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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Readers says Jared Israel wrong on Scott Ritter's Nuke
2 iafrica.com: world news CIA 'deliberately misled' on Iraq WMD
3 Niger joins international treaty to protect nuclear materials
4 Las Vegas SUN: Powell: Some Iraq Intelligence Was Wrong
5 asahi.com EDITORIAL: Revisiting North Korea
6 US: MSNBC: Stoking energy debate
7 Guardian Unlimited: Suspicious sanctions
8 Haaretz: Int l pressure put back Iran s nuclear program by 12 months
9 Persian Journal Region: Israel stockpiling nuclear weapons
10 AFP: Ukraine discovers nuclear trafficking ring
NUCLEAR REACTORS
11 Slovak Spectator:Business briefs The price of power
12 Slovak Spectator: in Short Opposition abandons recall attempts
13 US: The Advocate: NRC holding hearings
14 US: YDR: NRC to discuss TMI problems -
NUCLEAR SAFETY
15 [DU-WATCH] Iraq: rise in birth deformities blamed on DU
16 Mos News: Illegal Cruises to North Pole on Nuclear Icebreakers
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
17 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Suit adds to concern over Yucca
18 RGJ: Tiny Nevada town split by proposed nuclear railroad
19 US: Bradenton Herald: Citizens failed to voice concern
20 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting
21 NZZ Online: Doubts raised over dumping nuclear waste abroad
22 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Mines can be kids' deathtraps
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
23 UPDATE ON VANUNU'S APPEAL
24 BBC: UN calls for new nuclear controls
25 US: News-Herald: Formal opposition to nuclear tests sought
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
26 Oak Ridger: Highway 95 reopens following contamination
27 Oak Ridger: Y-12 PR deal not an issue with elected leaders
28 WBIR-TV: DOE CRITICS RAISE CONCERNS AFTER RECENT SCARES
29 Oak Ridger: Your View: Doesn't believe press should report salaries
30 KVBC: DOE Holding Educational Meetings
31 DOE: Office of Fossil Energy; National Petroleum Council; Notice of
32 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Rocky
OTHER NUCLEAR
33 Google News Alert - nuclear
34 PES: Dr. Eugene Mallove, Torch Bearer for Cold Fusion, Slain
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Readers says Jared Israel wrong on Scott Ritter's Nuke
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 16:38:52 -0500 (CDT)
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Please send this text or the link to a friend.
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========================================================
Reader Says Emperor's Clothes wrong on Ritter's Nuke Statements;
Jared Israel Responds.
[Posted 15 May 2004]
========================================================
[ www.tenc.net ]
Below is a criticism of Jared Israel's second article on Scott
Ritter, "The Source of the Claim that Iraq had Nuclear Weapons
was... Scott Ritter." [1] The criticism was posted on an email
discussion list.
We have posted Jared Israel's reply to this criticism, and following
that a 1998 article from Nucleonics Week. In it an International
Atomic Energy Agency spokesperson is quoted saying that Ritter's
allegations about Iraq having nuclear weapons would be "spectacular
and conclusive" if they were true but that the IAEA had seen no
confirming evidence.
-- John Flaherty, Emperor's Clothes
***
Criticism: "It is not disputed that Saddam wanted nukes. What
Ritter's comments here say is that Saddam wanted nukes but didn't
have them, since he didn't have the most important ingredient [,
the "fissile material".] Without the "fissile material" there isn't
much of an issue. The "fissile material" is apparently the most
difficult part of the program. If Iraq didn't have fissile material
then there wasn't a bomb. Period. If Ritter clearly said that there
weren't any fissile materials in Iraq then anyone with the most
basic understanding of the issue would understand that Iraq did not
have nukes. This shows that Emperor's Clothes doesn't know what
they are talking about."
***
* Jared Israel Replies *
The issue is not whether fissile cores are or are not the most
difficult aspect of making nuclear bombs. The issue is what Ritter
*said* and the effect his words had when they were widely reported
by the media.
On Oct. 1, 1998 the London Independent reported: [2]
"The likelihood of sanctions ending soon has been reduced by claims
from Scott Ritter, a former US Marine intelligence officer and chief
weapons inspector in Iraq for the UN, that Iraq could make three
or four 20-kiloton nuclear bombs if it could obtain enriched uranium.
US officials say they find the claim credible though International
Atomic Energy Agency officials say Captain Ritter's report has 'no
credibility.'"
In 1998 Ritter told the US Congress that fissile material could be
acquired in two ways. One was by producing it in Iraq; this could
take years. The other was for the Iraqis to use their network of
front companies to smuggle it in from outside. In that case, if
everything was functional, the Iraqis would have armed nuclear
weapons in "a very short period of time." [3]
These words of Scott Ritter, suggesting a great and immediate danger,
were broadcast by the media, creating a storm. Just how much of a
storm is indicated by the response of the normally staid International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They had been tasked by the UN with
determining if Iraq had viable nuclear weapons, and they answered,
"No."
When Ritter testified that Iraq might be days away from having armed
nuclear weapons, IAEA officials responded with uncharacteristic
anger:
"Vienna [IAEA] officials expressed anger over Ritter's alarming
allegations to the media and the U.S. Congress. ''We haven't seen
anything new [from Ritter - EC] so far that isn't unsubstantiated,''
one IAEA official said,'' and we won't forget that we were not
informed.'' [My emphasis] -- From Nucleonics Week, below
One IAEA official told Nucleonics Week that *if* Ritter were right
- a possibility he rejected - ''it would be a spectacular development,
spectacular and conclusive.'' Note the word "conclusive." The point
is, Ritter's claim supported a call for war with Iraq and everybody
knew it. That's why his comments could be, and were, used to mobilize
pro-war sentiment.
The full text from Nucleonics Week is posted below.
-- Jared Israel Editor, Emperors Clothes
========================================================
Nucleonics Week * 1 October 1998 U.N. had no hard Data Iraq had
Nuclear Devices; Byline: Mark Hibbs, Vienna
Section: Vol. 39, No. 40; Pg. 15; Length: 908 Words;
========================================================
Senior officials at the IAEA last week categorically denied statements
by former chief inspector Scott Ritter that United Nations Special
Commission (UNSCOM) data strongly suggested that Iraq had developed
and assembled three nuclear explosive devices that were missing
only fissile material.
Gary Dillon, head of the IAEA Action Team responsible for nuclear
inspections in Iraq under U.N. Security Council mandates from 1991,
told Nucleonics Week that the Action Team and the IAEA had ''no
such information.''
Diplomatic sources in Vienna said that the IAEA has discussed the
allegations with Unscom head Richard Butler and that Butler would
not confirm Ritter's account. Unscom is responsible for eliminating
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Ritter resigned from Unscom,
charging that the U.S. government had inhibited efforts by Unscom
to get to the bottom of outstanding questions regarding Iraq's
capabilities in nuclear weapons and other areas. The U.S. then
denied that it had obstructed any activities by Unscom or its
inspectors.
In testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives International
Relations Committee following his resignation, Ritter said Sept.
15 that Unscom ''had received sensitive information of some credibility
which indicated that Iraq had the components to assemble three
implosion-type devices, minus the fissile material, and that if
Iraq were able to obtain fissile material of the quality and of the
proper physical properties conducive to such a weapon, then they
could assemble three nuclear devices in a very short period of
time.''
According to officials close to the matter, Ritter has suggested
that the intelligence information at hand specifically identifies
the suspected location of the alleged nuclear explosive devices.
Because the IAEA has for seven years been unsuccessful in turning
up hardware components used in a nuclear weapon by Iraq, if Ritter's
allegations were true, ''it would be a spectacular development,
spectacular and conclusive,'' one IAEA official said.
Another IAEA official said that the Action Team would continue to
monitor intelligence leads that Iraq has hidden nuclear bomb
components, since such components have never been located by
inspectors and Iraq has had seven years to continue pursuing nuclear
weapons research since the Gulf War. Nuclear weapon design experts
from the U.S., France, Britain, and Russia, who have advised Unscom
and the IAEA on the state of Iraq's nuclear development effort,
continue to puzzle over how Iraq had proceeded in key areas. One
European official said it is still not known whether Iraq had
developed a neutron initiator for a weapon. Iraq had done some work
on an initiator using polonium-210 (NW, 10 Oct. '91, 9), but the
short half-life of Po-210 would make it difficult to stockpile
initiators using this isotope. Iraq was familiar with deuterium-tritium
initiators used in its petroleum industry, but the IAEA has no hard
evidence that these were intended to serve as the basis for a neutron
!
initiator for a nuclear weapon.
IAEA officials pointed out that the Action Team is responsible under
the Security Council mandate to investigate leads on undisclosed
nuclear activities in Iraq. When Unscom obtains raw intelligence
from U.N. member states in the nuclear area, said Berhan Andemicael,
who represents the IAEA at the U.N. in New York, ''This information
is routinely passed on to the IAEA by Unscom, since the Action Team
is responsible for this. That's where the nuclear expertise is.''
In the case of Ritter's allegations, however, ''no such notification
ever occurred.''
IAEA officials said that, in numerous cases since 1991, IAEA
inspectors have been sent into the field in Iraq to track down
activities, equipment, and facilities named in intelligence reports
given to Unscom by member states. Some of the leads, provided by
defectors, were solid. Others were not, and fruitless efforts to
confirm these leads led to tension between the IAEA and Unscom over
the conduct of nuclear investigations in Iraq. In one such case,
the French government provided raw intelligence indicating that
Iraq had built a clandestine heavy water plant. ''That led to a
wild goose chase and lost a lot of time and energy,'' one inspector
involved said.
However, when Ritter alleged earlier this month that Iraq is hiding
nuclear devices, the IAEA Action Team immediately contacted Unscom
head Richard Butler by telephone in New York. Butler, officials
said, did not confirm Ritter's allegations.
Vienna officials said last week that Ritter, who joined Unscom after
a career in U.S. defense intelligence, had been responsible in the
past for analyzing and interpreting raw data of the kind collected
by Unscom on past and present Iraqi activities.
Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House International
Relations Committee, asked Ritter about a Nucleonics Week report
(NW, 12 Feb., 16) that Unscom and the IAEA had learned in 1995 that
Iraq had made a mock-up of a nuclear implosion bomb but that it had
never been found by inspectors. Ritter said he had ''shared a lot
of sensitive information'' with the IAEA but refused to give any
specifics.
Vienna officials expressed anger over Ritter's alarming allegations
to the media and the U.S. Congress. ''We haven't seen anything new
so far that isn't unsubstantiated,'' one IAEA official said, ''and
we won't forget that we were not informed.'' URL: http://www.platts.com
(C) 1998 Nucleonics Week, Posted here for educational purposes and
fair use only
[Footnotes and Further Reading follows the fundraising appeal]
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* Footnotes and Further Reading *
[1] Three other pieces have been posted in Jared Israel's series,
'How the Lies of Scott Ritter Reveal the Strategic Goals of the
Bizarre Iraq War'
"Part 1: Hawk-to-Dove Scott Ritter challenges Emperor's Clothes to
Prove he's a Liar. EC accepts." At
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/ritter.htm
"Part 2: The Source of the Claim that Iraq had Nuclear Weapons
was... Scott Ritter," by Jared Israel at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/ritter-nuke.htm
"Readers ask, 'Why this focus on Scott Ritter?' Jared Israel replies,"
at http://emperors-clothes.com/letters/focus.htm
[2] Copyright 1998 Newspaper Publishing Plc; The Independent
(London); October 1, 1998, Thursday;Section: News; Page 15; Length:
597 Words; Headline: Un Aid Chief Resigns Over Iraq; Sanctions;
Byline: Patrick Cockburn In Jerusalem
[3] Ritters statement was quoted by CNN on 30 September 1998. You
may read it as quoted in Jared Israels second article ("The Source
of the Claim that Iraq had Nuclear Weapons was...Scott Ritter") at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/ritter-nuke.htm#a or you may
prefer to read it in the full transcript of the CNN broadcast at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/ritter-nuke-a.htm#2
Emperor's Clothes [ www.tenc.net ]
This Website is mirrored at http://emperor.vwh.net/ To unsubscribe,
which can only be done from an email address which is actually
subscribed, click or send an email to unsubscribe@emperor.vwh.net
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2 iafrica.com: world news CIA 'deliberately misled' on Iraq WMD
Maxim Kniazkov
Posted Mon, 17 May 2004
The Central Intelligence Agency and other US government bodies
were at times deliberately misled about alleged Iraqi weapons of
mass destruction in the run-up to the US-led war, US Secretary of
State Colin Powell has acknowledged.
Powell's comments on Sunday in an interview with NBC television
were the first official admission that the US government had been
fed disinformation about Saddam Hussein's suspect arsenal of
chemical and biological weapons and relayed it to the world
community without seriously questioning it.
"It turned out that the sourcing was inaccurate and wrong and, in
some cases, deliberately misleading," Powell said on NBC's ‘Meet
the Press’ programme. "And for that I am disappointed, and I
regret it."
Using satellite photographs, diagrams and other props, Powell
made a landmark presentation to the UN Security Council on
February 5, 2003, in an unsuccessful attempt to convince its
members that Saddam had stockpiles of banned weapons of mass
destruction and persuade them authorize US-led military action
against Iraq.
Powell insisted the United States had "firsthand descriptions" of
mobile biological weapons factories that he said presented a
threat to international security.
Inaccurate sources
He disclosed that the information came from an Iraqi defector, a
chemical engineer who supervised one of these mobile facilities,
and "other sources" who corroborated it.
"Unfortunately, that multiple sourcing over time has turned out
to be not accurate," a humbled secretary of state said on Sunday.
"And so I'm deeply disappointed."
The Iraqi defector in question has not been publicly identified.
But reports leaked to the media since the beginning of the war
said his codename was ‘Curveball’ and he was the brother of one
of the top aides of Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National
Congress and long-time advocate of the US invasion of Iraq to
topple the Saddam regime.
Powell said he was "very concerned" by the situation but insisted
that his UN presentation "was based on the best information that
the Central Intelligence Agency made available to me".
No weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq
No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq since the
beginning of the war despite an intensive search by hundreds of
US and British intelligence experts.
US intelligence officials have repeatedly declined to talk about
secret contributors to the Powell speech.
But a year later, this February, CIA Director George Tenet took
the unusual step of telling a student audience in Washington that
two sources recommended to the United States by foreign partners
had "solidified and reinforced" the US assessment of Saddam
Hussein and his weapons arsenal.
He said one of these sources had direct access to the Iraqi
president and told the CIA that Baghdad was aggressively
developing nuclear weapons.
The other source, with access to senior Iraqi officials, said
production of chemical and biological weapons was taking place in
the country, according to Tenet.
No material evidence backing these allegations was subsequently
found.
But the CIA director acknowledged that while the agency had
access to Iraqi émigrés and defectors, "we did not ourselves
penetrate the inner sanctum our agents were on the periphery"
of Iraqi weapons activities.
AFP
[http://iafrica.com/news
Copyright © 2002 iafrica.com, a division of Metropolis*.
*****************************************************************
3 Niger joins international treaty to protect nuclear materials
May 17, 2004 Monday
[http://www.brunei-online.com
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) - Lawmakers in the West African nation of
Niger, the world's No. 3 producer of yellowcake uranium, voted
Saturday to join an international treaty calling on signatories
to ensure the protection of their nuclear materials. Niger's
president has 15 days to reject the bill or sign it into law.
The bill calls for adherence to the 1980 Convention on the
Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.
The treaty, adopted in Vienna, set technical standards for
protecting plutonium and enriched uranium - the material used in
making nuclear bombs - during transport.
Niger signed the treaty in 1985, but never adopted it as law at
home. "Niger ... must adhere to this convention," said a report
issued by the national assembly's foreign affairs commission in
Niamey.
Concerns over Niger's uranium grew last year in the run-up to
the US-led war against Iraq when the United States and Britain
alleged that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had revived his
banned nuclear weapons programme.
USPresident George W. Bush came under heavy criticism last year
when he asserted in his State of the Union address that Iraq was
shopping in Niger for yellowcake uranium, which can be processed
into enriched uranium usable in a nuclear weapon - intelligence
that turned out to be based on forged documents.
The original suspicions apparently came from a British dossier
and Britain's Foreign Office continued to maintain Iraq was
trying to buy uranium in Niger, although no evidence was offered.
Niger has denied the accusations.
Copyright © 2004 [http://www.bruneipress.com.bn] .
*****************************************************************
4 Las Vegas SUN: Powell: Some Iraq Intelligence Was Wrong
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Secretary of State Colin Powell says the CIA was wrong about the
presence of mobile biological weapons labs in Iraq before the
invasion by U.S.-led coalition forces last year.
In a February 2003 speech to the United Nations, Powell
presented the claim as part of the evidence that Saddam Hussein
was pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
Interviewed Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Powell said his
presentation "was based on the best information that the Central
Intelligence Agency made available to me. ... In the case of the
mobile trucks and trains, there was multiple sourcing for that.
Unfortunately, that multiple sourcing over time has turned out
to be not accurate."
Powell continued: "At the time that I made the presentation, it
reflected the collective judgment, the sound judgment of the
intelligence community. But it turned out that the sourcing was
inaccurate and wrong and, in some cases, deliberately
misleading."
In April, Powell used more vague language in discussing the
intelligence that led him to believe the Iraqis had mobile
biological weapons labs. "It appears not to be the case that it
was that solid," he said.
--
*****************************************************************
5 asahi.com EDITORIAL: Revisiting North Korea
[asahi.com]
Koizumi has an opportunity to break the impasse.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Pyongyang a second
time on Saturday to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
Koizumi's visit in autumn 2002 led to bringing five Japanese
abductees back to their native country. The two leaders also
signed the Pyongyang Declaration to set a path to normalization
of diplomatic relations.
However, a year and a half has passed, and the abductees have
not been allowed to bring their families to Japan. Subsequently,
negotiations on normalization have not progressed.
While the possibility of a visit had been discussed in the last
several weeks, some members of Koizumi's Liberal Democratic
Party and some members of abductees' families opposed the idea,
saying it could spoil efforts toward resolving the abduction
issue. It is not clear what kind of negotiations went on between
the two governments. Koizumi must have his own plans in regard
to the upcoming Upper House election.
``I believe that a visit could help produce progress,'' Koizumi
said, and we must place our hopes on him to break the impasse on
issues with North Korea.
Koizumi must work to help Japanese abductees unite as soon as
possible with family members left behind in North Korea.
Abductee Hitomi Soga's husband, Charles Robert Jenkins, is a
former U.S. Army sergeant listed as having deserted, and if he
comes to Japan he could face prosecution by the U.S. military.
Even if obstacles remain for Jenkins and other abductee family
members regarding moving to Japan, priority should be placed on
the humanitarian aspect of the situation, and a secure process
should be created to allow them to freely travel between the two
countries.
As for 10 kidnapped Japanese who North Korea claims are dead or
missing, an investigative body should be formed that includes
Japanese representation to thoroughly examine the issue.
Koizumi should take care not to repeat mistakes from his
previous visit that possibly gave North Korea the idea that the
abduction issue had already been resolved. The prime minister
must clearly show Kim that a genuine investigation is just
beginning.
Since the Pyongyang Declaration was signed, North Korea's
nuclear policy has been increasing in complexity, instead of
moving toward a solution. The existence of a uranium enrichment
program has been revealed, becoming a strong point of contention
between the United States and North Korea. Pyongyang is
toughening its position that it has a right to peaceful use of
nuclear energy, and that it will not give it up.
The Pyongyang Declaration that Kim signed clearly states that
North Korea must respect international nuclear agreements.
Unless that promise is kept, there is no opportunity for
normalizing bilateral relations and increasing economic aid from
Japan.
In the upcoming meeting, the two leaders are likely to agree on
resuming bilateral talks. North Korea probably hopes that
improved relations with Japan would help achieve a breakthrough
in its stalled negotiations with the United States. On this
occasion, Koizumi should press Kim to compromise in the
six-nation talks over nuclear issues.
North Korea must be desperate for economic assistance from
Japan. It agreed to the summit and is showing some flexibility
about sending abductees' families to Japan, probably because the
country strongly desires humanitarian aid. The Japanese
government recently revised a foreign exchange control law that
enables it to halt transfers from Japan to North Korea. Such
pressure also carries a message to Pyongyang, giving Japan
leverage to change North Korea.
Koizumi's visit is an opportunity to resolve tensions spreading
in Northeast Asia.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 15(IHT/Asahi: May 17,2004) (05/17)
[Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights reserved. No reproduction
*****************************************************************
6 MSNBC: Stoking energy debate
[http://msnbc.msn.com]
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
By Dave Flessner and Matthew S.L. Cate, Staff WritersThe
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Sunday, May 16, 2004 - A half century after building the Kingston
Fossil Plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority is more than
doubling its initial investment in the coal-burning Clinch River
facility.
More than 800 workers are busy here erecting new buildings and
installing high-tech equipment as part of a decade-long, $6
billion upgrade of TVA's aging coal plants.
The work won't add any more power generation at Kings-ton. In
fact, it may end up slightly reducing some of the plant's
production.
But the changes under way here and at TVA's 10 other coal plants
are expected to help reduce two of the primary causes of ozone
pollution in the Tennessee Valley more than 75 percent by the end
of the decade.
Even with a daily price tag of more than $1 million and the
Environmental Protection Agency's assessment that coal-burning
utilities are responsible for about one-third of ozone problems
in the Tennessee Valley, TVA officials said the investment is a
sound one. The bountiful Appalachian coal reserves are the
utility's biggest fuel source.
"Coal is certainly going to continue to be one of our real
workhorses for our power generation," TVA Director Bill Baxter
said. "We think we can burn coal cleaner and more reliably than
in the past. And with a 200-plus-year supply, coal is certainly
going to be a major source of our power for a long time."
Last year, coal production fell in most of the Eastern United
States as utilities switched to cleaner-burning natural gas or
lower-sulfur coal from Western states. But increasing economic
activity and natural gas prices are combining to lift both the
demand and relative price advantage for coal.
Despite environmental challenges in the way coal is mined,
shipped, burned and disposed, coal is expected to generate a
majority of the region's electricity for the foreseeable future.
"This goes in cycles," said Janet Gellici, executive director of
the American Coal Council.
Ms. Gellici said demand for electricity is up, and the increase
in coal prices has remained below the soaring costs of natural
gas in recent years.
"Coal is the least expensive fuel source for generating
electricity," she said.
Richard Rea, TVA's manager of fuel acquisition and supply, said
coal prices are up 25 percent to 60 percent in the past year.
"That's more than what our forecasters saw in their crystal ball,
but coal is still cheaper than natural gas," he said.
TVA burns 40 million to 45 million tons of coal a year at an
annual cost this year of about $1.5 billion. The federal utility
consumed just under 5 percent of the nation's total coal
consumption of about 1 billion tons last year. But while TVA
projects relatively limited growth in future coal consumption,
the U.S. Department of Energy projects national coal consumption
could jump by up to 40 percent by 2020.
BURNOUT IN TENNESSEE
Despite the projected increase in coal use and production
nationwide, experts don't expect a major rebound in coal mining
in Tennessee. Coal reserves left in the Volunteer State are more
expensive to extract and contain higher sulfur content than what
utilities now demand, officials said.
Tennessee had the biggest drop in coal production in the
Appalachian region during 2003, falling by 19 percent from 2002
volume, according to the Energy Information Administration.
There are 21 active coal mines in Tennessee, according to the
U.S. Office of Surface Mining's Knoxville office. The Turner Mine
site in Cumberland County is the closest coal-producing mine to
the Chattanooga area. Later this year, the Jakes Creek mine in
Grundy County is expected to reopen. But experts said coal prices
aren't high enough to justify reopening any of the coal mines
that once stoked the Sequatchie Valley economy.
"There's still an abundant amount (of coal) left. It just can't
be extracted economically," said Steve Hicks, sales agent for
Cumberland Coal Co., which operates Turner Mine just outside
Crossville, Tenn. "It's not an easy thing to set up a new mine
and start up a new operation."
Mr. Hicks said the seam of coal at Turner Mine has the kind of
low-sulfur concentration that makes it attractive to the growing
number of power plants turning to the cleaner-burning coal.
COAL VS. GAS
Coal proponents contend lower-sulfur coal and new pollution
control equipment can lower the air pollution created from the
burning of coal.
While coal prices have risen recently, coal remains cheaper and
more plentiful than cleaner-burning natural gas. Since 2000, the
price of natural gas has more than doubled, according to
Department of Energy reports.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the United States has
less than 4 percent of the world's supply of natural gas, but
more than one-fourth of the world's coal supply.
"Coal is an abundant and secure domestic source of energy that
doesn't make the United States hostage to foreign suppliers,"
said Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining
Association, a trade group representing the coal industry.
Even critics of coal concede it is more plentiful than other
fuels.
"We're like the Saudi Arabia of coal," said Stephen Smith,
executive vice president for the Southern Alliance for Clean
Energy.
But Dr. Smith said coal is cheaper primarily because utilities
and other coal users are not paying for the social problems it
creates.
"From the mine to the smokestack, coal still creates devastating
environmental problems," he said. "There's still too much acid
rain runoff from mines and a variety of air and water pollution
from coal-burning plants."
Such environmental problems, and particularly air concerns, drove
most utilities over the past decade to produce more electricity
from natural gas, which avoids most of the mercury, sulfur and
nitrogen oxide pollutants generated at coal plants. In the past
decade, more than 90 percent of the additional power plants built
in America were gas-fired units.
But new technologies are allowing coal to be mined and burned
more cleanly. As natural gas prices rise, utilities and
independent power producers are looking again at building more
coal plants.
Over the next 20 years, energy companies are preparing to build
the equivalent of 148 new 500-megawatt power plants, according to
a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy titled "Coal's
Resurgence in Electric Power Generation." Collectively, the
proposed plants represent a projected investment of $72 billion
and would generate enough power for 60 million homes, DOE
estimates.
Many of the plants likely never will be built, DOE officials
concede. Indeed, the $1 billion plant identified by DOE to be
built by CME North America Merchant Energy in Marion County has
been deferred indefinitely.
With three unfinished nuclear reactors of its own and plenty of
gas-fired plants in the Southeast selling their power to other
utilities, TVA has no plans to build more coal plants, Mr. Baxter
said.
But TVA, which once planned to phase out many of its older coal
plants, also has no plans to scrap any of its existing fossil
units.
"It still cheaper to operate these coal plants, even with the
expense of the pollution controls we are installing, than to buy
power (from other utilities) on the grid or to build a new
plant," TVA Executive Vice President Joe Bynum said recently.
In the current fiscal year, TVA is spending a record $528 million
on pollution controls at its coal plants. By the end of the
decade, TVA estimates the investment will have helped cut its
sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 75 percent from
the peaks reached in the 1970s.
Last year, TVA derived 60 percent of its electricity from its 11
coal plants. Although TVA was created in the midst of the Great
Depression to harness the power of the Tennessee River, less than
11 percent of its power last year came from its hydroelectric
dams.
COSTS OF CLEANUP
The federal utility launched a study last year to determine if it
makes sense to invest more money in its Johnsonville Fossil Plant
in West Tennessee.
The study was prompted by an estimate that it would cost $50
million to install a new coal-loading facility to burn low-sulfur
coal. Built between 1949 and 1959, the Johnsonville facility is
one of TVA's oldest and dirtiest plants.
Mr. Baxter said TVA has since determined it may load coal with a
cheaper method and may continue to use the Johnsonville plant.
But he said future requirements to control mercury emissions and
further limit ozone pollutants could lead TVA to phase out some
of its other older plants.
For now, TVA continues to focus on adding devices to control
emissions.
At the Kingston plant, TVA activated the first four of eight
devices earlier this month. By 2009, coal scrubbers will be added
to cut emissions further.
"We're making a tremendous investment to reduce our emissions
here," said Earl Deskins, plant manager at the Kingston plant.
"So far, the results of our work have been very encouraging."
E-mail Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com
E-mail Matthew S.L. Cate at mcate@timesfreepress
[http://www.nbc.com]
*****************************************************************
7 Guardian Unlimited: Suspicious sanctions
George Bush's recent moves against Syria will play well at home
but have little effect on President Assad's regime, writes Brian
Whitaker
Monday May 17, 2004
President Bush finally got round to imposing sanctions on Syria
last week, much to the delight of Israel. "This is an important
decision that proves, once again, the resolve of the United
States to wage all-out war - not just against terrorist groups,
but also against the countries that harbour them," a statement
from the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Whatever the foreign ministry may think, the sanctions are
scarcely "all-out war" and will probably harm the US more than
they harm Syria. They are unlikely to have much impact on
Damascus apart from making the regime dig its heels in - the
opposite of what they are supposed to do.
For the US, meanwhile, they will add further to its image
problem, providing yet another example of double standards in
foreign policy. They also conflict with one of the main
principles of the so-called Greater Middle East Initiative, which
argues that trade and economic development - rather than
sanctions - should be used to promote democracy and to counter
terrorism.
On paper, the sanctions look quite tough. They include a ban on
direct flights between Syria and the US, and a ban on all US
exports apart from food and medicines. In reality, though, there
are no scheduled flights between Syria and the US anyway, and the
small quantity of goods that Syria buys from the US will probably
continue to arrive via neighbouring Lebanon.
The sanctions result from a daft piece of legislation known as
the Syria Accountability Act, which was inspired by an alliance
of Israelis, American neo-conservatives and wild-eyed Lebanese
Christians, and originally put to Congress in 2002 by Senator
Rick Santorum, a self-caricaturing anti-abortion, anti-gay,
pro-guns Republican.
This, of course, was before the invasion of Iraq, when
neo-conservatives in the US were still riding high and eager to
tackle Syria once they had "liberated" Baghdad. The usual
suspects in the Pentagon even got as far as making preliminary
plans for war.
President Bush, though, was less enthusiastic and his secretary
of state, Colin Powell, declared the sanctions plan "unhelpful".
"We are working closely with all parties to the [Arab-Israeli]
conflict and must be perceived as even-handed in our approach,"
Mr Powell wrote in a letter to key members of Congress.
Legislation of the kind proposed against Syria, he said, would
"have a negative effect on our efforts to bring down the
violence, avoid the outbreak of regional war, and help the
parties back to a path to comprehensive peace".
That was not the only consideration. The Syrian regime, for its
own reasons, had always kept a close watch on Islamic extremists
and was quietly passing information about them to the Americans.
Furthermore, Syria had the capacity to hamper US efforts in
neighbouring Iraq if it felt inclined to do so.
In addition, American sanctions would be at odds with EU policy,
which favoured cajoling Syria towards reform through "critical
and constructive engagement". This was one area where the British
prime minister, Tony Blair, did not diverge from his European
colleagues: Blair was developing quite a good rapport with
President Bashar al-Assad, who had studied in London and had a
British-born wife. In the run-up to war with Iraq, the
congressional plans for sanctions against Syria were quietly
shelved - only to re-emerge in April last year.
This time, despite the Bush administration's misgivings, Congress
was almost unanimous in approving the Syria Accountability Act:
only four Senators and eight members of the House of
Representatives opposed it. Such was the unanimity that leaders
of the Republican and Democratic parties agreed not to let any
witnesses give evidence against the sanctions plan in the House
international relations committee.
The attitude of Congress seems to have had little or nothing to
do with the merits - or otherwise - of the case for sanctions,
but a lot to do with the re-election prospects of its members.
For American politicians there is no mileage in being sensible
about Syria, and much to lose.
The Accountability Act's main complaints against Syria are that
it supports terrorism, is occupying Lebanon and is developing
weapons of mass destruction. The trouble with this is that it
appears - especially in the Arab world - highly discriminatory.
The Act simplistically treats Syria as one of the "evildoers"
that President Bush often talks about and ignores the
all-important political background. It is basically using the
issues of terrorism, Lebanese sovereignty and weapons of mass
destruction as a pretext to further Israel's regional agenda.
Despite official denials, Syria is widely believed to have
chemical weapons and possibly an embryonic biological weapons
programme, though this does not place the country in breach of
any international treaties or security council resolutions. In
any case it is small beer compared with the 200-or-so nuclear
weapons that neighbouring Israel is believed to possess.
Given that Israeli forces have been occupying a significant
stretch of Syrian territory (the Golan Heights) for the past 27
years, it is not difficult to see why Syria might want some form
of deterrent. But by addressing the question of Syrian weapons
while ignoring Israeli arms, the US only damages its credibility
in the region.
Syria, meanwhile, says it favours dismantling all weapons of mass
destruction in the Middle East region but this must include
Israeli nuclear warheads - a not unreasonable way to proceed.
The terrorism issue is also closely tied to the conflict with
Israel. Syria - unlike Libya in its wilder days - does not give
generalised support to terrorism and, indeed, strongly opposes
al-Qaida and related groups. It does allow various militant
Palestinian groups to have a presence in Syria, which it says is
for political (non-military) activities. Together with Iran,
Syria also exercises considerable influence over Hizbullah in
Lebanon.
Rightly or wrongly, it regards these as legitimate groups
resisting Israeli occupation of Arab lands. Essentially, Damascus
views them as levers towards its main foreign policy goal - the
return of the Golan Heights - and Syrian officials maintain that
once that has been achieved and there is peace with Israel, there
will be no reason to continue supporting such groups.
Syria's "occupation" of Lebanon, according to the Accountability
Act, is a breach of UN security council resolution 502, which
dates back to 1982 and the Lebanese civil war.
A look at resolution 502 shows that it refers to - and condemns -
Israel by name but makes no mention of Syria. The historical
context of the resolution is that, in September 1982, following
the assassination of the Lebanese president-elect, Bashir
Gemayel, Israeli forces in Lebanon advanced to new positions in
West Beirut.
Resolution 502 demanded an immediate pull-back of Israeli forces
to their previous positions, as a first step towards a complete
withdrawal from Lebanon. (In the event, Israeli forces remained
in Lebanon for a further 18 years but faced no American sanctions
as a consequence.)
How, then, can Syria be in breach of this resolution? The answer
lies in clause four, in which the UN - without naming anyone -
"calls again for the strict respect for Lebanon's sovereignty,
territorial integrity, unity and political independence under the
sole and exclusive authority of the Lebanese government through
the Lebanese army throughout Lebanon".
Syrian troops were in Lebanon at the time, having originally
entered as part of an Arab League peacekeeping force, so the
resolution can be interpreted as referring to them. It is
debatable, though, whether the 20,000-or-so Syrian troops in
Lebanon today are "occupying" the country as the Accountability
Act claims.
The Syrian presence in Lebanon differs, for example, from the
US-led occupation of Iraq and the Israeli occupation of the Golan
Heights in that it was legitimised (technically, at least) at the
end of the civil war by a series of agreements with the Lebanese
government. Although these were signed under some duress, since
the Lebanese government didn't have much choice in the matter at
the time, it can be argued that the Syrian forces did help to
provide much-needed stability in the aftermath of the civil war,
even if they have now outstayed their welcome.
Fully restoring Lebanon's sovereignty is certainly a good idea in
principle, but it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the
issue is being stirred up for other reasons. If members of
Congress are so concerned about sovereignty, then what about
Israel's partial occupation of Syria or, indeed, the American-led
occupation of Iraq?
A curious twist in this tale is that, while the US was preparing
to impose sanctions on Syria, Syria was negotiating with the EU
for special trade privileges under what is known as an
"association agreement".
But just as the details were being finalised there was a
last-minute hitch. At the behest of Britain, Germany and the
Netherlands, the EU decided that partners in its association
agreements must denounce weapons of mass destruction.
This, the EU said, would become a standard clause in all such
agreements - but the timing suggests it was inserted specially
for Syria. Whether this was the result of pressure from the US is
still unclear.
Interestingly, though, the "standard" clause about denouncing
weapons of mass destruction will not be applied to countries that
already have association agreements with the EU: Algeria, Egypt,
Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia ...
and Israel.
Email brian.whitaker@guardian.co.uk
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
8 Haaretz: Int l pressure put back Iran s nuclear program by 12 months
http://www.haaretz.com]
Tue., May 18, 2004 Iyar 27, 5764 Israel
By [aluf@haaretz.co.il]
Iran's nuclear program has been delayed by at least a year
because of international pressure for more transparency in its
nuclear affairs. However, new intelligence assessments suggest
that if Iran successfully continues the program, by the begining
of next year it will be able to operate centrifuges to enrich
uranium and from there, it would take a year and a half to two
years to make enough fissionable material for an Hiroshima-sized
bomb.
Previous assessments said Iran could have fissionable material by
the middle of this year, but revelations about its program,
starting in mid-2002, and pressure for tougher inspections by the
International Atomic Energy Agency caused delays in the project.
Iran was forced to separate its military nuclear program from the
civilian one - they two had previously been managed together. The
Iranians also devoted much effort to hiding a site where the
nuclear device's mechanism is suspected of being built.
On June 15, the governing board of the IAEA is to meet for
another round of discussions about Iran's nuclear program. Ahead
of the meeting, the Iranians are conducting intense diplomatic
activity, hoping to bring its case at the IAEA to a close and get
off the IAEA agenda. The Iranians are supposed to hand in a new
report this week on their nuclear activity after their previous
reports were deemed partial, concealing important information
about their development plans.
Earlier this year, Iran was revealed to be one of the customers
of the "father of the Pakistani bomb," Abdul al Qadr Khan and in
March, it was discovered that Iran possessed advanced centrifuges
that could be used to produce enriched uranium.
The U.S. wants to see the Iranian case transferred from the IAEA
to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions, but
that is unlikely. Instead, the IAEA board will most likely decide
to continue tight inspections and the main question is whether
the Iranian case will indeed be gradually closed down if new
suspicions arise.
[feedback@haaretz.co.il]
© Copyright Haaretz. All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
9 Persian Journal Region: Israel stockpiling nuclear weapons
[http://www.iranian.ws/]
May 17, 2004, 08:08
Morteza Aminmansour [moryamin@yahoo.com]
Israel - nuclear weapons program
Israel is a country which unofficially possesses nuclear
weapons. Above all a heavy water reactor and an installation for
processing irradiated fuel are being used to produce nuclear
material of weapons purity. They are NOT Under IAEA safeguards
.although Israel is a member of this international organization
.Israel has been accused of buying and stealing nuclear
materials in other countries-the united States ,France, Great
Britain . In the Unites States the disappearance of more than
100 Kilograms of enriched uranium was discovered at one of the
plants in the state of Pennsylvania, presumably for Israel's
benefit. Uranium compounds can be produced at three plants for
producing phosphoric acid as a byproduct to the extent of about
100 tones a year. Israel also participated in the enrichment
studies using the aerodynamic nozzle method conducted in the
Republic of south Africa. Israel has stockpiled numbers of
nuclear warheads. Insane amount of 200-300. The weapons had been
developed with the help of the South African regime. Iran has
been threatened by Israel nuclear reactor and not the other way
round. The nuclear reactor at DIMONA in the NEGEV desert has
produced a huge amount of nuclear Waste.
Israeli citizens were kept in the dark about the nuclear
stockpile and conditions at the ageing DIMONA reactor that
constituted a huge environmental threat. Israel had exported
nuclear waste to Mauritania in North West Africa. Israel was
producing “ biological warfare “ weapons at the
government’s Biological Institute in NESS ZIONA.Israel
purchased three new German –built submarines and were fitted
with nuclear weapons. Israel is a vast warehouse of atomic”
biological and chemical weapons that Serves as an anchor for the
Middle East arms race.
In 1986 Israel had stockpiled about 100 nuclear weapons. The
scope and sophistication of Israel's nuclear weapons have never
been denied or challenged by Israeli officials or Israeli
civilian Defense experts.
Only those of the United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom,
and France exceed Israeli nuclear stockpile. Israel has the
sixth largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Israel developed its
nuclear programs in the 1950's. It was originally claimed that
the DIMONA a reactor would provide the cheap nuclear required to
make water desalination a viable project. But its real purpose
was to enable the development of nuclear weapons. The US
government will consider Israel an exception to its global
policy.
Washington will not pressure Israel to join the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel has hundreds of tactical
and strategic nuclear weapons, including more than 100 nuclear
artillery shells and hundreds of low-yield neutron warheads
capable f destroying large numbers of enemy troops. At Israeli
military base in KFAR Zechariah Israe's nuclear arsenal is
larger Than many estimated. This site is housing about
50-JERICHO-2 missiles, believed to have a maximum range of about
3,000 miles with warhead of about 2,200 pounds. The installation
contained nuclear bombs for use from bombers. It claimed that
the five bunker could easily store 150 weapons. Israeli arsenal
may contain as many as 400 nuclear weapons with a total combined
of 50 megatons.Israel crossed the nuclear weapons threshold on
the eve of the 1967 six-Day war.Israel first developed nuclear
weapons in 1968 to deter an unconstrained Soviet attack.
At this time Israel has enough plutonium to make 70 nuclear
weapons. On January 2002 were reported by the Israeli media to
the public that former workers of Dimona were exposed to the
deadly dangers of the nuclear radiation (including chemicals,
acids) reactor. The former employees revealed a frightened
absence of safety procedures and a lack of awareness of the
dangers in working in the reactor complex. Physicians, who had
examined the former employees and others, stated unequivocally
that they had been exposed to dangers levels or radiation as well
as to harmful acids, solvents and chemicals. The evidence shows
that Israel's nuclear arsenal has been open secret for years.
Israel's nuclear weapons have gone unpublicized because the
country serves as the custodian of US interests in the Middle
East. The increasing polarization within Israeli society brings
to the fore environmental questions concerning the treatment of
nuclear waste, reactor safety and the accountability.
Morteza Aminmansour [moryamin@yahoo.com]
Literatures:
*The nuclear potential of individual countries.
*Israel admits stockpiling nuclear weapons.
*Israel Diamona death factory exposed.
© Iranian.ws
*****************************************************************
10 AFP: Ukraine discovers nuclear trafficking ring
[http://www.spacewar.com/]
ODESSA, Ukraine (AFP) May 17, 2004
The Ukranian secret services (SBU) said on Monday they had
arrested several members of a criminal gang that was trying to
sell radioactive material to the Middle East.
The Odessa branch of the SBU said in a statement several
Ukranians and citizens of Middle Eastern countries had been
detained for trying to traffic red mercury, which is used in
nuclear weapons.
The suspects had obtained the mercury in Ukraine and had tried to
take it out of the country in special containers, it said.
Several more arrests were expected, it said, without giving
details.
On May 6 the SBU announced it had arrested several members of a
criminal gang that was trying to illegally purchase two
containers of radioactive Cesium-137 in Crimea for 120,000
dollars.
The authorities had followed the gang for six months and believed
it wanted to purchase the containers to sell off to other
clients, Interfax reported.
Cesium-137 is used in metallurgy and medicine. It can also be
used for the construction of "dirty bombs" that emit low-level
radiation.
WAR.WIRE
*****************************************************************
11 Slovak Spectator:Business briefs The price of power
Volume 10, Number 19 Slovakia's English language newspaper
May 17 - 23,2004
From press reports
POWER producer Slovenské elektrárne (SE), burdened with bad loans
and disadvantageous contracts, has virtually no value for future
investors, the Slovak daily Pravda wrote. The commitments of the
company outweigh SE's assets by at least Sk61 billion (€1.5
billion).
In addition to bad loans and contracts, a major problem is the
lack of funding for the decommissioning of two nuclear plants -
Mochovce and Jaslovské Bohunice.
Five bidders for a 66 percent stake in SE are nearing the end of
due diligence and the two investors who are interested in SE as a
whole - the Czech ČEZ and the Russian RAO UES - have asked that
the model for financing the decommissioning be changed. The date
by which the bidders were expected to submit their binding offers
might be postponed so that the problems can be solved.
Originally, the binding bids were to be submitted by June 18.
[5/17/2004]
Copyright © 1998-2003 The Rock spol. s r.o. All rights
*****************************************************************
12 Slovak Spectator: in Short Opposition abandons recall attempts
Volume 10, Number 19
Slovakia's English language newspaper May 17 - 23,2004
[http://www.relo.sk]
From press reports
THE PARLIAMENTARY opposition parties decided that they would no
longer try to recall cabinet ministers because they do not have
the 76 parliamentary votes needed to overthrow them.
At a meeting of the parliamentary opposition members that
included the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia's Viliam Veteška,
Smer leader Robert Fico, People's Union head Vojtech Tkáč, and
Vladimír Ďaďo from the Communist Party, the opposition
representatives agreed to demand that the cabinet submit a report
on public administration reform, the private news agency SITA
wrote.
The opposition will also request an extraordinary parliamentary
session on the basis of the report.
Together, the opposition has 67 of parliament's 150 members.
Ahead of the May session of parliament, the opposition plan also
includes an agreement to ask the cabinet to delay the
decommissioning of the V1 nuclear power station in Jaslovské
Bohunice.
The opposition leaders decided to reject the health reform
prepared by Health Minister Rudolf Zajac, whose six laws are
expected to be among the total of 100 proposals to be discussed
in parliament this month.
The opposition said it would ask the cabinet to prepare a
detailed report on the Slovak military presence in Iraq,
including reasons for its deployment and why the unit should stay
in the country. [5/17/2004]
Copyright © 1998-2003 The Rock spol. s r.o. All rights
*****************************************************************
13 The Advocate: NRC holding hearings
Associated Press
May 17, 2004
WATERFORD, Conn. -- Federal nuclear regulatory
officials have scheduled public hearings on the request by the
owner of the Millstone nuclear power complex to extend its
licenses by 20 years.
In January, Dominion Nuclear Connecticut submitted a report
making its case with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it
should not have to take any special steps to ensure environmental
integrity if it is allowed to renew licenses for its two
operating power plants.
The company is seeking to extend the life of its two power
plants by 20 years. The public has a chance to address the issues
covered in the report Tuesday at two three-hour sessions
moderated by the NRC at Town Hall.
If renewals were granted, Millstone 2 would remain licensed
through 2035; Millstone 3 would remain licensed through 2045.
Licenses currently are scheduled to expire in 2015 and 2025
respectively.
In its report, Dominion envisions 196 different types of
improvements at Millstone 2 and 185 at Millstone 3, but finds
some not needed or already in place, and only one in which the
benefit would outweigh the cost.
Cost-benefit analysis of the improvements involves intricate
formulas based on economic principles and the potential economic
costs associated with harmful radiological dosages.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
© 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
*****************************************************************
14 YDR: NRC to discuss TMI problems -
York Daily Record [ydr.com]
Inspections found eight safety violations, but they were not
considered dangerous.
By SEAN ADKINS Daily Record staff Monday, May 17, 2004
At bottom: · IF YOU GO Despite eight violations of very low
safety significance between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2003, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a normal inspection
schedule for Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Dauphin County through
Sept. 30, 2005.
Later this week, NRC officials will meet with representatives
of AmerGen Energy Co. to discuss the results of the agency's
annual assessment of safety performance at TMI Unit 1.
The meeting will focus on what steps AmerGen Energy has taken
to prevent future violations of a similar nature, said Neil
Sheehan, spokesman for the NRC.
AmerGen, a partnership between Exelon Generation and British
Energy, owns and operates Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Dauphin
County, Clinton Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois and Oyster Creek
Generating Station in New Jersey.
During the annual assessment, the NRC found that TMI had
operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety.
"TMI is meeting our expectations, but that doesn't mean they
don't have work to do," Sheehan said. "There is no room for
complacency, and that's the message we try to deliver time and
again."
At the time of annual assessment, commission staff found a
cross-cutting issue in the area of problem identification and
resolution at TMI Unit 1.
Each of the eight "green" violations at the plant involved
times when the utility either did not question or did not
sufficiently evaluate plant equipment problems.
A green violation is characterized as being of very low safety
significance.
"With green inspection findings, the safety significance is
low, and they have the opportunity to address the violation
first," Sheehan said. "If they fail do so, the NRC can
intervene."
The problems involved such things as the identification and
evaluation of situations involving containment debris, reactor
coolant system leakage from a pressurizer diaphragm, containment
liner corrosion and coating deficiencies.
The commission's normal inspections of the plant will address
the progress taken to address the issues.
Reach Sean Adkins at 771-2047 or [sadkins@ydr.com] .
IF YOU GO
Officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with
AmerGen Energy officials at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Middletown
Borough Hall at 60 W. Emaus St. in Middletown, in Dauphin
County. The meeting will focus on the agency's annual assessment
of safety performance last year at Three Mile Island Unit 1.
Copyright © York Daily Record 2004 122 S. George St., P.O. Box
15122 York, PA 17405, (717) 771-2000
*****************************************************************
15 [DU-WATCH] Iraq: rise in birth deformities blamed on DU
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 01:27:32 -0500 (CDT)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=520733
Rise in birth deformities blamed on Allies' deadly weaponry By Nigel
Morris 13 May 2004
The number of babies born deformed and children suffering leukaemia
have soared because of the "deadly legacy" of depleted uranium
shells used by British and American forces in Iraq, human rights
campaigners claimed yesterday.
Releasing details of health problems and human rights violations
suffered by Iraqi children in the past year, they claim the country's
youngsters faced a worse existence today than they did under Saddam
Hussein's dictatorship.
Depleted uranium was widely used by Allied forces to penetrate Iraqi
tank armour in the Gulf Wars of 1991 and again last year.
Opponents claim the dust it releases upon impact is rapidly absorbed
into the body, causing an upsurge of serious health problems inherited
by Iraqi children during the past 13 years from their parents.
Caroline Lucas, a Green Party Euro-MP who recently visited Basra,
said doctors there had told her that the number of children born
with severe deformities, such as shortened limbs or eye defects,
had increased sevenfold since 1991. In addition they were treating
several new cases of leukaemia every week - before 1991 the condition
was very rare.
"Women in Basra are afraid to become pregnant because there are so
many deformed babies," she said. "We are leaving a deadly legacy
for generations to come."
She made the claims at the launch in London of a new charity, Child
Victims of War (CVW), to help Iraqi youngsters "innocently suffering
malnutrition, disease, disability and psychological trauma".
The amount of depleted uranium used by coalition forces in the two
Gulf Wars is not known, but some estimates suggest it was 300 tons
in 1991 and five times as much last year.
CVW says the number of Iraqi babies born with serious deformities
has risen from 3.04 per thousand in 1991 to 22.19 per thousand in
2001. Babies born with Downs Syndrome have increased nearly fivefold
and there had been a rash of cases of previously little-known eye
problems.
The Ministry of Defence insists depleted uranium poses a "minimal"
risk to civilians. But, in a finding strongly disputed by the MoD,
researchers recently discovered radiation levels from destroyed
Iraqi tanks to be 2,500 times higher than normal and 20 times higher
than normal in the surrounding area.
Joanne Baker, the director of CVW, who has just returned from Iraq,
said children had also been maimed by cluster bombs, blamed by Human
Rights Watch for "hundreds of preventable civilian deaths".
She said youngsters were also vulnerable both to coalition forces
and local militia resisting western forces.
She said malnutrition had worsened since the Anglo-US invasion and
unpolluted water was in short supply while standards of hospital
care had fallen because of shortages of medical supplies.
Those children who went to school - and a Christian Aid survey
showed two-thirds of poor youngsters did not - were "so malnourished
they can't concentrate".
Ms Baker claimed: "Every child in Iraq had a degree of psychological
trauma.
"I have been to Iraq under Saddam and sanctions - most people know
how bad things were - but what has happened this year has plunged
Iraq into a plight which is actually far, far worse," she said.
Ms Baker added: "I am not an apologist for Saddam but I have spoken
to people saying they suffered terribly and they are in tears saying
'I wish he was back'.
"If it is worse than sanctions and Saddam then we are really talking
about a humanitarian catastrophe."
CVW has applied to the Charities Commission for charitable status,
and plans to open an office in Iraq to monitor abuses, counsel those
who have been detained, train human rights groups and provide medical
help to young victims of war.
VICTIM OF DEPLETED URANIUM?
At the age of seven, Fadel, from Basra in southern Iraq, developed
a devastating, and extremely rare, liver and kidney complaint which
caused her abdomen to swell dramatically. The condition - which has
only been seen in Iraq since 1991 - is thought to be caused by
abnomally high levels of toxic materials in her body.
She underwent agonising hospital treatment, which involved injections
to draw out the huge amounts of water that accumulated.
Her cries of pain were so loud they could be heard down the hospital
corridor. Fadel's father was serving in the Iraqi army during the
first Gulf War when she was conceived.
Fadel is believed to have died shortly after this photograph was
taken.
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16 Mos News: Illegal Cruises to North Pole on Nuclear Icebreakers
MOSNEWS.COM
Icebreaker / Photo from www.bz.ru
Created: 17.05.2004 11:47 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:47 MSK
MosNews
A navigating company in the North Russian city of Murmansk
leased nuclear-powered icebreakers to foreign companies for
cruises to the North Pole without the permission of the Russian
state which the owns the vessels. This was reported by RIA
Novosti, citing the results of an Audit Chamber report.
“This activity is a real threat for Russian national security in
the Arctic, with the probability of radiation and terrorist
dangers increasing,” the press release of the chamber was quoted
by the agency as saying. The company in Murmansk also did not
pay out enough rent to the federal budget which cost $7.4
million for the state.
The Audit Chamber also discovered that the navigating company
came into possession of the icebreaker fleet illegally because
the state property management of the Murmansk region had no
authority to conclude a treaty with the company in 1998.
Write us: info@mosnews.com [info@mosnews.com]
Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM
Designed by kB "Gazeta.Ru" [http://design.gazeta.ru/]
*****************************************************************
17 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Suit adds to concern over Yucca
LAS VEGAS SUN
A federal lawsuit filed by employees and former employees of
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad is cause for even more
concern about shipping nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Filed in
Iowa May 12 by two unions and several individuals, the lawsuit
alleges the railroad routinely violates standard safety
procedures. Because Burlington Northern regularly handles
shipments of hazardous materials, the lawsuit raises the
possibility that the railroad could one day be selected by the
Energy Department to transport high-level nuclear waste to Yucca
Mountain.
Plaintiffs say that Burlington Northern managers are
representing the railroad to the Energy Department as one that
has "good and proven" safety systems. In fact, the suit
contends, employees have been ordered to bypass safety rules in
order for the railroad to "be more more profitable when train
departures and overall operations can be expedited. Many trains
are leaving with both known and unknown defects in equipment."
Burlington Northern declined comment on the suit. And an Energy
Department spokesman told the Sun's Washington reporter, Suzanne
Struglinski, that no rail lines have been selected to move waste
to Yucca Mountain. He repeated the department's pat answer to
transportation questions, saying that "all the safety elements
are still under development." Yet the lawsuit contends that the
Energy Department, which has previously said most shipments to
Yucca will be by rail, is pointing to Burlington Northern's
"good and proven" safety systems as examples of why
transportation will be safe.
"(The Energy Department) is wrong," the suit states. "It is not
safe to move nuclear waste by rail across the BNSF. (The Energy
Department) would not enter into contracts if it knew the truth
of the unsafe conditions of BNSF operations."
Because of the serious allegations raised by the lawsuit, we
hope it goes to public trial, as opposed to ending with a secret
settlement. In the end, however, the realization that nuclear
waste cannot be transported across the country for decade after
decade without a catastrophe shouldn't have to hinge on a
lawsuit. Common sense is all that's needed.
*****************************************************************
18 RGJ: Tiny Nevada town split by proposed nuclear railroad
||| Home [http://www.rgj.com/]
Reno Gazette-Journal]
By Ken Ritter[online@rgj.com]
ASSOCIATED PRESS 5/16/2004 08:23 pm
CALIENTE -- Mayor Kevin Phillips echoes the city’s welcome sign —
“Prepared For Your Business” — as he watches a four-locomotive
freight train rumble past his hardware store on rails that may
decide the community’s future.
Phillips imagines his tiny central Nevada town as the railhead
and transfer station for the nation’s radioactive waste being
shipped to a proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.
“I want to face reality,” he said. “It’s going to happen. Here
sitteth the Union Pacific Railroad. Here cometh the shipments.”
Caliente, with just 1,184 residents, sits in a notch of the
rugged Delamar Mountains, not far from the Utah state line. It’s
275 miles to Salt Lake City and 150 miles to Las Vegas, but
worlds away from the growing cities of the West.
While the rest of Nevada saw a booming 50 percent increase in
jobs from 1993 to 2003, state figures show Caliente and
surrounding Lincoln County reported a sharp 33 percent decline in
people working or looking for work.
A railroad to Yucca Mountain would stem the exodus out of town,
bringing 100 construction jobs and about 60 permanent jobs,
according to the Center for Business and Economic Research at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“I’m for jobs,” the 53-year-old mayor said, “because I know this
can be done safely.”
Across the tracks from the town’s only hardware store, Dorothy
Phillips, the mayor’s 81-year-old aunt, dismisses assurances that
nuclear material can ever be handled without risk.
She remembers her father, Charles Miller, dying of leukemia in
1963 at age 67. He used to scrub dust from trains that passed by
the nearby Nevada Test Site after mushroom-cloud explosions. The
family received $50,000 in “downwinder” government benefits after
he died, she said.
“My sister died of brain cancer,” Phillips said, recalling other
Caliente families who lost three, four or more members to cancer.
“My brother, he was a brakeman on the trains. He died of cancer.
I had cancer, but I survived.”
Phillips acknowledges jobs are scarce, but she said she doesn’t
want Caliente becoming Nevada’s nuclear waste crossroads.
Like the divided Phillips family and the Union Pacific Railroad
tracks that run through town, talk of whether to welcome the
nation’s nuclear waste splits this everyone-knows-everyone
community.
Michelle Wadsworth, 43, said she suspects hazardous chemicals
that 2-mile-long freight trains haul unannounced every day past
her insurance agency pose a greater danger than strictly
regulated and monitored nuclear waste.
Lincoln County Commissioner George Rowe called the nuclear
railroad inevitable and said officials should lobby the federal
government for money for much-needed public projects.
His brother, Steve Rowe — Caliente’s fire chief, hospital board
chairman and state youth detention center facilities supervisor —
said he’s confident the town’s 25 volunteer firefighters would be
trained to handle a radiological mishap, and that some even might
be hired full-time.
The 20-bed Grover C. Dils Medical Center would be expanded, he
said, maybe doubled, with a special wing for radiation injuries.
“If this goes through, we would have to get more money,” Steve
Rowe said.
Elizebeth Russell, a second cousin who retired to Caliente after
a career teaching school in rural Whitehall, N.Y., said the
Energy Department should keep the waste at nuclear plants where
it’s produced instead of spending a projected $57 billion over
the next three decades entombing it at Yucca Mountain.
“But we’ve got 4,000 people in Lincoln County against the entire
country,” she said. “We don’t stand a chance.”
Lincoln County covers an area larger than the state of Vermont,
with 98 percent of the land owned by the federal government. Vast
tracts of vacant land are leased for ranching and grazing. With
most mines closed and many railroad jobs lost to automation, the
biggest employers are schools and government.
Caliente, the county’s only city, shows some signs of growth
along the Union Pacific tracks and U.S. 93, the two-lane road
that doubles as Front Street.
A billboard across from the neat, white-spired Mormon church
marks the future site of the Meadow Valley Industrial Park, with
access to the existing railroad.
Another heralds planned municipal water improvements underwritten
by $1.15 million in federal and state grants, plus $4,031 from
Lincoln County.
The mayor said those projects aren’t related to the nuclear
railroad. But he pulls out a copy of the federal Nuclear Waste
Policy Act, and points to provisions calling for a host community
to receive money for safety, medical, school, social, economic
and other services.
Phillips noted that Caliente has been part of the debate about
the nation’s nuclear waste since Congress passed the act in 1982
and instructed the Energy Department to find a place to bury
77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel building up at reactors in 39
states.
In 2002, Congress approved the Yucca Mountain plan — with project
administrators still developing plans for getting the highly
radioactive waste to the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The Energy Department plans to ask the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission this year to license the repository for opening in
2010.
Polls show most Nevada residents oppose storing the nation’s
nuclear waste, and the state has six lawsuits pending in federal
courts against the project.
It might take until 2006 for the Energy Department to select
nuclear transportation routes to Nevada, according to Judith
Holm, transportation manager for the federal Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management.
But the department announced last month it intends to build an
$880 million railroad across Nevada — a route it dubbed the
Caliente corridor — to ship the waste from a point on the main
transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad line near Utah to Yucca
Mountain, at the western edge of the Nevada Test Site near the
California line.
The distance is about 125 air miles. But the 319-mile rail route
would loop north around the Test Site and the vast Nellis Air
Force Base bombing range, avoiding Las Vegas casinos, 130,000
hotel rooms and 1.6 million residents.
Kevin Phillips foresees a railhead maintenance center near
Caliente, and a multimillion-dollar transfer station hoisting
radioactive waste casks off rail cars for the trip across the
state.
“These are great facilities,” said Phillips, now in his 11th year
as mayor. “Would we want to have a radiological accident? No. But
people can be trained to handle it.”
Dorothy Phillips said she’ll never be convinced.
“The mayor’s my nephew,” she said. “Even though I love him as a
relative, I’m against him on this nuclear issue. He’s shoving
this down our throats.”
© Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett
*****************************************************************
19 Bradenton Herald: Citizens failed to voice concern
| 05/16/2004 |
TALLEVAST BLAMES ITSELF
DANA SANCHEZ
Herald Staff Writer
TALLEVAST - The Tallevast community doesn't just blame
authorities for allowing health concerns about pollution at the
former American Beryllium Co. plant to go unaddressed for so
long.
It also blames itself.
Residents say they have suspected for years that something was
making them sick. But they didn't say anything for fear of
retribution.
That historical reluctance to take their fears to the authorities
is partly to blame for the cancers and illnesses now showing up
in their children, says Laura Ward, president of the community's
revitalization group, FOCUS.
And the community was hurt by its own leaders who were willing to
accept assurances from authorities that "nothing was wrong," Ward
said.
Residents have reported multiple miscarriages, stillbirths, skin
conditions, respiratory illnesses and cancers.
"Almost every family has been hurt, except for the newest ones,"
said Wanda Washington, a Tallevast resident.
Fear of retribution goes on everywhere, said Geoffrey Okogbaa,
director of the University of South Florida's Institute on Black
Life.
"People are afraid of what would happen if they let the
authorities know what was going on," Okogbaa said. "They'd be
looked at as rabble-rousers."
Three years ago, Tallevast residents started collecting their own
medical data. Last fall, they sought legal counsel with Robert
Walker, a Richmond, Va., lawyer, after a plume of contamination
extending beyond the boundary of the plant was identified.
"If this community had asked sooner what was going on, maybe
someone would have told them," Walker said. "Maybe the community
trusted what they were being told."
The Department of Environmental Protection insists there is no
immediate threat.
"What we're specifically looking for is solvents," said Merritt
Mitchell, external affairs manager for the DEP. "There was no
immediate threat, and that's why there was no notification."
'Little bitty property'
Residents maintain they've been affected by pollution for years,
not just from solvents but from beryllium, a metal that causes
lung diseases.
On Friday, about 25 representatives of Manatee County
environmental management, the DEP, Lockheed Martin and FOCUS came
together to try and identify homes with wells in an area
identified as contaminated.
That showing of interest in the community is welcome, residents
say, giving hope that their fears are finally getting voiced and
someone is finally listening.
Residents say they're tired of fighting with various
organizations over "the little bitty property" - about 85 homes,
a half-mile wide and a mile long - that is one of Bradenton's
oldest neighborhoods.
Toxic contamination in soil and water in and around the former
American Beryllium plant on Tallevast Road showed up in 2000.
Lockheed Martin purchased the property in 1997 as part of a
larger buyout but never used the property and subsequently sold
it to WPI.
Government authorities had to have known about the potential for
contamination, residents contend.
"How could the county not have known from the time the building
came into the community?" Ward asked. "They had to issue
permits."
Environmental regulations that were lax or nonexistent years ago
have become stricter over the years, notes Manatee County
Commissioner Jonathan Bruce.
Neighborhood rezoned
Tallevast residents say have had to fight continually to keep the
vision they had for the neighborhood intact over the eight
decades since it was established.
In the 1980s, there was a blanket rezoning of the area but
Tallevast residents were not notified, Ward said.
"It was zoned so that if anything happened to our homes, we
couldn't rebuild or build new homes," Ward said. "We fought
that."
Residents were approached in the 1980s about a possible expansion
of the airport that potentially could have impacted their
neighborhood.
Last December, residents successfully fought an attempt by the
Salvation Army to build a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center
at the corner of Tallevast and Highway 301.
"This is my home, and everything that's possible has tried to
move us out," Ward said. "How do you think we feel to find out
that everything we fought to hold onto all these years is a pile
of contamination?"
With the last battle, Ward's neighborhood revitalization group
has emerged.
FOCUS stands for Family Oriented Community-United Strong. The
group, with 11 members, established a goal of rebuilding existing
homes, bringing in new housing and a new recreation complex, and
collaborating with surrounding communities.
Tallevast is in the midst of new or fast-growing communities
including Crescent Lake, Palm Aire and Maple Lake.
"They widen to the east and the west," Ward said. "We are being
overlooked because we are of no importance. Nobody thought we'd
rear our heads."
Shelia Bing, one of Tallevast's newer residents, moved to the
neighborhood in 2001. She and her family have always been on city
water. She was unaware of possible contamination.
"I'm surprised I hadn't heard about it before," Bing said. "Maybe
people figured it wasn't important since it happened so many
years ago."
The former American Beryllium plant was once considered a benefit
as it operated in the community's midst for close to four
decades, a source of good-paying jobs.
Residents blame selves
Eventually, employees learned they were working with dangerous
materials.
"They came and dangled the carrot of good jobs," Ward said. "They
said over the years: It can't harm you. Just as black communities
have done all over, we accepted what we were told."
There have been times when ditches in Tallevast weren't cleaned
by county workers - now, residents believe, because the workers
feared contamination. In the past few years, Tallevast residents
knew something was up when workers from Tetratech, a Tampa
environmental testing firm, walked across their yards to drill
for water test samples.
"We have to blame ourselves because we have allowed some of these
things to happen," Ward said.
Community members say they are tired of struggling. And they're
angry.
"You've got people sitting on 820 parts per billion of
trichlorethylene, and no one says: 'Hey guys, you've got to
leave,' " Ward said.
When WPI donated two portables to the Tallevast community center
and church from the former American Beryllium plant, the company
asked community members to write letters relieving WPI of
responsibility for any contamination, community members say.
No one volunteered information about contamination to Tallevast
residents until they asked for it.
"Once they knew we were aware something was not kosher, they did
cooperate," Ward said.
Residents credit Lockheed Martin with opening the door.
Access to the Internet has also helped the community, along with
a willingness to read information at government Web sites about
carcinogens.
Tallevast has always been a predominantly black community dating
back to the early 1900s, when a core of about 15 families settled
in the area. Many of today's residents trace their roots back to
the original families, with fourth and fifth generations still
living there.
Socioeconomically, residents range from doctors and attorneys to
nurses, law school students and blue- and white-collar workers
from all walks of life.
"We don't have the same uneducated people in the community that
we had 20 years ago," Ward said. "Most of us have college
degrees."
*****************************************************************
20 NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting
FR Doc 04-11074
[Federal Register: May 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 95)] [Notices]
[Page 27956-27957] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17my04-130]
The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold its
150th meeting on May 25-27, 2004, Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The schedule for this meeting is as
follows: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 1 p.m.-3:10 p.m.: Safeguards and
Security Matters (Closed)--The Committee will hear presentations
by and hold discussions with representatives of the Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) to discuss
safeguards and security matters.
3:25 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman
(Open)-- The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding
the conduct of the meeting.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Louisiana Energy Services (LES) Gas
Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Project (Open)--The Committee will
hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives
of the NRC staff regarding the recent application, NRC Docket No.
70-3103, by LES to construct a gas centrifuge enrichment plant in
Lea County, New Mexico.
4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.: Preparation of ACNW Reports (Open)--The
Committee will discuss proposed ACNW reports on matters
considered during this and previous meetings regarding reports on
West Valley Performance Assessment Plans, Risk-Informed
Regulation for NMSS Activities, and LES Gas Centrifuge Uranium
Enrichment Program (tentative).
Wednesday, May 26, 2004 8:30 a.m.-8:40 a.m.: Opening Statement
(Open)--The Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the
conduct of today's sessions.
8:40 a.m.-9:40 a.m.: Review of DOE Technical Basis Documents
Supporting the Yucca Mountain License Application (YMLA)
(Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold
discussions with representatives of the NRC staff on its recent
evaluation of DOE Analysis Model Reports intended to support the
YMLA as discussed in a staff letter to M. Chu, DOE, dated April
10, 2004. 9:40 a.m.-10:40 a.m.: Decommissioning Program Changes
(Open)--The Committee will hear a briefing by and hold
discussions with the NRC staff on the recent changes to the
decommissioning program, as described in SECY-04-0022.
11:10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Preparation for Meeting with the NRC
Commissioners (Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed topics
for a meeting with the NRC Commissioners, which is scheduled to
be held between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 21,
2004. 1:45 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Preparation of ACNW Reports
(Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACNW reports on
matters considered during this and previous meetings.
Thursday, May 27, 2004 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Statement
(Open)--The Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the
conduct of today's sessions.
8:35 a.m.-10 a.m.: Treatment of Uncertainties in Hydrologic
Models: Conceptual Model and Parameter Uncertainty (Open)--The
Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with
representatives of the NRC staff, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory and the University of Arizona regarding the proposed
strategy for coupling parameter uncertainty with conceptual model
uncertainty in ground water modeling.
10:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Preparation of ACNW Reports. (Open)--The
Committee will continue its discussion of proposed ACNW letter
reports.
12:45 p.m.-1 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)-The Committee will
discuss matters related to the conduct of Committee activities
and matters and specific issues that were not completed during
previous meetings, as time and availability of information
permit.
Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACNW meetings
were published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2003 (68 FR
59643). In accordance with these procedures, oral or written
statements may be presented by members of the public. Electronic
recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the
meeting that are open to the public. Persons desiring to make
oral statements should notify Mr. Howard J. Larson, Special
Assistant (Telephone (301) 415-6805), between 7:30 a.m. and 4
p.m. e.t., as far in advance as practicable so that appropriate
arrangements can be made to schedule the necessary time during
the meeting for such statements. Use of still, motion picture,
and television cameras during this meeting will be limited to
selected portions of the meeting as determined by the ACNW
Chairman. Information regarding the time to be set aside for
taking pictures may be obtained by contacting the ACNW office
prior to the meeting. In view of the possibility that the
schedule for ACNW meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as
necessary to
[[Page 27957]] facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons
planning to attend should notify Mr. Howard J. Larson as to their
particular needs. In accordance with Subsection 10(d) Public Law
92-463, I have determined that it is necessary to close portions
of this meeting noted above to discuss and protect national
security information as well as unclassified safeguards
information pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and (3).
Further information regarding topics to be discussed, whether the
meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, the Chairman's ruling
on requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and
the time allotted therefore can be obtained by contacting Mr.
Howard J. Larson.
ACNW meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are
available through the NRC Public Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov
[pdr@nrc.gov] , or by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from
the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's
document system (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC Web site
at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html]
or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-] >
Video teleconferencing service is available for observing open
sessions of ACNW meetings. Those wishing to use this service for
observing ACNW meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACNW
Audiovisual Technician (Telephone (301) 415-8066), between 7:30
a.m. and 3:45 p.m. e.t., at least 10 days before the meeting to
ensure the availability of this service. Individuals or
organizations requesting this service will be responsible for
telephone line charges and for providing the equipment and
facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing
link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not
guaranteed.
Dated: May 11, 2004.
Andrew L. Bates, Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-11074 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
21 NZZ Online: Doubts raised over dumping nuclear waste abroad
Montag, 17. Mai 2004
May 11, 2004, 23:45
Doubts raised over dumping nuclear waste abroad
Switzerland is taking part in a European project to find a
suitable disposal site for international nuclear waste.
But the Swiss authorities are not convinced of the feasibility
of the project and would prefer to find their own solution.
Hans Issler of Switzerland’s National Cooperative for the
Disposal of Nuclear Waste (Nagra) said it was in Switzerland’s
interests to seek international cooperation.
But he told swissinfo that this did not take precedence over the
search for a domestic answer to the problem of highly
radioactive nuclear waste.
Fourteen European countries are taking part over the next two
years in the research project, which is co-funded by
Switzerland.
The Swiss authorities approved a SFr220,000 ($169,610) credit
last December.
“The aim of the project is to set the framework for a possible
multinational storage site within the enlarged EU,” said the
private Association for Regional and International Underground
Storage (Arius), which coordinates the project. Russian offer
Arius project manager Charles McCombie said it was much too
early to decide on a storage site. Two years ago Russia
expressed an interest in building the facilities.
The Swiss authorities rejected the offer on security grounds.
“We would have to step up international monitoring considerably
before a storage site in Russia could be considered a serious
option,” McCombie added.
The Federal Energy Office said it still made sense for
Switzerland to join forces with countries in eastern and central
Europe as well as neighbouring Austria and Italy, which have no
nuclear power plants.
“The big countries, such as Germany, France and Britain, want to
find their own solutions,” said Marianne Zünd of the Energy
Office. Exporting the problem
The environmental organisation, Greenpeace, is categorical in
its dismissal of the project.
“The nuclear industry is simply trying to export a national
problem.
“Russia has no environmental standards and its population is
already suffering from the negative aspects of nuclear energy,”
Yves Zenger of Greenpeace Switzerland told swissinfo.
The Federal Energy Office acknowledges that it could be
difficult to justify Swiss participation in a possible waste
site abroad because it has a legal obligation to store its
nuclear waste in Switzerland.
“I think we will have to find a domestic solution,” Zünd told
swissinfo. Reprocessing
In the past Switzerland has sent its spent fuel rods to plants
in La Hague, France, and Sellafield in Britain, for reprocessing
before reimporting the waste.
Efforts to build a storage site for highly- and moderately
radioactive waste in Switzerland have made little progress over
the past two decades. In 2002 voters rejected a proposal for an
underground site near Lucerne.
Nagra, which is charge of storage facilities, is currently
evaluating a project in eastern Switzerland.
swissinfo, Urs Geiser
Copyright © Swissinfo / Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG
[http://www.swissinfo.org/]
*****************************************************************
22 Salt Lake Tribune: Mines can be kids' deathtraps
May 17, 2004
By Mike Gorrell
A hiker found the first sign of tragedy last summer: a rope
descending into a mine shaft in the mountains around Cripple
Creek, Colo., which had been a booming gold town at the end of
the 19th century.
The rope was short, its frayed end a sure sign it had
broken. A search-and-rescue operation later found the body of a
46-year-old man at the bottom of the shaft. He had fallen while
rappelling into the old gold mine, and with broken ribs and
apparently no hope of having anyone hear his cries for help, had
shot himself to death.
His was one of nine fatalities since 1999 in the Rocky
Mountain region -- among 140 nationwide -- in active or
abandoned mines.
Nothing so dramatic has occurred in Utah in recent years,
but there are many examples of Utahns having calamitous or
near-tragic experiences with abandoned mines. Utah Division of
Oil, Gas and Mining officials estimate nearly 20,000 old sites
exist across the state.
With summer hiking season approaching, the federal Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently issued its
sixth annual appeal for people, particularly youngsters, to
"Stay Out-Stay Alive."
"Young people have a natural curiosity for the unknown,"
said Utah native Dave Lauriski, the assistant labor secretary in
charge of MSHA. "Old mines and quarries often are located in
secluded places or in pristine settings, making them quite a
temptation for those who like to explore the outdoors. Our goal
is to warn kids and their parents about the potential hazards
that exist on mine property and to encourage them to find safer,
supervised places to play."
Lauriski knows first-hand of the risks. A former safety
officer in Utah Power's mining operations and leader of the
unsuccessful effort to rescue the 27 victims of the 1984 Wilberg
Mine disaster, Lauriski also was involved in a 1996 attempt to
recover the body of 18-year-old Jerimiah Etherington from the
Honorine Mine in Tooele County.
"I can't describe how dangerous this situation was,"
Lauriski said after certified mine-rescue teams ended efforts to
retrieve Etherington's body, which later was recovered by family
members. "We're lucky we didn't have somebody else lost in that
mine."
At the time, Lauriski estimated it would cost $44 million to
deal with the state's abandoned mines.
With inflation figured in, that estimate probably has not
diminished much.
Mark Mesch, director of the Division of Oil, Gas and
Mining's abandoned mine reclamation program, said only 100 to
500 mine openings are closed annually.
"Projects are usually finished about two to three years down
the line from where we started," Mesch said. "It's much more
complex than just filling holes with dirt."
Since most funding comes from the U.S. Office of Surface
Mining, the division is required to conduct environmental
assessments on each site, trace its historical significance,
search for cultural artifacts in the vicinity and conduct
biological surveys.
Those biological surveys frequently involve studies of bats
that find mines to be good habitat. "Sometimes it takes two
seasons to look at bat use," Mesch said.
His crews will continue work this summer in the old gold and
silver mines near the Utah-Nevada line west of Cedar City and on
a number of abandoned uranium mines in the Cottonwood Wash area
of southeastern Utah.
A new project will focus on sealing precious-metal mine
openings scattered across Fishlake National Forest in central
Utah, while survey work will continue to identify specific sites
in the Oquirrh Mountains, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument, the Cherry Creek area of southern Tooele County and
the Gold Hill region of southwestern Utah.
Mesch attributed Utah's impressive safety record in recent
years to an education campaign that disperses information about
Utah's mining history -- and the Stay Out, Stay Alive message --
to all fourth-grade students in the state.
mikeg@sltrib.com [mikeg@sltrib.com]
"> -->
Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune
*****************************************************************
23 UPDATE ON VANUNU'S APPEAL
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 17:51:28 -0700
Free Mordechai Vanunu - Info & Action Alert #15
APPEAL UPDATE
1. Update on Vanunu's appeal - article from Ha'aretz
2. Write and e-mail to Mordechai Vanunu
=================
1. Update on Vanunu's appeal - article from Ha'aretz
Prof. Uzi Even Vetoed as Consultant on Vanunu Case
By Yossi Melman
May 15,
2004 -
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/427413.html
Yehiel Horev, the Defense Ministry's director of security, has forbidden
Professor Uzi Even to serve as an expert consultant to the legal
proceedings against the state that Mordechai Vanunu is now preparing,
arguing that Even, despite having formerly worked at the Dimona nuclear
reactor, does not have the necessary security classification.
Moreover, Horev said, Even left the reactor in 1968, and is therefore
ignorant of developments that took place there after that date.
Vanunu was released from prison last month after serving an 18-year jail
sentence for revealing Israel's nuclear secrets to a British newspaper.
However, since he is believed to still possess classified information, the
security establishment has imposed various restrictions on him - for
instance, he is not allowed to travel overseas. With the aid of the
Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), he is therefore preparing a
petition to the High Court of Justice against these restrictions.
As part of these preparations, Vanunu has asked Horev's department (known
by its Hebrew acronym, Malmab), to return all the material confiscated from
him in prison, including some 70 notebooks in which he recorded both his
thoughts and notes and drawings relating to the Dimona reactor. ACRI argued
that it needs this material to prepare the petition, but Horev and the
state prosecution refused. Therefore, a compromise was reached under which
two people would be allowed to examine the material: Dan Yakir, ACRI's
legal adviser, and an expert agreed to by both Vanunu and the state.
Yakir thus proposed Even, a former Meretz MK and an outspoken critic of
both Israel's nuclear policy and the restrictions imposed on Vanunu.
However, Horev rejected the proposal.
"Since Vanunu's material relates to a period in which Dr. Even was not a
party [to events at the reactor] and to a different line of work, other
appropriate experts have been suggested," a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said.
Even responded that he was not surprised by Horev's decision. "Yehiel Horev
wants his own associates to give an opinion, not independent experts," he
said. "In 1982, my security clearance was taken away when it became known
that I am homosexual. Afterward, I waged a public campaign that led to
these regulations being changed, including in Malmab, and I have a letter
from prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, from 1993, saying that I am fit for any
job."
Preparation of the petition has also been delayed by the fact that Yakir
himself was only allowed to start examining the material on Wednesday, even
though three weeks have passed since Vanunu's release.
=========
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes.***
=================
2. Write and e-mail to Mordechai Vanunu
Mordechai would love to hear from his friends and supporters. You can
write to him at:
Mordechai Vanunu
c/o Cathedral Church of St. George
20 Nablus Road
PO Box 19018
Jerusalem 91190
Israel
He can also receive email now at vanunumvjc@hotmail.com
However, he may not be able to reply.
The U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu would appreciate any news
clippings about the release for our files. Please send to the campaign at
PO Box 43384, Tucson, AZ 85733 US. Also, if anyone taped any of the TV or
radio coverage, we would appreciate a copy. Thanks!
=================
If you would like to receive these alerts directly, please subscribe by
sending a blank e-mail to free_vanunu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
- END -
Felice Cohen-Joppa
Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
POB 43384
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone/Fax 520-323-8697
freevanunu@mindspring.com
www.nonviolence.org/vanunu
*****************************************************************
24 BBC: UN calls for new nuclear controls
Last Updated: Saturday, 15 May, 2004
[Mohamed ElBaradei]
ElBaradei said countries felt a need for nuclear deterrence
The head of the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, Mohamed
ElBaradei, has called for a new global system to prevent the
spread of nuclear weapons.
He said that after the Cold War and the 11 September attacks on
the US, many countries felt they could only achieve security
through nuclear deterrent.
He also raised the threat of "extremist terrorists" who sought
nuclear weapons.
Mr ElBaradei said the crisis over North Korea's nuclear arms sent
"the worst signal" to potential proliferators.
Uranium worries
Addressing a seminar of the Council on Foreign Relations in New
York, Mr ElBaradei said that a first step towards better
international control could be a global moratorium on the right
of any country to develop plutonium and highly-enriched uranium.
The two substances can be used to manufacture nuclear bombs.
Mr ElBaradei said North Korea had shown that a country which
protected its weapons programmes and accelerated them could force
powerful countries to the negotiating table.
"If you want to protect yourself, accelerate yourself ...then
people will sit around the table with you," he said
He said Iran had the "know how" to enrich uranium, although there
was no proof it had done so to military levels.
But, he said, the issue would only be brought to a close when "we
can say Iran's programme is dedicated exclusively for peaceful
purposes, and we are not there yet."
Mr ElBaradei said there were 100 facilities in 40 countries using
highly enriched uranium, adding that it was time for a nuclear
"clean-up".
*****************************************************************
25 News-Herald: Formal opposition to nuclear tests sought
Monday, May 17, 2004
By Mark Hall
[mhall@havasunews.com]
A Mohave County supervisor is calling on the county
to officially decry the resumption of nuclear weapons testing in
Southern Nevada.
Buster Johnson, supervisor for Lake Havasu City, said Congress
and the Bush Administration haven’t ruled out the resumption of
small-scale nuclear testing at the site. In 1992, Bush’s father,
President George H.W. Bush, imposed a moratorium on full-scale
nuclear testing.
“I wanted to see if I could get the support from the rest of
the board because of the health hazard and health risk to the
people,” Johnson said.
Johnson has placed an item on today’s meeting agenda.
The Department of Energy is asking Congress for close to $28
million in next year’s budget for research on a “bunker buster”
weapon, or Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, which utilizes a
nuclear explosion. Last year, Congress also authorized $34
million to improve the Nevada Test Site.
© 2004 River City Newspapers, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
26 Oak Ridger: Highway 95 reopens following contamination
Story last updated at 1:36 p.m. on May 17, 2004
RECORD: Friday's incident marks the second time in seven months
the contractor has been involved in a contamination-related
incident involving a cleanup project.
By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff
paul.parson@oakridger.com [paul.parson@oakridger.com]
Highway 95 in Roane County is open to motorists after a portion
of the roadway had to be repaved due to radioactive
contamination.
The project was performed Saturday and Sunday following the
completion of extensive radiological surveys. All asphalt
removed from the cleanup has been taken to the Environmental
Management Waste Management Facility in Oak Ridge.
The contamination on Highway 95 was the result of leaks from a
truck carrying radioactive waste material from a cleanup project
at the old Hydrofracture Facility to the waste disposal facility
located on Bear Creek Road near the Y-12 National Security
Complex.
Highway 95 because of a radioactive contamination. All asphalt
removed from the cleanup has been taken to the Environmental
Management Waste Management Facility in Oak Ridge.
Surveys found small droplets of strontium 90 on Highway 95,
according to state and federal officials. Strontium 90 is a
byproduct of the fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear
reactors.
Located in the Melton Valley area of Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, the Hydrofracture Facility was built in 1963 to test
the concept for deep geologic disposal of liquid radioactive
waste. The facility was shut down in 1980.
The truck was on the road for about four to five miles from the
cleanup project to the waste disposal facility, according to
Dennis Stevenson, safety systems integration manager for Bechtel
Jacobs Co. The company is under contract with the Department of
Energy to oversee Oak Ridge cleanup efforts.
Safety and Ecology Corp. is responsible for the Hydrofracture
Facility cleanup project courtesy of a contract with Bechtel
Jacobs. Friday's incident with the leaking truck marks the second
time in seven months SEC has been involved in a
contamination-related incident involving a cleanup project.
In October 2003, three radiological control workers under the
Safety and Ecology Corp. subcontract scanned out of a
radiological zone as "clean" and then left for home from another
Melton Valley project. However, officials later discovered
contamination on some of the workers' clothing as well as in an
on-site work trailer, in three company vehicles, in gravel around
the vehicles and on a wooden deck at the trailer.
In response to the latest incident, an inspection station was set
up this weekend at the Oak Ridge K-25 site to survey cars that
traveled in the area of Highway 95 north of Bethel Valley Road to
the intersection of Bear Creek Road. More than 70 personal
vehicles were checked for radioactivity, and no contamination was
found in these surveys.
And, while all of the radioactive contamination from Highway 95
was removed, DOE and Bechtel Jacobs have also been addressing
contamination on the western portion of Bethel Valley Road and
Bear Creek Road on the Oak Ridge Reservation. According to
information from DOE, these roads are not open to the public, but
are used for employee access to ORNL and Y-12.
Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office,
described the Highway 95 cleanup project as a cooperative effort
involving the federal agency and its contractors as well as
officials from the state of Tennessee, Roane County and the city
of Oak Ridge.
*****************************************************************
27 Oak Ridger: Y-12 PR deal not an issue with elected leaders
Story last updated at 1:36 p.m. on May 17, 2004
CONGRESSMAN: ''... internal business decisions made by the
contractors at the plants do not fall under my purview.'
By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff
paul.parson@oakridger.com [paul.parson@oakridger.com]
The fact that BWXT Y-12 is using a private-sector firm to assist
with communications efforts at Oak Ridge's nuclear weapons plant
currently isn't registering as a problem on some elected
leaders' radars.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, opted to release a written
statement when questions were submitted to his office regarding
the use of taxpayer dollars on the marketing and public
relations firm as well as if BWXT Y-12's deal with Laine
Communications could pose any security risks.
"It is my responsibility as congressman to fully support the
missions carried out by our workforce and the contractors at the
federal facilities in Oak Ridge and to make sure we meet our
milestones and deliver results," Wamp's statement noted.
"While Congress expects efficiency and accountability, internal
business decisions made by the contractors at the plants do not
fall under my purview."
Alexia Poe, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander,
R-Tenn., said the senator didn't know
enough about the situation to comment at this time. However,
Poe suggested Alexander's office would look into the matter and
get back to The Oak Ridger.
As first reported last week, BWXT Y-12 has contracted with
Laine Communications, a Knoxville-based marketing and public
relations firm, for assistance with communications efforts at
the Y-12 National Security Complex. Meanwhile, Y-12 still has an
internal public affairs staff in place.
Officials with BWXT Y-12 have repeatedly denied requests for an
interview with the company's president and general manager,
Dennis Ruddy. However, the Y-12 chief did release a prepared
statement Thursday stating Laine is helping to "raise the level
of both external and internal communication and to fill gaps
left because of recent staff departures" at the weapons facility.
Reportedly, a Laine Communications staff member has been
approved for a "badge" to allow access to the facility. This is
typical for outside vendors or contractors who have regular
access to the plant.
*****************************************************************
28 WBIR-TV: DOE CRITICS RAISE CONCERNS AFTER RECENT SCARES
Home [http://www.wbir.com]
A Department of Energy (DOE) watchdog group is raising new
questions about procedures on the Oak Ridge DOE Reservation.
The chairwoman of the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory
Board says citizens are worried after last Friday's leak of
radioactive material onto a publicly used roadway, as well as the
May 7 chemical fire at the East Tennessee Technology Park. The
fire required an emergency evacuation of nearby residents.
"Well I'd like to think it's just an anomaly, that these are two,
one-time events that will never happen again, but I think we have
to be concerned whether this is a symptom that we are trying to
clean up too fast," says chairwoman Ellen Smith.
DOE has until 2008 to complete clean-up of several high- risk
projects contaminated with radioactive and other hazardous
materials.
"I'm concerned that maybe that desire to meet that schedule is
interfering with doing the job right," explains Smith.
DOE spokesman Steve Wyatt admits that the two incidents occurring
so close together might alarm some.
"Well it's certainly an unusual occurrence to have things of this
type to happen on two different weekends," says Wyatt.
However, Wyatt says pressure to meet the 2008 deadline was not a
factor in either of the two recent scares.
"They were two different events," explains Wyatt. "The first had
nothing to do with the environmental clean-up program. It was
just an action at East Tennessee Technology Park."
However, DOE has temporarily suspended shipments of radioactive
and contaminated materials while Friday's leak is investigated.
"We will not go back into operation until we're convinced that
all the issues have been resolved," Wyatt says. "We need to renew
shipments, but again, safety considerations come first."
Effective inter-agency communication was another issue raised
after Friday's tanker leak. The spill happened about 11 a.m., but
Roane County Emergency Management officials weren't notified
until hours later, meaning the road remained open until 4 p.m..
Radioactive material was subsequently found to have contaminated
part of the roadway on which cars had been traveling all
afternoon.
A June 2nd meeting is planned among officials of the Tennessee
Emergency Management Agency, Department of Energy, and Roane
County officials to discuss the delay.
DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE
[http://www.wbir.com/message/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=89] to talk about
DOE operations in East Tennessee.
RELATED STORIES FROM WBIR.com:
Roane County Road Repaved After Radioactive Contamination
[http://www.wbir.com/News/archives.asp?Search=radioactive&ID=1813
4&startrange=5/1/2004&endrange=5/17/2004]
K-25 Fire Leads To Questions About Communications Problems
[http://www.wbir.com/News/archives.asp?Search=fire&ID=18089&start
range=5/1/2004&endrange=5/17/2004]
MORE INFORMATION ONLINE:
CLICK HERE [http://www.ci.oak-ridge.tn.us/eqab/] for the Oak
Ridge Environmental Quality Advisaory Board.
[http://www.knoxnews.com]
*****************************************************************
29 Oak Ridger: Your View: Doesn't believe press should report salaries
Story last updated at 11:42 a.m. on May 17, 2004
To The Oak Ridger:
What possible business is it of yours - or of the readers of your
paper - what salary is paid to an employee of the Department of
Energy?
Do you think that public service means that your salary is public
information? Why would you think that? Just because a local
municipality publishes the salaries and bonuses it pays to its
employees, does not mean that an individual employee is obligated
to tell you - or anyone else - what they are paid.
I am a retired federal law enforcement officer and my right to
privacy is no less than yours or to any worker - regardless of
their employer. The level of public knowledge of the salaries
paid to federal employees is rightfully limited to the published
table of compensation that you can read at the Web site for the
Office of Personnel Management.
You, and your readers, can look up what a particular grade earns.
You have absolutely no right to demand to know the salary paid to
an individual - regardless of whether or not they are employed by
the federal government. For you to threaten to resort to filing a
Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the employee's
individual salary is an abuse of the public trust that your
readers - and the public, in general - places in the press.
You should apologize to the people you targeted with your story
and never again venture into asking people to reveal information
you have no reasonable right to know. Otherwise, you, the editor
and staff of The Oak Ridger, besmirch the legacy handed to you by
Dick Smyser and the people who made the paper a decent provider
of the news.
Wake up. People's salaries are not news.
Melvin D. Calvert Oak Ridge
*****************************************************************
30 KVBC: DOE Holding Educational Meetings
May 17, 2004
Later today, the Department of Energy is holding an educational
meeting about the Yucca Mountain project, and they want to hear
from you. Specifically, the DOE will have information about the
Caliente Rail Corridor, the proposed railway that will carry
radioactive material to Yucca Mountain. News 3's Mitch Truswell
has more.
The Department of Energy has already chosen Yucca Mountain as the
site for the nation's radioactive waste storage, but how does it
get the nation's waste to the mountian? The DOE has proposed
building a railway from Caliente, Nevada to Yucca Mountain. A
look at the proposed route shows the rail line would take a
couple years to build if it's approved, and it would be about 319
miles long.
39 states would then ship radioactive waste by truck or train to
Caliente. From there, it would be transferred to the rail line
and go into Yucca Mountain. The DOE wants to know from Nevadans
what environmental factors should be considered as they look into
this plan. There are land use questions, and animal, and plant
and human concerns.
This is your chance to make a statement. Today's meeting begins
at 4 and goes through 8 o'clock tonight at the Cashman Center.
That's Las Vegas Boulevard north and Washington, neeting rooms
103 through 106. There will be a court reporter on site to take
your comments and put them in the meeting record.
[http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2000 -
2004 WorldNow and KVBC. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
31 DOE: Office of Fossil Energy; National Petroleum Council; Notice of
FR Doc 04-11104
[Federal Register: May 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 95)] [Notices]
[Page 27906] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17my04-55]
Open Meeting AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the National
Petroleum Council. Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L.
92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that notice of these meetings be
announced in the Federal Register.
DATES: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 9 a.m.-12 Noon.
ADDRESSES: St. Regis Hotel, 923 16th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Slutz, U.S.Department of
Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Phone:
202-586-5600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Committee: To provide
advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of
Energy on matters relating to oil and gas or the oil and gas
industry.
Tentative Agenda: Call to Order and Introductory Remarks.
Remarks by the Honorable E. Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy.
Administrative Matters.
Discussion of Any Other Business Properly Brought Before the
National Petroleum Council.
Adjourn.
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. The
chairperson of the Council is empowered to conduct the meeting in
a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a written statement
to the Council will be permitted to do so, either before or after
the meeting. Members of the public who wish to make oral
statements pertaining to agenda items should contact James Slutz
at the address or telephone number listed above. Request must be
received at least five days prior to the meeting and reasonable
provisions will be made to include the presentation on the
agenda.
Transcripts: Available for public review and copying at the
Public Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 am and 4 pm,
Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
Issued at Washington, DC, on May 12, 2004.
Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee, Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-11104 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
32 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Rocky
FR Doc 04-11105
[Federal Register: May 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 95)] [Notices]
[Page 27906] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17my04-54]
Flats AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental
Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Rocky Flats.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770)
requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the
Federal Register.
DATES: Thursday, June 3, 2004, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
ADDRESSES: College Hill Library, Room L268, Front Range Community
College, 3705 West 112th Avenue, Westminster, CO.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Korkia, Board/Staff
Coordinator, Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board (RFCAB), 10808
Highway 93, Unit B, Building 60, Room 107B, Golden, CO 80403;
telephone (303) 966-7855; fax (303) 966-7856.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of
the Board is to make recommendations to DOE in the areas of
environmental restoration, waste management, and related
activities.
Tentative Agenda: 1. Board Discussion and Approval of a
Recommendation on the Pond Management and Land Configuration
Environmental Assessment.
2. Board Education Session on Buffer Zone and Industrial Area
Soil Sampling.
3. Other Board business may be conducted as necessary. Public
Participation: The meeting is open to the public.
Written statements may be filed with the Board either before or
after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements
pertaining to agenda items should contact Ken Korkia at the
address or telephone number listed above. Requests must be
received at least five days prior to the meeting and reasonable
provisions will be made to include the presentation in the
agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to
conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly
conduct of business. Each individual wishing to make public
comment will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present
their comments.
Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public
review and copying at the office of the Rocky Flats Citizens
Advisory Board, 10808 Highway 93, Unit B, Building 60, Room 107B,
Golden, CO 80403; telephone (303) 966-7855. Hours of operations
are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Minutes will also
be made available by writing or calling Ken Korkia at the address
or telephone number listed above. Board meeting minutes are
posted on RFCAB's Web site within one month following each
meeting at: http://www.rfcab.org/Minutes.HTML
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.rfcab.org/Minutes.HTML] .
Issued at Washington, DC on May 12, 2004.
Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-11105 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
33 Google News Alert - nuclear
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 13:41:53 -0700 (PDT)
TOP French nuclear reactor shut down following fire
Expatica - Netherlands
STRASBOURG, France, May 16 (AFP) - Authorities shut down a reactor at one
of France's largest nuclear power plants on Sunday following a fire in
a non-nuclear ...
See all stories on this topic:
FORMAL opposition to nuclear tests sought
Today's News-Herald - Lkae Havaus City,AZ,USA
A Mohave County supervisor is calling on the county to officially decry
the resumption of nuclear weapons testing in Southern Nevada. ...
JAPAN PM gambles on nuclear progress
Arab Times - Middle East
... of kidnapped Japanese as a result of his upcoming summit in Pyongyang,
but he needs to make progress in the crisis over North Korea's nuclear
programmes to ...
See all stories on this topic:
STANCE on nuclear dump could cost GOP crucial support
CBS MarketWatch - USA
... of as much electoral smoke and fire as in Nevada, which two years ago
was put on the fast track to be the site of the nation's semi-permanent
nuclear-waste dump ...
See all stories on this topic:
IRAN to submit report to UN nuclear watchdog in coming days: ...
SpaceDaily - USA
Iran is due to hand over a detailed report in the coming days aimed at
answering the UN watchdog's outstanding concerns about its suspect nuclear
programme, a ...
See all stories on this topic:
EPSTEIN-BARR Virus Nuclear Antigen 1
Journal of Experimental Medicine
... Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)—the one EBV antigen
that is expressed in all EBV-associated malignancies—has long been thought
to go ...
LONG-TERM health hazards have emerged slowly from nuclear ...
ic Wales - Wales,UK
ON APRIL 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear power accident occurred at
Chernobyl in Ukraine, then a Soviet republic. The Chernobyl ...
See all stories on this topic:
INDIA, Pakistan nuclear talks to go ahead
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA
Islamabad, , May. 17 (UPI) -- Pakistan Monday said nuclear talks with India
will go on as scheduled despite a change of government in New Delhi. ...
NIGER joins international treaty to protect nuclear materials
Borneo Bulletin - borneo,Brunei Darussalam
3 producer of yellowcake uranium, voted Saturday to join an international
treaty calling on signatories to ensure the protection of their nuclear
materials. ...
See all stories on this topic:
This daily-once News Alert is brought to you by Google News (BETA)...
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34 PES: Dr. Eugene Mallove, Torch Bearer for Cold Fusion, Slain
[Pure Energy Systems]
You are here: PureEnergySystems.com > News > Exclusives > May
15, 2004
Editor of Infinite Energy magazine brutally killed May 14. Left
MIT faculty position in 1989 in protest over what he considered
to be rigged data intended to debunk Cold Fusion.
By Marc J. Plotkin and Marc Whitford
Pure Energy Systems News
NORWICH, CT, USA
Dr. Eugene Mallove, the tireless spokesperson for integrity and
honesty in cold fusion research, whose persistent efforts
finally persuaded the U.S. Department [Dr. Eugene Mallove, Photo
Courtesy Jeane Manning] of Energy to give the phenomenon a
second look after 15 years of denial and stonewalling, was
killed in Norwich, CT on 14 May 2004. Few facts are known, but
preliminary information suggests that it may have been a robbery
or possibly a landlord-tenant dispute. Local police are still
investigating. There is no word on the identity or motives of
the assailant(s) and there is no evidence currently of a
political connection to his murder.
Dr. Mallove’s contributions to Cold Fusion and new energy
research cannot be overstated. His passion for integrity and
relentless search for the truth emerged fully in 1989 when he
resigned in protest from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. over their manipulation of test data to make a
Pons-Fleischmann replication study appear to show a negative
result.
More than anyone, Dr. Mallove was the public face of Cold Fusion
proclaiming in many public appearances the existence of
overwhelming peer-reviewed scientifically-based evidence for
Cold Fusion. Gene, as he was known to his friends and
colleagues, was courageous when he stood face-to-face against
numerous vocal detractors and skeptics from the mainstream
scientific establishment for over a decade. He tirelessly
knocked down every hollow argument put forward by skeptics with
hard data, logic, and solid research results.
The author of several books, in 1991, he published “Fire and
Ice”, which helped rescue the field of cold fusion from oblivion
when it was publicly banished in the public relations scandals
after Pons-Fleischman's announcement of Cold Fusion in June
1989.
His greatest accomplishment and legacy will be the 52 bi-monthly
magazine issues of Infinite Energy that he founded and edited.
Infinite Energy magazine is a compendium of scientific research
into all branches of unconventional energy research from
contributors around the world. Many of the authors simply
couldn't get published elsewhere, but had the courage and
foresight to get most papers peer-reviewed before they were
published. His magazine has thousands of loyal subscribers from
over 40 countries including Russia and China. See
www.infinite-energy.com [http://www.infinite-energy.com] .
Gene traveled to dozens of international conferences, most of
the time at great personal sacrifice simply to network with
energy researchers and benefactors from around the world. He
knew nearly everyone in the unconventional energy community
worldwide. Gene has been a champion of cold fusion for many
years highlighted by his organizing last summer's successful
International Conference on Cold Fusion (ICCF-10) held in
Cambridge, Massachusetts from 24- 29 August 2003. Gene's
presence has been the rare voice of scientific reason in a field
filled with many phony claims and charlatans. See the web page
with the experiments at http://www.lenr-canr.org/Experiments.htm
[http://www.lenr-canr.org/Experiments.htm] .
Equally significant but perhaps not as well known is the New
Energy Foundation, which he founded with the help of a generous
wealthy anonymous benefactor. The New Energy Foundation has
become a science-based clearinghouse, generating much needed
funds for promising energy research leading to
commercialization.
His latest triumph was to reverse over a decade of ignorance at
the Department of Energy by presenting compelling evidence of
anomalous reactions of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR).
DOE's decision to review the files on LENR aka Cold Fusion could
possibly open a new area of scientific inquiry that has been
closed since 1989. This was a triumph not just for Gene
personally, but for every scientist who spoke as lone voices in
large auditoriums. Gene's voice gave courage to those brave
individuals who toiled in their laboratories, struggling to
survive with virtually no funding. Despite their challenges,
many developed innovative ways produce low energy nuclear
reactions. Researchers often put their careers in jeopardy, and
some only approached this field when a retirement pension was
assured.
Gene tirelessly climbed every mountain with courage and grace
articulating truth in a field meriting serious scientific
investigation of anomalous energy phenomena despite constant
criticism from ignorant skeptics who refused to examine even the
best peer-reviewed data. One of the best examples of his battles
was when he eviscerated Professor Bob Park's book "Voodoo
Science."
"Gene's vision was of a world with abundant energy produced
without fossil fuel or nuclear waste. It is now up to us to
fearlessly make that vision a reality," is the sentiment of his
colleagues who remain.
###
REFERENCES:
+
Cold
Fusion Heating Up -- Pending Review by U.S.
Department of Energy
[http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/exclusive/2004/ColdFusion_
DOE/index.html] - Phenomenon discovered by Fleischmann and Pons
in1989, then disavowed by the scientific establishment, but
subsequently confirmed worldwide in thousands of experiments,
may finally be recognized as a revolutionary discovery of
science.
+
Data Versus Dogma: The Continuing Battle Over Cold Fusion -
Establishment science continues to turn cold shoulder despite
mounting scientific evidence. (by Marc Plotkin, PESN; April 26,
2004)
+
Critical
Review Dissects
[http://www.infinite-energy.com/iemagazine/issue30/voodoo.html]
Voodoo
Science
[http://www.infinite-energy.com/iemagazine/issue30/voodoo.html]
- by Dr. Eugene Mallove (Originally Published March-April, 2000
In Infinite Energy Magazine Issue #30)
+
NFA grad killed: Science writer Mallove slain in
Norwich
[http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/stories/20040516/localnews/4
30783.html] (Norwich Bulletin; May 16, 2004)
Condolences
+ http://www.petitiononline.com/mallove/petition.html
[http://www.petitiononline.com/mallove/petition.html] Sign your
remarks to the family and friends of Dr. Eugene Mallove.
See also
+
Eugene Mallove - Eulogy Page
+
PESN - Pure Energy Systems News
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