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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: N.K. Says Fuel Rods Have Been Turned into
2 washington post: North Korea Resists Talks on Nuclear Arms
3 CBS News: N. Korea, Iran: Twin Nuke Troubles
4 US: [NYTr] US Preparing New Generation of Nuke Weapons?
5 US: BBC: Backlog of terror tapes dogs FBI
6 UN Atomic Watchdog Selects Canadian Ambassador To Lead Its Governing
7 [Fwd: [ISN] U.N. warns of nuclear cyber attack risk]
8 Haaretz: The threat of nuclear terror
9 SA News24: WMD suspects denied bail
NUCLEAR REACTORS
10 US: NRC: Meetings; Sunshine Act
11 ITAR-TASS: Rosenergoatom Concern to hold exercises at NPP in Beloyar
12 US: NRC: NRC Names John Hanna Senior Resident Inspector at Fort Calh
13 US: NRC: NRC Cites Oconee Nuclear Plant for Inspection Finding of Lo
14 US: NRC: Florida Power and Light Company; Notice of Consideration of
15 US: NRC: Safety Light Corporation; Establishment of Atomic Safety an
NUCLEAR SAFETY
16 BBC: N Korea warns on nuclear rods
17 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Bennett lobbied on nuke test vote
18 US: St. Petersburg Times Online: Opinion Nuclear security, Wackenhut
19 AU ABC: Fed Govt rejects secret dump list claims »
20 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Meeting
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
21 US: [shundahaialerts] Skull Valley Gathering Protocols and
22 ThisisLondon: Plutonium ships are targets for terrorism
23 Las Vegas SUN: Trips to Yucca rank high among lawmakers
24 NEWS.com.au: 'Lies' claim on nuclear waste
25 US: Carlsbad Current-Argus: Pearce, Ohio lawmaker tour Avalon dam, W
26 Xinhuanet: Australian govt prefers offshore site for nuclear waste d
27 AU ABC: AM - Govt considers dumping nuclear waste offshore
28 AU ABC: Fed Govt urged to detail waste dump plans
29 AU ABC: Labor opposes nuclear dump in NT: Snowdon »
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
30 Daily Camera: Contractor to verify Flats results
31 Tri-City Herald: DOE audit finds degrees from diploma mills
32 Colorado Daily: Who tests the testers?
33 Colorado Daily: Back to court
OTHER NUCLEAR
34 BBC: Oil prices ease back from highs
35 SFSS: Electricity could be weeks away for some as FPL rebuilds syste
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: N.K. Says Fuel Rods Have Been Turned into Weapons
Updated Sep.28,2004 16:49 KST
North Korea has made another strong statement about its nuclear
capability. At the United Nations on Monday, a North Korean
minister said his country had made arms from reprocessed nuclear
fuel rods. Though it cannot be confirmed, the comment by Vice
Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon was one of the more explicit
statements from the communist country.
In the past, North Korea has referred to what it describes as its
nuclear deterrent, without using the word weapons. Choe's
statement comes amid troubled international efforts to get North
Korea back to the negotiating table as well as concerns that
Pyeongyang might be planning to test-fire a missile.
Arirang TV
*****************************************************************
2 washington post: North Korea Resists Talks on Nuclear Arms
+ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/]
Meeting by U.S. Election Is Unlikely
By Colum Lynch Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 28, 2004; Page A21
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 -- North Korea said Monday that it will
not resume talks on its nuclear weapons program until the Bush
administration ends its "hostile policy" against Pyongyang and
South Korea publishes complete details of its secret efforts to
produce nuclear-weapons-grade fuel.
The new conditions, which were outlined by North Korea's vice
foreign minister, Choe Su Hon, in a speech before the 191-member
U.N. General Assembly, have diminished the prospects of talks
aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff before the U.S.
presidential election, according to diplomats. Three months ago,
North Korea agreed to participate in a fourth round of six-party
negotiations over the fate of its nuclear program with the United
States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
It remains unclear why Pyongyang is stalling. But the government
has escalated its anti-American rhetoric since President Bush
referred to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, as a "tyrant" last
month at a campaign rally in Wisconsin. The North Korean foreign
ministry responded by calling Bush a "fascist tyrant," a "man
killer" and "human trash."
Choe, meanwhile, warned Monday that the "danger of war is
snowballing" in the Korean Peninsula as a result of the Bush
administration's efforts to "isolate" Pyongyang. "The ever
intensifying U.S. hostile policy and the clandestine
nuclear-related experiments recently revealed in South Korea are
constituting big stumbling blocks to the continuation of the
talks," Choe told U.N. delegates. "The serious situation . . .
makes us unable to participate in the talks aimed at discussing
the nuclear weapon program."
The North Korean's refusal to continue talks represents a setback
for the Bush administration, which is pursuing resumption of
negotiations before the Nov. 2 election to demonstrate its
commitment to end the crisis diplomatically.
"We certainly want to see another round take place," said State
Department spokesman Adam Ereli. "We hope that the North Koreans
will realize that the sooner they return to the six-party format
and begin discussions, the sooner we'll be able to help them deal
with their very serious economic problems. We are continuing to
work with the other parties to the six-party talks to move the
process forward, and it's not something we're giving up on."
The latest nuclear crisis in North Korea began in 2002, when a
senior North Korean official told visiting U.S. diplomats that
the country had a program to enrich uranium. The two sides agreed
to participate in the six-party talks to resolve the matter
diplomatically. The group, which first met in August 2002, has
held three meetings.
Choe defended his government's decision to develop nuclear
weapons, citing the Bush administration's embrace of a policy of
preemptive action against nuclear weapons proliferators and
Bush's designation of North Korea, along with Iran and the former
regime in Iraq, as members of an "axis of evil."
He said that North Korea is willing to dismantle its nuclear
weapons program as part of a step-by-step agreement -- which Choe
dubbed "reward for freeze" -- that would require compensation for
billions of dollars in losses Pyongyang maintains it incurred in
developing its nuclear program.
"Our demand is simple and plain," he said in a statement read to
reporters after the speech. "It is for the U.S. to commit itself
to non-aggression guarantee and normalize relations with the DPRK
[the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and refrain from
impeding the economic transactions between the DPRK and other
countries. Our demand is also for the U.S. to make due
compensation for the freeze and dismantlement of nuclear
facilities that we have built with huge investment, tightening
our belts."
The Bush administration has said that it is prepared to consider
easing sanctions on Pyongyang and offering security assurances
once it can verify that the government is serious about scrapping
its nuclear program. But the administration maintains that it is
unwilling to pay Pyongyang to halt its program, citing its
failure to abide by an agreement with the Clinton administration
to forgo its nuclear weapons ambitions in exchange for Western
funding for two light-water nuclear reactors, which cannot be
easily converted to produce weapons-grade fuel.
*****************************************************************
3 CBS News: N. Korea, Iran: Twin Nuke Troubles
| September 28, 2004 10:48:01
[http://www.cbsnews.com]
Iran Rejects Nuke Ban
(Photo: AP / CBS)
"Our deterrent is, in all its intents and purposes, the
self-defensive means to cope with the ever increasing U.S.
nuclear threats and further, prevent a nuclear war in northeast
Asia."
Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon
Mohammed Khatami, Iran's reform-minded president, has taken a
defiant stance toward the international nuclear watchdog.
(Photo: AP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's government claims a nuclear
bomb is a necessary deterent against U.S. plans for invasion.
(Photo: AP (file))
• The National Strategy To Combat Weapons Of Mass
Destruction (.pdf)
[http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/WMDStrategy.pdf]
Bush Administration strategy to counter weapons of mass
destruction threat in all it's dimensions, including their use
and further proliferation.
(CBS/AP) President Bush is insisting Iran will not develop a
nuclear weapon on his watch. North Korea is insisting it is well
on its way to doing so.
"My hope is that we can solve this diplomatically," Mr. Bush said
of the Iranian dispute in a TV interview broadcast Monday. "We
are working our hearts out so that they don't develop a nuclear
weapon, and the best way to do so is to continue to keep
international pressure on them."
Pressed on whether he would allow Iran to build a bomb, Mr. Bush
said: "No, we've made it clear, our position is that they won't
have a nuclear weapon."
The nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea — the two "axis of
evil" members that the United States has not invaded — are likely
topics of this week's presidential debate on foreign policy.
The other "axis" country — Iraq — was alleged to have a nuclear
program, but no evidence has surfaced to suggest Saddam Hussein
was actively seeking a nuclear bomb. Still, Iraq will also be a
topic for debate, as U.S. troops confront a deadly insurgency
there.
Iran defied international rules announced it had started
converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, a
process that can be used to make nuclear weapons. While insisting
its intentions are peaceful, Iran pledged to continue even if it
means a rupture with U.N. monitors and an end to inspections of
its nuclear facilities.
In June 2003, Mr. Bush said that "the international community
must come together to make it very clear to Iran that we will not
tolerate the construction of a nuclear weapon." But Mr. Bush has
not spoken out so forcefully on the matter since signs emerged
recently that Iran could be on the path toward developing a bomb.
The president made a similarly strong statement about North Korea
last year.
"We will not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea," the
president said on May 24, 2003 at a press conference with
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. "We will not give into
blackmail. We will not settle for anything less than the
complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North
Korea's nuclear weapons program."
North Korea now says it has turned the plutonium from 8,000 spent
nuclear fuel rods into nuclear weapons to serve as a deterrent
against increasing U.S. nuclear threats and to prevent a nuclear
war in northeast Asia.
North Korea said earlier this year that it had reprocessed the
8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods and was increasing its "nuclear
deterrent" but did not provide any details.
Warning that the danger of war on the Korean peninsula "is
snowballing," Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon provided details
Monday of the nuclear deterrent that he said North Korea has
developed for self-defense.
He told the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting
that Pyongyang had "no other option but to possess a nuclear
deterrent" because of U.S. policies that he claimed were designed
to "eliminate" North Korea and make it "a target of preemptive
nuclear strikes."
"Our deterrent is, in all its intents and purposes, the
self-defensive means to cope with the ever increasing U.S.
nuclear threats and further, prevent a nuclear war in northeast
Asia," he told a news conference after his speech.
In Washington, a State Department official noted that Secretary
of State Colin Powell has said repeatedly that the United States
has no plans to attack the communist country.
But in his General Assembly speech and at the press conference
with a small group of reporters, Choe blamed the United States
for intensifying threats to attack the communist nation and
destroying the basis for negotiations to resolve the dispute over
Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Nonetheless, he said, North Korea is still ready to dismantle its
nuclear program if Washington abandons its "hostile policy" and
is prepared to coexist peacefully.
The State Department official said he hadn't seen Choe's comments
but noted that the Bush administration has long believed that
North Korea has at least one or two nuclear weapons. The
official, asking not to be identified, said the North Koreans
also have made a number of conflicting statements about how far
along their weapons development programs have come.
Mr. Bush and his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, have
modest differences on how to confront the issues of Iran and
North Korea.
Kerry charges that Mr. Bush's Iraq policies "took our attention
and our resources away" from dealing with Iran. His fellow
Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, echoed that
sentiment in a speech Monday.
Kerry holds out some hope that a negotiated solution with Iran is
possible. He said the United States and other nations should
"call their bluff" by offering nuclear fuel for peaceful
purposes, then taking back the spent fuel so it can't be used for
weapons.
If that process fails, the United States could try to ensure that
the International Atomic Energy Agency takes the issue to the
U.N. Security Council, where Iran could face sanctions.
Mr. Bush favors diplomacy, too, though his administration has
been divided on how to deal with it. Some, mostly in the
Pentagon, favor a tougher approach. Others, mostly in the State
Department, believe some accommodation is possible with Iranian
moderates.
On North Korea, the Bush administration has resisted Pyongyang's
demands for written security guarantees and direct talks. The
U.S. has instead relied on six-nation negotiations. Kerry has
said he would talk directly to the North Koreans.
The use of military force in either North Korea or Iran carries
huge risks. North Korea is heavily militarized, with a
million-person armed force and millions more in reserves, as well
as powerful artillery that could kill tens of thousands of South
Koreans in retaliation to any U.S. strike. If the North does
indeed have nuclear weapons, that complicates the matter further.
Any strike against Iran risks alienating more Muslims already
angered by the war in Iraq. And Iran has missiles capable of
hitting Israel. ©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[http://www.cbsnews.com]
*****************************************************************
4 [NYTr] US Preparing New Generation of Nuke Weapons?
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:21:14 -0500 (CDT)
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
[Gee, shouldn't someone call the IAEA about this?]
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Sept/Oct, 2004
http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/2004/so04/so04lortie.html
No Plans for New Nukes Here!
By Bret Lortie
If you thought all the talk about new nuclear weapons was just hot air,
the proposed environmental plan for Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory is a cool reminder that the Energy Department is moving ahead
with plans to ramp up production of plutonium pits and other materials
for a rejuvenated nuclear weapons program.
It has been more than 10 years since Livermore's "Site-Wide
Environmental Impact Statement" has been updated, and the National
Environmental Policy Act required that Energy produce a review to cover
Livermore's planned operations for the next 10 years. The proposal
offers a rare glimpse into the government's plans for the top-secret
weapons lab.
If Energy gets its way, Livermore will be allowed to house twice the
plutonium and work with nearly 10 times the radioactive tritium it does
now, reports the February 21 Contra Costa Times. The lab will also start
research on how to manufacture plutonium pits (nuclear weapon cores)
using modern robotic manufacturing techniques. The lab currently cannot
separate large quantities of weapons-grade plutonium or fabricate the
dense metal into pits, things that Los Alamos National Laboratory
(Livermore's "sister" lab) is able to do.
The nearly tenfold increase in tritium-handling capacity, reports the
February 26 Tri-Valley Herald, would allow Energy to resume nuclear
weapons testing in 18 rather than 36 months if President George W. Bush
ends the 12-year moratorium on nuclear testing. Tritium is used in the
sensitive instruments used to evaluate nuclear explosions.
Livermore scientists would also use the tritium for filling small metal
or glass spheres used as targets in fusion experiments at the National
Ignition Facility--the world's largest laser--whose construction is
beginning to wind down.
Marylia Kelley, executive director of the Livermore watchdog group
Tri-Valley CAREs, says that in the mid-1990s her organization was told
that Livermore would never fill targets on site because the lab is just
too crowded. "Lo and behold," she says, "that is what they want to do.
And every time they increase their tritium workload, more tritium gets
into the environment."
"The most important thing in all this," says Kelley, "is that this is a
10-year planning document--and it demonstrates that this administration
is planning a long-term future for making weapons at the lab."
She says it's ironic that while Livermore is planning to double the
amount of plutonium it can handle (from 1,540 to 3,300 pounds), some
Energy officials want to "de-inventory" Livermore because of security
problems.
Many of Livermore's security problems are linked to the lab's location,
Kelley says. Unlike Los Alamos, where plutonium facilities are spread
out over 43 square miles of remote land, Livermore's plutonium
facilities are crammed into an area just 1.3 square miles in size.
"Livermore lab is unique in the weapons complex because of how close the
buildings are to each other," she says.
"The plutonium facilities are next to tritium facilities, which are next
to both the lab's internal streets and local public roads. There are
people driving right next to the Superblock where work with radioactive
materials takes place. It's a very difficult complex to defend because
it's an extremely crowded site." With nearly 10,000 employees and
subcontractors coming and going through the lab's gates, it is also very
busy.
Kelley adds that more than 7 million people live within a 50-mile radius
of the complex, and there are several airports in the area with flight
paths carrying planes directly overhead. "This is not a place where you
can house plutonium and defend it easily," she says, noting that in
addition to overflights the danger posed by either terrorists or
disgruntled employees is very real.
"This is why Tri-Valley CAREs supports the de-inventorying of plutonium
and highly enriched uranium at Lawrence Livermore."
Where does Kelley suggest Energy do the work? "A good deal of the work
done at this lab duplicates the work done at Los Alamos," she says, and
her organization rejects the idea that new labs need to be built if
Livermore's plutonium and tritium-handling capacities are not increased.
"This is an opportunity to make Lawrence Livermore safer and to build
down the dangerous, duplicated, and unnecessary activities of the
nuclear complex.
"If you want to maintain the current arsenal, you do need some plutonium
capacity, but what exists at Los Alamos is far in excess of what's
needed. But if you're hell-bent on new weapons, what's planned for
Livermore is exactly what you'd do."
Another dangerous proposal in the Livermore plan is to triple the
at-risk limit for how much plutonium can be in a single room at one
time. The amount requested is not arbitrary but linked to specific
projects such as developing prototype plutonium bomb cores and new
processes for separating plutonium with lasers. "They want to be able to
do anything they want to do and not tell anyone about it," says Kelley.
"We think this is extremely dangerous for the community and for
proliferation. New nuclear weapons seem to absolutely be their intent.
What's new is that this is now being disclosed."
Does Kelley think the plan can be stopped? "If the public, scientific
community, and our legislators come together to oppose these actions,
they're stoppable," she says. Energy plans on proposing a "record of
decision" by January 2005, when the agency will advance its decision to
expand activities at Livermore. Kelley says that if Energy chooses to go
forward with the plan, her organization will consider litigation.
"It's a shocking blueprint for an increasingly aggressive and robust
nuclear weapons program," Kelley concludes. "And we're going to stop it
if we can.
"It's a moral, scientific, and political imperative."
[Bret Lortie is the Bulletin's former managing editor. ]
(c) 2004 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
*
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5 BBC: Backlog of terror tapes dogs FBI
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 September, 2004
[FBI director Robert Mueller]
FBI director Robert Mueller says improvements are being made
The FBI has a backlog of hundreds of thousands of hours of
untranslated audio recordings from possible terror suspects, a
federal audit has found.
Three years after the 11 September attacks, the FBI has more than
123,000 hours of audio intercepts that it has not translated, the
report said.
The report is an edited summary of a classified audit completed
in July for the Justice Department.
The FBI is recruiting more linguists for Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and
Pashto.
The report found that the FBI's electronic intercepts of those
languages - used in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan -
have increased by 45% since the attacks on New York and
Washington.
Computer problems
The number of FBI linguists has risen from 883 to 1,214 in the
last three years and the agency says it is recruiting as quickly
as possible.
FBI director Robert Mueller has said that one difficulty is
finding qualified people who can pass the required security
checks to carry out intelligence work.
Another problem for the FBI is limited computer storage capacity.
In some cases, potentially crucial surveillance material is being
automatically deleted before it can be reviewed, the audit found.
The audit was the first of the FBI's translating capabilities
since 11 September. It made 18 recommendations for the agency,
many of which have already been put into place, the report said.
Two messages intercepted by the National Security Agency the day
before the 11 September attacks said, "tomorrow is zero hour" and
"the match is about to begin".
They were not translated until days later.
Funding for the FBI's language services has increased from $21.5m
to $70m since the 11 September attacks.
*****************************************************************
6 UN Atomic Watchdog Selects Canadian Ambassador To Lead Its Governing Board
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 13:00:55 -0400
X-Sender-Hostname: mx3.un.org
X-Temp-Whitephrase: YES nuclear
UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG SELECTS CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO LEAD ITS GOVERNING
BOARD
New York, Sep 28 2004 1:00PM
The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has chosen Canadian Ambassador
Ingrid Hall to serve as the Chair of its Board of Governors
for the 2004-2005 working year.
Ms. Hall, who takes over from Antonio Núñez García-Saúco of Spain,
heads a 35-member Board of Governors at the Vienna-based International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Board also <"http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/Board/">elected
Pakistan's Parvez Butt and
Poland's Jerzy Niewodniczanski as Vice-Chairpersons for the year
ahead.
The Board's responsibilities include supervising the IAEA's budget
and programme, considering applications by nations for membership,
approving safeguards agreements and appointing the Director-General.
The countries currently represented on the board are: Algeria, Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France,
Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea,
Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal,
the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa,
Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States,
Venezuela, Viet Nam and Yemen.
2004-09-28 00:00:00.000
________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml
*****************************************************************
7 [Fwd: [ISN] U.N. warns of nuclear cyber attack risk]
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:56:01 -0700
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [ISN] U.N. warns of nuclear cyber attack risk
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 04:13:39 -0500 (CDT)
From: InfoSec News
Reply-To: isn@c4i.org
To: isn@attrition.org
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/9592
By Kevin Poulsen
SecurityFocus
Sept 27 2004
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency warned Friday of growing
concern about cyber attacks against nuclear facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in a statement
that it was developing new guidelines aimed at combating the danger of
computerized attacks by outside intruders or corrupt insiders. "For
example, software operated control systems in a nuclear facility could
be hacked or the software corrupted by staff with insider access," the
group said.
The IAEA's new guidelines on "Security of Information Technology
Related Equipment and Software Based Controls Against Malevolent Acts"
are being finalized now, said the agency. The announcement came out of
the agency's 48th annual general conference attended by 137 nations.
Last year the Slammer worm penetrated a private computer network at
Ohio's idled Davis-Besse nuclear plant and disabled a safety
monitoring system for nearly five hours. The worm entered the plant
network through an interconnected contractor's network, bypassing
Davis-Besse's firewall.
News of the Davis-Besse incident prompted Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)
last fall to call for U.S. regulators to establish cyber security
requirements for the 103 nuclear reactors operating in the U.S.,
specifically requiring firewalls and up-to-date patching of security
vulnerabilities. By that time the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) had already begun working on an official manual to guide plant
operators in evaluating their cybersecurity posture.
But that document, finalized this month, "is not directive in nature,"
says Jim Davis, director of operations at the Nuclear Energy
Institute, an industry association. "It does not establish a minimum
level of security or anything like that. That isn't the purpose of the
manual."
A related industry effort will establish management-level cyber
security guidelines for plant operators, says Davis, who believes
industry efforts are sufficient. "I think we are taking it
seriously... and I think if the industry doesn't go far enough in this
area we'll see more attention from regulators."
Neither the NRC manual nor the industry guidelines will be made
public.
Separately, the NRC is working on a substantial revision of its
regulatory guide, "Criteria for Use of Computers in Safety Systems of
Nuclear Power Plants," which sets security and reliability criteria
for installing new computerized safety systems in plants. It would
replace the current guide, written in 1996, which is three pages long.
A working draft of the NRC guide reviewed by SecurityFocus would
encourage plant operators to consider the effect of each new safety
system on the plant's cyber security, and to develop response plans to
deal with computer incidents. Additionally, it would urge vendors to
maintain a secure development environment, and to probe their products
for backdoors and logic bombs before shipping.
_________________________________________
Donate online for the Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes -
http://www.c4i.org/ethan.html
--
Peace,
owlswan
Jus Cogens: From the Latin - "compelling law." Refers to a body of "higher
law" that no country may violate. Genocide, torture or a country's
participation in slave trade, for example, would be considered to be
contrary to jus cogens
*****************************************************************
8 Haaretz: The threat of nuclear terror
Homepage [http://www.haaretz.com]
., September 28, 2004 Tishrei 13, 5765
By Ze'ev Schiff [contact@haaretz.co.il]
The prevailing assessment in the United States is that Al-Qaida
and other large terror organizations are individually making
efforts to obtain fissionable nuclear materials that will enable
them in the future to produce atomic weapons. It is no wonder
that important American strategists are saying that the greatest
security threat to the United States today is a nuclear terror
attack, which will surprise and cause the U.S. a mortal blow.
They believe that if preventative measures against atomic terror
are not taken, then an "American Hiroshima," as they call it, is
almost inevitable.
One of the leading experts who holds this view is Professor
Graham Allison of Harvard University, a former senior Pentagon
official who has participated in numerous conferences dealing
with the nuclear issue. Allison sets forth his firm opinions in
his new book, "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable
Catastrophe" (Times Books), which was published in August and is
receiving a great deal of attention.
In it he also expresses astonishment at the possibility that
nuclear terror is not of concern to Israel, even though it could
well serve as a target for an organization like Al-Qaida.
According to Allison, it is known that in the past Al-Qaida
conducted experiments with chemical and biological weapons as
well as with radioactive materials, the main danger of which is
the creation of mass panic.
Another expert, Professor Paul Bracken of Yale University, who
recently visited Israel, also believes that the danger of atomic
terror is real.
That danger is increasing because of the wild proliferation of
nuclear materials and know-how, as exemplified by the case of
"the father of the Pakistani atomic bomb," Abdul Qadeer Khan, who
sold nuclear know-how to various rogue countries like Iran, Libya
and North Korea. This affair - in which a country that is
considered a friend of the United States becomes the largest
disseminator of nuclear know-how - takes up considerable space in
Allison's book.
Other sources for the spread of know-how and materials could be
Iran and the Confederation of Independent States. There are those
who believe that a pre-nuclear Iran constitutes a danger. Brenda
Shaffer, an expert from Harvard, says that there is a danger of
the loss of control over nuclear materials that have been
produced in Iran and are liable to be sold to various elements.
During the Cold War period, the United States was also under a
nuclear threat from a rival power. However, this danger - as
opposed to the danger of nuclear terror - had an address. Today
there is not even a phone number by which it is possible to
negotiate with nuclear terrorists, and of course there is no
target for a response to a terrible act.
The powers of yesterday, which had at their disposal no fewer
than 22,000 tactical nuclear bombs but also had at least an
address, could lose their safe hold on them. Criminal elements
are liable to sell the small atomic bomb to terrorists, and the
smuggling of such a bomb into the United States would also not be
difficult, according to commentators.
Israel's name often comes up in chapters in Allison's book that
deal with ways to prevent the spread of atomic weapons. Allison
notes three main aims that are essential to any strategy of
prevention, goals that necessitate above all an umbrella of close
international cooperation.
The first aim is to prevent at any price new member countries
from joining the existing nuclear club, whose members are,
according to Allison, the United States, Russia, England, France,
China, India, Pakistan and Israel.
The second aim is to prohibit additional countries from enriching
uranium or extracting plutonium on their own. Instead, an
international bank of enriched uranium will be established, and
countries that need it for peaceful purposes will be able to
apply to the bank.
The realization of this aim will make it easier to achieve the
third aim - getting rid of the fissionable materials that already
exist. With Iran, for example, there will be a need to negotiate
the way in which it will get enriched uranium for peaceful
purposes. This is after it will agree to stop producing it on its
own. Thus far there has been no real international awakening on
this issue, and the truth is that in light of what is happening
in the world, Allison's proposals seem like an ideal vision,
though it is doubtful that it can be realized.
[feedback@haaretz.co.il]
© Copyright Haaretz. All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
9 SA News24: WMD suspects denied bail
[http://www.news24.com/
File photo of Daniel Geiges, left, and Gerhard Wisser appearing
in the Vanderbijlpark court. (Johann Hattingh, Beeld)
Johannesburg - The two men arrested on charges under the
Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Nuclear
Energy acts were denied bail in the Vanderbijlpark regional court
on Tuesday, SABC radio news reported.
Randburg engineering firm managing director Gerhard Wisser and
Daniel Geiges, a director at the company, were arrested earlier
this month.
They face charges relating to the alleged import and export of
equipment that can be used enrich uranium, which can in turn be
used to make weapons of mass destruction.
Similar charges were earlier dropped against Vanderbijlpark
engineering company director Johan Meyer, who turned state
witness.
Last week, the two men's lawyers told the court they had received
death threats and were verbally abused by a government minister.
Edited by Tisha Steyn
*****************************************************************
10 NRC: Meetings; Sunshine Act
FR Doc 04-21767
[Federal Register: September 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 187)]
[Notices] [Page 57978] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28se04-120]
Date: Weeks of September 27, October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1,
2004.
Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland.
Status: Public and closed.
Matters to be Considered: Week of September 27, 2004 There are no
meetings scheduled for the week of September 27, 2004.
Week of October 4, 2004--Tentative Thursday, October 7, 2004 9:25
a.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative). a. State
of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(Confirmatory Order Modifying License); appeals of LBP-04-16 by
NRC Staff and Licensee (Tentative).
b. Private Fuel Storage (Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation) Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI (Tentative). c. USEC, Inc.
(Tentative). 10:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues
(Closed--Ex. 1). 1 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues
(Closed--Ex. 1). 2:30 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues
(Closed--Ex. 1). Week of October 11, 2004--Tentative Wednesday,
October 13, 2004 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Decommissioning Activities
and Status (Public Meeting) (Contact: Claudia Craig,
301-415-7276).
This meeting will be webcast live at the Web
address--http://www.nrc.gov
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] .
1:30 p.m. Discussion of Intragovernmental Issues (Closed--Ex. 1 &
9).
Week of October 18, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings
scheduled for the week of October 18, 2004.
Week of October 25, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings
scheduled for the week of October 25, 2004.
Week of November 1, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings
scheduled for the week of November 1, 2004.
* The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on
short notice. To verify the status of meetings call
(recording)--(301) 415-1292. Contact person for more information:
Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415-1651.
* * * * * The NRC Commission meeting Schedule can be found on the
Internet at:
http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html*
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-makin
g/schedule.html*] * * * * The NRC provides reasonable
accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these
public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or
other information from the public meetings in another format
(e.g. braille, large print), please notify the NRC's Disability
Program Coordinator, August Spector, at 301-415-7080, TDD:
301-4152100, or by e-mail at aks@nrc.gov [aks@nrc.gov] .
Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be
made on a case-by-case basis.
* * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred
subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition,
distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic
message to dkw@nrc.gov [dkw@nrc.gov] . Dated: September 23, 2004.
Dave Gamberoni, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-21767 Filed 9-24-04; 9:34 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
*****************************************************************
11 ITAR-TASS: Rosenergoatom Concern to hold exercises at NPP in Beloyarsk
28.09.2004, 03.20
YEKATERINBURG, September 28 (Itar-Tass) - Rosenergoatom
Concern, that operates numerous nuclear power utilities across
Russia, will hold complex exercises at the Beloyarsk nuclear
power plant near Yekaterinburg on Tuesday.
The previous large-scale exercises of this type were last held
at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant 10 years ago. This time,
observers from the United States, France, China, Ukraine and
Armenia will monitor the exercises, in which the top managers
and personnel of the Beloyarsk NPP, specialists from the
Rosenergoatom crisis-management centre and experts of the group
for assistance to NPPs in emergencies, as well as means and
forces of the Ministry for Emergency Situations and the Russian
Defence Ministry will be taking part.
The objective of the exercises is to improve operational
interaction and information exchanges in the course of clean-up
operations after possible emergencies at nuclear power plants
and to test special hardware and means of communication.
One reactor of the BN-600 series is now operational at the
Beloyarsk nuclear power plant. It is the world’s most powerful
fast-neutron reactor. Rosenergoatom specialists plan to use the
spent nuclear fuel imported into Russia in the fast breeders of
the BN-600 type. The design service life of Power Generating
Unit 3 at the Beloyarsk NPP is 30 years, and it runs out in
2010.
The Beloyarsk nuclear power plant is now building its fourth
power- generating unit that will use a BN-800 breeder with s
capacity of 800 megawatt. It will be commissioned in 2009.
© ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy,
*****************************************************************
12 NRC: NRC Names John Hanna Senior Resident Inspector at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant
News Release - Region IV - 2004-04
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
No. IV-04-040 September 28, 2004
CONTACT: Victor Dricks
Phone: 817-860-8128
E-mail: [opa4@nrc.gov]
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has assigned John Hanna
as senior resident inspector at Fort Calhoun Station, a nuclear
power plant near Fort Calhoun, Neb. He joins Leonard Willoughby,
the resident inspector at the plant.
John Hannahs extensive experience and commitment to safety
will aid the NRC in oversight of the licensee as part of our
assurance that Fort Calhoun Station operates in a manner so as
to protect public health and safety, said NRC Region IV
Administrator Bruce S. Mallett.
Hanna graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a
bachelor of science degree in engineering in 1990. Following
graduation he worked for the U.S. Navy as a shift test engineer
at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
In 1997, Hanna joined the NRC at the Region IV office in
Arlington, Texas, as a reactor engineer. He has served as
resident inspector at the Callaway nuclear plant, near Fulton,
Mo., and at Arkansas Nuclear One, near Russelville, Ark. He has
also served as acting senior resident inspector at River Bend
Station, in St. Francisville, La., and at Turkey Point Nuclear
Plant, near Miami, Fla.
Each of the countrys commercial nuclear plants has resident
inspectors who serve as the agencys eyes and ears at the
facility, conducting regular inspections, monitoring significant
work projects and interacting with plant workers and the public.
The resident inspectors at Fort Calhoun can be reached at (402)
426-9611.
Last revised Tuesday, September 28, 2004
*****************************************************************
13 NRC: NRC Cites Oconee Nuclear Plant for Inspection Finding of Low to Moderate Safety
Significance
News Release - Region II - 2004-05
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region II
No. II-04-052 September 28, 2004
CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416
Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov
[opa2@nrc.gov]
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has determined that Duke
Energys fire response procedures at the Oconee nuclear power
plant, located near Seneca, S.C., were not consistent with the
plants licensing basis for manning of the Standby Shutdown
Facility.
The Standby Shutdown Facility provides alternative controls for
some of the plants systems should those functions be lost in
the main control room. The NRC found that in some scenarios
there may be a delay in the transfer of control to the alternate
facility and resulting problems meeting NRC fire protection
regulations.
The NRC evaluates commercial nuclear power plants with a
color-coded process which classifies inspection findings as
either green, white, yellow or red, in order of increasing
safety significance. The NRC staffs preliminary assessment
concluded that the Oconee finding was greater than green, or
greater than very low safety significance, because it could
affect fire protection defense in depth. After a September 13th
meeting with Duke Energy in Atlanta and further review, the NRC
staff classified the finding as white (low to moderate safety
significance) and issued a violation. The inspection finding
does not represent a current safety concern because Duke has
modified plant procedures to address the issue.
Additional details are available from the NRC Region II public
affairs office or through the agencys document management
system at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in using that
system is available through the NRC Public Document Room at
301-415-4737 or 1-800-397-4209.
Last revised Tuesday, September 28, 2004
*****************************************************************
14 NRC: Florida Power and Light Company; Notice of Consideration of
FR Doc 04-21652
[Federal Register: September 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 187)]
[Notices] [Page 57975-57977] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28se04-117]
Issuance of Amendments to Facility Operating License, Proposed No
Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity
for a Hearing The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-67 and NPF-16 issued to
Florida Power and Light Company for operation of the St. Lucie
Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2, located in St. Lucie County, Florida.
The proposed amendments would allow the licensee to revise the
St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 Technical Specifications to eliminate
certain pressure sensor response time testing (RTT) requirements,
as discussed in the Combustion Engineering Owners Group (CEOG)
Topical Report NPSD- 1167, Revision 2, ``Elimination of Pressure
Sensor Response Time Testing Requirements,'' which was approved
by the NRC staff by letters dated July 24, 2000, and December 5,
2000. Specifically, these amendments revise the St. Lucie Units 1
and 2 Technical Specification Definitions 1.12, ``Engineered
Safety Features Response Time,'' and 1.26, ``Reactor Protection
System Response Time.'' Before issuance of the proposed license
amendments, the Commission will have made findings required by
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the
Commission's regulations.
The Commission has made a proposed determination that the
amendment requests involve no significant hazards consideration.
Under the Commission's regulations in Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.92, this means that
operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed
amendments would not (1) involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated;
or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of
accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a
significant reduction in a margin of safety. As required by 10
CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its analysis of the issue
of no significant hazards consideration, which is presented
below: 1. Operation of the facility in accordance with the
proposed amendments would not involve a significant increase in
the probability or consequences of an accident previously
evaluated.
The proposed changes allow the elimination of pressure sensor
response time testing. Response time testing is not an initiator
of any accident previously evaluated. Consequently, the
probability of an accident previously evaluated is not
significantly increased.
The allocated pressure sensor response times allowed in lieu of
measurement have been determined to adequately represent the
response time of the components such that the safety systems
utilizing those components will continue to perform their
accident mitigation function as assumed in the safety analysis.
Therefore, the consequences of an accident previously evaluated
are not significantly increased by this change. Therefore, this
change does not
[[Page 57976]] involve a significant increase in the probability
or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
2. Operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed
amendments would not create the possibility of a new or different
kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
The proposed changes allow the elimination of pressure sensor
response time testing. The proposed change does not involve a
physical alteration of the plant (no new or different type of
equipment will be installed) or a change in the methods governing
normal plant operation. Thus, this change does not create the
possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any
accident previously evaluated.
3. Operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed
amendments would not involve a significant reduction in a margin
of safety.
The proposed change allows the elimination of pressure sensor
response time testing. EPRI [Energy Power Research Institute]
Report NP-7243, ``Investigation of Response Time Testing
Requirements,'' and CEOG Topical Report NPSD-1167, ``Elimination
of Pressure Sensor Response Time Testing Requirements,''
demonstrate that elimination of RTT does not adversely affect the
ability to monitor instrument performance and capability to meet
design basis requirements.
The proposed change also allows the use of allocated response
times for certain pressure sensors in lieu of measurement of
those response times. These EPRI and CEOG Reports also determined
that allocated response times may be used with no reduction in
the margin of safety provided by the safety systems supported by
those pressure sensors. Therefore, this change does not involve a
significant reduction in a margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR
50.92(c) are satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to
determine that the amendment requests involve no significant
hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received within 30 days after the
date of publication of this notice will be considered in making
any final determination.
Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendments until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this
notice. The Commission may issue the license amendments before
expiration of the 60-day period provided that its final
determination is that the amendments involve no significant
hazards consideration. In addition, the Commission may issue the
amendments prior to the expiration of the 30-day comment period
should circumstances change during the 30-day comment period such
that failure to act in a timely way would result, for example in
derating or shutdown of the facility. Should the Commission take
action prior to the expiration of either the comment period or
the notice period, it will publish in the Federal Register a
notice of issuance. Should the Commission make a final No
Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, any hearing will
take place after issuance. The Commission expects that the need
to take this action will occur very infrequently.
Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Chief, Rules and
Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and page
number of this Federal Register notice. Written comments may also
be delivered to Room 6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal
workdays. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at
the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North,
Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to
intervene is discussed below.
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, the
licensee may file a request for a hearing with respect to
issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating
license and any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the
proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene. Requests for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with
the Commission's ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing
Proceedings'' in 10 CFR Part 2. Interested persons should consult
a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the
Commission's PDR, located at One White Flint North, Public File
Area 01F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible from the
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS)
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web
site, http://www.nrc.gov/
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/]
reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. If a request for a hearing or
petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the
Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or
by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition;
and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an
appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner
in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the
results of the proceeding. The petition should specifically
explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with
particular reference to the following general requirements: (1)
The name, address and telephone number of the requestor or
petitioner; (2) the nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right
under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (3) the
nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's property,
financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the
possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in
the proceeding on the requestor's/petitioner's interest. The
petition must also identify the specific contentions which the
petitioner/requestor seeks to have litigated at the proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the
petitioner/requestor shall provide a brief explanation of the
bases for the contention and a concise statement of the alleged
facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which
the petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the
hearing. The petitioner/requestor must also provide references to
those specific sources and documents of which the petitioner is
aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish
those facts or expert opinion. The petition must include
sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with
the applicant on a material issue of law or fact. Contentions
shall be limited to matters within the scope of the amendments
under consideration. The contention must be one which, if proven,
would entitle the petitioner to relief. A petitioner/requestor
who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least
one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to
intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the
conduct of the hearing.
If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final
[[Page 57977]] determination on the issue of no significant
hazards consideration. The final determination will serve to
decide when the hearing is held. If the final determination is
that the amendment requests involve no significant hazards
consideration, the Commission may issue the amendments and make
it immediately effective, notwithstanding the request for a
hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance of the
amendments. If the final determination is that the amendment
requests involve a significant hazards consideration, any hearing
held would take place before the issuance of any amendments.
Nontimely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission or the
presiding officer of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that
the petition, request and/or the contentions should be granted
based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR
2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii). A request for a hearing or a petition for
leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001,
Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier,
express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking
and Adjudications Staff; (3) E-mail addressed to the Office of
the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
hearingdocket@nrc.gov [hearingdocket@nrc.gov] ; or (4) 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. A copy of the request for
hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent
to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that
copies be transmitted either by means of facsimile transmission
to 301-415-3725 or by email to
OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov [ OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] . A copy of the
request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should
also be sent to M.S. Ross, Attorney, Florida Power & Light, P.O.
Box 14000, Juno Beach, Florida 33408-0420, attorney for the
licensee.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendments dated November 21, 2003, which is
available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located
at One White Flint North, File Public Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly
available records will be accessible from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public
Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site,
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]
. 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, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov
[pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of
September 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brendan T. Moroney, Project Manager, Section 2, Project
Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-21652 Filed 9-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
15 NRC: Safety Light Corporation; Establishment of Atomic Safety and
FR Doc 04-21654
[Federal Register: September 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 187)]
[Notices] [Page 57977] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28se04-118]
Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation by the Commission dated
December 29, 1972, published in the Federal Register, 37 FR 28710
(1972), and the Commission's regulations, see 10 CFR 2.104,
2.300, 2.303, 2.309, 2.311, 2.318, and 2.321, notice is hereby
given that an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is being
established to preside over the following proceeding: Safety
Light Corporation, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania Site (Materials
License Amendment).
This proceeding concerns a request for hearing submitted on
August 30, 2004, by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection in response to a June 23, 2004 notice of opportunity
for hearing regarding a proposed amendment to the 10 CFR Part 30
byproduct materials licenses of the Safety Light Corporation
(SLC) that would (1) renew SLC's licenses to manufacture devices
containing tritium at its Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania facility; and
(2) authorize decommissioning of contaminated portions of that
facility. The notice was published in the Federal Register on
June 30, 2004 (69 FR 39515).
The Board is comprised of the following administrative judges: E.
Roy Hawkens, Chair, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Ann M. Young, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Dr. Peter S. Lam, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
All correspondence, documents, and other materials shall be filed
with the administrative judges in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302.
Issued at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of September 2004.
G. Paul Bollwerk, III, Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel.
[FR Doc. 04-21654 Filed 9-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
16 BBC: N Korea warns on nuclear rods
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 September, 2004
[North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon speaks to
reporters at the office of his UN Mission in New York, Monday,
Sept. 27, 2004]
Mr Choe blamed the nuclear impasse on Washington
North Korea has said it has turned plutonium from 8,000 spent
fuel rods into nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Vice Foreign Minister Choe
Su-hon said the weapons were needed for "self-defence" against
"US nuclear threat".
Pyongyang has said before that it had reprocessed the rods, but
has not been specific about how the material was subsequently
used.
Seoul has estimated that 8,000 rods is enough for up to eight
weapons.
In his speech to the General Assembly, Mr Choe again blamed the
US' "hostile policy" for the nuclear stand-off.
He was then asked in a news conference afterwards what the North
Korean nuclear deterrent entailed.
"We have already made clear that we have already reprocessed
8,000 wasted fuel rods and transformed them into arms," he said.
Asked if the fuel had been turned into actual weapons, he replied
"We declared that we weaponised this."
Missile test
Pyongyang is also known to have missiles, and in recent days US
and South Korean intelligence has picked up signs a missile test
may be planned.
But Mr Choe, in an interview with Chinese state news agency
Xinhua, denied this as "nothing but rumours".
Six-nation talks on the nuclear issue, which were due to have
resumed before the end of September, have been put on hold since
Pyongyang made clear its dissatisfaction with Washington's
stance.
Analysts believe North Korea has ruled out further progress until
after the US presidential election in November.
The North did, however, take part in talks with Japan over the
weekend which focused on missing Japanese which North Korea is
believed to have kidnapped, but Japanese officials said they were
disappointed that Pyongyang did not release more details.
"We don't think that was enough," Chief Cabinet Secretary
Hiroyuki Hosoda told reporters on Monday.
"It's important for North Korea to provide more detailed reports
soon."
*****************************************************************
17 Salt Lake Tribune: Bennett lobbied on nuke test vote
[http://www.sltrib.com]
Updated: 09/28/2004 01:59:58 AM
The senator is getting pressure from anti-testing groups and the
administration
By Christopher Smith The Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - The fight over future nuclear weapons testing
could come down to a key vote in a Senate appropriations
subcommittee whose members include Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah,
facing a re-election campaign in which the prospect of renewed
bomb testing in Nevada has become an issue.
Anti-nuclear proliferation and downwinder groups have
criticized Bennett's past votes to fund research of modifying
existing bombs into "bunker buster" bombs and low-yield
"mini-nukes," claiming it could lead to a resumption of testing
upwind from Utah.
Bennett says he is convinced the Bush administration has no
plans to resume underground testing at Nevada's atomic proving
grounds. Earlier this month he introduced legislation that would
require congressional authorization, environmental impact
studies and public health and safety reviews before testing
could be resumed.
"I do not support efforts to disarm this country, but I
cannot sanction activities which could endanger its citizens,"
he said in a statement. "Any decision to resume nuclear testing
must be debated and approved by the Congress, not carried out in
private by the executive branch."
Paul Van Dam, a former Democratic Utah attorney general who
is vying to unseat Bennett in November, wants to permanently ban
testing and opposes funding new nuclear weapons studies, arguing
such studies threaten the health of future generations of
Utahns and "takes away our ability to ask other nations to
refrain from developing weapons of their own."
In anticipation of Bennett's scheduled Sept. 8 vote on the
funding for nuclear bomb studies in the Senate Energy
Appropriations Subcommittee that was postponed at the last
minute, the nonprofit groups Physicians for Social
Responsibility and HEAL Utah paid for radio ads urging listeners
to ask Bennett to oppose the administration's funding requests.
In June, Utah's three House members - Republicans Chris Cannon
and Rob Bishop and Democrat Jim Matheson - voted with an
overwhelming majority in favor of a 2005 Energy Department
spending plan that eliminates funding studies and also rejects
requests to get the Nevada Test Site primed to resume underground
bomb tests within 18 months if needed. The bill included the
GOP-led budget committee's scathing denunciations of the DOE's
"obsession" to "advance the most extreme new nuclear weapon goals
irrespective of any reservations expressed by Congress."
Yet three months after the House passed that trimmed-down
budget, the Senate has yet to even get its version out of the
subcommittee where Bennett is the third-ranking Republican.
"If the House's action . . . [is] sustained in this or future
years, it would impede our ability to ensure the effectiveness
of our nuclear deterrent," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham wrote Sept. 8 to Republican
leaders of the House and Senate urging them to override the
House version. "More broadly, it would disrupt critical elements
of our strategy to adapt the nation's nuclear deterrent forces
to the defense needs of the 21st century."
Utah anti-nuclear activists say they hope Bennett will reject
the administration's overtures.
"The Rumsfeld letter shows the administration is twisting
arms to feed its nuclear addiction, and that makes Senator
Bennett's role all the more important," said Vanessa Pierce,
program director for HEAL Utah. "Nationally, many
organizations are turning their focus on the role Bennett plays
in this decision because he comes from a state that painfully
understands the ramifications from nuclear testing."
© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.
*****************************************************************
18 St. Petersburg Times Online: Opinion Nuclear security, Wackenhut style
[http://www.sptimes.com/
A Times Editorial
Published September 28, 2004
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created three decades
ago to oversee, as the agency's own publications suggest, "the
potential hazards involved in using radioactive materials." Given
the alarming discovery that al-Qaida operatives possessed
drawings of a New York nuclear power plant, that responsibility
has taken on a new dimension since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Just as alarming, the NRC has ceded much of its security
oversight to a company, Wackenhut Corp., that already is paid to
guard nearly half the nation's nuclear reactors.
As Danielle Brian, director of the Washington-based Project on
Government Oversight, observes in a letter to the commission:
"This is more than a case of the proverbial fox guarding the
henhouse. It is not an apparent conflict of interest - but a
blatant conflict of interest."
The contract is also a frightful excursion into privatized
homeland security. The NRC long has known of the security
vulnerabilities at power plants, and the industry generally has
fought more stringent requirements. Yet when a congressional
report uncovered shortcomings in the live exercises that were
used to test security forces at the plants, the NRC turned to the
Nuclear Energy Institute - the industry's lobbying group - for a
solution. In June, NEI hired Wackenhut.
The most obvious conflict - that the company would tip off its
own security officers to the type of "attack" it was planning -
is more than a conspiracy theory. In January, the Energy
Department's inspector general accused Wackenhut of precisely
such behavior in an exercise designed to test security at a
nuclear weapons facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The report said
Wackenhut security officers in Oak Ridge were told the specific
targets to be attacked and the types of diversionary tactics that
would be used. It also claimed "compelling" evidence that such
practices had existed for nearly 20 years.
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who has been a persistent
congressional watchdog on nuclear plant safety, has demanded that
the NRC take over the security attack exercises. If the
commission won't listen, then Congress may need to speak with the
force of law.
"The only way to be certain that the ... exercises provide an
objective assessment of the adequacy of security at nuclear
reactors is to have the mock terrorist team paid for by the
commission," Markey wrote the agency last month, "and have it
consist of individuals trained in terrorist tactics that do not
have pre-existing ties to any company that currently provides
security services to nuclear reactors."
Markey's prescription amounts only to common sense, which is
what makes the NRC's actions all the more indefensible. These are
exercises designed to protect Americans from terrorist-inflicted
nuclear disaster, yet the NRC has put Wackenhut in charge. [Last
modified September 27, 2004, 22:58:07]
© 2004 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First
Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
*****************************************************************
19 AU ABC: Fed Govt rejects secret dump list claims »
"Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
[http://abc.net.au/]
Tuesday, 28 September 2004
The Federal Government says it has no secret list of possible
sites for a nuclear waste dump in New South Wales or anywhere
else.
Last year, the National Store Advisory Committee devised a number
of suggested locations, including a site at HMAS Albatross near
Nowra on the state's south coast.
But Federal Science Minister Peter McGauran says some were
patently ridiculous and the others were never considered.
Mr McGauran says the Government is in the very early stages of a
new process to determine where the waste will go, but it is not
yet at the stage of searching for any sites.
"We have no list. We don't yet know the size, or dimensions, or
requirements of the facility which will be considered in the
future," he said.
NSW Environment Minister Bob Debus says the Federal Government
needs to come clean with the people of the south coast.
He says there should be a public discussion and inquiry.
"It's obviously the case that people should have some
understanding of the Commonwealth's plans before the election,"
he said.
"The Commonwealth should acknowledge that there is massive
concern about this issue around NSW and a concern that gets
raised every time a new possible site is mentioned." [ more news
] Last Updated: 1:42:00 PM (AEST)
[http://www.abc.net.au/privacy.htm]
*****************************************************************
20 NRC: Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Meeting
FR Doc 04-21653
[Federal Register: September 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 187)]
[Notices] [Page 57977-57978] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28se04-119]
Notice AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice
of meeting.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will convene an
open session teleconference meeting of the Advisory Committee on
the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI) on October 5, 2004.
Purpose: This meeting will be held to discuss the working group's
recommendations on a possible amendment of the current 10 CFR
Part 35, to include adding required hours of didactic training to
sections 35.55, 35.190, 35.390, and 35.290 for the alternate
pathway. During this meeting, NRC staff, the ACMUI, and Agreement
State personnel will engage in discussions pertaining to NRC
staff's recommendations.
Date and Time for Meeting: The teleconference meeting will be
held on Tuesday, October 5, 2004, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Public
Participation: Any member of the public who wishes to participate
in the teleconference discussion may contact Angela R. McIntosh
using the contact information below.
Address for Public Meetings: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Two White Flint North Building, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
MD 20852- 2738.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela R. McIntosh, telephone
(301) 415-5030; e-mail arm@nrc.gov [arm@nrc.gov] of the
[[Page 57978]] Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Conduct of the Meeting: Dr. Cerqueira, M.D., will chair the
meeting. Dr. Cerqueira will conduct the meeting in a manner that
will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. The following
procedures apply to public participation in the meeting: (1)
Persons who wish to provide a written statement should submit a
reproducible copy to Angela McIntosh, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Two White Flint North, Mail Stop T8F5, Washington, DC
20555-0001. Hard copy submittals must be postmarked by September
29, 2004. Electronic submittals must be submitted by October 1,
2004. Any submittal must pertain to the topic on the agenda for
the meeting.
(2) Questions from members of the public will be permitted during
the meeting, at the discretion of the Chairman.
(3) The transcript and written comments will be available for
inspection on NRC's Web site (http://www.nrc.gov
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov] ) and at the NRC
Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852-2738, telephone (800) 397-4209, on or about November 12,
2004. Minutes of the meeting will be available on or about
December 17, 2004.
This meeting will be held in accordance with the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as amended (primarily Section 161a); the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App); and the Commission's
regulations in Title 10, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part
7. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of September,
2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Andrew L. Bates, Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-21653 Filed 9-27-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
21 [shundahaialerts] Skull Valley Gathering Protocols and
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:55:51 -0700
Hello all friends and supporters of a Nuclear Free Great Basin,
In preparing for the Fall Gathering on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation
we would like to provide you with a list of protocols for gathering on
Native American lands, and also other additional information for what to
expect.
What To Bring To Skull Valley:
At the gatherings we try to provide good hospitality, including toilets,
meals, and potable local water. However, the quality of your experience at
desert gatherings depends on personal preparedness.
Things we recommend:
Self-sufficient arrangements for transportation. The nearest airport is
Salt Lake International Airport, and the Greyhound Bus station is also in
Salt Lake City.
Camping gear, shoes and clothing for hot days and cold nights; sunglasses,
sunscreen, hat, water bottle, coats. High-Desert camping means that it can
be either cold or hot, wet or dry. Please prepare for both.
Personal supply of drinking water (one gallon per day), snacks, drinks and
fresh foods, utensils and dishes.
Outreach and promotional materials from your group (and a table). If making
sales, please consider a donation.
Musical instruments, art supplies, banners, signs.
All batteries to operate your equipment, or your own power source for
recharging.
Please be sure to register, as important information is available there
concerning selecting a camp site, cultural guidelines, and the latest
schedule information. A $10 per day share of costs donation is requested,
but no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Limited motel accommodations may be available in Tooele or Grantsville for
those unable to camp in high-desert conditions.
Participating in Community:
We ask all participants in advance to make every effort to familiarize
themselves with the information that will be available on Native protocols.
In this way, we can be respectful of our Goshute-Shoshone hosts and create
a harmonious and enjoyable community for all who attend.
Three meals a day, local potable water and sanitation facilities will be
provided. Please supplement your personal needs as may be required.
First aid, including trained field medics with comprehensive capacity will
be available, but people with difficult health problems are strongly
advised not to attend, for the comfort of themselves and others.
Participant's Nonviolent Guidelines:
As a guest of the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes and participant in the
Nuclear Free Great Basin Fall gathering- I agree to abide by the following
Participants Nonviolent Guidelines:
*I will not bring or use alcohol, illegal drugs, or weapons.
*I will treat every one I meet with respect and courtesy and always conduct
myself in a dignified and exemplary manner.
*I will honor the customs and traditional ceremonies of our
Goshute-Shoshone hosts and all of our Indigenous friends.
*I will participate in and help the camp community to the best of my ability.
*I assume full responsibility for my actions.
*I understand that the Goshutes and Nuclear Free Great Basin organizers do
not condone or encourage any property destruction.
Respecting Our Goshute Hosts:
Gatherings at the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation bring together people
from diverse cultures, religions and backgrounds. Symbols, history,
language and behavior have many different meanings. To promote respect,
peace, understanding and common ground, we ask that you observe the following:
Weapons, Alcohol & Illegal Substances: We request that you do not bring
firearms, alcohol or any illegal drugs. Besides the legal ramifications to
individuals and our Goshute hosts, substances could compromise the medicine
bundles of others. Those who feel that the U.S. laws are wrong must take it
up with that government.
Elders: Elders always go first at meal times. Please be considerate and
watchful over this precious resource. Ask elders to share their thoughts
during discussions, and respect their opinions.
Helping: We are a community, with a short time to be together. A good way
to do that is simply offering to help. Two people can always stake down a
flapping tent or carry a bucket of water easier than one.
Dogs: Please keep your dogs at home. Dogs wandering through ceremonial and
food areas, disrupt sacred circles and stir up dust. Please always keep
your dog at least 50 yards away from the kitchen, ceremonial areas and main
gathering area. Please do not let your dog wander freely during the day or
night, and please properly dispose of any dog doo. Be aware that your dog
needs a lot more water than usual and adequate shade.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a strict policy that prohibits alcohol, illegal drugs, and weapons.
Sunrise Ceremony: This ceremony is a traditional daily practice, which
gives thanks for all that we enjoy and depend upon. The sacred fire must be
respected. Do not put anything other than prayer tobacco into it. Please
leave starting the fire and arranging the wood to the firekeeper. We move
around the fire in a clockwise direction when we pray. Corbin asks that we
each pray in our own way.
Sweat Lodge: Please go only to the sweat lodge area if you intend to
participate in the ceremony. (Women on their moon cannot participate at
this time). This is not a gathering place. Respect the sacred fire. Once
the fire is lit, the ceremony has begun. Please leave your shiny objects
and adornments behind when going into the sweat lodge, as this may offend
others participating in the ceremony and also may burn you in the lodge.
Please respect the Sweat Leader, and ask them before hand if you have any
questions or concerns about the sweat. Please don't spit or get sick on the
rocks- if it gets too hot for you, ask the sweat leader to open the door.
Women/Moon Time: In many traditional cultures, women during their menstrual
cycle do not enter food preparation or ceremonial areas. This is due to
their heightened power at this time, which can overbalance others. There
will be a Women's Space/Moon Lodge area where there will be workshops and
medicinal herbs available. Also, it is asked that women wear shirts that
cover your shoulders and dresses/pants that cover your knees.
Sweat Clothing: Women's attire should be a sweat dress (sun dress) or long
skirt and top. Please keep your shoulders covered and bring a towel, please
no undergarments or bathing suits. Some extra clothing may be available,
check with Registration. Men wear shorts without shirts. No nudity of any
kind is permitted.
Be aware of the ways that came before:
Within many cultures, the natural world is very present. Western ways of
thinking often keep natural ways far away from what can be achieved. Even
in our everyday lives, a respect for the Earth and ourselves can be
difficult to maintain with so many negative influences. Spiritual guidance
is the foundation in which our clarity lies. Through asking our Elders for
guidance we are more easily able to see what direction to turn to honor the
sacredness of life.
Thank you for observing these protocols and for supporting Indigenous
resistence to continued encroachment on Native Land. We look forward to
joining with you in October! Just a Reminder the gathering is from October
8-10th 2004.
In Peace,
The Shundahai Network
Website: www.shundahai.org
Email: shundahai@shundahai.org
Online Fundraising Store: www.cafepress.com/shundahainet
Phone: (801) 533-0128
Fax: (801) 533-0129
P.O. Box 1115
Salt Lake City, UT 84110
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SHUNDAHAI NETWORK--Dedicated to Breaking the Nuclear Chain
Shundahai is a Newe (Western Shoshone) word meaning "Peace and Harmony
with all Creation"
Shundahai Network
PO Box 1115
Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Office: 801.533.0128
Fax: 801.533.0129
mailto:Shundahai@shundahai.org
http://www.Shundahai.org
========================================================
It's in our back yard... it's in our front yard. This nuclear contamination
is shortening all life. We are going to have to unite as a people and say
no more! We, the people, are going to have to put our thoughts together to
save our planet here. We only have One Water...One Air...One Mother Earth."
Corbin Harney -Newe (Western Shoshone) Spiritual leader, Founder & Chairman
of the Board of The Shundahai Network
|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<
Shundahai Network Action Alerts
You have received this e-mail because you either signed up on the Shundahai
Network list, or are considered someone who is interested in these types of
issues.
If you would like to be removed from this list, please send an e-mail to
nationaloutreach@shundahai.org with the word "Remove" in the subject line.
IF you were forwarded this email by a friend and would like to sign up to
this list to receive monthly updates please reply to
nationaloutreach@shundahai.org with "Subscribe Action Alerts" in the
subject heading.
|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<
*****************************************************************
22 ThisisLondon: Plutonium ships are targets for terrorism
www.thisislondon.co.uk
By Mark Prigg, Evening Standard Science Correspondent
28 September 2004
A terrorist alert over two nuclear waste ships was issued today.
The ships will arrive in the English Channel on Friday on their
way to the south of France.
Experts said today if terrorists get on board the vessels, the
results would be "absolutely catastrophic".
The ships contain enough weapons-grade plutonium to create 40
nuclear bombs. Yet just one cannon and a handful of police
protect its deadly cargo.
"They are really a sitting target for terrorists," said Dr Frank
Barnaby, a former nuclear physicist at the UK Atomic Weapons
Establishment.
"Any half-decent terrorist group could get on board easily and
either start a fire or simply take the plutonium on board.
Making nuclear weapons from it is a relatively straightforward
process."
The cargo, which started out from South Carolina in the USA last
Monday, is destined for a nuclear reprocessing plant in south
France via the port of Cherbourg.
It is believed Greenpeace is planning a campaign to try to stop
the ships docking.
The ships used, the Pintail and Pacific Teal, are registered in
Britain so the Department of Trade and Industry takes
responsibility for their security.
A spokesman claimed all necessary arrangements had been made. He
said: "There are armed-response units on board
the two ships, and they are travelling in convoy to protect each
other," a spokesman said. "We have taken every precaution
required by international laws."
However, John Large, a nuclear consultant who recently gave
evidence to the US Department of Energy on the safety of the
ships, said: "This is really a terrorist's dream. To manufacture
this much plutonium would take decades, and this is very, very
high-quality material."
Mr Large carried out several simulations of the effects of an
accident on board the ship and found much of the South Coast of
Britain would be affected.
He said: "This is fine, talc-like powder, and if the wind is
right, it would kill several thousand people and wind could carry
it for around 60 miles."
*****************************************************************
23 Las Vegas SUN: Trips to Yucca rank high among lawmakers
By Benjamin Grove SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress took 159 privately funded
trips to Las Vegas in the past four years on Yucca Mountain
fact-finding missions, often paid for by the pro-Yucca nuclear
power industry, a new study found.
The study, led by Northwestern University's Medill News
Service, also examined the privately funded travel of every
member of Congress from Jan. 1, 2000, to June 30, 2004, and
ranked them by the amounts that private groups spent on travel
for lawmakers.
Congressional rules allow lawmakers to take trips paid for by
lobbyists, academic organizations and private interests.
Lawmakers also take trips paid for by Congress -- taxpayers --
but the Medill study examined only privately funded trips.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., ranked 30th on the list of 583
lawmakers in the survey. There are 535 members of Congress, but
the study dated to 2000 and new lawmakers were elected in 2002.
Berkley had $82,359 worth of travel, the study said. The study
said she traveled for 51 days on nine trips since Jan. 1, 2000,
often with her husband, to places including New York; Taiwan;
India; Barcelona, Spain; and two trips each to Greece and Israel.
According to the study, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., ranked 289th,
with $14,954 in trips. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., ranked 332nd
with $12,235 worth of trips. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., ranked
408th with $6,874 worth of trips. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
ranked 536th with $1,248 in travel.
Nevada was the fifth most popular lawmaker destination, largely
due to trips made by lawmakers to Las Vegas to visit Yucca
Mountain, the proposed site of a national nuclear waste dump.
The nuclear industry lobby group Nuclear Energy Institute paid
for most of the trips.
The Medill study found that overall, private groups paid nearly
$14.4 million for 4,851 trips for lawmakers in the last four and
a half years. Critics say the trips allow lobby groups to buy
access to lawmakers that typical citizens cannot afford. But the
lobby groups say the trips cannot buy votes and they offer
lawmakers invaluable education on issues while saving taxpayer
money.
Some lawmakers took no trips. Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va., took the
most expensive trip in the Medill study, a $31,000 trip to
England in July 2000 paid for by Brown and Williamson Tobacco
Corp.
*****************************************************************
24 NEWS.com.au: 'Lies' claim on nuclear waste
(September 28, 2004)
THE Federal Government was lying when it said it did not have a
completed list of potential Australian sites for a nuclear waste
dump, Labor said today.
A list of 22 sites had been chosen and was being examined by the
government's expert committee, opposition science and research
spokesman Kim Carr said.
But the claim was denied by Science Minister Brendan Nelson, who
said the government was working with professional communities in
the search for a site as a result of Labor having stymied the use
of a potential South Australian site.
"What you've got here is the government proposing, by way of its
expert committee, to identify 22 possible sites for a nuclear
waste dump," Senator Carr told Sky News.
"This is a current list. This is a final list. This is a list
that the government has been using with the states as of the
middle of this year.
"This is list that has identified sites as most suitable and it
is seeking more information.
"The government's claims, that this list is out-of-date, are
wrong."
Senator Carr said the list of 22 sites had been distributed
among the states in the middle of the year.
"(The government) have been lying to the Australian people about
the use of these facilities and the national waste strategy is in
complete disarray," he said.
"The whole operation now is in complete disarray as a result of
a government, frankly, not coming clean with the Australian
people."
Dr Nelson said the list was obsolete and the search for a site
would continue for at least two years.
"Following an almost nine-year process of exhaustively examining
the sites, the state Labor governments, aided and abetted by
(Opposition Leader) Mr Latham and his colleagues, have forced
this to go back to the drawing board," he told Sky.
"At this stage there is no preferred site at all.
"There are no lists and in fact we will now have to work
cooperatively with the broader community, the scientific,
industrial and medical communities, in examining not just
Commonwealth-owned sites in Australia but (also) offshore
location of low-level and intermediate waste at the same time as
the states."
Environment Minister Ian Campbell said an offshore location was
now the government's strong preference.
"The coalition will take responsibility for securing the
Commonwealth's low-level nuclear waste and its strong preference
is to store this waste offshore," he said in a statement.
"The Labor states are responsible for securing their own nuclear
waste."
AAP
*****************************************************************
25 Carlsbad Current-Argus: Pearce, Ohio lawmaker tour Avalon dam, WIPP
[http://www.currentargus.com/]
Updated: September 28, 2004 - 02:47:07
By Victoria Parker-Stevens
Sep 28, 2004, 02:43 am
Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, left, who is also the chairman of
the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations
Subcommittee, toured the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Sunday with
Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. Submitted photo
Congressman doesn’t want to rush pit facility
CARLSBAD — On a rainy Sunday, congressmen watched water flow
toward Avalon Dam and pondered the possibility of even worse
flooding than occurred this spring.
Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, was visiting the area for the first
time, at the invitation of Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.
Hobson is chairman of the House Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Subcommittee, making him the House counterpart to
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.
Hobson also toured the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. He was
joined by Pearce; state Rep. John Heaton, D-Carlsbad; and Mayor
Bob Forrest.
“It was really good to get him out here,” Forrest said. “We
talk to (congressmen) in Washington about funding projects, but
it makes all the difference in the world when they come out
here.”
Forrest said he was impressed with the interest he saw and with
the fact that Hobson would make the trip on a Sunday.
Hobson spoke highly of the cooperation among area officials.
“They’re working hard in this community. There’s a real
synergy,” he said. “I’m hopeful we can be helpful.”
Although not originally on the schedule, Hobson asked to see
Avalon Dam due to its 100-year-old age, Pearce said.
Hobson said he thought the dam should be inspected to make sure
it could withstand any potential floodwaters.
Diverting water from Rocky Arroyo to Brantley Dam also was
discussed, Heaton said.
During April flooding, water came from the arroyo faster than
it could be released from Avalon Dam’s spillway.
Hobson didn’t feel as urgently about siting a pit production
facility, although he spoke highly of Carlsbad as a location for
it.
A year after becoming committee chairman, Hobson’s concerns put
a halt to the process of siting a modern pit facility in
January. Hobson’s committee requested more documentation on the
number of pits needed for the aging arsenal.
A decision on siting the facility, which would produce
plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons, had been expected last
spring.
In contrast to the Senate, Hobson’s committee has not been
interested in funding the pit facility. It also has pulled back
support for other nuclear initiatives, such as new weapons, with
Hobson noting much of the budget is still at Cold War levels.
Results of plutonium-aging studies are expected in the next two
to three years, Hobson said Sunday.
“We’ll have the facility eventually,” he said, adding it was
important not to rush so that the correct decisions were made.
“I don’t know how DOE got so far ahead (in the process).”
Carlsbad was one of five possible pit facility sites the Energy
Department named two years ago.
The WIPP site provides needed capabilities, which is an
advantage for Carlsbad, Hobson said.
The timing also would be good, he said, as the facility’s
projected 2020 opening date would coincide with the operational
slowdown at WIPP.
Hobson said it wasn’t too early to start thinking about that
slowdown, which under a federal Energy Department acceleration
plan could occur in about 15 years.
“The federal government waits until there’s a federal crisis
(to address issues),” he said.
Site expansion studies should begin, he said, noting, “It’s a
good site, and the community seems satisfied with it.”
Hobson said he was impressed with the safety-conscious
atmosphere he saw underground, as well as Carlsbad’s support for
the project.
“The community is to be congratulated for it,” he said. “It’s
certainly needed in this country.”
Hobson also had positive things to say about a uranium
enrichment plant Louisiana Energy Services would like to place
near Eunice, noting it could have benefits beyond Lea County.
Hobson is well aware of the struggles the company has had
trying to site the plant in other states and sees the
receptiveness of southern New Mexico to such projects, Pearce
said.
Forrest said the success of WIPP was the reason the company
found an area of the country that was receptive.
Copyright © 2004 Carlsbad Current-Argus, a Gannett Co., Inc.
*****************************************************************
26 Xinhuanet: Australian govt prefers offshore site for nuclear waste dump
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2004-09-28 17:31:55
CANBERRA, Sept. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Australian Science Minister
Peter McGauran on Tuesday said the government preferred an
offshore site for a national nuclear waste dump instead of
mainland sites.
McGauran dismissed speculations on 22 mainland sites as
obsolete as claims resurfaced that the government has a secret
list of up to 22 sites around Australia for a nuclear waste dump.
McGauran was responding to criticism from the Labor Party and
The Greens after publication of some potential sites.
Labor said the government was lying when it said it did not
have a completed list of potential Australian sites for a nuclear
waste dump. McGauran said the issue was an election campaign
beat-up.
Australia is searching for a permanent site after abandoning
plans for one at Woomera in the state of South Australia earlier
this year.
"We never examined any of those sites because they were so
patently absurd on environment, heritage and social grounds,"
McGauran said.
"What we know is that we have had to start all over again and
look for potential sites to co-locate our low-level and
intermediate-level waste following abandonment of the low-level
site at Woomera," he said.
"We need to take advice on engineering and design
requirements and we are looking at very much, as is our
preference, at an offshore facility," he said. Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
27 AU ABC: AM - Govt considers dumping nuclear waste offshore
"Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
[http://www.abc.net.au/] [contact and search links]
AM - Tuesday, 28 September , 2004 08:28:00
Reporter: Louise Yaxley
TONY EASTLEY: Politically sensitive decisions are difficult at
any time, let alone during the middle of an election campaign.
And when the decision involves where to put a radioactive waste
dump, barge poles come to mind.
Prospective sites have been proposed – usually in someone else's
backyard. In July, the Federal Government abandoned its plan to
put the low level waste dump in South Australia, where it was
threatening to become an issue in Coalition held marginal seats.
But the Government still has to select Commonwealth land
somewhere to store higher-grade material.
Louise Yaxley reports.
LOUISE YAXLEY: In an indication of the political sensitivity of
the site for a nuclear waste dump, the Education and Science
Minister, Brendan Nelson says the Government is still interested
in an offshore facility.
BRENDAN NELSON: What it means obviously, that we naturally would
over the next couple of years, be examining whatever Commonwealth
sites we have, be we'll also be looking at offshore sites for it.
If we begin the process from scratch, it will take the best part
I would think, of about two years to actually go through the
appropriate and necessary processes to find an appropriate site
for it.
But the kind of hysteria which is being whipped up, for purely
political reasons, which I think borders on obscene by some of
the political players including the states, I think does a great
injustice to our need to care for this and look after this
nuclear waste, which is produced for our own human and industrial
purposes, I think does a great disservice to the entire process.
LOUISE YAXLEY: But even at this stage, the battle is raging. The
New South Wales Environment Minister Bob Debus says the State
Government will try to fight it being in his state.
BOB DEBUS: We don't know what the Commonwealth's strategies are.
We don't have any sensible dialogue with the Commonwealth about
these matters. The public of New South Wales doesn't have any
useful information about them.
There was quite recently an inquiry by the New South Wales
Parliament into this whole question of the disposal of waste from
Lucas Heights, and the main conclusion drawn was, that the
process of planning needed to be transparent, that we needed to
have an open dialogue.
We needed to get better, clearer guarantees that any work would
be conducted according to the best possible practice. None of
these things are known to us, and the New South Wales Government
has got no choice but to oppose the establishment of a waste
facility in this state, to oppose the transportation of nuclear
waste, and in the meantime, to ask at the very least, that there
is a sensible dialogue and some honesty about it all.
TONY EASTLEY: New South Wales Environment Minister Bob Debus
ending that report from Louise Yaxley.
[http://www.abc.net.au/privacy.htm]
*****************************************************************
28 AU ABC: Fed Govt urged to detail waste dump plans
"Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
[http://abc.net.au/]
Tuesday, 28 September 2004
The New South Wales Environment Minister, Bob Debus, has called
on the Federal Government to openly discuss its plans for a
nuclear waste dump.
A Sydney newspaper is reporting today that the National Store
Advisory Council has made a list of 22 sites, nine in NSW, for a
low level waste dump.
They include southern NSW sites near Wagga Wagga, Narrandera and
Deniliquin.
Mr Debus says the Federal Government needs to end speculation and
openly discuss its plans.
"The onus really is on the Prime Minister to demonstrate, I
think, to the people of NSW generally that it has some sensible
plans for nuclear waste and storage and that they're safe, and
that he's prepared to engage in some mature discussion with the
community about it," he said.
But the Federal Government has denied the newspaper report, with
a spokeswoman for federal Science Minister Peter McGauran saying
the list is now obsolete.
[http://www.abc.net.au/privacy.htm]
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29 AU ABC: Labor opposes nuclear dump in NT: Snowdon »
"Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
[http://abc.net.au/]
Tuesday, 28 September 2004
The federal Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, says Labor
opposes a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.
Mr Snowdon says a list was compiled by the Federal Government
last year detailing potential sites in the Northern Territory for
a dump.
He says three sites are near Katherine and another is at Pine Gap
near Alice Springs.
Mr Snowdon says federal Labor will not override recent Territory
legislation preventing a waste dump being set up in the
Territory.
"The only way this can be resolved is by working with people, not
behind their back and we are committed absolutely to not
by-passing or overriding state and territory legislation," he
said.
"We simply will not do it.
"We'll find a solution but we'll do it through open and very
transparent consultation and discussion." [ more news ] Last
Updated: 6:04:00 PM (ACST)
[http://www.abc.net.au/common/copyrigh.htm] | Privacy Policy
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30 Daily Camera: Contractor to verify Flats results
[newsroom@dailycamera.com] .
Locals worry about firm's independence in assessing work
By Todd Neff, Camera Staff Writer
September 28, 2004
Local officials and a Rocky Flats watchdog group are concerned
about the independence of an in-house contractor the U.S.
Department of Energy is hiring to help verify the cleanup of the
former nuclear-weapons plant.
An official from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education, which the DOE is using to verify the Flats cleanup,
conceded Monday it appears the institute has a conflict.
It has just two customers: the DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Its offices are in a DOE facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
However, Eric Abelquist, an Oak Ridge Institute project manager,
told the independent verification working group of the Rocky
Flats Coalition of Local Governments his firm hasn't been afraid
to be critical of other cleanup projects.
The working group has been wrestling for months with how to
verify that when the $7.2 billion cleanup is complete in December
2006, lead contractor Kaiser-Hill Co. has done its job.
Members including Broomfield Council member Gary Brosz and
Superior Trustee Karen Imbierowicz questioned Abelquist on Monday
about Oak Ridge's independence.
But the most pointed question came from Erin Hamby, coordinator
of the Rocky Flats working group of the Rocky Mountain Peace and
Justice Center. She compared the institute's relationship with
the DOE with accounting firm Arthur Andersen's business with
Enron.
"Year after year, Arthur Andersen had a contract with Enron,"
Hamby said, referring to the two failed business giants. "If you
contract with DOE/NRC sites year after year, you have a vested
interest in giving them the numbers they want.
"I think in my eyes, there's a conflict of interest there."
Abelquist said he didn't have a "slam-dunk" answer to the
criticism. But he handed out reports from his firm's independent
verification work. One, from mid-September, slammed a
contractor's cleanup effort at Oak Ridge's East Tennessee
Technology Park.
The Oak Ridge Institute already has worked with the DOE at Rocky
Flats to verify the quality of decontamination work in buildings
865 and 771.
In both cases, the institute found too much radiation. At
Building 771, once one of Rocky Flats' worst contaminated, the
additional cleanup required led to a delay in the building's
final deconstruction, which is now under way.
Abelquist also said the Oak Ridge Institute works only for U.S.
government entities to help strengthen independence, not to skirt
it. He said the DOE established an exclusive relationship with
the institute in the 1980s to ensure the outfit doing independent
verification wasn't beholden to cleanup contractors.
Former Broomfield councilman Hank Stovall, who leads the local
independent verification working group, said Oak Ridge's work
should include public meetings and monitoring by outside experts
chosen by local government officials.
Joseph Legare, Rocky Flats cleanup manager for the DOE, said the
coalition's work played a role in bringing Oak Ridge in now.
"I think that's where we were headed this winter, but because of
the community interest, we decided to move it up," he said.
The DOE and Oak Ridge are still working out details of the
agreement, Legare said.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Todd Neff at (303) 473-1327 or
nefft@dailycamera.com.
[http://www.scripps.com] Copyright 2004, The Daily Camera
and the E.W. Scripps Company. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
31 Tri-City Herald: DOE audit finds degrees from diploma mills
This story was published Tuesday, September 28th, 2004
By Annette Cary Herald staff writer
The Department of Energy is tightening controls over tuition
reimbursements after finding some Hanford employees were
reimbursed for receiving degrees from suspected Internet diploma
mills.
An audit by the Office of the Inspector General for DOE of a
sampling of Hanford employees and reimbursement records found
five workers who had been reimbursed for courses at two
unaccredited institutions.
They included an instance of an unidentified Hanford contractor
that paid $2,400 for credits leading to bachelor and master of
science degrees in environmental safety and health from Western
States University for Professional Studies, according to audit
results released Monday.
Western States is an unaccredited institution that offers degrees
for a relatively low flat fee and awards degrees based on an
evaluation of the applicants' experience, according to the audit.
"(DOE) is at risk of making educational reimbursements that
provide minimal mission benefit and may result in individuals
being placed in sensitive positions for which they are not
qualified," the audit concluded.
The DOE audit follows a Government Accountability Office report
in May that looked for high-level federal employees with degrees
from diploma mills that required no academic work.
Among irregularities it found were three management-level DOE
employees with degrees from unaccredited schools. They had
emergency operations responsibilities at the National Nuclear
Security Administration and security clearances.
The GAO report concluded that the problem likely was far greater
across the federal government than the instances it had uncovered
because of the difficulty of acquiring reliable information in
the sample of employee information and schools.
Diploma mills often pick names similar to reputable institutions.
When employment records reported a degree from "Hamilton," GAO
could not tell if it was Hamilton College of Clinton, N.Y., which
is a fully accredited school or Hamilton University of Evanston,
Wyo., which is not accredited by any agency recognized by the
U.S. Departments of Education, according to GAO.
In some cases, colleges and universities claimed accreditation,
but not by agencies that investigators considered any more
credible than the diploma mills.
GAO employees who called Internet universities that required no
academic work were told that the institutions could modify
billing practices to allow them to obtain payments for degrees
from the federal government. Instead of charging their usual flat
fee, they offered to divide the fee by the number of courses a
student would be required to take at a traditional school to meet
federal reimbursement requirements.
The study of Hanford contractors looked at tuition reimbursements
for the fiscal years 2002 and 2003. It did not say which
contractors made the questionable tuition reimbursements.
Hanford contractors have until Nov. 1 to notify DOE in writing
that they have implemented policies to verify that educational
institutions are nationally accredited or otherwise provide
meaningful training before approving tuition reimbursements.
© 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
32 Colorado Daily: Who tests the testers?
By RICHARD VALENTY Colorado Daily Staff Writer
The site cleanup continues at the former Rocky Flats plutonium
trigger facility, and as the countdown to the end of the
decontamination project progresses two logical questions follow:
how will citizens know the site is safe for human activity and
how will people know results of the tests to prove safety are
accurate?
A short answer might be "independent verification," but citizens
such as Erin Hamby from Boulder's Rocky Mountain Peace and
Justice Center wonder if a company that could be hired by the
U.S. Department of Energy to do the verification can truly be
independent.
"I see a conflict of interest there," said Hamby after hearing a
Monday presentation from Eric Abelquist of the Oak Ridge
Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) before the Rocky Flats
Coalition of Local Governments (RFCLOG).
ORISE is currently finalizing negotiations with DOE to perform
verification of a site cleanup by managing contractor Kaiser-Hill
Company.
RFCLOG is a group made up of local elected officials and
ex-officials from municipalities and counties bordering Rocky
Flats.
Abelquist said ORISE has been performing Independent Verification
(IV) work for DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and
other agencies since 1980. The IV contractor would validate
conclusions from a site contractor's Final Status Survey.
"Almost all of our reports list the findings of additional
problems, and the results don't always turn out well for DOE,"
said Abelquist.
Abelquist said ORISE would follow protocols set by the
MultiAgency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual
(MARSSIM), a document prepared by DOE, EPA, NRC and others to
spell out methodology for radiological surveys.
Under MARSSIM, an IV contractor would examine old documentation
to find where radioactive contamination would be likely to be
found at a given site, scan sites that have been tested by the
site contractor for accuracy of testing, and offer
recommendations for further action.
Abelquist said ORISE would test soil samples on the Flats site if
necessary, but the IV procedures should not be considered a
replacement for surveys done by the current regulatory agencies.
On Monday, several RFCLOG members and citizens pointed out that
ORISE makes money from the DOE, and Hamby asked if the ORISE/DOE
relationship could lead to shady behavior analogous to recent
scandals between Enron and the Arthur Andersen accounting firm.
Abelquist said ORISE certainly received money from the DOE, but
has no financial incentive to do an incorrect or incomplete job
of verification. He said ORISE has a long record of finding
contamination that site contractors missed, no matter which
agencies were involved.
After the Abelquist presentation, RFCLOG discussed the
possibility of hiring a technical liaison to act as a bridge
between citizen or board concerns and the ORISE verification.
David Abelson, RFCLOG executive director, said the board could
decide to use more than one person in the liaison process.
Abelson said RFCLOG involvement in IV efforts would be geared
towards making recommendations to the ORISE team, not towards
creating an entirely new IV study.
Boulder citizen and Flats activist Anne Fenerty handed out
literature from Sanford, Cohen and Associates (SCA), an
environmental risk assessment firm with expertise in radiation
sciences based in McLean, Va. Abelson said there could also be a
conflict of interest in using SCA since they had worked with
Kaiser-Hill in the past.
The RFCLOG board will continue to work on defining the scope of
what citizens and boards want answered during verification, and
could begin a Request For Proposal (RFP) process to hire a
liaison in coming weeks.
*****************************************************************
33 Colorado Daily: Back to court
By ERIN WIGGINS Colorado Daily Staff Writer
The judge who originally ruled in favor of CU Environmental
Studies Professor Adrienne Anderson's Federal Whistleblower case
in 2001 likened her to famous environmental activist Erin
Brockovich, the woman who single-handedly took down a hazardous
waste-dumping company.
But the generous comparisons weren't enough to keep the case from
being overturned in 2003. On Wednesday, Anderson is headed to the
10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to try to get the ruling
turned back to her favor.
"Our position is they had no basis whatsoever to reverse the
judge," said Anderson, who first brought the case in 1997.
Anderson said Metro Wastewater officials publicly harassed her
for claiming local polluted areas, particularly the Lowry
Landfill Superfund site in east Denver, contain radioactive waste
such as plutonium. Anderson was originally awarded more than
$400,000, which included personal anguish and punitive damages
for "continued egregious, discriminatory and disparate
retaliation" by Metro Wastewater.
Metro Wastewater officials appealed the case, claiming Anderson's
charges lacked validity. They got the ruling overturned two years
later on the grounds that she was not representing the workers
and not protected under whistleblower statutes when she filed the
case, something Anderson claims is false.
She also said a recent gag order by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) may be related to her case. According to a recent
memo, the EPA has directed its staff to "refrain from answering"
inquiries from the news media. In the EPA's Rocky Mountain region
- which includes Colorado - "Inside EPA" reports that employees
have been directed specifically not to answer any "potentially
political inquiry" from the media regarding the Summitville or
Lowry Superfund cites in Colorado.
Anderson and the EPA have documented toxic readings at Lowry
before, but Denver water officials call those readings isolated
and inaccurate. After the Homeland Security Act's implementation
in 2002, Anderson and her students say records are more difficult
for the public to obtain.
EPA Rocky Mountain Senior Media Officer Frank Montarelli said the
EPA gag memo arose regarding the environmental records of U.S.
Senate hopefuls Democrat Ken Salazar and Republican Peter Coors.
He said "Hatch Act" laws, which determine what level of political
comment government employees can make, prevent EPA officials from
commenting on the candidates' environmental records and
allegations of involvement with local Superfund sites.
"(There is a) political ad saying (Salazar) had been involved in
the Summitville Superfund site that made certain accusations,"
Montarelli said. "... Calls started to come into our region here
and that's one of the things that seemed to be crossing the
line."
Anderson argues that it's really a cover-up to prevent Denver's
ties to pollution from going public. She is currently writing a
book about Lowry and said she involves her students as much as
she can in her actions, including tomorrow's hearing.
"It's important for students to see that their leader, in this
case their teacher, is taking action on information," she said.
"You have to act on information."
*****************************************************************
34 BBC: Oil prices ease back from highs
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 September, 2004
[Oilfields in Nigeria's Niger Delta]
Political unrest in Nigeria is worrying oil traders
US oil prices eased slightly on Tuesday, having earlier hit fresh
21-year highs of more than $50 a barrel.
Prices leapt to $50.47 a barrel in overnight trading as concern
grew about disruption to supplies, but settled at $49.90, up 26
cents, in New York trade.
The price of Brent crude hit a fresh high in London, touching
$46.80 before settling up 52 cents at $46.45.
An adviser to the Saudi royal family said he believed that
current oil prices were "clearly way too high".
Price threat
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, had earlier
attempted to reassure markets, saying it would raise production
capacity by 1.5 million barrels to 11 million barrels a day.
"We believe the price of oil should be between $22 and $28," said
Adel al Jubeir, an adviser to the Saudi Crown Prince.
Oil producers' group Opec said high prices threatened the world
economy but it could do little to cool them.
Traders said unrest in Nigeria's oil producing region was the
main reason for the latest price rises.
"Fifty dollar oil is just another step on the road to much higher
crude prices," said Peter Schiff, president of asset management
at Euro Pacific Capital.
There will be a danger to t global economy - I warn that high oil
prices will result in the start of a recession Purnomo
Yusgiantoro, Opec president
Other factors holding prices high on Tuesday included the slow
return of US output after Hurricane Ivan, low US stocks and fears
about interruptions to Iraqi supply, traders said.
They also cited recent clashes between Saudi Arabian police and
suspected Islamic militants in Riyadh as a destabilising
influence on markets.
'Nothing we can do'
"The hits just keep coming," said John Kilduff, senior vice
president for energy at Fimat USA, predicting prices would reach
at least $51 a barrel in the next few days.
WHAT $50 A BARREL COULD MEAN FOR YOU
Higher prices for petrol and other fuel
Higher air fares Higher costs for all companies, possibly leading
to job losses Higher retail prices as costs are passed on
Economic growth hit as consumer spending falls How will $50 a
barrel hurt you? Why are oil prices so high?
The Opec president said the oil producers' cartel was worried
about the potentially inflationary impact of soaring oil prices.
"At the moment, there's nothing we can do. Opec has spare
capacity - however, whatever we do there is no sensitivity in the
market," said Purnomo Yusgiantoro.
Recession fears
Opec raised output earlier this year in response to pressure from
developed industrial nations but the impact was short-lived.
"If prices continue to go up there will be a danger to the global
economy," he said. "I warn that high oil prices will result in
the start of a recession."
[Policemen and private guards stand near burning oil pipeline in
Iraq.]
[http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/fds/hi/business/market_data/c
ommodities/default.stm]
Despite Opec's warning, Rodrigo Rato, who heads the International
Monetary Fund, recently said the world economy was in its best
shape for five years.
Robust growth, especially in China, has been a major factor in
driving up prices, combined with supply bottlenecks.
Vulnerable industries
On stock markets, shares in airlines, car makers and shipping
firms suffered, though shares in oil firms rose.
Some industries are particularly vulnerable to rising oil prices.
Rising jet fuel costs could produce losses totalling as much as
$4bn (£2.2bn) for airlines this year, the International Air
Transport Association has warned.
It calculated that extra fuel costs could add as much as $10bn to
the global airline industry's bills and wipe out any gains from
improving passenger numbers.
The airline industry has remained fragile since 11 September
2001, with many of the US' and Europe's biggest carriers
struggling financially.
Nigeria crisis
The mounting unrest in Nigeria's Delta region is the latest of
many factors troubling world oil markets, from instability in the
Middle East, to hurricanes in the Caribbean and the pressure of
stronger economic growth on global demand.
Nigeria's tensions
[A Nigerian soldier stand guard on an oil installation ] Rebel
threat to oil workers
Shell and Agip have both evacuated non-essential workers from the
south Nigerian Delta in recent days where the government is
fighting insurgents.
"The problems of Nigeria have obviously got worse," said Robert
Laughlin, a trader at GNI-Man Financial. "This is a major problem
that we don't need because they produce sweet crude oil. There is
not enough sweet crude oil."
This high quality, low sulphur crude oil is commonly used for
processing into gasoline and is in high demand, particularly in
the US and China.
Rebel fighters have threatened "all out war" in the country's
Niger Delta region but oil firms remain confident that the
situation is far from being that grave.
A Shell spokesman in Lagos said the company had received "threats
like this in the past", and described the staff evacuations as
"precautionary".
*****************************************************************
35 SFSS: Electricity could be weeks away for some as FPL rebuilds systemin Treasure Coast
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Sun-Sentinel.com
By Marcia Heroux Pounds Business Writer Posted September 28 2004
Though some Palm Beach County residents are getting electricity
back quicker than expected, power restoration after Hurricane
Jeanne could be slowed by the extensive damage to the Treasure
Coast and the struggle to bring in additional utility repair
crews.
The Treasure Coast will be more of a "rebuild effort" than
repair, Florida Power & Light Co. said Monday.
More than 755,200 residents and businesses were still without
electricity by 9:30 p.m. Monday. As of 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, 218,400
FP customers were without power in Palm Beach County and 372,900
connections had been restored. Jeanne knocked out power to
591,300 customers in the county. About 37 percent of the county
remains without electricity.
In a news conference Monday, FPL executives said the utility is
making progress. Of the 928 "essential" customers, such as
hospitals, police and fire stations, 471 have power restored.
Only one hospital, Sebastian River Medical Center in Indian River
County, remains without electricity, FPL said.
Palm Beach County residents and businesses can call 800-468-8243
by late this afternoon to find out the last date when the county
-- not their particular neighborhood -- is expected to have
power. Some customers will get their electricity back well before
then, FPL said.
"The last customer that comes on will be measured in weeks. The
majority will be measured in days," said Armando Olivera,
president of FPL, a unit of Juno Beach-based FPL Group.
The fact that power could be two or even three weeks away is
difficult to comprehend for Palm Beach County residents, many who
lost power already for a week after Hurricane Frances on Labor
Day weekend.
Lawrence Cheeseborough, a Lake Worth Middle School teacher who
was waiting in line on Monday to get ice, said it has been
difficult for him and his 11-year-old daughter to live without
the amenities to which they have grown accustomed: cool air, hot
water and television.
"The hardest part is being without the luxuries of life," he
said. "You're focused on the basics of survival. It puts life in
perspective."
Capacity also was in shorter supply on Monday with three power
plants down in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, which
sustained some damage to support buildings but not generating
units, according to FPL spokeswoman Kathy Scott.
"There was a lot of cleanup but nothing impairing the generating
units from producing power," she said.
Plants in Riviera Beach and near Indiantown in Martin County,
which generate power with oil and natural gas, are expected to be
fully operational today. St. Lucie nuclear power plant on
Hutchinson Island needs to be cleared by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and FEMA before it can come back online.
Roger Hannah, spokesman for the NRC, said before midnight
Saturday St. Lucie nuclear power plant lost offsite power, which
is used to run safety equipment. Backup generators are used when
power goes out. As a safety precaution, the nuclear power plant
was powered down before the storm.
"There's some damage. Based on preliminary assessments, none of
the major parts or safety equipment was damaged," Hannah said.
FEMA makes sure roads are clear and bridges passable around a
power plant before it can be operated again. "The timetable is
hard to say. If the road or bridges need to be repaired, it could
take longer," Hannah said.
To shore up its network capacity, FPL said it has instituted its
"on call" program on Monday where commercial and residential
customers who agree ahead of time have some power turned off,
such as an extra air conditioning unit, for a short period.
FPL also is struggling to bring in outside contractors to help
restore electricity.
Line workers from California are being flown in, along with their
tools, to work from FPL trucks.
The 3,100 outside crews who have committed to help is "clearly
not enough to do this in a sufficiently short amount of time,"
Olivera said.
After Hurricane Frances, FPL was able to recruit 8,000 line
workers and tree trimmers. After Jeanne, FPL so far doesn't have
half that number.
One reason: FPL released 4,000 line workers after the Frances
restoration to help in the Panhandle, which was hit hard by
Hurricane Ivan. "It's a function of how many people we can get
in," Olivera said. "As they finish the effort in Pensacola, we
can get some [more] people in."
Geisha Williams, vice president of electrical distribution for
FPL, said utilities in Georgia and the Carolinas are
understandably reluctant to give up resources until they can make
sure their customers are not at risk. Jeanne, now downgraded to a
tropical depression, was causing heavy rain in Georgia and the
Carolinas on Monday.
In FPL's service territory, 30 Florida counties lost power after
Hurricane Jeanne.
Six counties, including Palm Beach County and those on the
Treasure Coast, had the worst power outages, with 70 percent to
95 percent of residents in each county without electricity.
Williams said not only wooden poles snapped, but also concrete
poles, on the Treasure Coast, which had winds of 120-125 mph.
Electrical supplies are not a problem so far, she added.
While new equipment may be installed in areas that are being
rebuilt, in repair situations FPL puts back in place the
equipment it has. "It's about getting the lights back on, not
about upgrading," Williams said.
Staff Writer Prashant Gopal contributed to this report.
Marcia Heroux Pounds can be reached at mpounds@sun-sentinel.com
or 561-243-6650.
Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
[http://www.sun-sentinel.com]
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