***************************************************************** 03/12/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.62 ***************************************************************** 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 Las Vegas SUN: Chief Nuclear Inspector to Meet With Bush 2 Reuters: U.N. Still Probing Bomb-Grade Uranium Found in Iran 3 Reuters: US Hits Roadblock in Iran Talks at UN Nuke Watchdog 4 Hi Pakistan: IAEA talks stall over resolution on Iran’s nuclear prog 5 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Postpones Visit by U.N. Inspectors 6 Hi Pakistan: North Korea needs nuclear arsenal to defend its existen 7 Hi Pakistan: Kasuri asks world to accept Pakistan as N-state --> 8 Hi Pakistan: Khan pardon may be reversed --> 9 Hi Pakistan: Powell to take up NPT issue --> 10 GN Online: Pakistan, India and Israel 'are N-states' NUCLEAR REACTORS 11 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of a Regulatory Issue Summary for 12 US: NRC: Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Millstone Power Station 13 Bellona: High capacity 1,500MW reactor’s design to be ready in three 14 US: toledoblade.com: Davis-Besse woes rated among America’s worst 15 Xinhuanet: Sinha says India is a mature nuclear power 16 US: Paducah: Update by NRC at Massac 17 US: NRC: NRC to Meet with FPL Officials to Discuss Safety Performanc 18 US: NRC: NRC to Meet with FPL Officials to Discuss Safety Performanc 19 US: NRC: NRC Announces Opportunity for Hearing on Application to Ren NUCLEAR SAFETY 20 UK: thisisplymouth MEACHER: MY DOUBTS OVER TRITIUM SAFETY 21 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Cover all downwinders 22 US: Las Vegas RJ: NLV man files lawsuit in toxic dust case 23 SUN: Lawmakers seek facts in nuke incident 24 US: The Sun: How a Trident missile mishap reportedly occurred NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 25 [NukeNet] Wackenhut Security Issues, Workers Sue over Yucca 26 NRC: License No. SUB-1010; Sequoyah Fuels Corporation; Receipt of 27 US: EPA: Integrated radioactive waste disposal management 28 US: AJC: Nuclear waste funds requested 29 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Senator's off-color remark raises concern 30 Las Vegas SUN: State won't give up fight against Yucca 'fantasyland' 31 Las Vegas SUN: Ex-worker sues over Yucca silica 32 US: KIFI: More Radioactive Waste Will Be Moving Out Of Idaho 33 US: Philadelphia Inquirer: E. Whiteland wants a new plan for cleanup 34 US: The State: House OKs budget, more nuclear 35 US: IEER Report: Nuclear Dumps by the Riverside 36 Technology Review: The Witch of Yucca Mountain NUCLEAR WEAPONS 37 US: Nuclear Weapons 'Immoral,' Say Religious, Scientific Leaders US DEPT. OF ENERGY 38 DOE: Agency Information Collection Extension 39 Seattle Times: Energy Northwest to cut 60 jobs at Hanford nuclear pl 40 Las Vegas RJ: Energy's Abraham questioned 41 Tri-City Herald: Hanford officials investigate K Basin accident 42 Rocky Mountain News: Keep Rocky Flats closed, activists tell U.S. ag OTHER NUCLEAR 43 Google News Alert - nuclear ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Las Vegas SUN: Chief Nuclear Inspector to Meet With Bush ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Chief U.N. nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei visits Washington next week for meetings with senior U.S. officials, likely to include President Bush, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday. ElBaradei will "discuss ... efforts to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime," said IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky. Both Bush and ElBaradei have spoken out recently on the need to tighten export controls and other measures meant to prevent the black market trade in nuclear technology and know how. The issue has grown in importance over the past few months with revelations that an illicit supply chain headed by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had provided Libya, Iran and North Korea with equipment and technology that could be used to make nuclear weapons. ElBaradei was scheduled to leave Sunday and return to Vienna Friday morning. -- ***************************************************************** 2 Reuters: U.N. Still Probing Bomb-Grade Uranium Found in Iran [Reuters.com] Thu Mar 11, 2004 04:59 PM ET VIENNA (Reuters) - Nine months after the discovery of weapons-grade uranium in Iran was first reported, the United Nations nuclear watchdog is still investigating its origin, Western diplomats said on Thursday. Diplomats who follow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told Reuters in July 2003 that U.N. inspectors had identified samples of weapons-grade uranium in Iran. "This remains one of the major unresolved questions about Iran's nuclear program," said one Western diplomat. The United States accuses Iran of having a secret atomic weapons program, an allegation Tehran vehemently denies. The agency eventually confirmed the traces had been found on centrifuges at the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility, though Iran told the IAEA the traces were the result of contaminated components imported on a global nuclear black market. The uranium traces -- enriched to a point where it contained 90 percent of the fissile uranium isotope uranium-235, the threshold for weapons-grade material -- are believed to have originated in Pakistan. The father of Pakistan's atom bomb, Adbul Qadeer Khan, has confessed to leaking secrets and selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The IAEA has requested samples of Pakistani highly-enriched uranium (HEU) in order to verify Tehran's explanations, though diplomats said Pakistan has yet to provide them. The agency also found traces of 36 percent enriched uranium, which diplomats say most likely came from Russia, at the Kalaye Electric Company in Iran. However, diplomats who follow the IAEA said the Kalaye traces are most likely not the result of contamination. They say the agency believes a quantity of this enriched uranium was purchased by Iran for experiments of some kind. The IAEA board is expected to adopt a draft resolution on Friday that "deplores" Iran's secrecy about its nuclear program, but calls on it to continue cooperating with the IAEA's 13-month probe of Tehran's nuclear program. ***************************************************************** 3 Reuters: US Hits Roadblock in Iran Talks at UN Nuke Watchdog Fri Mar 12, 2004 06:18 AM ET By Louis Charbonneau VIENNA (Reuters) - Washington and its allies faced tough resistance Friday as non-aligned members of the U.N. atomic watchdog rejected a resolution that sharply criticizes Iran's nuclear secrecy and keeps the door open for sanctions. In backroom meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Canadian, Australian and European diplomats on the IAEA's Board of Governors negotiated with diplomats from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to revise a draft IAEA resolution. The United States, France, Britain and Germany agreed this week on an Australian-Canadian draft text that "deplores" Tehran's withholding of sensitive information from the IAEA and highlights a military link to Tehran's nuclear program. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Pirooz Hosseini, told Reuters the draft was unacceptable and "consultations are going on to... reach an agreed language." Iran is not on the board but is involved in the talks as a key NAM member. NAM states have 13 out of 35 seats on the IAEA board and proposed a series of amendments to tone down the draft resolution. For example, NAM wants the word "deplores" changed to "strongly regrets," but NAM diplomats complained the U.S.-led camp were not being very accommodating. "They've given us peanuts," a non-aligned diplomat told Reuters. "They don't want to budge." He said the NAM block -- the largest on the board -- would not back the resolution if its sponsors did include more of its proposed amendments in the text. The IAEA adopts resolutions by consensus, so the board meeting could run into the weekend. NAM diplomats are not the only ones with problems about the text. Several board members told Reuters the politically powerful Russians also had problems with the text. RUSSIAN WORRIES ABOUT BUSHEHR Russia, which is helping Tehran build an $800 million nuclear power station in Iran, has objected and tried to soften every U.S.-backed IAEA resolution or statement on Iran in the past year. Russian U.N. delegates in Vienna declined to comment. "Russia doesn't like this reference to the military and would like to see it out," said one diplomat. He said Moscow may fear Washington would point to the military link as a reason for Russia to end its lucrative atomic cooperation with Iran. The draft resolution cites IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's finding in his February 24 report on Iran that "most of the workshops used in Iran's centrifuge enrichment program are "owned by military industrial organizations."" ***************************************************************** 4 Hi Pakistan: IAEA talks stall over resolution on Iran’s nuclear programme March 12 2004 VIENNA: Non-aligned and Western diplomats failed to strike a compromise in intense talks on Thursday at the UN nuclear watchdog over a US-backed resolution to condemn Iran for hiding possibly weapons-related atomic activities, a spokesman said. The diplomats were to try again on Friday to resolve differences over a resolution the US wants to hint at possible action against Iran but which non-aligned states want to include more praise for Iran’s efforts to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). After dealing with Libya, delegates at the IAEA meeting debated how harshly to censure Iran for failing to fully expose its nuclear activities and dispel suspicions it wanted to make weapons. Amid closed meetings on the language of an Iran resolution, European diplomats said they were hopeful the final version adopted by the board of governors of the IAEA would be less critical than a draft submitted by the US and Germany, Britain and France. A US official said even that draft was not as tough as what the Americans had hoped for. "It is a compromise," said the US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. "But it deplores Iran’s behaviour, and it notes with serious concern that what Iran said ... did not amount to the correct and full picture of their past and present nuclear programme." Some European officials said, however, that the compromise did not go far enough. "We think the Americans are putting a lot of pressure on Europe," said a European diplomat, suggesting the final language in the Iran resolution would be further toned down. Pirouz Hosseini, Iran’s chief delegate, told reporters the "tough language" in the draft was opposed by the majority at the meeting, "including probably Russia and China," both key board members. He did not elaborate, and delegates from those countries would not comment. Later in the day, non-aligned nations handed a revised draft to the Europeans and the United States with watered-down language, striking whole passages from the original and substituting less critical phrasing in some cases. There was no immediate reaction from the Americans. But signalling a possible deadlock, a western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was only willing to accept "cosmetic changes, not changes in substance" of the draft. Earlier, the conference was adjourned until Friday to give delegates time to meet informally and shape a resolution all can agree on. The United States, which insists the Islamic Republic has a nuclear arms programme, has held of the example of Libya as a nation whose openness has reaped international rewards. Iran asserts its nuclear programmes are peaceful and has promised to cooperate with IAEA inspectors to dispel suspicions prompted by revelations last year of finds of traces of weapons-grade enriched uranium and other things that could be used to make arms. Since then, however, new finds by IAEA inspectors of undeclared items and programmes have cast doubt on Tehran’s assertions that it has no more nuclear secrets. The United States, along with Canada and Australia, wants strong condemnation of Iran. But the Europeans and non-aligned nations at the meeting seek to focus more on Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA. Iran announced plans to resume enrichment something IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that would hurt Tehran’s chances of proving that it has no interest in nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, a diplomat close to the UN atomic agency told AFP the UN nuclear inspectors have found traces of uranium in Iran enriched to over 80 per cent, which would make it weapons-grade, but think this is from contamination of imported equipment rather than refined in Iran. He was commenting on a report in The New York Times, which said the IAEA inspectors had found traces of uranium "enriched to 90 percent of the rare 235 isotope." But the diplomat said that the actual enrichment rate was slightly lower, "around or above 80 per cent" and that these were highly enriched uranium particles that the IAEA has already reported, without mentioning the level of enrichment, in reports issued in November and February. The diplomats stressed that the amount found was microscopically small while some 21 kilograms of U-235 enriched to over 80 per cent are needed to make an atomic bomb. "There is no quantity, absolutely, only individual particles," the diplomat, who asked not to be named, said. "The particles were found on imported equipment, centrifuges," the diplomat said. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 5 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Postpones Visit by U.N. Inspectors By GEORGE JAHN ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran postponed a planned visit by U.N. nuclear inspectors Friday, and American and European delegates at a key atomic agency meeting debated how harshly to censure Tehran for not fully opening its nuclear activities, diplomats said. The inspectors were to be in Iran next week as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency's examination of the Iranian nuclear program, which the United States and other countries claim is trying to make nuclear weapons. Pirooz Hosseini, the chief Iranian delegate to the IAEA, denied that Iran was trying to pressure the agency's board of governors, telling The Associated Press the scheduled inspections were postponed because they would conflict with next week's celebration of the Iranian New Year. When asked why the celebrations were not taken into account when the invitations were first issued, Hosseini said officials made "a simple mistake." The IAEA declined comment, but diplomats, speaking anonymously, said the postponement appeared to be an attempt by Iran to tone down an agency resolution addressing Tehran's spotty record of revealing past nuclear secrets and cooperating with the IAEA probe. Iran, which insists its nuclear intentions are peaceful, has threatened repeatedly over the past few days to reduce cooperation with the U.N. agency if its 35-nation board of governors comes down hard on the Islamic republic. Consultations were set to resume later Friday, and Hosseini indicated some progress was being made. "Step by step, there are some better understandings among the parties," he said without elaborating. On Thursday, the nonaligned bloc at the board of governors watered down a draft resolution backed by the United States, Canada, Australia and European countries. The Western group then rejected the draft as being too gentle on Iran. The deadlock left Australian, Canadian and Irish diplomats shuttling between U.S. and nonaligned representatives trying to bridge the differences. A Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity that U.S. patience was wearing thin. Another diplomat said the United States and the Europeans considered the nonaligned modifications unacceptable because they did not sufficiently criticize Iran's record on nuclear openness. Recent discoveries by IAEA inspectors of undeclared items and programs have cast doubt on Tehran's assertions that it has no more nuclear secrets. An IAEA report last month accused Tehran of hiding evidence of nuclear experiments and noted the discovery of traces of radioactive polonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. The report also expressed concern about the discovery of a previously undisclosed advanced P-2 centrifuge system for processing uranium. Iran asserts its now-suspended enrichment plans are geared only toward generating power. But on Wednesday, Iran announced plans to resume enrichment, eliciting a negative response from Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA chief, who said it would hurt Tehran's chances of proving it has no interest in nuclear weapons. --- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency: http://www.iaea.org [http://www.iaea.org] -- ***************************************************************** 6 Hi Pakistan: North Korea needs nuclear arsenal to defend its existence March 12 2004 PRAGUE, Czech Republic: North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is designed for self-defence only, but the country is ready for more talks on the issue with the United States and other countries, a North Korean official said on Thursday. North Korea’s parliamentary leader, Choe Thae Bok, arrived in Prague for talks with Czech leaders and to reopen diplomatic channels between the two countries. "In a situation when the US deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea we must have our own nuclear arsenal to block the nuclear threat,’’ Choe told reporters through a translator. "The reason for that is to protect our very existence.’’ Choe also said north Korea was ready for more multilateral talks about the country’s nuclear program, assuming concessions on the American side. The United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas held a second round of talks in Beijing last month aimed at ending the nuclear standoff, but the talks brought no major breakthrough. "The U.S. representatives came to Beijing with the same position as in the first round,’’ Choe said, blaming the U.S. side for the breakdown of the talks. "The fundamental problem is for the United States to give up its hostile policies toward North Korea,’’ Choe said. "But we have indicated our willingness for further talks.’’ Choe will spend six days in the Czech Republic. Apart from meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and other Czech leaders, he will also travel to the spa town of Karlovy Vary and the industrial capital of Plzen. After meeting with Choe on Wednesday, Parliament speaker Lubomir Zaoralek indicated the Czech republic could play the role of a diplomatic bridge between North Korea and the European Union. The Czech Republic is set to join the EU on May 1. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 Hi Pakistan: Kasuri asks world to accept Pakistan as N-state --> March 12 2004 ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Thursday asked the world community to recognise the reality and accept Pakistan and India as nuclear power states. "Pakistan and India in particular and Israel to some extent ... there is a known fact that they are recognised power," he said at a seminar on foreign policy organised by the Pakistan Muslim League. The minister told a questioner this reality should be accepted if the purpose of the international attention was non-proliferation. Kasuri suggested there should be some multilateral arrangements if the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was a hindrance in accepting Pakistan, India and Israel as nuclear powers. "Some method should be evolved whether it is through the multilateral arrangements or any other, if the NPT cannot be amended," he said. Kasuri said in line with its principled position, Pakistan was opposed to create any more centres of privileges in the United Nations Security Council. He said the present UNSC structure was built upon a situation that prevailed after the World War II, but the ground realties in recent days have changed. Kasuri also spoke in detail about the main planks of the country’s foreign policy and the steps, the government was taking to ensure national security and sovereignty. On the country’s nuclear programme, the minister said it was linked to the national security and, therefore, could not be compromised. "Pakistan will never compromise on its nuclear capability, it will not roll back or freeze its nuclear programme. The nation should rest assured that the nuclear capability is in safe and professional hands, he said. On the issue of proliferation, he said the government of Pakistan has never proliferated and will never proliferate. "We are a responsible country and we understand our obligations." He said Pakistan has a very strong command and control system and very stringent export control regime and no one should have any doubt about it. Kasuri said Pakistan has responded positively to the evidence provided by IAEA with regard to nuclear programme of Iran. The difficult and bold decisions and actions by President Musharraf and the government of Pakistan have earned positive appreciation from the world and IAEA, he added. The minister stressed that the resolution of the lingering Kashmir dispute was must for a durable peace in South Asia, that also take the aspirations of the Kashmiri people into consideration. Kasuri hoped that the timeframe of talks between Pakistan and India would be faithfully honoured and implemented to achieve progress in future. On terrorism, the minister said Pakistan was fighting terrorism in its own interest. "Terrorism in not in the interest of Pakistan, we are not doing any favour to the United States." He referred to the Quetta carnage and said terrorism was causing destruction of national unity and must be eliminated. On Pak-US relations, the minister said relations with the United States were crucial for Pakistan. He said after the September 11 attacks, Pakistan’s decision to support international efforts in Afghanistan led to an upswing in their bilateral relations. About the report of Far Eastern Economic Review, attributing US Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz, Kasuri said the friendly governments (US) do not talk to each others’ through the press and the international community, including the administration of George W Bush, has appreciated the role of Pakistan in a war against terrorism. "I believe that there is some sort of a denial from the Pentagon (over the statement of Paul Wolfowitz). We are not fighting against terrorism or extremism to please any body but this war is in our own interest as we ourselves are victim of terrorism," he added. Speaking on the Sino-Pak ties, the minister said strengthening of deep and abiding friendship with China continues to remain one of the fundamental goals of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He said after President Musharraf’s visit to Russia, a new chapter of bilateral ties has begun, adding, Pakistan fully supports the faithful implementation of the Bonn Process and efforts of President Hamid Karzai for peace and stability in Afghanistan. "A peaceful, stable and economically prosperous Afghanistan is in our own interest as it is vital for peace and stability in the region," he added. On Iraq, the minister expressed Pakistan’s concern over the law and order situation there. He reiterated Pakistan’s support to the people of Palestine to have an independent and viable Palestinian state and said, this alone could lead to durable peace, which was both comprehensive and just. The minister also spoke at length about Pakistan’s relations with Iran, European Union, UK and Commonwealth, Japan, Korea, Asia Pacific countries and Gulf states. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 Hi Pakistan: Khan pardon may be reversed --> March 12 2004 NEW YORK–US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that the amnesty given to A.Q. Khan could be ‘reversed’ if the nuclear scientist’s cooperation with Pakistani investigators was found ‘inadequate’. But he told a House of Representatives Panel that Dr Khan’s ‘nefarious network’ engaged in the export of nuclear technology has now been shut down. ‘He (Dr Khan) is fully cooperating with Pakistani authorities, who are providing us information,’ the Secretary added. ‘It (the network) is out of business and it will not go back into business,’ Powell said while presenting the President’s budget for fiscal year 2005 to the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations at a hearing in Washington. ‘I know that there are questions about what should happen to Mr A.Q. Khan at this point and this is a matter that the Pakistani authorities will have to deal with,’ he said, obviously referring to the demands from some quarters that the scientist should be punished. ‘Dr Khan is considered something of a national hero in Pakistan for helping to create a nuclear deterrent for Pakistan,’ Powell told the House Subcommittee’s members. ‘But at the same time, he (Dr Khan) was doing things which were totally inconsistent with his obligations, totally inconsistent with proliferation activities,’ he said. ‘We pointed it out to Pakistanis. We provided them the intelligence information. New revelations that became known to us as a result of our efforts in Libya were presented to the Pakistan authorities, and as you know, Dr A.Q. Khan acknowledged what he had done, went on television, and we are now learning more and more... ‘And President Musharraf determined that, at this point, the best outcome for Pakistan, and to make sure this network truly was dug up and removed root and branch, was to provide a conditional amnesty to Dr Khan, a conditional amnesty that can be reversed if President Musharraf believes that cooperation is inadequate or he believes another set of actions is appropriate’. The 2005 budget provides for more than $5.7 billion for assistance to those countries that are supporting US war on terrorism, including Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Afghanistan, Colombia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Highlights of the President’s request include $700m for Pakistan to help advance security and economic opportunity for Pakistan’s citizens, including a multi-year educational support programme; $461m for Jordan, to increase economic opportunities for Jordanian communities and to strengthen Jordan’s ability to secure its borders; and $577m for Colombia, to support President Uribe’s unified campaign against drugs and terrorism. In his testimony, Powell reported progress in attacking terrorist organisations and said, ‘Pakistan has apprehended more than 500 al Qaeda terrorists and members of the Taliban through the leadership of President Musharraf, stronger border security measures and law enforcement cooperation throughout the country’. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Hi Pakistan: Powell to take up NPT issue --> March 12 2004 ISLAMABAD, March 11: US Secretary of State Colin Powell is arriving here on March 17. Informed sources said here on Thursday that Mr Powell would discuss with the Pakistan leadership issues relating to nuclear non-proliferation , bilateral cooperation, of accelerating war on terror and ways of ensuring lasting peace and security in South Asia during his stay in Islamabad. The sources said that the signing of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would also be raised by the US Secretary of State during the talks. Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan when contacted said that Pakistan was a nuclear weapon state and if it was recognized as a nuclear power it would consider signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, Mr Khan said the major focus of Mr Powell's visit was to ensure continuation of the peace process between Pakistan and India. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 GN Online: Pakistan, India and Israel 'are N-states' [http://www.gulfnews.com] Dubai:Friday, March 12, 2004 Islamabad |By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent | 12-03-2004 Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri said yesterday the world community should accept the reality and recognise India, Pakistan and Israel as nuclear powers. "If the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) cannot be amended, some multilateral arrangement or any other method should be found to recognise the reality," he told a foreign policy seminar organised by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party. He argued that recognition of the existing reality would be in line with the world community's focus on non-proliferation. Kasuri underlined that Pakistan had proved its credentials as a responsible nuclear state by dismantling a clandestine proliferation network. He said the government had never proliferated would never do so. "We are a responsible country and we understand our obligations." Pakistan has a very strong command and control system and "very stringent export control regime and no one should have any doubt about it," he said. Kasuri said the "difficult and bold decisions and action" taken by President Pervez Musharraf and the government had earned positive appreciation from the world community. He reiterated that the country's nuclear programme was linked to national security and there could be no compromise on it. Pakistan would never freeze or roll back its nuclear programme, Kasuri said. "The nation should rest assured that the nuclear capability, which enjoys national consensus, is in safe professional hands." Kasuri also said a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiri people was a must for durable peace in South Asia. He called for taking forward the current peace process betwee Pakistan and India by faithfully honouring and implementing the dialogue timetable decided during the meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries in February. Kasuri said reciprocal flexibility was necessary for the success of the peace dialogue. ***************************************************************** 11 NRC: Notice of Availability of a Regulatory Issue Summary for FR Doc 04-5597 [Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)] [Notices] [Page 11899] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr04-91] Deferring Active Regulation of Ground-Water Protection at In Situ Leach Uranium Extraction Facilities AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment. SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2004-02, ``Deferral of Active Regulation of Ground-Water Protection at In Situ Leach (ISL) Uranium Extraction Facilities'' dated February 23, 2004. The NRC regulation of ground water at ISL facilities often duplicates the ground-water protection programs required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, as administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or EPA-authorized States. The NRC is proposing to end duplication of ground-water protection programs at ISL facilities by deferring active ground-water regulation to EPA-authorized States. The RIS summarizes the process that the NRC plans to use for insuring that a State's ground-water protection program provides adequate protection of public health and safety, and the environment, equivalent to the NRC program. Interested parties may comment on the proposed approach. The comment period will be open for 30 days from the publication of this notice. ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of this document are available for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] (the Public Electronic Reading Room). RIS 2004-02 is under Adams Accession Number ML040550197. The document is also available for inspection or copying for a fee at the NRC's Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O1-F21, Rockville, Maryland, 20852. This guidance document is not copyrighted, and Commission approval is not required to reproduce it. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Lusher, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Mail Stop T-8 A33, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-7694, or by e-mail at jhl@nrc.gov [ jhl@nrc.gov] . Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 5th day of March, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Robert A. Nelson, Chief, Uranium Processing Section, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 04-5597 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 12 NRC: Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Millstone Power Station, FR Doc 04-5599 [Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)] [Notices] [Page 11897-11898] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr04-89] Units 2 and 3; Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Applications and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing Regarding Renewal of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-65 AND NPF-49 for an Additional 20-Year Period The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is considering applications for the renewal of Operating License Nos. DPR- 65 and NPF-49, which authorize the Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., to operate the Millstone Power Station at 2700 megawatts thermal for Unit 2 and at 3411 megawatts thermal for Unit 3, respectively. The renewed licenses would authorize the applicant to operate Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3, for an additional 20-years beyond the period specified in the current licenses. The current operating license for the Millstone Unit 2 (DRP-65) expires on July 31, 2015; the current operating license for Millstone Unit 3 expires on November 25, 2025. On January 22, 2004, the Commission's staff received applications from Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. filed pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54, to renew the Operating License Nos. DPR-65 and NPF-49 for Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3, respectively. A Notice of Receipt and Availability of the license renewal applications, ``Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Notice of Receipt and Availability of Application for Renewal of Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3, Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-65 and NPF-49 for Additional 20-Year Period,'' was published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2004 (69 FR 5197). The Commission's staff has determined that Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. has submitted sufficient information in accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23, and 51.53(c) that is acceptable for docketing. The current Docket Nos. 50-336 and 50-423 for Operating License Nos. DPR-65 and NPF-49, respectively, will be retained. The docketing of the renewal applications does not preclude requesting additional information as the review proceeds, nor does it predict whether the Commission will grant or deny the application. Before issuance of each requested renewed license, the NRC will have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations. In accordance with 10 CFR 54.29, the NRC will issue a renewed license on the basis of its review if it finds that actions have been identified and have been or will be taken with respect to (1) managing the effects of aging during the period of extended operation on the functionality of structures and components that have been identified as requiring aging management review, and (2) time-limited aging analyses that have been identified as requiring review, such that there is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the renewed licenses will continue to be conducted in accordance with the current licensing basis (CLB), and that any changes made to the plant's CLB comply with the Act and the Commission's regulations. Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will prepare an environmental impact statement that is a supplement to the Commission's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated May 1996. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.26, and as part of the environmental scoping process, the staff intends to hold a public scoping meeting. Detailed information regarding this meeting will be included in a future Federal Register notice. Within 60 days after the date of publication of this Federal Register Notice, the applicant may file a request for a hearing, and any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene with respect to the renewal of the licenses. Requests for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing Proceedings'' in 10 CFR Part 2. Interested persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852 and is accessible from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] . Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC's PDR reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . If a request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene is filed within the 60-day period, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel will rule on the request and/or petition; and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an appropriate order. In the event that no request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is filed within the 60-day period, the NRC may, upon completion of its evaluations and upon making the findings required under 10 CFR parts 51 and 54, renew the licenses without further notice. [[Page 11898]] As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of the proceeding, taking into consideration the limited scope of matters that may be considered pursuant to 10 CFR parts 51 and 54. The petition must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) The nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right under the Atomic Energy Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (2) the nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (3) the possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the proceeding on the requestor's/petitioner's interest. The petition must also set forth the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor seeks to have litigated at the proceeding. Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the requestor/petitioner shall provide a brief explanation of the bases of each contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or the expert opinion that supports the contention on which the requestor/ petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The requestor/petitioner must also provide references to those specific sources and documents of which the requestor/petitioner is aware and on which the requestor/petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinion. The requestor/petitioner must provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact.\1\ Contentions shall be limited to matters within the scope of the action under consideration. The contention must be one that, if proven, would entitle the requestor/ petitioner to relief. A requestor/petitioner who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \1\ To the extent that the applications contain attachments and supporting documents that are not publically available because they are asserted to contain safeguards or proprietary information, petitioners desiring access to this information should contact the applicant or applicant's counsel and discuss the need for a protective order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Each contention shall be given a separate numeric or alpha designation within one of the following groups: 1. Technical--primarily concerns/issues relating to technical and/ or health and safety matters discussed or referenced in the applicant's safety analysis for the Millstone Power Station Unit 2 and Unit 3 license renewal applications. 2. Environmental--primarily concerns issues relating to matters discussed or referenced in the Environmental Report for the license renewal applications. 3. Miscellaneous--does not fall into one of the categories outlined above. As specified in 10 CFR 2.309, if two or more requestors/petitioners seek to co-sponsor a contention, the requestors/petitioners shall jointly designate a representative who shall have the authority to act for the requestors/petitioners with respect to that contention. If a requestor/petitioner seeks to adopt the contention of another sponsoring requestor/petitioner, the requestor/petitioner who seeks to adopt the contention must either agree that the sponsoring requestor/ petitioner shall act as the representative with respect to that contention, or jointly designate with the sponsoring requestor/ petitioner a representative who shall have the authority to act for the requestors/petitioners with respect to that contention. Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing, including the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing. A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First class mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier, express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (3) e-mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV [ HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV] ; or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at 301- 415-1101, verification number is 301-415-1966. A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene must also be sent to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that copies be transmitted either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov [OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] . A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to the attorney for the licensee. Nontimely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition, request and/or contentions should be granted based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii). Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/lice nsing/renewal.html] on the NRC's Web page. Copies of the applications to renew the operating licenses for Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3, are available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, 20855- 2738, and on the NRC's Web page at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applicati ons.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/lice nsing/renewal/applications.html] while the application is under review. The NRC maintains an Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] under ADAMS accession number ML0402701666. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS may contact the NRC Public Document Room Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e- mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . The staff has verified that a copy of the license renewal applications is also available to local residents near the Millstone Power Station at the Waterford Public Library, 49 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, Connecticut 06385-2806, and at the Three Rivers Community College, Thames River Campus, 574 New London Turnpike, Norwich, Connecticut 06360. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of March 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-5599 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 13 Bellona: High capacity 1,500MW reactor’s design to be ready in three years Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry plans to develop a new type of high-capacity nuclear reactor by 2007, Russia's state nuclear energy holding Rosenergoatom said in a statement on January 23. 2004-03-12 16:32 The project has been launched to replace the existing power generating facilities as the ministry estimates that by the end of the decade conventional thermal power units with a combined capacity of about 30,000 MW will have to be put out of operation in Russia due to their expired lifetime. The new reactor, with a capacity of 1,500 MW called VVER-1500, is estimated to cost $78m to design, while the construction of a power unit using this type of reactor will cost some $1.3 billion, a Rosenergoatom official told Prime-TASS. The official also said $400m should be spent on designing the reactor this year. According to Rosenergoatom, the construction of the first such reactor may be expected by 2013. The new reactor is to be constructed at the Leningrad NPP. Publisher: [bellona@bellona.no] , President: [frederic@bellona.no] Information: [info@bellona.no] , Technical contact: [webmaster@bellona.no] Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 14 toledoblade.com: Davis-Besse woes rated among America’s worst Friday, March 12, 2004 By TOM HENRY [thenry@theblade.com] BLADE STAFF WRITER WASHINGTON - Former President Jimmy Carter’s point man at the scene of the Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979 yesterday said he ranks the near-rupture of Davis-Besse’s reactor head in 2002 as "the second most important event in the history of [U.S.] nuclear safety." Harold Denton, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s nuclear reactor regulation chief in 1979, ranked the 1985 Davis-Besse shutdown because of reactor coolant as the third worst safety failure at any of the nation’s 103 nuclear plants. Mr. Denton, credited with helping a troubled nation make sense of the accident at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979, appeared on countless television newscasts on behalf of Mr. Carter after he arrived on the scene on the crisis’ third day. Concern over the situation at the plant along the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pa., was so high at the time that federal officials - admittedly unsure themselves what was happening and often unable to get through to key people because of jammed phone lines - feared chaos could have ensued. Now retired and a private nuclear consultant in Knoxville, Tenn., Mr. Denton yesterday became the latest former or current NRC official to put Davis-Besse’s safety lapses into a national context with Three Mile Island. "If you had asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said the demons of Three Mile Island had been exorcised. But you can’t quite say that today because of Davis-Besse," Mr. Denton told about 1,300 people from 21 countries attending the NRC’s 16th annual Regulatory Information Conference at the Capitol Hilton here. "I would rank [Davis-Besse’s reactor head corrosion] the second-most important event in the history of [U.S.] nuclear safety. And the third also would be at Davis-Besse, for the 1985 loss-of-feedwater event there," he said. FirstEnergy Corp., which got authorization Monday to restart Davis-Besse, expects to be generating electricity at the plant near Oak Harbor next week for the first time in more than two years, said Richard Wilkins, company spokesman. Nuclear reactors need to operate at 15 percent or greater power to generate electricity. FirstEnergy got Davis-Besse’s reactor running at 1:42 p.m. yesterday for the first time since it had been shut down Feb. 16, 2002. Prior to that, the utility had been diluting the reactor’s boron concentrate enough for the fission process to resume. It is taking a slow, conservative approach while an enhanced NRC inspection team performs heightened evaluations, Mr. Wilkins said. The company plans to stop at various intervals before taking the reactor back to full power. Full power capacity won’t likely be achieved for at least a week after the point in which electricity starts being generated again, he said. The two-year shutdown at Davis-Besse has cost FirstEnergy more than $605 million for a new reactor lid, other new equipment, repairs, and replacement power. NRC Commissioner Edward McGaffigan, Jr. yesterday urged nuclear executives to remember their industry is "only as strong as its weakest members." "Unfortunately, there are some who get themselves in trouble with us and with the industry. Obviously, Davis-Besse is the poster child for this," Mr. McGaffigan told conference attendees. He cited a recent article in which Alex Marion, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s engineering director, was quoted as saying that the industry itself was taken by surprise by the problems at Davis-Besse because it "never expected anybody to ignore the obvious for so long." "I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Marion," Mr. McGaffigan said. "... You have to make sure complacency is rooted out of your industry." NRC Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield ranked implementation of lessons learned from the Davis-Besse safety failures as sixth among what he sees as the NRC’s top eight nationwide priorities for 2004. "When you look at the past history of this agency, we do a great job of putting together Lessons Learned Task Forces," Mr. Merrifield said. "We do not do a good job of follow-up." Tom Henry can be reached at thenry@theblade.com or 419-724-6079. For earlier stories on Davis-Besse, go to www.toledoblade.com/davisbesse. © 2004 The Blade. The Toledo Blade Company, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660 , (419) 724-6000 ***************************************************************** 15 Xinhuanet: Sinha says India is a mature nuclear power www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-03-12 21:04:24 NEW DELHI, March 12(Xinhuanet)-- Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said Friday that India is a mature nuclear power and the imposition of an imperfect non-proliferation order compelled it to make the transition from nuclear abstinence to a reluctant nuclear power. Sinha made the remarks at "India Today Conclave 2004", a two-day meeting organized by India's most popular magazine India Today,while speaking on the theme "Geopolitics: what it takes to be a world power." In a world where weapons of mass destruction are still to be eliminated, nuclear weapons sadly remain the ultimate guarantor ofa nation's security, he said. The minister noted that cognizance must be taken of the fact that India is a mature nuclear power, which takes the responsibility of possessing this awesome capability very seriously . After the 1998 tests, Sinha said that the first thing India did was to declare a "no-first-use" policy and a unilateral ban ontesting while expressing willingness to enter into negotiations onan fissile material cut-off treaty. Further, India has repeatedly reiterated its commitment to a complete and universal elimination of nuclear weapons, he said. Though India is not part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it believes in and upholds the broader non-proliferation goals of the treaty, for its frailties and drawbacks affect India as well, he said, stressing that India did not seek to snatch territory from others or rewrite the history of the sub-continent.Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Paducah: Update by NRC at Massac [http://www.paducahsun.com/] Paducah, Kentucky Friday, March 12, 2004 Update by NRC at Massac Staff Report METROPOLIS, Ill. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss improvements Honeywell has made since a Dec. 22 toxic gas release that caused neighbors to flee and the company to shut down its Metropolis uranium processing plant. The meeting will be in the second-floor large courtroom at the Massac County Courthouse at 1 Superman Square. People may observe and ask questions of the NRC staff at the end of the meeting. Discussion will center on efforts to improve plant safety and emergency preparedness. NRC inspectors have asked the company to say during the meeting what changes have been made to support restarting production. During the meeting, no decision will be made when to restart the plant, the NRC said. Plant managers said earlier they were working with local emergency services officials to improve communication if there is another release. In December, about seven pounds of uranium hexafluoride rose 86 feet high, and light winds pushed the chemicals northwest. NRC inspectors said during a January public meeting that although the release was the plant's fourth since September, it had little effect on worker or public health and safety. The mildly radioactive gas is mainly a chemical threat because it emits caustic hydrogen fluoride, they said. ***************************************************************** 17 NRC: NRC to Meet with FPL Officials to Discuss Safety Performance at Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant News Release - Region II - 2004-00 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II No. II-04-009 March 12, 2004 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov [opa2@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with Florida Power & Light officials on Wednesday, March 24, to discuss the results of NRC's annual assessment of safety performance at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant south of Miami, Florida. The meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers Room of the Homestead City Hall, 790 N. Homestead Blvd., in Homestead, Florida. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and NRC officials will be available before the conclusion of the meeting to answer any questions. A letter from the NRC to Florida Power & Light addresses plant safety performance during the previous year and forms the basis for the meeting discussions. The letter indicates that, overall, Turkey Point operated safely and that plant performance was at a level requiring no additional NRC inspection beyond normal baseline activities. The letter, which is available from Region II Public Affairs and on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/tp_2003q4.pdf, also says the NRC staff will continue to conduct inspections at Turkey Point in the areas of reactor pressure vessel lower head penetration nozzles, reactor containment sump blockage, spent fuel material control and accountability, and post-reactor head replacement containment welds and concrete repairs. The NRC will also continue to conduct additional inspections of the implementation of any new security Orders and any new requirements added to the current security program. Current performance indicators for the two units at the Turkey Point plant are available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP3/tp3_chart.html and http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP4/tp4_chart.html. Last revised Friday, March 12, 2004 ***************************************************************** 18 NRC: NRC to Meet with FPL Officials to Discuss Safety Performance at St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant News Release - Region II - 2004-01 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II No. II-04-010 March 12, 2004 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov [opa2@nrc.gov] the results of NRC's annual assessment of safety performance at the St. Lucie nuclear power plant on Hutchinson Island off the east coast of Florida. The meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the Pelican Room of the Courtyard by Marriott, 10978 S. Ocean Drive, in Jensen Beach, Florida. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and NRC officials will be available before the conclusion of the meeting to answer any questions. A letter from the NRC to Florida Power & Light addresses plant safety performance during the previous year and forms the basis for the meeting discussions. The letter states that, overall, St. Lucie operated safely but that plant performance was at a level requiring additional NRC inspection beyond normal baseline activities due to four unplanned scrams (unplanned, automatic shutdowns) in 7,000 hours of operation during the assessment period. However, because the NRC conducted a supplemental inspection related to the scrams this past February, only baseline inspections will be needed for the remainder of this year. The NRC will also conduct additional inspections in the areas of reactor pressure vessel head and vessel head penetration nozzles, reactor containment sump blockage, and spent fuel material control and accountability. The NRC said it will also continue to conduct inspections of the plants implementation of security Orders, along with implementation of any new security requirements. The letter is available from Region II Public Affairs and on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/stl_2003q4.pdf. Current performance indicators for the two units at the St. Lucie plant are available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/STL1/stl1_chart.html and www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/STL2/stl2_chart.html. Last revised Friday, March 12, 2004 ***************************************************************** 19 NRC: NRC Announces Opportunity for Hearing on Application to Renew Millstone Nuclear Plant, Units 2 and 3, Operating Licenses News Release - 2004-03 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-033 March 12, 2004 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has announced the opportunity to request a hearing on the applications from Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. to renew the operating licenses for Units 2 and 3 of the Millstone nuclear power plant for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in the current licenses. Millstone is located in Waterford, Connecticut. The current operating licenses for Unit 2 and Unit 3 expire on July 31, 2015, and November 25, 2025, respectively. NRC staff have determined that Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. has submitted sufficient information for the agency to formally docket, or file, the applications. Docketing the applications does not preclude requesting additional information as the review proceeds, nor does it indicate whether the Commission will grant or deny the applications. Based on the Atomic Energy Act, NRC issues licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years and allows these licenses to be renewed for another 20 years. A 40-year license term was selected on the basis of economic and anti-trust considerations -- not technical limitations. The license renewal process proceeds along two tracks -- one for review of safety issues and another for environmental issues. In addition to the public meeting held February 17 at Millstone, several meetings will be held during the review process. The deadline for requesting participation in the hearing is May 11 (60 days after publication of a Federal Register Notice, on March 12). By that date, petitions must be filed by anyone whose interest may be affected by the license renewal, and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding. Petitions for a hearing must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. They may also be delivered to the NRC Public Document Room at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Copies of the petition should also be sent to: -- Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20555-0001, and by fax, 301-415-3725, or e-mail, OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov [OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] ; -- Secretary of the Commission by fax, 301-415-1101, or e-mail to hearingdocket@nrc.gov [hearingdocket@nrc.gov] and -- David A. Christian, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., Innsbrook Technical Center, 5000 Dominion Boulevard, Glen Allen, VA 23060-6711. Additional information about the opportunity for a hearing may be found in the Federal Register Notice. Copies of the license renewal applications are available on the NRC web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applicati ons/millstone.html. The documents are also available for inspection at the NRCs Public Document Room in Rockville, Maryland, and are available at the Waterford Public Library in Waterford, Connecticut, and Three Rivers Community College, Thames River Campus in Norwich, Connecticut. For further information, contact Russell Arrighi or Johnny Eads, License Renewal Project Manager, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O11-F1, Washington, DC 20555; telephone 301-415-3936 and 301-415-1471, respectively. Last revised Friday, March 12, 2004 ***************************************************************** 20 UK: thisisplymouth MEACHER: MY DOUBTS OVER TRITIUM SAFETY 17:18 - 12 March 2004 The Government minister who authorised a major increase in radioactive discharges in Plymouth has admitted he had 'considerable doubts' before taking the hugely controversial decision. Michael Meacher MP, Environment Minister from 1997-2003, said he felt 'deeply suspicious' about the scientific evidence presented to him before he and fellow ministers allowed a 500 per cent increase in tritium discharges into the River Tamar in February 2002. Speaking to the Herald after a public meeting on nuclear safety at the Guildhall last night, he said: "I deeply and strongly suspected that some of the advice I was given was not based on the best science. "I had very considerable doubts and I asked a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) to provide an independent assessment of the case from the Environment Agency. The NGO report did not challenge it enough: but I wanted it to. I was very concerned about this and very suspicious and very uneasy. But I allowed it because I had no good counter-evidence." Mr Meacher revealed how he tried to persuade defence officials and civil servants that the case for increasing tritium discharges in Plymouth could be seriously flawed - and how he eventually had to give up. He said: "I did push hard. I pushed the Ministry of Defence hard on it. But when you have got official bodies advising the Government and saying they have done a full analysis, how can you as a minister challenge it? I am not a scientist. I simply did not have the weapons to challenge it. A minister cannot act arbitrarily. You have to support your claims and other ministers have to support you. If I had simply said I am not accepting the official view, the matter would go to other ministers and No.10." Mr Meacher said he did not consider resigning over the issue because he believed he should stay in office and 'fight your corner as best you can'. When challenged during the meeting by veteran Plymouth anti-nuclear campaigner Ken Tucker, who said it was 'incredible' he was now 'rubbishing' the advice he was given as a minister, Mr Meacher said: "I went on the basis of advice I was given. I was certainly aware at that time there was uncertainty about the science. But I am not a minister who said one thing in office and another as an MP." At the public meeting, organised by the Green Party and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Mr Meacher said he believed current evidence on radiation was 'seriously flawed'. He is calling for more research into the methods used to calculate the risk posed to humans from radiation. Mr Meacher's comments will be fresh ammunition to environmental campaigners, who argue the Government should never have allowed DML the licence to increase the level of tritiated waste pumped from the HMS Vanguard nuclear submarine during its Devonport refit. thisisdevon.co.uk/] ***************************************************************** 21 Salt Lake Tribune: Cover all downwinders March 12, 2004 The Utah Legislature should be commended for voting overwhelmingly to pass House Joint Resolution 20, to urge from nuclear testing to downwinders in all Utah counties. Currently only 10 counties in Southern Utah are covered. The resolution passed unanimously in the House (75-0) and passed unanimously on the first reading in the Senate (25-0), then 22-3 in the second reading. This is an important step in recognizing that all of Utah was hit with fallout during the years of nuclear testing. The resolution originally wanted to add four more Utah counties to eligibility under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Rep. Eli Anderson, D-Tremonton, introduced a friendly amendment to add all Utah counties. Every county in Utah received levels of radiation higher than those received by Lander County, Nev., which is eligible for RECA. In addition, counties on the Wasatch Front received fallout levels two to four times as high as some Utah counties currently covered by RECA. The Utah Legislature is sending an important message to Congress that all of Utah was affected by nuclear testing. Currently, the National Academies of Sciences has appointed a committee to study whether RECA should be expanded. An amendment requires that the Legislature's resolution be sent to that committee. This is a good start in recognizing that equal exposure deserves equal compensation. M.J. Dickson Salt Lake City "> Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 22 Las Vegas RJ: NLV man files lawsuit in toxic dust case Friday, March 12, 2004 Filing alleges exposure at Yucca Mountain By KEITH ROGERS REVIEW-JOURNAL Lawyers for a North Las Vegas man who alleges he was exposed to toxic dust while federal contractors carved a tunnel in Yucca Mountain to explore the planned nuclear waste burial site filed a lawsuit against the companies Thursday. The lawsuit by Gene Griego, filed in Clark County District Court, claims Department of Energy contractors participated in a "corrupt and fraudulent scheme" to expose Griego and other tunnel workers "to dust so extraordinarily toxic that it amounts to a deadly time-bomb." It seeks unspecified damages and consideration for class-action status. Named as defendants are Bechtel Corp. and subsidiaries, including the prime Yucca Mountain Project contractor, Bechtel SAIC Co., as well as Kiewit Group, whose construction company used a machine to bore the five-mile exploratory tunnel in Yucca Mountain. The lawsuit also names as defendants Morrison-Knudsen, Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services Inc., and TRW Environmental Safety Systems Inc. and related companies. Beatrice Reilly, communications manager for Bechtel SAIC Co., said, "We were surprised when we heard about it and we're waiting to receive the lawsuit ourselves and have our lawyers review it. We hope to have a comment at another time." Allen Benson, an Energy Department spokesman said officials for the agency's Office of Repository Development have seen the lawsuit but won't comment on it. The lawsuit doesn't name the Department of Energy as a defendant. A spokesman for Kiewit Construction, Tom Janssen, said about the lawsuit, "We just got it, and we're looking into it." The lawsuit comes four days before a Senate field hearing on the issue set for Monday at the Clark County Government Center and on the heels of allegations last month by Griego and other workers first reported by the Review-Journal. The workers blame their chronic lung ailments on inhaling dust laden with silica including a cancer-causing fibrous mineral, erionite, and a sister mineral, mordenite, during the tunnel excavation from 1994 to 1997. Griego, a Los Alamos, N.M., national laboratory employee, worked as a tunnel supervisor during the excavation. In a telephone interview Thursday, Griego called the lawsuit filed by attorney G. Mark Albright "just an opening shot in the battle." "I want some justice and to get medical attention for all these people who are sick now or will become sick. I want everybody who was involved in this thing held accountable," he said. Among other charges, the eight count complaint lists allegations of willful or wanton misconduct, gross negligence, fraudulent concealment and failure to warn. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 23 SUN: Lawmakers seek facts in nuke incident TheSunLink.com Friday, Mar 12 How a Trident missile mishap reportedly occurred BANGOR • Reps. Norm Dicks and Jay Insleee want a full briefing from the Navy next week. Chris Barron Sun Staff The Navy's continuing refusal to discuss the serious mishandling of a nuclear missile at Bangor in November has angered the region's two congressmen, who have demanded a full briefing about the incident next week. U.S. Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, and Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, said Thursday that the Navy should be more open and forthright in acknowledging serious mishaps involving the handling of nuclear weapons. "I don't think questions (about the incident) were answered, and answers that were provided were very general and unspecific," Dicks said after viewing answers sent to The Sun on Thursday by the Navy. The answers, sent in response to a series of questions from The Sun about the incident, failed even to acknowledge that an incident had taken place. "I'm determined to have a briefing and find out what the facts are ...," Dicks said. "I want to have a full understanding of what happened. "I always think we're better off in society if we have a good knowledge and understanding of what happened. If there was a mistake made, I don't think it should be covered up." According to a posting this month on a military-related Web site and a growing number of other sources who have requested anonymity, the November incident involved the nose cone of a nuclear-armed Trident C-4 missile being punctured as it was being offloaded from a submarine at Bangor. A ladder mistakenly left in the missile tube on the submarine USS Georgia's tore a 9-inch hole in the missile's nose cone and came within inches of hitting a nuclear warhead, sources said. The incident ultimately led to the dismissal of four top officers at Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, which stores and handles nuclear missiles and warheads at Naval Submarine Base Bangor. The Navy said national security requirements prevent it from discussing operations at its nuclear weapons facilities, but added no weapons-handling incidents at the base have ever "threatened the safety of the base, the local population or the environment." Inslee said it's that very population that deserves answers and reassurances from the Navy that safety is its top concern and that no danger exists. "I am very troubled by the circumstances surrounding the reported mishap at the Bangor facility," Inslee said. "The safety of the residents and employees is of the utmost importance when moving nuclear weapons." Inslee added, "We're going to go into considerable detail with the Navy to make sure they're going to the Nth degree for safety." Dicks and Inslee are scheduled next week to meet with Rear Adm. Charles Young, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, which oversees the service's nuclear weapons facilities. While the Navy didn't acknowledge -- or deny -- Thursday that the November mishandling incident happened, Pat Sims, Strategic Systems Programs spokeswoman, said the likelihood of a warhead exploding during weapons handling is remote. "Warheads in the U.S. inventory are designed to be extremely robust," she said. "During development they are tested in a wide range of extreme environments, far more severe than those encountered during weapons handling operations." Because the incident didn't involve an explosion or a release of contaminants, the Navy didn't report it to local emergency management officials. Phyllis Mann, director of Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, didn't have a problem with that. She said the Navy followed proper protocols in not notifying her agency. "They would have to notify us if there was imminent danger, but it doesn't appear in this case that there was," Mann said. Mann, who has received nuclear training by the Navy, said her agency and the Navy have trained for such an incident at Bangor. And she's confident the Navy would have notified her had a warhead been struck. Following the November mishandling incident, Bangor's SWFPAC failed a weeklong nuclear inspection. A few days later, Capt. Keith Lyles was relieved of command. Since then, Lyles' top two officers -- Cmdr. Phillip Jackson, executive officer, and Cmdr. Marshall Millett, weapons officer -- also were reportedly reassigned. Other sailors involved in the mishap are facing courts-martial or other disciplinary action. Inslee said the Navy's removal of its top officers shows it took the incident seriously. "The Navy appears to have understood the severity of this due to their personnel decisions," he said. "Those are significant decisions." The Navy came closest to acknowledging missile-handling procedures were violated in its explanation of why the SWFPAC officers were removed. "Strategic weapons facilities use very detailed procedures to which we require strict compliance," Sims said. "Even the smallest deviations from procedure are not tolerated. We take these issues very seriously and take rapid and thorough action to retrain and rectify the individuals involved before allowing them to return to work. "We hold leadership responsible for the effectiveness of training and certification." Following the November missile incident, the Navy shut down missile handling operations at SWFPAC for nearly nine weeks, according to the Web site posting about the incident. The Navy said a halt in the operations at SWFPAC didn't hinder the mission of its nuclear-powered subs. Walter Fitzpatrick, a former Navy officer whose career was ended by a court-martial and now spends much of his time working for reforms in the military justice system, was the first to publicly describe the incident on the Web site "The JAG Hunter." He based the description on information provided by others, but would not name them. "People can't come forward when they know something bad has happened," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If you come out and report something like that you stand in jeopardy of court-martial." Reach reporter Chris Barron at (360) 792-9228 or at cbarron@thesunlink.com. [cbarron@thesunlink.com] 2004© The SUN, 545 5th St., PO Box 259, Bremerton, WA 98337, Toll-free 1-888-377-3711, webmaster@thesunlink.com [webmaster@thesunlink.com] ***************************************************************** 24 The Sun: How a Trident missile mishap reportedly occurred TheSunLink.com Friday, Mar 12 During the offloading of a nuclear missile from the Trident submarine USS Georgia on Nov. 7, a hoist reportedly pulled the missile up into a ladder that punctured its nose cone. March 12, 2004 • At the conclusion of each patrol by a Trident submarine, the Navy offloads two of a sub's 24 nuclear missiles for inspection. During the offloading process, a protective casing is placed into a missile tube so that the nuclear missile is not exposed and can be lifted out by an overhead hoist. • During the November incident at Naval Submarine Base Bangor's explosives handling wharf, a ladder was mistakenly left in the missile tube of USS Georgia, according to several sources. The ladder is used to secure cables to the nuclear missile so it can be lifted up into the protective casing. • With the ladder in the missile tube, the missile was lifted up in the protective casing. • As the ladder ripped a hole into the nose cone, the lifting of the missile was stopped with the ladder inches from one of the nuclear warheads mounted under the nose cone. • Each warhead has a plutonium pit surrounded by conventional explosives. Had the ladder hit a warhead, it's unclear what would have happened next. It's possible that a non-nuclear explosion could have occurred, causing the radioactive plutonium to be released into the water of Hood Canal or the air. 2004© The SUN, 545 5th St., PO Box 259, Bremerton, WA 98337, Toll-free 1-888-377-3711, [webmaster@thesunlink.com] ***************************************************************** 25 [NukeNet] Wackenhut Security Issues, Workers Sue over Yucca Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 14:32:49 -0800 ***please forward widely*** ***apologies for cross-posting*** March 12, 2004 This email contains three (3) items: an action alert, a press release, and a notice. !!! A C T I O N A L E R T !!! Wackenhut is Putting Our Homeland Security At Risk When it comes to security at a nuclear power plant or weapons facility, there is no margin for error. Last year we asked you to take action because Wackenhut was cutting corners on security at the Indian Point #2 nuclear power plant. Since then things have only gotten worse. In January, Wackenhut was caught cheating on a major security drill at the Oak Ridge nuclear weapons plant in Tennessee. For the sake of the safety of all Americans, we urge you to take action again to demand that oversight agencies conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of all of Wackenhut's security contracts at nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons facilities. **SEND A MESSAGE TO ASK OVERSIGHT AGENCIES TO REVIEW WACKENHUT'S CONTRACT** http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/wackenhut2/ **TELL YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS** http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/wackenhut2/forward/ [this campaign administered by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)] =========================================== * P R E S S R E L E A S E * March 11, 2004 Contact: Erica Hartman (202) 454-5174 Michele Boyd (202) 454-5134 Yucca Mountain: Another Example of Department of Energy's Disregard for Workers' Health Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program The class action lawsuit filed today by current and former workers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Yucca Mountain site in Nevada is a chance to bring some accountability to an agency that has been sorely lacking it. Estimates are that more than 1,200 employees have been exposed to potentially dangerous amounts of silica dust while working at the site. Inhalation of silica dust can lead to silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease. Three people have been diagnosed, and one of those has died from the disease. The DOE admitted in a February 2004 letter to U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that it was "aware of the potential for the silica to become airborne during mining operations, which commenced in 1992, and tunnel boring operations, which started in 1994," yet it did not provide adequate respiratory protection and enforcement until 1996. In October 2002, a former industrial hygienist with the construction company that built the tunnel testified in a separate lawsuit that a supervisor ordered her to falsify data on the toxic dust levels so that they were recorded as lower than they actually were. Unfortunately, this is indicative of a larger pattern by DOE of pushing projects forward regardless of the human costs. Nuclear weapons workers have routinely been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation since the 1940s, and many are still fighting to be fairly compensated. Workers at the Hanford site in Washington state who were exposed to dangerous vapors had their medical records falsified by doctors ­ under pressure from DOE contractors ­ to hide that their injuries were work-related, according to a front-page story in The Washington Post on Feb. 25, 2004. The DOE's lack of concern for the health and safety of its workers needs serious scrutiny. While the DOE has announced that it is implementing a free silicosis testing program for former site workers, obtaining information about the test program is all but impossible. Despite the rather complicated process for obtaining a medical exam, there is no Web site for workers to get information, and the hotline number is not widely distributed. If the agency can't be trusted to safeguard the health of its own workers at Yucca Mountain, how can it be trusted to prioritize the health and safety of the public at large? ### =========================================== * N O T I C E * 2004 Teaching Nonproliferation Summer Institute June 11-15 at the University of North Carolina at Asheville The global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a serious threat to the future of our planet. This fully-supported faculty development summer workshop is designed to prepare university faculty to include issues related to reducing the threats from WMD in their courses. This year's institute will place special emphasis on environmental and public health issues. Internationally known expert speakers and discussion with 35 participants in a lovely mountain setting will create a transformational educational experience for you. For more information visit: http://www.unca.edu/nonproliferation [this workshop organized by the Teaching Nonproliferation Summer Institute] _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 26 NRC: License No. SUB-1010; Sequoyah Fuels Corporation; Receipt of FR Doc 04-5598 [Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)] [Notices] [Page 11899] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr04-90] [[Page 11899]] Request for Action Under 10 CFR 2.206 Notice is hereby given that by petition dated October 2, 2003, the Cherokee Nation and the State of Oklahoma (collectively, the Petitioners) have requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) take enforcement actions against the Sequoyah Fuels Corporation (SFC). The Petitioners request that NRC deny SFC's requests to approve proposed license amendments. The proposed amendments include a proposed Ground Water Monitoring Plan (GWMP) and a proposed Ground Water Corrective Action Plan (GWCAP) for the SFC site near Gore, Oklahoma. As bases for this request, the Petitioners identified alleged deficiencies in SFC's proposed GWMP and in their proposed GWCAP. The Petitioners stated that the GWMP is inadequate and that the GWCAP is not protective of human health and the environment and identified specific areas they believe to be deficient in each plan. The Petitioners requested a hearing, which was denied on November 19, 2003, on the proposed license amendments before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB). The Cherokee Nation appealed the ASLB decision to the Commission. The appeal was denied on January 14, 2004. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(l)(2), the ASLB Presiding Officer referred the petition to the NRC staff to be treated as a petition for enforcement action under 10 CFR 2.206. The request has been referred to the Director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. As provided by section 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on this petition within a reasonable time. A copy of the petition is available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) for inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, and from the ADAMS Public Library component on the NRC's Web site, http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] (the Public Electronic Reading Room) using Accession No. ML033440220. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397- 4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 1st day of March, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Martin J. Virgilio, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 04-5598 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 27 EPA: Integrated radioactive waste disposal management FR Doc 04-5642 [Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 11826-11828] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr04-19] ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Chapter 1 [FRL-7635-7] RIN 2060-AL71 Approaches to an Integrated Framework for Management and Disposal of Low-Activity Radioactive Waste: Request for Comment; Extension of Comment Period AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR); extension of comment period. SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is extending the comment period for the Advance Notice of [[Page 11827]] Proposed Rulemaking titled ``Approaches to an Integrated Framework for Management and Disposal of Low-Activity Radioactive Waste: Request for Comment,'' which appeared in the Federal Register on November 18, 2003 (68 FR 65120). The public comment period for this ANPR was to end on March 17, 2004. The purpose of this notice is to extend the comment period. DATES: EPA will accept public comments on this ANPR until May 17, 2004. Comments received after that date will be marked ``late'' and accepted at our discretion. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail to Air and Radiation Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West Room B108, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095. Comments may also be submitted electronically or through hand delivery/courier. Follow the detailed instructions as provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Schultheisz, Radiation Protection Division, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, Mailcode: 6608J, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 20460-0001; telephone (202) 343-9300; e-mail schultheisz.daniel@epa.gov [schultheisz.daniel@epa.gov] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ANPR that is the subject of this notice, and which was published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2003 (68 FR 65120), requested public comment on a variety of technical and policy issues related to the management and disposal of ``low- activity'' radioactive waste. The ANPR outlined approaches that EPA believes could help improve the current regulatory system and provide more consistency in the management of these wastes. Most prominent is the potential use of hazardous waste landfills permitted under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for wastes containing low concentrations of radionuclides. Waste streams discussed in the ANPR include wastes currently regulated at the Federal level (such as mixed hazardous and radioactive wastes) and wastes primarily regulated by States (such as wastes containing natural radioactivity). The comment period for the ANPR was scheduled to end on March 17, 2004. However, the Agency has received both formal and informal requests to extend the comment period. The Utilities Solid Waste Activities Group has formally requested that EPA extend the comment period, noting that it is submitting comments on several other EPA rulemaking actions with comment periods ending close to that date. The National Mining Association and Wyoming Mining Association have made similar requests. EPA believes these requests are reasonable. EPA also notes that this action is not subject to any statutory or judicial deadlines. We are therefore extending the comment period for this ANPR until May 17, 2004. EPA also notes that several public interest groups, particularly the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Public Citizen, have requested extensions of six and eight months, respectively. The reason given for these requests is to ensure that those communities in the vicinity of disposal facilities potentially affected by an EPA action are fully informed of the issues raised in the ANPR. An extension of such length, particularly at the ANPR stage, would be highly unusual. Periods of 30 or 45 days are more typical. Further, should EPA decide that a rulemaking is appropriate, there will be additional opportunity for public comment on any proposed rule that contains specific regulatory language. EPA believes that a 60-day extension until May 17, 2004, making the entire comment period six months, is sufficient. However, EPA appreciates this concern and is considering a number of methods to ensure that local communities are involved in all stages of the process. How and To Whom Do I Submit Comments? You may submit comments electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or through hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the appropriate docket identification number in the subject line on the first page of your comment. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified comment period. Comments received after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider these late comments, but will do so at its discretion. Electronically If you submit an electronic comment as prescribed below, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in the body of your comment. Also include this contact information on the outside of any disk or CD-ROM you submit, and in any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD-ROM. This ensures that you can be identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further information on the substance of your comment. EPA's policy is that EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.epa.gov/edocket] , and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. To access EPA's electronic public docket from the EPA Internet Home Page, select ``Information Sources,'' ``Dockets,'' and ``EPA Dockets.'' Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov [ a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov] , Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095. In contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an ``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to the Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. You may submit comments on a disk or CD-ROM that you mail to the mailing address identified in the following paragraph. These electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect or ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of encryption. By Mail Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West Room B108, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095. [[Page 11828]] By Hand Delivery or Courier Deliver your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West Room B108, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, 20004, Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0095. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). By Facsimile Fax your comments to (202) 566-1741, Attention Docket ID. No. OAR- 2003-0095. Dated: March 4, 2004. Robert Brenner, Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. [FR Doc. 04-5642 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P ***************************************************************** 28 AJC: Nuclear waste funds requested [http://www.ajc.com] [http://www.accessatlanta.com] By STACY SHELTON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/11/04 State legislators and environmentalists on Thursday called for the federal government to restore funds to monitor contamination around a former nuclear weapons plant near Augusta. Arjun Makhijani, president of the Maryland-based Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, called the Savannah River site an "illegal high-level dump." The institute on Thursday issued a 77-page report detailing threats to the river from the now-closed bomb-building plant on its South Carolina side. Even small doses of nuclear waste stored at the plant site can cause cancer, he said. The federal government built the plant in the 1950s and closed it in the 1980s. Estimates to clean water and remove contaminated soil and other toxic materials from the site are as high as $75 billion over the next 40 years. Rep. Nan Grogan Orrock (D-Atlanta), who has been a plant watchdog for years, said, "There are grave threats to the Savannah River watershed from decades of bomb building." The tritium found in the Savannah River is deemed safe for an adult man. Critics say levels of it may not be safe for children and women, particularly pregnant women. Tritium is a radiation hazard when ingested or absorbed by humans. [/] © 2004 [http://www.ajc.com/] | ***************************************************************** 29 Salt Lake Tribune: Senator's off-color remark raises concern March 12, 2004 By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune An off-color "joke" made at a company-sponsored political meeting last week has Sen. Curtis Bramble's critics and colleagues questioning whether he should continue leading a high-profile legislative task force. The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL) is calling for Bramble's removal as co-chairman of the Hazardous and Radioactive Waste Task Force based on the Provo Republican's remarks at the Utah Firemen's Museum in Tooele during a meeting sponsored by Envirocare of Utah, which operates a mile-square landfill for radioactive and hazardous waste in Clive. After Bramble told the crowd HEAL stood for "Help Educate Anal Liberals," Tooele residents Scott and Valerie Petersen got up to leave and Envirocare supporters began applauding their departure. Bramble later criticized the couple for being disrespectful. Bramble did not return a call Thursday seeking comment. Senate leaders said they will not have a chance to discuss Bramble's actions until Senate President Al Mansell returns from France next week. However, two Republican leaders said they were surprised by the remarks and by Bramble's participation in the company-sponsored political event. Senate Majority Leader Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said Bramble "owed an apology at least" and that "maybe he shouldn't have been where he was at the time." Waddoups also said Bramble had "certainly tainted his portion" of the task force's deliberation of the state's policies on hazardous and radioactive waste. "HEAL makes a good point," said Waddoups. "He does seem to have pre-judged the issue." The task force Bramble chairs is expected to spend the next eight months reviewing whether the state should allow Envirocare to dispose of more hazardous types and concentrations of low-level radioactive waste, primarily from reactors and government cleanups from up to 36 states other than Utah. The group of 16 legislators also will guide tax policy on such waste. Assistant Senate Majority Leader Pete Knudson called Bramble's behavior "highly unusual" and said it "stunned" him. But Knudson, like Waddoups, said he hoped the remarks would not taint the task force's work. "We want to make sure -- and I can only speak for myself -- that this task force will handle the issue honestly and fairly," he said. Sen. John Valentine, Senate Majority Whip, agreed the comments were "inappropriate" and "offensive," and said they "were not taken in the joking manner in which he made them." But the Orem Republican stressed he was not prepared to decide on Bramble's role on the task force until further discussions among Senate leaders take place. Valentine said Bramble was preparing an apology for HEAL. Meanwhile, HEAL director Jason Groenewold wrote in his letter to GOP legislative leaders and the governor that the incident with Bramble was "yet another indication to us that he is completely biased in favor of Envirocare. "Unless this is the type of behavior that you want to encourage in the Utah Senate," Groenewold wrote, "we would respectfully request that you replace Sen. Bramble on the task force with someone who is capable of handling oneself in a more professional, unbiased manner." Envirocare's Tim Barney said the company has annual meetings to educate employees about getting politically involved and said "some of our employees" attended the meeting during their work hours. He said he believed Bramble had not yet made up his mind on Envirocare's request for hotter waste. "To say he's biased -- give me a break," Barney said. "That's outrageous," he said of HEAL's request to have Bramble removed as co-chairman. "HEAL Utah opposes anyone who has a different viewpoint than they have." Barney also accused HEAL of "grandstanding" and "flip-flopping" on recent legislation to control waste going to Envirocare. Meanwhile, the Petersens, who are not members of HEAL, also have written letters asking that Bramble be removed as co-chairman. Scott Peterson called the whole thing "classless." Said Valerie: "We didn't go there with the intention of being picked on and ridiculed." [fahys@sltrib.com] "> Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 30 Las Vegas SUN: State won't give up fight against Yucca 'fantasyland' Today: March 12, 2004 at 9:44:57 PST By Suzanne Struglinski WASHINGTON -- Nevada will not back down from its fight against Yucca Mountain through the upcoming Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process, one of the state's lawyers told a room full of nuclear industry officials Thursday. "Yucca's supporters need a strong dose of realism," said attorney Martin Malsch. "We think DOE is still living in fantasyland." The "fantasyland" is the department's idea that it can alter its construction plans or parts of the license after submitting it, turn in an incomplete application or change the type of repository without any objection or violation of the law, he said. But Malsch, a partner of Egan, Fitzpatrick, Malsch and Cynkar, the state's legal team in Washington, hired to fight the Yucca Mountain project, wanted to make clear at the the commission's Regulatory Information Conference that the NIMBY, or "not in my back yard," argument is not Nevada's goal. "We just want to be sure any repository is safe," Malsch said. "Nevada's goal is compliance with the law and reliance on sound science." Nevada will be a party during the formal licensing hearings that could start in about three years, and the state plans to raise many objections to flaws it sees in the project. The annual conference is a three-day event open to the public to provide information on the agency, its activities and regulatory trends. Top officials and employees from nuclear utility companies, the commission, the Nuclear Energy Institute, law firms, government agencies and environmental groups attended. Malsch reminded the group that Nevada is still waiting for the outcome of its six legal challenges to the federal nuclear waste storage site now planned for Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Malsch argued the state's case against the commission's license rules, which the state feels were skewed just to fit the Yucca site. The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to rule on the case in the next few months. Meanwhile, Margaret Chu, the department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management director, who oversees the entire project, said the department still intends to meet its license application deadline by the end of year and open the site by 2010. She said it was "premature" for her to say what the department would do if the court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency standards or other elements of the project were changed by the court. She pointed out that the department has addressed 213 of the 293 remaining technical questions on the project, known as key technical issues or KTI's and plans to answer more in the coming months. Martin Virgilio, director of the commission's office of nuclear material safety and safeguards said the staff is preparing to receive the application and clarified that all the KTIs do not need to be signed off by the commission for the department to submit the application. "We have always said from the beginning that they (the KTIs) need to be addressed not resolved," Virgilio said. "That's what the licensing process is for. We would hope they are all addressed before the license application is submitted." ***************************************************************** 31 Las Vegas SUN: Ex-worker sues over Yucca silica By Suzanne Struglinski < [suzanne@lasvegassun.com] > WASHINGTON -- Former Yucca Mountain employee Gene Griego filed a class-action lawsuit against several Energy Department contractors in District Court in Clark County on Thursday alleging the companies exposed him and countless others to dangerous levels of silica and other known toxins at the Yucca Mountain project. Griego, a Clark County resident, filed the suit on behalf of himself and anyone who was involved with drilling the tunnels or who visited the tunnels at Yucca Mountain from 1992 through 2003. "DOE estimates that at least 1,200-1,500 workers were exposed significantly to silica and erionite dusts at the site," according to the brief. "Visitors likely rank in the thousands." Members of Congress, the Nevada Legislature, public interest groups, the media and other groups have toured the site. Griego, who worked at Yucca Mountain from 1993 to 2002 during the research phase, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease last year. The lawsuit marks the latest turn in what is becoming a growing problem for the Energy Department since it announced its silicosis screening program in January. After receiving complaints and requests from former workers who dug tunnels during research for the planned nuclear waste storage site at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the department opted to create a screening program as "the right thing to do." Then, Judy Kallas, an industrial hygienist who monitored the dust levels for Kiewit, a contracting company, said in a sworn deposition that over four months in 1996, her supervisor made her change silica level measurements so they would be within applicable limits so the company would not have to provide workers with respirators. The lawsuit lists 13 defendants, including branches of Kiewit, Bechtel Corp., Bechtel Nevada Corp., Bechtel SAIC Co., TRW Environmental Safety Systems, Washington Group International, Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services, and other companies based in Nevada, Delaware and New York. Soon after the department announced its screening program, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked about what the department knew, when it knew it and what it could have done to prevent it. Margaret Chu, Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management director, wrote Reid last month saying the department did not require or enforce safety precautions during the tunnel boring and digging operations from 1992 through 1996. The lawsuit claims the contractors "intentionally, deliberately, callously and/or with willful and wanton disregard exposed workers and visitors" to silica and other materials known to be dangerous inside the mountain. It said the department and its contractors knew or should have known the mountain contained silica, erionite, mordenite and other toxic minerals that would be turned to dust when drilled. The dust could be inhaled or tracked out of the site without the appropriate precautions. "Defendants placed a higher priority on the site characterization deadlines than they did on human safety and health, deliberately deceiving their workforce about the hazards so as to impose harm upon workers and visitors to save time and money," according to the brief. Joe Egan, Nevada's main Yucca Mountain attorney of Washington law firm Egan, Fitzpatrick, Malsch and Cynkar, one of the firms that filed the case, said anyone who was in a tunnel for more than two hours could have been affected. Egan said the lawsuit seeks punitive damage payments not just for the workers but for anyone who has visited the tunnels since even small exposures to the materials can give people a higher probability of getting sick. He said the companies concealed the fact the dust existed and did not tell anyone while they went to visit the site. "Visitors have every right to be worried about it and they should be compensated for it," Egan said. "This was a massive, corrupted, fraudulent scheme to save money on labor costs, budget and schedules." Dust brought home on clothes or shoes after a tour or work in the tunnels could affect people at home as well, Egan said. Some of the dust contained material 100 times more dangerous than asbestos. Wetting dry rock before drilling is a "standard practice" in mining operations to avoid clouds of dust, but the department opted out, Egan said. Chu said at an NRC meeting in Washington Thursday that during mining operations, the contractors did not want to wet the tunnels since it could have affected the water and moisture studies that were to be done on the site. Egan said, "That's a huge deal, because people who drill, and geologists, they know" that soaking dry rock before drilling is critical. The suit does not ask for a specific dollar amount in damages, but Egan said the average silicosis cases have brought in awards in the $5 million range, based on conversations he has had with silicosis lawyers. Las Vegas law firm Albright, Stoddard, Warnick and Palmer, which typically deals with worker's compensation and personal injury litigation, and Hutton and Hutton, a Kansas firm known for personal-injury class-action litigation will also work on the case. Reid will hold a congressional field hearing Monday in Las Vegas on the silicosis problems, where, Chu, who oversees the entire project, is to testify. Griego is also set to testify. "What happened to these workers is a tragedy," Reid said in a prepared statement he issued after learning of the lawsuit. "It was also 100 percent preventable, and someone is responsible for the fact that hundreds of workers may get sick and face death. The Department of Energy should never have allowed this to happen, and I will do everything I can to help these workers find justice. I intend to use my hearing on Monday to put the facts on the record as we continue searching for the full truth." Reid has also asked the Labor Department to review the issue. Chu said at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission forum in Washington Thursday that the problem only recently came to the department's attention but now the Energy Department has a "big binder" of information available for workers and others with concerns. But Michele Boyd, a legislative representative for Public Citizen, said getting information about the program has been next to impossible. There is nothing on the Energy Department's website beyond the press release announcing the program, and the hotline that potentially affected workers can call is not widely distributed, she said. ***************************************************************** 32 KIFI: More Radioactive Waste Will Be Moving Out Of Idaho www.localnews8.com March 11th, 2004 More radioactive waste stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory will be moving out of Idaho. The Energy Department announced that BNFL's advanced mixed waste treatment project is certified to ship more transuranic waste to underground storage in New Mexico. The facility has been making limited amounts of shipments to the waste isolation pilot plant since last year but was only authorized to ship a limited amount of waste. Now with certification it expands the amount of waste. BNFL recently began around the clock operations to remove the waste quicker. [http://www.localnews8.com ***************************************************************** 33 Philadelphia Inquirer: E. Whiteland wants a new plan for cleanup of Superfund site | 03/12/2004 | Officials say radiation found at the ex-atomic research facility calls for another look by the EPA. By Benjamin Y. Lowe Inquirer Staff Writer EAST WHITELAND - Officials here said the plan to clean up the Cyprus Foote Mineral Co.'s Superfund site is incomplete and they want federal regulators to fix it. The cleanup plan, proposed last August, does not account for two pollutants that have been found on the site, the township says. Both were found after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a "human health risk assessment," which identifies pollutants and details whether they exceed proscribed limits. The request comes as the township is finalizing its opinion of the EPA's proposal to clean up the site. The proposal was released last August but was put on hold after a resident informed the agency that work for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission had been performed there. Tests conducted last fall and this winter by the site's owner, Frazer Exton Development, have found six radioactive hot-spots, but concluded that they were not a health risk. The radioactivity is confined to the site. "It is hard for us to comment on a proposed remedy that was proposed based upon information that wasn't complete," said William R. Kolb, chairman of the township's Environmental Advisory Council. Kolb said the township wanted the EPA to update the assessment and resubmit it for public comment before it decides how it will clean up the site. But the EPA and Frazer Exton likely will deny the request, both parties said. They said a revised human health risk assessment will be part of the final cleanup plan, though Kolb said it would be too late by then. "At that point, we feel we won't have the impact we do now," he said. Township supervisors agreed with Kolb's proposal at a meeting Wednesday night and said they would write a letter to the EPA seeking the change. The human health risk assessment was published in June 2001, before the discovery of bromate in groundwater later that year and this winter's findings of higher than normal levels of surface radiation. Bromate, the EPA has found, causes cancer in laboratory animals. "Our intention is to submit a revised risk assessment immediately after the [final cleanup plan] is issued as part of the [cleanup] process," said Arnon E. Garonzik, Frazer Exton's president. Frazer Exton, which is paying for the tests and will pay for the cleanup, has proposed building an 800-home, age-restricted community after the site is cleaned up. The site was used primarily for lithium processing for about 50 years, closing in 1991 after Cyprus Minerals Co. bought the company. The 79 acres, near the intersection of Route 202 and Route 30, were declared a Superfund site a year later because of lithium contamination. Contact staff writer Benjamin Y. Lowe at 610-701-7615 or [blowe@phillynews.com] . ***************************************************************** 34 The State: House OKs budget, more nuclear 03/12/2 GOP leadership rejects cigarette tax hike; spending plan now goes to Senate By VALERIE BAUERLEIN Staff Writer The Republican-led House approved a $5.3 billion state budget Friday morning that said yes to bringing more nuclear waste into the Barnwell disposal site, in exchange for funding a 7.5 percent pay increase for law enforcement officers and prison guards. But House Republicans re-fused to OK an increase in a tax on cigarettes to pay for health care, an idea favored by two-thirds of South Carolinians. That action prompted outrage from Democrats, who said the Republicans were doing the opposite of what the people want. We cant vote for the cigarette tax, but we can vote to take nuclear waste into South Carolina? said Rep. Joel Lourie, D-Richland. That is wrong. House Republican leader Rick Quinn said it was more complicated, as Republicans did not want to raise the cigarette tax without first reforming the Medicaid health care system. He acknowledged that bringing in more waste is not ideal. Neither is another Barnwell decision he pushed  not paying back $5 million to a cleanup fund that was borrowed to fund a previous budget. There are no winners, but we did the best that we can do, Quinn said. Quinn said it was more important to take care of human needs, such as pay raises, than long-term or capital ones. The House approved the $5.3 billion state budget early Friday. Rep. Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said Democrats criticized his budget  which passed with a 80-35 vote  at every turn, in spite of efforts to raise money for K-12 spending and protect Medicaid. This has been a tough year. It is easy to complain when youre in a tough year. But you know what? Its hard to offer solutions. In one of the few new expenditures, legislators did find a source for $380,000 for a proposed Palmetto Bowl, a football game to be played at The Citadel. The payment would be the first of 15 required to help expand the stadium. Although some legislators complained about the expenditure, the measure passed on a voice vote. Repeated attempts to raise the cigarette tax failed in spite of passionate arguments. Rep. Rex Rice, R-Greenville, said the $102 million raised by his 30-cent-per-pack proposal would help programs reeling from three years of budget cuts, such as the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. Republican leaders of the House refused to raise taxes, preferring instead to put together a budget from contingency and trust funds. Overall, the $5.3 billion budget was austere. Education funding was boosted per pupil, thanks in part to increased money coming from the lottery. But other agencies were cut by amounts ranging from less than 5 percent to almost 40 percent. This means more layoffs are likely next year. Since the budget pinch began three years ago, the state has lost 4,000 positions. Some of the nights biggest hitches were in the proposed use of contingency funds. Legislators huddled with environmentalists, worried about bringing more nuclear waste to Barnwell. We made a decision years ago to stop being the nations nu-clear pay toilet, said House Minority Leader James Smith, D-Richland. Now we are willing to mortgage our environment, Smith said, for a few scraps of silver and gold. In the budget, the House: • Left the Second Injury Fund as is. Republican House leaders, including Harrell, wanted companies to be able to opt out of the workers compensation fund, but the measure failed. • Took $30 million from a fund that pays businesses credits for creating new jobs. The money will be put toward Medicaid and law enforcement, replacing money that House budget writers had planned to take from the Second Injury Fund. • Put $7.5 million into a new Conservation Land Bank, rather than the $10 million prescribed by law. The other $2.5 million will go toward the Medicaid budget. A more controversial move was designating $5 million of the banks money for beach renourishment at Hunting Island State Park in Beaufort County. This bothered some legislators, who said the bank was meant for buying and conserving land for public use rather than adding sand to beaches. • Reinstated $100,000 funding for the Commission on Women with some of the money from the job tax credits. Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed the commissions funding last year. (• Tightened collection of a $25 fee on all traffic tickets. The state auditor would be allowed to make sure that county courts and treasurers are collecting and sending in the fee. • Increased the filing fee in family and circuit courts by $50, to $150, giving the $5 million raised to law enforcement and judicial agencies. House members worked through supper, through the Clemson-Virginia basketball game and through the most contentious day of the year so far, described by one legislator as a cross between a slumber party and a knife fight. The next step? To send the budget to the Senate, then on to Gov. Mark Sanford before the end of the session in June. Sanford frowns on the raiding of trust and other funds. But he said the budget was a good compromise in the face of the shortfall. They put forward a spending plan that addresses need without a general tax increase, said Will Folks, Sanford spokesman. Given the $350 million budget deficit, thats quite an accomplishment. Reach Bauerlein at (803) 771-8485 or vbauerlein@thestate.com [vbauerlein@thestate.com] . TheStateOnline ***************************************************************** 35 IEER Report: Nuclear Dumps by the Riverside For use after 9:30 a.m. EST, March 11, 2004 For further information contact: Arjun Makhijani: (301) 270-5500 Bob Schaeffer: (239) 395-6773 P R E S S R E L E A S E NUCLEAR WASTE MISMANAGEMENT WOULD CREATE HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE DUMP IN SAVANNAH RIVER WATERSHED Standards for Drinking Water Contaminated with Radioactive Tritium Need to be Tightened to Protect Pregnant Women, Developing Fetuses Department of Energy Appears on Course to Abandon Environmental Commitments to Communities, States, Future Generations Washington, D.C. March 11, 2004: Current waste management practices at the Savannah River Site (SRS) nuclear weapons plant, near Aiken, South Carolina, threaten to make the watershed of one of the most important rivers in the southeastern United States into a high-level nuclear waste dump, according to a report issued today by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER). The new report, Nuclear Dumps by the Riverside: Threats to the Savannah River from Radioactive Contamination at the Savannah River Site (SRS), also details tritium contamination of the Savannah River and the environmental injustice caused by SRS-related contamination to those who subsist on fish from its waters. The Savannah River Site in South Carolina produced more than one-third of the plutonium for U.S. nuclear bombs, almost all of the tritium, and other nuclear materials for the U.S. weapons program. Past waste dumping and mismanagement and a failure to implement a sound cleanup plan have created extensive water pollution beneath SRS as well as serious risks for water resources in the region. "Current cleanup policies at SRS will very likely leave a million or more curies of radioactivity in high-level waste on the Savannah River Site," said Dr. Arjun Makhijani, IEER president and principal author of the report. "The DOE is turning SRS into a de facto high-level radioactive waste dump." "We are going to work in a bi-partisan way in the State of Georgia to hold the federal government's feet to the fire," said State Representative Nan Orrock, Majority Whip (D) of the Georgia House of Representatives. "The Department of Energy simply must not be allowed to put our most precious natural resource -- water -- at risk in this appalling way." "All that we want is a bi-partisan measure to put back into funding the testing for tritium and other radioactive products in the river," stated Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah, Georgia). "My constituents drink this water." "There are serious problems that need to be dealt with in an expeditious manner, properly and correctly," said State Senator Regina Thomas (D-Savannah/Chatham, Georgia). "There are contaminants in our water supply and the Department of Energy should create a cleanup plan so as to eliminate pollution of our water." Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is the most common water pollutant at SRS. "While it is well within federal safe drinking water standards, recent research indicates that tritium standards may not be adequate to protect pregnant women and developing fetuses from adverse health effects," explained Dr. Makhijani. "Tritium can produce multigenerational risks. The federal government needs to recover the buried wastes dumped decades ago that are still polluting the Savannah River, and to tighten tritium standards to protect those most at risk." The IEER report finds that African Americans who rely on the Savannah River as a primary source of protein -- that is, subsistence fishermen -- are disproportionately affected by the consumption of radioactively-contaminated fish downstream of SRS. They consume about four times more fish than the maximum limit set by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. "We know that people are eating more fish than what is safe -- people of color in particular," said Rev. Charles Utley, Central Savannah River Area campaign director for Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League in Augusta, Georgia. "People whose diets depend on river fish caught downstream of SRS need to be told about the risks of fish consumption. And DOE needs to act to reduce the pollution of the river." Despite the radioactive threats, the Energy Department has denied a request from the state of Georgia to continue funding radiation monitoring along the Savannah River, calling the state's program "redundant" because South Carolina also has a monitoring program. Unfunded, Georgia's program is set to end April 30, 2004. "It's simply unacceptable that DOE has cut off environmental monitoring funds for the State of Georgia," said Sara Barczak, Safe Energy Director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in Savannah, Georgia. "The DOE has created risks for the people of Georgia and put a burden on the state and it should step up to the plate and assume its responsibilities by restoring the funds rather than tossing the problem into the laps of communities and state taxpayers." The IEER report focuses on the daunting problem of managing and implementing a clean-up program for Cold War-era wastes; it does not examine the contamination that will result from new and proposed nuclear weapons or nuclear fuel production programs at SRS, including a tritium separation facility being built there, a proposed plant to make plutonium fuel for reactors, and a proposed plant to mass-manufacture plutonium bomb cores. "It is unconscionable that this administration is pursuing unneeded, provocative nuclear weapons programs at SRS even before it has cleaned up the mess it created during the Cold War," said Ms. Bobbie Paul, Executive Director of Atlanta Women's Action for New Directions and board member of Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest. "Worse, the DOE is taking actions that are making the site into a huge, essentially permanent, radioactive waste dump. It should clean up its act and not even think about new bomb plants that would add to the burdens it has already created." -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Most important findings 1. Water contamination at SRS: Waste disposal practices have led to severe contamination of portions of the surface and groundwater at SRS. This contamination threatens the Savannah River. 2. Pollution of the Savannah River: The Savannah River is contaminated as a result of highly contaminated surface water flowing into it from SRS, though the large flow of the river dilutes the contamination to well within present safe drinking water limits. Tritium, which is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is the most common radioactive pollutant. 3. Tritium contamination in Georgia: Rainfall and groundwater in parts of Georgia across the river from the Savannah River Site are contaminated with tritium from SRS. Yet DOE funding to the State of Georgia for environmental monitoring related to SRS is set to expire April 30, 2004. 4. Tritium standards: Tritiated water is far more dangerous to children and developing fetuses than to adults. Recent research indicates that current tritium safe drinking water standards may be inadequate to protect pregnant women and developing fetuses. 5. Subsistence fishing: Many people use the Savannah River for subsistence fishing, especially African-Americans, who consume about four times more fish than the maximum limit set by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. 6. Inadequate clean-up plans: The DOE practice of capping shallow dumps and seepage basins is not suited to long-term protection of the water resources of the region. 7. Unsafe and illegal high-level waste management: DOE is leaving large amounts of residual radioactivity from high-level waste in tanks that are being "closed" by pouring grout into them. DOE policy is turning these tanks into a de facto high-level waste dump, and rationalizing it by diluting the waste with grout. Most Important Recommendations 1. The DOE should urgently develop plans to recover buried wastes and highly contaminated soil, so that the main sources of water pollution over the long term are minimized. 2. The DOE should stop grouting residual radioactivity in high-level waste tanks so as not to leave vast amounts of radioactivity near the Savannah River. 3. DOE should restore and expand environmental monitoring funds to the State of Georgia. 4. Subsistence fishermen should be better informed about the risks of high fish consumption. Recovery of wastes is essential to eliminate this environmental injustice. 5. The U.S. government should provide sufficient funds for a geological investigation that would be thorough enough to conclusively settle the question of whether radioactivity is migrating into Georgia groundwater by pathway(s) under the Savannah River. 6. The National Academy of Sciences panel on the effects of low-level radiation (called the BEIR VII panel) should fully address the non-cancer risks of tritium, and the risks of tritium to pregnant women and developing fetuses. 7. Current standards for tritium contamination of water should be re-examined and tightened so as to protect pregnant women and developing fetuses. 8. More extensive monitoring of Iodine-129 in Savannah River water and fish should be conducted. The health implications of I-129 contamination of the Savannah River should be studied, including its effect on pregnant women, and communicated to the public. Report available on this web site [http://www.ieer.org/reports/srs/index.html] Hard copies of the report are available upon request: Email ieer{insert "at"}ieer.org, call 1-301-270-5500, or order online [http://www.ieer.org/pubs/puborder.html#srs] . Also on this site: + Statement of Arjun Makhijani, IEER + Statement of Bobbie Paul, Executive Director, Atlanta WAND, and Board member, Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest Institute for Energy and Environmental Research [http://www.ieer.org/index.html] Comments to Outreach Coordinator: ieer{insert "at"}ieer.org Takoma Park, Maryland, USA March 11, 2004 ***************************************************************** 36 Technology Review: The Witch of Yucca Mountain Tunneling into the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository By Richard A. Muller Technology for Presidents March 12, 2004 There is an almost primal fear of radioactivity. It may be a new manifestation of an old Jungian archetype: the fear of unseen danger, perhaps originally a predator or enemy lurking in ambush. Other incarnations include the fear of witches, germs, communists, and monsters under our beds. But radioactivity is worse. Not only is the threat hidden, but so is the attack. Your genes are invisibly mutated, showing no sign of the assault until a decade or two later when the damage manifests itself in a growing cancer. [''] I put radioactivity on this witch list in an effort to make sense of the furor over nuclear waste storage at the Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada. When I work out the numbers, I find the dangers of storing our waste there to be small compared to the dangers of not doing so, and significantly smaller than many other dangers we ignore. And yet a contentious debate continues. More research is demanded, and yet every bit of additional research seems to raise new questions that exacerbate the public’s fear and distrust. I’ve discussed Yucca Mountain with scientists, politicians, and many concerned citizens. The politicians believe it to be a scientific issue, and the scientists think it is a political one. Both are in favor of more research—scientists because that is what they do, and politicians because they think the research will answer the key questions. But I don’t think it will. Let me review some pertinent facts. The underground tunnels at Yucca Mountain are designed to hold 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. The most dangerous part of this consists of “fission fragments” such as strontium-90 and iodine-131, the unstable nuclei created when the uranium nucleus splits. Because these isotopes have a shorter half-life than uranium, the waste is about a thousand times more radioactive than the original ore. It takes 10,000 years for the waste (not including plutonium, which is also produced in the reactor, and which I’ll discuss later) to decay back to the radioactive level of the mined uranium. Based largely on this number, people have searched for a site that will remain secure for 10,000 years. After that, we are better off than if we left the uranium in the ground, so 10,000 years of safety is clearly good enough. How can we plan to keep Yucca Mountain secure for this long? What will the world be like 10,000 years from now? Think backwards in order to appreciate the time involved: ten thousand years ago humans had just discovered agriculture, and writing wouldn’t be invented for another 5,000 years. Can we possibly see 10,000 years into the future? No. It is ridiculous to think we could. So nuclear waste storage is obviously unacceptable. Right? Of course, calling storage unacceptable is itself an unacceptable answer. We have the waste and we have to do something with it. But the problem isn’t really as hard as I just portrayed it. We don’t need absolute security for 10,000 years. A more reasonable goal is to reduce the risk of leakage to 0.1 percent, i.e. to one chance in a thousand. Since the radioactivity is only 1,000 times worse than that of the uranium we removed from the ground, that means that the net risk (probability times danger) is 1,000 x 0.001 = 1—that is, basically the same as the risk if we hadn’t mined the uranium in the first place. (I am assuming the unproven “linear hypothesis” that total cancer risk is independent of individual doses or dose ratebut my argument won’t depend strongly on its validity.) Moreover, we don’t need this 0.1 percent level of security for the full 10,000 years. After 300 years, the fission fragment radioactivity will have decreased by a factor of 10; it will only be 100 times as great as the mined uranium. So by then, we should rationally require only a 1 percent risk that all of the waste leaks out. That’s a lot easier than guaranteeing absolute containment for 10,000 years. Moreover, this calculation assumes 100 percent of the waste escapes. For leakage of 1 percent of the waste, we can accept a 100 percent probability. The storage problem is beginning to seem tractable. But the unobtainable—and unnecessary—criterion of absolute security dominates the public discussion. The Department of Energy continues to search Yucca Mountain for unknown earthquake faults, and many people assume that the acceptability of the facility depends on the absence of any such faults. Find a new fault—rule Yucca Mountain out. But the issue should not be whether there will be an earthquake in the next 10,000 years, but whether there will be a sufficiently large earthquake in the next 300 years to cause 10 percent of the waste to escape its glass capsules and reach ground water with greater than 1 percent probability. Absolute security is too extreme a goal, since even the original uranium in the ground didn’t provide it. ***************************************************************** 37 Nuclear Weapons 'Immoral,' Say Religious, Scientific Leaders Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 14:32:39 -0800 printlogo.gif Published on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 by OneWorld.net Nuclear Weapons 'Immoral,' Say Religious, Scientific Leaders by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON -- An international group of religious and scientific leaders Monday launched an appeal to the United States and all other nuclear states to pledge never to use nuclear weapons and re-affirm their commitments to achieving total nuclear disarmament. The appeal, signed by the head of the U.S. National Council of Churches (NCC) and the president of the international Catholic peace group, Pax Christi, and 74 others--including four Nobel laureates--declared such weapons to be "inherently immoral" and expressed particular concern over U.S. plans to develop of a new generation of nuclear bombs. "Even so-called 'mini-nukes' and 'bunker-busters' would have disastrous effects," the statement declared. "Threatened use of nuclear weapons in the name of deterrence is morally wrong because it holds innocent people hostage for political and military purposes." "Why do we continue to construct weapons that have the power to destroy us," asked Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the NCC, which represents some 140,000 Protestant congregations in the U.S., "rather than build systems and structures that will save lives and help all persons reach the potential for which God created them?" Edgar said the appeal was being made with a "sense of real urgency," in light of new nuclear planning by the Bush administration and the failure to date of any of the declared nuclear powers to substantially reduce their stockpiles. More than a decade after the end of the Cold War, the United States and Russia retain a total of about 10,000 tactical and strategic nuclear weapons each. Together, they account for more than 95 percent of the world's total arsenal. According to recent estimates by the Washington-based Center for Defense Information, China is next with an estimated 400 warheads, followed by France, with 350; Israel, with perhaps 200; Britain, with 185; India, with 60 or more; and Pakistan, with as many as 48. The Central Intelligence Agency says it believes North Korea has had as many as two devices for several years. Under the 1968 Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), nuclear countries must not only halt the spread of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear countries, but also agree to reduce their own arsenals to zero. In 1996, the International Court of justice at The Hague ruled that the NPT required eventual disarmament, a position that was formally reaffirmed in 2000 by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Since the Bush administration took power in 2001, however, the U.S. has been ambiguous on the question, while its opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty--seen as a key step toward eventual disarmament--has fanned concerns that Washington does not intend to follow through on its earlier commitments. Adding to these concerns are the administration's efforts to reverse a unilateral 1993 ban on research and development of low-yield atomic weapons, such as "mini-nukes" and bunker-busters" which Bush officials insist would provide greater flexibility in dealing with small-scale conflicts, such as last year's war in Iraq, or with terrorists holed up in remote regions. Such weapons could destroy small targets with much less damage in terms of blast and radiation, according to their proponents. Democrats in Congress tried to prevent the administration from going forward by denying funding for development, but the administration succeeded in prying loose $7.5 million for the project late last year. Critics have strongly assailed the administration for these efforts, arguing that they not only dramatize the value of having nuclear weapons, but they also undercut the NPT by showing that the world's strongest nuclear power has no intention of giving them up. Scientists and weapons specialists who signed the Appeal stressed that the administration's insistence on retaining a nuclear arsenal and developing new weapons not only risked undermining the NPT and global non-proliferation efforts, but also made little military sense in an era when smaller, more precise conventional weapons using sensors and other systems are available. "Military leaders don't see any military utility for making these weapons," according to Ivan Oerlich, a nuclear physicist at the Federation of American Scientists. "It's the civilians who want them," he said. "There is no military mission that cries out for nuclear weapons. These are weapons in search of a mission." Monday's appeal, however, is based more on questions of morality than on utility, according to its signers, who also include Helen Caldicott, founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Nuclear Policy Research Institute who shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. "My prognosis is, if nothing changes and Bush is re-elected, within ten or 20 years, there will be no life on the planet, or little," she said. "It's good to use the words 'sin' and 'evil' (in this context)," she added. "It is true that it is evil to have power to destroy life on Earth." Marie Dennis, who serves on the executive committee of Pax Christi International, noted that U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference recently endorsed a global ban on nuclear weapons as a policy goal and called on the U.S. to issue a no-first-use policy on their use. As recently as one year ago in the run-up to the Iraq War, the Bush administration refused to do so. © Copyright 2004 OneWorld.net ### Attachment Converted: printlogo.gif: 00000001,6da04e35,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 38 DOE: Agency Information Collection Extension FR Doc 04-5640 [Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)] [Notices] [Page 11849-11850] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr04-46] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), is seeking comment on a proposed three-year extension with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of an [[Page 11850]] information collection package concerning litigation and other legal expenses incurred by its site and facility management contractors. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the extended collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before May 11, 2004. If you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed below as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Anne Broker, GC-12, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Dispute Resolution, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 or by fax at 202-586-0325 or by e- mail at anne.broker@hq.doe.gov [anne.broker@hq.doe.gov] and to Susan L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division, IM-11/Germantown Bldg., Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290, or by fax at 301-903-9061 or by e-mail at susan.frey@hq.doe.gov [susan.frey@hq.doe.gov] . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Anne Broker at 202-586-5060 (anne.broker@hq.doe.gov [anne.broker@hq.doe.gov] ). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This package contains: (1) OMB No. 1910- 5115; (2) Package Title: Contractor Legal Management Requirements; (3) Type of Review: Renewal; (4) Purpose: The collection of this information continues to be necessary to provide a basis for DOE decisions on requests, from applicable contractors, for reimbursement of litigation and other legal expenses.; (5) Respondents: 36; (6) Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The burden hours for this collection are estimated to be approximately 465 to 570 hours on an annual basis. This estimate is based on the estimate that preparation of the initial plan is 15-30 hours and that no more than 20% of the 36 contractors will need to submit a legal management plan in any given year. The estimate for the total also includes an estimate of the approximately 10 hours for an annual budgetary update, which would be submitted by all contractors. Statutory Authority: These requirements are promulgated under authority in section 161 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2201; the Department of Energy Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. 7101, et seq.; and the National Nuclear Security Administration Act, 50 U.S.C. 2401, et seq. Issued in Washington, DC on March 4, 2004. Susan L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-5640 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 39 Seattle Times: Energy Northwest to cut 60 jobs at Hanford nuclear plant Friday, March 12, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. By The Associated Press RICHLAND — Energy Northwest plans to eliminate up to 60 jobs by June 30 at its nuclear-power generating station on the Hanford nuclear reservation. The cuts at the 1,150-megawatt Columbia Generating Station equal about 5 percent of the company's roughly 1,200-member work force. About half of the job cuts will be through planned retirements, normal attrition and vacancies that will not be filled. The rest will be identified from various parts of the company based on operational requirements, employee performance, versatility and length of service. The security force will not be affected. Energy Northwest had committed to trimming about $5 million from its annual budget, which is expected to be $255.2 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The utility's budget pressure has been heightened by new security upgrades mandated by the federal government, adding unanticipated costs totaling $7.1 million for the next fiscal year. After planning spending cuts for small construction projects, travel, training and incentive pay, the utility found it necessary to cut payroll, spokesman Brad Peck said yesterday. Energy Northwest's primary customer is the Bonneville Power Administration, which also has been under pressure to reduce costs and hold the line on its wholesale electric rates. Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company More local news ***************************************************************** 40 Las Vegas RJ: Energy's Abraham questioned Friday, March 12, 2004 Lawmakers on House panel say budget plans for Yucca Mountain inadequate, risky By TONY BATT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham faced tough questioning Thursday from the chairman and members of a House panel who complained next year's budget request for Yucca Mountain is inadequate and risky. Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on energy and water, also criticized the Energy Department's request for $27.6 million to continue research on a new earth-penetrating nuclear weapon known as a bunker-buster. But Hobson seemed particularly disturbed that the Energy Department is counting on Congress to change current law so that $749 million in nuclear ratepayer fees can be spent solely on Yucca Mountain without counting against federal budget limits. Asking Congress to make such a change is a dangerous gamble and could leave a hole in the Yucca Mountain budget, Hobson said. He expressed doubt that Congress would be willing to approve such a change in an election year. "The configuration of the Senate is not going to do that," Hobson said. "Now, unless you all are willing to take a hit somewhere, I don't know where that money is going to come from." Last week, the Senate Budget Committee voted to slash the department's budget request for Yucca Mountain from $880 million to $577 million. "I think somebody played Russian roulette with what I consider a huge problem in this country that was on its way to being solved," said Hobson, who is an ardent supporter of a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and has a large picture of the mountain framed in the subcommittee hearing room. Abraham brushed off Hobson's concerns. The secretary said he has been told political resistance would prevent progress on Yucca Mountain ever since he took office. In the meantime, Abraham said, President Bush has accepted his recommendation to designate Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for nuclear waste storage and Congress overwhelmingly approved the president's decision by overriding a veto issued by Gov. Kenny Guinn, R-Nev. "People who are sending money to Washington through their utility companies to take care of this mess ought to have that money segregated and used for the project instead of going into a general fund situation and used for other things," Abraham said. Hobson remained unconvinced, telling Abraham, "You are risking, in an election year: Yucca Mountain." The subcommittee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Peter Visclosky of Indiana, said he shared Hobson's concerns. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., said the department's budget request "sort of lost the momentum on Yucca." Hobson also expressed dismay at the department's request for $27.6 million to continue studying the development of a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator. The program received just $7.5 million in this year's budget. Over the next five years, the study of the so-called bunker-buster is projected to total $485 million. If completed, the weapon might be tested at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "This kind of money-is-no-object thinking might have been the norm for the nuclear weapons complex during the Cold War years, but I think it's completely out of touch with the political and fiscal realities that we face today," Hobson said. While Abraham acknowledged the U.S. should reduce its nuclear weapons stockpile, he defended the bunker-buster program. "The value of a nuclear deterrent remains as strong as ever," Abraham said. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 41 Tri-City Herald: Hanford officials investigate K Basin accident This story was published Friday, March 12th, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Work was stopped throughout Hanford's K Basins on Thursday afternoon after an accident led to an investigation that found mechanical problems at both the K East and K West Basins. About 60 Hanford officials met after the discovery and discussed the possible cause of the problem, including whether it could have been the result of sabotage. "There is no conclusive evidence that is the case," said Geoff Tyree, spokesman for contractor Fluor Hanford, late Thursday night. Officials also are considering whether the problem might have been caused by mechanical wear. During the graveyard shift that ended Thursday morning at the K East Basin, a hoist rolled off the end of an overhead track system and crashed onto the steel grating above a pool holding spent nuclear fuel. The accident occurred while work had temporarily been stopped for a survey by a health safety specialist. No one was injured. The grating prevented it from falling into the pool. The hoist should have been stopped by a system of cogs that pop down from the track to lock it in place when it is not moving, Tyree said. The hoist is suspended from the monorail track and lowers a chain through the grating to move the fuel underwater. During the day shift Thursday, tracks were inspected throughout the K Basins and other cogs were found that were not working, both in the K East and K West basins, Tyree said. "We're still looking at what happened and the mechanical fixes that need to be made," Tyree said. Among those meeting Thursday to discuss the problem were officials from Fluor, the Department of Energy, the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council and workers familiar with the track systems. There will be a phased restart of work at the K Basins today and through the weekend. Work to clean up the basins should be back in full operation Monday, Tyree said. The basins are two indoor pools of water that originally held 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel about 400 yards from the Columbia River. More than 1,750 tons of the fuel have been removed from the pools. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 42 Rocky Mountain News: Keep Rocky Flats closed, activists tell U.S. agency By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News March 12, 2004 BOULDER - Rocky Flats should remain closed to the public even after it becomes a wildlife refuge, local activists told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday. Most of the 6,300-acre site will be under Fish and Wildlife's purview after cleanup is completed in 2006. The central portion of the site, where nuclear weapons were manufactured for more than 35 years, will remain under Department of Energy control and will be closed to the public. Fish and Wildlife plans to allow limited access to hikers, bikers and equestrians. But speakers at a hearing on the management plan said even the fringe area the agency will inherit is too dangerous for public access. "Close it, fence it and pave it over," said Richard Andrews, of Boulder. "We should declare the entire site a national sacrifice zone. Rocky Flats is America's Hiroshima," Andrews said. University of Colorado biology professor Harvey Nichols said plutonium particles cover much of the site, even the part outside the central core. He said plutonium escaped through smokestacks. That assessment runs counter to extensive studies by the state and federal agencies that found plutonium mostly in a narrow corridor downwind from the production area. "I don't know what he's referring to," said Rocky Flats Environmental Director John Rampe of the contention that plutonium was emitted from smokestacks. "We have done, and continue to do, thousands of samples. Based on this sampling, we are very confident of our knowledge of where the plutonium is and how it behaves," Rampe said following the hearing. Fish and Wildlife Manager Dean Rundle said, "I don't know of any credible scientific evidence" of contamination on the land his agency will receive. Two recreation groups - the Boulder Area Trails Coalition and the Boulder County Horse Association - said even more access should be allowed than Fish and Wildlife proposes. Eric Vogelsberg, of the Trails Coalition, described concerns over plutonium contamination as hysteria. Fish and Wildlife will announce a management plan by the end of the year, subject to confirmation that the land is not contaminated. morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-442-8729 ***************************************************************** 43 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 12:05:38 -0800 (PST) JAPAN Sold Key Nuclear Technology to Libya The Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK A company in Japan, the only nation to suffer an atomic bomb attack, supplied Libya with a key piece of the technology needed to make nuclear weapons ... See all stories on this topic: AUSTIN Energy may raise stake in nuclear plant Austin Business Journal - Austin,TX,USA Austin Energy, Austin's municipal utility, is looking at boosting its ownership stake in the South Texas Project nuclear plant. ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR Solutions Developing Advanced Portable Nuclear Weapons ... Business Wire (press release) - USA WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2004--Nuclear Solutions, Inc., (OTCBB: NSOL) announced that it is developing an advanced detection device to detect and ... NUCLEAR waste funds requested Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta,GA,USA State legislators and environmentalists on Thursday called for the federal government to restore funds to monitor contamination around a former nuclear weapons ... See all stories on this topic: SINHA says India is a mature nuclear power Xinhua - China NEW DELHI, March 12(Xinhuanet)-- Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said Friday that India is a mature nuclear power and the imposition of an ... See all stories on this topic: IRAN Postpones Nuclear Inspection Scotland on Sunday - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK Iran postponed a planned visit of UN nuclear inspectors today, as delegates at a key atomic agency meeting struggled over how harshly to censure Tehran for ... See all stories on this topic: ENERGY Northwest to cut 60 jobs at Hanford nuclear plant Seattle Times - Seattle,WA,USA RICHLAND — Energy Northwest plans to eliminate up to 60 jobs by June 30 at its nuclear-power generating station on the Hanford nuclear reservation. ... See all stories on this topic: IRAN postpones nuclear inspections Reuters - London,England,UK ... a set of crucial UN inspections most likely connected to its uranium enrichment programm but Tehran's motive is unclear, a diplomat close to the UN nuclear ... CHIEF Nuclear Inspector to Meet With Bush Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA VIENNA, Austria -- Chief UN nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei visits Washington next week for meetings with senior US officials, likely to include President ... CHIEF Nuclear Inspector to Meet With Bush Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta,GA,USA VIENNA, Austria (AP)--Chief UN nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei visits Washington next week for meetings with senior US officials, likely to include ... 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