***************************************************************** 04/27/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.101 ***************************************************************** 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 Seattle Times: Analysis: Experts fear Iran acquiring atomic arms 2 KoreaHerald: Commentary: Nuclear preview 3 US: Las Vegas SUN: Supreme Court Hears Cheney Secrecy Case 4 Hi Pakistan: Nuclear Restraint Regime: Indo-Pak talks scheduled for 5 St. Petersburg Times: Russia and EU agree on nuclear fuel supplies 6 Toronto Star: Aging nuclear equipment `troubles' energy minister 7 Daily Times: NPT violators should lose nuclear access - US 8 Hi Pakistan: US behind Pakistan, India peace process --> 9 CNN.com: Pakistan voices concerns over UN resolution on nuclear 10 Expatica: Talks over German plutonium plant to China 'ceased' NUCLEAR REACTORS 11 US: NRC: Carolina Power & Light Company, H. B. Robinson Steam Electr 12 US: NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for th 13 US: NRC: Sunshine Act, Meeting 14 Salt Lake Tribune: Chernobyl nuclear disaster recalled 15 US: Brattleboro Reformer: Robotic camera to scan fuel pool 16 US: Rutland Herald: Entergy was warned about fuel inventory 17 US: Brattleboro Reformer: NRC: Missing fuel, uprate unrelated 18 Mos News: Belarus Chides West for Turning Back on Chernobyl 19 FT: Sale of Siemens nuclear plant to China halted 20 US: ABC: Energy consortium adopts name, Duke Energy joins - 21 ITAR-TASS: Volgodonsk NPP to be stopped for 45 days of planned repai 22 ITAR-TASS: PACE calls for helping Ukraine cope with Chernobyl conseq 23 NRC: NRC Begins Special Inspection at Irradiator Facility in Puerto 24 US: Daily Herald: Argonne cleans up mothballed nuclear reactor 25 asahi.com: Train explosion raises specter of Chernobyl 26 US: NRC: NRC to Meet With Exelon Generation Company to Discuss Perfo 27 US: WATE: TVA studying new type of reactor NUCLEAR SAFETY 28 US: [FOODIRRADIATIONCA] update on CA Safe School Lunch Act; Support 29 US: [NukeNet] X-Rays & Low Birth Weight 30 Mos News: $500,000 Worth of Property Stolen from Russia’s Nuclear Fl 31 Hawk Eye Newspaper: Report details health threat 32 US: PoughkeepsieJournal: Advocates say nuke plant needs stronger saf 33 Reuters AlertNet: U.S. backs Brazilian as nuclear conference chair 34 US: WMTW: Activist renews warnings of nuclear threat 35 US: Las Vegas SUN: Nevada congressman wants details on nuclear NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 36 Las Vegas RJ: Gibbons wants details on security strategies for Yucca 37 Las Vegas RJ: STEVE SEBELIUS: Are they hiding something? 38 Las Vegas SUN: Gibbons demands answers to Yucca rail questions 39 Las Vegas SUN: Officials point to cuts in New Mexico's funding 40 Las Vegas SUN: Legality of Yucca meetings eyed 41 RGJ: DOE gives extra week to comment on Yucca Mountain rail plan 42 Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad may be sister city to Nev. town (Yu 43 Deutsche Welle: China Drops Plan to Buy German Plutonium Plant 44 BulletinWire News: A cleaner Sellafield? 45 kLAS tv: Voice Opinion on Proposed Yucca Rail Plan NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 46 Guardian Unlimited Auditors: Nuke Security Upgrades Delayed 47 DOE: Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01- 48 Tri-City Herald: HEHF says DOE reports clear record 49 NBC11.com Report: Government Considers Removing Nuclear Material 50 U.S. Newswire: DOE Secretary Abraham Visits Detroit to Announce 51 U.S. Newswire - DOE Announces Decisions on Key Contract Issues 52 CBS News: Dubious Buys Persist At Los Alamos 53 Oak Ridger: DOE's '03 payroll: Close to $832M 54 Oak Ridger: House group eyes nuke security OTHER NUCLEAR 55 Bellona: Kazakhstan building reprocessing plant for fast neutron rea 56 MSU Newsroom: Work on linear accelerator moves MSU closer to RIA ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Seattle Times: Analysis: Experts fear Iran acquiring atomic arms Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. Close-up By David Wood Newhouse News Service MAJID / GETTY IMAGES Mohammad El Baradei, left, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, meets Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on April 6 in Tehran. Iran agreed to a timetable for nuclear inspections, according to El Baradei. WASHINGTON — Already writhing with tension and terror, the Middle East is sliding toward a new crisis: As soon as this summer, Iran could be unstoppably on its way to producing nuclear material for its own bombs. A nuclear-armed Iran would plunge the Middle East into a destabilizing new arms race, jeopardizing the West's access to Persian Gulf oil and threatening the conservative regimes of Gulf states such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to assessments by U.S. intelligence agencies and American and Israeli experts. Unlike Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Iran has proven ties to international terror groups such as Hezbollah, and some analysts say a nuclear-armed Iran would be able to provide terrorists with "dirty" suitcase bombs that could be carried into Tel Aviv or New York. Nuclear weapons also would give Tehran the clout to back up some of its radical ambitions, including the destruction of Israel, denial of U.S. military access to the region and the collapse of Western-oriented Arab regimes in Egypt and Pakistan. With a hard-line Islamist regime in power in Tehran, U.S. experts are concerned the network of treaties and international sanctions intended to prevent nuclear-power programs from turning to bomb making aren't working. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were in Tehran earlier this month to check Iran's assertions that it has stopped work on building centrifuge facilities that can produce enriched uranium. That material can be refined into nuclear warheads. The inspectors' visit came days after Iran said it would begin in June to build a 40-megawatt nuclear reactor. That would be its second facility capable of producing bomb material — in this case, enough for one bomb a year, experts said. Once either facility is fully on line, Iran can manufacture its own enriched uranium in secret. That material can be processed into warheads or simply passed off to terrorists to use as "dirty" bombs, conventional explosives that spew deadly radioactive material into the air. Iran had insisted that its nuclear program has always been for the peaceful production of power, but IAEA inspectors late last year found traces of bomb-grade uranium at its nuclear facilities. The discovery kicked off a series of declarations and inspections that have left the issue unresolved. Meanwhile, Iran's February elections consolidated the power of the hard-line clerical wing, and it is now taking a harder line on nuclear matters, said Rose Gottemoeller, a former senior U.S. nuclear-proliferation official in the Clinton White House and Department of Energy. The question of nuclear weapons "is hanging very much in the balance," she said. If Tehran continues to thumb its nose at nuclear-weapons prohibitions, the international community is likely to impose stiff sanctions to prevent it from selling its oil and natural gas. "The perception is that Iran's revolutionary zeal is tempered, and that they're much more conservative now than in the early 1980s," when Iranian-backed terrorists attacked Americans and Israelis in the region, said Richard Russell, a former CIA analyst who teaches at the National Defense University's Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington. "Who's to say they won't become emboldened with nuclear weapons?" But the hand on the trigger might well be Israel, which may increasingly feel pressured to destroy Iran's nuclear-weapons facilities in a pre-emptive strike, one that analysts say would unleash a firestorm of anger in the region. Israel launched such a pre-emptive strike in 1981, with eight F-16 jets striking a French-built nuclear reactor outside Baghdad. Then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, now prime minister, said the possession of nuclear weapons by a hostile Islamic neighbor "is not a question of balance of terror but a question of survival. We shall therefore have to prevent such a threat at its inception." Iran today represents just such a threat, Israeli officials say. "We believe the Iranians will continue developing nuclear military projects and in their hands such weapons pose, for the first time, an existential threat to Israel," Meir Dagan, head of the Mossad, Israel's secret service, told the Israeli parliament last fall. Many observers believe an Israeli pre-emptive strike — after the manner of the pre-emptive U.S. war on Iraq, avowedly to destroy Saddam's weapons of mass destruction — would provoke a furious Arab backlash, jeopardizing the 110,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and derailing efforts to build democracy and stability in the Middle East. Indeed, Arab leaders are "already alarmed at what they see as an American precedent for waging pre-emptive or preventive war," Russell said. The United States would not impose punitive sanctions on Israel, as it did after Israel's strike into Iraq in 1981, "because the United States is also committed to pre-emption," Shlomo Brom, a retired Israeli general and strategic planner, said in an e-mail interview Although Israel's 1981 raid on Iraq produced an international uproar, "the political price it had to pay was eventually insignificant," Brom said, compared with the risk of having a nuclear-armed Iraq in the neighborhood. Could Israel do it? A cold-eyed analysis prepared by Brom suggests it would be difficult but not impossible. Israeli jets, in sustained sorties to Iranian targets 900 to 1,100 miles away, would have to blast through Jordanian and Iraqi airspace or go the long way around the Arabian peninsula. The F-16C/D and F-15I strike jets can barely make the distance one way and would burn more fuel flying at wave-skimming altitude to avoid radar. They would have to be refueled twice during the operation, raising the risk that Israel's lumbering Boeing 707 tankers would be shot down. "Iranian nuclear installations are dispersed (and) well defended. ... Operational difficulties may lead to high (Israeli) casualty rate," Brom wrote in his assessment, adding, "an Iranian violent reaction is almost a certainty." Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company More nation &world ***************************************************************** 2 KoreaHerald: Commentary: Nuclear preview Lee Kyong-hee is Editor-in-chief of the Korea Herald It has probably been ages since most South Koreans gave up waiting for any bright news from across the border. However, the full story is unbearably sad and shocking. In a sense, the tragic events surrounding the train explosion at Ryongcheon seem as surreal as the various make-believe episodes about Kim Jong-il - his eccentric habits and luxurious lifestyle unbecoming of his impoverished country. The timing of the blast and its cause, rather hurriedly announced by the North Korean authorities in view of their customary preference for secrecy, keep not a few souls wondering whether all these cruel events can be real. No wonder the initial response to the disaster from much of the outside world was whether the deadly blast had anything to do with a possible attempt on Kim's life when he was returning from his clandestine visit to China. The question was irresistible, given the reports that Kim's private train had originally been scheduled to pass through the station at around 1 p.m. Thursday. It was about the same time that the wagons carrying chemical fertilizer allegedly touched the downed power lines at the station to start off the huge explosion. Some early reports backed such speculation by saying that many school children were sacrificed, as they had been mobilized to welcome back the "dear leader." Strangely, Kim was said to have arrived in Pyongyang very early in the morning that day. Apart from the North Korean government's obvious efforts to bar any doubts about Kim's security, the heavy casualties and sweeping destruction immediately overshadowed any suspicions about potential internal disturbances in the firmly closed society under its repressive regime. The North's leadership must be enormously embarrassed that the country's dilapidated infrastructure and poor capacity for crisis management have been brought to light, as the entire world is watching. But they were right in swiftly confirming the "accident by human error" and stretching out their hands to seek assistance from the international community. Much of the mess following what must have been an apocalyptic conflagration throughout the densely populated neighborhoods in the North Korean town should have been well anticipated. It has been no secret that the communist kingdom, in spite of its diehard pride in self-reliance and military might, cannot even feed its perennially hungry people, nor can it heal its patients. Still, it is truly heartrending that thousands of innocent people, including many children, have had to endure acute pain and hunger, as they are virtually abandoned in shabby hospitals without basic medicines and equipment. Their faces, blackened by severe burns and torn by rubble and dust, are strangely expressionless. Not a few have their eyes clumsily covered with untidy cloth. Wire stories filed from the Chinese border city of Dandong say that the children were on their way home from school for lunch when they met the disaster. There is no knowing exactly what happened to them, but almost half of the 161 confirmed dead are students of the local primary school and many of the more than 300 severely wounded are also children. After visiting a hospital in nearby Sinuiju city where most of the 1,300 wounded were apparently moved, an international aid worker said he saw children rolling and moaning in pain. Some of the kids seemed to have lost their sight in both eyes, as they were exposed to devastating heat and light as well as shards of debris from the demolished buildings. Terrifying scenes, resembling science-fiction warnings of nuclear disasters, have been represented in the haunting dispatches. Some North Koreans reportedly related that the explosion was so deafening that they had initially thought "the U.S. had dropped a nuclear bomb." This is certainly another disconcerting feature of the catastrophe, given the stumbling dialogue over the North's nuclear blackmail. No less annoying is Pyongyang's reluctance to open the one fast route for relief trucks from the South, the recently reconnected highway across the Demilitarized Zone. Whatever their internal problems, the North Koreans must allow South Korean relief workers, and goods that are on a stand-by, to cross the border anytime. Considering the unspeakable sufferings of thousands of the injured and homeless, Kim Jong-il and other leaders of the North's regime cannot be forgiven for delaying the arrival of aid. It is a great pity that they are again proving their inhumanity at a critical moment of a massive humanitarian crisis. In her book "Madame Secretary," former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright shrewdly pointed out the absurdity of the North Korean system she observed during her visit in 2000: "There may be places more impoverished than North Korea, but nowhere had the spontaneity of the human spirit been more determinedly crushed. Nobody could preside over a system as cruel as the DPRK's without being cruel himself." 2004.04.28 ***************************************************************** 3 Las Vegas SUN: Supreme Court Hears Cheney Secrecy Case By GINA HOLLAND ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - The Constitution gives presidents and vice presidents power to gather advice and make decisions without being forced to reveal every detail of how those decisions are made, the Bush administration's top Supreme Court lawyer argued Tuesday. "This is a case about the separation of powers," Solicitor General Theodore Olson told the justices at the start of lively arguments about privacy in White House policy-making. The nearly three-year fight over access to records of Vice President Dick Cheney's work on a national energy strategy came to the high court after a federal judge ordered what Olson called a broad, unconstitutional release of White House documents. The White House is framing the case as a major test of executive power, arguing that the forced disclosure of confidential records intrudes on a president's power to get truthful advice. Environmental and other interest groups claim the records will show whether the energy industry got special access or favors. Justices were told that former Enron chairman Ken Lay and others were players, but until the government produces records, it won't be clear if they actually drafted the government's policies. "The question is what happened at those meetings," said Alan Morrison, the attorney for the Sierra Club. The legal issues in the case have been almost overshadowed by a political controversy involving Justice Antonin Scalia. He has refused to step down despite a controversy over a hunting trip he took with Cheney, an old friend, weeks after the high court agreed to hear Cheney's appeal. Scalia took his seat behind the court's high bench as usual Tuesday, and almost immediately posed a hard question to the administration lawyer. Since the case concerns whether outsiders influenced the outcome of the task force's work, why not release voting records of the energy task force, Scalia asked. Told that such a disclosure would raise privacy concerns, Scalia sounded skeptical. "All I'm saying is, why would that be such an intrusion ... just to know whether anybody who voted on any of the recommendations was a nongovernment employee?" he asked. But later, Scalia fired question after question at Morrison, at one point telling him his arguments were implausible. The high court is expected to rule by July. The case began in July 2001 when a government watchdog group sued over Cheney's private meetings. The case has never gone to trial, but a federal judge ordered the White House to begin turning over records two years ago. The Bush administration has lost two rounds in federal court. If the Supreme Court makes it three, Cheney could have to reveal potentially embarrassing records just in time for the presidential election. Most of the talk among spectators who began lining up the night before was about Scalia, not the case. "The big deal is Scalia," said 23-year-old law student Peter Stockburger of Austin, Texas. "It was dumb that he went on the hunting trip. It was stupid, but it wasn't illegal." Watchdog group Judicial Watch and the environmental group Sierra Club sued to get the task force papers. The Sierra Club accused the administration of shutting environmentalists out of the meetings while catering to energy industry executives and lobbyists. Olson told the justices in court filings that no energy industry officials participated improperly in meetings. The Supreme Court also is known for private meetings. "The court utilizes the process of confidential deliberation just as the executive branch does. Memos are drafted, deliberations occur and drafts of opinions are circulated - all behind closed doors," said Kris Kobach, a constitutional law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. "In both branches, deliberation is more candid, honest and valuable if it sometimes is sheltered from public scrutiny." Martin Shapiro, a Supreme Court expert at the University of California, Berkeley, said while the court engages in private consultation, "the justices are used to themselves making decisions on the basis of what they hear from two sides publicly." The case requires the court to clarify a federal open-government law. Scalia had said he did not discuss the case with Cheney when they flew together on a government jet to Louisiana for the duck hunt at a camp owned by an oil rig services executive. "If it is reasonable to think that a Supreme Court justice can be bought so cheap, the nation is in deeper trouble than I had imagined," Scalia wrote in rejecting the Sierra Club's request that he disqualify himself. The case is Cheney v. U.S. District Court, 03-475. --- On the Net: Supreme Court: http:www.supremecourtus.gov -- ***************************************************************** 4 Hi Pakistan: Nuclear Restraint Regime: Indo-Pak talks scheduled for next month --> April 27 2004 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will work out an agreement in the last week of next month to have a nuclear restraint regime (NRR) that will ensure prevention of incidents at sea. The talks will be held in New Delhi. Highly placed sources in the Foreign Office told The News here Monday that both the countries would reaffirm their commitment to undertaking measures to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons under their respective control. The two sides would further undertake to notify each other immediately in the event of any incident that could have adverse consequences for them. They will establish an appropriate communication mechanism for this purpose, the sources said. The Foreign Office is hectically engaged in preparing a working paper for the talks that will be led by acting Foreign Secretary Tariq Osman Haider. Director General for the United Nations Masood Khan, who is expert on nuclear affairs and disarmament, will be assisting the secretary in the talks, the sources said. The two countries are expected to agree on periodical review of the implementation of existing confidence-building measures (CBMs) and where necessary set up appropriate consultative mechanism to monitor and ensure effective implementation of the CBMs, the sources added. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. Nuclear Restraint Regime: Indo-Pak talks scheduled for next month --> ***************************************************************** 5 St. Petersburg Times: Russia and EU agree on nuclear fuel supplies links on rbc.ru RBC, 27.04.2004, Moscow 18:15:08.The affective agreements on nuclear fuel supplies to the 10 new EU members from Russia will be effective until the agreed date of their expiration. But the new EU members should notify the European Commission on these supplies, according to the Russia-EU declaration on the EU enlargement signed today in Luxembourg. The Russia-EU protocol on the expansion was also signed today in Luxembourg. Russia has also agreed with the Euratom Supply Agency on starting negotiations on selling and buying nuclear fuel. Russian 100 percent state-owned corporation TVEL supplies nuclear fuel to the Eastern Europe. But the common practice of the EU is to sign similar agreements with European companies. However, Russia is a partner of the EU in uranium enrichment projects. All rights reserved. © 1995-2003 RosBusinessConsulting (095) 363-11-11 Send your notes and suggestions to max@rbc.ru [max@rbc.ru] All rights reserved © 1995-2000 RosBusinessConsulting ***************************************************************** 6 Toronto Star: Aging nuclear equipment `troubles' energy minister Tue. Apr. 27, 2004. | Updated at 07:59 PM RICHARD BRENNAN QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU Energy Minister Dwight Duncan says he is troubled by reports of aging equipment at the Darlington nuclear facility, especially at a time when Ontario needs all the power it can find. The 3,524-megawatt plant, 70 kilometres east of Toronto, provides 15 to 20 per cent of Ontario's electricity. But problems with feeder pipes in the reactors, as noted in a recent review, are "the first symptom of aging and there are other things that will start to show as well," Duncan said. Feeder tubes carry heavy water in and out of the reactor core. The review was conducted by KPMG and commissioned by Ontario Power Generation's interim board of directors. "It's my understanding that (these problems are) ... a precursor to other problems. It's a sign that the reactors are getting old and their useful life is starting to wane," Duncan said. "It's a bad time ... it is troubling," he said yesterday, referring to the findings, first detailed in the Star on Saturday. Duncan has pegged the cost of upgrading the province's aging electricity system at $40 billion. Former federal finance minister John Manley, who chaired a three-person panel looking into alternative power sources, recommended the province go ahead with the remaining retrofits at Pickering A, despite the horrendous cost overruns and delays in restarting the first reactor. The project cost was close to $1 billion  almost as much as the original projection to retrofit all four reactors. NDP leader Howard Hampton said the KPMG report is further evidence "that nuclear power is incredibly expensive and before any government chooses to go down the nuclear road any further there needs to be a full and public examination of nuclear power." The Ontario government's promise to close its five coal-fired plants by 2007 will make the looming energy shortage worse. › Pay less than $3 per week for 7 day home delivery. [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ Render&c=Page&cid=992945733237] Copyright Toronto Star ***************************************************************** 7 Daily Times: NPT violators should lose nuclear access - US Wednesday, April 28, 2004 UNITED NATIONS: The United States, taking another step to strengthen international proliferation controls, said on Tuesday that countries developing or acquiring nuclear weapons should forfeit the right to nuclear technology for peaceful uses. The comments, in a speech to a United Nations conference by Undersecretary of State John Bolton, reflect an increasingly aggressive US effort to hold states like Iran accountable for their secret nuclear arms programmes, Bolton said. “The central bargain of the NPT is that if non-nuclear weapons states renounce the pursuit of nuclear weapons, they may gain assistance in developing civilian nuclear power.” “If a state party seeks to acquire nuclear weapons and thus fails to conform with Article II, then under the treaty that party forfeits the right to develop peaceful nuclear energy,” he told a UN conference reviewing progress on the 34-year-old NPT, cornerstone of international efforts to halt the spread of nuclear arms. Although the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of developing a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, officials said this was the first time Washington had explicitly asserted that this behaviour should be interpreted under the NPT as grounds for halting peaceful nuclear cooperation with Tehran. US officials hope it will give countries like Russia, which is building a major nuclear reactor for Iran, more incentive to halt that cooperation. Bolton said that Iran, “one of the most fundamental challenges to the non-proliferation regime has concealed a large-scale covert nuclear weapons programme for 18 years”. This has taken place even while Iran was a member of the NPT pledged not to develop or possess nuclear weapons. “Finally, the foolishness of atoms for peace is being challenged and blunted. This is long overdue and worthy of the highest praise,” said non-proliferation expert Henry Sokolski, who had argued for such a US policy statement. In the speech, Bolton warned of a “crisis of NPT compliance” and said if treaty provisions are ignored “confidence in the security benefits derived from the NPT will erode.” “Enforcement is critical. We must increase the costs and reduce the benefits to violators,” he said. The NPT, signed by 189 nations, is under severe strain, following recent revelations by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan of a vast nuclear black market. Under the NPT only five states are allowed to have nuclear weapons the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China although India, Pakistan and Israel are understood to also have this capability. All other states promised not to develop nuclear weapons. and hosted by WorldCALL Internet Solutions [http://www.wcis.com.pk] ***************************************************************** 8 Hi Pakistan: US behind Pakistan, India peace process --> April 27 2004 ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Monday said the United States had been engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts to encourage Islamabad and New Delhi for talks but it had no direct role in the ongoing peace process between the South Asian nuclear states. “The United States, Pakistan and India have been in contact with each other since 2002 and that is happening on regular basis,” said the Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan while addressing the weekly press briefing here. Nonetheless, Khan said the US had no direct role in the resumption of Pak-India dialogue process aimed at the resolution of bilateral disputes. Washington had been involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to encourage the two sides for dialogue. He said that the United States had not contacted Islamabad and New Delhi in connection with any new proposal for the success of Pakistan-India dialogue. When asked about the Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee’s statement that India would only talk to Hurriyat Conference, he said it was not the negation of Pakistan’s role in the resolution of Kashmir problem. He said India had also talked to the APHC in the past however, Pakistan’s role in the dialogue had its own importance that could not be ignored or undermined. He said for meaningful dialogue both Pakistan and India would have to fulfil their promises and as far as Pakistan was concerned it had done that. He added that Islamabad had not indulged in cross border terrorism. Responding to a query, he said the Kashmiris would have to be taken along and included in the dialogue process as it was vital for just solution to the longstanding Kashmir issue. “Ultimately it is the fate of Kashmiris that has to be decided so their role is important and so is their inclusion in the talks process,” he said. When asked at what stage Kashmiris would be associated with the process, Khan said that would happen when Pakistan and New Delhi move towards some sort of settlement or some basic framework on engagement. To a query on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, the Pakistani Spokesman said in principle Islamabad supported the bus service, adding that Pakistan and India were engaged with each other on this important proposal. Answering a question about the Baglihar Dam, Khan said “ Pakistan has certain objections and it has not altered its position on this project.” He added that this issue could be presented before neutral experts to reach some settlement. To a volley of questions about sending Pakistani troops to Iraq, the Foreign Office spokesman reiterated that there was no change in Pakistan’s position on the issue. He said it was Islamabad’s stand that any contribution of troops on the part of Pakistan should be welcomed by the Iraqi people, there presence should be productive and under the UN mandate. Moreover, he added that any decision on the issue should be in line with the aspirations of Pakistani nation. Khan said the United States had requested the troops deployment for protection of UN mission in Iraq when it was established. He made it clear that the issue was currently under consideration but there was no commitment in this regard on the part of Islamabad. To another question, he said Pakistan had some reservations and concerns about the non-proliferation resolution sponsored by the United States and Britain at the UN Security Council. However, he said Pakistan was endeavoring to address those in consultation with permanent as well as the elected members of the UN Security Council. He added that as far as the general thrust of the resolution was concerned Islamabad agreed with it as it was against nuclear proliferation. In his response to a query on Pakistan’s entry into ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Khan said there was an overwhelming support for Pakistan’s entry into the Regional Forum. He added that Islamabad had also contacted New Delhi in this regard. He said that the Prime Minister Jamali’s visit to South East Asian States was also a part of that endeavour. Responding to the queries on Wana operation, Khan said that the war on terror would be continued. However, he added that the ISPR was the apt forum to comment on that. Agencies add: Masood Khan rejected the remarks made by Former Prime Minister Ms. Benazir Bhutto that the top nuclear scientist could be murdered to prevent him from revealing that he acted under government orders while selling nuclear secrets, and said there is no substance in it. Abdul Qadeer Khan, long regarded as a national hero for helping Pakistan obtain a nuclear deterrent against rival India, confessed in February to transferring sensitive technology to North Korea, Iran and Libya. “There is a concern amongst many of us that Dr. Khan may be killed to silence him, and that it will be shown as a heart attack or something else,” Bhutto told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television. Bhutto claimed Khan would never act alone. “I just know that wherever he went, he went under orders,” she said. “I know he didn’t do it on his own. They played to his ego, but he didn’t go on his own. He went because he was ordered,” said Bhutto. In his confession broadcast live throughout Pakistan, Khan claimed to have acted with his colleagues without the authority of the government. He received a pardon from President General Pervez Musharraf, but remains under house arrest here as investigators continue to probe the illicit nuclear deals. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 CNN.com: Pakistan voices concerns over UN resolution on nuclear non-proliferation ISLAMABAD, April 26: Pakistan on Monday expressed its reservations on a US, UK sponsored UN resolution on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. “Pakistan has reservations on the UN resolution on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons moved by US and UK. We are trying to settle the reservations through consultation. Negotiations in this regard are underway with permanent and non-permanent members of security council”, said foreign office spokesman Masood Khan while addressing a weekly foreign office briefing here. Khan made it clear that Pakistan did not have any reservation on the general draft of the resolution ‘since Pakistan is against proliferation.’ The spokesman categorically said that country’s posture on dispatch of troops to Iraq would not undergo any change. Pakistan will only commit its troops to Iraq when people of Iraq would welcome it. Pak troops would be under UN force mandate’, he said. He said Kashmiris are principal party to the lingering issue ‘therefore they would be from among the negotiators deciding the fate of the disputed territory’. Kashmiris, he said, would be invited in the negotiations process after Pakistan and India have devised a frame work regarding settlement of the issue. US is not playing any direct role for bringing about resolution of the issue rather it is encouraging the two South Asian nuclear capable rivals to make some headway in this regard, the spokesman said. Pakistan in principle is supportive of Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus launch. Both sides are in contact with each other to finalize schedule of negotiations regarding the same. Replying to a question regarding Baglihar dam, the spokesman said it is a controversial dam adding that if two sides do not reach any amicable solution on the issue then an arbiter would be approached. To another query he said that there have been positive development on Pakistan’s joining of ASEAN regional forum. We have also urged India to back us in this regard, he said adding that prime objective of Jamali’s visit was to bag support of South East Asian countries on Pakistan’s joining the forum, the spokesman maintained. He said Kashmiris by boycotting the Indian elections had expressed their reaction predicting breakthrough when foreign secretaries of the two sides meet in May-June. He refuted the impression that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had talked of elimination of Pakistan from the negotiation process.-Online Back Add Your Comments ***************************************************************** 10 Expatica: Talks over German plutonium plant to China 'ceased' — Living in, moving to, or working in Germany, 27 April 2004 BEIJING - Negotiations over the sale of a redundant plutonium plant from Germany to China are "ceased", said a ministry spokesperson on Tuesday. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao will not discuss the issue during his visit beginning of next week to Germany, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan. Plans for the plutonium plant deal were announced during a visit to China by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in early December. "The contacts are terminated," said the spokesperson. "I do not think that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao will address the issue with the German side." The redundant plant, which reportedly cost more than EUR 700 million, was to be sold for an estimated EUR 50 million. However, Kong said that discussions could be reopened with the businesses involved. Siemens wants to sell the never used Hanau plant to China's National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). China plans to more than double its nuclear power capacity by 2020, and the import of the German plant would enable China to process spent nuclear fuel rods into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for use in pressurized water reactors. The announcement drew protests from environmentalists and Schroeder's coalition partners in the Green Party. The CNNC has repeatedly said that the nuclear fuel-rod processing plant cannot be used for military purposes. DPA © copyright 2004 Expatica Communications BV All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 11 NRC: Carolina Power & Light Company, H. B. Robinson Steam Electric FR Doc 04-9489 [Federal Register: April 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 81)] [Notices] [Page 22875-22876] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27ap04-94] Plant, Unit No. 2; Notice of Issuance of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-23 for An Additional 20-Year Period Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has issued Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR- 23 to Carolina Power & Light Company (the licensee), the operator of H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2. Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-23 authorizes operation of H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, by the licensee at reactor core power levels not in excess of 2339 megawatts thermal in accordance with the [[Page 22876]] provisions of the H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, renewed license and its Technical Specifications. The H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, nuclear facility consists of a closed-cycle, pressurized, light-water-moderated and -cooled reactor, with associated steam generators and electric generating equipment. The facility is located on the licensee's H. B. Robinson site in Darlington County, South Carolina. The application for the renewed license complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's regulations. As required by the Act and the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Chapter 1, the Commission has made appropriate findings, which are set forth in the license. Prior public notice of the action involving the proposed issuance of the renewed license and of an opportunity for a hearing regarding the proposed issuance of the renewed license was published in the Federal Register on July 18, 2002 (67 FR 47410). For further details with respect to this action, see (1) the Carolina's Power & Light Company's license renewal application for H. B. Robinson, Unit No. 2 dated June 14, 2002; (2) the Commission's safety evaluation report dated March 2004 (NUREG-1785); (3) the licensee's updated safety analysis report; and (4) the Commission's final environmental impact statement for H. B. Robinson, Unit No. 2 (NUREG-1437, Supplement 13, dated December 2003). These documents are available at the NRC's Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, first floor, Rockville, Maryland 20852, and can be viewed from the NRC Public Electronic Reading Room 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] . Copies of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-23 may be obtained by writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O-12E5, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Director, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs. Copies of the safety evaluation report (NUREG-1785) and the final environmental impact statement (NUREG-1437, Supplement 13) for H. B. Robinson, Unit No. 2, may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22161 (http://www.ntis.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ntis.gov] ), (703) 605-6000, or Attention: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, PO Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 (http://www.gpoaccess.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.gpoaccess.gov] ), (202) 512-1800. All orders should clearly identify the NRC publication number and the requestor's Government Printing Office deposit account number or VISA or MasterCard number and expiration date. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this the 19th day of April 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Pao-Tsin Kuo, Program Director, License Renewal and Environmental Impacts Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-9489 Filed 4-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 12 NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for the FR Doc 04-9490 [Federal Register: April 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 81)] [Notices] [Page 22875] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27ap04-93] Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Notice of the OMB review of information collection and solicitation of public comment. SUMMARY: The NRC has recently submitted to OMB for review the following proposal for the collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The NRC hereby informs potential respondents that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and that a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 1. Type of submission, new, revision, or extension: Revision. 2. The title of the information collection: 10 CFR part 25--Access Authorization for Licensee Personnel. 3. The form number if applicable: N/A. 4. How often the collection is required: On occasion. 5. Who will be required or asked to report: NRC-regulated facilities and other organizations requiring access to NRC-classified information. 6. An estimate of the number of annual responses: 1,022. 7. The estimated number of annual respondents: 50. 8. An estimate of the total number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 267 hours (242 hours for reporting and 25 hours for recordkeeping) or approximately .26 hours per response. 9. An indication of whether section 3507(d), Pub. L. 104-13 applies: N/A. 10. Abstract: NRC-regulated facilities and other organizations are required to provide information and maintain records to ensure that an adequate level of protection is provided NRC-classified information and material. A copy of the final supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21, Rockville, MD 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/index.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comm ent/omb/index.html] . The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments and questions should be directed to the OMB reviewer listed below by May 27, 2004. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given to comments received after this date. OMB Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0046), NEOB-10202, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Comments can also be submitted by telephone at (202) 395-3087. The NRC Clearance Officer is Brenda Jo. Shelton, (301) 415-7233. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of April, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Brenda Jo. Shelton, NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-9490 Filed 4-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 13 NRC: Sunshine Act, Meeting FR Doc 04-9596 [Federal Register: April 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 81)] [Notices] [Page 22876-22877] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27ap04-95] Date: Weeks of April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2004. Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Status: Public and Closed. Matters To Be Considered: Week of April 26, 2004 There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of April 26, 2004. Week of May 3, 2004--Tentative Tuesday, May 4, 2004 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Results of the Agency Action Review Meeting (Public Meeting) (Contact: Bob Pascarelli, 301-415-1245) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] . Week of May 10, 2004--Tentative Monday, May 10, 2004 1 p.m. Briefing on Grid Stability and Offsite Power Issues (Public Meeting) (Contact: Cornelius Holden, 301-415-3036) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] . Tuesday, May 11, 2004 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Status of Office of International Programs (OIP) Programs, Performance, and Plans (Public Meeting) (Contact: Ed Baker, 301-415-2344) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] . 1:30 p.m. Briefing on Threat Environment Assessment (Closed--Ex. 1) Week of May 17, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of May 17, 2004. Week of May 24, 2004--Tentative Tuesday, May 25, 2004 1:30 p.m. Discussion of Management Issues (Closed--Ex. 2). Wednesday, May 26, 2004 10:30 a.m. All Employees Meeting (Public Meeting). 1:30 p.m. All Employees Meeting (Public Meeting). Week of May 31, 2004--Tentative Wednesday, June 2, 2004 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Equal Employment Opportunity Program (Public Meeting) (Contact: Corenthis Kelley, 301-415-7380) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] . 1:30 p.m. Meeting with Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) (Public Meeting) (Contact: John Larkins, 301-415-7360) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--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 schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301) 415- 1292. Contact person for more information: Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415- 1651. * * * * * Additional Information By a vote of 3-0 on April 20, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and Sec. 9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of Duke Energy Corp. (Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2), Duke's Appeal of LBP-04-04 (Board Ruling on Standing and Contentions) and the Board's Certified Questions on a Security Contention'' be held April 21, and on less than one week's notice to the public. ``Meeting with Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)'' originally scheduled for Thursday, May 6, 2004 was rescheduled for June 2, 2004. * * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet at: http:://http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-makin g/schedule.html] . * * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 ((301) 415-1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in [[Page 22877]] receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov [dkw@nrc.gov] . Dated: April 22, 2004. Dave Gamberoni, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 04-9596 Filed 4-23-04; 11:20 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M ***************************************************************** 14 Salt Lake Tribune: Chernobyl nuclear disaster recalled April 27, 2004 [PHOTO] Alehandra Lihova, sister of a worker who died following the wipes tears away at the wreath-laying ceremony to the Chernobyl victims monument in Ukraine's capital Kiev on Monday. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press) By Anna Melnichuk The Associated Press KIEV, Ukraine -- Mourners laid flowers and lit candles in gatherings across the former Soviet Union Monday to mark the 18th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which spread radiation over much of northern Europe. In all, 7 million people in the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered physical or psychological injuries from the April 26, 1986, catastrophe, when reactor No. 4 at Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded and caught fire. An area roughly half the size of Colorado was contaminated by the accident, forcing the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people and ruining some of Europe's most fertile farmland. In the capital Kiev, some 80 miles south of the Chernobyl plant, hundreds of Ukrainians on Monday filled the small chapel dedicated to the disaster's victims at 1:23 a.m. local time, the exact time of the explosion. Later, they laid flowers and lit candles at a small hill where marble plaques inscribed with the names of hundreds of victims are laid. And nearly 1,000 mourners gathered in the afternoon at Kiev's Chernobyl memorial, a soaring statue of five falling metallic swans. Some placed flowers and photos of deceased relatives at its base. "Nothing can be compared with a mother's sorrow," said Praskoviya Nezhyvova, an elderly retiree clutching a black-framed photograph of her son, Viktor. She said he died of Chernobyl-related stomach cancer in 1990 at age 44. Volodymyr Diunych, a driver who took members of the hastily recruited and inadequately equipped cleanup crews to the site, recalled watching as residents were evacuated "in an awful rush" days after the disaster. Ukraine shuttered Chernobyl's last working reactor in December 2000. But Ukrainian experts say that the concrete-and-steel shelter hastily constructed over the damaged reactor following the accident needs urgent repairs. Authorities say the reactor site is safe. As of early 2004, more than 2.3 million people, including 452,000 children, had been hospitalized in Ukraine with illnesses blamed on the disaster, according to Ukraine's Health Ministry. Ukraine has registered some 4,400 deaths in connection with the accident. Many of those injured in the explosion or displaced by its fallout complain the government is doing little to help them. Sergei Shchvetsov, the head of Russia's Chernobyl Union, was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency that 40,000 people disabled by the clean up operations after the blast live in Russia and the "volume of benefits to which they are eligible is narrowing every year." "> Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 15 Brattleboro Reformer: Robotic camera to scan fuel pool [http://www.reformer.com/] April 27, 2004 Brattleboro, VT By CAROLYN LORIÉ Reformer Staff BRATTLEBORO -- Workers at Vermont Yankee will use a robotic camera to scan the spent fuel pool for two segments of highly radioactive fuel, possibly as soon as today. The pencil-thick segments are seven and 17 inches long, respectively. They were placed into a canister in 1979, after the cladding surrounding them was discovered to be defective. The segments were discovered to be missing on April 20, after an on-site inspector from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered the canister opened. According to spokesman Rob Williams, a camera attached to a pole has already done a preliminary search of the pool. The robotic camera will allow for a more comprehensive search. A review of shipping records and logs is also under way. If the pieces do not turn up in the spent fuel pool, it may be because they were shipped to a low-level waste dump along with other material. According to Williams, the last two shipments from the spent fuel pool occurred in September 1997 and October 2000. Although fuel cannot be sent to a low-level waste site, it may have inadvertently been packaged with other material from the pool, such as irradiated metal. Williams said that Vermont Yankee produces less than 150 cubic yards per year of low-level waste, but did not know how far back that figured applied. Williams said that searching the pool will most likely take several weeks and will not interfere with the outage schedule. ***************************************************************** 16 Rutland Herald: Entergy was warned about fuel inventory - Apr. 26, 2004 By SUSAN SMALLHEER Herald Staff Entergy Nuclear was warned last month that it wasn't following its own regulations in taking mandatory inventory of Vermont Yankee's spent fuel pool, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission senior resident inspector said Monday. David Pelton said that he "wrote up" Entergy Nuclear a month ago and plant personnel agreed to return to the spent fuel pool this month during the plant's regular refueling outage. "They weren't following their processes, and they told me the outage was coming up and they would take a closer look at those pieces in their spent fuel pool," Pelton said. Pelton's insistence that Entergy follow through on a visual inspection of the stainless steel pail in the bottom of Yankee's spent fuel pool led to the discovery that two pieces of a highly radioactive fuel rod were missing last week. He said Entergy's own regulations for doing the spent fuel pool inventory called for a visual confirmation that the pieces were in the pail and inside the special tubes that were welded to the pail. Pelton said Entergy workers earlier had done a visual inspection of the spent fuel pool, saw the pail and assumed the pieces were still in it. Entergy also counted the 2,789 fuel assemblies of spent fuel, left over from the plant's 32 years of operation. Pelton, who has worked at Vermont Yankee for the past 18 months, said Entergy workers used a borescope, a small flexible "gizmo" with a camera that could peer inside the tube. He said Entergy's own regulations for the inventory process called for a visual confirmation that the pieces existed unless they were in a locked and _closed container. The container, which Pelton described as a cylindrical pail about 2 feet tall, was open to the top and thus required the visual confirmation. Entergy Nuclear spokesman Robert Williams said he was unaware of the deviation from Entergy's standards and said he would have a comment today. The NRC had sent out a directive calling for the detailed inventory by the end of May, Pelton said. He said the directive gave resident inspectors guidance for inspecting how the companies were controlling the material in the spent fuel pools. Pelton said Entergy was getting ready to do a "massive investigation" to track down what happened to the pieces of a fuel rod, one 7 inches long and the other 17 inches long. Both are the thickness of a pencil. The missing fuel rod pieces have been called "unacceptable" by Gov. James Douglas, who has stopped short of calling for a full-fledged safety inspection of the plant. However, the Douglas administration has said it is keeping "all options on the table" as it waits to see how Entergy handles the missing fuel crisis. The missing fuel pieces are either in the bottom of the 40-foot-deep spent fuel pool, or at a low-level radioactive waste facility, either in South Carolina or Washington state, both Entergy and the NRC have said. But no one has answers yet, according to Public Service Commissioner David O'Brien, on why the missing fuel went undetected for possibly as long as 24 years. "There always should be accountability, especially in a nuclear power facility. If they didn't follow their own procedures, they should be held accountable for that. They have rules for everything, they don't do anything lightly," O'Brien said. "This is about public confidence, isn't it? Are we being well protected? We look for things such as people standing up and being accountable," O'Brien said. Pelton, the NRC inspector, said Entergy has talked to 1980 Yankee employees who remember the fuel pieces being placed in the special container. The fuel rod broke into pieces because of a faulty covering or cladding. The plant shut down for two weeks in 1979 to replace the faulty fuel, which was releasing high levels of radiation that leaked into the plant. O'Brien said the state's nuclear engineer, William Sherman, was on site and participating in Entergy's task force meetings. O'Brien said that Entergy was planning on putting one camera into the spent fuel pool today to do some preliminary searches. A more sophisticated rover camera, probably won't be put in the spent fuel pool until Thursday. The rover camera is being assembled and tested, O'Brien said. He said the camera, once it was in the spent fuel pool, couldn't be retrieved and adjusted since it would be contaminated with radioactivity. O'Brien said he had been told by Entergy Nuclear site vice president Jay Thayer that the company expects to complete the search of the spent fuel pool by May 1. The plant, which is currently shut down for refueling, maintenance and renovations to support a planned 20 percent power increase, is expected to restart on May 3, O'Brien said. O'Brien said the fuel pieces could have been shipped out of Vermont after three "clean-ups" of the spent fuel pool, in 1983, 1997 and 2000, when contaminated items - but not spent fuel - were taken out of the pool and shipped for disposal. "It does present that possibility that somehow the fuel rods were mistaken for low-level waste. We don't know that, but that's an obvious area to look at," he said. O'Brien said there was also a possibility that the fuel rod pieces were shipped to a General Electric laboratory for testing because of problems with that fuel. O'Brien said his staff had even tracked down the former state nuclear engineer from the 1970s and 1980s, to see if he remembered the faulty fuel problem. "You can take some comfort that these pieces did not go somewhere and get into the wrong hands, but they may have gone somewhere inadvertently," O'Brien said. Raymond Shadis, staff advisor of the New England Coalition, said it didn't surprise him to hear that Entergy wasn't following its own procedures. "They do it all the time," Shadis said, referring to the NRC's annual report on Vermont Yankee that listed about a dozen problem areas or violations of regulations. "That's par for the course," Shadis said. O'Brien reiterated his concerns that both Entergy and federal regulators had a joint responsibility in the missing fuel crisis. "The NRC was in a position not to accept the substandard inventory process. Twenty-five years went by, they had the means of verifying their existence, why wasn't that ever challenged? Is that what we can expect in the future? " O'Brien said. Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. Copyright © 2004 Rutland Herald [http://www.rutlandherald.com/] and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus [http://www.timesargus.com/] ***************************************************************** 17 Brattleboro Reformer: NRC: Missing fuel, uprate unrelated [http://www.reformer.com/] April 27, 2004 Brattleboro, VT By DAVID GRAM Associated Press MONTPELIER -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regards missing pieces of spent fuel at the Vermont Yankee nuclear station and the plant's plan to boost power as two separate issues, a spokeswoman said Monday. "The spent fuel inventory is not part of the uprate review," said Diane Screnci, spokeswoman for the NRC's Northeast regional office. "Spent fuel inventory is something we require plants to do periodically, whether they're asking for an uprate or not." Those comments appeared to counter those of Gov. James Douglas and other state officials. They have pointed to last week's news that two pieces of highly radioactive spent fuel had disappeared as strong evidence of the need for a special review of plant operations before Vermont Yankee's request to boost its power output by 20 percent is granted. Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs said Monday that the governor had spoken to Hubert Miller, the NRC's Northeast regional administrator, on Friday. "The governor did make the point that ... the NRC should conduct an independent engineering assessment as requested by the state -- if nothing else to restore credibility to the facility," Gibbs said. "I can appreciate that procedurally they might be two separate processes," Gibbs said. "But they have one key component in common. They both involve the same plant and the same management team. In the governor's view it's very legitimate to link these two issues together." A bulletin about the discovery of the missing fuel pieces on the NRC web site says that in an incident in the Vermont Yankee spent fuel pool in 1980, "two fuel rods broke into several pieces." The NRC said all but two of the pieces were retained within the assemblies that normally hold nuclear fuel. Two pieces, about as thick as a pencil and 7 and 17 inches in length, could not be placed back into a fuel assembly. Instead they were put into tubes which were placed in a container and stored on the bottom of the 40-foot-deep spent fuel pool. David O'Brien, commissioner of the Department of Public Service, the state agency that oversees operations at Vermont Yankee, said Monday that the tubes, fabricated to the lengths of the fuel segments, were welded to the bottom of the container, which he likened to a bucket. O'Brien said the container had been moved within the pool multiple times since 1980, and that there had been three "clean-up campaigns," in which extraneous non-fuel items were taken from the fuel pool and shipped to low-level radioactive waste disposal sites. Officials have said one likely scenario that could explain the fuel segments' disappearance is that they left the plant in a shipment of low-level waste -- but no one is certain. The nuclear watchdog group New England Coalition called on the Douglas administration to take a stronger stance regarding the need to do an independent assessment of Vermont Yankee before it is allowed to boost power. "The governor has said everything's on the table. That's not good enough," the coalition's Raymond Shadis said Monday. "We need to see some real leadership from this governor. The people of this state aren't interested in an independent engineering assessment. They're interested in safety. "The governor should take this opportunity, which has been handed to him on a silver platter, to demand that the NRC conduct an independent safety assessment," Shadis said. The difference between an "independent engineering assessment" and an "independent safety assessment" has become a key one in the debate over the proposed power boost. The coalition has been calling for a review as thorough as the one in 1996 that found so many problems at the Maine Yankee nuclear plant that its owners decided to shut it down rather than make repairs. In its conditional approval of the power boost last month, the Public Service Board called for the less thorough independent engineering assessment that would look at a relatively small sample of plant systems and procedures. That is the sort of review that has been advocated since the board's decision by Douglas and O'Brien. The state still has not received a formal response from the NRC to the request for the special assessment, made in a letter sent by Public Service Board Chairman Michael Dworkin on March 15 and followed up with a board letter of March 31. "We're still working on it," Screnci said Monday. Gibbs countered Shadis' comments by saying that "everything is on the table" means "the governor will continue to insist on answers to his questions and if he determines that an independent safety assessment is necessary he will call for one. But there are still many unanswered questions." Copyright © 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 18 Mos News: Belarus Chides West for Turning Back on Chernobyl MOSNEWS.COM [A Belarussian protester shouts slogans during an opposition rally to mark the 18th anniversary of Chernobyl disaster / Photo: Reuters] Created: 27.04.2004 12:47 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:11 MSK MosNews Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko blamed the West on Monday for not helping deal with the after-effects of Chernobyl, Reuters reported. The region is still claiming victims 18 years after spewing radiation across his country and beyond. The explosion in neighboring Ukraine on April 26, 1986, was the world’s worst civil nuclear accident and has been blamed for thousands of deaths due to radiation-linked illness, a huge increase in cancer and high radiation levels in affected areas. Belarus, a former Soviet state run largely along communist-era command economy lines, spends about 10 percent of its budget on dealing with the after-effects of Chernobyl and often complains it gets no help from neighbors and the West. “We cannot hope for anything from the international community... This is our pain, our burden and we will carry it alone,” the state news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying. “Nobody will help us, not Ukraine, not Russia and certainly not Western countries. We have never had such help —- we have solved and will solve this problem ourselves,” he said. But some 1,000 protesters marched in Minsk accusing Lukashenko of forcing people to return to contaminated land, Reuters reported. Banners read “the pain of Chernobyl”. Moreover, many international organizations say it is all but impossible to work in Belarus after Minsk brought in tax requirements for voluntary projects and demanded registration through a specially created department. In contrast, Ukraine has wooed the international community for funds, winning millions of dollars from European organizations to help build a new protective “sarcophagus” to block escaping radiation from the reactor amid fears the old one is crumbling. President Leonid Kuchma, who led the charge to glean funds from the West, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and other officials, laid flowers at a symbolic burial mound in Ukraine’s capital Kiev to pay tribute, Reuters reported. Write us: [info@mosnews.com] Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM Designed by [http://design.gazeta.ru/] ***************************************************************** 19 FT: Sale of Siemens nuclear plant to China halted By Hugh Williamson in Berlin Published: April 27 2004 20:56 Controversial plans by Siemens, the German engineering group, to export a nuclear enrichment plant to China appeared to have collapsed on Tuesday. The Chinese foreign ministry said negotiations over the $55m (?46m, £30.7m) sale had stopped. Politicians in Berlin interpreted this as a signal that Beijing had withdrawn from the project, which should end a long- running saga that has threatened to split Germany's governing coalition. The announcement is expected to improve the diplomatic atmosphere ahead of a visit to Berlin next Tuesday by Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier. He is due to open a business forum with Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor. Siemens declined to comment on Tuesday. The planned sale of the mothballed fuel rod- enrichment plant near Frankfurt had been opposed by the Greens, the junior coalition partner, since Mr Schröder signalled during a trip to Beijing in December that the government had no objections to the export. Mr Schröder's hint appeared to contradict the government's anti-nuclear policy, promoted primarily by the Greens. Environmentalists said the equipment could be used to help China's nuclear weapons programme - a claim rejected by Beijing. Work on the plant started in 1991 but it has been unused since 1995 when building stopped. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that while there had been "some initial contacts between enter", these contacts "have stopped". He added that "given this situation, I don't think premier Wen Jiabao is going to raise the issue with the German side" next week. In a move seen as a face-saving gesture for Mr Schröder, Berlin said the export plan had not been completely cancelled, and could still be revived, although officials said this was highly unlikely. Joschka Fischer, foreign minister and a leader of the Greensis believed to have warned the chancellor this year that the plant's export could have sparked a rebellion within the Greens. Krista Sager, a Greens parliamentary leader, said she was "very pleased" about the apparent collapse of the export project. Ahead of yesterday's announcement, officials had said a coalition split would have further undermined the government's already sagging political support ahead of key elections between June and September. © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2004. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. Privacy ***************************************************************** 20 ABC: Energy consortium adopts name, Duke Energy joins - 2004-04-27 - Atlanta Business Chronicle [http://atlanta.bizwomen.com/] The broad-based nuclear industry consortium presented an industry-federal government proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy, showing how it will share the cost of development of a construction and operating license for advanced nuclear power reactors. The new consortium also adopted its name: NuStart Energy Development LLC. And Duke Energy, one of the nation's largest diversified energy companies and a leading nuclear power plant operator, has now joined the industry consortium, bringing the total number of energy companies participating to nine. In March, Atlanta-based Southern Co. joined the consortium [http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2004/03/29/daily2 8.html] to work with the U.S. Department of Energy to test a new expedited licensing process that allows for joint construction and operating permits for advanced nuclear power reactors. The other consortium members include Constellation Generation Group, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy in Baltimore; EDF International North America in Washington, a subsidiary of Electricite de France; Entergy Nuclear of Jackson, Miss.; Exelon Generation of Philadelphia; and two nuclear reactor vendors, Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric Co. and GE Energy's nuclear operations division in Wilmington, N.C. Each energy company is expected to contribute to the consortium about $1 million a year in cash plus in-kind and administrative services, totaling about $7 million each over seven years. None of the consortium companies has committed to build a new nuclear plant. But NuStart Energy's proposal does commit to complete detailed engineering design work and to prepare applications for the two advanced reactors, then commits to choose one of the applications and file it for National Regulatory Commission (NRC) review and approval. After NRC approval, any individual company or group of companies could decide to use the license to build a new nuclear plant, based on its assessment of power demand, the price of competing electricity technologies, environmental requirements and other factors. The engineering design work proposed by NuStart Energy would be the most detailed ever done on the chosen next-generation advanced reactors and, as a result, provide the most accurate cost estimates yet to build them. © 2004 American City Business Journals Inc. ***************************************************************** 21 ITAR-TASS: Volgodonsk NPP to be stopped for 45 days of planned repairs 27.04.2004, 16.44 ROSTOV-ON-DON, April 27 (Itar-Tass) -- The Volgodonsk nuclear power plant in the Russian Rostov region will be stopped for 45 days of planned repairs on May 1, a source in the power plant’s information and analytical center told Prime Tass on Tuesday. Russian nuclear power plants have planned repairs each year to detect possible defects and modernize equipment. Some of the nuclear fuel will be unloaded from the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant reactor during repairs. A total of 1,100 specialists from 40 organizations will take part in the repairs. The only unit of the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant was connected to the Russian unified energy system in March 2001. It has produced 21,851.4 million kilowatt/hours of electricity. © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy, store in any medium (including in any other website), distribute, transmit, re-transmit, broadcast, modify or show in public any part of the ITAR-TASS website without the prior written permission of ITAR-TAS. Contacts ***************************************************************** 22 ITAR-TASS: PACE calls for helping Ukraine cope with Chernobyl consequences [ITAR-TASS News Agency of Russia] 27.04.2004, 15.56 STRASBOURG, April 27 (Itar-Tass) - Almost 200 tonnes of nuclear fuel remaining in the Chernobyl sarcophagus pose an extremely serious problem, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said. The concrete facility encasing the reactor that blew up at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is crumbling and its protective properties are impairing, participants in the spring session of PACE said in a statement devoted to the 18th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. They called on the UN, Group of Eight states, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to give Ukraine effective assistance in the management of consequences of the disaster. Ukraine has met its obligations to the international community, closing the nuclear power plant in the hope of getting financial assistance for compensating the losses of energy associated with this step, the statement says. Its writers hope that the international community will come up with the promised help for Ukraine’s finishing the construction of reactors at new nuclear power plants and employment of highly skilled specialists of the Chernobyl plant who lost their jobs. © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy, ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: NRC Begins Special Inspection at Irradiator Facility in Puerto Rico News Release - Region I - 2004-02 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I No. I-04-025 April 27, 2004 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov [opa1@nrc.gov] A team of NRC specialists has been sent to Puerto Rico to look into the circumstances surrounding an event at an irradiator facility in which the radioactive source was stuck in an exposed position. The facility, Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, restored the source to a shielded position over the weekend. The industrial irradiator contains cobalt-60 in two source racks. Products that are to be irradiated enter the irradiator cell on a conveyor. The source is lifted out of a water-filled pool, the product is exposed to radiation, and then moved out of the cell. When not in use, the radioactive material is stored under water in the pool. Last Wednesday (4/21), the operators were lowering the source racks back into the pool when one rack jammed, leaving the source exposed. No personnel exposures have been reported. Radiation levels outside the irradiator room remained at normal levels. MDS Nordion, the irradiator manufacturer, sent a team to the facility to assist in the recovery. On Thursday of last week, the NRC issued a letter to Baxter Healthcare confirming the actions the company has agreed to take in response to the event. The company has agreed to conduct a safety assessment and root cause analysis and discuss these with the NRC before restarting operations. An NRC inspector responded to the facility last week to oversee the radiation protection aspects of recovery operations. Two additional inspectors have been dispatched. The team will review the recovery operation and the companys root cause analysis. It is expected the team will be on site through this week. A written report will be issued within 30 days of the end of the inspection. Last revised Tuesday, April 27, 2004 ***************************************************************** 24 Daily Herald: Argonne cleans up mothballed nuclear reactor [http://www.dailyherald.com] Tuesday, April 27, 2004 By Susan Stevens Daily Herald Staff Writer The U.S. Department of Energy has begun removing radioactive waste from a shuttered nuclear reactor at Argonne National Laboratory near Darien. The Juggernaut reactor operated from 1962 to 1970. A small reactor, the Juggernaut was not designed to produce power, but rather as a source of neutrons used in experiments. The $4 million decontamination and decommissioning project began this month and will be completed in summer 2005, said Brian Quirke, spokesman for the department's Chicago office. An environmental assessment concluded the cleanup will have no major impact on public health or the environment. Roughly 18 truckloads of radioactive and hazardous waste will be taken to disposal sites in Nevada, Utah and Washington. The trucks will exit Argonne and immediately go west onto I-55, Quirke said. According to the environmental study, minor amounts of dust containing asbestos and radioactive materials could be released but will be controlled through high-efficiency particulate air filters. A person living at Argonne's border could be exposed to minute amounts of radiation. The potential exposure is a fraction of what Americans are exposed to each year from radon, medical tests, cosmic rays and naturally occurring radioactive materials. Most of the radioactive materials were removed from the reactor in 1970. Final cleanup was delayed because the sealed waste did not pose an immediate danger. Also, over time, the radiation hazard decreased. A new management strategy in the Department of Energy calls for cleaning up mothballed facilities like the Juggernaut. After the reactor is disassembled, the building will be inspected and used for offices and experiments. © 2004 [http://www.dailyherald.com/info/copyright.asp] Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc. ***************************************************************** 25 asahi.com: Train explosion raises specter of Chernobyl [asahi.com] The exact cause of Friday's massive train explosion at a station in North Korea near the Chinese border is still unclear. The paucity of information on this terrible tragedy does not allow for idle speculation. Still, Pyongyang has gone public with the accident, an unusual move for the highly reclusive country. Presumably, the North Korean leadership had intense discussions before making the announcement with regard to how much information to release and when. The presumed behind-the-scenes drama made me think of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, which occurred on April 26, 18 years ago. Scandinavian countries were the first to surmise that an accident had taken place at a Soviet nuclear power plant. The guess was based on unusually high levels of radioactivity they had detected. The Soviet Union initially denied the assumption in dealing with inquiries that flowed in from the West. But this position soon proved untenable as radioactive fallout crossed international borders. Based on his coverage at the site, Vladimir Gubaryev, a reporter for the Soviet newspaper Pravda, penned a play that scathingly attacked the bureaucratic bungling. The drama, ``Sarcophagus,'' takes the form of conversations between prosecutors probing the cause of the accident and the people involved. A sample conversation from the play goes as follows: A system operations engineer at Chernobyl: When were the townspeople evacuated? Prosecutor: Sunday (April 27) noon. As many as 1,000 buses transported all of them in 2 hours. Engineer: Why wasn't an announcement of the accident made over the radio at once? Everyone could have fled on foot in an hour. Prosecutor: People were waiting for the arrival of a government commission. Engineer: Could the commission have made a different decision? Prosecutor: Nobody could make a decision. Engineer: Were they unable to make a decision, or did they not want to make a decision? Prosecutor: They just didn't decide anything. The Soviet Union collapsed about five years later. The train explosion in North Korea caused many deaths and a huge amount of damage. While there is no need to relent on the serious issues outstanding between Japan and North Korea, we should extend a helping hand to the people now suffering because of the accident. It strikes me that the impact of personnel, goods and information flowing in under an aid program might cause cracks in that country's tightly closed shell. --The Asahi Shimbun, April 26(IHT/Asahi: April 27,2004) (04/27) ***************************************************************** 26 NRC: NRC to Meet With Exelon Generation Company to Discuss Performance of Dresden Nuclear Plant News Release - Region III - 2004-02 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region III No. III-04-027 April 27, 2004 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov [opa3@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Exelon Generation Company on Thursday, April 29, to discuss the results of the agency's assessment of safety performance at the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant during 2003. The facility, which has two reactor units, is located near Morris, Illinois. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Grundy County Administration Building, 1320 Union Street, in Morris. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and NRC officials will be available before the conclusion of the meeting to answer questions from the public. In addition, the NRC staff will provide an overview of how the agency's Reactor Oversight Process works. The NRC has concluded that the plant operated safely last year, and plant performance does not require additional inspections beyond the normal inspection program. Routine inspections are performed by the two NRC resident inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the NRC's Region III office in Lisle, Illinois. In its assessment, the NRC notes that two violations were issued against the company last year for providing incomplete and inaccurate information to the Commission. One instance occurred in 2001 and the second in 2003. The NRC has completed inspections to review the companys corrective actions for these two violations and found the actions taken to be acceptable. A March 4 letter from the NRC to Exelon officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2003 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/dres_2003q4.pdf. [PDF Icon] With regard to security issues, the NRC has issued several orders and threat advisories to enhance security capabilities and improve guard force readiness since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The agency has also conducted inspections to review the implementation of these requirements and has monitored the action of plant operators in response to changing threat conditions. The NRC will continue security inspections during 2004. Current performance indicators and inspection findings for the Dresden plant are available on the NRC web site at: (Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES2/dres2_chart.html and (Unit3) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES3/dres3_chart.html. (Note: Unit 1 has been shut down since 1978 and is in decommissioning status.) Last revised Tuesday, April 27, 2004 ***************************************************************** 27 WATE: TVA studying new type of reactor [http://knoxville.wate.com April 26, 2004 KNOXVILLE (AP) -- The Tennessee Valley Authority has asked the Energy Department for a matching grant as it studies a new type of nuclear reactor. TVA wants $4 million to complete a study already underway into boiling water reactors. Only three exist for far, two in Japan and one in Taiwan. They're constructed by General Electric and Toshiba. TVA is focusing on its Bellefonte plant site in northern Alabama. It halted construction on two reactors there in 1988. TVA spokesman Gil Francis says despite the funding request and the study, the public utility isn't making a commitment to build a nuclear unit "at this time." Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. 2004 WorldNow and WATE. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 [FOODIRRADIATIONCA] update on CA Safe School Lunch Act; Support Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 01:20:44 -0500 (CDT) Update on AB 1988, the California Safe School Lunch Act Last Wednesday, AB 1988, the California Safe School Lunch Act was amended and passed through the Assembly Health Committee. The new bill requires the following: 1. School board approval before irradiated food is served in a school. 2. Notification prior to serving irradiated food, and labeling of irradiated food. 3. A non-irradiated meal option if irradiated food is served. This bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. TAKE ACTION! Urge Assembly Member Chu, chair of the Appropriations Committee, to support AB 1988! **ORGANIZATIONS Please FAX a letter of support to Assembly Member Chu at 916-319-2181. Contact Tracy Lerman for a sample letter tlerman@citizen.org **INDIVIDUALS Please write Assembly Member Chu and your Member of Assembly, and urge their support of AB 1988. To find your Member of Assembly, visit www.assembly.ca.gov Contact info for Assembly Member Chu: The Honorable Judy Chu Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee State Capitol, Room 2114 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax - 916-319-2181 To read the text of the bill visit http://leginfo.ca.gov To learn more about irradiated food in school lunches, visit www.safelunch.org ******************************************************** Urge your State Senator to Support SB 1425 and SB 1585, two important food safety measures! SB 1425 (Machado) requires all beef and beef products sold in California and all cattle slaughtered in California to test negative for mad cow disease. SB 1585 (Speier) requires consumer notification in the event of a recall of contaminated meat. Please CALL or FAX your Senator, and urge their support of these important measures to protect Californa consumers! To find out who your senator is, visit www.vote-smart.gov If you live in Senator Florez's or Senator Ducheny's districts, your letters are especially important!! Background In December of 2003, the US Department of Agriculture announced the first case of BSE in a cow that appeared healthy. This incident highlighted both the flaws in the current BSE testing requirements and in the federal BSE prevention program. The USDA's current BSE testing program targets only sick or downer cows, even though cows that appear healthy are more likely to be infected with BSE. In addition, while the FDA has outlawed certain high risk feeding practices, there are still many practices in both feeding livestock and processing meat that increase the risk of BSE contamination. The BSE incident also highlighted problems in the system of notifying the public about recalls of contaminated meat. Prior to the December 2003 incident, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) signed a Memorandum of understanding with the USDA that prohibited DHS from releasing the names of retail outlets that received contaminated meat. Despite the fact that potentially contaminated meat and meat products had reached a number of retail outlets in California, local health officers were not allowed to notify the public where the meat had been distributed. By requiring all cattle and beef products to be tested for BSE, and by requiring the public to be notified in the event of a contaminated meat recall, both SB 1425 and SB 1585 will remedy serious systemic flaws in the food safety programming. For more info, please visit www.foodactivist.org To read the text of the bills, visit http://leginfo.ca.gov Sample Letter The Honorable _______________ California State Senate P.O. Box 942848 Sacramento, CA 94248 Dear Senator __________: I am writing to urge your support for SB 1425 and SB 1585, two important food safety measures. SB 1425 requires all beef and beef products sold in California to test negative for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and requires all cattle slaughtered in California to be tested for BSE before being sold. SB 1585 will improve food recall and public notification procedures in the event of future USDA meat and poultry recalls. The December 2003 case of BSE in a Washington state cow highlighted the flaws in the federal BSE testing and prevention programs. The USDA's current BSE testing program targets only sick or downer cows, even though cows that appear healthy are more likely to be infected with BSE. In addition, while the FDA has outlawed certain high risk feeding practices, there are still many practices in both feeding livestock and processing meat that increase the risk of BSE contamination. Until the federal programs are strengthened to adequately protect the public from this disease, consumers need SB 1425 to provide them continued confidence in the safety of our food supply. The BSE incident also highlighted problems in the system of notifying the public about recalls of contaminated meat. Prior to the December 2003 incident, the California Department of Health Services (DHS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the USDA that prohibited DHS from releasing the names of retail outlets that received contaminated meat. Despite the fact that potentially contaminated meat and meat products had reached a number of retail outlets in California, local health officers were not allowed to notify the public where the meat had been distributed. SB 1585 will put in place a system for quick action to notify the DHS, local health officers, local environmental health directors and, most importantly, the public regarding recalled meat and poultry. SB 1425 and SB 1585 are common sense measures that will improve food safety. Once again, I urge your support for these important bills. Sincerely, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tracy Lerman Senior Organizer Public Citizen, California Office 1615 Broadway, 9th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 ph: 510-663-0888 x 103 f: 510-663-8569 tlerman@citizen.org www.citizen.org/california Keep irradiated food out of your child's lunch! Visit www.safelunch.org to find out more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ********** To unsubscribe, please send a email to tlerman@citizen.org with "unsubscribe foodirradiationca" in the subject line. ***************************************************************** 29 [NukeNet] X-Rays & Low Birth Weight Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 19:57:27 -0700 April 27, 2004 A forum for breaking news and timely information from the ADA The Journal of the American Medical Assn. today published a study that indicates a possible link between dental X-rays administered to women during pregnancy and low-birth-weight deliveries. The study falls well short of establishing causality (which the authors concede), but it does credibly and responsibly present the possibility that X-ray exposure of the thyroid area could be linked to low birth weight. Significant media interest is anticipated, given the topic's broad appeal. The ADA already has responded to an interview request from the Associated Press, and others are likely. The ADA response to the study highlights: a.. The ADA's longstanding recommendation that dentists use thyroid collars in addition to aprons; and b.. That rather than avoiding dental visits, women should understand the importance of maintaining good oral health during pregnancy for the sake of both the mother's and baby's overall health. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 30 Mos News: $500,000 Worth of Property Stolen from Russia’s Nuclear Flagship - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM The nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great / Photo: Reuters Created: 27.04.2004 17:22 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:37 MSK MosNews Embezzlement of finances and property on the Peter the Great nuclear cruiser amounted to 14 million rubles (almost $500,000) in 2003, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Tuesday citing a source in the financial directorate of the Northern Fleet’s headquarters. “We are puzzled by the ship command’s inability to control the observation of order on board and lack of responsibility for the hardware commissioned to them. More than that, over the past months of 2004, hardware worth about 400,000 rubles (over $13,000) was embezzled,” the source said. The Peter the Great has been put into dry dock after the commission of the Main Headquarters of the Russian Navy checked her two weeks ago. The inspection followed a statement by the top Russian Navy commander who said that the condition of the nuclear cruiser was so poor it could blow up at any moment. MONEY MOSNEWS Yukos CFO Denies Possibility of Bankruptcy [Bruce Misamore, chief financial officer of the Yukos oil company / Photo from Yukos official site] Bruce Misamore, Yukos’ chief financial officer said that a $3.5 billion tax demand from Russia’s Tax Ministry won’t lead to the company’s bankruptcy. Yukos has enough cash and access to capital markets to cover such a payment, said Misamore. FEATURE MosNews Chernobyl — Eighteen Years Later [Chernobyl / Photo from MN archive] Eighteen years after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, there are still people living in the disaster zone, exposed to levels of radiation well over the safety limit. INTERVIEW YEVGENY NATAROV Gazeta.Ru Social Responsibility Comes Before Idle Factories [Yevgeny Gavrilenkov / Photo: Konstantin Kucillo, Gazeta.ru] Lame political slogans threaten to bring the process of restructuring and diversification of the Russian economy to a halt, believes Yevgeny Gavrilenkov, chief economist at the Troika Dialog investment company. Instead of reviving idle plants, businesses are forced to focus on an ambiguous social sphere. COLUMN BORIS BEREZOVSKY Liberalism: Liberals Lack Will, Moral Fiber [Boris Berezovsky / Photo: Damian Kudryavtsev] Boris Berezovsky, the exiled Russian tycoon residing in London, has published a response to Khodorkovsky’s recent article in the Russian Vedomosti daily newspaper. He finds that Russian liberals must be criticized for their apathy and inconsistency, rather than self-centeredness pointed out by Khodorkovsky. Write us: info@mosnews.com [info@mosnews.com] Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM Designed by kB "Gazeta.Ru" [http://design.gazeta.ru/] ***************************************************************** 31 Hawk Eye Newspaper: Report details health threat Tuesday, April 27, 2004, Site updated daily at 11 a.m. CST Lengthy document states some essential information on IAAP remains unknown. By MATTHEW LeBLANC mleblanc@thehawkeye.com [mleblanc@thehawkeye.com] A report released this month outlining for the first time the chemical and radiation threats to former nuclear weapons workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant may raise more questions than it answers. In the 58–page report, government doctors with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health detail health threats to former workers who assembled, disassembled and test–fired nuclear weapons at the Middletown plant during the Cold War. It is believed to be the first comprehensive report on specific health threats related to work at the plant. But at several points in the lengthy and often confusing document released April 16, researchers admit that essential data necessary to make determinations on the health of the former workers is unavailable and may never be uncovered. The report includes numerous references to a sister plant in Amarillo, Texas, where similar ordnance work was done, stating that site–specific information related to IAAP has never existed. At one point, the document states that an accurate inventory of radiation and chemical exposures of some former IAAP workers may never be possible because information on the topic was "generally not measured prior to 1955 ... because monitoring data have not been located." And monitoring efforts after 1955 were sub–par at best, according to the report. Only a portion of the 4,000 employees estimated to have been exposed to dangerous radiation and chemicals at the plant were ever monitored for health problems, while modern estimates for acceptable levels of the substances were still years away. The report has left puzzled administrators of a University of Iowa program designed to determine the long–term health effects of work at IAAP and a U.S. senator who's been pushing for changes in a federal workers' compensation program related to the plant since September. Beth Pellett–Levine, an aide to Sen. Charles Grassley, R–Ia., said staffers are poring over the document, trying to determine if it will have any effect on the workers' compensation program, which doles out money to sick and dying former nuclear weapons workers. "We're trying to determine what exactly this is," Pellett–Levine said in an e–mail Monday. Kristina Venzke, program coordinator for the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission Former Workers Program in Iowa City, echoed Pellett–Levine, saying she had not read the entire report. "I believe this is the 'site summary' report that was done for IAAP by NIOSH, so that they can begin to do the dose reconstructions," Venzke said. "We just found it (Wednesday), and haven't had too much of a chance to look at it yet, but it does look very interesting." For years, IAAP was one of only a few sites in the U.S. where nuclear weapons were produced, tested and disassembled. Today, thousands of former workers have filed claims under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, seeking federal compensation payments to pay medical bills for illnesses contracted while working at the plant. Work at the 19,000–acre plant west of Burlington has been linked to lung diseases and cancers among former workers, though only a small portion of the more than 1,600 claimants have received payments. Former workers must prove to doctors, through medical and employment records, that their illnesses are work–related. The process is made difficult by incomplete work records and missing records of what types of materials were used at what time at IAAP. Dose reconstructions attempt to define the type and amount of radiation to which a worker was exposed. The Department of Labor, which runs a portion of EEOICP, has said its doctors would not begin processing cancer claims until a report like NIOSH's site summary was completed. But it's unclear whether the report will expedite the process. Several passages in the document refer to assumptions about the amount of radiation and chemicals workers were exposed to, because exact figures do not exist. "Each site had to have extensive research done so they can try to assess what radiation dosage the employees might have received," Venzke said. "We do know that DOL was sending letters to former workers telling them they were going to start processing their cancer claims." The report, by NIOSH researchers John A. Leonowich, Don Bihl, Jack Fix, Dillard Shipler and Bruce Napier, attempts to outline threats associated with handling depleted uranium and other radioactive materials from the 1940s to the mid–1970s. It also provides a frightening history of nuclear weapons work at the plant, where workers were largely unaware of the health effects of their work and rarely donned protective gear. Joe Shannan, a long–time safety officer at IAAP, describes in the report workers' actions after a nuclear device was detonated on the plant grounds. "Within minutes of the explosion, the driver would enter the restricted area, pick up the workers in the bunker and drive to the blast area to retrieve instruments," Shannon states in the report. "Then the workers would leave the fenced area. Neither the driver nor the control bunker operators wore respirators." Grassley has pushed for changes since September in EEOICP that he believes will expedite claims filed under the program. Two efforts to pass laws to speed up claims were defeated in joint House and Senate committees. He has indicated he will reintroduce the legislation this year. The NIOSH report can be found on the Web at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/tbd/iaap.pdf. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 32 PoughkeepsieJournal: Advocates say nuke plant needs stronger safety drill poughkeepsiejournal.com Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Gannett News Service WHITE PLAINS -- Drills of the emergency-evacuation plans for the 10-mile region around the Indian Point nuclear plants need an extensive overhaul -- including expansion to New York City -- if they are to be relevant in an age of terrorism, a coalition of civic groups opposed to the plants said Monday. The coalition released a 15-point proposal to strengthen the biennial drill, now a four-county ''table-top'' exercise in which no one is actually evacuated from the region. Among the major proposals were the recommendation that at least one school system and 1,000 residents actually be evacuated to see how long it would take them to flee under normal traffic conditions, and that the affected zone be expanded from a 10-mile radius to 50. ''The Indian Point evacuation plan is insufficient to protect those living around the plant and impossible to implement in the wider region,'' said Grant Captanian, coordinator of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, which has been working to close the two power plants in Buchanan. ''Holding a stronger and more realistic drill is the only way to assess the adequacy of the emergency plan.'' The Federal Emergency Management Agency is scheduled conduct a drill at Indian Point during the week of June 7 to gauge the effectiveness of the emergency plans for Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange counties. Like all nuclear power plants, Indian Point is required to have an effective emergency plan as a condition of its operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition sent its 15-point proposal to FEMA Under Secretary Michael Brown last week. FEMA did not respond to requests for comment Monday. In a statement, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns Indian Point, said, ''We'll gladly forward any new or substantive suggestions to the emergency planning experts at Giuliani Partners, which we hired a year ago to help the counties improve their emergency plans.'' The upcoming drill is significant because FEMA dropped its long-standing practice of basing its evaluation of the plans' effectiveness in part on certifications from each of the four counties and the state Emergency Management Office. The change followed a furor last year when the state and counties refused to certify that plans were updated and effective; this was triggered by a state-sponsored evaluation of emergency plans and September 2002 drill by former FEMA Director James Lee Witt. Witt concluded the plans and the drill were ineffective and that the region could not be safely evacuated in the event of a nuclear emergency, particularly a fast-breaking one caused by terrorism. FEMA ultimately certified the plans and the agency's assessment was accepted by the NRC. This year, the state agency, Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties all again refused to certify the plans. The coalition suggested Witt be rehired to evaluate the next drill and the public be allowed to observe emergency-response operations. ''A drill that is done in a vacuum throws into question the validity of the drill,'' said Susan Shapiro of the Rockland Citizens Awareness Network, during a news conference at Pace University Law School. ''What are they trying to hide?'' , Poughkeepsie Journal . ***************************************************************** 33 Reuters AlertNet: U.S. backs Brazilian as nuclear conference chair 27 Apr 2004 22:26:01 GMT By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it would support a Brazilian official to chair a U.N. nonproliferation conference despite concerns over his government's refusal to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities. U.S. officials said they believed Sergio Duarte, the man nominated to head the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review conference in 2005, was fully qualified for the post, but the fact that his government was balking at key international obligations set a bad example. "We are going to support Ambassador Duarte," Undersecretary of State John Bolton told reporters at the United Nations, where 189 countries who signed the cornerstone arms control pact are holding a preparatory meeting. He said it was important that Brazil resolved its differences with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, in part so that "it doesn't cast a pall over the review conference next year." NPT signers gather periodically to discuss progress toward meeting the pact's goals, including halting the spread of nuclear weapons and persuading countries that already possess these arsenals to disarm. The preparatory meeting that began in New York on Monday and the review conference next year come at a time of crisis for the NPT after revelations by Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear program, of a vast nuclear black market. Iran and North Korea, which pledged not to develop nuclear weapons when they signed the pact, have used the treaty as cover to pursue nuclear arms, U.S. and other officials say, and Pyongyang has withdrawn from its treaty obligations. In the 1990s, Brazil renounced a secret military program that could have produced weapons-grade nuclear material and signed the NPT as a non-nuclear weapons state. Brazil agreed to open its nuclear facilities to IAEA inspections. But it has become embroiled in a dispute over how much access IAEA inspectors would have to its new uranium enrichment plant in the town of Resende, near Rio de Janeiro. In February and March, IAEA inspectors were denied access to centrifuges at the facility, with Brazil citing the need to protect industrial secrets. Washington wants Brazil to go beyond the normal NPT requirements and sign an additional protocol to allow the IAEA to conduct more intrusive snap inspections of nuclear facilities. President George W. Bush has been pushing NPT states to sign the protocol as part of an effort to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. Selection of the chair of the NPT review conference is normally done by consensus and U.S. officials acknowledged that Duarte's nomination presented Washington with what one official called an "awkward issue." Most U.S. officials said they are not worried that Brazil might revive a nuclear weapons program and they accept that the country may have legitimate reasons for maintaining confidentiality over its technological achievements. Still, Brazil is "the only country in the nuclear suppliers group not moving to sign the additional protocol," one senior official told Reuters. "A country that is leader by its size, technical achievements, location and position in the non-aligned movement needs to lead," he said, noting that Brazil was among those countries that backed the additional protocol as an important non-proliferation tool when it was first proposed. But the official said the administration is concerned over "the signal that it sends if a country like Brazil with a sophisticated technological base isn't prepared to do this." "We have no reason to believe they have anything to hide. They say they have nothing to hide...Therefore the additional protocol is unlikely to have a big consequence in Brazil. But Brazil's adoption of the protocol will send a strong message to the rest of the world," he added. ***************************************************************** 34 WMTW: Activist renews warnings of nuclear threat April 26, 2004 PORTLAND (AP) -- Anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott was in Maine this weekend to warn of what she sees as a continuing global threat posed by U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles. In a speech saturday in Portland, Caldicott said the former Cold War rivals still have thousands of nuclear weapons aimed at each other. She says a single mistake could result in mutual annihilation. Caldicott says people aren't aware of the threat now. But she says that in the 1980s, "...people were scared out of their brains." The 65-year-old Australian activist and author was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She spoke at a three-day conference on the militarization of space at Woodfords Congregational Church. [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2000 - 2004 WorldNow and WMTW. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 35 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada congressman wants details on nuclear shipment safety Today: April 27, 2004 at 15:06:20 PDT ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Nevada congressman is calling for the Energy Department to detail how nuclear waste shipments to a planned Yucca Mountain repository would be protected from sabotage or a terrorist attack. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., asked in a letter to Margaret Chu, chief of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, if the federal Department of Homeland Security, FBI, nuclear safety officials and state managers have been consulted about protecting train and truck shipments of high-level radioactive waste. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said his agency received Gibbons' letter and will respond, adding the government has shipped spent nuclear fuel across the country for years with no accidents resulting in the harmful release of radiation. The Energy Department early this month announced plans for 3,000 to 3,300 nuclear waste shipments over a 24-year period to a rail head near Caliente, 150 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Department officials have not specified routes to ship the waste to Nevada, but have detailed plans to build a 319-mile rail line to haul the material across the state to Yucca Mountain, located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Gibbons, chairman of the House homeland security subcommittee on intelligence and counterterrorism, also addressed his Friday letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Transportation Department officials. He asks if police, firefighters and paramedics in 43 states through which shipments would pass would be trained to meet federal or state standards. In other developments, Nevada's attorney general was investigating Tuesday whether a board studying the Energy Department's rail plan violated state open meeting laws by barring residents and the media from a meeting last week in Pahrump. The Central Nevada Community Protection Planning Working Group includes elected officials from several communities and the counties of Esmeralda, Lincoln, and Nye. It was formed early this year to let communities affected by the plan coordinate their dealings with the Energy Department. Also Tuesday, Energy Department officials corrected the date for one of five Nevada meetings concerning Yucca Mountain. The incorrect date was published Monday in the Federal Register in Washington, D.C. A Las Vegas meeting will be held May 17 at Cashman Center. Other meetings are May 12 at the University of Nevada, Reno; May 3 in Amargosa Valley; May 4 in Goldfield; and May 5 in Caliente. The Energy Department plans by the end of the year to submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission an application to entomb 77,000 tons of the nation's most highly radioactive waste beginning in 2010. The Bush administration and Congress picked the site in 2002 to hold waste now stored at military sites and commercial nuclear reactors. --- On the Net: Yucca Mountain project: http://www.ymp.gov/ [http://www.ymp.gov/] Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste [http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste] -- ***************************************************************** 36 Las Vegas RJ: Gibbons wants details on security strategies for Yucca shipments Tuesday, April 27, 2004 STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons is seeking details on proposed security safeguards for nuclear waste shipments to a planned repository at Yucca Mountain. Gibbons, R-Nev., said in a letter disclosed Monday that he wanted to know whether the Energy Department has consulted with the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, nuclear safety officials and state managers on strategies to guard shipments. He also requested information on what steps have been taken to train emergency responders in the 43 states that shipments would pass through en route to Nevada. "What type of training will they receive and what type of real-life drills will these groups perform?" asked Gibbons, who is chairman of the House homeland security subcommittee on intelligence and counterterrorism. Gibbons added that he wants to know whether first responders will be trained to a federal security level or to safety levels set by individual states. "A highly trained team of first responders and a foolproof contingency plan is not only appropriate, but necessary" to guard against possible terrorist attacks or sabotage of railcars and trucks expected to carry radioactive spent fuel to the burial site, Gibbons said. Gibbons sent the letter late Friday to Margaret Chu, director of DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Nils Diaz, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. Copies also were sent to Transportation Department officials who oversee research and hazardous material safety. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 37 Las Vegas RJ: STEVE SEBELIUS: Are they hiding something? Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Starting on Thursday, members of a secret society calling itself the "Nevada Republican Party" will gather in Reno for a statewide convention, huddled behind closed doors for mysterious rituals that only initiates may witness. Unlike the Nevada Democratic Party, which recently held a convention where almost all of the chaos and disorganization were open for all to see, the agenda of the Republicans shows they will bar members of the Fourth Estate from attending some committee meetings. On Thursday, no ink-stained wretch will witness the platform committee debating planks of the official Republican philosophy. No TV camera will capture the work of the Resolutions Committee, the Bylaws Committee or the Rules Committee. And no radio mikes will hear the nominations at the Nominating Committee. Want to read about the Credentials Committee in the paper? (Of course you don't! Nobody does, not even the delegates. But just play along.) Forget it. It's closed, along with the Credentials Committee meeting on Friday. And the congressional district caucuses? Reporters need not apply, according to the agenda. Chris Carr, executive director of Nevada's offshoot of Skull &Bones, says there's nothing sinister at all. It's just a matter of efficiency. Committees have been working away for at least a couple months on the platform, bylaws, rules, nominations and resolutions. When Thursday hits, they'll mostly be making copies behind those closed doors. "It was a decision our chairman made. We wanted to get in and out of there," he said. (The party's chair is Trudy Hushbeck of Carson City, who ascended to the position when former chair Lia Roberts resigned to move to Romania and run for president. Isn't that always the way it is? You elect a chair, and she leaves to pursue an Eastern European political career.) Things were different on April 16, when Democrats gathered at the Riviera hotel-casino for that party's convention. According to party spokesman Jon Summers, almost every event was open to the press, including the often-rancorous-but-oh-so-inconsequential platform committee meetings. "I wonder what they (Republicans) don't want people to see?" Summers asked, his voice suggesting that perhaps human sacrifice (or worse, NASCAR on the big screen) might be taking place behind those closed doors. The Democrats only barred reporters from the central committee meeting, a vaguely Soviet-sounding confab to discuss the budget and plot strategy. That took about 30 minutes, he said. One astute observer here at the Review-Journal wondered aloud why the Republicans would want "the enemy" in their camp while they went about their convention business. It's little wonder that Democrats welcomed their liberal press friends with open arms and a chilled cocktail, this person said. But the Republicans might have something to lose. As a member of the Fourth Estate, I'm offended. Some of my best friends are Republicans. Besides, look where the openness got the Democrats: When state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, introduced an platform plank calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush, it eclipsed standing-room-only crowds as the story of the day. And when several key Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (no friend of Bush) refused to support impeachment, the story got even bigger. (Silly Democrats: You can't impeach someone who wasn't actually elected!) Maybe the Republicans will be able to avoid a similar quandary, by producing near-perfect drafts that will be taken up just before the convention adjourns on Saturday. Carr says changes to the platform can still be made from the floor, however, so anything can happen. But there will still be plenty for political convention wonks to see and do. All of the statewide elected officials -- who are all Republicans, by the way -- will speak. And Gov. Kenny Guinn will deliver Friday's lunchtime address -- probably on a subject other than huge tax increases -- proving that the party has left the flap open on the big tent. Although there's no real reason to close the committee meetings -- the heavy lifting having already been done -- we can all wait until Friday to see what the final Republican platform will say. It's a good bet there will be no mention of one of the oldest issues in Nevada politics, Yucca Mountain. Republicans have spent every day since Bush put the final authorization on a nuclear waste dump here apologizing for his move. They've memorized lists of every Democrat who ever even saw a draft of the the 1980s bill that originally selected Nevada as the burial site for nuclear waste. And they've memorized the mantra: It's not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. The state GOP can't possibly condemn Yucca Mountain without raising the specter of Bush's signature, when they have pledged to work really hard to elect him in November. But maybe they could complain about the decision in private, just among themselves? After all, those doors are closed. Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at 383-0283 or by e-mail at ssebelius@reviewjournal.com. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 38 Las Vegas SUN: Gibbons demands answers to Yucca rail questions By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., is challenging the Energy Department's intentions to proceed with plans to build a new rail line in Nevada for nuclear waste shipments without first answering security questions about how the shipments will be handled. On Monday, Gibbons wrote Margaret Chu, head of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, and officials at other agencies, asking about any plans to train emergency workers or inspect existing railroad tracks. Gibbons also asked about decisions as to whether trains moving the waste would be allowed to have rail cars holding other items. "I have seen no evidence to prove that the deadliest material known to man can be safely and securely transported across the nation to Yucca Mountain," said Gibbons, who heads the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism. "Because of the tremendous risk inherent in the transport of this exceedingly toxic substance, a highly trained team of first responders and a foolproof contingency plan is not only appropriate, but necessary." Chu oversees the Yucca Mountain project, which would store 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The letter also went to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Nils Diaz, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and officials in the Transportation Department's Research and Special Programs Administration and Office of Hazardous Materials Safety. "We have received the letter and we will respond," Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said. "For many years, the government has shipped spent nuclear fuel across this country without a single accident resulting in the harmful release of radiation. Working with other government agencies, as is our practice, we are confident that shipping spent nuclear fuel will continue to be safe." Davis said more information on shipping safety can be found on the project's Web site, www.ymp.gov. In the April 8 Federal Register notice announcing its intention to ship waste to Yucca, if approved, via train and to build a new rail line, the department said the shipper would select routes and prepare a written plan listing the origin and destination of the shipment, the scheduled route, all planned stops, the estimated time of departure and arrival, and emergency telephone numbers. State and local government would receive advance notice of the waste going through their states and those moving the waste would have to put it in containers approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The department said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rules "specifically aimed at protecting the public from harm that could result from sabotage of spent nuclear fuel casks." The rules call for the use of armed escorts for all shipments, safeguarding detailed shipping schedule information, monitoring of shipments through satellite tracking and a communication center with 24-hour staffing, and coordinating logistics with state and local law enforcement agencies. But NRC spokeswoman Sue Gagner said the department will take title to the waste at the reactor site and only has to use a commission-approved cask and the advance notification rules. It can use its own rules beyond that, she said. The notice said the department is considering using the armed escorts and that the security plan is still in progress. ***************************************************************** 39 Las Vegas SUN: Officials point to cuts in New Mexico's funding By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's elimination of funding for a New Mexico watchdog group illustrates why Nevada would not negotiate for federal benefits in exchange for accepting a high-level waste dump at Yucca Mountain, officials say. Department budget cuts will force New Mexico's Environmental Evaluation Group, an organization created to monitor and provide technical scrutiny of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, to close by the end of the month. The plant holds waste that is less radioactive than the spent nuclear fuel destined for Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The state oversees how the department manages the project. "Given the DOE's (Energy Department's) record of cuts to Nevada's own nuclear waste oversight efforts through the years, it's no surprise to learn they are up to their same old tricks, only this time it's New Mexico," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. "Whether we are talking about Yucca Mountain or the WIPP facility, it is abundantly clear that DOE does not want anyone challenging the safety of their plans or raising red flags about the dangers created by deadly nuclear waste." A five-year contract that began in fiscal 2000 set an estimated budget of slightly more than $1.5 million, but officials of the New Mexico group complained that it was not enough to do their job, so a budget change in fiscal year 2002 allotted $2 million. That changed in April 2003, when the department informed EEG that its budget was being cut to $918,000. After some debate, the department paid the group $1.6 million last year and gave it permission to maintain its staff by borrowing against its 2004 allocation. Then the funds were cut to $1.5 million, leaving the group with staffing levels based on a $2 million annual budget and enough money to operate only through April. "This is why no one in Nevada would ever think about cutting some deal with DOE," said Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Office of Nuclear Projects. Loux said the New Mexico situation is different from Nevada's because the oversight group is not a congressional budget line-item, but is funded at the department's discretion. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, which guides the Yucca project, requires the department to issue grants to the state and local governments for work on the project. Congress must approve a budget for the state. But the budget has been getting smaller. Nevada sued the Energy Department in March, claiming it shortchanged the state $4 million this year to oversee the Yucca project. "These independent agencies are necessary to ensure that all citizens are protected from the dangers of nuclear waste," Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said. "We have seen this before though, the DOE simply does not want to take responsibility for their role in unfavorable and dangerous projects." The Associated Press contributed to this story. ***************************************************************** 40 Las Vegas SUN: Legality of Yucca meetings eyed Officials look into closed-door discussions on proposed routes By Stephen Curran The state attorney general's office is looking into whether a board studying a proposed railroad line from Caliente to Yucca Mountain may have broken state open-meeting laws by barring local residents and media from its meetings. The Central Nevada Community Protection Planning Working Group, which uses federal money for Yucca Mountain oversight, includes members of the Caliente City Council and the Nye, Esmeralda and Lincoln county commissions. It was formed earlier this year to allow the governments to cooperate in their dealings with the Energy Department. Meetings, so far, have excluded the public. Kent Lauer, the executive director of the Nevada Press Association, a trade organization representing 41 newspapers, said the board disregarded the state's open-meeting laws. "The so-called working group, made up almost entirely of elected officials, has no legal right whatsoever to close its meetings," Lauer said. "The group is not exempt from the open-meeting law." Several members of the group last week characterized the panel's four meetings so far as "neither closed nor open." Some of the governments represented in the group have talked about negotiating with the Energy Department to receive benefits from the Yucca Mountain project. In the past, Caliente's mayor and other elected officials in the three counties have shown support for the project. At its last meeting last week at the Pahrump Community Library, the group allowed Pahrump residents Sally Devlin and Grant Hudlow to address the members, then asked them to leave, Devlin said. A reporter for the Pahrump Valley Times newspaper was also asked to leave, and the Sun was told the meeting was closed. The agenda for the meeting listed, among items to be discussed, the proposed rail line through Caliente to transport nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain and federal funding for the group. Lawyers in the attorney general's office, unaware of the group's mission, were looking Monday into whether it broke the state's open-meeting laws. The attorney general's office declined comment on the specifics of the case. The state's open-meeting law requires all public bodies to meet openly, post agendas and publish minutes. But the working group's agendas are e-mailed to members and are not publicly posted. No minutes, only "notes" of meeting business, are kept, one member said. The law defines a public body as "any administrative, advisory, executive or legislative body of the state or a local government," which either spends or disburses taxpayer money or advises a government body that does. In 1987, a judge ordered that meetings stay open unless there is a specific exception in the law to allow the public body to hold a closed meeting. Tommy Rowe, chairman of the Lincoln County Commission and a member of the working group, defended the decision to keep residents out, saying that because the board makes no policy decisions and routinely travels to far-flung areas, it does not need to adhere to state open-meeting laws. Barring the public from the meetings helps the gatherings run more smoothly, Rowe added, but he disputed claims that the meetings were held in secret. "These are not secret meetings as the press has mentioned in the past. They're just not open to the public," he said. "The only reason they were closed was to keep people from interrupting the meeting." Nye County Commissioner Candice Trummell said that because the group does not represent a quorum of any elected commission and does not vote on policy, it is not subject to the laws. The group exists simply to discuss "matters of importance" relating to the Yucca Mountain project, Trummell said. "We just do the work that needs to be done before we bring them to our respective jurisdictions," Trummell said. "This is only a working group and this working group has meetings that are not open to the general public. "Nye County is very strict in its adherence to the open-meeting law." Devlin, a 74-year-old retired business owner and self-described "hell-raiser" against the proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain, regularly attends community meetings about the proposed rail line through Nye County. She represented Citizen Alert, an anti-Yucca advocacy group, at the April 21 meeting. "It's typical arrogance," Devlin said. "I don't like it, and I don't like them. It's not a nice situation." Ace Robison, a consultant for Lincoln County who did not attend the April 21 meeting, declined to comment on the group's mission. But a resolution passed in February stating the group's purpose says its members will "make recommendations on policy, impact mitigation and infrastructure." So far the group has recommended to its various commissions and councils an emergency radio network to connect the rural agencies, Rowe said. The group's role in advising on policy matters further underscores why its meetings were closed illegally, Lauer said. "This group's desire for secrecy is why we have a law requiring open meetings by public boards," he said. ***************************************************************** 41 RGJ: DOE gives extra week to comment on Yucca Mountain rail plan Reno Gazette-Journal] ASSOCIATED PRESS 4/26/2004 02:17 pm WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy on Monday announced it was adding an extra week to comment on a plan to ship the nation’s nuclear waste to Nevada by train. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the department also set dates for two additional public meetings on the rail plan that it added in response to Nevada officials’ concerns. They will be in Las Vegas on May 10, at the Yucca Mountain Information Center, and in Reno on May 12, at the University of Nevada, Reno. Three other previously scheduled meetings are May 3 in Amargosa Valley, May 4 in Goldfield and May 5 in Caliente. The original 45-day comment period was to end May 24. It will now end June 1. Nevada’s congressional delegation had sought an additional 45 days to collect comments. The Energy Department hopes to open the Yucca Mountain dump six years from now, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The dump, which Nevada is fighting in court, would hold 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste. To bring waste to the dump, the department plans 3,000 to 3,300 railroad shipments over 24 years from 39 states. Before going to the dump, the shipments would end up at a rail head near Caliente, 150 miles northeast of Las Vegas near the Utah line. Exact rail line routes to Caliente have not been specified. ***************************************************************** 42 Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad may be sister city to Nev. town (Yucca) Updated: April 26, 2004 - 10:57:00 By Karen Polly/Current-Argus Staff Writer Apr 26, 2004, 07:51 pm CARLSBAD — City Council members will have the option of adding a new family member, bound in nuclear waste, today when they contemplate a resolution to create a sisterhood with Pahrump, Nev., which is about 45 miles from Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nev. “We’re the gateway to Yucca Mountain. Or I should say, one of the gateways, there are two other small towns,” Dale Schutte said. He is the chairman of the Pahrump Nuclear Waste and Environmental Advisory Board and also sits on the Nye County Federal Impact Advisory Board. Pahrump is an unincorporated town of 30,000 in Nye County, and Schutte said there is no local industry in the town, which he said has shot up from about 10,000 people just 10 years or so ago. “They tried several times to pass incorporation, but it’s failed by a wide margin. The people here like the rural lifestyle. They don’t want to be a bedroom community for Las Vegas,” he said. “We have no major industrial company here. We just got a Wal-Mart here less than a year ago. We don’t have a hospital here, but we do have two or three casinos here.” Schutte said Pahrump residents are resigned to the opening of the nuclear waste repository in Yucca Mountain, which will eventually be the final resting place for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site. About 90 percent of the waste will be from commercial nuclear power plants, with remaining waste coming from defense programs. Currently, the waste is beings stored at facilities in 43 states. “Probably the earliest that could occur would be 2010,” Schutte said of the potential for high-level radioactive waste to be placed in Yucca Mountain, despite protests from some politicians in Nevada. “I don’t think they have a chance in hell of stopping it.” Schutte said at this time, the Yucca Mountain facility does not benefit the residents of Nye County, one of the nation’s fastest growing areas. A few jobs are available at the facility, where some low-level waste is already being stored and tests are being done, but the bulk of the Department of Energy’s attention has been focused in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. Las Vegas is about 100 miles southeast of Yucca Mountain. Pahrump executive assistant Cookie Westphal said the town hopes to learn from the experiences of Carlsbad in dealing with the federal government. “Our town board has signed a resolution adopting Carlsbad as a sister city,” Westphal said. “We need to learn from you what you know and what you can teach us.” Also today, the council will: -- Consider approval of a 30-day extension of an agreement with John Heaton Jr. for golf professional services; -- Consider approval to advertise an invitation for bids on Park Drive reconstruction; -- Consider approval to advertise an invitation for bids for one 60-foot metal gazebo for San Jose Plaza; -- Consider approval to advertise a request for proposals for the copy machine lease on 16 machines for various departments; -- Consider approval of a request from the Carlsbad Community Drug Coalition regarding authorization to submit an application to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and to enter a cooperative agreement with Carlsbad Mental Health Center. Copyright © 2004 Carlsbad Current-Argus, a Gannett Co., Inc. ***************************************************************** 43 Deutsche Welle: China Drops Plan to Buy German Plutonium Plant | 27.04.2004 [http://dw-world.de/select_html/] German Plutonium Plant [Environmentalists protested against the sale.] The Chinese government said on Tuesday that it has retracted a controversial plan to buy a defunct German plutonium plant. The German government didn't want to comment, but Green Party politicians welcomed the move. Many members of the Greens, the junior coalition partner in the German government, opposed the plan for the sale ever since it became public during German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's visit to China last December. They objected to the €50 million ($59.4 million) deal because they said China could use the plant to produce weapons grade plutonium. China had denied planning to use the plant in the production of nuclear weapons. "We're happy about the Chinese decision," Greens party co-chairs Reinhard Bütikofer and Angelika Beer said after hearing about Beijing's change of heart. Their party colleague and Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, appeared more diplomatic, however. "We haven't completed the process," Fischer told reporters, referring to the internal government review of the sale that has been going on for months. The government apparently is continuing to investigate the sale despite the Chinese announcement. [The Hanau plutonium plant] Earlier a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry had said that Chinese companies had cancelled negotiations with German technology giant Siemens, the owner of the disassembled plant in Hanau near Frankfurt. The spokesperson added that he didn't expect the issue to come up during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to Germany next week. A Siemens spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, saying that the company would wait until the German government had completed its review.DW staff based on wire reports (win) [en:more_dw] Let's Buy a Nuclear Plant A group of German politicians, activists and celebrities has set up a Web site asking for donations to buy a plutonium processing plant in the town of Hanau before the government sells it to China. (Feb. 26, 2004) Germany, China Close to Deal on Plutonium Plant Sale The controversial sale of a German plutonium plant to China is nearing completion, according to news reports. The deal will include an agreement for regular checks to ensure the plant is not used for military purposes. (Feb. 12, 2004) China Nuclear Deal Threatens to Split German Coalition The government has denied reports that plans to sell a plutonium plant to China have caused a rift between the Chancellor and his foreign minister. But the SPD - Greens coalition battle is not over yet. (Dec. 8, 2003) ***************************************************************** 44 BulletinWire News: A cleaner Sellafield? [http://www.thebulletin.org] Report Highlights (.pdf) [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/losalamosaudit.pdf] Although the Lab claims Anaya "dialed a wrong number" and was tricked into ordering a Mustang, FBI phone records obtained by CBS News show a pattern of calls that call into question the "dialed a wrong number" explanation. Calls between Anaya's extension and AllMustang: May 1, 2002 + 9:58am - call to AllMustang for 2:04 + 10:04am - fax to AllMustang + 10:40am - AllMustang faxes Anaya + 10:40am - AllMustang calls Anaya for 1:00 + 10:55am - AllMustang calls Anaya for 1:00 + 12:02pm - AllMustang calls Anaya for 2:00 June 4 + 3:07pm - call to AllMustang for 5:19 June 10 + 9:13am - call to AllMustang for 1:14 June 12 + 10:00am - call to AllMustang for 2:11 After all of these telephone contacts, Anaya claimed she "never heard of" the car company when the FBI interviewed her in August, and she "could not offer any explanation, reasonable or not" for any of it. (CBS) Recently, a public report from the Energy Department Inspector General found Los Alamos Nuclear Weapons Lab had made many improvements in its problematic purchase card program, one of several areas flagged by critics and congress as rife with mismanagement and fraud. There was another report issued by the same government investigators involving the same program, but this one was confidential and not released to the public. CBS New Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson obtained the results. For months, the Energy Department has focused on a single employee, one woman in New Mexico, investigating her spending habits with the company credit card using American tax dollars. Her name is Lillian Anaya. She was a purchasing specialist at Los Alamos Nuclear Weapons Lab, with a $1 million a month credit line to buy lab equipment and supplies. CBS News was first to report the lab's own auditors flagged a $100 million in questionable purchases at the lab, including thousands of charges by Anaya. Most notably was a custom black Mustang. Lab managers claimed there was no widespread fraud and insisted Anaya got tricked into ordering the car over the phone, something the Mustang dealer denies. "There's no doubt she wanted a black mustang convertible - black leather," says Tom Thompson, of All Mustang Performance. While the lab let Anaya off the hook, Congress asked the Energy Inspector General to dig deeper into her buying habits. The results were not released to the public, but CBS News has learned a small sampling found taxpayers footed the bill for more suspicious items: car parts, a mini-utility service vehicle, a gas grill, a refrigerator, five expensive bicycles and computers nobody at the lab can seem to find to this day. While the lab defends those purchases as legitimate, the inspector general points out three probes have concluded Anaya violated all kinds of policies. That would be enough to get someone fired in private industry. But Anaya still has her government job. Inspectors say "Anaya's employment status" should be "re-evaluated... given the findings of this and prior reports." Yet the lab told CBS News it plans no action: "...Ms. Anaya has suffered enough as a result of the allegations surrounding the Mustang and the purchase card problems and should be left alone." The lab's failure to act has Congressional critics wondering if its managers, and the University of California who hired them, can be trusted to guard the nation's most sensitive nuclear secrets. Because of all the problems, the Energy Department has put the Los Alamos contract up for bid for the first time ever. © MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 53 Oak Ridger: DOE's '03 payroll: Close to $832M Story last updated at 12:02 p.m. on April 27, 2004 LOCATION: Around 11,272 workers accounted for in the figures live in Knox, Anderson, Roane, and Loudon counties. By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff paul.parson@oakridger.com [paul.parson@oakridger.com] Oak Ridge residents, who live in both Anderson and Roane counties and work at the Department of Energy's local facilities, totaled 2,155 in calendar year 2003, with a combined payroll of more than $157 million. That's according to 2003 payroll figures released this morning by the federal agency. For 2002, Oak Ridge residents totaled 2,089, with a combined payroll of close to $137 million. Federal and contractor employment at DOE's Oak Ridge facilities totaled 12,856 employees as of Dec. 31, 2003, with a combined payroll of almost $832 million. DOE spokesman Walter Perry noted that the 2002 worker total was a little higher - 13,101 - and that year's annual salary total was close to $752 million. Approximately 87 percent of the employees, or 11,272 people, accounted for in the 2003 figures live in Knox, Anderson, Roane, and Loudon counties. Once again, Knox County is home to the largest number of employees and overall annual salary total: 4,834 workers making close to $341 million. In comparison, DOE had around 116 more Knox County workers in calendar year 2002, but the annual salary total was a little less - close to $313 million. As in the past, Anderson County ranks second among the counties with the highest number of employees - 3,539 workers with a 2003 salary total of more than $224 million. In calendar year 2002, 3,506 workers lived in Anderson County and earned around $203 million. Roane County comes in third with 2,215 employees for 2003 and a salary total of $131 million. For 2002, Roane County had 2,283 workers who earned around $120 million. Twenty counties are specifically identified in DOE's 2003 payroll figures, including Loudon County, which was home to 684 workers who earned $42 million. In 2002, Loudon County had 688 workers who earned around $39 million. DOE reported that 363 workers were from Blount County in 2003, and that they earned around $22 million. In 2002, there were 374 employees from Blount County who earned around $20 million. Nearby Morgan County was home to 378 workers who earned around $17 million in 2003 as compared to 2002's totals of 441 workers and close to $17 million in salaries. Included in the payroll figures are federal workers employed locally by DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office, the National Nuclear Security Administration and DOE's Office of Science and Technical Information. DOE's Oak Ridge contractors include UT-Battelle, Bechtel Jacobs Co., BWXT Y-12, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, BNFL Inc. and Science Applications International Corp. The Spallation Neutron Source project contributed another $22.3 million in the Oak Ridge area in 2003 that was not included in the payroll figures DOE reported, officials acknowledged. During calendar year 2003, contracts and procurement associated with the DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office totaled around $850 million in obligated funds - money actually spent on a given contract during the year. Approximately 74 percent of those funds, or $626 million, were obligated to businesses in Anderson County, according to DOE officials. In 2002, the obligated funds for Anderson County were close to $567 million. Knox County received close to $147 million in obligated funds in 2003 as compared to $131 million in 2002. Roane County's 2003 obligated fund total was close to $29 million while the county received more than $36 million in 2002. ***************************************************************** 54 Oak Ridger: House group eyes nuke security Story last updated at 11:29 a.m. on April 27, 2004 POGO CHIEF: 'Some in DOE and the Congress have identified Y-12 as the most serious security concern in the complex.' By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff paul.parson@oakridger.com [paul.parson@oakridger.com] The Project On Government Oversight is guardedly optimistic that high-ranking Department of Energy officials are sincerely concerned about the state of security at the federal government's nuclear weapons complex. Even so, the watchdog group is sticking to its guns when it comes to the need for improvements at these facilities. Danielle Brian, POGO's executive director, was expected to testify on the security situation today before a House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. A copy of Brian's testimony contained examples of security-related issues at several of the weapons facilities, including Oak Ridge's Y-12 National Security Complex. It's not the first time POGO has voiced these concerns about Y-12. "Some in DOE and the Congress have identified Y-12 as the most serious security concern in the complex," Brian pointed out in her testimony. "Y-12 stores hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium, and is a prime target for terrorists who would want to create an IND within minutes." An IND, or improvised nuclear device, is essentially a weapon designed to result in the dispersal of radioactive material or in the formation of nuclear-yield reaction. "Given the obsolete infrastructure currently housing the highly enriched uranium, it should come as no surprise that the Y-12 guard force has been systematically cheating in order to pass security performance tests," Brian stated in her testimony. The POGO official also planned to voice the organization's concerns to the subcommittee about a planned storage facility for weapons-usable uranium at Y-12. BWXT Y-12, which manages the plant, has opted to go with a non-berm storage facility instead of one covered with an earthen berm on the top and three sides of the facility. "All the security experts we have interviewed conclude that a berm facility would be far more secure," according to Brian's testimony. She added that "immediate funding for underground storage at Y-12" should be a top priority for the National Nuclear Security Agency's budget. The NNSA is the quasi-independent agency within DOE that oversees the nuclear weapons complex. Earlier this year, DOE's Inspector General Office even issued a critical report on the new Y-12 storage facility. If the facility were constructed as currently designed, it would be costly and pose some security issues, the document stated. In addition to Brian, other witnesses who were scheduled to testify during today's hearing included Linton Brooks, administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, and Glenn Podonsky, director of DOE's Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance. The House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations organized the hearing to address DOE's steps to strengthen security of the sprawling nuclear weapons complex in the aftermath of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In September 2003, the subcommittee requested the General Accounting Office to review physical security at the federal government's weapon sites. The subcommittee asked for an assessment of the challenges DOE and NNSA faced in meeting more stringent physical facility security requirements. The GAO report was expected to be released during the hearing. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, does not serve on this subcommittee, but U.S. Rep John Duncan, R-2nd District, is listed as a member. In addition to the security concerns Brian planned to address, she also confirmed that POGO's security concerns were a topic of conversation when representatives from the watchdog group met earlier this year with Podonsky, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Deputy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow. "We began, in that meeting, ongoing communication with Secretary Abraham regarding our concerns and recommendations," Brian said. "We have reason to believe that he is taking these issues seriously." According to Brian, Abraham and McSlarrow have a limited time in office, and it will be the Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance that will be the entity left behind to oversee any improvements to the weapons facilities. "Our concern is that the office currently does not have either the necessary independence or power to see this difficult job through," Brian said. "POGO recommended in our 2001 report that this Office be moved outside the DOE in order to establish real institutional independence. At the very least, Congress needs to formalize its communications with this office as it has with the Inspector General." ***************************************************************** 55 Bellona: Kazakhstan building reprocessing plant for fast neutron reactors’ liquid coolant On March 4, the foundation of the liquid coolant reprocessing plant was laid down in Aktau, Kazakhstan today reports. 2004-04-26 19:40 The plant will reprocess liquid coolant of the BN-350 type reactor in the frames of US State Department Program (NDF) on non-proliferation. The US sponsors the whole $3m project. The plant’s facility should reprocess 1,300 tonne of liquid natrium into alkali. The construction is to be completed by the end of 2004, while the operation is scheduled for April or May 2005. The first BN-350 type fast neutron reactor is being taken out of service in Kazakhstan now, Kazakhstan today reports. Publisher: Bellona Foundation [bellona@bellona.no] , President: Frederic Hauge [frederic@bellona.no] Information: info@bellona.no [info@bellona.no] , Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no [webmaster@bellona.no] Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 56 MSU Newsroom: Work on linear accelerator moves MSU closer to RIA Michigan State University [http://www.msu.edu] Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Contact: Terry Grimm, NSCL, (517) 355-9672, Ext. 455, [grimm@nscl.msu.edu;or] Tom Oswald, University Relations, (517) 355-2281, [oswald@msu.edu] [Chris Compton] Chris Compton, an engineer at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, works with the superconducting radio frequency cavity used to accelerate isotopes. Photo by: Greg Kohuth, University Relations EAST LANSING, Mich. – As Michigan State University works with the state of Michigan to attract a $1 billion nuclear science research facility to be funded by the Department of Energy, a team of MSU physicists is nearing completion of the design of a vital part of the project. Terry L. Grimm, a staff physicist at MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), and his colleagues are putting the finishing touches on the next-generation linear accelerator that will be at the heart of the Rare Isotope Accelerator project. Once completed, this piece of equipment will hurl atoms through a half-mile track at nearly three-quarters the speed of light, or approximately 139,000 miles per second. Grimm’s work on the linear accelerator, or “LINAC,” recently earned him the R.W. Boom Award, an honor given by the Cryogenic Society of America recognizing accomplishments in the field of superconducting research. “All of us who have been working on this project for the last two years appreciate this award very much. It recognizes that the NSCL has reached the cutting-edge of accelerator technology,” said Grimm, who also is an adjunct professor in MSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “This LINAC will allow RIA to accelerate isotopes to unprecedented speeds – as well as make these accelerations substantially more cost effective to achieve than current cyclotron technology allows. This technology is vital for RIA, and our achieving it indicates why Michigan State is the appropriate place to house RIA.” The linear accelerator is a piece of equipment designed to fling atoms through a half-mile track at an ever-increasing speed. Once the atoms reach a high enough speed – in this case, nearly three-quarters the speed of light – they crash into a target and break apart, forming isotopes that cannot be found elsewhere on earth. Scientists then study these isotopes, some of which exist for just fractions of a second, for clues to, among other things, the origin of elements. What Grimm has been working on is what he calls a set of “hammers,” which is essentially a series of plates made from the element niobium. By alternating positive and negative charges in the plates, the plates are able to increase the velocity of the atoms to rare isotope-producing speeds. “As powerful as it is, our current coupled cyclotron laboratory at MSU has pretty much reached its technological limit due to thermal heating,” Grimm said. “Rare isotope research is moving beyond the capabilities of the cyclotronto LINACs. This LINAC is the most advanced to date and as part of RIA will advance rare-isotope research even further. RIA will provide more than 100 times more power in obtaining rare isotopes than current NSCL coupled cyclotron technology, which is currently the most advanced in the nation. “For the LINAC to operate efficiently, we’re basically building a large refrigerator that cools it to nearly 460 degrees below zero Fahrenheit at which point the niobium is superconducting,” Grimm said. “We use the same principle as your refrigerator at home, only instead of using Freon, we use helium.” Rare-isotope research, which this LINAC and ultimately RIA will continue to advance, offers incredible promise for scientific advancements affecting basic nuclear science, medical diagnosis and treatments, national security and understanding the origin of the universe. Additionally, the RIA project would bring with it more than 1,600 new jobs, an $80 million federally funded annual budget and a major boost to the Michigan economy – nearly $2 billion over 20 years. The U.S. Department of Energy will decide where RIA will be located. Grimm will accept the R.W. Boom award at the Applied Superconducting Conference to be held later this year in Florida. For more information on the RIA project, visit the Web at [http://www.nscl.msu.edu/ria] [http://ur.msu.edu] University Division of University Relations 403 Olds Hall · East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1047 (517) 355-3407 · Fax: (517) 353-5368 · [hodack@msu.edu] Software © 1999 - 2004 Plexcor, Inc. ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************