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04/19/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.89
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Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body
NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Interfax: Iran wants to close its nuclear dossier
2 RIA Novosti: IRAN IS ONLY AFTER PEACEFUL NUCLEAR ENERGY
3 AFP: Russia presses Iran on nuclear plans - Iranian official Messeng
4 US: Platts: Bush says nuclear has role in U.S. energy mix
5 [NYTr] With Greens' Backing, Germany Joins US Star Wars Program
6 Vanunu Barred from Leaving Israel for Another Year
7 IPS-English RIGHTS: Belgian Mayors Back Move Against Nuclear
8 ThisisLondon: Debate to tackle our nuclear need
9 BBC: Rice criticises 'Kremlin power'
10 BBC: Israel extends Vanunu travel ban
11 TheStar.com: At the unholy altar of nuclear weapons
NUCLEAR REACTORS
12 US: [NukeNet] Phila Inquirer - Nukes not Yet Clean and Green
13 US: NRC: NRC Adopts Model Milestones to Increase Fairness and Effici
14 Australian: Letters: The fallout over nuclear power
15 US: Platts: NRC approval of Waterford-3 uprate is largest for U.S. P
16 US: Las Vegas SUN: NRC's Jaczko set to appear before panel
17 canadaeast.com: Lepreau funding possible - Source cites $200-M figur
18 US: NRC: University of Utah; University of Utah TRIGA Nuclear Reacto
19 Xinhua: Chile eyes nuclear power as valid option
20 US: NRC: In the Matter of Texas Genco, LP; City Public Service Board
21 US: NRC: University of Utah; University of Utah TRIGA Nuclear Reacto
22 Korea Times: Purpose of NK Reactor Shutdown Unclear - FM
23 Korea Times: North's Halt of Reactor
24 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
25 US: PRN: Wisconsin Power and Light Receives Approval to Defer $13.2
NUCLEAR SECURITY
26 Nuclear Rearmament, Not Disarmament By Nuke Weapons States
27 US: [DU-WATCH] Fw: Re: Blumrich - America's Nuclear Warfare
28 [smygo] Planting the seeds of another war against WMD
29 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. May Take N.Korea to U.N. Security Co
30 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: U.S. policy on North seen in flux
31 BBC: Seoul plays down threat to North
32 US: North Jersey Media Group: Uranium missing, Teaneck lab says
33 Irna: Iran's nuclear activities under IAEA supervision - envoy -
34 Herald Sun: Asian nuclear arms warning
NUCLEAR SAFETY
35 [du-list] Marshall Islands/50 years after, the H bomb is still
36 [du-list] monomolecular UO3 formation
37 US: Occupational Hazards: Critics Say OSHA Isn't Protecting U.S. Wor
38 Daily Yomiuri: A-bomb survivor to lecture at University of Chicago
39 US: NRC: In the Matter of Centerpoint Energy, Inc., Texas Genco, LLC
40 US: The Spectrum: Editorials: Recognition of radiation sought by leg
41 US: The Spectrum: Studies aim to expand RECA funds
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
42 US: [du-list] U.S. National Academies Warn Nuclear Waste Ponds
43 US: Las Vegas RJ: TRAIN SHIPMENTS: Ruling on hazardous cargo hailed
44 UK: News Shopper: Nuclear protest group gets campaign right on track
45 US: PE.com: Solvent, rocket-fuel agent found in water
46 News & Star: Sick Sellafield worker wins sacking tribunal
47 US: DenverPost.com: Last shipment of high-level radioactive waste le
PEACE
48 IPS: RIGHTS: Belgian Mayors Back Move Against Nuclear Weapons
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
49 Bellona: US DOE budget proposal includes a hydrogen twist
50 Island Packet Online: Independent lab at SRS needed for years to com
51 Tri-City Herald: Fluor Hanford lays off 148 workers
52 lamonitor.com: Domenici: Cuts undermine science
53 DenverPost.com: Last radioactive scraps slated to leave Flats
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Interfax: Iran wants to close its nuclear dossier
Interfax.com
Apr 19 2005 10:13PM
MOSCOW. April 19 (Interfax) - Iran believes, the time has come
to close the so-called Iranian nuclear dossier, Iranian Deputy
National Security Council Chairman Hussein Musawian told a news
conference in the Interfax head office on Tuesday.
"Iran has arrived at the conclusion that it is time to close
this nuclear dossier," Musawian said.
He said that Teheran had already done everything possible to
demonstrate the peaceful intention of the Iranian nuclear
program to the international community.
Commenting on Iran's possible renewed uranium enrichment,
Musawian said that Iran had already made very important steps to
gain confidence. An important step to create an atmosphere of
confidence was the signing of an additional protocol in the
International Atomic Energy Agency agreement on guarantees, he
said.
"There is no problem with uranium enrichment," he said. "Members
of the non-proliferation treaty have a right to uranium
enrichment," he said.
1991-2005 Interfax
*****************************************************************
2 RIA Novosti: IRAN IS ONLY AFTER PEACEFUL NUCLEAR ENERGY
MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has backed Iran's desire
to use peaceful nuclear energy, Husein Musaviyan, the Deputy
Secretary of Iran's National Security Council, said at a news
conference Tuesday which focused on the results of the
Iranian-Russian consultations on the country's nuclear program,
which took place yesterday.
"Russia confirmed at the talks that it supported Iran's
legitimate right to use peaceful nuclear technology," emphasized
Musaviyan.
Musaviyan said Iran shared the global community's
proliferation-related concerns.
"We will never be producing nuclear weapons. Moreover, producing
nuclear weapons has never been mentioned in Iran's defense
strategy," he emphasized. However, "Iran does not want to give
up its sovereign right to develop nuclear technology, including
a uranium enrichment program."
"Over 18 months of cooperation with the IAEA Iran has been
inspected a great many times. We have accounted for all the 25
years of our nuclear development efforts. The IAEA confirmed the
absence of any evidence that Iran is moving towards creating
nuclear weapons," said the Iranian official.
However, Musaviyan said Iran wanted to have the right to enrich
uranium and secure the international community's trust with
respect to its nuclear program.
Musaviyan said Russia and Iran had held intensive and effective
talks at experts' level on building a communication satellite,
Zuhra (Venus).
"We do not see any obstacles to this project," he added.
In addition, Musaviyan said Russia and Iran had agreed on a deal
under which Iran would purchase a batch of Russian-made Tu-204
airliners.
2005 "RIAN Novosti"
*****************************************************************
3 AFP: Russia presses Iran on nuclear plans - Iranian official Messenger
Tuesday April 19, 04:13 PM
MOSCOW (AFX) - Iran's deputy security chief said Moscow is
pressing Tehran to 'develop a feeling of trust' with the rest of
the world concerning its nuclear ambitions and that the Islamic
state is planning to follow suit.
Supreme National Security Council deputy head Hussein Musavian
said, following crisis talks with Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov, that Tehran is keeping to its right to enrich uranium
despite global fears that this will see it develop nuclear arms.
However, he stressed that Iran has no plans to build nuclear
weapons and that it could have done so some 20 years ago but
chose against an atomic weapon at the time.
'Russia is pressing us to develop a feeling of trust with the
rest of the world and this is what we plan to do,' Musavian told
reporters.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
4 Platts: Bush says nuclear has role in U.S. energy mix
+ Nuclear power needs to be part of the U.S. energy mix,
President Bush said April 16 in his weekly radio address.
Repeating a theme in his January address to Congress, Bush said
it was important to "promote safe, clean nuclear power."
He urged Congress to pass an energy bill that focuses on
developing and encouraging various energy sources, including
nuclear, ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar, landfill gas, clean
coal, and hydrogen fuel cells.
He also said he wanted to sign an energy bill that would
encourage the use of technology to improve conservation, boost
production in the U.S., and modernize the energy delivery
infrastructure (transmission lines and pipelines). The full House
is expected to begin debate this week on an energy bill; Senate
leadership has not laid out a schedule for starting work on its
version of an energy policy.
Washington (Platts)--18Apr2005
Copyright 2005 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
5 [NYTr] With Greens' Backing, Germany Joins US Star Wars Program
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:52:09 -0500 (CDT)
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
sent by mart - Apr 19, 2005
With Backing of Greens, Germany Joins in US "Star Wars"
'Weapons In Space' Transcontinental Missile System Program
[Call it what you will, but "MEADS" is part and parcel of the U.S. "Star
Wars" program for putting U.S. nuclear mssiles and "death star"
hunter-killer satelites in space. And what an interesting bunch of people
the Greens are. They're always bragging about the "international scope of
their movement" and how they are so "anti-war", so "for the environment", so
"for people", and of course, always, ever so "progressive" and "liberal".
Then you happen to mention or ask about the German wing of their party - the
one that's actually in power and they always go silent, or try to change the
subject. Well now the ever so warm and fuzzy Greens are backing George
Bush's "Star Wars" 'weapons In space' missile program! Well, I guess the
Greens are all of the things they claim to be. As long as it is in the
interests of imperialism! Lying, war-mongering hypocrites! -mart]
Via Rick Rozoff and StopNATo
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato
Deutsche Welle -April 19, 2005
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1556124,00.html
Greens Give Go-Ahead to Defense Project
By Nina Werkh=E4user
The last hurdle to Germany's participation in the "MEADS" transatlantic
missile project has been overcome after the Green party, the junior partner
in government, said it will vote in favor of the air defense system.
After weeks of opposition, Germany's Green Party has decided to support the
Medium Extended Air Defense System, or MEADS.
Funded by the US, Italy and Germany, MEADS aims to protect troops or
sensitive locations from aerial assault by missile or plane. The system is
intended to replace Patriot missiles in the United States and Germany, and
Nike Hercules missiles in Italy....
Reservations remain
The US, Germany and Italy are funding MEADS in shares of 58 percent, 25
percent and 17 percent respectively. For Germany alone, this amounts to 886
million euros ($1,154 million) over a period of eight years. More costs
could follow.
Germany's Greens are worried that the costs involved in the missile defense
project could balloon out of control. But despite their concerns, Green
party leaders have decided that they do not want to risk a dispute within
the coalition government. That's why they've recommended that the Green
parliamentary group vote in favor of Germany's involvement in the project.
Chancellor Schr=F6der's ruling Social Democrats (SPD) are happy with this
development. SPD party chair Franz M=FCnterfering is now reassured ahead of
parliament's budgetary committee meeting later this week.
M=FCnterfering said he expects Wednesday's vote to be in favor of the MEADS
project.
"It is also a question of Germany's reliability," he said. "We never had any
doubt that this should be possible, and we are pleased that we can now come
to this decision."
Reliability at stake
The need for Germany to be seen as reliable by its ally, the United States,
was one of the Social Democrats' primary arguments for supporting the MEADS
project - which is the largest transatlantic missile defense system. The
Greens seem to have accepted this argument, but by way of compromise they
are insisting that other defense costs be reduced.
On Tuesday, the Greens are expected to signal their support for the MEADS
project within the Bundestag lower house of parliament. When the budgetary
committee gives its approval as expected on Wednesday, the German government
can finally confirm its long-awaited participation in the transatlantic
defense system.
*
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*****************************************************************
6 Vanunu Barred from Leaving Israel for Another Year
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:19:18 -0700
Free Mordechai Vanunu - Info & Action Alert #58 - April 19, 2005
From the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
http://www.vanunu.com and http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/
** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY TO SYMPATHETIC LISTS **
Vanunu Barred from Leaving Israel for Another Year
(Four reports from different perspectives)
1. Interior Minister extends ban on Vanunu leaving country by one year
(Haaretz)
2. Israel to Extend Vanunu Restrictions by 12 Months (Reuters)
3. Israel extends Vanunu travel ban - Vanunu is also forbidden to talk to
foreigners without permission (BBC)
4. Vanunu's travel ban extended one year (Jerusalem Post)
===========
Interior Minister extends ban on Vanunu leaving country by one year
19/04/2005
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Reuters
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/566908.html
Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz decided Tuesday to ban nuclear
whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu from leaving the country for a further 12
months due to concerns he could harm national security.
Pines-Paz told Army Radio he would prevent Vanunu from obtaining an Israeli
passport necessary to leave the country for another year.
MK Zahava Gal-On (Yahad) ha asked Pines-Paz to cancel the order preventing
Vanunu from getting a passport.
"He collected enormous amounts of information, a large part of which is
still relevant, I am sorry to say ... [and] he says 'the moment that I can,
I will publish it', Pines-Paz told Army Radio.
"When a man says that he will harm national security, where does that leave
us? ... [This is] a preventive step and we have no choice but to use it."
Vanunu was released from prison last April after serving an 18-year
sentence for spilling Israel's nuclear secrets to a British newspaper.
Vanunu was due Tuesday to address a session of the Knesset Constitution,
Law and Justice Committee to speak about the restrictions imposed on him
since his release from prison. He, however, decided that did not want to
appear before the committee, Israel Radio reported.
MK Issam Makhoul (Hadash) called for the meeting and among those due to
attend were Vanunu's adoptive parents, Nick and Mary Eoloff, who came
specially from the United States; Vanunu supporter Mairead Corrigan Maguire
of Ireland, the 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate; journalist Uri Avneri; and Dan
Yakir, chief legal counsel at the Association of Civil Rights in Israel.
The committee chairman, MK Michael Eitan, said Monday that, "I believe in
an open-door policy. I am prepared to extend respect to a man convicted of
spying, just as I respect someone who has received the Israel Security
Prize. I don't believe in shutting people's mouths. Vanunu served his
sentence and has a right to present his position."
==============
Israel to Extend Vanunu Restrictions by 12 Months
Tue Apr 19
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8220577
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's interior minister said on Tuesday he would
ban nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu from leaving the country for a
further 12 months due to concerns he could harm national security.
Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz told Army Radio he would prevent Vanunu
from obtaining an Israeli passport necessary to leave the country for
another year, saying Vanunu had more nuclear secrets to spill.
"He collected enormous amounts of information, a large part of which is
still relevant, I am sorry to say ... (and) he says 'the moment that I can,
I will publish it', Pines-Paz said.
"When a man says that he will harm national security, where does that leave
us? ... (This is) a preventive step and we have no choice but to use it."
Vanunu was released from prison last April after serving an 18-year
sentence for revealing to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper nuclear secrets
collected from years of work as a technician at Israel's Dimona atomic reactor.
The 50-year-old former nuclear technician has said that he has no
additional information about Israel's nuclear program and wants to leave
the country and start a new life abroad.
Vanunu is also on trial for violating the terms of his release in which he
was forbidden from speaking to foreign reporters. If convicted, he could be
jailed for up to two years.
The information and photographs of the Dimona reactor that Vanunu passed on
to the Sunday Times has led foreign experts to conclude that Israel has as
many as 200 nuclear warheads.
Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity in which it refuses to
confirm or deny whether it has nuclear weapons.
Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
==========
Israel extends Vanunu travel ban
Vanunu is also forbidden to talk to foreigners without permission
Tuesday, 19 April, 2005
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4459371.stm
Israel has extended a travel ban on former nuclear scientist Mordechai
Vanunu for another year, Israeli interior ministry officials have said.
Vanunu cannot now leave Israel until at least 19 April 2006, said ministry
spokesman Gilad Heiman.
Vanunu served 18 years in jail, most of it in solitary confinement, for
making public details of Israel's secret nuclear programme.
He was released in April 2004 under strict conditions.
Vanunu has not been allowed to have a passport, is forbidden to approach
ports and airports, and is banned from talking to foreigners without
permission.
Israel insists Vanunu still poses a security threat.
The Israeli authorities charged Vanunu in March with violating the terms of
his release from jail by giving interviews to the foreign media.
Vanunu says his action in revealing Israel's nuclear secrets aimed to avert
a nuclear holocaust in the region. Many Israelis view him as a traitor.
=============
Vanunu's travel ban extended one year
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Apr. 19, 2005
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFu
ll&cid=1113877270826
The Interior Ministry has extended by one year the order forbidding nuclear
whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu from leaving country by another year,
Interior Minister Ophir Paz-Pines said Tuesday morning.
After being imprisoned for 18 years for divulging intelligence about
Israel's nuclear capacity to the British press, Vanunu was released last
year but under severe restrictions: He is not allowed to leave Israel and
his movements within the country are limited.
Last month, the state indicted Vanunu for violating the orders 21 times
since his release.
Just a week ago the nuclear spy told Channel 1 and Channel 2 TV reporters,
a few minutes before the opening of his trial in Jerusalem Magistrate's
Court, that Israel possesses 200 atomic, hydrogen and neutron bombs and
produced 40 kilograms of plutonium each year.
In an interview with Army Radio Tuesday morning, Ophir Paz-Pines remarked
that Vanunu's leaking of information regarding Israel's nuclear
capabilities was possibly the single most significant compromise of
Israel's strategic security.
Preventing Vanunu from leaving the country is "a preventative measure,"
Paz-Pines stressed, since the nuclear whistle-blower has said that he would
continue speaking to foreign presses to disclose any information he knows.
Paz-Pines also noted that security officials had approached him warning
that it is likely that Vanunu knows even more intelligence information than
he has divulged thus far, and that it would be dangerous to allow him the
opportunity to reveal it.
Vanunu has said repeatedly that given the opportunity, he would continue to
publicize the information he knows. "I won't be silenced. I will exercise
my right to freedom of expression," he has said.
The Knesset Law Committee is set to discuss Vanunu Tuesday during its
weekly meeting.
=============
Felice Cohen-Joppa
Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
POB 43384
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone/Fax 520-323-8697
freevanunu@mindspring.com
www.vanunu.com
*****************************************************************
7 IPS-English RIGHTS: Belgian Mayors Back Move Against Nuclear
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:15:41 -0700
ROMAIPS EU WD IP HD
RIGHTS: Belgian Mayors Back Move Against Nuclear Weapons
By Stefania Bianchi
BRUSSELS, Apr 19 (IPS) - Some two hundred Belgian mayors added their
support Tuesday to the worldwide campaign to abolish all nuclear weapons by
2020 and for the withdrawal of U.S. nukes from Europe.
The mayors are calling on the Belgian government to step up its own
disarmament obligations, and for the "urgent" need for nuclear disarmament
around the world during the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review
conference that begins at the United Nations headquarters in New York May 2.
In addition, the mayors are demanding that Belgium takes the initiative in
setting up an international conference aimed at negotiating a treaty for a
worldwide ban on nuclear weapons.
The have asked the Belgian government in a resolution to contribute to the
realisation of a stricter disarmament agenda during the review conference,
which will assess the current state of nuclear weapons around the world.
The mayors are also calling for the gradual withdrawal of U.S. nuclear
weapons from Europe. The U.S. is the only country to have nuclear weapons
positioned in other countries.
The NPT entered into force in 1970. It aims to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons and weapons technology and to further the goal of achieving
nuclear disarmament.
In spite of significant reductions in the numbers of nuclear warheads held
by the U.S. and Russia since 1990, both countries still keep thousands of
warheads.
'For Mother Earth', a Belgian non-governmental organisation (NGO) and
member of Friends of the Earth International says there have been a
"terrifying number of near misses" both during and after the end of the
Cold War "in which the fate of civilisation and most living things has
depended on correct decision-making by highly stressed military personnel
or on presidents whose sobriety has sometimes been questionable."
The group adds that with the recent acquisition of nuclear weapons by India
and Pakistan, the subcontinent is moving toward a highly dangerous "hair
trigger" status.
The initial call to ban nuclear weapons came from the mayors of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in Japan.
Their cities were reduced to rubble by atomic bombs dropped by the United
States in August 1945. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives and
even today thousands suffer the devastating after-effects of radiation and
emotional pain.
In 1982, then mayor Takeshi Araki of Hiroshima proposed a new Mayors for
Peace programme, and called on mayors around the world to support the
initiative.
Since then some 763 cities in 110 countries have added their support to the
campaign.
Earlier this year Tadatoshi Akiba, the current mayor of Hiroshima, visited
the European Parliament to explain his "2020 vision" and to ask members of
the European Parliament (MEPs) to add their support for the complete
abolition of nuclear weapons by the year 2020.
Following the visit, some Belgian mayors called on their colleagues to join
the Mayors for Peace. As a result there are now 196 Belgian members of the
network.
Patrik Vankrunkelsven, mayor of the Belgian town of Laakdal, says the
international community must focus on its own standards if it wants any
credibility.
"We do not appear convincing if we prohibit Iran and North Korea from
acquiring nuclear weapons while we in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation) continue to use a nuclear deterrent for our own security," he
said in a statement Tuesday.
"We are even developing new, more useable nuclear weapons and hardly
getting rid of any older ones. Belgium must give a clear signal as soon as
possible and ask for the removal of the nuclear weapons," he added.
Bruno De Lille who will become mayor of Brussels during the NPT conference
in New York, said it was particularly important that Brussels supported the
campaign.
"As capital of Europe and host city for NATO headquarters, we certainly do
not want to be left behind. Instead we take on our responsibilities today,"
he said.
*****
+Mayors for Peace (http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/mayors/english)
+For Mother Earth (http://www.motherearth.org)
(END/IPS/EU/WD/IP/HD/SB/SS/05)
= 04191559 ORP014
NNNN
*****************************************************************
8 ThisisLondon: Debate to tackle our nuclear need
thisislondon.co.uk
By Katharine Barney, Evening Standard
19 April 2005
The future of nuclear power is the subject of an Evening
Standard-sponsored debate today.
Former Energy Secretary Lord Parkinson will lead a trio of
speakers for the motion "Nuclear energy must power our future" in
the Intelligence Squared debate. They will face opposition from
speakers led by environmentalist Zac Goldsmith.
The debate will take place at the Royal Geographic Society, 1
Kensington Gore, London SW7. Tickets are still available at ?20
each. For more information call 020 7494 3345.
*****************************************************************
9 BBC: Rice criticises 'Kremlin power'
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 April, 2005
[US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (centre) is greeted at
Vnukovo airport upon her arrival in Moscow,]
A bomb threat delayed Ms Rice's arrival to Moscow
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has expressed concern at
the progress of democracy and media curbs in Russia.
"The trends have not been positive on the democracy side," Ms
Rice said shortly before arriving in Moscow for her first visit
as the top US diplomat.
She said the Kremlin's consolidation of power was "clearly very
worrying".
But Ms Rice will not be seeking a row with President Vladimir
Putin, who the US sees as an ally in its war on terror, a BBC
correspondent says.
She will also be laying the ground for a visit to Russia by
George W Bush next month for World War II commemorations.
One can't imagine reverti back to Soviet times Condoleezza Rice
The US wants Russia to help fight the spread of nuclear
technology, especially in preventing Iran and North Korea from
acquiring nuclear weapons, BBC state department correspondent
Jonathan Beale says.
Soon after Ms Rice's arrival, a bomb threat at the hotel where
she was due to be staying forced her motorcade to be diverted to
the American ambassador's residence - a standard procedure in
emergencies.
Russian officials later gave an "all clear" signal after sweeping
Moscow's Renaissance Hotel in the city centre.
The Russian Emergency Ministry said there was no bomb, our
correspondent says.
On Wednesday, Ms Rice will go to Lithuania on Wednesday for a
Nato meeting - the first time the organisation's foreign
ministers meet on former Soviet territory.
'Commit to democracy'
Ms Rice made her comments to reporters on board her plane shortly
before landing in a Moscow airport.
Journalists in Russia are bei subjected to a rising spiral of
violence with numbers of them suffering brutal attacks Reporters
Without Borders
She also urged President Putin to make good on his promise not to
seek a third term in office.
But Ms Rice added that "one can't imagine reverting back to
Soviet times".
And in a speech to US newspaper editors last week Ms Rice
stressed that her message in Moscow would be "that a democratic
and vibrant and prosperous Russia is in everyone's interests".
"Our relationship with Russia holds enormous potential, and we
can do even more together as Russia moves along a democratic
path," she said.
Ms Rice met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Turkey in
February during a seven-day tour of Europe after becoming
secretary of state.
In that meeting, she said Russia must do more to show it is
committed to democracy if it wants deeper relations with Western
nations.
Media watchdog letter
That included strengthening the rule of law and permitting a free
press, she said.
International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders on Monday
urged Ms Rice to raise the issue of attacks on Russian
journalists when she meets President Putin on Wednesday.
"Journalists in Russia are being subjected to a rising spiral of
violence with numbers of them suffering brutal attacks," the
organisation said in a letter to Ms Rice.
"No fewer than 17 journalists were physically attacked and three
threatened in 2004 alone, because of their work."
Several reporters have also been murdered in recent years,
including US journalist Paul Klebnikov who worked for the Russian
edition of Forbes magazine in Moscow.
Before joining the Bush administration, Ms Rice was an academic
specialising in Russia.
*****************************************************************
10 BBC: Israel extends Vanunu travel ban
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 April, 2005
[Former nuclear scientist Mordechai Vanunu]
Vanunu is also forbidden to talk to foreigners without permission
Israel has extended a travel ban on former nuclear scientist
Mordechai Vanunu for another year, Israeli interior ministry
officials have said.
Vanunu cannot now leave Israel until at least 19 April 2006, said
ministry spokesman Gilad Heiman.
Vanunu served 18 years in jail, most of it in solitary
confinement, for making public details of Israel's secret nuclear
programme.
He was released in April 2004 under strict conditions.
Vanunu has not been allowed to have a passport, is forbidden to
approach ports and airports, and is banned from talking to
foreigners without permission.
Israel insists Vanunu still poses a security threat.
The Israeli authorities charged Vanunu in March with violating
the terms of his release from jail by giving interviews to the
foreign media.
Vanunu says his action in revealing Israel's nuclear secrets
aimed to avert a nuclear holocaust in the region. Many Israelis
view him as a traitor.
*****************************************************************
11 TheStar.com: At the unholy altar of nuclear weapons
Tue. Apr. 19, 2005. | Updated at 07:24 AM
Canada has a key role to play in preventing erosion of
non-proliferation pact, says Douglas Roche
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the 35th anniversary of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which was supposed to lead to a
nuclear-weapons-free world. Both anniversaries remind us of the
stark dangers nuclear weapons still pose to the world.
It is a moment of intense diplomatic challenge for Canada, a
country at the centre of the debate over the future of nuclear
weapons. That debate will take place at the NPT Review
conference May 2-27 at the United Nations.
In recent years, Iran, Libya and North Korea have pursued
illegal nuclear programs with the assistance of a secret
Pakistani network.
A high-level U.N. panel recently warned: "We are approaching a
point at which the erosion of the Non-Proliferation regime could
become irreversible and result in a cascade of proliferation."
It is truly shocking that the public seems oblivious to the
34,000 nuclear weapons still in existence, most of them with an
explosive power several times greater than the bombs that
destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The NPT was obtained through a bargain, with the nuclear-weapons
states agreeing to negotiate the elimination of their nuclear
weapons and share nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in
return for the non-nuclear states shunning the acquisition of
nuclear weapons.
Adherence to that bargain enabled the indefinite extension of
the treaty in 1995 and the achievement of an "unequivocal
undertaking" in 2000 toward elimination through a program of 13
Practical Steps.
Now the United States is rejecting the commitments of 2000 and
premising its aggressive diplomacy on the assertion that the
problem of the NPT lies not in the nuclear-weapons states' own
actions, but in the lack of compliance by states such as North
Korea and Iran.
Brazil has put the issue in a nutshell: "One cannot worship at
the altar of nuclear weapons and raise heresy charges against
those who want to join the sect."
The whole international community, nuclear and non-nuclear
alike, is concerned about proliferation and wants strong action
taken to ensure that Iran and North Korea do not become nuclear
weapons states.
But the new attempt by Washington to gloss over the
discriminatory aspects of the NPT, which are now becoming
permanent, has caused the patience of the members of the
non-aligned movement to snap.
They see a two-class world of nuclear haves and have-nots
becoming a permanent feature of the global landscape. They see
the U.S. researching the development of a new, "usable" nuclear
weapon and NATO, an expanding military alliance, clinging to the
doctrine that nuclear weapons are "essential."
Compounding the nuclear risk is the threat of nuclear terrorism,
which is growing day by day. It is estimated that 40 countries
have the knowledge to produce nuclear weapons and the existence
of an extensive illicit market for nuclear items shows the
inadequacy of the present export control system.
The task awaiting the 2005 review of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty is to convince the nuclear-weapons states that the only
hope of stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons is to
address nuclear disarmament sincerely.
This is precisely the stance taken by foreign ministers of the
New Agenda Coalition (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New
Zealand, South Africa and Sweden), who recently wrote:
"Nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament are two
sides of the same coin and both must be energetically pursued."
The New Agenda, which showed impressive leadership at the 2000
NPT review in negotiating the 13 Practical Steps with the
nuclear weapons states, is now clearly reaching out to other
middle-power states to build up what might be called the
"moderate middle" in the nuclear weapons debate.
Eight NATO states Belgium, Canada, Germany, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway and Turkey voted for the
New Agenda resolution at the U.N. in 2004, an action that
effectively built a bridge between NATO and the New Agenda. The
new "bridge" shows that a group of centrist states may be in
position to produce a positive outcome for the 2005 NPT review.
Here is where Canada can shine.
In 2002 and 2003, Canada was the only NATO nation to vote for
the New Agenda resolution. That was an act of courage, for
Canada likes the "good company" of its alliance partners when it
takes progressive steps. But the action was rewarded in 2004
when seven other NATO states joined Canada.
I recently held meetings with the governments of some of these
key countries Germany, Norway, The Netherlands and Belgium
to discuss how to make a success of the NPT review conference.
These countries look to Canada, as an important centrist state,
to maintain its leadership position in upholding the integrity
of the disarmament and non-proliferation goals of the NPT.
When I was in Europe, news came of the Canadian government's
decision not to join in the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defence
system.
This move won the unanimous admiration of the officials I
talked to. Clearly, they would like to work with Canada in
proposing workable solutions to the NPT crisis.
For Canada, working in a collegial manner with other centrist
states is much easier to do than the action it boldly took in
confronting the U.S. alone on missile defence.
In the present political climate, no "grand solution" is
possible. Rather, a set of incremental steps could be achieved
if the moderate middle states use their influence to convince
the U.S. that it is in American interests to protect the NPT's
ability to curb would-be nuclear proliferators.
These steps include: the start of negotiations for a ban on the
production of fissile materials; the striking of a new committee
at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to deal with nuclear
disarmament questions; the U.S. and Russia taking their
strategic nuclear weapons off "alert" status, and beefing up the
ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure that
nuclear fuels for civilian purposes are not diverted to nuclear
weapons.
This is a modest program. Many nuclear weapons abolitionists
will not be satisfied with it, for it falls far short of
negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
The world is a long way from obtaining such a treaty, which
would need a strong verification system to ensure the safe
elimination of all nuclear weapons. But the interim program
would at least save the NPT.
By working diligently and diplomatically with key NATO states
and the progressive New Agenda states, Canada can live up to its
own values of making the world safe from the spread of nuclear
weapons.
Douglas Roche is the former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament
and Senator Emeritus in Alberta. He is chairman of the Middle
Powers Initiative.
Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All
*****************************************************************
12 [NukeNet] Phila Inquirer - Nukes not Yet Clean and Green
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:19:42 -0700
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
Philadelphia Inquirer, Apr. 17, 2005
EDITORIAL: NUCLEAR POWER NOT YET CLEAN AND GREEN
Before the U.S. can grow more reliant on reactors, it must solve the
problem of disposing of nuclear waste.
As other energy analysts have done lately, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Samuel Bodman last week extolled nuclear energy's promise in the
international market, where electricity demand is projected to grow by
60 percent in the next 25 years.
"Nuclear power is the only method we have under current technology to
reliably produce large amounts of electricity without emitting any
pollution or greenhouse gases," he said.
Bodman cited the example of China, which plans to build 40 new
reactors within 15 years because, in the Chinese view, it's "clean and
green."
The analysts could very well be right about nuclear power's
transformative role in the effort to slow global warming. But what
Bodman and the others gloss over is an intractable problem that has
plagued nuclear power from the start: radioactive waste.
Waste disposal is a problem far from solved -- as evidenced by recent
alarms raised by the National Academies of Science and Government
Accountability Office and the continuing controversy of the Yucca
Mountain project. The United States needs to resolve waste disposal
before moving forward on nuclear energy as Bodman and congressional
energy bills are urging.
U.S. nuclear power plants produce 2,000 metric tons of "spent fuel" a
year. So far, the industry has accumulated 54,000 metric tons. Most of
it is submerged in swimming-pool-like holding tanks at the power
plants. Some is stored on land in dry casks.
In a report declassified this month, the National Academies questioned
the safety of some aspects of pool storage against possible terrorist
attack. The scientists recommended a plant-by-plant assessment by a
reviewer independent of industry or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
That's a good idea.
In a separate report, the GAO challenged the NRC's oversight and
accounting methods after three plants had missing or unaccounted for
spent fuel rods or rod fragments.
Since the 1950s, government and industry have agreed that solution to
nuclear waste disposal is a "geological repository" -- an underground
tomb, where the waste could cool for thousands of years and harm no
one. The problem was: Nobody wanted that in their backyard.
After years of debate, in 2002, President Bush proposed and Congress
approved Yucca Mountain, Nev., 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the
site to store 77,000 metric tons of waste. But the licensing recently
stalled over allegations that scientists falsified safety reports
about the site. The FBI and inspectors general from the Department of
Energy and U.S. Geological Survey are investigating. Chances of the
repository opening by 2012, as planned, are slim.
Nuclear energy provides 20 percent of the United States' electricity.
Environmental and energy demands may dictate upping that percentage in
the future. But before it does, the United States needs a long-term
plan for nuclear-waste disposal.
Copyright 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources
--
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave, Linwood
NJ 08221; 609-601-8583; cell 609-742-0982
ncohen12@comcast.net; http://www.unplugsalem.org
http://www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org
"A time comes when silence is betrayal.
Even when pressed by the demands of
inner truth, men do not easily assume
the task of opposing their government's
policy, especially in time of war.
Nor does the human spirit move without
great difficulty against all the apathy
of conformist thought, within one's own
bosom and in the surrounding world."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
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13 NRC: NRC Adopts Model Milestones to Increase Fairness and Efficiency of Adjudicatory Hearings
News Release - 2005-06 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office
of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC
20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 05-068 April 19, 2005
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is amending its regulations on
the conduct of adjudicatory hearings to establish model
milestones for presiding officers to use in scheduling and
managing hearings.
The model milestones, set out in a final rule to be published
shortly in the Federal Register, are designed to ensure the
fairness, predictability and efficiency of the NRCs adjudicatory
hearing process. They will provide the presiding officer with a
starting point for developing a hearing schedule while
preserving flexibility to adjust the schedule to the specific
requirements of each proceeding. The milestones are largely
based upon time requirements set out in NRC regulations in 10
CFR Part 2, as amended in January 2004.
The final rule becomes effective 30 days after publication in
the Federal Register.
Last revised Tuesday, April 19, 2005
*****************************************************************
14 Australian: Letters: The fallout over nuclear power
[April 20, 2005]
Last week's article on nuclear energy by Helen Caldicott
attracted criticism from readers who argued against some of her
explanations of scientific principles. Here two readers outline
their concerns and Caldicott responds.
THE article by Helen Caldicott is a mishmash of scaremongering
and sheer nonsense. Thus: "Tritium is composed of three atoms of
hydrogen" is simply false as well as ludicrous. "Yucca Mountain .
. . is transected by 32 earthquake faults" is presented as scary,
but is fanciful nonsense.
Thirty-two? Alle phantasie versagt! (The mind boggles.)
"Iodine 131 . . . is radioactive for only six weeks." The
half-life of iodine 131 is 8.04 days.
"Strontium 90 lasts for 600 years." The half-life of strontium 90
is 25years.
Caldicott notes that "there are 442 nuclear reactors in
operation around the world". Does she not see anything
significant in a number of this magnitude?
J. C. Barton
Former member of the Department of Natural Philosophy (Physics)
and the Department of Mathematics at the University of Melbourne
North Carlton, Victoria
AMONG many other things, I gave university radiochemistry and
radiation safety lectures for 30 years and I have considerable
sympathy for Helen Caldicott's anti-nuclear position. I also
agree with her support for more nuclear science being taught in
our universities indeed, serious errors in Caldicott's article
provide considerable evidence for this need.
Tritium is not "three atoms of hydrogen" it has a nucleus
containing one proton and two neutrons.
Iodine 131, strontium 90 and caesium 137 do not "last" for six
weeks, 600 years and 600 years, respectively they have
half-lives of about 8.1 days, 28.8 years and 30.2 years,
respectively. Gideon Polya Macleod, Victoria
HELEN Caldicott writes: Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen
composed of two neutrons and one proton. If one or both hydrogen
atoms in water are displaced by tritium, the tritiated water
molecule becomes radioactive.
As a soft energy beta emitter, tritium is more mutagenic than
gamma radiation and it incorporates directly into the DNA
molecule of the gene. Its half-life is 12.3 years, giving it a
biologically active life of 246 years.
It is common practice to multiply half-lives of radioactive
isotopes by 10 to 20 to estimate their radiological lives and
therefore the time that these elements will remain biologically
active in the ecosphere. As a physician I err on the side of
caution and used the multiple of 20 to estimate the total
radioactive life of an isotope.
Hence, iodine 131, with a half-life of 8.1 days, is actually
radioactive for 11 to 22, weeks depending on the calculation
used. Strontium 90 and caesium 137, with half-lives of 28.8
years and 30.2 years respectively, have biological lives of up
to 600 years.
Because these elements and many others made in nuclear reactors
simulate common trace elements that bio-concentrate in the food
chain and the human body, they are laid down in various organs,
where a small volume of surrounding cells receive high doses of
radiation while the rest of the body remains unaffected.
Radiation-induced cancer is a microscopic phenomenon requiring
mutation in a single regulatory gene in a single cell.
The Australian
*****************************************************************
15 Platts: NRC approval of Waterford-3 uprate is largest for U.S. PWR
+ NRC said today it approved Entergy's request to uprate
Waterford-3 by 8%, conditioned on the company's submittal of an
amendment accounting for "instrument uncertainty," which the
staff must review and approve. The uprate is the largest ever
for a PWR. Entergy received approval in 2002 for a 1.5% uprate.
The 8% increase raises Waterford-3's generating capacity from
3,441 MW(t) to 3,716 MW(t). NRC said the change would add about
68 MW(e).
Washington (Platts)--15Apr2005
Copyright 2005 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
16 Las Vegas SUN: NRC's Jaczko set to appear before panel
Today: April 19, 2005 at 9:08:59 PDT
By Suzanne Struglinski SUN WASHINGTON
BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Greg Jaczko will
appear before a Senate committee this week for a belated
confirmation hearing.
President Bush appointed Jaczko and Peter Lyons, a former aide
to Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., to the commission while Congress
was not in session. This allowed the two new commissioners to
skip confirmation hearings and a Senate vote.
Matt Dempsey, a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
staff member, said Wednesday's hearing is a confirmation hearing
in name only. It is just a chance for the committee members, who
have oversight authority of the commission, to ask questions and
get statements on the record from both commissioners, Dempsey
said.
Controversy surrounded Jaczko's nomination to one of two open
commission seats by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. The nuclear industry
objected to the nomination because Jaczko worked for Reid in
2002 during the height of the congressional debate on the
proposed nuclear waste storage site at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles
northwest of Las Vegas. Jaczko was one of the main people on
Reid's staff working toward the defeat of the project.
In addition to regulating commercial nuclear power plants, the
commission will ultimately decide to give a license to the
Energy Department to build the repository, if the department
submits a license application.
During the two-year period between Reid's recommendation for
nomination and Jaczko's swearing-in on Jan. 21, Reid placed
holds on Bush administration nominees and fought for Jaczko's
seat, emphasizing his qualifications and ability to evaluate
information objectively.
In the end, the Senate struck a deal for two-year terms for
Jaczko and Lyons after Bush nominee Navy Adm. Albert Konetzni
Jr. withdrew his nomination. Commissioners usually serve
five-year terms.
To secure his seat on the commission, Jaczko also volunteered
for a one-year recusal on anything related to Yucca Mountain or
geologic disposal of nuclear waste.
The committee before which Jaczko is to be questioned on
Wednesday is where Jaczko started working for Reid in 2000 when
Reid was a member of the committee. Reid gave up his seat on the
committee when he became the Senate minority leader this year.
*****************************************************************
17 canadaeast.com: Lepreau funding possible - Source cites $200-M figure
As published on page A1/A5 on April 19, 2005
GOODALE
JORGE BARRERA
The Daily Gleaner
OTTAWA - The federal government is contemplating giving NB Power
a $200 million grant through Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. to help
with the financial burden associated with the refurbishment of
Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant, says a Liberal source
close to the issue.
Two Liberal sources told The Daily Gleaner yesterday the federal
government was preparing a proposal for the province.
One source said Finance Minister Ralph Goodale would find the
$200 million, transfer it to AECL, which would then give it to NB
Power for the Point Lepreau nuclear plant refurbishment.
"That is the most likely scenario, whether or not that happens, I
don't know," said the source.
On the record, Indian Affairs Minister Andy Scott's office
reported there was no information of any proposals for the
provincial government. Scott, the regional minister for the
province, has the lead on the file.
Saint John Liberal MP Paul Zed, also key player on the file, said
he believes the federal government wants to help the province.
"It is fair to say there are several federal scenarios that look
for possible federal participation," said Zed, whose riding would
be most affected if the nuclear plant closed.
"It is still too early today to talk about it. It is at a very
senior level in the department of finance and our political
minister for New Brunswick and our office are involved. We are
familiar with attempts to resolve it in a positive way."
Provincial officials could not be reached for comment.
Premier Bernard Lord met with Prime Minister Paul Martin last
week to discuss the nuclear power plant. Lord has said the
province would not go ahead with the $1.4-billion Point Lepreau
refurbishment without Ottawa's financial help.
The premier had been looking for $400 million from the federal
government to cover the price gap between refurbishment or
expanding the Belledune coal-fired power plant.
If the province shouldered the full cost of the refurbishment,
power rates could end up rising by up to $10 a month, Lord has
said.
The 22-year-old power plant is nearing the end of its life and
needs to be refurbished to continue operating.
With energy markets fluctuating wildly, Point Lepreau provides a
welcome cushion for the province, which relies heavily on fossil
fuel generated electricity. The cushion helps keep power rates
stable.
When the premier met with the prime minister he produced a
one-page document outlining the province's case, leaving the
federal government with little to work with, said the source.
"I don't want to say it looked like a Homer Simpson guide on how
to buy a power plant, but it wasn't as in depth or in detail as
the government was hoping for," said the source.
"People weren't a 100 per cent sure the province had done its
homework."
The blame for this, however, should rest on NB Power's shoulders
said the source.
"I think there is a little bit of ineptitude on the part of NB
Power and the premier has been left with a Greek horse trying to
figure this thing out," said the source.
Sources have also said Natural Resources Canada has expressed
some discomfort with the issue, fearing it would entice Quebec
and Ontario to seek similar federal help with their nuclear
facilities.
Copyright 2005 Brunswick News Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
18 NRC: University of Utah; University of Utah TRIGA Nuclear Reactor
FR Doc 05-7844
[Federal Register: April 19, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 74)]
[Notices] [Page 20404-20405] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ap05-95]
Facility; Exemption 1.0 Background University of Utah (the
licensee), is the holder of Facility Operating License No. R-126,
which authorizes operation of the University of Utah Nuclear
Reactor Facility, an open pool TRIGA fueled research reactor
facility, licensed to operate at power levels up to 100
kilowatts, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The license provides,
among other things, that the facility is subject to all rules,
regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect. The current
operating license expires at midnight on April 17, 2005.
By letter dated April 13, 2005, the licensee requested an
exemption from the regulation, 10 CFR 2.109(a). Specifically, the
requested exemption allows the University of Utah to have
submitted a license renewal application for the research reactor
less than 30 days prior to the expiration of the operating
license, while maintaining the protection of the timely renewal
doctrine contained in 10 CFR 2.109(a). By letter dated March 25,
2005, the licensee applied for renewal of the research reactor
license. In the April 13, 2005 letter, the licensee stated it was
unable to submit a renewal application 30 days prior to license
expiration because: (1) Compliance with 10 CFR 2.109 created an
undue hardship not intended by this regulation due to the limited
staff (currently only two licensed senior reactor operators) and
a change in the Reactor Administrator (administrative change)
within the previous calendar year, and (2) misinterpretation of
the requirements of 10 CFR 2.109(a). The licensee also in the
April 13, 2005 letter, indicated that the exemption from the 30
day rule will not present: (1) an undue risk to the public health
and safety and is consistent with the common defense and
security, and that the reactor and material would be protected
under the current license provisions; (2) the licensee made a
good faith effort to comply with the regulation; and (3) there is
no good alternatives for divesting the licensee of material held
under the license. The licensee indicated that, in light of these
and other factors, it could not prepare and file a sufficient
license renewal application 30 days prior to the license
expiration specified in Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 2, Section 109(a), ``Effect of timely
renewal application.'' 2.0 Request/Action Section 109(a) of 10
CFR Part 2 states: ``Except for the renewal of an operating
license for a nuclear power plant under 10 CFR 50.21(b) or 50.22,
if, at least 30 days prior to the expiration of an existing
license authorizing any activity of a continuing nature, the
licensee files an application for a renewal or for a new
[[Page 20405]] license for the activity so authorized, the
existing license will not be deemed to have expired until the
application has been finally determined.'' The licensee's
application requested an exemption from the timing requirements
of 10 CFR 2.109(a), for submittal of the research reactor license
renewal application. The exemption would allow the submittal of
the renewal application with less than 30 days prior to
expiration of the operating license while maintaining the
protection of the timely renewal provision in 10 CFR 2.109(a).
3.0 Discussion Pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12, the
Commission may grant an exemption from the requirements of Part
50 when the exemption is (1) authorized by law, will not present
an undue risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent
with the common defense and security, and (2) special
circumstances are present as defined in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2). The
operation of the University of Utah research reactor since
initial licensing in 1975 and license renewal in 1985 has been
acceptable to ensure protection of the public health and safety
and consistent with the common defense and security. Further, the
requested exemption meets two special circumstances: 10 CFR
50.12(a)(2)(ii), ``[a]pplication of the regulation in the
particular circumstances would not serve the underlying purpose
of the rule or is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose
of the rule;'' and 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(iii), ``[c]ompliance would
result in undue hardship or other costs that are significantly in
excess of those contemplated when the regulation was adopted, or
that are significantly in excess of those incurred by others
similarly situated.'' The purpose of 10 CFR 2.109(a), as it is
applied to NRC licensees, is to implement the ``timely renewal''
doctrine of section 9(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act
(APA), 5 U.S.C. 558(c), which states: When the licensee has made
timely and sufficient application for a renewal or a new license
in accordance with agency rules, a license with reference to an
activity of a continuing nature does not expire until the
application has been finally determined by the agency.
The underlying purpose of this ``timely renewal'' provision in
the APA is to protect a licensee who is engaged in an ongoing
licensed activity and who has complied with agency rules in
applying for a renewed or new license from facing license
expiration as the result of delays in the administrative process.
Submittal of the license renewal application approximately 24
days, instead of 30 days, prior to expiration of the operating
license provides reasonable time prior to expiration to allow the
staff to ensure that the application is essentially complete and
sufficient and the licensee intends to continue to operate the
facility. The NRC's current schedule for review of research
reactor license renewal applications is to complete its review
and make a decision on issuing the renewed license within 48
months of receipt. Meeting this schedule is based on a complete
and sufficient application, and on the review being completed in
accordance with the NRC's established license renewal review
schedule. Also, completing the research reactor license renewal
review process on schedule is, of course, dependent on licensee
cooperation in meeting established schedules for submittal of any
additional information required by the NRC, and the resolution of
all issues demonstrating that issuance of a renewed license is
warranted.
The second special circumstance involves undue hardship or other
costs that are significantly in excess of those contemplated when
the regulation was adopted, or that are significantly in excess
of those incurred by others similarly situated. The research
reactor is operated solely for educational and research purposes.
The reactor is a part of the Nuclear Engineering Program, but it
also supports the curriculum of the other engineering disciplines
in the University of Utah College of Engineering. The loss of
this resource for an extended period of time during a license
renewal process is an undue hardship.
In summary, the licensee has demonstrated that application of the
subject regulation is not necessary to achieve the underlying
purpose of the rule and is an undue hardship, thus meeting the
criterion specified in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) and (iii).
Accordingly, the NRC staff agrees that special circumstances are
present to justify the requested exemption.
Therefore, the exemption is contingent upon the following
condition being met: To ensure timely completion of the review
process, the licensee must provide any requested information as
necessary to support the completion of the NRC staff's safety and
environmental reviews in accordance with the review schedule
issued by the NRC.
Pending final action on the license renewal application, the NRC
will continue to conduct all regulatory activities associated
with licensing, inspection, and oversight, and will take whatever
action may be necessary to ensure adequate protection of the
public health and safety. The existence of this exemption does
not affect NRC's authority, applicable to all licenses, to
modify, suspend, or revoke a license for cause, such as a serious
safety concern.
4.0 Conclusion Accordingly, the Commission has determined that,
pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the exemption is authorized by law,
will not endanger life or property or common defense and
security, and is, otherwise, in the public interest. In addition,
special circumstances exist to justify the proposed exemption.
Therefore, the Commission hereby grants the licensee an exemption
from the requirement of 10 CFR 2.109(a) for the University of
Utah research reactor. Specifically, this exemption will allow
the University of Utah to have submitted a license renewal
application for the research reactor less than 30 days prior to
the expiration of the operating license, while maintaining the
protection of the timely renewal doctrine contained in 10 CFR
2.109(a), subject to the condition imposed by this exemption.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the
granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on
the quality of the human environment. This exemption is effective
upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of April, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David B. Matthews, Director, Division of Regulatory Improvement
Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 05-7844 Filed 4-18-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
19 Xinhua: Chile eyes nuclear power as valid option
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-19 12:37:21
SANTIAGO, April 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Chile is bracing for its
era of nuclear power, with the Southern American country's top
nuclear scientist declaring "readiness for the moment."
"We have the responsibility of being ready for the moment
when a decision is made," Roberto Hojman, the Chilean Commission
of Nuclear Power, said on Sunday, quoted by the local press.
At a ceremony to mark the 41st anniversary of the
commission, Hojman stressed the need for boosting power supply
to meet the increasing demand from the economic development.
He said the situation "makes us consider the option of the
nuclear fission as a possible source of electric power,"
although "this alternative is not yet put on the agenda."
It is "a valid choice," as there are already 440 nuclear
plants across the world and more than 40 others under
construction. Nuclear power plants in 30 countries, including
the United States, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and South
Korea, are supplying 16 percent of the world's total
electricity, according to Chilean scientists.
They believe progress in science and technology has made it
possible for a safe use of nuclear power in Chile.
"The Chernobyl-style nuclear plants are out of date and out
of mind," Hojman said.
Claudio Tenreiro, the former manager of the commission, said
that enriched uranium for a nuclear plant has been downgraded
nearly 20 percent from Uranium 235 to Uranium 238, rendering it
unsuitable for making an atomic bomb. Enditem
Copyright 2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
20 NRC: In the Matter of Texas Genco, LP; City Public Service Board of
FR Doc E5-1840
[Federal Register: April 19, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 74)]
[Notices] [Page 20403-20404] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ap05-94]
San Antonio; AEP Texas Central Company; STP Nuclear Operating
Company (South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2); Order Approving
Transfer of Licenses and Conforming Amendments I.
STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC), and owners Texas Genco,
LP (Texas Genco), the City Public Service Board of San Antonio
(CPS), AEP Texas Central Company (TCC), and the City of Austin,
Texas (COA) are holders of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-76
and NPF-80, which authorize the possession, use, and operation of
the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2 (the facility or STP).
STPNOC is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC
or Commission) to operate STP. The facility is located at the
licensees' site in Matagorda County, Texas.
II.
By letter dated October 21, 2004, STPNOC submitted an application
requesting approval of direct license transfers that would be
necessary in connection with the proposed transfer of TCC's 25.2
percent undivided ownership interest in the facility to STP
current co-owners Texas Genco and CPS. The transfer of TCC's
interest may occur under one of several alternative scenarios
described in the application. Supplemental information was
provided by letters dated December 13 and 22, 2004, and February
23 and March 1, 2005. Hereinafter, the October 21, 2004,
application and supplemental information will be referred to
collectively as the ``application.'' STPNOC also requested
approval of conforming license amendments that would remove TCC
from the facility operating licenses. After completion of the
proposed transfers under any proposed scenario, Texas Genco, CPS,
and COA would be the sole owners of the facility; the role of
STPNOC would be unchanged.
The application also requested NRC approval, as necessary, of any
indirect transfer of the licenses as held by STPNOC that would be
effected by the transfer of TCC's ownership interest in STP under
any proposed scenario.
Approval of the transfer of the facility operating licenses and
conforming license amendments was requested by STPNOC pursuant to
50.80 and 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR). Notice of the request for approval and an opportunity
for a hearing was published in the Federal Register on December
20, 2004 (69 FR 76019). No comments or hearing requests were
received.
Under 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or any right thereunder, shall be
transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control
of the license, unless the Commission shall give its consent in
writing. Upon review of the information in the application and
other information before the Commission, and relying upon the
representations and agreements contained in the application, the
NRC staff has determined that Texas Genco and CPS are qualified
to hold the ownership interest in the facility previously held by
TCC under the alternative scenarios described in the application,
and that the transfer of TCC's 25.2 percent undivided ownership
interest in the facility to Texas Genco and/or CPS under the
alternative scenarios described in the application is otherwise
consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and
orders issued by the Commission, subject to the conditions set
forth below. The NRC staff has further found that the application
for the proposed license amendments complies with the standards
and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
(the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth
in 10 CFR Chapter I. The facility will operate in conformity with
the application, the provisions of the Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission; there is reasonable assurance that
the activities authorized by the proposed license amendments can
be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the
public and that such activities will be conducted in compliance
with the Commission's regulations; the issuance of the proposed
license amendments will not be inimical to the common defense and
[[Page 20404]] security or to the health and safety of the
public; and the issuance of the proposed amendments will be in
accordance with 10 CFR part 51 of the Commission's regulations
and all applicable requirements have been satisfied. The NRC
staff has also found that to the extent that the transfer of
TCC's interest as described herein will effect an indirect
transfer of the licenses as held by STPNOC, such transfer of
TCC's interest will not affect the qualifications of STPNOC as a
holder of the licenses, and such indirect transfer of the
licenses as held by STPNOC is otherwise consistent with
applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by
the Commission pursuant thereto.
The findings set forth above are supported by NRC safety
evaluation dated ------.
III.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161o, and 184 of the Act,
42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(o), and 2234; and 10 CFR 50.80, it is
hereby ordered that the direct transfer of the licenses as
described herein is approved, subject to the following
conditions: 1. On the closing date of the transfer of any part of
TCC's interest in STP to Texas Genco, TCC shall transfer to Texas
Genco TCC's decommissioning funds accumulated as of such date, as
follows: (1) If TCC transfers a 13.2 percent interest in STP to
Texas Genco, TCC shall transfer 52.38 percent (13.2/25.2) of its
accumulated decommissioning funds to Texas Genco; (2) if TCC
transfers its entire 25.2 percent interest in STP to Texas Genco,
TCC shall transfer all of its accumulated decommissioning funds
to Texas Genco. In either case, Texas Genco shall ensure the
deposit of such funds received from TCC into an external
decommissioning trust consistent with the application.
2. On the closing date of the transfer of any part of TCC's
interest in STP to CPS, TCC shall transfer to CPS TCC's
decommissioning funds accumulated as of such date, as follows:
(1) if TCC transfers a 12.0 percent interest in STP to CPS, TCC
shall transfer 47.62 percent (12.0/25.2) of its accumulated
decommissioning funds to CPS; (2) if TCC transfers its entire
25.2 percent interest in STP to CPS, TCC shall transfer all of
its accumulated decommissioning funds to CPS. In either case, CPS
shall ensure the deposit of such funds received from TCC into an
external decommissioning trust consistent with the application.
It is further ordered that, consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b),
license amendments that make changes, as indicated in Enclosures
2 and 3 to the cover letter forwarding this Order, to conform the
licenses to reflect the subject direct license transfers are
approved. The amendments shall be issued and made effective at
the time the proposed direct license transfers are completed.
It is further ordered that to the extent any indirect transfer of
the licenses as held by STPNOC would be effected by reason of the
transfer of TCC's interest in STP, such indirect transfer of the
licenses is approved.
It is further ordered that STPNOC shall inform the Director of
the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation in writing of the date
of closing of the transfer of TCC's interest in STP no later than
5 business days prior to closing. Should the transfer of the
licenses not be completed by April 1, 2006, this Order shall
become null and void, provided, however, that upon written
application and for good cause shown, such date may be extended
by order.
This Order is effective upon issuance.
For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial
application dated October 21, 2004, as supplemented by letters
dated December 13 and 22, 2004, and February 23 and March 1,
2005, and the non-proprietary safety evaluation dated April 4,
2005, which are available for public inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White
Flint North, Public File Area 01 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first
floor), Rockville, Maryland, and accessible electronically from
the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web
site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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, (301) 415-4737,
or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 4th day of April
2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
J. E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-1840 Filed 4-18-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
21 NRC: University of Utah; University of Utah TRIGA Nuclear Reactor
FR Doc 05-7845
[Federal Register: April 19, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 74)]
[Notices] [Page 20405-20406] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ap05-96]
Facility; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is
considering issuance of an exemption from certain requirements of
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), subsection
2.109(a), for Facility Operating License No. R-126, which
authorizes operation of the University of
[[Page 20406]] Utah TRIGA Nuclear Reactor Facility, a 100 kW
(thermal) research reactor facility, located in Salt Lake County,
Utah. 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
Subsection 109(a) of 10 CFR Part 2 states, ``Except for the
renewal of an operating license for a nuclear power plant under
10 CFR 50.21(b) or 50.22, if, at least 30 days prior to the
expiration of an existing license authorizing any activity of a
continuing nature, the licensee files an application for a
renewal or for a new license for the activity so authorized, the
existing license will not be deemed to have expired until the
application has been finally determined.'' The University of Utah
has requested an exemption from the timing requirements of 10 CFR
2.109(a), for submittal of the University of Utah TRIGA Nuclear
Reactor Facility license renewal application.
The exemption would allow the submittal of the renewal
application with less than 30 days remaining prior to expiration
of the operating license while maintaining the protection of the
timely renewal provision in 10 CFR 2.109(a). The proposed action
is in accordance with the licensee's application for exemption
dated April 13, 2005.
The Need for the Proposed Action Because the licensee has
submitted their application for license renewal less than 30 days
before the expiration date of the existing license (midnight
April 17, 2005), the proposed action is needed to allow continued
operation of the facility while the NRC staff makes a final
determination regarding license renewal.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The NRC has
completed its evaluation of the proposed action and concludes
that pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the proposed exemption is
authorized by law, will not endanger life or property or common
defense and security, and is, otherwise, in the public interest.
In addition, special circumstances exist to justify the proposed
exemption.
The details of the staff's evaluation will be provided in the
exemption that will be issued as part of the letter to the
licensee approving the exemption to the regulation.
Because the proposed action would allow continued operation of
the reactor facility under the current license conditions and
technical specifications and will not authorize any changes to
the facility or its operation, 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 offsite. There is no significant increase in
the amount of any effluent release offsite. 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 staff 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 NRC staff
considered denial of the proposed action (i.e., the ``no-action''
alternative). Denial of the application for exemption would
result in a period of time where the licensee would not operate
the reactor while the NRC staff reviewed the licensee's
application for license renewal.
There would be a small decrease in environmental impact during
the period of time the reactor would be shut down and the
benefits of education and research would be lost. The
environmental impacts of the proposed action and the alternative
action are similar.
Alternative Use of Resources This proposed action does not
involve the use of any resources not previously considered in
environmental impact appraisal for initial facility license
authorization dated September 30, 1975, and the environmental
assessment for operating license renewal dated March 27, 1985.
Agencies and Persons Consulted In accordance with its policy, on
April 13, 2005, the NRC staff consulted with the Utah State
official, Mr. Dane Finerfrock, Director, Division of Radiation
Control, Department of Environmental Quality, regarding the
environmental impact of the proposed action. The State official
had no comments regarding the environmental aspects of the
exemption.
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 April 13, 2005. 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
O1F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from
the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web
site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do
not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing
the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737,
or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this
14th day of April, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patrick M. Madden, Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors
Section, New, Research and Test Reactors Program, Division of
Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 05-7845 Filed 4-18-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
22 Korea Times: Purpose of NK Reactor Shutdown Unclear - FM
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter
South Koreas top diplomatic official said Tuesday it is
difficult at present to verify the reason why North Korea
suspended operation of its key nuclear reactor, whose spent fuel
rods could be used to extract plutonium for atomic bombs.
``For now, it is difficult to confirm whether the North halted
the reactor to unload spent fuel rods or for technical
reasons, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon
said at a session of the National Assemblys
Unification-Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee.
He added the government has been examining intelligence ``with
many possibilities in mind in order to figure out the
reality of the situation, which has added a sense of urgency to
resolving the 30-month North Korean nuclear problem.
On Monday, Seoul confirmed media reports that operation of the
5-megawatt reactor at the Norths main nuclear complex in
Yongbyon, some 90 kilometers north of Pyongyang, has stopped. A
senior diplomat said Seoul is closely cooperating with
Washington on the intelligence.
With few means at hand to clarify with certainty what is
happening in the secretive nation, South Korean officials showed
a cautious attitude, raising the possibility that the reactor
might have been halted for ``technical reasons.
Minister Ban dismissed as speculation recent news reports that
former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri plans to pass
on an important message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to
President Roh Moo-hyun.
``Weve checked that through our mission in Indonesia. It has
been found to be untrue, he said in reply to an opposition
lawmakers questions.
As the six-party talks have stalled for almost 10 months, the
media entertained various speculations and scenarios on the
nuclear dispute, including Chinese President Hu Jintaos
upcoming visit to Pyongyang and a possible inter-Korean summit.
Yesterdays parliamentary session, became a heated debate as
lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties clashed over
such controversial issues as the Roh administrations
``balancer strategy in Northeast Asia and the South
Korea-U.S. alliance.
``President Roh is ruining the South Korea-U.S. alliance with
attacks at pro-American figures as well as his balancer
strategy, Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the main opposition Grand
National Party (GNP) said, asking Minister Ban what the
``balancer really means.
Rep. Park Sung-vum, who is also from the conservative GNP,
branded Rohs policy as a typical ``populism based on
nationalistic ideology.
The ruling Uri Partys counteroffensive was no less
belligerent than the oppositions attacks. Uri Partys Rep. Im
Jong-seok said Rohs criticism was directed at conservative
forces represented by the GNP. ``It is the GNP itself that
really harms the nations interests.
The debate on pro- and anti-Americanism was triggered by the
conservatives attack against Roh who complained about some
people, who he described as ``more American than Americans
during his visit to Turkey last week.
``I feel most troubled by those Koreans who think and speak in
more pro-American ways than even Americans do, he was quoted
as saying.
``What President Roh has in mind is that the Republic of Korea
should removing causes for instability in Northeast Asia and
play an active role as a balancer in the region by strengthening
its traditional alliance with the United States, Ban told
lawmakers.
jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr 04-19-2005 17:28
*****************************************************************
23 Korea Times: North's Halt of Reactor
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion
Six-Party Dialogue Is Further Compounded
Another twist has turned in the nuclear standoff between
Pyongyang and Washington, as it was confirmed that North Korea
recently stopped operating the five-megawatt reactor at its
Yongbyon nuclear complex. The government is trying to down play
the significance of this by saying the reactor was temporarily
suspended for technical reasons. However, speculations are
swirling that the North suspended operations in order to
reprocess spent fuel rods to extract the plutonium, key in
nuclear weapons production. It is also reported that the North
could manufacture up to eight nuclear warheads with the
plutonium extracted from some 8,000 spent fuel rods in the
reactor.
No matter what the truth is behind the Norths latest move, it
has compounded a resumption of the six-party dialogue, suspended
last June, following the third round held in Beijing, China.
Some experts on the nuclear issue consider the suspension of
operations as yet another gamble by the North to wrest
concessions from the United States before it returns to the
negotiating table.
In February, the communist regime declared that it had already
secured nuclear warheads and would stay away from the six-party
talks for an indefinite period unless the Bush administration
drops its hostile policy. The unpredictable North again
confounded the international community by then demanding the
multilateral nuclear negotiations be changed to arms reduction
talks.
Even without the Norths premeditated offensives, the
six-party dialogue has been seriously threatened because of not
only a rift in the alliance between Seoul and Washington, but
also because of disagreements Seoul and Beijing have with Tokyo
over Japans distortions of its wartime atrocities. The
discordant development among the four major participants in the
six-party talks has made Washington lose its patience. The White
House said Monday that the nuclear issue would be referred to
the U.N. Security Council, if the North refuses to return to the
negotiating table. It is the first time the White House has
revealed its intention of taking the nuclear dispute to the U.N.
governing body. If the case were brought before the Security
Council, the North would not be able to avoid economic
sanctions, aggravating its poor economy and the hardships of its
poverty-stricken people.
Against this backdrop, the North needs to return to the
negotiating table as early as possible to peacefully resolve the
nuclear crisis which began in October 2002 with its violation of
the 1994 agreement it signed with Washington to defuse their
first nuclear confrontation. A diplomatic settlement of the
nuclear crisis is the only way the North can preserve its system
and obtain global aid to sustain its economy.
04-19-2005 16:56
*****************************************************************
24 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
FR Doc 05-7847
[Federal Register: April 19, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 74)]
[Notices] [Page 20406-20407] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ap05-97]
Agency Holding the Meeting: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Date: Week of April 18, 2005.
Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland.
Status: Public and Closed.
Matters to be Considered: Week of April 18, 2005 Thursday, April
21, 2005 2:55 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting)
(Tentative).
a. Duke Energy Corp. (Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2),
[[Page 20407]] Commission sua sponte review of portions of the
Licensing Board's March 10, 2005 final decision on security
contention (Tentative).
*The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on
short notice. To verify the status of meetings call
(recording)--(301) 415- 1292. Contact person for more
information: Dave Gamberoni, (301) 415- 1651.
* * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the
Internet at:
http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html. * * *
* * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable
accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need
this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from
the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large
print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator,
August Spector, at 301-415-7080, TDD: 301-415- 2100, or by e-mail
at aks@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable
accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
* * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred
subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition,
distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic
message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: April 14, 2005.
Dave Gamberoni, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05-7847 Filed 4-15-05; 9:47 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
*****************************************************************
25 PRN: Wisconsin Power and Light Receives Approval to Defer $13.2
Million in Incremental Fuel Costs Related to Kewaunee Nuclear
Power Plant Outage
Alliant Energy is the parent company of two public utility
companies--Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin
Power and Light Company (WPL)--and of Alliant Energy Resources,
Inc. (AER), the parent company of Alliant Energy's non-regulated
operations. (PRNewsFoto)
MADISON, WI USA 04/11/2003
ALT="http://www.alliantenergy.com"
MADISON, Wis., April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wisconsin Power
and Light Company (WP), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy
Corporation (NYSE: LNT), received approval from the Public
Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) to defer continuing
fuel-related incremental costs associated with the extension of
the unplanned outage at the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP).
Deferred fuel-related costs, covering the period April 15 through
mid to late May, are expected to be approximately $13.2 million.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020405/LNTLOGO )
Approval of this deferral means that WP is authorized deferred
accounting treatment for the replacement of incremental fuel
costs and the lost value of unburned fuel while KNPP is out of
service.
Last week, the PSCW approved WP's $26.4 million fuel-only rate
case filed in March of 2005 to recover increased fuel and
purchased power costs caused, in part, by the unplanned outage at
KNPP. The timeframe for KNPP costs included in that rate case was
through mid-April, when the plant was originally expected to
return to service. This deferral represents incremental
fuel-related costs beyond those included in the recently-approved
fuel-only rate case, as the plant is now expected to return to
service in mid to late May.
The PSCW also separately approved deferral of additional
operating and maintenance costs related to the unplanned outage.
"The extended unplanned outage at KNPP continues to increase our
costs, particularly for fuel and purchased power because of the
need to replace low-cost nuclear energy with higher cost
replacement power," says Barbara J. Swan, president of WP.
"However, our retail electric customers will not immediately
experience the rate impact of our total increased KNPP-related
costs due to deferral. While this approach does not eliminate the
need to recover these costs, it delays potential recovery to a
future date."
Alliant Energy Corporation is an energy-services provider with
subsidiaries serving more than three million customers. Providing
its customers in the Midwest with regulated electricity and
natural gas service remains the company's primary focus.
Wisconsin Power and Light, the company's Wisconsin utility
subsidiary, serves 445,000 electric and 176,000 natural gas
customers. Other business platforms include the international
energy market and non-regulated domestic generation. Alliant
Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company
traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For
more information, visit the company's Web site at
http://www.alliantenergy.com .
SOURCE Alliant Energy Corporation
Web Site: http://www.alliantenergy.com Photo Notes:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020405/LNTLOGO AP Archive:
http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk,
photodesk@prnewswire.com
Copyright 1996- PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
26 Nuclear Rearmament, Not Disarmament By Nuke Weapons States
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:21:40 -0400
Nuclear Rearmament, Not Disarmament
Critics of "nuclear club" resistance to
disarmament will try to make
their case at the upcoming 2005 Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Review Conference. Now, there is documented proof
to make that case. A
new report proves the nuclear weapon states (NWS)
are disregarding NPT
Article VI disarmament obligations, in favor of
wholesale arsenal
modernization programs and priority development of
next-generation
nuclear weapons. Based on over 80 referenced
information sources, the
detailed analysis draws five principal
conclusions:
1. All NWS are currently engaged in nuclear
rearmament, i.e.: arsenal
modernization through deployment of new or
improved weapon systems.
2. The U.S. and Russia are updating selected
weapon systems with
life-extension modifications to extend nuclear
force capabilities
through mid-century.
3. The U.S., Russia and China are developing
next-generation weapons
which could continue in service well beyond
mid-century. A
next-generation U.S. strategic bomber might not
retire until 2080-85.
The U.S. is also modernizing its nuclear weapons
infrastructure to
support nuclear arsenals indefinitely.
4. U.S. national security policies are a
consistent framework to
justify nuclear rearmament indefinitely.
5. NWS behavior belies commitment to nuclear
disarmament, as obligated
under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), Article VI.
The full report, including 4-page Executive
Summary, is available (in
HTML and PDF formats) at:
http://www.abolishnukes.com/short_essays/nuclear_rearmament.html
In addition, a summary chart focusing on
next-generation weapons (with
links to the full report) is located at:
http://www.abolishnukes.com/charts/2005_npt_review_p4.html
Finally, a second chart linked to the report is
keyed to current nuclear
program activity in U.S., Russia, China, France,
U.K., Israel, India,
Pakistan, and North Korea:
http://www.abolishnukes.com/charts/nuclear_rearmament.html
*****************************************************************
27 [DU-WATCH] Fw: Re: Blumrich - America's Nuclear Warfare
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:27:32 -0500 (CDT)
All,
Eric Blumrich does excellent work.
The link is http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
Have a good day.
Bob Nichols
__________________________________________
America's First Nuclear War was fought in 1991.
America's Nuclear Warfare - LINK - TVNL Comment: Very graphic but a must see.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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28 [smygo] Planting the seeds of another war against WMD
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:49:25 -0500 (CDT)
Planting the seeds of another war against WMD
So the War-crafters are planning for war against Iran. One way to
hype up the average dump 'Merikan is to sell them the idea that the
"enemy" those godless pagan atheists Air-abs have WMDs. And what
better way is to tell the uneducated masses that those I-ran-ians with
their Moolahs have biological weapons of mass destruction. How? Well
having a company within the US of A hand to the UN a lethal strain of
1957 influenza would be one way. Then the UN's prized program WHO
will be framed and Iran would be accused of trying to get that strain
from the accidental release by WHO.
note: anyone who knows the Iranians people know they are not
"Arabic", but a mix of Persian, Azeri Turk, Kurdish and some Arab.
Articles and URLs for your consumption:
US Sends Deadly Flu Virus 'in Error'
Posted: 04/14
From: Mathaba
The World Health Organisation issued a warning today after a US
institute sent to thousands of laboratories samples of a lethal flu
virus that killed around four million people in the late 1950s.
Observers have long wondered why such deadly viruses should be stored
in US and labs like the UK military's Porton Down, and not simply
destroyed.
"There is a slim but a real risk that this could spark a pandemic,"
said Maria Cheng, a spokeswoman for the WHO, explaining that many
people around the world would have no protection if the virus were
ever released from the high-security labs.
The virus, H2N2, killed between one million and four million people
worldwide during the Asian influenza pandemic of 1957-58 before
disappearing in 1968.
"As far as pandemics go, it (the event in 1957-58) was relatively
mild. But if this were to recur it would have significant consequences
for the public health system," Cheng said.
The samples were included in kits used to regularly test the ability
of the laboratories in 18 countries to identify strains of flu virus.
Ninety per cent of the laboratories were in North America.
The virus was sent to laboratories in Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Lebanon, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the
United States, the UN's health agency said.
So far, laboratories in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea
were known to have destroyed all the H2N2 samples they received, it
said. But could Israel and Saudi Arabic be trusted to do so, each
representing religious fanatics and renowned as hot beds of terrorism?
The agency's top flu expert, Klaus Stohr, said all the samples were
expected to be destroyed by Friday. Yet no one explained how it could
be known if a small amount is saved and not destroyed, and whether
therefore 100% verification would be possible.
A US-based private institution, the College of American Pathologists,
distributed the samples of H2N2 to 3,747 laboratories through the
private Meridian Bioscience Inc in two batches, in October 2004 and
February 2005.
The samples appeared to have been distributed deliberately and legally
because of national differences in the hazard rating of the strain,
Stohr told journalists.
"Legally that's fine, epidemiologically and looking at the risk
assessment, it may have not been a good idea to do that," Stohr said
in a clear understatement.
"It is certainly something that will have to be reconsidered in the
future, definitely, and WHO will make recommendations," to ensure that
the virus strain is given a higher hazard rating, he added.
The WHO said normally only circulating influenza virus strains to
which people have been exposed in recent years should be sent out in
testing kits.
It warned in a statement yesterday that people born after 1968 would
probably have no or only limited immunity to the strain, which is not
contained in current influenza vaccines.
However, the WHO itself commissioned an independent report in the
1980's into investigating a link between the initial spread of HIV in
Africa and Asia and one of its vaccine programs and then surpressed
the report which briefly surfaced in the London 'Times' newspaper
before being censored by a compliant media.
The 'US distribution of lethal flu' alarm was first raised by Canada's
National Microbiology Laboratory after it detected H2N2 virus in a
sample on March 25, leading to an alert issued by US authorities
through the College of American Pathologists on April 8.
It is also worth noting that the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease which
spread like wildfire around England and other countries came from a
sample that "went missing" from the British Military lab at Porton
Down, which also stores lethal diseases for unknown purposes. The
source of the "Asian Bird Flu" and other recent pandemics may also be
traced to such origins in coming years, if transparency and
accountability of the UK and US governments and their institutions is
ever attained.
There has been no sufficient logical explanation for the reasons for
outbreak of such diseases in recent years, as well as deadly viruses
in Africa, usually in war zones such as South Sudan and Zaire.
http://mathaba.net/x.htm?http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=186680
_______
Courting Armageddon
Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:44:50 -0500
Summary:
Aside from all the new smart-bomb, non-lethal and lethal extra-special
weaponry currently used and developed, US Senate majority leader Bill
Frist in January 2005 called for a new Manhattan Project (referring to
the WWII-era nuclear weapons bonanza) for biological weapons. Itbs
terrifying to consider the potential repercussions, both domestic and
abroad, of the Bush administrationbs coveted new biological-weapons
Manhattan Project.
[Posted By Ryz]
By Heather Wokusch
Republished from Common Dreams News Center
How the Bush Administration's Biological Weapons Buildup Affects You
News that a U.S. company recently sent vials of a 1957 pandemic flu
strain to laboratories across the world by accident is only the latest
outrage from the billion-dollar boondoggle called the federal
biological weapons program.
As you might recall, the Bush administration started its bbiodefenseb
spending spree following the September 2001 deadly anthrax attacks,
and one of its first projects was to genetically engineer a
super-resistant, even more deadly version of the anthrax virus.
Our leaders are nuts.
Unfortunately, Project Jefferson has good company. A US Army scientist
in Maryland is currently trying to bring back elements of the 1918
Spanish flu, a virus which killed 40 million people. And a virologist
in St. Louis has been working on a more lethal form of mousepox
(related to smallpox) b" just to try stopping the virus once itbs been
created.
Lack of oversight and runaway spending are exacerbated by the Bush
administrationbs disrespect for the internationally-recognized
Biological Weapons Convention. In short, reduced pressure on weapons
labs to issue declarations and allow inspections means less
accountability b" and more opportunities for secrecy and abuse.
Put bluntly, the increasing number of stateside bioweapons blunders
should come as no surprise. In February 2003, for example, the
University of California at Davis (UCD) took a full ten days to inform
nearby communities that a rhesus monkey had escaped from its
primate-breeding facility. Coincidentally, UCD had been vying for
government funds to set up its own bhot zoneb biodefense lab which
could use primates for biological weapons testing. If that monkey had
been infected with ebola, or some other virus, itbs unclear when or if
the public would have been informed.
At roughly the same time that the monkey ditched UCD, the Pentagon
unearthed over 2,000 tons of hazardous biological waste in Maryland,
much of it undocumented leftovers of an abandoned germ warfare
program. Nearby, the FBI was draining a pond for clues into 2001bs
anthrax attacks.
Doesnbt inspire much trust in the transparency of US biological
weapons programs. And things appear only to be getting worse.
In 2004, a whopping $6 billion went up for grabs for federal
biodefense programs, and laboratories across the country went
ballistic trying to get their hands on some of that cash. Predictably,
cases of fraud and abuse quickly surfaced.
In June 2004, for example, the Army was caught shirking inspections at
a major biodefense lab under its domain. The scandal went back to
1999, when the Army commissioned a biological and chemical
weapons-agent lab at Tennesseebs Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Oversight regulations obligated the Army to inspect the lab each year
thereafter, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were supposed to
have inspected the lab on a regular basis too.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly; in December 2003, the
committee in charge of safety at the Oak Ridge lab announced that it
bremains comfortable of the review and inspections of the Chem/Bio
Facility conducted by the CDC and the Army.b
Small problem. In 2004, the Department of Energybs Inspector General
discovered that the Army actually hadnbt inspected the Oak Ridge
biodefense lab for the previous three years, and that the CDC hadnbt
been there for four years. Yet the labbs safety committee said it was
bcomfortableb with the imaginary inspections.
Also in 2004, a military biodefense contractor called Southern
Research landed in hot water by accidentally sending live anthrax
across the country from Frederick, Maryland to the Childrenbs Hospital
of Oakland (California). To make matters worse, it turns out that
Southern Researchbs lab in Frederick, Maryland didnbt even maintain
the institutional biosafety committee required by federal research
rules. The punishment for these acts of gross incompetence and
irresponsibility? The Bush administration gave Southern Research the
task of safeguarding a new $30 million biological weapons facility
being built near Chicago.
In September of the same year, three lab workers at the Boston
University Medical Center were accidentally exposed to a potentially
lethal biowarfare agent called tularaemia bacterium. The lab didnbt
report the tularemia infections until two months later though b" after
it had won a contract to build a new, $178 million biodefense laboratory.
Concerns about lack of transparency and monetary waste aside, the
administrationbs bioweapons buildup raises obvious ethical problems.
Why should the U.S. create newer, even deadlier viruses? Who are these
catastrophic weapons going to be tested on? What populations will they
ultimately be used against?
These questions take on urgent meaning given the Bush administrationbs
military adventurism coupled with the US mediabs poor coverage
regarding war victims. For example, eyewitnesses to the late-2004
attack on Fallujah claimed that US forces used poisonous gases, and
bweirdb bombs that exploded into fires that burned the skin despite
water being thrown on the burns b" a telltale sign of napalm or
phosphorus bombs.
UK reaction to the revelation was swift and strong, with demands that
Prime Minister Blair remove British troops from Iraq until the US
ceased from using such savage weaponry. Labor MP Alice Mahon demanded
that Blair make ban emergency statement to the Commons to explain why
this is happening. It begs the question: bDid we know about this
hideous weaponbs use in Iraq?bb
No similar outrage in Congress. In fact, no comment at all. The US
mainstream media didnbt cover the bweird bombb allegations.
But it doesnbt take a genius to put two-and-two together: if we permit
our government to ignore international weapons-control conventions and
then say nothing while fresh billions are invested in barbaric new
weaponry, we lose the right to act surprised when our own military
uses that weaponry on innocent civilians abroad.
Or even on us.
You may be surprised to learn that in 2003, the Pentagon quietly
admitted to having used biological/chemical agents on 5,842 service
members in secret tests conducted over a ten-year period (1962-73).
In operations called Project 112 and Project SHAD, the Defense
Department tested its own weapons on service members aboard Navy
ships, and in all sorts of other nasty ways b" such as spraying a
Hawaiian rainforest and parts of Oahu. All in all, tests were
conducted in six states (Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland,
Utah) as well as in Canada and Britain.
Many military personnel were not informed when the toxic agents were
being tested on them. Only decades later, as crucial documents slowly
become declassified, have the veteransb health complaints been
acknowledged.
You might think such barbarism could never happen again: too many
legal protections for citizens in place. Think again.
Therebs a tricky clause in Chapter 32/Title 50 of the United States
Code (the aggregation of US general and permanent laws) which states
that the Secretary of Defense can conduct a chemical or biological
agent test or experiment on humans in certain cases bif informed
consent has been obtained.b
So far so good. But check out a different part of Chapter 32, Section
1515, entitled bSuspension; Presidential authorizationb:
After November 19, 1969, the operation of this chapter, or any portion
thereof, may be suspended by the President during the period of any
war declared by Congress and during the period of any national
emergency declared by Congress or by the President.
You got it. If the President or Congress decides webre at war then the
Secretary of Defense doesnbt need anybodybs consent to test chemical
or biological agents on human beings. Gives one pause during these
days of a perpetual bWar on Terror.b
In January 2005, US Senate majority leader Bill Frist called for a new
Manhattan Project (referring to the WWII-era nuclear weapons bonanza)
for biological weapons. Frist told an audience at the World Economic
Forum, bThe greatest existential threat we have in the world today is
biological,b and he went on to predict a biowarfare attack bat some
time in the next 10 years.b
How ironic that while Frist cited the 2001 US anthrax attacks as proof
more biological weapons research was necessary, he failed to mention
that those incidents involved anthrax produced right in the good bole
USA b" or that the primary suspect in the attacks was a US Army
scientist. Frist also didnbt clarify how developing even more
biological warfare agents would make the world safer.
The original Manhattan Project ultimately led to US forces dropping
atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the resulting slaughter of
hundreds of thousands of people. Itbs terrifying to consider the
potential repercussions, both domestic and abroad, of the Bush
administrationbs coveted new biological-weapons Manhattan Project.
Heather Wokusch is a free-lance writer who can be reached via her web
site: www.heatherwokusch.com. This article was partially excerpted
from her upcoming book entitled bThe Progressivesb Primer: 100 Easy
Ways to Make a Difference Now.b Heatherbs currently on hiatus, putting
together a multimedia project on women and war.
http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/2195/Courting_Armageddon
_________
Deadly influenza virus shipments missing: WHO
CTV.ca News Staff
Health experts have destroyed most samples of a deadly influenza
strain mistakenly sent to labs around the world; but two shipments
meant to reach Mexico and Lebanon are missing, UN officials said Friday.
"We don't know where these boxes got lost, but the investigation into
what has happened between the shipment of these panels and their
non-arrival is ranking very high on our 'to do' list," WHO influenza
chief Klaus Stohr said, referring to the Mexico and Lebanon shipments.
The samples were unintentionally sent to nearly 4,000 labs in 18
countries at the request of the College of American Pathologists,
which assists laboratories to do quality testing.
Most of them have been destroyed so far, The World Health Organization
confirmed Friday, but two shipments meant to reach Mexico and Lebanon
are unaccounted for.
Stohr said Friday that 10 countries that had received samples
confirmed their labs destroyed the virus. Those countries include:
Canada, Chile, France, Hong Kong, Belgium, Germany Italy, South Korea,
Taiwan and Singapore.
However, laboratories in Lebanon and Mexico "never received the
specimen even though they were on the distribution list," Stohr said.
He said it was possible the samples had never been sent to the two
countries, but that he couldn't be sure.
The five other nations that had received the samples were Saudi
Arabia, Bermuda, Brazil, Israel and Japan.
Stohr said four of the five labs in Saudi Arabia that received the
samples had destroyed them. The other four countries had not yet
confirmed that they followed up on instructions to destroy the samples.
The UN health agency officials urged laboratories to destroy the kits
after first being alerted of their existence by Canadians who found
the vials in their British Columbia laboratory.
They reported their findings to the Public Health Agency of Canada and
the World Health Organization was subsequently warned on April 8.
The Canadian laboratory received the samples in February, but
officials were not sure when they should have been sent to Mexico and
Lebanon.
"We are worried, but CAP said there is a possibility they were never
sent. (Otherwise), I cannot say at this stage what we would possibly
do," Stohr said.
"The carrier, the transporter and packager would have to be questioned
particularly about these packages.
The samples contain the deadly H2N2 virus, otherwise known as the
"Asian flu".
H2N2 caused the 1957 pandemic that killed an estimated one million to
four million people around the world. It was last seen in humans in 1968.
With files from The Associated Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1113580569579_8/?hub=Health
_____
Deadly flu virus unaccounted for in Lebanon
By Linda Dahdah
Daily Star staff
Saturday, April 16, 2005
BEIRUT: Samples of a deadly flu virus sent by the College of American
Pathologists to more than 3,700 laboratories around the world appear
to have gone missing on their way to Lebanon and Mexico, according to
the World Health Organization on Friday.
"(Some of the countries) were on the address list of the college but
never received anything. We were given to understand the material was
shipped but it never arrived in Lebanon, Mexico," WHO chief flu expert
Klaus Stohr told journalists, adding, "There is still a possibility
this material was never sent, but there is no confirmation."
But, according to outgoing Health Minister Mohammed Khalifeh, "No
sample has ever entered the country. Nothing was received at the
airport, nor the labs or the Health Ministry."
The minister added that, upon receiving the WHO alert, the ministry
took immediate measures and a tracing operation was now under way.
Khalifeh said: "What happens is that the WHO sends viruses to specific
laboratories around the world for certification, and only two labs in
Lebanon are able to receive and culture such viruses, the Hotel Dieu
and the American University Hospital. The trace went back seven or
eight months showing that nothing came in."
WHO institutes, which have already tested the viruses, often send
virus samples to labs around the world to ensure
they attain correct results in recognizing a pathogen by selecting
certain types of viruses before certifying the institutions.
According to Khalifeh, "There is nothing to panic about. And anyway
the public would not be in contact with the virus. The first to be
worried is the nurse or the doctor in charge; they would be the first
contaminated."
So far, laboratories in 12 out of 18 countries that had unexpectedly
received samples containing the H2N2 "Asian" flu from CAP have
destroyed them, according to WHO. The H2N2 strain is similar to the
1957 flu virus that killed up to four million people around the world.
But Stohr played down the risks, saying the samples swiftly
deteriorate on exposure to room temperatures, water or sunlight. -
Agencies
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=14337
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29 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. May Take N.Korea to U.N. Security Council
Updated Apr.19,2005 14:11 KST
Korea's nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council if
the communist country refuses to return to six party talks aimed
at resolving the issue. If taken to the U.N. Security Council,
North Korea may face tougher measures imposed by the
international community.
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan said taking North Korea to
the Security Council was "certainly" a possibility, saying
Pyongyang had made a commitment to return to the dialogue table
and that Washington would like to see them "follow through on
that."
The spokesman said the U.S. government would consult with its
partners about the matter if Pyongyang continues to boycott the
talks, which have been stalled since September.
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. is
closely watching activity near the Yongbyon reactor, responsible
for producing weapons grade plutonium. "Running reactors or not
running reactors, reprocessing or not reprocessing is not going
to give North Korea solutions to its troubles."
Seoul confirmed on Monday that North Korea had suspended
operations at the nuclear power plant, which means the North
could be removing spent fuel rods to extract plutonium for
weapons use. Pyongyang had revealed its plans to reprocess spent
fuel rods last week through a U.S. expert on North Korea.
Arirang TV
*****************************************************************
30 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: U.S. policy on North seen in flux
April 20, 2005 KST 13:34 (GMT+9)
April 20, 2005 WASHINGTON Speaking to an American
newspaper, North Korea's top diplomat in New York said the
country has shut down its nuclear reactor and plans to increase
its nuclear deterrent. At the same time, the United States
warned that it may soon change its policy and clamp down on the
North economically and militarily.
According to a report in USA Today, Han Song-ryol, North Korean
deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday that his
government has shut down its reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear
complex and plans to remove spent fuel rods to build bombs in
efforts to increase the country's deterrent power against a
possible U.S. attack. The communist state claims that it is
nuclear armed and has been warning repeatedly that it would
increase its nuclear stockpiles.
The South Korean government confirmed Monday that North Korea's
five-megawatt reactor was shut down sometime this month. The
action escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as it implies
an imminent upgrade of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan warned Monday that
Washington could refer the issue to the UN Security Council if
North Korea refuses to come back to six-party nuclear
disarmament talks.
A U.S. State Department official spoke of tougher options.
Speaking to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity, the
official said Washington believes that Pyongyang, if left alone
,will eventually conduct a nuclear test. He said the United
States would likely impose economic sanctions against North
Korea in a few months, adding that Washington will have to act,
rather than "bluffing," during the summer to cope with the
worsening situation.
He said the United States will seek cooperation with Japan on
economic sanctions, and that it expects opposition from China
and South Korea. While the actual impact of economic sanctions
imposed by the United States alone will be relatively small,
Japan-led sanctions could be damaging. China is North Korea's
largest trade partner, followed by South Korea and then Japan.
The State Department source also mentioned the possibility of
increasing military pressure on the North, including sending
more U.S. troops and an aircraft carrier to the Korean
Peninsula. He said, however, that the United States will wait
until June to observe the North's moves.
Seoul yesterday downplayed the statements from Washington.
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said there had been no
consultations with South Korea on the matter, adding that he
thought it was just a "reminder" to the North.
by Kim Chong-hyuck, Kang Chan-ho myoja@joongang.co.kr>
Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use |
*****************************************************************
31 BBC: Seoul plays down threat to North
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 April, 2005
[Spent fuel rods at Yongbyon nuclear plant, North Korea]
The Yongbyon reactor has been at the centre of the nuclear row
The five nations trying to get North Korea to give up its nuclear
weapons have not yet discussed involving the UN Security Council,
South Korea has said.
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said that efforts to resolve the
impasse still rested with six-party negotiations.
His remarks came shortly after the US said that it would consider
taking the matter to the Security Council if North Korea
continued to refuse talks.
The US was responding to reports North Korea has shut a key
nuclear plant.
South Korean officials said on Monday that operations at the
Yongbyon plant had apparently been suspended - a move which
analysts say could enable spent nuclear fuel to be reprocessed
into weapons-grade plutonium.
In February North Korea admitted for the first time that it
possessed nuclear weapons.
It also said it would not return to multi-lateral talks unless
the US changed its "hostile" attitude towards Pyongyang.
Such bellicose statements have led Washington to grow
increasingly impatient with Pyongyang.
On Monday White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the
administration would discuss taking the issue to the UN Security
Council.
"If they [the North Koreans] refuse to come back to the talks,
then we will have to consult with our partners and look at the
next steps," he said.
But referring to Mr McClellan's comments, Mr Ban said on Tuesday:
"There has not been discussion about that at the South Korea-US
government level."
South Korea has said in the past that all diplomatic options
should be exhausted before the Security Council becomes involved.
The UN body might consider imposing economic sanctions against
North Korea - a move Seoul is eager to avoid.
Since 2002, three rounds of discussions involving the US, Russia,
the two Koreas, Japan and China have sought to ease tensions on
the peninsula, with little success.
A potential fourth round was cancelled earlier this year after
the North Korea said it was furious that US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice had branded the nation an "outpost of tyranny".
*****************************************************************
32 North Jersey Media Group: Uranium missing, Teaneck lab says
[NorthJersey.com]
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
By ALEX NUSSBAUM STAFF WRITER
A small amount of enriched uranium fuel is missing from a Teaneck
laboratory, triggering a state and federal search for the nuclear
material from Bergen County to Virginia.
The 3.3 grams of powdered uranium - about one-tenth the weight of
a paper clip - was reported missing Wednesday, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission said.
Investigators think the powder might have been accidentally
thrown in the trash and trucked to a landfill in Pennsylvania or
New York State.
The material isn't radioactive enough to harm anyone and the
amount in question is too small to create a so-called dirty
bomb, an NRC spokesman said. But the agency, along with state
regulators, said it was taking the disappearance seriously.
"The safety consequences aren't that great," said the spokesman,
Neil Sheehan. "On the other hand, we don't want this material
floating around in the public domain. We're moving aggressively
to track it."
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately return
a call seeking comment, but prosecutors did not think a crime
had been committed, said Paul Tiernan, Teaneck police chief.
The lab, LeDoux &Co. on Alfred Avenue in Teaneck, specializes in
chemical analyses, largely of materials used by the nuclear
industry. The missing powder was part of a shipment of seven
canisters of the enriched uranium packed in a 20-gallon drum.
The uranium was meant for a university research reactor. LeDoux
was testing the purity of the fuel.
BWX Technologies of Lynchburg, Va., a maker of nuclear material,
shipped the fuel to LeDoux on March 30 in a "tamper-safe
container."
In a statement, BMX said it received verbal confirmation that
the uranium arrived on March 30, but it never received a written
verification from LeDoux as required by federal regulations.
On April 12, LeDoux discovered it couldn't account for one of
the canisters, Sheehan said. The company notified the NRC the
next day.
"We went to analyze it and found that it wasn't here," said
Charlie Avallone, LeDoux's manager of nuclear services, adding:
"We don't believe it's been stolen."
State and federal inspectors visited LeDoux on Thursday. The
most likely explanation for the whereabouts of the missing
uranium is that someone mistakenly tossed the material in the
trash, said Fred Mumford, a DEP spokesman.
Investigators inspected the Miele Sanitation transfer station in
Closter, where LeDoux's municipal trash goes. But the search
turned up no clues, Sheehan said. Miele, like most transfer
stations, has radiation detectors, but the missing uranium
probably wasn't "hot" enough to trip a sensor, Sheehan said.
For the same reason, the NRC thinks the risk to the public is
small, he added. Standing next to 3.3 grams of enriched uranium
for an hour would expose a person to about 1 millirem of
radiation, Sheehan said. The average American is exposed to 360
millirems over the course of a year, the agency says.
Joseph Miele, who owns the transfer station in Closter, doubted
the uranium came through his property. Not only weren't the
radiation sensors triggered, but LeDoux's garbage hauler would
have spotted a canister in the midst of the trash, he said.
"Something must have happened [at LeDoux] and somebody must have
covered their rear end and said they threw it in the garbage,"
he said.
If it did pass through the trash, the tiny dose of radiation
could be hard to find now, he continued. Miele sends its waste
to four landfills in central Pennsylvania and another in upstate
New York.
"It's worse than a needle in a haystack," he said.
LeDoux, founded in 1880 as a consultant to the mining industry,
has cooperated with the investigation, Sheehan said.
The NRC's last inspection of the company, in June 2003, did find
problems, however. LeDoux had not performed a required audit of
its radiation program or mandated radiation safety training,
Sheehan said. The agency also found problems with monitoring for
contamination and an air-filtration system.
Still, the issues were considered "of low safety significance,"
Sheehan said. LeDoux received no fine but was expected to
address the problems, he said. It was unclear if the lab had
done so.
The NRC also suspended LeDoux's license for 10 days in 1994,
according to articles in "Nuclear Fuel," an industry newsletter.
LeDoux reportedly had failed to assure a $125,000 fund for the
future decommissioning of the Teaneck lab. The license was
reinstated after the money was provided.
Agency inspectors aren't prepared to say whether LeDoux violated
any rules this time, Sheehan said.
"They're trying to put together a timeline of what material was
supposed to arrive, when it was last seen," he said. "We're
still very much in the information-gathering stage."
Tiernan, the Teaneck police chief, said the company followed
proper protocol in notifying regulators. But he said LeDoux
should have contacted local police as well.
"What we're going to do is set up a meeting with the company
ourselves so that if something like this happens again, we can
be notified right away," he said.
Staff Writer Mary Jo Layton contributed to this article.
Copyright 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
*****************************************************************
33 Irna: Iran's nuclear activities under IAEA supervision - envoy -
Vienna, April 19, IRNA
Iran-Hungary-Nuclear
Iran's nuclear activities are conformed with legal regulations
and under precise supervision of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), Iran's Ambassador to Hungary Abolfazl Rahnama
Hazavei said in Budapest on Monday.
In a meeting with the head of the Foreign Policy Commission of
the Hungarian National Assembly, the ambassador assessed people's
role in the decision-making trend of the country as very
determining.
The sides discussed avenues for bolstering bilateral relations
in all fields.
The Hungarian official pointed to Iran's important role in the
region and expressed his support for Iran's nuclear talks with
Europe.
Hungary does not agree with the US tension-creating policies
regarding Iran's nuclear issue, he said.
He added Iran's cooperation with the IAEA would settle the
country's nuclear issue.
He also expressed his willingness to make a visit to Iran, as a
country which enjoys great culture and civilization.
2327/1432
Go Top [Go Top]
*****************************************************************
34 Herald Sun: Asian nuclear arms warning
[19apr05]
launchTime: 17-04-2005-->
Michael Harvey and Malcolm Farr
AMERICA'S controversial missile defence program risks causing a
nuclear arms race in Asia, Kim Beazley said last night.
His warning came as Prime Minister John Howard arrived in Beijing
with Australia's down payment on a free trade deal with China.
The Opposition Leader urged the Howard Government to urgently
confront the Bush Administration over potentially catastrophic
ramifications of US policies.
"Now is the time for Australia to put our view to Washington," Mr
Beazley said.
"The Prime Minister claims he has unique influence there. Let's
use it."
But last night Mr Howard was celebrating his talks coup with
China.
He clinked tall glasses of champagne with the senior Chinese
leadership to mark the start of talks for a free trade pact with
the Asian giant.
The PM had arrived late yesterday in Beijing with a down payment
to guarantee the talks.
That was a declaration by Australia that China, the largest
communist country, was a market economy. It worked and last night
a "statement of intent" to begin the talks was signed by
Australian ambassador Alan Thomas and Chinese Commerce Minister
Bo Xilai.
Australia is only the second nation after New Zealand to grant
China market economy status. But despite our relatively small
size, the Chinese want the same status in the hope it would
encourage the US and the European Union to do the same.
Mr Howard met President Hu Jintao last night, and today will meet
chairman of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo before
flying to Japan.
Mr Beazley delivered his warning during a keynote address on
national security, presented in Sydney to the Lowy Institute.
Mr Beazley also used the speech to:
CALL for a new defence White Paper to give Australia's military a
more focused strategic direction.
LASH out at Mr Howard's talk of military pre-emption in the
region.
ACCUSE the PM of giving Indonesians the damaging impression
Australia was hostile to their nation by boasting of Australia's
role in East Timor.
Mr Beazley nominated co-operative US-China relations as crucial
to Australia's security and that of the Asian region.
The Labor leader warned that tensions with China over the US
missile defence program were already "gestating" and could prompt
the Asian giant to accelerate its nuclear capability.
The Howard Government actively supports the program, under which
America plans to set up a global protective shield against
missile attack.
"There is a serious risk that even a modest one will be seen in
Beijing as undermining the deterrent balance between the US and
China, spurring faster expansion of China's nuclear capability
against America," Mr Beazley said. "This could be just one
feature of a destabilising deepening of strategic competition
between them."
terms Herald and Weekly Times
*****************************************************************
35 [du-list] Marshall Islands/50 years after, the H bomb is still
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:19:32 -0700
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&
u=/afp/20050417/hl_afp/marshallsusnuclear_050417204948
Sun, Apr 17, 2005
US study finds H-bomb tests still causing cancer in Marshalls 50 years on
MAJURO (AFP) - A US study has found that the number of cancers caused by
hydrogen bomb testing in the Marshall Islands is set to double, more than
half a
century after the tests were conducted in the tiny Pacific nation.
The study by the US governments National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimated 530
cancers had already been caused by the tests, particularly the explosion of a
15 megaton hydrogen bomb codenamed Bravo on March 1, 1954.
It said another 500 cancers were likely to develop among Marshall Islanders
who were exposed to radiation more than 50 years ago.
"We estimate that the nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands will
cause about 500 additional cancer cases among Marshallese exposed during the
years 1946-1958, about a nine percent increase over the number of cancers
expected in the absence of exposure to regional fallout," the NCI study said.
The study said because of the young age of the population when exposed in the
1950s, more than 55 percent of cancers have yet to develop or be diagnosed.
The NCI completed the study in September last year but it was only publicly
released last week after officials from the Marshall Islands noticed a
reference to it in a US Congressional report and requested a copy.
It was prepared for the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
which is scheduled to launch hearings next month to review a petition from the
Marshall Islands seeking more than three billion dollars in additional
compensation for nuclear test damages and health care.
At the time of the Bravo test at Bikini Atoll, US officials played down the
health implications for islanders.
Bikini Islanders were not evacuated despite their land's being engulfed in
snow-like radioactive fallout for two-to-three days after the Bravo bomb,
which
was equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs.
Although many islanders developed severe radiation burns and had their hair
fall out as their land was engulfed in fallout, US Atomic Energy Commission
authorities issued a statement following the test saying "there were no burns"
and the islanders were in good health.
US officials later allowed islanders to return home to live in radioactive
environments without performing any cleanup work on their islands.
The US paid 270 million dollars in a compensation package in the mid-1980s
part of which went to the Majuro-based Nuclear Claims Tribunal. But the
tribunal
says only a limited amount was made available for payouts and has described
the original settlement as "manifestly inadequate".
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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36 [du-list] monomolecular UO3 formation
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:19:40 -0700
Dear Drs. Parkhurst, Mishima, and Johnson:
Please see R.J. Ackermann, R.J. Thorn, C. Alexander, and
M. Tetenbaum, "Free Energies of Formation of Gaseous Uranium,
Molybdenum, and Tungsten Trioxides," J. Phys. Chem. vol. 64, pp.
350-355 (March, 1960.) Alexander was listed as affiliated with
Battelle Mem. Inst. in Columbus, OH, while Ackermann and Thorn
were at Argonne Nat'l Lab. in Lemont, IL.
From the abstract, "gaseous monomeric uranium trioxide is the
principal species produced by the reaction of U3O8 with oxygen."
This occurs at 1000 degrees Celsius and above, well below the
fire temperature.
From the 8th edition, English translation of the _Gmelin Handbook_,
"UO3 [is] solubilized with a half-life of less than two months in
the lungs." (volume U-A7 (1982), page 304.) Perhaps a the
monomeric form is absorbed even faster?
Sincerely,
James Salsman
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37 Occupational Hazards: Critics Say OSHA Isn't Protecting U.S. Workers From Beryllium
THE AUTHORITY ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH AND LOSS PREVENTION
04/19/2005
In the wake of recent disclosures that 10 current OSHA employees
have developed a sensitization to beryllium, probably while
performing inspections, some critics say the agency is failing
to protect the health of private sector workers who are exposed
to beryllium 40 hours a week.
According to confirmed results of the beryllium blood tests
released by OSHA in March, 3.7 percent out of 271 inspectors
tested are sensitive to beryllium, a widely used carcinogenic
metal that can cause skin and lung disease.
"It's extraordinary how many of the inspectors who were exposed
only briefly to beryllium are sensitized," commented Peter
Lurie, M.D., MPH, deputy director of Public Citizen's health
research group. "These inspectors pop in for a day or two, while
presumably workers are exposed to similar levels 40 hours per
week, every week."
Adam Finkel, Sc.D., an OSHA official who in 2000 began pushing
the agency to offer inspectors beryllium blood tests, thinks
OSHA should release the exposure data for all
beryllium-sensitized inspectors. In the absence of this
information, Finkel believes agency inspectors probably visited
no more than 10 facilities.
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS asked OSHA what the agency is doing to
protect those who work full-time at the facilities visited by
OSHA inspectors who now have beryllium sensitivity.
In a written response, an unnamed agency official stated, "it is
the responsibility of the employer to protect workers." The
statement explained further that OSHA has noted the risks of the
metal through several health bulletins and that employers are
expected to comply with OSHA's current permissible exposure
limit (PEL) for beryllium: not more than 2 micrograms per cubic
meter of air for an 8-hour time-weighted average.
"It's nutty only to say we expect employers to comply with the
standard," commented Finkel. "Even if employers are complying,
the sensitization numbers show the PEL is too high and not
protective. We know workers are exposed to levels thousands of
times higher on a cumulative basis than OSHA inspectors."
Lurie said in 2001 Public Citizen filed an unsuccessful lawsuit
to compel OSHA to cut its beryllium PEL to 10 percent of what it
is currently. "By statute OSHA must maintain a healthy
workforce: It's clear they failed to do so for both private
sector workers and for their own," he added.
Beryllium is listed on OSHA's current regulatory agenda, raising
hopes the PEL will be lowered in the future.
In a March 24 letter to Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who had
asked about the current status of beryllium rulemaking, OSHA
Acting Administrator Jonathan Snare wrote the agency, "is in the
early stages of the regulatory process."
The answer satisfied neither Finkel nor Lurie.
"It means absolutely nothing for OSHA to say rulemaking is
ongoing," said Lurie. "Words are not enough when issued by OSHA:
Concrete action must be shown."
Beryllium first was placed on the regulatory agenda in 1975.
"It's been 30 years -- when will OSHA not be in the early stages
of rulemaking?" asked Finkel.
- James L Nash
Quick Links
Occupational Hazards | 2004
*****************************************************************
38 Daily Yomiuri: A-bomb survivor to lecture at University of Chicago
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki plans to speak of
his experience in May at the University of Chicago, which was
the site of the first successful operational test of a nuclear
reactor.
Katsuji Yoshida, 73, will lecture at the university on May 9-10
as the first atomic bomb survivor to speak at the university
about his firsthand experiences of the atomic bombing.
"I feel I've been given an opportunity through a strange stroke
of fate. I hope the students will assume leadership toward the
elimination of nuclear arms," Yoshida said.
The lectures, sponsored by the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial
Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims, are part of the government's
initiative to convey to people overseas how atomic bombing
affects ordinary people.
Yoshida is a member of the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion
for Peace and has lectured about his experiences for 20 years.
He was 13 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki
on Aug. 9, 1945. His face swelled so much that his mother could
not recognize him when she went to a local aid station to pick
him up. Since then he has undergone several skin grafts.
When he grew up, he worked for a food wholesaler. Yoshida said
he still recalls an experience he had when he visited a grocery
shop as part of his routine sales activities and a child began
crying when seeing Yoshida's face.
"I'd like to explain how tough the last 60 years have been for a
victim of an atomic bombing," he said.
Copyright 2005 The Yomiuri Shimbun
*****************************************************************
39 NRC: In the Matter of Centerpoint Energy, Inc., Texas Genco, LLC
FR Doc 05-7773
[Federal Register: April 19, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 74)]
[Notices] [Page 20402-20403] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19ap05-93]
(South Texas Project Units 1 and 2); Order Approving Application
Regarding Proposed Acquisition I.
STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) and owners Texas Genco, LP
(Texas Genco), the City Public Service Board of San Antonio
(CPS), AEP Texas Central Company (TCC), and the City of Austin,
Texas (COA) are holders of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-76
and NPF-80, which authorize the possession, use, and operation of
the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2 (the facility or STP).
STPNOC is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC
or Commission) to operate STP. The facility is located at the
licensees' site in Matagorda County, Texas.
II.
By application dated October 12, 2004, as supplemented by letters
dated December 13 and 22, 2004, and February 23 and March 1, 2005
(collectively referred to herein as the application), STPNOC,
acting on behalf of Texas Genco, CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
(CenterPoint Energy), and GC Power Acquisition LLC (renamed Texas
Genco LLC) (together, the Applicants), requested that the NRC,
pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, consent to the indirect license
transfers that would be effected by the indirect transfer of
control of Texas Genco's ownership interest in the facility. This
action is being sought as a result of the transfer of Texas
Genco's indirect parent company, Texas Genco Holdings, Inc.
(TGN), from Centerpoint Energy to Texas Genco LLC. No changes to
the facility licenses are proposed in the application.
In a separate request, Texas Genco is seeking approval of direct
license transfers that would occur in connection with increasing
its ownership interest in STP from its current 30.8 percent to
either 44 percent or 56 percent, through an acquisition of all or
part of TCC's 25.2 percent interest in STP. A separate Order is
being issued to address that request.
In connection with the indirect transfer of control of Texas
Genco's ownership interest in the facility, indirect control over
Texas Genco's related interest in STPNOC, a not-for-profit Texas
corporation that is the licensed operator of STP, will also be
transferred.
To the extent that the indirect transfer of control of Texas
Genco's interest in STPNOC would constitute an indirect transfer
of control of the licenses as held by STPNOC, consent under 10
CFR 50.80 is also being sought.
Approval of the indirect transfer of the facility operating
licenses was requested by STPNOC pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80. Notice
of the request for approval and an opportunity for a hearing was
published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2004 (69 FR
67368). No comments or hearing requests were received.
Under 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or any right thereunder, shall be
transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control
of the license, unless the Commission shall give its consent in
writing. Upon review of the information in the application by
STPNOC and other information before the Commission, the NRC staff
has determined that the proposed indirect transfer of control of
Texas Genco's parent company will not affect the qualifications
of Texas Genco as holder of the STP licenses, whether Texas Genco
holds a 30.8 percent, 44 percent, or 56 percent interest in STP,
and that the indirect transfer of control of the licenses as held
by Texas Genco under each of the three scenarios discussed, to
the extent effected by the transfer of control of Texas Genco, is
otherwise consistent with the applicable provisions of laws,
regulations, and orders issued by the NRC pursuant thereto,
subject to the conditions discussed herein. The NRC staff also
concludes that, to the extent Texas Genco holds a 30.8 percent,
44 percent, or 56 percent interest in STPNOC by reason of Texas
Genco's acquisition of a part or all of TCC's 25.2 percent
interest in the facility and STPNOC, and control of Texas Genco
is then indirectly transferred to Texas Genco LLC, any resulting
indirect transfer of control of STPNOC will not affect STPNOC's
qualifications to hold the facility licenses to the extent now
held by
[[Page 20403]] STPNOC, and that the indirect transfer of the
licenses as held by STPNOC, to the extent effected by the
proposed indirect transfer of control of Texas Genco to Texas
Genco LLC, is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of
law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission, subject to
the conditions set forth below.
The findings set forth above are supported by a safety evaluation
dated III.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, 161o, and 184 of
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), 42 U.S.C.
2201(b), 2201(I), 2201(o), and 2234; and 10 CFR 50.80, it is
hereby ordered that the application regarding the indirect
license transfers related to the proposed acquisition is
approved, subject to the following conditions: 1. Texas Genco
shall take no action to cause Texas Genco LLC, or its successors
and assigns, to void, cancel, or modify its $120 million
contingency commitment to Texas Genco, as represented in the
application, or cause it to fail to perform or impair its
performance under the commitment, or remove or interfere with
Texas Genco's ability to draw upon the commitment, without the
prior written consent of the Director of the Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation. An executed copy of the Support Agreement
shall be submitted to the NRC no later than 30 days after
completion of the indirect license transfers. Also, Texas Genco
shall inform the NRC in writing any time that it draws upon the
$120 million commitment.
2. Should the proposed acquisition of control of Texas Genco by
Texas Genco LLC not be completed within one year from date of
issuance, this Order shall become null and void, provided,
however, upon written application and good cause shown, such date
may in writing be extended.
This Order is effective upon issuance.
For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial
application dated October 12, 2004, and supplemental letters
dated December 13 and 22, 2004, and February 23 and March 1,
2005, and the safety evaluation dated April 4, 2005, which are
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public
File Area 01 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville,
Maryland and accessible electronically from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site,
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail
to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 4th day of
April, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
J. E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 05-7773 Filed 4-18-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
40 The Spectrum: Editorials: Recognition of radiation sought by legislators
, St. George - www.thespectrum.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
The force of Nature recognizes no boundaries.
That's why rivers and streams follow their own stubborn paths
and the winds blow freely.
It's also why two new studies on the effects of nuclear fallout
on Utahns and others across this country are so important.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has released a study titled
"Radiation-Associated Cancer in Utah from 1973 to 2001," a
document prepared by the Special Investigations Division of the
House Committee on Government Reform. The report claims that
while residents of 10 counties located in Southwest Utah are
eligible for compensation under the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act of 1990, residents of 19 other counties in the
state are not.
The report also states that rates of radiation-associated
cancers were consistently higher than state averages in Utah
counties that are ineligible for RECA compensation.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says he is waiting for results from a
study he commissioned that is based on geographic, occupational
and disease criteria. Hatch spent 11 years fighting in the U.S.
Senate for passage of RECA. He says the fight is ongoing to
determine how many more people than originally estimated have
radiation-associated cancers.
Matheson and Hatch are being joined in this exploration by Sen.
Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who is seeking compensation for residents
of his state who believe they were victims of radiation
poisoning from the nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site
from 1951 until 1992. And, a new batch of downwinders - people
who developed cancer from the tests - is emerging in Washington,
where people who live near the Hanford Plant, where nuclear
waste was transported, are filing claims.
All of this comes at a time when White House policy-makers are
urging the development and testing of new nuclear weapons and
pressing to test the viability of the old nuclear arsenal.
There have been some voices that have claimed, through the
decades, that the rapid spread of cancer among people who lived
in the path of fallout had nothing to do with the tests.
We agree with Hatch, who said that those arguments are not
persuasive and fall by the wayside upon examination of the
scientific facts.
"...the hurt is real, the damage caused is real and anybody who
doesn't admit that is ignoring science and the pain and
suffering of people who should never have had to go through
this," Hatch said.
We agree.
There has been growing scientific evidence over the last decade
or so that indicates that there were victims not only in the
most southern Utah communities, but nationwide who deserve
compensation under RECA. Matheson and Hatch are on the right
track in trying to reverse these egregious wrongs committed by
the U.S. government all those years ago, and seeking help for
those victims.
Originally published April 19, 2005
Copyright 2004 The Spectrum. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
41 The Spectrum: Studies aim to expand RECA funds
, St. George - www.thespectrum.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Rep. Matheson, Sen. Hatch push radiation studies
By ED KOCIELA ekociela@thespectrum.com
On the Net
+ For copies of Radiation-Associated Cancer in Utah from 1973
to 2001, visit .
+ For forms to apply for RECA compensation, visit .
+ Downwinders organization: .
Who Qualifies?
Several criteria must be met to qualify for compensation under
the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990. Among them are
residency requirements during the nuclear tests at the Nevada
Test Site.
Utah counties eligible for RECA compensation are:
+ Beaver
+ Garfield
+ Iron
+ Kane
+ Millard
+ Piute
+ San Juan
+ Sevier
+ Washington
+ Wayne
People applying for RECA compensation also must have contracted
one of the following radiation-associated cancers:
+ Breast
+ Lung
+ Colon
+ Bladder
+ Brain
+ Esophagus
+ Gallbladder and other biliary
+ Liver and intrahepatic bile duct
+ Myeloma
+ Non-CLL Leukemia
+ Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
+ Ovary
+ Pancreas
+ Pharynx
+ Salivary gland
+ Small intestine
+ Stomach
+ Thyroid
In the early morning hours of Jan. 27, 1951, a U.S. military
B-50 bomber dropped a 1-kiloton bomb that exploded 1,060 feet
above Frenchman Flat, Nev. It was the first above-ground nuclear
test detonated at the Nevada Test Site.
Since then, the United States nuclear program has been shrouded
by a veil of secrecy that has sparked controversy over the
effects of a testing program that stretched into 1992, when the
last reported underground test was completed.
The effectiveness of the weapons of mass destruction never has
been disputed. What remains a point of conjecture, however, is
the question of how many American civilians were victims of
cancer as a result of the radiation clouds that some studies
indicate covered the contiguous United States.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, recently released a government study
that indicates that there were, at least in his home state, many
more victims of the testing than originally thought. A similar
study, commissioned by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is scheduled
for release later this month.
The fundamental issue is lets find out what happened here and
get the truth out, Matheson said on the heels of the release of
the House Committee on Government Reform report titled
Radiation-Associated Cancer in Utah from 1973 to 2001. If
government action has affected peoples health, weve got to get
that out there into the public. Lets define what really
happened, get all the truth out on the table.
Matheson asked for the study to determine how many Utahns were
victims of testing to support legislation to expand the criteria
of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990.
It took Hatch 11 years to gain passage for RECA, which set stiff
guidelines for who would be compensated for diseases contracted
as a result of radiation exposure, whether from fallout or while
working in the nations uranium mines or mills. He bristles at
criticism from those who claim little, if any, cancer was caused
by radiation fallout.
With regard to these folks, the hurt is real. Theres damage
caused that is real, and anybody who doesnt admit that is
ignoring science and the pain and suffering of people who should
never have had to go through this, he said.
To qualify for RECA compensation as a victim of nuclear fallout,
a claimant must have lived in a limited number of counties in
Arizona, Nevada or Utah and have suffered from one of 18
specific types of cancer.
Mathesons report, however, shows that incidents of
radiation-associated cancers in five counties not eligible for
RECA payments are higher than in the 10 Utah counties designated
as eligible for RECA compensation.
For example, in areas where residents can apply for
compensation, incidents of radiation-associated cancer must be
195 cancers per 100,000 people. The five Utah counties outside
the RECA-prescribed borders have levels of 212 cancers per
100,000 people.
Theres more data today than there was then, Matheson said. I
think the data shows the fallout spread farther than people
realized.
He said evidence shows that radiation fallout covered a large
portion of the United States during those years of testing, with
surprisingly high levels in Illinois, upstate New York and other
areas.
Susan Bussio, a Cedar City woman who attributes her diagnosis of
breast cancer nine years ago to radiation exposure, says shes
not surprised.
How can it not be, the way the wind blows, she said. It was
everywhere.
Bussio spent her childhood years between Salt Lake City and
Cedar City. She says she can specifically remember one summer
day when a radiation cloud passed over her while she was
sunbathing.
Still, because she was unable to account for her childhood
whereabouts for one year even though school documents for the
year before and after she believes she was exposed to radiation
prove her place of residence her claim for RECA compensation
has been rejected.
The money wasnt really that important to me, although when I
didnt think I would make it, I wanted the money for my
children, she said.
It was really more of a matter that I didnt want them to do
this (nuclear testing) again. In my thinking, the more they have
to pay, the more theyll have to think twice about it.
Expansion of RECA benefits is also no longer just a Utah issue.
Hatch said his study, performed by the National Research
Council, will be broader in scope and has the potential to
impact more people than Mathesons research.
And, even though his immediate concern is for victims in Utah,
he sees the issue as being much larger.
I dont want people who qualify to be mistreated because of
some ridiculous geographical boundary line, Hatch said. If we
ignore these other states, it makes it even more difficult to do
what we should do to make right the problems that currently
exist.
Meanwhile, residents and politicians from some of those other
states are taking action.
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has written a bill seeking to
compensate Idahoans who developed radiation-associated cancer
from fallout.
Crapo is basing his legislation on a 1997 report by the National
Cancer Institute that showed four Idaho counties also were
exposed to high levels of radioactive iodine.
Residents of Hanford, Wash., are also looking to expand RECA.
For years, the community has been home to a plutonium processing
and nuclear waste facility operated by the U.S. government.
Now, the floodgates are open, said Preston Truman of Malad,
Idaho, one of the founders of the Downwinders organization.
The former Enterprise, Utah, resident said Montana probably will
be the next state to seek some sort of RECA compensation.
Then, youve got all of Iowa and most of Missouri that got
iodine doses equivalent to what the rest of us got, some even
higher, he said. There were five counties in upstate New York
and Vermont that got hit in the Simon test of 1953. The
radiation got caught up in a violent thunderstorm that rained
out on those areas two days after the test.
Truman said he is hopeful the new studies will help prevent
future nuclear testing.
This is the issue of our age, Truman said. Every day, it goes
from one aspect to another, and its not just the bombing. Its
about funding, fraudulent e-mails on Yucca Mountain, the
bunker-buster bomb. Its all together in one big mess.
The little chicks are coming home to roost, and they dont look
too healthy.
Originally published April 19, 2005
Copyright 2004 The Spectrum. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
42 [du-list] U.S. National Academies Warn Nuclear Waste Ponds
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:19:36 -0700
I think what we have learned about uranium combustion product fume
inhalation poisoning underscores the seriousness of this threat.
Published April 6:
Spent Fuel Stored in Pools at Some U.S. Nuclear Power Plants
Potentially at Risk From Terrorist Attacks; Prompt Measures Needed
to Reduce Vulnerabilities
Spent nuclear fuel stored in pools at some of the nation's 103 operating
commercial nuclear reactors may be at risk from terrorist attacks, says
a new report from the National Academies' Board on Radioactive Waste
Management. The report calls on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
to conduct plant-by-plant analyses to obtain a better understanding of
potential risks and to ensure that power-plant operators take prompt and
effective measures to reduce the possible consequences of terrorist attacks.
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309096472?OpenDocument
WASHINGTON -- Spent nuclear fuel stored in pools at some of the nation's
103 operating commercial nuclear reactors may be at risk from terrorist
attacks, says a new report from a committee of the National Academies'
Board on Radioactive Waste Management. The report calls on the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) to conduct additional analyses to
obtain a better understanding of potential risks and to ensure that
power-plant operators take prompt and effective measures to reduce the
possible consequences of such attacks. Because potential threats may
differ according to a specific plant's design, the committee recommended
that plant-by-plant vulnerability analyses be performed.
These conclusions were based on a detailed review of security analyses
performed by the USNRC, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the
nuclear power industry, and independent experts. The committee noted
that many security improvements have been instituted at U.S. commercial
nuclear power plants since the events of Sept. 11, 2001. On several
important questions, however, it was unable to obtain enough information
from the USNRC to assess their effectiveness. The committee therefore
recommends that an assessment of such measures should be undertaken by
an organization independent of the USNRC and the nuclear industry.
"Within the six-month time frame requested by Congress, our committee of
technical experts completed a very sound, evidence-based analysis," said
committee chair Louis J. Lanzerotti, distinguished research professor at
the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, and consultant, Bell
Labs, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, N.J. "We received input both
from scientific professionals and the public. Our findings were
unanimous. While the committee identified several terrorist attack
scenarios that could have potentially severe consequences if carried out
successfully, we also identified two relatively simple measures that
could be implemented immediately at vulnerable plants to greatly reduce
the risks."
The committee found that an attack which partially or completely drains
a plant's spent fuel pool might be capable of starting a
high-temperature fire that could release large quantities of radioactive
material into the environment. The committee recommended that two
measures be taken promptly to reduce the potential for such fires:
reconfiguring the position of fuel assemblies in the pools to more
evenly distribute decay-heat loads, and making provisions for
water-spray systems to cool the fuel that could continue to operate
even after the pool or the building in which it is housed is damaged.
The first measure could probably be implemented at all plants with
minimal cost and time, and with little exposure of workers to radiation,
the committee said. It recommended that the costs and benefits of
options for implementing the water-spray system should be examined to
decide what requirements should be imposed. Such systems may not be
needed at plants where spent fuel pools are located below ground level
or are otherwise protected from external line-of-sight attacks.
Congress requested the study following conflicting claims in the media
about the safety and security of spent fuel in storage at commercial
nuclear power plants, including the risks that spent fuel might be used
to construct a radiological dispersal device, or "dirty bomb." The
committee concluded the likelihood that terrorists could steal enough
spent nuclear fuel from a power plant for use in a dirty bomb is small,
given existing security measures. Nevertheless, the USNRC should review
and upgrade where necessary its security requirements for protecting
those spent fuel rods not contained in fuel assemblies from theft by
knowledgeable insiders.
The report being issued today is the public version of a classified
report delivered to Congress, USNRC, and the Department of Homeland
Security in July 2004. The National Academies obtained the USNRC's
cooperation in producing this public report. It contains all of the
findings and recommendations of the original classified report, but
some have been slightly reworded. Classified national security
information and safeguards information have been redacted.
"We believe this report fulfills our responsibility to inform the public
and elected officials on a critical national security issue," said Bruce
Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences. "It also
satisfies a second, equally important imperative: to ensure that this
report contains no information that might inadvertently aid terrorists.
We appreciate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's assistance in
confirming that."
As part of the study, the committee was asked to examine the possible
advantages of dry cask storage over pool storage at commercial
power-plant sites. The report concludes that pools are necessary to cool
spent fuel immediately after its removal from a reactor. But dry cask
storage has two advantages for storing spent fuel older than about five
years: It is a passive system that relies on air circulation for
cooling, and it divides the inventory of spent fuel into a number of
individual, robust containers, each containing only a small amount of
the total inventory. The committee found that although there are some
differences in the robustness of different dry cask designs under
various terrorist attack scenarios, the differences are not large, and
relatively simple steps could be taken to further reduce potential
vulnerabilities.
Once the USNRC completes the recommended plant-specific vulnerability
analyses, the agency may conclude that earlier movements of spent fuel
from pools into dry cask storage would be prudent at some plants, the
report says. The committee was not specifically asked by Congress to
recommend whether the transfer of spent fuel rods from pools to a system
of dry cask storage should be accelerated, however. Cost-benefit
considerations also would be an important part of such decisions.
Finally, the committee observed during the course of its work that
current classification and security practices appear to be impeding the
sharing of valuable information between the USNRC and nuclear industry
operators, negatively impacting constructive feedback and cooperation.
The committee recommended that the USNRC improve the sharing of
pertinent information on its security analyses of spent fuel storage
with nuclear power plants operators and system vendors. More
constructive interaction with the public and with independent analysts
also could increase confidence in USNRC and industry decisions and
their actions to reduce the vulnerability of spent fuel storage to
terrorist attacks.
This study was sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Board on Radioactive Waste
Management is part of the National Research Council, the principal
operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National
Academy of Engineering....
See also New Scientist report
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7241
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http://us.click.yahoo.com/RzSHvD/UOnJAA/79vVAA/FGYolB/TM
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43 Las Vegas RJ: TRAIN SHIPMENTS: Ruling on hazardous cargo hailed
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Nevada officials heartened after judge upholds ban
By KEITH ROGERS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Tank cars marked for hazardous and highly flammable liquids sit
on Union Pacific tracks in downtown Las Vegas on April 7. Photo
by K.M. Cannon.
A federal judge's ruling Monday upholding a ban on hazardous
rail shipments in part of the District of Columbia gives hope
that a 5-year-old Las Vegas law that prohibits nuclear waste
shipments within city limits has clout.
"It means the ordinance we passed ... can be considered to be
constitutional," Mayor Oscar Goodman said in response to the
decision by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan.
Sullivan rejected an attempt by CSX Transportation Inc. to stop
the District of Columbia's ban on hazardous rail shipments
within about two miles of the Capitol from taking effect
Wednesday.
CSX has vowed to appeal.
Goodman said he was not surprised by the ruling.
"You have to believe local governments are charged with the
public's trust that their health and safety are assured,"
Goodman said.
"As a practical matter, now we can be aggressive in demanding
we know when these shipments take place," he said, referring to
hazardous, poisonous and explosive cargo transported in rail
tank cars.
Gov. Kenny Guinn acknowledged the potential effects of the
court's ruling on the government's plans to use trains and
trucks to haul 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel and highly
radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las
Vegas.
"This supports the arguments that communities have been making
to prohibit shipments of hazardous materials through their
communities," Guinn said through his spokesman Greg Bortolin.
"We are especially pleased about the implications this may have
for Las Vegas and Reno, which have adopted ordinances banning
the shipment of nuclear waste through their communities."
District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams signed the
hazardous rail ban in February out of concern that a terrorist
attack involving hazardous rail cargo, such as liquid chlorine,
could kill up to 100,000 people.
In his 76-page decision, Sullivan wrote, "The court recognizes
that the federal government has the ultimate authority and
responsibility to provide a safe, secure and efficient rail
transportation system in the United States." But, he said,
Congress has given local authorities the right to regulate areas
of railroad safety if the federal government does not take
action to address new risks, such as terrorist threats.
While Sullivan's ruling only deals with CSX's request for an
injunction blocking the law until the merits of the case are
decided, it might have broader ramifications.
CSX has acknowledged that if Washington succeeds, others could
follow. The railroad said in its court filing that Washington's
law "invites other local jurisdictions to enact copycat
legislation which could, by crazy-quilt coverage, bring to a
halt the interstate shipment of critically important materials
throughout the United States."
Goodman said he expects the U.S. Conference of Mayors will adopt
a resolution at its June meeting in Chicago to back the
district's ban as a friend of the court.
Goodman said he will propose that the Las Vegas City Council
adopt a more encompassing ordinance against hazardous cargo
passing through the city than the one that focused on highly
radioactive materials. That ordinance was approved Feb. 2, 2000,
in a 6-1 vote over the opposition of then-Councilman Michael
McDonald, who doubted the measure was constitutional.
Then on Sept. 6, 2000, the City Council passed a resolution
making Las Vegas a nuclear-free zone.
One year later, on Sept. 5, 2001, Goodman spoke at a public
hearing on the Yucca Mountain Project, saying he would
personally arrest anyone who drives a truck with a cargo of
high-level nuclear waste through the city. "Let's see the driver
try to get out of jail in my city," he said.
Goodman repeated his stance on Dec. 12, 2001, warning
then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham who attended another
hearing in Las Vegas that it is illegal to haul high-level
nuclear waste through the city.
The mayor said he was shocked by a story and photographs in
Sunday's Review-Journal that showed how vulnerable Las Vegas is
to the dozens of tank cars hauling everything from weed killer
to butane to liquid chlorine that sit daily on sidings and in a
switch yard in the valley.
A Union Pacific railroad official said routing hazardous rail
cargo away from Las Vegas would result in lengthy detours that
would still send the tank cars through Reno or Tucson, Ariz.
The American Association of Railroads, an industry group, says
rerouting isn't necessary based on the safety record of
railroads: 1.7 million carloads of hazardous materials are
shipped annually and 99.996 percent arrive safely.
CSX officials said the company will file an appeal with the
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking for an emergency order
blocking Sullivan's ruling. If the appeals court does not rule
before Wednesday, CSX will comply and reroute hazardous
materials around the city, CSX spokeswoman J. Anne Chettle said.
CSX and the departments of Transportation and Homeland Security
argue that rerouting trains around the city would be costly and
interfere with interstate commerce.
Sullivan said they would have to provide more evidence to prove
any irreparable harm.
"I see the judge's ruling as an invitation for the U.S.
Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Transportation to
... step forward with meaningful security measures," said D.C.
Council member Kathy Patterson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
44 UK: News Shopper: Nuclear protest group gets campaign right on track
News and Features: Lewisham &Greenwich
David Polden dresses up for the protest LE3779/A
ACTIVISTS are hoping their demonstration will start a chain
reaction of protest against the toxic nuclear waste which is
transported through London.
The Nuclear Trains Action Group was in Lewisham High Street on
April 9 handing out leaflets highlighting what it says are the
dangers of the lethal cargo travelling through built-up areas.
The trains travel through Lewisham, transporting highly
radioactive waste fuel from nuclear power stations at Dungeness
up to Windscale in Cumbria.
David Leal of Lewisham and Greenwich CND said: "If anything
happened to one of these containers, perhaps a terrorist attack,
then it would be a mini Chernobyl right here in Lewisham.
"A full public safety audit is needed."
11:15am Tuesday 19th April 2005
Privacy Policy Copyright 2001-2004 Newsquest Media Group - A
Gannett Company
*****************************************************************
45 PE.com: Solvent, rocket-fuel agent found in water
| Inland Southern California | Corona-Norco
TESTS: One chemical, perchlorate, turns up in an irrigation well
near Wyle Laboratories.
07:33 AM PDT on Tuesday, April 19, 2005
By BONNIE STEWART / The Press-Enterprise
A solvent and a rocket-fuel chemical have been found in surface
water and a well as far as a half-mile from Wyle Laboratories in
Norco, prompting a city official to call for an immediate
cleanup by the company.
State tests released Monday found perchlorate in a First Street
irrigation well. The levels were more than four times higher
than the state's drinking-water standard. The chemical, a salt
found in rocket fuel and munitions, can cause thyroid disorders.
Dozens of people in the neighborhoods around Wyle have had
thyroid cancers and other thyroid-related ailments.
Perchlorate previously was found in groundwater and two septic
tanks on Wyle's property, but state officials say they don't
know whether the company was responsible for the contamination
in the irrigation well.
A company official blamed other sources.
"We didn't do anything that created perchlorate," said Drexel
Smith, a Wyle Laboratories executive. "It could come from the
water out of the Colorado River or the use of fertilizers."
Growing Weary
Norco Mayor Herb Higgins and area residents said they are
frustrated that Wyle and the state didn't do testing in the
neighborhoods long ago.
"You look at it (test results) and think, 'So, why did it take
you so long to do it?' " Higgins said.
The findings weren't a surprise to some area residents.
"I knew this street wasn't the only one to be affected," Pat
Dubiel said. Since 1986, Dubiel has lived on Golden West Lane,
an area downhill from Wyle, where contamination has been found.
"When we have rains, we have water running off that hill," she
said. "It's alarming, to say the least."
Dubiel said she had to have her thyroid removed in the early
1990s.
Other Chemicals
State testing has found other potentially toxic chemicals, such
as the solvent trichloroethylene, in neighborhoods near Wyle.
The tests released Monday showed trichloroethylene in a sample
collected on Third Street where groundwater bubbles up and pools
on the surface.
Concentrations of the chemical were six times higher than the
state drinking-water standard.
"That would be a concern for us," said Ron Baker, a spokesman
for the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control, which
oversees soil and water testing around Wyle.
He said the state would do more testing in the next month to
determine the source of the pollution.
Trichloroethylene was also found in the irrigation well,
although at levels below the drinking-water standard.
The well is not used for drinking water, Baker said.
Tests of a private drinking-water well along Hillside Avenue
showed no perchlorate or trichloroethylene, the state's report
shows.
Call for Action
Norco Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Azevedo said she is glad that state
officials are finally listening to residents.
Testing of the areas where groundwater rises to the surface was
a result of residents' complaints in public meetings, she said.
Azevedo's family has lived near Wyle Labs for years. Her mother
and husband have had thyroid disorders, she said.
Norco leaders and Wyle-area residents want more than testing.
Higgins was angry when he talked about the contamination that
has left Wyle's property.
Numerous people have developed cancer and thyroid disorders;
that should have prompted officials to act much faster than they
have, he said.
"I want them (Wyle) to clean up the contamination. They dirtied
it. Now clean it up," Higgins said. "If you used chemicals that
poisoned the soil and the groundwater, then ultimately it is
your responsibility."
Cleanup on Wyle's property has started. The company and state
officials are working on plans to study and clean up
contamination beyond Wyle's borders.
Reach Bonnie Stewart at (951) 368-9475 or More headlines...
*****************************************************************
46 News & Star: Sick Sellafield worker wins sacking tribunal
Published on 19/04/2005
Vindicated at last: Duncan McLean and his wife Barbara, of
Sandwith, near Whitehaven' width=] ‘Vindicated at last’:
Duncan McLean and his wife Barbara, of Sandwith, near Whitehaven
By Anna Richardson
A SACKED Sellafield worker yesterday won his case against his
former employers.
An employment tribunal reached the unanimous decision that Duncan
McLean had been unfairly dismissed by British Nuclear Group Ltd
(BNG Ltd).
After a tribunal lasting six days, the chairman said that there
were “no reasonable grounds for the finding of gross
misconduct”, and that BNG Ltd “fell well short of the
standards of a reasonable employer.”
Mr McLean’s allegations of disability discrimination and breach
of contract were also upheld.
Giving evidence at the tribunal on Friday, Mr McLean claimed that
he had found his disciplinary hearing “aggressive and
intimidatory.”
A few days after the hearing, he went missing from his home for
several hours and was contemplating taking his own life. Mr
McLean, 49, of Sandwith, Whitehaven, was unable to attend the
hearing due to his mother-in-law’s funeral.
He said later: “I’m pleased that I have won. I feel like a
huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders and at long last I
am vindicated.”
Mr McLean, who had been an exemplary employee for 33 years, was
sacked after bosses saw video footage of him mowing the lawn and
playing pool while he was off sick after a fall at work.
Despite medical advice, he returned to work part-time in March
2004, but was dismissed when the video evidence convinced
management that he had been taking advantage of company sick pay
by exaggerating his injuries. Some of the evidence had been
supplied by Mr McLean’s neighbour and fellow worker Roy Fowler,
with whom Mr McLean had an ongoing dispute.
The tribunal found that the original disciplinary hearing had
relied too heavily upon Mr Fowler’s evidence and that his
relationship with Mr McLean had not been taken into
consideration.
They also decided that not enough medical evidence had been
gathered on the case at a second appeal hearing of the
disciplinary procedure, and that the hearing had not been
reconvened to allow Mr McLean to contest any evidence.
Mr McLean’s solicitor Joanne Stronach said: “Mr McLean and
his family suffered a massive lifestyle change following the
accident and to be dismissed after 33 years loyal dedicated
service in such a way was devastating for him.
“I am delighted with the outcome of this case.”
A decision on any settlement to be awarded to Mr McLean will not
be made until the end of May.
| cumberland news| times and star |
whitehaven news
*****************************************************************
47 DenverPost.com: Last shipment of high-level radioactive waste leaves Rocky Flats
Article Published: Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Wildlife refuge planned for part of site
By Robert Weller The Associated Press
Daily Camera / Sammy Dallal via AP
The last of shipment of high-level radioactive waste is driven
away today from the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in
Jefferson County.
The $7 billion cleanup of Colorado's former Rocky Flats nuclear
weapons plant reached a major milestone today when the last
shipment of high-level radioactive waste rumbled off toward a
dump site in New Mexico.
"The nearby communities definitely can feel safer now because
this was the last of the heavy stuff," said Ken Korkia, director
of the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory board.
Since 1999, almost 95,000 barrels of waste have been shipped
from Rocky Flats, where plutonium triggers were manufactured
during the Cold War.
The waste, amounting to 15,000 cubic meters, was trucked from
the site just west of Denver to a repository in an ancient salt
bed formation near Carlsbad, N.M.
Steve Gunderson, who monitors the cleanup for the state health
department, called it an important milestone.
"Without shipping the transuranic (highly radioactive) waste,
you couldn't close the site," he said.
The Department of Energy, which oversees Rocky Flats, called the
cleanup the largest and most complex project of its kind ever
attempted.
"Our success at Rocky Flats is a great inspiration to those
other sites as well. Six years ago, seven years ago, the
problems at Rocky seemed insurmountable," said Clay Sell, deputy
secretary of energy.
In Washington state, the cleanup of a 560-square-mile plutonium
production site at the Hanford nuclear reservation has been
under way for more than a decade, slowed by technology,
political and budget problems and questions about worker safety.
Hanford contains the nation's largest volume of radioactive
waste.
In Idaho, officials of the Idaho National Laboratory hope to
complete a cleanup by 2012.
The 10-year Rocky Flats project is expected to be complete by
November, a year ahead of schedule. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service plans to use a portion of the 6,240-acre site as a
wildlife refuge.
Some critics have said the site won't be safe because the
cleanup did not include sites where radioactive waste was
illegally dumped or buried.
"I would say to the critics that we have worked in an open and
forthright manner with stakeholders, with the local communities,
with the state regulator and the state of Colorado and the
Environmental Protection Agency," Sell said. "They have had
oversight in how we carried out the work."
The waste transported from Rocky Flats included contaminated
clothing, tools, rags, debris, residues and other disposable
items. All had contamination levels above 100 nanocuries.
Lower-level waste was shipped to sites in Nevada and Idaho.
The last waste shipment was in three containers containing 11
barrels and one box.
All contents Copyright 2005 The Denver Post or other copyright
*****************************************************************
48 IPS: RIGHTS: Belgian Mayors Back Move Against Nuclear Weapons
BRUSSELS, Apr 19 (IPS) - Some two hundred Belgian mayors added
their support Tuesday to the worldwide campaign to abolish all
nuclear weapons by 2020 and for the withdrawal of U.S. nukes from
Europe.
The mayors are calling on the Belgian government to step up its
own disarmament obligations, and for the urgent need for
nuclear disarmament around the world during the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference that begins at
the United Nations headquarters in New York May 2.
In addition, the mayors are demanding that Belgium takes the
initiative in setting up an international conference aimed at
negotiating a treaty for a worldwide ban on nuclear weapons.
The have asked the Belgian government in a resolution to
contribute to the realisation of a stricter disarmament agenda
during the review conference, which will assess the current
state of nuclear weapons around the world.
The mayors are also calling for the gradual withdrawal of U.S.
nuclear weapons from Europe. The U.S. is the only country to
have nuclear weapons positioned in other countries.
The NPT entered into force in 1970. It aims to prevent the
spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology and to further
the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.
In spite of significant reductions in the numbers of nuclear
warheads held by the U.S. and Russia since 1990, both countries
still keep thousands of warheads.
'For Mother Earth', a Belgian non-governmental organisation
(NGO) and member of Friends of the Earth International says
there have been a terrifying number of near misses both during
and after the end of the Cold War in which the fate of
civilisation and most living things has depended on correct
decision-making by highly stressed military personnel or on
presidents whose sobriety has sometimes been questionable.
The group adds that with the recent acquisition of nuclear
weapons by India and Pakistan, the subcontinent is moving toward
a highly dangerous hair trigger status.
The initial call to ban nuclear weapons came from the mayors of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
Their cities were reduced to rubble by atomic bombs dropped by
the United States in August 1945. Hundreds of thousands of
people lost their lives and even today thousands suffer the
devastating after-effects of radiation and emotional pain.
In 1982, then mayor Takeshi Araki of Hiroshima proposed a new
Mayors for Peace programme, and called on mayors around the
world to support the initiative.
Since then some 763 cities in 110 countries have added their
support to the campaign.
Earlier this year Tadatoshi Akiba, the current mayor of
Hiroshima, visited the European Parliament to explain his 2020
vision and to ask members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to
add their support for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons
by the year 2020.
Following the visit, some Belgian mayors called on their
colleagues to join the Mayors for Peace. As a result there are
now 196 Belgian members of the network.
Patrik Vankrunkelsven, mayor of the Belgian town of Laakdal,
says the international community must focus on its own standards
if it wants any credibility. We do not appear convincing if we
prohibit Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons
while we in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) continue
to use a nuclear deterrent for our own security, he said in a
statement Tuesday.
We are even developing new, more useable nuclear weapons and
hardly getting rid of any older ones. Belgium must give a clear
signal as soon as possible and ask for the removal of the
nuclear weapons, he added.
Bruno De Lille who will become mayor of Brussels during the NPT
conference in New York, said it was particularly important that
Brussels supported the campaign. As capital of Europe and host
city for NATO headquarters, we certainly do not want to be left
behind. Instead we take on our responsibilities today, he said.
(END/2005)
Copyright 2005 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
49 Bellona: US DOE budget proposal includes a hydrogen twist
In his 2004 budget request to Congress, US President George Bush
has asked representatives for $260m in funding for hydrogen
research in a move that will further the presidents high-profile
Hydrogen Fuel Initiative of 2003.
Hanne Bakke, 2005-04-19 15:27 Translated by Charles Digges
The lions share of the millions will be included in the US
Department of Energys (DOE) budget and includes, among other
things, $183m for the DOEs programme for improving energy
efficiency and renewable energy, as well as $33m for DOE research
programmes.
Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are effective forms of energy that generate
electricity and heat via an electro-chemical reaction between
oxygen and hydrogen, without combustion or pollution. Fuel cell
research has a roll in creating viable energy supplies for the
future as fuel cells can become a cost efficient method of using
energy effectively without releasing greenhouse gasses.
Fuel cells are the key to a hydrogen-based economy and, in the
long run, can replace combustion-based conversion systems, like
traditional motors and turbines. A hydrogen-based economy is a
global challenge and international cooperation is essential to
achieve change as the obstacles to be overcome are enormous.
Bushs budget proposal is interesting. There are plenty of
reasons that hydrogen has found such a prominent roll, said
Bellonas hydrogen Project Director Isak Oksvold.
Hydrogen will not only reduce American oil imports, but
hydrogen cars will visibly surpass the conventional automobile.
This gives enormous advantages to the auto producers that master
the technology best. The budget proposal implies that Bush has
taken the American auto industry seriously.
Oksvold reiterated that General Motors has given clear signals
that hydrogen will come sooner or later, and that the auto
industry will shift its activities to those areas where the most
active development is occuring.
Hydrogen Fuel Initiative
Despite Bushs frayed environmental reputation, he has been a
persistent advocate for the hydrogen cause. In 2003, he laid out
his Hydrogen Fuel Initiative in order to turn the United States
dependence on oil imports toward the development of technology
for hydrogen cells for use in automobiles and other transport as
well as electricity production.
The hydrogen initiative is also a part of the presidents
environmental policy. At its launch in 2003, he pledged $1.2
bilion to the project over a five year period. The initiative
seeks to develop hydrogen technology, fuel cells and the
infrastructure to make it possible for the average American to
chose hydrogen cars as a means of transport by 2002.
The hydrogen initiative compliments the Freedom-CAR initiative
which works specifically with the development of hybrid
technology that will shape the foundation for the development of
hydrogen cars for the broad market.
Research reduces the expenses
The DOE has also thrown its weight behind the financing of
different energy research projects, and one of these projects in
2004 contributed to lowering the volume cost of using a fuel
cell in a car from $275 per kilowatt hour to $200 per kilowatt
hour.
In order to make hydrogen fuel cells competitive with
contemporary automobiles, the DOE still considers that the costs
per kilowatt hour must be driven down to $50.
Cooperation with the EU
In 2003, the Eu and the United States entered into a cooperative
hydrogen project to ensure a stabile, clean energy supply for
the future. The cooperation strengthens joint research on fuel
cells with an eye to making them commercially competitive.
American and European researchers from both the pubic and
private sector will cooperate on reducing costs, improving
performance, and extending fuel cell life-spans.
The cooperation will also address how to overcome impediments
and will set forth which common research programme the concerned
parties will settle on. The common research effort will focus on
six chief areas: transport, fuel cells and backup systems,
regulations and standards, fuel choice, solid or oxide fuel
cells and other supporting studies.
Download the budget proposal here (.pdf-format)
This article was first published in NorwegianApril 1. 2005.
Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge
Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact:
webmaster@bellona.no
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50 Island Packet Online: Independent lab at SRS needed for years to come
www.islandpacket.com
HILTON HEAD ISLAND - BLUFFTON S.C.
Tue, April 19, 2005
Federal budget cuts would destroy 54 years of work
The federal government would be foolish to close an independent
ecological laboratory at the Savannah River Site.
With all the nuclear waste remaining on the site where
plutonium was produced during the Cold War, it is unthinkable to
halt any study of the ecological impact. It is just as important
today as it was when Congress sensibly called for the
independent lab in 1951.
With more areas, including Beaufort County 90 miles south of
the plant, now depending on the Savannah River for drinking
water, the ecological study remains imperative.
But the U.S. Department of Energy says it cannot afford to
continue its $7.8 million allocation to the lab. That would
shutter the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, which is operated
by the University of Georgia and employs 180 people.
That is small change in the world of nuclear production, yet it
is a small investment that pays large dividends.
"The public would lose a credible source of unbiased
information on the health of SRS ecosystems and on the impacts
of site operations" if the lab is closed, said Paul Bertsch, the
lab's director.
It is impossible to place a value on the peace of mind the
laboratory brings.
Congress knew from the beginning there had to be an independent
assessment of what effects the "bomb plant" might have on the
environment.
That can be achieved only with a lab that can study what it
wants and publish results without government approval.
Scientists have pursued research in ground migration of
contaminants, remediation and restoration.
The public will need that type of research to continue for
generations to come.
Fortunately, members of Congress from both South Carolina and
Georgia appreciate the need for the independent lab. They can
see through the folly of the government saying the lab can stay
open without federal dollars. And they know this is not a low
priority item that should be swept from a gargantuan federal
budget. They know how abysmally dumb it would be to walk away
from 54 years of building a knowledge base in such a sensitive
public arena.
U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint are working to restore
the money for the lab in the federal budget. They are to be
commended for their efforts, and they need strong grass-roots
support from the public.
Copyright 2005 The Island Packet | Privacy Policy|
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51 Tri-City Herald: Fluor Hanford lays off 148 workers
This story was published Tuesday, April 19th, 2005
By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer
Fluor Hanford gave layoff notices to 148 workers Monday,
including 36 who volunteered to quit their jobs.
Last month the Hanford contractor told employees that up to 200
workers could be laid off in the announcement scheduled for
Monday. While no further layoffs have been announced, workers
have been warned that more layoffs are expected over the balance
of the Fluor contract that ends in September 2006.
The Fluor layoffs are in addition to about 1,000 jobs cut this
spring by Bechtel National, which is building Hanford's $5.8
billion vitrification plant to treat radioactive waste. That
included 350 non-construction workers who are receiving their
layoff notices this week.
Fluor employees losing their jobs have been given two weeks
notice. They also will receive one week of severance pay for
every year worked up to 20 years and Fluor will continue to pay
the company's share of health insurance premiums for up to a
year.
The layoffs announced Monday included union and nonunion
workers, said Fluor spokesman Geoff Tyree. Fluor had asked for
volunteers to resign from a long list of job categories,
including engineers, mechanics, clerks and nuclear waste process
operators.
Fluor employs 4,039 people, including subcontractor employees,
to manage the Hanford site and perform cleanup work.
Fewer workers will be needed because of projects that have been
completed, such as the removal of irradiated nuclear fuel from
the K Basins, and the contractor continuing to work more
efficiently, according to Fluor. In addition, some
lower-priority work is being eliminated.
The Department of Energy is proposing cutting the overall
Hanford budget from nearly $2.1 billion this year to a little
more than $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2006.
Last year, Fluor laid off 60 workers in January and 55 in June.
2005 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
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52 lamonitor.com: Domenici: Cuts undermine science
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
ROGER SNODGRASS, roger@lamonitor.com, Monitor Assistant Editor
Sen. Pete Domenici advised Los Alamos National Laboratory
employees to be ready for future changes beyond the immediate
management issues.
"Lab people will be worried right up to the very end," he said.
"I keep admonishing them to keep their powder dry."
The laboratory's fate depends on who bids on the contract to
become LANL's next manager, New Mexico's Republican senator said
in a radio press conference Monday. It may also depend on how
the bidders envision the laboratory's future.
Domenici's remarks arose in the context of a disagreement he
expressed with the top National Nuclear Security Administration
official during an appropriations hearing on Thursday.
Administrator Linton Brooks presented a five-year budget that
included a $3 billion cut in NNSA funding to the Senate Energy
and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee.
"A $3 billion reduction to the NNSA defense programs is
unsustainable within the current NNSA complex," Domenici said in
a statement after the hearing.
He extended his remarks during the press conference Monday, in
which he accused NNSA of "speaking out of both sides of their
mouth."
Brooks referred in his prepared statement to an infrastructure
study due by the end of April on what the weapons complex should
look like in the future, suggesting that savings would be found
in a new streamlining of the weapons complex.
But Domenici said the unfinished report has not been accepted
yet.
"It talks about changing the entire production of the three
laboratories, changing around what they are doing and
reconfiguring," he said, adding that LANL's job would be focused
on manufacturing pits and other parts needed for extending the
lifespan of the weapons in the nuclear stockpile.
Brooks' proposals included some increases as well.
"We have also programmed enhanced efforts in several NNSA
programs during the five-year period," he said. "Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation increases $1.4 billion; Safeguards and Security
increases $979 million; Emergency Response activities increase
$154 million, and Office of Administration increases $98
million."
NNSA's budget for fiscal 2006 includes $4 million to conclude a
feasibility and cost study for the Robust Nuclear Earth
Penetrator and $9.4 million (an increase of $400,000 over FY
2005) for the "Reliable Replacement Warhead," which is
envisioned as a more reliable, longer-lived weapon in the
nuclear stockpile.
To pay for the increases, Brooks proposed reducing defense
programs by $3 billion over the five years, and reducing the
Facilities Recapitalization efforts by $752 million.
In the near term, Los Alamos' budget for FY 2006 would see 1
percent growth.
In his press conference, Domenici made it clear that the
discussion is only in the preliminary phase.
2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
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53 DenverPost.com: Last radioactive scraps slated to leave Flats
Article Published: Tuesday, April 19, 2005
By Kim McGuire Denver Post Staff Writer
The final shipment of radioactive scraps bound for a New Mexico
dump should leave Rocky Flats today, Department of Energy
officials said Monday.
The shipment - set to leave the former nuclear-bomb plant at
about 10:45 a.m. - is the last of almost 95,000 barrels of
transuranic waste to be collected from the plant.
That waste - among the most contaminated produced at the Cold
War-era facility - consists of clothing, tools, rags and other
debris tainted with radioactive elements - mostly plutonium.
State environmental regulators say the last shipment of
transuranic waste represents a major milestone in the 13-year
cleanup at Rocky Flats, which is slated to become a national
wildlife refuge after the effort is complete, perhaps as early
as November.
"In 1997, the idea of getting this done was just inconceivable,"
said Steve Gunderson, project coordinator for the Colorado
Department of Public Health and the Environment.
Gunderson described the years of setbacks that delayed the
opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the nation's
repository for transuranic waste located in an ancient saltbed
formation near Carlsbad, N.M.
Those delays led some to question whether Rocky Flats'
radioactive scrap pile would ever leave Colorado.
"Just the logistics of getting the shipping containers, trucks
and sorting the waste in a systematic way - I can't tell you how
much regulatory red tape there was," Gunderson said.
The New Mexico dump finally opened on March 26, 1999, and
received the first shipment of transuranic waste from Rocky
Flats on June 16 of that year. Since then, cleanup crews have
shipped more than 15,000 cubic meters of waste to the WIPP.
"With the first WIPP shipment, one of the significant concerns
among members of the community was that there would be accidents
or mishaps," said Ken Korkia, director of the Rocky Flats
Citizens Advisory Board. "And that really didn't happen."
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or
kmcguire@denverpost.com.
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