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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 [du-list] UK troops in Iraq face new court threat
2 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Passes Milder Iran Nuke Resolution
3 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Agrees on Plan to Police Iran Nukes
4 Guardian Unlimited: White House Awaits Proof on Iran Promises
5 BBC: US keeps nuclear pressure on Iran
6 BBC: US thwarted over Iran
7 Xinhuanet: Iran avoids referral of nuclear issue to UN -
8 People's Daily: China hopes to solve Iran's nuclear issue properly
9 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Delegate Casts Doubt on Nuke Freeze
10 Korea Times: Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo to Work for Progress in Nuke Talk
11 Korea Times: 4th IAEA Probe Due Next Week
12 Guardian Unlimited: Nuclear Inspectors to Return to South Korea
13 US: C&EN: Budget Bump
14 Hindu News: Russia tests new anti-ballistic missile system - report
15 Interfax: Moscow approves draft agreement on atomic energy cooperati
16 FT.com: UN to issue alert over spread of nuclear arms
17 Haaretz: Either war, or the bomb
18 Hindu News: Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile
19 Xinhuanet: Pakistan's nuclear program best guarantee of peace - PM
NUCLEAR REACTORS
20 US: Hydrogen, Via Nuke Power, Production Method Could Bolster Fuel S
21 US: Nuclear limboland
22 Budapest Business Journal: Nuclear plant mulls waste disposal issue
23 US: NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet Dec. 2
24 US: NRC: Notice of License Renewal Application for Facility Operatin
25 US: NRC: Notice of License Renewal Application for Facility Operatin
26 US: NRC: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Noti
NUCLEAR SAFETY
27 [du-list] REGENERATION - the horror of war!
28 US: [du-list] FOIAR for depleted uranium combustion products and
29 Scotsman.com News: Plutonium Worker Tests 'Show 4% Contamination'
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
30 UN Watchdog Voices Serious Concern At Uranium Enrichment In Republic
31 Las Vegas SUN: Letter: Dangers of Yucca dump cannot be underestimate
32 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca standard won't be appealed
33 RGJ: Reid now the face of Senate Democrats
34 US: AS: Federal Tests Confirm Nationwide Rocket Fuel Contamination o
35 US: MSNBC: Radioactive fallout puts city on EPA collection list
36 KLAS: Ruling Could Require DOE to Redesign YMP
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
37 [du-list] centrifuge
38 lamonitor.com: An analysis: Safety at Los Alamos National Laboratory
39 DOE: DOE Notification That an Additional 45-Days Is Needed To Develo
OTHER NUCLEAR
40 [du-list] DU in the News - 30th Nov. '04
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 [du-list] UK troops in Iraq face new court threat
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:04:29 -0800
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=587572
UK troops in Iraq face new court threat
By Severin Carrell
28 November 2004
The Government has suffered a legal setback after a European court ruling
that could see British soldiers taken to court over the deaths of Iraqi
civilians in Basra.
In a landmark judgment, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that
European troops who are in control of a foreign country can be prosecuted
under human rights law for breaching the civil rights of local people.
It comes days before the High Court in London is due to rule on a case
involving the death of the hotel receptionist Baha Mousa and more than 30
other Iraqis who were allegedly killed, tortured or ill-treated by British
troops after last year's war. That case hinges on claims that British
forces in Iraq are bound by the Human Rights Act and the European
Convention on Human Rights even outside Europe - the same issue at the
centre of the ruling by the court in Strasbourg 12 days ago.
In a further embarrassment for ministers, it emerged yesterday that the
United Nations Committee against Torture has accused Britain of failing to
properly apply the UN Convention against Torture in its operations in Iraq.
The committee, which also criticised Britain's detention of foreign terror
suspects at Belmarsh Prison, south-east London, said the UK was wrong to
claim that the UN convention did not apply to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Adam Price, the Plaid Cymru MP who has raised alleged abuse in Parliament,
said the Strasbourg ruling was "a very, very important and dramatic
development" that had "major implications" for future peacekeeping operations.
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2 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Passes Milder Iran Nuke Resolution
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Monday November 29, 2004 4:46 PM
AP Photo VIE140 By GEORGE JAHN Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency passed a
toned-down resolution Monday on policing Iran's commitment to
freeze all programs linked to uranium enrichment in an effort to
defuse a dispute that had threatened to go to the Security
Council.
However, confusion over what the freeze encompassed appeared to
give Iran loopholes in interpreting its commitments. The vote by
the International Atomic Energy Agency board came after a senior
Iranian official seemed to cast doubt on his country's latest
commitment to a total suspension of nuclear activities capable of
producing weapons-grade uranium.
The United States, which maintains Iran is trying to make nuclear
arms, accused Tehran of representing a ``growing threat to peace
and security'' and said that if it failed to find international
consensus to have Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council, it
could do it itself.
At issue is whether Iran has promised not to operate any of its
centrifuges that spin gas into uranium for fuel or for use in
nuclear weapons. European nations say Iran agreed not to operate
any centrifuges at all, but Iran has said it wanted to use 20
centrifuges for research purposes.
Diplomats from the European Union and elsewhere said the Iranian
commitment - sent by letter to the IAEA in Vienna on Sunday -
fulfilled demands that Tehran include centrifuges in its total
suspension of uranium-enrichment programs.
The letter commits Tehran ``not to conduct any testing with these
sets of components,'' IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said Monday,
quoting excerpts.
Hossein Mousavian, the chief Iranian delegate to the meeting,
told reporters: ``We (only) said there would no testing.''
``Definitely we are not going to introduce material or any gas''
into the centrifuges, he added, declining to answer whether
Iran's understanding of a freeze matched that of international
demands that the devices be left at a complete standstill.
France, Germany and Britain, who negotiated a Nov. 7 agreement
with Iran on suspension, went into the IAEA board meeting last
week saying full suspension meant that all equipment used for
uranium enrichment must not be used. That full suspension would
be in effect while the two sides discuss a pact meant to provide
Iran with EU technical and economic aid and other concessions.
Those talks are set for mid-December.
Delegates and other diplomats with nuclear expertise agreed
Mousavian's remarks did not meet the European definition of
suspension.
But they suggested the comments were meant to ease fears among
Iranian hard-liners that Tehran gave up too much in exchange for
a softly worded resolution on policing its commitment. They said
they still believed Iran would not run any centrifuges during the
suspension.
In Tehran, government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said Iran
had agreed not to test any centrifuges ``for now.''
In return, France, Germany and Britain accepted Iran's demand to
further water down a draft resolution on policing the suspension
- a text adopted Monday afternoon by the IAEA board. It included
an extra phrase insisted on by the Iranians emphasizing that
suspension is not a legal or binding obligation on Tehran's part.
The United States - which has labeled Iran part of an ``axis of
evil'' with North Korea and prewar Iraq and wants it referred to
the Security Council for allegedly violating the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty - was unhappy with the resolution.
Listing a series of open questions about Iran's past nuclear
activities, which only became public about two years ago, chief
U.S. delegate Jackie Sanders told the meeting Tehran could not be
trusted.
``We believe Iran's nuclear weapons program poses a growing
threat to international peace and security,'' she said.
``Any member of the United Nations may bring to the attention of
the Security Council any situation that might endanger the
maintenance of international peace and security,'' she said,
alluding to the possibility of a unilateral U.S. push to refer
Iran to the Council.
Under the European agreement, the 20 centrifuges Iran had
previously wanted exempted would not be placed under IAEA seals
but monitored by cameras.
IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei evaded questions on whether the
commitment not to test was enough, telling reporters only that
the centrifuges were not operating presently and ``we clearly
would report to the board should there be any change of status.''
The proposed deal also commits Iran to a pledge not to reprocess
plutonium - which it would be able to do in several years' time,
once it completes work on a heavy water reactor in the city of
Arak.
With the EU deal envisaging a light-water reactor for Iran - from
which extraction of weapons-grade nuclear material is difficult -
diplomats said the Europeans hoped Iran would not complete its
heavy-water facility.
^--- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency:
http://www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Agrees on Plan to Police Iran Nukes
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Monday November 29, 2004 8:31 PM
AP Photo VIE140 By GEORGE JAHN Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The U.N. nuclear agency agreed Monday on a
plan for policing Iran's nuclear programs designed to avoid a
showdown at the United Nations. But Iran's representative
immediately raised questions about the wording of the pact, and
the United States said it retained the right to take the case to
the U.N. Security Council on its own.
U.S. chief delegate Jackie Sanders listed more than a dozen open
questions about Iran's past nuclear activities still before the
International Atomic Energy Agency, despite a nearly two-year
investigation.
``This makes it clear that the IAEA cannot ... offer the
necessary assurances that Iran is not attempting to produce
nuclear material for weapons,'' she told the agency's board of
directors.
Sanders spoke shortly after the board passed a toned-down
resolution authorizing IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei to monitor
Iran's commitment to freeze uranium enrichment activities that
can produce either low grade nuclear fuel or the raw material for
atomic weapons.
The issue of what's included in the suspension of activities had
dominated the meeting since it opened Thursday, with the Iranian
insistence on exempting some equipment forcing the meeting to
continue Monday, after a weekend adjournment.
The United States - which has labeled Iran part of an ``axis of
evil'' with North Korea and prewar Iraq - wants the Islamic
Republic referred to the Security Council, where it could face
sanctions for allegedly violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty.
``We believe Iran's nuclear weapons program poses a growing
threat to international peace and security,'' Sanders said,
alluding to the possibility of a unilateral U.S. push. ``Any
member of the United Nations may bring to the attention of the
Security Council any situation that might endanger the
maintenance of international peace and security.''
White House press secretary Scott McClellan urged vigilance,
telling reporters in Washington ``the implementation and
verification of the agreement is critical.''
France, Germany and Britain, who negotiated a Nov. 7 agreement
with Iran on the suspension, came to the meeting saying the deal
meant that all equipment used for enrichment must be at a
standstill. Iran, which insists its nuclear program is peaceful,
had demanded it be allowed to run 20 centrifuges for research.
Seeking to avoid tough measures by the board that could have led
to referral to the Security Council, Iran delivered a letter to
the agency Sunday pledging ``not to conduct any testing with
these sets of components.''
Hossein Mousavian, the chief Iranian delegate to the meeting said
the commitment meant ``we are not going to introduce material or
any gas'' into the centrifuges - a pledge that seemed to fall
short of the European demands.
Later, Iranian delegate Cyrus Nasseri appeared to move closer to
the European interpretation, telling reporters Iran ``will not''
run even empty centrifuges.
The enrichment process involves introducing uranium hexafluoride
gas into centrifuges that then spin them to low-level nuclear
fuel or highly enriched uranium used in the core of nuclear
warheads.
Delegates to the meeting - including senior diplomats with
nuclear expertise - suggested the contradictory language was
meant to ease fears among Iranian hard-liners that Tehran gave up
too much in exchange for a resolution that didn't even include an
indirect mention of possible Security Council referral.
That lack of a ``trigger mechanism'' beginning the referral
process in case of violations disappointed the United States -
which insists Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons.
The deal with the Europeans commits the Iranians to the freeze
only during negotiations with France, Germany and Britain on
economic, political and technological aid from the 25-nation
European Union. Those talks are set to start in mid-December.
But ElBaradei urged Iran to keep suspension in place as long as
possible. That, he said, was needed ``to mitigate the confidence
deficit'' in Iran, its record of past clandestine activities and
continued reluctance to fully cooperate with an agency probe of
its nuclear agenda.
The proposed deal also commits Iran to a pledge not to reprocess
plutonium - which it would be able to do in several years' time,
once it completes work on a heavy water reactor in the city of
Arak.
With the EU deal envisaging a light-water reactor for Iran - from
which extraction of weapons-grade nuclear material is difficult -
diplomats said the Europeans hoped Iran would not complete its
heavy-water facility.
--- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency,
http://www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
4 Guardian Unlimited: White House Awaits Proof on Iran Promises
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Monday November 29, 2004 10:01 PM
AP Photo VIE148 By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration agreed Monday to hold
off trying to punish Iran to give the country time to keep a
promise to freeze all programs linked to enrichment of uranium, a
key ingredient in a suspected nuclear weapons program.
``We will see, as time goes by, if they are now finally going to
comply in full,'' White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in
backing the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's acceptance of Iran's
latest pledge.
``Iran has time and time again deceived and denied, deceived the
international community,'' McClellan said.
Even while going along with the International Atomic Energy
Agency, the administration did not back away from its suspicions
about Iran's activities and pledges.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said past violations
by Iran justified having the U.N. Security Council consider
action against Tehran.
The administration tried that approach before but did not have
the votes on the council to ensure application of economic or
diplomatic sanctions. In the meantime, Britain, France and
Germany offered Iran trade and other benefits if it would stop
producing enriched uranium.
With terms still to be sealed next month, the IAEA accepted
Iran's promise on Monday, and the administration fell in line
even while accusing Iran of representing a ``growing threat to
peace and security.''
``There is a verification process in place, and we expect Iran to
fully comply with commitments,'' McClellan said.
Boucher contended Iran had given way to international pressure,
forcing it to agree to suspend enrichment of uranium to further
its nuclear weapons program.
He said the administration might have preferred that the U.N.
agency take the dispute to the Security Council. The United
States went along with the agency's decision, however, because
its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, reported that Iran was implementing
its agreement with the European countries to suspend all
processes related to enriching uranium.
It is up to the agency to continue its investigation, Boucher
said.
Robert Einhorn, of the Center for Strategic and International
Studies think tank, said the administration had adopted a
wait-and-see approach because it lacked the votes to punish Iran
in the Security Council. Additionally, he said, the
administration was going to be heavily focused on elections in
Iraq.
``It doesn't want to have a crisis over Iran at this stage,'' the
former State Department official said in an interview.
If the deal with the Europeans were to slow down Iran's
enrichment program, Einhorn said, that would be a good result,
``and the administration will not have had to get its hands dirty
by talking to Iran directly or by making concessions.''
Cliff Kupchan, vice president of the Nixon Center, said, ``The
only way out of this is a diplomatic solution. A military option
holds little promise.''
Kupchan, an Iran expert, said sanctions would not work because
China had threatened a veto in the Security Council, and a
boycott of Iranian oil stood a very small chance of approval
because of high demands for oil worldwide.
``The administration has been increasingly disposed toward giving
diplomacy a chance, which could point to a major policy change,''
Kupchan said in an interview.
``I think both sides realize the only way back from the abyss is
to find a deal both sides can live with; if uneasily, but live
with,'' he said.
^--- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency:
http://www.iaea.org/
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
5 BBC: US keeps nuclear pressure on Iran
Last Updated: Monday, 29 November, 2004
[A general view of Iran's first nuclear reactor,
being built in Bushehr]
Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful - mainly to produce
energy
The US has said it could still refer Iran to the UN Security
Council, even though nuclear inspectors said Tehran had fully
suspended uranium enrichment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said 20 disputed
centrifuges had now been included in Iran's freeze.
It passed a resolution welcoming the suspension, but containing
no threat to send Iran to the UN Security Council if it resumes
enrichment.
The White House said it maintained the right to refer Iran
unilaterally.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "The implementation
and verification of the agreement is critical."
"Iran has failed to comply with its commitments many times over
the course of the past year and a half," he added.
Concession
The US accuses Iran of planning to build nuclear weapons. Iran
denies the accusations, saying its programme will be used solely
for energy production.
Last week it had sought to have 20 centrifuges exempted from the
agreement to suspend enrichment, but dropped the demand at the
weekend.
Earlier on Monday, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said:
"We have already verified these 20 centrifuges and they are under
agency surveillance."
"We have now therefore completed our verification of Iran's
decision to suspend enrichment and reprocessing-related
activities."
The IAEA board of directors then passed the resolution welcoming
Iran's move.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Vienna says the resolution makes a key
concession to Tehran, by calling the suspension a voluntary,
confidence-building measure, that is not legally binding.
Months of wrangling
Although the resolution does not threaten to send Iran to the UN
Security Council if it resumes enrichment it is said to propose
that Mr ElBaradei "report immediately" to the board if there is
any evidence of incomplete suspension.
Over the weekend, and after months of wrangling, Tehran backed
down from its demand that some centrifuges not be included in the
freeze, saying they would not be used.
The Iranian authorities added, however, that the centrifuges
would not be sealed by the IAEA, but would instead be monitored
by cameras.
Centrifuges can be used to enrich uranium for use as fuel in
power plants or weapons.
The US has led the calls for Iran to be referred to the UN
Security Council, which could impose sanctions on Tehran.
The European Union, led by Britain, Germany and France, have been
pressing for a diplomatic solution rather than sanctions.
China, a permanent member of the Security Council with the power
of veto over its resolutions, has said it strongly opposes
referral to the council.
*****************************************************************
6 BBC: US thwarted over Iran
Last Updated: Monday, 29 November, 2004
By Jill McGivering
BBC State Department correspondent
[A general view of Iran's first nuclear reactor, being built in
Bushehr]
Iran faces the threat of sanctions if it does not halt its
nuclear plans
This latest IAEA resolution on Iran isn't the result the United
States wanted. Its own intense lobbying at successive IAEA Board
of Governors meetings has consistently recommended that the time
had come to refer Iran to the UN Security Council.
The US argument had hinged not just on Iran current activities
but also on Iran's track record of broken promises and failed
deals with the international community.
The thinking in Washington: Iran is a serious threat and enough
is enough.
European caution
But the US didn't manage to convince fellow Board members.
The so-called European Three - France, Germany and Britain - have
consistently responded by arguing that the diplomatic route
hadn't yet been exhausted and ultimately would prove more
effective than the threat or even imposition of international
sanctions.
The EU-Three have been cautious about accepting the US claim that
Iran's nuclear programme is about weapons, not about power.
The US says it has evidence to support its claim but it's hard to
verify.
After the experience of Iraq and the very public failure to find
evidence of WMDs, the US is low on credibility credit.
US isolated
With the EU-Three determined to pursue diplomacy, the US found
itself in awkward isolation.
It tried to minimise its differences with Europe by saying in
public that it supported the EU-Three negotiations and repeatedly
insisting it was in close contact with the European trio as the
talks progressed.
But it was equally clear that the US would take no part in the
process.
Some accused the US of undermining the deal by repeating its own
suspicions about Iran's sincerity in public as the negotiations
reached a delicate stage.
Perhaps it was a deliberate ploy - a strategy of good cop, bad
cop.
Or it might just be evidence of another US-European split,
evoking more painful memories of Iraq.
As news of the deal broke, the US struggled to put a brave face
on what, from a US standpoint, must have seemed disastrous news.
We
haven't sprung new fai in Iran's willingness to do this. ...the
US remains as sceptical as ever that Iran lives up to the terms
of this agreement [ src=] Richard Boucher, US State
Department spokesman
When a reporter asked the US state department
spokesman Richard Boucher about the US "losing its battle" to get
Iran referred to the UN Security Council, he was accused of
looking for the most negative aspect of the issue.
The State Department's carefully diplomatic response was that
this resolution was a positive move.
That the US case against Iran had contributed to, perhaps even
been responsible for, the stronger international focus and
pressure on Iran which had led to the resolution.
If Iran abided by the terms of the resolution, said Mr Boucher,
it would have suspended all uranium enrichment and nuclear
development programmes - which was the ultimate US aim.
Reminded of the US position that Iran's past record as well as
future behaviour also warranted referral, he agreed - it was
still the US view today that Iran should be referred, he
confirmed, even before the current deal were tested.
The scepticism about Iran in Washington is writ large.
Mr Boucher, when pressed, spelt it out: "we haven't sprung new
faith in Iran's willingness to do this", he said, adding: "the US
remains as sceptical as ever that Iran lives up to the terms of
this agreement."
Few choices for US
The problem for Washington is that although it's run out of
patience, the rest of the world hasn't.
The US doesn't believe Iran's promises. Europe is willing to give
them the benefit of the doubt.
Washington sees Iran's nuclear programme as an immediate threat
that requires prompt action.
Europe isn't convinced sticks will work better than carrots.
US officials accuse Iran of a proven pattern of brinkmanship,
arguing that Tehran buys time with last minute deals to avoid
imminent punishment but isn't sincere.
If Tehran is at a crucial stage in developing nuclear weapons,
the time it's just bought through its latest European-sponsored
deal could prove decisive.
But, however frustrated, Washington has few choices.
A unilateral referral to the UN Security Council is unlikely to
get support, especially now that a deal has already been reached.
If in the future the IAEA proves that Iran breaks its latest
commitments, the US can once again shout loudly for punitive
action.
But by then, some here argue, valuable time will have been lost,
and it may be too late.
*****************************************************************
7 Xinhuanet: Iran avoids referral of nuclear issue to UN -
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2004-11-30 05:13:28
VIENNA, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran successfully avoided
referral of its nuclear issue to the UN Security Council on
Monday, with the Board of Governors of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA)only passing toned-down resolution on
policing Tehran's commitment to freeze all programs linked to
uranium enrichment.
The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, adopted the resolution
approving Iran's week-old suspension of sensitive nuclear
activities as part of a deal with the three European Union (EU)
countries of France, Germany and Britain.
The vote by the IAEA came after a senior Iranian official
appeared to cast doubt on his country's latest commitment to a
total suspension of nuclear activities capable of producing
weapons-grade uranium.
The Iranian commitment, which was sent to the IAEA on Sunday,
fulfilled demands that Tehran include centrifuges in its total
suspension of uranium-enrichment programs.
The adoption of the resolution ends an intense week of
back-door talks as Iran's demand to exempt 20 centrifuges had
threatened to torpedo the agreement.
However, Tehran backed off on its demand and the resolution
didnot demand that the Iran be taken to the UN Security Council
for possible sanctions, as the US had wanted.
The resolution was painstaking compromise between US hardline
demands to crack down on what Washington says is a covert Iranian
nuclear weapons program and Iranian threats to stop cooperation.
It sought to give Iran credit for its enrichment suspension
butstill keep the Islamic Republic accountable to the IAEA.
The freeze and resolution were "certainly a big step forward
but it's not the end of the story," a diplomat said.
"There ware still difficult questions about Iran's enrichment
program," with Iran wanting the freeze to be temporary and the EU
seeking for it to be permanent, the diplomat added.
Early this month, Iran reached an agreement with the EU's big
three to suspend as of Nov. 22 all its uranium enrichment-related
activities, including making uranium gas and building
centrifuges.
Uranium is enriched to generate atomic power, but when it is
highly enriched can be used in a nuclear warhead.
The US accuses Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons and
has pushed the international community to take a hard line.
Iran, which insists its program is peaceful, has said that
the suspension will be brief, voluntary, and contingent on what
Europedoes next. Iranian hard-liners have accused the government
of sacrificing Iran's rights by agreeing to suspend enrichment.
Analysts say that Iran's suspension of uranium enrichment is
crucial but far from conclusive to the settlement of the nuclear
case as uncertainty remains concerning the prospects of the
country 's nuclear issue. Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
8 People's Daily: China hopes to solve Iran's nuclear issue properly
UPDATED: 08:05, November 30, 2004
China believes continued patience and joint efforts can help
properly resolve 's nuclear issue within the framework of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at an early date, a
senior Chinese diplomat said on Monday.
"China has always advocated that Iran's nuclear issue should be
resolved through consultations and dialogues within the framework
of the IAEA," said Zhang Yan, permanent representative of China
to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, at the
IAEA's Board of Governors meeting.
The settlement of Iran's nuclear issue will contribute to
strengthening the international nuclear non-proliferation regime,
safeguarding and reinforcing the IAEA's role and credibility in
the areas of international nuclear non-proliferation, Zhang said.
Besides, he said, the settlement will also contribute to assuring
the rights of all countries, including Iran, in the areas of
peaceful use of nuclear energy under strict safeguards.
Zhang said that China is prepared to work with all parties
concerned and play a constructive role in realizing the goals.
The agreement reached between Iran and the three European Union
countries of Britain, and early this month, and the resolution
adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors a while ago, has laid a
good foundation for solving Iran's nuclear issue, he added.
Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved
*****************************************************************
9 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Delegate Casts Doubt on Nuke Freeze
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Monday November 29, 2004 12:46 PM
AP Photo VAH101
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - A senior Iran delegate appeared to cast
some doubt Monday on his country's freshly delivered commitment
to a total suspension of nuclear activities that can yield
weapons-grade uranium, saying some centrifuges will operate
despite the freeze.
The comments by Hossein Mousavian to Iranian television came
just hours before the board of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency
readied to approve a resolution meant to bring an end to a
dispute that had threatened to go all the way to the U.N.
Security Council.
Diplomats, from the European Union and elsewhere, said the
commitment - sent by letter to the International Atomic Energy
Agency in Vienna on Sunday - fulfilled demands that Tehran
include centrifuges in its total suspension of
uranium-enrichment programs.
But Mousavian, the chief Iranian delegate to the meeting,
suggested otherwise, telling IRIN television: ``The centrifuge
systems would not stop and will continue to work under the full
supervision of the IAEA.''
Delegates and other diplomats with nuclear expertise suggested
the comments were meant to ease fears among hard-liners in Iran
that Tehran gave up too much in exchange for a softly worded
resolution. They said they still believed Iran would not run any
centrifuges as part of the suspension deal.
In Tehran, government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh also
appeared to endorse the deal, saying Iran had agreed not to test
any centrifuges ``for now.''
A senior diplomat familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier told The
Associated Press the Iranian pledge appeared to contain no
pitfalls and seemed to meet the European demands for full
suspension.
But it came with strings attached, with France, Germany and
Britain accepting an Iranian demand to further water down the
language of a draft resolution they wrote for adoption by the
board of the IAEA on ways of policing the suspension.
The text to be adopted Monday now includes an extra phrase
emphasizing that the suspension is not a legal or binding
obligation on Tehran's part, he said.
Western diplomats said the United States - which insists Iran is
trying to make nuclear weapons and wants Iran referred to the
U.N. Security Council for alleged violations of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty - was unhappy with the draft and felt it
had been left out of negotiations on the text.
It also believed that any suspension would be short-lived - a
fear shared by several EU delegates at the meeting.
Under the agreement, the 20 centrifuges Iran had previously
wanted exempted would not be placed under IAEA seals but
monitored by cameras, said the diplomats.
The meeting was adjourned in disarray Friday. The pause was
meant to give time for the Iranian government to approve a total
freeze of its program, which can produce both low-grade nuclear
fuel and weapons-grade material for the core of nuclear
warheads. Delegates were also to decide on further steps in
policing Tehran's nuclear activities.
The dispute about what constituted full suspension had dominated
the meeting.
The Europeans insist the deal committed Iran to full suspension
of enrichment and all related activities - at least while the
two sides discuss a pact meant to provide Iran with EU technical
and economic aid and other concessions.
But Iran came to Thursday's opening day of the IAEA meeting with
demands that it be allowed to run the 20 centrifuges - which can
spin gas into enriched uranium - for research purposes.
As the clock ticked down to Monday, EU officials and delegates
spoke of the growing likelihood of tough action at the board
meeting if Iran remained defiant - including the start of work
on a harsh resolution that could include the threat of U.N.
Security Council action.
That resolution would have replaced the draft written by France,
Germany and Britain containing intentionally weak language on
how any freeze would be monitored by the agency in an attempt to
entice Tehran to sign on to total suspension.
^---
On the Net:
International Atomic Energy Agency: www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
10 Korea Times: Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo to Work for Progress in Nuke Talks
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
By Ryu Jin Korea Times Correspondent
VIENTIANE, Laos _ South Korea, Japan and China agreed Monday to
closely cooperate to stabilize the exchange rates of their
currencies against U.S. dollar, while reaffirming their
commitment toward a peaceful resolution to the North Korean
nuclear crisis.
In a meeting with Japanese and Chinese leaders here, South Korean
President Roh Moo-hyun expressed special concerns about the
recent fluctuation in exchange rates of East Asian currencies,
including the Korean won.
``Abrupt changes in exchange rates are not desirable at all for
our economies,'' Roh was quoted by his foreign affairs advisor as
telling Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao. ``It is important for us to stabilize them.''
Chung Woo-sung, the presidential advisor, told reporters that
Koizumi fully agreed to Roh's suggestion while Wen also showed
sympathy in principle.
The summit-level gathering, held on the sidelines of the annual
ASEAN+3 summit with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), was arranged for enhancing collaboration among
the three Northeast Asian nations. But exchange rates was not an
official topic prepared in advance for the 90-minute-long talks,
according to officials.
``President Roh has worried a lot about the won's recent rises,''
another presidential aide accompanying Roh said. ``His comment
displays his anxiety about their bad implications for South
Korea's economy.''
The value of the won increased by 10 percent from Oct. 1 to late
November and the abrupt drop in the exchange rate of Korean
currency against the U.S. dollar was expected to drastically
lower the nation's economic growth rate.
Though Chung said no concrete measure was agreed in the talks,
officials in Seoul said either a meeting of finance ministers
from the three countries or that of central bank heads will
likely be convened in the near future.
On the North Korean issue, the three leaders agreed to join
forces to make ``tangible progress'' in the six-party talks,
aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. Roh also
urged the North to make a ``strategic decision,'' while
reconfirming Seoul's commitment to a peaceful end to the
diplomatic impasse.
``Diplomatic efforts by all relevant countries are essential for
the early resumption of the six-party nuclear talks,'' Chung
quoted Roh as telling Koizumi and Wen.
North Korea has held negotiations with the United States in three
rounds of the six-way talks so far, with South Korea, Japan and
China also participating, but no significant breakthrough has
been made. The multilateral dialogue has been stalled since the
last round in late June, as the North has refused to sit down
with the U.S., citing Washington's ``hostile'' policy toward it.
Roh also stressed the need for the three Northeast Asian nations
to cooperate closely in other areas for the establishment of an
``East Asian Summit,'' which could extend the ASEAN+3 formula
into the East Asian community.
The three leaders all expressed satisfaction at the fact that
ministerial and other senior-level contacts had been made
actively for enhancing cooperation in economic issues, trade,
finance, the environment, information technology, energy and
patents.
They adopted a 14-point ``Action Strategy," containing concrete
measures such as the protection of intellectual property and the
joint study of a three-way free trade agreement (FTA).
While attending the ASEAN+3 summit in the afternoon, Roh also
called for support from Southeast Asian nations for the peaceful
settlement of the nuclear standoff, while emphasizing economic
cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN.
Later in the day, Roh held bilateral summit talks with the
leaders of Singapore, Indonesia and Laos, the host nation of the
ASEAN+3 summit.
jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr 11-29-2004 15:38
*****************************************************************
11 Korea Times: 4th IAEA Probe Due Next Week
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
By Reuben Staines Staff Reporter
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
will arrive in Seoul next week for their fourth onsite
investigation into controversial nuclear experiments carried out
by South Korean scientists over the past two decades, the
Ministry of Science and Technology confirmed Monday.
The additional inspection comes despite last weekˇŻs decision by
the board of the nuclear watchdog not to refer South Korea to the
U.N. Security Council over the lab activities.
The four-member team from the IAEA will visit South Korea for
about 10 days from Dec. 6 but spend just four days investigating
the unreported uranium and plutonium tests, officials said. They
will inspect South KoreaˇŻs main nuclear research center in
Taejon, as well as a smaller institute in Seoul, to gather more
information on the experiments, which involved both plutonium
extraction and uranium enrichment.
An annual IAEA membership consultation with government officials
will take up the rest of their stay.
Science and Technology Ministry officials said the two-day
annual meeting, which begins Dec. 9, is unlikely to deal with the
ongoing investigation, though it will review South KoreaˇŻs
compliance with nuclear safeguards.
Last weekˇŻs decision by the IAEAˇŻs 35-nation board in Vienna
was welcomed by Seoul, but officials warn that the nuclear
watchdog will continue to closely scrutinize the countryˇŻs
nuclear research activities.
South Korea admitted in early September that it had failed to
fully report the experiments, which were conducted by local
researchers as recently as 2000. Initial media reports raised
suspicions that the lab tests were part of a government-backed
nuclear weapons research program.
Seoul rejected the allegations, repeatedly arguing that the
tests were small-scale, isolated activities and were not
authorized by the government.
rjs@koreatimes.co.kr 11-29-2004 17:56
*****************************************************************
12 Guardian Unlimited: Nuclear Inspectors to Return to South Korea
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Monday November 29, 2004 3:16 AM
AP Photo VIE119
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog will send a
group of inspectors to South Korea next week for additional
investigations into the country's past secret nuclear
experiments, officials said Monday.
The inspection follows a decision Friday by the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency not to refer South Korea's
nuclear experiments to the U.N. Security Council. The IAEA's
board of governors criticized South Korea for conducting
plutonium and uranium experiments in 1982 and 2000 without
reporting them to the agency, but refrained from tougher
measures including possible referral to the U.N. Security
Council.
The group of IAEA inspectors will arrive next Monday and conduct
a four-day investigation, an official at the Science and
Technology Ministry told South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The
visit is the fourth by IAEA inspectors since South Korea's
admission made earlier this year.
Plutonium and enriched uranium are key ingredients in nuclear
weapons and revelations about the experiments threatened to
disrupt already troubled efforts to persuade the South's rival,
North Korea, to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
13 C&EN: Budget Bump
[The Newsmagazine of the Chemical World]
November 29, 2004 Vol. 82, Iss. 48 View Current Issue
IN CONGRESS
Budget Bump
Federal science agencies get small gains in omnibus
appropriations bill
DAVID HANSON AND JEFF JOHNSON
PHOTOS BY PETER CUTTS
Congress completed action on the fiscal 2005 federal budget last
week, passing a $388 billion omnibus spend- ing bill that
combines nine appropriations bills. Total discretionary spending
was held to the same levels as last year, but many science and
technology agencies received modest increases in support.
The major exception is the National Science Foundation, which
will get $5.5 billion this year, down about $107 million from
2004 and $277 million less than President George W. Bush
requested. NSF research directorates will see decreases of 2%,
and the agency's education programs will fall about 10% compared
with last year. This is only the third time in more than 20 years
that the NSF budget has decreased.
NIH will receive less than a 2% increase for fiscal 2005, to
about $28.5 billion, although that is subject to some final
adjustments. This increase is about the same as the agency
received last year but is a major drop from the 15% increases it
received every year between 1998 and 2003.
Spending at NASAwill increase $522 million from last year, to $16
billion. The unexpected increase, pushed by the President and by
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who represents workers
from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, allows the agency to
get the space shuttle back into space next year. Some cuts are
expected in NASA's R&D programs.
Laboratory programs at the National Institute of Standards &
Technologywould also be increased, by about 10% to $379 million.
NIST's much-maligned Advanced Technology Program for industrial
cost-sharing grants will receive $136 million for 2005, a 24%
cut, but that's better than elimination, as the Administration
and House had proposed.
[8248NOTW1_window] Overall, the Department of Energywill receive
nearly $23 billion for fiscal 2005, some $300 million less than
the President's request but almost $1 billion more than last
year's appropriation. The Office of Science will get $3.6
billion, roughly $200 million more than requested and $100
million above last year's amount. All Science Office programs
received an increase.
Areas of heated debate include DOE's appropriation for Nevada's
Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which wound up matching
last year's $557 million. Although the Administration had sought
$880 million, the appropriation is an Administration victory of
sorts because the House had threatened to provide only $131
million in light of disputes over the use of a consumer-paid
waste trust fund.
Congress also blocked Administration efforts to explore a new
generation of nuclear weapons by rejecting requests for $27.6
million for a "bunker buster" nuclear bomb, $9 million for
research in advanced nuclear weapons, and $30 million to speed
preparation for a possible resumption of nuclear weapons testing.
The EPAbudget of $8.0 billion amounts to a $300 million cut from
last year's spending level but a $250 million increase over the
Administration's request. It marks the agency's first reduction
in recent years. Most of the cuts ($250 million) came from a
$1.35 billion federal program to aid state and local sewage
treatment facilities.
The President has until Dec. 3 to sign the 2005 omnibus bill into
law. Government agencies covered by the bill have been operating
since Oct. 1 under continuing resolutions that provide funding at
fiscal 2004 levels.
Copyright © 2004 American Chemical Society
*****************************************************************
14 Hindu News: Russia tests new anti-ballistic missile system - report
Monday, November 29, 2004 : 1700 Hrs
Moscow, Nov. 29. (AP): Russia has successfully tested a
modernized anti-ballistic missile system, Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov told President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to the
Interfax news agency.
Ivanov told Putin that his ministry would ``further perfect and
modernize the anti-ballistic missile system,'' the news agency
reported.
He said the missile had passed its test on Monday morning at the
Sary-Shagaz testing range in the former Soviet republic of
Kazakhstan.
Ivanov said earlier that Russia would test-fire a mobile version
of the new Topol-M missile before the year's end and would
commission it next year.
Topol-Ms have a range of about 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers)
and reportedly can manoeuvre in ways that are difficult to
detect. The missile, which can intercept and destroy other
missiles, has been deployed in Silos since 1998.
Russia reacted calmly when Washington withdrew from the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 to develop a nationwide
missile shield. But Moscow has since complained about
Washington's plans to build new low-yield nuclear weapons.
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu.
*****************************************************************
15 Interfax: Moscow approves draft agreement on atomic energy cooperation with Egypt
Interfax.com
Nov 29 2004 11:37AM
MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail
Fradkov has signed a governmental resolution approving a draft
intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Egypt on
cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy, the Russian
governmental press service said.
Russia and Egypt will cooperate in fundamental and applied
research and development, design, construction, operation and
modification of industrial and research nuclear reactors,
desalters and accelerators.
© 1991-2004 Interfax
All rights reserved
News and other data on this web site are provided for
information purposes only, and are not intended for
republication or redistribution. Republication or redistribution
of Interfax content, including by framing or similar means, is
*****************************************************************
16 FT.com: UN to issue alert over spread of nuclear arms
By Mark Turner at the United Nations
Published: November 30 2004 00:03 | Last updated: November 30
2004 00:03
[nuclear] The world system to prevent the spread of nuclear
weapons is being rapidly eroded, threatening a “cascade of
proliferation,” a high-level panel on UN reform will say this
week.
The report, due to be released on Thursday, will recommend the
UN Security Council slow the spread of weapons using an explicit
pledge of “collective action” against any state or group
that launches a nuclear attack or even threatens such an attack
on a non-nuclear-weapon state.
Kofi Annan, UN secretarygeneral, last year established a panel
of 16 veteran politicians and diplomats from around the world to
identify the main threats facing mankind. It identifies nuclear
proliferation as a particular danger and it warns: “The
nuclear proliferation regime is at risk because of lack of
compliance with existing commitments, a changing international
security environment, and radical advances in technology.
“We are approaching a point at which the erosion of the
nuclear regime could become irreversible, and result in a
cascade of proliferation.” In 1963, only four states had
nuclear arsenals. Today eight states are known to have one, and
several others are suspected of developing them. Close to 60
states operate or are building nuclear power or research
reactors, and at least 30 possess the infrastructure to build
nuclear weapons at relatively short notice. Terrorists are also
believed to be seeking them.
To help prevent secret weapons programmes, the panel will also
urge all countries to stop building enrichment or reprocessing
facilities, until a global scheme is designed to enable the
International Atomic Energy Agency to guarantee the supply of
fissile material to genuine “civil nuclear users”.
The panel examined a wide range of threats, including
terrorism, disease, poverty and environmental degradation. But
the risk of nuclear Armageddon may be the most pressing of all,
and has led to growing disagreement over how to tackle nuclear
advances in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
It argues that nuclear weapons states “must honour their
commitments to move towards disarmament”, and reaffirm
promises not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
The Security Council pledge for “collective action” could
help ease non-nuclear states' concerns.
All de facto nuclear states, including Israel, Pakistan and
India (which are not named), should “pledge a commitment to
non-proliferation and disarmament”, ratify the comprehensive
test-ban treaty and support talks on a Fissile Material Cut-off
Treaty. In order to reduce supply, the panel says the IAEA's
additional protocol should become the standard, and urges a new
system whereby peaceful nuclear technology users could be
guaranteed fissile material although the right to use nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes “must be preserved.”
In a possible bow to Washington, it also calls on “all
states” to join the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative,
with UN Security Council backing.
© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2004. "FT" and "Financial
Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.
*****************************************************************
17 Haaretz: Either war, or the bomb
News Updates Tue., November 30, 2004 Kislev 17, 5765
By Shmuel Rosner
"There are three species of creatures who when they seem coming
are going, when they seem going they come: diplomats, women, and
crabs," said John Hay, secretary of state during Teddy
Roosevelt's presidency. Women have been freed of this dated,
chauvinistic stigma, and crabs never protested anyway. But as far
as diplomats are concerned, it appears that Hay was frequently
right.
For example, there is now an ongoing process to find a solution
to the problem of Iran - the hottest problem on President Bush's
desk. It appears that attempts are being made to extinguish the
flames by means of a pile of reports, recommendations, and
position papers. Yet paper, as we know, is not effective in
fighting fires. Not even high quality paper, like Kenneth
Pollack's new book, "The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between
Iran and America," although the author has become one of the
U.S.'s most influential foreign policy experts in recent years.
Pollack wrote an important book in favor of the war in Iraq just
before the war began. Now, during a process in which the timing
is similar but his conclusion is different, Pollack declares that
war must not be waged against Iran. What should be done? Pollack
suggests several solutions, but he understands that they far from
guarantee success. To summarize, it is not clear that the bomb
can be stopped without paying an intolerable price.
The same Pollack recently participated in a mock "war game,"
mounted by The Atlantic magazine, to examine various options
available to the American president in Iran. The players
concluded that there is no reasonable military option on the
table at this time. They examined three alternatives, including
various shows of force, destruction of the nuclear installations,
and an all-out war to topple the current regime, a plan objected
to by all five participants. They added that diplomats must be
given a chance to work, whatever that means.
Senator Hillary Clinton, while in the presence of an Israeli
guest, recently made a similar statement, with the addition of an
explanation for the limited options: What is happening in Iraq
prevents us from taking effective action in Iran. On the other
hand, as one of the participants in the game, former chief UN
weapons inspector David Kay said, "If you say there is no
acceptable military option, then you end any possibility that
there will be a non-nuclear Iran. If the Iranians believe they
will not suffer any harm, they will go right ahead."
The Atlantic war game, like every other piece of paper written on
the subject in the last year, presents another military option:
"The Israeli option." According to this plan, Israel attacks, and
America remains silent. This option was rejected because players
believed that America's reasons to avoid an attack were even more
crucial in the case of Israel: There are no appropriate targets,
there is inadequate intelligence, the response will be severe,
etc.
Similarly, the war game's "Task Force" of the "Council on Foreign
Relations" concluded that Washington would be blamed for any
unilateral Israeli military action, and that the U.S. must make
it clear to Israel that American interests would be harmed.
This brings the decision makers back to the original problem: How
to block Iran without using American or Israeli military force?
This question has many answers. As an outgoing member of the
government who will apparently return in the next government
admitted this week, all the answers are tainted with the bitter
taste of inevitable failure. This is true of solutions which
emphasize necessary European collaboration, solutions which
depend on the participation of the UN Security Council, solutions
which rely on financial incentives to achieve the longed for
result, and for the solutions which present the most ambitious
option called by some "The Grand Bargain."
Geoffrey Kemp of the Nixon Center suggested in his monograph -
"US and Iran The Nuclear Dilemma: Next Steps," that making a deal
of this type would mean the end of the "regime change" as part of
the "mantra for U.S. foreign policy." Iran would meet the
immediate strategic needs of the U.S., the relinquishment of
nuclear weapons and assistance to terror organizations, in return
for many financial benefits.
The downside: This deal would abandon the Iranian people to the
continued Muslim regime led by the Ayatollahs. Moreover, who said
that Iran would agree? There is currently no sign of such an
agreement, and many Americans do not believe that an agreement of
this type has any chance to succeed.
In private, sobering discussions, it becomes clear that there are
not many in the upcoming Bush administration who believe that any
diplomatic deal will succeed. Nor do they believe that it is
possible to block an Iranian bomb by means of warnings,
discussions, or punishment. A senior member of the administration
told an interested colleague last week that nations determined to
develop nuclear capacity, and willing to pay the price of such
developments, were never stopped without force.
In the absence of a convenient, accessible alternative to use
force, and in light of existing circumstances, President Bush is
left with only two real options: To accept the existence of an
Iranian bomb, or to wage an "unfortunate war" with imperfect
opening conditions. Any other option presented in the next two
months, any international diplomatic process, will be little more
than an optical illusion: When it seems to be coming, it will be
going.
© Copyright Haaretz. All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
18 Hindu News: Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile
Monday, November 29, 2004 : 1750 Hrs
Islamabad, Nov. 29.(AP): Pakistan successfully test-fired a new
version of its short-range, nuclear-capable missile Monday,
officials said, in the latest round of tit-for-tat launches with
India despite recent peace overtures.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan insisted the test of the
Ghazanvi missile will have no negative impact on the peace
process with India.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told reporters that
foreign secretaries of both countries will meet in Islamabad on
Dec.23-24 to discuss all issues, including the disputed region
of Kashmir.
``We have test-fired this missile to check its latest design,''
Sultan said.
Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of
the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the
written consent of The Hindu
*****************************************************************
19 Xinhuanet: Pakistan's nuclear program best guarantee of peace - PM
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2004-11-29 20:44:33
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistani Prime Minister
ShaukatAziz Monday said the nation's nuclear and missile program
is the best guarantee of peace in the South Asian region.
"Pakistan's defense capability is key to Pakistan's survival
and future," the prime minister said when addressing the National
Defense College here.
Pakistan believes in retaining "minimum deterrence" as a
cornerstone of its national security policy and as a responsible
and acknowledged nuclear power, Aziz said.
He said, however, Pakistan will continue to play a positive
role in international efforts aimed at nuclear non-proliferation.
Earlier the same day Pakistan test-fired a nuclear-capable
missile. The surface-to-surface solid-fuel missile, Hatf-3, with
arange of 290 km was tested successful, the nation's army Inter
Services Public Relations said. Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
20 Hydrogen, Via Nuke Power, Production Method Could Bolster Fuel Supplies
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 01:51:03 -0500
Mothersalert: http://www.mothersalert.org
http://www.mothersalert.org/moreinfo.html
1. Hydrogen Production Method Could Bolster Fuel
Supplies
2. Project Aims to Develop Hydrogen Power
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/28/politics/28hydrogen.html?oref=login
Hydrogen Production Method Could Bolster Fuel
Supplies
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 28, 2004
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you.
ASHINGTON, Nov. 27 - Researchers at a
government nuclear laboratory and a ceramics
company in Salt Lake City say they have found a
way to produce pure hydrogen with far less energy
than other methods, raising the possibility of
using nuclear power to indirectly wean the
transportation system from its dependence on oil.
The development would move the country
closer to the Energy Department's goal of a
"hydrogen economy," in which hydrogen would be
created through a variety of means, and would be
consumed by devices called fuel cells, to make
electricity to run cars and for other purposes.
Experts cite three big roadblocks to a hydrogen
economy: manufacturing hydrogen cleanly and at low
cost, finding a way to ship it and store it on the
vehicles that use it, and reducing the
astronomical price of fuel cells.
"This is a breakthrough in the first part,"
said J. Stephen Herring, a consulting engineer at
the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory, which plans to announce the
development on Monday with Cerametec Inc. of Salt
Lake City.
The developers also said the hydrogen could
be used by oil companies to stretch oil supplies
even without solving the fuel cell and
transportation problems.
Mr. Herring said the experimental work
showed the "highest-known production rate of
hydrogen by high-temperature electrolysis."
But the plan requires the building of a new
kind of nuclear reactor, at a time when the United
States is not even building conventional reactors.
And the cost estimates are uncertain.
The heart of the plan is an improvement on
the most convenient way to make hydrogen, which is
to run electric current through water, splitting
the H2O molecule into hydrogen and oxygen. This
process, called electrolysis, now has a drawback:
if the electricity comes from coal, which is the
biggest source of power in this country, then the
energy value of the ingredients - the amount of
energy given off when the fuel is burned - is
three and a half to four times larger than the
energy value of the product. Also, carbon dioxide
and nitrogen oxide emissions increase when the
additional coal is burned.
Hydrogen can also be made by mixing steam
with natural gas and breaking apart both
molecules, but the price of natural gas is rising
rapidly.
The new method involves running electricity
through water that has a very high temperature. As
the water molecule breaks up, a ceramic sieve
separates the oxygen from the hydrogen. The
resulting hydrogen has about half the energy value
of the energy put into the process, the developers
say. Such losses may be acceptable, or even
desirable, because hydrogen for a nuclear reactor
can be substituted for oil, which is imported and
expensive, and because the basic fuel, uranium, is
plentiful.
The idea is to build a reactor that would
heat the cooling medium in the nuclear core, in
this case helium gas, to about 1,000 degrees
Celsius, or more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
The existing generation of reactors, used
exclusively for electric generation, use water for
cooling and heat it to only about 300 degrees
Celsius.
The hot gas would be used two ways. It would
spin a turbine to make electricity, which could be
run through the water being separated. And it
would heat that water, to 800 degrees Celsius. But
if electricity demand on the power grid ran
extremely high, the hydrogen production could
easily be shut down for a few hours, and all of
the energy could be converted to electricity,
designers say.
The goal is to create a reactor that could
produce about 300 megawatts of electricity for the
grid, enough to run about 300,000 window
air-conditioners, or produce about 2.5 kilos of
hydrogen per second. When burned, a kilo of
hydrogen has about the same energy value as a
gallon of unleaded regular gasoline. But fuel
cells, which work without burning, get about twice
as much work out of each unit of fuel. So if used
in automotive fuel cells, the reactor might
replace more than 400,000 gallons of gasoline per
day.
The part of the plan that the laboratory and
the ceramics company have tested is
high-temperature electrolysis. There is only
limited experience building high-temperature
gas-cooled reactors, though, and no one in this
country has ordered any kind of big reactor, even
those of more conventional design, in 30 years,
except for those whose construction was canceled
before completion.
Another problem is that the United States
has no infrastructure for shipping large volumes
of hydrogen. Currently, most hydrogen is produced
at the point where it is used, mostly in oil
refineries. Hydrogen is used to draw the sulfur
out of crude oil, and to break up hydrocarbon
molecules that are too big for use in liquid fuel,
and change the carbon-hydrogen ratio to one more
favorable for vehicle fuel.
Mr. Herring suggested another use, however:
recovering usable fuel from the Athabasca Tar
Sands in Alberta, Canada. The reserves there may
hold the largest oil deposits in the world, but
extracting them and converting them into a
gasoline substitute requires copious amounts of
steam and hydrogen, both products of the reactor.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Hydrogen-Fuel.html
Project Aims to Develop Hydrogen Power
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 29, 2004
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A government
laboratory and a private company announced a $2.6
million project Monday to develop hydrogen in a
nuclear reactor using a process with the potential
to one day trim the country's reliance on fossil
fuels.
High temperature electrolysis could become
economically feasible by using the next generation
of nuclear reactors to split water into hydrogen
and oxygen, said officials with Ceramatec Inc. and
the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory.
``We have been able to show that we can
produce hydrogen at commercially attractive rates
in a very small unit and at conditions that are
typical of a high temperature, helium-cooled
reactor,'' said laboratory researcher Steve
Herring.
The sample, about the size of a paperback
book, had its successful test in a pottery kiln
used to simulate the high temperatures created by
the next generation of nuclear reactors -- about
1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers said the process of obtaining
hydrogen by splitting water using electric energy
has been known for about 150 years. Its high cost
in dollars and electric energy made it an
unpopular choice.
``High temperature electrolysis has the
potential to change that by reducing the amount of
electrical energy required and using a proportion
of thermal energy in its place,'' said Joseph
Hartvigsen of Ceramatec.
The Energy Department is hoping for a
demonstration of commercial-scale hydrogen
production using the process by 2017.
Researchers admit it would be decades before
hydrogen power and its infrastructure are as
commonplace as refineries and gas stations.
Herring said the most immediate use of hydrogen
using the new process would be to upgrade
poor-quality petroleum for use as motor fuel, and
then synthesizing existing fuels that cars can
use, like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
It's estimated a 300-megawatt reactor could
provide the power to run 300,000 homes or provide
transportation for about 500,000 people. Herring
estimated Americans use one gallon of gasoline per
person per day.
``That's a quarter of a billion gallons of
gasoline use, so it's important to make a dent in
that,'' he said.
*****************************************************************
21 Nuclear limboland
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:02:19 -0800
Nuclear devices lurk in limbo
U.S. tries to gather unused hazardous equipment
Monday, November 29, 2004
BY GARRY LENTON
Of The Patriot-News
For 18 years, students at Cedar Crest College used the gammator to conduct
irradiation experiments on plants, said Dr. Brian S. Misanko, professor of
biology and director of Cedar Crest's nuclear medicine technology program.
Students would expose beans to radiation then plant them to see what effect
the radioactivity had on growth.
But scientific methods and protocols changed, and the machine fell out of
use in 1986.
Advertisement
For years the school let the machine sit in a corner, paying about $200 a
year for leak tests. In 1999, administrators decided they wanted to get rid
of the machine. They learned that there is no place to send it.
The federal government has yet to establish a dump for these old,
radioactive devices. In the interim, the U.S. Department of Energy started a
program to gather unwanted but potentially dangerous isotopes. But the
Off-site Source Recovery Program is underfunded and, some say, years behind
schedule.
Cedar Crest has been waiting for its machine to be picked up since 1999. It
is not alone. Edinboro and Bloomsburg universities also have gammators
they'd like to get rid of.
More institutions are likely to register with the OSR program because the
NRC recently announced tighter security requirements for the devices. The
stricter requirements reflect the new view in federal agencies that these
unwanted devices are a threat to national security.
Aggressive collections:
Through most of the 1980s and '90s, the OSR program accepted only materials
that could not be disposed of as low-level wastes. Funding for the program
was sparse until 1999, according to internal sources.
But in that year, the DOE became more aggressive about collections. In 2002,
Congress allocated $10 million and charged OSRP with collecting 5,000
radiological sources in the next 18 months. That goal was exceeded, said
Paul Longsworth, deputy administrator for defense nuclear proliferation at
the DOE.
"Sources are being recovered in every state ... including a number of
high-priority recoveries ... in the last year," he said.
Two of those were in Pennsylvania. ORSP claimed 500 radioactive sources near
Pittsburgh when a company named RSI Instruments went bankrupt. OSRP also
recovered 80,000 curies of cobalt-60 abandoned by a company in Clearfield
County.
Devices unaccounted for:
Before full recovery can take place, the government must find thousands of
nuclear sources it has lost track of.
A 2003 report by the Conference of Radiation Control Directors concluded
there were 134 gammators licensed by the NRC. Of those, 11 were unwanted,
and eight were lost.
That's just for one type of device. There are thousands that fall under
other categories for radioactive materials.
There are some 40,000 "general" licenses issued by the NRC for 600,000
nuclear devices. The GAO's numbers suggest that the NRC has no current
address or response from as many as 16,000 license holders and as many as
240,000 devices.
The significance of that number is not lost on the agency.
For the last two years it has been upgrading its system of tracking sources
of radiation, such as gammators. Last year, the agency began requiring
annual registrations from companies that use higher-level isotopes.
Eric Epstein of the Harrisburg-based nuclear watchdog group Three Mile
Island Alert said Congress should boost funding to create a national
registry of nuclear materials and to find and recover those that are
missing.
"The magnitude [of lost nuclear materials] makes "CSI" [the television crime
drama] look like a children's cartoon. It's daunting," he said.
High cost of fear, panic:
The successful detonation of a dirty bomb could cause astronomical financial
loss. Dirty bombs take their economic toll from panic and fear, not loss of
life, because the devices' radiation levels are low.
"Materials that could easily be lost or stolen from U.S. research
institutions and commercial sites could contaminate tens of city blocks at a
level that would require prompt evacuation and create terror in large
communities even if radiation casualties were low," said Henry Kelly,
president of the scientists federation.
Under current standards for radiation exposure, the only option for cleaning
up contamination after a blast might be demolition, Kelly said.
"If such an event were to take place in a city like New York, it would
result in losses of potentially trillions of dollars," he said.
GARRY LENTON: 255-8264 or glenton@patriot-news.com
*****************************************************************
22 Budapest Business Journal: Nuclear plant mulls waste disposal issue
30th Nov 2004, 7:55
Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant Rt has reached a crossroads
concerning options for the long-term disposal of its nuclear
waste.
One option is to transport its used, high-radiation fuel
containers to Russia for dismantling and partial reprocessing.
The other option is to place the fuel containers into a special
disposal facility to be built in Hungary. Currently, the
containers are stored at a temporary facility in Paks.
The stakes are high, according to experts. Besides the
requirement for the firm to comply with tightening EU nuclear
waste disposal norms, it must find the cheapest solution in
order to maintain its competitiveness.
“The projected costs of handling high-radiation nuclear waste
have already been built into the company’s power prices in order
to create a financial reserve,” said Péter Kaderják, head of the
Regional Energy Economic Research Center (REKK). “Depending on
the actual cost of the waste treatment mechanism, the company,
which currently produces the cheapest electricity in Hungary,
may have to increase its prices. This will hurt its market
position.”
According to data of the Hungarian Energy Office (MEH), the
price of electricity produced in Paks currently hovers around Ft
8/kWh. Approximately one fifth of this sum goes to the Central
Nuclear Fund, which is responsible for financing the safe
disposal of all kinds of nuclear waste in Hungary, as well as
related research. Paks provides for approximately 40% of
Hungary’s total power consumption.
The Paks plant is by far the biggest contributor to the fund,
with a Ft 24 billion (€97.1 million) annual allocation. Other
institutions and industrial firms producing low-intensity
nuclear waste together contribute Ft 6 million annually. At the
end of last year, the fund had a budget of Ft 47.2 billion.
According to József Hegyháti, managing director of Radioactive
Waste Management Kht, the company in charge of coordinating
Hungary’s nuclear waste handling strategy, the Paks plant will
produce 11,266 fuel containers during its 30-year lifetime. Of
these, 2,331 have been transported to Russia based on earlier
bilateral agreements.
A bilateral agreement signed between the Hungarian and Russian
governments this July creates a legal framework for resuming the
export of Hungary’s high-radiation nuclear waste to Russia.
“This is just a theoretical option, with many environmental and
technical details to be worked out,” Hegyháti explained. “The
government is expected to pick a Hungarian negotiator. In my
view, the Paks plant operators would be the best negotiators,
both because of their technical know-how and their financial
interest in the issues.”
However, Hungary’s intention to consider the Russian scenario
has raised serious concerns among EU environmental officials.
“EU directives state that member states can export their nuclear
waste to other member states or third countries only if the
receiving country has the same level of norms as the sender,”
Hegyháti explained. “EU officials have repeatedly expressed
doubts concerning Russia meeting this criterion.”
Another problem Hegyháti mentioned is the political risk
involved in the Russian scenario.
“It would be hard to secure a guarantee that Hungary can
transport the high-radiation waste throughout the lifetime of
the power plant,” he noted. “If Russia rejected a single
shipment of waste, Hungary would have to build a special
disposal facility. This would double the originally planned
waste disposal budget.”
The other option is to create a special facility in Hungary, to
be located approximately 600 meters under the surface. So far no
such facility has been created in the world, although several
countries, including the U.S., Sweden and Finland, are at a very
advanced stage of developing one. According to Hegyháti, Sweden
is expected to have its facility by 2015, and Finland by 2020.
“Most scientists consider this type of containment the safest
and most feasible,” he said. “However, a complicating factor in
this case is that the site must have very special features from
the morphological, seismological, tectonic and hydrogeological
points of view.”
© 2003 New World Publishing Kft and New World Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
23 NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet Dec. 2-4 in Rockville, Maryland
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. 04-149 November 29, 2004
The Nuclear Regulatory Commissions Advisory Committee on
Reactor Safeguards will hold a public meeting Dec. 2-4, in
Rockville, Md., to discuss, among other items, a preliminary
document on a method for estimating the possibility of
loss-of-coolant accidents at nuclear power plants. The committee
will also discuss a proposed change to NRC regulations to use
more risk insights into emergency core cooling systems for
nuclear power reactors.
The meeting will be held in Room T-2B3 of the agencys Two White
Flint North building, at 11545 Rockville Pike. Open portions are
scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. on Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday,
although some portions of the Saturday morning session may be
closed to the public for security reasons. A complete agenda is
available on the NRCs Web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/agenda/2004.
Individuals with questions or those wanting to make public
statements during the meeting should contact Sam Duraiswamy at
301-415-7364.
Last revised Monday, November 29, 2004
*****************************************************************
24 NRC: Notice of License Renewal Application for Facility Operating
FR Doc 04-26241
[Federal Register: November 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 228)]
[Notices] [Page 69418-69419] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29no04-120]
License, University of Missouri--Rolla Notice is hereby given
that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has
received an application dated August 30, 2004, from the
University of Missouri--Rolla (UMR), filed pursuant to Section
104c of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and
10 CFR 50.51(a), to renew Operating License No. R-79 for the
University of Missouri--Rolla Reactor (UMRR). UMR requested
renewal of the license to authorize operation of the facility for
an additional 20-year period beyond the period specified in the
current operating license.
The current operating license for the UMRR (R-79) expires on
January 14, 2005. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.109(a), the
application for renewal was submitted at least 30 days prior to
the expiration of the existing license, and therefore the
existing license will not be deemed to have expired until the
application has been finally determined. The reactor is located
on the campus of the University of Missouri in the city of Rolla,
Missouri. The UMRR is used for training of nuclear engineering
students and other engineering and science students. It is also
used for research by the UMR faculty, UMR graduate students, UMRR
staff, and students and instructors from other colleges and
universities in the Midwest. The acceptability of the tendered
application for renewal and other matters including an
opportunity to request a hearing, will be the subject of a
subsequent Federal Register notice.
Copies of the application are available electronically at NRC's
Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html under accession number
ML042820116. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides
text and image files of NRC's public documents. Please note that
on October 25, 2004, the NRC terminated public access to ADAMS
and initiated an
[[Page 69419]] additional security review of publicly available
documents to ensure that potentially sensitive information is
removed from the ADAMS database accessible through the NRC's Web
site. Interested members of the public may obtain copies of the
referenced documents for review and/or copying by contacting the
Public Document Room pending resumption of public access to
ADAMS. The NRC Public Document Room is located at NRC
Headquarters in Rockville, MD, and can be contacted at (800)
397-4209, (301) 415-4737 or by e-mail to: pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at
Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of November 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick M. Madden, Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors
Section, New, Research and Test Reactors Program, Division of
Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-26241 Filed 11-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
25 NRC: Notice of License Renewal Application for Facility Operating
FR Doc 04-26242
[Federal Register: November 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 228)]
[Notices] [Page 69417] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29no04-118]
License; Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute Notice is
hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission) has received an application dated June 24, 2004, from
the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), filed
pursuant to Section 104c of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and 10 CFR 50.51(a), to renew Operating
License No. R-84 for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research
Institute TRIGA Mark-F reactor. AFRRI requested renewal of the
license to authorize operation of the facility for an additional
20-year period beyond the period specified in the current
operating license. The current operating license for the AFRRI
reactor (R-84) expired on August 1, 2004. In accordance with 10
CFR 2.109(a), the application for renewal was submitted at least
30 days prior to the expiration of the existing license, and
therefore the existing license will not be deemed to have expired
until the application has been finally determined. The reactor is
located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center
(NNMC), Bethesda, Maryland. The mission of AFRRI is to conduct
scientific research in the field of radiobiology and related
matters essential to the support of the Department of Defense.
The acceptability of the tendered application for renewal and
other matters including an opportunity to request a hearing, will
be the subject of a subsequent Federal Register notice.
Copies of the application are available electronically at NRC's
Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html under accession number
ML041800067. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides
text and image files of NRC's public documents. Please note that
on October 25, 2004, the NRC terminated public access to ADAMS
and initiated an additional security review of publicly available
documents to ensure that potentially sensitive information is
removed from the ADAMS database accessible through the NRC's Web
site. Interested members of the public may obtain copies of the
referenced documents for review and/or copying by contacting the
Public Document Room pending resumption of public access to
ADAMS. The NRC Public Document Room is located at NRC
Headquarters in Rockville, MD, and can be contacted at (800)
397-4209, (301) 415-4737 or by e-mail to: pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at
Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of November 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick M. Madden, Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors
Section, New, Research and Test Reactors Program, Division of
Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-26242 Filed 11-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
26 NRC: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Notice of
FR Doc 04-26243
[Federal Register: November 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 228)]
[Notices] [Page 69417-69418] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29no04-119]
Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Renewed Facility
Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering issuance of
an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-53 and
No. DPR-69, issued to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc.
(the licensee), for operation of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power
Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 located in Lusby, MD. The proposed
amendment would revise Technical Specification 3.9.4, ``Shutdown
Cooling (SDC) and Coolant Circulation-High Water Level,'' to
incorporate the use of an alternate cooling method to function as
a path for decay heat removal when in Mode 6 with the refueling
pool fully flooded. The spent fuel pool cooling system is the
alternative cooling method intended to be used as a substitute
for the SDC system during the refueling operations, including
during fuel movement.
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.
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/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/ requestor 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
[[Page 69418]] particular reference to the following general
requirements: (1) The name, address and telephone number of the
requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the
requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party
to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the
requestor's/petitioner's property, financial, or other interest
in the proceeding; and (4) the possible effect of any decision or
order which may be entered in the proceeding on the
requestor's/petitioner's interest. The petition must also
identify the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor
seeks to have litigated at the proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the
petitioner/requestor shall provide a brief explanation of the
bases for the contention and a concise statement of the alleged
facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which
the petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the
hearing. The petitioner 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/requestor to relief. A petitioner/
requestor who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to
at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a
party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to
intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the
conduct of the hearing.
Nontimely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission or the
presiding officer of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that
the petition, request and/or the contentions should be granted
based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR
2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii). A request for a hearing or a petition for
leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First-class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001,
Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier,
express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking
and Adjudications Staff; (3) e-mail addressed to the Office of
the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV; or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to
the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at
(301) 415-1101, verification number is (301) 415-1966. A copy of
the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene
should also be sent to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it
is requested that copies be transmitted either by means of
facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725 or by email to
OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov. A copy of the request for hearing and
petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to James M.
Petro, Jr., Esquire, Counsel, Constellation Energy Group, Inc.,
750 East Pratt Street, 5th floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, attorney
for the licensee.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendment dated June 7, 2004, which is available
for public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located at One
White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records
will be accessible electronically 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. 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. (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.) Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of
November, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Richard V. Guzman, Project Manager, Section 1, Project
Directorate I, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 04-26243 Filed 11-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
27 [du-list] REGENERATION - the horror of war!
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:04:10 -0800
Film Night!
REGENERATION!
The Iraq Solidarity Campaign is proud to be organising a film evening,
where we will be screening: "Regeneration", the 2001 film based upon the
book by award winning author Pat Barker.
The film depicts the lives of World War One soldiers and includes the
famous soldier anti-war poets Wilfred Owen (pictured) and Seigfried
Sassoon: all of whom are in a Scottish institution for mental illness,
having suffered from "trauma" or "Shell Shock", whilst at the Front, or in
the case of Sassoon - for having spoken out against the war!
The film goes into quite allot of detail about the lives of those in the
trenches and the effects that these men came back with from the great war -
a war that was to end all others!
REGENERATION - Film night!
Date: Wednesday 15th December.
Time: 7-00pm.
Venue: The Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester City Centre
(behind the Central Library).
ALL WELCOME!
for more information please contact:
07946 783 801 or 0161 882 0188
Website: www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com
Join the ISC discussion list; Iraqisolidarity-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
---------------------------------
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28 [du-list] FOIAR for depleted uranium combustion products and
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:01:59 -0800
Nancy Ranek
Robert Sullivan
Argonne National Laboratory
Marvin Haire
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
William Murphie
Department of Energy
Michael Wynne
Department of Defense
Brig. Gen. Jerome Johnson
Joint Munitions Command
Jim Wheeler
Defense Ammunition Center
Colonel Suzan Denny
Army Aeromedical Center
Colonel Fred Wenger, III
Marine Corps Safety Division
Jonathan Perlin, M.D.
Frances M. Murphy, M.D.
Veterans Health Administration
Nils J. Diaz
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Ileana Arias
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Michael Leavitt
Judith Ayres
Environmental Protection Agency
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
This year, several peer-reviewed scientific publications, and a
government adjudication in the U.K., have implicated aerosol depleted
uranium (DU) and DU combustion product inhalation exposure in a 500%
increase in chromosome damage in Gulf War I veterans, and a 50%
increase in the incidence of birth defects and in the same population.
For more information, please see my emergency petition to the EPA --
http://bovik.org/du-petition.html -- a copy of which is appended below.
I am alarmed by the fact that has been about an eight year delay in
the detectable incidence of these congenital malformations; reports
from peer-reviewed medical literature by U.S. researchers and U.K.
researchers, along with Iraqi doctors' informally published records
on the subject are in agreement on the point of that lengthy delay.
I am sure that we all hope that the incidence rate does not continue
to increase at its recent very steep rate.
I note that the D.o.D's "Fact Sheet on Depleted Uranium" is now five
years out of date, and the overview at:
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil/du_library/health.shtml
fails to cite any of the research from 2004, any of the research
in my EPA petition, or any confirming studies such as this one:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12854660&dopt=Abstract
A CDC official recently wrote to me that, "When uranium burns in air,
the result is a range of uranium oxides and not uranyl nitrate." On
the contrary, that statement is false. The combustion products of
uranium produce more partially soluble and aerosol nitrogen compounds
than extrapolation from light metal combustion would imply. Moreover,
in the presence of nitrogen-based propellants and explosives, these
very toxic compounds -- which produce literally a million times more
genetic damage than their radioactivity alone would imply -- are
most probably present in the muzzle flash of 30 mm DU rounds, in
addition to being produced from the impact of DU rounds and shells.
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552)
Please send me a copy of the following records:
1. All records describing the combustion products of depleted
uranium, excluding the following documents and any documents which
rely solely on any combination of these three sources for their
discussion of uranium combustion products:
a. J.J. Katz, G.T. Seaborg and L.R. Morss. "The Chemistry of the
Actinide Elements," (London: Chapman and Hall, 1986.)
b. Harley N, Foulkes CE, Hilborne L, et al. "A review of the
scientific literature as it pertains to Gulf War illnesses." Vol. 7
[MR-1018/7-OSD] (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1999.)
c. Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses.
"Environmental exposure report: depleted uranium in the Gulf (II)
and health risk assessment consultation." No. 26MF-7555-00D.
2. All records describing methods to detect aerosol uranium,
aerosol uranium ion, or aerosol uranium combustion products,
excluding the following articles, but not excluding any documents
which rely on them:
a. J. Senkyr et al., in Anal. Chem., vol. 51, pp. 786 (1979)
b. P.A. Bertrand et al., in Anal. Chem., vol. 55, pp. 364 (1983)
c. E. Malinowska, in Analyst, vol. 115, pp. 1085 (1990)
I request expedited processing of this request because failure to
obtain the requested documents within an expedited time frame could
reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to an individual's
life or physical safety, and because there is an urgent need to
inform the public concerning the subjects of the requested records.
I request a waiver of fees for this request because disclosure of the
requested information is in the public interest, because it is likely
to contribute significantly to public understanding of the serious
long-term health and safety risks of depleted uranium munitions, and
is not in my commercial interest. I intend to publish summaries of,
and excerpts from, the requested material. In order to help you
determine my status for the purpose of assessing fees, you should know
that I am affiliated with an educational scientific institution, and
this request is made for scholarly and scientific purposes and not for
any commercial use.
Sincerely,
James Salsman
1910 Mt. Vernon Ct. #3
Mountain View, CA 94040
Telephone number: +1.650.793.0162
--- Appendix: depleted uranium munitions petition of 23 November ---
Michael O. Leavitt
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Wayne Nastri
Region 9 Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
EMERGENCY ADMINISTRATIVE PETITION FOR ISSUANCE OF NEW REGULATION
RE: DEPLETED URANIUM MUNITIONS
Dear Administrators:
I request an emergency regulation concerning the use of depleted
uranium munitions. As a parent of a minor daughter, I became an
interested person when I was informed of the significant risk of
birth defects detected in persons fathered by Gulf War veterans [1].
This request is submitted in accordance with 5 USC 553.
For the reasons [2] set forth below, I ask that the Agency
issue an emergency regulation immediately to protect those in
combat from chromosome damage and the resulting birth defects,
and to protect my family from the effects of same.
Please issue new regulations as follows to correct this
problem: "Depleted uranium burning in air or in the presence
of nitrogen-based explosives or propellants will produce toxic
uranyl nitrates, which are partially soluble and produce
six orders of magnitude more chromosome damage than would be
expected from their radioactivity alone. Please discontinue
use of depleted uranium munitions. Unlicensed use of depleted
uranium is henceforth forbidden." Please reply as soon as
possible to let me know the status of this request. Please
send me a copy of all public notices concerning this request,
including all requests for public comment, by email and by
first-class mail to the following address.
Sincerely,
[name and address]
References:
[1] Quoting from the International Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 33,
no. 1, pp. 74-86: http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/33/1/74
"Overall, the risk of any malformation among pregnancies reported
by men was 50% higher in Gulf War Veterans (GWV) compared with
Non-GWVs (NGWV).
"For musculo-skeletal malformations, the significant association
with Gulf war service was largely driven by the `other
musculo-skeletal malformations' subgroup (Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.1
[meaning a 210% increase in observed birth defects compared to
nonveterans], 95% Confidence Interval for Odds Ratio (CI): from
1.9, to 5.1). The commonest diagnoses within this subgroup
include codes related to head size and shape (plagiocephaly,
macrocephaly, or craniosynostosis) (33 GWV/9 NGWV). The risk
of `other non-chromosomal malformations' was 70% higher among
GWV, and this was driven wholly by the group of malformations
remaining when specified syndromes were removed (OR = 3.5, 95%
CI: 1.5, 8.4)....
"The risk of genital malformations was 80% higher in offspring
of GWV compared with NGWV (P = 0.04), the most common diagnosis
being hypospadias (24 GWV/10 NGWV). Risks of one or more
malformation within the urinary system (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1,
2.2), and of musculo-skeletal system malformations (OR = 1.8,
95% CI: 1.4, 2.4), were statistically significantly associated
with paternal Gulf war service. Within the urinary system, the
risk of renal anomaly was approximately 60% higher in the
offspring of GWV and the commonest diagnosis within this subgroup
was vesico-uretero-renal reflux (32 GWV/17 NGWV).
"The risk of malformation within the digestive system as a whole
was 40% higher among offspring of GWV, the effect being driven
by the subgroup `other malformations of the digestive system'
(OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.5). The three commonest diagnoses in
this subgroup were pyloric stenosis, congenital hiatus hernia,
and unspecified anomalies of the digestive system."
[2] Dr. Albrect Schott found that damage to chromosomes in the
white blood cells of Gulf War veterans was about five times greater
than the rest of the population ("Chromosome aberration analysis in
peripheral lymphocytes of Gulf War and Balkans War veterans," in
Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry, 2003;103(3):211-9.) A February, 2004, U.K.
Pension Appeal Tribunal Service decision in Edinburgh implicated
depleted uranium in birth defects of children fathered by a Gulf War
Veteran; please see:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,937902,00.html
and:
http://www.sundayherald.com/40306
Given this new information about birth defects, I don't
believe that DU weaponry represents any kind of a long-term
strategic advantage. Even if it amounted to a much greater
short-term tactical advantage, it would still, given this
evidence, mean a potentially long term poisoning of air,
people, land, and the sea. Television station KHOU, Channel
11 in Houston, Texas, reported the following in March:
"An internal Veterans Administration study shows children of
Gulf War vets have twice the normal rate of birth defects. A
Department of Defense-funded study shows children of male Gulf
War vets have three times the average rate of heart defects.
And a study just released this month shows women who served in
the first Gulf War suffered three times the normal rate of
miscarriages in the period just after the conflict."
-
http://www.khou.com/news/upclose/stories/khou040304_ds_UpCloseGulfWarDefects.52dc83ac.html
Please have a look at this reported pattern over time:
http://www.irak.be/ned/archief/Depleted%20Uranium_bestanden/(CONGENITAL%20ANOMALIES).htm
[see, "Incidence rates of congenital malformations in Basrah 1990-2000,
per 1000 births"]
Depleted uranium has been described by the U.S. military
laboratory responsible for studying its effects thusly:
"Delayed reproductive death was observed for many generations
following exposure to DU, Ni, or gamma radiation. While DU
stimulated delayed production of micronuclei up to 36 days
after exposure, levels in cells exposed to gamma-radiation or
Ni returned to normal after 12 days. There was also a
persistent increase in micronuclei in all clones isolated from
cells that had been exposed to nontoxic concentrations of DU.
These studies demonstrate that DU exposure in vitro results in
genomic instability manifested as delayed reproductive death
and micronuclei formation." (J Environ Radioact. 2003;64(2-3):247-59.)
"Published data from [the U.S. Armed Forces Radiobiology
Research Institute] have demonstrated that DU exposure ... is
both neoplastically transforming and genotoxic.... Data
demonstrated that DU exposure (50 micromolar, 24 h) induced a
significant elevation in dicentric frequency" (Radiat Prot Dosimetry.
2002;99(1-4):275-8.)
"In the current study we demonstrate that DU can generate
oxidative DNA damage and can also catalyze reactions that
induce hydroxyl radicals in the absence of significant alpha
particle decay. Experiments were conducted under conditions
in which chemical generation of hydroxyl radicals was
calculated to exceed the radiolytic generation by ONE MILLION-
-fold.... These data not only demonstrate that DU at pH 7
can induce oxidative DNA damage in the absence of significant
alpha particle decay, and also suggest that DU can induce
carcinogenic lesions, e.g. oxidative DNA lesions...." (J Inorg
Biochem. 2002 Jul 25;91(1):246-52.) I have capitalized "ONE
MILLION" because Medline has wrongly abstracted it as "10(6)",
which is incorrect notation for the number 10[superscripted 6]
as appears in the original.
[End of References and Administrative Procedure Petition]
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29 Scotsman.com News: Plutonium Worker Tests 'Show 4% Contamination'
Mon 29 Nov 2004
By Joe Churcher, PA Chief Parliamentary Reporter
Initial tests on workers suspected to have been contaminated with
plutonium at a nuclear plant have found less than 4% of the
annual limit, the Government said today.
The pulsed column laboratory at Dounreay in Scotland was being
decommissioned when contamination was uncovered by routine
“nose-blow” checks.
Trade Minister Mike O’Brien said the Department of Trade and
Industry had been “informed of the potential intake of
radioactive material”.
“The regulators – Health and Safety Executive’s Nuclear
Inspectorate – are aware and are monitoring the situation,”
he told LLew Smith (Lab Blaenau Gwent).
“Biological monitoring of 15 operators is currently being
undertaken which will take a number of weeks to complete.
“The initial four results have shown doses of less than 4% of
the annual limit for radiation workers.”
He said the laboratory had been closed as a precaution while
further investigations were carried out. [
Scotsman.com
*****************************************************************
30 UN Watchdog Voices Serious Concern At Uranium Enrichment In Republic Of Korea
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:00:58 -0500
X-Sender-Nameserver: ns.uu.net secens01.un.org
X-Sender-Hostname: mx3.un.org
X-Temp-Whitephrase: YES nuclear
UN WATCHDOG VOICES SERIOUS CONCERN AT URANIUM ENRICHMENT IN REPUBLIC
OF KOREA
New York, Nov 29 2004 10:00AM
The United Nations agency entrusted with preventing the spread of
nuclear weapons has voiced “serious concern” over the production
of a tiny amount of enriched uranium in the Republic of Korea (ROK)
while at the same time welcoming the corrective actions taken
in the matter.
The ROK, a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), informed
the International Atomic Energy Agency <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2004/south_korea.html">(IAEA)
in August of the production
four years ago of just milligram quantities of enriched
uranium during vapour laser isotope separation experiments. Enriched
uranium in sufficient quantity can be used to make nuclear weapons.
The Government in Seoul said the activity was carried out
without its knowledge.
“The failure of the Republic of Korea to report these activities
in accordance with its safeguards agreements is of serious concern,”
the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna said in a statement.
“At the same time, the Board noted that the quantities of nuclear
material involved have not been significant, and that to date there
is no indication that the undeclared experiments have continued,”
it added, urging the Seoul Government to continue its active
cooperation with the Agency, in accordance with its treaty obligations.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the ROK’s northern
neighbour, withdrew from the NPT nearly two years ago and the
IAEA has been unable to draw any conclusions about Pyongyang’s nuclear
activities since then. IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei
has called this withdrawal a dangerous precedent threatening
the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.
2004-11-29 00:00:00.000
________________
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31 Las Vegas SUN: Letter: Dangers of Yucca dump cannot be underestimated
I'm responding to an article you published Nov. 4 headlined,
"GOP: Yucca not a strong enough issue." It quoted some state
Republicans as saying that, as a ballot issue, voters did not
regard Yucca Mountain as very important. Yucca Mountain, of
course, is the site in Southern Nevada where the federal
government wants to permanently bury the nation's high-level
nuclear waste.
Personally, I don't know how anyone can ignore the Yucca
Mountain issue. Las Vegas will most certainly become a nuclear
disaster area if we let this happen. Shipments to Yucca Mountain
will make a fine target for terrorists. To derail a train or
attack a truck would not be that difficult.
John Kerry objected to Yucca Mountain because he was for Nevada.
All the people in Northern Nevada who voted for President Bush
may think they're safe because they are hundreds of miles from
Yucca Mountain. Well, shame on them.
INGRID R. MORRIS
All contents copyright 2004 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
32 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca standard won't be appealed
Today: November 29, 2004 at 11:10:19 PST
EPA may have to develop new radiation guidelines
By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Energy Institute will not ask the
Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court ruling that
threw out a radiation protection standard for the Yucca Mountain
project.
The decision by the institute, the nuclear industry's lobbying
arm, means that the appellate court ruling stands. The only way
that will change is if Congress passes a law changing the
standard or upholding the previous standard.
Otherwise, the Environmental Protection Agency will have to
develop a new standard, as ordered by the court.
Either option will take some time, experts said, which will
cause further delays in the project. The Energy Department
wanted to submit its license application for the nuclear waste
repository, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, at the end of the
year, but officials said last week it would not reach that goal.
Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval said NEI's decision
"reinforces the argument that our legal victory was impervious
to appeal." He said the court's decision last summer was
significant because the EPA and the Energy Department will "have
to go back to the drawing boards" to establish new radiation
standards.
NEI intended to go to the high court, but its lawyers evaluated
a wide variety of things before making the decision not to file
the request, said Mitch Singer, spokesman for the industry's
lobbying group. He said that after the U.S. solicitor general
decided not to move forward with a Supreme Court request for
review, the group's lawyers knew the chances of its case being
brought up were not great.
Singer said nothing has been decided yet on whether NEI will
push Congress to revise the radiation standard.
All parties involved in this phase of Yucca litigation had until
today to decide whether to go to the Supreme Court.
It was "highly unlikely" the Supreme Court would have agreed to
consider NEI's case, UNLV Boyd School of Law professor Bret
Birdsong said.
The court would question why an industry party was appealing
the case and not the EPA -- the federal agency that set the
standard at issue, Birdsong said. The absence of the solicitor
general's interest in handling the appeal would significantly
hurt the chances of this case being accepted by the court,
Birdsong said. The solicitor general manages U.S. government
cases in the Supreme Court.
"It really is primarily the government's interest at stake
under the law," Birdsong said.
NEI would have faced a costly, uphill battle if it had
attempted an appeal. It's extremely difficult to convince the
Supreme Court to even consider a case. Each year the court
typically agrees to take only about 100 to 120 cases out of
7,000 to 8,000 it receives.
The decision ends some lingering uncertainty about the status
of the radiation protection standard.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on
July 9 the Environmental Protection Agency did not follow the
law when it established a 10,000-year standard, largely because
it did not accept the National Academy of Sciences
recommendation of a far higher standard, perhaps 300,000 years.
The court ruling threw out the standard and the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's corresponding licensing rule using the
10,000 year-standard but under court rules, it would be kept in
place until all parties finished requests for appeals. The
Energy Department continuing working on the project and said
nothing had changed.
But the appeals court rejected NEI's request for rehearing and
its request to keep the standard in place until the Supreme
Court would evaluate the case. Nevada and the federal agencies
involved did not file any appeals.
Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis has said the department
will follow whatever standard it needs to protect human health
and safety. The EPA has said it is looking at the issue but has
not said anything specific on how it will move ahead with
creating a new standard.
Attorney Joe Egan, who represents Nevada on Yucca issues, said
creating a new standard on average can take two years but this
one could take longer. The academy's radiation standard
recommendation came out in 1995 and the EPA did not finalize the
rule until 2001. Egan said the agency will have to announce a
schedule, issue a proposed rule and go through several other
"hoops" before a new standard would be put in place.
But while the agency was working on a new standard, Congress
could decide to allow the old one to stay in place.
Rumors circulated earlier this month that the White House
proposed Congress keep the standard in place through a massive
spending bill it had to pass. The Office of Management and
Budget denied such a request and said the president said the
administration would live with the court decision.
The spending bill did not include the option but Yucca critics
will watch Congress closely next year to see if the option comes
up.
Sandoval said an attempt in Congress to establish the radiation
standards "will not be sponsored by the (Bush) administration,"
he said. "The president said he would be respectful of the court
decision."
Egan said the idea would be hard to pass, even for those who
support Yucca.
"It's one thing for a majority of senators to site a
repository, but it's another thing to get a majority to say site
a repository notwithstanding the National Academy of Sciences
and a decision by the second highest court," Egan said. "It will
be very hard to get those kinds of votes."
If the change does come through Congress, members would have to
know it is more than a Yucca Mountain issue, said Amy Spanbauer,
spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. She said it set a
precedent for Congress to change environmental standards and
overturn court cases. Gibbons would look at every avenue to stop
the change, she said.
Adam Mayberry, spokesman for Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said the
congressman knows there are Democrats and Republicans who
support moving nuclear waste to Yucca and he would do all he
could to make sure they know the dangers associated with it.
Egan said if Congress would agree to change the standard, it
could reopen the state's constitutional challenge against the
project.
All contents copyright 2004 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
33 RGJ: Reid now the face of Senate Democrats
Reid now the face of Senate Democrats Minority leader’s
behind-the-scenes political skill could help party Doug
AbrahmsRENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
11/28/2004 11:27 pm
NEVADA SENATOR: U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, speaks Nov.
16 during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington
after being elected as Senate minority leader by his fellow
Democrats. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., right, was
elected as secretary of the Democratic Senate Caucus.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Harry Reid showed his mastery of Senate
procedure this past week by pushing his staff member onto the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s board despite opposition by both
the White House and many Senate Republicans.
Reid will need that kind of political skill when he takes over
in January as leader of the Senate Democrats. He will be put in
a precarious political position — his predecessor lost
re-election — as head of a party that lost four Senate seats
Nov. 2 and has less clout in a government dominated by
Republicans.
But Reid, just re-elected to a fourth six-year term, said he can
continue to work with Republican lawmakers and for Nevada
constituents on many issues.
“We’re ready to work with the majority, but we’re not going to
be pushed around,” said Reid, a one-time amateur boxer. “We have
to make sure we have to pick fights we can win.”
The party is struggling with its direction after November’s
election losses and can use a leader like Reid who is moderate
and not considering a run for president, said Eric Herzik, a
Republican and political science professor at the University of
Nevada, Reno.
“Reid can give the Democrats some breathing space while they
figure out what their message is to the rest of the country,”
Herzik said. “I think he’s the right guy for the Democratic
Party at this time. He knows how to play this game behind the
scenes.”
The NRC board appointment is one example of the way Reid plays
the game.
Reid held up approval for 175 Bush administration nominees for
federal positions until his staff adviser Gregory Jaczko, who
has a doctorate in physics, was given a temporary seat on the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The commission will soon start
reviewing the application to build a nuclear waste repository at
Yucca Mountain, which Reid opposes.
“Reid is really one of the people that understands how the
process works,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor
at Rutgers University who specializes in Congress. “Although his
manner is low key and deferential, he’s a tough character and a
hard bargainer.”
Party’s face
Reid will become one of the main faces of the Democratic Party
when he takes over in January from Senate Minority Leader Tom
Daschle.
That can be politically dangerous when your party is out of
power. Daschle lost re-election in South Dakota to John Thune, a
Republican strongly backed by the White House.
Daschle was labeled an obstructionist by Republicans. And he was
forced to take positions in support of Senate Democrats that
sometimes conflicted with interests of South Dakotans, said
University of South Dakota political science professor Bill
Richardson.
“I think what happened to Tom Daschle is a cautionary tale to
Sen. Reid,” Richardson said.
“(Senate Democrats) are not supposed to be a rubber stamp, but
given the acute partisanship that’s going on now and the
inevitable hostilities between the parties that will play itself
out in the Senate … I think Senator Reid is in for some really
nasty fights,” he said.
Like Daschle, Reid is more liberal than most voters he
represents, Herzik said.
But unlike Daschle, Reid cruised through his re-election this
month with 61 percent of the vote — by far the largest margin of
victory in his four Senate races.
Reid has shown balance in environmental issues, for example,
because he is able to maintain support of environmentalists
while also helping the mining industry, Herzik said.
Impact on Nevada
Reid doesn’t expect his new position to significantly change
work on Nevada issues. He plans to continue to oppose Yucca
Mountain, and will fight to bring federal money to Lake Tahoe
and slow the increase in royalty fees mining companies pay the
federal government.
Nevada first-term U.S. Sen. John Ensign, a Republican, said
Reid’s elevation to minority leader can only help the Silver
State.
“My experience with Sen. Reid is if you have the right
relationship with him, you can get things done,” he said. “In
the past, when he’s given me his word, he’s kept his word.”
Reid has spent nearly all his adult life in Nevada politics,
starting as a city attorney in Henderson and becoming the
state’s youngest lieutenant governor at 30. He has been
representing Nevada in Congress and then in the Senate since
1983.
For the past six years, he has been the party’s No. 2 leader in
the Senate. As minority whip, his job was to round up votes for
legislation.
Whether that behind-the-scenes expertise will make him a good
front man for the Democrats remains to be seen, Ensign said.
Democrats’ agenda
Senate Republicans will be bolder next year because they will
have 55 votes instead of 51, but they still lack the 60 votes
needed to end debate on legislation, Ensign said.
Reid isn’t specifying which issues Senate Democrats plan to
highlight next year, noting that the agenda in Washington will
be set by Republicans, who control the White House and both
houses of Congress.
He said the Bush administration will have to confront several
problems it has created, including:
* A huge budget deficit,
* More funding to implement Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act
education reform law, and
* The war in Iraq.
U.S. troops will have to remain in Iraq for years, said Reid,
who voted for the resolution to give Bush authority to invade
Iraq.
“I voted to go into Iraq. The problem is the plan was faulty,”
Reid said. “But I think we have to stay there and win.”
Senate Democrats must do a better job defining who they
represent, Reid said, as well as getting their message across.
For example, despite approving 206 federal judges and blocking
only 10, Senate Democrats were labeled obstructionists, Reid
said.
“One of the myths out there is Democrats have held up the
president’s judges,” Reid said. “We haven’t done that.”
“I don’t think (Democrats) need to change,” he said. “I think we
need to project who we are better.”
© Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett
*****************************************************************
34 AS: Federal Tests Confirm Nationwide Rocket Fuel Contamination of Milk, Lettuce
food-contamination
Mon Nov 29 13:14:25 2004 Pacific Time
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (AScribe Newswire) -- Federal
investigators have found a toxic rocket fuel chemical in almost
all of more than 200 samples of lettuce and milk collected
nationwide, in concentrations well above the level considered
safe in drinking water by the U.S. EPA and Massachusetts health
officials.
The federal tests, completed in August and posted online
this week, confirm previous findings by the Environmental Working
Group, university researchers and California journalists, but are
the first to document nationwide contamination of food. The
results are startling new evidence that perchlorate, the
explosive component of solid rocket fuel, is moving from the
hundreds of places where it is known to contaminate water
supplies into the nation's food supply.
"With these results, it's time for health officials,
perchlorate polluters and food producers to stop stalling by
saying we need more studies," said Renee Sharp, an EWG senior
analyst. "Rocket fuel is in our water, in vegetables, in milk.
How much more evidence do we need to take action?"
According to the EPA's preliminary risk assessment,
currently under review by the National Academy of Sciences,
exposure to the chemical should not exceed 1 part per billion
(ppb) in drinking water -- the same level adopted by
Massachusetts. Health officials in California have set a
preliminary safety standard of 6 ppb.
Perchlorate can affect the thyroid gland's ability to make
essential hormones. For fetuses, infants and children,
disruptions in thyroid hormone levels can cause lowered IQ,
mental retardation, loss of hearing and speech, and motor skill
deficits.
All three jurisdictions concluded that perchlorate
exposure should be limited to a few parts per billion, but based
on growing evidence showing harm at very small doses, EWG argues
that a drinking water standard should be no more than one-tenth
EPA's recommended level.
Previous studies have shown that the rocket fuel chemical,
leaking from hundreds of military bases and defense contractors'
facilities, concentrates in lettuce grown with contaminated
irrigation water. When contaminated water is used to grow
alfalfa, cattle feeding on the hay take in the chemical and pass
it on in their milk.
In the new studies, the Food and Drug Administration
reported finding perchlorate in 217 of 232 samples of milk and
lettuce in 15 states.
(http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/clo4data.html#table1.)
FDA tested 104 samples of low-fat and whole milk, mostly
bought in retail supermarkets in Arizona, California, Georgia,
Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington
state. The average concentration of the rocket fuel chemical was
5.76 ppb. More than 38 percent of the samples exceeded 6 ppb.
The FDA also tested 128 samples of green and red leaf
lettuce, iceberg and romaine from growers and packing sheds in
California, Arizona, Florida, Texas and New Jersey. The average
concentration of perchlorate was 10.49 ppb. Almost 60 percent of
the samples exceeded 6 ppb.
The highest concentration, an average of 11.9 ppb, was
found in 25 samples of romaine lettuce. Red leaf lettuce averaged
11.7 ppb, green leaf 10.7 ppb and iceberg 7.76 ppb.
The FDA initiated its sampling program after EWG reported
in April 2003 results of tests on winter-grown lettuce from
Californiaąs Imperial Valley, which is irrigated by the
perchlorate-contaminated Colorado River.
(http://www.ewg.org/reports/suspectsalads/) EWG estimated that,
just by eating lettuce, 1.6 million American women of
childbearing age are exposed daily during the winter months to
more perchlorate than the EPAąs recommended safe dose.
In July 2004, EWG reported that its tests by an
independent laboratory and unreleased tests by California
agriculture officials found the rocket fuel chemical in 45 out of
46 almost every samples of milk from around the state.
(http://www.ewg.org/reports/rocketmilk/) A computer-assisted
analysis of federal dietary data showed that by drinking milk
contaminated with the levels of perchlorate found in the two
studies, half of all children 1 to 5 would exceed EPA's
provisional daily safe dose just by drinking milk, and more than
a third would get twice that dose.
CONTACT: Bill Walker or Renee Sharp, Environmental Working
Group, 510-444-0973
-30-
AScribe - The Public Interest Newswire / 510-653-9400
www.ascribe.org
*****************************************************************
35 MSNBC: Radioactive fallout puts city on EPA collection list
By Jenna Colley Houston Business JournalUpdated: 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 28, 2004
The Environmental Protection Agency is demanding a combined
total of $28 million from 157 parties -- including the City of
Houston -- to pay for cleanup work conducted by the federal
agency on three Texas sites containing radioactive waste.
The sites in Houston, Webster and Odessa once belonged to
Houston-based Gulf Nuclear Inc. The publicly traded radioactive
waste disposal company filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and
subsequently abandoned the sites, leaving the EPA to remediate
the radioactive mess.
Along with other former customers of Gulf Nuclear, the city is
now being billed. While this type of shotgun approach is
standard procedure from the EPA, public officials say it puts
the city in a rare position.
EPA reimbursement notices also went out to the City of San
Antonio and major companies such as BP Corp., Exxon Corp. and
Halliburton Co., along with various hospitals, veterinary
clinics and even the Brazos River Authority.
The EPA claims that in Houston, the city's Department of Health
and Human Services calibrated instruments using small quantities
of radioactive materials that may have been disposed at one or
more of the sites.
But Senior Assistant City Attorney Deborah McAbee says that
doesn't necessarily make the city liable for the cleanup costs.
"We are not admitting to anything at this point," says McAbee.
"We are cooperating with the EPA and trying to reach a
resolution. Superfunds carry a strict liability."
Super distinctions
EPA spokesman Dave Bary points out even though Superfund money
was used to pay for remediation work, the three locations are
not technically classified in the Superfund category.
Severe, long-term damage to the ecosystem is a key consideration
in designating a Superfund site, Bary says, but this involved
fixing a short-term problem.
Nevertheless, the broad power of the EPA to pursue
reimbursements is prompting defensive tactics by the city's
Legal Department.
Last week, Houston City Council allocated up to $50,000 to hire
consultants to review the city's use of the Gulf Nuclear sites.
The city also plans to join a group of other potentially liable
parties now voluntarily negotiating with each other and the EPA
to determine responsibility.
The EPA generally encourages parties to work together in
figuring out who should pay for what.
Those that don't participate in the voluntary negotiations could
face a lawsuit brought by the EPA, or participating parties that
settled with the agency.
"Our preference in Superfund cases is that the (offending)
parties do the (cleanup) work," says Anne Foster, assistant
counsel for Region 6 of the EPA. "That didn't work out at this
site. If there are potentially responsible parties, they are
going to have to go through the cost recovery process,"
While Foster says recovering costs isn't always easy, the Gulf
Nuclear sites at least kept some archives of activities.
"There are at least records from this facility that show waste
being disposed, and that is helpful," says Foster. "Some sites
have no written records."
© 2004 MSNBC.com
*****************************************************************
36 KLAS: Ruling Could Require DOE to Redesign YMP
November 29, 2004
(Nov. 29) -- A nuclear industry lobbying group won't seek Supreme
Court review of a federal appeals court ruling that a crucial
radiation protection standard for national nuclear waste
repository in Nevada is insufficient.
The decision by the Nuclear Energy Institute leaves in place a
ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
that could require the Energy Department to redesign the Yucca
project to meet a much stricter Environmental Protection Agency
radiation standard.
Congress could still push the project forward, by upholding the
previous standard or by changing the standard.
Nuclear Energy Institute spokesman Mitch Singer said Monday that
no decision had been made whether the Washington, D.C., industry
lobbying group would ask Congress to rewrite the law governing a
national nuclear dump.
The NEI decision, on the last day an appeal could be sought, came
after the Bush administration said it would not ask the Supreme
Court to take the case.
A Nevada official called the development an important victory in
the state's fight against the federal plan to bury 77,000 tons of
the nation's most radioactive waste 90 miles northwest of Las
Vegas.
State Attorney General Brian Sandoval said the Nuclear Energy
Institute decision amounted to an acknowledgment that the July
ruling by the District of Columbia court was "impervious to
appeal."
The court threw out a 10,000-year radiation standard, saying the
Environmental Protection Agency should have followed a National
Academy of Sciences recommendation that the Yucca project limit
radiation emissions for up to 300,000 years.
The appeals court has also rejected an institute request for
rehearing, along with a request to keep the existing radiation
standard in place pending Supreme Court review.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been trying to rework the
standard to meet the court's objection.
The Energy Department said last week it won't meet a self-imposed
Dec. 31 deadline to submit an application to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission to operate the repository 90 miles
northwest of Las Vegas. The department wants to begin entombing
spent nuclear fuel from reactors in 39 states at Yucca in 2010.
Information from: Las Vegas Sun, http://www.lasvegassun.com
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright 2000 - 2004 WorldNow and KLAS. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy
*****************************************************************
37 [du-list] centrifuge
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:04:06 -0800
PDF was the original Scooping meeting notice from the Federal
Register. About the centrifuge at Piketon, Ohio
http://cpanews.org/ufo/docs/Scoping.pdf
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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38 lamonitor.com: An analysis: Safety at Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
by Lee McAtee
As the Division Leader for Health, Safety and Radiation
Protection at Los Alamos National Laboratory, I am well aware of
public discussion about the laboratory's safety record and the
reasonableness of this summer's decision to suspend activities at
Los Alamos.
Director Peter Nanos said that he suspended operations because
he had little confidence that, as an institution, we had
sufficiently identified and addressed our risks and potential
vulnerabilities. Critics have argued that the laboratory's
safety record was good enough, and therefore questioned the
logic underlying the director's actions.
In my opinion, the Laboratory's safety record is not good
enough. Our safety record is not too bad by most comparisons,
but at the same time, we would be hard-pressed to claim that it
is best-in-class. The bottom line is clear: the laboratory
collectively, and all employees individually, must redouble our
efforts to embrace a safety mindset, reduce safety incidents and
strive for a level of best-in-class safety record that is immune
to debate.
Like most statistics, those relating to safety can be presented
in many ways to support just about any message, and there are a
number of complexities that are difficult to completely analyze.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA)
standardized recordable injury rate (number of injuries per 100
person-years worked) represents one set of statistics. This rate
encompasses uniform categories of injuries that allow for
comparing safety rates of businesses of the same industry type
and organizational size.
At the end of 2003, the Department of Energy (DOE)-wide average
rate was 1.8, compared to our current value of 2.5. (By
comparison, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory had injury rates of 1.5 and 1.2,
respectively.)
So what do these statistics tell us? At first glance, the
laboratory's accident rates hover around or above the median /
mean. In reality, Los Alamos probably performs slightly better
than average, because we include in our rates those of
subcontractors like KSL and PTLA, which tend to have higher
injury rates due to the nature of their work.
But even if our safety record is better than average, in my
opinion, it's still not good enough, and it's far from
best-in-class.
With respect to whether the laboratory's safety is good enough,
consider the cost of injuries and incidents, even aside from the
direct costs levied by worker compensation, lost work time, work
stoppages, and accident investigations. On a fundamental level
every dot on an accident chart represents a human being's pain
and suffering. Nothing matters more to us than making sure all
Los Alamos employees return safely home each day. As long as the
injury rate remains above zero, there's room for improvement,
and it's time well-spent to identify and address risks and
potential vulnerabilities.
Moreover, as a nuclear laboratory, Los Alamos bears an enormous
public trust. Society tends to tolerate accidents resulting from
familiar causes such as construction or driving; at the same
time, society is intolerant of accidents at a place like Los
Alamos, where the hazards are unfamiliar and potentially
catastrophic. The public holds Los Alamos to a higher standard
of safety, and it's our job to meet that standard.
The truth is that, although the laboratory's injury rate
improved dramatically between 1996 (6.0 injury rate) and 2001
(1.5 injury rate), over the past few years our rate of
improvement has not just stagnated, but actually reversed.
This stagnation and decline is inconsistent with the continuing
performance improvement achieved by both private industry and
the DOE throughout the same time period. A hallmark of all
best-in-class companies is continual improvement; in the safety
arena, that means pushing beyond the status quo to eliminate all
accidents. By this measure alone, the laboratory is not
best-in-class in terms of safety.
Additionally, since the beginning of 2003, the laboratory has
had several serious injuries and/or near misses. Two of these
events permanently maimed the workers involved, and four could
have been lethal. This history of serious injury and/ or
near-miss events is not indicative of best-in-class safety
performance.
Slightly better than average is not good enough for an
institution bearing a huge public trust and shouldering a vital
national security mission. We content ourselves with nothing
less than best-in-class scientific research. Why would we settle
for anything less in safety when the stakes - the health and
lives of our employees - matter even more?
In hindsight the statistics paint a revealing picture about
safety at Los Alamos. But in the midst of July's crises and
turmoil, what drove Director Nanos's decision was a very real
concern: his regard for each and every employee, and his
knowledge of the human toll that any safety incident takes.
Lee McAtee is the Health, Safety and Radiation Protection
Division Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
39 DOE: DOE Notification That an Additional 45-Days Is Needed To Develop
FR Doc 04-26281
[Federal Register: November 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 228)]
[Notices] [Page 69365-69368] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29no04-36]
Its Implementation Plan in Response to Recommendation 2004-1 of
the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Oversight of
Complex, High- Hazard Nuclear Operations AGENCY: Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Recommendation 2004-1, concerning oversight of complex,
high-hazard nuclear operations was published in the Federal
Register on June 7, 2004 (69 FR 31815). The Secretary accepted
the Recommendation on July 21, 2004 (69 FR 48476). In accordance
with section 315(e) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,
42 U.S.C. 2286d(e), the Secretary informed the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board that the Department requires an
additional 45 days to complete its implementation plan. With the
additional 45-days allowed to complete its implementation plan,
the Department expects to approve
[[Page 69366]] the 2004-1 implementation plan by December 23,
2004.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, data, views, or arguments concerning
the Secretary's response to: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board, 625 Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Theodore D. Sherry, Deputy
Manager, Department of Energy, NNSA Y-12 Site Office, 200
Administration Road, P.O. Box 2001, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Issued
in Washington, DC on November 23, 2004.
Mark B. Whitaker, Jr., Departmental Representative to the Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
[[Page 69367]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29NO04.000
[[Page 69368]] [FR Doc. 04-26281 Filed 11-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING
CODE 6450-01-C
*****************************************************************
40 [du-list] DU in the News - 30th Nov. '04
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 15:02:31 -0800
Monday, November 29, 2004 11:29 AM PST
Your Keyword News Alert for [depleted uranium]
matched the following stories:
BBC News, Mon, 29 Nov 2004 9:06 AM PST
Iraq log: 29 November 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/-/2/hi/middle_east/4032505.stm
What is life like for ordinary Iraqis and others caught up in events? We
are publishing a range of accounts here.
See more news stories that match your keyword at:
http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=&p=depleted+uranium
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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