*****************************************************************
11/08/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.267
*****************************************************************
RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE
*****************************************************************
Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body
NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Hopes to Finalize Nuclear Deal
2 IPS: USING NUCLEAR WEAPONS BRINGS HAVOC FOR IRAN
3 US: Guardian Unlimited: US ready to put weapons in space
4 US: www.GovExec.com: Senate cuts top-line spending offer; House seek
5 decatur daily: Nuclear proliferation is a problem we must face
6 US: Bush: Continuation of Emergency Regarding Weapons of Mass Destru
7 UN Watchdog Urges Better Steps To Keep Nuclear Material Out Of Terro
8 Daily Princetonian: Professor knighted in Lebanon for research
9 BBC: UN warns of nuclear terror race
10 NEWS.com.au: 'Global pandemonium' from N-terror
NUCLEAR REACTORS
11 US: NUKES STILL SUCK; THEODORE TAYLOR OBITUARY; SON(W)GS/DIABLO
12 Bellona: Floating NPPs and nuclear waste disposal to bring profit to
13 Slovak Spectator: Will nuclear promises be broken?
14 Xinhuanet: China to speed up nuclear power development
15 US: NRC: NRC Seeks Public Comment on Implementation of Reactor Overs
16 US: NRC: CBG petition on design basis threats
17 US: NRC: Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of Consideration o
18 US: AP Wire: TVA nuclear cleanup fund grows 44 percent
NUCLEAR SAFETY
19 UPI: Nuclear safety conference opens -
20 US: Idaho Statesman: Downwinders make plea for simple justice
21 US: Honolulu Advertiser: Harbor installing radiation detector
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
22 [NukeNet] Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train
23 [NYTr] Activists Mourn anti-Nuke Demonstrator Killed by Train
24 Las Vegas SUN: Nuclear Waste Shipment Nears German Site
25 Bellona: Armenia strengthens control over radioactive material expor
26 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: No surrender on Yucca
27 NRC: Meeting Postponement: USEC American Centrifuge Plant
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
OTHER NUCLEAR
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
1 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Hopes to Finalize Nuclear Deal
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -
1106iran-nuke Iran said Monday a preliminary agreement reached
between Iran and the European Union's three big powers may be
finalized soon, but hard-liners criticized the deal and called
on the government to ignore calls to keep suspending nuclear
activities.
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog praised the deal as a "a
step in the right direction" and said he hoped it would be
finalized in "the next few days."
Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the Vienna-based International
Atomic Energy Agency, also said he hopes the agreement will
"lead to the desired outcome" - a suspension of Iran's nuclear
enrichment activities and "open the way for normalization of
Iran's relations with the international community."
The preliminary agreement worked out Sunday in Paris with
Britain, France and Germany needs to be approved by all four
countries involved.
If approved, the deal would be a major breakthrough after months
of threats and negotiations and could spare Iran from being
taken before the U.N. Security Council, where the United States
has warned it would seek economic sanctions unless Tehran gives
up all uranium enrichment activities, a technology that can
produce nuclear fuel or atomic weapons.
"The trend of negotiations was a positive trend," Iranian
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told state-run television
Monday. "We hope the deal between Iran and Europeans can be
finalized and create the necessary confidence."
But the hard-line daily Jomhuri-e-Eslami denounced the accord on
its front page and urged the government to ignore European
demands.
"Despite the fact that the Europeans cannot be trusted has been
proven to all, unfortunately these people (Iranian negotiators)
have again reached agreement with these three traitor European
countries," the daily said.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hossein Mousavian, said Sunday
the agreement included the basic viewpoints of both Iran and the
Europeans but didn't provide details.
Kharrazi suggested it included a short-term Iranian suspension
of nuclear activities.
"Today, the talk is about continuing the suspension for a short
period to build confidence," the minister said.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said
the Europeans have not yet provided the Bush administration with
a full readout of the talks in Tehran. He said the Europeans
agree with the United States that Iran has to suspend fully and
immediately all nuclear weapons activities.
The United States believes that if Iran does not comply, it
should be referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible
sanctions.
German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Antje Leendertse said in
Berlin that the "talks were difficult but useful, and over the
coming days all the participants will analyze the results."
In proposals to Iran last month, Britain, Germany and France had
offered a trade deal and peaceful nuclear technology - including
a light-water research reactor - if Iran pledged to indefinitely
suspend uranium enrichment and related activities such as
reprocessing uranium and building centrifuges used to enrich it.
The Europeans had warned Iran they will back Washington's threat
to refer the Islamic republic to the Security Council unless it
gives up all uranium enrichment activities before a Nov. 25
meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
Iran has resisted any indefinite or long-term suspension, and it
wasn't clear if or how that obstacle had been surmounted.
Europe and the United States fear Iran is seeking to develop
nuclear weapons and argue that steps are needed to prevent it
from doing so.
Iran is not breaching its Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
obligations by seeking to enrich uranium, but is under heavy
international pressure to drop such plans as a good faith
gesture.
Tehran suspended uranium enrichment last year but has refused to
stop other related activities such as reprocessing uranium or
building centrifuges, insisting its program is intended purely
for the production of fuel for nuclear power generation.
--
*****************************************************************
2 IPS: USING NUCLEAR WEAPONS BRINGS HAVOC FOR IRAN
(Iran Press Service)
Posted Monday, November 8, 2004
TEHRAN, 8 Nov. (IPS) A high-ranking officer of the Iranian
revolutionary Guards admitted Monday for the first time that
using atomic weapons by Iran would have “adverse results” for
the country.
Using non conventional weapons in military dimension would
produce adverse effects for the nation.
“Using non conventional weapons is in contradiction with the
fundaments of our religion and in military dimension, such arms
would produce adverse effects for the nation”, the acting
commander in chief of the ruling ayatollah’s Praetorian Guard
General Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr told journalists on the occasion
of the so-called “Qods (Jerusalem) Day”, that falls on the
last Friday of the fasting month of Ramazan and marks the Islamic
Republic’s solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Analysts noted that this is the first time that a senior military
officer was both admitting that the Islamic Republic might be in
possession of nuclear arms and warning against using them.
Last week, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i stated that atomic weapons
were against Iranian religious jurisdictions that are based on
Islamic Canons. However neither Mr. Khameneh’i nor the general
failed to explain how Islam could have banned the production of
an arm that did not exist on the time of Muslim’s prophet
Mohammad?
The United States and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to develop
atomic bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran
denies the charges saying it only intends to produce electricity
from nuclear power plants.
Mr. Zolqadr described Israel’s threats against Iran as
“political bluffing” and warned that Tehran would strike back
at the Jewish State or any other country that attacked Iran’s
nuclear installations.
"Not Israel, but no other power in the world is capable of
attacking Iranian nuclear centres. However, if Israel or any
other country attacks any site in Iran, we know no limits to
threaten their interests anywhere in the world", Mr. Zolqadr
said, adding that the enemy cannot sustain an “all out riposte
from Iranian armies.
According to Mr. Zolqadr, considered as a hard line officer, no
nation would dare to attack Iran’s 10 millions trained basijis
(volunteers) and one million soldiers “ready to defend their
Islamic state”.
His comments were an answer to recent press reports that Israel
is considering the destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities on
the same pattern they used for the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear
reactor in 1981.
But most military experts doubt about the seriousness of
Israel’s plans for Iran, noting that not only Tel Aviv was in
possession of all details concerning the location of Iraq’s
nuclear facility, but also it benefited from the ongoing war
between Iran and Iraq, while in the case of Iran, the nuclear
facilities for military use are well hidden and scattered across
the vast country.
If Israel or any other country attacks any nuclear site in Iran,
we know no limits to threaten their interests anywhere in the
world.
Iran is known to have developed a sophisticated missile system
based on the Shahab 3 ballistic missile that, with a range of
1.500-2.000 kilometres, can easily hit Israel.
According to the commander, Iran reorganised its armed forces
after the eight years Iran-Iraq War and also benefited from
America’s invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iraq.
Earlier the commander addressed high-school students at a
conference entitled "The World Without America."
"The world without America is a world without oppression, without
terror, without invasion, without massacre", he said in a speech,
adding America today is the symbol of all the world’s miseries.
“If America abandons these evil qualities, the world would be a
much better place to live”. ENDS ZOLQADR THREATS 81104
Copyright 2004 IRAN PRESS SERVICE. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited: US ready to put weapons in space
Defence expert says America is likely to ignore treaty ban
Mark Townsend
Sunday November 7, 2004
The Observer [http://www.observer.co.uk]
America has begun preparing its next military objective - space.
Documents reveal that the US Air Force has for the first time
adopted a doctrine to establish 'space superiority'.
The new doctrine means that pre-emptive strikes against enemy
satellites would become 'crucial steps in any military
operation'. This week defence experts will attend a conference in
London amid warnings that President Bush's re-election will pave
the way to the arming of space.
Internal USAF documents reveal that seizing control of the 'final
frontier' is deemed essential for modern warfare. Counterspace
Operations reveals that destroying enemy satellites would improve
the chance of victory. It states: 'Space superiority provides
freedom to attack as well as freedom from attack. Space and air
superiority are crucial first steps in any military operation.'
Theresa Hitchens, vice-president of a Washington-based
independent think-tank, the Centre for Defence Information, said:
'These documents show that they are taking space control
seriously.'
This week's meeting, held by the British-American Security
Information Council (Basic), will also discuss whether Britain
can restrain a US administration intent on strategic control of
space.
Next year's budget for the US Missile Defence Agency includes
funding for research into the development of 'space-based
interceptors'. Although the funding allocated to develop
lightweight ballistic missile parts is only 7.5m, further
details have emerged of a more ambitious programme to site
weapons in space.
Plans for a 'thin constellation of three to six spacecraft' in
orbit, which would target enemy missiles as they took off or
landed, are planned, according to Hitchens. The document, said
Hitchens, signals that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which outlaws
the use of weapons in orbit, will be ignored.
Of equal concern to some UK defence experts is Britain's
agreement in principle to station US interceptor missiles at RAF
Fylingdales, North Yorkshire. Participation in the missile
defence programme means that Britain is already 'locked into' a
programme that could ultimately include space warfare, say those
who are monitoring developments.
'If the UK government tries to argue that it is participating in
missile defence, but not in the weaponisation of space, either
officials have been duped or they are being disingenuous,' said
Hitchens.
Suggestions of a deepening relationship between Britain and
America over missile defence surfaced again last week. A
parliamentary statement from Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon to
Labour MP Llew Smith conceded that the MoD has sent two experts
to work at the US Missile Defence Agency. Another two will be
sent next year.
In a separate debate last week, defence minister Lord Bach
admitted that the US was encouraging Britain to become involved
in its missile programme. 'The US has offered to extend coverage
and make missile defence capabilities available to the UK and
other allies, should we require them,' he said.
Useful links
The Planetary Society [http://www.planetary.org/]
Nasa Watch (not a Nasa site)
[http://www.nasawatch.com/index.html]
Space.com [http://www.space.com/]
Houston Space Chronicle
[http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/space/index.html]
Encyclopedia Astronautica [http://www.astronautix.com/]
Nasa homepage [http://www.nasa.gov]
Welcome to the Nasa Web [http://www.nasa.gov/hqpao/welcome.html]
Nasa Human Spaceflight (shuttle homepage)
[http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/index.html]
Kennedy Space Center [http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/ksc.html]
Galileo: journey to Jupiter [http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/]
Nasa's Mars Exploration Rover Mission
[http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/]
European Space Agency
[http://www.esrin.esa.it/export/esaCP/index.html]
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
[http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/]
British National Space Centre [http://www.bnsc.gov.uk/]
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
[http://www.seti.org/]
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
4 www.GovExec.com: Senate cuts top-line spending offer; House seeks sharper knife
(11/8/04)
DAILY BRIEFING
By Peter Cohn, CongressDaily
The Bush administration and congressional Republican leaders are
pushing hard for a deal on fiscal 2005 appropriations by the end
of next week, with aides reporting productive talks at a series
of senior staff meetings over the weekend among Appropriations
Committee, GOP leadership and Office of Management and Budget
officials.
The chief sticking point remains the structure of a package of
additional spending outside the top line fiscal 2005
discretionary cap of $821.9 billion. Senate appropriators added
about $8 billion through a variety of accounting gimmicks.
Sources said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted
Stevens, R-Alaska, had agreed to whittle that total down to about
$6 billion -- designated as emergency spending so as not to count
against the budget cap -- before the weekend's meetings. But the
White House and GOP leaders did not sign off on that idea, nor
would they agree to a 2 percent across-the-board cut for other
non-defense, non-homeland security spending to pay for the
additions, sources said.
By contrast, last year's package of about $4.6 billion in
additions was financed by a 0.59 percent across-the-board cut and
about $1.8 billion in rescissions of prior-year Pentagon funds.
Aides said GOP leaders are reluctant to rescind military funds
further, in part because budget hawks have criticized the move as
"not a real offset." Instituting a similar-sized across-the-board
cut for this year's bills would raise more than $4 billion by
some estimates.
A House appropriations spokesman declined to characterize the
status of the ongoing negotiations other than to say, "The Senate
is at $8 [billion], and we're at zero."
The $6 billion package would fund a number of popular programs
that still could see additions, although somewhat reduced. Among
the programs for which appropriators say they want increased
funding are veterans' health care, NASA, the National Institutes
of Health and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
The House and Senate are about $1 billion apart on NOAA funding,
which is coveted for earmarking, particularly by Senate
appropriators. The Senate added $768.3 million to the White House
budget request for a total of $4.14 billion. The House cut the
administration request by $215.5 million, to $3.16 billion.
The White House also is seeking increases for its own priorities,
including $1.25 billion more for the Millennium Challenge Account
program, created by Congress at the administration's behest to
provide development assistance to nations that encourage
democracy.
Aides and lobbyists said there is a renewed optimism after last
week's election results for deals on the most difficult spending
bills, including Labor-HHS and VA-HUD -- which are in line for
the lion's share of the Senate additions.
But prospects for the Energy and Water measure remain in limbo
because of a lingering dispute over funding for Yucca Mountain
nuclear waste depository, to be located in the home state of
presumptive Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Appropriators have been unable to agree to spend more than $131
million in fiscal 2005 for the plan, which the administration has
said would lead to a program shutdown. Funding the project under
a yearlong continuing resolution would provide $577 million,
short of the Bush request of $880 million.
*****************************************************************
5 decatur daily: Nuclear proliferation is a problem we must face
www.decaturdaily.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2004
EDITORIAL
Evidence that another Middle East country may have nuclear
weapons is a frightening development that requires immediate and
dramatic action.
Friday, U.N. experts discovered traces of plutonium near an
Egyptian nuclear facility. The presence of the substance is not
proof the Islamic country is building nuclear weapons, but it is
cause for concern.
Those concerns become even more frightening when combined with
the fact that Pakistan, India and Israel possess nuclear weapons.
Iran and Libya may have such weapons.
The Middle East has long been a powder keg. Now that powder is in
the form of nuclear bombs with enormous destructive capacity. The
fuse is already lit as violence begets more violence and passion
begets hatred in regimes overwhelmed by religious extremism.
The 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty no longer works. In the
midst of concern for non-nuclear terrorist threats, we cannot
ignore the deadly nuclear possibility that will remain dormant
only until such time that passion overwhelms reason.
We need to revisit sanctions be they economic or military
that will reduce the nuclear peril. Copyright 1999 THE DECATUR
DAILY. All rights reserved. AP contributed to this report. -->
Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed. -->
THE DECATUR DAILY 201 1st Ave. SE P.O. Box 2213 Decatur, Ala.
35609 (256) 353-4612 webmaster@decaturdaily.com
[webmaster@decaturdaily.com]
www.decaturdaily.com
*****************************************************************
6 Bush: Continuation of Emergency Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction
FR Doc 04-24951
[Federal Register: November 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 215)]
[Presidential Documents] [Page 64637] From the Federal Register
Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08no04-122]
Presidential Documents
Title 3-- The President [[Page 64637]] Notice of November 4, 2004
On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938,
President Clinton declared a national emergency with respect to
the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security,
foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the
proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons
(weapons of mass destruction) and the means of delivering such
weapons. On July 28, 1998, the President issued Executive Order
13094 to amend Executive Order 12938 to respond more effectively
to the worldwide threat of proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and the means of delivering such weapons. Because the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of
delivering them continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary
threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of
the United States, the national emergency first declared on
November 14, 1994, must continue in effect beyond November 14,
2004. In accordance with section 202(d) of the National
Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year
the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938, as
amended. This notice shall be published in the Federal Register
and transmitted to the Congress. (Presidential Sig.)B THE WHITE
HOUSE, November 4, 2004. [FR Doc. 04-24951 Filed 11-5-04; 8:45
am] Billing code 3195-01-P
*****************************************************************
7 UN Watchdog Urges Better Steps To Keep Nuclear Material Out Of Terrorist Hands
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:00:55 -0500
X-Sender-Hostname: mx3.un.org
X-Temp-Whitephrase: YES NUCLEAR
UN WATCHDOG URGES BETTER STEPS TO KEEP NUCLEAR MATERIAL OUT OF TERRORIST
HANDS
New York, Nov 8 2004 3:00PM
Declaring that the threat of nuclear terrorism is real and current,
the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog today called
for urgent international measures to prevent radioactive matter from
falling into the hands of terrorists, citing increased trafficking
of nuclear or other radioactive materials as a disturbing
sign.
The security of nuclear and other radioactive material has taken
on dramatically heightened significance in recent years, International
Atomic Energy Agency <"http://www.iaea.or.at/NewsCenter/Statements/2004/ebsp2004n013.html">(IAEA)
Director-General Mohamed
ElBaradei told the Asia-Pacific Conference on Nuclear Safeguards
and Security meeting in Sydney, Australia.
The events of September 2001 (terrorist attack on the United States)
propelled the rapid and dramatic re-evaluation of the risks
of terrorism in all its forms whether related to the security of
urban centres, sports arenas, industrial complexes, harbours and
waterways, oil refineries, air and rail travel, or nuclear and
radiological activities, he said. Nuclear security should be urgently
strengthened, without waiting for a watershed nuclear security
event to provide the impetus for needed security upgrades.
Mr. ElBaradei said that perhaps the most disturbing lesson to emerge
from IAEA probes into recent nuclear programmes in Iran and
Libya was the existence of an extensive illicit market for the supply
of nuclear items which clearly thrived on demand.
The relative ease with which a multinational illicit network could
be set up and operated demonstrates clearly the inadequacy of
the present export control system, he added, noting that 60 incidents
of trafficking were reported in 2003 and the total for this
year will be even higher.
While the majority of these incidents did not involve nuclear material
and most radioactive sources involved were of limited concern,
the number showed that measures to control and secure nuclear
and other radioactive materials need to be improved. They also
show that measures to detect and respond to illicit trafficking are
essential, Mr. ElBaradei said.
He called for better control of the sensitive parts of the nuclear
fuel cycle, namely the production of enriched uranium and the reprocessing
of plutonium essential elements in producing nuclear
weapons.
2004-11-08 00:00:00.000
________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml
*****************************************************************
8 Daily Princetonian: Professor knighted in Lebanon for research
[http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/]
November 8, 2004
Lebanon President Emile Lahoud knighted one of Princeton's
own professors Edgar Choueiri on Oct. 11. The honor, known as the
Medal of the Order of the Cedars, Rank of Knight, is awarded
twice a year to foreign nationals who came from Lebanon.
Choueiri, who received the award for his work in astronautics
and spacecraft propulsion, is one of only a few scientists
recently honored. The ceremony was attended by over 800 people,
many of whom were Choueiri's old teachers, friends and family. He
said the event stirred in him "deep feelings of gratitude,
obligation and soul searching."
After leaving Lebanon in his early teens due to civil war,
Choueiri said he now wishes to help "the youth of this rising
nation to better appreciate the excitement, promise and rewards
in science and technology."
Fortunately for University students, he added that he also
believes "teaching is one of the noblest professions" and plans
to continue his work at Princeton.
Despite receiving the award for his accomplishments in
science, Choueiri's condition for accepting the honor was the
ability to speak about human rights issues, such as the feminist
movement in Lebanon. In his speech, Choueiri said "science fails
to make us better humans," and spoke of his views on increasing
women's rights as well as his sadness at the killing of innocent
children and civilians throughout the world.
The speech was "very well received," Choueiri said, and he
gave over a dozen interviews to the press. A documentary
interviewing several of his childhood teachers was also shown at
the ceremony, which was "a big surprise" for him.
Choueiri is the chief scientist and director at the
University's electric propulsion and plasma dynamics lab. He
earned a Ph.D. in Plasma science from Princeton, joined the
faculty as an assistant professor in 1996 and received tenure in
2002. He also is an associate faculty member in the Program in
Plasma Physics and director of the Program in Engineering
Physics.
RACHEL ROTHSCHILD
Conference looks at ways to dispose nuclear waste
Atoms are tiny, but they pack some punch, especially when
they pile up in the form of nuclear waste.
To address the difficult problem of their disposal, Angela
Creager and Michael Gordin, professors in the University's
Program in the History of Science, organized a conference from
Friday to Saturday.
Harvard professor Peter Galison gave the keynote address:
"Wastelands and Wilderness: Forbidden Zones of Nuclear
Desecration and Natural Sanctification" in McCormick Hall.
"No one has any good idea of how much the project will cost,
but no one estimates it at less than half a trillion dollars," he
said of the magnitude of the cleanup challenge. "And that's just
the beginning."
Nuclear waste differs from toxic waste in its unusual
longevity, he said. Byproducts of nuclear reactions remain
radioactive for tens of thousands of years.
Neither the U.S. Department of Energy nor atomic scientists
have a convincing strategy to deal with nuclear waste, Galison
said. Deactivating nuclear waste is currently impossible, so the
Department of Energy has organized facilities like the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to provide safe storage.
The WIPP, located in southern New Mexico, is "the world's
first underground repository" licensed to permanently store waste
from nuclear weapons research, according to its website.
"The problem [with permanent storage] is letting people
10,000 years in the future know that they're not supposed to dig
there," Galison said.
"You could put up a sign that says 'there's something bad
here; you can't see it or feel it, but if you dig here you'll
die,'" he added. "But then think of all the times that we've
breached signs like that," referring to expeditions into the
Egyptian Pyramids.
The conference aimed to address academic and social issues.
"It's not political because it's nonpartisan, but it deals with
things that informed citizens should know," Gordin said.
Scientists' efforts are leading citizens and politicians to
discuss the nuclear legacy of the Cold War, he said.
"I don't know if we're seeing direct effects, but we're
seeing a lot of the questions raised more and more frequently;
questions like what to do with waste, where it came from," Gordin
said.
These same questions are being addressed by University
students. Caitlin Lippincott, a geosciences senior at Franklin
and Marshall College who attended the conference, is focusing her
thesis on the Yucca Mountain nuclear site in Nevada.
Lippincott is also interested in nuclear energy in South
Korea, which relies on nuclear power and has recently discovered
fault lines under some of its power plants.
"The problem with other countries is that they like America
as a model [for a storage method], and we haven't figured it out
yet," she said.
Gordin said an international approach will be necessary to
solve the nuclear waste question, since "its effects will be felt
through our cities."
ROBERTO PENA
Alum places 41st overall in NYC Marathon
On Sunday, a sea of people gathered in New York for the
running of the 35th annual New York City Marathon. More than
30,000 athletes, including some University students and alumni,
ran a 26.2-mile course from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to
Tavern on the Green, putting their mental and physical abilities
to the test.
Catherine Casey '02, former captain of the Princeton cross
country team, was the 17th best U.S. female runner and placed
41st overall. Other Princetonian runners included Audrey Banks
'07, Emily Eynon '02, Emily Kroshus '04 and Alain Kornhauser, a
professor who wore a GPS device throughout the race so others
could track his progress. His results were unknown.
"I feel great," Casey said after the race. "I'm still on a
high, waiting for it to crash."
It was Casey's first marathon, and her goal was to have a
strong one. "Somewhere deep down, I wanted to beat three hours,
and even though I didn't, I was able to stay strong and
consistent," Casey said. "It went according to plan and it was
fun. I decided in August, and I had enough of a base to help me
train more easily."
Casey trained with her friend Eynon beginning this summer as
part of the Moving Comfort NY team, doing workouts after work and
long runs on the weekends.
The pair received plenty of support from their friends and
family, not to mention Princetonians.
Members of the Princeton cross country team attended the
marathon to support their former teammates. For them, it was a
surreal experience.
"It was pretty exciting to see something that you usually
watch on TV and to be five feet away from the runners," said
Carrie Strickland '05, captain of the team.
Yet, Strickland said watching did not make her feel ready to
compete. "I learned that I'm definitely not running a marathon
any time soon," she added.
Casey said she was aware of the University presence at the
race.
"From a Princeton perspective, it was neat to be out there
because there were lots of Princeton people all over," Casey
said. "My friend swears she saw a guy running with a Hoagie Haven
shirt."
Eynon said running at Princeton aided her training for the
marathon.
"My Princeton experience definitely helped," Eynon said. "It
helped me to stay in shape. It's hard to stay in shape and stay
competitive after graduation."
"I always look back to races that I ran well in college and
it helps to keep me going," Eynon added.
Casey said she is unsure of the other marathons she may run
in the future. "I'm just enjoying this one for now," she said.
"At some point I will. I haven't really thought about it."
Eynon too enjoyed her experience. "It was a perfect day; the
crowds in New York are so unbeatable. The race was just as hard,
fun and exhilarating as I expected.
But, she too will need a break.
"I want to keep doing them, but not for a while," Eynon said.
VIOLA HUANG
Copyright 2004 Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc. All
Rights
*****************************************************************
9 BBC: UN warns of nuclear terror race
Last Updated: Monday, 8 November, 2004
[Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer (left) and IAEA
chief Mohamed ElBaradei]
Alexander Downer and Mohamed ElBaradei opened the conference
The UN's chief nuclear inspector has warned of a "race against
time" to stop a terrorist nuclear outrage.
International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei said
the threat was "real and current".
At the start of a two-day international summit on nuclear
proliferation in Australia, he pointed to an extensive trade in
radioactive materials.
Officials from the Asia-Pacific region are discussing how they
can keep nuclear power out of terrorist hands.
Mr ElBaradei said the IAEA's investigations into Libya and Iran's
suspected weapons programmes had revealed an extensive black
market for radioactive materials.
Proliferators and terroris operate globally Alexander Downer
Australian Foreign Minister
There had been around 630 confirmed incidents of trafficking in
nuclear or other radioactive materials since 1993, he said.
"We have a race against time because this was something we were
not prepared for," he said.
"We need to do all we can to work on the new phenomenon called
nuclear terrorism, which was sprung on us after 9/11 when we
realised terrorists had become more sophisticated and had shown
an interest in nuclear and radioactive material," he added.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told delegates at
the conference in Sydney that the problem was worldwide and
no-one could be complacent.
"Proliferators and terrorists operate globally so any nuclear
security weakness at the local or regional level risks being
exploited," he said.
He said it was imperative for the world to take this emerging
threat seriously.
Crude devices
He said the radical Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for the
Bali bombings two years ago, would not hesitate to use
radiological weapons in its campaign of terror.
While it is considered highly unlikely the group could obtain or
build a nuclear bomb, there is a fear about the potential use of
crude radiation devices, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney.
Australia hopes the summit will increase cooperation with its
neighbours in the Asia Pacific region, our correspondent says.
New Zealand has said it is important to ensure sensitive and
radiological materials are properly managed to stop them falling
into the wrong hands.
The conference is also expected to look at international efforts
to address the nuclear aspirations of Iran and North Korea.
*****************************************************************
10 NEWS.com.au: 'Global pandemonium' from N-terror
(November 8, 2004)
By Doug Conway
NUCLEAR terrorists could create "global pandemonium", Australia
has warned, as international authorities wage a "race against
time" to stop them.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer today played down the chance of
terrorists building or stealing a nuclear bomb.
But he said the most likely risk was that they could make "some
kind of radiological bomb" using nuclear material and explosives.
"That would not necessarily kill many people in a one-off
explosion but it would cause panic and concern," Mr Downer said.
"If there were to be a terrorist incident involving nuclear
material there would be a sense of global pandemonium.
"Yet how much focus is there now on the risks involved?"
Mr Downer stressed the need to ramp up nuclear security, in an
address in Sydney to delegates from 30 Asia-Pacific countries.
International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed El Baradei
said the phenomenon of nuclear terrorism had arisen since the
September 11 attacks in the US in 2001.
"We are in a race against time because it is something we were
not prepared for," Dr Baradei said.
"We have to cross our fingers that nothing will happen.
"We need to take preventative measures.
"Lots has been done but lots still has to be done."
Dr Baradei, the keynote speaker at the forum, said it was time
to "revisit" the right of countries, under the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty, to develop highly enriched uranium or
plutonium for energy needs.
Countries wishing to develop weapons from these sources could do
so "in a matter of months or maybe a year", he said.
"We do not want to find ourselves in the next 10 to 20 years
with 40 or 50 countries sitting on plutonium or highly enriched
uranium.
"The security margin that provides is very close for comfort."
He said the Asia-Pacific region contained many nuclear
facilities and radiological sources.
The key priorities were to protect them and prevent theft, he
said.
Mr Downer expressed confidence in Australia's protective
measures but said nuclear material generally had to be secured
"to a much greater extent than is currently the case".
He urged the region and the world to do "everything humanly
possible" to prevent nuclear material from falling into terrorist
hands.
Mr Downer and Dr Baradei both expressed cautious optimism at
reports of a tentative agreement from Iran to suspend all uranium
enrichment and reprocessing activities.
AAP
*****************************************************************
11 NUKES STILL SUCK; THEODORE TAYLOR OBITUARY; SON(W)GS/DIABLO
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 15:34:31 -0800
November 7th, 2004
URGENT -- DO THIS TODAY!!!
This is a Special, URGENT Edition of this newsletter. It is this author's
opinion that California can get its lousy old nukes SHUT DOWN PERMANENTLY
with a little push from its citizens. Our four nuclear generators (two
each at San Onofre and Diablo Canyon) have had a long list of problems and
"need" major upgrades to keep running. But even with replacement of
critical parts, the plants are still going to be filled with old,
embrittled, rusted, corroded, dilapidated, crumbly, irradiated, explosive
parts and assemblies, making the whole thing prone to outages, fires,
leaks, spills, discharges, radioactive steam bursts, and not to mention,
more susceptible to the effects of earthquakes, including offshore
earthquakes leading to colossal waves, tornados (there was a water spout
(offshore tornado) off Dana Point not too long ago or far away), asteroid
impacts, security weaknesses and oh, did I forget to mention they are
LIKELY targets of international and possibly even domestic terrorism?
Furthermore, nuclear power plants contribute to the current and growing
Global Police State and Erosion of Democratic Principles by -- in order to
continue to exist -- forcing society to pretend that NONE of these things
I've just mentioned (and many others) are actually serious concerns. Yet
in fact, EACH OF THEM could AND SHOULD get the plants shut down if given
fair consideration.
There are three items included in this newsletter:
1) Rochelle Becker: San Onofre Nuclear (Waste) Generating Station / Diablo
Canyon Petition -- URGENT!! URGENT!! URGENT!!
2) Dr. Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power Still a Deadly Proposition (from
Baltimore Sun, Aug. 17th, 2004)
3) Dr. Edward Siegel: Commenting on NY Times Obituary on Dr. Theodore
Taylor (d. Oct. 28th, 2004)
4) Letter to Chicago Tribune by the author (not published, as far as I know)
5) Newsletter authorship notes (and "unsubscribe" instructions, should you
want them)
Please note that two of the three items above are being distributed here by
special request of the authors. We deeply appreciate all these people
having shared these items with us for distribution in this newsletter, and
request that you redistribute this as widely as possible in turn. Our list
-- especially the California portion -- is not nearly large enough to
change the world all by itself, and it WON'T happen that way. We need your
help.
Large-scale renewable energy systems such as off-shore combined
wind-and-wave-energy farms will certainly cost in the billions to build --
but so what? They will provide enormous power at annual savings over the
nuclear option of hundreds of tons of high level radioactive waste -- and
the money to pay for guarding that waste. There is no place to store the
old waste. Yucca Mountain is fraught with technical problems, strongly
opposed by the fastest-growing community in America (Las Vegas), opposed by
every elected official from the State of Nevada, and opposed by every
community which might have nuclear waste transported through their premises.
So every NEW 250 pounds of nuclear waste (the DAILY output from ONE
reactor) will need to be carefully guarded and watched for thousands of
years. That will cost MILLIONS of dollars -- money the nuclear industry
does not figure into its economic calculations. The cost of economic
damage from an accident are not included either. Nor are thousands of
other costs -- that's why "nukes look good on paper." But they are in
fact, a financial rat-hole.
Please tell your friends that (after going to the Mothers For Peace web
site) they should subscribe to our newsletter so they, too, can get
breaking news about nuclear issues! Each subscriber is precious and your
contributions improve this document greatly. A follow-up on last issue's
piece by Arthur Doucette will be produced as time permits. Please
redistribute this document widely and wisely. Welcome new subscribers
(unsubscribe instructions appear at the bottom of every newsletter).
Thank you.
Compiled by:
Russell Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad, CA
============================================================
1) URGENT: Mothers For Peace Petition for California's Deadly Nuclear Power
Plants:
============================================================
DO THIS TODAY!!
From: beckers@thegrid.net
To: creedmail@cox.net, rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com
Subject: CPUC EIR Comments due Monday Nov 8th
Dear So. Cal folks:
The Mothers for Peace have created a letter you can e-mail in as an action
letter or copy and send your own. The front page of our website at the top
provides a place to click in an get into on where to send and/or you can
click in action items (EIR letter) send for Diablo and add your own
comments on SONGS.
Of course you have additional issues that need to be included such as:
28 x 28 foot holes in both reactors to replace steam gen
a railroad system next to plant
8 lanes of freeway
surfers and boaters
The more letters the more likely the scope will be expanded. Both Edison
and PG&E want the scope to be based solely on a construction permit-not on
operating extension if steam gen are replaced. Please pass this along to
your friends.
The process is simple, but MUST BE SENT BY TOMORROW [NOVEMBER 8th, 2004]
www.mothersforpeace.org
In Peace
Rochelle Becker
www.mothersforpeace.org
858 337 2703
============================================================
2) Dr: Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power still a deadly proposition (August
17th, 2004):
============================================================
Nuclear power still a deadly proposition
By Helen Caldicott
Originally published August 17, 2004 in The Baltimore Sun
WHILE VICE PRESIDENT Dick Cheney is actively promoting nuclear power as a
significant plank in his energy plan, he claims that nuclear power is "a
safe, clean and very plentiful energy source."
The Nuclear Energy Institute, the policy organization of the nuclear energy
and technologies industries, is currently running an energetic campaign for
the revivification of nuclear power. Ubiquitous TV and radio ads carry the
admonition that "Kids today are part of the most energy-intensive
generation in history. They demand lots of clean electricity. And they
deserve clean air."
Also, a consortium of 10 U.S. utilities has requested funding from the
federal government for the construction of new reactors based on a European
design, and they hope to receive government approval by 2010. This is a
major policy change since no new nuclear reactors have been ordered in the
United States since 1974.
Nevertheless, the claims of the Mr. Cheney and the nuclear industry are
false. According to data from the U.S. Energy Department (DOE), the
production of nuclear power significantly contributes both to global
warming and ozone depletion.
The enrichment of uranium fuel for nuclear power uses 93 percent of the
refrigerant chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gas made annually in the United
States. The global production of CFC is banned under the Montreal Protocol
because it is a potent destroyer of ozone in the stratosphere, which
protects us from the carcinogenic effects of solar ultraviolet light. The
ozone layer is now so thin that the population in Australia is currently
experiencing one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world.
CFC compounds are also potent global warming agents 10,000 to 20,000 times
more efficient heat trappers than carbon dioxide, which itself is
responsible for 50 percent of the global warming phenomenon.
But nuclear power also contributes significantly to global carbon dioxide
production. Huge quantities of fossil fuel are expended for the "front end"
of the nuclear fuel cycle -- to mine, mill and enrich the uranium fuel and
to construct the massive nuclear reactor buildings and their cooling towers.
Uranium enrichment is a particularly energy intensive process which uses
electricity generated from huge coal-fired plants. Estimates of carbon
dioxide production related to nuclear power are available from DOE for the
"front end" of the nuclear fuel cycle, but prospective estimates for the
"back end" of the cycle have yet to be calculated.
Tens of thousands of tons of intensely hot radioactive fuel rods must
continuously be cooled for decades in large pools of circulating water and
these rods must then be carefully transported by road and rail and isolated
from the environment in remote storage facilities in the United States. The
radioactive reactor building must also be decommissioned after 40 years of
operation, taken apart by remote control and similarly transported long
distances and stored. Fully 95 percent of U.S. high level waste -- waste
that is intensely radioactive -- has been generated by nuclear power thus far.
This nuclear waste must then be guarded, protected and isolated from the
environment for tens of thousands of years -- a physical and scientific
impossibility. Biologically dangerous radioactive elements such as
strontium 90, cesium 137 and plutonium will seep and leak into the water
tables and become very concentrated in food chains for the rest of time,
inevitably increasing the incidence of childhood cancer, genetic diseases
and congenital malformations for this and future generations.
Conclusion: Nuclear power is neither clean, green nor safe. It is the most
biologically dangerous method to boil water to generate steam for the
production of electricity.
Helen Caldicott, a pediatrician, is president of the Nuclear Policy
Research Institute and author of The New Nuclear Danger, George Bush's
Military Industrial Complex (The New Press). She lives near Sydney, Australia.
-------------------------
===================================================
3) Dr. Theodore Taylor Obit (comments, colorizing, and/or underlining by
Dr. Siegel):
===================================================
It should be noted that Dr. Siegel's comment "belittling" the opposition to
Cassini was not intended to suggest that Cassini's 400,000 Curies of
Plutonium 238 (in dioxide form) was not a problem, but only that the
proposed reactors would have ben even worse! -- rdh.
At 11:02 AM 11/5/2004 -0800, "edward siegel" wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>November 5, 2004
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Theodore Taylor, a Designer of A-Bombs Who Turned Against Them, Dies at 79
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>By MARGALIT FOX
>
>heodore Taylor, a theoretical physicist who spent his early career as a
>designer of streamlined nuclear weapons and his later career as an
>antinuclear campaigner, died on Oct. 28 at a nursing home in Silver
>Spring, Md. He was 79 and until recently lived in the western New York
>community of Wellsville.
>
>The cause was complications of coronary artery disease, his family said.
>
>Dr. Taylor, who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory at the height
>of the cold war, was renowned as a designer of fission bombs of minimal
>size and maximal bang. He later directed Project Orion, whose mission was
>to develop a nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft (AND
>AIRPLANES).(IMAGINE MANY OF THESE WHIZZING AROUND, EACH MUCH LARGER THAN
>YOUR CASSINI!!))
>
>"His trade, basically, was the miniaturizing of weapons," the physicist
>Freeman Dyson says in "The Curve of Binding Energy" (Farrar, Straus &
>Giroux, 1974), a book-length profile of Dr. Taylor by John McPhee. "He was
>the first man in the world to understand what you can do with three or
>four kilograms of plutonium, that making bombs is an easy thing to do,
>that you can, so to speak, design them freehand."(HOW...WELL...
>TERRORISTIC!!!))
>
>But by the mid-1960's, Dr. Taylor had become, in his own words, a "nuclear
>dropout." A frequent adviser on nuclear safeguards, he wrote and lectured
>widely on the threat of nuclear terrorism and the risks of nuclear power.
>He believed that a small clandestine group, or even an individual, could
>easily steal nuclear material and, with publicly available information,
>build a homemade atomic bomb.
>
>"The nuclear genie has proliferated considerably since it was first
>released," he said in a 1996 lecture. His mission, he often stated, was to
>put it back into the bottle, and by the end of his life he had become an
>archetypal figure: the creator compelled to destroy his own creation after
>it runs menacingly amok.
>
>Theodore Brewster Taylor was born on July 11, 1925, in Mexico City. His
>grandparents had been missionaries, and his father was general secretary
>of the Y.M.C.A. in Mexico. A brilliant boy (he completed sixth grade the
>same year he started fourth), Ted was enthralled by his chemistry set, or,
>more precisely, its explosive possibilities.
>
>"He enjoyed putting potassium chlorate and sulfur under Mexico City
>streetcars," Mr. McPhee wrote. "There was a flash, and a terrific bang."
>
>Dr. Taylor received a bachelor's degree from the California Institute of
>Technology in 1945 and pursued a doctorate in physics at the University of
>California. But he failed his oral examinations - he lacked the capacity
>to focus on things that did not interest him - and he left the department
>in 1949. (He would eventually earn a Ph.D. from Cornell in 1954.)
>
>He found a job at Los Alamos. "Within a week, I was deeply immersed in
>nuclear weaponry," Dr. Taylor wrote in a 1996 article in Bulletin of the
>Atomic Scientists. "I was fascinated by every bit of information I was
>given during those first few days."
>
>Preternaturally inept at ordinary tasks (parking a car defeated him), he
>became an artist of the fission bomb, taking the massive nuclear weapons
>developed for the Manhattan Project and making them smaller and lighter
>without sacrificing explosive power. Over the next seven years, he
>designed a series of ever-smaller bombs, whose cunning names - Scorpion,
>Wasp, Bee, Hornet - captured both their size and their sting.
>
>Dr. Taylor would develop the smallest fission bomb of its time, Davy
>Crockett, which weighed less than 50 pounds. (By contrast, Little Boy,
>dropped on Hiroshima, weighed almost 9,000 pounds.) At the other extreme,
>he designed Super Oralloy, which was at the time, Mr. McPhee wrote, "the
>largest-yield pure-fission bomb ever constructed in the world."
>
>Viewed as a theoretical abstraction, Dr. Taylor's work had a cool,
>compelling elegance. Exploded in the Nevada desert, it made a satisfying
>flash and bang. The weapons, he often reminded himself, were meant to
>deter nuclear war, and if the United States did not develop them, the
>Soviets soon would.
>
>In his 1996 article, he recalled how he spent Nov. 15, 1950, the day his
>daughter Katherine was born:
>
>"Instead of being with my wife, Caro, I had spent the day at a military
>intelligence office, poring over aerial photographs of Moscow, placing the
>sharp point of a compass in Red Square and drawing circles corresponding
>to distances at which moderate and severe damage would result from the
>explosion at different heights of a 500-kiloton made-in-America bomb. I
>remember feeling disappointed because none of the circles included all of
>Moscow."
>
>Dr. Taylor's marriage, to the former Caro Arnim, whom he wed in 1948,
>ended in divorce in 1992. He is survived by their five children: Clare
>Hastings of Washington; Katherine Robertson of Davis, Calif.; Christopher,
>of Colorado Springs; Robert, of Rockville, Md.; and Jeffrey, of Brooklyn;
>two half-brothers, John Barber of Irvine, Calif., and Ralph Thompson of
>Issaquah, Wash.; 10 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.
>
>In 1956, Dr. Taylor left Los Alamos to work on Orion. The size of a
>16-story building, Orion was to be propelled by 2,000 nuclear bombs,
>ejected one by one from the bottom of the spaceship (the designers modeled
>this feature on the technology of Coke machines) and detonated in space.
>He dreamed of visiting Mars and Saturn, but the Limited Test Ban Treaty of
>1963, which banned nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and in space, put
>an end to the project.
>
>In the late 1950's, working for a division of General Dynamics, Dr. Taylor
>and several colleagues developed Triga, a small reactor used for research
>and considered safer than conventional reactors.
>
>In 1964, he went to work for the Defense Department as deputy director of
>the Defense Atomic Support Agency. There, he later said, he came to see
>the real-world implications of the elegant little bombs he had designed at
>Los Alamos.
>
>"I became privy to the actual characteristics and deployments of what, by
>then, were thousands of nuclear weapons," he wrote in 1996. "The nuclear
>arms race had a force and a momentum I had never dreamed of."
>
>He left in 1966 and the following year started the International Research
>and Technology Corporation, a consulting business. In 1980 he started Nova
>Inc., which developed alternatives to nuclear energy.
>
>His books include "The Restoration of the Earth" (1973, with Charles C.
>Humpstone), "Nuclear Theft: Risks and Safeguards" (1974, with Mason
>Willrich) and "Nuclear Proliferation: Motivations, Capabilities and
>Strategies for Control" (1977, with Ted Greenwood and Harold A. Feiveson).
>
>He also taught at Princeton for a number of years, and was a member of the
>president's commission on the Three Mile Island accident.
>
>Dr. Taylor approached his work with the zeal of a convert and, perhaps,
>the attitude of a penitent.
>
>"Rationalize how you will, the bombs were designed to kill many, many
>people," he says in Mr. McPhee's book. "If it were possible to wave a wand
>and make fission impossible - fission of any kind - I would quickly wave
>the wand."
>
>Copyright
>2004 The New York Times Company |
>Home |
>Privacy Policy
>| Search |
>Corrections |
>RSS |
>Help |
>Back
>to Top
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The other signatories of the Report Of The President's Commission On
The Accident At Three Mile Island: The Need For Change: The Legacy of TMI,
signed October 30th, 1979, were:
John G. Kemeny (Chairman)
Bruce Babbitt
Harry C. McPherson
Patrick E. Haggerey
Russell W. Peterson
Carolyn Lewis
Thomas H. Pigford
Paul A. Marks
Cora B. Marrett
Anne D. Trunk
and Lloyd McBride.
-- rdh
========================================================
4) Letter to Chicago Tribune by the author (not published, as far as I know):
========================================================
Subject: Nuclear Power Editorial Funny!
From: "Russell D. Hoffman"
To:
To The Editor:
Laughable!
It's funny that your "editorial" (I shudder to use the word;
"advertisement for the nuclear industry" seems so much more appropriate)
about nuclear power did not mention the Davis-Besse near-catastrophe in
Ohio in 2002, only Three Mile Island over 25 years ago.
Did you not notice how close we came to a meltdown at Davis-Besse?
It's also funny that your "editorial" did not explain the objection you
have to wind power, you only claimed it has problems. Yet the truth is,
it is the most cost-effective energy source available today, and, in the
middle of Lake Michigan, is some of the best wind-power spots in all
America -- thousands of megawatts of power could be harvested there.
And it's almost hilarious that you claim the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's biggest problem is they are too restrictive -- this, the same
regulatory agency that let Davis-Besse rust away for some six years before
the problem there was discovered -- a hole in the reactor pressure vessel
head that had eaten clear through the head itself (only the stainless
steel lining remained).
And it was a bellyacher to hear you rail against coal and natural gas as
being too polluting. Yet you think nuclear power is "clean"! Billions of
Curies of radiation, susceptible to plane crashes from terrorists and a
thousand other assaults, says you don't know what you are dealing with.
Could it be that you are unaware of the dangers from radiation? Could it
be that you are bought and paid for by the nuclear industry?
Something's funny and I wish I knew what!
Sincerely,
Russell Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad, CA (in Chicago for the NIRS/ NEIS /NPRI et al public forum where
the TRUTH about radiation was discussed -- and it was no laughing matter!
========================================================
5) Newsletter authorship notes (and "unsubscribe" instructions, should you
want them):
========================================================
This newsletter was written and originally distributed by Russell D.
Hoffman except where noted. Please redistribute widely and wisely!
-----------------------------------------------------------
*************************************************
** THE ANIMATED SOFTWARE COMPANY
** Russell D. Hoffman, Owner and Chief Programmer
** P.O. Box 1936, Carlsbad CA 92018-1936
** (800) 551-2726
** (760) 720-7261
** Fax: (760) 720-7394
** Visit the world's most eclectic web site:
** http://www.animatedsoftware.com
*************************************************
IF YOU RECEIVED THIS EMAIL IN ERROR AND/OR DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE ANY MORE
EMAILS FROM US FOR ANY REASON, PLEASE CONTACT RUSSELL HOFFMAN AT:
rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com
MailTo:rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com?Subject=Unsubscribe-me-please .
Please be sure that "Unsubscribe-me-please" appears in the subject line.
*****************************************************************
12 Bellona: Floating NPPs and nuclear waste disposal to bring profit to Severodvinsk
The deputies from Severodvinsk stated this at the meeting with
Arkhangelsk region governor in October.
2004-11-08 18:16
The participants of the meeting discussed also the perspectives
of the floating nuclear plant construction in Severodvinsk,
Regnum.ru reported. The Federal Special-Purpose Program
stipulates construction of the atomic heating plant in
Severodvinsk covered by off-budget sources. The design works are
completed and the estimated cost of the project is about $175m.
The Federal Atomic Agency on Atomic Energy examines several
possible ways to finance construction of the floating NPP
including credits from China and India on the security of the
Russian Government. The Severodvinsk deputies also believe that
the local budget could profit not only from floating NPP
construction, but also from nuclear waste disposal in
Severodvinsk, Regnum.ru reported.
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
*****************************************************************
13 Slovak Spectator: Will nuclear promises be broken?
Volume 10, Number 43
November 8 - 14,2004
[http://www.sme.sk]
Austria reminds Slovakia of its EU accession agreement and says
it is "not negotiable" Will nuclear promises be broken?
By Beata Balogov Spectator staff
THE TIming of the closure of blocks 1 and 2 is at issue.photo:
TASR
ECONOMY Minister Pavol Rusko's desire to change the course of
the country's nuclear programme struck its first obstacle,
signalling that the EU is taking Slovakia's pre-accession
commitments seriously.
While Austria, Slovakia's environment-conscious neighbour, has
not directly commented on Rusko's proposal to delay the closure
of one nuclear reactor at Jaslovsk Bohunice by two years, it has
said that the dates for decommissioning the blocks are set and
unchangeable.
Rusko argues that shutting down blocks 1 and 2 of the V1 nuclear
power plant at Jaslovsk Bohunice at the same time is a safer
option than decommissioning them in subsequent years. The V1
plant is located 65 kilometres northeast of Bratislava.
Nevertheless, Austria reminded Slovakia of its EU accession
commitments.
"In 1999, the Slovak government made a commitment to close blocks
1 and 2 of the V1 nuclear power plant at Jaslovsk Bohunice by
2006 and 2008, respectively. It must be assumed that the decision
taken by the Slovak government took into account the safety of
the Slovak Republic and adjacent areas," Austrian Deputy
Ambassador Marian Wrba told The Slovak Spectator.
According to Wrba, all 25 nations that signed the Accession
Treaty, which granted EU membership to the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland,
Slovenia and Slovakia, agreed that Slovakia would close down the
first block of the V1 nuclear power plant by 31 December 2006,
and the second block by 2008.
"The contracting parties also agreed to provide appropriate
financial assistance to support the decommissioning and offset
any [economic] consequences of the closure," Wrba added.
Under the agreement, Slovakia is guaranteed a sum of Sk16.7
billion (410 million) in compensation, which it can draw from
until the end of 2013.
Economy Minister Rusko told the daily SME that he believes that
he can "open Austria's eyes" to see that the solution he proposes
today is safer for the Austrian people.
Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan is not that optimistic about the
possibility of reaching consensus with the European Union about
simultaneously decommissioning blocks 1 and 2 in 2008. He says
renegotiating what has already been agreed upon between 25
contracting parties would be a very complicated and laborious
process.
Amador Sanchez Rico, the European Commission spokesman for
transport and energy, told The Slovak Spectator that the European
Commission had not received any official request from the Slovak
government to delay the decommissioning of block 1.
"For the time being, nothing is changed. Slovakia's commitments
are very clear and we expect that Slovakia will respect them,"
said Rico.
The European Commission spokesman said that any agreements made
before accession would be difficult to postpone or modify.
However, should the European Commission receive a request by
Slovakia to reconsider closure dates, the commission would
carefully examine all the arguments and put the matter before the
top council of each of the remaining 24 contracting parties, Rico
told The Slovak Spectator. It would be up to the contracting
parties to make the decision, he said.
One of those parties is Austria, and Austria says that the
Accession Treaty outlining mutual and reciprocal obligations is
binding.
"The protocol of this agreement is an integral part of the entire
Accession Treaty that has been signed and ratified; it is
therefore not negotiable. It is, as all other commitments that
define membership in the EU, part of the EU primary law," Deputy
Ambassador Wrba told The Slovak Spectator.
Commissioner Jn Fige of the European Commission said that
persuading 24 EU nations to delay decommissioning of the first
block of Slovakia's V1 power plant by two years seems a
complicated task.
According to the daily SME, Fige has not registered one single
positive reaction in Brussels to Rusko's idea.
Rusko maintains that expert opinion supports his desire to delay
the decommissioning. He cited a detailed study by Relko, a firm
widely recognised for evaluating the safety of nuclear power
plants, which outlines the potential risks of two-stage
decommissioning.
Rusko intends to send a group of experts to EU member countries
to smooth the way for eventual negotiations. The team will
include diplomats and nuclear energy experts.
"They will present our arguments and explain Slovakia's
position," said the Economy Ministry's spokesman, Maro Havran.
However, Havran stressed to The Slovak Spectator that the Economy
Ministry would not pursue a decommissioning later than 2008, and
that Rusko's proposal only offers an option, which would make the
whole process 100 percent safe.
Havran said the Economy Ministry wants Slovakia to discuss the
option with the EU member countries, and if any of the countries
opposes Rusko's proposal, the issue would become irrelevant.
The Economy Ministry does not support the claims of opposition
party Smer, which calls for prolonging the operation of both
blocks of the V1 nuclear power plant until 2015, Havran told The
Slovak Spectator.
The English translation of the Relko study has been submitted to
Austrian firm Enconet for evaluation.
Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has not yet reached consensus
about whether or not to support Rusko's idea.
The head of Slovakia's Nuclear Supervision Authority, Marta
iakov, told the daily SME October 12 that the nuclear power
plant was constructed as a two-block plant, and although joint
decommissioning would be advantageous, the authority has already
started planning phase one of the two-stage decommission.
A member of the board of directors of Slovensk elektrrne, Ignc
Paek, told the news wire agency SITA that shutting down one
block while maintaining operations at the other would not
threaten the public's safety. He agreed, however, that it could
present an increased risk.
Paek said that the increased risks are associated with
refuelling the second reactor while the first one is shut down.
Although there is always a risk with refuelling, the risk would
double during the two-year period, from 2006 to 2008, when only
one block would be operational. Paek based his statements on
the Relko study.
Greenpeace, the international environmental organisation, claims
that the V1 plant should have been closed in 1999. Stretching the
reactor's lifespan to 2006 is, according to the group, already an
enormous compromise.
Greenpeace spokesman, Juraj Rizman, told The Slovak Spectator
that he is sceptical of Rusko's motives.
"We do not think it is a professional problem, but rather a
political trick to keep the first block of V1 alive until 2008,"
he said.
Rizman encouraged Slovakia to uphold its obligations to the
European Union and its neighbours.
"The Slovak government should not yield to lobby pressures and
hysteria evoked by certain politicians," Rizman told The Slovak
Spectator. [11/8/2004]
Copyright 1998-2003 The Rock spol. s r.o. All rights
*****************************************************************
14 Xinhuanet: China to speed up nuclear power development
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2004-11-08 21:32:57
BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zeng
Peiyan says China plans to reinforce global cooperation to
further step up the development of nuclear power.
Zeng Peiyan says China should speed up nuclear power
facilities' construction and strengthen cooperation with other
countries on developing technology, and for public bidding.
He also supports the setting-up of a state nuclear power
technology company to ensure the rapid development of nuclear
power.
The Vice Premier says nuclear power is a clean and safe
energy, and speeding up its development is conducive to improving
China's energy structure, easing power shortage and protecting
the environment. Enditem
(CRIENGLISH.com)
Copyright 2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
15 NRC: NRC Seeks Public Comment on Implementation of Reactor Oversight Process
News Release - 2004-14 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office
of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC
20555-0001 E-mail: [opa@nrc.gov] No. 04-141 November 8,
2004
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking comment from
members of the public on the implementation of the Reactor
Oversight Process (ROP), which the agency created five years ago
to revamp and improve its inspection and enforcement programs
for commercial nuclear power plants. Each year the NRC seeks
feedback to help the agency continue to improve its regulatory
approach.
In particular, the NRC would like the publics answers to a list
of 20 questions relating to the ROP, including the following:
-- Is the information in the inspection reports useful to you?
-- Is the ROP understandable and meaningful, and are the
processes, procedures and products clear and written in plain
English?
-- Has the public had enough opportunity to participate in the
ROP and provide input and comments?
All 20 questions are contained in the Federal Register notice of
the request for comment, which was published Nov. 1. The notice
is available through the Government Printing Offices Web site
at this address:
[http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.ac
cess.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-24304.pdf] [PDF Icon] .
The comment period deadline is Dec. 16. Comments may be e-mailed
to [nrcrep@nrc.gov] or mailed to Chief, Rules and Directives
Branch, Office of Administration, Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001. Comments
can also be delivered to Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Md., between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal
workdays.
Last revised Monday, November 08, 2004
*****************************************************************
16 NRC: CBG petition on design basis threats
NRC: [Docket No. PRM-73-12]
FR Doc 04-24803
[Federal Register: November 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 215)]
[Proposed Rules] [Page 64690-64692] From the Federal Register
Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08no04-17]
Committee To Bridge the Gap, Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Petition for rulemaking; notice of receipt.
SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing
for public comment a notice of receipt of a petition for
rulemaking, dated July 23, 2004, which was filed with the
Commission by Daniel Hirsch, President, Committee to Bridge the
Gap (CBG). The petition was docketed by the NRC on September 29,
2004, and has been assigned Docket No. PRM- 73-12. The petitioner
requests that the NRC amend its regulations to upgrade the
``design basis threat'' regulations ((DBT), or the magnitude of
threat that the facility's security systems must be capable of
defeating) and associated requirements for protection of domestic
reactors from nuclear terrorism to a level that encompasses, with
a sufficient margin of safety, the terrorist capabilities
evidenced by the attacks of September 11, 2001.
DATES: Submit comments by January 24, 2005. Comments received
after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so,
but the Commission is able to assure consideration only for
comments received on or before this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of the following
methods. Please include the following number PRM-73-12 in the
subject line of your comments. Comments on petitions submitted in
writing or in electronic form will be made available for public
inspection.
Because your comments will not be edited to remove any
identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against
including any information in your submission that you do not want
to be publicly disclosed.
[[Page 64691]] Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN:
Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
E-mail comments to: SECY@nrc.gov [SECY@nrc.gov] . If you do not
receive a reply e- mail confirming that we have received your
comments, contact us directly at (301) 415-1966. You may also
submit comments via the NRC's rulemaking Web site at
http://ruleforum.llnl.gov
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://ruleforum.llnl.gov] . Address
questions about our rulemaking Web site to Carol Gallagher (301)
415-5905; e-mail cag@nrc.gov [ cag@nrc.gov] . Comments can also
be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal
http://www.regulations.gov
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.regulations.gov] . Hand deliver
comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852,
between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays. (Telephone
(301) 415-1966).
Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at
(301) 415-1101.
Publicly available documents related to this petition may be
viewed electronically on the public computers located at the
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O1 F21, One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The PDR reproduction
contractor will copy documents for a fee. Selected documents,
including comments, may be viewed and downloaded electronically
via the NRC rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://ruleforum.llnl.gov] . Publicly
available documents created or received at the NRC after November
1, 1999, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic
Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html]
. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's
Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. If you
do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing
the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document
Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800- 397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by
e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] .
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rules
and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services,
Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-7163 or toll free:
800-368-5642.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The petitioner states that
CBG has been active in attempting to increase protection at
nuclear facilities against the risk of nuclear terrorism for a
quarter of a century. The NRC's current DBT regulations for
nuclear power plants were issued in the 1974-1976 period
(February 24, 1977; 42 FR 10836), with only one substantive
modification in the ensuring thirty years, the truck bomb rule
(August 1, 1994; 59 FR 38889). The petitioner states that DBT
regulations established in the mid-seventies do not require
nuclear plant security be designed to protect against: (a) More
than one insider; (b) More than several external attackers; (c)
Attackers capable of operating as more than one team (i.e.,
capable of employing ``effective team maneuvering tactics''); and
(d) A group or individual using weapons of greater sophistication
than hand-held automatic weapons.
The petitioner states that the original DBT regulations
essentially required the attacks to be on foot, by not requiring
protection from truck bombs, or attacks by boat or air.
The petitioner asserts that despite the facts that the original
September 11, 2001, plot considered attacking U.S. nuclear
plants, that the terrorist risk has increased since September 11,
2001, and that U.S. authorities warn that Al Quaeda is planning
even more spectacular and deadly attacks in the U.S., nearly
three years after the September 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. nuclear
reactor facilities remain unprotected against air attacks or
against ground attacks involving the September 11, 2001, number
of attackers. The petitioner believes something must be done
promptly to protect these facilities--and the American public.
Increased threats, however, can be countered by measures that can
be implemented for modest cost but which will provide substantial
protection against events with such potentially catastrophic
consequences.
The Petitioner's Request NRC Security Requirements for Protection
of Nuclear Power Plants From Terrorist Attack The petitioner
requests that 10 CFR 73.1(a) be revised to encompass attacking
forces equal to those of the terrorist attack on September 11,
2001, plus a margin of safety, in numbers, teams, capabilities,
planning, willingness to die, and other characteristics. The
terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, involved 19 attackers in
4 teams.
The DBT regulations should be changed to include at least 19
attackers, plus a margin of safety above that level.
The NRC should also take into consideration the inclusion of
multiple coordinated teams. The petitioner believes that the
attackers should be presumed to use a full range of potential
weapons of which a group such as Al Qaeda would be capable, to
include shaped charges, shoulder-fired rockets, mortars,
anti-tank weapons, large quantities of explosives, etc. The
explosives, weapons, and equipment need not be limited to
hand-carried items, as stated in the current regulations (10 CFR
73.1(a)(1)(i)(D)). The attackers should be presumed to be
ruthless, highly motivated, willing and even intent on dying,
very creative, thorough, and capable of extended planning and
preparation. The DBT regulations should include a minimum of
three insiders, in addition to the 19 external attackers, rather
than the current 1 insider as stated at 10 CFR 73.1(a)(1)(i)(B)
and (ii). The insiders should be presumed to play both a passive
role (e.g., supplying information) and active capacity (e.g.,
directly participating in a coordinated attack or separate
sabotage actions), a land vehicle should not be limited to a
four-wheel drive car or truck, as is now the case at 10 CFR
73.1(a)(1)(i)(E) and (iii), but include the full range of trucks
and other vehicles that a group like Al Qaeda might employ for
such an attack.
The petitioner states that the DBT regulations should include
attacks by foot or by land vehicle (e.g., vehicle bombs), as well
as by boat and by air. The DBT regulations addressing air attack
should include a fully loaded jumbo jet of maximum size in
commercial service and full fuel tanks, and more maneuverable
smaller planes and helicopters. The petitioner states that the
NRC should consider explosives potentially present in the
aircraft as well as the mass of the plane and the effect of its
fuel when igniting. The DBT regulations should protect both
against direct impact of the aircraft on sensitive facilities at
the nuclear plant and against use of the aircraft or helicopter
for dropping explosives on those facilities. The petitioner also
states that the NRC should consider the coordination of an air
attack with assistance from insiders at the plant and/or external
attackers (i.e., damage to systems from the air attack coupled
with failure of backup systems due to coordinated action on the
ground).
[[Page 64692]] Mandate Security Plans, Systems, Inspections, and
Force-on-Force Exercises Protect Against the Amended DBT The
petitioner states that the security plans and physical systems
implementing those plans, inspections and force-on-force
Operational Safeguards Response Evaluation (OSRE) program
exercises must be upgraded to conform to the proposed DBT
regulations. The petitioner believes they must demonstrate high
confidence to be able to repel a September 11, 2001, level
assault.
Require Prompt Construction of Shields From Air Attack at
Standoff Distances From Key Support Structures at Nuclear Plants
``Beamhenge'' The petitioner states that nuclear power plants
were not designed to withstand the attack by a fully loaded jumbo
jet nor the intentional use of airplanes for terrorist purposes.
The petitioner proposes the construction of shields composed of
I- beams with steel or other cabling and netting between them at
standoff distances around the key structures at nuclear plants.
Airplanes or jets attempting to attack sensitive structures would
instead crash into the surrounding Beamhenge shield, leaving
intact the reactor, spent fuel pool, and support facilities, thus
protecting the public from damage that could result in
substantial radioactivity releases.
The Beamhenge concept may also provide some measure of protection
against such weapons as shoulder-launched rockets, causing them
to detonate before reaching their intended target.
The petitioner states that I-beams are relatively inexpensive,
and their installation can be done quickly and with modest
expenditures. The petitioner estimates that Beamhenge shields
could be constructed for a fraction of one percent of the
original construction cost of the nuclear plant. The petitioner
believes that with such a low price and relative ease of
deployment, the burden is on the Commission to justify why
implementation of the Beamhenge approach should not be mandated
immediately. This petitioner requests that the shields against
air attack be required to be promptly constructed at the nation's
nuclear plants, on a time urgent basis.
Conclusion The petitioner states that the Commission's DBT
regulations remained essentially unchanged, with one exception,
for nearly thirty years, despite dramatic increases in terrorist
incidents, casualties, and capabilities. The petitioners seek a
revision of the threat basis to include attack from the air by
airplanes and jets, and attacking forces by land, water, or
air--at least equal to the nineteen terrorists involved in the
September 11, 2001, attacks in numbers, capacity, ruthlessness,
dedication, skills, planning, and willingness to die and create
large numbers of casualties. Additionally, the petitioners
propose that the security requirements in part 73 be upgraded to
provide high confidence in the ability of the security system to
protect against the proposed upgraded September 11, 2001-
equivalent DBT. In particular, the petitioners propose requiring,
under a time-urgent schedule, construction at reactor sites of
shields consisting of I-beams and cabling (Beamhenge) at
stand-off distances from buildings and other assets important to
safety at reactor sites so that airplanes or jets attempting to
attack sensitive structures would instead crash into the
surrounding Beamhenge shield, leaving intact the reactor, spent
fuel pool, and support facilities, thus protecting the public
from damage that could result in substantial radioactivity
releases.
Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of November, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 04-24803 Filed 11-5-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
17 NRC: Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of Consideration of
FR Doc 04-24807
[Federal Register: November 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 215)]
[Notices] [Page 64792-64794] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08no04-97]
Issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License, Proposed No
Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity
for a Hearing The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility
Operating License No. DPR-64 issued to Entergy Nuclear
Operations, Inc., (the licensee) for operation of the Indian
Point Nuclear Generating Unit No. 3, located in Westchester
County, New York.
The proposed amendment would revise Technical Specification (TS)
3.7.11, ``Control Room Ventilation System (CRVS),'' to add a note
in limiting condition for operation (LCO) 3.7.11 and surveillance
requirement (SR) 3.7.11.4 to allow, on a one-time basis, the
placement of the CRVS in an alternate configuration to support
tracer gas testing. The one-time allowance was proposed for the
remaining period of the current operating cycle 13. The proposed
amendment would also allow self-contained breathing apparatus and
potassium iodide pill to be used as compensatory measures for the
control room operators in the event that the tracer gas test
results are not bounded by the dose consequence evaluations for
the test.
Before issuance of the proposed license amendment, the Commission
will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's regulations.
The Commission has made a proposed determination that the
amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration.
Under the Commission's regulations in Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), section 50.92, this means that
operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed
amendment would not (1) involve a significant increase in the
probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated;
or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of
accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a
significant reduction in a margin of safety. As required by 10
CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its analysis of the issue
of no significant hazards consideration, which is presented
below: 1. Does the proposed change involve a significant increase
in the probability or consequences of an accident previously
evaluated? Response: No.
The proposed change involves a modification to the design and
operation of the control room ventilation system (CRVS). The
primary effect of the proposed modification is an increase in the
flow rate of filtered outside air into the control room. Industry
experience and analyses indicate that this change will tend to
reduce the amount of unfiltered outside air migrating through the
control room envelope. The proposed change also establishes
compensatory measures that could be invoked in the event that a
measurement of unfiltered inleakage indicates the dose analysis
assumptions are not bounding. Neither of these proposed changes
is related to accident initiators so that the probability of a
previously evaluated accident is not affected. The scope of
previously evaluated accidents includes the dose consequences to
control room operators. Dose consequence analyses have been
updated, using existing dose acceptance criteria based on 10 CFR
[Part] 50, Appendix A, GDC [General Design Criterion]--19, to
reflect the proposed modification of the CRVS. In addition,
establishing compensatory measures available to control room
operators, provides further [assurance] that the dose
consequences of previously evaluated accidents meet existing
limits.
Therefore the proposed changes do not involve a significant
increase in the probability or consequences of an accident
previously evaluated.
2. Does the proposed change create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated? Response: No.
There are no new accident precursors being created by the
proposed modification of the CRVS or by establishing compensatory
measures that could be used if unfiltered inleakage through the
control room envelope is higher than assumed in dose consequence
analyses. The CRVS will continue to function as required to
provide protection to the control room operators and the
availability of compensatory measures provides further assurance
that dose limits will be met.
Therefore, the proposed changes described in this license
amendment request will not create the possibility of a new or
different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated.
3. Does the proposed change involve a significant reduction in a
margin of safety? Response: No.
The existing dose limits established in 10 CFR [Part] 50,
Appendix A, GDC 19 for control room operators are being
maintained. Dose consequence analyses have been prepared that
account for the proposed new configuration of the CRVS and a
limit for unfiltered inleakage has been established as an
acceptance criterion for the performance of tracer gas testing.
In the event that tracer gas test results conclude that
additional measures are needed for the control room envelope,
compensatory measures are available to provide further assurance
that dose limits will be met.
[[Page 64793]] Therefore, the proposed changes described in this
license amendment request will not involve a significant
reduction in [a] margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR
50.92(c) are satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to
determine that the amendment request involves no significant
hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received within 30 days after the
date of publication of this notice will be considered in making
any final determination.
Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this
notice. The Commission may issue the license amendment before
expiration of the 60- day period provided that its final
determination is that the amendment involves no significant
hazards consideration. In addition, the Commission may issue the
amendment prior to the expiration of the 30- day comment period
should circumstances change during the 30-day comment period such
that failure to act in a timely way would result, for example in
derating or shutdown of the facility. Should the Commission take
action prior to the expiration of either the comment period or
the notice period, it will publish in the Federal Register a
notice of issuance. Should the Commission make a final No
Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, any hearing will
take place after issuance. The Commission expects that the need
to take this action will occur very infrequently.
Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Chief, Rules and
Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and page
number of this Federal Register notice. Written comments may also
be delivered to Room 6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal
workdays. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at
the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North,
Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor),
Rockville, Maryland.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to
intervene is discussed below.
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, the
licensee may file a request for a hearing with respect to
issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating
license and any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the
proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene. Requests for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with
the Commission's ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing
Proceedings'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult
a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the
Commission's PDR, located at One White Flint North, Public File
Area 01F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible from the
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS)
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web
site, http://www.nrc.gov/
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/]
reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/.(Note: Public access to ADAMS has
been temporarily suspended so that security reviews of publicly
available documents may be performed and potentially sensitive
information removed. Please check the NRC Web site for updates on
the resumption of ADAMS access.) If a request for a hearing or
petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the
Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or
by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition;
and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an
appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner
in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the
results of the proceeding. The petition should specifically
explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with
particular reference to the following general requirements: (1)
The name, address and telephone number of the requestor or
petitioner; (2) the nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right
under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (3) the
nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's property,
financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the
possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in
the proceeding on the 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 provide a brief explanation of the
bases for the contention and a concise statement of the alleged
facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which
the petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the
hearing. The petitioner/requestor must also provide references to
those specific sources and documents of which the petitioner is
aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish
those facts or expert opinion. The petition must include
sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with
the applicant on a material issue of law or fact. Contentions
shall be limited to matters within the scope of the amendment
under consideration. The contention must be one which, if proven,
would entitle the petitioner to relief. A petitioner/requestor
who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least
one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to
intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the
conduct of the hearing.
If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final
determination on the issue of no significant hazards
consideration. The final determination will serve to decide when
the hearing is held. If the final determination is that the
amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration,
the Commission may issue the amendment and make it immediately
effective, notwithstanding the request for a hearing. Any hearing
held would take place after issuance of the amendment. If the
final determination is that the amendment request involves a
significant hazards consideration, any hearing held would take
place before the issuance of any amendment.
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:
[[Page 64794]] (1) First class mail addressed to the Office of
the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555- 0001, Attention: Rulemaking and
Adjudications Staff; (2) courier, express mail, and expedited
delivery services: Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One
White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland,
20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (3) e-mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, hearingdocket@nrc.gov [hearingdocket@nrc.gov] ; or
(4) facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC,
Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at (301) 415-1101,
verification number is (301) 415-1966. A copy of the request for
hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent
to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that
copies be transmitted either by means of facsimile transmission
to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov
[OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov] . A copy of the request for hearing and
petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to Mr. John
Fulton, Assistant General Counsel, Entergy Nuclear Operations,
Inc., 440 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601, attorney for
the licensee.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendment dated October 26, 2004, which is
available for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located
at One White Flint North, File Public Area O1 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly
available records will be accessible from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public
Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site,
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html]
. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should
contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at
1-800-397-4209, (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov [ pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this
2nd day of November 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick D. Milano, Senior Project Manager, Section I, Project
Directorate I, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-24807 Filed 11-5-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
18 AP Wire: TVA nuclear cleanup fund grows 44 percent
| 11/08/2004 |
Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - A Tennessee Valley Authority fund to pay for
shutting down and cleaning up its three nuclear plants has grown
by more than 44 percent since 2002 thanks to a rebounding stock
market.
The nation's largest public utility reports the fund reached $720
million on Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 2004. That's up $221
million from the $499 million fund balance at the same time two
years earlier at the depth of the market downturn.
"We've averaged better than a 20 percent annual rate of return in
our investments over the past two years," said John Hoskins,
senior vice president and treasurer for TVA.
"We're not back to where we were in 2000, but over the long term
we recognize that investing in stocks tends to yield the best
long-term returns."
TVA estimates it will need more than $2.4 billion to decommission
its Watts Bar and Sequoyah stations in Tennessee and its Browns
Ferry station in Alabama.
That liability is nearly four times more than what TVA now has
reserved, though the utility is optimistic the fund will reach
its goal by the time the money is needed.
TVA, which provides electricity to about 8.5 million consumers in
Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia,
North Carolina and Virginia, receives no tax dollars. With a $7
billion budget, the utility operates exclusively on revenues from
power production.
Its Browns Ferry station is now licensed until 2016, but TVA has
applied for a 20-year extension from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. The Sequoyah plant is licensed to 2021 and Watts Bar
to 2035. License extensions for Sequoyah also are expected to be
sought.
Last week, the NRC granted extensions to two nuclear plants in
Illinois, bringing the number of U.S. reactors with extensions to
30.
If TVA gets the extension for Browns Ferry, Hoskins said the
federal utility would need only $589 million now in its cleanup
fund.
"The estimated liability costs of decommissioning these plants
has gone up, but our fund balance has grown much faster," Hoskins
said.
"Given the relatively long time horizon before we expect to shut
down these reactors, these funds will continue to grow and should
be more than adequate to meet our future obligations."
TVA first set aside $100 million for the cleanup fund in 1986.
The balance soared with the stock market through the 1990s, but
dropped by $230 million, or nearly 30 percent, during 2001 and
2002.
In its last report to the NRC two years ago, TVA estimated the
fund then at $385 million. The next biennial report due in March
will reflect the $720 million balance.
"We just want to make sure there is sufficient money to clean up
these plants and not be dependent solely upon the owner of the
plant at the time it ultimately shuts down," said Michael
Dusaniwskyj, an NRC economist who oversees the funds.
"TVA and other utilities each identified ways that they would
meet these obligations," he said.
The Department of Energy maintains a separate fund from taxes on
nuclear power generation to pay for long-term storage of highly
radioactive spent fuel rods.
*****************************************************************
19 UPI: Nuclear safety conference opens -
(United Press International)
November 08, 2004
Sydney, Australia, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Ministers from 30
Asian-Pacific nations meeting Monday in Sydney, Australia, were
told the new phenomenon of nuclear terrorism is a race against
time.
The warning came from the keynote speaker at the first day of the
two-day conference, the International Atomic Energy Agency
Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. He told the senior ministers
he is concerned the world is unprepared for nuclear terrorism,
the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
ElBaradei said two core themes must be preventing the theft of
nuclear material and making sure all nuclear materials are used
peacefully.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told the conference
nuclear security is at the core of every country's national
interests, the ABC reported. Downer said regional cooperation is
vital, since nuclear security cannot be achieved in isolation.
[UPI Perspectives]
*****************************************************************
20 Idaho Statesman: Downwinders make plea for simple justice
Dan Popkey - The
11-08-2004
[http://www.idahostatesman.com
Dianna Babbitt testifies about the death of her husband, Lonnie,
who died from brain cancer in 1984, as Babbit's daughters
Crystal Banning, left, and Corina Arnell hold family
photographs. Representatives from the National Academy of
Sciences listened to testimony from Idaho downwinders, their
families and experts on Saturday at Boise State. Read about the
testimony of the Babbitt family and other Idaho downwinders on
Main 5.
Three National Academy of Sciences staff members were in Boise
and listened to Idaho downwinders Saturday. NAS is preparing a
report for Congress on whether to expand a federal compensation
plan for downwinders to other areas, including Idaho. Staff
members recorded testimony and will make the audio record
available to members of the committee who did not attend. The $1
million NAS report is funded by Congress.
To submit written testimony to the National Academy of Sciences,
write the NAS Board on Radiation Effects Research at 500 5th St.,
N.W., Washington, DC 20001.
Photos by Joe Jaszewski / The Idaho Statesman
From left, Rep. Mike Simpson, Sen. Larry Craig and Sen. Mike
Crapo listen to Idaho's downwinders, family members and experts
on Saturday at Boise State University. Rep. Butch Otter was also
in attendance. Related Stories
+ Downwinders describe pain, loss and memories of happier days
[dpopkey@idahostatesman.com]
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 11-07-2004
Idahoans with the courage to speak even when their voices have
been stolen by cancer are finally being heard.
After a full day of testimony Saturday, I can't help but believe
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and our congressional delegation will
repair a 14-year injustice and convince Congress to add Idaho
downwinders to the compensation plan for victims of nuclear-bomb
testing.
Our downwinders arrived at Boise State in wheelchairs, leaning
on canes and pushing walkers at the National Academy of Sciences
hearing. They wore hats to cover heads balded by chemotherapy.
Ilene Hoisington was among the 75 people from across the state
who asked the NAS to recommend that the 1990 Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act be expanded to Idaho. She held an electronic
device to her throat, which amplifies her voice because she lost
her larynx to cancer. Hoisington, 71, of Twin Falls, has buried
two sons because of cancer and is now watching her sister,
withered to 80 pounds, die of lung cancer.
Hoisington is grateful to be alive. She still works and bowls
twice a week. "There are people worse off than me," Hoisington
told the NAS Board on Radiation Effects Research. "I feel
thankful I'm able to do what I do. But it has been a rough old
row to hoe."
On the strength of science and anecdotal testimony, Congress
passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990 and
expanded it in 2000. Lawmakers acted, said the House Judiciary
Committee in 2000, "because of the personal testimonies of the
hundreds of victims themselves."
Saturday's testimony, combined with more than 500 written
comments received from Idaho since this summer, is doing the
trick.
Sen. Larry Craig, who like his three colleagues stayed for the
entire seven-hour hearing, did not press Idaho's case when the
law was expanded in 2000. Saturday, he seemed a convert, telling
Gary Riggs who grew up in Emmett during the lunch break that
he has ambitious plans.
Four Idaho counties Gem, Custer, Blaine and Lehmi have
gotten most of the attention. But Craig told Riggs he wants to
look at RECA covering more than the four counties that were
among the top five in the nation for exposure to radioactive
iodine-131.
"I've never believed it was just Gem, Custer, Lemhi and Blaine,"
Craig said. "I believe it's much broader than that. This study,
when it's completed, will give us a great deal of strength."
Strength was amply displayed Saturday. Speaker after speaker
told heart-rending stories of still-births, lost parents,
siblings taken in the bloom of youth.
One man read a poem. Others showed photographs of lost loved
ones. JoEtta Abo gave the NAS framed photographs of cloud
formations in the shape of a broken heart and the face of a
child. "I ask that you make it clear that we want a government
that stands for truth," she said.
While a few let their anger and frustration out, they kept the
focus on winning compensation for Idaho. They reminded the
scientists and policy-makers that they represent ordinary
citizens who work hard, love their families and made this place.
They spoke of living simple, wholesome lives in rural Idaho,
drinking raw milk, eating fresh produce, canning and freezing,
gobbling the fruit they were getting paid to pick as kids. They
didn't know, of course, that consumption would be linked to
cancer.
Janet Tomita, who grew up in Salmon, told the story of "The
List," an accounting of 73 people who attended Salmon High
School in the 1950s and '60s who have suffered cancer or
auto-immune diseases.
"They are no longer being strong and silent but have asked that
I be their voice to say that Idaho deserves to be compensated by
RECA for the injustice that has been done to them," Tomita said.
Saturday was Katie Klein's 26th birthday. She is the daughter of
Sheri Garmon, the former Emmett woman who played a key role in
reviving the RECA debate in Idaho and bringing the NAS to Boise.
"Cancer affects more than my mom," Klein said. "It affects our
family, her friends, her employer and me, her only child. And I
have to wonder if this is the last birthday I will have with my
mother. I have to wonder if my mother will be able to attend my
graduation, wedding, or be able to see the day our Idaho
senators support and include Idaho victims."
June Eiguren, who lived in Gem County, is a breast cancer
survivor who lost her husband to liver and colon cancer in 1978.
She taught her four children to take responsibility for their
mistakes and said, "I expect no less from my government."
Sheri Mohr grew up in Valley County, feeding her cats from the
teats of the family's cows. She has long wondered what she did
to cause her cancer. "After today," she said, "I realize it
probably wasn't me or us. It was done to us."
Grace Jenkins lived in Payette and also wants an apology from
the government. "I would like to know that is wasn't my fault."
Margaret Satterlee grew up in Bellevue. When she was 11, she
watched her teenage sister, Rose, die of ovarian cancer.
Satterlee has had three tumors removed, one as big as a
watermelon, one as large as a grapefruit and the last enough to
keep her from having children.
She's hopeful Idaho leaders will now take up the cause of
downwinders. "Our congressional delegation let us down at first,
but I'm glad that you are finally here now," she told them.
Tom Linville's family lived all over Southwest Idaho and has
been ravaged by disease. He looked Craig in the eye and said
he's confident things can be made right. "I ask that you use
your influence and power. I think you're an effective
legislator, and when you believe in something, I think you can
make it happen."
Kenneth Peterson, who lost his dad, a brother, a sister and a
daughter to brain cancer, also has hope.
"My brother Calvin and myself are the only two left alive,"
Peterson said. "I've been through a lot of heck and I'm sure our
politicians are going to do all they can to help us."
After what they heard on Saturday, so do I.
[http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/] |
*****************************************************************
21 Honolulu Advertiser: Harbor installing radiation detector
[http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/]
November 8, 2004
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
A new drive-through radiation detector will be installed near
Honolulu Harbor next spring to inspect incoming foreign cargo for
signs of bombs and other illegal radioactive material, U.S.
Customs and Borders officials said.
As part of beefed-up security after the Sept. 11 attacks, the
State Harbors Division has added cargo checkpoints like this one
at Pier 1 and 2 staffed by private security agencies. Richard
Ambo The Honolulu Advertiser
The device, a radiation portal monitor, is the latest post-Sept.
11 effort to guard the harbor against possible terrorist
activity, said Harley Carter, assistant Honolulu port director
for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.
The Honolulu machine, to be located near Pier 1, is one of 1,500
such monitors being installed at ports, land borders and
commercial facilities across the country at a cost of about $500
million.
"When it's in place, we'll be able to monitor virtually all the
international cargo arriving in Hawai'i," Carter said.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, security officials here and
elsewhere have worried that terrorists could use container
shipments to hide nuclear material to make a "dirty bomb" or
conceal an actual nuclear device. An explosion of such a device
near Honolulu Harbor, which handles 95 percent of all goods
arriving in the state, would cripple the island's economy, they
say.
Hawai'i imports more than $3 billion in foreign cargo a year.
Most of it arrives through Pier 1 near downtown Honolulu. On
rare occasions when international cargo arrives through piers on
Sand Island, customs officials will use smaller, portable
monitors for inspection.
The monitor, which costs between $150,000 and $200,000 and looks
like an oversized version of the walk-through metal detectors
familiar to airline passengers, will scan containers for
different kinds of radioactive material and issue an alert when
anything is found.
If no radioactivity is noticed, the truck will be able to
continue on its way in a matter of seconds. If an alert is
issued, the truck will be moved to a nearby spot for closer
inspection.
Homeland Security officials around the country have been under
fire for the slow pace at which they've moved to protect ports
and harbors, while airport security was tightened immediately in
the wake of Sept. 11. The problem even became an issue in the
presidential race, with Sen. John Kerry criticizing the Bush
administration for what Kerry says is the small amount of
incoming cargo inspected at American ports.
"We're moving as quickly as we can with the current funding,"
Todd Hoffman, a Customs and Border Protection official, told
members of Congress earlier this year.
Carter said planning for the Honolulu monitor began in April
with customs officials working with state and private
transportation officials to identify the best location and uses
of the machine.
Until next spring's installation, port inspectors will continue
to use pager-sized radiation detectors and hand-held isotope
identifiers to scan cargo.
"They're so sensitive that they can even tell if you have just
had a medical test involving radiation," he said.
The Bureau of Customs and Borders Protection has more than 100
inspectors overseeing more than 12,000 containers that arrive
here annually from foreign ports. Domestic cargo is screened at
its Mainland point of departure and will not have to go through
the radiation portal here.
So far, no illegal radioactive material has been discovered in
Honolulu, Carter said. Most of what has been found turns out to
be either medical or industrial waste with low levels of
radioactivity. Some natural products, including bananas, also
can set off the radiation detectors.
Unlike an X-ray machine, the new portal emits no radiation.
Instead it works more like a geiger counter, providing only a
radiation reading.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or
[mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com] .
COPYRIGHT 2004 The Honolulu Advertiser
*****************************************************************
22 [NukeNet] Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 15:34:35 -0800
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041107/wl_afp/france_germany_nuclear
Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) - An anti-nuclear protester died in
northeastern France after being run over by a train carrying nuclear
waste from France to Germany, regional authorities said.
The 21-year-old man, who had chained himself to the railway near the
city of Nancy, lost a leg after he was crushed by the train and died
despite receiving emergency treatment at the scene.
The authorities said the accident happened in the early afternoon in
the town of Avricourt after a group of eight people gathered near
the main Paris to Strasbourg line, on which the nuclear transport
train was travelling.
"After coming out of a corner at reduced speed, the train was
apparently confronted with the group, which moved out of the way
with the exception of one person, who was hit," a police statement
said.
"Despite the arrival of the emergency services at the scene, the
young man died of his injuries," the statement said.
The police did not reveal the man's identity, but said he was aged
21, was "probably" from the Meuse region in eastern France and was
part of a group of activists.
Nancy state prosecutor Michel Senthille said that one of the man's
legs had been cut off in the incident, contradicting an earlier
statement by the regional authorities who had said that both the
man's legs had been sectioned.
Earlier the train, which was carrying treated nuclear waste from the
French plant at La Hague to Gorleben in northern Germany, was
delayed for two hours near Nancy as police removed two protestors
who had also chained themselves to the railway lines.
Senthille said that the man who died was not thought to have had
links with this group.
The train, which left the retreatment plant at La Hague on Saturday
evening, crossed on to German soil at 8:35 pm (1935GMT) Sunday,
almost exactly 24 hours later.
It carries 12 containers of spent fuel and is the seventh such
consignment to be sent back to Germany since 1996.
A member of protest group Nuclear Out, Gilbert Poirot, said about a
dozen protesters had been involved, all of them French nationals.
"It appears that the demonstrators had not put in place safety
measures destined to warn the convoy of their presence," he said.
The German Greens Party, which forms part of the German governing
coalition, said it was stunned by the death of the demonstrator.
"We deeply regret this tragic death," a spokesman said, adding that
he expected a thorough investigation be carried out into the
incident.
It called on demonstrators not to risk their lives, an appeal echoed
by another anti-nuclear group.
At Hitzacker, 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Gorleben, several
hundred people gathered with candles and lanterns in a spontaneous
tribute to the dead man.
A spokesman from French nuclear energy firm COGEMA, which manages La
Hague nuclear plant said the incident was "a tragedy" and that
officials organising the convoy had been "extremely shocked".
On Saturday thousands of anti-nuclear protestors had gathered in
northern Germany to protest at the imminent arrival of the shipment.
After demonstrating in Danneberg market square on Saturday,
protestors gathered at the railway station and also temporarily
blocked the tracks to be used by the train.
>From Dannenberg the consignment will be taken by road to Gorleben.
Anti-nuclear and environmental campaigners say the shipments are
dangerous and that the waste will contaminate the water table at
Gorleben.
Germany, which has no treatment facilities of its own, sends spent
fuel rods for reprocessing at the La Hague plant before they are
returned here for storage.
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings at:
http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
*****************************************************************
23 [NYTr] Activists Mourn anti-Nuke Demonstrator Killed by Train
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:07:03 -0600 (CST)
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com
Anti Nuclear Movement in Mourning for French Activist Killed by Train
Paris, Nov 8 (Prensa Latina) France-Germany antinuclear movement is in
mourning today for the death of a French activist, who was run over by a
train carrying atomic waste between the two countries.
Greenpeace ecological organization agreed Monday was a sad day for
antinuclear activists and the whole world, due to the death of a
21-year-old demonstrator, who chained himself to the railroad track.
The incident took place in Avricuourt locality, north of France, when
the train carrying atomic waste didn't stop and cut off the legs of the
young man, who died shortly after.
This dramatic incident has kindled the wrath of local residents over the
danger of nuclear opacity in France, forcing them to protest.
sus/ajs/bts
*
Search the NYTr Archives at:
http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
To subscribe or unsubscribe or change your settings via the web, visit:
http://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012
http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org
=================================================================
*****************************************************************
24 Las Vegas SUN: Nuclear Waste Shipment Nears German Site
By JUERGEN VOGES ASSOCIATED PRESS
DANNENBERG, Germany (AP) -
Muted protests greeted a train carrying radioactive waste as it
neared a disputed storage site in northern Germany on Monday, a
day after an anti-nuclear demonstrator was run over and killed
by the convoy in France.
Thousands of police guarded the final stretch of the route to a
rail terminal in Dannenberg, southeast of Hamburg.
About 200 demonstrators staged a brief sit-in on the tracks just
outside the town before being cleared away. Anti-nuclear
activists earlier strayed onto the line near the city of
Goettingen, forcing the train to halt as a precaution.
At Dannenberg, the waste was to be loaded onto trucks for the
last 12 miles of its journey to the Gorleben storage site. It
was expected to complete the trip early Tuesday.
Nearly 60 tractors - flying black ribbons as a sign of mourning
for the young Frenchman killed in Sunday's accident - blocked
the two roads from Dannenberg to Gorleben on Monday.
Sebastien Briat, 21, died on the way to a hospital after his leg
was severed by the train near Avricourt in eastern France. He
had been trying to chain himself to the tracks as part of a
protest.
Residents and their supporters "have decided to continue to make
their resistance clear," said Dieter Metk, spokesman for a local
group opposing the shipments. "We won't send any signal that
we're giving up here."
Germany's environment minister expressed "dismay" at the death.
He called for a thorough investigation and urged protesters to
take care.
"No aim justifies risking your life or health or that of
others," Juergen Trittin said.
Activists argue that neither the waste containers nor the
Gorleben site - currently a temporary storage facility - are
safe. The waste is stored in a warehouse near a disused salt
mine that an earlier government decided was suitable as a
permanent underground storage site.
Spent fuel from Germany's nuclear power plants is sent to France
and Britain for reprocessing under contracts that oblige Germany
to take back the waste. The latest shipment left a reprocessing
plant at La Hague in northwestern France on Saturday.
Shipments to Gorleben in recent years have often led to clashes
between thousands of demonstrators and police.
The protest movement has faded somewhat since the German
government embarked last year on plans to phase out nuclear
power, but activists complain that the two-decade timetable for
closing Germany's 19 nuclear plants is too slow.
--
*****************************************************************
25 Bellona: Armenia strengthens control over radioactive material export-import
This decision followed the smuggling attempt of cesium-137 in
October.
2004-11-08 15:35
The Armenian government approved the licensing order of the
radioactive materials, RIA-Novosti reported. The new order should
prevent illegal shipment of the materials and equipment
containing radioactive materials and protect the population from
the hazardous irradiation.
In October Armenian authorities had arrested a man found with
radioactive cesium-137 in the trunk of his car. The highly toxic
material, which could contaminate large areas if used in a "dirty
bomb", was found on Friday and "rendered harmless", Ashot
Martirosian, chief of the State Atomic Oversight department, said
to AP. Yerevan resident Gagik Tovmasian was arrested on charges
of illegal trade in radioactive materials, Mr Martirosian said.
It was unclear how the man obtained the material but there were
various sources in Armenia, a small former Soviet republic in the
Caucasus Mountains, Mr Martirosian said. Various industries use
cesium-137 in density gauges and for machine calibration. Devices
containing cesium-137 can cause serious radiation exposure if
broken and held. Depending on the amount and form, experts say a
dirty bomb made with cesium-137 could spread intense
radioactivity over a section of a city, making it uninhabitable.
In February, Mr Martirosian said a powerful source of radiation
was found on the Armenian-Iranian border among scrap metal headed
for Iran, AP reported.
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
*****************************************************************
26 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: No surrender on Yucca
LAS VEGAS SUN
It would be wrong to assume that because President Bush carried
Nevada by more than 21,000 votes that Yucca Mountain is no
longer a central issue here. For more than 20 years, Nevadans
have fought against the federal government's unsafe proposal to
turn Yucca Mountain in Southern Nevada into the nation's
repository for high-level nuclear waste.
And the fight continues. In a state-funded survey of Nevadans
conducted last month, nearly 73 percent of the respondents said
the state should continue its legal battle.
This may at first sound paradoxical. President Bush strongly
supports Yucca Mountain. And Sen. John Kerry strongly opposed
it. So why did a majority of Nevadans support Bush?
The answer is that, for a majority Nevadans, Yucca Mountain
wasn't the priority in the national election. A poll partially
funded by this newspaper before the election showed that while
most Nevadans oppose Yucca Mountain, just 5 percent thought it
was the most important issue in electing a president. As
subsequent polls have found, terrorism and moral values were
uppermost in the minds of voters in deciding whether to vote for
Bush or Kerry.
We agree with the 73 percent in the state's survey who felt
that Nevada should continue its fight against Yucca Mountain. A
federal court decision earlier this year gave us a winning shot.
It ruled that the Energy Department had deviated from a National
Academy of Sciences recommendation about the length of time the
mountain should protect against radiation. It's not likely the
mountain could be built to the recommended standard, meaning
Nevada has a strong argument that should not be abandoned -- no
matter how some people might try to interpret the vote on
Election Day.
*****************************************************************
27 NRC: Meeting Postponement: USEC American Centrifuge Plant
FR Doc 04-24805
[Federal Register: November 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 215)]
[Notices] [Page 64794] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08no04-98]
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
ACTION: Meeting postponement.
SUMMARY: The NRC is postponing the public scoping meeting for the
proposed USEC Inc. American Centrifuge Plant that was to be held
on November 15, 2004. The original meeting announcement appeared
in the Federal Register on October 15, 2004 (69 FR 61268).
On October 25, 2004, the NRC initiated an additional security
review, by agency experts, of publicly available documents to
ensure that potentially sensitive information is removed from the
agency Web site. During this review, ADAMS, the NRC's on-line
document library, will be temporarily unavailable to the public.
This meeting postponement is appropriate to allow members of the
public adequate access to USEC Inc.'s license application and
environmental report before the scoping meeting. After the
documents related to this application are made publically
available the NRC will announce a new meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general or technical
information associated with the license review of the USEC Inc.,
application, please contact Yawar Faraz at (301) 415-8113. For
general information on the NRC NEPA process, or the environmental
review process related to the USEC Inc. application, please
contact Matthew Blevins at (301) 415- 7684.
Signed in Rockville, MD, this 2nd day of November, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
B. Jennifer Davis, Chief, Environmental and Low-Level Waste
Section, Division of Waste Management and Environmental
Protection, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 04-24805 Filed 11-5-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more
information go to:
*****************************************************************