***************************************************************** 02/19/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.42 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 [EMMAS] CIA offers reward for Iraq WMD 2 BBC: New nuclear parts 'found in Iran' 3 BBC: Iran nuclear find 'concerns' US 4 Las Vegas SUN: Enrichment Equipment Found on Iran Base 5 US: [NukeNet] FW: [abolition-caucus] Anti Nuclear Publisher? 6 US: Capitol Hill Blue: Dubya Ignored Experts Who Told Truth 7 US: UCS: Restoring the Integrity of Science 8 US: UCS: Scientific Integrity in Policymaking 9 US: UCS: Preeminent Scientists Protest Bush Administration's Misuse 10 US: NRC: State of Utah: NRC Staff Draft Assessment of a Proposed 11 CNEWS: Israeli nuclear black market middleman supplied Pakistan, 12 Daily Times: Nuclear black market has gone underground, but not for 13 Las Vegas SUN: Alleged Malaysian Nuclear Dealer Missing 14 War Wire: Military rot spreads to Russia's nuclear forces 15 Evening Post: MUM DELAYS MOD A-BASE LASER PLAN NUCLEAR REACTORS 16 US: NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collecti 17 US: NRC: Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Millstone Power Station 18 US: Brattleboro Reformer: VY fuel storage decision soon 19 US: 13abc.com: Toledo Edison Investigation 20 US: Beacon Journal: NRC official: Davis-Besse communications not fix 21 US: baltimore sun: Nuclear plant inspected after malfunction 22 Bnn: EU Indicates Bulgaria May Join It Faster than Romania and Close 23 US: NRC: National Materials Program; Announcement of Public Meeting NUCLEAR SAFETY 24 US: [DU-WATCH] UN Observer: U.S. Admits DU Risks at a Military 25 [du-list] An appalling situation depicted 26 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find 27 News & Analysis: DU contamination in Iraq 28 US: Las Vegas SUN: Leukemia panel to convene once more 29 US: RGJ: Cancer cluster panel set to release ‘final report’ 30 US: The Mercury: Second phase of cancer study stopped 31 US: NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes to M NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 32 [NukeNet] Articles on Yucca: current design will leak 33 Yucca Mountain could leak nuclear waste, says scientist 34 German Nuclear Waste Transport early March 2004? 35 US: deseretnews: Latest Skull Valley venture - trash dump 36 US: McCook Daily Gazette: Baker expects water to be top issue (Neb d 37 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Legislature's creepy obsession 38 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Groups challenge budget request for N-tests 39 US: LJWorld.com: Court upholds nuclear waste dump ruling against Neb 40 Las Vegas RJ: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: DOE knew of hazards from dust 41 Las Vegas SUN: Reid asks for probe in case of ex-Yucca workers' dust 42 RGJ: Scientist says Yucca could be a hazard 43 IBLV Editorial: Reject suspect Yucca job claims NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 44 DOE: Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01- 45 Tri-City Herald: Fluor Hanford works to regain lost finances 46 U.S. Newswire - Secretary Abraham Travels to West Virginia, Iowa, 47 U.S. Newswire: EPA and Department of Energy Sign Agreement to 48 Oak Ridger: Commissioners debate OR, AC efforts in 'sandbox' of gett 49 lamonitor.com: Ways to restore federal monies discussed 50 Oak Ridger: Questions what residents know about easement 51 Oak Ridger: Current events add to Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge lore OTHER NUCLEAR 52 Google News Alert - nuclear 53 Albuquerque Tribune: EDITORIAL: We need quick launch on space nuclea 54 WILX: Rare Isotope Accelerator 55 Space.com: nukes in space ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 [EMMAS] CIA offers reward for Iraq WMD Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 02:52:25 -0600 (CST) http://www.swisspolitics.org/en/news/index.php? section=int&page=news_inhalt&news_id=4714533 12.02.2004 - 01:00 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA, under fire over its intelligence about Iraq's arms programs, has posted a notice on its Web site offering rewards for information on the elusive weapons. The "Iraqi Rewards Program" notice dated Tuesday seeks "specific and verifiable information" on the location of stocks of "recently made" chemical or biological weapons, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles or their components. U.S. intelligence agencies have been criticised for prewar estimates that said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction but none have been found since the U.S.-led invasion last year. David Kay, who led the U.S. hunt for banned weapons in Iraq until stepping down last month, has said he did not believe that large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons existed when the United States invaded. The unspecified rewards were also offered for locating chemical or biological laboratories and factories, development, production and test sites and places where such materials were "secretly disposed." The notice on www.cia.gov says: "The presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq puts at risk the health and safety of all Iraqis. The U.S. Government offers rewards to Iraqis who give specific and verifiable information that helps Iraqis rid their country of these dangerous materials and devices." People can respond on electronic forms in English or Arabic. The CIA said they were secure and would protect the information and identity of the sender. A CIA spokesman said the notice was just one more avenue to get information out about existing U.S. government rewards for information dealing with Iraq. "Our Web site gets an enormous amount of hits from all over the world," the spokesman said. "It's just trying to get the word as broadly publicised as possible." Rewards were also offered for former leaders of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, including $10 million (5.3 million pounds) for information leading to the capture of Izzat Ibrahim al- Douri, Saddam's former lieutenant who is the highest-ranking official on the Pentagon's top 55 most- wanted list still not found. The CIA asked for information about imminent attacks by "insurgents or terrorists" and about individuals or groups obtaining explosives and other weapons to use against coalition and Iraqi security forces, schools, businesses and civilians. ################################################################# " Social and economic well-being will become a reality only through the zeal, courage, the non-compromising determination of intelligent minorities, and not through the mass." Emma Goldman To SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE to the emmasdance list send email to with the message subscribe/unsubscribe emmasdance. [No subject is needed.] "If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman ################################################################# ***************************************************************** 2 BBC: New nuclear parts 'found in Iran' Last Updated: Thursday, 19 February, 2004 [Iranian leaders watch military parade in Tehran, Sep 03] The US suspects Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons UN nuclear inspectors in Iran have found undeclared components of an advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuge at an air force base, diplomats say. Correspondents say the alleged find may be the first known link between Iran's nuclear programme and its military. The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has declined to comment on the report. Tehran denied the report strongly, saying in a statement to the Reuters news agency Iran "has not had nor does it have military nuclear activities". The diplomats said the parts found were compatible with the P-2 centrifuge - a more advanced type than the model Iran has acknowledged using. The daily USA Today reported that the machinery was found at the Doshan-Tappeh air base in Tehran. We have voluntarily decid to suspend our uranium enrichment process in a bid to build trust Kamal Kharrazi Iranian Foreign Minister How a gas centrifuge works But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran had no P-2 centrifuges at military locations. International monitoring The IAEA is currently examining Iran's nuclear activities for signs that it might be developing weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes and says it made a full declaration to the IAEA in October. On Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Tehran had only been studying designs of a P-2 centrifuge and that the IAEA had been informed about its research. "The P-2 centrifuge device is a research programme... We try to utilise any new models in the industry," he was quoted as saying. He also said Iran could meet its own nuclear fuel demands and could supply the fuel to other countries. Pakistan link Gas centrifuges - which can be used to make nuclear warheads - spin at supersonic speeds to separate fissile uranium-235 from the non-fissile uranium isotopes. The diplomats - who were not identified - said preliminary investigations by IAEA inspectors indicated the Iranian components matched drawings of equipment found in Libya and supplied by the clandestine Pakistani network headed by scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. The P-2 centrifuge is a Pakistani version of the advanced Western G-2 design and can produce material for use in reactors or bombs. Iran agreed late last year to a tough inspections regime overseen by the IAEA. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, countries are allowed to enrich uranium, but must notify the authority they are doing so. Iran promised the IAEA in October that it would suspend its uranium enrichment programme. US President George W Bush has said the world needs tighter restrictions to prevent the spread of nuclear know-how. Washington said it would give Iran more time fully to disclose its nuclear activities before deciding whether to refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. ***************************************************************** 3 BBC: Iran nuclear find 'concerns' US Last Updated: Thursday, 19 February, 2004 [Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant under construction] Iran insists its nuclear programme is not for military use The US has expressed "serious concerns" about a report that UN nuclear inspectors have found undeclared nuclear technology in Iran. Correspondents say the alleged find may be the first known link between Iran's nuclear programme and its military. The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has declined to comment on the report. Tehran denied the report strongly, saying in a statement to the Reuters news agency Iran "has not had, nor does it have, military nuclear activities". But White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the reported discovery could support "our belief Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme under the cover of a peaceful effort". The White House was responding to a report that inspectors had found undeclared components of an advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuge at an air force base. Advanced technology The diplomats said the parts found were compatible with the P-2 centrifuge - a more advanced type than the model Iran has acknowledged using. The daily USA Today reported that the machinery was found at the Doshan-Tappeh air base in Tehran. We have voluntarily decid to suspend our uranium enrichment process in a bid to build trust Kamal Kharrazi Iranian Foreign Minister How a gas centrifuge works But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran had no P-2 centrifuges at military locations. The IAEA is currently examining Iran's nuclear activities for signs that it might be developing weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes and says it made a full declaration to the IAEA in October. On Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Tehran had only been studying designs of a P-2 centrifuge and that the IAEA had been informed about its research. "The P-2 centrifuge device is a research programme... We try to utilise any new models in the industry," he was quoted as saying. He also said Iran could meet its own nuclear fuel demands and could supply the fuel to other countries. Pakistan link Gas centrifuges - which can be used to make nuclear warheads - spin at supersonic speeds to separate fissile uranium-235 from the non-fissile uranium isotopes. The diplomats - who were not identified - said preliminary investigations by IAEA inspectors indicated the Iranian components matched drawings of equipment found in Libya and supplied by the clandestine Pakistani network headed by scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. The P-2 centrifuge is a Pakistani version of the advanced Western G-2 design and can produce material for use in reactors or bombs. Iran agreed late last year to a tough inspections regime overseen by the IAEA. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, countries are allowed to enrich uranium, but must notify the authority they are doing so. Iran promised the IAEA in October that it would suspend its uranium enrichment programme. US President George W Bush has said the world needs tighter restrictions to prevent the spread of nuclear know-how. Washington said it would give Iran more time fully to disclose its nuclear activities before deciding whether to refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. ***************************************************************** 4 Las Vegas SUN: Enrichment Equipment Found on Iran Base Today: February 19, 2004 at 3:00:25 PST By GEORGE JAHN ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria (AP) - U.N. inspectors have discovered high-tech enrichment equipment on an Iranian air force base, diplomats said Thursday. The find appeared to be the first known link of Tehran's suspect nuclear program to its military. The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gas centrifuge system was found at an air base outside of the capital. Such equipment is used to process uranium which can then be used for nuclear fuel or warheads, depending on the level of enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors are examining Iran's nuclear activities for signs it was trying to create weapons, declined comment. Confronted with evidence it had hid for nearly two decades, Iran last year acknowledged running an enrichment program but says it is only to generate power. The United States and other nations, however, accuse Tehran of secretly trying to make weapons. The revelation comes only around a week after diplomats leaked news that IAEA inspectors had found drawings of an advanced centrifuge design Iran had not owed up to having, despite pledges to be fully open about its nuclear activities. The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the designs were of a P-2 centrifuge - more advanced than the P-1 model Iran has acknowledged using to enrich uranium for what is says are peaceful purposes. They said preliminary investigations by inspectors working for the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated they matched drawings of equipment found in Libya and supplied by the Pakistani network headed by scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. Despite putting into question Iran's pledge to be fully open, the finds do not advance suspicions that Tehran was trying to make nuclear weapons because of the dual use of enriched uranium. But the location given by the diplomats of the advanced centrifuge - at the air base - cast doubt on Iranian claims that its military was not involved in the country's nuclear program. -- ***************************************************************** 5 [NukeNet] FW: [abolition-caucus] Anti Nuclear Publisher? Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 19:46:05 -0800 Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave. Champaign, IL 61820 USA 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu (personal comments only) -----Original Message----- From: Boyle, Francis [mailto:fboyle@LAW.UIUC.EDU] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 11:01 AM To: abolition-caucus@yahoogroups.com Subject: [abolition-caucus] Anti Nuclear Publisher? Dear Friends: I am looking for a publisher of the following book. If you know of one, please let me know, or send this proposal along to them, or both. thanks. fab. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave. Champaign, IL 61820 USA 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu (personal comments only) -----Original Message----- From: Robison, Carol Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 10:48 AM To: Boyle, Francis Subject: Anti Nuclear..... Civil Resistance to State Crimes: A Guide to Legal Defense by Francis Anthony Boyle TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1. The Criminality of the United States Government Under International Law Chapter 2. The Right of Civil Resistance to Prevent State Crimes Chapter 3. Rules for Defending Civil Resistance Against State Crimes Chapter 4. Putting Trident 2 on Trial Chapter 5. Trial Materials for Resisting the Criminality of Nuclear Weapons 1985: Purex at Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Walla Walla, WA. -Plutonium triggers for Hydrogen Bombs -U.S. First strike strategy -Necessity defense permitted, charges dropped -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1987: Nevada Nuclear Test Site Case -Illegality of Nuclear Testing -Star Wars/NMD -Charges Dismissed -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1987: Epiphany Plowshares -U.S. First Strike Strategy -Reagan's Contra Terror War -Repeated hung juries -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1987: Rocky Flats, Col. Protest -Plutonium Triggers for Hydrogen Bombs -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1987: Katya Kamisaruk -White Rose Collective Plowshares -NAVSTAR/Trident 2 -Victory on Sabotage - dismissal -Francis A. Boyle Declaration & Memo 1988: Missouri Peace Planting Case -Minuteman 3 -Victory on felonious depredation of government property - dismissal -Convicted on misdemeanor trespass -Trial Briefs on Depredation and Trespass 1988: U.S. v. Broadhead & Lewis -Transfiguration Plowshares East -Nukes are not "property" -Seasprite & P-3 Orion -U.S. First Strike Strategy -Won at trial -Overturned on appeal -Victory anyway - started out with misdemeanor instead of felony because of international law. -Francis A. Boyle Declaration & Transcript 1996: Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Plowshares Cases -U.S. First Strike Strategy -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1996: Laurentian Shield Plowshares -ELF/Trident 2 -Two acquittals on sabotage -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 1999: Greenock, Scotland -Angie Zelter et al. -Trident 2000 -Directed verdict against U.K. Trident 2 -Francis A. Boyle Declaration & Transcript 2000: MOX Fuel Injunction Case -Plutonium Transfers: U.S. Russia, Canada -Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty -U.S. Atomic Energy Law -International Environmental Law -Francis A. Boyle Transcript 2001: Urfer & Sprong --ELF/Trident 2 -Federal District Court, Wisconsin -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 2001: Greenpeace Protest at Vandenberg A.F.B -National Missile Defense v. ABM Treaty -Francis A. Boyle Declaration 2003: Sacred Earth & Space Plowshares (2003) -Minuteman III -3 Denver Nuns facing 30 years -Sabotage & Depredation -Only 2 ½ years each -Francis A. Boyle Declaration & Transcript Conclusion To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to abolition-caucus-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/abolition-caucus/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * abolition-caucus-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 6 Capitol Hill Blue: Dubya Ignored Experts Who Told Truth Bush Leagues By EMILY JOHNS McClatchy Newspapers Feb 19, 2004, 07:32 Bush administration officials ignored expert assessments from three national laboratories in concluding Iraq was seeking to acquire aluminum tubes to make nuclear weapons, a group of scientists charged Wednesday. The administration also has dropped highly qualified, independent scientists from scientific advisory committees on issues such as child lead poisoning, environmental health and drug abuse, replacing them with figures tied to regulated industries, the Union of Concerned Scientists said Wednesday. Sixty scientists signed the statement, including 20 Nobel laureates, accusing the administration of suppressing, distorting and undermining the integrity of scientific analyses in policymaking. The group, organized by the scientific watchdog group, laid out its allegations in a 37-page report. Dr. John Marburger III, director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, called the report "disappointing" and likened it to "a conspiracy theory report." "The president is actually quite supportive of science," he said. On subjects ranging from Global Warming to the Endangered Species Act, the scientists accused the administration of disbanding panels that don't agree with its policies, putting unqualified people on scientific advisory panels and censoring or misrepresenting the findings of agency scientists. The group said the White House ignored assessments on Iraq's nuclear program from experts at the Livermore, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories. It asked for a congressional inquiry and urged President Bush to sign an executive order ending the distortion of scientific knowledge. "To just trivialize (the science community's) input is really dangerous," said Margaret Davis, a University of Minnesota professor emeritus of ecology, evolution and behavior. Other signers included Russell Train, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency during the Nixon and Ford administrations, and Neal Lane, a former head of the National Science Foundation. Past administrations have engaged in similar scientific manipulations, "but this has never been done so systematically or on so wide a front," said Kurt Gottfried, a physics professor at Cornell University and chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists' board. White House official Marburger said the scientists had unfairly connected the dots from unrelated examples. "Each one of these incidents has its own story," he said. "I just don't think that these incidents or issues add up to a strong support for the accusation that this administration is deliberately acting to undermine the processes of science." He said that it might "ruffle some feathers" when the White House rejects an agency's scientific findings. But, he said, "I see a lot of stuff coming from the agencies that frankly I don't think meets the standards that I expect or that the president expects in a report." Davis said she signed the statement because the administration has dismissed a mainstream scientific consensus that global warming is dangerous. "To dismiss (global warming) because there's one or two scientists who don't think it is so convincing is ridiculous," Davis said. The scientists said their complaints are not partisan, contending that Republicans and Democrats have traditionally been able to find common ground in science. "Under both Nixon and Ford I do not recall ever receiving a suggestion, let alone an order, from the White House telling me how I should make a regulatory decision," said former Republican appointee Train. "How times have changed." © Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue ***************************************************************** 7 UCS: Restoring the Integrity of Science [Union of Concerned Scientists] Restoring Scientific Integrity The United States has an impressive history of investing in the capabilities and respecting the independence of scientists. This legacy has brought us sustained economic progress, science-based public health policy, and unequaled scientific leadership within the global community. However, actions by the Bush administration threaten to undermine this legacy, and as a result, policy decisions are being made that have serious consequences for our health, safety, and environment. Across a broad range of issuesfrom childhood lead poisoning and mercury emissions to climate change, reproductive health, and nuclear weaponsthe administration is distorting and censoring scientific findings that contradict its policies; manipulating the underlying science to align results with predetermined political decisions; and undermining the independence of science advisory panels by subjecting panel nominees to political litmus tests that have little or no bearing on their expertise; nominating non-experts or underqualified individuals from outside the scientific mainstream or with industry ties; as well as disbanding science advisory committees altogether. These activities are of grave concern to members of the scientific community as well as to those who rely on government information to inform policy decisions. But they should also concern the American public, which places its trust in the government as an honest broker of scientific information and one that will protect our health and safety.  Join with the Union of Concerned Scientists as we call for legislative and regulatory action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. Learn More about this Campaign Read the ReportScientific Integrity in Policymaking chronicles and corroborates numerous incidents where the Bush administration has misused science to support its political agenda. Scientists: Sign the StatementJoin with the country's leading scientists (including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors, and university chairs and presidents) to call for immediate action on this issue. Take ActionCitizens and scientists alike can get involved by calling on Congress to investigate and act on this issue. Spread the WordTell colleagues, family, and friends about our efforts to halt the Bush administration's dangerous practices and help restore the integrity of science in federal policymaking. Only the power of numbers will force the administration to change its behavior. Report AbusesDo you work in a federal agency or have you participated on a scientific panel where you have seen science compromised? Use the anonymous form to report abuses. Support Our EffortsJoin the Union of Concerned Scientists to ensure we have the resources to make this campaign successful. © Union of Concerned Scientists Page Last Revised: 02.18.2004 ***************************************************************** 8 UCS: Scientific Integrity in Policymaking [Union of Concerned Scientists analysis An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science  This page is an excerpt from the 2004 UCS report Scientific Integrity in Policymaking. The U.S. government runs on vast amounts of information. Researchers at the National Weather Service gather and analyze meteorological data to know when to issue severe-weather advisories. Specialists at the Federal Reserve Board collect and analyze economic data to determine when to raise or lower interest rates. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control examine bacteria and viral samples to guard against a large-scale outbreak of disease. The American public relies on the accuracy of such governmental data and upon the integrity of the researchers who gather and analyze it. However, at a time when one might expect the federal government to increasingly rely on impartial researchers for the critical role they play in gathering and analyzing specialized data, there are numerous indications that the opposite is occurring. A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies. The quantity and breadth of these charges warrant further examination, especially given the stature of many of the individuals lodging them. Toward this end, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) undertook an investigation of many of the allegations made in the mainstream media, in scientific journals, and in overview reports issued from within the federal government and by non-governmental organizations. To determine the validity of the allegations, UCS reviewed the public record, obtained internal government documents, and conducted interviews with many of the parties involved (including current and former government officials). Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science presents the finding of this investigation and offers solutions to help restore scientific integrity to the federal policymaking process. Download the full report or the executive summary. © Union of Concerned Scientists Page Last Revised: 02.18.2004 ***************************************************************** 9 UCS: Preeminent Scientists Protest Bush Administration's Misuse of Science [Union of Concerned Scientists] February 18, 2004 Nobel Laureates, National Medal of Science Recipients, and Other Leading Researchers Call for End to Scientific Abuses Washington, D.C.Today, more than 60 leading scientistsincluding Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors and university chairs and presidentsissued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. According to the scientists, the Bush administration has, among other abuses, suppressed and distorted scientific analysis from federal agencies, and taken actions that have undermined the quality of scientific advisory panels. Across a broad range of issues, the administration has undermined the quality of the scientific advisory system and the morale of the governments outstanding scientific personnel, said Dr. Kurt Gottfried, emeritus professor of physics at Cornell University and Chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Whether the issue is lead paint, clean air or climate change, this behavior has serious consequences for all Americans.  Science, to quote President Bush's father, the former president, relies on freedom of inquiry and objectivity, said Russell Train, head of the Environmental Protection Agency under Nixon and Ford, who joined the scientists in calling for action. But this administration has obstructed that freedom and distorted that objectivity in ways that were unheard of in any previous administration. The statement notes that while scientific input to the government is rarely the only factor in public policy decisions, this input should be weighed from an objective and impartial perspective. However, the administration of George W. Bush has disregarded this principle. The Earth system follows laws which scientists strive to understand, said Dr. F. Sherwood Rowland a Nobel laureate in chemistry. The public deserves rational decisionmaking based on the best scientific advice about what is likely to happen, not what political entities might wish to happen. We are not simply raising warning flags about an academic subject of interest only to scientists and doctors, said Dr. Neal Lane, a former director of the National Science Foundation and a former Presidential Science Advisor. In case after case, scientific input to policymaking is being censored and distorted. This will have serious consequences for public health. In conjunction with the statement, the Union of Concerned Scientists today released a report Scientific Integrity in Policymaking that investigates numerous allegations in the scientists statement involving censorship and political interference with independent scientific inquiry at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Interior and Defense. One example cited in the statement and report involves the suppression of an EPA study that found the bipartisan Senate Clear Air bill would do more to reduce mercury contamination in fish and prevent more deaths than the administration's proposed Clear Skies Act. This is akin to the White House directing the National Weather Service to alter a hurricane forecast because they want everyone to think we have clear skies ahead, said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists The hurricane is still coming, but without factual information no one will be ready for it. Comparing President Bush with his father, George H.W. Bush and former president Richard M. Nixon, the statement warned that had these former presidents similarly dismissed science in favor of political ends, over 200,000 deaths and millions of respiratory and cardiovascular disease cases would not have been prevented with the signing of the original Clean Air Act and the 1990 amendments to that Act. The statement demands that the Bush administrations distortion of scientific knowledge for partisan political ends must cease and calls for Congressional oversight hearings, guaranteed public access to government scientific studies and other measures to prevent such abuses in the future. The statement further calls on the scientific, engineering and medical communities to work together to reestablish scientific integrity in the policymaking process. # # # Among the statement signers are: Philip W. Anderson* David Baltimore* Paul Berg* Lewis Branscomb Thomas Eisner* Jerome Friedman Richard Garwin* Walter Kohn* Neal Lane Leon Lederman* Mario Molina W.K.H. Panofsky* F. Sherwood Rowland J. Robert Schrieffer* Richard Smalley Harold E. Varmus* Steven Weinberg* E.O. Wilson* * National Medal of Science Nobel laureate To set up interviews or for UCS info, contact: MORROW CATER  415-453-0430 SUZANNE SHAW 617-547-5552 © Union of Concerned Scientists Page Last Revised: 02.18.2004 ***************************************************************** 10 NRC: State of Utah: NRC Staff Draft Assessment of a Proposed FR Doc 04-3554 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7803-7806] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-132] [[Page 7803]] Amendment to Agreement Between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State of Utah AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Second notice of a proposed amendment to the Agreement with the State of Utah; request for comment. SUMMARY: By letter dated January 2, 2003, Governor Michael O. Leavitt of Utah requested that the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) enter into an amendment to the Agreement with Utah (the Agreement) as authorized by Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (Act). Under the proposed amendment to the Agreement, the Commission would relinquish, and Utah would assume, an additional portion of the Commission's regulatory authority exercised within the State. As required by the Act, NRC is publishing the proposed amendment to the Agreement for public comment. NRC is also publishing the summary of a draft assessment by the NRC staff of the portion of the regulatory program Utah would assume. Comments are requested on the proposed amendment to the Agreement and the staff's draft assessment, which finds the program to be adequate to protect public health and safety and compatible with NRC's program for regulation of 11e.(2) byproduct material. The proposed amendment to the Agreement would release (exempt) persons who possess or use certain radioactive materials in Utah from portions of the Commission's regulatory authority. The Act requires that NRC publish those exemptions. Notice is hereby given that the pertinent exemptions have been previously published in the Federal Register and are codified in the Commission's regulations as 10 CFR Part 150. DATES: The comment period expires March 15, 2004. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission cannot assure consideration of comments received after the expiration date. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of the following methods. Please include the following phrase [Utah Amendment] in the subject line of your comments. Comments will be made available to the public in their entirety. Personal information will not be removed from your comments. Mail comments to: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Washington, DC 20555-0001. E-mail comments to: . Fax comments to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, at (301) 415- 5144. Publicly available documents related to this notice, including public comments received, may be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999, are also available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1- 800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to . Documents available in ADAMS include: the request for an amended Agreement by the Governor of Utah including all information and documentation submitted in support of the request (ML030280380); NRC comments on the request (ML031810623), Utah's response to NRC comments (ML032060090); Utah's additional clarification (ML033640565), and the full text of the NRC Staff Draft Assessment (ML040370585). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis M. Sollenberger, Office of State and Tribal Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Telephone (301) 415-2819 or e-mail . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since Section 274 of the Act was added in 1959, the Commission has entered into Agreements with 33 States. The Agreement States currently regulate approximately 16,850 material licenses, while NRC regulates approximately 4550 licenses. NRC periodically reviews the performance of the Agreement States to assure compliance with the provisions of Section 274. Under the proposed amendment to the Agreement, four NRC licenses will transfer to Utah. Section 274e requires that the terms of the proposed amendment to the Agreement be published in the Federal Register for public comment once each week for four consecutive weeks. This second Notice is being published in fulfillment of the requirement. I. Background (a) Section 274d of the Act provides the mechanism for a State to assume regulatory authority from the NRC over certain radioactive materials \1\ and activities that involve use of the materials. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \1\ The radioactive materials are: (a) Byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(1) of the Act; (b) byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act; (c) source materials as defined in Section 11z. of the Act; and (d) special nuclear materials as defined in Section 11aa. of the Act, restricted to quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- In a letter dated January 2, 2003, Governor Leavitt certified that the State of Utah has a program for the control of radiation hazards that is adequate to protect public health and safety within Utah for the materials and activities specified in the proposed amendment to the Agreement, and that the State desires to assume regulatory responsibility for these materials and activities. The radioactive materials and activities (which together are usually referred to as the ``categories of materials'') which the State of Utah requests authority over are: the possession and use of byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act and the facilities that generate such material (uranium mill tailings and uranium mills). Included with the letter was the text of the proposed amendment to the Agreement, which has been edited and is shown in Appendix A to this Notice. (b) The proposed amendment to the Agreement modifies the articles of the Agreement that: --Specify the materials and activities over which authority is transferred; --Specify the activities over which the Commission will retain regulatory authority; and --Specify the effective date of the proposed Agreement. The Commission reserves the option to modify the terms of the proposed amendment to the Agreement in response to comments, to correct errors, and to make editorial changes. The final text of the amendment to the Agreement, with the effective date, will be published after the amendment to the Agreement is approved by the Commission and signed by the Chairman of the Commission and the Governor of Utah. (c) Utah currently regulates all radioactive materials covered under the [[Page 7804]] Act, except for conducting sealed source and device evaluations which will remain under NRC jurisdiction, and the possession and use of 11e.(2) byproduct material, which would be assumed by Utah under the proposed amendment to their Agreement. Section 19-3-113 of the Utah code provides the authority for the Governor to enter into an Agreement with the Commission. Section 19-3-113 also contains provisions for the orderly transfer of regulatory authority over affected licensees from NRC to the State. After the effective date of the Agreement, licenses issued by NRC would continue in effect as Utah licenses until the licenses expire or are replaced by State issued licenses. The regulatory program including 11e.(2) byproduct materials is authorized by law in Section 19-3-104. (d) The NRC staff draft assessment finds that the Utah program is adequate to protect public health and safety, and is compatible with the NRC program for the regulation of 11e.(2) byproduct material and the facilities that generate such material. II. Summary of the NRC Staff Draft Assessment of the Utah Program for the Control of 11e.(2) Byproduct Materials The NRC staff has examined Utah's request for an amendment to the Agreement with respect to the ability of the Utah radiation control program to regulate 11e.(2) byproduct material. The examination was based on the Commission's policy statement ``Criteria for Guidance of States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory Authority and Assumption Thereof by States Through Agreement,'' referred to herein as the ``NRC criteria'' (46 FR 7540; January 23, 1981, as amended by policy statements published at 46 FR 36969; July 16, 1981 and at 48 FR 33376; July 21, 1983). (a) Organization and Personnel. The 11e.(2) byproduct material program will be located within the existing Division of Radiation Control (Program) of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. The Program will be responsible for all regulatory activities related to the proposed amendment to the Agreement. The Program performed an analysis of the expected Program workload under the proposed amendment to the Agreement and determined that a level of three technical and one administrative staff would be needed to implement the 11e.(2) byproduct material authority. The distribution of the qualifications of the individual technical staff members will be balanced with the technical expertise needed for 11e.(2) byproduct material (i.e., health physics, hydrology, engineering). The Program currently has and intends to initially use existing qualified staff to conduct the 11e.(2) byproduct materials activities. At least two staff are qualified in each of the three technical areas identified in the Criteria: health physics, engineering, and hydrology. The educational requirements for the 11e.(2) byproduct material program staff members are specified in the Utah State personnel position descriptions, and meet the NRC criteria with respect to formal education or combined education and experience requirements. All current staff members hold at least bachelor's degrees in physical or life sciences, or have a combination of education and experience at least equivalent to a bachelor's degree. Several staff members hold advanced degrees, and all staff members have had additional training plus working experience in radiation protection. The Program also plans to hire three new staff into the program to supplement the existing staff (two professional/technical and one administrative). New staff hired into the Program will be qualified in accordance with the Program's training and qualification procedure to function in the areas of responsibility to which the individual is assigned. Based on the NRC staff review of the State's need analysis, current staff qualifications, and the current staff assignments for the 11e.(2) byproduct material program, the NRC staff concludes that Utah will have an adequate number of qualified staff assigned to regulate the 11e.(2) byproduct material workload of the Program under the terms of the amendment to the Agreement. (b) Legislation and Regulations. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (Department) is designated by law to be the implementing agency. The law establishes a Radiation Control Board (Board) that has the authority to issue regulations and has delegated the authority to the Executive Secretary the authority to issue licenses, issue orders, conduct inspections, and to enforce compliance with regulations, license conditions, and orders. The Executive Secretary is the director of the Division of Radiation Control in the Department. Licensees are required to provide access to inspectors. The law requires the Board to adopt rules that are compatible with equivalent NRC regulations and that are equally stringent. Utah has adopted R313-24 Utah Administrative Code that incorporates NRC uranium milling regulations by reference, with a few exceptions, and other regulatory changes needed for the 11e.(2) byproduct material program. The NRC staff reviewed and forwarded comments on these regulations to the Utah staff. The final regulations were sent to NRC for review. The NRC staff review verified that, with the one exception of the alternative groundwater standards, the Utah rules contain all of the provisions that are necessary in order to be compatible with the regulations of the NRC on the effective date of the Agreement between the State and the Commission. The alternative groundwater standards were addressed in a separate Commission action (see 68 FR 51516; August 27, 2003 and 68 FR 60885; October 24, 2003) and will be resolved prior to the Commission's final approval of an amendment to the Agreement with Utah. The NRC staff also concludes that Utah will not attempt to enforce regulatory matters reserved to the Commission. (c) Evaluation of License Applications. Utah has adopted regulations compatible with the NRC regulations that specify the requirements which a person must meet in order to get a license to possess or use 11e.(2) byproduct material. Utah will use its general licensing procedures, along with the additional requirements in R313-24 specific to 11e.(2) byproduct material. Utah will use the NRC regulatory guides as guidance in conducting its licensing reviews. (d) Inspections and Enforcement. The Utah radiation control program has adopted a schedule providing for the inspection of licensees as frequently as the inspection schedule used by NRC. The Program has adopted procedures for the conduct of inspections, the reporting of inspection findings, and the reporting of inspection results to the licensees. The Program has also adopted, by rule based on the Utah Revised Statutes, procedures for the enforcement of regulatory requirements. (e) Regulatory Administration. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is bound by requirements specified in State law for rulemaking, issuing licenses, and taking enforcement actions. The Program has also adopted administrative procedures to assure fair and impartial treatment of license applicants. Utah law prescribes standards of ethical conduct for State employees. (f) Cooperation with Other Agencies. Utah law deems the holder of an NRC license on the effective date of the proposed Agreement to possess a like license issued by Utah. The law provides that these former NRC licenses will expire either 90 days after receipt from the Department of a notice of [[Page 7805]] expiration of such license or on the date of expiration specified in the NRC license, whichever is earlier. Utah also provides for ``timely renewal.'' This provision affords the continuance of licenses for which an application for renewal has been filed more than 30 days prior to the date of expiration of the license. NRC licenses transferred while in timely renewal are included under the continuation provision. III. Staff Conclusion Subsection 274d of the Act provides that the Commission shall enter into an agreement under subsection 274b with any State if: (a) The Governor of the State certifies that the State has a program for the control of radiation hazards adequate to protect public health and safety with respect to the agreement materials within the State, and that the State desires to assume regulatory responsibility for the agreement materials; and (b) The Commission finds that the State program is in accordance with the requirements of Subsection 274o, and in all other respects compatible with the Commission's program for the regulation of materials, and that the State program is adequate to protect public health and safety with respect to the materials covered by the proposed Agreement. On the basis of its draft assessment, the NRC staff concludes that the State of Utah meets the requirements of the Act. The State's program, as defined by its statutes, regulations, personnel, licensing, inspection, and administrative procedures, is compatible with the program of the Commission and adequate to protect public health and safety with respect to the materials covered by the proposed amendment to the Agreement. NRC will continue the formal processing of the proposed amendment to the Agreement which includes publication of this Notice once a week for four consecutive weeks for public review and comment. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of February, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Paul H. Lohaus, Director, Office of State and Tribal Programs. Appendix A--Amendment to Agreement Between the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State of Utah for Discontinuance of Certain Commission Regulatory Authority and Responsibility Within the State Pursuant to Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act, as Amended Whereas, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission) entered into an Agreement on March 29, 1984 (hereinafter referred to the Agreement of March 29, 1984) with the State of Utah under Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (hereafter referred to the Act) which became effective on April 1, 1984, providing for discontinuance of the regulatory authority of the Commission within the State under Chapters 6, 7, and 8 and Section 161 of the Act with respect to byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(1) of the Act, source materials, and special nuclear materials in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass; and Whereas, the Commission entered into an amendment to the Agreement of March 29, 1984 (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended) pursuant to the Act providing for discontinuance of regulatory authority of the Commission with respect to the land disposal of source, byproduct, and special nuclear material received from other persons which became effective on May 9, 1990; and Whereas, the Governor requested, and the Commission agreed, that the Commission reassert Commission authority for the evaluation of radiation safety information for sealed sources or devices containing byproduct, source or special nuclear materials and the registration of the sealed sources or devices for distribution, as provided for in regulations or orders of the Commission; and Whereas, the Governor of the State of Utah is authorized under Utah Code Annotated 19-3-113 to enter into this amendment to the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended, between the Commission and the State of Utah; and Whereas, the Governor of the State of Utah has requested this amendment in accordance with Section 274 of the Act by certifying on January 2, 2003 that the State of Utah has a program for the control of radiological and non-radiological hazards adequate to protect the public health and safety and the environment with respect to byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act and facilities that generate this material and that the State desires to assume regulatory responsibility for such material; and Whereas, the Commission found on [date] that the program of the State for the regulation of materials covered by this amendment is in accordance with the requirements of the Act and in all other respects compatible with the Commission's program for the regulation of byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(2) and is adequate to protect public health and safety; and Whereas, the State and the Commission recognize the desirability and importance of cooperation between the Commission and the State in the formulation of standards for protection against hazards of radiation and in assuring that the State and the Commission programs for protection against hazards of radiation will be coordinated and compatible; and Whereas, this amendment to the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended, is entered into pursuant to the provisions of the Act. Now, Therefore, it is hereby agreed between the Commission and the Governor of the State, acting on behalf of the State, as follows: Section 1. Article I of the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended, is amended by adding a new paragraph B and renumbering paragraphs B through D as C through E. Paragraph B will read as follows: ``B. Byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act;'' Section 2. Article II of the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended, is amended by deleting paragraph E and inserting a new paragraph E to implement the reassertion of Commission authority over sealed sources and devices to read: ``E. The evaluation of radiation safety information on sealed sources or devices containing byproduct, source, or special nuclear materials and the registration of the sealed sources or devices for distribution, as provided for in regulations or orders of the Commission.'' Section 3. Article II of the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended, is amended by numbering the current Article as A by placing an A in front of the current Article language. The subsequent paragraphs A through E are renumbered as 1 through 5. After the current amended language, the following new section B is added to read: ``B. Notwithstanding this Agreement, the Commission retains the following authorities pertaining to byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act: 1. Prior to the termination of a State license for such byproduct material, or for any activity that resulted in the production of such material, the Commission shall have made a determination that all applicable standards and requirements pertaining to such material have been met; 2. The Commission reserves the authority to establish minimum standards governing reclamation, long-term surveillance or maintenance, and ownership of such byproduct material and of land used as a disposal site for such material. Such reserved authority includes: a. The authority to establish terms and conditions as the Commission determines necessary to assure that, prior to termination of any license for such byproduct material, or for any activity that results in the production of such material, the licensee shall comply with decontamination, decommissioning, and reclamation standards prescribed by the Commission; and with ownership requirements for such materials and its disposal site; [[Page 7806]] b. The authority to require that prior to termination of any license for such byproduct material or for any activity that results in the production of such material, title to such byproduct material and its disposal site be transferred to the United States or the State of Utah at the option of the State (provided such option is exercised prior to termination of the license); c. The authority to permit use of the surface or subsurface estates, or both, of the land transferred to the United States or the State pursuant to 2.b. in this section in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978, as amended, provided that the Commission determines that such use would not endanger public health, safety, welfare, or the environment; d. The authority to require, in the case of a license for any activity that produces such byproduct material (which license was in effect on November 8, 1981), transfer of land and material pursuant to paragraph 2.b. in this section taking into consideration the status of such material and land and interests therein, and the ability of the licensee to transfer title and custody thereof to the United States or the State; e. The authority to require the Secretary of the Department of Energy, other Federal agency, or State, whichever has custody of such byproduct material and its disposal site, to undertake such monitoring, maintenance, and emergency measures as are necessary to protect public health and safety, and other actions as the Commission deems necessary; and f. The authority to enter into arrangements as may be appropriate to assure Federal long-term surveillance or maintenance of such byproduct material and its disposal site on land held in trust by the United States for any Indian Tribe or land owned by an Indian Tribe and subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.'' Section 4. Article IX of the 1984 Agreement, as amended, is renumbered as Article X and a new Article IX is inserted to read: ``ARTICLE IX In the licensing and regulation of byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the Act, or of any activity which results in the production of such byproduct material, the State shall comply with the provisions of Section 274o of the Act. If in such licensing and regulation, the State requires financial surety arrangements for reclamation and or long-term surveillance and maintenance of such byproduct material: A. The total amount of funds the State collects for such purposes shall be transferred to the United States if custody of such byproduct material and its disposal site is transferred to the United States upon termination of the State license for such byproduct material or any activity that results in the production of such byproduct material. Such funds include, but are not limited to, sums collected for long-term surveillance or maintenance. Such funds do not, however, include monies held as surety where no default has occurred and the reclamation or other bonded activity has been performed; and B. Such surety or other financial requirements must be sufficient to ensure compliance with those standards established by the Commission pertaining to bonds, sureties, and financial arrangements to ensure adequate reclamation and long-term management of such byproduct material and its disposal site.'' This amendment shall become effective on [date] and shall remain in effect unless and until such time as it is terminated pursuant to Article VIII of the Agreement of March 29, 1984, as amended. Done at Rockville, Maryland, in triplicate, this [day] day of [month, year]. For the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nils J. Diaz, Chairman. Done at Salt Lake City, Utah, in triplicate, this [day] day of [month, year]. For the State of Utah. Olene S. Walker, Governor. [FR Doc. 04-3554 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 11 CNEWS: Israeli nuclear black market middleman supplied Pakistan, India, records say February 19, 2004 WASHINGTON (AP) - An Israeli businessman accused of being a middleman in the nuclear black market worked to supply not only Pakistan but also its archrival India, court records indicate. South Africa-based Asher Karni faces felony charges of exporting nuclear bomb triggers to Pakistan. But court files in the case also include e-mail exchanges between Karni and an Indian businessman who was trying secretly to buy material for two Indian rocket factories. "Be careful to avoid any reference to the customer name," warned one message from Karni's Indian contact, Raghavendra (Ragu) Rao of Foretek Marketing (Pvt.) Ltd. The messages offer a rare glimpse into such dealings. U.S. prosecutors filed them in court as part of their attempts to persuade a judge to keep Karni behind bars before his trial. After conferring with U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay on Thursday, lawyers for both sides agreed to postpone a bail hearing for Karni until next Tuesday. Barrett Boss, one of Karni's lawyers, declined comment after the hearing. Karni, 50, has pleaded not guilty. U.S. government agents arrested him on New Year's Day when he arrived in Denver for a ski vacation. Authorities accuse Karni of using front companies and falsified documents to buy nuclear bomb triggers in the United States and ship them to Pakistan. The United States is putting pressure on Pakistan to shut down the black-market network it used to supply its nuclear weapons program and in turn to supply Iran, North Korea and Libya with nuclear technology. A key scientist in Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, said this month he ran the network but insisted Pakistan's government was not involved. Rao's e-mails from India ask Karni to procure three kinds of high-technology equipment, while concealing they were meant for the two rocket labs. The United States restricts exports of missile-related material to the two organizations, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. An August 2002 e-mail from Rao to Karni warns Karni to conceal the final customer of an accelerometer to the LPSC, noting its export is restricted because of its "possibility of being used in guidance systems for missiles." Rao did not respond to e-mails seeking comment Thursday. Prosecutors said they found his e-mails while searching a laptop computer and six computer discs Karni had when he was arrested. The court files also include records of other deals Karni made with his contact in Pakistan, Humayun Khan of the company Pakland PME. One involved Khan's urgent request last May for Karni to buy infrared sensors for AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles - which Pakistan uses on its F-16 fighter planes for air-to-air combat. While it is unclear whether that deal went through, the request shows Karni must have known Khan had ties to the Pakistani military, assistant U.S. attorney Jay Bratt argued in court documents. Another deal which apparently was completed was Humayun Khan's request for a sophisticated oscilloscope, a measuring device that could be used in nuclear weapons programs. For that deal, the documents indicate, Karni used the same U.S. intermediary he used for the bomb triggers: Giza Technologies Inc. of Seacaucus, N.J. In an August e-mail to Giza head Zeki Bilmen, Karni said he had a "new project" for Giza. "It is very important that they will not know it is coming to S.A. (South Africa)," Karni wrote. Karni in May asked the oscilloscope maker, Tektronix Inc., if he could buy an oscilloscope for Pakistan but the company told him to ask for a U.S. export licence first, court records indicate. There is no indication Karni contacted Tektronix directly again. Bilmen has declined comment. Neither he nor his company has been charged, though Bratt wrote agents searched Giza's offices in December at the same time South African police raided Karni's offices in Cape Town. The criminal case against Karni centres on his efforts to buy devices called triggered spark gaps from PerkinElmer Optoelectronics of Salem, Mass. The devices can be used in machines to break up kidney stones but exports are restricted because they also are key to triggering nuclear detonations. A PerkinElmer representative in France rebuffed Karni's efforts to buy spark gaps last spring, saying Karni had to certify they would not be used in nuclear weapons. Khan urged Karni to try harder, writing in an e-mail: "I know it is difficult but that's why we came to know each other." Karni then used Giza as a front to buy 66 spark gaps from PerkinElmer, prosecutors allege. Giza said on shipping documents the spark gaps were destined for a South African hospital but Karni repackaged them and sent them on to Pakistan, court documents allege. A court filing from Karni's Colorado lawyers includes a letter purported to be from the Pakistani user of the triggers, saying they had been sent to Agha Khan Foundation University &Hospitals in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Aga Khan Foundation does not have any hospitals in Sri Lanka, however. Its hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, has only one of the kidney stone treatment machines. PerkinElmer executives told U.S. authorities even the largest hospital would need only two or three of the triggers for a kidney treatment centre, not dozens of them. Copyright 2004, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All ***************************************************************** 12 Daily Times: Nuclear black market has gone underground, but not for long Friday, February 20, 2004 WASHINGTON: Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan’s confession of sole responsibility for transfer of nuclear materials from Pakistan to three countries will likely slow down the international black market, driving participants even further underground, but probably not for long, according to experts quoted by Ms Esther Pan of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York. In question-answer format, Ms Pan has tried to answer various questions arising out of the dramatic disclosures from Islamabad and Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist. She quotes an expert as saying, “Khan went out there and offered it (nuclear technology and information) … what happened after continues to be unclear.” As to the question if nuclear materials are still available, she states, “Possibly. Experts worry that nuclear material - including 600 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and plutonium still left in the former Soviet Union … is vulnerable to theft or could be sold or traded by disaffected scientists or opportunists. And the International Atomic Energy Association () has warned that several other nuclear stockpiles around the world have inadequate security, (Jim) Walsh (of Harvard) says.” As to how Dr Khan’s network operated, the answer is, “The Pakistan-based network traded everything from blueprints for centrifuges that enrich uranium - creating fuel for nuclear weapons - to weapons’ designs and parts. It also included a sophisticated transportation system to move the goods from the supplier to the buyer.” Was it different from previous proliferation networks? According to experts, before Dr Khan, proliferators bought bits and pieces of nuclear components from private middlemen, then had to assemble them to set up functional nuclear systems. Dr Khan changed all that, experts say, by creating a centralised “one-stop shop” that offered technical advice, parts, and customer support. Dr Khan’s labs “offered 24-hour technical assistance to customers and even had coloured brochures printed up - advertising centrifuges and other components for sale - to give to prospective clients at arms fairs,” according to Dr Walsh. In answer to the question how Dr Khan was “discovered,” Mr Pan writes, “Experts had suspected Khan for a long time, but couldn’t confirm their suspicions until October 2003, when Italian authorities seized a German ship carrying 1,000 centrifuges headed for Libya. The parts were made in Malaysia and shipped through the Middle East, according to news reports. Libya was able to get nearly complete centrifuges through the network, as well as blueprints for a Pakistani-designed nuclear warhead.” As to what is known about the Malaysian company that manufactured some of the components, the answer is, “SCOPE is part of a publicly traded oil and gas conglomerate whose largest shareholder, Kamaluddin Abdullah, is the son of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. ‘The evidence suggests that the Malaysian factory was able to manufacture parts to Pakistani designs for centrifuges that could then be shipped on to Libya and Iran,’ Shannon Kyle, a nuclear weapons analyst at the Stockholm International Peace Institute, told The South China Morning Post. Kamaluddin Abdullah has not commented on the case, but the prime minister said at a news conference February 5 that ‘there is no capability within the country or within the company concerned to produce nuclear bombs or any complete components to make nuclear weapons.’ ” To the question what the Dr Khan probe has found, Ms Pan writes, “That Khan sent hardware, designs, and technology to countries around the world from the late 1980s until he was forced to retire in March 2001, according to experts and Khan’s confession. ‘There’s no question that the nexis of this exchange has been Pakistan,’ says Lee , deputy director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Experts say the traded items included: blueprints for Pakistani centrifuges, which were swapped for North Korean ballistic missile technology. Paul , founding president of the Nuclear Control , says the centrifuge design Khan shared with others is based on a model that he stole from the European consortium , which produces enriched uranium for nuclear power, when Khan worked there as a scientist in the 1970s. In answer to the question now much the Government of Pakistan knew about Dr Khan’s activities, Ms Pan states, “Musharraf has denied that his government had any involvement in Khan’s dealings … But many experts doubt that, in a country run by the military, these transactions were kept truly secret. ‘It’s becoming increasingly implausible that these kinds of things could have gone on without Musharraf knowing,’ Leventhal says. Musharraf was the head of the army when he seized power in 1999; he is scheduled to give up control of the armed forces at the end of this year. ‘It borders on the incredible that the military leadership did not know.’ ” Dr Walsh says US and Pakistani authorities are doing “old-fashioned police work” on the Dr Khan case, including reviewing his travel records and tracking his phone calls and money transfers to find out who his other clients were. Experts say the current IAEA safeguards against nuclear proliferation need to be strengthened, and the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which bans the sale or transfer of prohibited items, extended even to countries that have not signed - including India and Pakistan. Some experts say the threat of the nuclear black market highlights the need to disarm countries like India and Pakistan of nuclear weapons entirely. “There has to be some hard thinking about how long (Pakistan’s nuclear) programme can be tolerated,” Leventhal says. —Khalid Hasan Home | National Russia boasts future weapons will penetrate missile defence Elimination of bird flu increasingly challenging: WHO Shias threaten siege of capital if Naqvi not released PM returns home after attending D-8 summit Explosion damages another girls school in Chilas LHC orders ISI chief to reply by 25th in habeas corpus petition Govt seeks honour killing case details Women religious leaders set against repeal of Hudood Multiple sentences on fine defaults to run concurrently Nahid: Celebrating spring in her steps Jamali arrives Mass marketing Musharraf Day four at the Horse and Cattle Show: The giant human billboard is back Army, navy and air force chiefs enjoy the show Indian delegates arrive for Punjabi language festival Indian Chief Justice VN Khare arrives Plots for NGOs Hindu pilgrims hail Indo-Pak peace talks Punjab cabinet to meet Feb 22 Jihad with cameras and hardnosed optimism Education minister orders investigation Frontier team back from Malaysia, local govt report expected on 23rd 2 jewellers kidnapped for ransom Canadian studies resource centre in Pakistan IG told to prevent LJ plan to poison Muharram British Council, HEC develop link for higher education Musharraf holds up IT as key to quick economic boost Opposition parties cautious about talks deal with India Japanese film festival begins PPP leaders in trouble for skipping ARD protest ARD protest enters seventh day Women in LG polls: AF launches campaign New UNHCR envoy arrives 3 including an infant killed in road accidents NFC meeting today US delegates meet Musharraf, Teen gets death for murdering classmate SC reserves judgement in PSO case French, Canadian envoys meet Rao Skindar Security plan for Muharram finalised Juvenile justice implementation by this year, says Nilofar June elections in Afghanistan called a mistake Taliban crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, says Khalizad Kashmiris pin hopes on Indo-Pak peace BJP welcomes India-Pak talks Indian bank to open branch in Kabul British police investigates ‘honour killing’ of Pakistani girl Malaysia protests Bush’s remarks on nuclear link 15 injured in Amritsar blast Guns rule Afghanistan Pakistani writer says no space for dissenting opinion in US media World’s largest Muslim group urges dialogue with West US, UN hail Indo-Pak pact on talks timetable Mufti orders probe into porters’ death Nuclear black market has gone underground, but not for long Daily Times - All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 13 Las Vegas SUN: Alleged Malaysian Nuclear Dealer Missing Today: February 19, 2004 at 7:05:25 PST By PATRICK McDOWELL ASSOCIATED PRESS KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The middleman in an alleged deal to supply Libya with nuclear components has disappeared from his Kuala Lumpur residence, and U.S. officials Thursday said Washington wants Malaysia to stiffen export controls to prevent such proliferation. Malaysia summoned the top U.S. diplomat to protest what the government views as unfair attention on it as President Bush calls for a global crackdown on the international nuclear black market. The allegations that a Malaysian company produced centrifuge components for Libya's nuclear weapons program has produced the first bump in U.S.-Malaysian relations since Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmamd Badawi took office nearly four months ago. Malaysia's protest declared the country supports nuclear non-proliferation and was "offended" that Bush unfairly named the nation as a source of parts to Libya's program without specifying other nations, the New Straits Times newspaper reported. Malaysia thoroughly investigated the origin of the parts and determined that the company involved - which is majority-controlled by the prime minister's son - did not know they were for nuclear use or would end up in Libya, the newspaper reported. Meanwhile, the former company executive who brokered the Libya deal - Sri Lankan Buhary Syed Abu Tahir - has left his Kuala Lumpur apartment with his family, guards at the building said. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday he did not know the specifics of the diplomatic protest, but "probably it is to express our concern that Malaysia is singled out unfairly and we have been totally vindicated by the facts." U.S. officials indicated Thursday that the key challenge in Malaysia and other countries was to put export controls in place to keep unwitting companies from being used. "In keeping with its commitment to non-proliferation, we are encouraging Malaysia to take the steps necessary to bring its export control system in line with international standards, in hopes of preventing future proliferation activities," Embassy spokesman Frank Whitaker said. The parts, seized en route to Libya last October, were produced by Scomi Precision Engineering, a subsidiary of the oil-and-gas company Scomi Group that is majority-controlled by the prime minister's son, Kamaluddin Abdullah. The deal to make the parts for a Dubai-based company, Gulf Technical Industries, was brokered by Tahir, whom Bush labeled the "chief financial officer and money launderer" of the network led by Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb. The Tahir family left their luxury apartment in an exclusive Kuala Lumpur neighborhood on Wednesday, security guards at the complex said, a day after The Associated Press tracked them down and tried to seek comment. Their current whereabouts are unclear, though they are believed to be under close surveillance by Malaysian authorities. A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP on Thursday that as far as he knew, Tahir, who has Malaysian permanent residency, was still in the country. Tahir's Malaysian wife, Nazimah Syed Majid, said Tuesday evening that her husband was "away." She did not say where. But a building security guard told the AP that Tahir had come and gone several times from the building Tuesday. The couple left Wednesday morning with their two young children, sending a driver back later to pay outstanding bills. The telephone was not answered at the apartment Thursday. Malaysian officials have said Tahir was cooperating with a police investigation into the Khan network, but have given no details. He is free and Najib has said he would remain so unless police determine that he committed a crime. -- ***************************************************************** 14 War Wire: Military rot spreads to Russia's nuclear forces MOSCOW (AFP) Feb 19, 2004 Moscow's latest bid to flaunt its military might backfired dramatically when three failed missile tests revealed that even Russia's final line of defense -- a fearsome nuclear arsenal -- was not immune from the rot eroding the post-Soviet military. Russia this week staged its biggest war games in 20 years aimed primarily at demonstrating that its powerful nuclear force could penetrate a missile defense shield being built by the United States. Their launch only a month before Vladimir Putin's expected re-election on March 14 were also due help the president's tough guy image that has played so well among voters traumatized by Russia's loss of international prestige. But little went according to plan in the Arctic waters this week. Putin went out to sea in a nuclear submarine Tuesday to witness two failed launches of missiles that could theoretically deliver a nuclear strike on the United States. A third missile veered off course and self-destructed the next day. It was the first such accident in 36 tests. "Our fictitious enemy won" the war games, the popular Gazeta.ru Internet site scoffed. "The navy's defense shield of Russia blew up over the Barents Sea," the centrist Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily agreed. "The naval exercises ended in complete failure." The disintegration of Russia's ground and air forces -- equipped by Soviet tanks that no longer work and with planes grounded because there is no cash to pay for fuel -- has been an open secret since the military got bogged down in the first 1994-96 Chechen war. The navy's troubles came to prominence with the August 2000 Kursk nuclear submarine disaster. But Russia has in fact not been sending more than a few ships out to sea for years. It has only one functioning airplane carrier. Meanwhile morale among soldiers has largely collasped. Recruits regularly complain of brutal hazing, or initiation ceremonies, and corrupt generals who force them out into the Siberian cold in threadbare outfits. Food is limited and teenagers try almost anything to avoid the draft. But Russia's nuclear arsenal has always served as a defensive backbone that keeps politicians here referring to their country as a "great power." That backbone appeared to develop an unpleasant crack this week. "These mishaps tell us one clear thing: We have little money and a lot of weapons. And these weapons are growing old," said Ivan Safranchuk of the Center of Defense Information. "This shows that these weapons are reaching the end of their lifetimes and should not be further used." Maxim Pyadushkin of the Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies agreed that "what happened shattered all illusions that our nuclear and rocket forces are the most battle-ready element of our armed forces." Russia's main problem is that it has been churning out only a handful of missiles a year while keeping in service rockets which were built as far back as the early 1970s. Analysts urge the military to carry out an urgent re-think of their strategy. But the official Krasnaya Zvezda defense ministry daily announced proudly that the missile that exploded Wednesday -- first constructed in 1979 -- would be "exploited for another 10 years, and possibly 20 or more, serving as our nuclear backbone." And Russia's deputy chief of staff general reported Thursday that a new class of ballistic missiles would not be introduced until 2010. "I wish that we had these rocket complexes yesterday -- but we fully understand the government's financial means," Yury Baluyevsky said. Meanwhile analysts scorned the military's effort to cover up their embarrassment by initially denying and then giving conflicting accounts over the accidents. The national state-controlled television stations refused to report on the test failures and instead focused on three other successful ground-based missile tests. Military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said the navy was trying to confuse foreign intelligence services which were closely following the war games. "But if the most modern ballistic missile available to our navy really did misfire, any serious foreign intelligence service will eventually find out about it," Felgenhauer wrote in Novaya Gazeta. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 15 Evening Post: MUM DELAYS MOD A-BASE LASER PLAN Friday 20th February 2004 Facility 'would help develop new nuclear weapons' A ONE-woman campaign has forced defence bosses to hold off plans for a new laser facility at the atomic weapons factory in Aldermaston. Nuclear protester Judith Wicks, from Berkeley Avenue, Coley, threatened the Ministry of Defence with legal action, claiming it had not carried out proper environmental testing for the plan, and that the laser would help develop a new range of nuclear weapons, which is against the UK’s policy of not increasing its nuclear armoury. The MoD submitted a Notice of Proposed Development (NOPD) for the laser facility, called Orion, last year. It was looked at by West Berkshire’s planning committee in December and, despite protests from environmental and anti-nuke groups, councillors raised no objections to the proposal. Mother-of-two Ms Wicks, however, instructed Birmingham solicitors Public Interest Lawyers to mount a challenge to the MoD’s plan and threatened legal action by way of judicial review over its failure to carry out an ‘environmental impact assessment’ of its plans. The lawyers pointed out that the Secretary of State for Defence had committed the MoD to carry out environmental assessments of all new projects in July 2000. The lawyers also argued that the plan is in breach of the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty because the super-powerful Orion provided the capacity to test any new generation of tactical nuclear weapons or “mini-nukes.” The legal arguments led to the MoD’s decision to withdraw the submission, although the MoD says it will resubmit it later backed by “supporting environmental information”. Reading Peace Group member Ms Wicks, who stood for Reading Borough Council last year on a single-issue Stop the War ticket, said: “This delay in the MoD’s plans will allow the issue to be debated more widely. “There is concern internationally among many governments (including our own) about ending proliferation of nuclear weapons. “As the UK is a nuclear weapons state, it is somewhat contradictory to be pushing for non-proliferation while quietly preparing facilities to develop a new range of nuclear weapons to add to their current arsenal. “I am relieved that the MoD has chosen to reflect on its rush to build a laser which could test new nuclear weapon designs at Aldermaston. “It is not too late to draw back from the nuclear route, which does not seem to offer anyone more security.” A statement from AWE plc, which works under contract to the MoD, said: “The MoD is firmly of the view that it has complied fully with the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) regulations 1999.” It said the proposed replacement laser facility would have minimal environmental impact. A spokesman said of the threatened legal challenge: “In an effort to minimise the inevitable delays such action would entail, the MoD have notified the local planning authority that we intend to resubmit the NOPD with supporting environmental information.” [Copyright ©] Surrey & Berkshire Newspapers Limited [Disclaimer] ***************************************************************** 16 NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; FR Doc 04-3561 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7799-7800] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-128] Comment Request AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Notice of pending NRC action to submit an information collection request to OMB and solicitation of public comment. SUMMARY: The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of continued approval of information collections under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted: 1. The Title of the Information Collection: NRC Form 314-- Certificate of Disposition of Materials. 2. Current OMB Approval Number: 3150-0028. 3. How Often the Collection is Required: The form is submitted once, when a licensee terminates its license. 4. Who is Required or Asked to Report: Persons holding an NRC license for the possession and use of radioactive byproduct, source, or special nuclear material who are ceasing licensed activities and terminating the license. 5. The Number of Annual Respondents: 310. 6. The Number of Hours Needed Annually to Complete the Requirement or Request: 155 hours. 7. Abstract: NRC Form 314 furnishes information to NRC regarding transfer or other disposition of radioactive material by licensees who wish to terminate their licenses. The information is used by NRC as part of the basis for its determination that the facility has been cleared of radioactive material before the facility is released for unrestricted use. Submit, by April 19, 2004, comments that address the following questions: 1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility? 2. Is the burden estimate accurate? 3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected? 4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology? A copy of the draft supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21, Rockville, MD 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC World Wide Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/index.html. The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments and questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, T-5 F52, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-7233, or by Internet electronic mail to infocollects@nrc.gov. Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of February, 2004. [[Page 7800]] For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Brenda Jo. Shelton, NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-3561 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 17 NRC: Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Millstone Power Station, FR Doc 04-3574 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7800-7801] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-129] Unit No. 3; Exemption 1.0 Background Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (DNC or the licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No. NPF-49 which authorizes operation of Millstone Power Station, Unit No. 3 (MP3). The license provides, among other things, that the facility is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) now or hereafter in effect. The facility consists of a pressurized water reactor located in Waterford, Connecticut. 2.0 Request/Action Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) section 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,'' DNC, in a letter dated July 1, 2003, as supplemented November 10, 2003, requested an exemption to 10 CFR 50.44, ``Standards for Combustible Gas Control System in Light- Water-Cooled Power Reactors''; 10 CFR 50.46, ``Acceptance Criteria for Emergency Core Cooling Systems for Light-Water Nuclear Power Reactors''; and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50, ``ECCS Evaluation Models.'' The regulation in 10 CFR 50.44 specifies requirements for the control of hydrogen gas generated after a postulated loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) for reactors fueled with zircaloy or ZIRLOTM cladding. Section 50.46 of 10 CFR contains acceptance criteria for the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) for reactors fueled with zircaloy or ZIRLOTM cladding. In addition, Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 requires that the Baker-Just equation be used to predict the rates of energy release, hydrogen concentration, and cladding oxidation from the metal-water reaction. This exemption request relates solely to the specific types of cladding material specified in these regulations. As written, the regulations presume the use of zircaloy or ZIRLOTM fuel rod cladding. Thus, an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 is needed to irradiate lead test assemblies (LTAs) comprised of a developmental alloy (Optimized ZIRLOTM) at MP3. 3.0 Discussion 3.1 Material Evaluation 3.1.1 Fuel Mechanical Design Tin is a solid solution strengthener and [alpha]-phase stabilizer present entirely in the base [alpha]-phase zirconium crystalline structure. Potential impacts of a reduced tin content on material properties include: (1) Reduced tensile strength; (2) an increased thermal creep rate; (3) an increased irradiation growth rate; (4) a reduced [alpha] [rarr] [alpha] + [beta] phase transition temperature; and (5) an improved corrosion resistance. The stated reduction in tin content of Optimized ZIRLOTM will not affect the size, shape, or distribution of any second-phase or inter-metallic precipitates nor the overall microstructure of this developmental zirconium alloy. With a consistent microstructure, Optimized ZIRLOTM will exhibit many material characteristics similar to those of the licensed ZIRLOTM. In response to a Request for Additional Information (RAI), DNC provided details of the planned post-irradiation examinations of the LTAs. Measured parameters include rod profilometry, rod wear, assembly and rod growth, assembly bow, grid cell dimensions, and oxide thickness. As a result of these post-irradiation examinations, any negative aspects of the low tin alloy's performance, including the potential impacts of a reduced tin content identified above, will be identified and resolved. Furthermore, significant deviations from model predictions will be reconciled. The fuel rod burnup and fuel duty experienced by the LTAs in MP3 will remain well within the operating experience base and applicable licensed limits for ZIRLOTM. Utilizing currently-approved fuel performance and fuel mechanical design models and methods, DNC and Westinghouse will perform cycle- specific reload evaluations to ensure that the LTAs satisfy design criteria. Based upon LTA irradiation experience of similar low tin versions of ZIRLOTM, expected performance due to similar material properties, and an extensive LTA post-irradiation examination program aimed at qualifying model predictions, the staff finds the LTA mechanical design acceptable for MP3. 3.1.2 Core Physics and Non-LOCA Safety Analysis The MP3 exemption request relates solely to the specific types of cladding material specified in the regulations. Due to similar material properties, any impact of Optimized ZIRLOTM on the safety analysis models and methods is expected to be minimal. Utilizing currently-approved core physics, core thermal-hydraulics, and non-LOCA safety analysis models and methods, DNC and Westinghouse will perform cycle-specific reload evaluations to ensure that the LTAs satisfy design criteria. Fuel management guidelines will require that LTAs be placed in non- limiting core locations. In response to an RAI, DNC described how power-peaking margins would be used to ensure that LTAs will not be limiting. Based upon the use of approved models and methods, expected material performance, and the placement of LTAs in non-limiting core locations, the staff finds that the irradiation of up to eight LTAs in MP3 will not result in unsafe operation or violation of specified acceptable fuel design limits. Furthermore, in the event of a design- basis accident, these LTAs will not promote consequences beyond those currently analyzed. Based upon results of metal-water reaction tests and ring-compression tests, which ensure the applicability of ECCS models and acceptance criteria and the use of approved LOCA models to ensure that the LTAs satisfy 10 CFR 50.46 acceptance criteria, the staff considers the LTAs acceptable for use at MP3 as proposed by DNC. 3.2 Regulatory Evaluation Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 if: (1) the exemptions are authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and (2) special circumstances are present. 3.2.1 10 CFR 50.44 The underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.44 is to ensure that means are provided for the control of hydrogen gas that may be generated following a LOCA. The licensee has provided means for controlling hydrogen gas and has previously considered the potential for hydrogen gas generation stemming from a metal-water reaction. The LTA rods of Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding are similar in chemical composition to [[Page 7801]] zircaloy cladding. Metal-water reaction tests performed by Westinghouse on Optimized ZIRLOTM (documented in Appendix B of Addendum 1 to WCAP-12610-P-A) demonstrate comparable reaction rates. Accordingly, the previous calculations of hydrogen production resulting from a metal-water reaction will not be significantly changed. Granting the proposed exemption will not defeat the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.44. 3.2.2 10 CFR 50.46 The underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.46 is to establish acceptance criteria for ECCS performance. The applicability of the ECCS acceptance criteria has been demonstrated by Westinghouse. Ring compression tests performed by Westinghouse on Optimized ZIRLOTM (documented in Appendix B of Addendum 1 to WCAP-12610-P-A) demonstrate an acceptable retention of ductility up to 10 CFR 50.46 limits of 2200 [deg]F and 17% Equivalent Cladding Reacted (ECR). Utilizing currently approved LOCA models and methods, Westinghouse will perform cycle-specific reload evaluations to ensure that the LTAs satisfy 10 CFR 50.46 acceptance criteria. Granting the proposed amendment will not defeat the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.46. 3.2.3 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K Paragraph I.A.5 of Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 states that the rates of energy, hydrogen concentration, and cladding oxidation from the metal-water reaction shall be calculated using the Baker-Just equation. Since the Baker-Just equation presumes the use of zircaloy clad fuel, strict application of the rule would not permit use of the equation for the LTA cladding for determining acceptable fuel performance. Metal-water reaction tests performed by Westinghouse on Optimized ZIRLOTM (documented in Appendix B of Addendum 1 to WCAP-12610-P-A) demonstrate conservative reaction rates relative to the Baker-Just equation. Granting the proposed exemption will not defeat the underlying purpose of Appendix K, Paragraph I.A.5. 3.2.4 Special Circumstances In summary, the staff reviewed the licensee's request of proposed exemption to allow up to eight LTAs containing fuel rods, guide thimble tubes, and instrumentation tubes fabricated with Optimized ZIRLOTM. Based on the staff's evaluation, as set forth above, the staff considers that granting the proposed exemption will not defeat the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, or Appendix K to 10 CFR part 50. Accordingly, special circumstances, are present pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii). 3.2.5 Other Standards in 10 CFR 50.12 The staff examined the rest of the licensee's rationale to support the exemption request, and concluded that the use of Optimized ZIRLOTM would satisfy 10 CFR 50.12(a) as follows: (1) The requested exemption is authorized by law: No law precludes the activities covered by this exemption request. The Commission, based on technical reasons set forth in rulemaking records, specified the specific cladding materials identified in 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K. Cladding materials are not specified by statute. (2) The requested exemption does not present an undue risk to the public health and safety as stated by the licensee: The LTA reload evaluation will ensure that these acceptance criteria [in the Commission's regulations] are met following the insertion of LTAs containing Optimized ZIRLOTM material. Fuel assemblies using Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding will be evaluated using NRC-approved analytical methods and plant specific models to address the changes in the cladding material properties. The safety analysis for Millstone, Unit No. 3 is supported by the applicable technical specification. The Millstone, Unit No. 3 reload cores containing Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding are required to be operated in accordance with the operating limits specified in the technical specifications. As required by the technical specifications, the LTAs utilizing Optimized ZIRLOTM cladding will be placed in non-limiting core locations. Thus, the granting of this exemption request will not pose an undue risk to public health and safety. The NRC staff has evaluated these considerations as set forth in Section 3.1 of this exemption. For the reasons set forth in that Section, the staff concludes that Optimized ZIRLOTM may be used as a cladding material for no more than eight LTAs to be placed in non-limiting core locations during MP3's next refueling outage, and that an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K does not pose an undue risk to the public health and safety. (3) The requested exemption will not endanger the common defense and security: The common defense and security are not affected and, therefore, not endangered by this exemption. 4.0 Conclusion Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the Exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with the common defense and security. Also, special circumstances are present. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants DNC an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K, to allow the use of Optimized ZIRLOTM as a cladding material in eight LTAs in the capacity described in their July 1, 2003 submittal, as supplemented November 10, 2003, up to a lead rod average burnup of 62,000 MWD/MTU. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment (68 FR 75291). This exemption is effective upon issuance. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of February 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ledyard B. Marsh, Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-3574 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 18 Brattleboro Reformer: VY fuel storage decision soon February 19, 2004 Brattleboro, VT By TOBY HENRY Reformer Staff PUTNEY -- Vermont Yankee nuclear plant officials expect to decide on when to request temporary on-site dry-fuel storage from the Vermont Public Service Board within the next few months, plant site vice-president Jay Thayer said Wednesday night. The statement, delivered at the Putney Inn to an audience of more than 100 local residents, marked the most conclusive statement to date by any Yankee official on the subject of dry fuel storage for the plant's spent fuel rods. Thayer told the crowd -- members of Vermonters for Clean Air and a Strong Economy -- that if the plant opts to pursue dry-cask storage, a request for board approval could come during the fall. Thayer said that between now and 2012, when the plant's operating license is set to expire, the plant would fill five poured-concrete fuel storage "casks," each one containing 68 spent fuel rods. Currently, the plant stores all of its spent fuel on-site in a water-filled, reinforced structure called the spent fuel pool. Dry fuel storage, also referred to as dry cask storage, houses the spent fuel inside steel cylinders that are welded closed and then surrounded completely by radiation shielding materials and a thick layer of concrete. Thayer said that this storage method is currently used by Entergy's FitzPatrick plant in Oswego, N.Y. Eventually, he added, an existing rail line at the Vermont Yankee plant would be used to transport the fuel to a federal facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. According to a contract, Thayer said, the federal government had promised to start storing the Vernon plant's spent fuel in 1998. The facility is now slated to begin storing spent fuel from plants across the nation in 2010. "The reason this is so important to the company is it allows us to finally get to the federal repository," Thayer said. He added that the removal of spent fuel from the Yankee would fulfill plant owner Entergy's "promise to the state of Vermont" to relocate its spent fuel to a permanent location. Thayer also took the opportunity to update the audience about the "uprate," a proposed 20 percent power boost, which the Vermont Public Service Board is expected to rule on next month. Final briefs were filed earlier this month, he said, and hearings concluded in mid-January. "What we're looking for now is an approval order," Thayer said. Vermont Yankee spokesman Brian Cosgrove said Vermonters for Clean Air and a Strong Economy, which meets approximately every four or five months, is a group of business leaders and local residents from the Brattleboro area. For the most part, Cosgrove added, group members are generally supportive of the plant, and attendance at the meetings is by invitation only. Those present included Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Betsy Gentile, Vernon Police Chief Ian McCollin, retired U.S. Department of Energy foreign attaché Milt Eaton, Vernon Selectboard member Len Peduzzi and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation board member and local businessman Phil Steckler. Many Vermont Yankee employees and their family members also attended. Later, Thayer said that a decision has not yet been made on whether or not to request a 20-year license extension for the plant. "We're not ready to make that decision, and we're not ready to ask the state or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," he said. "But when we are ready to talk about that, it will be in a room like this." While fielding questions from the audience, Thayer was asked if the plant would ever resume its public visiting schedule, which ceased due to security concerns after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Thayer responded that the plant could schedule visits from an established civic or public group, adding that the editorial staff of the Rutland Herald had toured the plant earlier that day. "The answer is a qualified 'yes,'" said Thayer. "It's really based on a 'need-to-know' basis." Several area residents interviewed at the meeting said that they found Thayer's statements to be reassuring, particularly the concept of plant officials pursuing dry fuel storage. "This is the way he's always been with us, he's always right up front," Peduzzi said. "Dry cask storage has been something that a lot of people have been concerned about and I'm very pleased to hear what (Thayer) had to say," said Melinda Bussino, executive director of the Brattleboro Drop In Center. "No matter what happens, something will be done with that fuel, and it's good to see that Vermont Yankee is looking ahead to that," she added. ***************************************************************** 19 13abc.com: Toledo Edison Investigation WTVG last updated: 2/19/2004[ align=] Shocking news about the state of the area's electrical system Your safety could be on the line in your neighborhood. The 13 Action News I-Team exposes rotting electrical poles, dangling wires, and other electrical concerns. Credible experts say they could be dangerous and that Toledo Edison has ignored the problems for years. Toledo Edison says denies that and says that the problems we found do not pose "an immediate safety concern" With the help of confidential, yet credible, experts, it only took us one day to find 13 examples of what looks like poor maintenance. This investigation comes as First Energy, the parent company of Toledo Edison, faces national scrutiny over the big blackout in August. A task force of U.S. and Canadian energy officials recently blamed First Energy for it, citing maintenance problems and a computer system failure. Since First Energy also owns Toledo Edison, we checked on its maintenance. We drove all over the Toledo area with confidential experts who have knowledge of power lines and grids. They pointed out problems which they say are one to four years old, problems they say could could cripple power during a storm. Our first stop was at Owens Community College off Oregon Road and it's already easy to see the problems. A gray pole is leaning on a new pole. It's being held up by a rope and w can see the pole is rotting. The experts we were with say this has been like this for two years. Closer up, you can see there's lots of wires. One wire doesn't have a conductor. The experts we were with told us if someone touched this pole, he or she could actually be electrocuted. Toledo Edison told us the cable in question doesn't have electricity. We could see a wire dangling down that snapped, that was holding the pole upright. That coiled-up wire is supposed to be attached to the other two street lights which are not working. On another stop, our experts said this could be one of the most dangerous situations yet. There's a rope actually wrapped around the tree holding up the electrical pole and if you look up top, the electrical wire is burning through the pole! We were told that the pole is 90 percent conductive which means if you touch it, you could be fried. There were also other examples of coiled-up wires, rotting poles and broken street lights. The experts we were with said that the problems get lost in Toledo Edison's computer system if they are not fixed in 30 days. We gave Toledo Edison a list of all the locations. Crews immediately started fixing the problems. Toledo Edison PR spokesperson Chuck Krueger said, "We appreciate finally getting a list of the places we need to check. In general, what we found was no immediate safety dangers at any of the 13 locations you gave us." We asked: "You're whole-heartedly disagreeing that any of the locations are potentially dangerous?" Krueger replied, 'Well, we certainly don't know who told you that. We are the experts in the utility business in this area and there were no immediate safety hazards anywhere." We showed our footage to a University of Toledo electrical engineer with 30 years of experience. He didn't want to be seen on camera but said many of these problems were "immediate safety concerns." When looking at some of the poles that we wer told not to touch he said: "I wouldn't touch them either." He also said the ropes and a temporary insulator should only be used for short-term solutions, not on problems which he said clearly appeared to be old. Finally he said that rotting poles are "obviously" an immediate safety concern. Toledo Edison insists that the 13 cases were isolated and that your safety is their number one concern. "It's our job to provide safe, reliable power to our customers. Maintenance is a huge part of that." Toledo Edison also says it already knew about some of the locations we gave them and that they were already on the list for repair. When compared to other utilities, the Ohio Public Utilities Commission says First Energy's consumer record is comparable to other utilities in the state. But the Pennsylvania utilities commission is formally investigating First Energy. The Pennsylvania PUC says First Energy's companies may have fallen below establishment standards for power outages. First Energy says the customer complaints stem from the recent hurricane. They say they are fully cooperating with the investigation but believe they provide good service in Pennsylvania. First Energy has also faced major criticism surrounding the Davis Besse plant in northwest Ohio. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says poor maintenance created a football-size hole in the plant's reactor head. It's been shut down for two years and cost First Energy $605 million. First Energy has been subject to dozens of safety checks and could re-open soon. The NRC is expected to make a decision on that in 30 days. ABCNEWS.com| ABC.com| Movies.com| ESPN.com| FamilyFun.com Copyright ©2004 ABC Inc., WTVG-TV Inc. ***************************************************************** 20 Beacon Journal: NRC official: Davis-Besse communications not fixed | 02/19/2004 | Associated Press OAK HARBOR - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inspector general said the agency still hasn't addressed communication issues that contributed to problems at a shuttered nuclear power plant. An inspector general's investigation into the shutdown of FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse plant earlier found that flawed communications between managers and inspectors at the plant kept the agency from figuring out that leaking acid was eating a hole in the reactor lid. NRC Inspector General Hubert Bell said in a letter released last week that the agency still hasn't improved communications, The Plain Dealer reported Wednesday. ``The point we're trying to make is that almost everything that happened can be traced back to the root cause of lack of communication,'' said George Mulley, the inspector general's senior assistant for investigative operations. The NRC said it was still determining its response and will answer within 30 days. ``Our concern is what if another technical issue comes along next year? What's being done to assure some of the same lapses don't occur?'' Mulley said. ***************************************************************** 21 baltimore sun: Nuclear plant inspected after malfunction Calvert Cliffs incident Jan. 23 posed no danger to public safety, NRC says Capital News Service February 19, 2004 WASHINGTON - Government inspectors went to the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant this week to examine a cooling system malfunction that caused the Unit 2 nuclear reactor to shut down briefly Jan. 23. But plant and Calvert County officials said there was no cause for alarm in the shutdown and the inspection, which will last for a week, is routine. "There was no threat to surrounding areas, and there were no public health and safety consequences," said Neil A. Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which dispatched inspectors to the Lusby plant Tuesday. Elleen Kane, a spokeswoman for Constellation Energy Group, which operates Calvert Cliffs through its Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. subsidiary, said the public was "never in danger." The reactor shut down automatically after a malfunction in the pump that supplies the water that helps cool the reactor and generates steam to drive the electricity-producing main turbine. Kane said the culprit in the shutdown apparently was a loose fuse in the control cabinet for the steam-generator feed-water pump. While the reactor is designed to shut down in such circumstances, equipment issues last month slowed down the restart. Built by BGE in the 1970s, Calvert Cliffs was licensed to operate for 40 years. But in 2000, it became the first nuclear power plant in the nation to be relicensed, winning extensions that will allow its two reactors to operate for an additional 20 years, until 2034 and 2036. Copyright © 2004, baltimoresun.com ***************************************************************** 22 Bnn: EU Indicates Bulgaria May Join It Faster than Romania and Close Reactors Later Bulgarian news network - online news agency \ Áíì, 18:38 - 19.02.2004 SOFIA (bnn)— The European Parliament commission on foreign policy said Thursday Bulgaria might join the EU faster than neighbouring Romania and win an extension of closure deadlines for two disputed nuclear reactors, state radio reported. The commission unanimously approved a report that called to the EU top executive body, the European Commission (EC), not to tie Bulgaria’s membership to that of neighbouring Romania. The EU has previously told the two countries they might join it together on Jan. 1 2007 if they match all membership criteria by then. Bulgaria has closed 26 of a total of 31 negotiation chapters and hopes to complete the talks by the end of this year, while Romania had closed 20 chapters and is advancing slowly because of problems it has with corruption and illegal child adoptions. European Union members have even suggested to suspend talks with Romania because of those issues. The report also recommended to the EC to be “more flexible” about the 2006 deadline it has set for Bulgaria to close units three and four of its only nuclear power plant in Kozlodui. The report said the commission should take in account conclusions of a EU expert mission that assessed last November safety upgrades, which Bulgaria has made at the two units. Bulgarian officials claim they can be safely used to the end of their life-spans that expire in 2010 and 2012 respectively. The European Parliament is to vote on the report in the beginning of March. The EU has conditioned Bulgaria’s progress to an eventual membership on the closures of the 440-megawatt Soviet-designed units, which have no safety encasement. Bowing to EU pressure, Bulgaria closed two older Kozlodui units of the same type on Dec. 31 2002. The plant has also two newer 1,000-megawatt units with safety encasement that are not a security issue. /bnn/ Copyright © 2002 Bulgarian News Network (BNN) ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: National Materials Program; Announcement of Public Meeting FR Doc 04-3559 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7802] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-131] AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Announcement of public meeting. SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting a meeting to inform stakeholders of the status and progress of the National Materials Program (NMP) pilot projects and receive feedback on a range of issues involving the NMP. Areas of discussion will include each pilot project as well as focus on the future structure and framework of the NMP. The discussion and feedback will be used by the staff in the overall assessment report on the pilot projects. DATES: A 1-day public meeting will be held Wednesday, March 31, 2004, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NRC Headquarters, in room T2-B3, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. To facilitate maximum information sharing, additional information on the NMP, including pilot projects, can be found at: http://www.hsrd.ornl.gov/nrc/materials.htm . Travel Information: It is recommended that participants commute to the meeting via the Metrorail system (Metro). The White Flint Metro stop, along the red line, is adjacent to the White Flint Complex. There are limited parking spaces available in the area. Notification of Attendance: It is strongly encouraged that prospective participants contact NRC prior to the meeting to expedite the required security processing for NRC visitors and to ensure that adequate copies of handouts are available. Contact Shawn Rochelle Smith, telephone: (301) 415-2620; e-mail: srs3@nrc.gov, and submit participant name, affiliated organization, telephone number, address, and citizenship status by March 29, 2004. Also, it is suggested that invited speakers as well as attendees, limit the amount of personal items and electronic devices brought into the building. Those needing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or having special concerns should contact Gwendolyn Davis in advance at (301) 415-2325; from outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area, call (800) 368-5642, extension 2325 or e-mail: gxd@nrc.gov. Persons needing accommodations that are planning to attend the meeting should contact Mrs. Davis and provide information that will facilitate entrance into the building the day of the meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shawn Rochelle Smith, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of State and Tribal Programs, Mail Stop: O3-C10, Washington, DC 20555; telephone: 301-415-2620; e-mail: srs3@nrc.gov. Questions about the public meeting process should be directed to Lance J. Rakovan, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of State and Tribal Programs, Mail Stop: O3-C10, Washington, DC 20555; telephone: 301-415-2589; e-mail: ljr2@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting will be conducted in two segments. The first segment will consist of presentations on the structure and framework of the NMP and the status of the NMP pilot projects. The second segment will be conducted in a ``roundtable format'' among invited participants representing the broad spectrum of interests that may be affected by the current or any changes to the structure and framework of the NMP. To help facilitate discussions, participants at the table will include representatives of radioactive material licensees, public interest groups, and Federal and State governments. Although the focus of the discussion will be among the invited participants, the meeting is open to the public and there will be opportunities to comment on each agenda item to be discussed by roundtable participants. Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 11th day of February, 2004. For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Paul H. Lohaus, Director, Office of State and Tribal Programs. [FR Doc. 04-3559 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 24 [DU-WATCH] UN Observer: U.S. Admits DU Risks at a Military Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 00:27:26 -0600 (CST) http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=1445&blz=1 U.S. Admits DU Risks at a Military Conference Presentation in August 2002 UN Observer February 16, 2004 Traprock Peace Center has released a document showing that U.S. Military officials have been well aware of the dangers of using depleted uranium in populated areas. The document cites chromosomal damage, cancer risks, as well as risks to food and water supplies. Read this report for the military's own view on risks to health and the environment at http://www.traprockpeace.org/du_dtic_wakayama_Aug2002.html Download PDF version of PowerPoint Presentation (or rtf version for low bandwidth). PDF version is 2.6 mg. The report was presented at the 5th Annual Testing and Training Symposium & Exhibition, 19 - 22 August 2002, National Defense Industrial Association. Overview Among its warnings, the report recognizes that it is not safe to leave shell fragments in the body as per US military policy; warns that uranium would be dissolved (solubilized) and redistributed to various tissues as early as one day after implantation; highlights the special risks faced by children in the battle area, with risks to water and food supplies; recognizes risks of cancer, lung fibrosis, and DNA damage from DU deposited in bones. The report recommends health monitoring of children, soldiers and civilians; epidemiological monitoring of cancer incidents of soldiers (what about civilians and soldiers' children?), including urine uranium testing, kidney function tests and neurological evaluations; removal of heavily contaminated soil in areas populated with civilians, and long term water and milk sampling in impact site. One Recommendation is missing. Stop the production, stockpiling and use of depleted uranium munitions. Charles Jenks, attorney at law President of the Core Group Traprock Peace Center 103A Keets Road Deerfield, MA 01342 charles@mtdata.com http://traprockpeace.org Please also see: MoD Admits It Breached International Law; Scandal of Gulf War Guinea Pigs http://www.sundaypost.com/news1.htm Troops to be tested for war effects http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=458508 [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 25 [du-list] An appalling situation depicted Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 19:45:56 -0800 An item from the recent Japan Peace Conference includes photographs taken by a respected Japanese photographer. One aspect is the destroyed health care system of Iraq with blitzed hospitals - and worse. http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/edit/index.php?op=view&itemid=1111 Dr Al-Ali practices medicine in Basrah. His description of the health problems in Iraq plus photographs by Japanese photo journalist Takashi Morizumi can be found at: http://www.afsc.org/newengland/pesp/effects-of-wars.ppt It is 42 Megabytes, so it will take a while to load for most connections. There are many photographs of advanced tumours, some of bizarre and embryonal type more common in infancy such as Rhabdomyosarcoma. There are apparently untreated lymphomas and unusual tumorous manifestations. Also illustrated are some bizarre developmental anomalies. These testify to destroyed health and health care system that was the pride of the Middle East in the 80s. It would be difficult to understand what has happen without reference to the Handbook of the European Committee for Radiation Risk, and Dr Busbys prior studies on the effect of radioactive fallout in West Wales as reported in his Wings of Death. Perhaps some of us dont think of uranium in this context. Big bangs can be distracting. Particle sizes of uranium produced by weapons impacts can be very small. Nanouranium as ceramic oxide particles enters the body by lung, GI tract, mucus membranes and wounds. Particles cross the placenta, and emit alpha particles at random according to quantity. Smog sized particles are invisible as air. This mechanism of atomic fallout and incorporation into creatures great and small caused more than 60 million cancer deaths since 1945 (See ECRR 2003) . It caused loss of 70% of fish stocks in the Pacific by 1970 (effects on the food chain and fish eggs and larvae) Sternberg 1971. World fisheries are now in crisis and plankton are down 70%. True, the uranium process does not result from a chain reaction but from atomic fission decay. In this process, some decay chain daughters are more radioactive than parent 238U. This is not soluble uranium capable of being excreted. There is no big bang but examine these photographs and consider if sanctions and deprivation could possibly cause what you can see. Iraq had half the level of female breast cancer a thirty years ago but rates have been climbing to approach those of the polluted west. The dosage of uranium smog in Iraq 2003 must be appears to be five times what it was in 1991. (Williams quantitative estimates based on published US Iraq invasion plans and weapons data). The future consequence is grim to contemplate. Ross Wilcock arwilcock@sympatico.ca To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ***************************************************************** 26 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding FR Doc 04-3560 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7801-7802] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-130] of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Canberra Industries, Inc.'s Facility in Warrington, PA AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Dolce Modes, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406, telephone (610) 337-5251, fax (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: kad@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to Canberra Industries, Inc. for Materials License No. [[Page 7802]] 37-02401-01, to authorize release of its facility in Warrington, Pennsylvania for unrestricted use. NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be issued following the publication of this Notice. II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed action is to allow for the release of the licensee's Warrington, Pennsylvania facility for unrestricted use. Canberra Industries, Inc. was authorized by NRC from February 9, 1981 to use radioactive materials for research and development and distribution purposes at the Warrington, Pennsylvania site. On September 12, 2003, Canberra Industries, Inc. requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted use. Canberra Industries, Inc. has conducted surveys of the facility and determined that the facility meets the license termination criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the proposed license amendment. III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the EA (summarized above) in support of the proposed license amendment to terminate the license and release the facility for unrestricted use. The NRC staff has evaluated Canberra Industries, Inc.'s request and the results of the surveys and has concluded that the completed action complies with the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20. The staff has found that the environmental impacts from the proposed action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC- Licensed Facilities'' (NUREG-1496). On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that the environmental impacts from the proposed action are expected to be insignificant and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. IV. Further Information The EA and the documents related to this proposed action, including the application for the license amendment and supporting documentation, are available for inspection at NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML032590641, ML032830096, ML040370670). These documents are also available for inspection and copying for a fee at the Region I Office, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, of by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this 11th day of February, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John D. Kinneman, Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I. [FR Doc. 04-3560 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 27 News & Analysis: DU contamination in Iraq DU contamination in Iraq M.H.J. van den Berg , RISQ, 12 February 2004 Residents of As Samawah in Southern Iraq are unduly exposed to radioactive debris as Dutch troops stationed in the area refuse to remove remnants of war contaminated with depleted uranium (DU). This is the principle finding of a report obtained by RISQ from Mamoru Toyoda, a Japanese researcher and journalist who has been investigating DU-contamination in Iraq, and who visited the town of As Samawah last month. Equipped with a Geiger counter, Mr Toyoda measured radiation levels 300 times higher than normal in town, at the site of an abandoned anti-aircraft artillery stand. Responding in detail to questions raised by RISQ, Mr Toyoda says the marks he found on the guns render it more than likely that the radiation is due to the impact of depleted uranium ammunition. According to local residents, the area was a military target twice in 1991 and 2003, when it came under heavy fire from US aircraft. Immediately after "the war of the invasion", as residents called it, US military cleared the area, picking up unexploded ordnance and other debris. However, they refused to remove the artillery pieces without any explanation. Later, when residents asked Dutch troops, stationed in the area since August last year, to remove the artillery, they too refused to do so. To date, the site has not been fenced off or marked by warning signs. In fact, as Mr Toyoda conveyed to RISQ, "he was horrified to find that many children were playing near and around the abandoned guns". Mr Toyoda's finding comes shortly after Dutch troops found a depleted uranium shell in the area of the kind commonly used by the US Airforce against armoured targets. Both findings suggest that there may be more areas contaminated with depleted uranium in As Samawah. However, since the US government has so far been unwilling to disclose any information on DU-firing locations, the question remains as to where exactly such sites are located. Of course, the lack of reliable information bears, before all, on concerns about the health and safety of the local population but it also implicates Dutch troops and the newly arriving Japanese units. The main problem is that the troops only know of areas contaminated more than ten years ago, during the Gulf War in 1991. About areas that have been contaminated recently, they have received no information. This page is part of Electronic Iraq/electronicIraq.net, a joint project from Voices in the Wilderness and The Electronic Intifada. Views expressed on this page may or may not be representative of Electronic Iraq or its founders. All material on this website is copyright ©2003 of the author or original ***************************************************************** 28 Las Vegas SUN: Leukemia panel to convene once more Today: February 19, 2004 at 10:16:49 PST ASSOCIATED PRESS FALLON -- An expert panel involved in extensive studies of a childhood leukemia cluster in this rural northern Nevada town presents a final report Monday -- and no conclusive answers are expected. The studies have been the most intensive ever conducted into a cancer cluster. Hundreds of experts from at least seven state and federal agencies were involved, spending millions of dollars. Dr. Randall Todd, Nevada state epidemiologist, says that if the panel finds there is something else to study it will go on -- but "there won't be any new findings announced." "For those interested in talking to people who were actually involved with setting up the investigation, (they can) see if they think it was appropriately conducted," Todd said. ***************************************************************** 29 RGJ: Cancer cluster panel set to release ‘final report’ Reno Gazette-Journal] Public meeting: 7 p.m. Monday at the Fallon Community Center, 100 Campus Way, Fallon. 2/18/2004 11:15 pm An expert panel involved in studies of a childhood leukemia cluster in Fallon is scheduled to present a “final report” Monday, but the scientists admit that nothing has changed in a year and no conclusive answers will be revealed. A year ago, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the 18-month probe could not pin down any environmental links to the cancer epidemic that sickened 16 Fallon-area children and killed three of them since 1997. No new cases have been diagnosed since July 2002, but a child in Lovelock came down with leukemia in the last year and isn’t included in the cluster. The studies by CDC and other federal and state agencies have been the most intensive ever conducted into a cancer cluster, experts said. Dr. Randall Todd, Nevada state epidemiologist, said that if the panel finds there is something else to study it will go on — but “there won’t be any new findings announced” on Monday. “For those interested in talking to people who were actually involved with setting up the investigation, (they can) see if they think it was appropriately conducted,” Todd said. Those at the meeting will include Dr. Thomas Sinks, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Todd and Dr. Malcolm Smith of the National Cancer Institute. The studies turned up no link to high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in Fallon’s municipal water, a pipeline carrying jet fuel to the Fallon Naval Air Station, local pesticide spraying, high tungsten levels, an underground nuclear test conducted 30 miles away about 40 years ago, or other possible causes. © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett ***************************************************************** 30 The Mercury: Second phase of cancer study stopped Thursday 19 February, 2004 Evan Brandt , ebrandt@pottsmerc.com 02/19/2004 The cancer specialist hired by the state -- to the tune of $290,000 -- to study cancer rates in the Pottstown area has halted his study without completing the second phase. Dr. Andrew Baum, deputy director of the University of Pittsburgh’s cancer institute, confirmed this week that he will not conduct the second part of his epidemiological study in which he would have interviewed area families struck by cancer. Baum said he stopped working on the study in November. He also said he has been "asked" by the Pennsylvania Department of Health not to discuss the results of the first portion of his study, in which he examined statistics of area cancer cases listed in the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry, "until it is accepted." Messages left with state Health Department officials were not returned before press time. Baum said he submitted the first portion of his report to the Health Department months ago and that he is nearly finished with the final report he will submit to the state. He said he is concerned about how the entire issue has been handled at all levels, noting "it has been fraught with missteps almost every step of the way." Baum said he will be concerned about his reputation as a cancer researcher "if it takes much longer" for the state to release the results of the first phase of his study. Despite his involvement with the emotionally charged health study of the effects of the nation’s most famous nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, Baum said he has never had an experience like the one he had trying to conduct this study here. "This is the first time I’ve faced anything like this. It was a completely unique experience," Baum said. High on the list of unusual events was the fact that the state Health Department, to which Baum was submitting his study and with which Baum had some disagreements about his preliminary results and methods, was conducting its own study. In November, Joel Hersh, director of the state Health Department’s Bureau of Epidemiology, called a public meeting at Pottstown Middle School at which he and a flock of state staffers and scientists released their own study. With confusion about the subject of that meeting, a paucity of copies of the Health Department’s results and a failure of their presentation equipment, few characterized the November meeting as a successful communication with the community. "I didn’t know about the meeting in November, and we were not invited to attend," Baum said. "And I didn’t know they did their own study." Hersh has up until now not released any aspects of Baum’s study, which Baum said is beginning to cause him some concern. The Health Department’s public relations office, which said it would respond to a request for an interview with Hersh, did not do so before press time. Baum made headlines in August, and problems for himself and his study, when he told a reporter that his preliminary findings "found some evidence of higher (cancer) risk in children" in the Pottstown area and noting that "there were small elevations in all cancers." Hersh immediately instructed Baum not to make any more statements to the media regarding the results of his study until the state and Baum were in full agreement on the meaning and method of Baum’s findings. But Baum’s remarks seemed to validate an earlier analysis by Joseph Mangano, a Long Island statistician who reviewed the information for free at the request of the Alliance for a Clean Environment. Mangano’s analysis was the basis for ACE’s claims that childhood cancer rates in the area have jumped by more than 90 percent in recent years. The Health Department study, by contrast, which used the same cancer registry statistics as Baum and Mangano, concluded that the overall cancer rate in Pottstown is no different from that of the rest of the state. The state study looked only at cases in the 19464 area code, which therefore excluded cases in Chester and Berks counties as well as Montgomery County municipalities of Douglass, New Hanover and Limerick. The conflicting conclusions, and the state’s surprise release of its own study, have made conducting interviews with cancer victims in the area useless, said Baum. "It’s not worth completing," he said. "The situation has totally biased the community." And that is why he is anxious for the results to be released, he said. "I’ve done a study and it has results and I’ve been asked not to share it, but I’d like to see a tangible timeline for releasing it and if this goes on much longer, I will be concerned," Baum said. Taxpayers may be concerned about paying for a study whose results are not released to the public and whose parameters are duplicated by the department that is supposed to review the independent study. Baum said he "is not sure" how much of the $290,000 price tag he consumed conducting the first phase of the study. Baum conceded that one problem with the study is that the number of cases being examined are so few. "The numbers here are very small, and you can find yourself trying to make a statistical conclusions from four or five cases," he said. ©The Mercury 2004 Copyright © 1995 - 2004 All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 31 NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes to Meet March 1 - 2 in Rockville, Maryland News Release - 2004-02 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-024 February 19, 2004 Medical Uses of Isotopes will hold a meeting March 1 and 2 in Rockville, Md. The meetings first session, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on March 1, will be closed to discuss ethical and security-related issues. The remainder of the March 1 meeting will be open to the public, as will the March 2 meeting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Auditorium of Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The March 2 sessions will include a briefing of the NRC Commissioners from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Commission Conference Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike. Topics for the open sessions include proposed changes to abnormal occurrence criteria and defining medical events involving prostate seed implants. A complete agenda will be available at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acmui/schedules/200 4/. Persons who wish to provide a written statement should submit a reproducible copy to Angela R. Williamson, Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T-8F5, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Alternately, statements may be e-mailed to Ms. Williamson at arw@nrc.gov. Submissions should be postmarked by February 23 and must pertain to the topics on the meeting agenda. Questions from the public will be permitted during the meeting, at the discretion of the chairman. Transcripts of the meeting and written comments will be available about March 22 on the NRCs web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acmui/tr/, and in the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, telephone (800) 397-4209. Minutes of the meeting will be available about May 3. For further information, contact Angela R. Williamson at (301) 415-5030. Last revised Thursday, February 19, 2004 ***************************************************************** 32 [NukeNet] Articles on Yucca: current design will leak Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 19:46:03 -0800 Brendan Hoffman at Public Citizen posted this one about the dangerously faulty science of the DOE Yucca repository design: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Yucca-Mountain-Critic.html David Orr of the Sierra Club in TN posted the Greenwire article about an alleged cover-up of Yucca project worker exposures to deadly silicosis. Here's the Las Vegas Review Journal article on the same issue: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Feb-18-Wed-2004/news/23244030.html Please convey these scandals to Members of Congress. Bush has proposed $880 million for the Yucca project in his FY05 budget -- that's nearly $2.5 million per day -- and these scandals show that money is being poured down a black hole of mistakes and cover-ups. ---Kevin Kamps, NIRS, 202.328.0002 ext. 14 _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 33 Yucca Mountain could leak nuclear waste, says scientist Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 07:59:37 -0600 (CST) ENN News Story - Yucca Mountain could leak nuclear waste, says scientist Thursday, February 19, 2004 By Scott Sonner, Associated Press http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13273.asp RENO, Nevada - The U.S. nuclear waste dump proposed for Nevada is poorly designed and could leak highly radioactive waste, said a scientist who recently resigned from a federal panel of experts on Yucca Mountain. Paul Craig, a physicist and engineering professor at the University of California-Davis, said Wednesday that he quit the panel last month so he could speak more freely about the waste dump's dangers. Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas, is planned to begin receiving waste in 2010. Some 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste at commercial and military sites in 39 states would be stored in metal canisters underground in tunnels. "The science is very clear," said Craig before his first public speech about the Energy Department's design for the canisters. "If we get high-temperature liquids, the metal would corrode and that would eventually lead to leakage of nuclear waste," Craig said. "Therefore, it is a bad design. And that is very, very bad news for the Department of Energy because they are committed to that design," he said. Craig, who was appointed to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board by President Bill Clinton in 1997, planned to speak Wednesday night at a forum sponsored by the Sierra Club. He said he's convinced the Energy Department will have to postpone the project and change to metal less liable to corrode. "It would require years of delay and my guess is that is what is going to happen. The bad science is so clear they will be unable to ignore it forever," Craig said. The 11-member technical review board outlined its concerns about the potential for corrosion in a report to the Energy Department in November about the metal for the canisters, called Alloy-22 - "an upscale version of stainless steel," Craig said. It was the most important report the board has produced since Congress created the panel in 1987, he said, but largely has been ignored by Congress and the department. "The report says in ordinary English that under the conditions proposed by the Department of Energy, the canisters will leak," Craig said. "It was signed by every single member of the board so there would be no confusion." Energy Department spokesman Allen Benson defended the design plans for the repository and the metal in the storage casks. "We stand by our work," he said Wednesday in Las Vegas. In Washington, D.C., officials with the industry's Nuclear Energy Institute did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. The board's report in November said the government had failed to take into account "deliquescence" - a phenomenon regarding the reaction of salt to moisture - in its plans to operate the dump at temperatures well above boiling water, or about 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius). At those temperatures, the metal canisters would heat up, causing salts in the surrounding ground to liquefy, thus leading to corrosion, Craig said. "It turns out the metals which look like they act pretty good at temperature levels below boiling water - those same metals act badly with temperatures that could exist" at Yucca Mountain, he said. Craig, who also has served as a member of National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Board on Radioactive Waste Management, said he sent his resignation letter to the White House in January before his term was to expire in April so he could shine more light on the government's plans. "When you serve as a member of one of those boards, you cannot talk about the political consequences of the science or the big picture. You are supposed to stick to the science and you should stick to the science," Craig said. "You cannot have the kind of conversation we are having now if I was still on the board." ***************************************************************** 34 German Nuclear Waste Transport early March 2004? Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 00:33:43 -0600 (CST) German Nuclear Waste Transport early March 2004? The Nuclear Waste Transport from Rossendorf to Ahaus, near the Dutch border, could start as early as Wednesday february 25. Most likely it wouldn't be a rail transport as usual; that would make it the first German road transport of Waste from a Nuclear Powerplant. On Saturday the 28th there will be 'road actions' across the country. In more then 15 German cities, groups have announced to join in. The groups in Dresden will 'Peacefully but Militant' try to stop the Transport. In Ahaus activists and protesters geather at the Railroad Station at 14:00. The Sunday before the Transport 'comes to town', there will be an additional 'Sunday's Walk' in Ahaus. After the walk people are asked to stay in the region. Probably there wouldn't be any actioncamps, but the local protesters can provide shelter for activists (Just look for the X-sign). This was succesfully trained in the year before the last transport; Hey, these Germans at the Dutch border are realy very very lovely people! :O) Map of Ahaus surroundings: http://home.hetnet.nl/~antinucleair/Euregio/Euregio.gif Road action day, february 28: http://www.nixfaehrtmehr.de/ The X-sign: http://www.anti-atom-aktuell.de/ahaus04/5552.jpg ThanX to Frank and LAKA (The Netherlands). ***************************************************************** 35 deseretnews: Latest Skull Valley venture - trash dump [deseretnews.com] Thursday, February 19, 2004 By Donna Kemp Spangler Deseret Morning News Indians seem to be recycling an old economic development plan — recycling. Deseret Morning News graphic The latest venture would come in the form of bales of garbage — household trash from the Wasatch Front with all the cardboard, newspaper, glass, plastics and other recyclables removed and tightly compressed together in bundles — to be buried on 500 acres of the reservation, 75 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. "This is a neat deal for the Goshutes," said Steve Handy, spokesman for the CR Group, a consortium of garbage operators that entered into the deal with the tribe last September. Goshute Indians stand to earn a minimum of $15,000 a month in rent and royalties from the landfill operation, called "Tekoi Balefill," and provide 20 tribal members jobs to operate it, Handy said. "This is a tremendous and necessary benefit to our people," Leon Bear, the tribal chairman, said in a prepared statement. But a garbage dump is not most people's idea of desirable development. "The reservation is not a wasteland," said Margene Bullcreek, one of the few Goshutes who lives on the reservation. "It's not a very positive economic development for our children." In fact, Bullcreek recalls that the Goshutes lost millions of dollars in a similar deal made with LE, a limited liability company based in Kentucky, back in the mid-1990s when the recycling plant went belly up. "We lost a lot of money on that when it went bankrupt," she added. Tooele County bought the property in bankruptcy court, and it is now the county's recycling and landfill facility. County commissioners say the greatest impact of the landfill will be felt on the reservation, where waste is nearly the only economic development the impoverished tribe has been able to attract. "There's no real advantage to us other than the Goshutes hurting for businesses and money," said Commissioner Dennis Rockwell. "If it's going to benefit them, then it's great." The economic benefits of a separate proposal by a consortium of nuclear power utilities to store highly radioactive spent fuel rods on the reservation prompted the Tooele County Commission to support it. That proposal by Private Fuel Storage is still pending before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Tekoi Balefill, so-called because its location is near Tekoi Knolls, 10 miles north of the Dugway Proving Grounds, is undergoing environmental review by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is taking public comments through the end of March. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has little oversight because the proposal is on sovereign land, backers of the project say it's a very laborious regulatory process. "The federal regulations are extremely strict," said Handy. He and LaVarr Webb are consultants for the CR Group, whose principals include Ace Disposal and Metro Waste. Project backers hope to have the facility constructed by summer. Plans call for hauling the waste in compressed baled bunches weighing up to 4,000 pounds each — about 5,000 tons of waste a day — by the truckload to Skull Valley, after the garbage has been sorted out to remove all recyclables at the Metro and Ace transfer stations in the Salt Lake Valley. The landfill, which would have a life expectancy of 50 years, will have a liner to protect against leaching. As each cell of the balefill is filled it will be capped, covered with topsoil and revegetated under the EPA and BIA standards. "This is just regular waste residue," said Handy. "There is nothing toxic." E-mail: donna@desnews.com © 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 36 McCook Daily Gazette: Baker expects water to be top issue (Neb dump) mccookgazette.com Thursday, February 19, 2004 Gloria Masoner The top issue for the Nebraska Legislature may not be budget deficits in the future -- it may be water, State Sen. Tom Baker said this morning during his weekly conference call. Baker said concerns have been raised that a plan to run water from Lake McConaughy to purge waterways could leave Nebraska's largest man-made lake dry by 2005. If that plan goes through, it would be necessary for Nebraska Public Power District to drill 40-50 wells in the Sutherland area to cool the Gerald Gentleman Station, depleting already low ground water levels. Baker said a plan has been presented to allow 4 inches of water from the Swanson Reservoir. The lake near Trenton is experiencing its second lowest February on record. Baker said that rather than using the water for irrigation, it will most likely be used to recharge the alluvium under the Republican River. Angus Garey voiced his concern over the plan, saying irrigators would be forced to pay for the water without having the opportunity to use it. Baker said that while the state most likely will end up paying the judgment on the low-level nuclear waste site, he is sure there will be another appeal, if for no other reason than to buy time. Baker said he would like to see a change in the state's appeal process, however, by using the Nebraska Attorney General to file the appeal. He said he believes the state will pay an additional $6-8 million in attorney fees, plus $7,000 in daily interest on the judgment. Jim Coady pointed out the state could have settled out of court with the four states participating in the Low Level Nuclear Waste Compact for around $32 million. Baker said two issues which have caused some controversy in the state will most likely not be heard during this session. While the bill asking for the repeal of LB775 offered by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha was voted down, Baker said the Legislature still needs to address disclosure issues. He said the State Chamber has agreed to work on those issues through the summer break and he hopes the issue will be back in the Legislature in 2005. Baker also said the consensus in Lincoln is to delay addressing term limits until voters can be better educated on the issue. He said as it stands now, most voters do not approve a repeal of the term-limit law and if it went to a vote and failed, it would most likely be eight to 10 more years before it was brought back to the legislature. Baker pointed out than when his term expires in 2006, there will be four senators with more than two years experience. He said 12 of the 14 committee chairs will be gone. "People haven't realized yet, what's going to happen," Baker said. He used the example of the judgment on the low level nuclear waste case. "If we try to pay it with 25 new senators, the lobbyists will be in charge of the bill." Baker also told the group after the State Forecasting Board meets later this month, lawmakers will most likely be looking at a $250 million deficit instead of the original $211. "I don't know where that will come from," he said. "It's going to be difficult. There's no support down here to raise taxes." ***************************************************************** 37 Salt Lake Tribune: Legislature's creepy obsession February 19, 2004 A Feb. 12 Tribune article about a meeting between Utah Democratic leaders and Gov. Olene Walker deserves comment, I ultra-conservative Legislature is damaging the state economically. The governor thinks it is being "overstated," while House Speaker Marty Stephens dismisses it as "partisan sniping." I guess it is easier to shoot the messenger than deal with reality. And the reality is that this 2004 Legislature has a creepy obsession and preoccupation with "morality," to the degree that they have almost ignored the many real problems facing this state. Utah is nearly broke, the schools are a disaster, we have the highest bankruptcy rate in the nation and Utah is quickly becoming America's toxic/radioactive/nuclear waste dump. But you would never know it from listening to our Legislature. If the Utah Legislature really does represent the majority of Utahns, then so be it. But no one should be surprised when the rest of the country says thanks, but no thanks to our invitations to visit or do business here. And we should certainly not expect to prosper. Lisa Burke South Salt Lake Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 38 Salt Lake Tribune: Groups challenge budget request for N-tests February 19, 2004 By Christopher Smith The Salt Lake Tribune WASHINGTON -- Nuclear arms control groups are challenging the Bush administration's argument for spending more money in 2005 to get the Nevada Test Site primed for resumption of nuclear weapons testing. The Department of Energy's new budget recommendation submitted to Congress calls for a $200 million increase in federal spending on "stockpile stewardship," the program to maintain and refurbish America's arsenal of nuclear weapons and certify the reliability of the warheads and missiles. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said that as the weapons age during the current moratorium on nuclear testing, scientists have a "phenomenally complicated" job certifying they will work effectively. "If someday in the future it were determined that we had an uncertainty, it would take us a minimum of three years to conduct a test to determine whether or not the stockpile was reliable," Abraham said in a budget briefing with reporters this month. "That is too long." The $6.5 billion budget request for DOE's nuclear weapons programs in 2005 is a 5.4 percent increase over the current year and includes funding to ensure the Nevada Test Site could execute an underground nuclear weapons test within 18 months upon orders by the president. But arms control researchers and activists say the three-year time frame is a gross exaggeration by DOE. "The idea that it would take us three years to field a test is ludicrous and stupid," said Chris Paine, senior nuclear weapons analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "If we wanted to do a stockpile confidence test, it would take a matter of weeks. This is just a pretext to step up the capabilities to resume an arms race." According to DOE's 2005 budget documents, the Nevada Test Site would receive a 14 percent increase in its "science campaign," with some of the money improving test readiness by "maintaining critical personnel, equipment and infrastructure." With the funding, DOE says the Nevada proving ground would be in an 18-month readiness posture by September 2005. Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 39 LJWorld.com: Court upholds nuclear waste dump ruling against Nebraska [LJWorld.com - Lawrence, Kansas Site was to hold refuse from Nebraska, Kansas, 3 other states The Associated Press Thursday, February 19, 2004 Lincoln, Neb. — Nebraska is running out of options in trying to avoid paying a $151 million judgment for blocking construction of a waste dump for low-level radioactive waste within its borders. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Lincoln. Kopf ruled that former Gov. Ben Nelson, now a U.S. senator, engaged in a politically motivated and orchestrated plot to keep the dump from being built in Nebraska. Kopf said Nelson's office "directly interfered with the regulatory process." "Frankly, I cannot conceive of a stronger case of bad faith in the performance of a contract," Kopf said. The dump was to hold waste from Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma -- which joined in 1983 to form the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact. Atty. Gen. Jon Bruning said the ruling "is obviously bad news for the state of Nebraska." ‘Not the end of the line' The state could ask for a rehearing by the three-judge panel or the entire 8th Circuit or appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. "It is safe to say this is not the end of the line," Bruning said. "The state has resources at risk here." Gov. Mike Johanns stressed that an initial ruling by Kopf in the case saying that Nebraska appeared to have acted in bad faith made it nearly impossible to settle the matter out of court. Kopf made that ruling in 1999 -- soon after Johanns took office. Johanns said he believed it would be possible to build a safe site in Nebraska. "After all, we are generating waste in this state," he said. But Kopf's initial ruling "made it very, very difficult for us to get any kind of settlement negotiations going," Johanns said, noting that each subsequent ruling in the case has become "more and more and more forceful." Johanns said while it was likely the state would appeal, he planned to begin talking with lawmakers about trying to find the money to pay the judgment. "I don't want to sugar coat this in any way," Johanns said. "It does create an economic consequence that is very enormous." Johanns and lawmakers already are wrestling with a $211 million budget shortfall this session. Commission attorney Alan Peterson was traveling and could not immediately be reached for comment. Undermining the process Nebraska officials argued that they refused to license the dump because of concerns over possible pollution and a high-water table at the proposed site in Boyd County near the South Dakota border. The court rejected those claims, saying Nelson "had campaigned on a pledge to block construction of the disposal facility. "The record shows that the administration began to develop and implement a plan to undermine the licensing process," wrote Judge Diane Murphy. Nelson released a statement Wednesday that said: "I will stand by the decision to deny the license until or unless the state agency regulators say they erred. I have no reason to believe that the decision was based on anything other than environmental and safety concerns." The court also rejected Nebraska's contention that Kopf was wrong to reject the state's request for a jury trial. Kopf refused to seat a jury for the case partly because its members would be made up of taxpayers who ultimately would have to pay the bill if Nebraska lost the case. Kopf said the law did not allow jury trials in disputes between states. Utilities that generate radioactive waste filed the lawsuit, accusing Nebraska officials of acting in bad faith by not licensing the facility in 1998. Other states in the waste compact later joined the lawsuit. The battle had its genesis in 1970, when Nevada, South Carolina and Washington grew tired of accepting low-level radioactive waste from the rest of the country. Congress told states in 1980 to build their own dumps or join regional groups to dispose of the waste, which includes contaminated tools and clothing from nuclear power plants, hospitals and research centers. The other states in the Central Interstate compact voted in 1987 to put the dump in Nebraska. The fight began soon after, with both sides wrestling in court on several issues. Copyright © 2004 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights ***************************************************************** 40 Las Vegas RJ: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: DOE knew of hazards from dust Thursday, February 19, 2004 Letter to Reid says workers weren't required to wear masks until 1996 By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Energy Department officials were aware of potentially hazardous silica at Yucca Mountain from early studies but did not enforce health protections until after workers had excavated a large portion of the site, according to a letter made public Wednesday. Margaret Chu, director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, made the admission in a letter sent Tuesday to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. In the letter, which Reid made public Wednesday, Chu said workers were given dust masks to shield them from inhalation of airborne silica particles when mining operations at the proposed nuclear waste repository began in 1992. However, Chu said, use of the masks was not mandatory. "After 1996, more advanced respiratory protection equipment was provided and its use was enforced," Chu said. Other protections and health screenings were added subsequently, she said. Department of Energy officials estimate that between 1,200 and 1,500 individuals were involved in carving a five-mile exploratory tunnel into Yucca Mountain or participating in experiments to determine its suitability for nuclear waste storage. The department has initiated a screening program to identify how many workers may have been exposed to toxic levels of silica or other cancer-causing fibers. Chu sent Reid the letter in the wake of reports that some former Yucca Mountain workers have contracted silicosis and other lung ailments they believe stemmed from their work at the site. Former workers said masks were ill-fitting and of little use against the clouds of dusts kicked up during drilling, which was conducted "dry" so as not to interfere with experiments. Reid urged officials at the Department of Labor to intervene in the controversy, saying, "On its own, DOE has failed to protect these workers." In a letter prepared to be sent today, Reid asked Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to determine whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the Mine Safety and Health Administration have authority to oversee worker issues at the Yucca site. "Yucca Mountain workers have contracted a fatal illness because DOE wasn't concerned with safety precautions," Reid said in a prepared statement. Chu's four-page letter detailed safeguards implemented from 1995 through 1998 and the "rigorous respiratory protections" that she said are in place today. Energy Department officials could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Chu said DOE officials in August 1996 issued a stop work order to TRW Environmental Safety Systems, the department's main contractor, because of concerns about respiratory protections for workers. The department then began making safety improvements. "We do not know definitively how many workers may have been exposed to respirable silica that exceeded the threshold limit value, and we will not know the extent of the potential health impacts until medical evaluations are complete," Chu wrote. From 1,200 to 1,500 individuals were involved in site work, according to the Department of Energy. "We are making every effort to identify and locate each of these individuals," Chu said. She said the Energy Department is offering them free silicosis screening arranged through the University of Cincinnati. Besides workers, DOE is attempting to contact individuals who made 20 or more entries into the tunnel in a year and will offer them silicosis screenings as well, she said. "Only after the medical evaluations are complete and the results have been communicated to the participants will we know the extent of silicosis occurrences," Chu wrote. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 41 Las Vegas SUN: Reid asks for probe in case of ex-Yucca workers' dust hazards By Suzanne Struglinski WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has asked the Labor Department to look into silicosis problems among former Yucca Mountain Project workers, after the Energy Department admitted it did not require certain safety precautions even though it knew dangerous silica levels were present. In a letter sent to Reid Tuesday, Margaret Chu, director of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, wrote that the Energy Department knew silica could become airborne during mining operations at the Yucca Mountain Project. Mining work started in 1992 and tunnel boring operations began in 1994, but the department did not enforce respiratory protection equipment use until 1996, Chu said. In January the Energy Department started a screening program for former Yucca Mountain Project workers to see if they contract silicosis, a disease contracted from scar tissue forming in the lungs due to inhaled silica. Based on Chu's letter, Reid asked Labor Secretary Elaine Chao Wednesday to investigate the risk at Yucca Mountain and what steps could have been taken to prevent harmful exposure. "The DOEs policy of self-regulation, to the extent it enforced worker health standards, has apparently failed to ensure the proper safety of its contractor work force," Reid wrote. The Labor Department controls the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which oversee worker safety in industrial and mining workplaces. Reid asked Chu if the department has ever recommended any type of health protection requirements at Yucca Mountain and if it now helps the Energy Department monitor air quality or other worker health issues. He also wants to know what type of respiratory protection were available from 1992 through 1996 and if paper dust masks are "considered a sufficient form of protection against silica exposure." Reid also wants to hold a congressional hearing on the issue, according to his office. The Energy Department dug a tunnel through Yucca Mountain as part of it research for the planned nuclear waste storage site it wants to open there. ***************************************************************** 42 RGJ: Scientist says Yucca could be a hazard Thursday | Feb 19, 2004 Reno Gazette-Journal] 2/19/2004 12:07 am The nation’s nuclear waste dump proposed for Nevada is poorly designed and could leak highly radioactive waste, a scientist who recently resigned from a federal panel of experts on Yucca Mountain said Wednesday. Paul Craig, a physicist and engineering professor at the University of California-Davis, said he quit the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board last month so he could speak more freely about the dangers of the waste dump. Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is planned to begin receiving waste in 2010. Some 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste at commercial and military sites in 39 states would be stored in metal canisters underground in tunnels. “The science is very clear,” Craig said in an interview before his first public speech condemning the Energy Department’s design for the canisters. “If we get high temperature liquids, the metal would corrode and that would eventually lead to leakage of nuclear waste,” he said. “It is a bad design. And that is very, very bad news for the Department of Energy because they are committed to that design.” Craig, appointed to the review board by President Clinton in 1997, spoke to about 100 people later Wednesday night at a community forum in Reno sponsored by the Sierra Club. “I would never say Yucca Mountain won’t work. What I would say is the design they have won’t work,” he said Wednesday night. He said he’s convinced DOE will have to postpone the project and adopt a different design. “It would require years of delay and my guess is that is what is going to happen. The bad science is so clear they will be unable to ignore it forever,” Craig said. The 11-member technical review board outlined its concerns about the potential for corrosion in a report to the Energy Department in November about the metal for the canisters, called Alloy-22 — “an upscale version of stainless steel,” Craig said. It was the most important report the board has produced since Congress created the panel in 1987, he said, but largely has been ignored by Congress and the DOE. “The report says in ordinary English that under the conditions proposed by the Department of Energy, the canisters will leak,” Craig said. “It was signed by every single member of the board so there would be no confusion,” he added. “This board has really good scientists on it, particularly metals scientists. Those scientists and the metals community, the knowledgeable metals community, are going to continue to say this design is not going to work under known conditions.” Energy Department spokesman Allen Benson defended the design plans for the repository and the metal in the storage casks. “We stand by our work,” he said Wednesday in Las Vegas. He said the department was preparing a formal response to the board’s November report. He had no further comment. In Washington, D.C., officials with the industry’s Nuclear Energy Institute did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. The board’s report in November said DOE had failed to take into account a phenomenon known as “deliquescence,” regarding the reaction of materials to moisture under DOE’s plans to operate the repository at temperatures well above boiling water, or about 200 degrees. “It turns out the metals which look like they act pretty good at temperature levels below boiling water — those same metals act badly with temperatures that could exist” at Yucca Mountain, Craig said. He likened the chemical reaction to moisture getting in a table salt shaker and recalled his mother put grains of rice in the salt when he was growing up. “Otherwise the salt would turn into a liquidy slime because salt absorbs water,” he said. “It turns out the salts in Yucca Mountain would act the same as the salt in my mother’s salt shaker. Liquid could occur at temperatures well above the normal boiling temperatures of water,” he said. Craig, who also has served as a member of National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Board on Radioactive Waste Management, said he sent his resignation letter to the White House in January before his term was to expire in April so he could shine more light on DOE’s plans. “When you serve as a member of one of those boards, you cannot talk about the political consequences of the science or the big picture. You are supposed to stick to the science and you should stick to the science,” Craig said. “Members of the board will talk to you about the science in the kind of way I am talking about, but they will not go the next step and say that what is required now is for the president of the United States to direct the secretary of energy to slow down the process and go back and get the science right,” he told AP. “You cannot have the kind of conversation we are having now if I was still on the board.” © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett ***************************************************************** 43 IBLV Editorial: Reject suspect Yucca job claims In Business Las Vegas Editorial: Reject suspect Yucca job claims February 6, 2004 Earlier this week the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Center for Business and Economic Research released a study, paid for by the Energy Depart-ment, that said the state's economy would be hurt if the Yucca Mountain project ended. The researchers contend that the 3,650 high-paying jobs at the Yucca Mountain project benefit the state by producing $131 million in annual disposable income. And if Yucca Mountain receives a green light to open from federal regulators, the economists say the benefits to the state would increase. Construc-tion and maintenance on-site at Yucca Mountain and in the building of a rail line in Southern Nevada for the waste would create an additional 2,000-2,500 jobs during the dump's transportation and operations phase from 2010 to 2035. What is fascinating is that this is the same research group that two years ago highlighted the economic problems for Southern Nevada if a nuclear waste dump was built here. Back then the Center for Business and Economic Research was being paid for its analysis by Clark County government, which opposes the dump. The center's latest eco-nomic report on Yucca Mountain sounds as if it was ghostwritten by its benefactors at the Energy Department. The researchers' findings - that a radioactive waste dump is good for Nevada - is so counterintuitive and out of touch with reality that it is laughable. No other state wants the radioactive garbage - for economic reasons. Only a few economically depressed Indian tribes, desperate for any kind of development no matter how dangerous, have offered up their reservations as burial sites. These tribal efforts, by the way, were quashed by worried state governments where the reserva-tions are located. This issue isn't about better-paying jobs, it's about the federal government's unyielding strong-arm tactics in trying to bury 77,000 tons of man's deadliest waste in Nevada despite warnings about how dangerous it is to do so. The geology here, in a state with the third-most earthquakes in the nation, is hardly suited for burying high-level radioactive waste. And the cross-country transportation risks, especially those posed by terrorism, are enormous. It also is troubling that the researchers suggest a public relations campaign as an avenue for "mitigating the social costs and reducing lo-cal resistance to nuclear waste transport: reducing the risk that people perceive from transport." Fortunately, the people of Southern Nevada know better. Businesses understand that a nuclear waste dump would seriously harm this region's economy, which is why two of the state's largest business groups - the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada Resort Association - oppose Yucca Mountain. We hope that all businesses loudly reject this Energy Department-funded study that certainly will be used in the federal government's continuing prop-aganda campaign, one that hasn't made any headway in Nevada - ex-cept, of course, among economists-for-hire. ***************************************************************** 44 DOE: Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01- FR Doc 04-3607 [Federal Register: February 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 7740-7743] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19fe04-42] 04ER04-11; Theoretical Research in Plasma and Fusion Science AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications. SUMMARY: The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announces its interest in receiving grant applications for theoretical research relevant to the U.S. program in magnetic fusion energy sciences. All individuals or groups planning to submit applications for new or renewal funding in Fiscal Year 2005 should submit in response to this Notice. The specific areas of interest are: 1. Magnetohydrodynamics and Stability 2. Confinement and Transport 3. Edge and Divertor Physics 4. Plasma Heating and Non-inductive Current Drive 5. Innovative/Integrating Concepts 6. Atomic and Molecular Processes in Plasmas More specific information on each area of interest is outlined in the general and program specific supplementary information section below. OFES may also solicit proposals from time to time under separate announcements of Initiatives to support coordinated, goal-directed community efforts. The Initiatives will be funded to achieve specific programmatic and scientific aims and will be subject to requirements that are different from those of this notice. Such grants, if funded, will be subject to periodic reviews of progress. Due to the limited availability of funds, Principal Investigators with continuing grants may not submit a new application in the same area(s) of interest as their previous application(s), which received funding. A Principal Investigator may submit only one application under each area of interest as listed above. DATES: To permit timely consideration for awards in Fiscal Year 2005, applications submitted in response to this notice must be received by DOE no later than 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time, April 1, 2004. Electronic submission of formal applications in PDF format is required. It is important that the submission be in a single PDF file. Applicants are requested to submit a letter-of-intent by March 4, 2004, which includes the title of the application, the name of the Principal Investigator(s), the requested funding and a one-page abstract. These letters-of-intent will be used to organize and expedite review processes. Failure to submit a letter-of-intent will not negatively prejudice a responsive formal application submitted in a timely fashion. The letters-of-intent should be sent by e-mail to the following e-mail address: john.sauter@science.doe.gov and the Subject line should state: Letter-of-intent regarding Program Notice 04-11. ADDRESSES: Formal applications referencing Program Notice DE-FG01- 04ER04-11, must be electronically submitted 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 website. It is suggested that this registration be completed several days prior to the date [[Page 7741]] 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 using multiple files, it is important that the submission be in a single PDF file if possible. 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. Further information on the use of IIPS by the Office of Science is available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html . If you are unable to submit an application through IIPS, please contact the Office of the Director, Grants and Contracts Division, Office of Science, DOE at: (301) 903-5212 in order to gain assistance for submission through IIPS or to receive special approval and instructions on how to submit printed applications. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, SC- 55/Germantown Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290. Specific contacts for each area of interest, along with telephone numbers and Internet addresses, are listed below: 1. Magnetohydrodynamics and Stability: Rostom Dagazian, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone: (301) 903-4926, or by Internet address: rostom.dagazian@science.doe.gov. 2. Confinement and Transport: Curt Bolton, Research Division, SC- 55, Telephone: (301) 903-4914, or by Internet address: curt.bolton@science.doe.gov. 3. Edge and Divertor Physics: Mike Crisp, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone: (301) 903-4883, or by Internet address: michael.crisp@science.doe.gov. 4. Plasma Heating and Non-inductive Current Drive: Rostom Dagazian, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone: (301) 903-4926, or by Internet address: rostom.dagazian@science.doe.gov. 5. Innovative/Integrating Concepts: Francis Thio, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone (301) 903-4678, or by Internet address: francis.thio@science.doe.gov; or Steve Eckstrand, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone: (301) 903-5546, or by Internet address: steve.eckstrand@science.doe.gov. 6. Atomic and Molecular Processes in Plasmas: Mike Crisp, Research Division, SC-55, Telephone: (301) 903-4883, or by Internet address: michael.crisp@science.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Financial Assistance Program and 10 CFR part 605. Electronic access to SC's Financial Assistance Guide and required forms is possible via the Internet using the following Web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. DOE is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of an application if an award is not made. Program Funding It is anticipated that about $5,000,000 of Fiscal Year 2005 funding will be available to fund new work, or renewals of existing work, from applications received in response to this Notice. The number of awards and range of funding will depend on the number of applications received and selected for award. Since future year funding is not anticipated to increase, applications should propose constant effort in future years (allowing for inflation). Future year funding will depend upon suitable progress and the availability of funds. The cost-effectiveness of the application will be considered when comparing applications with differing funding requirements. The number of grants funded, and the amount of funding for each grant, will depend on the number and quality of the applications received. Collaborative research projects involving more than one institution, as well as basic work in support of the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing initiative, are encouraged. Applications submitted from different institutions, which are directed at a common research activity, should clearly indicate they are part of a proposed collaboration and contain a brief description of the overall research project. However, each application must have a distinct scope of work and a qualified principal investigator, who is responsible for the research effort being performed at his or her institution. Synergistic collaborations with researchers in federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories are also encouraged, though no funds will be provided to these organizations under this Notice. Further information on preparation of collaborative applications may be accessed via the Internet at: http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html . Since we expect that reviewers will be asked to review several applications, those applications from individual PIs or small groups (1-4 people) should be limited to a maximum of twenty (20) pages (including text and figures) of technical information, while applications from larger theory groups should be limited to thirty (30) pages. All applications should be in a single PDF file. The single PDF file may also include a few selected publications in an Appendix as background information. In addition, in the electronic submission, please limit biographical and publication information for the principal investigator and senior personnel to no more than two pages each. Each principal investigator should provide an E-mail address. In addition to the information required by 10 CFR part 605 each application should contain the following items: (1) A succinct statement of the goal of the research, (2) a detailed research plan, (3) the specific results expected at the end of the project period, (4) an analysis of the adequacy of the budget, (5) a discussion of the impact of the proposed research on other fields of science, and (6) for projects requiring significant computational resources (e.g., at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center), an estimate and justification of the resources that will be required. In addition if the work is to be part of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) activities, the PI should include adequate funding to cover all the needed ITPA related travel. Merit Review Applications will be subjected to formal merit review and will be evaluated against the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of importance as set forth in 10 CFR part 605 (http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/605index.html ). Included with each criteria are the detailed questions that are asked of the reviewers. [[Page 7742]] 1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project [sbull] Does this application address an important problem in plasma science, plasma technology, fusion energy science, or fusion energy technology? [sbull] How does the proposed research compare with other research in its field, both in terms of scientific and/or technical merit and originality? [sbull] What is the likelihood that it will lead to new or fundamental advances in its field? 2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach [sbull] Are the conceptual framework, methods, and analyses adequately developed and likely to lead to scientifically valid conclusions? [sbull] Does the proposed research employ innovative concepts or methods? [sbull] Does the applicant recognize significant potential problems and consider alternative strategies? 3. Competency of the Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of the Proposed Resources [sbull] How well qualified are the applicant's personnel to carry out the proposed research? (If appropriate, please comment on the scientific reputation and quality of recent research by the principal investigator and other key personnel.) [sbull] Please comment on the applicant's research environment and resources. [sbull] Does the proposed work take advantage of unique facilities and capabilities and/or make good use of collaborative arrangements? 4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget [sbull] Is the proposed budget and staffing levels adequate to carry out the proposed research? The reviewers are also asked to comment on Other Appropriate Factors: [sbull] How is the proposed project relevant to the Office of Fusion Energy Science's goals? [sbull] Could the proposed research make a significant contribution to another field? [sbull] Is there potential for spin-offs? [sbull] If applicable, please comment on the educational benefits of the proposed activity. Scientific and technical merit also includes the importance and relevance of the proposed research to the U.S. fusion program. Accordingly, preference will be given to work based in the U.S. In addition, proposals from theory groups will also be rated on the synergy of the group and the management of the group. With respect to synergy, the criteria are: (1) Clear evidence of collaborative work. (2) The extent to which the group addresses difficult problems requiring a team effort. With respect to management the criteria are: (1) Clear evidence of scientific leadership. (2) The extent to which the management evaluates the relevance and scientific impact of the groups work. The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences shall also consider, as part of the evaluation, other available advice or information as well as program policy factors, such as ensuring an appropriate balance among the program areas and within the program areas, ensuring support for major computational efforts, ensuring support for experiments, and quality of previous performance. Selection of applications/proposals for award will be based upon the findings of the evaluations, the importance and relevance of the proposed research to the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences' mission, and funding availability. Program Specific Information 1. Magnetohydrodynamics and Stability Grant applications are solicited for new research or continuation of past efforts in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) theory in support of work on magnetically confined fusion plasmas. Current areas of interest include advanced tokamak (AT), innovative confinement concepts (ICC), burning plasma physics and steady state, high-beta plasma issues. Both analytical and computational approaches will be considered. Additional work is needed on nonlinear MHD codes to include new physics, such as extended MHD (including flows and various non-ideal MHD effects), resistive wall modes, and particularly neoclassical tearing modes. Finally, basic work in support of the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing initiative that involves the development of large- scale MHD codes will also be considered. 2. Confinement and Transport Applications will be considered in the area of confinement and transport in plasmas. This area covers plasma turbulence, energy, particle, momentum and radiation transport in the core of the plasma and theory based transport modeling. The work of interest includes work in support of tokamak as well as non-tokamak innovative concepts. Topics of interest include among others, electromagnetic effects on turbulence, shear flow generation and its impacts on transport, and understanding of the role of collisions in turbulent plasmas. Both analytical and computational work is of interest. Basic work in support of the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing initiative that involves the development of large-scale codes to explore turbulence will also be considered. 3. Edge and Divertor Physics Applications will be considered in the area of edge physics theory. This area covers edge plasma turbulence, energy, particle and radiation transport in the edge of the plasma and in the neighborhood of the separatrix. The work of interest includes neutrals transport in divertors and plasma edge region, atomic physics processes affecting temperature, radiation and flame front propagation in divertors, and pedestal and Elm theory and modeling. Both analytical and numerical models are of interest. Techniques and algorithms for modeling fast particles in the edge region, as well as adaptive grid methods and their application to modeling of plasma turbulence and transport in the edge region will be considered. 4. Plasma Heating and Non-Inductive Current Drive Applications will be considered in the area of radio frequency (RF) physics in plasmas. This includes RF propagation, heating and current drive. Of interest are both analytical and numerical treatments of interaction of plasmas with radio frequency waves. These include electron cyclotron, ion cyclotron, lower hybrid, and Bernstein waves. Topics of interest include, among others, physical processes involved in conversion layers, power deposition for temperature profile control, and interaction of waves of different frequencies to produce specific effects on the plasma. Applications for modeling radio frequency launchers and their coupling to the edge plasma will also be considered. 5. Innovative/Integrating Concepts Grant applications are desired for theoretical and computational research on innovative concepts that have the possibility of leading to improved magnetic fusion systems. Increased theoretical and computational research is needed to help in the analysis of experimental data and aid in planning innovative fusion related experiments. Topics of interest include: equilibrium and stability of 3D systems, including [[Page 7743]] island formation; extension of turbulence models to 3D systems; improvement in extended MHD modeling of RFPs; increased understanding of turbulent transport in RFPs; and spheromak formation. Applications are also desired for theoretical and computational research on integrated studies that include multiple topics. 6. Atomic and Molecular Processes in Plasmas Grant applications will be considered for theoretical research relevant to the description of atomic processes in plasmas. In addition to overall scientific merit, emphasis will be given to work that promises to aid the understanding of the basic atomic processes that are important for modeling of magnetically confined plasmas. Basic atomic processes that are important for modeling high energy density plasmas produced by high power lasers or ion beams may also be considered. The program has found understanding electron-atom and electron-ion collisions and the radiation emitted by atoms and ions to be of importance for the modeling of plasma behavior in experiments. Some current areas where atomic processes are considered to be important include the effects of transport, the effects of impurities and the understanding of diagnostics. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR part 605. Issued in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2004. Martin Rubinstein, Acting Director, Grants and Contracts Division, Office of Science. [FR Doc. 04-3607 Filed 2-18-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 45 Tri-City Herald: Fluor Hanford works to regain lost finances This story was published Thursday, February 19th, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Fluor Hanford has lost $3 million of its fee for fiscal year 2003, but has a chance to reclaim part of it by making substantial progress on the long-delayed removal of radioactive sludge from leak-prone pools near the Columbia River. Fluor expects to be ready to start sludge removal from Hanford's K Basins by March 15 using a new technical approach, said Fluor spokesman Geoff Tyree. That's one of three deadlines the Department of Energy is requiring Fluor to meet to reclaim up to $2 million of the fee. Fluor was eligible to receive up to $12.3 million in fees in fiscal year 2003, but had the $3 million reduction in the last quarter of the year. Hanford regulators set a deadline of the end of 2002 for the start of removal of sludge from the K Basins. When work had failed to start a year past that deadline, DOE notified Fluor the fee would be withheld. The basins were built with a design life of 20 years for temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel. But some fuel has been stored in the basins for nearly 30 years. Some of the spent fuel has corroded, fallen apart and collected on the bottom of the basins to form a sludge that contains uranium, plutonium and other radioactive isotopes. Twice the basins are believed to have had major leaks of the water used to cool the fuel and shield workers from radiation. The basins are just 400 yards from the Columbia River. Although they are not believed to be leaking now, the risk remains as the basins age. Then it planned to vacuum up the sludge underwater -- it can't be picked up because it dissipates in the water if touched -- and packed into containers for storage at Hanford's T Plant. It would remain there until a treatment plan for the waste was in place. But if the sludge is put into containers, the uranium's radiation could separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen. That would present the risk of a fire erupting. Now DOE wants Fluor to focus first on about 20 percent of the 65 cubic yards of sludge in the K East Basin. Look down into the basin and it appears to be divided into rooms or pits. One of those pits has sludge on the bottom that is not as highly radioactive as much of the rest of the sludge. Once packaged in shipping containers, it could be moved by workers in protective clothing, unlike the other sludge that would require remote handling. To regain $1 million in fees, Fluor must start retrieving the sludge from that pit by March 15 and have it processed and certified for shipment by the end of the year for permanent storage at an underground site near Carlsbad, N.M. Fluor believes it can overcome the flammability problem by using the inert gas argon in the container process. Fluor can regain the other $1 million by removing the remaining 80 percent of the sludge from the bottom of the K East Basin and containing it by Aug. 31. But instead of moving it to T Plant, Fluor now plans to move the sludge to a new lined pool at the K Basins, then package it for disposal. The pool is being designed now, and Fluor continues to work on a plan for packing that sludge in containers. The new pool would lower the risk of a leak and allow the waste to be sent in containers for permanent storage from the K Basin area. It also may eventually be sent to New Mexico for permanent disposal. Before Fluor starts moving the first sludge by March 15, it must complete an assessment to confirm that procedures would be safe and the plan would work as intended. After Fluor missed the 2002 deadline to start removing waste, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined DOE and Fluor $76,000. Part of the delay has been explained by Fluor's concentration on removing spent fuel from the basins, a project that should be completed by the end of this year. DOE has been criticized for not giving Fluor enough money to aggressively work on both fuel and sludge removal. In 2003 Fluor separated the sludge removal project from other K Basin work to increase the focus on the sludge work. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 46 U.S. Newswire - Secretary Abraham Travels to West Virginia, Iowa, Michigan; Discusses Technology, Jobs, Energy Efficiency, Hydrogen 2/18/04 12:12:00 PM To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor, Energy Reporter Contact: Corry Schiermeyer, 202-586-5806 or Jana Toner, 202-586-4940, both of the U.S. Department of Energy News Advisory: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will travel to Fairview, West Virginia; Davenport, Iowa; and Lansing, Mich., on Thursday, Feb. 19, to discuss different programs within the Department of Energy. First, Secretary Abraham will stop in Fairview, West Virginia to visit mine workers displaced by a mine fire last year. The Department of Energy provided financial assistance to CONSOL Energy to help cover the costs to test an innovative fire suppression system at the Fairview mine. The modified jet engine system successfully fought the fire, allowing miners to come back to work roughly six months earlier than the conventional method of letting the fire burn itself out. Next, Secretary Abraham will travel to Bettendorf, Iowa to visit a home undergoing a weatherization process, which on average saves homeowners $218 annually in energy costs. This year, the DOE is giving $4.9 million to the State of Iowa for the Weatherization of low-income homes. Finally, Secretary Abraham will travel to Lansing, Mich., to announce a series of Hydrogen workshops. This supports President Bush's Hydrogen Economy initiative. Following are details of Thursday's events: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2004 WHO: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham WHAT: Brief remarks, Media Availability WHERE: CONSOL Energy's Loveridge Mine Training Center, Fairview, W.V. WHEN: 10 a.m. (EST) --- WHO: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham WHAT: Tour, Media Availability WHERE: 3018 Magnolia Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa WHEN: 12:15 p.m. (CST) --- WHO: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham WHAT: Brief remarks, Media Availability WHERE: 3:30 p.m. WHEN: Technology Learning Center at Lansing Community College (Corner of Capital Ave. and Shiawassee St.), Lansing, Mich. http://www.usnewswire.com/ ***************************************************************** 47 U.S. Newswire: EPA and Department of Energy Sign Agreement to Expand Research and Computing Collaboration 2/18/04 3:36:00 PM To: National Desk, Science Reporter Contact: Suzanne Ackerman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 202-564-7819 or WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Increased collaboration on research and computing resources, including the linking of two national supercomputers, will take place under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). This agreement builds on prior research and computing collaboration between EPA and DOE. Under this MOU, EPA and DOE will link supercomputers in EPA's North Carolina facility and DOE's Sandia National Laboratory. High performance computing allows better and faster runs of environmental models such as the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality model, an important tool for states to meet upcoming deadlines for their air quality attainment plans. "Linking and leveraging these two great research resources will strengthen the scientific foundation for environmental, energy and public health issues," EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said. "By bridging the boundaries between our agencies, we both can better serve the public need." Secretary Spencer Abraham said, "Today's agreement allows us to further our collaborative efforts and leverage the expertise of both agencies. I am particularly happy that EPA will benefit from the tremendous store of scientific knowledge and expertise in the Department of Energy's national laboratories." Work in computational toxicology, the application of computer- based statistical techniques and molecular genetics that allow chemical testing based on a chemical's molecular structure and its effects on genes, will also be accelerated by this agreement. Computational toxicology can reduce animal testing and provide better toxicity information for chemicals in a faster manner. EPA will also benefit under the MOU from access to DOE's Joint Genome Institute. Genomics is a new area of biology, derived from the large-scale DNA sequencing efforts of the human genome, and holds the potential to reveal molecular pieces of the toxicity pathway and improve chemical risk assessments and the evaluation of the health of ecosystems. To read the MOU, go to: http://www.epa.gov/ord/WebPubs/DOEMOU.pdf More information on DOE's scientific programs is available at: http://www.doe.gov. http://www.usnewswire.com/ ***************************************************************** 48 Oak Ridger: Commissioners debate OR, AC efforts in 'sandbox' of getting more Story last updated at 11:46 a.m. on February 19, 2004 DOE funds COUNTY: Will pay for Commissioner David Bolling's trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, as long as he invites Oak Ridge and Roane County officials, too. By: Donna Smith | Oak Ridger Staff donna.smith@oakridger.com CLINTON - Anderson County officials have differing opinions on how much Oak Ridge and Roane County officials want to work with them in getting additional revenue from the Department of Energy. "We have been patient long enough," County Commissioner David Bolling remarked during Monday's County Commission meeting, as he asked the Commission to pay his expenses for a March trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. The Clinton resident said that everything the county is doing, it's doing in an underfunded way. He said that's because the county isn't getting the needed tax revenue from DOE, which holds much of the property in Oak Ridge. Anderson County government receives less than $500,000 in in-lieu- of-tax payments each year from DOE. Bolling said Oak Ridge city officials' efforts to obtain more tax revenue from DOE doesn't include Anderson County. Oak Ridge City Council is paying $12,000 a month to the law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell &Berkowitz to seek out that money. The nearly two-year effort by Baker, Donelson has cost the city approximately $280,000. Commissioner Larry Dickens said, likewise, Anderson County has not offered to help Oak Ridge pay that bill. His statement was refuted by both Bolling and County Attorney David Clark, who said an offer to join in the effort was made on behalf of the county but never commented upon by city officials. Commissioner Scott Gillenwaters indicated he was concerned by Bolling's statements and what effect it might have on Oak Ridge's efforts. "I'm worried you're going to go up there and mess in a sandbox that's already been set up," he said. "It's our sandbox that they joined in," Bolling replied. Dickens said Bolling was treading in a "minefield" and he needed to be careful and coordinate efforts with Oak Ridge officials. Bolling agreed that he would, but he wasn't going to wait to do something. Commissioner Jerry Creasey of Oak Ridge applauded Bolling's efforts, which began in 1982 when Bolling was county executive, to obtain more money from DOE. Calling him the "king of this effort," Creasey said, "It's his sandbox," and added that he hoped Roane County and Oak Ridge officials would join in with Bolling's efforts. "It's time to quit being 4-year-olds and do this together," Gillenwaters said. He made a motion to amend a motion to pay Bolling's trip expenses, saying that this would be done only if Roane and Oak Ridge officials went on the D.C. trip, too. The amendment was defeated with only Commissioners Harold Jernigan, Dickens and Gillenwaters, all Oak Ridgers, voting in favor of it. The Commission then approved a motion to pay Bolling's trip expenses if he invited the Roane and Oak Ridge officials. Gillenwaters was the lone dissenter. ***************************************************************** 49 lamonitor.com: Ways to restore federal monies discussed The Online News Source for Los Alamos By ALLISON MAJURE, , Monitor Staff Writer If the 2005 federal budget passes the congressional Appropriations Committee unscathed, Los Alamos Public Schools will lose $8 million - one third of its operational funding. The district includes New Mexico's only nationally ranked high school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Only 24 people attended a Los Alamos Community Partnership meeting Tuesday to discuss President Bush's 2005 federal budget with its $8 million funding shortfall for Los Alamos Schools. The budget, now in the Office of Management and Budget, will soon be on its way to the Appropriations Committee. LAPS Superintendent Jim Anderson said cutting $8 million is a lot easier than cutting $1 million. "There are no priorities to figure out. Basically everything goes, but the teachers." From the school's operational budget, Anderson's everything refers to people and programs. Examples would includes art teachers and programs, music teachers and programs, physical education teachers and programs, counselors, nurses, librarians, instructional assistants, social workers, and even school psychologists, according to one school administrator in an interview earlier Tuesday. Anderson estimated that 150-175 staff of the schools' 600 staff would need to be cut if the federal budget remains as is. Los Alamos is the last of the DOE communities to receive an educational assistance payment. Other DOE communities like Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash., managed the transition to school district self sufficiency through a combination of federal buyout payments and local economic development. Because of the extreme isolation of Los Alamos, Anderson said commercial choices and private educational alternatives never developed here; hence a buyout was never really feasible. More than $100 million would be needed to serve as an endowment from which the school district could earn $8 million in interest, Anderson said. Some residents and staffers interviewed earlier this week do not seem too concerned. Attendance at the LACP meeting was its lowest ever. LACP is the ad hoc citizen group formed in the wake of Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Pete Nanos' challenge to the town's leadership to either get moving on downtown revitalization, or say goodbye to an array of LANL tenants. Although, the group originally formed to focus purely on civic revitalization by "unjamming the logjam" said one founder Laura Crotzer, they have gotten sidetracked twice by economic development hurdles thrown into the community's path by the Department of Energy: first the controlled access of East and West Jemez Road, second the absence of the $8 million LAPS assistance payment. In previous years, authorized funding was included in the president's budget, then perhaps taken out during the congressional appropriations process, before getting put back in. "This time, the money is not in the budget from the get go," Anderson said. According to a press release from Sen. Pete Domenici's office, "The complete lack of a funding request for the Los Alamos schools is raising concern with Domenici, who also chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds DOE. Domenici has asked DOE for a justification for not continuing the long-standing funding to support the Los Alamos Schools. The funding is authorized at $8 million through FY2005." The release highlights Domenici's role as chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee that has funding jurisdiction over DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration and the national laboratory system. Earlier Tuesday, Los Alamos Site Manager of NNSA Ralph Erickson said of the $8 million budget shortfall, "I was disappointed to see the $8 million DOE funding for the Los Alamos Public Schools not included in the President's budget. I have met with Jim Anderson to share my concerns." LANL spokesman James Rickman, "Because scientific and technical research are the mainstays of the work done at Los Alamos National Laboratory, we have always appreciated the benefits of educational excellence at all levels. However, it would be inappropriate to speculate on local school district funding issues that are still being discussed at the federal level." LANL government relations spokesman Jim Stein, who served as a speaker at the LACP meeting Tuesday night, highlighted the lab's recruitment and retention difficulties that could be associated with a major funding blow to the schools. He said Nanos is involved with a number of parties including the DOE and the schools. "It's going to take a little bit of LANL and DOE and a lot of our delegation to work through this," Stein said. Community member Dan Weeks postulated a solution. "If the University of California gives the lab $8 million and looks good in the eyes of DOE, then we get to keep the contract and everybody's happy." Another community member Jeff Miller said, "Maybe the message being sent is that prospective bidders on the LANL contract would have to include the $8 million to the schools in the RFP [Request for Proposal]". Political brinksmanship may be the underlying issue, as the Department of Energy has sought for years to convince the lab to take on the schools funding according to one LACP attendee who asked to remain anonymous. Timing is the issue now. At the School Board meeting last week, Anderson said he thinks "we will be successful, but the timing issue is the worry right now." LAPS must start work on their 2004-05 budget in March and submit it to the state May 14. "Our congressional delegation needs to get a hold of the report from OMB, and get it into their hands so they can start working on behalf of restoring the eight million dollar assistance payment." Robert Gibson asked, "Who can pressure OMB to dynamite the report out, and get it into our delegation's hands ... Who would OMB listen to?" "No one," joked Anderson, but then said, "Everet Beckner, is the man." Everett H. Beckner, of NNSA was in Los Alamos for meetings Tuesday and Wednesday, said Anderson. Beckner who graduated from Clayton High School in Union County New Mexico is a former vice president at Lockheed Martin and served as the Energy Department's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs from 1991-1995. He also held senior leadership positions at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, before being sworn in as NNSA's Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs in February 2002, according to a NNSA press release. He can be reached as follows: Dr. Everet H. Beckner, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 20505, Via Facsimile: (202) 586-5670. © 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 50 Oak Ridger: Questions what residents know about easement Your View Story last updated at 11:54 a.m. on February 19, 2004 To The Oak Ridger: Are Oak Ridgers aware that their city government opposes the agreement reached between the Department of Energy and the state to set aside 3,000 acres of undisturbed federal government land for public use and enjoyment as a permanent, state-managed natural wildlife area - identified as the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement? The easement, located on the west end of Oak Ridge, was conveyed, by DOE, to the people of Tennessee, as partial settlement/payment for past environmental damages to the lower Watts Bar Reservoir. Are Oak Ridgers aware of the resolution and official comments of the City Council and staff sent on Sept. 22, 2003, to DOE and state officials requesting boundary changes in the conservation easement? Citing previous "self-sufficiency agreements" with DOE, the city asks that 225 acres be removed from the easement now and offered to the city for residential development. City officials ask, also, that another 417 acres of the easement be made available, to the city, before the conservation easement is finalized. Are Oak Ridgers aware that the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement is principally unsuitable for development due to its steep slopes and geology, but is of inestimable public value as an accessible wildlife area recognized nationally for its ecological richness? The easement represents an effort by the Oak Ridge community, as well as DOE and the state, to balance development with conservation. Are Oak Ridgers aware that boundary disputes and delays can defeat the purpose of the easement? Citizens support the conservation easement. The value Oak Ridgers place on the natural environment is a matter of record, and is revealed at public hearings, on DOE surveys, and in the final report of the Land Use Focus Group. The Focus Group was a DOE sponsored 20-member, community-wide panel that met for a year and engaged the public in a land planning process that identified the 3,000-acre Black Oak Ridge tract as most suitable for permanent preservation. Jo Ann Thompson Oak Ridge ***************************************************************** 51 Oak Ridger: Current events add to Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge lore Story last updated at 11:55 a.m. on February 19, 2004 By: Dick Smyser | Editor's License I thought I had long since heard or read virtually every story - anecdote - about the early days of the atomic bomb effort and the coming of Oak Ridge. Not so, I learned on listening at three local events within the past week: a presentation by Bill Wilcox at the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge a week ago today; the "Muddy Boot Award" presentations to Alvin M. Weinberg and Bill Madia Friday morning at the DoubleTree Hotel; the Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory Community lecture by Gregg Herken Tuesday night at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Wilcox told of recently being invited to speak about the Manhattan Project in Knoxville and then being asked by the person who had booked him, "Now just what was the Manhattan Project?" New insights gleaned (by me) from this latest Wilcox historical talk: *In addition to University of Chicago, University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University, also a major part of early nuclear efforts were the University of Virginia and the Carnegie Institute of Washington, D.C. *The Manhattan Project's mission was accomplished in two and a half years. Compare the seven years from start to finish of the Spallation Neutron Source now under construction at ORNL. *Two answers (other than building front ends of horses to be sent to Washington for assembly) that pioneer Oak Ridgers gave when asked "What in the world are you doing out there?": concocting a top secret green goo to spread over the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast to ensnare surfacing Nazi submarines; building a village to house military retirees. *** East Tennessee Economic Council gives the "Muddy Boot" to those who make special contributions to the community - especially to business and industrial development. In making the award to Weinberg, who was director of ORNL for 25 years, Loren Crabtree, University of Tennessee chancellor, recalled the moment of criticality for ORNL's Homogeneous Reactor Experiment in the early 1950s. On Dec. 2, 1942, Crabtree remembered, when the first sustained controlled nuclear chain reaction was achieved at University of Chicago, Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist who headed the reactor team, produced a bottle of Chianti to toast the occasion. By contrast, Crabtree said, to toast the HRE's criticality here in Tennessee, Weinberg produced a bottle of Jack Daniels sourmash. *** Herken, author of "Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence and Edward Teller," talked mostly about Oppenheimer. Though the University of California physicist was later acknowledged to have been a member of a Communist Party "closed unit" at Berkeley in the late 1930s, Herken concluded that he was never really a Soviet spy. By virtue of his friends, mostly, Oppenheimer gave many good reason to think that he might be, Herken said. But ultimately, the author feels, Oppenheimer, when later caught in several untruths, was primarily trying to protect his brother, Frank. Through it all, however, though there were shaky moments, Gen. Leslie R. Groves, head of the Manhattan Project, stood by Oppenheimer because he felt the physicist was crucial to the success of the bomb project. Herken added these also to my store of Manhattan Project vignettes: *The Oppenheimer home near the Berkeley campus was known for parties at which the guests, many of them top scientists, drank potent frozen martinis and played riotous games of tiddlly winks on squares in the pattern of the parlor rug. *Sept. 21, 1941, might well be listed among historic nuclear dates - the date that Oppenheimer, at a meeting of scientists and government officials, first learned that an atomic bomb was possible. *Groves once referred to Los Alamos as peopled by "the greatest bunch of prima donnas ever assembled in one place." *E. O. Lawrence, the brains behind the electromagnetic process at Y-12 that enriched the uranium to fuel the Hiroshima bomb, was criticized by his peers for his inability to keep a secret. *Berkeley scientists were regularly wiretapped by an undercover surveillance group known as Universal Adjustment Co. *Groves, seeking to impress J. Edgar Hoover, FBI chief, with the urgency of the mission, told him that if Switzerland had acquired U-235, it could have quickly taken control of the world. *It was only after the death of Groves that Oppenheimer acknowledged his membership in the Berkeley Communist "closed unit." Had Groves known, despite his sense that Oppenheimer was crucial to achieving the bomb, he - Groves - Herken believes, could not have lived with the admission and would probably have thrown Oppenheimer out of the project. *** Wilcox, in his Rotary Club talk, told of that club's plans to create a Manhattan Project commemorative trail in the northeast corner of A.K. Bissell Park - a walkway lined with plaques depicting and describing key locations and organizations of early Oak Ridge, both the nuclear facilities and community features. Details will be told later and construction should begin soon. - RDS ***************************************************************** 52 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 12:31:33 -0800 (PST) US tackles rogue states ' nuclear weapons National Business Review - New Zealand The pace of the proliferation of nuclear weapons is picking up and no one is absolutely sure how to halt it. At the height of the ... See all stories on this topic: WHITE House Concerned About Nuclear Discovery in Iran Voice of America - USA ... We have always stated our belief that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons program under the cover of pursuing nuclear power for peaceful reasons. ... See all stories on this topic: ALLEGED Malaysian Nuclear Dealer Missing Kansas City Star (subscription) - Kansas City,MO,USA KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The middleman in an alleged deal to supply Libya with nuclear components has disappeared from his Kuala Lumpur residence, and US ... See all stories on this topic: NEW nuclear parts 'found in Iran' BBC News - London,England,UK UN nuclear inspectors in Iran have found undeclared components of an advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuge at an air force base, diplomats say. ... RUSSIA hopes for progress in upcoming DPRK nuclear talks Xinhua - China 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A top Russian politician Thursday said he hopes "some progress" will be made over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear ... IRAN denies nuclear activities at base Independent Online - Cape Town,South Africa Tehran - Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday denied reports that Iran was carrying out sensitive nuclear activities at a military base. ... See all stories on this topic: WARPLANES Fly Near Nuclear Plant, Startling Neighbors WNNE-TV - White River Junction,VT,USA ... Guard attack planes flying down the Connecticut River Valley between New Hampshire and Vermont startled some people living near the Vermont Yankee nuclear ... UNIVERSITY of Michigan to dismantle historic nuclear reactor MLive.com - MI,USA ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan plans to spend about $9.8 million to dismantle a nuclear reactor that has been a staple of campus research ... WHITE House alarmed by report of nuclear equipment at Iranian air ... WANE - Ft Wayne,IN,USA White House-AP -- The White House is voicing alarm at a report that high-tech nuclear equipment has been found at an air base in Iran. ... See all stories on this topic: This daily-once News Alert is brought to you by Google News (BETA)... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Remove this News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts/remove?s=92d1672a1b037a07&hl=en Create another News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts?hl=en Try Google News: http://news.google.com/ ***************************************************************** 53 Albuquerque Tribune: EDITORIAL: We need quick launch on space nuclear tech Despite continuing objections from those who oppose all things nuclear, New Mexico's two national laboratories should continue to research and develop space nuclear power technologies. And the federal government should recognize the need for such technologies and provide more than the lip service delivered by President Bush in his recent speech urging manned missions back to the moon and on to Mars. Bush &Co. should provide serious federal funding, if they expect these technologies to propel this nation and the world toward a significant manned presence in the solar system any time in the near future. Nuclear technology is essential on two fronts: It should provide electrical power critical to space vehicles and transports and to human colonies on the moon and Mars and elsewhere in the Solar System. It should provide the fast, steady and efficient propulsion systems needed to ensure a successful manned mission to Mars and to provide the maximum protection against radiation for astronauts. Astronauts strongly favor nuclear propulsion systems, because they significantly reduce transit times and, thus, human exposure to cosmic and solar radiation that bathes all of space. Nuclear propulsion is also the best answer to getting humans farther into space. The United States already has been to the moon. It achieved that remarkable goal within President Kennedy's challenge to do it in less than a decade. Why should the goal be as laborious as Bush has made it the second time around? Why are we still mired in low-Earth orbit, nearly four decades after landing astronauts safely on the moon? One reason is we have not applied advanced nuclear technology to power a return to the moon, to develop colonies there and to use the moon as base to begin exploring the vast reaches of the solar system, starting with a manned mission to Mars. Knowledgeable, independent space scientists - as well as nearly all astronauts - know that nuclear power and propulsion systems are the best ways to do this; for some missions, they are absolutely essential. New Mexico's Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories - nuclear weapons laboratories in need of a new mission - are perfectly positioned to conduct this work. While they still need to maintain and monitor the nation's nuclear weapons stockpiles, they have plenty of talent to redirect to a crash space nuclear research program that could produce substantial payoffs within a decade. Still, to be absolutely clear: We are supporting the civilian use of nuclear power systems and rockets - not nuclear weapons in space. Neither Los Alamos nor Sandia nor any federal civilian or military research laboratory has any business doing any research or development on nuclear weapons for space. Such technology is strictly prohibited by international law, including a U.S.-signed treaty. Both New Mexico labs have a distinguished history in the field of space nuclear power, as does the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. But scientists in New Mexico long have lacked a clear mission, a reliable customer such as NASA - and the sustained government commitment needed to put such systems on the civilian launchpad. The White House and Congress should stop talking about the "final frontier" and start funding the space nuclear research that humans need to explore it. © The Albuquerque Tribune. ***************************************************************** 54 WILX: Rare Isotope Accelerator University is fighting to bring one of the most advanced nuclear physics facilities in the world to East Lansing. The addition would be a major technological feat as well as an economic boost for the state. MSU is trying to bring the Rare Isotope Accelerator to its campus. It would immediately make the university one of the most important players in the field of nuclear physics. U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham was at Lansing Community College on Thursday. His department will be in charge of making the final decision. Abraham says a decision is still in the distance. RIA produces isotopes at extremely high speeds. It helps us understand the origins of mankind and this research can be used for cancer treatments and the environment. MSU President Peter McPherson says the combination of education and research facilities make the campus a prime spot for RIA. One of its main competitors is Argon National Laboratory in Chicago. Gray MidAmerica TV Interactive Media, LLC ***************************************************************** 55 Space.com: nukes in space ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – A NASA project to Jupiter and several of its moons may depend on the U.S. Navy to provide the nuclear know-how in building a reactor for deep space exploration. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) program is a flagship mission under NASA’s Project Prometheus – a multi-pronged effort to develop near- and long-term nuclear electric power and propulsion technologies. JIMO would be powered by a compact nuclear reactor and propelled by a set of ion engines that expel electrically charged particles to generate thrust. Artist's concept of nuclear reactor-powered Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter. Tough technological work is ahead if project is to become reality. CREDIT: NASA One conceptual design for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter would place a large array of heat-shedding radiator panels between the spacecraft's power source and ion-propulsion thrusters. CREDIT: NASA Prometheus: Lighting NASA's Nuclear Fire Astrobiologists Say Prometheus Jupiter Mission Should Have Landing Craft NASA and the scientific community are considering adding a Europa lander to JIMO. The high-tech lander could make on-the-spot surface observations at the Jovian satellite. Europa is thought to harbor an ocean under its icy crust. NASA as well as industry teams and other government agencies have begun to scope out how to build JIMO. Experts in nuclear-power technology gathered at the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF), held here February 8-11, to discuss how best to re-energize a nuclear space reactor program. Admirable record NASA’s Project Prometheus has the goal of developing a reactor-powered spacecraft. JIMO is being blueprinted to integrate this capability. Discussions are underway between NASA and Naval Reactors -- located in the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration -- to jointly build a space-rated nuclear reactor to be used for JIMO and other deep space missions. Alan Newhouse, NASA Director of the Project Prometheus, told SPACE.com that high-level talks have been underway to iron out issues regarding Naval Reactors taking on the duties of fabricating a nuclear reactor for space. Those meetings have involved the White House, the Department of Energy, Naval Reactors, NASA, as well as the Department of Defense. Ocean of space A NASA-Naval Reactors go/no-go decision on the collaboration is expected shortly, Newhouse said. "We have finally reached the point where there are no more issues involved, with a couple of administrative details remaining," he said. Naval Reactors has compiled an unparalleled record of success, Newhouse said. As example, according to Naval Reactors, they are responsible for more than 100 operating nuclear reactors. Nuclear-powered warships visit some 150 ports around the world – critical to America’s forward-presence strategy and ability to project power. The mission of Naval Reactors is to provide the Navy with safe, long-lived, militarily-effective nuclear propulsion plants in keeping with the nation's defense requirements, and to ensure their continued safe and reliable operation. "Naval Reactors has embarked in the oceans of the Earth. Now we want them to embark in the ocean of space," Newhouse said. Europa lander NASA and space scientists have begun sketching out a JIMO-deployed Europa lander. But such a probe must be part of the now-projected 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of JIMO payload, Newhouse said. There are issues revolving around such a Europa lander, Newhouse added, particularly planetary protection concerns. First of all, a lander must undergo intensive sterilization. Moreover, there is need to assure that the lander’s energy source doesn’t warm up the moon’s icy environment, even melting through Europa’s frozen face. "We don’t want to go there later on to find life and not know whether we had brought it in a previous trip," Newhouse said. The science community involved in looking at the JIMO mission has strongly advocated a lander. A top science priority for a proposed Europa Surface Science Package (EESP) is astrobiology. That's the view from a NASA Science Definition Team, reporting to the space agency in a February 13 report. The team's study was co-chaired by Ron Greeley of Arizona State University in Tempe, and Torrence Johnson of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The NASA Science Definition Team's report to the space agency calls for a JIMO astrobiology goal: "To search for signs of past and present life and to characterize the habitability of the Jovian moons with emphasis on Europa." "Many high-priority measurements can be made only from the surface of Europa," the report stresses. Once on Europa's ice-covered surface, the package's primary objectives would be "search for organic materials and determination of their composition(s); and "search for chemical patterns in any organics that might be indicative of biological origin," the just-released report suggests. Pathfinder to other missions JIMO work is expected to enable other deep space missions. The same technologies embedded within JIMO are also being eyed for a future mission to one of Saturn’s moons, Titan, as well as Neptune, the Kuiper Belt beyond it, and a voyage to discern the edge of the heliopause -- the boundary that separates Earth's solar system from interstellar space. "JIMO is the pathfinder…to get through all the nuclear issues," Newhouse said. Three lead industry contractors are vying for the JIMO work: Lockheed Martin Space and Strategic Missiles, Boeing NASA Systems, and Northrop Grumman Space Technology. In addition, representatives from more than one NASA field center, along with experts in government labs and agencies are overseeing technical issues too. Newhouse said that by early 2005 one contractor will likely have been picked. Although work is underway on JIMO based on a liftoff of 2011 or later, NASA planning charts show an unofficially announced slip to 2015. Heavyweight boost needed At the moment, JIMO tips the scales at about 57,200 pounds (26,000 kilograms) –a whopping 29 tons. The original flight plan called for JIMO to be rocketed into a nuclear safe orbit high above Earth. It would then spiral out on ion engines to reach Jupiter. However, those two years of exposure to the space environment – rife with human-made orbital debris, meteoroids, and intense radiation belt hazards – are among issues that have moved NASA to consider putting JIMO on an escape velocity shortly after launch. But doing so means more oomph from an Earth-to-orbit booster, including a high-energy second stage to send JIMO on its way. Newhouse said that the sum of those hardware masses equates to about 110,000 pounds (50,000 kilograms). Lifting that much weight off Earth outstrips the capability of top-of-the-line Atlas 5 and Delta 4 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs), he noted. Now being studied for JIMO, Newhouse said, is use of a space shuttle derived vehicle – the Shuttle-C. If a heavy-lifter is a no show, then on-orbit assembly of JIMO is possible. In one such scenario, the spacecraft might be joined with a kick-stage motor after it first reaches Earth-orbit. © 1999-2004 SPACE.com, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --> ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************