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                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 Guardian Unlimited: Straw emollient on Iran rift after US talks
2 Guardian Unlimited: BP chief's remarks enrage Iran
3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Sees Nuclear Enrichment As a Goal
4 Guardian Unlimited: EU Makes No Headway on Iran Nuke Program
5 YWS: (3rd LD) Gadhafi: N. Korea Should Give Up Nuclear Program 
6 Xinhua:  US urges DPRK to be serious on six-party talks   
7 US: Guardian Unlimited: 'The neo-cons seem desperate to attack'
8 UK The Times: Israel bars BBC man in nuclear coverage dispute
9 MENAFN: Egypt denies visit of IAEA inspectors to nuclear sites this 
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
10 US: Brattleboro Reformer: Coalition backs off on construction claim
11 US: San Luis Obispo Tribune: SLO group working to shut nuclear plant
12 US: NRC: NRC Calls for Public Comment on Decommissioning Plan for VA
13 US: Bellona: US companies to refurbish power plant facilities to rep
14 www.mineweb.net: what's new Nuke power rebirth makes uranium tops
15 US: Hampton Union Local News: Watchdog group reborn
16 US: Detroit News: Fermi II plant shut for leak - 
17 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
18 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Two documentaries examine nuclear safety
19 US: lamonitor.com: Lyons sworn in on NRC 
20 US: Newsday: SHOREHAM: Wind turbines dedicated at defunct nuke plant
21 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
22 US: WSTM: Nuclear plants cut 51 nonunion jobs
23 US: NRC: Sunshine Act; Meeting
24 US: Guardian Unlimited: Reactor in Southeast Michigan Shut Down
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
25 [du-list] Iraq meetings in Manchester and Liverpool
26 The Australian: Toxic dust probe launched 
27 Bellona: 20 submarine reactor compartments to be shipped for storage
28 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Worth a Thousand Words: Nuclear 'poisonous
29 Scotsman.com: Nuclear Accident Clean-Up Service to Be Set Up
30 US: Public Citizen: Rule to Permit Higher Doses of Food Irradiation 
31 AU ABC: Navy urges ex-personnel to lodge beryllium claims. 
32 US: NRDC: GROUPS URGE EMERGENCY STANDARD FOR ROCKET FUEL IN DRINKING
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
33 US: Independent: Uranium mining fight intensifies
34 UK The Times: Nuclear waste From the Minister for Environment
35 US: Bradenton Herald: County should hear fear in Tallevast
36 US: Bradenton Herald: Tallevast assured of free blood tests
37 US: Deseret news: Hotter-waste bill awaits Envirocare announcement
38 Las Vegas SUN: NRC nominees not on level playing field on Yucca issu
39 Las Vegas SUN: Lambe to take over Reid's Las Vegas office
40 Xinhua: Kenya to probe alleged nuclear waste dumping by Americans   
41 REID: Floor Statement of Senator Harry Reid on Democratic Agenda
42 US: EurekAlert: Report assesses health implications of perchlorate i
 
                         NUCLEAR WEAPONS
 
43 Interfax: Moscow welcomes nuclear free zone initiative for Mideast
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
44 PISJ: Lab to buy services from Idaho businesses
45 WVLT TN: Labor Dept. Takes Over DOE Worker Claims
 
                          OTHER NUCLEAR
 
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
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 1 Guardian Unlimited: Straw emollient on Iran rift after US talks
 
Ewen MacAskill
Tuesday January 25, 2005
The Guardian 		
 		
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, played down a rift with the US 
about possible military action to prevent Iran acquiring a 
nuclear weapon after talks yesterday with the incoming secretary 
of state, Condoleezza Rice. 

Last week the White House identified Iran as topping its list of 
foreign policy trouble spots for George Bush's second term. Mr 
Bush has refused to rule out military action, while Mr Straw has 
said he can conceive of no circumstances in which he would back 
force. 

Together with his French and German colleagues, he has been 
pursuing negotiations with Iran that have resulted in a tentative 
deal suspending Iranian uranium enrichment. 

Yesterday, Mr Straw said a military option was not mentioned in 
his talks with Ms Rice, the national security adviser who is 
awaiting Senate confirmation this week as the new secretary of 
state. "I think it was indicative that in the discussions I had, 
the issue was not raised once by either side. It was not on the 
table," Mr Straw said. 

The foreign secretary noted that the US had a "different 
historical perspective on Iran" because of the hostage crisis in 
the late 1970s and early 1980s, but added that US officials "have 
been active in their engagement" with the European negotiators 
and the International Atomic Energy Agency in support of the Iran 
talks. 

The Iranian government denies it is intent on building a nuclear 
bomb and hinted yesterday that it might be prepared to make the 
concession of allowing the IAEA unfettered access to the Parchin 
military base. 

After his talks yesterday, Mr Straw also welcomed Mr Bush's 
inaugural address last week, in which the president declared 
America's global mission to be the spread of democracy to "the 
darkest corners of the world". 

Mr Straw added: "I expressed support for what President Bush had 
said. After all, what he was saying was endorsing the very 
eloquent central tenets of the UN charter - democracy." 

The Foreign Office said the main issue of Mr Straw's visit was 
not Iran but the Israeli-Palestinian conference which Tony Blair 
will chair in London on March 1-2. One of the biggest issues 
exercising the US is an EU proposal to lift its arms embargo on 
China, imposed after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. 

Mr Straw, trying to bridge the gap, told US officials yesterday 
the embargo would be replaced by the EU code of conduct on arms. 
	
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 2 Guardian Unlimited: BP chief's remarks enrage Iran
 
Oil minister lashes out as Lord Browne says country is
not fit for investment 		
 		
Terry Macalister
Tuesday January 25, 2005
The Guardian 		
 		
BP was engulfed last night in a political storm with Iran 
accusing Britain's largest company of "unfriendly" comments that, 
it said, would not be forgotten. 

Bijan Zanganeh, the Iranian oil minister, said BP was trying to 
curry favour with the Americans after its chief executive Lord 
Browne stated that, politically, Iran was not a candidate for 
investment. 

"We do not consider this a friendly approach and we will not 
forget it. We think it is a move taken by BP for the Americans," 
said Mr Zanganeh whose country holds a 10th of the world's oil 
reserves. 

Iran is especially sensitive after an aggressive foreign policy 
was outlined in George Bush's inauguration speech last week and 
his deputy, Dick Cheney, described Iraq's neighbour as top of the 
world's "trouble spots". 

Accused by Washington of developing nuclear arms and backing 
terrorism there has been increasing speculation that Mr Bush 
might consider military intervention there. 

Washington already has sanctions in place against Iran that allow 
it to punish those companies that do business there. 

But while US firms such as ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco have 
steered clear, other European majors such as Shell and Total have 
been pushing ahead with projects. 

Before the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, BP had 
been looking hard at investing in Iran. Lord Browne told the 
Sunday Times that this was no longer possible. 

"Right now it is impractical for BP because 40% of BP is in the 
US and we are the largest producer of oil and gas in the US," he 
explained. "Politically Iran is not a flyer. One day I hope it 
is," he went on. And the BP boss explained the oil company's 
strategy was to become the partner of choice for governments 
around the world. 

Iran does not look like it will be one of them, but Fadel Gheit, 
oil analyst with Oppenheimer & Co in New York, said he was not 
surprised by Lord Browne's remarks. 

"John Browne operates within the confines of a bigger political 
doctrine and strategy. He is not going to ruffle the feathers of 
people in [the US] government because they could derail his 
domestic business," he explained. 

Mr Gheit believed it was possible that Mr Bush, having failed 
with sanctions against Iran, might opt for a more daring military 
strategy using Iraq as a launchpad - although the oil analyst 
believed this would be disastrous. 

Political uncertainty in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East 
has already helped keep global crude prices at historically high 
levels. 

With snow falling in America, demand there kept US crude prices 
at about $49 a barrel yesterday. 

The BP row, which was dismissed last night by a company spokesman 
as "old news" and a misunderstanding, comes just a week before it 
is likely to face an argument with British petrol consumers. 

Motorists could claim that BP is profiteering when it announces 
record annual profits of Ł13.5bn, up 47% on 12 months earlier 
although a new study released yesterday claimed the UK had the 
cheapest fuel in Europe - before tax. 

Lord Browne is generally admired for his political astuteness and 
his ability to keep on good relations with most political 
leaders. Recently, he defended the right of countries to develop 
their own natural resources without the help of western firms. 
	
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Sees Nuclear Enrichment As a Goal
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 
 	 
Tuesday January 25, 2005 6:31 PM

By GEORGE JAHN 

Associated Press Writer 

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - Confidential talks between key
European powers and Iran are deadlocked on the key issue of
uranium enrichment, with Tehran refusing to scrap such programs
and banish fears it wants to make atomic arms, according to a
summary of the last meeting made available Tuesday to The
Associated Press. 

The summary of the last meeting on the issue involving
representatives of France, Britain, Germany and Iran states that
Tehran's position remains ``the goal of maintaining'' its
enrichment program, while the European powers continue to insist
on its ``cessation'' or ``dismantlement.'' 

Diplomats familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said the atmosphere between the two sides had
improved during the second round, held in Geneva Jan. 17. 

But they agreed that no progress is being made on the Europeans'
insistence that Iran's present temporary suspension of its
enrichment programs be turned into a commitment to permanently
mothball all such activities. 

``The two positions cannot coexist,'' said one of the diplomats,
from a West European nation. ``If the impasse cannot be
resolved, then there will be no solution,'' clearing the path
for Iran to resume work on activities that will allow it to
enrich uranium, he said. 

Iran publicly insists it only seeks to make low-grade enriched
uranium for generating power. The United States and other
countries say that once the program is fully active, Iran will
use it to make weapons grade uranium for the core of nuclear
missiles. 

The summary of the last meeting suggests that at those talks,
Iran privately acknowledged what Washington and its allies have
argued all along - that as an oil rich country, it does not need
nuclear energy. 

``Iran recognizes explicitly that its fuel cycle program cannot
be justified on economic grounds,'' the summary said. 
  
      Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 4 Guardian Unlimited: EU Makes No Headway on Iran Nuke Program
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Tuesday January 25, 2005 9:46 PM

By GEORGE JAHN 

Associated Press Writer 

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - A confidential summary of talks
between key European powers and Iran made available to The
Associated Press on Tuesday shows there has been no progress in
getting Iran to scrap nuclear enrichment - even though Tehran
acknowledged it does not need nuclear energy. 

The United States and several other countries fear Iran is
seeking to enrich uranium not to the low level needed to
generate power but to weapons-grade uranium that forms the core
of nuclear warheads. 

Iran publicly insists it only seeks to make low-grade enriched
uranium for nuclear fuel. But the summary of the last meeting on
the issue involving representatives of France, Britain, Germany
and Iran says Tehran acknowledged what Washington and its allies
have argued all along - that the oil-rich country has no need
for nuclear energy. 

``Iran recognizes explicitly that its fuel cycle program cannot
be justified on economic grounds,'' the document says. 

Diplomats familiar with the talks said on condition of anonymity
that the atmosphere between the two sides had improved during
the second round held in Geneva on Jan. 17. 

But they agreed that no progress was being made on the
Europeans' insistence that Iran's present temporary suspension
of its enrichment programs be turned into a commitment to
permanently mothball all such activities. 

``The two positions cannot coexist,'' said one of the diplomats,
from a West European nation. ``If the impasse cannot be
resolved, then there will be no solution,'' clearing the path
for Iran to resume work on activities that will allow it to
enrich uranium, he said. 

Another diplomat agreed there was no progress on the core issue
but expressed hope that common ground could be found in future
rounds. 

A separate confidential memorandum summarizing talks focusing on
political and security themes said the atmosphere was ``more
conducive and productive'' than the initial round held Dec. 21. 

Iran suspended uranium enrichment and all related activities in
November, derailing U.S. attempts to have it reported to the
U.N. Security Council for alleged violations of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty. The International Atomic Energy Agency,
in Vienna, Austria, is policing the freeze. 

Reflecting its continued view that it has a right to resume
enrichment programs in the near future, Iran recently said it
would decide within three months whether to continue the
suspension. 

Concerns about Iran grew after revelations in mid-2002 of two
secret nuclear facilities - a uranium enrichment plant at Natanz
and a heavy water production plant near Arak. That led to a
subsequent IAEA investigation of what turned out to be nearly
two decades of covert nuclear activities, including suspicious
``dual use'' experiments that can be linked to weapons programs. 

President Bush has labeled Iran part of an ``axis of evil'' with
North Korea and prewar Iraq. 

Iran is not prohibited from running enrichment programs under
the Nonproliferation Treaty, but agreed to a freeze to generate
international goodwill. The summary of the Jan. 17 meeting said
Iranian officials used ``biased and selective quotes'' from the
treaty in arguing their country had the right to enrich. 

--- 

On the Net: 

International Atomic Energy Agency: http://www.iaea.org	 
  
      Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 5 YWS: (3rd LD) Gadhafi: N. Korea Should Give Up Nuclear Program 

YONHAPNEWS WORLD SERVICE::ENGLISH NEWS
 
www.yonhapnews.co.kr


  2005/01/26 10:09 KST   

Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon(L) meets with Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi  

 TRIPOLI, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi
advised North Korea and Iran to learn from his decision to give
up developing nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, a
visiting South Korean official said Tuesday.

 Gadhafi had made similar calls before, to which North Korea
responded negatively. Iran, on the other hand, has recently been
cooperative, promising to allow wider U.N. inspections of its
nuclear facilities.




*****************************************************************
 6 Xinhua:  US urges DPRK to be serious on six-party talks   

  www.xinhuanet.com

  www.chinaview.cn 2005-01-26 06:57:28   

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States
reiterated onTuesday its call for the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to the six-party talks
designed to solve nuclear issues on the Korean peninsular. 

    "We hope that they (the DPRK) are serious and that they will
come back to the six-party talks soon so that we can talk in a
substantive way about how to move forward on the proposal that
we outlined at the last round of talks. 

    "That's what we believe is important. That's what the other
nations in the region believe is important, to move toward a
nuclear-free peninsula," White House spokesman Scott McClellan
told a news briefing. 

    The six-party talks, sponsored and presided over by China,
had by June 2004 hosted three rounds of talks which involves the
DPRK,the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia. 

    A fourth round, scheduled for last September, failed to be
helddue to the DPRK's refusal to attend. Pyongyang has cited a
"hostile" US policy as the key stumbling block. 

    The DPRK said on Jan. 14 that it would opt for finding a
final solution to all outstanding issues, including the
resumption of six-party talks, if the United States drops its
hostility toward Pyongyang. Enditem 
     
  Copyright Š2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 7 Guardian Unlimited: 'The neo-cons seem desperate to attack'
 
Iran 
		
The Bush administration declared it an 'outpost of tyranny'                
 		
Tuesday January 25, 2005
The Guardian 		
 		
Sunday Times Editorial, January 23 "Tehran is clearly developing 
nuclear weapons that pose a threat to its neighbours and possibly 
beyond. It is committed to the destruction of Israel and is a 
state sponsor of terrorism, most notably Hizbullah ... If Iraq 
has dominated George Bush's first term, Iran seems certain to 
claim the spotlight in the second ... 

"Dealing with Iran is essential but diplomacy, followed by 
tougher sanctions if necessary, should be the preferred route ... 
Iran has to be stopped. The question is whether it can be done 
without using force." 

Los Angeles Times Editorial, January 24 "It's hard to imagine 
that even this administration is spoiling for a fight with 
Tehran. The military option is lousy because the Iranians have 
probably buried their secret nuclear research sites, so such 
targets couldn't easily be hit by bombs even if US intelligence 
services knew where they were - which, given an abysmal record on 
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, is itself a dubious 
proposition ... 

"Even if European fears of a unilateral US strike are 
exaggerated, Mr Bush has steadfastly resisted joining the EU to 
pursue diplomacy with Iran. While the Iranians woo the Europeans, 
the US stands on the sidelines making empty gestures about going 
to the UN security council to impose sanctions ... If the US 
cooperated with Europe, it might have a chance of derailing the 
Iranian programme." 

Trevor Kavanagh Sun, January 21 "America cannot afford to wait 
until Iran is a nuclear power in its own right before acting. All 
argument, all persuasion will be too little too late. After the 
hand-wringing over Iraq, there is little western appetite for 
further military engagement in the Middle East. But if Iran is 
allowed to acquire nukes - and then use them on Israel - such 
niceties will become a useless luxury of hindsight." 

Soheil Mohajer Iran Daily, January 24 "The plain truth is that 
the US fears instability of Iran more than any other country and 
its harsh anti-Iran stance is nothing but an attempt to isolate 
Iran from its political and trading partners ...

"America knows Iran is not Iraq and cannot be easily occupied. 
Therefore it is increasing diplomatic pressures on Iran and its 
partners. The governing trend indicates that the US will remain 
[intent on] exerting pressures on Iran in the four years to come. 
Americans would change this tactic only if they are assured that 
the next chief executive of Iran will be easily influenced and 
controlled." 

Tehran Times, Editorial, January 23 "Violence only begets 
violence. Due to its geopolitical location, social potentials, 
and deterrent power, Iran will hand the US a bitter pill to 
swallow ... 

"The Islamic Republic ... will firmly hold its inalienable right 
to make peaceful use of nuclear technology. Mr Bush should take 
lessons from history and review his policies. He should avoid 
using non-diplomatic words ... Here is Iran, the cradle of the 
brave and the land of the people known for their resistance 
against the oppression and aggression of superpowers." 

New Vision Editorial, Uganda, January 21 "The world had hoped 
that the Bush administration would sober up after the Iraq 
debacle ... [But] the neo-cons in the Pentagon seem desperate to 
attack Iran ... As the US mobilises against Iran, it is vital 
that all right-thinking nations stand up to be counted. America 
cannot go around attacking and invading countries just to settle 
old grudges. It is time to create a new global coalition to 
resist a new imperial hegemony and restore credibility to the 
UN." 
	
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 8 UK The Times: Israel bars BBC man in nuclear coverage dispute
 
January 26, 2005                       

From Ian MacKinnon in Jerusalem
		   		 		
A SENIOR producer in the BBCs Jerusalem office has been barred 
from Israel because of his role in an interview conducted with 
the nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu just weeks after his 
release from prison. 

The Israeli authorities have not renewed Simon Wilsons visa, so 
preventing him from returning to his job as deputy chief of the 
Jerusalem bureau. 

Talks between Israeli officials and the BBC in London have so
far failed to resolve the row, which has rumbled on since Mr
Wilson was due to fly back after his visa expired last month. 

Israels nuclear weapons have been a thorny issue for the
broadcaster.The latest spat flared after Peter Hounam, a
journalist on The Sunday Times, helped to conduct an interview
with Mr Vanunu, who is banned from speaking to foreign
journalists as a condition of his release. The interview,
intended for broadcast on the BBC, was filmed last May by an
independent company. It led to Mr Hounams arrest before he was
told that he could leave. 

Israeli officials said that Mr Wilson, who was acting BBC bureau
chief at the time, was asked to submit the material to the
censor because of fears that Mr Vanunu might harm national
security with revelations about the Dimona plant. 

Israeli government sources said that the BBC man ignored the
request. The BBC said in a statement that it was still in
negotiations with the Israeli Government. Assaf Shariv, a
spokesman for Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, said that the
affair was still under review.   	 		

							   	 	
Copyright The Times - timesonline.co.uk
*****************************************************************
 9 MENAFN: Egypt denies visit of IAEA inspectors to nuclear sites this month   

Middle East North Africa . Financial Network
 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to nuclear sites in
Egypt this month, said the Director of Egyptian Atomic Energy
Authority (AEA) Dr. Ali Islam.

In statements published in the daily Al-Ahram Tuesday, Islam
said that the last inspection visit was in last December and
that AEA has no received any official requests from the IAEA for
inspections.

He went on to say that IAEA supports six Egyptian nuclear energy
projects annually and that an initial agreement has been signed
for an eight million Egyptian pound grant.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul-Ghait has affirmed
yesterday that his country is cooperating with the IAEA and has
been committed to all obligations since signing the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 20 years ago.

He added that Egypt's nuclear programs are one hundred percent
clear, noting that the IAEA requested information about a
specific program and was informed that Egypt halted it 25 years
ago.

Egypt had denied foreign media reports claiming Egypt had secret
nuclear programs and was conducting tested related to building a
nuclear bomb. 								

*****************************************************************
 10 Brattleboro Reformer: Coalition backs off on construction claim

January 26, 2005 Brattleboro, VT                                                                                 
                     
By CAROLYN LORIÉ Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO -- The New England Coalition filed a letter on Monday 
with the Vermont Public Service Board alleging that construction 
for dry cask storage may have started at the Vermont Yankee 
nuclear power station.

 The nuclear watchdog group, however, may have acted on 
misinformation and plans to submit another letter today modifying 
its position.

 In Monday's letter, Raymond Shadis, technical advisor to the 
coalition, wrote that "Entergy personnel have recently shown site 
visitors a concrete pad, a prepared perimeter exclusion area, 
fencing, and security equipment and identified the whole as the 
facility intended to house spent nuclear fuel casks."

 Shadis did not reveal who provided the group with the 
information but referred to them as "reputable witnesses."

 The most recent tour of the plant was taken by the Vermont House 
Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

 Any construction at the plant must first be approved by the 
Public Service Board. 

While Entergy officials are hoping to have on-site dry cask 
storage for the spent fuel, they have not yet submitted an 
application to the board.

 If construction at the plant has in fact begun, Entergy would be 
in violation of state law and subject to a fine by the board.

 The company is already facing an $85,000 fine for beginning work 
on another project without approval in 2003.

 In response to the coalition's filing, Entergy officials said 
that the coalition's accusation was "absolutely untrue."

 "The New England Coalition is showing reckless disregard for the 
facts. These irresponsible tactics needlessly waste time and 
resources," said Entergy spokesman Rob Williams.

 By Monday evening, Peter Alexander, executive director of the 
coalition, said that the group could no longer corroborate that 
any concrete had been poured and the information received may 
have been a miscommunication.

 Rep. Steve Darrow, D-Putney, was part of the recent tour. He 
said that he did not see any signs of construction at the plant.

Copyright Š1999-2005 New England Newspapers, Inc., 
*****************************************************************
 11 San Luis Obispo Tribune: SLO group working to shut nuclear plants

| 01/25/2005 | 

Spokeswoman for Mothers for Peace has formed an offshoot
organization dedicated to stopping the relicensing of Diablo
Canyon and San Onofre

 David Sneed

 The Tribune

Rochelle Becker, longtime nuclear-issues activist and
spokeswoman for the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, has
formed a new statewide organization to stop the relicensing of
California's two nuclear power plants. 

Becker has been named executive director of the Alliance for
Nuclear Responsibility, based in San Luis Obispo. The group's
goal is to change California law to prohibit the relicensing of
Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and San Onofre nuclear
generating station near San Clemente. 

Nuclear power plants are licensed for 40 years and can apply to
renew their licenses for another 20. Licenses for the two
reactors at Diablo Canyon will expire in 2023 and 2025. Diablo
owner Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is studying whether to seek
license renewal. 

"This is really an exciting opportunity to inform people that
states have some rights when it comes to the licensing of these
plants," Becker said. Other states, including Minnesota and
Vermont, have limited the amount of spent nuclear fuel that can
be stored at plants. 

Becker said she decided to start the new group because taking on
a statewide effort would be too much for Mothers for Peace
volunteers, who are busy with a federal lawsuit and proceedings
before the state Public Utilities Commission. 

One of Becker's first public appearances in her new job will be
at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing conference March 8
at the agency's Rockville, Md., headquarters. The agency's rules
for issuing various licenses to nuclear utilities have angered
local activists who feel left out of the decision-making. 

"My theme will be that the agency ignores communities and there
is no trust in the process," she said. 

Becker said the new group's first job is to line up support from
various groups and local governments, particularly in Los
Angeles and San Diego, where much of the state's political
influence lies. She will then recruit state lawmakers to craft
legislation to ban nuclear plant license renewal. 

To this end, the group is forming a board of directors, with
members from many parts of the state. They include Jonathan
Parfrey, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of
Physicians for Social Responsibility; Shirley Vaine, a San Diego
real estate broker; and David Weisman, a Morro Bay filmmaker and
Mothers for Peace activist. 

The group's main argument is that Californians never bargained
on having high-level nuclear waste storage facilities associated
with the two plants. They were built with the assumption that a
national nuclear waste dump would be available to take the
plants' used fuel assemblies. 

"It is irresponsible for California to continue to allow
production of high-level radioactive waste that could severely
impact our health, safety, environment and economy," Becker
said. 

A national waste repository is proposed at Yucca Mountain near
Las Vegas, but that facility will not open for years, if ever.
As a result, PG&E will open an above-ground facility at Diablo
Canyon in 2006. 

The nuclear power industry argues that the nation needs more
nuclear plants, not fewer. The state and the nation get 20
percent of their power from nuclear plants. 

"The United States faces a critical need for investment in
emission-free, next-generation nuclear power plants to relieve
pressure on natural gas supply, to help preserve fuel and
technological diversity, to help make our air cleaner and to
strengthen U.S. energy security," said John Kane, a vice
president with Nuclear Energy Institute in testimony Monday
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources.   

*****************************************************************
 12 NRC: NRC Calls for Public Comment on Decommissioning Plan for VAs Omaha Medical Facility Reactor
 
News Release - 2005-01 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office 
of Public Affairs     Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 
20555-0001     E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 05-014     January 24, 
2005   

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is soliciting comments
from the public and state, local and tribal officials regarding
a research/test reactor decommissioning plan submitted by the
Department of Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care
System. The operating license for the reactor was granted to the
VA Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., in 1959. The reactor, with a
power level of 20 kW, was permanently shut down in 2001. 

Comments should be provided by Feb. 17, 2005 to: Patrick M.
Madden, Chief, Research and Test Reactors Section, New, Research
and Test Reactors Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, Mail Stop 012-G13, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, D.C., 20555-0001. 

A copy of the decommissioning plan application (Accession Number
ML042740512) is available electronically through the NRCs online
library, ADAMS, at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
Help in using ADAMS is available from the NRC Public Document
Room, at (301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-4209.   



  


 	Last revised Monday, January 24, 2005 	   
*****************************************************************
 13 Bellona: US companies to refurbish power plant facilities to replace
plutonium reactors in Russia 

The contracts, worth a total of $466 million, will go to
Washington Group International and Raytheon Technical Services. 

2005-01-25 18:16

Washington Group International, Inc. announced in the end of
December that it has been awarded a $285-million contract to
refurbish electric power generating facilities in Siberia as
part of a United States Department of Energy program to
permanently shut down the last three weapons-grade
plutonium-production reactors in Siberia. 

The contract is Washington Group's share of the program --
announced in 2003 by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA) in conjunction with the Defence
Threat Reduction Agency -- to close the three reactors that
supply heat and electricity to nearby communities. A byproduct
of the power-production operations is enough plutonium to make a
few bombs per week. Washington Group will refurbish and rebuild
coal-fired generation facilities in Seversk, Russia, near Tomsk.
Heat and electricity will be provided to the community by the
refurbished facilities and allow the Russians to permanently
shut down two of the three reactors, as required by an agreement
with the United States. 

The project will involve refurbishing or replacing existing
coal-fired boilers, providing one new high-pressure coal-fired
boiler, replacing turbine generators, completing construction of
the fuel-supply system, and refurbishing the industrial heating
unit and ancillary systems. Washington Group will continue its
working relationship with DOE, NNSA and its Russian counterpart,
Rosatom; Rosatomstroi, the Russian integrating contractor; and
Russian subcontractors to manage the project over a 60-month
period. 

Another US company Raytheon Technical Services will oversee work
at the Zheleznogorsk site, near Krasnoyarsk. There, the U.S.
will provide assistance in building a new fossil fuel plant,
which should be completed in 7 years. 
  
  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
*****************************************************************
 14 www.mineweb.net: what's new Nuke power rebirth makes uranium tops
 
 By: Dorothy Kosich
 Posted: '25-JAN-05 05:00' GMT Š Mineweb 1997-2004

VVANCOUVER--(Mineweb.com) The rebirth of nuclear power may make
uranium the top commodity pick of investors at least for the
next two years.
 
In presentations to the Mineral Exploration Roundup in
Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, at least two experts,
including an executive for the Scotiabank Group, extolled the
virtues of uranium. 

Patricia Mohr, Vice President, Economics, Industry &Commodity
Market Research for the Scotiabank declared that "uranium is my
top commodity pick for investors during the next two years,"
noting that as of January 25 the spot price was US$21, while the
long-term contract price was $25. She predicted a price forecast
of spot $25 and long-term contract of $30 per pound in 2006
because utility companies have bid up long-term contract prices
due to their concerns over security of supply. 

"Both spot and longer-term contract prices are likely to
strengthen further in coming years," she added. 

Dustin J. Garrow, President of International Nuclear, Inc.,
declared that "after 30 years in exile, nuclear power is back."

Current world nuclear capacity includes 438 reactors in 31
nations. Mohr said the total will increase to 474 reactors by
2013. She predicted that substantial expansions in Asia (38
additional reactors) and in Eastern Europe (11 reactors) will
offset a reduction of 24 reactors in Western Europe. However,
only 100 million pounds of uranium will be mined annually by
that time. 

Meanwhile, Russia is busy exporting reactors to nations such as
China, India, Japan, South Korea and the region of Eastern
Europe. Mohr estimated that a deficit of 175 million pounds of
uranium now exists between mine supply and international uranium
consumption by utilities. Garrow noted that nations such as
Lithuania, France, Slovakia, and Belgium now use nuclear power
for at least 50% of their electricity generation. 

Garrow said that factors contributing to the revival of nuclear
power are improved reactor performance, extended fuel cycles,
increased generating capacity, and reduced operating costs.

Expansion programs for nuclear-generated power are underway in
China, India, Russia, and Finland, he added. Even the
nuclear-phobic United States is granted operating license
extensions for nuclear power plants, and planning new
facilities. 

Garrow estimated that world uranium requirements could hit more
than 240 million pounds by the year 2019. Mohr In 2003, six
nations produced more than 80% of an estimated 92.4 million
pounds of total world uranium production. Of those, Canada and
Australia produced more than 50% of the world total, he added. 

Production also comes from secondary uranium sources, including
the U.S.-Russian Highly Enriched Uranium Program, the U.S.
Enrichment Corporation Inventory, and the Highly Enriched
Uranium Inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy, according to
Garrow. However, Mohr said Russia's indication that it will cut
potential supplies to western markets by the time the
U.S.-Russian HEU Agreement ends in 2013, This means Russia needs
to withdraw about 7 million pounds yearly to facilitate the
blending of HEU for its own domestic market as well as its
developing export markets for which it is supplying reactors. 

Garrow said the international uranium market is already making
the transition from inventories to production-driven. Therefore,
the future price trend will be determined by the "need price" to
support new production centers. Due to potential uranium
shortages prior to new mines coming on line in 2010, Garrow said
a term uranium price at or above $30 per pound is not
unreasonable. 

Mohr said she did not view uranium as a cyclical commodity, but
as a "long-term secular improvement."

  Š Mineweb, a division of Moneyweb Holdings Limited, 1997-2004.
*****************************************************************
 15 Hampton Union Local News: Watchdog group reborn

Tue. January 25, 2005
                                                                        
By Susan Morse smorse@seacoastonline.com 

SEABROOK - New life has been breathed into the Seacoast
Anti-Pollution League (SAPL) as the nuclear watchdog group
gained a new board of directors Thursday in a crisis meeting
held at the First Unitarian Society in Exeter. 

SAPL, which got its start 35 years ago before the Seabrook
Station nuclear power plant went on-line, was in danger of
disbanding, according to longtime member James Horrigan of
Portsmouth. 

"What had happened was the previous board of directors pretty
much collectively ran out of energy," Horrigan said. "After
September 11, information from the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory
Commission) was cut back to zero." 

A core group took over operations for a year, including Horrigan
as treasurer, while recruiting a new board. Current board
members include: New president, Herb Moyer of Exeter, who could
not be reached for comment, Charles Pratt and Guy Chichester,
said Horrigan. 

Also on the board is Rep. James Powers, D-Portsmouth, prime
sponsor of a proposed bill for air monitoring stations to
measure radiation levels in towns within a 10-mile radius of
Seabrook Station. 

State Rep. Richard Morris, R-Seabrook, who said he also joined
the board of directors of SAPL on Thursday, is a co-sponsor of
the legislation. 

Massachusetts has long budgeted for monitoring, which is done by
the Citizens Within a 10-mile Radius Foundation (C-10) out of
Newburyport, Mass. 

C-10 monitors radiation levels in 17 Massachusetts communities,
and five New Hampshire towns. Monitors in this state were
privately purchased by residents, including one at Phillips
Exeter Academy. 

Seventeen towns are within New Hampshires emergency planning
zone. 

The monitoring stations cost between $6,000 and $7,000, Morris
said, but are expected to go up in price to at least $9,000 per
unit. He and other co-sponsors would like to see a minimum of 12
stations installed in towns within Seabrooks 10-mile radius. 

The one-time cost of installing 12 monitors would be about
$90,000, said Powers. 

SAPL has long tried to get the state to pay for the equipment,
said Horrigan, and has been turned down. 

"We certainly feel its worth bringing up again in the present
climate, in situations of homeland security and so forth," said
Powers. "One of the ways could be paid for is in a Homeland
Security grant." 

Among other co-sponsors of the Legislative Service Request (LSR)
666, which has yet to become a bill, are Chris Serlin,
D-Portsmouth, and state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark of Portsmouth,
said Powers. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton, was also interested in
being a co-sponsor, said Powers, but wasnt sure if she was able
to do so by the legislative deadline. 

Morris lives in Seabrook Beach, across the harbor from the
nuclear power plant. His constituents are paying the high cost
of property taxes as Seabrook Station declines in value to 50
percent of the towns tax base, he said, while looking at the
life of the plant extending beyond its decommissioning date. 

"The definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior,"
said Morris. "Theres widespread speculation about breathing
another 25 years of life into this plant." 

  Copyright Š 2005 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved. Please
*****************************************************************
 16 Detroit News: Fermi II plant shut for leak - 

www.detnews.com
                                                        
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 

The public wasn't endangered and no one was evacuated, nuclear
officials say. 

By Oralandar Brand-Williams and Francis X. Donnelly / The
Detroit News 

The Fermi II nuclear plant near Monroe was shut down Monday
afternoon after developing a coolant leak. 

No one was evacuated and the public wasn't endangered in the
incident, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said. 

Workers discovered the source of the leak late Monday night and
promptly shut off the water, stopping the leak, said DTE Energy,
which operates the plant. 

It wasn't known when the facility would resume operations. 

The plant, in Frenchtown Township in northern Monroe County, was
shut down at 4:20 p.m. without complications, said NRC
spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng. 

"Any time a plant has to shut down it is, of course, a concern,"
she said. "(But) this is the second-lowest classification as far
as emergencies are." 

The problem involved nonradioactive water used in the facility's
cooling system, said John Austerberry, a spokesman for DTE. 

That's different from the plant's reactor coolant, which didn't
leak and remains at normal levels. 

The leak, which occurred in a steel and concrete structure that
surrounds the steel reactor, was originally 50 gallons a minute
before workers shut off valves to stop it between 9 and 10 p.m.,
Austerberry said. 

A Detroit physicist said the problem, as described by plant
officials, didn't sound ominous. 

"It's not that dangerous," said Al Saperstein, a physics
professor at Wayne State University. "Water leaks in all kinds
of large steam generators." 

The leak and resulting shutdown of the plant caused Monroe
County officials to set up their emergency center, said Charles
Londo, the Monroe County administrator and member of its
Emergency Operating Center staff. 

"You gotta be prepared if there is any activation of the
emergency preparedness system," added Londo. "It's a monumental
task if you have to get into it. Thank God we didn't have to." 

But the shutdown of the plant could lead to higher utility bills
if DTE is eventually forced to buy energy from other sources,
Saperstein said. 

At least one Frenchtown resident took the plant shutdown in
stride. 

Peggy Valentine, a 15-year resident who works at a local
restaurant, said several plant workers are customers and have
reassured her about its operations in the past. 

"You can't start to get paranoid about it," she said. "If you
start to get paranoid, then you'll make everyone around you
worry, especially the children." 

The 1,150-megawatt plant, which opened in 1988, has experienced
several minor stumbles in the past five months. 

It briefly operated at 60 percent of its power in October after
a recirculating water pump unexpectedly slowed down. The problem
was solved, and the plant resumed full power in 27 hours. 

Neither of the plant's two major pumps, which control the flow
of coolant water, was idled in the incident, and the problem
never posed a threat to the public, NRC officials told the local
paper. 

The plant also was shut down for unexpected repairs in August
when repairs to one of its four emergency diesel generators
couldn't be completed within seven days. 

Before that incident, the plant had operated for 334 days
without incident, the second-longest such stretch in its nearly
two-decade history. 

The facility, which employs 900 workers, produces 15 percent of
the power generated by DTE power plants, utility spokeswoman
Lorie Kessler said. "It's an important part of our system," she
said. 

"If you start to get paranoid, then you'll make everyone around
you worry." 

You can reach Oralandar Brand-Williams at (313) 222-2027 or
bwilliams@detnews.com. 

Copyright Š 2005 The Detroit News.
*****************************************************************
 17 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
 
                         FR Doc 05-1281 
[Federal Register: January 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 15)] 
[Notices] [Page 3568-3569] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr25ja05-70]                         
 
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Sequoyah Fuels 
Corporation, Gore, OK AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
ACTION: Notice of availability.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Myron Fliegel, Project manager, 
Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and 
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20555. 
Telephone: (301) 415- 6629; fax number: (301) 415-5955; e-mail: 
mhf1@nrc.gov.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) is issuing a license amendment to Material 
License No. SUB-1010 issued to Sequoyah Fuels Corporation (the 
licensee), to authorize the licensee to dewater existing 
raffinate sludge and temporarily store the dewatered sludge at 
its Gore, Oklahoma facility prior to final disposition. NRC has 
prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this 
amendment in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51. 
Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be 
issued following the publication of this Notice.
 
II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed amendment is to 
authorize the licensee to dewater existing raffinate sludge and 
temporarily store the dewatered sludge at its Gore, Oklahoma 
facility prior to final disposition. Approximately 1 million 
cubic feet of raffinate sludge was produced, as a waste, during 
the operation of the SFC facility.
 
The sludge, which contains various metals in addition to uranium, 
thorium, and radium, is 15 to 20 percent solid material and is 
stored in three hypalon-lined impoundments on the site. It must 
be dewatered prior to permanent disposal, either in an onsite 
disposal cell or offsite at a licensed disposal facility. The 
licensee proposes to dewater the raffinate sludge using a 
pressurized plate press filtering process. The equipment would be 
set up in an area near the impoundments containing the sludge and 
dismantled at the conclusion of the dewatering process. The 
dewatered sludge would be put into 2200 pound capacity bags of 
woven polypropylene fabric and temporarily stored on a nearby 
concrete pad prior to final disposal. Temporary storage cells 
will be constructed on the concrete pad to contain the bags of 
raffinate sludge. The cells will be lined with 20 mil, high 
density cross- laminated polyethylene and covered with the same 
material.
 
On January 7, 2004, Sequoyah Fuels Corporation requested that NRC 
approve the proposed amendment. The licensee's request for the 
proposed change was previously noticed in the Federal Register on 
March 17, 2004 (69 FR 12715), with a notice of an opportunity to 
request a hearing.
 
The staff has prepared the EA in support of the proposed license 
amendment. The only environmental impact under normal conditions 
would be an increase in the radon concentration in the air at the 
site. However, the radon concentration at the site boundary would 
be well below the 10 CFR Part 20 standard. There is also a 
potential for release of some material during adverse 
meteorological conditions. In the unlikely event of a tornado 
strike on the cells, some of the sludge can be dispersed, but it 
is unlikely that it would be carried offsite. The licensee would 
be required to clean up the dispersed material. Some severe 
precipitation events could result in release of some sludge to 
the nearby Illinois River and Robert S. Kerr Reservoir but 
concentrations are unlikely to exceed the standards for normal 
releases in 10 CFR Part 20. The staff has concluded that the 
proposed action, to dewater existing raffinate sludge and 
temporarily store it in lined and covered cells, will result in 
minimal environmental impacts.
 
Radon levels will be increased but will remain well within 
regulatory limits. In addition, there is the potential, under 
unusual conditions (e.g., during a severe storm), of releasing 
small amounts of contaminants in low concentrations, to the 
Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. III. Finding of No Significant Impact 
On the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that there are no 
significant environmental impacts from the proposed amendment and 
has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement.
 
IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, 
including the application for amendment and supporting 
documentation, are available electronically at the NRC's 
Electronic Reading Room at 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can 
access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System 
(ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public 
documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related 
to this notice are: SFC's amendment request, January 7, 2004, 
ML040150463 and NRC's Environmental Assessment,
 
[[Page 3569]] January 12, 2005, ML050120184. If you do not have 
access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the 
documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC's Public Document 
Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by 
e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed 
electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, 
O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for 
a fee.
 
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14 day of January, 2005.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Myron Fliegel, Project Manager, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, 
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards.
 
[FR Doc. 05-1281 Filed 1-24-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 18 Salt Lake Tribune: Two documentaries examine nuclear safety

Article Last Updated: 01/24/2005 11:21:02 PM                              
			 		

   
   Two movies focusing on issues of nuclear safety will be
screened at 7 p.m. at the Main Library Auditorium, 210 E. 400
South, Salt Lake City.

   One film is Maryann DeLeo's Oscar-winning documentary 
"Chernobyl Heart," which centers on the young radiation victims 
who live near the site of the 1986 Soviet nuclear disaster. 

The other is "Indian Point: Imagining the Unimaginable," a 
documentary by director Rory Kennedy that examines security 
around a nuclear reactor in upstate New York in the wake of 9-11. 

DeLeo, Kennedy and Kennedy's producing partner Liz Garbus will be 
among those taking part in a post-screening panel discussion. 
Free.
   

ÂŠ Copyright 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. 
*****************************************************************
 19 lamonitor.com: Lyons sworn in on NRC 

The Online News Source for Los Alamos
 
ROGER SNODGRASS, , ..Monitor Assistant Editor

Peter Lyons, long-time employee of Los Alamos National
Laboratory and a senatorial aide, was sworn in as Nuclear
Regulatory Commissioner today in a Washington ceremony. 
"It's a fabulous challenge, a fabulous opportunity," he said in
a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., on Monday in the
midst of moving out of his office as nuclear policy advisor on
the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Lyons has worked closely with Domenici for eight years. 

"Pete has been a trusted aide and good friend, and has excelled
in Washington in the same manner he demonstrated while at LANL
and as a public servant in Los Alamos," Domenici said in a
statement when the appointment was made last week.

"I believe the President has chosen well with this appointment,
and believe the NRC and the nation will be well served with Pete
Lyons as a commissioner." 
"He is very thorough, very thoughtful and broad in his
deliberations, and he makes objective judgments," said Dennis
Erickson, a senior advisor at LANL, who has known Lyons for 30
years.

"Pete is an excellent choice for an NRC commissioner, and the
country will be better for it." 
Lyons' appointment during the Congressional recess means he
doesn't have to be confirmed by the full Senate and that he will
serve for the two-year term of the current Congress.

If he is confirmed, the term of an NRC Commissioner runs for
five years.

Last week, Gregory B. Jaczko, who served as a science policy
advisor and then appropriations director with Sen. Harry Reid,
D-Nev., was sworn in, filling one of the two vacancies on the
NRC.

With Lyons swearing in today, the commission has a full
complement of commissioners for the first time since March 2003.

The NRC, an institutional descendant of the Atomic Energy
Commission, is the federal agency responsible for regulating
nuclear power plants and nuclear materials.

The commission heads the agency and makes determinations related
to safety issues, licenses and the interpretation of
congressional statutory guidance.

"It's no secret that I'm convinced nuclear energy is key to
solving the nation's energy crisis," Lyons said, noting that he
will be in a position to address safety and security concerns,
without which there would be no nuclear solution.

"I'm convinced there is a dramatic new opportunity for nuclear
energy to be considered in this country," he said. "I can't say
what will come, but I believe we are provided the opportunity."

Lyons' new job will be quite different than his work in advising
Domenici, he said.

Rather than working to facilitate the return of nuclear power -
no new power plants have been built since the Three Mile Island
accident on March 28, 1979 - Lyons said his role will be to
review applications and petitions against formal criteria.

The Bush Administration has revived the nuclear option for
future power generation, as advocated by Domenici and others,
who have called for a safer, more predictable, more compact,
less expensive solution to the question of filling part of the
energy gap with nuclear energy.

Lyons said he would be looking at Next Gen Nuclear Power, not
from the policy perspective of wishing it would move ahead, but
rather from a position of waiting until the Department of Energy
files an application and makes a specific case for safe and
reliable operation."

"I will have responsibility along with colleagues of evaluating
safety case," Lyons said. "And the commission will make a
decision as a body."

NRC is also deeply involved in the decision on whether to
proceed with the nuclear depository proposed for Yucca Mountain
in Nevada.

In the midst of court battles and procedural disputes, the next
major step in the process will be for the Department of Energy
to submit an application for a license to the NRC.

Lyons began his work in Washington as a science and technology
advisor to Domenici, where he specialized in military and
civilian uses of nuclear technologies and national science
policy, areas in which Domenici has played a prominent national
role.

Before that, Lyons worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
for 28 years, including serving the last three years of that
tenure as director of the LANL Industrial Partnership Office,
having held executive positions in energy and environment,
defense research and applications and nuclear defense research.

Lyons received his doctorate degree in nuclear physics from the
California Institute of Technology in 1969 and his B.S. degree
in physics/math from the University of Arizona in 1964.

While in Los Alamos, he was elected to serve for a total of 16
years on the Los Alamos School Board and six years on the
University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Branch Advisory Board.

"Los Alamos provided an environment where I was able to work in
a wide variety of different areas," he said.

His background included weapons, test diagnosis, management,
environment industry partnership programs, and Defense
Department nuclear research.

"Each post brought a new set of challenges and contacts and a
certain degree of versatility," he said.   

  Š 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.   
*****************************************************************
 20 Newsday: SHOREHAM: Wind turbines dedicated at defunct nuke plant

Newsday.com      

  Photos  
    
Adrienne Esposito and Chris O'Connor (NEWSDAY PHOTO/KAREN WILES 
STABILE)

 	January 25, 2005, 3:07 PM EST

 Two new wind turbines were dedicated today at the site of the
defunct Shoreham nuclear power plant that was decommissioned a
decade ago.
 
The turbines are capable of generating as much as 200,000
kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, the Long Island Power
Authority said in a news release. The turbines stand about 100
feet tall and use 25-foot blades to produce power.
 
LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel and anti-Shoreham activists were
among those who dedicated the turbines.
 
The turbines are part of LIPA's Clean Energy Initiative. LIPA
also is developing a large-scale offshore wind-generating
project capable of producing about 140 megawatts of electricity,
which is enough to supply more than 40,000 average-sized homes.
 
That project is expected to be located southwest of Robert Moses
State Park. 	 


 	Copyright Š 2005, Newsday, Inc.	   
*****************************************************************
 21 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
 
                         FR Doc 05-1282 
[Federal Register: January 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 15)] 
[Notices] [Page 3567-3568] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr25ja05-69]                         
 
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Pharmacopeia, 
Incorporated's Facility in Monmouth Junction, NJ AGENCY: Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission.
 
ACTION: Notice of availability.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Nicholson, Commercial and R 
Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 
Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406, telephone 
(610) 337-5236, fax (610) 337-5269; or by email: .
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) is issuing a license amendment to Pharmacopeia, 
Inc. for Materials License No. 29-30152-01, to authorize release 
of its facility in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey for unrestricted 
use. NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support 
of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 
51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be 
issued following the publication of this Notice.
 
II. EA Summary The purpose of the action is to authorize the 
release of the licensee's Monmouth Junction, New Jersey facility 
for unrestricted use. Pharmacopeia, Inc. was authorized by NRC 
from February 1999 to use radioactive materials for research and 
development purposes at the site. On April 28, 2004, 
Pharmacopeia, Inc. requested that NRC release the facility for 
unrestricted use. Pharmacopeia, Inc. has conducted surveys of the 
facility and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that 
the site meets the license termination criteria in Subpart E of 
10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted use. Pharmacopeia, Inc. will 
continue licensed activities at another location, as authorized 
by the license.
 
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the license 
amendment. The facility was remediated and surveyed prior to the 
licensee requesting the license amendment. The NRC staff has 
reviewed the information and final status survey submitted by 
Pharmacopeia, Inc. Based on its review, the staff has determined 
that there are no additional remediation activities necessary to 
complete the proposed action. Therefore, the staff considered the 
impact of the residual radioactivity at the facility and 
concluded that since the residual radioactivity meets the 
requirements in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20, a Finding of No 
Significant Impact is appropriate.
 
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the 
EA (summarized above) in support of the license amendment to 
release the facility for unrestricted use.
 
The NRC staff has evaluated Pharmacopeia, Inc.''s request and the 
results of the surveys and has concluded that the completed 
action complies with the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR Part 20. 
The staff has found that the environmental impacts from the 
action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496, 
Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support 
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of 
NRC-Licensed Facilities' (ML042310492, ML042320379, and 
ML042330385). On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that 
the environmental impacts from the action are expected to be 
insignificant and has determined not to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the action.
 
 
[[Page 3568]] IV. Further Information Documents related to this 
action, including the application for the license amendment and 
supporting documentation, are available electronically at the 
NRC's Electronic Reading Room at .
 
From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document 
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and 
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession 
numbers for the documents related to this Notice are: The 
Environmental Assessment (ML043340345), Letter dated April 28, 
2004, requesting the amendment (ML041330096), Letter dated 
September 14, 2004, providing additional information 
(ML042720160), and Letter from New Jersey Department of 
Environmental Protection dated November 15, 2004 (ML043290297). 
Please note that on October 25, 2004, the NRC terminated public 
access to ADAMS and initiated an additional security review of 
publicly available documents to ensure that potentially sensitive 
information is removed from the ADAMS database accessible through 
the NRC's web site. Interested members of the public may obtain 
copies of the referenced documents for review and/or copying by 
contacting the Public document Room pending resumption of public 
access to ADAMS. The NRC Public documents Room is located at NRC 
Headquarters in Rockville, MD, and can be contacted at (800) 
397-4209 or (301) 415- 4737, or by email to . The PDR 
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. The PDR is 
open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
on Federal holidays.
 
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 14 day of January, 
2005.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
James Dwyer, Chief, Commercial and R Branch, Division of Nuclear 
Materials Safety Region I.
 
[FR Doc. 05-1282 Filed 1-24-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 22 WSTM: Nuclear plants cut 51 nonunion jobs

   January 26, 2005         
  
SCRIBA, N.Y. Constellation Energy has cut 51 jobs at its two Lake 
Ontario nuclear plants and plans to eliminate more.A company 
spokeswoman says no decision was made on how many more workers at 
the Nine Mile Point plants could be eliminated.

Those who lost their jobs were non-union workers, and officials 
say the company will meet soon with union leaders to discuss 
further layoffs.

Baltimore-based Constellation also laid off 34 workers at its 
Calvert Cliffs nuclear plants in Maryland.Constellation acquired 
the Nine Mile Point nuclear plants in Oswego County in 2001 from 
Niagara Mohawk, which employed 13-hundred people at the 
facilities, located 45 miles north of Syracuse.

Constellation has spent more than 50 (m) million dollars to 
upgrade the plants and is seeking permission to extend their 
40-year operating licenses by 20 years. The company also recently 
acquired the Ginna (guh-NAY') nuclear plant, on Lake Ontario near 
Rochester. 

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
  
Copyright 2000 - 2005 WorldNow and WSTM, a Raycom Media Station.
*****************************************************************
 23 NRC: Sunshine Act; Meeting
 
                         FR Doc 05-1351 
[Federal Register: January 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 15)] 
[Notices] [Page 3569] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr25ja05-71]                         
 
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
DATE: Weeks of January 24, 31; February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2005.
 
PLACE: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland.
 
STATUS: Public and Closed.
 
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: Week of January 24, 2005 Monday, 
January 24, 2005, 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues 
(Closed--Ex. 1); 1:30 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues 
(Closed--Ex. 1, 2, 3, & 4).
 
Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security 
Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). Week of January 31, 2005--Tentative 
Thursday, February 3, 2005, 9:30 a.m. Briefing of Human Capital 
Initiatives (Closed--Ex. 2). Week of February 7, 2005--Tentative 
There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of February 7, 2005.
 
Week of February 14, 2005--Tentative Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 
9:30 a.m. Briefing on Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards Programs, Performance, and Plans--Waste Safety (Public 
Meeting) (Contact: Jessica Shin, (301) 415-8117).
 
This meeting will be webcast live at the Web 
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
 
Week of February 21, 2005--Tentative Tuesday, February 22, 2005, 
9:30 a.m. Briefing on Status of Office of the Chief Information 
Officer (OCIO) Programs, Performance, and Plans (Public Meeting) 
(Contact: Patricia Wolfe, (301) 415-6031).
 
This meeting will be webcast live at the Web 
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
 
1:30 p.m. Briefing on Emergency Preparedness Program Initiatives 
(Closed--Ex. 1). (This meeting was originally scheduled for 
February 15, 2005).
 
Wednesday, February 23, 2005, 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Status of 
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). Programs, 
Performance, and Plans (Public Meeting) (Contact: Edward New, 
(301) 415-5646.
 
This meeting will be webcast live at the Web 
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
 
Thursday, February 24, 2005, 1 p.m. Briefing on Nuclear Fuel 
Performance (Public Meeting). (Contact: Frank Akstulewicz, (301) 
415-1136).
 
This meeting will be webcast live at the Web 
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
 
Week of February 28, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings 
scheduled for the Week of February 28, 2005.
 
Note: The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change 
on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call 
(recording)-- (301) 415-1292. Contact person for more 
information: Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415-1651.
 
* * * * * ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: By a vote of 3-0 on January 19, 
2005, the Commission determined pursuant to U.S.C. 552b(e) and 
Sec. 9.107(a) of the Commission's rules that ``Affirmation of 
Proposed Order Resolving Public Citizen's Request for Hearing on 
the Commission's July 2, 2004, Spent Fuel Security Order,'' be 
held January 19, 2005, and on less than one week's notice to the 
public.
 
* * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the 
Internet at: 
http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html. * * * 
* * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with 
disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable 
accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need 
this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from 
the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large 
print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator, 
August Spector, at (301) 415-7080, TDD: (301) 415- 2100, or by 
e-mail at aks@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable 
accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
 
* * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred 
subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like 
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the 
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555, (301) 415-1969. In addition, 
distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is 
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission 
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic 
message to dkw@nrc.gov. January 19, 2005.
 
Dave Gamberoni, Office of the Secretary.
 
[FR Doc. 05-1351 Filed 1-21-05; 9:23 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M

 
*****************************************************************
 24 Guardian Unlimited: Reactor in Southeast Michigan Shut Down
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Tuesday January 25, 2005 4:31 AM

FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A nuclear power plant in
Michigan was shut down Monday after a coolant leak was detected,
officials said. 

Officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and DTE Energy
said water leaked from a non-radioactive cooling system at the
plant about 30 miles south of Detroit. No radioactive water
leaked, officials said. 

The leak was fixed Monday night and the power company was
working with the NRC to determine a schedule to restart the
reactor, said Len Singer, a spokesman for DTE, which operates
the Fermi 2 plant. 
  
        

      Guardian Unlimited Š Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
 25 [du-list] Iraq meetings in Manchester and Liverpool
 
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 14:36:28 -0800

 
<x-flowed>
Paying the Price - Saving the Children of Iraq!

Public Meeting

Over One Million Iraqi Children died, in the silent Holocaust that was the 
UN imposed Sanctions regime between the years of 1991-2003!

Paying the Price - Saving the Children of Iraq, is going to be looking at 
the lives of the ordinary Iraqi people and their families during the 
Sanctions era, along with the work of those heroic people and organisations 
such as CARE International, which was headed by Margaret Hassan and the 
Human Relief Foundation, who through war and the social destruction of an 
entire country, continued to go back to Iraq and help the ordinary Iraqi 
people in their daily struggles against poverty, starvation and the loss of 
an entire generation.

Paying the Price - Saving the Children of Iraq are two special public 
meetings that will be addressed by award winning free-lance journalist Ms. 
Felicity Arbuthnot, a devoted campaigner for the Iraqi people, who through 
television documentaries, radio shows, endless speaking tours around the 
world and through newspaper articles - managed to expose to the people in 
the Western world, the true destructive nature, that this policy has had on 
a part of the world, that is heralded as: "the cradle of civilisation".


  Paying the Price - Saving the Children of Iraq!

Speaker:
  Ms. Felicity Arbuthnot

Manchester Meeting!
Date: Wednesday 26th January   Time: 7-30pm
Venue: The Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester
(behind the Central Reference Library)

Liverpool Meeting!
Date: Thursday 27th January  Time: 7-30pm
Venue: The CASA Club, 29 Hope Street, Liverpool
(ten minutes from the Lime Street Train Station).

Organised by the Iraq Solidarity Campaign (UK),
Sponsored by the Middle East Cultural Association
and the New Internationalist

For more information please call: 0161 882 0188 / 07946 783 801
E-mail: MCR_Coalition@yahoo.co.uk
Postal Address: Iraq Solidarity Campaign, C/o Bridge 5 Mill, 22a Beswick 
Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 7HR, the UK.

website: www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com








The Iraq Solidarity Campaign


		
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*****************************************************************
 26 The Australian: Toxic dust probe launched 

[January 25, 2005]
 	 	
THE Defence Department has launched an investigation into fears 
Navy sailors may have been exposed to toxic dust.

The Naval Tankerman Association believes up to 3000 sailors who 
worked on the ships HMAS Supply and HMAS Melbourne may have been 
exposed to beryllium dust generated by cleaning equipment known 
as jason pistols.

 Beryllium is a heavy metal that has been linked to cancer and 
respiratory disease. 

The association said personnel who served on the ships between 
the 1950s and 1985, when the machines were taken out of service, 
had reported mysterious spots on their lungs and other 
complaints.

 An investigation was under way, a Defence Department spokesman 
said today. 

"We are currently investigating the extent to which jason pistol
needles containing beryllium were used in the navy, in which
ships, and over what time frame," the spokesman said.

 "This is a difficult undertaking that may take some time.

 "Relevant records from decades ago will need to be sourced and
collated to help us build a clear picture of the extent of this
problem."

 The results of the investigation would be passed on to the
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), the spokesman said.

 "Ex-servicemen or women can lodge a claim with the DVA if they
believe they have a service-related health problem, including
those who believe they have had exposure to beryllium dust which
has had a detrimental health impact," he said.

 Serving Navy members who believed they may have been exposed to
beryllium dust were encouraged to speak with their unit medical
staff.

 But medical records more than two decades old may not be
consistent in the way beryllium exposure was identified and
recorded.

 And the Navy was unaware of any proven cases of
occupation-related beryllium disease.

 Association national president Bob Currin said his members
would co-operate with the investigation, but it did not go far
enough.

 "What we were looking for is for them to say `Go out and get
tested and bill us'," Mr Currin said.

 "DVA or Military Compensation won't give you a zac until they
are proved at fault.

 "How long is the investigation going to take while, in the
meantime, our members and their families are suffering anxiety?"

 Mr Currin supported a call yesterday by the opposition for an
inquiry similar to one into complaints by RAAF F1-11 maintenance
workers about the toxic effects of sealants and cleaning
products. 
		 			 			
terms      Š The Australian   
*****************************************************************
 27 Bellona: 20 submarine reactor compartments to be shipped for storage by August
 
The floating dock Pallada, which took part in Kursk operation,
will ship the empty reactor compartments to Sayda Bay on the
Kola Peninsula. 

2005-01-24 17:34

By 2007, 120 reactor compartments should be placed in the
on-shore storage facility in Sayda bay. Shipyard Nerpas
specialists prepare the empty reactor compartments for the
shipment and further storage, i.e. they secure that the reactor
compartments are hermetic and floatable. The Pallada dock will
ship these compartments to the Sayda bay. It is expected that 20
reactor compartments will be already shipped by August. The
German specialists from Energiewerke Nord company are monitoring
the schedule and the quality of works, Interfax reported. 

Pallada dock, which was used for Kursk submarine shipment to the
Nerpa shipyard, is the main part in the Russian-German deal,
which is aimed at cleaning up the contaminated Sayda Bay and
providing, over the course of the next six years, a temporary
onshore reactor compartment storage facility. The 300m
expenditure is seen by Germany as part of its obligation to the
framework of the 10 plus 10 over 10 plan agreed upon by the
Group of Eight industrialised nations, or G-8, in 2002 at the
groups summit in Kananaskis, Canada. 
  
  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
*****************************************************************
 28 Salt Lake Tribune: Worth a Thousand Words: Nuclear 'poisonous
chalice' 

Last Updated: 01/24/2005 02:36:42 AM 

Films, exhibit look at Chernobyl, today's terrorist threat 

By Jason Bergreen The Salt Lake Tribune 

Kent Miles, director of photography at the Center for 
Documentary Arts, shows some photos that will be on display for 
"Chernobyl Legacy: Witnessing the Health Ramifications of a 
Nuclear Fall-Out." It will be at the Salt Lake City Main Library 
Jan. 25 to Feb. 25. (Danny Chan La/The Salt Lake Tribune) 

While Sundance premieres a plethora of independent films this 
week, a new documentary by one of the festival's 1999 grand 
prize jury nominees will make its Utah debut at the "Chernobyl 
Legacy" art exhibit in Salt Lake City. 

"Indian Point: Imagine the Unimaginable," by Rory Kennedy, 
looks at the potential consequences of an accident or terrorist 
attack occurring at Indian Point nuclear power plant, located 35 
miles north of midtown Manhattan. 

"It's a ridiculously obvious target," Kennedy said in a 
recent phone interview with The Tribune. "If we're not 
protecting Indian Point, then what are we protecting?" 

The documentary, which premiered last September on HBO, will 
be shown during Tuesday's opening reception of Paul Fusco and 
Magdalena Caris' photographic exhibition, "Chernobyl Legacy: 
Witnessing the Health Ramifications of a Nuclear Fall-Out." 

The exhibition is composed of black and white photos Fusco 
shot between 1997 and 2000 of the residents of Belarus affected 
by the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl, Ukraine, nuclear 
disaster. Additional photos of the disaster were taken by 
Magdalena Caris. 

"What a wonderful combination," Fusco said Sunday from his 
home in New Jersey. "Do a film about the danger and then show 
folks that it happens and it's real." 

The exhibition, sponsored by the Salt Lake Film Center, runs 
Jan. 25 to Feb. 25 in the Lower Urban Room of the Salt Lake 
City Main Library. 

Marisha Romer, a public relations representative for the 
center, said she hopes Kennedy's film and Fusco's and Caris' 
photos will spark a dialogue among Utahns about how to address 
the issue of storing low-level nuclear waste in Utah. 

"The kind of argument advanced by the documentary is, 'Do we 
understand the poisonous chalice of nuclear fuel?' " Romer said. 

In his state of the state address last week, Utah Gov. Jon 
Huntsman Jr. vowed to prohibit class B and C radioactive waste 
from being dumped in Utah. Class B and C waste can be thousands 
of times more radioactive than lower level waste already legally 
disposed of in Utah. 

Jason Groenewold, spokesman for Healthy Environment Alliance 
Utah, which is also sponsoring the exhibition, said it's 
important that Utahns not forget "the tragic history of nuclear 
power, nuclear testing and nuclear waste," in Utah. 

"A picture can tell a thousand words and describe the health 
consequences when something goes wrong with nuclear poisoning," 
he said. 

Making "Indian Point" took about nine months from development 
through production and didn't come without a few road bumps, 
Kennedy said. She said the company that owns Indian Point Energy 
Center and several New York state politicians declined her 
request for interviews. 

Kennedy, a New York City resident and the youngest daughter 
of Robert F. Kennedy, became concerned with Indian Point safety 
standards after the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001. 
About 20 million people live within a 50-mile radius of the 
nuclear power plant. 

In her documentary, Kennedy concludes that Indian Point 
should be closed, or at the very least, significant safety 
upgrades need to be made to ensure against potentially dangerous 
public health risks and devastating financial consequences for 
New York. 

Kennedy's documentary, "American Hollow," about the extreme 
poverty and hardships of a Kentucky family living in rural 
Appalachia, was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize award at 
Sundance in 1999. 

Also being shown at the opening of Tuesday's exhibition is 
the Oscar winning film, "Chernobyl Heart," by director Maryann 
DeLeo. 

jbergreen@sltrib.com 

ÂŠ Copyright 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. 
*****************************************************************
 29 Scotsman.com: Nuclear Accident Clean-Up Service to Be Set Up
 
Tue 25 Jan 2005   			 			
 		   	 	
By Trevor Mason, PA Parliamentary Editor 

A UK-wide service to provide decontamination advice and
assistance in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological
or nuclear incident is to be set up, the Government announced
today.
 
Environment Minister Elliot Morley said the Government
Decontamination Service (GDS) would help regularly test
arrangements to deal with an incident, deliberate or accidental.
 
âIt will rigorously assess the ability of companies in the
private sector to carry out decontamination operations and
ensure that responsible authorities have access to those
services if the need arises.â
 
In a written ministerial statement, Mr Morley said the GDS will
advise government on the national capability for the
decontamination of buildings in the event of a major release of
chemical, biological or radioactive materials.

*****************************************************************
 30 Public Citizen: Rule to Permit Higher Doses of Food Irradiation 
Is Flawed, Public Citizen Says
 
Jan. 24, 2005 

FDA Failed to Consider Long-Term Health Effects of Increased
Radiation Doses 

WASHINGTON, D.C.  A recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) decision to increase by 50 percent the maximum radiation
dose that can be used to irradiate food raises questions about
the health effects of consuming such food and should be
reconsidered, Public Citizen told the agency today in a letter.
Public Citizen believes the rule should be revoked and is
requesting a public hearing. 

The rule, on which final comments are due today, would
significantly boost the dose of X-rays that could be used to
irradiate fruit, vegetables, beef, poultry, pork, eggs and
spices from 5 million electron volts to 7.5 million electron
volts. The higher doses will allow large portions of food  such
as shipping containers from overseas  to be irradiated in one
blast.  

The rule may result in some radioactivity in food depending on
the energy applied, the type of food and how soon it is eaten
after it is irradiated. While the radioactivity is likely to be
temporary, questions about its effect on food and consumers
remain. The FDA was reckless to not assess cancer risks
associated with the new rule, the letter said. 

The FDA has a long history of ignoring questions about the
long-term effects of eating irradiated food. Numerous health
problems have been observed in lab animals fed irradiated foods,
including premature death, stillbirths, mutations, tumors, organ
damage and stunted growth. Chemicals formed in irradiated foods
called 2-alkylcyclobutanones have been linked to colon cancer in
rats and genetic damage in human cells. 

This is a risky call considering there is evidence to suggest
that irradiations byproducts may be dangerous for our health,
said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizens food program.
The governments first priority should be the health and safety
of American consumers, but this ruling is designed to benefit
industry. Before issuing a rule of this magnitude, the FDA
should conduct safety studies on how this increased dosage will
affect consumers. Otherwise, we all become guinea pigs. 

*****************************************************************
 31 AU ABC: Navy urges ex-personnel to lodge beryllium claims. 

26/01/2005.

The Australian Navy says any ex-servicemen and women who believe
they may have health problems from working with a specialised
paint stripping tool should lodge a claim with the Veterans'
Affairs Department.
 
The Navy says the hydraulic tool which was used in the past to
strip paint from ships generated beryllium dust.

 "Navy no longer uses jason pistol needles containing beryllium
but acknowledges that jason pistol needles containing beryllium
were used in the past," it said in a statement.

 It says in very rare cases, exposure to the dust can lead to
the development of chronic lung disease.

 The Navy is investigating the extent to which the equipment was
used, but says it is unaware of any proven cases of
"occupationally-caused" beryllium disease.

 "Records from over 20 years ago may not be comprehensive or
consistent in the way possible exposure was identified and
recorded," it said. 

Š 2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
*****************************************************************
 32 NRDC: GROUPS URGE EMERGENCY STANDARD FOR ROCKET FUEL IN DRINKING WATER

[Natural Resources Defense Council]                                                                    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Press contact: Gina Solomon, NRDC, 415-875-6100; Sujatha
Jahagirdar, Environment California, 323-309-6120; Bill Walker,
Environmental Working Group, 510-444-0973 ext. 301
 If you are not a member of the press, please write to us at
nrdcinfo@nrdc.orgor see our contact page.

 Environmentalists Say State Should Strengthen Protection for
Pregnant Woman and Infants

(January 25, 2005) -- Environmental, health and community groups
today petitioned the state to act aggressively to protect
pregnant women, their fetuses and newborn infants from a toxic
rocket fuel chemical. The petition to the California
Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health
Services calls for immediate action to lower the amount of the
chemical perchlorate allowed in drinking water. 

"Rocket fuel in drinking water threatens our children," said
Sujatha Jahagirdar, Environment California Research & Policy
Center Clean Water Policy Advocate. "California should act
immediately to protect the public." 

The petition urges Cal-EPA to lower its perchlorate safety
recommendation to one part per billion (1 ppb) and set an
emergency standard to accelerate cleanup. 

The state's currently proposed standard is 6 ppb. But the
petition cited new data on perchlorate's toxicity and widespread
contamination of water, milk and food, plus a new state law
requiring drinking water standards to take into consideration
the health of pregnant women and infants, as reasons a lower
level is needed. After issuing an emergency standard, state
officials would be required to review the data and issue a final
standard within 240 days. 

The groups urged state officials to immediately consider the
study released earlier this month by the National Research
Council (NRC), and recent Food and Drug Administration tests
that found perchlorate contamination of food and milk is more
widespread than previously thought. Under a law signed last year
by Gov. Schwarzenegger (AB 2342-Jackson) the state must review
the effects of perchlorate on pregnant women and infants in
developing a perchlorate standard. 

"Once California accounts for widespread contamination of food
and the need to protect pregnant women and newborns, the
conclusion is clear," said Dr. Gina Solomon, a physician with
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "The scientific
evidence points toward a perchlorate standard of one part per
billion." 

Perchlorate, the major component of solid rocket propellant,
contaminates more than 350 California drinking water sources,
including the Colorado River. In small concentrations it can
interfere with the thyroid gland's ability to produce hormones,
resulting in a potential increase of learning disabilities and
attention deficit disorder in children. 

The groups warned that the Pentagon and defense industry are
pushing to allow much higher levels of perchlorate in drinking
water -- 200 to 350 ppb. They said the lobbying effort had
already succeeded in getting the NRC to dismiss studies showing
adverse effects on young animals' brains at low doses, and to
recommend a safe level based on body weight that was higher than
recommended by the U.S. EPA. Despite these concerns, the
petition states if the NRC's safe level is adjusted for babies'
body weight and all sources of exposure including milk and food
are considered, as NRC panelists have publicly urged, the safe
level in drinking water should be 1 ppb or less. 

"The State of California is charged with the responsibility to
ensure that all Californians drink safe water," asserted Renee
Sharp, Policy Analyst with the Environmental Working Group. "In
addition to national studies that point toward a one part per
billion standard, the law now requires us to strongly consider
the effects of perchlorate on infants and pregnant women." 

"Communities across the state are crying for the state to act
immediately," concluded Andria Ventura, Environmental Health
Organizer for Clean Water Action. "We hope that state
policy-makers take the task of protecting our children
seriously," added Penny Newman of the Center for Community
Action and Environmental Justice. "Any cleanup standard should
protect kids from learning disabilities and other lifelong
problems. Anything less is unacceptable." 

Signatories to the petition submitted to the California
Department of Health Services and Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment included: Environment California, Natural
Resources Defense Council, Environmental Working Group, Sierra
Club California, Clean Water Action, Center for Community Action
& Environmental Justice, INSIST and Citizens for Chuckwalla
Valley. 

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit
organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental
specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the
environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million
members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New
York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

*****************************************************************
 33 Independent: Uranium mining fight intensifies

- January 24, 2005: 

By Kathy Helms Diné Bureau 

WINDOW ROCK  Members of the Eastern Navajo Allottee Association 
were expected to be out in protest this morning at the opening of 
the Navajo Nation Council's Winter Session in an attempt to call 
attention to proposed legislation which would ban uranium 
development on Navajoland. 

The allottees question how they are going to develop property 
that belongs to them if there is a ban on uranium mining. 

Benjamin House, president of Eastern Navajo Allottee Association, 
who lives in Continental Divide, said, "I think the councilmen 
are going down the wrong track, proposing to cap uranium not only 
on the reservation but to extend out to the Eastern Navajo 
Agency, which is considered Indian Country." 

"We're concerned with our minerals, we're concerned with our 
land. It belongs to the allottees and they're very disturbed and 
upset about what's going on," said House, who also works as a 
consultant for Hydro Resources Inc. (HRI). 

HRI recently announced plans to begin in-situ leach mining to 
extract uranium ore at the Church Rock Section 8 mine in McKinley 
County in less than two years. The Texas-based company plans to 
operate other in-situ leach mines through its Crownpoint Uranium 
Solution Mining Project. 

Eastern Allottees took out a full-page advertisement in 
Saturday's Gallup Independent, asking that they be given due 
consideration by council pertaining to uranium issues and 
development of their land. 

House said, "These allottees, they are people that signed a lease 
with the company. ... Somewhere between 1988 and 1992, that's 
when the leases were signed." Now, he said, the allottees "are 
afraid if they put a cap on resources, then it's not going to 
help them." 

He believes the in-situ technology is safe and wants the matter 
opened up for research to demonstrate that "we still can mine 
without repeating what happened in the 1950s and 1960s." He 
claims that Resources Chairman George Arthur and his committee 
did not sit down with allottees to discuss the uranium 
legislation. "It's just like a railroad job, that's what it 
is,"he said. 

Water and uranium Hogback Delegate Ervin Keeswood brought up the 
allottee issue during the recent special session in which council 
approved a proposed settlement of the Navajo Nation's claims to 
water in the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico. 

Keeswood said he believes the Navajo Nation is creating problems 
for itself in reference to including the allottees without 
consulting them on the matter of taking their water and making it 
part of Navajo water. 

"I think this is going to become an interesting subject because 
that may stop the process until they're not only consulted, but 
until somebody tells them this is exactly the amount of water 
they're entitled to. According to the documents that we approved, 
the allottees would have to come to the Navajo Nation central 
government to ask for the privilege of using their own water," 
Keeswood explained. 

That's going to be problematic for individuals, Keeswood said. 
When he brought up the issue during council, "the response from 
the Navajo Department of Justice was basically, 'If they want to 
utilize water for developing a homesite lease, then they just 
have to go through the process of coming to Water Development and 
there's no problem.'" 

"If they go beyond that and try to develop something more in an 
allotment, basically, then they would probably have to adjudicate 
their rights as far as water is concerned," he said. 

"But this is interesting. While we are saying its Navajo water, 
the process in the document shows that the waters at NIIP (Navajo 
Indian Irrigation Project) would actually be used when waters are 
requested through a certain process by the allottees. We would 
take NIIP water and satisfy them," he said. 

Council will be asked this week to approve another piece of 
legislation from Arthur requesting New Mexico's congressional 
delegation initiate legislation which calls for fully funding and 
completing construction of NIIP. The San Juan proposed settlement 
agreement originally called for completion of NIIP, but that 
portion of the legislation was removed after complaints from New 
Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici. 

In-situ pros, consIn-situ leaching, also known as solution 
mining, involves leaving the ore in the ground and pumping 
liquids through it to recover the minerals by leaching. One of 
the advantages is there is little surface disturbance and no 
tailings or waste rock generated. Hazards to employees from 
accidents, dust, and radiation are reduced in comparison to 
conventional mining techniques. It is also relatively low cost. 

But there are drawbacks to the in-situ leaching technology, such 
as the risk of spreading leaching liquid outside the uranium 
deposit and subsequently contaminating groundwater. 

According to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on 
HRI's Crownpoint Uranium Solution Mining Project, site-specific 
tests conducted by HRI did not demonstrate that the proposed 
groundwater restoration standards could be achieved at a 
production scale. 

A conservative analysis by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) staff suggests there is a potential risk that restoration 
of groundwater at the Crownpoint site might result in uranium 
concentrations at the town's drinking water wells that exceed the 
NRC standard for uranium in groundwater, but would still fall 
within the New Mexico Drinking Water Standard. 

Righting past wrongs The uranium legislation before council this 
week would enact the Din Natural Resources Protection Act of 
2005. The legislation sponsored by Resources' George Arthur would 
ban any further uranium mining activities in whatever form "until 
such time as the federal government and all responsible people 
address the wrong that has happened in prior years," Arthur said 
recently. 

"We still have a lot of unanswered questions that relate to 
health; the ongoing long-term effects that the uranium industry 
has exposed to the Navajo people," he said. 

The federal government enacted the Radiation Exposure 
Compensation Act (RECA) in 1990 to provide payments to 
individuals who became ill from cancer and other life-threatening 
diseases as a result of their employment with the uranium mining 
industry during the Cold War. 

In April 2003, a study by the U.S. General Accounting Office 
found that since RECA was expanded in 2000, there has been a 
significant increase in the number of claims filed. In fiscal 
year 2002, RECA was appropriated funds to cover a 10-year period 
(through 2011). 

However, the Congressional Budget Office and the Department of 
Justice estimate that funding levels will not be enough to meet 
the number of claims anticipated. The Navajo Uranium Radiation 
Victims Committee was to present a report to council today on the 
RECA Amendments of 2000. 

The grass-roots group Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining 
(ENDAUM) is calling for support of the ban on uranium mining. If 
council does not pass the legislation this session, according to 
Lynnea Smith, project specialist for ENDAUM, it may be too late 
by spring session. 

ENDAUM fears that Domenici could expedite legislation in Congress 
that could bar the Navajo Nation from regulating uranium mining. 

"Water is more valuable than uranium. We still have people 
suffering from uranium mining illnesses who must be compensated. 
We still have people living next to uranium waste dumps that have 
never been cleaned up. The Navajo people have paid with their 
lives mining uranium and it has gotten them nothing," Smith said.     

Monday January 24, 2005 Selected Stories: Independent veteran to 
retire after nearly 50 years with paper: Castaneda witnessed 
revolution in industry
 
Uranium mining fight intensifies
 
Art of Law Enforcement: Deputy incorporates hobby, work
 
Spiritual program funding is axed
 
Gallup student blowing up a storm 
Deaths   
  
*****************************************************************
 34 UK The Times: Nuclear waste From the Minister for Environment
 
January 26, 2005                       
 
Sir, There is no dithering on the disposal of nuclear waste 
(report, January 18). I make no apology for asking the Committee 
on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) to consider all options 
for long-term disposal and report by July 2006. That is the 
responsible way forward. In the meantime, high-level nuclear 
waste is safely and securely stored. 

There is no consensus on deep disposal. Nirexs proposal for an 
underground repository was basically ruled out at public inquiry 
in 1997. That project cost many millions of pounds for nothing. 
Some form of deep disposal may still be an option but because one 
country has gone for this option does not automatically mean it 
is suitable here. This is why CoRWM is considering all potential 
options in consultation with the public and interested parties. 

Yours faithfully,
ELLIOT MORLEY,
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs,
Nobel House,
17 Smith Square, SW1P 3JR.
January 20. 

Copyright The Times - timesonline.co.uk
*****************************************************************
 35 Bradenton Herald: County should hear fear in Tallevast

| 01/25/2005 | 

Residents deserve timely, well-researched answers

The impatience of Tallevast residents is understandable. Who
wouldn't want immediate action if they were living atop what one
community leader called "a virtual time bomb?" 

When the issue is moving 85 families to new homes, it is
unreasonable to expect a fast decision by either county or state
government. It is not unreasonable, however, to expect the
county to quickly acknowledge the request for relocation that
Tallevast leaders made. Officers of FOCUS, Tallevast's community
action organization, sent a letter asking for immediate
relocation to County Administrator Ernie Padgett and all seven
county commissioners on Jan. 6. Two weeks later- a week after
their deadline - they had received no response, according to
Wanda Washington. 

This is unacceptable. Tallevast residents have been threatened
by a plume of chemical contaminants leaked from the former
American Beryllium Co. plant, but were kept in the dark about
the threat to their health for three years after state
regulatory officials began investigating. During that time they
continued to use water from potentially contaminated wells for
daily living, including drinking and bathing. It is not known
what harm that lack of knowledge did to their long-term health.
Now, with testing ongoing to determine the extent of the
underground pollution, they deserve prompt answers to any of
their concerns about this issue. Anyone would expect as much. 

However, it would be unwise to try moving families to new homes
somewhere else before the testing is complete. Well-drilling
continues to map the path of the pollution plume, and it is
taking more time than the original Jan. 31 completion date.
That's because drillers are getting positive readings farther
out than anticipated in some areas, and each time that happens
they are required to punch through five additional wells short
distances apart to determine the plume's boundaries. Once that
is completed, the scientists can begin to assess the scope of
the cleanup process. 

It is then, too, that consideration can be given to relocating
affected residents if necessary. Certainly those closest to the
plume may have to move out if it is beneath their homes or if
soil needs to be removed from their yards. But what about those
whose homes are a distance from the plume? Doubtless many would
resent being told they had to vacate their homes and move
somewhere else if there were no foreseeable health threat. 

Indeed, no one can say for sure what the health risk is to
anyone living in the shadow of the former beryllium plant.
Washington and Laura Ward, another FOCUS officer, worry that
disturbing the soil to drill wells and to lay water lines to
connect their homes to the county water system may increase
their families' exposure to dangerous chemicals. Ward said her
entire family has been made sick by fumes from the drilling.
Washington said other residents have complained of migraines,
bronchitis and diarrhea. Could it be a coincidence? "I don't
think so," she told a Herald reporter. 

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the concerns of Ward
and Washington and the residents they represent. The situation
in which they are trapped is an unfortunate consequence of a too
easy-going attitude toward handling of toxic materials like
beryllium in decades past. That cannot be undone in one month or
one year, as much as everyone may wish it to be. 

As desperately as Tallevast residents want answers - and help -
too-hasty action could be a mistake, too. County officials
should take seriously their request for relocation and begin
considering possible solutions. But until the extent of the
problem is better identified, they should not start moving an
entire community. As Padgett accurately observed the other day,
that is "a very significant request."   

*****************************************************************
 36 Bradenton Herald: Tallevast assured of free blood tests

| 01/25/2005 | 

Some residents thought money might be diverted

 DONNA WRIGHT

 Herald Staff Writer

All Tallevast residents who want to be screened for beryllium
sensitivity will get blood tests, the Manatee County Health
Department director confirmed Monday. 

The county's decision to reimburse former Loral American
Beryllium Co. workers who paid for their own tests does not
count against tests for Tallevast residents, Dr. Gladys Branic
said. 

Leaders of FOCUS - Family Oriented Community United Strong, the
group representing Tallevast's interests - complained to county
officials Friday that the reimbursements are taking away money
and tests promised to residents. 

Laura Ward, FOCUS president, said at least three and perhaps
more Tallevast residents had been denied tests last week because
all of the appointments had already been booked. 

Not so, countered Branic. 

She said she and her staff are providing 250 free blood tests to
current Manatee County residents as the county commission
agreed. 

Moreover, Branic said she still has appointments available on
Wednesday, the last day of the county-funded testing program,
due to cancellations. 

The reimbursement to former workers is over and above the cost
for the 250 tests, Branic added. Nor do the 10 approved
reimbursements affect retests the county has agreed to cover for
four non-workers who had abnormal test results during the first
round of testing. 

Ward is not sure the problem is solved. 

"I don't know if that takes care of the situation until I can
talk with the residents who said they did not get an appointment
last week because there was no space for them," Ward said
Monday. 

Branic is able to cover the added tests and reimbursements
because the health department negotiated a lower price from
National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver than what
was originally budgeted. 

National Jewish is one of a handful of specialty labs offering
the blood test for beryllium sensitivity, an allergic reaction
to the dust created when the exotic metal is tooled or ground,
that can lead to chronic beryllium disease, a potentially
life-threatening lung condition. 

Former workers at the Loral American Beryllium Co. and nearby
residents were exposed to beryllium dust when the plant was in
operation. 

The state Department of Health is expected to soon announce
plans for a federally-funded beryllium screening program for
former workers and residents. That program is expected to
provide 250 more tests. 

Donna Wright, health and social services reporter, can be
reached at 745-7049 or at dwright@HeraldToday.com.   

*****************************************************************
 37 Deseret news: Hotter-waste bill awaits Envirocare announcement
 
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
 	   	 
By Lisa Riley Roche
Deseret Morning News

Lawmakers could consider the issue of banning
hotter nuclear waste from Utah as early as next week.

       SB24, a bill dealing with other hazardous waste issues,
was given preliminary approval by the Senate Monday by a vote of
26-0-3. But its sponsor, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said he
intended to delay final consideration of the bill so "major
modifications" can be made.

       Those modifications are related to an expected
announcement from the new buyers of Envirocare that they will
withdraw the company's application to import so-called Class B
and C wastes in addition the lower-level Class A material
already allowed.

       Lawmakers had balked at calling for a legal ban on the
hotter waste, fearing a lawsuit. Envirocare, the state's only
disposal facility licensed to handle radioactive waste, has
spent a considerable amount of money pursuing a permit for the
hotter waste.

       But if the application for the permit is withdrawn, the
Legislature would be able to consider the ban without worrying
about the state being sued. Company officials have declined to
comment.

       Last week, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. alluded to the situation
in his State of the State speech, telling Utahns that "by the
time this legislative session is finished, we should no longer
be discussing the possibility of B and C waste entering the
state."

       Bramble stopped short Monday of referring to the
Envirocare permit directly, but said the question facing
lawmakers is how best to deal with B and C wastes and that "the
best mechanism is to do that statutorily. . . . I think we'll
have that resolved next week."

 
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com

 Š 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company 
*****************************************************************
 38 Las Vegas SUN: NRC nominees not on level playing field on Yucca issues
 
By Suzanne Struglinski 

 SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The two newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission have to play by different rules, at least for a year,
when it comes to work related to Yucca Mountain, and that has
the critics of the nuclear dump crying foul.

 Peter Lyons, was sworn in as an NRC commissioner today after
serving eight years as a nuclear adviser to Sen. Pete Domenici,
R-N.M., one of the Senate biggest proponents of nuclear power
and storing nuclear waste at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las
Vegas.

 Lyons, a Nevada native, has a two-year term on the commission
as part of a deal struck late last year among Domenici, Sen.
Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the White House to get Greg Jaczko,
Reid's science adviser, a seat on the commission. Commissioners
usually serve five-year terms, but Lyons and Jaczko will each
serve two years and will have to be re-nominated by the White
House to retain their seats.

 Jaczko was sworn in last week, but will have to recuse himself
from Yucca matters for one year, based on the deal made in the
Senate.

 Domenici spokeswoman Marnie Funk said Lyons has no restrictions
on Yucca-related work. She said Jaczko's nomination was "very
controversial" and senators who opposed his nomination made
clear the whole Senate would not confirm him.

 "Mr. Lyons nomination has not been controversial, there was no
such request from senators or the White House and he will be
dealing with Yucca Mountain issues," Funk said.

 But Yucca critics question the double standard, particularly
because they feel Lyons worked as closely with Domenici in favor
of nuclear power as Jaczko worked with Reid against it.

 "That is immensely unbalanced and unfair," said Michele Boyd,
an analyst with the watchdog group Public Citizen, who follows
Yucca. She said time will tell if Jaczko will emerge as an
influential Yucca critic.

 "It's not clear to me yet what one person can do in a group of
five," Boyd said, referring to the fact that there are five
commissioners.

 The Nuclear Energy Institute, which opposed Jaczko's
nomination, has no problem with Lyons on the commission without
restrictions, spokesman Mitch Singer said.

 Singer has said all along the group feels it would be
inappropriate for a former nuclear industry executive to get a
seat on the commission or anyone with a clear bias one way or
the other, such as Jaczko, to be in charge of regulating the
industry.

 "We don't feel Lyons falls into that category," Singer said.

 Singer said Lyons has been involved in overall energy issues
for some time and has never really taken a position on Yucca
Mountain.

 There wasn't much time for Reid to offer an objection to the
conditions of Lyons' appointment even if he had wanted to, Reid
spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said. The White House on Wednesday
tapped Lyons to fill the second vacancy after the other
Republican nominee former Navy Vice Admiral Albert Konetzni
withdrew his name.

 "It happened very quickly," she said.

 But Reid isn't too concerned about the different set of rules
for Lyons because the senator has a lot of respect for Lyons as
scientist and as a fair arbiter of Yucca issues, Hafen said.

 Reid aides also have noted that it is unlikely that the NRC
will be acting much on Yucca this year, given that the Energy
Department project is behind schedule and given that its
application to construct the repository has not yet been
submitted.
*****************************************************************
 39 Las Vegas SUN: Lambe to take over Reid's Las Vegas office

Nevada Democratic Party Executive Director Rebecca Lambe will
join Sen. Harry Reid's staff as his Southern Nevada regional
director, according to a statement released by Reid's office
today.

 Lambe's new role will include overseeing day-to-day operations
and managing the senator's Las Vegas office, while keeping him
up to speed on matters most important to those in Nevada.

 She will replace Robert Herbert, who is returning to Washington
to work on military, veterans and transportation issues for
Reid, the Senate minority leader.

 "Rebecca is one of the best political and policy advocates in
the country and Nevada is lucky to have her," Reid said in a
statement.

 Before working in Nevada, Lambe worked as campaign manager for
Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., and also served as Carnahan's state
director, managing five district offices. Lambe graduated with
bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science and a law
degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

 

*****************************************************************
 40 Xinhua: Kenya to probe alleged nuclear waste dumping by Americans   

  www.xinhuanet.com

  www.chinaview.cn 2005-01-25 16:04:14   

    NAIROBI, Jan. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The Kenyan government will
probe whether an American company dumped nuclear waste in the
east African country under the guise of exploring for oil, local
media reported Tuesday. 

    Kenyan Minister for Environment Kalonzo Musyoka has directed
a special team to analyze soil samples from the exploration
sites inthe North Eastern province, and vowed to sue the company
if tracesof nuclear waste were found, according to The Standard,
one of theleading daily newspapers in Kenya. 

    "This is a serious and delicate matter," Musyoka was quoted
as saying, adding that he had directed the National
Environmental Management Authority to look into the alleged
dumping. 

    There are widespread fears in districts of northeastern
Kenya that an American company, which arrived in the country to
prospectfor oil in the 1980's, dumped nuclear waste in the
remote region. 

    According to the residents, the company excavated deep
trenches,which they later covered with concrete slabs. The
company officials also allegedly off-loaded huge consignments of
mysterious goods at the sites whose contents they did not want
thelocals to see. 

    Local media said residents in the affected areas have been
complaining of strange and incurable diseases, which they claim
are caused by the alleged presence of radioactive material. 

    "If results of the samples indicate the presence of
radioactivematerial, we shall unearth the rest of the substances
buried at the sites," Musyoka told The Standard. 

    A story exposing the alleged dumping was published in The
Standard on Saturday, causing strong reactions from Kenyan
officials and civil societies, who urged the Kenyan government
to come clean on the issue as soon as possible. Enditem    

  Copyright Š2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 41 REID: Floor Statement of Senator Harry Reid on Democratic Agenda
      
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 

The promise of America is a simple one. It's a promise that says
if you work hard and play by the rules you can build a stronger,
brighter future for you and your family. This promise has lived
on for generations in this country, and it's one I have lived in
my own life. 

I grew up in a small mining town in the southern tip of Nevada
called Searchlight. My dad was a hard-rock miner. My mom took in
wash. Our house had no hot water and no indoor toilet. There was
no high school in Searchlight, so I had to live with people 45
miles from our home during the week and go back to Searchlight
on weekends. 

We worked hard there, and we looked out for each other. Growing
up, I learned the value of work....what it means to be a
responsible neighbor.... the power and security of
community...and how important opportunity is in this country. 

In that school 45 minutes away, there was a teacher - Mrs.
Pickard - who took an interest in me. She understood that a good
education is key to getting ahead, so she taught me how to study
hard and succeed in school. 

And when it came time for college, once again the power of a
strong community came through. Business people in town pitched
in and helped me pay my tuition so I could go to college. And
after college, I put myself through law school working as a
police officer. 

As a result of hard work and the generosity of so many in my
hometown, I got a good education that opened so many doors. I
was able to go into business for myself and now have what I
think is the best job in the world, a United States Senator
representing the people of Nevada. 

My story is not unique. There are "Searchlights" throughout this
great country, and countless individuals whose lives have been
just as blessed as mine. 

But today these stories are becoming fewer and fewer. 

Crumbling schools and disparities in education are closing too
many of life's doors to children in inner cities and rural
communities. 

Good-paying jobs are giving way to jobs where no matter how hard
you work, it just doesn't pay the bills. 

45 million people without health care means there are too many
Americans not getting the care they need to live healthy,
prosperous lives. 

This is the America we live in today. A country whose founding
promise is slipping further and further away from reality for
too many American families. A country where a kid from
Searchlight finds it harder and harder to get ahead, despite the
generosity of neighbors, the goodwill of teachers and a
work-ethic that does not know the word quit. 

Why do we find ourselves in this state today? Why is the promise
of America - that promise that led me to this great chamber â
not still alive and well for all? 

In part because we have a government that simply does not live
up to the values upon which that promise was made. 

We have leaders whose poor planning and mismanagement sent young
kids into battle overseas without the equipment and support they
deserve to succeed on the battlefield. 

We have a government that by any measure fails to do all it can
do to make our country safe and secure. 

We have leaders that love to create crises when they donât
exist, but are content with the status quo in health care â
where there is a real crisis that is crippling our economy,
hurting large and small businesses, and pricing too many
families out of quality care. 

We have a government that has forgotten who it is responsible
to, one that has become content with feeding tens of billions to
the special interests while at the same time failing in its
commitment to tens of millions of seniors. 

America's promise will not stay alive if America's government
betrays it. 

And that is why, at the outset of this 109th Congress, Senate
Democrats are committed to restoring the promise of America by
pursuing an agenda that honors the values behind it. 

The values of: 

- Security - that the American way of life and our freedom will
be protected. 

- Opportunity - that every American can get the education and
care they need to compete for good-paying jobs. 

- Responsibility - that the United States government meets its
obligations to future and past generations. 

These values are at the core of America's promise, and are the
values that will guide the Democratic agenda as this Congress
moves forward. 

They also serve as the core principles behind the first 10
Democratic bills which I would like to introduce and talk about
today. 

First, we cannot fulfill the promise of America unless we keep
our nation strong and safe. Senate Democrats are committed to
strengthening America's security with bills that will make
America stronger and more secure. 

Democrats will ensure we target terrorists more effectively. 

We will work to increase our Special Operations forces by 2,000
to eliminate the terrorists where they are and to protect our
freedoms here at home. We will also take bold new steps to
address the institutions and conditions that incite and create
new terrorists abroad. 

To keep us safe at home, Democrats will ensure that the world's
most dangerous weapons stay out of the hands of terrorists. We
will expand the pace and scope of programs to eliminate and
safeguard nuclear materials and enhance efforts to prevent
radioactive and other deadly materials from entering the United
States. 

Democrats also understand that putting America's security first
means providing our troops and their families with the resources
they need to protect our freedom. That is why we will also work
to increase our military by up to 40,000 by 2007 so that we have
enough troops to win the peace in Iraq and fight terrorism
around the world, without extending their tours of duty or
preventing them from leaving the force when their service is up. 

We will create a Guard and Reserve Bill of Rights to protect and
promote the interests of our dedicated citizen soldiers, and
fight for the families of those who serve to recognize their
sacrifice - including providing pay security and immediate
access to health care and other benefits. 

But America will never be truly secure if we do not honor those
we ask to serve. That is why our third bill, S. 13, will fulfill
our duty to America's veterans. 

It is our duty as Americans to keep our promise to those who
served this nation in the defense of freedom. As a new
generation of soldiers becomes veterans, we are united to keep
that promise. 

Democrats will ensure that all veterans get the health care and
prescription drugs they deserve while also expanding the
availability and accessibility of mental health care. We will
ensure that no veteran is forced to choose between a retirement
and disability check, and launch a 21st Century GI Bill that
tells soldiers of today that we will help them succeed when they
return, just as we did to those great heroes who returned from
World War II. 

Second, Senate Democrats are committed to ensuring opportunity
for all Americans...to keep the American Dream alive for
families across this country. 

That means building an economy that works for all Americans,
bringing down health care costs, ensuring children get the
quality education they need to succeed in the 21st century,
building an economy that works for all Americans and giving
every voter an equal shot to have their voice heard. 

Our fourth bill, S. 14, is committed to expanding economic
opportunity. 

Today, the best way for families to get ahead is through high
quality, good paying jobs. However, these jobs are getting
harder and harder to find. Senate Democrats will fight to bring
them back. 

We will start by putting an end to tax incentives that encourage
companies to ship jobs overseas. And we will make sure those who
do work are treated fairly by restoring overtime rights for 6
million workers who lost that guarantee last year. 

But in order to have a good job, you must have an education that
allows you to compete. That is why S. 15 works to provide a
quality education for all. 

Education has always been the cornerstone of equal opportunity.
It was for me growing up in Searchlight, and it remains so today
for children across this country. 

Democrats will keep our promise to our children by increasing
support for pre-school education, fully funding No Child Left
Behind and by making sure it is implemented the right way. We
will address the shortfall of math, science and special
education teachers by creating tuition incentives for college
students to major in these fields, and we will work to make sure
that every American who wants it, can afford four years of
college with new tuition tax credits and relief from burdensome
loans. 

We will also tackle unique challenges that are making it harder
for some kids to get a good education. 

For instance, when I traveled around my state, I learned that
many rural school districts do not have safe and reliable busses
and lack the resources to buy new buses or fix the ones they
have. This leaves children no choice but to ride in outdated,
unsafe buses. That is why we will create a federal program to
help rural school districts purchase new buses that will get
kids to school in a reliable and safe manner. 

But even the best job and the best education will not make a
difference if our workers and our students cannot live healthy
lives. That is why our sixth bill, S. 16, seeks to make health
care more affordable for families and businesses. 

Spiraling health care costs are making it harder and harder for
families to buy health insurance and placing an evergrowing
burden on small businesses and manufacturers. These rising costs
dampen our economy and slow the creation of new jobs. 

That is why Senate Democrats will bring down the price of
prescription drugs by legalizing the safe importation of
FDA-approved prescription drugs from industrialized countries
where they are less expensive. At the same time, we will
increase the safety of drugs after they approved for use. We
will also ensure that every child in America has access to
health care and that every pregnant woman in America can get the
maternity care she needs. We will reduce health care costs by
creating incentives to modernize health care and offering tax
credits to small businesses. 

Truly having opportunity also means having a voice in our
Democracy. In recent years, we've seen too many problems at the
polls and I think we can all agree that it is time for some
changes. That is why S. 17 will work to ensure fairness and
uniform standards in our elections. 

Finally, Senate Democrats are committed to building a government
that meets its responsibilities both to Americans today and in
the future. This means creating a government that works for all
Americans, and not just the special interests. A government that
promotes responsible leadership in Washington. 

Through S. 18, we will meet our responsibility to America's
seniors 

Medicare should work for seniors, not the HMOs and drug
companies. That is why we will take the special interests out of
the Medicare law and take new steps to bring down costs for
beneficiaries and expand access to benefits. 

First, we will eliminate the provision that actually prohibits
Medicare from using the negotiating power of its 41 million
beneficiaries to get low drug prices. We will eliminate
giveaways like the $10 billion slush fund for HMOs. We will
improve the prescription drug benefit by phasing out the current
doughnut hole where seniors pay a premium but get no benefit. 

Seniors across the country were shocked by the record increase
in Medicare Part B premiums this year. We will take steps to buy
down the Part B premium to make sure premium increases are not
too steep. Finally we will address incentives that encourage
employers to drop retiree benefits and we will ensure that
seniors are not forced into HMOs. 

Through S. 19, we will build a government that honors its
responsibilities to future generations. The reckless spending of
the last four years has turned record surpluses into record
deficits and mortgaged our children's future. It is long past
time for Washington to return to the same common-sense budgeting
that families use around the kitchen table every day. 

Finally, the United States has the highest rate of unintended
pregnancies among all industrialized nations. Half of all
pregnancies in this country are unintended, and nearly half of
those end in abortion. 

By increasing access to family planning services through our
final bill, S. 20, Democrats will improve women's health, reduce
the rate of unintended pregnancy and reduce the number of
abortions - all while saving scarce public health dollars. 

Security....Opportunity....Responsibility. 

These are more than just three words, or three values. They are
the foundation on which America's promise is built. 

Senate Democrats open the 109th Congress steadfastly committed
to keeping this promise alive, so that all Americans who work
hard can build a stronger and brighter future for their
families. 

While these 10 bills do not represent all our goals for the
109th Congress, they represent the start and the core of our
mission. No doubt we will tackle many more important issues
before this Congress closes, but we will never lose site of the
values we fight for and the promise we must keep. 

For instance, when it comes to strengthening Social Security,
Democrats will keep Americaâs promise. The program is our
bargain that says those who work hard and pay their taxes have
earned a secure retirement. Our values compel us to keep this
promise of security to our seniors and Senate Democrats will. We
will not irresponsibly cut benefits or jeopardize the
opportunity of future generations with $2 trillion in new debt. 

That is keeping Americaâs promise and that is what Senate
Democrats will do. 

In closing, Iâd like to say just a few words to my colleagues
across the aisle. We hope and believe that many Republicans
share our view that we must not allow partisanship to stand in
the way of Americaâs promise or let politics get in the way of
keeping alive the American Dream. 

These are three values and 10 bills where there should be no
problem finding common ground, and we hope we can work together
to keep America's promise alive for all. 

### 

*****************************************************************
 42 EurekAlert: Report assesses health implications of perchlorate ingestion
 
date: 25-Jan-2005

 Contact: William Kearney
 
202-334-2138
 
WASHINGTON -- A new report by the National Academies' National
Research Council on the health effects of perchlorate, a
chemical that in high doses can decrease thyroid function in
humans and that is present in many public drinking-water
supplies, says daily ingestion of up to 0.0007 milligrams per
kilogram of body weight can occur without adversely affecting
the health of even the most sensitive populations. That amount
is more than 20 times the "reference dose" proposed by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in a recent draft risk
assessment. 

Environmental releases of perchlorate -- a component of rocket
fuel and fireworks -- have been discovered in 35 states, and
more than 11 million people have perchlorate in their drinking
water at concentrations of 4 parts per billion or higher. As it
considers a first-ever national standard for acceptable levels
of perchlorate in drinking water, EPA has issued a series of
draft risk assessments, each containing a reference dose upon
which a standard could be based. Controversies over the
scientific conclusions reached in the risk assessments, however,
led the federal government to request that the National Research
Council review the issue. 

The most recent EPA risk assessment, published in 2002, proposes
a daily reference dose of 0.00003 milligrams per kilogram
(mg/kg) of body weight, which the agency said would correspond
to a drinking-water concentration of 1 part per billion based on
certain assumptions about body weight and daily water
consumption. The committee that wrote the Research Council
report did not include a corresponding drinking-water
concentration with its reference dose because the assumptions
that are used to derive drinking-water standards involve
public-policy choices that were beyond the committee's charge.

 Perchlorate inhibits the thyroid's uptake of iodide, which is
essential for the production of thyroid hormones. One potential
consequence of that effect is low thyroid hormone production, or
hypothyroidism. EPA has predicted that an ultimate consequence
of that effect is the development of thyroid tumors -- a
conclusion the agency based on the occurrence of a few thyroid
tumors in rats exposed to perchlorate. The committee disagrees
with EPA's conclusion and thinks that perchlorate exposure is
unlikely to lead to thyroid tumors in humans. Humans are much
less susceptible to disruption of thyroid function or formation
of thyroid tumors than rats, and therefore the way rats
responded to perchlorate exposure is not a good indicator of how
humans would react.

 In the past, high doses of perchlorate were used to treat
patients with hyperthyroidism, or excessive thyroid hormone
production, but a few patients had serious adverse reactions,
and the use of perchlorate in this manner was largely abandoned.
More recently, patients with hyperthyroidism have been treated
effectively and safely with moderate doses of perchlorate for up
to two years. Perchlorate has been administered to healthy
subjects in doses ranging from 0.007 mg/kg to 9.2 mg/kg per day
with no changes in thyroid hormone production to suggest any
adverse effect on thyroid function. On the basis of these and
other studies, the committee concluded that a perchlorate dose
of more than 0.4 mg/kg per day would be required to adversely
affect thyroid hormone production and cause hypothyroidism.
However, the dose required to cause hypothyroidism in pregnant
women, infants, children, and people with low iodide intake or
pre-existing thyroid dysfunction might be lower. 

There have been studies on the health effects of human
populations exposed to perchlorate, but they were studies in
which data were available for geographic areas, not for
individuals. Relationships observed at the geographic level may
not apply at the individual level, and therefore such studies
cannot provide direct evidence of causation. They can support a
possible association between two events, however, which allowed
the committee to reach some conclusions based on those studies.
In particular, the committee found that the available evidence
is not consistent with an association between exposure to
perchlorate in the drinking water at concentrations up to 120
parts per billion during pregnancy and changes in thyroid
hormone production in normal-birth weight, full-term newborn
infants. The evidence is insufficient to determine whether or
not there is an association between perchlorate exposure and
adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. 

Because of the weaknesses in the studies of the health effects
in human populations exposed to perchlorate in the environment,
the committee recommended against using them to determine a
reference dose. Rather, it recommended using a 2002 clinical
study in which groups of healthy men and women were administered
perchlorate in daily doses ranging from 0.007 mg/kg to 0.5 mg/kg
for 14 days. The study found no statistically significant
inhibition of iodide uptake by the thyroid at the 0.007 mg/kg
daily dose. The findings in this study are supported by the
results in four other studies of healthy subjects, including a
six-month study. The committee recommended that an uncertainty
factor of 10 be applied to the 0.007 mg/kg per day level to
protect the fetuses of pregnant women who might have
hypothyroidism or iodide deficiency. This results in the 0.0007
mg/kg per day reference dose recommended in the report. 

One committee member, concerned over the adequacy of the data,
dissented and thought that an additional uncertainty factor of
three should be applied. The rest of the 15-member committee
responded by pointing out that the key study examined the
effects of four dose levels in a total of 37 subjects, and that
four other studies had remarkably similar results. The committee
was unanimous in all other findings and recommendations.

 The committee emphasized that the reference dose should be
based on inhibition of iodide uptake by the thyroid in humans,
which is not an adverse effect but the key biochemical event
that precedes any health effects caused by perchlorate exposure.
The committee called this a "conservative, health-protective
approach to perchlorate risk assessment." It also suggested
studies that have the potential to more precisely define "safe"
perchlorate exposures. Future findings could result in the need
to adjust the reference dose recommended in the report, the
committee acknowledged.

 The study was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of
Energy, and NASA. The National Research Council is the principal
operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the
National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit
institution that provides science and technology advice under a
congressional charter. A committee roster follows.

 Copies of HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF PERCHLORATE INGESTION will be
available later this winter from the National Academies Press;
tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at
HTTP://WWW.NAP.EDU. Reporters may obtain a pre-publication copy
from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed
above). 

[ This news release and report are available at ] 

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
 Division on Earth and Life Studies
 Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

 COMMITTEE TO ASSESS THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF PERCHLORATE
INGESTION

 RICHARD B. JOHNSTON JR., M.D. (CHAIR)
 Associate Dean
 Research Development;
 Professor
 Department of Pediatrics
 University of Colorado School of Medicine; and
 Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
 National Jewish Medical and Research Center
 Denver

 STACY BRANCH, D.V.M., PH.D.
 Consultant and Owner
 Djehuty Biomed Consulting; and
 Adjunct Associate Professor
 Department of Animal Science
 School of Agriculture and Environmental Science
 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University
 Clayton

 GREGORY BRENT, M.D.
 Professor of Medicine and Physiology
 David Geffen School of Medicine
 University of California, Los Angeles;
 Chief
 Endocrinology and Diabetes Section; and
 Director of Fellowship Program
 Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes Section
 VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
 Los Angeles

 ROSALIND BROWN, M.D.
 Director of Clinical Trials Research 
Endocrine Division
 Children's Hospital
 Boston

 CHARLES C. CAPEN, D.V.M.,
 PH.D.
 Distinguished University Professor
 Ohio State University
 Columbus

 DAVID COOPER, M.D.
 Professor of Medicine - Endocrinology
 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 
Professor of International Health
 Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health;
 Director
 Thyroid Clinic
 Johns Hopkins Hospital; and
 Director
 Division of Endocrinology
 Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
 Baltimore

 RICHARD CORLEY, PH.D.
 Staff Scientist, Biomonitoring and Biological Modeling Group
 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
 Richland, Wash.

 LINDA D. COWAN, PH.D.
 George Lynn Cross Research Professor
 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
 Oklahoma City

 JAMES C. LAMB IV, PH.D., J.D.
 Senior Vice President
 The Weinburg Group, Inc.
 Washington, D.C.

 GEORGE LAMBERT, M.D.
 Director 
Center for Childhood Neurotoxicology and Exposure Assessment
 Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
 Rutgers University 
Piscataway

 R. MICHAEL MCCLAIN, PH.D.
 Toxicology Consultant
 McClain Associates; and
 Adjunct Professor
 Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
 University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
 Randolph

 SUSAN L. SCHANTZ, PH.D.
 Professor of Toxicology
 University of Illinois
 Urbana-Champaign

 DALENE STANGL, PH.D.
 Director
 Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences, and
 Professor of Statistics and Public Policy
 Duke University
 Durham, N.C.

 LYNETTE STOKES, M.P.H., PH.D.
 Chief
 Bureau of Hazardous Material and Toxic Substances
 Environmental Health Administration
 Department of Health
 Washington, D.C.

 ROBERT D. UTIGER, M.D.
 Clinical Professor of Medicine
 Harvard University School of Medicine
 Boston

 STAFF

 ELLEN MANTUS, PH.D.
 Study Director

 ### 

Additional Media Contact:
 Maureen O'Leary, Director of Broadcast and Special Projects
 Megan Petty, Media Relations Assistant
 Office of News and Public Information
 202-334-2138; e-mail 


*****************************************************************
 43 Interfax: Moscow welcomes nuclear free zone initiative for Mideast

Jan 25 2005 12:00PM
 
MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Moscow welcomes an initiative to
create a nuclear free zone in the Middle East, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Syrian News Agency, the
text of which was published on the ministry's website on
Tuesday. 

Syria was one of the authors of the initiative. 

"We welcome the creation of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle
East," Lavrov said, adding that the realization of this
initiative would serve the cause of maintaining regional and
global security.     

        
Š 1991-2004 Interfax
 All rights reserved
 
News and other data on this web site are provided for
information purposes only, and are not intended for
republication or redistribution. Republication or redistribution
of Interfax content, including by framing or similar means, is
expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of
Interfax.   


*****************************************************************
 44 PISJ: Lab to buy services from Idaho businesses

  Pocatello Idaho State Journal: 

By Emily Jones- Features Editor 

POCATELLO - As the new contractor for the Idaho National
Laboratory, Battelle Energy Alliance has a vested interest in
the community, especially in the area of small business growth
and education, new INL Director John Grossenbacher told
participants at a public meeting Monday.

"There's a self-serving element to this. We want this to be an
extraordinary environment," he said. "We're interested in
building a deep and lasting relationship with the community." 
  
Each year, Battelle plans to spend $100 million procuring
services for the laboratory, Grossenbacher said, and 70 percent
of that money will go to Idaho businesses. Seventy percent, or
$49 million, will go to small businesses.

Communication is key, Grossenbacher said. To help small
businesses, Battelle is considering quarterly announcements of
upcoming plans to small businesses, so they have time to meet
qualifications and become viable bidders, he said. 
Battelle Energy Alliance will begin its 10-year contract on Feb.
1. Upon arrival, the alliance plans to invest $52 million in the
laboratory, including $20 million in the Advanced Test Reactor.
Partnerships will bring an additional $100 million in new
technical programs. Some infrastructure will be torn down, and
some will be built as the laboratory is consolidated to become
more efficient, Grossenbacher said.

"You can't be a world-class laboratory without world-class
facilities," he said. 
Currently, the INL does about $500 million in business with its
major customers. In 10 years, Grossenbacher said he hopes to do
$1 billion per year in business.

He also promised "unprecedented openness" at the laboratory, and
a dedication to safety and environmental stewardship. It's vital
to public trust, he said. 
"It's not management saying that because it's what people want
to hear," he said. "It's an absolute commitment and it's an
absolute necessity."

The Alliance includes BWX Technologies, Washington Group
International, the Electric Power Research Institute and the
National University Consortium. 

Each group brings prospective to the INL, Grossenbacher said.
With them, the INL can benefit from the perspectives of top
universities, as well as industry.

"We need to bring industry to the lab," he said. "I think it's
critically important to our future." 
The universities, which include Idaho's universities along with
top programs like Ohio State and Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, will bring the expertise of some of the nation's top
scientists to the lab.

Partnerships with education are important in an era where the
number of students focusing on nuclear energy is declining,
Grossenbacher said. 

"There are a lot of people concerned about where the next
generation of Ph.Ds in nuclear energy are going to come from,"
he said. 

January 25, 2005

Copyright Š 2005 Pocatello Idaho State Journal
 P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431   
*****************************************************************
 45 WVLT TN: Labor Dept. Takes Over DOE Worker Claims

VOLUNTEER TV Knoxville, 


Thousands of sick former Oak Ridge workers may soon get
compensation a lot faster. 
  
As Volunteer TVs Chloe Morroni reports, before the Department
of Energy handled some claims, applying for compensation on the
state level, while the US Department of Labor handled others. 
  
But now, the DOE is out of the picture and the Department of
Labor handles all of it. 
  
Janine Anderson takes 22 prescription pills a day, costing more
than $300 out of pocket a month. 
  
"I've incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical
bills," Janine worked at K-25 in Oak Ridge for six years, during
the uranium enrichment process. 
  
"There were releases on a daily basis, some days worse than
others," says Anderson. 
  
Medical records show Janine was exposed to all sorts of harmful
elements, "very high levels of arsenic and mercury, nickel,
aluminum and cobalt," explains Anderson, causing dozens of major
health problems. 
  
"Mostly every organ in my body has been affected or damaged from
exposure," she adds. 
  
Janine received some restitution from the Department of Labor. 
  
"They have handled claims in a much more timely professional
way," but she says she has yet to get help from the Department
of Energy. 
  
The sometimes slow process by DOE is the reason all claims will
now be handled and paid by the Department of Labor. 
  
"We'll make the determination of causation and adjudicate those
claims," Peter Turcic from the US DOL says tens of thousands of
folks may be eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
  
"When our regulations come out, it will allow us to make
decision on a lot broader scope of claims," explains Turcic. 
  
More folks could get help, and quickly.  Janine says that's good
news, "we feel much more comfortable having it under the
Department of Labor. We feel they'll do a much better, more
efficient job." 
  
A US Department of Labor meeting took place Tuesday evening in
Oak Ridge to explain the new process to sick former workers. 
  
Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:00 and again at
6:00.   

All content Š Copyright 2001 - 2005 WorldNow and WVLT
VOLUNTEER TV,
    
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