***************************************************************** 02/03/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.26 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Condemns Bush Speech on Terrorism 2 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats: Iran Testing Centrifuge Parts 3 FT.com: Iran's nuclear envoy says Europe failed to deliver on nuclea 4 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Bush address reassuring to Seoul officials 5 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Experts doubt talks with North fruitful 6 YWS: S. Korea, U.S. Agree to Step up Diplomacy for Nuclear Talks 7 Guardian Unlimited: Bush's Softer Tone Toward N.Korea Welcomed 8 US: Bush nuclear views dangerous and backward-thinking 9 US: Guardian Unlimited: Businessman Faces New Nuke Probe Charges 10 US: NIRS: Response to Bush's state of the union speech 11 US: Las Vegas RJ: SECURITY TEST: Test site guards flunk mock attack 12 US: NRC: Baxter Health Care, Aibonito, PR; Confirmatory Order Modify 13 US: APP.COM: Public too often left in the dark about nuclear power, 14 US: Capitol Hill Blue: Feds Hide Snafus Behind Cloak of National Sec 15 US: WH: State of the Union 16 US: Tidepool: Whining Over Wind - Joshua Zaffos 17 US: Upper Cape Codder: Power politics 18 Interfax: Elizabeth II sponsors website on Semipalatinsk test range 19 Daily Times: Nuclear evidence could point to Pakistan - WP NUCLEAR REACTORS 20 [NukeNet] Toshiba Mini Nuke Trial Balloon 21 US: [NukeNet] Being Irradiated While Attempting An Evacuation: 22 US: NIRS Statement on State of Union Address 23 US: Guardian Unlimited: No Money Said Spent on New Nukes 24 US: Brattleboro Reformer: VY to apply for dry cask storage 25 Bellona: Fall-Guy found for November panic over Balakovo Nuclear Pow 26 FAZ Weekly: Atomic deal questioned - 27 RFA: Expert Interviews: Are China's Nuclear Power Plants Safe? 28 US: Platts: A Time of Unique Opportunities for the Nuclear Industry 29 US: The Mercury: Local authorities reach deal with PECO on tax payme 30 US: WCAX-TV: Faulty notification system means more inspections 31 US: Upper Cape Codder: The big story of long ago... 32 US: The Upper Cape Codder: 'Atomic Park' timeline NUCLEAR SAFETY 33 Depleted Uranium the new Leprosy _ possible quarantine for 34 US: NRC: NRC Schedules Public Meeting on Monday, February 7 to Discu 35 US: Idaho Statesman: Skippen wants federal benefits for downwinders 36 US: madison courier: Depleted uranium no longer a topic for JPG boar 37 US: Las Vegas City Life: Hurry up and wait NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 38 US: Bradenton Herald: State takes steps to ensure disclosure 39 US: NRC: NRC to Hold Public Conference on Licensing Process for Stor 40 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Bush again jabs Nevada 41 Las Vegas SUN: Abraham: Congress should sidestep EPA on Yucca 42 US: BYU NewsNet: No nuclear waste in our back yard 43 US: ABQjournal: Plans for N.M. Uranium Waste Facility Move Ahead, Re 44 US: ChronWatch: "Environmentalists Create Perchlorate Paranoia in So 45 PRN: LES and AREVA Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Deconversion 46 US: Upper Cape Codder: Kennedy took cautious approach to 'atomic par 47 The Whitehaven News: MAN’S FINGER SEVERED 48 The Whitehaven News: SELLAFIELD’S EX-BOSS TO GIVE LECTURE 49 The Whitehaven News: NUCLEAR WASTE OUT OF SIGHT; OUT OF MIND FOR WHI 50 US: Deseret news: Senate OKs Class B, C waste ban NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 51 SPI: Workers at Hanford feared backlash for reporting problems 52 Athens NEWS: Locals scramble to meet deadline for comments on Piketo 53 westword.com: It's Toast 54 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Fernald 55 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee 56 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridg OTHER NUCLEAR ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Condemns Bush Speech on Terrorism From the Associated Press [UP] Friday February 4, 2005 12:31 AM AP Photo VAH107 By ALI AKBAR DAREINI Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's supreme leader on Thursday condemned President Bush's State of the Union address, saying Washington was seeking to uproot Iran's ruling Islamic establishment but would fail. Syria warned the democracy America seeks for the Middle East cannot come through force. Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Bush's assertion that his nation was ``the world's primary state sponsor of terror.'' He said Bush would fail in efforts against Iran, as had all American presidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. ``The Islamic Republic of Iran, because of supporting the oppressed and confronting oppressors, is being attacked by the global tyrants,'' state-run television quoted Khamenei as saying, using the term he regularly uses to refer to the United States. ``They (America) are trying, in a real but nonmilitary confrontation, through every possible means, to deny the talented Iranian nation of progress and deprive it of existence.'' In his address Wednesday, Bush said Washington was working with European allies to persuade Iran to end its nuclear programs and stop supporting terror. Addressing the Iranian people, he said: ``As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.'' Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran and is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, blasted the comments in a speech to students in Tehran, quoted by state-run television. The United States and other countries fear Iran is seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Iran publicly insists it only wants to make low-grade enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. On a street in the Iranian capital, Ali Dehqani said Bush should stay out of Iran's business. ``Bush's comment is right somehow. The people of Iran are restricted. Iran follows nuclear technology. But it's not his business to intervene in Iran's affairs,'' the 55-year-old man said. ``Also, there is no evidence of support of terrorism by Iran.'' The European Union welcomed Bush's comments on cooperative diplomatic efforts concerning Iran's nuclear program. Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the foreign policy committee in the State Duma, the lower house, said Bush's characterization of Iran as the main center of world terrorism showed that his speech was ``written by propagandists, not analysts.'' Syria also rejected Bush's charge that it sponsored terrorism, with the information minister saying the democracy that Washington seeks for the Middle East cannot come through force. ``Freedoms cannot be exported by tanks and planes, death and destruction,'' Syrian Information Minister Mehdi Dakhlallah said, adding that ``the characteristics of the region and the distinctiveness of its peoples and cultures must be understood.'' Although criticized for his stern words on Syria and Iran, Bush won some praise in the region for calling for an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace with Israel. The Syrian information minister said that part of the speech was a ``positive development.'' Syria has cooperated with the West on tracking down al-Qaida supporters but has rejected U.S. calls to crack down on Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas who operate in southern Lebanon. Washington labels the Palestinian and Lebanese groups as terrorists. Bush also called on Saudi Arabia and Egypt to take steps toward democracy, words that some considered interference. ``We thank Mr. Bush, but we are already having elections,'' said al-Maeena of Arab News. He referred to the staging later this month of Saudi Arabia's first municipal elections in 45 years. ``I don't believe we need Mr. Bush to advise us,'' he said. ``This is an internal issue and we are working on it.'' Bush only briefly mentioned North Korea during his address, saying Washington was ``working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.'' That was a stark contrast to his speech three years ago, when he branded North Korea part of an ``axis of evil'' with Iran and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. The absence of hostile rhetoric raised hopes for a positive response from North Korea. Analysts have said the North was waiting to see what Bush would say in the speech. ``We assess that President Bush's speech reflected Washington's will to resolve the North's nuclear issue through a peaceful and diplomatic way,'' South Korea's Foreign Ministry said. ``Now, it's time for North Korea to make a positive response and for us to resume the six-party talks soon and make concrete progress for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.'' Since 2003, the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia have held three rounds of talks on the North's nuclear weapons programs, with no significant progress reported. A fourth round of talks scheduled for September was canceled because North Korea refused to attend. Israeli and Palestinian officials welcomed President Bush's pledge to try to push forward the peace process. He also asked Congress for $350 million to support Palestinian political, economic and security reforms. ``This assistance from the U.S. is more important because it has a political value, particularly that Congress has a positive attitude toward us,'' Mahar Al Masri, the Palestinian economy minister, said. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel supported the U.S. administration's vision on how to end the conflict. ``We hope that the new leadership on the Palestinian side will make the implementation of that vision possible,'' he said. --- Associated Press writer Sam F. Ghattas contributed to this report from Beirut. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 2 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats: Iran Testing Centrifuge Parts From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday February 3, 2005 11:46 PM AP Photo PAR102 By GEORGE JAHN Associated Press Writer VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran is testing some parts of machines that can be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads, despite a pledge to freeze such activities, diplomats said Thursday. The revelations dealt a fresh blow to hopes Iran would scrap uranium enrichment. The diplomats, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, emphasized that Iran had not started any of the centrifuges used to enrich uranium. ``It appears no more than checking nuts and bolts'' of centrifuge rotors, said one Western diplomat familiar with Iran's actions and International Atomic Energy Agency controls. The revelations were the latest sign of trouble surrounding talks between European powers and Iran on enrichment. The United States and other countries fear Iran is seeking to enrich to weapons-grade uranium. Iran publicly insists it only wants to make low-grade enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. But a European summary of talks with Tehran leaked to The Associated Press says Iran has privately acknowledged what Washington and its allies have argued all along - that as an oil rich country it does not need nuclear energy. Iran agreed to freeze all enrichment and related activities late last year while it negotiates with the Europeans on technical, economic and political support meant to reduce its international isolation. The decision derailed U.S. attempts to have it reported to the U.N. Security Council for alleged violations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Tehran insists the suspension is temporary and binding only until the talks end, either with or without an agreement. That in itself puts the Islamic Republic at odds with the three European nations, whose main focus is turning the suspension into a commitment to scrap all plans to enrich uranium. One of the diplomats who spoke to the AP on Thursday said a third round of talks would be held Monday in Geneva as planned, but added Iran's decision to conduct quality tests of centrifuge components was ``not helpful'' in building European trust. 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. Iran is not prohibited from running enrichment programs under the Nonproliferation Treaty, but agreed to a freeze to generate international good will. Separately Thursday, an Iranian opposition group accused Tehran of producing the material needed to trigger a fission chain reaction that would detonate a nuclear bomb. The group - the National Council of Resistance - is the political wing of the Mujahedeen Khalq, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. It has periodically released information on Iran's nuclear program, most of which cannot be independently confirmed. However, it was instrumental in 2002 in revealing Iran's uranium enrichment program. ``The Iranian regime is producing Polonium-210, Beryllium and neutron generators'' needed to make a detonator, said Mohammed Mohaddessin, a senior official with the opposition group. Speaking in Paris, hcomment on his claims and on the revelations about the Iranian quality checks of centrifuge parts. --- On the Net: www.iaea.org Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 3 FT.com: Iran's nuclear envoy says Europe failed to deliver on nuclear deal By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran Published: February 3 2005 02:00 | Last updated: February 3 2005 Iran's top nuclear neg-otiator, Hossein Mousavian, expressed frustration yesterday that European countries had not delivered on incentives promised last year in return for Iran's pledge to suspend nuclear enrichment. "We have not yet seen considerable progress in our co-operation and no incentives in political, security, technological, economic and nuclear fields," Mr Mousavian, secretary of the foreign policy committee of the Supreme National Security Council, told the Financial Times. "Now it is time to deliver something to Iranian public opinion and nation." But he added that Iran remained committed to the Paris agreement signed in November with Britain, France and Germany, agreeing to a suspension that would last until talks conclude. "We are determined to carry out the Paris agreement and are thoroughly committed to it," he said, adding that he expected the talks with the European Union countries to end by June. The November deal paved the way for a broad dialogue between the three EU countries and Iran on issues ranging from security to trade co-operation. Britain, France and Germany would like the talks to lead to a permanent halt of enrichment, which Iran has rejected. Tehran, meanwhile, is concerned that the three countries will drag out the talks to prolong the suspension artificially. "The talks so far do not indicate serious determination of Europeans to achieve any results quickly," Mr Mousavian insisted in the FT interview. The EU maintains that a complicated trade and co-operation agreement it resumed negotiating with Tehran in January will take months, not weeks, to conclude. Parallel talks on security, the economy and technology are also taking time, with a technical meeting scheduled for this month and a ministerial-level meeting likely next month. A spokeswoman for Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy representative, said yesterday: "The goal of the EU in the nuclear debate with Iran is to achieve objective guarantees of the peaceful nature of their nuclear programme. The issue is not pace but substance." Mr Mousavian's comments follow recent warnings from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, who said, referring to the talks with the Europeans, that "the existing trend would change" if the EU failed to take the talks "seriously". The US and Israel insist that Iran's uranium enrichment programme is a regional threat that should be halted. The European governments are also concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions but are trying to find a diplomatic solution to the tensions. According to an internal briefing note, leaked last week to news agencies, the European countries are insisting on the dismantling of the most sensitive part of Iran's nuclear programme as part of a permanent accord with Tehran. Mr Mousavian, however, said that such a demand had not been conveyed in talks with the EU. Mr Mousavian suggested that Iran was growing suspicious of EU intentions and of possible co-ordination of policy with the US. He said the threat of a US or Israeli military attack against Iranian sites was not taken seriously by Iran, describing it instead as part of the "west's carrot and stick policy". If the US and Europe were co-ordinating policy on Iran in this way, however, "then we would have a crisis of trust with Europe", he said. At the same time, Mr Mousavian said Iran would not object to the US joining the talks with the three EU countries. Iran and the US, he said, should "finally put aside their hostilities and decrease tensions", though he conceded that the prospects of a thaw in relations were "not good". Additional reporting by Dan Dombey in Brussels Full interview transcript: www.ft.com/mousavian © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2005. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. ***************************************************************** 4 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Bush address reassuring to Seoul officials February 4, 2005 KST 15:29 (GMT+9) February 04, 2005 ¤Ñ U.S. President George W. Bush made only passing mention of North Korea in his State of the Union Address yesterday ¡ª but it was enough to convince officials in Seoul that the United States is sending the message that it wants to solve the nuclear standoff with Pyeongyang peacefully. "We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions," said Mr. Bush in his only reference to the issue. Lee Kyu-hyung, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman, said yesterday the speech indicated the willingness of the Bush administration to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through "peaceful and diplomatic means." The spokesman added that it is time for North Korea to respond in order to resume the six-party talks. Mr. Lee said the South Korean government would closely cooperate with the new U.S. officials making policy on North Korea. North Korea has indicated that it has been awaiting the key address before deciding whether to return to the six-party nuclear talks. A fourth round of talks was scheduled for last September, but Pyeongyang boycotted them, citing what it calls "hostile U.S. policy" towards the North. Analysts in Seoul predicted that Pyeongyang would try to avoid antagonizing Washington while formulating a response. "They will not strongly criticize the United States for a while," said Koh Yoo-hwan, a professor of North Korean affairs at Dongguk University. "Their standard litany will continue in a watered-down tone, until they know exactly who are going to be the main foreign policy players for the United States, and they decide how to go forward." Kim Tae-hyo, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, said North Korea would act carefully. "North Korea will view the matter in terms of the overall picture," he said, adding that the North is more concerned with how to respond to claims in the U.S. media Wednesday that it had sold uranium to Libya. "North Korea is aware that the issue will be brought up at the next round of talks, and it is probably more concerned with this." Separately, a Foreign Ministry official said yesterday that Michael Green, director for Asia at the U.S. National Security Council, now visiting Seoul to discuss North Korea, said the president's message to the North indicated Washington's willingness to resolve the issue diplomatically. Mr. Green also reportedly said the Libyan uranium report would not negatively influence the six-party talks. by Brian Lee africanu@joongang.co.kr> Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use | ***************************************************************** 5 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Experts doubt talks with North fruitful February 4, 2005 KST 15:29 (GMT+9 February 04, 2005 ¤Ñ WASHINGTON ¡ª Experts voiced skepticism over the possibility of resolving the nuclear crisis with North Korea through diplomatic efforts during a congressional hearing on Wednesday. They also aired strong concern over the danger posed by North Korea's nuclear aspirations. At the House Committee on Intelligence, experts comprised of mostly former U.S. government officials discussed global threats to U.S. interests. James Woolsey, former CIA director, said North Korea is a country that is extraordinarily difficult to deal with, adding that the country may transfer nuclear materials to third parties. "It has three major exports today: ballistic missiles, counterfeit American currency and heroin," Mr. Woolsey said. "It is now in the position of coming into possession of plutonium and of, quite likely before too long, highly enriched uranium," he said. "It is entirely plausible that North Korea will do with plutonium or highly- enriched uranium what they have done with heroin and counterfeit U.S. currency; namely, sell it." Mr. Woolsey said the United States should be particularly concerned about the possibility of sales of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups. "And this, I think, is the issue that puts North Korea front and center in threats that we need to pay a great deal of attention to," he said. Another expert on the panel, Kurt Campbell, showed concern about Washington's lack of a policy to handle the threat from North Korea. Mr. Campbell was a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific. "I think where we've hurt ourselves the most is in negotiations vis-a-vis North Korea," Mr. Campbell said. Mr. Campbell as well as Congressman Silvestre Reyes, who had recently visited North Korea, said the country shows no signs that it will collapse. by Kang Chan-ho myoja@joongang.co.kr> Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use | ***************************************************************** 6 YWS: S. Korea, U.S. Agree to Step up Diplomacy for Nuclear Talks YONHAPNEWS WORLD SERVICE::ENGLISH NEWS www.yonhapnews.co.kr 2005/02/03 18:59 KST (3rd LD) Michael Green(L) shakes hands with Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon. By Chang Jae-soon SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to step up diplomatic efforts to jump-start the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, an official said. Michael Green, senior director for Asia at the U.S. National Security Council, reached this consensus when he met South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, in Seoul. ***************************************************************** 7 Guardian Unlimited: Bush's Softer Tone Toward N.Korea Welcomed From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday February 3, 2005 11:31 AM By SOO-JEONG LEE Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea on Thursday welcomed President Bush's softened tone toward North Korea, hoping it would help the communist North return to talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs. Bush only briefly mentioned North Korea late Wednesday during his State of the Union address, broadcast early Thursday in Asia, saying Washington was ``working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.'' That was a stark contrast to his speech three years ago, when he branded North Korea part of an ``axis of evil'' with Iran and Iraq. The absence of hostile rhetoric raised hopes for a positive response from North Korea. Analysts have said the North was waiting to see what Bush would say about it in his State of the Union speech before deciding to rejoin nuclear talks. ``We assess that President Bush's speech reflected Washington's will to resolve the North's nuclear issue through a peaceful and diplomatic way,'' South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ``Now, it's time for North Korea to make a positive response and for us to resume the six-party talks soon and make concrete progress for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue,'' it said. Analysts in South Korea predicted that the absence of harsh words would help restart the nuclear talks. ``The United States appears to have carefully prepared the speech so as not to give North Korea an excuse for not coming to the six-party talks,'' Kim Sung-han, a professor at Seoul's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, said in an interview with TV channel YTN. Prof. Koh Yu-hwan of Seoul's Dongguk University said Bush seemed to be giving North Korea ``one more chance.'' Bush also appeared conscious that he might have been criticized for hampering progress on denuclearization if he had stuck to his earlier rhetoric about the North. Since 2003, the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia have held three rounds of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear weapons programs. But no significant progress was reported. A fourth round of talks scheduled for last September did not take place because North Korea refused to attend. Possible exports of nuclear materials and technology by North Korea have long been a concern of the United States. The reclusive state is known to have sold missiles to Iran and Syria in past years. North Korea has cited a ``hostile'' U.S. policy as the key stumbling block to ending the nuclear standoff. It has demanded that Washington provide a nonaggression treaty and compensation in return for ending its nuclear programs. The nuclear dispute erupted in late 2002 when Washington accused North Korea of running a secret nuclear program, and cut off free oil shipments. North Korea denied the claim, quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarted its mothballed plutonium weapons program. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 8 Bush nuclear views dangerous and backward-thinking Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 10:23:17 -0500

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

1424 16th Street NW, #404, Washington, DC 20036

202.328.0002, f: 202.462.2183; nirsnet@nirs.org, www.nirs.org

 

 

 

STATEMENT OF MICHAEL MARIOTTE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE

FEBRUARY 3, 2005

 

ON STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH BY

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH

 

 

In his State of the Union Speech, President George Bush called on Congress to enact legislation to support his energy program, including “safe, clean nuclear power.”

 

*Where Bush sees “safe, clean nuclear power,” we see construction of new pre-deployed weapons of mass destruction to be used against us.

 

Every community near a reactor would be at risk.

 

*Where Bush sees “safe, clean nuclear power,” we see an unsolved legacy of lethal radioactive waste.

 

This waste will continue to pile up at reactor sites, even if the proposed Yucca Mountain waste site—which does not and cannot meet federal regulations—were to open. Building new reactors would exacerbate the problem, and force the U.S. to find yet another national dumpsite, probably in the Eastern U.S.

 

*Where Bush sees “safe, clean nuclear power,” we see the proliferation of nuclear weapons-usable technology across the globe.

 

Bush should have taken the courageous lead of International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei, who has called for a five-year moratorium on construction of new uranium enrichment facilities to help prevent nuclear proliferation. Instead, the administration supports construction of such plants in New Mexico and Ohio.

 

*Where Bush sees “safe, clean nuclear power,” we see the diversion of scarce resources from sustainable technologies that should be used to combat the global climate crisis to the most expensive, least effective technology available to address the overriding environmental issue of our times.

 

*Where Bush sees “safe, clean nuclear power,” we see an industry that spews radiation into the air and water on a daily basis from all of its reactors, mines, processing plants, and other facilities, and poses the constant threat of atomic meltdown.

 

There is nothing “safe” or “clean” about nuclear power. The first generation of atomic reactors brought us bankrupted utilities, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the threat of a nuclear transport accident - a “Mobile Chernobyl - and the existing 103 reactors scattered across our nation that can provide nuclear dirty bombs for the enemy.

 

The Bush Administration’s energy bill has failed for the past four years for good reason. Its support for the polluting nuclear, coal and oil industries offers mid-20th century solutions to 21st century problems. Rather than rewarding the Bush Administration’s energy industry friends with taxpayer dollars, the Congress can, and should develop an energy policy that will lead the world in efficiency and sustainability, provide millions of new jobs in progressive new energy industries, and take effective steps toward ending the global climate crisis.

 

The Bush Administration’s energy policy can, should and will be rejected by the American people and their elected officials.

 

 

 

 

 ***************************************************************** 9 Guardian Unlimited: Businessman Faces New Nuke Probe Charges From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday February 3, 2005 2:31 AM By MATT APUZZO Associated Press Writer NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - An American businessman installed a restricted U.S. satellite system on an Iranian oil tanker and helped smuggle computer equipment to Iran's nuclear weapons program, federal prosecutors said. Mohammad Farahbakhsh, 43, already faces smuggling charges for allegedly funneling pressure sensors to Iran. He was indicted Wednesday on new charges spelling out a scheme to sell prohibited equipment to his native country. Between 1998 and 2000, Farahbakhsh sold computer parts from National Instruments, based in Austin, Texas, to the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, a branch of the Iranian government ``involved in developing and producing ballistic and cruise missiles,'' prosecutors said. He allegedly hid the deal using an Iranian bank with a branch in the United Arab Emirates. The indictment was handed up the same day Farahbakhsh's attorney filed documents trying get the original case dismissed. ``I have never seen any documents that would support that allegation,'' attorney Kristan Peters said. The indictment alleges that in 2002 Farahbakhsh, of Los Angeles, sold a $60,000 satellite communication system to the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Co. The satellite system is controlled equipment because of terrorism concerns. Peters said the satellite equipment was used to get television reception on the oil tanker: ``This is not against the law.'' Since the equipment was sold to the UAE, to whom American exports are allowed, and installed on an oil tanker in the UAE, the sale did not violate export law, she said. Farahbakhsh is being held pending trial. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 10 NIRS: Response to Bush's state of the union speech Statement of Michael Mariotte, Executive Director of Nuclear Information &Resource Service on the State of the Union Speech by President George Bush - NIRS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2005 CONTACT Michael Mariotte, NIRS 202-328-0002 In his State of the Union Speech, President George Bush called on Congress to enact legislation to support his energy program, including "safe, clean nuclear power." *Where Bush sees "safe, clean nuclear power," we see construction of new pre-deployed weapons of mass destruction to be used against us. Every community near a reactor would be at risk. *Where Bush sees "safe, clean nuclear power," we see an unsolved legacy of lethal radioactive waste. This waste will continue to pile up at reactor sites, even if the proposed Yucca Mountain waste site—which does not and cannot meet federal regulations—were to open. Building new reactors would exacerbate the problem, and force the U.S. to find yet another national dumpsite, probably in the Eastern U.S. *Where Bush sees "safe, clean nuclear power," we see the proliferation of nuclear weapons-usable technology across the globe. Bush should have taken the courageous lead of International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei, who has called for a five-year moratorium on construction of new uranium enrichment facilities to help prevent nuclear proliferation. Instead, the administration supports construction of such plants in New Mexico and Ohio. *Where Bush sees "safe, clean nuclear power," we see the diversion of scarce resources from sustainable technologies that should be used to combat the global climate crisis to the most expensive, least effective technology available to address the overriding environmental issue of our times. *Where Bush sees "safe, clean nuclear power," we see an industry that spews radiation into the air and water on a daily basis from all of its reactors, mines, processing plants, and other facilities, and poses the constant threat of atomic meltdown. There is nothing "safe" or "clean" about nuclear power. The first generation of atomic reactors brought us bankrupted utilities, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the threat of a nuclear waste transport accident—a "Mobile Chernobyl," and the existing 103 reactors scattered across our nation that can provide nuclear dirty bombs for the enemy. The Bush Administration's energy bill has failed for the past four years for good reason. Its support for the polluting nuclear, coal and oil industries offers mid-20th century solutions to 21st century problems. Rather than rewarding the Bush Administration's energy industry friends with taxpayer dollars, the Congress can, and should develop an energy policy that will lead the world in efficiency and sustainability, provide millions of new jobs in progressive new energy industries, and take effective steps toward ending the global climate crisis. The Bush Administration's energy policy can, should and will be rejected by the American people and their elected officials. -30- ***************************************************************** 11 Las Vegas RJ: SECURITY TEST: Test site guards flunk mock attack Thursday, February 03, 2005 Surprise exercise came before shipment of nuclear waste By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Security guards at the Nevada Test Site performed poorly during an attack by mock terrorists on a bunker being prepared to safeguard nuclear weapons material, the Energy Department said Wednesday. The Aug. 12 security test exposed outdated training and tactics to repel attackers, officials said. It also turned up shortcomings in nuclear material controls, they said. "There were a number of findings and deficiencies, and since that time, we have been working toward correcting those deficiencies," DOE spokesman Darwin Morgan said. The agency has transferred more security guards to the test site, which is vying for a bigger role in the nation's nuclear security. A source said one guard was "shot" by another in the confusion of the attack, a friendly fire episode during the mock gunplay that led to a fistfight between the two men. The attack took place on what has been touted as the most secure part of the test site. The Device Assembly Facility is a giant hillside bunker where the department was preparing to relocate plutonium and highly enriched uranium from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The facility was to be the first cache of weapons-grade nuclear materials kept at the test site since the government stopped nuclear weapons testing in 1992, agency officials have said. Morgan said no nuclear materials were at the facility during the exercise. He said he could not say whether the assailants were able to infiltrate the bunker. The department made its first shipment of nuclear materials from the TA-18 facility at Los Alamos in September. Test site managers were required to correct the biggest deficiencies from the August security test and to obtain recertification before the shipping program could go forward, Morgan said. The attackers in the exercise were commandos assembled by the DOE Office of Independent Oversight and Performance Assurance. Morgan said test site guards were made aware that an exercise was upcoming but were not told when or where it would take place. "There is an element of surprise to it," he said. The results of the test first were reported this week by The Energy Daily, a newsletter that covers the Department of Energy. Peter Stockton, a DOE security adviser during the Clinton administration, said the episode illustrated shortcomings in training and in the size of the protective forces at the government's nuclear facilities. "I think this problem will be taken care of swiftly because it is causing great consternation in the department," said Stockton, an investigator at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., sent military aides to meet with test site officials after learning of the security exercise, spokesman Jack Finn said. Ensign is satisfied with security improvements that were made, Finn said. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 12 NRC: Baxter Health Care, Aibonito, PR; Confirmatory Order Modifying FR Doc 05-2026 [Federal Register: February 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 22)] [Notices] [Page 5707-5708] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03fe05-99] License (Effective Immediately) Baxter Health Care Corporation (Baxter or Licensee) is the holder of NRC License No. 52-21175-01 (License) which authorizes the Licensee to operate an irradiator at its facility in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. On October 25, 2004, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalties (Notice) in the amount of $44,400 to Baxter Healthcare Corporation (Baxter) based on six violations of NRC requirements. The circumstances associated with these violations were reviewed by the NRC during an Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) inspection conducted between April 22, 2004, and June 1, 2004, after a Baxter representative informed the NRC on April 21, 2004, that an event had occurred at the facility. The event involved two individuals (an irradiator operator and assistant) bypassing safety interlocks and entering the irradiator at a time when an irradiator source rack (containing 2,000,000 curies of cobalt-60) was stuck in an unshielded position. The three most significant violations cited by the NRC in its October 25, 2004 Notice were described in Section I. The first violation cited in Section I of the Notice involved the failure to adhere to emergency and abnormal event procedures when the safety interlocks were bypassed even though the irradiator source rack fault indicator was illuminated and the source travel alarm had sounded for an extended period. This occurred on at least three occasions, including when the source rack was stuck in the unshielded position on April 21, 2004. This created the potential for a lethal exposure to radiation for the two individuals who entered the area while the sources were exposed, since, as previously indicated, the individuals passed through an area with a radiation level at least as high as 1600 rads/hour, and were planning to enter an area with much higher radiation levels (as high as 100,000 rads/hour in the irradiator cell). By bypassing the safety interlocks, a system designed to prevent a serious safety event was rendered inoperable, which created the potential for significant injury and loss of life. Therefore, in the Notice, the NRC classified this violation at Severity Level II and proposed a civil penalty in the amount of $28,800 ($9,600 for each of the minimum three occasions that the violation occurred). The second violation cited set forth in Section I involved the failure to perform an adequate survey prior to the two individuals entering the irradiator on April 21, 2004. Prior to the entry, the operators did not adequately check the irradiator cell radiation monitor, did not adequately check the radiation levels outside the irradiator facility, and did not adequately do other such surveys as were reasonable to determine that a source rack was stuck in the unshielded position and had not returned to the fully shielded position. The NRC also classified this violation at Severity Level II and proposed a $9,600 civil penalty for the violation. The third violation cited by the NRC in Section I of the Notice involved the failure by the irradiator operator to supply his assistant an individual radiation monitoring device when the two individuals entered the irradiator on April 21, 2004, while a source rack was stuck in the unshielded position. Based on the OI investigation, the NRC concluded that this violation was willful. The NRC classified this violation at Severity Level III and proposed a $6,000 civil penalty. The letter transmitting the Notice also described the Licensee's corrective actions, which included, but were not limited to: (1) Revision to procedures for responding to emergency conditions and performing necessary surveys; (2) plans to annually review the standard operating procedures for adequacy; (3) upgrade of the training program and retraining of staff on revised procedures, survey techniques, and dosimetry use; and (4) increased management oversight of the irradiator program, including: (a) Monthly reviews of the irradiator department by the Plant General Manager, Manufacturing Director, Radiation Safety Officer (RSO), and the assistant RSO (ARSO); (b) annual internal audits of the irradiator by the Environmental Health and Safety Manager and RSO; and (c) additional periodic audits of the irradiator by the corporate environmental health and safety group as well as by an external consultant. The other three violations cited in the Notice were described in Section II and the NRC classified those violations at Severity Level IV. In response to the October 25, 2004 Notice, Baxter requested use of the NRC Alternate Dispute Resolution Process (ADR) to resolve differences it had with the NRC concerning the Notice. ADR is a process in which a neutral mediator with no decision-making authority assists the NRC and Baxter in reaching an agreement on resolving any differences regarding the enforcement action. An ADR session was held between Baxter and NRC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 13, 2004, and was mediated by a professional mediator, arranged through Cornell University's Institute of Conflict Management. During that ADR session, a settlement agreement was reached. The elements of the settlement agreement, which were documented in a letter from Mr. Peter Etienne, Senior Counsel, Baxter, to the NRC on December 17, 2004, consisted of the following: A. Baxter agrees to pay a civil penalty of $31,200.00 for Violations I.A, I.B and I.C. The NRC will characterize these violations as a Severity Level II problem. B. Baxter and the NRC agree to disagree on the willful characterization of Violation I.C. C. NRC agrees to treat Violations II.A, II.B, and II.C as non-cited violations. D. Baxter agrees to implement the corrective action as documented in Baxter's letter dated August 23, 2004, except that with respect to item 1(c) in that letter, (``Additional External Review by Outside Consultant''), that item is replaced by the terms of the December 13, 2004, settlement. Specifically, Baxter agrees to provide for reviews of irradiator operations to be conducted by a qualified consultant, with such review to include a review of operations, maintenance, radiation safety and the RSO and ARSO functions. Review results will be documented and made available to NRC during inspections conducted by the NRC. Such reviews to be conducted as noted below. E. A review by the qualified external consultant will be conducted in 2005 of the RSO and ARSO function to supplement the reviews done in 2004. F. In 2007, a qualified external consultant will conduct a full review as listed in Item D. [[Page 5708]] G. In 2007 after the full review, Baxter will discuss with NRC whether Baxter will need to continue to use a qualified external consultant. It is anticipated that the last external consultant review will be completed in 2007. In no event shall such review extend beyond one additional review in 2009 in the context of this Agreement. H. Baxter will submit to the NRC a letter within two weeks (by December 27, 2004) which documents the Agreement. (Met by Baxter's December 17, 2004 letter). I. Upon issuance of a Confirmatory Order by the NRC, confirming the Agreement reached by the parties on December 13, Baxter will pay the Civil Penalty in the amount of $31,200.00 within thirty days of the date of issuance of that Confirmatory Order. Since the licensee has agreed to take additional actions to address NRC concerns, as set forth in Item III above, the NRC has concluded that its concerns can be resolved through the NRC's confirmation of the licensee commitments as outlined in this Order. I find that the licensee's commitments as set forth in Section III above are acceptable and conclude that with these commitments, the public health and safety are reasonably assured. However, in view of the foregoing, I have determined that public health and safety require that these commitments be confirmed by this Order. Based on the above and the licensee's consent, this Order is immediately effective upon issuance. The licensee is required to provide the NRC with a letter summarizing all of its actions, up to and including, its last external consultant review that is to be completed in 2007. Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 81, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182, and 186 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR 2.202 and 10 CFR part 30, It is hereby ordered, effective immediately that: A. Baxter pay a civil penalty of $31,200.00 for Violations I.A, I.B and I.C. set forth in the NRC October 25, 2004 Notice. (The NRC will characterize these violations as a Severity Level II problem. Also, Baxter and the NRC agree to disagree on the willful characterization of Violation I.C, and the NRC agrees to treat Violations II.A, II.B, and II.C as non-cited violations). B. Baxter implement the corrective actions a documented in its August 23, 2004, letter except that with respect to item 1(c) in that letter (``Additional External Review by Outside Consultant''), that item is replaced by the terms of the December 13, 2004, settlement. Specifically, Baxter will provide for reviews of irradiator operations to be conducted by a qualified consultant with such review to include a review of operations, maintenance, radiation safety and the RSO and ARSO functions. Review results will be documented and made available to NRC during inspections conducted by NRC. Such reviews to be conducted as noted below. 1. A review by the qualified external consultant will be conducted in 2005 of the RSO and ARSO function to supplement the reviews done in 2004. 2. In 2007, a qualified external consultant will conduct a full review as listed in Item B. 3. In 2007 after the full review, Baxter will discuss with NRC whether Baxter will need to continue to use a qualified external consultant, although it is anticipated that the last external consultant review will be completed in 2007, and in no event, shall such review extend beyond one additional review in 2009 in the context of the Agreement. The Director, Office of Enforcement may relax or rescind, in writing, any of the above conditions upon a showing by the licensee of good cause. Any person adversely affected by this Confirmatory Order, other than the licensee, may request a hearing within 20 days of its issuance. Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the time to request a hearing. A request for extension of time must be made in writing to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, and must include a statement of good cause for the extension. Any request for a hearing shall be submitted to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Chief, Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff, Washington, DC 20555. Copies of the hearing request shall also be sent to the Director, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555, to the Assistant General Counsel for Materials Litigation and Enforcement, to the Director of the Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs at the same address, and to Baxter. Because of continuing disruptions in delivery of mail to United States Government offices, it is requested that answers and requests for hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission either by means of facsimile transmission to (301) 415-1101 or by e-mail to hearingdocket@nrc.gov and also to the Office of the General Counsel by means of facsimile transmission to (301) 415-3725 or e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov. If such a person requests a hearing, that person shall set forth with particularity the manner in which his interest is adversely affected by this Order and shall address the criteria set forth in 10 CFR 2.309(d). If a hearing is requested by a person whose interest is adversely affected, the Commission will issue an Order designating the time and place of any hearing. If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such hearing shall be whether this Confirmatory Order shall be sustained. An answer or a request for a hearing shall not stay the effectiveness date of this order. Dated this 26th day of January 2005. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Frank Congel, Director, Office of Enforcement. [FR Doc. 05-2026 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 13 APP.COM: Public too often left in the dark about nuclear power, weapons ASBURY PARK PRESS Published in the Asbury Park Press 02/3/05 MARTIN L. HAINES Nuclear power and nuclear armaments surround us. Both, while designed to serve and protect us, pose serious threats to life and limb. We should know about those threats, not because we fear them, as we do, but because they are generated and controlled by our government, which too often operates in secret and too often uses fear to coerce. The more we know about that government's nuclear activities the better. New Jersey is blessed, or cursed, by the presence of a number of nuclear power plants. One in particular, the Hope Creek reactor in Salem County, illustrates the problems that can accompany domestic use of nuclear power for the generation of energy. Hope Creek is the second largest nuclear plant in the country in terms of electric generation. According to newspaper reports in December, investigations last year found the Hope Creek plant lacking in reliable equipment, spare parts and supervision. Employees, concerned that they might anger supervisors, stopped calling for constantly needed repairs. Management was faulted. A broken steam pipe caused an emergency shutdown of the plant Oct. 10 during which a critical safety system failed. The shutdown continued in order to check the operation of a recirculation pump that moves water through the core of the reactor vessel. That is an important safety component. The pump leaks radioactive water, sometimes enough to cause a shutdown of the reactor in order not to exceed federal limits. It also has a bent steel drive shaft that causes significant vibrations and must be repaired. Drive shaft repairs may cost as much as $25 million. Hope Creek is subject to the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and could not be restarted without the commission's approval. That approval, despite considerable criticism from experts and others, including state Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell, was granted Jan 10. It permitted operation for 18 months before pump repairs are required. Critics, concerned about safety, believed repairs should have come first. Hope Creek sits in our back yard. It can cause harm to neighbors and personnel if, for example, its pump bursts and people are exposed to a spill of radioactive cooling water, a scenario the operating company, PSEG Nuclear, claims is highly unlikely. While Hope Creek illustrates some of the risks posed by the operation of nuclear power plants to provide energy, the risks posed by nuclear armaments are much worse. The world, so far, has been lucky. Only one country has used the atom bomb against another country — the United States when it bombed Japan. But the risk of that happening more often has risen considerably with the increase in the number of countries possessing the bomb or the ability to make one. Those risks were underlined in a 1998 speech by Herbert L. Abrams, an expert among experts on nuclear affairs. His depressing speech, "The Shadow of Accidental Nuclear War: the Irreparable Evil" is published in "Facing Evil," a collection of speeches edited by Woodruff and Wilmer. Among Abrams' concerns: Since 1945, more than 1,500 nuclear weapons have been exploded in tests, mostly by the United States and the former Soviet Union. Roughly 60,000 nuclear weapons are in existence. The Department of Defense has listed 32 severe nuclear accidents between 1950 and 1980, defined as "any unexpected event involving nuclear weapons resulting in unexpected or unauthorized launching, fire or use which could create the risk of outbreak of war." No bomb or missile has exploded as a result of the accidents. About 105,000 to 112,000 individuals are involved in the handling of nuclear arms. Their stability and responsibility, of obvious concern, has not always been achieved. From 1975 to 1984, 51,000 of them were decertified and removed. The most common causes: drug and alcohol abuse and psychiatric problems. Leaders who deal with nuclear problems must be fit, capable, concerned and diplomatic. That has not always been the case. Our current president seems to be more belligerent than diplomatic. Eight U.S. presidents had heart disease, three suffered cerebral hemorrhages, six had major surgery and seven were the object of violent attacks. The leadership picture in Russia has had a similar history. Faulty warnings in the U.S. missile alert system are not unusual considering the complex machinery involved. The Senate Armed Services Committee reported that the receipt of 3,700 ambiguous sensory data in a year and a half required evaluation. The risk: The accidental launching of a nuclear missile. The facts should be more widely exposed. The public is entitled not only to know about them but to know in detail what our government is doing about them. the Asbury Park Press ***************************************************************** 14 Capitol Hill Blue: Feds Hide Snafus Behind Cloak of National Security By LANCE GAY Feb 3, 2005, 05:11 Federal agencies are using secrecy rules developed after the 9/11 attacks to hide embarrassing or controversial reports and data that the federal government once routinely made public. Environmental groups, scientific organizations and animal-rights advocates are complaining about increasing difficulties in obtaining information on what government inspectors are finding about worker safety at nuclear power plants, toxic releases at chemical plants, or tests on live animals in scientific laboratories. In February 2002, the U.S. Agriculture Department removed from its Web site annual reports on how scientific laboratories are treating animals during experiments. The department said it wanted to see whether the reports contained "homeland security information." Martin Stephens, vice president for animal research issues at the Humane Society of the United States, said the Justice Department ruled that the material the government is required to gather under the Animal Welfare Act doesn't involve security concerns, but the Agriculture Department has refused to release any recent reports or put the material back online. "It's pretty much the only source of this information," Stephens said. "Without these documents, we are in the dark about what's going on." He said the department's surveys reflect the prevalence of live testing on animals in scientific laboratories and require documentation for the rationale for withholding pain medication when tests are conducted. The government reports have also been used to document that some universities that publicly deny they are involved in live animal testing are experimenting with animals in their laboratories. The Humane Society filed suit this week seeking to obtain the documents. Agriculture Department spokesman Jim Rogers said he could not respond to questions on the issue because the matter is being litigated. Michele Boyd, legislative director for the watchdog group Public Citizen, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission removed data on worker safety issues and health effects for a proposed Louisiana Energy Services nuclear facility in southeastern New Mexico. "What health and worker safety information would be of interest to terrorists?" Boyd asked. She said workers at the plant and neighbors around it deserve to know what dangers they are facing. "We scream about it, and they don't particularly care," Boyd said. The agency initially posted information from an environmental impact statement on its Web site, but then withdrew some materials in December that discussed the potentially lethal consequences of accidents. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson joined activists in protesting the withdrawal of the documents, saying it makes it impossible for citizens to make informed decisions about the facility. Many other agencies are using the post 9/11 crack down to keep secret data that once was public: _ The Environmental Protection Agency is no longer releasing the information it gathers when chemical plants dump toxic substances. _ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is refusing to release publicly documents that it prepared in secret on the dangers of liquefied natural gas terminals under construction along America's coastlines. The commission claims the material is "critical energy infrastructure information." _ Despite bitter complaints from the nation's mayors, the Homeland Security Department won't tell police and fire departments when dangerous shipments of hazardous materials move through their jurisdictions. South Carolina authorities weren't alerted to the presence of a Norfolk and Southern Railroad tanker carrying chlorine until it exploded on a railroad siding, killing nine people. There are 90,000 shipments by rail of chlorine each year, and the federal government cites the need to keep the information from terrorists as justification for secrecy. _ The Justice Department had been withholding details of what's been happening in secret proceedings against immigrants since 9/11. After losing a lawsuit over the issue, the department presented the People for the American Way Foundation with a $373,000 bill this week for rounding up documents on the cases. A study by the Rand Corp. last year of the 36 Web sites and more than 600 public data bases shut down after 9/11 concluded government efforts to censor information was ill-advised and ineffective. Terrorists would not be interested in much of the information and, in any event, it could be obtained elsewhere in textbooks, trade journals or through non-government sites, the study concluded. But government secrecy is expanding. The Department of Homeland Security issued regulations last June telling government agencies they no longer need to release environmental impact statements, and secrecy rules are being applied not only to documents the government gathers, but also to information the government finances. The Council on Government Relations, representing the nation's university system, protests that scientists are facing unprecedented new rules written into research contracts requiring them to suppress sensitive but unclassified materials and also to receive special approval if foreigners are involved in the government-financed research. Albert Teich, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said that unlike classified research for which there are written rules, there are no firm guidelines on how to handle sensitive but unclassified information. In a December 2004 report, the Congressional Research Service found the way government agencies handle sensitive but unclassified materials differs widely across the government. "This is a gray area," he said. He worries the bureaucracy is treating the material over-cautiously to avoid recriminations if U.S. government documents later show up in a cave in Afghanistan. Teich said tightly applied rules prevent necessary scientific exchange, and a preoccupation with secrecy hurts America's long-term economic health. "The whole scientific enterprise moves forward on the free exchange of ideas and information," he said. "We could be shooting ourselves in the foot if we do anything that slows down this sort of research." (Contact Lance Gay at GayL(at)SHNS.com) © Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue ***************************************************************** 15 WH: State of the Union [2005 State of the Union] PHOTO ESSAYSHISTORY White House photo by Susan Sterner.] President George W. Bush receives a standing ovation during his State of the Union Address at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005. White House photo by Susan Sterner. [State of the Union] "Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and grandchildren." - President George W. Bush, February 2, 2005 In his State of the Union Address, President Bush described the state of our Union as confident and strong - the U.S. economy is growing steadily, more Americans are finding jobs, and our Nation is serving as an active force for good in the world. The President conveyed his gratitude to the American people for the privilege to serve once again, with a renewed commitment to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. He recognized that, over the last four years, Americans have come together to overcome great challenges, and he underscored his faith and confidence in the American people and our Nation's future. President Bush laid out ambitious goals for the future, behind which all Americans can unite, and urged the Nation to move forward with the work that needs to be done this year: 1. Growing Our Economy and Renewing Great Institutions 2. Saving Social Security for America 's Future Generations 3. Protecting America 's Families and Promoting Compassion Across the Nation 4. Making America Safer with Decisive Action to Win the War on Terror and Spread Freedom Growing Our Economy and Renewing Great Institutions Over the past four years, we have provided tax relief to every taxpayer, overcome a recession, opened new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to the highest level in history, and - in the last year alone -created 2.3 million jobs for Americans. The President believes we must add to those achievements to keep America the economic leader of the world. To ensure prosperity for future generations, we must reform institutions - retirement plans, the tax code, our health care system, and worker training programs - that were created for the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. We must transform these systems so that all Americans are equipped and prepared to realize the American Dream. Strengthening Spending Restraint While Meeting Our Nation's Priorities: The President's budget reflects the country's most important priorities of ensuring economic growth and fighting the War on Terror. The President will continue to provide whatever it takes to defend our country and protect our homeland. He will also continue to promote pro-growth economic policies and exercise responsible spending restraint to meet his goal of cutting the budget deficit in half by 2009. Making Tax Relief Permanent: The tax relief enacted over the past four years, including the tax relief benefiting America 's small businesses, is scheduled to expire over the next several years. This tax relief must be made permanent. Raising taxes on families and small businesses will hurt economic growth and job creation. Strengthening High Schools: The No Child Left Behind Act is bringing important reforms to America 's elementary schools by insisting on standards and accountability for results. The early grades are seeing progress across America , but we must improve America 's high schools. The President wants high standards to be applied to America 's high schools to ensure that every student graduates with th e skills needed to succeed in college and a globally competitive workforce. His Fiscal Year 2006 budget will provide $1.5 billion in funding for a new High School Initiative to help states hold high schools accountable for teaching all students and to provide effective and timely intervention for those students who are not learning at grade level. This initiative includes requirements for state assessments in high school to ensure that diplomas are truly meaningful. Providing Students with Assistance for Quality Higher Education: The current Federal student-aid system does not serve American students well, and is not the best use of taxpayer money. By reforming the student loan program, the President's Fiscal Year 2006 budget will increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $4,150 this year and $4,550 over five years to help more students pay for higher education and prepare for a lifetime of achievement. The President's budget request will increase resources for Pell Grants by more than $15 billion over the next 10 years to provide extra assistance for the Nation's low-income students. Preparing Americans for Jobs of the 21 st Century: America 's growing and transitioning economy requires new skills and new technologies, and the President is committed to providing American workers with the skills they need to succeed. President Bush believes we must ensure that every adult, and especially low- and middle-income Americans, can access the training to close the skills gap in America , and he will work with Congress to reform workforce training and increase the number of people served. Reducing Excessive Regulations: The President wants to streamline regulations and reduce paperwork to alleviate the burdens that unduly handicap America 's entrepreneurs and job creators. Since the President took office, his Administration has slowed the growth of burdensome new rules by 75 percent, while still moving forward with crucial safeguards for homeland security, human health, and environmental protection. Curbing Junk Lawsuits and Reforming Class Action: To help reduce the rising cost of health care while improving quality and safety, President Bush called on Congress to enact legal reform. Class action lawsuits are an important part of the U.S. legal system, but abusive class actions harm injured parties and undermine the American judicial system. Asbestos-related bankruptcies are hurting workers and delaying relief for truly sick claimants. Making Health Care More Affordable: President Bush believes all Americans should have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Rising health-care costs impose a burden on families and small businesses and put coverage out of the reach of many Americans. Many businesses - particularly small firms - are struggling with these rising costs. + The President has proposed a comprehensive, consumer-driven plan to address the problems of rising health-care costs and uninsurance. His plan includes Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Association Health Plans (AHPs) for small businesses, civic groups, and community organizations, tax credits for low-income families, medical liability reform, and a goal of electronic health records for most Americans within 10 years. + The President's plan will help reduce the rising cost of health care while improving quality and safety. It will provide new and affordable health coverage options for all Americans - targeted to those who need it most: low-income children and families and employees of small businesses and the self-employed. Providing Affordable, Environmentally Responsible Energy: The President's comprehensive energy strategy will help America meet the energy needs of a growing economy in environmentally responsible ways. His plan encourages conservation; passage of Clear Skies legislation to cut power-plant pollution; alternative sources of energy, including hydrogen-fuel, clean coal, and ethanol; a modernized electricity grid; and more production here at home, including safe, clean, nuclear energy. Reforming Immigration to Safeguard the Liberty of America: President Bush called on Congress to work with him to achieve significant immigration reform that protects the homeland by controlling the borders; serves America's economy by matching a willing worker with a willing employer when no American is willing to fill the job; promotes compassion and protects workers from abuse; provides incentives for temporary workers to return to their home countries and families; and rejects amnesty and protects the rights of legal immigrants while not unfairly rewarding those who came here unlawfully or hope to do so. Reforming the Tax Code: The current tax code is a maze of special-interest loopholes that causes America 's taxpayers to spend more than six billion hours every year on paperwork and other headaches. President Bush believes that America 's taxpayers deserve - and our future economic prosperity demands - a simpler, fairer, more pro-growth system. Taxes should be applied fairly, and reform should recognize the importance of homeownership and charity in our society. As a first step in reforming the code, t he President has created a bipartisan panel to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on options to reform the tax code. Saving Social Security for America 's Future Generations + Fixing the Current Social Security System: The President wants to strengthen Social Security for the 21 st century. His fiscally responsible plan calls for reforms that would keep Social Security's promises for today's seniors and those near retirement ; solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all; and give younger workers a chance to save in personal accounts for their own retirement. + By 2018, Social Security will owe more in annual benefits than the revenues it takes in, and when today's young workers begin to retire in 2042, the system will be exhausted and bankrupt. As currently structured, Social Security cannot afford to pay promised benefits to young workers. President Bush has laid out basic principles to guide reform: + We must make Social Security permanently sound; + We must guarantee no change for those 55 years or older (born before 1950); + We must not jeopardize our economic strength by raising payroll taxes; + We must ensure that lower-income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement; + We must make sure any changes in the system are gradual, so that younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future; and + We must make Social Security a better deal for younger workers through voluntary personal retirement accounts. + The President laid out his vision for voluntary personal retirement accounts. Under his plan, personal retirement accounts would start gradually. Yearly contribution limits would be raised over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside 4 percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts. + There will be careful guidelines for personal accounts to provide greater security in retirement, including a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds similar to those offered under the Federal employee retirement plan; protection from hidden fees; protection from sudden market swings on the eve of retirement; and a requirement of pay-outs over time to prevent a person from emptying his or her account all at once. Protecting America 's Families and Promoting Compassion Across the Nation Defending the Dignity of Human Life: The President is committed to medical research that does not violate the dignity of human life or exploit one human life for the benefit of another. President Bush will work with Congress to prohibit the creation of human life for research and other unethical practices. Helping America 's Youth: Statistics show that boys are at greater risk than girls for learning disabilities, dropping out of school, violence, juvenile arrest, and early death caused by violent behavior. Boys often begin to fall behind girls in elementary school, which leads to higher dropout rates and juvenile delinquency, and they often show signs of behavioral problems early in life. As boys grow older, risk behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse become more prevalent, and gang involvement increases. + The President announced a new outreach effort, to be led by Mrs. Laura Bush, to focus on young Americans, especially young men, to help ensure a successful future. During the next year, the President and Mrs. Bush are committed to highlighting the importance of focusing on at-risk youth, especially boys; educating parents and communities on the importance of promoting positive youth development; and informing parents and communities of strong and successful prevention and intervention programs that work by drawing attention to initiatives from around the country. + The President's focus on young Americans will include support for programs that help youth overcome the specific risk of gang influence and involvement. The President proposed a three-year, $150-million initiative to help youth at risk of gang influence and involvement through grants to faith-based and community organizations. These organizations will provide a positive model for youth - one that respects women and rejects violence. Extending and Improving the Lives of Those Living with HIV/AIDS: The President continues his commitment to combating HIV/AIDS internationally and domestically. President Bush called for t he reauthorization of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act based on the principles of focusing Federal resources on life-extending care; ensuring flexibility to target resources to address areas of greatest need; and ensuring results. Ensuring Justice and Fairness for All Americans: An important part of the American character is our system of justice, and the principle that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. President Bush's new proposal will improve state criminal-justice systems through training for defense counsel, prosecutors, and judges to ensure they are adequately trained to handle state capital trials. Congress should fully fund the President's DNA Initiative to solve crime and protect the innocent from wrongful conviction through elimination of existing backlogs of DNA samples, strengthening lab capacity, expanding testing for convicted offenders, and training for law enforcement and attorneys on the use of DNA. Making America Safer with Decisive Action to Win the War on Terror and Spread Freedom Since September 11, 2001, President Bush has taken unprecedented actions to protect all Americans, including creating the Department of Homeland Security, focusing the FBI on preventing terrorism, reforming our intelligence agencies, expanding research on biological and chemical defense, and improving border security. America 's Heroes in Uniform: President Bush continues to honor the service of America 's men and women in uniform serving at posts across the world. These volunteers make every American proud as they work to secure our Nation. Americans are grateful to the members of the armed forces, their family members and loved ones. Fighting Terrorism and Promoting Democracy: The Coalition forces are succeeding in their mission to create a secure and peaceful environment in which democracy can thrive. Taking the fight to the enemy - with the essential help of our allies - has made America safer. + Historic Days in Iraq: In cooperation with the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces, Coalition forces are conducting an effective counter-insurgency campaign, while, at the same time, training more Iraqi recruits and broadening the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces moving toward self-sustainable security. Coalition forces are also working with Iraqi government ministries to protect essential infrastructure such as electrical transmission lines. + On January 30, 2005, the Iraqi people demonstrated their commitment to democracy by holding the first free and fair elections in generations. Now begins the process of organizing the Transitional National Assembly, forming a government, and drafting and ratifying a permanent constitution that will be the basis of a fully democratic Iraq. + Historic Days in Afghanistan: On October 9, 2004, the Afghan people made history by holding their first direct presidential election, with both men and women voting. They also adopted a constitution that protects the rights of all, while honoring their nation's most cherished traditions. The Afghan people have proven to the world that there is a yearning among people everywhere for democracy and freedom. + Working Cooperatively with Nations Around the World: America continues to work tirelessly with our many counterterrorism partners overseas to deny al-Qaida any safe harbor and to disrupt their terrorist plots. The President also continues to strengthen America 's defenses in the War on Terror. Building the Institutions of Peace and Freedom : America 's actions will result in the spread of democracy in the broader Middle East - an important step that will provide an alternative to terror and violence. To promote peace in the Middle East , the President believes we must continue to confront those who are still harboring terrorists. + In partnership with nations of the broader Middle East , the President is advancing political, social, and economic reforms in the region. + Already underway are specific initiatives on strengthening civil society and business groups, better targeting democracy assistance, modernizing education and training systems, expanding the private sector to create jobs, and providing microcredit opportunities for entrepreneurs. + President Bush seeks justice and dignity and a viable, independent, and democratic state for the Palestinian people. The President announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Israel and the West Bank to work with our partners to build the institutions of a peaceful, independent, democratic state. President Bush asked Congress for $350 million to support needed Palestinian reforms. President Bush described the state of our Union as confident and strong and urged all Americans to move forward and complete the important work ahead. White House Web Cast February 2, 2005 [watch] Real Media [watch] Windows Media [Live Web Cast February 2, 2005] Speeches and News Releases February 2, 2003 Fact Sheet: The State of the Union Fact Sheet: Ensuring Justice and Fairness for All Americans Fact Sheet: Ensuring Justice and Fairness for All Americans Ask The White House [John Snow, Treasury Secretary] February 3, 2005 Secretary Snow discussed the President's State of the Union. Click here to read his chat. Photo Essays State of the Union: The First Four Years State of the Union 2005 Preparation ***************************************************************** 16 Tidepool: Whining Over Wind - Joshua Zaffos While Wyoming ranchers and hunters are facing off with gas companies eager to drill their rangelands and hunting grounds, Massachusetts lobster barons are facing their own showdown with an energy juggernaut. Has the West found an ally in Eastern blue bloods and politicians such as Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.? Not exactly. In Wyoming's Powder River Basin, locals are trying to curb plans to drill as many as 80,000 methane gas wells over the next six years that may damage thousands of private groundwater wells and slice-and-dice the open landscape with roads, gates and waste ponds. Meanwhile, off the coast of Nantucket, citizens are opposing -- get this -- an offshore wind farm. That's right. The Cape Cod set claims the proposed line of 130 windmills 11 miles off the Atlantic coast, would ruin the ocean view, the property values and otherwise bring down the neighborhood. Wind energy doesn't pollute the air or water, doesn't contribute to global warming and doesn't tie our energy supply to fickle foreign dealers of fossil fuels. And, as Gregg Easterbrook pointed out in The New Republic, the 420-foot tall wind towers will be far enough offshore to be visible only on crystal-clear days and then to appear as "distant sailing-ship masts." In Easterbrook's criticism of Nantucket's anti-wind crusade, he chalks up the snooty attitude to the "broad consensus in American politics about where energy should come from: Somewhere Else." Easterbrook suggests that when it comes to energy development -- methane gas or wind -- we all hold to the NIMBY credo: Not in My Backyard. The problem with the comparison is that the West already is Somewhere Else. Western coal, gas and uranium have powered this country since entrepreneurs could get at them with a shovel, a Geiger counter or a thumper truck. One day, the entire nation's radioactive trash, including waste from the five nuclear power plants in New England, will come West to Yucca Mountain or another "Somewhere Else" spot out here. The West has already given up its backyard. In the North Fork Valley in western Colorado, I live closer to a methane gas well than a traffic light. It's the same story for communities in New Mexico's San Juan Basin as well as in parts of Wyoming and Montana. Our counties appreciate the royalties and economic benefits from energy extraction, which help us build schools and pay police officers' salaries, but we also suffer the environmental costs. Our towns have accepted wastewater ponds, maintenance roads, invasive weeds, two-ton trucks, roadkill and a bunch of obnoxious smells, sights and sounds into our backyards. In other words, "Sure, go ahead in our backyard, but just not right next to the horseshoe pits; keep the polluted water out of the dog dish and don't dump those toxic rocks in the kids' sandbox." Comparing Eastern opposition to an offshore wind farm with Western objection to methane gas drilling is an insult. Out West, we're pushing our states toward renewable energy, and we're designing wind farms right on the real estate. This past November, Colorado joined New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California in mandating that a percentage of the state's power come from alternative energy such as wind, solar or geothermal heat. Last June, the Western Governors Association signed an agreement to produce 30,000 megawatts of renewable power -- enough to supply 30 cities the size of Seattle -- by 2015. New England states have made similar pledges, but are they just hot air? Cape Cod and its constant offshore breezes make it the premier site for wind power development on the Eastern seaboard. But the rich chums of senators as well as some of the senators themselves are in a tizzy because there might be the vague outline of a sailboat on the horizon. A Nantucket citizens' protest group has already outspent the wind-energy firm from Boston that's looking to harness the breeze; compare that to Western grassroots groups that work using a fraction of an energy company's bankroll. So, here's a new rallying cry for homeowners with oil and gas below their property or on our publicly owned lands: Not Off My Front Porch, to distinguish the energy sacrifice the West has already made and the lead many Western states are taking to promote renewable energy. I also have a deal for Nantucket: If the thought of a windmill out the bay window on a picture-perfect day makes you want to moan in your martini, send the turbines out West. We'll be happy to send you a nuclear waste repository. Joshua Zaffos is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org). He writes in Fort Collins, Colorado. News for Salmon Nation ***************************************************************** 17 Upper Cape Codder: Power politics TownOnline.com - The Upper Cape Codder - Local News By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Thursday, February 3, 2005 Feel free to disagree with Paul Nossiter's stance on the proposed wind farm on Nantucket Sound - he's dead set against it, thank you very much for asking - but don't accuse him of jumping on the bandwagon. That's because the 74-year-old South Yarmouth resident has "been there, done that" when it comes to opposing large-scale energy projects for Cape Cod, having taken part 45 years ago in a grassroots effort to stop an "atomic park" from being located on the Massachusetts Military Reservation. That grassroots effort paid off for those who opposed a plan that, despite its bucolic-sounding name, would have created a collection point for nuclear fuel on the peninsula. "It's pure David and Goliath," said Nossiter as he recalled how a group of committed Cape residents, led by Ned and Jane Lehac of Wellfleet and veteran journalist Grace DesChamps of Truro, enlisted the support of fellow residents as well as the world-renowned scientists of Woods Hole in uncovering, opposing and finally stopping the project championed by the state's Atomic Energy Commission in the late 1950s and early 1960s. And, despite the significant but obvious distinction that wind power is a clean technology with no waste while hazardous waste is one of the key concerns of nuclear power, the atomic park and the wind farm have much in common: a cutting edge technology arousing both curiosity and suspicion; a polarization of Cape Cod residents over one particular issue; charges of an insufficient or faulty process versus charges of NIMBYism; a concern about future energy needs; and the unique role of Cape Cod's tourism economy in shaping almost any discussion. The two projects - 45 years apart - also share Massachusetts senators, one named Kennedy and one named Kerry, taking a decidedly hands-off approach to the controversy as they make a run for the presidency. A 'park' with a difference The controversy began to take shape in the late 1950s when then Massachusetts Gov. Foster Furcolo, eager to make New England a center of what was then a brand-new technology, appointed a special commission to study the feasibility of establishing "an atomic energy industrial research center" somewhere in Massachusetts. Such a center, it was reasoned, would draw other industries to the region and create year-round jobs. On Dec. 29, 1959, the committee issued a special report recommending such a center, explaining that the center would be a fuel reprocessing facility to reuse "spent" uranium fuel rods from power plants along the East Coast as well as Western Europe. In addition, the center could provide the same service for the reactors of nuclear vessels of the United States Navy, which at the time was shipping its spent fuel, at great expense, from Groton, Conn. to a desert facility in Arco, Idaho. "They planned to bring all the nuclear subs of the North Atlantic Fleet to the Cape Cod Canal one by one, where their cores would be removed to be cleansed by water," said Nossiter, adding that such irradiated water would have a half-life of 500 years. After reprocessing, the highly radioactive "hot wastes" generated by the process were to be stored in large underground tanks on the base. The special commission's slim report offered few details but provided general reviews of five possible sites: Dogtown Common in Gloucester; Myles Standish State Forest in Carver; Freetown State Forest north of Fall River; the area of Saugus, Lynn and Revere; and "Camp Edwards in the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and Mashpee." "There is an immediate need for a suitable site for a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the northeastern United States," stated the report. Noting its proximity to seaports, rail lines and highways, the report called Cape Cod "a location which fulfills the geographical and specific site requirements to a high degree." The report reflects an attitude that nuclear energy, although problematic, would eventually become the energy source of the nation, a prediction partially borne out today by statistics from ISO New England, operators of the region's power grid, which show that New England currently gets roughly a quarter of its electricity from nuclear power. However, that figure probably would seem shockingly low to the authors of the 1959 report, who wrote: "Nuclear power is the energy source of the future ... its use for industrial research and development has known but incipient progress to the present date. Yet it is universally agreed that its potential is so vast that it will revolutionize the industrial life of the future." But by 1959 a counter-revolution already had started on the Cape in the form of, among others, Ned and Jane Lehac of Wellfleet. Ned, a retired science teacher from the Bronx and avid sailor, and Jane, a former Rockette, had been serving as members of the Lower Cape Committee on Radioactive Waste Disposal to try to stop the dumping of low-level radioactive wastes off the coast of Boston. Nossiter, a former Wellfleet resident who co-owned the Storyville Cape Cod nightclub with George Wein, met the Lehacs when he rented their house for the summer. "We became friends because they were old-fashioned liberals and so am I," said Nossiter. Also a member of that grassroots committee was Grace DesChamps of Truro, an award-winning reporter then working as a correspondent for The Boston Globe. "She was a wonderful Republican journalist," recalled Nossiter. "She was a conservative, but the best kind of conservative." Fresh from their battles against radioactive dumping, the Lehacs and their friends were caught off guard by the new proposal to build the reprocessing facility at Edwards. The matter, by this time under the Legislative Committee on Power and Light headed by state Sen. Michael LoPresti, had received almost no attention when public hearings were conducted in Boston in late February or early March 1960. In fact, Cape Codders didn't really know about the proposal until The Falmouth Enterprise broke the story that spring in response to a letter to the editor which raised questions about what was being planned. But opponents of the plan made up for lost time, barraging local newspapers with letters and trying to raise awareness of the issue. "My job was to contact all the local chambers of commerce and warn them," said Nossiter, adding that only the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and the Buzzards Bay Chamber of Commerce - where support for the plan was strongest - didn't line up against the project. "The Cape at the time was looking for some invigoration," said former Bourne Selectman Phil Sanford, who served on that board from 1948 to 1972. "It was looked upon as something that might revitalize Main Street in Buzzards Bay, which has been looking for some punch for a long time." Sanford, who recalled the Cape's state senator, Edward C. Stone of Osterville, as being opposed to the project, said opinions were divided, but not necessarily down the middle. "There were not as many for it as against it," he remembered. Soon newspaper coverage, which at that time was dominated by coverage of the proposal for what was to become the Cape Cod National Seashore, focused on what was referred to simply as "The Nuclear Park." "Do our good friends who went to the state house last week to urge creation of a Nuclear Park know what they are supporting?" asked a Falmouth Enterprise editorial of March 10, 1960, one of several which was reprinted in The Cape Codder. That editorial, relatively even-keeled compared to the anti-park missives which were to follow, weighed the pros and cons of the plan, including this assessment: "The state will make nuclear energy available on Cape Cod and private industry will come to the park to build plants and use this energy. Construction of such a park promises contracts and profits, jobs and wages for Cape Codders." Later editorials warned that such a project, safe or not, would be a public relations nightmare for the Cape Cod tourism industry. Said a Cape Codder editorial of April 14, 1960: "Cape Cod may be rushing pell-mell toward trouble. ... We understand and sympathize with the desire to build a more diversified economy on Cape Cod. But the benevolent goose that lays the golden eggs is still the Cape's unsurpassed natural resources which attract the vacation trade. Any economic diversification which endangers these natural resources is sheer folly." A month later, the same paper quipped: "In the immortal words of a late lamented metaphor mixer: 'This thing has all the earmarks of an eyesore.'" © Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc. ***************************************************************** 18 Interfax: Elizabeth II sponsors website on Semipalatinsk test range Interfax.com Text version Site map Feb 3 2005 2:42PM KARAGANDA. Feb 3 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - British Queen Elizabeth II has assigned 1,000 pounds to open a website about the former Semipalatinsk nuclear testing range in East Kazakhstan, a source in the British embassy in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan told Interfax. The website is part of a project aimed at reclaiming the land of the Semipalatinsk testing range, the source said. The UK's Department for International Development is financing the project. The website will open in February and offer formerly classified information about the problems of the testing range. © 1991-2004 Interfax All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 19 Daily Times: Nuclear evidence could point to Pakistan - WP Friday, February 04, 2005 Daily Times Monitor LAHORE: Washington’s claim this week that North Korea supplied converted uranium to Libya is based on evidence that could just as easily point to Pakistan as the source, according to analysts and officials familiar with the data, the Washington Post reported. Recent US scientific tests strongly suggest that North Korea provided Libya with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, which can be processed into material for a nuclear weapon. However, China and South Korea, part of six-nation talks to try and persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, are sceptical of the evidence, write Glenn Kessler and Dafna Linzer in Thursday’s edition of the Post. The US administration’s case is based on tests conducted on equipment and on UF6 surrendered by Libya after it agreed to give up its illicit weapons programmes. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that scientists focused on North Korea as a source through a process of elimination by examining isotope fingerprints and ruling out other countries. The Washington Post reported on another potential link: a canister obtained from Libya that contained UF6 gas apparently had traces of plutonium produced at Yongbyon, where North Korea has its nuclear facilities. But the International Atomic Energy Agency, which conducted tests on the materials, has not reached the same finding and believes that the evidence is inconclusive, according to the Post. IAEA tests did not indicate the presence of plutonium in the same container, which officials said originated from Pakistan. The presence of plutonium indicates that it was in North Korea but there is no way to know the origin of the contents of the cylinder, investigators said. The Post says the IAEA has collected a mountain of conflicting information pointing to both Pakistan and North Korea as Libya’s source of uranium. “In order to come to this conclusion, you need a sample from North Korea and no one has a uranium sample from North Korea,” said an unnamed official official investigating the network and Libya’s former programmes. “The Pakistanis won’t allow any samples of their UF6, either.” Libya put out an order in 2003 for 20 tonnes of UF6 in the hopes of beginning research and development on uranium enrichment, says the Post. But it received only 1.6 tonnes from the network of Pakistani scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, delivered in the metal cylinder, when its programme was exposed in 2003. The IAEA and US intelligence launched investigations into the network and were told by Pakistan that North Korea was the source of the uranium shipment, says the report. “But Khan’s Malaysian-based partner, BS Tahir, told US intelligence Pakistan was the source.” According to the Post, even if North Korea made the uranium gas, some investigators believe it is unlikely that Pyongyang intended to sell it to Libya. They believe North Korea would have sold the material to Pakistan, which then sold it to Libya. Another theory is that North Korea sold raw uranium to Pakistan, which converted it to UF6 and sold it to Libya. “We can’t exclude the possibility that the UF6 was made in Pakistan,” said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. But Albright did not discount the possibility that North Korea may have been the source. “That has been a theory since last spring,” he said. Home | and hosted by WorldCALL Internet ***************************************************************** 20 [NukeNet] Toshiba Mini Nuke Trial Balloon Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 17:29:58 -0800 NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) Mothersalert: http://www.mothersalert.org But then along came Toshiba, which performs maintenance and repair work on conventional nuclear reactors around the world. The company is trying to develop a new reactor that would run almost unattended and put out 10 megawatts of power, about 1 percent as much as a typical United States plant. It sees Galena as a test market for a product that could appeal to other isolated small towns, factories and mines. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/business/03power.html Alaska Town Seeks Reactor to Cut Costs of Electricity By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: February 3, 2005 ASHINGTON, Feb. 2 - The tiny town of Galena, Alaska, which pays three times as much for electricity as the national average, is considering a novel way to cut that cost by two-thirds: a tiny nuclear reactor. On Wednesday the town manager and a deputy mayor sat down here with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to learn how a plant is licensed. They talked about their current logistics to obtain power - shipping diesel fuel in by barge during the brief window when the Yukon River is not frozen over - and their efforts to find an alternative. Advertisement There is a coal seam about 10 miles away. But no one builds coal plants that are small and clean enough, said the manager, Marvin Yoder, and the cost of permits to open a new mine might make the whole project impractical. The town even looked at solar power, Mr. Yoder said. But demand in Galena is highest in winter, when it is dark 20 hours a day, and residents need electricity to keep cars and even diesel fuel from freezing. But then along came Toshiba, which performs maintenance and repair work on conventional nuclear reactors around the world. The company is trying to develop a new reactor that would run almost unattended and put out 10 megawatts of power, about 1 percent as much as a typical United States plant. It sees Galena as a test market for a product that could appeal to other isolated small towns, factories and mines. Toshiba offered Galena a free reactor if the town would pay the operating costs, estimated at 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, about the national average for power. In December the City Council voted unanimously to take it. Comparing oil, coal and nuclear, Mr. Yoder said, "As long as it operates as projected, it is the cleanest of the three." He called the reactor "the least expensive of the options." Tom Johnson, the deputy mayor, said the town, 550 miles northwest of Anchorage, may have unpaved streets and only 700 people, but it is not unsophisticated. The manager of the municipal water plant once served on a nuclear submarine, he said, and he and others are attracted to the idea of a reactor. "Anybody who's been on a sub or an aircraft carrier, they love them," he said. In good Alaskan fashion, he was dressed in short-sleeved shirt and said he was enjoying Washington's 40-degree afternoon weather. It was minus 40 back home, he said. An Air Force base uses most of the town's electricity. While giant corporations in the lower 48 states pursue new designs and preliminary applications for permission to build new reactors, and hope to break ground by about 2010, Galena hopes it could have a micro-reactor up and running by then. Toshiba calls its design the 4S reactor, for "super safe, small and simple." It would be installed underground, and in case of cooling system failure, heat would be dissipated through the earth. There are no complicated control rods to move through the core to control the flow of neutrons that sustain the chain reaction; instead, the reactor uses reflector panels around the edge of the core. If the panels are removed, the density of neutrons becomes too low to sustain the chain reaction. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it knows nearly nothing about the 4S. Paul Lohaus, director of the office of state and tribal affairs, who presided at the three-hour meeting, said it cost "tens of millions of dollars" for the commission to evaluate a reactor design. Mr. Yoder's face froze. "But that bill goes to the manufacturer," Mr. Lohaus added. Mr. Yoder said the town was interested in seeking early site approval, but that would cost millions of dollars. He said he hoped for a grant. The reactor would run on uranium enriched to 20 percent. That would allow it to run for 30 years without refueling, the designers say. In larger reactors operated by utilities, one-third of the fuel is replaced every 18 months or so. The design is described as inherently safe, but it does have one riskier feature: it uses liquid sodium, not water, to draw heat away from the core, so the heat can be used to make steam and then electricity. Designers chose sodium so they could run the reactor about 200 degrees hotter than most power reactors, but still keep the coolant depressurized. (Water at that temperature would make steam at thousands of pounds of pressure a square inch.) The problem is that if sodium leaks, it burns. While the town of Galena has listed a reactor as its preferred option, some of its neighbors sound a little wary. A representative of the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council, an organization of 58 tribal governments, was patched in to the meeting by telephone. One tribe is trying to enact a ban on transportation of radioactive material on the river. This would doom the plan. _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 21 [NukeNet] Being Irradiated While Attempting An Evacuation: Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 17:30:03 -0800 NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) > According to the NRC, an ineffective evacuation plan is >grounds for closing a nuclear power plant. I've never seen any mention of people being irradiated as they're attempting to escape. It will happen obviously. Has anyone raised this issue? -Bill Smirnow ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Jacobs" To: "*IPSEC Announce" ; "*GoGreen Listserve" Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 7:32 AM Subject: [ipsecannounce] Fridays Record Review > PULLOUT > > 'If a dairy farm gets radiation fallout, for example, we would wait > three days to see if it shows up in the milk.' > - Donald Maurer, New York State Emergency Management Office > > HED > > Outside the nuke zone > > OR > > HED > > 'Yes-but' at Indian Point > > By ABBY LUBY > > The two pictures, a young girl and a young boy, sat eerily next to the > potassium iodide tablets on the evacuation supply table. The table was > one of seven "stations" set up in the Frank Lindsey Middle School > cafeteria in Montrose on Thursday, Jan. 13, as part of the Emergency > Planning Open House for residents living within 10 miles of the Indian > Point nuclear power plants. > Because Bedford and Pound Ridge is located just outside the emergency > planning zone for a nuclear accident at Indian Point or terrorist > incident, > no evacuation plan has ever been formalized. There are evacuation plans, > however, for the 507 dairy farms and 234 herd farms within 50 miles of > the plant in New York State known as the "the ingestion pathway." The > region is mapped in documents from the New York State Emergency > Management Office (SEMO). > "If a dairy farm gets radiation fallout, for example, we would wait > three days to see if it shows up in the milk," says SEMO's Donald > Maurer. "Farmers would have to leave their farms for three days as well, > and then we would dispatch a survey team to test the water, milk, soil, > and any vegetation at the Wadsworth Labs in Albany." > The open house was held on a wintry evening when area roads were heavily > fogged over. According to people working at the open house, there was a > steady stream of people for four hours despite difficult traveling > conditions. > "This is the first time we've had a public information night like this > here in Westchester," said Westchester County Department of Emergency > Services Commissioner Anthony Sutton. "We've seen a lot of people come > down, even though the weather is bad." > Mr. Sutton said results from a survey done by SEMO prompted the county > to host the open house. "The further away from Sept. 11 we get, the more > people seem to be complacent about evacuation," said Mr. Sutton. "We > haven't even had that much call for the free KI [potassium iodide] > tablets." > Seven main stations offered emergency information on topics that > included evacuation, sheltering in place, emergency response, and plume > tracking. Officials were available to answer questions one-on-one that > offered the "yes-but" theory. "Yes," there was plenty of information > about radiation releases, sheltering in place, and even evacuation. > "But" what if there is more than one release after an accident, what if > sheltering in place doesn't provide enough protection, and of course, > what if the evacuation doesn't work? > Kristine Smith of the New York State Health Department talked about what > would happen if radiation was released from the power plant. Ms. Smith > said that a plume would rise in one general area and where a resident > lives would determine if he would evacuate or shelter in place. > "Indian Point is required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission [NRC] to > notify SEMO of any unusual events," said Ms. Smith. "SEMO then > determines if an evacuation is necessary after the state health > department interprets the data. We've got very committed people who > would be involved - the Public Service Commission would go down to the > plant to monitor the release." > That was for a textbook case of just one radiation release. What if > there was more than one release? What if the wind dispersed radiation > past the imaginary 10-mile zone to Pound Ridge, New York City, or > Connecticut? Ms. Smith acknowledged that possibility by nodding, and > said sheltering in place would still be advised. > Emergency evacuation routes were mapped out at another station. An > actual evacuation drill has never been carried out as long as Indian > Point has been in operation, since the early 1970's. Only state and > federal tabletop drills have been done in the past few years, > emphasizing communications rather than any physical evacuation from the > county. At the open house, two laptop computers showed the county Web > site that links residents to their particular emergency zone and > reception center, but there were no links for directions to that > reception center. > The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has always required > counties and states to certify that emergency evacuation procedures were > in place and could protect the public in the event of an emergency at > Indian Point. According to the NRC, an ineffective evacuation plan is > grounds for closing a nuclear power plant. Every January, the county > executives in the four counties around Indian Point - Westchester, > Rockland, Orange, and Putnam - routinely are requested to sign an annual > certification letter, to be sent to SEMO, which then forwards the letter > to FEMA. > After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, pressure from citizens > opposed to the continuing operation of the plant was put on local > officials not to sign the certification letter because of evacuating > such a densely populated area seemed impossible. In 2003, all four > counties refused to sign their certification letters, and SEMO refused > as well. Later that year, New York State commissioned former FEMA > director James Lee Witt to analyze the emergency evacuation plan for the > nuclear power plants. The report found that the plan was badly flawed > and unworkable and would not "protect the people from an unacceptable > dose of radiation in the event of a release from Indian Point." > In 2004, officials in Westchester, Rockland, and Orange counties > together with SEMO again refused to submit the certification letters. > Nevertheless, the NRC approved the evacuation plans without the required > letters from the counties. > At the open house, Mr. Sutton said that Westchester County Executive > Andy Spano would not sign the letter again this year. Officials in > Rockland and Orange counties are expected to refuse to sign the letter > as well for this year. Putnam's decision is not clear. > Although it was not included in Thursday's meeting, the Town of Bedford > has started its own emergency planning committee. Town board member > Francis Corcoran chairs the town's recently formed safety committee, > which is made up of first responders and officials. > "We've had a few meetings already, and we want to create an assessment > of what is needed to respond to an emergency," said Mr. Corcoran. > "Hopefully, we can come up with a booklet and materials that will easily > inform residents about what to do in case of all emergencies, including > fires and chemical spills. The whole goal is to be able to put together > a townwide emergency response plan." > Mr. Corcoran said he didn't know about the open house meeting. "It's odd > that we didn't hear about it, because we are working with SEMO on our > committee." > Mr. Corcoran said he would like to eventually have drills with other > towns, and perhaps Metro-North. "Whatever the emergency plan is, we need > to test it and continue to test it because things change." > At the open house, the county was giving away what they called a > "Go-Bag," which should be on standby for residents to grab if they need > to evacuate and would be filled with recommended items. > Is it lead lined? No, they said, it's waterproof . > On the "evacuation supplies checklist" were about 28 items that included > medicines, baby supplies, clothing, hygiene times, money, identification > papers, sleeping bags, radio, KI tablets, bottled water, and an > emergency planning booklet. There were no radiation suits, protective > gear, Geiger counters or other consumer-type radiation detectors. > "We want to get information out to the public so they will be educated," > said Mr. Sutton. "We've had these informational sessions in three other > counties - we contacted everyone within the 10-mile radius. It gives > people a chance to talk one-on-one to emergency specialists. We think it > makes a big difference." > > > --------- > > > SIDEBAR > > Plant's nearby residents express health, safety concerns > > Overseeing the evacuation supply table last Thursday night were > employees of Ecology and Environment Inc., a group that interviewed > 297,733 residents in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Orange counties > last February and March. The survey, commissioned by the New York State > Emergency Management Office, asked questions about emergency planning. > Respondents expressed the following concerns and beliefs about the > plant: > . The security measures currently in place at Indian Point are > inadequate. > . A terrorist attack at Indian Point would have results similar to those > of a nuclear bomb. > . There is a high incidence of cancer around Indian Point, and the plant > is slowly leaking radiation on a continual basis. > . The age of the plant is affecting its safety. > . There is a lack of trust and confidence in Entergy and a belief that > Entergy is not operating the plant as safely and efficiently as > possible. > . There are concerns over the environmental effects of Indian Point, > including the disposal of the spent fuel rods and the cooling system > impacting fisheries and water quality. > With respect to "Emergency Response Decision Making," the following > concerns were noted: > . There were concerns regarding the feasibility and implementation of > the emergency plan. > . The existing roads will not be able to handle the amount of traffic to > facilitate evacuation. > . The coordination of emergency personnel should be enhanced and the > public assured that personnel are properly trained and will be available > during an emergency. > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipsecannounce/ > > <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > ipsecannounce-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > > <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 22 NIRS Statement on State of Union Address Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 17:30:02 -0800 Nuclear Information and Resource Service 1424 16th Street NW, #404, Washington, DC 20036 202.328.0002, f: 202.462.2183; nirsnet@nirs.org, www.nirs.org STATEMENT OF MICHAEL MARIOTTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE FEBRUARY 3, 2005 ON STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH BY PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH In his State of the Union Speech, President George Bush called on Congress to enact legislation to support his energy program, including safe, clean nuclear power. *Where Bush sees safe, clean nuclear power,we see construction of new pre-deployed weapons of mass destruction to be used against us. Every community near a reactor would be at risk. *Where Bush sees safe, clean nuclear power,we see an unsolved legacy of lethal radioactive waste. This waste will continue to pile up at reactor sites, even if the proposed Yucca Mountain waste sitewhich does not and cannot meet federal regulationswere to open. Building new reactors would exacerbate the problem, and force the U.S. to find yet another national dumpsite, probably in the Eastern U.S. *Where Bush sees safe, clean nuclear power,we see the proliferation of nuclear weapons-usable technology across the globe. Bush should have taken the courageous lead of International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei, who has called for a five-year moratorium on construction of new uranium enrichment facilities to help prevent nuclear proliferation. Instead, the administration supports construction of such plants in New Mexico and Ohio. *Where Bush sees safe, clean nuclear power,we see the diversion of scarce resources from sustainable technologies that should be used to combat the global climate crisis to the most expensive, least effective technology available to address the overriding environmental issue of our times. *Where Bush sees safe, clean nuclear power,we see an industry that spews radiation into the air and water on a daily basis from all of its reactors, mines, processing plants, and other facilities, and poses the constant threat of atomic meltdown. There is nothing safeor cleanabout nuclear power. The first generation of atomic reactors brought us bankrupted utilities, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the threat of a nuclear waste transport accidenta Mobile Chernobyl,and the existing 103 reactors scattered across our nation that can provide nuclear dirty bombs for the enemy. The Bush Administrations energy bill has failed for the past four years for good reason. Its support for the polluting nuclear, coal and oil industries offers mid-20th century solutions to 21st century problems. Rather than rewarding the Bush Administrations energy industry friends with taxpayer dollars, the Congress can, and should develop an energy policy that will lead the world in efficiency and sustainability, provide millions of new jobs in progressive new energy industries, and take effective steps toward ending the global climate crisis. The Bush Administrations energy policy can, should and will be rejected by the American people and their elected officials. ***************************************************************** 23 Guardian Unlimited: No Money Said Spent on New Nukes From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday February 3, 2005 11:16 PM By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration has no plans to develop new nuclear weapons and is not spending any money on such a project, the assistant secretary of state for arms control said Thursday. Nor does the administration have any plans to conduct a nuclear test, the official, Stephen Rademaker, said at the annual meeting of the private Arms Control Association. ``We are spending zero dollars on the development of new nuclear weapons,'' Rademaker said. But speaking at the panel discussion, Brazil's Ambassador Roberto Abdenur, who has held international arms control posts, said the Bush administration was preparing a new nuclear doctrine to authorize the use of low-yield nuclear weapons in conflicts with both nuclear-armed and non-nuclear countries. He also said the agreement President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached in 2002 to gradually reduce their nuclear warhead arsenals by two-thirds was ``easily reversible.'' Abdenur said there was no provision for international monitors to oversee whether the two sides were making good on their agreement. Under the accord the warheads are removed from missiles but do not have to be destroyed and can readily be reattached. The Washington Post this week reported the administration began a three-year effort in 2002 to see if an existing nuclear warhead could be fitted with a hardened casing allowing it to dig deep into the earth before exploding. But, the Post said, the program has been restricted each year by Senate and House members who have argued that even studying the potential for such a new nuclear weapon undermines Washington's attempts to limit other countries from developing their own nuclear arsenals. Rademaker, in his speech, portrayed the Bush administration as an ardent proponent of arms control. The U.S. stockpile of strategic warheads bas been reduced from 10,000 to 6,000 and there have been no U.S. nuclear explosions since 1992. --- On the Net: Arms Control Association: http://www.armscontrol.org State Department: http://www.state.gov Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 24 Brattleboro Reformer: VY to apply for dry cask storage February 03, 2005 Brattleboro, VT By CAROLYN LORIÉ Reformer Staff BRATTLEBORO -- Officials at Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee said they plan to apply to the Vermont Public Service Board for approval of dry cask storage by the end of March. Vermont law requires electricity producing plants to get a "certificate of public good" from the Public Service Board before making any changes to the plant or grounds. While officials at Vermont Yankee have stated their intent to fulfill that regulatory requirement, what they are less willing to do is seek state legislative approval. The issue of whether this would be necessary surfaced last spring when there was an attempt to change a 1979 amendment to a 1977 law regarding the temporary storage of radioactive material. The original amendment granted an exemption to Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation, the previous owners of the plant, allowing it to bypass legislative approval for the temporary storage of radioactive material, including spent fuel. Lousiana-based Entergy Nuclear purchased the plant in 2002. In April 2004, officials lobbied to have the amendment changed to grant exemption to the "Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation, its successor or assigns." The amendment would have, in affect, given permission to any corporation that owned the plant to bypass legislative approval. It was tacked onto the House appropriation bill but was taken out after concern was raised by the Senate Finance Committee. Opponents of the amendment accused Vermont Yankee officials of attempting to slip it in during the eleventh hour of the legislative session. Plant officials, however, argued that the intent of the original change was meant to be specific to the plant and not specific to the owner. In other words, whoever owns the plant should be granted the exemption. On April 30, Assistant State's Attorney Michael McShane issued an opinion on the matter. According to McShane, it was clear that the amendment was meant to cover only the Nuclear Power Nuclear Corporation. What was less clear was whether the exemption could be assigned to another party. McShane argued that despite the uncertainty, it was likely that a "Vermont court would refuse to enforce such an assignment." In other words, if Entergy took the issue to court, they would most likely lose. The assistant state's attorney concluded that the Vermont Legislature did retain authority over the issue. The matter was left unresolved at the close of last year's legislative session and has now resurfaced. Rob Williams, spokesman for Vermont Yankee, said that company officials are working with state legislators in the hopes of being granted the exemption. This includes "reminding" them of the important role the plant plays in the state, said Williams, including producing one-third of its power. The House Committee of Natural Resources and Energy recently took a tour of the intended site for dry cask storage and plant officials have presented testimony to various legislators. "Clearly the intent [of the law] was to include the Vermont Yankee site," said Williams. Dry casks are specially made metal containers that nuclear power plants use to store spent fuel -- which is still highly radioactive -- once their fuel pool is filled to capacity. Vermont Yankee's 40-feet pool contains 2,789 spent uranium fuel assemblies. Every 18 months, the plant shuts down for several weeks and spent fuel is taken out of the reactor and placed in the pool. According to plant officials, the pool will be full in 2008 or 2007 if power production is boosted by 20 percent. An application for increased power production is currently before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Claims that the fuel pool will be full before the nuclear power plant's license expires in 2012 have been criticized by opponents of the proposed uprate. Arnold Gundersen, a nuclear engineer turned whistleblower, has stated in the past that rearranging the racks in the Vermont Yankee fuel pool would create more space. Enough space, said Gundersen, to accommodate all the spent fuel produced at the plant through 2012, when the plant's license expires. Under such an arrangement, however, space kept empty for what is known as 'full core off load" would have to be filled. Full core off load refers to the removal of all the fuel within the core. This would be necessary if a repair had to be made within it, in which case there would have to be space in the pool to put all the fuel. There are approximately 350 assemblies in the core. Nuclear power plants are not required by law to maintain enough space in the fuel pool to be able to empty their reactors. It is, however, considered good business practice, otherwise problems in the core could force a plant to shutdown. The Vermont Department of Public Service has requested that Vermont Yankee maintain the space for full core off load to prevent a sudden shutting down of the plant. Opponenets of nuclear power have argued that while dry cask storage is safer than keeping the fuel in the pool, they want conditions placed on any approval given to Entergy. Raymond Shadis, technical advisor to the anti-nuclear watchdog the New England Coalition, outlined several conditions that his organization considers necessary: * the casks must be protected by leaving only the very tops above ground and burying the rest in concrete structures; * insure that the radiation released from the casks is minimized to the absolute lowest level that current technology can achieve; * only allow enough dry cask storage to accommodate the waste produced up to 2012 under normal operating conditions and not the excess that would be produced by uprate or license extension; * require that a date be set when the casks will be delivered to a federal repository for spent fuel, such as Yucca Mountain. According to Shadis, allowing plants to store fuel in dry casks reduces the pressure of devising a solution regarding the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel. When nuclear power plants were first being designed and built, there was the expectation that the Department of Energy would see to the long-term storage of the waste. Despite the investment of millions of dollars into Yucca Mountain in Nevada, a concrete plan to begin moving the fuel there remains elusive. Many other plants across the country use dry cask storage, including the now-closed Yankee Rowe plant in Massachusetts. There are 16 casks on the site. The company spent $15 million to build the site -- including the casks, the fencing around them and the concrete pad they sit on. Twenty-four-hour protection of the site costs $5 million annually. Copyright ©1999-2005 New England Newspapers, Inc., a ***************************************************************** 25 Bellona: Fall-Guy found for November panic over Balakovo Nuclear Power Station ST. PETERSBURG - Saratov Regional Prosecutors have brought charges against the author of an anonymously posted web site for spreading what the criminal code defines as disseminating false information about an industrial accident at the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), fixing guilt for the panic - that was spread in the wake of a mishap in November - on one person. This 20 years old photo from Chernobyl was re-published on the anonymous web-page in the wake of the panic. A caption was added: "operative group is working at the territory of Balakovo". Rashid Alimov, 2005-02-03 21:34 Saratov prosecutors have meanwhile declined to file similar charges against the plant itself, which did nothing to mollify fears of hundreds of local residents and issued dozens of contradictory statements about the state of the plant. A leaking pipe in the plant’s coolant system in reactor no. 2 was eventually established to have triggered an emergency shutdown of the plant’s second reactor unit. Authorities and the defendant’s former employer have declined to identify him in full. Prosecutors said only that he was a 23-year-old information technologist from the Samara based information laboratory Wenses. His former co workers at Wenses, when contacted by Bellona Web, would identify him only as “Sergei.” An ‘ordinary emergency’ reactor shut down causes widespread panic Reports about a supposedly common reactor shut down at the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant in Russia’s southwestern Saratov region led to wide-spread panic resulting in overdoses of iodine taken by the fearful against possible radiation poisoning, and showing up the lack of coordination within the country’s emergency notification system. The information posted by Sergei gave a completely unclear and dubious picture of the situation developing at the plant, but in the hours following the emergency, his site accidentally emerged to fill the vacuum of deafening official silence. The emergency shut-down at the Balakovo plant – situated some 700 kilometers southwest of Moscow - occurred during the early morning hours of November 4th around 1 a.m. The malfunction caused wide-spread panic among residents of nearby cities and villages. Many residents, with Chernobyl fresh in the memory, refused to believe the contradictory offical information that was eventually issued and, according to local press reports, awaited the shadow of a radioactive cloud from the Balakovo plant. Emergency workers were evidentially unprepared for what may or may not have been about to happen and authorities at all levels clashed on how to handle the situation. People identifying themselves as being from the Civil Defence (CD) and Emergency Services (EC), called schools, universities and other institutions, saying people should take iodine. It’s still unclear, whether they really were emergency officials but in the lack of information following the Balakovo incident, it is possible that even officials did not have reliable information and thus overcompensated by suggesting what emergency measures to take. Residents, meanwhile, flooded drug stores and cleared shelves of iodine as a prophylactic measure against an initial influx of radiation poison, but had little information – both from emergency officials or nuclear authorities about how to correctly use the potentially dangerous substance. As a result, several local suffered iodine overdoses. The panic continued late into the night until Presidential Plenipotentiary for the Povolzhsky Federal District Sergei Kiriyenko was shown on television gripping the repaired pipe with his hands. By November 5, the Saratov Region had already filed criminal charges under Article 207 of the Russian criminal code “On Spreading False Information about an Act of Terrorism”. As Nina Gellert, public relations secretary for the Saratov Regional Prosecutors’ office explained to Bellona Web, the article deals not only with terrorism, but also with any false information about situations that could endanger significant numbers of people. The answer from A. S. Kovalyov, inspector for especially important cases in the Saratov Regional prosecutors' office to the complaint of 23 NGOs. Complaint 23 of NGOs Russian social and non-governmental organisations say that the reason for the panic was the information vacuum surrounding the incident and the clearly contradictory statements issued by officials. In November, ecologists wrote a corresponding inquiry to the Russian Prosecutor General, which was answered only recently: prosecutors would not press charges against nuclear officials who either remained mum or issued contradictory reports. In their inquiry, the group of ecologists showed that on November 4th at 1:20 p.m. a press release was issued by the Balakovo plant's public information centre which stated that an on-going repair of a coolant pipe in reactor 2's steam generator was underway, beginning from 1:24 a.m. this day. By the next day, Nikolai Shingaryov, press secretary for the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, or RosAtom, announced in an interview with the Russian news wire RIA Novosti that Balakovo's reactor no. 2 had experienced an out of the ordinary situaton – an emergency shut down of the reactor resulting from self – activation of the reactor's emergency system resulting from the damaged coolant pipe. ”In this manner, during the 48 hour period beginning with the shut down of the reactor official structures responsible for alerting the public presented at least two versions of what happened at the plant,” the ecologists wrote in their inquiry. Aside from that, wrote the ecologists, one important foundation for their inquiry was that “the first appearance of any officials on television in Balakovo – the most populated area in the region of the plant – did not occur until 8 p.m. the evening of November 4, a full 17 hours following the incident.” The officials informed the public that there had been no fallout. In their letter, the ecologists requested that prosecutors investigate the delay and contradictons in information issues regarding the situation – which itself is proscribed by Article 8.5 of Russia's administrative code and article 140 of its criminal code. In return, the ecologists received, through Greenpeace Russia who had initiated the initial inquiry, an answer from one A. S. Kovalyov, inspector for especially important cases in the Saratov Regional prosecutors' office, who wrote that the contradiction answers given by officials the day the accident occurred that “both pieces of information compliment one another.” “During the course of investigation No. 1325, initiated on suspicion of falsified information concerning an accident at the Balakovo NPP,” Kovalyov wrote, “it was established that official information on the incident, sent by the Balakovo NPP following the discovery of the malfunction appeared in six federal, 17 regional and 10 city media outlets.” Without establishing when this information was sent, the bureaucracy of the prosecutors’ office announced that “tardy information” was not issued and “a foundation for applying prosecutorial measures does not apply.” But Vladimir Chuprov, head of anti-nuclear campaigning for Greenpeace Russia is not satisfied to let it rest at that. “We will try to compose one more letter to the Prosecutor General’s office about how their Saratov colleagues are, in fact, wrong regarding the question of timely and correct release of information, specifically concerning concrete information about the accident,” he said in an interview with Bellona Web. In December, at a meeting at Kalinin NPP, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin opposed nuclear officials who linked Balakovo panic to mass-media. “People don’t give credence to the state bodies… to gain such credence, [the state] needs to show openness in such a sensitive sphere as nuclear energy,” he said as quoted by the NTV channel. The silence of Russian officialdom, or alternatively, lies from their lips, are a time-worn habit. Most recently, one need only recall the catechism of lies surrounding the tragic sinking of the Kursk submarine propagated by chief naval press secretary Igor Dygalo, particularly that communication had been established with the doomed sailors, or, more recently the fabrications swirling around the Beslan school hostage taking tragedy, during which officials intentionally under-reported the number of hostages. In times of crisis, it could be said that the least reliable source of information is that which is officially reported by the Russian government. Vladimir Chuprov of Greenpeace Russia Libel? In their own complaint to the prosecutors office, the ecologists were forced to address an accusation levied against them a by the atomic industry: On November 9, after the panic had finally simmered down, the Balakovo NPP posted an accusation against “greens” in particular, and Greenpeace specifically, for blowing the event out of proportion. “Some representatives of the ‘greens’ made their investment in inflating hysteria, advising the public to take iodine pills and drops. Therefore, on the Greenpeace Internet site currently notes that ‘because of their unexpected and effect on hundreds of thousands of people, the events bear the tracings of a meticulously planned provocation.’ This creates the impression that after the prosecutors' office filed charges of spreading false information about the accident at the Balakovo NPP, those who were connected with it, are taking steps to dodge responsibility.” Greenpeace representatives and those of 22 other ecological organisations also turned to the Saratov Prosecutors’ offices with a demand that they get an evaluation of the complaint filed by Balakovo’s press service. They demanded further that suit be filed on their behalf for libel because the text of the Balakovo release basically implied that “greens,” specifically Greenpeace, were accessories to spreading obviously false information about an act of terrorism, suggesting that they were accessories to a crime and therefore were “taking steps to dodge responsibility.” The prosecutors found no specific reference to any ‘green’ organisations in the Balakovo posting, thus flattening Greenpeace’s foundation for a libel suit, as seen in the following answers received from the prosecutors office. “Explanation: within the text posted by the Balakovo NPP, it is written that some representatives of the ‘greens’ made their investment in inflating hysteria, advising the public to take iodine pills and drops. At the same time, no references to any concrete organisations, representatives of which gave the aforementioned information are given.” The Mednovosti news site After the panic had begun, the Russian media supplied completely erroneous information about how to take iodine against impending radiation threats. Many news outlets asserted that iodine could be taken only in tablets. Other outlets questioned outright the absolute need to take iodine preparations in the event of a nuclear accident. Even the specialised medical news site, Mednovosti.ru, published an article asserting that “taking iodine in the event of a radioactive fallout is unjustified from a medical point of view.” Mednovosti’s article, moreover, made the incredible assertion that the notion of taking iodine arose mistakenly from directions given to chemotherapy patients who are required to take iodine prior to treatment involving radioactive iodine. It is common knowledge within the nuclear community that reactor accidents and emergency shut down cause radioactive fallout of radioactive iodine significant enough to effect the surrounding environment. It is also common knowledge that taking iodine – in tablets or a solution– is a time-worn and proven practice in the event of an accident at a nuclear site. The only dispute that remains concerns dosages. According to medical authorities in New South Wales, Australia, the proper dosages in the direct wake of a nuclear accident are: 16 drops for a water based solution of iodine, 100 milligrams in tablet form or 116 milligrams of iodine drops taken directly. The Russian norm as defined by “authority of organisations of sanitary-hygienic and curative and prophylactic measures in a large-scale radioactive disaster” documentation, the appropriate dosage for adults is 125 milligrams in tablet form or a twice daily dosage of 20 drops of 5 percent iodine solution taken in a half cup of water or milk. The highest dose of iodine is 20 drops increment not to exceed 60 drops within a 24 hour period. Is the Internet to be blamed for everything? At the end of December, charges for spreading false information fell on the man identified by authorities only as an employee of a Samara concern called the Wenses Laboratory for Information Systems. According to police documents, it was him who, on the day following the incident – November 5th - opened a free personal Internet page on the free of charge Russian server narod.ru, a part of the Yandex network. His page indicated that “an accident had occurred” and spoke of “four dead and 18 wounded.” “Inquiries about Balakovo appeared on the [Russian] search engine Yandex in a noticeable quantity on November 5th, something on the order of 10,000,” wrote a spokesman for Yandex in an statement to Bellona Web. “On November 4th, there were units of inquiries beginning around 11 p.m. Moscow time.” Because the site aesbalakovo.narod.ru was created on the Yandex hosting network, explained the spokesman, the firm could determine that the page was visited by 2000 people, and that the first links to it began to appear on forums – as well as on the sites of large publications, like the Kommersant daily Russian newspaper - on November 6th. On November 8th, the site was shut down. “It physically exists,” said the Yandex spokesman, “but the material has been removed.” “Regarding the exposure of the author and proof of authorship – this is not our business and it's not a question that should be addressed to us,” said the Yandex spokesman. “We don’t think that web sites should be regarded as equal to the media – aside from those sites that call themselves mass media and have an existing publication licence –like lenta.ru, gazeta.ru, [two influential daily Russian news outlets] and so on. The information appearing on the sites of narod.ru users is generally available and because of this, as a rule, expresses the [private] opinion of citizens,” he said. It should be noted that the site balakovoaes.narod.ru, created by pesons unknown, and which contains similar information to that of the now defunct aesbalakovo.narod.ru continued to exist on the narod.ru pages. Instead of an answer to an inquiry from Bellona Web, — because this site was not the object of attention that its half brother aesbalakovo was, Yandex simply closed the site. The Wenses' former specialist, is meanwhile facing a three-year-prison sentence. A source at Wenses, said that this specialist, named Sergei, was fired in mid-December. Wenses has refused to comment in more details about the case. Secret civil defence workers “I think they just found a patsy. During the panic, Civil Defence (CD) and Emergency Services (EC) workers were allegedly alerted, and they called schools and kindergartens and informed them to take iodine,’” said Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman of the Russian anti-nuclear group Ecodefence. “ And why wouldn’t they [look for someone to blame]? And the management of these organizations call didn’t call the CD or the EC back, they didn’t verify the information – is there even a protocol for dealing with such incidents?” Already by November 5th, Alexander Rabadanov, the CD and ES minister for the Saratov region informed journalists that the panic was brought about by “someone posing as a civil defence or emergency services worker, who called various institutions and schools in the region with the recommendation that people... drink iodine.” Anatoly Gorshkov, an investigator with the especially important matters unit of the Saratov Prosecutors’ office, told Bellona Web, Wenses' specialist was their one suspect. “He created the site with bad intentions. As concerns those emergency workers who contacted various organizations and advised personnel to take iodine, they, most likely, were innocently led astray, and tried to anticipate the situation and secure the surroundings,” he said. “I am convinced that the consequences of this site will be serious. It put an innumerable number of people in danger.” When asked how this site could be blamed for the panic when it appeared only later in the day on November 5th, Gorshkov said; “Personally speaking, the circumstances and consequences are not important because, whether the panic emerged or not, it is not the subject of the accusations in spreading information.” Anton Nossik gzt.ru The media Anton Nossik, a well-known Russian Internet analyst and activist said: “The blame lay not with those anonymous page, but with those members of the media who re-broadcast the information without having any foundation to believe it.” Nosik said that Article 57 of the Law on Media covers various circumstances when the media are free from liability for misreporting news. One is if the source of information was an official, or an information agency so proven to be so by the media. The notion of anonymous web pages is not covered by the law. Likewise, the law does not say that the media are exonerated from liability if they get information from an unknown source. According to Gorshkov, the prosecutors’ office does not intend to file charges against any media outlets that used Sergei’s web site a source because those media “were not the source of the information.” “The site was opened on November 5th, but the wide-spread panic had already begun on November 4th,” said Greenpeace's Chuprov. “The state is simply looking for a patsy, regardless of whether the reason [for the information failure] was systematic. Why do we need the government that you can frighten with one amateur web site?” he added. Ecologists say that the reason for the panic was precisely the fault of the information vacuum surrounding the events at the Balakovo NPP on in the pre-dawn hours of November 4th. Nossik thinks the same. That Internet forum users began to pass this information to one another, and then that the media published the address of this site is a rare stroke of luck, said Nossik. “It is doubtful that any anonymous page on any anonymous hosting site would cause a fall in the stock market or a flight of the population from radiation,” said Nossik in an interview with Bellona Web. Amidst this, Nossik wrote in one of his recent columns on the Internet-based Gzt.ru, that “the declarations of ministers, mayors, governors, deputies, senators and special services generals, made during 2004 about the growing, pointed necessity of boosting government control over the Internet, its servers and users and the materials put on it sound threatening.” The status of the Internet in Russia Currently developing practice shows that the internets is, in point of fact, a self regulating field beyond the reach of government. Strictly speaking, one can consider “official” only those sites that announce themselves as media sites – and none of them supply any information that might run contrary to their authenticity - and official sites of the authorities and organisations. The remaining information is just snippet of personal conversation. One web master from a division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who asked not to be named in this article, said that “all the words about information on, say, livejournal or on narod.ru is public just because it is accessible to an unlimited circle of people is nuts. That’s what people who have poor perception of the Internet think.” “By the same logic, one could say that an ‘unlimited circle of people’ can come into my apartment. Or that a conversation between two acquaintances via walkie-talkies is public just because someone else may be on the same frequency.” The this sources opinion, “bringing criminal charges for amateur use is the same as Stalin-era surveillance of personal conversations.” The Skovorodnikov affair Recently, Andrei Skovorodnikov of the Central Siberia city of Krasnoyarsk was sentenced to six months of community service. Because of his membership in the fringe National-Bolshevik party he was accused of creating a web site that contained an obscene play on words involving President Vladimir Putin’s last name. In an interview with Bellona Web, Skovorodnikov said that the site he was accused of creating was put up on the free www.newmail.ru where members can situate personal web pages. As it turns out, a web search including the obscene phase used by Skovorodnikov on his page returns 401 other web pages containing the same phrase. Control over the Internet? “It is stupid and unjustified to accuse the Internet of creating panic. The Internetisation of the Russian population is low, people here don’t have wide-scale access to the Internet,” said Slivyak. “Russia has very few Internet users. In this sense, Russia cannot even compete with, say, Egypt, which I visited recently. There, they have a lot of cyber-cafes, practically one in every building on the ground floor... even very poor people can be seen in them, smoking hookahs, surfing online and looking at the news.” Shohdi Naguib, a famous figure on the Russian Internet, who holds dual citizenship with Russia and Egypt, said in an interview with Bellona Web that Skovorodnikov’s case is very similar to his own: In 2002, Naguib was found guilty by an Egyptian court of posting a satirical poem written by his father on a server that was pysically located in the United States. “The only difference [my case and that of Skovorodnikov] is that I was not even on trial for the publication of my own opinion, but for a poem written by my father 30 years previous. I am in absolute solidarity with this young man,” he said. In Naguib’s opinion, in conditions of virtual absence of any political freedoms in Russia and of the arbitrary rule of bureaucrats, electronic sources of information become the only uncontrollable space, which is what makes it so difficult for the ruling classes to demolish Perestroika’s last big achievement - Glasnost. “This is why any incursion by the authorities into cyberspace must be met with aggressive opposition, even in a case where the authorities decide suddenly to start a crack-down on spam,” he said. 2004-11-10 Access to enviroinformation An ‘ordinary emergency’ reactor shut down causes widespread panic 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 ***************************************************************** 26 FAZ Weekly: Atomic deal questioned - FAZ.NET - Issue: February 4, 2005 Environmental minister says government will stick to shutdown plan 04. Februar 2005 F.A.Z. Weekly. Since entering the government in 1998, Environmental Minister Jürgen Trittin and his party, the Greens, have achieved one of their overarching goals. Less than two years after coming to power, the national coalition worked out an agreement under which all of Germany's 19 nuclear power plants would be phased out, eliminating the possibility of an accident like the one that devastated the Chernobyl area of the Soviet Union in 1986. As a result, no country is getting out of atomic energy as quickly as Germany, the Greens proclaimed in a review of their accomplishments. But, lately, Trittin and his party have been forced to fight back a fresh attempt by industrial groups to overturn the agreement. Jürgen Thumann, the president of the Federation of German Industries, kicked off the effort recently by urging that the operating life of Germany's remaining 18 nuclear plants should be extended. Martin Wansleben, executive director of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, then took the protest a step farther. The political commitment to drop atomic energy must be overturned, Wansleben said. But Trittin said no changes were planned. There is absolutely no reason for the federal government to question the nuclear shutdown agreement it worked out with industry, he told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich newspaper. In a separate interview with the Associated Press, he said the new debate could have a damaging effect, delaying investments in new power plants and threatening jobs. The agreement calls for the last plant to be shut down by 2021. The Germans themselves are evenly split on whether the government should follow through on the program. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed recently said the country could not do without nuclear power over the long run. The study was conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research and commissioned by the German Atomic Forum. Trittin's position also has faced questioning from the parliametnary opposition. The Christian Democrats and Free Democrats have said the government has not explained how nuclear energy can be replaced. Currently, about 30 percent of Germany's electricity is produced by nuclear power plants. It would be irresponsible to abandon the option of nuclear energy, said Rainer Brüderle of the Free Democrats. [nach oben] nach oben [Kontakt] Kontakt [Hilfe] Hilfe [Mehr über die F.A.Z.] Mehr über die F.A.Z. [Syndikation/Nachdrucke] Syndikation/Nachdrucke [RSS] RSS [FAZ.NET-Impressum] FAZ.NET-Impressum [redaktioneller Kodex] redaktioneller Kodex [Nutzungsbedingungen] Nutzungsbedingungen © F.A.Z. Electronic Media GmbH 2001 - 2005 ***************************************************************** 27 RFA: Expert Interviews: Are China's Nuclear Power Plants Safe? Radio Free Asia 2005.02.04 An aerial view of the Daya Bay nuclear power plant near Hong Kong, under construction in 1998. Photo: AFP/Stephen Shaver Beijing's plan for dozens of new nuclear power projects has raised concerns in the West. In a series of interviews with Radio Free Asia, some say China has shown it can operate nuclear plants safely, but others cite the dangers of building too many reactors too fast. David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer at the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, told RFA's Wu dialect service that China's accelerated program might stretch the available number of qualified nuclear professionals too thin and leave little time to learn from the experience of earlier plants. China now has nine operating nuclear power reactors, all in coastal areas far from coal sources. Five are at Qinshan in Zhejiang Province, 100 kms southwest of Shanghai. Four more are in Guangdong Province, including two at Daya Bay near Hong Kong. Two more reactors are under construction at Daya Bay, with another two planned in Jiangsu Province, north of Shanghai. Some 26 nuclear power units are either planned or proposed, including six new reactors slated for Guangdong and four in Zhejiang. Source: World Nuclear Organization Similar problems affected the expansion of the U.S. nuclear program in the 1970s, Lochbaum said. "The safety went down due to shoddy construction, the costs went up because of the repairs necessary to fix that shoddy construction, and overall it probably wasn't the best way to do it," he said. Specter of Three Mile Island "I'm not saying China's going to have those same problems, but they're faced with those same challenges. If they don't do a better job of managing those challenges than we did, then they're going to wind up too close to the same destination we reached," he said. In 1979, shoddy construction took its toll in a nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island power plant, where a relatively new reactor suffered a cooling system failure followed by a series of human errors. The resulting partial meltdown caused the temporary evacuation of some 150,000 residents and the beginning of a shift in the public perception of nuclear power. After freezing nuclear power development in 1997 because of an oversupply of electricity, China's government approved a huge new building program in 2003 when shortages returned. Under the National Development and Reform Commission's plan, China will need to nearly triple its total generating capacity from 350 million to as much as 900 million kilowatts by 2020. 'One bad day' at a nuclear plant Lochbaum said the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union demonstrated the enormous potential costs of nuclear power and ambitious development programs. "It came at a huge price. The consequence of the Chernobyl accident in dollars is greater than the economic benefits of all other nuclear reactors built and operated in the Soviet Union," he told RFA. "One bad day at one plant completely wiped out all the benefits from that industry over all this time, and not too many other technologies have that kind of risk-reward system." In the Chinese example of the nuclear plants that I've seen, I think the likelihood of that occurring is extremely low. Andrew Kadak, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Other experts said that while China placed a high priority on safety in the nuclear power industry, there were concerns of systemic problems with safety regulation. "Safety regulation is very crucial to the safety of nuclear energy," Matthew Bunn, nuclear policy expert at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, told RFA. Safety concerns not yet allayed "If you look at safety regulation of other industries in China, you find problems again and again and again, even in industries where there are very high hazards like nuclear energy—for example, the toxic chemicals industry," Bunn said. Bunn also cited safety problems in China's coal industry, where the frequency of deadly accidents suggests that safety has taken a back seat to the nation's energy needs. "The nuclear regulatory agency in China has only fairly modest resources and so far not a whole lot of experience in regulation because civilian nuclear energy is still young in China," he said. If they don't do a better job of managing those challenges than we did, then they're going to wind up too close to the same destination we reached. David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists "So I think there are reasons for concern. It's not a done deal that it won't be safe, but it's not a done deal yet that it will be safe." Advocates of nuclear power defend China's record. Andrew Kadak, a professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said China had been clearly focused on avoiding problems already found elsewhere in the world, including Japan. "I don't think you can compare nuclear operations with the operation of a coal mine or a coal-fired plant," Kadak told RFA. "Basically, they recognize the difference and, in the Chinese example of the nuclear plants that I've seen, I think the likelihood of that occurring is extremely low because they understand that there are differences," Kadak said. China now has nine operating nuclear power reactors, all in coastal areas far from coal sources, according to the World Nuclear Organization. Five are at Qinshan in Zhejiang Province, 100 kms southwest of Shanghai. Four more are in Guangdong Province, including two at Daya Bay near Hong Kong. Two more reactors are under construction at Daya Bay, with another two planned in Jiangsu Province, north of Shanghai. Some 26 nuclear power units are either planned or proposed, including six new reactors slated for Guangdong and four in Zhejiang. © 2005 Radio Free Asia 2025 M Street NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036, USA 202-530-4900 | webmaster@www.rfa.org| jobs@rfa.org © 2005 Radio Free Asia ***************************************************************** 28 Platts: A Time of Unique Opportunities for the Nuclear Industry [The McGraw-Hill Companies] This important event examines the prospects for short and long-term growth in the nuclear energy industry in North America. There is a renewed interest in nuclear power as an emission-free energy source and as a hedge against the environmental costs of fossil fuels. Three major consortia have come forward to propose combined licensing and construction of advanced new reactors in the U.S. And in Canada, strong new market and regulatory incentives are promoting the construction of new nuclear plants on a more aggressive time scale. At Platts Nuclear Energy, you will hear in-depth discussion of: + The outlook for the combined COLs and new plant construction + Canada's experience with expanded nuclear power generation + Creating alliances and building community support + Nuclear power finance, how the deals will be structured + The economic case for nuclear power + Advanced reactor design and construction These are just some of the extraordinary speakers who will be presenting: + Admiral Frank Bowman, President and CEO-elect, Nuclear Energy Institute + Senator Pete V. Domenici, Chairman, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee + Jeffrey S. Merrifield, Commissioner, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission + Marilyn C. Kray, Vice President, Exelon Nuclear + David A. Christian, Chief Nuclear Officer, Dominion Energy + Brew Barron, Chief Nuclear Officer, Duke Power + Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO, Bruce Power + James B. (Barnie) Beasley, Jr., President and CEO, Southern Nuclear + Michael B. Sellman, President and CEO, Nuclear Management Company + Dan Keuter, Senior Vice President, Entergy + Ray Ganthner, SVP Nuclear Reactors, Framatome ANP + John Polcyn, President, AECL Technologies + E. James Reinsch, President, Bechtel Nuclear Power Company + and many more! Seats are limited, so reserve yours today! Copyright © 2005 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 29 The Mercury: Local authorities reach deal with PECO on tax payments 02/03/2005 - NORRISTOWN -- A tentative agreement has been reached between PECO and local Montgomery County taxing authorities concerning the taxes that should be paid by the utility company for its nuclear power plant in Limerick. "It’s a good deal for everyone," said Spring-Ford Area School District Solicitor Wendy G. Rothstein, who has spear-headed the PECO tax assessment litigation for the school district as well as Limerick and Montgomery County. Under the proposed terms of the four-year agreement, PECO would pay the school district $2,082,000 in taxes for both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years and $1,874,260 for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, according to Rothstein. The county would receive $392,400 from the utility company during each of those four years while the township would receive $109,230, she said. The taxes are based on current real estate taxing rates and would increase if the taxing authorities increased the tax rate, Rothstein said. Rothstein said the school board gave her the OK to finalize the language in the proposed agreement, which would end almost five years of litigation. Once the agreement is finalized, it must be approved and signed by PECO and the school district, township and county and then submitted to the Montgomery County Court for approval. The three taxing authorities have been battling for almost five years over the fair market value of the utility company’s 305.5-acre power plant property off Longview Road. The twin towers of the nuclear plant can be seen for miles from Route 422. A countywide reassessment, which took effect in 1998, placed a value of $939.4 million on the nuclear plant property. PECO appealed the assessment in 1999 to the county Board of Assessment Appeals and won a $26.8 million assessment reduction to $912.6 million. PECO, claiming that even the $912.6-million assessment was excessive, appealed that decision to the county court where it has been pending since that time. PECO contended that the value of the property, which includes a nuclear power plant constructed in the late 1970s at a cost of $6.8 billion, is less than zero. The utility company has argued that the cost of decommissioning the plant in the mid-2020s will be in excess of $1 billion and that that gives the property a negative value. The three taxing authorities strongly disagreed with PECO’s position and asked the county court to uphold the assessment. All local real estate property taxes are levied against a property’s assessed value. By agreeing to a lower assessed value, the district will actually benefit, S-F District Business Manager Tim Anspach said. That’s because the district receives subsidies from the state Department of Education, based, in part, on what Montgomery County reports as the assessed value of properties in the district. "Our district was getting hurt because the county was reporting to the state an assessed value (for the power plant) of over $900 million," Anspach said. "This will increase our aid ratio from the state." He estimated the district would receive about $500,000 more in state reimbursements as a result of the agreement. S-F School Board President Michael Masciandaro said the board was pleased with the settlement. "It’s a great deal for us," he said. "It’s a good day for Spring-Ford." In the past, PECO did not have to worry about the assessed value of its property. Utility companies were taxed under a state law that did not include the property assessment in its taxing formula. PECO would pay the Pennsylvania Utility Realty Tax Act (PURTA) tax to the state, which would then return some of the money to the taxing authorities in lieu of real estate property taxes. The county received about $1.3 million in yearly PURTA taxes, with the bulk of that money coming from PECO for the nuclear power plant. As a result of deregulation, PECO starting in 2000 was taxed like any other business. The county initially sent PECO a tax bill for $2.23 million based on the property’s assessed value. While the litigation was pending, an interim agreement was reached, with PECO paying each of the taxing authorities a specified amount in taxes each year. The payments required under the new tentative agreement are comparable to the payments under the interim agreement, according to Rothstein. Noting the uncertainty of the outcome of the litigation, with few nuclear power plant assessment lawsuits to use as a gauge, and the likelihood that any outcome would be tied up in appeals "for years," Rothstein said the tentative settlement is the best resolution for both sides. Anspach said the school district was also concerned about how much money it was spending to fight to continue the litigation. "As a school district, we were spending money to fight this," Anspach said. "It could have been a costly process if it went through the courts." Correspondent Laura Catalano contributed to this report. The Mercury 2005 Copyright © 1995 - 2005 All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 30 WCAX-TV: Faulty notification system means more inspections Home WCAX.com February 3, 2005 MONTPELIER, Vt. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it may step up inspections at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. That's due to problems with the plant's emergency notification system that cropped up last year. The problems mainly concerned tone-alert radios that would notify area residents of an emergency. Some were found to be not working, and the plant had an incomplete inventory of who in the area had them. The N-R-C yesterday issued a `white' finding to the plant -- indicating a problem of low to moderate safety significance. Plant and N-R-C officials both say Vermont Yankee is working on the problem. Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. All content © Copyright 2001 - 2005 WorldNow and WCAX. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 31 Upper Cape Codder: The big story of long ago... TownOnline.com - The Upper Cape Codder - Opinion &Letters Editorial: The big story of long ago ... and a lesson for today Thursday, February 3, 2005Call it "The Way We Were," played by a cast of characters that includes a gadfly reporter, a scientist with serious concerns about public safety and politicians who think they see the future in a nuclear reactor. That's the story we begin re-telling in this issue of The Upper Cape Codder. Reporter Craig Salters takes us back 45 years to a time when Cape Cod was embroiled in controversy over a proposal that involved a relatively new form of energy and a grassroots effort aimed at stopping it. While we are tempted to draw parallels between the story of the "Atomic Park" proposed for Camp Edwards on the Upper Cape in the late 1950s and into 1960, and the current debate over the Cape Wind proposal for Nantucket Sound, the two are not really analogous. While energy is at the center of each debate, the atomic park was never envisioned simply as a power plant, the way the proposed wind farm is. On its worst day, the wind farm would not carry with it anything like the threat to the Cape's environment the atomic park might have been. The atomic park was intended as a nuclear research area where spent fuel would be reprocessed into weapons-grade plutonium and other potentially hazardous by-products. All this atop what we now know is the Cape's sole source of drinking water. However, within the story that we begin to retell this week is a lesson that is vital even today about citizen activists who educated themselves and about a news media that listened to the people and in the process latched onto a story about what it means to be a community. © Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, ***************************************************************** 32 The Upper Cape Codder: 'Atomic Park' timeline TownOnline.com - The Upper Cape Codder - Local News Thursday, February 3, 2005 Dec. 29, 1958:A special commission previously appointed by then Massachusetts Gov. Foster Furcolo "to make an investigation and study relative to the establishment of an atomic energy industrial research center" issues a special report on House Bill 2290. The report examines five possible Massachusetts locations, including Cape Cod. The issue is later brought under the purview of the Legislative Committee on Power and Light, headed by state Sen. Michael LoPresti, with the "old Camp Edwards site" considered the most practical location. The proposal is touted as bringing year-round light industry to Cape Cod. Late February-early March 1960:Proponents of House Bill 2904 - which would create a state authority to build and maintain the atomic park - speak at hearings conducted in Boston. According to several newspaper accounts from that year, most Cape Cod residents are not aware that the issue even exists or that hearings are being held. April 9, 1960:In a letter to the editor of the Falmouth Enterprise, John Hervey, senior electronics engineer of the Rockefeller Institute and Wood Hole resident, commends the paper for its "skepticism" about the proposal. The newspaper had broken the "Nuclear Park" story in response to a letter from a curious subscriber asking for more information about the project and the Boston hearings. "We Are Ignorant But We'd Like To Know," was the paper's initial editorial response. April 23, 1960:In a letter addressed to Hervey, journalist Grace DesChamps of Truro requests technical information about radioactivity for her own reporting needs and on behalf of Ned Lehac, Wellfleet resident and temporary chairman of the Lower Cape Committee for Radioactive Waste Disposal, a grassroots organization which had been fighting the dumping of low-level radioactive waste off the coast of Massachusetts. The letter expresses DesChamps' astonishment and outrage over recent hearings in Boston about a "Nuclear Park" and suggests a "concerted action" between her committee and Woods Hole scientists, including Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgi, to oppose the nuclear project. May 2, 1960:Roughly 300 people, the majority of whom are opposed to a nuclear reprocessing facility at Edwards, turn out in Falmouth for an informational meeting sponsored by Woods Hole scientists opposed to the project. May 9, 1960:More than 700 Cape residents attend an official public hearing on the issue sponsored by LoPresti's committee. "If there was an advocate of the Nuclear Park present in the throng, he failed to identify himself," reads a Cape Codder article on the hearings. By this time editorials concerning the facility, some pro but mostly con, dominate local newspapers. May 16, 1960:Opponents outnumber proponents roughly 850 to 50 at a second public hearing, this time at the National Guard Armory in Buzzards Bay. "Support for Nuclear Park Crumbles" reads one headline of the day. June 7, 1960:In a letter to Hervey, state Sen. Edward C. Stone, representing the Cape and Plymouth Senatorial District, reports that that the legislative committee has referred the authorization bill back "for further study" with the understanding that locations other than Cape Cod will be considered. © Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc. ***************************************************************** 33 Depleted Uranium the new Leprosy _ possible quarantine for Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 09:16:14 -0600 (CST) Ra Energy Fdn. Raleigh Myers Worksheet bio http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html Blog http://raenergy.blogspot.com/ "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- for ever." - George Orwell, 1984 http://www.holdthemaccountable2004.com/home.htm "Military Men Are Just Dumb, Stupid, Animals To Be Used As Pawns In Foreign Policy" Henry Kissinger "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism -- ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Depleted Uranium the new Leprosy _ lifetime quarantine for vets? Depleted Uranium kills forever Video http://www.kucinich.us/dkdu.html snip: http://www.dissidentvoice.org/July2004/Moret0721.htm Nearly 700,000 American Gulf War Veterans returned to the US from a war that lasted just a few weeks. Today more than 240,000 of those soldiers are on permanent medical disability, and over 11,000 are dead. In a US Government study on post-Gulf War babies born to 251 veterans, 67 per cent of the babies were reported to have serious illnesses or serious birth defects. They were born without eyes, ears, had missing organs, fused fingers, thyroid or other malfunctions. Depleted uranium in the semen of the soldiers internally contaminated their wives. Severe birth defects have been reported in babies born to contaminated civilians in Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan and the incidence and severity of defects is increasing over time. Women in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq are afraid now to have babies, and when they do give birth, instead of asking if it is a girl or a boy, they ask "is it normal?" snip: http://www.dissidentvoice.org/July2004/Moret0721.htm "After the Americans destroyed our village and killed many of us, we also lost our houses and have nothing to eat. However, we would have endured these miseries and even accepted them, if the Americans had not sentenced us all to death. When I saw my deformed grandson, I realized that my hopes of the future have vanished for good, different from the hopelessness of the Russian barbarism, even though at that time I lost my older son Shafiqullah. This time, however, I know we are part of the invisible genocide brought on us by America, a silent death from which I know we will not escape." (Jooma Khan of Laghman province, March 2003) snip; www.rimbaud.freeserve.co.uk/dhap99.pdf A POST-WAR DISASTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH A July, 1990 U.S. Army report predicted: Following combat, the condition of the battlefield, and the long-term health risks to natives and combat veterans may become issues in the The United States established a precedent during the Gulf War which permits an armed force to use depleted uranium weapons without warning civilian populations about contamination of the land. The United States is continuing this practice in the Kosovo war. Nations involved in conflicts in which depleted uranium weapons are used may find themselves faced with the exces- nium ammunition. sive costs of long-term health care for exposed soldiers and civilians. The health and environmental consequences of depleted uranium weapons will likely receive less attention in nations where the populations are unaware of its use, or unable to voice their concerns and assert their rights. Depleted Uranium: The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War http://www.dissidentvoice.org/July2004/Moret0721.htm "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism -- ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt DU kills forever http://www.kucinich.us/dkdu.html SING THE VOTE http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in song is the first step to a fascism free planet "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND, THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME" IMAGINE: WE are children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; WE ALL have a right to be here START SINGING THE PLANET'S ANTHEM AT ALL EVENTS TO SHOW HOW "WE" HAVE ALREADY VOTED. This would get some air time if we did it at GOP campaign events even in congress this Summer and fall and beyond after all it is the anthem of the Age of Aquarius no. We suggested that "THIS LAND" be the Global Village Planetary anthem at Woodies celebration in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in 1967. It was seconded by three ambassadors and has become the second third fourth etc. anthems to many countries. FOLKSAY(people say) ............ has become Our defacto Global Village Planetary anthem and in essence we voted for citizen empowerment as we sung it. Now let's get it officially on record by singing it everywhere as direct democracy. THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS is the reality at hand! The children of the universe, the right to be here generation _ the meek taking their prophetic inheritance out of probate is not a conspiracy. Ra Energy Fdn. Raleigh Myers http://raenergy.igc.org/raenergy.html Worksheet bio http://www.igc.apc.org/raenergy/bio.html Newsgroups beginning in the eighties click on date and web http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Ra+Energy+Fdn%2E%22 Call to Action blog http://www.google.com/search?q=Global+Vote+raenergy&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=02Eigc%2Eorg%2Faction%2Ehtml ***************************************************************** 34 NRC: NRC Schedules Public Meeting on Monday, February 7 to Discuss Honeywell Specialty Chemicals Plant Performance News Release - Region II - 2005-00 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II No. II-05-006 February 2, 2005 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials will meet with management of the Honeywell Specialty Chemicals company on Monday, February 7, to discuss details of a recent Licensee Performance Review of regulatory safety compliance at the companys uranium processing plant near Metropolis, Il. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CST) in the second floor courtroom of the Massac County Courthouse, located at 1 Superman Square, in Metropolis. The meeting is open to the public for observation, and NRC personnel will be available to answer questions from interested observers after the business portion of the meeting but before it is adjourned. The NRC said the agency will continue heightened oversight of the plants licensed operations, with special emphasis on development of, and adherence to, plant procedures and control room conduct of operations; emergency preparedness; and management organization and controls. The agency will also continue to closely monitor the plants implementation of its long-term improvement plan. Interested parties may obtain a copy of a January 11 letter and its enclosure, from the NRC to the company, by contacting the NRC Public Document Room toll free in Washington, D.C. at 1-800-397-4209. Last revised Wednesday, February 02, 2005 ***************************************************************** 35 Idaho Statesman: Skippen wants federal benefits for downwinders 02-03-2005 Proposal gets personal for Gem lawmaker Rep. Kathy Skippen R-Emmett Gregory Hahn The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 02-02-2005 Most Idaho lawmakers deal with theories and abstractions when they come to the Statehouse. Sometimes, though, the laws and resolutions they talk about hit close to home. Emmett Republican Rep. Kathy Skippen introduced a measure Tuesday calling on Congress to extend federal benefits to downwinders in Idaho. To support it, she passed out an analysis of her own exposure to the radioactive fallout from Nevada bomb tests. "It shows the number of rads I was exposed to growing up in Sweet as a child," she said. The number? 45. The average? 1/10 of a rad per year. The analysis estimates that Skippen had 21 chances in 1,000 to develop thyroid cancer. On average, two people in 1,000 get the disease. "What I do understand is that I have been very fortunate," she said. But she choked up when she introduced a schoolmate who wasn't so lucky. "Sorry," she apologized to the House State Affairs Committee. "I knew I'd lose it at this point." Shari Garmon has been one of the leaders over the past several months in convincing Idaho's congressional delegation to add some of this state's counties to the 21 counties in Utah, Nevada and Arizona covered by the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The "RECA" pays $50,000 to people affected by the fallout from the tests, but Idaho counties, though they register high on the studies of the fallout, have never been included. In November, the National Academy of Sciences held a hearing to gather information from Idaho's downwinders. Garmon told the House committee Tuesday that her estimated exposure to 70 rads from one test as a baby in 1952 was "like 10,000 chest x-rays" for a 6-month-old child. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was 39, breast cancer at 48, and three years later, she learned it had taken hold in her liver. "It's time for our delegation to stand up; it's time for our delegation to fight for Idahoans, and I think they will," she said. "Further delay is not prudence. Further delay will only increase the shame." The committee introduced the memorial, which would call on Idaho's congressional delegation to push to get this state's counties included in the act. (Updated: 01/03/03) ***************************************************************** 36 madison courier: Depleted uranium no longer a topic for JPG board www.madisoncourier.com 2/3/2005 3:00:00 PM By: Peggy Vlerebome Radioactive depleted uranium that the Army left behind at Jefferson Proving Ground won’t be discussed anymore by the JPG Restoration Advisory Board. The reason is that DU never should have been a topic for the board because it doesn’t fit into the federal government’s definition of what can be addressed by restoration advisory boards at closed military bases, board co-chairman Paul Cloud told board members last night. “The RAB should not become a sounding board for non-restoration environmental issues or other community concerns,” Cloud read from the guidelines for restoration advisory boards. Depleted uranium has been a major topic at the JPG board’s quarterly meetings. The area at the former munitions testing site that is contaminated with DU is fenced off, and the Army says it can never remove the depleted uranium because the same area contains tons of unexploded ordnance, making removal too dangerous. Cloud is the Army’s environmental coordinator at JPG and represents the Army at the restoration advisory board meetings. Co-chairman Richard Hill, who represents the community, said he had begun coming to the same conclusion after reading proposed updated rules published in the Federal Register. The new rules are largely unchanged from when the RAB was set up more than a decade ago, Hill said, but he didn’t realize until recently that DU was beyond the authority of the advisory board. Depleted uranium at JPG and how to deal with it is an issue between the Army and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Cloud said. The Army has a license from the NRC and is proposing to amend it. The regulatory commission has said it intends to have local public meetings as part of its review of the Army’s license amendment. Information and documents at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are available online at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.htm. There is worldwide concern over the long-term environmental and health effects from the radiation in depleted uranium, which is what’s left over after uranium is processed for use in nuclear power plants. It is very strong and is used to fortify munitions. A significant milestone has been reached at JPG with the impending final signing of what is called a record of decision, which is the trigger for environmental restoration, Cloud said. Work already has begun, he said, with verbal approval in advance of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management signing off on the document this week, he said. It has taken 11 years to get to this point, he said. In November, Army contractors began removing contaminated dirt from four sites at JPG, taking it to a licensed disposal site in Louisville and replacing it with clean dirt that will be seeded in the spring. As of a month ago, 5,751 tons of dirt had been removed, Cloud said. The removed dirt was classified as solid waste and not hazardous waste based on laboratory tests, he said. There still is more dirt work to do, and contaminated groundwater will be removed from six sites, Cloud said. The next advisory board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, at South Ripley Elementary School in Versailles. Copyright 2005, The Madison Courier 310 Courier Square, Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-3641 (800) 333-2885 ***************************************************************** 37 Las Vegas City Life: Hurry up and wait Thursday, February 03, 2005 The feds are still trying to define the fallout of atomic testing - and compensate the victims BY DENNIS MYERS One of the notices telling fallout victims where to get help and compensation is mounted behind a newspaper rack at a Battle Mountain, Nev., convenience store. Battle Mountain lies in the path of the "northwinds." A notice to fallout victims is posted behind a newspaper rack. There's something peculiar about the U.S. Department of Labor's distribution of compensation checks to the surviving family members of nuclear weapons workers. Those checks are going to the kin of workers, but not to the surviving workers themselves. Early last month, the Labor Department announced that it is starting to send out checks to family members of deceased workers -- but surviving workers themselves will have to wait at least until May for payments to start. That's because it's difficult to figure out how much to pay workers for lost wages and disabilities. The surviving spouses or children, on the other hand, will be getting lump-sum payments. It's the kind of bureaucratic snarl that drives victims of Nevada atomic testing crazy. In the case of downwinders -- those folks who developed cancer, leukemia and other maladies after nuclear fallout drifted over their communities -- the compensation and apology they feel they are due is preceded by endless delays. Little wonder many of them believe the feds are simply trying to drag everything out until victims die off. Consider, for instance, the simple matter of public hearings for a study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a private, nonprofit research group that is supposed to report on whether to widen federal compensation to "additional illnesses, geographic areas, or classes of individual." Its report to a federal agency is due March 31, and a final report must be before Congress by June 30. NAS originally planned to hold only a single public hearing for the entire West. It changed that decision after pressure from a member of Congress to provide for one hearing in each of three states -- Utah, Idaho and Arizona. No hearing was scheduled for Nevada. The lack of hearings created a political firestorm in Idaho. After heavy pressure from the Idaho congressional delegation, NAS agreed on Sept. 14 to hold a second Idaho hearing. In Arizona, residents found a novel solution -- they convened their own hearings, presided over by state officials. Preston Truman, a Utah downwind activist, says Nevadans should be outraged that they are being overlooked. "Why hasn't the Nevada [congressional] delegation demanded the same attention from the NAS panel for hearings from those areas of Nevada as the politicians in Utah and Idaho and Arizona have?" The battle over hearings ate up months. If it takes all this effort just to get hearings scheduled, imagine the difficulties faced by victims in actually getting acknowledged and added to the regions recognized as high incidence areas. Currently, federal law provides for compensation of people living in just 21 counties in the West. In Nevada, those counties are Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine and a portion of Clark. The list was produced 15 years ago, when the science was not as up-to-date as it is now. It was created on the premise that the migration of fallout was basically from west to east. But federal officials were jolted in 1997 when a 14-year study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) leaked out. It indicated that the migration of fallout was far wider than had previously been believed, reaching into New England and Canada and directly north of the Nevada Test Site, with some of the hardest hit counties being in Idaho. The group of victims living in these areas, who might be called northwinders, have very limited coverage under the 1990 compensation act -- which restricted compensation to the 21 counties in three states. The NCI report, which wasn't supposed to be released to the public, provoked another study by Congress -- this one to scrutinize the NCI report. That study by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council concluded, among other things, "The NCI report presents a comprehensive rationale for assuming that significant thyroid doses were experienced by many in the U.S. population, particularly for the youngest birth cohorts, as a result of the fallout of I[odine]-131 from the nuclear weapons testing program." But that second report hasn't produced action, either, other than another study by the NAS, leading to rampant suspicions that Congress believes compensation money can be saved by constantly pushing resolution back while downwinders die. It is certainly true that holding down the number of hearings for the study presents the kind of publicity federal officials loathe -- such as the fellow at the Nov. 6 hearing in Boise. Gary Miller, who lives in an area with a high rate of cancers, said sadly: "I apologize I sold milk to all the neighbors." Milk is one of the most common ways fallout got into the food chain. But finding the victims is not easy. While downwinders once got a lot of news coverage, they're now an old story, rather like the notices stuck up around the West inviting people with radiation-related diseases to call for help. The notices have been hanging on walls of public agencies and private businesses for so long that they now blend into the background. In much of the West, and particularly in Nevada and Arizona, there is a special problem -- terrific population growth and rapid population turnover. Idaho has a relatively stable population compared to other areas. People now living in, say, Indiana or the Carolinas may not relate their current illnesses to their long-ago residence in Nevada. Dennis Myers is news editor of the Reno News & Review, in which a version of this story first appeared. Copyright © 2005 Las Vegas City Life ***************************************************************** 38 Bradenton Herald: State takes steps to ensure disclosure | 02/03/2005 | Some believe the anti-pollution measure doesn't go far enough SCOTT RADWAY Herald Staff Writer MANATEE - To better protect public health, Florida will now require property owners to quickly notify state regulators if they find contamination has spread beyond their property. The change was part of major revisions a state commission made Wednesday in Tallahassee to the way the state deals with contamination and cleanup efforts. Even though the notification change is markedly stronger than past regulation, a question remains whether the state would be required to tell the public of a pollution threat. Fueled by the plight of contamination-plagued Tallevast, where residents waited years to find out their groundwater was polluted, the goal was to ensure affected property owners are informed as soon as possible. But State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said the new regulation does not guarantee the public will also be notified. "I am glad the (the state) took steps to improve its procedure, but it does not go far enough," Galvano said. The legislator said absent is wording that specifically requires the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to swiftly notify affected property owners. Galvano awaited the outcome of Wednesday's meeting before announcing his plans to introduce a bill to assure neighbors affected by a spill are notified. DEP chief of staff Mike Sole maintains the current regulation achieves what Galvano advocates. Sole said the regulation establishes an aggressive approach to notifying the public and it is inherent that the DEP notify everyone affected. "In all cases, if there is good data to show there is off-site contamination, we are going to tell the property owners," Sole said. The new regulation states that a property owner who finds pollution off-site must file a report with the DEP on the contaminants and the affected properties, including names and phone numbers, within 10 days. The local health department also must be notified. In the past, a property owner could wait until the entire assessment was done before notifying the state of a spill, a process that could take months, Sole said. Even then, affected property owners were not told until a cleanup plan was developed or if there was imminent danger to public health. Sole said the new regulations also allow DEP to alert property owners who may have been affected by contamination but have not had their land tested. And DEP can require immediate well surveys in the parcels extending out from the source site. In Tallevast, residents were notified in late 2003 that there might be a problem. Lockheed Martin had been investigating the contamination emanating from the old American Beryllium plant since 2000. This week, a study showed the contamination has spread over 50 acres, well beyond the 5-acre plant site. The new regulation is the result of months of talks that debated the amount of time allowed for someone to report to DEP, with proposals ranging from three to 30 days. There was also a question of whether the property owner or state should be the one to notify the public. David Ludder, president Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation, a Tallahassee-based public advocacy group, said the new regulation ultimately needs to be backed up by an official DEP policy requiring public notification. Or a change needs to be made to state statutes so it explicitly requires public notification from DEP. Otherwise, DEP could review a pollution finding and decide not to notify the public if they judged the risk was not high enough, he said. "I don't think the public wants DEP to be in position to judge what is best for them. The public deserves the information to make a judgment for themselves," Ludder said. Scott Radway, environmental reporter, can be reached at 708-7919 or at sradway@HeraldToday.com. ***************************************************************** 39 NRC: NRC to Hold Public Conference on Licensing Process for Storage and Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel 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. 05-019 February 2, 2005 will hold a public conference Feb. 8 at the agencys headquarters in Rockville, Md., to discuss the licensing process for spent fuel storage facilities and the packaging and transportation of radioactive material. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. The conference is open to the public and there is no registration fee. However, those wishing to attend are urged to register in advance and to arrive early to facilitate processing through security. This conference is part of the NRCs efforts to inform and learn from our stakeholders and the public in order to continue improving our licensing and certification programs, said E. William Brach, director of the Spent Fuel Project Office. Conference sessions will cover NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 71, on packaging and transportation of radioactive material, and Part 72, licensing requirements for independent spent fuel storage facilities (ISFSIs). Topics include lessons learned from previous licensing reviews, the rules of engagement for review of transportation and storage applications, and ways to improve the licensing process in the future. Persons wishing to register for the conference may do so on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/conference-symposia/sfpo/. Additional information about the conference is available at that Web address. Last revised Wednesday, February 02, 2005 ***************************************************************** 40 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Bush again jabs Nevada Today: February 03, 2005 at 9:15:34 PST When Nevada threw its support to President Bush in the 2000 election (handing him victory over Al Gore), he showed his appreciation two years later by giving us, officially, Yucca Mountain. After Nevada again supported Bush in 2004, he waited just a few weeks to deliver another body blow. In his new budget Bush wants to grab at least $700 million a year that rightfully belongs to Nevada and take it back to Washington, where he will use it to help reduce his record budget deficits. In 1998 Congress passed the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which stopped the years-old practice of practically giving away federal land to developers. The act also compensated Nevada for the fact that 87 percent of its land is federally owned, which deprives the state of tax-generating enterprises. It did this by requiring that all proceeds from federal land sales must be used for public purposes in Nevada. Since then 5 percent of all sales have gone to Nevada's schools, 10 percent to water and airport infrastructure and 85 percent to environmental, conservation and recreation projects. Nevada fought long and hard for this law, which introduced fairness and honesty into federal land sales. Bush now proposes to hog 70 percent of the proceeds and use it to reduce the budget deficit that is soaring into the trillions under his watch. Since the 1998 law, $1.3 billion has been raised for Nevada through federal land sales. Projections for this year and beyond show the annual proceeds amounting to more than $1 billion. Even that amount of money will not nearly cover all of the environmental and conservation projects that this state needs. That is why Nevada's congressional delegation -- three Republicans and two Democrats -- are united in opposing Bush's proposal. We strongly support them in their effort. Instead of robbing billions from Nevada over the coming years, Bush should let his tax cuts expire, as they are scheduled to do between this year and 2015. He is pushing to make them permanent, but the recession is now over and their purpose has been achieved. The Congressional Budget Office says allowing them to expire would save $1.3 trillion. That would make a genuine dent in Bush's deficit, while the relative pittance grabbed from Nevada wouldn't even scratch it. ***************************************************************** 41 Las Vegas SUN: Abraham: Congress should sidestep EPA on Yucca Today: February 03, 2005 at 11:21:56 PST By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Congress -- not the Environmental Protection Agency -- should set a new radiation standard for Yucca Mountain, departing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Wednesday. Speaking with reporters, Abraham said congressional action was needed to jump-start the Energy Department's controversial nuclear waste repository program. The future of the federal plan to bury the nation's most radioactive nuclear waste at the Nevada site was thrown into question when a court last year ruled that the current radiation standard -- a rule that radiation emitted from the site be contained at low levels for 10,000 years -- was not in line with stricter standard recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences. That sent the Environmental Protection Agency back to the drawing board to devise a new standard -- unless Congress chooses to simply legislate one. If Congress does take that route, it is expected to create a standard that Yucca could meet. President Bush has said he would respect the ruling of the federal court, and so far, no pro-Yucca lawmakers have said publicly they intend to launch an effort in Congress to set a standard. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., a leading Yucca supporter, told the Sun last week that it would be "too difficult" politically with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in his new role as Minority Leader. But Abraham, now free from his four-year stint in the Bush administration, on Wednesday urged Congress to act. "I believe that Congress needs to make it possible for this process to come to a conclusion," Abraham said. "If there needs to be clarification, in the statutes, I think Congress needs to take this up and address it." Nevada lawmakers have vowed to battle any attempt to change the radiation standard in Congress, and they have listened closely for news that pro-Yucca lawmakers were planning to champion the issue. "It's our understanding that it is not likely to come up, and obviously we would be in a position to fight it if it did," said Jack Finn, spokesman for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. And given Reid's high-profile role, "Sen. Reid is in a good position to stop any legislation if it did come forward," Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said. If there are plans afoot to legislate a radiation standard, it likely would be kept under wraps until there was an opportunity to quietly get the measure approved, said David Cherry, spokesman for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. But they may not bother given the long odds of passing it in the Senate with Reid and Ensign keeping watch on both sides of the aisle, Nevada congressional aides said. The Yucca program has been plagued by delays and budget cuts in its long history. In its most recent setback, the Energy Department failed to file a Yucca license application at the end of last year as planned. But Abraham said the department should still pursue the project. "I certainly feel every bit as confident today as I was in February 2002 about the recommendation that I made to the president concerning Yucca Mountain and its ability to withstand the tests for safety and radiation standard tests the (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) would require to be met," Abraham said. Abraham expects energy production to become a higher profile issue, especially as Congress begins debate on another attempt at an energy bill. He said conversations about future electricity demand must include discussion of expanded nuclear power. President Bush specifically mentioned that the nation needs nuclear power in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday. Nuclear power now makes up 20 percent of the nation's electricity production and Abraham and nuclear industry officials have said solving the waste storage issue is key to the industry's future. Bush and Abraham have called for new U.S. nuclear plant construction. "People in Nevada have concerns that have been long expressed, so those concerns have to be part of, obviously, be part of this debate, but I think we have to be realistic about making it possible for nuclear power to remain a key part of the energy mix," Abraham said. "If we fail to do that, I just don't see how we address the emissions issue or the power generation issue." Abraham ended his job as Energy Secretary Tuesday. During his time as secretary, the Energy Department finished its primary environmental assessment of the planned waste repository at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Abraham recommended the project to the president and Bush promptly approved it. Abraham also said the issue of annual Yucca budget battles in Congress needs to be resolved. He said the Bush administration is on the right track in proposing that money from a national Nuclear Waste Fund be available directly to program managers, without the constraints of annual budget caps set by Congress. "I think it is just simply unacceptable to say that for years we have collected from ratepayers money that has been sent to Washington to deal with the nuclear waste that has collected at the various sites where these ratepayers live and then never do anything about it," Abraham said. Nuclear ratepayers have put about $16 billion into the waste fund, but congressional budget rules limit the amount that Yucca managers can spend on the repository each year. Yucca critics value the current system, which allows Reid to cut the budget and slow the program. The administration may propose the change again when Bush's budget proposal is released Monday. Abraham said he did not prepare any of the budget because he was leaving the department. Now that Abraham is out of federal office, Abraham will be a distinguished visiting fellow in the Washington office of the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank based at Stanford University in California that focus on politics and economics. He said he has not decided where he will go next. He said he would like to remain involved with nuclear nonproliferation issues and the energy debate. Concerns about emissions from other forms of electricity will also contribute to a continued need for nuclear power, Abraham said. Replacing nuclear power, which releases no emissions into the air, with other forms of energy could lead to added air pollution, nuclear advocates say. Abraham said it would be "impossible" to discuss reducing emissions without having nuclear power as an option. "I don't see anyone offering any kind of concrete alternative as to how we would make that up -- that huge percentage of electricity production in America," Abraham said. "The ingredients that are needed to keep nuclear power as a major part of our nation's energy mix have to be addressed, including making sure disposal of the waste is in fact addressed." With regard to the license application, Abraham said, "Hopefully that can be done this year." Abraham's replacement, Samuel Bodman, was sworn in as secretary on Tuesday. ***************************************************************** 42 BYU NewsNet: No nuclear waste in our back yard By Paul Nelson Daily Universe Staff Reporter - 2 Feb 2005 Envirocare of Utah along with local investors and Gov. Huntsman asked the state Senate on Tuesday to support a bill imposing a ban on the handling of highly radioactive material at disposal sites. Envirocare also announced the company had been purchased by a private investor group led by Lindsay Goldberg &Bessemer and local Utah investors Creamer Investments and Peterson Partners. Senior Vice President of Envirocare, Tim Barney, credits support behind the ban to the change in ownership. “Support for the ban on B and C wastes in Utah was part of their business plan during the entire investment decision period,†Barney said. “New CEO Steve Creamer has a personal commitment in making sure that B and C wastes will not come into the state.†Class B and C waste is considered thousands of times more radioactive than A waste. Despite significant profits that could be made from handling these wastes, new owner’s said it was never part of the business plan. Although at the time of purchase Envirocare had not been handling class B and C wastes, it did hold a conditional permit to accept them. As a result of the investment, new leadership of Envirocare presented a letter officially withdrawing its application for B and C waste in the state of Utah to Gov. Huntsman and the Utah House of Representatives. According to the Associative Press Creamer said his decision was also a personal one. “It’s a very personal commitment to me on B and C wastes,†Creamer said. “So you understand, I grew up in southern Utah. And there’s not too many people who remember the green clouds of the 1950’s, but I do.†Immediately after announcements from Creamer’s press conference Tuesday Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo replaced a bill awaiting Senate approval with one that would ban any company seeking permits to handle B and C waste in the state of Utah. A final vote was expected today in the Senate on the bill sponsored by Sen. Bramble. According to the Associative Press, Jason Groenewold, an anti-nuclear activist and director of the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, is optimistic about the ban. “The proof is in the pudding,†said Groenewold. “We have four weeks of an intense legislative session to make sure that a statutory ban is formalized by the Legislature and governor.†Copyright, BYU NewsNet ***************************************************************** 43 ABQjournal: Plans for N.M. Uranium Waste Facility Move Ahead, Rep. Says Albuquerque Journal newspaper. February 3, 2005 The Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE — A company that wants to build a uranium enrichment factory in southern New Mexico has reached an agreement with another company to build a facility to handle the waste, Rep. Steve Pearce announced Thursday. Areva Incorporated and Louisiana Energy Services have reached a memorandum of understanding on the possible construction of a private uranium deconversion plant that would support LES's proposed National Uranium Enrichment Facility near Eunice. It was not immediately known where the deconversion plant would be built. State officials and others raised concerns about the uranium enrichment plant because that process produces a type of waste that cannot be disposed of anywhere in the United States. Deconversion would convert the radioactive waste to a material that could be shipped to a low-level nuclear waste dump outside New Mexico. LES planned an announcement later Thursday, but would not immediately confirm Pearce's statement. Louisiana Energy Services, a consortium of largely European backers, wants to build a $1.2 billion facility near Eunice to refine uranium for nuclear reactors, but the question of what to do with the waste has been a point of controversy since LES first proposed the New Mexico plant in August 2003. LES officials have been holding discussions for months with companies to build a deconversion facility that could treat the waste. The deconversion facility, like the uranium plant, would be regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Copyright Albuquerque Journal ***************************************************************** 44 ChronWatch: "Environmentalists Create Perchlorate Paranoia in Southern California" by Wayne Lusvardi Thursday, February 03, 2005 Lewis Carroll’s children’s book Alice in Wonderland begins with the nonsensical story “Down the Rabbit Hole” about a 9-year old girl who follows a rabbit down a hole in the ground where there is a table with a bottle on it marked “Drink Me.” Because the bottle is not marked poison Alice tastes it only to shrink in size to ten inches high. The fear from perchlorate, dubbed “powdered oxygen,” a rocket fuel catalyst, is not that it is poisonous or causes cancer, but that it could take the place of iodine in the thyroid gland and result in stunted growth and development of infants or unborn children. There is a growing paranoia by many on the left side of the political spectrum that the Bush Administration has influenced the National Academy of Sciences to water-down new safety levels for perchlorate in drinking water. On January 10, 2005, the National Academy concluded that perchlorate is safe to drink at levels of 20 parts per billion (ppb), which is twenty times less strict than the previous 1 ppb guideline set by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The National Academy used a safety factor of ten, which means the real safety level is 200 ppb's. In June 2004 the U.C. Irvine Urban Water Research Center issued a recommendation of 100 ppb’s as safe. U.C. Riverside toxicologist Robert Kreiger has concluded an adult could safely drink water containing as much as 220 parts per billion of perchlorate. Thus, the paranoia that safety standards for drinking water have been compromised doesn’t hold water, as the new National Academy guideline is five times stricter than the guideline set by U.C. Irvine and ten times stricter what many other independent toxicologists consider as safe. The major principle of health science in determining if something is harmful is “the dosage makes the poison.” Anything can be harmful, including air or pure water, and a solution to pollution is often dilution. Up to the 1960’s very high doses of potassium perchlorates (1000 parts per billion) were once used to treat thyroid conditions such as Graves disease – too much thyroid hormone – which is now treated with radiation. What the controversy is evidently all about is an infinitesimal amount of perchlorate --about one-third of a liquid ounce by my calculation -- spread out over all the water that is used by a typical family over a period of one year (162,925 gallons). Former EPA epidemiologist Dr. Steven Lamm, PhD, has stated the environmental exposure to perchlorate equates to about 1/250,000th of the toxic dose. California guidelines for water well shutdowns have not been set by science but by default at the smallest amount of perchlorate that can be measured (4 ppb); or the amount that is found in the Colorado River Aqueduct (6 ppb). U.C. Riverside toxicologist Bob Krieger states that the perchlorate risk is no more of a danger than eating Brussels sprouts, equivalent to 8,000 ppbs of perchlorate. The largest study of the health effects of perchlorate was that conducted on nearly 10,000 children from three cities in Chile where perchlorate has occurred for decades at about the same levels as in the Colorado River Aqueduct. Yet no effects on thyroid health among infants and children have ever been found beyond typical levels. Dr. Brahama D. Sharma, PhD, C.Chemistry, FRSC (life), has stated that the campaign about perchlorate in milk is irresponsible because the perchlorate ion is reduced to a chloride ion by the presence of the carbohydrate lactose which is abundant in milk. In fact, one method of treating perchlorate contamination is by carbohydrate injection. Perchlorate treatment plants cost $15 million and up with annual operating costs of $500,000 to $1 million. The Defense Department may have to spend as much as $55 billion to clean up perchlorate in and around military bases. Shutting down local "contaminated" water wells in Southern California only means having to rely on expensive Colorado River water, which paradoxically has the same amount of perchlorate as most of the contaminated water wells. And the hard truth is that we cannot rid perchlorate from our drinking water for 25 to 30 years, if ever, through conventional pump and treat methods. Programs to help people suffering from cancer and other health afflictions are facing funding cuts as public resource dollars are shifted to perchlorate removal projects that have only theoretical health benefits. It would be more prudent to use less costly methods of perchlorate remediation such as containment, targeted removal of "hot spots," and bioremediation. We must ask whether our health policies have been informed by science or what has been embedded in our memories about the fictional Alice in Wonderland story of a little girl who suddenly shrinks in size after drinking bottled water found in a hole in the ground. Facts and financial prudence not political paranoia, or self interest cloaking itself as the public interest, should inform our community's response to the risk of perchlorate in our drinking water. About the Writer: Wayne is a real estate economist who served on the Metro Water District of S. California. He has published articles on environmental issues and energy resources. . Wayne receives e-mail at wlusvardi@yahoo.com. Copyright © 2005 ChronWatch. All rights reserved. 2/4/2005 1:29:15 AM --> ***************************************************************** 45 PRN: LES and AREVA Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Deconversion Facility near the National Enrichment Facility ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Louisiana Energy Services (LES) and the nuclear energy services company AREVA, Inc., a subsidiary of the AREVA Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could lead to the construction of a private uranium hexafluoride deconversion plant to support the proposed National Enrichment Facility (NEF) outside Eunice, New Mexico. Since coming to New Mexico LES has stated, and committed to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Attorney General Patricia Madrid, and the citizens, their intent to pursue construction of a private deconversion facility outside of New Mexico to deconvert the NEF byproduct to uranium oxide that can be disposed of safely. The oxide would then be sent to low-level radioactive waste facilities outside the State of New Mexico for storage and/or disposal. "LES has committed that we will not store waste for more than a few years, and we will dispose of byproducts out of state," said LES President Jim Ferland. "AREVA is the world expert in deconversion and they have been doing it for over 20 years, with over 300,000 tons of uranium hexafluoride having been processed. We are delighted that their technology will be available to us to achieve this goal." "We look forward to working with LES and bringing AREVA's global technical expertise in uranium materials management to the project," said Mike McMurphy, President of AREVA, Inc. While today's agreement marks significant progress toward a long-term deconversion and disposal path, Ferland noted it is important to understand this is just one step in a lengthy process. "Although in most cases we would not be making deconversion plans so early in the process of developing an enrichment facility, Governor Richardson and Attorney General Madrid have pressed for this kind of commitment by LES toward out-of-state deconversion and disposal. A deconversion facility to support our enrichment plant is not necessary for a number of years yet, as there will not be any material to deconvert for some time. However, now that an agreement has been reached, important site selection, licensing and other activities must take place to identify a location that is suitable, convenient to the labor force, acceptable to regulators, and near the NEF," Ferland said. "Our agreement with AREVA provides a timeline for expected activities and operations." LES has made a strong commitment to the citizens and officials of New Mexico that there will be no long-term or indefinite storage of our byproduct in New Mexico. "As there are no ultimate disposal options in New Mexico," Ferland said. "We believe it makes the most sense to look outside New Mexico to site the deconversion facility. Thus we are looking at site options in Texas, near the NEF, where disposal of the deconverted uranium oxide could be handled by a Texas low-level waste repository, should one be licensed by the State of Texas. This would bring economic development benefits there as well. It is also possible however, for the uranium oxide to be disposed of in several other licensed facilities in the United States. Ferland added, "This agreement on deconversion goes beyond the requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and affirms our company's commitment that we will remove and dispose of wastes and not store them indefinitely in New Mexico." The NRC recently reaffirmed the plausibility of the LES backup option to transfer the depleted uranium hexafluoride to the Department of Energy (DOE) for disposition if for some reason a private deconversion facility is unavailable. AREVA currently uses two proven technologies that will reduce the uranium by-product to a stable oxide form -- which is recommended by the NRC for easiest long-term disposal. AREVA's subsidiary, COGEMA, is currently operating a large-scale deconversion plant in Pierrelatte, France. Another AREVA subsidiary, Framatome-ANP, operates a deconversion facility that supports a fuel fabrication plant in Washington State which will be the model process used for future DOE deconversion plants in Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah, Kentucky. Within the U.S., AREVA has 41 offices and over 7000 employees. AREVA is also already part of the New Mexico business community. AREVA is a major supplier to U.S. utilities for uranium, conversion and enrichment services, fuel fabrication, reactor engineering, components and services, and spent fuel management solutions. Among other holdings, AREVA owns Canberra Aquila, Inc., an Albuquerque based company that is the recognized industry leader in the manufacture of surveillance systems; review stations; and electronic seals and tags for the worldwide nuclear safeguards community. The NEF will provide more than 200 permanent jobs and more than 400 multi- year construction jobs in southeast New Mexico. It will use a proven technology that has operated safely in Europe for 30 years. When the license application is approved, the NEF will introduce the world's most advanced uranium enrichment technology into the U.S. and provide an alternative, domestic enrichment supply source to U.S. nuclear energy companies. LES is a partnership of major nuclear energy companies. Partners include Urenco, Westinghouse and U.S. energy companies Duke Power, Entergy and Exelon. With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, AREVA offers its clients technological solutions for nuclear energy and electrical transmission and distribution. The group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets. These businesses engage AREVA's 70,000 employees in the 21st century's greatest challenges: making energy and communication resources available to all, protecting the planet and acting responsibly towards future generations. AREVA, Inc. is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., with AREVA corporate headquarters in Paris, France. SOURCE Louisiana Energy Services; AREVA, Inc. Copyright © 1996- PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved. A United Business Mediacompany. ***************************************************************** 46 Upper Cape Codder: Kennedy took cautious approach to 'atomic park' TownOnline.com - The Upper Cape Codder - Local News Seen here is a view of the Atomic Park. (Courtesy photo) By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Thursday, February 3, 2005Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who has said that he is open to a proposal to build wind turbines on Nantucket Sound but will wait for the Army Corps of Engineers' final environmental impact statement before making a decision, has taken criticism for not siding one way or the other on an issue that divides his constituents. But that "wait and see" approach has precedent: In 1960, another Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy, took a similar approach to the local energy issue of his day, whether or not to build a nuclear processing and storage facility on Cape Cod. "In view of the fact that this in now primarily a question for state legislative determination, I felt it wise not to inject my views into the debate," Kennedy wrote to Dr. Alfred Senft of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole in a letter dated May 31, 1960. "It is clear to me that the question was under close scrutiny both by public groups and by state legislators. Moreover, the testimony which is being assembled is as vital to my assessment of the problems as it is to the citizens of Cape Cod." Despite the decidedly hands-off approach, Kennedy's letter does reflect the tone of a committed, if enlightened, cold warrior, a hero of World War II who would make Nikita Khrushchev blink during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. "Despite the predominantly unfavorable testimony which has been given by the scientists and citizens, I do feel that it is only proper to point out that this project was put forward in good faith and was an attempt by our Commonwealth to meet one of the most important industrial and technological challenges which the next years will bring. "Though in the end it may be concluded that this project should not be established at Camp Edwards, I think it highly important that the debate not degenerate into an attack upon the motives of our public officials or by the spread of exaggerated fears which will dampen the climate for new industry and industrial progress in the Commonwealth." Newspaper accounts from the 1950s indicate that, in general, Kennedy supported nuclear power at that time, considering the burgeoning nuclear power industry as vital to economic growth and pushing for a New England regional office for the Atomic Energy Commission in August 1955. In doing so, Kennedy would have been in step with a regional chauvinism reflected by newspaper reports that New England was poised to be "the hub of the world's nuclear trade," an attitude bolstered by such accomplishments as the world's first atomic sub built in Groton, Conn.; the world's first atomic surface ship, built at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy; and the world's first "nuclear cannon," built at the Watertown Arsenal. An article which ran in the morning edition of The Boston Globe May 20, 1956 called nuclear power "the world's most promising industry" and "the biggest opportunity" for New England in 100 years. Despite the relatively positive view many had of nuclear power at the time, the project to build a reprocessing facility on Cape Cod was abandoned several months before Kennedy was elected president in November 1960. © Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc. ***************************************************************** 47 The Whitehaven News: MAN’S FINGER SEVERED BNFL has revealed that one of the site’s contractors severed the tip of his right hand index finger in an accident at Sellafield. It happened in one of the high-level nuclear waste plants during rigging operations on a lifting beam. The contractor caught his finger in the rigging, severing the tip, but was able to return to work the next day after hospital treatment. The accident is classified as a major injury and has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive. Investigations have concluded into another accident in which a Sellafield team leader cut one of his hands while doing radiological work in an air-feed suit. This was last June and, although assessments show a higher than average radiation dose for the month, the man’s annual dose for the year was still below the legal limit and BNFL’s own limit. BNFL has given an assurance that no contamination was released and no one was harmed due to an incident on the plutonium finishing line when an outlet hose from a pump on a transfer cabinet became disconnected, resulting in plutonium nitrate liquor being pumped into the cabinet. An alarm sounded and when the pump switched off the liquor was drained into an overflow tank. Safety is also said to have been unaffected by a breach of a condition which saw more drums being compacted than allowed in a waste treatment complex under active commissioning. No more drums can be dealt with until the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate gives the go ahead. ***************************************************************** 48 The Whitehaven News: SELLAFIELD’S EX-BOSS TO GIVE LECTURE SELLAFIELD’S former top boss, Brian Watson, is to give a lecture at the Westlakes Science and Technology Park on Wednesday, February 16. Mr Watson, who stood down during last summer as director of management services, will talk about the development of the Sellafield site and the lecture is aptly called Brian Watson, a retrospective. As part of the British Nuclear Energy Society programme, it starts at 7.30 p.m. in the Research and Graduate Centre and free places can be obtained through Neil Crewdson, at Sellafield on 01946 88058. ***************************************************************** 49 The Whitehaven News: NUCLEAR WASTE OUT OF SIGHT; OUT OF MIND FOR WHITEHALL, BUT NOT FOR US SIR — I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I read last week’s Whitehaven News. On the first page, I read that locals will have two days to express their views to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management at Cleator Moor. On page 3, I read that 30 minutes would be allowed. Thirty minutes! I am pro-nuclear, but I and many others fought Nirex, not for what it did but the way that they did it. There was evasion, secrecy and obstruction. Despite all the claims of openness, they insisted their vital geological findings were “commercial in confidence”. I urge Copeland to remember three things. The committee claims to be independent, but who appointed the members? Secondly, whenever anybody says something is “government policy”, make him give you the reference of the document he is quoting. What statute, White Paper or Act of Parliament does he mean? Nearly always he is simply trying to overawe his audience, and there is no official authority for his statement. Since I left West Cumbria, I have made a point of attending the House of Lords Committee meetings on nuclear waste. One thing is obvious: down here in London, Copeland is the obvious place for the waste. Why? Because it is 312 miles from Whitehall. This is not a Tory or Labour view, it is simply the view in Whitehall, where an official once said to me: “It’s Copeland’s own fault. They made the stuff.” Norman MURPHY Winton Avenue, London SIR – I find there is nothing new in what Wayne Hemingway had to say in his article about Broadway Malyan’s ‘harbour manifesto’ (The Whitehaven News, January 27). It would have been surely desirable for the author – or Copeland Borough Council who commissioned this report at, I understand, great cost – to have contacted Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners giving us the opportunity to advise Mr Hemingway of the on-going developments in and around the harbour prior to the report being finalised. As you may be aware we are currently undertaking many major projects, amongst others the dredging of South Harbour to facilitate a new berthing system, an expansion to the main Marina, and the creation of a brand new marina in Queen’s Dock. Commercial projects include the provision of a new berthing system for small local registered fishing vessels, the installation of new ladders and bollards improving larger commercial vessels access, safety and security, and improving the facilities within the fish landing hall. Unfortunately no-one bothered to ask us, the people who manage the harbour. G E THOMSON, Chairman, Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners SIR – I was tempted to let your churlish and carping editorial (The Whitehaven News, Comment, January 27), pass by unchallenged but my distaste for lazy journalism makes it impossible not to respond. How typical that the Comment writer quotes “media reports” rather than picking up the telephone and actually asking me directly about our track record in Copeland. Your dismissal of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as “just a re-badging of the same state business” shows breathtaking ignorance of the most important economic shift in West Cumbria for decades. If the NDA had opted for Manchester or the South East (which were the favoured options originally) then not only would West Cumbria have lost around 200 jobs – and potentially thousands more in years to come – but also I have no doubt that your newspaper would have presented it as a failure of CIIA to secure the investment. In fact, CIIA led the campaign at the request of Dr Jack Cunningham, Copeland Council, West Cumbria Development Agency, the Sellafield trade unions and other community interests and delivered the project. Partners’ roles in supporting the campaign were crucial but it was CIIA that worked tirelessly to drive forward the campaign, research the business case, write and design the campaign literature and support Dr Cunningham in presenting the West Cumbrian case to government and the industry. I think our role could, therefore, be reasonably described as “instrumental”. It was also this Agency, funded by NWDA, that organised the business mission to Washington DC last June that has already led to further investment in Westlakes Science Park from some of the world’s leading businesses in the field of nuclear decommissioning and related engineering; these include CH2M Hill Energy, MWH Global, E2M and many others now in negotiation. Away from the NDA, it was CIIA that secured the Vertex investment for Whitehaven and converted a bare harbourside site into one of the most advanced customer contact centres in the country. Vertex employs around 180 people directly and still has plans to expand to some 500 positions. We should also mention Perkins Frozen Foods, whose investment of more than £1million in Leconfield was a direct consequence of CIIA’s marketing efforts. Perkins employed more than 50 people and was gearing up to recruit a further sixty when its operation was destroyed by fire. That sad outcome should not detract from the expert marketing that secured the initial investment. When Bollman acquired Kangol, I travelled to Pennsylvania to do what we could to secure at least some of the jobs for Copeland. No western business could hope to compete with the manufacturing costs of China but we were successful in supporting around 50 sales and distribution jobs that might otherwise have disappeared. I could go on but I hope these illustrations make my point. I supported CIIA’s merger with Cumbria Vision in the hope that we might move a step nearer to a powerful single voice to secure essential investment into Cumbria. A diligent and responsible press could play a valuable part in that process, but your editorial demonstrates how far removed we are from having such an ally in The Whitehaven News. Jack STOPFORTH Managing Director Cumbria Inward Investment Agency SIR – In the week that Michael Howard announced a new more restrictive Tory policy on immigration and asylum, we learned of the end of manufacturing at Sekers in Hensingham. Of course there have to be sensible controls on immigration, but this country has an outstanding record of offering asylum to those under threat of torture or death in their own countries. By allowing immigrants such as Nicholas Sekers and Frank Schon (co-founder of Marchon) into Britain, we gained a huge boost to the local economy here in Copeland. We also owe our unique theatre at Rosehill to Sir Nicholas Sekers; he exemplified the great benefit that we all gain from allowing talented people into Britain. This country, and West Cumbria in particular, have benefited from committed and skilled incomers who have added much to our economy, culture, and knowledge, for example the many doctors and nurses who have come to work in our NHS. Liberal Democrats would not prevent asylum seekers from entering this country thus potentially putting their lives at risk; we would reform the procedures and administration to speed up the immigration process, while retaining fairness in the immigration system; and we would abide by and continue to honour the international agreements this country has entered into. Only by working with other countries in Europe and the rest of the world can we avoid the detrimental effects, and enjoy the benefits of, the free movement of people. At a time of great uncertainty for the economic future of West Cumbria, we need many more people such as Nicholas Sekers and Frank Schon to invest and show real faith in West Cumbria. Frank HOLLOWELL Copeland Liberal Democrats’ Parliamentary Spokesperson SIR — Over the last couple of years in St Bees, we have seen a series of developments taking place, some quite large, and it might be suggested too large for the infrastructure to sustain. The resultant stream of heavy goods vehicles taking spoil away and fetching supplies in has resulted in the gradual breakdown of the structure of the road system, both in and out of the village, toward Whitehaven and St Bees Main Street. Are the developers going to help in the cost of returning our roads to the condition they were in before they started work? Or are we going to have to suffer the potholes for years to come, until eventually the funds are available? It certainly keeps the speed down – as good as any traffic-calming measure – but contributes little to road safety. Patrick T MILBURN The Crofts, St Bees SIR — I feel rather disgruntled about Phil White’s comment about the Blue Bar surviving “by offering an individual quality service with a personal touch” (The Whitehaven News, letters, January 6). Another direct hit at Wetherspoons. While I appreciate we are a big concern, we too survive in a business world of strong competition. How does Mr White think we have achieved this? It’s because we continually strive to please our customers with individual needs and requests. Although our customers are first and foremost at Wetherspoons, don’t forget the job vacancies created by the opening of the Bransty Arch. When everyone’s happy we all reap the benefits, and it is my belief J D Wetherspoons are an exceptional company to work for. We are here to stay, so I suggest strive to survive with the competition. Dot MARTIN Kitchen Manager, The Bransty Arch SIR — I watched Prime Minister’s Questions on January 26 and was delighted with the response of the Prime Minister to a question from Tony Cunningham MP about the general state of the economy in West Cumbria, which the Tories would wreck with their disastrous proposal to cut £35billion from public expenditure. No-one who knows the area can doubt that there has been a huge improvement in the local economy since 1997, thanks to the efforts of the Labour government – I don’t know anyone who wants to return to the years of appalling Toryism -– and it was good to see the Prime Minister re-affirming a personal commitment to local employment in the nuclear industry, which is where future generation of electricity must surely come from, and West Cumbria is naturally well placed to benefit – safely – from that growth. This is a great area to live and work and to retire to as well, and I suggest that that message is put out more often. Dr M A JUNEJO Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester ***************************************************************** 50 Deseret news: Senate OKs Class B, C waste ban [deseretnews.com] Thursday, February 3, 2005 By Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News The Utah Senate gave quick approval Wednesday to a bill that would prohibit importation of nuclear waste hotter than the relatively mild Class A material already here. Gov. Huntsman and Steve Creamer see eye to eye on waste ban. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News Hurt feelings engendered by the legislative battles were set aside, said the sponsor of a competing bill. The Senate OK'd SB24, introduced by Sen. Curtis S. Bramble, R-Provo. Passage by the Legislature and approval by the governor seemed assured during a dramatic press conference Tuesday. At that time, the new owners of Envirocare of Utah, the only commercial facility in the state licensed for storing low-level nuclear waste, publicly withdrew the company's application to accept the hotter B and C waste and called for passage of the ban. Earlier, legislators expressed fears that Envirocare could sue should such a bill become law while the application was pending. At the same meeting, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., leaders of the Senate and House representing both parties and new Envirocare CEO Steve Creamer strongly supported a ban. When the bill came to a vote, senators supported it and sent it to the House for action. The vote in the upper chamber was 26 for, none against and three absent. Nevertheless, the road to passage was not without a few bumps. Class A waste — the material Envirocare has been disposing of for 17 years at its site near Clive, Tooele County — is largely contaminated soil, concrete and other material. It has the lowest radioactivity of low-level waste. Classes B and C, which now would be banned, are also considered low-level but more radioactive than A. Sen. Patrice Arent, D-Salt Lake — whose bill to ban B and C waste, SB166, was mooted by Bramble's measure — noted that she started working on a ban years ago, when "it seemed improbable" that the Legislature would approve it. Now it looks as if the ban will be passed, she said. But she is going to watch that the language in SB24 is not softened later in the legislative session, Arent added. "Some of my friends are upset that the bill I worked on will not be the instrument of this ban," she told fellow senators. She was disappointed when the Legislature's Hazardous Waste Regulation and Tax Policy Task Force rejected the outright ban, she added. "But today is not the day to nurse hurt feelings," Arent added. "It's a time to celebrate doing the right thing for the people of the state of Utah." Originally, Bramble's bill embodied only the task force recommendations on tightening tax rules, mandating more regulatory oversight and assurances concerning closure of facilities. But Tuesday, after Arent had filed her bill, Bramble's SB24 was amended to include the ban. Arent said many people have asked her to compare the two measures. The language from her bill is in the Bramble substitute bill, she said. "But I guess if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I choose to be flattered," she said. Arent added that the new bill does all that can be done to keep B and C waste out of Utah. "I want this ban to be as permanent as possible," she said. She has been warned that in the legislative session, language in SB24 could be softened so the ban is not as complete, she said. "I will watch, as many of us will, to make sure this does not happen." Meanwhile, "I am very pleased this bill clearly bans all levels of radioactive wastes higher than what is currently allowed under our existing licenses," Arent said. "The Legislature needs to send a clear message that hotter radioactive waste is not welcome in Utah. We must not become a dumping ground for the nation." The law already in effect does ban B and C wastes unless the Legislature and the governor specifically approve bringing in these wastes, said Sen. Al Mansell, R-Midvale. It's not a change in policy that these hotter wastes are banned, Mansell said. "B and C is banned from the state of Utah today and has been banned from the state of Utah at all times, since these original laws were passed. The only way we could have had B and C waste in our state is if the governor and the Legislature acted affirmatively to change the ban. "So when we say we're doing something great and wonderful because we're changing the policy," the Legislature is acting to make the ban permanent. "But it's only permanent 'til the Legislature changes its mind," he said. "Which is also true the way the ban is right now." Mansell added this is a good piece of legislation. But it's not right to say the policy wasn't in place over the years. He charged that during the two years that the task force operated, the group learned that "much of what we were being told was not true about the danger of some of these things out at Envirocare." Scott K. Jenkins, R-Plain City, noted that he served on the task force for two years. The group visited all the sites that handle hazardous and radioactive wastes, he said. "I feel very safe" about the companies' actions, Jenkins added. Following the vote, Jason Groenewold, director of the activist group Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, said, "We're one step closer," but the battle for the legislation is "far from over." Senate passage was an encouraging sign, Groenewold added, "and we want to make sure that this ban is formalized on the books." E-mail: bau@desnews.com © 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 51 SPI: Workers at Hanford feared backlash for reporting problems [seattlepi.com] Seattle Post-Intelligencer Thursday, February 3, 2005 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RICHLAND -- Construction workers at a plant that will treat nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation feared retaliation for reporting safety problems and other issues, according to an investigation into worker complaints. About 1,700 people have been working to build the so-called vitrification plant, which will be used to turn highly radioactive waste stored in underground tanks into glass logs for long-term disposal. Workers' concerns were raised Oct. 21 when five current and three former employees at the construction site met with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy's Employee Concerns Program. Those concerns were serious enough for the Energy Department, which manages cleanup at the Hanford site, to hire a corporate security firm to investigate, along with agency employees. Investigators interviewed 117 current and former employees of Bechtel National, the contractor hired for the construction project. More than half of the workers interviewed said they believed they could be placing their jobs in jeopardy by being interviewed. Some workers also said they feared they would go to the top of the list for layoffs if they reported to a first-aid station at the site, saw a doctor for a work-related injury, raised a safety concern or reported issues to programs designed to handle labor relations and employee concerns. Despite worker fears of retaliation, the investigation did not turn up any instances of retaliation, said John Eschenberg, project manager for the plant for the Energy Department's Office of River Protection. But workers saying they feared reporting safety, medical or labor relations issues is a problem, said Jim Henschel, project director for Bechtel National. "We want to have people come forward without fear," Henschel told the Tri-City Herald. "It's not only their right, it's their obligation." About half of those interviewed spoke to investigators on their own time to avoid letting managers know they were participating. When claims of racial and sexual discrimination or harassment were investigated, the Energy Department concluded that about five of 120 foremen had behaved in ways that were a concern. Bechtel National officials said those employees had been put on notice that derogatory comments or other harassment or discrimination will not be tolerated. Their performance also was being watched, the company said. Bectel National has a Feb. 18 deadline to submit a plan for further corrections to the Energy Department. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com ©1996-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer ***************************************************************** 52 Athens NEWS: Locals scramble to meet deadline for comments on Piketon nuke facility permit 2005-02-03 By Jim Phillips Athens NEWS Senior Writer Working to beat a midnight deadline for comments on a proposed uranium enrichment facility at the old Piketon gaseous diffusion plant in Pike County, area activists hosted a discussion in Athens Tuesday and got about a dozen people to fax comments to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Elisa Young, of the Appalachian Group of the Ohio Sierra Club, said that based on her research, she thinks the NRC and the company planning to run the enrichment plant, USEC, Inc., have been less than open about details of the project. The company runs the only uranium enrichment facility in the United States, in Paducah, Ky. Young said that after USEC submitted a lengthy permit application to the NRC for the Piketon project, most of it was deleted from the agency's Web site, ostensibly for national security reasons. "Nearly two-thirds of the document is not available for public scrutiny," she alleged. She noted that Piketon is already undergoing a massive cleanup of depleted uranium that accumulated over some 50 years of operation (the gaseous diffusion plant closed in 2002), which cost nearly $300 million last year, and is expected to cost around as much this year. Though that cleanup is a separate issue from the proposed enrichment facility, Young said she believes it's a bad idea to bring in more depleted uranium from other states, while Piketon is still sitting on a huge pile of nuclear waste. "I don't want to see this licensed at all," she said. "I'll be up front about it. We don't have to subsidize this industry." With so much waste still to be cleaned up, she said, "I don't think we have any business generating more." In January 2004, USEC President and CEO William H. Timbers announced that the company would be siting its new American Centrifuge Commercial Plant at Piketon. He said the company plans to have a demonstration facility running by this year, and have the plant in commercial operation by 2010. Timbers claimed the project has strong community support in Piketon, and that use of the existing facility will reduce costs and allow the plant to become operational more quickly. Over the years, area legislators, including U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, have lobbied intensively to keep, or attract, job-intensive enterprises to the Piketon facility. Like much of southeast Ohio, the area is depressed economically. A fact sheet put out by the company says the plant is expected to cost up to $1.5 billion, and employ up to 500 people in Piketon, as well as supporting "hundreds of highly skilled jobs throughout the United States" and hundreds of construction jobs. "USEC anticipates the American Centrifuge will be the world's most efficient uranium enrichment technology," the fact sheet adds. "It will play a major role in supporting America's energy security and national security interests, while providing a reliable, competitive fuel source for the world's nuclear power plants." Young alleged that the old Piketon plant has a long history of problems with worker exposure to radioactivity and releases of toxic materials into the surrounding area, including the Scioto River. She said uranium and plutonium have been found in nearby fish, and asked, "what are they going to do to keep wildlife safe?" She also argued that "there really is not a need for the facility," because there is enough enriched uranium from existing sites to supply the country's atomic energy plants. Deborah Baker of Columbus said she considers it "crazy" to bring more nuclear waste to the plant site. She said she has serious questions about whether NRC or any other agency is keeping adequate track of such events as toxic releases, and whether that information is available to the public. Vina Colley worked at the Piketon plant from 1980 to 1985, and said she has experienced massive health problems since then. She started the job as a healthy worker, she said, and left the job five years later "because I was so sick that I couldn't work." Colley recalled using trichloroethylene, a toxic solvent, to clean up oil contaminated with uranium and plutonium, in confined spaces with poor ventilation. The used solvent, she alleged, was dumped directly into nearby waterways, in one case through a pipe that was "a straight shot to the Scioto River." Colley said she has had seven tumors, a total hysterectomy, thyroid problems and chronic bronchitis, and has seen her 54-year-old brother-in-law die from cancer. "This plant is very, very dangerous," Colley insisted, and had a toxic release in 1979 that "was compared to Three Mile Island." Colley said the Piketon community "is between a rock and a hard spot," aware of the health and environmental hazards of the site, but frightened by arguments that without the new enrichment facility, the area's economy will suffer. Supporters of the project "come in the community, and they scare everybody with jobs," she said. "It's a horrible thing what they've done to that community and to the workers in that plant." There has been some legislation passed to compensate workers, though Colley called it inadequate. She said she has not benefited from it, but may in the future. Young said if large amounts of nuclear material come into Piketon from other facilities, "I feel that that makes us a terrorist target." Colley added that in her experience -- which includes bringing news reporters very close to the facility without any challenge -- "their security is not very good." Geoffrey Sea, who is writing a book about the Piketon plant and spoke with The NEWS by phone, said he's more concerned about the "legacy problem" of the old waste than he is about any new production. While some people have suggested restricting transport of radioactive materials on and off the site, he said, "that would be the last thing we want to do," because it would hamper the cleanup. Sea said he is also very concerned that right after his election, President George W. Bush indicated he may cut back funding for the cleanup and lower the standards for it. "The Bush Administration is retreating from its commitment to clean up this site... That's the biggest threat," he said. ***************************************************************** 53 westword.com: It's Toast | 2005-02-03 All the ooze that's fit to print about Rocky Flats. BY PATRICIA CALHOUN patricia.calhoun@westword.com Public Advisory: The State of Colorado wishes to provide you with information concerning the history of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, formerly Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, the radioactive and other hazardous materials that were used and released at that site when it was in operation, and the cleanup that has occurred. Some contamination may remain in the soil and groundwater. -- from HB 1079, January 31, 2005 William Smith had been driving past the giant, bulging boxes for days before he stopped to wonder what was inside of them. They were right out in the open at Rocky Flats, the plant responsible for making plutonium triggers for the nation's nuclear arsenal -- until a federal raid on the facility in June 1989 suspended operations there. Smith, the lead EPA agent, had been investigating the plant for more than two years, poring over a twenty-volume waste study from 1984-85, going to briefing after briefing, working with FBI agent Jon Lipsky to obtain the search warrant needed before they could set foot inside Rocky Flats. Their stay there would stretch to nineteen days -- and the task force working around the clock would expand from eighty members to EPA agents from across the country -- before all the evidence was collected. "The whole nature of the place was so secretive," Smith remembers. "I did the pondcrete investigation. We kept driving by it; it was on the main road. Finally, I noticed a little thing that said Rhazardous waste unit.' People had been driving by this forever, even EPA people, and never knew it was something that wasn't legal." It turned out that workers at the plant, a Department of Energy facility then run by Rockwell International, had been mixing radioactive waste from solar ponds with concrete and putting the mix into twelve-foot cardboard cubes, then shipping the boxes to Nevada. But the contents never really hardened -- some were like pudding, Smith says -- and the Nevada site refused to accept any more of them. So they just kept piling up at Rocky Flats in an ongoing violation of environmental laws...and all common sense. Smith didn't find much common sense at Rocky Flats. He didn't find a conspiracy, either. "I think it was incompetence, to be honest," he says. "How could you not get permits for the pondcrete? You couldn't hide it." And the pondcrete wasn't the only bumbling he stumbled over at the plant. Before the raid, the EPA had placed monitoring devices in off-site streams; when plant officials found one of the devices, they automatically assumed it was placed there by radical environmentalists in a potential act of sabotage. Smith learned of that in a memo uncovered during the raid. Before the investigation was over, the task force had filled 185 boxes with documents. Smith read through every one. Since the workers had lawyered up early, with Rockwell or the union covering legal costs, those documents were particularly important. "White-collar cases you make on paper," he says. Only a fraction of those documents were presented to the grand jury convened in August 1989 to consider alleged environmental crimes at Rocky Flats. Although Smith testified several times, he wasn't around when the grand jurors wrote their report outlining how the Department of Justice had derailed their attempts to indict eight individuals involved in what they called "an ongoing criminal enterprise." The EPA had transferred Smith to head its New England office in 1991; he came back when the settlement of the case was announced in March 1992 -- a plea arrangement in which Rockwell agreed to pay $18.5 million for violations at Rocky Flats. "It was an amazing thing to me that we got the largest hazardous-waste fine in history," he recalls, "and all of a sudden, it ain't good enough." Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge was a nuclear weapons manufacturing plant from 1950-1991. During that time, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors buried, burned and sprayed plutonium and other radioactive and hazardous materials onsite at Rocky Flats. Some of these actions were legal, others illegal. When he was called to serve on the grand jury investigating Rocky Flats, Wes McKinley, a rancher from the southeastern corner of Colorado, thought it was some hippie place. Today, he knows better. Today, he wouldn't take his mule to any refuge on the site -- and the mule's already sterile. In the fifteen years since he was named foreman of the Rocky Flats Grand Jury, McKinley has run unsuccessfully for Congress (his mule did win an endorsement, though) and successfully for the state legislature. In his first act as a representative, last month McKinley announced that he would introduce legislation requiring that anyone going to the Rocky Flats refuge -- slated to open sometime after the cleanup is done in 2006 -- be advised of its history and the dangers lurking therein. "It's government's job to protect our liberties," he says. It's like requiring a dude on one of McKinley's pack trips to sign a waiver -- except that everyone already knows a horse can be dangerous. With McKinley, you're always in for a wild ride. So he didn't just introduce his legislation, he also introduced Lipsky, the FBI agent who'd led the raid with Smith and had just retired from the agency at the end of December. Lipsky was at the Capitol to talk about how the fix was in between the Justice Department and Rockwell ("True Lies," August 18). "I want our government to do good-government deeds," he'd explained before he went public with his concerns that the cleanup, like the deal itself, did not go far enough to protect the public. On Monday, McKinley's HB 1079 took a beating before the committee on Health and Human Services -- and this after the House had spent "two days in session talking about the rights of women to have information in a case of rape," he points out. "These people who were so protective of what could be, and all of a sudden they don't want their living children to know about the real dangers?" But McKinley fought back, and after Representative Paul Weissman of Louisville amended the bill so that refuge visitors would not be required to sign the advisory, the measure passed out of committee by a vote of seven to six. It now moves to Appropriations -- but, as McKinley notes, "How much does it cost to make a sign?" "We spend a lot of time on stuff that's not important," McKinley says of his first few weeks as a lawmaker. "The people in my district don't ask what the government's going to do for them; they get real nervous when they think about what the government's going to do to them." Since 1992, the DOE has undertaken cleanup of the site. The DOE, the EPA and the State of Colorado acknowledge that, after the cleanup is complete, detectable levels of plutonium and other radioactive and hazardous materials will remain in the surface and subsurface soils in the groundwater. There is controversy within the scientific community concerning acceptable levels of risk from exposure and the methods of calculating that risk, and there is considerable scientific uncertainty associated with these issues.... The EPA and the State of Colorado, using mathematical modeling, have determined that cleanup of what is now the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge has made the refuge safe for visitors and wildlife refuge workers. Bill Smith admits that he doesn't know much about what happened at Rocky Flats between the time he left Colorado in 1991 and moved back here in 1997. He started paying attention when he heard Lipsky talk about the case they'd both worked on for so long. "If you knew the way things worked at Rocky Flats, no way there could be a conspiracy like that," Smith says. "It's Kennedy-assassination conspiracy stuff." They made a conscious decision not to go after the small fish in the big, radioactive pond, he says: "I didn't want to indict the lower-level people while all the people who made big bucks got away with it." When they found evidence of illegal acts, they pushed for the largest fine they could. And when they found evidence of illegal acts outside the five-year statute of limitations on environmental violations, they passed it to the civil side in charge of cleanup. Will that cleanup go far enough? "Personally, I wouldn't want to take my kids to certain areas," Smith says. "Mixed-waste drums under asphalt -- how well can you clean that up? I would not walk in the prime security zone, either." Nor would he buy a house downwind of the plant. Thirteen years after the Justice Department cut its deal with Rockwell, Smith worries that controversy continues to obscure the raid's biggest accomplishments. "We opened up DOE," he says. "They had to change all their policies after that. They didn't want us looking at other facilities." And they closed Rocky Flats altogether. "We didn't go in there thinking that we would shut this plant down," he adds. "The unintended beneficial consequence is that the plant is gone. It's toast. What's that compared to some fine?" westword.com | originally published: February 3, 2005 Contact Us| ©2005 New TimesAll rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 54 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Fernald FR Doc 05-2099 [Federal Register: February 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 22)] [Notices] [Page 5637] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03fe05-46] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EMSSAB), Fernald. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-46, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Saturday, February 12, 2005, 8:30 a.m.-12 noon. ADDRESSES: Morgan Township Administration Building, 3141 Chapel Road, Morgan Township, Ohio. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Sarno, The Perspectives Group, Inc., 1055 North Fairfax Street, Suite 204, Alexandria, VA 22314, at (703) 837-1197, or e-mail; djsarno@theperspectivesgroup.com. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda: 8:30 a.m. Call to Order. 8:35 a.m. Updates and Announcements. 9 a.m. Status of Silos Disposition Contracts. 9:30 a.m. Post-Closure Public Involvement Legacy Management Community Involvement Plan for Fernald Local Stakeholder Organizations (LSOs). 10:15 a.m. Break. 11:15 a.m. Review FCAB History Outline. 11:40 a.m. FY 2005 Meeting Plan. 11:50 a.m. Public Comment. 12 p.m. Adjourn. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. Written statements may be filed with the Board chair either before or after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements pertaining to agenda items should contact the Board chair at the address or telephone number listed below. Requests must be received five days prior to the meeting and reasonable provisions will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer, Gary Stegner, Public Affairs Office, Ohio Field Office, U.S. Department of Energy, is empowered to conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Individuals wishing to make public comment will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments. This notice is being published less than 15 calendar days before the date of meeting due to programmatic issues. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying at the Department of Energy's Freedom of Information Public Reading Room, 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, 20585 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday- Friday, except Federal holidays. Minutes will also be available by writing to the Fernald Citizens' Advisory Board, Phoenix Environmental Corporation, MS-76, Post Office Box 538704, Cincinnati, OH 43253-8704, or by calling the Advisory Board at (513) 648-6478. Issued at Washington, DC on January 31, 2005. Rachel Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 05-2099 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 55 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee FR Doc 05-2100 [Federal Register: February 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 22)] [Notices] [Page 5637] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03fe05-45] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC). Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Monday, March 7, 2005, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. ADDRESSES: The Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Talamini; Office of Basic Energy Sciences; U.S. Department of Energy; Germantown Building, Independence Avenue, Washington, DC 20585; Telephone: (301) 903-4563. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to provide advice and guidance with respect to the basic energy sciences research program. Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the following: News from the Office of Science. News from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. BESAC discussion. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Karen Talamini at (301) 903-6594 (fax) or karen.talamini@science.doe.gov (e-mail). You must make your request for an oral statement at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 10-minute rule. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room; 1E-190, Forrestal Building; 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20585; between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Issued in Washington, DC on January 31, 2005. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 05-2100 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 56 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge FR Doc 05-2101 [Federal Register: February 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 22)] [Notices] [Page 5637-5638] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03fe05-47] Reservation AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EMSSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Wednesday, February 9, 2005, 6 p.m. ADDRESSES: DOE Information Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. [[Page 5638]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Halsey, Federal Coordinator, Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Phone (865) 576-4025; Fax (865) 576-5333 or e- mail: halseypj@oro.doe.gov or check the Web site at http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda: Discussion of the transfer of responsibility for newly generated waste from the Environmental Management Program to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. Written statements may be filed with the Board either before or after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements pertaining to the agenda item should contact Pat Halsey at the address or telephone number listed above. Requests must be received five days prior to the meeting and reasonable provision will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Individuals wishing to make public comment will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments. This notice is being published less than 15 days before the date of the meeting due to programmatic issues. Minutes: Minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying at the Department of Energy's Information Center at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by writing to Pat Halsey, Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, or by calling her at (865) 576-4025. Issued at Washington, DC, on January 31, 2005. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 05-2101 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************