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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Fw: Bush: Iraq Invasion Worth It Despite No Trace of WMD
2 US: Search for WMDs in Iraq Ends
3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Fears Visiting U.N. Nuke Inspectors
4 Guardian Unlimited: Iran to Monitor U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
5 Korea Herald: 'Nuke talks may resume after lineup of U.S. team'
6 BBC: S Korea upbeat on nuclear talks
7 Guardian Unlimited: S. Korea Seeks to Resume Nuclear Talks
8 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Seeks to Restart Nuclear Talks
9 US: Brattleboro Reformer: State challenge to VY uprate accepted
10 Guardian Unlimited: Bush Administration Comments on WMDs
11 Mos News: Russian Defense Minister Thanks God for New Nuclear Missil
NUCLEAR REACTORS
12 US: [NukeNet] 4 hope creek articles
13 US: [NukeNet] Fwd: Press Release: NJPIRG Testimony on Salem and
14 US: Indian Point: retract emergeny plan demanded
15 US: AP Wire: Regulators to reconsider Wisconsin nuke plant sale
16 US: News Journal: Regulators say Hope Creek restart safe
17 US: NRC: NRC Staff to Meet with STP Nuclear Operating Co. to Discuss
18 CNEWS - Canada: Pickering nuke plant monitors reactor revamp
19 Toronto Star: Second Pickering A reactor restart is on target
20 US: NRC: LES comment opportunity
21 US: Newsday: Conn. nuke plant's renewal process worries Southold sup
22 India News Today: Nuke plants 'safe' from tsunami
23 National Post: Nuclear plant retrofit on track - OPG
24 US: NRC: Safety Light Corporation; Establishment of Atomic Safety an
NUCLEAR SAFETY
25 US: Los Angeles Daily Journal on Nuke Environmental Litigation
26 Bellona: No serious radiation incidents in Murmansk in 2004
27 BBC: Illness linked to rocket station
28 Mainichi Interactive: Big Brother may track nuclear workers personal
29 US: kgw: Judge asked to rule on new standard of proof of illness
30 BNN: Japan may track nuclear workers' info
31 US: Hawk Eye: Former Army plant workers to meet
32 US: The Register: Yarmouth yet to receive potassium iodide pills
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
33 US: [deseret news: Stop N-waste, Huntsman
34 Las Vegas SUN: Waters damage railroad tracks
35 US: Lincoln Journal Star: Governor, senators at odds over nuclear wa
36 US: Concord Journal: Editorial: Citizens' watch keeps us informed
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
37 lamonitor.com: Cost of Los Alamos shutdown asked
OTHER NUCLEAR
38 The Sunflower - January 2005 - Issue 92
39 [du-list] DU in the news - 12th Jan 05
40 Bush Has a Packed Agenda for Putin
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Fw: Bush: Iraq Invasion Worth It Despite No Trace of WMD
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:49:20 -0800
----- Original Message -----
From: A
To: carol wolman
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 6:26 PM
Bush: Iraq
Invasion Worth It Despite No Trace of WMD
Posted Jan
13, 2005 06:33 PM PST
Category: IRAQ
The invasion of Iraq, which ousted Saddam Hussein and has cost the lives of
some 1,300 U.S. military personnel and billions of dollars, was
"absolutely" worth it, despite the absence of any weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq, President Bush told ABC News' Barbara Walters in an
exclusive interview that will air this Friday.
Worth it to WHOM?????????????
No WMDs.
Iraq was NOT defying the UN.
Iraq was not supporting Al Qaeda
Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11.
The US is spending $5 billion a month and getting back $150 million worth
of oil for it.
According to Iraqis who have been prisoners of both Saddam and the US, the
US tortures prisoners far worse than Saddam ever did.
Israel is happy as all heck that Iraq has been laid waste. Is that who
thinks this war was worth it? Is Israel who our kids died for?
*****************************************************************
2 Search for WMDs in Iraq Ends
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 01:17:08 -0600 (CST)
How many dead Iraqis did the lie about WMD's produce ?
Michael
===========================
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/12/international/middleeast/12cnd-wmd.html
International Herald Tribune January 12, 2005
By BRIAN KNOWLTON,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 - The White House confirmed today that the search in
Iraq for the banned weapons it had cited as justifying the war that ousted
Saddam Hussein has been quietly ended after nearly two years, with no
evidence of their existence.
That means that the conclusions of an interim report last fall by the
leader of the weapons hunt, Charles A. Duelfer, will stand. That report
undercut prewar administration contentions that Iraq possessed biological
and chemical weapons, was building a nuclear capability and might share
weapons with Al Qaeda. A White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, insisted
today that the war was justified. He rejected the suggestion that the
administration's credibility had been gravely wounded in ways that could
weaken its future response to perceived threats.
The administration appeared to be dropping today even the suggestion that
banned weapons might be deeply buried or well hidden in Iraq. Mr.
McClellan said that President Bush had already concluded, after the
October release of an interim report from Mr. Duelfer, "that the weapons
that we all believed were there, based on the intelligence, were not
there."
Some administration officials have suggested that some arms might have
been moved out of Iraq, perhaps to Syria. But Mr. McClellan appeared to
rule that out.
Democrats immediately called for Mr. Bush to explain how he and his
advisers could have insisted so confidently that dangerous stocks of the
banned weapons existed inside Iraq. Representative Nancy Pelosi of
California, the Democratic leader of the House, said the president needed
to explain why he was "so wrong, for so long."
While some military or intelligence specialists of the Iraq Survey Group
remain at work, nearly all have turned away from searches of military
bases, factories and laboratories for illicit arsenals or any sign of
efforts to construct banned weapons, Mr. McClellan said.
Their search work had essentially been completed, he said. "A lot of their
mission is focused elsewhere now."
Mr. McClellan was confirming the gist of a report in The Washington Post,
which quoted unidentified officials of the survey group as saying that it
had largely wound up its search in late December, with few leads left to
follow and amid persistent violence that made its work dangerous.
Two security guards died Nov. 10 in a suicide attack near Baghdad on a
convoy carrying Mr. Duelfer. About 10 other people linked to the arms
search have died in Iraq.
Mr. Duelfer is to deliver a final report next month, Mr. McClellan said,
adding, "It's not going to fundamentally alter the findings of his earlier
report."
Mr. Duelfer's interim report to Congress had said that Mr. Hussein had a
demonstrated intent to acquire weapons.
But while the administration, in the run-up to the war, portrayed Mr.
Hussein as an unstable tyrant amassing dangerous weapons that he was
prepared to share with terrorists, Mr. Duelfer found little evidence of
any imminent threat.
He reported that Mr. Hussein had built no banned weapons since 1991 and
had little or capability of making them.
The Post reported that the Iraq Survey Group had interviewed everyone it
could find with any link to weapons programs, and had visited every
suspect site, many of them by now stripped bare by thieves or insurgents.
It said a few Iraqi scientists held in connection with weapons
investigations were still in United States military custody, and it said
that the survey group, after interviewing the scientists extensively and
finding them cooperative, had urged the Pentagon to free them. They
included Gen. Amir Saadi, who served as a liaison between the Hussein
government and United Nations inspectors; Rihab Taha, a biologist
nicknamed "Dr. Germ" for her work on biological warfare; and Huda Amash, a
biologist known as "Mrs. Anthrax."
Representative Pelosi, in her statement today, said: "After a search that
has consumed nearly two years and millions of dollars, and a war that has
cost thousands of lives, no weapons of mass destruction have been found,
nor has any evidence been uncovered that such weapons were moved to
another country. Not only was there not an imminent threat to the United
States, the threat described in such alarmist tones by President Bush and
the most senior members of his Administration did not exist at all."
She added: "The primary justification for the invasion of Iraq was not
supported by fact. Now that the search is finished, President Bush needs
to explain to the American people why he was so wrong, for so long, about
the reasons for war."
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Fears Visiting U.N. Nuke Inspectors
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday January 13, 2005 11:16 AM
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian officials vowed to carefully watch
for any attempted espionage by international inspectors visiting
a military complex Thursday that the United States alleges may
be involved in nuclear weapons research.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.
nuclear watchdog agency, arrived in Iran on Wednesday for a
visit to the huge Parchin military complex just outside the
capital Tehran, according to state-run television.
Iran has said it will allow U.N. nuclear experts to take
environmental samples from landscaped areas outside the military
complex's ammunition production workshops but that it won't
allow them to inspect military equipment.
The IAEA has been pressing Tehran for months to be allowed to
inspect the complex, long used to research, develop and produce
ammunition, missiles and high explosives.
In leaks to media last year, unidentified U.S. intelligence
officials were quoted as saying Iran could be using a secured
site at Parchin in research on high-explosive components for use
in nuclear weapons. Iran repeatedly has denied allegations of a
secret nuclear weapons programs, saying its nuclear activities
are for peaceful energy purposes.
``Iran's red line for entry of IAEA inspectors into military
sites, including Parchin, is to protect the secrets of the
country's conventional military capabilities,'' top nuclear
negotiator Hossein Mousavian was quoted in Thursday's
government-owned daily ``Iran'' as saying.
``We have allowed (the IAEA) visit to our military sites, but we
are watchful not to allow any espionage or intelligence theft
from these sites,'' the newspaper also quoted him as telling top
military officials. It did not say when he addressed them.
Mousavian and other Iranian nuclear officials could not be
reached Thursday for comment about the inspection, which
journalists were not allowed to attend.
Under international pressure, Iran suspended uranium enrichment
and all related activities in November, hoping to avoid U.N.
Security Council sanctions. The IAEA agreed to police the
suspension of Iran's nuclear activities.
Under an agreement reached with France, Germany and Britain,
which negotiated on behalf of the European Union, Iran will
continue its suspension of its enrichment activities during
negotiations with the Europeans about EU economic, political and
technological aid. Iran has said it will decide within three
months whether to continue the suspension.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
4 Guardian Unlimited: Iran to Monitor U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday January 13, 2005 7:31 PM
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian officials vowed to carefully watch
for any attempted espionage by international inspectors, who on
Thursday were visiting a military complex that the United States
alleges may be involved in nuclear weapons research.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.
nuclear watchdog agency, arrived in Iran on Wednesday for a
visit to the huge Parchin military complex just outside the
capital Tehran, according to state-run television.
Iran has said it will allow U.N. nuclear experts to take
environmental samples from landscaped areas outside the military
complex's ammunition production workshops but it won't allow
them to inspect military equipment.
The IAEA has been pressing Tehran for months to be allowed to
inspect the complex, long used to research, develop and produce
ammunition, missiles and high explosives.
Officials at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed
Thursday that a four-member team of inspectors was heading to
Parchin, but would not say Thursday evening if the visit had
taken place. State media also remained silent on the subject.
At IAEA headquarters in Vienna, agency spokesman Mark Gwozdecky
said Thursday only that a visit would take place: ``I confirm
that a team of IAEA inspectors is today conducting an inspection
at Parchin, including the taking of environmental samples.''
In leaks to media last year, unidentified U.S. intelligence
officials were quoted as saying Iran could be using a secured
site at Parchin in research on high-explosive components for use
in nuclear weapons. Iran repeatedly has denied allegations of a
secret nuclear weapons programs, saying its nuclear activities
are for peaceful energy purposes.
``Iran's red line for entry of IAEA inspectors into military
sites, including Parchin, is to protect the secrets of the
country's conventional military capabilities,'' top nuclear
negotiator Hossein Mousavian was quoted as saying in Thursday's
government-owned daily ``Iran.''
``We have allowed (the IAEA) visit to our military sites, but we
are watchful not to allow any espionage or intelligence theft
from these sites,'' the newspaper also quoted him as telling top
military officials. It did not say when he addressed them.
Mousavian and other Iranian nuclear officials could not be
reached for comment about the inspection, which journalists were
not allowed to attend.
But Ali Akbar Salehi, a nuclear adviser to Foreign Minister
Kamal Kharrazi, said Thursday the Parchin visit was a
``transparency visit.''
Last year, Iran started implementing what is known as the
Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The
protocol allows intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities,
although it has not been approved by parliament.
``To prove its sincerity and transparency, Iran agreed to IAEA
inspectors taking environmental samples that allows the agency
to check whether any weapons-related activity has been carried
out,'' he said.
Under international pressure, Iran suspended uranium enrichment
and all related activities in November, hoping to avoid U.N.
Security Council sanctions. The IAEA agreed to police the
suspension of Iran's nuclear activities.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
5 Korea Herald: 'Nuke talks may resume after lineup of U.S. team'
(shj@heraldm.com) By Seo Hyun-jin
2005.01.14
Roh pledges to boost economy, create more jobs
President Roh Moo-hyun said yesterday that suspended six-party
talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambition may resume once the second
Bush administration completes its diplomatic lineup.
He reaffirmed his readiness to meet North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il at any time and any place, though he sees only slim
chances of holding a second inter-Korean summit soon.
The president also promised at the New Year news conference in
Cheong Wa Dae to take a series of measures to revive the sagging
economy, fight a widening economic gap, create more jobs and meet
chaebol leaders to tap their business know-how.
He saw the economy coming out of its slump and regaining
vitality in the latter half of the year after being primed with
measures his administration plans.
President Roh Moo-hyun during his New Year`s news conference
at Cheong Wa Dae yesterday. [The Korea Herald]
On North Korea, Roh said, "I think conditions are ripe for
six-party talks to open. There seems to be no major obstacle,
but it's difficult to tell you specifically when the talks could
open.
"However, I am expecting that we could start soon after a U.S.
diplomatic team is organized following President Bush's
inauguration (on Jan. 20)," he added in his 80-minute meeting
with Korean and foreign journalists.
North Korea refused to attend a fourth round of six-nation
talks scheduled last September with the United States, South
Korea, China, Japan and Russia in a move that most officials and
experts see as an effort to assess how the re-elected Bush will
approach the nuclear talks.
Asked whether he will push for a South-North summit to find a
breakthrough on the nuclear issue and restart stalled
inter-Korean talks, Roh said he would not stick to such a
position because he sees little chance of meeting Kim Jong-il as
of now.
"Our negotiation position will be lowered if we press hard with
an issue which is not highly likely. The nuclear issue should be
resolved through six-party talks, and I expect so," Roh said.
Talk of another inter-Korean summit has persisted amid the
strained bilateral ties. The first inter-Korean summit between
former President Kim Dae-jung and North Korea's Kim in Pyongyang
in 2000 was a milestone to upgrade relations between the two
countries, which have remained technically at war since the
1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice not a peace treaty.
Regarding South Korean troops' rebuilding efforts in Iraq, Roh
said they will continue to cooperate with the United States and
other countries "until the last minute," though he thinks the
deployment will not last long.
The South Korean parliament approved at the end of last year to
extend by one year the deployment of some 3,600 South Korean
soldiers, who have been in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil
since September.
On the economic front, Roh promised to take measures to foster a
better investment environment for companies and bring forward a
greater amount of fiscal spending in the first half of the year
to boost investment and spending.
"With these, the economy will begin to come out of a slump in
domestic consumption and investment and regain vitality, from
the latter half of the year," Roh said.
He said the government will provide by the end of March plans to
save some debt delinquents coming from lower-income brackets,
and create 400,000 new jobs this year.
"Job creation should serve as the most important part of our
welfare policy for the poor," Roh said.
The president also said he is willing to meet owners of Korea's
large conglomerates and listen to their opinions on how to
improve the economy, but he will not hold such meetings just to
ask company heads to invest more.
Touching on the issues of scrapping the anti-communist National
Security Law and investigation into controversial past history,
Roh said he will not interfere with these as he believes these
divisive questions should be dealt with by the National
Assembly.
Roh also said he would welcome a visit by Japanese Emperor
Akihito despite remaining controversies over Japan's
colonization of the Korean Peninsula between 1910-45.
*****************************************************************
6 BBC: S Korea upbeat on nuclear talks
Last Updated: Thursday, 13 January, 2005
[South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun]
Roh says he is ready to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-il any time
South Korea says it expects talks on the North's nuclear
programme to resume after the inauguration of US President George
W Bush later this month.
President Roh Moo-hyun said on Thursday that the talks could
resume once the re-elected Bush administration had chosen its
foreign policy team.
Three rounds of negotiations between the US, South and North
Korea, Japan and Russia have been held since 2003.
The last inconclusive round took place in June last year.
Since then North Korea has refused to rejoin the talks, citing a
"hostile" American attitude and apparently waiting for the
outcome of the US election.
No Date
At a news conference marking Korean New Year Mr Roh said: "I
think conditions are ripe for the six-party talks to open."
However he said he could not give a specific date.
The president also said he was ready to meet North Korean leader
Kim Jong-il, at any time.
Mr Roh has long urged the US not to take too aggressive an
approach on North Korea.
Experts believe North Korea has already extracted enough
plutonium for six or seven atomic bombs, although this is
difficult to verify as Pyongyang will not submit to inspections
from the UN's nuclear agency.
*****************************************************************
7 Guardian Unlimited: S. Korea Seeks to Resume Nuclear Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday January 13, 2005 4:16 AM
By SANG-HUN CHOE
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - President Roh Moo-hyun said Thursday
he expected six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's
nuclear weapons programs to resume after the inauguration of
President Bush.
North Korea has cited a ``hostile'' U.S. policy as the key
stumbling block and demanded Washington provide a nonaggression
treaty and compensation in return for ending its nuclear
programs. It said it would wait for the second Bush
administration's policy toward North Korea to emerge before
engaging in new talks.
Speaking in a nationally televised New Year's news conference,
Roh said the ``conditions have ripened'' for the resumption of
six-nation talks.
``There seem to be few obstacles remaining,'' he said. ``It's
difficult to give a definitive prediction on when the talks will
start again.... But I expect that the talks can resume once
President Bush takes office and his foreign policy team takes
shape.''
Bush's new administration is to be inaugurated Jan. 20.
The United States, North and South Korea, China, Japan and
Russia have struggled to arrange a new round of talks on the
North's nuclear weapons programs. The three prior rounds, hosted
by China since 2003, made no breakthroughs. The last round was
in June.
Roh said he was ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong
Il ``anytime, anywhere,'' but added that he doesn't want to
press for a summit because chances for such a meeting are not
high.
The two Koreas have eased mutual hostility and increased trade,
investment and other cross-border interchanges since the former
battlefield foes held their first summit in 2000. But Pyongyang
has yet to keep its promise to hold a second summit.
The dispute erupted in late 2002 when Washington accused North
Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment program in
violation of international nonproliferation accords and cut off
free oil shipments. North Korea denied the claim, quit the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarted its mothballed
plutonium weapons program.
Roh voiced confidence in the talks as a tool for resolving the
disagreement.
``I don't want to have any negative or pessimistic prospects on
the talks,'' Roh said. ``I don't want to talk about what should
be done if the talks produce negative results. I will only have
hopes and strive to make the talks successful.''
Roh didn't elaborate on how conditions have ripened for resuming
negotiations. But in recent days, two U.S. congressional
delegations - one led by Rep. Tom Lantos, the top Democrat on
the U.S. House International Relations Committee, and the other
by Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania - have met with
senior North Korean officials in Pyongyang in an effort to
persuade the North to rejoin nuclear talks.
Washington also reportedly decided to remove one of its harshest
critics of Pyongyang's totalitarian regime, Undersecretary of
State John Bolton, from the next administration. Bolton took a
vehement stand against North Korea. Pyongyang called him ``human
scum'' and refused to accept him as a dialogue partner.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
8 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Seeks to Restart Nuclear Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday January 13, 2005 9:46 PM
AP Photo SEL117
By SANG-HUN CHOE
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A U.S. Congressional delegation met
North Korean officials Thursday in an effort to persuade the
communist regime to rejoin six-party talks over halting its
nuclear weapons programs.
President Roh Moo-hyun said he expected the six-nation talks
aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs to resume
after the inauguration of President Bush. The last talks were
held in June.
The United States, North and South Korea, China, Japan and
Russia have struggled to arrange a new round of talks on the
North's nuclear weapons programs. The three prior rounds, hosted
by China since 2003, made no breakthroughs.
The Congressional delegation led by Republican Rep. Curt Weldon,
vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, met North
Korea's No. 2 leader Kim Yong Nam in Pyongyang.
The delegation discussed ``pending issues'' with Kim, head of
the Presidium of the North's Supreme People's Assembly,
according to North Korea's official news agency, KCNA.
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's chief
representative in the multinational talks, also attended, KCNA
said.
North Korea has cited a ``hostile'' U.S. policy as the key
stumbling block to ending the two-year nuclear standoff and
demanded Washington provide a nonaggression treaty and
compensation in return for ending its nuclear programs.
It has said it would wait for the new Bush administration's
policy toward North Korea to form before deciding whether to
rejoin the six-nation talks that were last held in June. Bush's
inauguration was scheduled for Jan. 20.
North Korea also said Thursday that the presence of 34,000 U.S.
troops in the South - a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War - was
blocking reunification of the two sides.
``Korea can be reunified only when all the Korean people pool
efforts to have U.S. troops withdrawn from South Korea,'' KCNA
said.
The nuclear dispute erupted in late 2002 when Washington accused
North Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment program in
violation of international nonproliferation accords and cut off
free oil shipments. North Korea denied the claim, quit the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarted its mothballed
plutonium weapons program.
Besides the Weldon delegation, one led by Rep. Tom Lantos, the
top Democrat on the U.S. House International Relations
Committee, recently met with senior North Korean officials in
Pyongyang.
Washington also reportedly decided to remove one of its harshest
critics of Pyongyang's totalitarian regime, Undersecretary of
State John Bolton, from the next administration. Bolton took a
vehement stand against Kim Jong Il. Pyongyang called him ``human
scum.''
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
9 Brattleboro Reformer: State challenge to VY uprate accepted
January 13, 2005 Brattleboro, VT
By CAROLYN LORIé Reformer Staff
BRATTLEBORO -- Citing safety concerns, the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board accepted a late-filed legal challenge from the
state in the Vermont Yankee "uprate" case.
Last year, officials at the nuclear power plant applied to the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission to increase its power production by
20 percent. The Vermont Department of Public Service and the
nuclear power watchdog group, the New England Coalition, are
challenging the uprate.
At issue now before federal regulators is whether those plant
technicians would have enough time in the event of an accident.
Calculations cited in a recent federal report say it would take
21 minutes for the technicians to shut down the reactor, and --
if the plant's request to boost power is approved -- 21.3 minutes
for the much feared core exposure to occur.
That's a margin of 18 seconds.
Plant spokesman Robert Williams said Vermont Yankee engineers had
done the needed engineering analysis on the core exposure
question and had found there to be an adequate safety margin. He
said the plant had recently conveyed that finding to the NRC
staff and would present it as well to the ACLB.
"There's absolutely no problem. The safety is maintained,"
Williams said. "We have that capability to shut down the reactor
from outside the control room in accordance with the regulation."
Any challenges to NRC licensing procedures, such as the one put
forth by the Department of Public Service, are turned over to the
ACLB. Though the board is part of the NRC, it is run
independently of its staff.
The Department of Public Service asked the board to look at the
core exposure question this past fall. The Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board only rules on matters formally put before it,
said Jon Block, a Putney lawyer representing the nuclear watchdog
group New England Coalition, and wouldn't have taken notice of a
report issued by the NRC staff on Dec. 2.
That report says it is "questionable" whether plant technicians
could shut the reactor down from outside the control room before
enough water had boiled away to expose the core. To do so, they
would need to go to the plant's "alternate shutdown panels" and
activate its "reactor core isolation cooling" system, or RCIC.
It said Vermont Yankee calculated in 1999 that its technicians
could shut the reactor down from the alternate panels in 15
minutes. It also cited plant calculations that at current power
levels, the technicians would have 25.3 minutes before water
boiling off caused the core to be exposed.
In 2001, the NRC report said, Vermont Yankee's operations
department tested the speed with which it could achieve alternate
shutdown and found it would take not 15 minutes, but 19.3
minutes.
The NRC ran another test during its 2004 inspection and found
the time needed for shutdown had grown still more. "The total
time to place RCIC in service from the alternate shutdown panels
was determined to be approximately 21 minutes."
The NRC relied on Vermont Yankee's estimate of the time it would
take the core to be exposed; its report made no mention of the
agency doing its own calculation. On the other end of the
equation -- the time it would take to shut the plant down -- the
NRC found Vermont Yankee unreliable.
The report said inspectors found that Vermont Yankee "had not
revised the December 1999 (time estimate of 15 minutes) to
reflect the June 2001 time estimate or present day version of the
procedure to place the RCIC in service from the alternate
shutdown panels."
The NRC said it wasn't worried, because at the plant's current
power level, technicians would still have about a four-minute
margin between the 21 minutes it took to operate the alternate
shutdown panels and the 25.3 minutes it would take for the core
to be exposed.
The NRC said the issue was "of very low safety significance"
because, "At the 100 percent power level, RCIC could be placed in
service from the alternate shutdown panels..."
The NRC report appeared not to address whether the safety
significance would increase if the plant were operating at a 120
percent power level, as it is seeking to do, and the time before
core exposure were reduced, by Vermont Yankee's own calculation,
to 21.3 minutes.
The state initially filed five challenges and then added a
sixth. The coalition filed seven. In November, the board accepted
two of the state's original five contentions and two of the
coalition's.
The state's sixth contention challenged an application
supplement submitted by Entergy officials. In the supplement,
Entergy officials wrote that a new updated plan had not yet been
verified but, based on calculations, it would meet NRC
regulations. There are plans to verify the claim.
The state contends that Entergy's application is, in essence,
incomplete because NRC regulations do not allow licensees to
submit information based on assumptions. It must be verified.
Because it was filed late, the sixth state contention was
considered separately. On Tuesday, the board made public its
order accepting the contention.
The hearing process dealing with the challenges is already under
way. According to Neil Sheehan, the NRC's Region I spokesman, the
newly accepted contention will be incorporated into the process
and will not delay the board's decision.
The case before the board will most likely take several months.
Vermont Yankee's uprate application with the NRC was originally
supposed to be decided by the end of this month.
That deadline was extended after NRC officials announced ongoing
concerns about the nuclear reactor's steam dryers. Other plants
that have increased power by more than 7 percent have had
significant problems with steam dryers. Although they do not have
a safety-related role, if damaged the steam dryers can interfere
with the running of other safety-related parts.
On Wednesday, Sheehan said that a final date for the decision
will most likely not be announced until after March 1.
The uprate could be approved while the hearings before the
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board are still under way. If that
happens, the plant could begin running at increased power even as
the safety of the uprate is being challenged.
David Gram of the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Carolyn Lorié can be reached at clorie@reformer.com.
Copyright ©1999-2005 New England Newspapers, Inc., a
*****************************************************************
10 Guardian Unlimited: Bush Administration Comments on WMDs
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday January 13, 2005 2:01 AM
By The Associated Press
Statements by the Bush administration, before and after the
invasion of Iraq in March 2003 on Saddam Hussein's weapons
programs:
BEFORE THE WAR
``Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has
weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing
them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against
us.'' - Vice President Dick Cheney, Aug. 26, 2002.
``The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty
about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't
want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.'' National security
adviser Condoleezza Rice, Sept. 8, 2002.
``After 11 years during which we have tried containment,
sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end
result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological
weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more.'' -
President Bush, Oct. 7, 2002.
``Saddam Hussein is a man who told the world he wouldn't have
weapons of mass destruction, but he's got them.'' - Bush, Nov.
3, 2002.
``The gravity of this moment is matched by the gravity of the
threat that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction pose to the
world.'' - Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5, 2003.
^---
AFTER THE WAR
``Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass
destruction, we were right to go into Iraq. ... We removed a
declared enemy of America who had the capability of producing
weapons of mass murder.'' - Bush, July 12, 2004.
``We got it wrong. We have seen nothing to suggest that he had
actual stockpiles.'' - Powell, Oct. 1, 2004.
``We were all unhappy that the intelligence was not as good as
we had thought that it was. But the essential judgment was
absolutely right. Saddam Hussein was a threat.'' - Rice, Oct. 3,
2004.
``It turns out that we have not found weapons of mass
destruction. Why the intelligence proved wrong I'm not in a
position to say, but the world is a lot better off with Saddam
Hussein in jail.'' - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Oct.
4, 2004.
``He retained the knowledge, the materials, the means and the
intent to produce weapons of mass destruction and he could have
passed that knowledge on to our terrorist enemies.'' - Bush,
Oct. 7, 2004.
``Based on what we know today, the president would have taken
the same action because this is about protecting the American
people.'' - White House press secretary Scott McClellan, on
Wednesday.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
11 Mos News: Russian Defense Minister Thanks God for New Nuclear Missiles -
NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM
Sergei Ivanov / Frame from NTV
Created: 13.01.2005 17:26 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:26 MSK
MosNews
Russia is developing state-of-the-art nuclear missile weaponry,
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said.
“Thank God, engineers capable of creating such weapons have not
yet become extinct in Russia,” Ivanov told a news conference in
Washington on Wednesday, Interfax-AVN reported.
“We have begun testing the Bulava missiles this year, and we are
also conducting research to create even more perfect systems.”
As to worries in the West that Russia could pose a nuclear
threat, Ivanov dismissed fears of a further arms race. Russia “is
not thinking of beefing up its nuclear potential,” he was quoted
as saying.
“That is out of the question, we don’t need so many nuclear
weapons, missiles, or delivery vehicles,” Ivanov said.
He also said research into the creation of new nuclear missile
weaponry is not directed against any particular countries.
Write us: info@mosnews.com
Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM
*****************************************************************
12 [NukeNet] 4 hope creek articles
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:48:17 -0800
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
January 13, 2005
Critics take harsh view of Hope Creek restart plan
By JEROME MONTES Staff Writer, (856) 794-5115
Stephen Gort is convinced that the Hope Creek reactor poses a threat to
his 3-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter. So when he heard that federal
regulators had authorized a restart for the idle nuclear reactor, he grew
concerned, and attended a public hearing Wednesday night about the
Artificial Island facility.
"I'm worried about what could happen," said Gort, a Delaware resident. "I
want to know if we would ever need to evacuate."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that the reactor owned by
Newark, N.J.-based Public Service Enterprise Group could be operated
safely without repairs sought by the facility's many critics, including
the state Department of Environmental Protection.
NRC officials did require PSEG to increase monitoring of a bowed shaft on
a 20-foot pump that provides coolant to the reactor's core. The shaft has
been the subject of controversy since a radioactive steam leak forced Hope
Creek to shut down Oct. 10.
Critics have said that the shaft's vibrations could lead to a break in the
pump's piping, and in a worst-case scenario, a meltdown.
PSEG agreed to shut down the facility if the shaft's condition degraded
past acceptable safety thresholds. The company also agreed to replace the
shaft at the next scheduled or unscheduled outage of sufficient duration
for repairs.
DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell gave the NRC's decision a cautious
endorsement on Monday. He said the conditions imposed by regulators should
ensure public safety, but added that he preferred the pump be replaced
before a restart.
But at the hearing, nuclear watchdog groups and other critics of the
facility took a harsher view of the NRC's decision.
"The pump should be replaced," said Norm Cohen, coordinator for Unplug
Salem. "I'm convinced this is absolutely the wrong decision."
David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer for the Washington-based Union
of Concerned Scientists said he was concerned with both PSEG's and the
NRC's past failures in detecting safety problems at Hope Creek.
"Why should the public have any confidence in your reassurances that Hope
Creek is safe to restart?" Lochbaum asked.
NRC officials defended their decision.
"There is no data that shows the pump is close to failure," said Gene
Imbro, of the NRC's mechanical and civil engineering branch. "In the event
of shaft failure, the pump can be contained and there should be sufficient
warning before any such failure."
The Hope Creek reactor is one of three owned by PSEG at the Salem Nuclear
Generating Station on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek Township,
Salem County.
The Newark company is in the midst of a merger that would create the
nation's largest operator of nuclear power plants.
Company officials have said the merger will make the Salem plants safer
and more profitable.
Outgoing PSEG Chief Nuclear Officer A. Christopher Bakken said Exelon's
management supported the decision to keep operating the pump.
Exelon Corp. has agreed to acquire PSEG in a $12 billion merger that would
create the nation's largest power-generation company, with 18 million
customers in Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PSEG would retain
ownership but enter into a $3 million management contract with Exelon
effective Jan. 17.
PSEG officials said the pump already has been running successfully for
testing purposes.
They said the reactor would begin startup procedures today and should be
generating power by sometime next week.
Gort left the meeting unconvinced: "I don't think they're going to do a
good job of monitoring that pump. What they said in there was that they
had problems detecting other issues. So why should we believe they can
keep the pump safe?"
To e-mail Jerome Montes at The Press:
JMontes@pressofac.com
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/01/13regulatorssayho.html
Regulators say Hope Creek restart safe
Operation resuming despite concern about safety woes
By JEFF MONTGOMERY / The News Journal
01/13/2005
Federal regulators assured the public Wednesday that Hope Creek nuclear
plant can restart safely this week without overhauling a troubled cooling
water pump, despite continuing protests from plant critics.
"We don't see any likelihood that the shaft will fail," said Eugene V.
Imbro, Nuclear Regulatory Commission mechanical and civil engineering
branch chief. Even if a breakdown happens, Imbro added, "we feel like the
pump can be secured" before causing serious problems.
The commission offered the assessment during a public meeting in
Swedesboro, N.J., with PSEG Nuclear. More than 125 people attended the
session, which focused only on problems at the 1,100 megawatt reactor
along the Delaware River opposite Augustine Beach.
PSEG idled Hope Creek's reactor Oct. 10, after a steam pipe break.
Investigators later traced the failure to overlooked maintenance problems,
some extending back more than a decade, and missed signs of trouble in a
system that sends used steam and water back to the reactor.
During the shutdown, public pressure mounted for an investigation of high
vibrations and damage in a 100 million gallon-per-hour pump that
circulates cooling water inside the core.
Nuclear power watchdog groups, including the Union of Concerned
Scientists, warned the flaws could lead to a failure that would break the
pump's casing, potentially leading to a meltdown.
Company officials persuaded the commission to approve a restart under
tight monitoring restrictions. PSEG Chief Nuclear Officer A. Christopher
Bakken III said the restart will begin Friday.
"I've talked to employees there and they say it won't last a week," before
exceeding federally supervised vibration limits after restart, said Nancy
Kymn Harvin, a former PSEG employee who filed an NRC "whistleblower"
complaint after she was fired in 2003.
"Your decision made their jobs harder," Harvin told the NRC. "Just ask the
operators who were on duty Oct. 10 what it was like to fear a meltdown."
Company officials have acknowledged the pump's drive shaft had a slight
bow and more maintenance problems than a matching unit nearby. But they
insisted that other plants operate safely under similar conditions.
"While an argument could be made" for replacement, said Hope Creek
engineering manager Steve Robitzski, "we were not ready."
PSEG has reported in the past that the three-week replacement operation
would involve increased radiation exposure risks for workers and extensive
engineering and equipment-rigging preparations.
"I think they should replace it," said Stephen Grot, a Delaware resident
and business owner who lives within the plant's 10-mile emergency planning
and evacuation zone. "Who knows what else might be vibrating at the plant
and what damage it's causing?"
The company has committed to overhauling the system during Hope Creek's
next shutdown for refueling, in mid-2006.
Delaware's congressional delegation Wednesday urged the NRC to require the
replacement before restart. Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Tom Carper, both
Democrats, and Republican Rep. Mike Castle also said they were troubled by
reports that PSEG nuclear experienced a steam pipe problem in 1988 similar
to the Oct. 10 incident.
"Should the NRC and the plant's operator ultimately choose not to do so,
we request your absolute assurance prior to restart that the pump's
condition be closely and continuously monitored," the delegation wrote.
Jill Lipoti, who directs New Jersey's radiation protection program, said
during the meeting that state officials have withdrawn their objections to
Hope Creek's restart with the existing pump, based on NRC and company
monitoring plans.
"We believe our concerns have been taken seriously," Lipoti said.
Contact Jeff Montgomery at 678-4277 or jmontgomery@delawareonline.com.
Hope Creek focus of NRC
Thursday, January 13, 2005
By BILL GALLO JR.
Staff Writer
LOGAN TWP. -- Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials Wednesday night
provided more details on the recent inspection of equipment issues at the
Hope Creek nuclear power plant and the agency's decision to back the
restarting of the reactor.
The main focus of the meeting was the "B" recirculation pump which feeds
water into the reactor core at the plant on Artificial Island in Lower
Alloways Creek Township. The pump vibrates while in operation, probably,
officials believe, because of a bowed shaft.
But not all were happy with word the reactor would be restarted without
repairs made to the pump. One opponent called the decision "chilling."
Startup procedures are expected to begin today and Hope Creek should be
sending out electricity by the beginning of the week. The plant has been
shut down since Oct. 10 when a pipe broke, releasing a minor amount of
radiation.
As part of the conditions for continuing to use the pump, PSEG Nuclear,
the plant's operator will be subject to greater oversight from the NRC.
The utility is also installing sophisticated monitoring systems on the
pump to alert control room operators if a problem develops.
Chris Bakken, president and chief nuclear officer of PSEG Nuclear,
repeated the utility's commitment for the close monitoring and replacing
the pump shaft during the next outage.
While calls have mounted from watchdog groups and government officials for
the pump to be repaired before Hope Creek was restarted, the utility
maintained that it would be safe to operate until the plant's next
shutdown for refueling in about 18 months.
PSEG commissioned a study in which it was concluded the pump was safe to
use. The NRC in its own investigation concluded the same and announced the
results of its study just Monday.
Speaking of the bowed shaft, Imbro said "we don't expect there will be a
failure. There is no likelihood the shaft will fail."
Still, Imbro added, it's "really hard to predict if that would happen. You
can't really say with any certainty it will last."
Should a problem occur with the pump, the new monitoring systems and other
safety backups will allow operators to take the plant off line safely,
officials said.
A representative from the state Department of Environmental Protection
said the agency, which had called for the pump to be repaired before the
unit was restarted, was now more comfortable with the decision.
Dr. Jill Lipoti, said the DEP had engaged in "spirited, frequent and
candid" correspondence with the NRC over the issue.
Earlier, Lipoti's boss, DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell had written to
the NRC in late December urging that the pump be repaired.
NRC officials emphasized that they believed the plant is safe to operate.
"If we would have determined otherwise, the NRC would have taken
regulatory action," said A. Randolph Blough, director of the NRC's
Division of Reactor Projects.
While PSEG Nuclear did not need NRC permission to restart the plant. The
federal agency could have ordered the unit to remain shutdown if its
experts had determined continued operation of the pump would have been a
major safety issue.
When the public had its chance to speak, most of the comments questioned
the NRC's decision on allowing the continued use of the damaged pump.
Dr. Kymn Harvin, a whistleblower who was fired from PSEG and is now suing
the utility, called the action "disgraceful," "chilling" and a "disservice
to the public." She said she predicted the pump would fail.
In a tirade against the NRC, she called on the officials at the hearing to
resign.
The discussion of the equipment issues comes as PSEG Nuclear's parent
company, Newark-based Public Service Enterprise Group, is being merged
with Chicago-based Exelon Corporation.
It was announced in December that Exelon was buying PSEG for $12 billion.
One of the major changes already announced that Exelon was ending a team
of its nuclear specialists to the Island Monday to oversee operations. One
of the major staff changes is Bakken's replacement as chief nuclear
officer by Bill Levis.
Levis attended Wednesday's meeting as an observer. He said Exelon was
committed to the safe operation of the plants and backed the safety
commitments made by PSEG.
"We understand the issue, the commitment being made and our intent to keep
that commitment., said Bill Levis who takes over as chief nuclear officer
at the Island on Monday. "We will stand by them."
Once the deal is OK'd by regulators, Exelon will acquire Hope Creek along
with its two sister plants at the Island -- Salem 1 and Salem 2. That will
give Exelon 20 plants in its nuclear fleet, making it the largest nuclear
plant operator in the U.S.
PSEG Nuclear had committed to appear before the NRC prior to restarting
Hope Creek, thus Wednesday night's hearing at the Holiday Inn Select here.
More than 100 people filled the room for the more than three hour meeting.
Copyright 2005 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/local/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1105607762324070.xml
Panel to probe nuke plant securityThursday, January 13, 2005 By Terrence
Doppgcnews@sjnewsco.com
TRENTON -- A week before a handover of the Salem nuclear plant, the
Assembly Homeland Security Committee is scheduled to hold hearings today
on environmental concerns and anti-terror procedures there. The Artificial
Island site, which houses three reactors and is the second largest in the
nation, changes hands Jan. 17 when current owner PSEG Nuclear LLC sells it
to Chicago-based Exelon.
The Hope Creek reactor at the site was restarted this week after being
shuttered following the Oct. 10 release of a small quantity of radiation.
"We're going from PSEG, who we know, to Exelon, we have yet to know," said
Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-3 of Paulsboro, vice chairman of the
committee. Burzichelli said the hearing would focus on two issues: Whether
security plans will change when the new company takes over; and whether a
damaged coolant pump is safe to operate until the next scheduled shutdown.
Company officials contend the pump, which vibrates due to a bowed drive
shaft, is safe and want to delay the repairs until the next scheduled
repair period in 18 months. The repairs would cost an estimated $7
million. As part of PSEG's voluntary startup agreement with the NRC, it
agreed to install a monitor to watch vibration levels. Before they
threaten to rock parts loose from the reactor - potentially leading to a
discharge - the reactor would be shut down, officials said. A spokesman
said officials planned to attend the meeting and added that security
procedures are federally mandated, meaning they will not change during the
sale of the plant. "We'll be open and honest with the committee about
those issues that we can address. Naturally some things will be a matter
of national security" and can't be discussed, PSEG Nuclear spokesman Skip
Sindoni said. "The pump is safe and it will be operational throughout the
next operating cycle." "Frankly ... I would change that pump anyway,"
Burzichelli said. State officials want to ensure physical safety of the
plant is protected and to ensure security operations don't overshadow more
routine maintenance. "If we secure the perimeter and then we lose the
plant from the inside out, we've accomplished nothing," Burzichelli said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, which has no legal power
over operations at the plant, had raised concerns over the issue,
prompting NRC officials to require the pump monitor. DEP Commissioner
Bradley Campbell has praised the NRC for its response. "We certainly thank
them for listening to us and taking our concerns seriously," said DEP
spokeswoman Elaine Makatura. "We have no regulatory authority." PSEG
officials maintain the $7 million repair job can successfully be put off
until the next shutdown. The company is not required to obtain federal
permission to turn on Hope Creek but agreed to a meeting following the
steam release.
--
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave, Linwood
NJ 08221; 609-601-8583; cell 609-742-0982
ncohen12@comcast.net; http://www.unplugsalem.org
http://www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org
"Life is a jelly donut. You don't really know what
its about until you bite into it. Then, just when you decide
its good, you drop a big glob of jelly on your best t-shirt."
Janet Evanovich
--
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13 [NukeNet] Fwd: Press Release: NJPIRG Testimony on Salem and
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:49:15 -0800
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
Suzanne does an excellent job of summing up the key issues.
norm
------- Forwarded message -------
From: "Suzanne Leta"
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: Press Release: NJPIRG Testimony on Salem and Hope CreekDate: Thu,
13 Jan 2005 18:26:34 -0500
For Immediate
Release: For More
Information, Contact:
January 13,
2004
Suzanne Leta, Energy Associate
609
394 8155 x310
267
879 4285 (cell)
sleta@njpirg.org
PSEG's History at Salem and Hope Creek
Puts Public Safety at the Bottom of the Totem Pole
Testimony Before Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness
Committee
My name is Suzanne Leta and I am the energy associate for New Jersey
Public Interest Research Group. NJPIRG is a statewide citizen-based
public interest advocacy organization with over 25,000 members across the
state. For the past several years, NJPIRG has worked to reduce our
dependence on dirty, dangerous sources of energy by increasing energy
efficiency and the generation of clean, renewable, safe sources of energy
like wind and solar power.
NJPIRG has several concerns about safety at the Salem and Hope Creek
reactors and have been working with Unplug Salem, the Union of Concerned
Scientists, and Dr. Kymn Harvin, a former Organizational Manager at Salem
turned whistleblower. I would like to highlight our two primary
concerns-a problematic safety culture at the Salem and Hope Creek reactors
and the NRC's recent decision to allow PSEG to restart the Hope Creek
reactor without replacing a faulty recirculation pump.
The first concern is the problematic safety culture at the Salem and Hope
Creek reactors. On May 21, 2004, PSEG provided the NRC the results from
three independent assessments conducted at the Salem and Hope Creek in
2003 and 2004. In their assessment, the Utility Services Alliance (USA)
applied a rating system of 90 characteristics combined in 12 attributes.
PSEG scored "less than competent" in all 12 attributes and "less than
competent" in 73 of the 90 characteristics. They further determined that
"plant physical condition reflects tolerance for mediocrity," meaning that
PSEG didn't want to pay the necessary costs to keep the site in good
condition.
In the second assessment, the Independent Assessment Team identified the
"perception that nuclear is not fixing long standing equipment issues
because corporate is not providing the funds." Lastly, the Synergy
assessment concluded that the "organization fails to establish trusting
relationships." One of the lowest ratings the Synergy assessment reported
was the work force's "confidence in management."
In addition, over a period of several years the NRC reported PSEG's
numerous failures to identify and correct problems at Salem and Hope Creek
and has concluded that PSEG's corrective action program is ineffective, in
clear violation of federal regulations requiring plant owners to perform
adequate corrective actions. Nonetheless, the NRC has allowed the plants
to continue operating.
Inherently connected to the safety culture problems at the Salem and Hope
Creek plants lies our second primary concern-the NRC's recent decision to
allow the Hope Creek plant to re-start without requiring PSEG to replace
the recirculation pump. On October 10, 2004, the plant was manually shut
down due to the failure of the plant's 18-year old recirculation pump,
which has been vibrating and damaging other vital equipment. The
recirculation pump provides and adjustable flow of water that flows into
the reactor core which is then used to increase or decrease the power
level. If the pump bursts, it could cause an accident by spilling cooling
water from the reactor vessel.
On Tuesday, the NRC ignored public safety concerns and allowing PSEG to
continue operating the plant without replacing the pump until the next
refueling cycle, 17 months from now. The NRC required PSEG to install
additional vibration sensors that may help to detect a problem, but they
also stated that the remaining pump shaft life couldn't be reasonably
predicted or calculated. At last night's public meeting, the NRC
confirmed that a new recirculation pump has already been designed; the
parts have been manufactured, and the specialists required to install it
in will be available in March.
But rather than losing a mere two months of revenue, PSEG lobbied to keep
the plant running with the faulty pump until a planned shut down for a
refueling cycle next spring. Even the New Jersey DEP, an agency that
originally took the right position and opposed a re-start without
replacing the plant, gave into pressure from PSEG by stating last night
that they agreed with the NRC's final decision.
We cannot depend on Exelon, PSEG or the NRC to make the right decisions
about the safety of the Salem reactors. We need state officials to step
up to the plate; unfortunately, the DEP couldn't follow through. As it is
your responsibility to protect public safety, I urge you to do everything
you can to prevent Hope Creek from re-starting unless PSEG replaces the
recirculation pump.
Lastly, Exelon Corporation is formally taking over the management of
PSEG's three reactors at the Salem site this coming Monday, January 17,
2005. The management contract between the two companies was signed
December 20, 2004, the same day that Exelon announced their plans to
acquire PSEG for more than $12 billion in stock.
Exelon would like the public to believe that their nuclear management
model is just the opposite of PSEG and promote the company as having an
"outstanding record." But when we dig beneath the surface, Exelon has its
own skeletons in the closet. Time after time, Exelon has put profits over
public safety, and has fired concerned employees in the process. New
management does not imply improvement.
Suzanne Leta
Energy Associate
NJPIRG
11 N. Willow St
Trenton, NJ 08608
609 394 8155 x310
sleta@njpirg.org
--
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave, Linwood
NJ 08221; 609-601-8583; cell 609-742-0982
ncohen12@comcast.net; http://www.unplugsalem.org
http://www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org
"Life is a jelly donut. You don't really know what
its about until you bite into it. Then, just when you decide
its good, you drop a big glob of jelly on your best t-shirt."
Janet Evanovich
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14 Indian Point: retract emergeny plan demanded
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:49:10 -0800
FROM: RIVERKEEPER
Contact: Rubenstein Communications, Inc. Public Relations
Maya Israel (212) 843-8003 cell: (917) 445-0183
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RIVERKEEPER & COALITION CALL ON PUTNAM COUNTY EXECUTIVE BONDI TO RETRACT
CERTIFICATION OF INDIAN POINT EMERGENCY PLAN
***
Certification Letter Submitted Despite New Concerns With Emergency Plan
GARRISON, NY January 13, 2005 Riverkeeper, along with the Indian Point
Safe Energy Coalition, are urging Putnam County Executive Robert Bondi to
retract his county¹s 2005 Annual Certification Letter (ACL) for the Indian
Point radiological emergency preparedness plan. For the second year in a
row, Putnam County has submitted its ACL despite grave flaws in the
emergency plans as identified in the 2003 New York State-commissioned report
by Witt & Associates. The Indian Point nuclear power plant is located in
Buchanan, NY, just 24 miles north of New York City.
New concerns about the evacuation plan¹s ability to protect the public have
arisen due to recent malfunctions of the Indian Point siren systems. They
have failed to rotate during recent tests, and it has recently been
discovered that there is no back-up power to operate them in an emergency.
Alex Matthiessen, executive director of the Putnam-based environmental group
Riverkeeper, said, ³Indian Point provides little or no electricity and no
tax benefit to Putnam County residents and yet they are being asked to
assume substantial risk to their safety and are footing the bill for an
emergency plan that is patently flawed and unworkable. County Executive
Bondi cannot in good conscience continue to lend credence to the notion that
Indian Point¹s emergency plan will protect his constituents. We urge him to
retract his certification letter and join his fellow executives from other
surrounding counties in refusing to certify that the plan is adequate to
protect public health and safety.²
Every January, the four counties within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone
(EPZ) of Indian Point Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam must
determine whether the emergency evacuation plan is adequate to protect the
public from a radioactive release at Indian Point. In 2002 Governor Pataki
hired James Lee Witt, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), to conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of the REPP for Indian Pont.
The report, released in early 2003, concluded that the plan is seriously
flawed and especially not adequate to protect the public against a
fast-breaking radioactive release. Since the release of the report, no
substantive changes have been made to address a plan that is widely viewed
as unworkable.
Upon the 2003 release of the Witt Report, all four EPZ counties refused to
submit their ACL¹s; the NY State Emergency Management Office, respecting
county ³home rule,² followed suit and refused to submit certification papers
to the FEMA. In 2004 Putnam County was the only body to submit the
paperwork for the evacuation plan.
Mark Jacobs, spokesman for the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, said, ³As
long as Indian Point continues to operate on the banks of the Hudson River,
the public is at risk. As the county¹s highest elected official, Mr.
Bondi¹s first priority must be to protect the communities he represents.
Given the grave problems with the plan, Putnam residents are sitting ducks
in the event of an accident at Indian Point, and yet Mr. Bondi has once
again chosen to back Indian Point¹s owner over his own constituents.²
While Putnam County¹s predominantly Republican Board of Legislators has
consistently rejected certification and supported the call for Indian
Point¹s closure, County Executive Bondi has not. In his September 10, 2003
budget address, Bondi supported Indian Point¹s continued operation and
praised Entergy, the plant¹s owner.
Riverkeeper is a founding member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition
(IPSEC), a coalition of over seventy civic, environmental, health and public
policy organizations that formed in response to a flood of citizen concerns
about the safety of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in the wake of the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Its goal is to ensure the safety
and security of 20 million residents living within the 50-mile radius of
Indian Point by bringing about the immediate closure of the plant and its
safe and orderly decommissioning. To date over 400 elected officials in
three states have called for closure; over 50 municipalities have passed
shutdown resolutions.
* * *
INDIAN POINT SAFE
ENERGY COALITION
Fact Sheet on Putnam County and Indian Point
1. Putnam County residents receive no tax revenues from Indian Point¹s
operations.
2. Putnam County assumes substantial health risks.
3. Putnam County residents assume substantial costs:
ü The county¹s new Emergency Operations and Training Facility, needed
in large part because of Indian Point, totaled nearly $11.8 million.
Entergy contributed a mere $500,000 to the project.
ü On an annual basis Putnam County receives approximately $162,000 from
the State Disaster Preparedness Commission for radiological emergency
planning. However, Putnam County¹s actual annual costs are approximately
three times that amount. The difference is borne by local taxpayers.
5. Should there be a large-scale radiological emergency at Indian Point,
Putnam County is essentially at Ground Zero. Access to roadways, services,
schools, and shopping districts would in all likelihood be severed for a
long period of time, if not indefinitely.
Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, PhD
Indian Point Outreach Coordinator
Riverkeeper, Inc.
845.424.4149 x. 221
www.riverkeeper.org
*****************************************************************
15 AP Wire: Regulators to reconsider Wisconsin nuke plant sale
| 01/13/2005 |
TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - State regulators officially agreed Thursday to
reconsider two utilities' request to sell the aging Kewaunee
nuclear power plant to a Virginia power company.
The Public Service Commission in December voted 2-1 to deny
Wisconsin Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Public Service
Corporation's request to sell the plant, located on the Lake
Michigan shore near Kewaunee, to Richmond, Va.-based Dominion
Resources Incorporated for $220 million.
The proposal was the first in Wisconsin where an investor-owned
utility asked to sell a regulated power plant to an out-of-state
company, according to PSC officials.
Commissioners said at the time that the deal would strip them of
their oversight authority at the plant and could clear the way
for storing nuclear waste at the site if Dominion sold the plant
in the future. Commissioners also were worried Dominion might
sell power generated at the plant out-of-state, hurting
Wisconsin's energy supply.
Under the new terms:
_If Dominion sells the plant, it must offer it first to WP&L and
WPS, ensuring the commission would have oversight of the sale.
Any future buyer also would have to abide by the conditions
Dominion agreed to when it bought the plant, including an
agreement not to import nuclear waste, said Charlie Schrock,
president and chief operating officer of generation for
Wisconsin Public Service.
_More decommissioning funds must go back to ratepayers. The
plant's operating license is set to expire in 2013, and two
funds were set aside to cover decommissioning expenses. Under
the original agreement, Dominion would have gotten about $400
million and ratepayers $200 million. Now they would get the $200
million and whatever is left of the $400 million when Dominion
has paid the closing expenses, Schrock said. Dominion probably
will try to relicense the plant in 2013 and decommissioning more
likely will come in 2033, he said.
_Dominion would have to pay WP&L and WPS more money if Dominion
can't provide power promised. The PSC was worried Dominion might
sell power generated at the plant to other states.
As for the nuclear storage question, PSC officials said they
were still putting together a list of issues they have with the
sale and a schedule for oral arguments.
A message The Associated Press left at WP&L seeking comment
Thursday wasn't returned.
The Citizens Utility Board, an energy customers' advocacy group,
condemned the PSC's decision to reopen the sale, saying the new
conditions wouldn't protect Wisconsin ratepayers.
"WPS, WPL, and Dominion have not come close to addressing the
PSC's concerns. The PSC must stand strong and not cave in under
utility pressure to approve a raw deal for Wisconsin
ratepayers," CUB officials said in a statement.
The plant, one of two nuclear power plants in Wisconsin, has
operated since 1974 and employs 450 people, according to the WPS
Web site. The plant generates 4 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity annually, enough to power the Green Bay metropolitan
area as well as homes in outlying Brown, Kewaunee, Door and
Marinette counties, according to WPS.
ON THE NET
CUB: http://www.wiscub.org/
PSC: http://psc.wi.gov/
*****************************************************************
16 News Journal: Regulators say Hope Creek restart safe
www.delawareonline.com ¦
Operation resuming despite concern about safety woes
By JEFF MONTGOMERY / The News Journal 01/13/2005
Federal regulators assured the public Wednesday that Hope Creek
nuclear plant can restart safely this week without overhauling a
troubled cooling water pump, despite continuing protests from
plant critics.
"We don't see any likelihood that the shaft will fail," said
Eugene V. Imbro, Nuclear Regulatory Commission mechanical and
civil engineering branch chief. Even if a breakdown happens,
Imbro added, "we feel like the pump can be secured" before
causing serious problems.
The commission offered the assessment during a public meeting in
Swedesboro, N.J., with PSEG Nuclear. More than 125 people
attended the session, which focused only on problems at the 1,100
megawatt reactor along the Delaware River opposite Augustine
Beach.
PSEG idled Hope Creek's reactor Oct. 10, after a steam pipe
break. Investigators later traced the failure to overlooked
maintenance problems, some extending back more than a decade, and
missed signs of trouble in a system that sends used steam and
water back to the reactor.
During the shutdown, public pressure mounted for an investigation
of high vibrations and damage in a 100 million gallon-per-hour
pump that circulates cooling water inside the core.
Nuclear power watchdog groups, including the Union of Concerned
Scientists, warned the flaws could lead to a failure that would
break the pump's casing, potentially leading to a meltdown.
Company officials persuaded the commission to approve a restart
under tight monitoring restrictions. PSEG Chief Nuclear Officer
A. Christopher Bakken III said the restart will begin Friday.
"I've talked to employees there and they say it won't last a
week," before exceeding federally supervised vibration limits
after restart, said Nancy Kymn Harvin, a former PSEG employee who
filed an NRC "whistleblower" complaint after she was fired in
2003.
"Your decision made their jobs harder," Harvin told the NRC.
"Just ask the operators who were on duty Oct. 10 what it was like
to fear a meltdown."
Company officials have acknowledged the pump's drive shaft had a
slight bow and more maintenance problems than a matching unit
nearby. But they insisted that other plants operate safely under
similar conditions.
"While an argument could be made" for replacement, said Hope
Creek engineering manager Steve Robitzski, "we were not ready."
PSEG has reported in the past that the three-week replacement
operation would involve increased radiation exposure risks for
workers and extensive engineering and equipment-rigging
preparations.
"I think they should replace it," said Stephen Grot, a Delaware
resident and business owner who lives within the plant's 10-mile
emergency planning and evacuation zone. "Who knows what else
might be vibrating at the plant and what damage it's causing?"
The company has committed to overhauling the system during Hope
Creek's next shutdown for refueling, in mid-2006.
Delaware's congressional delegation Wednesday urged the NRC to
require the replacement before restart. Sen. Joe Biden and Sen.
Tom Carper, both Democrats, and Republican Rep. Mike Castle also
said they were troubled by reports that PSEG nuclear experienced
a steam pipe problem in 1988 similar to the Oct. 10 incident.
"Should the NRC and the plant's operator ultimately choose not to
do so, we request your absolute assurance prior to restart that
the pump's condition be closely and continuously monitored," the
delegation wrote.
Jill Lipoti, who directs New Jersey's radiation protection
program, said during the meeting that state officials have
withdrawn their objections to Hope Creek's restart with the
existing pump, based on NRC and company monitoring plans.
"We believe our concerns have been taken seriously," Lipoti said.
Contact Jeff Montgomery at 678-4277 or
jmontgomery@delawareonline.com.
© 2005 delawareonline.com/The News Journal
*****************************************************************
17 NRC: NRC Staff to Meet with STP Nuclear Operating Co. to Discuss Adoption of New
Regulatory Initiative
News Release - Region IV - 2005-00
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
No. IV-05-001 January 13, 2005
CONTACT: Victor Dricks
Phone: 817-860-8128
E-mail:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with
representatives of the STP Nuclear Operating Co. on Tuesday,
January 18, to discuss an NRC initiative that would provide
greater flexibility in scheduling repairs without increasing the
risk of a safety problem at the South Texas Project nuclear
plant near Bay City, Tex.
The meeting, which will be open to public observation, will be
held from 12 to 2 p.m. at NRCs Region IV office at 611 Ryan
Plaza Drive, Arlington, Tex. Before the session is adjourned,
NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public.
STP is participating in an NRC pilot program to test a
risk-informed regulatory initiative. The proposed change to the
plants technical specifications would permit the company to
extend the time to repair systems, structures and components on
the basis of their risk significance.
Last revised Thursday, January 13, 2005
*****************************************************************
18 CNEWS - Canada: Pickering nuke plant monitors reactor revamp
January 13, 2005
By GILLIAN LIVINGSTON
PICKERING, Ont. (CP) - Sophisticated technology is everywhere in
the Pickering nuclear power plant but one reason the revamp of
the facility's Unit 1 reactor is on schedule involves the
old-fashioned pen and paper.
Under towering scaffolding and huge pipes and tanks in the major
construction site surrounding the Unit 1 reactor are aluminum
storage units reminiscent of portable concession stands. They
don't hold any electronic monitoring devices, not even a
computer.
Instead, they house thick binders of paper that detail and track
progress on more than 20,000 tasks and 892 design changes
scheduled for the unit before it starts generating power again.
Ontario Hydro took seven reactors offline in 1997 so it could
focus on improving the peformance of its newest reactors.
"We have been monitoring the work very closely," says Richard
Dicerni, acting chief executive of Ontario Power Generation,
which was set up in the late 1990s when the provincial
Conservative government of the day broke up Ontario Hydro in an
effort to rein in the heavily indebted, monolithic utility.
OPG was set up as the power-generating asset while Hydro One was
established to run the transmission end.
Construction at Pickering's Unit 1 is 70 per cent complete,
Dicerni says, meeting a target of completing half the work by
mid-January.
"We're quite pleased with the progress that has transpired in
the past three months," he says.
Major construction is on track to be completed by July, with the
reactor returning to service in October, Dicerni says, adding
that the budget is set to come in at its revised figure of
nearly $1 billion.
Last November, it appeared the Unit 1 retrofit was going to
follow the disastrous and embarrassing path of the Unit 4
revamp, which was years late and millions of dollars over
budget.
Delays in getting tradespeople on site meant the budget would
rise between $75 million to $100 million more than the original
$900-million estimate, so word that the project is on target can
be considered a positive sign.
When the government approved the retrofit in the summer, Liberal
Energy Minister Dwight Duncan vowed the project would be closely
managed and wouldn't repeat the mistakes of Unit 4.
"This is far better organized," says Chris MacKenzie, a work
control manager who helped guide a small contingent of reporters
on a recent tour of the site.
"We weren't ready for Unit 4," he says. "We're ready this time."
The binders are also reference guides spelling out work to be
done and parts to be used. Parts are preselected, preapproved
and bar-coded, then placed in baskets for each task.
There are 2,500 construction workers on the job, 1,300 contract
tradespeople plus 1,200 OPG employees.
Tradespeople keep track of work done in the binders and alert
managers about problems or if something wasn't completed on
time. The work is then verified by OPG or an outside auditor.
At night, a team of workers enters the information into a
computer so a record of progress or pitfalls is accessible to
managers.
"We review everything at the beginning of each day," says
MacKenzie, and this lets him shift staff if a task has fallen
behind schedule.
This didn't happen with the Unit 4 retrofit and are "lessons
learned," OPG staff say.
Dicerni calls the project "complex." It's almost too simplistic
a word for the hundreds of mammoth changes needed to modernize a
1960's nuclear reactor.
For example, one complicated task is to connect thin electrical
wires that monitor or move parts in the reactor to the control
room, a long corridor away.
The fact the reactor still has radioactive fuel in its core
cannot be ignored.
On-site workers have to clear security checks and pass through
countless scans to ensure their radiation levels are acceptable.
"It's a nightmare just to keep tabs on everyone," says
radiation-protection assistant Jim Dillinger as a line of
workers waits to get radiation monitors as they return from
lunch.
Other workers have to wear full radiation suits and masks, plus
layers of gloves in order to do their jobs.
"Some of the jobs they have to do in full suits is horrendous,"
Dillinger says.
On the tour, a four-person crew wore full radiation suits as
they crouched over their work while standing on a steel plate
just above the core of the reactor, manipulating tools with
thick gloved hands.
The technology at Pickering, designed in the 1960s and built in
the 1970s, was chosen for its practicality and longevity.
"It was amazing technology at the time," says John Allan,
another radiation-protection assistant.
"It's simple but it works," he says. "People should be more
proud of it."
CEO Dicerni is pleased with the project's progress but he's not
ready to declare victory yet since there's still months to go
before the on switch is flipped.
"There are a lot of pieces that have to come together," he says.
"There're no gimme putts left here."
Bill Robinson, Pickering's senior vice-president and manager of
the project, says the next steps require careful coordination.
"Integration of the work becomes much more critical," he says.
"Systems have to interact with other systems."
Although OPG is working on the business case for bringing
Pickering's other two units, Units 2 and 3, back to service,
Dicerni said he has not yet decided if that's the right move.
That's a question Energy Minister Dwight Duncan will have to
address as the province aims to shut down its five coal-fired
electricity plants by 2007.
-
Some facts about the project to retrofit Unit 1 at the Pickering
A nuclear power plant east of Toronto:
Original cost estimate: $900 million
Current cost estimate: $975 million to $1 billion
Why changed: Difficulty getting tradespeople on the site last
summer
When construction began: July 2004
Expected completion date: July 2005
Expected restart date: October 2005
Output level: 542 megawatts
When built: 1971
Taken off line: 1997
Workers on construction site: 1,300 contractors, 1,200 Ontario
Power Generation staff
Design changes to make: 892
Tasks to accomplish: more than 20,000
Source: OPG
© 2005, CANOE, a division of . All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
19 Toronto Star: Second Pickering A reactor restart is on target
Thu. Jan. 13, 2005. | Updated at 08:32 PM
Systems installed but not switched on
Cost estimate sits at $975 million
JOHN SPEARS BUSINESS REPORTER
Restarting a second reactor at the Pickering A nuclear station
remains on target to deliver power next fall at a cost of just
under $1 billion, according to top officials of Ontario Power
Generation Inc.
But acting chief executive Richard Dicerni cautioned yesterday
the job is moving into the more complex phase of knitting
together systems and equipment that have largely been installed,
but not yet switched on.
"There are no gimme putts here," Dicerni told reporters
yesterday after a tour of the site. "I'd love to declare
victory, but there are a number of key deliverables that need to
occur" before that happens.
OPG staff and contract workers are swarming through the massive
plant on the lakeshore: The complex, housing the eight reactors
of Pickering A and its sister station, Pickering B, stretches
about 660 metres along the shoreline.
The company hasn't managed to make up for a slow start on the
project, caused largely by trouble getting enough skilled
workers on the job last summer.
But "there is very systematic progress being made across the
board," and work is about 70 per cent completed, Dicerni said.
When Energy Minister Dwight Duncan gave OPG the go-ahead in July
to restart a second mothballed reactor at Pickering, the company
published a list of milestones that called for 50 per cent of
construction work to be completed by Jan. 15.
But being at 70 per cent doesn't really mean the project is
ahead of schedule, Dicerni said. The 50 per cent target was
essentially the rock-bottom minimum amount of work that needed
to be accomplished to keep it on the rails.
As it is, the project remains on the same track it was on three
months ago when OPG last issued a progress update. At that
point, the company increased the cost estimate about $75 million
from the previous estimate of $900 million.
Copyright Toronto Star
*****************************************************************
20 NRC: LES comment opportunity
[Docket No. 70-3103-ML; ASLBP No. 04-826-01-ML]
FR Doc 05-691
[Federal Register: January 13, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 9)]
[Notices] [Page 2429-2430] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr13ja05-95]
Memorandum and Order; Notice of Hearing and of Opportunity To
Make Oral or Written Limited Appearance Statements
January 7, 2005.
In the Matter of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P., (National
Enrichment Facility); Before Administrative Judges: G. Paul
Bollwerk, III, Chairman, Dr. Paul B. Abramson, Dr. Charles N.
Kelber.
The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board hereby gives notice that it
will convene an evidentiary hearing to receive testimony and
exhibits and allow the cross-examination of witnesses relating to
certain matters at issue in this proceeding regarding the
December 2003 application of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P.,
(LES) for a license under 10 CFR part 70 to construct and operate
a uranium enrichment facility--the National Enrichment Facility
(NEF)--to be constructed near Eunice, New Mexico. In addition,
the Board gives notice that, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.315(a),
it will entertain oral limited appearance statements from members
of the public in connection with this proceeding.
A. Date, Time, and Location of Evidentiary Hearing The Board will
conduct an evidentiary hearing on certain environmental
contentions (ECs) relating to this proceeding, currently
scheduled to include contentions NIRS/PC EC-1--Impacts upon
Ground and Surface Water; NIRS/PC EC-2--Impact upon Water
Supplies; NIRS/PC EC-4-- Impacts of Waste Storage; NIRS/PC
EC-7--Need for the Facility, beginning on Monday, February 7,
2005, at 9:30 a.m., in the Lea County Event Center, 5101
Lovington Highway, Hobbs, New Mexico. The hearing on these issues
will continue day-to-day until concluded.
The public is advised that, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, part
of the sessions regarding each of the contentions may be closed
to the public because the matters at issue may involve the
discussion of protected information.
B. Date, Time, and Location of Oral Limited Appearance Statement
Sessions These sessions will be on the following date at the
specified location and times: 1. Date: Saturday, February 12,
2005; Time: Morning Session (if there is sufficient interest)--10
a.m. to noon mountain standard time (m.s.t.).; Location: Eunice
Community Center, 1115 Avenue I, Eunice, New Mexico.
2. Date: Saturday, February 12, 2005; Time: Afternoon Session (if
there is sufficient interest)--2 to 4 p.m. m.s.t.; Location: Same
as Session 1 above.
C. Participation Guidelines for Oral Limited Appearance
Statements Any person not a party, or the representative of a
party, to the proceeding will be permitted to make an oral
statement setting forth his or her position on matters of concern
relating to this proceeding. Although these statements do not
constitute testimony or evidence, they nonetheless may help the
Board and/or the parties in their consideration of the issues in
this proceeding.
Oral limited appearance statements will be entertained during the
hours specified above, or such lesser time as may be necessary to
accommodate the speakers who are present.\1\ In this
[[Page 2430]] regard, if all scheduled and unscheduled speakers
present at a session have made a presentation, the Licensing
Board reserves the right to terminate the session before the
ending times listed above. The Licensing Board also reserves the
right to cancel the Saturday morning and/or afternoon sessions
scheduled above if there has not been a sufficient showing of
public interest as reflected by the number of preregistered
speakers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- \1\ Any members of the public who plan to attend
either the evidentiary hearings or the limited appearance
sessions are strongly advised to arrive early to allow time to
pass through any security measures that may be employed.
Attendees are also requested not to bring any unnecessary
hand-carried items, such as packages, briefcases, backpacks, or
other items that might need to be examined individually. Items
that could readily be used as weapons will not be permitted in
the rooms where these sessions will be held.
Also, during these sessions, signs no larger than 18'' by 18''
will be permitted, but may not be attached to sticks, held up, or
moved about in the rooms.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- The time allotted for each statement normally will be
no more than five minutes, but may be further limited depending
on the number of written requests to make an oral statement that
are submitted in accordance with section D below and/or the
number of persons present at the designated times. In addition,
although an individual may request an opportunity to speak at
more than one session, the Licensing Board reserves the right to
defer an additional presentation by the same individual until
after it has heard from speakers who have not had an opportunity
to make an initial presentation.
Finally, the Board anticipates holding additional oral limited
appearance statement sessions in the Hobbs, New Mexico area in
conjunction with the evidentiary hearings currently scheduled for
October and November 2005. The Board will make further
information regarding those sessions available as the time for
those hearings draws near.
D. Submitting a Request To Make an Oral Limited Appearance
Statement Persons wishing to make an oral statement who have
submitted a timely written request to do so will be given
priority over those who have not filed such a request. To be
considered timely, a written request to make an oral statement
must either be mailed, faxed, or sent by e-mail so as to be
received by noon e.s.t. on Thursday, February 3, 2005. The
request must specify the session (morning or afternoon) during
which the requester wishes to make an oral statement.
Based on its review of the requests received by February 3, 2005,
the Licensing Board may decide that the Saturday morning and/or
afternoon sessions will not be held due to a lack of adequate
interest in those sessions.
Written requests to make an oral statement should be submitted
to: Mail: Office of the Secretary, Rulemakings and Adjudications
Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001. Fax: (301) 415-1101 (verification (301) 415-1966).
E-mail: hearingdocket@nrc.gov. In addition, using the same method
of service, a copy of the written request to make an oral
statement should be sent to the Chairman of this Licensing Board
as follows: Mail: Administrative Judge G. Paul Bollwerk, III,
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3F23, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Fax: (301) 415-5599 (verification (301) 415-7405).
E-mail: ksv@nrc.gov and gpb@nrc.gov. E. Submitted Written Limited
Appearance Statements A written limited appearance statement may
be submitted to the Board regarding this proceeding at any time.
Such statements should be sent to the Office of the Secretary
using one of the methods prescribed above, with a copy to the
Licensing Board Chairman.
F. Availability of Documentary Information Regarding the
Proceeding Documents relating to this proceeding are available
for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room
(PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike
(first floor), Rockville, Maryland, or electronically from the
publicly available records component of NRC's document system
(ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic
Reading Room).\2\ 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- \2\ Some documents determined to contain ``sensitive''
are publicly available only in redacted form; non-sensitive
documents are publicly available in their complete form.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- G. Scheduling Information Updates Any updated/revised
scheduling information regarding the evidentiary hearing and
limited appearance sessions can be found on the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm or by
calling (800) 368-5642, extension 5036, or (301) 415- 5036.
It is so ordered.
Dated: January 7, 2005, Rockville, Maryland.
For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.\3\
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- \3\ Copies of this memorandum and order were sent this
date by Internet e-mail transmission to counsel for (1) applicant
Louisiana Energy Services, Inc.; (2) intervenors New Mexico
Environment Department, the Attorney General of New Mexico, and
Nuclear Information and Resource Service/Public Citizen; and (3)
the NRC staff.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- G. Paul Bollwerk III, Administrative Judge.
[FR Doc. 05-691 Filed 1-12-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
21 Newsday: Conn. nuke plant's renewal process worries Southold supervisor
NY Newsday.com
Jan. 13, 2005
BY MITCHELL FREEDMAN STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WATERFORD, Conn. --
Southold Supervisor Joshua Horton was thinking about radioactive
clouds Tuesday when he took a 90-minute ferry ride across Long
Island Sound to appear in front of a Nuclear Regulatory
Commission hearing.
Once his 11-mile journey from Orient to New London ended, he
spent two hours listening while NRC officials explained
procedures to create the draft Environmental Impact Statement
required before Dominion, a Richmond, Va.-based electric power
generation company, can renew its license to operate the
Millstone 2 and Millstone 3 nuclear power plants in Waterford.
Horton then demanded that all of Southold Town - now just
outside the federally mandated 10-mile emergency planning zone
for nuclear accidents - be included in that planning process
before the Millstone licenses are renewed.
"I can stand at Horton Point and see Millstone," Horton said.
"There's nothing between us but water."
He threatened to go to federal court to stop any approval of the
license renewal if his town is not included in the emergency
planning zone.
The NRC pays for most of the planning and preparation for
possible emergencies within the 10-mile zone, although the money
is returned to the federal treasury through a special fund
imposed on operators of nuclear power plants.
If new roads were needed to get Southold's population out of
danger, for example, that construction could be paid for as part
of the emergency planning.
Frank P. Gillespie, deputy director of the NRC's division of
regulatory improvement programs, said there were no plans to
expand the 10-mile limit and little likelihood that would
change, since prior NRC studies have shown 10 miles is more than
adequate. "The laws of physics haven't changed," he said.
Long Island officials have complained in the past that the
10-mile emergency zone excludes them, only to be told that,
under federal law, no planning is required beyond that distance.
Still, Horton said, he is raising the question again because
environmental impact statements must deal with all valid
questions raised at hearings, and that he hopes the issue will
be dealt with by federal regulators.
Horton said the current arrangements do give him a role, since,
as the top political official in Southold, he is informed of any
situation that could threaten that part of his town.
"In the event of an incident ... the emergency operations
centers are activated, and I and the governor of Connecticut
share a line in the decision-making process. I act on behalf of
Southold town residents," Horton said. "The fact that a
supervisor plays the same role as a governor speaks to the
magnitude and severity of the issue."
The hearing at town hall in Waterford, attended by about 75
people, was one in a long series of NRC hearings scheduled
before formal approval can be given to renew the license of the
two nuclear reactors.
The 40-year operating license on Millstone 2 expires in 2015,
and the one on Millstone 3 in 2025. Dominion has requested a
20-year extension on both plants, which together supply about
half the electric power used in Connecticut. Millstone 1, which
had been one of the most trouble-plagued nuclear plants in the
nation, was permanently closed in July 1998, a year before
Northeast Utilities sold the other two plants to Dominion.
The NRC anticipates making a decision on issuing the renewal in
July of next year.
Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc.
Copyright © Newsday, Inc. Produced by Newsday Electronic
*****************************************************************
22 India News Today: Nuke plants 'safe' from tsunami
NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 13:
The nuclear power plants (NPPs) under construction at
Kudankulam near Kanyakumari were not damaged during the tsunami
as the waves remained well below the grade level of the plant.
A press release from Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Limited (NPCIL) quoted N Ravi, NPCIL chief engineer, as saying
that the temporary structures of the two NPPs of 1000 MW erected
at the shore of Kudankulam nuclear power plant were not damaged.
When the tsunami struck on 26 December, 2004, Unit - I
of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam was already
under shutdown for major refurbishment and modernisation and the
Unit - II, which was operating at that time, was brought to safe
shutdown state, the release said.
A detailed inspection of the plant and its system was
carried out by NPCIL and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
(AERB) and the plant was restarted on 2 January.
A very conservative approach was adopted during the site
selection, design, construction, commissioning and operation of
NPPs. Natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, tsunami and
cyclones were considered during site selection and design of
NPPs. The grade level of the plant was kept well above the
maximum expected flood level, the release added.
*****************************************************************
23 National Post: Nuclear plant retrofit on track - OPG
Gillian Livingston Canadian Press
January 13, 2005
TORONTO -- The retrofit of a second unit at the Pickering
nuclear station is 70 per cent complete and on track to meet its
revised budget of nearly $1 billion, an official said Wednesday.
The restart of Unit 1 at the Pickering A nuclear station "is
proceeding at a good pace," acting chief executive Richard
Dicerni said after Ontario Power Generation staff gave reporters
a tour of the massive nuclear plant.
"We have been monitoring the work very closely," he said,
explaining that each section of the project has been carefully
outlined for tradespeople to follow, and managers are tracking
each day's progress.
"We project that the major construction phase should be done by
the early part of summer."
Estimates show costs are in line with the revised budget,
Dicerni added.
In November, OPG warned that difficulty getting tradespeople on
site last summer delayed the project, causing the budget
estimate to jump from $900 million to between $975 million and
$1 billion.
"We have not changed this cost projection," Dicerni said
Wednesday.
The budget revision raised questions about whether the massive
retrofit project would follow the embarrassing path of
Pickering's Unit 4 revamp, which came in years overdue and
millions of dollars over budget.
"We're quite pleased with the progress that has transpired in
the past three months," Dicerni said of the Unit 1 project.
Major construction on Unit 1 is expected to be done by late June
or early July. The reactor is expected to be restarted in
October.
By having 70 per cent of major construction done already, OPG
has easily met a key goal set out at the start of the project to
have at least 50 per cent of work completed by Jan. 15.
Still, Dicerni isn't calling the project a success yet since
various intricate systems have to be integrated over the next
few months.
"This is a very complex project with a number of tasks that
remain to be done," he said.
Bill Robinson, senior vice-president at the Pickering plant and
the overall manager of the project, said the work ahead requires
connecting and testing devices and systems.
"Because of the system interactions, that has to be carefully
orchestrated and makes that phase of the project not more
difficult, but it has to be co-ordinated much more closely,"
Robinson said.
© The Canadian Press 2005
Copyright © CanWest Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
24 NRC: Safety Light Corporation; Establishment of Atomic Safety and
FR Doc 05-692
[Federal Register: January 13, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 9)]
[Notices] [Page 2430-2431] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr13ja05-96]
Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation by the Commission dated
December 29, 1972, published in the Federal Register, 37 FR 28710
(1972), and the Commission's regulations, see 10 CFR 2.104,
2.202, 2.300, 2.303, 2.309, 2.311, 2.318, and 2.321, notice is
hereby given that an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is being
established to preside over the following proceeding: Safety
Light Corporation, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania Site, (Materials
License Suspension).
This proceeding concerns a request for hearing submitted on
December 29, 2004, by Safety Light Corporation (SLC) in response
to a December 10, 2004, order from the Director of the NRC Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards suspending SLC's two
byproduct materials licenses, effective immediately. In addition,
in a December 29, 2004 motion, SLC asked that the immediate
effectiveness of the NRC staff order suspending SLC's licenses be
set aside.
The Board is comprised of the following administrative judges: E.
Roy Hawkens, Chair, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; Alan S. Rosenthal, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; Dr. Peter S.
Lam, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001.
All correspondence, documents, and other materials shall be filed
with the administrative judges in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302.
[[Page 2431]] Issued in Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of
January 2005.
G. Paul Bollwerk, III, Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel.
[FR Doc. 05-692 Filed 1-12-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
25 Los Angeles Daily Journal on Nuke Environmental Litigation
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:16:05 EST
Los Angeles Daily Journal
JANUARY 12, 2005 | ENVIRONMENTAL Print | Email
Reprint rights
Courts Must Resolve Safety of Former Nuclear Research Site for Public Use
Forum Column
By Bennett Ramberg
Although the Cold War ended a decade ago, its environmental legacy
lives on. How to resolve nuclear contamination risks at government sites
across the United States has become a matter of contention. A
precedent-setting standard may emerge from recent litigation initiated by
the city of Los Angeles and two nuclear watchdog groups, the Natural
Resources Defense Council and the Committee to Bridge the Gap.
In question are competing federal government cleanup criteria to
remediate a portion of the Boeing Co.'s 2,800-acre Santa Susana Field
Laboratory in the hills separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys.
Stricter standards advanced by the Environmental Protection Agency may add
$100 million to the projected $260 million cleanup cost, which the
Department of Energy has endorsed. The benefit may save future generations
from additional fatal cancers.
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is known today as a testing
station for rocket engines. However, from the 1950s to 1990 the facility
also housed an array of Department of Energy and predecessor agencies'
nuclear research facilities.
The 290-acre Area IV Department of Energy site included 10 small
atomic reactors, a plutonium fuel fabrication facility, a "hot lab" to cut
apart radioactive fuel and related storage and waste disposal facilities.
During the period, at least nine radiological incidents took place.
The most serious occurred in 1959, when one reactor suffered the
country's first nuclear meltdown - one-third of the core - a fact largely
hidden from the public for two decades. The accident released hundreds of
times more radiation than Three Mile Island.
The failure to contain emissions along with radioactive residues
from normal operations resulted in nuclear contamination that spread to the
adjacent Santa Susana site and off-site locations. Investigators also have
detected high concentrations of trichloroethylene and other solvents and
chemicals associated with the atomic program.
In 1979, the public revelation of the meltdown prompted the
Committee to Bridge the Gap to initiate an evaluation of environmental
consequences including health impacts. In time, former employees and
residents came forward to demand that Santa Susana site officials account
for apparent increases in community cancers.
In 1997, a government-funded UCLA health study of Santa Susana
employees concluded that workers had succumbed to radiation-induced fatal
cancers at a rate that exceeded expectations. This followed the Santa Susana
lab's settlement of a radiation contamination suit brought by the adjacent
Brandeis-Bardin Institute, a Jewish religious retreat.
In 2002-03, journalist Michael Collins' revelations that Santa
Susana lab nuclear contamination had spread to the nearby Ahmanson Ranch
contributed to Washington Mutual Bank's cancellation of a large residential
and commercial development. And, in 2004, testing established that
radioactive tritium had migrated into the lab's groundwater, threatening
nearby supplies.
Such findings now beg the question: Is Area IV, which the Department
of Energy hopes to release for unrestricted use, including residential
development, safe for public use?
Competing federal standards generate a safety standard conundrum.
The Environmental Protection Agency aspires to a 1-1 million fatality ratio
per exposure to each radioactive element; the Department of Energy, a
3-10,000 standard. Such statistics understate the challenge posed by the
Santa Susana lab pollution. Plaintiffs contend that cumulative radioactivity
from numerous elements could result in a cancer risk as high as 1-50.
Absent characterization of the contamination, the Department of
Energy will be unable to certify properly that it has met even its own
standard.
Unfortunately, the Department of Energy, which repeatedly promised
financial support for an Environmental Protection Agency evaluation, never
untied the purse strings. This comes against the EPA's contention that
Department of Energy surveys were both too few and technologically
inadequate. The Energy Department took umbrage.
The nuclear watchdogs take another view. They demand that Area IV be
subject to an environmental impact statement that will define the risks,
followed by application of EPA standards. This could require removal of
400,000 cubic meters of radioactive soil. To date, the Department of Energy
has removed 5,500 cubic meters that it deems sufficient.
In its recent rebuttal to the lawsuit, the Department of Energy does
not deny the plaintiffs' environmental concerns. Rather, it attacks the
plaintiffs' standing, failure to state a claim for which relief can be
granted and timeliness. The Department of Energy also argues that its
failure to perform further remediation is discretionary.
The courts must resolve the issues. The precedent established will
have broad implications for cleanup efforts at 100 contaminated Department
of Energy sites across the country. The futures of generations yet unborn
who will inhabit or work on these locations will be determined, as well.
Bennett Ramberg is a free-lance writer on nuclear issues.
www.dailyjournal.com
*****************************************************************
26 Bellona: No serious radiation incidents in Murmansk in 2004
Head of the Murmansk department of the Inspection for radiation
security, Vitalii Ustinov, says there were no serious incidents
of radioactive pollution in 2004.
2005-01-13 16:21
Ustinov also says the radiation security in the region is
improving as the number of illegal radioactive waste discharges
is decreasing. The companies began using more environmentally
friendly technologies, although before the Inspection had to
punish and force the companies, Regnum reported.
Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge
Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact:
webmaster@bellona.no
Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box
2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway
*****************************************************************
27 BBC: Illness linked to rocket station
Last Updated: Thursday, 13 January, 2005
[Baikonur Cosmodrome]
The rocket fuel, hydrazine, released after take-off, is "nasty
and toxic"
Children living near the world's oldest space launch station
suffer from high rates of hormonal problems and blood disorders,
a journal says.
The rates of disease close to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
have more than doubled in some cases, Nature reported.
The Siberian study, which has not been published but was leaked
to Nature, was rejected by the Russian space agency.
Researchers said unburned hydrazine fuel, which is released
during the early stages of take-off, was to blame.
The station, which is rented from Kazakhstan by Russia, was
built in the 1950s as a missile testing facility but is now one
of the world's largest launch stations.
A tablespoon of hydrazine a swimming pool would kill anyone who
drank the water Fabio Caramelli
It is the embarkation point for missions to the International
Space Station and in 1961 Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming
the first man to orbit the earth after taking-off from the
station.
Sergey Zykov, from Vector, the State Research Centre of Virology
and Biotechnology in Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, led
the team which looked at the effect of the fuel on 1,000
children in the country's Altai Republic, which lies in the path
of fuel contamination from the rockets.
Children from the worst affected areas were up to twice as
likely to require medical attention during 1998 to 2000 compared
to the records of 330 children from unpolluted areas.
Mr Zykov told Nature he had discussed the problem with officials
from Rosaviakosmos, the Russian space agency, but they had a
negative attitude to studies conducted outside their agency.
'Nasty'
Fabio Caramelli, an engineer at the European Space Research and
Technology Centre, said the fuel was "nasty and toxic".
"A tablespoon of hydrazine in a swimming pool would kill anyone
who drank the water."
But Valerie Beral, head of the Cancer Research UK Epidemiology
Unit in Oxford, said: "It is hard to know what to make of the
findings."
She said that some studies of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear
disaster produced findings that could not be replicated but she
added the conclusions needed looking at.
Vyacheslav Davidenko, a spokesman for the Russian space agency,
told Nature: "The agency monitors the health of local
populations and has found no problem with the launches."
He admitted pollution occurred but said regions were
compensated.
And he added any ill health was likely to be due to poor living
standards in the region.
Franco Bonacina, of the European Space Agency, which uses the
station services, said: "It is not something we are responsible
for. It is a matter for the Russian space agency."
*****************************************************************
28 Mainichi Interactive: Big Brother may track nuclear workers personal information
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is considering
tracking the financial state and other private information of
nuclear plant workers in a bid to avoid information leaking and
sabotage, officials said Thursday.
"We intend to beef up security at (nuclear-related) facilities
by discussing the possibility of investigating the background of
people, including those working for subcontractors," said an
official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which is
governed by the economic ministry.
"However, the move could lead to privacy infringements so we
will draw a conclusion only after hearing the opinions of
experts and after investigating how foreign countries deal with
this matter."
Experts in a "Crisis Management Working Group" panel of the
ministry will begin the discussion, the officials said.
Members of the group are set to ask a variety of experts, such
as Professor Masao Horibe, a privacy issue expert at Chuo
University, on their thoughts about nuclear plant workers'
private information, such as criminal records, and whether they
are in debt or are addicted to alcohol or drugs, etc.
Some experts in Japan have expressed doubts over the legality of
the government investigating private information on those who
work for private companies.
Others have said that the government should target not only
nuclear plant workers but also those who work for airports and
ports as part of nationwide counter-terrorist measures.
The United States and France investigate the personal background
of nuclear power plant employees, such as their financial state,
etc., and whether they are addicted to alcohol or drugs as part
of security measures at those facilities.
U.S. and French officials have reportedly proposed at
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meetings that private
information on plant workers should be investigated.But the IAEA
balked at drafting regulations.
The British government reportedly investigates whether nuclear
plant workers are in debt, but doesn't track if they have any
alcohol or drug problems. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Jan. 13,
2005)
© 2004 The Mainichi Newspapers Co.
*****************************************************************
29 kgw: Judge asked to rule on new standard of proof of illness
| News for Oregon and SW Washington | AP Wire
01/13/2005
Associated Press
A federal judge has been asked to apply new rules for
compensating sick nuclear workers to people who claim they were
harmed by releases from the Hanford nuclear reservation.
Lawyers for the so-called "Hanford Downwinders" asked U.S.
District Judge William F. Nielsen to determine which standard of
proof to use at a trial scheduled to start April 11.
Nielsen did not say Wednesday when he would rule on the standard
in the lawsuit filed in 1991 by thousands of people who claim
they developed thyroid cancer and other diseases after being
exposed to radiation from Hanford's plutonium factories.
The U.S. Department of Energy formerly barred sick workers from
qualifying for a $150,000 compensation payment unless they could
prove that they wouldn't have gotten cancer, except for their
on-the-job exposure.
The U.S. Department of Labor, which is taking over the workers'
compensation program, will use a less stringent compensation
standard: that radiation the workers were exposed to was a
"significant factor" in increasing their cancer risk.
Downwinders lawyers argued Wednesday that Nielsen should use the
new standard of proof at trial.
Lawyers representing the contractors argued that a strict burden
of proof should still be used to determine who is eligible to
sue in the case.
"Downwinders are entitled to the same standard. How can you have
one standard for workers and a stricter one for the general
public?" lead plaintiff attorney Dick Eymann asked.
"This whole field has evolved," attorney Tom Foulds of Seattle
told Nielsen. "Any radiation will create some risk to human
cells."
The burden of proof should focus on epidemiological studies and
statistics to determine which plaintiffs "more likely than not"
were harmed by Hanford emissions, said Kevin Van Wart of
Kirkland &Ellis of Chicago, lead attorney for the Hanford
contractors.
"This case turns on epidemiology," Van Wart said. "A slight
increase in risk doesn't prove Hanford more likely than not
caused their problem."
Hanford studies that attempted to reconstruct the iodine-131
doses to exposed people who drank tainted milk were based on
spotty data and unreliable memories, attorney Peter Nordberg of
Philadelphia argued for the plaintiffs.
The burden of proof should also include clinical information on
individual plaintiffs, Nordberg said. Iodine-131 accumulates in
the thyroid gland, where it can cause cancer or nodules.
Some of the burden of proof issues already have been heard by
the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The appeals panel in 2002 reversed a decision by U.S. District
Judge Alan McDonald to disqualify hundreds of plaintiffs who
couldn't prove they'd received a radiation dose that doubled
their cancer risk.
Nielsen took over the case last year after McDonald recused
himself in 2003.
___
Information from: The Spokesman-Review,
http://www.spokesmanreview.com
This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by
the invisible item's flow. This text is invisible on the page,
but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow.
*****************************************************************
30 BNN: Japan may track nuclear workers' info
A Japanese government ministry is considering investigating
nuclear plant workers' private lives in order to prevent
information leaks and sabotage
Big News Network.com Thursday 13th January, 2005
A Japanese government ministry is considering investigating
nuclear plant workers' private lives in order to prevent
information leaks and sabotage.
We intend to beef up security at (nuclear-related) facilities by
discussing the possibility of investigating the background of
people, including those working for subcontractors, said an
official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which is
governed by the economic ministry, Mainichi Shimbun reported
Thursday.
However, the move could lead to privacy infringements, so we
will draw a conclusion only after hearing the opinions of
experts and after investigating how foreign countries deal with
this matter.
A panel within the ministry will ask a variety of experts for
their thoughts on gathering employees' private information, such
as criminal records, debts or addictions to alcohol or drugs.
Some experts in Japan have expressed doubts over the legality of
the government investigating private information of those who
work for private companies.
Others have said that the government should target not only
nuclear plant workers but also those who work for airports and
ports, as part of nationwide anti-terrorist measures.
Copyright © 1998-2003 Big News Network.com. All rights
*****************************************************************
31 Hawk Eye: Former Army plant workers to meet
Thursday, January 13, 2005, Site updated daily at 11 a.m. CST
Petition to federal agency on agenda for February meeting in St.
Louis.
By KILEY MILLER kmiller@thehawkeye.com
A former Iowa Army Ammunition Plant worker is hoping for a big
turnout next month at an important federal meeting in St. Louis.
An advisory board of the National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health tentatively is scheduled to discuss a petition
from employees of the plant's defunct nuclear weapons program for
special consideration in a government compensation program.
Robert Anderson, a one–time security leader who first alerted
legislators to the Atomic Energy Commission's activities at the
plant, wants his old co–workers to travel to the meeting Feb. 7,
8 and 9 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
"Boards tend to deal with numbers and dry facts," Anderson said.
"I think it's important that they put faces to the facts."
The advisory board, attached to a division of NIOSH called the
Office of Compensation Analysis and Support, will review a
request from Anderson and other workers regarding the Energy
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
Passed through Congress in 2000, the compensation program
reimburses atomic weapons workers suffering from cancer caused by
radiation exposure on the job. Families of ill or deceased
workers are also eligible.
The Atomic Energy Commission, followed by the Department of
Energy, built and tested nuclear weapons components at IAAP from
the 1940s to the mid–1970s. But all of the nearly 600 claims
filed to date by IAAP workers or family members for cancer
compensation have been denied.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor made its first $125,000
payment under the program Monday to the widow of a Tennessee man
who died of kidney disease after exposure to mercury and other
hazardous elements. The Department of Energy paid just 21 claims
during the years it controlled the program. Another 20,000
workers nationally still wait in limbo.
When a former energy worker files a claim, labor department
experts use medical records and documented radiation levels from
the facility to estimate the amount of radiation that worker
absorbed. If this dose reconstruction is high enough, the worker
or family members are eligible for compensation.
In the case of the Middletown ammunition plant, Anderson and his
fellow petitioners claim documentation is too spotty for fair
dose reconstructions.
Congress included the special exposure cohort designation in the
compensation program for just such an instance. Atomic energy
plants in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Alaska were included from
the outset, but no special cohorts have been added to the list.
"This is a precedent setting event," said Anderson, who was
diagnosed with non–Hodgkin's lymphoma several years ago and had
his thyroid removed last summer. "There's never been a meeting of
this board related to a special exposure cohort before."
The petition is filed on behalf of all workers on Line 1 of the
plant, a list that includes technicians, production workers,
engineers and inspectors, as well as safety, security and
maintenance personnel.
A second special exposure cohort application, this one from
workers at the Mallinckrodt Chemical Co. in St. Louis, also could
be on the February docket.
Laurence Fuortes, the University of Iowa research physician
leading the health screenings of plant employees, said last week
he would cancel a planned speaking engagement in Costa Rica to
present his case to the advisory board.
In an e–mail this week, Fuortes said it "may be helpful for local
folks" to attend the meeting.
The 13–member advisory board is comprised of professors and
medical researchers, along with a journeyman electrician and an
equipment operator from an uranium enrichment facility.
The advisory board will pass its recommendation on the IAAP
petition onto the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The
last stop on the path to becoming a special exposure cohort is
the U.S. Capitol.
The schedule for the St. Louis meeting is still preliminary,
NIOSH spokesman Fred Blosser emphasized Tuesday.
"There will tentatively be a discussion item on the petition from
Iowa," Blosser said. "We certainly haven't set the agenda in
stone yet."
The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington, Iowa 52601 319-754-8461
· 1-800-397-1708 · FAX 319-754-6824 · webmaster@thehawkeye.com
*****************************************************************
32 The Register: Yarmouth yet to receive potassium iodide pills
TownOnline.com -
By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com
Thursday, January 13, 2005
The town of Yarmouth has yet to receive its order of potassium
iodide pills - the so-called "KI pills" used in the event of a
nuclear radiation emergency - which it ordered from the state
seven months ago.
Carl Lawson, hazardous waste inspector for the town, said
that Yarmouth submitted a detailed order for the pills in June
which was acknowledged by the state. However, delivery of the
pills has been pushed back several times.
"As a town, we jumped on this in June," said Lawson, who
explained that the pills protect residents in the event of a
nuclear event by blocking the thyroid gland's ability to absorb
radiation.
Lawson said that Robert Walker, director of the Radiation
Control Program of the Massachusetts Department of Public
Health, had been "excellent" in keeping the town "in the loop"
in terms of availability but that the current plan was for the
state to wait until all towns in the area had submitted an order
for the pills.
But Walker explained further that delays in the process had
been caused by some of the towns of the Cape and islands - as
well as Cape Ann on the North Shore - not submitting written
requests, including one town which recently decided to postpone
its decision until March.
As a result, Walker said his department would now assume
that town's request in order to make an accurate estimate to the
pill manufacturer, thereby speeding the process.
"I was hoping to get this rolling more quickly," said
Walker, who praised Yarmouth as being one of the first towns to
submit a request. "It's unfortunate that this has taken as long
as it has but, as soon as I have the information I need, it will
be a top priority."
A proper purchase estimate, Walker said, is crucial
because, by law, Pilgrim and any local electric companies doing
business with the nuclear power plant in Seabrook, N.H., must
pay for the pills. Without an estimate, said Walker, invoices to
those entities cannot be sent.
"State law prohibits me from placing the order until I get
the funding," Walker said.
Yarmouth's Lawson said the town already has taken steps to
ensure proper storage of the pills once they arrive and has
factored in both the summer and winter populations of the town
in its order. At least some schools, Lawson said, have
distributed permission slips to parents regarding the pills with
a roughly 90 percent approval rate.
"The program seems to be well accepted," said Lawson, who
added that the town was working with Barnstable County officials
to develop a comprehensive distribution program.
In 2002 a state law was enacted mandating that potassium
iodide pills be distributed to all Massachusetts towns which
requested them. At the 2003 annual Town Meeting, Yarmouth
residents approved a non-binding referendum to stockpile the
pills at the schools in the event of an accident at the Pilgrim
nuclear power plant in Plymouth.
© Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems,
*****************************************************************
33 [deseret news: Stop N-waste, Huntsman
Thursday, January 13, 2005
By Jason Groenewold
Opportunities are like sunrises — if you wait too long you miss
them — William Arthur Ward
When it comes to nuclear waste disposal, polls have
consistently shown that more than 84 percent of Utahns are
opposed to allowing higher levels of nuclear waste being dumped
in the state. This includes the Class B and C radioactive waste
that comes primarily from dismantled nuclear reactors. This
waste is dangerous. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission warns us
that unshielded exposure to Class C waste can cause a lethal
dose of radiation based on a 20-minute exposure at a distance of
just 3 feet.
Envirocare received a conditional license in 2001 to
accept this type of hotter waste. However, the license states,
"If either the Utah Legislature or Governor do not approve the
facility to receive Class B and C low-level radioactive waste,
this license is immediately terminated."
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has the power to issue an executive
order and terminate the license. It would be a perfect way for
him to fulfill one of the campaign promises he made during the
election: to "use the full force of (his) office to oppose all
efforts to bring into our state any radioactive waste other than
what is currently permitted. This includes those levels
classified as Band C waste." An executive order would send a
strong message to the rest of the country that Utah is not
opening our doors to the nation's nuclear waste.
Once the license is killed, the next step in setting
nuclear waste policy would be for the Legislature to pass a bill
that bans the disposal of Class B and C radioactive waste in
Utah. There is not a nuclear power plant in the state, so why
should we be responsible for taking all the risks and
liabilities that go along with storing the waste produced by
Eastern nuclear reactors?
One reason Utah is being targeted as the dumping ground
for the nation's nuclear waste is because within three years, 36
states are not going to have a place to dump this waste. There
will be tremendous pressure to dump it in Utah because whoever
can corner this market stands to make hundreds of millions of
dollars.
With the recent sale of Envirocare to an undisclosed
group of New York and local investors, Utahns should pay close
attention to the political maneuvering. While we don't know
anything about the investors, we do know a bit about Steve
Creamer, the person who was named to head the company. Creamer
pushed the state to open its own high-level nuclear waste dump,
was the engineer of the failed syn-crete project, and designed
the Quail Creek dam near St. George that later burst. Creamer is
also trying to grease the political skids, as demonstrated by
his $40,000 contribution to Huntsman's campaign and political
action committee.
With so much at stake, we can't sit back and let these
greedy interests line up at our door and hope they go away. It
is time for elected leaders to set state policy, not the nuclear
waste industry. With the dawning of a new Huntsman
administration, we must seize the opportunity to secure the door
so that hotter nuclear waste does not come barging in. Huntsman
has the power to kill the hotter B and C radioactive waste
license with an executive order. Urge him to use it by calling
him at 801-538-1000.
Jason Groenewold is the director of the Healthy Environment
Alliance of Utah.
© 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
34 Las Vegas SUN: Waters damage railroad tracks
Today: January 13, 2005 at 11:19:10 PST
Derailment renews concerns over Yucca
By Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning
LAS VEGAS SUN
WASHINGTON -- Floodwaters this week damaged railroad tracks in
Lincoln County, and Nevada officials promptly renewed their
objections to the Energy Department's plan to ship nuclear waste
by rail through the county to Yucca Mountain.
Union Pacific on Wednesday found "numerous" areas of damaged
track between Moapa in Clark County and Caliente in Lincoln
County, spokesman John Bromley said. The approach embankments to
a rail bridge roughly 30 miles south of Caliente had been
scoured away, Bromley said. Near Moapa, a train derailed.
"These are record storms," Bromley said. "But flash floods in
the West are famous for catching us by surprise."
Nevada officials said bad weather could one day threaten
thousands of highly radioactive nuclear waste shipments if the
planned national repository at Yucca Mountain is constructed.
The Energy Department last year announced it planned to use a
"mostly rail" option to ship waste from sites nationwide to
Yucca Mountain. In Nevada, the department aims to construct a
new 319-mile rail line on mostly federal land through Lincoln
and Nye counties.
The new rail line could ultimately carry 3,300 shipments of
waste to Yucca in a 24-year period.
Under the right circumstances, washed out tracks could cause
derailments of waste shipments and, potentially, releases of
radioactive material, said Bob Loux, director of the Nevada
Nuclear Waste Projects Office.
Rail ties were dislodged from the track in several places in
Lincoln County, said Bryan Elkins, director of community
development for Caliente. At least a 15-mile section of track
needs to be "seriously inspected," Elkins said.
Floodwaters from snowmelt and three weeks of rain gushed into
the Clover Creek Wash, which runs along -- and in some places
under -- the Union Pacific tracks, Elkins said. Two trains that
had been directed to Caliente to avoid damaged track Tuesday
were still being held there, Elkins said Wednesday.
Union Pacific on Wednesday announced that washed out tracks,
mud and rockslides had closed or restricted tracks in California
and Nevada on five main routes.
Union Pacific crews are working to restore rail service in bad
weather, which slows recovery. But routes could be repaired as
early as the next few days, the railroad announced.
Significant track damage from weather happens only every 30
years or so around Caliente, Elkins said. But it is always a
danger when fast-moving water flows from surrounding canyons
into the wash, he said.
"This washout phenomena has been part of the rail's history
since the 1890s," Elkins said.
"These are issues that have not been looked at carefully by the
Department of Energy," Loux said.
The Meadow Valley Wash where the derailment occurred was
considered a "worst case scenario" by the state when it objected
to the Energy Department's planned use of Caliente as a
switching station for spent-fuel shipments, chief state
transportation consultant Bob Halstead said.
That rail route could bear from 6 percent of nuclear waste
shipments by Union Pacific up to 85 percent of loads traveling
from California, Arizona, Texas and Louisiana if Burlington
Northern gets the contract, Halstead said.
Flooding in the Meadow Valley Wash occurs "with distressing
frequency," Halstead said.
"Railroads in the West are dangerous," Halstead said.
Halstead said the area where the accident occurred is difficult
to reach. It contains fern grottos and endangered or threatened
species such as the chubb fish.
"It's a place where things aren't supposed to happen," Halstead
said.
State officials and consultants have been frustrated by a lack
of data about the area where the flooding occurred, said Fred
Dilger, a transportation consultant to the state.
"What it shows us is what these flash floods can do," Dilger
said.
But department officials said it was highly unlikely that a
nuclear shipment would come across washed out tracks. Waste
shipments would be more closely monitored than typical freight
trains, department spokesman Allen Benson said. The tracks would
be subject to much closer inspection, he added. And trains would
be in constant communication with an operations center, Benson
said.
"I don't think we're going to be too surprised by anything," he
said.
Also, nuclear industry officials have long said that high-tech
metal shipping containers used to haul waste on trains could
easily survive a derailment, even in a subsequent fire.
"We're very, very confident that those casks would maintain
their integrity," said Mitch Singer, spokesman for the Nuclear
Energy Insitute, the top industry lobby group.
Even typical freight trains are monitored to the tenth of a
mile at Union Pacific's headquarters in Omaha, Neb., where
officials also closely monitor weather services and coordinate
with inspectors in the field, railroad officials said.
But Nevada officials aren't convinced that rail shipments of
nuclear waste would be safe. There are no guarantees waste
containers would survive a train accident, Rep. Shelley Berkley,
D-Nev., said.
"The nuclear industry cannot, by any stretch of the
imagination, foresee where the railroad tracks would be washed
out, how strong the currents would be, and where the water could
take the waste," Berkley said. "I didn't know they were
clairvoyant."
"Transporting nuclear waste by rail or by truck across this
nation is not a safe answer to the nuclear waste problem," said
Amy Spanbauer, spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.
*****************************************************************
35 Lincoln Journal Star: Governor, senators at odds over nuclear waste payment
By SCOTT BAUER / The Associated Press
Pay it now, the governor says. Pay it later, many senators
respond. While the $145.8 million low-level nuclear waste lawsuit
settlement has to be paid, the governor and lawmakers appear to
be melting down over when to fork over the money.
Settlement of the case ended a lawsuit in which a federal judge
ruled that former Gov. Ben Nelson, now a U.S. senator, engaged
in a politically motivated and orchestrated plot to keep the
dump from being built in Nebraska.
Gov. Mike Johanns proposes in his budget released Thursday to
pay the settlement this August because the money is available
and he does not want it to be spent on other ongoing programs.
The total amount to be paid would be higher if the payments are
spread out, but interest earned from keeping the money would
make it a wash, Johanns said.
But Sen. Don Pederson of North Platte, chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, said the best approach is to spread
the payments out over four years, as is allowed under the
settlement.
Pederson supports putting the money in a fund earmarked
specifically for the settlement, but in case of an emergency the
Legislature could vote to take it out.
Pederson is not alone.
In an Associated Press survey prior to the start of the session,
22 senators said they would prefer to make four payments, while
11 said they wanted to make one. Fourteen others did not answer
and two did not complete the survey.
If paying it all now means delaying other needs, such as
adequately funding the university, then Lincoln Sen. Chris
Beutler said he would not support it.
Fellow Appropriations Committee members Sens. Pat Engel of South
Sioux City and Nancy Thompson of Papillion both said it was too
early to know what would be the best approach.
Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman, who put the budget together with Johanns
and will be his successor once the governor is confirmed as U.S.
agriculture secretary, said now is the time to pay the judgment.
"We need to bring finality to this issue," Heineman said. "Let's
end this chapter in Nebraska history this year."
Attorney General Jon Bruning, whose office negotiated the
settlement, said paying it off all at once was a wise decision.
Before the settlement, Nebraska offered to pay Texas a flat fee
of $25 million to take the compact's low-level radioactive
waste, plus $5 million to cover any unforeseen expenses for
storing the waste.
The amount Nebraska pays in the settlement could be reduced to
$130 million if the compact and Nebraska successfully negotiate
access for their waste at the proposed site in Texas.
Given that possibility, Bruning said he recommended to the
governor that only $130 million be paid this year and the
remainder be kept back for now to see if an agreement can be
reached with Texas.
A partial payment as described by Bruning would be allowed under
the governor's proposal, Johanns' spokeswoman Terri Teuber said.
Copyright © 2005, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.
926 P Street Lincoln NE 68508
402 475-4200 •
*****************************************************************
36 Concord Journal: Editorial: Citizens' watch keeps us informed
TownOnline.com -
Opinion &Letters
Thursday, January 13, 2005At Monday's Board of Selectmen's
meeting, a member of the 2229 Main St. Committee outlined the
cleanup work that has so far been accomplished at the former
Nuclear Metals site. Declared a Superfund site in 2001, the
parcel has been a subject of great scrutiny by many in town for
the last decade, and finally, cleanup efforts have begun.
Late last year, the environmental group de maximis, inc.
removed more than 50 drums buried at the site. The drums were
all removed and are now stockpiled in secure containers on the
site. Workers from de maximis, inc. are studying the barrels and
the soil surrounding them to better determine the contents of
the drums and the extent the matter in the drums contaminated
the site.
But this is only the beginning. The area from where the
drums were removed is only one of 17 areas being examined and
tested on site. The cleanup of the Starmet site has - and will
continue to be - a long process.
Though it cannot make the process happen any faster, CREW -
or Citizens Research and Environmental Watch - has made a big
difference in the way the project is communicated to residents.
As 2229 Main Committee Chairman Pam Rockwell said Monday night,
without CREW, Concord residents would probably not know anything
about the great cleanup efforts being undertaken at Starmet.
Because of CREW's tenacity in keeping the public informed -
through meetings, its Web site and newspaper articles -
Concordians can rest assured that the work being done at 2229
Main Street will indeed eventually lead to the complete cleanup
of a dangerously polluted site.
On behalf of Concord residents, The Journal thanks CREW for
all its efforts, and looks forward to continued good news coming
from the Starmet site. Someday, the pollution from the former
Nuclear Metals will be a distant memory.
© Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems,
*****************************************************************
37 lamonitor.com: Cost of Los Alamos shutdown asked
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
Monitor Staff Report
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, wants to know what the bottom line
will be for the continuing suspension of operations at Los
Alamos National Laboratory.
The head of the U.S. House energy committee has asked for an
accounting of what it cost taxpayers for the shut down of Los
Alamos National Laboratory after two computer disks believed to
contain classified information turned up missing in July.
Los Alamos ceased virtually all its activities to review
security and safety shortly after the disks were reported
missing and an intern was injured when she looked into a laser
that was supposed to be off.
Nearly all of Los Alamos' low and moderate risk projects have
restarted since then, but some high-risk operations still are
not back into operation, Kevin Roark, a spokesman for the lab,
said Wednesday. The final operations were expected to be running
in late January or February.
But a report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
warned in December that "formal control of the resumption
process and of essential activities is eroding."
Without "a systematic review of the many corrective action
plans," the board's site representative wrote, "LANL may return
to conditions existing at the time of the stand down."
Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,
asked for a review of the stand down to determine the total cost
to taxpayers, "the status of major research projects that have
been disrupted and how these programs recover," and whether the
costs associated with the suspension are reimbursable to the
University of California under its contract to run the lab for
the U.S. Department of Energy.
Barton, citing figures in a Nov. 22 letter from lab Director
Pete Nanos, said the cost of restarting operations had risen
since an October briefing from an estimate of $100 million to
about $134 million.
"However, this revised estimate only covers the period up to
Nov. 10, 2004, and therefore the final cost of this work
suspension will likely be much higher," Barton wrote in his
request to David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United
States, but Roark said the cost is higher.
However, he would not give a figure, saying it isn't appropriate
to release the most recent figure until Barton and Walker have
it.
Roark said the shutdown and restart won't cost taxpayers extra
money.
"We are not talking about extra money above and beyond what we
normally spend day-to-day," he said. "Safety and security is
central to our mission. If we can solve, to the degree possible,
these safety and security issues, that in the long run makes the
lab more cost effective, not less."
Barton also asked for cost increases and schedule delays in
disrupted programs.
Lab spokeswoman Kathy DeLucas said the lab had to shut down or
the DOE would have ordered it to.
Shortly after Los Alamos shutdown, Energy Secretary Spencer
Abraham ordered all work involving such classified disks or
other removable computer storage devices to stop at all
government nuclear weapons facilities until inventories were
conducted and new security procedures put in place.
Barton, in his letter to the General Accounting Office, now
officially called the Government Accountability Office, blamed
the University of California for the shutdown.
"These incidents are the latest examples of a historical and
cultural lack of focus and attention to safety and security
management by the University of California," Barton wrote.
Roark said the lab would get Barton and Walker all the
information they request.
"Oversight is something we are very, very used to," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
38 The Sunflower - January 2005 - Issue 92
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:36:28 -0600 (CST)
The Sunflower is a monthly e-newsletter providing educational
information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues relating to
global security. Help us spread the word and forward this to a friend.
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* Perspectives
* Cancel the Inauguration Parties and Increase Aid to
Tsunami Victims by David Krieger
* llusory Defenses
by David Krieger
* Take Action
* Join the Turn the Tide Campaign Action Alert Network
* Enroll Your Mayor in the Abolition Now! Campaign
* Support the Reconfirmation of IAEA Director Mohamed
ElBaradei
* Non Proliferation
* Iran OKs Access to Suspected Nuclear Site
* IAEA Director General Proposes Global Freeze on Nuclear
Cycle
* Proliferation
* US Seeks to Defang NPT
* IAEA Investigating Egyptian Nuclear Experiments
* North Korea Demands Change in US Policy to Settle
Nuclear Issue
* India and Pakistan Swap List of Nuclear Facilities,
Talks Fail to Reach Confidence Building Measures
* Missile Defense
* US Missile Defense Misses Deadline, Fails Test
* Japan, US Sign Missile Defense Agreement
* Nuclear Energy and Waste
* Bush Nominates Industry Outsider as Department of Energy
Secretary
* Federal Battle in Hanford Waste Cleanup
* Brazil, IAEA Reach Agreement
* Russia May Build Seven More Nuclear Plants in Iran
* Poland 's First Nuclear Power Plant Expected in 2023
* Radioactive Spill at Troubled Czech Nuclear Plant
* Italian Waste to be Exported to UK
* $21 Million awarded to Universities for DoE Nuclear
Research
* Leak Forces Nuclear Reactor to Close Early for Repairs
* Nuclear Insanity
* Libyan Leader Says Country's Decision to Drop Nuclear
Weapons Program was Pro-Bush
* Iran Charges Ten with Nuclear Espionage
* Israeli News Station Shows Propaganda Video of the
Country's Top Secret Nuclear Facility
* Nuclear Noteworthy
* Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Warned
Indonesia and Thailand of Tsunamis
* US Nuclear Submarine Runs Aground
* Foundation Activities
* A Tribute to Harold Waterhouse
* Robert Jay Lifton to Present Fourth Annual Frank K.
Kelly Lecture on Humanity's Future
* Foundation Announces 2005 Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest
Guidelines
* Resources
* The Road to Nuclear Security by Lawrence Korb
* Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004
* The US Air Force Transformation Flight Plan
* Neo-conservatism and US Foreign Policy - Part III
* Quotable
* Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
* Representative David Hobson
* US Representatives Tauscher, Spratt, Meehan and Edwards
* Kim Jong Il
* Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdel
Rahman Attiya
* Paul Martin, Canadian Prime Minister
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
* Lord Hoffman of The United Kingdom's Highest Court
* Iraqi Head of National Intelligence General Mohamed
Abdullah Shahwani
* President Dwight D. Eisenhower
* 12 Retired Professional US Military Leaders
* Editorial Team
* Luke Brothers
* David Krieger
* Carah Ong
Perspectives
Cancel the Inauguration Parties and Increase Aid to Tsunami Victims |
Top
by David Kreiger
There has been a tragedy in the family, the human family. Watching and
reading about the victims of the tsunami in South Asia , one feels
enormous shock at the magnitude of the human loss. The number of
victims continues to rise and there is fear that widespread disease will
follow in the wake of the disaster taking many more lives. Confronted
by the worst natural disaster in memory, people throughout the world are
rallying to aid the victims.
After being shamed by its earlier offering of $35 million, the United
States has pledged $350 million in aid. President Bush has ordered US
flags lowered to half-mast for the victims of the tragedy and has asked
American citizens to join in contributing to a broad humanitarian relief
effort. He has enlisted two former presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill
Clinton, to head up efforts to solicit private funds towards this goal.
"I ask every American," he said, "to contribute as they are able to do
so." This is certainly a laudable call, but falls short of the
contribution we could be making as a country.
There is a very big party, or series of parties, scheduled for January
20th for the second inauguration of George W. Bush as president of the
United States . Some $40 million in private funds is being raised for
this gala inauguration. The upper price for tickets is $250,000 each
and includes lunch with the President and Vice President. Security for
the events will also cost millions.
While still in the midst of the devastating tragedy in South Asia, not
to mention the 150,000 American troops in combat in Iraq, it seems
terribly wrong to move forward with such a gala public celebration.
Americans should refrain from national partying while the verdict is
still out on what more can be done to aid the millions of victims of the
tsunami disaster. There is precedent for this in the fourth inaugural
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose January 1945 inauguration during
World War II was described as "simple and austere with no fanfare or
formal celebration following the event." There was also no parade due
to gas rationing.
Tragedies such as the one that has been unfolding in South Asia remind
us that we are all part of the human family. When one part of the
family suffers, we all share in the pain. Reports tell us that more
than 150,000 people, including 50,000 children, have already died as a
result of this disaster. These are our fellow humans. These are our
children. Can we not imagine, even feel the grief of their loved ones?
We are reminded that we are one world and one human family. The tragedy
is not over there. It is everywhere. It is not their tragedy. It is
our shared tragedy.
It would be an impressive sign to the world that America cares and is
capable of compassion and empathy if the President were to cancel the
planned inauguration ceremony, the parades and parties, the pomp and
circumstance, and add the tens of millions saved to the relief fund for
the victims of the disaster. Even with this, we Americans would still
be officially contributing less to relief efforts than the Japanese.
Let's show that individually and collectively we are serious about
providing assistance to the tsunami victims. It would be good for them
and also good for our spirits, for defining who and what we are capable
of being.
Illusory Defenses | Top
by David Kreiger
On December 10th, United Nations Human Rights Day and the day the Nobel
Prizes are presented, the US deployed its first missile defense
interceptor in the continental United States at Vandenberg Air Force
Base in Santa Barbara County . Only five days after this interceptor
was placed in its retrofitted silo, the first test of a missile defense
interceptor in over two years failed dramatically. The defensive
missile failed even to launch in what a spokesperson for the Missile
Defense Agency described as "an unknown anomaly." This failed test cost
taxpayers $85 million.
Although the missile defense program has already cost over $100 billion
and will cost more than $50 billion over the next five years, most
experts off the Pentagon's payroll believe the system is unlikely to
ever be successful in knocking down incoming missiles. In March 2004,
forty-nine retired US generals and admirals, including former chair of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Crowe, wrote to President Bush
urging that he "postpone operational deployment of the expensive and
untested" system.
Among the reasons cited by opponents of missile defenses is the ease
with which the system can be overcome by improvements in offensive
capabilities. One could say that our missile defense system has been a
brilliant strategy for causing Russia and China to improve their
offensive nuclear capabilities to overcome our defenses even though it
is highly unlikely that the system will ever work.
Instead of pursuing illusory defenses based on a largely untested
missile defense system, we might do far more to further our security by
turning our attention to diplomacy, international cooperation, and
preventing further acts of terrorism by protecting our ports and other
points of entry into the country. It is far more likely that nuclear
weapons would enter the country in a container by ship or truck than on
a missile.
The forty-nine retired US military leaders reminded President Bush that
"our highest priority is to prevent terrorists from acquiring and
employing weapons of mass destruction." They called for using the
substantial funding for missile defenses instead "to secure the
multitude of facilities containing nuclear weapons and materials and to
protect our ports and borders against terrorists who may attempt to
smuggle weapons of mass destruction into the United States." Against
this threat, missile defenses, even if by some miracle they were to
work, would be of zero value.
To view the entire Sunflower, visit:
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39 [du-list] DU in the news - 12th Jan 05
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:48:15 -0800
typo re 4.5 billion years
http://www.dailytidings.com/2005/0112/011205forum.shtml
January 12, 2005
Be aware of uranium
The "Top 10 Censored Stories of 2004" published in Utne Reader's
January-February 2005 issue includes one about the Defense Department's
on-going use of so-called "depleted" uranium to harden bullets and bombs in
Iraq.
Peace House in Ashland ran a full page ad in the Medford Mail-Tribune on
Sunday, May 4, 2004 about Depleted Uranium. Rogue Valley readers had the
opportunity to read how hazardous to our military and to Iraqi children and
adults this radioactive material is. It stays in soil or sand for 45
billion years and can lead to cancer, sexual dysfunction, severe birth
defects in offsprings, and many other serious health problems
Quoting Utne: "Radiation in Iraq equals 250,000 Nagasaki bombs reports Bob
Nichols of Dissident Voice. The U. S. military uses depleted and
nondepleted uranium in ammunition that, when it is detonated, creates a
radioactive dust that easily enters the body and damages DNA. As a result,
both American troops and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan have been
testing high for radiation that causes cancer and birth defects."
It's understandable the Defense Department would want to prevent media from
reporting this information. If it were widely known recruitment of future
military would be even more difficult. And our government could be liable
for medical care of persons suffering from depleted uranium induced illness.
Major Doug Rokke, former director of the Army's Depleted Uranium Project,
says at least 320 tons of DU munitions used during the Gulf War in 1991
contaminated the region and there are now 221,000 Gulf War Vets on
disability plus 10,000+ Gulf vets dead. Gas masks don't work because the
particles are too fine and cannot be cleaned up or disposed of. Iraqi
children play in the tanks left in the desert after the Gulf War and now
have cancer.
Canadian researchers have documented that tungsten can harden ammunition
nearly as well as depleted uranium and is not radioactive. The Defense
Department continues to use DU because they have to dispose of it some way,
it is free, and they would have to pay for tungsten. Better to let people
die, it would seem, and save some money.
In any event, readers are urged to write and call the TV and radio news
programs and urge them to publicize this seemingly censored information. As
citizens of a free country, don't we still have a right to know what is
being done to the world in our name? Crucial information and links can be
found at www.traprockpeace.org
Marguerite Craig
Ashland
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40 Bush Has a Packed Agenda for Putin
Foreign Affairs
Friday, January 14, 2005. Page 1.
By Simon Saradzhyan Staff Writer
For MT U.S. official Elizabeth Jones
The White House is not conducting an official review of its
Russia policy over the Kremlin's drive to consolidate power, but
President George W. Bush will voice his concerns over Moscow's
record on building democracy when he meets with President
Vladimir Putin at a summit next month, a senior U.S. State
Department official said Thursday.
"This is not accurate in a sense of a headline," said Elizabeth
Jones, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia,
when asked to comment on recent reports in the U.S. press that a
Russia policy review is under way in the Bush administration.
Jones -- who is leaving her post together with Secretary of
State Colin Powell and a number of other senior officials --
also said she does not foresee any fundamental change in the
Russia policy in the second Bush administration. Bush has
nominated national security adviser Condoleezza Rice as the next
secretary of state.
Jones, speaking via a video link that connected her Washington
office with Moscow, Rome and Bratislava, Slovakia, called the
news conference to talk about a trip by Bush to Europe in
February that will include NATO and European Union meetings as
well as bilateral talks with Russian and Belgian leaders.
Official statements from the Kremlin about the summit between
Bush and Putin have so far largely been limited to a statement
that the two will meet in Bratislava on Feb. 24. The Foreign
Ministry has yet to hold a briefing on the summit.
From Washington's point of view, the main tracks of U.S.-Russian
cooperation are "very clear," Jones said. The Bush
administration will continue to count on Russia as an important
partner in the struggle against terrorism and the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and their technologies, she said.
And the presidents will discuss ways to advance cooperation on
these international security issues as well as Russia's bid to
join the World Trade Organization.
While determined to advance security and economic cooperation,
Bush also plans to prod Putin over a lack of "progress in the
democratic transformation of Russia," Jones said. "[There]
doesn't seem to be as much progress there as it would have been
expected when the two presidents first met in Ljubljana almost
four years ago," she said.
Asked what worries Bush most about the future of democracy in
Putin's Russia, Jones said, "There is a deep concern on the part
of many, including in Russia, about ... the balance between the
civil society and the government, about increased consolidation
in the government.
"What happened to the great abundance of media in Russia? What
about that? There are very serious concerns about the plight of
NGOs in terms of increased state control."
Putin explained to Bush at length his elimination of
gubernatorial elections and plans to scrap independent State
Duma races when the two met in Chile in November, according to a
senior U.S. official's account of their meeting. At the time,
the two agreed to discuss the issue further.
The Bush administration also has questions about the rule of law
in the Yukos saga. "What is really Russia's intention there?
What is really under way there in the retroactive use of the tax
code?" Jones said, referring to multibillion-dollar back-tax
bills slapped on Yukos and confirmed by Russian courts.
While concerned about parts of the Kremlin's domestic policy,
the Bush administration is pleased with bilateral cooperation in
the struggle against terror and arms proliferation. Jones
commended Russia for "working cooperatively in connection with
the situation in Iran."
Iran's nuclear program, which Washington insists is designed to
develop nuclear weapons, has been one of the thorniest issues in
U.S.-Russian relations. Russia, which is building a nuclear
power plant in Iran, recently put pressure on Iran to accept
more comprehensive inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog and is
now insisting that Tehran agrees to return all spent nuclear
fuel used in the plant back to Russia.
While appreciative of Moscow's toughened stance on Iran, the
Bush administration remains worried about Russia's policy with
its neighbors. In particular, it is concerned about Russia's
failure to put pressure for peace settlements on the
self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in
Georgia, Transdnestr in Moldova and Nagorny Karabakh, Jones
said.
She said these four regions would be discussed at the summit.
"It is in Russia's interest for these areas -- whether it is
Transdnestr, Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Nagorny Karabakh -- to
be stable, for corruption to end there, for criminal
secessionists who rule there to be removed," she said.
Washington intends to encourage other former Soviet republics
neighboring Russia to engage in NATO's Peace for Partnership
Program and the EU's new Neighborhood Policy, Jones said,
singling out Ukraine as a priority. "We are looking forward to
finding ways to strengthen Ukraine's integration into Europe and
the transatlantic community," she said.
The United States and the EU threatened to slap sanctions on
Ukraine if it upheld the results of the Nov. 21 presidential
election, which the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe and other international observers declared unfair and
flawed.
Jones even summoned the Russian ambassador to explain why Putin
had congratulated pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych in the
election. Yanukovych lost a repeat of the election in December.
Jones on Thursday was careful not to mention Russia's role in
the Ukrainian election or warn it against putting pressure on
other former Soviet republics where elections will be held this
year. She did say, however, that the parliamentary elections in
Kyrgyzstan and Moldova need to be fair and free.
While presenting a rather lengthy list of the issues that will
be discussed by Bush and Putin, Jones said she was unaware of
any plans for the two to sign any official documents. "This is a
summit that is primarily focused on intellectual discussion. We
don't need to sign documents to prove that we have a
relationship."
The heaviest security measures in Slovak history are planned for
the summit, Slovak Interior Minister Vladimir Palko said
Wednesday. He said some 5,500 Slovak policemen and 400
firefighters will be on duty.
Copyright © 2005 The Moscow Times. All rights reserved.
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