when it acquired the Charlie class INS Chakra for three
years. India, though, has been working since 1985 to develop an
indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, based on Soviet design.
Copyright 2004 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
16 Washington Times: 'Hero' suspected in nuke transfer
January 20, 2004
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Abdul Qadeer Khan, the man revered as a
national hero as the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, might have
been involved in the transfer of nuclear-weapons technology to
Iran, Pakistani authorities say.
Yesterday, officials in Islamabad confirmed that they had
detained some of Mr. Khan's senior aides for questioning.
"So far, our investigations indicate that only one man is behind
this alleged transfer. It is wrong to blame an entire nation for
the mistakes of an individual," a senior Pakistani official told
United Press International after the detentions.
Without naming Mr. Khan, the official said, "We gave him the
status of a national hero when he did something for the country,
but now if he makes a mistake, he will have to pay for his
mistake as well."
Mr. Khan and some of his associates already have been questioned
about suspected involvement in selling bomb-making know-how to
Iran.
Pakistan denies detaining its nuclear scientists for questioning,
but says several have been "debriefed."
Masud Khan, a spokesman for the Pakistan Foreign Office, who is
not related to the scientist, said it was wrong to "presume" that
those being debriefed were guilty.
"Some of them could also be cleared," he said.
The investigations, he said, were being conducted under Pakistani
laws and "those who have not violated these should have no fears
whatsoever."
Pakistan has been investigating the export of nuclear technology
and equipment to Iran since early last month, when U.S. news
organizations first reported the proliferation.
Quoting officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency, the
U.N. nuclear watchdog, several U.S. newspapers reported that Iran
clandestinely had received centrifuges and other nuclear know-how
from its Islamic neighbor Pakistan.
Tehran has acknowledged having centrifuge designs similar to
those used in Pakistan but denied receiving them from Islamabad.
Pakistan denied the government in Islamabad might have been
involved in the transfer, but said some scientists might have
handed over nuclear equipment to Iran "out of personal ambition
or greed."
Those detained yesterday included Islam-ul Haq, a retired major
of the Pakistan army who has been Mr. Khan's senior aide since at
least May 1998 when Pakistan exploded nuclear devices after
similar tests by arch rival India.
*****************************************************************
17 UK Independent: Court studies Blair 'war crimes' claim
By Robert Verkaik, Legal Affairs Correspondent
21 January 2004
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are considering a
request by an international body of lawyers to try the Prime
Minister for alleged war crimes during the invasion of Iraq.
A report alleging illegal deployment of cluster bombs and weapons
using depleted uranium was handed to Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the
court's chief prosecutor in The Hague, yesterday. He will decide
whether to begin a formal investigation which could include
questioning of Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, and Geoff
Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence.
If he concludes that a prosecution has a "reasonable prospect of
success", the case will go before the pre-trial chamber of the
court, which has the power to try individuals and governments for
war crimes. No case has been made against the US administration
because America has not signed the treaty that established the
court.
The report was written by eight international lawyers after a
"war crimes inquiry" in London last November heard evidence from
eye-witnesses and expert witnesses and leading counsel.
The panel concluded there was enough evidence for the prosecutor
to investigate members of the Government for alleged crimes
against humanity and war crimes during the conflict and
occupation.
They said that he should investigate the use of cluster bombs in
urban areas, and whether attacks had been launched on
non-military targets.They also want the prosecutor to look into
attacks on media targets and whether weapons were used which
caused excessive loss of life or injury to civilians.
** Some of the families of British terrorist suspects held at
Guantanamo Bay are being helped by a new human rights body to
seek justice for their loved ones. The Guantanamo Human Rights
Commission was launched by the actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave
yesterday to unite the families and lawyers of prisoners from
across Europe.*
2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
*****************************************************************
18 Daily Times: Pakistan will not extradite nuclear scientists: Rashid
January 21, 2004_
RAWALPINDI: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said the
government attaches top priority to its nuclear programme and
vowed not to hand over nuclear scientists to any country. He
clarified that Pakistan would not compromise on its nuclear
programme and it was in safe hands.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters on Tuesday that the scientists
were being questioned in Pakistans interest. He said that 80
percent of debriefing of Dr Qadeer Khan and other scientists was
completed. Some scientists have been released and some are under
investigation. They will be freed if found innocent, the
information minister said.
He said the government was satisfied that Pakistans nuclear
programme would not plunge into crisis.
He clarified that neither an Israeli minister was coming to
Pakistan nor a conference was being held in Pakistan.
The minister refused to reveal the names of detained Al Qaeda
members in Karachi. NNI _Home_ | _National_
Daily Times - All Rights Reserved Site developed and hosted by
WorldCALL Internet Solutions
*****************************************************************
19 Hi Pakistan: N-tech transfer proof not found: FO
January 21 2004
_ISLAMABAD,_ Jan 19: Pakistan said on Monday that nuclear
scientists taken into custody were being interrogated to find out
if any transfer of nuclear technology from the country had
actually taken place. Answering a volley of questions at his
weekly press briefing , Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said
five or six more people had been picked up for "debriefing"
during the last two days "but no conclusion has so far been
drawn" whether a transfer of technology occurred.
Confirming the latest arrests, he however declared that "no
Pakistani institute or entity was ever involved in the transfer
of any nuclear technology from Pakistan."
Mr Khan said the people picked up by security agencies were being
questioned following a request received from the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for cooperation to
ascertain reports that some individuals from Pakistan were
involved in the proliferation of nuclear technology or know-how.
He told reporters that the Western countries "have expressed
confidence" in Pakistan's command and control system of its
nuclear weapons but the "only thing that stands out is the
information shared (with us) by the IAEA" about some individuals.
It was on the basis of the IAEA request that Pakistan had also
asked a few questions from Dr A.Q.Khan, he said. He rejected
outright assertions that CIA or FBI also took part in the
scientists' "debriefing", saying it was a routine in-house
exercise.
He also denied that some of the people interrogated might be
handed over to the United States for further investigation.
Justifying the hunt for suspects in the country's principal
nuclear arms project, he asserted: "We must respect all rules and
regulations flowing from the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
and work together to eliminate the black market in nuclear
technology."
KASHMIR ISSUE: He also reiterated Pakistan's position that there
will be no change in its consistent stand on the Kashmir dispute,
and that no compromise will be made "on the rights of the
Kashmiri people."
"We will continue to push for respect for the wishes of the
people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said. However, "unless we
proceed with the dialogue as agreed between India and Pakistan
earlier this month, we will not be able to make any headway," the
FO spokesman said.
He added: "The situation in Kashmir (including human rights
violations) remains a matter of concern, and we hope that with
the commencement of a dialogue process, we will discuss all
issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."
He cautioned against drawing hasty conclusions from reported
comments here or abroad on the outstanding issue. He described
Pakistani leadership's engagement with the Indian prime minister
as "a historic moment."
India and Pakistan need to discuss all issues and address them in
totality, "otherwise we will have no solution to the Kashmir
problem," he remarked.
The Kashmiri leaders and the general public of Jammu and Kashmir
remain assured that the Pakistan government's policy was
consistent and unaltered, he observed.
"We have conveyed all our concerns on Jammu and Kashmir to India
and we hope that all related issues will be discussed when we
have a composite dialogue," Mr Khan said.
The FO spokesman also announced that the Pakistan government had
offered to India to host "technical level talks" on the proposed
Khokhrapar-Munabao bus service on March 8 and 9, and a similar
service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar on March 29 and 30,
without prejudice to Pakistan's stand that the LoC was not a
permanent border.
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. No part
*****************************************************************
20 Hi Pakistan: N-assets will be protected, Senate told
January 21 2004
_ISLAMABAD,_ Jan 19: The government assured the Senate on Monday
that no harm would be allowed to come to Pakistan's nuclear
assets from the current interrogation of scientists and other
officials connected with its nuclear programme that it said was
being done to allay international concerns.
The assurance by Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh
Rashid Ahmed came after several opposition members of the upper
house voiced concern over reports that intelligence agencies had
picked up five more senior officials of the Khan Research
Laboratories (KRL) on Saturday night for what the government
calls "debriefing".
"It is correct eight persons are being interrogated," the
minister confirmed, rejecting an estimate of 20 given by Senator
Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, and explained
that it was being done to meet concerns expressed by the UN
nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Four of them are scientists, one technician and three retired
army officers, he said, without specifying who was picked up when
in a saga of interrogations that began in November last year.
REPLY TO IAEA: "A reply to IAEA's notice is being prepared," the
minister said, referring to concerns the agency has expressed
about possible transfer of nuclear technology, particularly after
its recent probe of Iran's nuclear programme.
He said the Pakistan government wanted to assure the world that
it was opposed to nuclear proliferation and would in "no way"
compromise its nuclear programme or let any harm come to its
scientists.
"But if some people - one or two - were found to have acted out
of greed, we will take a decision (about them)," the minister
said, echoing similar remarks made in recent weeks by a
government spokesmen about the interrogations centred on
personnel of the KRL, formerly headed by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Mr Ahmed denied news reports that the intelligence agencies had
also raided Dr Khan's residence in Islamabad in the latest
round-up, and said the government accorded respect to the
scientist who was still a special adviser to the prime minister
on strategic programmes.
The matter was first raised by Prof Ghafoor Ahmed through a point
of order at the start of the proceedings in the evening of what
was a private members' day, and was picked up by several other
opposition members, including MMA's Prof Khurshid Ahmed and PPP
parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani, who called for a debate in the
house, even if it were in-camera, to discuss the IAEA letter to
the government about the matter.
DEMAND FOR DEBATE: But there was no indication if the government
would prefer or avoid such a debate, though leader of house Wasim
Sajjad said it was not mandatory to present the IAEA letter in
the house.
The information minister said feelings of the treasury benches
were the same as those of opposition benches. "We ourselves are
preparing our case to defend our sensitive institutions from an
evil eye."
Mr Ahmed maintained that Pakistan's move was aimed at silencing
critics and safeguarding the country from what he called "some
foes in the guise of friends" who did not want to see the country
as a nuclear power. Despite a brief keen discussion on the
nuclear question, Monday was an unusually smooth day in the
history of the present Senate.
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. No part
*****************************************************************
21 Asia Times: Arming Asia: Russia's $5 billion forte_
By Sergei Blagov
MOSCOW - As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov visits India
from January 19-21 to finalize the US$1.5 billion sale of the
Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, Russia's arms exporters are
feeling increasingly confident in the Asian market for armaments
- and with good reason.
In 2003, Russia recorded a highly successful year of arms trade,
with the bulk of armament shipments going to Asia. Last year,
Russia's arms exports exceeded an unprecedented $5 billion, as
compared with $4.8 billion in 2002.
India relies heavily on Russia for its arms, with Moscow enjoying
the rewards of being New Delhi's largest supplier. During the
Cold War, the former Soviet Union and India maintained close
ties. New Delhi has bought some $33 billion worth of weapons from
Moscow since the 1960s and Russian weapons account for nearly
three quarters of India's arsenal. For instance, the former
Soviet Union and then Russia have built a total of 67 naval
vessels for India.
The deal for the Admiral Gorshkov has been discussed for nearly a
decade. The 45,570 ton vessel was built in 1978 and was known as
Baku until the Soviet collapse in 1991. The modernization of the
carrier will cost India around $700 million, and the remainder of
the billion dollar deal will include up to 30 MiG-29K fighters
and six Kamov-31 anti-submarine helicopters.
The carrier is due to be supplied to India in 2008, Ivanov was
quoted as saying by the Russian Information Agency. The deal
comes as a good start of 2004, Ivanov said. However, Ivanov
dismissed rumors that Russia was mulling sales of nuclear
submarines to India and pledged to stick with non-proliferation
commitments when exporting arms to India.
Moscow has been proactive to catering to the demands of the
Indian navy. In June 2003, Russia delivered to India a Krivak-III
class stealth frigate, the INS Talwar (Sword). The two other
frigates, INS Tabar and INS Trishul (Trident), were built by
Russia as part of the $1 billion deal. The three frigates are
designed for anti-submarine warfare and air defense of warship
groups. They are equipped with a number of weapons systems,
including eight vertical launch cells for the Klub-N anti-ship
and anti-submarine cruise missiles as well as the Shtil
surface-to-air missile system. The frigates are also designed to
carry one heavy-duty helicopter, like the Kamov-28 anti-submarine
warfare chopper.
India had signed the deal for the purchase of the three 4,000-ton
frigates in November 1997, yet the deal has been marred by
controversy. In late 2002, the Russians reportedly said that the
frigate was ready for delivery. More than 400 personnel were sent
to Russia for training on the two ships. On arrival, the Indians
reportedly discovered that the frigate's surface-to-air missile
system was not performing, and the INS Trishul crew was recalled.
Indian naval officials reportedly did not want to accept
warships, which they viewed as not combat-ready.
Despite some controversies, India and Russia have agreed to
extend to 2010 a long-term program of military-technical
cooperation signed in 1994 which was initially limited to the
year 2000. India imported Russian arms worth $3.5 billion between
1990 and 1996.
Russia and India have also agreed to cooperate in the building of
a new fighter aircraft and joint production of the Brahmos cruise
missile, which is expected to be deployed in 2004. The Brahmos
would be based on the Russian Yakhont anti-ship missile, it has a
range of 300 kilometers and flies at twice the speed of sound.
Another deal signed by New Delhi - this one in 1996 - was the
$1.8 billion purchase of up to 50 Sukhoi jets. The first aircraft
were delivered in 1997 and the entire lot is expected to be in
service by 2005. Meanwhile, a deal signed in 2000 is estimated to
be worth $3.3 billion, in which 140 Sukhois would be built under
license in India. India is due to start manufacturing Su-30MKIs
under license at plants in India as soon as this year.
Incidentally, last December India denied media reports it had
refused to accept a batch of Russian Sukhoi combat jets because
of a high rate of engine failure in earlier batches.
Much to the chagrin of India, Moscow simultaneously mulls selling
arms to Pakistan. Following a trip to Pakistan in December 2003,
Sergei Stepashin, head of Russia's Audit Chamber and former prime
minister, announced that Pakistan could import $12 billion worth
of Russian weapons within the next 3-4 years.
Russia's achievements in arms trade with Asia are not limited to
the sub-continent. In terms of arms exports, 2003 was the year of
Asia-Pacific for Russia, argued Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of
Russia's Federal Committee on foreign military-technical
cooperation.
_China in Russia's sights, too_ Notably, Moscow and Beijing have
just clinched a deal under which China would procure $2 billion
worth of Russian military hardware and technologies in 2004. On
December 17, Ivanov and his visiting Chinese counterpart, General
Cao Gangchuan, signed an agreement on defense ties between Moscow
and Beijing in 2004. According to the deal, in 2004 China plans
to bring its $2 billion military purchases in Russia closer to
the ratio of some 30 percent of serially produced weapons and 70
percent of production licenses and defense technologies.
Overall, military ties between China and Russia are a very
important factor in ensuring security for the world, Ivanov has
maintained. In a highlight of the deal's importance for Moscow,
Gangchuan was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At
the meeting, Putin reportedly noted "serious progress in the
military-technical cooperation" between Russia and China.
The December deal between Russia and China is understood to
indicate the increased importance of the arms trade for both
countries. China has been a top buyer of Russian military
hardware, and accounts for nearly half of Russia's arms exports.
For instance, Beijing bought 73 Sukhoi fighter jets in the past
three years alone. Aircraft sales remain a cornerstone of
Russia's arms exports. On the other hand, in 1996, Russia and
China inked a $2.5 billion deal to manufacture 200 Su-27SKs under
license at a plant in Shenyang.
China has also been reported to be considering the purchase of
Tu-22MZ bombers with Granit cruise missiles. However, on December
18 the Russian Defense Ministry dismissed reports about alleged
discussions over sales of Russia's advanced airborne weapons to
China.
Currently China's portfolio of orders to import Russian weapons
is worth $6 billion, said General Yuri Rodionov, Russia's former
defense minister. These contracts are due to be completed by
2010, he stated. Russia has also sold to China S-300PMU
long-range anti-aircraft missile systems, ship-based S-300F Reef
anti-aircraft missile systems, Project 956E Sovremenny (Modern)
class destroyers, Project 877EKM and Project 636 conventional
submarines.
Military-technical cooperation comes as an important factor of
the growing bilateral economic ties, simultaneously indicating
some convergent geopolitical interests, Professor Aleksei
Voskressensky of the Institute of International Relations told
Asia Times Online.
Moscow and Beijing's respective positions have recently converged
on a variety of important international issues. They have warned
against United States unilateralism and said that they saw no
cause for the war against Iraq. Russia and China have also
opposed the planned US national missile defense program.
In the wake of the US-led war on Iraq, there has been increased
demand for Russian arms in Asia, said Alexander Salitsky, a China
expert at the Institute of World Economy and International
Relations, a Moscow-based think tank. On the other hand, China's
massive arms procurements provide stimuli for other Asian nations
to import weapons, he told Asia Times Online.
_Vietnam in the arms queue_ Meanwhile, Moscow still supplies arms
to some of its Cold War Era allies in Asia. For instance, last
August Russia clinched a deal to export to Vietnam two S300 PMU1
air defense batteries (or 12 launchers) for a reported nearly
$300 million. The S300 PMU is an advanced version of the SA-10C
Grumble air defense missile.
Though Vietnam is now fully integrated into the Southeast Asian
community, Hanoi still arms its military with Russian weapons. In
March 2001, Putin visited Hanoi and announced a new strategic
partnership with Vietnam. The Russian leader said that "Vietnam
needs not just to maintain its existing weapons bought from the
Soviet Union and Russia but also needs modern weapons".
Bilateral military ties are set to go ahead because Hanoi seeks
to modernize its half-million strong armed forces, and Vietnam
remains an important customer for Russian arms. In 1995, Hanoi
bought six Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets for $150 million and
in 1997 signed a contract for six more planes and spare parts. In
recent years, the Vietnamese military also bought six missile
boats from the "1241 project" for some $120 million as well as
four radar stations in Russia.
The Russians also suggested the Vietnamese purchase more Sukhois
and consider buying another jetfighter, the MiG-29, as well as
MiG training jets. In December 2003, Moscow and Hanoi reportedly
clinched a $120 million deal involving supply of four Su-30MKKs
to Vietnam.
Looking to build onto its already lucrative customer base,
Russian arms exporters are now actively seeking to develop new
markets in Asia. When Putin traveled to Malaysia August 4-5 for
talks with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, a $900 million
deal to supply 18 Sukhoi fighter jets was signed.
The Su-30MKM combat aircraft, expected to be delivered in
2006-2007, would be modified with "suitable weaponry" to meet
Malaysia's requirements and were hence renamed Su-30MKM (where
the last M stands for Malaysia). Su-30MKM is similar to Su-30MKI,
supplied to India, but the Malaysian version does not have
Israeli-made electronics, reportedly at Kuala Lumpur's request.
Malaysia has long been understood to be considering the
procurement of Sukhoi aircraft, following the purchase of 18
MiG-29 in mid-1990s, when a barter scheme involving supplies of
Malaysian palm oil was used. Russian media outlets have recently
speculated that Malaysia was reviewing the procurement of 78
Russian-made T-90S tanks, BTR-3 and BMP armored vehicles.
Moscow also has directed its eye further south. Indonesian
President Megawati Soekarnoputri traveled to Russia last April,
clinching a deal with Russia's state-owned monopoly
Rosoboronexport for four Russian Sukhoi fighter planes, two
Sukhoi-27s and two Sukhoi-30s, worth about $200 million in total.
Following the purchase an initial batch of two long-range Su-27s
and two Su-30s for delivery this year, Indonesia reportedly
planned to buy at least another 44 planes over the next four
years with an estimated $1.4 billion price tag for the 48 jets.
In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Indonesia
canceled pre-existing plans to procure Russian-built Sukhoi-30
jet fighters. In 2002, Russia supplied 12 BTR 80-A amphibious
armored vehicles to Indonesian armed forces. Russian also sold
10,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and naval Mil-2 helicopters.
The Kremlin has long been pledging to prioritize and develop its
economic relations with the Asia-Pacific region. However, it
remains to be seen whether official pronouncements are going to
be accompanied by an actual increase in non-military trade.
(Copyright 2004 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
22 AFP: Israel must give up nukes first: Assad
__January 20, 2004_
BEIRUT (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared in an
interview published Monday that Israel must abandon its nuclear
arsenal before Arab states can be asked to give up any alleged
weapons programmes.
"What (the United States) is requesting is not logically
acceptable," Assad told the pan-Arab al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.
"It is not possible to ask Arab and Muslim states, where there
is no proof that they possess such weapons, to allow inspections
of their installations but ignore the Israeli arsenal of weapons
of mass destruction," he said in response to a question about US
accusations that Syria possesses such arms.
"If they (the Americans) were really serious, let the entire
region be free" of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), he said.
The United States has urged Syria to follow the example of Libya
which last month pledged to renounce its quest for chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons, threatening Damascus with
political and economic sanctions.
But Assad said: "We have been calling from the start for the
removal of all weapons of mass destruction from the region. We
presented this in an initiative eight months ago.
"Libya has made one step and what is now needed is to achieve
the objective, which is to remove all weapons of mass destruction
from all countries in the region."
_Copyright 2004 Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. All right
*****************************************************************
23 NRC: NRC Issues Review Standard for Extended Power Uprates
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. 04-007 January 20, 2004
An uprate allows a licensee to operate a plant at an increased power level.
Extended power uprates result in increases generally between 10 percent and 20
percent of the licensed power level, and usually require significant
modifications to major plant equipment. The review standard informs potential
applicants and other stakeholders of the information the staff needs to
perform its review.
The review standard is available through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access
and Management System (ADAMS) on the agencys web site, by entering accession
number ML033640024 at this address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. Help in using ADAMS is
available from the Public Document Room staff by calling 1-800-397-4209.
For further information, contact : Anthony McMurtray, Senior Project Manager,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, D.C. 20555. McMurtray may be contacted at (301) 415-4106 or by
e-mail at acm2@nrc.gov.
*Last revised Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
*****************************************************************
24 NRC: NRC to Hold 16th Annual Regulatory Information Conference March 10 - 12 in Washington, D.C.
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. 04-008 January 20, 2004
Information Conference (RIC) from Wednesday, March 10, to Friday, March 12, at
the Capital Hilton Hotel, 16th and K Streets, NW, Washington, DC. The
conference will open at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and at 8:00 a.m. Thursday and
Friday. There is no conference fee and the sessions will be open to the
public.
RIC 2004 will bring together NRC management, its regulated utilities, and
other interested stakeholders to meet and discuss nuclear safety initiatives
and regulatory trends. Panel discussions this year will focus on topics such
as electric grid stability, advanced reactors, safeguards and security,
international regulatory issues and other challenges involved in shaping the
agencys policies and programs.
A preliminary conference agenda is available on the NRCs Web site at this
address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/conference-symposia/ric/. The
conference will include presentations by the NRCs Chairman, Commissioners,
Executive Director for Operations and other senior managers.
Hotel reservations should be made through the Capital Hilton Hotel at (202)
393-1000 or 1-800-HILTONS. Please mention "NRC Meeting March 10, 11, 12.
Interested parties may register electronically via the RIC Web page or by
contacting Innovative Technology Group, Inc., 850 Sligo Avenue, Suite 300,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; telephone: 301-495-9471 or fax: 301-495-5989.
*Last revised Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
*****************************************************************
25 NRC: News Release - 2004-009 - NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to
Meet February 5 - 7 in Rockville, Maryland
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_NRC NEWS_
_U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION_
Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
www.nrc.gov
No. 04-009 January 20, 2004
_NRC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS
TO MEET FEBRUARY 5 - 7 IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND
_
The Nuclear Regulatory Commissions Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
will hold a meeting from February 5 to 7 in Rockville, Md. The committees
discussions will include, among other items, the Economic Simplified Boiling
Water Reactor (ESBWR) advanced reactor design, and the root-cause
investigation into reactor vessel bottom-mounted penetration leakage at the
South Texas Project nuclear power plant.
The meeting will be held in Room T-2B3 of the agencys Two White Flint North
building, at 11545 Rockville Pike. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day. The
meeting will be open to the public, apart from a portion of the ESBWR
discussion, which could be closed to the public to discuss proprietary
information.
A complete agenda will be available on the NRCs Web site at this address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/agenda/2004/. For
additional information, please contact Dr. Sher Bahadur, at 301-415-7362,
between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer
*Last revised Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
*****************************************************************
26 NRC: Wisconsin Public Service Corporation and Wisconsin Power and
FR Doc 04-1105
[Federal Register: January 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 12)]
[Notices]
[Page 2734-2735]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ja04-60]
Light Company, Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant; Notice of Consideration of
Approval of Transfer of Facility Operating License and Conforming
Amendment and Opportunity for a Hearing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering the issuance of an order under 10 CFR 50.80 approving the
transfer of Facility Operating License No. DPR-43 for the Kewaunee
Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) currently owned by Wisconsin Public Service
Corporation (WPSC) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), who
hold 59 percent and 41 percent ownership respectively, and Nuclear
Management Company, LLC (NMC) as the licensed operator of KNPP. The
transfer would be to Dominion Energy Kewaunee. The Commission is also
considering amending the license for administrative purposes to reflect
the proposed transfer.
According to an application for approval filed by WPSC, WPL, and
NMC, Dominion Energy Kewaunee would assume title to the facility
following approval of the proposed license transfer, and would be
responsible for the operation, maintenance, and eventual
decommissioning of KNPP. No physical changes to the Kewaunee facility
or operational changes are being proposed in the application.
The proposed amendment would replace references to WPSC, WPL, and
NMC in the license with references to Dominion Energy Kewaunee to
reflect the proposed transfer. The proposed amendment would also change
the name of the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant to the Kewaunee Power
Station.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or any right thereunder,
shall be transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of
control of the license, unless the Commission shall give its consent in
writing. The Commission will approve an application for the transfer of
a license, if the Commission determines that the proposed transferee is
qualified to hold the license, and that the transfer is otherwise
consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders
issued by the Commission pursuant thereto.
Before issuance of the proposed conforming license amendment, the
Commission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's regulations.
As provided in 10 CFR 2.1315, unless otherwise determined by the
Commission with regard to a specific application, the Commission has
determined that any amendment to the license of a utilization facility
which does no more than conform the license to reflect the transfer
action involves no significant hazards consideration. No contrary
determination has been made with respect to this specific license
amendment application. In light of the generic determination reflected
in 10 CFR 2.1315, no public comments with respect to significant
hazards considerations are being solicited, notwithstanding the general
comment procedures contained in 10 CFR 50.91.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to
intervene, and written comments with regard to the license transfer
application, are discussed below.
By February 9, 2004, any person whose interest may be affected by
the Commission's action on the application may request a hearing and,
if not the applicant, may petition for leave to intervene in a hearing
proceeding on the Commission's action. Requests for a hearing and
petitions for leave to intervene should be filed in accordance with the
Commission's rules of practice set forth in Subpart M, ``Public
Notification, Availability of Documents and Records, Hearing Requests
and Procedures for Hearings on License Transfer Applications,'' of 10
CFR Part 2. In particular, such requests and petitions must comply with
the requirements set forth in 10 CFR 2.1306, and should address the
considerations contained in 10 CFR 2.1308(a). Untimely requests and
petitions may be denied, as provided in 10 CFR 2.1308(b), unless good
cause for failure to file on time is established. In addition, an
untimely request or petition should address the factors that the
Commission will also consider, in reviewing untimely requests or
petitions, set forth in 10 CFR 2.1308(b)(1)-(2).
Requests for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene should
be served upon Lillian M. Cuoco, Esq., Senior Counsel, Dominion
Resources, Inc. Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT 06385, phone number:
860-444-5316, fax: 860-444-4278, e-mail: ,
Counsel for Dominion Energy Kewaunee; John E. Matthews, Esq., Morgan,
Lewis & Brockius LLP, 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20004, phone: 202-739-3000, fax: 202-739-3001, e-mail:
, Counsel for Dominion Energy and WPL;
Jonathan Rogoff, Esq., General Counsel, Nuclear Management Company,
LLC, 700 First Street, Hudson, WI 54016, phone number: 715-377-3316,
fax: 715-377-3464, e-mail: , Counsel for NMC;
and Allen W. Williams, Jr., Esq., Foley & Lardner, 777 East Wisconsin
Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, phone: 414-297-5805, fax: 414-297-4900, e-
mail: , Counsel for WPSC; the General Counsel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 (e-mail
address for filings regarding license transfer cases only:
); and the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.1313.
The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a
hearing request or intervention petition, designating the issues for
any hearing that will be held and designating the Presiding Officer. A
notice granting a hearing will be published in the Federal Register and
served on the parties to the hearing.
As an alternative to requests for hearing and petitions to
intervene, by February 19, 2004, persons may submit written comments
regarding the license transfer application, as provided for in 10 CFR
2.1305. The Commission will consider and, if appropriate, respond to
these comments, but such comments will not otherwise constitute part of
the decisional record. Comments should be submitted to the Secretary,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001,
Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, and should cite the
publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application dated December 19, 2003, available for public inspection at
the Commission'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
[[Page 2735]]
Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room
on the Internet at the NRC Web site, .
The application dated December 19, 2003, can be accessed
under ADAMS Accession No. ML033570112.
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, 301-415-4737 or by e-
mail to .
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 13th day of January 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John G. Lamb,
Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-1105 Filed 1-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
27 NRC: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.; Notice of Withdrawal of
FR Doc 04-1106
[Federal Register: January 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 12)]
[Notices] [Page 2733-2734] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20ja04-59]
Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License AGENCY:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of withdrawal; correction.
SUMMARY: This document corrects a notice appearing in the Federal
Register on December 17, 2003 (68 FR 70320), that corrects the
licensee name.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Peters, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555- 0001; telephone (301) 415-1842, e-mail:
sep@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On page 70320, in the first column, in
the first complete paragraph, first line, it is corrected to read
from ``Duke Energy Corporation'' to ``Southern Nuclear Operating
Company, Inc.'' Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of
January 2004.
[[Page 2734]] For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sean E. Peters, Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate
II, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-1106 Filed 1-16-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
28 War Wire: Czech nuclear workers demand EU-level pay
PRAGUE (AFP) Jan 20, 2004
Around 200 employees of the Czech Republic's two nuclear power
plants demonstrated Tuesday in front of the southwestern Temelin
plant to press their demand a pay raise.
"In the year of our entry into the European Union, it is not an
exaggerated demand our salaries be increased faster to the level
in the EU," said the head of the CMKOS union, Milan Stech, which
represents many of the plants' workers.
Employees at Temelin and southeastern Dukovany plants are seeking
an eight percent pay raise this year, while the Czech electricity
company CEZ (Ceske energeticke zavody) which manages the plants
has offered a five percent increase.
Temelin employees earn an average of 27,000 korunas (825 euros,
1,025 dollars) per month, according to the plant's spokesman
Milan Nebesar, more than 50 percent above the national average of
530 euros per month.
The nuclear plant employees had earlier threatened to hold a
strike to press their wage demands.
The Temelin plant is located just 60 kilometers (36 miles) across
the border from Austria and for years has been the center of
controversy between the two countries.
Austria has denounced security measures at the plant and is
concerned about its impact on the environment.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
29 PCNH: FirstEnergy fails to restore any public confidence
- portclintonnewsherald.com
_Tuesday, January 20, 2004_
The next meeting between FirstEnergy and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission is scheduled for Wednesday. FirstEnergy's goal remains
to convince the NRC that it is ready, willing and able to restart
the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station after a nearly two-year
outage.
We said last month that we weren't convinced that FirstEnergy
should be allowed to continue to operate the plant, and nothing
the company has done in the past few weeks has instilled us with
renewed confidence.
At the end of the month, for instance, we published a report that
FirstEnergy had hoped to make its case for the restart of the
plant at a Dec. 29 meeting but instead reported on efforts it had
made over the previous two weeks to improve attitudes toward
safety and communication among workers.
Those efforts continued into the new year, but FirstEnergy still
hopes to present its case for restarting the plant by the end of
January.
Late last week, FirstEnergy announced another round of management
changes at Davis-Besse, these in response to "incidents" in which
workers did not properly execute "administration controls."
What are we to make of this?
Well, it seems that from February 2002 until December 2003,
FirstEnergy had failed to fix these problems, which, of course,
are management problems. Now, FirstEnergy wants to convince the
NRC that it has done in a handful of weeks what it couldn't
accomplish in about 22 months.
We're not buying it.
To restate our position, we think Davis-Besse can and should
return to operation. We think the workers at Davis-Besse are
capable and would respond to management practices that should
have been in place all along.
We do not, however, have confidence in FirstEnergy to operate a
nuclear power plant.
_Originally published Tuesday, January 20, 2004_
Place an ad Copyright 2004 News Herald.
*****************************************************************
30 SF Chronicle: Aftermath of the Bam Earthquake / Shut nuclear plant
on same fault as Bam
Haydar Akbari Tuesday, January 20, 2004
The 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Bam, Iran, last month has brought
two crucial and disturbing visions to the attention of the world:
the heartrending poverty in parts of Iran and the potential
danger of the nuclear power plant being constructed in the
southern city of Bushehr, which is on the same geological fault
line that destroyed the city of Bam.
At one time, Iran was one of the most modern countries in the
region. Now, the level of social well-being and infrastructure in
urban and rural areas is comparable to sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Iranian officials and foreign experts, the prime
causes of the high death rate in the Bam earthquake were poor
building designs, use of primitive materials and widely ignored
building codes.
The city of Bam and most of its satellite towns and villages
lacked the minimum infrastructure of urban and rural life in the
21st century. Bam had only one hospital with no more than 13
doctors for a population of 150,000. Bahram Akasheh, a geophysics
professor at Tehran University, noted that last month's quake
near Paso Robles, Calif., had almost the same magnitude (6.3) and
depth as the Iranian tremor but caused only two deaths in
comparison to more than 40,000 in Bam, according to the Iranian
government.
It should be noted that Iran is a country with rich underground
resources and some $500 billion from oil exports during the last
25 years. What happened to that $500 billion? Much of it was
spent on the export of the late Ayatollah Khomeini's ideology to
neighboring Muslim countries, and much went to the eight-year war
with Iraq. A considerable amount is also being spent to acquire
technology and know-how for weapons of mass destruction, for
support of fundamentalist international terrorism, for the
personal investments of mullahs and for the establishment of the
most atrocious organs of repression, according to the U.S. State
Department, the United Nations and numerous international
journalists.
Finally, some of it has gone to fund a potential catastrophe: a
nuclear power plant in the city of Bushehr, which has been
destroyed three times by earthquakes in recent history (1877,
1911 and 1962). It is easy to predict that an earthquake could
destroy the plant and do irreparable damage to the area, as well
as to other Persian Gulf countries. In a serious earthquake,
there will be unimaginable fatalities and environmental disaster.
In addition, it would affect the world oil trade, with serious
economic costs. (More than half of the world's crude oil travels
through the Persian Gulf.)
Iranian officials and the German company that designed the plant
maintain that the Bushehr nuclear power plant is built to resist
up to a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, but there is no guarantee that
a temblor of greater magnitude will not strike. If that happens,
the immediate and long-term consequences will be larger and more
tragic than the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in 1986. This
concern raises questions about the sincerity of the Iranian
regime; even if the world community and International Atomic
Agency could succeed in inspecting and controlling the
development of weapons of mass destruction by the religious
dictatorship ruling Iran, what about the potential for mass
destruction from a ruined nuclear power plant?
For the good of the people of Iran as well as the world, it is
time for the international community to pressure Iran to end the
Bushehr nuclear power plant project.
*Haydar Akbari is president of the National Coalition of
Pro-Democracy Advocates (www.ncpda.com), which promotes
democracy, human rights and socioeconomic justice in Iran.* _
2004 San Francisco Chronicle
*****************************************************************
31 Scotsman.com News: Nuclear Plant Clean-Up Hailed by Energy Chiefs
21st January 2004_
*Andrew Black, Scottish Press Association*
The clean-up of a Scottish nuclear power station is being carried
out with minimal impact on the environment, the UK Atomic Energy
Authority (UKAEA) claimed today.
The comments came from UKAEA chief executive Dipesh Shah as he
opened a £7.5 million plant that has set new standards for the
control and disposal of low-level effluent from the
decommissioning of Britain’s fast reactor experiment.
Mr Shah said the plant at Dounreay, Caithness, had taken on
higher standards of environmental protection, resulting in lower
levels of radioactive emissions.
The Low Level Liquid Effluent Treatment Plant, which took three
years to build, forms part of UKAEA’s strategy to clean up
effluent from the site, which is decommissioning before disposal.
The plant has replaced a facility dating from the 1950s that is
now being phased out of service and the UKAEA has applied to the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency for new radiation limits
that reflect the much smaller levels of disposal needed to
decommission the site safely.
Mr Shah said: “UKAEA’s priority is to decommission Dounreay
in a way that safeguards the workforce and public, and which
minimises the impact on the environment.
“I’m delighted that one of my first tasks since being
appointed chief executive has been to officially open a modern
new facility that is a clear demonstration of our commitment to
meeting these priorities.”
Dounreay director Norman Harrison added: “The commissioning of
this new plant is good news for the environment and good news for
the local economy.
“It enables us to strengthen our environmental performance as
we clean up more of the site and demonstrates the capacity of
local contractors to meet our demanding requirements for
decommissioning skills of the highest order.
“I’m also pleased that we are witnessing a substantial
reduction in the amount of radioactivity being disposed of.
“The proposed new limits, if used to the full, would give the
public a maximum potential dose that is one third of the dose
associated with the previous limits. This is 200 times smaller
than what we all receive from natural sources of
radioactivity.”
The Dounreay site is being decommissioned over the next 50 to 60
years at a cost in the region of £4 billion. [
*****************************************************************
32 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Nuclear stake gets bigger -
PittsburghLIVE.com
_By TRIBUNE-REVIEW _*Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
Attempting to boost its presence in the nuclear power industry,
Westinghouse Electric Co. on Monday said it plans to buy a
controlling interest in the commercial nuclear business of PaR
Systems Inc., including the sector that makes and maintains large
cranes to move fuel in reactor cores and transport spent fuel to
storage areas.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Monroeville-based Westinghouse said it plans to purchase 80
percent of PaR Systems' Nuclear Equipment and Services Group.
Most of Minneapolis-based PaR Systems is owned by Bethesda,
Md.-based American Capital Strategies Inc., a publicly traded
buyout and mezzanine fund.
Steve Tritch, president and chief executive officer of
Westinghouse, said the union of Westinghouse and PaR Nuclear will
enable Westinghouse to broaden its scope and assume an
industry-leading position for both fuel and materials handling.
"The company we plan to acquire provides a service that we don't
provide," said Westinghouse spokesman Vaughn Gilbert. PaR
Systems' commercial Nuclear Equipment and Services Group
manufactures new equipment, upgrades and maintains refueling
systems, reactor containment and spent fuel building cranes.
Gilbert said the companies know each other well, as both have
collaborated on a number of projects for the past eight years
under a comprehensive teaming agreement. "Previously, we
contracted this (crane system) work out to them," he said.
The PaR Systems' business that Westinghouse plans to acquire
employs about 65 workers. "They will stay in Minneapolis. There
is no overlap, so they will be retained," Gilbert said.
Westinghouse, which generated about $1.8 billion in sales during
2003, employs about 9,000 workers. The total includes roughly
2,700 workers at its five sites in Western Pennsylvania,
including about 1,400 at its headquarters, and its repair and
automation center, also in Monroeville.
Westinghouse also operates the George Westinghouse Research
&Technology Park at Churchill, Allegheny County; along with its
nuclear services center at Waltz Mill, and a parts
repair/replacement plant at New Stanton, both in Westmoreland
County; and a specialty metals plant in Blairsville, Indiana
County.
Westinghouse is owned by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., which is 100
percent owned by the British government.
Nearly all but the nuclear core of the old Westinghouse Electric
Corp. businesses were dismantled and/or sold between 1996 and
1999. That's when global giant BNFL acquired the nuclear power
business of Westinghouse for $1.2 billion.
Last month, BNFL CEO Michael Parker said it might sell all or
part of Westinghouse because BNFL wants to focus on cleaning up
nuclear plant sites in the United Kingdom. Westinghouse is
engaged in power plant fueling and servicing, not site cleanup.
Although terms of the PaR Systems' deal were not revealed,
Gilbert estimated it was worth "in tens of millions of dollars,"
which he felt bodes well for the future of Westinghouse Electric
Co. "It sends a strong message to our market that regardless of
what happens, we will continue to be a strong company," Gilbert
said.
*C.M. Mortimer can be reached at or (724) 836-5252.*
Images and text copyright 2004 by The Tribune-Review
*****************************************************************
33 NRC: NRC Dispatches Special Inspection Team to Look into Safety Injection Pump Problem at Kewaunee
News Release - Region III - 2004-00
_U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION_
Office of Public Affairs, Region III
No. III-04-005 January 20, 2004
CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663
Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
clogging of the heat exchangers for the safety injection pump oil coolers at
the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The clogging would
render the pumps inoperable. The plant is managed by Nuclear Management
Company.
The plant was shut down on January 16, when routine testing by plant staff
uncovered that the heat exchangers used to cool the oil that lubricates the
safety injection system pumps were partially clogged by silt and lake weed.
The safety injection system provides emergency cooling at the plant. This
problem could prevent effective cooling of the reactor in certain accident
conditions.
The NRC inspection team includes a senior inspector from another plant in
Region III and a senior inspector from the Region III office in Lisle,
Illinois. The team will examine the sequence of events that led to the
clogging, and evaluate the immediate and long-term corrective actions taken by
the plant.
The report of the inspection team will be publicly available when it is issued
about 30 days after the close of the special inspection. The report will be
posted at the NRCs electronic reading room at:
http://nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. To locate the report, once it
is issued, enter the docket number for the Kewaunee plant (05000305) in the
search phrase box. Assistance in using the web reading room is available by
calling the NRC Public Document Room at 800-397-4209.
*Last revised Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
*****************************************************************
34 NRC: NRC Approves Power Uprate for Fort Calhoun
+
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. 04-006 January 20, 2004
power facility by 1.6 percent. The NRC staff determined that the licensee
could safely increase the power output of the reactor primarily through
increased feedwater flow measurement accuracy.
The power uprate at the plant, located near Omaha, Nebraska, increases the
generating capacity from 478 to 485 megawatts electric. The licensee intends
to implement the uprate by the middle of February.
NRC previously published a notice about the power uprate application in the
*Federal Register*, providing the public an opportunity to comment or request
a hearing. No comments or hearing requests were received by the NRC.
The NRC's safety evaluation of the requested power uprate focused on several
areas, including nuclear steam supply systems, instrumentation and control
systems, electrical systems, accident evaluations, radiological consequences,
operations, and other technical specification changes.
*Last revised Tuesday, January 20, 2004*
*****************************************************************
35 [DU-WATCH] isotope analysis shows exposure to depleted uranium
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 01:01:46 -0600 (CST)
Isotope analysis shows exposure to depleted uranium in
Gulf War veterans
By Tim Stephens
Posted January 17, 2004, UC Santa Cruz Currents
http://currents.ucsc.edu/03-04/01-19/uranium.html
U.S. veterans who were exposed to depleted uranium
during the 1991 Gulf War have continued to excrete the
potentially harmful chemical in their urine for years
after their exposure, according to a new study
published in the journal Health Physics.
The study indicates that soldiers may absorb depleted
uranium particles through inhalation, ingestion, or
wound contamination, said Roberto Gwiazda, an
environmental toxicologist at UCSC and lead author of
the study.
Fine particles of depleted uranium are created when
munitions made with the material strike a target. The
new study did not address the health effects of
exposure to depleted uranium, a subject of ongoing
debate, but focused on a technique for detecting past
exposure.
Low concentrations of uranium in the urine are normal
due to ingestion of naturally occuring uranium in food
and water. Depleted uranium is a by-product of the
enrichment process used to make nuclear fuel, in which
one isotope of uranium (235U) is extracted, leaving
behind material depleted in that isotope. Depleted
uranium is still weakly radioactive and, like other
heavy metals, can be toxic in high doses. Because of
its high density and other properties, it has been
used in armor-piercing ammunition and in armor for
fighting vehicles.
Gwiazda and Donald Smith, professor of environmental
toxicology, developed a sensitive analytical technique
to detect depleted uranium in urine samples. By
measuring the relative abundances of different
isotopes of uranium in the urine samples, the
researchers were able to distinguish between natural
and depleted uranium.
"This is the only unambiguous way to determine past
exposure and uptake of depleted uranium," Gwiazda
said.
The analysis of samples from Gulf War veterans was
performed in collaboration with the Baltimore Veterans
Affairs Depleted Uranium Follow-up Program, which is
assessing, treating, and monitoring veterans who may
have been exposed to depleted uranium during the war.
The researchers applied their technique to three
different groups of Gulf War veterans. The first group
of soldiers had shrapnel in their bodies as a result
of "friendly fire" incidents in which their tanks or
armored vehicles were hit by munitions containing
depleted uranium. The second group consisted of
soldiers who did not have shrapnel in them but were
involved in the friendly fire incidents to different
degrees, either because they were in the vehicles that
were hit or because they participated in recovery
operations. The third group was a reference group and
consisted of soldiers who participated in the war but
not in combat operations.
As expected, the soldiers with embedded shrapnel had
high concentrations of uranium in their urine, and the
isotope analysis showed that it was depleted uranium,
presumably being released into their bodies from the
shrapnel.
A more striking finding was the presence of depleted
uranium in the urine of a significant number of
soldiers in the second group, without embedded
shrapnel but with potential exposure through
inhalation, ingestion, or wound contamination. The
uranium concentrations detected in this group were, on
average, six times higher than in the reference group,
but were still within the normal range for the U.S.
population. Nevertheless, Gwiazda said, it was
remarkable that the signature of depleted uranium
could still be detected so many years after the
exposure.
"These samples were taken six to eight years later,"
he said.
The Veterans Affairs (VA) monitoring program has not
reported any findings of clinically significant health
effects related to exposure to depleted uranium, even
in the highly exposed soldiers with embedded shrapnel.
Any health effects of exposure to depleted uranium may
not be detectable without studying a large number of
exposed individuals. The technique developed at UCSC
could be used to screen a large number of people to
identify those with past exposure to depleted uranium.
In addition to possible health effects in soldiers
exposed during combat, concerns about depleted uranium
include environmental contamination of battlefield
sites. Civilian populations may be exposed through
contact with depleted uranium fragments and dust left
in the soil or with contaminated military equipment
left behind after a conflict.
"We don't know if that kind of exposure will have any
health effects. But now we have a technique that
enables us to detect past exposure to depleted
uranium," Gwiazda said.
The paper was published in the January issue of Health
Physics. The authors include Katherine Squibb and
Melissa McDiarmid of the University of Maryland School
of Medicine, in addition to Gwiazda and Smith.
________________________________________________________________________
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36 [DU-WATCH] Radioactive Iraqi Scrap Metal
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:15:15 -0600 (CST)
Radioactive bridges?
Blackened, destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles hit by and
thus
contaminated by depleted uranium (DU) weapons in the March
invasion of Iraq,
are being melted down in a huge smelting facility near
Basra, in southern
Iraq under the auspices of the British Army and being
turned into
pre-fabricated bridges, litter bins and even pots and
pans9, believes the
Independent9s veteran Middle East correspondent Robert
Fisk. He told the
.......... that the story in Basra is plausible and
consistent.I
believe it to be true, but I can9t prove it9, since due to
time restrictions
and travel complexities in current circumstances: I did
not get to the
facility.9
Depleted uranium is a .... radioactive waste and, as
such, should be
deposited in a licensed repository9 states the US Army
Environmental Policy
Institute (AEPI) (June 1995.) After the 1991 Gulf war,
tanks hit with
depleted uranium were taken to a nuclear decontamination
facility at
Barnwell, North Carolina, built only for the purpose of
dealing with
vehicles damaged and contaminated by DU in the war. Those
which could not be
decontaminated were sent to a special secure landfill site
owned by Chem
Nuclear or to the US Department of Energy9s similar Savanna
River Site. The
Barnwell Manager at the time, Roger Johnson, talked of the
vast amount of
radioactive and toxic material affecting
vehicles.9Something that takes only
four days can produce a lot of material.9
The U.K. Atomic Energy Authority spokesman said at the time
he was
astonished by the use of DU. The UKAEA was so alarmed they
self initiated9
a Report which they sent to the Ministry of Defence in
April 1991, warning
of a health and environmental catastrophy - and that if a
residual fifty
tonnes of DU dust, resultant from the impact of weapons
remained, they
estimated that there could be an excess half a million
potential deaths9
from cancer in the region9 within ten years. That three
hundred and twenty
tons was left, has been confirmed by the Pentagon. Some
scientists say it
could be nine hundred tons. The most recent conflict has,
cite Reports, left
at least a further two thousand two hundred tonnes.
The UKAEA paper states ... DU can become a long term
problem if not dealt
with and .. a risk to both the military and civilian
population9 the UKAEA9s
calculations indicate a significant problem.9 Further,
localised
contamination of vehicles and soil may exceed permissable
limits and these
could be hazardous to both clean up teams and the local
population.
Inhalation of DU dust particles can lead to unacceptable
body burdens
(putting) the public at risk. DU can also be a danger if
taken into the body
by ingestion or through a cut. Furthermore if DU gets into
the food chain or
water, then this will create potential health problems.9
DU remains
radioactive for four and a half billion years.
Basra9s cancers and birth defects, linked by experts to the
use of DU in
1991 are at epidemic levels. The effects of the further use
last year has
yet to be assessed. The implications, for the population
and especially for
those working in the smelting plant and breathing in the DU
dust can only be
imagined. DU if ingested or inhaled has the potential to
generate
significant medical consequences9, states the AEPI short
term effects of
high doses can result in death, whilst long term effects of
low doses can
result in cancer.9
Llew Smith MP (L. Blaenau Gwent) has tabled a question to
the Defence
Secretary asking: "what methods are being used to
decontaminate Iraqi tanks and other military equipment
disabled or destroyed
by the use of depleted uranium munitions in the southern
sector of Iraq
under British military control.?" It is due for reply from
8 January.
Professor Malcolm Hooper, Emeritus Professor at the
University of Sunderland and a Government Advisor on Gulf
war illnesses says: 'Taiwan springs to mind, where
radioactive material was used in building structures and
deaths and illnesses were so great, they had to be
demolished. I would be very unhappy about using these
materials, it would be a disater for workers, a disaster
for those living in the vicinity and it would be a real
toxic brew also containing mercury, cadmium' and numerous
other lethal pollutants.
A spokesman foir the Ministry of Defence told the
.......... that they
had no knowledge of tanks being melted down as a method of
disposal,
cooenting: 'there are illegal smelting facilities all over
Basra',
suggesting contacting their Basra Headquarters, who could
not be reached by
the time of going to press.
Robert Fisk comments cynically: "It makes sense. Maybe
Iraqi housewives who
live through nights of power cuts can now spot their
household utensils
glowing quietly in the darkness of the kitchen.'
*********************************************************************************************
The Campaign Against Depleted Uranium, Bridge 5 Mill, 22a Beswick Street,
Ancoats, Manchester, M4 7HR Tel./Fax.: +44 (0)161 273 8293
E-Mail info@cadu.org.uk Website: http://www.cadu.org.uk
Affiliation costs to CADU are #8 a year unwaged/student and #10 a year waged. For
this you will receive campaigning materials and CADU's quarterly newsletter. Our
newsletter is also available free of charge by E-Mail (send us a message with
'Subscribe CADU News' as the subject). Please send your cheque draft or postal
order in # sterling to the address above.
*********************************************************************************************
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37 [DU-WATCH] FW: Iraq: No way out for Bush
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:57:44 -0600 (CST)
Even if the Coalition military withdrew from Iraq after establishing
a government (or governments in divided country), the problem of
contaminating the land twice with residue from uranium munitions
will not disappear.
The US and UK governments must provide medical help to all contaminated
persons, compensate for loss of family members, and clean up after
themselves.
This would help alleviate the environmental radioactive problem,
but in no way would it absolve the perpetrators from liability. The
governments responsible must identify persons responsible for these
crimes against humanity and present the lists to an independent
tribunal.
Failure to do so puts the present and future governments in the
crime collusion category, as covering up crimes against humanity
is a crime, too.
Piotr
============================== From: Esprit de Corps
[mailto:espritdecorp@idirect.com] Sent: January 19, 2004 9:56 AM
Monday, January 19, 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited
No early withdrawal for Bush By Scott Taylor ON TARGET
ON DEC. 13, a dirty, haggard and confused-looking Saddam Hussein
was pulled from a tiny hole in the ground by U.S. soldiers. According
to the official statement issued 17 hours later by the Pentagon,
the former Iraqi dictator had been discovered and captured at this
remote hideout near Tikrit after a tip-off from an Iraqi informant.
U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defence Donald
Rumsfeld were quick to issue statements of contempt regarding the
captured Saddam: "When the going got tough . . . (Saddam) hid in a
hole," proclaimed Bush, while Rumsfeld opined that by surrendering
himself without a fight, Hussein was nothing more than a 'wimp.'
With the exception of CNN, the media was not allowed access to the
site where Saddam had allegedly been captured. As a result, the few
details that were revealed tended to be somewhat suspect and more
often than not, contradictory.
CNN reporter Nick Robertson displayed the squalid clutter inside
the two small huts where Saddam had allegedly been holed up for
nine months in the wake of his regime's collapse.
Inexplicably, the former dictator supposedly had stockpiled a large
quantity of Mars bars as well as a couple of packages of brand new
Hanes underwear.
Despite ample experience reporting from Iraq, Robertson did not
question how Saddam could possibly have acquired items that were
otherwise available at U.S. military compounds. More importantly,
it was what the search did not uncover that posed the biggest
question. In fact, only one French reporter present at the initial
Baghdad news conference had the temerity to ask the obvious: "How
is it that Saddam was co-ordinating the resistance from inside that
hole with no access to any communications equipment?"
The American press officer looked confused but promised that all
of this would be clarified after further interrogations of Saddam
himself.
Unfortunately, there is little likelihood that even under the threat
of torture, Saddam will shed any light on this matter. The top brass
long ago realized that the so-called Saddam loyalists constitute
only a small segment of the Iraqi resistance. But since the early
days of the U.S. military occupation and for the sake of maintaining
a simple consistent media message, all guerrilla activities in Iraq
have been attributed to supporters of the deposed Iraqi president.
While there is no doubt that Saddam's capture was a short-term
morale boost for American troops in Iraq and provided a temporary
lift to Bush's sagging domestic public approval ratings, in the
long term, the incarceration of the deposed Hussein will prove
virtually meaningless.
In the weeks following the dramatic arrest, attacks by the Iraqi
resistance have continued. (U.S. casualties have now climbed beyond
500 dead and 6,000 seriously wounded.) Although the U.S. administration
has set an ambitious timetable of having an interim Iraqi self-ruling
council established by July, little headway has been made towards
even establishing a secure environment in Iraq.
More ominous still is the result of last week's meeting between
Paul Bremer, the U.S.-appointed civil governor of Iraq, and Kurdish
leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani. In a surprise move, the
U.S. promised to recognize the continued autonomy of Iraq's northern
provinces and to support Kurdish self-rule outside of any newly
constituted central Baghdad authority. In short, this means that
Barzani and Talabani will maintain their private militias. Armed
with this apparent U.S. blessing, both of these warlords have
aggressively begun pursuing Kurdish claims to Northern Iraq's oil
resources.
Within hours of Bremer's anouncement, a series of bloody clashes
erupted in Kirkuk between ethnic Turkmen, Arabs and the Kurdish
militias. Not only does civil war remain a possibility in northern
Iraq, the U.S. decision to move one step closer to recognizing an
independent Kurdistan could lead to the destabilization of the
entire region. Turkey and Syria have already protested this
development, citing fears it will reignite militant Kurdish nationalism
among their Kurd minorities.
In southern Iraq, prominent Shiite fundamentalist clerics have
increased control over the local population and have expressed
little interest in any co-operation with either a central Iraqi
government or any Western-style democratic process.
The dismantling of Iraq's existing borders and the establishment
of another fundamentalist Islamic state in the Middle East were
certainly not the original war aims of Bush. But the U.S. administration
has seemingly become so desperate to disentangle itself from the
bloody quagmire of Iraq the catastrophic results of a premature
American withdrawal are no longer considered of any consequence.
As wrong-headed as it was for Bush to launch this disastrous
intervention in Iraq, for America to simply abandon the mess they've
created would only exacerbate the mistake. The U.S. vowed to bring
regime change to Iraq but has so far only accomplished regime
removal.
Replacing tyranny with anarchy cannot be considered a positive
change. So, regardless of the ultimate cost in lives and dollars,
America owes it to the people of Iraq to stay the course and finish
what it started.
Scott Taylor is the author of the recently released book:
Spinning on the Axis of Evil:
America's war against Iraq
Editorial Reviews Bruce Garvey, Ottawa Citizen, October 25, 2003
. paints a chilling picture of today's Iraq (and provides) a series of
brilliantly graphic observations and rollicking anecdotes...
Peter Worthington, Toronto Sun, October 26, 2003 Highly readable
Anyone interested in a "different" view of the war and Iraq will
be rewarded by Taylors account.
Book Description In order to justify its war against Iraq, George
Bushs administration needed to first frighten the American public
into believing that Saddam Hussein posed a "clear and present
danger." In addition to "sexing up"
intelligence dossiers regarding Saddams alleged weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs), it was also necessary to somewhat distort and
simplify Iraqs complex ethnic, political, social and religious
structures.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though U.S. military officials actually
started to believe their own propaganda, and were genuinely shocked
when the Iraqi people did not welcome them as liberators. In contrast
to the American naoveti, the post-Saddam anarchy, violence and
inter-ethnic combat that have occurred were all accurately predicted
by the Iraqi people. Although fearful of Saddams regime, most Iraqis
had even greater concerns over what would ensue should his Baath
Party ever be toppled.
"Spinning on the Axis of Evil" is based on Scott Taylors personal
experiences and observations gathered during 14 separate trips into
Iraq before and after the toppling of Saddams regime. This book
provides a rare insight into the plight of the Iraqi people who,
in a single generation, suffered through three devastating wars and
13 years of crippling sanctions.
>From clandestine talks with Saddams top intelligence officials to
dinner table chats with ordinary citizens, Taylor reveals what it
was like to be inside Iraq during the dramatic countdown to Bushs
declaration of war.
Put into historical context and with a rare inside view of Saddams
regime, "Spinning on the Axis of Evil" provides a unique perspective
on President Bushs intervention in Iraq.
International Review "If journalists write the first draft of history
then Scott Taylor is in an excellent position to tell the story of
invasion and regime change in Iraq.
Taylor has been a frequent visitor to Baghdad both under Saddam
Hussain and in the chaos that greeted his removal. Taylor, in a
pacy and entertaining style, describes the run up to invasion and
its violent aftermath.Traversing the country from Baghdad to the
Kurdish north he puts himself in the thick of the action, interviewing
decision makers and ordinary Iraqis, documenting their opinions
with clarity and sympathy. Overall Taylor's book offers an eye
witness account of George Bush's war against Saddam Hussain and its
violent aftermath. It is both informative and entertaining in equal
measure."
Dr. Toby Dodge Senior Research Fellow Warwick University, United
Kingdom To place an order call toll free inside of Canada 1-800-361-2791
outside of Canada call 1(613) 725-5060
For more information on Scott Taylor's new book visit
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38 BBC: Radiation pills move explained
Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 January, 2004
[Nuclear submarine]
Emergency berths are located in the Highlands
_Islanders on Skye have been briefed by officials over a move to
issue locals with anti-radiation pills. _
The potassium iodate tablets are being given to people living
near emergency nuclear submarine berths.
The tablets are intended to guard against radiation sickness in
the case of a serious accident.
A public meeting in the town of Broadford was part of an
information campaign organised by the MoD, the Highland Council
and the health board.
About 2,000 people are to be issued with the pills as part of new
regulations governing the response to a nuclear accident.
They will be provided to householders around Broadford Bay in
Skye and Loch Ewe in Wester Ross by the end of January.
You're looking at numer failures in one go, and really that is
extremely unlikely _ Captain Ian Lofthouse Royal Navy
These are sites of so-called z-berths, designated emergency
moorings for nuclear submarines.
Potassium iodate tablets can reduce damage to the thyroid gland
if they are taken as soon as possible after exposure.
The Royal Navy's Captain Ian Lofthouse said: "To actually get to
the point where these tablets would be absolutely necessary, the
radiation would have had to escape from three separate barriers.
"You're looking at numerous failures in one go, and really that
is extremely unlikely."
A spokesman for NHS Highland said the tablets were being
distributed because they were more effective the earlier they
could be taken after any potential radiation incident.
Last year, the nuclear submarine HMS Trafalgar struck rocks off
the coast of Skye, while on a training exercise.
_Submarine 'risk'_
The Scottish Green Party has asked whether the submarines should
be allowed so close to shore, particularly if they are
experiencing difficulties.
Highlands and Islands list MSP Eleanor Scott said: "The question
is whether the submarines should be berthed near to a centre of
population like this, putting this population at risk?
"Also, will enough tablets be issued for the influx of population
that happens during the tourist season?"
Residents living near the Dounreay nuclear submarine reactor test
facility in Caithness are already issued with anti-radiation
pills.
*****************************************************************
39 Silver City Daily Press: Depleted uranium will be focus of meeting Saturday
By JIM OWEN
Daily Press Staff
Health problems resulting from the military use of depleted
uranium will be discussed at a public forum Saturday in Silver
City.
Damacio Lopez of Socorro, executive director of the International
Depleted Uranium Study Team, is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. at
Light Hall Auditorium on the Western New Mexico University
campus.
Lopez became interested in the issue after he and his family
"lived beneath the clouds from tests of depleted uranium at New
Mexico Tech in Socorro," said forum organizer Mike Sauber.
Lopez "has become a worldwide expert on the subject," Sauber
reported. "He testified to a committee of the United Nations on
the health effects."
Uranium left from the production of fuel for nuclear reactors is
used to make weapons like "bunker-busting" bombs. Toxic material
is released into the air when the bombs explode, according to
Sauber.
"We dropped hundreds of tons of this material in the first Gulf
War, and we just got done dropping about one-third (that amount)
on Iraq again," he said. "The people were not warned. The
citizens of Iraq are being put at risk. There are cases of
leukemia, and a huge jump in birth defects."
Uranium also is believed to be a cause of Gulf War Syndrome,
which affects nearly 700,000 U.S. veterans. The U.S. military
used the substance in Bosnia in 1995 and the Balkans in 1999, as
well.
The material "is an extremely dense, hard metal (that) can cause
chemical poisoning in the body," states the Web site of the
Campaign Against Depleted Uranium. "(It) is also radiologically
hazardous, as it spontaneously burns on impact, creating tiny
glass particles small enough to be inhaled."
The particles, which can be carried long distances in the air,
"pose a long-term threat to human health and the environment,"
the group wrote.
It added: "Making weapons and other items out of the waste
products of the nuclear business is a very convenient, very
cheap, but potentially deadly way to get rid of nuclear waste."
Lopez's study team is "a nongovernmental organization of
researchers, activists, soldiers, doctors and scientists
throughout the world dedicated to immediately stopping the use of
depleted uranium in military weapons," stated a flier promoting
the forum.
The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, is
sponsored by WNMU's student action group and the Grant County
Green Party. A videotape will be shown, followed by discussion.
The proceedings are expected to last until 10 p.m.
For more information, call 538-2710.
*****************************************************************
40 [NukeNet] Empty Nuclear Fuel Shipping Trucks Crash After
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:56:50 -0800
Mothersalert Home: http://www.envirovideo.com
CRAC-2 Report:
http://www.mothersalert.org/crac.html
From: Don DeBar
To: westcan@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 2:06 PM
Subject: [westcan] Empty Nuclear Fuel Shipping
Trucks Crash After Delivery
Empty Nuclear Fuel Shipping Trucks Crash After
Delivery
BERWICK, Pennsylvania, January 20, 2004 (ENS) -
>From the "It Could Have Been Worse" file, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission today released the
report of an accident between two tractor trailers
carrying empty shipping boxes from a nuclear fuel
shipment that just had been delivered to the
Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant in central
Pennsylvania.
The two tractor trailers involved in the shipment
were amongst the vehicles in the accident that
occurred at 8pm local time on January 14. One of
the truck drivers was seriously injured. The
trucks were severely damaged.
The Clinton County Pennsylvania Emergency
Management Agency was called to the scene by
initial responders as well as the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection. Both
surveyed the shipping boxes and found no
indication of radiation contamination, according
to the commission. The shipping boxes and vehicles
are being held by the towing company until the
shipping company can provide replacement vehicles.
The commission states that the empty boxes were
being shipped in accordance with U.S. Department
of Transportation regulations. The Susquehanna
plant, located on the Susquehanna River in Luzerne
County about seven miles north of Berwick, is
owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna LLC and Allegheny
Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL
Susquehanna.
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings at:
http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
*****************************************************************
41 Gallup Independent: Area uranium plant in process of shutdown_
01-13-04
Kathy Helms Din Bureau
FORT DEFIANCE Buildings at the former Ambrosia Lake uranium
mill north of Grants in McKinley County are now out of sight, if
not quite out of mind, as contractors for Rio Algom Mining LLC
prepare to decommission the former uranium ore processing
facility.
Jill Caverly, project manager of the Ambrosia Lake site for the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), said Monday that the
above-ground mill buildings have been razed and contractors last
week began removing the foundations and subgrade materials.
The NRC posted a notice of the availability of an Environmental
Assessment and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in the
Federal Register on Oct. 15, 2003. The notice stated that the NRC
was considering the issuance of an amendment to Rio Algom which
would allow it to begin demolition of the uranium mill buildings
at the Ambrosia Lake facility. Caverly said there was no response
to the Federal Register notice.
Uranium processing began at the Ambrosia Lake site in 1958. The
site was then owned by Kerr-McGee Corp., which continued to
operate it until 1989, when it was acquired by Rio Algom.
Conventional mill operations were deferred in 1985 pending more
favorable market conditions. Since that time, the mill structures
had been maintained in standby status, with a continued reduction
in uranium production. In late 2002, Rio Algom began planning to
demolish the mill and submitted a demolition plan to the NRC. The
plan is one in a series of plans for decommissioning and
reclamation of the site.
The mill demolition plan did not address soil cleanup."There will
be some movement of soil,"Caverly said, but"they're not doing
soil cleanup, per se; they're just bringing down the mill
buildings. We had a site inspection about four to six weeks ago
and everything was fine. Things were going very smoothly to this
point, and they seem to be on track. Probably two months they'll
be finished with the mill demo."
According to the demolition plan, the mill facilities and
equipment in the immediate area were to be washed down to
minimize possible residual contamination, and any salvageable
materials were to be surveyed and decontaminated if required.
Salvageable materials were to be placed in a designated salvage
area, while contaminated equipment was to be dismantled, broken
up and buried.
The buildings were demolished in December and all materials which
were not deemed hazardous waste were placed in the tailings
impoundment, in accordance with NRC regulations.
"Anything that's considered products of the mill or byproduct
material will go into the tailings impoundment. Then they'll
start looking at the site around where the mill was. There's some
windblown contamination and they will have to look at removing a
surface layer of soil and that will also be put into the
impoundment,"Caverly said.
Uncontaminated underground foundation, utilities and pipelines
more than 2 feet below final grade will be buried in place. Rio
Algom expects to leave foundations intact in basement areas as
well as those below grade. Underground cavities below grade, such
as the crushing circuit from the primary crusher to the transfer
house, will remain in place but will be backfilled.
"Once all of the waste material and the tailings and everything
that surrounded the mill buildings is in the impoundment, they'll
finish off the impoundment by capping it with an engineered
barrier which includes a radon barrier and an erosion-control
barrier, and then they'll regrade the site. They'll have to have
a final site survey and provide us with a long-term surveillance
plan,"Caverly said.
The NRC is required to review the company's long-term monitoring
plan before turning the site over to DOE for long-term
surveillance.
"They have moved to decommissioning the site altogether. Their
first step was to demolish the mill buildings. Then they'll start
looking at the soil decontamination, and then they'll move on to
other parts of the site,"Caverly said. Rio Algom has a target
date of 2007 for closure of the Ambrosia Lake site, but"they have
several things they have to do before they're approved,"she said.
A generic Environmental Impact Statement written in the 1990s for
uranium mill demolition covers many of the actions proposed at
the site, Caverly said, however, for specific actions the
licensee must go back to the NRC for amendments to its license,
or the NRC will write Environmental Assessments for actions the
agency deems necessary.
gallpind@cia-g.com By mail: The Independent PO Box 1210 Gallup,
NM 87305 500 N. 9th Gallup, NM 87301
*****************************************************************
42 Elizabethton Star: NRC grants second license amendment to NFS for BLEU Project
_By Thomas Wilson_ STAR STAFF *twilson@starhq.com *
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the second of
three proposed licensing amendment requests of Nuclear Fuel
Services, Inc. to the company's operating license for the
controversial Blended Low Enriched Uranium (BLEU) Project at the
company's Erwin site.
"It approves NFS's proposed safety controls through the phase II
process," David Ayres, fuel facilities inspector at NRC's Region
II office in Atlanta, said Wednesday. "The next step, once they
are ready for us to go and inspect the new equipment, is for us
to verify all the commitments made to insure next. That won't
take place for at least two months."
The second amendment green-lights the the Blended Low-Enriched
Uranium Preparation Facility (BPF) enabling NFS to process
approximately half of the BLEU Project's 33 metric tons of
surplus HEU, with the other half being downblended at the
Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, S.C. The facility will be
used to convert surplus highly enriched uranium (HEU) into
low-enriched uranium (LEU), the first step toward preparing the
uranium to be a fuel that is suitable for commercial nuclear
power reactors. The BPF is the second of three new facilities at
the Erwin site necessary to perform the HEU to LEU conversion
process.
In total, the three related license amendments submitted by NFS
involve the construction of three new buildings - the Uranyl
Nitrate Building, the Oxide Conversion Building, and the Effluent
Processing Building - on a site referred to as the "BLEU Complex"
at the company's site in Erwin.
The first license amendment application, approved by NRC in June
2003, grants NFS the ability to store LEU-bearing material its
the Uranyl Nitrate Building. Low-enriched uranyl nitrate
solutions would be shipped from the Department of Energy's
Savannah River site to NFS' Erwin site for storage in the UNB.
The building will contain approximately 24 low-enriched uranyl
nitrate tanks, each having a capacity of 10,500 gallons.
A third license amendment, submitted by NFS on Oct. 23, 2003
seeks authority to construct and operate an Oxide Conversion
Facility and related Effluent Processing Building, is currently
under review by the NRC. These facilities will use a process
developed by NFS' partner Framatome ANP. The facilities will
convert the liquid uranyl nitrate solution into a uranium oxide
(UO2) powder, which will be further processed at Richland, Wash.,
into uranium fuel pellets for loading into fuel rods and
assemblies for use by the TVA. Ayres said phase three readiness
review would not occur until later this summer.
The NRC granted the company's first license amendment in June
2003 to operate a facility to store LEU solution from HEU
downblending at SRS and at NFS. Shipments from Savannah River to
the LEU storage facility began arriving in July of 2003. Ayres
said the second amemdment's approval authorized NFS to begin to
start processing.
The second license amendment request also includes approval of
safety systems installed pertaining to the BLEU Project. Ayres
said NRC would review safety systems in a readiness review to
verify the second amendment request passed muster.
"It will go through the same type of inspection that phase II and
I went through," said Ayres. "Once they iron out the safety
controls and headquarters is satisfied with there plans and
commitments we will do a readiness review inspection.
Waiting in the wings is a forthcoming ruling by Presiding Judge
Alan S. Rosenthal with the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
Panel for the NRC in Washington, D.C., was expected to render a
decision on the petitioners' standing after NFS submitted its
third license amendment request.
Environmental groups including Friends of the Nolichucky River
Valley, the State of Franklin Group of the Sierra Club, Oak Ridge
Environmental Peace Alliance, and Tennessee Environmental Council
along with Kathy Helms-Hughes, formerly of Butler, have filed
petitions with the NRC seeking standing to have a public hearing
regarding the BLEU Project. Fifteen Northeast Tennessee citizens
represented by aGreeneville attorney have also filed separate
petitions. Attorneys for NFS have asked the NRC to deny
petitioners' requests for a hearing, stating that none of them
had demonstrated "standing" or "injury in fact".
Ken Clark, public information officer for Region II, said an
"adverse" ruling by Rosenthal could impede the BLEU Project's
completion, but would not stop the technical evaluation process
ongoing with NRC.
"It will not stop the process if he grants standing," said Clark.
"The project could be impeded at some point at a later date and
if there is an adverse ruling. It does not stop the technical
process that is ongoing."
Fuel to be used by TVA from the BLEU Project will produce an
equivalent amount of electrical power as produced through the
burning of 800,000 rail cars of coal through conventional
coal-fired steam plants used to produce electricity. When fully
operational, the BLEU Project will employ about 130 workers at
the Erwin site from across the Northeast Tennessee region,
according to NFS estimates.
The BLEU Project is an U.S. Department of Energy initiative to
convert stockpiles of surplus weapons-grade uranium into a
low-enriched uranium for use in nuclear reactors of the Tennessee
Valley Authority. The project will bring more than 33 tons of
weapons-grade uranium into Erwin for downblending.
Copyright 1996 - 2003 Elizabethton Newspapers, Inc. Direct
questions or comments to webmaster@starhq.com Elizabethton
Newspapers, Inc., 300 Sycamore Street Elizabethton, Tennessee
37643 - 423.542.4151
*****************************************************************
43 Gallup Independent: Convention to mark activist group's impact on Navajo concerns
January 16, 2004
Kathy Helms Din Bureau
FORT DEFIANCE After 65 years, the Navajo Nation is still
seeking healing for wounds resulting from uranium mining. Open
sores remain in the form of contaminated soil and groundwater,
abandoned mine sites which have yet to be reclaimed, ailing
workers who have not been compensated for their cancers and
survivors of those workers who still seek recognition of what
they believe are related birth defects and illnesses.
The Third Annual din Bidziil Coalition Convention kicks off at 6
p.m. today in the Farmington Civic Center with its mission:
"Healing the Uranium Legacy" through "One Mind, One Voice, One
Prayer."
A special concert to benefit uranium dependents and anti-mining
efforts will open the convention.
The concert features Ethnic D Generation, Vincent Craig, Keith
Secola, Native Roots, Irene Bedard and Denie, Tasha Terry,
Clearence Clearwater, Gilbert Bedoni, Lil' Dre, and Paintings.
Tickets, which are $15 a person or $25 for two, will be sold at
the door. The concert is from 6 p.m. to midnight.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, various speakers will address a
variety of issues affecting the Navajo community, including
compensation for uranium dependents, a ban on further uranium
mining; the national energy bill which is expected to resurface
during this session of Congress; Navajo government reform; the
San Francisco Peaks and other sacred sites; Navajo water rights;
Black Mesa/Peabody Coal issues, the Bennett Freeze; and grazing
and farming rights.
A Dinner and awards ceremony to honor the warriors and "Defenders
of dinetah" will follow, along with more music, fellowship and
kinship, according to Norman Brown, spokesman for din Bidziil.
Brown was presented a proclamation on Tuesday evening by
Farmington Mayor Bill Stanley, welcoming the convention to his
city.
The proclamation states: "Whereas the city of Farmington
acknowledges the Navajo people's contributions to the Four
Corners area, and whereas this convention will provide a forum
for a dialogue of respect and harmony on healing the uranium
legacy, and whereas, bringing communities together to work toward
common goals results positively for the city of Farmington, the
Navajo Nation, and the entire Four Corners area, now therefore
the mayor of the city of Farmington, N.M., does hereby proclaim a
welcoming of the healing of the uranium legacy benefit concert
and din Bidziil Convention to the Farmington Civic Center Jan. 16
and 17."
_Changing times_
Brown said the past two conventions have resulted in positive
change in that the Executive and Legislative branches of the
Navajo Nation government are willing to listen to the grassroots.
"It took a couple of years to build to this process now. The very
issues we were talking about two years ago are now evolving. For
example, the Peabody issue. It has always been the stance of din
Bidziil to end the use of the N-aquifer."
The other issue is Navajo water rights.
"For two years, we've never wavered. And now, we believe that
certain delegates are standing on the position of the grassroots
people," Brown said. "We shouldn't be at this place where we have
to oppose another political view from another Navajo, but now we
believe that the thinking of the grassroots is going to prevail,"
he said.
But two of the most critical issues, and the reason for this
weekend's gathering, "is to stop uranium mining on Navajo and to
develop a new set of laws to control that issue," Brown said.
"The second one is developing support for new amendments to RECA
(Radiation Exposure Conservation Act) for spouses, and dependents
and downwinders of uranium workers." Another focus of the group,
also seen as critical, is downsizing the Navajo Nation Council
from its present 88 members.
Brown said din Bidziil has been asked by the grassroots people
and communities to push those issues. "Our role has been to
create awareness of these issues: the Bennett Freeze, the sacred
sites on Joint Use Areas, Save the Peaks in Flagstaff. These are
very important issues that we feel need to be addressed by the
council.
"There's this mechanism within the tribal council which alarms
us. That mechanism is catering to outside corporations, energy
corporations, and we want more input into what is being
negotiated for us.
"If the Navajo Nation government fails to lead our people, then
we'll create our own leaders. We've got three years now (before
the next election), and we're going to build that capacity on
Navajo to develop our own leaders in our own communities and
develop that political power base to step from this old, tired
system of good-ole-boy, old-guard politics."
Council members are removed based on their performance, he said.
"We want to define that performance through our political
participation, through our citizenship, and build that capacity
so they will have to listen to us. The grassroots people have
every right to remove their leaders if they are not following the
wishes of the communities.
"More than anything, the Navajo philosophy of leadership is
totally based on the people's wishes and needs. It didn't focus
around one individual. It focused around the community and the
clanship, the kinship."
_On the agenda_
Brown said the convention will open with Farmington's Mayor
Stanley doing the welcoming, followed by a prayer and moment of
silence for all of the uranium radiation victims of the 65 year
legacy. Council delegate LoRenzo Bates, Democratic presidential
candidate Dennis Kucinich, and former vice presidential candidate
Wynona LaDuke also will speak at the convention. LaDuke once ran
as a vice presidential candidate for the Green Party with Ralph
Nader.
"She's a dear friend of our people," Brown said.
Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. and Council Speaker
Lawrence Morgan also have been invited to speak, though their
appearance has not been confirmed. Phil Harrison, a champion of
Navajo uranium workers who has devoted his life to helping
victims, will be keynote speaker at the convention.
Saturday afternoon will be devoted to caucuses on the issues.
"At the end of the day, we're going to have a statement
resolution to the federal government, the Executive and
Legislative branches regarding those concerns, and
recommendations for action," Brown said. din Bidziil also has
been added to the agenda of the Navajo Nation Council for the
winter session, he said.
All chapter presidents and vice presidents have been invited and
are urged to attend as guests of honor. Leaders from the various
agencies also have been invited, though so far, only Western,
Eastern, and Northern Agency representatives have been confirmed.
Brown said it is critical that Western Agency be involved because
it is an area where water and the uranium issues are still a big
problem" and because it is believed that the proposed San Juan
water rights settlement agreement will set a precedent for the
bigger stem of the Colorado River, which entails the entire
Western Agency.
The time is ripe for the grassroots to move forward, Brown
believes. "This Navajo giant this grassroots giant it's on one
knee now and it's going to stand pretty soon. This is the first
step toward Navajo independence. What that means is complete
control over our resources, complete control over our government,
complete control over our destiny. This gathering is that first
step," he said.
The event is sponsored by din Nationalists, ENDAUM-CTT, Navajo
Uranium Radiation Victims Committee, Navajo Dependents of Uranium
Workers Committee, Save the Peaks Committee, and dine Boholnii.
For more information, call (505) 368-5728 or e-mail
navajoworld@excite.com, dinehbidziil@yahoo.com, or
mailto:dinehbidziil@yahoo.com.
gallpind@cia-g.com By mail: The Independent PO Box 1210 Gallup,
NM 87305 500 N. 9th Gallup, NM 87301
send any questions or comments to gallpind@cia-g.com
*****************************************************************
44 Las Vegas SUN: More hazardous waste may be shipped to Nevada
Today: January 20, 2004 at 11:28:11 PST
_By Cy Ryan
_
SUN CAPITAL BUREAU
CARSON CITY -- More hazardous waste from other states may be
rolling into Nevada for burial at the dump in Beatty under a
proposed regulation by the state Division of Environmental
Protection.
Beatty is about 117 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The purpose of the regulation, according to the division, is to
lower the prices charged for disposal of hazardous waste at US
Ecology, the Beatty dump operator. The dump needs to continue to
operate so that it can provide an affordable in-state site for
disposal of Nevada waste, proponents of the change say.
The state Environmental Commission has tentatively set Feb. 26
for a hearing in Reno regarding possible adoption of the
regulation which has support from some rural legislators.
So far there has not been any announced opposition. The Bureau
of Waste Management in the division held an informal public
hearing and is now sending the proposed regulation to the
environmental commission.
Allen Biaggi, administrator of the state Division of
Environmental Protection, said Monday it's is too early to tell
whether the proposed regulation will result in more hazardous
waste on Nevada's highways.
The purpose of the regulation, he said, is to make prices for
burial at Beatty competitive with California, Utah, Arizona and
other states. The prices are adjusted every three our four years,
said Biaggi.
Nevada charges $17 per ton for this type of waste. If the change
is approve, the rate would be reduced to $3 per ton. California
charges $5.72 a ton, Idaho $5 and Oregon $2.50.
The proposal to lower the price came from US Ecology, said
Biaggi. But this has been done periodically since the dump opened
in the 1960s.
James Trent, program developer for the Bureau of Waste
Management said this reduction would make the Beatty dump
competitive with other states and waste producers may choose
Nevada.
Biaggi said if there is any opposition, it may come from
competitors of US Ecology.
The proposed regulation deals with remedial waste, said Biaggi.
This material comes from underground gasoline station tank
cleanup or environmental spills. The waste, which might be
classified as hazardous in some other states, would still be
handled as hazardous waste when it reaches Beatty for disposal.
Trent said some other states such as California have stricter
definitions of what is considered hazardous waste than does
Nevada. Nevada's regulations mirror the federal rules, he said.
So if it is shipped to Nevada, it would be designated as
non-hazardous and eligible for a reduced burial fee.
The dump at Beatty buried 116,000 ton of hazardous materials
last year, 75,000 tons in 2002 and 93,000 in 2001. Those
supporting the change in the regulation are Sen. Mike McGinness,
R-Fallon and Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora and Assemblyman Ron Sherer,
R-Pahrump.
The division also received letters of support from Nye County
and from Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada
Manufacturers Association.
If the regulation is approved, Trent said it was "likely" there
would be more waste being shipped to Nevada from other states.
But he said, "The purpose is to help the Beatty facility remain
competitive so we can process hazardous waste from Nevada
companies," instead of requiring them to ship it outside Nevada,
he said.
Biaggi said people wanting to comment on the proposed regulation
are still free to contact his office. "The door is still open for
public protest," he said.
2004 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
45 Las Vegas SUN: Nuclear waste official resigns
Today: January 20, 2004 at 11:28:11 PST
_By Suzanne Struglinski
_
WASHINGTON -- University of California professor Paul Craig
resigned from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board last week,
saying he wanted more time to work on other projects but also
wanted to leave the "enormously stressful" situation.
Congress created the board in 1987 to review the Energy
Department's plan to store 77,000 tons of nuclear waste at Yucca
Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Former board Chairman Michael Corradini resigned in Dec. 30
after months of conflict-of-interest complaints stemming from his
earlier support of the project. Corradini said he did not believe
he had conflict, but resigned to keep the board's reputation and
work intact.
"This last year was enormously stressful," Craig said. "The Bush
administration likes to appoint people to committees who are
going to do their bidding. I have no evidence of this, but it
seemed Corradini was there to get Yucca Mountain up and running."
Craig said the former chairman would never back down from his
thoughts that Yucca Mountain was a good idea, even when the board
had scientific data to the contrary.
"It was distracting from doing the job I was hired to do," Craig
said.
But regardless of the problems on the board, Craig said in a
letter to the White House sent on Thursday that there are other
projects he wants to work on, and he needs the time he now
commits to the board.
Craig said none of his other activities have anything to do with
nuclear waste or nuclear policy, but that is was time for him to
leave. He will still be teaching at the University of California,
Davis, but was not sure what specific other projects in which he
will be involved. His term, which began in 1997, was supposed to
end in April.
"The secretary of Energy needs to negotiate with Congress and
the nuclear industry to slow this project down," Craig said.
"Will he do that? I'm not holding my breath."
Craig said corrosion problems the board notified the department
about in October still need to be addressed. The board feels the
most recent design for the repository will not work.
"They will have to admit this one has a problem," Craig said.
Craig said he did not see "any possible way" the department will
submit its license application for the project by the end of the
year.
DOE has always maintained that its final application will not
only be in to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by December 2004,
but that the project is scientifically sound.
2004 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
46 RGJ Carson Neighbor: Retired engineer worked on Yucca Mountain
Tuesday | Jan 20, 2004
[NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGE: Richard Morissette, a retired nuclear
engineer, spent years working on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
project. - Lisa J.Tolda/RGJ]
NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGE: Richard Morissette, a retired nuclear engineer,
spent years working on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project.
Sheila Gardner
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 1/18/2004 11:29 pm
Even though he has traded Yucca Mountain for the Sierra Nevada,
retired nuclear engineer Richard Morissette of Johnson Lane still
finds himself talking about the nuclear dump site.
Instead of answering questions from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission or the federal Environmental Protection Agency,
Morissette now debates the issue with members of his hiking club
or local service organizations he is invited to address.
Whenever anyone finds out what I did, the first thing they ask
me is if its safe, Morissette said.
After 42 years in the nuclear industry and 17 years working on
the Yucca Mountain project as a nuclear systems engineer,
Morissette believes the plant is safe. But he knows that opinion
is not shared by everyone.
Last Thursday he was asked to address the monthly meeting of the
International Footprint Association at the Carson Valley Inn.
Morissette fielded questions about earthquake faults, breeder
reactors and whether he thought the waste dump would make a good
target for terrorists.
I could hear a lot of grumbling in the back of the room, he
said. I didnt come away feeling I had accomplished a lot, but
some of the people came up afterwards and said they thought I
had.
Morissette is used to the controversy.
I didnt want to give the appearance I was selling the project,
he said. I just wanted to tell them my experiences and provide a
little information that might be helpful.
Morissette, 66, graduated from San Jose State University in 1961
with a mechanical engineering degree that included a nuclear
component.
At that time, they didnt even have a nuclear engineering
degree, he said.
He went to work for General Electric in the Vallecitos atomic lab
where he said he was up close and friendly with radiation.
When I started in 1961, I was working on some of the first
commercial nuclear power plants being developed for Commonwealth
Edison, he said. It was a very exciting time.
From his earliest days, Morissette said the nuclear industry
operated with safe practices.
The nuclear industry has had very high safety standards from the
beginning, he said. I wasnt concerned then and I am not too
concerned now.
Morissette went to work on the Yucca Mountain project under
contract to the Department of Energy in the mid-1980s.
Morissettes field at Yucca Mountain was what he described as
pre-closure.
Thats the phase where the waste, mostly spent fuel from
commercial reactors, gets shipped to Yucca Mountain, stored,
repackaged and placed underground.
Its the post closure phase, he said, that is the most
controversial.
The license would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
make the site safe for 10,000 years, but Nevada lawyers asked the
U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to require that the
Yucca Mountain waste dump protect people from harmful radiation
for 300,000 years. The permit process could take three to four
years and plans call for the facility 90 miles from Las Vegas to
begin accepting waste by 2010.
This issue wont go away, he said. In the meantime, the
project will proceed.
The Morissettes bought a lot in the Johnson Lane area in 1997 and
built their home a few years later.
When we got the house built, I told them I didnt want to go
down to Las Vegas any more. They said, Heres a laptop. You can
work out of your house.
Morissette did for a while, then retired Oct. 1, 2003.
There was too much I wanted to do, he said.
These days, Morissette spends as much time as he can outside,
hiking, cross-country skiing, working with the Carson Valley
Trails Association and the Nature Conservancy. Hes also
developed a passion for photography.
I tell everyone I am an old engineer trying to become a young
photographer, he said.
Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett Co. Inc.Newspaper. Use
*****************************************************************
47 The Herald: Dounreay a weighty tome at 230 tonnes
Web Issue 1923 January 20 2004
DAVID ROSS
TEN million pages of paper, weighing 230 tonnes and recording virtually
every aspect of Dounreay's operation over the last half century, have been
brought together in a new archive at the Caithness plant.
But its leading critic predicts that the true extent of Dounreay's
involvement in the nuclear arms programme in the 1960s and 1970s would not
appear in the documentation.
The files cover everything from the times of buses to and from Thurso in 1957
and invoices for every vacuum cleaner bought in the 1960s, to government
nuclear policy issues and international nuclear reprocessing contracts.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority believes the archive, which is not available
online at present, will provide an essential reference point for the different
project teams involved in the 4bn decommissioning of the Dounreay site.
The archive anticipates the introduction of the freedom of information
legislation next year, but will not give unregulated public access.
Copyright Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
48 PISJ: Public meetings slated on faster INEEL waste cleanup proposal
Pocatello Idaho State Journal:
IDAHO FALLS - The Department of Energy is hosting a series of
public meetings to hear comments on their "Risk-Based End State
Vision for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory."
The first meeting is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Eastern Idaho Technical
College in Idaho Falls.
According to an INEEL press release, the document shows a focused
direction for cleanup activities that will allow for accelerated
cleanup at some locations while protecting human health and the
environment. Officials will also discuss the current state of
cleanup activities at the site.
Critics of the plan, including the Snake River Alliance, say the
plan means less cleanup, and that DOE's Accelerated Cleanup Plan
diverts money and energy away from necessary environmental work.
_Copyright 2004 Pocatello Idaho State Journal_
P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431
*****************************************************************
49 New Mexican: Groups: State Stuck With Waste_
Saturday, January 17, 2004
_*Senator vows to ensure that plants depleted uranium is shipped
elsewhere*_
By BEN NEARY- | The New Mexican
Nuclear-watchdog groups warn that waste from a planned private
uranium-enrichment plant will probably never leave New Mexico if
the federal government allows production to start here.
Louisiana Energy Services, a private company that wants to build
a $1.2-billion uranium-enrichment plant near Eunice, in Lea
County, recently submitted an application to federal regulators
listing possible options for the disposal of radioactive waste
ranging from dragging it a few miles across the state line to
Texas to shipping it to Kazakhstan in the former Soviet Union.
Production of enriched uranium, which is used as fuel in nuclear
reactors, leaves depleted uranium behind. Before that waste
material can be disposed, it must be deconverted to a more
stable form. Thats a problem because there are no such
deconversion plants in the United States.
Officials from Louisiana Energy Services say they expect private
industry to build a deconversion plant by the time the plant
planned for the Eunice area starts generating waste, in perhaps
five years or so. In particular, Louisiana Energy Services
officials say they expect the French energy giant Cogema to
pursue plans to build a private deconversion plant in the United
States.
The federal government has plans to build deconversion plants to
handle some 700,000 tons of waste from its own uranium plants but
hasnt done so yet.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., inserted language in his Senate
energy bill that was defeated late last year that would have
required the U.S. Department of Energy to take waste from private
uranium-enrichment plants such as the one Louisiana Energy
Services proposes to build.
Domenici invited Louisiana Energy Services to consider locating
in New Mexico last year after the companys plans to build in
Tennessee encountered stiff opposition from government officials
and private citizens.
While Louisiana Energy Services officials have pledged to Gov.
Bill Richardson that no waste from the companys plant would
remain in New Mexico permanently, the prospect of turning waste
over to the DOE raised the question of how the state could ensure
it didnt remain in New Mexico if the federal government took
possession of it.
Richardson said last month he would withdraw his support of the
Louisiana Energy Services plant unless Domenici inserted language
in a federal appropriations bill requiring DOE to remove waste
from New Mexico.
Chris Gallegos, a spokesman for Domenici, said this week the
senator is looking for appropriate legislation to carry the
language specifying that DOE could not leave waste in the state.
Marshall Cohen, vice president of Louisiana Energy Services, said
this week that the company stands by its commitment to Richardson
that no waste from the plant will remain in New Mexico
permanently.
Cohen said Louisiana Energy Services expects to hear from the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission soon whether the agency has
accepted the companys permit application, which it submitted
last month.
In the application, Louisiana Energy Services listed a number of
what it called plausible strategies for disposal of waste
material from the plant. The company listed possible disposal
sites in Kazakhstan, France and elsewhere. Louisiana Energy
Services has also mentioned Waste Control Specialists, a company
with a disposal site in Texas, just across the state line from
Eunice.
George Dials, a former director of the federal Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, worked for Louisiana Energy Services on
its efforts to open a uranium-enrichment plant in Tennessee last
year before taking a job with Waste Control Specialists.
By presenting the disposal sites as plausible, Cohen said,
Louisiana Energy Services doesnt guarantee the particular sites
will pan out.
It is not a requirement, according to Nuclear Regulatory
Commission guidelines, that we set forth in there what will
happen, Cohen said, partially because I think there is
recognition that were not even going to have any byproduct for
five or more years. And it will accumulate very slowly, and there
are a number of potential paths that could be taken.
One of the possible disposal sites Louisiana Energy Services
listed on its federal application is Cotter Mine, a depleted
uranium mine in Colorado. The mine isnt licensed to accept such
waste, and a company official recently told Louisiana Energy
Services it isnt pursuing licensing.
Don Hancock of the Southwest Information and Research Center in
Albuquerque has been following the Louisiana Energy Services
application. He said he believes its disingenuous of Louisiana
Energy Services to list disposal sites that arent licensed or
currently interested in taking the waste material.
Louisiana Energy Services knows that its not a plausible
alternative to do that, so they are literally putting in the
alternative to give themselves some cover, Hancock said. While
the company lists disposal alternatives in its application,
Hancock said, he believes its real intention is to turn wastes
over to the federal government.
But Cohen disagreed it was misleading for Louisiana Energy
Services to mention disposing waste in the Cotter Mine. The
company noted in its federal application that an NRC panel ruled
in the 1990s that dumping depleted uranium in played-out uranium
mines was a plausible strategy.
While Louisiana Energy Services has promised Richardson it wont
leave waste in the state, Hancock said, such promises arent
legally binding. The only thing that matters is what conditions
the federal government includes in the permit for the Louisiana
Energy Services plant, he said.
Hancock questions the wisdom of New Mexico officials
concentrating simply on moving the waste out of state. It
doesnt fix the problem, Hancock said. To me the problem is the
waste. Theres no place to put the waste.
Michael Mariotte, spokesman for the Nuclear Information and
Resource Service in Washington, D.C., has followed Louisiana
Energy Services earlier, aborted proposals to open enrichment
plants in Louisiana and Tennessee.
The problem is that, physically, there isnt anywhere to put
it, Mariotte said of the waste, which is called uranium
hexaflouride.
The federal governments existing 700,000 tons of the waste now
sit at enrichment plants in Kentucky and Ohio.
Mariotte discounted Richardsons insistence that a congressional
spending bill include a requirement to remove waste from New
Mexico. Such a condition would only be significant if it
contained money for DOE to move the waste, Mariotte said.
And then youre going to run into problems of where are they
going to move it to and why is that state going to want to take
it, Mariotte said. Theres no scientific rationale to move it
from one place in the country to another unless youre going to
move it somewhere thats going to lead to its eventual disposal.
And right now, that just isnt a feasible concept.
Asked whether any other state is likely to accept the waste
willingly, given that New Mexico wouldnt want to keep it,
Mariotte said, I think the question answers itself. If New
Mexico doesnt want it, whats in it for any other state?
Content 2004 The Santa Fe New Mexican, All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
50 Columbus Dispatch: Piketon Focusing On New Jobs
- Geoff Dutton
Pollution, health risks of former plant don't seem to be a
concern in job-strapped area
Sunday, January 18, 2004
_By Geoff Dutton_ THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The announcement last week that the government plans to
reactivate a uranium-enrichment plant in Piketon gave a jolt of
optimism to a down-on-its-luck southern Ohio town, stirring
memories of jobs, prosperity and patriotic duty.
The notion of jobs creation brought cheers at news conferences,
but no one mentioned the Cold War-era facility's history of
poisoning the environment, and the men and women who worked
there.
The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which made fuel for
nuclear bombs and power plants for nearly half a century, stopped
working with uranium in May 2001 after a federal investigation
and congressional hearing.
The probe found that for decades the government and its
contractors had mishandled hazardous materials, deceived
employees about workplace dangers and contaminated the
groundwater near the 3,708-acre site.
The worst of the problems had occurred years earlier, when fear
of the Soviets spurred a national push to enrich uranium at a
time when knowledge about the environmental and health
consequences was limited.
But pollution problems continued into the 1990s. Under a court
order, the Department of Energy began a cleanup effort in 1988
that is expected to take 30 years and cost $1.3 billion.
In August 2001, the federal government started paying former
workers as much as $150,000 for cancer and other illnesses that,
under a new law, were presumed to have been caused by workplace
exposures. The payouts to employees at Piketon and a sister
facility in Paducah, Ky., were projected to total $1.9 billion.
Last week, Ohio officials announced that the plant would resume
uranium enrichment using a different process. The state had won a
bidding war with Kentucky by offering $125 million in tax breaks,
loans and other incentives.
"Any jobs is good news, but when you get jobs at a plant where
people are already dying of cancer, it's pretty sad,'' said Vina
Colley, 56, a former employee turned local activist. She blames
the plant for her chronic bronchitis, thyroid problems and four
tumors.
Many residents in the economically depressed area 65 miles south
of Columbus disagreed, including other former workers battling
cancer and other serious illnesses.
The horror stories, their horror stories, are tales from another
era, they say, and aren't likely to be repeated.
"There's a lot of people that are afraid of it,'' said Preston
Strutt, 82, of Piketon, who retired in 1985 and has colon cancer.
"They're afraid of cancer, that's what they're afraid of.''
The government paid him $150,000 for his illnesses, but he's
optimistic about the new facility.
"I'm certainly pleased, if they get it in there. I'd like to see
people get work.''
During much of its history, the plant employed more than 3,000
people.
Originally focused on making highly enriched uranium for bombs,
production was shifted to fuel for nuclear power plants in the
1970s.
More than two years ago, the plant was put on "cold standby.''
About 1,400 workers remain on maintenance and cleanup duty.
The new, $1 billion American Centrifuge Plant is expected to
create 500 jobs.
The centrifuge process will move uranium gas through a series of
50-foot long, fast-spinning tubes that separate the molecules.
The lesser molecules are sifted out, enriching the uranium enough
to sustain atom-splitting fission in a nuclear reactor.
Uranium for a nuclear power plant is enriched to about 4 percent,
compared with more than 90 percent required for bombs.
The uranium fuel will be sold to power plants around the world.
A $50 million centrifuge test facility will be built in Piketon
by 2005. If successful, full-scale operations could begin by
2010.
"There's really not a major safety risk in the enrichment
process,'' said Elizabeth Stuckle, spokeswoman for USEC, the
plant manager.
"Our worst-case accident scenario is really pretty minor even
compared to what a major chemical company or nuclear power plant
would be. It's environmentally a clean technology.''
Two Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors will be assigned to
the site full time. Commission officials also will make regular
announced and unannounced visits, said Yawar Faraz, the
commission's project manager of the gas centrifuge operation.
Radioactivity at a commercial plant is "far lower'' than at a
weapons plant, commission spokesman Ken Clark added. "It's
physically impossible for you to have a nuclear explosion.''
But even by the time the new plant goes online, officials will
still be cleaning up contamination for years from a dirtier and
more dangerous era.
In the mid-1980s, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency found
buried drums of hazardous waste, an incinerator operating without
a permit, and improperly trained employees.
When the state confronted the Department of Energy, federal
officials said they weren't subject to state pollution
regulations. The Ohio EPA sued, and a federal judge signed a
consent decree in 1988 giving the state oversight for a long list
of cleanup requirements.
"That order's still in effect,'' said Maria Galanti, the EPA's
project site coordinator since 1991.
The Department of Energy is in charge of cleaning up the
property, including five locations, ranging in size from 12 to 25
acres each, where pollutants have seeped into groundwater.
"We'll never get rid of it all -- ever,'' Galanti said. "Our goal
is to have it contained on site.''
So far, it has been contained. But tests are under way along the
southern edge of the property where pollution is feared to be
seeping off site. The location is within sight of area homes.
In 1995, a small diesel spill in Big Run Creek killed 30 fish.
The state fined the plant $10.80. In 1999, a waterline broke,
spilling chemically contaminated water into Little Beaver Creek,
killing more than 3,000 fish along a 2-mile stretch. That time,
the plant was fined $876.14.
Fish kills aside, a spokesman for USEC, which has managed the
plant since 1993, noted that environmental problems occurred when
the federal government or other contractors ran the operation.
gdutton@dispatch.com
Geoff Dutton The Columbus Dispatch 34 S. Third St. Columbus, OH
43215 (614) 559-1750 FAX: 461-7580
*****************************************************************
51 Star Online: Storage for nuclear waste
January 20, 2004_
ANNA PELTOLA and MARK JOHN_
_While nuclear waste continues to pile, countries remain
undecided on how to store the lethal stuff, write ANNA PELTOLA
and MARK JOHN._
SINCE the start of the nuclear era, highly radioactive waste has
been crossing continents and oceans in search of a secure and
final resting place.
Nearly all countries produce nuclear waste, some types of which
can remain radioactive for thousands of years, but they cannot
agree on the best way to store it.
At present highly radioactive waste is put into interim storage
where it has to sit for 30 to 40 years for its radioactivity and
heat production to decline. It is still hazardous and should be
stored somewhere permanently.
Residents of Puan in Seoul demonstrating against the South
Korean government's plan to construct a nuclear waste
reprocessing facility on Wido, an islet off Puan.
In many countries it is unclear who will pay for the cost divided
over hundreds, even hundreds of thousands of years. Utilities
could end up with a bigger bill than expected.
Most high-level waste, the most dangerous kind, is spent fuel
from the over 400 nuclear power reactors in more than 30
countries. The dismantling of nuclear weapons adds to the pile.
Even nuclear-free states produce waste from industry, hospitals
providing radiation therapy, and research centres.
Experts say technology exists for secure underground deposits
which could last millions of years. Most countries plan to seal
the highly hazardous waste in containers and store it 500m to
1,000m underground.
Sceptics say it could be safe for decades or even centuries, but
at some point it would be bound to leak or be attacked by
terrorists.
If there isnt a responsible solution to deal with nuclear
waste, it may be better to keep it above ground for a while
longer when we are looking for technology that is safer, said
Martina Krueger, who works for the environmental organisation
Greenpeace in Sweden.
Some politicians have demanded that the repositories are built
so that future generations can open them and eliminate the waste
with the help of new technology. Others say that would also leave
the deposits vulnerable to potential social chaos thousands of
years down the line.
If waste is safe in interim storage, why not keep it there?
Sure its safe ... but what we have to communicate are the
trade-offs, said Thomas Sanders from Sandia National
Laboratories, owned by the US government.
Some nuclear plants are already running into the limits of their
storage capacity. And since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the
United States attention has turned to individual plants and
whether these can be protected from terrorist attacks.
European Union countries plan to build repositories by around
2020, but some have not even started considering sites. In 2001
Finland became the first and so far only EU state to decide on a
site for a final storage.
The United States plans to deposit waste from its 103 nuclear
plants beneath the Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The site should open
in 2010, but faces local protests and legal hurdles.
Critics say big central repositories would again increase the
risk of accidents or theft because the nuclear waste has to be
transported to them from each plant.
In many cases it is unclear for how long nuclear waste is the
liability of the firm causing it, and when the state takes over.
This makes it tough for utilities to calculate the cost,
especially if the repositories are built in such a way that they
have to be guarded for security reasons.
It is difficult to give precise costs because France hasnt
decided on a strategy on long-term waste management, said Yves
le Bars, chairman of ANDRA, the national radioactive waste
management agency in France, the EUs biggest nuclear power.
We say it will take between 15 billion to 25 billion euros
(RM72bil to RM120bil) to build a repository, operate it and close
it for the existing facilities, he said. This would cover
high-level waste from Frances 58 nuclear plants, assuming fuel
would be reprocessed.
Finding a location for a dump is one of the biggest hurdles. In
South Korea, the state tried for years to find a county willing
to host a repository for low and intermediate level waste.
Finally, Buan county applied for the deposit and suggested Wi-do
island as a host. The island has 1,000 inhabitants, most of them
fishermen.
They decided to accept the repository because the government is
paying a tremendous financial package, said Myung Jae Song,
general manager at the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company, the
worlds fifth largest producer of nuclear power.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), suggested in early December that countries should
consider shared storage, even though no state should be forced to
deal with anothers atomic waste.
At Eurajoki, site of Finlands final repository, people were
upset by the idea that their town could one day start importing
foreign waste, said local politician Altti Lucander.
It causes confusion and may lead to there being no acceptance
for national deposits, Lucander said. Reuters
Copyright 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No
10894-D) Managed by I.Star.
*****************************************************************
52 UK WMD Storage Base Blockaded
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:35:13 -0600 (CST)
UK WMD Storage Base Blockaded
TP Web, 20.01.2004 18:18
Yesterday, the 19th January, three activists blockaded the main gate
at RNAD Coulport, the storage facility for Trident warheads. Morag
from Faslane Peace Camp, Roz a Trident Ploughshares pledger from
Edinburgh, and Raggy Jason from Bristol, blockaded the main gate at
Coulport for two and a half hours from 6.55 am till 9.25 am.
Workers traffic tailed back and eventually a subsidiary gate was
opened to which police redirected traffic further along the road. It
took some time for the MOD cutting team to cut the three free, in the
pouring rain, from two steel lock-on tubes using a steel cutting saw.
All three were arrested for a breach of the peace and held in HMNB
Faslane for a few hours.
One of the activists said, "Only Weapons of Non-Existence have so far
been found in Iraq. Meanwhile the UK blatantly stores and loads WMD
from here, ready to be used at any time against innocent civilians in
any country deemed to be a threat. We ask whose interests are being
served here?!"
NEW YEAR ACTION - BREACH OF FASLANE BASE SECURITY.
Earlier in the year on 9th January two activists swam to the boom at
HMNB Clyde, Faslane, and shut down the base for three quarters of an
hour. Fungus, a Trident Ploughshares pledger and "Cow" Scott, both
residents of Faslane Peace Camp, swam in wetsuits to the boom which
loops around the Trident sub berth and shiplift.
They were spotted by MOD police on patrol on the land, at which point
they scaled a chain which is connected to the boom. They remained
there from 6.30am until their arrest at 7.15am. The bandit alarm was
set off, and consequently the base was shut down for nearly three
quaters of an hour right at the time of shift change, delaying workers
entering the base for this time. MOD police had to cut through a
security fence to reach the protestors, who were by then very cold.
Fungus and Scott were held at Faslane and released around midday.
e-mail: web@tridentploughshares.org
Homepage: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/01/284148.html
*****************************************************************
53 CANADIANS PROTEST ROLE IN U.S. STAR WARS
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:26:15 -0600 (CST)
Forwarded with Compliments of Government of the USA in Exile (GUSAE):
Free Americans Resisting the Fourth Reich on Behalf of All Species.
NOTE: Thanks to Isabel Ebert for this. -- kl, pp
Sunday, January 18,
2004Back
The
Halifax Herald Limited
J.C. Locatelli plants mock missiles in the snow outside the public
library on Spring Garden Road on Saturday before a protest against
Canadian involvement in a North American missile defence system.
Panning defence plan
Protesters oppose Canada's role in missile defence system
By Bill Spurr / Staff Reporter
Throwing "missiles" made of cardboard into the air, a few dozen
Halifax demonstrators protested against Canada's participation in the
U.S. missile defence program.
David Pratt, Canada's defence minister, wrote his American
counterpart this week to start the process of negotiating an
agreement on what some term Star Wars. That has appalled members of
the Halifax Peace Coalition, who gathered in front of the library on
Spring Garden Road.
After a speech and some chanting, the demonstrators waded into the
snow, donned placards with labels like Missiles, Warheads, Missile
Defence and Defence Contractor, and started a fusillade of
projectiles made from toilet paper tubes. This was followed by a skit
in which a man wearing a George Bush mask took money out of people's
pockets and gave it to the defence contractors.
"We wanted to bring a more theatrical element into it," said John
Diamond of the Halifax Peace Coalition.
"We're working under the slogan that cardboard missiles are just as
effective as the real ones and a whole lot cheaper. So that's why we
decided to do a missile launch instead of a march."
Demonstrators also asked passersby to sign a petition and handed out
literature, including copies of Socialist Worker.
"We've already collected 3,000 or 4,000 signatures on the . . .
nationwide petition being used by the Canadian Peace Alliance," Mr.
Diamond said.
"We're hoping to show that if a city like Halifax can collect that
many signatures in a couple of months, the possibilities for
organizing this are endless."
Missile defence refers to a plan in which ballistic missiles would be
shot out of the sky by other missiles deployed in space.
The Halifax Peace Coalition believes missile defence has less to do
with defence than with an American intention to dominate space as
well as Earth. Demonstrations were also held Saturday in Nelson,
B.C., Saskatoon and Peterborough, Ont.
Back
Copyright ) 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 729-0517
(207) 319-2017 (Cell phone)
http://www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com
*****************************************************************
54 Power Online: NUKEM CORPORATION WINS DOE DISPOSAL CONTRACT
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:41:11 -0800
TEAM LED BY RWE NUKEM CORPORATION WINS DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DISPOSAL
CONTRACT FOR OVER 20,000 DRUMS OF THORIUM NITRATE
1/20/2004
Columbia, S.C. A nuclear waste management team led by RWE NUKEM Corporation
has been awarded a multi-million-dollar project by UT-Battelle, LLC to
remove over 20,000 drums of radioactive thorium nitrate from two Defense
National Stockpile Center storage depots, located in Maryland and Indiana.
UT-Battelle is a non-profit organization managing and operating the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Besides
RWE NUKEM, the award-winning team is comprised of health physics expert
Bartlett Nuclear Inc., waste shipment specialist Innovative Waste
Solutions, Canadian hazardous materials transporter RSB LOGISTIC and
secondary waste processor Alaron Corporation.
The stockpile is classified as source material and regulated by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The thorium nitrate was acquired over 40
years ago for the Atomic Energy Commission, DOEs predecessor. It was
produced for use as a component in nuclear reactor fuel but a commercial
demand never materialized. The stockpile is to be transferred to the DOE
for disposal at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Under the scope of the Thorium
Nitrate Stockpile Disposal Project, the RWE NUKEM team will remove the
thorium nitrate from storage and inspect and repackage it for shipping and
transport.
RWE NUKEM is especially well-suited to conduct the Thorium Nitrate
Stockpile Disposal Project due to its great familiarity with the stockpile.
In a previous project, RWE NUKEM had performed the characterization of the
thorium nitrate for UT-Battelle.
RWE NUKEM Corporation provides safe, compliant, and cost-effective
radioactive waste management solutions through the innovative application
of proven technologies. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., RNC operates a
branch office in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The company is a member of the RWE NUKEM
Group, an international group of radioactive waste management,
decommissioning and fuel cycle service companies formed in 1960 with about
$400 million in sales and 1,100 staff.
in
*****************************************************************
55 Oak Ridger: DOE consolidates financial services
Story last updated at 12:29 p.m. on January 20, 2004
By: _Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff_
The Department of Energy is doing a major restructuring of its
financial services operations that is expected to result in
savings of $31 million over a five-year period.
Under the plan, the financial services operations will be
consolidated from 15 locations across the United States to two
major processing centers - one in Oak Ridge and one located in
Germantown, Md.
The restructuring is a result of a study conducted by DOE as part
of President Bush's management agenda. Bush issued the agenda in
the summer of 2001, with hopes the aggressive strategy would
improve management in the federal government. The plan focuses on
five areas ranging from information technology to budget
decisions.
Under the study, DOE's financial services operations were opened
to competition from the private and public sector. Officials said
the study resulted in the selection of DOE's in-house bid to
continue to perform financial services, with significant
consolidation of operations and significant savings to the
taxpayer.
DOE's bid reduces financial services federal and support
contractor staff levels from around 181 personnel to 118,
according to a DOE news release.
In addition, DOE officials said they anticipate few, if any,
federal employee involuntary separations as a result of the
consolidation. Officials said they would mitigate the impact of
these staff reductions through staff attrition and reassignments
to job vacancies.
Officials said the new streamlined organization should be
operational by Oct. 1 - the start of federal fiscal year 2005.
The DOE news release suggested the federal agency plans to
announce additional competitive sourcing initiatives soon, with a
goal of achieving more savings for taxpayers. The streamlining of
financial services is the third and largest competitive sourcing
performance decision announced by DOE since implementing Bush's
management agenda.
*****************************************************************
56 Oak Ridger: K-25 warning sign sold on eBay
Story last updated at 12:05 p.m. on January 19, 2004
_HISTORY: A number of items on eBay highlight the history of Oak
Ridge. _
By: _Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff_
A warning sign from one of the Department of Energy's local
families is worth about $10.50.
Or, at least that's how much the item sold for Saturday on eBay -
an Internet-based marketplace. The four bids in the seven
day-auction on the sign ranged from $4 to the winning offer.
This warning sign from the Oak Ridge K-25 site was sold Saturday
on eBay.
The 10-inch by 15-inch plastic sign was from the Oak Ridge K-25
site, according to the seller, who was apparently from Jefferson
City. The historic K-25 site was built in the 1940s to enrich
uranium for use in nuclear weapons.
A couple of searches on eBay yielded several other items with
local ties, including several commemorative photo pages; a 1960s
8 millimeter movie with shots of Norris Dam and the American
Museum of Atomic Energy, a 1962 neutron-irradiated dime from the
museum; a 1956 color photo postcard of Jackson Square, showing
the Atomic Energy Commission offices in background.
The Atomic Energy Commission was a predecessor agency of DOE
while the American Museum of Atomic Energy later became known as
the American Museum of Science and Energy.
*****************************************************************
57 Oak Ridger: Health Effects Subcommittee needs new members
Story last updated at 12:06 p.m. on January 19, 2004
By: _Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff_
New members are being recruited for the Oak Ridge Reservation
Health Effects Subcommittee.
The subcommittee, which currently consists of around 20 community
members, essentially serves as an advisory group on public health
activities and research connected with the Department of Energy's
Oak Ridge Reservation. The group provides advice and
recommendations to the directors of the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The Health Effects Subcommittee's current membership includes a
veterinarian, a day care operator, a physicist, a couple of
toxicologists and several individuals who have worked at DOE's
Oak Ridge facilities.
ATSDR will provide information about the subcommittee, its role,
and the process for becoming a member, during a public meeting
from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Feb. 3. The meeting will be held at the
Kingston Community Center, 201 Patton Ferry Road, Kingston.
The deadline to receive application materials is Feb. 3,
officials said.
For more information about joining the Health Effects
Subcommittee, call Marilyn Horton, ATSDR's committee management
specialist, or Lorine Spencer, the group's designated federal
official, toll free at 1-888-422-8737. The subcommittee's Web
*****************************************************************
58 Oak Ridger: Y-12 plant names new security leader
Story last updated at 11:55 a.m. on January 20, 2004
_Y-12 MANAGER SAYS: Security chief has an 'impeccable track
record' with Y-12's security operations that gives him tremendous
credibility. _
By: _Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff_
Oak Ridge's nuclear weapons plant has a new security chief.
Willis "Butch" Clements is the new division manager for
Safeguards and Security at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
This marks the second time Clements has held this position.
Y-12 officials could not confirm whether or not Clements'
appointment had anything to do with recent security-related woes.
Last week, the Project On Government Oversight, a federal
watchdog group, voiced criticisms over a recent Y-12 security
review, indicating that the weapons plant could not adequately
protect its supply of bomb-grade uranium. In addition, Y-12 will
soon undergo a review of its "key management practices,"
following an incident where between 200 to 250 keys were reported
missing from the facility last year.
__ Willis 'Butch' Clements
Judy Johns, who's leaving the security chief post, will begin
work on a special homeland security initiative and will continue
to report to Dennis Ruddy, president of BWXT Y-12, which manages
Y-12 for the federal government. Officials could not elaborate on
this new position.
Employed at Y-12 since 1989, Clements previously served as
security chief from 1994 until 1998. During that time, he was
named the plant's manager of the year, and the security
organization garnered awards from both the Department of Energy
and the Tennessee Malcolm Baldridge process - a premier
recognition of business excellence and quality achievement.
Most recently, Clements served as director of National Security
Programs, which is responsible for supplying nuclear fuel to the
Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Navy.
In his new role, Clements will work closely with Wackenhut
Services Inc. to coordinate selected areas of security. Wackenhut
is under contract with the federal government to provide security
at several local facilities, including Y-12.
Ruddy said Clements' "impeccable track record" with Y-12's
security operations gives him tremendous credibility.
"We are fortunate to have a leader of his caliber to drive our
ongoing efforts to implement security changes in the post-Sept.
11 environment," Ruddy said. "I know he will be an invaluable
asset."
Prior to joining Y-12, Clements served 20 years in the U.S. Army,
retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He also completed the Federal
Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Quantico, Va.
*****************************************************************
59 Oak Ridger: Radioactive material contract awarded to RWE NUKEM Corp.
Story last updated at 12:36 p.m. on January 20, 2004
By: _Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff_ paul.parson@oakridger.com
UT-Battelle has awarded a $3.7 million contract to remove over
20,000 drums of radioactive thorium nitrate from two Defense
National Stockpile Center storage depots, located in Maryland and
Indiana.
RWE NUKEM Corp., which has offices in Oak Ridge and Columbia,
S.C., will tackle the job involving the thorium nitrate, which
was acquired over 40 years ago for the Atomic Energy Commission -
the Department of Energy's predecessor. The material was produced
for use as a component in nuclear reactor fuel but a commercial
demand never materialized.
UT-Battelle and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are managing the
removal project due to the lab's expertise in dealing with
materials like thorium nitrate, according to spokesman Bill
Cabage. UT-Battelle runs ORNL for the federal government.
The stockpile of thorium nitrate to be transferred will be
disposed of at the Nevada Test Site, located 65 miles northwest
of Las Vegas. Under the scope of the project, the RWE NUKEM team
will remove the thorium nitrate from storage and inspect and
repackage it for shipping and transport. In a previous project,
RWE NUKEM had performed the characterization of the thorium
nitrate for UT-Battelle.
Besides RWE NUKEM, the award-winning team is comprised of health
physics expert Bartlett Nuclear Inc., waste shipment specialist
Innovative Waste Solutions, Canadian hazardous materials
transporter RSB LOGISTIC and secondary waste processor Alaron
Corp.
*****************************************************************
60 [du-list] Bad days at all points till we people get our $#!*
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 17:56:51 -0800
Mitzi makes some HUGELY important points here to which i reply below:
upthesun@c... Mitzi wrote:
Have you seen http://www.radiation.org ? It gives added foundation to your
correct point of view. As for Helen, she often reminds me of a
grasshopper, leaping from one issue to the other but failing to connect
them. I was truly disappointed with the panel she chose in NYC at NPRI's
conference. Except for one speaker, they were cautious and conservative in
their presentations, never hitting hard and there was no opportunity for
audience participation even though many in the audience were far more
knowledgeable than the speakers. Now she will be doing another one in
DC. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out.
A very important report has come out of Europe, sponsored by the European
Parliament. It is ECRR, the European Committee on Radiation Risk 2003;
Health Effects of Ionising Radiation Exposure at Low Doses for Radiation
Protection Purposes. Edited by the author of Wings of Death, Chris Busby,
it is the work of about 40 researchers, scientists, epidemiologists,
doctors, etc. among whose conclusions are that the international radiation
safety standards, while fairly appropriate for radiation externally
received, are off by hundreds to thousands in applying those standards to
low dose, especially ingested radioactive particles. Their methodology is
holistic and far more appropriate to the subject than that of the "official
authorities". If you'd like, I can send you details on how to obtain
copies. Mitzi
me replying: wow, again thank you! Now that you mention it i have noticed
how Dr. Caldicott skips around, but i didn't see it as out of the ordinary
cuz i do it too. I've believed it important to tie all the cardinal points
together quickly enough to aid in the forming of the larger picture. But
yeah, some seem disparate and some need more explanation to cut thru denial
that our supposedly human leaders could perpetrate such horrors upon their
own and all people. It's a tough balance between drawing the picture and
adequately developing the points and holding people's attention. someone
else brought up the point that too few people like Dr. Caldicott work in
the economic analysis necessary to really contextually understand whatever
issue is being presented. Yes, it's often touched upon, but given it's
rightful place in the foundation.
I so share your disappointment and find it right maddening when they don't
allow audience participation at conferences, in forums and wherever else
they put up paneled walls when they bring us together. Such behaviour is
endemic to our whole society, including our "progressive" left, most
unfortunately. I believe it's an integral part of the activism we people
need to do to see this changed, because it just breeds more sheep,
deference, when what we need more than ever is both participatory democracy
and the participatory economy to make IT ALL possible. Let's all give our
feedback and show our frustration at the right side of the leftwing and all
the way along where the left where, yes, they may be an expert, but we must
give space for people to make points, fill in gaps, add dimensions,
challenge panelists and not "just ask questions". Of course they should all
be kept short and moderated so people don't ramble like this fine example
i'm giving.
And finally, I don't see the point of "international radiation safety
standards" for only "radiation externally received" when humans and all
life is permeable, breathes, drinks eats. So yes thanks, please send the
info on sensible permissible dosages which no doubt will be no dose at all.
Grateful, Nick
----- Original Message -----
From:
Let's
Make Change
To: mitzi
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 10:26 PM
Subject: Re: [du-list] bad days at Indian Point--inside America's most
dangerous nuke power plant
thank you for this! I will circulate this your reply here to keep things
in the balance. I'll check with a friend who i think has read her last
book. I heard her speak promoting it ...great, here it is, the very speech
im referring to:
http://www.workingtv.com/helencaldicott.html
and here's an excerpt from her The New Nuclear Danger on the so called,
Depleted Uranium:
http://www.peacehost.net/PacifistNation/CaldicottAndDU.htm
But I recall noticing she said nothing about nuclear power (plants) being
the source. And the main points of that industry's sophisticated spin is to
separate and distance itself from its destabilizing military applications
and its most toxic of any substance known, threatening all life in every
way. This can be shown if people wou ld just pay attention, read and watch
the lecture she gave linked above. The presents the miliatry side of the
dangers excellently. it is a heavy watch. I flipped thru that book and i
saw nothing about nuclear power plants. No matter tho. my point is that it
should be the foundation of the movement. Just like the earth is the
foundation and space is top. But each should get equal priority. I'm so
glad you agree. And Thankful, Nick
mitzi
<upthesun@cshore.com>
wrote:
She has in the past, having help to found the now apparantly moribund Long
Island group STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation) which was engaged in
fighting both Indian Point in Buchanan, N.Y. and Millstone in Waterford,
Ct. She has been active on both fronts for many years, Uranium mining
(which she helped stop for a time in Australia under the Labour
administration, but which has been resumed under the rightist
Conservatives), Atomic Power AND nuclear and radioactive weapons and the
radioactive waste industry are each feeding into the other geopolitically
and economically, each responsible for a multitude of illnesses and
premature deaths well into the future. So I agree with you, that we must
not ignore the energy part of the picture. We must always alert the people
about this connection, especially in the schools where future generations
are being taught misinformation and outright lies when the story of the
atom is taught at all. Mitzi Bowman, Coordinator Don't Waste
Connecticut
upthesun@cshore.com
----- Original Message -----
From:
Let's
Make Change
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2004 7:17 PM
Subject: [du-list] bad days at Indian Point--inside America's most
dangerous nuke power plant
Helen Caldicott seems a very well intended and hard-working activist, but
she doesn't focus, that i've seen or heard, on the source of all this
nuclear terror, the nuclear power plants themselves. I do feel we need to
focus more of our activism against this source of all nuclear terror. Yes,
anything nuclear is terrifying/terrorism by its nature, once you understand
the reality thru the slick PR the spend sooo heavily on:
Bad Days at Indian Point
Inside America's Most Dangerous Nuclear Power Plant
by Jeffrey St. Clair
www.dissidentvoice.org
January 17, 2004
First Published in Counterpunch
http://dissidentvoice.org/Jan04/StClair0117.htm
These are desperate days for Entergy, the big Arkansas-based power
conglomerate that owns the frail Indian Point nuclear plant, located on the
east bank of the Hudson River outside Buchanan, New York-just 22 miles from
Manhattan.
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61 MJ: A free-market-embracing, green-power-supporting alternative
to the Bush energy plan.
Free and Green
[MotherJones.com] [Mother Jones] [Commentary]
_By Harvey Wasserman_ January 20, 2004
Two hundred and fifty-seven feet high -- and highly profitable
a pair of Danish-made turbines twirl in the northern Ohio winds.
Owned by the City of Bowling Green in concert with some other
municipal utilities, the $1.8 million machines each produce
enough electricity to power nearly a thousand homes. But these
ultra-modern generators represent more than just a wise
investment they are both symbol and reality in a war over
national energy policy that will be fought again in Washington
this year. Its a war we cant afford to lose.
Two months ago, Senate Democrats supported by seven Republicans
-- barely beat back a Bush Administration-backed national energy
plan. The proposal was a fossil/nuke grab-bag, bloated by $20-30
billion in subsidies, tax breaks and other giveaways for some of
the nations biggest polluters.
The administration invested significant political capital in
pushing for the bills passage, and the defeat was a nasty shock
for the White House. But those who think the fight has been won
may be in for an even nastier shock in the coming months. As
Congress slouches back into session, the fragile coalition that
defeated the bill is already cracking. Now, advocates of clean
energy face a formidable task: Develop a viable alternative to
Team Bush's coal-oil-nuke-gas (CONG) plan, and do it soon.
Of course, just being greener wont be enough. Our clean
alternative will need to make fiscal sense, and will need to meet
the nations huge energy needs. The good news: Thanks to a host
of technological advances, such a plan might be surprisingly
simple to develop.
The Bush energy plan that failed in December was an unvarnished
partisan play. Drafted in secret by Vice President Dick Cheney's
infamous task force, it was fine-tuned in secret by Sen. Pete
Domenici and Rep. Billy Tauzin -- two of King CONG's most ardent
Capitol Hill guerillas. The resulting pork-laden legislation and
the steamroller approach offended scores of lawmakers, and
prompted scathing editorials nationwide. But in the Senate, the
final straw was a rider providing a legal shield for makers of
MTBE, a gasoline additive that's a suspected carcinogen (both
Tauzin and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay have big MTBE
producers in their districts). Some have opined, reassuringly,
that the Bush/Cheney/Tauzin/Domenici CONG nightmare is dead
that it could never pass in an election year. Unlikely. Bush now
says hes shooting for a mid-February passage.
With no time to spare, advocates of green energy might want to
steal a page from the Republicans "free market" playbook. GOP
politicians and their bloviating brethren at right-wing think
tanks love to declare their support for level playing fields and
"unfettered competition," especially when attacking government
regulations. But they conveniently overlook the huge federal
subsidies that prop up King CONG. And they miss the crucial fact
that, with one important caveat, renewable energy particularly
wind energy -- is at the brink of blowing away its CONG
competition in pure market terms.
Given recent breakthroughs in green technologies, it's now
possible to shape an energy policy aimed at allowing all
generating sources to compete on a level basis, letting the
economic chips fall where they may. That goal cant be achieved
overnight, but it is attainable. In three simple steps. First,
renewables must be afforded the same sorts of subsidies and
protections given to King CONG. Second, all costs must be
accounted for meaning generators would have to pay for the
health and environmental damage they cause. Third, all subsidies
must be gradually, evenly abolished. Vijay Vaitheeswaran of The
Economist in his new book, Power to the People joins others in
saying, in essence, that whats really needed is a marriage
between Adam Smith, the father of free markets, and Rachel
Carson, the mother of the environmental movement.
Under the Bush energy bill, and the existing programs it would
perpetuate, King CONG gets tax breaks and direct government
handouts that dwarf what's given to renewables. One key
Senatorial aide estimated the annual pork fest -- before the Bush
bill -- at around $20 billion. But, he says, "that's just in
direct subsidies. If you count destruction of public lands,
artificially low royalties, R for clean coal, the health costs to
society of air and water pollution," plus federal reactor
insurance coverage , federal support for radioactive waste
disposal, and so forth, the real costs could be "an order of
magnitude higher."
The Bush/Cheney/Tauzin/Domenici plan would pile on another $20-30
billion in tribute to King CONG. Proposed loan guarantees for new
nuclear plants alone are set at some $8.5 billion. And the bill
continues to give reactor operators a free ride in case of a
catastrophic meltdown. Under the 1957 Price-Anderson Act, such
federal protection was to have expired once private insurers
jumped in to underwrite the liability. A half-century later,
American taxpayers are still on the hook for any costs related to
a reactor accident that exceed $10 billion. The Bush plan would
extend the giveaway to the next generation of nukes at a time
when reactor-lade europe is turning heavily toward renewables.
Further subsidies cover the costs of transporting and protecting
high-level radioactive waste. And, while nuclear generators have
long been taxed to pay for the construction of a nuclear waste
repository, Congress has been unwilling to tap deeply into that
tax revenue to fund the construction of a disposal site at Yucca
Mountain, Nevada. Nearly two thirds of the money allocated for
the project last year came from taxpayers, not the nuclear
industry.
Fossil fuels also get billions in rebates, tax breaks and
incentives hidden in the labyrinth of the federal corporate
welfare system. And King CONG sources are afforded an epic free
ride when it comes to health and environmental costs. Even
without accounting for global warming -- possibly the most
expensive of all long-term fossil/nuke impacts -- the real costs
of coal, oil, nuclear and gas pollution dwarf the already massive
direct subsidies and tax breaks combined.
By contrast, when all subsidies and impacts are factored in, wind
power is a bargain. Critics have consistently cited only one
environmental impact bird kills and study after study has
shown the threat posed by windmills located anywhere outside
narrow migratory canyons is virtually nil. Except for concerns
over noise and scenic impact, wind power has no other
environmental costs. The federal support offered to wind
producers is similarly meager, effectively limited to the
Production Tax Credit, which pays wind producers a meager premium
of about 1.8 centers per kilowatt hour. California and Minnesota
also offer modest state credits.
Unlike the massive CONG handouts, however, the wind tax credits
are provided on a year-to-year basis, leaving the industry
hanging as Washington reconsiders the credit every fall. As if
that werent enough, last year Bush yanked the tax credit
reauthorization from the federal budget and dumped it into the
energy bill, essentially holding wind producers hostage. The wind
tax credit has broad bipartisan support, but when the energy bill
was defeated, the wind industry took a hit. At very least, the
wind tax credit should be put on a five-year basis, and should be
restructured to make it accessible to farmers, communities, and
small investors who could own their own wind farms.
But even the wind power tax credit could ultimately be phased
out. On a truly level playing field, with no subsidies for
anybody, wind power can compete flat-out with CONG sources. Where
health and environmental externalities are counted, it's not even
close. State commissions in Colorado and Minnesota have now
certified wind power as the "least cost" alternative for new
electric power generation. Studies by the American Wind Energy
Association, the National Renewable Energy Laobratories,
Worldwatch, and a host of others tell the same story.
In a classic open market, today's wind power technologies are
competitive with coal, but leave it in the dust once ecological
externalities are factored in. Price instability is pushing
natural gas out of range. Oil hasn't been a significant generator
of electricity for a century (except, ironically, in Hawaii,
where a conversion to solar power is being pushed hard). Finally,
given the realistic life cycle, the threat of terrorist attack,
and the cost of waste disposal, atomic power is barely worth
mentioning.
By comparison, new satellite mapping techniques have shown that
wind resources in the U.S. are far greater and more widespread
than originally believed. The Great Plains region between the
Mississippi and the Rockies -- the "Saudi Arabia of Wind" --
could generate three times as much electricity as the US
consumes. In 2001, $900 million worth of wind turbines were
installed in Texas alone. Along the Great Lakes, big new "slow
speed" turbines like Bowling Green's are already profitably
turning wind into electricity.
As Alaska-based transmission expert Bill Leighty has shown,
significant challenges remain in getting wind-generated power
from remote regions to urban areas. But efficiency and solar
power have no such problems.
Increased efficiency has long been the cheapest of all green
energy initiatives. From the time the first coal was dug and the
first oil burned, the US has wasted at least half the energy it
consumes. Called "negawatts" by conservation guru Amory Lovins,
increased efficiency can pump electricity back into the supply at
under 2 cents/kilowatt hour -- a price unbeatable by any other
source.
Photovoltaic cells (PV), those thin silicon wafers that can turn
rooftops and south-facing walls and windows into solar energy
generators, get virtually nothing in the Bush energy plan. If
solar energy received short-term federal aid to encourage
investment in PV arrays something like the subsidies provided
in the Bush bill to underwrite nuclear plant construction areas
like the desert southwest could generate massive amounts of
extremely cheap, clean power. Estimates from John Turner at NREL
indicate that a single PV array installation in central Nevada
covering 100 square miles could generate enough electricity to
meet the entire nations needs. Far less ambitious projects could
power Las Vegas, Phoenix, Reno, and other cities in the
inter-mountain West.
Solar power today is a bit more expensive, per megawatt
generated, than coal, oil or gas -- until you factor in the
health and environmental impacts, of course. But according to the
American Solar Energy Society, in areas too remote to be reached
by a centralized grid, solar power is already equal to nuclear in
straight-up economic terms, and is closing in rapidly on
fossil-based sources even without the eco-accounting.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, poster child for a
green energy economy, voted shut its Rancho Seco reactor in 1989.
Right next to the dead nuke, a 2-megawatt PV facility still feeds
the grid. With extreme success, Sacramento has forged ahead with
efficiency and conservation, and has scattered PV throughout the
city. If the thousands of federal buildings did the same,
taxpayers would reap huge savings and the new factory capacity
making those cells would drive down the price.
There are other promising sources of green power -- solar power
towers and parabolic trough generators, ocean thermal stations,
undersea "tide mills", and bobbing wave generators and they
deserve meaningful support in a green energy bill. All are
becoming competitive with the dirty, vulnerable, unstable, and
unreliable power stations of the obsolete and subsidy-dependant
CONG economy.
For decades the CONG flaks have argued that renewables are a
distant and "impractical" dream. Its time to put their claims to
the test. Equalize the subsidies for all sources. Compare wind,
solar, and efficiency with fossil and nuclear power after putting
a price tag on their health and environmental costs. Then abolish
all the subsidies.
Its time to call King CONGs bluff. Its time to make both Adam
Smith and Rachel Carson smile. Its time to show that, when it
comes to energy, a truly free market would be a green market. [.]
What do you think?
_Harvey Wasserman is author of *Harvey Wassermans History of the
US, and co-author (with Bob Fitrakis) of *George W. Bush Versus
the Superpower of Peace*. _
2004 The Foundation for National Progress
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