***************************************************************** 03/03/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.49 ***************************************************************** 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 [NYTr] A Desperate Bush Claims He's Leaning toward EU on Iran 2 UN Watchdog Says Ball In Iran's Court To Come Clean On Nuclear Progr 3 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats: Iran Building Nuclear Storage 4 Guardian Unlimited: Bush: Iran Flouts World Pacts With Nukes 5 AFP: Iran detects easing of US stand on nuclear dispute - 6 Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. Detects Signs of Second N. Korean Nuclear F 7 YWS: U.S. Has No Intention of Invading North Korea: U.S. Ambassador 8 BBC NEWS: N Korea makes missile test threat 9 Korea Times: China Wants US Flexibility on NK Nuke Issue 10 US: [du-list] One in Four Americans Would Use Nukes Against 11 US: IPS-English POLITICS: Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties 12 US: IPS POLITICS: Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties 13 Bellona: Uranium prices on the rise, but will its deficit threaten R 14 AFP: EU presses Japan to compromise on nuclear project NUCLEAR REACTORS 15 US: NRC: News Release - 2005-041 - NRC Proposes Revised Standards fo 16 Japan Times: Kepco admits negligence, not fault, in fatal reactor pi 17 US: NRC: Proposed Exceptions for Southern Nuclear Operating Co. 18 US: NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al.; Notice of Considerat NUCLEAR SAFETY 19 US: [du-list] Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon 20 US: DU scandal, VA shakeup 21 US: Occupational Hazards: House Democrats Ask Labor Department About 22 The Washington Times: Russia's loose nukes - 23 Bellona: Diggers found container for radioactive material in Vladivo NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 24 US: AP Wire: Duke gets approval to use mixed fuel in reactor 25 YWS: Passage of Law to Help Gov't Pick Nuke Waste Dump 26 US: National-Academies.org: Office of News and Public Information 27 US: Gainsville Times: Women urged to speak up for the environment - 28 US: Artnet News: AAMD LINES UP WITH HEIZER EARTHWORK 29 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Milk the waste 30 US: Nuke Waste Watcher: Repositories coast-to-coast 31 US: AZoM: New Process Needed to Decide What to do With Radioactive W 32 US: Daily Campus: Perchlorate needs further regulation - 33 US: The National Academies: Two reports on radioactive waste at DOE 34 US: Littleton Independent: Dangerous fuel in environment 35 Whitehaven News: SEE SCALE OF PLUTONIUM LOSSES 36 US: Deseret news.com: B, C waste were the big land issue 37 US: Deseret news: Moab tailings could wash into Colorado River NUCLEAR WEAPONS 38 US: Saving the nuclear nonproliferation agreement By DAVID KRIEGER US DEPT. OF ENERGY 39 DenverPost.com: Site of Flats fire razed with care 40 ABQjournal: LANL Scientists Say They're Scapegoats 41 lamonitor.com: Two more employees protest CREM incident 42 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern 43 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Fernald OTHER NUCLEAR 44 [du-list] DU in the news - 4th March 05 45 [du-list] DU in the news - 4th March 05 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 [NYTr] A Desperate Bush Claims He's Leaning toward EU on Iran Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 13:41:39 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Reuters - March 3, 2005 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7799604 Bush Seen Backing Europe on Iran in Major Policy Shift By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush was leaning on Thursday toward backing Europe in offering incentives to Iran to persuade it to give up nuclear ambitions, U.S. officials said, in a significant shift in strategy toward an arch enemy. Bush was to discuss Iran at an afternoon meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who met on Tuesday in London with foreign ministers of the three nations handling European negotiations with Iran -- Britain, France and Germany. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush had not made a final decision. He declined to discuss any details. "We're continuing to look at how we can best support the European efforts, and make sure that those efforts are successful, to get Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions," he said. U.S. officials said under the new strategy, the United States would not block Iran as it seeks to start the process of joining the World Trade Organization, and would not stand in the way of European allies if they want to sell Tehran parts for civilian aircraft. An announcement of the president's strategy was unlikely on Thursday but could come this week, the officials said. In exchange for not standing in the way of the incentives, the United States would insist that Iran abandon uranium enrichment, a demand Tehran so far has refused to accept. Some U.S. officials believe offering incentives will strengthen the international community's hand by providing a united front for punitive measures, such as U.N. sanctions, if the incentives do not work. Supporting Europe on the incentives would mark a significant shift in strategy for Bush, who has been reluctant to consider them before to avoid being seen as rewarding Iran for bad behavior. During his first term Bush branded Iran part of an "axis of evil," along with North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And Tehran has been an arch enemy of Washington since the 1979 Iranian revolution and the seizure that year of more than 60 hostages in the U.S. Embassy in a crisis that lasted 444 days. Bush has talked of taking Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions on the nuclear issue, and officials believe that still may be necessary depending on how Iran responds. Bush opened the door to considering Europe's incentives in talks last week with European leaders in Belgium and Germany. The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its civil nuclear program. Iran denies this, saying its nuclear program is peaceful and aims to produce power for its growing population. It can take years of negotiations for a country to enter the WTO. As a first step Iran could be granted observer status, a stepping stone to full accession. Countries granted observer status must begin the process of moving toward full membership within five years. Actual entry into the WTO can take years beyond that, and the United States could still hold up those talks indefinitely. Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved. * Search the NYTr Archives at: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ To subscribe or unsubscribe or change your settings via the web, visit: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= ***************************************************************** 2 UN Watchdog Says Ball In Iran's Court To Come Clean On Nuclear Programme Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 11:00:48 -0500 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.1 (2004-10-22) on pascal.ctyme.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-23.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FROM_ORG, SPF_HELO_PASS,SP_HAM_SUPER,SUBJ_ALL_CAPS,WHITE_PHRASE autolearn=ham version=3.0.1 X-Spam-filter-host: pascal.ctyme.com - http://www.junkemailfilter.com UN WATCHDOG SAYS BALL IN IRAN’S COURT TO COME CLEAN ON NUCLEAR PROGRAMME New York, Mar 3 2005 11:00AM Declaring that “the ball is very much in Iran’s court,” the United Nations agency entrusted with curbing the spread of nuclear weapons has again called on Tehran to show greater openness to assure the world that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. “If I say there are three more important things Iran needs to do, I should say transparency, transparency and more transparency,” International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org">IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2005/board_briefing.html">said, noting that Iran had for almost two decades concealed its nuclear activities in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dda/WMD/treaty/">NPT). “It is difficult that we can come to a conclusion and provide assurance, without full cooperation, full openness, full transparency on the part of Iran,” he told reporters yesterday in Vienna, where the IAEA Board of Governors is meeting. “We need to keep moving forward; we need to conclude the process as early as possible. The ball is very much in Iran’s court to come clean through absolute transparency measures and cooperation with the Agency,” he added. “And that’s what we are asking Iran to do – to go out of its way, not just to play it by the book, but to be more transparent, to allow us to do everything we want to do, frankly, in terms of interviewing people, in terms with having access to documents, in terms of making transparency visits to facilities...that we can create the necessary confidence.” Iran has consistently denied it is seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its programme is purely for energy generation but Mr. ElBaradei has said the IAEA is not in a position to conclude there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in the country. Several countries, including the United States, insist Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. Yesterday the IAEA chief noted that the agency had no new revelations about Iran’s past activities and was making good progress, particularly with regard to the uranium enrichment programme, a step that could produce weapons-grade fuel. “We are cooperating well with Pakistan to resolve the issue of contamination,” he said, referring to the possible source of radioactive material found in Iran and to Pakistani scientist AQ Khan, blamed for the black market spread of nuclear technology to other countries. “We are conducting interviews with members of the illicit network to understand the dimension of the enrichment programme in Iran. And we are trying to...make sure that Iran’s programme has been declared to us in its entirety,” he added. Mr. ElBaradei, who called for Iranian transparency when he addressed the Board on Monday at its opening session, said he had a “good meeting” yesterday with Iranian representatives, again explaining to them that “it really is in their interest to make everything possible for us to speed up the process and conclude our investigation on the past programme.” 2005-03-03 00:00:00.000 ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml ***************************************************************** 3 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats: Iran Building Nuclear Storage From the Associated Press [UP] Thursday March 3, 2005 7:16 PM AP Photo VIE116 By GEORGE JAHN Associated Press Writer VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran is using reinforced materials and tunneling deep underground to store nuclear components - measures meant to deter ``bunker busters'' and other special weapons in case of attack, diplomats said Thursday. The diplomats spoke as a 35-nation meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog ended more than three days of deliberations focusing on Iran and North Korea. An agency review read at the meeting faulted Tehran for starting work on the tunnel at Isfahan without informing the International Atomic Energy Agency beforehand. The review said Iran, following prodding by the IAEA, has in recent months provided ``preliminary design information'' on the tunnel in the central city that is home to the country's uranium enrichment program, and said construction began in September ``to increase capacity, safety and security of nuclear material.'' Earlier in the meeting, the IAEA also said Iran was ignoring calls to scrap plans for a heavy water reactor and continuing construction. On Thursday, a diplomat described that as no secret, saying satellite imagery had revealed that work at the city of Arak had progressed to the point where crews ``were pouring the foundations.'' Experts estimate the Arak reactor can yield enough plutonium from its spent fuel for one bomb a year. Additionally, the nearly 40 tons of uranium Iran partially processed as part of its enrichment program could yield up to five crude bombs. Iran has suspended work on its enrichment program pending negotiations with France, Germany and Britain. But it repeatedly has said the freeze is short-term, despite hopes that it will fully scrap its plans. Asked for details on the tunnel, a diplomat familiar with Iran's dossier said parts of it apparently would run as deep as half a mile below ground and would be constructed of hardened concrete and other special materials meant to withstand the severest of air attacks. Other diplomats said such moves were clearly motivated by Iranian concerns of strikes by the United States or Israel, which both accuse Tehran of trying to secretly build nuclear weapons. All the envoys are close to the IAEA and follow Iranian developments, and they spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Hundreds of bunker busters were used in U.S. airstrikes on hostile fortified underground command centers, living quarters and storage areas in Afghanistan and Iran. Israel last year said it was buying about 5,000 smart bombs from the United States, including 500 1-ton bunker busters capable of destroying 6-foot-thick concrete walls, fueling speculation of possible preparation for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. While not ruling out the possibility of a U.S. attack, Washington has toned down its rhetoric against Iran. Washington is awaiting the results of European negotiations aimed at getting Tehran to renounce all plans to enrich uranium in exchange for economic concessions and other forms of support - and is even considering backing such incentives. Uranium enrichment is ``dual use'' - meaning it can generate fuel for nuclear power as well as form the core of warheads. President Bush said fears that Washington was preparing an attack were ``ridiculous,'' but he nonetheless said last week that ``all options are on the table.'' Iran links its fear of attack to a decision to bar U.N. nuclear inspectors from some sensitive sites during debate at the Vienna meeting, a gathering of the IAEA board of governors. Suggesting that leaks could be exploited by Iran's enemies, senior Iranian envoy Sirous Nasseri said Tehran's worries about ``confidentiality of information'' gathered on such visits ``are more intense in view of potential threats of military strikes against ... facilities visited by (the) agency.'' IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said the ``ball is very much in Iran's court to come clean'' by cooperating to clear lingering suspicions about possible nuclear weapons ambitions. Still, the agency has not been able to support U.S. assertions that nearly 20 years of Iran's covert nuclear programs discovered more than two years ago were aimed at making nuclear weapons - not generating electricity, as Tehran claims. On North Korea, its other main concern, the meeting urged Pyongyang to return to six-party negotiations over its nuclear program and to let the agency return to monitoring its atomic activities. The threat represented by North Korea is ``a serious challenge ... to peace and stability in Northeast Asia,'' and to attempts to control the global spread of nuclear weapons, a board statement said. In a separate attempt to defuse the North Korean threat, top U.S. and Chinese officials in Seoul discussed tactics meant to lure Pyongyang back to the multiparty talks. International efforts to bring North Korea back to the talks have gained urgency since Pyongyang's Feb. 10 claim that it had built nuclear weapons and would boycott international disarmament talks indefinitely. --- On the Net: http://www.iaea.org Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 4 Guardian Unlimited: Bush: Iran Flouts World Pacts With Nukes From the Associated Press [UP] Friday March 4, 2005 12:31 AM By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Thursday accused Iran of flouting international accords by secretly trying to make nuclear weapons. ``The guilty party is Iran,'' Bush said on a visit to CIA headquarters. ``They are the ones who are not living up to international accords,'' the president said. ``They are the people that the whole world is saying, 'Don't develop a nuclear weapon.''' With evident satisfaction, Bush said the Europeans and Russian President Vladimir Putin ``feel the same way.'' Hinting he would support the allies in offering commercial concessions to Iran to end the program, Bush said, ``We're looking at ways to help move the process forward.'' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, at a news conference, said, ``Thus far, the Iranians have shown no indication that they are taking the deal.'' Bush conferred briefly with Rice in the Oval Office on Wednesday, and they held a longer meeting there Thursday. After sharp differences with France, Germany and Russia on going to war with Iraq two years ago, Bush appeared to be relishing unity on Iran and also on trying to liberate Lebanon from Syrian control. ``The message is loud and clear from the United States and France, and many other nations, that Syria must withdraw not only her troops but her secret service forces out of Lebanon now,'' Bush said. Even as Bush launched his latest verbal attack on Iran, his administration was attempting to find ways to signal support for Europe's proposal to offer Iran some economic incentives in exchange for an agreement to give up its nuclear ambitions. While Bush has said he does not want to reward Iran for misbehavior, he was searching for a way to not block European offers - including possible eventual Iranian membership in the World Trade Organization - if the overtures helped end Iran's nuclear-fuel enriching activities, administration officials said. At the State Department, after talks with Rice, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller confirmed his nation's support for the Bush administration on Iran and other fronts. ``We have the same aim that, of course, we do not have nuclear weapons in Iran, that Iran is respecting human rights, and we are having discussions with Iran to that effect,'' the foreign minister said. Rice, meanwhile, called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate reports Iran was using reinforced materials and tunneling deep underground to store nuclear components. Rice said she hoped Iran understood that it must cooperate. ``The world is coming to a united position about Iran, that Iran must not be able to get a nuclear weapon, that there are legitimate concerns about nuclear activities in Iran,'' Rice said. ``The IAEA deserves and, indeed, has the right to investigate, and investigate thoroughly with full Iranian cooperation, these activities which are, indeed, suspicious,'' she said. A decision by Bush to support the Europeans in offering Iran such commercial benefits as spare parts for civilian aircraft and a chance to join the World Trade Organization would represent a U.S. policy shift. In the past, the administration has ruled out rewards to Iran to halt its nuclear program. Rice, taking a tough stand on Syria's control of neighboring Lebanon, dismissed reports via Saudi Arabia that Syria may be willing to reduce its troops in Lebanon to 3,000. ``Free of foreign interference means exactly that,'' Rice said, insisting Syria comply with a U.N. resolution that it withdraw all its troops and security personnel from the Arab country. Lebanese demonstrators are expressing a a desire to be free of Syrian interference, Rice said. ``Democracy and the desire to be free is as natural as breathing,'' she said. The U.S. strategy on Syria, meanwhile, was endorsed by Theodore Kattouf, who was U.S. ambassador to Syria until he retired in 2003. ``The administration has played its hand very well,'' Kattouf said at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. But, he said, if the administration ``goes too far, things could go wrong.'' ``There could be a coup from within, not a regime change,'' Kattouf said of the impact of U.S. pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his government. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 5 AFP: Iran detects easing of US stand on nuclear dispute - Reuters | AFP | Sky News | Photos Thursday March 3, 07:00 PM TEHRAN (AFP) - A senior Iranian nuclear official said that Washington was easing its stance on Tehran's nuclear row with the West and coming around to supporting Europe's diplomatic efforts to settle the dispute. "We can clearly detect a turning point in the policy of the Americans," Hossein Mussavian, spokesman for Iran's nuclear negotiating team, told state television. "The United States is in the process of revising its past policies. They will probably accept the European request to show more flexibility and support the negotiations process launched with Iran," he said. Iran, which is negotiating with the European Union over its nuclear activities, says the programme is only for energy purposes and has denied any plans to build the bomb as alleged by the United States. A senior State Department official said the United States had promised an early answer to new European proposals for persuading Iran to renounce suspect nuclear activities. The official said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the next steps towards Iran with her EU, German, British and French counterparts on Tuesday in London. The United States, which had initially kept a distance from the negotiations between the so-called EU-3 and Iran, signalled Monday it was now studying ways of boosting its support. Among the EU incentives reportedly under consideration were support for Iranian membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and an offer to help Tehran procure spare parts for its aging fleet of passenger planes. "The United States could lift its opposition to the benefits which the Europeans would grant Iran and which need the accord of the Americans," according to Mussavian. He said the United States did not want "to be blamed for a failure in the negotiations between the Europeans and Iran... We will probably see a change in US policy within one or two months". Britain, France and Germany have been negotiating since December with Iran to secure guarantees that the Islamic republic restricts itself to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Bush, who toured Europe last week and whose country has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since the aftermath of its 1979 Islamic revolution, has refused to rule out military actions against Tehran. "Important discussions took place between European leaders and President Bush," said Mussavian, explaining the possible change of heart. Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday joined the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in calling on Iran to show more transparency regarding its nuclear activities. Washington, meanwhile, cited "an alarming number" of unresolved questions and warned that the UN nuclear watchdog could put off forever taking Tehran before the Security Council for possible sanctions. But Mussavian reiterated that Tehran refuses to go beyond its treaty obligations to the IAEA to prove the peaceful intentions of its nuclear energy programme. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei "has no right to demand anything that goes beyond international rules", he said. "We are prepared to show active cooperation, total transparency, but our cooperation with the agency must remain within the NPT, its safeguard clauses, within the additional protocol, and not outside this framework." ElBaradei said Wednesday that Tehran must carry out "transparency" measures that allow widespread visits by IAEA inspectors beyond what is required under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Copyright © 2005 AFP AFP. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. Detects Signs of Second N. Korean Nuclear Facility (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea Updated Mar.3,2005 18:12 KST TOKYO -- Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday that U.S. planes detected a radioactive gas emitted during the extraction of plutonium from spent fuel rods in atmospheric samples collected near North Korean airspace in December. The krypton 85 gas, an isotope that does not exist naturally, is emitted into the atmosphere when spent fuel rods are cut and plutonium extracted. Krypton 85 was also detected when the North Koreans declared they had completed reprocessing in July 2003, but had not been seen since then. The Asahi said quoting sources the re-appearance of krypton 85 after a year and half gave rise to concern in Washington that North Korea may have been secretly operating a second nuclear facility. There is a growing conviction in the U.S. administration that North Korea has not developed the facilities as negotiating cards but simply wants nuclear weapons. Using WC-135B weather reconnaissance aircraft flying over the East Sea, the U.S. military monitors North Korea's nuclear activities by taking samples of air coming from North Korea. Only a limited number of U.S. officials were told that krypton 85 had been detected, and analysis is still underway to determine the time and place of emission, the paper said. The U.S. also uses satellites to monitor the 5,000 kW experimental graphite nuclear reactor at North Korea's known Yongbyon nuclear facility. Judging by the temperature of structures at the facility and the steam emitted by its boilers, the U.S. believes that activity at the Yongbyon facility has been on hold since Sept. 2003, two months after Pyongyang's announcement that it completed reprocessing. With the redetection of krypton 85 more than a year leader, analysis within the U.S. government points to either a separate, previously unknown nuclear facility, or that the North Koreans experienced problems at their Yongbyon reprocessing facility and are continuing their reprocessing efforts even now. U.S. spy satellites confirmed trucks moving used fuel rods from a storage facility in the Yongbyon nuclear complex, but as the trucks dispersed or entered tunnels, the satellites lost track of them. If the North were to reprocess all 8,000 of its spent fuel rods, it could extract enough weapons-grade plutonium for six to eight nuclear warheads. (Jung Kwon-hyeon, khjung@chosun.com ) ***************************************************************** 7 YWS: U.S. Has No Intention of Invading North Korea: U.S. Ambassador YONHAPNEWS WORLD SERVICE::ENGLISH NEWS www.yonhapnews.co.kr 2005/03/03 15:22 KST By Byun Duk-kun SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- The United States does not intend to invade North Korea and is ready to meet Pyongyang's demands for abandonment of its nuclear weapons programs, U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Christopher Hill said Thursday. "The United States has absolutely no intentions of invading North Korea," said the U.S. diplomat in a discussion session at the Asian Leadership Conference being held here. ***************************************************************** 8 BBC NEWS: N Korea makes missile test threat Last Updated: Thursday, 3 March, 2005, 10:44 GMT [TV footage of a previous N Korean missile test] N Korea has not launched long-range missiles since 1998 North Korea has said it is no longer observing a self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing which has been in place since 1999. The statement, which was issued late on Wednesday, was played down by the US and Japanese governments. A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said he thought North Korea might be trying to raise the stakes ahead of a possible resumption of nuclear talks. The North last launched a missile that grabbed the world's attention in 2003. The statement, in a commentary carried by state news agency KCNA, said the moratorium on long-term missile testing was announced while US-North Korean dialogue was under way, but that since that dialogue was now suspended, so was the test ban. "We are not bound to the moratorium on the missile launch at present," it said. Map shows range of Taepodong 1 missile, flown over Japan in 1998. Range 1,500-2,000 km, payload: 1,000 kg Evidence that North Korea working on testing Taepodong 2. Range up to 8,000 km (could reach western US) Evidence from Jane's Defence of a pair of new ballistic missiles - one sea-based Other missiles: Scud-B: Range 300 km, payload 1,000 kg Scud-C: Range 500 km, payload 7600-800 kg Scud-D (Nodong): Range 1,000-1,300 km, payload: 700-1,000 kg Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Akira Chiba said Tokyo did not expect North Korea to act on its threat. "We are keeping our eye on the situation. We don't expect them to fire missiles," he said. But US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli stressed that such a threat was "not helpful and doesn't serve a useful purpose. And I think it's not consistent with the spirit with the six-party talks". North Korea abruptly withdrew from the six-nation talks last month, citing recent high-profile speeches by the Bush administration, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's branding of Pyongyang as an "outpost of tyranny". But US and Chinese negotiators are meeting in Seoul at the moment to discuss how to draw North Korea back to the talks. North Korea last launched a high-profile missile test in March 2003, to coincide with the inauguration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. These were two short-range land-to-ship missiles fired into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). It has not launched long-range missiles since 1998, when a Taepodong 1 missile flew over Japan. ***************************************************************** 9 Korea Times: China Wants US Flexibility on NK Nuke Issue Hankooki.com > The Korea Times By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter North Korea has once again urged the United States to drop its ``hostile'' policy, while China Thursday made efforts to persuade the U.S. to show more flexibility in coaxing the North back to the talks on its nuclear weapons program. In a Foreign Ministry memorandum quoted by its official news agency Wednesday night, North Korea reiterated that it would resume talks ``any time'' if the U.S. showed a ``trustworthy and sincere attitude.'' But the North argued the U.S. should apologize for calling it an ``outpost of tyranny'' before it considers returning to the discussion table, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), monitored by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. On Feb. 10, the North's Foreign Ministry declared it would boycott the disarmament talks, while claiming it already possessed nuclear weapons. Two weeks later, the North's top leader Kim Jong-il said the talks will restart only when ``conditions'' are met. Some suggested that North Korea might be trying to send a message to the U.S. calling for a more sincere attitude with the latest comments, which came right before China's chief negotiator, Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, was set to talk with his U.S. counterpart early in the morning. ``It appears to be aimed at clearing away the uncertainty resulting from media speculation over Kim Jong-il's comments on conditions,'' a senior government official said. ``They are telling the U.S. to clarify their political willingness to coexist peacefully.'' Having talked with Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon the previous day, the visiting Chinese diplomat discussed the nuclear issue with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Christopher Hill yesterday at the American embassy in downtown Seoul. According to diplomatic sources, Wu and Hill had intensive talks on what the former called ``fresh changes'' in the nuclear standoff, but fell short of agreeing on measures to bring North Korea back to the talks. Washington's firm stance was reaffirmed in the State Department's response to the North Korean Foreign Ministry's memorandum, which also hinted at the possibility that the nation might resume missile tests. ``As far as threats to undertake tests or other military activity, that certainly is not helpful and doesn't serve a useful purpose. And I think it's not consistent with the spirit of the six-party talks,'' deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters. With the main antagonists deadlocked, China's diplomatic efforts for the resumption of the counter-proliferation talks continued. After the meeting with Hill, Wu met with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Lee Jong-seok, deputy chief of the National Security Council (NSC). While meeting with officials here, Wu said North Korea really wants a ``better atmosphere'' before rejoining the talks, rather than any concrete conditions, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. North Korea and the U.S. held negotiations three times from August 2003 to June 2004 along with South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. But no clear breakthrough has been found to resolve nuclear standoff, which has now lasted 28 months. Citing the U.S.' ``hostile'' policies, which they argue are aimed at toppling the Kim Jong-il regime, North Korea has refused to hold a fourth round of talks. In a surprise announcement on Feb. 10, the North claimed it already possesses nuclear weapons. jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr 03-03-2005 17:42 ***************************************************************** 10 [du-list] One in Four Americans Would Use Nukes Against Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:11:42 -0800 http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000819252 One in Four Americans Would Use Nukes Against Terrorists, Gallup Finds By Greg Mitchell Published: March 01, 2005 12:00 PM ET NEW YORK More than one in four Americans would go so far as to utilize nuclear bombs if need be in the fight against terrorism, according to a national survey reported today by The Gallup Organization. Gallup asked Americans whether they would be willing or not willing "to have the U.S. government do each of the following" and then listed an array of options. For example, "assassinate known terrorists" drew the support of 65% of all adults. "Torture known terrorists if they know details about future terrorist attacks in the U.S." won the backing of 39%. Finally, the option of using "nuclear weapons to attack terrorist facilities" drew the support of 27% of adults, with 72% opposing, which would shatter the taboo on using these weapons militarily since the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Experts agree that the power of today's weapons, their range of damage and the peril of drifting radioactive fallout far exceeds the bombs used against Japan. That support has declined 7% since 2001, however. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Mitchell (gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com) is the editor of E&P and co-author (with Robert Jay Lifton) of the book "Hiroshima in America." ---------- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. 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Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 11 IPS-English POLITICS: Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 14:43:38 -0800 ROMAIPS NA WD IP POLITICS: Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Mar 3 (IPS) - U.S. President George W. Bush must be prepared to make major compromises if he wants a tougher non-proliferation regime to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to countries that do not now have them, according to a new report released here Thursday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). At the very least, he should be prepared to give up his latest efforts to devise new nuclear weapons, such as so-called "bunker-busters" that are supposed to penetrate targets buried far underground, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to eventually eliminate its nuclear arsenal, according to the report, "Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security". A global blueprint for a kind of grand bargain between nuclear and non-nuclear states to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and begin the process of their elimination, the 220-page report comes two months before the May 2005 review of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), whose effectiveness is being questioned today as never before. It also comes amid rising tensions over North Korea's recent assertions that it has produced nuclear weapons and U.S. accusations that Iran is carrying out a secret programme to develop them. Bush, who has labeled both nations charter members of the "axis of evil", has stated that a nuclear-armed Teheran or Pyongyang is "unacceptable" and repeatedly insisted that all options to deal with the question are "on the table". The NPT has been badly battered in recent years despite a 1995 toughening of the treaty made possible by an agreement by 173 non-nuclear states to forswear their development in return for a commitment by the five main nuclear states and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- China, France, Russia, Britain, and the U.S. -- to eventually eliminate their arsenals. In 1998, India and Pakistan, neither of which had signed the NPT, carried out nuclear tests, while the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon raised the spectre of terrorists obtaining nuclear arms of their own. In 2003, it emerged that a sophisticated network of engineers, companies and individuals spanning at least nine nations and headed by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan had been selling nuclear-arms-related designs and equipment to at least three nations over several years. Since then, North Korea, one of Khan's clients, boasted that it had developed a weapon, and some political leaders, notably in Japan and Brazil, suggested that they might have to review their decisions not to do so, adding to fears of an ever more rapid spread. Meanwhile, the Bush administration, which has rejected the Comprehensive (Nuclear) Test Ban Treaty and renounced the Anti-Ballistic Missile (AMB) treaty, has pushed Congress to authorise the development of new kinds of nuclear weapons. The Carnegie report, a draft of which was circulated to some two dozen foreign governments last year and subsequently revised to take their views into account, is an effort to establish the framework and basic principles of a tougher non-proliferation regime that would cover not only NPT signatories, but also non-signatories, including nuclear-armed Pakistan, India, and Israel. The report, which was written by five nuclear specialists at Carnegie, including the endowment's president, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, is based on a number of assumptions beginning with the conclusion that the existing NPT framework cannot possibly address the problems that the world now faces. It also assumes that "the United States cannot defeat the nuclear threat alone, or even with small coalitions of the willing" and that, therefore, international cooperation is indispensable to the success of any successor or tightened regime. To gain that cooperation, however, the United States, as well as the other declared nuclear states, must persuade the have-nots that the new regime will be "balanced and fair", according to co-author John Wolfsthal. "We have to assure (non-nuclear) states that this isn't a new form of colonialism...(and) that the law also applies to the United States," he said. The report sets out 20 priority actions allocated within six core "obligations" that the regime should incorporate to meet the range of proliferation of threats. The six obligations include: * Making "non-proliferation irreversible" by, among other measures, barring the acquisition of uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing plants by any state that does not have them already in return for providing guaranteed, affordable supplies of fuel and services needed to meet nuclear energy needs; ending production of fissile material, suspending nuclear cooperation with countries that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot certify are in full compliance with the NPT; and tightening the terms by which states can withdraw from the NPT, as North Korea did several years ago. * Devaluing the political and military currency of nuclear weapons by requiring nuclear states to do more to make their previous non-proliferation commitments irreversible, particularly through the steady, verifiable dismantling of their nuclear arsenals and producing a "road map" for eventual eliminating them, as Britain did in a "White Paper" published last year; and * Securing all nuclear materials by maintaining strict standards for securing, monitoring and accounting for fissile materials in all forms to prevent nuclear terrorism and by accelerating the identification and removal of all vulnerable nuclear states within four years. * Stopping illegal transfers of nuclear material by establishing enforceable prohibitions against efforts individuals, corporations and states to assist others in secretly acquiring nuclear-related technology, equipment, and know-how by making such activity illegal under domestic law, making mandatory existing voluntary international controls on technology transfer under the IAEA, and enhancing the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) by grounding it international law through a UN Security Council resolution and broadening it to cover interdictions in international waterways and airspace, in addition to the member-nations' territorial waters and airspace. * Committing greater effort to conflict resolution through diplomacy with the understanding that the underlying insecurities that drive states to pursue weapons cannot be addressed by non-proliferation measures by themselves. * Persuading India, Israel and Pakistan to accept the same non-proliferation obligations accepted by the NPT nuclear-state signatories, most particularly their commitment to eventually eliminating their nuclear weapons. The Bush administration already favours a number of these recommendations, particularly those that would toughen enforcement, such as the PSI, according to Rose Gottemoeller, another c-author. "They are less enthusiastic about our emphasis on nuclear state obligations to devalue nuclear weapons," she added, noting renewed efforts by the administration over just the past two weeks to get Congress to approve millions of dollars in research and development of bunker-buster bombs. ***** + Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (www.ceip.org) (END/IPS/NA/WD/IP/JL/KS/05) = 03032220 ORP015 NNNN ***************************************************************** 12 IPS POLITICS: Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, Mar 3 (IPS) - U.S. President George W. Bush must be prepared to make major compromises if he wants a tougher non-proliferation regime to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to countries that do not now have them, according to a new report released here Thursday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). At the very least, he should be prepared to give up his latest efforts to devise new nuclear weapons, such as so-called ”bunker-busters” that are supposed to penetrate targets buried far underground, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to eventually eliminate its nuclear arsenal, according to the report, ”Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security”. A global blueprint for a kind of grand bargain between nuclear and non-nuclear states to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and begin the process of their elimination, the 220-page report comes two months before the May 2005 review of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), whose effectiveness is being questioned today as never before. It also comes amid rising tensions over North Korea's recent assertions that it has produced nuclear weapons and U.S. accusations that Iran is carrying out a secret programme to develop them. Bush, who has labeled both nations charter members of the ”axis of evil”, has stated that a nuclear-armed Teheran or Pyongyang is ”unacceptable” and repeatedly insisted that all options to deal with the question are ”on the table”. The NPT has been badly battered in recent years despite a 1995 toughening of the treaty made possible by an agreement by 173 non-nuclear states to forswear their development in return for a commitment by the five main nuclear states and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- China, France, Russia, Britain, and the U.S. -- to eventually eliminate their arsenals. In 1998, India and Pakistan, neither of which had signed the NPT, carried out nuclear tests, while the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon raised the spectre of terrorists obtaining nuclear arms of their own. In 2003, it emerged that a sophisticated network of engineers, companies and individuals spanning at least nine nations and headed by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan had been selling nuclear-arms-related designs and equipment to at least three nations over several years. Since then, North Korea, one of Khan's clients, boasted that it had developed a weapon, and some political leaders, notably in Japan and Brazil, suggested that they might have to review their decisions not to do so, adding to fears of an ever more rapid spread. Meanwhile, the Bush administration, which has rejected the Comprehensive (Nuclear) Test Ban Treaty and renounced the Anti-Ballistic Missile (AMB) treaty, has pushed Congress to authorise the development of new kinds of nuclear weapons. The Carnegie report, a draft of which was circulated to some two dozen foreign governments last year and subsequently revised to take their views into account, is an effort to establish the framework and basic principles of a tougher non-proliferation regime that would cover not only NPT signatories, but also non-signatories, including nuclear-armed Pakistan, India, and Israel. The report, which was written by five nuclear specialists at Carnegie, including the endowment's president, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, is based on a number of assumptions beginning with the conclusion that the existing NPT framework cannot possibly address the problems that the world now faces. It also assumes that ”the United States cannot defeat the nuclear threat alone, or even with small coalitions of the willing” and that, therefore, international cooperation is indispensable to the success of any successor or tightened regime. To gain that cooperation, however, the United States, as well as the other declared nuclear states, must persuade the have-nots that the new regime will be ”balanced and fair”, according to co-author John Wolfsthal. ”We have to assure (non-nuclear) states that this isn't a new form of colonialism...(and) that the law also applies to the United States,” he said. The report sets out 20 priority actions allocated within six core ”obligations” that the regime should incorporate to meet the range of proliferation of threats. The six obligations include: * Making ”non-proliferation irreversible” by, among other measures, barring the acquisition of uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing plants by any state that does not have them already in return for providing guaranteed, affordable supplies of fuel and services needed to meet nuclear energy needs; ending production of fissile material, suspending nuclear cooperation with countries that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot certify are in full compliance with the NPT; and tightening the terms by which states can withdraw from the NPT, as North Korea did several years ago. * Devaluing the political and military currency of nuclear weapons by requiring nuclear states to do more to make their previous non-proliferation commitments irreversible, particularly through the steady, verifiable dismantling of their nuclear arsenals and producing a ”road map” for eventual eliminating them, as Britain did in a ”White Paper” published last year; and * Securing all nuclear materials by maintaining strict standards for securing, monitoring and accounting for fissile materials in all forms to prevent nuclear terrorism and by accelerating the identification and removal of all vulnerable nuclear states within four years. * Stopping illegal transfers of nuclear material by establishing enforceable prohibitions against efforts individuals, corporations and states to assist others in secretly acquiring nuclear-related technology, equipment, and know-how by making such activity illegal under domestic law, making mandatory existing voluntary international controls on technology transfer under the IAEA, and enhancing the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) by grounding it international law through a UN Security Council resolution and broadening it to cover interdictions in international waterways and airspace, in addition to the member-nations' territorial waters and airspace. * Committing greater effort to conflict resolution through diplomacy with the understanding that the underlying insecurities that drive states to pursue weapons cannot be addressed by non-proliferation measures by themselves. * Persuading India, Israel and Pakistan to accept the same non-proliferation obligations accepted by the NPT nuclear-state signatories, most particularly their commitment to eventually eliminating their nuclear weapons. The Bush administration already favours a number of these recommendations, particularly those that would toughen enforcement, such as the PSI, according to Rose Gottemoeller, another c-author. ”They are less enthusiastic about our emphasis on nuclear state obligations to devalue nuclear weapons,” she added, noting renewed efforts by the administration over just the past two weeks to get Congress to approve millions of dollars in research and development of bunker-buster bombs. (END/2005) Copyright © 2005 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 13 Bellona: Uranium prices on the rise, but will its deficit threaten Russia nuke market? Analysis: According to experts, the world market value of uranium may grow by 20 percent, according to predictions made in January by the International Nuclear, Inc consulting firm and confirmed by representatives of the Russian nuclear industry. Stanislav Golovinsky at the former position in the Murmansk Shipping Company. On the background Lepse Village. Bellona Vladislav Nikiforov, 2005-03-03 14:49 As predicted by the American consulting firm International Nuclear, Inc. (iNi), mining companies are having difficulties meeting the increased demand for fuel by nuclear power plants, which produce approximately one sixth of the electricity used in the world today. In the last two years, the contracted price at which energy companies purchase uranium has more than doubled—from $24.20 per kilogram to $55 per kilogram. The prices for long-term contracts in January of this year have already reached prices as high as $63 to 65 per kilogram. Consultants at iNi have predicted that uranium prices will hover between $50 and $75per kilogram until the year 2025. “The prognosis for the contract price of uranium being set above $66 per kilogram isn’t without basis,” said iNi head Dustin Gerrow, according to the Bloomberg news agency. Gerrow is certain that current fears about a potential deficit of uranium on world markets is a result of the projected plans for the construction of new reactors by China, India, and Russia. According to Gerrow’s evaluation, the deficit of uranium on world markets will become apparent beginning in 2006 and grow through 2010, as reported by the Russian Daily Kommersant. However it is necessary to point out that Gerrow ignored the fact that by 2010 a portion of the reactors operating in Europe and Russia will have been decommissioned. Currently, at total of 439 nuclear reactors are operating worldwide in 31 countries. In the United States, nuclear energy provides for 20 percent of all electricity produced. France depends on 78 percent for its electricity and Russia, 16 percent. Western Russia, however, gets 40 percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants. Another reason for elevated uranium demand, according to the iNi report, is the increase in the capacity of currently operating reactors after modernization—as has occurred in Spain, Finland, and Switzerland—and the increase in efficiency of the fuel cycle of reactors, both of which lead to increased uranium use. The rift between uranium demand and supply The rift between uranium mining and the needs of nuclear power plants has been stable for the last decade at around 40-45 percent. According to iNi data, between 1985 and 2003 commercial reserves of uranium in the world diminished by 50 percent. Only 55 percent of the uranium consumed in 2003 had been mined that year. However, uranium reserves—the primary reason that the deficit has gone unnoticed until now—are being depleted with every passing year. At the same time, 87 percent of the world uranium supply is controlled by seven countries. More than half of the world’s uranium deposits are located in Canada and Australia, whereas Russia stands in fifth place after Kazakhstan and Niger. In order to keep its niche in the market, Russia needs to develop new uranium deposits. According to experts, Russia currently supplies as much as 40 percent of the uranium on global markets. Excluding the Russian-American agreement on high and low enriched uranium—the so called “Megatons to Megawatts programme under which Russia supplies down-blended weapons-grade uranium to the US commercial nuclear power market—Russia supplies about 30 percent of the world’s uranium. “Rosatom is currently analysing very seriously our uranium reserves and the potential locations of new deposits, and we are seeking with particular attention to ensure a decisive increase in output at currently known deposits and to conduct new geological surveys. The agency’s budget has set aside tens of millions of rubles for that purpose,” said Alexander Rumyantsev, the head of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), to Kommersant. “Russia may have to face the very real possibility of a deficit within 20 to 30 years if no new geological surveys are made now. In order to avert such problems, we are taking determined steps today.” Stanislav Golovinsky, vice-president of Russia nuclear fuel production giant “TVEL,” argues that the uranium deficit does not threaten Russia. “Today our supply is secured primarily by the Priargunsky production facility and two other firms. Plus, we use reserves that we have stored,” said Golovinsky in an interview with Kommersant. “At the same time, we are increasing our reserves by discovering new deposits – having invested 51.5 million rubles in geological investigation in 2004, we mined 3.2 thousand tonnes of uranium and discovered new deposits amounting to 3.5 thousand tonnes. In our plans for 2005, we intend to investigate at least as intensively as in 2004. We are working in accordance with the rules, which demand that stored reserves increase at least much as what is mined.” According to Golovinsky, “the concentration of uranium in Canadian underground mines is 100 times higher than the concentration at the Priargunsky facility. Accordingly, in order to get the same quantity of uranium, we have to mine 100 times more.” Only in the case of a substantial increase of uranium prices can uranium production in Russia become economically viable. The sale of current uranium reserves, however, is a very profitable business, insofar as that uranium is left over from the Soviet Union, meaning that its production doesn’t cost the current nuclear industry a penny. But these reserves are limited. Russia increases exports without considering the possibility of a uranium deficit Apparently disregarding the possibility of a uranium deficit, Russia is increasing its export of uranium. On the whole, Russian uranium exports in 2004 increased by 5 percent over exports in 2003. Last year TekhSnabEksport—or Tenex, Russia’s nuclear fuel exporting giant—began shipping to Mexico and Brazil in partnership with the German company Nukem. Furthermore, Russia is continuing shipments to Japan—last year Tenex signed several more contracts with Japanese energy companies. Tenex General Director Vladimir Smirnov, said: “Our strategic goal for the next five years is to acquire 30 percent of the Japanese market share, which fully corresponds to the strategy of Japanese energy companies—they are currently seeking to diversify their supply base,” Smirnov said in an interview with Kommersant. “We also began supplying to South Africa, where, truthfully, there is only one nuclear power plant. But South Africa fits in that category of markets where Russia’s presence is particularly important. The only such market that we have not penetrated is that of Taiwan, and that is for political reasons.” Theoretically the problem of uranium shortage for production of fresh nuclear fuel could have been decided through the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel or through using MOX fuel, in which weapons grade plutonium oxide is mixed with uranium oxide. However, those solutions are expensive and present a danger to the environment as well as to Russian and western nonproliferation goals. Therefore, for the time being, Russia is counting on mining its existing uranium deposits, and on the less likely prospect of finding new ones. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 14 AFP: EU presses Japan to compromise on nuclear project Friday March 4, 05:52 AM BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European Union is pressing Japan to consider a "high political level" compromise to resolve a standoff over who will host a revolutionary nuclear reactor project, a key EU official said. But Japan has not yet responded to the suggestion to end the row over the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which has been billed as a test bed for a safe and inexhaustible energy source for the future. "The EU has spared no effort and has made an offer to Japan that in all respects is comparable to the Japanese proposal," said EU research commissioner Janez Potocnik, "I have proposed to our Japanese partners to sit together and find an acceptable compromise at a high political level. For the sake of fusion development. This suggestion has not yet been taken up." Japan and France are vying to host the multi-billion dollar project, one of the most exciting ventures in international science. But talks among the six parties involved are deadlocked: the United States and South Korea support Japan's offer to build ITER in Rokkasho-mura, a northern Japanese village near the Pacific Ocean, while the EU, China and Russia back France's bid for it to be based in Cadarache, southern France. ITER, which would emulate the sun's nuclear fusion, is not expected to generate inexhaustible supplies of electricity before 2050. The budget for ITER is projected to be 10 billion euros (13 billion dollars) over the next 30 years, including 4.7 billion euros to build the reactor alone. Copyright © 2005 AFP. All rights reserved. All information ***************************************************************** 15 NRC: News Release - 2005-041 - NRC Proposes Revised Standards for Post-Fire Actions by Nuclear Power Plant Operators 2005 > 05-041 NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov www.nrc.gov No. 05-041 March 3, 2005 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing revised requirements nuclear power plant operators must meet in order for their fire protection plans to include manual actions for safely shutting down the plant after a fire. The requirements are outlined in a proposed rule that would apply to plants that began operation prior to Jan. 1, 1979. These plants have the option to adopt the NRCs approved alternate methods for using manual actions to safely shut down the reactor after a fire. Compensatory manual actions by plant personnel had been previously implemented. The proposed rule is intended to provide consistent standards by which the NRC can ensure manual actions are adequate. The proposed rule would amend the NRCs regulations to formally describe where and how manual actions would be acceptable. The manual action would have to provide protection comparable to either a fire barrier capable of withstanding a fire for an hour, or to 20 feet of space with no intervening flammable material. The requirements also require fire detectors and fire suppression equipment in the fire area. Under the rule change, plant operators will have to provide thorough evaluations of how their proposed manual actions provide acceptable protection. For more information on the proposed rule, contact NRC staff members David Diec (telephone 301-415-2834, e-mail dtd@nrc.gov) or Alexander Klein (telephone 301-415-3477, e-mail ark1@nrc.gov). Comments on the changes will be accepted for 75 days following publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register, expected shortly. Comments may be mailed to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. They may be e-mailed to: SECY@nrc.gov, via the NRCs rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov, or through the Federal Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov[Exit Icon] . Comments may also be faxed to the Secretary at 301-415-1101, or hand-delivered to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on federal workdays. Last revised Thursday, March 03, 2005 ***************************************************************** 16 Japan Times: Kepco admits negligence, not fault, in fatal reactor pipe blast Thursday, March 3, 2005 By ERIC JOHNSTON Staff writer OSAKA -- Kansai Electric Power Co. admitted it failed to inspect a secondary cooling pipe that ruptured in August, killing five workers at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, in a report released by the utility Tuesday. But the report stops short of saying Kepco was responsible for the accident in Fukui Prefecture, simply saying that poor communications between subcontractors and Kepco employees was a contributing cause. The five who were scalded to death and the six who were injured as a result of the Aug. 9 accident at the No. 3 reactor were employees of Nihon Arm Co., a Kepco subsidiary. The report says Nihon Arm and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which were in charge of inspecting secondary cooling pipes at the reactor, submitted to Kepco a checklist of items to be inspected. But for reasons that remain unclear, 42 items were omitted. These omissions included the pipe that ruptured. It was later revealed the pipe had never been inspected since the reactor started up in 1976. "The list could have been revised" to include the omissions, Kepco President Yosaku Fujii told a news conference Tuesday evening. "The accident was the result of human negligence." Kepco's report was submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which is compiling its own report on the accident, the day it was released. Since the accident, Fujii has faced calls to resign, but he said Tuesday he would wait until after the agency's report is released later this month before making any decisions. However, Kepco sources said that if the agency judges Kepco harshly, Fujii would probably be forced to resign. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also apologized for the omission of the 42 items from the inspection list, but stopped short of taking responsibility for the accident, saying it would also wait for the agency's final report. Antinuclear activists said Kepco's report was vague about the utility's role in the accident. "My impression is that the question of who was ultimately responsible for the accident and the negligence that lead to the accident, was not clearly addressed," said Hideyuki Koyama, a spokesman for Osaka-based Mihama no Kai. Nor were Mihama officials satisfied with the report. "It's true there are concerns the report is too vague on Kepco's responsibility," said Hiroaki Hikose of the town office. "There are also concerns about ensuring such an accident does not happen again, which have to be addressed not just by Kepco but also by Mihama, the prefecture, and, ultimately, the central government." The Japan Times: March 3, 2005 (C) All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 17 NRC: Proposed Exceptions for Southern Nuclear Operating Co. FR Doc 05-4068 [Federal Register: March 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 41)] [Notices] [Page 10417-10418] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03mr05-80] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-321, 50-366, 50-348, 50-364, 50-424, and 50-425] Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part 50, appendix E, and from 10 CFR 50.47(b)(3) for Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-57, NPF-5, NPF-2, NPF-8, NPF- 68, and NPF-81, issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (the licensee), for operation of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Hatch), Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Farley), and Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Vogtle), respectively. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact. Environmental Assessment Identification of the Proposed Action The proposed action would provide an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR part 50, appendix E, and 10 CFR 50.47(b)(3) to permit the licensee to relocate the near-site emergency operations facilities (EOFs) for each plant identified above to a common EOF located at the licensee's corporate headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. The need for the proposed exemption was identified by the NRC staff during its review of the licensee's request for approval to relocate the EOFs dated October 16, 2003. The Need for the Proposed Action The proposed action provides relief from the requirements that (1) adequate provisions shall be made and described for emergency facilities and equipment, including a licensee near-site EOF from which effective direction can be given and effective control can be exercised during an emergency, and (2) that arrangements to accommodate State and local staff at the licensee's near-site EOF have been made. The licensee proposed to locate the EOFs in Birmingham, AL, which is 1\1/2\ to 2\1/2\ times farther than any previous NRC-approved distance. At this distance, the NRC staff believes that it cannot reasonably consider the proposed location to be ``near-site.'' Therefore, the NRC staff determined that an exemption to the regulations that require an EOF to be near-site is required prior to consolidation of the near-site EOFs in Birmingham, AL. In order to ensure that NRC actions are timely, effective, and efficient, the staff is issuing an exemption under 10 CFR 50.12. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The NRC has completed its safety evaluation of the proposed action and concludes, as set forth below, that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with relocating the Hatch, Farley, and Vogtle near-site EOFs to a common EOF located in Birmingham, AL. The proposed action will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of accidents. No changes are being made in the types of effluents that may be released off site. There is no significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure. Therefore, there are no significant radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. With regard to potential non-radiological impacts, the proposed action does not have a potential to affect any historic sites. It does not affect non-radiological plant effluents and has no other environmental impact. Therefore, there are no significant non- radiological environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Accordingly, the NRC concludes that there are no significant environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action As an alternative to the proposed action, the staff considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action'' alternative). Denial of the application would result in no change in current environmental impacts. The environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative action are similar. Alternative Use of Resources This action does not involve the use of any resources not previously considered in the following documents: ``Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 1,'' dated October 1972; ``Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 2,'' dated March 1978; ``Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2,'' dated December 1974; and ``Final Environmental Statement related to the operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2,'' NUREG-1087, dated December 1985. Agencies and Persons Consulted In accordance with its stated policy, on November 17, 2004, the staff consulted with the Alabama State official, Kirk Whatley of the Office of Radiation Control, Alabama Department of Public Health, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action for Farley. In addition, on November 18, 2004, the staff consulted with the Georgia State official, James Hardeman, of the Department of Natural Resources, regarding the environmental impact of the proposed action for Vogtle and Hatch. Neither State official had comments. Finding of No Significant Impact On the basis of the environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Accordingly, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed action. For further details with respect to the proposed action, see the licensee's letter dated October 16, 2003, as supplemented by letters dated April 15 and August 16, 2004. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, . (Note: Public access to ADAMS has been temporarily suspended so that security reviews of publicly available documents may be performed and potentially sensitive information removed. Please check the NRC Web [[Page 10418]] site for updates on the resumption of ADAMS Access.) Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to . Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of February. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Christopher Gratton, Senior Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate II, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 05-4068 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 18 NRC: STP Nuclear Operating Company, et al.; Notice of Consideration FR Doc 05-4069 [Federal Register: March 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 41)] [Notices] [Page 10416-10417] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03mr05-79] of Approval of Application Transfer of Facility Operating Licenses and Conforming Amendments and Opportunity for Hearing; Correction AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of consideration; correction. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------ SUMMARY: This document corrects a notice appearing in the Federal Register on December 20, 2004 (69 FR 76019), that provided an incorrect application date. This action is necessary to correct an erroneous date. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David H. Jaffe, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone (301) 415-1439, e-mail: dhj@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On page 76021, in the first column, in the second complete paragraph, third line, it is [[Page 10417]] corrected to read from ``October 12, 2004,'' to ``October 21, 2004''. Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of February 2005. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Allen G. Howe, Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate IV, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 05-4069 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 19 [du-list] Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:12:02 -0800 Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7077 a.. 19:00 02 March 2005 b.. Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition c.. David Hambling Web Links a.. Sunshine Project b.. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London c.. Office of Naval Research d.. Neuroscience, University of Florida e.. Department of Physiology, University College London The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture. "I am deeply concerned about the ethical aspects of this research," says Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, UK. "Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown." The research came to light in documents unearthed by the Sunshine Project, an organisation based in Texas and in Hamburg, Germany, that exposes biological weapons research. The papers were released under the US's Freedom of Information Act. One document, a research contract between the Office of Naval Research and the University of Florida in Gainesville, US, is entitled "Sensory consequences of electromagnetic pulses emitted by laser induced plasmas". It concerns so-called Pulsed Energy Projectiles (PEPs), which fire a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma when it hits something solid, like a person (New Scientist print edition, 12 October 2002). The weapon, destined for use in 2007, could literally knock rioters off their feet. Pain trigger According to a 2003 review of non-lethal weapons by the US Naval Studies Board, which advises the navy and marine corps, PEPs produced "pain and temporary paralysis" in tests on animals. This appears to be the result of an electromagnetic pulse produced by the expanding plasma which triggers impulses in nerve cells. The new study, which runs until July and will be carried out with researchers at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, aims to optimise this effect. The idea is to work out how to generate a pulse which triggers pain neurons without damaging tissue. The contract, heavily censored before release, asks researchers to look for "optimal pulse parameters to evoke peak nociceptor activation" - in other words, cause the maximum pain possible. Studies on cells grown in the lab will identify how much pain can be inflicted on someone before causing injury or death. Long-term risk New Scientist contacted two researchers working on the project. Martin Richardson, a laser expert at the University of Central Florida, US, refused to comment. Brian Cooper, an expert in dental pain at the University of Florida, distanced himself from the work, saying "I don't have anything interesting to convey. I was just providing some background for the group." His name appears on a public list of the university's research projects next to the $500,000-plus grant. John Wood of University College London, UK, an expert in how the brain perceives pain, says the researchers involved in the project should face censure. "It could be used for torture," he says, "the [researchers] must be aware of this." Amanda Williams, a clinical psychologist at University College London, fears that victims risk long-term harm. "Persistent pain can result from a range of supposedly non-destructive stimuli which nevertheless change the functioning of the nervous system," she says. She is concerned that studies of cultured cells will fall short of demonstrating a safe level for a plasma burst. "They cannot tell us about the pain and psychological consequences of such a painful experience." ---------- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.6.0 - Release Date: 3/2/05 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EA3HyD/3MnJAA/79vVAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 20 DU scandal, VA shakeup Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 09:43:23 -0600 (CST) http://www.sfbayview.com/012605/headsroll012605.shtml ------------------------------------- Heads roll at Veterans Administration ------------------------------------- by Bob Nichols, Project Censored award winner Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter charged Monday [21 February 2005] that the reason Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi stepped down earlier this month was the growing scandal surrounding the use of uranium munitions in the Iraq War. Writing in Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter No. 169, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for Constitutional Law in New York, stated, "The real reason for Mr. Principi's departure was really never given, however a special report published by eminent scientist Leuren Moret naming depleted uranium as the definitive cause of the `Gulf War Syndrome' has fed a growing scandal about the continued use of uranium munitions by the US Military." Bernklau continued, "This malady (from uranium munitions) that thousands of our military have suffered and died from, has finally been identified as the cause of this sickness, eliminating the guessing. The terrible truth is now being revealed." He added, "Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000 are now dead. By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability. This astounding number of `Disabled Vets' means that a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form of permanent medical problems!" The disability rate for the wars of the last century was five percent; it was higher, 10 percent, in Viet Nam. "The VA Secretary (Principi) was aware of this fact as far back as 2000," wrote Bernklau. "He and the Bush administration have been hiding these facts but now, thanks to Moret's report, (it) ... is far too big to hide or to cover up!" "Terry Jamison, Public Affairs Specialist, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, at the VA Central Office, recently reported that `Gulf Era Veterans' now on medical disability, since 1991, number 518,739 Veterans," said Bernklau. "The long-term effects have revealed that DU (uranium oxide) is a virtual death sentence," stated Bernklau. "Marion Fulk, a nuclear physical chemist, who retired from the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, and was also involved with the Manhattan Project, interprets the new and rapid malignancies in the soldiers (from the 2003 Iraq War) as `spectacular-- and a matter of concern.'" When asked if the main purpose of using DU was for "destroying things and killing people," Fulk was more specific: "I would say it is the perfect weapon for killing lots of people." Principi could not be reached for comment prior to deadline. References 1. Depleted uranium: "Dirty bombs, dirty missiles, dirty bullets: A death sentence here and abroad" by Leuren Moret. http://www.sfbayview.com/081804/ Depleteduranium081804.shtml. 2. Veterans for Constitutional Law, 112 Jefferson Ave., Port Jefferson NY 11777, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director, (516) 474-4261, fax 516-474-1968. 3. Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter. Email Gary Kohls, gkohls@cpinternet.com, with "Subscribe" in the subject line. Email Bob Nichols at bobnichols@cox.net. ***************************************************************** 21 Occupational Hazards: House Democrats Ask Labor Department About Beryllium Exposures THE AUTHORITY ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH AND LOSS PREVENTION 03/03/2005 The ranking members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Workforce Protections want a formal written response from Labor Secretary Elaine Chao concerning complaints that OSHA failed to protect its inspectors from beryllium. The Feb. 9 letter from Reps. George Miller, D-Calif., and Major Owens, D-N.Y., cites recent news reports that as many as 1,000 OSHA inspectors were exposed to beryllium, although only 265 have been tested. At least three inspectors have reportedly tested positive for blood abnormalities. The letter requests: + Details concerning OSHA's medical monitoring and testing procedures for employees exposed to beryllium; + Details on the steps the Labor Department is taking with respect to inspectors with positive test results; + OSHA's permissible exposure limit for beryllium and whether OSHA plans to change the limit. Although OSHA has not yet announced plans to test former employees, the Democrats ask when these tests will occur. The letter concludes, "I am sure you agree that the federal safety and health protections afforded to all employees also include OSHA inspectors." A spokesperson said the Department of Labor had received the letter from the congressmen and the secretary's correspondence office has assigned it to OSHA for a response. - James L Nash Quick Links ***************************************************************** 22 The Washington Times: Russia's loose nukes - Editorials/OP-ED - March 03, 2005 By James Holmes On Feb. 24, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Bratislava, Slovakia, to discuss a variety of issues. Defying predictions that they would accomplish nothing of substance, the two presidents inked an agreement on nuclear security. They vowed to "focus increased attention on the 'security culture' in our countries, including fostering disciplined, well-trained, and responsible custodians and protective forces, and fully utilized and well-maintained security systems." To describe this as a welcome move understates matters. To prevent nuclear terrorism at home, American leaders must look abroad  in particular to Russia, a country awash in the makings of nuclear weapons. Russia inherited the Soviet Union's vast network of nuclear power plants, weapons facilities and storage sites. Because of security problems at these sites, Russia could unwittingly supply terrorists with the means to carry out an attack. As they come to terms with this problem, the Bush administration and Congress must resist Americans' usual temptation to simply throw money and hardware at a vexing problem. They must keep their gaze riveted on the human element of security. The perils of loose nukes  nuclear weapons that lack adequate protection from theft  are well known. Indeed, farsighted American leaders began grappling with the loose-nukes problem shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. For instance, the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, intended to ameliorate the perils of nuclear proliferation, funded the dismantlement of thousands of nuclear warheads. Hundreds of tons of fissile material  the building blocks for additional thousands of nuclear weapons  have been safeguarded from outside attack or theft. And yes, U.S.-funded fences, alarms and cameras have helped. But material fixes are not enough. Building a corps of skilled, motivated nuclear workers to use security hardware is as important as the hardware itself, if not more so. People, not machines, provide security. That's where U.S. policy has fallen short. Its achievements notwithstanding, the Nunn-Lugar program pays scant attention to the problem of insider theft or diversion, meaning the unlawful removal of sensitive materials by technicians or guards to whom these materials have been entrusted. Nor does it address the problem of simple negligence. In short, current U.S. assistance doesn't take into account the pivotal human element of security. Good security is 20 percent equipment and 80 percent people, says Gen. Eugene Habiger, a former commander of U.S. strategic nuclear forces. Alarmingly, visitors to Russian sites from the U.S. General Accountability Office have reported seeing guards disable alarms, admit personnel to sensitive areas without clearing them properly or cut off power to critical gear to save money. Problems abound. Theft and diversion are commonplace in this lax environment. These are failures not of machinery but of culture. Workers who doubt the worth of security precautions or fail to grasp that such precautions serve the nation's greater good are prone to negligence. Worse, Russia's lingering economic woes create a financial incentive for impoverished workers to divert and sell weapons-related materiel. The well-being of one's family could trump security, aiding terrorist groups in the process. So, the Bush-Putin agreement had it right. Now the U.S. and Russian governments must follow through on the presidents' joint pledge. To cut down on failures stemming from human frailty, the Bush administration must, first of all, work with Congress to widen the purview of Nunn-Lugar to include measures that bolster the security culture within the Russian nuclear complex. Second, the administration must work with Russia's leadership to nurture a culture that endows managers, technicians and security guards not only with technical skills but also with esprit de corps, a sense of professional responsibility, the discipline to obey procedures and the ability to improvise when unexpected events occur as they will, given the limits on human foresight. Third, now that Moscow has seemingly embraced the importance of security culture, Washington must now supply the resources and the sustained attention necessary to propagate this ideal throughout Russia's nuclear sector. Winning over nuclear personnel to the ideal of security poses a leadership challenge of the first order. Russia must remake its professional culture, and it needs American help. To do otherwise would forfeit the security of both countries. James Holmes, a senior research associate at the University of Georgia Center for International Trade and Security, co-edited "Nuclear Security Culture: The Case of Russia," a major peer-reviewed report sponsored by NATO and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Copyright 2005 News World Communications, Inc. ***************************************************************** 23 Bellona: Diggers found container for radioactive material in Vladivostok The container was found in the bombshelter in the city centre. 2005-03-03 17:11 It was discovered on the territory of the Vladivostok State University during the regular examination of the underground facilities by the Vladdiggerspas group, or VDK, Greenpeace reported. The radiation levels turned out to be normal as the radioactive source was removed earlier by unknown persons. According to the director of Radiation security service Primtekhnopolis Ivan Skogorev, the container is definitely for storage and shipment of the powerful radiation source. The Russian security service has launched investigation. Publisher: , President: Information: , Technical contact: Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 24 AP Wire: Duke gets approval to use mixed fuel in reactor | 03/03/2005 | www.thestate.com JACOB JORDAN Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. - Duke Power has received final approval to begin testing nuclear reactor fuel that contains weapons-grade plutonium at its power plant on Lake Wylie. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a license Thursday that allows the Charlotte, N.C.-based company to begin testing four mixed-oxide fuel assemblies at the Catawba Nuclear Station, which is about 75 miles north of here. "We found that there is reasonable assurance that the use of MOX fuels at Catawba will be safe and will comply with the commission's regulations," said Tad Marsh of the commission. "Additional protective measures proposed by Duke will provide enhanced security for the MOX fuel assemblies, beyond the measures currently in place." Some environmental and nuclear nonproliferation groups have opposed the MOX testing because the groups say it's dangerous and they have security concerns. The groups argue the weapons-grade plutonium should be encased in glass and buried. Duke does not yet have any MOX fuel. The company is waiting on a shipment of fuel from France and plans to begin testing later this spring. "We are pleased that NRC agrees with our assessment that it is safe," MOX project manager Steve Nesbit said. "This NRC approval is an important step toward the goal of disposing of surplus nuclear weapons material and thereby advancing international nonproliferation efforts." The conversion to mixed-oxide fuel is a key part of the Bush administration's effort to safeguard the tons of excess weapons-grade plutonium held by both the United States and Russia and reduce the risk of the material being obtained by terrorists or a rogue state. Under an agreement with Russia, the United States plans to blend 34 tons of U.S. plutonium no longer needed for warheads with depleted uranium to be used in a commercial power reactor. Russia also would build a conversion plant for 34 tons of its excess plutonium. The construction of the U.S. plant at the Savannah River Site near Aiken has been delayed because of liability issues with Russia. ***************************************************************** 25 YWS: Passage of Law to Help Gov't Pick Nuke Waste Dump YONHAPNEWS WORLD SERVICE::ENGLISH NEWS 2005/03/03 00:11 KST SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliament passed a special law on the construction of a nuclear waste repository, paving the way for the government to pick a candidate site more easily. The legislation, approved by the National Assembly on Wednesday, calls for providing incentives for residents of a candidate site for the envisioned dump for radioactive gloves, clothing, filters and hospital X-ray byproducts. ***************************************************************** 26 National-Academies.org: Office of News and Public Information March 1, 2005 Contacts: Bill Kearney, Director of Media Relations Megan Petty, Media Relations Assistant Office of News and Public Information 202-334-2138; e-mail FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Process Needed to Decide Which Radioactive Wastes Should Be Exempt From Deep Underground Disposal; Recommendations Made on Accelerating Cleanup at DOE Sites WASHINGTON -- The nation needs to establish a formal, "risk-informed" approach to decide what types and amounts of radioactive waste at U.S. Department of Energy sites should be buried or left in place rather than shipped to a geological repository, such as the one proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nev., says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. "Given the controversy surrounding this issue and the reality that not all of the waste will or can be recovered and disposed of off-site, the country needs a structured, well-thought-out way to determine which wastes can stay," said David E. Daniel, chair of the committee that wrote the report and dean, College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "Information about the relative risks posed by various disposal options is vital to the decision-making process, and that information must be developed in a manner the public can trust." The committee did not identify specific wastes that should be approved for alternative disposal. It did find, however, that it is "technically impractical and unnecessary" to remove every last gram of high-level radioactive waste now stored in steel tanks at DOE sites in South Carolina, Washington, and Idaho. Some transuranic waste currently buried at these sites -- which consists of contaminated tools, clothing, and other debris -- may not need to be removed either. The committee did not comment on how waste remaining on-site should be disposed of. The risk to workers and the environment involved in recovering some hard-to-retrieve waste, as well as the cost of doing so, may not be worth the reduction in risk -- if any -- that is achieved by disposal in a geological repository, the committee concluded. It also noted that techniques exist to separate highly radioactive material from some wastes, greatly reducing the potential hazard of what remains. The committee recommended that DOE and other interested parties implement a six-step decision-making process based on risk and other factors before any waste is exempted from deep geological disposal. The report describes the characteristics of such a process and provides an example that is compatible with existing regulations, but it does not prescribe a specific process. Each risk assessment should undergo outside technical review, and approval or rejection of the exemption should be in the hands of a separate federal entity as well. It was beyond the committee's charge to say which agency should be given this authority, but it noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission both have expertise in regulating radioactive material. DOE should form an authoritative and independent group to improve and implement its approach to risk assessment and community outreach, the report recommends. The disposal exemption process needs to take place with as little disruption as possible to current laws, regulations, and agreements, the committee added. It acknowledged that recent litigation has left some of DOE's waste-disposal plans uncertain, but said that a new exemption process is needed regardless in order to foster stakeholder support and avoid ad-hoc approaches, which often result in inconsistent or poorly thought-out decisions. A second Research Council report issued today says DOE should consider extending the life of facilities used to treat and process radioactive waste at weapons and storage sites in Idaho, South Carolina, Washington, and Tennessee. DOE currently plans to shut down these facilities when they are no longer needed at each site, but the report says they could potentially be used to process radioactive waste from other sites, thereby accelerating overall cleanup efforts. Closing the facilities prematurely could seriously delay the overall cleanup of contaminated sites, the report adds. The cleanup also could be accelerated by declassifying contaminated equipment left over from the Manhattan Project, according to the report. As long as this equipment remains classified, only employees with security clearance can work with it. Declassification could help shorten cleanup time and decrease costs. In visits to the sites, the committee that wrote the report also noticed that buildings posing little risk were being destroyed despite DOE's declared strategy of targeting the most significant risks first. The committee recognized that some wastes and contaminated equipment will be left in place. To ensure the long-term safety of what remains, the report recommends that DOE follow the "cocooning" approach now being used to secure reactors at the Washington site. This concept involves stabilizing and monitoring wastes and making adaptations as new knowledge emerges, while keeping all stakeholders clearly informed. Simplifying and standardizing the requirements for determining what transuranic waste can be shipped to a disposal facility in New Mexico would also quicken the overall cleanup. A previous Research Council report found that some characterization activities are apparently conducted for regulatory compliance and do not seem to reduce risk. Consistent approaches to the preparation of wastes destined for Yucca Mountain are needed as well. The two studies issued today were sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. Committee rosters follow. Copies of Risk and Decisions About Disposition of Transuranic and High-Level Radioactive Wasteand Improving the Characterization and Treatment of Radioactive Wastes for the DOE's Accelerated Site Cleanup Programare available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain copies from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above). [ This news release and the reports are available at http://national-academies.org] NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Division on Earth and Life Studies Board on Radioactive Waste Management Committee on Risk-Based Approaches for Disposition of Transuranic and High-Level Radioactive Waste David E. Daniel * (chair) Dean College of Engineering, and Gutgsell Professor of Civil Engineering University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign John S. Applegate (vice chair) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law School of Law Indiana University Bloomington Lynn R. Anspaugh Research Professor Division of Radiobiology School of Medicine University of Utah Salt Lake City Allen G. Croff Manager of Environmental Quality R&D Program Development Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired) Oak Ridge, Tenn. Rodney C. Ewing Professor Departments of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, Geological Sciences, and Materials Science and Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor Paul A. Locke Senior Associate Environmental Health Sciences, and Visiting Scholar Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins University Baltimore Patricia A. Maurice Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, and Director Center for Environmental Science and Technology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Ind. Robin Rogers Professor of Chemistry, and Director Center for Green Manufacturing University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Anne E. Smith Vice President Charles River Associates Washington, D.C. Theofanis G. Theofanous * Professor Departments of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, and Director Center for Risk Studies and Safety University of California Santa Barbara Jeffrey J. Wong Deputy Director for Science, Pollution Prevention, and Technology Development California Department of Toxic Substances Control Sacramento RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF Micah Lowenthal Study Director Darla J. Thompson Research Associate NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Division on Earth and Life Studies Board on Radioactive Waste Management Committee on Opportunities for Accelerating Characterization and Treatment of Waste at DOE Nuclear Weapons Sites Milton Levenson * (chair) Consultant Menlo Park, Calif. Cynthia Atkins-Duffin Chief of Staff Energy and Environment Directorate Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, Calif. Patricia J. Culligan Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Columbia University New York City Robin Dillon-Merrill Assistant Professor McDonough School of Business Georgetown University Washington, D.C. Lloyd A. Duscha * Consulting Engineer Reston, Va. Thomas F. Gesell Professor of Health Physics; Director Technical Safety Office; and Director Environmental Monitoring Program Idaho State University Pocatello Carolyn L. Huntoon Consultant Barrington, R.I. Barry Scheetz Professor of Materials and of Civil and Nuclear Engineering Pennsylvania State University University Park Laura Toran Associate Professor and Weeks Chair in Environmental Geology Department of Geology Temple University Philadelphia Raymond G. Wymer Consultant Oak Ridge, Tenn. RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF John R. Wiley Study Director * Member, National Academy of Engineering Subscribe to e-newsletters| Feedback| Back to Top Copyright © 2004 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. 500 Fifth St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. ***************************************************************** 27 Gainsville Times: Women urged to speak up for the environment - gainesvilletimes.com Local News - Thursday, March 3, 2005 By DEBBIE GILBERT A women's conference Wednesday in Dahlonega made the case for why our planet often is called "Mother Earth." "Over the years, I've found that women often make particularly good advocates," said Sally Bethea, director of the Atlanta-based Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Bethea was the keynote speaker at the 10th annual Women and Leadership Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday at North Georgia College &State University. Focusing on this year's theme of "everyday activism," Bethea talked about her passion for protecting the environment. "Sometimes, as a woman, when you feel really strongly about something and you speak out, the tears may come," she said. "But I've decided that's OK. I developed confidence. And in finding my voice, I've been able to give a voice to the river system." Also appearing at the conference were two women whose voices are recognized by millions ... but usually when they're singing, not speaking. Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, better known as the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, talked about their work with Honor the Earth, an organization that promotes awareness of environmental issues affecting Native Americans. Bethea grew up in Buckhead; Saliers and Ray are from Decatur. But all three share a belief that what happens in cities has an impact on the health of rural areas, and vice versa. "Rivers are truly our lifelines," Bethea said. "The Chattahoochee is the most heavily used water resource in the state of Georgia, serving more than 3 million people. The tremendous challenge for this watershed is the location of Atlanta near the top of the river system (which runs all the way to the Florida coast). The streams in this area are small." For more than 10 years, Riverkeeper has fought assaults on the Chattahoochee from stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, and streams that are piped and paved over by developers. "Some people have accused Riverkeeper of being anti-growth," Bethea said. "That's not true at all. Protecting water protects property values for everyone." The problem, she said, is that many people don't consider how actions taken on their own property will affect those who live downstream. Ray made the same point later during her own presentation. "Many Native peoples depend on river systems to provide food and to carry out their sacred traditions," Ray said. "When rivers are polluted, they are (affected) first." Saliers said nearly all environmental problems have a disproportionate effect on indigenous peoples, whose lives are tied closely to the Earth. "Every single proposed dump for high-level nuclear waste is on Native land, and that's just wrong," she said. Saliers talked about the U.S. Department of Energy's controversial plan to ship nuclear waste from all over the country to an underground storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev. "It's been dubbed 'mobile Chernobyl,'" she said, noting that Yucca Mountain is a sacred site for some Native Americans. Ray said that while many of the nation's environmental conflicts are occurring out West, they are relevant to those who live in the Southeast. Most of the nuclear power plants here are owned by Southern Co., the parent company of Georgia Power, which is looking for a place to dispose of its nuclear waste. Saliers and Ray stood at podiums on opposite sides of the stage, as if engaged in a political debate. But instead of point-counterpoint, they took turns addressing the audience, working in harmony just as they do when performing. Ray said the Indigo Girls have done five Honor the Earth tours all over North America, combining music with activism. With money raised at these events, they've been able to allocate more than $800,000 in grants to about 110 Native grassroots groups. "A lot of these groups are on a shoestring budget, barely able to afford a fax machine," Saliers said. A couple hours after the panel discussion, the Indigo Girls performed an Honor the Earth benefit concert in the university gym. "We're happy to be on a college campus, (which is) often the heartbeat of activism," Saliers said. E-mail: dgilbert@gainesvilletimes.com Originally published Thursday, March 3, 2005 Copyright ©2004 The Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 Artnet News: AAMD LINES UP WITH HEIZER EARTHWORK artnet.com 3/3/05 The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) has voiced its support for artist Michael Heizer's battle to protect City, his monumental earthwork in Nevada's Garden Valley, from encroachment by a planned U.S. Department of Energy rail line. The $880-million, 319-mile-long Caliente Corridor rail line would ferry nuclear waste to the controversial Yucca Mountain dump, which is supposed to store 77,000 tons of radioactive waste now held in 39 states. According to a statement adopted by the AAMD at its February 2005 meeting, the rail line would "permanently destroy a visitor's experience of Heizer's isolated sculpture," and also "raises significant environmental concerns for the primitive wilderness areas" near the artwork. Like the artist and the Dia Art Foundation, which helps fund the project, the AAMD is urging the DOE to use an alternate route. Contact wrobinson @ artnet.com ©2004 artnet All rights reserved. artnet is a ***************************************************************** 29 Salt Lake Tribune: Milk the waste Opinion Article Last Updated: 03/02/2005 11:45:56 PM The article “Utah loses key battle over N-waste” (Tribune, Feb. 25) suggests we rethink the issue. We could make this a win-win situation if we: * Consider it our patriotic honor to serve our country. Utah is one of 50 states working together for the common good. We all benefit from our country's use of nuclear and radioactive materials. This is our chance to be a hero for our country. * Milk it for all it is worth. Taxes, fees, federal grants and thousands of new jobs could bring billions of dollars into Utah over the next 50 years. A good example is New Mexico, which enjoys more than $2 billion of federal funding per year at its Los Alamos and Sandia facilities. As for safety, transport and storage of radioactive waste is really not much different from any other hazardous chemical and can be handled safely in Utah. In New Mexico there never has been a newsworthy accident or over-exposure to radiation from the transportation and/or storage of radioactive waste in the past 50 years. Our country has been widely shipping, storing and handling nuclear materials for many decades with no serious mishaps. D. Jeff Burton Bountiful © Copyright 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 30 Nuke Waste Watcher: Repositories coast-to-coast Wednesday, March 02, 2005 Two panels of the National Academies of Sciences, consultants to Congress, recommended on Tuesday, March 1 that "some" weapons-processing waste should stay at Hanford and Savannah River sites to prevent overloading "a central repository." As I've shown in these postings, the acid wastes at those facilities can fill five repositories the size of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. And when you add glass to the acids, which you must for long-term storage, the number of repositories doubles to 10! I cannot imagine the citizens of Washington State and South Carolina will consent to allowing many of these wastes to stay behind, especially since they've been promised by DOE 99% of the wastes would be removed by 2035. The problem then will be, where do the vitrified wastes go? The Goshute Indians in Utah are saying they'll accept one repository's worth. Okay, we only need to find nine more takers. Ron Bourgoin March 2, 2005 posted by Ron Bourgoin at 12:32 PM0 comments Wednesday, February 23, 2005 I don't know about you, but I don't understand large numbers. The quantity of 87 million gallons mentioned in my Feb. 17 post is meaningless, so I've had to do something to help render the number understandable. I checked the size of tank the gallons are in. Only 4 such tanks can fit on a football field. There are 228 tanks. Which means 57 football fields are required to hold them. Mercy! That's almost twice the number of stadiums in the professional football league. The Defense Department's calling for more nuclear weapons, which means an addition to the weapons-processing nuclear wastes. As many as five states may have to bury the present inventory deep underground since the Energy Department's promised Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Savannah River Site all acid wastes would be removed by 2035. Ever get the feeling we're the ones getting nuked by our own nukes? Ron Bourgoin February 23, 2005 posted by Ron Bourgoin at 1:39 PM0 comments Thursday, February 17, 2005 Oh my!, look at the waste! While the U.S. frets over its inventory of spent-fuel rods, which will fill one geologic repository, no attention's being paid to the five repositories' worth of weapons-processing acid waste at Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State and Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Hanford has 53 million gallons of weapons-processing acids. Savannah River has 34 million gallons. That's a total of 87 million gallons. All of them high-level nuclear waste, according to the law defining nuclear waste, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, Section 2, paragraph 12, part A. Hanford on Feb. 10, 2005 began a program to glassify the acid wastes. They intend to treat most of the waste as low-level. The problem is that the law specifies the waste as high level. I don't have a problem with Hanford treating most of the waste as low-level nuclear waste. There's no way this nation can find five more geologic repositories for defense waste, but I think some discussion is in order before the high-level waste is treated as low-level. It's going to be difficult to get any state to accept as low-level what Congress ruled is high-level. It would prevent DOE a lot of headaches later on if it got Congress involved in the issue. Ron Bourgoin February 17, 2005 posted by Ron Bourgoin at 11:32 AM0 comments ***************************************************************** 31 AZoM: New Process Needed to Decide What to do With Radioactive Waste [AZoM - Metals Ceramics, Polymers, Composites] The U.S. needs to establish a formal, "risk-informed" approach to decide what types and amounts of radioactive waste at U.S. Department of Energy sites should be buried or left in place rather than shipped to a geological repository, such as the one proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nev., says a new report from the . "Given the controversy surrounding this issue and the reality that not all of the waste will or can be recovered and disposed of off-site, the country needs a structured, well-thought-out way to determine which wastes can stay," said David E. Daniel, chair of the committee that wrote the report and dean, College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "Information about the relative risks posed by various disposal options is vital to the decision-making process, and that information must be developed in a manner the public can trust." The committee did not identify specific wastes that should be approved for alternative disposal. It did find, however, that it is "technically impractical and unnecessary" to remove every last gram of high-level radioactive waste now stored in steel tanks at DOE sites in South Carolina, Washington, and Idaho. Some transuranic waste currently buried at these sites -- which consists of contaminated tools, clothing, and other debris -- may not need to be removed either. The committee did not comment on how waste remaining on-site should be disposed of. The risk to workers and the environment involved in recovering some hard-to-retrieve waste, as well as the cost of doing so, may not be worth the reduction in risk -- if any -- that is achieved by disposal in a geological repository, the committee concluded. It also noted that techniques exist to separate highly radioactive material from some wastes, greatly reducing the potential hazard of what remains. The committee recommended that DOE and other interested parties implement a six-step decision-making process based on risk and other factors before any waste is exempted from deep geological disposal. The report describes the characteristics of such a process and provides an example that is compatible with existing regulations, but it does not prescribe a specific process. Each risk assessment should undergo outside technical review, and approval or rejection of the exemption should be in the hands of a separate federal entity as well. It was beyond the committee's charge to say which agency should be given this authority, but it noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission both have expertise in regulating radioactive material. DOE should form an authoritative and independent group to improve and implement its approach to risk assessment and community outreach, the report recommends. The disposal exemption process needs to take place with as little disruption as possible to current laws, regulations, and agreements, the committee added. It acknowledged that recent litigation has left some of DOE's waste-disposal plans uncertain, but said that a new exemption process is needed regardless in order to foster stakeholder support and avoid ad-hoc approaches, which often result in inconsistent or poorly thought-out decisions. A second Research Council report issued today says DOE should consider extending the life of facilities used to treat and process radioactive waste at weapons and storage sites in Idaho, South Carolina, Washington, and Tennessee. DOE currently plans to shut down these facilities when they are no longer needed at each site, but the report says they could potentially be used to process radioactive waste from other sites, thereby accelerating overall cleanup efforts. Closing the facilities prematurely could seriously delay the overall cleanup of contaminated sites, the report adds. The cleanup also could be accelerated by declassifying contaminated equipment left over from the Manhattan Project, according to the report. As long as this equipment remains classified, only employees with security clearance can work with it. Declassification could help shorten cleanup time and decrease costs. In visits to the sites, the committee that wrote the report also noticed that buildings posing little risk were being destroyed despite DOE's declared strategy of targeting the most significant risks first. The committee recognized that some wastes and contaminated equipment will be left in place. To ensure the long-term safety of what remains, the report recommends that DOE follow the "cocooning" approach now being used to secure reactors at the Washington site. This concept involves stabilizing and monitoring wastes and making adaptations as new knowledge emerges, while keeping all stakeholders clearly informed. Simplifying and standardizing the requirements for determining what transuranic waste can be shipped to a disposal facility in New Mexico would also quicken the overall cleanup. A previous Research Council report found that some characterization activities are apparently conducted for regulatory compliance and do not seem to reduce risk. Consistent approaches to the preparation of wastes destined for Yucca Mountain are needed as well. Posted 4th March 2005 AZoM" - Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites, An Engineers Resource...AZoM.com Pty.Ltd Copyright © 2000-2004 ***************************************************************** 32 Daily Campus: Perchlorate needs further regulation - Commentary By Rishi Mehta Published: Thursday, March 3, 2005 A Texas study has recently published that perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, has been found in breast milk. Amidst such a finding, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must take the proper actions to ensure the safety of infants across the country. Since the late 1990s, the government has known that perchlorate has been found in the nation's water supplies contaminating anything from lettuce to dairy milk. Despite such knowledge, the EPA has left perchlorate as an unregulated chemical under review. Such negligence is dangerous, as perchlorate interferes with neural development. By blocking the transport of iodine and interfering with the production of thyroid hormones, perchlorate can cause learning disabilities, decrease in IQ or, in high doses, mental retardation. By keeping perchlorate as an unregulated chemical, the EPA only has the power to set safety standards for the amount of perchlorate allowed in both the nation's drinking and irrigation water supply - such safety standards are unenforceable. With a new study finding perchlorate in women's breast milk, however, the EPA is at a crossroads where it can create real change or continue it past of negligence. The Texas Tech scientists who conducted the new study found it alarming perchlorate was found in our water supply. They also felt it was dangerous for the EPA to only have a safety standard that was both unenforceable and based on the adult body. These scientists worried if such a toxic chemical was found in the nation's vegetables and water, then it could easily enter the body of an infant as well. This led the Texas team to examine breast milk. They took 36 women from 18 states and studied their breast milk. The study found perchlorate in every one of the samples and that infants are getting twice the amount of what is recommended by the National Academy of Science (NAS). In response to such a report, the EPA has issued new safety standards to be applied to the nation's water supply. Such an action, however, is not enough. The study clearly found perchlorate got into breast milk not only through drinking water, but also by way of fruits, vegetables and dairy milk. A safety standard, thus, must be created for irrigation water as well as drinking water. Furthermore, the safety standards drafted by the EPA were based on the recommended dose for an adult body set by the NAS. Since the new study found that infants were at risk of perchlorate contamination, the NAS and EPA should together devise a new safety dose for perchlorate based on the infant body. In addition, the EPA should take perchlorate off their list of unregulated chemicals, so such standards can be enforced. While such recommendations seem reasonable, they are met with heavy opposition. Since perchlorate is a component of rocket fuel, it is largely the doing of the Pentagaon, NASA and defense contractors that the chemical has found its way in our water supply. If perchlorate was to be a regulated chemical with a standard set to the infant body, then it would cost the military and its contractors billions in clean up and reform. The government should therefore raise recommendations for pregnant and nursing women across the nation to take iodine supplements. Such an action would create a short-term solution, while the EPA can create gradually declining enforceable safety standard. A gradual decrease in the safety standard would give the defense industry time to clean up and create reform, without costing billions immediately. Whatever the case in interest of our future youth, the government must take action now. Copyright 2004 The Daily Campus and College Publisher ***************************************************************** 33 The National Academies: Two reports on radioactive waste at DOE sites 02.03.2005 The nation needs to establish a formal, "risk-informed" approach to decide what types and amounts of radioactive waste at U.S. Department of Energy sites should be buried or left in place rather than shipped to a geological repository, such as the one proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nev., says a new report from the National Academies’ National Research Council. "Given the controversy surrounding this issue and the reality that not all of the waste will or can be recovered and disposed of off-site, the country needs a structured, well-thought-out way to determine which wastes can stay," said David E. Daniel, chair of the committee that wrote the report and dean, College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "Information about the relative risks posed by various disposal options is vital to the decision-making process, and that information must be developed in a manner the public can trust." The committee did not identify specific wastes that should be approved for alternative disposal. It did find, however, that it is "technically impractical and unnecessary" to remove every last gram of high-level radioactive waste now stored in steel tanks at DOE sites in South Carolina, Washington, and Idaho. Some transuranic waste currently buried at these sites -- which consists of contaminated tools, clothing, and other debris -- may not need to be removed either. The committee did not comment on how waste remaining on-site should be disposed of. The risk to workers and the environment involved in recovering some hard-to-retrieve waste, as well as the cost of doing so, may not be worth the reduction in risk -- if any -- that is achieved by disposal in a geological repository, the committee concluded. It also noted that techniques exist to separate highly radioactive material from some wastes, greatly reducing the potential hazard of what remains. The committee recommended that DOE and other interested parties implement a six-step decision-making process based on risk and other factors before any waste is exempted from deep geological disposal. The report describes the characteristics of such a process and provides an example that is compatible with existing regulations, but it does not prescribe a specific process. Each risk assessment should undergo outside technical review, and approval or rejection of the exemption should be in the hands of a separate federal entity as well. It was beyond the committee’s charge to say which agency should be given this authority, but it noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission both have expertise in regulating radioactive material. DOE should form an authoritative and independent group to improve and implement its approach to risk assessment and community outreach, the report recommends. The disposal exemption process needs to take place with as little disruption as possible to current laws, regulations, and agreements, the committee added. It acknowledged that recent litigation has left some of DOE’s waste-disposal plans uncertain, but said that a new exemption process is needed regardless in order to foster stakeholder support and avoid ad-hoc approaches, which often result in inconsistent or poorly thought-out decisions. A second Research Council report issued today says DOE should consider extending the life of facilities used to treat and process radioactive waste at weapons and storage sites in Idaho, South Carolina, Washington, and Tennessee. DOE currently plans to shut down these facilities when they are no longer needed at each site, but the report says they could potentially be used to process radioactive waste from other sites, thereby accelerating overall cleanup efforts. Closing the facilities prematurely could seriously delay the overall cleanup of contaminated sites, the report adds. The cleanup also could be accelerated by declassifying contaminated equipment left over from the Manhattan Project, according to the report. As long as this equipment remains classified, only employees with security clearance can work with it. Declassification could help shorten cleanup time and decrease costs. In visits to the sites, the committee that wrote the report also noticed that buildings posing little risk were being destroyed despite DOE’s declared strategy of targeting the most significant risks first. The committee recognized that some wastes and contaminated equipment will be left in place. To ensure the long-term safety of what remains, the report recommends that DOE follow the "cocooning" approach now being used to secure reactors at the Washington site. This concept involves stabilizing and monitoring wastes and making adaptations as new knowledge emerges, while keeping all stakeholders clearly informed. Simplifying and standardizing the requirements for determining what transuranic waste can be shipped to a disposal facility in New Mexico would also quicken the overall cleanup. A previous Research Council report found that some characterization activities are apparently conducted for regulatory compliance and do not seem to reduce risk. Consistent approaches to the preparation of wastes destined for Yucca Mountain are needed as well. The two studies issued today were sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. Committee rosters follow. Copies of Risk and Decisions About Disposition of Transuranic and High-Level Radioactive Waste and Improving the Characterization and Treatment of Radioactive Wastes for the DOE’s Accelerated Site Cleanup Program are available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242. More information: www.nap.edu national-academies.org www.nas.edu 02.03.2005 | William Kearney | Source: EurekAlert! | CMS by NETZGUT ***************************************************************** 34 Littleton Independent: Dangerous fuel in environment TownOnline.com - Thursday, March 3, 2005Rocket fuel should not be found in anything we feed our children. Unfortunately, a university study published Tuesday found the toxic rocket fuel chemical perchlorate in all 36 samples of breast milk taken from nursing mothers in 18 states. According to study authors, the levels measured would expose infants to concentrations of perchlorate higher than recommended as safe by the National Academy of Sciences and the states of Massachusetts, Maryland and New Mexico. The study, authored by researchers at the Texas Tech University Institute of Environmental and Human Health, found perchlorate in the breast milk of nursing woman at an average level of 10.5 parts per billion and at a peak level of 92 parts per billion. When adjusted to protect infants, a scientific review conducted by the National Academy of Sciences suggests drinking water levels close to one part per billion are appropriate. Perchlorate is the major component of rocket fuel and has been linked at concentrations as low as one part per billion to learning disabilities, decreased IQ and attention deficit disorder in children. Perchlorate has been found in the drinking water of nine communities in Massachusetts. Tewksbury's entire drinking water supply became contaminated with perchlorate when a manufacturing company began discharging a rinse into a local sewage system, which eventually made its way into the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Though the water was cleaned up and the MA Department of Environmental Protection DEP announced the Tewksbury drinking water safe again in December of 2004, we cannot afford to put public health at risk any longer. Here in Massachusetts, scientists have issued interim guidance that perchlorate levels above one part per billion in drinking water are a risk to certain individuals, including pregnant women, infants and children. The US EPA and the MA DEP should protect infants from rocket fuel by immediately setting a drinking water standard at one part per billion or less. Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) is the statewide advocacy group working to protect the environment, consumer rights, and promote good government. © Copyright of CNC and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, ***************************************************************** 35 Whitehaven News: SEE SCALE OF PLUTONIUM LOSSES Sellafield: Problem is “not one of safety, but security” SIR — Your story “Lost Plutonium fears” (The Whitehaven News, February 24) reports a BNFL spokesperson as saying: “In fact, the International Atomic Energy Authority sets standards on these uncertainties at one per cent of the total Sellafield throughput but the latest figures represent only around 0.5% of this.” Aside from the fact that the IAEA is an Agency not an Authority, the important fact to recognise is not that the percentage uncertainty is less than 0.5 per cent, but the actual quantity of the plutonium – a potent nuclear explosive material – is around 30 kilogrammes. The IAEA’s “significant quantity” to trigger security concerns of this nuclear material is 8 kgs – so more than three times that (around 10 nuclear bombs worth) are not accounted for. As a member of the BNFL “stakeholder dialogue” security working group, whose 140-page report was published on December 10 last year, I should emphasise the present problem is not one of safety, but security, safeguards and materials accountancy. The final gathering of the BNFL stakeholder dialogue last October - before the dialogue is handed on to the new Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in April – was informed that BNFL has called in its sole commercial competitor, the French nuclear fuel fabricator, Cogéma, to assist in ironing out intractable operational problems with BNFL’s own plutonium-mixed oxide (Mox) fuel production plant SMP (Sellafield Mox plant). This is not a public perception problem, but a complex engineering difficulty. If the Mox plant could be made to work, it may in the long run recover its Ł350m investment, by being adapted to immobilise a significant proportion of the 100,000 kilogrammes of reprocessed plutonium stockpiled at Sellafield. The fact that such a large surplus of this potent nuclear explosive remains without a long-term management solution remains an awkward political problem for ministers. It also puts the present inablity of BNFL, Sellafield’s operators, to account for 30 kilogrammes into context. Dr David LOWRY Environmental policy &research consultant Stoneleigh, Surrey SIR — I welcome the article in your paper (February 24) by Peter Clements, referring to the need for a balanced energy policy, to include nuclear power. At present, our Government appears to regard new nuclear build only as an option, although it is already clear that this is an urgent requirement, which needs action. A commitment to more acceptable energy policy would be welcome now, to make people more aware of the issues. As professor James Lovelock, founder of the environmental movement is in favour of nuclear power, more people now support this option. There is a saying: “Ignorance is the breeding ground of prejudice.” We should not have to rely on massive imports of gas and intermittent wind energy to provide the supplies of electricity needed in our modern world. Some of the claims made by Greenpeace (on the same page as the main article) are inaccurate and need challenging: The Royal Academy of Engineers has shown that wind-generated power is two to three times as expensive as conventional power stations, including nuclear. Without massive subsidies, wind farms would not be built. We already import some 2,000 MW of nuclear-generated electricity from France into England at acceptable cost, without too much fuss, why not build our own nuclear power stations, to the benefit of our own industry and economy? Roy SUMERLING ***************************************************************** 36 Deseret news.com: B, C waste were the big land issue [deseretnews.com] Thursday, March 3, 2005 But use, archaeology, atomic testing also drew action on Hill By Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News The environmental issue that promised to generate most heat this legislative session — a ban on importing B and C radioactive wastes — ended up sailing through in a love fest among lawmakers, activists and the governor. Deseret Morning News graphic But other bills that drew less attention also were important, including measures concerning land-use planning, archaeology and atomic testing. Environmental highlights of the Legislature include: • The non-battle over banning B and C radioactive waste, material considered low-level but "hotter" than the Class A disposed by Envirocare of Utah in its Tooele County facility. An interim committee had refused to recommend banning importation, with members pointing out that Envirocare had permit applications pending and a ban might subject Utah to a lawsuit. Then Envirocare's new owners announced they would abandon the application. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and leaders of both houses and both parties convened a press conference to call for passage of SB24, the bill to ban importation. It passed overwhelmingly. One reason may be the strong public support for the bill. An astounding 86 percent of Utahns surveyed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 3 opposed disposing of B and C waste in Utah, according to Deseret Morning News-KSL-TV poll. Pollster Dan Jones &Associates found that among 406 interviewees, 80 percent said they were "strongly opposed" to allowing B and C waste into Utah. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent. • State Land Use Management Plans Amendments. With final passage on Tuesday, HB264 establishes state policy when dealing with the federal government on federal land. The state will strive to maintain "in perpetuity a high-level output" of minerals and renewable resources on public land. Other goals are to "support valid existing transportation, mineral, and grazing privileges and the highest reasonably sustainable level." The act says managing federal land not actually designated by Congress as wilderness, in order to preserve wilderness characteristics, is inconsistent with multiple-use standards. • HB239 passed both houses, setting up the "Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office" and the "Public Lands Policy Coordinating Council." Appointed by the governor, the coordinator would help develop positions regarding land use. • What was widely interpreted as a slap at state archaeologist Kevin Jones and staff, HB308, originally would have removed the state historic preservation officer from the Division of State History and placed the work in the Division of Wildlife Resources. Wildlife Resources Acting Director Miles Moretti severely criticized the archaeologists, but supporters of the archaeologists said they were simply advising agencies how to comply with protection laws. The bill was amended and the version that passed the House called for an interim committee to study where the archaeologists should go — as long as they were removed from the state history division. In the waning hours of the session, HB308 was pending in the Senate. • HCR7, a concurrent resolution strongly urging the federal government not to resume nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site, passed the Legislature. It notes that "many Utahns and many other citizens living downwind of those tests suffered as a result of being 'active participants'. . . . A resumption of nuclear testing at the federal government's Nevada Test Site would mean a return to the mistakes and miscalculations of the past that have marred many Utahns." E-mail: bau@desnews.com © 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 37 Deseret news: Moab tailings could wash into Colorado River [deseretnews.com] Thursday, March 3, 2005 A matter of when, not if, U. professor says of uranium-mining waste By Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News If the Moab uranium tailings pile stays where it is, eventually a big flood will wash it into the Colorado River. "Not could. It will happen. It's just a matter of when," says one of the authors of a report on the subject, D. Kip Solomon, a University of Utah professor of geology and geophysics. Even if no giant flood hits in the near future, radioactive and chemical contamination apparently has leached from it and migrated under the river. On the other side of the Colorado are a nature preserve and the city of Moab. About 11.9 million tons of uranium tailings and contaminated soil were left near the Colorado River, three miles northwest of Moab, when Atlas Minerals Corp. stopped production in 1984. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the wastes cover 130 acres and were placed in an unlined impoundment. Atlas "placed an interim cover over the tailings pile in 1995," the DOE adds. The department has been preparing an environmental impact statement about what to do with the tailings, which at the closest point reach to within about 1,000 feet of the river. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. recently wrote to the DOE express-ing his determination that the pile should be hauled away from the river as soon as possible. "Recent flooding in the St. George and Santa Clara regions of Utah also demonstrated the swift and immense force of moving water in the desert," he wrote. Huntsman's concerns are backed by studies, including one published in December 2003 by Solomon and Philip Gardner, a graduate student at the U. DOE studies found ammonia and uranium in gravel below the Matheson Wetlands Preserve across the river, the researchers wrote. "The magnitude of these concentrations and the location of the highest values suggest that groundwater from the mill tailings is flowing under the Colorado River and impacting groundwater" beneath the preserve, they added. "We believe that there are fluids that have migrated underneath the river," Solomon said in a telephone interview. Contrary to earlier expectations of the DOE, the river was not a barrier to the flow. A lot of contaminated fluids are discharging into the Colorado, he added. But some of it goes under the river to the Moab side. Whether this occurs depends on the amount of water in the river and how much groundwater pumping is going on. When the uranium mill was working, operators leached out material they needed by pouring fluids on the tailings. This caused material to leak out of the pile. "They were pushing fluids beneath the river toward Moab," he said. Now that operations have ceased, whether the flow is still occurring "is a little uncertain." The study uncovered "very, very permeable gravel deposits beneath the mill tailings, beneath the river and beneath the entire Matheson Wetlands Preserve," Solomon added. Permeable gravel is important for two reasons, he said: • The layer amounts to a hydrological "superhighway." It's a pathway along which groundwater can migrate under the river. If enough pumping takes place on the tailings side, water might flow toward it. If the reverse is true, water could flow from the tailings toward Moab. In that case, some controls may be possible through pumping. • The "very coarse gravels" show that the Colorado River has flooded in the past, bringing in gravel and boulders. "The river has migrated laterally over very large distances through geologic time," he said. Above the gravel is about 15 feet of fine, silty material. The tailings are on top of the silt, approaching within 1,000 feet of the river in one place. The tailings amount to "a house that's literally built on sands and silts," Solomon said. "They're not founded on any really competent material," meaning they could easily wash away. At 24 and 30 feet below the surface, geologists uncovered organic material. A lab in Florida checked the age of the wood and peat through carbon dating. Radiocarbon dates for samples from the two floods ranged between 1860 and 1980 for the most recent, and between 990 and 1090 AD for the earlier material. That is about when flood waters carried them in. The samples were taken from a bore hole on the Moab side of the river. But the debris indicate the river's violence throughout the zone. The report by Gardner and Solomon explains, "The radiocarbon ages of these two samples indicate that there have been two flood events in the last 1,000 years that have scoured down to 24 and 30 feet below present land surface, respectively, at a distance of more than 260 feet from the present river channel." During January's flooding, the Santa Clara River in southwestern Utah rapidly ate away at its banks. "The biggest meander was 700 feet," said Jan Sandberg, engineer for the city of St. George. "There was a lot of meandering in lots of areas." "In the city of Santa Clara, it took a huge bite, took out a bunch of prime real estate," said Dean Cox, emergency services director for Washington County. An erosion of 700 feet would not quite bring the Colorado River onto the Moab tailings. But the Santa Clara destruction happened with just one flood, and that river is far smaller than the Colorado. If a big enough flood were to race through the Colorado, said Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, "We're going to have uranium mill tailings strewn along the banks and sandbars along that river for distances downstream." That, Nielson added, is unacceptable. E-mail: bau@desnews.com © 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 38 Saving the nuclear nonproliferation agreement By DAVID KRIEGER Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:11:55 -0800 ----- Original Message ----- From: JULIOGRACE To: abolition-caucus@yahoogroups.com ; globenet@yahoogroups.com ; ozpeace@yahoogroups.com ; antinukesforum@yahoogroups.com ; NucNews@yahoogroups.com ; ausinuke@yahoogroups.com ; FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Issue Date: March 4, 2005 Saving the nuclear nonproliferation agreement By DAVID KRIEGER North Koreas recent announcement that it has manufactured nuclear weapons highlights the precarious nature of the global nonproliferation regime and particularly the failure of the Bush administrations approach to the problem. In an official statement, North Korea indicated that the impetus for its actions was the Bush administrations increasingly hostile policy.In fact, the Bush administration has dragged its feet for more than four years and made inadequate efforts to provide either security assurances or development aid to North Korea in exchange for halting its nuclear program. Yet it is widely agreed on all sides of the political spectrum that preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons is the most important item on the U.S. national security agenda. This was the one point that President Bush and Sen. John Kerry could agree upon in their presidential debate on foreign policy. At the center of the nonproliferation regime is the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). What most Americans dont know is that this treaty is based upon an important tradeoff. The nonnuclear weapons states agree not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons, and the nuclear weapons states agree to engage in good faith negotiations for nuclear disarmament. Every five years, the parties to this treaty, now 188 countries, meet at the United Nations to review progress. At the 2000 Review Conference, the parties agreed by consensus to 13 practical steps for nuclear disarmament. Unfortunately, the nuclear weapons states, and particularly the United States, seem to have made virtually zero progress in the past five years. Despite its pledges to do otherwise, the United States has failed to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; opposed a verifiable fissile material cutoff treaty; substituted the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), which is fully reversible, for the START treaties; scrapped the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, opening the door for deployment of missile defenses and moves toward placing weapons in outer space; kept nuclear weapons at the center of its security policies, including research to create new nuclear weapons; and demonstrated no political will toward the elimination of its nuclear arsenal. The only small glimmer of hope in U.S. nuclear policy was Congresscutting the funding requested by the administration in the 2005 budget for bunker busterand low-yield nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, the administration is already back seeking the inclusion of this research in the 2006 and 2007 budgets. With less than three months remaining before the beginning of the next Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, there is a sense that prospects for the future of the nonproliferation regime are dim. I was recently at a meeting on The Future of the NPTheld at The Carter Center in Atlanta. The conference was sponsored by the Middle Powers Initiative, a coalition of eight international civil society organizations. I was there representing one of the eight, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. In attendance were many of the key ambassadors who will be participating in the 2005 NPT Review Conference. Ambassador Sérgio de Queiroz Duarte of Brazil, the president-designate of the Review Conference said that there is a persistent and serious situation of erosion of confidence in the mechanisms of the NPT and on the ability of the instrument to survive the tests it has been through.Participants in the Atlanta meeting drew attention to the unbalanced situation in the Middle East, with Israel, not a party to the NPT, already having nuclear weapons and Iran seeming to hold its options open for developing them. They also expressed concern about North Koreas withdrawal from the treaty and its reported development of a nuclear arsenal. The greatest concern, however, was over the lack of progress on nuclear disarmament in accord with previous promises. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who spoke at the meeting, pointed out that prospects for this years discussion are not encouraging. He noted that the prepatory committee for the conference had so far failed even to achieve an agenda because of the deep divisions between the nuclear powers who seek to stop proliferation without meeting their own disarmament commitments and the Non-Aligned Movement, whose demands include firm disarmament commitments and consideration of the Israeli arsenal. For the Non-Proliferation Treaty to fail or begin to unravel would be a disaster for the world, perhaps most for the United States. Yet the U.S. administration seems to think that it can go on with business as usual and disavow its pledges on the 13 practical steps for nuclear disarmament made in 2000. Other countries are getting restless and some, like Iran and North Korea, after having been designated by President Bush as part of the axis of evil,seem to be moving toward creating their own nuclear arsenal. This is a situation that cannot be countered by force without throwing the international order into chaos. It can only be dealt with using diplomacy, cooperation and a leveling of the nuclear playing field by fulfilling promises for nuclear disarmament. The nonproliferation bargain must be two-sided. If we are going to prevent a breakdown of the nonproliferation regime, the United States is going to have to lead by example rather than by force. This would require a major shift in policy for this administration. Congress and the American public need to be active participants in order to create such a shift. Direct citizen involvement in U.S. nuclear policy has been successful in the past in ending atmospheric nuclear testing in the 1960s and freezing the level of nuclear arms in the 1980s. It will serve our common interests to end the proliferation of nuclear weapons and strengthen the global nonproliferation regime. David Krieger is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (www.wagingpeace.org). National Catholic Reporter, March 4, 2005 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to abolition-caucus-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT 130b654.jpg 130b728.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/abolition-caucus/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * abolition-caucus-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.824 / Virus Database: 562 - Release Date: 12/28/04 Attachment Converted: 130b654.jpg: 00000001,6ccf2dbe,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: 130b728.jpg: 00000001,6ccf2dbf,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 39 DenverPost.com: Site of Flats fire razed with care Published: Thursday, March 03, 2005 Extra air monitoring and other precautions are taken as Building 776, scene of a ’69 plutonium fire, begins to fall. By Kim McGuire Denver Post Staff Writer Post / John Epperson Demolition crews at the former Rocky Flats nuclear trigger plant begin dismantling Building 777’s annex Wednesday, part of the larger Building 776 complex. Work crews on Wednesday began dismantling Rocky Flats Building 776, site of one of the worst industrial fires in U.S. history and home to some of the most severe radioactive contamination at the former nuclear weapons plant. The May 11, 1969, fire - known as the "Mother's Day Fire" - was the most dangerous blaze to ever erupt at the plant northwest of Denver and caused widespread radioactive contamination throughout the building. Cleanup managers say the demolition plan they devised goes far beyond anything ever seen at Rocky Flats, which is scheduled to become a wildlife refuge next year. In addition to extra air monitoring, crews are using two high-powered water cannons to control dust from the demolition of the cinder- block building and have built extensive structures to catch the runoff water and test it for contamination. Also, crews have built a railroad spur that extends to Building 776, where the rubble will be loaded into a rail car and sent to a disposal facility in Utah. "In terms of contamination, we're talking about a level that's much more widespread than any other building," said Steve Gunderson, project coordinator for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. John Corsi, a spokesman for Kaiser-Hill, said the cleanup contractor has been planning the demolition job for almost five years, meeting with residents of surrounding communities to discuss their concerns. At the top of the list was fear that radioactive dust would be flung off-site and that rubble would sit around for months, possibly contaminating runoff water, Corsi said. Gunderson said he expects the demolition job to take about two months. When it's done, Building 371 will be the only building remaining at Rocky Flats where plutonium was either handled or stored. The fire inside Building 776 started when a plutonium briquette spontaneously ignited. It took firefighters four hours to extinguish the blaze, which caused more than $45 million in damage. "In talking about the risk to Denver and the surrounding area, an investigator with the Atomic Energy Commission testified in 1970 that had the fire been a little larger, and I quote, 'hundreds of square miles could have been contaminated,"' said Len Ackland, a University of Colorado journalism professor and author of "Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West." "So basically we're talking about a Chernobyl-scale disaster for the area, to put that in perspective," he said. Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com. All contents Copyright 2005 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 40 ABQjournal: LANL Scientists Say They're Scapegoats Albuquerque Journal newspaper. Thursday, March 3, 2005 Albuquerque Journal--> By Adam Rankin Journal Staff Writer The two Los Alamos scientists involved in the incident last summer over some missing computer disks that actually never existed say they are being made scapegoats for a broken system safeguarding the nation's top nuclear secrets. Todd Kauppila and John Horne, both 21-year LANL veterans, say they have taken the brunt of the blame for a human accounting error that wasn't their fault, essentially cutting short their promising careers in nuclear physics experimentation. The situation is even more painful, they say, because the disks that were never created would not have contained classified information even if they had existed. They said the two disks would have been part of a batch of eight other real disks created to store unclassified information for a fall 2003 slide presentation. For security purposes, they said, the disks are considered classified because they were created on a classified computer. They say the only reason real disks don't turn up missing regularly, despite convoluted rules and a lack of resources, is because of the incredible integrity and care of the scientists in charge of them. "I did not violate any rules; I was very careful," Horne, who first received clearance to work with classified information when he was 19 years old, said in a recent interview at his home. "I followed the rules to the letter." LANL officials say procedures were in place to prevent such mixups but that they weren't followed. LANL director Pete Nanos has said the scientists at fault seemed to think their work was more important than following procedures and called those few responsible "cowboys" and "buttheads." "Procedures were in place that should have prevented this from ever happening," LANL spokesman Kevin Roark said. But it did. A July 6 inventory showed a discrepancy over two classified disks in the tracking system of the work group Dynamic Experimentation-3, or DX-3, responsible for conducting physics experiments on the behavior of nuclear materials. Assigned to Horne, a LANL technician working on some of the country's most secret experiments on the dynamics of nuclear explosions, the two disks were entered into a tracking system as if they existed in late 2003 when eight other disks were created. Horne said in a recent interview that he was given 10 bar codes for tracking classified disks, but only created eight disks. When he turned in the disks to the group's disk custodian, he didn't realize the custodian had entered all 10 bar codes into the accountability database. That error was only discovered about two weeks after the July 6 inventory, Horne and Kauppila said. Horne said he thinks he shredded the other two bar codes sometime after turning the disks in but can't prove it. 'Ungodly tense' period An April "wall-to-wall" inventory of classified disks reported the two disks were accounted for, even though they didn't exist. How that happened and who was at fault is unclear, but Horne was assigned to the disks and would have had to produce them for the official conducting the inventory. When they couldn't be found in July during the next inventory, LANL officials initiated an FBI investigation and then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham took the unprecedented step of calling a halt to all classified work across the DOE complex. Horne described this period of intense scrutiny and investigation as "ungodly tense" and said he spent 18 hours a day, working through weekends, to try to determine the reason for the accounting discrepancy. He passed a lie detector test in November. Kauppila said LANL investigators searched haphazardly through canyon bottoms and above ceiling tiles instead of rationally thinking through the problem. Both men say that even though LANL officials learned early on that the disks never existed, the investigations continued because officials needed a scapegoat. "That's when the finger-pointing began," Kauppila said. "We were convenient targets." Horne was not fired, but he received a letter of reprimand and 10 days off without pay. 'I was foolish' A supervisor to Horne, Kauppila said he played only an incidental role in the classified disk accounting mixup but was fired Sept. 23 because he failed to immediately return to LANL from an East Coast family vacation during the investigation. "I was so collateral to the incident that not in my wildest dreams did I think I would get terminated," he said. "In retrospect, I was foolish." Both men have filed formal grievances with LANL and say the only reason Horne wasn't fired was because he hired an attorney early in the investigation. Roark said LANL's policies prevent him from talking about personnel actions and the details of the investigations into Kauppila and Horne. "All personnel actions were taken following exhaustive inquiries and the actions were taken based solely on the facts that came out of the inquiries. That is all we can say," he said. Roark said laboratory officials have held two classified-level briefings for all classified-cleared employees on what was discovered during the inquiries, including time lines and what was done and when it was done, except for the names of the people involved. Last week, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., told reporters that a full accounting of the laboratory's July shutdown would be coming. Copyright Albuquerque Journal Steve@abqjournal.com ***************************************************************** 41 lamonitor.com: Two more employees protest CREM incident The Online News Source for Los Alamos ROGER SNODGRASS, roger@lamonitor.com, Monitor Assistant Editor Two more people who were disciplined in the wake of the zip drives, the ones that were not missing after all at Los Alamos National Laboratory, have spoken out, blaming management for mishandling the affair. Along with a co-worker, John Horne, Todd Kauppila has decided to provide a public narration of the events before and after the classified material ap-peared to have vanished on July 6. Kauppila was terminated on Sept. 23. Horne was suspended from Dec. 20-31, after a review by a Case Review Board, despite having passed a lie-detector test on Nov. 10, the document said. LANL spokesperson Kevin Roark said this morning that he was unable to comment on personnel actions. "Our inquiry was exhaustive and the personnel actions were based solely on the facts that came out of those inquiries," he said. Kauppila's statement was published Wednesday on the blog, LANL: The Real Story (lanl-the-real-story.blogspot.com/), which has attracted a rapidly growing audience of dissident readers and contributors at the laboratory. Todd Kauppila worked in DX-3, the office from which two pieces of CREM (Classified Recordable Electronic Media) were reported missing. He related that not only was he fired without demonstrable cause, he was fired after helping to solve the mystery of how nonexistent disks were erroneously thought to be missing. Kauppila wrote that he had been fired despite having having had only an incidental relationship with the CREM. He chaired an international conference at the lab for which the original disks had been recorded. When he was asked to return from a vacation because of the crisis, he wrote, he discussed what he knew with his manager over a classified telephone line over the course of two days. His manager gave him permission to continue his vacation. Later, he learned that his delay in returning "had enraged the director, who demanded that I be fired," Kauppila wrote. "It would take a few months for him to make good on his threat, but he clearly made up his mind that day, and all his actions since then point to that very plan." Although Sen. Pete Domenici, in a visit to the laboratory on Aug. 9, already hinted at information that the disks might never have existed, several more months and a continuation of the total suspension of activities at the laboratory ensued. On Jan. 28, the Department of Energy announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had determined that the most likely explanation for the missing disks was that a pair of barcodes had never been used. Kauppila's statement offered an insight into the reasons for the mistake, the chaos of the recovery efforts, and how the mistake was found. He confirmed a statement last year by a former custodian of classified matter and media at the laboratory, who said the laboratory itself was to blame for failing to support those who had responsibilities for the CREM. Kauppila stated that there was a shortage of barcoding scanning equipment, forcing CREM handlers to read barcode numbers visually. Additionally, he charged, CREM "were sometimes given blocks of barcode numbers to apply to generate CREM over some period of time." Describing the search for the missing CREM, Kauppila described searches that "unfolded in a series of increasingly anxious efforts, in ever-widening circles and in all directions - up, down, and all around, canyons and ceiling tiles included." Those engaged in the search were also under the greatest scrutiny and suspicion, Kauppila reported. "Finally, a pattern began to develop with the periodic activity and inventory records that showed the two missing items being inventoried, but then being removed from the data base three times," he wrote. The observed pattern turned out to be consistent with the ultimate explanation, which was that two pieces of CREM had never been bar-coded because they had not existed, nor fully accounted for in the previous inventories. Kauppila said the theory was initially suppressed by laboratory managers. © 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 42 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern FR Doc 05-4115 [Federal Register: March 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 41)] [Notices] [Page 10386-10387] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03mr05-40] New Mexico AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EMSSAB), Northern New Mexico. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Wednesday, March 30, 2005, 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. ADDRESSES: Cities of Gold Hotel, 10-A Cities of Gold Road,Pojoaque, NM. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Menice Manzanares, Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board, 1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Phone (505) 995-0393; Fax (505) 989-1752 or e-mail: mmanzanares@doeal.gov. 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 1 p.m. Call to Order by Ted Taylor, Deputy Designated Federal Officer (DDFO) Establishment of a Quorum Welcome and Introductions by Chairman, Tim DeLong Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes of January 19, 2005 1:15 p.m. Board Business A. Report from Chairman, Tim DeLong B. Report from Department of Energy, Ted Taylor, DDFO C. Report from Executive Director, Menice S. Manzanares --Request for Agenda Items for Annual Retreat D. New Business 2 p.m. Break 2:15 p.m. Reports A. Waste Management Committee, Jim Brannon --Introduction of Letter to Ed Wilmot, Re: Scrap Metals EIS B. Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee, Chris Timm --Introduction of Recommendation 2005-2 (Withdrawn by the Committee at the January 19, 2005 meeting) --Introduction of Board Recommendation 2005-3 --Introduction of Board Recommendation 2005-4 C. Community Involvement Committee, Grace Perez D. Comments from Ex-Officio Members 5 p.m. Dinner Break 6 p.m. Public Comment 6:15 p.m. Consideration and Action on Board Recommendation 2005-02 Consideration and Action on Board Recommendation 2005-03 Consideration and Action on Board Recommendation 2005-04 Thank you to Dorothy Hoard, retiring NNMCAB Member 6:45 p.m. Key NNMCAB Issues for National Chairs' Meeting, Tim DeLong 7 p.m. Area G Forum Update, Jim Brannon 7:10 p.m. Viewing of The Manhattan Project, from the Oak Ridge SSAB's Stewardship Education Resource Kit 8 p.m. Comments from Board Members and Recap of Meeting 8:15 p.m. Press Releases, Editorials or other follow-up from this meeting 8:30 p.m. Adjourn This agenda is subject to change at least one day in advance of the meeting. 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 agenda items should contact Menice Manzanares 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. Minutes: Minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying 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-Friday, except Federal holidays. Minutes will also be available at the Public Reading Room located at the Board's office at 1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe, NM. Hours of operation for the Public Reading Room are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Minutes will also be made available by writing or calling Menice Manzanares at the Board's office address or telephone number listed above. Minutes and other Board documents are on the Internet at: http://www.nnmcab.org . [[Page 10387]] Issued at Washington, DC, on February 25, 2005. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 05-4115 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6405-01-P ***************************************************************** 43 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Fernald FR Doc 05-4117 [Federal Register: March 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 41)] [Notices] [Page 10387] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03mr05-41] 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. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Saturday, March 12, 2005, 8:30 a.m.-12 noon. ADDRESSES: Ross Township Firehouse, 2565 Cincinnati-Brookville Road, Ross Township, Ohio 45061. 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 --Projects and Updates --Silos and Critical Analysis Team --Environmental Management Budget --Ex-Officio Updates 9 a.m. Legacy Management Updates 9:45 a.m. FCAB History Project --Structure --Examples 10:30 a.m. Break 10:45 a.m. Workshop Plans --History Roundtable --Educators Workshop 11:30 a.m. Preparation for April SSAB Chairs Meeting 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 Federal Register notice is being published less than 15 days prior to the meeting date due to programmatic issues that had to be resolved prior to the meeting date. 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 in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2005. Rachel Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 05-4117 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-M ***************************************************************** 44 [du-list] DU in the news - 4th March 05 Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:12:04 -0800 The Daily Beacon, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 9:22 PM PST Effects of depleted uranium â?~harmfulâ?T http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=16394 Of all the first-rate hypocrisies which are the method of our Republic, the use of a particular â?~silver bullet" in the militaryâ?Ts arsenal may be the most perfectly foul contradiction. Daily Times, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 1:57 PM PST Ukraine secret service seizes uranium at airport http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-3-2005_pg4_10 KIEV: Ukraine s SBU security service arrested a man at Kiev s airport who had a case containing radioactive uranium-238 in his car, the Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. It said the man was detained at Boryspil airport, Ukraine s main international gateway, with 582 grams of uranium. Axis of Logic, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 10:42 PM PST World News http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_16033.shtml KIEV - Ukraine's SBU security service arrested a man at Kiev's airport who had a case containing radioactive uranium-238 in his car, the Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday. AP via Yahoo! News, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 12:35 PM PST Iran Bans U.N. Nuke Visits on Some Sites http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050302/ap_on_re_eu/nuclear_agency_14 Declaring some sites off-limits to U.N. inspectors, Iran said Wednesday it fears that leaked information gathered by them could help those planning a possible strike on its military installations. The Galway Advertiser, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 9:04 AM PST Galway gets ready for International Women's Day http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/dws/story.tpl?inc=2005/03/03/news/56819.html Events will be taking place throughout Galway city in the run up to and on International Women's Day on Tuesday. A number of events are being organised by Women In Media And Entertainment. Miami Herald, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 0:20 AM PST Iran bans inspectors from some sites, fears attack http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/11036432.htm The debate over Iran's nuclear program intensified: Iran said it would not allow inspectors into certain sites; the United States urged Security Council action. Nashua Telegraph, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 6:12 AM PST U.S. sees deceit in Iranâ?Ts nuke claims http://nsnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050303/NEWS03/50303008/-1/news VIENNA, Austria â?" The United States accused Iran on Wednesday of â?ocynicallyâ?ť pursuing nuclear weapons, saying Tehranâ?Ts claims that its aims were peaceful constituted willful deceit and required action by the U.N. Security Council. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 0:04 AM PST Iran puts limits on nuclear inspectors http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/11035794.htm It said it feared leaks of information to people who might attack its sites. The U.S. called for sanctions. Seattle Times, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 2:15 AM PST U.S. slams Iran over its nuclear ambitions http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002195210_iran03.html?syndication=rss The United States accused Iran yesterday of deceiving U. N. inspectors over its nuclear-weapons program, amid reports President Bush is... ---------- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.6.0 - Release Date: 3/2/05 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/RzSHvD/UOnJAA/79vVAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 45 [du-list] DU in the news - 4th March 05 Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:12:04 -0800 The Daily Beacon, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 9:22 PM PST Effects of depleted uranium â?~harmfulâ?T http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=16394 Of all the first-rate hypocrisies which are the method of our Republic, the use of a particular â?~silver bullet" in the militaryâ?Ts arsenal may be the most perfectly foul contradiction. Daily Times, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 1:57 PM PST Ukraine secret service seizes uranium at airport http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-3-2005_pg4_10 KIEV: Ukraine s SBU security service arrested a man at Kiev s airport who had a case containing radioactive uranium-238 in his car, the Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. It said the man was detained at Boryspil airport, Ukraine s main international gateway, with 582 grams of uranium. Axis of Logic, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 10:42 PM PST World News http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_16033.shtml KIEV - Ukraine's SBU security service arrested a man at Kiev's airport who had a case containing radioactive uranium-238 in his car, the Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday. AP via Yahoo! News, Wed, 02 Mar 2005 12:35 PM PST Iran Bans U.N. Nuke Visits on Some Sites http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050302/ap_on_re_eu/nuclear_agency_14 Declaring some sites off-limits to U.N. inspectors, Iran said Wednesday it fears that leaked information gathered by them could help those planning a possible strike on its military installations. The Galway Advertiser, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 9:04 AM PST Galway gets ready for International Women's Day http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/dws/story.tpl?inc=2005/03/03/news/56819.html Events will be taking place throughout Galway city in the run up to and on International Women's Day on Tuesday. A number of events are being organised by Women In Media And Entertainment. Miami Herald, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 0:20 AM PST Iran bans inspectors from some sites, fears attack http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/11036432.htm The debate over Iran's nuclear program intensified: Iran said it would not allow inspectors into certain sites; the United States urged Security Council action. Nashua Telegraph, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 6:12 AM PST U.S. sees deceit in Iranâ?Ts nuke claims http://nsnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050303/NEWS03/50303008/-1/news VIENNA, Austria â?" The United States accused Iran on Wednesday of â?ocynicallyâ?ť pursuing nuclear weapons, saying Tehranâ?Ts claims that its aims were peaceful constituted willful deceit and required action by the U.N. Security Council. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 0:04 AM PST Iran puts limits on nuclear inspectors http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/11035794.htm It said it feared leaks of information to people who might attack its sites. The U.S. called for sanctions. Seattle Times, Thu, 03 Mar 2005 2:15 AM PST U.S. slams Iran over its nuclear ambitions http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002195210_iran03.html?syndication=rss The United States accused Iran yesterday of deceiving U. N. inspectors over its nuclear-weapons program, amid reports President Bush is... ---------- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.6.0 - Release Date: 3/2/05 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/RzSHvD/UOnJAA/79vVAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 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. 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