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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 MNA: Tehran awaiting EU proposal on nuclear program
2 Korea Herald: Nuke negotiators discuss game plan
3 RIA Novosti: Russia expecting no breakthroughs at North Korea talks
4 Minjok-Tongshin: China Mends Fences With NK
5 csmonitor.com: One Last Time for North Korea |
6 Guardian Unlimited: Envoys Meet on Strategy in South Korea
7 Guardian Unlimited: Envoys Meet Ahead of Korea Nuclear Talks
8 US: Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Urged to Consolidate Nuclear Weapons
NUCLEAR REACTORS
9 US: Buffalo News: Nuclear plants at odds with Republican principles
10 US: San Luis Obispo Tribune: PG studying tsunami threat to Diablo
11 US: Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Nuclear plant is apt to be at Vogt
12 RIA Novosti: Group to consider nuclear power plants' construction co
13 CP National News: N.B. government considers nuclear facility retrofi
14 Xinhua: 10 new reactors to be built
15 Economist.com: Climate change | The nuclear answer?
16 US: NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collecti
17 The Standard: Provinces in line for 18 nuclear reactors - China
18 US: Boston Globe: Complaints rise at nuclear plant
19 US: York Daily Record: Supplemental inspection planned for TMI -
20 US: Petoskey News-Review: Nuclear plant toured
21 US: Petoskey News-Review: Daily inspections must continue
22 National Post: Gov. refuses to assist N.B. nuclear plant
23 Tewksbury Advocate: Chernobyl's lasting legacy
NUCLEAR SECURITY
NUCLEAR SAFETY
24 US: [du-list] US NRC study finds against hormesis
25 US: Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Soldiers
26 US: DOE: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed
27 US: Deseret News: Downwinders need fed help
28 US: Battle Creek Enquirer: Object to depleted uranium weapons
29 US: Boston Globe: Army agrees to pay more for cleanup -
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
30 UK The Times: Alarm over radioactive waste site
31 US: AU ABC: ALP not rethinking uranium policy yet
32 Las Vegas RJ: New deadline set on Yucca Mountain
33 US: Las Vegas RJ: Barton plans to write nuclear waste bill
34 RIA Novosti: Russia continues to accept foreign nuclear waste for st
35 US: Platts: Industry to discuss ways to guarantee enrichment supply
36 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Will politics decide Yucca?
37 Las Vegas SUN: Porter demands deadline be set on Yucca e-mails
38 US: The Dispatch: Will perchlorate suit hold water?
39 KRQE News 13: Feds to meet on uranium enrichment plant
40 Las Vegas SUN: New state office building opens in Nevada
41 US: AU ABC: China 'interested' in NT uranium.
42 KRNV: Porter sets final deadline for release of Yucca documents
43 US: DailyBulletin.com: EPA awards money for perchlorate cleanup
44 US: DailyBulletin.com: Lack of complete test results has some owners
PEACE
45 Newly Released CD, No Nukes! No Wars! Songs of Resistance
46 asahi.com: Rare Hiroshima photos to be shown
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
47 The State: Savannah River facility courts
48 DenverPost.com: Feds should acquire Flats mineral rights
49 MCMN: Land use board hears concerns about uranium -
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 MNA: Tehran awaiting EU proposal on nuclear program
2005/07/13
TEHRAN, July 13 (MNA) -- Majlis National Security and Foreign
Policy Committee rapporteur Kazem Jalali said on Wednesday that
the EU has two weeks to come up with a practical plan about
Iran's national nuclear program.
He told reporters that Iran is waiting for the EU proposal,
adding, “If we accept the proposal, we will proceed with
talks.
“The EU proposal should not ignore Iran’s right to use
nuclear energy for generating electricity as stipulated by the
(nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Otherwise, the
government should resume uranium enrichment in line with Majlis
approval.”
The Majlis ratified a bill last spring requiring the government
to resume uranium enrichment on a small scale for generating
electricity at the Bushehr power plant.
Iran has temporarily suspended uranium enrichment as a
confidence-building gesture and but has announced that it has
mastered the nuclear fuel cycle in line with the safeguards
agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The U.S. and the EU want objective guarantee from Iran before it
restarts uranium enrichment to produce fuel for power plants.
Iran signed the additional protocol to the NPT, which allows
intrusive snap inspections by the IAEA, as a measure to provide
an objective guarantee.
Iran signed Additional Protocol to NPT and made it clear that
Iranian nuclear program is for civilian purpose.
Iranian religious leaders including Supreme Leader of the
Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei have declared
the production of nuclear weapons as 'haram' (religiously
forbidden).
The Supreme Leader's decrees are effective in all state affairs.
"Even though Iran suffered many casualties from Iraqi chemical
attacks against Iranian soldiers in the course of the
Iraqi-imposed war, Iran never considered using similar weapons
against Iraq, because weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are
haram (forbidden in Islam)," the Supreme Leader said in remarks
concerning the nuclear program.
AV/HG
End
MNA
© 2003 Mehr News Agency
*****************************************************************
2 Korea Herald: Nuke negotiators discuss game plan
Seoul favors monthlong time frame for next round of North Korea
talks
Top nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and
Japan yesterday discussed here how to run the six-party talks
and what other proposals to offer North Korea when the
negotiations reopen later this month after a stalemate lasting
over a year.
"We have shared the understanding that these six-party talks
after the 13-month hiatus will be a meaningful one by creating a
momentum to solve to nuclear problem," said South Korea's
representative and Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon in a
news briefing.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and Japan's
Director-general of the Foreign Ministry Kenichiro Sasae called
on Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon before sitting down with Song
for a tripartite preparatory meeting between the three
countries' top delegates to the six-party negotiations.
"The purpose of the fourth round of talks will be to review the
situation that has changed during the long stalemate and to
prove that it is a ground on which we can solve the nuclear
issue and also deal with North Korea's interests," Song said.
He said the three parties also discussed how to incorporate the
South Korean electricity aid package disclosed Tuesday into the
main proposal put forward in June 2004.
The talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, China,
Japan and Russia, reopen in the last week of this month after a
13-month hiatus due to a boycott by Pyongyang.
The specific timing of the talks has yet to be set.
The relevant governments are raising cautious hopes for this
fourth round of talks, envisioning that it can produce more
significant results than the last three previous futile
negotiations since there will be a more attractive proposal
package on the table in return for a straightforward promise by
the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
The South Korean government sources said prior to the meeting
it will suggest setting a monthlong term for the six-nation
talks to enable more profound and substantial discussions among
the member countries.
But Song said such a change will be discussed with other members
of the parties first and also during the talks when they
actually start.
He added there would not be one concrete proposal by the five
countries to the North prior to the talks but that the proposals
coming from Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will be adjusted so as
not to intercept with each other.
Seoul's offer of a large supply of electricity annually in
return for North Korea's disarmament will most likely be treated
as an additional plan. North Korea is also requesting an
assurance of its security and regime.
The three also discussed at the tripartite meeting whether to
offer additional aid of heavy fuel oil, one of the key demands
made by North Korea in exchange for dismantling its nuclear
programs.
Last year, the United States made clear in its version of the
proposal it would not be joining in the oil supply, stating that
"upon conclusion of this agreement (on North Korea's
dismantlement and follow-up procedures), non-U.S. parties would
provide heavy fuel" to the North.
Washington has been saying it has no obligation regarding the
supply of heavy fuel oil which was suspended in 2002 when the
United States claimed North Korea breached a 1994
denuclearization agreement by secretly developing
highly-enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons.
The government here argues that the six-party talks should
undergo a makeover in its methodology to allow a more
substantive and practical negotiation process.
Foreign Minister Ban said in a radio interview yesterday
morning, "We need a procedure in which the session is extended
and the representatives gather in one place to draw out an
agreement without having to repeat the situation where we hold
one conference and wait for a year for the next one."
Sources said the six-nation talks could continue for about a
month in a set timetable, and set up several subcommittees under
the main negotiations to separately cover economics, politics
and nuclear technology among other issues.
North Korea needs to agree to such a change, the sources said,
noting that the other five members were receptive to the idea of
a new approach to the negotiations.
Song will fly to China and then Russia this weekend for
discussions.
In another optimistic sign, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told
visiting Chinese councilor Tang Jiaxuan he hoped there will be
constructive progress in the six-party talks and praised China's
role in resuming the multilateral talks, the official (North)
Korean Central News Agency reported.
(angiely@heraldm.com)
By Lee Joo-hee
2005.07.15
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3 RIA Novosti: Russia expecting no breakthroughs at North Korea talks
- ministry
15/07/2005
MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry is
not expecting any breakthroughs at the next round of six-party
talks on North Korea's nuclear program, a deputy minister said.
"Following an interval in the talks lasting more than a year,
it would be too optimistic to expect any breakthroughs," Deputy
Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev said in the wake of North
Korea's and the United States' decision to resume talks.
The fourth round of talks is due to take place in Beijing in
late July.
Alekseyev said Moscow nevertheless hoped certain progress would
be achieved at the fourth round in comparison with previous
rounds.
"The parties should naturally confirm they understand the final
goals of the settlement process," said Alekseyev.
The parties to talks on North Korea are Russia, North Korea,
South Korea, the United States, China, and Japan. The dialogue
hit an impasse after three rounds in Beijing in August 2003 over
differences between North Korea and the U.S. Last week,
Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume talks and hold their
fourth round in late July.
North Korea announced it had nuclear weapons on February 12
this year.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
*****************************************************************
4 Minjok-Tongshin: China Mends Fences With NK
2005.07.14 20:15:59
By Park Song-wu, Korea Times
2005-07-14 - Chinas efforts to mend damaged relations with
North Korea since Pyongyangs ``unilateral declaration of
its nuclear status in February ended successfully Thursday, a
North Korea expert in Seoul said.
``Improving ties between Beijing and Pyongyang is a steadfast,
strategic policy of the Chinese Communist Party and its
government, Tang was quoted by the Norths state media as
saying.
In return, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il thanked China for its
``unremitting efforts toward the resumption of the six-party
talks, Xinhua reported.
The two leaders statements show their once-soured relationship
might have been restored to its former state thanks to Chinas
promised of a ``big present _ Hus state visit to Pyongyang.
``The two states relationship had been hurt a little due to
Chinas strong push for North Koreas return to the six-party
talks, Yoo Ho-yeol, professor of North Korean studies at
Seouls Korea University, told The Korea Times. ``Tang might
have tried to compensate North Korea with an arrangement of
Hus visit to Pyongyang.
Tangs visit came as Pyongyang agreed last week to return to
the negotiation table on its nuclear programs later this month.
Pyongyang ``unilaterally declared on Feb. 10 that it has
nuclear weapons and will permanently boycott the six-party talks
after concluding that Beijing was siding with Washington and
pressuring it to rejoin the nuclear talks, Yoo said.
``Under this situation, China made it a condition that Hus
visit to Pyongyang would come if North Korea agrees to return to
the talks, he said. ``It worked as a pressure. Now, as North
Korea agreed to come back to the talks, China is supposed to
give it a present.
Yoo predicted that the Chinese president would visit North Korea
prior to his participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum which will be held in Pusan, South Korea, in
November.
``Such a move will show the world that the two communist states
have a stronger relationship than ever, Yoo said.
During his meeting with Kim on Wednesday, Tang verbally conveyed
Hus personal message to the North Korean leader. The contents
of it were not available. Kim expressed hope that the six-party
talks could find a peaceful solution to the nuclear standoff,
the Norths Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
``A nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is an instruction of the late
Comrade Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il was quoted by the KCNA as
saying. ``Our consistent stance is to find a negotiated solution
to the nuclear issue in a peaceful way.
Tang, former foreign minister, also met North Korean Premier Pak
Bong-ju and reconfirmed Chinas commitment to cooperation with
North Korea on various subjects, including the nuclear issue,
the Norths state media reported.
China is believed to supply North Korea with up to one-third of
its food and one-quarter of its energy needs.
The multilateral dialogue _ involving the two Koreas, the United
States, China, Russia and Japan _ is expected to begin in
Beijing the week of July 25.
North Korea said Saturday that it would return to the six-party
talks after being reassured by the U.S. that Washington
recognized Pyongyang as a sovereign state. The North has
boycotted the talks since June 2004, citing ``hostile'' U.S.
policies.
Copyright 1999-2005 Minjok Tongshin
mailto:minjok@minjok.com
*****************************************************************
5 csmonitor.com: One Last Time for North Korea |
Commentary > The Monitor's View
from the July 15, 2005 edition
This is it. North Korea should be allowed only this one last
chance to stay in the negotiations aimed at ending its
nuclear-weapons programs.
It has avoided previous opportunities for talks too many times
in recent years. If it walks away from the ones that are due to
start July 25, the US should ask the UN Security Council to
impose economic sanctions.
With enough fissile material to make six to eight bombs, North
Korea can't be allowed to go its merry nuclear way and possibly
export these weapons of mass destruction. Its record of
terrorist acts and of lobbing missiles toward Japan makes it too
much of a threat in the Al Qaeda age.
Just why North Korea says it is returning to the six-party talks
is unclear. Perhaps the Kim Jong Il regime is tottering after
having left its people hungry. Perhaps China, as one of the six,
realizes its errant ally really does have The Bomb. Perhaps
South Korea's offer to supply 2 million kilowatts of electricity
for an energy-starved North was a lure.
The US has done its part. It recently recognized North Korea as
a sovereign state and said it had no intention of attacking it.
President Bush even politely referred to its leader as Mr. Kim
Jong Il, and let US officials meet directly with diplomats from
Pyongyang.
Whatever benefits North Korea expects out of these talks will
really come only after it dismantles its nuclear facilities. It
cheated on a 1994 agreement to do that. Now the stakes are
higher, and the need for upfront verification is imperative.
www.csmonitor.com | Copyright 2005 The Christian Science
Monitor. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
6 Guardian Unlimited: Envoys Meet on Strategy in South Korea
[UP]
Thursday July 14, 2005 11:16 AM
AP Photo XAHN103
By BURT HERMAN
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Negotiators from Japan, South Korea
and the U.S. met Thursday to coordinate strategy for talks this
month to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons,
after the North's leader reportedly said a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula was his father's dying wish.
North Korea agreed Saturday to end a 13-month boycott of the
talks, after being assured by the chief U.S. nuclear envoy,
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, that Washington
recognized its sovereignty.
Hill met Thursday in Seoul with the South's nuclear negotiator,
Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, and Kenichiro Sasae,
director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau at Japan's Foreign
Ministry. They will head their countries' delegations at the
six-nation arms talks set to convene the week of July 25, talks
that also include China and Russia.
The three declined to comment to reporters before heading into a
meeting at the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
A senior South Korean government official said Thursday that
Seoul hopes to change the format for the next nuclear talks,
which had previously lasted several days. Instead, the talks
could be extended to last longer so all sides have a chance to
negotiate rather than simply state their positions, the official
told reporters on condition of anonymity, South Korea's policy
for working-level officials.
Seoul is hopeful of progress in the next round of arms talks,
and the official noted senior North Korean officials appear to
be following up on statements by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il
- who has repeatedly in the past month mentioned
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was the dying wish of
his father, North Korea's founding ruler Kim Il Sung.
Kim repeated the comment to a visiting Chinese envoy Wednesday
and said he ``hoped that the six-party talks would be resumed as
scheduled and positive progress be made at the talks,'' the
North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.
On Thursday, China praised the remarks from its communist ally.
``We welcome and appreciate the positive comments,'' Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing.
South Korea has offered extensive energy aid to the North if it
gives up its atomic weapons, and the United States has also
promised diplomatic recognition and economic aid to the
communist state if international inspectors verify the arms
programs are completely dismantled.
The latest nuclear standoff with North Korea was sparked in late
2002 after U.S. officials accused it of a running a secret
uranium enrichment program in violation of an earlier nuclear
agreement. The North subsequently pulled out of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty, and in February claimed it had nuclear
weapons.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
7 Guardian Unlimited: Envoys Meet Ahead of Korea Nuclear Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday July 14, 2005 3:31 PM
AP Photo XAHN103
By BURT HERMAN
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Negotiators from Japan, South Korea
and the United States met Thursday to coordinate strategy for
resuming talks to pressure North Korea to give up its atomic
weapons, after the North's leader reportedly said a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula was his father's dying wish.
North Korea agreed Saturday to end a 13-month boycott of the
six-nation talks after being assured by the chief U.S. nuclear
envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, that
Washington recognized its sovereignty.
Hill met Thursday in Seoul with the South's nuclear negotiator,
Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, and Kenichiro Sasae,
director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau at Japan's Foreign
Ministry. They will head their countries' delegations at the
arms talks set to convene the week of July 25. The talks also
include China and Russia.
The three declined to comment to reporters before heading into a
meeting at the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
A senior South Korean government official said Thursday that
Seoul hopes to change the format for the next nuclear talks,
which previously lasted several days. Instead, the talks could
be extended so all sides have a chance to negotiate rather than
simply state their positions, the official told reporters on
condition of anonymity, South Korea's policy for working-level
officials.
Seoul hopes for progress in the next round, and the official
noted that senior North Korean officials appear to be following
up on statements by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - who has
mentioned repeatedly in the past month that denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula was the dying wish of his father, the
communist state's founding ruler, Kim Il Sung.
Kim repeated the comment to a visiting Chinese envoy Wednesday
and said he ``hoped that the six-party talks would be resumed as
scheduled and positive progress be made at the talks,'' the
North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.
On Thursday, China praised the remarks from its communist ally.
``We welcome and appreciate the positive comments,'' Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing.
South Korea has offered extensive energy aid to the North if it
gives up its atomic weapons, and the United States also has
promised diplomatic recognition and economic aid to the
communist state if international inspectors verify that its arms
programs are completely dismantled.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who made the offer
directly to Kim Jong Il, said Thursday the North Korean leader's
main message at their June 17 meeting had been that he ``wanted
to be an allied nation of the United States.'' Chung made the
comments at a talk with local reporters, his office said.
Liu said China did not offer the North more aid or sign any
deals during a visit to the North this week by a special Chinese
envoy.
China, the North's last major ally, is believed to be the
impoverished nation's biggest supplier of food and energy aid.
``I don't think this assistance can be linked with the DPRK's
willingness to return to six-party talks,'' Liu said.
The latest nuclear standoff with North Korea was sparked in late
2002 after U.S. officials accused it of a running a secret
uranium enrichment program in violation of an earlier nuclear
agreement. The North subsequently pulled out of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty, and in February claimed it had nuclear
weapons.
That claim has not been verified, but U.S. intelligence and
other estimates say the North has as many as six atomic bombs.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
8 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Urged to Consolidate Nuclear Weapons
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday July 14, 2005 10:31 PM
By H. JOSEF HEBERT
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The country's nuclear weapons plants and
sensitive material such as plutonium should be consolidated at a
single site to increase security and reduce targets for
terrorists, a federal advisory task force says.
A report made public Thursday also urged the Energy Department
to speed development of sturdier, more reliable nuclear warheads
that can be maintained more easily and last longer. Such a
program is in the early design stages.
The report by a special task force of the Secretary of Energy
Advisory Board has yet to be approved by the full board. But it
is expected to weigh heavily in the future configuration of the
governments nuclear weapons complex, including activities at
three weapons design laboratories in New Mexico and California.
While such labs have been modernized, production facilities are
``World War II era ... lacking in modern-day production
technology and striving to optimize performance with antiquated
equipment and facilities,'' the report said.
It recommended consolidating the most critical parts of the
weapons complex, now spread across eight facilities, into a
single site with ``cutting edge nuclear component production,
manufacturing and assembly technologies.''
The report did not recommended a location, but said site
selection should begin immediately.
The report also criticized the ``broad distribution'' of
sensitive nuclear material such as plutonium and highly enriched
uranium, which now is located at six of the eight major
facilities.
This distribution, once considered a security advantage, now
``increases the number of potential terrorist targets within
this country, exposing the (weapons) complex and the surrounding
civilian population to risk,'' according to the report.
It noted that when the weapons complex was designed, most of the
sites were remote and relatively easy to secure. Today,
residential and or commercial communities border most of them.
``The primary method for dealing with current and future
terrorist threats to the complex is through the application of
guards, guns and gates,'' the report said. It noted that such
activities now account for nearly 15 percent of the weapon
complex budget.
Citizen groups at a number of the weapons design and production
facilities have argued that plutonium stockpiles should be
removed from places such as the Livermore National Laboratory,
which is in the heart of a residential area.
Plutonium and highly enriched uranium are needed for weapons
design and other activities at Livermore. The lab has resisted
removing all of such material, fearing its weapons work would
have to be abandoned.
Energy Department spokesman Mike Waldron, noting that it was a
draft report, said ``it would premature to comment on
specifics'' until the public has had a chance to comment on the
findings and the advisory panel has given its final approval.
In the mid-1990s, a panel of outside scientists recommended
consolidating the three nuclear weapons labs, drawing opposition
from the laboratories and members of Congress. The idea was
rejected by then-Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary.
This recommendation also is expected to meet opposition.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., whose state is home to two of the
three weapons labs, said in a statement, ``We should not rush
into any quick fixes.''
Domenici said the spending bill for the Energy Department
prohibits, for the now, the use of any money to put in place the
advisory panel's recommendations.
The weapons facilities the task force looked at for
consolidation were the three national labs - Lawrence Livermore
in California and Sandia and Los Alamos in New Mexico - as well
as the Savannah River complex in South Carolina, the Y-12
facility at Oak Ridge, Tenn., the Pantex facility in Texas, the
Nuclear Test Site in Nevada and a non-nuclear facility in Kansas
City.
^---
On the Net:
Secretary's Advisory Board (SEAB): www.seab.doe.gov
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
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9 Buffalo News: Nuclear plants at odds with Republican principles
Subsidies, regulation
Nuclear plants at odds with Republican principles By
PETER ASMUS
7/14/2005
The recent call by President Bush to restart a major nuclear
power program in this country in response to concerns about our
dependence on foreign energy sources and global climate change
would have Adam Smith rolling in his grave.
There is no power source less compatible with the GOP's love of
free markets and disdain for regulation and subsidy than nuclear
fission. Without government intervention, there simply would be
no nuclear industry.
It is true that nuclear energy does not contribute to global
climate change. But nuclear power is far from being clean or
green. Consider the following:
In the nuclear fuel process, uranium enrichment depends on great
amounts of electricity, most of which is provided by dirty fossil
fuel plants releasing all of the traditional air pollution
emissions not released by the nuclear reactor itself. Two of the
nation's most polluting coal plants, in Ohio and Indiana, produce
electricity primarily for uranium enrichment.
The operations of nuclear power plants release dangerous air
emissions in the form of radioactive gases, including carbon-14,
iodine-131, krypton and xenon.
Concerns about chronic or routine exposure to radiation are
augmented by the supreme risk of catastrophe in the event of
power plant accidents. A major failure in the nuclear power
plant's cooling systems, such as the rupture of the reactor
vessel, can create a nuclear "meltdown." A catastrophic accident
could easily kill 100,000 people.
I first learned about the electricity industry when I covered the
battle to close the Rancho Seco nuclear plant in Sacramento in
the 1980s. Over the next 15 years, I learned the ins and outs of
the electricity business, the world's largest - and most
polluting - industrial enterprise. The subject is boring and
complex.
Past decisions authorizing a spate of nuclear plants were made
with little scrutiny of their economic or environmental impacts.
The consequences of those decisions, and the government subsidies
that helped promote the fiction that they were cost-effective,
helped set the stage for today's crisis in energy supply.
The United States, with its 103 operating nuclear power plants,
is already the world's top consumer of electricity generated from
nuclear fission. But we have yet to build a federal repository
for nuclear waste. Given that U.S. reactors produce about 2,000
tons of high-level waste every year, calling for greater reliance
on nuclear power is not only supremely irresponsible but also an
insult to the "conservative" wing of the Republican Party.
That Republicans call for more nuclear power is truly
mind-boggling. There has never been a more subsidized, socialized
power technology than nuclear.
Real, free-market energy policies suggest smaller, smarter and
cleaner power sources. The last thing the United States should
embark on in these volatile times tainted by the terrorist threat
is the dinosaur technology that is nuclear power.
Peter Asmus is author of "Reaping the Wind" and "Reinventing
Electric Utilities." He wrote this article for the Washington
Post.
Copyright 1999 - 2005 The Buffalo News
*****************************************************************
10 San Luis Obispo Tribune: PG studying tsunami threat to Diablo
| 07/14/2005 |
Seismologists gathered information in Sumatra that will be used
to show how the coast could be affected to Diablo
By David Sneed
The Tribune
Earthquake experts with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. are
launching a $500,000 study to decide how the utility might need
to better protect Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in the event
of a large tsunami.
In May, PG seismologists toured the Banda Aceh region of
Sumatra, which was devastated by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean
tsunami and the undersea earthquake that spawned it.
The information they gathered will be used to generate computer
models showing how tsunamis from a quake in the Pacific Ocean
might affect the California coast and the nuclear plant. In
addition to large waves, tsunamis also cause the ocean to
temporarily recede, which creates problems for power plants.
The study should be completed by the end of the year.
PG might present the findings at a local public forum, given the
high level of interest in the subject, said Stuart Nishenko, a
senior seismologist with PG who participated in the Sumatra
tour.
Large earthquakes, especially ones that spawn killer tsunamis,
are unusual events. Each time one happens, it's a chance to
learn and update the threat potential to Diablo Canyon, Nishenko
said.
Nuclear watchdog groups applaud the study -- and PG's
initiative.
But Rochelle Becker, executive director of the San Luis Obispo
group Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, said the federal
Nuclear Regulatory Commission should have required the study in
the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
"This is just another example of inadequate regulation that
could result in immeasurable economic risks to our state," she
said.
Assessing the risk
The scientists, including PG's chief seismologist, Lloyd Cluff,
toured a cement factory as well as several oil and gas
facilities. They were heartened to see that the cement factory
was not destroyed.
"That gives us some indication that well-engineered structures
can survive tsunamis when everything else is lost," Nishenko
said.
That confirmed the company's belief that Diablo Canyon would be
able to withstand the largest waves that could be created by
earthquake faults offshore of the plant, he said. The plant was
built with the possibility of earthquakes and tsunamis in mind.
"We are still confident that we have addressed these issues and
we are still in a safe position," he said.
Earthquakes are a major concern for nuclear plants. PG shut down
its Humboldt Bay plant in the 1970s after determining there were
too many earthquakes in that area of Northern California to
safely operate the plant.
PG seismologists believe Diablo Canyon does not face the
potential of a tsunami similar to Sumatra or Humboldt Bay. They
believe that storm-driven waves, which can grow to heights in
excess of 20 feet, pose a greater threat than tsunamis.
Other potential dangers
The closest earthquake fault to Diablo Canyon is the Hosgri,
just offshore of the plant. Although there is scientific debate
about this, many earthquake experts believe that the Hosgri
fault moves horizontally and is likely to generate tsunami waves
no more than six feet in height.
The nearest Pacific Ocean fault that has historically moved
vertically and is capable of generating larger tsunamis is the
Cascadia Subduction Zone in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past
3,000 years, the largest tsunami that fault generated was 40
feet.
Diablo Canyon sits 85 feet above sea level on coastal bluffs
that would provide protection from waves of that size, Nishenko
said. The curve of the Pacific Coast would provide additional
protection, causing waves from the Cascadia fault to hit the
Central Coast at an angle, rather than straight on.
The scientists also will look at a recently discovered
phenomenon called edge waves -- tsunamis that are refracted by
the shoreline and concentrate in shallow coastal waters, causing
larger than expected waves in some places farther away from the
epicenter of the quake.
"We will see how that contributes to overall wave run-up,"
Nishenko said.
Also potentially dangerous for nuclear plants is that tsunamis
cause the ocean to recede from the shoreline as a large wave
approaches. Power plants need a constant supply of water to cool
the generators, and losing that supply, even for a short time,
would be a problem.
Nishenko said Diablo Canyon's water intake structure is 16 feet
below the surface, meaning that the ocean level would have to
drop 16 feet before cooling water would be lost.
The plant also has plans in place to deal with the loss of ocean
water, including shutting the plant down, releasing steam from
the generators and using fresh water stored in ponds behind the
plant as a backup cooling water source.
*****************************************************************
11 Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Nuclear plant is apt to be at Vogtle
ajc.com> Business
SOUTHERN CO.
By MARGARET NEWKIRK
Published on: 07/14/05
Southern Co.'s first new nuclear power plant in decades will
likely sit on the Plant Vogtle site along the Savannah River near
Waynesboro, if the energy giant decides to build one.
That's where Southern has been performing the tests needed to
apply for an initial permit for a new nuclear plant, Southern
Nuclear spokesman Steve Higginbottom confirmed Wednesday.
Southern has said it will apply for that first, "early site"
permit next year.
The permit requires the company to submit environmental and
geological information about a specific piece of land. Southern
Co. is doing the testing to get that information at the Vogtle
site and nowhere else, Higginbottom said.
Despite that, Higginbottom said the company had not yet made a
decision to site a new nuclear unit there or anywhere else, for
that matter.
Like other energy companies now inching through the nuclear
permitting process for the first time in almost 30 years,
Southern Co. says it has made "no commitment" to actually build
a plant but wants to keep its options open.
No new nuclear power plant project has been licensed since the
Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Construction on the two
existing nuclear units at Plant Vogtle began before that,
although the units weren't completed until the late 1980s.
Safety concerns and the high cost of building nuclear plants
left the industry and Wall Street wary of new plants. Plant
Vogtle's units, originally estimated to cost $975 million, ended
up costing nearly $9 billion by the time they were done.
Aversion to nuclear building continued in the 1990s as electric
deregulation then considered imminent threatened utilities'
ability to recoup building costs. Interest in widespread
electric deregulation has since waned.
The Bush administration has been actively promoting a nuclear
comeback and supported a new, streamlined permitting process to
encourage utilities to try again.
The new permitting system, the possibility of federal financial
assistance, new and purportedly cheaper plant designs, and the
threat of caps on greenhouse gases emitted by other kinds of
power plants all helped revive utility interest in nuclear power.
Southern Co. has been publicly tiptoeing toward nuclear power
since early last year. It joined a consortium of utilities
dedicated to "testing" read "applying for" new permits, and
independently announced intentions to apply for a site permit by
next year.
Higginbottom said a new nuclear power plant would take about 10
years to bring on line. In addition to the federal Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, the project would have to clear the
Georgia Public Service Commission and state environmental
regulators.
Southern Co. has been meeting with community leaders in
Waynesboro to talk about a new plant.
"Southern Co., and Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power, have been
very helpful in keeping us abreast of their plans and what
they're doing," said Waynesboro Mayor Jesse Stone.
Stone said Waynesboro and the surrounding county supported a new
nuclear plant at Vogtle and that the original 1970s plans there
called for four plants, not the current two. "We always wanted
those two more," he said.
"We've met with them several times to express our support," he
said. "A wide range of community leaders have, and have
expressed our unanimous support."
State environmental activists, meanwhile, are promising a fight.
They said the original Vogtle cost overruns alone should
discourage investment in a new nuclear plant.
"This diverts time and money from cheaper and safer and more
resilient energy alternatives that are going to serve local
communities far better than nuclear power can," said Rita
Kilpatrick, director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
"It's an unsafe technology, with phenomenal costs and risks,"
she said.
Neill Herring of the state Sierra Club said he had no faith
that cost overruns wouldn't dog a new nuclear project.
And he said a proposed new plant at the Vogtle site would be
devastating for the Savannah River. The existing plants pull
millions of gallons of water daily from the river and discharge
some of it back at higher temperatures.
"The river just can't take another plant discharging into it,"
Herring said. "The river is maxed out."
2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution| Customer care|
*****************************************************************
12 RIA Novosti: Group to consider nuclear power plants' construction completion
15/07/2005
MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - A joint working group from the
State Duma, parliament's lower house, and the government will
consider completing the construction of certain nuclear power
plants.
The working group on the draft federal budget for 2006 will
look into the finalization of construction plans for the Kursk
plant's fifth unit and the Beloyarsk plant, as well as building
floating plants.
State Duma Dpeaker Boris Gryzlov and head of the Duma Energy,
Transport and Communications Committee Valery Yazev discussed
the Russian nuclear power industry's urgent problems and
proposals for the 2006 draft budget.
The construction of the fifth unit of the Kursk plant's third
stage began in 1986. Its completion is essential to the power
supply of Russia's central regions.
The construction of the BN-800 unit at the Beloyarsk plant in
Western Siberia is linked to the development of innovation
technology of creating reactors on fast neutrons with a
fundamentally new fuel cycle. The technology makes it possible
to considerably reduce the amount of radioactive waste, lift
resource limitations and increase the plant security.
Fast-neutron reactors with closed fuel cycles are in line with
nuclear nonproliferation and security standard requirements.
Construction began in the mid-1980s, but without state funding,
it will either be extended for an unspecified amount of time or
terminated.
Another priority direction is industry development on the basis
of mobile power units, a possibility based on Russia's
considerable experience of making ship-based nuclear stations.
Small- and medium-capacity reactors should take higher priority
in Russia's power industry, expanding its "nuclear segment," the
State Duma leadership said.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
*****************************************************************
13 CP National News: N.B. government considers nuclear facility retrofit without
federal cash
canadaeast.com -
KEVIN BISSETT
FREDERICTON (CP) - The New Brunswick government is still
considering the refurbishment of its aging nuclear power
facility, despite Ottawa's rejection of a request for major
federal help.
New Brunswick politicians came out in droves Thursday to express
their dismay with the federal Liberal government's decision to
deny the province's request for money.
Since January, the province had been pressing for about $400
million to help with the $1.4-billion cost to extend the life of
the Point Lepreau reactor by another 25 years.
New Brunswick officials, including Premier Bernard Lord and NB
Power president David Hay only learned of Ottawa's rejection
through media calls Wednesday night.
Lord said Thursday he heard the news hours before getting calls
from a federal regional minister, Andy Scott, and Prime Minister
Paul Martin.
Scott told reporters during a news conference in Fredericton
that providing the assistance would have set an expensive
precedent.
"We simply could not adequately build a firewall that wouldn't
cause others to come forward with a similar request," said Scott.
He said electrical generation falls within provincial
jurisdiction and federal involvement would have triggered a
clamour from other provinces.
"The problem was there was always this other issue having to do
with 'can we do this in a way that would allow us to say No to
the three power plants in Ontario that are in roughly the same
place, as well as one in Quebec?' " he said.
Lord said that's nonsense, because the federal government has
helped the energy sector in other provinces, including the
decommissioning of coal plants in Ontario.
Lord said he was strung along, trusting the prime minister and
members of the federal Liberal cabinet that a deal was coming.
"We were clearly misled by the federal government, because in
every single conversation I had in the last three or four months,
it was very clear that things were moving along," said Lord.
Rob Moore, the Conservative MP for the New Brunswick riding of
Fundy-Royal, said the federal decision was purely political.
"I have almost 100 per cent certainty that if we were into an
election right now, Lepreau would have received the money," he
said.
"That is just how blatantly political these decisions have
become."
New Brunswick Liberal Leader Shawn Graham said he is also
disappointed with his federal counterparts.
"Expectations were raised," he said. "The federal government
could have been more forthcoming about its concerns of creating a
precedent."
But Graham also blamed the provincial Conservative government,
saying it wouldn't need the federal help if it had better managed
the provincial energy file.
Despite that, Graham said refurbishment is still the better
option than a new coal-fired plant.
Lord said a retrofit of Lepreau is still his preference, and he
has ordered Hay to call a meeting of the NB Power board of
directors to make a decision within two weeks.
Hay told reporters Thursday he wants to talk with prospective
partners Bruce Power of Ontario and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
first.
"We're going to offer them an opportunity to negotiate here
before we bring the final proposal to our board," he said.
He said the loss of federal funding changes the project and will
put pressure on power rates.
"In a Bruce transaction it puts more pressure on rates ...
that's where you've got private sector insurance," said Hay.
"If we go an (Atomic Energy of Canada) route there may be less
pressure now on rates, but we're assuming much more risk, which
could translate into rates later on."
Bruce Power had proposed it take over operations of the nuclear
power plant and then sell the power back to the province.
Nuclear power has provided a cushion from the energy market's
volatility, keeping power rates stable in a province heavily
dependent on manufacturing.
Lepreau came online in 1983 and faces the end of its life in
2008. It employs 700 workers and generates one-third of the
province's electricity.
Refurbishment of the plant would take 18 months, starting in the
spring of 2008.
Environmentalist David Coon of the Conservation Council of New
Brunswick said the New Brunswick government should take this
opportunity to shut down Point Lepreau.
"It think the provincial government should face up to the
reality that this is unaffordable, and we're going to have to
transform our electricity system to one that is Kyoto friendly
and green, and get away from these giant megaprojects," said
Coon.
He said the federal government is willing to hand out money from
its $10-billion Kyoto plan to help make the transition of the
electricity system to a Kyoto-friendly one.
Copyright 2005 Brunswick News Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
14 Xinhua: 10 new reactors to be built
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-07-15 07:54:00
BEIJING, July 15 -- China Power Investment Corp (CPIC), one
of China's power majors, plans to build 10 1,000-megawatt
nuclear reactors on the eastern coast of Liaoning and Shandong
provinces in a bid to cut reliance on coal, a senior official
from the company told China Daily yesterday.
"We will build six 1,000-megawatt reactors at Haiyang in
East China's Shandong Province, as well as four similar ones at
Hongyanhe, Dalian in Liaoning Province," Liu Changqing, a senior
director with CPIC yesterday said in a telephone interview.
Preliminary project approvals, including the environmental
protection assessment and the safety conditions at the sites,
have been passed by the central government, according to Liu.
Further procedures have still to be examined by the National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), before the
infrastructure construction begins, said industry sources.
The construction schedule is still unknown. It will be
decided by the NDRC, according to Liu.
Liu did not disclose the total costs of the projects
yesterday.
Liu said that no decision had been made on what technology
the 10 reactors will use. The final say remains up to the
country's top regulators, such as the NDRC.
Liu said his company aims for a balanced portfolio in power
generation, using coal, hydro and nuclear sources. "We already
have 1,350 megawatts of nuclear power generation capacity,
through owning stakes in the existing Zhejiang and Guangdong
nuclear power plants," the director added.
But he declined to give details about the shareholder
structure for the 10 new reactors.
In an effort to cut pollution and its reliance on oil
imports, China has vowed to increase its use of nuclear energy.
The nation has set an ambitious target of building at least two
new reactors a year. By 2020, 4 per cent of China's power needs
will be supplied by nuclear energy, compared with some 2 per
cent now.
The country currently has nine nuclear reactors running in
the Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces and, by adding in the two
reactors currently under construction in East China's Jiangsu
Province, total capacity stands at about 9,000 megawatts.
Locations for the country's nuclear power plants have been
selected at coastal areas in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shandong,
Liaoning and Fujian, a director named Chen from the China
National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) told China Daily yesterday.
Chen said at least 10 domestic companies, including CNNC and
CPIC, have participated in building nuclear plants across the
country.
CPIC, the Beijing-based parent company of Hong Kong-listed
China Power International Development Ltd, boasted corporate
capital of 102.9 billion yuan (US$12 billion) at the end of last
year and its aggregate installed capacity reached approximately
28 gigawatts for the same period.
(Source: China Daily)
Copyright 2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
15 Economist.com: Climate change | The nuclear answer?
Thursday July 14th 2005
Jul 7th 2005
From Economist.com
If global warming is to be tackled, nuclear power may be part of
the solutionbut only part
[Aflo / naturepl.com]
WHEN rich-country summits are held in remote places, to which
the official delegations will mainly travel by helicopter and
the media circus by plane and car, it is hard not to be
sceptical about the summiteers' professed desire to do something
about global warmingdespite their claims to be
carbon-neutral . Such scepticism is fuelled by the fact that
the host of the G8 meeting in Scotland on July 6th-8th, Tony
Blair, almost completely ignored the topic of climate change
during his general election campaign in May, despite having
recently nominated it as one of the planet's most pressing
problems.
These annual summits long ago lost the ability to generate real
discussions, let alone decisions. On a subject such as aid for
Africa, the publicity and the implicit deadline do seem to have
had an effect, galvanising officials and finance ministers to
reach agreement prior to the summit both on technical matters
and on grander ones. But on almost everything else the summits
are ineffectual: too big, grand and orchestrated to permit
serious debate, but too unrepresentative to carry genuine weight
in today's world. Without China, India and Brazil, for example,
how can such meetings pretend to address economic policy,
financial flows, trade or indeed global warming? The developing
countries' effective absence from the Kyoto Protocol on climate
change is one of the main reasons given by Americans for not
ratifying it.
[RELATED ITEMS] [From The Economist] The reviving nuclear
industry
Nuclear Energy
[Websites] The G8 summit at Gleneagles has targeted climate
change as a key policy issue. See also the British prime
minister. The White House has information about its energy
policies. The US Department of Energy describes the challenge
of climate change .
Yet just because the summit will do little or nothing to deal
with global warming does not mean that nothing can be done. Both
Mr Blair and Mr Bush have recently given hints of how a new sort
of solution is gaining ground. During Britain's election
campaign, Mr Blair's government gently floated the idea that it
might be considering a fresh wave of investment in nuclear-power
generation. And this week Mr Bush stressed that he thinks the
best solution lies in investment in alternative energy
technologies by which he doesn't mean wind turbines but rather
fuel cells and, in particular, nuclear power.
How green is my Geiger counter
Nuclear power seemed a dying industry just a few years ago. Not
one new nuclear plant has been ordered in America in over two
decades, thanks to the accident at the Three Mile Island plant
in 1979. The much more serious accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine
in 1986 led to a dramatic backlash in many European countries,
with Sweden, Italy, Belgium and Germany banning future nuclear
plants outright.
For sure, a remarkable reversal of fortunes seems to be in the
works. Public opinion and even green opinion, once universally
hostile, is softening. The industry argues that the improved
economics of nuclear power can justify new plants (see article).
In Europe, concerns about energy security and climate change
together are boosting nuclear power. Eastern European countries,
worried about reliance on Russian gas, are mostly pro-nuclear.
Germany's opposition conservatives now say they will rethink the
country's hostility to nuclear power. Finland is forging ahead
with a new nuclear plant. In Asia, nuclear power never really
died: it has remained an important part of energy thinking in
countries such as Japan (despite accidents), Taiwan, South
Korea, India and China. Now, however, China's plans to build 30
new nuclear plants are gaining the technology fresh attention.
But does nuclear power merit such a radical rethink? This
newspaper harbours especially sore nuclear memories: the cover
of The Economist bore the headline The charm of nuclear power
shortly before the Chernobyl disaster took place. That said, the
former Soviet Union should not stand as a benchmark for the
industry's safety standards, which have greatly improved during
the past 20 years. Waste disposal remains a huge and
controversial problem, but it is not insoluble: a consensus
seems to be forming around the burial of waste deep underground.
The harder nut to crack is that of the industry's economics.
Low interest rates, dear oil and fat subsidies
Compared with other forms of power generation, nuclear stations
do look more attractive than they used tobut not by as much as
the industry claims. Existing plants, sometimes cited by the
utilities, are no guide: the marginal cost of their power is
cheap, but that is because the capital costs have long been
written off. New plants require huge amounts of capital and the
payback comes over several decades. That makes any economic
assessment extremely sensitive to assumptions about borrowing
costs and about prices for oil and natural gas. Today's high oil
and gas prices make nuclear look good, but by the time new
plants start producing electricity things could be different. So
could the political climate: the recent swing in favour of
nuclear power on the part of politicians and environmentalists
could just as easily swing back. Together, these make investment
in nuclear energy extremely risky.
Which probably explains why bankers in New York and London are
not exactly queuing up to lend to private nuclear consortiums,
and why the industry is demanding hefty subsidies from
governments. The nuclear business has already received half of
all the subsidies lavished on the energy industry in OECD
countries over the past 50 years, in inflation-adjusted terms.
Now it wants more: to defray licensing costs and to insure
itself against construction delays or switchbacks in the
regulatory process; and to kick-start a process of technological
innovation.
In principle, this ought not to be dismissed out of hand. If
fossil fuels impose upon us all the social costs of pollution
and global warming, then subsidising other, cleaner forms of
energy could be one way to deal with those costs. Other
alternative technologies already receive subsidies on that
basis, including wind farms in many European countries. In
practice, though, subsidies are not the best solution: they
largely ignore motor vehicles, whose exhaust emissions are among
the main offenders; and they are a blunter tool than direct
penalties levied on pollutersin other words, taxes.
The better ways to deal with pollution and with the dangers of
global warming are by taxing the use of carbon, in order to
deter it and to encourage energy consumers to switch to other
sources; and by facilitating the trading of carbon emissions.
Given the uncertainties of climate science and thus about the
true speed of global warming, such measures have the added
virtue of applying a steady, incentive-based squeeze on
polluting activities that can be adjusted as knowledge improves,
rather than draconian quantitative controls.
As those carbon taxes rise to reflect more fully the
environmental costs of fossil fuels, so nuclear and other
non-carbon energies would become more financially appealing.
Like any other form of power, nuclear ought then to be able to
compete in the marketplace, without subsidies. Politically,
though, the odds are tilted against the full use of carbon
taxes: motorists represent a huge block of voters; but also the
utilities represent a huge source of campaign donations,
especially in America. It will take brave politicians to levy
carbon taxes intensively.
To offer big subsidies to the nuclear industry may currently
look green, but would be an admission of defeat. Governments
that feel defeatist can thus consider subsidising nuclear power,
for safety concerns should no longer rule it out altogether. But
it should be part of a portfolio of different options, with fuel
cells, biomass, solar, wind and various sorts of micropower
playing their part too. Putting a bet of billions on a single,
risky solution would make no sense at all.
This article was to have been the print edition's cover leader,
until the bomb attacks took place in London on July 7th.
Copyright The Economist Newspaper Limited 2005. All rights
*****************************************************************
16 NRC: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
FR Doc E5-3734
[Federal Register: July 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 134)]
[Notices] [Page 40745-40746] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14jy05-86]
Comment Request AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
ACTION: Notice of OMB review of information collection and
solicitation of public comment.
SUMMARY: The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of
continued approval of information collections under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35). Information pertaining to the requirement to be
submitted: 1. The Title of the Information Collection: 10 CFR
part 74, ``Material Control and Accounting of Special Nuclear
Material (SNM);'' NUREG-1065, Rev. 2, ``Acceptable Standard
Format and Content for the Fundamental Nuclear Material Control
(FNMC) Plan Required for Low Enriched Uranium Facilities;''
NUREG/CR-5734, ``Recommendations to the NRC on Acceptable
Standard Format and Content for the Fundamental Nuclear Material
Control Plan Required for Low-Enriched Uranium Enrichment
Facilities;'' and NUREG-1280, Rev. 1, ``Standard Format and
Content Acceptance Criteria for the Material Control and
Accounting (MC) Reform Amendment.'' 2. Current OMB Approval
Number: 3150-0123. 3. How Often the Collection is Required:
Submission of the FNMC plan is a one-time requirement which has
been completed by all current licensees. However, licensees may
submit amendments or revisions to the plans as necessary. In
addition, specified inventory and material status reports are
required annually or semi-annually. Other reports are submitted
as events occur.
4. Who is Required or Asked to Report: Persons licensed under 10
CFR part 70 who possess and use certain forms and quantities of
SNM.
5. The Number of Annual Respondents: 22. 6. The Number of Hours
Needed Annually to Complete the Requirement or Request: 9,064
(1,269 hours for reporting and 7,795 hours for recordkeeping (an
average of 53 hours per response and 71 hours annually for each
of 110 recordkeepers).
7. Abstract: 10 CFR part 74 establishes requirements for material
control and accounting of SNM, and specific performance-based
regulations for licensees authorized to possess, use, and produce
strategic special nuclear material, and special nuclear material
of moderate strategic significance and low strategic
significance.
The information is used by NRC to make licensing and regulatory
determinations concerning material control and accounting of
special nuclear material and to satisfy obligations of the United
States to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Submission or retention of the
[[Page 40746]] information is mandatory for persons subject to
the requirements.
Submit, by September 12, 2005, comments that address the
following questions: 1. Is the proposed collection of information
necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the
information have practical utility? 2. Is the burden estimate
accurate? 3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected? 4. How can the burden
of the information collection be minimized, including the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology? A copy of the draft supporting statement may be
viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21, Rockville, MD
20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide
Web site:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/index.html. The
document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days
after the signature date of this notice.
Comments and questions about the information collection
requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda
Jo. Shelton (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-7233, or by
Internet electronic mail to INFOCOLLECTS@NRC.GOV. Dated at
Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of July 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Beth C. St. Mary, Acting NRC Clearance Officer, Office of
Information Services.
[FR Doc. E5-3734 Filed 7-13-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
17 The Standard: Provinces in line for 18 nuclear reactors - China
July 15, 2005
China plans to generate 4 percent of power from nuclear plants by
2020.AP
China, the world's largest energy consumer after the United
States, may spend about US$24 billion (HK$187.2 billion)
constructing 18 nuclear reactors in three provinces along its
eastern coast to meet increasing power demand.
China National Nuclear Corp plans to build about six
1,000-megawatt reactors each in Fujian, Shandong and Liaoning,
said Yu Jianfeng, assistant president of the nation's biggest
nuclear power company. The projects need central government
approval and are in addition to 19 either operating, being built
or due to start construction, he said.
''This is an ambitious plan,'' said Steve Kidd, director of
strategy and research at the London-based World Nuclear
Association. ''The pace of the program shows that local
governments are pushing for this. We hope the central government
can keep up with the technical expertise and regulatory
aspects.''
China, which relies on coal and oil for 90 percent of its energy
needs, wants to increase the use of cleaner-burning alternatives
such as nuclear power to cut pollution and its reliance on oil
imports.
The nation needs to add at least two reactors a year to meet a
target of generating 4 percent of power from nuclear plants by
2020 compared with about 2.3 percent now. The latest plans for
reactors have completed the early stages of preparation and may
secure approval from the central government as early as next
year, Yu said.
``We welcome more foreign investors and other domestic power
companies to team up with us, and to take stakes in our
new-generation project,'' Yu said. ``We used to own the whole or
majority of our nuclear power plants in the past, but we hope to
gradually phase out our control.''
The cost of developing a nuclear reactor has dropped as China
develops its own technology.
China National Nuclear Corp is spending US$1,330 on each kilowatt
of reactor capacity it is adding at the Qinshan power plant. That
is the lowest cost the country has achieved using domestic
expertise, Yu said.
China Power Investment Corp, the Beijing-based parent company of
Hong Kong-listed China Power International Development, plans to
acquire stakes in the Shandong and Liaoning projects, Yu said.
The country has nine nuclear reactors operating in Zhejiang and
Guangdong provinces. Two reactors are under construction in
Jiangsu. Together, these projects have capacity of about 9,000
megawatts.
The government last year approved a further eight nuclear
reactors in Guangdong and Zhejiang. Four of these will be built
by China National Nuclear and its Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding
unit and are scheduled to start construction by early next year.
``We'll be aiming for the lowest cost of construction in all the
new nuclear power projects,'' Yu said.
Construction of the remaining four nuclear reactors approved last
year will be contracted out to one of the foreign bidders that
submitted tendering proposals by a February 28 deadline.
Yu said he expects to decide within six months between the three
bidders - Framatome, a venture between France's Areva and
Germany's Siemens, British Nuclear Fuels' Westinghouse Electric
and Russia's AtomStroyExport.
``We've gone through their proposals,'' he said. ``But they are
still subject to further negotiations. We need to negotiate on
some issues including technical levels, technology transfer and
pricing. They're quite expensive.''
The expansion of nuclear power in China and India may help revive
an industry that's showing signs of recovering from the
unpopularity that followed high-profile accidents at
Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island in 1979, and at Chernobyl, in
the Soviet Union, in 1986.
More than US$200 billion will be spent on nuclear power by 2030,
according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.
Globally, there are 440 nuclear power plants, and 24 are under
construction, according to the International Atomic Energy
Agency. BLOOMBERG
Standard, Sing Tao Newspaper
Group and Global China Group. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
18 Boston Globe: Complaints rise at nuclear plant
Boston.com
+ Complaints rise at nuclear plant Boston Globe The number of
whistle-blower complaints lodged with federal regulators by
workers at the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Plymouth rose sharply
last year and primarily involved security concerns, according an
annual review of employee allegations at the nation's reactors.
PLYMOUTH
NRC report cites employees expressing security concerns
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | July 14, 2005
The number of whistle-blower complaints lodged with federal
regulators by workers at the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Plymouth
rose sharply last year and primarily involved security concerns,
according an annual review of employee allegations at the
nation's reactors.
Employees at Pilgrim Nuclear Station lodged 16 allegations with
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year, more than three
times the previous year's total and the fourth-highest total
among the nation's active nuclear facilities, according to a
Nuclear Regulatory Commission report released last month. The
national median of total complaints was four. Through May 2005,
five complaints have been lodged.
''There was a significant increase in allegations concerning the
Pilgrim plant in 2004, primarily in the area of security," the
report stated.
NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the increased number of
allegations spurred more extensive investigation at Pilgrim and
nine other nuclear facilities. Regulators concluded that both
Pilgrim's security and its internal complaint system were
satisfactory.
''As of now, we don't see any cause for concern in the increased
number of allegations," he said. Sheehan declined to detail the
complaints, citing security and employee confidentiality
concerns.
Investigators have reviewed the allegations and have taken ''all
necessary actions" to address security-related concerns at
Pilgrim, according to the report.
The report's findings arrive amid renewed criticism of the
plant's security, detailed in a June 20 Time magazine article on
nuclear plant safety. The article featured comments from Kathy
Davidson, a former longtime manager for Pilgrim's security firm,
who described the plant's security as ''pathetic." The security
firm said Davidson was fired for poor job performance, according
to the Time article.
Duxbury resident Mary Lampert, director of Pilgrim Watch, a
local antinuclear citizens group, said the number of complaints
raises serious and persistent doubts about plant safety, and its
workers' ability to report concerns about security practices
internally without fear of reprisal.
''Pilgrim has had a reputation as a chilling place to work,"
Lampert said. ''The word is out that employees will be spanked
if they speak out. If workers do not feel free to bring up
safety problems, then we are all in trouble."
But David Tarantino, a spokesman for the plant, which is owned
by the conglomerate Entergy, said the number of allegations was
not a ''red flag" for security personnel, but instead reflected
a vigilant workforce. The company has spent millions of dollars
improving security and tightening access to the plant since the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he said.
''We encourage people to bring concerns to the attention of
their supervisor, but if they don't feel comfortable doing that,
to notify the NRC," he said. ''We want people who have concerns
to express them."
Of the 16 allegations in 2004, all but three have been dismissed
as meritless, Tarantino said. Two remain under investigation.
The one substantiated allegation occurred in June 2004, when a
senior reactor operator was caught napping on the job. The
operator was later fired, as was a co-worker for not immediately
reporting the incident, which was brought to the NRC's attention
by a third employee.
The NRC and Tarantino both said the increase in reports suggests
a healthy concern for proper safety procedures, and Tarantino
said workers are encouraged to contact the NRC directly in lieu
of their supervisor. But the NRC's Sheehan said plant workers
typically contact the NRC only ''if they feel they can't get a
remedy at the plant."
Nationwide, the number of employee complaints declined slightly
between 2000 and 2004. However, the commission has seen a
significant increase in the number of security complaints since
Sept. 11, with one in five of all complaints related to security.
The commission established the allegation program as an avenue
for employees to air concerns without fear of retaliation, and
to gauge the level of safety consciousness at individual
reactors. An initial review is conducted within 30 days of the
complaint and the complainant's identity is concealed.
Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. [ /]
Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company. More:
*****************************************************************
19 York Daily Record: Supplemental inspection planned for TMI -
The plant was issued a low to moderate safety violation for an
issue from 2004.
By SEAN ADKINS Daily Record/Sunday News
Thursday, July 14, 2005
At bottom: BACKGROUND Three Mile Island Unit 1 will face
increased federal scrutiny for a violation that involved expired
emergency responder qualifications.
Between June and November 2004, about half of the plant's
emergency response workers did not receive required radiological
response retraining, according to a Nuclear Regulatory
Commission inspection report.
Responders must periodically submit to retaining and
requalification exercises they need to maintain familiarity with
specific emergency response duties.
In TMI's case, the commission found that the plant had let
lapse the retraining of four of its emergency response
organization responder teams.
"As a consequence, for an approximate five-month period, those
individuals would not have been considered available to respond
to a radiological emergency," according to the report.
Following the NRC's November inspection, plant officials
immediately set about retraining and requalifying each of the
four teams.
AmerGen Energy officials informed the NRC July 8 that it would
not contest findings related to the 2004 "white" violation, said
Neil Sheehan, commission spokesman.
A "white" violation an infraction of low to moderate safety
significance typically results in increased federal oversight.
The NRC will run a supplemental inspection of the Dauphin
County nuclear power plant's emergency response training
program, Sheehan said.
An administrative oversight is to blame for TMI's 2004 lapse
in emergency responder retraining and requalification, said
Ralph DeSantis, spokesman for AmerGen Energy.
The plant's current emergency responder training plan requires
that all emergency responders participate in series of
requalification classroom training exercises about every 15
months.
Based on that plan, TMI should have conducted its 2004
retraining program no later than June 2004.
Instead, the plant based its retraining schedule on the Exelon
Emergency Preparedness Corporate Office Administrative Training
Procedure, which called for a less restrictive requalification
timetable.
Under that plan, the time between required retraining
exercises could be as long as 23 months and 30 days.
"We kind of overlooked the fact that we still had the annex,"
DeSantis said. "This is more of an administration issue. Our
people were very qualified to do what they had to do."
DeSantis said the emergency responders had demonstrated their
response skills during in-house tabletop exercises and training
drills.
While those exercises and drills are designed to reinforce
skills, the NRC has not authorized those to substitute for the
content of classroom training for emergency responder training,
according to the inspection report.
Sheehan said the finding does not suggest that the plant's
emergency responders were not able to fulfill their duties.
"This is an annual refresher and just for requalifications,"
he said.
sadkins@ydr.com. -RD>
BACKGROUND
Earlier this year, Three Mile Island put in place more than 450
actions and initiatives aimed at improving its training programs
for control room operators, said Ralph DeSantis, spokesman for
AmerGen Energy.
On Dec. 15, the National Nuclear Accrediting Board placed that
same program on probation for training weaknesses.
Last month, that board renewed TMI's accreditation after the
utility outlined the actions it had taken to improve its control
room operator training program.
Copyright York Daily Record 2005
122 S. George St., P.O. Box 15122
York, PA 17405, (717) 771-2000
*****************************************************************
20 Petoskey News-Review: Nuclear plant toured
BY JEREMY MCBAIN NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER
Thursday, July 14, 2005 3:03 PM EDT
After many years of work decommissioning the plant, all that
remains of Big Rock Nuclear Power Plant in Charlevoix is the
large sphere that once housed the nuclear fuel.
During a tour of the site Wednesday with the Big Rock Citizen's
Advisory Committee, site general manager Kurt Haas said the
company - Consumer's Energy, the owners of Big Rock - is
shooting to begin taking the ball down in early October, with
the hopes of having it completed by winter.
"All that will be left is a big hole," he said, referring to the
fact the Big Rock sphere goes about 27 feet into the ground.
Haas said the entire project is proceeding according to plan,
with preparation work taking place on the ball now. Before the
ball is cut up, workers must clear insulation on the outside and
cut through its thick steel.
Inside of the ball, Haas said there is a lot of very thick
concrete that must be dealt with. He said after considering the
options, the company has decided to bring in a team that will
use explosives to fracture the concrete, thus allowing it to be
removed easier.
Haas stressed the team will not be blowing up the concrete in
the ball with the explosives, just weakening it and breaking it
up so crews can get to it.
He said plans are to remove this concrete before the ball comes
down.
Haas said the project plans are to have the site restored by
September 2006. This will release about 90 percent of the land
Big Rock once sat on.
The remaining 10 percent - about 30 acres - is being used as a
storage area for spent fuel. The fuel is stored in large casks,
sitting on a concrete pad.
Haas said there has been intense interest in the site from
conservancy groups and developers.
"The company would prefer this property be sold to a conservancy
organization or state organization that would maintain public
access to it," Haas said. "We still have to say we maintain all
options on the table."
The company hopes to send the fuel to a storage facility in
Nevada in 2012.
As for the storage casks, Haas said the company has requested
permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to have them
checked every two weeks instead of daily. He said this was based
on two years of data.
Based on a question from the committee, Haas said the casks are
built to withstand 250 degrees; however, they are designed to
never get over 230 degrees, even in a worst case scenario.
The temperature in the casks, he added, generally runs about 9
to 12 degrees above the outside temperature.
As for concrete and debris from the total project, Haas said Big
Rock has sent out 29.8 million pounds of clean material
(non-radioactive) and 13 million pounds of radioactive waste.
He said there have been no problems with any of these shipments.
The radioactive waste was sent to facilities in Utah, South
Carolina and Tennessee.
The total cost of the project so far has been about $325
million, which does not include the costs for storing the spent
nuclear fuel at the site in the giant casks - which is about $51
million.
In addition to the tour, the committee heard from William Snell
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Snell said Consumer's Energy has been doing an extremely good
job of decommissioning the plant.
"We use Big Rock as an example," he said. "It's been kind of a
model for the industry."
Jeremy McBain can be contacted at 439-9316, or
jmcbain@petoskeynews.com.
*****************************************************************
21 Petoskey News-Review: Daily inspections must continue
NEWS: Opinion
Thursday, July 14, 2005 3:04 PM EDT
Big Rock Point Nuclear Restoration Project is requesting a
change to its license to allow for two-week inspections of its
fuel containment casks, rather than daily inspections.
We don't think being overprotective is being too cautious when
we're talking about radioactive waste. Daily inspections must
continue.
Contractors BNG Fuel Solutions, which designed the eight casks,
has submitted a request to the federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission for the change.
The move is aimed at saving Consumers Energy money. We
understand the motive to save money. We're not saying Consumers
is trying to cut corners. The request is based on two years of
data collection on the performance of the casks with indications
they are operating as designed, according to company spokesman
Tim Petrosky.
The casks hold spent nuclear fuel from the plant when it was in
operation. Each cask weighs up to 167 tons when fully loaded and
stands 19 feet tall with an 11.5-foot diameter. The casks are
being used as temporary storage for the spent fuel, until they
are taken to a storage facility in Nevada in 2012.
Storage at Yucca Mountain is far from a done deal.
- At least one scientist is accused of falsifying Yucca Mountain
data.
- The Department of Energy hasn't yet asked the NRC for license
to build nuclear waste facilities on the site.
- Nevada state and some local officials have vowed to stop it.
- Nevada is in federal court to derail Energy Department plans
for a rail line to ship radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain,
claiming "abuses of authority" by the George Bush administration
and its "decide-first, analyze-later approach."
- The 2010 completion date has been scrapped.
So, who knows how long these casks will be sitting here on the
shores of Lake Michigan?
Inspecting the cask involves checking for radiation leaks. While
they have thermostats and video surveillance, they don't have
on-board radiation detectors so they have to be hand checked.
If Big Rock wants to add on-board radiation monitors, we'd be
less concerned about dropping daily inspections. But as it
stands now, we do not think daily radioactive inspection can
ever cost too much money when weighed against the potential - no
matter how minuscule - of a radioactive leak going undetected
for even a day, let alone two weeks.
The NRC, which will consider the request can be reached by
e-mail at opa@nrc.gov.; a Web site link to report concerns about
non-emergency nuclear safety can be found at
http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/allegations/safety-conce
rn.html, or by phone call at (800) 695-7403.
*****************************************************************
22 National Post: Gov. refuses to assist N.B. nuclear plant
Canadian Press
Thursday, July 14, 2005
CREDIT: (Photo: New Brunswick Power Nuclear Corp.)
Ottawa refuses assistance to Point Lepreau nuclear facility,
above, in New Brunswick.
FREDERICTON -- Ottawa has rejected a request for it to provide
$400 million towards refurbishing the Point Lepreau nuclear
facility in New Brunswick.
Andy Scott, the province's representative in the federal
cabinet, said Thursday that providing the assistance towards the
project -- which would cost a total of about $1.4 billion --
would have set an expensive precedent.
“We simply could not adequately build a firewall that wouldn't
cause others to come forward with a similar request,” said
Scott during a news conference in Fredericton.
He said electrical generation falls within provincial
jurisdiction and federal involvement would have triggered a
clamour from other provinces.
“The problem was there was always this other issue having to
do with 'can we do this in a way that would allow us to say no
to the three power plants in Ontario that are in roughly the
same place, as well as one in Quebec?”’ he said.
The news from Ottawa drew an angry reaction in Fredericton.
Chisholm Pothier, a spokesman for Premier Bernard Lord, told the
Fredericton Gleaner the Tory government feels like it has been
misled.
Pothier said Ottawa is walking away from an historic commitment
to the nuclear industry in New Brunswick.
“We are disgusted by the way the federal government informed
us, basically through journalists,” he said.
Pothier said the federal government set a precedent when it
backed the construction of Point Lepreau 25 years ago.
Nuclear power has provided a cushion from the energy market's
volatility, keeping power rates stable in a province heavily
dependent on manufacturing.
The nuclear power plant came on line in 1983 and faces the end
of its life in 2008. It employs 700 workers and generates
one-third of the province's electricity.
It remains unclear what impact Ottawa's decision would have on
dealings between the Ontario firm, Bruce Power, and NB Power.
Bruce Power had proposed it take over operations of the nuclear
power plant and then sell the power back to the province.
The Canadian Press 2005
Copyright CanWest Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
23 Tewksbury Advocate: Chernobyl's lasting legacy
TownOnline.com -
By Sandra Fletcher/ Staff Writer
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Treats like Wal-Mart and Coke?
Not many people would consider a visit to the behemoth
retail store and a can of sugary, carbonated water as
indulgence. But then again, if you are two preteens - Oleksandra
and Anna - from the old Soviet Union whose lives have been a
series of medical experiences, then, yeah, walkin' the aisles
full of goods made in China with a cold can of cola just might
hit the mark.
Those and similar small, seemingly insignificant, events
are acts that the Carbone family of Wilmington will be providing
the girls in the family's goal of achieving a sense of peace and
health.
Oleksandra, or Sasha, as she likes to be called, is 13
years old from the Kieve Region of the Ukraine, and Anna, 12,
who hails from Briance, Russia, are two of the 120 children and
teens who arrived on June 21 in need of high quality medical
attention due to the long-standing after affects of the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster of 1986.
It almost feels like the worst nuclear plant explosion and
subsequent melt down occurred only a few years ago, but the 19th
anniversary occurred in April. And people in and around the
region continue to be haunted by the specter of that day with
higher than normal cancer rates and other diseases, many of
those being children.
Fast forward nine years to 1995. The cold war is over,
there is no Soviet Union but kids were still suffering. It was
at this time that some people in the U.S. decided that the best
way to help was to open their arms and homes to those most
affected.
The Chernobyl Children's Project USA, was established to
bring those children who suffer medical setbacks to the United
States for care. The Project, USA, Inc. is volunteer-run and
works though donations and fundraisers. To this day, more than
1,200 children have participated, brought to Boston to receive
treatment from topnotch medical professionals.
"The kids are just all wonderful and happy to be here,"
said Kathy Carbone, one host mother.
"They are so excited to see and experience all the
different things here as well as have medical check ups from
doctors," said Carbone, who along with the Arvanitis family in
Wilmington and the Roane family in Tewksbury, are housing two
Chernobyl Region children for the month. [continue]
Anna and Sasha each received a clean bill of health from the
doctors at Tufts/New England Medical Center and the Floating
Hospital for Children in Boston during this visit. But they are
the exception: many children come to this country annually with
medical problems ranging from scoliosis to cancer to heart
disease.
The children are chosen by doctors in the Chernobyl Region,
which is made up of the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Patricia
Doyle, president of the Chernobyl Children Project, believes that
without this foundation, the children would not survive.
"Seventy percent of the people in that region are unemployed
and come from broken families," said Doyle. "There is no money
for a medical structure in the region and there is so much
devastation from that disaster."
Doyle travels to Russia to meet with the doctors in April
and discuss the different children who have applied to take part
in the project. According to Doyle, there are thousands of
children who are in need and the doctors do their best to decide
on which cases are most severe, can be helped, and the fastest.
The children chosen range in age from 8 to 13 and all have a
radiation related illnesses. Once the children have been chosen,
host families are arranged through out Massachusetts and other
states to care for the children while they are receiving
treatments.
"We enjoy having families that take the children in and
treat them like one of their own," said Doyle. "All of the kids
are so thankful to be receiving help, the look of pure joy on
their face is just the most rewarding gift."
The 120 children in the project arrived at the Seaport Hotel
in Boston on June 21 and will be here for one month to receive
medical treatments and get a taste of the American lifestyle.
"Our kids had a blast at the Wilmington Family Day for the Fourth
of July," said Carbone.
"They are excited about different things we have grown
accustom too, like soda, shopping, and certain foods. No matter
how you look at, they are all just kids no matter where they are
from and its wonderful that we can help them experience this,"
said Carbone.
Along with medical treatment, the children will be seen by a
dentist. Dr. Robert Soper of Wilmington agreed to see the
children in and around Wilmington and Tewksbury free of charge
and, according to Carbone, was amazed at what he found.
"The dentist told us that clinically the kids were
interesting, but what he found incredible was that hardly any of
them had a cavity," said Carbone. "No cavities and they don't
have any where near the type of preventative tooth pastes or
mouthwashes that we have."
The children have no cavities because they have no sugar in
their diet at home. But that has more to do with living in a
landscape devastated from the disaster of 1986. Sugar is a
delicacy.
"It is so hard not to give them candy and soda," said
Carbone. "They have become like my own children in the short time
they have been here. We've really made a connection."
The six children staying in Wilmington and Tewksbury will be
leaving for home on July 21, but they will continue on their
American adventure with trips to Water Country in New Hampshire,
barbecues, movies, and bowling.
Doyle spoke of the children from the Chernobyl area as young
people who have been caught in a storm that just won't end. For
many of the children in that area, the suffering will continue
without sufficient food, water, and medical care. Doyle, as the
only full time employee of the project, is doing her part along
with thousands of volunteers and host families to make a
difference in the lives of these children and their families.
For more information regarding the project or becoming a host
family please check out the web site at www.ccpusa.org.
**
The backyard was filled with family and friends, some of whom
kept a game of bocce going for quite a while. Checking the
position of the balls from behind an opponent is Rory Joseph
Cockerline, 6. (Staff photo by Ann Ringwood)
*****************************************************************
24 [du-list] US NRC study finds against hormesis
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 18:09:48 -0700
Science, Vol 309, Issue 5732, 233 , 8 July 2005
[DOI: 10.1126/science.309.5732.233]
News of the Week
EPIDEMIOLOGY:
Radiation Dangerous Even at Lowest Doses
Jocelyn Kaiser
A new National Research Council (NRC) report* finds that although the risks
of low-dose radiation are small, there is no safe level. That conclusion has
grown stronger over the past 15 years, says the NRC committee, dismissing
the hypothesis that tiny amounts of radiation are harmless or even
beneficial.
The risk of low-level radiation has huge economic implications because it
affects standards for protecting nuclear workers and for cleaning up
radioactive waste. The Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII (BEIR
VII) panel examined radiation doses at or below 0.1 sieverts (Sv), which is
about twice the yearly limit for workers and 40 times the natural background
amount the average person is exposed to each year. For typical Americans,
82% of exposure stems from natural sources such as radon gas seeping from
Earth; the rest is humanmade, coming mostly from medical procedures such as
x-rays.
In its last report on the topic in 1990, a BEIR panel calculated risks by
plotting cancer cases and doses for survivors of the two atomic bombs
dropped on Japan in World War II. Risks appeared to increase linearly with
the dose. Based on evidence that even a single "track" of radiation can
damage a cell's DNA, the panel extrapolated this relationship to very low
doses to produce what is known as the linear no-threshold model (LNT).
Some scientists have challenged this LNT model, however, noting that some
epidemiological and lab studies suggest that a little radiation is harmless
and could even stimulate DNA repair enzymes and other processes that protect
against later insults, an idea known as hormesis (Science, 17 October 2003,
p. 378).
Risky business. A new review verifies that even radiation levels well below
those encountered by nuclear workers can raise cancer risk.
But the 712-page BEIR VII report finds that the LNT model still holds. The
panel had the latest cancer incidence data on the bomb survivors, as well as
new dose information. Committee members also reviewed fresh studies on
nuclear workers and people exposed to medical radiation, all of which
supported the LNT relationship. The model predicts that a single 0.1-Sv dose
would cause cancer in 1 of 100 people over a lifetime. Such risks should be
taken into account, the report cautions, when people consider full-body
computed tomography scans, a recent fad that delivers a radiation dose of
0.012 Sv.
At the same time, notes panelist Ethel Gilbert, an epidemiologist at the
National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, "we can't really pinpoint"
the risk at the lowest doses.
The BEIR VII panel examined the latest evidence for a threshold. But it
found that "ecologic" studies suggesting that people in areas with naturally
high background radiation levels do not have elevated rates of disease are
of limited use because they don't include direct measures of radiation
exposures. The panel also concluded that animal and cell studies suggesting
benefits or a threshold for harm are not "compelling," although mechanisms
for possible "hormetic effects" should be studied further.
Toxicologist Ed Calabrese of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a
vocal proponent of the hormesis hypothesis, says the panel didn't examine
enough studies. "It would be better if more of the details were laid out
instead of [hormesis] just being summarily dismissed," he says. The panel's
chair, Harvard epidemiologist Richard Monson, acknowledges that the
long-running debate over the LNT model won't end with this report, noting
that "some minds will be changed; others will not."
* Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR VII
Phase 2 books.nap.edu/catalog/11340.html
Volume 309, Number 5732, Issue of 8 Jul 2005, p. 233.
Copyright 2005 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
All rights reserved.
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25 Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Soldiers
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 18:57:45 -0500 (CDT)
COUNTERPUNCH
July 12, 2005
An Interview with Bob Smith
Depleted Uranium: States Take Action to Protect Their Soldiers and Veterans
By KEVIN ZEESE
Louisiana recently passed legislation giving all returning veterans the right
to get a best practices health screening test for exposure to depleted
uranium. Interviewed here is Bob Smith, one of the activists that helped make
this bill possible. He is with the Louisiana Activist Network. He is also I am
a member of Veterans for Peace and the Viet Nam Veterans Against the War. Born
a Texan and raised in a Navy family with three siblings, moved to Louisiana in
1977 a few years after returning from Viet Nam. He worked with adolescents in
a psychiatric hospital where he met his wife, a co-worker, returning to the
military and retired eight years ago as a Command Sergeant Major. He became
actively involved the day Congress gave the President unconstitutional, power
to make war on Iraq and has been active ever since in the peace movement and
with the Presbyterian Church.
Zeese: What made you pursue legislation regarding depleted uranium in
Louisiana?
Smith: As a twenty year veteran I have been concerned about veterans health
since I returned from Viet Nam. From first hand experience I knew the
treatment of veterans by our country was highly inadequate after their
service. Each year after Gulf War I, more and more veterans were being
diagnosed with a mysterious illness, Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) without
significant research for cause and effect much like what happened with Agent
Orange contamination.
I learned about how the government dealt with Agent Orange contamination
during the eighties as an outreach counselor at the VA's Viet Nam Veterans
Outreach Center or Vet Center here in New Orleans. We were actively involved
in trying to alert the VA to the effects of Agent Orange contamination. For
twenty five years a government study done by the Rand Corporation denied any
cause and effect between Agent Orange and health problems experienced by
veterans and their offspring. Just this week the VA has finally recognized the
connection between Agent Orange and diabetes. Remember the last troops
returned from Viet Nam over thirty years ago. Worth mentioning is that the
same Rand Corporation now denies any cause and effect between depleted uranium
contamination and health.
Late last year after a lot of reading I found out about depleted uranium. In
January at the Jazz Funeral for Democracy, a peace march in New Orleans
organized by the Louisiana Activist Network, I met a young Gulf War I veteran,
Dennis Kyne. He talked with me about what he knew first hand as a combat medic
about illnesses of our veterans even before they returned home and what he has
found out about DU since returning home. I then did more research and
studying. In March I met Leuren Moret, a geoscientist, who reaffirmed
everything that Dennis Kyne had told me and reaffirmed what I had been
reading. I then did more research and studying including conversation with
Doug Rokke. Doug was the overall supervisor in charge of the clean-up after
Gulf War I and is an expert in depleted uranium. Thirty to forty percent of
his team are now dead.
I then became concerned about what could be done to bring this issue out into
the public conversation. Leuren told me about a young lady in Connecticut,
Melissa Sterry, who was doing something about it. Working with Rep Patricia
Dillon of Connecticut they were introducing a bill to have all of their
state's veterans tested. The always unselfish Melissa willingly shared a copy
of the Connecticut bill with me. Melissa had been a member of a depleted
uranium clean-up team after Gulf War I. She herself was very sick and had six
of her eight team members die since returning home. All six were less than
thirty-five years old.
Taking the Connecticut bill, changing the name to a Louisiana bill, and making
a few minor amendments preceded a call to my Louisiana congressperson, Rep.
Jalila Jefferson-Bullock. The submission deadline was less than twenty-four
hours after our meeting. Rep. Juan LaFonta sponsored and Rep.
Jefferson-Bullock co-sponsored the bill. The deadline was made.
Zeese: What does the legislation accomplish?
Smith: The legislation will allow all returning veterans to have the right to
get a best practices health screening test for exposure to depleted uranium.
The test will use a bioassay procedure involving sensitive methods capable of
detecting depleted uranium at low levels and the use of equipment with the
capacity to discriminate between different radioisotopes in naturally
occurring levels of uranium and the characteristic ratio and marker for
depleted uranium.
This test will determine if a soldier has been contaminated. It will prevent
mis-diagnosis so soldiers are not given the wrong medications that usually
make them sicker. It will allow the contaminated soldier to decide about
parenting further offspring who have an increased chance of serious birth
illnesses or defects.
The bill also prescribes a reporting mechanism from the Louisiana's Attorney
General to the legislature that requires that awareness sessions and training
have been done as required by Army regulations.
Zeese: What tips do you have for activists in other states interested in
pursuing this in their state?
Smith: Stay focused. Depleted uranium testing is for discovery of
contamination of a very hazardous material made from radioactive nuclear
waste. This is something that truly supports the troops. Remind your elected
representatives of that often. Read, study, and discuss with the experts and
others experienced in this type of legislation. Other advocates should
remember that the weapons manufacturers do not want this in the public. They
make a lot of money off this death bringing material. Likewise the military
does not want to give up these very effective offensive weapons regardless of
how it effects our soldiers or civilians, enemy soldiers, or the environment.
Although we did not encounter resistance from those two potential adversaries,
weapons manufacturers or the military, others might and they should be
prepared to bring in experts. Having veterans testify helps. Another veteran,
Ward Reilly, from Baton Rouge was instrumental in helping get the bill through
committee.
Zeese: What were some of the challenges you faced with this legislation and
how did you overcome them?
Smith: The only real obstacle we encountered was educating our representative.
We knew we would have to educate her and do it quickly but fortunately she
agreed to a minimum one-hour meeting. We were lucky as both representatives
cared deeply about our troops and taking care of them after they come home.
There were no other obstacles.
Zeese: What are your next steps?
Smith: We have been having awareness sessions at coffeehouses and public
events to educate the public, either by passing out literature, making
educational speeches, posting literature on the internet, or showing
documentaries. We are also communicating with advocates in other states by
sharing information, resources, networking, and offering tips to help. And if
that doesn't work I may just stand on top of the roof and scream out the
truth.
Note: I retired after 20 years in the Army and National Guard as a Command
Sergeant Major, serving three tours in Viet Nam as a Special Forces Green
Beret and was mobilized for Desert Storm. Education includes a Bachelor of
Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Currently employed as an engineer living in New Orleans with Julie my wife and
life partner for over twenty-six years and our dog, Maggie. Member of Veterans
for Peace, Viet Nam Veterans Against the War, and the Louisiana Activist
Network.
Kevin Zeese is a director of Democracy Rising. You can comment on this column
on his blog spot at DemocracyRising.US.
http://www.counterpunch.org/zeese07122005.html
*****************************************************************
26 DOE: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed
FR Doc 05-13859
[Federal Register: July 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 134)]
[Notices] [Page 40695-40696] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14jy05-28]
Consolidation of Nuclear Operations Related to Production of
Radioisotope Power Systems: Details of Public Hearing Locations
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing locations.
SUMMARY: The Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for the
Proposed Consolidation of Nuclear Operations Related to
Production of Radioisotope Power Systems was published by the
Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register on July
1, 2005. In addition to the notifications through local media,
the Department is providing details through this Federal Register
notice of the locations and times of public hearings to be held
to receive public comments on the subject Draft EIS.
DATES: The 60-day public comment period began with the
publication of the Notice of Availability published by the
Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register dated
July 1, 2005 (70 FR 38131), and concludes on August 29, 2005. The
Department invites the general public, Native American Tribes,
state and local governments, other Federal agencies, Departmental
stakeholders, and other interested parties to comment on the
Draft EIS. To ensure that the comments are considered in
preparation of the Final EIS, the comments should be transmitted
or postmarked by August 29, 2005. Late comments will be
considered to the extent practicable.
The Department will conduct eight public hearings in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Jackson, Wyoming; and Sun
Valley/ Ketchum, Idaho Falls, Fort Hall, Twin Falls, and Boise,
Idaho.
During the hearings, the Department will provide information on
the Draft EIS and receive oral and written comments that will be
considered in preparation of the Final EIS. All of the public
meetings will begin at 7 p.m. The locations and dates for these
public hearings are as follows: Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Monday,
July 18, 2005, at Double Tree Hotel, Salon C, 215 South Illinois
Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830.
[[Page 40696]] Los Alamos, New Mexico: Tuesday, July 19, 2005, at
University of New Mexico, Los Alamos, Lecture Hall, Student
Center, 4000 University Drive, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544.
Sun Valley/Ketchum, Idaho: Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at Sun
Valley Inn, Continental Room, Sun Valley Road, Sun Valley, Idaho
83353.
Jackson, Wyoming: Thursday, July 21, 2005, at Snow King
Convention Center, 400 E. Snow King Avenue, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
83001. Idaho Falls, Idaho: Monday, July 25, 2005, at Shilo Inn,
780 Lindsay Boulevard, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402.
Fort Hall, Idaho: Tuesday July 26, 2005, at Tribal Business
Center, Tribal Council Chambers, Pima Drive (I-15, Exit 80), Fort
Hall Town Site, Fort Hall, Idaho 83203.
Twin Falls, Idaho: Wednesday, July 27, 2005, at College of
Southern Idaho, Taylor Building, Room 276, 315 Falls Avenue, Twin
Falls, Idaho 83303.
Boise, Idaho: Thursday, July 28, 2005, at Red Lion Hotel, Boise
Downtowner, Selway Meeting Room, 1800 Fairview, Boise, Idaho
83702.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIS requests for special
arrangements that would enable participation at the hearings
(e.g., an interpreter for the hearing impaired) and requests to
be placed on the Final EIS distribution list may be directed to:
Timothy A. Frazier, Document Manager, NE-50/Germantown Building,
Office of Space and Defense Power Systems, Office of Nuclear
Energy, Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290 or submitted
via e-mail to . You may also leave a message at (800) 919-3716 or
send a fax to (800) 919-3765. Comments may also be submitted to
the Department via e-mail at ConsolidationEIS.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department has prepared the
subject Draft EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969. The Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS was
published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004. Seven
public scoping meetings were held at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los
Alamos, New Mexico; Jackson, Wyoming; Idaho Falls, Fort Hall, and
Twin Falls, Idaho; and Washington, DC. Comments received on the
scope of the EIS were considered in preparation of the Draft EIS.
The Notice of Availability of the Draft was published by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register on July
1, 2005. This notice announces the details of the dates and
locations of the public hearings and invites comments on the
Draft EIS that will be considered in preparation of the Final EIS
scheduled for publication in November 2005. Additionally,
announcements in the local media have been and are being made to
enhance and facilitate public participation.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 8, 2005.
R. Shane Johnson, Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Energy,
Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 05-13859 Filed 7-13-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
27 Deseret News: Downwinders need fed help
[deseretnews.com]
Thursday, July 14, 2005
I am very alarmed with the U.S. House of Representatives proposal
to cut $27 million from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
(RECA).
RECA is a lifeline to thousands of downwinders affected by
nuclear radiation.
Our representatives should care about the people that live in
their country who have been horribly affected by downwind
radiation.
Instead, they rush to build bigger and deadlier weapons.
It is outrageous that the House would rather spend $15 million to
create a weapon of mass destruction than protect the safety of
the people these weapons have already harmed.
Maggie Oyler
Salt Lake City
2005 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
28 Battle Creek Enquirer: Object to depleted uranium weapons
www.battlecreekenquirer.com
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Your Opinions
The U.S. government is exposing the Iraqi people and our
military personnel to deadly radiation from depleted uranium
weapons in the Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq
despite a 1996 United Nations resolution that depleted uranium
weapons are weapons of mass destruction - illegal under all
international laws and treaties.
Depleted uranium weapons are pyroforic metal - bullets and
shells ignite when fired and 70 percent becomes a metal vapor, a
radioactive gas which contaminates the atmosphere and terrain.
Radioactive particles are blown about and ingested by all who
come in contact with them.
Solar winds transport the radioactive dust around the world,
falling to earth in rain, snow, fog and pollution. It takes just
four days for DU radioactive pollution to travel from Iraq to
the U.S.
Iraqis has been exposed to heavy doses of DU radiation; many
have died, the rest will have an unimaginable future in their
contaminated country. Iraqi children are being born with
terrible birth defects - missing or deformed limbs, organs,
partial faces, no eyes, horrible blood diseases and mental
retardation. Life magazine has an online photo essay of these
children.
American soldiers are returning with equally tragic
contamination - there is a rise in severe birth defects in
children born to those exposed to DU weapons. The VA reported
518,739 vets on disability from the Persian Gulf wars. Recent
reports show a large number of troops returning from Iraq who
require extensive medical treatment, resulting in a $2 billion
VA shortfall.
Experts believe that anyone who has been in the Middle East and
Afghanistan will be contaminated for life and many will have
serious medical problems. The World Health Organization expects
global cancer rates to increase 50 percent by 2020.
To further educate yourself, look up: Depleted Uranium Weapons
on the Internet. Write to your congressman to object to DU
weapons.
Joanna Learner
Battle Creek
Originally published July 14, 2005
Copyright 2005 Battle Creek Enquirer. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
29 Boston Globe: Army agrees to pay more for cleanup -
Boston.com - Local - News
By Davis Bushnell, Globe Correspondent | July 14, 2005
The removal of more than 3,700 barrels of depleted uranium from
Starmet Corp.'s Superfund site in West Concord will begin by
late summer, according to the state Department of Environmental
Protection, which was notified this week that the US Army will
pay an additional $3.1 million to rid the property of this
material.
The department, spokesman Joseph Ferson said, is working out
contractual details with Salt Lake City-based Envirocare of Utah
Inc., which, he noted, has handled a number of similar projects
in Colorado and Utah.
It's expected that an agreement will be ironed out within two
weeks, after which Envirocare will go on-site, take an inventory
of the barrels and then prepare a timetable for removing and
disposing of them, Ferson said. He said the project will
probably be completed in six months.
The long-awaited announcement was hailed by environmental
officials and Concord activists as a giant step toward getting a
handle on the property's overall contamination.
The project, which is critical to the cleanup of the 46-acre
property off Route 62, has been delayed since March over the
cost of removing and disposing of the barrels containing low
levels of radioactive material. They are stored in Starmet
buildings.
Bids submitted three months ago by Envirocare and another,
unnamed, out-of-state contractor exceeded the original cost
estimate of $5.2 million by $3.1 million. That prompted the
environmental protection department to ask the Army last month
to pick up the revised tab of $8.3 million.
The Army then agreed in a letter from the Justice Department.
In April 2004, the Army had signed an agreement with the
environmental department and the state attorney general's office
to pay for the removal of the barrels filled with depleted
uranium.
From 1970 to 1999, Starmet's predecessor company, Nuclear Metals
Inc., made uranium-tipped bullets for the Army.
Because the barrels of depleted uranium continue to be guarded
24 hours a day, they don't constitute a present danger,
according to state officials and other environmental specialists.
The announcement that the barrel-removal process will get going
soon elicited positive responses from the project manager of the
company conducting a remedial investigation of the Starmet
property and from a Concord activist group leader.
Envirocare offers an excellent ''disposal option for mixed
waste, and we'll undoubtedly be meeting with company officials
when they tour the [Starmet] site for the first time," said
Bruce Thompson of Windsor, Conn.-based De Maximis Inc., which
has been evaluating air and ground-water data from the Starmet
site.
De Maximis is conducting its investigations for the Army and
four other parties cited in 2003 by the US Environmental
Protection Agency for contaminating the property, which went on
the list of the agency's most polluted sites nationwide in June
2001.
In addition to the Army, the others found to be responsible by
the EPA for the Starmet property's contamination are: the US
Department of Energy; Whittaker Corp. of Simi Valley, Calif.;
Textron Inc. of Providence; and MONY Life Insurance Co. of New
York City.[ /]
Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company. More:
*****************************************************************
30 UK The Times: Alarm over radioactive waste site
July 15, 2005
By Julian Evans in Moscow
Environmentalists are opposing plans to build an international
nuclear dump in Siberia
RUSSIA is seeking approval to build the first international
storage facility for nuclear waste. The plan has aroused strong
opposition from Russian environmentalists. Aleksandr Rumyantsev,
head of the Russian Federal Nuclear Power Agency (Rosatom), says
that it makes sense to store waste in one large site rather than
many small ones, which are more vulnerable to terrorist attack.
He presented the plan at a conference of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), which the Russian Government is hosting in
Moscow this week. It is a good idea to have the facility in
Russia, partly because of our space, and partly because we are
the only country whose law allows it to import nuclear waste, he
said.
Since 2001 the import and storage of nuclear waste from other
countries has been permitted, though only temporarily. Russia
imports small amounts of waste from former Eastern bloc countries
such as Hungary.
The Government says that the Zelenogorsk nuclear storage facility
near Krasnoyarsk is the most likely site for the dump.
It could store 8,000 tonnes more nuclear waste than it is storing
now, Mr Rum- yantsev said. The Government could also use the
Mayak facility near Chelyabinsk, which environmentalists claim is
the most radioactive place on Earth after a nuclear disaster
there in 1956.
According to the Kremlin, its plan has the support of Mohammed
ElBaradei, head of the IAEA, though the agency declined to
comment. An ambassador who works with the agency in Vienna said:
The idea is quite popular with the IAEA. It is a question of
whether the Russian people would accept it.
On Wednesday, Greenpeace Russia held noisy demonstrations outside
the conference to protest against the plan. Vladimir Chuprov,
head of its anti-nuclear campaign, said: About 95 per cent of
the population is against the plan.
Mr Rumyantsev said: Of course, peoples attitudes are negative.
They think it is dangerous because of former crises like
Chernobyl. Also, the media hype up opposition from organisations
like Greenpeace.
However, the Governments strong approval ratings and control of
television news mean it is likely to be able to secure national
support for its proposal. It managed to pass the law allowing
imports of nuclear waste despite a petition against it signed by
almost three million Russians.
Igor Kudrik, director of Bel- lona, an environmental campaign
group based in Oslo, said that the plan to build one large,
high-security storage facility for international nuclear waste
made sense. But he added: Russia is not a good place for it.
They have problems taking care of their own waste, let alone
(that of) other countries.
Russia and other former Soviet republics have been affected by
several serious nuclear accidents, including the Chernobyl
disaster of 1986, in Ukraine.
The US provides financial assistance to Russia to help it to
process its nuclear waste and import waste from former Eastern
bloc countries. America also provides Rosatom with about 40 per
cent of its annual revenues, through a long-term contract to
provide the US with uranium that Russia signed in 1993. However,
that contract will run out in 2013.
The Russian Government estimated that the facility would cost
more than 11 billion to set up and manage, and that it would
make Rosatom about 4 billion in profits. Greenpeace and Bellona
claim that the estimate of the costs of importing, storing and
protecting the waste is too low and that the project could cost
Russian taxpayers large amounts.
Copyright The Times - timesonline.co.uk
*****************************************************************
31 AU ABC: ALP not rethinking uranium policy yet
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
(ACST)Friday, 15 July 2005. 08:14 (AEDT)Friday, 15 July 2005.
The Northern Territory Territory's federal Labor Member, Warren
Snowdon, says the ALP is not interested, at this stage, in
revising the party's policy ruling out new uranium mines.
The Chinese ambassador to Australia, Madam Fu Ying, told a
meeting in Darwin yesterday that China wants to increase its use
of nuclear power and would be keen to source uranium from the
NT.
The Member for Lingiari says there are still too many concerns
about the use of uranium to start opening more mines to meet the
growing demand of countries like China.
"However, that does not limit the capacity for there to be a
discussion and I expect there will be at some point, by
interested parties, to have a public debate about the question
of whether or not nuclear fuel is a clean fuel and the
environmental issues in relation to global warming," he said.
*****************************************************************
32 Las Vegas RJ: New deadline set on Yucca Mountain
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Energy Department won't give up data
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Jon Porter
GOP lawmaker gives Energy Department until Monday to release
documents
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter set a new deadline Wednesday for
the Energy Department to hand over documents related to Yucca
Mountain workers' e-mails.
Porter, R-Nev., gave DOE officials until Monday to comply with a
demand issued in April by the Federal Workforce and Agency
Organization Subcommittee.
Porter, the panel's chairman, is investigating allegations of
improper pressures and misconduct on the nuclear waste project.
"I am giving them one last opportunity," Porter said when Energy
Department leaders missed a Wednesday deadline.
Porter said he will seek to subpoena material concerning e-mails
in which scientists appear to discuss shortcomings in quality
assurance documentation of water flow research at the Nevada
site.
Porter sent a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman demanding
the documents by Monday. DOE spokesman Allen Benson said
officials are reviewing the letter.
Energy Department officials have expressed concern that
disclosure of certain documents could interfere with
investigations by inspectors at the Energy and Interior
departments, and with a document database being compiled at the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
DOE's acting general counsel, Eric Fygi, proposed in letters
Friday and last month that subcommittee investigators review
material at the agency's headquarters.
Porter rejected the offer, saying, "I'm sorry, that is an insult
to the congressional process."
The subcommittee had held two hearings on the e-mails, which
were written between 1998 and 2000 by scientists assigned by the
U.S. Geological Survey to collect data and write computer models
on water flow at the repository site.
Joseph Hevesi, a USGS hydrologist who wrote some of the e-mails,
was subpoenaed to testify and told the subcommittee June 29 that
he did not falsify documents on Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles
northwest of Las Vegas.
Hevesi testified that some provocative messages were written out
of job frustration but not malice. He said others contained
science jargon that could be wrongly interpreted.
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
33 Las Vegas RJ: Barton plans to write nuclear waste bill
Thursday, July 14, 2005
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A House committee chairman plans to begin writing
a nuclear waste bill this fall that would remove barriers
holding up Yucca Mountain, according to state officials and
industry lobbyists.
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, intends to revive legislation that
would grant the Department of Energy greater access to
construction funds for the nuclear waste repository, according
to lobbyists who met with him recently.
Barton, the influential chairman of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, told reporters this week he is weighing
other initiatives to expedite the stalled program and make
changes in the nation's nuclear waste policy.
He has said he would turn to nuclear waste after Congress
completes action on a major energy policy bill, most likely
later this year.
Proposals being studied by Barton reportedly include resolving a
court ruling on Yucca Mountain radiation safety standards by
requiring them to remain at the current 10,000-year level.
Committee spokesman Larry Neal said Wednesday that "Barton's
plan is to provide full funding for Yucca Mountain. Others may
have other ideas, and they may be glorious things and worth
considering, but the chairman has not drafted a bill to
implement them."
Charles Pray, a Maine nuclear safety official, and David Wright,
a state utility regulator from South Carolina, said Barton told
them in a June 29 meeting that he planned for his committee to
begin forming a repository accounting bill this fall, and
continuing into next year.
Pray and Wright are co-chairmen of the Yucca Mountain Task
Force, a pro-repository coalition. In an interview on June 30,
the task force leaders said Barton did not mention other nuclear
waste initiatives that might be included in such a bill.
House lawmakers have worked over the past half dozen years to
reclassify Yucca Mountain budget accounts to grant the Energy
Department easier access to $750 million that nuclear utilities
pay each year into a nuclear waste fund.
Department officials have cited underfunding by Congress as one
reason for delays in the repository which was supposed to open
in 1998. DOE more recently has abandoned a proposed 2010
opening, and experts say it could be 2015 or later before Yucca
Mountain might begin accepting nuclear waste.
Although the House has been supportive of Yucca legislation,
efforts have stalled in the Senate where Sen. Harry Reid,
D-Nev., a repository opponent, has put up roadblocks.
"My reaction is to not be too excited about whatever is brewing
in the House, because the challenge for those who seek such
solutions is getting anything supported through the Senate,"
said Brian O'Connell, nuclear waste project director for the
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
34 RIA Novosti: Russia continues to accept foreign nuclear waste for storage
15/07/2005
Moscow, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - About 900 kilograms of spent
nuclear fuel from six countries are currently stored at sites
across Russia, a senior figure in the country's nuclear industry
said Thursday.
Addressing an international conference, Multilateral Approaches
to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Non-Proliferation Issues, Alexei
Lebedev, deputy chief executive of Techsnabexport, said the
nuclear waste had come from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Libya,
Latvia and Uzbekistan.
Lebedev, whose company exports goods and services produced by
enterprises under the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, added
that bringing spent nuclear fuel into Russia for storage was
only possible under "the appropriate agreements."
He said that in the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union had a
number of research nuclear reactors built in other countries as
a way of achieving political influence, so now there were more
than 29,700 spent fuel rods left over from the communist era,
most of them in eastern Europe.
More than 200 spent fuel rods will be brought into Russia from
research reactors in Uzbekistan in the near future, Lebedev
said. He also reported that a program had just been drawn up on
the transit transportation of nuclear waste into Russia via
Kazakhstan.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
*****************************************************************
35 Platts: Industry to discuss ways to guarantee enrichment supply
+ World enrichers will meet in September under World Nuclear
Association (WNA) auspices to begin discussions of industry's
role in any multilateral initiative on guaranteeing enrichment
supply. Adrian Collings of the WNA, representing its director
general John Ritch, told an international conference in Moscow
today that industry involvement is essential in any
international discussions of mechanisms to guarantee fuel supply
for nonproliferation reasons.
He said WNA believes that the existing commercial structure could
be used with "a minimum of complexity" to provide the supply
assurances proposed by international initiatives.
Collings told Platts that WNA is concentrating on enrichment
supply, though most of the meeting's discussion was on the back
end of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Paris (Platts)--13Jul2005
Copyright 2005 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
36 Las Vegas SUN: Editorial: Will politics decide Yucca?
Today: July 14, 2005 at 9:8:15 PDT
LAS VEGAS SUN
A year ago Nevada's legal fight against storing the nation's
high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain scored a
near-knockout blow. A federal appeals court ruled that a
critical safety standard governing Yucca's construction was not
even close to being met. The standard had to do with the science
of nuclear waste, and for how long its radiation would pose a
lethal danger to the outside world once buried.
Congress had ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to set
a "radiation standard," which would be integral to how a
proposed nuclear waste dump would be built and how the waste
would be contained. Congress had also ordered the EPA to rely on
calculations by the National Academy of Sciences in setting the
standard. The Academy said the standard should be set for the
peak life of the radiation, which is about 300,000 years.
The EPA, however, had set the standard at 10,000 years. This
was a gift to the Energy Department, which must apply to the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to operate Yucca
Mountain. Given the political will at the federal level for
Yucca Mountain to open, it's conceivable that the department
could persuade regulators that Yucca Mountain would be safe for
10,000 years. It would be impossible to make that case if the
standard were 300,000 years.
The court gave the EPA two options: Write a new standard based
on the academy's recommendation, or persuade Congress to drop
the requirement that it rely on the academy's scientific
judgment. The EPA is working on a new standard. But wouldn't you
know it? This week Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the
House Energy Committee, said he intends on his own to introduce
a bill in the fall that could mandate a 10,000-year radiation
standard.
Because of the court's ruling, the Yucca Mountain project is
near death. But if successful, Barton's bill could lead to its
full recovery. And this would prove, once again, that Yucca
Mountain is a political endeavor having very little to do with
science.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
37 Las Vegas SUN: Porter demands deadline be set on Yucca e-mails
Today: July 14, 2005 at 10:6:32 PDT
By Benjamin Grove
SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., plans to subpoena the
Energy Department unless the department by Monday hands over
documents related to an investigation of Yucca Mountain worker
e-mails that suggest quality assurance documents were falsified.
Porter first requested the documents April 7, as part of a
congressional investigation. The Energy Department has declined
to release the documents, and it missed a Porter-set deadline
Wednesday.
Energy Department officials have suggested that Porter could
come view the documents at the department, which Porter said was
insulting to Congress.
"We have asked for a public hearing so that the public can see
this information," said Porter, who is leading the investigation
as chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on the
federal workforce and agency organization.
Porter said the department has denied even simple requests that
include acronym lists and Yucca program organizational charts
that include names.
Porter also has requested records, including correspondence and
e-mails, relating to the employment status of three Yucca
workers named in the e-mails who continued to work on the Yucca
project, at least as of March 9.
The documents will help Porter's committee piece together a
puzzle that could show program mismanagement, Porter said.
Porter doesn't expect the department to meet the Monday
deadline, he said.
"In my mind, they are hiding something, and they don't want the
public to see these documents," Porter said. "Enough is enough."
The Energy Department objected to Porter's committee disclosing
to the public the documents it has already given the panel. The
Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- not Porter's panel -- has the
jurisdiction for deciding which Yucca documents ultimately
should be made public, department lawyer Eric Fygi told Porter
in a June 24 letter.
At issue in Porter's investigation are e-mails written between
1998 and 2000 by at least three scientists working on Yucca
water flow studies. Such studies are vital to the Yucca project,
which aims to construct a leak-proof, national repository for
the nation's most radioactive nuclear waste in tunnels under
Yucca.
The existence of the e-mails was disclosed by the department in
March. Investigations by the inspectors general with the Energy
Department and USGS are ongoing.
Nevada officials believe the e-mails are damning to the overall
case made by the department that Yucca is a safe repository
site. The Energy Department and other project supporters say the
e-mails are not proof that any actual Yucca data was falsified.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has said initial investigation
has shown that the science supporting Yucca as a safe waste site
was not compromised.
Porter's committee has held two hearings on the e-mails,
including a hearing June 29 in which one of the e-mail authors,
U.S. Geological Survey scientist Joseph Hevesi, testified that
he did not falsify Yucca quality assurance documents.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
38 The Dispatch: Will perchlorate suit hold water?
Thursday, July 14, 2005
By Matt King
San Jose - Four plaintiffs suing the Olin Corp. for polluting
the groundwater in San Martin with perchlorate are exaggerating
their claims of emotional distress because they can prove
neither financial or medical damages, a lawyer told a jury
Wednesday during the first case against the company to reach
trial.
Since they are not going to make any health claims and cant
prove property damages, [they] will make exaggerated emotional
distress claims inconsistent with their actions, Olin attorney
Tom Carney said in his opening statement. And they will not
claim any damage for emotional distress for fears they may
experience physical illness or disease.
The plaintiffs are all San Martin residents. They claim that the
revelation in 2003 of a 9.5-mile perchlorate plume flowing south
and east of Olins former road flare factory in southern Morgan
Hill has damaged their idyllic rural lifestyle and caused
irrevocable harm to their home values.
On purpose, knowing what they were doing, intentionally, Olin
polluted the groundwater, plaintiffs attorney Colin Pearce
told the nine-member federal jury. They thought they would just
dump this waste and maybe nobody would find out about it.
The plaintiffs are four of about 280 residents who have sued
Olin. A group of about 160 claimants are on the verge of
settling their cases. The remaining plaintiffs are awaiting the
outcome of this trial.
Pearce, of Duane Morris in San Francisco, also accused Olin of
shattering his clients American Dream in his nearly two-hour
opening statement.
Olin has stolen the water from the families we represent. Olin
has stolen their ability to raise their families and enjoy their
houses and properties, he said. We need water to live. Its
something we take for granted. That is the heart of this case. I
ask you to make the common sense judgment that pollution
deserves compensation.
Pearce said some of his clients were discouraged when they
looked into possibly selling their homes, but Realtors said
Wednesday that the central claim of the case may be very
difficult to prove.
I dont think so, Coldwell Banker Realtor Shanna Boigon said
of claims that San Martin home prices are stuck in neutral. As
long as [Olin] provides water and as long as there are solutions
for filtering, I think theyre wrong. Perchlorate is no bigger
problem than nitrates. Its just one more thing on the list of
things we look for. Of course, there could always be individual
properties [that have not appreciated].
Roger Malech, a Realtor with Intero Real Estate in Morgan Hill,
said that after a brief stall in the housing market when the
contamination was first revealed, homes in San Martin have
appreciated much like those in Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Its hard to put a number on anything, but it sure doesnt seem
like theres been any decrease because of perchlorate, he said.
Pearce said he will put a number to his clients losses in the
course of the trial, and detailed at some length the traumatic
effects perchlorate has had on their lives. Aside from the
inconvenience of having to use bottled water, he said, his
clients have grave fears for their children who grew up drinking
the polluted water, are afraid to eat fruit growing on their
properties, and reluctant to have company.
And Pearce repeatedly stressed the potential adverse health
effects of perchlorate, which has been shown to inhibit thyroid
activity, particularly in children and women who are pregnant,
as one plaintiff, Teresa Pereira, was when the contamination was
revealed.
If there is one thing thats clear in all of this, is that if
anybodys at risk, its a pregnant woman, Pearce said before he
seemed to suggest $13 million as a starting point for the jury
to consider in awarding emotional distress damages. Olin has
spent $13 million and still there is no solution. That should
give you some idea of the magnitude of this problem.
Carney, who is with the St. Louis firm of Husch and Eppenberger,
stressed that the plaintiffs have not taken simple steps to
protect themselves, such as purchasing reverse osmosis systems
to filter their tap water. Nor, he said, have they expressed
concerns about the high levels of nitrates and other
contaminants.
I think their claims are inconsistent with their actions, he
said. They werent concerned about coliform or nitrates in
their wells.
And Carney showed the jury seemingly contradictory appraisals of
the Pereiras home. One, from the plaintiffs expert witness put
the value of the home at about $814,000. But a refinancing
application from about the same time placed the value of the
property at $990,000. In 2003, it was appraised at $800,000.
They use higher appraisals when they want money from a bank,
but different appraisals when they want money from a jury,
Carney said.
Pearce said after the proceedings that the financial information
presented by Carney was selective, out of context, misleading,
incomplete.
We believe the evidence will show an impact on the value of our
clients properties, and we think common sense also supports
that if you have perchlorate in your water the value of your
property is discounted.
Carney said that he was surprised the case had progressed to a
trial and expected to renew settlement talks. The St. Louis
lawyer is also representing Olin, which is based in Tennessee,
in a similar case brought by the San Jose firm of Alexander
Hawes and Audet on behalf of 160 homeowners.
Attorney Richard Alexander said this week those cases should be
resolved soon and that a settlement is a better bet for his
clients.
After seeing all the evidence, we had an opportunity to make
recommendations to our clients which we believe are practical
and prudent, Alexander said.
The case that has reached trial, Palmisano V. Olin, is being
held in the San Jose courtroom of federal Judge Ronald M. Whyte.
Lawyers expect it will last about a month.
Matt King covers Santa Clara County for The Dispatch. He can be
reached at 847-7240 or mking@gilroydispatch.com.
*****************************************************************
39 KRQE News 13: Feds to meet on uranium enrichment plant
Posted: 7/14/2005 10:43:00 AM
Source: AP
EUNICE, N.M. -- Federal regulators will answer questions about a
proposed uranium enrichment factory in southeastern New Mexico
during a public meeting at Eunice next month.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a meeting for
August Second to discuss its environmental and safety reviews of
Louisiana Energy Service's proposed factory.
The factory would make fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Environmentalists contend it would pollute the environment,
guzzle scarce water and leave the area with tons of radioactive
waste.
But the commission said in its reviews released last month that
even if the most serious possible accident -- a uranium spill
from a ruptured container -- were to occur, the effect would be
small to moderate.
KRQE News 13 | KBIM News 10 | KREZ News 6 | KRQE.com|
KBIMtv.com| KREZtv.com -
*****************************************************************
40 Las Vegas SUN: New state office building opens in Nevada
Today: July 14, 2005 at 16:38:57 PDT
By BRENDAN RILEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Nevada's new $19 million Bryan Building
formally opened Thursday, as efforts continued to move workers
out of another state office structure that's only 30 years old
but is plagued with major structural problems.
The five-story, nearly 119,000-square-foot building, named in
honor of former Democratic Gov. and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan,
will house the state Conservation and Natural Resources
Department.
Gov. Kenny Guinn praised Bryan for his many achievements in
public service, including key roles in environmental issues such
as Lake Tahoe protection, opposition to a high-level nuclear
dump at Yucca Mountain and preservation of part of the
Galena-Mount Rose area for public use.
Bryan said he was pleased to have a building named after him,
joking that such honors usually go to notable Nevadans who have
died - and his wife Bonnie had received a couple of calls
offering condolences.
Bryan also stressed the importance of conservation, repeating
President Teddy Roosevelt's statement that natural resources are
assets to be preserved and "to be passed onto the next
generation."
After the dedication ceremony, Guinn responded to questions
about the problem-plagued Kinkead Building by noting a
legislative panel will be asked in September to provide $1.3
million to help find leased space for the state employees in
that structure.
"We have to do this," Guinn said of the relocation effort. He
added that he'd push to have funding for a building to replace
the Kinkead structure included in spending proposals to the 2007
Legislature.
Rena Meyers, an organizer for the State of Nevada Employees
Association, said she's optimistic about shutting down the
Kinkead Building, adding, "It seems that everyone is on the same
page and realizes people need to be relocated. Clearly, it's an
unsafe environment that has been neglected for quite some time."
Meyers didn't discuss legal action, although some state workers
favor litigation if there's any foot-dragging on the relocation
of workers from a building that has problems such as sagging
floors, falling pieces of concrete, leaks and poor ventilation.
The Kinkead issue has been discussed for years, and came to a
head recently after the 2005 Legislature approved a new, $22
million University of Nevada, Reno building sought by Senate
Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, rather than a new office
building that had been on Guinn's list of proposed state
projects.
Mike Meizel, the former head of state Buildings and Grounds, has
said he tried for years to get the Kinkead Building condemned
for safety reasons. He said there have been problems with the
structure since it was completed in 1975.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
41 AU ABC: China 'interested' in NT uranium.
14/07/2005. ABC News Online
"Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
Update: Thursday, July 14, 2005. 5:26pm (AEST)
Madame Fu says nuclear power is a way for China to meet demand.
China's ambassador to Australia says China wants to buy the
Northern Territory's uranium, but only if the Territory is
willing to sell it.
Madame Fu Ying was in Darwin for a major minerals conference.
China is experiencing a huge increase in demand for energy and
Madame Fu says nuclear power is one way to help meet that demand.
But she is aware of the contention surrounding uranium mining.
"We respect the problems if the countries have and we hope that
it's going to be a comfortable relationship," she said.
"So if, if the Northern Territory has the resources and is
willing to export, China will be certainly interested."
*****************************************************************
42 KRNV: Porter sets final deadline for release of Yucca documents
July 15, 2005
WASHINGTON
Nevada Congressman Jon Porter has set a new deadline for the
Energy Department to release documents related to potential
paperwork fraud on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.
If the department doesn't produce the documents by next Monday,
Porter will seek to subpoena them.
Porter's panel, a subcommittee of the House Government Reform
Committee, has been investigating e-mails suggesting government
scientists on the dump project falsified documents. He has been
pressing the Energy Department to release various documents that
could assist in the probe, but the department has resisted.
In letter last month, the department proposed making the
documents available for committee staff to look at but not
remove.
The department is concerned about the documents being released
to the public.
At a hearing late last month, Porter said he would give the
Energy Department two more weeks to comply with the document
request, a deadline that passed Wednesday.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
All content Copyright 2001 - 2005 WorldNow and KRNV. All
Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
43 DailyBulletin.com: EPA awards money for perchlorate cleanup
Article Published: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 6:43:03
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $482,100
grant to help remove rocket fuel additive perchlorate from the
Rialto-Colton groundwater basin.
There are about 15 contaminated wells in Colton, Fontana and
Rialto.
Perchlorate was first found in the Rialto-Colton groundwater
basin in 1997. The chemical, used in explosives, munitions and
fireworks manufacturing, is thought to interfere with thyroid
function.
All three cities and the West Valley Water District, which
serves customers across the region, have installed ion exchange
filters to remove the chemical.
Though the Rialto-Colton groundwater basin isn't designated a
Superfund site, the grant comes from the EPA's Superfund
program. The program identifies and cleans up abandoned
hazardous sites.
- Nikki Cobb, (909) 386-3874
Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
*****************************************************************
44 DailyBulletin.com: Lack of complete test results has some owners stuck
Article Published: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 -
By Sue Doyle, Staff Writer
NORCO - Norma Delgado calls it a standstill.
Gloria Austin says it's a waiting game.
Betsy Roberts refers to it as a holding pattern.
All three Norco women are talking about Wyle Labs. All three
are anticipating answers about contamination on property close
to their hearts that the state believes migrated from the former
high-tech testing site to neighborhoods nearby.
That feeling of uncertainty is a way of life for many in Norco.
It will remain that way until all of their questions are
answered.
"It's something I think about every day," said Delgado, 36,
about the trichloroethylene and benzene vapors found in her
home. "We're just waiting for this to be clean and clear so we
can move on. Move on and feel safe."
TCE, a cancer-causing industrial solvent, was detected last
year inside and outside the three-bedroom home on Golden West
Lane where Delgado lives with husband Hector, 35, and children
Rebecca, 9, and Hector Jr., 4.
Last year the family put the home up for sale. Only one prospect
came to the door in five months.
Living next door to the former testing facility, the family
realized its fate in the real estate market and pulled the for
sale sign. The Delgados are stuck.
Meanwhile, Wyle Labs installed a ventilation system in the home
to clean the air and is paying for the family's electricity
expenses.
"It's going to be a long process," Delgado said. "A long time
before we can move on."
Last week, a seep of what looked like water that Gloria Austin,
49, found in the back yard of her Raquel Road home in December
was tested for perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, TCE
and other chemicals. Results are expected in a month.
No one knows where the liquid comes from. Austin said that if
she digs a hole in the area where the seep is found, it fills up
with the liquid.
The Austin family has never thought about moving before, but if
test results bring bad news, it may reconsider its future.
"We think about it a lot. We're learning a lot about patience,"
Austin said. "We just want to make sure everything's OK here so
we can stay for the long haul."
State officials from the Department of Toxic Substances Control
said last month they would test for contaminants at Norco High
School, Norco Intermediate and Norco Elementary. No testing date
has been announced.
Hillside Avenue resident Betsy Roberts, 57, who has advocated
for testing at the schools since 2003, said she knows the
testing will happen. Now it's just a matter of when.
Roberts, however, isn't the type to wait around for answers.
Neither is Pat DuBiel, 54, who lives on Golden West Lane.
They work full 40-hour weeks, but during their free time, they
read public documents about Wyle Labs at the library, research
names of chemicals and put pieces of the puzzle together. They
want answers. And they want to get on with their lives.
"I don't spend every waking minute doing the research, but I do
think about what else I could be doing to get answers and move
the process along," Roberts said.
Wyle Labs, an El Segundo-based company, is under a state
consent order to clean up contamination believed to have spread
from its former site at 1841 Hillside Ave.
The area qualifies as a Superfund site, a designation that makes
it among the most polluted locations in the country.
Sue Doyle can be reached by e-mail at
sue.doyle@dailybulletin.comor by phone at (909) 483-9347.
Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
*****************************************************************
45 Newly Released CD, No Nukes! No Wars! Songs of Resistance
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 14:51:40 -0700
SEEDS OF CHANGE: NO NUKES! NO WARS! CD
New CD Marks Historic 60th Anniversary of U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki.
CD features SPEARHEAD, UTAH PHILLIPS and 16 Other Local and National Artists
(see below for San Francisco and Livermore CD release parties, web ordering
info, and more)
The Seeds of Change CD project documents voices, music and poetry of six
decades of resistance to nuclear weapons. From folk to hip hop, rock to
spoken word, these artists weave a fabric of alternative possibilities.
Each artist offers a unique perspective on empire, the bomb and the
imperative to create social and political change.
The new CD was produced by Tri-Valley CAREs, a Livermore-based nonprofit
group that promotes peace, justice and a healthy environment. Tri-Valley
CAREs is a cosponsor of the August 6, 2005 rally and march to the Livermore
nuclear weapons lab.
Join us at Premier CD Release Parties in San Francisco and Livermore
SAN FRANCISCO
The party will feature music and performance by: Entre Musicos, Fariba,
Sherry Glasser, Cesar Cruz and more. The event is cosponsored by KPFA's
La Onda Bajita and Tri-Valley CAREs.
WHEN: Friday, July 22 at 7 PM
WHERE: New College of San Francisco, 777 Valencia St. (Near 24^th and
Mission BART)
Cost: $5-$8 sliding scale.
LIVERMORE
The party is a benefit for Tri-Valley CAREs and will feature music by:
Last Clear Chancean Indie Punk band. More bands TBA.
The event is cosponsored by Tri-Valley CAREs and Unity Skate Shop.
WHEN: Wednesday July 27 at 6 PM
WHERE: Unity Skate Shop, 2172 Railroad Ave., Livermore (near the corner
of Railroad Ave. and Livermore Ave).
Cost: $5
*CDs CAN BE ORDERED AT: www.trivalleycares.org
*
NEWS ARTICLE for NO NUKES CD, SONGS OF RESISTANCE!
(and, feel free to reproduce this in other newsletters, etc.)
The just released CD, "Seeds of Change: No Nukes! No Wars!," chronicles key
voices, music and poetry spanning six decades of resistance to nuclear
weapons. From folk to hip hop, rock to spoken word, these artists offer
unique perspectives on empire, the bomb and the imperative to create
positive social and political change.
Tri-Valley CAREs produced this exceptional CD, which marks the historic
60th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to raise
awaremness in new and diverse communities about the still-present threat of
nuclear weapons. The CD's title, "Seeds of Change," refers to the upcoming
August 6th rally and march to the Livermore nuclear weapons lab. Livermore,
in the San Francisco Bay Area, is one of two locations where every nuclear
bomb in the U.S. arsenal is designed; the other is Los Alamos in New
Mexico.
Michael Franti of Spearhead spoke about his band's musical contribution to
the new CD. Said Franti, "May the remembrance of 60 years since the bombing
of Hiroshima remind us not only of the potential of humankind to destroy,
but of the value of each breath, each blade of grass and each individual's
dream." Franti continued, "No life is worth more than any other, no sister
worth less than any brother. In this time, let us commit ourselves to
loving the planet as much as we love our nations and families. My recent
visit to Iraq, Israel and Palestine made me realize one thing, all bombing
is terrorism."
The new "Seeds of Change" CD offers music from many cultures and for all
ages, providing songs of hope, inspiration and truth. "The peace movement
grows with the music and culture that sustain it," noted Tara Dorabji, CD
co-producer and Community Organizer at Tri-Valley CAREs.
Utah Phillips, a politically-conscious folk singer, master storyteller and
veteran of anti-nuclear actions at Livermore Lab, contributed his song,
"Enola Gay." It was the Enola Gay, named after pilot Paul Tibbetts' mother,
that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Phillips' song offers a
thoughtful chronicle of what a child in America experienced, thought and
learned over time about the bombing of Hiroshima.
Some bands, including the Company of Prophets, a hip-hop group from
Oakland's underground, wrote and performed brand new material, created
especially for this compilation. Their song "Party at Ground Zero" speaks
to the younger generation, integrating social justice themes and the
abolition of nuclear weapons.
Mumia Abu-Jamal, a CD contributor, award-winning journalist, and prisoner
on death row since 1982, had this to say: "It's been 60 years since the
U.S. nuclear bombing of Japanese people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and, in
that more than half a century, it's interesting to note that no other
nation has used nuclear weapons." Abu-Jamal added, "And, plans are afoot,
under the so-called Bush Doctrine, to remake nukes, this time into
'limited' and even 'conventional' weapons! In Livermore, California,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hard at work designing new
nuclear weapons for the new millennium."
Also featured on the CD are: Universal Language, a musical melting pot,
fusing traditional Latin music with grooves from all parts of the globe;
Tatsumaki, a five member Japanese rock band from Nagasaki; Cesar A. Cruz,
an internationally-renowned poet, educator and human rights activist; Clan
Dyken, an activist band that has played in clear cut forests, proposed nuke
dumps, nuclear test sites, Indian reservations and the Livermore nuclear
weapons lab; and, Emma's Revolution, an award-winning, activist songwriting
duo of musical uprising of truth and hope. In all, the CD features 18
artists and more than 2 dozen tracks.
The songs and poems in the CD are woven together by the oral history of Mr.
Matsushima, a Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) from the city of Hiroshima,
who toured the Livermore nuclear weapons lab in April, 2005.
"People respond to music on a visceral level. It inspires us in a way that
a lecture or the written word alone may not," explains Kelly Franger, an
intern at Tri-Valley CAREs. " And by combining the passionate and creative
sounds of resistance to nuclear weapons with Mr. Matsushima's first-hand
story of survival, this CD moves not only the youth, but the youth in us
all."
Join us for live music and celebration at CD release parties this month in
Livermore and San Francisco. Additionally, the CD can be purchased on the
web at www.trivalleycares.org.
####
Marylia Kelley
Executive Director
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94551
- is our web site address. Please visit us
there!
(925) 443-7148 - is our phone
(925) 443-0177 - is our fax
*****************************************************************
46 asahi.com: Rare Hiroshima photos to be shown
[asahi.com]
07/14/2005
The Asahi Shimbun
Almost 60 years to the day since Hiroshima was leveled by an
atomic bomb, panoramic photos showing the ruined city will be
put on public display for the first time.
The panorama-of which only a portion has been revealed to the
public-will be shown in its entirety for one day only, Aug. 3,
at an international symposium on peace in Hiroshima.
The symposium is expected to discuss Japan's role in
northeastern Asia in working toward a nuclear-free world.
The panoramic photos were taken Aug. 10, 1945, by Hajime
Miyatake, a photographer with the The Asahi Shimbun's Osaka
bureau.
Miyatake, now deceased, entered Hiroshima on Aug. 9 and took the
first panoramic photos of the scene from the roof of the
three-story Hiroshima-Higashi police station.
Part of the panorama was printed in 1952 in a special issue of
the photo magazine Asahi Graph with the phrase, "The first
revelation of the damages caused by the atomic
bombing."(IHT/Asahi: July 14,2005)
[Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights reserved. No reproduction
*****************************************************************
47 The State: Savannah River facility courts
07/14/2
By JAMES T. HAMMOND
Staff Writer
The Savannah River National Laboratory has signed a research
agreement with one automaker and is negotiating with a second
auto company to conduct research at the Aiken laboratory in
hydrogen fuel storage and distribution technology.
Todd Wright, director of SRNL, told the Columbia Capital Rotary
Club on Wednesday morning that in addition to the automotive
concerns, four consortia are interested in building a new
technology nuclear reactor on the 300-square-mile Savannah River
Site. Such a reactor could comprise the dual functions of
generating electricity for the power grid and generating heat
needed to make hydrogen fuel for cars.
One consortium, NuStart Energy, which includes Duke Energy,
plans to select two sites from a list of six later this year as
locations where it would like to build new nuclear reactors.
Wright said SRS is on that list. The Bush administration has
committed more than $1 billion for startup costs for a
new-technology reactor.
Wright said he could not identify the automakers at this time,
but he made clear that research and development of commercially
viable hydrogen fuel technology is a major focus of work at
SRNL.
A 60,000-square-foot laboratory facility is nearing completion
at SRS, in which space will be leased by concerns interested in
tapping into SRNLs hydrogen expertise. Currently, about 80
scientists and engineers at SRNL are engaged in hydrogen
research, Wright said.
The Savannah River facility, created a half-century ago to make
plutonium for the nations nuclear weapons, was designated
Americas 12th National Laboratory in May 2004. The designation
has the potential to put SRS and Aiken County in the forefront
of the nations research machine. SRNL has 752 people on its
research staff, a quarter with doctoral degrees.
The laboratory has worked with hydrogen technology for 50 years
because a primary component of thermonuclear weapons is tritium,
the radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
Wright said formidable hurdles remain to make hydrogen
acceptable to the public. He said SRNL has developed a storage
tank for the volatile gas, and used it to fuel a public bus in
Augusta for two years. But the drawback to the existing
technology is that the tank weighs several tons, making it
impractical for passenger cars.
Wright said he believes such hurdles can be overcome, and
hydrogen-fueled cars could be widespread in 10 to 15 years, if
research is focused and well-financed.
Automakers are looking for public acceptance of a new
technology, Wright said. He predicted that acceptance could be
achieved if a region such as South Carolina developed the
infrastructure for a large-scale trial of new technology, such
as the plants to make the hydrogen fuel, and the service
stations to distribute it and maintain the vehicles that run on
the new fuel.
At SRS, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University,
and various private concerns in the state, we have
complementary expertise to create the prototype for the nation,
Wright said.
Reach Hammond at (803) 771-8474 or jhammond@thestate.com.
*****************************************************************
48 DenverPost.com: Feds should acquire Flats mineral rights
OPINION
Article Launched: 07/14/2005 01:01:00 AM
Colorado's House delegation should work to ensure that the Rocky
Flats site can be turned into a wildlife refuge by preventing it
from being mined.
Cleanup at Rocky Flats, the Colorado Superfund site with the
most hazardous wastes, could be basically done by Halloween,
although a few environmental projects will continue.
The looming date means Colorado leaders must scramble to put in
place a series of important policies, because in the future
federal officials won't be as focused as they are now on solving
lingering problems at the site.
Topping the list are private mineral rights that, if developed,
could wreck plans to make Rocky Flats a wildlife refuge.
For 50 years, the government used a few hundred acres at the
core of the Rocky Flats site for nuclear weapons production. The
industrial area was contaminated and Energy's burden.
Outside the core, the government left about 6,000 acres as a
security and safety zone. Today that relatively untouched buffer
zone harbors some of the last natural short-grass prairie on the
Front Range - prime habitat for several endangered species. In a
few years, after environmental reports are finished, the U.S.
Department of Interior is slated to manage the old buffer zone
as a wildlife refuge.
But the feds never acquired rights to gravel, oil and other
minerals under the site. Interior officials fret that it will
make no sense to operate a wildlife refuge if the property could
be mined.
Four years ago, U.S. Sen. Wayne
Allard, a Colorado Republican, and
U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, successfully
co-sponsored a bill designating Rocky Flats' buffer as a
national wildlife refuge once the cleanup is done.
Two weeks ago, Allard and Colorado's U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, a
Democrat, got the Senate to OK $10 million to buy part of the
mineral rights. This month, Udall is supposed to serve on a
conference committee, where he will work to ensure that the
federal agencies involved have legal authority to buy the
mineral rights. Udall and U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, a suburban
Republican, also are co-sponsoring a bill that would permit an
exchange of Rocky Flats mineral claims for mineral rights
elsewhere. Meanwhile, bill giving federal agencies the clout to
buy the minerals.
But the group that represents cities and counties near the site,
the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments, has raised
important red flags.
Allard's bill deals with only four parcels covering 540 acres,
but there are at least another 2,200 acres of mineral rights at
Rocky Flats. The federal government should acquire all of them.
Worse, in exchange for acquiring the minerals, the DOE wants off
the hook for potential future legal liabilities. The federal
Superfund law gives states like Colorado the right to seek
reimbursement if their natural resources, soils, were harmed by
Superfund sites. Colorado no doubt could file such claims. But
Allard's measure would exempt the DOE not only for damages that
already have happened, but also from any future liability even if
problems were found with the Rocky Flats cleanup decades from
now. That's a concern because the DOE isn't cleaning up all the
contamination. For example, there's neither the federal funds nor
the technology to completely cleanse the site's soils. Bluntly,
the DOE wants to strong-arm Colorado into surrendering its legal
rights far into the future in exchange for doing what the feds
ought to be doing anyway.
Allard, Salazar, Udall and Beauprez resolve the minerals issue.
But Colorado shouldn't have to give up its right to seek
compensation in case something goes wrong at the site years from
now.
All contents Copyright 2005 The Denver Post or other copyright
*****************************************************************
49 MCMN: Land use board hears concerns about uranium -
Moffat County Morning News
Couple fears uranium mining and waste repository could have
serious repercussions
By Will Fletcher
Morning News Staff Writer
Former Rocky Flats nuclear worker George Barrie had one bit of
advice for the county land use board Monday evening regarding
nuclear energy and its byproducts in Moffat County.
Its going to snowball on us, said Barrie, who spent a decade
at the former nuclear weapons processing plant in Colorado, and
is now suffering form numerous side effects he said resulted
from accidental plutonium poisoning.
With the nation now facing a crisis from decades of nuclear
weapon and power production without a secure place to store the
waste, Barrie said he fears plans by local real estate broker
Jim Ross to construct a low-level radioactive waste repository
on private land near Maybell will shift all eyes to Moffat
County as a major dumping ground.
The recent purchase by Canadian-based Standard Uranium Inc. of
more than 10,000 acres of uranium mineral rights in the county
and speculation about the return of uranium mining have Barrie
concerned that local residents will be exposed to the same
hazards he faced in the nuclear industry.
The workers at the dump and at the mine will be most affected,
said Barries wife, Terry Barrie, a founder of the ant-nuclear
citizens group Northwest Colorado Cares. In retrospect, my
husband would never have worked at the flats had he known what
was involved.
George Barrie seemed to agree.
Ive got things wrong with me that a 70-year-old has wrong with
them. I dont want to see our kids having it happen to them,
said the 49-year-old, who has suffered chronic ailments for the
past 10 years. This is really a very, very serious thing for
all of us.
The land use board is tasked with making recommendations to the
Board of County Commissioners on a barrage of environmental and
natural resources issues affecting the area.
Before any plans by Ross can proceed to construction, he would
first have to acquire a conditional use permit, something the
land use board would most likely weigh heavily.
No timeline for construction has been provided by Ross, nor has
the county yet received any application regarding the project.
Officials with both the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment and the Department of Energy have previously said a
low-level radioactive waste repository in Moffat County is not
necessary, and most likely out of Rosss reach to construct.
Ross has made it a policy not to speak with the Moffat County
Morning News, and little else has been revealed regarding his
plans since he spoke with Northwest Colorado Cares in March. At
that time he affirmed his intentions to move forward with the
repository.
Terrie Barrie said such a lack of knowledge has caused her great
concern.
One thing that bothers me about Mr. Rosss plans is the lack of
details he has provided, she said.
On Monday evening she offered her groups blanket opposition to
both mining and burial of radioactive materials in the county.
She said that even if Ross sticks with previous statements of
bringing in and burying very low-level radioactive material, a
serious hazard will be created for local residents, and
especially workers at the site.
The term low-level radiation in my opinion makes it seem as
if its safe, Terrie Barrie said. Statistics say that
transportation of nuclear waste is safe, but there are
accidents. Can you imagine a truck overturning on an icy road on
Victory Way? I can.
She added, Trust me; there is a lot to be concerned about.
The land use board did not discuss or debate Barries statements
Monday evening, but quickly moved on to other topics such as the
greater sage grouse and oil and gas issues in Colorado.
Board members did inquire, however, whether workers at now
defunct uranium mines in Moffat County or a former Union Carbide
processing mill had ever been injured in the past.
Barrie said shed research that and get the information to the
board.
Will Fletcher can be reached at will@moffatcountynews.com
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