***************************************************************** 12/02/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.287 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Dar Al Hayat: Two Suspect Iranian Sites Pose Headaches for IAEA 2 Guardian Unlimited: No Date Set for N. Korea Talks Resumption 3 Xinhua: US ready to resume six-party talks soon: spokesman 4 US: Lax dirty bomb cleanup standards decried 5 Manila Times: OPINION > Confronting the reality of nuclear terrorism NUCLEAR REACTORS 6 US: [NukeNet] Pilot That "Buzzed" Nuke Plant & Could Have Brought 7 PTI: 20,000 MW of n-power production within next 15 years - Govt 8 Guardian Unlimited: Cracked reactors may force closure of nuclear pl 9 Xinhua: Power plant investment face curbs 10 The Australian: Ex-Chernobyl workers hunger strike 11 US: WCAX: State to host NRC in review of Yankee inspections NUCLEAR SAFETY 12 [du-list] Report: Expert debate on Uranium Weapons in the 13 US: heraldtribune.com: Use caution on beryllium tests 14 US: Times-News: Attorney general responds to downwinders' request 15 Moscow Times: Nightmare at Sea 16 Mail & Guardian: South Africa Workers say they are all sick 17 US: B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 18 Bellon: Rumyantsev letter reveals specific amounts of nuke usable 19 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca is DOE's toughest task 20 US: Las Vegas SUN: Weaker nuke cleanup standards to be proposed 21 US: press-citizen.com: Hills gets perchlorate update 22 FT.com: Brussels to probe nuclear authority 23 US: Boston.com: Toxin traced to neighbor 24 Reuters: UK wrong to withhold nuke waste plan-EU court adviser NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 25 [du-list] Piketon plant looks to start new legacy 26 SPI: Justice Department to try and overturn initiative barring more 27 Tri-City Herald: Feds: I-297 threatens to halt cleanup 28 Daily Texan: Agency requests Los Alamos proposals 29 PISJ: New contractor shares INL dream: Site's incoming chief talks t 30 AP Wire: Feds giving business, management important role in Los Alam 31 Albuquerque Tribune: Los Alamos helping Ukraine to keep tabs on nucl 32 Albuquerque Tribune: New report recaps needs at the labs 33 chillicothe gazette: Session opens up Piketon - OTHER NUCLEAR 34 [du-list] DU in the news 2 Dec. '04 35 Lax Dirty Bomb Cleanup Standards Decried 36 [du-list] Battle Scars for the Coffee Table 37 [NukeNet] Evidence on Cold Fusion Remains Inconclusive, New ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Dar Al Hayat: Two Suspect Iranian Sites Pose Headaches for IAEA english.daralhayat.com | 02:42 GMT - 03/12/2004 [http://www.daralhayat.com] AP 2004/12/2 Vienna Iran may be hiding equipment bought by its military that could be used to make nuclear-weapons-grade uranium despite its recent agreement to freeze all such programs and place them under UN supervision, diplomats said Thursday. The diplomats said that Iran has yet to respond to a request by the International Atomic Energy Agency -- the UN nuclear watchdog -- for a full list of the components used at the suspected military site of Lavizan-Shian after handing over a partial inventory in October. The incomplete inventories are particularly worrying because they reflect purchases by Iran's Physics Research Center, an organization run by the military, they said. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, and the agency has said it has found no direct evidence to challenge that statement. A linked issue is concern that nuclear equipment has disappeared from that complex and might be now at a nearby site, said the diplomats, who are accredited to the agency. Additionally, Tehran has shrugged off a request made months ago and continues to deny IAEA inspectors access to Parchin, a military testing ground linked to possible experiments with high explosives that can be used with nuclear weapons, said the diplomats, who demanded anonymity. Some diplomats familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier expressed apprehension that the focus on whether Iran was honoring its commitment to freeze all declared uranium enrichment programs allowed Tehran to deflect attention from the outstanding questions about the inventory list, the missing equipment, and the denial of access. After weeks of international pressure, Iran this week reluctantly agreed to a full suspension of its enrichment programs, which it says are only meant to make nuclear fuel. The United States and its allies insist, however, that Iran wants to process uranium into weapons-grade material for the core of nuclear warheads. Because Iran insists that its nuclear programs are nonmilitary -- and because the IAEA has not found any firm evidence to the contrary -- any enrichment related activities run by the armed forces would be clandestine and thus evade the freeze. AP 2004/12/2 © 2004 Media Communications ***************************************************************** 2 Guardian Unlimited: No Date Set for N. Korea Talks Resumption From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday December 2, 2004 9:46 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States and its negotiating partners are ready to resume talks with North Korea on its nuclear weapons program but North Korea has not agreed, a State Department spokesman said Thursday. ``Everybody, including the Chinese, including us, in the talks is looking for an early resumption, but North Korea has not yet agreed to that,'' spokesman Richard Boucher said. ``As far as we know, there is no desire shared by the North Koreans on that,'' Boucher said as Secretary of State Colin Powell and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bing Guo reviewed prospects for a new round of talks. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met Wednesday with the Chinese official and ``thanked the Chinese for their efforts that they made to end North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and to move forward on the talks,'' Boucher said. He said it was unfortunate North Korea had not agreed to resume negotiations. China, South Korea, Japan and Russia have participated with the United States in three rounds of talks with North Korea aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. A fourth round scheduled for September never took place because North Korea refused to attend. On the table was a possible deal in which North Korea would suspend its nuclear program in exchange for economic benefits. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 3 Xinhua: US ready to resume six-party talks soon: spokesman www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-12-03 06:44:10 WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet)-- A senior US official said here onThursday that Washington expects to resume six-party talks, designed to solve nuclear issues on the Korean peninsular, this month or January of next year. "Our whole emphasis is to get talks started again, maybe sometime in December, certainly in January," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing. However, Boucher said, the resumption of the six-party talks "doesn't lie in Washington; it lies in Pyongyang". "We haven't seen or heard anything from North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) on the subject," he added. By far, three rounds of the six-party talks, sponsored and presided by China, have been held. The other five parties are the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the US, the Republicof Korea, Japan and Russia. A fourth round, scheduled for September, failed to be held due to the DPRK's refusal to attend, saying "its groundwork was destroyed by the US and because South Korea's nuclear issue surfaced." Pyongyang has been accusing Washington of taking hostile policytowards the DPRK, and of applying "double standards" over South Korea's nuclear issue. Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 Lax dirty bomb cleanup standards decried Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:18:23 -0800 COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THE GAP NUCLEAR INFORMATION & RESOURCE SERVICE for immediate release DECEMBER 2, 2004 Contacts: Daniel Hirsch, CBG (831) 332-3099 Diane DArrigo, NIRS (202) 328-0002 x16 GROUPS CRITICIZE HOMELAND SECURITY PLANS TO RELAX RADIATION CLEANUP STANDARDS FOR A DIRTY BOMBOR TERRORIST NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE Doses Equivalent to Tens of Thousands of Chest X-rays Could be Allowed, Officially Estimated to Cause Cancer in Up to a Quarter of Those Exposed WASHINGTON, DC - More than 50 public policy organizations today called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt plans to dramatically weaken requirements for cleaning up radioactive contamination from a terrorist radiological or nuclear explosive. The groups disclosed that DHS is about to release new guidance that could permit ongoing contamination at levels equivalent to a person receiving tens of thousands of chest X-rays over thirty years. Official government risk figures estimate that as many as a quarter of the people exposed to such doses would develop cancer. In a letter to outgoing DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, the groups said, An attack by a terrorist group using a dirty bombor improvised nuclear device would be a terrible tragedy. . . .But should such a radiological weapon go off in the U.S, our government should not compound the situation by employment of standards for cleaning up the radioactive contamination that are inadequately protective of the public. Far from protecting us from the potentially catastrophic health effects of a terrorist dirty bomb, by permitting such high radiation levels to remain without cleanup, Homeland Security would actually be increasing the casualty count,said Diane DArrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director at Nuclear Information and Resource Service. Approval of this guidance would also set a dangerous precedent to weaken the already inadequate cleanup standards for nuclear-contaminated sites across this country. Benchmarkcleanup standards contemplated in the DHS guidance are up to 2500 times less protective than the risk levels considered by EPA as barely acceptable for cleanup of Superfund toxic and radioactive sites. We recognize that response actions in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident may require extraordinary measures and doses,said Daniel Hirsch, President of the Committee to Bridge the Gap and initiator of the group letter, However, it is unacceptable to set final cleanup goals so lax that long-term cancer risks are hundreds of times higher than currently accepted for remediation of the nations most contaminated sites. In a parallel letter to Environmental Protection Agency, the groups urged Administrator Michael Leavitt to resist any effort to establish cleanup standards that permit public risks significantly outside EPAs longstanding legally allowable risk range. Signers include Committee to Bridge the Gap, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Citizen, and Greenpeace. The full letters to Ridge and Leavitt and supporting attachments will be available on NIRSs website on Friday afternoon, December 3, 2004. --30-- ***************************************************************** 5 Manila Times: OPINION > Confronting the reality of nuclear terrorism www.manilatimes.net Friday, December 03, 2004 Nuclear terrorism is a dreadful prospect but a threat that is real. The September 11 attacks show that terrorists will not hesitate to inflict mass casualties in populated areas, killing themselves in the process. The only limitation on the horror they are prepared to unleash is the weaponry they can use.tc "Nuclear terrorism is a dreadful prospect but a threat that is real. The September 11 attacks show that terrorists will not hesitate to inflict mass casualties in populated areas, killing themselves in the process. The only limitation on the horror they are prepared to unleash is the weaponry they can use." And we now know that the 9/11 hijackers considered targeting American nuclear installations.tc "And we now know that the 9/11 hijackers considered targeting American nuclear installations." While the exercise is traumatic, none of us would find it too difficult to visualize the terrible human and economic damage from a nuclear explosion in a city. The cost would be horrific and ongoing. Fortunately, this most dangerous form of nuclear terrorism is made less likely by the difficulties terrorists would have in acquiring the necessary fissile material and expertise.tc "While the exercise is traumatic, none of us would find it too difficult to visualize the terrible human and economic damage from a nuclear explosion in a city. The cost would be horrific and ongoing. Fortunately, this most dangerous form of nuclear terrorism is made less likely by the difficulties terrorists would have in acquiring the necessary fissile material and expertise." More probable is the prospect of terrorists using radioactive materials employed in medicine, science and industry to produce a “dirty bomb.” A dirty bomb would not cause mass destruction but could disperse radiation over a wide area. The psychological trauma, disruption and economic cost would still be disastrous. The global community has an obligation to take the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism seriously.tc "More probable is the prospect of terrorists using radioactive materials employed in medicine, science and industry to produce a “dirty bomb.” A dirty bomb would not cause mass destruction but could disperse radiation over a wide area. The psychological trauma, disruption and economic cost would still be disastrous. The global community has an obligation to take the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism seriously." The global community’s first line of defense against the misuse of sensitive materials and technology, whether by rogue states or terrorist groups, is the framework of arms control treaties and export control regimes built up over several decades. Foremost among these is the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.tc "The global community’s first line of defense against the misuse of sensitive materials and technology, whether by rogue states or terrorist groups, is the framework of arms control treaties and export control regimes built up over several decades. Foremost among these is the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." Regrettably, the Nonproliferation Treaty is under unprecedented pressure. North Korea’s announced withdrawal from the treaty and its determined pursuit of nuclear weapons challenges international security like never before. And the global community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions remain after two years of investigations by the world’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).tc "Regrettably, the Nonproliferation Treaty is under unprecedented pressure. North Korea’s announced withdrawal from the treaty and its determined pursuit of nuclear weapons challenges international security like never before. And the global community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions remain after two years of investigations by the world’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)." On top of this, the revelation of a sophisticated international black market in nuclear materials and technology, with customers including North Korea, Iran and Libya, reminds us starkly that we must act firmly and in unity to stop nuclear weapons falling into the hands of dangerous regimes and terrorists.tc "On top of this, the revelation of a sophisticated international black market in nuclear materials and technology, with customers including North Korea, Iran and Libya, reminds us starkly that we must act firmly and in unity to stop nuclear weapons falling into the hands of dangerous regimes and terrorists." Australia has a strong commitment to work with Asia-Pacific countries to combat nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism. At the recent Asia-Pacific Nuclear Safeguards and Security Conference, hosted by Australia in Sydney, regional countries expressed their firm resolve to confront these threats.tc "Australia has a strong commitment to work with Asia-Pacific countries to combat nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism. At the recent Asia-Pacific Nuclear Safeguards and Security Conference, hosted by Australia in Sydney, regional countries expressed their firm resolve to confront these threats." Senior representatives from 18 Asia-Pacific countries recognized that a strong nuclear safeguards and security framework was essential to realizing the benefits of peaceful use of nuclear energy. A number of practical priorities were identified including global application of the IAEA’s strengthened safeguards system, effective controls on exports of nuclear materials and technology, better protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and ensuring the effective control and protection of radioactive sources.tc "Senior representatives from 18 Asia-Pacific countries recognized that a strong nuclear safeguards and security framework was essential to realizing the benefits of peaceful use of nuclear energy. A number of practical priorities were identified including global application of the IAEA’s strengthened safeguards system, effective controls on exports of nuclear materials and technology, better protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and ensuring the effective control and protection of radioactive sources." As the permanent member of the IAEA’s Board of Governors for the South-East Asia and Pacific region, Australia has consistently advocated practical measures that will make a difference. Australia was one of the first countries to contribute to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund, which supports international efforts to deal with the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism. Australia was also the first country to conclude an Additional Protocol strengthening the IAEA’s inspection and verification powers.tc "As the permanent member of the IAEA’s Board of Governors for the South-East Asia and Pacific region, Australia has consistently advocated practical measures that will make a difference. Australia was one of the first countries to contribute to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund, which supports international efforts to deal with the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism. Australia was also the first country to conclude an Additional Protocol strengthening the IAEA’s inspection and verification powers." Securing fissile material against acquisition by rogue states and terrorists is a vital task for the G8 Global Partnership Against Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Earlier this year, Australia contributed $10 million to the Global Partnership. Our contribution is helping dismantle nuclear submarines decommissioned from Russia’s Pacific fleet to reduce proliferation and safety risks. We chose this project because of its direct relevance to our region.tc "Securing fissile material against acquisition by rogue states and terrorists is a vital task for the G8 Global Partnership Against Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Earlier this year, Australia contributed $10 million to the Global Partnership. Our contribution is helping dismantle nuclear submarines decommissioned from Russia’s Pacific fleet to reduce proliferation and safety risks. We chose this project because of its direct relevance to our region." Any nuclear security weaknesses at local or regional levels risk being exploited. As part of our commitment to regional cooperation on these issues, Australia has also set aside $4.4 million for work by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization to boost the regulatory controls and physical security of radioactive sources in the Pacific and South East Asia.tc "Any nuclear security weaknesses at local or regional levels risk being exploited. As part of our commitment to regional cooperation on these issues, Australia has also set aside $4.4 million for work by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization to boost the regulatory controls and physical security of radioactive sources in the Pacific and South East Asia." While we continue to conduct this purposeful work, we should also recognize that there are causes for optimism. The nuclear ambitions of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq have been thwarted. Libya has embraced a new future in concert with the global community as it dismantles its weapons of mass destruction programs, which included nuclear components. And more than 60 countries now support the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is countering WMD proliferation through practical measures and cooperation.tc "While we continue to conduct this purposeful work, we should also recognize that there are causes for optimism. The nuclear ambitions of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq have been thwarted. Libya has embraced a new future in concert with the global community as it dismantles its weapons of mass destruction programs, which included nuclear components. And more than 60 countries now support the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is countering WMD proliferation through practical measures and cooperation." We should be quite clear about what is at stake. The world’s nonproliferation regime provides vital security benefits including the climate of confidence necessary for cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. And, of course, if all countries diligently implement the nonproliferation regime it will ensure we never have to confront that most horrible of terrorist attacks. --AFPtc "“For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” so quotes one of my coffee shop friends at the uptown Cebu mall.          " Copyright (c) 2001 The Manila Times | Terms of Service The Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 [NukeNet] Pilot That "Buzzed" Nuke Plant & Could Have Brought Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:17:22 -0800 >Officials acknowledged at the time there was little they could do, physically, to bring the plane down ?after the North American Aerospace Defense Command concluded it was not a terrorist threat. There's no way NAADefense Command could know that this plane posed a terrorist threat. They could pnly make an educated guess. Even if they did know an accidental flying into a spent fuel pool, reactor building or control room can have the exact same effects as a terrorist attack. Only the intenion differs. The radiation release, massive deaths, environmental, economic, health & psychological effects would be exactly the same. Allowing the existence of a nuclear power plant/facility is, consciously or not aiding and abetting terrorism. Nuke Terror Site: http://www.tmia.com/sabter.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Plane-Diverted.html?oref=login Drunken Pilot Who Buzzed Plant Sentenced By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: December 1, 2004 1. Op-Ed Contributor: Retiring in Chile 2. Lo, a New Age of Heroes 3. Too Much Stress May Give Genes Gray Hair 4. Our Towns: On Campus, Hanging Out by Logging On 5. 'Jeopardy!' Whiz Ken Jennings Loses Go to Complete List Filed at 6:15 p.m. ET NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A drunken pilot who buzzed his plane near a nuclear power plant and came near six commercial airliners was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison on Tuesday. John V. Salamone had a blood alcohol level of 0.15 percent when he landed the plane after an erratic, four-hour flight on Jan. 15 over the Philadelphia region, authorities said. The legal limit for pilots, set by the Federal Aviation Administration, is 0.04 percent, half the amount for drivers in Pennsylvania. Salamone, 44, who faced up to nine years in prison, must also serve five years probation and undergo alcohol counseling, a Montgomery County judge ordered. Salamone was convicted of risking a catastrophe and reckless endangerment after prosecutors learned the initial state charge of driving under the influence does not apply to pilots. Lawmakers have since tried to rectify the legal loophole, passing a bill -- now awaiting the governor's signature -- that makes flying drunk a crime. Salamone, flying a single-engine Piper Cherokee, meandered into New Jersey and flew into forbidden airspace. He flew as low as 100 feet and within a quarter mile of the Limerick nuclear power plant, officials said. A Philadelphia police helicopter helped force the plane down. Officials acknowledged at the time there was little they could do, physically, to bring the plane down after the North American Aerospace Defense Command concluded it was not a terrorist threat. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 7 PTI: 20,000 MW of n-power production within next 15 years - Govt Dec 2, 2004 04:09:00 PM New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Government today told the Rajya Sabha that the country will have a capacity of producing 20,000 MW of nuclear power within the next 15 years and nine nuclear power plants are currently under various stages of construction. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan said the country was on target to enhance the nuclear power capacity to 20,000 mw by 2020. During 2003-04, the electricity generated from nuclear power was 17,861 million units which is about 3.2 per cent of electricity generated by utilities in the country. The generation for the period April-October, 2004 stood at 9,386 million units, Chavan said. The target production of electricity from nuclear power stations for the 10th plan is 82,495 million units, he said. Chavan said the government would undertake a three phased programme for enhancing nuclear power. While 12 heavy water reactors are already in operation as part of the first phase of nuclear energy production, the second phase would involve using fast breed reactors and the third using thorium based reactors, he said. PTI © Copyright PTI 2003-2004 Developed by [http://www.sansuisoftware.com] ***************************************************************** 8 Guardian Unlimited: Cracked reactors may force closure of nuclear plants Terry Macalister Thursday December 2, 2004 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] British Energy could be forced to close some of its ageing nuclear generators due to cracking inside the core reactors. Such a move would throw the UK's energy supply into disarray as BE at present generates more than 20% of the country's electricity. The cracking problems cover all eight of the company's advanced gas cooled gas reactors, or AGRs. Only one BE site - at Sizewell in Suffolk - is not affected because it is a water-cooled design. Hartlepool and Heysham 1 power stations are already closed for repairs of a range of difficulties and BE admits it needs to spend £250m a year to bring others up to scratch. But the more critical problems are centred on the splitting of graphite bricks are used to "slow" the speed of neutrons in the AGR equipment. BE admits in a document prepared for stock market investors it is "not aware" of any technique for eliminating the problem. "The potential impact of the risk is that currently assumed nuclear power station lifetime may not be achieved, particularly at Hinckley Point B, Hunterston B, Heysham 2 and Torness, and extensions to station lifetimes at those stations may not be possible,"it said. "Our plants may require more frequent inspection to support our safety cases which could result in prolonged statutory or unplanned outages or a refusal by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate [NII] to permit us to operate a particular reactor." Nuclear power stations are generally thought to have a 25- to 35-year lifespan but Hinckley B and Hunterston B have been in service for nearly 30 years while Heysham 2 and Torness have been operating for about 20 years. The company declined to comment on the specific graphite problem, saying it had made its position clear in the prospectus. John Large, an independent consulting engineer who specialises in the nuclear sector, said he was aware graphite cracking had become a serious issue in the nuclear sector. "I don't think this is a political trick [by BE] to win permission to build new reactors or an accounting trick, it's a genuine problem. "But I am not surprised. The performance of graphite was always one of the industry's imponderables," he explained. The NII said it was unable to comment at this time but the Department of Trade and Industry argued that Britain was not dependent on one source of supply and did not expect a worst possible scenario. "You can always say that about anything. No decision has been taken to extend the lives of nuclear plants and we have always aimed for a diverse energy mix," said a spokesman for the DTI. But government plans for the future of nuclear energy were in serious trouble last night after the European commission launched an investigation into Britain's decommissioning strategy. The commission said it had opened a formal investigation "to check whether the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency [NDA] ... complies with treaty rules requiring that state aids should not distort or threaten to distort competition." The move is a blow to the government, which is said to have told environmental groups in July it was not anticipating any such inquiry. The DTI sent details to the commission of its strategy for dismantling nuclear stations and dealing with waste nearly 12 months ago and believed it was in the clear, with the new agency set to start operations on April 1. Energy minister Mike O'Brien said he was confident of having his plans approved but had contingency plans to assure the NDA started on time, regardless. "We believe the NDA is compatible with EC state aid rules," he said. Graphics The Mox ships' journey around the world (pdf) [http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2002/09 /17/nuclear_ship.pdf] Nuclear map of Britain US nuclear map Useful links British Energy [http://www.british-energy.com/] Department of Trade and Industry [http://www.dti.gov.uk/] British Nuclear Fuels Ltd [http://www.bnfl.co.uk/website.nsf/default.htm] Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [http://www.cnduk.org/] Greenpeace [http://www.greenpeace.org/homepage/] HSE nuclear glossary [http://www.hse.gov.uk/nsd/ilrwglos.htm] UK atomic energy authority [http://www.ukaea.org.uk/] National Radiological Protection Board [http://www.nrpb.org.uk/] Friends of the Earth [http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/dump_nuc lear/index.html] World Nuclear Association [http://www.uilondon.org/] World Nuclear Transport Institute [http://www.wnti.co.uk] [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 9 Xinhua: Power plant investment face curbs www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-12-02 10:54:23 BEIJJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- China will step up controls on investment in power plants, despite electricity shortages, to help ease pressure on coal supplies. Many of the plants now under construction were launched without legal approvals, the China Daily newspaper cited Xu Dingming, director of the National Development and Reform Commission¡¯s energy bureau, as saying. The controls, details of which weren¡¯t given, are part of a broad effort to rein in spending in sectors authorities say are expanding too quickly, straining the country¡¯s transport capacity and scarce resources. Local governments eager to boost tax and land use revenues have allowed unauthorized construction of power plants with a total capacity of 120,000 megawatts, a figure that amounts to about 30 percent of the country¡¯s total generating capacity, Xu said. About half of all coal mined in China went to electricity generation and the excessive construction was putting pressure on coal supplies, the report said. Many Chinese cities have faced brownouts in the past year as demand outstripped power supplies. But by 2006 those shortages were expected to ease, and the risk now was of a glut in capacity, the newspaper quoted Huang Feng, director of energy projects at the China International Engineering Consultant Corp. as saying. That in turn could spell trouble for banks already loaded with bad debt, he said. Regulators have raised key interest rates and ordered curbs on lending for construction by State banks, warning that soaring investment could trigger financial problems if such projects are commercial failures. Authorities have also cited worries over inflation in their effort to slow economic growth, forecast at about 9 percent for this year. Prices for many commodities had surged, and the price of coal had jumped 30 percent this year, compared with last year, the China Daily report said. The government is accelerating construction of hydroelectric and nuclear power plants to help ease reliance on heavily polluting coal. It also planned to spend 40 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion) on searching for new coal reserves, the report said. China¡¯s energy sector would require total investments of 10 trillion yuan by 2020, not including imports of crude oil and coal, Xu, of the National Reform and Development Commission, was cited as saying. (Shenzhen Daily-Agencies) Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 The Australian: Ex-Chernobyl workers hunger strike [December 03, 2004] From correspondents in St Petersburg, Russia EIGHT people who worked on the cleanup at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant - site of the world's worst nuclear disaster - have gone on a hunger strike, demanding more money to treat radiation-induced illnesses. The eight, who stopped eating food on Wednesday, have not seen an increase in their government hardship payments since 1997, said Sergei Kulish, a 42-year-old who suffers from radiation sickness and other diseases. "Since (1997) it has been just $US89 ($114.62), a sum which cannot cover our expenses on medicine and basically life," he said today. "We had to take such an extreme step because we didn't see any other way out," said Mr Kulish, who has been out of work since 1998. He said he was ordered to Chernobyl - located near the border of Ukraine and Belarus - to measure radiation levels one month after the April 1986 disaster, in which the plant's reactor No 4 exploded and caught fire. Mr Kulish worked in the zone surrounding the plant for three months. A number of his co-workers have already died, he said. The eight also stand to lose other benefits, such as subsidised transportation and medicine, under legislation passed this year by Russia's parliament as part of an effort to streamline the country's lumbering bureaucracy. The legislation would also affect Russia's elderly and World War II veterans. In all, 7 million people in the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered medical problems as a result of Chernobyl. © The Australian ***************************************************************** 11 WCAX: State to host NRC in review of Yankee inspections December 2, 2004 MONTPELIER, Vt. The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant will be the subject of a public meeting that was postponed last month amid fears it would draw too big a crowd for the hall where it was scheduled. The December 16th session at the Brattleboro Union High School -- hosted by the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel -- will feature officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They'll be talking about two recent inspections at Vermont Yankee. 0ne an engineering study related to the plant's request for a power boost.The other relates to highly radioactive spent fuel that was said to be missing in April, only to turn up later in the plant's spent fuel storage pool.--dash--The meeting makes up for one that had been scheduled for November ninth in Vernon. That session was canceled amid concerns that it would draw too big a crowd for the space available. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. [http://www.worldnow.com] All content © Copyright 2001 - 2004 WorldNow and WCAX. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 [du-list] Report: Expert debate on Uranium Weapons in the Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:17:33 -0800 On November 6, 2004, ICBUW Netherlands organised an expert debate at the Asser Institute, The Hague, featuring Dr. Keith Baverstock (former Head of the WHO Radiation Protection Division) and Dr. Manfred Mohr (EU Affairs Officer, Red Cross Germany, Founding Member of IALANA). Both raised concerns about the use of uranium weapons and suggested possible lines of action. Mr Wim van den Burg, Chair of the Dutch trade union for military personnel AFMP/FNV, and Ms Krista van Velzen, Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party were invited to respond. The debate was facilitated by Maarten H.J. van den Berg, director of RISQ (Review of International Social Questions) and sponsored by Oxfam Netherlands. Read the report at the ICBUW website: http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/modules.php? name=News&file=article&sid=163 ***************************************************************** 13 heraldtribune.com: Use caution on beryllium tests Southwest Florida's Information Leader [http://www.michaelsaunders.com/] Thursday, December 2, 2004 Beryllium has been known to cause illness since the days of World War II. That it can cause cancer is a more recent finding. Despite the knowledge of its effects, we have no really effective treatment. Testing for beryllium sensitivity or other effects is not something done by every physician or laboratory. The experience and the ability of the laboratory or clinic doing the testing should be validated before the people living in Tallevast are promised testing. Also, before any testing is done, the persons responsible should agree as to what will be done with the results, how their meaning will be explained to those being tested and what will be done in the future. Any less in the way of planning is unethical and can only result in unnecessary anxiety and often in misdiagnoses. I have seen nothing reported in the Herald-Tribune to indicate that anyone in authority understands the complexity and difficulty of this public health problem. Mitchell R. Zavon, M.D. Sarasota Last modified: December 02. 2004 12:00AM Serving the Herald-Tribune newspaper and SNN Channel 6 © Sarasota Herald-Tribune. All rights reserved. Starting first ***************************************************************** 14 Times-News: Attorney general responds to downwinders' request www.magicvalley.com The Times-News | AG Weekly | Thursday, December 2, 2004 • Twin Falls, Idaho By Michelle Dunlop Times-News writer BOISE -- Despite the pleas from a group of downwinders, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said Wednesday that he will not step into their fight with the federal government over nuclear fallout compensation. "I think Lawrence if very sympathetic to downwinders' cause," said Bob Cooper, a spokesman for attorney general. "He doesn't have the authority of law by which to act. Even if he did, the federal government has sovereign immunity." Cooper's statement echoed the two major arguments for not complying with the group's request laid out by Wasden's staff in a letter addressed to downwinders. First, the attorney general doesn't represent private individuals, the letter said. Instead, the attorney general can file lawsuits against private corporations that benefit individuals when those corporations violate consumer protection laws. "Folks think that public officials have more discretion than they do," Cooper said. According to the letter, even if the attorney general had the authority to represent individuals, the case would likely be dropped due to legislation protecting the federal government from such suits. Filing a suit would simply be "an exercise in futility," Cooper said. At least one person in the group who requested the attorney general's help expressed disappointment over Wasden's response. Long-time advocate of nuclear fallout victims, Dr. Peter Rickards, found Wasden's letter "inexcusable." "I did expect the attorney general to duck," Rickards said. "The key omission was his refusal to propose a legislative way or constitutional amendment to prevent the federal government from aiming nuclear fallout at us again." The attorney general could draft legislation to get around the federal government's immunity from lawsuits, Rickards said. More importantly, he said, Wasden could propose a means to prevent the federal government from repeating another fallout situation. So, too, Rickards said, could the Idaho delegation. "We must keep up pressure on our delegation," he said. The Idaho delegation also surfaced in the attorney general's letter. Wasden suggested the group continue working with the delegation in procuring compensation through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Currently, the National Academy of Sciences is working on its recommendation to Congress on whether Idahoans should be included in fallout compensation. "It's a serious problem," Cooper said. "These folks really are on the right track." Times-News reporter Michelle Dunlop can be reached at 735-3229 or by e-mail at mdunlop@magicvalley.com [mdunlop@magicvalley.com] . Copyright © 2004, Lee Publications Inc. Magicvalley.com is an on-line division of The Times-News, published daily at 132 W. Fairfield St., Twin Falls, Idaho 83301 by Lee Publications, Inc., a subsidiary ***************************************************************** 15 Moscow Times: Nightmare at Sea [http://www.themoscowtimes.com] December 3 - 9, 2004 By Ramsey Flynn HarperCollins. 304 Pages. $25.95 Ramsey Flynn gives a compelling account of how the sinking of the Kursk submarine exposed the failures of Russia's leadership to the world. By Guy Faulconbridge Published: December 3, 2004 Just before midday on Aug. 12, 2000, the Kursk submarine sank following two explosions during a military exercise in the Barents Sea. When news of the disaster broke two days later, riddled with official lies, the media went into a feeding frenzy: One hundred and eighteen patriotic sailors trapped at the bottom of the sea in a Russian nuclear submarine made an emotive story, especially during the slow news months of summer. But as the truth about the disaster emerged, it was the reaction of the Russian military -- befuddled, self-contradictory and intentionally deceptive -- that took center stage. No less shocking was newly elected president Vladimir Putin's decision to continue his vacation on the Black Sea while the submarine accident was making headlines across the world. In short, the Russian leadership gave a brilliant example of how not to handle a crisis. The Kursk had been participating in an exercise intended to illustrate to the world that Russia was still a major player, but the inept reaction of the Kremlin -- and, especially, the Navy -- exposed the decline of the country and its military instead. Skillfully building up tension in "Cry From the Deep," Ramsey Flynn, an American investigative journalist who admits he had never worked in Russia before beginning the book, gives a readable, if overly emotional, blow-by-blow account of a disaster whose causes are still fraught with debate. To this day, many in the Russian Navy think that the Kursk was sunk by a collision with a U.S. or British submarine, even though Putin has said that there is little proof of such a theory. Indeed, it's hard to believe that evidence of a collision would have been withheld by the Russians if it existed. z Flynn argues with skill that a faulty torpedo was to blame for the sinking of the Kursk -- the same conclusion reached by Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov in the official inquiry. The torpedo that sank the Kursk was a Type 65-76, more familiarly known as a tolstushka, or "fat girl," because of its size. The tolstushka has a bad reputation among sailors since the high-test hydrogen peroxide that it uses as an oxidizer can break down upon contact with common catalysts, rapidly expanding in volume and creating massive temperatures. The weapon had been loaded onto the Kursk on Aug. 3 with a "flood of paperwork irregularities," and roughly handled in the process. In an indication of how bad it is to be a sailor in the Northern Fleet, military analysts have claimed that submarine crews often have to pay torpedo units to ensure that they get well functioning weapons. The torpedo exploded in the Kursk's firing tube on a Saturday at 11:28 a.m. With fires raging at up to 2,700 degrees Celsius, warheads on the remaining weapons detonated 2 minutes and 15 seconds later. The Memphis, a U.S. submarine tracking the Kursk about 40 kilometers away, registered the blasts, as did Norwegian sensors and other vessels. A Russian ship, the Peter the Great nuclear cruiser, also noted the explosions, but Fleet Commander Vyacheslav Popov made little effort to investigate. Flynn gives a good overview of the U.S. reaction to the disaster, showing how top officials in the United States, and probably in Britain, knew about the explosion and likely sinking of the Kursk well before the Russian military got around to informing Putin. U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger and Defense Secretary William Cohen were told on Saturday afternoon, Moscow time, when the Kremlin was still in the dark. Twelve hours after the blasts, Popov called Moscow to report that the Kursk was missing, and Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev was informed. But Sergeyev didn't tell Putin until 7:15 the next morning. Itar-Tass Pictured here in 1999, the Kursk submarine sank during a military exercise in the Barents Sea. Much of the passion behind the Kursk story was fueled by Navy reports that the soldiers were tapping for help from the bottom of the Barents Sea. But those reports were doubtful at best. Later, officials would say that the tapping had been an automatic signaling response from the submarine. Moreover, the super-secret AS-15 minisubmarine -- which usually reports to Moscow intelligence officials rather than to the Northern Fleet -- reported no signs of human life when it sent back images from the Kursk on Sunday. One of the sailors, Dmitry Kolesnikov, did write in notes salvaged later that 23 sailors had survived the blasts and made their way to the back compartment of the submarine after checking that the reactor had shut down. But Kolesnikov wrote his last message at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, according to Flynn, who concurs with the official report that an oxygen-producing device must have fallen into the oily water and started a fire, poisoning the air for those still alive. Packing his narrative with impressive detail about the Northern Fleet's belated reaction, Flynn rightly hammers top Russian admirals and military officials for their attempts to stall British and Norwegian efforts to rescue the sailors. But Flynn surely misses the fundamental point: When you rip away the drama, there was very little chance that anyone could have gotten out alive. The Russian rescue teams were too badly organized and equipped, and the foreign teams were too far away. According to Flynn, the best submarine rescue operation was based in Britain, but was being trucked across Europe for an exercise in the Mediterranean. It would have taken 60 hours to get it into place, he says. With the Kursk leading news reports worldwide, the Navy continued to make an array of inane comments suggesting that the soldiers were still alive, and refusals of Western help were reported on Russian television. Down in Sochi, a tanned Putin in casual dress provoked tough criticism from the local press when he appeared on national television. While it is surely naive to think that Putin would have been more in control of his country from the Kola Peninsula than on the Black Sea, this, in a sense, was not the point for viewers of Russian and world television. More than anything, the Russian leadership had lost an information war, coming across as callous and incompetent while sailors' mothers were being injected with sedatives. Flynn has produced a racy overview of the sinking of the Kursk, but his narrative is marred by sensationalistic additions to what is already a sufficiently traumatic story. We are told, for example, that Putin "is itching to escape as soon as possible for his vacation" and that Dmitry Kolesnikov, feeling particularly in love before he boards the submarine, "finds it hard to believe this dancing goddess is his wife." There's no need to grasp for vicarious feelings when the real story is so sad and scary. The perilous state of what was once the world's biggest fleet of nuclear submarines should be a concern for everyone, not least for the admirals who send young sailors to man them. Copyright © 2004 The Moscow Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Mail & Guardian: South Africa Workers say they are all sick [http://www.mg.co.za] Friday, December 03, 2004, 4:38 A toxicologist will study the medical records of 23 current and former Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) employees to determine their state of health, Earthlife Africa said on Wednesday. The organisation has expressed concern there was "irregularities" in the way in which workers' medical files had been handled. This comes after a former Koeberg worker, Ron Lockwood, contracted leukaemia. Studies show that leukaemia can be contracted through exposure to radiation, Earthlife Africa spokesperson Mashile Phalane said. Phalane said the workers would hand their medical records over to well known toxicologist Dr Murray Coombs on Friday. He said several workers had complained of feeling ill during Earthlife Africa workshops held in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, recently. Phalane said it had also been found that the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), responsible for protecting the public against radiation, had never undertaken any health studies on workers or citizens living close to nuclear installations. Earthlife Africa urged all affected workers and communities to hand over their medical records to Coombs in Atteridgeville on Friday. - Sapa ***************************************************************** 17 B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper Week of 3 December 2004 · Vol. VIII, No. 123 www.bu.edu/bridge Haste makes waste matter SPH researcher aids nuclear arms workers exposed to beryllium dust By Cynthia K. Buccini [Lew Pepper has developed a medical screening program for former nuclear weapons workers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nevada Test Site. Photo by Vernon Doucette] Lew Pepper has developed a medical screening program for former nuclear weapons workers at the U.S. Department of Energys Nevada Test Site. Photo by Vernon Doucette During World War II and throughout the Cold War, tens of thousands of workers across the United States were exposed to beryllium, a lightweight, durable metal found in a wide variety of materials used to produce nuclear weapons. Looking back, its unclear what safeguards were in place to protect workers from the toxic substance. When inhaled, beryllium dust can cause lung diseases for which there are no cure. Beryllium was integral to the entire nuclear weapons complex, says Lew Pepper, an SPH assistant professor of environmental health. There was a rush to develop the atomic bomb. The United States was convinced Germany was building one, and they went at breakneck speed to create this bomb, tossing safety to the wind, I assume. The same attitude toward safety that it wasnt the primary concern of the weapons industry was recounted by people who worked on weapons testing from the 1950s through the 1980s. Pepper leads a team of SPH scientists identifying workers who were exposed to beryllium at three facilities, one in Nevada and two in Massachusetts, to find out if their health has been affected by the substance so that they can get medical help and compensation. As of last summer, Peppers research team had screened nearly 3,500 former workers at the Department of Energys Nevada Test Site, 60 miles north of Las Vegas. About 800 nuclear weapons tests were conducted at the site from 1951 to 1992, and approximately 50,000 people worked there or passed through during that period. According to Pepper, who has been directing a medical screening program at the site for several years with a Department of Energy (DOE) grant, approximately 2,000 of the workers his group has screened were exposed to beryllium. Of those 2,000, approximately 2 percent have been found to suffer from beryllium sensitivity, a medical condition commonly attributed to inhaling beryllium dust. People diagnosed with beryllium sensitivity are clinically healthy, but have an immune response to the substance, Pepper says, similar to an allergic reaction. In addition, they are at risk for developing chronic beryllium disease, a lung ailment whose symptoms coughing, shortness of breath, chest and joint pain, fever, weight loss can develop decades after exposure. Chronic beryllium disease has no cure, but is treatable with anti-inflammatory medications. There have been numerous cases of chronic beryllium disease diagnosed among the Nevada sites former workers with beryllium sensitivity. They have been provided compensation and lifetime medical benefits, Pepper says, and they continue to be evaluated periodically. Last year, SPH was awarded a DOE contract to establish a similar program to find and screen former workers exposed to beryllium at two Massachusetts facilities: Wyman-Gordon Company, in North Grafton, and Norton Abrasives, in Worcester, both of which produced beryllium components for the federal government in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. So far, of 200 former Wyman-Gordon workers screened, 5 percent are beryllium-sensitive. Another 160 await screening. The retired workers with beryllium sensitivity havent undergone clinical evaluations, so Pepper doesnt know yet if they have chronic beryllium disease. At Norton, he says, Were trying to assemble a picture of beryllium use. Were starting to do outreach among those workers. In addition to testing for beryllium exposure, Peppers medical screening program identifies workers who were exposed to radiation, silica dust, asbestos, diesel exhaust, and excessive noise. The workers complete detailed medical and work-history questionnaires and then undergo screenings, which include physicals, chest X-rays, and blood, breathing, and hearing tests. If their health has been affected, they get help with medical referrals, future screenings, treatment, and compensation from the DOE. Pepper notes that his screening model for beryllium has broad implications because beryllium exposure doesnt affect just people who work directly with the material. In 2002, testing of more than 200 workers in a DOE office building in Las Vegas where beryllium had been machined before the facility was rehabbed found that more than 5 percent had beryllium sensitivity. When you have a beryllium facility and you attempt to clean it up and make it a general-use facility, how clean is clean? Pepper asks. Is residual beryllium contamination responsible for these cases of sensitization, of which, we think, 80 percent will go on to develop chronic beryllium disease? That has tremendous implications for the Department of Energy, because as they segue from bomb-maker to friend of the environment, and they try to rehab these buildings to multiuse facilities, how do they assure the people who work there that the facilities are clean and safe? Thats a big problem. ***************************************************************** 18 Bellon: Rumyantsev letter reveals specific amounts of nuke usable material, but raises many questions In what are the most specific data yet available, Rosatom Chief Alexander Rumyantsev essentially declassified nearly exact amounts of decommissioned weapons-grade nuclear materials to be housed at the Mayak Fissile Materials Storage Facility (FMSF) in a letter to Russian nuclear analyst Lev Maximov, a copy of which was obtained by Bellona Web. The Mayak Fissile Materials Storage Facility under construction. http://en.wikipedia.org Charles Digges, 2004-12-02 14:46 The amount of fissile material slated for storage had remained a tightly guarded secret as the figures reveal Russia’s strategic nuclear capability, as well as the fact that they had, by the end of the Cold War, achieved near nuclear parity with the United States. The United States declassified information on its own nuclear weapons programme output some years ago, indicating that it had produced 662 tonnes of nuclear bomb grade material—112 tonnes of which was plutonium and 550 tonnes of which was uranium—since 1945. Rumyantsev’s letter to Maximov, dated November 19th 2004, was a response to an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding security concerns surrounding the FMSF, which is being built by the US Pentagon-Run Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programme. In it, Rumyantsev disclosed that Russia produced between 599 and 626 tonnes of weapons grade plutonium and uranium during the arms race. New Bellona Report *The Mayak Fissile Materials Storage Facility *The HEU-LEU Programme *Cooperative Threat Reduction *Plutonium Disposition *The Russian push for a closed plutonium nuclear fuel cycle Order it now.  Order Form » [http://www.bellona.no/en/international/russia/waste-mngment/3624 5.html] Letting the cat out of the bag According to Maximov, the facility presents a dire national threat to Russia, both in terms of concentrating so much weapons-usable material in one place, making it vulnerable to terrorist attacks, and because the FMSF—CTR’s longest running project to date—gives the Pentagon an inside view at, and the ability to cripple, Russia’s nuclear defence capabilities But Rumyantsev’s response let the cat out of the bag: Of that, 599 and 626 tonnes of weapons-grade nuclear material, 533 tonnes is highly enriched uranium (HEU) and between 66.6 tonnes and 93.3 tonnes of it is plutonium, Rumyantsev wrote. In the letter, Rumyantsev specifies that the FSMF, initially conceived in 1992 as a two part structure, is envisioned to house 50,000 containers holding more than 600 tonnes of fissile material—more than 100 tonnes over the early 90s 500-tonne estimates—extracted from decommissioned warheads. In particular, Rumyantsev wrote that the construction of the FMSF—one of the US Defence Department Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programme’s longest running projects—would take place in two stages. “The volume of the two-stage storage facility is 50,000 containers of fissile material,” Rumyantsev wrote. “It is envisioned that each storage facility will hold [in 25,000 containers per facility] 8.333 containers of plutonium and 16,667 containers of uranium. Of those containers, some will hold not more than 4 kilograms of alpha-stage plutonium, others 5.6 kilograms of delta-stage and yet others 16 kilograms of uranium (the 90 percent enriched uranium-235 isotope).” Much of this material, he indicated in his November letter, would be stored in metallic form, whereas the additional 1.2 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium still being produced annually by Russia’s three remaining plutonium production reactors in Seversk and Zheleznogorsk, would be stored in oxide, or power, form. Some 9 more tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium will be produced before these reactors are shut down within the next decade. The United States Department of Energy is currently financing the closure of those reactors. CTR’s initial plans for the FMSF Rumyantsev’s comments make surprising revelations and raise several questions. First, the current FMSF—which was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting in December 2003, but still has at least a year of additional construction before it can begin accepting nuclear material—is designed to hold only 50 tonnes of plutonium and 200 tonnes of HEU. It was initially planned in 1992 that CTR would help finance and construct two such facilities that would conceivably hold some 500 tonnes of fissile material. But that notion of building two identical facilities—one in Seversk and the current one at the Mayak Chemical Combine in the southern Urals—was unilaterally scrapped by Rumyantsev himself in a 2003 letter to his US CTR counterparts. Rumyantsev announced in the 2003 letter that the one wing of the FMSF at Mayak would house only 25 tonnes of plutonium in immobilizes form and no HEU, all of which would be diverted to the US-Russia HEU-LEU programme, via which Russia down-blends its excess HEU and sells the resultant low enriched uranium (LEU) to the United States for use in civilian reactors there. As a result, the current FMSF will operate only at quarter of its current facility and at an eighth of the initially-planned two wing approach. Why no second FMSF? Rumyantsev’s rationale for the decision not to build a second wing to the FMSF apparently hinged on the currently stalled 2000 US-Russia Plutonium Disposition Agreement, in which Washington and Moscow agreed to destroy 34 tonnes of surplus weapons grade plutonium. MOX plan delayed by Bush administration budget documents The set-back-plagued US–Russian plan to destroy weapons grade plutonium in nuclear reactors has been delayed for at least another year, budget documents released last week by the White House show, leaving many experts on the US and Russian sides of the programme fearing that the job of destroying materials for thousands of nuclear bombs may never be accomplished.  Read on » [http://www.bellona.no/en/international/russia/nuke_industry/co-o peration/32534.html] The dispositioning of this plutonium is to take place in mixed plutonium and uranium oxide (MOX) fuel to be burned in specially retrofitted commercial reactors in Russia and the United States. This surplus plutonium, initially declared at 50 tonnes, was later cut back to 34. No progress has been made on the MOX programme since last spring, however, because Russia and the US Department of State are locked in a heated liability over the project that could eventually kill it. While the infrastructure for the MOX programme was being built, the surplus plutonium was to be stored at the FMSF. But because both the United States and Russia agreed to destroy only 34 tonnes of surplus weapons-grade plutonium, Rumyantsev calculated that by slashing the 50 tonnes slated for storage at Mayak, and adding the 9 tonnes left over from the production reactors, we would meet his 34 tonne surplus plutonium obligation to the United States. No official agreement between the United States and Russia regarding the actual form and structure of the FMSF was ever signed, so Rumyantsev was technically free to issue this edict. Rumyantsev’s answers raise more questions Questions, therefore, still shroud Rumyantsev’s responses and which could not be cleared up by Rosatom. For instance, Rumyantsev writes in his letter to Maximov as if the 1993 two-wing FMSF was still on the boards. The 599 to 626 tonnes of weapons grade material that were apparently to have been put into storage could have been accommodated for in the initial two-wing plan, the CTR and Rosatom officials concurred. But Rumyantsev while writing makes no mention of the fact that he himself had abandoned that plan. Likewise, he makes no allusion to any Russian plans to build a second wing to the FMSF in the future. Such an option has been inconclusively discussed at high levels in the past, according to Rosatom officials. Nikolai Shingaryov, Rostatom’s chief spokesman said he was unaware of Rumyantsev’s letter to Maximov and could not confirm or deny any information or figures that it contained. He said, though, that he was not acquainted with any plans to deviate from Rumyantsev’s 2003 directive to store only 25 tonnes of weapons grade plutonium and divert 200 tonnes of HEU to the HEU-LEU programme. Another source in Rosatom’s fuel cycles division, who asked not to be further identified, confirmed that the 599 to 626 tonne figure was accurate. “I am not able to say to the kilogram how much material there is, but between 599 and 626 tonnes would be a very specific estimate—more specific than we have seen before” he said. An official CTR, who requested his name not be used, was surprised by Rumyantsev’s apparent candor. “Naturally, the original two wing plan for the FMSF gave the US some basic estimates of [Russia’s] Cold War nuclear output, but I have never heard of anyone so high ranking as Rumyantsev naming such specific figures before,” the official said in a telephone interview from Washington. “Granted, 599 to 626 tonnes is not pin-pointing it, but it’s by far the narrowest spread I have heard from them.” Many Western nuclear analysts in the past months have suggested that the current FMSF could hold significantly more material than even the initial 50 tonnes of plutonium and 200 tonnes of HEU it was slated to house. But the Rosatom source “doubted seriously” that the current facility could house anything near 626 tonnes of fissile material. “Conservatively, you could perhaps pack another 100 tonnes of fissile material into the FMSF, but nothing like what Rumyantsev suggests.” The CTR official concurred. He said the Mayak FMSF was constructed in such a way as it could handle more material that it was initially slated to take. “But the extra 305 to 376 Rumyantsev suggests wouldn’t be feasible without another facility, as was initially planned.” Both the CTR and the Rosatom official said they were unaware of any unilateral Russian plans to build a second wing for the FMSF, but the Rosatom official did say that such plans had been casually discussed in the corridors of the Ministry of Atomic Energy, Rosatom’s precursor. ‘But nothing, to my knowledge, was every put into official form,” said the Rosatom official. So where is this extra material going? The fate of the extra 305 to 376 tonnes of surplus weapons-grade material mentioned by Rumyantsev and that will not fit into the current structure of the FMSF remains a matter of speculation. It is doubtful that Rumyantsev and a close group of officials are planning on building a second wing to the FMSF with their own money for the simple fact that Rosatom has given every indication that it intends to pursue plutonium fueled reactors called breeders, for which this excess plutonium would be the backbone. Publisher: Bellona Foundation [bellona@bellona.no] , President: Frederic Hauge [frederic@bellona.no] Information: info@bellona.no [info@bellona.no] , Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no [webmaster@bellona.no] Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 19 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca is DOE's toughest task By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Yucca Mountain project is still one of the Energy Department's most difficult challenges, based on a year-end review of its work. In a special report on "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy," released Wednesday, department Inspector General Gregory Friedman highlighted nuclear waste disposal in the department's programs that are "inherently the most difficult to manage and those with demonstrated performance problems." There has been improvement, but the report says the department faces the same challenges and risks it has in the past including the national security program, nuclear weapons stockpile maintenance and environmental cleanup, including disposing of nuclear waste at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "The goal of accepting waste into the repository could be affected by various issues such as funding, regulatory ruling, and legal challenges," according to the report. The review notes than results of another inspector general investigation released in May said the department would face problems in getting the project's document database ready by its self-imposed deadline. Friedman said the department has made "significant progress" in getting the documents ready but there are still obstacles to overcome in getting it done. The review also notes problems with project's property disposal as part of the department's overall challenge in managing contracts. The inspector general found that the department gave away more than 1,300 pieces of property last year at Yucca Mountain that could have sold for an estimated $458,000. ***************************************************************** 20 Las Vegas SUN: Weaker nuke cleanup standards to be proposed By Benjamin Grove SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Homeland Security Department plans to recommend weaker cleanup standards in the event of a nuclear "dirty bomb," a coalition of environmental groups said today. The department is preparing to unveil new recommendations that would "dramatically weaken requirements for cleaning up radioactive contamination from a terrorist radiological or nuclear explosive," the groups said. More than 50 activist groups signed a letter sent to the department, urging the agency not to move to weaken clean-up standards. The groups include the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Citizen and the Union of Concerned Scientists. At issue is a department "guidance" aimed at federal and state agencies that would be responsible for cleanups. The document also is expected to recommend an increase in the level of radiation considered safe for emergency response workers. The guidance document is the result of long deliberation by agencies including Homeland Security, the Energy Department, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. The guidance proposes standards that are up to 2,500 times less protective than the risk levels considered by the EPA as acceptable for cleanup at radioactive sites, the groups said. The guidance would permit ongoing contamination levels after cleanup equal to tens of thousands of chest X-rays over 30 years, increasing latent cancer rates, the groups said. "By permitting such high radiation levels to remain without cleanup, Homeland Security would actually be increasing the casualty count," said Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director at Nuclear Information and Resource Service. Homeland Security Department spokesman Don Jacks today said he could not respond to those charges. The guidelines were based on 1980s guidelines for nuclear power plant accident cleanups, he said. The guidelines were set for a possible mid-December release, but Jacks didn't know if that schedule would be kept. After internal approvals, the guidelines would be published in the federal register and subject to public comment. In a separate letter, the groups urged the EPA not to adopt new cleanup standards based on the new guidance that are significantly weaker than EPA's current standards. Response agencies would not be bound by the guidance document, which would not be a law or regulation. But "it will have great weight," especially because it will set a precedent for easing radiation standards at other sites -- including Yucca Mountain, said Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, a leader of the activist groups. "It's clearly an effort by nuclear agencies to relax clean-up requirements more broadly," Hirsch said. "This is the first salvo in that effort." Radiation safety standards are a critical issue facing the Energy Department's proposed Yucca project. The project suffered a setback this year when a federal court threw out an EPA radiation standard for being weaker than standards recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Nevada officials have long argued that the federal plan to ship high-level nuclear waste to Nevada for storage in the proposed waste repository could invite a terrorist attack. ***************************************************************** 21 press-citizen.com: Hills gets perchlorate update Thursday, December 2, 2004 EPA suggests exploring central water system By Deidre Bello Iowa City Press-Citizen Details • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing bottled water to 25 homes in Hills with perchlorate contamination greater than 18 parts per billion (ppb). Since September 2003, the agency has spent $18,000 to $19,000 on bottled water for Hills residents. • According to the latest test results, dating from July, the highest level of perchlorate, at 330 ppb, was found in a grain field south of Hills Elementary School and City Park. The second highest level is at 272 ppb in the same location. Testing in February recorded the highest level as 108 ppb in the southwest corner of City Park. HILLS -- Federal officials announced Wednesday that they will make one of their last major testing attempts next week to find the source for groundwater contamination. "We still think fireworks are a likely source, but we haven't confirmed that," said Craig Smith, project leader with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. He then suggested the community explore a permanent central supply source for water. Smith said the EPA's "primary concern" is whether shallow groundwater contamination might taint the deeper aquifer. EPA scientists are trying to find the source of a plume of perchlorate contamination in shallow groundwater in Hills. The investigation started in August 2003. Smith reported the latest finding to about 40 residents who attended a town meeting Wednesday night at the Community Center. Details • Perchlorate is the main ingredient in the production of solid rocket fuel. Levels of about 180 to 200 parts a billion can interfere with iodine intake by the thyroid gland, which can affect metabolism and cause thyroid tumors. Residents questioned how long it would take to clean up the contamination and voiced concern about how the findings would affect property values and whether the situation truly merits an investigation. Others said the contamination has brought about much-needed discussion for a municipal system, which could attract younger residents and more development. Perchlorate is the main ingredient in the production of solid rocket fuel. Levels of about 180 to 200 parts per billion (ppb) can interfere with iodine intake by the thyroid gland, which can affect metabolism and cause thyroid tumors. Results from the EPA's July tests showed the highest levels of perchlorate, at 330 ppb and 272 ppb, were found in a grain field south of Hills Elementary School and City Park. Perchlorate levels greater than 100 ppb were found in 12 groundwater samples in four acres west of the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railroad tracks. Smith reported that about 10 percent of the wells were increasing in perchlorate contamination during the four months between February and July testing; 65 percent were decreasing and 25 percent had mixed results. With levels appearing generally stable, the EPA plans to reduce the frequency of well water testing to reduce costs. The agency has a spending cap of $2 million for current efforts in Hills.EPA officials said they suspect partially exploded fireworks got ground up during a harvest. Other theories from residents are that discarded flares used to signal a train crossing or fireworks confiscated by the Fire Department caused the contamination. Researchers will be in town from Dec. 6-15 to do additional sampling south of the park and west of the railroad tracks. In addition, they will check groundwater and soil samples for fireworks remnants and use a magnetometer, an instrument likened to a sophisticated metal detector, to survey the area. Meanwhile, city officials are reviewing a preliminary engineering report they received Nov. 22 from Shive-Hattery that looked at potential costs for a municipal water system versus connecting to Iowa City's water system. City councilors might discuss the report at their Dec. 13 meeting. Preliminary estimates show it could cost about $2.96 million to link the town to Iowa City water, with an additional $100,451 annual operation cost, City Clerk Teresa Volk said. If the town started its own water system it could cost about $2.69 million to construct and $78,154 annually to operate it, she said. Residents also could consider a private osmosis system to filter well water at a cost of $240 annually to maintain parts, EPA officials said. Another option is to qualify to be on the U.S. EPA Superfund National Priorities List to help with contamination clean-up efforts. If Hills qualifies for the list, the EPA would pay a certain percentage of the cost for a period of time. But qualifying to be on the list could associate the town with a negative stigma, residents warned. The EPA and Hills community are waiting for a decision from the National Academy of Sciences on what levels of perchlorate are dangerous. ***************************************************************** 22 FT.com: Brussels to probe nuclear authority By Andrew Taylor Published: December 2 2004 02:00 | Last updated: December 2 2004 The European Commission has confirmed it is to investigate plans to create a state-funded authority to take over the £48bn clean-up of Britain's most contaminated nuclear sites. The authority is due in April to take over publicly-owned civil nuclear facilities controlled by British Nuclear Fuels and the Atomic Energy Authority. Sites include BNFL's Sellafield complex in Cumbria. The Commission, which is investigating the plans for possible infringement of state aid rules, said the transfer could relieve BNFL of liabilities it would normally have to meet under the polluter pays principle. Andrew Taylor © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2004. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. ***************************************************************** 23 Boston.com: Toxin traced to neighbor The Boston Globe TEWKSBURY Toxin traced to neighbor By Joyce Pellino Crane, Globe Correspondent | December 2, 2004 Tewksbury's struggle to remove its drinking-water supply from the watchful eye of state regulators is almost over, and town officials are relieved that the contaminant perchlorate has been traced to neighboring Billerica's waste-water treatment plant. But Tewksbury Town Manager David Cressman, still smarting from a four-month ordeal that sapped town resources, chastised the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversaw the process. ''DEP's focus should have originally been on source protection, rather than putting Tewksbury through an economic and psychological maelstrom," said Cressman, referring to the many hours needed to search for potential problems in his town's drinking-water treatment facility. Last week, the state said a plant in Billerica belonging to C.R. Bard Inc. was discharging water containing the contaminant perchlorate into Billerica's sewer system. Perchlorate is a salt derivative of perchloric acid that poses health risks to children, pregnant and nursing women, and people with thyroid problems. ''The town of Billerica told us the 24-hour composite sample was 890,000 parts per billion" where the company was discharging water into the sewer system, said department spokesman Edmund Coletta. State guidelines call for concentrations of no more than one part per billion for drinking water. ''It's a medical manufacturing process where they use perchloric acid," Coletta said of C.R. Bard, which is headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J. As part of the bleaching process, the perchloric acid reacts with nitric and sulfuric acid to form perchlorate salts. According to Bard spokeswoman Holly Glass, bleach was not being discharged into sewer lines, but only the neutralized rinse water. In a statement issued last week, Bard said it has voluntarily suspended the manufacturing process that creates the compound. The statement emphasized that perchlorate is not a substance regulated by the government. Coletta acknowledged that the four-month state investigation has been costly, but could not specify a dollar amount. State and local officials said they have not begun considering whether to seek monetary damages from Bard for the expenses incurred until testing of other Billerica businesses has been completed. Saying that town officials have not come to the point of discussing expenses, Billerica Selectman James O'Donnell confirmed Bard's identity and said ''I would imagine we'll review whatever options we'll have in the future." Because the contaminant affected Tewksbury's drinking water, the town bore the brunt of the expenses. Cressman estimated that he has spent approximately $100,000 on purifying the town's water supply and other related efforts. ''We did a financial analysis, and the first two months cost us $50,000," he said. ''I think if we double that, it would be conservative. We've been involved in this since mid-August." The perchlorate mystery began around Aug. 15, when Lewis Zediana, chief operating engineer of the Tewksbury Water Department, received routine test results that showed higher perchlorate levels than state guidelines permit. Cressman immediately issued a health advisory to town residents, shut off the bubblers at all the town's public schools, and began purchasing spring water for the students, he said. Town workers were pulled from other projects to monitor the drinking-water supply at the town's Merrimack Drive treatment plant. ADVERTISEMENT ''The other thing that's really unquantifiable is the cost the community has absorbed," in terms of businesses and residents buying spring water, Cressman said. Initially Lowell's waste-water treatment facility fell under suspicion because of its proximity to Tewksbury's drinking water plant on the Merrimack. But the spotlight fell on Billerica when tests in October registered surprising results at the point where sewage discharge enters the treatment facility, located on the Concord River, as well as where the treated water leaves it. In the Billerica Water Department's latest round of test results, returned last week, discharges from a manufacturing process at Bard were found to be causing fluctuating levels of perchlorate. Those tests followed seven days of testing this month by the Department of Environmental Protection, in which perchlorate levels at the point where waste water flows into Billerica's waste-water treatment facility soared as high as 640 parts per billion and dipped as low as .06 parts per billion. Water leaving the system measured as low as 12.4 parts per billion, and as high as 807 parts per billion. Tewksbury, which draws its drinking water from the Merrimack River, is downstream from the northward-flowing Concord River. The treated waste water leaving Billerica's plant moved along the Concord, which meets the Merrimack in nearby Lowell. In September, Tewksbury's drinking water levels averaged 2.25 parts per billion after almost a dozen tests, but had come closer to one part per billion in recent weeks after considerable effort and expense using carbon filtration and other methods to rid the water of the unwanted substance. Billerica's drinking water has not been affected, because the town's treatment plant is located downstream of its waste-water treatment facility. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, perchlorate can affect the function of the thyroid gland, which regulates the body's metabolism and development of children. It is found in explosives, air bag inflators, and some fertilizers. Since Cressman learned of the presence of perchlorate in August, he has insisted that the problem was originating outside his town's drinking-water treatment facility, which was built in 1988 and upgraded in 2000. In August, Department of Environmental Protection officials pressured the town to purchase millions of gallons of water via an underground pipe system from Andover and Lowell. It was a recommendation Cressman resisted, saying it would have been a fiscal disaster. At the same time, state and town officials pressured the department to test beyond Tewksbury. After several rounds of sampling along both rivers, the test results led officials to Lowell's and Billerica's waste-water plants, and from there, businesses fell under scrutiny. As part of routine annual testing of all industrial businesses that discharge into the town's sewer system, Billerica town officials have four more companies to test, but say they don't expect to find high levels among any of them. Billerica Town Manager Richard Montuori credited C.R. Bard with being cooperative and proactive. ''Once they were identified as a significant source, they immediately shut down their operations," he said. C.R. Bard's Billerica plant manufactures bleached textiles used in a variety of implantable medical devices such as heart valves, sutures, and hernia-repair materials, said Glass. ''We proactively initiated efforts to identify and then purchase ion-exchange technology that will allow us to address the presence of perchlorate in our waste water," she said. ''In the interim, we have voluntarily suspended production in the bleaching operations at our Billerica facility." Joyce Pellino Crane can be reached at crane@globe.com. c Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. ***************************************************************** 24 Reuters: UK wrong to withhold nuke waste plan-EU court adviser 02 Dec 2004 18:54:32 GMT Source: Reuters BRUSSELS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Britain was wrong to withhold information from the European Commission about the disposal of radioactive waste from the shut down of a nuclear reactor, a top adviser at the EU's highest court said on Thursday. But Advocate General Leendert Geelhoed of the European Court of Justice said European Union member states should have the right to keep back information if the state considers it crucial to its defence interests. The EU executive brought a case to the European Court of Justice against Britain for failing to provide the Commission with a plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the decommissioning of a reactor known as "Jason". It is not the only dispute between Britain and the EU executive over nuclear-related issues. Geelhoed's opinion came a day after the Commission launched a probe to check whether Britain's plan for a state-owned nuclear decommissioning body conforms with EU state aid rules. Jason was a low power research and training reactor in the UK Department of Nuclear Science and Technology located at the Roval Naval College in Greenwich, southeast London. It was operated from 1962 to 1996. The United Kingdom argued that the EU rules only applied to waste coming from nuclear plants operating for civil and commercial uses and it was therefore not obliged to provide the data. Geelhoed's opinion concluded Britain had breached its obligations by failing to inform the Commission, but said states should be able to hold back under certain circumstances. "In the case of each plan to dispose of defence-related radioactive waste, member states should be entitled to withhold information from the Commission only if they consider this absolutely necessary for the protection of their essential defence interests," he wrote. Judges at the Luxembourg-based court will now begin deliberating. Decisions usually take three to six months after the opinion is given. In another case, the Commission said in October that Britain faced legal action over its failure to notify Brussels how it disposes of radioactive waste at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, home to its nuclear weapons industry. ***************************************************************** 25 [du-list] Piketon plant looks to start new legacy Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:18:07 -0800 This story is being sent to you by Tara Thornton (tara@miltoxproj.org) on Thursday, December 2, 2004 at 16:38:33 http://www.chillicothegazette.com/news/stories/20041201/localnews/1677961.html Piketon plant looks to start new legacy Courtesy of centralohionews.com ***************************************************************** 26 SPI: Justice Department to try and overturn initiative barring more Hanford waste [seattlepi.com] [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] Wednesday, December 1, 2004 By SHANNON DININNY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS YAKIMA -- The federal government plans to ask a judge to overturn a Washington state initiative that bars the U.S. Department of Energy from sending more nuclear waste to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Last month, Washington voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 297, which blocks the Energy Department from sending more waste to south-central Washington's Hanford site until all the existing waste there is cleaned up. The measure is scheduled to take effect tomorrow. The Justice Department planned to seek a temporary restraining order today in federal court in Yakima to keep the initiative from becoming law, according to a government official familiar with the case. The government also planned to challenge the constitutionality of the initiative on the grounds that it violates federal laws governing nuclear waste and interstate commerce, the official said. The 586-square-mile Hanford reservation was created in World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. It remains the most contaminated site in the nation, with cleanup costs expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion. At issue are the federal government's plans for disposing of waste from World War II- and Cold War-era nuclear weapons production nationwide. The Energy Department chose Hanford to dispose of some mildly radioactive waste and mixed low-level waste, which is laced with chemicals. The site also would serve as a packaging center for some transuranic waste -- plutonium-contaminated rags, tools and other discarded items -- before it is shipped elsewhere for long-term disposal. Transuranic waste is highly radioactive and can take thousands of years or more to decay to safe levels. In 2003, Washington state filed a lawsuit to block waste shipments from entering the state, fearing Hanford would become a radioactive waste dump. The Energy Department voluntarily suspended the shipments after the lawsuit was filed, but the case remains in federal court. Energy Department officials have said the site's most dangerous waste will be shipped out of state. Of the 405 million curies of radioactivity at Hanford, about 374 million curies will be sent to other states for long-term disposal. Hanford already is home to 53 million gallons of highly radioactive liquid, sludge and salt cake stored in 177 underground tanks. The Energy Department aims to bury much of that waste in a nuclear waste repository in Nevada. Another 75,000 55-gallon drums of transuranic, radioactive and hazardous waste also are buried at Hanford. The roughly $1 million cost of the initiative was largely funded by its sponsor, Heart of America Northwest, a Hanford watchdog group that contends the initiative will withstand any court challenges. "Plenty of legal experts have looked at it and said we have the authority to do this," said Gerald Pollet, executive director of Heart of America Northwest. "We had hoped that the Department of Energy would try to work with the state instead of wasting money and effort fighting in court." A citizens petition sent the initiative to the Legislature early this year. Lawmakers declined to act on it, sending the measure to the November ballot. Washington state voters approved it Nov. 2 by a more than 2-to-1 ratio. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com [newmedia@seattlepi.com] ©1996-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer ***************************************************************** 27 Tri-City Herald: Feds: I-297 threatens to halt cleanup This story was published Thursday, December 2nd, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Hanford cleanup could grind to a halt if a federal court does not block Initiative 297 from taking effect today, according to documents filed Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department. The U.S. government is asking a judge for a temporary restraining order that it says is needed to let cleanup work continue, and also is asking that the initiative be overturned. The initiative imposes new and unprecedented restrictions not just at Hanford, but also on the Department of Energy's national laboratory in the Tri-Cities, according to the legal filings. "Hundreds of workers will be idled" and possibly laid off, federal attorneys wrote. "Draconian" measures in the initiative would result in harm to the environment and cost millions of dollars, they said. David Mears, the senior assistant attorney for Washington, responded that allegations that cleanup work would stop because of the initiative appear to be based on a misreading of the initiative. "We intend to vigorously defend the initiative," he added. On Nov. 2, voters in every county of Washington except Benton and Franklin approved the initiative. It is intended to block DOE from sending more radioactive wastes to Washington until radioactive waste already there is cleaned up. Although DOE ultimately is seeking to overturn the entire initiative, its request for a temporary halt to implementation of the initiative would not allow waste to be imported to Hanford, say federal attorneys. DOE already is blocked from sending most radioactive waste to Hanford until a legal decision is issued, possibly in February, as part of a lawsuit brought by the state earlier. "The United States is only seeking a temporary restraining order to maintain the status quo concerning on-site cleanup and operational activities until the court can reach the merits of our claim," attorneys wrote in the Wednesday filing. The federal government argues that implications of the initiative are far more wide-reaching than blocking wastes from being brought to Hanford from other sites. Because the initiative addresses federal facilities, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland could be stopped from doing research that uses radioactive and hazardous materials, say federal attorneys. That could include cancer research, work to develop ways to clean up Hanford and other waste sites, and the development of technology to protect against radiological and nuclear threats, they wrote in court papers. The laboratory's homeland and national security projects account for half of its $500 million annual budget. The initiative also could affect the Navy, which sends nuclear waste to Hanford for disposal. Although the initiative specifically excluded the disposal of nuclear submarine reactor vessels from its ban on waste importation, it did not make clear that related naval waste, such as pumps, could continue to be sent to Hanford, according to court documents. But the biggest risk posed by the initiative is to Hanford cleanup, according to the documents. "Certain provisions of I-297 will have immediate and severe effects on Hanford if they are allowed to take effect," federal attorneys wrote. The Hanford nuclear reservation is extensively contaminated with radioactive and chemical waste left from more than 40 years of producing plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. Federal attorneys believe regulations in the initiative that call for new permits and that alter definitions of types of waste could slow or stop work on many projects across the nuclear reservation. For instance, the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility, which analyzes waste to protect workers doing cleanup work, might have to stop work until new permits are in place, federal attorneys argued. That would stop cleanup work elsewhere on the site. Attorneys also wrote that getting permits to move waste between facilities at Hanford might be required by the initiative. That could take years. "In the meantime, much of Hanford's day-to-day operations and cleanup activities would grind to a halt," federal attorneys wrote. This is the second time Washington voters have passed an initiative banning nuclear waste from being imported into the state for burial. The federal court overturned a 1981 initiative that tried to prevent nuclear waste from being sent to a commercial disposal site at Hanford for low-level nuclear waste. The current initiative has the same constitutional problems, federal attorneys argued. They wrote that the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution prevents states from stopping the free flow of commerce among states. The initiative, by preventing shipment of waste into Washington, violates the clause, they said. The initiative also violates the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which says federal activities are not subject to state regulation unless Congress authorizes it, attorneys wrote. Congress has made clear that federal authority preempts state law in regulating safety matters of radioactive materials, say federal attorneys. "It would be counterproductive to shut down ongoing cleanup operations and scientific research at Hanford due to a state law that is almost certainly unconstitutional," they argued in the documents requesting a temporary restraining order. State attorneys had only begun to read the documents late Wednesday afternoon, but Mears said the U.S. government does not appear to have a sufficient legal basis to overturn the initiative. "This is a brazen attempt by the federal government to stop the state of Washington from doing what Washington voters want -- to protect our health and the Columbia River," said Gerald Pollet, chairman of the committee that backed the initiative, in a prepared statement. DOE and Washington must commit to continuing cleanup and keeping workers on the job while legal questions are answered, said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., in a prepared statement. He had warned voters against passing the initiative. Federal Judge Alan McDonald talked with attorneys before the challenge to the initiative was filed Wednesday. He has scheduled a conference call this morning with state and federal attorneys. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 28 Daily Texan: Agency requests Los Alamos proposals [http://www.dailytexanonline.com] Top Stories | 12/2/2004 Potential bidders must meet hiring, pay conditions By David Kassabian Wanted: a single entity or consortium to manage the nation's leading nuclear weapons lab. Group can be public, private or not-for-profit. Experience in scientific research, handling nuclear materials and a keen appreciation of security a plus. The government agency responsible for awarding the management contract of New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory released a draft request for proposals Wednesday, specifying parameters any potential bidder must meet. Some of the conditions include a mandatory re-hiring of the lab's current staff with comparable pay and benefits, an initial contract term of five years and an estimated compensation award of $2 billion per year. The UT System has kept quiet about potential plans to bid on the contract despite formally expressing interest to the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees management of the labs. The System also commissioned a task force and private consulting group to evaluate the request for proposal, said Randa Safady, the vice chancellor of external relations for the UT System. Lab officials said strong management practices will be a quality just as important as scientific ability in the lab's new manager. "We're looking for the best offer, whatever the business entity happens to be," said Tyler Przybylek, chairman of the contract evaluation board of NNSA. "We want world-class science or better, and business and operations good enough to enable that science." Los Alamos has been managed by the University of California System since its inception during World War II to build the first atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. The NNSA announced the contract for the DOE-owned lab would be up for bid once UC's term ends fall 2005. A series of security and safety problems culminated with questions surrounding missing classified computer drives and a laser accident involving an intern. Provisions in the draft proposal award financial bonuses and the option of adding extra years to the contract if performance levels are met. In addition to receiving an annual operating budget, the lab's contractor will receive an additional fee tentatively set at 1.5 percent of the budget to compensate for management, according to the draft request. The roughly 400-page draft request covers every facet of operating the lab, ranging from services being acquired to stipulations for Los Alamos employees' pension plan. Potential bidders and other interested members will have 30 days to comment on the proposal before a final draft is released sometime after the new year, Przybylek said. The System has not had enough time to decide to bid or not, Safady said. Kelly Anderson and Associates, a consulting firm hired by the System, will evaluate the draft request for proposals before determining what a successful bid on the lab contract would mean for the University, Safady said. UT Chancellor Mark Yudof will review the consulting group's findings, and any recommendation to proceed with a bid on the lab would be presented to the Board of Regents at its February quarterly meeting. ***************************************************************** 29 PISJ: New contractor shares INL dream: Site's incoming chief talks to workers Pocatello Idaho State Journal: By Dan Boyd [dboyd@journalnet.com] - Journal Writer Grossenbacher POCATELLO - Although the Idaho National Laboratory site lies in the wind-swept desert near Arco, John Grossenbacher knows the lab has some serious mountains to climb before it officially comes into existence in two months. On Wednesday, Grossenbacher, the laboratory director for the new INL, spoke to more than 60 site workers at the Red Lion Hotel in Pocatello on the new contractors' goals, visions and challenges. "We're out to create a new culture ... and it's one that values scientific inquiry," Grossenbacher told the crowd. "Our challenge in this laboratory is going to demand the best of you in your leadership and performance skills." Grossenbacher said he envisioned the INL leading a "renaissance" in nuclear energy and said the right team is in place to lead the way. Despite the optimism, Grossenbacher and other high-ranking Battelle Energy Alliance officials also came prepared to answer questions about jobs, and they heard plenty. "We recognize that transition time is stressful," said Human Resources Director Sue Arnold. "There's a lot of speculation out there - a lot of rumors." Arnold said she expects from 3,200 to 3,500 people to be employed at the INL. Currently, about 2,500 people work at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and an additional 600 at Argonne National Laboratory-West. In what she referred to as the "mapping" process, Arnold said employees will face three scenarios: Maintain the same position, compete for the same position or be given a new position. While some current site employees voiced concerns regarding the transition, others said they're taking the changes in stride. "I've been through it twice before," said Garth Bybee, who has worked 15 years with a division of INEEL. "I don't lose sleep over it." Bybee said the new contract will be a good thing for the laboratory. "It's always contingent on government funding, but I think the lab and southeast Idaho will be better off for it," he said. Grossenbacher agreed, saying the INL promises to be "the nation's hub for all things nuclear." Dan Boyd - Journal Writer'> On Wednesday, Grossenbacher, the laboratory director for the new INL, spoke to more than 60 site workers at the Red Lion Hotel in Pocatello on the new contractors' goals, visions and challenges."> However, he said, consolidation, elimination and building will all have to take place and he urged employees to maintain a high morale. For Don Wood, who works security at INEEL, keeping a steady attitude shouldn't be a problem. Since beginning work at INEEL in 1980, Wood said he's seen four or five different contractors. "It goes with the territory," he said. "We change the names on our uniforms and keep doing the same job." Dan Boyd [dboyd@journalnet.com] covers higher education, politics and natural resource issues for the Journal. He can be reached at 239-3168 or by e-mail at dboyd@journalnet.com [dboyd@journalnet.com] . Copyright © 2004 Pocatello Idaho State Journal P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431 ***************************************************************** 30 AP Wire: Feds giving business, management important role in Los Alamos bid | 12/02/2004 | ERICA WERNER Associated Press WASHINGTON - Stung by security lapses at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the government will consider business and management ability as much as scientific expertise when selecting a new manager for the facility. The Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration released a draft request for proposals Wednesday as it prepares for the first competition to run the New Mexico nuclear weapons lab. Los Alamos has been managed by the University of California since the lab's creation as a top-secret World War II project to develop the atomic bomb. But problems, including missing computer drives and sloppy fiscal procedures, led the department for the first time to call for an open bidding process last year. The new contractor will take over when the university's current contract expires at the end of September. The school has not decided whether to bid to continue managing the lab. "The vision is we want world-class science, enabled by excellent operations, and really, really good business management," said Tyler Przybylek, chairman of the board of National Nuclear Security Administration officials who will evaluate proposals. The agency will collect comments from prospective applicants, community members and others for 30 days before issuing a final request for proposals. Applicants will then have 60 days to submit their proposals. The agency plans to select a contractor next summer to begin work on Oct. 1. The new contract will cover five years, with possible extensions for 15 years more. Recent problems at the lab include the shutdown of most operations in July following the disclosure that two disks believed to contain classified information were missing. Most lab activities have since resumed. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has encouraged the University of California to seek to retain its contract. Other possible bidders include the University of Texas and Texas A&M. Federal officials also will seek bids on the two other labs that the University of California manages, the Lawrence Livermore nuclear weapons lab and the nonweapons Lawrence Berkeley lab. The school's Lawrence Livermore contract also expires at the end of September, but the Energy Department plans to extend it. --- Associated Press writer Leslie Hoffman in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report. ***************************************************************** 31 Albuquerque Tribune: Los Alamos helping Ukraine to keep tabs on nuclear material December 2, 2004 By [svorenberg@abqtrib.com] Tribune Reporter Los Alamos National Laboratory is teaching Ukrainian scientists to be better nuclear bean counters. Scientists from the lab spent August and September in Kiev teaching scientists there to use new equipment that measures different types of radioactive materials. The hope is that the training - and equipment provided by the United States - will help Ukraine keep better track of nuclear materials inside its borders and keep them out of the hands of terrorists, said Doug Reilly, a Los Alamos scientist. "This expertise helps in the same way that an accountant in a bank helps prevent theft by knowing how much money the bank expects to have," Reilly said. "If you don't account for your money in a bank, and somebody walks out with it, you probably won't know it's happened." The equipment also can track where nuclear materials - such as power plant waste - move around the country, added Doug Sheppard, a manager at the lab. "In a bank, you count money by taking a stack of bills and putting it in a machine," Sheppard said. "For nuclear material it's sort of similar. You take the material and put it in a counter, or place the counter in front of it. From there you can take measurements and determine the mass of the weapons grade material present - even if it's in a sealed container." Ukraine, a former Soviet republic currently in the throes of political turmoil, is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency treaty aimed at stopping the spread of nuclear materials. The training and equipment helps the country meet standards of that treaty, Reilly said. "It helps them verify the content of nuclear fuel they receive for their reactors from Russia," Reilly said. "The technology will also help them characterize nuclear materials in some of their research labs and other facilities." IAEA requires its treaty members to provide information on the type, location and mass of their nuclear materials, Sheppard added. "Ukraine has been playing ball with IAEA since the treaty was signed," Sheppard said. "It wants to do whatever it can to make IAEA happy." Some of the equipment given to the Ukrainian government was designed at Los Alamos. The country got several different types of detectors that can tell how many atoms or grams of different types of radioactive isotopes are present, Reilly said. "Los Alamos is certainly one of the premier laboratories in the world for making those kinds of measurements," Reilly said. Scientists from the country were well educated and took to the technology quickly, he said, adding that Los Alamos plans to do another training session in Kiev, and possibly at a nuclear power site, in May and June of 2005. "I've gone to a number of places around the former Soviet Union through my work here, and Kiev is very lively and a very pleasant place to visit," Reilly said. "The scientists are very impressive. There isn't much of a culture gap. Nature is the same no matter which side of the ocean you're on." [http://www.abqtrib.com/ ***************************************************************** 32 Albuquerque Tribune: New report recaps needs at the labs December 2, 2004 By Sue Vorenberg [svorenberg@abqtrib.com] Tribune Reporter It hasn't been a great year for security and management at the nation's top laboratories. Scandals over missing classified material and poor accounting practices prompted a flurry of headlines and a shutdown of the Department of Energy research complex. A new report released Tuesday by the DOE Inspector General's Office reviews several investigations completed in 2004 and points out several areas that labs across the DOE complex should focus on - especially national security, environmental cleanup and stewardship of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. "The department must ensure that its most sensitive materials, facilities and information are secure and protected from hostile groups and countries," the report said. The report cited a number of problems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. A July inventory at Los Alamos, which revealed that two zip disks containing classified materials had gone missing, was cited as a prime example of the need for increased emphasis on security, the report said. The report and a laser accident prompted a full shutdown of the nation's nuclear labs to add safeguards and procedures and investigate the problem. Some of Los Alamos' nuclear operations have not yet resumed. "We have also identified weaknesses in the department's and its laboratories' ability to assure that laptop, desktop and related equipment are appropriately controlled and adequately safeguarded from loss or theft and that classified computer use met security standards," the report said. In August, another audit found that Sandia workers used computer peripherals for classified work without proper accreditation and that effective property management controls were not in place for computers built at the labs. In response, Sandia added training programs and accounting procedures to fix the problem, which have all been implemented, said John German, a spokesman. "We consider this to be completed at this point," German said. "It's completely fixed." Another August audit found DOE made some progress stabilizing hazardous and radioactive materials at Los Alamos, but the actions were well behind schedule, the report said. "Unless the Department and Los Alamos place a higher priority on stabilizing these materials, radioactive materials at the Laboratory may continue to deteriorate, negatively impact the safety and health of workers and increase costs to stabilize these dangerous materials," the report said. An April investigation showed Los Alamos had improved its ability to track materials bought by employees on lab purchase cards, but "we identified certain opportunities to further reduce the risk of purchase card misuse," the report said. It added that more improvements were needed to strengthen controls over purchase cards at Sandia and three other labs. Another August report found that Los Alamos and Sandia didn't keep close enough track of subcontractor costs through audits. Overall, the report said DOE "has taken significant positive steps to address these challenges," but it added that more work was needed to shore up problems that have cropped up over the past year. For a full version of the report "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy" go to the Web site [http://www.ig.doe.gov/reports.htm] . © The Albuquerque Tribune. ***************************************************************** 33 chillicothe gazette: Session opens up Piketon - www.chillicothegazette.com Thursday, December 2, 2004 Department of Energy meeting to look at environment By Daniel Prazer, dprazer@nncogannett.com Gazette Staff Writer If you go + What: Department of Energy's twice-yearly meeting about the environmental management program at the Piketon uranium enrichment plant. + When: 7 p.m. today. + Where: The Ohio State University South Centers, 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon. + If you need special accommodations to attend, call the public affairs office at (740) 897-2607. PIKETON -- Interested in the goings-on at the Piketon uranium enrichment plant? The Department of Energy is hosting a public meeting at 7 p.m. today at the Ohio State University South Centers on Shyville Road to discuss the accomplishments of the environmental management programs during the last fiscal year and its plans for the future, said DOE public information officer Laura Schachter. The department conducts these meetings twice a year, Schachter said, and this one will feature representatives from all three prime contractors working at the site -- Bechtel-Jacobs Co., Uranium Disposition Services and United States Enrichment Corp. "This is in addition to any end-state meetings we've had or other public meetings, but the focus of this meeting is really what was achieved in fiscal year '04 and what the planned work is in fiscal year '05," she said. Angie Duduit, USEC spokeswoman at the Piketon plant, said her company's portion of the meeting will focus on contract work it does for the Department of Energy, including converting the mothballed enrichment facilities to a cold standby mode, several cleanup programs, and clearing the way for USEC's proposed centrifuge enrichment plant. Originally published Thursday, December 2, 2004 ***************************************************************** 34 [du-list] DU in the news 2 Dec. '04 Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:17:25 -0800 Wednesday, December 1, 2004 11:32 AM PST Your Keyword News Alert for [depleted uranium] matched the following stories: Chillicothe Gazette, Wed, 01 Dec 2004 6:24 AM PST Piketon plant looks to start new legacy http://www.chillicothegazette.com/news/stories/20041201/localnews/1677961.html Workers at the Piketon uranium enrichment plant move a 14-ton cylinder of depleted uranium hexafluoride from the truck that brought it from the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Albuquerque Journal, Wed, 01 Dec 2004 9:57 AM PST ABQjournal: Richardson Says Uranium Waste Can't Stay in N.M. http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apnuke12-01-04.htm This story is available free without registration as a public service of the Albuquerque Journal. ABQjournal content is always free to Albuquerque Journal 7-day newspaper subscribers. Online Journal, Tue, 30 Nov 2004 10:11 PM PST Commentary http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/120104Dalton/120104dalton.html Adobe Acrobat Reader required. Click here to download a free copy. December 1, 2004 That the United States is a militarized imperial empire is beyond question. SpaceDaily, Tue, 30 Nov 2004 11:02 PM PST ESA Service Makes Customised Maps Available To African Aid Workers http://www.spacedaily.com/news/disaster-management-04za.html The map is not the territory, runs the famous quote, but maps do represent an unparalleled tool for emergency management. Nobody knows this better than humanitarian organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres, whose work often occurs within territories without any usable maps whatsoever. See more news stories that match your keyword at: http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=&p=depleted+uranium ***************************************************************** 35 Lax Dirty Bomb Cleanup Standards Decried Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 03:16:56 -0500 COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THE GAP NUCLEAR INFORMATION & RESOURCE SERVICE Diane Arrigo, NIRS (202) 328-0002 x16 GROUPS CRITICIZE HOMELAND SECURITY PLANS TO RELAX RADIATION CLEANUP STANDARDS FOR A "DIRTY BOMB" OR TERRORIST NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE Doses Equivalent to Tens of Thousands of Chest X-rays Could be Allowed, Officially Estimated to Cause Cancer in Up to a Quarter of Those Exposed WASHINGTON, DC - More than 50 public policy organizations today called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt plans to dramatically weaken requirements for cleaning up radioactive contamination from a terrorist radiological or nuclear explosive.  The groups disclosed that DHS is about to release new guidance that could permit ongoing contamination at levels equivalent to a person receiving tens of thousands of chest X-rays over thirty years.  Official government risk figures estimate that as many as a quarter of the people exposed to such doses would develop cancer. In a letter to outgoing DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, the groups said, "An attack by a terrorist group using a ‘dirty bomb' or improvised nuclear device would be a terrible tragedy. . . .But should such a radiological weapon go off in the U.S, our government should not compound the situation by employment of standards for cleaning up the radioactive contamination that are inadequately protective of the public." "Far from protecting us from the potentially catastrophic health effects of a terrorist dirty bomb, by permitting such high radiation levels to remain without cleanup, Homeland Security would actually be increasing the casualty count," said Diane D'Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director at Nuclear Information and Resource Service.  "Approval of this guidance would also set a dangerous precedent to weaken the already inadequate cleanup standards for nuclear-contaminated sites across this country." "Benchmark" cleanup standards contemplated in the DHS guidance are up to 2500 times less protective than the risk levels considered by EPA as barely acceptable for cleanup of Superfund toxic and radioactive sites.   "We recognize that response actions in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident may require extraordinary measures and doses," said Daniel Hirsch, President of the Committee to Bridge the Gap and initiator of the group letter, "However, it is unacceptable to set final cleanup goals so lax that long-term cancer risks are hundreds of times higher than currently accepted for remediation of the nation's most contaminated sites." In a parallel letter to Environmental Protection Agency, the groups urged Administrator Michael Leavitt to resist any effort to establish cleanup standards that permit public risks significantly outside EPA's longstanding legally allowable risk range. Signers include Committee to Bridge the Gap, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Citizen, and Greenpeace. The full letters to Ridge and Leavitt and supporting attachments are available upon request. ***************************************************************** 36 [du-list] Battle Scars for the Coffee Table Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:18:27 -0800 Env Hlth Perspcetives vol 112 no 17, 12/04 = 30+mb, mostly pictorial. I have downloaded, as a cutandpasted doc file, the DU bits, to our files section. There are vastly more useful items to be found there - have a look. So far as DU goes, this thing is a real timeandspacewaster on/off the web. Overall, the article is more suitable for Atlantic Monthly. I hope we can hope for better than the old coffee table splash and a bit of polite conversation in genteel homes, but so far as DU goes, it is sans cojones. Mention of the bystander effect, McDiarmid and some quotes from Dan Fahey decrying the lack of epidemiology. No Rachel Carson on the parapets at EHP - maybe an experimental market researcher. I can't wait until they put a printer-friendly, Lo-Megabyte version of Battle Scars up and, after an indeterminate period, compare their download statistics. Maybe they can write a scholarly article about that. Or a Coffee Table Splash for Fortune. jeers, Robert I have downloaded the bit about DU ***************************************************************** 37 [NukeNet] Evidence on Cold Fusion Remains Inconclusive, New Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:17:42 -0800 Over the past several months, 18 scientists reviewed research in cold fusion, and two-thirds of them did not find the evidence for nuclear reactions in the experiments convincing. Almost all of them, however, said that aspects of cold fusion merited consideration for further research. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/science/02fusion.html Evidence on Cold Fusion Remains Inconclusive, New Review Finds By KENNETH CHANG Published: December 2, 2004 In a new review of cold fusion - the claim that energy can be generated by running electrical current through water - the Department of Energy released a report yesterday that says the evidence remains inconclusive, echoing a similar report 15 years ago. Over the past several months, 18 scientists reviewed research in cold fusion, and two-thirds of them did not find the evidence for nuclear reactions in the experiments convincing. Almost all of them, however, said that aspects of cold fusion merited consideration for further research. "I think the new review has shed some light on the status of research that has been done over the last 15 years," said Dr. James F. Decker, deputy director of the science office in the Energy Department who agreed to the review at the request of several scientists involved with cold fusion research. Dr. Decker said the department was open to proposals for cold fusion research, but added that was not new. "We have always been open to proposals that have scientific merit as determined by peer review," he said. "We have never closed the door to cold fusion proposals." Cold fusion briefly appeared to promise an unlimited energy source in 1989 when Drs. B. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann of the University of Utah announced that they had generated fusion - the same process that powers the sun - in a tabletop experiment using a jar of water containing deuterium, a heavier version of hydrogen. They claimed that an electrical current running through the water pulled deuterium atoms into two palladium electrodes, generating heat. The speculation was that the heat was coming from the fusion of the deuterium atoms. Other scientists, however, had trouble reproducing the findings, and at the end of 1989, a review by the Energy Department recommended against a specific cold fusion research program, although it did support further investigation into some aspects. After that, most scientists regarded cold fusion as a discredited farce, but a small group of scientists continued work in the field. Measurements have become better, but cold fusion experiments still produce heat at best half of the time. At the end of last year, several cold fusion scientists approached Dr. Decker, asking for a review. Dr. Decker agreed. In the review, nine scientists chosen by the Energy Department considered a paper submitted by the cold fusion scientists. Another nine listened to oral presentations by cold fusion scientists in August. "This was a very, very scientific, very level-headed, review by everybody," said Dr. Kirby W. Kemper, vice president for research at Florida State University and one of the reviewers of the oral presentations. But Dr. Kemper said, "I don't think we've made much progress since '89 in really nailing down the parameters that make it reproducible." He said there were interesting scientific questions on the behavior of hydrogen within metals that merited research, and he said his comments tried to offer a future research path. Dr. Michael McKubre, a scientist at SRI International, one of the scientists who approached Dr. Decker last year, said the conclusions were at least "mildly positive" in endorsing consideration of further research. "All we set out to demonstrate was there were serious issues of science that had to be developed further," Dr. McKubre said. "If you look through the materials, the majority, if not the entirety, agree on that point." ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************