***************************************************************** 07/28/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.179 ***************************************************************** 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 Scotsman.com News: Cut-off Date Urged for Gulf War Claims 2 ABCNEWS.com: Give Up 'Delusional Hope' of Iraq WMD, Kay Says 3 [NYTr] Iran Accused of Building Centrifuges:Here We Go Again 4 Las Vegas SUN: Envoys Suspect Iran Nuclear Program Alive 5 UPI: U.S.: Iran nuke reports show pattern - 6 Washington Times: Tehran breaks U.N. seals on nukes 7 Arutz Sheva: Threats From Iran and Lebanon 8 San Francisco Chronicle: The challenge from Tehran 9 AFP: Germany worried by Iran's nuclear moves 10 AFP: US says Iran continuing to flout nuclear commitments 11 JoongAng Daily: Aides to meet on nuclear issue 12 BBC: UK urges monitors for North Korea 13 KoreaTimes: 6-Party Nuke Talks Making Progress, Says Roh 14 AFP: US envoy in China to lay groundwork for Korean nuclear crisis t 15 US: Washington Times: Cheney lauds pre-emption 16 US: The Hill.com: A courtship that went bad 17 [du-list] Fw: This is just published today: 18 Pakistan News: Shaukat rules out freezing of nuclear program 19 AGI: SENATE TO VOTE ON URANIUM ENQUIRY COMMISSION ON SEPT 15TH 20 Scotsman.com: MOD savaged for wasting arms billions NUCLEAR REACTORS 21 US: NRC: Union Electric Company; Notice of Partial Withdrawal of 22 US: NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for th 23 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find 24 US: North Adams Transcript: Community passes over nuke meeting 25 Taipei Times: Taipower's new chairman steps in 26 BBC: Chernobyl children to miss visit 27 US: Star Tribune: Prairie Island nuclear plant operator to cut jobs 28 US: San Luis Obispo Tribune: Diablo must fine-tune safeguards, offic 29 Slovak news: SE bids deadline today 30 Xinhuanet: Building of new nuclear power plant approved in Zhejiang 31 Mos News: Russia to Sell Iran Nuke “Booster” - 32 Sofia Morning News: Indian Solar Power Plant in Bulgaria NUCLEAR SAFETY 33 [du-list] Karen Parker at the UN Sub-Commission on Human 34 Guardian Unlimited: Gulf war veterans' veracity doubted 35 US: NPR: 'Safe' Levels May be Raised for Dirty Bomb Attacks 36 The Hindu: Huge thorium reserves found in Orissa NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 37 US: [NukeNet] High Accident Risk Is Seen in Atomic Waste Project 38 US: Berkshire Eagle: Nuclear fuel rods may stay for years 39 US: NRC: Kennecott Uranium Company--Sweetwater Uranium Mill Site 40 NRC: Notice of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significan 41 US: The Pilot Newspaper: Juggling Act: Norris Has Two Very Different 42 US: SignOnSanDiego.com: Four pounds of nuclear fuel missing from pow 43 Las Vegas RJ: Support for fighting repository grows slightly 44 Las Vegas RJ: Panel hears complaints about Yucca database 45 Las Vegas RJ: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Nevada captures attention 46 Las Vegas SUN: Democratic plank to protect Nevada from Yucca dump 47 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada can make a 'huge difference' in race 48 US: Bradenton Herald: Tallevast prompts state to review policy 49 The Australian: Legal bid to block nuke dump 50 MSNBC: Nevada Attorneys, Department Of Energy Fight Over Yucca 51 US: Morgan Hill Times: Water supplies still low; city urges conserva 52 US: Pahrump Valley Times: Ohio uranium transport through Nevada come 53 AU ABC: NT to outlaw national nuclear waste dump. 54 KRNV: Nevada poll finds voters favor fighting Yucca Mountain plan 55 KRNV: Republicans say Kerry flip-flopped on Yucca position 56 KVBC: Nevada Attorneys, Department Of Energy Fight Over Yucca 57 FOX5 Las Vegas: Kerry Coming Under Fire For Early Yucca Votes 58 US: Paducah Sun: Nuclear recycling plant to be kept on schedule 59 Pahrump Valley Times: State running out of Yucca project money NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 60 DOE: Proposed Agency Information Collection 61 DOE: Office of Nonproliferation Policy; Proposed Subsequent 62 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Hanford water cleanup not working, repor 63 Tri-City Herald: Hanford ground water cleanup criticized 64 Oak Ridger: Forensics research at ORNL 65 Daily Texan: UT sought Los Alamos in '90s - OTHER NUCLEAR 66 [du-list] DU in the news - 29 July 04 67 Google News Alert - nuclear 68 Google News Alert - nuclear 69 BBC: Wind turbine plans to be 70 Las Vegas SUN: Kerry camp bringing out celebrities ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Scotsman.com News: Cut-off Date Urged for Gulf War Claims Wed 28 Jul 2004 By Laura Scott, PA News Veterans should be given a cut-off date by the Ministry of Defence after which no claim for Gulf Related Illness would be accepted to “close the matter”, an inquiry heard today. Retired Major-General Peter Craig, who is a member of the Royal British Legion’s Gulf War Group, also said the cases of 3,000-plus veterans who have claimed but have not yet been compensated should be settled with a one-off payment. Giving evidence to the independent inquiry in central London, he said: “One possible way of solving this issue would be to have a cut-off date after which no claims for Gulf Related Illness would be accepted and settle those 3,000-plus who have so far claimed and not yet been recompensed. “To suggest that the condition exists and would automatically result in compensation after this date could possibly result in an avalanche of new claims for symptoms which are now well known and rehearsed. “It’s now 14 years down the line and new cases as far as I can see at that length of time would be very, very hard to accept. “I am suggesting that after a cut-off date we just say ’Okay, we accept it, but there won’t be any more’. I am suggesting a one-off payment to close the matter.” But Mr Craig added that there should be an exception made to the rule for cases where veterans develop cancer which may be as a result of their service in the Gulf because of the length of time the disease can take to strike. The inquiry also heard another possible option as opposed to a lump sum payment would be to upgrade claimants who receive a full 100% war pension. At present they receive varying percentages of the war pension depending on how ill they are classed to be by a tribunal. This assessment process in itself is a minefield, according to Mr Craig, because of the difficulties in judging just how ill veterans really are. He has witnessed some 500 cases from his time sitting for the Appeals Service and Pensions Appeals Tribunals which decide on such matters and said that in some cases he was convinced veterans’ claims of illness were “exaggerated”. Lord Lloyd of Berwick, who was chairing the inquiry, asked him: “Are you suggesting some people may have been claiming because they have read that others are claiming and that that has encouraged veterans to make claims which are false... and, assuming you have come across cases where you feel that the symptoms have been exaggerated, or are possibly non-existent, you are not suggesting that this is true of all of them, are you?” Mr Craig replied: “No, but I am not absolutely convinced by the veracity of evidence I have heard. In certain cases it has been exaggerated. “In one case a chap was based in Rijad and he claims that the Scud missile that landed a mile away which they went to see contained depleted uranium, which was abject nonsense.” The three-week probe into the so-called Gulf War Syndrome which is funded by an anonymous donor is in its second week. It aims to take evidence from 30 ex-servicemen and medical experts in a bid to establish the facts about the Gulf War Illnesses to resolve the long-standing dispute over their causes. Support groups claim that about 6,000 Gulf War veterans have suffered unexplained ill-health since the 1991 conflict, including kidney pains, memory loss, chronic fatigue, mood swings, aching joints, sensitivity to chemicals and cancerous tumours. More than 600 are said to have died. The veterans have blamed an “experimental” cocktail of tablets and vaccinations they received to protect them against nerve agents, anthrax and botulism. Exposure to depleted uranium munitions has also been identified as a possible cause of the illness. Hundreds of veterans have tried to claim compensation but they were dealt a bitter blow earlier this year when solicitors advised that there was insufficient evidence to prove their cases in court. The MoD has always denied the existence of a so-called Gulf War Syndrome, insisting there was no single cause of the illnesses suffered. Today the MoD handed over a batch of hefty files containing background documents to help the three-man inquiry panel of Lord Lloyd, Dr Norman Jones, Treasurer of the Royal College of Physicians, and Sir Michael Davies, formerly Clerk of the Parliaments, understand the “complex issues involved”. [ ***************************************************************** 2 ABCNEWS.com: Give Up 'Delusional Hope' of Iraq WMD, Kay Says [http://abcnews.go.com] July 28, 2004 — By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials should give up the "delusional hope" that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so they can move forward with reform, David Kay, who once led the U.S. hunt for banned weapons, said on Wednesday. "I think it's most important that the president of the United States recognizes that in fact the weapons are not there," Kay told reporters after speaking at The Government Security Expo and Conference. "It's because until you do that you will not take this fundamental reorganization of the intel community on board," he said. Officials such as acting CIA Director John McLaughlin "hold out the delusional hope that eventually you'll find weapons," Kay said. Kay stepped down from the CIA-appointed position of chief U.S. weapons hunter in January, and said he did not believe Iraq had banned weapons when the United States invaded. The United States justified the invasion by saying Baghdad posed a threat because it had biological and chemical weapons and was reviving its nuclear weapons program. No stockpiles of banned weapons have been found. Leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies must recognize, "Duh, we've failed, therefore we have to change," Kay said. He said he was optimistic that change could occur. The Sept. 11 Commission's final report recommended overhauling U.S. intelligence, including creating a national director to oversee the 15 spy agencies. A new top post was insufficient, and the agencies need new capabilities, including better technologies for "close-in" spying rather than relying on spy satellites, which scoop up vast amounts of electronic communications, Kay said. A new national director post also must be independent, not located in the executive office of the president, Kay said. "If you're on such friendly terms with the president that you can answer a concern the president may have about the quality about your intelligence with a trite sports cliche 'It's a slam dunk' and the president or the national security adviser don't come down your throat, you're way too close to power," he said. It was a reference to former CIA Director George Tenet's reported reply to President Bush when asked before the war how sure he was that Iraq had banned weapons. "It needs to be someone who does not mind being up to their kneecaps in blood. They're not concerned with winning the popularity contest, they're not really concerned about leaks to the press about them," Kay said. Kay said "one of the greatest misnomers" was referring to the spy agencies as an intelligence community. "It has none of the characteristics of a community. It's a group of feuding empires that don't like direction," he said. photo credit and caption: U.S. officials should give up the 'delusional hope' that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so they can move forward with reform, David Kay, who once led the U.S. hunt for banned weapons, said July 28, 2004. Kay, former chief weapons inspector for Iraq, testifies before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., January 28. Photo by Mannie Garcia/Reuters Copyright 2004 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 3 [NYTr] Iran Accused of Building Centrifuges:Here We Go Again Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 10:22:58 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit [It's deja vu all over again - anonymous diplomats in Austria are leaking stories to the press that Iran is busily working on WMD. Once the US starts using Iraq as its staging point for a new war, against a country that Iraq's "sovereign government" has just helpfully declared an "enemy," of course the troops can't be pulled out. Can a new "emergency" be manufactured in time to pull the dry drunk's ass out of the fire before the November elections? Are the half-wits in Washington actually planning to enlarge a war they can barely keep up with now?] AP via Yahoo - July 28, 2004 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&e=5&u=/ap/20040728/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_agency_iran Diplomats Say Iran Building Centrifuges By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer VIENNA, Austria - Iran is once again building centrifuges that can be used to make nuclear weaponry, breaking the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's seals on the equipment in a show of defiance against international efforts to monitor its program, diplomats said Tuesday. Iran has not restarted enriching uranium with the centrifuges a step that would raise further alarm. But the resumption of centrifuge construction is likely to push European nations, which have been seeking a negotiated resolution, closer to the United States' more confrontational stance. The United States accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue. Iran denies the charge and says the centrifuges are part of a nuclear program aimed only at producing energy. Under international pressure last year, the Islamic republic agreed to stop enriching uranium and stop making centrifuges, in a deal reached with Britain, France and Germany. But the moratorium ended several weeks ago, when Tehran angry over international perusal of its nuclear program broke seals placed on enrichment equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the diplomats told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Iranian officials then resumed assembling and installing centrifuges, which can enrich uranium fuel for generating power or developing warheads, the diplomats said. The diplomats all familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier cautioned against equating Tehran's move with the removal of IAEA seals on nuclear equipment by North Korea two years ago as it expelled agency inspectors and declared itself no longer bound by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Unlike in North Korea, the seals on Iran's equipment "were not a legal requirement," one diplomat said. Tehran notified the IAEA of its decision to break the seals, the diplomat said. Iran continues to respect its pledge not to resume nuclear enrichment, said the diplomat. Still, the move reflected Iranian defiance of international constraints on the country's nuclear program. For the past year, the IAEA has been carrying out stringent inspections of Iranian facilities, raising evidence that strengthened suspicions about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In June, the IAEA's Board of Governors rebuked Tehran in a sharply phrased resolution indicating it felt too many unanswered questions remained. Iranian officials are tentatively scheduled to meet in the next few days with British, French and German officials in Paris or another European capital to try and salvage their deal. But Tehran's decision to resume work on its centrifuges makes any agreement unlikely. The Iranians are "driving the European Three into the U.S. camp," said one Western diplomat. Israel noted the Iranian step with concern, its chief of staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said. "Iran in essence broke the rules of the game, Yaalon said on Israeli state-run television. "We have to pay serious attention to Iran's intention to arm itself with nuclear capabilities. This should not only concern Israel, but all the countries of the free world." Iran already announced last month that it had planned to restart the program in response to the IAEA rebuke a decision that led Washington to sound out allies on calling a special session of the IAEA Board of Governors, said another diplomat. The Security Council can only get involved if the board asks it to take up Iran's case. The Americans dropped the idea because of lack of backing but hope the resumption of Iran's nuclear activities will give them the support they need at the next regular board session, starting Sept. 13, he said. Iran has not publicly announced that it has resumed building centrifuges. But President Mohammad Khatami told reporters in Tehran earlier this month that "there is no impediment to doing this work." Sources at Iran's state-run television recently told the AP that the country's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, said Iran restarted building centrifuges June 29 but that the broadcaster was told not to transmit his comments apparently out of concern over international reaction. Most of the IAEA's concerns about Iran's nuclear program focus on traces of highly enriched uranium found at several sites and the extent and nature of work on the advanced P-2 centrifuge. Iran has grudgingly acknowledged working with the P-2, but said its activities were purely experimental. It says the minute amounts of enriched uranium were from equipment bought on the nuclear black market. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has indirectly questioned such assertions. * Search the NYTr Archives at: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ To subscribe or unsubscribe or change your settings via the web, visit: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= ***************************************************************** 4 Las Vegas SUN: Envoys Suspect Iran Nuclear Program Alive By GEORGE JAHN ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Defying international concerns, Iran has resumed clandestine work linked to uranium enrichment, testing equipment and producing a gas that can be used to make nuclear warheads, diplomats said Wednesday. The diplomats told The Associated Press that Tehran has restarted equipment used to make uranium hexaflouride gas, which, when injected into centrifuges and spun, can be enriched to a level high enough to make the weapons. While Iran only appears to be testing the machinery, it has apparently produced some of the gas as a side effect, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity. They did not know how much hexaflouride was made and when the testing resumed. The move - coupled with revelations Tuesday that Iran had restarted building centrifuges - heightened concern that Iran was moving toward full uranium enrichment, despite pledges not to do so in the interest of building international goodwill. Iran dismisses accusations it is interested in making nuclear weapons, insisting its main interest in nuclear power is to generate electricity. But one of the diplomats said the news was part of a pattern of recent revelations showing Iran to be more interested in pressing ahead with suspect nuclear activities than working to dispel worldwide concerns. "The IAEA will be interested in checking this out," said the diplomat, referring to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency's ongoing search for signs of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program. IAEA officials had no comment about the revelations, which came only a day after diplomats disclosed that Tehran had resumed building centrifuges. That move alarmed France, Germany and Britain, which have been seeking a negotiated resolution with Iran, and was likely to move them closer to the United States, which insists Tehran wants to make nuclear weapons and seeks to haul it before the U.N. Security Council. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer expressed "great concern" Wednesday over the reported restart of centrifuge construction, and cautioned Iran against making a "miscalculation." Separately, diplomats citing an intelligence report also told AP that Iran is trying to make or buy deuterium gas, a substance that has peaceful uses but can also be used to boost the power of a nuclear explosion. One of the diplomats said Iranian agents were trying to buy the gas on the Russian market and had plans to manufacture it domestically. But Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Moscow "does not plan to make such deliveries." Beyond increasing the punch of nuclear warheads, the gas also can be used as a coolant for heavy water nuclear reactors. Iran is building a heavy water facility and one of the diplomats said Iran was likely looking for the substance "to get the reactor going." Another diplomat familiar with Iran's nuclear activities also suggested Iran's interest was linked to its research reactor. Deuterium can only be used to boost nuclear explosions if combined with tritium, and there was no evidence Iran was trying to acquire that substance, he said. The reactor itself is one of several projects that have increased suspicions about Tehran's nuclear aims. Heavy water can be used to make plutonium. Iran says it needs the plutonium from the research reactor for isotopes in medical research but plutonium - like enriched uranium - can also be used to make nuclear warheads. For the past year, the IAEA has been carrying out stringent inspections of Iranian facilities, raising evidence that strengthened suspicions about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In June, the IAEA's Board of Governors rebuked Tehran in a sharply phrased resolution indicating it felt too many unanswered questions remained. British, French and German officials will meet with Iranian representatives in the next few days to try to gain a renewed commitment that Tehran will not enrich uranium - an unlikely prospect, considering the recent developments. Most of the IAEA's concerns about Islamic Republic's nuclear program focus on traces of highly enriched uranium found at several sites and the extent and nature of work on the advanced P-2 centrifuge. Iran has grudgingly acknowledged working with the P-2 but said its activities were purely experimental. It says the minute amounts of enriched uranium were from equipment bought on the nuclear black market. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has indirectly questioned such assertions. --- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency, www.iaea.org -- ***************************************************************** 5 UPI: U.S.: Iran nuke reports show pattern - (United Press International) July 28, 2004 Washington, DC, Jul. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department said Wednesday reports Iran restarted its uranium enrichment program were more proof of "a continued failure to abide by commitments." "The reports we're seeing now, I think, are further evidence of a continued failure to abide by commitments," department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said. The comments came after news reports said Iran had broken seals of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, and had restarted uranium enrichment, an important step in making nuclear weapons. Ereli said the United States was concerned by Iran's making of centrifuges, calling it "a direct challenge to the IAEA's call on Iran to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities." Britain, France and Germany are due to meet with Iranian officials Thursday to discuss the impasse over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes only, but the United States says Tehran is making weapons and is seeking strong IAEA action against the Islamic republic. [UPI Perspectives] ***************************************************************** 6 Washington Times: Tehran breaks U.N. seals on nukes - July 28, 2004 Iran has broken seals placed on nuclear centrifuges by U.N. inspectors and resumed work on the equipment, raising fresh fears that a deal to keep Tehran from joining the world's nuclear-armed powers has collapsed. Diplomats at the Vienna, Austria-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' lead agency on nuclear proliferation, confirmed yesterday that Iran had resumed construction of centrifuges, a key part of the nation's nuclear program. The equipment can be used to produce the material needed for atomic bombs. Iranian officials reportedly broke the IAEA seals on the centrifuge equipment late last month. Diplomats told reporters that Iran has stopped short of using the centrifuges to begin production of enriched uranium for the bombs, a step that clearly would violate Iran's obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said U.S. officials had not confirmed the Iranian move independently but that it fit with what the Bush administration considers a clear pattern of cheating by Iran's Islamic government on its nuclear pledges. "Iran's commitment to cooperating with the IAEA, to put it kindly, remains an open question," Mr. Ereli said, "given its past failures to follow through on promises made to the [IAEA] board of governors." Paul Leventhal, president of the Washington-based Nuclear Control Institute, said the Iranian decision was "clearly provocative" and a direct challenge to diplomatic efforts to rein in its nuclear programs. "The Iranians only confess to what they are caught doing, so we don't know how much more there is to learn," he said. "Iran has been playing a very dangerous cat-and-mouse game, constantly testing how much they can get away with." The resumption of centrifuge construction also is a direct challenge to the efforts of Britain, France and Germany, which struck a deal with Tehran in October to halt efforts to build the centrifuges or seek to enrich uranium. The three European powers have resisted a U.S. effort to refer Iranian violations to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions and other punitive measures, arguing that diplomacy is a better path for gaining Iran's cooperation. Iranian leaders insist that their nuclear programs are intended only for civilian energy purposes, and only grudgingly have conceded to violations uncovered in recent months by IAEA inspectors. Tehran also has argued that the accord with the three European powers was voided when the IAEA Board of Governors issued another critical report on Iran's nuclear cooperation at the board meeting in June. The construction resumed after the October moratorium expired, Iranian officials said. Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said earlier this month, "Nothing stands in the way" of renewed centrifuge activity. Iranian officials reportedly informed IAEA officials of their decision to break the seals and said a separate pledge not to produce weapons-grade uranium remained in force. Despite the disclosures, British diplomats said Iran and the three European powers will hold a previously scheduled meeting later this week at an undisclosed European location. "We still firmly believe that this is the right way to achieve our goal," a British Foreign Office official told Reuters news agency yesterday. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran could be destabilizing in the region, in particular for Israel, which launched a pre-emptive strike against Iraq's nuclear facilities when Saddam Hussein began efforts to build a nuclear program. Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon said on Israeli television yesterday that Iran had "broken the rules of the game." "This should not only concern Israel, but all the countries of the free world," Gen. Yaalon said. But Seyed Masood Jazayeri, spokesman for Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guards, accused Washington of using its "wild dog"  Israel  to go after Iran's nuclear programs. If Israel tried to disrupt the Iranian program, it "would be wiped off the face of the Earth and U.S. interests would be easily damaged," Mr. Jazayeri warned yesterday, according to the Iranian news reports. •This article is based in part on wire service reports. ***************************************************************** 7 Arutz Sheva: Threats From Iran and Lebanon IsraelNN.com 17:24 Jul 28, '04 / 10 Av 5764 Iran has threatened to "wipe Israel off the globe" if Israel were to attack Iran's nuclear program. Defense Minister Mofaz calls for international pressure on Iran. Iran threatened on Monday to "wipe Israel off the globe" if Israel were to attack Iran's nuclear program. It is not clear if the Arrow can also intercept Iran's Shihab-3 missiles, which are not only faster than Scuds, but could also be armed with chemical or nuclear warheads. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said that Teheran had "broken all the rules" when it reneged on its commitment to suspend production of nuclear centrifuge equipment, used in the production of enriched uranium - a prime ingredient for an atomic bomb. He said that international pressure against Iran's nuclear ambitions could obviate the need for a military operation. In related news, IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Ze'evi-Farkash revealed this week that Syria had recently supplied the Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon with improved, Syrian-made katyusha rockets. The unguided missiles have a range of at least 130 kilometers, enabling them to reach as far as Hadera and Netanya. All rights reserved IsraelNationalNews © Arutz Sheva Israel Broadcasting Network webmaster@israelnationalnews.com Binamica - web ***************************************************************** 8 San Francisco Chronicle: The challenge from Tehran [http://sfgate.com] EDITORIAL Wednesday, July 28, 2004 ALONG WITH double-duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, American diplomacy faces another Middle East challenge from Iran. Military threats won't work, and neither will plans "to sit and talk with the Iranians and sing 'Kumbaya' together,'' said former CIA chief Robert Gates. Getting through to the autocratic mullahs of Tehran remains a challenge. But it won't do to dodge talks because of the empty record of U.S.-Iranian relations dating back to the hostage crisis 25 years ago that doomed President Jimmy Carter. Iran's radical Islamic regime is trouble by any measure. It is taunting United Nations nuclear inspectors, who want a clear limit on weapons research. The country, notorious for its support of terrorism, played a bigger role than Iraq in aiding al Qaeda prior to Sept. 11, though the extent of such help is unclear, the 9/11 commission concluded last week. U.S. presidents, out of frustration and with more pressing problems in the region, have largely ignored Iran. Sanctions were tweaked from time to time amid aimless hopes that a younger generation of Iranians would press for a moderate, more democratic government. No such luck. Now the equation has changed. Some 140,000 American troops bracket Iran in the next-door countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. The United Nations may push for tougher sanctions after its weapons inspectors were denied access, isolating Tehran further from the outside world. Last week, a resolution, co- authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., backed the U.N. effort. In sum, Iran may be willing to bend at last. It's a situation loaded with risk and reward. With a presidential campaign underway, no White House action is likely until after November. There is time to think and debate the best course. One blueprint for a new approach is ready. The Council on Foreign Relations has offered a gradual approach, suggesting that steady, continual diplomacy is the best option, not precipitous demands for sweeping change. In its report last week, the elite think tank notes that Iran's rulers are firmly entrenched. Pushing for regime change, either through sponsoring rebels or a direct Iraq-style incursion, won't work. Sustained diplomacy -- though decidedly unsexy by recent White House standards -- may be the only route, the report concludes. No "grand bargain, '' settling all scores, is in the cards. Repeated, head-knocking negotiations could, over time, produce results, as it did in breaking down barriers with the former Soviet Union and China, according to former CIA chief Gates and past National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. Their advice should serve as a brake on hard-charging hawks. The report has drawbacks. It relies on good faith from Tehran, which this week defied U.N. weapons inspectors yet again. The country may also be counting on a divided world community to do nothing to punish a major source of oil. In the face of this scheming, the United States can't negotiate alone. But the moment may be at hand to break down the barriers with Iran. [graphical line] Page B - 8 ©2004 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback | FAQ ***************************************************************** 9 AFP: Germany worried by Iran's nuclear moves WAR.WIRE [http://www.spacewar.com/] BERLIN (AFP) Jul 28, 2004 German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Wednesday he was worried by Iran's atomic activities, following reports Tehran has gone ahead with a threat to resume production of nuclear centrifuges. "I hope that Tehran understands that that is not the right way to go," Fischer told rolling news channel NTV. Under a landmark deal in October with Europe's "Big Three" of Britain, France and Germany, Iran agreed to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment, allow tougher inspections and file a complete declaration of its nuclear activities. But since then, experts from the UN's nuclear watchdog have discovered omissions in Iran's reporting, inspection visits have been delayed and the regime has backed away from a pledge to stop all enrichment-related efforts. Fischer said Iran should have an interest "in continuing on the path, through the door that we opened". Diplomatic sources in Vienna said Wednesday that Iran had removed the seals that the International Atomic Energy Agency had placed on the centrifuges to ensure that Tehran was not using its civilian nuclear program as a cover for a secret weapons program. Meanwhile in Tehran, the deputy head of the Iranian parliament's foreign policy and security commission, Mohamoud Mohammadi, said the parliament will not ratify an additional security protocol to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The protocol would give UN inspectors increased powers, including the right to carry out inspections without warning. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 10 AFP: US says Iran continuing to flout nuclear commitments WAR.WIRE [http://www.spacewar.com/] WASHINGTON (AFP) Jul 28, 2004 The United States on Wednesday accused Iran of wantonly flouting international calls to curb its nuclear programs, saying Tehran is engaged in a "direct challenge" to the UN's nuclear watchdog. The State Department said reports that Iran has gone ahead with a threat to resume production of nuclear centrifuges were "disturbing," a matter of "deep concern" and a sign that the Islamic republic may not be trusted to fulfill its commitments. "It's an issue that we remain deeply concerned about," deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said. "We view it as a direct challenge to the IAEA's call on Iran to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities. "It certainly raises questions about other commitments Iran has made concerning its nuclear program," he told reporters. "The reports we're seeing now I think are further evidence of a continued failure to abide by commitments," Ereli said. "Iran made a pledge to suspend the manufacture and assembly of centrifuges. They've gone back on that pledge. It's disturbing, and a matter of concern." Earlier Wednesday at the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), diplomats said Iran had removed seals the agency had placed on the centrifuges to ensure that Tehran was not using its civilian nuclear program as a cover for a secret weapons program. "Seals on centrifuges monitored by the IAEA have indeed been broken," one Western diplomat told AFP. "The move indicates that Iran has resumed construction and assembly of centrifuges. But they have not resumed their enrichment operations per se." The centrifuges are used to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power plants. But highly enriched uranium can also be used to make nuclear warheads. Iran has denied US charges it is using its civilian nuclear energy program as a cover for clandestine atomic weapons development and on Wednesday a top member of parliament warned in Tehran that the government would delay ratification of an additional security protocol to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) it had agreed to sign onto. The protocol would give UN inspectors increased powers, including the right to carry out inspections without warning. In addition to the NPT accord, Iran had agreed to seal its centrifuges after a visit by the British, French and German foreign ministers last October. Earlier this month, Iran warned that it was not bound to this deal because the Europeans had failed to live up to their commitment to remove the issue from the IAEA's agenda. Rather than take the Iranian dossier off the table, the European countries co-sponsored an IAEA resolution criticizing Tehran's failure to fully cooperate with the agency. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 11 JoongAng Daily: Aides to meet on nuclear issue [http://joongangdaily.joins.com] July 29, 2004 KST 10:24 (GMT+9) WASHINGTON ˇŞ Officials of the United States and the two Koreas responsible for talks aiming at resolving the nuclear crisis on the peninsula will meet at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, an international conference in New York, a diplomat here said yesterday. Ri Gun, North Korea's deputy chief negotiator for the six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, will attend the seminar from Aug. 9 to 11, the diplomat said. Han Sung-joo, South Korea's ambassador to the United States, and Joseph DiTrani, U.S. special envoy for North Korea, will meet with Mr. Ri, he added. The officials are expected to discuss the fourth round of six-nation nuclear talks, slated to take place by the end of September. 2004.07.28 [http://joongangdaily.joins.com/faq.html] ***************************************************************** 12 BBC: UK urges monitors for North Korea Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 July, 2004 [North Korean defectors at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, on 28 July 2004] The latest defections have caused new concern International monitors must be allowed into North Korea in the wake of new claims of human rights abuses, says a British foreign office minister. Bill Rammell was speaking after a North Korean defector told BBC2's Newsnight he had tested out lethal chemical weapons on political prisoners. Mr Rammell said he would discuss the "very, very serious" claims during a trip to China this week. But he said it was right to continue diplomacy with North Korea. Weapons fears The North Korean defector, a scientist identified only as Dr Kim, said he made notes on how long it took political prisoners to die from the experimental chemical weapons. "We wanted to determine how much gas was necessary to annihilate the whole city of Seoul," he said. Lord Butler's report on British intelligence about weapons of mass destruction this month said North Korea probably had enough plutonium to make at least one nuclear weapon. We have persistently said the North Korean government that they need to respond Bill Rammell Foreign Office Minister And it was thought to be developing missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons as far away as the United States and Europe, said the report. It added: "North Korea is a particular cause for concern because of its willingness to sell ballistic missiles to anyone prepared to pay in hard currency." Mr Rammell defended the decision to wage war on Iraq but not on North Korea. "We tried the diplomatic, peaceful route with Iraq for over 12 years, exactly the kind of approach we are operating in North Korea now," he told Newsnight. Defection worries The Foreign Office minister said talks with North Korea had included concerns about human rights abuses. "We have persistently said to the North Korean government that they need to respond on this and that we have very serious concerns," he said. "At the moment they deny these abuses are taking place. That is why we have said they should allow independent international monitors to go in and verify exactly what is happening." Dr Kim's testimony comes as hundreds of defectors arrived in South Korea from the hunger stricken Communist North. Mr Rammell said he was concerned about the news of the largest single batch of defectors from the hunger-stricken Communist North. It was an indication of the plight of the North Korean people, which he would raise both in Beijing and with the North Korean Government, he said. ***************************************************************** 13 KoreaTimes: 6-Party Nuke Talks Making Progress, Says Roh Hankooki.com > Korea Times By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun said Wednesday the six-party talks to bring an end to the North Korean nuclear crisis are making progress, reiterating his governmentˇŻs commitment to a peaceful resolution to the longstanding international dispute. ``We have taken the first step toward the resolution of the North Korean nuclear problem,ˇŻˇŻ he said in a message to a function in Washington honoring U.S. Korean War veterans on Tuesday. ``I am determined to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue.ˇŻˇŻ In the message, read by South KoreaˇŻs Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister An Joo-seob, Roh expressed special gratitude to the war veterans, calling them ``true friendsˇŻˇŻ who selflessly fought for world peace. ``The half-century alliance between South Korea and the United States is very firm and strong,ˇŻˇŻ he said. ``The alliance will serve to maintain stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but throughout the whole Northeast Asian region.ˇŻˇŻ South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Han Sung-joo also put special emphasis on the Seoul-Washington alliance, describing it as a ``very productive alliance.ˇŻˇŻ He made the comments during his speech at a ceremony held Tuesday morning to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, where some 200 war veterans were on hand. South and North Korea technically remain at war since the bitterly-fought war five decades ago ended in a truce without a peace treaty. Nearly 2 million troops from both the Koreas, along with some 37,500 Americans in the South, still face each other along the worldˇŻs most heavily fortified border. Inter-Korean relations have thawed in recent years following the historic summit in 2000, but the current nuclear crisis _ the second of its kind, following the resolution of the first in 1994 _ has marred the latest developments in relations. The third round of six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan were held in Beijing in late June. The parties failed to make a breakthrough but agreed to meet again by the end of September. jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr 07-28-2004 16:47 ***************************************************************** 14 AFP: US envoy in China to lay groundwork for Korean nuclear crisis talks WAR.WIRE
[http://www.spacewar.com/] WASHINGTON (AFP) Jul 28, 2004 A special US envoy arrived in in China Wednesday to discuss preparations for the next round of Beijing-hosted six-party talks to end the Korean nuclear crisis, the US State Department said Wednesday. Joseph DeTrani, the department's special envoy for the six-party talks, came to Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese government and was to have discussions on Thursday to lay the groundwork for the fourth round of talks. DeTrani is scheduled to hold discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Ning Fukui, on preparations for the next six-party working group session and could meet other officials as well before returning to Washington on Saturday, said Adam Ereli, the State Department's deputy spokesman. "DeTrani was invited to Beijing to discuss preparations for the next six-party working group session," Ereli said, dismissing suggestions he went to China because the talks were faltering. "No, no, no, no. This is part of, I think, a regular and expected pattern of diplomatic consultations between China, as the host of the six-party talks, and the other members of the process in advance of what is expected to be a working group meeting in the near future," he said. The working-level and senior-level talks among China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States are expected to be held in August, Japan's business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported this week. At the third round of talks in June, North Korea proposed freezing its nuclear arms program and pledged to stop building, testing and transferring atomic weapons, but only if the United States helped compensate it for the freeze. The United States, for its part, put forth an offer that calls for a step-by-step dismantling of Pyongyang's plutonium and uranium weapons programs in return for aid and security guarantees and easing of its political and economic isolation. But North Korea warned this week it might consider pulling out of the talks following the passage of a US human rights bill critical of the Stalinist state. The US House of Representatives last week unanimously passed the bill, called "North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004," which goes to the Senate. The bill calls for concrete steps on North Korean human rights abuses including aid to human rights groups and defectors. Ereli confirmed Wednesday that North Korea's pointman for the six-party talks had been invited to attend a privately sponsored conference in New York in early August. "I don't know whether he will be coming or not. You'd have to ask the North Koreans or the conference organizers," he said. Ereli also said there were no plans for bilateral meetings between Ri Gun, vice director of the Institute of Disarmament and Peace in North Korea, and US officials if he came for the conference. New reports had indicated that Ri could hold a meeting with DeTrani on the sidelines of the forum hosted by the US National Committee on American Foreign Policy. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 15 Washington Times: Cheney lauds pre-emption - July 28, 2004 By Joseph Curl CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.  Framed between two massive howitzer cannons and surrounded by thousands of camo-clad Marines, Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday said President Bush's doctrine of pre-emption  taking the war to the terrorists and their abettors  is making the world safer. "Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness," the vice president said to cheers and "hoo-ahs" from Marines. With the president laying low at his Crawford, Texas, ranch this week during the Democratic National Convention, the vice president was the sole administration voice countering charges by Democrats  including former President Bill Clinton, who said that "strength and wisdom are not conflicting values." Mr. Cheney, who aides said watched Monday night coverage of the convention fired back in a speech that starkly portrayed the different messages of Republicans and Democrats. "We understand the threats before us; and we have the resources, the strength and the moral courage to overcome them all. Our president has made clear to all the terrorist enemies that they will fail  because the direction of history is toward justice and human freedom," Mr. Cheney told members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, many of whom have served stints in Iraq and Afghanistan. On a three-day swing through the West, on which he has occasionally taken aim at Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, the vice president offered a spirited defense of Bush doctrine and again asserted that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was a rising danger that could not be ignored after the September 11 attacks. "Having seen the devastation caused by 19 men armed with knives, box cutters and boarding passes, we awakened to a possibility even more lethal: that terrorists could acquire the capability to make weapons of mass destruction  chemical, biological agents or even nuclear weapons or gain such weapons themselves from an outlaw regime. "If terrorists get their hands on that deadly technology, there can be no doubt they will inflict damage on America and our allies. President Bush is determined to remove threats before they arrive instead of simply waiting for another attack on our country," he said to cheers. Mr. Cheney reiterated that Saddam had used weapons of mass destruction in the past, making Iraq "a gathering threat to the United States and the civilized world. Now it is a rising democracy, an ally in the war on terror and the American people are safer for it." The vice president's remarks were a direct response to the Monday charges of former President Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Al Gore, who accused Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney of destroying U.S. credibility around the world. Mr. Carter charged that the President Bush has "alienated its allies, dismayed its friends, and inadvertently gratified its enemies by proclaiming a confused and disturbing strategy of 'pre-emptive' war." All site contents copyright © 2004 News World Communications, ***************************************************************** 16 The Hill.com: A courtship that went bad for and about the U.S. Congress [http://www.capwiz.com/thehill] July 28, 2004 By Klaus Marre President Bush and the powerful Teamsters union appeared close to forming an alliance in the first couple years of Bushs term, but Teamsters head James Hoffa said the president was unwilling to move to the center on worker-related issues. It takes two people to dance, Hoffa said. Though courted by the White House, in the end, the powerful union did not want to tango with a Bush administration that Hoffa calls anti-worker. Teamsters President James Hoffa says that he has concluded that the Bush administration is anti-worker. The Teamsters were chastised in some Democratic circles for working with the administration on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. Both would have created Teamsters jobs, said the unions director of government affairs, Mike Mathis. We had hopes for them before [Bush] was elected, Hoffa told The Hill yesterday. But it didnt work out. The Teamsters tried to influence the administration to move to the center and to be more middle-of-the-road with regard to labor and working-family issues. Instead of that, they seemed to [engage in] a very anti-labor attack with regard to a number of initiatives, Hoffa said. We just couldnt go along with it anymore. He cited not extending unemployment benefits, changing overtime regulations, allowing unsafe Mexican trucks into the country and pushing tax cuts for the rich as some of those initiatives but added that there are over a dozen. President Bush last September declined to deliver a promised video greeting to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 100th anniversary celebration, after Hoffa suggested the 1.5-million-member union would not be endorsing Bushs reelection bid. The Teamsters supported the first President Bush in 1988 and backed Republican Ronald Reagan in both 1980 and 1984. In 2000, they endorsed Vice President Al Gore but withheld their backing until the last minute. Mathis said the Teamsters attempted to work with the White House on their priorities, adding that Bush had initiated a meeting with the union before the 2000 election. Then, Mathis said, Bush sought to convince the Teamsters that he would prove himself to be a different president. Mathis also noted that the Teamsters worked well with Bushs father when he occupied the White House. He added that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Teamsters felt it was their duty to work with Bush. Back then, Mathis said, Bush said all the right things. Instead, Bush has actually helped to divide the country even more, Mathis argued. Still, the Teamsters would work with the administration if it helped the union, he indicated. All along, Mathis said, it is fair to say that the Teamsters supposed close ties with Bush were blown out of proportion. A Bush-Cheney spokesperson could not be reached for comment by press time. Hoffa sat in the presidential box at the 2002 State of the Union address but said, While it was nice to be there, that is not really what it is about. We deal in substance, not photo-ops, Hoffa said. Mathis added that Hoffa has the best interest of the Teamsters in mind and not what is in it for him. After working with the union on a couple issues, Mathis said, the White House was surprisingly thin-skinned when the Teamsters would fight Bush on other issues. This was a big difference from Clinton, Mathis explained. The Teamsters feel that Bushs agenda is controlled by big business and has turned its back on working families and the average American, Hoffa said. He has got it all wrong. The top Teamster has not talked to Bush in a long time and doesnt talk to White House officials anymore. When Kerry had the nomination wrapped up, Hoffa urged him to pick Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) as his running mate. The Teamsters backed Gephardt in this years Democratic presidential primary. Hoffa said he was disappointed when Kerry passed over Gephardt. I wish he would have picked him, Hoffa said, but he added that Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is a good choice. Mathis concurred, saying that Teamsters really like Edwards and that his selection is seen as a very positive thing. [http://www.thehill.com/cgi-bin/birdcast/birdcast.cgi] [http://www.dtriptv.com/default.aspx?ms=hill] © 2004 The Hill 733 Fifteenth Street, NW Suite 1140 Washington, DC 20005 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax web site design + development www.tammayegrissom.com [http://www.tammayegrissom.com] ***************************************************************** 17 [du-list] Fw: This is just published today: Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:07:06 -0700 The attached twin of nuclear power and nuclear weapons must be addressed together. Fission the atom and we get u236, radioactive tritium for bomb triggers, plutonium for nuclear weapons and "star wars" (plus almost 200 other isotopes). Separate uranium for fissioning and we are left with u238 (plus u236) for "depleted" uranium weapons (DU). For the sake of peace and health for the people of the world, we MUST work against both nuclear weapons AND nuclear energy. Mitzi ----- Original Message ----- From: Janette Sherman To: Goldin-Rosenberg Dorothy ; Tvedten Steve ; Bowman mitzi ; merbenzRN@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 2:09 PM Subject: This is just published today: GULF WAR ILLNESSES – AT HOME AND ABROAD Since “Those Weapons of Mass Destruction” was published in Acres U.S.A, (0ct. 2003) I had hoped that the mainstream press would have picked up the depleted uranium (DU) issue. Alas, this is not the case. A conservative estimate of the DU used in the 1991 Gulf War is 340 tons. In the most recent war, more than 2200 tons of DU rained down on Iraq. But that is not all, some 34 tons of DU weaponry were used in Bosnia, Kosovo and Herzegovina, contaminating ground water and soil and an additional 1000 tons of DU were used in Afghanistan. Living close to the land, the DU levels in Afghanis after US military intervention are the highest levels measured in a human population. The General Accounting Office (GAO) strongly criticized the Pentagon for failing to accurately study conditions leading to the illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans. A second GAO report criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Pentagon for wasting “millions of dollars looking for the mental stress theory [when] it has been conclusively ruled invalid.” Of the 698,000 service personnel who served in the first Gulf War (GW-I) more than 230,000 veterans have health claims that have been granted by the DVA as of Nov. 2002, the latest figures available. Given that the average age of those who went to war was 36, the 11,074 who have since died since GW-I do not represent usual retiree mortality rates. Among returning veterans, birth defects are increased in the children of both men and women personnel. The birth defects rate in the civilian Iraqi population have risen exponentially in the 13 years since GW-I. While the Pentagon continues to “study” the problem, Betty Mekdeci from the non-profit organization, Birth Defect Research for Children has found otherwise, documenting the very uncommon defect, named Goldenhar Syndrome in 26 children of GW-I veterans. While returning veterans have brought their contaminated bodies home with them, the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and sites in the US and Puerto Rico where DU was tested continue to live with the contamination. Cancer and leukemia have increased in southern Iraq, and physicians are seeing multiple cancers in patients and clusters of cancer in families near contaminated areas. The DU issue does not end with veterans and the war zones where civilians are contaminated, it extends to civilian workers in the U. S. as well. By the end of 2003, the Department of Energy (DOE) had processed only 6% of the 23,000 worker’s compensation claims from former nuclear weapons plant employees. The bulk of the claims have been as a result of exposure at the nuclear facilities located at Oak Ridge, TN, Savannah Rive, SC, Paducah, KY, Hanford, WA, Rocky Flats, CO, Los Alamos, NM, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab, the Iowa Ordinance Plant, and in Ohio, the Fernald and Mound Plants and the Piketon uranium enrichment plant, It is clear that radioactive materials increasingly contaminate the world’s landscape, including the U. S. We know that chronic exposure to low level radiation leads to cancer, birth defects and irreversible genetic damage. Recently, the Bush Administration is proposing to develop a series of “mini” nuclear bombs and to restart the testing of nuclear bombs. How can we as a civilized society condone the use of radioactive bombs that will adversely affect not only a targeted country, but our own population as well? The lifespan of radioactive materials involves the mining of uranium, separation of isotopes, creation of plutonium, manufacture of bombs and the armaments that carry them, disposal of “wastes”, and the firing of radioactive munitions. The half-life of U238 is 4.5 billion years, the age of the earth. As it decays in four steps to become lead, it releases radioactivity with each step. There is no way to stop the decay process, and no way to clean it up. The U. S. has lost stature over the torture of prisoners as such places as Abu Gharib and Guantanimo Bay in Cuba, and will certainly lose more when the facts are broadcast that the US has rained toxic and genocidal radioactive materials throughout the world. The use of these very effective, but toxic DU weapons has made us not less, but far more vulnerable to attacks, not only from Al Qaida, but from people who have been harmed and have no recourse to right their wrongs. What can we do? Spread the word about the hazards to life from DU contamination. Support adequate medical care for returning veterans, compensate those harmed by the manufacture and use of nuclear weapons, and compensate civilians harmed by the use of DU munitions. Most importantly, perhaps the US will regain its stature in the world community if it renounces the use of DU nuclear weapons, but more importantly by doing so we can stop adding irreversible harm to the world. Will our government listen to us the citizens? Will the international community support such measures? We can only hope so because not doing so will spell disaster for life on earth. Published in ACRES USA, Vol. 34, No. 8, Page 3, August 2004 Janette D. Sherman, M. D. Internal Medicine and Toxicology www.janettesherman.com To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT 38764.jpg 38896.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Attachment Converted: 38764.jpg: 00000001,7fb51fe8,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: 38896.jpg: 00000001,7fb51fe9,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 18 Pakistan News: Shaukat rules out freezing of nuclear program PakTribune.Com Wednesday July 28, 2004 (1523 PST) Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday declared that question of freezing, capping or reducing capability of the nuclear program doesn't arise. ISLAMABAD, July 29 (Online): Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday declared that question of freezing, capping or reducing capability of the nuclear program doesn't arise. The minister who is a candidate in the by election for NA-59, Attock was talking to a delegation of electorates of Attock called on him at his residence under the leadership of Malik Amin Aslam MNA. Dispelling the negative propaganda, he claimed that allocations for the vital nuclear program have been enhanced in recent years. Terming it as a deterrent against any foreign aggression, the minister said continuation of the nuclear program is a must to ensure national security adding the government would never compromise on vital issues. He said Pakistan would be put on track of further development under the able leadership of the President Pervez Musharraf in coming years. He vowed that unity of the Muslim Ummah would be promoted to counter conspiracies against Islam. Shaukat Aziz said he is neither an industrialist, nor feudal, rather a self-made Pakistani belongs to a middle class. He claimed that during his postings abroad he preferred to keep Pakistani citizenship and the green passport. He vowed to deliver fruits of improved economy among the poor masses by reducing price hike and unemployment. To a question, he said it would take time to determine that Akhori Dam is feasible or not adding people of the area shouldn't be worried that their villages would be inundated. He said water reservoirs are needs of the country, but the government gives top priority to construct big dams like Kalabagh and Bhasha to meet water requirements. He pledged to give much importance to the agriculture sector and rural development for improving socio- economic conditions of the rural dwellers. He said much relief has been given to farmers through the agricultural package and the commercial banks are advancing Agro loans. To another question, Shaukat Aziz said that in order to provide shelter to the poor rural dwellers House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) has been directed to advance loans in the rural areas. He said there is a ban on undertaking development projects due to ongoing electioneering but assured the delegation to do much for uplift of neglected district of Attock after his election as MNA and Prime Minister. He thanked Malik Amin Aslam MNA for his solid support in the ongoing electioneering. End. [http://www.paktribune.com/ezone] Pakistan News Service © PakTribune.com Pvt Ltd 2003-2004 ***************************************************************** 19 AGI: SENATE TO VOTE ON URANIUM ENQUIRY COMMISSION ON SEPT 15TH Agenzia Giornalistica Italia - News In English [http://www.agi.it/] Thursday July 29, 2004 h.03.35 - Rome, July 28 - On September 15th the Defence Commission at the Senate will vote the setting up a Commission on Impoverished Uranium. The announcement was made by Left Democrats MP Senator Lorenzo Forcieri, chairman of the Italian delegation at the Nato parliamentary assembly. Mr Forcieri said, "it will be an enquiry commission made up of senators alone. This is in order to speed up procedures. The commission will be entrusted with judicial powers". Mr Forcieri added that the vote will only take place on September 15th, a date which, he said, is not too far away, as "the necessary technical requirements need to be in place before the Defence Commission can give its vote. Actually, parliamentary procedures leading up to the vote have been sped up, and I'm personally pleased that the choice to vote was unanimous. Hopefully, in the light of this, the voting procedure at the Lower House will also have a positive outcome. I'm very satisfied", he concluded, "as this is an issue I've felt strongly about for years. It's in the interest of all national institutions to know what the real consequences of exposure to impoverished uranium are, in order to prevent inconveniences in the future by removing the cause. This will be the main task for the enquiry commission". (AGI) - 282019 LUG 04 COPYRIGHTS 2002-2003 AGI S.p.A. [Invia questo articolo] Invia questo articolo ***************************************************************** 20 Scotsman.com: MOD savaged for wasting arms billions [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/] Wed 28 Jul 2004 GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT Key Points MOD accused of wasting money due to "smart acquisition" strategy failure Investigations show projects such as Eurofighter are behind budget Defence Secretary argues advances in technology to make up for troop shortfall and prevent further cuts Key quote: "Given the recent pressures on our armed forces we believe such impacts would be unacceptable," - House of Commons Defence Committee Story in full: THE Ministry of Defence was yesterday accused of wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money through the botched introduction of new procedures for buying equipment. The House of Commons Defence Committee said the MoD’s much-touted "smart acquisition" strategy had failed "on almost all counts" to deliver promised efficiency improvements. The move was part of the government’s hi-tech strategy, which underpins the decision to slash the number of infantry regiments and was introduced in an attempt to cut spiralling defence budgets. But it resulted in average delays on major projects of 18 months and cost increases of some ÂŁ3.1 billion, which would lead inevitably to cancellations or cuts in projects and delays in ordering equipment upon which the UK’s armed forces depended. The committee report said the scale of the projected cost overruns was now so great that the impact was likely to go beyond defence procurement and lead to further cuts elsewhere in the forces. "Given the recent pressures on our armed forces we believe such impacts would be unacceptable," the committee said. Its investigations revealed that high-profile projects such as the Eurofighter are still likely to burst their budgets and neither the committee nor the defence industry believed that the Future Rapid Effects System of medium-weight vehicles - on which the government has pinned much of its defence planning, but much of which remains on the drawing board - could be delivered by the MoD’s 2009 deadline. Other embarrassing failures included the new Joint Strike Fighter, destined to be used on the flagship aircraft carriers but still too heavy to be able to take off from their flight decks, and the much-heralded Watchtower system of unmanned drones, hailed by the MoD, but already behind schedule. Last week, Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, announced dramatic cuts in Britain’s armed forces, including the loss of four infantry battalions - one from Scotland - and thousands of navy and air force jobs. Scotland’s historic regiments have been told that they must reorganise into one or, at best, two new super-regiments, discarding hundreds of years of history. Mr Hoon argued that advances in technology would make good the shortfall in troop numbers and produce savings which would prevent further drastic cuts in the armed forces, but the report from the defence committee casts serious doubt on this. Announcing the findings, Bruce George, chairman of the committee, said: "Our report has highlighted some quite staggering problems in the way that the procurement of vital defence equipment has been handled. Our armed forces are having to deal with many new security challenges in conditions where they are already overstretched and under-staffed. The last thing they need is to worry about whether or not critical equipment will turn up on time or at all." The system of Smart Acquisition was supposed to put an end to projects running over budget and entering service years after their original completion date, but the report suggested it had done little to change the culture of incompetence in the MoD. Instead, the committee said, the armed forces had been let down as a result of "endemic" and "systemic" problems in the Defence Procurement Agency. The result was that the armed forces were not receiving the equipment they needed, when they needed it, a problem which came to the fore during the war in Iraq, when troops reported shortages of vital equipment including body armour and equipment to protect them from nuclear, chemical and biological attack. Earlier this year Lieutenant Colonel James Cowan, commanding officer of the Black Watch, went on the record in an interview with The Scotsman to protest about the failure of the government to equip its troops adequately for war. More shortages and delays could be expected, the committee warned, and it said that the "woeful" performance of the Defence Procurement Agency would take some time to reverse. Among the specific problems identified by the committee were: The Joint Strike Fighter, which is still too heavy to take off from the two new aircraft carriers, the design of which is still being thrashed out. The problems could put back the introduction of the 150 JSFs, which will cost a total of ÂŁ10 billion, leaving the potentially embarrassing situation of the new carriers setting to sea with no aircraft. The current force of Sea Harriers is due to be withdrawn from Britain’s existing carriers - including HMS Illustrious, which was handed back to the Royal Navy yesterday after a major refit - by 2006. • The Eurofighter, now known as the Typhoon, which is already 54 months late. The MoD now wants to adapt the second tranche of aircraft, which have yet to be ordered, to take on multiple roles, rather than the Cold War air defence duties that they were initially expected to perform. The committee backs the move, but "finds it surprising" that the MoD considers that the changes will have little impact on the total cost of the programme. • The Future Rapid Effects System. Hailed by the MoD as the future of Britain’s land forces, the medium-weight family of vehicles designed to replace such proven stalwarts as the Challenger II main battletanks and Warrior armoured fighting vehicles - which performed so effectively in Iraq last year - is yet to make it off the drawing board. ©2004 Scotsman.com [http://www.scotsman.com/] ***************************************************************** 21 NRC: Union Electric Company; Notice of Partial Withdrawal of FR Doc 04-17141 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45088] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-116] Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has granted the request of Union Electric Company (the licensee) to partially withdraw its June 27, 2003, application for proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-30 for the Callaway Plant, Unit 1, located in Callaway County, Missouri. The request for amendment to the operating license in the application dated June 27, 2003, would allow plant modifications in order to facilitate maintenance on the replacement steam generators (SGs) to be installed in Refueling Outage (RO) 14 (Fall 2005). The proposed modifications (1) replace the existing sludge lance platforms with new platforms to provide a larger platform area around each SG, and (2) cut a permanent access opening through the secondary shield wall to improve access to the sludge lance platforms, which are to be done in RO 13 (Spring 2004). To allow these modifications, the licensee requested approval of the use of (1) the ASCE 4-86 ``100-40-40'' method of combining components of seismic response loads, and (2) leak-before- break (LBB) methodology for the accumulator, pressurizer surge, and residual heat removal (RHR) lines to exclude the dynamic effects associated with large reactor coolant system branch line ruptures. The amendment approving the installation of the permanent access opening through the secondary shield wall and the use of LBB for the accumulator and RHR lines was issued April 12, 2004, and the opening was installed by the licensee in RO 13. The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment published in the Federal Register on July 22, 2003 (68 FR 43397) for the application for amendment dated June 27, 2003. However, by letters dated April 5 and July 2, 2004, the licensee withdrew portions of its amendment request. The letter dated April 5, 2004, revised the original request for application of LBB on the pressurizer surge line and the letter dated July 2, 2004, withdrew its request to use the ASCE 4-86 methodology. The Commission has previously issued a Notice of Partial Withdrawal of Application for Amendment published in the Federal Register on April 20, 2004 (69 FR 21166) for the letter dated April 5, 2004. This Notice of Partial Withdrawal of Application for Amendment is for the letter dated July 2, 2004. For further details with respect to this action, see the application for amendment dated June 27, 2003, and the licensee's letter dated July 2, 2004, which partially withdrew the application for license amendment. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web site, [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/html] . Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737 or by email to [ pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of July 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Jack Donohew, Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-17141 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for the FR Doc 04-17143 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45086-45087] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-114] Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Notice of the OMB review of information collection and solicitation of public comment. SUMMARY: The NRC has recently submitted to OMB for review the following proposal for the collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The NRC hereby informs potential respondents that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and that a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 1. Type of submission, new, revision, or extension: Extension. 2. The title of the information collection: NRC Form 212, Qualifications Investigation, Professional, Technical, and Administrative Positions (other than clerical positions); NRC Form 212A, Qualifications Investigation, Secretarial/Clerical. 3. The form number if applicable: NRC Form 212; NRC Form 212A. 4. How often the collection is required: On occasion. 5. Who is required or asked to report: Current/former supervisors, co-workers of applicants for employment. 6. An estimate of the number of annual responses: NRC Form 212: 1200; NRC Form 212A: 400. 7. The estimated number of annual respondents: NRC Form 212: 1200; NRC Form 212A: 400. 8. An estimate of the total number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: NRC Form 212, 300 hours (15 minutes per response); NRC Form 212A, 100 hours (15 minutes per response). 9. An indication of whether Section 3507(d), Pub. L. 104-13 applies: Not applicable. 10. Abstract: Information requested on NRC Form 212, ``Qualifications Investigation, Professional, Technical, and Administrative Positions (other than clerical positions)'' and NRC Form 212A, Qualification Investigation (Secretarial/Clerical)'' is used to determine the qualifications and suitability of external applicants for employment with NRC. The completed forms may be used to examine, rate and/or assess the prospective employee's qualifications. The information regarding the qualifications of applicants for employment is reviewed by professional personnel of the Office of Human Resources, in conjunction with other information in the NRC files, to determine the qualifications of the applicant for appointment to the position under consideration. A copy of the final supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, room O-1 F21, Rockville, MD 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide web site [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comm ent/omb/index.html] . The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments and questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the OMB reviewer listed below by August 27, 2004. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given to comments received after this date. OMB Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0033; and 3150-0034), NEOB-10202, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Comments can also be submitted by telephone at (202) 395-3087. The NRC Clearance Officer is Brenda Jo. Shelton, (301) 415-7233. [[Page 45087]] Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of July, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Beth C. St. Mary, Acting NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-17143 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding FR Doc 04-17144 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45088-45089] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-117] of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for King's College's Facility in Wilkes-Barre, PA AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. [[Page 45089]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna M. Janda, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406, telephone (610) 337-5371, fax (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: dmj@nrc.gov [dmj@nrc.gov] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to King's College for Materials License No. 37- 28499-01, to authorize release of its facility in Wilkes-Barre, 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 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania facility for unrestricted use. King's College was authorized by NRC from April 1991 to use radioactive materials for research and development purposes at the site. On January 15, 2004, King's College requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted use. King's College 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 King's College'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). 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. ML040340246, ML041120317, ML042020325). 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, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [ pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 21st day of July, 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. John D. Kinneman, Chief, Nuclear Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety Region I. [FR Doc. 04-17144 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 24 North Adams Transcript: Community passes over nuke meeting thetranscript.com July 28, 2004 North Adams, MA The vapor containment at the Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Plant undergoes demolition as part of the site closure procedure. Photo: Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript By Susan Bush North Adams Transcript NORTH ADAMS -- Officials affiliated with the Yankee-Rowe nuclear energy facility played to an almost empty house Tuesday night, as not one community resident attended a public presentation about the Yankee decommissioning process. The information session was included as part of the city council meeting. Two councilors, council president Michael Bloom and Councilor Richard Alcombright were absent from the meeting. Councilor Clark H. Billings posed the first question to Yankee Site Closure Project Manager Joseph Lynch and Kelley Smith, Yankee communications manager. "Why are we doing this?" Billings asked, and then questioned whether similar presentations were planned for communities including Florida, Savoy, and Williamstown. Smith explained that the presentation, which focused on a baseline environmental report accomplished as part of the facility's termination process, was being offered at the invitation of Councilor Gailanne Cariddi, who also serves on the Yankee-Rowe Community Advisory Board. While the environmental report was the planned topic, councilors seemed most concerned with the storage of spent fuel rods at the site. Lynch acknowledged that 16 dry-storage casks currently holding spent nuclear fuel rods will remain at the site "until such time as the [federal] Department of Energy can transport them, by contract, to a repository." "That's pretty much open-ended, isn't it?" Donovan asked. Lynch stressed it is the DOE's obligation to remove the rods, but also emphasized the dry-storage area was built to last at least 50 years, and would need to be re-licensed in 20 years. Lynch said security and emergency procedures involving the casks are in place. Concrete covers dubbed "over-packs" are erected over stainless steel containers that hold the rods, Lynch and Smith explained. And Smith said Yankee Atomic Electric Co. officials want the fuel rods moved. "Yankee would like to see this fuel gone as much as everyone else," she said. The fuel cannot be moved until a permanent nuclear waste storage site is erected, and currently, the only site on the drawing board is a planned facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Speaking after the presentation, Smith said Congress designated Yucca Mountain as a repository site last summer, and noted DOE has spent more than $7 billion studying the geology, hydrology, and seismology of Yucca. Smith said the arid environment is appropriate for nuclear waste storage and added the site water table is 2,000 feet below ground. Spent fuel would be stored 1,000 feet above the water table depth, Smith said. Yankee Electric has sued the DOE for its failure to remove spent fuel rods from Yankee-Rowe and Yankee facilities in Maine and Connecticut. Arguments are under way in a Washington, D.C. federal court, and Smith said the total damages being sought are about $548 million -- $191 million in damages is the amount being requested for the Yankee-Rowe facility alone. The damages are being sought in part to help cover the costs of storing spent fuel on-site, Smith said. The cost of storing the spent rods at Yankee-Rowe are between $3 to $5 million a year, Smith said. During the meeting, Smith told councilors "There is no place for the fuel to go right now." Billings questioned the consumer cost of storing the fuel, and noted that under the current situation, electric utility customers were paying for a fuel-producing site that no longer produces fuel. "The longer that stuff sits there, the longer we pay, right?" Billings asked. The Yucca site was expected to open in 2010, but officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have said the DOE is expected to submit its application to build Yucca this summer and the application could take years to review. Meanwhile, several lawsuits opposing the repository have been filed, and Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry has spoken out against a nuclear waste storage site at Yucca. The Connecticut Yankee site is hosting 43 storage containers and the Maine site will contain about 64 spent fuel casks, Smith said. "And there are 100 plants still operating," she said. Environmental work is ongoing at the site, Lynch said. As the facility is dismantled, materials that are deemed "clean" are being taken to a New Hampshire location, while "contaminated" materials are sent to an Envirocare facility in Utah, Lynch said. Some fill is being reused on-site, Lynch said. There are seven agencies involved in various aspects of the decommissioning and no process is without an overseeing entity, Lynch said. Among those agencies are the NRC, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Public Health, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Lynch said "wetlands are highly controlled by regulators," and "we are constantly protecting wetlands areas." This fall, dredging of the Sherman Dam will begin and Lynch said that controls, including silt fence, will be in place to protect aquatic life from PCB contamination. On-site landfills ultimately will be closed and Lynch said that Yankee officials are tracking tritium -- a radioactive substance, which was discovered in groundwater at and near the facility. Lynch said that a total of 16 wells -- four wells at four separate locations -- have been drilled and groundwater is being monitored. Tritium, an isotope of hydrogen believed to be a cancer-causing agent, may have leaked from unlined concrete pools used during a "wet storage" of the spent fuel rods, Lynch said. "It's something that we are tracking and if necessary, remediating," he said. Lynch said land appraisals and site surveys are beginning in anticipation of the site being ready for re-use in 2006. Yankee-Rowe will have to maintain responsibility for the 10 acre dry-storage nuclear waste site until the spent fuel rods are removed from the property, but will be able to terminate its license and responsibility for the remainder of the approximately 2,200-acre site once license termination requirements are satisfied. After the presentation, councilors said they were reassured by what they'd been told by Lynch and Smith. "After listening to this presentation, I have every confidence that you guys have taken every precaution for safety," Councilor Ronald Boucher said. member of MediaNews Group, Inc. [http://63.147.65.2/privacy.htm] ***************************************************************** 25 Taipei Times: Taipower's new chairman steps in [http://www.taipeitimes.com] By Jessie Ho STAFF REPORTER Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004,Page 11 "We will try to maintain power rates at current levels at least for the next three months." Lin Ching-chi, Taiwan Power Co chairman Lin Ching-chi (ŞL˛M¦N), former president of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, Ąxąq), yesterday officially took over the company's chairmanship, saying that dealing with surging fuel costs must be his highest priority. Coal prices have rocketed from US$26 per metric tonne to US$62 per tonne, Lin said. The surging fuel costs have been nibbling away at the nation's sole electricity provider's profits starting in the second half of last year, he said. "We will try to maintain power rates at current levels at least for the next three months," Lin, 63, said after the inauguration ceremony. While Taipower has been trying to bring down costs, Lin said that if the fuel costs continue to increase, the company may have to adjust electricity prices. In the long term, Lin anticipates that completing the construction of the nation's fourth nuclear power plant and the capacity enhancement project for the Datan Power plant in Taichung will help achieve steady power supply. Former Taipower chairman Lin Neng-pai (ŞLŻŕĄŐ), meanwhile, yesterday took over as chairman of another state-run enterprise, Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar, Ąxż}). Lin Neng-pai took the position over from Kong Jaw-sheng (ĹÇ·ÓłÓ) after the latter was appointed to head the the newly established Financial Supervisory Commission early this month. Taisugar, 96.6 percent owned by the government, has been losing money in its main businesses of sugar, gas stations and convenience stores, but its annual financial reports still look good because of land sales from its massive holdings. The state-run company is the nation's largest landowner, with 54,657 hectares. The new chairman said he hopes to carry out established company policies such as reducing the workforce, developing competitive products and utilizing the company's land assets well. "I'll run the state-owned company like a private company, hoping to create more profit for Taisugar and its employees," said Lin Neng-pai, 51, who holds a doctorate in management from Ohio State University. This story has been viewed 196 times. Copyright © 1999-2004 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 26 BBC: Chernobyl children to miss visit Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 July, 2004 [Pony trekking] Children from Belarus pony trekking in the Aberystwyth area For the first time in nearly a decade children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will miss out on a summer holiday in a mid Wales town. A lack of host families in Aberystwyth means that the 11 youngsters, many in remission from cancer, will stay in other areas of the UK. The organisers reluctantly took the decision and instead will fund raise and try to boost the profile of the Chernobyl Children's Project in the town. For four weeks since 1997, children from Belarus have stayed in the area. due to a lack of ho families we decided not to take children from Belarus this year Dr Galina Latypova Dr Galina Latypova, who is originally from Gorky, in Belarus, is chair of the Aberystwyth branch. A biologist at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, in Aberystwyth, she appealed for more families to come forward to support the charity in the town. "Many of the committee members in the town have hosted children for seven years and it's a big responsibility for them," she said. "But due to a lack of host families we decided not to take children from Belarus this year. "We will fund raise and raise the awareness of the charity and appeal to more families to come forward." She added: "Many of the children are in remission from cancer and many have suffered thyroid cancer. "The girls wear scarves around their necks to cover up the scars. "But they really enjoy their four weeks in Wales and we teach them about the country and explain that it's different to England. "We appeal to families who think they can look after some youngsters to come forward." Schools Children from Belarus also visit Llandinam and Newtown in mid Wales during July and August, but host families have been found in those areas. Group secretary in Aberystwyth, Jackie Roberts, added: "People in the area are very generous to the youngsters when they visit so it's sad we're not hosting young people this year. [Kayaking] A break in mid Wales can prolong children's lives by up to two years, say project staff "We intend to do it next year and will use this year to raise funds and highlight the work that we do. "We intend to visit Women's Institute meetings and schools. "We take the children, who are aged between 13 and 17, round all the local attractions, beaches, the Centre for Alternative Technology and we have barbecues." Ms Latypova, who was 30 when the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl exploded in 1986, explained what life was like in Belarus at that time. "An area 10 miles from Gorky was very badly affected by the blast," she said. "And to start with the government tried to keep it quiet, but when people around the world starting making waves they revealed what happened. "The people have been seriously affected. The radiation isn't something you can smell, touch or see so it's very dangerous and indiscriminate. "Many families have been affected by cancer and this is set to be passed from generation to generation because it's in the gene pool of people. "It's something that will be with the Bela-Russian people forever." People who are interested in hosting children from Belarus next year are asked to contact Ms Latypova on 01974 241079 ***************************************************************** 27 Star Tribune: Prairie Island nuclear plant operator to cut jobs [http://www.startribune.com] Chris Serres, Star Tribune July 28, 2004 NUCLEAR0728 Nuclear Management Co., the operator of Prairie Island and five other nuclear power plants in the Midwest, will eliminate up to 700 positions in an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The planned cuts, which represent as much as 17 percent of Nuclear Management's 4,100 employees, would occur over a period of up to six years and may not include layoffs. But union leaders say the job cuts could aggravate tensions at the Prairie Island plant, where company officials and a union local have been locked in a bitter contract dispute since late 2002. Nuclear Management hopes to complete the cuts -- which range from 500 to 700 employees -- through normal attrition and voluntary severance packages rather than layoffs, said Maureen Brown, a spokeswoman at the company. "We will do this in a thoughtful manner that will minimize the impact on families while meeting our priorities as a business," Brown said. However, representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said the job losses could antagonize workers and jeopardize safety at the plants. "I think you're increasing the potential for personal injuries and equipment failures," said Vince Guertin, business manager of Local 949 of the IBEW, which is trying to negotiate a contract on behalf of 135 workers at Prairie Island. "Morale is already very, very low." In a recent survey, the IBEW found that 80 percent of Prairie Island's employees believe their future at the plant is no longer secure. Ninety-three percent of those surveyed said morale at the plant was low. Workers at Prairie Island have complained in recent months of being pressured to work longer hours for little or no extra pay. Employee performance reviews also became more stringent. Last week, about 200 workers at the plant protested conditions by carrying pickets outside the facility's main gate near Red Wing. Last month, the National Labor Relations Board accused Nuclear Management of violating federal labor laws by withholding wage increases for workers who voted in favor of union representation. Those charges are still pending before an administrative law judge in Minneapolis. Nuclear Management was founded in 1999 by four energy utilities that wanted to outsource the management of their nuclear power plants. The company now operates six plants, including the Monticello plant in Monticello, Minn.; Palisades in Covert, Mich.; Point Beach in Two Rivers, Wis.; Kewaunee in Carlton, Wis., and the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa. Five of these six plants set performance records in 2003, with Prairie Island producing a record 8.8 million megawatt-hours of electricity. Prairie Island also set a record for longest operational run, staying open for 559 consecutive days until last September. Despite these strong results, the company's costs remain high compared with the rest of the nuclear power industry, Brown said. Nuclear Management pays out $15 in expenses per megawatt-hour, compared with $10 to $12 for the industry, according to the company. The company's high costs could impede its ability to expand because utility companies will be less likely to hire Nuclear Management if the company is not as efficient as its competitors, Brown said. Brown noted that the company already has cut 210 positions across its fleet over the past two years without jeopardizing safety. For instance, Prairie Island and Monticello have received the highest possible evaluations for safety and performance from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "I can tell you emphatically that the staff reductions that have already occurred have not affected plant safety," Brown said. Still, the company should approach the cuts cautiously, said John Budd, a professor of human resources and industrial relations at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. "Their safety record may be related to the fact that they may have more workers than their competitors," Budd said. Chris Serres is at cserres@startribune.com [cserres@startribune.com] . Return to top Story tools Email this story +http://www.startribune.com/stories/ 535/ 4897896" class=iconlink>AIM this story Print this story Make us your homepage Search News Classifieds Ads Web More options [Star Tribune] © 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 San Luis Obispo Tribune: Diablo must fine-tune safeguards, officials say | 07/28/2004 | PG&E is urged to eliminate small mistakes and troubleshoot equipment problems in order to avert disasters David Sneed The Tribune Federal nuclear officials report that workers at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant have made progress in correcting employee performance problems that could reduce safety at the plant, but more work needs to be done. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission met with plant owners Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Tuesday in San Luis Obispo. They discussed actions the utility has taken during recent months to improve how well workers prevent mistakes from happening as well as workers' ability to identify and correct equipment problems. NRC officials say Diablo Canyon is generally safe both for its workers and the surrounding community. Commission officials want plant operators to address what they characterized as fairly minor problems before they escalate. The agency noted that these problems exist in several departments, making the need to correct them more pressing. NRC Regional Administrator Bruce Mallett said the agency has identified two main areas in which Diablo Canyon workers need improvement: • Eliminating small mistakes that do not pose a safety threat but could lead to bigger mistakes. For example, errors made during a 2002 refueling caused the outage to be extended longer than normal. • Troubleshooting equipment problems, which are exemplified by repetitive equipment failures. For example, battery chargers were recently fixed six times before the root cause of the problem was identified. NRC officials reached their conclusions by looking at Diablo Canyon records as well as reports from two on-site inspectors who monitor plant operations daily. PG&E officials said they have taken aggressive actions to correct these problems, including instituting several new programs. One program is the "two-minute rule," in which workers are required to take several minutes to orient themselves before beginning work to make sure they are where they should be and doing the proper job. Another is the "good catch" program, in which workers are rewarded for catching mistakes. Chuck Belmont, coordinator of human performance issues at Diablo Canyon, said there has not been a serious accident at the plant since a transformer explosion a decade ago that took the plant offline for several days. To prevent problems, the utility keeps track of even the smallest mistakes, such as workers forgetting to sign paperwork. "The threshold is really low for what we are willing to accept," Belmont said. The importance of identifying and solving problems quickly was demonstrated at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio. In 2002, a reactor head there corroded to the point where it nearly burst. This caused the NRC and the industry to adopt newer, more stringent standards that year. Since then, Diablo Canyon has gotten into trouble because it failed to improve fast enough to keep up with these standards, Belmont said. The industry has identified 16 other nuclear plants in the country that have this problem. NRC officials also promised Tuesday to hold more technical meetings with PG&E officials in San Luis Obispo rather than at the agency's regional offices in Arlington, Texas. Mallett said he is looking into using video conferencing to allow technical experts in Texas to participate in local meetings. ***************************************************************** 29 Slovak news: SE bids deadline today Slovakia's English language newspaper July 26 - August 8,2004, Volume 10, Number 29 [http://www.relo.sk] INVESTORS interested in a 66 percent stake in the Slovenské elektrárne (SE) power utility must submit their bids by 3pm today. The cabinet's SE privatization advisor, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, will evaluate the offers and prepare a report that a selection committee will discuss on August 12, the Pravda daily wrote. So far, three energy firms have expressed interest in buying SE as a whole, including its nuclear assets - the Russian RAO UES, Czech ČEZ, and Italian Enel. Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings. [7/28/2004 10:19:30 AM] [http://www.slovakia-online.sk] Copyright © 1998-2003 The Rock spol. s r.o. All rights ***************************************************************** 30 Xinhuanet: Building of new nuclear power plant approved in Zhejiang www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-28 20:38:14 HANGZHOU, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently approved construction of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang Province. The Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant, which is to cover 7.4 million sq m in sparsely populated Maotou Hill with sea on three sides, will be the second nuclear plant in Zhejiang Province, one of the country's economic powerhouses on China's eastern coast. The region was twice chosen by the China Nuclear Industry Group and Zhejiang Provincial Government as an ideal location for a nuclear plant in a joint document submitted to the State Council for approval in 1983 and in 2000 respectively. The nuke plant will be jointly developed by the China Nuclear Industry Group and Zhejiang Provincial Government. It will have six 1-million-kw generating units. Upon completion, the nuke plant will have a combined installed capacity of 12 million kw. For the first-phase construction, which will cost 25 billion yuan (about 3 billion US dollars), two 1-million-kw pressurized water reactors will be installed. Information from the Sanmen County Government said that they had finished 90 percent of the ground leveling task for the construction of the first-phase of the project. The Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant will put into operation in 2010. And the electricity generated by the new plant will be sent to east China power grid. Zhejiang has become one of the power-deficient regions in east China. As power supply is available for four days per week, many businesses in the province have been operating below capacity. To make the power ends meet, many local enterprises have bought diesel-fueled generators. It is estimated that diesel engines with a combined capacity of 7.2 million kw are used for power generation throughout the province. There were four nuclear power plants in China by May 2004. They are the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, located in Haiyan County of Zhejiang Province, Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and Ling'ao Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong Province, and Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant that is being built in Lianyungang City of eastern Jiangsu Province. Statistics show that the country's electricity demand increasedby about 16 percent in the first six months of this year over the same period last year, with 757,000 power brownouts imposed. Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 31 Mos News: Russia to Sell Iran Nuke “Booster” - Report - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM Created: 28.07.2004 16:03 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 18:12 MSK MosNews Iranian agents are negotiating with a Russian company to buy a substance that can boost nuclear explosions in atomic weapons, Reuters reported, citing an intelligence agency report being circulated by diplomats. “Iranian middlemen ... are in the advanced stages of negotiations in Russia to buy deuterium gas,” Reuters quoted the report as saying. Iran has denied wanting atomic arms and says its nuclear programmed is for peaceful purposes. Deuterium is used as a tracer molecule in medicine and biochemistry and is used in heavy water reactors of the type Iran is building. The two-page report cited “knowledgeable Russian sources” for the information, which Washington will likely point to as more proof that Tehran wants to acquire nuclear weaponry. But it can also be combined with tritium and used as a “booster” in nuclear fusion bombs of the implosion type. Envoys linked to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said buying deuterium alone was not evidence of intent to acquire a weapons capability. They cautioned that the report appeared designed to persuade nations who are not convinced Iran wants the bomb. The United States and others are pushing the IAEA to report Iran to the Security Council for possible punishment with economic sanctions for allegedly seeking nuclear weapons in defiance of its treaty obligations. Moscow has been criticized by Washington for building the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, despite U.S. concerns that it is a cover for Iran to acquire know-how and import items that can be used for bombs. The report said purchase talks were in the final stages. It added that Iran had tried to produce deuterium-tritium gas —- with the help of Russian scientists —- but had so far failed. An official at Russia’s Atomic Energy Agency told Reuters he had heard nothing about attempts to buy deuterium. A spokesman for Russia’s nuclear watchdog, GosAtomNadzor, said the same. “We are not aware of any such negotiations or shipments taking place,” Reuters quoted the Russian agency official. “I am puzzled. All shipments of sensitive and dangerous gases like deuterium must be carried out with a proper license.” Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM Designed by kB "Gazeta.Ru" [http://design.gazeta.ru/] ***************************************************************** 32 Sofia Morning News: Indian Solar Power Plant in Bulgaria [Sofia News Agency] novinite.com Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy (R) met Wednesday with Indian President Dr Abdul Kalam in Delhi during his 4-day visit to the country. Photo by Foreign Affairs Ministry. Politics: 28 July 2004, Wednesday. Foreign Minister Solomon Passy invited India to begin the construction of a solar power plant at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Passy, who is at an official visit to India, met with his Indian counterpart Natwar Singh. They discussed bilateral relations, regional and international issues as well as economic cooperation. Passy also invited India to participate in the tender for the construction of Bulgaria's second nuclear power plant in Belene. Natwar Singh presented to his Bulgarian guest India's position on the Iraq situation firmly stating that his country wouldn't send troops there. Bulgaria and India signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the foreign services institutions of the two countries. This is the first visit by any Bulgarian Foreign Minister in India since 1980.[ width=] Click here to receive realtime news about this topic in the future. novinite.com Forum Google Novinite.com (thebulgariannews.com also) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "The News." Novinite.com and ***************************************************************** 33 [du-list] Karen Parker at the UN Sub-Commission on Human Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:07:00 -0700 See Karen Parker's intervention, below, regarding Iraq and DU. Sub-Commission on the Promotion HR/SC/04/3 and Protection of Human Rights 27 July 2004 SUB-COMMISSION HEARS FROM NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ON VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights this afternoon heard from a number of non-governmental organizations alleging human rights violations in countries and regions around the world. Under its agenda item on the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including policies of racial discrimination and segregation, in all countries, the Sub-Commission heard about alleged violations in Iraq, Tibet, Sudan, the Moluccas, Sri Lanka, Iran, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Alaska and Jammu and Kashmir among others. Non-governmental organizations addressing the Sub-Commission were Dominicans for Justice and Peace with the Dominican Leadership Conference, the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers; Jeunes MĂ©decins Sans Frontières; Europe – Third World Centre; International Union of Socialist Youth; International Commission of Jurists; Association for World Education; World Union for Progressive Judaism; Franciscans International; International Association of Democratic Lawyers; International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations; Interfaith International; Baha’i International Community; International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; Innu Council of Nitassinan; Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action; International Educational Development; Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization; European Union for Public Relations; Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights; International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples; Asian Legal Resource Center; International Association of American Minorities; and Indigenous World Association; World Federation of Trade Unions. The Conseil Consultatif des Droits de l’Homme Maroc, an advisory human rights council to the Government of Morocco, also took the floor. The Sub-Commission will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 28 July, to continue its debate on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all countries. S To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT 37145.jpg 3718f.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Attachment Converted: 37145.jpg: 00000001,56aa263b,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: 3718f.jpg: 00000001,56aa263c,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 34 Guardian Unlimited: Gulf war veterans' veracity doubted James Meikle, health correspondent Thursday July 29, 2004 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] A former army medical officer yesterday suggested that some veterans of the first Gulf war exaggerated the extent to which their health had been damaged by their service. Retired Major General Peter Craig, who still sits on service pension tribunals, said: "I am not absolutely convinced by the veracity of the evidence I have personally heard. At the very least, in certain instances, it has been exaggerated." He told Lord Lloyd's independent inquiry in London about the case of a veteran who had been based with a hospital unit in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during the conflict in early 1991. The veteran said a Scud missile which had landed a mile away contained depleted uranium, "which is abject nonsense", and had then claimed he had inhaled depleted uranium from Iraqi prisoners of war. "To my knowledge, none ever got as far as Riyadh." Gen Craig, who was command surgeon in the British army on the Rhine at the time of the war and is on the Royal British Legion's Gulf war group, said he had read the evidence so far given to the inquiry by veterans, mainly members of the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association. "There was a consistency and similarity of the claims and allegations, which is entirely in keeping with that which I have listened to previously in court. "There would seem to have been a subconscious process of education going on here ... If this conclusion is correct then the veterans have been done an immense disservice, as they will immediately undermine their case." Gen Craig, who is also still on a government advisory committee studying the effects, if any, of depleted uranium, stressed he "by no means" thought exaggeration happened in all cases, "but in some instances I think this is the case". He suggested there should be a cut-off date beyond which no claims for Gulf-related illness except cancers would be accepted. "To suggest that this condition exists and would automatically result in compensation after this date could possibly result in an avalanche of new claims for symptoms that are now well-known and rehearsed." The Ministry of Defence has given the inquiry 11 files, but no serving minister, official or military personnel is to give evidence, because the MoD deems it inappropriate. Only one veteran, Shaun Rusling, has had a legal finding of Gulf war syndrome; a ruling that has dismayed government officials because they do not accept the condition exists. Other payments have been made for chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and "signs and symptoms of ill-defined conditions". Mr Rusling, a leading member of the Gulf veterans' association, has been given a 90% war pension but has appealed for a 100% payment, around Ł110 a week. He is furious at correspondence showing that an adviser to the government's Veterans' Agency regards 90% as "a very generous assessment". The adviser noted "the effects of functional capacity have not been so profound as to prevent Mr Rusling from being a vigorous campaigner". Useful links British army [http://www.army.mod.uk/] Royal Navy [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/] RAF [http://www.raf.mod.uk/] Ministry of Defence [http://www.mod.uk/] Nato [http://www.nato.int/home.htm] United Nations [http://www.un.org/] [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 35 NPR: 'Safe' Levels May be Raised for Dirty Bomb Attacks [http://www.npr.org/] Programs and Schedules All Programs Firefighters in Cambridge, Mass., practice decontaminating victims by carrying them through water sprays during a simulated dirty bomb attack. Credit: Corbis After Exposure... In case of exposure to a dirty bomb attack, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the following steps: • Leave the immediate area on foot. Buses, subways and cars may be contaminated. • Go inside the nearest building. Staying inside will reduce exposure to any radioactive material that may be on dust at the scene. • Remove clothes as soon as possible, place them in a plastic bag, and seal it. Removing clothing will remove most of the contamination caused by external exposure. • Saving the contaminated clothing would allow testing for exposure without invasive sampling. • Take a shower or wash as best you can. Washing will reduce the amount of radioactive contamination on the body and will effectively reduce total exposure. Source: CDC [http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/dirtybombs.asp] July 27, 2004 -- The Department of Homeland Security is set to issue guidelines that will likely change the way emergency workers would respond to a dirty bomb attack. NPR received a preview of the new safety standards, which significantly increase the level of radiation exposure considered safe for emergency workers and residents. For instance, the guidelines advise that residents should only be evacuated if they are in danger of getting a radiation dose greater than 1,000 dental X-rays; that's about four times the exposure a person gets each year from natural resources. As NPR's David Kestenbaum [http://www.npr.org/about/people/bios/dkestenbaum.html] reports, the new guidelines suggest that a dirty bomb does not pose as great a risk as the guidelines drawn up by many emergency services have suggested. An overview of the new draft "protective action guidelines" recommended by the Department of Homeland Security: First Responder Exposure: Over the course of the initial event, the new guidelines say it's safe for firemen, police and EMTs to receive a total exposure of five rem. That's the equivalent of 5,000 dental X-rays, or 20 times the radiation people normally are exposed to in a year from natural sources. Evacuation: Residents do not need to be evacuated in the days immediately following the attack unless exposure surpasses one rem, or the equivalent of 1,000 dental X-rays. In some cases, exposure as high as five rem may be allowed. Relocation: More permanent relocation would only be ordered if over the course of first year the total additional dose to a resident would be two rem -- eight times the radiation dose people normally get in a year. For subsequent years, the allowable additional radiation dose would be 500 millirem, which is twice the average annual background radiation dose from natural sources. Related NPR Stories Senate Hears Testimony on Dirty Bomb Threat [http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1139450] Senate Hears Testimony on Dirty Bomb Threat [http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1139450] Web Resources •Calculate Your Annual Exposure to Radiation at the National Safety Council [http://www.nsc.org/issues/rad/exposure.htm] •What to Do if Exposed to a Dirty Bomb, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/dirtybombs.asp] •FDA Guidelines on Protecting the Thyroid in a Radiation Emergency [http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/4825fnl.htm] •Federation of American Scientists Testimony Before the Senate on Threat of Radiological Attacks [http://www.fas.org/faspir/2002/v55n2/dirtybomb.htm] •Primer on Dirty Bombs [http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/crs/RS21528.pdf] (Required Adobe Acrobat Reader [http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html] ) •Health Physics Society on Exposure to Radiation by Medical X-rays [http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q1173.html] •Health Physics Society on Radiation Risk [http://hps.org/documents/radiationrisk.pdf] (Required Adobe Acrobat Reader [http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html] ) ***************************************************************** 36 The Hindu: Huge thorium reserves found in Orissa Wednesday, July 28, 2004 : 2230 Hrs Kolkata, July 28. (PTI): Scientists have discovered a new High Background Radiation Area in the Ersama area of Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa that could yield large volumes of thorium, a future alternative to radioactive uranium. Sources at IIT Kharagpur said a team led by Prof Debasish Sengupta and A K Mohanty from the Geology and Geophysics department of the institute struck upon the HBRA during their research in the coastal area. The study explored the possibility of utilising the large volume of thorium resources in nuclear power reactors for generation of electricity, the sources said. The outcome of the study on thorium, which has been forecast to become more precious than uranium in future, would help implement remedial actions for prevention of unwanted human exposure to radiation. Reported in the journal 'Radiation Measurements', the research detected the presence of monazite sands, which contain significant concentrations of thorium and uranium as contributing to enhanced levels of natural background radiation. The present work also has important implications in detection of areas with high background radiation that could pose a potential danger for humans. Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of ***************************************************************** 37 [NukeNet] High Accident Risk Is Seen in Atomic Waste Project Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:08:51 -0700 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/27/national/27nuke.html High Accident Risk Is Seen in Atomic Waste Project By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: July 27, 2004 ASHINGTON, July 26 - An Energy Department plant under construction in Hanford, Wash., that is designed to remove highly radioactive waste from leaking tanks and immobilize it in glass has a 50 percent chance of a major accident over its 28-year lifetime, according to an independent government audit. Advertisement The audit, which drew little notice when issued three years ago by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has recently gained prominence through the efforts of Robert Alvarez, an adviser to the energy secretary in the Clinton administration. The regulatory commission, whose report cited several design problems, was the last outside agency to perform an in-depth engineering review of the project. Since then, the Energy Department has altered the design, and has also sped construction in an effort to cut decades and tens of billions of dollars off the cost of solidifying the waste, which is left over from half a century of nuclear weapons production. In a second report, however, the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional auditing agency formerly known as the General Accounting Office, criticized the department earlier this month for carrying out major construction before the design is complete, a risky technique called fast-tracking. The plant "departs from conditions appropriate for fast-track management," the G.A.O. said. The Energy Department maintains that it has resolved the design problems and that it has no alternative to fast-tracking the project if it is to meet its promises, issued to the State of Washington and the Environmental Protection Agency in signed agreements, to empty the tanks into glass canisters by 2028. Plans are for the factory, which the department hopes to open in 2011, to use technologies that have never been demonstrated on so broad a scale. It is to carry on a process called vitrification, in which the wastes, some of which will be radioactive for millions of years, are dissolved in an extra-strong form of glass and poured into steel canisters, which are then welded shut. The plan is to bury the canisters eventually at Yucca Mountain, Nev., in a "glassified" form that is far more stable than the salts, sludges and liquids in 177 underground tanks now at the Hanford nuclear reservation. Many of those tanks have leaked, and some have oozed waste into the Columbia River. But Mr. Alvarez, the former adviser to the Energy Department, said that the plant would have as much radioactive material inside as a nuclear reactor and that "the likelihood of it getting out is much greater." Mr. Alvarez is the author of a paper on Hanford that has been accepted for publication by Science and Global Security, a peer-reviewed journal at Princeton. In an interview, he referred to the Hanford cleanup as "perhaps the most expensive, complex and risky environmental project in the United States." He said he was unable to determine what changes the Energy Department had made since the regulatory commission's report that would reduce the risk of a major accident at Hanford. Roy J. Schepens, manager of the Office of River Protection, an Energy Department unit in Richland, Wash., that is in charge of the waste tanks and the vitrification project, said the commission's conclusions about the chances of a major accident concerned previous efforts at the site by a private company, BNFL, formerly British Nuclear Fuels Limited. When BNFL's price estimate rose to $14 billion from $3.2 billion, the Energy Department dropped that company and hired another, Bechtel National, to build the plant as a government-owned project. The commission, which generally regulates only private facilities, then left the site. Responding to the most recent criticism, by the Government Accountability Office, John Britton, a spokesman for Bechtel National, acknowledged construction problems, including improper testing of a stainless-steel tank that is supposed to hold liquid used in scrubbing the gas given off by heated waste. "We had some quality-assurance issues with the vendor," Mr. Britton said, though adding that construction was going well. Mr. Schepens, the Energy Department official, pointed out that a Congressionally created independent body, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, monitored Hanford. He also said there had been many design improvements since the regulatory commission's audit. Among them are plans for hardware that would limit the flow of radioactive waste into the glass; water in the waste can cause steam explosions when hitting molten glass. Another change is continuous mixing of the wastes and venting the tanks where it is stored, to get rid of hydrogen, an explosive gas produced by radiation in the tanks. Mr. Schepens said the risk of an accident at the plant would be comparable to that at a civilian reactor, though Mr. Alvarez pointed out that the department had a history of melter accidents. The cost of the project undertaken by Bechtel National has risen to $5.7 billion, a third more than the estimate. One reason is that the Energy Department decided to make the plant bigger so it could get the vitrification done more quickly. Another is that trying to build the plant while it was still under design caused costly delays. The accountability office said it feared that the department might end up with a plant that could not treat all the waste. In fact, the department built a vitrification plant in South Carolina in the 1990's to deal with similar wastes and is still trying to resolve operating problems there. One of the problems is hydrogen gas in the system that prepares waste for the melter. In a letter to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, said the regulatory commission's estimate of the accident risk was "quite startling." The senator said that "it is not at all clear how and if D.O.E. has responded to the N.R.C.'s findings regarding safety issues at the waste treatment plant." _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 38 Berkshire Eagle: Nuclear fuel rods may stay for years www.berkshireeagle.com July 28, 2004 Pittsfield, MA By Claire M.L. Bourne Berkshire Eagle Staff NORTH ADAMS -- City councilors voiced some concern at last night's meeting over ongoing decommissioning procedures at the Yankee Rowe nuclear power plant. "People are concerned," said Councilor William Donovan. "I have been asked several times where the decommissioning stands." Site Closure Project Manager Joe Lynch was present to brief the council on recent progress made toward site closure, but said that spent fuel rods -- stored in 16 steel-reinforced concrete casks on the Yankee Rowe property since they were moved from a spent fuel pool in 2003 -- could be there for decades. The storage containers are designed to last longer than 50 years, but Yankee Rowe has secured funding to manage them until 2020, said Kelly Smith, manager of communications for Yankee, who was also at the meeting. Several councilors questioned the safety of the stored waste and the effect on residents' wallets. "Yankee would like to see the fuel gone as much as the rest of you," Smith said. Yucca Mountain plans That can't happen, she said, until the U.S. Department of Energy's plans to turn Yucca Mountain, Nev., into a nuclear waste repository have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the facility has been built. Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry has spoken out against designating Yucca Mountain for this purpose, while President Bush has pushed the plan. The DOE is responsible for removing the waste from Yankee Rowe, a process scheduled to begin in 1998. Yankee Rowe, along with Connecticut Yankee and Maine Yankee, has sued the DOE for $550 million for both its failure to remove the rods and to recoup the cost to upkeep the Rowe storage facility. Arguments in the case began in Washington earlier this month. It costs Yankee Rowe $3 million to $5 million a year to maintain the storage facility -- money that comes from a decommissioning fee built into residents' electric bills, Smith said. "You're paying twice," she explained. Both Smith and Lynch stressed that the 1,850-acre facility was safe from terrorist attack, one reason the cost of maintaining the storage site is so high. "I can assure you that this facility is protected 24/7, especially in light of 9/11," Smith said. Councilor Gailanne M. Cariddi, who represents North Adams on the Yankee Rowe Community Advisory Board, organized the presentation. She said residents should have access to the information. The advisory board was established in 1998 to maintain open lines of communication between Yankee Rowe and surrounding communities. During the second part of his presentation, Lynch summarized a recently completed environmental baseline report, detailing Yankee Rowe's efforts to assess its site and return problem areas to a safe, usable state. Lynch pointed out that PCB paint chips had contaminated soil on certain parts of the property and that tritium had been detected in on-site ground water. He said he and his team were working to ensure that the affected areas are cleaned up. The Yankee Rowe nuclear power facility closed in February 1992, after producing electricity for New England for more than 31 years. The plant began the decommissioning process in 1993, shipping much of its waste to a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Barnwell, S.C. The facility is currently wrapping up decommissioning procedures, Lynch said. Dismantling under way Dismantling of the plant's buildings began last fall and is scheduled to be completed by mid-2005. The property, with the exception of the waste storage facility, should be ready for reuse in early 2006. Yankee Rowe must heed a long list of stipulations -- issued by a handful of different regulatory bodies, including the NRC -- before it can officially shut its doors. To meet the requirements, plant officials continue to study samples of soil, ground water, sediment and surface water. They are constantly monitoring the facility's well network and plan to begin dredging a portion of Sherman Reservoir in the fall. Removing a landfill on the property is also on the horizon. "Due diligence is what will measure our success," Lynch said. Yankee Rowe was the first nuclear power station built in New England and the third in the United States. It is now one of 19 nuclear power plants nationwide undergoing decommissioning procedures. Copyright ©1999-2004 New England Newspapers, Inc., a ***************************************************************** 39 NRC: Kennecott Uranium Company--Sweetwater Uranium Mill Site FR Doc 04-17140 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45087-45088] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-115] AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of opportunity for hearing. DATES: A request for a hearing must be filed by September 27, 2004. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elaine Brummett, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T8-F42, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-6606 and e-mail esb@nrc.gov [esb@nrc.gov] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the renewal of Source Material License SUA-1350 for 10 years for Kennecott Uranium Company for operations at the Sweetwater uranium mill site located in Rawlins, Wyoming. The request and application for a 10-year license renewal was dated May 25, 2004, and accepted for review on June 24, 2004. All the processes and facilities of the mill have remained unchanged since the 1999 renewal. The facility will remain on stand-by status (no ore processing) until an amendment for operational status is requested and approved. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(c)(11), this action is a Categorical Exclusion; therefore, an Environmental Assessment is not necessary. II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing The NRC hereby provides notice that this is a proceeding on an application for a license renewal. In accordance with the general requirements in Subpart C of 10 CFR Part 2, as amended on January 14, 2004 (69 FR 2182), any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who desires to participate as a party must file a written request for a hearing and a specification of the contentions which the person seeks to have litigated in the hearing. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(a), a request for a hearing must be filed with the Commission either by: 1. First class mail addressed to: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications; 2. Courier, express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, Attention Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Federal workdays; 3. E-mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV [HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV] ; or 4. By facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, at (301) 415-1101; verification number is (301) 415-1966. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(b), all documents offered for filing must be accompanied by proof of service on all parties to the proceeding or their attorneys of record as required by law or by rule or order of the Commission, including: 1. The applicant, by delivery to Kennecott Uranium Company, Sweetwater Uranium Project, Post Office Box 1500, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301-1476, Attention: Oscar Paulson; and, 2. The NRC staff, by delivery to the Office of the General Counsel, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, or by mail addressed to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Hearing requests should also be transmitted to the Office of the General Counsel, either by means of facsimile transmission to (301) 415-3725, or by email to ogcmailcenter@nrc.gov [ ogcmailcenter@nrc.gov] . The formal requirements for documents are contained in 10 CFR 2.304(b), (c), (d), and (e), and must be met. However, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.304(f), a document filed by electronic mail or facsimile transmission need not comply with the formal requirements of 10 CFR 2.304(b), (c), and (d), if an original and two (2) copies otherwise complying with all of the requirements of 10 CFR 2.304(b), (c), and (d) are mailed within two (2) days thereafter to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b), a request for a hearing must be filed by September 27, 2004. In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR Part 2 of the NRC's regulations, the general requirements involving a request for a hearing filed by a person other than an applicant must state: 1. The name, address and telephone number of the requester; 2. The nature of the requester's right under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; 3. The nature and extent of the requester's property, financial or other interest in the proceeding; 4. The possible effect of any decision or order that may be issued in the proceeding on the requester's interest; and 5. The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is timely in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(b). In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(1), a request for hearing or petitions for leave to intervene must set forth with particularity the contentions sought to be raised. For each contention, the request or petition must: 1. Provide a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted; 2. Provide a brief explanation of the basis for the contention; 3. Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is within the scope of the proceeding; 4. Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is material to the findings that the NRC must make to support the action that is involved in the proceeding; 5. Provide a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinions which support the requester's/petitioner's position on the issue and on which the requester/petitioner intends to rely to support its position on the issue; and 6. Provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact. This information must include references to specific portions of the application that the requester/petitioner disputes and the supporting reasons for each dispute, or, if the requester/petitioner believes the application fails to contain information on relevant matter as required by law, the identification of each failure and the supporting reasons for the requester's/petitioner's belief. In addition, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(2), contentions must be based on documents or other information available at the time the [[Page 45088]] petition is to be filed, such as the application or other supporting documents filed by the applicant, or otherwise available to the petitioner. Contentions may be amended or new contentions filed after the initial filing only with leave of the presiding officer. Requesters/petitioners should, when possible, consult with each other in preparing contentions and combine similar subject matter concerns into a joint contention, for which one of the co-sponsoring requesters/petitioners is designated the lead representative. Further, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f)(3), any requester/petitioner that wishes to adopt a contention proposed by another requester/petitioner must do so in writing within ten days of the date the contention is filed, and designate a representative who shall have the authority to act for the requester/petitioner. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(g), a request for hearing and/or petition for leave to intervene may also address the selection of the hearing procedures, taking into account the provisions of 10 CFR 2.310. III. Further Information Documents related to this action, including the applications for renewals and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the NRC's 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] . From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession number for the document related to this Notice is: Request for a Ten Year License Renewal (application enclosed), ML041530045. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at (800) 397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [ pdr@nrc.gov] . These documents may also be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (First Floor), Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR is open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of July 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Elaine Brummett, Project Manager, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 04-17140 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 40 NRC: Notice of Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant FR Doc 04-17142 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45089-45091] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-118] Impact for License Amendment for University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for license amendment. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Stout, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T8-A33, Washington DC 20555-0001. Telephone: (301) 415-5269; email des1@nrc.gov [des1@nrc.gov] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of an amendment to NRC Materials License SNM-180 (SNM-180), to allow the University of Texas at Austin (UT), to receive, possess and store 3.88 kilograms of special nuclear material (SNM) that is currently stored at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York. The NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51. Based upon the EA, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. II. Environmental Assessment Background The Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory (NETL) at the University of Texas (UT) uses special nuclear material to supplement training and instruction programs in the field of nuclear engineering. UT's license SNM-180, currently authorizes them to possess 470 grams of uranium-235 (U-235). Under SNM-180, UT is also authorized to possess 128 grams of plutonium contained in sealed plutonium-beryllium neutron sources. Independent of license SNM-180, UT has a research reactor, which operates under NRC Reactor License R-129 and a charged particle accelerator which operates under a Certificate of Registration from the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control (License TDH L00485). The NRC staff has received an amendment request (Ref. 1), dated May 3, 2004, to allow receipt, possession, and storage of 3.88 kilograms of SNM. The purpose of this document is to assess the environmental consequences of the proposed amendment. Review Scope The purpose of this EA is to assess the environmental impacts of an amendment request that would allow UT to receive, possess and store an additional 3.88 kilograms of SNM under their existing Part 70 license. The scope of this EA is limited to the receipt, possession and storage of SNM at UT. The transportation of the SNM to UT is not part of this EA and is being handled separately by the U.S. Department of Energy or an approved alternate. This EA does not approve or deny the amendment request. A separate Safety Evaluation Report (SER) will be issued at a later date in support of approval or denial of the amendment request. The SER will document the safety review in the areas of radiation protection, nuclear criticality safety, material control and accountability, and security. The existing conditions and operations for UT were evaluated by NRC in March 1998, during renewal of the UT license (Ref. 2). At that time, the licensee was granted a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(14)(v) because their license authorized the use [[Page 45090]] of radioactive materials for research and development and for educational purposes. This amendment requests receipt, possession, and storage of SNM. The use of this SNM for research and development is still being developed and is not part of this EA. This assessment will determine whether to issue or prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Should the NRC issue a FONSI, no EIS will be prepared. Proposed Action The proposed action is to grant an amendment to SNM-180 to receive, possess and store SNM in accordance with 10 CFR Part 70 and 10 CFR Part 20. There are no effluent releases associated with the SNM in this amendment request. The SNM is encased in aluminum. Initially, the material will be stored in U.S. Department of Transportation approved 6M shipping containers in a secure location at UT. After completion of storage racks, the SNM will be moved to another area within the same secure location. The licensee has committed to maintaining doses as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) and is required to review radiation dose data at least annually and report the findings of the assessment to the Radiation Safety Committee or the Reactor Committee. Purpose and Need for Proposed Action UT currently possesses and uses 470 grams of U-235 for sub-critical research and development experiments at the NETL. UT is requesting permission to receive, possess, and store additional SNM that will be used in future research and development sub-critical experiments. Future research and development utilizing this SNM will require another license amendment. Allowing UT to possess and store this material will assist Manhattan College by removing the SNM from their site and permit them to complete decommissioning. UT will benefit from the receipt of this material by providing them with additional SNM to conduct future research and development for educational purposes. Alternatives The alternatives available to the NRC are: 1. Approve the amendment request as submitted; or 2. No action (i.e., deny the amendment request). Affected Environment and Environmental Impacts of Proposed Action The affected environment for Alternative 1 is the UT site. A full description of the UT site and its characteristics was given in the license application related to the March 1998 renewal of the UT license (Ref. 2). The NETL of the UT at Austin is located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. The proposed action will not result in the release of any chemical or radiological constituents to the environment because the SNM is a sealed source (metallic SNM encased in aluminum). Similarly, because the SNM is a sealed source and will remain in a secure location at UT, the proposed action will not cause any adverse impacts to local land use, biotic resources, or cultural resources. Environmental Impacts of No Action Alternative As an alternative to granting the proposed license amendment, the staff considered denying the amendment (the no action alternative). Under the no action alternative, Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY would be the affected environment. The 3.88 kilograms of SNM would continue to be stored at a site that no longer has an active nuclear engineering program. While continued storage of the material at Manhattan College would not have any immediate environmental significance, the facility cannot complete decommissioning until the SNM has been removed. The no action alternative would not have any environmental impacts associated with the UT affected environment. Conclusion Based on its review, the NRC staff has concluded that the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action and no action alternative are insignificant. The preferred action would be to relocate this unused material to a facility that could utilize it. Thus, the staff considers that Alternative 1 is the appropriate alternative for selection. Agencies and Persons Contacted On July 9, 2004, the NRC staff provided the Texas Department of Health (TDH), Bureau of Radiation Control (TDH) a copy of the EA. In an e-mail dated July 13, 2004, TDH indicated that they did not have any comments regarding the EA. The NRC staff has determined that consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act is not required because the proposed action will occur entirely within the existing facility and will not affect listed species or critical habitat. The NRC staff has determined that the proposed action is not a type of activity that has potential to cause effect on historic properties because it will occur entirely within the existing facility. Therefore, consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is not required. III. Finding of No Significant Impact Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 51, the NRC staff has considered the environmental consequences of amending SNM-180 to allow UT to receive, possess and store 3.88 kilograms of SNM. On the basis of this assessment, the Commission has concluded that the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action would not be significant and the Commission is making a FONSI. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an EIS for the proposed action. IV. Further Information A copy of this document will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of the NRC's document system. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. However, the documents related to this proposed licensing action will not be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the PARS component of ADAMS due to the sensitive nature of the information regarding SNM specifics and detailed storage locations. The documents related to this notice are: 1. University of Texas--Austin, Letter dated May 3, 2004. to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ``Amendment Request for Special Nuclear Material License at The University of Texas at Austin.'' Accession Number ML041320555 (not publicly available). 2. The NRC, March 4, 1998, ``Safety Evaluation Report: Renewal Application Dated October 24, 1997.'' If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . Documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, the 21st day of July 2004. [[Page 45091]] For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Gary S. Janosko, Chief, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. [FR Doc. 04-17142 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 41 The Pilot Newspaper: Juggling Act: Norris Has Two Very Different Careers - Sandhills Scene and Seasons Jul 27, 2004 [http://www.thepilot.com/search] BY MARY ELLE HUNTER: Special to The Pilot When one is introduced to Martez Norris, a personable and attractive recent addition to the Pinewild community, there is little indication that you are talking to a woman who simultaneously manages not one, but two, careers from the handsome home which she shares with her husband, Jim. She is the administrator of the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition, and she is also an accomplished interior designer. Martez Norris first met and married her husband while she was living in Washington, D.C. At the time, she was using her education and background in business administration as a convention and meeting planner. When her husband’s business dictated a move to Minnesota, they built a house in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley. As they started to choose the basic elements for its construction, and then began to furnish it, she thought that with all the money they were spending on the project, it would be a good idea if she became familiar with interior planning. So she took some courses and “I found that I loved the whole idea of designing a home,” she says. “I particularly enjoy choosing exactly the right piece of furniture to fit in with the overall design scheme.” Soon she had expanded her efforts and taken on a number of clients. Then a friend of hers, who knew of her organizational skills, asked for some part-time help in putting together a group interested in overseeing the disposal of nuclear waste. Her friend was the commissioner of Minnesota’s public service department, and had gotten together with her counterparts in Michigan and Florida to form the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition. The fledgling association began with eleven members, and it has grown to 45 members from 25 states, made up of state agencies, attorneys general and utility representatives. Martez Norris became absorbed with issues the group was working on, and became more and more involved. “When the administrator resigned, and I was asked to take the position, I initially declined, because of my interior design clients,” she says. “However, after consideration, I found that I could fit in the responsibilities of the organization and still have some time for interior design consulting.” The objective of the coalition, as she explains it, is to oversee the moving and disposition of nuclear waste safely. The group is presently trying to work out a proposal to use Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the main disposal site for high level nuclear waste, preferring to see it concentrated in one spot, rather than in the present 38 different locations. The Nevada site is a large uninhabited federally-owned tract of land, which has been used primarily for military exercises. However, the state of Nevada, which is not a member of the coalition, is against the plan. “It is a national problem,” Norris points out. “For instance, a lot of people are unaware that we have one of the largest storage facilities in the United States right outside of the Triangle area.” She goes on to say that debris from nuclear power plants have been shipped around the country for the past 35 years, and maintains that the dangers from spills of gasoline and chlorine are much greater, and much more harmful to the environment, due to the multiple rules and regulations for handling nuclear materials. Conducting the business of the coalition from her home in Pinehurst, Norris keeps on top of pertinent proposed legislation, as well as recent Supreme Court decisions that impact the mission of the coalition. She is also a frequent visitor to Washington for meetings with other members of the group, as well as with federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Energy. The coalition doesn’t have any registered lobbyists, preferring to take a team approach to meeting with members of Congress. The three-person teams are usually made of representatives of state agencies and public utilities and the administrator. Norris has come a long way from the country of her birth. She was born on the Mediterranean island of Malta, one of five children. Her father was a government servant, who took the family to live in England when she was 12 years old. “I had always wanted to come to the United States, even as a child in Malta,” she says. “Going to England was like a stepping stone which introduced me to living in another culture. As much as I loved living in England, I never really felt at home there.” She met some Americans while residing in London. They came back year after year, their friendship grew, and she ended up organizing sightseeing trips for them to different, out-of-the-way places. Finally, they persuaded her to visit them in Washington, DC. Once she came, she never wanted to return to England. Impressed with the American spirit, the friendliness and her acceptance by those she met, she tried to find employment with one of the embassies. She brazenly knocked on the door of the residence of the ambassador from Egypt, and, as luck would have it, she ended up as social secretary first to the wife of the ambassador, and afterward to the ambassador himself. Later on, after she had applied for the necessary permission to remain in the United States, she began work as a convention and meeting planner, and met her husband. He had a military background, having served as a helicopter pilot and at the Pentagon, and when they were married, he was the Army liaison at the State Department. A career with Control Data Corporation and Northwest Airlines followed, and soon he became occupied working with foundering businesses and turning them around. When time for retirement came, friends of the Norrises encouraged them to look at Pinehurst. However, they also considered the Gulf shores area in Jim’s native Alabama. Martez preferred to be closer to Washington and New York, so they settled on the Sandhills. “I fell in love with Pinehurst,” Norris says. “It reminded me of an English village, but with much better weather.” They made the move from Minnesota just over a year ago. And now her vibrant personality, her knowledge and wide-ranging interests are making Martez Norris yet another shining example of one of the best parts of living in Pinehurst — its fascinating people! Mary Elle Hunter is a Pinehurst freelance writer. © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 The Pilot LLC All stories, images ***************************************************************** 42 SignOnSanDiego.com: Four pounds of nuclear fuel missing from power plant ASSOCIATED PRESS 3:22 p.m. July 28, 2004 EUREKA  Four pounds of radioactive nuclear fuel went missing from a shuttered nuclear power plant near Eureka. Pacific Gas and Electric workers are looking for three pieces of a nuclear fuel rod that may be among hundreds placed in a deep storage pool at the Humboldt Bay Power Plant before it closed in 1976. Plant workers have been using robotic equipment and underwater cameras since July 7 to search a pool where spent fuel is stored. The pool is 26-to-30 feet deep and measures 22-by-28 feet. About 390 used fuel assemblies are stored in the pool. PG&E spokesman Jeff Lewis said the utility remains confident the missing rods eventually will be found in the pool. "We have to search the pool very slowly and methodically using underwater cameras and remote-controlled tools on long poles," he said. Despite the unsuccessful search so far, PG&E believes there's no public danger from what Lewis characterized as essentially a "case of conflicting documentation." He said there's no chance the missing nuclear rods might have managed to get into the wrong hands, a scenario that anti-terrorism experts fear. "We just don't believe that's possible," Lewis said. About the Union-Tribune | Contact the Union-Tribune © Copyright 2004 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. ***************************************************************** 43 Las Vegas RJ: Support for fighting repository grows slightly Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Court ruling invalidating Yucca Mountain containment standards has little effect on opinions, poll finds By HENRY BREAN REVIEW-JOURNAL State leaders called it a victory for Nevada and a significant blow to plans to bury the nation's most lethal nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. But appetite for the state's fight against the project increased only slightly in the wake of the July 9 federal court ruling that invalidated containment standards for the repository. In a recent statewide poll, fifty-four percent said they wanted the battle to continue, while 39 percent of respondents said it is time for Nevada leaders to abandon their opposition and try to strike a deal with federal officials that will bring money or benefits to the state along with the repository. Seven percent said they are not sure what should be done. The poll, commissioned by the Review-Journal and reviewjournal.com, is based on answers given July 20-22 by 625 registered voters from across the Nevada. Washington, D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling &Research Inc. conducted the poll, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Nevada residents were asked the same question in July 2002, immediately after the U.S. Senate upheld President Bush's approval of the repository. At that time, 49 percent still wanted to fight and 43 percent said they were ready to strike a deal. Former Nevada Gov. Bob List, now a paid consultant to the Nuclear Energy Institute, said he was surprised by the latest poll results. With the amount of media coverage the July 9 court ruling received, List expected more people to join the fight against Yucca Mountain, 100 miles of northwest of Las Vegas. "I do believe that people still want to continue to press the state's position, but there is a growing appetite to start negotiating É a growing sense of inevitability," he said. "It doesn't mean you have to run up the white flag. It just means it's time to look at plan B." But Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency, thinks the results have more to do with how the question was posed. "First of all, the premise of the question is flawed," Loux said. "(The repository) hasn't been approved" as the question states. "It's making the assumption that it's already a done deal." That is why the federal court ruling seemed to have little if any effect on the poll results, Loux said. With its July 9 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit invalidated a requirement that the repository be able to contain radioactive materials safely for at least 10,000 years, suggesting the period should be longer by possibly hundreds of thousands of years. Brad Coker, managing director for Mason-Dixon, said last week's polling numbers seem to suggest that more and more Nevada residents have to come to view the repository as inevitable. "Inevitability tends to soften opposition over time," Coker said. But Loux and other opponents of the project insist the future of Yucca Mountain is as unsure as the outcome of the November election. "When you have one of the two presidential candidates vowing to kill the project, and you have killing the project as part of the Democratic Party platform, it's hard for me to see how it's inevitable," Loux said. A similar political slant showed through in last week's poll, with responses varying widely depending on the party affiliations of those who responded. Seventy-three percent of Democrats favor continuing the fight, while 54 percent of Republicans said they want to see the state strike a deal. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 44 Las Vegas RJ: Panel hears complaints about Yucca database Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Nuclear repository documents unavailable, Nevada critics say By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Energy Department attorneys faced tough questioning Tuesday on DOE's handling of an electronic document database for the Yucca Mountain Project. Three administrative judges challenged the department's work to gather millions of documents and make them available on the Internet in preparation for licensing hearings on the proposed nuclear waste repository. The panel could force delays in DOE's licensing bid as it rules on a complaint from Nevada that the licensing support network is riddled with problems. The Energy Department says it plans to submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the end of the year. The judges, gathered by the NRC, did not say how they would rule, but they pointedly quizzed DOE lawyers during a 4 1/2-hour hearing. A decision could come within weeks. The Energy Department certified its licensing support network on June 30, saying at the time it was making available 1.2 million documents totalling 5.6 million pages. But Nevada officials and other users immediately began complaining of missing documents and said they have had problems accessing what they believed should be available technical reports, studies and e-mails chronicling years of DOE's repository effort. The Energy Department gave its best effort to construct the database and should not be penalized, said Michael Shebelskie, an attorney with the Hunton &Williams law firm handling DOE licensing. "The facts will show, and do show, the DOE made a substantial good faith product that was proper and met the requirements," Shebelskie said. DOE made its documents available on a department Web site while technicians at the NRC continued to index the material onto a central server. But Joe Egan, an attorney representing Nevada, told hearing officers that problems with the database are widespread. Among other issues, the state contends the DOE Web site cannot be considered an official portal for the documents. Egan charged the DOE rushed to certify the database before it was ready, a strategy to stay on schedule to meet the year-end application deadline. Egan said up to 6 million documents, most of them valuable e-mails, are missing. Additionally, he challenged secrecy claimed for up to a million documents that made them unavailable to the public. "What we have here is a system that is an utter, complete failure," Egan said. He said if necessary Nevada would file thousands of requests for DOE to produce individual documents not available on the database, which could mire Yucca licensing. Nevada's complaint appeared to resonate with the judges. Administrative Judge Alan Rosenthal said the point of the database was to avoid prolonged fights and share documents among participants in Yucca license hearings before they commence. "Under your system, there certainly are a lot of hiccups, if not worse, down the road," Rosenthal told Shebelskie. "There's a whole lot (DOE) has done that needs explaining." Rosenthal also questioned why the Energy Department apparently waited until May to begin making documents available to be indexed onto the NRC server. "DOE obviously foot-dragged," Rosenthal said. That point was echoed by Judge Thomas Moore, who said, "DOE has had 15 years of advance notice that it had to do this." Shebelskie said DOE officials believed it was premature to begin spending money on document roundups before Congress ratified the Yucca site in 2002. He also said NRC could not promise to secure documents until recently. Shebelskie said e-mails that were not included were of marginal significance or were considered archive material not subject to posting. Moore said, "I am having trouble with your argument in this sense: What is it about the word 'all' that I am missing?" Egan said e-mails written by Lake Barrett, a senior project manager who retired in 2002, were not available for inspection, as well as messages from current program director Margaret Chu. Egan said a search for documents on Alloy 22 corrosion, a key topic in repository performance, turned up hits for 9,261 documents, but 4,878 contained only a header code and no text that could be accessed. A search for the word "party" showed subject lines for dozens of Yucca staff e-mails announcing bachelor parties, pool parties, Hollywood parties, with every one marked as a privileged document that restrict access, Egan said. Explaining the confusion, Shebelskie said several hundred thousand documents that were flagged by software as containing information subject to security, copyright or privacy restrictions still were being reviewed by project workers. "Don't you think the full validation should have been done before certification?" asked Alex Karlin, one of the judges. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 45 Las Vegas RJ: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Nevada captures attention Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Party platform vows to protect state from planned nuclear waste site By ERIN NEFF REVIEW-JOURNAL BOSTON -- The politics of Yucca Mountain arrived center stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday as delegates approved a national platform pledging to protect Nevada from the proposed nuclear waste repository. But Republicans, refusing to cede any potential edge for their opponents on the state's most visible issue, released details of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's voting record on Yucca Mountain to suggest he is disingenuous. The 37-page platform contains the only specific reference to a state issue and is fueling Democratic hope that Yucca Mountain will put Nevada into the John Kerry column and give him five electoral votes that could help decide a close national election. "There is a bright-line difference between John Kerry's opposition to Yucca Mountain and President Bush's approval of the dump after promising to base a decision on sound science," said Dina Titus, Nevada's national Democratic committeewoman. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said Kerry is a "flip-flopper" on the issue by pledging this year to block the repository despite support of the 1987 bill that singled out Nevada as the site and despite voting several other times against Nevada's senators on Yucca-related items. "In 1987, John Kerry voted to screw Nevada," Ensign said. "It contradicts him completely." Nevada's Democrats rallied behind Kerry and pointed to his vote in 2002 to sustain Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of final Yucca Mountain approval. Kerry voted against attempts to store waste at Yucca Mountain on an interim basis before the repository was approved. Ensign, a foe of the repository, supported interim storage when he was freshman in the House of Representatives in 1995. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and vice chairman of the Democratic National Convention's Platform Committee, said the 1987 vote is "totally irrelevant" to the current debate. The 1987 bill, which passed 86-9, was an energy and appropriations package that included language singling out Yucca Mountain for study. "President Bush authorized Yucca Mountain as the site to dump the most toxic substance known to man 90 miles away from my children's home and from John Ensign's children's home," Berkley said. "I don't know where John Ensign has been for several years, but John Kerry has been right with us," Berkley said. Berkley said the Kerry campaign pushed for inclusion of Yucca Mountain in the platform. The Yucca reference is included in a two-page section on environmental policy that discusses global warming and what the party considers flawed Bush administration energy policies. "We will protect Nevada and its communities from the high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain which has not been proved to be safe by sound science," the platform said. Ensign said the platform does not matter to Nevada voters. "I think platforms are worthless," Ensign said. "They don't mean anything to the person voting; they only mean something to the delegates. "Voters have no idea what is in party platforms," he said. "That's a relic from the past that nobody pays attention to." Democrats made similar points in referring to Ensign's criticism of Kerry's past votes relating to Yucca Mountain. "Those others are largely procedural," said Sean Smith, Kerry's spokesman in Nevada. "We think this is just the Republicans trying to distract from the issue that Democrats have a clear advantage on because of the platform." With the 1987 vote, Kerry voted against an amendment in 1988 that would have increased money for oversight of the project. In 1995, he voted against an amendment sought by Nevada's senators to divert $14.7 million of Yucca money. In 1996, he voted in favor of radiation standards opposed by Nevada, and in 1996 and 1997, he voted against two amendments Nevada's senators had sought to stymie the project. Both dealt with the transportation of waste. "He's been disingenuous," Congressman Jon Porter, R-Nev., said. "He started the project." Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the criticism "another attempt by Republicans to muddy the issue." Reid said, "Anytime we asked John Kerry to vote with us on Yucca Mountain, he was there for us." Smith said the Massachusetts senator has made his position on Yucca Mountain clear with votes against interim and permanent storage. "If Republicans weren't as worried about losing this state, this wouldn't have come out two hours before the platform was approved," Smith said. Berkley called the timing "somewhat suspect." She said Republicans have no "high ground" on which to stand on the issue. During the state Republican convention in Reno this year, delegates adopted a platform that pledged support for negotiating for benefits to recoup losses from harmful effects to federally managed lands. The platform was written specifically about Yucca Mountain, Republican delegates said, despite opposition from state GOP leaders. "Maybe if they had boycotted the message that's in their party's state platform, they wouldn't be so concerned about ours," Berkley said. Julie Whitacre was one of five Nevada delegates in their convention seats when the platform was adopted shortly after 4 p.m. "I think platforms are very important," Whitacre said. "It's just like having a public official go ahead and vote the way you do. You're saying these are the issues and the ways you want them to vote." Delegate Deborah Trudell of Las Vegas said Republicans are trying to "muddy the water" on Yucca Mountain and confuse voters. "They're afraid of the enthusiasm for John Kerry that this convention is showing the country," she said. "I think we've got them scared." National media are discussing the Yucca Mountain issue and which way Nevada will vote in November. The National Journal's convention magazine spotlights issues in swing states and cites Yucca Mountain as the potentially defining item for voters. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell spoke to Nevada delegates at breakfast Tuesday in the Lenox Hotel and mentioned Yucca Mountain as a key reason Nevadans should vote for Kerry. In an interview, Cantwell said she thinks several Western states will make the difference for Kerry this fall. "I think that New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Arizona are critical states," she said. "Nevada is just dead in the middle, a toss-up right now, and Yucca Mountain could decide it." Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 46 Las Vegas SUN: Democratic plank to protect Nevada from Yucca dump By Suzanne Struglinski < [suzanne@lasvegassun.com] > SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU BOSTON -- The Democratic Party passed its platform Tuesday with a pledge to protect Nevada from the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., a member of the platform committee, hailed the platform plank and said the staff of Sen. John Kerry, who will accept the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, insisted it be included. "They ended up with stronger language than I wanted," she said. Kerry, who voted against Yucca Mountain when Congress approved it in 2002, has pledged to kill plans for the dump if he's elected. Just before the Democrats passed their platform, state Republicans condemned Kerry's support for several bills that helped move the Yucca Mountain project. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., told reporters that Kerry supported the 1987 "Screw Nevada" that singled out Yucca Mountain to be the only site the Energy Department studied to store nuclear waste. "We have made the point that John Kerry can not be trusted on what he said," Ensign said. "I don't see a difference in George Bush or John Kerry as president on the Yucca Mountain issue. John Kerry can not be trusted on his word." Ensign also noted seven other instances where Kerry voted on energy and water spending bills and other legislation related to the project opposite of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Yucca Mountain's fiercest opponent in Congress. The Republicans are using the votes to deflect criticism of President Bush, who signed the order to make Yucca Mountain the nation's nuclear waste repository. Democrats are using Bush's support of the project in their campaign in Nevada, which is considered a battleground state. Democrats called the Republican attacks "desperate," noting Kerry's 2002 vote. Reid said Kerry has been with Nevada every time he needed him. "Nobody voted with us every time," Reid said. "They want to live in the past, but look to the future. He will be with us there is no question. "You can bet on it, as we say in Nevada." Kerry voted against the project in a key vote in July 2002 that allowed the project to move forward but Ensign said by voting for the 1987 bill, Kerry helped put the state in this situation in the first place. The nicknamed "Screw Nevada" bill is actually a provision inside a large budget bill passed 61-28 on Dec. 22, 1987. Reid along with four other Democrats and 23 Republicans voted against the bill, according to Ensign's office. Ensign said the bill was a "mishmash of fixes for entitlement programs," but that Reid voted against it because it contained the Yucca Mountain language. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said while he was a city councilman fighting the Yucca Mountain project "it's now obvious where John Kerry was." He said that similar to his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry's recent remark to a reporter on the campaign trail, Kerry "told Nevada to 'shove it' on Christmas Eve." He said the vote took Texas and Washington off the plate and pushed Nevada forward. "I dare you to use this but President Bush used Bill Clinton's science to move the project forward," Porter said. "He used $8 billion worth of his environmental assessments. It's clear where Bush stands on this but it is not clear where Kerry stands." Ensign said he may disagree with the project but he believes President Bush believes he followed through on his promise to base on the project on sound science. "I don't believe (Kerry) can fulfill or will fulfill this promise," Ensign said. "If (Yucca Mountain) was not an issue in Nevada, George Bush would win Nevada by 10 points. John Kerry is way too liberal for Nevada." But as news spread to the Democrats at the convention, Nevada's delegation lashed out at the Republicans. "I see (Bush strategist) Karl Rove's fingerprints all over this," Reid said late Tuesday. "As usual the Republicans are doing two things, negative campaigning, they can't say anything good about anyone, and they are living in the past." Reid said Bush is in trouble in states he thought he was winning so these new claims are just a way to divert attention. He plans to bring up the Yucca issue during his speech at the convention stage tonight. Berkley walked onto the convention hall floor just after the party approved the platform and could not believe what the Republicans were alleging. "I don't know what planet John Ensign has been on, but it's not planet earth," Berkley said. "We are trying to stop the deadliest substance known to man from being put 90 miles from where our children live, including John Ensign's children." Four of Nevada's delegates sat in the hall while the platform was approved. The Democrats platform contains the phase: "We will protect Nevada and its communities from the high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca mountain which has not been proven to be safe by sound science. Ensign dismissed platforms as "worthless" and said the language does not say it will stop the project just "protect Nevada." "They can put more concrete and steel in to protect Nevada," Ensign said "The people building Yucca Mountain think they are protecting Nevada. It would have been easy to put (stopping the project) in there, but they left a lot of wiggle room." But Berkley said "If I had his party platform, I'd be saying that too." "This isn't just a stretch," Berkley said. "It's a rubber band festival on the part of the Republicans." Reid, Berkley and several other delegates pointed to the state Republican party's platform which showed a desire to state negotiating for benefits by accepting the Yucca Mountain project. The plank was watered down to not specifically name the project but activities on federal land. Sean Smith, Nevada's Communication Director for the Kerry campaign, said the candidate's position remains the same on Yucca: It will not happen. "When you cherry pick through a 19-year voting record, you are going to find some things, but his commitment could not be stronger," Smith said. "They are trying to change the subject. They are misconstruing the facts on these bills." The timing of the announcement was also suspicious. "That should tell you the whole story right there," Smith said. "This is their getting desperate on the day we approve the strongest anti-Yucca platform in the history of American politics." Kerry plans to visit the state again during the early part of August. ***************************************************************** 47 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada can make a 'huge difference' in race By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU BOSTON -- Nevada should just officially change its slogan from Battle Born to Battleground. The pleas to the state continued this morning to ensure the state goes to John Kerry in his bid for the White House. Ed Sullivan, president of the Building and Construction Trade Department of the AFL-CIO, said the union will be sending "reinforcements to Nevada to make it a solid blue (Democrat) in November." "Nevada can make a huge difference in November," Sullivan said. The union aims to mobilize hundreds of volunteers for voter registration and voter turnout. Meanwhile, a press conference scheduled for Thursday is set to talk about how the campaign expects to win the Western states. NO NADER: Elizabeth Holtzman, a former congresswoman from New York City, wants to makes sure states where Ralph Nader is trying to get on the ballot have the legal resources they need to stop him. "If we do our work now, Ralph Nader won't be a problem," she said. "We need to stop Nader from stealing the election from the Democrats." Nader, of course, was key in the 2000 election taking away votes that Democrats thought would go to the Democratic nominee and then-vice president, Al Gore. Holtzman made sure to emphasize that she is not affiliated with the Kerry campaign. CELEBRITY OF THE DAY: This morning, actor and director Rob Reiner made the rounds to the breakfasts of some swing-state delegations, reminding delegates what to tell voters about Kerry. "Who do you want in the foxhole with you? Do you want someone that has seen live combat or someone that sat for seven minutes and read 'My Pet Goat,' " Reiner said, referring to a scene from Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11" when President Bush learned of the terrorist attacks. "You're assuming he read it," someone in the crowd said. ALL WET: It is raining today, but no umbrellas can be brought into the Fleet Center under the strict security rules. Plastic rain ponchos are the rage, but area drugstores appear to be running out. Ponchos are, surprisingly, about the one thing that convention volunteers don't have to give out. But they have nearly everything else in their pockets, including brochures of where to eat. The delegates may be wet, but they'll be well fed. WHO NEEDS SLEEP?: After a day full of political speeches and events, the big debate on the buses ferrying delegates from the convention to their hotels Fleet Center is: sleep or party? Most delegates start their day by 8 a.m. for breakfast with their state delegation. From there, it's seminars, speeches or events before the convention starts for the day. The convention floor speeches usually end around 11 p.m. or later with concerts, cocktail parties and parties following afterward. Conversations on the bus rides focus on how much sleep is really needed as the delegates try to find a way to fit in another party or a chance to see a favorite celebrity or politician. ***************************************************************** 48 Bradenton Herald: Tallevast prompts state to review policy | 07/28/2004 | BRIAN BLANCO-The Herald The skeletal remains of the former American Beryllium Co. sit behind a locked gate in Tallevast. KEVIN O'HORAN Herald Staff Writer It's a step in the right direction, Tallevast residents say, a plan by Florida environmental regulators to warn within 72 hours those property owners and others whose land or water has been poisoned by spills from nearby industrial sites. But as regulators ready the plan for a public workshop Tuesday in Tallahassee, community members question whether it's enough of a step, noting how four years passed before officials began trickling out word of toxins spilled at the former American Beryllium Co. plant. "That's not enough," Betty Brown, 65, a longtime Tallevast resident with well water tainted by the American Beryllium leak, said of the notification proposal by Florida's Department of Environmental Protection. "Everyone should know. Everybody should have known about it when they found it here, but nobody told us." Whether that changes - and, if so, how much - may hinge on Tuesday's workshop. The all-day session comes as DEP staffers, under a mandate from Florida lawmakers, try to simplify and unify a pile of reporting, public notice and cleanup requirements. Regulators will present their latest rewrites to codes dealing with cleaning petroleum sites, dry-cleaning properties, "brownfields" - a catch-all category for regions affected by industry - and other contaminated areas. And, of course, when to let the public in on the findings. Tallevast residents have clamored for changes since November, after learning only then that crews working for then-owner Lockheed Martin Corp. four years earlier had discovered contamination at the 1600 Tallevast Road plant. Last week, after months of assuring the contamination posed no health threat to residents, DEP officials announced that cancer-causing solvents had poisoned a much wider and deeper area of groundwater and at levels more than 10,000 times state standards. As penned, DEP's revised notice plan would require companies or individuals responsible for pollution to alert the agency, the county-based health department, and property owners, residents and businesses within 72 hours of finding toxins off-site. But it limits the notice to property owners, residents and businesses located on directly contaminated sites. And it limits the notice to off-site contamination that presents an "imminent threat of exposure," defined as toxins found in water-supply wells or soils that residents might reach. DEP officials couldn't be reached for comment on the rules package - available by searching for "Combined Rule Workshop" at the agency's roger.register@dep.state.fl.us [roger.register@dep.state.fl.us] www.dep.state.fl.us [http://www.dep.state.fl.us] Web site - but the idea of "imminent" risk has come up before. On May 13, a week after the Tallevast contamination became public knowledge, Deborah Getzoff, director of the agency's southwest district, penned a letter to the Herald's editorial page backing her staff and decrying the media coverage of resident concerns. Getzoff emphasized in the letter that "private drinking water wells in Tallevast are not threatened by pollutants from the former American Beryllium site. "Had there been imminent health risks to adjacent residents, the Department of Environmental Protection would have taken immediate action to protect public health and safety." Residents aren't alone in questioning the wisdom of a policy - current or proposed - that provides no warning for the community as a whole, not even a warning for neighbors of a contaminated property. "The policy behind this - that this is a community problem and we need to deal with it together - is a good policy," said Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. "Whatever rule that emerges from this has to take that into consideration." And, he said, he has stressed that point in talking frequently with DEP leaders about the progress of the rules package. "Where we have to do some work is figure out: at what point do you end that notice?" he said. "How do you define what is the 'community'? Do you go five miles away? How far do you go?" Simple, Brown said. "It's just common sense," Brown said. "Get everyone involved." n WHAT: Rule-making workshop for public notice of contaminated sites • WHEN: 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday • WHERE: Room 609, Twin Towers Office Bldg., 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee • WHO: Open to public; led by Florida Department of Environmental Protection • WHY: DEP proposing changes to how and when the agency notifies property owners and others near contaminated sites like the former American Beryllium Co. plant in Tallevast. • OTHER: Comments will be accepted until Aug. 10. Write to: Roger Register, Bureau of Waste Cleanup, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4505, Tallahassee, FL. 32399-2400. E-mail to: roger.register@dep.state.fl.us [roger.register@dep.state.fl.us] . Phone: (850) 245-8934. ***************************************************************** 49 The Australian: Legal bid to block nuke dump [July 28, 2004] THE Northern Territory Government will introduce legislation to block a commonwealth nuclear waste dump being placed anywhere in the NT. The legislation would be drafted in the next few days and introduced into Parliament next month, Chief Minister Clare Martin said today. "Territorians do not want nuclear waste from across Australia dumped in their backyard," she said. "This legislation will send a clear message that we will not accept a nuclear waste dump in the NT. "This is not open to debate." Earlier this month, the Federal Government abandoned plans to build a national nuclear waste repository near Woomera in South Australia's outback, after a legal ruling and strong opposition from the SA Government. Instead, Prime Minister John Howard said the Federal Government would search commonwealth land for a dump to contain medium and low-level nuclear waste produced by federal government sources. The states would be forced to find their own sites for their own waste. There were fears the NT would become the site of the commonwealth dump, with a 1994 government report highlighting two possible NT sites – in the Tanami Desert and at Bloods Range near Docker River. Mr Howard refused to rule out the NT as the future site of the dump during a recent visit to Darwin. Local federal MP David Tollner, of the Country Liberal Party, said this month the nuclear waste dump should be housed in the NT if it was deemed the safest place for it. Ms Martin said Mr Tollner's comments placed the NT firmly in the spotlight. "The NT does not produce the kind of higher grade waste that would be placed in this dump and, as such, we have no obligation to take it," she said. "Any plan by the CLP opposition and CLP federal member to encourage a nuclear dump must be fought and this legislation is the best way to do that – it's the strongest action my government can take." Ms Martin said that while the federal government had the power to overturn NT laws, the Self Government Act made it clear that the disposal and storage of hazardous and dangerous wastes was the domain of the territory government. privacy © The Australian ***************************************************************** 50 MSNBC: Nevada Attorneys, Department Of Energy Fight Over Yucca [http://msnbc.msn.com] By Tracie PottsKVBC-TV July 27 - By the end of this year, the Department of Energy wants the okay to start building an underground nuclear waste facility at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. But first, it has to make millions of internal documents public, and that hasn't happened. As News 3's Tracie Potts reports, Nevada attorneys and the DOE hashed it out before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in Washington DC today. It's a huge paper trail about what could become the nation's largest and most expensive nuclear waste site.Nevada layers claim the Department of Energy jumped the gun, making a million documents public, but keeping millions more under wraps.Reports, memos and e-mails that could address whether dumping high level nuclear waste here is safe. Today the DOE admitted there are at least four million e-mails they don't even plan to review.It's information the public will never see."We think there's a lot of incriminating information about the safety of the repository, especially in the e-mails, many of which we have and others we have to get." Half of the two million documents DOE turned over are labeled "privileged."That means the department acknowledges they exist, but won't make them public.Others are still waiting to be posted on a government web site.They're stuck in the pipeline because the system backed up after DOE recalled 25 thousand privileged documents that were published accidentally. The three judge panel accused the Energy Department of dragging its feet."There's a whole lot you've done that needs explaining."But DOE lawyers say they've acted in good faith."The state is absolutely wrong to say we waited until two years ago to begin collecting these documents." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff said today Nevada failed to prove DOE didn't act in good faith.But they don't have the last word.The judges do, and there's no word on when they'll reach a decision.Yucca Mountain is a political hot potato this election season.The National Democratic Party will approve a platform that includes a plank dedicated to stopping the Yucca Mountain project.Nevada is the only state mentioned by name in the party platform, a move Democrats hope will help John Kerry win the Silver State. About MSNBC.com | © 2004 MSNBC.com ***************************************************************** 51 Morgan Hill Times: Water supplies still low; city urges conservation Wednesday, July 28, 2004 www.morganhilltimes.com Tuesday, July 27, 2004 By Carol Holzgrafe [carolh@morganhilltimes.com] A second weekend in a row of high temperatures finds the city water supplies still stressed but holding their own. Public Works Director Jim Ashcraft said Monday morning that the water levels got so low over the previous weekend that he proclaimed a stage one alert - termed Urgent - and ordered the number two Dunne Avenue well turned back on after a year-long rest. The city remains in a first-stage alert. An older well, recently replaced on East Main Avenue was also turned on temporarily to increase supply to city water reservoirs. “Water levels were dangerously low,” Ashcraft said, “but held their own over the weekend.” Three of the city’s 14 water wells, reaching 13 percent of the total capacity, have been taken off-line because of perchlorate from a former Olin Corp. safety flare manufacturing plant on Tennant Avenue. Ashcraft said the danger of running out of water poses a threat, not just to showers and lawns, but - more importantly - to the city’s ability to fight fires, should one occur during a water emergency. Mori Struve, Public Works deputy director, said Thursday that the city was poised for stage two or stage three over the weekend but that did not develop. “We are still in stage one,” Ashcraft said, “with irrigation at city parks at the 50 percent level.” The solution to the on-going problem will take time and money to get new wells on line. In the meantime the city is urging conservation. “We will go to the City Council on July 28 and ask them to adopt water conservation rules,” Ashcraft said. All residents are urged to cut back whenever they can and wait until off-peak hours - during cooler, nighttime hours - to do laundry and run dishwashers. Watering lawns is best done early morning or late evening because winds and hot sun later in the day waste water. Stage Two, called “Critical” reduces park irrigation by 50 percent, calls on the 20 biggest water users to do the same and back-up wells are activated. Struve said that the levels July 17-18 fell below the 25-foot warning level, which includes a 5-foot fire fighting buffer in the city’s two main reservoirs, the new Edmundson Reservoir and the one on downtown’s Nob Hill between West Third and West Fourth streets. “We won’t let the reserves get below our capability to provide fire protection,” Struve said. Irrigation at city parks and facilities has been reduced by 50 percent and the city’s “water heroes” were alerted that they might need to go into action reducing their own water use by 50 percent. A water hero is a business that uses great amounts of water but is willing to cut back when needed. Ashcraft said four Morgan Hill School District sites, Alien Technology and Towa/Intercon Technologies in Morgan Hill Business Park and Cochrane Plaza have all signed up as water heroes. City staffer Andi Borowski said at the stage two critical level, residents are urged to cut back on home irrigation, delay hosing down patios and washing cars, shorten showers and just be extra careful with water use. Under the Critical stage “water heroes” join the effort and the Main avenue well will return to action along with the Dunne well. The city has 12 municipal wells besides Dunne Two and Main One. The Tennant Avenue well was closed in April 2002 when high levels of perchlorate were discovered to have crossed the street from the old Olin safety flare plant. In an actual stage three - Emergency - mandatory water cutbacks at major facilities around town will be in effect and irrigation at city parks and the top 20 water users would be shut off, Struve said. Olin, the source of the perchlorate contamination that has affected several city wells, has paid just over $700,000 for the construction of a new well on San Pedro, replacing the Tennant Avenue well. The company is balking at accepting responsibility for damage to other wells or the chemical’s effect of the city’s summer water shortages. The city provides Morgan Hill residents with low-flow shower heads and aerators for kitchen and bath faucets free for the asking. They also have a packet for waterwise gardening and water conservation kits. Stop by City Hall, 17555 Peak Ave. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or call Andi at 779-7247 and she will mail the packet and kit. Ashcraft said he welcomed other large water users to sign up as “water heroes” by calling Public Works at 776-7337 during normal business hours. Cable television customers can tune to Channel 17 to see a slide running with water saving tips and details of the developing situation; this and more information is available on the city’s website. Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov/ and www.valleywater.org/water/waterconservation In other action Wednesday, the council will hear a report on the medical services policy and objectives - and of gains in services - from representatives of DePaul Health Center and the Morgan Hill Community Health Foundation. It also will consider the mitigations proposed by Venture Corp. for its owner-occupied medical office building in the Morgan Hill Business Ranch. The project’s zoning is on the Planning Commission agenda tonight at 7 p.m. Council will consider the updated transportation/traffic report as part of the downtown plan. City Council meets at 7 p.m. most Wednesdays in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov or 779-7271. Council meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17. Carol Holzgrafe is a reporter at the Morgan Hill Times. She covers all local news, including City Hall. ***************************************************************** 52 Pahrump Valley Times: Ohio uranium transport through Nevada comes to halt July 28, 2004 By JOHN NOLAN The Associated Press CINCINNATI - The government said Thursday it is not ready to allow a contractor to begin the biggest remaining job in the more than $4 billion cleanup of a former uranium processing plant. Fluor Fernald Inc. wants to start removing powdery wastes from one of three deteriorating, half-century old concrete silos at the Fernald site, which for almost 40 years processed uranium for the production of nuclear weapons. Fluor Fernald, the contractor handling the nearly $1 million-a-day cleanup, had hoped to begin trucking the waste by this month to the department's Nevada Test Site, where the government once tested atomic bombs in the desert 50 miles north of Pahrump and 20 miles north of Amargosa Valley and east of Beatty. But the Energy Department, facing the prospect of lawsuits by two states over the project, won't "authorize startup until we have a clear path for the waste," said Gary Stegner, a department spokesman at the Fernald site, 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval has threatened to sue to block the shipments, alleging that the Energy Department plans inadequate storage of the wastes in unlined dirt trenches at the desert site. The Energy Department has agreed to Nevada's demand for a 45-day advance notification of the start of the truck shipments, but the department hasn't given that notice yet, Stegner said Thursday. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro also has said he will sue if the silo wastes are removed and temporarily stored at Fernald, saying that could create environmental and health risks. Federal officials hope to complete the cleanup in 2006. Congress is currently providing annual funding of about $320 million. The plant processed uranium metal from 1951 until 1989, when production ended to concentrate on the cleanup. The site will eventually be a wildlife area, with 123 acres of it housing permanent underground storage of lower-level radioactive wastes. For comment or questions, please e-mail webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com [webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com] Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2003 ***************************************************************** 53 AU ABC: NT to outlaw national nuclear waste dump. 28/07/2004. ABC News Online "Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online"> [http://www.abc.net.au/] The Northern Territory Chief Minister has announced her Government will introduce legislation to block a Commonwealth nuclear waste dump in the Territory. Clare Martin says the legislation will be drafted over the next few days and will be introduced in Parliament's August sittings. Ms Martin says while the Federal Government has the power to overturn Territory laws, the legislation will send a clear message to Prime Minister John Howard. "There has been confusion. I mean we've had Dave Tollner (Federal Member for Solomon) out there arguing to the Prime Minister that this is a great place to put a national dump and Territorians won't wear that," she said. "We'll look after our own waste and we store that effectively but we won't have other people's here and we're putting legislation in to make that very clear." © 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ***************************************************************** 54 KRNV: Nevada poll finds voters favor fighting Yucca Mountain plan July 28, 2004 A new poll finds a majority of Nevada residents want the state to keep fighting a national nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. 54 percent of those surveyed statewide for the Las Vegas Review-Journal say the battle should continue. 39 percent say the state should strike a deal for federal benefits in return for accepting the repository. The poll of 625 registered voters was conducted last week by a Washington, DC, polling firm. It had a sampling error margin of plus or minus four percentage points. Seven percent say they're unsure what the state should do. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and KRNV. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 55 KRNV: Republicans say Kerry flip-flopped on Yucca position July 28, 2004 LAS VEGAS, NV, July 28 State's Republicans are criticizing Senator John Kerry as being disingenuous about his voting record on Yucca Mountain. Senator John Ensign is issuing a list of "pro-Yucca" votes that Kerry has taken since 1987. They include the infamous "Screw Nevada" bill in which lawmakers rejected other sites and agreed to study only Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste dump. The bill was part of a massive 17.6 billion dollar budget package of taxes, benefit reductions and other savings. Democrats are calling the Republican revelations a "red herring" and an attempt to muddy the waters. A spokesman for the Kerry campaign in Nevada says Republicans are "grasping at straws." (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and KRNV. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 56 KVBC: Nevada Attorneys, Department Of Energy Fight Over Yucca July 27th, 2004 By the end of this year, the Department of Energy wants the okay to start building an underground nuclear waste facility at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. But first, it has to make millions of internal documents public, and that hasn't happened. As News 3's Tracie Potts reports, Nevada attorneys and the DOE hashed it out before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in Washington DC today. It's a huge paper trail about what could become the nation's largest and most expensive nuclear waste site. Nevada layers claim the Department of Energy jumped the gun, making a million documents public, but keeping millions more under wraps. Reports, memos and e-mails that could address whether dumping high level nuclear waste here is safe. Today the DOE admitted there are at least four million e-mails they don't even plan to review. It's information the public will never see. "We think there's a lot of incriminating information about the safety of the repository, especially in the e-mails, many of which we have and others we have to get." Half of the two million documents DOE turned over are labeled "privileged." That means the department acknowledges they exist, but won't make them public. Others are still waiting to be posted on a government web site. They're stuck in the pipeline because the system backed up after DOE recalled 25 thousand privileged documents that were published accidentally. The three judge panel accused the Energy Department of dragging its feet. "There's a whole lot you've done that needs explaining." But DOE lawyers say they've acted in good faith. "The state is absolutely wrong to say we waited until two years ago to begin collecting these documents." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff said today Nevada failed to prove DOE didn't act in good faith. But they don't have the last word. The judges do, and there's no word on when they'll reach a decision. Yucca Mountain is a political hot potato this election season. The National Democratic Party will approve a platform that includes a plank dedicated to stopping the Yucca Mountain project. Nevada is the only state mentioned by name in the party platform, a move Democrats hope will help John Kerry win the Silver State. [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2000 - 2004 WorldNow and KVBC. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 57 FOX5 Las Vegas: Kerry Coming Under Fire For Early Yucca Votes July 28, 2004 LAS VEGAS (AP) -- State's Republicans are criticizing Senator John Kerry as being disingenuous about his voting record on Yucca Mountain. Senator John Ensign is issuing a list of "pro-Yucca" votes that Kerry has taken since 1987. They include the infamous "Screw Nevada" bill in which lawmakers rejected other sites and agreed to study only Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste dump. The bill was part of a massive 17-point-six billion dollar budget package of taxes, benefit reductions and other savings. Democrats are calling the Republican revelations a "red herring" and an attempt to muddy the waters. A spokesman for the Kerry campaign in Nevada says Republicans are "grasping at straws." (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and KVVU. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 58 Paducah Sun: Nuclear recycling plant to be kept on schedule - Paducah, Kentucky Wednesday, July 28, 2004;Paducah, Kentucky [http://www.paducahsun.com/] Lawmakers promise no delays in building the nuclear recycling factory like those in the Clinton and Bush administrations. By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 LANCE DENNEE/The Sun Great day: Leon Owens (left), former president of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Works International Union, talks with Sen. Mitch McConnell. Having turned ceremonial dirt for a new plant to recycle low-level nuclear waste, members of the Kentucky congressional delegation say they will ensure that the Department of Energy builds it on time. "You can count on me and everyone else up here to stay on DOE to make sure that construction and opening stay on schedule," Sen. Jim Bunning said at Tuesday's groundbreaking in front of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. "We just can't afford any more delays." Scores of local, state and national dignitaries attended the ceremony, led by Bunning, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Ed Whitfield, all Republicans and all of whom pushed for a 1998 federal law mandating that construction for the recycling factory begin six months ago. Repeated delays in both the Clinton and Bush administrations — largely about cost and the number of recycling plants needed — prompted them to pass more strongly worded legislation in 2002, moving the groundbreaking deadline back to July 31 of this year. "None of this would have happened without perhaps the most tenacious delegation on Earth," Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow said. "We hear from them almost every day, and it's not always a pat on the back." McSlarrow said McConnell called him into his office earlier this year, saying he wanted McSlarrow to be "personally involved" in meeting the mandated deadline. "It's July 27, and with the Department of Energy, this passes for plenty of time to spare," he said good-naturedly. When McConnell took the podium, he continued the ribbing. "Let's just say that some in previous administrations were not terribly excited about building this facility, and even some in this administration needed a few kicks in the head," he said. McConnell said the plant will help site cleanup by converting 36,000 cylinders of spent uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into more stable material while creating at least 100 construction jobs and 150 long-term operational jobs. The factory, to be built east of the plant entrance road and near the cylinder yards, is expected run for 20 to 25 years. Whitfield said the project is a success story for Congress amid criticism about inaction on a variety of other legislative issues. He said he hoped to dedicate the recycling plant on schedule two years from now. Federal law requires DOE to seek adequate annual funding to ensure completion of the project, estimated at $1 billion to build and run two plants (groundbreaking for the other is today in Piketon, Ohio). Construction is supposed to take nearly two years with operation beginning in March 2006. Uranium Disposition Services, based in Oak Ridge, Tenn., has a $558 million contract to build both the plants and run them for at least five years, after which UDS will bid for continued work. Subcontractor Morsey Inc. of Calvert City has been hired for site preparation, which began Tuesday and is expected to be completed in December. UDS Chairman Joe Stringer said it will take three to six months to run utilities from the enrichment plant to the recycling factory. Foundation work will start sometime in 2005, but a schedule for that phase has not been finalized, he said. Subcontractors for utility and foundation work have not yet been selected. Construction workers will be hired through local trade unions at prevailing wages. About three-fourths of the operational employees will be members of the Paducah nuclear workers' union, said Philip Foley, president of the local. "We have a good relationship with UDS, and we're trying to stay on top of the schedule," he said. Foley added that cleanup projects like the recycling plant are badly needed to replace the 1,300 jobs lost when the enrichment plant closes starting in 2010. Jay Stoll, president of the plant security workers' union, said the project will generate a few security jobs, but he doesn't know how many. Stoll said he was more concerned about the level of security for the conversion factory in light of a request by DOE Site Manager Bill Murphie that guards not be armed for the groundbreaking, which took place outside the security fence. Despite the request, some guards were armed, including those strapped with military rifles. Stoll said the reason was to protect a large group of dignitaries, particularly in light of heightened security since the 9/11 attacks and recent security incidents near the plant. USEC spokeswoman Elizabeth Stuckle said guards grew concerned four times in recent weeks about cars stopped at night in the plant area even though the motorists apparently were not breaking any laws. Murphie said Stoll previously expressed concerns to Whitfield about the level of security needed for the UDS plant. The Energy Department responded that the factory will meet all federal regulations, including security, and determinations will be made as to the level of security needed, he said. "Security was provided appropriate for the event," Murphie said of the groundbreaking. He added that DOE does not have "a blanket position" on the need or lack of need for firearms. ***************************************************************** 59 Pahrump Valley Times: State running out of Yucca project money July 28, 2004 YMP SHORTFALL NEVADA HAVING PROBLEMS CHALLENGEING GOVERNMENT'S BID DUE TO LACK OF FUNDING By STEVE TETREAULT PVT WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON - Nevada is running short of money to challenge the government's licensing bid for a Yucca Mountain repository, a state official and attorneys said Thursday as they applied for a $13.75 million grant to continue their efforts. Nevada managers have directed contract scientists to curtail research into some elements of the Energy Department's nuclear waste proposal, and are negotiating to have Clark County pick up some costs, according to the state's nuclear coordinator. The financial squeeze comes at a bad time for the state - when its lawyers and scientists need to step up for complex licensing hearings that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might convene early next year, said Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. Loux said the severity of the problem is difficult to pinpoint because of myriad uncertainties facing the Yucca project, including a court ruling this month that could force DOE into long delays and relieve some of the financial pressures. "In a world where there are constants, we would be thinking we're in trouble but we may not be," Loux said. Nevada had relied heavily on federal appropriations to pay for its Yucca work, but only got $1 million from Congress last year. This year, no money has been set aside yet for the state. Attorney General Brian Sandoval is suing the Department of Energy for more funding but decisions in that case are not expected until next year. Loux said the Nevada Protection Fund that Gov. Kenny Guinn established for a Yucca Mountain fight contains about $800,000 and that also is being tapped. As its funding has shrunk, state costs have grown to pay a team of lawyers and 25 technical experts that are dissecting the Energy Department's repository science looking for flaws. Loux has said the state projected needs at about $10 million a year through the licensing process that could take four years or longer. On Thursday, Loux and two of the state's attorneys appeared before officials at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ask for close to $14 million. "We are coming to you with hat in hand but with a justifiable argument why we should get assistance," said Joe Egan, the state's lead nuclear waste lawyer. Egan, accompanied by partner Martin Malsch, said Nevada is the only one performing comprehensive research that could add to understanding Yucca Mountain and the science that the Energy Department will put forth to support its repository plan. "It's impossible to penetrate what DOE is doing without credible experts and credible resources," Egan said. "It is essential to determine whether this is a safe project or not and Nevada is the only one doing it." Janet Kotra, an NRC senior project manager, said the agency could decide the state's application by the end of the summer. The decision will be made by Jack Strosnider, head of the agency's nuclear materials safety and safeguards division. But, Kotra warned during the meeting, there are questions whether the NRC can grant the request. She said commissioners in 1985 interpreted NRC regulations to rule out financial assistance for independent application reviews, which is what Nevada has undertaken. Afterwards, Loux said his expectations "are not high" that Nevada will win funding. "But the way we read the regulations, clearly it can be done," he said. Included in the state's request was $2 million to examine repository performance, $1.8 million to continue corrosion research, $800,000 for hydrology work and $600,000 for transportation analyses. Nevada also is seeking $4.75 million to pay its lawyers. State officials said the financial request for attorneys was 31 percent of what the Energy Department has budgeted for its attorneys. For comment or questions, please e-mail webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com [webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com] Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2003 ***************************************************************** 60 DOE: Proposed Agency Information Collection FR Doc 04-17160 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45026] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-49] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before September 27, 2004. If you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed below as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Joseph Konrade, U.S. Department of Energy, EE-2K/Forestal Building, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585 or by fax at 202-586-1233 or by e-mail at joseph.konrade@ee.doe.gov [ joseph.konrade@ee.doe.gov] and to Susan L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division, IM-11/Germantown Bldg., Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290 or by fax, 301-903-9061 or by e-mail susan.frey@hq.doe.gov [ susan.frey@hq.doe.gov] . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Joseph Konrade at the address listed above. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This package contains: (1) OMB No.: 1910-New. (2) Package Title: State Energy Program. (3) Type of Review: New. (4) Purpose: The State Energy Program purpose is to promote the conservation of energy, to reduce the rate of growth of energy demand and to reduce dependence on imported oil through the development and implementation of a comprehensive State Energy Program and the provision of Federal financial and technical assistance to States in support of such program. The State Plan Information Worksheet Form is designed to standardize the State Plan Application in electronic format. Information collected will be stored in a database that will provide program specific information for Congressional, budgetary, and public inquiry. (5) Respondents: Fifty Six States and Territories. (6) Estimated Number of Burden Hours: Burden is estimated at nine hours per state/territory totaling 504 hours. Statutory Authority: This collection of information is in accordance with 10 CFR part 420. Issued in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2004. Susan L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. 04-17160 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 61 DOE: Office of Nonproliferation Policy; Proposed Subsequent FR Doc 04-17161 [Federal Register: July 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 144)] [Notices] [Page 45026] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28jy04-50] Arrangement AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Subsequent arrangement. SUMMARY: This notice has been issued under the authority of section 131 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2160). The Department is providing notice of a proposed ``subsequent arrangement'' under the Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Civil Uses of Atomic Energy between the United States and Canada and Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between the United States and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). This subsequent arrangement concerns the retransfer of 266,300 kg of U.S.-origin natural uranium hexafluoride, 180,000 kg of which is uranium, from Cameco Corporation, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, to Urenco (Deutschland GmbH), Gronau, Germany. The material, which is now located at Cameco Corp., Port Hope, Ontario, will be transferred to Urenco for toll enrichment. Upon completion of the enrichment, Urenco will transfer the material to Duke Energy Corporation for use as reactor fuel. Cameco Corp. originally obtained the uranium hexafluoride under the UF6 Fee Implementing Contract Component. In accordance with section 131 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, we have determined that this subsequent arrangement is not inimical to the common defense and security. This subsequent arrangement will take effect no sooner than fifteen days after the date of publication of this notice. For the Department of Energy. Kurt Siemon, Acting Director, Office of Nonproliferation Policy. [FR Doc. 04-17161 Filed 7-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 62 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Hanford water cleanup not working, report says [seattlepi.com] Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Hanford water cleanup not working, report says By LISA STIFFLER SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER A multimillion-dollar effort to clean polluted water flowing underground from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to the Columbia River is largely ineffective, concludes a federal report released yesterday. And despite the fact that U.S. Energy Department officials know that the effort isn't working well, little is being done to find new approaches to do the job better, states a report from the department's Inspector General Gregory Friedman. Groundwater is already draining into the Columbia tainted with pollutants at levels that could potentially harm juvenile salmon, cleanup officials said. The audit from the Energy Department inspector general found that the department has spent more than $85 million over the past eight years to clean up groundwater. The plan is to continue spending $8 million a year on systems that pump the water out of the ground so that toxic chemicals and radioactive contaminants can be removed and the water returned to the ground -- a process known as "pump and treat." This strategy remains in place, although it's "not effectively remediating Hanford's groundwater," the report says. Audit recommendations include shutting down ineffective treatments, talking to interested parties about the amount of clean up that should be done, establishing goals and working on new technologies. A response to the audit was provided by Jessie Roberson, an Energy Department assistant secretary for environmental management until her July 15 resignation. In her June 29 letter, Roberson largely agreed with the suggestions, saying they were consistent with current cleanup plans at the site, and that the agency plans to begin a study of treatment alternatives this fall. Independent critics are also concerned about plans being considered to leave more radioactive waste buried at the site, increasing the risk of further contamination, though the department says that isn't the case. Critics also worry that the acknowledgement that the cleanup isn't working will provide an excuse for the department to give up on the project. Officials with other agencies stress that isn't an option. "Our goal is still to return these waters to drinking water standards as soon as possible," said Dennis Faulk, Hanford groundwater program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "It's not as easy as throwing up your hands and saying 'I quit,' though I do think they'd like to do that at times," he said. In May, Washington state officials rejected an Energy Department request to temporarily stop a pump-and-treat system that was deemed insufficient in one part of the reservation. Instead, the state argued that federal officials should propose a new course of action in writing before making changes. The Energy Department agreed to continue treatment in the interim. For decades following the creation of Hanford in the 1940s, 450 billion gallons of waste from the production of weapons-grade plutonium was dumped onto the desert soil of the Eastern Washington site. The dangerous waste was flushed into the soil and groundwater. The pump-and-treat systems are removing some of the contaminants, and work has been done to cap wells and water lines that could add to the pollution and speed its flow toward groundwater, Faulk said. There are also plans to spend $230 million on surface barriers to slow the spread of the pollution, but this "may be inconsistent" with final cleanup goals that must be agreed upon by a diverse group of interested parties including other government agencies and tribes, the audit said. "The fact that they can't seem to come up with the technology to clean up the groundwater could lead to future disaster for the Columbia River and people living here," said Tom Carpenter, director of the nuclear oversight program for the Government Accountability Project, or GAP, a watchdog group. GAP and Robert Alvarez, an adviser to the energy secretary in the Clinton administration, released a study earlier this week by Alvarez that found more radiation than previously planned will be buried at Hanford, which could increase the risk of contaminated groundwater. A technical consultant to the Energy Department rebutted those claims. This report includes information from The Associated Press. P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com [newmedia@seattlepi.com] ©1996-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Terms of Service/Privacy ***************************************************************** 63 Tri-City Herald: Hanford ground water cleanup criticized This story was published Wednesday, July 28th, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Programs to clean up chemical and radioactive contamination in the ground water beneath the Hanford nuclear reservation have made little progress, according to an audit released Tuesday by the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General. Production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program has left 80 square miles of Hanford with ground water contaminated above drinking water standards. Some of the contamination has reached the Columbia River. DOE has attacked the problem with five plants to treat water pumped out of the ground before it reaches the river. Once some or all of the contaminants are removed, the water is returned to the ground farther from the river. The audit called the program "largely ineffective." Some contamination bypasses wells that are not in the correct place to remove water for treatment before it reaches the river, the report found. Other types of contaminants bond to sediments in the ground water, making them difficult to extract and treat. In addition, even though production has stopped at Hanford, contaminants continue to enter the ground water. An estimated 450 billion gallons of liquid waste, some containing radionuclides and hazardous chemicals, have been released to the ground at Hanford since World War II. The theory in the site's early years was that the environment could be used to dilute and disperse contamination. Untreated contamination in the soil continues to taint the ground water, and unprocessed contaminated ground water leaches directly into the Columbia River, the audit pointed out. "(Hanford) risks the further contamination of ground water and the continued expenditure of funds on a largely ineffective technology," the audit said. DOE spent more than $85 million over the past eight years and will continue to spend about $8 million a year to operate pump-and-treat systems. DOE has agreed previously that its pump-and-treat system for a radioactive strontium plume near the Columbia River is ineffective. The audit said that from 1995 to 2002, the system removed 1.3 curies of strontium. At the same time, 319.3 curies naturally decayed in the ground water. The pumping part of the program has been more successful, collecting contaminated water near the river and adding it to the ground farther away to allow decay before it reaches the area near the river again. DOE has proposed stopping the program to get a baseline reading on contamination and then trying a new approach. That could be using trenches or wells to inject minerals into the ground to increase the capacity of the soil to bind the strontium in place while it decays naturally. The Washington State Department of Ecology has objected to halting the strontium pump-and-treat program, except for testing, until a new program is in place. Pump and treat does have limited benefits, the state told the federal government. The Department of Ecology says that the contamination would decay naturally in 300 years, but the pump-and-treat program could reduce that by 10 percent, to 270 years. The longterm solution to cleaning Hanford's ground water is developing new and better technologies, the audit concluded. "Despite the recognition that more effective technologies are needed, there has not been an emphasis on developing and deploying new ground water technologies," the audit said. Fluor Hanford, the DOE contractor with ground water cleanup responsibilities, declined to comment directly on the audit. However, Fluor officials said several new technologies are being developed or tested. It will try a new technology for removing chromium at a new pump-and-treat plant on ground water in the D Reactor area. The ground water flow has changed direction and contamination is entering the river, but that problem will be addressed with the new plant. Before the ground water changed course, it had been trapped and treated by an underground chemical barrier that changed the chromium to a nontoxic form. The treatment of chromium has been successful, said Bruce Ford, Fluor's director of ground water remediation. In one area near the river, the pump-and-treat system has worked well enough that Fluor will be able to shut it down in the not-too-distant future, he said. However, soil cleanup will have to continue to keep the ground water from becoming contaminated again. DOE has some tougher problems elsewhere at Hanford. Carbon tetrachloride contamination in central Hanford will need to be treated with alternate technologies when more research is completed. It's heavier than water and gets trapped in soil particles. "We do not have enough information about the distribution of contamination and how it interacts with the soil," Ford said. Central Hanford also has ground water contaminated with radioactive technetium and uranium. Pump-and-treat systems work well on the technetium. But it's not effective on uranium. Uranium, like strontium, binds to sediments in the ground water and is difficult to extract. Fluor is looking at several new methods to treat different contaminants, Ford said. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 64 Oak Ridger: Forensics research at ORNL Story last updated at 11:54 a.m. on July 28, 2004 IMPACT: Video imaging tool has already helped lead to conviction in a Chattanooga criminal case. By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff [paul.parson@oakridger.com] There's always a possibility in a murder case that the killer's actual identity is a secret the victim could take to his grave. However, determining when the victim died could play a role in a suspect literally getting away with that murder or being brought to justice. That's where Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Arpad Vass hopes to make a difference. Vass and his colleagues at the University of Tennessee are examining time-dependent chemical and biological markers in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the cadaver decay process. For example, bacteria from a decaying body can potentially tell investigators something about how long a person has been dead. Vass and his colleagues have done research at the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm" - officially known as the Anthropological Research Facility. Vass is just one of several ORNL investigators conducting a variety of forensics-related research - everything from techniques for finding latent fingerprints that might be left behind at crime scenes to developing a software package to enable law enforcement personnel to more clearly see criminals captured on surveillance tapes. In fact, the video imaging tool that was developed by Ken Tobin, Tom Karnowski and Tim Gee has already helped lead to conviction in a Chattanooga criminal case. The software essentially doubles the quality of the surveillance tapes, which are often fuzzy because they are recycled hundreds of times. ORNL's nanoprobe, which is based on a light scattering technique, is another tool that could be used by law enforcement personnel in their efforts to detect and analyze chemicals, explosives and drugs. ***************************************************************** 65 Daily Texan: UT sought Los Alamos in '90s - Opinion [http://www.dailytexanonline.com] Opinion | 7/28/2004 By Stefan Wray While the U.S. Department of Energy shuts down nuclear labs, and a senator introduces a bill to end the University of California System's management of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a plan is emerging for Texas and New Mexico universities to take over the beleaguered weapons lab. In early July, Los Alamos officials in New Mexico revealed that computer disks containing classified information were missing. This has lead to unprecedented closure of DOE nuclear facilities nationwide to implement computer security measures. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., introduced legislation last week to require the DOE to terminate its contract with UC and appoint an interim manager until a new contractor is selected. UC has managed Los Alamos since 1943. Now a plan is being presented, in bits and pieces and as a new idea, for Texas and New Mexico universities to partner and run Los Alamos. But the plan has existed since the mid-1990s. In February, the UT System announced possible interest in the Los Alamos contract, which DOE officials decided last year to open for competition. A number of corporations have also expressed their desire. Texas A announced its interest only last week. UT officials have been coy. They're willing to partner, but won't say with whom. Following Texas A's announcement, a UT vice chancellor told the Austin American-Statesman there have been no talks between UT and Texas A about Los Alamos. Texas A officials, however, began immediately speculating about partnerships with UT, the University of New Mexico and other New Mexico universities. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reported a Texas A vice chancellor admitted that the Texas A and UT presidents have talked about forming a partnership to run the lab. Texas A is serious about partnering with New Mexico's universities, including New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, according to The Albuquerque Tribune. None of this is new. This Texas-New Mexico university partnership plan appeared in December 1995, when then-UT chancellor William Cunningham wrote the DOE and said a group of universities is interested "in ascertaining ... the proper procedure whereby we may compete for the contract to operate [Los Alamos]." The proposed consortium included the UT System, Texas A and New Mexico State University. UT and Texas A nuclear weapons work goes back to 1993 when the two, with Texas Tech University, created the Amarillo National Research Center for Plutonium to advise the DOE, the state of Texas and the Pantex nuclear weapons plant. Leading that consortium was Dale Klein, then a UT Austin mechanical engineering professor, and now assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs. In 1995, Klein became a UT associate vice chancellor just before the UT System notified the DOE of its interest in managing Los Alamos. In public statements, he has denied talking with UT officials about Los Alamos and said his work on a DOE commission had nothing to do with the UT System. But Klein may have played a role in crafting this early Texas-New Mexico university plan. He likely maintains interest today. Whether Klein and Texas advocates in Washington have a hand in decisions on the lab's management next year depends partly on the November election outcome. A victory by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., would bring new leadership to the DOD, the DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration that has decision-making power over future management. Regardless of the election outcome, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, will continue to strongly support Texas universities. She will likely back this Texas-New Mexico university partnership plan to run Los Alamos. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., may also support this partnership. Although Domenici doesn't support Allard's bill to terminate UC's contract, he has become critical of the system's management. By advancing the Texas-New Mexico partnership plan in a piecemeal fashion, the universities are generating mystique about cooperation between rival Texas institutions. More attention is being paid to which universities will work together, rather than to whether universities should be developing nuclear weapons. The UT System should stop pretending it doesn't know what it's doing and admit it's been talking to Texas A about Los Alamos for a long time. As a nation, we should ask whether we still need to research, develop and produce nuclear weapons - and whether it's a university's business to do so. Stefan Wray is a UT alum, activist, writer and filmmaker in Austin. As Co-Director of Iconmedia, he is working on a documentary about the Los Alamos National Laboratory, called "The WMDs Are In New Mexico." He works with UTNukeFree.org. [http://utnukefree.org] ***************************************************************** 66 [du-list] DU in the news - 29 July 04 Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:07:04 -0700 GROUND BROKEN ON DUF6 PLANT 94Country WKKJ - Chillicothe,Ohio,USA The plant will convert depleted uranium to a safer form. It's expected to employ nearly 200 workers. Ground was broken for the construction ... <http://www.wkkj.com/cc-common/feeds/view.php?feed_id=188&feed=/localnews.html&instance=1&article_id=5708> TIME to Compensate 'Gulf War Syndrome' Victims - Expert The Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK ... Troops' exposure to depleted uranium, organophosphate pesticides, smoke from burning oil wells, nerve gas, and experiencing the first ever mass use of nap ... <http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3265728> See all stories on this topic: <http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&num=30&hl=en&client=google&newsclusterurl=http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm%3Fid%3D3265728> CANCER Spreads Like Wildfire In Iraq Turks.US - USA Depleted uranium (DU) used by the United States and its allies against Iraq has taken its toll on around120 , 000to140 , 000Iraqis, according to the latest ... <http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20040728092303616> FREED in Iraq, Japanese Hostages Experience Second Ordeal at Home Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - Middle East ... profession teeming with leftists. Last year Noriaki set up an NGO to campaign for a ban on depleted uranium weapons. This led to his ... <http://www.wrmea.com/archives/July_Aug_2004/0407038.html> DECEPTION was Marine recruiter's game Brattleboro Reformer - Brattleboro,VT,USA ... covered up. The military has used depleted uranium munitions in the war, he said, shooting the armor-piercing ammo at vehicles. ... <http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~2298883,00.html> NUCLEAR fuel report just another coverup? The Japan Times - Japan ... The meeting was held to study the draft of a safety agreement for trial operations using depleted uranium at the reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho. ... <http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040728f1.htm> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT 3823c.jpg 38282.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Attachment Converted: 3823c.jpg: 00000001,56769497,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: 38282.jpg: 00000001,56769498,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 67 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 13:28:33 -0700 (PDT) IRAN Seeking Nuclear Boost - Diplomats The Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK Iran is trying to make or buy a substance that has peaceful uses but can also be used to boost the power of a nuclear explosion, diplomats said today. ... See all stories on this topic: NORTH Korean Nuclear Talks Negotiator Reportedly Coming to US Voice of America - Washington,DC,USA A key North Korean delegate to six-party nuclear talks is to make a rare trip to the United States next month. Japanese and South ... See all stories on this topic: PG&E on hunt for missing nuclear fuel at Eureka plant MSNBC - USA ... said Tuesday it's still no closer to solving the mysterious whereabouts of four pounds of radioactive nuclear fuel missing from its shuttered Humboldt Bay ... INTERNATIONAL pressure must stop Iran's nuclear ambitions: Israeli ... Channel News Asia - Singapore JERUSALEM : Iran's nuclear ambitions in the military area should be stopped by international pressure, Israeli army chief General Moshe Yaalon. ... See all stories on this topic: NT to outlaw national nuclear waste dump ABC Online - Australia The Northern Territory Chief Minister has announced her Government will introduce legislation to block a Commonwealth nuclear waste dump in the Territory. ... See all stories on this topic: NUCLEAR fuel rods may stay for years Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield,MA,USA NORTH ADAMS -- City councilors voiced some concern at last night's meeting over ongoing decommissioning procedures at the Yankee Rowe nuclear power plant. ... See all stories on this topic: SPANISH nuclear plant to close in 2006 SpaceDaily - USA Spain's nuclear plant at Zorita, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) north east of Madrid will close at the end of April 2006, a spokesman for operator Union Fenosa ... FOUR teams compete for nuclear contract at INEEL KTVB - Boise,ID,USA IDAHO FALLS -- Four teams have filed proposals to run the Idaho National Laboratory's nuclear energy research for ten years beginning in 2005. ... See all stories on this topic: BOTSWAN, Southern Africa nuclear-free Republic of Botswana - Gaberones,Botswana GABORONE - Government has denied reports that it collaborated with South Africa, Israel and the United States to install a nuclear facility at the Moremi ... BUILDING of new nuclear power plant approved in Zhejiang Xinhua - China HANGZHOU, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently approved construction of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in east China's Zhejiang ... 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/ ***************************************************************** 68 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 18:27:54 -0700 (PDT) RUSSIA Denies Nuclear Negotiations with Iran Voice of America - Washington,DC,USA ... has denied reports a Russian firm is negotiating with Iran over the sale of a dual-use substance that can be used to boost the power of nuclear explosions. ... See all stories on this topic: FOUR pounds of nuclear fuel missing from power plant San Jose Mercury News (subscription) - San Jose,CA,USA EUREKA, Calif. - Four pounds of radioactive nuclear fuel went missing from a shuttered nuclear power plant near Eureka. Pacific ... See all stories on this topic: PAKISTAN-CHINA in nuclear plant deal Gulf Daily News - Manama,Bahrain ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally approved proposals to build a new nuclear power plant with help from longtime ally China, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz said ... See all stories on this topic: VANUNU claims Israel has 100-200 nuclear weapons Maariv International - Israel It includes allegedly secret details regarding Israel’s nuclear plan. ... He also said he would try to develop his expertise in nuclear warfare. ... See all stories on this topic: SHAUKAT rules out freezing of nuclear program PakTribune.com - Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday declared that question of freezing, capping or reducing capability of the nuclear program doesn't arise. ... PAKISTAN approves installation of second nuclear plant with ... SpaceDaily - USA Pakistan's top economic body has approved the installation of a second nuclear power plant to be supplied by China, prime minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz said ... 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/ ***************************************************************** 69 BBC: Wind turbine plans to be Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 July, 2004 [View of the land near Hinkley] The site is near a nuclear power station A public meeting is being held on Wednesday to discuss plans for a wind farm in Somerset. Your Energy is due to submit a planning application next week for 12 turbines near the nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. The meeting is being held at Nether Stowey Church Centre from 1930 BST. Groups for and against the proposals are expected to speak and councillors and local MPs have been invited to the debate. Charles Sandham, director of Your Energy, told BBC News Online: "We will submit our application to West Somerset District Council next week, which has a statutory period of 16 weeks to make a decision. "It is for 12 turbines stretching westwards from the power station, with the first turbine a few hundred yards from the main gate. "They then have to be 320 to 360 metres apart." Greenpeace says the turbines would power 20,000 homes. ***************************************************************** 70 Las Vegas SUN: Kerry camp bringing out celebrities By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU BOSTON -- The Kerry campaign is bringing out celebrities, senators and strategists to make sure the Nevada delegation knows how important the state is to the election. Actor John Cusack stopped by a Nevada delegation breakfast at the 2004 Democratic National Convention this morning saying the Kerry campaign "asked me to come by some of these swing states." "You guys are in the vote-getting business," Cusack said, who spoke for about five minutes. The campaign also sent its strategist Michael Whouley, who has worked with John Kerry for 22 years to remind the delegates of Kerry's leadership and the state's role in the election. "Nevada is a big state for us," Whouley said with his Boston accent. Whouley said some counts may show Kerry behind in important states but that "it wouldn't be a John Kerry campaign if we weren't behind." "I believe in John Kerry as passionately as I believe in anything," Whouley said. "He's my friend." Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell also spoke to the delegates this morning at the request of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to make sure to "put Nevada in the "D" column in November. "It's truly the tossup of tossups," Cantwell said after her remarks. Reid had a funeral to attend but will return to Boston later today, according to his staff. Cantwell praised the senator for his dedication in fighting to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada. The Energy Department plans to store 77,000 tons of spent fuel at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas despite the state's strong opposition to the plan. Kerry has said he would stop the project. Cantwell has nuclear waste problems of her own with million of gallon of high-level liquid waste stored in underground tanks at the Hanford site. She said Kerry spoke to her at the Red Sox game on Sunday that he wants to go over the issue with her. She emphasized that a Kerry administration would have a better energy policy and "no one that's available to the highest bidder." "If there is any place were we can't have the lights go out, it's Nevada," Cantwell said. She has relatives that live in Las Vegas. In an separate, but surprisingly coincidental celebrity run-in, Richard Schiff, who plays Toby Ziegler, the communications director for a fictional Democratic U.S. president on the television show "The West Wing," sat down next to Las Vegas delegate Julie Whitacre in the Fleet Center Monday night. She said he looked at her and said "you must be an important state to have these seats." She laughed telling the story since she could not remember his real name but only as Toby from "The West Wing." She called a friend to say that "Toby" sat next to her, only to be reminded that he is a fictional character. ***************************************************************** 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. 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