*****************************************************************
06/23/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.149
*****************************************************************
RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE
*****************************************************************
Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body
NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Promises New North Korea Proposal
2 Las Vegas SUN: Envoy: Pyongyang Willing to Give Up Nukes
3 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Proposing Aid in North Korea Talks
4 US: Man Who Saved the World Is Honored By Senate
5 US: Deseretnews: Hearing urged on Nuclear test center
6 US: Journal Gazette: Believing is seeing for Cheney and President Bu
7 US: U.S. Newswire: Western Governors Launch Initiative to Spur Clean
8 US: Grist: EPA chief Mike Leavitt hits the swing states
9 Las Vegas SUN: House Approves Defense Spending Bill
10 Times of India: 'Indian nuke tests shook me' -
11 Hi Pakistan: It was "an opportunity" to make further progress and
12 Hi Pakistan: Pak, India responsible nuclear states - Kasuri -->
13 Indian Express: US continues to tighten noose on Pak's N-export cont
14 The Hindu: New Naval doctrine urges nuclear triad
15 Washington Times: NATO develops joint antiterror package
16 Hi Pakistan: Kasuri sees Indo-Pak peace process moving in right dire
NUCLEAR REACTORS
17 SA: news24: Earthlife slams nuclear stance
18 US: chillicothe gazette: Nuclear group opens meeting to public;
19 SABCnews.com: Minister wrong on nuclear power - Earthlife
20 sundaytimes.co.za: Future energy policy is great news
21 US: MHTR: Public testimony set on proposed nuclear plant sale
22 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss Performance of Waterford 3 Nuclear Plant Jul
23 US: TheDay.com: Millstone Union OKs Three-year Contract
24 Bnn: Bulgaria Confirms Decision to Close Early Reactors
25 US: NRC: NRC Receives Awards for Excellence in Performance and Accou
26 Herald: Financial recoveries expert lured to British Energy
27 New York Times: Europe Looks More Closely at Plan for Uranium Ventur
28 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
29 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Model Application Concerning Tech
NUCLEAR SAFETY
30 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Nuke safety
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
31 Las Vegas RJ: Senator seeks bailout for Yucca project
32 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Funding for Yucca in question
33 US: Las Vegas SUN: Berkley introducs bill to redirect nuke funds
34 RGJ: Plan seeks more cash for Yucca waste site
35 US: KRT Wire: EPA: Amount of toxins in air, water and land increased
36 US: The State: Planned plutonium shipment st
37 Times of India: No law to govern the disposal of e-waste
38 Lincoln County News: DOE says it will open Yucca in 2010
39 Paducah Sun: Fluor to do gas centrifuge work
40 Las Vegas RJ: Berkley revives bill to block Yucca funding
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
41 US: Las Vegas SUN: Titus discusses nuclear symbolism
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
42 Tri-City Herald: Cleaning up, moving out
43 Oregonian: Waste cleanup will accelerate
44 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to Keynote June 24 NanoSummi
45 U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham to Keynote Global Climate Change Co
46 Daily Texan: Latest Los Alamos move covertly favors UT -
OTHER NUCLEAR
47 Google News Alert - nuclear
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
1 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Promises New North Korea Proposal
By AUDRA ANG ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING (AP) -
The United States promised a new proposal at six-nation talks
toward ending a dispute over North Korea's nuclear program
Wednesday, while the North said it would give up nuclear weapons
in exchange for aid and an end to "hostile" U.S. policy.
But Pyongyang also demanded that Washington withdraw its call
for a complete and irreversible dismantling of its atomic
program, casting doubt on hopes for a breakthrough in the third
round of talks that also include South Korea, Japan and Russia.
U.S. officials had said Monday that Washington and its allies
were working on a plan to offer the North aid if it agreed to
end its nuclear weapons development. American envoy James Kelly
gave no details at the start of the talks Wednesday.
"We are prepared for serious discussion and we have a proposal
to offer," Kelly said as the high-level talks on the U.S. demand
for the North to give up its nuclear program began.
The North's envoy to the talks, Kim Gye Gwan, said its efforts
to possess atomic arms are "intended to protect ourselves" from
the threat of U.S. nuclear attack.
"Therefore, if the United States gives up its hostile policy
toward us ... we are prepared to give up in a transparent way
all plans related to nuclear weapons," he said.
Two previous rounds of high-level talks organized by China
failed to produce major progress, and Kelly this week saw "no
particular reason to be optimistic."
Kim also said the United States must accept the North's demand
for aid in exchange for a nuclear freeze. If Washington agrees
to both points, "we are prepared to submit specific proposals
concerning freezing the nuclear program," Kim said.
He gave no details, however, of how the secretive North's
renunciation of nuclear weapons would be transparent, or whether
that might involve international inspections.
Kelly urged the North to seek a resolution, saying that would
"open the door to a new relationship" between Washington and
Pyongyang. He said there would be "new political, economic and
diplomatic possibilities."
The Bush administration has said there should be no reward for
abandoning a program North Korea should not have started in the
first place. But on Monday, a U.S. official involved in the
process said Japan and South Korea would provide aid in stages
if North Korea would agree at last to end its nuclear weapons
program.
The United States also would join with other nations to assure
North Korea it would not be attacked.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Washington was
working on a plan for the North to receive aid for three to five
months before it starts work on dismantling the program.
The talks that began Wednesday were taking place at a Chinese
government guesthouse in a walled compound on Beijing's west
side. The first minutes of the opening session, held around a
green, hexagonal table, were broadcast live on state television.
The Chinese delegate, Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, appealed to
the negotiators to show a "flexible attitude."
The dispute erupted in October 2002 when Washington said North
Korea admitted operating a secret nuclear program in violation
of a 1994 agreement.
In preliminary discussions this week, North Korea denied U.S.
claims that it has a nuclear program based on highly enriched
uranium, in addition to its declared plutonium-based program,
the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
The uranium issue could be a key sticking point in the talks
because the United States is demanding that the North discard
that program as part of any settlement, while Pyongyang says it
doesn't exist.
--
*****************************************************************
2 Las Vegas SUN: Envoy: Pyongyang Willing to Give Up Nukes
By AUDRA ANG ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING (AP) -
North Korea is willing to give up efforts to develop nuclear
weapons "in a transparent way" if the United States ends its
"hostile policy" toward Pyongyang, the North's envoy said as
six-nation talks on his government's nuclear program began
Wednesday.
The comments appeared to be a reference to the North's demand
for a guarantee that it won't be attacked by the United States
if it agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons development.
Pyongyang will submit a proposal to freeze its nuclear program
in exchange for aid and Washington's withdrawal of its demand
for a complete dismantling of the program, said Kim Gye Gwan, a
North Korean vice foreign minister.
"Our trying to possess nuclear weapons ... is intended to
protect ourselves from the United States nuclear weapons
threat," Kim told his U.S. and other counterparts during the
opening session of the talks at a Chinese government guesthouse.
"Therefore, if the United States gives up its hostile policy
toward us by (real) actions, we are prepared to give up in a
transparent way all plans related to nuclear weapons," Kim said.
Diplomats said North Korea agreed earlier this week to discuss a
"verifiable freeze" of its nuclear program as a step toward
dismantlement.
If the United States withdraws its demand for a complete and
irreversible dismantling of the program "and accepts our
compensation demands, we are prepared to submit specific
proposals concerning freezing the nuclear program at this talks
in order to break the current stalemate and to reinvigorate the
six-party talks," Kim said.
The six countries taking part in the talks are North and South
Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the United States.
Kim didn't give details of how the secretive North's
renunciation of nuclear weapons would be transparent, or whether
that might involve international inspections.
The United States has rejected the North's demand for a
nonaggression treaty, but says it would consider some form of
security guarantee involving other regional powers.
--
*****************************************************************
3 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Proposing Aid in North Korea Talks
By AUDRA ANG ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING (AP) -
U.S. negotiators presented the first detailed American proposal
Wednesday on resolving the standoff with North Korea, offering
the North energy aid and a security guarantee in exchange for
dismantling its nuclear program.
The proposal is meant to break an impasse in talks that began
their third round after earlier negotiations brought no progress
on Washington's demand for the North to scrap its nuclear
program.
The step-by-step plan would begin with Pyongyang freezing its
nuclear program for a three-month period to prepare for
dismantling, during which it would list all nuclear activities
and allow monitoring of its facilities, U.S. officials said.
North Korea made its own six-point proposal under which it would
freeze the operations of facilities at Yongbyong, its main
nuclear complex, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, citing
officials at the conference.
The freeze would allow for inspections, but the Kyodo report did
not say if the North's plans included a commitment to dismantle
the nuclear facilities as the American plan seeks.
Earlier, the North's envoy at the talks, Vice Foreign Minister
Kim Gye Gwan, said earlier that Pyongyang was willing to
renounce nuclear weapons in exchange for aid and an end to
Washington's "hostile policy."
The two proposals were put forward during the opening session of
the talks at a Chinese government guesthouse, grouping delegates
from the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia
and the host, China.
The U.S. plan involves "a practical series of steps to achieve
the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North
Korea's nuclear program," White House press secretary Scott
McClellan said, traveling with President Bush in Philadelphia.
"One way to look at this is to look at the Libya model: Good
faith action on North Korea's part will be met with good-faith
response by the other parties," he said.
It is the first detailed U.S. offer to North Korea since
President Bush took office and lumped it into an "axis of evil"
with Iran and Iraq.
South Korea said it would provide fuel for the North once it
declares the freeze. But the timetable for any benefits the
North might receive for each stage of the process still must be
worked out, the U.S. officials said.
Under the proposal, the United States and the other four nations
participating in the talks would give North Korea "provisional
security guarantees" while the nuclear dismantling work is
carried out, according to the American officials.
North Korea has insisted that without such a guarantee, it must
keep its nuclear program to deter a possible U.S. attack.
"First you would have to have North Korea commit to the
dismantlement of its nuclear program," McClellan said. Then the
two sides would agree to "a detailed implementation plan."
The plan would include the supervised disabling and dismantling
of "all nuclear-related facilities and materials," and the
removal of all weapons components, including centrifuges,
fissile material and fuel rods, followed by a "long-term
monitoring program," he said.
He said North Korea would get tangible benefits in return.
"We would work to take steps to ease their political and
economic isolation," McClellan said. "There would be provisional
or temporary proposals that would only lead to lasting benefits
after North Korea dismantles its nuclear programs."
The help could include the resumption of oil shipments from
countries other than the United States, McClellan said. He
didn't know whether it could include food or cash.
The dispute erupted in late 2002 when Washington said North
Korea admitted operating a secret nuclear program in violation
of a 1994 agreement. Under that deal, the United States was
providing the North with fuel and helping build nuclear reactors
for energy production - help that has since been halted.
Under the new U.S. proposal, Washington wouldn't directly supply
the power-starved North with energy aid, the U.S. officials
said.
But South Korea said Wednesday it was prepared to provide fuel
oil.
"If North Korea starts freezing its nuclear program under the
conditions that we proposed, we, South Korea, will participate
in providing North Korea with heavy oil," said South Korea's
chief delegate to the Beijing talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee
Soo-hyuck.
U.S. officials say any agreement must cover all nuclear programs
in the North. Pyongyang has denied U.S. claims that it has a
nuclear program based on uranium, in addition to its disclosed
plutonium-based program.
Kim, the North's envoy, said its efforts to possess nuclear arms
were "intended to protect ourselves" from the threat of a U.S.
nuclear attack.
"Therefore, if the United States gives up its hostile policy
toward us ... we are prepared to give up in a transparent way
all plans related to nuclear weapons," he said.
Kim also said the United States must accept the North's demand
for aid in exchange for a nuclear freeze. If Washington agrees
to both points, "we are prepared to submit specific proposals
concerning freezing the nuclear program," Kim said.
The U.S. delegate to the talks, Assistant Secretary of State
James Kelly, urged the North to seek a resolution, saying that
would "open the door to a new relationship" between Washington
and Pyongyang. He said there would be "new political, economic
and diplomatic possibilities."
--
*****************************************************************
4 Man Who Saved the World Is Honored By Senate
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:45:18 -0400
From:
John Hallam
Nuclear Weapons Campaigner Friends of the Earth
Australia,
nonukes@foesyd.org.au
61-2-9567-6222, 61-2-9567-7533/7644 fax
61-2-9567-7166
1 Henry Street Turella NSW Aust 2205
-------------------------------------------
IMMEDIATE USE 24/6/2004
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA
CAMPAIGN FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND
DISARMAMENT (CICD)
SENATE HONOURS MAN WHO SAVED WORLD BUT US, RUSSIA
KEEP THOUSANDS OF WARHEADS READY TO LAUNCH
Shortly before 5pm yesterday the Australian Senate
passed a motion put by Democrat Senator Lyn Alison
recognising that on 26 September 1983, the world
had come frighteningly close to nuclear
annihilation. It was saved by the reluctance of
duty officer Colonel Stanislav Petrov of the
Soviet missile corps to press a flashing red
button that would have initiated an automatic
sequence that would have sent 15,000 warheads to
incinerate the US and its allies. This would most
likely have ended civilisation and most life.
Amid wailing sirens and flashing light, Colonel
Petrov held firm and convinced his superiors that
what seemed to be a US missile attack was a
'glitch'. Experts on nuclear weapon systems
generally credit Colonel Petrov with having saved
the world.
Colonel Petrov was awarded the World Citizens
Award on 21 May of this year.
The Senate resolution put by Senator Alison not
only recognises Colonel Petrovs achievement in
ensuring our continued survival, but calls on the
Australian government to support measures to lower
the alert status of nuclear weapon systems so that
it will never again be possible to destroy
civilisation by accident as so nearly happened.
The Canberra Commission recommended in 1996 that
nuclear weapon systems be taken off
launch-on-warning status. Many resolutions have
passed the United Nations General Assembly,
calling for this to be done.
However, to this day, the US and Russia maintain
thousands of warheads on Launch-on-Warning status,
able to destroy civilisation and life within
minutes, just as when Colonel Petrov was on watch
that fateful night of September 1983
Contact:
John Hallam 9567-7533 h9810-2598
Pauline Mitchell CICD 03-9663-3677
The following motion was passed by the Australian
Senatejust before 5pm today.
Congratulations to Senator Lyn Alison who put it
up.
John HallamNuclear Weapons Campaigner Friends of
the Earth Australia 02-9567-7533 h9810-2598
Item of Business No 895 - Nuclear Weapons Systems
and Colonel Stanislav Petrov
Notice of Motion from Senator Lyn Alison
On the next day of sitting, I shall move that the
Senate:
a) Recalls the incident that took place in the
USSR at Serpukhov-15
on 26 September, 1983, 12.30pm Moscow Time and the
role of Colonel
Stanislav Petrov in this incident.
b) Notes:
i. that the Serpukhov-15 incident, in which a
newly installed Soviet
surveillance system, reported that the US had
launched nuclear
missiles at the USSR, is considered by many
analysts to have been the
closest the world has ever come to nuclear war;
ii. that the megatonnage likely to have been
used at that time was
between 30 and 60 times the amount required to
produce a nuclear
winter and that the number of nuclear weapons that
would have been
launched would have ended civilisation and most
living things.
iii. the role played by Colonel Stanislav Petrov
in refraining from
launching a number of thousands of warheads at the
US in retaliation
and in pressing his superiors to consider it a
false alarm;
iv. that the Canberra Commission of 1996
recommended that strategic
nuclear weapons be taken off 'Launch on Warning'
status;
v. the resolution of the European Parliament on
that matter of Nov
11 1999, and its own resolutions as well as
repeated calls to lower
the alert status of strategic nuclear weapons by
the Non -Aligned
Movement and the New Agenda Coalition have been
passed year after
year by the UN General Assembly.
c) Offers its congratulations to Colonel Petrov
for being presented
with the World Citizen Award on Friday 21 May
2004, in recognition of
his actions.
d) Urges the Government to give support to
measures aimed
at lowering the readiness to launch nuclear weapon
systems and to
support such measures on the floor of the UN
General Assembly.
Press Release 17/6/2004
*****************************************************************
5 Deseretnews: Hearing urged on Nuclear test center
[deseretnews.com]
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
By Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News
Citing harm from nuclear weapons fallout
in the past, a Salt Lake group is calling for the Department of
Energy to hold public hearings in St. George on a proposal to
build a new radiological detection center at the Nevada Test
Site.
Citizens Education Project says in a June 19 letter to
the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration that Utahns
should have a better opportunity to comment on the project.
A hearing should be held in St. George to tell the public
about the proposal and accept verbal comments, says the note,
written by Steve Erickson, the activist group's director. If
needed, the comment period for the project should be extended
for the hearing and to give Utahns time to send in written
statements, he added.
"Given Utah's disastrous experience with exposures to
fallout from NTS nuclear tests, there will be considerable
concern in 'downwind communities' about the nature and potential
impacts of this project," Erickson wrote in a letter to Dirk
Schmidhofer, environmental documents manager for proposal.
Formal name of the project is the "Radiological/Nuclear
Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Complex," proposed for the
test site, a large base that extends to within about 65 miles
northwest of Las Vegas. Occupying 50 acres of the NTS' 1,350
square miles, the complex would offer training for officers who
might be called upon to detect smuggled radioactive material.
The facility could be expanded to 100 acres, says an
environmental assessment prepared by the National Nuclear
Security Administration.
Mock-up ports of entry and airport sites would be built
to give training on detecting smuggling.
A highly radioactive neutron beam is envisioned as part
of the project. Based in a shaft in the middle of a roadway, the
device would allow a neutron beam to sweep across moving
containers on the road. "Shielding and exclusion areas would be
established to protect personnel from receiving unsafe radiation
doses," says the assessment.
Erickson wrote that his group disagrees strongly with a
statement in the assessment that no populations could be
subjected to disproportionately high adverse effects from the
facility.
"Adverse effects to many thousands, if not millions of
Americans due to nuclear testing at the NTS are well known and
documented," he said, referring to nuclear explosions in the
past. "To dismiss this reality is offensive." The letter says
that the group could accept the assurances about no bad impacts
on human health off the site if it were assured nothing would go
wrong. That is assuming "that there will be no accidents,
sabotage, terrorism or other incidents during transportation or
operation of the complex that would result in loss of
radiological sources or dispersion of their contents."
The assessment is vague about the likelihood of accidents
during transportation of radiological material. It says, "A
number of administrative and engineering controls would be
implemented to ensure that the probability of occurrence of
these types of accidents and hazards was low." The report adds
that hazards to workers and the public would be minimized by
following established procedures and making sure that personnel
are properly trained in dealing with potential dangers.
"Cumulative impacts from operation of the facility would be
minimal," it adds.
Erickson said that the proposal underlines the fact that
activities are expanding at the Test Site. These include plans
to study "bunker busters" and "mini-nuke" devices. The group's
biggest worry, he said, is that the new work could contribute to
an eventual decision to resume nuclear explosions there.
E-mail: [bau@desnews.com]
© 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
6 Journal Gazette: Believing is seeing for Cheney and President Bush
| 06/23/2004 |
RICHARD COHEN
I believe Cheney.
I believe the vice president when he claims that there was a
link of some sort between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida and by
intended implication with the events of Sept. 11, 2001. I
believe, that is, that he is not necessarily lying, not making
things up. I believe, in other words, that Cheneys and
President Bushs insistence on this association is just more
evidence that the two of them are blinkered by ideology and
seeing precisely what they want.
Ill tell you a story. There was a man who went to see a
psychiatrist. First, the shrink showed him a picture of crossed
sticks and then one of hundreds of little dots. Whats that?
the shrink asked. The man said snakes and ants having sex. The
shrink told the man he was obsessed with sex. What do you
expect, the patient replied, when you keep showing me dirty
pictures?
In life as in jokes, you see what you want. Cheney and Bush
(protocol would insist on Bush first, but we know better) always
saw a link between Saddam and al-Qaida. That link was tenuous at
best, but it was supported by this or that meeting or sighting
or the presence of someone in Iraq with links to Osama bin
Laden. Aficionados of the Mafia will recognize the telltale
signs. This person is linked to this person who is associated
with that person who is married to yet another person who was
once in business with the brother-in-law of yet another person.
Once you have that mind-set, the Mafia is everywhere.
It is the same with intelligence. Very little of it is
definitive. We have learned that the hard way. Even the mobile
chemical labs in Iraq precisely identified by spy satellites
turned out to be something else. Human intelligence can be even
more problematic. It turns out, after all, that we knew next to
nothing about what was going on in Saddams inner circle.
Were there contacts between Saddams regime and al-Qaida? Maybe.
Its not inconceivable that someone in the regime wanted to keep
an ear open. Were those contacts nefarious? Who knows? Did they
lead in some way to the events of 9/11? It appears not. No
evidence suggests thats the case, and the lack of such evidence
is not proof of anything. It is not up to the critics of the war
to prove the negative any more than it is up to astrologers to
prove that the dark side of the moon is not made of green
cheese. A little intellectual discipline is in order here.
Its not surprising that an administration already bent on war
would interpret every dot, every squiggly line, as evidence that
Saddam and Osama were in cahoots. This made sense to Bush and
Cheney since, as we have found out to our dismay, they cannot
distinguish between one kind of evil and another. Every possible
suggestion of cooperation somehow became proof.
This was particularly the case with Cheney, when it came to
weapons of mass destruction. He seized on the most murky of
reports to proclaim that Iraq had reconstituted its nuclear
weapons program that, lo these many months later, has yet to be
found. So deluded were our top guys that they invaded Iraq
expecting that the major problem would be how to clean up after
all the victory parades.
Was Cheney lying or was he merely so driven by ideological or
intellectual conviction that to him the occasional tree became a
forest? Its hard to say. As my colleague Al Kamen reports, the
vice president did indeed say it was pretty well confirmed
that one of the 9/11 terrorists, Mohamed Atta, had met in Prague
with an Iraqi intelligence official. Actually, that meeting has
never been confirmed and Cheney, for obvious reasons, has
recently unconfirmed his statement, insisting he was never so
definitive. Kamen confirmed he was.
But just as Cheney and Bush missed the forest for the trees, so
do those who defend them and insist that the 9/11 Commission
overstated the case by reporting (in a draft) that no
collaborative relationship existed between Iraq and al-Qaida.
The fact remains that Saddams fingerprints are not on 9/11 and
that the United States went to war for stated reasons that have
simply evaporated weapons of mass destruction and that
vaporous link between two very bad men. This brings me not to a
joke but to the wisdom of the late Don Quixote, who says
something to remember when this or that intelligence report is
trumpeted by Cheney or Bush in justification for an unjustified
war.
Facts are the enemy of truth.
Richard Cohen is a columnist for The Washington Post. His e-mail
address is cohenr@washpost.com [cohenr@washpost.com] .
*****************************************************************
7 U.S. Newswire: Western Governors Launch Initiative to Spur Clean,
Diversified Energy in the West; Govs. Richardson, Schwarzenegger
to Lead Effort
6/22/2004 2:39:00 PM
To: National Desk, Energy Reporter
Contact: Karen Deike of the Western Governors' Association,
303-623-9378 or 720-840-3526;
SANTA FE, N.M., June 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Western Governors
agreed unanimously today to explore opportunities to develop "a
clean, secure and diversified energy system for the West and to
capitalize on the region's immense energy resources."
Western Governors adopted a resolution at their Annual Meeting
that will launch the initiative, spearheaded by Govs. Bill
Richardson of New Mexico and Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.
The resolution builds upon recommendations the governors received
from the nearly 700 participants at the North American Energy
Summit, which WGA held in April.
The Governors have agreed to examine the feasibility and actions
required to reach a goal of 30,000 megawatts of clean energy by
2015 and a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020. A
new working group will be formed to determine how to reach that
goal, and at the same time, ensure the region has the necessary
generation and transmission capacity. The group will have
balanced representation that includes state, local and Native
American leaders; environmental organizations; state and tribal
air quality agencies; the private sector; federal agencies; and
representatives from Mexico and Canada.
"This region has a unique opportunity to develop clean energy to
fuel our growing economy," said Gov. Richardson, WGA Chairman.
"We have an enormous potential to improve the efficiency of
energy use. The West also has the highest quality solar, wind,
and geothermal resources in the nation, and this clean-energy
initiative will determine the steps needed to take advantage of
this unique opportunity."
Gov. Schwarzenegger said, "California has historically been very
aggressive in promoting renewable energy and the highest
efficiency energy standards. We have proven that cost-effective
efficiency programs can help reduce overall energy use, protect
our environment and save consumers in the long run. I think it's
fantastic that my fellow Western Governors came together today in
this bipartisan spirit to affirm our mutual commitment to a
clean, diversified energy future throughout the West."
The initiative will build on our traditional energy resources,
while advancing the development of clean energy in the West. The
project will stress incentive-based, non-mandatory approaches
that will help states achieve their clean and diversified energy
goals, and will consider federal programs that could assist in
the development of clean and diversified energy in the West.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming will serve as lead governor for
energy policy, along with Richardson and Schwarzenegger.
"Western governors recognize that both traditional and non-
traditional resources will play an important role in meeting the
energy needs of the West," Freudenthal said.
A copy of the resolution is available on the Web at
http://www.westgov.org
[http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=32282&Link=ht
tp://www.westgov.org]
The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit
organization representing the governors of 18 states and three
U.S.-flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the
governors identify and address key policy and governance issues
in natural resources, the environment, human resources, economic
development, international relations and public management.
Additional information about WGA is available on the Web at
http://www.westgov.org
[http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=32282&Link=ht
tp://www.westgov.org]
http://www.usnewswire.com/ [http://www.usnewswire.com/]
-0-
/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
*****************************************************************
8 Grist: EPA chief Mike Leavitt hits the swing states
The dirt on environmental politics and policy
by Amanda Griscom
22 Jun 2004
[Leavitt] Leavitt, alone. Photo: U.S. EPA.
Have a look at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Mike Leavitt's calendar over the last several months and you'll
notice that it appears to be in lockstep with the Karl Rove
playbook.
"I'd hardly call it coincidence," said Beth Viola, a leading
environmental strategist for the Kerry campaign, "that after the
EPA spends nearly four years pandering to industry, all of a
sudden Leavitt is waltzing around battleground states in a green
mantle -- doling out grant money, announcing new initiatives,
threatening industry with enforcement actions, making amends to
swing voters like hunters and anglers [who are] disgruntled about
rollbacks. It's quite a show."
Leavitt's recent wave of swing-state politicking has won his
agency the moniker "Election Protection Agency" in Beltway
circles, according to Aimee Christensen, director of
Environment2004, an organization committed to motivating voters
on environmental issues. And many campaign analysts expect Bush's
greenwashing efforts to intensify. Republicans still remember
pollster Frank Luntz's 2003 memo [PDF] declaring that, "The
environment is probably the single issue on which the Republicans
in general -- and President Bush in particular -- are most
vulnerable," a sentiment supported by subsequent Luntz polls. And
in early June, Yale University released a comprehensive
nationwide report in which 84 percent of respondents said the
environment would be a factor in their presidential vote and 35
percent called it a "major factor."
To get a sense of Leavitt's damage-control efforts, consider his
whereabouts last week: Wisconsin and Michigan, currently two of
the hottest swings states. On "
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20040614.html] "-- a
get-to-know-your-officials Q&A feature on the official government
website -- Leavitt wrote: "I am in Ann Arbor, Michigan, meeting
with Governor Granholm and state and local elected officials to
discuss the Great Lakes. I have also just presented a Clean
School Bus Grant to the Ann Arbor Public School District, and
tomorrow will [be traveling to Milwaukee to] announce nearly $76
million in grants to restore brownfields in our country to
useable land."
Brownfield grants help revitalize polluted industrial sites for
development and community use. Leavitt awarded Wisconsin (another
swing state) $10.38 million for that cause, the biggest check
given to any state competing for the money. In fact, of the five
largest brownfield grants, all but one went to a swing state:
Michigan got $7.05 million, Pennsylvania got $3.21 million, and
Missouri got $2.65 million. (California, which is not in play in
the upcoming election, got $8.2 million.)
Viola says that the brownfield grants, though much needed, are
also an easy political giveaway in an election year. "Leavitt
shows up with a bag of money saying, 'let's clean up your
communities,' and the assumption is that voters will just forget
about three abysmal years of assault on public health."
[Leavitt] Leavitt gets down at a brownfield. Photo: U.S. EPA.
The Bush EPA denies any political motivations behind the
brownfield and Clean School Bus grants, which help schools
convert old diesel buses to cleaner technologies. Dave Ryan, an
agency spokesperson, insisted that the brownfield grants were
determined by a panel of career employees, not by Karl Rove, and
that making the announcement in an election-year hotspot was just
coincidence: "Look, Milwaukee may be a politically hot city but
this was about brownfields, not politics," he told Muckraker,
"Milwaukee has historically done an excellent job with brownfield
restoration. That's why we picked it."
Maybe so, but connect the dots between the other announcements
and initiatives the EPA has unveiled this election year -- and
those it hasn't -- and it's hard to deny that they paint a
distinctly politicized picture. In January, Bush requested new
funding (albeit far less than what environmentalists deemed
necessary) in the 2005 fiscal year budget to restore the Great
Lakes. Leavitt has since made nearly half a dozen trips to the
region, which is dense with swing states, to publicize these
efforts. Meanwhile, he has faced a storm of criticism from
officials and activists in that region and beyond for his failure
to provide reasonable protections against mercury pollution in
America's waterways.
Then, in April, there was the Earth Day announcement that the
Bush administration planned to move from its "no net loss" of
wetlands to a new goal of an overall increase in wetlands every
year. One (non-election) year earlier, the administration had
proposed a controversial plan to strip federal protections from
up to 20 million acres of wetlands. Critics called the move a
blatant appeal to the hunting and angling community -- a
traditionally Republican constituency that has been so outraged
by the administration's attempted assault on wetlands that it
marched on Washington in January.
Next, in late May, Leavitt dropped by Las Vegas, Nev., another
swing state perturbed over environmental matters -- most notably,
nuclear waste storage in Yucca Mountain. His reason for showing
up: to promote a waste-recycling program known as "America's
Marketplace Recycles!" at the national convention of the
International Council of Shopping Centers. The program calls on
mall developers and retailers to recycle construction debris and
use recycled products. "Shopping centers are a magnet for young
people. What better place to teach our youth the value of
recycling?" Leavitt said, but failed to mention that his host
state would have to add a fourth "R" -- "radioactive" -- to
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."
And it was in the swing states Minnesota and Missouri -- in
addition to Washington, D.C. -- that Leavitt announced (yes,
repeatedly) the landmark controls for diesel emissions that the
EPA rolled out last month. (On its campaign website, the
administration listed those controls as one of its leading
environmental achievements well before they became official.)
Kevin Curtis of the National Environmental Trust notes that the
only companies that could suffer financially from these diesel
regulations -- Caterpillar and Cummins -- are headquartered in
states where the presidential election outcome is a sure thing:
Illinois (blue) and Indiana (red). (In fairness, Leavitt also
announced the rule in Illinois.)
To further emphasize the EPA's commitment to clean air, Leavitt
put in a feel-good public appearance in Tennessee -- another
swing state. In mid-May, he traveled to Knoxville to commend a
company for developing technology to limit the pollution
generated by idling trucks. "[These are] ideas big enough to
change the world," Leavitt beamed as he praised IdleAire
Technologies Corporation.
"It's stunning that he had time to do this but has refused
repeatedly to meet with manufacturers of mercury-pollution
filters," said Frank O'Donnell, director of Clean Air Trust. "The
visit had nothing to do with policy developments of any kind. It
was just another throwaway PR stunt."
Christensen added that the EPA is squandering its energy on
politics at a time when so many public health concerns are being
neglected: "Not only has Leavitt made all his major announcements
in swing states -- at the exclusion of others -- he's been
incredibly selective about spotlighting certain problems while he
neglects the countless public-health controversies that loom
larger than ever."
It's only reasonable to expect that any administration will spin
its activities during a presidential campaign; that's simply part
of election-year gamesmanship. But in the context of the
escalating environmental concerns that this administration is
failing to address -- climate change, mercury pollution, drilling
on public lands, lapses in enforcement, manipulation of sound
science, disregard for due process -- this particular
administration's political maneuvers have spun out of control.
Muck it up: We welcome rumors, whistleblowing, classified
documents, or other useful tips on environmental policies,
Beltway shenanigans, and the people behind them. Please send 'em
to .
Grist columnist Amanda Griscom writes Muckraker and Powers That
Be. Her articles on energy, technology, and the environment
have appeared in publications ranging from Rolling Stone to The
New York Times Magazine.
[webmaster@gristmagazine.com] | Privacy Policy | Terms of
Grist Magazine: Environmental news and commentary
© 2004, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
9 Las Vegas SUN: House Approves Defense Spending Bill
By PAULINE JELINEK ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Disagreements over missile defense and progress in Iraq are among
issues that remain to be resolved as the Senate works to finish a
defense spending bill before it goes home for a weeklong recess.
More than 30 amendments to the massive Pentagon authorization
bill were pending as the Senate planned to take up the
legislation again Wednesday.
On Tuesday, senators rejected a proposal that would have taken
money from President Bush's proposed missile defense budget for
use on such tasks as securing "loose nukes" - nuclear bomb
material around the world that could fall into the hands of
terrorists - and policing America's ports and borders. The 56-44
vote defeated an amendment to the defense authorization bill that
would have shifted $515 million from the $10.2 billion missile
defense budget.
Meanwhile, the House on Tuesday approved a $417 billion defense
spending bill that includes an initial $25 billion for U.S.
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus billions of dollars for
major weapons systems.
The 403-17 vote underscored an election-year, bipartisan
consensus behind military spending that wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have accentuated.
If anything, Democrats think Bush has requested too little for
operations in the two countries in the fiscal year starting Oct.
1 and predict the $25 billion he requested for the latter months
of this year will prove at least $50 billion too low.
"No doubt, after the election the public will be told what the
facts are on the installment plan" about Iraq spending, said Rep.
David Obey, D-Wis. Obey voted for the bill.
While Bush wanted to decide exactly how his requested $25 billion
for Iraq and Afghanistan would be spent, the House limited his
control to $1 billion of the money. The rest was assigned to 22
specific accounts, such as $674 million earmarked to provide
armor for Humvee vehicles.
Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., who chairs the House Appropriations
subcommittee that oversees the Pentagon, said the bill was
"designed to meet the country's needs in an ever-shrinking and
ever-complex world."
The measure also has money for the 3.5 percent military pay raise
that Bush requested.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a similar $416
billion defense spending measure with $25 billion for Iraq and
Afghanistan that would give Bush slightly more control over the
money than the House did.
Tuesday's major controversy occurred when House Republicans used
a partyline vote to add language that would let Congress raise
the government's borrowing limit later this year.
---
Associated Press Writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.
--
*****************************************************************
10 Times of India: 'Indian nuke tests shook me' -
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2004
[http://www.indiatimes.com]
NEW YORK: Former US President Bill Clinton has said he was
"deeply concerned" about India's underground nuclear tests in
1998 as it had shaken efforts to ban nuclear testing and that he
was unable to persuade then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
to agree to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Writing in his 957-page memoirs My Life Clinton says he was
"deeply concerned" about India's five underground nuclear tests
as they had shaken the efforts to ban nuclear testing. After
Indian tests, "I urged Pakistan's (then) Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif not to follow suit, but he could not resist the political
pressure," Clinton writes, adding public opinion in both nations
strongly supported the tests but it was a "dangerous
proposition."
However, Vajpayee did join him in pledging to forgo future tests,
and "we agreed upon a set of positive principles that would
govern our bilateral relationship that had been cool so long,"
Clinton writes.
The former President, who visited India and Pakistan in March
2000, says he was deeply concerned about New Delhi's nuclear
explosions not only because he considered it "so dangerous" but
also it "set back my policy of improving Indo-US relations and
made it harder for me to secure senate ratification of the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty."
During his visit to India, Clinton says he was unable to persuade
Vajpayee, with whom "he got along well," to agree to the Nuclear
Test Ban Treaty. "But I already knew that as Strobe Talbott
(Deputy Secretary of State) had been working with Foreign
Minister Jaswant Singh and others for months on non-proliferation
issues"
"For one thing, our national security people were convinced that,
unlike the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War,
India and Pakistan knew little about each other's nuclear
capabilities and policies for using them," Clinton says.
India, he says, claimed that its nuclear weapons were needed as a
deterrent to China and Pakistan said it was responding to India.
The controversy on the Indian nuclear tests was still unfolding
when the G-8 summit was held in Birmingham, England, and it was
among the issues that overshadowed the meeting.
"We condemned the Indian nuclear tests, reaffirmed the support
for Nuclear Non-proliferation and comprehensive treaties and said
we wanted global treaty to stop the production of fissile
material for nuclear weapons," Clinton writes in his book.
*****************************************************************
11 Hi Pakistan: It was "an opportunity" to make further progress and
comprehensive engagement: US -->
June 23 2004
WASHINGTON: The United States has applauded the efforts that are
being made by Pakistan and India "to try to make progress in
their bilateral dialogue."
"We do think this is an opportunity for them to make further
progress and comprehensive engagement," the State Department
Spokesman said, adding, at the same time, it was an opportunity
in "agreeing on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or
intentional use of nuclear weapons."
"We are glad to see" that Pakistan-India "are pursuing them,"
Richard Boucher said.
The Spokesman was responding to a query in the daily Press
briefing Monday.
He said the United States has "supported that dialogue" in its
contacts with the new government in India, as well as our
continuing contacts with the government in Pakistan.
Of Pakistan-India talks, Boucher said, "this is the latest series
in a series of discussions that they have had." He was asked as
to what message Secretary Colin Powell has for India and
Pakistan, and if the U.S. is going to, or playing any role.
"We're glad to see that these are going forward," Boucher said,
adding the United States "really appreciate the efforts on both
sides to reduce tensions."
"We do think this is an opportunity for them to make further
progress and comprehensive engagement, while at the same time,
agreeing on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or
intentional use of nuclear weapons. So we do think there are
opportunities here and we are glad to see the parties are
pursuing them," he added.
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
12 Hi Pakistan: Pak, India responsible nuclear states - Kasuri -->
June 23 2004
QINGDAO: Pakistan and India have proved their credential
as responsible states, and now they are moving ahead to resolve
their disputes peacefully and to live as good neighbours and
friendly countries.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said in an interview to
Press Trust of India here Tuesday.
He noted that there is a great degree of understanding between
Pakistan and India on the nuclear issue. "International
community must accept both as nuclear powers, "he added.
Kasuri said, Pakistan and India are mature and responsible
nuclear powers. The two countries, he said are taking a series
of confidence building measures (CBMs) to prevent any possible
accidental nuclear mishap.
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
13 Indian Express: US continues to tighten noose on Pak's N-export controls
[http://www.expressindia.com]
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Posted online: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 at 1054 hours IST
Washington, June 23: The United States continues to press
Pakistan to tighten nuclear export controls to prevent any future
black market proliferation, Assistant Secretary of State
Christina Rocca has said.
She noted that though Islamabad is supporting Washington's
efforts against international terror network al-Qaeda, its record
on domestic terror is "more complicated".
She said Pakistan's nuclear programme still remained under
scrutiny after it was linked to a non-proliferation network led
by disgraced Pakistani scientist and father of nuclear bomb Abdul
Qadeer Khan, adding Washington continued to ask Islamabad for
information on the network and investigation was on.
"It continues and we're working very closely with the government
of Pakistan on the investigation," she said in response to a
question by democratic representative from New York Gary Ackerman
at the House Subcommittee hearing on International Relations on
Tuesday.
US opposition Democratic legislators have demanded that the
Government tie aid to Pakistan with progress it makes on
non-proliferation and democratisation.
She said Pakistan has recently introduced a bill in Parliament
which, if passed "would go a long way towards meeting the
standards that we are encouraging tham to reach." Pakistan gives
US excellent support against al-Qaeda and Taliban but its record
on domestic terror is "more complicated," Rocca told the
committee chaired by James Leach.
© 2004: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
*****************************************************************
14 The Hindu: New Naval doctrine urges nuclear triad
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 : 1800 Hrs
New Delhi, June 23. (PTI): Voicing concern over Pakistan's
"hostile posturing" and Chinese plans to configure its naval
force to two carrier groups, the new Indian Naval doctrine
advocates that it was vital for the country to develop a nuclear
triad with its most effective punch undersea.
Emphasising that nuclear weapons have the potential to deliver a
level of damage unacceptable to any regime, the doctrine made
public today said to achieve nuclear deterrence, it was
essential for the nation to possess nuclear submarines capable
of launching missiles with nuclear warheads.
"Expect hike in Chinese, Pak capabilities"
A steady inflow of military technology and hardware into
Pakistan is an area of immediate concern ... with US now having
granted Pakistan major non-NATO ally status, a quantum increase
in Pakistan's naval capability can be expected.
The doctrine referred to Chinese naval plans to configure its
force levels around two carrier groups and said Pakistan's
hostile posturing and Chinese expansion plans affected India's
security concerns.
Deadlock in China talks
The reliance of the naval doctrine on nuclear submarines comes
at a very significant stage with New Delhi reportedly locked in
negotiations with the Russians on the lease of two nuclear
submarines and some breakthrough made in indigenous efforts to
develop a minaturised nuclear propulsion system to be installed
in a submarine developed in the country.
Pointing out that situation around India's waters were hotting
up, specially in the Persian Gulf and Straits of Malacca, the
doctrine said that sea control would be the main strategy that
navy would have to adopt increasingly in future conflict along
with sea denial to the enemy.
The doctrine also foresaw increasing cooperation with other
navies to combat emerging international common concerns like
terrorism, transportation of weapons of mass destruction, sea
piracy and drug trafficking.
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of
*****************************************************************
15 Washington Times: NATO develops joint antiterror package
Nation/Politics - June 23, 2004
The NATO military alliance is stepping up cooperative efforts to
fight terrorism with a plan for new defenses aimed at protecting
ports from attack, stopping homemade bombs and creating new
methods of sending commandos into hot spots.
The package of programs will be presented at the NATO summit set
to begin Monday in Istanbul, and heads of state and defense
ministers of the 26 NATO members are likely to approve it,
according to a senior alliance official.
"There is a pressing need to combat terrorist organizations and
provide the right mix of offensive and defensive capabilities to
NATO troops in the field," the official said.
If formally approved, it will be the first time that NATO has
agreed to carry out a collaborative arms and defense development
program, the official said.
"The eight measures signal the determination that the alliance
has to meet the terrorist threat to the alliance head-on," said
the official, noting that the danger of Islamist and other
terrorism is "present and growing."
The official said the eight-point defense package was developed
by NATO's Conference of National Armaments Directors and
includes:
•Reducing the vulnerability of large aircraft to portable
missiles.
•Developing countermeasures to improvised explosive devices, such
as nerve-gas and car bombs.
•Creating precision air-drop technology that will help NATO
commandos conduct pinpoint drops on terrorist targets, such as
houses and caves.
•Stepping up defenses at ports and harbors.
•Developing new aircraft defenses for helicopters, such as
protecting rotary-wing planes from rocket-propelled grenades.
•Making better detectors, protective gear and equipment, and
weapons that can combat chemical, biological, radiological and
nuclear bombs.
•Developing new technology for intelligence, reconnaissance,
surveillance and apprehension of terrorists.
•Creating new methods of explosive-ordnance disposal and
post-attack planning.
Unlike the European Union, whose members are divided over which
measures to use in combating terrorism, NATO militaries are
united in the new armaments program, the official said.
"The French, Germans and Italians are all good players in this,"
he said.
The Italian military is expected to take the lead in protecting
harbors and ports from terrorist attacks, and the Spanish are
working on systems to defeat improvised bombs.
Slovakia's military, which specialized in making guns and
ammunition when it was part of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, will
team with Norway to work on explosive-ordnance disposal.
The Czech Republic will take the lead on dealing with chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
France's military, which does not contribute to NATO forces, is
expected to assist.
The U.S. military will contribute to all eight areas, but is not
expected to focus on a single defense capability, the official
said.
Alliance leaders also are expected to discuss plans for the NATO
mission in Afghanistan, where a force is based in the capital,
Kabul.
A NATO role in Iraq also could be on the agenda.
Other key issues will be NATO's development of a joint
missile-defense command structure, the first step in deploying
missile defenses to shield NATO troops from missile attacks.
"We've now agreed to a detailed technical blueprint for theater
missile defense for NATO," the senior official said. The
blueprint is a battle-management system for NATO to use missile
defenses in the future.
NATO leaders also will discuss a new allied ground surveillance
program, a multibillion-dollar plan to set up a system of
unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft to provide ground targeting
data.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in London on
Friday that the alliance needs to improve its ability to dispatch
forces.
"Missions such as Afghanistan present wholly new challenges in
terms of generating forces," he said. "We have never done
anything quite like this before, and it should not be a surprise
that there are challenges."
*****************************************************************
16 Hi Pakistan: Kasuri sees Indo-Pak peace process moving in right direction
June 23 2004
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said the
Indian External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh has committed to
carry on the peace process far ahead of the progress which was
made during the Vajpayee regime.
"He (Natwar Singh) gave me a good deal of assurance rather he
went to the extent to say that he wanted to carry the peace
process far ahead of the progress which was made during the
Vajpayee regime", the Minister told BBC Radio.
Asked does he thinks it will be easier to hold talks with Natwar
Singh as compared with former Indian External Affairs Minister
Yashwant Singh, Kasuri said, "I won't draw comparison between
them. It is not reasonable for me to make comparison between
people."
What is to be seen is, whether the new government will carry the
peace process ahead he said adding this was discussed with Natwar
Singh and he gave me a good deal of assurance. Kasuri said that
all issues existing between the two countries including Jammu and
Kashmir were discussed during his meeting with Natwar Singh.
Responding a question regarding some controversial statements
made by Indian leadership in the recent past he said, what was
said a few days ago has now become old.
"We should talk of the present. The atmosphere during the
Monday's talks was very positive and we should take it
positively", he added.
To another question he said, both India and Pakistan are
responsible nuclear powers and they can hold dialogue on equal
basis with all countries of the world.
Copyright 1996-2002 . Hi Pakistan. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
17 SA: news24: Earthlife slams nuclear stance
[http://www.assist24.co.za/]
Cape Town - Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka
was misinformed if she believed nuclear power had a future as an
energy source, Earthlife Africa said on Wednesday.
"Nuclear energy is not an option for South Africa," said Sibusiso
Mimi, campaigner for the organisation in Cape Town.
"The minister has surely overlooked many environmental and human
health safety issues which entail great amounts of costs."
He was reacting to Mlambo-Ngcuka's statement in parliament on
Tuesday that South Africa needed to wake up to the fact that its
coal reserves were not infinite, and the use of nuclear power to
produce electricity in the future was unavoidable.
She told MPs nuclear power would increase South Africa's energy
diversity and security of supply, and reduce energy related
emission levels because it was a cleaner-burning fuel.
Mimi said the minister was not taking seriously the global
movement towards renewable energy and the fact that very few
financing institutions were interested in funding nuclear energy.
"At most, the minister is not seriously taking into consideration
what is in the best interest of South African public, the right
to clean and safe environment," Mimi said.
"It is about time for government to stop narrowly focusing on
outdated technology, and to realise that the renewable energy
resources are viable in every way possible."
South Africa has one nuclear power station, at Koeberg on the
West Coast, about 27km north of Cape Town. The plant's two
reactors supply 1850MW or 6.5% of the country's electricity
needs.
Most of the rest is produced by coal-burning power stations,
located mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Edited by Tisha Steyn
News24
*****************************************************************
18 chillicothe gazette: Nuclear group opens meeting to public;
focus is NRC's regulation
www.chillicothegazette.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
By DANIEL PRAZER Gazette Staff Writer
PIKETON -- With a pending license application from the United
States Enrichment Corp., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is
sponsoring a public meeting at 7 p.m. today at the Vern Riffe
Career Technology Center.
USEC's application to license its proposed $1.5 billion
commercial centrifuge facility at the Piketon uranium enrichment
plant is due in August, said USEC spokeswoman Angie Duduit.
The meeting will be geared toward explaining the NRC's role as a
regulator and explain the licensing process, as well as
gathering public sentiment on the plant.
USEC already has a license to operate a lead cascade of
centrifuge enrichment machines in hopes of proving the
technology and attracting investors.
And it's recently taken the first steps to getting the plant in
working order.
USEC announced Monday it has selected a contractor to prepare
existing buildings for the centrifuge plant.
Spokeswoman Elizabeth Stuckle said Greenville, S.C.-based Fluor
will be the engineering contractor on the American Centrifuge
project, readying the existing buildings to receive the
enrichment machinery. Until 2006, Fluor will be focused on
design and detailed engineering.
The buildings that will house the plant exist as remnants of the
original attempt at centrifuge enrichment abandoned in 1985.
Stuckle said a combination of reasons prompted the Energy
Department to scrap the technology, but it's been proven
effective.
Fluor will provide procurement and construction management
services for the planned plant, a service they provided in the
early and mid-1980s, Stuckle said.
"They have a lot of experience working with the centrifuge
program back in the 80s, so we're very fortunate to bring them
onto our team because of their experience," Stuckle said.
A contract to build the enrichment machines should be announced
in the next several weeks, she said. Both contracts will bring
work to Pike County.
"If they're going to be doing this work, they will have a large
workforce locally," she said. "I don't know the size yet. I
don't know that they know yet."
(Prazer can be reached at 772-9364 or via e-mail at
dprazer@nncogannett.com) [dprazer@nncogannett.com]
Originally published Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Home [http://www.chillicothegazette.com/index.html] | News
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/news/index.html] |
Entertainment
[http://www.centralohio.com/entertainment/index.html] |
Classifieds
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/classifieds/index.html] |
Coupons [http://www.chillicothegazette.com/coupons/index.html]
| Homes [http://www.chillicothegazette.com/homes/index.html] |
Cars | Jobs [http://www.chillicothegazette.com/jobs/index.html]
| Customer Service
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/customerservice/index.html]
[http://www.gannett.com]
[http://www.usatoday.com]
Contact
Us
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/customerservice/contactus.html
] | Subscribe
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/customerservice/subscribe.html
] | Place
an ad
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/customerservice/placead.html]
Copyright ©2004 Chillicothe Gazette. All rights reserved.
Use of this site indicates your agreement to the Terms
of Service
[http://www.chillicothegazette.com/terms.html] (Terms updated
12/20/02) 
[http://www.usaweekend.com]
[http://www.gannettfoundation.org]
*****************************************************************
19 SABCnews.com: Minister wrong on nuclear power - Earthlife
[http://www.sabcnews.com/]
South African Broadcasting Corporation Copyright ©
June 23, 2004, 11:49
Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, the minerals and energy minister, is
misinformed if she believes nuclear power has a future as an
energy source, Earthlife Africa said today. "Nuclear energy is
not an option for South Africa," said Sibusiso Mimi, the
campaigner for the organisation in Cape Town.
"The minister has surely overlooked many environmental and human
health safety issues which entail large costs." He was reacting
to Mlambo-Ngcuka's statement in Parliament yesterday that South
Africa needed to wake up to the fact that its coal reserves were
not infinite, and the use of nuclear power to produce electricity
in the future was unavoidable.
She told MPs nuclear power would increase South Africa's energy
diversity and security of supply, and reduce energy related
emission levels because it was a cleaner-burning fuel. Mimi said
the minister was not taking the global movement towards renewable
energy seriously and the fact that very few financing
institutions were interested in funding nuclear energy. "At most,
the minister is not seriously taking into consideration what is
in the best interest of South African public, the right to clean
and safe environment," Mimi said.
"It is time for government to stop narrowly focusing on outdated
technology, and to realise that the renewable energy resources
are viable in every way possible." South Africa has one nuclear
power station, at Koeberg on the West Coast, about 27km north of
Cape Town. The plant's two reactors supply 1850MW or 6.5% of the
country's electricity needs.
Most of the rest is produced by coal-burning power stations,
located mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. - Sapa
*****************************************************************
20 sundaytimes.co.za: Future energy policy is great news
Wednesday June 23, 2004 06:25 - (SA)
By Helmo Preuss
The self-evident news that South Africa's coal reserves, although
vast as it is measured in billions of tons, was finite and South
Africa needed to look at nuclear energy to satisfy some of its
future energy needs, was goods news Nic Terblance, the CEO of
Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Project told I-Net Bridge.
"It is great news. Now what we need is the approval from
government to proceed with the demonstration plant. Hopefully
that will come at the end of July or beginning of August,"
Terblanche said.
Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said South
Africa needed to wake up to the reality that it does not have
infinite coal reserves.
Speaking in Parliament during her Budget Vote, she said South
Africa had to look at nuclear energy for electricity generation.
"Nuclear will help us increase energy diversity, security of
supply and reduce energy related emission levels because it is a
cleaner burning fuel," she said.
Talks are under way to find other international partners to help
provide the full US$1.2 billion required to construct a 110
Megawatt demonstration unit at Koeberg, north of Cape Town, and a
fuel plant at Pelindaba, west of Pretoria.
A PBMR corporation was formed to oversee the commercialisation of
the mini-nuclear reactor and comprised Eskom (30%), the
state-owned Industrial Development Corp (25%) and British Nuclear
Fuel Limited (22.5%). A 10% stake has been earmarked for a black
empowerment stake and the remaining 12.5% for a foreign partner.
US energy company Exelon, which had a 12.5% stake in PBMR until
2002, was instrumental in forcing the PBMR technology onto the US
government's energy agenda, which has included it on its list of
technologies to reduce the country's dependence on oil as its
main energy source.
Last year's black-outs in Europe, Asia and North America
highlighted the urgent need for more electricity generation
capacity. Coal is not the answer, given environmental concerns
about carbon dioxide emissions.
China is the latest country to face a severe shortage of
electricity. Although the Three Gorges Dam will address some of
this shortage, China also aims to increase its reliance on
nuclear power from its current 1.4%.
Chinese officials estimate that by 2020 the country will need
additional capacity of 32,000 megawatts from the nuclear
industry, or about 300 PBMRs.
China currently has nine reactors with a capacity of 6,450
megawatts with technology supplied by Canada, France, Japan, and
Russia.
Although China and the United States signed an agreement on
nuclear technology transfer in 1998, the United States has been
holding on tightly to its export of high-technology products to
China, and nuclear technology is particularly restricted.
I-Net Bridge -
[http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/sitemap/ombudsman.asp] © Johnnic
Publishing 1996-2001. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
21 MHTR: Public testimony set on proposed nuclear plant sale
Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter -
Posted June 23, 2004
By Charlie Mathews Herald Times Reporter
MANITOWOC — Members of the public will be able to testify
Thursday about the proposed sale of the Kewaunee Nuclear Power
Plant during local hearings before the state Public Service
Commission.
They need to be prepared, however, to swear to give the whole
truth and nothing but the truth.
“This is a quasi-judicial proceeding. We have an administrative
law judge presiding,” said PSC spokeswoman Linda Barth. Those
testifying before state legislative hearings are typically not
sworn in, she said.
The PSC is considering the application by Wisconsin Public
Service Corp. and Alliant Energy to sell their jointly owned
Kewaunee plant to Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources.
The two utilities must have the approval of the commission, in
addition to that of other governmental entities, to sell the
nuclear plant. The commission will look at the economic impacts
of the sale on the Wisconsin utilities and on the ratepayers and
determine if the sale is in the best interest of state citizens.
Barth said the three commissioners will not be present Thursday
in Manitowoc. “They usually don’t attend public hearings. They
are busy reviewing other cases, will wait till the whole record
is compiled,” she said.
Dominion, WPS and WPL contend the sale will assure continued
employment at the plant and, until 2013, fix prices for power
millions of dollars less than the Wisconsin companies project it
would cost them to produce.
Opponents of the sale and power purchase agreement are expected
to offer testimony Thursday decrying loss of PSC regulatory
control.
They have argued future profits will not be credited to state
consumers but accrue to Dominion shareholders, who were not the
ones paying for the plant through their utility bills since the
plant opened in 1974.
Charlie Mathews: 686-2969
Cmathews@htrnews.com
Service [http://www.wisinfo.com/terms.html] .
*****************************************************************
22 NRC: NRC to Discuss Performance of Waterford 3 Nuclear Plant July 22
News Release - Region IV - 2004-02
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
No. IV-04-026 June 23, 2004
CONTACT: Victor Dricks
Phone: 817-860-8128
E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov [opa4@nrc.gov]
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with
representatives of Entergy Operations, Inc., on July 22 to
discuss the results of the agencys assessment of safety
performance at the Waterford 3 nuclear plant during 2003. The
plant is located about 20 miles west of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Charles Parish
Courthouse Council Chambers, 15045 River Road, Hahnville, La.
The public is invited to observe the meeting and NRC officials
will be available before the conclusion of the meeting to answer
questions from the public.
"The meeting will give area residents a chance to hear
first-hand how NRC inspectors think the plant has been run from
a safety standpoint. It is the plant's responsibility to operate
in a safe manner, and this is our report card on how they've
done in the past year," said NRC Region IV Administrator Bruce
S. Mallet.
The performance period to be discussed is January 1 to December
31, 2003. In addition, the NRC staff will provide an overview of
how the agency Reactor Oversight Process works.
A letter from the NRC to Entergy Operations addresses the
performance of the plant during this period and will serve as
the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC
web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/wat_2003q4.pdf
[PDF Icon] .
The NRC concluded that the plant operated safely last year and
will receive routine inspections during 2004. The letter to
Entergy officials notes that improvements have been made in the
area of problem identification and resolution and with
corrective actions. NRC staff will continue to monitor these
areas of performance through routine inspections.
With regard to security issues, the letter points out that NRC
has issued several orders and threat advisories to enhance
security capabilities at all nuclear power plants and improve
guard force readiness since the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001. The agency has also conducted inspections to review
the implementation of these requirements and has monitored the
action of plant operators in response to changing plant
conditions. The NRC will continue security inspections during
2004.
Current performance indicators for Waterford 3 are available on
the NRC web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/WAT3/wat3_chart.html.
Last revised Wednesday, June 23, 2004
*****************************************************************
23 TheDay.com: Millstone Union OKs Three-year Contract
Published on 6/22/2004
Waterford The union representing security officers at Millstone
Power Station has renegotiated a three-year contract with a
private contractor.
The union includes 129 armed and unarmed security guards and
officers working for Securitas Security Services USA Inc.,
formerly of Sweden and now based in Chicago.
The contractor employs the security force on behalf of Dominion
Nuclear Connecticut, which owns Millstone.
The new contract provides pay raises of between 4.5 and 18
percent, based on seniority, in the first year, with the option
to renew talks in the second and third years, said Chuck Detmer,
president of the United Government Security Officers of America,
Local 19.
The union negotiated with Guy Thomas, director of labor
relations for Securitas, for three days in Hartford.
The new contract took effect on June 16.
Detmer said the wage scale for Millstone's security force lags
behind similar unions at other power plants in New England and
New Jersey.
Some senior employees who have worked at Millstone for 20 years
or more are still receiving wages below the salary average for
the area, he said.
The most positive thing we walked away from the table with were
the reassurances that management would continue to work with us
toward reducing our salary deficit, Detmer said. Securitas and
Millstone both realize that in order to attract and keep quality
personnel they have to improve the wages for security force.
Thomas could not be reached to comment.
About The Day Publishing Company
1998-2004 The Day Publishing Co.
*****************************************************************
24 Bnn: Bulgaria Confirms Decision to Close Early Reactors
Bulgarian news network -
['www.bgnewsnet.com / Bulgarian News network' ]
13:47 - 23.06.2004
SOFIA, June 23 (bnn)--Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel
(left) shakes hands with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov
during a one-day visit to Sofia Wednesday.
SOFIA (bnn)- Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha on
Wednesday confirmed his country’s commitment to close early two
controversial units in his country’s only nuclear power plant at
a meeting with Austria’s Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel.
In an enormously unpopular move the government has bowed to EU
pressure to close units three and four at its only nuclear plant
in Kozlodui in 2006 - four and six years ahead of their life-span
- expiry in exchange for being admitted in the 25-member bloc in
2007.
Schuessel is on a one-day visit to this country. He was scheduled
also to meet President Georgi Parvanov and Parliament Speaker
Ognyan Gerdzhikov. His agenda included bilateral issues and the
EU accession efforts of Bulgaria, which has recently completed
its membership negotiations with the Union.
Austria is among EU member states opposing nuclear energy.
The EU says the Soviet-designed 440-megawatt pressurized water
reactors are unsafe as they lack concrete encasement to contain
radioactive stuff from spreading in case of an accident. Bulgaria
closed two older Kozlodui reactors of the same type in the end of
2002. The plant, 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Sofia has
two newer 1,000-megawatt reactors with safety encasement which
are not a security issue.
/bnn/
Copyright © 2002-2004 bnn
*****************************************************************
25 NRC: NRC Receives Awards for Excellence in Performance and Accountability Reporting
News Release - 2004-07 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office
of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC
20555-0001 E-mail: [opa@nrc.gov] No. 04-077 June 23,
2004
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission received two awards
recognizing the quality of its Performance and Accountability
Report for Fiscal Year 2003.
The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) awarded the NRC
the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Accountability
Reporting for its outstanding efforts in preparing the agencys
Performance and Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2003. This
is the third consecutive fiscal year that NRC has received this
award.
AGA presents the Certificate of Excellence to Federal government
agencies whose Performance and Accountability Reports achieve
the highest standards by effectively illustrating and assessing
agency performance and the cost of that performance. In a May
12, 2004, letter, AGA complimented NRC on preparing an
informative report that succinctly presents accomplishments for
a unique, difficult-to-measure service.
NRCs Chief Financial Officer Jesse L. Funches considers this
award an important recognition of the agencys commitment to
excellence. We are very honored to receive this award. Our
achievements during the last three years demonstrate how
important it is for NRC to provide the public clear, timely and
reliable information about its performance and how it runs its
programs, he said. Thanks to the hard work of our staff, NRC
continues to demonstrate its commitment to excellence, openness
and service.
In addition to this award, the NRC also received high marks on
the 5th Annual Performance Report Scorecard, performed by the
Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Started in 2000, the
Annual Performance Report Scorecard rates and ranks the major
departments and agencies on the fullness and accuracy of their
Performance and Accountability Reports. In its evaluation of
NRCs report for Fiscal Year 2003 (October 1, 2002 to September
30, 2003), the Mercatus Center ranked the agency 7th out of 24
Federal agencies. This represents an improvement from Fiscal
Year 2002, when NRC ranked 9th.
Last revised Wednesday, June 23, 2004
*****************************************************************
26 Herald: Financial recoveries expert lured to British Energy
Web Issue 2033 June 23 2004
BEN GRIFFITHS June 23 2004
EMBATTLED nuclear power generator British Energy has lured Dr
Stephen Billingham, a veteran of corporate financial recoveries,
from engineering firm WS Atkins to be its new finance director.
Billingham is set to join the UK's biggest electricity producer
in the summer and is expected to be appointed to the British
Energy board following completion of a handover period with
Martin Gatto, the group's current interim finance head.
Billingham said: "I join British Energy at a crucial time as it
re-establishes itself as a major player in the UK energy market.
I look forward to playing a full part in the restoration of the
company."
Before working at WS Atkins, where he oversaw the firm's
financial recovery, Billingham led the finance team which sealed
the public private partnership deal on London's Underground for
the Metronet consortium. He has more than 20 years experience in
senior finance positions with companies including BICC, Severn
Trent and Burmah Oil.
Mike Alexander, chief executive of East Kilbride-based British
Energy, said Billingham had an excellent track record with major
companies.
He added: "His experience of corporate recovery in Atkins and
involvement in delivering complex financial solutions will bring
real value to the management team as we execute our financial
restructuring."
British Energy, which generates around a fifth of the UK's
power, is going through a life-saving financial restructuring
after being pushed to the brink of administration by a slump in
wholesale electricity prices. It is waiting for a key decision
by the European Commission which has been put back until the
autumn due to a government delay.
The company has secured the agreement of banks and bondholders
to write off £1.3bn in debt, while around 235,000 shareholders
remain investors from its privatisation in 1996.
Besides EC approval, Billingham will find a successful recovery
has still to overcome several hurdles, including court sanction
and settling certain documents with creditors.
British Energy must also convince the trade and industry
secretary that it remains a viable business.
Copyright © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights
Reserved
Sitemap :: Subscription :: Syndication :: Advertising
[http://www.pressnow.co.uk/] :: About Us :: Terms of Use
*****************************************************************
27 New York Times: Europe Looks More Closely at Plan for Uranium Venture
[Regulators fear that a deal might raise fuel costs at nuclear
plants like this one in Nogent-sur-Seine, France.] Getty Images
Regulators fear that a deal might raise fuel costs at nuclear
plants like this one in Nogent-sur-Seine, France.
By PAUL MELLER
Published: June 23, 2004
[B] RUSSELS, June 22 - The European Commission's competition
division ramped up its investigation Tuesday into a planned joint
venture between Areva, the nuclear power company controlled by
the French government, and its counterpart Urenco, which is owned
by energy companies in Germany, Holland and Britain. The new
investigation is expected to last four months.
Areva plans to buy half of Urenco's uranium enrichment research
division, the Enrichment Technology Company, but the commission
said in a statement that it feared that the deal might result in
an increase in the price of enriched uranium, which is used to
fuel nuclear power stations. The commission just completed a
preliminary monthlong look at the deal.
By creating a structural link between Areva and Urenco, which
together have 80 percent of enriched uranium sales in the
European Union, the deal could allow the companies to dominate
the market, the commission said. It also said it suspected that
the venture could result in a slowdown in research and
development in uranium enrichment.
Areva, Urenco, USEC of the United States and Minatom/Tenex of
Russia dominate the global market for enriched uranium. Advanced
enrichment methods used by Urenco and Minatom are still under
development by Areva and USEC.
If the deal is permitted, "Areva would have little incentive to
continue its R efforts," the European Commission said in a
statement.
France, Germany and Sweden alerted the commission last month to
the proposed joint venture because they were concerned about its
impact on competition for enrichment equipment and the
low-enriched uranium used in nuclear power plants, the commission
said. All three countries have nuclear energy industries that
rely on low-enriched uranium.
In the case of France, Électricité de France, the state-owned
monopoly, is a customer of enriched uranium producers, including
Areva and Urenco.
France's complaint on the deal follows a recent government
campaign calling for French "national champions" in various
industries, and its opposition to an accord that would bolster
Areva struck some as odd. France has also sought Areva's help in
bailing out the troubled French conglomerate Alstom.
"France might have been expected to support such a deal that
strengthens a French company, but in this case it is more
concerned about the deal's impact on EdF and on French
electricity consumers," said one person close to the
investigation, who insisted on anonymity.
French government officials were not immediately available to
comment on the investigation.
Urenco is jointly owned by the German power companies E.ON and
RWE, the Dutch company Ultra-Centrifuge Nederland and BNFL of
Britain. Urenco's Enrichment Technology Company division
develops, designs and builds centrifuges used in uranium
enrichment, the most expensive part of nuclear energy production.
Gaseous centrifugation is a cheaper way to produce enriched
uranium than gaseous diffusion, the method still used by Areva
and USEC.
Areva plans to replace Eurodif, now the biggest enrichment plant
in Europe, with one that uses centrifuge technology by 2012.
Urenco already operates three smaller enrichment plants employing
the modern technology in the European Union.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
*****************************************************************
28 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
FR Doc 04-14163
[Federal Register: June 23, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 120)]
[Notices] [Page 35066-35067] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr23jn04-104]
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Pittsburgh
Environmental Research Laboratory, Inc.'s Facility in Pittsburgh,
PA AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Application.
ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment and
finding of no significant impact.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald G. Rolph, Nuclear
Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety,
Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania,
19406, telephone (610) 337-5347, fax (610) 337-5269; or by
e-mail: rgr@nrc.gov [rgr@nrc.gov] .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license
amendment to Pittsburgh Environmental Research Laboratory, Inc.
for Materials License No. 37-30070-01, to authorize release of
its facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for unrestricted use.
NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of
this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part
51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be
issued following the publication of this notice.
II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed action is to authorize
the release of the licensee's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania facility
for unrestricted use. Pittsburgh Environmental Research
Laboratory, Inc. was authorized by NRC since 1993 to use
radioactive materials for research and development and sample
analysis purposes at the site. On April 30, 2004,
[[Page 35067]] Pittsburgh Environmental Research Laboratory, Inc.
requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted use.
Pittsburgh Environmental Research Laboratory, Inc. has conducted
surveys of the facility and determined that the facility meets
the license termination criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20.
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the proposed
license amendment.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the
EA (summarized above) in support of the proposed license
amendment to terminate the license and release the facility for
unrestricted use. The NRC staff has evaluated Pittsburgh
Environmental Research Laboratory, Inc.'s request and the results
of the surveys and has concluded that the completed action
complies with the criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. The
staff has found that the environmental impacts from the proposed
action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by the ``Generic
Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on
Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-Licensed
Facilities'' (NUREG-1496). The staff has also found that the
non-radiological impacts are not significant. On the basis of the
EA, the NRC has concluded that the environmental impacts from the
proposed action are expected to be insignificant and has
determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for
the proposed action.
IV. Further Information The EA and the documents related to this
proposed action, including the application for the license
amendment and supporting documentation, are available for
inspection at NRC's Public Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html]
(ADAMS Accession Nos. ML041320153 and ML041610224). The public
document room (PDR) reproduction contractor will copy documents
for a fee. These documents are also available for inspection and
copying for a fee at the Region I Office, 475 Allendale Road,
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406. Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by
telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, of by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at King of Prussia,
Pennsylvania, this 16th day of June, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John D. Kinneman, Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2,
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. 04-14163 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
29 NRC: Notice of Availability of Model Application Concerning Technical
FR Doc 04-14164
[Federal Register: June 23, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 120)]
[Notices] [Page 35067-35071] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr23jn04-105]
Specifications Improvement To Eliminate Requirements to Provide
Monthly Operating Reports and Occupational Radiation Exposure
Reports Using the Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the staff of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a model safety
evaluation (SE), a model no significant hazards consideration
(NSHC) determination, and a model license amendment application
relating to a change in the technical specifications (TS) to
eliminate requirements to provide monthly operating reports and
occupational radiation exposure reports. The purpose of these
models is to permit the NRC to efficiently process amendments
that propose to incorporate this change into plant-specific TS.
Licensees of nuclear power reactors to which the models apply may
request amendments utilizing the model application.
DATES: The NRC staff issued a Federal Register notice (69 FR
23542) on April 29, 2004, which proposed a model SE and a model
NSHC determination related to changing plant TSs by eliminating
requirements to provide monthly operating reports and
occupational radiation exposure reports. The NRC staff hereby
announces that the enclosed model SE and NSHC determination may
be referenced in plant-specific applications. The NRC staff has
posted a model application on the NRC web site to assist
licensees in using the consolidated line item improvement process
(CLIIP) to incorporate this change. The NRC staff can most
efficiently consider applications based upon the model
application if the application is submitted within a year of this
Federal Register notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Reckley, Mail Stop:
O-7D1, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555- 0001, telephone 301-415-1323.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Regulatory Issue Summary
2000-06, ``Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process for
Adopting Standard Technical Specifications Changes for Power
Reactors,'' was issued on March 20, 2000. The CLIIP is intended
to improve the efficiency of NRC licensing processes. This is
accomplished by processing proposed changes to the standard TSs
(STS) in a manner that supports subsequent license amendment
applications. The CLIIP includes an opportunity for the public to
comment on proposed changes to the STS following a preliminary
assessment by the NRC staff and finding that the change will
likely be offered for adoption by licensees. The CLIIP directs
the NRC staff to evaluate any comments received for a proposed
change to the STS and to either reconsider the change or to
proceed with announcing the availability of the change for
proposed adoption by licensees.
Those licensees opting to apply for the subject change to TS are
responsible for reviewing the staff's evaluation, referencing the
applicable technical justifications, and providing any necessary
plant-specific information. Each amendment application made in
response to the notice of availability will be processed and
noticed in accordance with applicable rules and NRC procedures.
This notice involves changes to plant TS to eliminate
requirements to submit monthly operating reports and occupational
radiation exposure reports. This proposed change was proposed for
incorporation into the STS by the industry's Technical
Specification Task Force as TSTF-369, Revision 1.
Applicability This proposed change to eliminate requirements to
submit monthly operating reports and occupational radiation
exposure reports is applicable to all nuclear power reactors.
The CLIIP does not prevent licensees from requesting an
alternative approach or proposing the changes without referencing
the model SE and the NSHC. Variations from the approach
recommended in this notice may, however, require additional
review by the NRC staff and may increase the time and resources
needed for the review.
Public Notices In a notice in the Federal Register dated April
29, 2004 (69 FR 23542), the
[[Page 35068]] NRC staff requested comment on the use of the
CLIIP for proposed changes to eliminate the requirements for
licensees to submit monthly operating reports and occupational
radiation exposure reports.
TSTF-369, as well as the NRC staff's SE and model application,
may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public
Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records are accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public
Library component on the NRC Web site, (the Electronic Reading
Room).
The NRC staff received several comments providing general support
for the effort to eliminate the subject reporting requirements.
In addition, the staff received three comments requesting
specific changes or clarifications to the model SE included in
the notice for comment. Each of these comments are addressed
below: 1. The letters from the Nuclear Energy Institute,
Tennessee Valley Authority, and Strategic Teaming and Resource
Sharing (STARS) requested that the regulatory commitment to
provide operating data by the 21st of the month following each
calendar quarter be revised to by the last day of the month
following each calendar quarter. The added days were said to be
warranted to support the processes associated with consolidated
data entry by each licensee and the subsequent submitting of a
single report with the operating data collected for all
licensees. The proposed change in the reporting schedule is
acceptable to the NRC staff and the model SE and model
application are revised to include a regulatory commitment to
submit the requested operating data by the last day of month
following the end of each calendar quarter.
2. Arizona Public Service (APS) commented that licensees should
be allowed to either make and control the reporting of the
operating data as a regulatory commitment or to make a regulatory
commitment to incorporate and subsequently control the reporting
of the operating data as part of a licensing document such as the
safety analysis report or technical requirements manual. The
proposal by APS is acceptable to the NRC staff and revised
wording has been incorporated into the model SE and model
application.
3. Exelon Generation Company and AmerGen Energy Company commented
that the model SE and application should address the requirements
in many plants-specific TSs to report as part of the monthly
operating report challenges to pressurizer power operated relief
valves or pressurizer safety valves for pressurized water
reactors and safety/ relief valves for boiling water reactors. A
requirement to report such challenges within the monthly
operating report was included in many plants' TS prior to
licensees either converting to Revision 2 to the STS or otherwise
requesting the elimination of the report as part of an
application adopting the NRC-approved Revision 4 to TSTF-258,
``Changes to Section 5.0, Administrative Controls.'' The NRC
staff has included a paragraph in the model SE to address the
adoption of the relevant portion of TSTF-258 (i.e., the
elimination of the reporting of challenges to relief or safety
valves) for those plants that have not previously removed this
requirement. This change simply incorporates previously approved
wording into the SE, maximizes the usefulness of the CLIIP for
licensees preparing submittals, and improves the efficiency of
NRC review of license amendment applications.
Licensees may reference in their plant-specific applications the
revised SE, NSHC determination, and environmental assessment
provided below.
Model Safety Evaluation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Consolidated Line Item
Improvement, Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) Change
Traveler TSTF-369, Elimination of Requirements for Monthly
Operating Reports and Occupational Radiation Exposure Reports 1.0
Introduction By application dated [DATE], [LICENSEE NAME] (the
licensee), submitted a request for changes to the [PLANT NAME],
Technical Specifications (TSs) (ADAMS Accession No. MLxxx). The
requested change would delete TS [5.6.1], ``Occupational
Radiation Exposure Report,'' and TS [5.6.4], ``Monthly Operating
Reports,'' as described in the Notice of Availability published
in the Federal Register on [DATE ] (xx FR yyyyy).
2.0 Regulatory Evaluation Section 182a. of the Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, as amended, (the ``Act'') requires applicants for
nuclear power plant operating licenses to state TS to be included
as part of the license. The Commission's regulatory requirements
related to the content of TSs are set forth in 10 CFR 50.36,
``Technical specifications.'' The regulation requires that TSs
include items in five specific categories, including (1) safety
limits, limiting safety system settings, and limiting control
settings; (2) limiting conditions for operation (LCOs); (3)
surveillance requirements; (4) design features; and (5)
administrative controls. However, the regulation does not specify
the particular requirements to be included in a plant's TSs.
The Commission has provided guidance for the content of TSs in
its ``Final Policy Statement on Technical Specification
Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors'' (58 FR 39132, published
July 22, 1993), in which the Commission indicated that compliance
with the Final Policy Statement satisfies Section 182a. of the
Act. The Final Policy Statement identified four criteria to be
used in determining whether a particular item should be addressed
in the TSs as an LCO. The criteria were subsequently incorporated
into 10 CFR 50.36 (60 FR 36593, published July 19, 1995). While
the criteria specifically apply to LCOs, the Commission indicated
that the intent of these criteria may be used to identify the
optimum set of administrative controls in TSs. Addressing
administrative controls, 10 CFR 50.36 states that they are ``the
provisions relating to organization and management, procedures,
recordkeeping, review and audit, and reporting necessary to
assure operation of the facility in a safe manner.'' The specific
content of the administrative controls section of the TS is,
therefore, related to those programs and reports that the
Commission deems essential for the safe operation of the
facility, which are not adequately covered by regulations or
other regulatory requirements. Accordingly, the staff may
determine that specific requirements, such as those associated
with this change, may be removed from the administrative controls
in the TS if they are not explicitly required by 10 CFR
50.36(c)(5) and are not otherwise necessary to obviate the
possibility of an abnormal situation or event giving rise to an
immediate threat to the public health and safety.
The impetus for the monthly operating report (MOR) came from the
1973-1974 oil embargo. Regulatory Guide 1.16, Revision 4,
``Reporting of Operating Information--Appendix A Technical
Specifications,'' published for comment in August 1975,
identifies operating statistics and shutdown experience
information that was desired in the operating report at that
time. In the mid-1990s, the NRC staff assessed the information
that is submitted in the MOR and determined that while some of
the information was no longer used by the staff, the MOR was the
only
[[Page 35069]] source of some data used in the NRC Performance
Indicator (PI) Program of that time period (see NRC Generic
Letter (GL) 97-02, ``Revised Contents of the Monthly Operating
Report''). Beginning in the late 1990s, the NRC developed and
implemented a major revision to its assessment, inspection, and
enforcement processes through its Reactor Oversight Process
(ROP). The ROP uses both plant-level PIs and inspections
performed by NRC personnel. In conjunction with the development
of the ROP, the NRC developed the Industry Trends Program (ITP).
The ITP provides the NRC a means to assess overall industry
performance using industry level indicators and to report on
industry trends to various stakeholders (e.g., Congress).
Information from the ITP is used to assess the NRC's performance
related to its goal of having ``no statistically significant
adverse industry trends in safety performance.'' The ITP uses
some of the same PIs as the PI Program from the mid-1990s and,
therefore, the NRC has a continuing use for the data provided in
MORs. The NRC also uses some data from the MORs to support the
evaluation of operating experience, licensee event reports, and
other assessments performed by the staff and its contractors.
[Optional for licensees adopting TSTF-258: The reporting
requirements for the MOR include challenges to the ((pressurizer
power operated relief valves and pressurizer safety valves) or
(safety/relief valves)). The reporting of challenges to the
((pressurizer power operated relief valves and pressurizer safety
valves) or (safety/relief valves)) was included in TSs based on
the guidance in NUREG-0694, ``[Three Mile Island] TMI-Related
Requirements for New Operating Licensees.'' The industry proposed
and the NRC accepted the elimination of the reporting
requirements in TS for challenges to ((pressurizer power operated
relief valves and pressurizer safety valves) or (safety/ relief
valves)) in Revision 4 to TSTF-258, ``Changes to Section 5.0,
Administrative Controls.'' The staff's acceptance of TSTF-258 and
subsequent approval of plant-specific adoptions of TSTF-258 is
based on the fact that the information on challenges to relief
and safety valves is not used in the evaluation of the MOR data,
and that the information needed by the NRC is adequately
addressed by the reporting requirements in 10 CFR 50.73,
``Licensee event reports.''] Licensees are required by TSs to
submit annual occupational radiation exposure reports (ORERs) to
the NRC. The reports, developed in the mid-1970s, supplement the
reporting requirements currently defined in 10 CFR 20.2206,
``Reports of individual monitoring,'' by providing a tabulation
of data by work areas and job functions.
The NRC included data from the ORERs in its annual publication of
NUREG-0713, ``Occupational Radiation Exposure at Commercial
Nuclear Power Reactors and Other Facilities,'' through the year
1997, but no longer includes the data in that or other reports.
3.0 Technical Evaluation 3.1 Monthly Operating Reports As
previously mentioned, the administrative requirements in TSs are
reserved for ``the provisions relating to organization and
management, procedures, recordkeeping, review and audit, and
reporting necessary to assure operation of the facility in a safe
manner.'' The current use of the information from the MORs is not
related to reporting on or confirming the safe operation of
specific nuclear power plants. Instead, the data is used by the
NRC to assess and communicate with stakeholders regarding the
overall performance of the nuclear industry. Data related to PIs
for specific plants are reported to the NRC as part of the ROP.
The NRC staff has determined that the MORs do not meet the
criteria defined for requirements to be included in the
administrative section of TSs and the reporting requirement may,
therefore, be removed.
Although the MORs do not satisfy the criteria for inclusion in
TSs, the NRC staff nevertheless has a continuing need to receive
the data in order to compile its reports on industry trends and
to support other evaluations of operating experience. In
addition, information such as plant capacity factors that are
reported in the MORs are useful to the staff and are frequently
asked for by agency stakeholders.
The NRC staff interacted with licensees, industry organizations,
and other stakeholders during the development of the Consolidated
Data Entry (CDE) program (currently being developed and
maintained by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operation),
regarding the use of an industry database like CDE to provide
data currently obtained from MORs.
These discussions also involved the related Revision 1 to
TSTF-369, ``Removal of Monthly Operating Report and Occupational
Radiation Exposure Report.'' As described in Section 4 of this
safety evaluation, the licensee is making a regulatory commitment
to continue to provide the data identified in GL 97-02, following
the removal of the TS requirement to submit MORs, and will,
therefore, continue to meet the needs of the NRC staff for the
ITP and other evaluations. The use of an industry database such
as CDE is more efficient and cost-effective for both the NRC and
licensees than would be having the NRC staff obtain the needed
information from other means currently available.
Should a licensee fail to satisfy the regulatory commitment to
voluntarily provide the information, the NRC could obtain the
information through its inspection program (similar to the
process described in NRC Inspection Procedure 71150, ``Discrepant
or Unreported Performance Indicator Data'') with the licensee
being charged for the time spent by the NRC staff.
The only significant changes resulting from the adoption of TSTF-
369 are that the information will be provided quarterly instead
of monthly (although the operating data will still be divided by
month) and the form of the reporting will be from a consolidated
database such as CDE instead of in correspondence from individual
licensees.
The change of reporting frequency to quarterly has some
advantages for both the NRC staff and licensees, since it will
coincide with the collection and submission of the ROP PI data.
In terms of the specific method used to transmit the data to the
NRC, the licensee has committed (see Section 4.0) to provide data
identified in GL 97-02 on a quarterly basis. The NRC staff
believes that the most efficient process for licensees and the
NRC will be for all licensees to use a system such as CDE. Such
systems have advantages in terms of improved data entry, data
checking, and data verification and validation. The NRC will
recognize efficiency gains by having the data from all plants
reported using the same computer software and format. Although
the data may be transmitted to the NRC from an industry
organization maintaining a database such as CDE, the licensee
provides the data for the system and remains responsible for the
accuracy of the data submitted to the NRC for its plant(s). The
public will continue to have access to the data through official
agency records accessible on the Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS).
[Optional for licensees adopting TSTF-258: The content
requirements for the MOR currently include information on
challenges to the ((pressurizer power operated relief valves and
pressurizer safety valves) or (safety/relief valves)). As
discussed in the previous section, the NRC staff has documented
in its approval of TSTF-
[[Page 35070]] 258 and related plant-specific amendments that the
reporting of challenges to ((pressurizer power operated relief
valves and pressurizer safety valves) or (safety/relief valves))
may be removed from TSs since the information needed by the NRC
is adequately addressed by the reporting requirements in 10 CFR
50.73, ``Licensee event reports.'' The NRC staff finds it
acceptable to remove the requirement to report challenges to
((pressurizer power operated relief valves and pressurizer safety
valves) or (safety/relief valves)) along with the other reporting
requirements associated with the MOR.] 3.2 Occupational Radiation
Exposure Reports The information that the NRC staff needs
regarding occupational doses is provided by licensees in the
reports required under 10 CFR part 20. The data from the part 20
reports are sufficient to support the NRC trending programs,
radiation related studies, and preparation of reports such as
NUREG-0713. Accordingly, the NRC's limited use of the ORER
submitted pursuant to the existing TS requirements no longer
warrants the regulatory burden imposed on licensees. Therefore,
the staff finds it acceptable that TS [5.6.1] is being deleted
and the ORER will no longer be submitted by the licensee.
[Note: For stations with both boiling and pressurized water
reactors (i.e., Salem/Hope Creek and Millstone) and for stations
with both operating and shutdown reactors (e.g., Dresden, Indian
Point, Millstone, San Onofre, Three Mile Island), the NRC staff
uses information provided in the ORERs to apportion the doses
reported under 10 CFR part 20 to the different categories of
reactors at a single site. The licensees for facilities with
different reactor types at a single site and those having both
operating and shutdown reactors at a single site will include in
their applications a regulatory commitment to provide information
to the NRC annually (e.g., with their annual submittal in
accordance with 10 CFR 20.2206) to support the apportionment of
the station doses to each type of reactor and to differentiate
between operating and shutdown units. The data will provide the
summary distribution of annual whole body doses as presented in
Appendix B of NUREG-0713 for each reactor type and for operating
and shutdown units.] [The licensee's application included
editorial and formatting changes such as the renumbering of TS
sections to reflect the deletion of the sections related to MORs
and ORERs. The NRC staff has reviewed these changes and found
that they do not revise substantive technical or administrative
requirements, and are acceptable.] 4.0 Verifications and
Commitments In order to efficiently process incoming license
amendment applications, the NRC staff requested each licensee
requesting the changes addressed by TSTF-369 using the CLIIP to
address the following plant-specific regulatory commitment.
1. Each licensee should make a regulatory commitment to provide
to the NRC using an industry database the operating data (for
each calender month) that is described in Generic Letter 97-02
``Revised Contents of the Monthly Operating Report,'' by the last
day of the month following the end of each calendar quarter. The
regulatory commitment will be based on use of an industry
database (e.g., the industry's Consolidated Data Entry (CDE)
program, currently being developed and maintained by the
Institute of Nuclear Power Operations).
The licensee has made a regulatory commitment to provide the
requested data via an industry database (i.e., the CDE) by the
end of the month following each calendar quarter (i.e., within
seven to ten days after the submission of Pl data associated with
the ROP). [optional: The licensee's regulatory commitment
included the incorporation of the criteria for reporting
operational data to the-- (e.g., safety analysis report,
technical requirements manual).] [2. Each licensee [(operating
different reactor types at a single site) or (possessing both
operating and shutdown reactors at a single site)] will include
in its application a regulatory commitment to provide information
to the NRC annually (e.g., with its annual submittal in
accordance with 10 CFR 20.2206) to support the apportionment of
station doses [(to each type of reactor) or (to differentiate
between operating and shutdown units)]. The data will provide the
summary distribution of annual whole body doses as presented in
Appendix B of NUREG-0713 for each reactor type and for operating
and shutdown units.
The licensee has made a regulatory commitment to provide
information to the NRC annually to support the apportionment of
the station doses to each type of reactor and to differentiate
between operating and shutdown units.] The NRC staff finds that
reasonable controls for the implementation and for subsequent
evaluation of proposed changes pertaining to the above regulatory
commitment(s) can be provided by the licensee's administrative
processes, including its commitment management program. The NRC
staff has agreed that Nuclear Energy Institute 99-04, Revision 0,
``Guidelines for Managing NRC Commitment Changes,'' provides
reasonable guidance for the control of regulatory commitments
made to the NRC staff (see Regulatory Issue Summary 2000-17,
``Managing Regulatory Commitments Made by Power Reactor Licensees
to the NRC Staff,'' dated September 21, 2000). The NRC staff
notes that this amendment establishes a voluntary reporting
system for the operating data that is similar to the system
established for the ROP Pl program. Should the licensee choose to
incorporate a regulatory commitment into the final safety
analysis report or other document with established regulatory
controls, the associated regulations would define the appropriate
change-control and reporting requirements.
5.0 State Consultation In accordance with the Commission's
regulations, the [STATE] State official was notified of the
proposed issuance of the amendments. The State official had [(1)
no comments or (2) the following comments--with subsequent
disposition by the staff].
6.0 Environmental Consideration The amendment relates to changes
in recordkeeping, reporting, or administrative procedures or
requirements. The Commission has previously issued a proposed
finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards
consideration, and there has been no public comment on such
finding (FR citation and date). Accordingly, the amendment meets
the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in
10 CFR 51.22(c)(10). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no
environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need
be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
7.0 Conclusion The Commission has concluded, based on the
considerations discussed above, that (1) there is reasonable
assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be
endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such
activities will be conducted in compliance with the commission's
regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendments will not be
inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and
safety of the public.
Model Proposed No Significant Hazards Consideration Determination
Description of amendment request: The requested change would
delete Technical Specification (TS) [5.6.1],
[[Page 35071]] ``Occupational Radiation Exposure Report,'' and
[5.6.4], ``Monthly Operating Reports,'' as described in the
Notice of Availability published in Federal Register on [DATE]
(xx FR yyyyy).
Basis for proposed no significant hazards consideration
determination: As required by 10 CFR 50.91(a), an analysis of the
issue of no significant hazards consideration is presented below:
1. Does the proposed change involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed change eliminates the Technical Specifications (TSs)
reporting requirements to provide a monthly operating report of
shutdown experience and operating statistics if the equivalent
data is submitted using an industry electronic database. It also
eliminates the TS reporting requirement for an annual
occupational radiation exposure report, which provides
information beyond that specified in NRC regulations. The
proposed change involves no changes to plant systems or accident
analyses. As such, the change is administrative in nature and
does not affect initiators of analyzed events or assumed
mitigation of accidents or transients. Therefore, the proposed
change does not involve a significant increase in the probability
or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
2. Does the proposed change create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated? Response: No.
The proposed change does not involve a physical alteration of the
plant, add any new equipment, or require any existing equipment
to be operated in a manner different from the present design.
Therefore, the proposed change does not create the possibility of
a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated.
3. Does the proposed change involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety? Response: No.
This is an administrative change to reporting requirements of
plant operating information and occupational radiation exposure
data, and has no effect on plant equipment, operating practices
or safety analyses assumptions. For these reasons, the proposed
change does not involve a significant reduction in the margin of
safety.
Based upon the reasoning presented above, the requested change
does not involve a significant hazards consideration.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of June 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert A Gramm, Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate IV,
Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-14164 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
30 Salt Lake Tribune: Nuke safety
June 23, 2004
With their recent votes to fund development of new nuclear
weapons, Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett have moved
closer to death from fallout-related cancer.
If the funds are for research, not to include nuclear
testing, as they maintain, why did they approve funds to prepare
the Nevada Test Site, and why did they vote to remove a
decade-long moratorium on testing?
A Pentagon general said we need "bunker-busting bombs"
because they kill anthrax spores. According to the Army's Germ
Warfare Center, so does Clorox. Perhaps their votes were to
provide more corporate welfare for Lockheed/Martin Corp., which
co-manages the test site and runs the UK's nuclear weapons
program. Should Utah downwinders get cancer from more testing of
British nuclear devices?
The best way to assure that nuclear testing upwind of Utah
is constrained is:
1) urge the Utah senators who made the testing possible to
stop funding the tests by taking the funds out of the energy
bill, as occurred in the House;
2) assure that all other members of Utah's congressional
delegation support U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson's bill, HR-3921,
"Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons," which will
constrain testing both U.S. and British nuclear weapons, and
3) in November vote for candidates who would constrain
nuclear testing.
Zell A. McGee, M.D.
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Salt Lake City
"> -->
Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune
*****************************************************************
31 Las Vegas RJ: Senator seeks bailout for Yucca project
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Domenici seeks way to get utilities to give
By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The nuclear industry is resisting the idea of
contributing millions of dollars extra to bail out the Yucca
Mountain Project, although a senator pushing the plan said
Tuesday it may be the only way to keep the proposed nuclear
waste repository alive.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said he would seek to refund
utilities if they agreed to contribute $466 million to break a
budget impasse threatening the Nevada project.
"We probably can sweeten it up by saying they get that money
back," said Domenici, who is chairman of the Senate energy
committee. "I think there's a way to put that in the bill."
Domenici has proposed legislation that calls for a one-time 60
percent surcharge on the fees that nuclear utilities pay into a
special repository fund.
The short-term charge would be tied to a long-term change in
the fund that would make it easier to extract money to build the
project through the rest of the decade.
The Energy Department estimates it will need an average $1.3
billion annually for construction and waste transportation, more
than double what Congress has allocated in any year so far.
"If they kick in the money, they would only need to kick it in
for one year, then the fund would be available forever,"
Domenici said. "That is what we want to do."
Without a fix, Domenici said the Energy Department faces a
steep budget cut at Yucca Mountain that threatens to "shut them
down in three or four months."
"I want to make sure everybody understands what the alternative
is," he said. The Energy Department's $880 million request for
next year would be cut to $131 million, he said.
Officials at the Nuclear Energy Institute and utility
organizations said they would have a hard time swallowing more
fees when the repository fund has a balance of $14.4 billion
that is effectively locked by congressional budget rules.
Nevada's senators also are organizing against the proposal,
according to Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.
Ensign said Domenici could find money for the repository if he
wanted, and was using Yucca Mountain as an front to avoid budget
cuts in other programs he likes.
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
32 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Funding for Yucca in question
LAS VEGAS SUN
An influential senator who supports the Yucca Mountain project
hopes to break a deadlock in Congress over funding a proposed
nuclear waste dump in Nevada. Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is seeking a
one-year, 60 percent increase in the federal fees that already
are imposed on nuclear power customers to help pay for the
multibillion-dollar Yucca Mountain project. Sens. Harry Reid,
D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., are working together to stop
Domenici's plan in the Senate so that it can't considered by the
House, which is much more hospitable to building a nuclear waste
dump. But if Domenici is successful, The Wall Street Journal
reported this week, $446 million could be raised under his plan,
something that should alarm Nevadans because it would place the
Energy Department just that much closer to building the dump.
The Bush White House would love to speed up the process in
which it hopes to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste
in Nevada, and the administration's Republican supporters in
Congress may be all too happy to oblige the administration with
any plan that solidifies funding for Yucca Mountain. For that
matter, the nuclear dump's supporters want to get the project's
application approved by federal regulators as quickly as
possible before it's too late -- more information keeps
accumulating as to why it's improbable that the site could
safely contain the radioactive waste. In addition, the dump's
backers don't want questions to keep mounting, and public
opposition to swell, regarding the dangers of shipping man's
deadliest waste cross-country by rail and by highway;
transporting nuclear waste almost certainly would result in an
accident and the shipment s would be a target for a terrorist
attack.
It does seem odd, with Nevada a toss-up state in what looks to
be a razor-close presidential election this year, that
Republicans would once again seek to alienate this state's
voters. The first time, of course, was two years ago when
President Bush persuaded Congress to approve his plan to send
nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, just 90 miles northwest of Las
Vegas. In doing so, Bush broke his 2000 campaign pledge that he
would use science, not politics, to decide Yucca Mountain's
fate. But Bush never really has shown that he cares about the
concerns Nevadans have regarding Yucca Mountain. That helps
explain in part why John Kerry, who has kept his word and
consistently opposed the Yucca Mountain project, is gaining
traction in Nevada.
*****************************************************************
33 Las Vegas SUN: Berkley introducs bill to redirect nuke funds
By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Waste Fund should be used to keep
nuclear waste at nuclear power plants, not to continue to study
or move waste to Yucca Mountain, according to Rep. Shelley
Berkley, D-Nev.
Berkley reintroduced a bill Monday that would redirect money
paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund by nuclear power users to pay
for research and development of onsite storage.
Under current law, the money now paid into the fund goes toward
the Energy Department's nuclear waste storage site at Yucca
Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, but Berkley's bill
would put it toward keeping waste at power plants longer,
reducing the number of shipments of waste and studying how to
decrease waste radiation levels.
"This solution will give science the time to develop advanced
technological solutions to the nuclear waste problem," Berkley
said.
She has introduced the bill before but it did not move forward.
Berkley spokesman David Cherry said introducing the bill again,
even as the congressional calendar gets shorter, will remind
people that there is an alternative to Yucca Mountain,
especially with the funding problems it is having.
"It's the one bill that recognizes reality," Cherry said. He
said Berkley wants to break the thinking that the money should
only be used for Yucca and nothing else.
The nuclear industry insists storage at nuclear power plants is
safe but the spent fuel was not meant to stay in storage pools
or dry containers permanently. Nuclear Energy Institute
spokesman Mitch Singer said the whole purpose of the fund is to
get the spent fuel into permanent, geologic storage.
But Berkley points out that even if all the waste would be
moved to Nevada, some would remain at sites across the country.
"As long as nuclear power is being produced, there will always
be some amount of nuclear waste stored onsite," Berkley said.
"Rather than reduce the number of locations where nuclear waste
is stored, Yucca Mountain will only add one more to the list."
Federal law limits Yucca Mountain to hold 77,000 tons of spent
fuel, but the department by law has to go to Congress before
2010 to explain its plan on what to do with the amount of waste
above that limit.
*****************************************************************
34 RGJ: Plan seeks more cash for Yucca waste site
Home [http://www.rgj.com/]
Wednesday | Jun 23, 2004
Nuclear plants: Surcharge would help fill possible gap in
project financing.
Reno Gazette-Journal]
TUNNEL: A construction worker passes through the main tunnel at
the Yucca Mountain Project 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas in
this June 29, 1998, photo. A proposal for a surcharge on nuclear
power utilities seeks to ensure that plans to open the site in
2010 remain on track.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nuclear power utilities might be asked to pay
more for a national nuclear waste dump in Nevada, under a Senate
plan aimed at filling a Yucca Mountain project budget gap.
The proposal is by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete
Domenici, R-N.M. It reflects concern that plans to open the
repository in 2010 could be crippled if Congress grants just $131
million of the $880 million the Bush administration requested for
the 2005 fiscal year.
Domenici’s plan would impose a one-year, 60 percent surcharge on
fees nuclear utilities and their customers contribute toward
entombing the nation’s most radioactive waste at the site 90
miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The surcharge would add $446 million to the $750 million
ratepayers already are due to put toward the project this year.
With the congressional budget grant, the Yucca Mountain project
would get about the same $577 million it received in the 2004
fiscal year.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, the top Democrat on the committee, said he
would be surprised if Domenici’s plan gains approval.
Reid of Nevada works to cut the Yucca Mountain budget every year
and strongly opposes letting the Energy Department get money for
the project without congressional oversight.
U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., previously blocked a Senate
proposal that would have let the Energy Department tap money for
Yucca Mountain without competing with other federal programs.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has said that without a budget
fix, 1,700 project employees, or about 70 percent of the Yucca
work force, could be laid off this summer.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans Thursday to
consider a bill by Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, to funnel to the
Yucca Mountain project $750 million a year each of the next five
years.
The committee will meet one day before the House votes on the
Energy and Water Development spending bill, which contains the
$131 million Yucca budget.
Utilities since 1982 have contributed $15 billion to a nuclear
waste fund for the Yucca project. The money comes from an
assessment on users of electricity generated by nuclear reactors.
© Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett
*****************************************************************
35 KRT Wire: EPA: Amount of toxins in air, water and land increased at record
level in 2002
| 06/22/2004 |
BY SETH BORENSTEIN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The amount of toxic pollutants in America's
air, water and land jumped 5 percent in 2002 - the highest
increase since the federal government started keeping track of
toxins in 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.
America's industries spewed 4.79 billion pounds of poisonous
substances into the environment in 2002. It was only the second
time that this key environmental indicator has increased since
the EPA started the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which allows
people to identify about 650 chemicals that are emitted in their
neighborhoods.
Mercury and lead - which can harm the developing minds and
nervous systems of children - increased by 10 percent and 3
percent, respectively, while another big-name toxin, dioxin,
dropped 5 percent.
The increase prompted a former top Republican environmental
official to describe the latest figures as a disturbing change in
what had been an almost continuous downward trend.
"Mercury and lead are worrisome toxics," said William Reilly, the
EPA administrator for the first President Bush. "The whole point
of TRI is to alert us to hot spots and problems with particular
pernicious toxics. It's not good news."
Electric power plants - mostly coal-fired ones - increased their
toxic emissions by 3.5 percent and now are responsible for 23
percent of the nation's toxins, the EPA said. Its count of
pollutants from military bases, nuclear waste disposal sites and
other federal facilities showed toxic emissions from those
sources rose by 9 percent.
Kim Nelson, the EPA's chief information officer, said problems at
copper and gold mines and other unusual events caused the
increase. The only other time the EPA's tally of toxic emissions
increased was in 1996-1997 when emissions rose by 2.2 percent.
The closure of an Arizona copper smelting plant, which prompted
the EPA to consider all the material on site as waste, changed
what would have been a nationwide pollution decrease into an
increase, Nelson said. Mercury levels rose because of a problem
at one gold mine, she said.
Still, Nelson said unusual plant and mine pollution problems
alter the statistics each year.
Environmental activists and university professors said the EPA's
data reflect a reduced emphasis on curbing pollution by the Bush
administration. Industry lobbyists and conservative analysts
dismissed the data as meaningless.
"We've fallen behind because we haven't made it our priority in
the last few years. I think it's partly the Bush administration's
fault," said John Byrne, the director of the Center for Energy
and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware.
But Scott Segal, a Washington lobbyist who represents coal-fired
utilities and oil refineries, said toxic inventory "suffers from
the garbage-in, garbage-out phenomenon" because it reports on
hundreds of chemicals but doesn't rate the risk to people from
those toxins.
Angela Logomasini, the director of risk and environmental policy
at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative public
policy organization, said the data doesn't take into account that
many of the chemicals are recycled. She said, "It's very hard to
capture what really is happening."
But in its Draft Report on the Environment, the EPA last year
touted the TRI as a good indicator of environmental progress.
A separate study released by an environmental group Tuesday,
however, questioned the inventory's accuracy. The Environmental
Integrity Project, run by a former top EPA enforcement official,
said the data is based solely on industry self-reporting of
emissions that aren't double-checked by testing what comes out of
smokestacks or effluent pipes.
According to the study, the Texas environmental agency found that
air quality was much worse than EPA's data said it was. So the
state measured air pollutants near oil refineries and chemical
plants and found the pollution was several times higher, said
Kelly Haragan, the EIP's attorney.
If the same were true nationally, the EIP estimates that the
nation's toxic air emissions in 2001 from just 10 chemicals were
probably closer to 606 million pounds than the 272 million pounds
reported by the industry, Haragan said.
The EPA uses voluntary reporting from industry because that's
what the law requires, the EPA's Nelson said.
---
© 2004, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
*****************************************************************
36 The State: Planned plutonium shipment st
06/23/2
Activists worry about terror attacks, environmental risks in
Charleston
The Associated Press
CHARLESTON 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 Energys
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
Russias 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.
TheStateOnline
*****************************************************************
37 Times of India: No law to govern the disposal of e-waste
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2004
THE TIMES OF INDIA
ANURADHA MUKHERJEE
30 MT Of Hazardous Garbage Generated Every Month, Most Of It
Ends Up At Landfills
NEW DELHI: Personal computers may have become a household product
these days, but the city is yet to get laws to govern the
disposal of waste generated from them and other electronic
products. A number of components in these products are hazardous
and should be disposed of in an environment-friendly manner.
In Delhi, as elsewhere in the country, we rely on the
neighbourhood kabadiwala for disposing of defunct electronic
goods. The kabadiwala usually sells it to a scrap dealer. The
dealer dismantles the gadgets and keeps whatever is useful. The
rest is thrown away at the cities' three landfill sites, which,
incidentally, is not the right way to handle such waste.
Since there are no laws to govern the disposal of e-waste, no tab
is kept on exactly how much is generated. "About 30 metric tonnes
(MT) of e-waste is dumped in the city every month. MCD is not
responsible for handling hazardous waste. Ideally, the Delhi
Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) should look into it," said MCD
conservancy and sanitation engineering (CSE) department chief
Ravi Dass.
What contributes to e-waste? Discarded electronic devices like
televisions, personal computers, floppies, audio-video CDs,
batteries, electric switches, telephones, air conditioners,
cellphones, electronic toys, refrigerators, washing machines,
dryers, kitchen utensils and even aircraft contribute to the
growing pile of e-waste in the city. At least, 30,000 personal
computers are sent for dismantling evey year in the city.
How is it hazardous? These products contain components that
contain toxic substances like lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent
chromium, plastic, PVC, BFRs, barium, beryllium, and carcinogens
like carbon black and heavy metals. The deadly mix can cause
severe health problems for those handling the waste. It could
even prove fatal.
Scrap markets where electronic goods are dismantled: There are
nine markets in the city where discarded electronic goods are
routed. Each market has a speciality area. Computers are
dismantled at Turkman Gate, Mayapuri, Shastri Park, and Kirti
Nagar, electronic scrap can be sold at Old Seelampur. Circuit
boards are dismantled in Mandoli, while in Mustafabad, lead
recovery from these goods takes place. "They extract whatever
they can, and dump the rest in the landfills," said MCD CSE
department executive engineer Surinder Pal.
What can be done to tackle this menace? Internationally,
producers have to indicate on goods that dismantling them could
be hazardous. "They also have to indicate what can be recycled.
Here we don't know who's responsibility it is to handle e-waste.
The roles of the municipality, the producers have to be defined,"
said Pal. Apparently, the civic body had approached the Delhi
government for funding a problem-solving conference on the issue,
but were denied funds.
Japan, the largest producer of electronic goods, has an
Electronic & Consumer Goods Appliances Act that lays down the law
as far as disposal of e-waste is concerned. The producer is
responsible for arranging disposal. "We had suggested that the
CPCB, and industry majors producing electronic goods sit down and
evolve a gameplan," said Dass.
Copyright © 2004 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. |
*****************************************************************
38 Lincoln County News: DOE says it will open Yucca in 2010
June 23, 2004
A federal Dept. of Energy (DOE) official said the DOE still has
plans to start receiving spent nuclear fuel in 2010 at the
national repository in Nevada, and included the decommissioned
Maine Yankee plant within that time frame.
“We had a very robust transportation program that really shrunk,
but it is being revitalized so that it will be ready to go in
2010,” said Susan Smith, senior policy analyst for the DOE”s
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
That is what Maine Yankee has been hoping for all along so that
all of it is gone from the onsite dry cask storage facility in
Wiscasset by 2020-23, which is what the company expects,
according to Mike Meisner, company vice president and chief
nuclear officer.
The company has put in its bid for early departure of the fuel,
which could very well be among the first plants to have its spent
fuel relocated, said plant spokesman Eric Howes.
“They don’t take it all at once, though,” he said. “Our hope is
they would. We’ve made the pitch.”
As Maine Yankee officials understand it, the plan is a round
robin of spent fuel transportation from plants all over the
country, but that is according to the 1996 reception plan for
queuing of power plants for removal. However, according to Smith,
an updated version is due soon.
The criterion is that the oldest fuel will go first, and that is
a positive thing for Maine Yankee, which faces a valuation court
battle with the Town of Wiscasset over its $212.8 million
assessment based on land use for spent fuel storage.
“Maine Yankee has some of the oldest fuel in the country,” Howes
said.
In 2003, Maine Yankee received a $3.45 million tax bill, but
plant officials maintain that the plant, including the storage
facility, is not worth more than $4.3 million.
While updating the plant’s Community Advisory Panel (CAP) on the
repository project June 17, Smith gave details to members about
progress toward the DOE’s 2010 target date to start receiving
waste contingent upon various factors, namely funding.
This year the DOE is seeking Congressional approval to authorize
use of $880 million of $15 billion in funding that ratepayers
have supplied specifically for the Yucca Mountain project, Smith
reported.
Smith said that her office is trying to prevent the money
designated for the Yucca Mountain project from going into the
general fund, as has been the practice.
CAP Chair Marge Kilkelley fought on behalf of the ratepayers for
the same thing while she was a legislator.
“People are being asked to pay over and over and over again for
the same purpose,” she said.
Although much of the information Smith gave is not new, there
were a few new developments she mentioned. A major change is the
DOE’s decision in March or April to prepare a national rail
transportation plan as opposed to trucking the fuel.
Another change concerns details of how the DOE plans to store
“hotter” and newer material in a waiting area of Yucca Mountain
before placing it in a more permanent location in the repository.
Smith also told CAP members that the DOE is purchasing 100
reusable shipping casks for the entire removal process throughout
the United States. The dry casks, such as those at Maine Yankee,
will go inside the shipping casks for transportation to Yucca
Mountain.
Because of the prospect of new technologies developing now and in
the future in the field of high level nuclear waste disposal, the
DOE has made the decision to be more flexible in its time
schedules for construction and reception of fuel.
A while ago, the DOE had thought the repository should be
complete before any reception of fuel, but now the thought is to
complete it in stages and allowing some fuel to be taken by 2010.
The phased-in alternative plan will enable the DOE to take
advantage of the new technologies, Smith said.
Smith listed aspects of the timeline for the completion of the
repository including licensing by the federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, settlement of suits against it by the State of
Nevada, and other factors, including costs, which by the 2010
deadline is expected to reach $1.6 billion.
The DOE now has been considering the possibility of recycling
some of the spent fuel after storing for a time, according to
Smith, but the DOE office she is associated with is mainly
concerned with storage of the spent fuel.
Smith agreed to return to the CAP with more in-depth information
or to send an expert for a specific topic.
In other news for the CAP panel, Bill Henries, director of
engineering for the decommissioning project at Maine Yankee, gave
details of the planned demolition of the containment dome and
columns which is scheduled for sometime around Labor Day this
year.
It is the first time a containment dome has been demolished, he
said. Arches have been cut away from the concrete on the sides of
the dome forming columns around it in preparation for the first
step. Later, workers will cut away the steel liners leaving
concrete columns supporting the dome.
A series of explosions in a spiral pattern from the bottom to the
top of the columns will be used to level them and to cause the
top of the dome to drop.
To accomplish that, workers will laterally drill the columns for
explosives and position cable fencing around them to contain
chunks of concrete that otherwise might fall some distance away.
The public will be notified prior to the explosions. Vibrations
are expected from the falling dome, which weighs about 20 million
pounds. The explosions are expected to be similar to those used
to level the turbine building last year.
In other business, Meisner reported that decommissioning is on
schedule, making the mid-2005 deadline for completion still
possible. Currently, it is 90 percent complete with about 200
workers onsite and 5.2 million project hours to date.
Currently work is underway for the spent fuel pool cleaning and
the drain down is nearly complete, according to Meisner. Also,
work is on track for the July building demolition, he said.
As of June, he reported that about 230 million pounds of waste
has been shipped, representing about 75 percent of the estimated
Soil remediation is continuing and is expected to be ongoing
into the fall.
This site is owned by Lincoln County News © 2002
*****************************************************************
39 Paducah Sun: Fluor to do gas centrifuge work
- Paducah, Kentucky
Wednesday, June 23, 2004;Paducah, Kentucky
Page [http://www.paducahsun.com/]
USEC Inc. has hired Fluor Enterprises, a subsidiary of Fluor
Corp., to provide engineering, procurement and construction
management services for a gas centrifuge plant in Piketon, Ohio,
that eventually will replace the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The factory is expected to be operational by 2010, when gradual
closure of the Paducah plant will start. During the next two
years, Fluor will design and engineer the 500-job centrifuge
plant, In 2006, it and USEC are expected to agree on a
construction contract. Centrifuge machines will be made by a
separate firm.
In the 1980s, Fluor was a leading designer of a Department of
Energy gas centrifuge plant in Piketon. DOE canceled the work in
1985 before the plant was finished, leaving buildings large
enough to house 20 football fields. USEC will use the buildings
and other infrastructure from that project for the new plant.
*****************************************************************
40 Las Vegas RJ: Berkley revives bill to block Yucca funding
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has revived a bill
that would block funding for the Yucca Mountain Project while
encouraging utilities to store spent nuclear fuel at their power
plants.
Similar legislation that Berkley introduced in the last
Congress gained little attention but is her preferred
alternative to burying nuclear waste in Nevada.
The bill introduced on Monday would prohibit the Energy
Department from making use of an industry-funded nuclear waste
account to advance the underground repository being developed at
Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Instead, it would steer the fund towards research and
development of technologies that would decrease the
radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel and allow the waste to be
stored for longer periods at power plants.
"On-site storage of high level nuclear waste is already taking
place at nuclear power plants across the nation," Berkley said
in a statement. "My bill would invest resources in securing and
expanding these storage facilities."
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
41 Las Vegas SUN: Titus discusses nuclear symbolism
By Mary Manning LAS VEGAS SUN
The image of a mushroom cloud bursting into the air after a
nuclear blast came to symbolize the atomic age in the last half
of the 20th century, but nowhere more so than in Las Vegas.
The United States conducted more than 1,000 nuclear weapons
experiments 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas from 1951 until
September 1992. Residents and visitors watched the blasts and
drank "atomic cocktails," and women had their hair done in the
shape of a mushroom cloud.
Dina Titus, a state senator since 1989 and a University of
Nevada, Las Vegas political science professor, has chronicled
the rise and fall of the mushroom cloud in pop culture for the
past 25 years.
Titus spoke about the symbolism to about 50 people at the
Atomic Testing Museum Tuesday night
The atomic cloud's image adorned posters, mugs, T-shirts,
jewelry, films, music albums and advertising throughout the
1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s, she said.
In Las Vegas during the 1950s, atomic hairdos, atomic
cocktails, postcards with the mushroom clouds and advertisements
carried the familiar symbol, Titus said.
The mushroom cloud emerged as a powerful symbol of American
power in beautiful colors that instilled awe and fear in
citizens, Titus said. Nuclear scientists who pioneered the
atomic bomb spoke of it in religious tones -- "doomsday,"
"shatterer of worlds" -- not scientific, she said.
"Popular media assisted the government in the spread of the
mushroom cloud and its image," she said.
Life, Newsweek, and Walter Cronkite all reported on the awesome
sight of the towering pillar of dust and smoke that glossed over
dangers from radiation exposure.
Hairstylist Gigi at the Flamingo hotel whipped up an atomic
cloud of hair by pulling strands over a wire tower and accenting
the hair with glitter, Titus said.
"Atomic cocktails were some godawful concoction poured over dry
ice" in Las Vegas hotel bars, Titus said. Today there is a book
available called "Atomic Cocktails" advertising itself as full
of recipes for hot drinks.
After the Soviet Union fell, mushroom clouds brought a
nostalgic tinge to American culture.
In the '90s, Congress passed compensation for atomic veterans,
nuclear workers and those living downwind from the fallout of
the mushroom cloud.
"The offensive aspects from the mushroom cloud were glossed
over," Titus said.
Then, Titus said, "Just as the mushroom cloud was settling down
on the knickknack shelf of American nostalgia, along came 9-11."
Missing nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union, the
nuclear weapons race between India and Pakistan and the weapons
of mass destruction talk by President Bush has turned the
optimism of the 1990s back toward a Cold War mindset, Titus said.
Today the Bureau of Atomic Tourism promotes locations around
the world where nuclear experiments occurred. Conde Nast, the
upscale travel magazine, did a story on a tour of Bikini Island,
where early U.S. nuclear blasts exploded.
Author William Fox even suggested turning the Nevada Test Site,
where more than 200 atomic bombs blasted into the skies, into a
theme park.
Titus said she did not know how the mushroom cloud will fare in
the next round of culture and counter culture. She advised those
with T-shirts, coffee mugs or earrings sporting the atomic cloud
to keep them.
"Hang on to them. They may become valuable again."
*****************************************************************
42 Tri-City Herald: Cleaning up, moving out
This story was published Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004
By Annette Cary Herald staff writer
Three tractor-trailers rolled out of Hanford last week, carrying
the 100th, 101st and 102nd shipment of radioactive waste from the
Washington nuclear reservation bound for permanent disposal.
The waste, produced at Hanford to support the nation's nuclear
weapons program, will decay over thousands of years in an ancient
underground salt formation in the remote Chihuahuan Desert of
Southeastern New Mexico.
The shipments demonstrate progress in a program to retrieve
buried transuranic waste at Hanford and find it a resting place
off the nuclear reservation. The program has ramped up. After
sending just a dozen shipments to New Mexico in the three years
ending in 2002, DOE aims to send more than 90 shipments this
year.
"We're satisfied," said Sheryl Hutchison, spokeswoman for the
Washington State Department of Ecology, a Hanford regulator.
"They're on track."
Getting the waste moved has been a long time coming.
Since 1970 when the Atomic Energy Commission ruled that
transuranic waste must be buried in a deep geological repository,
55-gallon drums of the waste have been piling up at Hanford. The
Department of Energy did not open its repository, the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, in New Mexico until 1999.
Transuranic waste is contaminated with plutonium or another
radioactive element heavier than uranium, the heaviest element to
occur naturally. Radiation from transuranic waste consists mostly
of alpha particles that travel only a short distance in air, but
are of concern because the contamination decays over thousands of
years.
The first plan at Hanford was to bury the waste temporarily until
a repository was open. At first drums, many of them holding
plutonium-tainted clothing and equipment, were dumped helter
skelter into trenches. But soon workers developed a system of
stacking drums and boxes into tidy rows at the bottom of
trenches.
The drums were typically stacked four high on an asphalt pad.
They were covered with a plastic liner and then a layer of
Hanford's sandy dirt.
Starting in about 1985, the temporary burial plan was abandoned
and drums went into storage to wait for a national disposal site
to open.
But Hanford is left with nearly half the waste -- about 37,000
drums and 1,200 boxes -- to dig up and sort out.
Workers have dug up almost 3,000 drums, with larger boxes
included in that tally based on how many drums they would hold.
Each drum is checked against records for what it should contain,
given a physical check for holes and pressure buildup and then a
radiation survey to see if it is safe for workers to get near.
"Then we take it off the stack," said Dale McKenney, deputy
project director for waste disposal at Fluor Hanford, the DOE
contractor for the project.
DOE expects only about half the drums to contain transuranic
waste. The others hold waste that can be classifed as low-level
and buried at Hanford.
"A lot of this stuff went in the trenches because it was guilty
by association," McKenney said. It might have come from an area
where other waste was contaminated by plutonium or be
contaminated at too low levels to qualify as transuranic waste.
Workers have started digging up some of the trenches with drums
believed to be in the best condition to gain experience before
they tackle drums that may be more corroded. They've still faced
some challenges, coming upon drums with high dose rates of
radiation, said Mark French, Department of Energy project
director for solid waste disposition.
They've also had to carefully move boxes, often used to hold
large pieces of equipment, the size of 28 drums and weighing more
than 10,000 pounds.
The waste containers are taken to the Waste Receiving and
Processing Facility, or WRAP, at Hanford, which has . Drums are
X-rayed by an operator who sits in a control room and turns the
drums remotely, identifying cloth, glass beakers, pieces of wire
and contaminated tools jammed inside.
If the operator finds waste that cannot be sent in the drums to
WIPP, such as fire extinguishers or aeresol cans, the drums are
sent to a hot cell and emptied.
Once drums are approved for shipment, they're packed into
10-foot-tall shipping containers that typically hold 14 drums.
Tractors pull trailers with two or three of the shipping
containers, depending on their weight and radioactivity.
The waste shipped so far has been from the drums that were not
buried, but later this summer some of the drums retrieved from
underground also will be loaded onto the trucks.
The trucks are tracked by satellite as they travel south to
Oregon, and then through Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New
Mexico. There the containers will be unloaded in disposal rooms,
some nearly a half mile underground.
© 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
43 Oregonian: Waste cleanup will accelerate
The Oregonian
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Brian Barry's June 3 article, "Three Mile Island a million times
over," raises serious questions about the Bush administration's
proposal to expedite cleanup of the nuclear waste at Hanford. As
a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, this is of grave concern to
me.
[http://ads.oregonlive.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/www.oregonl
ive.com/xml/story/ed/edl/@StoryAd?x]
However, as a conservative and a founding member of the Native
American Coalition to Reelect President Bush, I believe the
American people are best served by the truth, and Barry's article
ignores some important facts.
First, the waste is already sitting in the "deteriorating leaky
tanks," and has been for many years. Second, if we follow the old
plan, then the worst of the waste will remain where it is for
decades before it is finally contained. Third, the Bush
administration has no intention of reclassifying all the waste.
Currently, the waste is classified according to its origin,
rather than its composition. The administration's plan is to
inventory the waste by composition and reclassify it on that
basis.
This is simple triage; it will accelerate cleanup of the most
hazardous waste, and that's the right thing to do.
ROD VAN MECHELEN Olympia, Wash.
©2004 OregonLive.com. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
44 U.S. Newswire: Energy Secretary Abraham to Keynote June 24 NanoSummit
6/22/2004 4:02:00 PM
To: Science and Energy Reporter, Assignment Desk
Contact: Jeff Sherwood of the U.S. Department of Energy,
202-586-5806
News Advisory:
The Department of Energy will host a NanoSummit Thursday, June 24
to bring together policymakers and the scientific community to
share information on emerging research opportunities and
priorities in nanoscale science and technology for our energy
future. The NanoSummit program will include:
-- 9 a.m. keynote presentation by Spencer Abraham, Secretary of
Energy;
-- Perspectives from remarks by John Marburger, director of the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Senators
and Representatives members of Congress with oversight
responsibility for science and technology
-- Science and technology sessions with presentations from
university and industry leaders on breakthrough opportunities
afforded by nanoscale science in the hydrogen economy, energy
efficiency and renewable energy, and energy production;
-- A special session on ethical, social, and environmental
considerations of nanoscale science and technologies.
The complete NanoSummit program is available at:
https://public.ornl.gov/conf/nanosummit2004/index.cfm The
NanoSummit is open to the press and free to reporters. Reporters
planning to attend are requested to register online at that
website.
WHAT: NanoSummit: Nanoscale Science and Our Energy Future
WHO: Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, OSTP director John
Marburger, members of Congress, and leaders from industry,
academia and DOE National Laboratories
WHEN: Wednesday, June 23, 6 p.m. reception; Thursday, June 24, 9
a.m.
WHERE: Wardman Park Marriott, 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington
D.C.
http://www.usnewswire.com/ [http://www.usnewswire.com/]
-0-
/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Printer Friendly Format © 2004 U.S. Newswire
A Division of 
[http://www.medialink.com/]
*****************************************************************
45 U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham to Keynote Global Climate Change Conference
6/22/2004 4:09:00 PM
To: Science and Energy Reporter, Assignment Desk
Contact: Mike Waldron of the U.S. Department of Energy,
202-586-4940
News Advisory:
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham will offer keynote remarks at
a global climate conference sponsored by the Brookings
Institution and Pew Center for Global Climate Change on Thursday,
June 24, 2004. Secretary Abraham's remarks will begin at 1 p.m.
The two-day conference, entitled U.S. Climate Policy: Toward a
Sensible Center, is designed to provide a prominent forum for
Senators, CEOs and top federal and state officials to discuss the
future of U.S. policy on climate change.
More information can be found online at
http://www.brookings.edu/climateconference,
[http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=32297&Link=ht
tp://www.brookings.edu/climateconference,] or, by calling the
Brookings Institution at (202) 797-6105.
DATE: Thursday, June 24
TIME: 1 p.m.
WHERE: The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington, D.C.
http://www.usnewswire.com/ [http://www.usnewswire.com/]
-0-
/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
*****************************************************************
46 Daily Texan: Latest Los Alamos move covertly favors UT -
Opinion
[http://www.dailytexanonline.com]
Opinion | 6/23/2004
By John Pruett
In April, the current director of Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, Michael Anastasio, recommended to the U.S. Department
of Energy that the lab be placed under competitive bid in
conjunction with Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Coming from an employee of the University of California, the
proposal clearly seemed to favor the UC System, which had managed
both labs since they were founded. Randa Safady, UT System vice
chancellor for external relations, said so.
However, the DOE recently decided to extend the UC's Lawrence
Livermore contract despite Anastasio's proposal. Secretary of
Energy Spencer Abraham reasoned that separating the two bids
would broaden the level of competition for both. He is certainly
correct. But it also gives the UT System an advantage.
Safady said the Energy Department's decision would not alter UT
plans to bid for Los Alamos. However, since the System has sought
to bid only on Los Alamos, a combined bid would clearly have
dissuaded it from bidding. Furthermore, considering UT's relative
lack of experience managing a nuclear weapons facility, its
chances of winning the bid for one lab seems more likely than for
both labs.
The UT System's personal connections to federal officials could
play a role in strengthening its position. An April Daily Texan
article detailed former UT vice chancellor and mechanical
engineering professor Dale Klein's involvement in the bidding
process. Klein currently works for the Department of Defense and
is a member of Abraham's advisory board's "Blue Ribbon
Commission," which is partly responsible for reviewing lab
contracts to determine whether they should be opened to
competition.
Klein told the Texan in April he hadn't been contacted by the UT
System about Los Alamos.
"My participation in the commission had no involvement with UT,
and I was selected for this position based on my position at the
Department of Defense," he said then in an e-mail.
But the Texan article failed to mention that Juan Sanchez, UT
vice president for research, and Viquar Ahmad, then UT director
of university initiatives, both appear on the speakers list
contained in the November 2003 report by the commission. They are
the only two representatives of a university listed.
Sanchez said the panel "wanted to have public opinion on the
competition of the labs" and "Los Alamos was high on the list."
In his speech, Sanchez said, he discussed bidding processes and
procedures, but nothing that was "Texas-specific." Although Klein
attended, Sanchez said, he wasn't sure how Klein was involved in
the bidding process.
Ahmad, the other attendee, was the UT director of university
initiatives for the System's Office of Federal Relations in
Washington at the time of the hearing. The office lobbies for UT
interests at the national level. Ahmad could not be reached for
comment.
Abraham's decision to extend the Livermore contract came from a
recommendation by his advisory board, according to the Texan.
This is the board that appoints the Blue Ribbon Commission. One
can assume board members listen to what members of the commission
recommend.
Despite concerns from the UC System and other interested parties
that Klein's position represents a potential conflict of
interest, nothing so far has been done to dispel such concerns.
The DOE has not indicated it will investigate the matter.
Separate bids for Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore could broaden
the competitive bidding process, but not if the decision merely
slants the process in favor of the UT System.
Klein's position and the possible conflicts should warrant a
thorough review of the entire process - especially because a
nuclear weapons laboratory is at stake.
Pruett, a history senior, is a member of UT Watch and an intern
for Rep. Lon Burnham, D-Fort Worth.
*****************************************************************
47 Google News Alert - nuclear
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:45:51 -0700 (PDT)
US makes new proposal in nuclear talks, N.Korea offers freeze
Channel News Asia - Singapore
BEIJING : The United States submitted a new proposal on the opening day
of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear drive, which could include
taking ...
See all stories on this topic:
IRAN Has Right To Acquire Civilian Nuclear Technology: France
Tehran Times - Tehran,Iran
TEHRAN (IRNA)-- Paris believes that Iran has the right to acquire nuclear
technology meant for peaceful purposes but says Tehran should also continue
its ...
See all stories on this topic:
DPRK: Concrete plans can help nuclear talks
China Daily - Beijing,China
The six countries discussing the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue Wednesday
seemed to see emerging signs of movement after two key parties presented
new proposals ...
See all stories on this topic:
ROWHANI To Explain Iran's Nuclear Dossier In Majlis
Tehran Times - Tehran,Iran
TEHRAN (IRNA) – The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
(SNSC) is to brief the Islamic consultative Assembly on Iran's nuclear
dossier in a ...
See all stories on this topic:
INDIA and Pakistan in nuclear harmony
Asia Times Online - Hong Kong
NEW DELHI - Finally, India and Pakistan are beginning to get a grip on
the nightmare scenario of accidental nuclear war that has haunted the
sub-continent ...
See all stories on this topic:
VYING For Trans - Atlantic Influence , Iran's Nuclear Program , ...
Radio Free Europe - Prague,Czech Republic
... in Iraq one week before the official handover of power to an interim
administration in Baghdad are also discussed, as are Iran's nuclear "brinkmanship"
and the ...
See all stories on this topic:
FORMER Catawba Nuclear Station supervisor pleads guilty to ...
WIS - Columbia,SC,USA
(Columbia-AP) June 23, 2004 - A former shift supervisor at the Catawba
Nuclear Station in York County has been sentenced to probation after pleading
guilty to ...
See all stories on this topic:
PAKISTAN not off the hook yet over black market nuclear network: ...
Pakistani Newspaper - Pakistan
WASHINGTON, June 23: The United States has not let Pakistan off the hook
over illicit exports of nuclear weapons technology, the State Department
said. ...
See all stories on this topic:
NUCLEAR supervisor sentenced in child porn case
Charlotte Observer (subscription) - Charlotte,NC,USA
COLUMBIA, SC - A former shift supervisory at the Catawba Nuclear Station
in York County has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to
computer crime ...
STATE Officials Offer Travel Tips for Nuclear Medicine Patients
Yahoo News (press release) - USA
... Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty and Homeland Security Director
Keith Martin today advised residents receiving nuclear medicine treatments
that ...
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/
*****************************************************************
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more
information go to:
*****************************************************************