***************************************************************** 12/29/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.302 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 UPI: Uranium suspected in Iraq merc's death 2 AFP: Iran ready to study Russia nuclear proposal 3 Xinhua: US cautious toward idea of Iran's enrichment in Russia 4 AFP: US takes cautious tack on Iran's nuclear decision 5 UPI: Analysis: Iran's dangerous gamble 6 Japan Times: 'GAIATSU' POLICY INFLUENCES WANING 7 Korea Times: Apparent Failure Still Sowed Some Seeds 8 US: WSJ: The fight to limit regulation of a military pollutant 9 US: Protest of NASA Plutonium Launch Announced 10 BBC: Russia emerges strong from 2005 11 BBC: Nuclear secrets of 1975 revealed 12 Herald: SNP to challenge plan for new nuclear weapons 13 Guardian Unlimited Letters: Nuclear weapons stifle diplomacy 14 Mos News: Russia Wins Extradition Battle for Former Nuclear Chief - 15 Guardian Unlimited: Extradition Ordered for Ex-Russia Official 16 UPI: Analysis: Pakistan's mixed year NUCLEAR REACTORS 17 SignOnSanDiego.com: GE wins contract to boost Mexico's nuclear power 18 US: KATU 2: PGE hires firm to implode tower at old Trojan facility 19 US: Blog: Advantages of Nuclear Power - A Debate 20 US: NRC: Nuclear Management Company, LLC Point Beach Nuclear Plant, 21 US: NRC: Notice of License Renewal Request of Westinghouse Electric 22 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeti 23 US: Boston Globe: Vermont Yankee has full plate for '06 - 24 US: WQAD: Consumer advocates ask board to reconsider sale of nuclear 25 US: KATU 2: PacifiCorp buyout gets green light from nuclear commissi 26 US: Sun News: Green vs. Nuclear NUCLEAR SECURITY 27 Reuters: Venezuela recovers stolen radioactive capsule 28 US: Free Internet Press: U.S. Denies Targeting Muslims 29 US: UPI: U.S. Muslims protest FBI radiation scans NUCLEAR SAFETY 30 US: [Bananas] Nuclear plant cancer study gets review 31 US: AP Wire: Uranium waiting to be moved from Tenn. to Ohio 32 US: Boston Globe: Truck rollover causing problems on Route 9 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 33 Las Vegas SUN: If at first you don't succeed, try a new bill 34 US: NRC: Application for a License To Export High-Enriched Uranium 35 Deseret News: U.S. nears OK of Yucca rail 36 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting 37 CBC Saskatchewan: Public not interested in storing nuclear waste 38 US: www.azstarnet.com: Ariz. firms may face pollution crackdown | 39 Las Vegas SUN: BLM sets aside corridor for study of Yucca 40 US: Bradenton Herald: Tallevast report gets March 13 submission 41 Charlotte Observer: Audit: Nuclear fuel facility costs soaring PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 42 KIFI: Plutonium Production in Question 43 Hanford News: PNNL to receive $1 million for research 44 Hanford News: K East Basin vacuuming to resume 45 Hanford News: Bechtel loses $500,000 for quality issues 46 Idaho Statesman: Big rig returning to INL crashes ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 UPI: Uranium suspected in Iraq merc's death United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 12/29/2005 9:49:00 AM -0500 Newstrack: Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The death of a Peruvian security guard who had worked in Iraq may have been caused by exposure to depleted uranium. Wilder Gutierrez Rubio, 38, died a few hours after arriving in Lima, Peru, on Dec. 6. Days before, he had been diagnosed with severe leukemia at Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad and immediately flown back to his home country, World Socialist Web Site.Org reported Wednesday. WSWS.org said Gutierrez was part of a 200-man Peruvian contingent sent to Iraq in early October to provide security for Baghdad's Green Zone. It is widely suspected in Peru that Gutierrez's leukemia was the result of exposure to high levels of uranium in Iraq, the site said. Gutierrez was one of more than 1,000 Latin Americans recruited by U.S. private security contractors to work in different countries. Since the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, about 20,000 people have been hired to work as private security contractors, WSWS.org said. This figure represented one private security guard for every seven uniformed American soldiers in these regions. In all, $30 billion was spent by the U.S. Government on private security contractors in 2004, the Web site said. © Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 2 AFP: Iran ready to study Russia nuclear proposal 28/12/2005 18h51 Javad Vaidi (L) ©AFP/File - Dieter Nagl TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran is ready to study a Russian proposal for the Islamic republic to enrich uranium on Russian soil, a top national security official said, in Tehran's warmest reaction yet to the offer. "The new Russian proposal can be studied so that its economic, technical and scientific aspects will be clear," Supreme National Security Council member Javad Vaidi told the ISNA agency. He said that the Russian proposal was based on the establishment of a "joint Iran-Russia company on Russian soil" for the enrichment of uranium, a key component of the nuclear fuel cycle. "It is natural that the share of the participation of the Iranian side in this project will be a serious element," he emphasized. Iran has up until now maintained that it would only look at proposals that accepted its right to conduct uranium enrichment operations on its soil. "We will accept positively the propositions and the plans that recognize the right of the Islamic republic to carry out enrichment on its own soil," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Sunday in what appeared to be an implicit rejection of Moscow's offer. Iran's enrichment demands have proved controversial as in highly-enriched form uranium can be used in the explosive core of a nuclear bomb. Tehran vehemently rejects US accusations it has a nuclear weapons programme. This is the first time that Iran has officially acknowledged the existence of the Russian proposal, which Asefi said at the weekend Tehran had not yet received. Russia has said its contribution "to the search for a solution acceptable to all in the context of the settling of the situation" was put to the Iranian government on Saturday. However Vaidi also gave no indication of whether Iran was ready to drop its long-standing demand to enrich uranium on its own territory. Russia enjoys close ties with Iran and is currently helping build the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran. Under international pressure, Tehran agreed to ship spent nuclear fuel from the plant back to Russia. According to Vaidi, Iran will study the Russian proposal based on the deal with Russia on the supply of the nuclear fuel to Bushehr and then its retransfer back to Russia. Moscow's proposal attacks the key sticking point in talks between Iran and the European Union over Iran's nuclear programme, which the United States charges serves as cover for nuclear weapons ambitions. Two Iranians work at the zirconium production plant at Isfanhan ©AFP/File - Henghameh Fahimi Its proposal would allow Iran to conduct uranium enrichment outside the country in Russia, giving Iran access to the nuclear fuel cycle but providing a guarantee its nuclear programme is peaceful. It has been seen as a possible compromise solution that would see Iran satisfying its European negotiating partners while retaining a right to enrichment and staving of the threat of UN Security Council sanctions. Europe has always maintained it would prefer to see Iran renounce enrichment completely as a watertight guarantee it has no nuclear weapons ambitions. Iran however has insisted on its right to the full nuclear fuel cycle. "In Iran's opinion the Russian proposal can lead to the extension of a peaceful use of nuclear knowledge," said Vaidi. "The Russian project can break the existing scientific monopoly on nuclear technology." The discussions between Iran and Britain, France and Germany which resumed on December 21 are due to continue on January 18 even though diplomats acknowledge there are still wide differences between the sides. + Àðàáñêèé Copyright Disclaimer ©AFP 2005 ***************************************************************** 3 Xinhua: US cautious toward idea of Iran's enrichment in Russia www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2005-12-30 06:00:25 WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States expressed caution on Thursday toward a suggestion that Iran's uranium enrichment be sent to Russia for processing. "The proof will be in the pudding. Let's see what happens," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing.On Wednesday, Javad Vaidi, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator,said that his government was considering the proposal, put forward by Russia and Britain, France and Germany, that Iran uranium enrichment undergoes in Russia rather than Iran. "The Russians have an idea out there, it's been discussed. At this point I can't really say what the Iranians' intentions are," Ereli said. "Obviously what we want to see, what the Russians want to see, I think what the EU-3 want to see, what the IAEA want to see, is Iranian cooperation. To the extent that they do that, it's a good thing. Does this statement by this one person constitute that? At this point, it's just hard to say. We'll have to see," Ereli said. The United States has vowed not to let Iran acquire nuclear weapons and threatened to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 AFP: US takes cautious tack on Iran's nuclear decision Thu Dec 29, 3:33 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States took a cautious stance on Tehran's decision to examine a new nuclear proposal from Moscow, saying it was too soon to tell if it was a step in the right direction. "It is hard to say at this point what it means, frankly," said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli. "At this point, I can't really say what the Iranians' intentions are." "What we want to see, what the Russians want to see, what the EU-3 wants to see and what the IAEA ( International Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agency) wants to see is an Iranian cooperation," Ereli said. "Does this statement by this one person constitute that? At this point, it's hard to say. We will have to see." Ereli was referring to comments that a member of Iran" /> Iran's Supreme National Security Council made to the ISNA student news agency on Wednesday. "The new Russian proposal can be studied so that its economic, technical and scientific aspects will be clear," council member Javad Vaidi had said. On Thursday, council spokesman Hossein Entezami told AFP that Iran has "received the Russian proposal and is examining it." Ereli said: "At this point, it is a little too early to say things are moving in the right direction or are not moving in the right direction. The proof will be in the pudding." Russia enjoys close ties with Iran and is currently helping build the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran. Moscow's proposal attacks the key sticking point in talks between Iran and the European Union" /> European Unionover Iran's nuclear program, which the United States charges serves as cover for nuclear weapons ambitions. Its proposal would allow Iran to conduct uranium enrichment outside the country in Russia, giving Iran access to the nuclear fuel cycle but providing a guarantee its nuclear program is peaceful. Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The ***************************************************************** 5 UPI: Analysis: Iran's dangerous gamble United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 12/29/2005 3:59:00 PM -0500 Newstrack: Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense By ROLAND FLAMINI UPI Chief International Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The really momentous question facing the world in 2006 is not whether any U.S. troops will still remain in Iraq by the end of the year, but whether Iran will become a nuclear power. If, as many fear, Tehran's fundamentalist government does acquire military nuclear technology the balance of power in the Middle East will have changed radically -- and not for the better. Iran has said repeatedly that it wants to develop nuclear power for civilian use only. But the fact the Iranians tried to keep their uranium enrichment program secret, combined with the fanatical tone of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent anti-Israel rhetoric, calling for the destruction of the Jewish state and dismissing the Holocaust as "a myth," heightens the level of skepticism about Iran's true intentions and with it the level of danger of a pre-emptive conflict. In November there was a flicker of hope when Tehran agreed to return to negotiations with the European Union, represented by France, Britain, and Germany, over its nuclear plans. But Ahmadinejad is committed to continuing Iran's nuclear program, and despite the threat of Security Council-imposed sanctions the talks remain stalled in a fog of contradictory statements and prevarications. On Thursday, for example, the New York Times reported that while one Iranian negotiator said a Russian proposal to break the impasse would be "seriously and enthusiastically" examined, his superior rejected Moscow's offer of some weeks ago to process Iran-produced uranium gas into fuel for civilian purposes and then return it to the Iranians, thus removing any temptation from the Iranians of making weapons grade nuclear material. There is no deadline for the current talks, but the Europeans and the United States must eventually run out of patience and take up the Security Council option, despite the complicating factor that Russia and China are both reluctant to apply serious pressure on the Iranians. Both senior members of the Bush administration and top Israeli officials have ruled out military action against Iran to stop the ruling ayatollahs in Tehran from acquiring warheads. But if the Iranians continue to push their program unchecked, analysts expect a more intense debate in Washington on military intervention against Iran's nuclear facilities. A second Iranian threat is Tehran's growing influence in neighboring Iraq. The results of the December parliamentary elections are not yet fully known, but there is no doubt that the Shiites will dominate the Iraqi National Assembly and the government. Besides sharing a common religion with the Iran's ruling theocracy, at least two Iraqi Shiite political groups are beholden to Iran and have open lines of communication with Tehran. The leader of the politically dominant Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim, was exiled in Iran during Saddam Hussein's regime. Al-Hakim has good relations with the U.S. authorities in Baghdad, but SCIRI's 10,000 strong Badr militia is still funded from Iran. Moqtada al-Sadr, the fiery young cleric who is an emerging political power in Iraq also has close ties with Tehran. Some seasoned observers maintain that the main center of foreign influence in Baghdad is not the huge U.S. embassy, but the Iranian one. The Iranian agenda, they say, is to push the new Iraqi government towards a Tehran-style fundamentalist theocracy. But others maintain that even a Shiite government in Baghdad will not succumb to Iranian influence without question. For one thing, Iran has a long history of contentious relations with the Arab world. Arabs in turn regard Persians (Iranians) with a certain amount of suspicion. For another, the skeptics point out that many Iraqis still remember the bloody 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war -- and that Iranian appeals to Iraqi Shiites to desert to their side were not very successful. All of which presupposes that Iran's youthful population accepts without question the government's priorities despite such practical concerns as double digit-inflation, unemployment, and such quirky decisions as Ahmadinejad's recent edict banning Western pop music. Tehran's mayor turned president may want to rekindle the long-extinguished revolutionary fires and reclaim Iran's leadership of radical Islam in which the "liberation" of Jerusalem becomes a compelling symbol. But Iranian students have held large scale protests before, and Iran may be heading for another hot summer. In 2003, one popular slogan was "Forget about Palestine, think about us." This time it could be "forget about Iraq" -- or nuclear bombs. © Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 6 Japan Times: 'GAIATSU' POLICY INFLUENCES WANING Friday, December 30, 2005 New Pyongyang approach needed: summit architect By KANAKO TAKAHARA Staff writer Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine and his surprise visit to Pyongyang in 2002 all reflect a diplomatic decision to defy "gaiatsu," or foreign pressure, a former top diplomat recently reckoned. [News photo] Hitoshi Tanaka, senior fellow of the Japan Center for International Exchange, gives an interview at his office in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka, well-known for engineering Koizumi's historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in September 2002, said gaiatsu was a guiding influence in Japan's domestic reforms during the postwar era, leading to more open markets and legislation needed to ensure the nation's security. But in the past decade, there has been a growing sense that Japan should be making policy decisions at its own discretion, and Koizumi is an adamant advocate of such thought, he said. "The Yasukuni issue is not only about the visit itself . . . it is about Prime Minister Koizumi's beliefs on diplomacy," Tanaka said in an interview with The Japan Times. Tanaka, who recently published the book "State and Diplomacy," resigned from the Foreign Ministry in August and is now a senior fellow at the Japan Center for International Exchange, a nonprofit think tank. Tanaka said the Foreign Ministry has tried to persuade Koizumi to stop openly visiting Yasukuni, explaining its negative impact on Japan's neighbors. One source close to Koizumi said that when a top government official tried to dissuade him, he just turned bright red with anger and stubbornly refused. Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals as well as the war dead, on Oct. 17, prompting fierce criticism from China and South Korea, which subsequently canceled high-level meetings planned with him. Although Tanaka said he acknowledges Koizumi's determination, he hinted that he should have tried to achieve his goals without going to Yasukuni. Japan and neighboring nations must prevent nationalistic sentiment from causing political clashes, Tanaka said. "It is necessary to expand joint interest toward the future, such as the issue of North Korea and creating a concept for the East Asian Community." He also said that while Japan would not stop China and South Korea from taking up historical issues, a different approach was needed. "It should be taken up in a different framework, such as joint studies by historians," he said. Tanaka said China and South Korea are not the only nations that emotionally react to Japan's past aggression, recalling more than 30 instances of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations with North Korea before the 2002 summit in Pyongyang. During the process, North Korean officials repeatedly demanded that Japan pay compensation for its harsh colonial rule and provide detailed information on those forcibly taken to Japan, he said. Tanaka said the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Bureau chiefs had always hoped to start talks with North Korea. So shortly after Tanaka became director general of the bureau, he began negotiating with Pyongyang in October 2001 through a North Korean official often described as "Mr. X." At that time, North Korea's relationship with the United States was souring because neoconservatives in the Pentagon had acquired tremendous influence in Washington. North Korea apparently wanted to reach out to the U.S. through America's key ally, Japan. "It was strategically reasonable for North Korea to improve its relationship with Japan," Tanaka said. "For Japan, mending ties with North Korea, which was a threat to the nation, has long been a diplomatic task." But it was not easy for Tanaka to negotiate with his North Korean counterpart. "In North Korea, we didn't know for sure what kind of role the person plays in the regime, even if the person is ranked high," he said. "Our task was to make sure that the person actually had the power to execute" what was promised. So Tanaka asked him to arrange the unconditional release of a Japanese reporter who was detained there in 1999 for allegedly spying on the communist nation, he said. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reporter was released in February 2002. When two North Korean patrol ships fired shots at South Korean patrol ships after violating its territorial waters in June 2002, Tanaka told "Mr. X" that North Korea needed to apologize for the incident, he said. North Korea expressed regret the next month that was widely interpreted to be an apology. Such efforts led to Koizumi's Sept. 17 summit with Kim, who shockingly admitted that its agents kidnapped 13 Japanese nationals, five of whom are still alive and were allowed to come home. Asked about the fact that the U.S. was opposed to Japan's rapprochement with North Korea at the time, Tanaka merely said diplomacy with North Korea involves the interests of other countries as well, including the U.S., China and South Korea. Six nations -- North and South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia -- are negotiating with Pyongyang over its nuclear arms ambitions. But little progress has been made at the six-party talks since the fourth round was held in September. Tanaka noted it would take some time before the North Korea nuclear threat is resolved, adding that Pyongyang is not a country used to solving international disputes with negotiations. "It has conducted guerrilla warfare, fought the Korean War and (continued to) clash with South Korea," he said. "It is a country that has strong suspicions" about others. Tanaka pointed out that the six-party talks are losing momentum because growing criticism in the U.S. of President George W. Bush and his handling of Iraq is forcing Washington to focus its foreign policy on Iraq. But if North Korea is trying to buy time by sabotaging the talks, public sentiment in Japan, the U.S. and other nations will stiffen against the North, he said. "If North Korea is continuing to develop nuclear (arms), it will suffer the consequences," he said. "Time is not benefiting either side." The Japan Times: Dec. 30, 2005 (C) All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 7 Korea Times: Apparent Failure Still Sowed Some Seeds Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation ¡®Koreas Had Sought Summit Before 2000¡¯ By Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter The first round of inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in June 2000 engraved a lingering picture on most Koreans¡¯ memory, namely that of emotional handshaking between then President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. But former President Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power through a military coup in 1979, and the North¡¯s founding father Kim Il-sung might have been able to replace the two Kims in the picture, if only the efforts to stage the first-ever summit had not turned sour 15 years earlier. An interview with Park Chul-un, former special aide to Chang Se-dong, then director of the Agency for National Security Planning, outlined the almost-successful behind-the-scenes negotiations that were aimed at holding the summit in 1985, and the reasons for the failure. The interview was contained in a book published by Unification Ministry Thursday under the title of ``60 Years of Efforts for Reunification _ Opening Roads Over Sky, Land and Sea Toward Reunification.¡¯¡¯ According to Park, the frosty inter-Korean relations in the Cold War era seemed to warm up when the North suggested aid to the flood-stricken South in 1984. Chun put forward the summit idea in January 1985, and officials of the two Koreas began their secret contacts in Bandung, Indonesia, in April that year. The South and North Korea were narrowing down differences on possible agreements to be adopted at the summit, with special envoys from each side visiting the other side of the inter-Korean border and meeting with the top leaders. But when Park came back from Pyongyang accompanying Chang, Chun¡¯s special envoy, the atmosphere in Seoul had undergone a sea change, Park, now a lawyer, recalled. ``There were criticisms that we had more to lose than to gain (from the summit), and the United States also signaled concern,¡¯¡¯ said Park, a former three-term lawmaker. The incident of a North Korean armed espionage ship, which was found infiltrating the Southern sea near Chongsa-po, Pusan, ended it all. Five North Koreans were gunned down during the incident. Chun was infuriated at the incident, saying it was inconceivable to send a spy ship right after the return of a special envoy. ``In the world¡¯s history of war, even a war enjoys a lull when special envoys are being exchanged,¡¯¡¯ Chun said angrily, and ordered to stop the drive for inter-Korean summit on Oct. 30. Later in February 1986, Park visited Pyongyang again, this time as a special envoy himself, to express regret to Northern officials. ``The summit plan flopped, but the secret inter-Korean contacts achieved the family reunion sessions in September 1985 and opening of inter-Korean hotline in March 1986,¡¯¡¯ Park said. The government under Chun, who is now widely viewed as a dictator who oppressed pro-democracy movements, ``did its share¡¯¡¯ for reconciliation and peaceful reunification amid difficulties of the Cold War era, he concluded. Toward Inter-Korean Summit Lim Dong-won, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 1999 to 2001, also talked of efforts made behind the scenes for the inter-Korean summit in June 2000, in an interview conducted in July in the book. Lim, who also served as unification minister and presidential secretary for unification, foreign and security affairs, attributed the success of the first-ever summit to four figures. Kim Dae-jung¡¯s sunshine policy as well as the decision of the North¡¯s leader Kim Jong-il to receive aid from the South helped realize the summit, Lim said. Besides them, Chung Ju-yung, late founder and chairman of Hyundai Group who initiated the tourism business at Mt. Kumgang, actively contributed to the inter-Korean dialogue, Lim said. Lastly, the support from then U.S. President Bill Clinton who cooperated with the South on North Korean policy was also significant, he said. Looking back, the South¡¯s former point man on North Korea said that another four figures need to be remembered for creating momentum in the inter-Korean relations. Lee Hong-gu, former prime minister who helped draft a roadmap for reunification in 1989, is one. Kim Jong-hui, former presidential secretary for foreign affairs and security who coordinated high-level inter-Korean consultations, is also worth being remembered, according to Lim. In addition, Donald Gregg, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea who played an active role in stopping Team Spirit, a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, helped to induce an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Lim said. Another former U.S. ambassador to Seoul, James Laney, should not be forgotten as he mediated and made former U.S. President Jimmy Carter¡¯s visit to Pyongyang in June 1994 possible, he said. The bilateral meeting between Carter and then North Korean leader Kim Il-sung is said to have helped overcome the first nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula at that time. saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr 12-29-2005 19:33 ***************************************************************** 8 WSJ: The fight to limit regulation of a military pollutant Health & Science [Black and Gold Insider] Thursday, December 29, 2005 By Peter Waldman, The Wall Street Journal Four years ago, while U.S. troops were toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Environmental Protection Agency lobbed a different sort of bombshell at the Defense Department. EPA scientists recommended strictly regulating a chemical that is a key component of munitions, but that has seeped into drinking-water supplies. The EPA said it had determined that the chemical, called perchlorate, endangers babies' brain development when present even at trace levels. As a prelude to possible formal regulation, it proposed declaring that a safe level of the chemical in drinking water would be just one part per billion. That's an amount so minute it wouldn't even have been detectable a few years ago. Pentagon officials were aghast. Defense suppliers had discharged massive quantities of the chemical into soil and streams during the Cold War, and they still need it for weaponry. Such a strict limit could mean the Pentagon and defense contractors would have to clean up scores of water sources in 35 states and even the mighty Colorado River, with its water flow of 67,000 gallons a second at the Hoover Dam. Fearing both costs and possible curbs on arms production, the Pentagon took its case to the White House, which told the EPA to stand down while an outside scientific panel looked at the issues. The panel then issued a middle-ground report that has left some senior EPA scientists deeply unhappy and the Pentagon still pressing for the minimum possible cleanup. The standoff, involving two high-profile federal agencies, shows how the burgeoning science of low-dose chemical exposure is raising both the stakes and the stratagems in today's pollution fights. There's no question perchlorate interferes with the body's ability to make thyroid hormone, a substance that everyone needs but babies especially so. The question is how much exposure it takes to do harm. The controversy has intensified with science's growing ability to detect and test chemicals at extraordinarily low exposure levels. The appeal to the White House was just one of the several moves by defense interests in a long struggle with the EPA over whether and how to regulate perchlorate. Among other tactics: Perchlorate users financed a study of the chemical's health effects -- then undermined their own study when results went against them. Perchlorate, used chiefly in solid rocket fuel, first polluted groundwater decades ago at a munitions plant outside Sacramento, Calif., triggering years of resistance by the plant's operator to state regulatory efforts. Then in 1997, after technical breakthroughs allowed detection of the chemical at far lower levels than before, it began to be found in water supplies in Southern California. EPA scientists traced one plume up the Colorado River aqueduct to Las Vegas. There they found the source in an old plant that once manufactured the missile propellant. The soil beneath was tainted and the chemical was seeping into the river. In the human body, perchlorate blocks the thyroid gland from absorbing iodide, which the gland needs to make thyroid hormone. The Pentagon and defense industry say such interference isn't dangerous, at least so long as it's only partial, because most adults produce plenty of the hormone. The EPA, however, focused on fetuses and infants. They need thyroid hormone every day, because it is critical during brain development. And unlike adults, they can't store a supply. Because risk levels weren't well understood, the EPA and the Pentagon agreed in the late 1990s to cooperate to find answers. Several defense contractors, linked in what was called the Perchlorate Study Group, agreed to pay for new research. The centerpiece was a $3 million experiment involving 3,000 mother, infant and fetal rats. Pregnant rats and pups were fed varying levels of perchlorate for several months. Scientists then dissected the rats' thyroid glands and brains. Researchers started with the rats that got the largest dose of perchlorate, intending to work downward until they found a dose so small that it had no effect. They never found such a dose. Even at the lowest dose tested -- 0.01 milligrams per kilogram of rat weight per day -- the scientists saw a pattern of altered growth in several regions of the baby rats' brains. They also saw effects on their thyroid cells and hormone output. Chemicals don't necessarily affect rats and humans the same way. Still, the test results would be considered "adverse effects" under EPA policy, the agency's team leader, Ann Jarabek, warned the defense interests. She told them the results would tend to reduce the level of perchlorate exposure the EPA ultimately would deem safe. Sponsors of the study then did something unusual. Instead of submitting the final results of the study to the EPA, the defense companies that paid for the study commissioned a critique of their own research. They hired a consulting firm, which asked five academic scientists to study the study. A few months later, in May 2001, the defense contractors delivered to the EPA a 200-page critique of their own study. It found fault with the study's design, with the handling of rat pups, with what the pups were fed and with the way rat brains were sliced and preserved. Conclusion: They said the multimillion-dollar study they financed was highly flawed. The agency's chief of neurotoxicology, William Boyes, says he had never seen sponsors of a study attack their own work. "Usually," he says, they either "stand behind their data or they go back and do another study." Also puzzling: The head of the consulting firm the defense industry hired to critique the original study had been that study's science adviser. This consultant is Michael Dourson, who leads a nonprofit science consulting firm called Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, or TERA. Dr. Dourson says the critique wasn't an attempt to discredit the rat study, but simply to explain its "biological significance." The laboratory that had done the rat study says it stood ready to do it over if necessary to correct any flaws identified. But the defense industry didn't ask the lab, Argus Research Laboratories in Horsham, Pa., to do it over. Asked why not, an executive of one major user of perchlorate, the Aerojet missile unit of GenCorp Inc., said it was because EPA guidelines regarded animal studies as inferior to human ones anyway. So, he said, the industry had by this time decided to focus on human research. In early 2002, the EPA, equipped with the rat study's final results and also the critique of it, issued a draft risk assessment for perchlorate, proposing a safe limit for the chemical in drinking-water supplies. This would constitute the first step toward possible regulation, which can occur only after further study, including a cost-benefit analysis. The EPA's proposed safe limit was quite strict: a mere one part per billion. Pentagon officials felt sandbagged. The defense industry paid for the rat study in the expectation that they would hear privately from the EPA about any problems it presented. Instead, they learned at the same time as the public of the strict safe limit the EPA now wanted. "All of a sudden, up on the screen popped this one parts per billion standard -- where did that come from?" says Raymond DuBois, a former deputy U.S. undersecretary of defense who's now acting under secretary of the army. This limit, he says, "had no consistent scientific confirmation." EPA officials, asked why they didn't warn the industry the strict proposal was impending, said that while they cooperate with industry on research, the job of setting safe exposure levels is theirs alone. "Perchlorate is now among the better understood compounds," says Paul Gilman, the EPA's former chief scientist. "At some point, the agency had to step inside itself as a regulatory body and determine the weight of the evidence." The furor the EPA had stirred was soon evident at a gathering known as a peer-review workshop, where a panel of scientists discussed the proposal. The workshop took place in early 2002 in Sacramento, near the site of decades of groundwater perchlorate pollution from an Aerojet missile factory. The session was tumultuous, featuring environmentalists, regulators, consultants and lobbyists. Among the speakers was La Donna White, president of an African-American doctors' group, who said the EPA proposal would divert funds from "real health issues" affecting blacks and "scare the public." She later repeated her points in an op-ed essay in a local newspaper -- and in a news release put out by a lobbying group for perchlorate users, the Council on Water Quality. Dr. White, a family physician, says she had learned about the issues from a guest at one of her medical-society meetings, Eric Newman. He is a lobbyist for a Sacramento firm that has lobbied on perchlorate matters for defense contractors. Dr. White says she didn't know he was a lobbyist when he asked her to speak to the EPA. She didn't reply to an email asking whether anyone had helped her draft her perchlorate commentaries -- two of which misspelled her first name. Mr. Newman didn't return messages left for him. Perchlorate users and the Pentagon said the chemical was safe in drinking water at 200 times the safe limit the EPA wanted, that is, at up to 200 parts per billion. The Pentagon's Mr. DuBois appealed in early 2003 to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which referees inter-agency disputes. Given the strict limit the EPA was pushing, he says, "I said, 'Time out!' " The White House told the EPA to halt further action on the chemical, and arranged for the EPA and three other agencies to sponsor further review by the National Research Council, a federally funded group that vets issues for the government and others. The council, in turn, named a panel of scientists, who did a wide-ranging assessment that included public hearings in 2003 and 2004. At the hearings, the EPA came in for harsh criticism from perchlorate users and consultants working for them. An Air Force colonel, Daniel Rogers, termed the EPA's work "biased, unrealistic and scientifically imbalanced." Col. Rogers also said perchlorate is critical to U.S. security because while highly explosive, it is stable during handling and storage. Besides missiles, it is used in various battlefield weapons and flares and in munitions for training. In January 2005, the National Research Council panel announced its conclusions. It called the rat research inconclusive and said perchlorate's key effect of blocking iodide from entering the thyroid gland, and thereby interfering with production of thyroid hormone, was not in itself dangerous. Still, it said, exposure to perchlorate should be restricted because of the high stakes for babies. The panel recommended a maximum safe exposure level of 0.0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day, based on a small study of human volunteers. For an adult drinking a normal amount of water, that would permit about 24 parts per billion of perchlorate in drinking water -- assuming people ingested no perchlorate from any source except water. In fact, however, the EPA's working assumption in such cases is that drinking water accounts for only 20 percent of people's exposure to a waterborne contaminant. Recent studies indicate that small amounts of the chemical are in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, possibly from irrigation water, as well as in some dairy products and breast milk. Some EPA staffers assumed their agency would reduce the safe level in drinking water well below 24 ppb to adjust for several factors, including exposure through food. Instead, the EPA quickly adopted the panel's assessment as its own, eschewing the internal and external peer reviews that normally precede a formal EPA listing of a safe level for a chemical. An EPA spokeswoman said no additional reviews were needed before adopting the 24 ppb safe limit because of extensive internal and external scrutiny of the chemical done several years ago. She also said it was natural to use the National Research Council's conclusion as the EPA's own because the EPA was among those who sponsored the review. Some state agencies criticized both the National Research Council assessment and the EPA for quickly adopting it. Massachusetts complained to the EPA that the research-council panel had based its analysis on a study of just seven adults, rather than on babies. Massachusetts reaffirmed its own health advisory that is as strict as the safe limit the EPA envisioned in 2002: one part per billion in water. Meanwhile, two regulators from Connecticut and Maine wrote a science-journal commentary accusing the EPA of superseding its own scientific judgment with a flawed review by an outside body. Today, Pentagon and White House officials are drafting new guidance for toxic-site cleanup officials. Intended to go out under the EPA's name, the guidance under consideration would effectively fix the cleanup standard for federal pollution sites at 24 ppb. The result is that many water bodies with less perchlorate than that would escape cleanup. Several senior EPA staffers believe the agency would be better off with no perchlorate cleanup policy than with this one, emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show. "We got a very ugly set of comments from Office of Management and Budget last week that eviscerated the guidance" to be given to cleanup officials in the field, one senior EPA staffer emailed a colleague this fall. "Doing nothing was better than accommodating those comments." EPA spokeswoman Eryn Witcher said the policy is still undergoing internal deliberation. All the skirmishing thus far still doesn't determine whether the federal government ever will actually regulate perchlorate with a mandatory water standard. To help decide that, the EPA plans to test drinking-water supplies nationwide over the next several years. It is also monitoring blood and urine screenings and tests of food, to measure Americans' exposure from sources other than drinking water. The arms industry thinks even the safe limit of 24 parts per billion is far too strict. It notes that the National Research Council said the effect on the thyroid wasn't itself adverse to health, but merely could possibly lead to ill effects, in a chain of events. Says Dr. Dourson, the defense-industry consultant: "The committee chose a precursor to a precursor to a precursor to an adverse effect in the development of its safe dose." Copyright ©1997-2005 PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Protest of NASA Plutonium Launch Announced Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 12:00:58 -0600 (CST) JANUARY 7 PROTEST OF NEW HORIZONS PLUTONIUM LAUNCH AT CAPE CANAVERAL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Bruce Gagnon (207) 729-0517 Maria Telesca (Florida) (321) 632-5977 The Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space has announced a demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on January 7 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The protest will highlight opposition to NASA's planned New Horizons launch that will carry 24 pounds of radioactive plutonium on board. NASA acknowledges in their Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the New Horizons mission that there is a 1 in 300 chance of an accident resulting in release of the plutonium. In the event of such an accident the EIS states that the deadly plutonium could be carried by winds for a 60-mile radius throughout Central Florida. Clean-up costs for a plutonium accident would range from $241 million to $1.3 billion per square mile. NASA has big plans to expand the numbers of nuclear launches in the coming years. The DoE is now planning a $300 million expansion of their laboratory in Idaho just to make more plutonium for space missions. According to Global Network Coordinator Bruce Gagnon, "As people in the U.S. and around the world learn about NASA's plan to launch plutonium into space they become angry with the space agency. People say we don't want our tax dollars used to launch nuclear power into space. The public understands the threat to the planet and to our children's future. NASA is destroying their credibility with the very people who pay for these missions. We might have escaped Cassini, we might escape New Horizons, but with plans to put nuclear reactors on the moon to power bases there in the coming years NASA will be launching a host of these missions. One thing we have learned is that sooner or later, space technology can fail." The protest is being co-sponsored by the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice. For more information check the Global Network website at: http://www.space4peace.org - END - Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 729-0517 globalnet@mindspring.com http://www.space4peace.org http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Our blog) ***************************************************************** 10 BBC: Russia emerges strong from 2005 Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 December 2005 [Vladimir Putin (left) with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan] Closer ties were made with other countries, such as Turkey Russia has emerged as a much more assertive and self-confident country in 2005. But social problems, media control and racist attacks also attracted concern about the country which is due to chair the G8 in 2006, writes the BBC's Russian affairs analyst Steven Eke. Russia's main achievement this year was the economy. High world oil prices meant bumper revenues, most of which were invested in a national stabilisation fund. But international anti-corruption groups warned that doing business in Russia remained an often dirty and sometimes dangerous affair, with graft eating away at politics, business and, increasingly, the judiciary. Investors kept coming, undeterred by the saga of the Yukos oil company, which reached its conclusion. The company was broken up, with its most lucrative assets going to a major state oil company. And Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was found guilty of serious financial crimes, and sent to a distant Siberian prison camp for nine years. Foreign relations From there, he wrote missives, calling on the government to adopt policies that, in his words, took account of Russia's unique history. [Mikhail Khodorkovsky writes in a Siberian prison camp ] Mikhail Khodorkovsky was sent to a Siberian prison Internationally, relations with the US and the EU strengthened, despite spats with Poland, one of the EU's newest members. Russia also continued to co-operate over nuclear technology with Iran - despite growing Western suspicion that the Islamic Republic had a secret nuclear weapons programme. But Russia's continued support for the more repressive countries in the former Soviet Union, especially Uzbekistan, after the massacre of civilians in the city of Andijan, drew criticism from human rights groups. Inside Russia, special forces killed the Chechen rebel president, Aslan Maskhadov. Russia portrayed it, along with parliamentary elections in Chechnya, as proof of success in its campaign to crush the rebels. Pension protest [Residents walk with raised hands as Uzbek soldiers take positions] Troubles in Andijan was one example of continuing conflict But peace remained elusive, and the conflict seemed to spread. In October, hundreds of armed rebel fighters launched an audacious attack on security and military facilities in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. There were dire warnings over Russia's seemingly intractable social problems, especially poverty in the regions, the health crisis, and a looming HIV/Aids epidemic. Long-awaited social security reform was stymied, when thousands of pensioners came out onto the streets to protest against planned reforms. As 2006 approaches, one of the major questions is who will emerge as a possible successor to Mr Putin? Already, possible candidates are emerging - from within Mr Putin's current circle of most trusted advisers. ***************************************************************** 11 BBC: Nuclear secrets of 1975 revealed Last Updated: Thursday, 29 December 2005 [Harold Wilson] Wilson would have been taken to a bunker under the Cotswolds Cabinet papers from 1975 detailing the government's plans in the event of nuclear war are among new documents released by the National Archives. They reveal that government bunkers would be manned by civil servants, emergency legislation would be passed, and hospitals would be emptied. TV was to close down, and the BBC to begin a wartime service on radio. The prime minister would be taken to his bunker but there were no plans at that time to evacuate civilians. 'Crown Jewels' However, the papers showed art treasures from London and Edinburgh would be saved by being sent to slate mines in Wales. The information is among a raft of unseen material that has been revealed in government records from 1975, now released to the public at the National Archives in Kew, south-west London. [Panda] Given the notorio sentiment of the British public about animals, this could make the government look unnecessarily unsympathetic Foreign Office Pandas almost cause a crisis On the preparations for a nuclear attack historian Peter Hennessy told the BBC's Sanchia Berg the documents were the most secret he had ever seen, He said: "These were the Crown Jewels of genuine official secrecy...because you didn't want the other side to get your war plans. "Also the degree of alarm for the civilian population, in relatively tranquil times, that a leakage of this would have produced would have been extraordinary." Other Cabinet papers showed Harold Wilson was warned in 1975 that Britain's economy faced "possible wholesale domestic liquidation". One minister told the Labour prime minister there could be constitutional crisis if inflation continued to rise. BBC 'hippies' Documents show concerns a year before an International Monetary Fund loan was requested. They also reveal Chancellor Denis Healey and Industry Secretary Tony Benn at odds over policy. Further documents released this week reveal: + Two pandas in London Zoo sparked fears a diplomatic rift could flare up between Britain and China in the 1970s. + The extent of behind-the-scenes Cabinet splits before the 1975 referendum on British membership of the Common Market. + How British diplomats secretly floated the idea that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein - seen then as a figure to be courted - could be brought to the UK for a back operation. + That in discussions between Prime Minister Harold Wilson and the BBC's chairman they talked about whether there were too many "hippies" in the corporation. + The blocking of plans for the Queen Mother to fly to Iran in Concorde by Harold Wilson because he was worried about the plane's safety. + The prime minister's plan to protect local breweries by nationalising them as part of an initiative to show he was sensitive to small problems that caused people concern, called "little things that mean a lot". + That John Stonehouse, the Labour MP who faked his own death, spent months rehearsing his new identity. ***************************************************************** 12 Herald: SNP to challenge plan for new nuclear weapons Web Issue 2431 December 29 2005 MICHAEL SETTLE, Chief UK Political Correspondent December 29 2005 The SNP is to launch a parliamentary attempt to grant MPs the final say over whether billions of pounds of taxpayers' money is to be spent on a new generation of nuclear weapons. The Nationalists, who are planning to launch a cross-party bill on the issue at Westminster in the New Year, are responding to signals that the government is minded to sanction a replacement for the UK's ageing nuclear arsenal. The bill would ensure that any such move by ministers would be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny by MPs. However, while any such bill would be almost bound to fail  the Tories are nigh on certain to support replacing Trident  there is likely to be opposition from Labour left-wingers which could cause Tony Blair some political embarrassment. Although the stock of Trident submarines is not due to be replaced for 15 years, because of the long planning period involved ministers have to decide during this term on whether to replace it. The Faslane naval base on the Clyde is home to the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent while Coulport, eight miles away, is responsible for the storage, processing and maintenance of the Trident submarines. Last night, Angus Robertson, SNP defence spokesman, said: "It is ironic that Tony Blair sent our troops to war in Iraq on the pretext that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Yet at the same time he bases the UK's existing weapons of mass destruction in Scotland and refuses to rule out a new generation of nuclear weapon." The MP for Moray criticised Labour for wanting to "waste billions" on nuclear weaponry while deciding to merge Scotland's infantry regiments. "Tony Blair would prefer the empty grandeur of a weapon that is useless in the struggle against global terrorism instead of the forces who can actually root out terrorist groups," said Mr Robertson. "If the choice is between dedicated Scottish soldiers who can play a role in peacekeeping and the war against terror and the posturing of a new nuclear deterrent, our decision in clear: we will back Scotland's soldiers over Blair's weapons of mass destruction." John Reid, defence secretary, said last month that a review on the subject would start from the assumption that as long as there was a potential enemy state with nuclear weapons, the UK would have to retain a nuclear capability. Copyright © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights ***************************************************************** 13 Guardian Unlimited Letters: Nuclear weapons stifle diplomacy Friday December 30, 2005 The Guardian The decision on whether Britain should replace the Trident system and continue to have nuclear weapons is due this parliament. In the past, the debate about nuclear weapons has been confused with that of civil nuclear power, which we believe is wrong (ICM poll, December 27). There is no logical link between the two. The debate about a new generation of nuclear power stations should be kept separate from that about replacing the current generation of nuclear weapons. There is no rational military purpose that the current Trident system could serve. It is effectively obsolete and has been since the end of the cold war. Similarly, there is no rational military purpose for a new generation of nuclear weapons. The risks and costs associated with retaining nuclear weapons are not simply financial; the damage to international diplomacy is substantial. But the financial costs are also huge. The role currently performed by our defence forces is diverse and complex - and yet there appears to be a significant problem in supplying an adequate amount of usable equipment. Some of the billions earmarked for nuclear weapons could be used to equip them better. One of the reasons Britain still has nuclear weapons is because the government believes it justifies a seat on the UN security council. The reality - that our nuclear weapons are dependent on the US - means that our diplomacy at the UN is locked into that of the US. Paul Kenny Acting general secretary, GMB [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 14 Mos News: Russia Wins Extradition Battle for Former Nuclear Chief - MOSNEWS.COM Image by MosNews.com Created: 29.12.2005 15:23 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:23 MSK The Federal Court of Switzerland has decided to extradite Russia’s former energy minister Yevgeny Adamov to his homeland. Adamov may be extradited within 48 hours, Russia television news reported Thursday. The Swiss court made the decision to extradite Adamov to Russia on Dec. 22 but the two sides were obliged to keep the information a secret until Dec. 30. However, one of the sides has already disclosed the court’s decision. Adamov was arrested on May 2 on a U.S. warrant while he was visiting his daughter in the Swiss capital, Bern. U.S. justice officials accused him of diverting up to $9 million from funds intended to improve Russian nuclear security into private projects in the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. In Russia, Adamov is suspected of fraud and exceeding his authority. Both Russia and the United States demanded Adamov’s extradition. In October, Switzerland’s Justice Ministry ruled that Adamov must first face charges in U.S. courts, where he has been indicted on conspiracy and other charges. Russia called this decision “unjust” and said Adamov’s extradition to the United States would harm bilateral ties. Adamov later appealed the decision to extradite him to the United States and the Federal Court of Switzerland satisfied his appeal in November. Write us: info@mosnews.com Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM ***************************************************************** 15 Guardian Unlimited: Extradition Ordered for Ex-Russia Official From the Associated Press [UP] Friday December 30, 2005 12:47 AM AP Photo MOSB112 By URS-PETER INDERBITZIN Associated Press Writer LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Switzerland's top court Thursday ordered the extradition of Russia's former nuclear minister to his homeland instead of the United States, where he's been indicted for allegedly diverting $9 million in U.S. aid money to his businesses. Yevgeny Adamov was arrested May 2 in the Swiss capital, Bern, on a U.S. warrant accusing him of diverting the Department of Energy money intended to improve Russian nuclear security into private projects in the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. Adamov has been indicted by a grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy to transfer stolen money and securities, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering and tax evasion. In ordering Adamov home, Switzerland's supreme court overturned a ruling by the Justice Ministry that Adamov first face the U.S. courts. The Swiss court made its ruling Dec. 22 but it was made public on Thursday. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said the United States was disappointed, but ``we intend to honor any requests for cooperation from Russian prosecutors.'' The Lausanne-based court said Adamov should be tried at home because he is a Russian citizen and the crimes he is accused of were committed in his homeland rather than in the United States. ``With extradition to Russia, it can be guaranteed that the crimes under investigation will be examined for overall judgment in the country primarily affected,'' the court said. Adamov was appointed atomic energy minister in 1998 but came under criticism in connection with corruption allegations. In 2001, the anti-corruption committee of Russia's State Duma, or lower house of parliament, accused Adamov of illegally setting up companies inside and outside Russia, including a consulting firm called Omeka registered in Monroeville, Pa. Adamov, who has spent eight months in jail awaiting an extradition ruling, was ``delighted and satisfied'' by the decision, his lawyer Stefan Wehrenberg said. Wehrenberg said Switzerland has 15 days from Friday to send Adamov back to Russia, although the court ruling did not specify how long authorities have to carry out the extradition. Adamov was dismissed from his post in March 2001 in a Cabinet reshuffle by President Vladimir Putin. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 16 UPI: Analysis: Pakistan's mixed year United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 12/29/2005 3:35:00 PM -0500 Newstrack: Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense By KRISHNADEV CALAMUR WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The devastating October quake that killed more than 300,000 people focused international attention on Pakistan, but Islamabad's major achievements of the year included better ties with neighbor and rival, India, a weapons deal with Washington and a crackdown on Islamist militants. Pakistan had trouble in the form of growing militancy in Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and is believed to be a militant stronghold. Unrest in the region began in January when local tribes attacked the country's largest natural gas field, forcing the closure of the main plant. More recently, there were rocket attacks in the region just ahead of a visit by President Pervez Musharraf. A military crackdown followed. Also strong were Pakistan's actions against Taliban, al-Qaida and home-bred militants on its soil. Following the July bombings in London, which were linked to Britons of Pakistani origin, more than 200 suspected extremists were detained in Pakistan. The country is a key U.S. ally in the war on terror and despite complaints from neighboring Afghanistan that it is not doing enough to curb militants crossing over the border, and the occasional complaints from India on violence in Kashmir, there have been major efforts to weed out extremists. Most recently, following international pressure, Musharraf ordered all madrassas to expel foreign students. The expected move was not carried out and is likely to be a major issue in 2006. Relations with Washington were warm, too. In March, the Bush administration reversed policy and agreed to sell Pakistan F16s, the sale of which was blocked in 1990 over the country's nuclear weapons program. Responding to critics that Washington was encouraging Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The Washington Post: "Pakistan has come a long way, it's on a better trajectory than it's ever been, or that it's been in many, many years." Pakistan has put off a decision until next year on buying the planes following criticism at home about defense expenditure following the deadly earthquake. The pace of reconciliation with India continued to be swift with the two countries making progress on all issues, including the one that lies at the heart of their rivalry -- Kashmir. In April, for the first time in 60 years, buses began to operate from Muzzaffarabad, in Pakistani Kashmir, to Srinagar, in Indian Kashmir. Bus services between other cities followed. That rapprochement helped in October when the deadly quake struck. India offered help, which Pakistan quickly accepted. It also restored phone links across the Line of Control, the de facto border in Kashmir, and offered to set up camps on its side of the divided region by those affected by the quake on the Pakistani side. Crates of Indian aid were delivered with the words: "From the people of India to the people of Pakistan." In the past, they may have been removed or blacked out. But others helped the victims of the quake, too. Notable among them militant groups. Initially the international community was quiet about the groups' role, but this month U.S. Ambassador to Islamabad Ryan Crocker told Pakistani journalists the country should prevent the groups from doing relief work because it gave them the chance to promote militant ideas. According to Pakistani reports, Vice President Dick Cheney repeated that message to the Pakistani leadership on Dec. 20. Soon after the quake, The Financial Times' South Asia correspondent Jo Johnson wrote that the Pakistani military establishment might be "abetting" militant groups delivering aid in Kashmir to increase support for the separatist cause. They fear, he said, Indian relief efforts may have been a "godsend" for New Delhi that has been fighting a bloody rebellion in the region. Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani diplomat and an adviser to several past Pakistani prime ministers, told United Press International at the time the Pakistani government was unlikely to let these groups go too far with their activities following the quake. "Most people have not started thinking about the political aspect of the aid," said Haqqani, who is now a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. "But when they do, the government is in trouble." That may be Pakistan's big test for the coming years: becoming part of the world order while at the same time keeping a restive young populace increasingly enamored by radical Islam in check. © Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 17 SignOnSanDiego.com: GE wins contract to boost Mexico's nuclear power capacity ASSOCIATED PRESS 1:24 p.m. December 29, 2005 MEXICO CITY  GE Energy said Thursday it was awarded a contract by Mexico's state-owned electric utility to expand output capacity at the nuclear power plant in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. In a news release, the unit of General Electric Co. said the contract from the Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE, is to provide safety and licensing evaluations for plans to increase the output by 20 percent at Laguna Verde. GE originally designed the two boiling-water reactors at Laguna Verde, each with a capacity of 695 megawatts. The first of the reactors went into operation in 1990, and the second in 1995. In the past five years, according to the CFE, the reactors have been working at 80 percent capacity, compared with a worldwide average of 85 percent. GE said the Laguna Verde contract is expected to culminate with the output increase being implemented in 2009 or 2010. The company didn't reveal the terms of the contract. The CFE, directly and through independent power producers, supplies more than 90 percent of Mexico's electricity generation. Because of high natural-gas prices and limited supplies of the fuel in North America, the CFE has changed its expansion plans in recent years to include more diverse fuel use, such as coal, hydroelectricity and nuclear power. The CFE estimates that the national electricity system will require an investment of US$50 billion (euro40 billion) between 2005 and 2014, including US$20 billion (euro17 billion) for generation. Under its most conservative scenario, the CFE estimates that electricity demand will grow at an average rate of 4.2 percent a year during that period. © Copyright 2005 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. • A Copley ***************************************************************** 18 KATU 2: PGE hires firm to implode tower at old Trojan facility Portland, Oregon 12/29/2005 PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland General Electric has hired a Maryland company to implode the 499-foot-high cooling tower at the decommissioned Trojan Nuclear Power Plant near Rainier about 40 miles from Portland. PGE spokesman Scott Simms said Thursday that Controlled Demolition Inc., of Phoenix, Md., will bring down the tower with carefully placed explosives, probably around May. The utility operated Trojan from 1976 to 1993. It was the only nuclear plant ever built in Oregon, and closed some 20 years ahead of schedule after a cracked steam tube released radioactive gas in 1992. Simms said the demolition is part of a larger project to restore the area where the plant was located to a more natural state. Controlled Demolition, which operates worldwide, has brought down several major structures including the Kingdome in Seattle. By using carefully placed charges, company engineers drop buildings mostly within themselves, avoiding widespread flying debris. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) ***************************************************************** 19 Blog: Advantages of Nuclear Power - A Debate Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog: What [Some] Conservatives Think Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Those interested in energy development, energy independence, clean energy and/or global warming may be interested in a debate about the advantages and feasibility of nuclear energy ongoing presently in Scientific American and the Chicago Sun-Times. Writing in the December Scientific American(go herefor a pdf of the article sent to me by the authors), physicists William Hannun, Gerald Marsh and George Stanford say the U.S. is missing out on a global trend as as more people worldwide are realizing nuclear power "may be the most environmentally-friendly way to generate large amounts of electricity." Furthermore, they write: If developed sensibly, nuclear power could be truly sustainable and essentially inexhaustible and could operate without contributing to climate change. In particular, a relatively new form of nuclear technology could overcome the principal drawbacks of current methods - namely, worries about reactor accidents, the potential for diversion of nuclear fuel into highly destructive weapons, the management of dangerous, long-lived radioactive waste, and the depletion of global reserves of economically available uranium. After public policy consultant Tom Randall describedkey aspects of the Hannum/Marsh/Stanford thesis in a piece for the Chicago Sun-Times, Edwin Lyman, senior staff scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists wrote to the paper with a contrary view. Marsh and Stanford then responded. Addendum: John Rennie, editor-in-chief of Scientific American, writes about the Hannum/Marsh/Stanford article on the Scientific American blog here. posted by Amy Ridenour at 12/28/2005 10:10:00 PM All content © Copyright 2001 - 2005 WorldNow and WQAD. ***************************************************************** 25 KATU 2: PacifiCorp buyout gets green light from nuclear commission Portland, Oregon 12/29/2005 PORTLAND, Ore. - A company controlled by billionaire investor Warren Buffett has received one of the approvals needed to take over Portland-based PacifiCorp for nine-point-four (b) billion dollars. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, reached an agreement last week to take over PacifiCorp in exchange for up to 40 (m) million dollars in rate credits to Oregon customers. Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally approved the transfer of nuclear licenses to MidAmerican. The commission's approval was needed because PacifiCorp owns a two-point-five percent share in the Trojan Nuclear Plant in Oregon. The plant has not operated for several years, and is in the process of being decommissioned. The buyout still needs to be vetted by the Portland Utility Commission, as well as the utility regulators in the five other Western states served by PacifiCorp. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) ***************************************************************** 26 Sun News: Green vs. Nuclear | 12/29/2005 | EDITORIALS Green vs. Nuclear Renewable energy can't come close to meeting S.C. near-term power demand It's great that Santee Cooper is expanding its Green Power renewable energy program to harness the power of the sun, the wind and the biological deterioration of plants for generating electricity over the next five years. Our state-owned energy company announced this week that it uses 100 percent of the revenue from its current Green Power efforts - including the generation of electricity from methane gas at the Horry County landfill - to finance research into these new renewable energy efforts. No one should pretend, however, that Santee Cooper's commendable commitment to renewable energy will come close to meeting the burgeoning demand for electricity across South Carolina. The company's joint petition to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to build a nuclear power plant will be far more important than green power to meeting that demand. Santee Cooper plans to team up with Scana Corp., its partner in the V.C. Summer nuclear plant near Columbia, to build the nuclear plant. If the NRC gives the utilities' petition the thumbs up, the new plant will be built on the V.C. Summer grounds or at the Savannah River Site near Aiken. It would be the first nuclear plant constructed anywhere in the country since the mid-1970s. Green Power fans no doubt find Santee Cooper's "other" power initiative a mite appalling. Such plants, while expensive to build, are relatively inexpensive to operate, hence immune from price fluctuations in the global fossil-fuel markets. And unlike coal- or gas-fired plants, nuclear plants don't create air pollution. But because the nation has no long-term storage facility for highly toxic spent power-plant fuel rods, most plants store rods in canisters on-site. There are tens of thousands of such canisters stored at nuclear plants around the country. The new plant would become part of that problem. Santee Cooper deserves great credit for pushing ahead with renewable energy research - in hope that one day it will render other forms of power generation obsolete. But it deserves even greater credit for seeing nuclear power as the best means of meeting electricity demand in the near term. ***************************************************************** 27 Reuters: Venezuela recovers stolen radioactive capsule Thu Reuters.com 29 Dec 2005 6:19 PM ET CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Venezuela said on Thursday it had found a capsule of highly radioactive material that was aboard a truck stolen 10 days ago. Officials had warned of a potential radioactive hazard after thieves seized the truck carrying the capsule in its lunchbox-sized protective container. It was the third incident involving such devices this year. "The radioactive capsule was found in Yaritagua in Yaracuy State thanks to the intelligence work of the National Guard," the Interior and Justice Ministry said in a statement. Officials said an investigative police detective, two state security police agents and a salesman were arrested in connection with the theft. The statement did not mention a possible motive. Officials previously said they thought it was simply a stolen vehicle case. Energy Ministry specialists were sent to the region to examine the capsule, the statement said. The device contains Iridium-192, which emits powerful gamma radiation and is used for industrial radiography, such as for detecting faults in underground industrial pipes. Two Iridium-192 capsules disappeared in two Venezuelan states in March this year. One has been found and authorities suspect the other was dumped in Lake Maracaibo in western Venezuela. © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 Free Internet Press: U.S. Denies Targeting Muslims Wednesday, December 28 Posted by Intellpuke Faced with angry complaints, U.S. officials defended an anti-terrorism program yesterday that secretly tested radiation levels around the country - including at more than 100 Muslim sites in the Washington area - and insisted that no one was targeted because of his or her faith. One official knowledgeable about the program explained that Muslim sites were included because al-Qaeda terrorists were considered likely to gravitate to Muslim neighborhoods or mosques while in the United States. "If you were looking [for] the needle in a haystack, that's the haystack you would look at," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the program is classified. "You'd look at the [likely] targets and the places the operators were." No indications of radiation were found at the businesses, homes, warehouses or mosques that were included in the program. The official said that radiation monitoring of the Muslim sites started after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and lasted through 2003. Nearly three years after it was formed, the immense Department of Homeland Security remains hampered by severe management and financial problems that contributed to the flawed response to Hurricane Katrina, according to an independent audit released yesterday. The report by Homeland Security Inspector General Richard L. Skinner aimed some of its most pointed criticism at one of DHS's major entities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Katrina and a subsequent storm, Rita, increased the load on FEMA's "already overburdened resources and infrastructure," the report said. In addition, the report found, "the circumstances created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita provide an unprecedented opportunity for fraud, waste and abuse," primarily because FEMA's grant and contract programs are still not being managed properly. "While DHS is taking several steps to manage and control spending under Katrina, the sheer size of the response and recovery efforts will create an unprecedented need for oversight," the report concludes. Will Old Technology Solve Nuclear Waste Problem? Wednesday, December 28 2005 15:01:00 PST Posted by Intellpuke (Read 231 times) Decades ago, scientists and engineers thought it would be easy enough to deal with the radioactive waste from nuclear power plants: sort out and save the small portion that was reusable, and put the rest in a hole in the ground. It did not work out that way. Reprocessing the waste proved to be both expensive and risky: the main material being scavenged, plutonium, is a nuclear bomb fuel. And that hole in the ground - the proposed Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada - is years behind schedule, bogged down in politics and environmental disputes. Even if it opens, it will be far too small for the amount of waste that is being generated. So last month, Congress voted $50 million for the Energy Department to explore a new kind of reprocessing, one that would reuse a much larger fraction of the waste. Swiss Court Extradites Ex-Russian Nuclear Chief Thursday, December 29 2005 14:52:40 PST Posted by Intellpuke (Read 23 times) Switzerland's highest court announced Thursday that Russia's former nuclear energy minister, held in a Swiss jail and facing charges from both the United States and Russia, will be sent to Russia for trial. The decision reverses a decision by the country's Justice Ministry to transfer Yevgeny Adamov, 66, to the United States, where he has been charged with conspiracy to transfer stolen money and securities, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering and tax evasion. U.S. prosecutors contend that Adamov, a nuclear physicist, embezzled at least $9 million in U.S. government funds earmarked for the protection of Russia's nuclear facilities. The funds were allegedly diverted to private accounts, including in Pennsylvania, which were used to finance business projects in the United States, Ukraine and Russia. The alleged fraud took place in the 1990s when he was head of a nuclear research institute that received American funding. He later became a minister in the government of then president Boris Yeltsin, overseeing military and civilian nuclear programs. ***************************************************************** 29 UPI: U.S. Muslims protest FBI radiation scans United Press International - NewsTrack - 12/29/2005 10:53:00 AM -0500 Newstrack: Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The FBI is denying it engaged in racial profiling against Muslims after admitting to testing for nuclear radiation at more than 100 Muslim sites in Washington. Monitoring of the Muslim sites started after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and lasted through 2003, and since U.S. News &World Report broke the story last week, two Muslim groups have filed Freedom of Information Act requests to try to learn which sites were monitored. However, an FBI official who requested anonymity told The Washington Post the scanning was based on logic and intelligence leads. "If you were looking for the needle in a haystack, that's the haystack you would look at," the official said. "You'd look at the targets and the places the operators were." Michael Mason, who oversees the Washington field office of the FBI, said in an interview that he hoped to meet next week with the groups. "We have not violated the law; we have not violated the Constitution; we have not gone on private property," Mason said, adding the scanning was akin to holding a thermometer out the window to measure the temperature. © Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 30 [Bananas] Nuclear plant cancer study gets review Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:47:04 -0800 NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) var s_pageName="Regional Headline: Nuclear plant cancer study gets review (20051224)"; Nuclear plant cancer study gets review By James Malone jmalone@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal PADUCAH, Ky. -- A federal study used to deny hundreds of former Paducah nuclear workers payment for cancer claims will be reviewed for possible flaws, following criticism from advocates. After the review of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant study, some of the rejected cases could be reopened and paid, federal officials said. The study might be used to review about 1,150 claims, according to the Department of Labor. Payments of $9.45 million have been made in 63 cases and 383 have been formally denied. The rest are pending. The 2004 study conducted for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health uses historical records to estimate how much radiation a worker would have received in different jobs around the complex, about 10 miles west of Paducah. Critics, including nuclear safety advocates, say the study excluded some of the most dangerous jobs. They also alleged contractors who worked on the federal report had a conflict because years earlier they had produced management reports downplaying radiation risks at Paducah. Congress enacted the compensation program after disclosures that thousands of workers in the nation's Cold War weapons complex had been unknowingly harmed by radiation and hazardous chemicals. Eligible workers get a $150,000 payment under one part and can qualify for up to $250,000 more in a related program. The news of a review brought hope to some former nuclear workers. Greg Lahndorff, 58, of Paducah, worked at the plant for 28 years until retiring in 2003. He hopes a review of his denied claim for skin cancer means the government will acknowledge its mistakes. "They said their dose reconstruction showed they could not have caused my skin cancer," said Lahndorff, now a wastewater treatment operator in Illinois. "I know I was hot (exposed) when I worked in the feed plant, and I was moved out of my job because of it." The institute examined the criticisms in October and said that the conflict-of-interest policy for radiation contractors was "unclear" but that it had not been violated. The institute also concluded that additional records may need to be included if the report is revised. Fred Blosser, a spokesman for the national safety institute, said: "We had done an initial assessment and said the report was fully accurate." U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and others raised concerns over the study and encouraged the fresh look. McConnell, R-Ky., sent a letter this week noting that the institute's own oversight team in October had found "inaccuracies" in the report. "I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the importance of the government using unbiased professionals in developing these technical reports," McConnell wrote to John Howard, the director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Blosser said Thursday that the agency has not yet answered McConnell's letter, but added that "we are taking his concerns seriously." James Melius, a physician and administrator of the New York State Laborers' Health and Safety Fund and a member of the radiation safety advisory panel that will look at the report, said he has concerns. "Clearly, there is an appearance of a conflict of interest here," he said. Melius said the government has an obligation to produce a scientifically sound report. "The skepticism of people who worked at the site is great. They have been lied to and misled. There is a need for great care in assuring who is doing the assessment because it could affect compensation." Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, whose agency oversees the worker compensation program, could not be reached for comment. She is also McConnell's wife. Labor Department spokesman David James said that any rejected claims would be reopened if they are affected by changes to the federal report. The Labor Department and the safety institute could not say how long the review could take. Under federal law, cancer in former plant workers falls into one of two categories. Workers who have any of 22 defined cancers, including leukemia, are presumed to be victims of radiation exposure. But the law also will pay for other types of cancer, including eye, skin, prostate or larynx, if the cancer can be medically linked to a job at the Paducah plant. The review of those claims uses the safety institute's radiation exposure estimates. Critics of the study, including Washington policy analyst Richard Miller, say the federal contractors excluded records of work areas where there was a potent dose of radiation. "The impact of the error is still unknown," said Miller, formerly a consultant to the plant's union. A review by the safety institute of the criticisms says data for some high-radiation jobs should be looked at again and included in a revision if applicable. Reporter James Malone can be reached at (270) 443-1802. Carah Ong Washington DC Office Director Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 322 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20002 Tel: (202) 543-4100 ext. 105 Fax: (202) 546-5142 www.nuclearfiles.org www.wagingpeace.org ------ End of Forwarded Message _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 31 AP Wire: Uranium waiting to be moved from Tenn. to Ohio | 12/29/2005 | Associated Press OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Some 1,200 cylinders of depleted uranium rusting in outdoor lots at a former enrichment plant are waiting on special shipping exemptions before they can be trucked to southern Ohio. The Department of Energy and its Oak Ridge contractors have six exemption requests pending with the Department of Transportation to allow containers that are slightly overweight or otherwise don't meet transportation rules to make the 300-mile trip. The destination is a sister facility in Piketon, Ohio, where the uranium compounds will be processed into a more stable form for long-term storage or disposal. Some 4,800 cylinders - weighing up to 14 tons apiece - already have made the trip in recent years. But most of the 1,200 remaining cylinders will need protective nuclear carrier "overpacks" now being built in Utah before they can be moved. DOE officials expect the exemptions will be approved early next year and the project can be completed perhaps as early as September, spokesman Walter Perry said. ***************************************************************** 32 Boston Globe: Truck rollover causing problems on Route 9 - By Emily Shartin, Globe Staff | December 29, 2005 WESTBOROUGH --State Police reopened Route 9 to traffic around 1 p.m. after a hazardous materials team discovered that syringes, which are used to inject radioactive dye to test arteries, were empty. A pickup spilled the medical waste when it overturned in the eastbound lanes at about 10:45 a.m. near Lyman Street. As a precaution, police shut down the eastbound lanes. The driver of the truck was transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester with minor injuries, the fire department said.[ /] © Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company. More: ***************************************************************** 33 Las Vegas SUN: If at first you don't succeed, try a new bill Today: December 29, 2005 at 8:1:27 PST By Benjamin Grove Sun Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Every January, Capitol Hill explodes with good intentions. Lawmakers set lofty goals, bills are introduced -- more than 6,000 of them in 2005. Most die a quiet death. Like Chicago Cubs fans, lawmakers are left to muse, "Maybe next year." So it was with a number of Nevada issues this year. Others were resolved. Here's a look back, and forward to next year, at the bigger issues: VA Hospital Congress this year approved spending $199 million to cover much of the cost of building a veterans medical complex in North Las Vegas. The complex at Pecos Road and the Las Vegas Beltway is to include an outpatient clinic, 90 hospital beds and 120 nursing home beds. The opening will be delayed, however, from the original 2009 date, possibly as long as two years. The total price also is expected to rise to $305 million, about $40 million higher than the original estimates, the VA said. "It's being affected by the booming market in Las Vegas and materials and labor rates," said spokeswoman Karen Fedele. Yucca E-mail Scandal Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., plans to re-energize an investigation into an e-mail controversy roiling the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository program. Porter said he will hold another hearing of the government reform subcommittee, which he chairs, late next month, after the General Accountability Office releases a follow-up report on the issue. Nevada lawmakers say a batch of e-mails by Yucca Mountain workers suggest that quality assurance documents had been falsified. But Energy Department officials say the e-mails are not conclusive. Expect the e-mail hullabaloo to survive as long as Nevada officials fight the repository (two decades and counting). It likely won't slow the program, but other problems could, including a 22 percent budget cut expected to trim the Yucca Mountain workforce next year. Even better for Nevada opponents of the dump site are rumblings that Congress will adopt a new strategy for solving the nation's nuclear waste woes. Waste Storage Bill Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., spent the year collecting support for legislation that could kill Yucca Mountain by requiring power plants to continue to store their own nuclear waste. Utah Republicans Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett have joined them. (Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has been pushing a similar bill in the House for years.) The legislation, introduced this month, is a long-shot. But it could become part of a broader discussion in Congress about whether to continue pursuing "geologic" storage for the nation's most radioactive waste -- a hole under Yucca -- or to turn to above-ground temporary storage, or some other alternative. That debate, though unlikely to directly scuttle Yucca Mountain storage, could play into the state's delay-and-distract strategy. Reid still says the dump will never be built. But many in Congress and the Bush administration will not walk away from an $8 billion investment. Heliport Residents of neighborhoods under the flight paths of 33,000 annual Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon helicopter tours, based at McCarran International Airport, say the choppers have hovered like noisy gnats for years. Congress approved legislation to transfer 229 acres of Bureau of Land Management property near Sloan, roughly 20 miles south of Las Vegas, to Clark County for the new pads. Studies are now under way on methods of getting water to the site, which is no easy task. Bush's Nevada Money Grab President Bush drew the wrath of Nevada lawmakers early this year when he proposed that profits from public land sales be diverted from Nevada to the U.S. Treasury. The proceeds -- well over $2 billion so far -- are generated by auctions of federal land in Clark County. The money stays in Nevada for land, water and school programs. Bush proposed taking 70 percent, but Nevada lawmakers quashed that idea in Congress. Bush may want a second go-round. The Interior Department reportedly may include the proposal in its budget for fiscal 2007. Boxing Commission KO'd Congress went another round in a 10-year effort to reform boxing (bills passed in 1996 and 2000), this time trying to create a three-member federal boxing commission within the Commerce Department. Proponents said it would help restore integrity to the troubled sport, bring some order to varying state rules and better protect fighters. Nevada House lawmakers supported the bill. But the House shot it down last month. Critics said it amounted to unwarranted government interference. Splitting the 9th Circuit Ensign and other conservatives for years have advocated splitting up the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The San Francisco-based court -- the largest of the 11 circuits -- is too big, too back-logged and too liberal, critics say. It handles cases from nine Western states. Ensign backed a plan to split the 9th Circuit, creating a 12th Circuit Court of Appeals for Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The bill's Senate opponents blocked the bill this year, but the debate isn't going away. Ensign's Telecom Reform Ensign unveiled legislation to address rapid growth and change in the telecommunications industry by deregulating some segments of it. Consumer groups said the bill could lead to fewer service choices and higher bills. Ensign strongly disagrees, but acknowledged that the bill likely will be redrafted and considered as just one part of a telecom reform debate next year. Bikinis and Bins Sometimes a lawmaker will champion obscure but sexy issues. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., introduced a bill this year to amend immigration rules to allow more foreign fashion models to work in this country. (The Washington Post's Style section noted that the bill's champion is a 41-year-old bachelor: "What a guy!") Ensign pushed a bill about airport security checkpoint bins. It directed the Transportation Security Administration to begin testing a new multi-compartment bin, so passengers don't have to dump their shoes, laptops and carry-ons in multiple bins. Ensign figured fewer bins could save screeners time viewing and stacking them. Hunting and Fishing Nevada can freely give preference to Nevadans when it issues hunting and fishing licenses, thanks to legislation by Nevada lawmakers. Legislation approved this year clarifies federal law so that the state is now protected to continue giving preference to in-state residents. Nevada granted 18,800 tags for big game hunting this year, 89 percent of them going to residents. Terrorism Insurance Casinos and developers in Nevada nervously eyed the calendar this month until lawmakers approved a two-year extension of federal terrorism insurance, which was to expire Dec. 31. The legislation, enacted after 9/11, will help cover insurance costs in catastrophic cases. Sept. 11 made terrorism insurance difficult to obtain. The renewal reduces the burden on taxpayers by boosting insurer deductables. Benjamin Grove can be reached at (202) 662-7436 or at grove@lasvegassun.com All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 34 NRC: Application for a License To Export High-Enriched Uranium FR Doc E5-8060 [Federal Register: December 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 249)] [Notices] [Page 77194-77195] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29de05-87] Pursuant to 10 CFR 110.70(b)(2) ``Public notice of receipt of an application,'' please take notice that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received the following request for an export license. Copies of the request can be accessed through the Public Electronic Reading Room (PERR) link at the NRC Homepage. A request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene may be filed within 30 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Any request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene shall be served by the requestor or petitioner upon the applicant, the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555; the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; and the Executive Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520. In its review of the application for a license to export special nuclear material as defined in 10 CFR Part 110 and noticed herein, the Commission does not evaluate the health, safety or environmental effects in the recipient nation of the material to be exported. The information concerning the application follows. NRC Export License Application For High-Enriched Uranium date of application date received Country of application number docket Material type End use destination number November 30, High-Enriched The material is to be exported to Chalk Canada 2005. Uranium. River Laboratories in Canada, and used to fabricate targets needed to produce medical isotopes. December 6, 2005, XSNM03427 11005591. [[Page 77195]] For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dated this 19th day of December 2005 at Rockville, Maryland. Margaret M. Doane, Deputy Director, Office of International Programs. [FR Doc. E5-8060 Filed 12-28-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 35 Deseret News: U.S. nears OK of Yucca rail [deseretnews.com] Thursday, December 29, 2005 Move shows why Utah lawmakers badly want wilds area approval By Suzanne Struglinski Deseret Morning News WASHINGTON — The Energy Department moved a step closer Wednesday to getting the public land it needs to build a railroad that would take nuclear waste across Nevada to Yucca Mountain, illustrating why Utah lawmakers wanted Congress to approve the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area so badly. The Bureau of Land Management withdrew about 308,600 acres of land in the state from sale, surface entry or mining claims for 10 years, according to a notice in Wednesday's Federal Register. This will allow the Energy Department to study a mile-wide corridor to decide where it can build a rail line to the proposed federal nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The bureau would still need to grant the department a right-of-way to actually construct a railroad, but Wednesday's announcement allows the department to prepare an environmental impact statement studying how building a railroad would affect the land there. Grazing permits, public access and other current uses of the land would not be affected but no new permits will be allowed. Highlighting the intent of the Utah wilderness legislation, Wednesday's notice specifically prohibits certain wilderness study areas in Nevada from the withdrawal. Once officially designated, the land included in the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area would have more protection than if it were just regular BLM land. This 100,000-acre area, which is awaiting the president's signature, would include land where Private Fuel Storage wants to build its own rail line to move spent nuclear fuel rods to Goshute Indian land in Tooele County. PFS, a consortium of utilities with nuclear fueled power plants, wants to store 40,000 ton of nuclear waste on Goshute land until it can be moved to Yucca Mountain, which is eight years overdue in opening. The lawmakers say the wilderness designation virtually eliminates PFS rail option, although the consortium is not so sure yet. PFS can still move nuclear waste to the site via truck, but the congressional delegation says it is working on a plan to stop that as well. The Energy Department first requested the Nevada land withdrawal in 2003, just a few days after announcing it preferred the Caliente corridor if it were to move waste via train. It originally wanted the land to study for 20 years but then opted for 10 years instead. Dennis Samuelson, a real estate specialist with BLM in Reno, Nev., said the department completed an environmental assessment that found no impacts would occur if the BLM approved the withdrawal. BLM will base its decision on its environmental study, specifically looking at the railroad, although other agencies are involved with that study too. Nevada is waiting for the outcome of a federal court case argued in Washington in October. Attorney Joe Egan, who handles Yucca issues for the state, argued that the department did not follow environmental laws properly when it made the decision to move waste via train. E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com © 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company [ /] ***************************************************************** 36 NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting FR Doc E5-8088 [Federal Register: December 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 249)] [Notices] [Page 77197-77198] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29de05-90] The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold its 167th meeting on January 10-12, 2006, Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The schedule for this meeting is as follows: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m.: Opening Statement (Open)--The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 8:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m.: Status of Risk-Informed Decisionmaking for Nuclear Materials and Waste Application (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding draft staff guidance on the application of risk insights in the waste and materials areas. 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Fabrication of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Uncanistered Fuel Waste Package (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding fabrication of a pressurized water reactor uncanistered fuel waste package prototype for the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. 1 p.m.-2 p.m.: Spent Fuel Transportation Package Response to the Baltimore Tunnel Fire Scenario (NUREG/CR-6886) (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding a study involving the 2001 Baltimore tunnel fire. The study involves the 3-dimensional modeling of the behavior of three different transportation cask types under thermal conditions similar to those that existed in the Baltimore tunnel fire event. The staff will also summarize comments received from the public on NUREG/ CR-6886. 2 p.m.-3 p.m.: White Paper on Transportation (Open)--The Committee will discuss a proposed white paper on transportation of nuclear waste. 3:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Preparation of ACNW Reports/Letters (Open)-- The Committee will discuss proposed ACNW reports on matters considered during this and/or previous meetings. Wednesday, January 11, 2006 9:30 a.m.-9:35 a.m.: Opening Statement (Open)--The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 9:35 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: Source Characterization (Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance Code) (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the capabilities of Version 4.1 of the Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) Bayesian subsurface analysis code. 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Use of Dedicated Trains for Transportation of High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with a representative of the Federal Railroad Administration regarding their study on the use of dedicated trains for transportation of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. 1 p.m.-2 p.m.: Preparation for Commission Briefing (Open)--The Committee will review the final presentations in preparation for the Commission briefing on January 11, 2006. 2 p.m.-4 p.m.: Meeting with the NRC Commissioners, Commissioners' Conference Room, One White Flint North, Rockville, MD (Open)--The Committee will meet with the NRC [[Page 77198]] Commissioners to discuss recent and planned activities. 4:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Preparation of ACNW Reports/Letters (Open)-- The Committee will discuss proposed ACNW reports on matters considered during this and/or previous meetings. Thursday, January 12, 2006 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman (Open)-- The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 8:35 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Discussion of ACNW Reports/Letters (Open)-- The Committee will discuss prepared draft letters and determine whether letters would be written on topics discussed during the meeting. 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)--The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of ACNW activities, and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. Discussions may include future Committee Meetings. Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACNW meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2005 (70 FR 59081). In accordance with these procedures, oral or written statements may be presented by members of the public. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Persons desiring to make oral statements should notify Mr. Michael P. Lee (Telephone 301-415-6887), between 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, as far in advance as practicable so that appropriate arrangements can be made to schedule the necessary time during the meeting for such statements. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras during this meeting will be limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by the ACNW Chairman. Information regarding the time to be set aside for taking pictures may be obtained by contacting the ACNW office prior to the meeting. In view of the possibility that the schedule for ACNW meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should notify Mr. Lee as to their particular needs. Further information regarding topics to be discussed, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, the Chairman's ruling on requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and the time allotted, therefore can be obtained by contacting Mr. Lee. ACNW meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) at pdr@nrc.gov, or by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from the Publicly Available Records System component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html or http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/ (ACRS & collections/ (ACRS & ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas). Video Teleconferencing service is available for observing open sessions of ACNW meetings. Those wishing to use this service for observing ACNW meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACNW Audiovisual Technician (301-415-8066), between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. ET, at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the availability of this service. Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment and facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not guaranteed. Dated: December 22, 2005. Andrew L. Bates, Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. E5-8088 Filed 12-28-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 37 CBC Saskatchewan: Public not interested in storing nuclear waste here, Wall says Last Updated Dec 29 2005 02:34 PM CST Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall says the province should explore the case for nuclear reactors and do research into nuclear waste storage. However, he's cool to the idea of storing nuclear waste in Saskatchewan. "I just don't think we ought to lose the opportunity to have the debate about adding value to this resource by introducing something that the people of the province simply aren't ready for," he said. Wall said based on anecdotal evidence and party polls, he knows Saskatchewan people aren't ready to store nuclear waste in the province. "We've asked questions of people on the issue," he said. "There's a significant interest in discussing energy and the potential of that and less of an interest in discussing storage." Because a third of the world's uranium is mined in Saskatchewan, the province has an "ethical responsibility" to at least lead in research, he said. Although Premier Lorne Calvert contends there's no economic case for a large reactor in Saskatchewan, no one knows that for sure, Wall said. That's because the government won't release the work SaskPower has done on the option of nuclear energy, he said. He added if he were premier, he'd make that information public. © CBC 2005 ***************************************************************** 38 www.azstarnet.com: Ariz. firms may face pollution crackdown | The state Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on proposed hazardous-air-pollutant regulations at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Other public comments can be submitted to: Kevin Force 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007 Fax: 1-602-771-2366 E-mail: force.kevin@azdeq.gov By Howard Fischer CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.29.2005 PHOENIX - State environmental officials are finally moving to restrict dozens of air pollutants that can harm public health, nearly 14 years - and releases of tons of toxic chemicals - after being told to do so by the Legislature. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality wants businesses to install new pollution-control equipment every time they start, expand or alter operations if it would result in anything but a minimal increase in any of 73 toxic chemicals on the state's list. These chemicals range from arsenic and metals produced by high-tech manufacturers to volatile organic compounds used for everything from circuit-board manufacturing to mining. But the regulations, which died when formally proposed in the 1990s because of business opposition, may not fare much better this time around. Not only are business leaders concerned about the rules once again, but environmentalists are also rising up in opposition. Federal law regulates these pollutants only when a source emits at least 10 tons a year. A 1992 state law empowered the DEQ to establish standards for companies with emissions as low as 1 ton a year of individual chemicals, including some that have been linked to cancer and other diseases. But business groups persuaded the Governor's Regulatory Review Council to veto the DEQ's proposed rules back then. And the agency never re-crafted it. "There have been many tons of hazardous air pollutants that have been released into the air and breathed into the lungs of Arizona citizens over the last 12 years," said Steve Owens, who took the helm of the agency in 2003. "They should have been regulated and were not." That delay also means any company that started or expanded since the 1992 law was adopted can keep polluting at current levels. The resurrected rules could meet the same fate. Business leaders are concerned that the rules call for cumbersome, time-consuming procedures that could wreak economic havoc for companies seeking to expand. Environmentalists are concerned that the proposed rules exempt existing plants - such as Brush Ceramic Products and Arizona Portland Cement in the Tucson area - unless they modify operations significantly. The rules would cover companies starting operations for the first time, or existing ones that expand or modify their businesses. Right now, companies not governed by federal law are subject only to air quality guidelines. Owens said the DEQ can only ask these businesses to include pollution-control technology; the new rules would permit the agency to mandate limits on chemical releases. Owens said companies could petition for an exemption - but would have to prove additional pollution would not harm public health. He said they could do that by citing various factors, ranging from wind patterns to distance from neighborhoods. "If you have to get approval before you can expand an operation that involves hazardous air pollutants and it takes too long, high-tech industry is terrified that they are going to lose markets," said attorney Roger Ferland, who represents some companies affected by the proposed rules. "In an industry like semiconductors, because they are ever-changing, a delay in being able to install the equipment necessary to produce a new product . is fatal," he said. Stanton Curry, an attorney who represents the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, said a preferable alternative would be setting a cap on pollution for each company site. Owens said that would ignore the cumulative effects that polluters would have on neighbors. He said that's why the proposal says new toxic pollution must be controlled with available technology. Curry, however, said the rules rely on "unrealistic technical or scientific conclusions" about what level of various chemicals is hazardous to health. Owens disagreed. He said the rules are necessary "to try to protect citizens of this state, especially vulnerable populations of children and seniors and others from exposure to toxic air pollutants." Environmentalists are concerned that the exemption for existing plants is "anti-growth" by discriminating against new industries looking to start up or move into the state. Pat Birnie, facilitator for the Environmental Justice Action Group, said the group is particularly concerned about beryllium emissions from the Brush Ceramic Products plant at 6100 S. Tucson Blvd., but is also concerned about pollutants affecting the entire county and state. "It seems unfair that all emissions shouldn't be included in the new regulations. All air pollutants should be considered under the new rules," Birnie said. "There is no incentive for existing businesses that are emitting air pollutants to reduce their emissions, and that's not good for the public." The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality also is concerned about that exemption, said Beth Gorman, a department program manager. "It doesn't equitably treat businesses," she said. "You have a new business that comes into the area; they are forced to comply. A business already here has an unfair advantage." Gorman added that the department is also concerned that the new rules are geared more toward looking at types of industries being regulated instead of the types of chemicals the companies emit into the air. Owens acknowledged that the concern about existing businesses is legitimate, but he said that exemption was written into the state law that passed back in 1992 authorizing these rules. ? Star reporter Tony Davis contributed to this story. Contact him at 806-7746 or at tdavis@azstarnet.com. ***************************************************************** 39 Las Vegas SUN: BLM sets aside corridor for study of Yucca Mountain rail route Today: December 29, 2005 at 17:43:0 PST ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A swath of land across Nevada has been set aside for the Energy Department to study as a route for building a railroad to haul highly radioactive waste to a national nuclear waste dump, Bureau of Land Management officials said Thursday. The restrictions imposed this week won't limit most current uses of the mile-wide, 319-mile long corridor between Caliente near the Utah line and the planned nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain, said Dennis Samuelson, a BLM realty specialist in Reno. "You're probably not going to see anything on the ground, no stakes or anything," Samuelson said Thursday. "People can recreate and hunt in the area." The designation grants the Energy Department access to the 308,600 acres of property to study rail alignments to the Yucca Mountain site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. There is no rail line to the site that Congress and President Bush picked in 2002 to entomb 77,000 tons of radioactive commercial, industrial and military waste now stored in 39 states. Problems at the Yucca Mountain dump have delayed the projected opening date by years, and it's now not expected until after 2012. Project officials recently increased cost estimates for building the railroad from $880 million to $2 billion. A two-year temporary land withdrawal had been set to expire Thursday along the route dubbed the Caliente Corridor. The new order extends it for 10 years and can be renewed. The land withdrawal prevents new mining claims and deters the BLM from selling the property. Current valid mining claims, grazing rights, water rights and public access to the land should not be affected, Samuelson said. The Energy Department said in August that its studies would consist mostly of photographing topography and conducting land surveys. Nevada state officials and other repository critics contend that Energy Department activities will hurt property values, the local economy, and archaeological and cultural features. "We are still contending the selection of the corridor itself was illegal and that BLM dropped the ball in not requiring a more thorough environmental impact statement," said Joe Strolin, an administrator with the state's Agency for Nuclear Projects. Attorneys for the state have sued the government over the Energy Department's rail plan. A three-judge federal court panel heard oral arguments in the case in October, and a ruling is expected early next year. The land order was signed Dec. 21 in Washington by Mark Limbaugh, Interior Department assistant secretary for water and science. It became effective when it was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. --- On the Net: Yucca Mountain project: http://www.ymp.gov Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 40 Bradenton Herald: Tallevast report gets March 13 submission | 12/29/2005 | DONNA WRIGHT Herald Staff Writer TALLEVAST - Lockheed Martin Corp. plans to submit its Human Health Risk Assessment for the Tallevast plume to state authorities March 13, according to letter sent Dec. 22 from the defense giant to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Human Health Risk Assessment is being funded through Lockheed at the request of the Tallevast community to determine what health effects the pollution may pose. The assessment had been due by the end of the year, but several tests and reports are still outstanding, according to Lockheed and the state. The final report on the health risk assessment will be sent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as a separate document. It will not be part of Lockheed's other reporting requirements due under the consent order that outlines that the underground contamination plume should be assessed and cleaned up, according to Tina Armstrong, Lockheed's senior manager of environmental aeromedicine. Pamala Vazquez, DEP spokeswoman, confirmed that the letter formalizes a previous agreement between Lockheed and the state. Lockheed believes the toxic plume originated from a broken sump at the former Loral American Beryllium Co. plant at 1600 Tallevast Road. Lockheed acquired the Tallevast plant in a $9 billion corporate buyout of Loral in 1996. Although Lockheed never operated the plant, it was the owner of the site when the contamination was first discovered in 2000 during an environmental assessment preparing the property for sale. Lockheed has the responsibility of assessing the size of the plume and cleaning up the mess. Earlier this year, Tallevast leaders selected Robert P. Demote of Environs International Corp. in Tampa to conduct the Human Health Risk assessment. Demote is holding several meetings with Tallevast residents to gather a community profile of the historical village. The health risk assessment has two parts: The analysis of what substances might be in the environment, and how residents and workers might interact with that environment to put themselves at risk for exposure, as defined by Demote at a preliminary meeting in October, Demote is gathering data from Lockheed Martin, residents and health officials and then feeding that information into a conceptual model of the community based upon Tallevast's history, its population over the years and what industry or businesses have operated in the area. The formula, Demote said, will help him project what current and future health risks exist as a result of the plume. Donna Wright, health and social services reporter, can be reached at 745-7049 or at dwright@HeraldToday.com Go online for an archive of stories, maps and documents about the Tallevast plume. HERALD WATCHDOG ***************************************************************** 41 Charlotte Observer: Audit: Nuclear fuel facility costs soaring | 12/29/2005 | $1.6 billion project will likely cost $2.5 billion more, says report Associated Press GREENVILLE, S.C. - A federal audit shows construction of a factory to convert weapons-grade nuclear material into fuel for power plants will cost $2.5 billion more than expected. The U.S. Energy Department Inspector General's Office blames the cost overruns on "weakness in project management" and problems with contract administration. Previous cost estimates for the planned facility at the Savannah River Site have ranged from $1 billion to $1.6 billion. Officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration dispute the cost estimate and says project management is not to blame. They blame increases in labor and construction costs and changes to the design and construction schedule. The plant will convert 34 metric tons of potentially lethal plutonium to mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, under terms of a 2000 nuclear nonproliferation pact. Trees have been cleared for the site, but construction on the facility has not begun, said Jim Giusti, an Energy Department spokesman at SRS. While the audit indicates that only $206 million remains available for construction, the NNSA says it has $550 million set aside, which is enough to begin construction. The audit says that by July 2005 only 70 percent of the design was complete and the administration already had spent $453 million -- nearly half the $950 million Congress set aside for the project through 2005. U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., said the problems could discourage Congress from continuing to fund the project. "I want an explanation for why it is the management seems to have been so poor on this project," Inglis said. email this ***************************************************************** 42 KIFI: Plutonium Production in Question www.localnews8.com December 28, 2005 A Wyoming watchdog group says they've obtained records that show an INL reactor is unsafe. The Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free group is questioning the Department of Energy's plan to produce plutonium-238 at the facility. The Department of Energy wants to build a new facility at the INL to produce plutonium, but the watchdog group says the 40 year old reactor is wearing out and should be replaced. They also say the facility wouldn't be able to withstand an earthquake. A Department of Energy spokesman says upgrades to the reactor have been made. He also says the reactor is operating safely. ***************************************************************** 43 Hanford News: PNNL to receive $1 million for research This story was published Saturday, December 24th, 2005 By the Herald staff Pacific Northwest National Laboratory stands to receive $1 million in Department of Defense money to help with medical research next year. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., sought the money in a bill, which has passed the House and Senate and now goes to President Bush to be signed into law. The money will help researchers at the Department of Energy lab in Richland identify biomarkers that can be early indicators of cancers. In a statement released Friday, Hastings said the lab will work with Windber Research Institute and the Department of Defense Comprehensive Reproductive System Care Program to collect samples and analyze proteins at the molecular level. PNNL has advanced capabilities in its proteomics research that are essential for integration and analysis of the samples. Proteomics is the measurement of levels of expressed proteins and their modified forms that can help scientists understand diseases at the molecular level. "The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a leader in the field of data collection and analysis. These funds will help the lab it efforts to discover new medical technologies," Hastings said in a prepared statement. © 2005 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 44 Hanford News: K East Basin vacuuming to resume This story was published Sunday, December 25th, 2005 By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer Vacuuming radioactive sludge from the floor of the K East Basin could resume this week after the removal of fuel racks that laid end to end would be about four times as long as the Seattle Space Needle is tall. Workers made the case for removing the racks in a one-day brainstorming session in June, as the difficult work to close Hanford's K Basins fell further behind schedule. Fluor Hanford, the Department of Energy contractor, had planned to leave the racks that covered the floor of the K East Basin in place and eventually cover them with grout within the basin. The grout would then be cut into chunks and disposed of with the rest of the concrete basin. But vacuuming radioactive sludge proved far more difficult than anticipated. Work to vacuum sludge into underwater containers at the K East Basin that was expected to take two months now could stretch over almost two years. The K East and K West basins, each holding more than 1 million gallons of water, were built in the 1950s to hold irradiated reactor fuel until it was processed to remove plutonium for use in producing nuclear weapons. When the last Hanford processing plant shut down, irradiated fuel was left in the pools for more than a decade. It corroded and particles mixed with dirt and concrete that sloughed off the sides of the basins to form the radioactive sludge. Some sludge has become hard-packed at the bottom of the pool and must be broken up before it can be vacuumed, while fine particles disperse, turning the water murky. Leaving the highly contaminated racks that once held the irradiated fuel on the bottom of K East and vacuuming around or under them would have offered more protection to workers. Seventeen feet of water in the basins serves as a shield against radiation. But vacuuming the last of the sludge with the racks and other debris in the pool proved too slow and difficult. "Workers made a strong case that it would be quicker to remove them," said Pete Knollmeyer, a Fluor vice president. In July and August, a hole was cut in the grating that covers the water of the K East Basin. In September, work to vacuum the sludge was stopped so the racks could be removed with about 18 percent of the sludge still outside containers. Since then workers have pulled 198 racks out of the water through the hole in the grating they call Crater Lake. The smaller ones weigh 300 pounds, the larger ones 500 pounds. "We were able to do all the work without skin contamination," Knollmeyer said. Workers wore protective gear to avoid falling in, supplied-air respirators because the work contaminated the air above the basin and waterproof suits in a second layer over their radiation-protection clothing. The suits were hot and workers had to stop work and change if they were in danger of sweating through the inner cotton suit. That could have allowed radioactive contamination to wick through to their skin. The racks were rinsed underwater with a high pressure spray to knock off as much contaminated material as possible, then sprayed again as they were lifted out of the water. Once on the grating, the racks were moved on a conveyer belt to a land-sea shipping container, lifted in with rigging equipment and sprayed with a fixative to hold remaining contamination in place. Once 15 to 20 racks were in a container, it was closed and sent to a landfill in central Hanford for low-level radioactive waste. "I credit workers for a huge success," Knollmeyer said. "This is going to make vacuuming the sludge tremendously easier." The Environmental Protection Agency, the regulator on the project, also approved of the plan to remove the racks. EPA officials were skeptical that vacuuming could be done efficiently with the racks in place. Although the racks are out, the floor of the basin is still not clear. Over the years equipment and tools were dropped to the bottom of the pool, both intentionally and unintentionally. Some of the pieces are too radioactively hot to remove and will be grouted in place. But Fluor Hanford and the Department of Energy want to remove some of it to make vacuuming easier, including ropes, hoses and small pieces that would clog the suction wand. In the past, as soon as workers started pumping to remove sludge, the "visibility went to zero," Knollmeyer said. But "in the last few weeks we have come up with a way we can vacuum sludge without clouding the basin," Knollmeyer said. The new system was proposed and developed by K Basin workers. Discharge from the vacuum goes into an underwater tank that was supposed to use gravity to separate out sludge, but fine particles have escaped out the top and clouded the basin. Workers have tried a test run with a containment device that allows the cloudy water to be suctioned directly into a sand filter. A test of the system earlier this month showed the water remained much clearer, although some murkiness occurred, Knollmeyer said. Improvements have been made and sludge will be vacuumed again this week in a second test run. Once the K East sludge is vacuumed into underwater containers, possibly in the fall of 2006, it will be piped to underwater containers in the K West Basin. Sludge vacuuming began first on K East because it has had two large leaks of radioactive water in the past. The sludge will be treated, and both basins will be filled with grout and removed in pieces from the ground. © 2005 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 45 Hanford News: Bechtel loses $500,000 for quality issues This story was published Friday, December 23rd, 2005 Annette Cary, Herald staff writer The Department of Energy will withhold $500,000 from Bechtel National's incentive fee for quality problems in the construction of Hanford's vitrification plant. Roy Schepens, manager of Hanford's DOE Office of River Protection, notified Bechtel on Thursday of his decision, following last week's completion of an analysis of quality problems. The analysis traced problems to weaknesses in the nuclear safety culture on the construction project. "The seriousness of this system failure mandates that it must be addressed and corrected immediately," Schepens wrote in a letter to Bechtel National. The report looked at 13 issues at the plant in 2004 and 2005, that left unchecked could potentially affect the ability of the plant to safely process nuclear waste. The plant is being built to turn some of Hanford's worst radioactive waste into a stable glass form for permanent disposal. Quality issues included Bechtel's discovery last summer that part of the structural steel design for the project's analytical laboratory - one of the plant's four major facilities - did not meet standards of the Universal Building Code. Other incidents included using the wrong size of pipe, buying material from a business without the required nuclear certification and welding with carbon steel material on stainless steel. The DOE analysis concluded the problems were caused by training that relied too much on required reading, weak procedures in some areas, poor discipline in complying with procedures and lack of a "questioning attitude." Too often managers did not promptly pursue potential quality issues when they were discovered, the analysis found. Together the problems represent a systematic failure of the contractor's safety management system, Schepens said in the letter. "This system failure increases project performance risk; drives adverse cost, schedule and technical performance; and most importantly, compromises safety performance to an unacceptable level," he said. The quality and safety culture problems were not pervasive, but occurred in isolated pockets across the project, said Jim Betts, Bechtel National project manager, when the analysis was completed last week. The project has employed up to 4,000 workers at its peak, and the work force has constantly changed as design and construction has progressed and different skills have been needed. Bechtel is improving training, forming focus groups to hear worker ideas, having top management meet with nearly all workers and hiring consultants to recommend improvements. The $500,000 reduction is from the $15 million fee Bechtel could earn in fiscal year 2006. However, the fee is provisional, meaning that the final fee amount will be calculated at the end of Bechtel's contract and Bechtel could be required to return money to the federal government. Bechtel is working under a contract that includes incentives for meeting schedules, but because of technical problems and less federal money than planned, the plant may not begin operating until four to seven years after the legal deadline. The contract likely will be modified after DOE has a new cost and schedule estimate for the plant this summer. Preliminary estimates show the plant's cost could rise from $5.8 billion to as much as $9.6 billion. The contract also must be modified to reflect new work, such as checking the design and construction completed so far against new design standards developed after a study showed key parts of the plant might not withstand a severe earthquake. © 2005 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 46 Idaho Statesman: Big rig returning to INL crashes Edition Date: 12-28-2005 The Associated Press BLACKFOOT  A tractor-trailer rig returning to the Idaho National Laboratory from a radioactive waste dump in New Mexico overturned on Interstate 15 early Tuesday, leaving three empty transport casks strewn on both sides of the roadway. After the accident, Idaho State Police hazardous materials specialists found no evidence of higher-than-normal radioactivity levels in several tests at the site just south of Blackfoot. The driver, 64-year-old Mary I. Thornberg of Carlsbad, and a passenger, 54-year-old Leslie P. Godin of Carlsbad, were released from a local medical clinic after doctors determined neither suffered serious injuries. Idaho State Police officials say Thornberg, who was cited for inattentive driving, crashed when she overcorrected the truck after veering too far off the freeway. They were returning from the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M. The empty casks, each weighing 12,500 pounds, are used to transport 55-gallon drums of industrial debris including rags, work clothing, machine parts and tools that have been contaminated with plutonium and other transuranic radioactive elements at the Idaho National Laboratory near Arco. Workers at the Department of Energy-run site conduct nuclear research and national security-related projects here in the isolated desert of eastern Idaho. The truck and tractor blocked the northbound lanes of the interstate for several hours as law enforcement officials worked to test the site. ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. 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