***************************************************************** 06/06/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.134 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 CTV.ca: No WMD's will be found: Former U.S. inspector 2 albawaba.com: Spokesman: Iran removed all nuclear concerns 3 Reuters: EU 'Big 3' Draft Nuclear Resolution on Iran 4 Mehr News Agency: Intend to Close Iran’s Nuclear Dossier - Analyst 5 MNA: Nuclear Weapons Have No Place in Iran’s Defense Doctrine - Sh 6 BBC: Koreas to open new transport link 7 Xinhuanet: China to send diplomats for consultation before 6-party t 8 China Daily: Six-party Korean nuke talks set for June 23 9 Channel news asia: SKorea appeals for 'more substantive' Chinese ide 10 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Phased nuclear solution 11 Interfax: Korea negotiators still have serious disagreements 12 US: WorldNetDaily: What really caused Tenet's departure? 13 US: Guardian Unlimited Analysis: George Tenet 14 US: CS Monistor: Exit Tenet - Bush ally, lightning rod 15 US: Guardian Unlimited: Comment | Resignations start to roll 16 Sunday Herald: MoD to speed up nuclear convoys - 17 IndiaExpress: India's nuke programmes safe 18 UK Independent: Howard: I'd sack Scarlett if he is attacked by Butle 19 Hi Pakistan: Nuclear bill to be presented in the Assembly on Monday 20 Hi Pakistan: N-arsenal to be cut if India follows suit: Musharraf 21 Mehr News Agency: Board to Attend Briefing in Vienna on Thursday 22 Mehr News Agency: Report Unfair, Hasty, and Politicized - Analyst NUCLEAR REACTORS 23 US: KSBY: NRC to hold meetings on power plant safety 24 L.A. Daily News: Orphanage near Chernobyl gets little help 25 AU STUFF: Nuclear firm's big role in NZ NUCLEAR SAFETY 26 [DU-WATCH] Depleted Consciousness (by Chris Busby) 27 US: Cape Cod Times: Depleted uranium believed unearthed 28 US: Boston.com: Uranium round believed found on Cape base 29 US: Hawk Eye: IAAP claims remain in limbo 30 US: Berkshire Eagle: A ticking nuclear clock NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 31 US: Deseret news: Nuclear waste rival clears state's first hurdle 32 US: Bradenton Herald: Tallevast test results expected next week 33 US: heraldtribune.com: Environmental self-protection 34 US: Tucson Weekly: Brushed Off NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 35 WCPO: Increased Tab For Fernald Cleanup Costing Taxpayers 36 Rocky Mountain News: Opinion Speakout: Bullheaded about nuclear wast 37 U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham to Commission New Clean Coal 38 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to Make Major 39 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to View Hydrogen 40 Newswise: New ORNL Project Takes Aim at Heart of Air Quality, Health 41 Times-News: Unions fued over INEEL cleanup jobs 42 ONN: Cleanup Could Cost Taxpayers OTHER NUCLEAR 43 Google News Alert - nuclear 44 Google News Alert - nuclear ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 CTV.ca: No WMD's will be found: Former U.S. inspector Canadian Television Sun. Jun. 6 2004 8:26 AM ET Associated Press LONDON No stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq, and coalition leaders were wrong in their assessment of Saddam Hussein's arsenal, the former chief U.S. weapons inspector said Saturday. David Kay's comments came a day after Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared to suggest that the Iraq Survey Group may cite evidence of such weapons when it gives its next report. "We know Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He used them," Blair said Friday. "What we know also is that we haven't yet found them." He then pointed out that the Iraq Survey Group was due to report in a few months. Ridding Iraq of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons was the main justification Blair gave for going to war last year. But the prime minister's staunch support for the U.S.-led invasion has proved deeply unpopular in Britain. Kay, who resigned from the CIA in January after searches failed to turn up weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, dismissed any suggestion that such arms could be found. "Anyone out there holding as I gather Prime Minister Blair has recently said the prospect that ISG is going to unmask actual weapons of mass destruction are really delusional," Kay told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "There is nothing there. There is a program there. There was an intention of Saddam Hussein at some point to reconstitute it. "There were clearly illegal activities, clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions," he said. "There are not actual stockpiles of newly produced weapons of mass destruction." Kay criticized the reluctance of coalition leaders to admit that their assessment of Saddam's weapons arsenal was, as he believes, incorrect. "The problem is the unwillingness to take the responsibility of saying a few simple words we were wrong," he said. "We simply got it wrong. There were actually no weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was a dangerous country, Saddam was an evil man and we are better off without him and all of that. ... But we were wrong in our estimation." 2004 Bell Globemedia Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 2 albawaba.com: Spokesman: Iran removed all nuclear concerns Al Bawaba - Middle East News and Information 06-06-2004, 11:48 Tehran has done everything necessary to "clear up" outstanding concerns about its nuclear program, a senior Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday. "Iran has answered all ambiguities on its nuclear activities and there is nothing left on the table," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference. The IAEA's 35-member Board of Governors is expected to meet on June 14 to discuss Iran's nuclear case. Asefi was optimistic about the result of the June meeting. "We are confident the ill-wishers will not achieve what they want," he said. He renewed his country's call for its nuclear case to be removed from the U.N. nuclear watchdog's agenda afterwards. "If the case remains open, it is because of the agency's laziness...and its unfounded fussiness," he said. (Albawaba.com) 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com) ***************************************************************** 3 Reuters: EU 'Big 3' Draft Nuclear Resolution on Iran Sun Jun 6, 2004 08:40 AM ET By Louis Charbonneau VIENNA (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany are drafting a U.N. nuclear resolution on Iran that could set them on course for a confrontation with Tehran at an International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting next week, diplomats said. The IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, issued a report last week praising Iran for granting U.N. inspectors access to sites, but said it has continued to change its story about imports of nuclear technology that could be used to develop atomic weapons. "The three Europeans'...draft resolution is going to say that there are areas where Iran has been cooperating with the agency and areas where they haven't been cooperating," a Western diplomat on the IAEA's board of governors told Reuters. "It will also tell them (the Iranians) to cooperate more," the diplomat said, adding that the point of the resolution will be to keep the inspection process going. Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, wants to be off the IAEA board's agenda as a special item, but diplomats on the board said the resolution would likely keep Tehran on the agenda for some time. Iran said Sunday it had done everything necessary to clear up concerns about the program, which the United States said could be used to make atomic bombs. "Iran has answered all ambiguities on its nuclear activities and there is nothing left on the table," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference. IAEA HOPES TO WIND UP PROBE IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday the agency hoped to it could wind up its probe into Iran's nuclear program within the next few months. I would hope it's a matter of months that we should be able to bring these issues to closure," he said at a symposium in the eastern French town of Talloires. ElBaradei said he also hoped a second dossier Tehran has provided -- after its first report was found to be incomplete -- was now the full picture of the nuclear program. The United Nations has been investigating Iran since an exiled Iranian opposition group reported in August 2002 that Tehran was hiding a massive uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and other sites from U.N. inspectors. The IAEA's new Iran report and the draft resolution prepared by the European Union's "big three" will be the main topics of discussion at a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board that begins on June 14. The Europeans have been working with Iran since last year to get them to end their uranium enrichment program in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology. The Iranians agreed to suspend enrichment activities but, to the annoyance of the Europeans, have yet to fully put the program into abeyance. The United States, which said the latest IAEA report contained further evidence that Iran is trying to cover up a nuclear weapons program, will push the Europeans to include sharp language that describes the difficulties the agency had getting access to military sites in the Islamic republic. Diplomats said Washington would likely delay until after the November presidential election any attempt to push the IAEA to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions because of Tehran's two-decade cover-up of a uranium enrichment program capable of making material for weapons. Iran, which says its program is devoted to the peaceful generation of electricity, said that the IAEA's outstanding questions were "minor" and has challenged the United States to come up with hard evidence that it is working on an atom bomb. ElBaradei, the author of the report, said last week it would be premature to say now that it was clear Iran's program was not peaceful in nature. ElBaradei's report appeared to contain ammunition for hard-liners who want to criticize Iran and those who would like to praise them to keep the IAEA inspection process going and avoid an international crisis if Iran pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The report praised Iran for "providing access to locations in response to agency requests, including workshops situated at military sites." But it also said inspections were "delayed in some cases" due to discussion of terms of access to defense industry sites. Diplomats close to the IAEA said it took several months to reach an agreement with Tehran on the terms for inspecting a small group of military sites in Iran. One Western diplomat on the board said Iran may have wanted the delays to sanitize sites ahead of inspections. c Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 Mehr News Agency: Intend to Close Iran’s Nuclear Dossier - Analyst Tehran:09:14,2004/06/07 (MNA) – Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed ElBaradei is applying double standards in his remarks on Iran’s nuclear activities according to political analyst Davud Hermidas Bavand. Bavand told the Mehr News Agency that the IAEA is trying to pressure Iran by claiming that Iran has not abided by its commitments to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He went on to say that he believes the IAEA does not intend to close Iran’s nuclear dossier. The United States and the IAEA are trying to keep Iran’s dossier on the agenda of the IAEA Board of Governors, hoping to eventually forward it to the UN Security Council at the first opportunity, Bavand said, noting, “We should wait for the decision of the IAEA Board of Governors because other statements are biased.” He explained that withdrawing from the NPT would not serve Iran’s national interests, given the hostile attitude toward Iran currently dominating the international arena, and thus would not be an appropriate response. FK/DWN/HG END MNA ***************************************************************** 5 MNA: Nuclear Weapons Have No Place in Iran’s Defense Doctrine - Shamkhani Mehr News Agency English Tehran:09:15,2004/06/07 TEHRAN, June 6 (MNA) – Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said that contrary to the claims of the United States and Israel, nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s defense doctrine. When a country signs the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) there is no room for clandestine activities because the protocol allows unannounced inspections, Shamkhani told the ISNA new agency today. Shamkhani said Iran expects the European big three of Germany, France, and Britain to live up to their commitments toward Iran so that Iran’s nuclear dossier can be closed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA Board of Governors is going to start deliberations about Iran’s nuclear program on June 14. Germany, France and Britain struck a deal with Iran in October last year pledging to recognize Iran’s right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes and to help transfer nuclear technology to Iran. In that deal Iran agreed to suspend its nuclear enrichment program and sign the additional protocol, which allows snap inspections. The defense minister said that Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA is transparent, adding that the Islamic Republic has clarified everything about its nuclear program and has allowed the IAEA full access to its nuclear sites. It should soon become clear whether Iran’s nuclear dossier will be treated as a technical issue or whether it will be turned into a tool to further the U.S. Middle East policy, Shamkhani argued. Of course, Iran’s nuclear dossier would be declared clean and then closed if the IAEA Board of Governors examined the case from a technical viewpoint, he said. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been acting very transparently in order to gain the confidence of the IAEA and the European Union and in return Europe has vowed to make efforts to prevent the Iranian nuclear program from being turned into a security issue, he added. Shamkhani also urged the Europeans to make efforts to close Iran’s nuclear dossier at the IAEA Board’s June meeting. MS/HG End MNA ***************************************************************** 6 BBC: Koreas to open new transport link Last Updated: Saturday, 5 June, 2004 By Charles Scanlon BBC correspondent in Seoul [South Korean lorries carry North Korean sand for road-building work] Both sides are cooperating to reopen transport links North and South Korea have agreed to formally open newly-built roads through the military buffer zone that divides the two countries. The agreement came as South Korea promised 400,000 tonnes of food aid for its impoverished communist neighbour. They will also begin testing rail links between North and South. The decision marks another step in a gradual process of reconciliation although travel between the two states will remain tightly restricted. For five decades the border between the two Koreans was sealed tight, an impassable no-man's-land of minefields and tank traps. But step by step links are being re-established. At talks in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, the two sides agreed to open two roads which have just been completed through the demilitarised zone, and test recently reconnected railway lines. Only those on officially sanctioned business are allowed to enter the restricted zones near the border. The two delegations also agreed to set up a joint agency to run an industrial park being built at the city of Kesong just north of the border. It is being developed as an investment zone for South Korean business and is seen as a key test of economic co-operation. The south has agreed to supply 400,000 tonnes of rice to the North, which depends on outside help to feed its own people. The agreement comes the day after senior military officers reached an accord on reducing tension, particularly off the west coast where the two navies have clashed in recent years. Analysts say that North Korea is anxious to please the south at a time when it's under pressure from the United States and its neighbours over its development of nuclear weapons. ***************************************************************** 7 Xinhuanet: China to send diplomats for consultation before 6-party talks www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-05 18:56:55 BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhuanet) -- China will send diplomats to related countries for consultations before the third round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue scheduled for later this month, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday. Ning Fukui, ambassador on Korean Peninsula affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, is to visit Russia, the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soon for "working consultations" on issues related to the third round of talks, said spokesman Liu Jianchao. Cui Tiankai, director-general of the ministry's Asian Affairs Department, will also exchange views with officials of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on the new round of talks during his upcoming visit to the two countries, said Liu, in response to a question from the media on whether China has any plan for mediation among related countries before the third round of six-party talks. At the first working group meeting of the six-party talks in Beijing last month, negotiators from the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia, Japan and China agreed the third round of six-party talks be held in Beijing before the end of June after one more working-level discussion. "The third round of six-party talks is very important," said Liu, adding the key for success lies in whether all parties concerned will have been fully prepared before the talks. Now that there are still "comparatively big differences" among the parties concerned, China hopes the related parties could continue to take a constructive attitude, show flexibility to the full, seek and expand common grounds, narrow differences, and work actively to find solutions, the spokesman said. China is ready to continue its role in facilitating the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue through dialogue in orderto push forward six-party talks process, he added. Enditem Copyright 2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 China Daily: Six-party Korean nuke talks set for June 23 By Guo Nei (China Daily) Updated: 2004-06-07 07:42 The third round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula will take place on June 23, senior officials with the talks disclosed, according to Japan's Kyodo news. The Yonhap news agency of the Republic of Korea (ROK) also reported that sources confirmed the date for discussions is "almost set," adding that participating countries will hold a smaller working-level dialogue on June 21-22 to lay the stage for plenary talks. China has not yet confirmed the exact date, but on Saturday the Chinese Foreign Ministry said diplomats would be sent to the related countries for consultations before the third round of six-party talks scheduled for later this month. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said that Ning Fukui, ambassador on Korean Peninsula affairs, will visit Russia, the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "soon" for working consultations related to the third round of talks. Cui Tiankai, director-general of the ministry's Asian Affairs Department, will also exchange views with Japanese and ROK officials during his upcoming visit to the two countries, said Liu. At the first working group meeting on the six-party talks in Beijing last month, negotiators from the DPRK, the United States, China, the ROK, Russia and Japan agreed the third round of talks would be held in Beijing before the end of June after one more working-level discussion. "The third round of six-party talks is very important," said Liu, adding the key to success lies in whether all parties concerned will be fully prepared before the talks. With still "comparatively big differences" among the parties concerned, China hopes the related parties will continue to take a constructive attitude, show flexibility to the fullest, seek and expand common ground, narrow differences, and work actively to find solutions, the spokesman said. The first round of six-party talks was held in Beijing last August and the second in February. Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov said the DPRK has the right to retain its nuclear programme for peaceful uses on the condition of fulfilling all requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Itar-Tass reported. Trubnikov made the remarks during the 3rd Security Conference of Defence Ministers of Asia and the Pacific Rim in Singapore on Friday. Outside the group, Indonesia has informally proposed that foreign ministers of the six nations hold talks on the issue in Jakarta next month. Indonesia will host the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum (ARF) on July 2 in Jakarta. ***************************************************************** 9 Channel news asia: SKorea appeals for 'more substantive' Chinese ideas at nuclear talks Channelnewsasia.com SINGAPORE : South Korea urged Beijing to bring more "substantive" proposals to the negotiating table during the next round of talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. "China seems to enjoy their role as a facilitator for the six-party talks but in reality we haven't heard the very real substantive proposals from China for the resolution of this nuclear issue," Seoul's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Lee Soo-Hyuck told the Asia Security Conference during a question and answer session. "We really appreciate the Chinese role as a facilitator but we hope that China will bring more substantive ideas or proposals in the next round of the six-party talks." The third round of talks to solve the long-running standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program are expected to take place in Beijing at the end of June or early July, Lee said. Japan's Kyodo news agency has reported that the talks would be held June 23-25, but this has not been officially confirmed. Kyodo said the six nations would also hold a working-level meeting from June 21 in Beijing. The first two rounds of talks, which involve North and South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan, have made little headway in persuading Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But Lee said he believed Beijing, with its enormous influence over the North Korean regime, could play a crucial role in the negotiations. Lee also reiterated in his speech earlier and during the question-and-answer session Seoul would not tolerate North Korea possessing any nuclear weapons. "The North Korean nuclear issue is a cause for grave concern as it could bring about a serious security dilemma situation on the Korean peninsula and the Northeast Asian region," he said. The row over North Korea's nuclear programme has been deadlocked since October 2002, when Washington said the Stalinist state had broken a 1994 nuclear freeze by launching a secret weapons drive. - AFP Copyright 2004 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Phased nuclear solution 2004.06.07 U.S. President George W. Bush's reported endorsement of the South Korean proposal for a three-stage roadmap to end North Korea's nuclear ambitions is more than welcome. Whatever his direct motivation, it would be wise for Bush to exercise a certain amount of flexibility in dealing with the outstanding security issue, rather than sticking to his disputable demand for a "complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantling" of the North's nuclear arms program. Considering the extremely complicated and delicate nature of the matter, and the jagged course of past efforts to reach a settlement, it must be too hasty to hope that the latest indication of a policy shift in Washington will lead to an early conclusion. Still, there will be no harm, either, in envisioning a major breakthrough in the slow-moving multilateral dialogue to seek a negotiated resolution to the dangerous survival game being played by the isolated communist state. The U.S. move came at an opportune time. The six nations involved in the nuclear conference are scheduled to meet again in Beijing on June 23-25 for the third round of their tough talks. The geopolitical ambience surrounding the Korean Peninsula is obviously spawning a fresh strategic formulation in the U.S. plan for troop realignments under its "global defense posture review" and the potential responses from other regional powers. North Korea has also signaled it may backpedal from its previous stand of building nuclear warheads to deter against a possible U.S. preemptive strike. Top leaders in Pyongyang dismissed suggestions that it would not give up its nuclear weapons capabilities because Russia and China are both nuclear powers and Japan might become one anytime. Instead, they have strongly indicated that the North urgently needs amity and economic assistance from the United States in order to rebuild its dilapidated economy. North Koreans showed markedly relaxed attitudes during the two latest sessions of official inter-Korean conversations. In a landmark military conference, generals agreed to take a series of steps to ease tensions and prevent accidental armed clashes along the DMZ and the maritime borderline. Economic officials, who met in another cross-border conference last week, agreed to open transport links through the heavily fortified frontier in October. They reaffirmed an earlier accord to launch an industrial park north of the border by the end of the year. Inter-Korean activities following these recent events will serve as significant catalysts for confidence building, which will be necessary in the process of implementing a phased solution to the nuclear crisis. Dubbed as "very rational" by a U.S. official who briefed South Korean correspondents on North Korea in Washington last Friday, Seoul's three-stage proposal involves coordinated steps, starting with rewarding North Korea for a freeze of its nuclear arms program, instead of a package of simultaneous actions under the CVID principle. President Bush may have concluded that he may further jeopardize his reelection by continuing to muddle through with the North Korean nuclear issue, as the situation in Iraq is turning increasingly messy. Democratic candidate John F. Kerry must also be pushing Bush to take action by criticizing him for "doing too little" to stop the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran and offering, if he wins the November election, to talk directly with North Korea over the issue. Despite his suspected political intentions, however, President Bush's softening of his position regarding the nuclear issue and genuine efforts to end the crisis will contribute to easing tension and preventing a possible nuclear race in this part of the globe. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, for his part, must seize the moment if he wants to stop wasting precious resources with his risky gambit and attain the security guarantees and international assistance necessary for economic reform. ***************************************************************** 11 Interfax: Korea negotiators still have serious disagreements - Chinese diplomat Updated: Jun 7 2004 6:25AM (MSK) Interfax.com Text version Site map Jun 6 2004 11:19AM BEIJING. June 6 (Interfax-China) - The parties to the six-nation talks on the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula still have serious disagreements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jiang Chao said in a statement on Saturday evening. The leading Chinese media outlets published this statement on Sunday. "The third round of the six-nation talks is important, and its beginning depends on whether the parties are fully prepared for it. At the present time, the parties continue to have serious disagreements in their positions. In this situation, China expresses the hope that the parties will continue to assume constructive positions, display flexibility, search for and expand common ground in their approaches, reduce the room for disagreements, and hold active consultations," Liu said. China is willing to continue to play an active role in preparing and hosting the third round of the talks, Liu said. To this end, Chinese Foreign Ministry representatives have visited all the six countries involved in the talks, he said. The second round of the negotiations involving North Korea, the U.S., South Korea, Russia, Japan, and China took place in Beijing in February 2004. It resulted in setting up a working group to address practical questions arising during the negotiations and prepare following rounds of the talks. The first meeting of the working group took place in May 2004. However, it did not bring about any practical results because of significant disagreements between the U.S. and North Korea. The third round of the talks is expected to take place in Beijing in June. 1991-2004 Interfax ***************************************************************** 12 WorldNetDaily: What really caused Tenet's departure? JUNE 5 2004 [Gordon Prather] 2004 WorldNetDaily.com If you thought the neo-crazies had lost control over President Bush, think again. A neo-crazy delegation headed by Richard Perle marched up to the White House last week and demanded that Bush fire Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet. Quoth Perle, "There is a smear campaign under way, and it is being perpetrated by the CIA and the DIA and a gaggle of former intelligence officers who have succeeded in planting these stories, which are accepted with hardly any scrutiny." Whom did Tenet smear? Ahmad Chalabi. The neo-crazy darling who provided the disinformation accepted with hardly any scrutiny by neo-crazy media sycophants used to "justify" Bush's pre-emptive invasion and occupation of Iraq. Well, there are lots of reasons to fire Tenet, but "smearing" Chalabi is not one of them. If anything, Tenet should be fired for not exposing Chalabi years ago. Actually, Tenet never should have been named DCI in the first place. Think back. In April 1999, DCI Tenet "confirmed" the information contained in the yet unreleased Cox Committee report but already "leaked" to the New York Times that China "obtained by espionage" classified U.S. nuclear weapons information. Tenet also said China had obtained information on several U.S. "nuclear re-entry vehicles," including one containing the "W-88 nuclear warhead." China? W-88 warhead? The New York Times had already revealed the leaked information that Taiwanese-born Wen Ho Lee who had worked on the W-88 warhead at Los Alamos National Lab was the FBI's prime suspect. Then, after nine months of fruitless investigation, the FBI arrested U.S. citizen Wen Ho Lee anyway, and charged him with 59 counts of "mishandling classified information." So, they threw him into jail. Solitary confinement. Lights on in his cell, day and night. Frequent interrogation. Lie-detector tests. Threats of execution. Threats about what might happen to his family if he didn't confess. Then, inexplicably, in September 2000, nine months after his arrest and confinement, they told Wen Ho they would let him go if he would plead guilty to one measly little count of "mishandling" classified data. So what has all that got to do with Tenet's unsuitability to be DCI? Well, Tenet was acting DCI in December 1996 when the absolutely mind-blowing mishandling and misuse of highly classified data by departing CIA Director John Deutch was discovered by horrified CIA investigators. For years, Deutch had been creating classified data files, on personal computers at his homes and on portable memory cards. That was bad enough. But many of these files were based upon "sensitive compartmented information" and "special access programs," and Deutch had shared this information via e-mail with various "uncleared" White House officials. That's almost unbelievable. Presumably, Tenet was as horrified as the CIA investigators and immediately notified President Clinton of what Deutch had done. By law, Tenet was required to immediately notify the Justice Department and to file a "crimes report." We now know Tenet didn't' file a "crimes report" until March 1998, and didn't get around to telling Congress until February 2000, whereupon a "redacted" version was made public. By then, Wen Ho had been in solitary confinement for three months. There was an immediate international hue and cry. Wen Ho Lee was in prison, in solitary confinement, charged not with espionage but with "mishandling classified data." Where was John Deutch, the mother of all classified-data mishandlers? Well, in December of 1997 a year after the Deutch "crimes" had been discovered and six months after a CIA internal investigation of those "crimes" had been completed President Clinton had appointed Deutch to be co-chairman of the Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction! Tenet ignoring the recommendations of his own investigators promptly gave Deutch the high-level security clearances he would need as co-chairman. Tenet quietly "stripped" Deutch of those clearances in August of 1999, months after the commission had completed its report and more than a year after the Deutch "crimes report" had been filed. The Director of Central Intelligence has the key role in our system for protecting "classified" information. So you may be wondering how President Clinton came to appoint a man like John Deutch who, according to the CIA's report to Congress, had displayed contempt for the system throughout his government career to be DCI and whether Clinton appointed George Tenet to be DCI because of the way he handled the Deutch affair, or in spite of it. The United Nations has been investigating Iran since an exiled Iranian opposition group reported in August 2002 that Tehran was hiding a massive uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and other sites from U.N. inspectors. The IAEA's new Iran report and the draft resolution prepared by the European Union's "big three" will be the main topics of discussion at a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board that begins on June 14. The Europeans have been working with Iran since last year to get them to end their uranium enrichment program in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology. The Iranians agreed to suspend enrichment activities but, to the annoyance of the Europeans, have yet to fully put the program into abeyance. The United States, which said the latest IAEA report contained further evidence that Iran is trying to cover up a nuclear weapons program, will push the Europeans to include sharp language that describes the difficulties the agency had getting access to military sites in the Islamic republic. Diplomats said Washington would likely delay until after the November presidential election any attempt to push the IAEA to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions because of Tehran's two-decade cover-up of a uranium enrichment program capable of making material for weapons. Iran, which says its program is devoted to the peaceful generation of electricity, said that the IAEA's outstanding questions were "minor" and has challenged the United States to come up with hard evidence that it is working on an atom bomb. ElBaradei, the author of the report, said last week it would be premature to say now that it was clear Iran's program was not peaceful in nature. ElBaradei's report appeared to contain ammunition for hard-liners who want to criticize Iran and those who would like to praise them to keep the IAEA inspection process going and avoid an international crisis if Iran pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The report praised Iran for "providing access to locations in response to agency requests, including workshops situated at military sites." But it also said inspections were "delayed in some cases" due to discussion of terms of access to defense industry sites. Diplomats close to the IAEA said it took several months to reach an agreement with Tehran on the terms for inspecting a small group of military sites in Iran. One Western diplomat on the board said Iran may have wanted the delays to sanitize sites ahead of inspections. Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy implementing official for national security-related technical matters in the Federal Energy Agency, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army. Dr. Prather also served as legislative assistant for national security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, R-Okla. -- ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate Energy Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had earlier worked as a nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. webmaster@worldnetdaily.com --> news@worldnetdaily.com--> Contact WND ***************************************************************** 13 Guardian Unlimited Analysis: George Tenet MI6 cannot escape criticism over intelligence failures on Iraqi weapons George Tenet was an easy target, a lightning rod. Richard Norton-Taylor Saturday June 5, 2004 The Guardian George Tenet was an easy target, a lightning rod. Certainly, he had a lot to answer for, in particular the claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Their existence, he said in a phrase he is likely forever to regret, was a "slam-dunk". But he was warning of an impending attack by al-Qaida from early 2001 and, though his agency lost track of suspects, much of the blame for subsequent intelligence failures before September 11 lies at the door of the FBI. Mr Tenet also had to contend with the neo-con hawks and the office of special plans, set up by Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, as a rival or at least to second guess the CIA. Mr Tenet was caught in the crossfire. In Britain, MI6 regarded him as an ally in their mutual battle with Mr Rumsfeld and his circle. Both the CIA and MI6 challenged the neo-cons' claim that Saddam Hussein was linked to al-Qaida. MI6 was angered when the office of special plans sent James Woolsley, a former CIA director, to Swansea University to prove an Iraqi student there was linked to al-Qaida. But senior MI6 officers and John Scarlett, the chairman of Whitehall's joint intelligence committee, are as open as their CIA counterparts to criticism for the false claims they made, often as a result of disinformation fed by Iraqi defectors, about Saddam's banned weapons programme. Mr Tenet, at least, objected to bald assertions in the British weapons dossier that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes of an order to do so. The CIA also clashed with MI6 over the claim that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium from Niger in west Africa to produce nuclear weapons. Mr Tenet took the blame for including the Niger claim in George Bush's state of the union address to Congress in January last year. He said later that just because the British included the claim in its weapons dossier did not mean that the US should take Britain's word for it. "This did not rise to the level of certainty which should be required for presidential speeches and the CIA should have ensured that it was removed," he said. The 45-minute claim, however, was repeated four times in the British dossier, including in the foreword signed by Tony Blair. Embarrassed by the failure to find any evidence of WMD, British intelligence officials blame the CIA for the way it is handling the work of the Iraq Survey Group sent to track down Saddam's WMD. MI6 says the CIA should offer incentives to Iraqi scientists to encourage them to provide information rather than simply threaten them. Both the CIA and MI6 came under political pressure on Iraq and both succumbed. But more has emerged in Washington about the intelligence failures and the reasons for them. Details of what went wrong in Britain may emerge from the Butler inquiry which meets in secret and whose report is due to be published at the end of July, just when the present head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, retires. Sir Richard will be succeeded by Mr Scarlett, the man who protected ministers by insisting he was responsible for the contents of the Iraqi weapons dossier. No one here is likely to resign. [UP] Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 14 CS Monistor: Exit Tenet - Bush ally, lightning rod | csmonitor.com June 04, 2004 edition President Bush loses a trusted adviser but also a symbol of high-profile intelligence failures. By Peter Grier and Faye Bowers | Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON  For the White House, there's bad news and good news in CIA Director George Tenet's sudden resignation. The bad news is that it deprives President Bush of someone he insists has been a trusted adviser. The personal chemistry between the backslapping Mr. Bush and his gregarious chief of intelligence has always been good. The good news is that an official who attracted criticism as surely as if he were a lightning rod on top of the CIA's Langley, Va., headquarters is now gone. The upcoming 9/11 commission report is almost certain to hit the CIA, among others, for its failures prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That's on top of recent controversies concerning various intelligence leaks, and the mistaken US predictions about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. "You can understand why he might resign under those circumstances," says Jim Walsh, a security expert at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass. Bush, not Mr. Tenet himself, announced the resignation. Just prior to leaving for Europe, where he will celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-Day and confer with various world leaders, Bush told reporters that his CIA chief had resigned for "personal reasons." Tenet told the president of his decision Wednesday night. He will stay on at Langley until mid-July. After he leaves, the CIA's deputy director, John McLaughlin, will serve as acting director. Bush said that Tenet had done a superb job and was "the kind of public servant you like to work with." "He has been a strong leader in the war on terror, and I will miss him," Bush said. A former staff director of the Senate Committee on Intelligence, Tenet had run the CIA for seven years. In the Bush White House, he was a rarity - a Clinton-era official kept on and accepted into the inner circle of administration power. On the plus side, Tenet brought stability to an agency that was in some turmoil when he arrived. He had access to, and was trusted by, two US chief executives of different parties who were themselves very different personalities. That "tells you something about the man's skills and endurance," says Judith Yaphe, an Iraq expert at the National Defense University and a intelligence analyst at the CIA. But fairly or not, Tenet will also have to bear responsibility for things that happened on his watch. Most important, the intelligence community failed to detect the work of the 9/11 plotters. And it insisted that Iraq continued to work on weapons of mass destruction. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, Tenet reportedly insisted that the case for Iraqi WMD was a "slam-dunk." That has demonstrably not been the case. "WMD and 9/11 will always haunt the agency," says Ms. Yaphe. At the CIA, Tenet was well liked, but not wildly so. He was not an intelligence lifer who had come up through the ranks - but neither was he a knife-wielding cost-cutter ousting veteran agents. "He was seen as doing a job and tackling something that needed to be done - complete reformation of the intelligence community," says Stanley Bedlington, a former senior analyst in the CIA's counterterrorist center. Outside the agency, however, Tenet was becoming a symbol of faulty intelligence to the administration's critics. The failures with the 9/11 plotters and Iraq's purported WMD were just part of it. Tenet was reportedly responsible for the inclusion of the assertion in a State of the Union address that Iraq was seeking uranium in Niger - an assertion later deemed false by US intelligence. Tenet has also been tarred by the Wilson affair. A retired US ambassador, Joseph Wilson, had looked into the Niger connection and debunked it even before the president asserted its truth in a speech. After Mr. Wilson's role became public, the fact that his wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA covert operative was leaked to the press. The Justice Department is currently conducting an inquiry into who might have done that leaking. More recently, federal investigators have begun looking into which US government official might have leaked the fact that the US had broken Iranian codes to Ahmed Chalabi, the former Iraqi exile who has long been a favorite of some in the Pentagon. "Maybe [the Chalabi investigation] was the one that broke the camel's back" and convinced Tenet to leave, says Mr. Walsh of the JFK School. Speaking to CIA employees in the agency's auditorium Thursday, Tenet said that the decision to resign was the most difficult one he had ever had to make. He said that the reasons were personal - "the well-being of my wonderful family and nothing less." His son was in second grade when he started at the CIA, noted Tenet. Now that son will be a senior in high school this fall. "He said he's had a wonderful son. Now he wants to be a wonderful father," says a CIA official who heard the talk. www.csmonitor.com | Copyright 2004 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 15 Guardian Unlimited: Comment | Resignations start to roll Leader Saturday June 5, 2004 The Guardian There is a familiar ring to the description now being offered of the qualities, positive or otherwise, of George Tenet, who has resigned to spend more time with his family. As CIA director, he was responsible for ensuring that the US intelligence community maintained an independent voice and delivered an unvarnished verdict on the most important security issues of the day. Yet he was also the administration insider of whom George Bush said that "[we] have been spending a lot of quality time together", and who told the president what he wanted to know about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction - that it was a "slam-dunk" or open-and-shut case. The detailed score of Mr Tenet's pluses and minuses is now being chewed over in the US media, and will be pronounced on definitively before too long when separate inquiries into US intelligence on September 11 and on Iraq publish their reports. He did warn the White House, not very effectively, against making the bogus claim (in which Britain amazingly still professes to believe) about Iraqi efforts to secure nuclear fuel from Niger. But he also supplied secretary of state Colin Powell with equally bogus evidence that Iraq had purchased aluminium tubes for the production of nuclear weapons. Mr Powell, who has previously said he and Mr Tenet were as close as two kids on the same block, is now righteously protesting his "disappointment" with the dud intelligence. There is a familiar sound too to the charge now being made in the US media that Mr Tenet "reworked" earlier scanty evidence in order to strengthen claims about Iraq's WMDs for the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate. In the kindest view, expressed by his friend and former Council on Foreign Relations president Leslie Gelb, Mr Tenet did not actually invent the evidence but "when asked, would put a face on it that was consistent with the administration". Does the phrase "sexing up" come to mind, and where have we heard before about an intelligence chief who was too anxious to please? Somehow the name of John Scarlett, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (and now head of MI6) who was such a good "mate" of Alastair Campbell, whom even Lord Hutton believes may have "subconsciously" wished to please the prime minister in the run-up to the Iraq war, comes to mind. In this connection, it is interesting to note Tony Blair's insistence yesterday that Mr Tenet's resignation could have "nothing to do with Iraq, 9/11 or anything else". Of course it is out of the question to imagine that purveying faulty information could be a resigning issue: otherwise who knows where that might lead if the Butler inquiry actually manages to bring in a critical verdict on Britain's intelligence effort? Others may ask why Mr Tenet should have left so unexpectedly, at such a tense time internationally, if it really were just for the sake of his "wonderful family". They may note too the irony that the CIA had just won an important round in its struggle to discredit Ahmad Chalabi, the colourful exile whose "intelligence" the Pentagon preferred to believe. Perhaps Mr Tenet was unwise to target so obviously such an outstanding protege of the neo-conservatives who may now have the last laugh. Yesterday's resignation by James Pavitt, deputy director of operations and the only CIA official to apologise for having got it wrong over September 11, added to the sense of disarray. Opinion is divided on whether Mr Tenet has done Mr Bush a service by stepping down, or left him more exposed by no longer offering himself as a lightning conductor against criticism. At least someone has resigned in the wake of this disastrous war, over there if not over here. But it is in the ancient tradition of blaming the messenger whose news was too good - or too bad - to be true. [UP] Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 16 Sunday Herald: MoD to speed up nuclear convoys - Anti-terror plan could increase threat of disaster, activists warn By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor The nuclear bomb convoys that regularly trundle along roads to and from the Trident submarine base on the Clyde are to be speeded up following a secret review of security. Fears that terrorists could attack the bomb convoys and spread plutonium over a wide area have prompted the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to rethink timing and routes. The MoD police have had to launch an urgent shake-up to introduce the new arrangements within the next six months. Some anti-nuclear cam paign ers say the new system, known internally by the MoD as continuous running, will increase the risk of an accident. But others acknowledge that it may marginally reduce the danger of a terrorist attack. In the past, nuclear warheads have been moved between the bomb factories at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire and the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Coulport, on Loch Long, up to six times a year. The journey by road usually took three days . But now there are plans to speed up and vary the journey to make it less predictable. In a trial run at the end of last year the convoy made the journey in two days . The convoys have frequently been tracked by protesters, who sometimes try to interrupt their progress. The most recent convoy, a month ago, was halted in Stirling when demonstrators blocked the road. The next, whenever it comes, is being threatened with a bigger pro test. The changes emerged from minutes of a meeting of the MoD Police and Guarding Agency on 19 April 2004, made available by the MoD under freedom of information laws. One item discussed was the impact the project will have on the Special Escort Group, the police division responsible for guarding the bomb convoys. The meeting agreed that the arrangements to achieve continuous running would be in place by November 2004. It was minuted that this was a top-priority issue for the agency and that, through no fault of the agency, severe time constraints had been imposed and ... the agency would have to take urgent measures to ensure it was achieved. On Friday, the MoD declined to comment on what its police force was doing, or on the convoys detailed movements. But a spokesman did confirm there had been an inter-agency review to consider varying the routing and timing of nuclear convoys . He described the suggestion that the journey would be cut from three to two days as speculation. Nuclear bombs need regular maintenance because the tritium that triggers them decays and becomes unreliable. So the warheads are removed from Trident submarines, stored at Coulport, and taken south for refurbishment. The warheads are carried in a strengthened vehicle known as a Truck Cargo Heavy Duty. It is normally accompanied by a fire tender, several support vehicles and motorcycle outriders. The convoy is crewed by up to 50 people, some of them armed. According to MoD guidance to local authorities, the warheads contain plutonium and uranium, which are both toxic and radioactive. In the very unlikely event of a nuclear weapon accident involving the release of radioactive material, it is the release of plutonium into the environment which presents the dominant radiation hazard, the MoD warns. Nukewatch, the organisation which co-ordinates convoy monitoring and protest, argues that speeding up the journey could cause breakdowns and accidents. In May 1993, one of the bomb carriers broke down near Glasgow and had to be repaired in a lay-by. According to Juliet McBride from Nukewatch, on 7 December 2003 a convoy was returning to Burghfield along a back road in the dark . Oncom ing traffic, including her van, was neither stopped nor warned . After parking her van across the road to stop the convoy she was charged with careless driving. I have never [before] seen vehicles allowed to approach the convoy head-on on this road, she said. By attempting to move such a dangerous cargo this huge distance in a continuous run the MoD is cutting out all margins of error in an operation which has been shown to be full of errors. Nuclear consultant John Large intends to give evidence in court in defence of McBride, who has been monitoring convoys for 15 years. He will say the convoys are inadequately protected and, if attacked, could cause plutonium contamination up to nine miles away. The changes might nevertheless remove some risk, he told the Sunday Herald. It must be a response to a terrorist threat, he said. The convoys have been so easy to spot and so routine. Jane Tallents, vice-chair of Scottish CND, agreed the chan ges might make a marginal difference to safety. But by far the safest thing to do would be to take all the bombs back to Burghfield, dismantle them and stop transporting them around the country for good, she said. 06 June 2004 newsquest (sunday herald) limited. all rights reserved ***************************************************************** 17 IndiaExpress: India's nuke programmes safe IndiaExpress.Com 20.09 IST 05th June 2004 By IndiaExpress Bureau Allaying apprehensions of any pilferage of India's nuclear programme formula and documents after the Abdul Qader Khan incident in Pakistan, Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar today said the mechanism existing in the country was 'safe'. "Ours is 100 per cent safe and there is lot of difference between Pakistani system and India's," Kakodkar told reporters in Shillong when his views were sought on the country's nuclear programmes. Asked if he could guarantee that no information on the country's nuclear programme would be leaked outside India, Kakodkar made an emphatic 'yes'. "What else do you want," he asked. He said India has got an "export control" and "fool-proof" mechanism in place to prevent any pilferage of its formula. ***************************************************************** 18 UK Independent: Howard: I'd sack Scarlett if he is attacked by Butler By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor 06 June 2004 Michael Howard has added to the pressure on British and American intelligence agencies by signalling that John Scarlett should be sacked as head of MI6 if he is criticised in the forthcoming Butler report into intelligence failures on Iraq. The equivalent of MI6 in the US, the Central Intelligence Agency, was rocked last week by the sudden resignation of its chief, George Tenet, and the retirement of James Pavitt, head of clandestine operations. The CIA is facing criticism from two high-level inquiries, whose reports could also reflect badly on its partners in Britain. The Tory leader said any adverse findings by the Butler inquiry against Mr Scarlett - controversially named by Tony Blair to take over MI6 this summer - "cannot be ignored". Mr Howard also refused to guarantee that Mr Scarlett would be allowed to stay in his post in a Conservative administration. Lord Butler's report into intelligence failures in this country is due to be published next month. The former cabinet secretary has reportedly broadened his remit to investigate how crucial judgements were made in the run-up to war, and how Cabinet functioned. Apart from possible criticism of the Prime Minister, the inquiry is also said to be investigating what intelligence assessments were passed to Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney-General, before he gave his opinion that the war was legal. Mr Scarlett was head of Joint Intelligence Committee responsible for preparing the assessments of Iraqi weapons during the period under investigation. His role came under scrutiny at the Hutton inquiry into the death of the weapons expert David Kelly; but Lord Hutton found that he was not improperly influenced by Downing Street in his production of the dossier of September 2002 on the threat from Saddam Hussein. Asked whether he could work with Mr Scarlett if he became Prime Minister, Mr Howard said: "I think we have to wait and see the Butler report before I can answer that question. One of my criticisms was that it was quite wrong to appoint in advance of it. If the Butler inquiry were to be critical of him then that is something that cannot be ignored." Meanwhile, Tony Blair's insistence that Iraqi WMD could still be found was called "delusional" by the man who led the hunt. David Kay, who headed the Iraq Survey Group after the invasion, said: "There is nothing there. There were clearly illegal activities ... the problem is the unwillingness to take the responsibility of saying a few simple words - we were wrong." UK Independent Ltd. ***************************************************************** 19 Hi Pakistan: Nuclear bill to be presented in the Assembly on Monday --> June 07 2004 ISLAMABAD: The government will present the nuclear bill in the National Assembly on Monday that could empower it to hand over the accused nuclear scientists to federal agencies for 14 years in jail, fine of Rs 5 million and seize all their assets and properties if found guilty of nuclear exports. The extraordinary bill has been prepared by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the light of serious concerns expressed by the international atomic agency and the United States. It has been alleged that Pakistani nuclear scientists were involved in the illegal export of nuclear material to certain foreign countries - Iran, Libya, and North Korea. The tabling of the nuclear bill was on the agenda of the National Assembly in its Friday session, but it could not be done so. On Monday the bill would be referred to the standing committee of the assembly for examination. Although, the president of Pakistan has pardoned Dr AQ Khan after his admission of involvement in the sale of nuclear secrets to other countries, yet the government and the spokesman on a number of occasions have made it clear that it was a "conditional pardon." The bill could really affect Dr AQ Khan and many other nuclear scientists who are presently in the custody of government agencies. The bill has been named export control on good, technologies, material and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery systems. The purpose of the bill is to safeguard national security and foreign policy objectives and to fulfil its international obligations as a responsible nuclear weapon state and check the proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons and missile capable of delivering such weapons. The bill says any person who contravenes any provision of this act, rules and regulations or provide false information concerning matters governed by this act to any of the agency responsible for administering this act, shall be guilty for an offence punishable on conviction by imprisonment for a term of 14 years jail, fine of Rs 5 million and on conviction offender property and assets wherever they may be shall be forfeited to the federal government. The bill further says any person who attempts to commit or abets the commission of an offence under this Act shall be proceeded against in the manner as if he had committed such an offence. The bill says in case the offence is not serious for criminal proceedings, administrative actions, which may be determined from time to time, shall be taken against the individuals contravening any provision of this act. The bill has however provided right of appeal to the sentenced man as he can approach the High Court within 30 days of his conviction. The bill says that any person found involved in the case of nuclear export will be tried in a session court. The bill says that government will establish an Authority to administer the export control to administer export controls established under this Act. Designate the agency or agencies authorised to enforce this Act; require license for export from Pakistan of goods and technology and the re-export of goods, and technology that originated in Pakistan. The bill also focuses the issue of licensing for the exporters. All exporters shall maintain records of all transactions and report these to the designated agencies and authorities. Any government agency or department involved in the export licensing procedure shall keep record of their recommendations and decisions. Such records shall be made available to other agencies or departments involved in the export licensing, upon request. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 20 Hi Pakistan: N-arsenal to be cut if India follows suit: Musharraf --> June 07 2004 DUBAI: President Pervez Musharraf, in remarks aired on Friday as Pakistan conducted a test of a nuclear-capable missile, said he was prepared to reduce his nuclear arsenal if India did the same. "We don't have any world wide military ambitions. We maintain a force for deterrence ... If there is a discussion or a deliberation (with India) on mutual reduction, we have been saying that let's make South Asia a nuclear-free zone," he told Al-Arabiya news channel. "If mutually there is an agreement of reduction of nuclear assets, Pakistan would be willing," Gen Musharraf said. Pakistan and the new Indian government have vowed to carry forward a 14-month old peace process initiated by the Vajpayee government. Experts will meet in New Delhi on June 19-20 for talks on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs). Foreign secretaries will then meet on June 27-28, also in New Delhi, to discuss the Kashmir dispute and security issues. Commenting on the idea floated by India this week of a tripartite discussion among Islamabad, New Delhi and Beijing to evolve a common nuclear doctrine, Gen Musharraf said these were 'very serious issues' which require a lot of analysis and deliberation. "When we are talking of nuclear CBMs between India and Pakistan, that itself is a difficult job. Now getting China involved, it involves many nuances which one has to consider," he told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya. Gen Musharraf said that while Indian-Israeli military cooperation was a matter of concern, he did not see Israel as a threat to Pakistan. "Israel is very far away from us geographically, and under the present circumstances, we don't see a threat emanating from Israel," he said. "We do show concerns when Israel collaborates with India ... But if you are talking of (an) immediate threat coming from Israel, no, that is not in the immediate context," the president added. Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 21 Mehr News Agency: Board to Attend Briefing in Vienna on Thursday Tehran:09:14,2004/06/07 TEHRAN, June 6 (MNA) – International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammed ElBaradei is scheduled to attend a briefing on Thursday, June 10 along with experts from the agency and members of the IAEA Board of Governors on the threshold of the IAEA Board’s next session. Representatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran will also be attending the briefing at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna. During the session both the agency and Iran’s diplomatic team will present reports. The two sides will discuss the technical aspects of Iran’s nuclear dossier and respond to questions raised by member states of the IAEA Board. High-ranking Iranian officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, and the Supreme National Security Council will also be attending the meeting. HL/HG End MNA ***************************************************************** 22 Mehr News Agency: Report Unfair, Hasty, and Politicized - Analyst Tehran:09:14,2004/06/07 TEHRAN, June 5 (MNA) -- A political analyst here on Friday called the recent report on Iran’s nuclear activities issued by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammad ElBaradei unfair, hasty, and politicized. The analyst, who requested anonymity, told the Mehr News Agency that ElBaradei had appreciated Iran’s cooperation with the agency, adding that despite the extensive efforts of the Islamic Republic, the evaluation of Iran’s nuclear activities over the past several months was not positive and clear. Iran had granted IAEA inspectors unprecedented access to its nuclear sites over and above its treaty obligations, he noted. “ElBaradei’s report was compiled in a very hasty and unfair manner,” he added. The analyst said that the IAEA director general’s report referred to centrifuges, lasers, research reactors, uranium conversion facilities, polonium and plutonium, the inspectors’ visits to all the country’s nuclear installations, and their talks with experts working at Iran’s nuclear facilities. But he has left all these issues open to ambiguous interpretations, he added. The source went on to say that IAEA officials were influenced by Western countries to ignore Iran’s cooperation with the agency, adding that they want the issue to remain open until the September session of the IAEA Board of Governors. According to Iran’s agreement with the European Union, the Islamic Republic suspended its uranium enrichment activities on the condition that its nuclear dossier would be removed from the agenda of the IAEA Board of Governors, he added. But, despite Tehran’s complete cooperation in suspending uranium enrichment activities, ElBaradei’s report indicates that the agency has yet to make a decision on the issue, the analyst said. Iran has been providing the agency with details about its UCF project in Isfahan since 2000, with IAEA inspectors frequently visiting the site, yet ElBaradei has referred to this issue as vague, he added. Meanwhile an Asian diplomat close to the IAEA said that ElBaradei’s report was written by a U.S. citizen, a British citizen, and a Zionist of unknown nationality who were either personnel or managers at the agency. The diplomat told MNA that ElBaradei’s report contains many false claims which obviously run counter to the reports made by the actual IAEA inspection teams. He went on to say that ElBaradei’s recent report somewhat indicates that the IAEA director general is concerned about U.S. opposition to extending his term in September. HL/DWN/HG End MNA ***************************************************************** 23 KSBY: NRC to hold meetings on power plant safety [www.ksby.com] By: Kimberly Romo The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is planning a trip to San Luis Obispo next week to hold two public meetings about the future of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Wednesday's meeting will focus on the plant's protection against earthquakes, and Thursday's meeting will present the NRC's annual assessment. While PG&E says the meetings will show residents how earthquake safe the plant is, the group Mothers for Peace say they're worried terrorists may target the power plant. "We really do need to take this seriously," says Rochelle Becker, of Mothers for Peace. "And if we're not taking it seriously, we're not being responsible for future generations." "If people are interested in learning how well the plant is built and if they're intersted in learning how the NRC feels we've operated the plant, they should come out," says Jeff Lewis, of PG&E. Another part of the controversy centers around whether or not to build dry cask storage for radioactive waste at the plant. "The casts are licensed for 20 years, but may remain for 100 years," says Becker. "All the other aging components of nuclear power plants have failed before their licenses are up." "We're happy to discuss any of those elements because we believe the plant is extremely safe and extremely secure," says Lewis. Both PG&E and the Mothers for Peace encourage Central Coast residents to attend next week's meetings. Wednesday's meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday's meeting will take place at the PG&E Community Center at 9:00 a.m. Copyright 2004 ***************************************************************** 24 L.A. Daily News: Orphanage near Chernobyl gets little help Article Published: Saturday, June 05, 2004 - By Anna Melnichuk Associated Press PUGACHEVKA, Ukraine -- Of the countless Ukrainians suffering aftereffects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 100 or so in this town are among the most vulnerable. They are the children at the Pugachevka orphanage for the mentally disabled. Victims of disease, genetic problems or their parents' alcohol and drug abuse, they've been left in a stinking compound 80 miles from the site of the 1986 reactor explosion and fire that spewed a cloud of radiation over much of Europe. Already weakened by their disabilities and by the orphanage's minimal care and inadequate food, their bodies are under siege by the radiation that still contaminates the area. They are especially plagued by bone fractures because radioactive strontium replaces calcium, making their bones brittle. Children in the most contaminated parts of Ukraine are twice as subject as other kids to musculoskeletal problems and connective tissue disease, the Kiev Midwifery and Pediatrics Institute says. "In fact, they are social outcasts," says the orphanage's director, Ivan Guliyev. "They have no future. They cannot be adopted for the society. But they are God's children and have the right to live and be helped." Little help comes from the government. Social service funding in Ukraine has virtually vanished as the economy stumbles through the post-Soviet transition and corruption eats away at public funds. "The government gives us 1.6 hryvnas a month per person to buy so-called 'pure foodstuffs' since we live in the officially recognized Chernobyl-contaminated zone," Guliyev says. That's about 30 cents. "How much food that's pure from radiation can we buy for that -- and where?" With government funding all but gone, the orphanage must rely on foreign donors to help keep even its small comforts. Seven years ago, Fletcher A. Brothers, founder and director of Freedom Village USA, which works with troubled teenagers in America, met a Ukrainian emigrant who was aware of the troubles besetting orphans in his homeland. At the man's urging, Brothers visited Pugachevka and five other orphanages in the region. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing as long as it was in my power to make a difference," Brothers says. Since then, Brothers' group has donated $132,000 to the orphanage, or more than three times what it gets from the government each year, Guliyev says. "The nation shows its true colors through its attitude toward those in need," the director adds bitterly. The orphanage's 60 workers try to show different colors, at least by keeping the children clean and neatly dressed. "I've gotten used to them, as if they were normal," says nurse Valentyna Moshkivska. "But there's obviously constant great psychological pressure." Although the halls sometimes reek of feces -- or of the harsh disinfectant used to clean up -- the orphanage has some pleasant aspects. It consists of small cottages hidden among pine trees. An orchard, a garden and a pig farm add an air of rural calm. Some flowers bloom in well-tended plots. For the children, it is home. "Welcome, welcome," a small, drooling girl says to a visitor. "Welcome," she says, again and again -- one of the few words she knows. Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Daily News ***************************************************************** 25 AU STUFF: Nuclear firm's big role in NZ 06 June 2004 By LESLEY SPRINGALL French state-owned nuclear power services firm Areva caused a storm two years ago among Greenpeace protesters in New Zealand by sponsoring France's America's Cup entry. Now Areva is back in force, having taking over the transmission and distribution (T) arm of its international compatriot, heavy engineering firm Alstom. Areva's 920 million euro ($NZ1.8 billion) acquisition of Alstom T means Areva T New Zealand is now responsible for maintaining the country's ageing transmission lines for Transpower. Areva is also one of Telecom's two regional maintenance contractors, maintains the call-out systems and radios for the North Island fire service, is responsible for electrical installation and plant maintenance for New Zealand Steel and is employed by TrustPower to ensure power from its Tararua Wind Farm reaches the grid. Distancing the Kiwi arm of the firm from its nuclear parent, Auckland-based Areva T New Zealand and Australia head Geoff Hunt described the parent company as a "global energy expert". Areva is also just the latest in a long line of owners and brands for what once was the maintenance and construction arm of the country's state-owned electricity industry Powermark, said Hunt. In more recent times Alstom is probably best known for designing and building the transmission lines up the motorway to Auckland to restore power during the infamous 1998 power failure. Hunt, who was head of Alstom in New Zealand, said he welcomed the takeover and, given Alstom's financial position, was also "relieved" it had happened. Though Alstom's New Zealand arm employs 1200 people and turns over more than $180 million a year, the parent organisation was "in pretty bad financial trouble. We were looking for some certainty and an owner that was going to quickly restabilise the business and Areva certainly brought that." With Areva's takeover, the company can also take advantage of Areva's technology and products, said Hunt, stressing that this had nothing to do with nuclear power. "Areva respects New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance," said Hunt, but it was also a lot more than just a nuclear power services firm. One new area Hunt is keen to push is the company's involvement in New Zealand's wind power industry. Areva T is making a name for itself in connecting the country's wind farms to the grid, but few clients are as familiar with Areva as a builder of wind turbines, said Hunt. Internationally Alstom still retained its transport and power divisions after the Areva sale. In New Zealand these have been responsible for making trains and gas turbines. But continued financial concerns hanging over Alstom are expected to lead to further mergers with Areva and a joint venture with telecoms and turbines operator Siemens as part of a 2 billion euro ($NZ4b) bail-out by the French government. A decision on Alstom's future by the European Commission should be announced this week. ***************************************************************** 26 [DU-WATCH] Depleted Consciousness (by Chris Busby) Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 11:45:49 -0500 (CDT) Depleted Consciousness (by Chris Busby) http://traprockpeace.org/busby_depleted_uranium.pdf [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/Sj.0lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 27 Cape Cod Times: Depleted uranium believed unearthed (June 5, 2004) EPA wants the military to investigate whether there are more such rounds on the base. By AMANDA LEHMERT and KEVIN DENNEHY STAFF WRITERs CAMP EDWARDS - Army contractors found what they believe to be a 20-millimeter depleted uranium round last week. The round, found at a groundwater cleanup area called Demolition Area 1, was due to be shipped yesterday to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for further analysis. Considered by the Pentagon an effective and valuable munitions because they can pierce the armor of an enemy tank, depleted uranium is toxic and radioactive. Some scientists insist exposure to depleted uranium during the first Gulf War was a cause of Gulf War syndrome illnesses. Department of Defense officials debunk the claim. While Army officials have long insisted depleted uranium was never fired on Camp Edwards, some Upper Cape base activists insist the military didn't always monitor the activities of defense contractors who improved and developed weapons. Military and environmental officials yesterday were perplexed by the discovery. "It was an unexpected discovery for us and it's important that the military thoroughly investigate to determine whether there are other depleted uranium items on the base or out in Demo 1," said Jim Murphy, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman. "It's important to inform us and the public about how it got there, when it was used, and for what purpose." The EPA is waiting for more information from the Army, Murphy said. Army officials said the round is not a danger to public health and is not explosive. The 2.5-inch round, discovered during excavation as part of the ongoing Camp Edwards cleanup, was found about a foot deep in the soil of a possible burn pit. Officials with the Impact Area Groundwater Study Program, which is coordinating the base cleanup, say the round could have been burned. The round had a cap called a wind shelf on the tip and a partially broken nylon rotating ring on the back, leading the investigators to believe it had not been fired. Investigators concluded it was a depleted uranium round after testing it with a machine that measures radioactivity, said groundwater program manager Kent "Hap" Gonser. "They found it was giving off very low levels of radioactivity." Demolition Area I, where the bullet was discovered, is a source of groundwater contamination on the base, and crews are currently removing and cleaning the soil. There isn't a significant heath risk to the workers who handled the round, Gonser said. The threat of DU Depleted uranium, or DU, is what remains when uranium 235 is extracted from ore to make nuclear bombs and fuel for nuclear reactors. Twice as dense as lead, it can slice through the thick steel of a tank like a heat-seeking dart. Textron Systems Corp. of Wilmington, and its predecessor, AVCO, was one of the defense contractors that developed depleted uranium weapons. Textron was also one of many contractors testing tactical weapons on the ranges of Camp Edwards near the Sandwich village of Forestdale. From 1982 to 1984, Textron loaded 11 depleted uranium warheads onto missiles at Camp Edwards before shipping them to a test-firing facility in New Mexico, according to records the company provided to the National Guard a few years ago. Weapons using depleted uranium were first used in combat during the first Gulf War, and continue to be used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Guard contacts the Navy Gonser said it was difficult to tell where the round came from. It was corroded and had no markings. Rounds of that type are typically used by the Navy, for anti-tank or anti-missile machine guns, Gonser said, Groundwater program officials have asked the Navy who would have permission to use the round in an effort to find out why it was unearthed on the Upper Cape base. While Gonser said Textron shipped 11 rounds of depleted uranium through the base, those rounds were larger than the 20-millimeter round and there is no record of them being used on the base. "The Guard says they don't know where it came from. How can that be?" said Richard Hugus of Falmouth, a member of the citizen panel that monitors the Camp Edwards cleanup. James Kinney of Sandwich, another member of the panel, is likewise skeptical. He says the markings on, and holes in, thick steel targets on the firing ranges at Camp Edwards made some suspicious that depleted uranium weapons had been fired there. Tests of the targets and soil yielded no evidence that levels of radiation were any higher than background radiation. But if the Army determines that the new round does contain depleted uranium, Kinney said, it will only stoke those concerns. "I don't think anyone just happened to have one depleted uranium round out there that fell out of their pocket," Kinney said yesterday. "If there was one, I'm sure there were more." Part of the uncertainty, he said, is that the Guard never learned the extent of contractor work done on the base. "It's definitely a concern and a cause for a full investigation." (Published: June 5, 2004) [ border=] [''] Copyright 2004 Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 Boston.com: Uranium round believed found on Cape base The Boston Globe SANDWICH -- Army contractors uncovered what they believe is a depleted uranium round at the Cape Edwards military base last week. Army officials say munition no threat By Associated Press | June 6, 2004 SANDWICH -- Army contractors uncovered what they believe is a depleted uranium round at the Cape Edwards military base last week. The round is to be shipped to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for further analysis, the Cape Cod Times reported. Army officials have long said depleted uranium was never fired on Camp Edwards. But some Upper Cape base activists said the military did not always monitor defense contractors who improved and developed weapons. Military and environmental officials were perplexed by the discovery of the round. "It's important to inform us and the public about how it got there, when it was used, and for what purpose," Jim Murphy, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman, said Friday. Depleted uranium is toxic and radioactive, but the Pentagon considers it a valuable weapon because it can pierce tank armor. The 20 millimeter round was found during excavation as part of the Camp Edwards cleanup. The 2 1/2-inch round was discovered about a foot deep in the soil of a possible burn pit. Army officials said the round is not a danger to public health and is not explosive. Investigators concluded it was a depleted uranium round after testing it with a machine that measures radioactivity, said groundwater program manager Kent "Hap" Gonser. "They found it was giving off very low levels of radioactivity," he said. James Kinney of Sandwich, a member of the citizen panel that monitors the Camp Edwards cleanup, said if the Army determines the round contains depleted uranium it will stoke concerns that depleted uranium was fired at the base. "I don't think anyone just happened to have one depleted uranium round out there that fell out of their pocket," Kinney said. [ /] Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. [Printer Friendly] ***************************************************************** 29 Hawk Eye: IAAP claims remain in limbo Friday, June 4, 2004, Site updated daily at 11 a.m. CST Congressional study points out flaws in compensation program. By MATTHEW LeBLANC mleblanc@thehawkeye.com A Congressional investigation has found that, without further improvements to an Energy Departmentrun workers' compensation program, hundreds of sick and dying former Iowa Army Ammunition Plant employees are unlikely to be compensated for their illnesses. A General Accounting Office report issued last week points out flaws in the 3yearold program, despite recent changes initiated by Energy officials intended to make the program easier for former workers who have filed compensation claims. Requested by Sen. Charles Grassley, RIowa, the report identifies several areas for improvement, while Energy officials say they're working toward a more userfriendly program. The report is expected to help bolster a case for possible future legislation aimed at overhauling the entire system. "As we continue to look for a legislative remedy to the problem, the General Accounting Office report shows that the speed of processing claims has increased from a snail's pace to a turtle's crawl," Grassley said in a prepared statement. "It's more evidence that the Energy Department is failing to compensate the home front heroes of the Cold War." Workers at the Middletown plant built, testfired and disassembled components of nuclear weapons from the 1940s to the mid1970s. Their work has been linked to cancers and other illnesses. Congress passed legislation in 2001 creating the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program in an attempt to secure payments for injured workers, some of whom have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on medical treatments to fight their illnesses. But confusing twists in state laws kept about 700 IAAP workers from receiving any money under the program. The Department of Energy's recent changes to the program most likely will not change that fact, the report states. Under the EEOICP's Subtitle D, injured former nuclear weapons workers are invited to apply for state workers' compensation benefits through the federal program, which is run by the DOE. Federal doctors called "physicians panels" then determine if the claimant has enough proof necessary to file a claim for compensation benefits in the state where he or she was injured. But about 700 Iowa claimants will not receive those benefits because it lacks a "willing payer" designated to pay the claims. Plants in Colorado and Ohio also do not have plans in place to make compensation payments available to people. "...many claimants will likely wait years to receive the determination they need to pursue a state workers' compensation claim," investigators state in the report. "In the interim, their medical conditions may worsen, and claimants may even die before they receive consideration by a state program." In Iowa, contractors no longer associated with DOE facilities are able to contest workers' compensation claims. Without a federally designated, willing payer, IAAP workers may never receive money. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who has also pushed for changes in the compensation program, said the GAO report is welcome news, but pushed for further changes. "The new GAO report confirms that IAAP workers continue to face major challenges in receiving compensation, and changes need to be made to the compensation program," he said. Energy officials say they are working hard to fix problems in the program. In recent months, the number of doctors needed to make a positive determination on the physicians panels has been reduced from three to one, making the claims process quicker, they say. Also, officials are pushing to remove a law that caps the rate of pay at which physician panel doctors can be paid. That move, they say would increase the number of doctors interested in serving on the panels, which would move claims through the system at a faster rate. Responding to the report, T.A. Rollow, director of the DOE's Office of Worker Advocacy, pledged support for further changes. "The department appreciates and welcomes independent assessments as a way to improve our performance," Rollow said. "We believe that the GAO review was balanced, thorough and constructive, and it was conducted in a very professional manner. We have already incorporated several of the GAO recommendations and will aggressively tackle the remainder." Among the GAO's recommendations are completion of reports detailing the health threats posed to workers at facilities across the United States, more communication with claimants, improvements to the quality of DOE data and a solution to the willing payer issue. Investigators also outlined four recommendations for improvements that included initiating a federal backup that would guarantee compensation payments even if claims are contested and a complete over haul of the entire system. It's unclear whether or when legislation will be introduced to make further changes in the program. Both Harkin and Grassley have hinted at the possibility. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk 319-754-6824 FAX 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 30 Berkshire Eagle: A ticking nuclear clock June 06, 2004 Pittsfield, MA - An accident waiting to happen The Bush administration's announcement last week that it would spend $450 million on collecting and securing nuclear materials around the world sounds good until it's placed in perspective. Next year alone the Pentagon wants $9.2 billion for a missile-defense shield no reputable scientist thinks will work. It is doing this even though the chance of a rogue state lobbing a nuclear missile at the U.S. is close to nil, while the danger of terrorists using unsecured nuclear materials from any one of 40 countries to build and detonate a "dirty" bomb in an American city is great indeed. The Energy Department's Global Threat Reduction Initiative comes on the heels of a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government report explaining the awful risks of not gathering up nuclear fuels from storage depots, research reactors and other poorly guarded sites fast enough. Former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn, whose nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative funded the Harvard study, deplores the administration's lack of urgency and says, "If one of the great cities of the world goes up in smoke. . . it will make our retroactive rearview mirror look at 9/11 look like a waltz." Only about a fifth of the world's nuclear materials are under reliable lock and key. Sites in Russia, where 60 percent of that country's plutonium and weapons-grad uranium are stored, are widely known to be secured by little more than chain-link fences and padlocked gates. The U.S. had been helping Russia destroy the materials at some of these sites, but that project stalled over insurance and liability disputes. George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin need to give the negotiators taking their own sweet time with all this a good kick. The most unnerving point in the Harvard report is that less nuclear material was secured or destroyed by the U.S. in the two years after 9/11 than in the two years before. Has the Iraq debacle distracted Mr. Bush from confronting a danger to the American people far more menacing than Saddam Hussein ever was? Probably. And it's certain, as the Harvard report states explicitly, that the world's nuclear messes could be cleaned up in no time at all if the administration devoted to this combustible situation just one-tenth the resources and attention it has devoted to Iraq. But nuclear controls and nonproliferation lack the personal and ideological appeal of the administration's most urgent obsessions. Which is bad luck for the victims of any future nuclear 9/11. This year the long-time head of Pakistan's nuclear program admitted that he had sold equipment used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons to Iran, Libya and North Korea. This was also the year when Senator Joseph Biden asked leaders of this country's nuclear programs if they could build a nuclear weapon with parts obtained on the open market. They said they could and a few months later showed up in a secret Senate room with an atomic bomb. All it lacked was fissile material. Mr. Biden and his scientists are among those who consider Mr. Bush's attention to the on-the-ground nuclear threat to the United States -- as opposed to an imagined from-the-skies threat -- disastrously inadequate. Last week, John Kerry announced that his top national security priority as president would be greatly accelerating the timetable for securing the world's nuclear weapons and materials. He understands that the United States is in a race against time. Copyright 1999-2004 New England Newspapers, Inc., ***************************************************************** 31 Deseret news: Nuclear waste rival clears state's first hurdle [deseretnews.com] Sunday, June 6, 2004 By Donna Kemp Spangler Deseret Morning News A company seeking to compete with Envirocare of Utah has cleared its first hurdle with the state for a new low-level radioactive waste dump in Tooele County. The Utah Division of Radiation Control has tentatively approved an application that allows Charles Judd, president of Cedar Mountain Environmental, to submit a formal application to the state to build a facility on nearly 500 acres next to Envirocare's landfill in remote Tooele County. Judd must still win approval from a reluctant Tooele County Commission. Creating a new facility for radioactive waste is a multistep process that requires not only approval from state environmental regulators, but the Legislature, governor and County Commission. In March, the three-member Tooele County Commission rejected Judd's request for a conditional-use permit to open a facility because commissioners don't believe there is enough market demand for a competing waste facility. And a competing facility could jeopardize the viability of both and threaten the flow of tax dollars to the county. Judd, the former president of Envirocare, has been at odds with his former employer for years and has been trying for more than a year to break Envirocare's monopoly on radioactive waste disposal. Judd isn't willing to give up. He plans to show Tooele County commissioners there's a need for a competing company by designing his facility to take radioactive waste that Envirocare isn't licensed to take. That kind of waste is the byproducts of decommissioned nuclear power plants, but not the so-called Class B and C wastes that have generated such controversy over the past year. Meanwhile, Judd is pursuing his application with the state, even though the county has balked. The public has until the end of June to submit written comments on the state's approval of the suitability of the site Judd hopes to develop. Judd's next step would be to submit a formal license application. On June 28, state regulators will hold a public hearing at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and another one June 29 at the Tooele County Health Department. Both hearings start at 7 p.m. E-mail: donna@desnews.com 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 32 Bradenton Herald: Tallevast test results expected next week | 06/05/2004 | KEVIN O'HORAN Herald Staff Writer TALLEVAST - A flurry of activity should bring a little clarity next week to the problems in Tallevast, where residents recently learned they have been exposed to toxic chemicals leaked from the former American Beryllium Co. plant. Community members expect to find out Monday or Tuesday what toxins, if any, are in well-water samples they gathered throughout the area in late May. And officials with Lockheed Martin Corp., the company that bought the 1600 Tallevast Road plant in 1996 and later uncovered the spill, expect to get their hands on the results of well-water and soil samples gathered earlier. "They're dribbling in now," Gail Rymer, a Lockheed spokeswoman, said of the findings. "As soon as we get them, we'll notify the owners and then make them public." The flurry surrounding the plant kicked off in October when residents first took notice of Lockheed-hired crews sinking test wells around town and squadrons of officials cruising the neighborhood. By early November, community members had pushed Lockheed into announcing the company had found toxic chemicals in groundwater under the five-acre plant and under homes immediately north and east of the site. Lockheed leaders - and Florida environmental regulators - maintained the release posed no threat since no private wells tapped the tainted water but backed off that stance late last month when state tests found poisons in five wells. The company headed back to the community to sample more wells. Working with leaders of Family Oriented Community United, Strong - a Tallevast-area activist group - they collected and shared samples and agreed to pay for the group to have the water tested at any lab. Like Lockheed leaders, FOCUS officials expect results this week. "Maybe we'll know Tuesday," said Laura Ward, the group's president. Though the results will come too late to warn residents of tainted well water - Manatee County crews ran water lines to all homes after learning of the five fouled wells - they will help define the spread of toxins, officials said. Along that same line, Lockheed expects to get results from dirt samples they gathered from several homes after residents noted they had received soil from the plant years ago during an excavation project there. The excavation came long before Lockheed dug up and carted away about 500 tons of contaminated dirt, part of a cleanup project the company has penned for Florida regulators. Those Florida regulators also are working on a plan to sample the dirt, including the half-dozen homes that reportedly received American Beryllium soil. Sampling crews likely won't hit the area for two or more weeks, though, with no timetable set for test results. "Everything is going to progress as rapidly as possible," said Mike Zavosky, a spokesman with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For Ward and many in Tallevast, who had to wait nearly four years after Lockheed uncovered the spill to learn about it, most everything has moved rapidly since the contamination was reported in area newspapers in mid-May. "It has happened rather quickly," she said. "Now everyone has county water, and hopefully we'll be a little safer than before." Herald Staff Writer Dana Sanchez contributed to this report. ***************************************************************** 33 heraldtribune.com: Environmental self-protection Southwest Florida's Information Leader For Tallevast residents, 'abundance of caution' is just enough Florida's Department of Environmental Protection ought to consider putting the residents of the Tallevast neighborhood in southern Manatee County on the payroll. After all, they've done at least as much to protect their environment in recent months as state or local officials have. Last week, the DEP announced that a recent round of testing showed high levels of a dangerous cleaning solvent in five wells in Tallevast, a community off U.S. 301 near the Sarasota County line. The chemical, trichloroethylene, has been linked to liver and kidney cancer and other illnesses. The discovery came about a week after a DEP official had declared no wells were at risk and that the new tests were being conducted "in an abundance of caution and to reassure the public of our commitment." Some reassurance. Some commitment. DEP spokeswoman Merritt Mitchell said this week that the results of the new tests were unexpected. The wells lie outside an area that previous tests had identified as contaminated, she said. Last week, state and local officials moved quickly to connect 17 homes in Tallevast to county water lines. "Our ultimate goal is to make sure those folks are protected, and that's what we are doing," Mitchell said. A search is under way for the source or sources of the contamination. The DEP is checking reports that some residential properties have been used for industrial purposes, such as engine repair. The list of suspects also includes the nearby, defunct American Beryllium plant. Aircraft parts and other military products were made there from 1961 until the mid- 1990s, when it was purchased and shut down by Lockheed Martin. The defense-industry contractor found contamination at and around the plant shortly afterward. As the investigation into the newly found contamination proceeds, it's important to remember that Tallevast residents knew nothing about the American Beryllium pollution until last fall, when they began asking questions about workers' installing monitoring wells in their neighborhood. Under state law, the DEP generally isn't required to notify residents of pollution in their midst till a cleanup plan is approved. Fortunately, Tallevast residents -- whose sense of caution is obviously more abundant than that of some regulators -- pushed for more information and more action. Last modified: June 04. 2004 7:13AM ***************************************************************** 34 Tucson Weekly: Brushed Off PUBLISHED ON JUNE 3, 2004: A county wastewater employee says he was canned for speaking out against a private company--on his own time By DAVE DEVINE Jimmy Boegle Brian Blank: "They told me if I wanted to keep working there, I should be careful about what meetings I attend." Brian Blank thinks his job with the Pima County Wastewater Management Department was flushed down the toilet because, as an environmentalist, he attended some meetings on his own time. He's fighting to get the job back, but his chances appear minuscule. Hired in January of last year as an "industrial wastewater inspector-trainee," Blank was to have up to 18 months of training to prepare him to meet the minimum qualifications for a permanent, $30,000-a-year position. During this training period, he would be taught how to conduct inspections concerning industrial releases into the sewer system, how to take samples from these firms and how to write reports. "The goal of the job," the 52-year old Blank explains, "is to inspect private industry wastewater releases to make sure the companies aren't pouring acids and heavy metals down the sewer." With a university degree in geoscience and extensive experience in related fields, Blank seemed a natural for the position. Once he began working, however, he found his employer to be what he describes as pro-pollution and anti-environment when looking for wastewater system violations by large employers. As an example of this attitude, Blank recalls that one of his co-workers brought a Sierra Club magazine to work and was told to get rid of it. (When contacted about this incident, the county employee said, "I can't discuss that.") Even if he had personal disagreements with the approach the agency was taking toward industrial inspections, Blank received satisfactory job ratings on his three- and six-month performance evaluations. In October, as a private citizen, he attended an open house concerning Brush Ceramic Products' (aka Brush Wellman) air-quality permit application to Pima County. For many years, Brush's Tucson opponents have charged that its southside plant releases toxic beryllium into the air, thus endangering those living, working and going to schools nearby (See "Something in the Air," February 13, 2003)--allegations that Brush denies. For the last five years, Blank has been a member of the ad hoc Environmental Justice Action Group, which has opposed the company. He even revealed this association on his application for the wastewater inspector job. After the October open house, in an Arizona Daily Star article about Brush, Blank was quoted and identified simply as a geologist. Within 10 minutes of arriving at work the morning the story appeared, Blank says he was called into his supervisor's office. "They told me if I wanted to keep working there, I should be careful about what meetings I attend," Blank says. "Plus, I was told, 'Don't talk to the media.'" Despite that warning, Blank spoke at a public hearing on Brush's application for a county air-quality permit later in October. He was also shown briefly on a KOLD-TV Channel 13 piece about the gathering and labeled as "a concerned citizen." "They can't tell me not to go to a meeting on my own time," Blank insists. Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias agrees. Assuming the employee is on his own, time, "a Pima County employee should have the same rights to speak out at a public meeting just like all the citizens of our community," he says. After his second public appearance concerning Brush, however, the reaction Blank got at work was anything but conciliatory. His required field training stopped almost entirely, and Blank says he mostly sat at his desk reviewing reports and studying manuals for the next few months. Believing he needed more field inspection experience before taking the final examination for a permanent wastewater position, Blank felt frustrated. That attitude didn't affect his job performance, though, and in late January, his 12-month evaluation again had satisfactory marks. A few weeks later, as a private citizen, Blank attended a meeting that focused on groundwater pollution south of the University of Arizona, but did not speak. Two days later, Blank was fired. Dumbfounded, he asked for an explanation, and says he was told there were a lot of reasons for his termination. While his supervisors wouldn't discuss the specifics behind his firing, Blank is convinced it was caused by his appearances at the public meetings. The written explanation provided him, however, states: "You have failed to satisfactorily complete the requirements for an Industrial Wastewater Control Inspector trainee ..." Even though Blank had received a satisfactory job performance evaluation just three weeks before his firing, and though he had been in training for only 13 of the 18 months allowed, on Feb. 20, he was unceremoniously out of work. When asked to explain these apparent discrepancies, officials from the Wastewater Management Department referred all questions to the county's Human Resources Department. "Human resources wouldn't have information on the reasons for a termination; the (applicable) department would," said Bill Hansel, human resources manager for Pima County. But in general terms, he says that during the training period, any employee can be let go if they're not making it. "If someone comes in and doesn't complete (during training) what's necessary," Hansel says, "they can be terminated." Plus, he adds, as trainees, they have no right of appeal. Blank, however, is hoping to get his job back. The local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees labor union has protested the termination, and a hearing is scheduled next week. In the meantime, Blank shakes his head over his treatment by Pima County and what it means for the community. "This will have a chilling effect on anyone trying to be a good environmental steward," Blank said. "Even if you're a trainee, you still have rights to what you do on your own time." Recently in Currents: Copyright 1995-2004 ***************************************************************** 35 WCPO: Increased Tab For Fernald Cleanup Costing Taxpayers Reported by: AP News Web produced by: Neil Relyea Photographed by: 9News 6/5/04 11:32:02 PM As the federal government continues attempts to clean up radioactive waste from the former Fernald uranium processing plant in northwest Hamilton County, bills are mounting and delays are looming. Federal investigators say taxpayers have picked up the tab for at least $80 million of cost overruns and other expenses since the mid-1990s. Project officials say they've solved most of the past problems, but cleaning up waste from silos at Fernald has long been considered one of the biggest challenges. According to the government's latest contract with Fluor Fernald, the company contracted for the cleanup, the cost of the project has increased to $420 million. The hoped-for 2006 completion is in jeopardy since the state of Nevada has threatened a lawsuit to stop shipments of Fernald's radioactive waste for storage at the Energy Department's Nevada Test Site. | WCPO-TV ***************************************************************** 36 Rocky Mountain News: Opinion Speakout: Bullheaded about nuclear waste By Joseph C. Strolin June 6, 2004 The News' editorial of May 14, "Congress ducks duty on waste site," completely mischaracterized the state of Nevada's reasons for opposing the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. The state's opposition is emphatically not a NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) response. Nevada has said from Day One that the federal government had to demonstrate, through sound science, that the Yucca Mountain site could, in fact, isolate deadly radioactive waste from people and the environment for the tens of thousands of years necessary. The Department of Energy has not done that. Quite the contrary, DOE has wasted billions of dollars trying to make a bad site look acceptable. DOE's own studies have shown that radioactive waste placed within this porous mountain will begin to leak into the environment in a very short period of time. To compensate, DOE has tried to come up with a whole array of Rube Goldberg fixes, including waste disposal containers that have to last for more than 10,000 years! Ironically, experts who study the material these containers are to be made of have found that it corrodes very rapidly in the Yucca Mountain environment and will probably fail in a few hundred years, maybe less. It's almost criminal that DOE and the federal government have so single-mindedly and wrongheadedly focused on Yucca Mountain as the only solution to the problem of spent fuel disposal. It was apparent early on that the Nevada site was unsuitable. But rather than acknowledge that fact and put the country's resources into finding suitable alternative solutions, the feds stubbornly forged ahead for solely political and, yes, NIMBY reasons - no congressman or senator wants to reopen the issue for fear that his or her state could find itself as the next target. Nevada has no dog in the fight over the appropriateness of nuclear power generation. If other states chose nuclear as an energy option, that is their decision to make. But let's not victimize countless generations of Nevadans by forcing a patently unsafe waste disposal site on the state for the sake of political expediency and because our federal government can't admit it made a grievous mistake. Joseph C. Strolin is the administrator of the Office of the Governor's Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects planning division in Carson City, Nev. ***************************************************************** 37 U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham to Commission New Clean Coal Plant; Will Provide $107 Million Grant to West Virginia Clean Coal Plant 6/4/2004 2:51:00 PM To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor, Energy Reporter Contact: Drew Malcomb of the U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-5806 News Advisory: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will travel to West Virginia Monday to commission a $215 million clean coal project based on new technology that over the next 60 months will deliver environmental improvements, economic benefits and thousands of new jobs. The project is part of President Bush's Clean Coal Power Initiative, a key component of the National Energy Policy that competitively selects commercial-scale technology demonstrations to continue and expand the use of coal as a fuel source. Development of the new technology, termed atmospheric-pressure circulating fluidized-bed combustion, is a joint-venture between the Department of Energy and Western Greenbrier Co-Generation LLC. It will use nearby waste-coal to generate electric power with ultra-low emissions of pollutants while concurrently producing combustion ash byproducts and heat to support industrial activities. The power plant will serve as the anchor tenant for a new "Eco-Park" site in Rainelle, W. Va. WHO: Secretary Abraham WHAT: Clean Coal Grant Announcement WHERE: The Roland P. Sharp Alumni Conference Center, 400 N. Lee Street, Lewisburg, W.Va. WHEN: Monday, June 7, 12:30 p.m. http://www.usnewswire.com/ -0- / 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ ***************************************************************** 38 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to Make Major Environmental Management Announcements June 7 in Cincinnati 6/4/2004 3:35:00 PM To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Chris Kielich of U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-5806 News Advisory Energy Secretary Abraham to Make Major Environmental Management Announcements June 7 in Cincinnati DETAILS: On Monday, June 7, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will make two major announcements in Cincinnati, Ohio, regarding Department of Energy (DOE) environmental management cleanup activities. Secretary Abraham will be joined by Rep. Rob Portman of Ohio. WHO: -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham -- Rep. Rob Portman WHAT: Press conference WHEN: Monday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. WHERE: Lunken Airport, Main Hangar Lobby, 262 Wilmer, Cincinnati, Ohio / 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ ***************************************************************** 39 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to View Hydrogen Dispensing and Storage Equipment in Allentown, Pa. 6/4/2004 3:39:00 PM To: Assignment Desk and Daybook Editor Contact: Tom Welch of the U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-5806 News Advisory: On Monday, June 7, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will visit Air Products and Chemicals Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to highlight the company's role in President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. Last month, President Bush and Secretary Abraham announced that the Department of Energy had selected more than $350 million in hydrogen research projects to address the major technical and economic hurdles that must be overcome to make the hydrogen vision a reality. With private sector cost share, these projects will contribute $575 million to hydrogen research over the next 5 years. Air Products and Chemicals will play an important part in two of those projects. They will lead one of five teams in the National Vehicle and Infrastructure Demonstration activity. These "learning demonstrations" will provide important fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen refueling infrastructure performance, cost and durability data to focus research efforts. Air Products will also conduct research on novel materials for hydrogen storage. WHO: U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham WHAT: Tour and Remarks to Air Products Employees and Guests WHEN: Monday, June 7, 2004, 2:45 p.m. WHERE: Air Products and Chemicals Inc., 7201 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown, Pa. http://www.usnewswire.com/ -0- / 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ ***************************************************************** 40 Newswise: New ORNL Project Takes Aim at Heart of Air Quality, Health Issue Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory Released: Fri 04-Jun-2004, 13:40 ET DescriptionA study might help explain whether there is a relationship between inhalation of small particles, reduced heart rate variability and death. MEDIA CONTACT: New ORNL project takes aim at heart of air quality, health issue OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 4, 2004 -- Newswise  A study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners might help explain whether there is a relationship between inhalation of small particles, reduced heart rate variability and death. While there is evidence to suggest that breathing air containing particulate matter can cause problems for people with decreased heart rate variability, no one has done a definitive study to examine whether there is a direct link between the two. Roger Jenkins of the lab’s Chemical Sciences Division hopes to address the situation with a two-year study involving 40 participants who will be exposed to three commonly encountered indoor air pollutants. “Understanding the relationship between heart rate variability and particle exposure could help explain increased mortality associated with inhalation of small particles,” Jenkins said. “We hope this will be a first step toward learning how heart rate variability changes as we move through many environments during the course of a day.” Heart rate variability refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate on a micro-second time scale. As people age, this micro-chaos tends to diminish, and there is evidence linking this condition to sudden death for people who have had previous heart attacks. The study by ORNL and the University of Kentucky will address what Jenkins describes as a major flaw in previous studies that typically measure outdoor particulate concentrations. Most people, however, spend the majority of their time indoors, Jenkins noted. “The big challenge -- and the only way to get a real handle on the problem -- is to simultaneously measure heart rate variability, respiration and particulate concentrations,” said Jenkins, who has published several papers about real-world exposures to environmental tobacco smoke. While ORNL has vast experience in sampling and studying exposures to environmental tobacco smoke, researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Biomedical Engineering provide expertise in the cardio-respiratory interface and measurement techniques. Researchers will expose subjects to cooking oil fumes, environmental tobacco smoke and wood smoke intermittently for three hours on three separate occasions. “The exposures will average out to the levels of indoor air particles that many of us encounter in our daily lives,” said Jenkins, who hopes to accomplish two major goals. “We should have a far better understanding of the mechanisms that control changes in heart rate variability associated with particulate exposure,” Jenkins said. “And we should know what it will take to develop a portable real-time monitor that can simultaneously measure heart rate variability, respiration and airborne particle concentration.” With the new Environmental Protection Agency Particulate Matter 2.5 standard, which is stricter than the previous PM10 standard regarding acceptable quantities of pollutants in the air, Jenkins believes this study has special importance. “National laboratories should deal with complex problems of national significance, and this project certainly falls into that category,” Jenkins said. “As a nation, we need to know the impact on human health of inhaling fine particles, and this research should enable us to make significant progress in that area.” Jenkins expects recruiting of subjects to begin in July. In each year, about 20 non-smokers between 25 and 45 in age with an equal number of men and women will participate in the study. Each participant will undergo a physical examination to rule out certain risk factors such as diabetes, systemic hypertension, and respiratory and heart abnormalities. The Oak Ridge Sitewide Institutional Review Board has granted approval to use human subjects and the associated research project protocol. Each exposure cycle will be less than three hours in duration, and actual exposures to the test aerosols likely will be less than one hour. In addition, maximum concentrations of smoke and fumes will be lower than what is allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for workers for eight hours. Researchers will collect physiological response data during the experiments, and participants will provide information about other exposures they encounter as part of their daily routines. All information will be kept confidential and all data will be linked through an identifying number and code for each participant. If the study shows sufficient reason to believe there are cardio-pulmonary responses to exposures to airborne contaminants, Jenkins hopes for a follow-up project to develop instrumentation that can be worn by participants under real-world exposure conditions. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy. The research is funded by Philip Morris. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: You may read other press releases from Oak Ridge National Laboratory or learn more about the lab at http://www.ornl.gov/news. 2004 Newswise. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 41 Times-News: Unions fued over INEEL cleanup jobs www.magicvalley.com The Times-News Sunday, June 6, 2004 Twin Falls, Idaho Originally published Friday, June 4, 2004The Associated Press IDAHO FALLS -- Two major eastern Idaho labor unions are feuding over jobs on waste cleanup projects at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The Paper Allied Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union, representing service workers at the site, and building trades represented by the AFL-CIO are at odds over who should be digging up contaminated dirt and building lined landfills to store it. Only a few dozen jobs are at stake, but the tug of war between the two unions could well reflect the economic uncertainty facing the region's labor force. "It's long-term work, and there isn't much of that out here anymore," said Doc Detonancour, a leader of the service union local. In the past year, the 15 eastern Idaho counties generated fewer than 600 new jobs while the other 29 counties saw an increase of more than 15,000 jobs, according to the latest state employment figures. The $30 million project involves removing contaminated soil from numerous sites on the 900-square-mile installation in the eastern Idaho desert and storing the material in a lined landfill. Estimates are that the work will take 10 years. The Energy Department initially split the classification of work on the project -- earmarking the removal of contaminated soil for the service workers and the disposal in landfills for the building trades. But the AFL-CIO objected and convinced the U.S. Department of Labor to designate the entire project for the building trades -- a decision the Energy Department adopted last February. That forced up to 40 service union workers to be shifted to other projects as the building trades took those jobs over. Union attorney Michael Whyte said the Labor Department misinterpreted the law governing the distribution of jobs, and in mid-April the service union filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court, claiming the Energy Department violated its own regulations in excluding service workers from the cleanup project. "We're trying to avoid it being a union-versus-union issue," Whyte said. "It's a DOE issue." Department spokesman Tim Jackson had no comment Thursday on the legal maneuvering because the government has yet to be served with any suit. Copyright 2004, Lee Publications Inc. Magicvalley.com is an on-line division of The Times-News, published daily at 132 W. 3rd St., Twin Falls, Idaho 83301 by Lee Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises. ***************************************************************** 42 ONN: Cleanup Could Cost Taxpayers . Ohio News Now: June 6, 2004 As the government tries again to clean up radioactive waste from a former uranium processing plant, bills are mounting and delays are looming. Federal investigators say taxpayers have picked up the tab for at least $80-million of cost overruns and other expenses since the mid-1990s. Projects officials say they've solved most of the past problems, but cleaning up waste from silos at Fernald has long been considered one of the biggest challenges. The site is 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati. According to the government's latest contract with Fluor Fernald, the cost of the project has increased to $420-million. The hoped-for 2006 completion is in jeopardy because Nevada is threatening a lawsuit to stop shipments to the Energy Department's Nevada Test Site. Associated Press and Dispatch Productions, Inc., 2004. All All content Copyright 2004, WorldNow and Dispatch Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 43 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 13:19:57 -0700 (PDT) US plans major cut to nuclear warhead stockpile The Olympian - Olympia,WA,USA WASHINGTON -- The United States plans to substantially reduce its stockpile of nuclear warheads over the next eight years to coincide with reductions in ... See all stories on this topic: LIBYANS reportedly got centrifuge parts training via nuclear ... Lexington Herald Leader - Lexington,KY,USA KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The alleged top financier of an international nuclear trafficking network brought seven Libyan technicians to Malaysia to train on ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR fears over Olympics Melbourne Herald Sun - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia By LINCOLN WRIGHT. NUCLEAR bomb ingredients are missing in Libya, raising fears in the CIA about the security of the Athens Olympic Games. ... IF oil-crunched Indonesia goes nuclear... Straits Times - Singapore ... economic and commercial implications, and could even have geopolitical repercussions for Singapore and other close neighbours if it opts for nuclear power in ... NUCLEAR terror hits in 'Meltdown' Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA ... of plot surprises, "Meltdown," airing tomorrow at 8 pm, is a suspenseful by-the-numbers action film, a cautionary tale about whether nuclear power plants are ... See all stories on this topic: NATWAR s Nuclear Doctrine Pakistan Times - Pakistan KEEPING his gale vis--vis Pakistan in one piece, Indias new Foreign Minister, Natwar Singh has suggested a Pakistan-China-India nuclear doctrine for ... See all stories on this topic: PAKISTAN willing to reduce nuclear weapons Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA Islamabad, Pakistan, Jun. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistan is ready to reduce its nuclear arsenal if India does the same, says President Pervez Musharraf. ... See all stories on this topic: MEDIA ADVISORY - " Nuclear Energy : Meeting the Challenges " CNW Telbec (Communiqus de presse) - Canada Hear what energy leaders from Canada and United States have to say on dealing with electricity supply issues and how nuclear energy will be essential to ... NUCLEAR bill to be presented in the Assembly on Monday Hi Pakistan - Lahore,Pakistan ISLAMABAD: The government will present the nuclear bill in the National Assembly on Monday that could empower it to hand over the accused nuclear scientists to ... MUSHARRAF ready for mutual reduction of nuclear arsenal with ... SpaceDaily - USA Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, in remarks aired Friday as Pakistan conducted a test of a nuclear-capable missile, said he was prepared to reduce his ... See all stories on this topic: This daily-once News Alert is brought to you by Google News (BETA)... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Remove this News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts/remove?s=92d1672a1b037a07&hl=en Create another News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts?hl=en Try Google News: http://news.google.com/ ***************************************************************** 44 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Sun, 06 Jun 2004 13:20:46 -0700 (PDT) SKOREA appeals for 'more substantive' Chinese ideas at nuclear ... Channel News Asia - Singapore ... South Korea urged Beijing to bring more "substantive" proposals to the negotiating table during the next round of talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. ... See all stories on this topic: IRAN says it has removed all nuclear concerns Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK TEHRAN, June 6 (Reuters) - Iran has done everything necessary to clear up outstanding concerns about its nuclear programme, which Washington says could be used ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR terror vs. the horror of `Cop Rock' Miami Herald (subscription) - Miami,FL,USA ... but. The literal ones appear in Meltdown, FX's taut, scary movie about terrorists seizing control of a nuclear power plant. Nearly ... NUCLEAR firm's big role in NZ Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand French state-owned nuclear power services firm Areva caused a storm two years ago among Greenpeace protesters in New Zealand by sponsoring France's America's ... NUCLEAR submarine christened 'Jimmy Carter' Pioneer Press - St. Paul,MN,USA BY DAVID HO. GROTON, Conn. At the christening of the Navy's latest nuclear vessel Saturday, two Jimmy Carters got doused with champagne the former ... See all stories on this topic: FOUR Kansans in House oppose succession plan The Wichita Eagle - Wichita,KS,USA ... Nuclear waste: On a 48-48 tie, the Senate on Thursday voted to allow the Department of Energy to reclassify nuclear waste in a way that will permit permanent ... JOHN Kerry (D) Free State Standard (subscription) - Canton,TX,USA ... (3) NUCLEAR WASTE: Voted, 48-48, to allow the ... A yes vote was to prevent Energy Department reclassification of nuclear waste so as to permit on-site disposal. See all stories on this topic: KERRY'S principal principle Fort Worth Star Telegram (subscription) - Fort Worth,TX,USA ... Hecht, a one-term Republican senator elected in 1982, who said he opposed using Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as a nuclear waste "suppository ... 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