***************************************************************** 12/20/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.302 ***************************************************************** 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 Official: Iran missiles pose threat to U.S. interests in Iraq 2 SABCnews.com: SA backs Iran on nuclear weapons stance 3 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North says nuclear weapons part of self-defen 4 Guardian Unlimited: N. Korea Warns of 'Deterrent Force' Boost 5 US: [progchat_action] FOCUS: Los Angeles Times | Ill-Starred 'Star 6 (oceania.indy) Australia's Secret Nuclear Ambitions Revealed 7 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Suspects U.S. Eavesdropping on Calls 8 RosBusinessConsulting: Ukraine to buy nuclear fuel in Russia 9 Asia Times: US up in arms over Sino-Israel ties 10 IFEX: International PEN calls for the release of writer and nuclear 11 MehrNews.com: Dimona, a ticking time bomb NUCLEAR REACTORS 12 US: [NukeNet] PSEG and Exelon to merge 13 US: [CMEP] Nuke Plant Licensing Should Not Be Secret 14 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Renewal 15 US: NRC: Sunshine Federal Register Notice 16 US: AP Wire: Utilities ask PSC to reconsider rejection of power plan 17 US: North County Times: San Onofre's radiation blends into backgroun 18 US: Tuscaloosa News: TVA to correct Browns Ferry deficiencies spotte 19 Xinhua: China to be leader in nuclear energy: US Energy Secretary 20 US: NRC: NRC Finds Violations of Low Safety Significance at Vermont 21 US: Chicagobusiness.com: Who profits when nukes are well-run? Under 22 US: NRC: NRC Staff Seeks Input on Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Draft E 23 US: NRC: NRC Plans to Issue License Renewal Exemption for Oyster Cre 24 US: NRC: In the Matter of All Tech Corporation Pocatello, Idaho; Ord 25 US: NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al., South Texas Project, NUCLEAR SAFETY 26 [du-list] 12/18 Iraq Watch: US Solider Killed Iraqi Boy 27 US: [NukeNet] Accidental Nuclear War 28 US: [du-list] Article At RadSafe on Low Dose Rad 29 [du-list] UK 'war crimes' claims examined in The Hague 30 [du-list] Depleted uranium used during both gulf wars is a 31 [du-list] Other Substances, Many Possibilities 32 [du-list] Soldier’s Heart: Iraq War 33 Mobile Phone Radiation Harms DNA, New Euro-Study Finds 34 US: Las Vegas SUN: Another child with ties to Fallon diagnosed with 35 Bellona: Russian Typhoon completed sea trials 36 ittefaq: Scientists oppose handover of Atomic Energy Centre to DU 37 National Academies news: Gulf War and Health NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 38 Daily Yomiuri: Uranium arrives at new plant 39 Las Vegas SUN: Ensign: Bush's Nevada win holds him to Yucca rulings 40 RGJ: Most Nevadans oppose Yucca plan, poll says 41 US: press-citizen.com: Hills debates water systems 42 US: Malawi Nation: Uranium mining study starts May 43 US: AU ABC: Australian firm launches uranium project in Malawi - rep 44 US: Business Week: When Water Can Be Bad for Kids NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 45 UC loses nuclear weapons program (7/9) 46 Written comments due for INEEL for nuke space missions, background 47 The State: Aiken business owners fear ripp 48 ABQjournal: Colorado School Seeks Role in LANL Contract OTHER NUCLEAR 49 [du-list] DU in the news - 22nd Dec. 04 50 [DU-WATCH] 1st RNC Jury Trial ends in dismissal 51 Chicago Sun-Times: Battle for isotope prize pits Illinois vs. Michig ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Official: Iran missiles pose threat to U.S. interests in Iraq Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 17:21:54 -0600 (CST) http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_5.html Official: Iran missiles pose threat to U.S. interests in Iraq SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMMonday, December 20, 2004 A senior U.S. official said Iran and Syria have developed ballistic missiles that can destroy U.S. targets in Iraq as well as in nations aligned with Washington. "Iran and Syria can currently reach the territory of U.S. friends and allies with their ballistic missiles," Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen Rademaker said. "Ballistic missiles from Iran can already reach some parts of Europe, and, of course, Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles threaten our coalition forces deployed in the Middle East," he said. The United States has also been examining the deployment of ground-based interceptor launchers and forward-based radars in states adjacent to the Middle East, according to a report by Middle East Newsline. Rademaker told a missile defense conference by the Washington-based American Foreign Policy Council that both countries have received significant assistance from North Korea, which has sought to sell complete missile systems to the Middle East. Iran is developing space launch vehicles as a building block for an intercontinental ballistic missile which could be completed within a few years, he said on Dec. 17. "These systems could be ready for flight-testing in the middle to latter-part of the decade," Rademaker said. Rademaker said North Korea was achieving self-sufficiency in developing and producing ballistic missiles and sought to sell such missiles to the Middle East. He said the missile threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East could grow significantly if Pyongyang sells what he termed longer-range ballistic missiles. "If North Korea chooses to sell its longer-range ballistic missiles to customers in the Middle East - as it has done with its shorter-range systems - the risk to our friends and allies could grow exponentially," Rademaker said. "And it is important to recognize that the limited accuracy and targeting capabilities of emerging ballistic missile threats suggests that hostile states possessing such missiles likely would target the population and territory of our friends and allies rather than their military forces and facilities." North Korea has sold No Dong missiles to Iran and has developed the Taepo Dong-1 and -2 intermediate-range missiles. Officials said the Taepo Dong-2 could deliver a several hundred kilogram payload up to 15,000 kilometers. Rademaker said the United States was engaged in missile cooperation with 18 countries, including those in the Middle East. U.S. cooperation with Israel include the Arrow System Improvement Program, which seeks to provide the Arrow-2 with greater capability against Iranian intermediate-range missiles. Rademaker cited U.S. help for Israel to procure a third Arrow-2 missile defense battery, coproduction of the interceptor and flight tests in the United States. "As part of the cooperative joint testing project, this past summer Israel conducted two flight tests of the Arrow from Point Magu, California," Rademaker said. "Unlike the Israeli test range, with its range safety restrictions, Point Magu permits testing against a real world Scud." ***************************************************************** 2 SABCnews.com: SA backs Iran on nuclear weapons stance [http://www.sabcnews.com/] South African Broadcasting Corporation Copyright © December 20, 2004, 15:00 South Africa says it believes Iran when it says it has no nuclear weapons. Iran recently agreed to international inspections meant to ensure that the country doesn't enrich nuclear fuel. During bilateral talks between South Africa and Iran, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the foreign affairs minister, said there is no proof that Iran was building nuclear weapons. Iran has always maintained it doesn't possess nuclear weapons. The accusation was recently made by the United States. The US first broke off ties with Iran in 1980 and again in 2002, dubbing that country an axis of evil together with North Korea, before its war with Iraq. But Dlamini-Zuma questioned the authenticity of the accusation. She said these allegations were fuelled by the geopolitical situation in the region. She says South Africa will not only defend Iran but will also defend the right for nuclear technology while believing in a world free of nuclear weapons. Under an agreement struck in Paris last month, Iran agreed to suspend its nuclear activities in return for trade, technology and security. Iran has consistently denied that it seeks to build nuclear bombs and insists that its membership to the NPT entitles it to nuclear technology and activity related to the use of the atom for peaceful purposes. Kamal Kharrazi, Zuma's Iranian counterpart, says Iran has no nuclear weapons and does not intend on having any. European Union officials will visit Iran next month to discuss the matter. ***************************************************************** 3 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North says nuclear weapons part of self-defense [http://joongangdaily.joins.com] December 21, 2004 KST 13:04 (GMT+9) Delegates from the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States sat down at a negotiating table in Beijing on Feb. 25, 2004, for the second round of talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear aspirations, but the talks were troubled. Washington persisted in its demands for a complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear programs, while Pyeongyang demanded compensation in return for a freeze. The six nations began coordinating the wording of a joint statement on Feb. 27, and the U.S. delegation was ordered to ensure that its language was in the document. The North rejected that demand outright and James Kelly, the chief U.S. delegate, reported the confrontation to Washington. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was equally firm about the necessity for that language and appeared to convince U.S. President George W. Bush to accept a breakdown in the talks rather than concede. Secretary of State Colin Powell was out of Washington at the time, and the order was relayed to Mr. Kelly through Michael Green, the director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, not through State Department channels. Mr. Powell reportedly became aware of the order on Feb. 28. Mr. Powell received phone calls from several foreign officials, including China's foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing, urging that the talks continue. Mr. Powell met with Mr. Bush and told him that Mr. Green's order was unacceptable, and Mr. Bush reluctantly agreed. The term, "complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantlement," did not have to be in the joint statement, Washington conceded. Then, the North rejected the draft of the joint statement even without that language. It said the participating nations had reached a mutual understanding about each other's positions during the talks. Pyeongyang said that the language might appear to imply an agreement with the U.S. position of "complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantlement." In the end, no press statement was issued. A chairman's statement was issued after the talks. "At the time, the Bush administration believed that the 1994 U.S.-North Korea Geneva accord, signed by the Clinton administration, was the reason for the renewed nuclear crisis because the agreement was only a freeze of the North's nuclear programs," a South Korean official involved in the six-nation talks said. "We can see that the Bush administration's North Korea policy originated from that criticism. The hawks in the U.S. government were allergic to the term ˇ®freeze.' North Korea probably did not agree with the joint press statement because it knew of such sentiment in the United States." After the second round of talks, Vice President Cheney took the lead in the Bush administration's handling of North Korea issues. Touring South Korea, China and Japan from April 10 to 16, Mr. Cheney delivered messages to the countries on those nuclear issues. Pointing the possibility of North Korean nuclear tests, Mr. Cheney urged the countries to engage in further six-nation talks to make some tangible progress. Mr. Cheney also gave the impression that the nuclear issues must not derail Mr. Bush's presidential campaign for the November 2004 election. A former intelligence official of the Bush administration told the JoongAng Ilbo that foreign affairs issues had been handed over to Mr. Cheney entirely. He said it would be necessary for Mr. Cheney and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, to hold direct talks to resolve the nuclear crisis. The former U.S. intelligence official said Pyeongyang, at such talks, would have to decide on whether it would accept the U.S. offer or not. He also urged South Korea to work with Mr. Cheney. Seoul should not appease Pyeongyang, he said, but should instead urge North Korea to make a wise decision. At the third round of the six-party talks on June 23 to 26, Washington laid out its first offer after close consultation with Seoul. But the talks broke down with no agreement. The United States is still the leading nuclear power of the world. Russia possesses nuclear power comparable to that of the United States, and China has also developed nuclear arms. Japan, the only country that has ever been attacked with nuclear weapons, chose to depend on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for protection while South Korea's nuclear weapons work was forcibly ended by U.S. pressures. Now North Korea has begun a new nuclear game, claiming that it needs such weapons to defend itself from the United States. Where will it end? The next chapter of the six countries' grim nuclear game is about to begin. by Oh Young-hwan, Jeong Yong-su myoja@joongang.co.kr> [http://joongangdaily.joins.com/faq.html] Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. ***************************************************************** 4 Guardian Unlimited: N. Korea Warns of 'Deterrent Force' Boost From the Associated Press [UP] Monday December 20, 2004 1:31 PM SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea, which insists it needs a nuclear deterrent against a U.S. invasion, threatened Monday to strengthen its ``deterrent force'' if the United States pursues policies the communist state deems hostile. ``If the United States more desperately pursues its hostile policy to isolate and stifle (North Korea) under the pretext of the 'nuclear issue' and 'human rights issue' ... the latter will react to it by further increasing its self-defensive deterrent force,'' an unnamed spokesman for the North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. The spokesman condemned the North Korean Human Rights Act, a recent U.S. law aimed at improving human rights in the country. North Korea has repeatedly cited that law as an example of what it claims is Washington's hostile policy toward it. ``By nature the U.S. is the worst human rights graveyard in the world,'' the spokesman said. ``This is clearly proved by what happened in Iraq.'' Efforts are under way to persuade North Korea to return to six-party nuclear talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. However, the North has repeatedly insisted it won't return to the negotiating table until the United States abandons its ``hostile'' policy toward the country. President Bush included North Korea in what he called the ``axis of evil'' along with prewar Iraq and Iran after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have held three rounds of talks on how to end North Korea's nuclear threat since last year, without any breakthroughs. The planned fourth round of negotiations in September never happened because the North refused to attend. North Korea insists on receiving economic aid and security guarantees in return for giving up its nuclear weapons ambitions, while the United States insists it immediately dismantle all nuclear facilities. Some U.S. intelligence analysts say North Korea may have up to six nuclear weapons instead of the one or two the Central Intelligence Agency estimates. North Korea says it has several plutonium-based nuclear weapons and denies U.S. allegations it has a secret uranium-based nuclear weapons program. Some 33,000 U.S. soldiers are based in South Korea - a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended without a peace treaty. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 5 [progchat_action] FOCUS: Los Angeles Times | Ill-Starred 'Star Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 11:26:59 -0600 (CST) FOCUS: Los Angeles Times | Ill-Starred 'Star Wars' Tests http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122104Y.shtml ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/XgSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/progchat_action/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: progchat_action-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 6 (oceania.indy) Australia's Secret Nuclear Ambitions Revealed Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 08:50:32 -0600 (CST) http://perth.indymedia.org/Australia's Secret Nuclear Ambitions Revealedby KimKOn November 26th, 2004 Greenpeace Australian released a report "Secret's Lies and Uranium Enrichment" revealing a 30 year secret nuclear research project at Lucas Heights, Australia's only nuclear reactor, in Sydney. [report here] The Silex laser uranium enrichment project had varying levels of US monetary support over the protected by US-Australia bilateral agreement that hid the project as 'protected data'. Successive Australian governments have supported the nuclear enrichment research. Despite being privatised in recent years the Silex project continues to occupy taxpayer-funded public space and use the resources at Lucas Heights. It has violated the rights of local citizens to know of the danger they are living in the vici nity of. The laser uranium enrichment project has been described by UK physicist Dr Frank Barnaby as a "considerable risk" to nuclear proliferation, being a cheaper process using smaller facilities to create weapons grade uranium. "The risk of terrorists getting primitive nuclear explosives is real and I think it's only a matter of time before they do because it is relatively simple in this day and age to find out how to and to actually produce a primitive nuclear weapon," Dr Frank Barnaby told ABCTV's 7:30 Report on December 10th. Lucas Heights security was breached by 46 anti-nuclear activists in 2002 indicating that advanced nuclear material in Australia is not being held securely. Many sites exist where nuclear material sufficient for terrorists to make weapons such as 'dirty bombs' are being kept in relatively insecure circumstances such as at Steritech nuclear irradiation plants that use Cobalt-60. [Anti-nuke map of Australia] Alleged terrorist Willie Brigitte was alleged to have been p lanning to blow up Lucas Heights reactor. [ article here] Australia's hidden nuclear enrichment project indicates the close ties our government has with the US on nuclear issues, ties that perhaps led them to recommend Foreign Minster Alexander Downer as new head to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It also makes a mockery of Australia's push to censure Iran for nuclear proliferation that we have been doing in secret. [article here] Victor Sobral from Community Radio 4ZzZ102.1fm in Brisbane talked to Greenpeace nuclear campaigner James Courtney about the revelations. [interview here] [ Perth Indy: Nuclear Purpose for Australian Railway? ] Email: imc-oceania@lists.cat.org.au Url: http://oceania.indymedia.org ***************************************************************** 7 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Suspects U.S. Eavesdropping on Calls From the Associated Press [UP] Monday December 20, 2004 11:01 PM By WILLIAM J. KOLE Associated Press Writer VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The United States is invading the privacy of the U.N. nuclear chief if it is eavesdropping on his phone calls, a nuclear agency official said Monday after media reports that Washington was collecting information to support its call for the chief's ouster. International Atomic Energy Agency officials have long suspected that foreign governments were tapping their phones, chief agency spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said. ``It's not the way we prefer to work, but it's a reality. We always worked on the assumption that one or more entities out there were trying to listen in on our discussions,'' Gwozdecky said. ``If it's true, it would be an invasion of privacy.'' On Sunday, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei told al-Arabiya television that any U.S. eavesdropping on his phone calls ``would be a violation of my privacy.'' ``I have nothing to hide,'' ElBaradei told al-Arabiya. ``If the report of listening to my phone calls is true, it would constitute a violation of the rights of organizations to work freely, and a violation of my personal rights.'' A senior State Department official declined to comment on Gwozdecky's statement. The official, asking not to be identified, said the administration has a good relationship with el-Baradei and sees no reason or cause to put the relationship in doubt. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Bush administration was reviewing dozens of intercepts of ElBaradei's telephone calls with Iranian diplomats for information to support his ouster. A White House spokesman refused last week to comment on that report. U.S. officials, including outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell, have made clear they want ElBaradei replaced when his second term ends next summer. The agency chief has said publicly he intends to pursue a third term. ElBaradei, an Egyptian, has run the Vienna-based IAEA since 1997. The agency has refused to comment on the U.S. desire for a change in leadership. Critics have suggested U.S. officials were upset with ElBaradei for reporting progress in U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq while the administration was trying to rally U.N. support for war. But Powell said last week the sole U.S. reason for wanting to remove ElBaradei was an informal agreement among 14 countries - called the Geneva rule - that heads of U.N. and other international bodies should serve no more than two terms. U.S. officials also have expressed disappointment that the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors did not report Iran to the U.N. Security Council at a key meeting last month. Such a report could have led to sanctions against Tehran. The agency instead approved a resolution authorizing ElBaradei to monitor Iran's commitment to freeze uranium enrichment activities that can produce either low-grade nuclear fuel or the raw material for atomic weapons. The United States contends Iran - which President Bush once said was part of an ``axis of evil'' with North Korea and prewar Iraq - is running a covert nuclear weapons program and says it reserves the right to report Iran to the council on its own. The Tehran regime insists its activities are peaceful and geared purely toward generating electricity. ^--- On the Net: IAEA, www.iaea.org Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 8 RosBusinessConsulting: Ukraine to buy nuclear fuel in Russia [The St. Petersburg Times] RBC, 20.12.2004, Kiev 19:21:54.Ukraine is going to buy nuclear fuel for its 15 energy reactors in Russia in 2005, although it has its own reserves, Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Sergey Tulub, who is also the President of Ukraine's energy generating company Energoatom, told journalists in Kiev. According to him, the two parties are still in talks on the price for fuel supplies. Fuel energy supplies to Ukraine in 2005 may become worth $40m more compared to $360m in 2004. He stressed that the existing 9-percent discount for nuclear fuel supplies from Russia becomes ineffective in 2005. However, Ukraine insists on this discounts due to larger amount of fuel bought from Russia. Ukraine has 15 nuclear energy reactors. Russia supplies fuel for all of them. All rights reserved © 1995-2000 RosBusinessConsulting ***************************************************************** 9 Asia Times: US up in arms over Sino-Israel ties Asia's most trusted news source for the Middle East By Sudha Ramachandran BANGALORE - Israel's relationship with its closest ally, the United States, seems to have hit a rough patch, with Washington apparently upset with Israel's clandestine dealings with China. The spat is not new, however. It has its roots in a decade-old issue. Old suspicions have returned. It is an explosion into the public domain of a row that has been going on for a few years. The quarrel is over Israel's alleged concealing from Washington of an upgrade of a major weapons system it sold to China more than a decade ago. The United States claims that by upgrading the system, Israel violated its commitment not to transfer US technology to China without Washington's permission. Israel, however, insists that the upgrade was really just routine maintenance of a system that had originally been sold to China with US approval. What appears to have propelled this simmering tension into the open is a clash of personalities. According to reports in the media, US Under Secretary of Defense Doug Feith believes that Israeli Defense Ministry director general Amos Yaron misled him on the arms sale to China. On Wednesday, Israeli media reported that Feith had demanded Yaron's resignation (the Pentagon has subsequently denied this). This clash of personalities is a minor matter and can be sorted out. That is not the case with the underlying issue of concern to the US - Sino-Israel military cooperation. Israel is China's second-largest arms supplier (the first being Russia). Although diplomatic relations between Israel and China were established only in 1992, military ties go back to the early 1980s. Until formal diplomatic ties were established, the military relationship was covert. Israel sold about US$4 billion worth of arms to China during the covert courtship. In the 1990s, the Sino-Israel military relationship grew rapidly. In fact, arms sales contributed to the strengthening of diplomatic engagement. The military relationship hit a trough in 2000, however, when Israel came under pressure from the US to scrap a $250 million deal to sell China the Phalcon, an airborne radar system equipped with advanced Israeli-made aeronautics on board a Russian-made plane. Washington's argument was that providing Beijing access to the technology would upset the military balance between China and Taiwan and threaten US interests in the region. When the US Congress threatened to cut the $2.8 billion it gives Israel annually if the deal went ahead, Israel buckled and scrapped it. For years, the US government has expressed concerns over Israel illegally transferring technology to China. During the Gulf War, the US gave Israel Patriot missiles as protection against Iraqi Scud missiles. In 1992, a US intelligence report revealed that soon after the end of the Gulf War, Israel had sold Patriot anti-missile data to China. Israel denied the intelligence report. Washington has also alleged on several occasions that Israel violated agreements by exporting restricted US technology it buys with yearly US subsidies. This was the case with the largely US-funded Lavi fighter-plane program. Israel, the Americans believe, passed on technology to Beijing. China's F-10 fighter jet is believed to be almost identical to the Lavi. Washington has also expressed concern from time to time that Israel's arms trade with China could result in its military technology falling into the "wrong hands" - such as Iran's, for instance. But this argument rings rather hollow considering that the US itself supplies Pakistan with high-tech weaponry, despite Pakistan's "all-weather friendship" with China and Islamabad's abysmal record on the issue of nuclear and missile proliferation and its supply of military technology and know-how to Washington's foes. Israel's damaged reputation Unlike previous occasions when suspicions were expressed more quietly, with the Phalcon deal the issue erupted into the open. The cancellation of the Phalcon deal damaged Israel's image and interests to a considerable extent. It eroded Israel's credibility as a weapons supplier in the international arms market and it laid bare to the world Israel's susceptibility to US pressure. The cancellation of the Phalcon deal not surprisingly led to a chill in Sino-Israel relations. Israel subsequently forked out $350 million in compensation to China, and there were no known arms sales through 2003. Back in 2002, a deal for Israeli communication satellites was signed. Early this year, an Israeli delegation went to China for talks on rebuilding military ties. Reports suggested that Israel and China were even considering reopening the Phalcon deal. The military relationship is important for both countries. China is keen to have access to Israel's high-quality defense products and services, and the relationship with Israel has enabled it to acquire "dual-use technology" that the US and Europe have been reluctant to provide. Israel, which is among the world's top exporters of arms, is keen on its military ties with China for several reasons. According to Gerald Steinberg, professor of political science at the Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv and consultant to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Security Council, since Israel does not sell arms to the Arab countries or Iran, it has fewer potential markets than other major players in the high-tech arms market. (However, a look at Israel's arms market over the past several decades indicates that the country has sold arms to regimes that other countries have been reluctant to trade with.) Unlike most other arms manufacturers, Israel exports 75% of the total production of its military industries. Israel's military industry is dependent on exports for its survival. And arms sales to China are among its most lucrative businesses. Therefore, arms trade with China is very important, providing contracts for jobs as well as income to offset the high costs of maintaining Israel's technology and industrial base. Military trade has also paved the way for broader trade in other dual-use and high-tech goods. China's immense value as a trade partner for Israel's military industry is evident from Israel's engagement with China and Taiwan. In the early 1990s, Israel passed up defense deals with Taiwan so as not to damage its fledging relationship with China. Eugene Kogan, a defense-industry analyst, writes in the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief that while Israel has rebuffed Taiwan's repeated attempts to revive relations with it, "when it comes to contact with China, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD) promotes a clear-cut policy. China is an extremely important trade partner for the Israeli defense industry. As a result, the MOD, which oversees the arms trade with China, has ensured that Israel maintains a positive relationship with the PRC [People's Republic of China], while avoiding any contact with Taiwan which might disrupt this partnership." The Israel-China military relationship also contributed to China softening its anti-Israel stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. China's policy moved from its pro-Arab tilt to a more nuanced appreciation of the Israeli position. (Chinese criticism of Israel increased markedly after the cancellation of the Phalcon deal.) What is interesting about China's military relationship with Israel is that Beijing has been able to increase engagement with Israel without alienating the Arabs. Even Iran hasn't protested Beijing's close military ties to Israel. Israel has much to lose by angering the Chinese. But it has more to lose by angering the US. The cost of not complying with Washington's demands could result in a cutback on the nearly $2 billion in foreign military assistance that the US provides Israel annually. It could result in political and diplomatic costs, too, for Israel. It will have to do a fine balancing act if it wants to maintain its military ties with China without provoking Washington's ire. Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore, India. (Copyright 2004 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Online, 4305 Far East Finance Centre, 16 Harcourt Rd, ***************************************************************** 10 IFEX: International PEN calls for the release of writer and nuclear scientist Yury Bandazhevsky Country/Topic: Belarus Date: 20 December 2004 Source: Person(s): Yury Bandazhevsky Target(s): academic(s) Type(s) of violation(s): imprisoned , sentenced Urgency: Threat (WiPC/IFEX) - The WiPC of International PEN is calling on the Belarusian authorities to grant an early release to Yury Bandazhevsky, a nuclear scientist and writer on the effects of radioactive emissions on human beings. International PEN considers Bandazhevsky to be detained in violation of his right to freedom of expression. Reports that he is in ill health add to the urgency of the organisation's call for Bandazhevsky's release. Bandazhevsky, the former rector of the Gomel Medical Institute and author of numerous books on the effects of radioactive emissions on individuals, was arrested on 13 July 1999 on suspicion of bribery. He remains in detention, serving a sentence which is not due to expire until January 2006. However, in early January 2005, Bandazhevsky's case is due to be considered for parole. Bandazhevsky was hospitalised in late October 2004 with serious problems with his stomach (diagnosed as pre-cancerous), kidneys and pancreas. He was subsequently moved to a different hospital in order to attend to a severe muscle condition and underwent an operation on his arm on 17 November. Bandazhevsky reportedly suffers from atrophy in his arms and legs and has tendon problems. He has a history of ill health and it is feared that the continued stress of his current situation will cause his condition to further deteriorate. Bandazhevsky's imprisonment has led to widespread outrage. Organisations both within and outside Belarus believe he is being penalised for his criticism of the government's public health policy and, probably most importantly, his claims that the radioactivity still present in the region around the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster has led to continuing high levels of illness and disease, notably in children. Bandazhevsky's arrest came soon after he published the results of his research into the effects of radioactive fallout from Chernobyl. His arrest is widely believed to have been in retaliation for his open criticism of the Belarusian government's response to the impact that Chernobyl has had on public health, specifically the research methodology of the Belarusian Ministry of Health's Clinical Research Institution for Radiation Medicine. Bandazhevsky's trial opened in December 1999 and ended in June 2001 with an eight year prison term. The sentence was reduced to five years and will expire in January 2006. He remained free pending the outcome of the trial and was imprisoned in 2001. Bandazhevsky protests his innocence, calling the sentence illegal and ungrounded, and is seeking its reversal. Amnesty International and other human rights groups point to severe breaches in Belarusian and international laws safeguarding fair trials. Now aged 48, Bandazhevsky has published over 200 scientific papers and articles. After being released from pre-trial detention, he completed further scientific works, including a book published in June 2000 on the impact of radiotope caesium-37 on the population living in contaminated areas. It was reported in January 2002 that he had prepared two scientific books while in prison for publication abroad. International PEN shares widespread concerns that Bandazhevsky is being held for his scientific research on the effects of radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster on the local populace, and specifically for his open criticism of the Belarusian government's response to the impact that Chernobyl has had on public health. It shares concerns about the fairness of the sentence. PEN is calling for Bandazhevsky to be released without conditions. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Send appeals to authorities: - expressing concern that Bandazhevsky is being held for his scientific research on the effects of radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster on the local populace, and specifically for his open criticism of the government's response to Chernobyl's impact on public health - noting that Bandazhevsky is being detained in violation of his right to free expression - calling on them to grant Bandazhevsky an early release - noting that reports of Bandazhevsky's poor health add to the urgency of calls for his release APPEALS TO: Alyaksandr G. Lukashenka President of the Republic of Belarus Karl Marx Str. 38 220016 g. Minsk, Belarus Fax: +375 (172) 26 06 10 / 22 38 72 E-mail: pres@president.gov.by Victor G. Golovanov Minister of Justice Kollektornaya Str. 10 220084 g. Minsk, Belarus Tel: +375 (172) 20 6779 Fax: +375 (172) 20 9755 E-mail: info@minjust.belpak.by Also send copies to: - the Belarusian representative in your country - the Eastern European Desk officer at your government's Foreign Office - your country's official representative in Minsk Please copy appeals to the source if possible. MORE INFORMATION: For further information please contact Sara Whyatt at the WiPC, International PEN, 9/10 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7AT, U.K., tel: +44 207 253 3226, fax: +44 207 253 5711, e-mail: swhyatt@wipcpen.org, intpen@gn.apc.org, Internet: http://www.internationalpen.org.uk ***************************************************************** 11 MehrNews.com: Dimona, a ticking time bomb Iran, world, political, sport, economic news and headlines 2004/12/20 [ src=] Print version [ src=] Tehran Times Opinion Column, Dec. 21 TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) -- As global concern is rising over the nuclear threat posed by the Zionist regime, warnings can even be heard in Israel about the danger of nuclear installations for Israeli residents. Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu said he hoped the Israelis would realize that a nuclear weapon is also a serious threat for the people and called on the international community to pressure the Zionist regime to close down its Dimona nuclear power plant. Vanunu, who worked at the Dimona power plant for years, was arrested in 1986 for revealing information about the Zionist regime’s nuclear weapons program and spent 18 years in Israeli prisons. Despite years of imprisonment and the pressure and restrictions placed on him by the Zionist regime even after his release, Vanunu still has not agreed to remain silent about the nuclear threat of the Zionist regime. The recent reports about Israel’s nuclear activities have become an issue of concern for Vanunu and some Zionist officials. A number of Israeli parliamentarians have expressed apprehension about the situation at Dimona. The rise of internal concern about the Zionist nuclear threat indicates that Israel’s nuclear activities have reached a dangerous level and are a serious threat to the region and the world. Meanwhile, the Zionist regime still refuses to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear installations. Over the years, the Dimona nuclear power plant has seriously contaminated the region’s environment with radioactive material. The deadly radioactive contamination has been detected over a wide area and is so serious that the Zionist regime has had to distribute iodine tablets among local residents in response to their constant protests. There are also numerous reports of a high rate of cancer among Dimona workers and the inhabitants of the area. Experts believe Dimona is a ticking time bomb which could cause a nuclear disaster in occupied Palestine similar to the Chernobyl catastrophe in Ukraine. However, due to the influence of the Zionists’ allies, international organizations have remained silent about the issue and have refused to take preventive measures against the Zionist regime. HL/HG End MNA © 2003 Mehr News Agency ***************************************************************** 12 [NukeNet] PSEG and Exelon to merge Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:48:30 -0800 NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) UNPLUG Salem will adopt a wait and see approach to this merger. For sure, jobs will be lost, and how this will affect already low PSEG worker morale is unclear. While Exelon has a better reputation than PSEG (who doesn't?), they still plan to re-license the ancient Oyster Creek nuke, which is certainly one example of putting short term profits over long term safety. If you note, most of this release focuses on money and profit. Norm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Exelon Investor Relations: Michael Metzner, (312) 394-7696 Media Relations: Don Kirchoffner, (312) 394-3001 PSEG Investor Relations: Brian Smith, (973) 430-6564 Media Relations: Paul Rosengren, (973) 430-5911 Brunswick Group: Steven Lipin/Michael Buckley, 212-333-3810 EXELON AND PSEG AGREE TO MERGE, FORMING THE NATION’S PREMIER UTILITY COMPANY Transaction Expected to be Earnings Accretive to Both Companies in First Year Combined Company Will Serve Over Seven Million Electric Customers and Two Million Gas Customers in Three States and Create Nation’s Largest Power Generation Platform Exelon to Provide Operating Assistance for PSEG’s Nuclear Plants Commencing January 2005 CHICAGO and NEWARK (December 20, 2004)--Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) and Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE: PEG) announced today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to create Exelon Electric & Gas, the nation’s largest utility. The merger, which has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards of directors, will create a combined company with total assets of approximately $79 billion, serving seven million electric customers and two million gas customers in Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The combination of three utility franchises in three different states with service areas encompassing more than 18 million people will also allow for improved service and reliability with greater earnings predictability. The transaction is anticipated to be immediately accretive to both companies’ earnings per share after closing. The new company will have approximately $27 billion in annual revenues and $3.2 billion in annual net income. With a generation portfolio of approximately 52 thousand megawatts of domestic capacity, including long-term contracts, the combined company will be the nation’s largest power generator and will be a leading U.S. wholesale power marketer. By sharing resources and best News Release Page 2 practices, the merger will enhance operations and create efficiencies at all levels of the new company, including generation, transmission, distribution and power marketing. Under the merger agreement, each common share of PSEG will be converted into 1.225 shares of Exelon. Following the merger, PSEG stockholders will own approximately 32%, or 306 million of Exelon Electric & Gas’ pro-forma shares outstanding, and Exelon shareholders will own approximately 68%, or 650 million shares. John W. Rowe, currently chairman, president and chief executive officer of Exelon, will become the president and chief executive officer of Exelon Electric & Gas upon completion of the merger and will be responsible for all operations of the combined company. Upon completion of the merger, E. James Ferland, currently chairman, president and chief executive officer of PSEG, will become non-executive chairman of the board of Exelon Electric & Gas until his planned retirement in the spring of 2007. The new board will be comprised initially of 12 members nominated by Exelon and 6 members nominated by PSEG. Mr. Rowe said: “The combination of Exelon and PSEG is a compelling transaction that satisfies our stated criteria for a merger. It is accretive with sound returns, it can be accomplished without compromising our financial integrity, and it creates a strategic mix of assets. With complementary skills and common regulatory frameworks in three competitive state jurisdictions, all within the same regional transmission organization, we can create additional scale and scope that will provide operational synergies well into the future. This combination is a natural next step on the part of two companies whose assets, geography and strategies complement one another and whose partnership history is already established.” Mr. Ferland said: “This is a truly unique opportunity for two major companies. Exelon is the leader in the nuclear generation business and will have an immediate positive impact on our operations. By contrast, we are highly regarded for our expertise in transmission and distribution operations and retail auctions, which will be a valuable addition to Exelon’s business. John Rowe will bring a wealth of executive experience and success to the new and larger organization. He is a good, strong leader who understands how to accomplish what we both envision: the creation of the ideal business model for the utility industry. Together with the talented employees of both companies, John will build a new business that will grow shareholder value and serve all our constituencies well.” Benefits of the Merger The merger will deliver significant value to customers and shareholders of both companies: • Increased scale and scope in both distribution and generation. The broader service footprint, which includes three urban utility franchises, will allow for improved service and reliability with greater earnings predictability. The combined company will have a large and diverse generation portfolio of approximately 52 thousand megawatts of domestic capacity in multiple states, including about 20 thousand megawatts of low-cost nuclear generation. This will reduce all-in power generation and marketing costs and create a more balanced portfolio in terms of geography, fuel mix, dispatch, and load-serving capability. In addition, the bulk Page 3 of both companies’ generation assets are strategically located within PJM, the nation’s largest and best-functioning regional transmission organization and wholesale power market stretching from the mid-Atlantic to the Midwest. The result will be improved asset optimization by the combined power-marketing business of the new company. • Customer and community benefits. The merger will provide customer benefits by enhancing operations and strengthening reliability. The merged company will draw upon the intellectual capital, technical expertise and experience of a deeper and more diverse workforce. The combined company will also be better able to invest in and deploy new technologies to improve service. Exelon and PSEG have strong and improving records of safety, reliability and customer satisfaction, and the merged company will build on that success. Moreover, the companies will maintain their substantial presence in the cities and communities they serve, and will sustain their record of significant charitable and civic contributions and promotion of economic development. These improvements will benefit customers and their communities in terms of the quality and cost of service they receive. • Consistent profitability and growth. With its combination of regulated utility businesses and a large, unregulated, low-cost and low-emissions generation business, the new company will provide investors with strong and stable earnings and cash flow growth. About half of the combined company’s earnings and cash flow will come from the three regulated utilities and half from the unregulated generation business. Operating in multiple states and geographic regions will further diversify risks and increase consistency of earnings, as will the larger, more diverse generation platform. This balanced strategy will enable the new company to prosper through changing energy markets and regulatory conditions. The improved nuclear operations will result in greater and more predictable output. Finally, the combined gas distribution businesses will complement the electric side of the regulated utilities, further balancing overall earnings and cash flow. PSEG’s strategy to cease additional capital investments in PSEG Energy Holdings and to pursue sales of its international investments will be continued pending the closing of the merger and thereafter. • Continued financial strength. Increased scale and scope will also strengthen the balance sheet of the combined company, improving financial flexibility and better positioning it to meet the changing landscape of the energy industry into the future. This sound financial structure will provide the basis for continued investment in technology and other drivers of long-term growth. Exelon and PSEG have informed both Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s regarding today’s announcement, and each of the rating agencies will issue its own press release regarding the merger. Exelon and PSEG believe, based on their own analysis, that Exelon Electric & Gas and its subsidiaries will have solid investment grade ratings following the closing. • Substantial synergies. Exelon and PSEG expect synergies from the merger to be approximately $400 million pre-tax in the first full year after closing, growing to $500 million annually by the second year, excluding out-of-pocket costs to achieve and transaction costs. Approximately 85% of these synergies are cost related and 15% are based on increased production at PSEG’s nuclear plants. These savings and productivity improvements are based Page 4 on the proven capabilities of both companies, including implementing certain practices that have been successful under The Exelon Way transformation initiative. Savings are expected to come from the elimination of duplicative activities; improved operating efficiencies in nuclear and other generation operations; marketing and trading; corporate and business services and transmission and distribution, and supply chain benefits from improved sourcing. Approximately 70% of the synergies will come from the unregulated businesses, with the remaining 30% from the regulated utilities. A portion of any job losses will be offset by anticipated retirements and normal attrition. In addition, Exelon Electric & Gas will reduce the impact of the merger on the workforce through appropriate severance plans. Reductions due to the merger are estimated at approximately 5% of the consolidated workforce of approximately 28,000 employees. Approximately 38% of the post-merger workforce will be located in New Jersey. All union contracts will be honored. • Improved nuclear operations. Given Exelon’s strong, successful performance in running the nation’s largest nuclear fleet, the companies expect to realize improved stability, higher capacity utilization rates and lower costs from combining nuclear operations under one management. The companies have entered into a Nuclear Operating Services Contract (“NOSC”) commencing on January 17, 2005 under which Exelon will provide personnel to work full time in the PSEG nuclear organization. Under the agreement, Exelon will supply senior personnel to oversee daily plant operations and to implement the Exelon Nuclear Management Model, which defines proven practices that Exelon has used to manage its successful nuclear performance improvement program. This will assist PSEG in improving the operations of the Salem nuclear facility, which is jointly owned with Exelon, and the adjacent Hope Creek nuclear facility. PSEG will remain license holder and retain responsibility for management oversight until the close of the merger, and will have full authority with respect to marketing of its share of the output from the facilities. This agreement should result in benefits to both companies in 2005. • Combined expertise in competitive markets. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois all have passed legislation bringing competition to the electric industry, and are in varying phases of the transition to full competition. The regulatory knowledge and experience of each company will enhance the merged company's ability to manage the transition to competition for the benefit of both customers and shareholders. In particular, PSEG’s experience with the New Jersey auction process for procurement of power for regulated utility customers will be an important asset for ComEd as it nears the end of its transition period in Illinois, where a similar auction process is expected. In addition, Exelon and PSEG have been staunch advocates for competitive retail and wholesale markets in electricity and gas. This shared vision will allow the new company to be even more active in the promotion of competitive markets and the development of energy-related services. Page 5 Dividend Policy It is anticipated that the new company’s Board of Directors will maintain Exelon’s current dividend payout policy of 50% to 60% of earnings. The merger agreement stipulates that at closing, after giving effect to the exchange ratio in the merger, PSEG shareholders receive the same aggregate cash dividends on the Exelon Electric & Gas shares that they were receiving on their position in PSEG shares prior to the merger. In order to reflect a consistent payout, assuming a 4-cent annual dividend increase by PSEG in 2005 to $2.24 per share, Exelon would expect to raise its annual dividend from $1.60 to approximately $1.83 per share in 2005 immediately prior to the close of the merger, assuming a year-end 2005 close. Headquarters Following the merger, Exelon Electric & Gas will have its corporate headquarters in Chicago, the current location of Exelon’s headquarters, and the company’s energy trading operations and nuclear headquarters will be located in Pennsylvania. The headquarters of the combined generation company will be located in Newark, as will the PSE&G headquarters. This latter arrangement is similar to Exelon’s continued significant presence in Philadelphia following the merger of Unicom Corporation (then parent company of ComEd) and PECO Energy in 2000. Approvals and Timing The merger is conditioned upon, among other things, the approval by shareholders of both companies, antitrust clearance and a number of regulatory approvals or reviews by federal and state energy authorities. These include the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Illinois Commerce Commission (notice filing only), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and either the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), depending upon which agency reviews the transaction. The companies intend to register the new company as a holding company with the SEC under the Public Utility Holding Company Act. The companies anticipate that the regulatory approvals can be obtained within 12 ­ 15 months and intend to seek shareholder approval in the second quarter of 2005. The FERC and antitrust agency reviews will encompass a detailed review of the effect of the merger on wholesale competition and regulation. The company will work to secure necessary government approvals consistent with FERC’s Merger Policy Statement and the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Advisors J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Lehman Brothers Inc. are serving as financial advisors to Exelon, and Morgan Stanley is serving as financial advisor to PSEG. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP is serving as transaction counsel to Exelon, and Pillsbury Winthrop LLP is serving as transaction counsel to PSEG. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as regulatory counsel for Exelon, and Steptoe & Johnson LLP is serving as regulatory counsel to PSEG. Page 6 Investor/Media Meeting and Webcast Exelon and PSEG will hold a teleconference and webcast for the investment community and the media today at 1:00 PM EST. The dial in numbers for the call will be (800) 289-0572 (domestic) or ( 913)-981-5543 (international). It can also be accessed through both companies’ websites at: www.exeloncorp.com and www.pseg.com. A telephonic replay of the call will be available until December 28, 2004. The replay numbers are (888) 203-1112 and (719) 457-0820. The access code is 840128. Exelon and PSEG will also host a press conference today, December 20, 2004 at 2:30 PM EST at PSEG’s headquarters, located at 80 Park Plaza, Rooms 206-207, Newark, NJ. The press conference will also be available by teleconference and webcast. The dial in numbers for the press call will be (800) 406-5356 (domestic) or (913) 981-5572 (international). A replay of this call will be available by dialing (888) 203-1112 (domestic) or (719) 457-0820 (international) access code: 175664. In addition, a satellite feed of today’s press conference will be available simultaneously with the event. The details for the downlink are as follows and the feed is free for unrestricted use: Satellite - Galaxy 11 Band - Ku Transponder - 15 Orbital Slot - 91 Degrees West DL Frequency - 12003 MHz Polarity - Horizontal Audio Subcarrier - 6.2/6.8 Corporate Profiles Exelon is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately 5.1 million customers and more than $15 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.1 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania and gas to more than 460,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC. For more information visit the company’s website at www.exeloncorp.com. PSEG is a major integrated energy and generation company with more than $10 billion in annual revenues. It serves about 2 million electric and 1.6 million gas customers in New Jersey. The company operates a large fleet of generating stations with diverse fuel and dispatch characteristics, largely in the PJM interchange. PSEG is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey and trades on the NYSE under the ticker PEG. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.pseg.com Page 7 Additional Information This communication is not a solicitation of a proxy from any security holder of Exelon or Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. Exelon intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement that will include a joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to be mailed to security holders in connection with the proposed merger of Exelon and PSEG. WE URGE INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EXELON, PSEG AND THE PROPOSED MERGER. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain these materials (when they are available) and other documents filed with the SEC free of charge at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when it becomes available) may be obtained free of charge from Exelon, Investor Relations, 10 South Dearborn Street, P.O. Box 805398, Chicago, Illinois 60680-5398, or from PSEG, Investor Relations, 80 Park Plaza, P.O. Box 1171, Newark, New Jersey 07101-1171. The respective directors and executive officers of Exelon and PSEG and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding Exelon’s directors and executive officers is available in its proxy statement filed with the SEC by Exelon on March 12, 2004, and information regarding PSEG’s directors and executive officers is available in its proxy statement filed with the SEC by PSEG on March 10, 2004. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available. This document includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, for example, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger, integration plans and expected synergies, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates for growth. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. A discussion of some of these risks and uncertainties is contained or referred to in the Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 20, 2004 by Exelon and PSEG, respectively. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the merger, will be more fully discussed in the joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be included in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 that Exelon will file with the SEC in connection with the proposed merger. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document. Neither Exelon nor PSEG undertakes any obligation to publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document. -- Coalition for Peace and Justice UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave, Linwood NJ 08221; 609-601-8583; cell 609-742-0982 ncohen12@comcast.net; www.unplugsalem.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 13 [CMEP] Nuke Plant Licensing Should Not Be Secret Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 16:53:09 -0600 (CST) *** Apologies for cross-posting *** NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE PUBLIC CITIZEN For Immediate Release: Dec. 20, 2004 Contact: Michael Mariotte, NIRS (202) 328-0002; Michele Boyd, PC (202) 494-0785 Nuclear Plant Licensing Hearing Should Not Be Secret Industry Regulator Seeks to Shut Out Public in Wake of Agency's Security Lockdown WASHINGTON, D.C. - The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today asked an internal adjudicatory board to conduct a licensing hearing for a proposed nuclear fuel plant under a "protective order" that, if approved, would effectively make the entire proceeding secret and closed to the public, said Public Citizen and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). "This proposal is an affront to the principles of citizen participation guaranteed by law," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "This action would leave the public in the dark." NIRS and Public Citizen are contesting the application of Louisiana Energy Services (LES), a multinational consortium led by the European firm Urenco, which is seeking a permit to build and operate a uranium enrichment plant in southeastern New Mexico. The groups charge that the company's plans fail to meet regulatory standards in the areas of radioactive waste disposal and need for the plant, among other things. The NRC says its motion is a remedy to a situation that has made it impossible for parties in this case to meaningfully participate: On Oct. 25, the NRC unilaterally blocked public access to virtually all of the electronic documents posted on its Web site pending a security review "to ensure that documents which might provide assistance to terrorists will be inaccessible." Most of these documents remain unavailable to the public. Without access to essential documents, such as communications between the applicant and the NRC, parties to the proceeding -- including the state of New Mexico -- are unable to file timely and complete motions, briefs and testimony to present their case before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. Pre-filed testimony is due Dec. 30, and the hearing is scheduled to begin Feb. 7, 2005. "A real solution would be to suspend proceedings until access to NRC files is restored, as NIRS and Public Citizen have asked the board to do," said Michael Mariotte, executive director of NIRS. "Shutting the public out of the licensing process would violate NRC regulations, which require public hearings. Such hearings are the major way the public can learn about the issues -- such as radioactive waste disposal -- that arise from the proposed construction of nuclear facilities." NIRS and Public Citizen filed a motion on Dec. 15 asking the licensing board to suspend the schedule of the hearing until access to the hearing file is restored. Formal responses to this motion are due today, but the NRC staff has filed a motion to make the case confidential. "It is inexcusable that the NRC is attempting to circumvent public scrutiny in this case, and it sets a poor precedent for future licensing actions," added Michele Boyd, legislative director for Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "This unjust and inappropriate request ought to be rejected outright by the licensing board." To read the NRC's motion, visit to http://www.citizen.org/documents/protectiveorder.pdf . To read earlier motions by NIRS/PC, please go to www.citizen.org/cmep ***************************************************************** 14 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Renewal FR Doc 04-27733 [Federal Register: December 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 243)] [Notices] [Page 76021] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20de04-147] AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of renewal of the Charter of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards was established by Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) in 1954. Its purpose is to provide advice to the Commission with regard to the hazards of proposed or existing reactor facilities, to review each application for a construction permit or operating license for certain facilities specified in the AEA, and such other duties as the Commission may request. The AEA as amended by PL 100-456 also specifies that the Defense Nuclear Safety Board may obtain the advice and recommendations of the ACRS. Membership on the Committee includes individuals experienced in reactor operations, management; probabilistic risk assessment; analysis of reactor accident phenomena; design of nuclear power plant structures, systems and components; materials science; and mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that renewal of the charter for the ACRS until December 14, 2006 is in the public interest in connection with the statutory responsibilities assigned to the ACRS. This action is being taken in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew L. Bates, Office of the Secretary, NRC, Washington, DC 20555; telephone: (301) 415-1963. Dated: December 14, 2004. Andrew L. Bates, Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-27733 Filed 12-17-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 15 NRC: Sunshine Federal Register Notice FR Doc 04-27843 [Federal Register: December 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 243)] [Notices] [Page 76021-76022] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20de04-148] DATES: Weeks of December 20, 27, 2004, January 3, 10, 17, 24, 2005. PLACE: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. STATUS: Public and closed. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: Week of December 20, 2004 There are no meetings scheduled for the week of December 20, 2004. Week of December 27, 2004--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the week of December 27, 2004. Week of January 3, 2005--Tentative Wednesday, January 5, 2005 2 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative). a. Private Fuel Storage (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation); Docket No. 72-22-ISFSI (Tentative). Week of January 10, 2005--Tentative Tuesday, January 11, 2005 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1 & 9). Week of January 17, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the week of January 17, 2005. Week of January 24, 2005--Tentative Monday, January 24, 2005 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). 1:30 p.m. Briefing on Human Capital Initiatives (Closed--Ex. 2). Tuesday, January 25, 2005 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). * The Schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301) 415-1292. Contact person for more information: Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415-1651. * * * * * SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By a vote of 3-0 on December 9 and 10, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and Sec. 9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of (a) HYDRO RESOURCES, INC. Petition for Review of LBP-04-23 (Final Environmental Impact Statement Supplementation), (b) STATE OF ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES (Confirmatory Order Modifying License); Intervenor's Motion for Reconsideration of CLI-04-26, and (c) Final Amendments to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E, Relating to (1) Nuclear Regulatory Commission Review of Changes to Emergency Action Levels, Paragraph IV.B and (2) Exercise Requirements for Co-Located Licensees, Paragraph IV.F.2'' be held December 14, and on less than one week's notice to the public. * * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet at: http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-makin g/schedule.html] . * * * * * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator, August Spector, at (301) 415-7080, TDD: (301) 415- 2100, or by e-mail at [[Page 76022]] aks@nrc.gov [ aks@nrc.gov] . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. * * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301) 415-1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov [dkw@nrc.gov] . Dated: December 15, 2004. Dave Gamberoni, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 04-27843 Filed 12-16-04; 9:38 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M ***************************************************************** 16 AP Wire: Utilities ask PSC to reconsider rejection of power plant sale | 12/20/2004 | Associated Press MADISON, Wis. - Two Wisconsin utilities asked state regulators Monday to reconsider their decision to block a Virginia energy company's bid to buy the aging Kewaunee nuclear power plant. The state Public Service Commission voted 2-1 last month to reject Richmond-based Dominion Resources' $220 million offer to buy the plant from Wisconsin Power and Light Co. and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. Commissioners said that deal would strip them of their oversight authority at the plant, located on the Lake Michigan shore south of Kewaunee, and could clear the way for storing nuclear waste at the site. Charlie Schrock, president and chief operating officer for Wisconsin Public Service, said the three companies have amended their proposal to address the PSC's concerns. The new deal would require any future buyer of the plant to abide by the conditions Dominion has agreed to, including not storing nuclear waste at the plant and restoring the property to green space when it eventually shuts down. It would also give the PSC approval over a future buyer. Linda Barth of the PSC said officials had not had a chance to review the proposal and she could not comment. Under PSC rules, all parties in the case have 10 days to respond to the motion. The plant, one of two nuclear power plants in Wisconsin, has operated since 1974 and employs 450 people, according to the WPS Web site. The plant generates 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power the Green Bay metropolitan area as well as homes in outlying Brown, Kewaunee, Door and Marinette counties, according to WPS. Dominion offered to transform the plant into a wholesale energy seller, meaning the company would sell power generated at the plant to other utilities. The proposal was the first in Wisconsin where an investor-owned utility asked to sell a regulated power plant to an out-of-state company, according to PSC officials. Dominion and the two Wisconsin utilities reached a side agreement in which Dominion would sell power to them until 2013. The companies also have agreed to use $200 million in the bank to help cover the plant's eventual closing in an effort to offset future rate increases and return any of that money not used in that effort to customers. If the commission decides to order a rehearing, it will also decide the next steps in the process, which could include further hearings. If the commission does not act on the motion within 30 days, it is considered denied. If the commission denies the request for reconsideration of the case, parties in the case have 30 days to appeal the decision to circuit court. ***************************************************************** 17 North County Times: San Onofre's radiation blends into background North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News [http://www.nctimes.com]\ Sunday, December 19, 2004 By: Richard Warnock - Commentary I hardly know where to start addressing Mr. Russell Hoffman's fanatical rant about San Onofre (Nuclear Generating Station) and radiation ("Time to pull plug on risky reactors," Nov. 12). He uses some jargon and buzz-words to give the flavor of knowledge, but he relies on innuendo, myths and half-truths for his conclusions rather than on facts, science and engineering. It is surprising that you featured an article with so many foolish statements and technical blunders in your Sunday "Perspective" section. Did you check any of Mr. Hoffman's claims against facts before publishing the material? Mr. Hoffman is correct that San Onofre makes and releases some tritium. The tritium is bound up as one of two hydrogen atoms on a water molecule. Water naturally contains a little tritium and San Onofre contributes a small amount to the local ecosystem. The amount of tritium released is too small to measure once it enters the local environment. The radiation dose to humans from these tritium releases is also too small to measure, but it can be calculated as less than 0.001 millirem per year. For perspective, each person living in the U.S. receives about 360 millirem of radiation every year. Most of this is from natural sources. For additional perspective, the regulatory limit for exposure to a member of the general public is 100 millirem per year. These limits are safe and are in accord with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and international guidance. Tritium is commonly used in self-luminous watches, in self-luminous exit signs, and in self-luminous aircraft safety devices. San Onofre releases an amount of tritium during a year that is equal to the amount of tritium contained in the number of self-luminous signs that you might find in one large building or shopping mall. That's not very threatening! Mr. Hoffman opined that "no energy source is as damaging to our biological structure as ionizing radiation." This is patent nonsense. Radiation is a rather weak carcinogen when compared with smoking and many chemicals. Does Mr. Hoffman avoid dental and other medical x-rays and all nuclear medicine procedures? They produce ionizing radiation and they deposit some dose. All the energy we receive from the sun is radiant energy and that includes considerable ionizing radiation. As humans, we developed in a "sea" of radiation and we continue to live very successfully in that "sea." Our bodies, our food, our water, our air, the earth, and the universe all contain naturally present radioactive materials. These are the sources of the approximately one millirem per day radiation dose that nature delivers to each of us. Possibly Mr. Hoffman can reconsider some of his nonsense. Then he can better enjoy the life he was given, and he can worry less about trivial radiation exposures. ---- Richard Warnock works at San Onofre as a project manager in the Health Physics/Radiation Protection department. His opinion is his own and does not necessarily represent the opinion of his employer. webmaster@nctimes.com [webmaster@nctimes.com] © 1997-2004 North County Times - Lee Enterprises ***************************************************************** 18 Tuscaloosa News: TVA to correct Browns Ferry deficiencies spotted by NRC The Associated Press December 20, 2004 The Tennessee Valley Authority will correct deficiencies in the idle Unit One reactor cited in a month-long inspection by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Inspection team leader Caudle Julian announced the results of the inspection at a public hearing Friday. Julian said TVA will begin correcting the deficiencies in February, with a repeat NRC inspection scheduled for late summer or early fall of 2005. The inspection evaluated all three Browns Ferry units for the purpose of considering TVA's application for 20-year license renewals. The deficiencies cited by the NRC centered on Unit One, a reactor mothballed 18 years ago. TVA is spending nearly two (b) billion dollars to restart the unit, which would generate enough power for 650,000 homes. TVA spokesman Craig Beasley said the inspection results would not delay Unit One's restart. Copyright © 2002 The Tuscaloosa News ***************************************************************** 19 Xinhua: China to be leader in nuclear energy: US Energy Secretary www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2004-12-20 14:34:12 [US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said China would emerge as a leader in nuclear energy and called for further cooperation between the two countries in developing alternative sources of power.] US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (File photo) BEIJING, Dec. 20 -- Outgoing US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Friday China would emerge as a leader in nuclear energy and called for further cooperation between the two countries in developing alternative sources of power. ChinaˇŻs aim to expand its nuclear power generation capability and moves to embrace the newest generation of nuclear reactors were very impressive, he said. ˇ°China is going to emerge in this century as a global leader in nuclear energy,ˇ± he said during a two-day visit to Beijing. ˇ°We hope we can learn more from your progress in this area so that it might be possible for us in America to see an expansion of nuclear energy in the years ahead,ˇ± said Abraham, who is due to be replaced by U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Samuel Bodman. China, struggling with power shortages that pose a threat to economic growth, has outlined an ambitious plan to build dozens of reactors over the next couple of decades and quadruple its nuclear power capacity to 36,000 megawatts by 2020. The government hopes nuclear power will account for about 4 percent of total output by 2020 from around 1.7 percent. A senior U.S. official said in October the U.S. Government would likely approve the reactor sale to China in the next few months. Approval would be a victory for Pittsburgh-based, British-owned Westinghouse Electric Co., which applied in February to build two of its 1,100 megawatt, next-generation AP1000 reactors in China. Abraham said it was essential that China and the United States work together to ensure adequate global energy supplies given they accounted for a third of world energy consumption. China and the United States had agreed in January to form a U.S.-China Energy Policy Dialogue to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas including energy efficiency and renewable energy, he said. ˇ°We are now preparing to move forward on a policy level,ˇ± Abraham said, adding this initially meant building on the work of international partnerships to which China and the United States already belong. (Source: Shenzhen Daily-Agencies) Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 20 NRC: NRC Finds Violations of Low Safety Significance at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant News Release - Region I - 2004-05 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I No. I-04-057 December 16, 2004 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov [opa1@nrc.gov] During a special engineering inspection at Vermont Yankee, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found eight violations of very low safety significance, all of which must be addressed by the plant operator, Entergy. In remarks prepared for delivery at an evening meeting of the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel (V-SNAP), NRC official Wayne Lanning noted that the eight findings in the special inspection would not affect plant safety. Lanning also rebutted claims by critics of the inspection that hundreds of violations would be found if a broader inspection were undertaken. The NRC examination looked at key safety systems in the plant, with the Vermont State Engineer observing. And the NRC official reported to the panel on an earlier inspection that examined how two pieces of spent nuclear fuel were missing but were later found. "Both teams found problems and issues, and because we insist on stringent safety standards, these problems must be corrected," said Lanning, director of the Reactor Safety Division in the NRCs Region I office in King of Prussia, Pa. Speaking of the eight findings in the roughly 1,000-hour hands-on inspection, Lanning said they were "very important because the utility should have identified and corrected them, particularly the ones related to the power uprate. Vermont Yankee must now ascertain why they did not identify the problem, evaluate the reason for the problem, correct it, and then determine if a similar issue exists elsewhere in the plant." Vermont Yankees owner, Entergy, has asked the NRC to permit it to increase the power output of the plant by 20 percent, to 1,912 megawatts thermal. The NRC expects to decide on the request sometime next year, and the special inspection was conducted in response to a request from Vermont s Public Service Board for an independent engineering assessment. Lanning said this effort was "not an inspection to determine whether the NRC should approve Entergys power uprate application." He described it as "a comprehensive evaluation of the most risk-significant components and systems in the plant and, when taken in combination with other NRC evaluations, helped determine that sufficient margin exists in the design and operation of the Vermont Yankee facility to ensure public health and safety." In challenging claims that a broader inspection would turn up significantly more violations at the 30-year-old plant, Lanning said, "I do not agree with that. Our experience shows there is some correlation between the number of inspectors, the scope of the inspection and the number of areas of non-compliance that are found. But we do not believe there are hundreds of violations at Vermont Yankee waiting to be found. Even larger design inspections at troubled plants like Maine Yankee and Millstone did not turn up hundreds of violations." The next step for the NRC is to inspect Entergys corrective actions and there will be additional review of the application for a power uprate. On the missing spent fuel, the NRC found that poor recordkeeping and inventories dating back to 1980 was responsible for the belief that two pieces of fuel were missing. The penalty for Entergy could result in increased NRC oversight, a violation without a fine or a violation and a fine. Last revised Thursday, December 16, 2004 ***************************************************************** 21 Chicagobusiness.com: Who profits when nukes are well-run? Under a ComEd power plan, it isn't consumers December 20, 2004 By Steve Daniels For decades, Commonwealth Edison Co.'s poorly operated nuclear power plants were an albatross around the region's neck, leading to some of the highest electricity rates in the country. In the late 1990s, ComEd hired ex-Navy officer Oliver D. Kingsley Jr. to turn around the five Northern Illinois plants. Before he retired, Mr. Kingsley succeeded beyond all expectations, and the plants now generate some of the lowest-cost power in the country. Shouldn't ComEd customers benefit from that? After all, they paid inflated power rates for two decades to cover the nukes' capital costs. In recent years, business customers that left the utility for alternative power suppliers paid ComEd exit fees, $1.3 billion in extra charges to continue paying down its old nuclear plant investment. And now ComEd parent Exelon Corp. has obtained 20-year license extensions for two of its plants, Quad Cities and Dresden, that will allow them to keep running through until 2029 at the earliest. But state regulators are leaning toward adopting a ComEd-proposed power-procurement system that in two years would ensure the company, and not customers, mainly profits from the nukes' abundant, cheap power. A state-imposed freeze on power rates, in place since 1997, is scheduled to expire at the end of 2006. Regulators now want to set up an auction among competing power generators to set the price for power in 2007. (The cost of power accounts for about two-thirds of a customer's electricity bill; the cost of delivering power makes up the rest.) AUCTION WINDFALL Such an auction would result in big profits for Exelon, which ran the nukes this year at a cost of 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Under the auction ComEd wants, average power prices customers would pay would be about five times that. Similar recent auctions in New Jersey and Ohio resulted in prices 50% above the prevailing wholesale rate — which, in Illinois' case, would be between 5.1 and 6.6 cents per kilowatt-hour under a range of experts' pricing outlooks for the state in 2007. At the low end of that scale, Exelon executives have said, average power rates would increase 8% from where they are today. At the high end, the rate hike would exceed 20% (Crain's, Nov. 22). PRODUCTION COSTS PLUMMET By contrast, if electricity rates were under traditional regulation, which allows utilities to recover their costs and earn a specified return, rates might fall slightly. That's because Exelon's cost of producing power from its nuclear plants has plummeted to 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour this year from 2.7 cents in 1997. With about half the Chicago area's power needs met by those nuclear plants, and their operating costs cut by more than half, that's at least 25% less in power-generation costs the company would recover if rates were still regulated. Under the deregulation law, rates today are 20% below those in 1997. Still, "customers are not getting the 'price' benefit of the plants," says Eric Robertson, an attorney who represents businesses on electricity issues. Exelon and ComEd executives say the nukes never would have been turned around without the profit incentive created by deregulation. Under regulation, the plants for two decades produced half or less of their capacity, but now operate at 94% says ComEd Vice-president Anne Pramaggiore. Robert McDonald, a top finance official at Exelon, says predictions that a return to regulation would cut rates rely on "too many speculative assumptions." ©2004 by Crain Communications Inc. ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: NRC Staff Seeks Input on Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Draft Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal News Release - Region II - 2004-05 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II No. II-04-058 December 17, 2004 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov [opa2@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reached the preliminary conclusion that there are no environmental impacts to preclude renewal of the operating licenses for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant located in Limestone County, Alabama, about 10 miles southwest of Athens. The information is contained in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed license renewal. The draft EIS is open for public comment until March 2, 2005, and will also be the subject of public meetings on January 25, 2005, in Athens, Alabama. The NRC has been reviewing the application for extension of the Browns Ferry license since the Tennessee Valley Authority, which operates the plant, filed it on December 31, 2003. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant is issued for up to 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current NRC licenses at Browns Ferry will expire on December 20, 2013, for Unit 1; June 28, 2014, for Unit 2; and July 2, 2016, for Unit 3. The NRC is reviewing TVAs extensive work on Browns Ferry Unit 1, which TVA would like to restart after being shut down for an extended period. Unit 1 has retained an operating license. The possible environmental effects of an additional 20 years of nuclear plant operation are described in the NRCs Generic Environmental Impact Statement or GEIS (NUREG-1437). The NRC issues a site-specific supplement to the GEIS on each plant requesting license renewal to address the potential environmental impacts. Issues specific to Browns Ferry are addressed in Supplement 21. The NRC staffs preliminary recommendation is that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for the three Browns Ferry reactors are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy-planning decision makers would be unreasonable. On Tuesday, January 25, 2005, the NRC staff will hold two similar meetings in Athens to obtain comments on the draft supplement to the GEIS. The meetings will be held at Athens State University, Student Center Cafeteria Ballroom, located at 300 North Beaty Street. The two sessions will begin at 1:30 in the afternoon and at 7:00 in the evening, respectively. In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior to each meeting. NRC staff members will be available to answer questions and provide additional information about the license renewal process during those informal sessions, but no comment submittals on environmental issues will be accepted then. The two sessions will begin with identical overviews, including a presentation by NRC staff and its contractors on the contents of the draft supplement to the GEIS. There will then be an opportunity for public comments. For planning purposes, anyone interested in attending or presenting oral comments at the January 25 meetings is encouraged to pre-register by contacting Dr. Michael Masnik of the NRC by telephone at 1- 800- 368-5642, extension 1191, or by e-mail at BrownsFerryEIS@nrc.gov [BrownsFerryEIS@nrc.gov] , no later than January 18, 2005. Interested persons may also register to speak before the start of each session. Time for individual comments at the meetings may be limited to accommodate all speakers. Written comments on the draft supplement to the GEIS will also be considered by NRC staff. Comments should be submitted either by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to BrownsFerryEIS@NRC.gov [BrownsFerryEIS@NRC.gov] . The draft supplement to the GEIS, along with other related documents, is available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room at NRC headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. It is also available by contacting the PDR reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, by email to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] or on the NRC Web Site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applicati ons/browns-ferry.html#eis. In addition, the Athens-Limestone Public Library at 405 East South Street in Athens has agreed to make the draft supplement to the GEIS available for public inspection. At the conclusion of the public comment period on March 2, 2005, the NRC staff will consider and address comments during the preparation of the final supplement to the GEIS, which is scheduled to be issued in July, 2005. Last revised Monday, December 20, 2004 ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: NRC Plans to Issue License Renewal Exemption for Oyster Creek Nuclear Station News Release - 2004-16 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-163 December 16, 2004 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed its environmental assessment and plans to issue an exemption from its license renewal regulations for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station near Toms River, N.J. Oyster Creeks operator, AmerGen, asked Aug. 10 for an exemption from the NRCs regulations regarding the federal governments timely renewal provision, which deals with the timing for submitting license renewal applications for commercial nuclear power plants. The provision stipulates that if a nuclear power plant licensee applies for license renewal at least five years before its current operating license expires, the existing license will not expire while the NRC decides whether to grant the requested renewal. AmerGen did not file a renewal application for Oyster Creek by April 9, five years prior to its license expiration, and has therefore requested an exemption to retain the timely renewal status. The NRC reviewed the request based on existing law and the agencys regulations. The NRC must publish environmental assessments before issuing exemptions. The Oyster Creek assessment, which will be published shortly in the Federal Register, finds that granting the proposed exemption will not have a significant impact on the quality of the environment. The agency expects to issue the exemption soon after the Federal Register notice. The NRC will continue its full program of licensing, inspection and oversight activities at Oyster Creek to protect public health and safety, whether it is operating under its original 40-year license or in a timely renewal status, said David Matthews, director of the Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. The issuance of the exemption will not affect NRCs authority to modify, suspend or revoke Oyster Creeks license if there is a serious safety concern. Furthermore, the public retains its usual opportunities to participate in the review of a license renewal request for Oyster Creek. The NRC has notified the state of New Jersey concerning the environmental assessment. The state has already commented on the proposed exemption, and if the state chooses, it can offer additional comments on the environmental assessment. The exemption requires AmerGen to submit a sufficient license renewal application by July 29, 2005, giving the NRC about 44 months to review the application. That period of time is longer than license renewal reviews have taken thus far. AmerGen must also provide required information to support completion of NRCs safety and environmental reviews. Last revised Thursday, December 16, 2004 ***************************************************************** 24 NRC: In the Matter of All Tech Corporation Pocatello, Idaho; Order FR Doc 04-27731 [Federal Register: December 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 243)] [Notices] [Page 76019] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20de04-145] [[Page 76019]] Imposing Civil Monetary Penalty All Tech Corporation (Licensee) is the holder of Byproduct Material License No. 11-27657-01 issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) on March 6, 2000. The license authorizes the Licensee to use and possess portable gauging devices in accordance with the conditions specified therein. An investigation of the Licensee's activities was initiated on March 18, 2003. The investigation concluded that the Licensee had not conducted its activities in full compliance with NRC requirements. The results of the investigation were discussed with the Licensee during a predecisional enforcement conference on September 15, 2003. A written Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty (Notice) was served upon the Licensee by letter dated April 27, 2004. The Notice stated the nature of the violation, the provision of the NRC's requirements that the Licensee had violated, and the amount of the civil penalty proposed for the violation. The Licensee responded to the Notice in a letter dated June 2, 2004. In its response, the Licensee denied the violation in whole and requested remission or mitigation of the civil penalty. After consideration of the Licensee's response and the statements of fact, explanation, and argument for mitigation contained therein, the NRC staff has determined that the violation occurred as stated and that the penalty proposed for the violation designated in the Notice should be imposed. In view of the foregoing and pursuant to Section 234 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (Act), 42 U.S.C. 2282, and 10 CFR 2.205, It is hereby ordered that: The Licensee pay a civil penalty in the amount of $6,000 within 30 days of the date of this Order, in accordance with NUREG/BR-0254. In addition, at the time of making the payment, the licensee shall submit a statement indicating when and by what method payment was made, to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738. The Licensee may request a hearing within 30 days of the date of this Order. Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the time to request a hearing. A request for extension of time must be made in writing to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, and include a statement of good cause for the extension. A request for a hearing should be clearly marked as a ``Request for an Enforcement Hearing'' and shall be submitted to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, Washington, DC 20555. Copies also shall be sent to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, to the Assistant General Counsel for Materials Litigation and Enforcement at the same address, and to the Regional Administrator, NRC Region IV, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, Texas 76011. Because of continuing disruptions in delivery of mail to United States Government offices, it is requested that requests for hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-1101 or by e-mail to [ hearingdocket@nrc.gov] and also to the Office of the General Counsel either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail to [OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] . If a hearing is requested, the Commission will issue an Order designating the time and place of the hearing. If the Licensee fails to request a hearing within 30 days of the date of this Order (or if written approval of an extension of time in which to request a hearing has not been granted), the provisions of this Order shall be effective without further proceedings. If payment has not been made by that time, the matter may be referred to the Attorney General for collection. In the event the Licensee requests a hearing as provided above, the issues to be considered at such hearing shall be: (a) Whether the Licensee was in violation of the Commission's requirements as set forth in the Notice referenced in Section II above, and (b) Whether, on the basis of such violation, this Order should be sustained. Dated this 10th day of December 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Frank Congel, Director, Office of Enforcement. [FR Doc. 04-27731 Filed 12-17-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 25 NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al., South Texas Project, FR Doc 04-27732 [Federal Register: December 20, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 243)] [Notices] [Page 76019-76021] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20de04-146] Units 1 and 2; Notice of Consideration of Approval of Application Transfer of Facility Operating Licenses and Conforming Amendments and Opportunity for a Hearing The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is considering issuance of an order under Section 50.80 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), approving the direct transfer of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80 for South Texas Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, respectively, to the extent held by AEP Texas Central Company (TCC). The Commission is further considering amending the licenses for administrative purposes to reflect the proposed transfer, including removing references to TCC in the licenses. The application requests the consent of the NRC to the proposed direct transfer of the STP, Units 1 and 2, licenses to the extent held by TCC by virtue of the direct transfer of TCC's 25.2 percent undivided ownership interest in STP, Units 1 and 2 (TCC's ownership interest in STP) to STP co-owners Texas Genco, LP (Texas Genco) and/or City Public Service Board of San Antonio (CPS). According to the application, it is currently anticipated that the following proportionate shares of TCC's ownership interest in STP will be transferred to Texas Genco and CPS: a 13.2 percent undivided ownership interest to Texas Genco and a 12 percent undivided ownership interest to CPS. If, however, the transfer to either Texas Genco or CPS fails to take place, the party whose transfer has not failed to take place will be obligated, subject to the terms and conditions of a September 3, 2004, Purchase and Sale Agreement between TCC, CPS, and Texas Genco (Purchase and Sale Agreement), to purchase all of TCC's ownership interest in STP. (In a separate but parallel action, an October 12, 2004, application requests the consent of the NRC to the proposed indirect transfer of control of the STP, Units 1 and 2, licenses to the extent held by Texas Genco by virtue of the transfer of ownership of approximately 81 percent of the stock of Texas Genco's indirect parent company, Texas Genco Holdings Inc. (TGN), from CenterPoint Energy, Inc., (CenterPoint Energy) to GC Power Acquisitions, LLC (GC Power). Texas Genco is an indirect subsidiary of TGN and TGN is an indirect subsidiary [[Page 76020]] of CenterPoint Energy. The transaction would result in the indirect transfer of control of Texas Genco's 30.8 percent undivided ownership interest in STP, Units 1 and 2, or greater interest if the direct transfer described herein, to Texas Genco, has been consummated. In addition to its 30.8 percent undivided ownership interest in STP, Units 1 and 2, Texas Genco holds a corresponding 30.8 percent interest in STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC), a not-for-profit Texas corporation, which is the licensed operator of STP, Units 1 and 2. The application further requests, as necessary, approval of the indirect transfer of control of this 30.8 percent interest in STPNOC, to the extent such indirect transfer would result in an indirect transfer of the licenses as held by STPNOC, thereby requiring NRC approval.) Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, no license shall be transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control of the license, unless the Commission gives its consent in writing. The Commission will approve an application for the direct transfer of a license if the Commission determines that the proposed transferee is qualified to hold the license, and that the transfer is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission pursuant thereto. As provided in 10 CFR 2.1315, unless otherwise determined by the Commission with regard to a specific application, the Commission has determined that any amendment to the license of a utilization facility which does no more than conform the license to reflect the transfer action, involves no significant hazards consideration. No contrary determination has been made with respect to this specific license amendment application. In light of the generic determination reflected in 10 CFR 2.1315, no public comments with respect to significant hazards considerations are being solicited, notwithstanding the general comment procedures contained in 10 CFR 50.91. The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to intervene with regard to the license transfer application, are discussed below. Within 20 days after the date of publication of this notice, the licensee may file a request for a hearing with respect to issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating license and any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene. Requests for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's rules of practice set forth in subpart M, ``Hearing Requests and Procedures for Hearings on License Transfer Applications,'' of 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collecti ons/cfr/] . If a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is filed within 20 days after the date of publication of this notice, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition; and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an appropriate order. As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of the proceeding. The petition should specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the following general requirements: (1) The name, address and telephone number of the requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the proceeding on the requestors/petitioner's interest. The petition must also identify the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor seeks to have litigated at the proceeding. Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the petitioner/requestor shall: (1) Provide a brief explanation of the bases for the contention; (2) Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is within the scope of the proceeding; (3) Demonstrate that the issue raised in the contention is material to the findings the NRC must make to support the action that is involved in the proceeding; and (5) Provide a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which the petitioner/requestor intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The petitioner/requestor must also provide references to those specific sources and documents of which the petitioner/requestor is aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinion. The petition must include sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact. The contention must be one which, if proven, would entitle the petitioner/requestor to relief. A petitioner/requestor who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party. Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing. Nontimely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be entertained absent a determination by the Commission or the presiding officer of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition, request and/or the contentions should be granted based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii). A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First class mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier, express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (3) E-mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, [HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV] ; or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at (301) 415-1101, verification number is (301) 415-1966. A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that copies be transmitted either by means of facsimile [[Page 76021]] transmission to 301-415-3725 or by email to [OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] . A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to Mr. John E. Matthews, Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius, LLP, 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, attorney for the licensee. The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a hearing request or intervention petition, designating the issues for any hearing that will be held, and designating the presiding officer. A notice granting a hearing will be published in the Federal Register and served on the parties to the hearing. For further details with respect to this action, see the application dated October 12, 2004, of which, a nonproprietary version is available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, and accessible electronically through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/html] . Persons who don't have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1- 800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 14th day of December 2004. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. David H. Jaffe, Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 04-27732 Filed 12-17-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 26 [du-list] 12/18 Iraq Watch: US Solider Killed Iraqi Boy Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:47:18 -0800 Ugly the War: Iraq Watch Specials From Peace No War Network December 18, 2004 URL: _http://www.PeaceNoWar.net_ (http://www.peacenowar.net/) Court-Martial Records Link Killing to Sex .c The Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A National Guardsman who pleaded guilty to killing a 17-year-old Iraqi soldier said he shot the young man after they had consensual sex in a guard tower, a newspaper reported Saturday, citing court-martial records. Pvt. Federico Daniel Merida, 21, pleaded guilty to murder without premeditation and other charges during a court-martial in Iraq in September. Merida was sentenced Sept. 25 to 25 years in prison and reduced in rank and will be dishonorably discharged. He is being held at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., a Leavenworth spokeswoman said. Army officials at Forward Operating Base Danger, where the court-martial was held in Iraq, had previously withheld details of the case. However, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Saturday that records show Merida and the Iraqi were on guard duty May 11 in a tower on the perimeter of an Army camp near Tikrit in northern Iraq. At about 10:30 p.m., Merida shot the teen 11 times with his carbine. Merida first told investigators the teen demanded money at gunpoint. Later, he said he killed the boy because he forced him to have sex. In a third interview, Merida said he got angry after the two had consensual sex. Merida also pleaded guilty to two counts of giving false statements. Merida apologized to the victim's family during the court-martial, records show. ``He was a son, a brother, someone very important to them,'' he said. ``I took someone they loved and cared for.'' Merida, who was born in Veracruz, Mexico, has a wife and toddler son. He was a member of the 113th Field Artillery Battalion's Battery B, based in Monroe. 12/18/04 14:46 EST Photos of U.S. Military Torture in Abu Ghraib Prison _http://www.peacenowar.net/Iraq/News/April%2004-Photos/Abu%20Ghraib.htm_ (http://www.peacenowar.net/Iraq/News/April%2004-Photos/Abu%20Ghraib.htm) For more photos and Videos from Iraq, visit: "Report from Baghdad" July, 2003 _http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html_ (http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html) ============================================================= Peace, No War War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate Not in our Name! And another world is possible! Information for antiwar movements, news across the World, please visit: http://www.PeaceNoWar.net Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to: peacenowar-subscribe@lists.riseup.net Please Donate to Peace No War Network! Send check pay to: ActionLA/SEE 1013 Mission St. #6 South Pasadena CA 91030 (All donations are tax deductible) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> *To Translate this page to Arabic, please visit ajeeb.com: http://tarjim.ajeeb.com/ajeeb/default.asp?lang=1 *To Translate this page to French, Spanish, German, Italian or Portuguese, please visit Systran: http://www.systransoft.com/ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> **"Report From Baghdad" CD-ROM** Pacifica Radio KPFK Los Angeles Reporter Lee Siu Hin's July 2003 trip to U.S. occupied Iraq. An interactive CD-ROM with articles, photos, audio and video interviews includes: people of Iraq, U.S. military, human rights workers, religious leaders and more! Please Visit the Website: _http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html_ (http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html) Each CD costs: $15.00 plus $3.50 S/H (work both PC and Mac) The CD sells will be benefit the Baghdad Independent Media Center, ActionLA, and PeaceNoWar.net *Additional donations are welcome, and it will be tax deductible. For more information, tel: (213)403-0131 e-mail: info@ActionLA.org URL: www.ActionLA.org Send check/money orders to: ActionLA/SEE 1013 Mission St. #6, South Pasadena, CA 91030 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 27 [NukeNet] Accidental Nuclear War Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:47:21 -0800 NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) This [below] dosen't even address nuclear winter long since played down by both sides with vested interest in maintaining their nuclear arsenals. Even if one side were to completely abolish their nuclear arsenals a launch, intentional or accidental can and may well yet induce nuclear winter destroying all warm blooded life in the northern hemisphere at least. According to the late Carl Sagan it would do so in the southern hemisphere, too. "The Russian Early Warning System is essentially useless," said Theodore Postol, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an expert on early warning issues and technology. Holes in Russia's satellite and radar networks, Postol said, mean U.S. submarines in the North Atlantic can strike Moscow with a two- or three-minute warning for the Russian capital. Launches from the North Pacific could hit the city with no warning at all. From: "Stephen Kobasa" Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2004 2:47 PM http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/10433487.htm Dec. 16, 2004 U.S. and Russian nuclear missiles are still on hair-trigger alert By Mark McDonald Knight Ridder Newspapers MOSCOW - Just after midnight, in a secret bunker outside Moscow, the warning sirens began to blare. A simple, ominous message flashed on the bunker's main control panel: Missile Attack! It was no drill. A Soviet satellite had detected five U.S. nuclear missiles inbound. The control computer ordered a counterstrike, but the bunker commander, a nerdy lieutenant colonel named Stanislav Petrov, acting on a hunch, overrode the computer and told his Kremlin superiors it was a false alarm. The Soviet brass quickly stood down their missiles, saving 100 million Americans from nuclear incineration. This brush with Armageddon happened more than two decades ago, but nuclear missiles are still on hair-trigger alert in Russia and the United States. Today, they may be even more vulnerable to an accidental or renegade launch than they were in Petrov's day. "The security of both nations should not be dependent on the heroic act or good judgment of a single individual," said Sam Nunn, the former senator from Georgia. Long active in anti-proliferation efforts such as the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Nunn is leading a campaign to persuade U.S. and Russian leaders to take their thousands of strategic nuclear warheads off hair-trigger alert, a status that remains in effect more than a decade after the Cold War ended. "The chances of a premeditated, deliberate nuclear attack have fallen dramatically," Nunn said in an interview with Knight Ridder. "But the chances of an accidental, mistaken or unauthorized nuclear attack might actually be increasing." In his 2000 election campaign, President Bush called the hair-trigger status "another unnecessary vestige of Cold War confrontation" that creates "unacceptable risks." The first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which took effect 10 years ago this month, doesn't address hair triggering. Nor does the Treaty of Moscow, which Bush signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2002 to reduce the size of the U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals. Nunn believes the hair-trigger status has become "the most dangerous element of our force posture." A hair trigger means missiles are launched - either from land or sea [i.e., Trident] - upon the warning of an attack. That is, within about 15 minutes of a confirmed warning. In theory, the assurance that a retaliatory attack would be launched before the missiles could be destroyed would deter either country from trying a nuclear sneak attack. "This is the logic of the Cold War - Mutual Assured Destruction," said Daniil O. Kobyakov, a nuclear expert at the PIR Center, a policy studies institute in Moscow. "De-alerting requires a change in rationale. There's still a certain inertia on both sides." Nunn and others see that inertia in the Bush administration's refusal to consider the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and its request - since defeated in the Senate - for some $500 million for research on a so-called "bunker buster" nuclear weapon and low-yield "mini-nukes." Russia, too, has some Cold War inertia to overcome. Putin proudly announced last month that Russia was testing "the newest nuclear missile systems ... that other nuclear states do not have." He offered no further details about the weapons. A number of political analysts believe Putin's comments - which were unprepared remarks made to a group of senior commanders at the Ministry of Defense - were intended to boost military morale and for domestic political consumption. "I'm sure it was nothing surprising to the U.S.," said Kobyakov, noting that the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty obliges each side to provide technical data on any new nuclear weapons. Kobyakov and others believe Putin was probably referring to the Topol-M missile, which has long been in the Russian pipeline, and a sea-launched missile that's being developed. There are rumors in military circles in Moscow that the new missile could be maneuvered in flight, unlike current ballistic missiles, to foil the Bush administration's planned national missile defense system. One senior Russian general cryptically called it "a hypersonic flying vehicle." Government officials in both countries are keen to point out that they've stopped targeting each other with their nuclear missiles, although experts say this "de-targeting" is political hokum. The old targeting data and missile trajectories are stored in command computers, Kobyakov said. And missiles can be re-targeted in a matter of seconds: A couple of mouse clicks on a computer would put Washington, Miami or Moscow back in the nuclear crosshairs. But it's the danger of accidental or maverick launches that most concerns atomic experts. That danger is heightened, in part, by the decrepit state of Russian defenses. "The Russian Early Warning System is essentially useless," said Theodore Postol, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an expert on early warning issues and technology. Holes in Russia's satellite and radar networks, Postol said, mean U.S. submarines in the North Atlantic can strike Moscow with a two- or three-minute warning for the Russian capital. Launches from the North Pacific could hit the city with no warning at all. Postol also said a new Prognoz satellite warning system "may never be in place." Stanislav Petrov, the old bunker commander, the man who saved America back in 1983, nodded his head sadly when told of Postol's assessment. "That's right, not enough satellites," he said. "We never had enough." © 2004 KR Washington Bureau and wire service sources. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 28 [du-list] Article At RadSafe on Low Dose Rad Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:48:02 -0800 http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/0410/msg00037.html Low Dose Radiation More Effective at Killing Cancer Cells than Higher Doses http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=3115&EID=1191401 Study Finds Low Dose Radiation More Effective at Killing Cancer Cells than Higher Doses Posted October 5, 2004 Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- A new study shows that lower doses of radiation elude a damage detection "radar" in DNA and actually kill more cancer cells than high-dose radiation. With these findings, scientists believe they can design therapy to dismantle this "radar" sensor allowing more radiation to evade detection and destroy even greater numbers of cancer cells. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the low-dose radiation strategy on cultured prostate and colon cancer cell lines and found that it killed up to twice as many cells as high-dose radiation. The extra lethality of the low-dose regimen was found to result from suppression of a protein, called ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) which works like a radar to detect DNA damage and begin repair. Theodore DeWeese, MD, who led the study, speculates that cells hit with small amounts of radiation fail to switch on the ATM radar, which prevents an error-prone repair process. DeWeese, chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at Johns Hopkins, presented his evidence at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) on October 5 in Atlanta. "DNA repair is not foolproof-it can lead to mistakes or mutations that are passed down to other generations of cells," DeWeese explained. "A dead cell is better than a mutant cell, so if the damage is mild, cells die instead of risking repair." Higher doses of radiation cause extreme DNA damage and widespread cell death, so the ATM damage sensor is activated to preserve as many cells as possible, protecting, ironically, the cancer cells targeted for destruction by the radiation. While the low-dose regimen works in cultured cells, it has not proved successful in humans. This has lead to effort by Hopkins scientists to study ways to use viruses that can deliver ATM-blocking drugs to the cells. Tests in animals are expected to begin soon. In the current study, colon and prostate cancer cell lines were treated with either high levels of radiation or small amounts spread over many days. Low-level radiation is defined as 10 times more stronger than normal background exposure, while high doses are 1,000 times stronger. Approximately 35 percent of colon cancer cells survived low-dose radiation as compared to 60 percent receiving high-dose. In prostate cancer cell lines, half of the cells survived low-dose radiation, while 65 percent survived higher doses. In the low-dose group, ATM activation was reduced by 40 to 50 percent. The researchers proved ATM inactivation was the culprit since low-dose irradiated cells fared better after ATM was reactivated with chloroqine, best known as a treatment for malaria. "Tricking cancer cells into ignoring the damage signals that appear on its radar could succeed in making radiation more effective in wiping out the disease," says DeWeese. This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute. Research participants from Johns Hopkins include Spencer Collis, Julie Schwaninger, Alfred Ntambi, Thomas Keller, Larry Dillehay, and William Nelson. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Vanderbilt University 1161 21st Avenue South Nashville, TN 37232-2675 Phone (615) 343-0068 Fax (615) 322-3764 Pager (615) 835-5153 e-mail michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu internet www.doseinfo-radar.com ************************************************************************ You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/ <-----Original Message-----> From: bilalana Sent: 12/20/2004 12:44:53 AM To: du-watch@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DU-WATCH] Hey SfP, looks what's said about "Ministerial Rat" I thoughtyou might be interested in a recently posted opinion about Franz Schoenhofer of Vienna. I believe a few leaders of SfP were referencing him recently and perhaps might want to know more about him before replying on his opinion. Posted at RadSafe: "To save my time on Radsafe, I generally ignore any threads that Franz is a part of. His comments are appear rude and are usually devoid of content. I recommend this technique to others. You'll be amazed how much time you save without loosing any actual facts. -Stephen Frantz Reed College, Portland, OR You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e- mail, with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/ [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 29 [du-list] UK 'war crimes' claims examined in The Hague Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:47:26 -0800 UK 'war crimes' claims examined in The Hague By Severin Carrell UK Independent 19 December 2004 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=594580 Claims that the UK has committed war crimes against Iraqi civilians are being examined by the International Criminal Court after complaints by a panel of legal experts. In a letter seen by The Independent on Sunday, the chief prosecutor of the ICC in The Hague has described the war crimes allegations as "one of the most significant" cases he has seen, and were being given "deserved weight" by his investigators. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the chief prosecutor, indicated that his office has now begun the formal process of gathering evidence about the claims and is now expected to ask the Government to explain its military strategy in Iraq. Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesman, said the move would cause "profound concern" for the Government. Adam Price, the Plaid Cymru MP and one of the most prominent critics of the war, added: "This is a highly significant development." The allegations against the Government were submitted earlier this year by a lawyers' group called PeaceRights, based at the University of Warwick, in a dossier written by a panel of eight leading experts in international law. The panel alleged that Britain had illegally used cluster bombs in civilian areas and illegally targeted power stations, depriving civilians and hospitals of water supplies and electricity. They also allege that British use of depleted uranium armour-piercing shells was negligent. Sir Menzies said the decision to study the allegations was particularly worrying for Tony Blair's government because the UK had been one of the main driving forces behind setting up the ICC. "The UK's conduct of warfare will now be open to acute review, and British conduct and policy will be judged by higher standards than ever before," he said. -- Posted for educational and research purposes only, ~ in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 ~ NucNews Links and Expanded Archives - http://nucnews.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Need a home for your web domain? We recommend our provider, Hosting Direct https://support.hostingdirect.net/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=nucnews ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 30 [du-list] Depleted uranium used during both gulf wars is a Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:47:29 -0800 Depleted uranium used during both gulf wars is a potent threat Some scientists dispute Pentagon's claim weapons' component imposes no serious health risk. Copley Press By Helen Thomas December 16, 2004 http://www.dailybreeze.com/opinion/articles/1146047.html The Pentagon claims that American forces and Iraqis are not at risk from contact with depleted uranium, which is used in armor-piercing munitions and protective tank plating. That's baloney to some scientists who insist the widespread use of depleted uranium during the American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq poses a grave danger. Despite attempts to reassure the public, the Pentagon remains on the defensive. Depleted uranium or DU is a radioactive byproduct from the industrial process to enrich uranium. It is the leftover uranium-238 that results when scientists seek to transform naturally occurring uranium into uranium-235, which is used to produce nuclear energy. The Army values munitions manufactured from depleted uranium because, when fused with metal alloys, they are considered the most effective warhead for penetrating enemy tanks. Also, because depleted uranium is twice as dense as lead, the Army uses DU as armor plating. Once a depleted uranium round strikes its target, the projectile begins to burn on impact, creating tiny particles of radioactive U-238. Winds can transport this radioactive dust many miles, potentially contaminating the air that innocent humans breathe. This inhalation may cause lung cancer, kidney damage, cancers of bones and skin, birth defects and chemical poisoning. The 1991 Persian Gulf war was the first conflict to see the widespread use of depleted uranium, both in armor-piercing projectiles and in the protective armor of the new generation of Abrams tanks. Studies by the Pentagon and the National Academy of Sciences established no linkage between DU and the "Gulf War Syndrome" ailments after the first Gulf war. Some 70 people are still under study for the effects of contact with DU, with particular emphasis on what happens when people breathe the air where DU projectiles have vaporized. Dr. Helen Caldicott has dedicated her life to warning about the hazards of nuclear war and the effects of DU. Born in Melbourne, Australia, she first became interested in nuclear hazards when she saw the movie "On the Beach" at the age of 15. The film deals with a nuclear accident that leads to a global nuclear war. Growing up, she led a movement in Australia against the French atmospheric nuclear tests in the Pacific and tried to win a ban on Australian uranium mining. She became a medical doctor and later founded Physicians for Social Responsibility, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. In her book, The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military-Industrial Complex, Caldicott claims that DU qualifies as a nuclear weapon because of its low-level radioactivity. She said that huge quantities of DU were created during the Cold War. "Weapon researchers and developers have now succeeded in putting this toxic 'nuclear waste' to use through the creation of depleted uranium bullets and shells," she added. Depleted uranium particles are soluble in water and the waters around the battlefields, as in Iraq and Kuwait are at risk of radioactive pollution, Caldicott said. She warned that DU maintains radioactivity for billions of years and can concentrate in the food chain, with children and babies more vulnerable to the carcinogenic effects of ingested radiation than adults. Medical reports from Iraq indicate that childhood malignancies are seven times greater than before the first Gulf war. The complaints of the veterans of the first Gulf war are "surprisingly similar in pattern to the various pathologies induced by uranium exposure as described by the U.S. military," Caldicott said. Some 50,000 to 80,000 veterans were afflicted with Gulf War Syndrome and there has been no definitive answer -- but a lot of dispute -- as to the cause. The military use of depleted uranium is still being questioned. But one thing is certain: War is dangerous to your health. Helen Thomas is a Washington-based columnist with Hearst Newspapers. Her e-mail address is hthomas@hearstdc.com. ***************************************************************** 31 [du-list] Other Substances, Many Possibilities Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:47:33 -0800 Other Substances, Many Possibilities After more than a decade, there are still questions than answers about the cause of illnesses suffered by veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Daily Press BY BOB EVANS December 16, 2004 http://www.dailypress.com/news/specials/dp-du6,0,4947116.story?coll=dp-breaking-news Stress. Pyridostigmine bromide. Bug spray. Permethrin. Sarin. Sand. Depleted uranium. Matt Rohman was exposed to all of them. It happened in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, after Rohman enlisted and left his home in York County. Now he's left to wonder whether one of those suspected dangers, several of them - or none of them - are why his once-strong body has been falling apart ever since. The pain and problems began when he was 28, just back from battle. He hasn't been able to work since age 33. Now he's 40, unable to feel anything in his hands or feet, unable to breathe without drugs and unable to play ball with his young son. Rohman's not alone. More than 183,000 veterans of the Gulf War are on some form of disability, and many of them have no idea what made them sick. The Pentagon and government wrote off the problem as "stress" until public complaints, a few scientists and members of Congress raised a fuss and brought a change in direction a few years ago. Since then, some serious science has taken place in labs spanning the nation, giving many people involved some hope of progress. Researchers in Mississippi used high-tech brain-imaging equipment to identify a type of dysfunction that appears to be consistent among sick Gulf War veterans. Scientists in San Francisco found that the veterans who had health problems had experienced reduced levels of a chemical necessary for good brain functioning. Doctors at Duke and in Dallas learned that many of the sick veterans had naturally low levels of an enzyme that helps the body fight off the debilitating effects of nerve gas. In New Mexico, scientists found two problems when rats breathed air containing tiny bits of depleted uranium dust. In one group of animals, the depleted uranium migrated to the brain. Tests on another group revealed genetic mutations thought to be indicative of cancer. The particles that the animals breathed were similar to the pieces of black dust resulting from using depleted uranium "tank-killing" weapons. The dust is toxic, mildly radioactive and easily inhaled. But scientists disagree on whether it could be responsible for the neurological and physical problems suffered by so many veterans of the war. Pentagon officials dismiss the notion that the dust can cause health problems. They say the weapons are important and give U.S. troops a big advantage on the battlefield. Rohman suspects that depleted uranium might have played a role in the loss of his health, but he also considers exposure to nerve gas, the bug spray he was given and other chemicals issued by the Army to be possible sources of the evils he's suffered. So do doctors and researchers. And that's part of the problem. According to a June report on the problems of sick Gulf War vets by the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, 21 research questions remain unresolved. This is despite $247 million in research since 1994. New technology provides a new look at vets' brains With so many possible alternatives for what happened and so little hard evidence of who was exposed to the suspected causes, researchers are scrambling for good data, Robert Haley says. He's an epidemiologist and researcher who serves on a Department of Veterans Affairs advisory panel for Gulf War illnesses. He and Duke University researcher Mohamad B. Abou-Donia say they don't even have an answer for simple questions, such as which drugs were given to which soldiers and where those soldiers were during the war. Haley says a research effort to finally get a handle on the basic data of exposure is being prepared now and should begin in January. It should have been done years ago, he says. Government officials almost started the project, but Haley and other researchers saw the questionnaire that they were going to use and recognized it wasn't adequate. It lacked a number of basic questions that will help researchers establish what hazards veterans might have come in contact with during the war. Among the deficiencies, he says, were questions that would have helped define possible exposure to depleted uranium. Haley is a former official at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now is chief of epidemiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He says some of the most important recent research was made possible by brain-imaging equipment invented after the vets came home sick and weak from the 1991 war. Armed with this technology, researchers now can get pictures of what's happening in the veterans' brains. Those pictures show that veterans who had the characteristic problems that some people label "Gulf War illness" consistently have lower levels of NAA. NAA is a chemical in neurons, the switches in the brain that permit thinking and processing, including muscle movement, strength and fatigue. NAA is an indicator of how well neurons are functioning. The sick veterans had about 20 percent less NAA than veterans who didn't have health complaints. Anyone who'd had such low levels of NAA before the war would have been noticeably impaired and wouldn't have been allowed to serve, Haley says. So it's relatively safe to think that this change happened during their service. That doesn't prove what caused the NAA level to go down though. Haley and many others think the most likely candidate for the cause of the illnesses is the nerve gas sarin. The Iraqi army used it against Iran in an earlier war and had stockpiles in 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency, GAO and other U.S. government agencies reported. After U.S. troops went to Iraq and Kuwait in 1990 and 1991, their chemical-weapons alert systems frequently indicated that sarin was present, the GAO says. But that equipment was often unreliable to prove exposure and prone to false alerts. Government officials later found that many of the chemical-protection suits given to soldiers were also defective, the GAO says. Even if the Iraqis didn't intend to use sarin, many experts say they're sure that it was in the air - probably because our own troops put it there. The GAO says CIA and Pentagon officials have acknowledged that several Iraqi munitions dumps thought to contain sarin were destroyed by the U.S. military during the war. The troops involved didn't know what they were dealing with, the GAO says, and the explosions put an untold amount of sarin gas into the air each time. 'WE PUT THEM IN A BIG CIRCLE AND BLEW THEM UP' Rohman says that he participated in operations to destroy equipment at some of the sites identified by the CIA and that he worked near others. He also spent about three months blowing up Iraqi munitions and equipment in other places. "In one incident, we found a convoy in Iraq, several hundred vehicles filled with rockets and ammunition," he says. U.S. Air Force A-10 "Warthog" aircraft firing depleted uranium weapons had attacked the convoy and scattered the vehicles. "We put them in a big circle and blew them up." In another operation, Rohman says, he and others lined up Iraqi rockets and other munitions in a mile-long stack like firewood and blew them up. The effort to destroy all those munitions and equipment went too fast to examine the individual items to determine what they were, he says. His unit was moving, moving, moving - ordered to find all that it could and blow it up before the Army had to leave Iraq after combat stopped and diplomats took over. Now he thinks it's quite likely that some of those shells contained poison gas. But he doesn't know for sure. Some scientists dismiss the sarin theory, saying there simply weren't the deaths and classic symptoms that the chemical is known for. But others say the expected reactions didn't happen because the chemical was dispersed in those explosions and resulted in small doses over a large area. They say the chemical still got into the soldiers' blood through the skin, nose and mouth and did its damage, then disappeared from the bloodstream before testing could find it. The human body has an enzyme that attacks sarin and staves off the effects, Haley says. Some people naturally have more of it, and some have less, but the level that someone has in their body doesn't change over time, and it can't be added later to rid the body of a toxin that's caused damage. If the sarin from exploded munitions went into the air, it then fell on the soldiers in minute quantities for days, Haley says. He theorizes that soldiers with lower levels of the protective enzyme started experiencing weakness and reduced neurological functions that were barely noticeable, then continued to get worse. Other soldiers, with high levels of the enzyme, went home fine. This would help explain why veterans with nearly identical experiences came home with totally different health prospects, Haley says. Rohman and other veterans say their problems did begin with weakness, followed by more debilitating problems as time went on. ONE TYPE OF PESTICIDE LINKED TO PROBLEMS, IF DOSES HIGH Sarin is a chemical known as an organophosphate, which simply means that it's an organic derivative of phosphoric or similar acids. Agent Orange, the now-infamous weed killer that caused problems for veterans of the Vietnam War, is also an organophosphate. Organophosate pesticides were also used during the Persian Gulf War to ward off sand fleas and other biting and infectious bugs in the desert. Soldiers frequently doused themselves, their tents and the sand around them with the chemicals. In high doses, they've been proven to cause neuromuscular disorders. Scientists aren't sure whether smaller doses cause serious harm as well. Haley says studies have found that farmers and pesticide workers who use organophosphates have higher-than-expected rates of the neuromuscular disease ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. So have Gulf War veterans. According to the Veterans Affairs Department, they have a much higher rate of ALS at early ages than that of the general population. Haley says that gives some credence to the theory the organophosphates might play a role in Gulf War vets' problems. Other researchers say chemicals troops used to prevent insect bites, and ate to ward off the possible effects of chemical weapons (including pyridostigmine bromide and permethrin) might be the problem. In the rush to battle after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Pentagon planners began worrying about the possibility of a chemical war and realized that they had only experimental drugs to give troops. A decision was made to give the drugs out anyway, and some caused severe reactions. Pyridostigmine bromide pills gave many vets sudden, violent reactions. "When I started taking those pills, my hands went completely numb," Rohman says. "I couldn't hold things. So I just quit taking them." The U.S. government maintains that soldiers didn't get a high enough dose of any of those pills to be harmed. Haley, Abou-Donia and others say a mounting body of evidence about toxic chemicals shows the problem might not be that simple. Scientists have known for years that a person under psychological or physical stress is much more susceptible to illnesses of many kinds than someone who isn't under stress, Abou-Donia says. The sandstorms and extremely fine sand of the Persian Gulf region add to that stress on the body by irritating the eyes, breathing and other bodily functions. Add the mixture of chemicals that the soldiers were exposed to, and the result could be demonstrable neurological problems from what might otherwise be insignificant doses of chemicals, Abou-Donia and Haley say. Abou-Donia and other researchers demonstrated that principle in a scientific paper published earlier this year. They found that the combination of several of those chemicals, coupled with stress and exposure to silica from sand, resulted in measurable changes to important parts of the brain in laboratory animals. The study included exposing the animals to high-strength DEET, a bug repellent used by many troops in the war. Products containing DEET are the most commonly used bug repellents in the United States. In low and limited doses, DEET is recommended to prevent various diseases from ticks, mosquitoes and other pests. Abou-Donia's experiment involving DEET and other chemicals didn't include exposing animals to depleted uranium. But he says he thinks the weapons' dusty residue on the battlefield is a likely suspect in the parade of toxins that soldiers were exposed to - and which caused them to come home sick. "I would think it is part of the mix," he says. Area veteran tried for years to get depleted uranium test Even though much more is now known about the nature of their illnesses and possible causes, Gulf War veterans still are having trouble getting adequate attention to their needs, say leaders of the American Legion and the National Gulf War Resource Center Inc., a veterans rights group. Steve Robinson, executive director of the resource center, says doctors and clinicians at military bases and Veterans Affairs hospitals all over the country haven't been properly trained or educated about possible exposure to depleted uranium. The information that those clinicians are given doesn't include research later than 1999, he told Congress earlier this year, and what they're taught is often biased. As a result, he says, many veterans' problems are being ignored. Rohman's medical records show he's had that problem at the Hampton VA Medical Center. He says he's been trying to get officials there to give him a test for depleted uranium for years. Many of his medical records have been misplaced, lost or destroyed by the government agencies that handled them, but his own copies demonstrate that he told VA physicians about his exposure at least as early as 1998. Kay Reid, who runs the Gulf War program at the Hampton VA hospital, says that should have been enough to trigger an examination for exposure to depleted uranium - and, given Rohman's description of his war experiences, a urine test. She says she's not sure why it didn't happen then. Just as she doesn't know why it didn't happen this spring, when a doctor at the hospital put a note in Rohman's medical records March 9 that said Rohman "had requested a uranium exposure test." The medical records show that messages were supposed to be sent from the doctor, notifying Reid that Rohman was in need of evaluation. Reid says she never got that message. Rohman says he was given Reid's name and office telephone number to set up an appointment for the test. He says he called several times and left messages but never got a response. When the Daily Press contacted Reid in July, she said she didn't know about his calls. She promised to follow up. Reid phoned Rohman that day to begin screening him for a test. Rohman says he still hasn't been tested, however. Rohman's problems getting testing are similar to other veterans' experiences, based on a 2000 report by the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress. The study found that more than 14 percent of the veterans selected for a depleted uranium testing program hadn't received testing because VA officials hadn't processed the referrals and made appointments. The steps for screening vets who want a DU test Reid says that as of Nov. 12, 603 men and women from southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina had been placed in a nationwide registry of veterans who served in the Persian Gulf region from 1991 to the present. The government began the registry in the early 1990s as an attempt to track health trends among the veterans, after persistent complaints about undiagnosed health problems. Nationwide, 86,000 veterans are in the registry. Over the years, eligibility for the registry has changed, Reid says. Now anyone who served in the Persian Gulf region since 1990 - regardless of their health or whether they were there when a shot was fired - can ask to be included. As of mid-November, five people who served in the more recent fighting there have been placed in the registry by the Hampton hospital, though others are being evaluated and tested and will likely join them, she says. Between 20 percent and 25 percent of the local veterans in the registry have health problems that are observable but not diagnosed, which mirrors the nationwide average, she says. When veterans enter the registry and ask for a depleted uranium test, they first see a VA clinician like Reid. She says she goes through a 10-page questionnaire with each vet to get an idea about their exposures and experiences. Then they're examined by a nurse practitioner, who makes a referral to a doctor, if that's called for, Reid says. At the Hampton hospital, Reid is the nurse practitioner who usually does the exams. Reid says about half the veterans from the Persian Gulf War whom she's put into the registry in Hampton have asked for a test for depleted uranium. "They think they may have been exposed to depleted uranium," she says, "but after we go over the criteria, they change their mind." Reid says she asks people what jobs they had in the war and what kind of contact they had with enemy and allied tanks and armored vehicles struck by depleted uranium. If they weren't on or near the tanks very soon after a weapon struck, they're not likely candidates for exposure, she says. If they were around a tank three days later, she says, there would be no exposure or minimal exposure - unless they went in the tank for extended periods. "It's not something that's just floating in the air," she says. "You have to be around the tank within an hour of it being hit." The Army's Environmental Policy Institute told Congress that bits of depleted uranium have been found as far as 400 meters (1,320 feet) downwind from experimental explosions. The Canadian military's testing found that the particles can be suspended in the air for hours after an explosion. U.S. military training programs say anyone going within 50 meters of a vehicle struck by a depleted uranium weapon should wear protective clothing and a breather mask, no matter how long after the explosion. Ultimately, Reid says, she decides to give the tests to only 1 percent or 2 percent of the vets. If they insist, they can get the test, anyway. Of those tested through her office, "We have not identified anyone here who actually had depleted uranium in their system," she says. 'If you don't look, you won't find' Pentagon officials say the vast majority of the samples that they get don't contain enough total uranium, depleted or otherwise, to warrant further examination to determine whether depleted uranium is present. The military's testing program is also incapable of identifying small quantities of depleted uranium in veterans' urine samples and can never be used as a definitive test of exposure - only a test of what the military has deemed potentially unhealthy exposure. Labs in Britain and Germany have developed methods much more capable of detecting depleted uranium, but the U.S. military isn't interested in copying them. Robinson and other critics of the military's handling of exposure issues say this is an important part of the problem. The military has been telling people for years that the tests showed no exposure to depleted uranium when all that can be said for sure is that the tests chosen by the U.S. government are unable to detect it. "If you don't look, you won't find," Robinson says. Robinson and other veterans advocates say the problem is being repeated in the current war, with inadequate testing of troops before and immediately after deployment. This means scientists will once again be lacking important data if health problems arise a year or more from now, they say. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., is chairman of the subcommittee on national security, veterans affairs and international relations of the House Committee on Government Reform. He says the Pentagon failed to set up the testing and health assessments that Congress demanded after realizing what happened during the Persian Gulf war. Michael J. Kilpatrick, the Pentagon's deputy director for looking after the health of troops deployed to war, says the current system might not be perfect. But, he says, the military has made marked improvement in collecting data and keeping records that would prove beneficial to researchers if there's a repeat of the parade of ill, undiagnosed veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom. He says military officials routinely take measurements and test the air, water and soil of where troops are stationed and fighting. Health records are being computerized, he says, so shots, illnesses and other records can be tracked later. But, Kilpatrick says, the realities of the modern battlefield don't make it possible to say where every soldier was and what the air, water and soil were like at that time. The equipment used for this work also isn't capable of detecting depleted uranium, except in very large quantities, he says. One of the improvements in baseline health monitoring that Congress demanded in its 1998 law to protect servicemen and women involves a requirement that the Pentagon store blood samples taken from everyone before deployment. That's so researchers can examine the samples later to help compare before-and-after characteristics, in case there are health problems. But the Pentagon surprised many sponsors of the bill by not doing what was expected. Rep. Stephen E. Buyer, R-Ind., is a Gulf War vet who helped write the law. He's been critical of the military's response to the requirements. He says Congress spent a lot of time crafting a law to protect the troops and create a baseline of accurate medical information on every soldier deployed, only to see the Department of Defense, or DoD, water it down. "We've got DoD going out there, doing their own thing," he said in a congressional hearing last year. The most obvious deviation from the law's intent, Buyer and other members of Congress say, involves medical attention to troops before and after they deploy. Buyer is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He says he and other members of Congress expected every soldier, sailor, Marine and airman to get a hands-on physical exam from a doctor when they mandated a "medical examination" for everyone before deployment. Instead, the Pentagon decided that giving soldiers a two-page questionnaire, asking them to report any health problems, would be sufficient. "The intent of Congress was an examination," said Rep. John R. Boozman, R-Ark., during a hearing last year. "And really, the reality is these young men and women basically got less than, you know, a cheerleader or a football player does every couple of years." Buyer also pointed out that the law required "the drawing of blood samples to accurately record the medical condition of members before their deployment and any changes in their medical condition during the course of their employment." The Pentagon used blood serum from the standard AIDS test, a part of the blood that doesn't allow doctors to do many before-and-after comparisons to see whether chemical exposures have affected someone. PENTAGON BYPASSES $100 WHITE-BLOOD-CELL STORAGE Kilpatrick says the Pentagon is doing everything the law requires. He acknowledges that the blood serum being stored is of limited value and is only part of the blood taken in a sample. It doesn't contain parts of whole blood that would enable researchers to compare the rate of DNA mutations or many other important attributes with samples taken after the troops return from war. Right now, he says, "there is no single blood test that would prove useful in screening all service members who have deployed." So the serum is all that's saved. Anything else isn't practical, Kilpatrick says. Richard Albertini is a cancer researcher at the University of Vermont who's been part of the research into soldiers with depleted uranium shrapnel from the Gulf War. He says the Pentagon missed a chance to gather samples of white blood cells that could prove very important. A few veterans with the shrapnel have shown increased rates of genetic mutations thought to be a warning sign of possible cancer, he says. To see whether this might be because of depleted uranium, researchers exposed rats to air with depleted uranium dust, and the rats showed the same type of mutations, he says. They also developed tumors. But unless you can have a before-and-after sample of the veterans' white blood cells, you can't determine whether the change in mutations is the result of something that happened during their deployment or from some other factor, Albertini says. That would be one of the items that he'd identify as valuable, if keeping data for a baseline of health was the goal. It isn't difficult and isn't very expensive to keep those white-blood-cell samples either, he says. "We do it all the time," he says, and it costs less than $100 a sample. Several members of Congress tried to put more specific requirements for blood samples into law this year, in response to the Pentagon's decisions. But a majority were concerned with putting too many mandates on the military in the midst of a war, so there was little specific guidance enacted for the blood-storage program. Kilpatrick acknowledges that the system for protecting troops is evolving and isn't as good as it should be yet. But when it comes to keeping records and data on health issues, he says, "we are light-years ahead," compared with the 1991 Persian Gulf War. -- Posted for educational and research purposes only, ~ in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 ~ NucNews Links and Expanded Archives - http://nucnews.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Need a home for your web domain? We recommend our provider, Hosting Direct https://support.hostingdirect.net/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=nucnews ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 32 [du-list] Soldier’s Heart: Iraq War Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:48:11 -0800 Soldier’s Heart Thousands of Iraq War veterans face serious psychological problems and a system ill prepared to help them. FW Weekly By Dan Frosch and Peter Gorman December 15, 2004 http://www.fwweekly.com/issues/2004-12-15/feature.asp Williams: ‘I wanted to talk to someone who knew what it was like over there.’ (Photo by Scott Latham) Matthew Williams was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Army in 2002. While he wanted to fight for freedom, he didn’t want to kill anyone, so he joined the medic corps. “I thought I might be the difference between someone dying and going home to see their family,” he said. “That was a good feeling.” The young Arlington man never killed anybody in Iraq, and most of the time no one was trying to kill him. But he saw the carnage up close and bloody. And he and his ambulance crews were attacked as their convoys traveled the roads between the medical hospital at Al-Asad and places like Fallujah, where heavy fighting was going on. He remembers riding shotgun on a military truck one day, his M-16 at ready, when “this guy comes riding toward us on a bicycle with a baby on the back. When he gets close, he reaches one hand behind his back, and I sighted him up because I thought he might have a weapon. And as he rides by, he pulls out his hand in the shape of a gun and pretends to fire at me. The only reason I didn’t fire was because I knew the bullet would take out the baby along with the guy, and I didn’t want to do that unless I was absolutely sure it was a weapon.” When Williams’ unit finished a year’s deployment in April, they rolled back to Fort Carson in Colorado, where they were given a battery of physical and mental tests, over $14,000 in pay, and a month’s leave, and were told to get ready to be redeployed to Iraq on their return. Williams came home thinking everything was fine. It wasn’t. His sister almost didn’t recognize him. “He was drinking excessively,” she said. “He couldn’t talk to people, would just walk away from them. Then one day our dad’s little dog jumped into the new Mustang he’d bought, and Matt just picked him up and threw him 30 feet. This was a guy who absolutely loved animals.” When he got back to Fort Carson, Williams asked the Army for help. He was seen by a military psychiatrist. “Dr. Newman said they were short-handed and didn’t have anyone for me to talk with. He put me on a waiting list for therapy and gave me a month’s supply of an anti-depressant ... and told me they might have someone when I finished that.” They didn’t. When Williams returned after a month he was given a three-month supply and told to come back when that was done. Then he failed a drug test for marijuana, then another, and was offered an early, but honorable, discharge. Williams, who’d been decorated with a Combat Merit Badge, an Army Commendation, and several other citations, took the discharge. He returned home, kept drinking, and finally tried to kill himself. Joshua Peterson’s troubles took another form. The first time he hit his wife, Kristin, she was asleep in their bed. Awakened by Joshua’s fist smashing into her face, she ran, terrified and crying, to the bathroom to wipe the blood spurting from her nose. When she looked back into the bedroom, he was punching at the air, muttering how she was coming after him and how he was going to kill her. But his eyes were closed. Peterson was appalled the next morning to realize what he’d done, but he doesn’t remember the night or the nightmares. Neither can he remember punching his wife again in his sleep a few weeks later, this time driving her front tooth through her lip, as he murmured over and over that he’d never go back. For six months last year, Peterson helped build an oil pipeline across Iraq as a specialist in the Army’s 110th Quartermaster Company. On the same highway where Private Jessica Lynch was ambushed, he saw the rotting bodies of Iraqi soldiers dangling out of their tanks. One time Peterson’s truck broke down and he was surrounded by a group of Iraqi children, some throwing rocks, others toting AK-47s. “I kept thinking, ‘God, I can’t handle this,’ ” the 24-year-old said with a hollow laugh. Since Peterson came back to Richmond Hill, Ga., in August 2003, these memories have turned him into a man Kristin often doesn’t recognize — a man who lashes out in anger at her and their toddler, a man whose awful dreams tell him to beat his wife because she’s an Iraqi. There are thousands of Operation Iraqi Freedom soldiers across the country like Matthew Williams and Joshua Peterson. A December 2003 Army study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that about 16 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq were suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a psychologically debilitating condition causing intense nightmares, paranoia, and anxiety. Now, after a particularly bloody summer and fall, many military and mental health experts predict the rate of PTSD will actually run nearly twice what the study found, approximately the same level suffered by Vietnam veterans. Others think it could go even higher and note that rarely before has such a dramatic rate of PTSD manifested itself so soon after combat. Those troubled veterans, by and large, will go knocking on the door of the Department of Veteran Affairs. And many will find that, just like the military that often couldn’t adequately equip them in Iraq, the VA, according to numerous studies, does not have many of the essential services the veterans desperately need. “I don’t know how many people are going to be seeking treatment, or whether the demand is going to be met by available resources,” acknowledged Matthew Friedman, executive director of the VA’s National Center for PTSD. “What I am confident [of] is that people who come for treatment will get good treatment.” Yet the VA chronically has under-funded mental health programs and currently projects a $1.65 billion shortfall in those programs by the end of 2007. “If we don’t give the VA what it needs immediately, the consequences will be lifelong and devastating,” said Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center. The emerging scenario is that of a new generation of veterans — many of whom were psychologically unprepared for what happened to them and around them — and of an exhausted healthcare system holding its breath. While veterans like Williams and Peterson were dealing with their personal nightmares, Dr. James Scully was testifying before Congress about a national nightmare. In March 2004, Scully, a Navy veteran and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, testified before the U.S. House subcommittee responsible for VA funding. Scully reported a dramatic 42 percent increase in VA patients with severe PTSD in the previous five years, with only a 22 percent increase in money spent on PTSD services. The reduction was particularly startling, he said, because more vets are using the VA for psychological help than ever — nearly half a million at last count. It was the latest blow for an institution that has struggled for decades to fulfill its mission. A mammoth, federally funded agency, the VA’s healthcare system has been treating veterans since 1930. But in the wake of the first Gulf War, pressures on the system swelled out of control. The soaring cost of civilian health insurance combined with an aging population of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam vets, pushed droves of service people toward the VA where everything was cheaper. In 1995, the VA began realigning its healthcare system and opening hundreds of outpatient clinics. Yet by 2001, only half of the clinics provided mental health services, according to the National Mental Health Association. Again, funding was a factor. Between 1996 and 2003, the VA noted a 134 percent jump in vets seeking care, with only a 44 percent increase in the budget. In April 2003, as U.S. troops pushed toward Baghdad, Dr. Joseph T. English, chairman of psychiatry for St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers of New York, told the same House subcommittee that veterans were waiting an average of 47 days to get into PTSD in-patient programs and up to a year at some outpatient facilities. VA Secretary Anthony Principi had commanded a Navy gunboat during Vietnam and understood PTSD. He also knew that with combat-dazed vets beginning to trickle home from Iraq, he needed to move. He commissioned a task force to upgrade the VA’s mental health services on short notice. (Principi resigned recently as part of the Bush Administration’s cabinet shuffle but remains in office until his successor is confirmed.) In a revealing June 3, 2004, memo to VA Undersecretary for Health Jonathan Perlin, Principi wrote that the task force had discovered four major deficiencies: Mental health services were scattered, substance abuse programs had been reduced, the VA’s leadership hadn’t been diligent in overseeing the situation, and there was no coherent mental health strategy. Principi ordered VA brass to begin plugging the holes immediately. While the VA worked on a long-term plan for implementing the reforms, the agency’s Special Committee on PTSD delivered an October report to Congress, warning that with more soldiers with PTSD arriving home, services needed beefing up. During the 1980s, the VA had recommended that teams of PTSD counselors be placed at all VA medical centers. Two decades later, the report noted, barely half of the 163 facilities had them. The committee predicted that it would take about $1.65 billion by 2008 to fix things. Without extra funding, the committee conceded, the VA couldn’t be expected to treat psychologically troubled vets from Iraq and Afghanistan while still caring for those already in the system. “If the human cost of PTSD and its related disorders is staggering, so are the long-term medical costs to the VA associated with chronic PTSD,” the report stated. The House Veterans Affairs Committee urged Congress to pump an additional $2.5 billion into the Bush Administration’s VA healthcare budget for 2005. But by November, with the budget poised for passage, it seemed unlikely that the warnings from veterans groups and VA doctors who sat on the PTSD Committee would be heeded. Those VA doctors knew that, given the chance, they could treat the disorder better than anyone. They have been on the cutting edge of PTSD since it was first diagnosed in a war whose lessons now seem distant. Sgt. Dave Durman’s girlfriend, Teresa A. McKay, noticed immediately when his behavior began to change. (Photo courtesy of Erich Allen Group) Sgt. Dave Durman did a tour in the Mekong Delta back in 1969. He was 18 and had joined the Navy the minute he got his draft notice, even though some of his buddies had already died there. “I think it was because I just really loved the water,” Durman said. Durman also loved working on the supply ship where he was stationed and the adrenaline that pulsed whenever his unit supported the Marines on missions around the South Vietnamese coast. He loved it all so much that he stayed in the Navy for nine years. Then in 1995 he joined the Virginia National Guard’s 1032nd Transportation Company, based 10 miles from his home in Kingsport, Tenn. In February 2003, Durman’s unit was sent to Kuwait. He was 52 years old. Two months later, the 1032nd crossed into Iraq, charged with shipping supplies from the southern city of Talil 300 miles north to Balad. Other convoys had been attacked on the same route, so Durman and the 19-year-old soldier who rode with him slung their flak jackets protectively over the outside of both truck doors because, Durman said, “you could stab a hole through those doors with a knife.” During one August haul, Durman came upon a group of Iraqi police who had just shot two children for stripping a car on the side of the road. He drove right by their bodies. “We’re told not to interfere with domestic affairs,” Durman said quietly. In September, Durman’s unit shipped back to Virginia. It was then the nightmares started — about Iraq, but also about things he’d buried — his abusive childhood, Vietnam. His girlfriend, Teresa A. McKay, noticed that Durman, once confident and kind, now broke into random sweats and angered easily. He drank too much whiskey and bought a .357 pistol. Their sex life, McKay said, went “190 degrees different.” To McKay, a former nurse who’d worked with homeless Vietnam veterans, Durman’s behavior looked disquietingly familiar. Indeed, Vietnam provides the clinical and historical framework for the PTSD cases coming out of Iraq. Before Vietnam, treatment of a soldier for the psychological effects of battle was not really treatment at all, even though PTSD had long been acknowledged under a variety of names. In 1871, former Union Army medic J.M. Da Costa wrote about a stress disorder caused by heavy fighting. He called it “irritable heart,” a name changed shortly thereafter to “soldier’s heart.” During World War I, veterans returning home with soldier’s heart were told by military doctors that they had “shell shock” or “combat neurosis.” After World War II, according to VA psychiatrist Jonathan Shay, tens of thousands of soldiers were hospitalized with psychiatric problems; doctors diagnosed the majority with paranoid schizophrenia. “The diagnostic spirit which prevailed was based on Plato’s idea that if you had good parentage, good genes, a good education, then no bad things could shake you from the path of virtue,” Shay said. During Vietnam, that Platonic ideal began to shift. In 1970, 20 young vets from the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War asked former Army psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton to speak with them about the war. The vets didn’t trust the VA or the military but knew they needed to calm the devils they’d brought home. Lifton, who had studied Hiroshima survivors, began meeting in New York with the group in what became known as “rap sessions.” He was shocked by the extent of the veterans’ traumas. “These men talked about a particular combat situation that had a level of extremity which was new, even to me,” he said. Prompted by the rap sessions, VVAW opened up dozens of “storefront” counseling centers — places where Vietnam veterans could speak with other vets about their experiences, a crucial part of treating PTSD. Still, despite the growing number of vets clearly suffering, the VA wouldn’t accept PTSD as a diagnosis. “This was because many of them were talking about atrocities, and that process was associated with a political view of the war,” Lifton said. Finally, in 1979, the VA opened up its own network of storefront vet centers. A year later, the American Psychiatric Association recognized PTSD as a legitimate medical diagnosis. And when the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study concluded in 1988 that 30 percent of Vietnam vets suffered from PTSD, not many were surprised. By then, Lifton (who never worked for the VA) and individual VA psychiatrists like Matthew Friedman had become leading experts on PTSD, helping push the condition into psychiatric and public consciousness. Through group and individual therapy, and sometimes medication, the VA for some time now has been helping psychically wounded veterans to heal, though the process could take years. But by the time U.S. soldiers set foot on Iraqi soil, the VA’s failure to keep up with the enormous growth of its clientele was already causing advancements in PTSD treatment to be compromised. A new conflict, which bore an uneasy resemblance to Vietnam, would test those advancements even further. As Crystal Luker tells it, May 5, 2004, was the day her husband’s platoon ran into trouble. As usual, on that afternoon, Spec. Ron Luker, 27, was patrolling a section of Baghdad with his 1st Cavalry Division platoon, whose stateside home is Fort Hood in central Texas. “There was a lieutenant in the first Humvee, Ron was in the second, and his platoon sergeant was in the third with a group of privates,” Crystal said. A 19-year-old specialist from Tulsa named James Marshall, whom Ron had been looking after, also rode in the third Humvee. As the convoy snaked through a teeming Baghdad street market, there was an explosion. “The lieutenant was yelling over the radio for all of them to haul ass back to the base because they were coming under fire,” Crystal said. When Luker looked behind him, he was horrified. The third Humvee was gone. He flipped his vehicle around and hurtled back down the street. Crystal said Luker told her that when they found the Humvee, the force of the blast had blown the flesh from two of the privates all over the seats. In the back, Luker found Marshall, wrapped around the vehicle’s 50 caliber gun. “When Ron tried pulling James’ body out, his hands just went right inside of him. He pulled James’ flak jacket back and his chest was gone.” Before that day, Luker had called and written home religiously, unburdening himself to the woman he’d fallen in love with at a Mariposa, Calif., restaurant four years earlier. But when he came home to Fort Hood for a week in August, things changed dramatically. That first night, at a welcome-home barbecue, Luker cornered his wife in the kitchen. “He asked why I’d been avoiding him and said that I didn’t want to be around him,” Crystal recalled. When Luker started cursing, some Army friends pulled him away. “You didn’t come all the way home to fight with your wife,” they told him. As the week went on, there was more arguing. Crystal said her husband accused her of cheating while he was gone. He rifled through her purse and the bedroom drawers” and repeatedly listened to old phone messages, searching for proof. “I told him, ‘You’re scaring me! You’re not acting right, Ron!’ ” Crystal said. Luker also seemed bothered around his three daughters. In an emotional revelation, he told his wife why. “He said he’d turned into a monster in Iraq. How he couldn’t bounce his kids on his knee when he’d shoved guns in women’s faces and busted into houses and pushed kids on the floor. He kept saying ‘I’m just trying to remember who I was before.’ ” Ron Luker’s problems fit into a particular trend now evident among veterans of the Iraqi conflict — that of soldiers who are experiencing PTSD almost immediately upon their return from the fighting, as opposed to the usual PTSD pattern of delayed reaction. In some cases, the PTSD symptoms are even more frightening than Luker’s: At Fort Bragg, N.C., home of the elite Special Forces Command, four soldiers — three of whom had recently returned from the Afghanistan conflict — killed their wives in the space of six weeks in 2002. Two of them subsequently killed themselves. Despite the obvious, Army Special Operations Command spokesman Ben Abel was quoted by a respected French news agency as denying that there was a link between the war and the murders. “We don’t have reason to think it was stress-related,” Abel said. In Columbus, Ohio, three soldiers from the same Fort Benning infantry battalion, which was engaged in some of the Iraq war’s bloodiest early battles, were charged in February 2004 with the murder and subsequent burning of the body of a fourth soldier from the same battalion. A San Antonio soldier from that battalion has been charged with concealing the crime. In a separate incident, another soldier from the battalion was charged with an unrelated murder outside a Columbus nightclub on the same night. For some soldiers, the demons are closing in even before their tours end. U.S. Army Spec. Joseph Suell of Tyler took his own life two months after being deployed to Iraq and only days after the 24-year-old had e-mailed his wife Rebecca that, “Over here, you never know what’s going to happen next. So I just keep my faith in Jesus and keep my eyes open.” Suell, who’d planned on being a career soldier, was one of 24 American military people who killed themselves in Iraq between April 2003 and April 2004. VA psychologist Scott Murray says most vets traditionally don’t feel the effects of PTSD until at least 15 months after the experiences that cause it — and it can take years for symptoms to appear. “This early on, PTSD is much higher than anything we’ve seen in previous conflicts,” Murray said. “We anticipate the numbers are only going to keep getting higher.” Psychologist Kaye Baron currently treats some 70 active soldiers and their families in a private practice in Colorado Springs, near Fort Carson. Many of the soldiers she treats tell her they only want to get far away from their lives at home. “They just want to go off in the mountains,” she said, “and be by themselves.” Based on clinical discussions she’s had with soldiers, Baron thinks the PTSD rate among Iraq war veterans could spike at 75 percent. Such a rate, Robert Jay Lifton said, is inexorably tied to the character of the war itself. “This is a counterinsurgency being fought against an enemy who is hard to identify, and that leads to extraordinary stress,” he said. According to Jonathan Shay, the issue with the most potential for psychological torment is soldiers’ doubt about whether the cause they’ve been led into battle for is a noble one. In his book, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and The Undoing of Character, Shay wrote about how the Greek hero felt betrayed by his arrogant general, Agamemnon, whose actions brought down a plague on the Greeks. The battle experiences of many Vietnam veterans caused them to feel much like Achilles, he said. “If a soldier has experienced a betrayal of what’s right by those in charge, their capacity for social trust can be impaired for the rest of their lives.” Indeed, Dave Durman said he first began feeling uncomfortable in Iraq when it became clear there were no weapons of mass destruction. He said the soldiers in his unit were furious when General Tommy Franks retired mid-war, while the rest of the National Guard and reservists were subject to the Army’s “stop-loss” policy, which is still being used to extend soldiers’ deployments. And Ron Luker was outraged when he saw Iraqi children playing in human sewage gurgling through the streets while the Army did nothing. That sense of betrayal translates into what Shay calls the nightmares of “complex PTSD”: nightmares, paranoia, violence, self-hate, and a crippling distrust. Beyond the emotional stress of killing people in a goal-less war, there are additional stress-inducers being borne by the soldiers in Iraq that will certainly add to the number of PTSD cases the military and the VA will have to deal with. According to Joyce Riley, RN, spokesperson for the American Gulf War Veterans Association and a former captain in the Air Force Reserve, the anthrax vaccine, exposure to depleted uranium, and the effects of Larium (mefloquine, used as a prophylactic against malaria) are all doing great harm to the troops. “I don’t think there’s any question of that. Anthrax vaccine can cause chronic health problems that resemble the Gulf War syndrome: fatigue, memory loss, headaches, sleep disturbance, muscle and joint pain. Larium has side effects that include paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, suicide, violence, and psychosis. All of these things contribute to PTSD and suicide attempts. Hell, we’ve got people on death row for crimes we believe they committed as a result of these medications — to say nothing of the uppers and downers the military provides some of the troops. We’re turning these kids into emotional zombies.” As for depleted uranium, she said, “We’ve got entire troops sick from exposure to it. The U.S. military uses it in shell casings, in 500-pound bombs, and even in the lining of tanks. We’ve used maybe 10 times more DU in Iraq than we did in the first Gulf War. A lot of those troops aren’t just sick, they’re dying. The bottom line is that they’re being affected by a number of things. And they have physical problems. And as long as the Department of Defense denies there are physical problems, they are an army left to die.” Col. James A. Polo, a physician and chief of the Department of Behavioral Health at the Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, believes those alleged problems are mostly the product of someone’s overworked imagination. “If a kid is having bad effects on Larium, we take them off and give them something else,” he said. “And the depleted uranium — well, I’m not an expert on that, but we’ve been assured the danger is minimal.” Time will reveal the actual effects of anthrax vaccinations and exposure to massive amounts of DU in the air. And while the military might intend to take soldiers off Larium if they are having any of its horrendous side effects, the reality is that there is not always someone in the field who would even recognize the symptoms, since they so often mimic general battle stress disorders. One official military policy is adding immensely to the litany of traumatic stress-inducing elements in Iraq: the “stop-loss” program, whereby troops due to return home are told their tours are extended, and many are required to serve a second deployment to Iraq — the first time in modern U.S. warfare that second tours were not voluntary. Yet another stress-inducer: the lack of equipment that many soldiers are dealing with — pointed up most recently by an Army specialist’s much-quoted question to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?” he asked. Rumsfeld’s response: “You go to war with the army you have.” In a subsequent interview, Maj. Gen. Gary Speer, the deputy commanding general of US forces in Kuwait, said that every vehicle that is deploying to Iraq from Kuwait has at least “Level 3” armor—armor for its side panels, but not necessarily bulletproof windows or protection against explosions that penetrate the floorboards, so common in convoy attacks. Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney’s old company, was hired to help in Iraq with many of the resupply jobs traditionally done by the military, from bringing mail to the troops to supplying drinking water and spare parts. It’s a job they have not always done well. “Don’t even get me started on that,” said Sharon Allen of Fort Worth, whose son is about to leave for his second tour in Iraq. “When my son was there the first time, the people at Halliburton said they couldn’t bring anything because it was too dangerous. They told my son’s company to come get water if they needed it. My son says the only way he kept his tank running was to steal parts. How are he and his crew supposed to support soldiers on the ground if they don’t even have an operating vehicle?” One sergeant at Fort Hood — who asked that neither his name nor his unit be identified — said that when he’s training men he prefers to tell them the truth. “I tell them they’re not fighting to eliminate weapons of mass destruction because there were none and are none. I tell them we’re not fighting because Hussein harbored Osama, because Hussein hated Osama and would have had him killed if he’d have stepped foot in Iraq. I tell them we’re not fighting for our freedom because no one was threatening it. I tell them the truth: We’re fighting for oil so that their fellow Americans can drive SUV’s and burn gas. That’s all they’re fighting for. That and their own asses. Then I tell them to get home safe. I just can’t lie to them.” Since reporting on this story began in October, Joshua Peterson and Dave Durman have started therapy at the VA. They’re likely getting some of the most advanced care in the world. They’re also lucky: Peterson’s mother-in-law knows a VA psychiatrist, and Durman was already enrolled, thanks to his time in the Navy. These soldiers won’t be alone. So far, more than 10,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have sought psychological help from the VA, and there’s every indication the numbers will jump significantly. Despite the challenges these numbers predict, Harold Kudler, co-chair of the VA’s PTSD Committee, said: “We’ve never been so prepared,” and points to unprecedented cooperation with the Department of Defense, intensified PTSD outreach, and the 206 vet centers. But some say that preparation is not enough. “You can only provide the services for which you have the resources,” said psychologist Scott Murray. “There has to be significant improvement in an allocation of funds to make that occur.” On Nov. 20, Congress added $1 billion to the Bush administration’s $27.1 billion VA healthcare budget for 2005. The amount fell $1.5 billion short of what was recommended by the House Veterans Affairs Committee. And while Congress earmarked an additional $15 million for PTSD, few think that money will make much difference. “The heads of the VA healthcare networks are all trying to figure out how the hell they’re going to manage,” said Rick Weidman, director of government relations for Vietnam Veterans of America. As for the VA’s mental health plan, which called for an extra $1.65 billion to fix things fully, VA spokesperson Laurie Tranter said: “We cannot comment on this now. The plan is still being finalized.” Polo, at Fort Carson, claims that with the mental health evaluations done on each soldier before and after deployment, the Army is doing the best it can. “We offer group therapy for folks who have anger or stress issues, and we have individual treatment for those who need one-on-one therapy. We also have drug and alcohol abuse programs, family relations programs, and offer psychotropic medication to those who need it.” However, Polo’s group at Fort Carson — six psychiatrists and a total of 35 primary therapeutic caregivers — is dealing with 15,000 men and women coming through the base at a given time, most of them readying for deployment or just returning, which doesn’t allow for much time per soldier. Polo, who has already been deployed once to Iraq and will go back there soon, is proud of what the military is doing for soldiers therapeutically, but he also admits that among soldiers there are steep emotional barriers to even seeking help. “No one wants to be the weak link,” he said, “and soldiers often feel that if they admit to stress or emotional problems, their fellow soldiers will look down on them, see them as weak. Most studies show that there are a large number of soldiers who won’t come forward to say they need help. They want to tough it out” — like Matthew Williams, who even after his suicide attempt doesn’t admit to having PTSD. Polo couldn’t say why Williams didn’t get the help he needed. “We [evaluate] a lot of soldiers,” he said. “We’re not perfect. But while I can’t comment on specific cases, I will say that if this fellow had really asked for help, he would have gotten it.” Williams disagrees. “Soon as you walk in, they’re looking to give you pills,” he said. “I didn’t want pills. I wanted to talk with someone who knew what it was like over there.” Cathy Wiblemo, deputy director for healthcare at the American Legion, says a veteran’s chances of getting mental help are vastly greater with the VA than with the military itself. “The military is an infant in this sort of treatment. It’s easier to put those people out and let the VA take care of them,” she said. “The military has had a situation where it’s taboo to even talk about mental issues,” much less treat them. But while the VA doctors are leaders in treating PTSD, she said, the agency’s funding is “hopelessly inadequate.” “You’re looking at kids being extended or sent back involuntarily, and the effect of that on these soldiers is very different than the first Gulf War vets,” she said. “Those PTSD figures are going to soar much higher ... and the VA simply won’t have the space, the physicians [or] the psychiatrists ... to provide what they need.” Peterson’s dream-induced violence, Williams’ suicide attempt, Durman’s drinking, Luker’s accusations about his wife are powerful examples of a similar dynamic. According to the VA, veterans with PTSD are more apt to be jobless, impoverished, homeless, addicted, imprisoned, without a stable family and three times more likely to die younger than the rest of us. One of the other men with whom Williams served was also put on a waiting list for therapy. He got drunk and wrapped his car around a pole before anyone was free to see him. He was also given an early but honorable discharge. “He’s living on the streets in Dallas now,” Williams said. “Homeless.” Meanwhile, Williams has met with VA, and said the doctors think “they might be able to fit me in” for counseling. Ron Luker is back in Iraq, and Crystal Luker says she’ll drag her husband to the VA if she has to when he gets home. Still, all the money and services in the world couldn’t heal the ravages of PTSD for some. In 1968, a young soldier named Lewis Puller came back from Vietnam minus his legs and parts of his hands, which had been blown off by a Viet Cong land mine. Puller, the son of the most decorated Marine in American history, soon became a veterans’ rights advocate and later a Pentagon lawyer. He married a politician, had two children, and, in 1991, wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book called Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet. Popular on Capitol Hill and among veterans, Puller had seemingly risen above the physical wounds and the depression and alcoholism that haunted him for years, to live a remarkable life. But on May 11, 1994, more than a quarter-century after he came home, Puller shot himself. In the end, the soldier’s heart hurt too much. Amidst an outpouring of grief, one Vietnam vet wrote an e-mail to Jonathan Shay, which Shay published in one of his books. “I get real tired of hidin’ and runnin’ from the demons,” the vet wrote. “Am I the only one? Has it crossed anyone else’s mind? You think maybe Lew was right? Is it the only real escape? I got questions. I’m out of answers.” Dan Frosch is a New York-based freelance writer for The Nation, In These Times, and other publications. Peter Gorman writes frequently for Fort Worth Weekly. Barbara Solow with the Independent Weekly in Durham, N.C., also contributed to this story. -- Posted for educational and research purposes only, ~ in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 ~ NucNews Links and Expanded Archives - http://nucnews.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Need a home for your web domain? We recommend our provider, Hosting Direct https://support.hostingdirect.net/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=nucnews ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 33 Mobile Phone Radiation Harms DNA, New Euro-Study Finds Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 18:04:50 -0600 (CST) http://www.reuters.co.uk/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7 141560 Mon Dec 20, 2004 04:38 PM ET MUNICH/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Radio waves from mobile phones harm body cells and damage DNA in laboratory conditions, according to a new study majority-funded by the European Union, researchers said on Monday. The so-called Reflex study, conducted by 12 research groups in seven European countries, did not prove that mobile phones are a risk to health but concluded that more research is needed to see if effects can also be found outside a lab. The $100 billion a year mobile phone industry asserts that there is no conclusive evidence of harmful effects as a result of electromagnetic radiation. About 650 million mobile phones are expected to be sold to consumers this year, and over 1.5 billion people around the world use one. The research project, which took four years and which was coordinated by the German research group Verum, studied the effect of radiation on human and animal cells in a laboratory. After being exposed to electromagnetic fields that are typical for mobile phones, the cells showed a significant increase in single and double-strand DNA breaks. The damage could not always be repaired by the cell. DNA carries the genetic material of an organism and its different cells. "There was remaining damage for future generation of cells," said project leader Franz Adlkofer. This means the change had procreated. Mutated cells are seen as a possible cause of cancer. The radiation used in the study was at levels between a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of between 0.3 and 2 watts per kilogram. Most phones emit radio signals at SAR levels of between 0.5 and 1 W/kg. SAR is a measure of the rate of radio energy absorption in body tissue, and the SAR limit recommended by the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection is 2 W/kg. The study also measured other harmful effects on cells. Because of the lab set-up, the researchers said the study did not prove any health risks. But they added that "the genotoxic and phenotypic effects clearly require further studies ... on animals and human volunteers." Adlkofer advised against the use of a mobile phone when an alternative fixed line phone was available, and recommended the use of a headset connected to a cellphone whenever possible. "We don't want to create a panic, but it is good to take precautions," he said, adding that additional research could take another four or five years. Previous independent studies into the health effects of mobile phone radiation have found it may have some effect on the human body, such as heating up body tissue and causing headaches and nausea, but no study that could be independently repeated has proved that radiation had permanent harmful effects. None of the world's top six mobile phone vendors could immediately respond to the results of the study. In a separate announcement in Hong Kong, where consumers tend to spend more time talking on a mobile phone than in Europe, a German company called G-Hanz introduced a new type of mobile phone which it claimed had no harmful radiation, as a result of shorter bursts of the radio signal. (Additional reporting by Doug Young in Hong Kong) ***************************************************************** 34 Las Vegas SUN: Another child with ties to Fallon diagnosed with leukemia Today: December 20, 2004 at 11:24:28 PST By SANDRA CHEREB ASSOCIATED PRESS RENO, Nev. (AP) - The toddler of a military family with ties to the Fallon area has been diagnosed with childhood leukemia, officials at Naval Air Station Fallon said Monday. State health officials could not immediately be reached to comment on whether the case is the latest in a childhood leukemia cluster that has stricken the rural farming community 60 miles east of Reno. Since 1997, 16 children with ties to Fallon have been diagnosed with leukemia. Three have died. In a town the size of Fallon, with about 8,300 residents, just one case of childhood leukemia would be expected in five years, according to health officials. The latest case involves a 28-month old boy whose father is a Navy hospital corpsman, base officials said. The toddler became ill earlier this month and initially was examined by doctors at Banner Churchill County Hospital and the naval base, officials said. He was flown last Thursday to Children's Hospital in Oakland, Calif., where doctors on Saturday confirmed a diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia, officials said. Base spokesman Zip Upham said Navy officials alerted the state Health Department after the diagnosis was confirmed. Upham said the boy's father wasn't based in Fallon but has been attending surgical technician school in San Diego, Calif., since April. His wife and children have been staying in Fallon near family members, Upham said. State and federal health experts studied Fallon's cancer cluster for more than two years, testing water, dirt and taking blood samples from residents searching for clues into why so many children were developing leukemia. Tests could not pinpoint a cause. "We were hoping we'd get more information here," Dr. Malcolm Smith of the National Cancer Institute said in February when a final report was presented to the community. "The studies didn't do that - but they certainly told us a great deal about what does not exist as health threats to the community." The studies turned up no link to high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in Fallon's water supply, a pipeline carrying jet fuel to the Navy base, pesticide spraying, high tungsten levels, or an underground nuclear test conducted 30 miles away about 40 years ago. Dr. Thomas Sinks of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the time, "All of us would love to be able to identify what causes childhood leukemia. "We simply can't afford to be disappointed every time we fail." -- ***************************************************************** 35 Bellona: Russian Typhoon completed sea trials Dmitry Donskoy submarine is ready for active service lacking only ballistic missiles promised for 2006. 2004-12-20 19:11 A test report on sea trials completion was signed at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk on December 7, ITAR-TASS reported. Dmitry Donskoy is ready for service but lacks only ballistic missiles Bulava promised only for 2006. According to Interfax, the submarine was under upgrade works since 1989 and was equipped with the modern systems of communication, acoustic and radiation control. The submarine was loaded with fresh nuclear fuel. It is scheduled to return to its base in Zapadnaya Litsa in the beginning of 2005. The submarine was built at the Sevmash plant in 1982 and became the first Russian Typhoon submarine Design Bureau Rubin (St Petersburg) developed third generation Typhoon (Akula) class submarine project 941. Sevmash built six Typhoons. The submarine has multi-hulled design, having two parallel main hulls, also called strong hulls, inside the light hull. Maximum diving depth is 400 m. Speed is 12 knots when surfaced and 27 knots when submerged. Typhoon is capable of spending 120 days at sea. The submarine is divided into 19 compartments and powered with two 190 megawatts nuclear reactors. 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 ***************************************************************** 36 ittefaq: Scientists oppose handover of Atomic Energy Centre to DU [http://www.ittefaq.com/portal] | Last Updated: Dec 19th, 2004 - 12:08:57 By Special Correspondent Dec 19, 2004, 12:08 A group of Bangladesh's senior scientists have expressed concern over a recent government decision to trabsfer the land and establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka (AECD) to Dhaka University. The scientists, all former chairmen of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), in an Open Letter to Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia pleaded that the Centre should not be given to the University. The signatories to the three-page letter are National Professor and first chairman of BAEC Dr. Innas Ali, Dr. Anwar Hossain, Dr. MA Mannan, Engr MA Quaiyyum, Dr. MA Wazed Miah, Engr Md. Habibuddin and Professor and immediate past chairman Dr Naiyyum Choudhury. They referred to a decision taken by the Government and said the planned transfer would be a grave blunder and as such the process should be stopped. The AECD, a pioneer research institute of BAEC, was established within the Dhaka University area in 1964 on 3.86 acres of land by the then government on due payment with a view to promoting research and development activities on peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, they said in the Open Letter to Prime Minister. The reason of establishing the Centre in close proximity of DU was to facilitate close cooperation between the scientists of AECD and the teachers as well as the students of DU on advanced academic and research activities through focussed collaboration in the nuclear and related fields. The AECD was all the time collaborating with the University by maintaining its individuality in tact, they said, adding Saheed President Ziaur Rahman visited this institution in 1975 and helped it with cash so that it could carry on its programmes unhindered. Expressing concern on the handover, the former chief of BAEC said, "let the AECD perform its functions in its own way... if the Dhaka University needed a Biotechnology Bhaban for research, the Government can build one in memory of Shaheed Zia." In that case, the Dhaka University will have the state-of-the-art facilities for conducting research and imparting education and training. They urged Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to maintain the AECD, a 40-year old institution known all over the world for its standing in nuclear science research. © Copyright 2003 by The New Nation ***************************************************************** 37 National Academies news: Gulf War and Health Tuesday 21st December The available evidence is too sparse or of insufficient quality to determine whether the majority of health problems that may be experienced by Gulf War veterans could be associated with exposures to fuels for military vehicles, propellents in Scud missiles, or substances given off by combustion sources such as oil-well fires, exhausts, and tent heaters, according to the latest report on the Gulf War and health from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. However, data from studies of occupational and environmental exposures to air pollution, vehicle exhaust, and other combustion products led the committee that wrote the report to conclude that exposure to such substances is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. "Studies of people exposed to air pollution, vehicle exhaust, and burning of coal or other heating and cooking fuels consistently show that such exposures are linked to an increased risk for developing lung cancer [http://eu.xmts.net/76046] ," said committee chair Lynn Goldman, professor, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. "This provides sufficient evidence that exposure to combustion products during the Gulf War could be associated with lung cancer [http://eu.xmts.net/76046] in some veterans." Military personnel may have encountered combustion products from diesel-fueled heaters in poorly ventilated tents, cooking stoves, vehicle exhaust systems, and oil-well fires. "It should be emphasized that smoking is the major culprit for lung cancer, accounting for 80 percent of all cases, according to the American Cancer Society," Goldman added. The committee also found some evidence that exposure to combustion products is linked to asthma [http://eu.xmts.net/76017] and cancers of the nose, mouth, throat, and bladder, as well as to low birth weight and premature births in women exposed while pregnant; the data were weaker in these cases, however. The data on whether the majority of cancers, neurological problems, and other health problems are associated with exposure to fuels, propellants, or combustion products were inadequate to draw conclusions. "While we would like to have more definitive answers to questions about the specific diseases that may be associated with these substances, in most cases the evidence simply is not strong enough or does not exist," Goldman said. Because scant information exists on actual exposure levels experienced by individual service members -- a critical factor when assessing health effects -- the committee could not draw specific conclusions about Gulf War veterans' chances of developing lung cancer [http://eu.xmts.net/76046] or any other health problems as a result of exposures. No systematic monitoring of air contamination from oil-well fires was conducted in the Persian Gulf region until May 1991, and this monitoring did not measure levels of contamination produced by other combustion sources, such as heaters or engines. Moreover, no data are available that would allow comparisons between levels of exposure to air contaminants during the Gulf War and exposures to similar contaminants in civilian occupational and environmental settings. Veterans who have experienced chronic health problems following their service in the Persian Gulf region are asking whether exposure to various chemical, biological, or environmental agents might be responsible. This IOM report is the third in a series that responds to requests from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress to examine the health effects of potentially harmful agents to which Gulf War veterans might have been exposed. The first report focused on potential health effects from depleted uranium, pyridostigmine bromide, sarin, and vaccines; the second centered on insecticides and solvents. These reports did not directly assess whether health effects could occur as a result of service in the Gulf War. For the current report, the committee evaluated the published, peer-reviewed research on exposure to unburned fuels, combustion products, and hydrazines and nitric acid -- components of the propellant used for Scud and other missiles -- for any evidence of links to specific cancers, neurological effects, or other health problems that persist after exposure. More than 600 oil-well fires were ignited in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi troops during the Gulf War conflict, sending up large plumes of smoke that occasionally remained low to the ground. Troops also may have been exposed to combustion products through vehicle exhaust, heaters in poorly ventilated tents, and cooking stoves. Military personnel may have had contact with hydrazines and nitric acid when they disarmed or disposed of Scud missiles or were downwind of a missile explosion. They also may have come into contact with fuels when refueling ground vehicles, aircraft, and equipment. Of the approximately 800 studies reviewed in detail for this report, most involved individuals who were exposed to these agents in occupational settings over long periods of time. Only a small number actually studied veterans who may have been exposed while serving in the Persian Gulf. The committee carefully assessed the quality, limitations, and relevance of each epidemiologic study, and used five categories to describe the strength of the evidence. SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP, the strongest level of evidence, means that many studies have established a clear link between exposure to an agent and a health outcome. Among the other requirements, there must be a plausible biological explanation for the relationship. None of the compounds evaluated in this report met these criteria. Evidence that establishes a link between exposures and a health outcome with reasonable certainty, but fails to meet the higher standard of proof needed for causality, is characterized as SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF AN ASSOCIATION. The evidence for an association between lung cancer and combustion products falls into this category. When a limited number of studies suggest that a link exists, but without reasonable certainty, the evidence is said to be LIMITED OR SUGGESTIVE OF AN ASSOCIATION. This category describes the evidence for links between combustion products and nasal, oral, laryngeal, and bladder cancers; asthma; and low birth weight and preterm births by women exposed while pregnant. Likewise, the evidence for an association between hydrazine exposure and lung cancer [http://eu.xmts.net/76046] fits this definition. If several studies of adequate quality consistently fail to show a positive association at any level of exposure, the evidence is described as LIMITED OR SUGGESTIVE OF NO ASSOCIATION. And evidence that lacks sufficient quality, consistency, or statistical power to draw any conclusion is judged to be INADEQUATE OR INSUFFICIENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN ASSOCIATION EXISTS. The majority of the evidence on fuels, combustion products, and propellants falls into this final category. The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Institute of Medicine is a private, nonprofit institution that provides health policy advice under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences. A committee roster follows. A pre-publication version of GULF WAR AND HEALTH, VOL. 3: FUELS, COMBUSTION PRODUCTS, AND PROPELLANTS is available on the Internet at HTTP://WWW.NAP.EDU [HTTP://WWW.NAP.EDU] . Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above). [ This news release and report are available at HTTP://NATIONAL-ACADEMIES.ORG [HTTP://NATIONAL-ACADEMIES.ORG] ] INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention COMMITTEE ON GULF WAR AND HEALTH: LITERATURE REVIEW OF SELECTED ENVIRONMENTAL PARTICULATES, POLLUTANTS, AND SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL COMPOUND LYNN R. GOLDMAN, M.D., M.P.H. (CHAIR) Professor Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MELVYN C. BRANCH, M.S., PH.D. Joseph Negler Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado Boulder MICHAEL BRAUER, SC.D. Professor School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada MARK D. EISNER, M.D., M.P.H. Assistant Professor Department of Medicine University of California San Francisco ERIC GARSHICK, M.D., M.O.H. Staff Physician Pulmonary/Critical Care Section Veteran's Affairs Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury, Mass. RUSS B. HAUSER, SC.D., M.D., M.P.H. Assistant Professor of Occupational Health Department of Environmental Health Harvard School of Public Health Boston JOEL KAUFMAN, M.D., M.P.H. Associate Professor Departments of Medicine and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences University of Washington Seattle RICHARD MAYEUX, M.D., M.SC. Director Sergievsky Center, and Co-Director Taub Institute College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University New York City CHARLES POOLE, SC.D., M.P.H. Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology University of North Carolina School of Public Health Chapel Hill BEATE R. RITZ, M.D., PH.D., M.P.H. Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology UCLA School of Public Health Los Angeles JOSEPH V. RODRICKS, PH.D. Principal Institute for Health Risk Sciences ENVIRON International Corp. Arlington, Va. RICHARD B. SCHLESINGER, PH.D. Chair and Professor Department of Biological Sciences Dyson College of Arts and Sciences Pleasantville, N.Y. JAMES S. TAYLOR, M.D. Head Section of Industrial Dermatology Department of Dermatology Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland MARK J. UTELL, M.D. Professor Departments of Medicine and Environmental Medicine University of Rochester School of Medicine Rochester, N.Y. WILLIAM M. VALENTINE, PH.D., D.V.M. Associate Professor Department of Pathology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, Tenn. JUDITH T. ZELIKOFF, PH.D. Associate Professor Institute of Environmental Medicine New York University School of Medicine Tuxedo INSTITUTE STAFF CAROLYN FULCO, M.S. Study Director Contact: Christine Stencel or Chris Dobbins news@nas.edu 202-334-2138 The National Academies [http://www.nas.edu] For more information on asthma click here [http://eu.xmts.net/76017] . For more information on lung cancer click here [http://eu.xmts.net/76046] . Privacy Policy Disclaimer © 2004 Medical News Today Web design by Alastair Hazell, Sussex UK [http://www.allyhazell.com] ***************************************************************** 38 Daily Yomiuri: Uranium arrives at new plant Yomiuri Shimbun About 31 tons of depleted uranium was delivered to a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkashomura, Aomori Prefecture, on Monday. The uranium arrived at the village's Mutsuogawara Port aboard the Hokushin Maru freighter earlier in the day from a nuclear facility in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture. The radioactive material will be used from Tuesday to produce a depleted uranium solution, according to Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL), which operates the reprocessing plant currently under construction. JNFL said it would start running tests using the solution at the reprocessing plant Tuesday. The test run will check the performance of equipment and detect any technical faults. The plant is the first commercial installation of its kind that can separate and extract plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear fuel. JNFL plans to start operating the plant officially in July 2006. Copyright 2004 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 39 Las Vegas SUN: Ensign: Bush's Nevada win holds him to Yucca rulings Today: December 20, 2004 at 11:13:25 PST State not backing off fight against dump By Benjamin Grove SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said President Bush's victory in Nevada empowers the state to hold Bush to his promise that he will respect the rulings of the courts on Yucca Mountain. Bush's 2-point Election Day victory in the state did not signal a waning support in Nevada for the state's fight against Yucca, Ensign said. Ensign and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., have released a new poll they commissioned that shows 70 percent of the state opposes the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository and that 57 percent said Nevada officials should continue fighting it. The Nevada senators wanted hard data to show lawmakers in Congress in the coming year that a Bush victory did not equal a softening on Nevada's anti-Yucca stance. "We knew our opponents in Congress were going to use (the Bush win) in that regard," Ensign said today in a phone interview from Nevada. "We needed some ammunition. Proponents of Yucca will use anything they can back there. This election was not about Yucca Mountain for Nevada voters." Bush's victory in Nevada gives the state leverage to hold Bush to his vow to allow court rulings to stand, Ensign said. "Nevada was key to his victory," Ensign said. "We delivered Nevada." A federal appeals court this year ruled that the 10,000-year radiation safety standard for the project is not in compliance with a much stricter standard advocated by the National Academy of Sciences, one that Yucca likely could not meet. Nevada officials are wary that lawmakers in Congress in the next session -- perhaps goaded by Bush -- may simply try to set a standard that Yucca could meet, effectively an end run around the court ruling. Reid said Bush's victory in Nevada did not give the state's delegation in Congress a bargaining chip with Bush. "I don't think we need to bargain with them on anything" related to Yucca, Reid said. Nevadans elected Bush even though he approved the project to construct a high-level nuclear waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Bush's victory would have been much larger if opponent John Kerry had not clearly stated he opposed Yucca, Reid said. The survey commissioned by Reid and Ensign showed that voters made their vote for president based on these top four issues: Iraq, "moral issues," the economy, and the war on terror. Fewer people than those surveyed for a January 2002 poll believe that Yucca is inevitable, according to the latest poll. Thirty-eight percent said Yucca "is inevitable and nothing can be done about it" -- down 5 percentage points from the January 2002 poll. Fifty-eight percent believe "there are still political or legal ways to stop it" -- up 7 percentage points. Still, 36 percent said nuclear waste would be stored at Yucca within two to five years and 24 percent expect waste at Yucca within six to 10 years. Eleven percent expect waste within the next year. Only 8 percent said waste would "never" be stored at Yucca. The Energy Department is striving to open Yucca by 2010. The poll surveyed 600 registered voters between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, It was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican pollster. The survey cost about $20,000, paid for with money in a state-administered fund established to fight Yucca, Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said. ***************************************************************** 40 RGJ: Most Nevadans oppose Yucca plan, poll says [http://www.rgj.com/] [online@rgj.com] RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 12/19/2004 10:45 pm LAS VEGAS (AP) — Most Nevadans remain opposed to plans to bury the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and want the state to continue fighting the project, a poll commissioned by the state’s two U.S. senators shows. U.S. Sens. Harry Reid, a Democrat, and John Ensign, a Republican, said the poll results challenge a perception growing out of the election that Nevadans have become more accepting of the repository the federal government wants to build 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. President Bush defeated U.S. Sen. John Kerry by 21,000 votes, 50.5 percent to 48 percent, in Nevada. Bush supports the Yucca Mountain site, while Kerry had pledged to kill it if elected. “The voters of Nevada, just because they voted for Bush, it does not mean it was an endorsement of Yucca Mountain by any stretch,” Ensign said. “Nobody should misread this election.” Seventy percent of Nevadans surveyed opposed the repository, while 57 percent wanted Nevada’s elected officials to continue fighting it, the poll shows. Of Nevadans who voted for Bush, 85 percent said their choice was based on the war or economy, not Yucca Mountain, according to the survey. The survey of 600 registered voters was conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 by the Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies. It carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Even though Democrats tried to use Yucca Mountain against Bush during the campaign, Reid said the poll indicates the issue was not at the front of voters’ minds. “In spite of the election where Yucca Mountain could have been terminated by voting for Kerry, the people of Nevada still don’t like it, and that feeling is very, very strong,” Reid said. Eric Herzik, a Republican and political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said the senators are trying to reclaim control of Yucca Mountain as a political issue. Yucca Mountain supporters touted Bush’s victory in Nevada and predicted it would spur Congress to pass bills next year to help the Energy Department move the project forward. “It’s somewhat damage control in that the way the election results have been spun is that this was a referendum on Yucca Mountain and now the Democrats are back-pedaling,” Herzik said. Herzik said the senators’ stance signals other Nevada elected officials that they are not to break ranks against Yucca Mountain based on the election. David Damore, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said it also sends a message to Bush and Energy Secretary-designate Samuel Bodman that state leaders do not intend to back down on Yucca Mountain. © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a [http://www.gannett.com] ***************************************************************** 41 press-citizen.com: Hills debates water systems Monday, December 20, 2004 By Deidre Bello Iowa City Press-Citizen HILLS -- The idea of a city-owned water system has generated mixed reaction from residents even though civic leaders have yet to begin seriously talking about one. This bedroom community of about 679 people is studying options for long-term water use as scientists with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 continue a search for the source of shallow groundwater contamination. Traces of perchlorate, the main ingredient in the production of solid rocket fuel, were discovered in shallow wells around town. The EPA has provided bottled water to households with high levels of contamination since 2003. Twenty-five households receive bottled water now. Last week, researchers with the EPA finished one of their last major testing efforts to find the source of perchlorate contamination. Agency leaders suggested Hills explore a permanent central supply source for water. Shive Hattery of Iowa City recommended two main options in a preliminary engineering report for water systems. The options: buy water from Iowa City or construct at least two wells into a deep glaciofluvial aquifer, which is a clay-rich confining unit. Preliminary estimates show it could cost about $2.96 million to link the town to Iowa City water, with an additional $100,451 for annual operation cost. If the town started its own water system, it could cost about $2.69 million to construct and $78,154 annually to operate it. "We're getting mixed reaction," City Clerk Teresa Volk said. "A lot of people think it's an overreaction and it's not necessary, and other people are in favor of it." Some residents also have said some young families want a municipal system while others don't want change because they are accustomed to the taste of their well water. City officials tabled discussion of the preliminary engineering report on Dec. 13, Volk said. Bill Kline, a Hills resident since 1984, said he shares use of a deep well with a neighbor and while his wife drinks bottled water, he likes the well water taste. Hills water is known to have significant concentrations of iron and manganese. "My feeling is we'll probably do the municipality," said Kline, 62, "But before I say 'yes' or 'no,' I would like to see what the final cost would be." Other factors that will play a part in a potential community vote are reliability, quality of water, degree of local control and political climate, according to the report. Due to the uncertainties of projecting future growth, engineers did not recommend Hills place any significant reliability on population projections when deciding on a water system. Engineers recommended construction of a water plant to house iron filtration and chemical feed equipment in the future. The report named several funding options, including bonds, raising water rates and seeking state and federal grants. Both systems will require state and federal regulation. Reach Deidre Bello at 339-7360 or [dbello@press-citizen.com] . Copyright 1999-2004 [http://www.press-citizen.com] Use of this ***************************************************************** 42 Malawi Nation: Uranium mining study starts May Business by Francis Tayanja-Phiri, 20 December 2004 - 10:46:30 An Australian mining company says there are high prospects that Malawi would venture into full throttle-mining of Uranium, with feasibility studies starting by May next year. John Borshoff, managing director for Paladin Resources Limited, a company currently working on preparations for an anticipated Kayelekera uranium mine in Karonga, said in an interview prospects for the project were good. He said after the feasibility study, full time mining would start by 2008. Said Borshoff: “Once it (mining) starts we anticipate US$44 million annual export earnings for the country. Of course the project would cost between US$50 million to US$50 million to develop.” He said construction of the mine would take a period of between 12 to 15 months and would employ between 300 an 350 people. “We will be using Karonga as a mine base, which will be complete with workshops and headquarters. We are sure that because of such a project, Karonga would entirely be transformed - actually we would like to justify daily commercial air flights to Karonga when the mining starts,” he said. Scheduled commercial flights to Karonga were suspended. Borshoff said the mining project at Kayelekera will also demand improvement of roads like the one to Chitipa. Paladin Resources Ltd is also conducting feasibility studies at Langer Heinrich in Namibia for another Uranium project. The study is expected to be over by March 2005. © 2001 Nation Publications Limited P. O. Box 30408, Chichiri, Blantyre 3. Tel +(265) 1 673703/673611/675186/674419/674652 Fax +(265) 1 674343 email: [nation@nationmalawi.com] ***************************************************************** 43 AU ABC: Australian firm launches uranium project in Malawi - report. 20/12/2004. ABC News Online ="Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online"> [http://www.abc.net.au/] An Australian company has launched a multi-million dollar project to mine uranium in the poor southern African nation of Malawi, local newspaper the Nation reported today. John Borshoff, managing director of the Australian-based Paladin Resources Limited, told the paper a feasibility study would be launched in May 2005. The study would be launched in the northern district of Karonga where the mineral would be mined. He said that full mining was expected to start in 2008. "We anticipate up to $US44 million in annual export earnings for the country," Mr Borshoff said. His company was conducting a similar study in Namibia, he said. Malawi, whose economy is powered by agriculture, also has huge coal deposits. The uranium project will be the first big mining project in Malawi if it takes off. -AFP © 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation ***************************************************************** 44 Business Week: When Water Can Be Bad for Kids NEWS ANALYSIS Burt Helm Adults can tolerate perchlorate-contaminated water, but too much might hurt fetuses and the young. Exactly how much is too much may soon be known Perchlorate is its name, and it has plenty of people worried. A primary ingredient in rocket fuel and fireworks, the chemical has been found in the water supply of at least 20 states. If ingested in high-enough amounts, perchlorate blocks iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, an essential function that aids the development of fetuses, newborns, and children (see "Perchlorate Facts" below). Just what constitutes a sufficient risk level is unclear, and this lack of clarity is at the root of a six-year controversy pitching the Pentagon, the Energy Dept., NASA, and defense-industry contractors against the Environmental Protection Agency. The two sides have turned the matter over to the National Academy of Sciences, the "Supreme Court" for science debates, in the words of an EPA spokesperson. BEYOND GUIDANCE. What's at stake? Potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs, a headache for the Defense Dept. et al., and a bonanza for the water-remediation companies that can handle perchlorate. Resolution may be on a fast track -- perhaps much faster than the EPA, defense-industry groups, and the American Thyroid Assn. believe. All sides are expecting no more than general guidance from the NAS, such as an opinion on the current research on perchlorate and a recommendation for further scientific studies. Yet, BusinessWeek Online has learned from two sources close to the study that the NAS, in an uncharacteristic move, will recommend a specific reference dose (the amount judged safe for consumption by even the most at-risk groups) when it releases its findings in the first half of January, 2005. While the NAS won't confirm what number it will release and declined to comment publicly about the results, the fact that it will be tendering specific numbers is significant. "AWFUL PR." Scientists have known about perchlorate's effects on the human body since the 1950s. But it was only in 1997 they discovered how to detect the chemical at low levels in water. That kicked off a serious evaluation of the pollutant's presence in drinking water, with the EPA finishing its initial risk assessment in 2002. The agency recommended a reference dose of one part per billion -– the equivalent of roughly a half a teaspoon of perchlorate dissolved in an Olympic-size swimming pool of water. The Pentagon & Co. complained the level was onerously low and demanded a reevaluation. So now the NAS is reviewing the EPA's assessment. And although its findings aren't legally binding in any way (and the EPA must still go through the process of actually regulating perchlorate), they'll carry a great deal of weight in the political debate. An unfavorable decision will undercut Defense's already tenuous position against regulation. "The Pentagon is trying to [oppose the EPA] quietly, because [doing so] is awful PR," says Debra Coy, an analyst with Washington Research Group. Defense officials didn't return phone calls seeking comment for this story. Meanwhile, aerospace and chemical companies are hedging their bets. Lockheed Martin (LMT ), Kerr McGee (KMG ), GenCorp (GY ) unit AeroJet, and perchlorate manufacturer American Pacific are either setting aside reserves or actively conducting cleanups in California and Nevada, even while fighting against the establishment of standards for the contaminant in Washington, D.C. COSTLY CLEANUPS. A clear recommendation by the NAS for levels of the chemical considered acceptable in water supplies could mean more cleanup funding from individual companies, even as they try to solve the problem well before actual regulation by the EPA. Defense will eventually be forced to pick up the bill as well. "Nobody wants to be liable down the line, when there's a mandate," says Peter Jensen of Basin Water, a privately owned filtration company based in San Bernardino County, Calif. "Ultimately all [the responsible parties] are going to move into treatment –- but a lot of of them are delaying because of this NAS study." So far, Lockheed has listed $180 million as a liability for the future cleanup of a former test site in Redlands, Calif., while Kerr McGee added $32 million to its reserves for a cleanup in Nevada. AeroJet says it has spent between $35 million and $40 million removing perchlorate at its site in Rancho Cordova, Calif., alone. Kerr McGee stopped making the chemical in 1998, and aerospace companies like AeroJet and Lockheed Martin now do their testing at military bases -- firmly on government property where they're farther from populated areas and free from liability if perchlorate or other chemicals seep into the ground. Cleaning it up isn't cheap. Filtration systems for municipal-level wells can cost several hundred thousand dollars to install. But the real issue is the operating cost. The going rate for cleaning the equivalent of one family's yearly supply of water is roughly $50 to $75, according to Siemens-owned (SI ) USFilter and Calgon Carbon (CCC ), two filtration companies. "DOWN THE ROAD." Costs can pile up when you consider the pollutant has turned up in 4% of the nation's water systems so far, according to a recent Food & Drug Administration investigation. Purging the chemical from the San Gabriel basin, a site covering just the eastern portion of Los Angeles County, would cost at least $100 million over the next 15 years, according to Carol Williams, an executive officer of the San Gabriel Basin Watermaster. And perchlorate could be just the beginning. If the NAS sets a safety standard for traces of the chemical in drinking water, other governmental research groups could use the process to set standards to regulate additional contaminants. "A stringent [ruling] represents what's down the road for emerging contaminants," says Doug Gillen of USFilter. Because pollutants have different chemical makeups, removing two different substances often means buying two separate filtration systems, thus doubling the cost. Cleanups themselves can often take over 20 years, meaning that water must be constantly filtered for that period before the threat is gone. READY TO SUE. While the remediation of each individual substance may not create a huge market on its own, the combination of all of them could generate a thriving, new industry in chemical decontamination -- much to the dismay of aerospace and chemical companies, and to the Pentagon, which several of the contractors have said they plan to sue to help cover the costs. "If you add all those little bits and pieces together, you have a market in the tens of billions of dollars," says Gillen. For the handful of remediation companies already in the business such as USFilter, Calgon Carbon, and Basin Water, there's a lot on tap. Perchlorate Facts • While some perchlorate occurs naturally, most of the drinking-water contamination has been linked to rocket test sites, military bases, and perchlorate-production plants, where the chemical was improperly disposed of and soaked into the ground. • Perchlorate has turned up in an estimated 4% of U.S. water systems as of 2003. Significant levels of arsenic (above the EPA's protective level) are estimated to be in 5.3% of groundwater systems. Elevated levels of lead are estimated to be in roughly 3% of water systems that serve over 3,300 people each. • Perchlorate isn't regulated on the state or national level right now, but companies are cleaning up because of local agreements. • The presence of the contaminant in drinking water won't harm adults, but it may hinder the development of newborns and fetuses. Studies have so far looked only at perchlorate consumption in healthy adults, and in animals, so firm conclusions have not been reached. Helm [burt_helm@businessweek.com] is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online in New York Edited by Patricia O'Connell howard_manus@businessweek.com] . [http://www.businessweek.com/] ***************************************************************** 45 UC loses nuclear weapons program (7/9) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 21:00:16 -0600 (CST) http://www.sfbayview.com/112404/ucregents112404.shtml UC Regents lose control of nuclear weapons program Five admirals, Carlyle Group and Rand take over Part 7 by Leuren Moret The Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission The New World Order can be described as a network of members of the Bilderberger Group, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and the Trilateral Commission (TC). Admiral Bobby Ray Inmans membership in both the CFR and the Trilateral Commission and his ties to the Federal Reserve Bank and voting machines are of particular interest and concern. In light of his involvement in the takeover by the military of the U.S. nuclear weapons program and the NASA space program, it is clear that his loyalty is not to the American people, as he has demonstrated in the past. The Council on Foreign Relations is the American branch of a society which originated in England (and) believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established . The Trilateral Commission is international (and) is intended to be the vehicle for multinational consolidation of the commercial and banking interests by seizing control of the political government of the United States (With No Apologies, 1979, by former Sen. Barry Goldwater). In an interview with Michael Ruppert on Nov. 6, 2001, Dr. Johannes B. Koeppl, Ph.D., former German defense ministry official and advisor to former NATO Secretary General Manfred Werner said, "The interests behind the Bush administration, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission - founded by Brzezinski for David Rockefeller - and the Bilderberger Group have prepared for and are now moving to implement open world dictatorship within the next five years. They are not fighting against terrorists. They are fighting against citizens." New world order: goodbye nations, hello corporations The Anglo-American conspiracy for world empire was described in 1966 in a book, Tragedy and Hope, by Prof. Carroll Quigley, an establishment insider: "In addition to these pragmatic goals, the powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations." The media At this time in history, it is incomprehensible how a nation can enjoy the benefit of the most sophisticated communications technology in world history and remain so uninformed or dumbed down. The policies being carried out by the U.S. government that are destructive, both domestically and globally, are being conducted behind a veil of secrecy. The only possible way this degree of dumbing down and extreme control of information could occur is that it has been very carefully laid out by a power elite and implemented with the collaboration of the media. It is a conspiracy of lies, manipulation and disinformation which increasing numbers of Americans are aware of, and they should be calling it treason: The Rockefeller family has always taken a lead role in the CFR. In the 1960s, while American men and women were dying in the jungles of Vietnam and while the military-industrial complex was sucking trillions of dollars out of American taxpayers' wallets, the Rockefeller dynasty was financing Vietnamese oil refineries and aluminum plants. If there had ever been a formal declaration of war, the Rockefellers could be tried for treason. Instead, they reaped dividends. These are just a few of the abuses of power which demonstrate the results of the power elite's manipulations of our destiny as a society. If you've ever wondered why you don't hear about this network of power, just take a look at the CFR's membership roster. Many of the chief executives and newspeople at CBS, NBC/RCA, ABC, the Public Broadcasting Service, the Associated Press, the New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, the Washington Post and many other key media outlets are CFR members. International power orgs depend on the masses remaining ignorant for their plans to come to fruition (The Council on Foreign Relations and the New World Order by Charles Overbeck, PSC Pirhana, Matrix Editor, http://www.apfn.org/apfn/cfr-members.htm). Media membership in the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Trilateral Commission (TC) CBS: Laurence A. Tisch, CEO, CFR; Roswell Gilpatrick, CFR; James Houghton, CFR/TC; Henry Schacht, CFR/TC; Dan Rather, CFR; Richard Hottelet, CFR; Frank Stanton, CFR. NBC/RCA: John F. Welch Jr., CEO, CFR; Jane Pfeiffer, CFR; Lester Crystal, CFR/TC; R.W. Sonnenfeldt, CFR/TC; John Petty, CFR; Tom Brokaw, CFR; David Brinkley, CFR; John Chancellor, CFR; Marvin Kalb, CFR; Irving R. Levine, CFR; Herbert Schlosser, CFR; Peter G. Peterson, CFR; John Sawhill, CFR. ABC: Thomas S. Murphy, CEO, CFR; Barbara Walters, CFR; John Connor, CFR; Diane Sawyer, CFR; John Scali, CFR. Public Broadcast Service (PBS): Robert MacNeil, CFR, Jim Lehrer, CFR; Charlane Hunter-Gault, CFR; Harold Anderson, CFR; Katherine Graham, CFR/TC. Reuters: Micheal Posner, CFR. Baltimore Sun: Henry Trewhitt, CFR. Washington Times: Amaud de Borchgrave, CFR. Children's TV Workshop (Sesame Street): Joan Ganz Cooney, president, CFR. Cable News Network (CNN): W. Thomas Johnson, president, TC; Daniel Schorr, CFR. New York Times: Richard Gelb, CFR; William Scranton, CFR/TC; John F. Akers, director, CFR; Louis V. Gerstner Jr., director, CFR; George B. Munroe, director, CFR; Donald M. Stewart, director, CFR; Cyrus R. Vance, director, CFR; A.M. Rosenthal, CFR; Seymour Topping, CFR; James Greenfield, CFR; Max Frankel, CFR; Jack Rosenthal, CFR; John Oakes, CFR; Harrison Salisbury, CFR; H.L. Smith, CFR; Steven Rattner, CFR; Richard Burt, CFR; Flora Lewis, TC. Time, Inc.: Ralph Davidson, CFR; Donald M. Wilson, CFR; Henry Grunwald, CFR; Alexander Heard, CFR; Sol Linowitz, CFR/TC; Thomas Watson Jr., CFR; Strobe Talbott, TC. Newsweek/Washington Post: Katherine Graham, CFR; N. deB. Katzenbach, CFR; Robert Christopher, CFR; Osborne Elliot, CFR; Phillip Geyelin, CFR; Murry Marder, CFR; Maynard Parker, CFR; George Will, CFR/TC; Robert Kaiser, CFR; Meg Greenfield, CFR; Walter Pincus, CFR; Murray Gart, CFR; Peter Osnos, CFR; Don Oberdorfer, CFR. Sources for media membership: United States Government Manual 1991/92, Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration; Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives 1991; Annual Report 1991/92, The Council on Foreign Relations, Pratt House, New York City. References Statement by Dr. Johannes B. Koeppl, Ph.D., http://homepage.mac.com/kaaawa/iblog/C337802379/E1557478132/. Statement on role of Rockefellers on Council of Foreign Relations, http://isuisse.ifrance.com/emmaf/base/cfrnwo.html. Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time by Prof. Carroll Quigley (1966). Media membership: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Trilateral Commission (TC), http://www.freedomdomain.com/neworder/connections.html. To read Parts 1 through 6 of this series, go to http://www.sfbayview.com/091504/ucregents091504.shtml, http://www.sfbayview.com/092204/nuclearweapons092204.shtml, http://www.sfbayview.com/092904/nuclearweapons2092904.shtml, http://www.sfbayview.com/100604/nuclearweapons100604.shtml, http://www.sfbayview.com/101304/nuclearweapons101304.shtml and http://www.sfbayview.com/110304/ucregents110304.shtml. Leuren Moret, a geoscientist who worked at the Livermore nuclear weapons lab where she became a whistleblower in 1991, has survived 13 years of retaliation from the Livermore Lab and the University of California and has lived firsthand the experiences of Karen Silkwood. A radiation specialist, she works around the world educating citizens, the media and lawmakers about the impact of radiation globally on the health of the public and the environment. She assisted with Al-Jazeeras recent report on depleted uranium weapons which quickly became one of the most read articles produced by the website. DU: Washingtons Secret Nuclear War can be read at http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2004/DU-Secret-Nuclear-War14sep04.htm. She is an independent scientist, an environmental commissioner for the City of Berkeley, and can be reached at leurenmoret@yahoo.com ***************************************************************** 46 Written comments due for INEEL for nuke space missions, background Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 17:57:58 -0800 (PST) SEND WRITTEN COMMENTS by January 31, 2005: Timothy A. Frazier NE-50/Germantown Building Office of Space and Defense Power Systems U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20585-1290 Telephone: 301-903-9420 Fax (800) 919-3765 Background on the proposal to consolidate operations of the nuclear propulsion program at INEEL in Idaho. Write in period. http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:Shl0eyiFNIMJ:www.consolidationeis.doe.gov/background.html+http://consolidationeis.doe.gov/+background&hl=en BACKGROUND The RPS is a unique technology for missions that require a long- term, unattended source of heat and/or electrical power for use in harsh and remote environments--such as deep-space. The Pu-238 in these units serves as the source for generating heat and electricity. The heat source can be used directly to warm critical spacecraft components. Currently, DOE plans to produce RPS in support of Government national security and space exploration missions at three geographically separate and distant DOE sites: the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee; Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), New Mexico; and the Idaho Site, Idaho. DOE proposes to consolidate all nuclear activities of the existing and future RPS production operations at a single, highly secure DOE site. This consolidation would be consistent with DOE's approach on consolidating nuclear materials, increasing the security of nuclear materials, and reducing risks associated with the transportation of nuclear materials. The nuclear infrastructure required to produce RPS is comprised of three major components: (1) The production of Pu-238; (2) the purification and encapsulation of Pu-238 into a fuel form; and (3) the assembly, testing, and delivery of the RPS to the Federal users. The three major components of the existing infrastructure, including their current status, are briefly described below: Production of Pu-238: The Pu-238 production process consists of the fabrication of neptunium-237 (Np-237) targets, irradiation of the targets in a suitable irradiation facility, and the recovery of Pu-238 from the irradiated targets through chemical processing. In the past, Pu-238 was produced at DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS), using reactors that are no longer operating. After SRS stopped producing Pu-238, DOE satisfied its Pu-238 requirement by using DOE's available inventory in storage at LANL. This inventory was augmented by Pu-238 purchased from Russia for use in space missions. DOE analyzed the need for reestablishment of Pu-238 production capability in the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Accomplishing Expanded Civilian Nuclear Energy> Research and Development and Isotope Production Missions in the United States, Including the Role of the Fast Flux Test Facility (NI PEIS) (DOE/EIS-0310), issued in December 2000. On the basis of the analysis in the NI PEIS, DOE issued a Record of Decision (ROD) (66 FR 7877, January 26, 2001) to reestablish Pu-238 production capability at ORNL using the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) for the fabrication of targets and extraction of Pu-238 from the irradiated targets. The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (also referred to as the Idaho Site), supplemented by the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) located at ORNL, would be used in the irradiation of targets, and the irradiated targets would be returned to REDC/ORNL for extraction of Pu-238. This decision, however, has not yet been implemented and the DOE has expended no resources to establish the Pu-238 production at the Oak Ridge Site. Np-237, the feed material for fabrication of targets for Pu-238 production, had been stored at the SRS where Pu-238 was historically produced. In the NI PEIS ROD, DOE decided to transfer this material to ORNL since the Pu-238 capability was planned to be reestablished there. However, Np-237 is a special nuclear material and, after the events of September 11, 2001, it required a higher level of security than could be reasonably provided at REDC/ORNL. Therefore, DOE amended the ROD for the NI PEIS to change the storage location for Np-237 from ORNL to the Idaho Site (69 FR 50180, August 13, 2004). Np-237, in the form of an oxide, will be shipped from SRS to the Idaho Site beginning in FY 2005 (and ending in FY 2006) for storage until needed for Pu-238 production. Purification and Encapsulation of Pu-238: Pu-238 is purified and encapsulated in a metal capsule and welded closed. These fuel capsules are used as a heat source in the RPS. The purification and encapsulation work is currently conducted within the Technical Area-55 (TA-55) complex at LANL. The finished Pu-238 fuel capsules are shipped from LANL for assembly of the RPS at the Idaho Site. Assembly and Test Operations: From the early 1980s until late-2002, DOE conducted its assembly and test operations for the RPS at the Mound Site in Miamisburg, Ohio. Increased security requirements and concerns resulting from the attacks on September 11, 2001, led DOE to transfer these operations to the Idaho Site to provide enhanced security in a cost effective manner at a highly secure DOE site. The environmental impacts of the transfer from the Mound Site to the Idaho Site were assessed in an Environmental Assessment (DOE/EA-1343). A Finding of No Significant Impact was signed by DOE on August 30, 2002, and the transfer of the assembly and testing capability was initiated. The first RPS will be assembled and tested at the Idaho Site by September 2005 in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) planned mission to survey the planet Pluto. In summary, the current RPS production capability and infrastructure resides at or was planned to reside within the DOE complex at the following different locations: Np-237, used in preparation of targets as the feed material for Pu-238 production, was to be transferred and stored at the Idaho Site (amendment to the NI PEIS ROD). The production capability was planned to be located at ORNL (NI PEIS ROD) where the targets would be fabricated in REDC, irradiated at ATR in Idaho (supplemented by HFIR in Oak Ridge) and then processed in REDC to recover Pu-238. Pu-238 was then to have been transported to LANL. Pu-238 was to be purified and encapsulated in TA-55 at LANL and transported to the Idaho Site. RPS assembly and test operations was to be conducted at the Idaho Site. Purpose and Need for Agency Action As described above, RPS production infrastructure exists at or is planned for DOE sites in three locations: ORNL, LANL, and the Idaho Site. Consolidation of these operations at a single site would significantly increase security of the nuclear material while reducing risks associated with the transport of radioactive material. Proposed Action DOE proposes to consolidate all Pu-238 operations at a single, highly secure site within its complex. These operations include the production of Pu-238, purification and encapsulation of Pu-238, and the assembly and testing of the RPS. Preliminary Alternatives Consistent with NEPA implementation requirements, the EIS will assess the range of reasonable alternatives regarding DOE's need to consolidate nuclear operations related to RPS. DOE has identified the following two alternatives for the proposed RPS Production Consolidation Project. No Action Alternative: Under the No Action Alternative, DOE would continue the RPS production operations as explained above. The operations would consist of: (1) Np-237 storage at the Idaho Site and shipments to ORNL as needed for target fabrication; (2) Pu-238 production at ORNL using HFIR and ATR (Idaho) for irradiation and processing in REDC located at ORNL; (3) Pu-238 purification and encapsulation in TA-55 facility at LANL; and (4) RPS assembly and test operations at the Idaho Site. Consolidation of Nuclear Operations Related to Production of RPS at the Idaho Site, the Preferred Alternative: Under this alternative, DOE would consolidate all activities related to RPS production within the secure area at the Idaho Site. New construction for the Pu-238 production, purification, and encapsulation part of the infrastructure would be required due to the very limited capability of existing facilities in the secure area. No new construction would be required for the assembly and test operations that are already being located in the secure area at the Idaho Site. As previously stated, the consolidation of the RPS production infrastructure would include the following activities: (1) Np-237 would be stored at the Idaho Site as already decided; (2) Pu-238 production capability (including Np-237 target fabrication and processing) would be established at the Idaho Site with ATR serving as the primary irradiation facility, and HFIR would be used only as a back-up facility if necessary; (3) Pu-238 operations carried out at the TA-55 complex at LANL would be transferred to the Idaho Site; and (4) the existing facility, the Space and Security Power Systems Facility, at the Idaho Site would continue to be established and maintained for RPS assembly and test operations as already planned. This area of the Idaho Site where RPS nuclear operations are proposed to be consolidated is a highly secure location within the DOE complex. Other Reasonable Alternatives: Any other reasonable alternatives identified through the scoping process will be evaluated as appropriate. DOE considered whether consolidation at another site is reasonable. The proposed consolidation is not achievable at LANL since there is no operating reactor at the site for irradiation of targets. Consolidation at ORNL would not allow the DOE to meet its programmatic need. Because the reactor at ORNL, HFIR, is a dedicated facility for projects related to basic energy sciences and isotope production, use of this reactor for the RPS program would only be on an ``as available'' basis and could not be guaranteed. Consolidation at ORNL, therefore, could only partially meet the programmatic objective. Also, as analyzed in the NI PEIS, irradiation of targets in HFIR would be limited due to reactor design and could not produce enough Pu-238 to meet programmatic objectives. Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues The issues listed below have been tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS. This list is presented to facilitate public comment on the scope of the EIS. It is not intended to be all-inclusive or to predetermine the potential impacts of any of the alternatives. DOE seeks public comments on the adequacy and completeness of the following issues: Potential impacts on ecosystems, including air quality, surface, and groundwater quality, and plants and animals. Potential health and safety impacts to on-site workers and to the public resulting from operations including reasonably foreseeable accidents. Potential health and safety, environmental, and other impacts related to the transport of radioactive materials to the consolidation location. Considerations related to the generation, treatment, storage, and disposal of wastes including the potential acceptability of waste at appropriate disposal facilities. Potential cumulative impacts of Pu-238 mission operations, including relevant impacts from other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable activities at the consolidation site. Potential impacts on cultural resources. Potential socioeconomic impacts including any disproportionate impacts on minority and low-income populations. Pollution prevention and waste minimization opportunities. Related NEPA Documentation NEPA documents that have been prepared for activities related to the proposed action include, but are not limited to, the following: Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Accomplishing Expanded Civilian Nuclear Energy Research and Development and Isotope Production Missions in the United States including the Role of the Fast Flux Test Facility (DOE/EIS-0310) (December 2000); and Environmental Assessment for Consolidation of Heat Source/ Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (HS/RTG) Assembly and Testing Operations (DOE/EA-1343) (August 2002). These NEPA documents (DOE/EIS-0310) and (DOE/EA-1343) are available on the DOE NEPA Web site at http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa. Public Reading Rooms Documents referenced in this NOI and other related information are available at DOE-Idaho Operations Office Public Reading Room, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (telephone 208-526-0271) and U.S. Department of Energy, Freedom of Information Reading Room, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-190,1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0117 (telephone 202-586-3142). As mentioned above, DOE's NEPA documents, including this NOI, are available at the DOE NEPA Web site (http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa) and the RPS EIS Web site ConsolidationEIS.doe.gov. Public Involvement Opportunities DOE seeks public involvement in the preparation of the EIS and solicits public comments on its scope and content as well as participation at the public scoping meetings in Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington, DC. DOE personnel will be available at the scoping meetings to explain the proposed project and answer questions. DOE will designate a neutral facilitator for the scoping meetings. During the first hour of each meeting, attendees may register, view displays, and discuss issues and concerns informally with DOE representatives. Following registration and the informal session, there will be a formal presentation and a period for questions, answers, and comments. To ensure that all persons wishing to express their comments are given an opportunity, a five-minute limit may be applied for each person; however, public officials and representatives of groups would be allotted ten minutes each. DOE encourages those presenting comments orally to also submit written comments, if possible. Comment cards will be available at the meetings for those who prefer to submit their comments in writing. Participants may be asked clarifying questions to ensure that DOE representatives fully understand the comments and suggestions. NEPA Process The EIS for the proposed consolidation of nuclear operations related to the production of RPS will be prepared pursuant to the NEPA of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500- 1508), and DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021). A 45- day comment period on the draft EIS is planned, during which public hearings will be held to receive comments. The draft EIS is scheduled to be issued in late spring 2005. Availability of the draft EIS, the dates of the public comment period, and information about the public hearings will be announced in the Federal Register and in local news media when the draft EIS is distributed. The final EIS is scheduled to be issued in late 2005. No sooner than 30 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability of the final EIS is published in the Federal Register, DOE may issue its ROD. ===== www.justdissent.org Just Dissent Bill, called "Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Protection Act" was passed by the California State Senate, but vetoed by then governor Gray Davis. The bill recognized dissent's role in creating a better society, and therefore sought to greatly shorten sentences of those who commit civil dissent of our government; in doing so, follow a higher law. ***************************************************************** 47 The State: Aiken business owners fear ripp 12/20/2 By SAMMY FRETWELL Staff Writer AIKEN - Landscaping stones, palmetto trees and small shrubs await buyers at Rick Catts curb market, a Whiskey Road plant shop with a new economic challenge. The Savannah River Site is expected to lay off up to 2,000 people in the next two years, raising fears that it will hurt businesses in this quaint town near the Georgia border. No one is expecting an economic meltdown, but for places like Ricks Produce, the layoffs cant be ignored. Many SRS workers live in Aiken and frequent stores near their homes. Catts on Sunday said he figures his produce business will remain steady, while sales of landscaping materials will suffer. I dont think theyll spend the money they do on the non-necessary stuff, said Catts, who estimates that 20 percent of his customers either work at SRS or are relatives of site employees. Theyll be buying produce, but theyre not going to be buying all the big plants. They drop a bunch of money on that now. Valerie Antaki, who works at Honeybaked Ham Co., near Catts market, said she would expect a drop in business at the Whiskey Road restaurant if SRS loses 2,000 jobs, as projected last week by site managers. Honeybaked Ham delivers lunches to SRS employees and often serves workers in the restaurants dining room. It will hurt us because there just wont be as much money to spend, said Antaki, whose father moved to Aiken 15 years ago to work at SRS. The Savannah River Site, a 300-square-mile complex, once produced plutonium and tritium for use in nuclear weapons. But when the Cold War ended, the U.S. government began winding down many missions at the site. Today, much of the work at the more than 50-year-old site is on environmental cleanup. Last week, the facilitys contractor said it would seek to cut some 2,000 jobs in the next two years as more production winds down. Several business people said that the government should work more aggressively for new missions at the Savannah River Site or spend more cleaning up contamination. In either case, it would create more jobs, they said. At Aiken Drug, a fixture at the corner of Laurens and Richland streets, store clerk Stephen Rabon frowned when he thought about the SRS layoffs. Rabons father works at the site, and he worries about his future there. Rabon said a bolder cleanup program could produce more work at SRS. I just dont get it, Rabon said, adding that the government is probably more concerned about saving money than cleaning it up. Id like to see more done about keeping jobs out there than putting people out on the street. As it is, Rabon said he thinks the entire business community will feel some impact of SRS layoffs. Not everyone is as concerned. Longtime Aiken residents Michael Enloe and David Sacks said SRS has weathered job fluctuations before - and the economy has always survived. Both Enloe and Sacks own businesses in Aiken. Aiken seems to continue to thrive, said Enloe, who runs Plum Puddings, a gourmet kitchen shop on Laurens Street. Both said Aiken is becoming more dependent on revenue from retirees than from SRS. The community has a long history as a place for retired workers from across the country. At its peak, SRS employed more than 20,000 people. The SRS work force has been cut by about half since the government began wrapping up nuclear weapons production in the late 1980s. Theres enough of a retirement community here to support business, said Sacks, who runs the Newberry Hall catering business and banquet facility. There have always been cycles out there. Long term, Sacks said he favors new missions for SRS, such as a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel facility. The U.S. Department of Energy has pledged to open a MOX facility at SRS that could result in more than 1,200 jobs, but the plant construction is about a year behind schedule because of a dispute with Russia. Russia is supposed to build a companion plant as part of an arms agreement but hasnt gotten the facility off the ground. Energy department officials also have made no decision on whether to build a plutonium pit factory and whether SRS would get the mission, which could create 1,000 jobs. The DOE recently named the site a National Research Laboratory, which Sen. Lindsey Graham has said could create jobs. At some point, it may affect us years down the road if they dont get any new missions, Sacks said. Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537 or sfretwell@thestate.com [sfretwell@thestate.com] . TheStateOnline ***************************************************************** 48 ABQjournal: Colorado School Seeks Role in LANL Contract [webmaster@abqjournal.com] Monday, December 20, 2004 Albuquerque Journal--> The Associated Press LOS ALAMOS— The University of Colorado is talking to private companies and other universities about jointly bidding on a contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory. University of Colorado System officials said they are interested in creating spinoff companies from Los Alamos research. "We are not interested in being the primary bidder. That just doesn't match our interests and capabilities," said Jack Burns, vice president for academic affairs and research for the UC System. Burns declined to say who the primary bidder or the other players would be if the university decides to seek a role in the contract. He said the day-to-day operations of the lab would be handled by some institution other than Colorado. On Dec. 1, the federal government issued a draft of the criteria it wants from bidders seeking to manage the lab. This is the first time in Los Alamos' 60-plus-year history that the contract has been put up for bid. The current contract expires Sept. 30, 2005. The University of California has held the contract since the lab's inception as a top-secret World War II project to develop the atomic bomb. Burns met last week in Albuquerque with U.S. Department of Energy officials, who held a meeting on the draft criteria and met with interested parties. Burns said he left with the sense that the DOE wants to see the Los Alamos lab be more aggressive in finding commercial uses for the technology developed there. "We can help with producing some new collaborations by brokering a larger consortium in a number of areas— from basic physics to biology," Burns said. Last year, the University of Colorado System helped develop nine new companies and another 12 companies started up this year, he said. The Energy Department will put out the final version of the bid criteria next year. That's when Burns and others will decide how to put together a consortium and whether to make a bid. Burns, a former astronomy professor at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University, said University of Colorado faculty members and researchers have had a long relationship with scientists at the lab. Copyright Albuquerque Journal ***************************************************************** 49 [du-list] DU in the news - 22nd Dec. 04 Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:49:02 -0800 Monday, December 20, 2004 11:28 AM PST Your Keyword News Alert for [depleted uranium] matched the following stories: Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News, Sun, 19 Dec 2004 5:21 PM PST Rokkasho plant to use depleted uranium for tests http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041220/kyodo/d8732i2o0.html _ Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. began moving depleted uranium into its nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, on Monday in preparation for a test operation starting Tuesday, company officials said. Daily Yomiuri Online, Mon, 20 Dec 2004 10:35 AM PST Uranium arrives at new plant http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20041221wo03.htm About 31 tons of depleted uranium was delivered to a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkashomura, Aomori Prefecture, on Monday. Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News, Mon, 20 Dec 2004 0:58 AM PST Civic group protests over planned uranium test at JNFL facility http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041220/kyodo/d873989o0.html _ A civic group protested Monday over the planned start of uranium testing at a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant operated by Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture. Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, Mon, 20 Dec 2004 6:00 AM PST Clan Resources Ltd. Becomes Energy Metals Corporation and Announces Management Changes http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/041220/200088_1.html Clan Resources Ltd. is pleased to announce a change of name, a new trading symbol and a number of appointments which are intended to strengthen the management team. Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News, Sun, 19 Dec 2004 5:48 PM PST Kyodo news summary http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041220/kyodo/d8732uog2.html _ ---------- 82.18 tril. yen draft FY 2005 state budget proposed [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 50 [DU-WATCH] 1st RNC Jury Trial ends in dismissal Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 00:45:09 -0600 (CST) First Jury Trial Arising from the RNC Protests Ends in Dismissal As D.A. Drops All Charges Against Gulf War I Veteran and Anti-Depleted Uranium Activist Dennis Kyne Mid-Trial Current rating: 9 by www.denniskyne.com Email: d_kyne (nospam) hotmail.com (verified) 17 Dec 2004 Modified: 08:20:24 PM CONTACT: TO INTERVIEW DENNIS KYNE, PLEASE CONTACT HIM THROUGH HIS ATTORNEYS AT (646) 602-9242 Dennis Kyne was among those arrested on the evening of August 31st on the steps of the New York City public library. On December 16, 2004, halfway through the jury trial against Mr. Kyne, New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthaus Office made a motion to dismiss all of the charges. New York City Criminal Court Judge Gerald Harris granted the motion and commended the District Attorneys office for its fairness and professionalism. That decision came after Lewis and Gideon Oliver, Kynes attorneys, produced video and photographic evidence which they believe raise serious concerns that NYPD Officer Matthew Wohl may have lied numerous times under oath. On the 31st, according to Officer Wohls testimony, he was part of a mobile response team present at the library over an hour before any arrests were made. According to eyewitnesses at the library that day, including Mr. Kyne, and videotape of the event, members of the NYPD began searching and arresting people shortly before 6:00 PM. According to eyewitnesses, the searches and arrests were forceful, apparently indiscriminate, and frightening. Among those arrested prior to Mr. Kyne were a fifty-five year old art history professor from the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who was at the library with his eighteen year old son en route to a Yankees game, along with two women who had been seated at a table in the plaza in front of the library singing and playing guitar, one of whom was sixteen and the other of whom was seventeen. Officer Wohl testified that he personally observed Mr. Kyne yelling in a boisterous manner just before he was placed under arrest, although he could not specifically remember what Mr. Kyne was yelling. According to the sworn Accusatory Instrument Officer Wohl signed on September 1, 2004, Mr. Kyne was yelling, Look what they are doing. The government is taking away our rights. They lied to you; they lied to me in a violent and tumultuous manner. Officer Wohl testified that he personally effected Mr. Kynes arrest along with two other unidentified officers. According to him, Mr. Kyne was screaming, yelling, and moving around throughout the process. When asked how Mr. Kyne had resisted arrest, Officer Wohl testified that his mouth, heart, and eyes were moving, and that he lunged in a number of different directions, almost like what a little kid would do. Officer Wohl also testified that Mr. Kyne went down to the ground himself and that Officer Wohl and three others had to pick him up and carry him across the street while he squirmed and screamed all the way to the back of the NYPD transport vehicle. Mr. Kynes attorneys believe that the videotape and pictures raise serious questions about key elements of Officer Wohls sworn testimony. Officer Wohl does not appear on the videotape or pictures produced by Mr. Kynes attorneys. Nor does the videotape ever show Mr. Kyne yelling what Officer Wohls Accusatory Instrument claims he was yelling. The videotape shows that Mr. Kyne reacted to several apparently baseless detentions and sometimes violent arrests by shouting that the police were fucking Nazis as he was walking away from the library. Officer Wohl testified that he did not recall Mr. Kyne ever yelling those words, despite that, according to his testimony, he was within feet of Mr. Kyne moments before his arrest. According to Mr. Kyne, as he was on the sidewalk walking away from the library, a police officer in a white shirt suddenly yelled, Thats a collar! Videotape and pictures of the event show that two officers neither of whom was Officer Wohl then forced Mr. Kyne to his knees and placed him in plastic flexi-cuffs. As they were doing so, another police officer, who was wearing khaki pants and a short-sleeved, white t-shirt bearing no name or badge number, recognized Mr. Kyne and ordered that he be charged with Dis Con and resisting. Mr. Kyne was, at that time, complying with the officers who were arresting him and repeating, Im not resisting. Another videotape shows that the officer in khaki pants whom one person referred to as a Commissioner later approached a Lieutenant from the NYPDs Legal Bureau and said, We got one of the troublemakers from Patakis last night. According to news reports, Governor Pataki was at McSorleys Alehouse the night of the 30th. Mr. Kyne was charged with seven violations and misdemeanors, including three Class A misdemeanors Riot in the Second Degree, Resisting Arrest, and Obstructing Governmental Administration each of which carries a potential sentence of up to a year in jail. The DAs Office dropped the Riot charge before the trial started. It also offered to dismiss the five other charges in exchange for a single Disorderly Conduct guilty plea, but Mr. Kyne believed that it was his duty to fight the charges. During the trial, Officer Wohl also testified that he arrested four others along with Mr. Kyne, including two French Canadian men who were arrested for merely holding a banner in their hands in front of one of the librarys famous lions after another police officer told them they could do so. Several of the people Officer Wohl claims he arrested were prepared to testify that Officer Wohl had not, in fact, done so. Especially these past few months in New York City, the scope of constitutionally protected conduct the Police Department has been criminalizing is shocking, said Kynes lawyers. We are worried that Officer Wohl did not tell the truth about what the NYPD did to Dennis. Maybe he was just following orders. If that is the case if someone ordered him to lie on the stand we believe that the District Attorneys office has an obligation to investigate this matter immediately, and lodge charges against those responsible, where appropriate. Police officers cannot lie in a court of law and get away with it. The District Attorneys office acted admirably in dismissing the charges against Mr. Kyne, but we believe that justice requires more of them in this case. Mr. Kyne comes from a long line of military men, and is himself a Gulf War I veteran. Mr. Kyne served as a medic for the United States Army and enjoys an honorable discharge from military service. He served in the United States Army from 1989 through 1995, achieved the rank of Drill Sergeant, and was with the 24th Infantry Division, the most forward unit in the conflict, during Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Kyne now receives a monthly check from the United States Government for undiagnosed illnesses in connection with his military service. For more than fifteen years, during the Gulf War, and even today the United States military has been using depleted uranium in artillery shells and armor plating. Mr. Kyne believes that what the government refers to as Gulf War Syndrome is, in fact, the result of the Armys use of depleted uranium on the battlefield. He has written a book on the topic, Support the Truth, twelve copies of which were in his possession when he was arrested on August 31st. Mr. Kyne was in New York City during the Republican National Convention in order to speak about depleted uranium. He was particularly concerned to speak with New York City Police, Corrections, and Fire Department Officers in connection with reports that four New Yorkers from a unit made up mostly of those officers had recently shown signs of manmade, depleted uranium in their urine. Mr. Kyne is concerned that he was targeted by the NYPD and forced to face criminal charges because they disagreed with his fervent activism against the militarys use of depleted uranium, which Mr. Kyne believes is still killing soldiers. Mr. Kyne was represented by Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. and Gideon Orion Oliver, a father-and-son team of civil rights attorneys. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. conducted the trial. The Olivers are among the attorneys affiliated with the National Lawyers Guild who have initiated a federal civil rights class action against the New York City Police Department in connection with its conduct during the Republican National Convention. For more information about that lawsuit, please contact the National Lawyers Guild at (212) 679-6018, extension 16. Mr. Kynes attorneys are calling on District Attorney Morgenthau to dismiss the charges against the others Officer Wohl claims to have arrested, and hope that it will launch a full investigation into this matter. They are concerned that, during the Republican National Convention, police officers appear to have made dragnet arrests, sweeping up groups of people instead of individuals, and then forced them to face criminal penalties based on the testimony of officers like Wohl, who may not have seen what they claim to have seen. No matter when he said it, or how loud, Dennis was right, said Mr. Kynes attorneys. They lied to you, they lied to me, and they are trying to take away our civil rights. ===== Dennis Kyne Support the Truth www.denniskyne.com [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links ***************************************************************** 51 Chicago Sun-Times: Battle for isotope prize pits Illinois vs. Michigan December 20, 2004 BY MICHAEL KRAUSS Gov. Rod Blagojevich held a rally for the state's top politicians, academics, business and labor leaders last week kicking off a bipartisan effort to bring the Department of Energy's $1 billion Rare Isotope Accelerator project to Illinois. Winning would boost the Illinois economy. The 300-meter accelerator and related infrastructure would bring an estimated 16,000 construction jobs over an eight-year period. Once operational, the facility would be a global locus for science research and technology innovation. The accelerator could fuel the creation of entrepreneurial startups, bringing a cascade of economic growth. It would assure Illinois stays at the forefront of physics research, a position held for more than 60 years. RIA is the newest device that accelerates particles to near light speed. Experiments enabled by RIA will help create cancer cures and explain the fundamental nature of matter. Main challenge: MSU The main obstacle to landing RIA is a determined team from Michigan that wants RIA at Michigan State in East Lansing. Blagojevich has introduced an All-Star squad that has what it takes to win this contest. Mirroring the holidays, the mood on the 56th floor of the BankOne building was festive. Democrats praised Republicans. Republicans praised Democrats. Labor leaders sat near corporate chieftains, and university presidents and nuclear physicists were seen as superstars. The meeting created optimism. Maybe, just maybe, we can land one of the biggest technology prizes to come along in years. With Blagojevich's appointment of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley and former Gov. Jim Thompson to lead the "RIA for Illinois Task Force," it's possible. Sen. Dick Durbin recalled the 1960s competition to build Fermi Lab. "The thing that struck me then was the total commitment at every level in the State of Illinois," said Durbin. "It resulted in the largest public works project to date in American history coming to Illinois. It was a total bipartisan effort." Can we do it again? With Durbin as Senate Democratic whip and Rep. Dennis Hastert as Speaker of the House, Illinois has the political power. Add freshman Sen. Barack Obama and Rep. Judy Biggert, chair of the Energy sub-committee of the House Science committee, and you get a good feeling. Our state's leaders believe Argonne will be competitive. Still, they worry about a close decision. In a tie-breaker, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (a former Michigan senator) might lean toward his home state, but that worry evaporated when President Bush nominated Sam Bodman to replace Abraham. "I received a call from Secretary of Energy-designate Bodman," Durbin said. "He was calling from the White House to let me know he was born in Illinois." Now a close decision might go to Illinois. Blagojevich reaffirmed winning RIA is a top priority. He compared Thompson and Daley to having Mark Prior and Kerry Wood on the mound for Illinois. "I've asked them to pitch for us in Washington," Blagojevich said. "On the merits, Argonne ought to receive this project," said Thompson. "There's a singular focus on this type of activity at Argonne and the University of Chicago, and over 50 years of experience. We have to make the case in Washington at the Department of Energy, in Congress and at the White House." He urged the business community to help. "The one thing we've learned is the importance of science to the future of this nation," said Daley. "This is an opportunity for Illinois to take the lead worldwide." Daley sees RIA as a potent tool to keep Illinois and the nation competitive. A skeptic no more Until the rally, I was skeptical. Did we have our act together? With budget fights in Springfield, debates about airports, and the uncertainty over casinos, I feared a mega federal project like RIA would slip. Not true. The Governor and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jack Lavin have their eye on the ball. The first hint came in mid-November, when Blagojevich gained a bipartisan resolution in the Illinois General Assembly supporting RIA. Since resolutions lack teeth, I remained skeptical. I'm skeptical no more. Our best players are on the field. Let's hope the spirit of bi-partisanship lasts beyond the holidays and into the spring when RIA's location is decided. That would be a real Christmas present. Michael Krauss is a Chicago-based tech writer and consultant. Copyright 2004, Digital Chicago Inc. ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. 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