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                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 Guardian Unlimited: What Happened to Missing Iraq Explosives
2 UK Independent: US gave date of war to Britain in advance, court pap
3 KR: Iran unveils plant, indicating it will proceed with nuclear prog
4 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Refuses Nuclear Suspension Again
5 IPS-English NORTH KOREA: Nuke negotiators agree on new six-way
6 Xinhuanet: Chief delegates to six-party talks meet in Seoul   
7 Xinhuanet: Powell reiterates denuclearization of Korean Peninsula   
8 US: Modesto Bee: Green energy gets more attention   
9 US: Washington Times: Tough nuclear neighborhood
10 BBC: Nuclear strike 'key terror risk'
11 sweden: The Local - Nuclear out, wind in (no matter what the people 
12 Daily Times: US papers still obsessed with AQ Khan story 
13 The Star: What if oil hits US$100 a barrel?
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
14 Earthquake Induced Nuclear Catastrophe Looming In Japan?
15 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
16 US: NRC: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Rancho Seco Independ
17 US: NRC: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Rancho Seco Independ
18 US: Vermont Guardian: NRC blocks public access to documents
19 US: Brattleboro Reformer: For Shadis, nuke fight personal
20 Daily Yomiuri: KEPCO execs to take pay cuts over falsified inspectio
21 US: Las Vegas RJ: NRC to remove sensitive documents from Web site 
22 US: Las Vegas SUN: NRC data access closed to public
23 US: APP.COM: Marine life at peril in hot waters of Oyster Creek 
24 Platts: EC wants more transparent funding for nuke liabilities
25 Daily Ittefaq: Nuclear power in Asia 
26 US: NRC: NRC to Conduct Special Inspection at Humboldt Bay
27 US: Lincoln Journal Star: NPPD eyes extension of license
28 US: Newsday.com: Anti-nuclear group files formal complaint with NRC
29 US: Charleston.Net: Oconee discharge prompts concerns 
30 AFP: Invisible poison lies forgotten in Chernobyl-polluted Belarus
31 US: NRC: Nuclear Power Plants That Employ Boiling-Water Reactor (BWR
32 US: NRC: Proposed Generic Communication; Establishing and Maintainin
33 US: NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al. South Texas Project, 
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
34 [DU-WATCH] War. The gift that keeps on giving
35 [du-list] UK Defence files hidden
36 US: [du-list] Army uses U and U-oxides as an in-vitro mutagenesis
37 US: Casper Trib: Union expects boost with change in handling of clai
38 Wanderer: Militant Secularists
39 US: NRC: NRC Proposes $44,400 Civil Penalty for Baxter Healthcare Co
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
40 AP Wire: USEC signs deal with Boeing, Honeywell for centrifuges
41 Nevada Appeal - Opinion: Yucca Mountain no issue in this election
 
                         NUCLEAR WEAPONS
 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
42 DOE: Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
43 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
44 DOE: DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
45 Tri-City Herald: Perma-Fix gets waste treatment contract 
46 Platts: Rad waste removed from Ineel ahead of schedule
47 C&EN: Hanford Cleanup Milestone Reached
 
                          OTHER NUCLEAR
 
48 [du-list] DU in the news - 27th Oct 04
49 Telegraph: France, India talk fusion                                
50 GovPro: Millions to Fuel U.S. Hydrogen Highway
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
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 1 Guardian Unlimited: What Happened to Missing Iraq Explosives
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 27, 2004 10:16 PM

By CHRISTOPHER CHESTER 

Associated Press Writer 

The disappearance of nearly 400 tons of powerful explosives from 
a former Iraqi military installation has become a heated issue in 
the presidential campaign and has led to criticism and confusion 
over when and how the materials vanished, what more U.S. troops 
could have done to protect them from theft and who, if anyone, is 
to blame. 

Here are some questions and answers about what we do know at this 
point, and what remains unknown or in dispute: 

--- 

Q. Why was the U.N. nuclear agency involved in monitoring 
explosives at the Al-Qaqaa site? 

A. Although the missing materials are conventional explosives 
known as HMX and RDX, HMX is a ``dual use'' substance powerful 
enough to ignite the fissile material in an atomic bomb and set 
off a nuclear chain reaction. They are referred to as ``high 
explosive material,'' or ``high explosives.'' 

--- 

Q. What value are high explosives to looters? 

A. The material can be used for a variety of purposes, from car 
bomb attacks to cooking fuel. During this time, Iraqi civilians 
were looting anything of value that they thought they could sell 
or barter later. Both HMX and RDX are key components in plastic 
explosives such as C-4 and Semtex. 

--- 

Q. Aren't there caches of these kinds of explosives throughout 
the country? Why all the fuss about this particular site? 

A. Al-Qaqaa was considered the pre-eminent site in Iraq for high 
explosive stockpiles. When Iraq declared the HMX, RDX and PETN 
after the 1991 Gulf War, nuclear agency experts concentrated the 
high explosives at Al-Qaqaa so they could be monitored, according 
to a nuclear agency official. However, U.S. troops on the ground 
found high explosives throughout the country. 

--- 

Q. When were the explosives last seen at the site? 

A. U.N. nuclear inspectors observed the explosives in January 
2003 and placed fresh seals over the doors of bunkers that housed 
the explosives. Inspectors visited Al-Qaqaa in March and reported 
that the seals were not broken. The team made its last visit 
March 15 and pulled out of the country before March 19 invasion. 

--- 

Q. If the explosives were still there in March 2003, when did 
they disappear? 

A. The Iraqis reported to the U.N. nuclear agency that they were 
stolen sometime after U.S. troops seized Baghdad on April 9, 
2003. But the White House has suggested that the cache 
disappeared before U.S. troops first got to Al-Qaqaa, possibly 
taken by Saddam Hussein's regime. 

--- 

Q. When did U.S. troops arrive at the site, how aggressively did 
they search for the weapons and did they secure the facility when 
they left? 

A. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division reached Al-Qaqaa around April 
3, 2003, fought with Iraqi forces, occupied the site and left 
after two days for Baghdad. 

On April 10, 2003, troops from the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd 
Brigade spent 24 hours at the site, searched for chemical weapons 
- but not high explosives - and then headed to Baghdad to join 
the 3rd Infantry Division, which had seized the capital the 
previous day. An NBC reporter embedded with the unit said there 
was no talk among the 101st of securing the area after they left. 

Although a spokesman for the unit says looters were already at 
the site, Al-Qaqaa is a large installation with more than 100 
buildings that could house weapons, and it is unclear how much - 
if any - of the extremely heavy material had been carted away by 
that point. 

--- 

Q. Did U.S. troops ever search the facility for the high 
explosives? 

A. It appears that the first time U.S. troops searched 
specifically for high explosives was on May 27, 2003, after 
visits by site survey teams on May 8 and May 11 and a purported 
request by the U.N. nuclear agency on May 3. The troops found 
that the seals had been broken. It's not clear whether they did a 
further accounting of the materials themselves. 

--- 

Q. If the U.S. found the seals broken, did they inform the 
nuclear agency? 

A. That's not clear. The nuclear agency says it first learned of 
the disappearance of the explosives from the Iraqi government on 
Oct. 10, 2004. The Pentagon would not say whether it had informed 
the nuclear agency that the high explosives were not where they 
were supposed to be. 

--- 

Q. Why didn't U.S. troops make an effort earlier than May 27, 
2003 to secure the explosives? 

A. It appears that there were no orders for them to search for 
high explosives - only for biological, chemical and nuclear 
weapons. Saddam's alleged hidden stockpiles of these weapons of 
mass destruction were the Bush administration's justification for 
the war. The nuclear agency had warned about HMX in a report to 
the United Nations in February 2003 but did not specifically 
mention Al-Qaqaa. 

--- 

Q. Was the U.N. nuclear agency in Iraq in the immediate aftermath 
of the invasion? 

A. No. After pulling out before the invasion, the inspectors 
didn't return for nearly a year. They finally went back twice for 
specific tasks the U.S.-led coalition allowed them to do, but the 
coalition has not allowed even now their return for a resumption 
of general inspections. 

--- 

Q. Did the nuclear agency have legal custody of the site once the 
coalition invaded? 

A. The agency did not have legal custody, strictly speaking. The 
agency's mandate and the presence of HMX got it involved, but it 
was not in charge of the facility or responsible for securing it 
overall.         
  
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
*****************************************************************
 2 UK Independent: US gave date of war to Britain in advance, court papers reveal
 
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
 
27 October 2004

Secret plans for the war in Iraq were passed to British Army
chiefs by US defence planners five months before the invasion
was launched, a court martial heard yesterday. 

The revelation strengthened suspicions that Tony Blair gave his
agreement to President George Bush to go to war while the
diplomatic efforts to force Saddam Hussein to comply with UN
resolutions were continuing. 

Alan Simpson, the leader of Labour Against the War, said the
documents were "dynamite", if genuine, and showed that Clare
Short was right to assert in her book, serialised in The
Independent, that Mr Blair had "knowingly misled" Parliament. 

The plans were revealed during the court martial of L/Cpl Ian
Blaymire, 23, from Leeds, who is charged with the manslaughter
of a comrade while serving in Iraq. Sgt John Nightingale, 32, a
reservist from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, died after being shot
in the chest on 23 September last year. 

The court, at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, heard that
contingency plans were drawn up by Lt Col Christopher Warren,
staff officer at Land Command, Salisbury, Wiltshire, who was
responsible for operational training. 

Lt Col Warren said US planners had passed on dates for which the
invasion was planned. The hearing was told Army chiefs wanted
the training for the Army to start at the beginning of December
2002. However, due to "sensitivities" the training was delayed. 

The court heard the training for the TA began two months late
and for the regular Army one month late. Lt Col Warren was asked
what the sensitivities were. He replied: "Because in December
there was a world interest. If the UK had mobilised while all
this was going on that would have shown an intent before the
political process had been allowed to run its course." 

The hearing was adjourned. 	           


UK Independent Ltd.
*****************************************************************
 3 KR: Iran unveils plant, indicating it will proceed with nuclear program

Washington Bureau | 10/27/2004 | 

Knight Ridder Washington

By Saeed Kousha and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

 Knight Ridder Newspapers

ARAK, Iran - Iranian officials unveiled their disputed heavy 
water plant 40 miles south of here Wednesday in a sign that Iran 
has no plans to suspend its nuclear program, despite calls from 
the United States to do so. 

Leading a small group of journalists on the first-ever public 
tour of the facility, the plant's deputy director for research 
and development said that if the West won't provide Iran with 
nuclear technology, Iranians would provide it themselves. He said 
the United States and Europe have no reason to be concerned about 
the plant. 

	"They are 100 percent wrong" to be concerned over Iran's
development of the ability to manufacture heavy water, said
Manouchehr Madadi. "It is only for research." 

	So-called heavy water, which contains a heavier hydrogen
particle than regular water, will allow Iran to run other
nuclear reactors with the natural uranium it mines, rather than
enriched uranium, which is far more expensive and difficult to
produce, Madadi said. 

	But heavy water also can be used to develop material for
nuclear weapons. It's that possibility that has alarmed the Bush
administration, which has demanded the site be shut down and
Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment halted. 

	Great Britain, Germany and France, trying to avert a showdown
next month between Iran and the United States before the U.N.
Security Council, have offered to provide Iran with nuclear fuel
and a light water research reactor that can't be used to develop
nuclear weapons if Iran agrees to cease activities like those at
Arak. 

	Iranian officials told European negotiators in Vienna Wednesday
that they wouldn't suspend work on their nuclear program. Iran's
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened on Iranian
television to pull out of the talks if the West failed to soften
its stance. 

	There were no signs of surrender at the plant, heralded at its
entrance by a sign reading "Distillation Workshop."
Anti-aircraft batteries guarded the facility. 

	Showing off the maze of pipes, cranes and scaffolding that took
10 years to construct, Madadi said the plant currently produces
8 tons of heavy water a year. 

	Within five months, he said, the plant is expected to double
its output. Madadi said the plant's output would be used only
for peaceful purposes. 

	But the facility remains a question for the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. watchdog in Vienna scrutinizing
Iran's nuclear activities whose inspectors have toured it twice. 

	"Of all the types of nuclear reactor, why heavy water?" asked
one Western diplomat reached by phone in Vienna, who spoke on
the condition of anonymity. 

	--- 

	(Knight Ridder Newspapers special correspondent Kousha reported
from Arak, Iran. Nelson reported from Amman, Jordan.) 

*****************************************************************
 4 Las Vegas SUN: Iran Refuses Nuclear Suspension Again

 By SUSANNA LOOF ASSOCIATED PRESS 

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran ruled out a total suspension of
uranium enrichment Wednesday as a second round of talks with
European negotiators failed to produce an agreement aimed at
avoiding a showdown and the possible threat of U.N. sanctions. 

Britain, France and Germany have offered Iran incentives - a
trade deal and peaceful nuclear technology, including a
light-water research reactor - in return for assurances that
Iran will stop enrichment, which can produce fuel for both
nuclear energy and atomic weaponry. 

"Total suspension will not be accepted under any circumstances,"
said Sirus Naseri, a member of the Iranian delegation that met
in Vienna with the European envoys. 

But Naseri said Iran was still trying to work out a compromise
with the Europeans. "We're negotiating," he said. "We're trying
to come to an agreement. The next meeting will be soon." 

The British Foreign Office said a third round of talks would be
held "shortly." 

"Some progress was made towards identifying the elements of a
common approach towards the issues," a Foreign Office spokesman
in London said. 

The deal aims at easing fears in the United States and Europe
that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Diplomats
called the EU package a "last chance" offer to Iran ahead of a
key Nov. 25 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
which could result in Tehran's defiance being reported to the
U.N. Security Council, which has the authority to impose
punishing sanctions. 

The Vienna-based IAEA was not directly involved in the offer,
but agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said he welcomes any
attempt to negotiate an end to the standoff. Envoys from the
three European nations met privately with the Iranian
delegation. 

Iran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful and geared
solely toward generating electricity. The United States,
pointing to Iran's vast oil reserves, contends it is running a
covert nuclear weapons program. 

Heightening the U.S. concerns, Iran has resumed testing,
assembling and making centrifuges used to enrich uranium. 

Iran repeatedly has refused to abandon uranium enrichment, a key
demand of the international community. Although the European
envoys who presented their offer to the Iranians last week made
it clear that they would not budge on the enrichment issue,
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, suggested there
was some flexibility in the talks. 

Rowhani, told state television earlier this week his government
might be willing to consider a temporary suspension of
enrichment, but he cautioned: "No other country can stop us
exploring technology which is the legal right of Iran." 

Rowhani said Iran has run its program "under the influence of
agreements and safeguards of the IAEA" and has signed a
so-called additional protocol to the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty, which allows unfettered IAEA inspections of Iranian
facilities. 

Earlier Wednesday, 50 Iranians staged a small demonstration in
Vienna to object to phrasing in the European offer that the EU
would continue to view a key Iranian resistance group, the
Mujahedeen Khalq, as a terrorist organization. 

The Mujahedeen Khalq, which seeks to topple Iran's ruling
Islamic establishment by force, also is on the U.S. State
Department's list of terrorist organizations. Protesters carried
banners that read, "EU: Mujahedeen Khalq off the list" and "The
real terrorist is the mullah regime in Iran." 

The Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran said the
demonstration was intended to "warn against the continuation of
appeasing the mullahs, which has only emboldened them in their
drive to acquire nuclear weapons." 

"We're against this horse trading that's taking place at the
cost of the Iranian opposition and Iranian refugees, most of
whom support" the Mujahedeen Khalq, said Javad Dabiran, a
resistance council member. 

--- 

On the Net: 

IAEA, www.iaea.org 

-- 



*****************************************************************
 5 IPS-English NORTH KOREA: Nuke negotiators agree on new six-way
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 14:43:00 -0700

 
<x-flowed>
  AF WA IP AB CU
NORTH KOREA: Nuke negotiators agree on new six-way talks before year end
Att.Editors: The following item is from the Emirates News Agency (WAM)

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (WAM) - Nuclear negotiators of U.S., Russia and South Korea
today agreed that six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program must
resume before the end of the year at the latest.

    Such an agreement was reached among U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
James Kelly, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev and Korean
Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck.

    Wednesday's three-way meeting came as the U.S. and Russian diplomats were
coincidentally in South Korea on different missions.

    Kelly flew to Seoul accompanying U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and
Alekseyev was here for an annual consultation forum between the two
countries.

    Powell left for home Tuesday, ending a 20-hour overnight stay in Seoul,
the final leg of his three-nation Asian trip that included stops in Tokyo
and Beijing. Kelly stayed behind for further discussions with Seoul
officials.

    Analysts agree that North Korea is biding its time until after next
week's U.S. presidential election, apparently believing that it could make a
better deal with a John Kerry administration. (WAM)



  

</x-flowed>
*****************************************************************
 6 Xinhuanet: Chief delegates to six-party talks meet in Seoul   
    
  www.xinhuanet.com

  www.chinaview.cn 2004-10-28 08:13:41   

    BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korea, the United 
States and Russia have all agreed to hold the next-round of 
six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula by the end of this year. 

    The three countries' chief delegates to the six-party nuclear 
talks met in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Wednesday. 

    South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck, US 
Undersecretary James Kelly and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister 
Alexander Alekseyev held discussions on the current situation of 
the talks and North Korea's plan of a "freeze for compensation". 

    The three sides also vowed to cooperate with China on the 
issue. 

    After the meeting, South Korean chief negotiator Lee 
Soo-hyuck said that the key was to continue the talks, no matter 
in what form. 


(CRIENGLISH.com)   

  Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 7 Xinhuanet: Powell reiterates denuclearization of Korean Peninsula   

  www.xinhuanet.com

  www.chinaview.cn 2004-10-28 04:37:37   

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State 
Colin Powell on Wednesday reiterated the US goal of complete 
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and said it is up to the 
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to decide when to 
return to the six-party process. 

    "We have some basic principles that we have to follow, and 
that is we must have the complete denuclearization of the Korean 
Peninsula," Powell said in an interview with the CNBC, a US 
financial news television. 

    "I am confident that if the other five members of the 
six-party group stay together and made clear these principled 
positions that were just touched on, the North Koreans will 
eventually find in their interest to return. But it is up to them 
to decide when they want to return," Powell said. 

    Powell said he can not predict when the six-party talks will 
be resumed and accused the DPRK of having been "holding out." 

    Powell returned to Washington on Tuesday after a three-nation 
tour which brought him to Korea, China and Japan. 

    In addition to China, Korea and Japan, the United States, 
Russia and the DPRK are also involved in the six-party talks 
aimed at realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 
Three rounds of the six-party talks, hosted by China, have been 
held to try to end the nuclear confrontation between the DPRK and 
the United States. Enditem   

  Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. 
*****************************************************************
 8 Modesto Bee: Green energy gets more attention   

Modbee.com 

By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer</b>
[metro@modbee.com

Last Updated: October 27, 2004, 05:44:00 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With oil futures soaring above $55 a barrel 
and natural gas doubling in price in the last two years, 
renewable energy is looking a lot better to many - not just on 
environmental merits but on price.

 Wind, solar, geothermal and other green power sources have long 
been championed by people worried about smog and global warming, 
but until recently they were too costly to compete.

 But the surging cost of fossil fuels is changing the economics 
of the energy market.

 "Rising fossil fuel prices are making renewable energy more 
competitive in the power market," said Steve Taub, an alternative 
energy analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

 Renewable energy can't offer much relief to drivers and 
companies seeing their profits evaporate because of skyrocketing 
oil prices, because viable green alternatives to gasoline are 
hard to find. Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel aren't 
widely available, and hydrogen-powered cars aren't expected to 
hit the market for years.

 But in the electricity market, green power, especially wind, is 
already competing with traditional sources. At today's average 
wholesale prices, wind costs 4.2 cents per kilowatt hour, 
compared with 4 cents for coal, 6.8 cents for natural gas, 9.1 
cents for oil and 10 cents for nuclear power, according to Kyle 
Datta, managing director at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a 
research group focused on eco-friendly business.

 Experts estimate that at today's consumption rates, known global 
supplies of oil and natural gas would be depleted within decades. 
But prices are expected to rise significantly long before 
supplies run out, making those fuels too expensive to use at 
current levels.

 "They're never going to run out, but the ability to match supply 
to demand may already have run out, especially for oil," said 
Stephen Leeb, president of Leeb Capital Management and co-author 
of "The Oil Factor," which predicts that oil could hit $100 a 
barrel by 2010.

 In the short term, fossil fuel prices are being driven up by 
war, political instability, natural disasters and other 
variables. The long-term outlook is clearer - global supplies are 
dwindling as demand soars, particularly in China and India, where 
automobiles are multiplying and economies are growing at 
breakneck speed.

 "We should treat the prices as a warning that we need to act to 
promote energy efficiency and renewable energy," said Ralph 
Cavanagh, an energy expert at the Natural Resources Defense 
Council. "They represent a terrible threat to the vitality of the 
United States."

 Meanwhile, improving technology, tax credits, low interest rates 
and government mandates are making renewables more widely 
available, establishing an inexhaustible energy supply that will 
keep driving prices down.

 Sixteen states, including California, New York and Texas, have 
adopted "renewable portfolio standards" that require utilities to 
buy a certain share of their electricity from renewable sources.

 Some major oil companies, particularly BP PLC, are investing to 
develop alternative fuels such as hydrogen, wind and solar. BP 
Solar, a BP subsidiary, has grown about 30 percent annually, 
boosted by government incentives that make solar competitive in 
sunny states such as California, said spokeswoman Sarah Howell.

 "BP invests in it because we see it as a long-term business that 
will grow ever stronger," she said.

 Less than 3 percent of U.S. electricity now comes from 
renewables such as wind, solar, geothermal, wood and waste, but 
that share is expected to increase as the price of fossil fuel 
rises.

 Increasingly, solar power is gaining popularity with individual 
homeowners and businesses that want to generate their own power, 
but it isn't used much by utilities. Geothermal energy is limited 
by geography, and biomass is still being developed as a reliable 
fuel source.

 Wind, which makes up less than 1 percent of the nation's energy 
supply, is the fastest growing source of renewable power. Over 
the past five years, large scale wind farms have been built in 
Texas, California, Kansas, Wyoming and other states.

 Advocates point to wind's numerous advantages: Wind is free and 
inexhaustible, it doesn't generate smog or greenhouse gas, and 
its price is more stable than its chief competitor, natural gas. 
The downside is that the wind doesn't always blow, and not all 
regions have strong wind resources.

 The Energy Information Administration has calculated the average 
price - factoring in fuel, construction and operating costs - of 
various electricity sources over 20 years starting in 2010. It 
estimates that wind would cost $50.54 per megawatt hour, compared 
with $61.32 for nuclear power, $53.42 for coal and $49.66 for 
natural gas.

 Despite renewed attention on renewable energy, some analysts say 
the current spike in fossil fuel prices won't significantly boost 
the alternative energy market. They say governments must promote 
renewable energy, raise fuel efficiency standards and encourage 
investment in research.

 For now, advocates are pleased that pocketbook concerns are 
generating renewed interest in green power.

 "It brings attention to the need to diversify America's energy 
portfolio," said George Douglas, spokesman for the National 
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. "It raises people's 
awareness of the cost of energy and where energy comes from." 

  Copyright © 2004 The Modesto Bee.     About The Bee 
*****************************************************************
 9 Washington Times: Tough nuclear neighborhood
 
                        October 27, 2004

		 	 	 	 	 	 		 		 	 	 	 	 From the days of Cyrus the Great and
Darius the Great, who ruled the Persian empire some 500 years
before Christ, through the shah en shah (king of kings), who
lost his throne to revolutionary clerics in 1979, the talons of
military supremacy ruled strategic thinking. The shah, not the
ayatollahs, decided Iran would be a nuclear power. 
 
Before the cancer-stricken shah was forced into exile, he
had launched a plan to build 20 nuclear reactors, including two
in Bushehr, which became a Russian project. The shah's regime
also ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1970, and
promptly began research and development efforts on fissile
materials for nuclear weapons. 




 
*****************************************************************
 10 BBC: Nuclear strike 'key terror risk'
 
  Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 October, 2004
 
[Men in masks at Bank Tube Station in a planning exercise]                               
Nuclear strikes must be the terror priority, says Etzioni                                                                 

The UK and US must realise they cannot prevent all terror attacks 
and should focus on making sure they are not nuclear strikes, 
says a top academic. 

Amitai Etzioni, a key influence on New Labour thinking, says the 
US emphasis on an "Axis of Evil" is misplaced. 

The priority should instead be on "failing states", including 
Russia and Pakistan, who cannot properly control their nuclear 
material, he argues. 

His report demands a major overhaul of world rules on nuclear 
technology. 

Arms access 

Professor Etzioni was a senior adviser to President Carter's 
White House and is the guru behind communitarian ideas which 
influenced the development of Blairite Third Way politics. 

In a report for the Foreign Policy Centre think tank, he says a 
nuclear terrorist attack is the main danger faced by many 
nations. 

We must recognise that will be unable to stop all attacks Amitai 
Etzioni Leading US academic     

"Attempts to defend against it by hardening domestic targets 
cannot work, nor can one rely on pre-emption by taking the war to 
the terrorists before they attack," he says. 

That means there is an urgent need to curb terrorists' access to 
nuclear arms and the materials used to make them. 

"We must recognise that we will be unable to stop all attacks and 
thus ensure terrorists will not be able to strike with weapons of 
mass destruction," Prof Etzioni continues. 

Russia warning 

He suggests so-called rogue states such as Iran and North Korea 
are less of a problem than "failed and failing states", which are 
more likely to be a source of nuclear materials. 

He names Russia as the "failing state" of gravest concern as it 
has an estimated 90% of all fissile material outside America. 

And he is also worried about Pakistan after one of its top 
nuclear scientists, Abdul Qadeer Khan, admitted leaking nuclear 
secrets. 

Prof Etzioni criticises the US for overlooking those reports, 
suggesting it was done in return for Pakistani help in hunting 
Osama Bin Laden. 

"This is like letting a serial killer go because he promised to 
catch some jay-walkers," he says. 

Among his proposals for an overhaul of the current world 
non-proliferation regime are: 


+ Upgrading security at nuclear arms stores as a temporary 
measure 


+ Creating a new Global Safety Authority to tackle nuclear 
terrorism, using the intelligence links established in the wake 
of 11 September - backed by the United Nations' authority 


+ Encouraging, pressuring and using "all available means" to 
persuade countries to switch their highly-enriched uranium for 
less dangerous less-enriched uranium 


+ When possible, taking fissile material away from failing states 
to safe havens where it can be blended down or converted 


+ Compelling "failing and rogue states", and eventually all 
states, to destroy their nuclear bombs. 



*****************************************************************
 11 sweden: The Local - Nuclear out, wind in (no matter what the people say)
 		 		 		 		 		 		
28th October 2004               

Published: 27th October 2004 11:08 BST+1 
Nuclear out, wind in (no matter what the people say)

"Nuclear power has run out of steam." That was prime minister 
Göran Persson's conclusion earlier this month when the government 
announced the decommissioning next year of the Barsebäck 2 
nuclear plant. A survey has now shown that the Swedish people 
want to keep nuclear power. But apparently the government isn't 
out of step with the people, it's the people who are out of step 
with the government.
 
The survey, conducted by polling organisation Sifo for SVT's 
'Aktuellt' news programme, showed that 64% of the 1,000 
interviewed felt that Sweden should continue to use the nuclear 
power plants currently in use.
 
16% thought nuclear power should be expanded and 16% thought it 
should be phased out.
 
A closer look at the political affiliations of those interviewed 
made interesting reading. Social Democrat voters were those most 
in favour of maintaining the status quo (71% support), whilst 
only 13% of them agreed with the government's policy of phasing 
out.
 
Supporters of the Social Democrats' coalition partners, the 
Greens and Left Party, were not surprisingly most in favour of 
decommissioning (54% and 45% respectively).
 
The results support an earlier survey from the beginning of 
October, which showed that 82% of Swedes supported maintaining 
current levels of nuclear power or expanding it.
 
In response to the survey, Marita Ulvskog, the newly appointed 
party secretary for the Social Democrats, claimed that her party 
was not out of touch with its supporters on this issue:
 
"Very few of our voters realise that the Social Democrats have 
decided to change our energy policy and phase out nuclear power 
so that it has a minimal impact on jobs and welfare."
 
One of the winners in this change of policy seems to be wind 
power. On Tuesday, the Swedish Energy Agency published a list of 
49 locations as potential sites for wind farms. The locations are 
mostly on the coast and around Lake Vänern. Halland heads the 
list with nine sites, followed by Skåne with seven.
 
Possible sites in mountainous regions such as Norrbotten and 
Dalarna have been rejected for environmental reasons and because 
not enough is known about the wind patterns there.
 
If all the proposed sites are accepted and go into production, 
they will produce approximately 5TWh (tera watts per hour) of 
electricity, or 3.5% of electricity produced this year. The long 
term goal is to produce 10TWh with wind power.
 
However, a number of battles have to be fought before the farms 
become a reality. Måns Hagberg, county architect in Västra 
Götaland where three farms are proposed, told DN:
 
"Old rubbish tips and industrial areas are usually accepted. 
Otherwise people like to complain about wind power. The Energy 
Agency's list will be well and truly mangled."
 
But the director of the Energy Agency, Thomas Korsfeldt, sees 
that wind power's stock is rising and now competes with interests 
such as defence and the environment for designated areas:
 
"Now wind power is on an equal footing with other national 
interests and will be compared with them. That's essential if 
parliament's aim of increasing production of renewable energy is 
going to be met."
 
Sources: Svenska Dagbladet, Dagens Nyheter Andy Butterworth [Send 
to Friend] Send this article to a friend » [Add Comment]  Add a 
comment »Add Comment (Members Only) 


Related Articles + Sweden's environment minister the purest of 
them all 21st October 2004 + Gone fission: Sweden to close 
nuclear power plant 6th October 2004 + Earthquake shakes southern 
Sweden 23rd September 2004 + Swedish wildlife hits the road 2nd 
July 2004 + Stockholm breathes deeply 24th June 2004 + 
Environmental health flaws 4th June 2004 More Politics + 
Ringholm's club faces tax probe 26th October 2004 + Persson picks 
election team 21st October 2004 + Knifeman gatecrashes Moderate 
party 19th October 2004 + Government could dump Left following 
Ohly scandal 13th October 2004 + Ohly’s communist admission 
causes Left Party rumpus 6th October 2004 + Schyman in equality 
policy shock: tax men 5th October 2004                

*****************************************************************
 12 Daily Times: US papers still obsessed with AQ Khan story 

 Thursday, October 28, 2004 
	   
WASHINGTON: The AQ Khan story refuses to go away. On Wednesday, 
yet another leading American newspaper warned about the jeopardy 
in which the world had been placed as a consequence of the 
operations of the nuclear network.

The Christian Science Monitor which calls the alleged Khan
operation a “vast black-market nuclear arms bazaar operating
under superpower radar for more than a decade” writes in a
report that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and
some 20 countries working together have uncovered many parts of
the clandestine network run by the “father of Pakistan’s nuclear
weapons programme, Abdul Qadeer Khan,” including three more
people who allegedly acted as middlemen and who were recently
arrested in South Africa. Their arrests have led to “the virtual
shutdown of the clandestine network.” According to Matthew Bunn,
a nuclear expert at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School
of Government, “Overall, the Khan network is the biggest
non-proliferation disaster of the nuclear age. It is certainly
good news that at least the beginning of breaking up that
network has occurred. Unfortunately, a substantial number of 
players in that network are still walking around free people.”

The Monitor report says that those walking free are probably 
additional businessmen, still unidentified, with specific 
technical capabilities to manufacture parts for centrifuges. 
“Moreover, Dr Khan and his top aides remain free, or at least 
semi-free. Although Khan publicly admitted his guilt this past 
February, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pardoned him. Khan 
is said to be under house arrest in five costly mansions. His top 
aides are free as well, their movements apparently monitored. 
Neither US nor IAEA investigators have been given access to Khan 
and his aides - a huge problem, investigators say, because they 
need to know if other countries besides Libya, North Korea, and 
Iran were offered Khan’s plans and/or technology.”

Pakistani officials, according to the Monitor, have interviewed 
Dr Khan and his aides, and have “provided some information”, to 
the IAEA. “But they could provide much more,” says a diplomat. 
Far more useful, say experts familiar with the network, have been 
documents confiscated in the raids on the various companies tied 
to the network - in Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Malaysia, 
Dubai, and South Africa. The IAEA, notes the report, has no 
leverage on Pakistani officials. “The United States is widely 
seen as the only country with the clout to pressure Pakistan. But 
Washington walks a fine line with Islamabad. It must avoid 
alienating the country, since it’s crucial to the US war on 
terror. At the same time, however, by backing the Musharraf 
regime too much, the US could inflame Islamic radicals in the 
country, leading to the government’s overthrow. Relations between 
the two nations are tenuous. Still, on balance, many experts 
think the US could do more to persuade Pakistan to let IAEA 
investigators interview Khan,” the report adds. The report states 
that American officials will not talk about much information Gen 
Musharraf has handed over. And while Pakistan is said to be 
cooperating, investigators and officials are concerned that Dr 
Khan’s plans and technology may have been passed to other unknown 
people or countries. Critical parts for the centrifuge remain 
unaccounted for, even though individuals and companies in some 30 
countries have been apprehended and searched, according to 
unnamed IAEA officials say. That suggests that other companies or 
people, still not caught, may be able to produce the missing 
parts. staff report Home | National           


      ‘Kashmir roadmap exists’ Opp questions PIA contract to 
Musharraf’s nephew District court issues arrest warrant for Altaf 
Hussain Japanese family found alive under landslide after four 
days Armitage to visit Pakistan on November 8 Cabinet decides to 
issue Rs 20 and Rs 5,000 notes Iran’s heavy water nuclear plant 
almost complete Supportive spouses help reduce blood pressure 
Three wanted men arrested after shootout New interior and 
information secretaries named British troops start perilous Iraq 
mission Will bad news be bad for Bush in US election? LHC 
disposes suo moto contempt against Geo TV Food Dept to inspect 
flour mills’ records Active private torture cells shocking: HRCP 
CM reconstitutes TEVTA board Fazl to meet Nawaz in Saudi Arabia 
CCBs to help develop public projects: Amer 3 secretaries, 3 cops 
transferred Justice delayed is justice denied: PPP Cellphone 
laboratories to be set up in Punjab ‘Mochi Gate suicide bomber 
linked to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’ LHCBA rejects Musharraf’s formula on 
Kashmir dispute Government warns against corporal punishment in 
schools ‘Three dancers banned for vulgarity’ Sindh CM visits Mayo 
Hospital, Rescue 1122 station: Arbab for people-to-people 
contact, exchange of social services expertise IJT hoodlums in 
Social Work Department: Punjab University disciplinary committee 
comes into play DHA forms cell to investigate shooting incident 
The two faces of healthcare at Mayo Hospital Art exhibition DHA 
bus service to commission 6 more buses Anniversary of Indian 
deployment in Kashmir: Black day marked in Azad Kashmir Sultan 
rejects Musharraf’s proposal Varan franchised bus agreement lacks 
transparency: SC Salahuddin slams Musharraf’s plan No timeframe 
for halting Wana operation: ISPR ANP alleges security forces 
involved in Waziristan killing
  
      ‘Al Qaeda may be involved in parcel bomb threat’ Man gets 
32 years RI for raping step-daughter Gypsies face discrimination 
and isolation Pakistan submits disarmament CBM Empowerment of 
ECOSOC crucial to global economic development United Nations 
observer group can help promote peace Court delay keeps Asif 
Zardari in jail Former PMs gave 549 plots to favourites, Senate 
told Opposition threatens privilege motion against Sher Afgan ‘31 
planes crashed in four years’ Moneychangers, private security 
agencies at loggerheads North Korea, Iran and Syria are 
proliferation concern: US 
 
      36 papers abandon Bush ‘Govt to change KBD design’ US 
papers still obsessed with AQ Khan story ‘Musharraf unveils big 
shift on Kashmir position’ 2 ‘banned’ groups alive and well MMA 
files motion on Kashmir formula Security forces nab 70 in 
Shikarpur raids PIA flight grounded after bomb threat US 
appreciates bill on honour killing   
  
Daily Times - All Rights Reserved Site developed and hosted by 
WorldCALL Internet Solutions [http://www.wcis.com.pk] 
*****************************************************************
 13 The Star: What if oil hits US$100 a barrel?

 By Wong Sulong">                                       

[http://thestar.com.my/] 

Thursday October 28, 2004 

OF late, oil has been hogging the news. 

 Governments, corporations and ordinary people alike are alarmed 
and concerned. 

 There is a feeling of hopelessness about the surging oil price. 

 What if oil hits US$100 a barrel, a friend asked me the other 
day, quoting a columnist in Forbes magazine who predicted that 
the commodity will be at that level in five years. 

 Well, I told my friend: If oil hits US$100, it will fall back to 
US$20, possibly even US$10. 

 But not before it triggers a world recession and give the United 
States a genuine reason to reshape the map of the Middle East 
(which was one of the reasons why it invaded Iraq last year). 

 Those who say the current high oil price is here to stay and 
will continue to move even higher put forward the following 
arguments: 

 ·Oil producers are unable to increase their output to any great 
extent. 

 ·Even if they can increase output, there is not much spare 
capacity left among the worlds oil refineries. It will take time 
to build new refineries. 

 ·China and India have tilted the oil supply-demand equation. If 
the two economies keep on growing at the same rate of the past 
decade, world oil production will have to be raised by 43% by 
2010 and three times in 20 years, said Stephen Leeb, a New York 
analyst and author of the book The Oil Factor. 

 I must say there is a lot going for the above arguments, but let 
me put forward the other side of the coin: 

 ·The sharp rise in the oil price in the past year is a reaction 
to the low oil prices of the past decade. When one considers 
inflation and the depreciation of the US dollar, oil should not 
be selling at below US$20 a barrel  that was the case for much 
of the 1990s. 

 ll There is currently a small supply shortage because of 
increased demand (from China especially). Its typical for 
commodities: a small glut depresses prices, and a small shortage 
causes prices to soar. Most analysts believe the current high oil 
price is temporary and point to share prices of oil producers 
which have lagged substantially compared to oil prices. 

 ·Its true China and India are consuming a lot of oil. But they 
are also consuming a lot more of other commodities, goods and 
services. These have not risen as fast as oil. 

 But here are some reasons why I believe the oil price will not 
stay above US$50 a barrel for too long, let alone at US$100: 

 (i) If the oil price stays above US$50 for more than a year, 
world economic growth will be stunted. This will lead to lower 
demand for oil (as well as other commodities) and prices will 
come down. If high oil prices triggers a world recession, demand 
(and therefore prices) for oil and other commodities will 
collapse. 

 (ii) If the oil price remains high, governments and consumers 
will take measures to cut consumption. Oil prices will fall very 
quickly. 

 (iii) High oil prices will result in more oil in the market in 
the medium term of one to two years. Producers will want to lock 
in their output at current prices, and new production facilities 
will be accelerated. 

 (iv) And so will be the development of alternative energy 
sources  nuclear, solar, wind, coal, and hydro. The world is not 
short of energy  its how much we are prepared to pay. For 
example, Australia has enough high quality coal to supply the 
world for 200 to 300 years. Add another few hundred years more if 
you take into account brown coal or coal with a high water 
content. 

 Canada and the US have heaps of shale oil that is mixed with 
sand. This is costly to extract. But at the right price, you can 
have plenty of oil from shale. 

 Nuclear energy is the fastest, cheapest and cleanest energy 
source in the short term, and countries like China, Taiwan, South 
Korea and India are all going for it in a big way. 

 Oil producers know they cannot keep the current high price for 
too long. Its against their long-term interests. But while it 
lasts, they are enjoying the ride.  

 
                Copyright © 1995-2004 Star Publications 
(Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Managed by I.Star.       
	 

*****************************************************************
 14 Earthquake Induced Nuclear Catastrophe Looming In Japan?
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 12:10:06 -0400

 

  http://www.mothersalert.org/earthquake.html

----- Original Message ----- 
From: satomi oba
To: globalnet ; abolition-caucus
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 2:08 AM
Subject: [abolition-caucus] A call from Niigata


Dear friends,



It is a chilly morning. After four days since the
earthquake in Niigata, the reported figure of
casualty has increased up to 31, and more than
2000 have been found injured. It rained yesterday,
and 130,000 live in shelters as aftershocks
continue.

There is an article from the Asahi Neswpaper.

http://www.asahi.com/english/nation/TKY200410260126.html



This morning, I received a call for stop operation
of the nuclear reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa by
email.

The local group "Citizens' Network of
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa who raises a question to
Pluthermal Program" call the immediate shut-down
of the nuclear reactors at least until the warning
of the Meteorological Agency announces the cease
of the aftershocks.



The following is the abstract of the message.



Satomi Oba

Plutonium Action Hiroshima

Kota-goldencat@kfa.biglobe.ne.jp



***************


It is time to stop Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP.



In spite of the demand to stop the operation of
the reactors from citizens and workers at NPP,
Neither Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the
government, nor local municipalities of Niigata
Prefecture and Kashiwazaki City would take action.
If there is another bigger shock, it could trigger
an unprecedented disaster.



The site of this NPP is located in the area hit by
the tremendous earthquake. The workers of the
local municipalities, firefighters, and medical
workers are working very hard all the time. And
they are the most needed power in case of a
nuclear disaster.



The Meteorological Agency still warns the
possibility for a strong aftershock.

 http://www.jma.go.jp/JMA_HP/jma/niigata.html
If there be a severe damage at the NPP, it is not
likely that the prevention program for the nuclear
accidents works as designed, because the
infrastructure such as road and railway are
destroyed in a wide area. There is a traffic jam
even between the NPP and the city of Kashiwazaki.



In such an emergency, the reactors are running as
usual!
We have heard whistle blowing about the crack of
the important pipes, and we are not sure about the
reliability of emergency equipments.

http://www.kisnet.or.jp/net/mainpage.htm



(Geological) Experts say that not only possibility
of a strong after shock, but separate strong
earthquake can take place near the reactors.


Talking on the phone, we found that the local
municipalities and the government have had no plan
in case of a nuclear disaster now.



At least we think it a wiser decision for the
operator to stop the operation of the reactor
until the authority announces the cease of the
aftershock. Or until the disaster prevention
system is recovered.



It is a question why the damages around
Kashiwazaki, and Kariwa have been excluded from
media reports. (We heard this from friends who
live out of the damaged area.)

In fact, water supply has been cut and many are
evacuated in Kariwa Village where large number of
workers at the NPP live.



The train of the shinkansen, which had boasted its
safety, derailed. Even if the NPP stopped
immediately, the nuclear fuel will maintain its
heat for a considerable duration. In case of the
coolant loss, the nuclear fuel would melt down,
causing a catastrophe.

We know the consequence of the nuclear accident
will last for an immeasurable time.

http://www.kisnet.or.jp/net/link.htm

We wish you to call the agencies to stop the
reactors of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.



Citizens from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa still in fear of
continuous aftershocks

net0257328818@hotmail.com
http://www.kisnet.or.jp/net/



--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------

?Contact:


TEPCO????http://www.tepco.co.jp/index-j.html
Kashiazaki-Kariwa NPP
http://www.tepco.co.jp/kk-np/
The government(Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency) http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/
Niigata Prefecture Office
http://www.pref.niigata.jp/
Kashiwazaki City Office
http://www.city.kashiwazaki.niigata.jp/
Kariwa Village Office
http://www.vill.kariwa.niigata.jp/

Media

Niigata Nippo http://www.niigata-nippo.co.jp/
Kashiwazaki Nippo
http://www.kisnet.or.jp/nippou/search.php?y=2004&m=10


http://unit.aist.go.jp/actfault/niigata/index.html
 http://sparc1038.jishin.go.jp/main/
 http://epio.jpinfo.ne.jp/




*****************************************************************
 15 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
 
                        FR Doc 04-24017 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62729] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-102]                         
 
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Rohm and Haas 
Company's Facility in Bristol, PA AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission.
 
ACTION: Notice of availability of Environmental Assessment and 
Finding of No Significant Impact.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marjorie McLaughlin, Nuclear 
Materials Safety Branch 2, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, 
Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 
19406, telephone (610) 337-5240, fax (610) 337-5269; or by 
e-mail: MMM3@NRC.GOV [MMM3@NRC.GOV] .
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) is issuing a license amendment to Rohm and Haas 
Company for Materials License No.
 
37-01665- 01, to authorize release of its facility in Bristol, 
Pennsylvania for unrestricted use. NRC has prepared an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in 
accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the 
EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be issued following 
the publication of this notice.
 
II. EA Summary The purpose of the action is to authorize the 
release of the licensee's Bristol, Pennsylvania facility for 
unrestricted use.
 
Rohm and Haas Company was authorized by NRC from December 4, 
1958, to use radioactive materials for research and development 
purposes at the Bristol, Pennsylvania site. On July 22, 2004, 
Rohm and Haas Company requested that NRC release the facility for 
unrestricted use.
 
Rohm and Haas Company has conducted surveys of the facility and 
determined that the facility meets the license termination 
criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. Rohm and Haas Company 
will continue licensed activities at other locations, as 
authorized by the license.
 
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the license 
amendment. The facility was remediated and surveyed prior to the 
licensee requesting the license amendment. The NRC staff has 
reviewed the information and final status survey submitted by 
Rohm and Haas. Based on its reviews, the staff has determined 
that there are no additional remediation activities necessary to 
complete the proposed action. Therefore, the staff considered the 
impact of the residual radioactivity at the facility and 
concluded that since the residual radioactivity meets the 
requirements in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.
 
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the 
EA (summarized above) in support of the license amendment to 
release the facility for unrestricted use.
 
The NRC staff has evaluated Rohm and Haas Company's request and 
the results of the surveys and has concluded that the completed 
action complies with the criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. 
The staff has found that the environmental impacts from the 
action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496, 
Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support 
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of 
NRC-Licensed Facilities'' (ML042310492, ML042320379, and 
ML042330385). On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that 
the environmental impacts from the action are expected to be 
insignificant and has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the action.
 
IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, 
including the application for the license amendment and 
supporting documentation, are available electronically at the 
NRC's Electronic Reading Room at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] 
.
 
From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document 
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and 
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession 
numbers for the documents related to this Notice are: The 
Environmental Assessment (ML042880387), Amendment request and 
Final Status Survey results (ML042080055 and ML042220108), 
Additional Survey Information (ML042470162), Gas chromatograph 
source leak test results (ML042470170, ML042540075, and 
ML042540081) and additional information concerning the storage 
locker (ML042470164). 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 
(800) 397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to

 
pdr@nrc.gov [ pdr@nrc.gov] . These documents may be viewed 
electronically at the NRC Public Document Room (PDR), O 1 F21, 
One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 
20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a 
fee. The PDR is open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except on Federal holidays.
 
Dated in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 20th day of October, 
2004.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
John D. Kinneman, Chief, Materials Security and Industrial 
Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24017 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 16 NRC: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Rancho Seco Independent 
 
                        FR Doc 04-24018 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62727] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-98]                         
 
Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of Docketing of Materials 
License SNM-2510; Application for an Exemption and for a 
Conforming Amendment By letter dated July 19, 2004, Sacramento 
Municipal Utility District (SMUD or the licensee) submitted an 
application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the 
Commission) requesting an exemption from the requirements of 
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 72.44(d)(3) 
pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7 and also requesting a conforming 
amendment to the Rancho Seco Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation (ISFSI) technical specifications pursuant to 10 CFR 
72.56. The licensee is requesting Commission approval to be 
relieved from submitting an annual report to the Commission 
specifying the quantity of principal radionuclides released to 
the environment in liquid and gaseous effluent during the 
previous 12 months of the Rancho Seco ISFSI operation. The 
licensee is currently storing spent fuel at the Rancho Seco ISFSI 
on the site of the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station located 
in Sacramento County, California under license SNM-2510.
 
If the exemption is granted, then as further requested by the 
licensee, upon approval of the Commission, the Rancho Seco ISFSI 
license, SNM-2510, would be amended to remove this requirement 
from the technical specifications.
 
This application was docketed under 10 CFR part 72; the ISFSI 
Docket No. is 72-11 and will remain the same for this action. In 
accordance with the requirement of 10 CFR 51.21, NRC will perform 
an environmental assessment of the potential environmental 
impacts of this exemption request. The exemption (in conjunction 
with the conforming license amendment) is subject to the 
Commission's approval.
 
If the Commission grants the requested exemption, the Commission 
may issue either a notice of hearing or a notice of proposed 
action and opportunity for hearing in accordance with 10 CFR 
72.46(b)(1) regarding the proposed amendment or, if a 
determination is made that the proposed amendment does not 
present a genuine issue as to whether public health and safety 
will be significantly affected, take immediate action on the 
proposed amendment in accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2) and 
provide notice of the action taken and an opportunity for 
interested persons to request a hearing on whether the action 
(conforming amendment) should be rescinded or modified.
 
For further details with respect to this amendment, see the 
application dated July 19, 2004, which is publicly available in 
the records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS). The NRC maintains ADAMS, which 
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These 
documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the Internet at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] 
. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in 
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public 
Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1- 800-397-4209, 
301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at 
Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of October 2004.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Amy M. Snyder, Project Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24018 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 17 NRC: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Rancho Seco Independent 
 
                        FR Doc 04-24019 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62727-62728] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-99]                         
 
Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of Docketing of Materials 
License SNM-2510; Amendment Application By letter dated July 29, 
2004, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD or licensee) 
submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC or the Commission), in accordance with Title 10 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 72.56, requesting the 
amendment of the Rancho Seco Independent Spent Fuel Storage 
Installation (ISFSI) license. SMUD is requesting Commission 
approval to allow for the storage of Greater than Class C (GTCC) 
waste at the Rancho Seco ISFSI located on the site of the Rancho 
Seco Nuclear Generating Station located in Sacramento County, 
California.
 
This application was docketed under 10 CFR part 72; the ISFSI 
Docket No. is 72-11 and will remain the same for this action. 
Upon approval of the
 
[[Page 62728]] Commission, the Rancho Seco ISFSI license, 
SNM-2510, would be amended to allow this action.
 
The Commission may issue either a notice of hearing or a notice 
of proposed action and opportunity for hearing in accordance with 
10 CFR 72.46(b)(1) regarding the proposed amendment or, if a 
determination is made that the proposed amendment does not 
present a genuine issue as to whether public health and safety 
will be significantly affected, take immediate action on the 
proposed amendment in accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2) and 
provide notice of the action taken and an opportunity for 
interested persons to request a hearing on whether the action 
should be rescinded or modified.
 
For further details with respect to this amendment, see the 
application dated July 29, 2004, which is publicly available in 
the records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS). The NRC maintains ADAMS, which 
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These 
documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the Internet at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] 
. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in 
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public 
Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1- 800-397-4209, 
301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at 
Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of October 2004.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Amy M. Snyder, Project Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24019 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 18 Vermont Guardian: NRC blocks public access to documents

October 27, 2004 

  +  [http://www.vermontguardian.com/

By Kathryn Casa | Vermont Guardian 

BRATTLEBORO  Nuclear watchdogs are howling over the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commissions move this week to shut down the agencys 
online database  the publics only comprehensive source for NRC 
information. The NRC took its Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) offline late Monday afternoon, just 
hours before NBC Nightly News broadcast a report that revealed 
the database contained security-sensitive information. 

Some of that sensitive information included floor plans of 
university nuclear laboratories, including one at Norwich 
University in Northfield. We did have it pointed out to us that 
there were some documents that might be better withheld and the 
way to address that is to shut it down, NRC spokeswoman Diane 
Screnci said Tuesday. 

An e-mail message from an NRC system librarian said it may be 
several weeks before the public database is restored. 

In Washington, the Union of Concerned Scientists called the 
action unbelievable, unfair, unwarranted and unacceptable. That 
organization has been alerting the agency of security breaches on 
the site since before the 9/11 attacks, but a complete shutdown 
is unnecessary, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer 
with the group. 

If you decide for whatever reason that access needs to be 
interrupted, you should suspend all licensing actions until 
access to ADAMS is restored, said Lochbaum. Basically they shut 
the public out, but the nuclear business of power uprates is 
ongoing. 

Among the groups most hampered by the shutdown is the 
Brattleboro-based New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, 
which is attempting to legally intervene in the NRC application 
filed by Vermont Yankee to increase power by 20 percent. 

The coalition late Tuesday filed a motion with the NRC calling 
for Vermont Yankees corporate owner, Entergy, and the NRC to send 
all pertinent documents directly to the coalition so that it can 
continue its work. 

The coalition also demanded a 30-day filing extension from the 
time ADAMS goes back online. Ray Shadis, an adviser to the 
coalition, said the ADAMS lockout hampers no one but the public. 

A full report will be published in this week's Vermont Guardian, 
available in stores on Friday. 

Posted October 27, 2004 Controversial campaign ads continue to 
air 


BURLINGTON  Gov. James Douglas is stopping short of asking the 
Republican Governors Association to stop running ads that the 
Attorney General says clearly violate Vermonts campaign finance 
law. 

However, Douglas says he now will back the Attorney General in 
upholding Vermonts campaign finance law. "Having served as the 
state's chief elections officer for a dozen years, I believe 
strongly in Vermont's campaign finance laws and full disclosure," 
Douglas said in a statement. "If the Attorney General believes, 
as he has stated, that the RGA is in violation of Vermont law I 
expect him to enforce the law and I will support his efforts to 
do so." 

Attorney General Bill Sorrell, a Democrat, said his office had 
asked the RGA to not run any additional ads, and the RGA said 
they had already committed to their ad buy and could not back out 
now. I think they would respond if there was a request by the 
Governors campaign to stop running the ads, Sorrell said. They 
could say that the AG has ruled the ads violate state law and 
they should stop running them. But, that hasnt happened. 

The RGA has dismissed Sorrells concerns, and has informed state 
officials that it plans to spend more than $300,000 in ads that 
support Douglas bid for re-election. It already spent more than 
$160,000 by mid-October and recently filed that it would spend 
another $140,000. 

The RGA told the Attorney General's office that it had no control 
over the ad buy as it had already committed to spending the money 
on a variety of stations. However, a new ad is scheduled to air 
this week - separate from the initial ad that has been running 
for a week. 

The RGA and Douglas campaign claim the ad buys were not 
coordinated between the two, and the Douglas campaign did not 
authorize them. The RGA has gotten into hot water in this 
election cycle for flouting similar laws in other states, 
including New Hampshire and North Carolina. In Vermont, the issue 
is whether the RGA received advice from the Secretary of States 
office about whether it needed to register as a political action 
committee in Vermont, and be subject to Vermonts campaign 
donation limits. 

The RGA contends it received advice that it did not need to 
register. A spokesman for the RGA was unavailable for comment 
Tuesday. 

A hearing in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington is scheduled 
for 1 p.m. Wednesday to hear arguments about a lawsuit filed by 
the Vermont Democratic Party and the Clavelle for Governor 
campaign seeking an injunction to halt the ads. A superior court 
judge ruled late Tuesday that he could not halt the ads from 
airing, but is looking into whether the new round of ads should 
be stopped given the Attorney General's opinion. 

Posted October 27, 2004 back to top
 
Vermont: PO Box 335, Winooski, VT 05404 Southern Vermont: 139 
Main Street, Suite 702, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Contact: 
802.861.4880 (ph) | 802.861.6388 (fax) | 877.231.5382 (toll-free)

 ©2004 Vermont Guardian | 

*****************************************************************
 19 Brattleboro Reformer: For Shadis, nuke fight personal

October 27, 2004 Brattleboro, VT                                                                                 
			 					 						 						 			
By CAROLYN LORIé Reformer Staff

WISCASSET, Maine -- One of these days, Raymond Shadis plans to do 
something about the neglected paintings gathering dust and mold 
in the attic of his art studio.

 He would also like to begin the project for which he purchased 
two bags of cement -- last year -- that sit unopened and 
ossifying on his front porch.

 Similarly, the kitchen windows that were nailed in as a 
temporary measure in 1972 will be replaced.

 But not now.

 At the moment, Shadis is occupied taking on the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee and anyone 
else blocking the path to what he considers a safer world.

 Shadis began opposing fission for power 25 years ago and ever 
since, a substantial part of his life has been relegated to the 
proverbial back burner.

 He is now the technical advisor to the nuclear power watchdog 
group, the New England Coalition, and the executive director to 
Friends of the Coast, a Maine-based nonprofit. 

Considering how powerful the institutions are that Shadis 
considers to be his adversaries, the undertaking has been no 
small task. Or as he once put it: "It's like Godzilla versus the 
ant-people."

 *

 Shadis, who is 62, was born and raised in Livingston, N.J., the 
youngest of three sons. His grandparents were from Lithuania and 
he refers to the household where he grew up as a "Northern 
European homestead."

 When Shadis was 10, his brother was killed fighting in the 
Korean War. Fifty-two years later, there is a sharpness in his 
voice when he speaks of that loss.

 "It leaves you with a permanent edge about reckless wars," he 
explains.

 After high school, Shadis went to West Virginia State College, 
where he majored in fine arts and married a fellow art student 
named Patricia during their senior year. The couple graduated in 
1963 and four years later moved to Wiscasset.

 Shadis got a job teaching art in the public schools, while 
Patricia tended to their growing family and worked various side 
jobs, including waiting tables.

 In 1970, the school opted not to renew Shadis' contract.

 "It was a lifestyle question," he says, looking back. "I didn't 
get my hair cut very often and I probably had an attitude they 
didn't care for. And I was 'from away.'"

 The Shadis' "lifestyle" was one that many people were adopting 
in the late 1960s and 70s: They grew their own organic food, 
raised their own animals and lived as much as they could off the 
land. Ray's art, along with some carpentry jobs on the side, 
generated enough income to keep the family afloat and the rest 
they produced themselves.

 By 1979, they were more than a decade into their homesteading 
life.

 In addition to Ray and Patricia, the household included their 
two daughters and four sons. At that time, Shadis' youngest child 
was 6 years old and had never had a sip of store-bought milk -- a 
choice that would turn out to be not as wholesome as Shadis would 
have hoped, although he wouldn't know that until an accident 
hundreds of miles away changed everything.

 At 4 a.m., on March 28, 1979, an electrical or mechanical 
failure tripped an emergency pump at the Three Mile Island 
nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, triggering the worst nuclear 
accident in U.S. history.

 It was the beginning of the end of Shadis' quiet idyllic life.

 Although he was well aware that he and his family were living 
downwind from Maine Yankee nuclear power plant, he had never 
given it much thought.

 After March 28, however, the Shadises began researching the 
plant and discovered that it was not problem-free. Far from it.

 After going over documents from the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Shadis discovered that the neighborhood power plant 
had had some troubles. Earlier in 1979, coolant was spilled on 
the reactor floor, the vents failed to open, the filters were not 
aligned correctly and iodine 131 seeped into the air unmonitored.

 "It was indicative to us that the plant wasn't any better run 
than Three Mile Island," he says.

 At that point, the Shadises decided to have the milk from their 
cows tested, which commercial dairies in the area did regularly. 
The milk turned out to have the highest concentration of 
radioactive nucleoids of any of the local farms.

 The Shadises sold or slaughtered all their animals.

 "We decided that we had to do something. It came down to the 
question, what do you care about? What do you treasure," says 
Shadis.

 *

 Ray and Pat organized a protest meeting in April 1979. They 
designed, printed and distributed posters. They called everyone 
they knew. They sent out mailings. They did everything they could 
think of to turn the community out and then wondered if people 
would show up.

 They did.

 According to Ray, between 750 and 1,000 people attended that 
first meeting, some standing in the rain for a chance to speak at 
the podium.

 And so began the long battle against Maine Yankee.

 Fast forward to 1996. By then, Shadis had given 17 years of his 
life to the cause of closing the plant and according to those who 
have worked with him, he had become something of an expert.

 David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the Union of Concerned 
Scientists, met Shadis in 1996. The NRC had just completed an 
independent safety inspection at Maine Yankee and Shadis asked 
Lochbaum for his opinion on the inspection report. Lochbaum was 
impressed by how much the activist knew.

 "He does his homework. When Ray tells me something, he's very 
seldom wrong," explains Lochbaum.

 Peter Alexander, executive director of the coalition, echoes 
that sentiment.

 "I spent two years getting a master's degree in environmental 
advocacy and have learned more in just a few months from working 
with Ray than I ever dreamed possible," said Alexander.

 But Shadis does have his share of critics. Most of them are 
people working within the nuclear industry or in the government, 
who have been on the receiving end of Shadis' 
less-than-diplomatic barbs.

 He has accused elected officials of not knowing the difference 
between "neutrons and croutons" or of being the "lap dog" of the 
industry. Most recently he called the hearings before the Atomic 
Safety and Licensing Board Panel a "kangaroo court." The next day 
he retracted, saying it was much closer to a "platypus court."

 "Some people find Ray to be uncompromisingly blunt and some 
people take offense at that." says Alexander. "My own personal 
experience is that he is completely accountable and completely 
accessible as a human being."

 He also happens to be effective. It was Shadis who spear-headed 
the call to have Maine Yankee inspected and Shadis who got the 
Union of Concerned Scientists involved. The plant permanently 
shut down in 1997, when the owners decided it would be too costly 
to fix all the problems uncovered by the inspection.

 It took 18 years, but Shadis got what he wanted.

 There was, however, a price. One that was paid through the 
paintings never done and the projects left unfinished and the 
burden of taking up a fight that seems far from over.

 But Shadis has no regrets.

 "We'll never win these things by giving out of our surplus. It's 
only when it's given out of our substance that we'll get 
somewhere," he says.

 Carolyn Lorié can be reached at clorie@reformer.com. 
[clorie@reformer.com.]                          
 		   			 		   	 	
                                
       Copyright ©1999-2004 New England Newspapers, Inc., a 
*****************************************************************
 20 Daily Yomiuri: KEPCO execs to take pay cuts over falsified inspection data 

Yomiuri Shimbun 

Kansai Electric Power Co. President Yosaku Fuji will receive a 
salary cut of 20 percent for two months to take responsibility 
for the firm's illegal alteration of thermal power plant 
inspection reports, the firm said Tuesday. 

KEPCO added that it had found 14 illegal alterations and 4,490 
errors in its thermal power plant self-inspection reports. Since 
the systematic falsification of records surfaced in May, a total 
of 101 illegal alterations and 8,062 errors have been found. 

KEPCO said four other executives, including Vice President 
Tetsuji Kishida, Managing Director Hiroshi Matsumura, and 
Director Masumi Fujii, will also receive salary cuts. In all, 39 
employees including the president and the executives will receive 
salary cuts or reprimands. 

Earlier in the day, the firm reported the results of its 
investigation into the matter to the Kansai Bureau of Economy, 
Trade and Industry. 

Based on the report, the bureau will inspect five locations, 
including the Gobo power plant in Gobo, Wakayama Prefecture, on 
Nov. 1 and 2. It will also impose administrative punishment 
against the firm, possibly by next week. 

The 14 illegal alterations of data were discovered at five of the 
36 locations that were investigated. In 12 cases, data were 
altered to meet the criteria set by the firm. In the remaining 
two cases, standards themselves were altered without following 
in-house procedures.   

  

Copyright 2004 The Yomiuri Shimbun 
*****************************************************************
 21 Las Vegas RJ: NRC to remove sensitive documents from Web site 
 
Wednesday, October 27, 2004

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 

WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has shut down
its online document library, pending a review to determine what
potentially sensitive documents should be removed because they
might be useful to terrorists, the agency said Tuesday.
 
 While the agency's Web site does not contain classified
material, the NRC "is widening its review to remove additional
information that could potentially be of use to a terrorist,"
the agency said in a statement.
 
 The shutdown includes the computer network holding documents
pertaining to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
repository.
 
 A relatively short blackout will have minimal impact on Yucca
Mountain research being conducted for the state of Nevada,
according to Bob Loux, executive director of the state's Agency
for Nuclear Projects. 
"I suspect three or four weeks wouldn't be a big problem," Loux
said. "If it is a couple of months it could be a problem for our
experts tryng to review Energy Department documents."
 
 Technical experts and lawyers hired by the state have been
examining documents looking for ammunition to challenge an
anticipated repository license application.
 
 The NRC action came after a report by NBC that among the items
found on the NRC Web site were detailed information on the
location of radioactive substances that could be used to make a
so-called dirty bomb.
 
 In some cases, the data included detailed building diagrams
that pinpointed the location of the material in hospitals and
other facilities, according to the NBC report.

Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to
this report.
 
 
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
 22 Las Vegas SUN: NRC data access closed to public

By Suzanne Struglinski <suzanne@lasvegassun.com 
[suzanne@lasvegassun.com] > SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU 

WASHINGTON -- Public access to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's document databases will be down for at least three
weeks while it examines them for sensitive information.

 As network administrator Dan Graser showed UNLV computer
engineers how the Yucca Mountain document database worked
Monday, the commission decided to take it and other public
document databases down to review them for sensitive information.

 "The specific catalyst was when people went into ADAMS and
found floor plans within license renewals," said NRC spokesman
Dave McIntyre. "It raised concerns."

 NBC News and CNN recently did reports on the ease of locating
radioactive material inside medical buildings, universities and
other places using the commission's "Agency-wide Documents
Access and Management System," known as ADAMS.

 That system includes an archive of at least 700,000 documents.
It will not be accessible to the public for at least three
weeks, officials said.

 McIntyre said the agency is grappling with how to remain a
public and open agency while protecting information that would
be useful to anyone wanting to get radioactive materials for
dangerous uses.

 After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks the commission took
down its entire Web site and removed more than 1,000 documents
it deemed sensitive. Nothing labeled classified or safeguarded
has ever appeared on the site, but McIntyre said the definition
of sensitive information is changing.

 Additionally, the public won't be able to access the License
Support Network, the commission's database of Yucca Mountain
documents, until further notice.

 The Energy Department's work of loading its documents into the
network will not be affected, said Allen Benson, Yucca Mountain
project spokesman.

 The Energy Department submitted all of its documents to the
network in June in order to meet its Dec. 31 deadline of giving
the commission the license application for the proposed nuclear
waste storage site at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

 A commission administrative panel found the department did not
follow the law and still has documents to up-load. The
department is still waiting for a decision from the commission
regarding a rehearing of the case.

 Martin Malsch, of Egan, Fitzpatrick, Malsch &Cynkar, the law
firm hired by the state to handle Yucca issues said the lack of
access should not affect the state.

 "We're not under any deadline right now," he said. "I don't
think it hurts us very much."

 Once the Energy Department certifies to the commission is has
completed all its documentation, the state has 90 days to get
its own documentation into the commission.

 

*****************************************************************
 23 APP.COM: Marine life at peril in hot waters of Oyster Creek 
         
[http://www.app.com/]     	 	   

Marine life at peril in hot waters of Oyster Creek 
Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/27/04 
Oyster Creek's owner should be required to install the best
available technology, closed-cycle cooling, which would greatly
reduce the risk of fish kills.

 By JOSEPH SCARPELLI

 Every day the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey 
remains in operation, it further jeopardizes the fragile marine 
life in the waters near the plant. For this reason, I have 
written Bradley M. Campbell, commissioner of the state Department 
of Environmental Protection, urging him to take the strongest 
possible stance and deny the plant's thermal discharge permit, 
which is now under review.

 I have also written to mayors and legislators who oppose the 
plant's relicensing efforts to join me in lobbying the DEP to 
enforce the Clean Water Act. Such enforcement would require the 
plant's owner, Exelon, to install the best available technology, 
closed-cycle cooling, which would greatly reduce the risk of fish 
kills.

 However, this could all become moot if Exelon would answer my 
challenge to turn the 800-acre site into a renewable energy 
center. Whether it be wind, solar, biomass or hydrogen fuel cell 
technology, Exelon could lead the way and avoid pouring money 
into a nuclear reactor that is outdated and antiquated. Renewable 
energy is the wave of the future and Ocean County could become 
the standard-bearer of environmentally friendly energy 
production.

 In the meantime, the plant draws 1.2 billion gallons of water a 
day out of the creek to cool down the reactor, then pumps this 
heated water back into the creek. Fish are attracted to the 
warmer waters that are discharged. During planned or emergency 
shutdowns, these same fish can be killed as the water temperature 
becomes scalding or drops suddenly.

 Fish kills are not foreign to Oyster Creek. The plant was 
responsible for the largest fish kill ever in New Jersey in 2002 
-- more than 6,000 fish. This episode was followed by one of the 
largest fines ever levied by the DEP.

 It doesn't stop at fish kills from thermal shock either. Keep in 
mind that the plant discharges more than one billion gallons of 
water each day collected from water intakes along the Forked 
River. Despite grates over the intakes, this water-flushing 
creates powerful suctioning that brings with it an assortment of 
aquatic life. Some of it is small -- spawn, eggs and larvae. Some 
of it is larger -- striped bass, white perch, menhaden and even 
the endangered sea turtle. The aquatic life becomes pinned to the 
grate, where it often dies from the rush of oncoming water.

 The thermal discharges allowed at the plant have everyday 
environmental impacts on marine life in Oyster Creek and the 
wider Barnegat Bay. The discharge creates a thermal plume that 
travels much farther than the outfall, creating a "fry" zone for 
larvae and spawn.

 A closed-cycle cooling system, which reduces the amount of water 
needed to cool a nuclear plant by more than 95 percent, has 
become the industry standard since the passage of the Clean Water 
Act in 1972. By eliminating the extensive intake and discharge 
cycle, the threat of fish kills is greatly reduced.

 The DEP has the law on its side to force Exelon to abandon a 
technology from the 1960s that is destructive to our marine 
environment and fishing industry. We in Ocean County deserve this 
protection of our waters.

Joseph Scarpelli is mayor of Brick. Go Back | Subscribe to the 
Asbury Park Press 
[http://marketing.injersey.com/subscriptions.html]               

*****************************************************************
 24 Platts: EC wants more transparent funding for nuke liabilities
 
  [The McGraw-Hill Companies]   

 
+ The European Commission is to recommend next year that
European Union member states operate their funds for managing
their nuclear decommissioning and waste "with complete
transparency," the EC said Wednesday. The European Parliament is
concerned that some nuclear operators may be using these funds
in a way that distorts competition in the single market, for
example, by buying up competitors. In the EC's first report on
such funds, published Wednesday, a survey of 14 EU member states
revealed both differing approaches to decommissioning and
managing the money to fund it. In 10 member states--the Czech
Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden--the funds are not managed
by the nuclear operator. This is the method preferred by the EC,
which believes it offers the greatest transparency and the best
guarantee that the funds are used for their intended purposes.
In France and Germany, the nuclear operator alone manages the
fund. The EC said this gave the operator great flexibility, but
that it was not transparent and could give rise to
anti-competitive practices. In France, state-owned monopoly
Electricite de France has used some of its provisions for
decommissioning to reduce debt and invest in new assets--which
some have argued give it an unfair advantage over its
competitors. In Belgium, the state has a veto to ensure the
operator manages funds properly, while the situation in the UK
is complicated by British Energy's proposed restructuring. There
are two main approaches to the actual decommissioning--six
members have opted to do it as soon as the plant shuts down,
while four have taken the cheaper option of deferring it to
allow radioactivity levels to fall first. Four members--Belgium,
France, Sweden and the UK--do not yet have a definitive
strategy, said the EC. Friends of the Earth called for the full
cost of nuclear power to be reflected in its price. 

Brussels (Platts)--27Oct2004
 
Copyright © 2004 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 25 Daily Ittefaq: Nuclear power in Asia 

[http://www.ittefaq.com/portal] | News Feed

 Last Updated: Oct 27th, 2004 - 13:41:07 
   
  Editorial Page 

By M.R. Srinivasan
 Oct 27, 2004, 13:40

Some 35 years ago, two nuclear power units at Tarapur started 
supplying power to the grids of Maharashtra and Gujarat. India 
was the first country in Asia (excluding the former Soviet Union) 
to harness nuclear energy commercially for power production. 
Japan followed a few years later using U.S. nuclear technology, 
as indeed India did for Tarapur. Taiwan and South Korea followed 
suit, also using U.S.-derived nuclear technology. South Korea 
additionally went in for some Canadian nuclear units as India did 
with greater commitment. A feature common to Japan, South Korea 
and Taiwan is their near total dependence on imported energy 
sources. 

It was not until the 1990s that China began to use nuclear 
electricity. It has received technology from France, Russia and 
Canada and developed its own technology in a limited way. 
Pakistan imported a small nuclear power unit from Canada in the 
1960s; recently a Chinese-built unit entered into service and a 
second one is being built. The United States built a nuclear 
power unit in the Philippines in the 1980s but it never 
functioned; it got entangled in the corruption of the Marcos era. 

At the `International Conference on Fifty years of Nuclear Power 
the Next Fifty Years' (June 27 to July 2, 2004), the 
International Atomic Energy Agency noted that 22 of the last 31 
nuclear power plants connected to the world's electricity grids 
were built in Asia. What is equally impressive is that of the 27 
nuclear power plants now under construction globally, 18 are in 
Asia (nine of them in India). 

In the early decades of nuclear power development, namely from 
the 1960s through the 1980s, there was rapid construction of 
nuclear power units in the U.S., Europe, the Soviet Union, and 
Japan. The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the U.S. in 
the late 1970s, and at Chernobyl, USSR, in 1986 led to a strong 
anti-nuclear sentiment in the U.S. and Europe. In the aftermath 
of these two mishaps, the global nuclear community embarked on a 
programme of active exchange of operating practices to improve 
safety at all nuclear power plants worldwide. The World 
Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) came into existence and 
resulted in peer reviews and rapid transmittal of safety related 
experience among plant operators. 

However, as a result of the erosion of public confidence, very 
few new nuclear units were taken up for construction in the U.S. 
and Europe, with the notable exception of France. The other 
countries shifted to gas-based generation using combined cycle 
plants, which could be constructed at lower cost and in shorter 
time while giving high thermal efficiency. Natural gas 
transported through pipelines from the North Sea, Russia, the 
Middle East, and Central Asia has powered electricity generation 
in Europe and North Africa. 

Unfortunately, the rapidly growing Asian economies of China and 
India have so far had access only to limited amounts of natural 
gas. China may access gas from Russia, and India from Iran and 
Central Asia if a trans-Pakistan pipeline comes into existence. 
Nevertheless, these two large economies require large inputs of 
energy to sustain their high economic growth rates. Both these 
countries depend at present to a significant extent on coal for 
power generation and will continue to do so for the next couple 
of decades. They both wish to shift reliance progressively to 
nuclear power because of concerns on growing carbon dioxide 
emissions and on depletion of hydrocarbons accompanied by rising 
prices. 

Among the Asian countries, Japan went in a big way to develop 
nuclear power. Japanese companies, Hitachi, Toshiba and 
Mitsubishi collaborated with General Electric (for Boiling Water 
Reactors) and Westinghouse (for Pressurised Water Reactors) of 
the U.S. and established a strong nuclear power industry. In two 
decades, nuclear energy contributed to about 25 per cent of 
electric power generation. Large nuclear power parks with 
generating capacities of 5,000 to 8,000 MW, consisting of four to 
eight units, were established. After an initial phase of 
learning, the Japanese nuclear units operated efficiently and in 
a safe manner, marked by Japanese thoroughness. In recent times, 
however, there have been some incidents attributed to laxity. 

The first nuclear power unit in South Korea began operations in 
1977. As of the end of 2002, 19 units with an aggregate 
generating capacity of about 16,000 MW were brought into 
operation. Many of these units are Pressurised Water Reactors 
based on U.S. technology and some on French technology. Four of 
them are based on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor technology, 
obtained from Canada. In the 1990s, Korea implemented a massive 
programme of localisation and five units commissioned in the 
1998-2002 period were built by the Korean nuclear industry. At 
present, 40 per cent of Korea's electricity is from nuclear 
energy. 

Taiwan built nuclear power units many years ago, based on U.S. 
technology and has operated them efficiently, supplying some 40 
per cent of its electricity needs. China, by contrast, made a 
late start, with its first unit going into operation in the 
1990s. It has an operating capacity of about 6,500 MW, and 2,000 
MW are under construction. The China National Nuclear Corporation 
is planning to build eight more units, to double the present 
operating capacity. China is cooperating with France and Russia 
for Pressurised Water Reactors and with Canada for Pressurised 
Heavy Water Reactors. China has scaled up the designs of a 
submarine nuclear power plant, of the Pressurised Water type, to 
build a commercial unit of 300 MW. One such reactor has been 
supplied to Pakistan and a second similar unit is under 
construction. Pakistan built a PHWR reactor of Canadian origin 
that went into operation in the late 1960s. But it has been 
riddled with many equipment problems and remained out of service 
for long periods of time. Pakistan is operating a Chinese-built 
300 MW PWR and is building a second 300 MW unit and may 
eventually build the Chinese 600 MW PWRs. 

The present operating nuclear capacity in India is about 3,000 
MW, a very slow progress indeed considering that our first 
nuclear power units went into operation in 1969. India chose to 
build its nuclear power units on its own, after importing two 
units at Tarapur from the U.S. and two in Rajasthan from Canada. 
There was the inevitable learning period in mastering a complex 
technology and creating the necessary industrial capability. Our 
projects have suffered delays and disruptions due to embargoes 
and sanctions in the wake of the nuclear tests, Pokhran I and II. 
The pace of the nuclear power programme suffered due to lack of 
support during the tenures of Prime Ministers V.P. Singh, Chandra 
Shekhar and P.V. Narasimha Rao. There was a revival under Prime 
Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 

At present, nine nuclear power units are under construction at 
various sites in the country. It is fortuitous that Prime 
Minister Manmohan Singh was the Finance Member of the Atomic 
Energy Commission in one of his earlier assignments. India is 
hoping to increase the nuclear power capacity to some 20,000 MW 
by 2020. Projections of India's power requirements show that the 
nuclear capacity should increase to some 200,000 MW by 2050. 

In the next two decades, India plans to build a series of 700 MW 
PHWRs and 500 MW Fast Breeder Reactors, scaled up to 1000 MW 
after the first four. India is hoping to cooperate with Russia 
and France to build a number of 1000 MW PWRs. It would be in the 
enlightened self-interest of these two countries to cooperate 
with India, in view of the big market on offer. India expects to 
be able to export its 220 MW PHWRs to developing countries such 
as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri 
Lanka, which may wish to enter the field of civilian nuclear 
power. 

India is destined to emerge as one of the leading nuclear power 
technology countries in the world in the next two to four 
decades. In particular, it will be a leader in the technologies 
of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors and Fast Breeder Reactors. 
Present international control regimes, namely the Nuclear Non 
Proliferation Treaty and its offshoots, the Nuclear Suppliers 
Group (also called the Landon Club), and the Energy Regime, were 
all crafted by the U.S. Neither the objective of 
non-proliferation of nuclear weapons nor the development of 
civilian nuclear power has effectively been achieved. 

The time has come for India, Russia, China, and Pakistan to 
harmonise their nuclear security and energy development policies, 
while pursuing the ultimate objective of universal nuclear 
disarmament. Once these four countries agree to a framework of 
mutually beneficial cooperation, the participation could be 
extended to include France, Germany, Japan and South Korea. We 
could then enlarge the benign use of the atom as a source of 
energy in the Asia-Europe land mass and firmly chain in the 
destructive potential.
 
-SAN-Feature Service 

[The writer is a former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, 
India .]
 

© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
*****************************************************************
 26 NRC: NRC to Conduct Special Inspection at Humboldt Bay
 
News Release - Region IV - 2004-04
 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
  No. IV-04-044           October 27, 2004   
  CONTACT:     Victor Dricks
Phone: 817-860-8128
     E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov [opa4@nrc.gov]   
  

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a special
inspection into the missing fuel rod segments at the Humboldt
Bay nuclear plant, near Eureka, Calif. Pacific Gas & Electric
Co., owns the plant, which was permanently shut down in 1976. 

PG&E officials notified the NRC on Aug. 17 that they were unable
to locate three 18-inch sections of a spent fuel rod that
records show was removed from the reactor in 1968. The utility
is searching the less accessible areas of the spent fuel pool,
reviewing documents and interviewing former plant workers in an
effort to locate the missing fuel rod segments, an effort that
could continue past the end of the year. It is considered highly
unlikely that the material is in an area to which the public
would have access, and is most likely either in the spent fuel
pool or has been sent to a licensed disposal facility. 

The NRC staff has decided to conduct a special inspection
because of the scope and complexity of the utilitys
investigation, the need to evaluate PG&Es radioactive materials
accountability and control program and to identify any potential
generic implications. 

As stated at our Sept. 29 public meeting with PG&E, utilities
are responsible for maintaining strict control and
accountability of radioactive materials, and we plan a thorough
review of their response to this incident and the quality of
their programs, NRC Region IV Administrator Bruce S. Mallett
said. 

The NRC has had an inspector on site observing utility
activities at various times during July, August and September.
The results of those inspections will be described in a report
expected to be issued within the next two weeks. 

The Special Inspection Team will continue this focused NRC
oversight with one Region IV employee and two specialists from
NRC Headquarters. The team will arrive on site this weekend and
begin its inspection on Nov. 1. Team members will visit the site
periodically during the next several months. NRC plans to
complete the Special Inspection by January. 

The team is expected to issue a report within 45 days of
completing its inspection. A copy of the charter authorizing the
Special Inspection is available from the NRC Public Document
Room by calling 1-800-397-4209.   



  


 	Last revised Wednesday, October 27, 2004 	   
*****************************************************************
 27 Lincoln Journal Star: NPPD eyes extension of license

 [http://www.journalstar.com]

 by Algis J. Laukaitis / Lincoln Journal Star  

BROWNVILLE — Extending the federal operating license for Cooper 
Nuclear Station instead of building a coal-fueled plant could 
save more than $1 billion over 30 years for the Nebraska Public 
Power District. 
				
 That was one of the findings in a 10-month study for NPPD. The 
study was discussed at a public meeting Tuesday night at the 
Brownville Concert Hall. About 25 people attended.

The study, conducted by an internal team and consultants from the 
Rocky Mountain Institute, examined which types of power plants 
NPPD will need to supply its customers with energy after 2014 — 
the expiration date of Cooper's current federal license.

The study team found that a 20-year extension of Cooper's license 
from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would save more than $1 
billion versus building a 600-megawatt, coal-fueled plant to 
replace Cooper. 
					 					 
A key concern for NPPD: proposed federal legislation to restrict 
environmental emissions from new and existing coal-fired plants. 
Utilities may be forced to spend millions of dollars to control 
sulfur dioxide, mercury and other emissions.

In an interview, Mary Harding, an NPPD director from Lincoln, 
said that seeking a license extension for Cooper was better than 
building a coal plant because of the potentially high costs of 
controlling greenhouse gases and particle emissions.

At the Nov. 9 NPPD board meeting in Columbus, the district's 
president and CEO, Bill Fehrman, is expected to recommend that it 
seek the license extension.

Beth Boesch, an NPPD spokeswoman, said that seeking a license 
extension did not preclude NPPD from adding another power 
generation resource someday.

The license renewal process could take about four years and cost 
between $12 million and $15 million, Fehrman said.

Twenty-six U.S. nuclear plants have been granted renewed licenses 
since March 2000, and 18 others have submitted applications. Fort 
Calhoun Nuclear Station, owned by the Omaha Public Power 
District, has received its license renewal already.

Auburn Mayor Bob Engles said the proposed recommendation to seek 
a license extension was good news for Auburn and Nemaha County.

NPPD has had equipment, personnel and emergency preparedness 
problems for several years and is under close scrutiny by federal 
regulators because of its performance. Fehrman said the utility 
had paid about $30 million in bonuses to retain employees and 
hired Entergy, a company with expertise in managing a fleet of 
nuclear power plants, at $1 million a month over 10 years to help 
improve Cooper's performance.

Cooper operated continuously for 321 days until this week when it 
was shut down to check out vibrations in a turbine. The 
800-megawatt plant, which began operation in 1974, is 3 miles 
south of Brownville.

Randy Edington, vice president and chief nuclear officer for 
NPPD, said the board's decision to not close Cooper in 2004, its 
affiliation with a fleet of nuclear power plants operated by 
Entergy and the board's involvement and financial commitment have 
helped turn around the plant's performance around.

"I guarantee you that the employees of Cooper … every decision 
they make is with the idea of running the plant for the long 
run," Edington said.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or <EM><A 
HREF="mailto:alaukaitis@journalstar.com">alaukaitis@journalstar.c 
om [alaukaitis@journalstar.com] .
 
Copyright © 2004, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 28 Newsday.com: Anti-nuclear group files formal complaint with NRC
 
http://www.nynewsday.com]       

    October 27, 2004, 4:10 PM EDT

 SYRACUSE, N.Y. --               A group of activists are asking 
federal regulators to investigate a spill at the James A. 
FitzPatrick nuclear power plant. 

Members of the anti-nuclear Central New York Citizens Awareness 
Network said Wednesday they have filed a formal allegation with 
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission accusing Entergy, the 
plant's owner, of failing to report a large water spill at the 
reactor. 

The spill took place about 8:55 p.m. Oct. 7 while the Lake 
Ontario plant was closed for refueling. A FitzPatrick employee 
reported the spill to CAN, said spokesman Tim Judson. The 
employee tried to tell two Entergy officials about the problem, 
but was ignored, he said. 

Entergy spokeswoman Bonnie Bostian said that there had been a 
spill at the plant but emphasized that the water caused no danger 
or damage. 

"There was no release from the plant to the public. It was not a 
safety issue," she said. 

Bostian said officials from the NRC were inside the plant at the 
time of the spill and knew about the water leak. 

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said federal regulators knew about the 
water spill because FitzPatrick's resident inspectors reported 
it. Entergy is not required to report a leak of that type, 
Sheehan said. 

About 30,000 gallons of water flooded the plant, Sheehan said. 
The building was evacuated and decontaminated. Although 
radioactivity levels doubled during the spill, the increase 
presented no serious health risk to workers, he said. 

	 	

 	Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press 	   

*****************************************************************
 29 Charleston.Net: Oconee discharge prompts concerns 

10/27/04
 
Nuclear storage needs underscored 

Associated Press 

GREENVILLE--An accidental discharge of 10,000 gallons of water 
covering spent nuclear fuel rods at an upstate reactor raises 
concerns about the future storage needs for the material.

 The incident occurred when operators at the Oconee Nuclear 
Station tried to add water to one pool while simultaneously 
draining another. A valve left open allowed water to drain into a 
storage tank at the Duke Power facility, said Mel Shannon, the 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission's senior resident inspector.

 A shift manager, who was supposed to make sure the two 
operations didn't overlap, "missed it," he said. The plant had a 
bad procedure, he said.

 Duke Power is analyzing what happened.

 "We're going to do whatever we need to do to prevent it from 
happening again," Duke Power spokeswoman Rose Cummings said.

 Even if 40,000 gallons drained from the tank to the level of the 
drain, several feet of water would still cover the rods, Shannon 
said.

 Still, the incident underscores the national problem of handling 
spent nuclear fuel. The Environmental Working Group, for 
instance, warns that waste might have to stay at Oconee Nuclear 
Station longer than expected because it will have no other place 
to go.

 The Washington-based organization says Oconee Nuclear Station 
could end up stuck with the 1,095 metric tons of waste. The group 
says a nuclear waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain will 
fill up shortly after it opens in 2010 or 2011 as the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission continues to renew reactor licenses across 
the country. That will generate more waste that has nowhere for 
it to go, the Environmental Working Group says.

 Plans call for Yucca Mountain to take 77,000 metric tons of 
waste, but it can hold closer to 120,000 metric tons, Nuclear 
Energy Institute spokeswoman Thelma Wiggins said. The industry 
group says another repository may be necessary, but not for 
several decades.

 U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says he expects Yucca Mountain 
will have enough room to hold nuclear waste for the next 100 
years. Earlier this year he won approval for a plan to solidify 
and permanently store nuclear material dregs in tanks at the 
Savannah River Site.

 The United States could follow France's lead by expanding 
reliance on nuclear energy and cutting down on radioactive waste 
through reprocessing, Graham said. About 90 percent of spent fuel 
rods at Oconee Nuclear Station can be reprocessed, Graham said.

 "That's probably not the most economical way to generate new 
fuel, but it does help you in the waste stream," Graham said.

 Wiggins expects to see more, not fewer nuclear plants.

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded new licenses to 26 
of the nation's 103 power plants, and the rest are expected to 
seek renewals, Wiggins said. 


	   Copyright © 2004, The Post and Courier, All Rights Reserved.
webmaster@postandcourier.com [webmaster@postandcourier.com] 		 	
*****************************************************************
 30 AFP: Invisible poison lies forgotten in Chernobyl-polluted Belarus

[http://www.terradaily.com/] 

SIVITSA, Belarus (AFP) Oct 26, 2004

 "Radioactive contamination! Gathering mushrooms and berries 
allowed only if tested for radiation!" screams a billboard in 
front of the forest of Sivitsa, a Belarusian village within the 
zone polluted by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

But 18 years after the reactor explosion at the nuclear station 
in neighboring Ukraine, the warning falls on deaf ears.

Olga Baranova, a kindergarten teacher, certainly pays it no heed 
as she pulls on rubber boots and a violet anorak for a 
70-kilometer (45-mile) trip from Minsk to the Sivitsa forest.

"Before they checked food for radiation. At first it was 
frightening. Now, we are used to it," she shrugged.

Olga would not take her basket to the village school's doctor, 
Marina Malyavskaya and her radiometer, furnished by the 
independent Belrad radiological security institute.

"It is true that people bring their food less often, they pay 
less attention. Radiation does not scare them anymore, it is not 
something you hear or see," even though the forest is the most 
contaminated area in the zone, Marina complained.

"Here the contamination levels for the mushrooms can be six times 
the advised norm," she added.

Sivitsa is one of many spots on a map of Belarus that mark the 
areas contaminated by Chernobyl and range from the yellow of 
lightly contaminated to the deep orange of the more dangerous 
areas.

On that late April day of 1986, it was raining on Sivitsa's 
fields, forest and painted wooden houses that were home to some 
400 people.

The village awoke to find itself in a zone where radioactivity 
hovered between five and 15 curies per square kilometer. People 
were evacuated from areas where the radioactivity levels were at 
least 40 curies per square kilometer.

According to Belrad Institute's latest measurements in March 
2004, 81 of Sivitsa's 87 schoolchildren whose levels of 
radioactive Cesium-137 were higher than those considered safe and 
none had the substance completely absent from their system.

Cesium-137 is a radionuclide produced during nuclear fission and 
exposure to it can result in malignant tumors, according to the 
website of the US government's Environmental Protection Agency.

"All children have immunity system deficiencies, frequent 
bronchitis, low hemoglobin levels and heart problems due to 
radiation," Marina said, though she stressed that the rise of 
cancer had not been proved to be directly linked to Chernobyl.

"Officially, only 20 percent of Belarus's children are considered 
healthy, and in contaminated areas, this number goes down to 10 
percent," Belrad Institute's chief Vasily Nesterenko explained.

Yuri Bandazhevsky, a nuclear medicine expert who started to 
gather evidence that small ingestion of contaminated food could 
cause pathologies has been jailed on what authorities insist are 
corruption charges.

The authorities downplay the problem and say that in theory all 
food sold in Belarusian markets must be certified as 
non-contaminated.

"Here, milk and vegetables can be eaten without problem," 
Sivitsa's doctor assured, testing potatoes with his radiometer.

It is mushrooms, berries and game -- that form an important part 
of rural diet -- that are the worst problem, Marina added.

 All rights reserved. © 2004 Agence France-Presse 
[http://www.afp.com/] . Sections of the information displayed on 
*****************************************************************
 31 NRC: Nuclear Power Plants That Employ Boiling-Water Reactor (BWR)
 
                        FR Doc 04-24014 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62728-62729] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-101]                         
 
Mark I and II Designs Receipt of Request for Action Under 10 CFR 
2.206 Notice is hereby given that by petition dated August 10, 
2004, the Nuclear Security Coalition (Coalition), consisting of 
39 separate organizations, has requested that the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (NRC) take action to: (1) Issue a demand 
for information to the licensees for all Mark I and II BWRs and 
conduct a 6-month study of options for addressing structural 
vulnerabilities; (2) present the findings of the study at a 
national conference attended by all interested stakeholders, 
providing for transcribed comments and questions; (3) develop a 
comprehensive plan that accounts for stakeholder concerns and 
addresses structural vulnerabilities of all Mark I and II BWRs 
within a 12-month period; (4) issue orders to the licensees for 
all Mark I and II BWRs compelling incorporation of a 
comprehensive set of protective measures, including structural 
protections; and (5) make future operation of each Mark I and II 
BWR contingent on addressing its structural vulnerability with 
participation and oversight by a panel of local stakeholders.
 
As the basis for this request, the Coalition states that nuclear 
power plants are critical national infrastructures and are prime 
targets of attacks, that the NRC ``requires only a light defense 
of nuclear power plants,'' and that BWRs of the Mark I and II 
designs are particularly vulnerable.
 
The petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the 
Commission's regulations. The petition has been referred to the 
Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. As provided 
by section 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on this 
petition within a reasonable time. Members of the Coalition met 
with the Petition Review Board (PRB) on September 23, 2004, to 
discuss the petition; the summary of the meeting, with the 
transcript attached, was published on October 13, 2004. The 
results of that discussion have been considered in the PRB's 
determination regarding the Coalition's request for action and in 
establishing the schedule for reviewing the petition. A copy of 
the petition, and the meeting summary dated October 13, 2004, are 
available for inspection at the Commission's Public Document 
Room, located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly 
available records will be accessible from the Agencywide 
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic 
Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html] 
. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter 
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should 
contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 
1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov 
[pdr@nrc.gov] .
 
[[Page 62729]] Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day of 
October 2004.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
J.E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24014 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 32 NRC: Proposed Generic Communication; Establishing and Maintaining a 
 
                        FR Doc 04-24015 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62729-62730] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-103]                         
 
Safety Conscious Work Environment; Correction AGENCY: Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission.
 
ACTION: Notice of opportunity for public comment; correction.
 
SUMMARY: This document corrects a notice appearing in the Federal 
Register on October 14, 2004 (69 FR 61049), that requests public 
comment on a guidance document for licensees on establishing and 
maintaining a safety conscious work environment. This action is 
necessary to correct an erroneous Web site.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisamarie Jarriel, Agency 
Allegations Advisor, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, (301) 415-8529, 
email LLJ@nrc.gov [LLJ@nrc.gov] .
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On page 61049, in the second column, 
in the second complete paragraph, in the last sentence, the Web 
site is corrected to read, 
``http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/allegations/scwe-guide 
.html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/a 
llegations/scwe-guide.html] . '' Dated at Rockville, Maryland, 
this 21st day of October 2004.
 
 
[[Page 62730]] For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Michael T. Lesar, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24015 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 33 NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al. South Texas Project, Units 
 
                        FR Doc 04-24016 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62728] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-100]                         
 
1 and 2; Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to 
Facility Operating License The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(the Commission) has granted the request of STP Nuclear Operating 
Company (the licensee) to withdraw its September 22, 2003 
(ML032691397), application for proposed amendment to Facility 
Operating License No. NPF-76 and Facility Operating License No. 
NPF-80 for the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2, respectively. 
The facility is located in Matagorda County, Texas.
 
The proposed amendment would have revised the Technical 
Specifications (TSs) to change the TS 3.3.2 requirements for Loss 
of Power Instrumentation (Functional Unit 8).
 
The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of 
Issuance of Amendment published in the Federal Register on 
November 12, 2003 (68 FR 64139). However, by letter dated 
September 30, 2004 (ML042800236), the licensee withdrew the 
proposed change.
 
For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application for amendment dated September 22, 2003, and the 
licensee's letter dated September 30, 2004, which withdrew the 
application for license amendment. Documents may be examined, 
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (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 (ADAMS) Public 
Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web site, 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/html 
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leaving 
FR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/html] 
. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter 
problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should 
contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 
1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737 or by email to

 
pdr@nrc.gov [ pdr@nrc.gov] . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 
18th day of October 2004.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
David H. Jaffe, Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project 
Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office 
of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24016 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 34 [DU-WATCH] War. The gift that keeps on giving
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 23:30:54 -0500 (CDT)

 
The post-modern hi-tech battlefield introduced by the first GW goes 
beyond the call of duty by orders of magnitude we have only begun to 
appreciate.

Depleted Uranium's lethality is a poisoned gift that keeps on giving, 
full of toxicities like the delight that is depleted uranium... it's 
a shell casing that will rip thru steel like it's paper when solid, 
it's a potent carcinogen when vaporized...it's two weapons of death 
in one! How could the Pentagon resist? 
Statistically Gulf War Syndrome seems to be quite real, but of course 
the gov/military can't come out and admit they poisoned their own 
troops, that's another thing the American public won't stand for any 
more.

So the govt just stonewalls and gets away with ignoring the obvious --
- and they get away with it because when the troops do come home 
that's when all the yellow-ribbon-tying dies out and nobody much 
gives a rat's ass about them; there's no huge groundswell of "support 
the troops" when they return to us from their dirty work broken, sick 
in body and soul. 

This culture is only interested in hearing about those who really 
believe they were "conquering heroes" in places like Iraq. 

What will it produce? For one thing, sooner or later, we'll have 
living in OUR society ex-Marines who, if some press coverage is to be 
believed, took real unabashed pleasure in sending automatic fire into 
crowds of defenseless unarmed people of all ages; who cut shopkeepers 
to pieces with machine gun fire because they were armed with Russian 
rifles to protect themselves from looters and because the looters 
told them they were Saddam's men, they blew them away with no 
questions asked.

(And the unbridling the killer in Americans is besides the nuclear 
toxicity which causes cancer of their bodies and birth defects in 
their children and the radiation damage to Iraqis.. These are all 
gifts of George Bush's war that keeps on giving.) 

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 35 [du-list] UK Defence files hidden
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 14:46:41 -0700

 
<x-flowed>
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3952149.stm

MoD files exposed to asbestos


       The Belgrano was sunk during the Falklands conflict
Up to 63,000 secret files exposed to asbestos have been put out of range of 
the Freedom of Information Act until they can be decontaminated.
An MoD spokesman said the files had now been removed from the old War 
Office building in Whitehall to a warehouse.

They are reported to contain the official account of the sinking of the 
Belgrano among other secrets.

The MoD said procedures were being looked at to decontaminate the files so 
information could be made available.

'Irreplaceable'

Once cleaned up, priority would be given to requests made under the Freedom 
of Information act which comes into effect on 1 January 2005, the spokesman 
said.

But in the meantime the priority had to be the health and safety of staff 
and the documents had been sealed in plastic bags and packed into crates.

Cold War expert Professor Matthew Jones told the Daily Telegraph: "I find 
it disturbing that the MoD may be able to use the excuse of asbestos not to 
fulfil the requirements of the act.

"These files are irreplaceable records of this nation's defence and foreign 
policy during the 20th Century."

The MoD spokesman would not speculate on the actual contents of files but 
confirmed they are thought to contain information from the 1980s.

That could include the official version of the sinking of the Belgrano in 
the 1982 Falklands conflict.

There will also be interest in whether files could unravel any more details 
of the shooting of IRA terrorists by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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 36 [du-list] Army uses U and U-oxides as an in-vitro mutagenesis
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 14:47:00 -0700

 
<x-flowed>


So the US Army plays down the risks of DU on one hand and uses it as
an efficacious mutagen on the other.

Shades of James Hardie Industries (the asbestos and mesothelioma
people)?

Cheers,
Robert



  [du-watch] Message 6471 of 6471

From:  Max Whisson <symbiont@b...>
Date:  Tue Oct 26, 2004  5:34 pm
Subject:  Re: [DU-WATCH] Illnesses caused by internalisation of DU

Ray and any medicos or pathologists on the list.

This is an old DOD funded study but not sure it has received
attention.
Shows the rapid production of transformation to tumour cell type by
insoluble DU in culture. Also the antogistic effect of a very simple
chemical, phenyl acetate.

Was published in
Radiat Res. 2001 Jan;155(1 Pt 2):163-170

Max

Suppression of depleted uranium-induced neoplastic transformation of
human
cells by the phenyl fatty acid, phenyl acetate: chemoprevention by
targeting
the p21RAS protein pathway
.
Miller AC, Xu J, Stewart M, McClain D.
Applied Cellular Radiobiology Department, Armed Forces Radiobiology
Research
Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20889-5603, USA.

Depleted uranium is a dense heavy metal used primarily in military
applications. Published data from our laboratory have  demonstrated
that
exposure to depleted uranium in vitro can transform immortalized
human
osteoblast (HOS) cells to the tumorigenic phenotype (associated with
aberrant RAS oncogene expression and tumor suppressor protein
production).

Since depleted uranium is used in military applications, it would
therefore
be beneficial to identify and test potential antitumor-promoting
agents.

Chemopreventive interventions that target deregulated signal
transduction
pathways may be effective strategies to prevent carcinogenesis. Since
the
RAS protein plays a key role in signal transduction, disruption of
its
signaling pathway may be particularly effective.

  The phenyl fatty acid, phenyl acetate, a differentiation inducer
that
affects post-translational processing of RAS, was tested for its
ability to
prevent depleted uranium-induced neoplastic transformation using HOS
cells.
After a 24-h exposure to insoluble depleted uranium-uranium dioxide
(1
mg/ml), cells were incubated for 1 day to 6 weeks with 2.5 mM phenyl
acetate.

  Treatment with depleted uranium resulted in transformation to the
tumorigenic phenotype. In contrast, HOS cells exposed to depleted
uranium
and then treated with phenyl acetate did not exhibit transformation
to the
tumorigenic phenotype. These data suggest that depleted uranium-
induced
neoplastic transformation in vitro can be prevented by targeting the
RAS
protein.

Message 6471 of 6471





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 37 Casper Trib: Union expects boost with change in handling of claims
 
Casper, Wyoming - Tuesday, October 26, 2004    
  
[http://www.trib.com/

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) -- A union leader at the Idaho National 
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory believes a change in 
government management will finally begin getting compensation to 
nuclear weapons workers for on-the-job illnesses.

"It gives some workers who have been on the back burner for so 
long some hope," said Gaylon Hanson of the Paper, 
Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers Union.

The transfer of control over the compensation program from the 
Energy Department to the Department of Labor as well as changes 
in the handling of applications is included in a defense 
authorization bill now awaiting President Bush's signature.

In four years, the Energy Department has spent $95 million 
handling the program and managed to pay just 31 of the 25,000 
claims filed for illnesses caused by exposure to toxic substances 
including asbestosis and various cancers. 

Over 900 current and former employees of INEEL contractors have 
filed claims for toxic-substance ailments as part of the program 
Congress has estimated will provide $850 million in compensation 
nationally over 10 years.

By contrast, the Labor Department, which has handled 
radiation-related illnesses from Cold War nuclear weapons 
production, has paid $952 million in benefits directly to workers 
in $150,000 lump-sum payments for various cancers, beryllium 
disease and silicosis. Among those paid are nearly half of the 
1,500 claimant in Idaho.

Payments for toxic substance-related illnesses will now be made 
directly by the Labor Department instead of being funneled 
through state worker's compensation programs, which had been 
refusing to make any payments until they were guaranteed federal 
reimbursement.

The revamped program also authorizes payments to survivors of 
deceased workers and to disabled workers who lost work time.

"Overall, I think this is a very substantial victory for nuclear 
weapons workers," said Richard Miller of the Government 
Accountability Project. 
  
  Copyright © 2004 by the Casper Star-Tribune published by Lee
*****************************************************************
 38 Wanderer: Militant Secularists
 
Home Page</font> [http://thewandererpress.com] Issue Date
October 28, 2004 

Catholics Should Evaluate . . . 
The Morality Of Weapons Systems 

By PAUL LIKOUDIS 

  "DU is more of a problem than we thought when it was developed. 
But it was developed according to standards and was thought 
through very carefully. It turned out, perhaps, to be wrong" — 
Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to President George 
H.W. Bush. 

+    +    + 

  The photographs are gruesome beyond description (those who
wish may see them
here):http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/extremedeformities.htm
l [http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/extremedeformities.html]
. 
  They are newborn Iraqi babies, born without heads and limbs,
sometimes they are blood red, sometimes black, sometimes covered
in an unknown white film, sometimes with gaping holes in their
torsos that expose their internal organs. 

  They are, say doctors in Iraq and international experts from
Europe, Japan, and the United States, the result of the United
States’ heavy use of weapons made of depleted uranium in Gulf
War I and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which have left densely
populated parts of Iraq a radioactive toxic wasteland, where
adult cancer and childhood leukemia rates are soaring. 

  During a presidential campaign where abortion at home and the
American military occupation of Iraq are pivotal issues before
the electorate, there ought to be a serious public discussion on
the morality of weapons used in Iraq. 

  "This is such a serious issue," said Dr. John Hittinger, a
professor of philosophy at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and
a nationally recognized expert on moral issues related to the
military and warfare. 

  In a recent telephone interview, The Wanderer asked Dr.
Hittinger, who previously taught at the United States Air Force
Academy, if the use of depleted uranium in Iraq (as well as in
Bosnia and Afghanistan) constituted a war crime and genocide. 

  He was reluctant to say it was, explaining that to meet the
definition of genocide in international law, one has to
establish a "deliberate and systematic intent to eliminate a
people." 

  But, he added, "I don’t say that to clear our conscience. We
can’t hide behind the doctrine of double-effect, or legalisms,
and we need to face squarely the indiscriminate effect on Iraqi
civilians. 

  "This has the beginnings of a genocidal effect, so serious
questions need to be raised. Although this is not a deliberate,
direct, planned attack on the unborn of Iraq, it is such a
serious matter because we are attacking the sources of life in
Iraqi men and women. There is a potential here for a genocidal
effect." 

  Dr. Hittinger has impeccable Catholic credentials: a cum laude
graduate of Notre Dame University, he earned his doctorate from
the Catholic University of America; he is a former managing
editor of the Review of Metaphysics; he was the first civilian
professor of philosophy at the Air Force Academy; he is writing
a book on the morality of warfare; and he is an internationally
recognized authority on Aquinas and Jacques Maritain. 

  He told The Wanderer that it "is time for the Catholic bishops
and the informed Catholic laity to revisit the whole ‘war and
peace’ issue," which, he said, "is necessary now that the Cold
War is behind us and a protracted ‘war on terrorism’ is before
us. 

  "We need a whole new debate and new parties to the debate," he
added, "in light of the breakdown of the international system." 

A Controversial Issue 

  The United States’ use of depleted uranium weapons has sparked
international outrage around the world. After the Gulf War I,
thousands of returning war veterans claimed exposure to DU
weapons was the cause of debilitating illnesses. 

  The Pentagon has routinely insisted, from then until now, that
exposure to DU poses no threat to American soldiers. In a $6
million, five-year study released October 19, the Pentagon again
insisted that DU is not radioactive or toxic enough to harm U.S.
soldiers. 

  According to a report by Matthew L. Wald for The New York
Times, published October 19: 

  "The conclusion, said Dr. Michael E. Kilpatrick, deputy
director of the Deployment Health Support Directorate of the
Defense Department, is that ‘this is a lethal but safe weapons
system’." 

  But soldiers of Gulf War I, and returning soldiers from
Operation Iraqi Freedom, have a different story. 

  In April 2004, New York Daily News reporter Juan Gonzales
broke a story on how soldiers from the New York National Guard,
recently released from Iraq, tested positive for radiation
poisoning. And on September 29, Gonzales reported that one of
those soldiers, Gerard Darren Matthew, recently became the new
father of a deformed baby girl. Matthew also suffers daily from
severe headaches, blurred vision, painful urination, and extreme
lethargy, according to this report. 

  In "Committing a War Crime," Michael Jansen, Middle East
reporter for the Irish Times, wrote on September 30 about the
growing fear throughout the entire region that depleted uranium
dust from exploded weapons is spreading far beyond Iraq, into
Jordan, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. 

  DU weapons, reported Jansen, "scatter fine radioactive
particles which are carried by the wind and ingested by human
beings, animals, and plants. The indestructible particles last
forever. Therefore, the areas where DU munitions have been
deployed — the Middle East, the northern Indian subcontinent,
and the Balkans — have been contaminated with endlessly
destructive radioactive dust. . . . 

  "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that
half a million people would die by the end of the 21st century
due to radioactive debris and dust left in Iraq, which makes its
way into the rivers, lakes, and seas of the world and the
atmosphere which surrounds it. 

  "While Jordan has expressed concern about possible
contamination by airborne particles escaping from Israel’s
nuclear reactor, there is a far greater danger from DU dust
blown across the desert from Iraq. 

  "Doug Rokke, ex-director of the U.S. Army’s DU project in 1994
and 1995 and a former professor of environmental science at a
Florida university, said: ‘They’re using it now, in Fallujah;
Baghdad is chockablock with DU — it’s all over the place.’ 

  "An Iraqi doctor specializing in blood disease at one of the
capital’s universities told this correspondent that thousands of
Baghdadis had developed cancer since 1991 and warned that
incidence of the disease will rise due to the use of DU
munitions during the 2003 war. Dr. Jenan Ali, a senior
specialist at the Basra College of Medicine, said that in the
decade after the 1991 war there was a 100% rise in child
leukemia and a 242% increase in all cancers in the region. 

  "Birth defects are also much higher than normal. Malignancies
and defects have also soared in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.
war, but no statistics are available in that chaotic country. 

  "While the Pentagon uses DU munitions to save the lives of its
troops, DU may be killing more than the number who would have
died if this munitions had not been deployed. The use of DU in
1991 and 2003 is also considered responsible for malignancies in
U.S. veterans and birth defects amongst their children. While
only 467 U.S. troops were wounded during the 1991 war, of the
nearly 600,000 discharged personnel one-third are receiving
disability compensation and another 25,000 cases are pending.
The figure does not include those who have died. Amongst the
169,000 veterans of the current conflict, 16% had applied for
treatment by July 2004. . . . 

  "According to an August 2002 UN report, the use of DU
munitions breaches the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the UN Charter, the Genocide Convention, the Convention Against
Torture, the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Conventional
Weapons Convention of 1980, and the Hague Conventions of 1899
and 1907." 

Just The Facts 

  One pertinent web site on problems caused by weapons made of
depleted uranium is www.idust.net, operated by the International
Depleted Uranium Study Team. It contains a library of news
reports and editorials from the world’s press on the
consequences of exposure to DU weapons. Others are part of the
University of Wisconsin’s depleted uranium project,
www.uwec.edu/grossmzc/belowmc.html, and www.citizen-soldier.org;
they document the illnesses of Gulf War I and Operation Iraqi
Freedom veterans and the Pentagon’s refusal to acknowledge
veterans’ illnesses. The Deerfield, Mass.-based Traprock Peace
Center (www.traprock
 peace.org) has an extensive library on DU-related media reports
and scientific and legal studies. 

  The following historical information on the use of DU weapons
is taken directly from citizen-soldier: 

  "The American and British militaries first used DU weapons
during Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf in 1991. Army
and Marine M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks fired 120mm rounds that
each contained 10.5 pounds of depleted uranium. The M1 and M60
model tanks fired a 105 mm round with 8.5 pounds of DU in each
shell. The Pentagon later estimated that 14,000 such rounds were
expended during the war; 7,000 were fired in Saudi Arabia during
target practice, 4,000 were used against Iraqi forces, and
another 3,000 were consumed by fires or other accidents. 

  "Another 940,000 30mm DU rounds were fired by A-10 ‘Warthog’
jets in support of their ‘tank killing’ operations during the
brief war. All told, the Pentagon has estimated that 320 tons of
depleted uranium was fired by U.S. and UK units. As of today,
not an ounce of this toxic residue has been removed by either
the U.S. or any other agency. 

  "Months before the Gulf War, the Army’s Armament, Munitions,
and Chemical Command published the following warning: ‘Following
combat, the condition of the battlefield and the long-term
health risks to natives [sic] and combat veterans may become
issues in the acceptability of the continued use of DU for
military applications.’ The report added that DU has been
‘linked to cancer when exposures are internal’. . . . 

  "[T]he Army is clearly aware that environmental concerns could
eventually undermine support for these dangerous weapons. Not
long after the Gulf War ended, an Army colonel stationed at the
Los Alamos National Labs wrote to a subordinate: ‘There
continues to be concern regarding the impact of DU on the
environment. If no one makes the case for the effectiveness of
DU in battle, DU rounds may become politically unacceptable and
be deleted from the arsenal.’ His memo ends with the following:
‘I believe that we should keep this sensitive issue in mind when
"after action" reports are written.’ 

  "In the first years after the Gulf War, thousands of vets
began to experience some chronic health problems and many of
them sought evaluation and treatment at either VA medical
centers or military hospitals. They reported some or all of the
following symptoms: neurological problems, chronic skin rashes,
respiratory problems, chronic flu-like symptoms including severe
body aches, immune system disorders, severe fatigue, joint pain,
gynecological infection, bleeding gums and lesions, and
unexplained rapid weight loss. 

  "Eventually, about 186,000 Gulf vets were examined medically
at a VA or military medical facility. Virtually all who reported
health problems were eventually told that they suffered from
‘undiagnosed illness.’ Very few have received disability
payments for service-connected illness. Despite the large number
of sick veterans, the Army surgeon general continued to tell
Congress and other investigators that only a tiny number of
these cases (where vets had been struck with DU shrapnel) could
be attributed to depleted uranium exposure." 

The Toll On The Unborn 

  A handful of American reporters have tried to alert the
American public to DU, including The Chicago Tribune’s Robert C.
Koehler, who in a March 25, 2004 report, headlined, "Silent
Genocide," wrote: 

  "This will not be easy to read, especially if you’ve projected
evil out of your own heart, into some cave in Afghanistan or a
spider hole in Iraq, reduced the age-old question it inspires to
this one: How can we bomb it off the face of the earth? Before
the damage we inflict grows greater, before history’s judgment
gets worse, before we contaminate the whole world — even before
we vote in the next election — we must stop what we’re doing. We
must stop now. 

  "It’s time to listen for a moment not to defense analysts,
briefing officers, pols or pundits, but to people like Jooma
Khan, a grandfather who lives in a village in Laghman Province,
in northeastern Afghanistan. Surely he deserves 30 seconds of
our undivided attention. 

  " ‘When I saw my deformed grandson,’ he told an interviewer in
March of 2003, ‘I realized that my hopes of the future have
vanished for good. [This is] different from the hopelessness of
the Russian barbarism, even though at that time I lost my older
son Shafiqullah. This time, however, I know we are part of the
invisible genocide brought on us by America, a silent death from
which I know we will not escape.’ 

  "We’re waging war-plus in Afghanistan and Iraq — in effect,
nuclear war, with our widespread use of depleted-uranium-tipped
shells and missiles. . . . 

  "And DU dust is everywhere. A minimum of 500 or 600 tons now
litter Afghanistan, and several times that amount are spread
across Iraq. In terms of global atmospheric pollution, we’ve
already released the equivalent of 400,000 Nagasaki bombs. . . .
The numbers are overwhelming, but the potential horrors only get
worse. DU dust does more than wreak havoc on the immune systems
of those who breathe or touch it; the substance also alters
one’s genetic code. . . . 

  "This ghastly toll on the unborn — on the future — has led
investigators to coin the term ‘silent genocide’." 

*****************************************************************
 39 NRC: NRC Proposes $44,400 Civil Penalty for Baxter Healthcare Corp. Over Irradiator Event
at Puerto Rico Facility

News Release - Region I - 2004-04 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY 
COMMISSION 

Office of Public Affairs, Region I No. I-04-049                          
October 26, 2004 CONTACT:     Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil 
A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331                     E-mail:  
[opa1@nrc.gov]
  
  


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $44,400
fine against Baxter Healthcare Corp. for three violations
stemming from an event earlier this year in which two workers
failed to follow procedures at a Puerto Rico commercial
irradiator. That failure could have resulted in a lethal
exposure to radiation for the employees. 

On April 21, an irradiator operator and an assistant were
performing work at the companys Aibonito, Puerto Rico
irradiator, which is used to sterilize medical equipment. To
ensure that workers are not exposed to unacceptable levels of
radiation, such irradiators are equipped with safety interlocks
designed to prevent entry when the radioactive sources are in
the unshielded position. During this event, however, the
interlocks were bypassed, or temporarily disabled. 

As a result, the workers entered the irradiator at a time when a
radioactive source rack was stuck in the unshielded position.
(The direct cause of the source becoming stuck was a ladder that
had been left over the irradiator pool after the individuals
worked on switches earlier that day.) They quickly left the area
after a radiation monitor carried by the irradiator operator
indicated elevated radiation levels. 

Subsequent testing indicated the operator and assistant received
exposures of 4.4 and 2.8 rem, respectively. Because the annual
exposure limit for the workers is 5 rem, the exposures were
within regulatory limits. However, an NRC Augmented Inspection
Team (AIT) review conducted following the event determined that
had the employees continued on their intended path through the
irradiation room, the doses would have been at least 450 rem.
Those doses could be potentially lethal. 

The bypassing of the interlocks after the source rack fault
indicator had illuminated and after the source travel alarm
sounded for an extended period (without performing the required
tests of radiation levels and source rack position, and without
the irradiator manufacturer being contacted for assistance,
contrary to the procedures) is a very significant violation,
NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins wrote in a letter
to Baxter Healthcare discussing the enforcement action. ... By
bypassing the safety interlocks, a system designed to prevent a
serious safety event was rendered inoperable, which created the
potential for significant injury and loss of life. 

The three violations for which the fine has been proposed are: 	 
  + A failure by Baxter Healthcare employees to follow emergency
and abnormal event procedures after the source rack fault
indicator on the console was illuminated and the source travel
alarm sounded for an extended period. This occurred twice on
April 21 and on at least one previous occasion. 
  + Prior to entry into the irradiator, the operators did not
adequately check the irradiator cell radiation monitor and
radiation levels outside. They also failed to adequately perform
other surveys to determine if the source rack was stuck in the
unshielded position. 
  + A failure to supply an individual radiation monitoring
device to a worker entering the irradiator and to require its
use. Specifically, the assistant to the irradiator operator was
not wearing a monitoring device or pocket dosimeter during entry
into the irradiator. An investigation by the NRCs Office of
Investigations concluded this violation was willful because (1)
the irradiator operator admitted he was familiar with the
companys procedure requiring operators to obtain dosimetry for
the assistant if entering the irradiator; and (2) the irradiator
operator had assigned dosimetry to the assistant for two
previous irradiator entries on the same day. 		 

Baxter Healthcare has informed the NRC that it has implemented a
number of corrective actions, including (1) revisions to
procedures for responding to emergency conditions and performing
necessary surveys; (2) plans for an annual review of standard
operating procedures for adequacy; (3) an upgrade of the
training program and retraining of staff on revised procedures,
survey techniques and dosimetry use; and (4) increased
management oversight of the irradiator program. 

The company has up to 30 days to respond in writing to the
enforcement action.   



  


 	Last revised Wednesday, October 27, 2004 	   
*****************************************************************
 40 AP Wire: USEC signs deal with Boeing, Honeywell for centrifuges

   Updated Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004   
 
Associated Press

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Tennessee city associated with nuclear 
power since the birth of the atom bomb could play a role in 
fueling the next generation of commercial reactors under a deal 
announced Wednesday. 

Boeing Co. and Honeywell International Inc. have signed 
agreements to support manufacture of centrifuge machines in Oak 
Ridge for USEC Inc.'s planned $1.5 billion uranium enrichment 
plant in Piketon, Ohio. 

"This is huge," said Jim Campbell, president of the East 
Tennessee Economic Council, noting the Piketon plant is expected 
to require about 12,000 centrifuge machines - work that could 
support hundreds of jobs. 

Campbell said the project immediately may add about 50 jobs to 
the 150 workers Boeing already employs in Oak Ridge. 

USEC, formerly U.S. Enrichment Corp., is a publicly traded 
company based in Bethesda, Md. The company assumed uranium 
enrichment operations from the U.S. Department of Energy in 1998. 

USEC is now vying to become the chief supplier of enriched 
uranium for the country's 103 commercial nuclear reactors. 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission agreed in February to let USEC 
build a test plant in Piketon to demonstrate its centrifuge 
technology, which is common in Europe but never tried in the 
United States on a large scale. 

The prototype plant will require about 240 centrifuges and is 
slated to open in 2005. That would be followed by a commercial 
plant - also at the Ohio site - that would employ about 500 and 
be operating by the end of the decade. 

In the past, uranium fuel was enriched using a process called 
gaseous diffusion at Oak Ridge; Paducah, Ky.; and Piketon. 
Centrifuge processing - which separates enriched uranium with 
tall, spinning cylinders - produces less waste and requires only 
5 percent as much electricity as the old method. 

"We welcome Boeing and Honeywell to our American centrifuge 
team," said USEC senior vice president Ron Green. "These two 
world-class manufacturing companies have solid engineering 
capabilities as well as considerable centrifuge experience." 

Under the initial deal, Boeing and Honeywell will work with USEC 
and personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory over the next 
two years to build, test and assemble full-size centrifuge 
machines in Oak Ridge. 

"In 2006, we expect to enter new agreements with Boeing and 
Honeywell to manufacture the thousands of additional machines 
needed for our American centrifuge program," Green said. 

Green called it fitting that "this manufacturing work be done 
here in East Tennessee, where some of DOE's original centrifuges 
were built and operated in the 1970s and 1980s."   

*****************************************************************
 41 Nevada Appeal - Opinion: Yucca Mountain no issue in this election
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
October 26, 2004

I read with considerable interest today's article about Sen. 
Kerry's hopes for a Yucca Mountain backlash. I've got news for 
you, Mr. Kerry, Nevadans are not that shallow. Yucca Mountain is 
a nothing issue. If the Democrats were in office, the Republicans 
would be saying the same stuff.

Yucca Mountain is just a place. People don't live there. It's not 
a vacation spot, and nothing grows there. It's only value is a 
place for nuclear waste storage. The state will never suffer any 
kind of casualty because of the waste storage.

Let's talk about a real issue for Nevada. The city of Las Vegas 
is out of water. We in Carson and Reno suffer from water storage. 
Las Vegas is now pumping from its limited supply of groundwater 
so the tourists can flush their toilets. What happens when the 
groundwater is gone? Will we in the north send our water to Las 
Vegas? Probably.

Water is a very serious problem for Nevadans. Can the state solve 
this problem? Maybe. Can we use some help from Bush or Kerry? 
Sure. Will we get it? Maybe.

Let's stick to the real issues. Yucca Mountain isn't it.

	CALVIN POTTS

	Carson City 

*****************************************************************
 42 DOE: Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
 
                        FR Doc 04-24055 [Federal Register: 
October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] [Notices] [Page 62655] 
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access 
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-44]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Fusion Energy 
Sciences Advisory Committee. The Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(Public Law 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of 
these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Tuesday, December 14, 2004, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, 
December 15, 2004, 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
 
ADDRESSES: The Marriott Gaithersburg Washingtonian Center, 9751 
Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, USA.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Albert L. Opdenaker, Office of 
Fusion Energy Sciences; U.S. Department of Energy; 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20585-1290; Telephone: 
301-903-4927.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: The main 
purpose of the meeting is for FESAC to finalize the report on the 
charge of establishing priorities for the fusion program. The 
program priorities that the FESAC will recommend for 
implementation will be established by identifying the scientific 
and technological issues that need to be addressed, proposing a 
series of campaigns to address these issues, and recommending the 
priority order in which the program should proceed with these 
campaigns.
 
Tentative Agenda Tuesday, December 14, 2004.
 
[cir] Office of Science Perspective.
 
[cir] Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Perspective.
 
[cir] Presentation by the Priority Panel on its findings and 
recommendations.
 
[cir] Public comments.
 
Wednesday, December 15, 2004.
 
[cir] ITER Project Status.
 
[cir] Further discussions.
 
[cir] Adjourn.
 
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you 
would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you 
may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like 
to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, 
you should contact Albert L. Opdenaker at 301-903-8584 (fax) or

 
albert.opdenaker@science.doe.gov [ 
albert.opdenaker@science.doe.gov]  (e-mail). You must make your 
request for an oral statement at least 5 business days before the 
meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the 
scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the 
Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly 
conduct of business.
 
Public comment will follow the 10-minute rule.
 
Minutes: We will make the minutes of this meeting available for 
public review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of 
Information Public Reading Room; IE-190; Forrestal Building; 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
 
Issued at Washington, DC, on October 22, 2004.
 
Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24055 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 43 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
 
                        FR Doc 04-24056 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62654] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-42]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Basic Energy 
Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC). Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice 
of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Monday, December 6, 2004, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 
Tuesday, December 7, 2004, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
 
ADDRESSES: The Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 
Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Talamini; Office of Basic 
Energy Sciences; U.S. Department of Energy; Germantown Building, 
Independence Avenue, Washington, DC 20585; Telephone: (301) 
903-4563.
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: The purpose of 
this meeting is to provide advice and guidance with respect to 
the basic energy sciences research program.
 
Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the 
following: News from the Office of Science.
 
News from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
 
Final Report of BESAC Subcommittee on Theory and Computation in 
Basic Energy Sciences.
 
BESAC discussion.
 
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you 
would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you 
may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like 
to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, 
you should contact Karen Talamini at 301-903-6594 (fax) or 
karen.talamini@science.doe.gov [karen.talamini@science.doe.gov] 
(e-mail). You must make your request for an oral statement at 
least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Reasonable provision 
will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the 
agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting 
to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment 
will follow the 10-minute rule.
 
Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public 
review and copying within 60 days at the Freedom of Information 
Public Reading Room; 1E-190, Forrestal Building; 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20585; between 9 a.m. 
and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
 
Issued in Washington, DC on October 22, 2004.
 
Rachel Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24056 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 44 DOE: DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
 
                        FR Doc 04-24057 
[Federal Register: October 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 207)] 
[Notices] [Page 62654-62655] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27oc04-43]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the DOE/NSF Nuclear 
Science Advisory Committee (NSAC).
 
 
[[Page 62655]] Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463, 
86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be 
announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Thursday, November 18, 2004; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
ADDRESSES: Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852-1699.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda L. May, U.S. Department 
of Energy; SC-90/Germantown Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290; Telephone: (301) 903-0536.
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice 
and guidance on a continuing basis to the Department of Energy 
and the National Science Foundation on scientific priorities 
within the field of basic nuclear science research.
 
Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the 
following: Thursday, November 18, 2004.
 
Perspectives from Department of Energy and National Science 
Foundation.
 
Discussion of NSAC Response and Transmittal Letter on Education.
 
Public Comment (10-minute rule).
 
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you 
would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you 
may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like 
to make oral statements regarding any of these items on the 
agenda, you should contact Brenda L. May, (301) 903-0536 or 
Brenda.May@science.doe.gov [Brenda.May@science.doe.gov]  (e- 
mail). You must make your request for an oral statement at least 
5 business days before the meeting. Reasonable provision will be 
made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The 
Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting to 
facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will 
follow the 10-minute rule.
 
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be available for public 
review and copying within 60 days at the Freedom of Information 
Public Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
 
Issued at Washington, DC on October 22, 2004.
 
Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee, Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. 04-24057 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 45 Tri-City Herald: Perma-Fix gets waste treatment contract 

This story was published Wednesday, October 27th, 2004 

By Annette Cary Herald staff writer 

Perma-Fix Environmental Services has been awarded a contract 
valued at up to $23 million to treat Hanford low-level 
radioactive waste mixed with organic solvents. 

The contract, awarded by Department of Energy contractor Fluor 
Hanford, will help meet requirements by regulators that 600 cubic 
meters of that type of waste be treated by late 2007. 

Much of the waste is equipment, tools, protective clothing and 
other items that have been contaminated by work with radioactive 
waste from Hanford's huge tanks of underground waste. Hanford has 
53 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste left from 
the past production of plutonium. 

Perma-Fix, which is based in Florida and has nuclear services in 
Oak Ridge, Tenn., has just completed a smaller contract at 
Hanford to treat drums of uranium shavings packed in oil. The 520 
drums were discovered buried just yards from the Columbia River 
starting in 1998. 

"We like to specialize in all the harder-to-treat technologies," 
said Lou Centofanti, chief executive. 

A pilot project to test Perma-Fix's technology on the Hanford 
waste has been completed, and the first shipment of waste sent to 
Oak Ridge under the contract. 

Perma-Fix will sort the waste at Oak Ridge and treat it there or 
in a north Florida facility. 

Physical and chemical separations processes will be used on the 
waste, then a thermal procedure will be used to destroy organics. 

The radioactive waste then will be packaged for permanent burial 
at Hanford. It's expected to be packaged in drums, with cement or 
other materials used to fill empty spaces in the barrels. 

Hanford now has 800 cubic meters of low-level waste with small 
amounts of organic chemicals in it that will require thermal 
treatment. Most of it is stored at the Central Waste Complex, 
said Dale McKenney, Fluor Hanford vice president of waste 
stabilization and disposition. 

About 160 cubic meters of that type of waste have already been 
treated, which includes the uranium shavings waste. But Hanford 
officials expect to have a total of about 2,000 cubic meters over 
the lifetime of the Hanford cleanup project. 

Fluor continues to look for other subcontractors to process the 
waste to give it more flexibility, McKenney said. 

The Perma-Fix contract calls for the Florida company to treat 60 
to 200 cubic meters of the waste in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. 
The contract could be extended to treat up to 400 cubic meters of 
the waste in fiscal year 2007. '[sys/section/path]', map=>{ 

© 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
 46 Platts: Rad waste removed from Ineel ahead of schedule
 
  [The McGraw-Hill Companies]   


 
+ Over 2,200 containers of radioactive and hazardous chemical
waste have been removed from DOE's Idaho National Engineering
&Environmental Laboratory (Ineel) two years ahead of schedule.

"[A]ll of the waste that could be treated and disposed of has 
been shipped off-site," the Idaho Completion Project (ICP) at 
Ineel announced today in a press release. 

ICP said 105 waste containers remain in storage "awaiting 
treatment and disposal options." Five of six Ineel waste storage 
facilities "have been emptied of all waste and have been closed 
or are undergoing closure," ICP said. 

The majority of the waste was sent to Envirocare in Utah for 
treatment and disposal, with some waste treated at Argonne 
National Laboratory-West, Oak Ridge, and the commercial PermaFix 
facility in Tennessee, ICP said. 

Washington (Platts)--26Oct2004
 
Copyright © 2004 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 47 C&EN: Hanford Cleanup Milestone Reached
      
 		  October 25, 2004
Vol. 82, Iss. 43   	 	
 										      										  
October 27, 2004
									 									
Some 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel has been removed from 
underwater storage at the Hanford Site in Washington state, the 
Department of Energy [http://www.energy.gov] announced on Oct. 
22. DOE has been under great pressure from the state to clean up 
the spent fuel waste, which has been left in old, degrading 
canisters in huge, leaking, water-filled pools in the site’s 
K-Basin area along the Columbia River. In all, some 105,000 
individual fuel elements totaling 50 million curies of spent fuel 
have been repackaged into sealed 14-foot-canisters and shipped to 
an on-site storage facility for eventual transfer to an 
underground high-level radioactive waste repository (C&amp;EN, 
June 10, 2002, page 24 
[http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/80/i23/html/8023gov1 
.html] ). Still to come, however, is removal of water and sludge 
left in the basins and their closure, which is planned for 2009.
  										      									 									
[http://pubs.acs.org/cen/currentissue.html] | ChemJobs
[http://www.cen-chemjobs.org/] 

Copyright &copy; 2004 American Chemical Society
[http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/display-copyright?cen] 		 		 		 		
 	 
*****************************************************************
 48 [du-list] DU in the news - 27th Oct 04
 
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 14:46:36 -0700

 
<x-flowed>
             WTC Rescue Hero Sues Bush and Others under RICO Statute - 
Independent Media TV

             http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=9563&fcategory_desc=Under

             Independent Media TV Tue, 26 Oct 2004 5:49 AM PDT
             On September 11, 2001, William Rodriguez, a maintenance worker 
at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, single-handedly rescued fifteen 
people.

              Item ends...
             Asked why he decided to bring this controversial lawsuit, 
Rodriguez explains that, having survived the World Trade Center disaster 
when so many did not, he feels he must learn the truth of what happened on 
that day. "If what the government has told us about 9-11 is a lie," he 
says, "somebody has to take action to reveal the truth. Since that plane 
hit the North Tower on 9-11, like it or not my life's meaning has become to 
reduce the number of victims, and the amount of suffering from those 
attacks. If suing President Bush is what I have to do to accomplish that, 
so be it." Rodriguez notes that the events of 9-11 are directly related to 
the deaths of thousands of people in two ongoing wars, attacks on 
Constitutional liberties in the United States, the abuse and torture of 
detainees around the world, and the use by the United States of depleted 
uranium and other weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

             Admitting the obvious - that his client's legal fight against 
powerful government figures is of the "David versus Goliath" variety - 
Berg, a former deputy attorney general in Pennsylvania, invites both 
financial support for his efforts, as well as assistance from volunteer 
attorneys.

             The action, filed in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia 
on 10/22/04, is Rodriguez v. Bush, et al., Civil Action No. _04 CV 4952_.


             http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/102704Bageant/102704bageant.htmlommentary
             Online Journal Tue, 26 Oct 2004 9:39 PM PDT
             INCLUDES...
              The Republican revolution is at full throttle now and if you 
get down on all fours and look at the world like a Republican, you will see 
that we have never been more successful as a nation. Five percent of our 
citizens are either in prison or on parole. We now have 6,000 bases in 130 
countries. I am told that is about 4,000 more full installations than the 
Roman Empire staffed with legions at its zenith. There is scarcely a 
citizen in this militaristic economy of ours that does not have a stake in 
providing bullets or Snickers bars, CD players, cell phones, depleted 
uranium shells or some unimaginable death-dealing technology to the 
outposts of the empire. What cannot be accomplished with bribes and threats 
in the United Nations gets done with the fist, either by our own or by 
putting weapons in someone else's. Or by offing some democratically elected 
leftist leader suffering under the obscene notion that people deserve 
enough daily bread to shit regularly. We remain quite true to our roots as 
homicidal white Euro-trash hog thieves, despite the comforting national 
lies regarding liberation and furthering democracy

             Kerry Pledges to Build a Safer, Stronger America
             U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News Tue, 26 Oct 2004 11:34 AM PDT
             Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry Tuesday said George 
W. Bush's wrong choices in Iraq and in protecting our homeland have failed 
to make America as safe and secure as we should be.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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</x-flowed>
*****************************************************************
 49 Telegraph: France, India talk fusion                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 
 October 28, 2004              |                
										   				 			 			 
  PRANAY SHARMA   			 
								 																								
New Delhi, Oct. 27: France has sought India’s participation in 
the multi-billion-dollar International Thermonuclear Reactor 
project which aims to use fusion energy for peaceful purposes.
																						 														 				 								
																								
Almost all key world players, including the US, Europe, Japan, 
South Korea, China and Russia, are already part of the mega 
project better known by the acronym Iter and likely to cost 
nearly $ 25 billion.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
								 																								
The visiting French foreign minister Michel Barnier raised the 
issue during talks with his Indian counterpart and host K. Natwar 
Singh today. Barnier is on his first official visit to India. He 
also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister 
Pranab Mukherjee.                                                                                                                                                                              
														 				 								 																								
The proposed Iter project — the first of its kind — will be the 
first fusion device to produce thermal energy at the level of an 
electricity-producing power station.                                                                                                                                                                            
														 				 								 																								
The project might take care of India’s rising electricity needs 
and provide it additional technology for the peaceful use of 
nuclear energy, but more significant is that Delhi has been 
invited to participate. It not only brackets India with key 
international players, including all five nuclear powers, but 
also acknowledges Delhi’s economic and technological clout.
																						 														 				 								
																								
The issue is likely to figure during the November 8 
India-European Union summit in The Hague. The Prime Minister and 
some of his senior cabinet colleagues and officials are likely to 
attend the summit.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
											 			 
   Copyright © 2002 The Telegraph. All rights reserved.    
*****************************************************************
 50 GovPro: Millions to Fuel U.S. Hydrogen Highway
   	
 [http://www.penton.com] 

The Energy Department and the private sector are beginning to
roll towards the creation of a hydrogen economy to replace
today’s petroleum economy. Last week, the agency awarded more
than $75 million in hydrogen research projects, a figure that
mounts to nearly $100 million when private sector contributions
are added. In addition, a hydrogen technology park opened in
Michigan with the ability to produce hydrogen to refuel fuel
cell vehicles. 

The high tech facility in Southfield, MI, is the result of a
partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and DTE
Energy to develop, install and operate a multi-use renewable
hydrogen station. 

“Today’s opening of the Hydrogen Technology Park is an important
step forward,” said Acting Under Secretary David Garman.
“Projects such as the one here in Michigan will enable industry
to reach a 2015 commercialization decision with hydrogen fuel
cell vehicles.” 

“We don’t know when, or to what extent, hydrogen will become
integrated into the country’s energy system,” Anthony F. Earley,
Jr., DTE Energy chairman and CEO, said at the Hydrogen
Technology Park dedication. “It’s likely to take years, if not
decades, to fully develop hydrogen technologies. But we are
certain about one thing: We know more about hydrogen today than
we did two years ago.” 

The hydrogen will be produced using electricity from a
combination of grid power and on-site solar photovoltaic cells.
The facility is capable of delivering 100,000 kilowatt-hours of
electricity per year, enough to power a small office complex and
several fuel cell vehicles per day. 

The station converts electricity from solar photovoltaic panels
at the site and from a municipal solid waste plant off-site to
make hydrogen from water, an environmentally friendly process if
fossil fuels are not used to supply the energy required to make
the hydrogen. 

DTE Energy’s partnership with DaimlerChrysler and BP, called
“Hydrogen to the Highways,” will test DaimlerChrysler fuel cell
vehicles and develop a corresponding hydrogen re-fueling
infrastructure. 

“DaimlerChrysler builds partnerships to expand and promote the
use of fuel cell vehicles,” said Andreas Schell, director of
fuel cell systems at DaimlerChrysler. “The company now joins
with DTE Energy and BP to help further these programs and
celebrate the opening of the DTE Energy Hydrogen Technology
Park. The park and public hydrogen refueling station reflect a
strong commitment to fuel cell technology.” 

In its most recent report on the hydrogen economy, published in
February, a National Research Council panel outlined the
numerous technical challenges that must be overcome before
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are widely available at an
affordable price. 

“The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers and R
Needs,” states that current fuel cell lifetimes are too short
and costs are at least an order of magnitude too high. An
on-board vehicular hydrogen storage system that has an energy
density approaching that of gasoline systems has not been
developed, so the range of vehicles with existing hydrogen
storage systems is too short. 

Michael Ramage, a retired executive vice president of ExxonMobil
research and engineering, chaired the National Research Council
Committee that wrote the hydrogen report on which the Energy
Department is basing the direction of its program. 

Ramage told a Congressional committee in March that one of the
greatest challenges is the high cost of distributing hydrogen to
dispersed locations. 

“The costs of a mature hydrogen pipeline system would be spread
over many users, as the cost of the natural gas system is
today,” he said, “but it requires many technological innovations
related to the development of small-scale production units.” 

“The challenge is especially severe during the early years of a
transition, when demand is even more dispersed,” Ramage said. 
“Also nontechnical factors such as financing, siting, security,
environmental impact, and the perceived safety of hydrogen
pipelines and dispensing systems will play a significant role,”
he said. 

He envisioned an initial stage of distributed generation during
which “hydrogen is produced at small scale near the small user,”
but not before production costs for small production units is
sharply reduced with “expanded research.” 

Energy Secretary Abraham said the projects he announced Tuesday
address those concerns. They “highlight the emphasis that the
department has placed on renewable and distributed production of
hydrogen.” 

“They will move the nation toward advanced technologies to make
and deliver safe, affordable hydrogen for fuel cell powered
vehicles,” Abraham said. 

“Hydrogen from diverse domestic resources has the long-term
potential to deliver greater energy independence by reducing
America’s reliance on foreign sources of energy, he said as oil
futures hit a new high above $55 a barrel before dropping back
slightly. 

But to be environmentally friendly hydrogen must be separated
out from water without using fossil fuels for a cost that is
affordable. 

Ramage told the Congressional committee that the required cost
reductions can be achieved only by “targeted fundamental and
exploratory research on hydrogen production by photobiological,
photochemical, and thin-film solar processes.” 

The Energy Department has responded to that advice by earmarking
nearly $11 million for four research projects on using solar
power to get hydrogen out of water through a process called
photoelectrochemical water splitting. 

Another three grants totalling about $6 million were awarded for
solar thermochemical water splitting, and another $10 million is
going to institutions working on solar biological water
splitting using microorganisms. 

Carbon sequestration is linked with economical and
environmentally benign hydrogen production, Ramage explained. He
said “achieving broad public acceptance, along with additional
technical development, for CO2 sequestration,” is key to the
commercialization of a large scale hydrogen production based on
coal. 

Coal used as the energy source to process hydrogen generates
large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). “In
order to reduce CO2 emissions from coal processing in
carbon-constrained future, massive amounts of CO2 would have to
be captured and safely and reliably sequestered for hundreds of
years,” Ramage said. 

Small scale hydrogen generator projects such as small-scale
natural gas reformers and electrolyzers that can be sited at
existing gasoline stations also won research grants. 

This addresses another recommendation of the National Research
Council committee to use existing natural gas pipelines and
electricity transmission and distribution systems which already
exist. 

These small scale technologies, said Secretary Abraham, can also
make use of renewable resources to produce hydrogen such as
bio-derived liquids and wind-based electricity. r 

A list of the most recent round of research awards is found at: 
[http://www.energy.gov/engine/doe/files/dynamic/1992004113051_pro
jects.pdf] 
. The committee’s final report, “The Hydrogen Economy:
Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R Needs,” was released in
February 2004 and is available at  [http://www.nap.edu] 
. Find all the fuel cell basics at:
[http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/] 
. Source: Environmental News Service (ENS).  

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