***************************************************************** 06/22/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.148 ***************************************************************** 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 MNA: U.S. Threats Only Steel Iran's Resolve 2 Las Vegas SUN: Nations to Discuss Freezing N.Korea Nukes 3 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Hopes for 6-way talks 4 Korea Herald: 6-nation nuke talks open with new prospects 5 Guardian Unlimited: Nations to Discuss Freezing N.Korea Nukes 6 ABC Asia Pacific: N Korea nuclear talks set to open 7 JoongAng Daily: OUTLOOK: The North Korean challenge 8 Xinhuanet: DPRK, US still poles apart on eve of talks 9 AFP: US not optimistic ahead of nuclear talks, puts onus on NKorea 10 CBC News: U.S. tells North Korea aid tied to nuclear program 11 CS Monitor: No more appeasement for North Korea (V Havel) 12 US: Las Vegas RJ: House approves bill to pay Western Shoshone for la 13 Xinhuanet: China ready for energy dialogue - Premier 14 Hindu News: World must accept India, Pak. as n-powers - Kasuri 15 Xinhuanet: Vice FM elaborates China's stance on nuclear talks 16 Daily Times: Ending nuclear rivalry: Pakistan and India doing well, 17 CBS News: World Of Worry Over Nukes 18 Scotsman.com: Warning of nuclear 'race against time' 19 asahi.com: EDITORIAL: New energy policy NUCLEAR REACTORS 20 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 21 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Subcommittee Meet 22 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting 23 US: fredericksburg.com: NRC hears opponents to new reactors at North 24 iafrica.com: sa news Nuclear power unavoidable - minister 25 London Free Press: Province mulls Pickering reactors' fate 26 US: AP Wire: NRC to keep watch on Perry plant 27 US: chattanoogan: TVA, Other Agencies To Conduct Nuclear Exercise - 28 Toronto Star: Nuclear power plant safety a priority for area 29 Sify: Atomic Energy Act to be reviewed 30 US: NRC: NRC Staff to Meet with Pacific Gas &Electric to Discuss Dia 31 US: Morning Journal News: Ex-Hunt Valve manager charged with defraud 32 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice 33 US: NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collecti NUCLEAR SAFETY 34 US: Las Vegas SUN: Kennedy: America at Risk of Nuke Attack 35 US: Las Vegas SUN: Study: Toxic Chemical Found in Cows Milk 36 US: Hawk Eye: House may stall claims bill 37 New Zealand Herald: Stolen liquid radioactive NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 38 Las Vegas RJ: Senator proposes financial fix for Yucca project 39 Las Vegas SUN: Reid delays meeting after hearing of Yucca plan 40 US: AP Wire: Planned plutonium shipment generates fears in Lowcountr 41 www.tbsource.com: Mayors Say No To Nuclear Waste For Northern Ontari 42 US: Charleston.Net: Planned plutonium shipment generates fears NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 43 Tri-City Herald: Hanford project to test bulk vitrification 44 DenverPost.com: Trigger-plant tower is toppled 45 Oak Ridger: Knox small business awarded DOE contract 46 Oak Ridger: 'Suspicious vehicle' closes Y-12 entrance 47 Oak Ridger: Decision day for union contracts 48 lamonitor.com: Strategic research brings good things to LANL 49 Oak Ridger: Our View: Impact of negotiations far reaching OTHER NUCLEAR 50 Google News Alert - nuclear 51 KPHO Phoenix: Strange Lights Spotted After Power Outage ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 MNA: U.S. Threats Only Steel Iran's Resolve Mehr News Agency English Tehran:06:06,2004/06/23 Opinion Column, June 23 TEHRAN, June 22 (MNA) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell made a threatening statement on Monday in which he claimed that United Nations sanctions would be imposed on Iran if it fails to prove that it is not trying to gain access to nuclear weapons. The U.S. threat confirms the remarks President Mohammad Khatami made on June 22. In a meeting with the Yemeni deputy prime minister in Tehran, Khatami had said that there is a certain political will in the world which is opposed to countries like Iran making progress. Powell made the threatening statement after meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammad ElBaradei in Washington on June 21. The IAEA approved an unacceptable resolution on Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities last Friday. Iranian officials described the resolution as a political document not a technical document, saying it was approved by the IAEA Board of Governors due to U.S. pressure. The recent meeting between the U.S. secretary of state and the IAEA director general and their harsh words, particularly ElBaradei’s scathing remarks, proved that Iran was correct in saying that the resolution was politicized. Powell’s remarks about placing UN sanctions on Iran indicate that the U.S. is making renewed efforts to forward Iran’s nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council before the next session of the IAEA Board in September. The United States has made two previous attempts to do this but failed both times. As Khatami announced on Tuesday, the Islamic Republic does not see any hindrance to Iran-IAEA cooperation. Iran is still being pressured, despite the fact that most of the issues about its nuclear program have been resolved and most of the IAEA accusations against the country have been proven false. This pressure is meant to prevent development in Iran, where the Islamic Revolution was born. The West, and particularly the U.S., wants Iran incapacitated and weakened and is trying to turn Iran into a U.S. client state, as it was before. By opening its nuclear installations to IAEA inspectors, Iran has proven that it has no nuclear weapons program. But the agency, influenced by the U.S., has kept Iran’s nuclear dossier open on the pretext of a few minor unresolved issues. Obviously, if the IAEA continues to bow to the will of Washington, Iran will become more determined to review its ties with the agency. HL/HG End MNA © 2003 Mehr News Agency ***************************************************************** 2 Las Vegas SUN: Nations to Discuss Freezing N.Korea Nukes By SOO-JEONG LEE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIJING (AP) - The United States, North Korea and four other nations agreed Tuesday to discuss a freezing of the North's nuclear program and inspections that would lead to its eventual dismantlement, a South Korean official said. Some of the governments were working on plans to offer the North aid in exchange for suspending its clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The agreement was reached in two days of negotiations on an agenda for six-nation talks that start Wednesday in Beijing. "Each country's representatives agreed that the ultimate goal is nuclear dismantlement," a South Korean official said on condition of anonymity. He said delegates agreed that "discussions concerning a freeze accompanied by verification, as a first step toward nuclear dismantlement, should be continued at the main talks." Two earlier rounds of talks among the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States ended with little progress. In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said North Korea appeared to be more cooperative this round, and expressed hope for "major progress." "It seems North Korea is more actively trying to explain its policy to other countries this time," Hosoda said. "The country has always demonstrated strong rejection to the others, but not this time." But the chief U.S. delegate, James Kelly, expressed less optimism. "There is no particular reason to be optimistic, but I've come prepared for serious discussions," Kelly said. He said talks would give North Korea "a great opportunity to signal its commitment to a full-scale denuclearization." "If and when they do, this will open all kinds of things, politically, economically and diplomatically," Kelly said. The North wants aid in exchange for an initial freeze of its nuclear program. But the United States says it will only offer assistance to North Korea's faltering economy if the isolated dictatorship proves its willingness to undertake a "complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling" of its program. Under a plan being discussed ahead of the talks, the United States would not give assistance, but Japan and South Korea would provide aid in stages, a senior Bush administration official said in Washington. South Korea's delegate, Lee Soo-hyuck, said he would be promoting a three-stage plan, announced previously, that would give the North aid and a "security guarantee" from Washington and its allies. "It is our determination to make substantial progress from the third round of talks," Lee said. North Korea has suffered food shortages and other problems since disclosing in the mid-1990s that its state-run farm system had collapsed after decades of mismanagement and the loss of Soviet subsidies. Experts organized by the United Nations have been visiting the North in recent months to assess its needs for energy and other assistance in preparation for possible aid packages. South Korean officials planned to meet with North Korea's delegation before the talks. There was no immediate word on whether U.S. and North Korean officials would also meet separately. China appealed for patience, saying the issue was still "very complicated." "We hope the various parties can demonstrate the utmost flexibility," said Zhang Qiyue, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The nuclear standoff began in October 2002, when the United States said the North admitted running a secret nuclear program in violation of a 1994 agreement. -- ***************************************************************** 3 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Hopes for 6-way talks 2004.06.23 The delegates from South and North Korea, and the four countries which have a security stake on the peninsula, are meeting again in Beijing to discuss the North's nuclear development problem. However, the six-way talks, the third round since they began 10 months ago, allow little expectations for a breakthrough. Some try to find hopeful signs of North Korean moderation from the recent inter-Korean agreements on steps to ease tension on the sensitive West Sea, and to discontinue psychological warfare activities on either side of the border. But others warn the soft stance Pyongyang showed in the military officers' talks earlier this month was aimed at keeping Seoul on its side in its standoff with Washington on the nuclear issue. While the United States gave no hint about making a concession from its hard line position of CVID on the North's nuclear program, official North Korean mouthpieces have blared out their own version of CVID, demanding "a complete, verifiable and irrevocable dismantlement" of U.S. hostility toward it. Our estimate is that the North might have added several more kilograms of plutonium to its nuclear arsenal during the stalemate that began in October 2002 when the North announced the scrapping of the 1994 Agreed Framework signed with the United States. Some speculate that Pyongyang will propose signing a peace treaty between South and North Korea and the United States. Washington's reaction will certainly be negative if there is no advance, or at least a simultaneous act of nonproliferation. North Koreans must believe time is on their side and may try to drag things a little further until they can declare themselves a nuclear power. But do they realize that a new nuclear power may collapse under economic destitution? Knowing things better, is the United States simply waiting for the "implosion" of this rogue state? We hope to receive some answers to these questions during the Beijing talks. ***************************************************************** 4 Korea Herald: 6-nation nuke talks open with new prospects 2004.06.23 By Choi Soung-ah Korea Herald correspondent BEIJING - The much-awaited third round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear standoff begins here this afternoon, with all delegates showing eagerness to reach a conclusion. The talks, set to lift its curtains at 3 p.m. local time, will begin with the host China's chief delegate Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi's opening key speech, followed by two-minute presentations by each attending party. The talks will be a continuation of cooperative efforts by South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, to bring about a peaceful resolution to Pyongyang's nuclear programs. Day one of the meeting will convene with presentations from representatives of each country, with China first in order, followed by North Korea, Japan, South Korea, Russia and finally, the United States. Arriving in the Chinese capital yesterday morning, Seoul's chief delegate to the talks Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck once again reiterated that his party is prepared to put in all efforts to achieve substantial progress on the issue. "It is difficult to bring out an epoch-making plan each time around," Lee told reporters upon arrival at Beijing's central airport. "But we will present our three-stage settlement proposal to the delegates and seek their understanding and support." Seoul's proposal calls for initial verbal promises to address each other's concerns, followed by phased-in "reciprocal" action and then normalization of relations after the nuclear issue is fully settled. With more than 24 hours between the closing of the working group talks and the main six-party talks, South Korea has been pushing for a meeting with North Korea, an official said. He also said the United States and North Korea were expected to hold a one-on-one meeting. Lee and his delegation reportedly held several diplomatic contacts yesterday and today, as the United States, North Korea and four other countries warm up to the actual talks. Chief nuclear negotiators from Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are expected to hold an informal trilateral meeting in the morning prior to the actual opening which is scheduled later than previous sessions. Brief bilateral meetings have reportedly taken place between South Korea and the United States, as well as China. But it is not known whether the two Koreas were able to sit down for talks prior to the opening ceremony. North Korea's delegation, led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan, arrived Monday for the main nuclear talks, according to a diplomatic source. As a prelude to the formal six nation meeting, working-level officials from the six countries yesterday ended their two days of talks aimed at preparing for the main session. During the meeting, all parties re-evaluated China's role, held serious discussions on the options of a resolution, and unanimously agreed the need for active discussions and debates during the main talks. All six parties also jointly voiced that dismantlement is the ultimate goal in these talks. The nuclear dispute began in October 2002 after U.S. officials said North Korea admitted to having a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of international agreements. The previous two rounds of six-party talks, first in August and then in February, failed to produce a clear breakthrough. At issue is the U.S. demand that North Korea dismantle its nuclear program in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, known as the "CVID formula." North Korea says the U.S. demand is unacceptable, because it negates even the peaceful use of nuclear power and targets an arms program based on highly enriched uranium (HEU) that Pyongyang claims it doesn't have. (bluelle@heraldm.com) By Choi Soung-ah ***************************************************************** 5 Guardian Unlimited: Nations to Discuss Freezing N.Korea Nukes the Associated Press [UP] Tuesday June 22, 2004 7:16 PM By SOO-JEONG LEE Associated Press Writer BEIJING (AP) - North Korea said Tuesday it is ready at six-nation talks to discuss freezing its nuclear program and allowing inspections, diplomats said, part of Washington's demand that the communist state give up its weapons ambitions. The talks begin Wednesday, with representatives of the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia gathering at a government guesthouse in Beijing. Two previous rounds of talks failed to settle the standoff, which flared in October 2002 when Washington said North Korea admitted running a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 agreement. On the eve of the new round, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said North Korea appeared to be more cooperative, and he expressed hope for ``major progress.'' ``It seems North Korea is more actively trying to explain its policy to other countries this time,'' Hosoda said in Tokyo. ``The country has always demonstrated strong rejection to the others, but not this time.'' A South Korean official said that, in preliminary discussions, ``each country's representatives agreed that the ultimate goal is nuclear dismantlement.'' They agreed that ``discussions concerning a freeze accompanied by verification, as a first step toward nuclear dismantlement, should be continued at the main talks,'' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Impoverished North Korea wants economic aid in exchange for a nuclear freeze. But Washington says there should be no reward for abandoning a program North Korea should not have started in the first place. Under a plan being discussed ahead of the talks, the United States would not give any assistance, but Japan and South Korea would provide aid in stages, a senior Bush administration official said in Washington. The agreement was reached during discussions that began Monday on an agenda for talks. South Korea's chief delegate expressed hope for ``substantial progress,'' but the American negotiator was more pessimistic. ``There is no particular reason to be optimistic, but I've come prepared for serious discussions,'' said James Kelly, an assistant U.S. secretary of state. The talks will give North Korea ``a great opportunity to signal its commitment to a full-scale denuclearization,'' Kelly said. ``If and when they do, this will open all kinds of things, politically, economically and diplomatically.'' North Korea has rejected U.S. demands for a ``complete verifiable and irreversible dismantling'' of its nuclear program, saying it needs a ``deterrent'' against possible U.S. attack. South Korean delegate Lee Soo-hyuck said he would be promoting a three-stage plan that would give the North aid and a ``security guarantee'' from Washington and its allies. ``We cannot bring a new proposal every time, but we plan to explain more specifically the three steps that we have been proposing,'' Lee said. ``We will seek understanding and support.'' The six nations have agreed a nuclear freeze by North Korea should entail inspections as the first step toward dismantlement, Japan's Kyodo News service said, citing South Korean delegation sources. China, which has taken on an unaccustomed role as peace broker by organizing the talks, appealed for patience. ``It is hard to avoid some difficulties, twists and turns, and even some setbacks in the process of resolving the nuclear issue,'' said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, quoted by the government's Xinhua News Agency. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 6 ABC Asia Pacific: N Korea nuclear talks set to open [http://abcasiapacific.com/news/] Last updated: 23/06/2004 2:14:48 AM AEST North Korea is reportedly ready to enter into deeper discussions regarding its nuclear weapons program However, significant differences between officials involved in six-way talks may hamper any progress. The high-level negotiations between North and South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China are due to begin in Beijing Wednesday and are expected to focus on identifying elements of North Korea's nuclear program which should be frozen. China's foreign ministry says one-on-one discussions with North Korea ahead of the six-party talks have proved constructive, but disagreements remain. Pyongyang has offered to freeze its plutonium facilities in return for rewards, such as energy and food aid from the United States. In return, the US has demanded a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of all the North's nuclear programs. ABC Asia Pacifc TV / Radio Australia ***************************************************************** 7 JoongAng Daily: OUTLOOK: The North Korean challenge [http://joongangdaily.joins.com] June 23, 2004 KST 10:34 (GMT+9) North Korea appears to be changing. First of all, its attitude toward South Koreans has become softer. Until recently, North Koreans acted in an offensive way toward South Koreans, but now more and more North Koreans are greeting South Koreans in a comparatively comfortable and normal manner. Not only that, North Korea is also showing a more flexible attitude than before concerning North and South Korean matters. For example, its agreement to South Korean proposals to prevent accidental clashes in the Yellow Sea is one that should be noted since it was the first time that both sides agreed on an experiment aimed at strengthening the trust between the North and the South in the military field. So, how then should we interpret this change in North Korea's attitude and approach toward the South and South Koreans? To begin with, we cannot assume that the North has given up its basic strategy. There is absolutely no sign that there is any change in its belief that the communist revolution will arise in the South, and that the Korean Peninsula will be united under Communism as a result of it. The North must be watching what is happening in the South nowadays and might be thinking that its strategy was right on the mark. North Korea has always thought that South Korean and American relations are inversely proportional to North Korean and American relations and has acted accordingly. North Korea surely thinks that the uncooperative relationship betwe-en South Korea and the United States is on account of the South Korean belief that the inter-Korean relations are improving. It claims that the tension between North Korea and the United States was not caused by North Korea's development of nuclear weapons but because the United States opposes the unification of North and South Korea. In addition, the North Koreans assume that such illogical views are spreading among the South Korean people. The reason why North Korea is softer toward the South is because it thinks the illusion of an improved relationship between North and South Korea will make the relationship between South Korea and the United States worse. It actually results from the fact that a large number of South Koreans believe inter-Korean relations are improving, and there will be no war here. Another reason for the softness of North Korea is that it needs economic help from other countries. It has tried to get economic help for the last few years from the United States, Europe and Japan, but no country other than South Korea was willing to help. North Korea probably wanted help from rich countries other than South Korea, but it had no choice but to accept the economic aid of the South. There are reports that the North Korean economy has improved, but most of it is just the effect of aid, and the economic structure of North Korea does not seem to have actually improved. North Korea shouts "independence" and "juche," but it has an economic structure that forces it to depend on outside forces permanently. It is true that North Korea has become softer toward South Korea in order to gain economic aid, but we can guess that the North thought long and hard about it before deciding to take such a position. This is because economic aid from South Korea can turn into political poison that threatens the North Korean system. Therefore, it can be said that the North probably found a way to use inter-Korean contacts and approaches to its advantage strategically, while keeping a soft attitude toward the South. It seems North Korea knows that the South Korean people, intellectuals in particular, have a soft spot when it comes to nationalism. South Koreans are mentally burned out from going through the processes of industrialization, democratization and globalization for the past 50 years, and although we need a mentally rational attitude, psychologically we actually dream of getting away from the dry world of rationalism and hiding in "the land of unification." Our mind and spirit are already vulnerable to the stimulator called "nationalism." In addition to that, we hear the voice that promises us the world of infinite possibilities, where "there is nothing that can't be done, if we do it together." North Korea has taken up the challenge. North Korea is acting softer not only because it wants financial aid, but also because it hopes to strategically make South Korean and American relations worse and get South Koreans drunk on the poisoned liquor called "nationalism." North Korea has taken up this challenge, and we need to confront it. It is time for us to pay attention. * The writer, a former ambassador to the United States, is a professor emeritus at Korea University. Translation by the JoongAng Daily staff. by Kim Kyung-won 2004.06.22 ***************************************************************** 8 Xinhuanet: DPRK, US still poles apart on eve of talks www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-23 08:06:14 BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Negotiators at six-party talks in Beijing this week will discuss a freeze of DPRK's nuclear programs and inspections leading to their dismantling, Tuesday's China Daily quoted South Korean official as saying. The official was speaking at the end of two days of working-group talks to lay a foundation for the senior-level negotiations among the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and host China set to run from Wednesday to Saturday. It was unclear whether progress toward ending the 20-month-old crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear programs could be made. Protagonists the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have given little sign of budging from their widely divergent positions. "There was a consensus that at the plenary talks there should be specific discussions on a nuclear freeze accompanied by inspection as the first step of dismantlement," the South Korean official told reporters after the working-level talks closed. "We believe that there will be authoritative and substantive discussions on elements of a freeze and other issues at the plenary talks," he said. "The representatives of the countries agreed that nuclear dismantlement is the ultimate goal." Host China has been cautiously optimistic about progress this week, but other participants have expected little headway. DPRK and the United States remain at loggerheads -- with Washington demanding Pyongyang dismantle fully its weapons programs and the North saying it wants aid in return for a freeze. HAMSTRUNG The working-level talks had been hamstrung because parties were waiting for the main talks to discuss any meaty proposals, U.S. officials said. "One consequence of holding working-group talks right before the plenary is that the North Koreans and others, for example, have said 'We'll talk to you in the plenary'. So I mean it's just completely negated the purpose," a Bush administration official said in Washington. "We didn't expect much out of this and our low expectations have been met." Pressure has been building for movement toward a solution to the crisis that erupted in October 2002 when U.S. officials said DPRK had admitted to a uranium enrichment program. DPRK, which U.S. President Bush bracketed in an "axis of evil" with pre-war Iraq and Iran, has denied that program. It took its plutonium nuclear plant near Pyongyang out of mothballs in early 2003 and says it has reprocessed the fuel in a move that analysts say could provide material for several bombs. DPRK may bring up a freeze-for-aid proposal at the senior-level talks opening Wednesday, U.S. officials said. "They have presented such ideas in the past without much success. The key this time will be to see if they are tying it to the elimination of all their nuclear programs, if they see it as a step toward the elimination of all their nuclear programs," said another Bush administration official. This year, the United States shifted its hard-line stance to say it would not oppose offers of aid from other countries to the North in return for a freeze, but insisted on the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of the program before U.S. security guarantees. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing signaled Monday he was cautiously optimistic some progress would be made this week. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said it was unclear whether the North was willing to be flexible but said the parties appeared less entrenched than in earlier rounds. "It's still not entirely clear at this point, but up to now, the exchanges of views have been expressions of very strong opposition," he said in Tokyo. "This time things are a bit different." (China Daily/Agencies) Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 AFP: US not optimistic ahead of nuclear talks, puts onus on NKorea [http://www.spacewar.com/] BEIJING (AFP) Jun 22, 2004 The United States said Tuesday it is not optimistic ahead of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons drive, and put the onus on Pyongyang to demonstrate its commitment to full-scale denuclearization. "There is no particular reason to be optimistic but I've come prepared for serious discussions," James Kelly, the State Department's top Asia hand and Washington's chief negotiator, said on his arrival at Beijing airport. "For the DPRK (North Korea), there is a great opportunity to signal their commitment to full-scale denuclearization. "When they do this, this will open up all kinds of things politically, economically and diplomatically." North Korea and the United States are deadlocked over allegations that the Stalinist state has a uranium-enrichment program. While North Korea admits to having plutonium facilities, and has offered to freeze them in return for simultaneous rewards such as energy and food aid, it has denied the uranium claims. The United States is insisting North Korea dismantle all its nuclear programs, including uranium, before it gets security guarantees and aid. Despite the standoff, now in its 20th month, delegates in Beijing for the talks said North Korea was more responsive in discussions this week, but admitted differences were still hampering progress. "North Korea seems to be willing to deepen discussions at the full session," said a Japanese official who participated in two days of working level talks that ended Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's comments last month in Pyongyang to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on his willingness to freeze the nuclear program could signal greater flexibility by Pyongyang, Japanese envoy to the full session Mitoji Yabunaka said. "As talks have come to the third round, we will make efforts to see as much progress as possible on the nuclear issue, taking into consideration the outcome of the prime minister's recent visit to North Korea," Yabunaka told journalists. Host China, which held one-on-one talks with close ally North Korea Tuesday, said the preparatory sessions this week laying the foundations had proved "constructive" but issues still needed to be worked on. "Although some consensus has been reached, important disagreements remain," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue. A South Korean official said the talks starting Wednesday between the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and China would focus on "which elements (of North Korea's nuclear program) should be frozen" as a first step. "There was agreement that specific discussion on the nuclear freezing which accompanies verification as the first step of the nuclear dismantling should continue at the main talks," he said. South Korea's head negotiator Lee Soo-hyuck said he would be pushing Seoul's "three-stage resolution" as a way out of the standoff. It envisages a pledge from North Korea to freeze all its nuclear programs in return for promises from Washington and its allies to meet Pyongyang's aid and security guarantee demands. There would then be a gradual dismantlement of the nuclear programs coinciding with aid flowing to the impoverished country, followed by a normalization of relations between the two sides. "We will make every effort to produce substantial progress from the third round (of talks)," said Lee. The United States, South Korea and Japan are expected to hold a trilateral discussion of the plan ahead of the main talks that open Wednesday at 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, officials said. While a host of bilateral meetings are set for Wednesday, nothing is scheduled between North Korea's top negotiator Kim Kye-Gwan and his US counterpart Kelly. Analysts are pessimistic that substantial progress will be made, citing lack of impetus by US President George W. Bush and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il ahead of the US presidential elections in November. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 10 CBC News: U.S. tells North Korea aid tied to nuclear program [http://www.cbc.ca/news/] Last Updated Tue, 22 Jun 2004 18:26:10 WASHINGTON - The United States says North Korea must demonstrate its commitment to getting rid of its nuclear programs before it receives any security guarantees or aid. + INDEPTH: [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/northkorea/] The call comes just ahead of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons. Colin Powell (File photo) "We've made it clear to the North Koreans what it will take to solve the problem and the benefit that ultimately awaits for North Korea when the problem is resolved. But the resolution of the problem demands that North Korea fully divulge and fully turn over and fully dismantle [its nuclear program]," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. If that happens, said Powell, "other members of the six-party talks have indicated a willingness to provide some assistance rather quickly." Pyongyang and Washington are deadlocked over allegations that North Korea has a uranium-enrichment program. Analysts are pessimistic that substantial progress will be made at the talks. They're citing the lack of impetus by U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of the U.S. presidential elections. Written by CBC News Online [http://cbc.ca/bios.html] Copyright © CBC 2004 ***************************************************************** 11 CS Monitor: No more appeasement for North Korea (V Havel) csmonitor.com [http://www.csmonitor.com/] Commentary > Opinion from the June 23, 2004 edition By Václav Havel It has been 60 years since the world first heard of Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler's successful escape from Auschwitz, an escape that brought to light accounts of Hitler's extermination camps. Their testimony forced representatives of the democratic world to face truths that many did not want to believe, even after the war. Thanks to Vrba, Wetzler, and countless other witnesses, the horrors and extent of the Nazis' "final solution" are universally known. Like the Holocaust, the crimes and brutal reality of Soviet communism were also outlined and understood, thanks to the writings of Arthur Koestler, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and others. Fortunately, people who use eyewitness testimony in attempts to expose the greatest crimes against humanity can be found in each era and all over the world. Rithy Panh described the terror of the Khmer Rouge, Kanan Makiya detailed the brutal prisons of Saddam Hussein, and Harry Wu has tried to show the perversion of the Laogai system of Chinese forced-labor camps. Today the testimony of thousands of North Korean refugees who have survived the miserable journey through Communist China to free South Korea tells of the criminal nature of the North Korean dictatorship. Accounts of repression are supported and verified by modern satellite images, and they clearly illustrate that North Korea has a functioning system of concentration camps. The kwan-li-so, or "political penal labor colonies," hold as many as 200,000 prisoners who are barely surviving day to day, or are dying under similar conditions to the millions of prisoners in the former Soviet gulag system. The northern part of the Korean Peninsula is governed by the world's worst totalitarian dictator, a man responsible for the loss of millions of lives. Kim Jong Il inherited the communist regime following the death of his father, Kim Il Sung, and has continued to strengthen the cult of personality. He sustains one of the largest armies in the world and is producing weapons of mass destruction even as the centrally planned economy and the state ideology - known as juche, a blend of nationalism and self-reliance - have led the country into famine. Despite the ever-present Army and police, tens of thousands of desperate North Koreans have escaped to China. In defiance of international treaties, the Chinese government refuses to recognize these people as refugees, and Chinese officials have blocked the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from contacting any North Korean in China. The Chinese government hunts the refugees in the woods along the border and sends them back to North Korea, where the journey ends in the kwan-li-so. All of this is happening right now, and the world is standing idly by. Some refugees are fortunate enough to make it to South Korea. But their presence there flies in the face of that country's official "sunshine policy," which, however well-intentioned, is based on constant concessions and appeasement. The policy costs South Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, but it is not helping in the effort to save innocent lives. In the end, the policy only keeps the leader of Pyongyang in power. Kim Jong Il is able to blackmail the world with the help of his huge Army, nuclear weapons, long-range missiles, and the export of weaponry and military technology to like-minded dictators around the world. He wants to be respected and feared abroad and to be recognized as one of the world's most powerful leaders. He is willing to let his own people die of hunger, and he uses famine to liquidate those who show any sign of wavering loyalty to his rule. Through blackmail, he receives food and oil, which he distributes among those loyal to him (first in line being the Army). Shockingly, the UN Commission on Human Rights has criticized the North Korean regime for its gross violations of human rights only twice since the commission was founded. Less shocking, but also disturbing, is the fact that the North Korean government has yet to implement any of the commission's recommendations. Now is the time for the democratic countries of the world - European Union members, the United States, Japan, South Korea - to take a common position. They must make it clear that they will not offer concessions to a totalitarian dictator. They must state that respect for basic human rights is an integral part of any future discussions with Pyongyang. Decisiveness, perseverance, and negotiations from a position of strength are the only things that Kim Jong Il and those like him understand. " Vaclav Havel is the former president of the Czech Republic. This article appeared first in The Washington Post. www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2004 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 Las Vegas RJ: House approves bill to pay Western Shoshone for land Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Some fear loss of right to pursue legal claims By SAMANTHA YOUNG STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON --The House voted Monday to unlock more than $145 million in Western Shoshone settlement funds, marking the closest the Indians have come to receiving payment for millions of acres lost to Western settlers. Legislation that has caused years of deep division among tribal members was passed by voice vote. It was sent to the Senate for what was expected to be quick and final approval. The uncontested vote came as a surprise to Western Shoshone who oppose the settlement. They expected House Democrats to speak against it. Democrats dropped their opposition after being lobbied by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who had spearheaded a settlement bill along with Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. "It's been 30 years and it's time to pay our people," said Nancy Stewart, co-chair of the Western Shoshone Claims Steering Committee. "Our people are some of the most poverty stricken people in our great nation," said Stewart, a member of the Fallon Western Shoshone Tribe. Reid wrote to House lawmakers Friday, urging "swift consideration and passage" of the Western Shoshone bill and promising to work on outstanding land issues related to the settlement. Western Shoshone groups who have lobbied against compensation contend the settlement payments will extinguish tribal legal claims to their ancestral lands. "They are going to go ahead and start selling it to the gold mines and start shoveling the water to Las Vegas and shipping nuclear waste through Western Shoshone territory to Yucca Mountain," said Te-Moak tribal chairman Hugh Stevens. Hours before the House vote, the National Congress of American Indians approved a resolution that Congress not "impose" a claims distribution bill upon any "tribe that has not consented to the settlement of its land claims." The resolution further stated Congress should direct the Interior Department to negotiate land disputes with the Western Shoshone before any compensation legislation is approved. "It's a very sad day for Indian rights, particularly for Western Shoshone who are struggling to hold onto their land rights," said Steve Tullberg, director of the Indian Law Resource Center. Gibbons said the bill would not preclude tribes from making land claims. Congress in 1979 allocated $26.1 million to the Western Shoshone at the direction of the Indian Claims Commission, which had determined the tribes should be compensated for land and resources lost because of gradual encroachment. The tribes were given an 1872 price for their land and minerals, about 15 cents an acre. The fund has accumulated more than $145 million, which will be divided equally among eligible Western Shoshone. The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates about 6,000 would receive settlement money; however, Stewart said as few as 3,500 Western Shoshone could qualify for the settlement. Eligible recipients would be those living at the date of the bill's enactment, a U.S. citizen and at least a quarter Western Shoshone. Another $1.5 million would be set aside in an education trust fund for the tribes. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 13 Xinhuanet: China ready for energy dialogue - Premier www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-22 13:47:35 QINGDAO, June 22 (Xinhuanet) -- China stands ready to conduct energy dialogue and cooperation with other countries in Asia and the world at large on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Chinese P remier Wen Jiabao said here Tuesday. Regarding energy development and cooperation, he said "the Chinese government stands for setting store by the overall interests, namely, to accommodate the interests of others while safeguarding a country's own interests, and to achieve common development through consultation and cooperation." Addressing the opening ceremony of the third foreign ministers'meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, he said since China has a large population and its economy has sustained rapid growth, itsenergy production and consumption has kept increasing. "We will mainly rely on the development of domestic resources, and step up the development and utilization of coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy and various types of new energy," he said. "We will also take energy saving and building an energy-saving society as an important state policy, promote technological progress and encourage rational consumption through economic restructuring," Wen said. Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 14 Hindu News: World must accept India, Pak. as n-powers - Kasuri Tuesday, June 22, 2004 : 1440 Hrs [http://www.hindu.com/] Qingdao, June 22. (PTI): While stressing that there was a "great degree of understanding" between India and Pakistan on the nuclear issue, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today said the international community must accept both as nuclear powers. "On the nuclear issue, there is a great degree of understanding between our two countries. Pakistan and India are mature and responsible nuclear powers," Kasuri, who is attending the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) meeting in this East Chinese port city, told PTI in an interview. The third ACD meeting is being attended by External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Foreign Ministers from 22 other countries. "Though unfortunately we had wars between our countries, we have not violated human rights, we have not violated Geneva conventions regarding prisoners, we have not attacked each other's dams or civilian targets," he said. "I don't think anybody is in a position to say or adopt a holier-than-thou attitude towards Pakistan and India," Kasuri said. "I think that we are responsible countries and we are nuclear powers and some efforts have to be found to accept this reality," Kasuri said, days after senior officials from both countries met in New Delhi and adopted a series of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to prevent an accidental nuclear mishap. His comments came close on the heels of the two countries taking a slew of measures to avoid misunderstanding and to continue moratorium on conducting further nuclear tests. Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of ***************************************************************** 15 Xinhuanet: Vice FM elaborates China's stance on nuclear talks www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-22 20:57:50 BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday that China will participate in the third round of six-party talks with a stance of resolving goals, consolidating achievements, actively mediating and steadily promoting. Wang, also head of the Chinese delegation for the talks, told ajoint interview by Chinese media that the goals of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsular and resolving the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue should never fluctuate under any circumstance in a bid to preserve confidence and determination in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsular. To consolidate achievements means to carefully safeguard those hard-won consensus reached by all sides and accumulated in past peace talks to stabilize the basis for peace talks, Wang said. China will, with an objective and fair attitude, actively promote the peace cause and the talks, push all sides to have morecontact and build up mutual trust, to seek and expand common stance while reserving differences, he said. Given the difficulties and complex factors, sobermindedness andpatience should be maintained, Wang said, noting the peace talks should be pushed forward step-by-step at the correct direction with a steady pace. The third round of six-party talks, involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Japan and China will start in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Tuesday afternoon that during the just-concluded second working-level meeting since Monday, the six parties had an exchange of in-depth views on building a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula and freezing nuclear facilities as well as corresponding measures. Essential preparations were made at the meeting for the coming third round of six-party talks, acknowledged Zhang, saying that all parties held that the working group's discussions are "useful and constructive." Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Daily Times: Ending nuclear rivalry: Pakistan and India doing well, says US Wednesday, June 23, 2004 WASHINGTON: The US has welcomed steps announced by India and Pakistan to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons and their efforts to make progress in bilateral dialogue. Lauding their talks on nuclear confidence building measures as an opportunity to further improve relations between the two countries, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters on Monday that the US was happy to see the two pursuing this opportunity. “We think this is an opportunity for them to make further progress, while at the same time, (they need to) agree on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons.” Boucher said the United States applauded efforts by India and Pakistan to try to make progress in bilateral dialogue, and said Washington was continuing to have contacts with both governments. “We’re glad to see that the talks are going forward and we really appreciate the efforts from both sides to reduce tensions,” he said. Boucher said there were opportunities for India and Pakistan to lower the risk of using nuclear weapons and “we are glad to see the parties are pursuing them.” The South Asian neighbours agreed on Sunday to set up a hotline to avoid nuclear confrontation and continue a ban on nuclear tests, saying they wanted to “promote a stable environment of peace and security.” The hotline will link the top civil servants in their foreign ministries, according to a joint statement at the end of the two countries’ first talks on nuclear risks since the 1998 atomic tests. It said an existing hotline between senior military commanders, who have scheduled conversations once a week, would also be “upgraded, dedicated and secured.” The two countries also reaffirmed a 1999 agreement and said neither country would conduct another nuclear test “unless, in exercise of national sovereignty, it decides that extraordinary events have jeopardised its supreme interests.” afp Home | Daily Times - All Rights Reserved and hosted by WorldCALL Internet Solutions [http://www.wcis.com.pk] ***************************************************************** 17 CBS News: World Of Worry Over Nukes | June 22, 2004 11:58:35 (Photo: CBS/AP) "Instead of leading the world against the real threat of Iran's nuclear program, the president chose to lead America alone into the quicksand to counter the mirage of a threat in Iraq." Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. Bushehr, Iran: one of that regime's suspected nuclear sites. (Photo: SPACE IMAGING INCORPORATED) Yongbyon, North Korea: where reprocessing of nuclear fuel rods may be taking place. (Photo: AP) The National Strategy To Combat Weapons Of Mass Destruction (.pdf) [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/WMDStrategy.pdf] Bush Administration strategy to counter weapons of mass destruction threat in all it's dimensions, including their use and further proliferation. (CBS/AP) The Bush administration is pressing for more cooperation from suspected nuclear weapons developers Iran and North Korea, but coming under criticism for neglecting the danger of nuclear proliferation. The United States, North Korea and four other nations agreed Tuesday to discuss a freezing of the North's nuclear program and inspections that would lead to its eventual dismantlement, a South Korean official said. And Secretary of State Colin Powell hinted that Iran faced the prospect of U.N. economic sanctions if it did not prove to the world it has no nuclear weapons. But Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said America is at greater risk of a nuclear attack from terrorists because of the Bush administration's "single-minded focus on Iraq." In remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday, Kennedy said North Korea and Iran have continued unchecked with their nuclear buildups while the United States preoccupies itself with Iraq. "Instead of leading the world against the real threat of Iran's nuclear program, the president chose to lead America alone into the quicksand to counter the mirage of a threat in Iraq," Kennedy said in the remarks, prepared for a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The United States alleged before the war that Iraq had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and an active program for nuclear weapons. No stockpiles have been found. Evidence has not surfaced of active programs in chemical or nuclear weapons, although some facilities for biological weapons work may have been maintained. President Bush has said the Iraq war was justified by removing a brutal dictator who opposed Middle East peace and allegedly had links to terrorists. In remarks to the Carnegie Endowment on Monday, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei said that "all evidence to date indicates that Iraq's nuclear weapons program had been effectively dismantled in the 1990s through IAEA inspection — as we were nearly ready to conclude before the war." He claimed that "the Iraq experience demonstrated that inspections — while requiring time and patience — can be effective even when the country under inspection was providing less than active cooperation." The Massachusetts Democrat said the administration's efforts to rid Iraq of a nuclear program it didn't have not only has destroyed U.S. credibility around the world, but has made al Qaeda terrorists more determined to launch a nuclear attack on America. Kennedy said the administration's unilateralism has caused a serious setback in nonproliferation policies. And he said Bush has compounded that neglect by pursuing research into a new type of nuclear weapon, called "bunker busters." The Senate last week rejected an effort to strip funding for the administration's research into mini-nukes. But the United States is not the only one getting blame. In his remarks Monday, ElBaradei slammed the Security Council for failing to take action against North Korea. "This lack of response, this inaction, may be setting the worst precedent of all, if it conveys the message that acquiring a nuclear deterrent, by whatever means, will neutralize any compliance mechanism and guarantee preferred treatment," he said. The Korean nuclear standoff began in October 2002, when the United States said the North admitted running a secret nuclear program in violation of a 1994 agreement. The U.S. cut off fuel shipments, prompting the North to throw out international inspectors. U.S. intelligence has estimated that North Korea already has one or two crude nuclear devices. Two earlier rounds of talks among the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States ended with little progress. Some of the governments are now working on plans to offer the North aid in exchange for suspending its clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapons. In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said North Korea appeared to be more cooperative this round, and expressed hope for "major progress." But the chief U.S. delegate, James Kelly, expressed less optimism. "There is no particular reason to be optimistic, but I've come prepared for serious discussions," Kelly said. North Korea has suffered food shortages and other problems since disclosing in the mid-1990s that its state-run farm system had collapsed after decades of mismanagement and the loss of Soviet subsidies. The North wants aid in exchange for an initial freeze of its nuclear program. But the United States says it will only offer assistance to North Korea's faltering economy if the isolated dictatorship proves its willingness to undertake a "complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling" of its program. Under a plan being discussed ahead of the talks, the United States would not give assistance, but Japan and South Korea would provide aid in stages, a senior Bush administration official said in Washington. In September, when the IAEA holds its next scheduled meeting, "judgments can be made as to what action might be appropriate" against Iran, Powell said. His statement followed an assertion in Tehran by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons. At the same time, the ayatollah vowed Iran would not give up its program to enrich uranium for fuel in nuclear reactors. "If Europeans and others are really worried that we may acquire nuclear weapons, we assure them that we are not seeking to produce such weapons," Khamenei said. "But if they are unhappy about Iran's access to the outstanding nuclear technology and want to stop this trend, I tell them they should be assured that the Iranian nation won't give in on this," he told a gathering of university officials. Last Friday, the U.N. nuclear agency rebuked Iran for covering up its programs and warned it had little time left to disprove it had a nuclear weapons program. Asked how close the United States was to seeking U.N. Security Council sanctions, the State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "that will depend on what Iran decides to do." ©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material ***************************************************************** 18 Scotsman.com: Warning of nuclear 'race against time' Wednesday, 23rd June 2004 THE head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned of a "race against time" to stop terrorists procuring nuclear materials. Mohammed El-Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was speaking at a US conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He endorsed the influential think-tank’s comprehensive new arms control plan, under which major nuclear powers would be expected to make concessions in the interests of global security. The IAEA director warned there was a real danger of uranium or plutonium falling into the wrong hands. "We are actually having a race against time which I don’t think we can afford," he said. "The danger is so imminent, not only with regard to countries acquiring nuclear weapons, but also terrorists getting their hands on some of these nuclear materials, uranium or plutonium. So the sooner we start, the better for everybody involved." The nuclear watchdog chief's message was picked up by the US Senator Sam Nunn, who is a security expert. Mr Nunn said the security of nuclear material in Russia was a key concern. He said the biggest challenge was to have US President George Bush and Russian president Vladimir Putin put the issue to the top of their agenda. Mr Nunn was instrumental in last month’s unveiling of a multi-million dollar initiative to stop extremist groups from building so-called "dirty bombs" with nuclear material. Governments around the world are increasingly concerned about nuclear proliferation, particularly since revelations in February that the Pakistani nuclear scientist AQ Khan had passed on nuclear secrets to a number of countries. One of the authors of the Carnegie Endowment’s plan, Joseph Cirincione, said the world was at "a nuclear tipping point". [ ©2004 Scotsman.com [http://www.scotsman.com/] | contact ***************************************************************** 19 asahi.com: EDITORIAL: New energy policy More efforts are needed to attain Kyoto Protocol target. At long last, the government appears to be taking a realistic approach to energy policy. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has submitted a draft plan on energy demand and supply over the long term. It is markedly more down to earth than previous policy papers, but will it lead to change in the government's thinking? The main departure concerns the number of nuclear reactors envisaged in 2010 and 2030. This is unprecedented. The plan calls for 56 nuclear reactors by 2010, or four more than at present. They are all under construction. Even by 2030, the increase is still fairly small at 10. The new figures represent a downward shift over plans announced just six years ago. Then, the panel envisaged more than 70 nuclear reactors by 2010, or 20 more than now. The panel deserves credit for taking a more pragmatic view. Its past plans for nuclear power generation had to be taken with a grain of salt, which made the government's energy policy meaningless. The government's fanciful plans to construct more nuclear reactors was always explained as the only way to achieve the target set by the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The large number far from reality led to another fiction over measures needed to tackle global warming. Those measures have been thought out so the two plans mesh with each other. Still, policymakers have a harder task ahead of them. At present, greenhouse gas emissions are far greater than the figures cited in the Kyoto Protocol. Japan is obliged to cut its emissions to 6 percent below the 1990 level between 2008 and 2012. This is by no means an easy target to reach. Since there won't be a huge increase in the number of nuclear reactors, greenhouse gas emissions are unlikely to drop considerably. Thus, the ministry's latest energy policy made an honest admission: Carbon dioxide emissions in 2010 will likely be 5 percent higher than 1990 levels. To make the plan appear coherent, the panel placed its hopes on greater energy savings and improved capacity utilization of nuclear power generators, which is another cause of concern. Also, the mood among government officials and industry leaders is somber. They say the Kyoto Protocol's target is impossible and, therefore, should be abandoned. This is ridiculous. Japan ratified the protocol. The consequence of honesty should not be defiance. There are still many things that we can and must do. One of them is wider use of natural energy like solar energy and wind power. In comparison with European countries, Japan's target for those forms of energy is far too modest. The present target, set at slightly over 1 percent of total electricity generation in 2010 and about 4 percent in 2030, should be raised. Bolder steps must be taken, for example, subsidizing that form of energy to achieve a higher ratio. Japan's energy policy stands at a crossroads as the equation of demand and supply is changing. Once the population peaks, energy demand will fall. The time will come when people will have to think about what kind of society they want and how the energy industry fits in with that concept. The trade and industry ministry's panel says sources of energy will be more decentralized by 2030. By then, fuel cells for home use and other forms of energy will be produced on a small scale. Consumers will be able to choose more convenient and cheaper energy as a result of liberalization of trade in energy. Advances will be made in energy saving and the emission of carbon dioxide will drop dramatically. At the moment, this is all conjecture. Everything depends on the kind of energy policy the government adopts over the next several years. --The Asahi Shimbun, June 21(IHT/Asahi: June 22,2004) (06/22) ***************************************************************** 20 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission June 22, 2004
Hearing & Meeting Documents - notice: 2004-H-12 - Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) for a financial guarantee for the future decommissioning of three AECL facilities (PDF)

June 22, 2004
Hearing & Meeting Documents - notice: 2004-H-13 - Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) for a financial guarantee for the decommissioning of the Whiteshell Laboratories in Pinawa, Manitoba (PDF)

June 18, 2004
News Releases - Update: Saskatchewan Uranium Miners’ Health Studies

***************************************************************** 21 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Subcommittee Meeting FR Doc 04-14037 [Federal Register: June 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 119)] [Notices] [Page 34694] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22jn04-119] on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will hold a meeting on July 6, 2004, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the exception of a portion that may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(2) and (6) to discuss organizational and personnel matters that relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the ACRS, and information the release of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Tuesday, July 6, 2004--1:30 p.m.--3:30 p.m. The Subcommittee will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related matters. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official, Mr. Sam Duraiswamy (telephone: 301-415-7364) between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by contacting the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged to contact the above named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes in the agenda. Dated: June 16, 2004. Ralph Caruso, Acting Associate Director for Technical Support, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. 04-14037 Filed 6-21-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting FR Doc 04-14160 [Federal Register: June 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 119)] [Notices] [Page 34695-34696] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22jn04-121] AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. DATES: Weeks of June 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26, 2004. Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Status: Public and Closed. Matters to be Considered: Week of June 21, 2004 There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of June 21, 2004. Week of June 28, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of June 28, 2004. Week of July 5, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of July 5, 2004. Week of July 12, 2004--Tentative Tuesday, July 13, 2004 2:15 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. (1) Week of July 19, 2004--Tentative Wednesday, July 21, 2004 9:30 a.m. Meeting with Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) [[Page 34696]] (Public Meeting) (Contact: John Larkins, 301-415-7360) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http:http://www.nrc.gov [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] . Week of July 26, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of July 26, 2004. * The schedule for commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301) 415-1292. Contact person for more information: Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415-1651. * * * * * SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By a Vote of 3-0 on June 9, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and Sec. 9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of 1) Private Fuel Storage (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation) Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI'' be held on June 9, and no less than one week's notice to the public. By a vote of 3-0 on June 15, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and Sec. 9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of 1) Request to Export up to 140 Kilograms of Weapons- Grade Plutonium Oxide (PuO2) to Cogema's Cardarache and Melox Facilities in France (XSNM03327)'' be held on June 15, and on less than one week's notice to the public. * * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet at: http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html* [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-makin g/schedule.html*] * * * * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g. braille, large print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator, August Spector, at 301-415-7080, TDD: 301-4152100, or by e-mail at aks@nrc.gov [aks@nrc.gov] . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on case-by-case basis. * * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov [dkw@nrc.gov] . Dated: June 17, 2004. R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 04-14160 Filed 6-18-04; 9:47 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M ***************************************************************** 23 fredericksburg.com: NRC hears opponents to new reactors at North Anna Tuesday, June 22, 2004 fredericksburg.com The permit process allows companies to resolve safety, environmental protection and emergency planning issues before deciding to build. The Associated Press WFLS News (Rockville, Maryland-AP) -- Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are expected to discuss environmental issues today regarding a proposal for new nuclear reactors at the North Anna power station. The panel -- meeting in Rockville, Maryland through tomorrow -- heard yesterday from opponents of new reactors at the plant along Lake Anna and at plants in two other states. Dominion Virginia Power has applied for an early site permit for North Anna. The permit process allows companies to resolve safety, environmental protection and emergency planning issues before deciding to build. The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Public Citizen and the Nuclear Information and Resource claim that the permit applications for the proposed reactors fail to adequately address terror threats and environmental impacts. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Date published: 6/22/2004 Fredericksburg.com, 605 William Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Comments? Send us Feedback, Phone: 540-368-5055 To contact all other newspaper departments, please call 540-374-5000. Copyright 2004, The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. of Fredericksburg, Va. ***************************************************************** 24 iafrica.com: sa news Nuclear power unavoidable - minister [http://iafrica.com/news] CAPE TOWN Posted Tue, 22 Jun 2004 South Africa needs to wake up to the fact that its coal reserves are not infinite, and the use of nuclear power to produce electricity in the future is unavoidable, Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Tuesday. Opening debate on her budget vote in the National Assembly, she told MPs nuclear power would help the country "increase (its) energy diversity, security of supply, and reduce energy related emission levels because it is a cleaner burning fuel". South Africa has one nuclear power station, located at Koeberg on the West Coast, about 27km north of Cape Town. The plant's two reactors supply 1850MW or 6.5 percent of the country's electricity needs. Most of the rest (92 percent) is produced by coal-burning power stations, located mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. This heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation makes the local energy sector a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. "South Africa needs to wake up to the reality that we do not have infinite coal reserves," Mlambo-Ngcuka said. In fact, the country had less reserves of coal than previously thought. "In addition to coal, nuclear energy will increase as an energy option for South Africa for the foreseeable future. "We do not have oil or gas, so we cannot avoid nuclear energy," she said. The local nuclear industry's safety record was "highly commendable". "Koeberg power station has undergone a successful peer review process conducted by the World Association of Nuclear Operations. We came tops. "As you know, in the 20 years Koeberg has operated, we have never had an accident," she said. On plans to build a prototype pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR), she said Cabinet had endorsed a five-to-10-year plan "to grow a critical research and skills base to support the PBMR programme and a sustainable nuclear industry in South Africa". "As you may be aware, PBMR is poised to respond to the invitation to bid for building a reactor system in the United States, which will produce both electricity and (be) used as a heat source for hydrogen production. "In inviting the bids, my counterpart in the US indicated that the system must be safer, small and flexible, which the PBMR meets," she said. On the use of renewable sources of energy, Mlambo-Ngcuka said South Africa was aiming to produce five percent of its energy requirements from renewables — including wind, solar and hydropower — by 2013. Sapa Copyright © 2002 iafrica.com, a division of Metropolis*. ***************************************************************** 25 London Free Press: Province mulls Pickering reactors' fate [http://www.lfpress.com TORONTO -- The fate of the Pickering nuclear station reactors lies in the hands of the cabinet of the Ontario government. Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said yesterday the issue of restarting the three mothballed reactors at the Pickering plant, east of Toronto, will be considered by cabinet either this week or in July. Last week, the board at Ontario Power Generation forwarded to the government its recommendation a second reactor at the Pickering A generating station should be restarted, said Angie Robson, a Duncan spokesperson. "Cabinet will have to deliberate on the options available to us," Duncan said. Copyright © The London Free Press 2001,2002,2003 ***************************************************************** 26 AP Wire: NRC to keep watch on Perry plant | 06/22/2004 | Associated Press NORTH PERRY, Ohio - FirstEnergy Corp.'s Perry nuclear power plant will remain under federal scrutiny because of equipment breakdowns and other issues, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. The NRC had a special inspection team spend about 400 hours looking into problems at the plant. The malfunction of an emergency service water pump on May 21 during the special inspection prompted the team to recommend continued monitoring. The same pump failed last fall in the same way, and its second breakdown showed the utility had not designed an effective repair, said Steve Campbell, the inspection team's leader. The NRC also noted the plant's failure to incorporate new industry maintenance procedures and effectively train technicians. William Kanda, vice president of FirstEnergy's nuclear operating division at Perry, told the NRC at a meeting Monday that the company is committed to enhancing its programs. Akron-based FirstEnergy has hired experts to train Perry employees about how to analyze problems and design fixes that address underlying causes. The Perry plant is located on the Lake Erie shore about 35 miles northeast of Cleveland. FortWayne.com | ***************************************************************** 27 chattanoogan: TVA, Other Agencies To Conduct Nuclear Exercise - 6/22/2004 - Chattanoogan.com TVA and other federal, state and local agencies will conduct a regularly scheduled emergency preparedness exercise for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant on Wednesday, June 23. The exercise will involve about 1,000 TVA and state of Tennessee employees and emergency responders in Hamilton and Bradley counties. Residents of these counties may see radiological monitoring teams or other responders in action as part of the exercise. Representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will evaluate responders on the appropriateness of their actions to ensure the health and safety of the public. This emergency exercise is part of a long-term drill and exercise program. Utilities operating nuclear power plants are required by the NRC to conduct emergency exercises annually. Every two years FEMA evaluates state and county readiness to protect public health and safety. A public meeting to discuss response to the exercise is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, June 25, in the Tennessee River Room at TVA’s Chattanooga Office Complex, 1101 Market Street. TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.5 million consumers in seven southeastern states. news@chattanoogan.com [news@chattanoogan.com] (423) 266-2325 ***************************************************************** 28 Toronto Star: Nuclear power plant safety a priority for area Tue. Jun. 22, 2004. | Updated at 02:26 PM JOHN DUNCANSON STAFF REPORTER Health care, pensions and "weapons of mass destruction" are among the key issues facing politicians as they vie for votes in the new electoral district of Clarington-Scugog-Uxbridge. "You have to ask yourself  where are the nuclear plants? They're here and we don't have the equipment or training to deal with things like weapons of mass destruction," said Frank Azevedo, a Clarington firefighter who is lobbying the candidates hard to put public safety on the agenda for whomever ends up in Ottawa. Azevedo, 46, is serious when he talks about the threat facing his community because of its proximity to the Darlington and Pickering nuclear power plants, which security experts have said are potential targets for terrorists. With just 45 firefighters and about 15 pieces of equipment, the Clarington fire department is ill-equipped to deal with a major disaster  yet that's actually what it will be called upon to do in the event of an attack or natural disaster at the two plants. "This is an issue about public safety that I don't think people realize this is a real priority," Azevedo said. The issue of safety for those living near nuclear plants has always been a hot topic, but the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have made it more of a priority, said Tim Lang, the Liberal candidate for the new riding, made up of growing urban centres and agricultural land. "I have friends who are firefighters, so I know the issues they are raising are very serious," Lang said. "If I'm elected, I'll push for better grants and subsidies to the municipalities to deal with these concerns." Lang, a 38-year-old executive and son of former Trudeau cabinet minister Otto Lang, is making his first foray into politics and hopes to overcome the slide in Liberal fortunes by selling himself as a successful businessman who would bring added value to Ottawa. "I believe we have to change the way we do business. If you take a business approach to running government, we could save hundreds of millions of dollars each year." The New Democratic Party's candidate is a veteran broadcast journalist and community activist who hopes his third shot at federal politics will pay off. Bruce Rogers, who was a household name for decades with stints at the CBC, TVOntario and CFRB, is pushing hard for the retirement vote in an area where the pensioner population is on the rise. Rogers, 70, is spending a lot of time in the rural parts of the riding, where he says dairy and poultry farmers are worried a Conservative government will mean the end of family-run farms. "We are talking about generations of huge capital investments in these operations and we're talking about their independence as individuals," said Rogers, who ran for federal office in 1968 and 2000. "Agriculture is tremendously important in this riding." Farmers here don't want it to become like the U.S., where farms are run like "modern serfdoms," where those working the land are really no more than tenant farmers, he said. Bev Oda, the Conservative party candidate, said that with only five hospitals serving the large community, the MP should ensure that services are not only maintained but expanded to better serve the aging population. "We need a loud voice  someone who can get us on the radar screen in Ottawa," said the 59-year-old business leader and community activist. She also said the riding is suffering from a doctor shortage that must be addressed. Virginia Ervin is running for the Green party and Durk Bruinsma for the Christian Heritage party. Copyright Toronto Star ***************************************************************** 29 Sify: Atomic Energy Act to be reviewed Tuesday, 22 June , 2004, 07:49 A total review of the Atomic Energy Act is under way to find out areas where modifications are required to enable private participation, both by Indian or foreign companies, for the construction of nuclear power projects in the country, according to S.K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). The Atomic Energy Act controls nuclear activities in the country. Speaking to Business Line , Jain said, ``As per my understanding and knowledge, modifications to the Atomic Energy Act have already been drawn up. They have been reviewed by various ministries and are ready for consideration by the Union Cabinet. Subsequently, Parliament will consider these amendments to the Act.'' ``We are hoping that by this year-end the amendments to the Act will be passed by Parliament paving the way for joint venture, (even) 100 per cent private participation in building nuclear power plants in the country.'' Jain stressed that there would, however, be ``built-in clauses'' in the Act which would entail that regulatory aspects connected to sensitive nuclear material and issues of safety would be ``totally under the purview of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).'' AERB is the watchdog body that monitors safety in nuclear power plants in the country. It is in overall control of safety of nuclear power plants in the country. ``AERB will be playing the same role from siting to decommissioning of the private plants. DAE will have total control over the nuclear material. Whatever nuclear material is being purchased and used, it will be under the command of DAE so that they will be effectively regulated,'' Jain said. [http://sify.com/discussions] Sify.com hosted at SifyHosting India's first Level 3 Internet Data Centre © Copyright Sify Ltd, 1998-2004. All rights reserved. See ***************************************************************** 30 NRC: NRC Staff to Meet with Pacific Gas &Electric to Discuss Diablo Canyon Issues News Release - Region IV - 2004-02 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV No. IV-04-025 June 22, 2004 CONTACT: Victor Dricks Phone: 817-860-8128 E-mail: [opa4@nrc.gov] Officials of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with officials from Pacific Gas & Electric Co., on July 2 in Arlington, Texas, to discuss problem identification and resolution and human performance issues at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. PG&E operates the nuclear power plant, located in San Luis Obispo, California. The meeting, which is open to public observation, will be held at 8 a.m. at the office of NRC Region IV, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400. The public is invited to observe the meeting and NRC staff will be available for comments and questions from the public before the meeting adjourns. During its most recent safety assessment of Diablo Canyon, NRC identified the need for improvement in PG&Es problem identification and resolution program and in human performance issues. These issues were discussed during the June 10 public meeting in San Luis Obispo. Last revised Tuesday, June 22, 2004 ***************************************************************** 31 Morning Journal News: Ex-Hunt Valve manager charged with defrauding government www.MorningJournalNews.com By RYAN GILLIS 6/22/2004 SALEM — A former quality assurance manager at the Hunt Valve Co. has been charged by federal authorities with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and obtain money by means of false or fraudulent representations. Wayne Aldrich, 50, of Auburn, N.Y., is accused of providing the government with false certifications and non-conforming valves for use on United States Navy surface ships and submarines, as well as use on Department of Energy (DOE) containers used to transport and store radioactive materials. Information on the charges was contained in a U.S. Department of Justice statement issued Monday by Gregory A. White, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. According to the charges, Aldrich, working in Hunt Valve’s military and commercial division, and unnamed co-conspirators allowed for the delivery of valves to the Navy and DOE which did not conform to the physical or contractual requirements mandated by the government. Those requirements were set specifically for Navy ships and containers used in the storage and transportation of uranium hexafluoride and depleted uranium hexafluoride. The alleged offenses took place between April 1992 and Sept. 2001. On Sept. 17, 2001, federal agents closed down the East State Street facility while executing a search warrant on the premises. Agents could be seen loading boxes of documents into rental trucks parked outside the building. The charge filed against Aldrich maintains the valves provided by Hunt Valve during that time were “manufactured or repaired using unapproved and improper techniques and procedures. Aldrich also is accused of creating false documentation showing the proper techniques and procedures had been used. Non-certificated Hunt Valve employees, including the janitor and machine operator, allegedly were allowed to perform dye penetrant inspections on parts supplied to the Navy and DOE, when certified level 1, 2 and 3 inspectors are required to perform those tests. The government also accuses Aldrich of altering vendor certifications by adding results to the documents when no tests were performed, then faxing the altered documents from one machine to another inside the building to “make the document appear ‘fuzzy’ in an attempt to conceal the falsification.” He also is alleged to have falsified signatures by scanning certifications into a computer, then cutting signatures from other documents and pasting them onto the scanned certifications. Various tests, according to the government’s information, were represented as being performed, when, in fact, the individuals claimed to have performed them were either off-site or out of the country at the time. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) began a review of the materials supplied by Hunt Valve after receiving notification of the charges in 2001. NAVSEA determined there were no hardware deficiencies which would have adversely affected equipment or safety in valves supplied by Hunt Valve. If Aldrich is convicted, he could face five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Assistant United States Attorney Richard H. Blake will be prosecuting the case for the government. rgillis@mojonews.com Morning Journal News 2003 ***************************************************************** 32 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice FR Doc 04-14035 [Federal Register: June 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 119)] [Notices] [Page 34694-34695] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22jn04-120] In accordance with the purposes of Sections 29 and 182b. of the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2039, 2232b), the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) will hold a meeting on July 7-9, 2004, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The date of this meeting was previously published in the Federal Register on Monday, November 21, 2003 (68 FR 65743). Wednesday, July 7, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. 8:35 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: Final Safety Evaluation Report (SER) Associated With the AP1000 Design Certification (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff and Westinghouse Electric Company regarding the final SER associated with the certification of the AP1000 design, resolution of any unresolved issues previously raised by the ACRS, and related matters. 10:45 a.m.-12: 15 p.m.: Draft Final Generic Letter on Potential Impact of Debris Blockage on Emergency Recirculation During Design- Basis Accidents at Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the draft final Generic Letter on PWR sump blockage and the staff's resolution of public comments on the proposed version of this Generic Letter. 1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.: Risk-Informing 10 CFR 50.46, ``Acceptance Criteria for Emergency Core Cooling Systems for Light-Water Nuclear Power Reactors'' (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the proposed rule language for risk-informing 10 CFR 50.46 and the [[Page 34695]] sensitivity studies on large-break loss-of-coolant accident frequency reevaluation performed in support of risk-informing 10 CFR 50.46. 4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Differences in Regulatory Approaches and Requirements Between U.S. and Other Countries (Open)--The Committee will hear a presentation by and hold discussions with Dr. Nourbakhsh, ACRS Senior Staff Engineer, regarding his draft White Paper on differences in regulatory approaches and requirements between U.S. and other countries. 5:15 p.m.-6:45 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACRS reports on matters considered during this meeting. Thursday, July 8, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. 8:35 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: Proposed Generic Communication on the Use of Ultrasonic Flow Measurement Devices for Measuring Feedwater Flow Rates in Nuclear Plants (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the proposed Generic Communication on the Use of Ultrasonic Flow Measurement Devices for Measuring Feedwater Flow Rates in Nuclear Plants. 10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Future ACRS Activities/Report of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee (Open)--The Committee will discuss the recommendations of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee regarding items proposed for consideration by the full Committee during future meetings. Also, it will hear a report of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee on matters related to the conduct of ACRS business, including anticipated workload and member assignments. 11:45 a.m.-12 noon: Reconciliation of ACRS Comments and Recommendations (Open)--The Committee will discuss the responses from the NRC Executive Director for Operations (EDO) to comments and recommendations included in recent ACRS reports and letters. The EDO responses are expected to be made available to the Committee prior to the meeting. 1 p.m.-2 p.m.: Status of the ACRS Members' Assessment of the Quality of Selected NRC Research Projects (Open)--The Committee will discuss the status of the activities of the cognizant ACRS members associated with the assessment of the quality of the research projects on Sump Blockage and on MACCS Code. 2:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACRS reports. Friday, July 9, 2004, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will continue its discussion of proposed ACRS reports. 3 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)--The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of Committee activities and matters and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 16, 2003 (68 FR 59644). In accordance with those procedures, oral or written views may be presented by members of the public, including representatives of the nuclear industry. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during the open portions of the meeting. Persons desiring to make oral statements should notify the Cognizant ACRS staff named below five days before the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made to allow necessary time during the meeting for such statements. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras during the meeting may be limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by the Chairman. Information regarding the time to be set aside for this purpose may be obtained by contacting the Cognizant ACRS staff prior to the meeting. In view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with the Cognizant ACRS staff if such rescheduling would result in major inconvenience. Further information regarding topics to be discussed, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, as well as the Chairman's ruling on requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and the time allotted therefor can be obtained by contacting Mr. Sam Duraiswamy, Cognizant ACRS staff (301-415-7364), between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., et. ACRS meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] , or by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/ [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collecti ons/] (ACRS & ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas). Videoteleconferencing service is available for observing open sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS Audio Visual Technician (301-415-8066), between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., et, at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the availability of this service. Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment and facilities that they use to establish the videoteleconferencing link. The availability of videoteleconferencing services is not guaranteed. Dated: June 16, 2004. Kenneth R. Hart, Acting Secretary of the Commission. [FR Doc. 04-14035 Filed 6-21-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 33 NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; FR Doc 04-14036 [Federal Register: June 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 119)] [Notices] [Page 34693-34694] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22jn04-118] Comment Request AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Notice of pending NRC action to submit an information collection request to OMB and solicitation of public comment. SUMMARY: The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of continued approval of information collections under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted: 1. The title of the information collection: 10 CFR Part 34-- Licenses for Radiography and Radiation Safety Requirements for Radiographic Operations. 2. Current OMB approval number: 3150-0007. [[Page 34694]] 3. How often the collection is required: Applications for new licenses and amendments may be submitted at any time. Applications for renewal are submitted every 10 years. Reports are submitted as events occur. 4. Who is required or asked to report: Applicants for and holders of specific licenses authorizing the use of licensed radioactive material for radiography. 5. The number of annual respondents: 282 (62 NRC licensees and 220 Agreement State licensees). 6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 244,048 hours. The NRC licensees total burden is 48,335 hours (85 reporting hrs [an average of 1.3 hours per response] plus 48,250 recordkeeping hours [an average of 383 hours per recordkeeper]). The Agreement State licensees total burden is 195,713 hours (299 reporting hours [an average of 1 hour per response] plus 195,414 recordkeeping hours [an average of 430 hours per recordkeeper]). 7. Abstract: 10 CFR part 34 establishes radiation safety requirements for the use of radioactive material in industrial radiography. The information in the applications, reports and records is used by the NRC staff to ensure that the health and safety of the public is protected and that licensee possession and use of source and byproduct material is in compliance with license and regulatory requirements. Submit, by August 23, 2004, comments that address the following questions: 1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility? 2. Is the burden estimate accurate? 3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected? 4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology? A copy of the draft supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21, Rockville, MD 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC World Wide Web site: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/index.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comm ent/omb/index.html] . The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments and questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton (T-5 F52), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-7233, or by Internet electronic mail to infocollects@nrc.gov [infocollects@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of June, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Brenda Jo. Shelton, NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-14036 Filed 6-21-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 34 Las Vegas SUN: Kennedy: America at Risk of Nuke Attack By LOLITA C. BALDOR ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - America is at greater risk of a nuclear attack from terrorists because of the Bush administration's "single-minded focus on Iraq," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said. In remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday, Kennedy, D-Mass., said North Korea and Iran have continued unchecked with their nuclear buildups while the United States preoccupies itself with Iraq. "Instead of leading the world against the real threat of Iran's nuclear program, the president chose to lead America alone into the quicksand to counter the mirage of a threat in Iraq," Kennedy said in the remarks, prepared for a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said the administration's efforts to rid Iraq of a nuclear program it didn't have not only has destroyed U.S. credibility around the world, but has made al-Qaida terrorists more determined to launch a nuclear attack on America. Kennedy said the United States would be better off under the leadership of Democrat John Kerry, who "has pledged to make preventing nuclear terrorism an absolute priority." The remarks come as the International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating nearly 20 years of covert nuclear activity by Iran. Tehran maintains its program is meant to generate electricity, but the United States claims it is a weapons program. President Bush, who recently indicated a willingness to work more closely with France and Germany on nonproliferation issues, has labeled Iran part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea and prewar Iraq. But Kennedy said the administration's unilateralism has caused a serious setback in nonproliferation policies. And he said Bush has compounded that neglect by pursuing research into a new type of nuclear weapon, called "bunker busters." The Senate last week rejected an effort to strip funding for the administration's research into mini-nukes. "It is incredibly dangerous in this day and age to have a president who is so obviously resistant, uncomfortable and inept in working with other nations," Kennedy said. "Their approach to nuclear issues is erratic, unrealistic and irresponsible." Kennedy noted Kerry's recent pledge to appoint a Cabinet-level official to oversee nuclear terrorism issues, and would speed up the lock-down of nuclear weapons materials. -- ***************************************************************** 35 Las Vegas SUN: Study: Toxic Chemical Found in Cows Milk By TERENCE CHEA ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Young children and pregnant women who drink milk from California cows may be exposed to unsafe levels of a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, according to a new study by an environmental group. The study released Tuesday by the Environmental Working Group comes as state and federal regulators consider setting new standards to regulate perchlorate - the explosive ingredient in missile fuel that has been linked to thyroid damage. "Perchlorate exposure is more widespread than we have been led to believe," said Bill Walker, vice president for the West Coast office of the EWG, a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. The EWG did not call for Californians to stop drinking milk or giving it to their children, but said it does advocate tougher standards for perchlorate. Perchlorate has been found in drinking water in more than 20 states, including California, which has extensive ties to the military, defense industry and the space program. The chemical has been detected in the Colorado River, the major source of drinking water and irrigation in Southern California and Arizona. Researchers are divided about the effects of perchlorate on mental development and what exposure levels are safe. In March, California health officials concluded that perchlorate could be dangerous at levels above 6 parts per billion in drinking water - a level that could be used later this year to set the nation's first state standard. But U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, and some environmental groups, say that standard would be too weak. The EPA advocates a standard of just 1 part per billion. The new study on milk was based on laboratory tests the EWG commissioned as well as unreleased tests by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The EWG tests, conducted by researchers at Texas Tech University, found the chemical in 31 of 32 samples from milk purchased at grocery stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The average level of the chemical was 1.3 parts per billion, The EWG said the Food and Agriculture Department tests found an average level of 5.8 parts per billion of perchlorate in 34 samples it tested from milk silos in Alameda, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Department officials confirmed those results, but spokesman Steve Lyle said the findings didn't show any need for consumers to drink less milk. "At this point, there is not enough information to suggest that eating foods with low levels of perchlorate poses a significant health concern," Lyle said. The EWG study didn't determine how the chemical ended up in cows milk, but perchlorate has been found in many of the state's water sources, which are used to irrigate farmland and grow crops fed to cows. California's dairy industry will work with state and federal officials to find out how perchlorate is getting into milk and how to remove the chemical, said Michael Marsh, CEO of the Western United Dairymen, which represents the state's $4.5 billion dairy industry. But Marsh said there is a "paucity of science" showing perchlorate's harmful effects on human health. A recent study by the University of California, Irvine, found that healthy adults were not harmed by levels as high as 100 parts per billion of perchlorate. But the study did not draw conclusions about perchlorate's impact on pregnant women, children and infants. -- ***************************************************************** 36 Hawk Eye: House may stall claims bill Monday, June 21, 2004 Site updated daily at 11 a.m. CST http://www.thehawkeye.com The U.S. Senate has approved putting Labor Dept. in charge of processing. By MATTHEW LeBLANC mleblanc@thehawkeye.com Legislation approved last week by the U.S. Senate could pave the way for sick and dying former Iowa Army Ammunition Plant employees to receive compensation payments — if similar measures can be pushed through the House. In a voice vote Wednesday, the Senate passed an amendment supported by Sens. Charles Grassley and Tom Harkin that would move control of claims filed under the Energy Department's Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program to the Department of Labor, which has been lauded by lawmakers as a more responsible agency. But the Bush Administration already has lined up a team of lobbyists who will work to defeat the measure when it reaches the House, a move that could cripple an effort to overhaul the program, which several in Congress have labeled as failing. The Senate bill will go to a conference with the House, where similar legislation in the past has met its end. Harkin, D–Iowa, who has pushed for changes in EEOICP, called the amendment "a start," but said more changes would be necessary to ensure that former employees at IAAP who were sickened by chemicals and radiation are compensated. In Iowa, like New Mexico and other states nationwide, former nuclear weapons workers sickened by their work are currently unable to secure $150,000 compensation payments under the program because government doctors say they are unable to prove the illnesses were caused by work at the Middletown plant. Harkin has also submitted a petition that would exempt IAAP workers from burdensome "dose reconstructions," which aim to determine the amount of radiation to which they were exposed. "Although passing this amendment is a start, it is not the answer to all IAAP workers' problems," he said. "We must also take steps to expand the number of Iowa workers included in the special exposure cohort." On the other side of the aisle, Grassley, an Iowa Republican, called the amendment "significant" and "much needed" in statements on the Senate floor. He tried unsuccessfully almost a year ago to tie similar legislation to another bill, but it was defeated in conference. "When we started working on this, of the more than 19,000 claims filed with the Energy Department, a paltry 6 percent had been processed completely," Grassley said in a statement last week. "The amendment passed today simply makes the original law work." In 2000, Congress passed a bill to compensate former nuclear weapons workers or their families for work–related illnesses. Energy officials currently run one part of the resulting program, while Labor officials administer the other. Out of more than 24,000 claims filed nationwide, only four have been paid under the Energy Department's portion, according to federal data. On the other hand, Congressional investigators say Labor officials have processed nearly all of the claims filed under its portion. The amendment to a defense authorization bill will bypass the Energy Department, which Grassley and other lawmakers have accused of dragging its feet on compensation claims. "These patriots served on our nation's home front during the Cold War, putting themselves at risk building nuclear weapons," Grassley told colleagues. "The least our government can do is provide the necessary assistance to ensure that those eligible for compensation receive it." Workers at IAAP built, test–fired and disassembled components of nuclear weapons at the 19,000–acre facility west of Burlington from 1948 to 1975. At one point, the plant was the only one nationwide producing the components. Even with bipartisan support, passage of a similar measure in the House could be difficult, say aides to Harkin. Grassley's previous attempt to send claims to the Labor Department also had bipartisan support. Richard Miller, a policy analyst at Washington–based Government Accountability Project, said the bill could be pushed through if Iowa's delegation in the House backs it. "The challenge is for the entire Iowa delegation to unify behind this in conference," Miller said. Rep. Jim Leach, a Republican whose district includes IAAP has so far remained silent on the issue. 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 ***************************************************************** 37 New Zealand Herald: Stolen liquid radioactive [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/] Wednesday June 23, 2004 A box containing potentially harmful radioactive liquid used for pain relief by cancer sufferers was stolen from a warehouse near Auckland Airport yesterday. The 4kg white cardboard box sealed with blue tape and carrying yellow triangular warning stickers was taken from DHL International in Mangere between 8.30am and 8.45am. The liquid was in a glass ampoule packed in a lead pot with dry ice. A person handling the ampoule could receive moderate radiation doses and local radiation burns, but if the contents were swallowed they could cause a significant and potentially harmful radiation dose. Police urged anyone finding the box not to touch it but to contact the nearest police station or dial 111. © Copyright 2004, New Zealand Herald ***************************************************************** 38 Las Vegas RJ: Senator proposes financial fix for Yucca project Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Domenici wants more funding from utilities By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Energy Committee is proposing to collect $446 million in additional fees from nuclear utilities to help solve a financial crisis for the Yucca Mountain Project. The plan by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., reflects growing concern among nuclear power supporters that looming budget cuts threaten to kill the Nevada nuclear waste repository. Domenici, an influential voice on nuclear issues, has formed a bill that contains both short-term and long-term financial fixes for the Yucca project, according to a draft copy obtained Monday. The Department of Energy says it plans to file a repository license application in December toward a 2010 goal to begin burying spent nuclear fuel. Critics of the Yucca program said Domenici was relying on questionable accounting to rescue the repository. Nevada leaders fear the changes could shield the Energy Department from scrutiny as it enters crucial licensing and construction phases. "I will be surprised if there is enough support for this ploy to work," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Domenici would raise $446 million by imposing a one-time 60 percent surcharge on the fees utilities contribute to the Yucca program based on the amounts of electricity they produce from nuclear energy. Coupled with other spending, the surcharge would enable Congress to keep the program on track by largely matching what it gave the Energy Department to spend last year, about $577 million. Longer term, the bill would change accounting on about $750 million that utilities pay into a special nuclear waste fund each year. The reclassification would make it easier for Congress to appropriate money from the fund without running afoul of spending limits, a change that many believe will be necessary to supply about $1.3 billion the government will require annually to build the repository and ship waste there from around the country. Domenici began circulating his proposal on Friday. Elements were reported Monday in The Wall Street Journal. The New Mexico senator is trying to rescue the Yucca Mountain Project from massive layoffs and potential shutdown, a spokeswoman said Monday. Without a budget fix of some kind, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has said 1,700 project employees, about 70 percent of the work force, would be handed layoff notices this summer. Most of the workers are in Nevada. Domenici believes deep layoffs would effectively kill the repository because it would be difficult to rehire workers with expertise, his aides said. Reid, a strong opponent of the Yucca repository, forced a Senate energy and water subcommittee to postpone a meeting this week at which Domenici was to advance his bill. "If Yucca Mountain funding is truly that important to Senator Domenici and President Bush, they should consider shifting funds from New Mexico labs and other projects, rather than trying to grab nearly half a billion dollars more from taxpayers," Reid said in a statement. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 39 Las Vegas SUN: Reid delays meeting after hearing of Yucca plan By Suzanne Struglinski LAS VEGAS SUN WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., delayed a Senate Appropriations meeting that was supposed to take place today after learning of a plan that could funnel more money to the Yucca Mountain project. Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., told Reid on Friday that he planned to request an additional $446 million from nuclear ratepayers to put toward the Yucca Mountain project and change budget policy to make it easier to get the project $750 million every year. The additional money from the industry would bring the budget for Yucca Mountain to $577 million next year, the same amount as this year. That's still $303 million short of the department's $880 million request for fiscal year 2005 but more than the $131 million Congress would have to approve without an overall budget policy change the administration has requested. Domenici's budget policy change would allow Congress to take $750 million each year from a pool of money funded directly by a surcharge on nuclear power. That is designed to help the project garner more money in the budget process because the money in the pool could not be used for anything other than the Yucca project. A similar proposal is under consideration in the House. The Energy Department has said a $131 million budget would force layoffs and make the department miss its planned 2010 opening date, but project spokesman Allen Benson would not comment on what would happen if the project is funded for another year of $577 million. He said he did not wish to speculate on what would happen at any other funding level. After hearing of Domenici's plan, Reid, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriation Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, asking for more time on the bill. Reid did not mention the nuclear waste issue specifically but said the Democratic staff had not had enough time to look at the whole bill. Reid strongly objects to both of Domenici's proposals and is figuring out his strategy to try to defeat them, an aide said. "If Yucca Mountain funding is truly that important to him (Domenici), then he could have funded it by taking money from his New Mexico weapons labs instead of advancing a proposal already rejected by the Senate Budget Committee earlier this year," Reid said. "(Nevada Republican) Sen. (John) Ensign and I remain opposed to any special budgetary treatment for Yucca Mountain and, given that Sen. Domenici has engaged in writing language that impacts both the Finance and Budget committees, I will be surprised if there is enough support for this ploy to work." Reid said Domenici was "acting on behalf of a desperate administration and nuclear industry" by "trying to advance Yucca through the backdoor with already rejected legislative proposals and spending gimmicks." Ensign, who sits on the Senate Budget Committee, stopped the budget policy change from going through earlier this year, making it clear the bill would not get his much-needed vote to pass if it included the change. Domenici still plans to include the proposal in his version of the Energy and Water Development spending bill that will now be introduced in July, an aide said. His proposal would create a one-time increase on the fee charged to nuclear ratepayers that would put an additional $446 million into the general treasury, specifically earmarked for Yucca Mountain, an aide said. Nuclear ratepayers would end up putting $1.2 billion into the project, a 60 percent increase from the $750 million it would pay anyway. ***************************************************************** 40 AP Wire: Planned plutonium shipment generates fears in Lowcountry | 06/22/2004 | [http://www.thestate.com Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. - A shipment of plutonium from the Cold War era could arrive here next month as part of a U.S.-Russian agreement to reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons and convert them to power plant fuel. Despite statements from federal officials that the shipment will be safe, activists fear it could become a terrorist magnet and pose an environmental threat to the Lowcountry. The Department of Energy plans to ship the plutonium from the Charleston Naval Weapons Station to France in July or August, according to a federal document filed late last week. Federal officials said in recent filings that "the likelihood of an attempted act of sabotage or terrorism occurring is not precisely knowable," but that "the chance of success of any such attempt was judged to be very low." In the federal filings, DOE officials said the agency "has taken a hard look at sabotage and terrorism and determined that adequate safeguards remain in place to meet such threats in the post-Sept. 11 environment." But anti-nuclear activists still are concerned. "This shipment contains enough purified plutonium for 50 or more weapons of mass destruction," said Tom Clements of Greenpeace International. "If someone had an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and blew a hole in it, it could have disastrous effects." Terrorists could use a dirty bomb to disperse the plutonium into the environment, which would kill people close enough to ingest or inhale the radioactive particles, Clements said. Plans call for the plutonium, stored at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, to be shipped overland aboard special armored trucks to the weapons station on the Cooper River. Weapons Station spokeswoman Susan Piedfort said as far as she knows, the facility has never handled a shipment of plutonium. She referred questions about the shipment to a DOE official who could not be reached for comment Monday. From the Weapons Station, the plutonium would be loaded onto two armored oceangoing vessels bound for Cherbourg, France. In France, the powdered plutonium would be fabricated into mixed oxide, or MOX fuel, at a special nuclear facility. It then is expected to come back through Charleston bound for Duke Energy's Catawba reactor in York County. The federal government plans to build a plant similar to the one in France at the federally owned Savannah River Site near Aiken. The United States and Russia have committed to disposing of 34 metric tons of plutonium in parallel programs, but delays on Russia's end have pushed back construction of the proposed plant at SRS. Most of the groups opposed to building the MOX plant at SRS favor an alternate plutonium disposal process called immobilization, which involves encasing surplus plutonium in glass logs and storing it in underground vaults. Anti-nuclear activists announced plans Monday to protest the plutonium shipment with a fleet of boats. Mount Pleasant resident Merrill Chapman said about a dozen vessels will participate in the Nuclear-Free Atlantic Flotilla. "We will not be blocking (the shipment)," Chapman said. "This is absolutely a peaceful protest." The U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston is aware of the shipment but does not expect to announce any waterway closures, Coast Guard Lt. Kevin Floyd said. --- Information from: The Post and Courier, [http://www.charleston.net] TheState.com | ***************************************************************** 41 www.tbsource.com: Mayors Say No To Nuclear Waste For Northern Ontario Thunder Bay's Source Local News 2004 Web Posted: 6/22/2004 9:45:18 AM Northern Ontario will remain free of nuclear waste if major city mayors have their way. Timmins City council heard presentations last night strongly opposing the idea of building a facility in that city to hold nuclear waste. A local group had pushed the idea, with one Councillor saying the idea could lead to solid economic opportunities. But others said it would damage the city's image and tourism. Timmins Mayor Vic Power says the matter is now dead and no nuclear waste will be stored in Northern Ontario. He points out Mayors from Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and North Bay have also spoken out against it. Copyright Thunder Bay's Source © All Rights Reserved 2004 ***************************************************************** 42 Charleston.Net: Planned plutonium shipment generates fears 06/22/04 Department of Energy discounts risk to Lowcountry from material's transfer BY RON MENCHACA Of The Post and Courier Staff A shipment of bomb-grade plutonium left over from the Cold War could arrive in Charleston Harbor as early as this month as part of a joint U.S.-Russian agreement to reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons and convert them into power plant fuel. While federal officials insist the shipment will be safe, local environmental activists and nuclear experts with Greenpeace say it could become a terrorist magnet and pose a threat to the Lowcountry's tourism and seafood industries. The Department of Energy intends to ship the plutonium from the Charleston Naval Weapons Station to France in July or August, according to a federal document filed late last week. Federal officials involved in approving the shipment said in recent federal filings that "the likelihood of an attempted act of sabotage or terrorism occurring is not precisely knowable," but that "the chance of success of any such attempt was judged to be very low." In the federal filings, DOE officials said the agency "has taken a hard look at sabotage and terrorism and determined that adequate safeguards remain in place to meet such threats in the post-September 11 environment." That doesn't calm the nerves of anti-nuclear activists. "This shipment contains enough purified plutonium for 50 or more weapons of mass destruction, Tom Clements of Greenpeace International, said. "If someone had an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and blew a hole in it, it could have disastrous effects." In the wrong hands, the plutonium could be dispersed into the environment via a dirty bomb, proving fatal for people close enough to ingest or inhale the radioactive particles, Clements said. Plans call for the plutonium, stored at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, to be shipped overland aboard special armored trucks to the weapons station on the Cooper River. Weapons station spokeswoman Susan Piedfort said that as far as she knows, the military facility has never handled a shipment of plutonium. She referred questions about the shipment to a DOE official who could not be reached for comment Monday. From the Weapons Station, the plutonium would be loaded onto two armored ocean-going vessels bound for Cherbourg, France. In France, the powdered plutonium would be fabricated into mixed oxide, or MOX fuel, at a special nuclear facility and shipped back through the Lowcountry. The fuel assemblies to be produced in France are expected to come back through Charleston bound for Duke Energy's Catawba reactor south of Charlotte. The MOX project is a test run of sorts for the federal government's plans to build a plant similar to the one in France at the federally owned Savannah River Site near Aiken. The United States and Russia have committed to disposing of 34 metric tons of plutonium in parallel programs, but delays on Russia's end have pushed back construction of the proposed plant at SRS. Most of the groups opposed to building the MOX plant at SRS favor an alternate plutonium disposal process called immobilization, which involves encasing surplus plutonium in glass logs and storing it in underground vaults. They say MOX creates security concerns because the stuff gets trucked around so much during the process and would generate a new form of radioactive waste at the power plants that will need special disposal. Local anti-nuclear activists announced plans Monday to launch a flotilla to coincide with the plutonium shipment. Mount Pleasant resident Merrill Chapman said the Nuclear-Free Atlantic Flotilla so far consists of about a dozen vessels. "We will not be blocking (the shipment)," Chapman said. "This is absolutely a peaceful protest." The U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston is aware of the shipment but does not expect to announce any waterway closures, Coast Guard Lt. Kevin Floyd said. Security vessels and helicopters will, however, escort the ship as it enters the harbor and heads upriver, said Floyd, adding that the activists' flotilla shouldn't pose a problem provided it obeys a roaming security zone around the ship carrying the plutonium. If it managed to fall or leak into Lowcountry waterways during the shipment, the plutonium could cause irreparable harm to the local seafood and tourism industries that rely on healthy, navigable waterways, Chapman said. Copyright © 2004, The Post and Courier, All Rights Reserved. webmaster@postandcourier.com [webmaster@postandcourier.com] ***************************************************************** 43 Tri-City Herald: Hanford project to test bulk vitrification This story was published Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004 By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer A contract was signed Monday for a $61 million project to build and operate a pilot facility in central Hanford to do full-scale tests of the bulk vitrification of waste from underground tanks. AMEC Earth and Environmental Inc., based in London, won the contract. The worst of the nuclear waste held in massive underground tanks will be melted into a glasslike material at a $5.8 billion vitrification plant under construction at Hanford. But that plant alone cannot meet a legal deadline to process all the 53 million gallons of waste generated by half a century of production of plutonium at Hanford for nuclear weapons. The Department of Energy and its contractor CH2M Hill Hanford Group have been looking at alternative technologies to process some of the low-activity waste by the 2028 deadline. The contract award Monday narrows the focus from the 22 processes considered in 2002 to a single option for large-scale tests. Just as the vitrification plant would turn waste into glass logs, the favored alternative, bulk vitrification, would turn waste into large blocks of glass. "What we like about bulk vitrification is it is a glass waste form," said Howard Gnann, senior technical adviser for the Office of River Protection. "We think the regulators are more comfortable with it." The 22 alternative technologies had been narrowed to two by last September, both using heat to process low-activity waste. CH2M Hill received proposals for pilot projects to test both bulk vitrification and steam reforming. "The technical evaluation was that bulk vitrification was more mature for our waste and had a much higher probability of success when we go full scale," said Richard Raymond, director of treatment and disposal at CH2M Hill. The technologies were evaluated on whether a high-quality product could be produced that protects workers and the environment and whether the process could meet legal deadlines for testing and production. Cost also was considered. Bulk vitrification would use electrodes to melt a combination of soil and tank waste into a large block of shiny black glass within a standard, 20-foot shipping container. Steam reforming would use high-pressure steam to turn a mixture of clay and waste into BB-sized particles. "Steam reforming is not totally off the table," said Billie Mauss, the Office of River Protection's manager for supplemental technologies. Lab studies of the technology continue to be done at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina. AMEC already has done bulk vitrification tests at a north Richland site using a nonradioactive surrogate for tank wastes. The bulk vitrification test project in central Hanford will mix waste from Tank S-109 with Hanford's silica-rich soil and heat the mixture to more than 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit. When the mixture cools to glass, the entire box and the electrodes can be disposed of at Hanford. The tests will gather data and develop a cost estimate to present to Washington by Jan. 31. Regulators have to agree to the alternative technology treatment. AMEC, the largest engineering contractor in Europe, has used the technology with its roots in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory research to treat nuclear and hazardous wastes. The initial contract is for $38 million to design, fabricate and operate a pilot treatment test and demonstration project. The contract could be extended through September 2006 at a total cost of $61 million. AMEC expects to hire about 20 people and use some locally purchased materials and equipment. AMEC subcontractors include Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a DOE national laboratory in Richland, and DMJMH Inc., a national firm with an office in Richland. The national lab's role includes testing the glass produced by bulk vitrification to make sure it meets the same standards as waste produced by the vitrification plant. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 44 DenverPost.com: Trigger-plant tower is toppled Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 By George Merritt Denver Post Staff Writer Post / Brian Brainerd At top, the 169-foot ventilation stack at Rocky Flats begins to topple before settling into a pile of dusty rubble, above, on Monday evening, beginning a summer’s worth of major demolitions at the former plutonium-trigger plant. The tower provided ventilation for the notoriously contaminated Building 771. With a burst of thunder and a puff of dust, a Cold War icon was turned to rubble Monday night. The 169-foot ventilation tower at Rocky Flats was demolished, another step toward converting the former plutonium-trigger plant into a wildlife refuge. For motorists cruising by the 6,000-acre site north of Golden, the tower was one of the few distinctive structures that could be seen at the top-secret compound where plutonium and other ores were once transformed into detonators for nuclear warheads. The tower provided ventilation for Building 771, considered one of the most contaminated in the nation. It loomed over the massive, 200,000-square-foot structure, where highly contaminated materials pumped through miles of piping. The tower's demolition signaled a new phase: Three of the four buildings where plutonium was processed are scheduled to fall in the next 12 months. "Nine years ago, none of us would have thought it would be coming down this early," said Steve Gunderson of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Activists, however, warned that the stack's demolition may have actually created a greater public danger, expressing fears that the blast dispersed radioactive contaminants over a wide area. "They told me there is no contamination," said Roy Moore of the Colorado Peace and Justice Center. "I really hope they know what they are doing, but I'm not personally confident that is the case." Officials overseeing the demolition insisted everything was safe. To be sure, experts monitored the air around the facility after the demolition, and "fog cannons" - something akin to snow-making machines - were used to knock down dust. By the time the $7 billion project is completed in December 2006, contractor Kaiser-Hill Co. will have removed about 800 buildings to make way for a public-access wildlife area. In 1989, FBI and EPA agents raided Rocky Flats, claiming violations of environmental and worker safety laws. With the end of the Cold War in 1992, the site never resumed production. "I can remember the first time I went in there," Gunderson said of Building 771. "There was all this purple paint used to mark contamination." Since then, buildings have been disassembled from the inside out. All piping and structures inside were hauled away as contaminated waste, Gunderson said. The waste was then shipped to a site in South Carolina. For some time, the governor there - Jim Hodges - blocked shipments from Rocky Flats until a court ordered him to allow the trucks to enter. But all that was a memory Monday evening as about 20 cleanup employees enjoyed hot dogs and beer in anticipation of the tower's fall. "Every nuclear site has a stack," John Martinez said. "To watch one come down is really cool." Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at gmerritt@denverpost.com [gmerritt@denverpost.com] or 303-820-1191. All contents Copyright 2004 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 45 Oak Ridger: Knox small business awarded DOE contract Story last updated at 11:45 a.m. on June 22, 2004 The Department of Energy has awarded GEM Technologies Inc. two contracts totaling over $3.2 million.  GEM will now begin construction of a new quadrangle common area and main entrance modifications at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These projects will constitute the entryway to ORNL's Research Support Center and the new Joint Institute for Computer Science facility. Construction is scheduled for completion in late March 2005. Founded in 1994, GEM is a Knoxville-based small business with a central staff of 50 employees. The company's economic impact is felt throughout the region, however, as a result of its subcontracting practices during construction. "GEM Technologies' success in competing for this contract is a testament to the strength of our area's small business community," said U.S. Rep John Duncan, R-2nd District. "Despite the fact that they are often overlooked, these enterprises form the backbone of our economy. I congratulate GEM and look forward to viewing the completed project next spring." ***************************************************************** 46 Oak Ridger: 'Suspicious vehicle' closes Y-12 entrance Story last updated at 11:57 a.m. on June 22, 2004 SPOKESMAN: 'They didn't find anything and, after the search, the vehicle was cleared to proceed.' By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff [paul.parson@oakridger.com] Armed guards blocked the main entrance to Oak Ridge's nuclear weapons plant around lunchtime Monday, causing traffic to back up in both directions on Scarboro Road. Some motorists - mostly Y-12 National Security Complex workers - turned off their vehicles' engines while others hopped out of their cars to make cell phone calls. The Bear Creek Road entrance closure occurred after one of the canines used by Wackenhut Services Inc. alerted security officers to a suspicious vehicle attempting to enter Y-12. The incident lasted "about an hour, maybe less," according to Y-12 spokesman Bill Willburn. Marie Moffitt/Staff A security officer with Wackenhut Services Inc. blocks the Bear Creek Road entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex after the road was closed briefly Monday due to a 'suspicious vehicle.' "They searched the vehicle, which belonged to a subcontractor employee. It was a pickup truck," Willburn said. "They didn't find anything and, after the search, the vehicle was cleared to proceed." Willburn said he didn't know which subcontractor the truck driver worked for and what caused the vehicle to be "suspicious." However, officials have said in the past that the canines are trained to detect narcotics and explosives. Traffic was significantly backed up around 1 p.m. when The Oak Ridger arrived at the scene. Vehicles began to enter the plant around 1:10 p.m. through a secondary entrance off of Scarboro Road, with the Bear Creek Road portal opening up minutes later. The Oak Ridger left a message with Y-12's communications department that the newspaper was photographing the traffic situation from the plant's front lawn. However, that didn't prevent a Wackenhut security officer from approaching the newspaper representatives in a vehicle with lights flashing to question what was being photographed. The guard declined to answer any questions posed to him about the situation. ***************************************************************** 47 Oak Ridger: Decision day for union contracts Story last updated at 11:33 a.m. on June 22, 2004 SCHEDULE: If the union delegates recommend the contracts this afternoon, then the deals will technically go into effect, giving time for the membership to vote. By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff [paul.parson@oakridger.com] In what can best be described as cutting it close, union contract negotiations resumed this morning with hopes of reaching an agreement before the current deals expire at 4 this afternoon for more than 2,000 hourly workers at Oak Ridge federal facilities. Negotiators met Monday morning and then again in the afternoon, but failed to reach an agreement to present to the union delegates, according to Carl "Bubba" Scarbrough, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council. It's up to the delegates to recommend the contracts to union membership for ratification. "It seems like we're communicating," said Scarbrough of Monday's contract talks, adding that he hopes a deal can be reached today. Scarbrough said the negotiators for Department of Energy-related contractors seemed to be a little more interested in union-issued contract proposals than they have been. Union representatives gave the other negotiators five different proposals at 2 p.m. Monday. "At least they're listening," said Scarbrough, whose organization serves as an umbrella group for about 16 unions whose members work at various Oak Ridge federal facilities. According to the ATLC chief, his organization is fighting for items such as major medical supplements and pension multipliers while the DOE-related contractors have been asking for some "unbelievable take-aways." For example, there's a plan to raise the cost of health insurance by 60 percent while decreasing the amount of coverage by about the same percentage. If no deals are reached before the current contracts expire today, the union membership could strike. At a few DOE-related facilities, management officials have already met with some of the salaried employees to discuss operations in the event of a strike. The ATLC's last major strike - actually the longest in Oak Ridge's history - involved more than 4,000 hourly workers and lasted for around 15 weeks in 1987. However, if the delegates OK the contracts this afternoon, then the deals will technically go into effect, giving time for the membership to vote. If deals can be reached today, it's likely the ATLC membership could vote this weekend. ***************************************************************** 48 lamonitor.com: Strategic research brings good things to LANL The Online News Source for Los Alamos [http://www.lanl.gov/worldview] [http://www.lac-nm.us] ROGER SNODGRASS, roger@lamonitor.com, Monitor Assistant Editor With an annual budget of more than $400 million, and a scientific portfolio as rich and complex as any institution in the land, the Strategic Research Directorate of Los Alamos National Laboratory could almost be a national laboratory in its own right. Unlike the nuclear weapons mission of the laboratory, which can be understood as a coherent project, the work of strategic research may be a little hard to grasp at first. Tom Meyer, associate director for strategic research, described his directorate Monday, as a place with the opportunity to "apply the highest quality of science to some of the most important problems the nation faces." What comes out of this directorate is the science that directly affects people's lives; the science that provides solutions, finds materials and new ways of doing things, cuts costs and teases the mind forward toward new knowledge. Both supporting and leading the scientific effort at a laboratory renowned for its science gives the directorate a dual role, as trusty assistant and helper on nuclear weapons and threat reduction problems, as well as pathfinder and explorer for the nation. In the landscape of the laboratory, these strategic projects are often the tall steeples that can be seen from afar. Short of spies and lost data, they get the most news coverage, a point Meyer emphasized with his first slide featuring the logos of local and national media, that both rely on the lab's scientific progress as a staple product. Last month, SRD made headlines around the region about its new partnership with Sandia National Laboratories when it broke ground for a new Center for Integrated Nanotechnology, a facility that will be used by the national research community to establish the scientific principles of nanoscale materials. Similarly, the lab's work in quantum scale physics was noticed across the nation and world only a couple of weeks ago, when Nature magazine published the results of a discovery by researchers in the Chemistry Division. Victor Klimov and colleagues announced that they had found a way to transmit wireless energy to light up nanocrystalline quantum dots. The technical breakthrough potentially opens the way to a new generation of electronic displays, among other uses. Like a lab within the lab, SRD is building, not just a new a gateway laboratory for nanotechnology, but it will also have share of the new National Security Sciences Building already started, and a major new Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement facility on the way. A large new Science Complex on Two-Mile Mesa is on the drawing board, using a novel third-party financing initiative, that will house radiological facilities, bioscience, the theoretical division, earth and environmental sciences, the institute for geophysics and planetary physics, the center for non-linear studies, and other pieces of the directorate, including an auditorium. SRD has both technical and operational divisions, manages its own network of facilities, fosters partnerships with other laboratories and academic institutions, and develops commercial relationships with industry, while fomenting new small businesses to capitalize on the patents and processes most likely to succeed in the market place. With a lot of science of its own to manage, the directorate also has an office of scientific management that helps other parts of the laboratory cut through divisional lines and function more effectively. For next year, Meyer hoped to be able to present a scientific "roadmap," that would identify "what areas need science and what kind of science (they need)...and put the lab into a position where it can attack any problem it wants. One set of problems clearly in view is in the energy sector, still a small part of LANL, but big by any other standard. With advanced projects in fuel cells, hydrogen storage, water and carbon dioxide, the lab is ready with people and ideas. As one of the most open, visible and accessible parts of the lab, SRD is a place for collaboration, Meyer said, a wedge out into the world and an entryway into the laboratory. [http://www.dncu.org/] [http://www.lanb.com/] © 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 49 Oak Ridger: Our View: Impact of negotiations far reaching Story last updated at 11:38 a.m. on June 22, 2004 Although we are gratified to hear that union contract negotiators are reportedly making some progress in "communicating" with negotiators for Department of Energy-related contractors, we hope this will not be a case of too little, too late as the deadline for reaching an agreement draws to a close at 4 p.m. today. Carl "Bubba" Scarbrough reported as late as Monday evening that at least both sides appeared to be "listening" to each other. However, if an agreement isn't reached within the waning hours of this afternoon, a negotiation failure could result in a strike involving more than 2,000 hourly workers at Oak Ridge federal facilities. From what we've been told - time and time again - the union membership seeks "an honorable contract" that everyone can live with. We hope that a win-win situation will result from talks scheduled to continue throughout the day. The last major strike of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council was in 1987, when more than 4,000 hourly workers were on strike for about 15 weeks. We hope not to see a repeat of such action, and encourage all those gathered at the negotiating table to continue communicating and do their utmost to avoid such a reoccurrence. It's not only tough on the individual workers, but impacts thousands of family members, salaried employees and our community as a whole. ***************************************************************** 50 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 14:07:19 -0700 (PDT) NEW Study Raises Questions About Nuclear Safety Radio Free Europe - Prague,Czech Republic The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace today concludes a two-day conference in Washington on the dangers of nuclear proliferation. ... See all stories on this topic: BRASH considers nuclear ballot New Zealand Herald - Auckland,New Zealand National will not change its anti-nuclear policy without a referendum but leader Don Brash is suggesting that he could take a lead role to persuade New ... See all stories on this topic: NEGOTIATORS Show Flexibility for North Korean Nuclear Talks Voice of America - Washington,DC,USA ... from six nations have wrapped up working-level talks in preparation for a third round of formal negotiations Wednesday on North Korea's nuclear-weapons programs ... See all stories on this topic: US for reducing nuclear risks in S. Asia Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA Washington, DC, Jun. 22 (UPI) -- The United States has urged India and Pakistan to take more concrete steps to reduce the nuclear risk in South Asia. ... See all stories on this topic: TVA, Other Agencies To Conduct Nuclear Exercise The Chattanoogan - Chattanooga,TN,USA TVA and other federal, state and local agencies will conduct a regularly scheduled emergency preparedness exercise for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant on Wednesday ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR threat only way Iran can deter US Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription) - Atlanta,GA,USA ... Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi finally came out and said that Iran "has to be recognized by the international community as a member of the nuclear club ... See all stories on this topic: RUSSIAN - US Cooperation , An EU Constitution , And Iran's ... Radio Free Europe - Prague,Czech Republic ... interest in the press today are establishing better Russian-US security cooperation in Eurasia and beyond, the potential dangers of Iran's nuclear program, the ... VICE FM elaborates China's stance on nuclear talks People's Daily - China ... for the talks, told ajoint interview by Chinese media that the goals of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsular and resolving the nuclear issue peacefully ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR Politics and Proliferation NPR (audio) - USA Description: The United Nations rebukes Iran for failing to make its nuclear program transparent, but the United States and Russia maintain thousands of ... See all stories on this topic: TOSHIBA Exhibits New Software Solutions for Advanced Nuclear ... Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2004--Offering the latest in nuclear medicine technology, Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc. ... 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/ ***************************************************************** 51 KPHO Phoenix: Strange Lights Spotted After Power Outage June 22, 2004 (CBS 5 News)---It was a power surge that left up to 65-thousand Arizonans in the dark one week ago. Now, some are pointing to strange lights in the skies as a possible link to that massive outage. The disturbance was large enough to shut-down all 3 units at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant. About the same time as this massive power outage some people in the West Valley spotted something strange hovering in the sky. Then less than 48 hours later in the same direction of the plant you had THIS captured on video. Astronomer, Steve Kates, known throughout the Valley as "Dr.Sky" says he believes the video is legit. Kates says he has seen a lot over the years but THIS sighting is special and similar to the "Phoenix Lights" sighting back in 1997. So what is this? Not wanting to sound like someone out of a science fiction novel Dr. Sky says they're still investigating. But Dr. Sky says regardless of *WHAT* this is...the timing of this showing up.... so close to the Palo Verde Outage is interesting. [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and News 5. 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