***************************************************************** 10/18/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.242 ***************************************************************** 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 IPS-English IRAN-NUCLEAR PROGRAMME: Return to negotiations 2 ForUm :: Ukraine and Iran to cooperate in energy sector and 3 IranMania: Commission okays outlines of Iran nuclear bill 4 AFP: Iran says French nuclear position sad and a hindrance - 5 AFP: ElBaradei 'confident' nuclear talks will resume with Iran - 6 IRNA: EP Member: Denying Iran's right to nuclear technology 7 IRNA: Italy voices support for Iran's right to develop nuclear energ 8 IRNA: Iran's nuclear activities intended for peaceful ends - Pakista 9 Guardian Unlimited: Are we going to war with Iran? 10 Japan Times: Japan, China gear up for next six-party talks 11 IPS-English POLITICS: Norway Prepares New Anti-Nuclear Push 12 RIA Novosti: Russia, Brazil set to discuss trade, sign space contrac 13 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting Notice 14 AFP: India to forge plan with US to separate civilian, military NUCLEAR REACTORS 15 US: NRC: NRC Schedules Regulatory Conference to Discuss Watts Bar Nu 16 Interfax: Putin orders support to be provided for nuclear center - P 17 Bellona: Majority of Russians in favour of nuclear and alternative e 18 RIA Novosti: Russian experts launch first phase of Chinese nuclear p 19 US: Diamondback Online: ABC officials defend nuclear reactor report 20 TP Canadian Business: Bruce Power restarting two idle nuclear units 21 Xinhua: Canada, US among worst environmental performers - report 22 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeti 23 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice 24 UK: Globe and Mail: New nuclear deal begs for closer look 25 US: Newsday: Another failure for emergency sirens, this time in Oran 26 National Post: Cansfield defends nuclear plan Restoring idled Bruce 27 Calgary Herald: Klein says nuclear energy not a good option 28 Sofia Morning News: US Interested in Bulgaria's Energy Sector 29 Sofia Morning News: Bulgaria's Kozloduy Electricity Price to Jump 56 30 US: Arizona Republic: Palo Verde nuclear plant set to restart NUCLEAR SECURITY 31 US: Harvard Crimson: KSG Interns at ABC Investigate Security of Reac NUCLEAR SAFETY 32 Lexington Herald-Leader: UK researchers working on pill treatment fo 33 US: News-Herald: Turf battle delays KI pills 34 US: Paducah Sun: Letter: Atomic workers continuing to die before cla 35 US: Pocatello Idaho State Journal: Is Cesium-131 test worth $200,000 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 36 AU ABC: CLP Senator asked to vote down waste dump 37 SignOnSanDiego.com: Nevada, federal government face off over Yucca r 38 RBC: Ukraine pays for nuclear waste utilization 39 US: SF Cronicle: COURTS / Suit over nuclear waste site / States, gro 40 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Lawmakers to consider Envirocare expansion 41 US: The Dispatch: Preparing Gilroy for the Plume 42 Xinhua: UK's privatized nuclear clean-up faces opposition 43 US: DOE: Revision to the Record of Decision for the Department of 44 FT.com: UK - Threats to UK’s privatised nuclear clean-up 45 US: New Mexico Business Weekly: Albuquerque company wins five-year W 46 UK: News & Star: Thorp looks set to be shut until March PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 47 Dayton Daily News: Study clears atomic bomb trigger sites 48 Times-News Online: Groups ask for review of plutonium plan ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 IPS-English IRAN-NUCLEAR PROGRAMME: Return to negotiations Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:14:43 -0700 X-Temp-From: YES X-Temp-Whitefrom: YES ips.org X-Temp-Whitephrase: YES NUCLEAR X-Spamprobe: ham-super * 0.0000414 OK =20 IRAN-NUCLEAR PROGRAMME: Return to negotiations only way forward Att.Editors: The following item is from the Emirates News Agency (WAM) ABU DHABI, Oct. 18 (WAM) - A major United Arab Emirates (UAE) English dai= ly today commented on Iran's decision to return to the negotiations table to end the impasse on its nuclear programme. Commenting on the issue under the title =94Way forward for Iran=94, th= e Dubai-based 'Khaleej Times', said: =94Iran says it is prepared to return = to the negotiating table to end the impasse over its nuclear programme. Tehe= ran has emphasised it is keen to resolve the issue through talks with the European Union to avoid a showdown in the UN Security Council. =94However, Iran has stuck to its guns on the issue of uranium enrichm= ent saying it is not prepared to freeze the nuclear fuel activity. Which take= s us back to square one. The U.S. and EU have been demanding a complete freezing of Teheran's nuclear programme before any talks could resume. In fact, the West had forced the nuclear watchdog, IAEA, to pass a strongly worded resolution against Iran referring the country to the Security Coun= cil despite opposition from many developing countries. =94This is why it is doubtful if Iran's latest 'offer' to return to th= e negotiating table with EU makes any visible difference to the status quo.= In fact, even as Teheran unveiled the new offer of talks yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meeting President Putin in Moscow seeking Russia's help in taking punitive action against Iran. Russia and China have been opposed to bringing international sanctions against Teher= an and are in favour of resolving the issue through dialogue. Nonetheless, t= he West is preparing ground to unleash strongest possible action against the Middle Eastern country. =94Iran has to wake up to the gathering threat. Whether it likes it or= not, the country has to face up to the fact that the West will do everything t= o prevent it from acquiring nuclear power (weapons?). The situation demands that Iran take all necessary steps to prevent any aggression against it. Instead of blowing hot, blowing cold and flipping its stand every now and then, Iran would be well advised to take a firm stand and cooperate with = the EU and IAEA. This is the only way to avoid a totally unnecessary confrontation with the West. And this is the best course of action for th= e country to protect its interests and dignity. =94The country, which suffered a long and debilitating war with Iraq s= oon after the Islamic Revolution, is just now beginning to recover from the disastrous effects of the conflict. The decade long unfortunate war of aggression, imposed by Saddam Hussein, which killed millions on both side= s, has had a devastating impact on Iran's economy and infrastructure. It can= not afford yet another military aggression. =94Iran's leaders should therefore stop chasing the elusive dream of nuclear power and instead focus on improving living conditions of their people and economic development of the country. Thanks to recent steadily high oil prices, Iran's economy is looking up and its long empty coffers = are fast filling up. The Iranian leadership should cash in on the oil boom to improve the lot of its long-suffering people,=94 concluded the paper. (WA= M) =20 ***************************************************************** 2 ForUm :: Ukraine and Iran to cooperate in energy sector and aircraft manufacture News / 18 October 2005 | 15:25 [Ukraine and Iran to cooperate in energy sector and aircraft manufacture] Ukraine and Iran to cooperate in energy sector and aircraft manufacture Today the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Anatoly Kinakh has met with Iran's Ambassador to Ukraine Bahman Mobarake, the NSDC's press service told. During the meeting both parties were seeking to deepening economic links and expanding political cooperation between the countries. The parties noted a growth in the turnover between the countries and stated their expectations to boost it to 1 billion UAH per year. The meeting also envisaged discussions on improving cooperation, especially, in the energy sector and aircraft manufacture. The parties agreed that among chief prospects there are oil and gas industry in Iran, gas transportation from Iran and aircraft manufacture (AN-140 and AN-148 planes). Commenting on the meeting, the NSDC Secretary stressed the necessity to resolve the number of problems on organizing a bipartite intergovernmental commission's sitting on trade-economic cooperation, which is due to start in late 2005. Anatoly Kinakh also stated his conviction that Ukraine will fulfil its international obligations on peaceful exploration of space and nuclear programs. All rights are reserved by © LTD. Inter-Media, ForUm 2001-2005 ***************************************************************** 3 IranMania: Commission okays outlines of Iran nuclear bill Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - ©2005 IranMania.com [Archived Picture - Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission approved the outlines of a single-urgency bill suspending the government?s voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.] LONDON, October 18 (IranMania) - Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission approved the outlines of a single-urgency bill suspending the government?s voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Talking to IRNA, Mahmoud Mohammadi, a commission member, said the commission discussed the bill?s outlines in the Sunday session and approved them by a majority vote, IRNA reported. ?Members of the commission presented proposals on the bill?s details and agreed to put one of the proposals to a vote on Tuesday, he said. ?In this proposal, the government would be obligated to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, if the International Atomic Energy Agency reports Iran?s nuclear case to the UN Security Council,? he said. The previous government implemented the Additional Protocol as a voluntary measure to build the international community?s confidence regarding the government?s nuclear programs. This allowed the IAEA to undertake snap inspections at the country?s nuclear sites, but the decision never became law. In the wake of the anti-Iran resolution passed by the IAEA?s 35-nation Board of Governors in September, over 155 MPs introduced a single-urgency bill in Majlis urging the government to suspend implementation of the Additional Protocol. The bill was passed on September 28 with 162 votes in favor. The bill now binds the government to suspend its voluntary implementation of the Additional NPT Protocol until Tehran succeeds in obtaining recognition of its right to complete the nuclear fuel cycle. The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution proposed by the EU?s negotiating states (France, Britain and Germany) on September 24 urging Iran to fully suspend uranium enrichment at Isfahan?s Uranium Conversion Facility as well as the construction of its heavy-water power plant in Arak. ***************************************************************** 4 AFP: Iran says French nuclear position sad and a hindrance - Tue Oct 18, 3:43 PM ET TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that France's position on Iran" /> Iran's nuclear programme had saddened the Iranian people and hindered relations between the two countries. "France's position with regard to Iran's peaceful nuclear programme is a brake on the development of bilateral relations," Ahmadinejad said as he received the new French ambassador, Bernard Poletti. "The Iranian people have been saddened by the French position and are waiting for the French government to take positive steps to repair the damage to relations between the two countries." The so-called EU Three of Britain, France and Germany have been leading negotiations with Iran over its suspect nuclear programme. In September, France supported an International Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agencyresolution that could see Iran hauled before the UN Security Council over its atomic ambitions. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 5 AFP: ElBaradei 'confident' nuclear talks will resume with Iran - Tue Oct 18, 1:31 PM ET VIENNA (AFP) - The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, said he was "confident" that negotiations would resume soon with Iran" /> over the nature of its nuclear program. "Things are moving in the right direction," said ElBaradei, noting that Iran was cooperating with United Nations" /> nuclear inspectors and several "third parties" were urging Tehran to return to the negotiating table. ElBaradei, who led the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency" /> (IAEA) to receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize, said that South Africa had notably suggested a compromise to end the standoff between Iran and Western powers over its nuclear program. Negotiations between Iran and the so-called EU-3 -- Britain, France and Germany -- broke off in August after Tehran rejected the European proposals on cooperation and trade and instead resumed its uranium enrichment activities. Enriched uranium is used to produce nuclear energy but also to make weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but the United States claims the Iranians are secretly seeking to develop a nuclear arsenal. The Europeans want to find a solution that will allow Iran to have a civil nuclear program while also allaying any fears about weapons development. On Sunday, Tehran said it was ready to resume meetings with negotiators but it also refused to suspend again its nuclear activities, which is one of the conditions set by the Europeans. The IAEA board has until November 24 to decide whether to refer Iran and its nuclear activity to the UN Security Council which could impose sanctions on the Islamic republic. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 IRNA: EP Member: Denying Iran's right to nuclear technology hippocratic (REPETITION: to add more quotes) - Irna Vienna, Oct 18, IRNA EP Member-Iran-Nuclear European Parliament Member from Czech Republic Vladimir Roucek said in Prague Monday, "Denying Iran's right to take peaceful advantage of nuclear technology is hypocrisy." Member of EP's Foreign Relations Committee and the 19-member Commission for EU Relations with Iran made the comment in a meeting with Islamic Republic of Iran's Charge d'Affaires in Czech Republic Seyed Hossein Rezvani. He added, "We believe keeping in mind that non-renewable fossil fuel energy resources are limited, countries like Iran that are members of IAEA and have signed the nuclear-NPT are fully entitled to take advantage of the nuclear technology." Roucek referred to the activities of Temlin Nuclear Reactor in Czech Republic, further stressing, "All countries in the world are entitled to have the full cycle of nuclear fuel as well, for peaceful purposes, according to IAEA rules and regulations." The Czech EP member said, "Czech Republic, too, once faced problems for taking advantage of nuclear technology with its neighbor Austria, but relying on negotiations and concessions given by both sides we reached a solution in which both sides' interests are secured." Roucek meanwhile reiterated, "Iran's relations with the European block should not be influenced by such issues as the human rights, or the nuclear issue and the two sides should rather focus on broader political and economic cooperation." During the meeting in Czech capital the two sides surveyed the records of Iran's nuclear activities, the extent of national potentials and wealth invested in the sector, Iran's unprecedented broad level cooperation with the IAEA, Iran's long-term talks with EU3, and IAEA' Board of Governors' September 24 Resolution. Rezvani during the meeting elaborated on illegal demands of the European initiators of the IAEA September 24 Resolution against Iran, as well as Iran's undeniable right to take advantage of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes based on articles of the IAEA's nuclear-NPT. He meanwhile announced Tehran's readiness to continue nuclear negotiations with the EU3 (Germany, France and Britain), if Iran's natural rights are not denied. The Iranian Charge d'Affaires also asked Roucek to reflect Iran's righteous stands at EP's Foreign Relations Committee, as well as that parliament's Commission for Relations with Iran. ***************************************************************** 7 IRNA: Italy voices support for Iran's right to develop nuclear energy Oct 18, IRNA Italy on Monday stressed Iran's undeniable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Italian Senator Giulio Andreotti, who met with the head of the Council of Iran's Inter-Parliamentary Group and head of the Iranian parliamentary delegation to the 113th assembly of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Kazem Jalali, said acceptance of international regulations pertinent to the Iran nuclear issues was a must. He added that it would not be logical to prevent a country from gaining access to peaceful nuclear technology and knowhow on the pretext that it has huge oil resources. He said Iran and Italy have always enjoyed positive cultural and political commonalties. Jalali, for his part, pointed to the deep-rooted relations between Tehran and Rome and highlighted the importance of boosting ties in various political, parliamentary and cultural fields. Briefly outlining Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) aimed at resolving the country's nuclear imbroglio, he said, "Based on Article 3 of the IAEA's Articles of Association and Article 4 of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), all member states have the right to use peaceful nuclear technology. Iran should not be excluded from this law." He said the Islamic Republic is acting within its rights and will not withdraw this absolute and inalienable right. ***************************************************************** 8 IRNA: Iran's nuclear activities intended for peaceful ends - Pakistan - Vienna, Oct 18, IRNA Iran-Pakistan-Nuclear Pakistan believes Iran's nuclear activities are totally for peaceful purposes and opposes measures against Tehran which run counter to international rules and regulations. Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain made the remarks at a meeting with the head of the Iranian parliamentary delegation to the 113th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Kazem Jalali, in Geneva on Monday. The speaker described bilateral relations between Tehran and Islamabad as "excellent" and called for greater political and parliamentary cooperation. He praised Iran's humanitarian aid to victims of the devastating earthquake which hit Pakistan early this month. Jalali, who also chairs the Iran Inter-Parliamentary Group Council, said the humanitarian aid given by Iran to the quake- stricken Pakistanis was intended to consolidate friendly ties between the two countries. Turning to the Iran nuclear issue, he said the country has the right to have access to peaceful nuclear technology, adding, "We have always been committed to our undertakings and international regulations." "We are still ready to continue constructive talks on nuclear issues without preconditions." Jalali called on all independent-minded states to support the legal and peaceful activities of signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and not to submit to US expansionist policies. ***************************************************************** 9 Guardian Unlimited: Are we going to war with Iran? Dan Plesch evaluates the evidence pointing towards a new conflict in the Middle East Tuesday October 18, 2005 The Sunday Telegraph warned last weekend that the UN had a last chance to avert war with Iran and, at a meeting in London last week, the US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, expressed his regret that any failure by the UN security council to deal with Iran would damage the security council's relevance, implying that the US would solve the problem on its own. Only days before, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, had dismissed military action as "inconceivable" while both the American president and his secretary of state had insisted war talk was not on the agenda. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have found that Iran has not, so far, broken its commitments under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, although it has concealed activities before. It appears that the UK and US have decided to raise the stakes in the confrontation with Iran. The two countries persuaded the IAEA board - including India - to overrule its inspectors, declare Iran in breach of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and say that Iran's activities could be examined by the UN security council. Critics of this political process point to the fact that India itself has developed nuclear weapons and refused to join the NPT, but has still voted that Iran is acting illegitimately. On the Iranian side there is also much belligerent talk and pop music now proudly speaks of the nuclear contribution to Iranian security. The timing of the recent allegations about Iranian intervention in Iraq also appears to be significant. Ever since the US refused to control Iraq's borders in April 2003, Iranian backed militia have dominated the south and, with under 10,000 soldiers amongst a population of millions, the British army had little option but to go along. No fuss was made until now. As for the bombings of British soldiers, some sources familiar with the US army engineers report that these supposedly sophisticated devices have been manufactured inside Iraq for many months and do not need to be imported. But is the war talk for real or is it just sabre rattling? The conventional wisdom is that for both military and political reasons it would be impossible for Israel and the UK/US to attack and that, in any event, after the politically damaging Iraq war, neither Tony Blair nor George Bush would be able to gather political support for another attack. But in Washington, Tel Aviv and Downing Street, if not the Foreign Office, Iran is regarded as a critical threat. The regime in Tehran continues to demand the destruction of the state of Israel and to support anti-Israeli forces. In what appeared to be coordinated releases of intelligence assessments, Israeli and US intelligence briefed earlier this year that, while Iran was years from a nuclear weapons capability, the technological point of no return was now imminent. Shortly after the US elections, the vice-president, Dick Cheney, warned that Israel might attack Iran. Israel has the capability to attack Iranian targets with aircraft and long-range cruise missiles launched from submarines, while Iranian air defences are still mostly based on 25-year-old equipment purchased in the time of the Shah. A US attack might be portrayed as a more reasonable option than a renewed Israeli-Islamic confrontation. The US army and marines are heavily committed in Iraq, but soldiers could be found if the Bush administration were intent on invasion. Donald Rumsfeld has been reorganising the army to increase front-line forces by a third. More importantly, naval and air force firepower has barely been used in Iraq. Just 120 B52 and stealth bombers could target 5,000 points in Iran with satellite-guided bombs in just one mission. It is for this reason that John Pike of globalsecurity.org thinks that a US attack could come with no warning at all. US action is often portrayed as impossible, not only because of the alleged lack of firepower, but because Iranian facilities are too hard to target. In a strategic logic not lost on Washington, the conclusion then is that if you cannot guarantee to destroy all the alleged weapons, then it must be necessary to remove the regime that wants them, and regime change has been the official policy in Washington for many years. For political-military planners, precision strikes on a few facilities have drawbacks beyond leaving the regime intact. They allow the regime too many retaliatory options. Certainly, Iran's neighbours in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf who are worried about the growth of Iranian Shia influence in Iraq would want any attack to be decisive. From this logic grows the idea of destroying the political-military infrastructure of the clerical regime and perhaps encouraging separatist Kurdish and Azeri risings in the north-west. Some Washington planners have hopes of the Sunnis of oil-rich Khuzestan breaking away too. A new war may not be as politically disastrous in Washington as many believe. Scott Ritter, the whistleblowing former UN weapons inspector, points out that few in the Democratic party will stand in the way of the destruction of those who conducted the infamous Tehran embassy siege that ended Jimmy Carter's presidency. Mr Ritter is one of the US analysts, along with Seymour Hersh, who have led the allegations that Washington is going to war with Iran. For an embattled President Bush, combating the mullahs of Tehran may be a useful means of diverting attention from Iraq and reestablishing control of the Republican party prior to next year's congressional elections. From this perspective, even an escalating conflict would rally the nation behind a war president. As for the succession to President Bush, Bob Woodward has named Mr Cheney as a likely candidate, a step that would be easier in a wartime atmosphere. Mr Cheney would doubtless point out that US military spending, while huge compared to other nations, is at a far lower percentage of gross domestic product than during the Reagan years. With regard to Mr Blair's position, it would be helpful to know whether he has committed Britain to preventing an Iranian bomb "come what may" as he did with Iraq. · Dan Pleschis the author of The Beauty Queen's Guide to World Peace. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 10 Japan Times: Japan, China gear up for next six-party talks Tuesday, October 18, 2005 BEIJING (Kyodo) Japanese and Chinese chief delegates to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have agreed to cooperate closely in the next round, which is expected early next month, according to Japanese officials. "The agreement in the last round of talks describes the final goal (of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula), and its implementation is important," chief Japanese delegate Kenichiro Sasae told reporters after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei. "I told him that related countries should make efforts to implement the agreement swiftly, and that it is especially important for Japan and China to cooperate," Sasae said, referring to a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the fourth round of six-party talks in September. North Korea agreed to abandon its entire nuclear program, rejoin the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and allow nuclear inspections in exchange for energy assistance, security guarantees and economic cooperation. Sasae, who is also director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, described his talks with Wu on Sunday as "preliminary exchanges of views" on the next round. He said they did not discuss a specific schedule for the next round, which the six parties have agreed to hold in early November. Sasae also said Wu, China's vice foreign minister, told him that Beijing has learned through a recent visit to North Korea by Vice Premier Wu Yi that Pyongyang also wants to achieve results through the six-party process. "We have heard that North Korea has a very positive attitude toward the idea that it is necessary for the six parties to achieve results," he said. The Japan Times: Oct. 18, 2005 (C) All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 11 IPS-English POLITICS: Norway Prepares New Anti-Nuclear Push Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:14:49 -0700 ROMAIPS EU WD IP=20 POLITICS: Norway Prepares New Anti-Nuclear Push By Tarjei Kidd Olsen OSLO, Oct 18 (IPS) - Norway insists progress is still possible on its ini= tiative against nuclear weapons, despite U.S. opposition at the UN World = Summit. After a review conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) c= ollapsed in May, and the United Nations failed to come up with any text o= n combating nuclear weapons at the world summit, UN member states have ga= thered again to beat the impasse. The NPT is built on three pillars. It binds non-nuclear weapon states not= to acquire nuclear weapons, commits the five original nuclear weapon sta= tes (China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States) to pursue nucl= ear disarmament, and guarantees all states access to peaceful nuclear tec= hnology under safeguards. Officials from the 188 countries that have ratified the treaty since it e= ntered into force in 1970 meet every five years to review its operation, = always aiming to conclude with a final declaration on future action.=20 At the 2005 conference in May it became apparent that the nuclear weapons= states have not been honouring the disarmament commitments made at the 2= 000 conference. Many singled out the United States for resisting attempts= to remind it of its earlier commitments.=20 It also shook off past commitments to bring into force the Comprehensive = Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prevents nuclear weapons being test= ed. In the end no declaration was produced.=20 The U.S. position reflected the Bush administration's desire to retain so= me of its nuclear weapons and even develop new bunker busting 'mini-nukes= ' while wanting to stop other countries from getting them.=20 With the review conference failing to produce a declaration, pressure to = come up with some sort of consensus on the way forward at the UN world su= mmit in September increased. Norway stepped into the fray with an initiat= ive with support from Britain, South Africa, Australia, Chile, Indonesia = and Romania.=20 This initiative contains measures intended to strengthen the non-prolifer= ation and disarmament regime, such as closing a loophole in the NPT that = makes it relatively easy to develop nuclear weapons with technology desig= nated for peaceful purposes, and another which enables states to drop out= of the treaty virtually cost-free.=20 North Korea exploited these loopholes to secretly develop nuclear weapons= expertise before dropping out of the NPT, and announce that it had built= several nuclear bombs. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has called for work on the Norwegian init= iative to continue, calling the world summit failure =94inexcusable=94. Now the annual 'First Committee' of the UN General Assembly is revisiting= the initiative, which has the support of about 80 countries in addition = to the seven core countries. Hoping to rescue the initiative by securing a resolution in the first com= mittee, which would enable a vote in the General Assembly later, Norwegia= n foreign minister Jan Petersen has held meetings with officials from the= core countries in New York. Norway hopes that UN member states will agre= e to at least some of the measures. Discussions are continuing among the core countries on how to proceed, di= rector-general K=E5re Aas in the Norwegian foreign ministry's department = for security policy told IPS. The Norwegian initiative is the only reali= stic option for securing any agreement, because it was the only approach = to gain broad support before the world summit, he said. But as Norway awaits the appointment of a new foreign minister next week = following national elections, the initiative is to some extent in limbo a= t the moment. Aas admits that pushing through measures against disarmament will be part= icularly tricky. =94As the world summit showed, it's very difficult to ac= hieve progress on the issues, but the necessity and importance of doing s= o means we have to keep trying,=94 he said.=20 Norway has scheduled a meeting of =94the most important countries relatin= g to disarmament and non-proliferation=94 in New York Oct. 31, he said. T= hat includes the five original nuclear weapons states, the seven core cou= ntries of the Norwegian initiative, and more than 20 others.=20 The meeting =94aims to look at various ways of bringing the non-prolifera= tion and disarmament process forward,=94 Aas said. The International Atom= ic Energy Agency's Mohamed ElBaradei, joint winner of this year's Nobel p= eace prize along with the nuclear watchdog itself, is also scheduled to a= ttend. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the IAEA and Mohamed ElBaradei i= s being seen also as an indirect jab at U.S. unilateralism. The United St= ates had tried to block his re-election this year, alleging he had been t= oo soft on Iran and Iraq.=20 The U.S. strategy of pushing non-proliferation to the detriment of disarm= ament is facing much criticism. Senior researcher Morten Bremer M=E6rli a= t the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) said this could= be a fatal mistake. =94The U.S. tendency towards non-proliferation but not disarmament is ext= remely untenable,=94 he told IPS. =94Any nuclear weapons will encourage o= ther states to also obtain nuclear weapons, as shown by history. Large nu= clear arsenals, and security analyses that include references to the use = of those arsenals, is bound to have very unfortunate ramifications for th= e NPT, in effect undermining the one international mechanism for controll= ing the nuclear activities of states like Iran.=94 There is a =94huge paradox=94 in the United States focusing on terror and= 'weapons of mass destruction', while at the same time actively undermini= ng the control regime that is meant to prevent these threats, he said. =94An action plan for disarmament and non-proliferation was agreed at the= last review conference in 2000. Five years later it turns out that most = of the steps have been broken by the U.S. and other leading nuclear power= s, again undermining the system,=94 said M=E6rli. Canada has led attempts to drum up support in the first committee for inf= ormal ad hoc committees to sidestep traditional negotiating forums such a= s the UN General Assembly and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, of= ficial sources told IPS.=20 The Conference on Disarmament is the world's only multilateral forum for = disarmament, but has produced no results for nine years because of wrangl= ing between countries.=20 The problem is that for a new resolution to be passed every country has t= o vote in favour of it under the consensus requirement. Ad hoc committees= not requiring consensus would make it possible to sidestep 'difficult' c= ountries.=20 But last week Canada dropped the proposal, apparently under U.S. pressure= . =94The international community needs to continue to focus on getting th= e CD (conference on disarmament) to work, rather than create another 'pha= ntom' CD,=94 said a U.S. note circulated to several countries. =94What we would like is for the Conference on Disarmament to begin funct= ioning again,=94 Aas said. Ole Reistad at the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, a part of th= e Norwegian delegation at the world summit says the seven core countries = of the Norwegian initiative do not always cooperate this well. =94This group is very important because it includes several agenda settin= g countries from the Non-Aligned Movement such as South Africa,=94 Reista= d told IPS. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of 116 mainly devel= oping countries that tried to stay neutral during the Cold War. South Africa wants to ensure that its right to develop nuclear energy for= peaceful purposes is not limited. This is true also for Iran. But the pr= oblem is that the technology required to refine uranium for peaceful purp= oses also makes it relatively easy to refine uranium to the higher level = required for nuclear weapons. =94With countries like South Africa in the core group, it might be possib= le to win over other agenda setting countries that have often positioned = themselves in opposition to many western countries, enabling some form of= compromise,=94 Reistad said. Such a compromise could be helped by another initiative Norway has been f= ronting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It has been try= ing to push through a regulation outlawing weapons grade uranium while al= lowing uranium refined to the level required for peaceful purposes.=20 Norway's first opportunity to bring this initiative up at the IAEA will b= e at the end of November, Reistad said. In addition to the original five nuclear weapons countries, Pakistan, Ind= ia and presumably Israel have also developed nuclear weapons. They have n= ot signed the NPT. There has been no independent verification of North Ko= rea's claim that it has several nuclear bombs, while Israel refuses to co= nfirm or deny the widely assumed existence of its nuclear weapons. NPT signatory South Africa clandestinely built a nuclear arsenal, but dis= mantled it in the early 1990s after the fall of apartheid. It remains the= only country to have done so. (END/IPS/EU/WD/IP/TO/SS/05) =20 =3D 10182240 ORP018 NNNN ***************************************************************** 12 RIA Novosti: Russia, Brazil set to discuss trade, sign space contract 18/ 10/ 2005 MOSCOW/RIO DE JANEIRO, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Brazilian counterpart Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in Moscow Tuesday to discuss trade and sign a contract on sending Brazil's first astronaut to space, a Kremlin official said. "Russia is energetically promoting expanded cooperation in such areas as mining, energy, metallurgy, forestry, agriculture, transportation, construction and the modernization of sea and river ports," the source said. Brazil is one of Russia's largest trade and economic partners in Latin America with bilateral trade turnover exceeding $2 billion this year. "I hope we will strengthen the partnership between Russia and Brazil," the Brazilian president told news conference before he left for Moscow. "We would like to show Brazil's potential and explain that we can establish solid partnership relations through legislative amendments." After the summit, Russia and Brazil will also sign a contract on the launch of a Brazilian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS). Lieutenant Colonel Marcos Pontes is scheduled to take off on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on March 22, 2006. "Russia and Brazil are steadily moving toward a 'technological alliance' in the sphere of peaceful space exploration, biotechnology, energy, including nuclear energy, aircraft manufacturing and military-technical cooperation," the Kremlin official said. The Russian and Brazilian leaders are also expected to discuss current international issues. © 2005 "RIA Novosti" ***************************************************************** 13 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting Notice FR Doc 05-20881 [Federal Register: October 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 200)] [Notices] [Page 60565] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18oc05-120] Agency Holding the Meetings: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Date: Weeks of October 17, 24, 31, November 7, 14, 21, 2005. Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Status: Public and Closed. Matters To Be Considered: Week of October 17, 2005 Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Decommissioning Activities and Status (Public Meeting) (Contact: Dan Gillen, (301) 415-7295.) This meeting will be Webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Week of October 24, 2005--Tentative Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:30 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). Thursday, October 27, 2005 10 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). Week of October 31, 2005--Tentative Tuesday, November 1, 2005 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Implementation of Davis-Besse Lessons Learned Task Force (DBLLTF) Recommendations (Public Meeting). (Contact: Brendan Moroney, (301) 415-3974.) This meeting will be Webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Week of November 7, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of November 7, 2005. Week of November 14, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of November 14, 2005. Week of November 21, 2005--Tentative Monday, November 21, 2005 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Status of New Reactor Issues, Part 1 (Public Meeting). (Contact: Laura Dudes, (301) 415-0146.) 1:30 p.m. Briefing on Status of New Reactor Issues, Part 2 (Public Meeting). (Contact: Laura Dudes, (301) 415-0146.) These meetings will be Webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . *The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301) 415- 1292. Contact person for more information: Michelle Schroll, (301) 415- 1662. * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet at: http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html. * * * * * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g. braille, large print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator, August Spector, at (301) 415-7080, TDD: (301) 415- 2100, or by e-mail at aks@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301) 415-1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: October 13, 2005. R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 05-20881 Filed 10-14-05; 10:32 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M ***************************************************************** 14 AFP: India to forge plan with US to separate civilian, military nuclear facilities - Yahoo! News Tue Oct 18, 4:10 PM ET NEW YORK (AFP) - The United States and India will draw up a plan separating India's civilian and military nuclear facilities to pave the way for implementation of their landmark atomic energy cooperation deal by early 2006, a senior US official said. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said he would discuss the separation plan with Indian officials during a trip to New Delhi this week. "Part of the purpose of my trip to Delhi this week is to work with the Indian government on a plan that will separate civilian and military nuclear (programs and facilities) of India over the coming years," he told a forum of the New York-based Asia Society. He said that the US Congress would be in a position to amend laws prohibiting US nuclear cooperation with India once New Delhi committed itself to the separation scheme. "Once that plan has been clearly enunciated and once it has been committed to by the Indian government, I think it will be a very short time before the United States Congress makes the necessary legislative changes to bring this into being and that would be a very welcome moment indeed," Burns said. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush" /> President George W. Bushagreed on a deal last July in which Washington would give India access to civil nuclear energy related technology once India agreed to separate civilian and military nuclear programmes and place its nuclear reactors under the International Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) inspections. India is a nuclear-armed nation but not a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States had placed sanctions on India after its second round of nuclear tests in May 1998, but agreed after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to waive those and other sanctions in return for support in the war on terrorism. Under the July deal, the United States had agreed to lobby allies to adjust international regimes to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation and trade with India. "I think by the time that President Bush" /> President Bushvisits New Delhi in early 2006 we will see that both of our countries would have met our commitment in this landmark agreement," Burn said as he gave a comprehensive account of US policy toward India in his speech to diplomats, analysts and government officials. The US-India nuclear deal was part of a groundbreaking pact on a wide range of cooperative initiatives and the launching of a new strategic partnership by Bush and Singh. Burns was instrumental in developing the partnership agreement, including civil nuclear energy cooperation, which he called "the high-water mark of bilateral relations in nearly 60 years. India last month was accused by some groups of caving in to US pressure in supporting a resolution that opens the door to reporting Iran" /> Iranto the UN Security Council for violating international nuclear safeguards. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 15 NRC: NRC Schedules Regulatory Conference to Discuss Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Concern News Release - Region II - 2005-04 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II No. II-05-040 October 18, 2005 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: Authority on Oct. 25 in Atlanta to discuss the risk significance of an inspection finding at the companys Watts Bar nuclear power plant, located near Spring City, Tenn. NRC and TVA officials will discuss the significance of an NRC inspection finding related to events while the plant was shut down in February of this year. NRC inspectors found that operators at the Watts Bar plant made decisions which resulted in pressurizer valves lifting several times. The inspectors determined that the operators may not have adequately followed their procedures and their actions were an apparent violation of the plants technical specifications. The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color- coded system which classifies findings as either green, white, yellow or red, in increasing order of safety significance. The NRCs preliminary evaluation determined that this issue at Watts Bar appears to be greater than green or, in other words, greater than very low safety significance. The meeting is open to public observation and is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in the NRCs Region II office, located on the 24th floor of the Atlanta Federal Center at 61 Forsyth Street SW in Atlanta. No decisions on the final safety significance, apparent violations or possible enforcement action will be made during the conference. Those decisions will be made by NRC officials at a later time. Last revised Tuesday, October 18, 2005 ***************************************************************** 16 Interfax: Putin orders support to be provided for nuclear center - PM Interfax.com Text version Site map Oct 18 2005 2:40PM SAROV. NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGION. Oct 18 (Interfax) - The Russian government is to attribute a new status to a federal nuclear center in the city of Sarov, in order to provide it with financial support from the state, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov told reporters in Sarov on Tuesday. "The president instructed the government to find a way of awarding the federal nuclear center such a status which would enable it to receive all necessary state support," he said. "The instruction was only released today," he said. © 1991-2005 Interfax All rights reserved News and other data on this web site are provided for information purposes only, and are not intended for republication or redistribution. Republication or redistribution of Interfax content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Interfax. ***************************************************************** 17 Bellona: Majority of Russians in favour of nuclear and alternative energy A survey showed that 59% of Russians believe nuclear energy should be developed, 25% of the respondents are against the nuclear energy. 2005-10-18 16:22 The All-Russian Center for Public Opinion and Market Research (VTsIOM) on September 24 and 25 asked 1,600 people in 153 localities in 46 Russian regions, Interfax reported. The men support nuclear energy more often then women (66% and 54% accordingly). 49% of the respondents believe Russia should develop alternative energy sources like solar, wind, tide etc. 18% of the respondents would give priority to the nuclear energy, less priority is given to hydro- and heat energy (14% and 8%). Only 1% believe Russia should import energy. The survey also showed that most of the respondents do not exclude a nuclear accident similar to Chernobyl: 28% - quite possible, 29% - relatively possible, 28% - hardly possible, 6% - not possible. Most of the pessimists are in the age from 49 to 59 (35%), least are among young people from 18 to 34 (22%). 47% of the respondents said the most dangerous for the environment today is shipment and storage of the radioactive waste (Moscow and St Petersburg’s respondents – 60%). 32-35% of the respondents believe the worst for the environment is industry (metal, chemical etc.), household waste, rubbish, damps and deforestation. 29% of the respondents refer nuclear power plants to the most dangerous for the environment. 25% believe the transport (cars, trains, and aircraft) threatens the environment most. The people are less afraid of oil, gas and other mineral resources extraction (11%), poach (9%), agriculture (7%), arms storage facilities (6%), hydro- and heat power plants (3%), household appliances (1%), Interfax reported. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 18 RIA Novosti: Russian experts launch first phase of Chinese nuclear power plant operations 18/ 10/ 2005 MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russian experts began operations of the first energy unit of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in China, a spokesman for the Russian Nuclear Power Agency said Tuesday. "The physical launch of the Tianwan NPP's first unit means it is being loaded with cartridges containing nuclear fuel," the spokesman said. The loading will continue for several days and then the unit will be put to work at a low energy output level. After that, the unit will be connected to the power circuit. Russia and China signed an intergovernmental cooperation agreement in 1992 on the construction of the NPP and Russian state credit for the project. © 2005 "RIA Novosti" ***************************************************************** 19 Diamondback Online: ABC officials defend nuclear reactor report Tuesday, October 18, 2005 News: Off-Campus Nuclear Regulatory Commision denounces Primetime broadcast’s tone By Kate Campbell October 18, 2005 An ABC spokesman defended yesterday the accuracy of a report that aired on Primetime last week that said this university’s nuclear reactor and many others are unsafe, while a federal agency has denounced the overall tone of the report. “Based on our review of your observations, our continuing review of site-specific security enhancements, and our knowledge of the potential risks, we continue to believe that the Nation’s [campus reactors] remain safe and secure,” said Roy Zimmerman, director of the office of nuclear security and incident response at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a federal agency that regulates civilian use of nuclear material. Zimmerman appeared on the broadcast Thursday and expressed concern at specific incidents that occurred at a handful of schools, but in a letter to ABC, he implied the show had overstated the general threat to the public. Jeffrey Schneider, vice president of public relations for ABC, said despite the fact that the experts who evaluated the security practices at the campuses did not visit the facilities, the information gathered on film by graduate students was sufficient to formulate the report. Schneider said the footage was not altered before the experts saw it and was collected by “award-winning” graduate students from some of the nation’s most prestigious journalism graduate schools, including Harvard, and Columbia universities, Northwestern and the University of California, Berkeley. “Our reporters visited the campus,” Schneider said. “Our reporting told us what was in our very eyes. We had numerous security lapses that our experts told us that that is a nightmare waiting to happen.” University journalism professor Chris Hanson viewed the report yesterday and discussed it with his graduate journalism ethics class. He said he would not have trusted reporters with a graduate student’s level of experience to gather the footage by themselves, and that the network should ideally have sent a nuclear expert and news producer to the reactor sites with the students. “I think they should have had the experts on security do more than just look at the tape,” Hanson said. “I’d like to feel more comfortable that the information was accurate ... You don’t know whether the footage shows what they say it shows. I think the problem is more of a general one — do we know the researchers know enough?” While Zimmerman did find security breaches at a handful of schools — at Purdue University in Indiana, the students’ bags weren’t checked before they entered the reactor, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology displayed sensitive details about its reactor on a website and the graduate students were able to peer through a window at the reactor at the University of Arizona — Hanson said the report did not distinguish between major and minor security lapses. The graduate students who visited this campus did not enter the reactor facility and filmed a set of open doors that faculty said lead to classrooms. “They should have found the most egregious security errors and highlighted them instead of lumping them together with more minor things,” Hanson said. David McIntyre, an NRC spokesman, said the commission does not consider the open doors to be a security violation. “We believe the facilities are secure and the danger presented by a student or anyone else is small,” McIntyre said. “If they go up to a science and engineering building and find a door open, it doesn’t mean the facility is unsafe.” He said the NRC inspects reactors the size of the one on this campus every two years. He would not say whether the campus’s reactor has ever experienced a security problem in the past because the agency does not publicize security lapses. But Schneider disagreed. “The point of our story was that the doors in the building were unsecured,” Schneider said. “Any expert will tell you that is a problem.” Ronald Timm, the security expert who evaluated the footage of the campus’s facility, told The Diamondback last week that only a constant armed guard could sufficiently protect the university’s reactor against a suicide bomber. Jacques Gansler, vice president for research at this university, said the report failed to highlight the multi-layered security system the school employs to protect the reactor, including several locked and alarmed doors, thick concrete and a surveillance camera monitored constantly by University Police. When asked why the ABC report did not mention Maryland’s security measures, Schneider said, “It seems you’ve had a lot of time to talk to a lot of people who have a vested interest in this.” McIntyre said the NRC is conducting follow-up inquiries, not investigations, regarding about a dozen of the 25 schools featured on the program. Contact reporter Kate Campbell at campbelldbk@gmail.com. ABC officials defend nuclear reactor report College Park, MD ***************************************************************** 20 TP Canadian Business: Bruce Power restarting two idle nuclear units canadaeast.com - As published on page C1/C2 on October 18, 2005 ENERGY The $4.25B deal will increase Ontario's power output as province struggles with growing shortage By Steve Erwin Canadian Press TORONTO - A plan to restore two idled nuclear units to service will help ensure Ontario's future energy supply, but Bruce Power's deal with the province will end up costing ratepayers billions of dollars through higher electricity rates, critics say. Bruce, Ontario's largest independent electricity generator, confirmed Monday it plans to spend $4.25 billion to refurbish Units 1 and 2 at its nuclear generating station off the shores of Lake Huron, with the first unit expected to return to service in 2009. The project will also include restorative work on Units 3 and 4, the company said. Units 1 and 2, offline since the mid-1990s, are expected to boost Bruce's total nuclear contribution in Ontario to 6,200 megawatts - enough to power about 25 per cent of the province on a typical day. The refurbishment will also employ 1,500 construction workers. The plan is designed to help Ontario in its search for solutions to a growing shortage of electricity; the province needs to fix or replace some 25,000 megawatts of electricity generation by 2020. The capital cost for the refurbishments will be covered by Bruce, not taxpayers, said Energy Minister Donna Cansfield. But in exchange, the power produced by the refurbished units will earn Bruce 6.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, a price critics denounced as too generous and a clear sign the project will ultimately lead to higher rates on hydro bills. Ms. Cansfield called the Bruce agreement a "good deal" for the province because the rate of 6.3 cents is below Ontario's average market price for nuclear power so far this year of 6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton said nuclear power in Ontario is actually supposed to cost something closer to 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. He said the higher rate means Bruce stands to earn a 33 per cent profit and will establish "a new base rate" for all nuclear power that the Ontario Energy Board will factor into future electricity rate hikes that wind up on consumer hydro bills. "This is very, very expensive power," Mr. Hampton said Monday. Ratepayers in Ontario currently pay five cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 750 kwh used, and 5.8 cents beyond that. That rate is already expected to go up, especially after a hot summer this year that raised demand. Past efforts to refurbish Ontario's nuclear facilities have not been without controversy. The cost to build the province's controversial Darlington station nearly tripled during the 1980s to $14 billion, and Ontario Power Generation's efforts to restore Unit 4 at the Pickering A facility cost $1.25 billion, almost three times the original projected cost. The billion-dollar restoration of Unit 1, which returned to service late last month after an eight-year layoff, also exceeded original budget estimates by about $100 million. Mr. Hampton, long a critic of what he calls "unreliable" nuclear power, said the government's deal allows private investors to profit without concern for consumers and without regard for environmental concerns, including nuclear waste storage. "This is private nuclear," he said. "This is, companies who will potentially put profit ahead of public safety and public interests concerns." Ms. Cansfield, however, insisted that Bruce, as a private company with big-name investors, will work to keep expenses in line and avoid cost overruns of the past. "If you go back to when Pickering (unit) 4 came back online and it was 2.75 times over budget, and Darlington was $10-billion over budget"... all of that was borne entirely by the people of Ontario," she said. "This is not the case in this agreement." Bruce has hired AMEC, a project management and services firm, to manage the new project and keep costs under control. on canadaeast.com Copyright © 2005 Brunswick News Inc. All rights ***************************************************************** 21 Xinhua: Canada, US among worst environmental performers - report www.xinhuanet.com www.chinaview.cn 2005-10-19 05:36:28 OTTAWA, Oct. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- North American countries take their natural resources for granted and are among the worst performers in the industrialized world in 29 key environmental areas, says a study released Tuesday. The study, conducted at Simon Fraser University and released by David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental protection group in Canada, rates Canada 28th among 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. It puts Canada last among the 30 countries in nuclear waste andcarbon monoxide production, and 29th in per capita water consumption. European countries such as Switzerland, Denmark and Germany ranked at the top of the environmental list, while Canada, Belgium and the United States were at the bottom, the study says. Suzuki says North Americans take their natural resources for granted while most European countries have dealt with environmental crises for years. A report issued by the group in 2003 said that Canada's per capita energy consumption was the highest in the world, with its 30 million people consuming same amount of energy as 700 million Africans. Enditem Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeting on FR Doc E5-5733 [Federal Register: October 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 200)] [Notices] [Page 60563] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18oc05-118] Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will hold a meeting on November 2, 2005, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the exception of a portion that may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c))(2) and (6) to discuss organizational and personnel matters that relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the ACRS, and information the release of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Wednesday, November 2, 2005, 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. The Subcommittee will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related matters. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee. Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official, Mr. Sam Duraiswamy (telephone: 301-415-7364) between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.) five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by contacting the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (e.t.). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged to contact the above named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes in the agenda. Dated: October 12, 2005. Michael R. Snodderly, Acting Chief, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. E5-5733 Filed 10-17-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 23 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice FR Doc E5-5734 [Federal Register: October 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 200)] [Notices] [Page 60564-60565] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18oc05-119] [[Page 60564]] In accordance with the purposes of Sections 29 and 182b. of the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2039, 2232b), the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) will hold a meeting on November 3-5, 2005, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The date of this meeting was previously published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 (69 FR 68412). Thursday, November 3, 2005, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. 8:35 a.m.-10a.m.: Final Review of the License Renewal Application for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff and the Nuclear Management Company, LLC regarding the license renewal application for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 and the associated final Safety Evaluation Report prepared by the NRC staff. 10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Draft Final Generic Letter 2005-xx, ``Grid Reliability and the Impact on Plant Risk and the Operability of Offsite Power'' (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the draft final version of the Generic Letter 2005-xx on Grid Reliability and the Impact on Plant Risk and the Operability of Offsite Power. 12:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m.: Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) Design (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the General Electric Nuclear Energy and the NRC staff regarding the general description of the ESBWR design and the NRC staff's schedule for reviewing the ESBWR design certification application. 3 p.m.-5 p.m.: Draft ACRS Report to the Commission on the NRC Safety Research Program (Open)--The Committee will discuss the draft ACRS report to the Commission on the NRC Safety Research Program. 5:15 p.m.-7 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACRS reports on matters considered during this meeting. Friday, November 4, 2005, Conference Room T-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACRS Chairman (Open)-- The ACRS Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. 8:35 a.m.-10 a.m.: Digital Systems Research Plan (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the draft final digital systems research plan and related matters. 10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.: Status of Rulemaking on Post-Fire Operator Manual Actions (Open)--The Committee will hear presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC staff regarding the status of the rulemaking on post-fire operator manual actions. 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Future ACRS Activities/Report of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee (Open)--The Committee will discuss the recommendations of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee regarding items proposed for consideration by the full Committee during future meetings. Also, it will hear a report of the Planning and Procedures Subcommittee on matters related to the conduct of ACRS business, including anticipated workload and member assignments. 1:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Reconciliation of ACRS Comments and Recommendations (Open)--The Committee will discuss the responses from the NRC Executive Director for Operations to comments and recommendations included in recent ACRS reports and letters. 1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Preparation for Meeting with the NRC Commissioners (Open)--The Committee will discuss the following topics scheduled for discussion with the NRC Commissioners between 1 and 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, 2005: Overview by the ACRS Chairman; Issues Related to New Plant Licensing (including Technology Neutral Framework); Proposed Alternative Embrittlement Criteria in 10 CFR 50.46; Fire Protection Matters; and Power Uprate Technical Issues. 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports(Open)--The Committee will discuss proposed ACRS reports. Saturday, November 5, 2005, Conference Room-2B3, Two White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Preparation of ACRS Reports (Open)--The Committee will continue its discussion of proposed ACRS reports. 1 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)--The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of Committee activities and matters and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal Register on September 29, 2005 (70 FR 56936). In accordance with those procedures, oral or written views may be presented by members of the public, including representatives of the nuclear industry. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during the open portions of the meeting. Persons desiring to make oral statements should notify the Cognizant ACRS staff named below five days before the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made to allow necessary time during the meeting for such statements. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras during the meeting may be limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by the Chairman. Information regarding the time to be set aside for this purpose may be obtained by contacting the Cognizant ACRS staff prior to the meeting. In view of the possibility that the schedule for ACRS meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should check with the Cognizant ACRS staff if such rescheduling would result in major inconvenience. Further information regarding topics to be discussed, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, as well as the Chairman's ruling on requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and the time allotted therefor can be obtained by contacting Mr. Sam Duraiswamy, Cognizant ACRS staff (301-415-7364), between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., e.t. ACRS meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov, or by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) 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/ [[Page 60565]] reading-rm/doc-collections/ (ACRS & ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas). Videoteleconferencing service is available for observing open sessions of ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use this service for observing ACRS meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACRS Audio Visual Technician (301-415-8066), between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., e.t., 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 videoteleconferencing link. The availability of videoteleconferencing services is not guaranteed. Dated: October 12, 2005. Andrew L. Bates, Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. E5-5734 Filed 10-17-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 24 UK: Globe and Mail: New nuclear deal begs for closer look theglobeandmail.com By MURRAY CAMPBELL Tuesday, October 18, 2005, Page A10 Dalton McGuinty has two streams of thought about fixing Ontario's deeply troubled electricity industry. First, he promises that any new power added will be "affordable, reliable and clean." And he has also pledged that there will be an open public debate before the government makes any decision to expand its nuclear-generation program. The full text of this article has 761 words. Want to access this page? Begin below. © Copyright 2005 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. *****************************************************************