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Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body

                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 UPI: West says Iran still enriching uranium - 
2 Las Vegas SUN: Time May Be With N. Korea in Nuke Crisis
3 Las Vegas SUN: S. Korea Cautiously Welcomes Bush Warning
4 Las Vegas SUN: N. Korea Said to Have Removed Fuel Rods
5 Las Vegas SUN: Expert Unconvinced on North Korea Nukes
6 SMH: Clampdown on nuclear scientists 
7 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Nuke Probe Picks Up
8 UPI: Pakistani nuclear scientists' trips banned - 
9 BBC: Pakistan draws up nuclear report 
10 Hi Pakistan: Government releases three in nuclear proliferation prob
11 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Praises Libya for Nuke Cooperation
12 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Sent Nuke Investigators to Iran
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
13 US: NRC: Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and Procedures; Notice of 
14 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice
15 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
16 US: North County Times: Desalination dispute nears rupture
17 UKAEA: New treatment plant is good news for the environment and econ
18 US: AJC Panel: Use coal tax to boost nuclear
19 Belona: Bellona’s report on safety and legal violations at the Lenin
20 US: e4engineering.com: Westinghouse commissions PaR Systems deal
21 US: e4engineering.com: Westinghouse awarded $70 million in outages c
22 US: WCCO: PUC Chief Calls For More Nuclear Power In Minnesota
23 US: Clarion-Ledger: Nuke site faces opposition at hearing 
24 US: Forbes.com: NRC to inspect clogged safety pumps at Wis. nuke
25 Scotsman.com: Scotland - Nuclear bosses accused of complacency
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
26 US: Las Vegas SUN: Daughter Fights for Ailing Nuke Workers
27 US: Gallup Independent: Radiation exam may net $150K for victims
28 US: Las Vegas SUN: Boomtown in the making?
29 Defra, UK: consultations - Proposals for the justification of practi
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
30 US: Deseretnews: Goshute leader pleads innocent
31 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Goshute leader pleads innocent 
32 UKAEA: Archive investment preserves Dounreays pioneering history 
33 Las Vegas RJ: Yucca board member resigns 
34 Haaretz IAEA: Iran continues work at uranium enrichment plant       
35 Las Vegas SUN: DOE plans to submit Yucca license bid by December
36 The Herald: Dounreay chiefs accused of complacency   
37 Gallup Independent: Uranium foes fear an unfair hearing
38 Pahrump Valley Times: Yucca Mountain as a campaign touchstone
39 US: KRNV: Second nuclear waste board member resigns
 
                         NUCLEAR WEAPONS
 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
40 DOE: Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01-
41 DOE: Certification of the Radiological Condition of the Chapman Valv
42 Tri-City Herald: Land transfer questioned 
43  U.S. Newswire - DOE and New Mexico Environment Department Agree 
44 Oak Ridger: Stakeholders: Stewardship is a key issue 							 							
45 PISJ: Area residents concerned about INEEL cleanup proposal
 
                          OTHER NUCLEAR
 
46 Google News Alert - nuclear
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
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 1 UPI: West says Iran still enriching uranium - 

(United Press International)
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
  January 21, 2004 			   

LONDON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Western diplomats say Iran has breached 
its promise and has begun enriching uranium again, The Daily 
Telegraph reported Wednesday.

 The enrichment process is a crucial step in producing nuclear 
weapons.

 "This is clearly a breach," one diplomat told the newspaper. 
"The goal is cessation of enrichment and we are moving in the 
opposite direction."

 Iran says it had only "temporarily" suspended operation of the 
gas centrifuges to enrich uranium and insists it has a right to 
make fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity.

 The latest disclosure could undermine the fragile agreement 
negotiated in October by Britain, France and Germany to avert a 
new crisis over weapons of mass destruction.

 British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw met his German and French 
counterparts Monday to discuss Iran and other issues.

*****************************************************************
 2 Las Vegas SUN: Time May Be With N. Korea in Nuke Crisis

Today: January 21, 2004 at 12:30:08 PST 

 By BETH GARDINER ASSOCIATED PRESS 

LONDON (AP) - 

Time could be on North Korea's side if negotiations over its
nuclear weapons lag, a military think tank said Wednesday in a
report that showed the North might be able to expand its
weapons-making ability in several years. 

The International Institute for Strategic Studies said the scant
and incomplete intelligence on North Korean nuclear efforts made
it impossible to draw firm conclusions about its weapons
capability. 

North Korea may have as many as eight nuclear weapons this year,
with the ability to produce about one weapon per year, the IISS
said. Within a few years, the communist nation may be able to
boost its production capacity to up to 13 new bombs annually, it
said. 

That worst-case scenario is based on the assumption that North
Korea could soon finish building a new reactor and a uranium
enrichment plant, the IISS reported. Under the more likely
scenario that it takes several years to complete those
facilities, the boost in bomb-making capacity would come near
the end of the current decade, said John Chipman, the
institute's director. 

"There is still some time for diplomatic efforts to halt and
eliminate North Korea's nuclear arsenal while it remains limited
to a handful of nuclear weapons," he said. 

"As time elapses, however, a diplomatic solution could become
more difficult, as Pyongyang acquires additional strategic
bargaining chips" and greater uncertainty make verification more
complicated, he said. 

North Korea probably could have produced enough plutonium for
one to two nuclear weapons before a 1994 deal with Washington in
which it suspended its nuclear programs, the group said. 

It also possesses 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods which could
provide enough plutonium for two to five bombs, according to the
institute, and can now produce enough fuel for one more bomb per
year. 

But a 50-megawatt nuclear reactor believed to be a year or two
from completion at the time of the now-abandoned 1994 agreement
could provide far more plutonium, enough to produce five to ten
bombs per year, the institute said. 

Pyongyang could have the reactor running at full capacity
anywhere between a few years and six years from now, and has
said it intends to do so, according to the institute, which
added that it is unclear whether work is underway. 

A clandestine uranium enrichment program could boost weapons
production capability further, but it is difficult to predict
when that might happen, the institute said. North Korea denies
having such a program, but the report said there was "convincing
evidence" it does and estimated it could be ready by mid-decade
but might take several years longer. 

--- 

On the Net: 

International Institute for Strategic Studies,
http://www.iiss.org

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 3 Las Vegas SUN: S. Korea Cautiously Welcomes Bush Warning

Today: January 21, 2004 at 2:59:59 PST 

 By SOO-JEONG LEE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - 

Asian nations welcomed President Bush's State of the Union 
warning to "the world's most dangerous regimes," with South Korea 
calling it a signal for North Korea to resume negotiations on its 
nuclear weapons programs. 

Others applauded Bush's pledge to confront "the regimes that 
harbor and support terrorists." 

Bush singled out North Korea and Iran on the nuclear issue during 
Tuesday's address, pledging that "America is committed to keeping 
the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the 
world's most dangerous regimes." 

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the wording underlined 
Washington's consistent hard-line stand against weapons of mass 
destruction, and Bush has not dramatically changed his stance 
since he branded those countries, along with Iraq, two years ago 
as forming an "axis of evil." 

In Japan, parts of Bush's speech were carried live on television. 
News reports led with his defense of the war in Iraq and support 
for Libya's cooperation on nuclear programs. 

But there were no indications that any of China's television 
stations, which are all government-controlled, carried the speech 
live. 

South Korea applauded Bush for contrasting their case with that 
of Iraq, toppled by a U.S.-led invasion. Bush underlined that 
"different threats require different strategies." 

"The U.S. president clearly sent a message that North Korea 
should come out to negotiate and not ignore the nuclear issue," 
ministry spokesman Shin Bong-kil said. 

Americans officials accuse North Korea of running a secret 
nuclear program. International talks aimed at persuading North 
Korea to give up its nuclear programs have fizzled. 

But many South Koreans consider the North a misguided cousin that 
needs coaxing to open up, not a looming threat. 

"The United States itself is the most dangerous regimes in the 
world," said Sunnyo Shin, a 33-year-old unemployed office worker. 
"Rather than bringing freedom to the Iraqi people, the United 
States is infringing on their sovereignty." 

On the war on terror, the Foreign Ministry's Shin agreed with 
Bush's assessment it was wrong to believe the danger of terrorism 
had passed even though it has been more than two years since 
America was attacked. 

Shin also welcomed Bush's salute to allies helping rebuild Iraq, 
noting Seoul's plans to send 3,000 troops in a mission making 
South Korea the second biggest coalition partner after the United 
States and Britain. 

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a group of Indonesians were invited to 
view Bush's address at the U.S. Embassy and engage U.S. 
Ambassador Ralph Boyce in a question-and-answer session 
afterward. 

"I think (the speech) was very good and very good for a second 
term for Bush," said Putu Antara, a 64-year-old banker from Bali, 
where Oct. 12, 2002, nightclub bombings killed 202 people. "As a 
Balinese man, I was happy to hear about what he (Bush) said about 
terrorism." 

*****************************************************************
 4 Las Vegas SUN: N. Korea Said to Have Removed Fuel Rods

Today: January 21, 2004 at 3:25:02 PST 
 
ASSOCIATED PRESS 

NEW YORK (AP) - 

North Korea has removed 8,000 spent fuel rods from its main
nuclear site, providing further evidence the communist nation
may have restarted efforts to build atomic bombs, said an
American who visited the complex. 

Jack Pritchard, a former U.S. State Department official, was
part of a five-member delegation that viewed the secretive
Yongbyon nuclear site on Jan. 8 in the first visit by outsiders
since North Korea expelled U.N. inspectors in 2002. 

"We discovered that all 8,000 rods had been removed," Pritchard
wrote in an op-ed piece published Wednesday in The New York
Times. 

The delegation, which included former Los Alamos Laboratory
director Sig Hecker, met with North Korean nuclear scientists,
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan and Lt. Gen. Ri Chan Bok, the
point man with the American-led U.N. Command in South Korea. 

Hecker is scheduled to provide details about the visit to a
Senate panel on Wednesday. 

American officials have accused North Korea of running a secret
nuclear program in violation of a 1994 deal requiring Kim Jong
Il's government to freeze its atomic facilities. Washington and
its allies since have cut off free oil shipments that were part
of the accord. 

Pritchard, now a scholar at the Brookings Institution, said last
week that North Korean officials told the delegation the regime
sees no urgency in ending the impasse over its nuclear programs
because delays give the country more time to expand its arsenal. 

In December 2002, the North was suspected of having one or two
nuclear weapons that were built before the 1994 accord, but it
may have quadrupled its arsenal since then, Pritchard wrote. 

In the op-ed piece, he accused the Bush administration of
relying on faulty intelligence that dismissed North Korean
claims it restarted its program at Yongbyon to build a "nuclear
deterrent." 

"Now there are about 8,000 spent fuel rods missing - evidence
that work on such a deterrent may have begun," he wrote. 

North Korea has insisted it needs nuclear weapons as a deterrent
against a possible U.S. attack. But it says it will freeze its
nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts
sanctions against the North, resumes oil shipments and removes
North Korea from the State Department's list of countries
sponsoring terrorism. 

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 5 Las Vegas SUN: Expert Unconvinced on North Korea Nukes

Today: January 21, 2004 at 7:50:04 PST 

 By GEORGE GEDDA ASSOCIATED PRESS 

WASHINGTON (AP) - 

An American nuclear weapons expert who recently visited North
Korea's main nuclear complex said Wednesday he saw no convincing
evidence that Pyongyang can build a plutonium-based nuclear
device, but it most likely can make plutonium. 

Siegfried Hecker, a former director of the Los Alamos, N.M.,
nuclear research laboratory, also said he remained unconvinced
that the North Koreans could convert any such nuclear device
into a nuclear weapon. Hecker, who visited North Korea's
secretive Yongbyon nuclear site on Jan. 8 as part of an
unofficial U.S. delegation, was speaking to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. 

The North Koreans claimed that day that they had reprocessed
8,000 spent fuel rods to extract plutonium, Hecker told the
committee. He said the visiting delegation could not
definitively substantiate the reprocessing claim, but said he
saw evidence that the North Koreans had the technical expertise
to do that. 

Another former official on the trip, former State Department
official Jack Pritchard, wrote in a New York Times op-ed piece
published Wednesday that all 8,000 rods had been removed from
the nuclear site, in what Pritchard called evidence that the
communist nation may have restarted efforts to build atomic
bombs. 

Hecker said he told senior North Korean officials that "there is
nothing that we saw at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research
Center that would allow me to assess whether or not the DPRK
possessed a nuclear deterrent if that meant a nuclear device or
nuclear weapon." DPRK is shorthand for the official name of the
country, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. 

American officials have accused North Korea of running a secret
nuclear program in violation of a 1994 deal requiring Kim Jong
Il's government to freeze its atomic facilities. Washington and
its allies since have cut off free oil shipments that were part
of the accord. 

The delegation met with North Korean nuclear scientists, Vice
Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan and Lt. Gen. Ri Chan Bok, the
point man with the American-led U.N. Command in South Korea. 

Hecker said he believes the North Koreans wanted to show the
delegation the site to verify that they had taken "significant
actions" over the past year to demonstrate their nuclear
capabilties. 

He said he decided to accept the invitation to make the trip
because of concern over what he described as the ambiguities
associated with the country's nuclear program. 

"Ambiguities often lead to miscalculations, and in the case of
nuclear weapons-related matters such miscalculations could be
disastrous," Hecker said. 

The U.S. government neither facilitated nor discouraged the
visit. Participants have provided briefings to administration
officials. 

While showing interest in the group's conclusions, the
administration has said its focus is on achieving nuclear
disarmament in North Korea through a six-nation process that got
under way last summer in Beijing. 

Efforts since then to arrange a second meeting have not been
successful because the parties have been unable to reach
agreement on ground rules. Besides the United States and North
Korea, other nations taking part are South Korea, China, Japan
and Russia. 

Hecker also alluded to the ongoing dispute between the United
States and North Korea about whether Pyongyang acknowledged to
U.S. officials in October 2002 that it had a highly enriched
uranium program in addition to the plutonium-producing
capability it possesses at Yongbyon. 

"The disagreement concerns a difference between what DPRK
officials believe they said and what U.S. officials believe they
heard," he said. 

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan told the U.S. delegation,
according to Hecker, that North Korea had chosen the plutonium
path to a nuclear deterrent. 

Kim also reported to the visiting Americans that the country had
no facilities, equipment or scientists dedicated to a
uranium-bomb program. Hecker quoted Kim as saying "'We can be
very serious when we talk about this. We are fully open to
technical talks.'" 

Pritchard, in his op-ed piece noted that in December 2002, the
North was suspected of having one or two nuclear weapons that
were built before the 1994 accord, but it may have quadrupled
its arsenal since then. 

In the op-ed piece, he accused the Bush administration of
relying on faulty intelligence that dismissed North Korean
claims it restarted its program at Yongbyon to build a "nuclear
deterrent." 

"Now there are about 8,000 spent fuel rods missing - evidence
that work on such a deterrent may have begun," he wrote. 

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 6 SMH: Clampdown on nuclear scientists 

- www.smh.com.au [Sydney Morning Herald Online] 

By Salman Masood and David Rohde in Islamabad
January 22, 2004
 		 	   	   		
Abdul Qadeer Khan ... led Pakistan's effort to build an atomic 
bomb.                                                    

Pakistan has barred all scientists working on its nuclear weapons 
program from leaving the country, as the Government steps up its 
inquiry into allegations that nuclear technology has been shared 
with Iran. 

A senior intelligence official has also said that a former army 
commander had approved the transfer. 

The official said Abdul Qadeer Khan, the scientist who had led 
the effort to build an atomic bomb, told investigators that the 
sharing of nuclear technology with Iran had the approval of Mirza 
Aslam Beg, the commander of Pakistan's army from 1988 to 1991. 
This claim had been backed up by Mr Khan's aides. 

While chief of the army, General Beg publicly advocated a 
strategic partnership between Iran and Pakistan. 

But in an interview in November, he denied approving the transfer 
of nuclear technology to Iran or any other country. 

"I was privy to the nuclear policy," he said. "There was a policy 
of nuclear restraint." 

US officials believe that Pakistan has shared nuclear technology 
with Iran, North Korea and Libya. But Pakistani officials deny it 
was given to Libya, nor currently to North Korea, and say the 
allegations about Iran are being aggressively investigated. 

They said technology may have been leaked to Iran by individuals 
in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it was without government 
authorisation. 

Secular, pro-Western political parties, analysts and the 
scientists' families criticised the Government, saying scientists 
lauded as national heroes weeks ago were now being humiliated. 
They said they were being made scapegoats by senior government 
officials to increase their own credibility with Western leaders. 

Khwaja Asif, an MP for the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), a 
secular party, said it was doubtful that individuals could 
secretly transfer technology without the knowledge of the 
military. 

On Monday an alliance of hardline Islamic parties, the Mutahida 
Majlis-e-Amal, or United Action Front, said it would begin 
nationwide street protests. 

Major-General Shaukat Sultan Khan, a military spokesman, called 
the new travel restriction a security precaution. "Until the time 
investigations are completed, the Government has to ensure that 
the scientists are present here," he said. 

The New York Times 

Copyright  © 2004. The Sydney Morning Herald.     advertise|
*****************************************************************
 7 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Nuke Probe Picks Up

Wednesday January 21, 2004 1:46 PM

By PATRICK McDOWELL 

Associated Press Writer 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Relatives of nuclear scientists 
demonstrated outside parliament Wednesday to protest an 
investigation into the alleged sale of atomic secrets that has 
resulted in researchers being detained and barred from leaving 
the country. 

The protest, which drew about 25 people, comes as the 
investigation appeared to pick up steam, with a half-dozen 
scientists and adminstrators detained and interrogated over the 
weekend. 

Protesters held placards with slogans such as ``Where is my 
husband?'' and ``Why are you disgracing national heroes?'' 

``First, they treated them as heroes of the nation,'' Sobia 
Nazeer Ahmad, the daughter of one of those detained, said 
Tuesday. ``Then they treated them like criminals.'' 

Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to curb the spread of technology 
that can be used to produce atomic weapons. Authorities are 
investigating allegations that scientists provided assistance to 
nuclear programs in Iran, Libya and North Korea. 

Relatives say as many as 24 men, many of them respected 
scientists, may be in custody, a far higher number than the 
government has acknowledged. Family members say the government 
has not said where the men are being held or when they might be 
released. 

The government has acknowledged detaining ``five to six'' 
scientists and administrators for what it calls ``debriefings.'' 
Almost none have been released, relatives say, and no formal 
appearances or charges have been made in court.  

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Guardian Newspapers Limited
*****************************************************************
 8 UPI: Pakistani nuclear scientists' trips banned - 

(United Press International)
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
  January 21, 2004 			   

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Pakistan has decreed its 
nuclear scientists may not leave the country after allegations 
the country helped Iran's nuclear development.

 At the same time, a senior intelligence official said a former 
army commander had approved the transfer of technology to Iran, 
the New York Times reported Wednesday.

 The official said the scientist who led the effort to build a 
nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, had told investigators any 
sharing of nuclear technology with Iran had the approval of Gen. 
Mirza Aslam Beg, the commander of Pakistan's army from 1988 to 
1991. He is now retired.

 While army chief, Beg publicly advocated a strategic partnership 
between Iran and Pakistan. But in an interview in November, the 
general said he had not approved the transfer of nuclear 
technology to Iran or any other country.

 U.S. officials believe Pakistan shared nuclear technology with 
Iran, North Korea and Libya, although Pakistani officials said no 
technology was given to Libya, no technology is currently going 
to North Korea and the allegations about Iran are being 
aggressively investigated.

 	   		 		   		 			
*****************************************************************
 9 BBC: Pakistan draws up nuclear report 
 
  Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 January, 2004
 
By Zaffar Abbas BBC correspondent in Islamabad   

Pakistan says the results of its enquiry into the possible 
transfer of nuclear technology to foreign countries will be 
completed in a week. 

[Nuclear-capable Hatf missiles on parade in Islamabad]                              
The government suspects nuclear secrets may have been leaked                                                             

Several of the country's most senior scientists, including Abdul 
Qadeer Khan, have been questioned. 

The government says many of those detained have now been released 
but nine are still being "de-briefed". 

The entire investigation into the possible transfer is being 
carried out in utmost secrecy. 

It started more than a month ago after the International Atomic 
Energy Agency shared with Pakistan the information it had 
gathered from Iran and Libya about their nuclear programmes. 

Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said Pakistani 
investigators were sent to Iran and Libya and on the basis of 
their reports the authorities had started the de-briefing 
sessions with a group of scientists and officials. 

But Mr Ahmed refused to say if any evidence was found about the 
involvement of these individuals in transferring nuclear know-how 
to either Teheran or Tripoli. 

'Scapegoats' 

He said some of the scientists had already been de-briefed but 
nine officials and scientists were still being questioned. 

Among those being interrogated was Mohammed Farooq, who was once 
closely associated with the country's top nuclear scientist, 
Abdul Qadeer Khan. 

Mr Farooq was the first to be picked up by the authorities and it 
appears the investigation has so far centred round his past 
activities. 

But the information minister refused to be drawn on this point 
and said more details would be given once the probe concludes in 
a week's time. 

He described media reports about the government's possible role 
in the proliferation as baseless but if any individuals were 
found to be involved they would be dealt according to law. 

Meanwhile, family members of a number of detained nuclear 
scientists have accused the government of trying to save its skin 
by turning a few individuals into scapegoats. 



*****************************************************************
 10 Hi Pakistan: Government releases three in nuclear proliferation probe 

January 21 2004     
    
ISLAMABAD: Government has released three nuclear scientists and 
officials detained for questioning over nuclear proliferation 
allegations, officials said today. 

The three, two of whom were identified as Saeed Ahmed and 
Mohammad Zubair, have been cleared in the probe, Information 
Minister Sheikh Rashid said. The probe was initiated after the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrote a letter in 
November to Pakistan, Rashid said. 

A senior official who could not be named said the letter 
concerned the suspected involvement of some Pakistani scientists 
and officials in trading nuclear know-how for personal gains. 

While Qadeer Khan was never detained the two KRL directors were, 
and one of them is still being held. Eight other KRL scientists 
and administrators, including Qadeer Khan's top aide Major Islam 
ul-Haq, were taken in for questioning last weekend. 

Rashid said those found guilty of indulging in nuclear leaks 
would be punished. "As a responsible nuclear state we cannot let 
any individual of sensitive organisations violate the rules and 
bring a bad name to the country," he told AFP. 

The families of Islam and scientist Nazir Ahmed have challenged 
their detention in court.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
      
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 11 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Praises Libya for Nuke Cooperation

Today: January 21, 2004 at 12:30:08 PST 
 
ASSOCIATED PRESS 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department praised Libya on
Wednesday as cooperating with U.S. and British experts as the
country begins dismantling its nuclear weapons program. 

A U.S. team has arrived and Libya is "facilitating its work,"
said State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli. Libya's
invitation and cooperation are positive indicators, he said. 

At the same time, Ereli said he did not have any details of what
the U.S. and British experts had done so far. 

Nor would the spokesman comment on a trip planned by six
legislators this weekend to meet with Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi and possibly visit weapons facilities. 

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 12 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Sent Nuke Investigators to Iran

Today: January 21, 2004 at 10:30:00 PST 

 By PAUL HAVEN ASSOCIATED PRESS 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - 

Pakistan's decision to detain and question some of its leading
nuclear scientists came after it dispatched top-secret
investigative teams to Iran and Libya to check allegations that
greed led the men to cash in on nuclear know-how, a senior
Pakistani official told The Associated Press. 

Disclosure of the investigative missions indicates the
seriousness with which the government is taking allegations of
nuclear proliferation after months of public denials. 

The investigation also has resulted in some researchers being
barred from leaving Pakistan. 

"Yes, we sent our own teams to Iran and Libya and the
debriefings began after that," said the official, speaking on
condition of anonymity. He said the interrogations sprang from
information learned on the trips, as well as evidence from the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nation's nuclear
watchdog. The official gave no details about the timing of trips
or what had been uncovered. 

IAEA officials said they were unaware of the visits, adding that
Pakistan was under no obligation to inform the agency of such
details of its investigations into possible nuclear technology
transfers. 

U.S., British and IAEA officials now are in Libya to facilitate
Tripoli's pledge to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction. 

Pakistan, a key Washington ally in the war on terrorism, is
coming under intense U.S. pressure to curb the spread of
technology for making atomic weapons. Authorities are
investigating allegations that Pakistani scientists aided
nuclear programs in Iran, Libya and North Korea. 

The allegations have been a serious embarrassment for President
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who is riding a wave of international
popularity over his decision to seek peace with archenemy India
and to crack down on Islamic militants. 

The revelation of investigative trips to Iran and Libya came
after assurances by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed
that scientists and engineers detained in the past few months
were the government's "honored guests," not prisoners. 

Several scientists were detained in a first wave of questioning
that began late last year. They include Mohammad Farooq, the
former director general of Khan Research Laboratories,
Pakistan's top nuclear weapons lab, and Yasin Chuhan, a senior
engineer at the lab. 

At least one other person, whose name has not been revealed,
also was detained at the time, but Ahmed said only Farooq
remains in custody. Even Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of the
country's atomic weapons program, has been questioned, though
the government stresses he is not a suspect. 

Eight more scientists and engineers were detained over the
weekend, Ahmed said, adding that those still being questioned
include two retired army brigadiers and a retired army major.
One man, Islam ul-Haq, was arrested Saturday as he dined at
Khan's home. 

The latest arrests have sparked an outcry from family members
accustomed to privileges in a country deeply proud of having
produced the only "Islamic bomb" as a deterrent to nuclear-armed
India. 

A small group of relatives gathered in the rain outside
Parliament on Wednesday to protest the detentions. 

Protesters held placards with slogans such as "Where is my
husband?" and "Why are you disgracing national heroes?" 

Relatives of the detained men question the government figures,
saying as many as 24 people, many of them respected scientists,
may be in custody. Family members claim the government has not
said where the men are being held or when they might be
released. 

Ahmed promised that family visits were being arranged with the
scientists and that the questioning would be over "within a
week." 

He also said the men were innocent until proven guilty and that
most would likely be cleared. 

"We are conducting these debriefings to dispel the propaganda
against Pakistan's nuclear program," he said, adding that the
country was against nuclear proliferation. Pakistan has
long-denied any government involvement in the plot to sell
nuclear knowledge, and had for years scoffed at reports its
scientists might have been involved in the illicit trade. 

But Pakistan started to hedge those denials in December, after
IAEA inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities showed that
international and "Pakistani-linked individuals" had acted as
"intermediaries and black marketeers." 

Pakistani scientists were later implicated in a scheme to sell
centrifuge technology to Libya, and have also been named in
probes into North Korea's nuclear program. 

In December, Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan acknowledged
for the first time that some Pakistani scientists "might have
been motivated by personal ambition or greed" to sell the
secrets. 

---- 

Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmad contributed to this
report. 

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 13 NRC: Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and Procedures; Notice of 
 
                         FR Doc 04-1173 
[Federal Register: January 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 13)] 
[Notices] [Page 2951] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21ja04-93] [[Page 2951]]
 
Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will 
hold a meeting on February 4, 2004, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
 
The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the 
exception of a portion that may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 
552b(c)(2) and (6) to discuss organizational and personnel 
matters that relate solely to internal personnel rules and 
practices of ACRS, and information the release of which would 
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
 
The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: 
Wednesday, February 4, 2004--12 Noon-1:30 P.M. The Subcommittee 
will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related matters. The 
Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and 
facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as 
appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee.
 
Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or 
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official, 
Mr. Sam Duraiswamy (telephone: 301-415-7364) between 7:30 a.m. 
and 4:15 p.m. (ET) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, 
so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic 
recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the 
meeting that are open to the public.
 
Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by 
contacting the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 
4:15 p.m. (ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged 
to contact the above named individual at least two working days 
prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes in 
the agenda.
 
Dated: January 13, 2004.
 
Sher Bahadur, Associate Director for Technical Support, 
ACRS/ACNW.
 
[FR Doc. 04-1173 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 14 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice
 
                         FR Doc 04-1174 
[Federal Register: January 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 13)] 
[Notices] [Page 2951-2952] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21ja04-94]                         
 
In accordance with the purposes of sections 29 and 182b. of the 
Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2039, 2232b), the Advisory Committee 
on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) will hold a meeting on February 5-7, 
2004, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The date of this 
meeting was previously published in the Federal Register on 
Monday, November 21, 2003 (68 FR 65743).
 
Thursday, February 5, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White 
Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening 
Remarks by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make 
opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting.
 
8:35 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: ESBWR Design--Thermal-Hydraulic Issues 
(Open/ Closed)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold 
discussions with representatives of the NRC staff on the use of 
the TRAC-G computer code to perform analyses of the Economic 
Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design.
 
Note: A portion of this session may be closed to discuss General 
Electric proprietary information applicable to this matter.
 
10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: South Texas Project Cause Investigation of 
the Reactor Vessel Bottom Mounted Penetration Leakage (Open)--The 
Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with 
representatives of the NRC staff regarding the South Texas 
Project investigation of the cause of the leakage from reactor 
vessel bottom mounted penetration.
 
12:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m.: Resolution of Certain Items Identified by 
the ACRS in NUREG-1740 Related to the Differing Professional 
Opinion (DPO) on Steam Generator Tube Integrity (Open)--The 
Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with 
representatives of the NRC staff regarding the staff's resolution 
of certain items identified by the ACRS in NUREG-1740, 
``Voltage-Based Alternative Repair Criteria,'' related to the DPO 
on steam generator tube integrity, as well as the status of 
resolution of the remaining items.
 
3 p.m.-4 p.m.: Evaluation of the Effectiveness (Quality) of the 
NRC Safety Research Programs (Open)--The Committee will discuss a 
proposed approach for the ACRS evaluation of the effectiveness 
(quality) of the NRC Safety Research Programs.
 
4 p.m.-7 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee 
will discuss proposed ACRS reports on matters considered during 
this meeting as well as a proposed report on the NRC Safety 
Research Program.
 
Friday, February 6, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint 
North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks 
by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make opening 
remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting.
 
8:35 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: ACRS Report on the NRC Safety Research 
Program (Open)--The Committee will discuss the draft ACRS report 
to the Commission on the NRC Safety Research Program.
 
1:30 p.m.-2 p.m.: Subcommittee Report--ACR-700 Design (Open)--The 
Committee will hear a report by and discussions with the Chairman 
of the ACRS Subcommittee on Future Plant Designs regarding the 
Subcommittee's review of the design features of the ACR-700 
design and related matters.
 
2 p.m.-3 p.m.: Future ACRS Activities/Report of the Planning and 
Procedures Subcommittee (Open)--The Committee will discuss the 
recommendations of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee 
regarding items proposed for consideration by the full Committee 
during future meetings. Also, it will hear a report of the 
Planning and Procedures Subcommittee on matters related to the 
conduct of ACRS business, including anticipated workload and 
member assignments.
 
3 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Reconciliation of ACRS Comments and 
Recommendations (Open)--The Committee will discuss the responses 
from the NRC Executive Director for Operations (EDO) to comments 
and recommendations included in recent ACRS reports and letters. 
The EDO responses are expected to be made available to the 
Committee prior to the meeting.
 
3:30 p.m.-7 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The 
Committee will discuss proposed ACRS reports on matters 
considered during this meeting.
 
Saturday, February 7, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White 
Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-12 Noon: Preparation 
of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACRS 
reports on matters considered during this meeting.
 
12 Noon-12:30 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)--The Committee will 
discuss
 
[[Page 2952]] matters related to the conduct of Committee 
activities and matters and specific issues that were not 
completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of 
information permit.
 
Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings 
were published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2003 (68 FR 
59644). In accordance with those procedures, oral or written 
views may be presented by members of the public, including 
representatives of the nuclear industry. Electronic recordings 
will be permitted only during the open portions of the meeting. 
Persons desiring to make oral statements should notify the 
Associate Director for Technical Support named below five days 
before the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements 
can be made to allow necessary time during the meeting for such 
statements. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras 
during the meeting may be limited to selected portions of the 
meeting as determined by the Chairman.
 
Information regarding the time to be set aside for this purpose 
may be obtained by contacting the Associate Director for 
Technical Support prior to the meeting. In view of the 
possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted 
by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the 
meeting, persons planning to attend should check with the 
Associate Director for Technical Support if such rescheduling 
would result in major inconvenience.
 
In accordance with subsection 10(d) Public Law 92-463, I have 
determined that it is necessary to close a portion of this 
meeting noted above to discuss General Electric proprietary 
information pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4). Further information 
regarding topics to be discussed, whether the meeting has been 
canceled or rescheduled, as well as the Chairman's ruling on 
requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and the 
time allotted therefor can be obtained by contacting Dr.
 
Sher Bahadur, Associate Director for Technical Support 
(301-415-0138), between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., e.t. ACRS 
meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are 
available through the NRC Public Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov, or 
by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from the Publicly 
Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's document 
system (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC Web site at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/ (ACRS & 
oc-collections/ (ACRS & ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas).
 
Videoteleconferencing service is available for observing open 
sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for 
observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS 
Audio Visual Technician (301-415-8066), between 7:30 a.m. and 
3:45 p.m., e.t., at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure 
the availability of this service. Individuals or organizations 
requesting this service will be responsible for telephone line 
charges and for providing the equipment and facilities that they 
use to establish the videoteleconferencing link. The availability 
of videoteleconferencing services is not guaranteed.
 
Dated: January 14, 2004.
 
Annette Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission.
 
[FR Doc. 04-1174 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 15 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
 
                         FR Doc 04-1317 
[Federal Register: January 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 13)] 
[Notices] [Page 2952] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21ja04-95]                         
 
Agency Holding the Meeting: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Date: Weeks of January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23, 2004.
 
Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland.
 
Status: Public and Closed.
 
Matters to be Considered: Week of January 19, 2004 Wednesday, 
January 21, 2004 1:30 p.m.--Discussion of Security Issues 
(Closed--Ex. 1) Friday, January 23, 2004 1:30 p.m.--Meeting with 
FERC to Discuss Security Issues (closed--Ex. 1) Week of January 
26, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week 
of January 26, 2004.
 
Week of February 2, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings 
scheduled for the Week of February 2, 2004.
 
Week of February 9, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings 
scheduled for the Week of February 9, 2004.
 
Week of February 16, 2004--Tentative Wednesday, February 18, 2004 
9:30 a.m.--Briefing on Status of Office of Chief Financial 
Officer Programs, Performance, and Plans (Public Meeting) 
(Contact: Edward L. New, 301-415-5646) This meeting will be 
webcast live at the Web address-- (ACRS & 
">http://www.nrc.govons/ (ACRS & . Week of February 23, 
2004--Tentative Tuesday, February 24, 2004 9:30 a.m.--Meeting 
with UK Regulators to Discuss Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1) 
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 9:30 a.m.--Discussion of Security 
Issues (Closed--Ex. 1) * The schedule for Commission meetings is 
subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of 
meetings call (recording)-- (301) 415-1292. Contact person for 
more information: Timothy J. Frye, (301) 415-1651.
 
* * * * * Additional Information: By a vote of 3-0 on January 13, 
the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and Sec. 
9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of 
SECY-03-0225 (Sequoyah Fuels Corp; Cherokee Nation's Petition for 
Review of LBP-03-24)'' be held on January 14, and on less than 
one week's notice to the public.
 
* * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the 
Internet at: 
http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html. * * * 
* * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred 
subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like 
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the 
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition, 
distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is 
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission 
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic 
message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: January 15, 2004.
 
Timothy J. Frye, Technical Coordinator, Office of the Secretary.
 
[FR Doc. 04-1317 Filed 1-16-04; 11:17 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M

 
*****************************************************************
 16 North County Times: Desalination dispute nears rupture

January 20, 2004 11:09 PM

By: GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer 

SAN DIEGO ---- In the latest twist in San Diego County's quest to 
turn ocean water into drinking water, the public agency that 
serves this semi-arid region is being urged to break off three 
years of negotiations to build a $270 million desalination plant 
in Carlsbad.

A committee of the San Diego County Water Authority is 
recommending the full board vote Jan. 29 to indefinitely suspend 
negotiations with Connecticutt-based Poseidon Inc., a move that 
will muddy the future of the plant ---- a project the Water 
Authority identified last year as a key component of the region's 
future water supply. 

The Water Authority has been negotiating since 2001 with Poseidon 
to build a plant that would turn up to 100 million gallons of 
seawater a day into drinking water by 2007. The Water Authority 
supplies nearly all the water county residents use each year, 
buying it, tacking on its own delivery fee, and selling it to 23 
cities and agencies in the county. 

But the once-amicable talks between the agency and company turned 
sour last summer over information the Water Authority wants, but 
Poseidon officials say is confidential.

Water Authority board members gave their staff and Poseidon until 
the end of this month to resolve the conflict so that the agency 
and Poseidon could finalize a contract to build the plant.

But officials from both groups said Tuesday they remain 
deadlocked.

Representatives from both Poseidon and the Water Authority said 
suspending negotiations would not necessarily mean the end of the 
Carlsbad desalination project.

Poseidon ---- on a separate track from its negotiations with the 
Water Authority ---- has continued to negotiate to build the 
plant and sell water to the cities of Carlsbad and Oceanside.

In fact, Carlsbad City Council members were meeting Tuesday night 
to vote on going forward with their own environmental impact 
report on the project, which would help slake the thirst of a 
county that imports between 70 percent and 95 percent of its 
water.

"We're going to get this project done," Poseidon Vice President 
Peter MacLaggan said. "It's too important to go away."

For their part, Water Authority officials said they would lend 
support to other agencies interested in creating a seawater 
desalination plant because it would benefit the region.

But at least one observer said removing the Water Authority as 
the principal player raises doubt about the project.

Dale Mason of San Marcos' Vallecitos Water District, a longtime 
Water Authority board member and one-time chairman of the group, 
said he doubted that Carlsbad or Oceanside could make the 
desalination project work with Poseidon on their own.

Mason said while the cost of desalting seawater ---- which has 
historically been the biggest hurdle to widespread seawater 
desalination ---- has been greatly reduced in recent decades, it 
would still be too expensive for a small agency or city to buy in 
great quantity.

"How could you justify to your ratepayers paying $800 for an 
acre-foot of water when you can buy imported water for $400 per 
acre-foot?" Mason asked. "The only way this (desalination plant) 
ever made sense was if you melded the cost over all the (agencies 
in the region)."

MacLaggan said Poseidon is willing to build the plant itself and 
simply sell water to member agencies.

However, Ken Weinberg, the Water Authority's director of water 
resources, said one of the components of the committee's 
recommendation is that the agency continue to look at the 
possibility of building other seawater desalination plants.

The agency is looking at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating 
Station north of Oceanside, and a power plant in South Bay, as 
other possible sites for a desalting plant.

Weinberg, meanwhile, said the information dispute was not the 
only reason the committee was urging the Water Authority to 
suspend negotiations with Poseidon, though it remained the main 
problem between the agency and Poseidon.

The Water Authority says it needs the information it has asked 
Poseidon to hand over ---- specific details about the plant's 
projected performance ---- to write its required environmental 
impact report.

Poseidon says because its deal with the Water Authority is not 
finalized, it refuses to turn over information that the agency 
could use to cut the company out of the plant deal by sharing it 
with a competing company.

Aside from the conflict over information, Weinberg said, the 
Water Authority has been unhappy that Poseidon has continued to 
negotiate on a separate track with Carlsbad and Oceanside.

Weinberg added that the Water Authority feels that it now has 
more time to make any decision on the desalination plant because 
it has finally completed its long-debated water transfer 
agreement with farmers in Imperial Valley.

The transfer will increase San Diego County's immediate water 
supply, and reduces the need to quickly build a desalination 
plant that would also increase local water supplies.

Under the terms of the transfer agreement, Imperial Valley 
farmers will eventually sell 65 million gallons of water a year 
to county residents for roughly $50 million a year.

Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or 
gconaughton@nctimes.com.

                © 1997-2004 North
County Times - Lee Enterprises    editor@nctimes.com  
*****************************************************************
 17 UKAEA: New treatment plant is good news for the environment and economy 
       
  20th January 2004 Ref: 2004/05 Contact: Colin Punler, 01847 
806080   
  
 Higher standards of environmental protection and lower levels of 
radioactive emissions mean the clean-up of Dounreay is being 
carried out with minimal impact on the environment. 

So said Dipesh Shah, chief executive of UKAEA, when he officially 
opened a £7.5 million plant that is setting new standards for the 
control and disposal of low-level effluent from the 
decommissioning of Britains fast reactor experiment. 

The Low Level Liquid Effluent Treatment Plant, which took three 
years to build, is an important part of UKAEAs strategy to clean 
up effluent from the site decommissioning before disposal. It 
replaces a facility dating from the 1950s that is now being 
phased out of service. 

Radioactivity levels in the effluent have reduced substantially 
since reprocessing ceased in 1996 and UKAEA has applied to the 
Scottish Environment Protection Agency for new limits that 
reflect the much smaller levels of disposal needed to 
decommission the site safely. 

UKAEAs priority is to decommission Dounreay in a way that 
safeguards the workforce and public, and which minimises the 
impact on the environment, said Dipesh Shah. 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 said: 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. 

Tom Ross, who manages the new Low Level Liquid Effluent Treatment 
Plant, said: The modernisation of our effluent treatment system 
gives us much better control over our impact on the environment 
and enables us to treat the effluent in a way that we could not 
before using the old facilities. 

The main contractor for the construction of the new facility was 
NNC. Sub-contractors were JGC Engineering and Technical Services, 
R.J. Macleod and AMEC (formerly James Scott Electrical). 

Ends 

Notes to Editors: 1. The Dounreay Site Restoration Plan published 
in October 2000 describes some 1500 projects required to 
decommission the site over the next 50-60 years at a cost in the 
region of £4 billion. It can be viewed at 
http://www.ukaea.org.uk/dounreay/rplan.htm.
 
  2. Detailed information about LLLETP can be found at 
www.ukaea.org.uk/reports/dpdf/llletp-01.pdf. Authorisation to 
begin active commissioning was received from SEPA in July 2003.
 
  3. Expenditure on decommissioning Dounreay is worth 
approximately £80 million a year to the economy of the Highlands.
 
  4. A gratis colour photograph of Dipesh Shah officially opening 
LLLETP is available from UKAEA. To request transmission, contact 
Pauline Maclean (tel: 01847 803002). 


For more information, please contact Colin Punler, Communications 
Manager, Dounreay, on 01847 806080 or 0776 4164812. Outwith 
normal office hours (0800-1615) telephone 01847 802121 and ask 
for the Duty Press Officer.
 
Copyright© UKAEA 2003 
*****************************************************************
 18 AJC Panel: Use coal tax to boost nuclear
 
  [ajc.com]                                   
  
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 1/21/04 ]

 By JEFF NESMITH 
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

WASHINGTON -- Breathing new life into a lagging nuclear power 
industry could help slow the buildup of carbon dioxide in the 
Earth's atmosphere, says a team of Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology experts.             

But without more expensive coal -- possibly through a tax on the 
carbon dioxide which that fuel releases into the air -- and steps 
to make nuclear power cheaper, the nuclear industry will continue 
to stagnate, the MIT panel said last week.             

"You need both improvements in performance and a carbon tax to 
make nuclear power pay," said former Central Intelligence Agency 
Director John Deutch, now an MIT chemistry professor.           

If the cost of producing electricity from nuclear power could be 
brought down from the present 6.7 cents per kilowatt-hour to 4.2 
cents -- about 37 percent -- it would be competitive with coal. 
And if the cost of power from coal were increased to 5.4 cents by 
a penalty of $50 per ton of carbon put into the air, nuclear 
power would have a significant advantage.               

Deutch co-chaired an MIT committee that also recommended the 
government extend tax credits of more than $200 million per plant 
to jump-start the nuclear industry. Deutch discussed the study at 
a seminar sponsored by Resources for the Future, a Washington 
environmental research center.               

The panel said funds should not be spent on finding ways to 
reprocess nuclear waste into new nuclear fuel, because 
proliferation of the weapons-usable fuel would be too dangerous.
		

A national energy policy bill pending in Congress would spend 
more than $880 million in the next five years on fuel 
reprocessing. The industry has lobbied for that provision, which 
a White House energy task force chaired by Vice President Dick 
Cheney recommended in 2001.             

The MIT group -- along with a professor of environmental policy 
from neighboring Harvard University -- concluded that for nuclear 
power to succeed, it must overcome four problems:               

• Cost: In deregulated markets, nuclear power is not competitive 
with coal or natural gas, the panel said.               

• Safety: Although modern nuclear reactors can achieve a very low 
risk of serious accidents, the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island 
accidents, as well as other incidents in the United States, Japan 
and Russia, have caused public concern about safety and 
environmental and health effects.            

• Waste: The problem of long-term management of tons of used 
nuclear fuel rods now stored in cooling pools at reactors all 
over the country has not been solved.           

• Proliferation: Current international safeguards are inadequate 
to safeguard nuclear materials if the industry grew enough to 
significantly slow the greenhouse effect.               

The committee said the proliferation problem would be made even 
worse by reprocessing waste into weapons-usable plutonium to fuel 
power reactors.            

Deutch said his committee did the study because of the belief 
that nuclear power could be an important option in dealing with 
climatic change.                

If the current worldwide nuclear generating capacity were 
tripled, to about 1,000 billion watts of electricity by 2050, it 
would avoid 1.8 billion tons of carbon emissions annually from 
fossil fuels burned in power plants, the committee said. That 
would be about one-fourth of the increase that would be expected 
if no restraint were placed on carbon dioxide.          

Deutch said that, when the committee began the study, "we 
wondered if there might be some magic technology pathway out 
there which could lower the cost" of building and operating 
nuclear plants. "The results," he said, "were not helpful."             

Critics of nuclear power were critical of the study. 		

Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and 
Environmental Research, said its conclusions were based on 
assumptions from "economic la-la land."                 

"You could end up with a tax of roughly $400 billion or more a 
year," he said. "With $400 billion a year, I can do a lot more 
than they're talking about here to deal with climate change."           
 
2004 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 	 
*****************************************************************
 19 Belona: Bellona’s report on safety and legal violations at the Leningrad
Nuclear Power Plant
 
The Environmental Rights Center Bellona publicized Wednesday a
scathing report on the state of the Leningrad Nuclear Power
Plant, or LNPP, written by a 27-year veteran plant worker-turned
whistleblower who was sacked in 2000 for his tireless efforts to
publicized the truly crumbling state of the plant, which runs
four fatally flawed Chernobyl-style RBMK-1000 reactors.

  The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant.   
  Bellona Archive   

Rashid Alimov, 2004-01-21 19:11

The plant is located a mere 70 kilometres west of St. 
Petersburg’s 5 million citizens in the town of Sosnovy Bor, yet 
it remains an informational black hole for those seeking 
information about it’s activities, the state of its reactors—some 
of which have long surpassed their engineering life span—the 
waste that it routinely pours into the Gulf of Finland, and other 
radioactive industries that run on its territory.
 
With the publication of this report, entitled “The Leningrad 
Nuclear Power Plant as a Mirror of Atomic Energy in Russia,” by 
Sergei Kharitonov, many of these questions are answered, and 
still others are raised. But most importantly, Kharitonov writes, 
the condition of the Leningrad plant offers into the condition of 
Russia’s nuclear power industry and the nine other plants that it 
runs.
 
The plant’s 30-year anniversary Last December, the LNPP—still 
bearing the moniker of Vladimir Lenin—celebrated its 30th year of 
service with great pomp and circumstance and enumerated its 
accomplishments.
 
They reveled in memories about the furious pace at which they 
built the plant’s first reactor “on the spongy, swampy shores of 
the Gulf of Finland” just in time for 1973’s Energy Day holiday. 

They trumpeted their own horns about how the LNPP is the primary 
source of electricity Russia’s Northwestern region, supplying 
some 50 percent of the energy to St. Petersburg and the 
Connecticut-sized Leningrad region. 

Kharitonov’s report is a reply to those victorious revelries.

 


  


  Bellona's report on the Leningrad NPP   
  


  The Russian version of "The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant as a 
Mirror of Atomic Energy in Russia." English translation available 
soon. &nbsp;Jump to report &raquo;  

  

      

“We didn’t take on the task of tarring everything that goes on at 
LNPP,” said Kharitonov, in an interview with Bellona Web. “Our 
task was different—to understand to what extent the information 
coming from official sources corresponds to reality.”
 
Kharitonov, who works at ERC Bellona, Bellona’s St. Peterrsburg 
office, went on to say that “we are certain that society—normal 
people—must have credible information about everything that takes 
place at the radiological and radioactively dangerous sites they 
and their families live next to.”
 
Indeed, it is more frequently than not that announcements made by 
the administration of the LNPP depart from the reality of the 
situation.
 
“The management of LNPP announces that “'the organisation in 
operation [LNPP] is using the atomic plant only for the purposes 
for which it was conceived and engineered,’ and at the same time 
they are building the Ekomet-S factory for recycling solid 
radioactive waste, a unit for dismantling fuel assemblies, and an 
additional storage unit for spent nuclear fuel,” said ERC Bellona 
Director Alexander Nikitin. 

“Even a non-specialist understands that the noted industries have 
nothing to do with the fundamental goals for which the station 
was conceived and engineered—the production of electric energy.” 

While working on the report, Kharitonov said he and ERC Bellona 
worked with a void of information.
 
“You can notice that the report supplies facts and describes 
events that occurred some time ago,” said Kharitonov. “More 
recently, the [LNPP] administration, referring to the danger of 
terrorism, have shut down the public’s access to LNPP,” said 
Kharitonov. “That is absolutely impermissible.” 

30 years of engineered lifespan The 30th anniversary of the LNPP 
isn’t just a nice round number for a birthday. It is also the 
engineered lifespan of the plant’s first reactor that, having 
been reached—in the opinions of its development engineers and 
builders—now means the reactor should be stopped and taken off 
the grid.
 
But the Ministry of Atomic Energy, or Minatom’s, plans to extend 
the LNPP’s decaying reactors’ service periods another five to 15 
years has alarmed the environmentally-minded public and raises a 
host of disturbing questions. For instance, why hasn’t the LNPP’s 
first reactor been taken out of service? Why does Minatom want to 
extend the LNPP’s over-extended reactors’ periods of service—for 
perhaps as much as 15 years? Is Minatom hurting for 
decommissioning funding?
 
The LNPP’s No. 1 power bloc operates a first generation RMBK-1000 
reactor, which is the same type of fatally-flawed reactor that 
exploded at Chernobyl in 1986. In fact, the LNPP’s No. 1 reactor 
is even older than the one that cause humanity’s worst nuclear 
accident to date. It was precisely the RBMK-1000 reactor that 
Igor Kurchatov, the father of Russian nuclear science, was 
referring to when he said “we say ‘atomic energy,’ but imply 
atomic bomb—we say ‘peaceful atomic energy’ and imply nuclear 
submarines.” 

Currently, the LNPP’s No. 1 bloc is undergoing repairs. The 
plant’s management plan to finish the repairs and modernizations 
this summer and then apply to Gosatomnadzor, or GAN, Russia’s 
nuclear regulatory agency, for a license to extend the reactor’s 
life-span. 

Conjecture would indicate that—as a result of recent management 
reshuffles at GAN that have put former Minatom brass in 
charge—obtaining the license will not be difficult.
 
Late last year, the government of Vladimir Putin sent GAN’s 
former chief, Yury Vishnevsky into retirement, even though he had 
been promised another five years at the agency’s helm. Vishnevsky 
had guided GAN though the agency through the democratic reforms 
of the early 1990s, and had resisted for a decade, mostly 
unsuccessfully, Minatom’s efforts to sideline GAN’s 
responsibilities. In his place, appointed straight from the ranks 
of first deputy minister of Minatom, came Andrei Malyshev.
 
Two weeks ago, Malyshev sent Alexander Dmitriyev—one of the 
world’s foremost authorities on plutonium disposition—into 
retirement, even though his contract indicated he would remain at 
his post until March, 2004, sources familiar with the incident 
told Bellona Web. In Dmitriyev’s place, Malyshev appointed Valery 
Bezzubtsev, who, until being tapped by Malyshev, had been a 
department head at Minatom. Other reshuffles in GAN’s offices 
throughout Russia are also taking place.
 
As for the LNPP’s reactor bloc No. 1, the issue isn’t really the 
fact that it is totally unsafe for the reactor to continue work 
past its 30-year engineered lifespan. The Russian law “On the Use 
of Atomic Energy” does not, in fact, contain any language on the 
engineering life-spans of nuclear power plans. According to the 
law, it is not important how long a nuclear power plant works so 
long as it works safely and without safety violations. This is 
the legal criteria that guides GAN as it considers whether to 
grant extension licenses to aging reactors.
 
“Acording to the information on hand, including that collected by 
Kharitonov, violations at LNPP are the usual practice,” said 
former GAN inspector and respected Russian environmentalist, 
Vladimir Kuznetsov in an interview with Bellona Web.
 
Data about these violations and incidents at the LNPP are 
collected and documented in the newly released report by 
Kharitonov.
 
One example is the well known incident that occurred at the No. 1 
bloc—the birthday bloc— on November 30th 1975. In this incident, 
a fuel assembly was destroyed accidentally, releasing some 
137,000 to 1.5 million curies into the surrounding environment.
 
Within the last few years, a number of other serious violations 
at the plant have been uncovered. In May of 2000, reactor No. 1 
was shut down because someone had left a piece of rubber in the 
passageway through which nuclear fuel is put into the reactor. A 
replacement of radiation detectors on reactor bloc No. 3 let to 
that bloc’s shut down once it was discovered that the detectors 
had been replaced with old rather than new ones. As was later 
revealed, the new radiation monitors meant for bloc No. 3 had 
been stolen and sold to a different nuclear power plant. A 
criminal case was initiated.
 
In late 2003, conversation turned to inexplicable commercial 
schemes of buying reactor equipment. In this late 2003 case, the 
concerned equipment were so called servo motor units purchased 
though a middleman at prices inflated to five times the market 
value. These same servo units were later stolen from the plant. 
Each one of these violations and incidents could lead to 
unimaginable consequences for the 63,000 residents of Sosnovy 
Bor, the 5 million in St. Petersburg, and for Northwest Russia in 
general.

 


      


  


  


  Whistle-blower Sergei Kharitonov. Rashid Alimov   

  

  

  

Sergei Kharitonov The report’s author is a former employee of the 
LNPP, and worked there from 1973 until 2000 as an operator of the 
spent nuclear fuel storage unit. He was also a liquidator at 
Chernobyl and was honored for his work there as well as for his 
work at the LNPP. He is also an environmental activist, who was 
harassed at the plant, resulting in his eventual firing for his 
outspoken critiques of the plant’s violations and oversights and 
his commitment to working according to the book.
 
From November 1997 to his firing in March 2000, Kharitonov was 
forced to spend his working hours in the changing room were 
workers left their work clothing each day. This “office” was” 
revenge from LNPP management, who had grown tired of his 
insistence on doing his job according to the book and refused to 
fulfill the tasks handed to him by management that were not in 
accord with the standards of working at a nuclear site. When it 
became apparent that LNPP management had no intention of 
listening to him, he took his story to the press. Almost 
immediately following, Kharitonov was barred from going any 
further into the plant than the changing room, but they could not 
fire him. Meanwhile, the plant continued to illegally stuff its 
spent nuclear fuel storage beyond capacity.
 
LNPP tried five times to fire Kharitonov for his environmental 
activism and fined him seven times, depriving him little by 
little of his income. The illegality of LNPP management was 
proved in court twice, first in 1998, when Kharitonov won moral 
damages from the plant’s administration. On June 9, 2000, 
Kharitonov was illegally removed from his position at LNPP.   

Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge 
Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: 
webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 
38 38 62  * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway 
*****************************************************************
 20 e4engineering.com: Westinghouse commissions PaR Systems deal

From , 21 January 2004, in Home                 

Westinghouse Electric Company and PaR Systems, Inc have signed a 
letter of intent calling for Westinghouse to purchase a 
controlling, 80 percent interest in PaR's commercial Nuclear 
Equipment and Services Group.                           

Terms were not disclosed, but the acquisition is expected to be 
finalised no later than March 31.                             

PaR Systems, with headquarters in Minneapolis, is a provider of 
new equipment, upgrades and maintenance services for refuelling 
systems, reactor containment and spent fuel building cranes.                                 

Steve Tritch, president and CEO of Westinghouse, said the union 
ofWestinghouse and PaR Nuclear will enable Westinghouse to assume 
an industry-leading position for both fuel and materials 
handling.                            

'Westinghouse is fully committed to providing our customers with 
the broadest range of advanced technology and services,' he said. 
'This acquisition will allow us to create value for our customers 
by establishing a single point of contact for all of their 
refuelling-related needs.                          

'It will also broaden our outage scope to include in-containment 
material handling and maintenance and upgrades for containment 
polar cranes, important in that both of these are essential 
skills needed to perform world-class outages.'             
   
Westinghouse awarded $70 million in outages contracts                                                                       

Copyright Centaur Communications Ltd. All rights
*****************************************************************
 21 e4engineering.com: Westinghouse awarded $70 million in outages contracts               

e4engineering.com, 27 May 2003, in Home            


The Tennessee Valley Authority has recently selected
Westinghouse Electric Company to provide refuelling and
maintenance services at nine scheduled outages at the Sequoyah 1
and 2 and Watts Bar 1 nuclear plants in Soddy-Daisy and Spring
City, Tennessee.                                

Concurrently, the companies approved a
five-year extension of a spare parts contract for the three
Westinghouse-designed pressurised water reactors. Combined, the
contracts have a value of approximately $70 million.            

Under
terms of the outage services contract, Westinghouse will provide
a wide range of refuelling and maintenance services beginning in
January 2004 and continuing through 2008. The spare parts
contract will also run through the same time period. 		

Sequoyah 1 and 2 began commercial operations in 1981 and 1982,
respectively, with Watts Bar entering commercial service in
1996. Since those dates, Westinghouse has performed refuelling
and steam generator services at every outage at the three
plants. 		     

Westinghouse Electric CompanyTennessee Valley
Authority																	 						

$14 million cleaning job at nuclear plantWestinghouse
wins $11.8 million contractWestinghouse wins two fuel-related
contracts in ChinaWestinghouse commissions PaR Systems deal			
						
Copyright Centaur Communications Ltd. All rights
*****************************************************************
 22 WCCO: PUC Chief Calls For More Nuclear Power In Minnesota
 
Jan 21, 2004 10:32 am US/Central

 St. Paul (AP) The chairman of the Public Utilities Commission 
said the state needs more nuclear power plants because natural 
gas is becoming too expensive and coal pollutes, but a leading 
lawmaker doubted more plants would be built. 

PUC chairman LeRoy Koppendrayer said Tuesday that if Minnesota 
wants clean, cheap energy it needs more nuclear plants than the 
two it now has. 

He comments came less than a year after a debate split the 
Legislature over whether Xcel Energy should be allowed to store 
more radioactive waste at one of its facilities. 

"We can do it safely, we have the technology to do it," he said. 
"We know how to handle the material, and we know how to store the 
material." 

Koppendrayer made his comments at an energy seminar in 
Minneapolis sponsored by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. He 
stressed he was speaking as himself and not as the head of the 
PUC, the five-member panel that oversees utility regulation in 
the state. 

Lawmakers who remembered last session's debate were quick to 
discount Koppendrayer's suggestion. 

"Nobody wants a new nuclear plant in Minnesota. The public 
doesn't want it. The Legislature doesn't want it," said Sen. 
Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul and chair of the Senate's Commerce 
and Utilities Committee. 

She said there's little chance of a new nuclear plant in 
Minnesota when there is no place for long-term waste disposal and 
the threat of a terrorist attack remains. 

Last year, the Legislature voted to let Xcel exceed waste storage 
limits that lawmakers had placed on it in 1994. The spent fuel 
rods from the two reactors at the Prairie Island nuclear plant 
are stored in large casks at the facility. 

The federal government wants to build a permanent repository for 
radioactive waste beneath Nevada's Yucca Mountain, but that 
project is years behind schedule.


 
(© 2004 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material 

WCCO-TV
 90 South 11th Street
 Minneapolis, MN 55403
 612-339-4444 

© MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc., All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 23 Clarion-Ledger: Nuke site faces opposition at hearing 

[The Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi's News Source]                       

  January 21, 2004 

 By Ryan Clark ryanclark@jackson.gannett.com

 When the Nuclear Regulatory Commission meets today to discuss 
the possibility of a second nuclear facility in Grand Gulf, they 
will face opposition from several environmental, consumer and 
human rights groups.

              Public hearing
 
The public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. tonight at the Port 
Gibson Town Hall, located at 1005 College St. 

People are expected to ask about nuclear waste removal, 
evacuation procedures and the issue of environmental racism.

 System Energy Resources, Inc. — a subsidiary of Entergy — is 
seeking a site permit for another reactor, although the company 
has not decided whether to build it.

 "Once again in Mississippi, low-income African Americans are 
being placed at the greatest risk of harm so a greedy corporation 
can make big profits," said Rose Johnson, chair of the 
Mississippi Sierra Club. 

"Would Entergy be trying to build the first new nuclear plant in 
decades in the U.S. in predominantly white Madison or Ridgeland? 
No. Just like you don't have hog factories, creosote waste sites 
and chemical plants located next to these affluent white 
communities."

 According to the Sierra Club, Claiborne County is 84 percent 
African American with 34 percent living under the poverty line at 
less than $11,000 per year in income. The site is about 25 miles 
south of Vicksburg.

 Scott Peterson, vice president of communications of the Nuclear 
Energy Institute, based in Washington, said the idea for a second 
facility in Claiborne County is in the early stages.

 "This is a process that allows a company to identify a site for 
a new nuclear power plant before they commit to building the 
plant. That way, if somewhere down the road they decide to build 
a second plant, they already have the site approved."

 The company can save that approval for up to 40 years. Peterson 
said it would be about two years before the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission approves or disapproves the site.

 "Entergy has not decided to build a new nuclear plant because, 
as of now, we just don't need the power," said Carl Crawford, 
manager of Nuclear Communications for the Entergy Nuclear 
Business Development Group. "But it takes eight years to build 
one, and eventually, we will have to make that decision."

 If the site is approved, Entergy would still have to get 
approval for a reactor design and a construction permit. The 
design could include underground reactors, which would reduce the 
possibility of terrorist attacks and the chance of a meltdown.

 But some in the area want to end the speculation now.

 "Am I against giving them a license to build another reactor? 
Yes, I am," said Kos Costmayer of Vicksburg. "There's no place to 
put it. Do we really want more nuclear waste in Mississippi?"

 Peterson cites jobs and the demand for more power as reasons to 
support nuclear energy.

 Crawford said the company is "trying to preserve the nuclear 
option for the people of Mississippi."

 "If it turns out to be that five years from now nuclear is the 
lowest cost and the only way to preserve the air from pollutants, 
then (Mississippians) deserve that option," he said.

  Copyright © 2004, The Clarion-Ledger. Use of this site 
*****************************************************************
 24 Forbes.com: NRC to inspect clogged safety pumps at Wis. nuke
 
  1/21/04 4:02:00 PM ET   

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission has launched a special inspection of clogged safety 
pumps at the Kewaunee nuclear power plant on Lake Michigan in 
Wisconsin, an NRC spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

 The NRC sent two inspectors to the 545 megawatt plant north of 
Milwaukee "to investigate all circumstances" of how silt and 
weeds from Lake Michigan got into the plant's cooling system, 
said NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng.

 Kewaunee, which can produce power for more than 500,000 homes, 
is jointly owned by the Wisconsin Public Service unit of WPS 
Resources Corp. (nyse: WPS - news - people) and the Wisconsin 
Power & Light subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp. (nyse: WPS - 
news - people) and operated by Nuclear Management Co.

 Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion Resources Inc. (nyse: D - news 
- people) has agreed to buy the plant in a deal expected to close 
in autumn 2004.

 Mitlyng said pump-clogging problems have occurred in the past at 
other nuclear stations, including Point Beach in Wisconsin, Salem 
in New Jersey and Ginna in New York.

 The Kewaunee plant -- which was forced to close Jan. 16 after 
the clogging was discovered in heat exchanger equipment that 
cools lubricating oil -- has two large pumps that are part of the 
plant's backup safety system, Mitlyng said.

 They are designed to flood the reactor in an accident, but 
clogging could prevent them from operating.

 The NRC inspectors arrived at Kewaunee Tuesday, but the length 
of their work or how long the plant will remain closed have not 
been determined, the NRC spokeswoman said.

 The inspectors "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 NRC said.

 A spokeswoman for Nuclear Management Co. said the company does 
not discuss the timing of plant operations. 

Copyright 2004, Reuters News Service

 
*****************************************************************
 25 Scotsman.com: Scotland - Nuclear bosses accused of complacency
 
Thursday, 22nd January 2004    	 

Wed 21 Jan 2004   			 			

JOHN ROSS 

NUCLEAR bosses were yesterday accused of extraordinary 
complacency after claiming the continuing problem of radioactive 
particles being discovered near the Dounreay plant is not harming 
the siteâ€™s environmental clean up. 

Dipesh Shah, the new chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy 
Authority (UKAEA), and Norman Harrison, the new Dounreay site 
director, were giving their first interviews since taking up 
their posts in November while opening a new plant at the site. 

The discovery of particles - or hotspots - has been a recurring 
problem for 20 years with the cost of tackling the problem 
estimated to be between Â£250,000 and tens of millions of pounds. 

The management of the particles is one of the biggest challenges 
facing UKAEA as it works to return the Caithness complex to a 
near-greenfield site within 50 years at a cost of Â£4.5 billion. 

Since November 1983, over 200 have been found on the enclosed 
foreshore at Dounreay and approximately 50 more on the nearby 
Sandside beach, which is partly open to the public. A further 750 
have been discovered on the seabed during surveys and it is 
thought that up to 50,000 may be in the sediment close to 
Dounreay. 

Despite Â£7 million having been spent on environmental research 
in recent years, experts are still not entirely sure how the 
particles, a product of historical nuclear operations, got into 
the sea and on to the beaches. They believe there is no 
continuing leak of material and the most likely sources are a 
disused diffusion chamber and drains which discharge on to the 
Dounreay foreshore. 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has been 
investigating the problem and may take legal action against the 
UKAEA. Geoffrey Minter, the owner of Sandside beach, has already 
taken UKAEA to court over claims that monitoring of the beach was 
insufficient. 

Yesterday, Mr Harrison said: "The particles are an historical 
issue, the process that produced the particles stopped before 
1980. 

"Itâ€™s a fact that particles were released into the environment. 
With a view to any actions that SEPA might take, my view is that 
if thatâ€™s the course they are taking, letâ€™s go through with 
it to draw a line under this. 

"Exhaustive checks of the discharges on site have not revealed 
any further discharge of particles." 

He said it is not undermining the clean-up operation: "I donâ€™t 
believe it is. We are having continuing dialogue with regulators 
about the issue. We want to ringfence it so that we can focus on 
it and keep it separate from the main drive of the 
decommissioning process here. 

"We are not putting our heads in the sand. We look at all 
effluent discharges at the site and we can see no evidence for 
continuing particulant discharge." 

Mr Shah added: "We clearly want to resolve this issue and we will 
work with SEPA and other organisations to seek a satisfactory 
solution so we can start with a clean slate for the future. 

"Itâ€™s important that we deal with the legacy issues of the past 
and there is no attempt on the part of us, as two new directors 
of UKAEA, to ignore that need. It does not in any way impinge on 
our mission of restoring the environment because it is consistent 
with dealing with different elements of the legacy of the past. 

"I would not go so far as describing this as an Achilles heel. 
Itâ€™s an issue to address, attempts have been made to address it 
and the continued monitoring is designed to ensure that it really 
is an issue that we have come to grips with in terms of the 
discharge. What we are now seeking to do is to see if we can 
resolve the way that the clean up of the historic issue is to be 
addressed." 

But Lorraine Mann, the convener of Scotland Against Nuclear 
Dumping, said she was "gobsmacked" by the comments: "This shows a 
quite extraordinary level of complacency by the new management 
team and reveals that they have no grasp of the magnitude of the 
problem they are facing." 

Dounreay yesterday opened a Â£7.5 million plant to control and 
dispose of low-level effluent from the decommissioning of its 
plant. 

The plant, which took three years to build, replaces a facility 
built in the 1950s which will be dismantled. The new facility 
will collect solids and sludge from the effluent which is then 
neutralised before being discharged into the sea.                 

   &copy;2004 Scotsman.com 
*****************************************************************
 26 Las Vegas SUN: Daughter Fights for Ailing Nuke Workers

Today: January 21, 2004 at 10:10:07 PST 

 By CHERYL WITTENAUER ASSOCIATED PRESS 

MOSCOW MILLS, Mo. (AP) - When Denise Brock sat with her
cancer-stricken dad in the 1960s, she made lots of racket,
hoping the noise would prevent his dying on her watch. Today,
the 43-year-old Brock is clamoring all the louder, a full-time
activist on behalf of aging Cold War-era nuclear workers and
their survivors. 

"I'm obsessed with this," she said, conceding a soft spot for
the elderly. "If I don't help them, who's going to?" 

A 3-year-old federal law requires the government to compensate
workers in the nuclear weapons industry, or their survivors, for
job-related cancer or other diseases. Workers from about 350
sites nationwide may qualify. 

Ten sites are in Missouri, including the old Mallinckrodt
Chemical Co. plant in St. Louis where Brock's father,
Christopher Davis, worked from 1945 to 1960. The plant produced
uranium dioxide for the Manhattan Project, exposing its workers
to large doses of radiation. 

Brock's father died of lung cancer in 1978. When she started
helping her 80-year-old mother file a benefits claim in 2002,
she ran into obstacles. 

Employment records had been destroyed. The family could only
guess what Davis was exposed to. Workers used code words like
"juice," "biscuit" and "tube alloy" to describe what they made. 

Brock dug up old city directories and Social Security records to
prove her father's employment and hunted down documents to trace
his exposure. If she failed to prove her case, her mother would
not get the $150,000 payment she was due. 

The experience made Brock angry and determined to act for
others. 

For more than a year, she has crusaded among those she calls "my
workers," mostly elderly former plant employees, their aging
spouses or children to help them construct a picture of the
years when the workers were exposed. 

She founded United Nuclear Weapons Workers, which operates from
her eastern Missouri mobile home. Her teenage daughter fields
phone calls and inputs computer data. Her husband, an
ironworker, listens calmly to her rants and drives her to
countless meetings, even some out of state. 

Documents from innumerable Freedom of Information Act requests
fill filing cabinets in the bathroom and bedroom. Last fall, she
received 5,000 pages of classified records to help claimants
fill information gaps. Among them: decades-old urine analysis
reports that told how much uranium dust a worker inhaled and
secreted. 

Brock has made so many FOIA requests, she obtained fee waivers.
Her monthly phone bill averages $700. She regularly calls the
Labor Department, which handles the claims. 

Over the last year, she organized hundreds of workers and union
tradesmen who risked exposure when called to the sites. She
recruited a board of directors, held claims workshops, walked
nervous claimants through mock telephone interviews, even
providing a script. 

Her work is free. The payback is the hugs, letters and thanks
from grateful people. 

"She's such an energetic person, she's doing everything in her
power to help people out," said 82-year-old Harold Mauk, of
Farmington, who worked at Mallinckrodt and Weldon Spring in the
1950s and '60s. "She's doing a fantastic job." 

Richard Miller, a policy analyst at the Washington-based
Government Accountability Project which represents
whistleblowers, watched Brock step in with no background, just a
big heart for the hundreds of workers and survivors she
discovered were in the same predicament as her parents. 

"She has forced people to deal with Mallinckrodt that otherwise
might have been a forgotten site. She's brought it to
prominence. I'm impressed," he said. 

At Brock's urging, a federal advisory board that oversees the
compensation program held a public hearing where a report on the
Mallinckrodt plant was unveiled by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health. It found that workers were
exposed to radiation up to 2,400 times greater than doses
acceptable by modern standards. It referred to conditions at
Mallinckrodt's uranium-processing plant as routinely dusty and
hazardous. 

In some cases, evidence of radiation exposure at Mallinckrodt
was so overwhelming that NIOSH could bypass an individual
determination of workplace exposure. 

But for other Mallinckrodt workers, not all the proof is
available, the report said. From 1942 to 1948, no one monitored
workers' health. 

Miller said a provision in the law believes workers if records
aren't available. Mallinckrodt clearly is a candidate for that
exception, he said. 

The problem is that the Department of Labor rule governing that
provision is yet to be released. The department says it's
coming. On Jan. 13, Missouri's Sen. Kit Bond asked Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to give workers the
benefit of the doubt. 

"These are sick, dying, dead workers," Brock said. "Now how hard
is it to see they need help? Fix it!" 

A year ago, the Labor Department predicted long delays to assess
an individual case. Payments today are moving faster. Of 50,000
claims filed nationwide, nearly 9,900 have been paid $753
million, representatives said. More than 1,100 claims were filed
in Missouri alone. 

Help wasn't quick enough for Charles Bredensteiner Jr., of St.
Charles, who succumbed to cancer Jan. 7, the day of his
scheduled interview with NIOSH. Brock had met with him and his
family the night before. The memories of her own father's death
overtook her. 

"I was like a scared kid," she said. "It was as if a hand
pounded me in my heart. I felt the agony of the wife and
daughter." 

Brock's group is now focused on finding the thousands of
potentially eligible Missouri workers who are unaware of the
program. 

"There were 3,300 employees of Mallinckrodt, plus the building
trades," Brock said. "I want to reach all 3,000. I feel they
have a right to know. Where are they? 

"Some little old man could use $150,000. How do I get to them?
I'm thinking of going to nursing homes and senior centers." 

--- 

On the Net: 

United Nuclear Weapons Workers: www.unww.info 

NIOSH Office of Compensation Analysis and Support:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/

Department of Labor: www.dol.gov 

-- 


 
*****************************************************************
 27 Gallup Independent: Radiation exam may net $150K for victims

January 19, 2004 

Kathy Helms Diné Bureau
 
FORT DEFIANCE – The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency 
and Monument Valley High School are sponsoring a Radiation 
Exposure Screening Education Program meeting Wednesday at the 
high school, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, persons exposed to 
radiation through uranium mining, milling, or through weapons 
testing are eligible for $150,000 in compensation from the 
federal government. The screening program is used to evaluate 
those persons exposed to radiation to determine whether they are 
eligible for compensation. Some of those persons exposed also are 
eligible for additional compensation under the Energy Employees 
Occupational Illness Compensation Plan Act. 

Navajo uranium miners are 28 times more likely to develop lung 
cancer than Navajos not exposed to uranium, according to a study 
in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. More 
than 500 uranium miners died as a result of lung cancer from 1950 
to 1990. 

Pat Seltzer, school superintendent, will offer welcoming remarks 
at 9 a.m. at the RESEP meeting, followed by Lillie Lane, senior 
public information officer for Navajo EPA, who will explain the 
purpose of the meeting. 

Regina Ponder, RESEP project director at Mountain Park Health 
Center in Phoenix, will give a presentation on the screening 
program at 9:45 a.m. Presentations also will be offered by Mae 
Gilene Begay, program manager for Navajo Nation Division of 
Health, Community Health Representative Program; Bruce B. 
Struminger, M.D. of the Navajo Service Area Radiation Exposure & 
Education Program at Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock; 
and Diane Malone, program manager for Navajo EPA's Superfund 
Program in Window Rock. 

The Monument Valley High School video "Hear Our Voices" will be 
featured at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend. 

Environmental conference
 
Navajo EPA also is planning a two-day environmental conference 
for March 10-11 and is now accepting one-page proposals for 
presentations on environmental issues from grassroots 
environmental organizations throughout the Navajo Nation. 

The one-page presentation proposals will be accepted through 
Friday. Proposals may be sent to Navajo EPA by fax (928-871-7996) 
or may be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format to 
http://www.navajoepa.org. For more information, contact Lillie 
Lane, senior public information officer at (928) 871-6082. 

Also as part of the environmental conference, Navajo EPA is 
inviting primary, middle and high school students to participate 
in a poster contest. The winning poster will be used to promote 
and advertise the 2004 environmental conference. 

The theme of the conference is "Sharing Din Traditional Values 
for Future Environmental Challenges." 

Posters should be mailed to: Navajo Nation Environmental 
Protection Agency, P.O. Box 339, Window Rock, AZ 86515. 

The deadline for poster submissions is Feb. 6. Navajo EPA will 
recognize and select a winner from each school category (primary, 
middle and high school). For more information, contact Lane at 
(928) 871-6082.
 
E-mail: <font size="3">gallpind@cia-g.com</font> By mail: The 
Independent PO Box 1210 Gallup, NM 87305 500 N. 9th Gallup, NM 
87301   
  
Feel free to send any questions or comments to gallpind@cia-g.com  
*****************************************************************
 28 Las Vegas SUN: Boomtown in the making?

January 20, 2004 

County steps in to shape growth of Indian Springs

 By Launce Rake 
<lrake@lasvegassun.com>

 The rural hamlet of Indian Springs has gone through booms and
busts over the last 150 years or so, sometimes literally: It was
once home to hundreds of workers employed at the Nevada Test
Site for above-ground atomic bomb tests.

 Later Indian Springs housed many of the Air Force personnel and
their families working at the base on the other side of the
highway. But when, in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Air Force
moved residential housing out of the northwest corner of Clark
County, centralizing those services at Nellis Air Force Base,
much of the population left with it.

 Now there are signs that Indian Springs is growing again, and
Clark County is working to guide that growth in a way that makes
sense to the residents, the Air Force and everyone else with a
stake in the development of what now is little more than a slow
patch on U.S. 95. The Clark County Commission, which has the
ultimate say over land-use decisions in the community with
advice from the town advisory board, is scheduled to receive a
broad "vision statement" of the community today.

 In the future, zoning guides could take into account both the
historical planning and future needs of the community based in
part on the vision statement.

 The needs are expected to grow with the population in Indian
Springs, experts say. According to Cherie Garrity in the Clark
County Comprehensive Planning Department, the town's population
grew from 1,302 on July 1, 2000 to 1,640 three years later, a 26
percent increase. That substantially outpaced Clark County's own
phenomenal growth rate of 15 percent during the same period.

 The numbers cited by Garrity do not include an even larger
increase in the population of prisoners at the High Desert State
Prison and Southern Desert Correctional Center, which went from
1,324 inmates to 2,104.

 The expansion of the prison, however, has added population to
Indian Springs because families have moved to the town to be
closer to inmates, according to Indian Springs Town Advisory
Board Chairman Mike Bingham.

 Bingham says he hasn't really noticed the population increase
in his community, but what has changed is the type of family
living there.

 A decade ago, the military moved its personnel out of Indian
Springs, although a few older homeowners remain from that period
and even farther back, to the A-bomb era, he said.

 When the military population moved out, "all of those trailer
spaces became vacant and a lot of prison personnel moved in," he
said. "Then a lot of families to the prisoners moved in."

 The military is pouring money back into the Air Force
installation, but that isn't bringing back families, Bingham
said.

 "It's in full swing, but they plan to bus everybody out" from
Las Vegas, about an hour south on U.S. 95, he said.

 What Bingham and many of his neighbors, most of whom live in
mobile homes or prefabricated and assembled manufactured
housing, want to see is a change in the demographic of those
moving to his community.

 They hope to bring in middle-class families. Bingham, who lives
in one of a handful of traditional "stick built" homes in the
community, said he doesn't have anything against mobile homes,
but he does not want more of the crowded trailer parks that form
the heart of Indian Springs.

 Instead of 10 trailers to an acre, he would like homes on
half-acre lots.

 "We want to grow, but we want to grow right," Bingham said. "We
don't want high-density."

 The town board recently recommended denying a proposal to put
230 manufactured homes on 31 acres just across the road from
Bingham. The Clark County Commission, the ultimate authority on
zoning issues affecting Indian Springs, is scheduled to have the
final word on the issue Feb. 4.

 The town board, county staffers, Air Force planners and others
are collaborating on a guide to the future of the community.

 The visioning statement scheduled to go to the county
commission today, Comprehensive Planning Manager Irene Navis
pointed out, is very broad. It notes that the town is "a clean,
safe, healthy and sustainable environment for residents of all
ages," that it has a "unique rural character," and provides a
"diverse, viable attractive alternative to the urban lifestyle."

 These are elements that the residents of Indian Springs want to
keep. The hard part, Bingham and others agree, is to keep those
elements while continuing to grow.

 Dodie Patrick, the town librarian and a member of the town
board, said, "People like it here because we're still kind of
small. I can sit on my porch at night and watch the stars."

 But county planners expect more growth in the town, and the
boom could be explosive under several scenarios.

 The town has about 200 acres to build on now, and the Bureau of
Land Management could open up more property for development if
the federal policymakers so directed, Gene Pasinsky, a Clark
County planner, said.

 "It's got a lot of opportunity," he said.

 Down the road, the Air Force continues to expand its successful
Predator, unmanned aircraft program, and its security-service
training.

 An even bigger impact could be if Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
repository receives a final federal go-ahead. County and state
leaders vehemently oppose the dump, which the Energy Department
hopes to open in 2010. The waste site would be just a half-hour
up the highway.

 "All of the sudden nuclear waste is coming. Where would people
stay?" Pasinsky asked. "Indian Springs."

 Even without Yucca Mountain, the town could see growth. One
factor that could attract people is the affordability of the
housing. Bingham said homes can be found beginning at $60,000,
and prices top out at around $200,000 -- a bargain compared with
Las Vegas' rapidly escalating housing prices.

 Already, new home construction is creeping steadily north along
U.S. 95. Once an hour's drive away, grocery stores serving the
urban population are a 24-mile commute for Indian Springs
residents.

 While the Air Force personnel commute to the Indian Springs
Auxiliary Air Field, the military is committed to spending $130
million to $150 million in infrastructure improvements at the
base, according to field commander Lt. Col. Scott Sturgill.
Already, about 100 civilian contractors call Indian Springs home.

 More could come.

 The Air Force and members of the town have what both sides call
a good relationship. The relationship is important to the
planning process because the Air Force wants to keep homes out
of areas where aircraft create noise or the potential for
accidents.

 Col. Kurtis Lohide, vice commander of the 99th Air Base Wing,
takes an active interest in zoning in the town. He wants to keep
residents and his aircraft as far apart as practical.

 As part of redefining the future of Indian Springs, Lohide said
the Air Force is recommending incorporation of areas where
residential development would be restricted. But Lohide and
Sturgill said their interest does not mean that development will
not happen.

 "We have to grow together," Sturgill said. "It's a mutual
relationship ... It's something we work at. We work well with
the folks here and we plan to continue that relationship."

 The Air Force provides full-time fire and medical emergency
support to the volunteer fire station in Indian Springs, he
noted.

 Bingham said most people in the town are generally happy with
their military neighbors. People don't even mind the roar of the
high-performance jet Thunderbirds practicing overhead, he said.

 Bingham said he moved to the town a decade ago to get away from
the gritty urban reality of Las Vegas. In Indian Springs, he,
his dogs and horses aren't threatened. He hears the stories of
people who built ranches in the desert outside of Las Vegas,
only to have urban subdivisions swallow their homes a few years
later.

 "I thought I would be far enough out here that I didn't have to
worry about that," he said. Bingham believes that's still
possible.

 "Why can't we protect what we have and still have growth?" he
asked.

 
               Questions or problems? Click here.
*****************************************************************
 29 Defra, UK: consultations - Proposals for the justification of practices 
involving ionising radiation regulations 2004

These proposed Regulations will transpose into law the
justification requirements of two European Directives which
protect the health of individuals against the dangers of
ionising radiation: 

  + Council Directive 96/29/Euratom laying down basic safety
standards for the protection of the health of workers and the
general public against the dangers arising from ionizing
radiation. 

  + Council Directive 97/43/Euratom on health protection of
individuals against the dangers of ionising radiation in
relation to medical exposure, and repealing Directive
84/466/Euratom. 

Justification in the Directives involves weighing the overall
benefits of classes or types of activities which might result in
the exposure of people to ionising radiation against the harm
likely to be caused by the radiation exposure. For new classes
of types of practice, justification is required in advance of
their being first approved. Existing classes or types of
practice may be reviewed to see if they are justified or not
whenever new and important evidence about their efficacy or
consequences is acquired. 

These Regulations provide the framework in which future
justification decisions will be taken. They also prohibit the
deliberate addition of radioactive substances to personal
ornaments and toys and the import and export of these goods and
of cosmetics to which radioactive substances have been added. 

The deadline for comments on this consultation is 20 April 2004.
Responses should be sent to Stephen Allen at the address below. 

The documents have been made available in Adobe Acrobat format
for downloading: 
  + 

Consultation letter 
  + 

Consultation list 
  + 

Consultation document (65 KB) 
  + 

Annex 1:Draft SI - The justification of practices involving
Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 (65 KB) 
  + 

Annex 2: Draft partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (30 KB) 
  + 

Annex 3: Extracts from directives (10 KB) 
  + 

Annex 4: Proforma for responses (Word document) 

Alternatively, printed copies of the documents may be obtained
from: 

Stephen Allen
 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
Zone 4/E6
 Ashdown House
 123 Victoria Street
 London
 SW1E 6DE
 Telephone: 020 7082 8472
 Fax: 020 7082 8474 

Further information is available elsewhere on the Defra web
site, on www.defra.gov.uk/environment/radioactivity/index.htm. 

Further information is available on our Help page about
downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat [PDF logo] documents. 
            
      Page published: 20 January 2004       
 Copyright Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs   

*****************************************************************
 30 Deseretnews: Goshute leader pleads innocent
 
[deseretnews.com] 
 	
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
 	   	 
His legal woes snarling tribe's N-waste plans

By Leigh Dethman Deseret Morning News

A Goshute leader accused of paying himself
with tribal money through various schemes pleaded not guilty to
all charges in federal court Tuesday.

       Leon D. Bear, 47, chairman of the Skull Valley Band of
Goshutes, is charged with two counts of theft from Indian tribal
organizations, one count of theft concerning federally funded
programs and three counts of fraud and false statements.

       Bear left the courtroom immediately after the hearing.

       The Goshutes are best known across the state for
controversial plans to store spent nuclear fuel on their Tooele
County reservation. Though prosecutors have continually stressed
that fuel storage and the charges are separate in the eyes of
the court, they become more connected politically and in the
eyes of the public. Bear's opponents claim he has been dishonest
in his efforts to secure the storage agreement and that these
charges point to the fact that he can't be trusted.

      After the indictments were returned in December, critics
called for a moratorium on the storage plan.

       "I can't imagine a scenario under which we find it
acceptable to store high-level nuclear waste when the leaders or
individuals in charge for managing the facility are facing . . .
the charges raised here," Dianne Nielson, executive director of
the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, told the Deseret
Morning News at the time.

       In court Tuesday, prosecutors told U.S. Magistrate Judge
David Nuffer the maximum penalty for each of the theft from
Indian tribal organizations charges is five years in prison
and/or a fine of $250,000. Bear could face 10 years in prison
and/or a fine of $250,000 for the federally funded programs
theft charge, and he could face three years in prison and/or a
$100,000 fine for each of the other charges.

       Bear won't be held in jail pending trial, which has not
been scheduled. But that trial could be postponed if Bear
switches lawyers, officials said. Bear's attorney, Joseph
Thibodeau, told the judge he did not know if he would continue
to represent Bear.

       The Goshute leader is accused of stealing or misapplying
funds from December 1998 to February 1999 from the Tapai Project
Office, a South Salt Lake economic-development arm of the Skull
Valley Band. The indictment alleges Bear took $154,651.91,
accounting for the two charges of theft from Indian tribal
organizations.

       As the office's director, Bear maintained a
$2,500-per-month salary and was a signatory on the office's bank
account.

       Another scheme the indictment alleges involved Bear
paying himself two travel stipends for each official trip he
went on between February 1999 and August 2001. Others who
traveled with him on those trips received only one stipend per
trip, the indictment claims.

       Bear is also accused of paying himself for acting as
tribal secretary when someone else was doing the job.

       The three fraud charges stem from allegations that Bear
filed his 1999, 2000 and 2001 individual income tax return forms
claiming to be unemployed and to have received little or no
income each of those years. The charges state he actually
received between $61,902 and $67,167 from the tribe each of
those years.

       The indictment follows more than two years of
investigation by the U.S. Department of Interior Office of
Inspector General, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the
U.S. Attorney's Office.

       Three other members of the Skull Valley Band and their
attorney are also facing charges of theft from Indian tribal
organizations and bank fraud.

       The three Goshutes — Marlinda Moon, 43, Wendover; Sammy
Blackbear, 39, Salt Lake City; and Miranda Wash, 36,
Grantsville; and their attorney Duncan Steadman, 57, South
Jordan, are accused of using an unofficial election to gain
access to tribal funds. Last week the four pleaded not guilty to
all charges filed in federal court.

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com
	 
 © 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company 
*****************************************************************
 31 Salt Lake Tribune: Goshute leader pleads innocent 
 
January 21, 2004   
 
  [PHOTO] 
Joseph Thibodeau, left, a Denver tax and aviation lawyer, Valley 
Goshute Band of Indians, to federal court in Salt Lake City, 
where Bear on Tuesday pleaded innocent to charges of embezzlement 
and tax fraud. The charges carry a potential fine of $1.5 million 
and up to 29 years in prison. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake 
Tribune)   
 
 By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune 
 
    The leader of the Skull Valley Goshute Band of Indians 
pleaded innocent in federal court Tuesday to three counts each of 
embezzlement and tax fraud. 
 
    Leon D. Bear, the driving force behind the Goshutes' deal to 
host a multibillion-dollar parking lot for used nuclear rods, was 
released pending his trial at the direction of Magistrate Judge 
David Nuffer. 
 
    No trial date was set on the criminal charges, which accuse 
the tribal chairman of embezzling about $160,952 of Indian and 
federal funds, as well as failing to pay federal income taxes on 
$192,316 earned from the tribe over three years. Bear also faces 
a separate summons from the court to respond to questions by the 
Internal Revenue Service on tribal business deals. 
 
    Bear's uncle Lawrence Bear, a former tribal chairman, and 
Skull Valley Vice Chairwoman Lori Skiby were on hand to hear the 
criminal plea Tuesday. So were some of Bear's harshest critics, 
all of whom have been fighting Bear legally: nuclear waste 
opponent Margene Bullcreek, former Skull Valley Vice Chairwoman 
Mary Allen, and Miranda Wash, whose efforts to take a tribal 
leadership role helped expose the alleged embezzlement and 
alleged fraud and who faces separate indictments on bank fraud. 
 
    Besides his plea, Bear, 47, had nothing to say. Nor did 
Joseph Thibodeau, a Denver tax and aviation lawyer who acted as 
attorney for Bear on Tuesday but said he may eventually drop the 
case. 
 
    But Bear told the 121-member Skull Valley Band in a memo last 
month: "The charges are utterly false and totally without merit." 
 
    A grand jury indicted Bear on Dec. 17 after a probe by 
investigators for the U.S. Interior Department, the IRS and the
 
    The indictment says Bear was paying salaries for himself out 
of tribal funds and funds for tribal economic development 
programs, totaling about $4,300 a month. Sometimes, the documents 
alleged, he also reimbursed himself twice for travel expenses. 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
    Prosecutors said last month that only some of the allegedly 
embezzled money came from the proposed nuclear waste facility. 
Some of the money also came from federal programs and other 
tribal ventures, they noted. 
 
    Despite his salaries, Bear reported to the IRS in 1999, 2000 
and 2001 that he was unemployed while he was receiving more than 
$60,000 a year during that time from the Skull Valley Band, 
charging documents said. 
 
    The charges carry a potential fine of $1.5 million and up to 
29 years in prison. 
 
    Bear said in his memo to fellow Goshutes that he was being 
made a scapegoat by the federal government, given the state 
government's bitter opposition to the waste-storage plan and 
former Gov. Mike Leavitt's vow to "dig a moat around the 
Goshutes" because of it. 
 
    "The government is attempting to dig that moat by, in turn, 
attempting to discredit and destroy me personally and through the 
band with these ill-conceived charges," he wrote. 
 
    Bullcreek, who has been trying to organize a new election for 
the Skull Valley Band, said the chairman and his deputy should 
not be allowed to handle tribal funds. 
 
    "I don't think he should be acting as an officer because he's 
under indictment," she said. 
 
    Bullcreek and other Bear opponents say he has been 
withholding tribal benefits from those who oppose the waste site 
or Bear's management. Tribal funds provide most of the income for 
several Skull Valley families. 
 
    fahys@sltrib.com
 
Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune
*****************************************************************
 32 UKAEA: Archive investment preserves Dounreays pioneering history 
                                
  19th January 2004
 Ref: 2004/04     
Contact: Colin Punler, 01847 806080   
   
 One of the most important collections in the history of nuclear 
energy has been preserved for future generations after a £400,000 
investment in a new archive facility at Dounreay. 

The archive is home to some 10 million pages of paper records 
contained in 21,000 boxes that would stretch for three kilometres 
if laid end to end. 

The records chart the history of Dounreay from its earliest 
construction through the pioneering days of research and 
development of Britains fast reactor experiment to the 
modern-day decommissioning of the site. 

On the eve of the sites 50th anniversary, 230 tonnes of records 
have now been brought together under one roof in a 
state-of-the-art archive that will preserve the sites history 
for generations to come. 

The new facility was officially opened by site director Norman 
Harrison, who paid tribute to the enormous team work that had 
gone into the development. 

You delivered on time and to cost with tremendous enthusiasm and 
professionalism, he told staff at the opening. Your team work 
is a model for how we decommission the site. 

The archive is also an essential reference point for project 
teams charged with dismantling the legacy of atomic experiments 
dating back half a century. 

Periodic reviews of older records that are not required by 
decommissioning staff result in some that are deemed to be of 
national importance being transferred to the national archives at 
Kew in Surrey. Other older records of local historical importance 
are being made available to the North Highland Archive at Wick. 

The main contractor for the work was R.J. Macleod, with 
specialist shelving provided by Rackline. 

All records are logged on a database for ease of reference and 
records transferred to the national archive at Kew can also be 
traced by computer and returned to the site for reference if 
necessary. 

The archive is the official record of what happened at this site 
and the pioneering contribution it made to nuclear science in the 
UK, said records office manager Ian Pearson, who leads a team of 
six full-time staff. He is supported by three retired employees  
Peter Higginson, Trevor Barrett and Sandra Logie  who work 
part-time as official reviewers in accordance with the Public 
Records Act. 

Ends 

Notes to Editors: 1. Dounreay was Britains centre for fast 
reactor research and development from 1955 until 1994.
 
  2. The Dounreay Site Restoration Plan published in October 2000 
describes some 1500 projects required to decommission the site 
over the next 50-60 years at a cost in the region of £4 billion. 
It can be viewed at .
 
  3. Expenditure on decommissioning Dounreay is worth 
approximately £80 million a year to the economy of the Highlands.
 
  4. A gratis colour photograph of the official opening of the 
new archive is available from UKAEA. To request transmission, 
contact Pauline Maclean (tel: 01847 806083). 


For more information, please contact Colin Punler, Communications 
Manager, Dounreay, on 01847 806080 or 0776 4164812. Outwith 
normal office hours (0800-1615) telephone 01847 802121 and ask 
for the Duty Press Officer.
 
Copyright© UKAEA 2003 
*****************************************************************
 33 Las Vegas RJ: Yucca board member resigns 
 
Wednesday, January 21, 2004

STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
 

WASHINGTON -- Paul P. Craig, an engineer and environmental
policy expert from the University of California, has resigned
from the independent science board evaluating the Yucca Mountain
Project.
 
 Craig submitted his resignation Thursday from the Nuclear Waste
Technical Review Board. He said in a letter to President Bush he
wanted time to resume projects he had put aside to serve on the
panel.
 
 Craig, a 1997 appointee of President Clinton whose term was to
expire in April, did not detail his plans.
 
 A professor of engineering emeritus at the University of
California, Davis, Craig could not be reached Tuesday night at
his home in Martinez, Calif. 
The review board was created by Congress to monitor the Energy
Department's science in developing plans for a nuclear waste
repository at the Yucca site, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
 
 The 11-member board of science experts now is down to eight
members. Its chairman, University of Wisconsin nuclear engineer
Michael L. Corradini, resigned at the end of December in the
face of complaints from Nevada leaders and fellow board members
that he was tilted in favor of the project.
 
 Corradini said he did not have a pro-Yucca bias but
acknowledged the complaints were becoming a distraction to
himself and the board.
 
 Another board member, Debra Knopman, resigned in the spring. A
replacement has not been appointed by the White House.
 
 
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
 34 Haaretz IAEA: Iran continues work at uranium enrichment plant       
 
 January 21, 2004 Tevet 27, 5764   
    	 
  By , Haaretz Correspondent   	 
  
International Atomic Energy Agency sources told Haaretz Wednesday 
that Iran is continuing construction at its uranium enrichment 
plant, causing a new dispute to emerged between the agency and 
Tehran.      

According to the sources, the dispute erupted amid continued 
Iranian construction of centrifuge devices at the uranium 
enrichment plant in Natanz. 

Iran claims it will not enrich uranium, as required by an 
agrement reached last month with the IAEA, but adds it will 
continue its construction work on the Natanz site.

The IAEA says the agreement requires Iran to halt all nuclear 
activity, including construction of nuclear sites and 
installation of related equipment. 

The United States shares the IAEA's interpretations of the 
agreement and Washington sources expressed anger over what they 
termed "Iranian evasion tricks."

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana visited Tehran 
last week and discussed the terms of the agreement with Iranian 
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Hasan Rohani. 
Rohani made it clear while visiting Paris last week that "Iran 
will not agree to any restrictions imposed on its nuclear 
program, which will be used exclusively for peaceful purposes." 
 	 
  © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved   
*****************************************************************
 35 Las Vegas SUN: DOE plans to submit Yucca license bid by December

Today: January 21, 2004 at 9:06:24 PST 

By Christina Littlefield
 LAS VEGAS SUN

 Energy Department officials told the Nuclear Waste Technical
Review Board Tuesday they still plan by December to submit the
final licensing application for a Yucca Mountain repository.

 The department, however, is only about halfway there and still
has several safety, design and technical issues to work through
in the next several months before submitting the application to
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said W. John Arthur III,
deputy director of repository development for the Energy
Department.

 Board members meeting in Las Vegas expressed doubt as to
whether the Energy Department will be able to meet that December
deadline, and whether that deadline pressure may lead the
department to overlook some safety questions the board has with
the repository's proposed design.

 Congress created the 11-member board in 1987 to review plans to
store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain,
90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

 "I think we raised several questions that suggest the schedule
is ambitious," said Mark Abkowitz, board member and professor of
civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University.
"We are looking for the DOE to demonstrate they can connect the
dots to meet the quality requirements."

 Fellow board member Thure Cerling, a professor of geology,
geophysics and biology at the University of Utah, agreed.

 "There is a lot of work to do," Cerling said.

 Arthur and fellow Energy Department official Paul Harrington,
of the repository engineering and design division, reviewed the
status and design of the Yucca Mountain project in a public
panel of the board's engineered system.

 Arthur told the board members he plans to be able to address
all of their questions, particularly those of corrosion to the
waste canisters, by March. A rough draft of the licensing
application will then be available for review by June to give
ample time for revision.

 Harrington went over the most recent changes to the design of
the surface and subsurface facilities as well to the waste
package design. Harrington said his team continues to tweak
aspects of the design as they test the preclosure safety of the
design as well as how the repository will perform after it is
closed.

 Board members asked several questions about how stable the
tunnels in Yucca Mountain are, the possibility of earthquake and
rock fall damage, if the materials used in the repository will
last and the complexity and predictability of the design.

 Board members also wanted to see more data on the waste package
safety results and on security measures against terrorist
threats on site and during transportation, particularly from
overhead aircraft.

 The DOE has to re-evaluate the hazard caused by overhead
aircraft from Nellis Air Force Base, Harrington said, because of
planned changes in use of the Nevada Test Site airspace by the
Air Force. Board members feared what would happen if a plane
crashed into the repository or one of the transporters.

 The chance of that happening unintentionally was less than once
in 10,000 years in the original study, Harrington said. The
changes in airspace use could increase that probability and
require additional safety precautions, he said.

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not require the DOE to
address terrorist threats or intentional crashes as part of the
license, Harrington said, but the DOE is evaluating security
measures.

 Abkowitz specifically questioned Arthur on the DOE's internal
communication policies, fearing a disaster like the 1986
Challenger explosion could happen at Yucca Mountain if people
were not free to report concerns.

 "When you have many different contractors under deadline trying
to get things done, can people who have concerns reach you
without fear of appraisal?" Abkowitz asked Arthur.

 NASA officials determined the shuttle exploded because
communication policies prevented scientists from reporting the
O-rings in the joints of the shuttle would freeze in certain
temperatures. Officials said there was political pressure for
the shuttle to be launched and there already had been too many
delays.

 Arthur said they are very aware of communication issues and are
working to improve open discussion about possible problems,
including the establishment of a leadership council within the
DOE.

 There is political pressure to open the Yucca Mountain site.
The DOE plans to construct a small initial disposal system to
begin operation by 2010, and then add additional facilities
later, Harrington said.

 The DOE also plans to produce 15 prototypes of 10 different
waste container designs for further evaluation, Harrington said.
The DOE is currently in the process of issuing a contract for
these prototypes and plan to have the first one finished in 2005.

 
 
*****************************************************************
 36 The Herald: Dounreay chiefs accused of complacency   
 
     Web Issue 1923     January 21 2004      

  DAVID ROSS, Highland Correspondent     January 21 2004   
    
  THE new senior management team at Dounreay yesterday was
accused of extraordinary complacency in its attitude to the
continuing mystery of the radioactive particles that keep
appearing near the plant. 

The criticism comes despite the fact the team has been in post
for just three months.

 Dipesh Shah, the new UK Atomic Energy Authority chief
executive, and Norman Harrison, Dounreay's new director, did not
accept that the particles were undermining public confidence in
their mission to transform Dounreay into a greenfield site over
50 years.

 Since 1983, more than 1000 radioactive particles have been
found between the Dounreay foreshore, the seabed just off the
plant and the public Sandside beach three miles away. However,
up to 50,000 are feared buried in sandbanks beneath the Pentland
Firth.

 The UK Atomic Energy Authority, Dounreay's operator, is wholly
engaged in a £4bn decommissioning of the plant.

 Mr Harrison said: "It is an issue for us, a historical issue.
We believe the process that produced them stopped more than 20
years ago."

 Lorraine Mann of Scotland Against Nuclear Dumping, said,
however: "I find that a quite extraordinary and alarming level
of complacency. They have absolutely no evidence whatsoever that
the particles have stopped escaping from the site.

 "I really am gobsmacked and very disappointed if this is the
attitude of Dounreay's new senior managers. It reveals that they
have no true grasp of the magnitude of the problem the particles
represent."
   
  Copyright © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights
*****************************************************************
 37 Gallup Independent: Uranium foes fear an unfair hearing

January 19, 2004 

Kathy Helms Diné Bureau
 
FORT DEFIANCE — Last Monday night officials from Louisiana Energy 
Services (LES) received a "good show of support" from community 
members in Hobbs, N.M., for the construction of a gas centrifuge 
uranium enrichment facility in Lea County. But not everyone got 
to voice their views, and one of those who didn't believes it was 
a deliberate slight. 

Lee Cheney, who represents Citizens Nuclear Information Center 
(CNIC) in Hobbs, has several beefs with LES. He especially takes 
issue with the company's plans to store radioactive waste 
tailings, or what the industry calls "byproduct." He also has 
taken offense to what he feels is censorship of public opinion 
when it comes to questioning the proposed uranium enrichment 
project. Cheney said he was not allowed to speak at the Jan. 12 
meeting. 

Marshall Cohen, public information officer for LES, says 
opposition to the project is centered in Albuquerque and Santa 
Fe. If anyone petitions the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
to intervene in the licensing process, Cohen says, "that's where 
they'll come from." 

"We've actually met with one of the opposition groups and we've 
provided them a copy of the license application. We're trying to 
be as open and honest as we can, but we know we won't change 
their minds. Frankly, I think much of the opposition is because 
of the fear that this will give more strength to the nuclear 
power industry as a whole, rather than what this facility is 
about," he said. 

Waste storage
 
Cheney isn't necessarily opposed to LES. He said he just wants 
some questions answered. At last week's public meeting, he said, 
"People would raise their hand and Cohen would call on them to 
speak. After several people gave pep talks and praise for LES, I 
raised my hand. Cohen looked at me with my hand in the air and 
closed the meeting." 

Cheney says the citizens group is a hard critic of LES, but he 
feels it's with good cause. "Over a 25 year period, LES will 
produce 200,000 tons of radioactive waste which, if stored at 
Eunice or at WCS just across the Texas state line from Eunice, 
will create the same kind of nuclear nightmare for the people of 
Lea County that is facing the people in Paducah, Ky," home of 
U.S. Enrichment Corp.'s gaseous diffusion plant. 

"Most people do not understand that nothing LES says or promises 
is legally binding on LES unless it is documented in the LES 
license application to the NRC. The LES promise to Gov. Bill 
Richardson that there will be no long-term storage of waste at 
Eunice is not worth the paper it is written on because that 
promise is not legally binding on LES," he said. 

Cheney wants to know whether LES will submit an amendment to the 
license application stating that LES will not store more than 
2,000 tons (90 days' production) of radioactive depleted uranium 
waste at Eunice. "LES should have no problem doing [that] if LES 
has a place to ship its waste prior to being granted an operating 
license by the NRC," he said. 

Preferred path 

Cohen said LES's strategy, "and our preferred path here one we've 
committed to the governor and one we've put in our license 
application is we are going to do everything we can to facilitate 
the development in the U.S. of a deconversion facility. We've 
talked to companies and there is interest. 

"The reason they will build it is because of us," he said. "It's 
a little bit of dominoes, because it makes no sense for them to 
invest much in doing that until they know we are for real, which 
means we have our license. Once we have that license and we start 
putting the shovels in the ground, then the reality of the 
deconversion will really begin to move. 

"We're going to work with companies interested in doing 
deconversion between now and then ... so that when the license is 
ready maybe we can be ready to sign a contract with someone who 
would build the deconversion. They would take our waste and 
deconvert it and disposal would be very easy," he said. 

The amount of waste would build slowly, so the ideal situation, 
according to Cohen, is that the company doing deconversion would 
be "three years or so" behind LES. "We're going to have the 
license in 2006, we hope. We'll start construction in the middle 
of 2006. The first enrichment services will begin probably two 
years later, 2008. The accumulation of enough byproduct, we call 
it, to begin to make it economical for them to have a plant, if 
it's a couple of years later we'll have a small amount built up 
and a stream developed because we do have contracts for the 
services already. That's the ideal situation," he said. 

Asked whether LES could send waste from other facilities to be 
deconverted if it did not produce enough in Lea County, Cohen 
said, "I think clearly that is a potential. The government owns a 
lot of that. But there's no question in our mind that (for) a 
private deconverter in the U.S., it would make sense for them to 
look to that as well. It's hard to really say what the definitive 
answer is going to be, but there is a lot of interest and a lot 
of discussion on this." 

Cohen said waste produced by the gas centrifuge uranium 
enrichment process "is not dangerous waste. It's very low-level, 
in a solid, not a gaseous form. It is always in a 5/8-inch steel 
container that has been tested for fire, flood, dropping, 
accidents, breaches and all kinds of things, certified by the 
Department of Transportation. 

"The issue is the waste, in order to be ultimately disposed of, 
needs to go through one additional process that we call 
deconversion, and that makes it into a very stable uranium oxide 
form that makes it very easily buried or stored somewhere. But 
there is no facility in the United States at the present time to 
do that deconversion. It is done in Europe all the time," he 
said. 

WCS option 

Another option is for LES to send its waste to Waste Control 
Specialists (WCS), located just across the border in Texas, 
within view of the proposed 550-acre LES site. 

"It has some interesting potential," Cohen said. "But they have 
to make decisions and they have to get permits, and the 
deconversion plant will have to get a license from the NRC. So 
there's a lot to happen, but the conversations are starting." 

LES officials have been meeting with WCS's new president, George 
Dials, former president of LES who resigned in May 2003. "We have 
mutual interests," said Cohen, who was in Santa Fe Tuesday 
meeting with New Mexico's lieutenant governor. 

CNIC's Cheney does not believe WCS is a panacea for LES's waste. 
"Proposing to ship the LES waste 100 yards across the Texas state 
line is simply deceptive politics that may get Bill Richardson 
off the hook, because the LES waste will not be stored in New 
Mexico," as Gov. Richardson has promised the people of his state. 
"But if the LES waste is stored near Eunice, either in New Mexico 
or Texas, the way it is stored at Paducah, Portsmouth and Oak 
Ridge, the nuclear nightmare facing the people of Lea County will 
not be solved," he said. 

'Forbidden' mail 

On Wednesday, Cheney sent an e-mail to the governor expressing a 
similar view and asking him to "demand a clear statement in the 
LES operating license granted by the NRC that LES cannot store 
more than 2,000 tons of waste at Eunice; or, withdraw your 
support of LES." His e-mail would not go through. Cheney said it 
came back "forbidden." 

He said he then contacted the governor's director of Constituent 
Services, who promised to personally deliver the message to the 
governor, and who also was having a technical expert investigate 
the problem. After a couple days of trying to get through to the 
governor, Cheney referred his problem to Congresswoman Heather 
Wilson. 

While proposing to build an enrichment facility in Hartsville, 
Tenn., LES sought a ruling from the NRC which would have 
prohibited members of the public (including organizations, local 
and state government bodies) from addressing such issues as 
environmental justice, the financial qualifications of the LES 
consortium, the disposition of thousands of tons of 
radioactive/hazardous waste which would be produced by the plant, 
the need for the plant, and more, according to Nuclear 
Information and Resource Service (NIRS) in Washington, D.C. 

"Not coincidentally, a citizens group in northern Louisiana, 
Citizens Against Nuclear Trash, successfully stopped LES from 
building a similar plant there in the 1990s by successfully 
raising these exact issues before an NRC adjudicatory body," 
according to Michael Marriotte, executive director of NIRS. 


E-mail: <font size="3">gallpind@cia-g.com</font> By mail: The 
Independent PO Box 1210 Gallup, NM 87305 500 N. 9th Gallup, NM 
87301   

questions or comments to gallpind@cia-g.com  
*****************************************************************
 38 Pahrump Valley Times: Yucca Mountain as a campaign touchstone

January 21, 2004
 
In fact, one can make a perfectly respectable case for the view 
that when a public servant's constituency changes, so should some 
of his positions."

 When George Bush in February 2002 named Nevada as his choice for 
a dump site for high level nuclear wastes, I was astonished that 
not a single newspaper in the state revived the New York Daily 
News's classic headline and adapted it to Nevada - "BUSH TO 
NEVADA: DROP DEAD." Democrats in the presidential election this 
year may not be so kind.

 Since Bush chose Yucca Mountain for the dump, Republicans in the 
state have preferred to change the subject whenever Yucca comes 
up. Howard Dean's now stalled surge led them to hope that Dean's 
nomination would neutralize the issue with both major party 
candidates supporting the dump. That hope has become a little 
unsteady of late. Dean says the position he took as his state's 
spokesperson (Dean's Vermont has a 125-acre nuclear power plant 
in Windham County) is not the position he takes as candidate for 
president of the entire country. In an online chat with readers 
of New Hampshire's Concord Monitor, Dean was asked about the 
wisdom of building more nuclear power plants. He responded, "We 
can not build any new nuclear power plants until we have a 
satisfactory way of disposing of the waste. At present, 
significant questions have been raised about the safety of Yucca 
Mountain, the disposal site in Nevada. Unless those safety 
questions are resolved Yucca cannot be opened and new plants must 
not be built."

 In a visit to Las Vegas, Dean phrased it less elegantly: "I 
wanted [as governor] to get that stuff out of my state ... Now 
that I'm running for president I've seen the light."

 Naturally, plenty of people immediately jumped on Dean's posture 
as a "flip-flop." Vermont's Republican Party has posted Dean's 
before-and-after statements on Yucca on a web page, the nature of 
which can be seen in its web address: 
http://www.vermontgop.org/flip_flop_dean.shtml. Nevada's 
Republican U.S. Rep. James Gibbons, an expert on shifting 
positions to curry favor with changing constituencies (he was a 
tax-and-spend liberal during his first two terms in the 
Legislature, then switched when he started sniffing at higher 
office), put out a press release on Oct. 23 saying of Dean, "The 
welfare and safety of Nevadans was not his priority back then [as 
Vermont's governor] and it isn't now either."

 In fact, one can make a perfectly respectable case for the view 
that when a public servant's constituency changes, so should some 
of his positions. Should Jon Porter and Shelley Berkley as 
members of Congress vote exactly the way they did when they 
represented narrower constituencies in the Nevada Legislature? 
Nevertheless, it means that Dean's presidential campaign position 
on Yucca Mountain requires an explanation, which, in sound bite, 
sloganeering politics and journalism, the public may never hear. 

Dean's position that as a governor he needed to support the Yucca 
dump does clash with the votes of other Democrats. Edward Kennedy 
and John Kerry of Massachusetts, for instance, voted against the 
Yucca dump although they have the 1,600-acre Pilgrim reactor in 
historic Plymouth. And even closer to home for Dean, his fellow 
Vermonter, U.S. Senator James Jeffords voted against Yucca. 
Granted, members of Congress and especially U.S. senators are 
supposed to take a wider national perspective than governors 
(though all three senators probably voted as they did as much as 
a favor to Nevada's Harry Reid, knowing the dump would win 
anyway, as for any other reason).

 There is, to be sure, something mildly offensive about Dean's 
explanation. "I wanted to get that stuff out of MY state" is the 
flip side of "I wanted to get that stuff into YOUR state," which 
is representative of the parochialism that has made so many 
failed public policies in the name of nimbyism. And certainly 
there are candidates who, from Nevada's viewpoint, have better 
records on Yucca. Richard Gephardt, in particular, has not only 
voted against Yucca but has spoken at rallies in his home state 
of Missouri and urged residents there to get involved in the 
anti-Yucca fight. Unfortunately for Nevada Democrats, the Iowa 
caucuses eliminated Gephardt.

 Among the remaining candidates, Wesley Clark has taken the most 
unequivocal anti-dump position, promising to "use the full force 
of the presidency to kill this dangerous project..." Kerry 
opposes the dump but has not taken the kind of personal interest 
in the issue that Gephardt did. Joseph Leiberman has surrounded 
his position with the kind of loophole-laden verbiage George Bush 
used in 2000, leaving himself room to go either way if elected. 
John Edwards is the worst nightmare of Nevada Democrats - a flat 
out supporter of the dump who voted to override Governor Guinn's 
veto of Nevada's selection.

 Myers is a veteran capital reporter. His column appears here on 
Wednesdays. 

					 		   	 
webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com Copyright © Pahrump Valley 
Times, 1997 - 2003 
*****************************************************************
 39 KRNV: Second nuclear waste board member resigns

January 21, 2004   

  LAS VEGAS, NV, January 21
 
Another member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board has 
resigned. University of California professor Paul Craig says he 
made the decision to work on other projects. 

But Craig also says he 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. 

Former board Chairman Michael Corradini resigned last month after 
months of conflict-of-interest complaints stemming from his 
earlier support of the project. 

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.) 
 
All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and KRNV. All
*****************************************************************
 40 DOE: Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01-
 
                         FR Doc 04-1201 
[Federal Register: January 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 13)] 
[Notices] [Page 2906-2908] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21ja04-37] [[Page 
2906]]
 
04ER04-09: Scientific Discovery Through Advanced 
Computing--Advanced Simulation of Fusion Plasmas AGENCY: U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice inviting research 
grant applications.
 
SUMMARY: The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) of the 
Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby 
announces its interest in receiving grant applications for the 
development of scientific simulation codes needed to address 
complex problems in fusion energy sciences. The goal is the 
creation of codes that achieve high performance on a single node, 
scale to hundreds of nodes and thousands of processors, and have 
the potential to be ported to future generations of high 
performance computers. This announcement is focused on topical 
areas that are important to a burning plasma physics experiment, 
such as ITER, and will contribute to establishing the scientific 
foundation for an integrated fusion simulation in the future. 
Specific areas of interest include: [sbull] Turbulence and 
transport in order to understand energy and particle confinement 
in burning plasmas, [sbull] Macroscopic equilibrium and stability 
to predict stability limits in magnetically confined plasmas, 
[sbull] Boundary layer effects in plasmas in order to understand 
the transport of heat and particles in the edge region of a 
fusion device, and [sbull] Electromagnetic wave/particle 
interactions to be able to predict heating and current drive in 
burning plasmas.
 
The full text of Program Notice DE-FG01-04ER04-09 is available 
via the Internet at the following Web site address: 
http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html .
 
 
DATES: Applicants are requested to submit a Letter-of-Intent by 
February 16, 2004. This letter should include the name of the 
applicant, the title of the project, the name of the Principal 
Investigator(s)/project director, the amount of funds requested, 
and a one-page abstract. Letters-of-Intent will be used to 
organize and expedite the merit review process. Failure to submit 
such letters will not negatively affect a responsive application 
submitted in a timely fashion. The Letter-of-Intent should be 
sent by E-mail to john.sauter@science.doe.gov, and the subject 
line should state: Letter- of-Intent regarding Program Notice 
DE-FG01-04ER04-09.
 
Formal applications submitted in response to this notice must be 
received by DOE no later than 4:30 p.m., March 23, 2004. 
Electronic submission of formal applications in PDF format is 
required.
 
 
ADDRESSES: Letters-of-Intent should be sent by E-mail to 
john.sauter@science.doe.gov, and the subject line should state: 
Letter- of-Intent regarding Program Notice DE-FG01-04ER04-09.
 
Full applications in response to this solicitation Number 
DE-FG01- 04ER04-09 must be submitted electronically by an 
authorized institutional business official through DOE's Industry 
Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) at: 
http://e-center.doe.gov/. IIPS provides for the posting of 
solicitations and receipt of applications in a paperless 
environment via the Internet. In order to submit applications 
through IIPS, your business official will need to register at the 
IIPS Web site. It is suggested that this registration be 
completed several days prior to the date on which you plan to 
submit the formal application. The Office of Science will include 
attachments as part of this notice that provide the appropriate 
forms in PDF fillable format that are to be submitted through 
IIPS. IIPS offers the option of submitting multiple files--please 
limit submissions to only one file within the volume if possible, 
with a maximum of no more than four files. Color images should be 
submitted in IIPS as a separate file in PDF format and identified 
as such. These images should be kept to a minimum due to the 
limitations of reproducing them. They should be numbered and 
referred to in the body of the technical scientific grant 
application as Color image 1, Color image 2, etc. Questions 
regarding the operation of IIPS may be e-mailed to the IIPS Help 
Desk at: helpdesk@pr.doe.gov, or you may call the help desk at: 
800-683-0751; residents of Canada call: 202-287-1491. Further 
information on the use of IIPS by the Office of Science is 
available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html 
.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Stephen Eckstrand or Dr. 
Arnold Kritz, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, SC-55/Germantown 
Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-1290. Telephone numbers and e-mail addresses 
are listed below: Stephen Eckstrand: telephone 301-903-5546, 
e-mail steve.eckstrand@science.doe.gov. Arnold Kritz: telephone 
301-903-2027, e-mail arnold.kritz@science.doe.gov.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Scientific Discovery Through Advanced 
Computing Beyond the scientific computing and computational 
science research embedded in the Office of Science (SC) core 
research programs, SC invests in a portfolio of coordinated 
research efforts directed at exploiting the emerging capabilities 
of terascale and petascale computing under the collective title 
of Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC). The 
research projects in the SciDAC portfolio respond to the 
extraordinary difficulties of realizing sustained peak 
performance for scientific applications, such as simulating 
combustion, making multi-century climate predictions, 
understanding and controlling a burning plasma, and designing new 
particle accelerators that require terascale and petascale 
capabilities to accomplish their research goals. In recognition 
of these difficulties, the SciDAC research projects are 
collaborative efforts involving teams of physical scientists, 
mathematicians, computer scientists, and computational scientists 
working on major software and algorithm development for problems 
in the core research programs of the Office of Science. Research 
funded in the SciDAC portfolio is enabling teams of laboratory 
and university researchers to solve some of the most challenging 
scientific problems in the core programs of the Office of Science 
at a level of accuracy and detail never before achieved. A 
complete description of the SciDAC program can be found at: 
http://www.osti.gov/scidac/ .
 
Background: Advanced Simulation of Fusion Plasmas In January 
2003, the President announced that the United States would seek 
to join ITER negotiations, and the United States has subsequently 
done so. ITER is an ambitious international research project to 
harness the promise of fusion energy. Following this 
announcement, the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences decided to 
focus its part of the SciDAC program on burning plasma physics 
needs. Accordingly, the new and renewal applications for the 
fusion SciDAC program will concentrate on developing reliable 
computational modeling capabilities for dealing with burning 
plasma physics issues relevant to ITER, and on establishing the 
scientific groundwork for an integrated fusion simulation 
project. Such a project is needed to develop the predictive 
capability necessary to improve
 
[[Page 2907]] experimental planning for ITER and enhance 
scientific understanding gained from the operation of ITER.
 
The scope and complexity of these projects will require close 
collaboration among researchers from the computational and 
theoretical plasma physics, computer science, and applied 
mathematics disciplines. Thus, this solicitation calls for the 
creation of topical centers as the organizational basis for a 
successful application. A topical center is a 
multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team that will: [sbull] 
Create scientific simulation codes that take full advantage of 
terascale computers, [sbull] Work closely with other SciDAC teams 
to ensure that the best available mathematical algorithms and 
computer science methods are employed, and [sbull] Manage the 
work of the center in a way that will foster good communication 
and decision making (see section on Collaboration and 
Coordination below).
 
Partnerships among universities, national laboratories, and 
industry are encouraged. Collaborations between computational 
plasma physicists, applied mathematicians and computer scientists 
are also encouraged. Applicants may request additional funding 
for associated applied mathematics or computer science work that 
is needed to support the development of the scientific 
applications codes as part of Scientific Application Partnership 
Program.
 
Applications are being sought in the following four topical 
areas: 1. Macroscopic Equilibrium and Stability Applications for 
development of codes to model macroscale dynamics in fusion-grade 
tokamak plasmas should address relevant physics issues in 
3-dimensional extended magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), such as (1) 
full nonlinear sawtooth oscillation modeling in fusion-grade 
plasmas, (2) tearing mode and neoclassical tearing mode 
excitation and control in high-beta plasmas, (3) nonlinear 
evolution and control of resistive wall modes, including toroidal 
flows, (4) effects of fast ions, such as fusion-produced alpha 
particles, on MHD phenomena in tokamak plasmas, (5) edge MHD-type 
instabilities and their non-linear evolution, (6) two-fluid and 
kinetic effects on MHD modes, and (7) the onset and evolution of 
major disruptions.
 
2. Turbulence and Transport Applications for studies of 
microturbulence and transport of energy, particles and momentum 
need to address key scientific problems, such as (1) Bohm versus 
gyro-Bohm scaling and the transition between the two regimes, (2) 
transport barrier formation and dynamics including the different 
transport channels, (3) statistics of mesoscale intermittency in 
transport (e.g., avalanches), (4) the dynamics of transport 
perturbation events such as heat pulse propagation, and (5) 
electromagnetic turbulence and electron heat transport due to 
magnetic perturbations.
 
3. Boundary Layer/Edge Plasma Modeling Applications related to 
edge modeling should address scientific issues such as (1) 
evolution of the edge transport barrier including the mechanism 
for L-H mode transition, transport within the edge barrier, the 
trigger mechanism for ELM crashes, the frequency of ELM crashes, 
and the plasma energy, density and current lost during each ELM 
crash, (2) effects associated with the scrape-off layer, diverter 
and plasma wall interaction including plasma convective transport 
to the wall, neutral recycling, wall erosion, and inward impurity 
transport from the wall.
 
4. Electromagnetic Wave/Plasma Interaction Applications related 
to the role of radio frequency waves in burning plasmas need to 
address topics such as (1) wave-plasma interactions in plasmas 
with a large energetic alpha particle population and in plasmas 
with a radio frequency driven high velocity tail population, (2) 
the role of non-inductive currents and energetic particle 
populations on MHD equilibrium and instabilities in burning 
plasmas, such as the effects of localized radio frequency 
currents or heating on island formation in neoclassical tearing 
modes, sawtooth oscillations and disruptions, (3) the effect of 
radio frequency on the control of turbulence and transport 
barrier formation due to localized heating, current drive, or 
radio frequency driven plasma flows, and (4) the effect of the 
plasma edge on the antenna and the ability to launch radio 
frequency waves in burning plasma experiments.
 
Collaboration and Coordination It is expected that all 
applications submitted in response to this notice will be for 
collaborative centers involving more than one institution. Each 
institution involved in a proposed collaborative research project 
must submit a separate application, identifying the co-PI who has 
responsibility for the project research carried out at that 
institution. Also, each institution must include a separate Face 
Page (DOE F 4650.2), Budget Page (DOE F 4620.1), Assurance of 
Compliance (DOE F 1600.5), and FA CERTS for the institution. 
These collaborative research applications must include a common 
technical description of the overall research project, but must 
also specify the distinct scope of the work that will be carried 
out at each institution. The primary PI for the collaborative 
research project should include a summary budget for the entire 
project, including annual funding proposed for each institution 
and the annual funding proposed for Scientific Application 
Partnership Program activities. Synergistic collaborations with 
researchers in federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research 
and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National 
Laboratories are encouraged, though no funds will be provided to 
these organizations under this Notice.
 
Further information on preparation of collaborative proposals is 
available in the Application Guide for the Office of Science 
Financial Assistance Program that is available via the Internet 
at: http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html .
 
Since each center will be developing new physics models and 
computational tools that are needed for an integrated fusion 
simulation capability, it is important that there be good 
communication between the different centers. It is also important 
to have guidance on code capabilities and development priorities 
from the broader fusion, scientific and computational 
communities. Thus, all successful projects should plan to work 
with the SciDAC management structure established by the Office of 
Science and the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences at the beginning 
of the SciDAC program. The SC SciDAC management team holds an 
annual principal investigators meeting to ensure good 
communication between the SciDAC applications projects and the 
SciDAC applied mathematics and computer science projects. The 
Office of Fusion Energy Sciences' oversight of the fusion SciDAC 
projects includes a program advisory committee, which holds an 
annual coordination meeting to review the progress of each of the 
fusion SciDAC projects and to develop priorities for future work.
 
Program Funding Approximately $1,700,000 of Fiscal Year 2004 
funding will be available for grant awards in FY 2004. Additional 
funding for the proposed project may be available through the 
Office of
 
[[Page 2908]] Advanced Scientific Computing Research for closely 
related research in computer science and/or applied mathematics. 
Applications may request support for up to three years, with 
out-year support contingent on the availability of funds and 
satisfactory progress. To support multi- disciplinary, 
multi-institutional efforts, annual funding levels of up to $1 
million may be requested for the scientific application work and 
up to $200,000 per year for the Scientific Application 
Partnership Program work.
 
As required by the SC grant application guide, applicants must 
submit their budgets using the Budget Page (DOE Form 4620.1) with 
one Budget Page for each year of requested funding. The requested 
funding for the proposed work in computer science and applied 
mathematics should be included on a separate Budget Page. 
However, applicants are also requested to list the proposed 
computer science and applied mathematics costs separately in an 
appendix, as the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research 
may support this part of the work (up to about 20 percent of the 
total project cost). The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences expects 
to fund two or three centers, depending on the size of the 
awards.
 
Applications Applications will be subjected to scientific merit 
review (peer review) and will be evaluated against the following 
criteria listed in descending order of importance as codified in 
10 CFR part 605.10(d) 
(http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/605index.html): 1. 
Scientific and/or technical merit of the project; 2. 
Appropriateness of the proposed method or approach; 3. Competency 
of the applicant's personnel and adequacy of the proposed 
resources; and 4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the 
proposed budget. The evaluation under the first criterion in 10 
CFR part 605.10(d), Scientific and Technical Merit, will pay 
particular attention to: (a) The importance of the proposed 
project to the mission of the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences; 
(b) The potential of the proposed project to advance the 
state-of- the-art in computational modeling and simulation of 
plasma behavior; and (c) The need for extraordinary computing 
resources to address problems of critical scientific importance 
to the fusion program and the demonstrated abilities of the 
applicants to use terascale computers.
 
The evaluation under item 2, Appropriateness of the Proposed 
Method or Approach, will also consider the following elements 
related to quality of planning and management: (a) If the project 
involves more than one scientific code, how the use of multiple 
codes will contribute to a coherent set of scientific objectives 
that are more readily achieved through the use of multiple codes; 
(b) Soundness of the plan for effective management of the 
project; (c) Quality of plan for ensuring communication with math 
and computer science projects and with other relevant SciDAC 
projects; (d) Viability of plan for verifying and validating the 
models developed, including close coupling with experiments for 
ultimate validation; and (e) Quality and clarity of proposed work 
schedule and deliverables.
 
Note that external peer reviewers are selected with regard to 
both their scientific expertise and the absence of 
conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers may be used, 
and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this 
is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting 
institution.
 
General information about development and submission of 
applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluations and selection 
processes, and other policies and procedures may be found in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Science (SC) Financial 
Assistance Program and in 10 CFR part 605. Electronic access to 
SC's Financial Assistance Guide and required forms is made 
available via the Internet using the following Web site address: 
http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html .
 
In addition, for this notice, project descriptions must be 25 
pages or less, including tables and figures, but excluding 
attachments. The application must also contain an abstract or 
project summary on a separate page with the name of the principal 
investigator, mailing address, phone, FAX, and email listed. The 
application must also include letters of commitment from all 
non-funded collaborators (briefly describing the intended 
contribution of each to the research), and short curriculum vitae 
for the principal investigator and any co- PIs.
 
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this 
program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 
10 CFR art 605.
 
Issued in Washington, DC on: January 14, 2004.
 
John A. Alleva, Director, Grants & Contracts Division, Office of 
Science.
 
[FR Doc. 04-1201 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 41 DOE: Certification of the Radiological Condition of the Chapman Valve 
 
                         FR Doc 04-1203 
[Federal Register: January 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 13)] 
[Notices] [Page 2908-2909] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21ja04-38]                         
 
in Indian Orchard, MA AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION: 
Notice of certification.
 
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed remedial 
actions to decontaminate the Chapman Valve site in Indian 
Orchard, Massachusetts. This property formerly was found to 
contain quantities of radioactive material from activities 
conducted for the Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) Brookhaven 
National Laboratory (BNL) during the mid- 1940s. Based on the 
analysis of all data collected, DOE has concluded that the 
property is in compliance with DOE radiological decontamination 
criteria and standards, and that no radiological restrictions on 
the use of the property are required.
 
 
ADDRESSES: The certification docket is available at the following 
locations: U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading Room, Room 
1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585; U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Information 
Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831; 
Springfield Museum and Library, 220 State Street, Springfield, 
Massachusetts 01103.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Donald Mackenzie, Health 
Physicist, U.S. Department of Energy, Core Technical Group, 
EM-23/Cloverleaf Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-2040. Telephone Number: (301) 903-7426. Fax 
Number: (301) 903-2385.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. DOE, Oak Ridge Operations 
Office (OR), Office of Environmental Management, has conducted 
remedial action at the Chapman Valve site in Indian Orchard, 
Massachusetts, under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action 
Program (FUSRAP). The objective of the program is to identify and 
remediate, or otherwise control, sites where residual radioactive 
contamination remains from activities carried out under contract 
to the Manhattan Engineer District (MED)/
 
[[Page 2909]] AEC during the early years of the nation's atomic 
energy program.
 
In October 1997, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, 1998 
transferred responsibility for management of the FUSRAP program 
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE). Completion of the 
certification process was delayed pending preparation of a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DOE and the U.S. 
ACE with regard to completed, remediated sites such as the 
Chapman Valve property.
 
The MOU between the U.S. DOE and the U.S. ACE regarding Program 
Administration and Execution of the FUSRAP program was signed by 
the parties in March 1999. Funding to proceed with the completion 
of DOE closure documentation for several FUSRAP sites, including 
the Chapman Valve site, was obtained from the U.S. ACE in late 
2000. The closure documentation for these sites will document the 
cleanup and inform the public of their successful decontamination 
of radioactive contamination.
 
The Chapman Valve site was formerly owned and operated by the 
Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company. In 1948, the company 
set-aside approximately one-third of an area known as Department 
40 in the western end of Building 23 for the machining of uranium 
rods for the AEC's BNL. Segregation of the area from other parts 
of the facility was achieved by installing a floor to ceiling 
wooden partition that was more than 50 feet high. Special 
modifications to the facility included building shields, 
quenching tanks, suction systems, cranes, and ductwork. Uranium 
operations were terminated on November 8, 1948. After the 
contract was completed, the company had in its possession over 
27,000 pounds of metal scrap, oxides, and sweepings. This 
material was identified for removal several months after contract 
completion.
 
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) personnel indicated in a 
1991 survey report that the residual uranium contamination found 
at the Chapman Valve site was typical of MED/AEC operations. This 
survey indicated that the contamination was limited to the 
interior of the segregated area within Department 40 and included 
floors, walls, and overhead beams. Following a review of files, 
it was concluded there are no indications that work with uranium 
metal was conducted at the site after the AEC operations were 
terminated.
 
In November and December 1994, additional radiological surveys 
were performed to supplement and refine survey information.
 
Characterization findings confirm the presence of contamination 
located predominantly in the western end of Building 23. In 
addition to confirming the ORNL survey results, these findings 
were in agreement with historical process information obtained 
during interviews conducted with a former Chapman Valve 
supervisor. Based on this characterization data, DOE conducted 
remedial action at the Chapman Valve site from July to September 
1995.
 
Post-remedial action surveys conducted in 1995 have demonstrated, 
and the DOE has certified, that the subject property is in 
compliance with the DOE radiological decontamination criteria and 
standards in effect at the conclusion of remedial action. These 
standards are established to protect members of the general 
public and occupants of the site, and to ensure that reasonably 
foreseeable future use of the site will result in no radiological 
exposure above applicable guidelines. Accordingly, this property 
is released from the FUSRAP program. These findings are supported 
by the DOE's Certification Docket for the Remedial Action 
Performed at the Chapman Valve site in Indian Orchard, 
Massachusetts. The DOE makes no representation regarding the 
condition of the site as a result of activities conducted 
subsequent to DOE's post-remedial action surveys.
 
The Certification Docket will be available for review between 9 
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays), 
in the DOE Public Reading Room located in 1E-190 of the Forrestal 
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. Copies 
of the Certification Docket will also be available in the DOE 
Public Reading Room, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge 
Operations Office, 200 Administration Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 
and the Springfield Museum and Library, 200 State Street, 
Springfield, Massachusetts.
 
The DOE, through the Acting Office Director, Core Technical Group 
(EM-23), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Cleanup and 
Acceleration (EM-20), the Assistant Secretary for the Office 
Environmental Management (EM), has issued the following 
statement: Statement of Certification: Chapman Valve Site in 
Indian Orchard, Massachusetts The DOE, the Oak Ridge Operations 
Office, the Office of Environmental Management, the Oak Ridge 
Reservation, the Remediation Management Group, and the U.S. DOE 
Office of Environmental Management (EM), Core Technical Group 
(EM-23), has reviewed and analyzed the radiological data obtained 
following remedial action at the Chapman Valve site in Indian 
Orchard, Massachusetts, (Deed Book 2891, Page 53, in the records 
of Hampden County, Massachusetts). Based on the analysis of all 
data collected, including post-remedial action surveys, DOE 
certifies that any residual contamination remaining onsite at the 
time remedial actions were completed falls within DOE 
radiological decontamination criteria and standards for use of 
the property without radiological restrictions. This 
certification of compliance provides assurance that reasonably 
foreseeable future use of the site will result in no radiological 
exposure above DOE radiological criteria and standards for 
protecting members of the general public and occupants of the 
property.
 
Property owned by: The Crane Company, 100 First Stamford Place, 
Stamford, Connecticut 06902.
 
Issued in Germantown, Maryland, on January 14, 2004.
 
Robert Goldsmith, Director, Core Technical Group, Environmental 
Cleanup and Acceleration, Office of Environmental Management.
 
[FR Doc. 04-1203 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 42 Tri-City Herald: Land transfer questioned 

This story was published Wednesday, January 21st, 2004 

By Annette Cary Herald staff writer 

Benton County is questioning how the Department of Energy is 
handling a change that is expected to result in the loss of 
millions of dollars in federal money that goes to local 
governments near the Hanford nuclear reservation. 

DOE expects to transfer about 257 square miles of Hanford land to 
the Interior Department by October 2005. The land already has 
been managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Interior 
Department in recent years as part of the new Hanford Reach 
National Monument. 

But when Interior assumes ownership of the land, it no longer 
will be included in a DOE program that provides payments to local 
governments for land that is taken off local tax rolls. 

Now about 25 governments in Benton, Franklin and Grant counties 
such as schools, ports and libraries receive about $4 million 
annually from DOE in Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT, money. 

Benton County entities would continue to receive about $1.7 
million in annual payments for Hanford land not included in the 
transfer. 

Rather than making up the difference from lost PILT payments, 
Interior is expected to pay only about $50,000 total annually to 
Grant, Franklin and Benton counties. 

Few figures were available Tuesday, but the loss in annual 
payments appears to be about $2 million. Some entities would be 
particularly hard hit. The small Wahluke School District, for 
instance, could lose most of the approximately $300,000 it 
receives annually. 

"Benton County expects an environmental assessment to be 
conducted for the proposal to transfer the Hanford Reach National 
Monument properties out of Department of Energy ownership and 
into Department of the Interior ownership," said a letter to DOE 
signed Tuesday by Leo Bowman, chairman of the Benton County 
commissioners. 

A formal environmental assessment would require DOE to take 
comments from the public. But DOE is considering skipping the 
assessment because use of the property would remain unchanged. 

"I think we need to go through the formal process to determine 
that," said Jeff Van Pelt, manager of the Umatilla tribes' 
cultural resources protection program. "It's like it's being 
pushed through." 

DOE officials will meet with representatives of the Umatillas and 
likely other tribes todayto discuss the process. They expect to 
make a decision by Feb. 2 whether to skip an environmental 
assessment. 

The Umatillas are concerned about whether Fish and Wildlife will 
have the resources to protect the land, will continue to consult 
with the tribes as DOE has done and will allow access to 
Rattlesnake Mountain and other places important to tribal 
heritage. 

Van Pelt said he's concerned that Fish and Wildlife's mission is 
to manage fish and wildlife, not cultural resources. The Hanford 
site was a major crossroads and salmon fishing area for several 
Mid-Columbia tribes and contains historical and religious sites 
and many American Indian artifacts. 

Benton County also is concerned about protection of cultural and 
historic properties, how emergency services will be provided and 
matters such as weed abatement and road maintenance. 

"As simple as it may sound for one agency of the federal 
government to transfer title to another agency, this proposal is 
not routine, nor without an abundance of consequences and issues 
that need to be addressed comprehensively by the community," 
Bowman wrote in the county's letter. 

Greg Hughes, the Fish and Wildlife Service's project leader for 
the Hanford Reach National Monument, confirmed that Interior 
payments to local government entities would be far less than 
payments now made by DOE. 

"We're very empathetic to what that means to some counties," 
Hughes said. 

DOE is considering transferring ownership of the Arid Lands 
Ecology Reserve first. The ALE land served as a security buffer 
on the western side of Hanford when the nuclear reservation began 
producing plutonium in the 1940s and remains largely untouched by 
humans. 

Next, DOE plans to transfer the McGee Ranch in the northwestern 
corner of Hanford and the Wahluke Slope along the Franklin and 
Grant counties side of the Columbia River. Both transfers would 
be completed in the next 21 months under current plans. 

Fish and Wildlife only plans to accept land free of 
contamination, Hughes said. 

He also believes the agency has the resources to care for the 
Reach. 

"We know we can do a good job," he said. "We are under the same 
federal laws to protect resources." 

© 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
 43  U.S. Newswire - DOE and New Mexico Environment Department Agree 
on Consent Order for Environmental Cleanup at Sandia National 
Labs
 
 1/21/04 6:49:00 PM 

To: National and State Desk, Energy Reporter 

Contact: Joe Davis, 202-586-4940 or Tami Moore, 505-845-5264; 
both of the Energy Department 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Department of Energy 
has reached an agreement with the New Mexico Environment 
Department on the terms of a Consent Order that will facilitate 
accelerated environmental cleanup at Sandia National Laboratories 
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

The Consent Order is the culmination of many months of 
negotiations between the DOE, Sandia National Laboratories and 
the New Mexico Environment Department. The agreement means that 
an additional $2.4 million will be provided by DOE's Office of 
Environmental Management (EM) from its accelerated cleanup 
account, approved by Congress to fund targeted cleanup projects 
at facilities around the DOE complex, including work on drains 
and septic systems, landfills, and groundwater areas at Sandia 
National Laboratories, bringing the total EM funding commitment 
to $20.3 million for FY '04. 

"The DOE believes that this agreement is in the best interest of 
all parties and the public," said Jessie Roberson, DOE's 
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. "We are willing 
to support agreements that are negotiated in good faith and will 
provide funding to support the terms of those agreements. The 
agreement with the New Mexico Environment Department demonstrates 
the DOE's willingness to work with state governments to find 
solutions to environmental issues." 

Once signed, the agreement satisfies congressional requirements 
for the additional $2.4 million accelerated cleanup funding to be 
released to the site. This agreement is the 17th such agreement 
in the DOE complex to facilitate a site's access to additional 
accelerated cleanup dollars. For Los Alamos National Laboratory, 
EM's baseline cleanup commitment, which does not include 
accelerated cleanup funds, stands at $77 million for FY 04. 

The goal of DOE's Accelerated Cleanup Program is to streamline 
cleanup operations by working with states and regulators to 
clearly target and reduce the greatest health and environmental 
cleanup risks at the country's Cold War nuclear weapons 
production facilities, while assuring compliance with all 
applicable legal and regulatory requirements. 

The Consent Order has been issued for a 30-day public comment 
period by the New Mexico Environment Department. 



http://www.usnewswire.com/

*****************************************************************
 44 Oak Ridger: Stakeholders: Stewardship is a key issue 							 							 							
 
Story last updated at 12:14 p.m. on January 21, 2004

SIGNIFICANCE: Long-term stewardship can encompass a variety of
activities required to maintain an adequate level of protection
to human health and the environment from the hazards posed by
nuclear and/or chemical materials, waste and residual
contamination remaining after cleanup is completed. 

By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff
paul.parson@oakridger.com

Stakeholders are partners not adversaries of the Department of
Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation.

Stakeholder Groups

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board is an independent, 
federally appointed citizens' panel that provides advice and 
recommendations to the Department of Energy on its Oak Ridge 
Environmental Management program. The group was formed in 1995. 
For more information, visit http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab

The Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee was created 
in 1991 to represent those counties and communities affected most 
directly by DOE's activities in Oak Ridge. The LOC is funded by a 
grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and 
Conservation's DOE Oversight Division, which is in turn funded by 
DOE under terms of the Tennessee Oversight Agreement. For more 
information, visit http://www.local-oversight.org

The function of the Environmental Quality Advisory Board is to 
serve as an advisory body to the Oak Ridge City Council. When 
requested by City Council, EQAB will give advice and assistance 
in matters contributing to a quality environment. Further, upon 
request, EQAB advises the city manager and the Oak Ridge Regional 
Planning Commission on specific environmental matters. For more 
information, visit http://orserv01.ci.oak-ridge.tn.us/eqab/   

That's the message delivered to a committee from the National 
Academy of Sciences during a meeting Tuesday afternoon at the 
DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. The group's visit, which concludes 
today, is part of a study on DOE cleanup programs.

Lorene Sigal, who serves on the Stewardship Committee of the Oak 
Ridge Site-Specific Advisory Board, was one of three 
representatives from local stakeholder groups who gave an 
hour-long presentation to the committee. Sigal discussed the 
importance of stewardship as it pertains to cleanup programs.

According to Sigal, long-term stewardship is a key issue for DOE, 
the state of Tennessee, the city of Oak Ridge and all the 
neighbors of the federal government's Oak Ridge Reservation, 
which comprises around 35,000 acres. Long-term stewardship can 
encompass a variety of activities required to maintain an 
adequate level of protection to human health and the environment 
from the hazards posed by nuclear and/or chemical materials, 
waste and residual contamination remaining after cleanup is 
completed.

DOE is in the process of cleaning up its local facilities and 
hauling off waste materials to various disposal sites, with plans 
for the work to be completed by 2015. The federal agency, 
however, will still have a presence in Oak Ridge, with active 
sites as wells as the Environmental Management Waste Management 
Facility - a disposal facility in East Bear Creek Valley just 
west of the Y-12 National Security Complex.

"We accept the fact that radioactive and chemically hazardous 
wastes will remain when DOE completes its remediation in 2015," 
Sigal said.

But, who's going to keep an eye on the waste?

Well, according to Sigal, a group of stakeholders and DOE 
Environmental Management officials have developed a strategy for 
long-term stewardship, which is awaiting approval by DOE's Oak 
Ridge Operations office. Approval could happen today.

"It isn't perfect, but we can live with it," Sigal said. "Next, 
we want a legally defensible long-term stewardship implementation 
plan."

In addition, the Site-Specific Advisory Board's Stewardship 
Committee is working on an annotated outline pertaining to 
stewardship.

Lorene Sigal                                                                                            

Stewardship is not a new issue. In fact, it has a rich history in 
Oak Ridge.

From the mid-1990s to 2000, there was a strong working 
relationship and a good deal of trust between DOE and its 
stakeholders, according to Sigal. However, when the Bush 
administration took over in 2001, open communication and access 
to documents began to diminish on DOE's part, according to Sigal. 
She also pointed out that the level of trust between parties also 
began to decrease during this time.

Sigal said she hopes the National Academy of Sciences committee 
will inform the full academy, DOE headquarters and Congress about 
the importance of long-term stewardship.

Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, was one of three 
representatives from local stakeholder groups who gave an 
hour-long presentation to a committee from the National Academy 
of Sciences. She talked about the Department of Energy's cleanup 
activities in Oak Ridge.                                                                                                

The National Academy of Sciences, which conducts independent 
studies for the federal government, was asked by Jessie Roberson, 
assistant secretary of energy for Environmental Management, to 
look at speeding up cleanup programs without impacting health and 
safety. The committee will visit three other DOE sites under its 
study of cleanup programs.

Participating along with Sigal in Tuesday's presentation were 
Norman Mulvenon, a member of both the SSAB and the Oak Ridge 
Reservation Local Oversight Committee, and Susan Gawarecki, 
executive director of the LOC. Also, representatives from the 
city of Oak Ridge and the municipality's Environmental Quality 
Advisory Board were present in the audience.

*****************************************************************
 45 PISJ: Area residents concerned about INEEL cleanup proposal

  Pocatello Idaho State Journal: 

By - Journal Writer 

IDAHO FALLS - Local residents expressed concern Tuesday evening 
over a Department of Energy plan that could ultimately reduce 
cleanup on some areas of the Idaho National Engineering and 
Environmental Laboratory.

The proposed plan, called the Risk-Based End State Vision, would 
allow DOE to explore the possibility of cleaning contaminated 
soil to meet industrial, rather than residential standards in 
five areas. 
  
At the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, for 
example, current plans call for excavating contaminated soil up 
to a depth of 10 feet, about 150,000 cubic meters of soil, 
readying it for possible residential use after 100 years.

A proposed plan would only require excavating up to 4 feet of 
soil, or capping the contaminated soil. No changes to current 
cleanup plans could be made without approval from regulators and 
public comment. Legally-binding settlement agreement deadlines 
for cleanup will still be met, said Rick Provencher, site deputy 
director for environmental management.

"We're going to conduct the cleanup in a safe, accelerated 
manner," Provencher said. Provencher said the document would help 
DOE officials define what the required end state of cleanup 
operations must be at the site for the contractor who is chosen 
for the project.

Requests for Procurement for INEEL's new cleanup contract will go 
out to the public and prospective contractors in February, 
Provencher said. The proposed plan is based in part on the idea 
that some areas of the INEEL will never be used for residential 
areas, DOE official Bill Leake said. According to the proposed 
plan, cleanup decisions in some areas would be based on how much 
risk they pose to human health and the environment, taking into 
account possible future uses.

While some areas could someday be fit for residential use, other 
areas will not be fit for residential use for thousands of years 
because of contamination, Leake said. 

The site is owned by the federal government, Leake said, and if 
DOE ever leaves the site, the Bureau of Land Management will 
resume control over most areas.

"The more likely scenario would be that the government will have 
control over access to the area as long as there is a risk," 
Leake said. "We're not thinking there will be any residential 
development, certainly not in the next hundred years." Officials 
said some future uses included INEEL's new nuclear energy 
mission. Local resident and former Citizen's Advisory Board Vice 
President Maxine Dakins said she isn't sure the mission will come 
to fruition. So far, Congress has not appropriated nearly enough 
funds to build a new nuclear research program at the site, she 
said.

"I'm not as convinced as you are that we have a new mission," 
Dakins told officials at the meeting. 

Snake River Alliance spokeswoman Beatrice Brailsford said she is 
concerned any time DOE discusses less cleanup at the INEEL, and 
was especially concerned about future possibilities.

Some of the biggest cleanup plans at the site, such as cleanup at 
INEEL's subsurface disposal area, have not yet been finalized, 
and the proposed Risk-Based End State Vision could affect how 
much work is done, Brailsford said. 

"What I'm concerned about is that this will be the frame for all 
decisions (at the INEEL)," Brailsford said. "This is the first 
step in a slippery slope."

Brailsford also said she thought the plan was a money-saving 
measure, not a risked-based measure.

Public comments on the proposed plan will be taken through 
February, Provencher said, and a final plan will be submitted in 
March. 

Copyright © 2004 Pocatello Idaho State Journal
 P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431   
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 46 Google News Alert - nuclear
 
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 12:05:41 -0800 (PST)

 
AMERICAN delegate: North Korea removed nuclear fuel rods from ...
San Francisco Chronicle
North Korea has removed 8,000 spent fuel rods from its main nuclear site,
providing further evidence the communist nation may have restarted efforts
to build ...
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/21/international0614EST0480.DTL>
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NORTH Korea collecting plutonium at nuclear complex: US expert
Channel News Asia
WASHINGTON : North Korea is accumulating plutonium that could be used to
make a nuclear weapon from a reactor that has been restarted at its controversial
...
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/67380/1/.html>
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WESTINGHOUSE To Buy Interest In Commercial Nuclear Business
Pittsburgh Channel.com
PITTSBURGH -- Westinghouse Electric Company has announced plans to buy
a controlling interest in the commercial nuclear business of PaR Systems
Incorporated ...
<http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2780571/detail.html>
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PAKISTAN Investigating Nuclear Technology Transfer Allegation
Voice of America
Pakistan has revealed that it sent a team of investigators to Libya and
Iran to look into allegations that some of the country's top nuclear scientists
may ...
<http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=4ED86671-A77B-4C68-BE1632E6A8BFEC85>
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UN nuclear inspectors in Libya
Al-Jazeera
Inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog have arrived in Libya to work along
with British and US inspection teams already present in the North African
country ...
<http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3D654734-E84B-49C7-9F9C-434779E9BFC6.htm>
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JAPAN: N. Korea Showing Positive Signs in Nuclear Crisis
Voice of America
Japan is calling for another round of talks to end the nuclear crisis with
North Korea and says it sees signs that the isolated Stalinist state may
be willing ...
<http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=59F50889-A2B7-495E-BFF243874C40B154>
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PUC Chief Calls For More Nuclear Power In Minnesota
WCCO
Paul (AP) The chairman of the Public Utilities Commission said the state
needs more nuclear power plants because natural gas is becoming too expensive
and coal ...
<http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_021113305.html>
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N. Korea Could Build 4 to 8 Nuclear Bombs Within Year, Group Says
Washington Post
... 21-- North Korea's nuclear arsenal could reach four to eight bombs
during the next year and increase by up to 13 additional bombs per year
by the end of the ...
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35664-2004Jan21.html?nav=hptop_tb>

NUCLEAR bosses accused of complacency
The Scotsman
NUCLEAR bosses were yesterday accused of extraordinary complacency after
claiming the continuing problem of radioactive particles being discovered
near the ...
<http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=76162004>
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NUCLEAR Industry Echoes President Bush's Call For Swift Enactment ...
Yahoo News (press release)
... The following is a statement on the president's remarks by John Kane,
the Nuclear Energy Institute's senior vice president of governmental affairs.
...
<http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040121/dcw030_1.html>

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