***************************************************************** 10/31/05 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 13.253 ***************************************************************** 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 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Negotiators gear up for next bout of nuclear 2 AFP: US nuclear envoy expects North Korean nuclear talks next month 3 BBC: Labour MPs debate Trident scheme 4 BBC: Talks to open on climate change 5 Guardian Unlimited: Labour MPs question cost of replacing Trident NUCLEAR REACTORS 6 US: NRC: C Announces Enhanced Oversight of Indian Point 7 US: Journal Gazette: Regulations killed nuclear power 8 FT.com: Finland stomachs nuclear growth 9 Sofia News: Belene share 10 US: St. Petersburg Times: College paper to Progress Energy: no more 11 US: NRC: Manhattan College; (Manhattan College Zero Power Reactor); 12 Korea Times: Hill Says NK Insistence on Reactor Inexcusable 13 US: NRC: Notice of Public Workshop on Draft Report for Comment: 14 India: W123: Agreement to convert natural gas into Helium for atomic 15 Fort St. John: Maritimes should get second reactor - P.E.I. utility 16 United Press International: China and Russia talk nuclear power 17 Helsingin Sanomat: Construction Trade Union threatens strike at nucl NUCLEAR SECURITY NUCLEAR SAFETY 18 US: Centre Daily Times: Background radiation is part of daily exposu 19 Independent: Former soldier wins landmark case over Gulf War Syndrom 20 US: NRC: NRC to Hold Public Meetings November 7 and 9 to Discuss Pro 21 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 22 US: Deseret News: Former News writer takes environment post 23 US: Pasadena Star: NASA increases clean-up efforts 24 US: St. Petersburg Times: Dangers lie beneath its surface 25 Korea Times: Nuclear Dumpsite Vote Wednesday 26 AU ABC: Labor to oppose NT nuclear dump legislation. 27 US: Agricultural Research Service: Perchlorate in Milk Examined 28 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Feds plan redesign on hot-waste containers 29 Guardian Unlimited: WI asked for views in survey on disposal of nucl 30 Sydney Morning Herald: No nuclear dumps: traditional owners - 31 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Homeland Security reports on Skull Valley PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Negotiators gear up for next bout of nuclear talks November 1, 2005 KST 14:14 (GMT+9) October 31, 2005 ¤Ñ With key players in ongoing North Korean nuclear negotiations engaging in a frenzy of diplomatic efforts in recent weeks, nations are now gearing up for the fifth round of six-party talks that participants agreed to hold at the beginning of next month. Li Bin, the Chinese special envoy to North Korea, met with the South Korean delegation to the talks on Saturday in Seoul to discuss the next steps to take in the negotations. His visit was followed yesterday by the arrival of Christopher Hill, Washington's chief negotiator, for talks. Last month, Pyongyang committed itself to an international accord under which it agreed to scrap its nuclear weapons programs in exchange for economic aid and security assurances. The following day, however, the North threw a monkey wrench in the plans when it said it would not give up its nuclear programs until provided with a light water reactor. In the meantime, Washington demanded Pyongyang needed first to declare all its existent nuclear programs. Regarding the issue, a South Korean foreign ministry official said yesterday that under the principle of "action for action," everybody needed to make "compromises" instead of pressuring just one side to make the first move. While analysts have pointed out that the actual implementation of the joint statement may prove difficult, the North's leader, Kim Jong-il, pledged his support for the six-party talks over the weekend, saying Pyongyang is committed to attend the scheduled talks. A Seoul official said yesterday that the second week of next month is a likely time for talks to resume. Domestic media outlets have cited Nov. 8 as a likely starting date. With the Asia Pacific Economic Forum also starting the second week of November, the six-party nuclear talks could recess for the duration of the forum then resume once APEC is concluded. Another South Korean official said yesterday there was also a possibility of holding the nuclear negotiations immediately after the APEC meeting. by Brian Lee africanu@joongang.co.kr> ***************************************************************** 2 AFP: US nuclear envoy expects North Korean nuclear talks next month - Sun Oct 30, 8:06 PM ET SEOUL (AFP) - US chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said he expects six-nation talks on dismantling North Korea " /> North Korea's nuclear arsenal to resume next month despite a dispute over the next step. "We're expecting them to start in early November as agreed," Hill said upon arrival at Incheon airport for talks with South Korean officials. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, held a closed-door meeting with South Korea " /> South Korea's top nuclear negotiator Song Min-Soon during a short stopover in Seoul, officials said. "He is just having a brief stopover overnight," US embassy spokesman Robert Ogburn said. "Then he is out tomorrow morning." Washington and Pyongyang have been wide apart in the sequencing of disarmament even though they and the other nations agreed to a statement of principles on making North Korea free of nuclear weapons. Han Song-Ryol, deputy head of North Korea's UN mission, said last week that his country would neither declare nor dismantle its nuclear deterrent without getting a light water reactor for electricity. The last round of six-way nuclear talks ended in September with a statement of principles under which North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons program in return for energy and security guarantees. But the North later warned it would not dismantle its nuclear arsenal before the United States supplies it with a light-water atomic reactor to generate electricity. The United States says North Korea must first disarm. In the past week, top envoys of the nations involved in the talks -- the United States, China, the two Koreas, Russia and Japan -- have met to discuss ways to ensure progress at the next round due next month. China's top nuclear negotiator Li Bin had talks with Song in Seoul Saturday after meeting Hill in Hawaii and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-Gwan in Pyongyang. On Friday North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il pledged to return to the six-nation talks when he received Chinese President Hu Jintao " /> Hu Jintaoon a three-day visit to the Stalinist state. Christopher Hill talks with reporters after his arrival at Incheon Airport in Seoul, for talks with South Korean officials on six-way talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will meet with his South Korean counterpart Song Min-Soon and others during his less-than-one-day stay in Seoul.(AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan)] AFP Photo: US chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill talks with reporters after his arrival at Incheon Airport... Add headlines to your ***************************************************************** 3 BBC: Labour MPs debate Trident scheme Last Updated: Monday, 31 October 2005 [Trident nuclear submarine] A decision on a Trident replacement is due this parliament A group of MPs has failed to force a vote among Labour backbenchers on the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent. Labour MP Gordon Prentice put down a motion for the Parliamentary Labour Party to debate the wisdom of spending an estimated £20bn to replace Trident. But he said the motion had "disappeared into the ether". Defence Secretary John Reid said no decision on replacing Trident had been taken. But he said Labour was committed to keeping Britain's nuclear deterrent. 'Public divided' The issue of nuclear weapons is divisive within the Labour Party, which at one time supported the policy of unilateral disarmament. Last week, a group of writers, led by Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter, wrote an open letter to MPs in The Guardian saying there was "no legitimate political, military or moral reason" for replacing Trident. The government says it will decide whether to replace Trident before the next election and the Ministry of Defence says the move is "some way off". Trident is expected to be decommissioned in 20 years' time. The nuclear deterrent system was last updated in 1980. At the private meeting of Labour MPs on Monday evening, Mr Prentice called for a discussion paper setting out the options. He also demanded a clearer timetable and a vote in Parliament. Looking long term Mr Reid said Labour had a manifesto commitment to retain the nuclear deterrent. Trident was a minimum deterrent, he argued, and Britain would meet its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The defence secretary said it was hard to predict the threats the UK might face in 15, 20 or even 50 years time. While Mr Reid said no decision had been made, one of his supporters said he had put forward the soundest argument he had heard about why Britain needed to retain a nuclear deterrent. A survey for the environmental group Greenpeace suggests more than half the British public opposes replacing Trident at a cost of £20bn. It found 54% of people were against the idea, while 33% were in favour. But when costs were not mentioned the result was closer, with 46% of the 1,016 people questioned by Mori opposed to replacing Trident and 44% in favour. Greenpeace disarmament campaigner Dominick Jenkins said: "These poll results send a clear message to Tony Blair that a majority of the public oppose billions of pounds being wasted on building new UK nuclear weapons. "The result indicates that people understand that with the Cold War over, nuclear weapons have no conceivable use and suggests that the public would support Blair taking a lead in getting rid of nuclear weapons worldwide." A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "A decision about any replacement for Trident is likely to be needed in this parliament, but is still some way off. "Speculation about cost and types is therefore just that: speculation." ***************************************************************** 4 BBC: Talks to open on climate change Last Updated: Tuesday, 1 November 2005 [George Bush and Tony Blair at July's G8 summit in Gleneagles. Image: Chris Young/H.M. Government via Getty Images] This week's meeting follows on from the July G8 summit in Gleneagles A two-day meeting of energy and environment ministers from 20 nations opens in London on Tuesday. The focus will be on curbing climate change through technology rather than binding international agreements. The British government, which hosts the talks as the current holder of the G8 presidency, may unveil a new domestic initiative on biofuels. The meeting brings the G8 group of industrialised countries alongside major developing world nations. The discussions follow the climate agreement drawn up at July's G8 summit in Gleneagles, which emphasised the importance of climate-friendly technologies such as clean coal, nuclear power and renewables. End of Kyoto? At the weekend, Prime Minister Tony Blair called in a newspaper article for a new international consensus on tackling climate change built around "sound, rational science". While describing the United Nations as the "only forum in which formal negotiations on future international commitments take place", he has in recent weeks downplayed the impact of the Kyoto Protocol. Mr Blair has expressed doubts that there will ever be another treaty which sets mandatory, binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions. Major developing countries such as India and China are also known to be sceptical about a "child-of-Kyoto" deal. The European Union has been leading discussions with both on transferring clean technology as an alternative way to bring emissions down. Essential targets Many opposition politicians and environmental groups are critical of this approach, saying that mandatory targets are the best way forward. [Anti-nuclear protesters project an image reading "80 failures" onto a cooling tower at the Temelin nuclear power plant in south Bohemia last month. Image: AP/CTK/David Veis] Nuclear power - on the agenda as a climate-friendly technology "Mr Blair cannot claim to take the environment seriously unless he secures an agreement from the G8 that mandatory national targets are essential to progress," said Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Norman Baker. "It is all very well for the government to trumpet the merits of technology in reducing carbon emissions, but it simply isn't enough; we need robust, measurable targets, not just vague aspirations." The so-called G20 discussions, hosted by Defra and the DTI - the UK government's environment and industry departments - are one element in what Mr Blair called a "potentially crucial week in the fight against climate change". UK government agencies will also present details of a number of technological approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Later this week, more than 40 governments will take part alongside business leaders in other London negotiations aimed at improving energy efficiency. ***************************************************************** 5 Guardian Unlimited: Labour MPs question cost of replacing Trident Richard Norton-Taylor Monday October 31, 2005 The extent of support among Labour MPs for the government's plan to replace the Trident strategic nuclear weapons system will be tested for the first time today at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party. MPs have tabled a motion questioning "the wisdom of spending billions on Trident replacement". Tony Blair has promised a Commons debate on the future of Britain's nuclear force but not a vote. Replacing Trident is estimated to cost at least £15bn. According to a Mori poll for Greenpeace, 54% of people oppose replacing Trident by developing new nuclear weapons. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 6 NRC: C Announces Enhanced Oversight of Indian Point News Release - Region I - 2005-05 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 No. I-05-055 October 31, 2005 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov inspections at Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y. Through enhanced specialized inspections the NRC will oversee Entergy's efforts to address leakage from the Unit 2 spent fuel pool and reliability issues with the site's alert and notification system (sirens). The two-unit site is operated by Entergy Nuclear. In late September, the NRC began a special inspection at Indian Point into apparent leakage from the spent fuel pool area at the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant. The leakage is minimal and does not pose any immediate health or safety concern for members of the public or plant workers. Earlier this month, tritium was detected in six of nine on-site locations. No tritium has been detected off-site. The Special Inspection is expected to continue for several additional weeks as the NRC is monitoring and evaluating Entergys ongoing characterization and mitigation activities. The NRC also has been overseeing Entergy's actions to address recent siren issues and improve overall system reliability. The Indian Point siren system has experienced performance problems in the recent past including: primary and back-up actuation system problems, siren monitoring system failures, and some actual siren failures. Additionally, Entergy has indicated that it plans to replace the entire siren system in response to the new requirement for backup power that was included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Under the NRC's reactor oversight program, a plant's performance determines the level of inspection conducted at the site. To provide additional oversight, the agency can decide to deviate from the process and conduct further inspections, etc., when warranted by the given situation. Any such plans are proposed in a memo from the Regional Administrator for approval by the Executive Director for Operations. The memo, called a "deviation memo, was approved earlier today and provides a formal vehicle to document the NRCs additional inspection plans to assess Entergy's tritium characterization and remediation efforts, as well as the company's efforts to improve the reliability of the siren system in the communities surrounding Indian Point. NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins, said, "In the case of Indian Point, the staff considers it prudent to apply additional inspection focus to specific areas, even though licensee performance in these areas has not crossed any specific thresholds mandating additional regulatory oversight." The deviation memo will be posted on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/indian-point-iss ues.html. Last revised Monday, October 31, 2005 ***************************************************************** 7 Journal Gazette: Regulations killed nuclear power | 10/31/2005 | By Mike Sylvester I spent six years as a reactor operator on a nuclear submarine in the U.S. Navy. I spent another two years as an equipment operator in a civilian nuclear power plant in Nebraska. I strongly believe that nuclear power is a good source of energy and is safe. The nuclear power industry has been nearly destroyed by the U.S. government and its excessive regulations. The regulations are so oppressive that I decided to make a career change in 1998. I do not think we will ever complete a new nuclear power plant in the U.S. The government has undermined nuclear power in two ways: "Excessive government regulation. The nuclear power plant I worked at, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station, is a perfect example. In 1978, before the accident at Three Mile Island, the plant employed about 80 people, mostly equipment operators and security guards. The plant was operated in a safe and efficient manner. Today, the plant employs about 550 people. The plant makes the same amount of power today that it did in 1978; it just costs a whole lot more to produce that power. The plant hired about 470 people to comply with government regulations after Three Mile Island. "Dealing with nuclear waste in the form of spent fuel rods. These fuel rods are radioactive and must be safely disposed of. The U.S. government taxes all U.S. consumers of nuclear power and collects enough money to finance and build a disposal facility. The Nuclear Waste Fund was created in 1982. One-tenth of a cent was charged for each kilowatt of electricity produced at a nuclear power plant. By 1992 the government had collected enough tax revenue to build a state-of-the-art disposal facility. Eventually, due to pressure from the utility industry, the government finally agreed to build the facility by Jan. 31, 1998, at Yucca Mountain. Yucca Mountain was not completed in 1998 and about 60 lawsuits were filed by the utility industry and various states against the federal government for breach of contract. It is estimated these lawsuits could cost the federal government, i.e., taxpayers, as much as $50 billion. In 2001 the Department of Energy completed a cost study and determined it would cost $4.5 billion to build the Yucca Mountain facility. Today, The Nuclear Waste Fund has almost $16billion. This fund is currently used by Congress to offset a small portion of the annual budget deficit. The nuclear waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain is nowhere near completion; in fact, Department of Energy officials openly question whether the facility will be completed by 2010, 12 years after the promised completion date. Because the disposal facility is not operational, nuclear power plants have been forced to store their own spent fuel rods at their own cost. President Bush wants to spur the growth of nuclear power plants. I am all for nuclear power; that being said, Bushs proposal makes no sense. In fact, it will waste billions of dollars. The new energy bill provides almost $6.5billion of subsidies and direct spending to nuclear power generation companies to persuade them to build new nuclear power plants. This is absurd. I would suggest the Department of Energy finish Yucca Mountain before it gets involved in building new nuclear power plants. If we want nuclear power plants built, we need to minimize government regulation. A new nuclear power plant has not been started since 1973 because of excessive government regulation. The free market should dictate which power generation companies succeed and which ones fail not the government. We have experience with failed nuclear power plants right here in Indiana. Public Service Indiana proposed the Marble Hill nuclear power plant in 1973 with an estimated cost of $700 million. Construction on the plant began in 1977, and expenses quickly doubled to about $1.4 billion. In 1984 the project was halted and the plant was abandoned. This failed project cost the state of Indiana $2.8 billion. Mike Sylvester is chairman of the Libertarian Party of Allen County. He wrote this for The Journal Gazette. ***************************************************************** 8 FT.com: Finland stomachs nuclear growth By Päivi Munter in Helsinki Published: October 31 2005 20:20 | Last updated: October 31 2005 20:20 [nuclear] When Finns switch on the bulk of their 1.5m saunas for the Saturday evening ritual, power demand surges in the country of 5.2m people. The country’s northern location, with a power-hungry paper and pulp industry and a predilection for the latest in technology, makes the modern Finnish lifestyle energy-intensive. With limited domestic energy resources, Finland was the first west European nation to decide to build more nuclear energy plants after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The construction of Finland’s new €3bn ($3.6bn, £2bn) nuclear power plant – the country’s biggest investment project to date – began this year in Eurajoki on the western coast. The technology for the 1,600MW pressurised-water plant, which is due to begin power generation in 2009, is being supplied by a Franco-German consortium consisting of Framatom ANP and Siemens. Unusually for a nuclear project, the entire project is financed privately by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), a power company owned by Finnish industry. The principal arguments behind the government’s decision in 2002 to allow construction of the country’s fifth nuclear reactor were environmental. Finland derives about two-thirds of its energy from foreign sources. From neighbouring Russia, the small Nordic country imports significant amounts of oil and gas in addition to electricity. Noting that building more power plants using fossil fuels is ruled out by the country’s obligations under the Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gas emissions, Finnish officials say nuclear power is the sole source of energy that can be built quickly enough to meet the country’s energy needs. They add that building more domestic nuclear power is preferable to increasing imports from Russia because domestic atomic reactors would be safer than power generated at Soviet-era plants. Another less commonly cited factor is the country’s aspiration to avoid undue reliance on Russian supplies that could be subject to political interference. Sinikka Mönkäre, an MP who as the then minister of trade and industry helped to push the nuclear decision through parliament, says she believes the move was vital to ensure the competitiveness of Finnish industry. The decision led to the departure of the Green party from the then government coalition led by prime minister Paavo Lipponen, a Social Democrat. This is the fourth in a series exploring how high energy prices are spurring a revival in nuclear energy. Previous articles can be found on www.ft.com/nuclear © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2005. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. ***************************************************************** 9 Sofia News: Belene share November 01, 2005 Mon 31 Oct 2005Economy Briefs · THE state could have between a 25- and 100-per cent share in the second nuclear power plant at Belene, depending on the two consortia expected to submit offers for building it, Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov told Parliament on October 21. Responding to a question by an MP, Ovcharov said he was in support of maximum private participation because it was proof of the efficiency of the project. On the other hand, the state should guarantee that what has already been constructed in Belene and has been supplied as equipment and which, at the most minimal estimates, is valued at 500 million euro will also be used prudently in the construction of the nuclear power station, Ovcharov said. ***************************************************************** 10 St. Petersburg Times: College paper to Progress Energy: no more nukes By LOUIS HAU, Times Staff Writer Published October 31, 2005 Winter Park is no fan of Progress Energy Florida since the Orlando bedroom community decided in 2003 to drop Progress and start its own utility. Now comes the local weekly student newspaper - appropriately named the Sandspur - of Rollins College and a prickly opinion piece criticizing Progress Energy's idea of building a new nuclear power plant, possibly in Central Florida. Rollins senior and environmental studies major Scott Bianconi wrote on Oct. 21 that he was "appalled" that Progress Energy might seek a nuclear plant in Central Florida. He cited nearby tourist attractions and the risk of terrorism. Progress spokesman Rick Kimble said it would be a mistake not to consider nuclear power. "There are always going to be people who try to sensationalize the threats," he said. [Last modified October 31, 2005, 03:00:27] © 2005 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 ***************************************************************** 11 NRC: Manhattan College; (Manhattan College Zero Power Reactor); FR Doc E5-5992 [Federal Register: October 31, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 209)] [Notices] [Page 62350-62351] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr31oc05-74] Notice of Approval of Decommissioning Plan and Notice of License Termination The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is noticing the termination of Facility Operating License No. R-97 for the Manhattan College (MC) Zero Power Reactor (MCZPR). The NRC has terminated the license of the decommissioned MCZPR, which was in the Leo Engineering Building of Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York, and has released the site for unrestricted use. The licensee requested termination of the license in a letter to NRC dated February 3, 2005. The MCZPR, a 0.1 watt swimming pool reactor, was constructed in 1964 and operated under License No. R-94. The reactor was permanently shut down in 1995. On March 23, 1999, NRC approved the decommissioning plan (DP) dated July 21, 1998, by License Amendment No. 12. A Notice and Solicitation of Comments Pursuant to 10 CFR 20.1405 and 10 CFR 50.82(b)(5) Concerning Proposed Action to Decommission Manhattan College Zero Power Research Reactor appeared in the Federal Register on February 12, 1999 (64 FR 7214). The staff considered all comments received during the review of the MCZPR decommissioning plan. The NRC completed its review of the December 2004 final status survey report (FSSR) for the Reactor Facility at Manhattan College School of Engineering. The licensee submitted the report to NRC by letter dated February 3, 2005. The report documented the level of residual radioactivity remaining at the facility and stated that compliance with the criteria as approved in the NRC-approved DP had been demonstrated. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(b)(6), the NRC staff concluded that the decommissioning has been performed in accordance with the approved DP and that the final terminal radiation survey and associated documentation demonstrate that the facility and site are suitable for release in accordance with the criteria in the NRC-approved DP. Furthermore, on the basis of the decommissioning activities carried out by MC, the NRC's review of the licensee's FSSR, the results of NRC's inspections conducted at MC, and the results of NRC's confirmatory surveys, the NRC has concluded that the [[Page 62351]] decommissioning process is complete and the facility and site are suitable to be released for unrestricted use. Based on the NRC staff's conclusions, Facility Operating License No. R-94 is terminated. For further details, see the licensee's application for decommissioning dated December 18, 1997, July 21, October 29, and November 10, 1998, and January 6, 1999; License Amendment No. 12 to Facility Operating License No. R-94; the licensee's February 3, 2005, request for license termination; the December 2004 FSSR for the Reactor Facility at the Manhattan College School of Engineering, submitted to NRC by letter dated February 3, 2005 and NRC Inspection Report 50-199/ 2005-201, dated July 15, 2005. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records for MC dated after January 30, 2000, will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who have problems in accessing the documents in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR reference staff at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or at pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of October 2005. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Brian E. Thomas, Section Chief, Research and Test Reactors Section, New, Research and Test Reactors Program, Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. E5-5992 Filed 10-28-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 12 Korea Times: Hill Says NK Insistence on Reactor Inexcusable Hankooki.com > The Korea Times SEOUL (Yonhap) -- U.S. chief nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said Sunday North Korea¡¯s deputy chief of mission to the United Nations Han Song-ryol will ``deeply regret¡¯¡¯ his remarks that Pyongyang will not dismantle its nuclear program unless it receives a light-water reactor. Hill said the North¡¯s insistence on the light-water reactor is ``inexcusable.¡¯¡¯ Hill met with South Korean reporters upon arriving at Incheon International Airport. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Washington Thursday, Han said Pyongyang will not declare all of its nuclear-related programs for verification and dismantlement until the provision of light-water reactor is completed. Han also said Pyongyang was not interested in Seoul¡¯s offer of electricity if it was intended as a substitute for nuclear reactors. Hill arrived here for talks with South Korean negotiators on ways to ensure progress at the next round of six-way talks on peacefully resolving the North¡¯s nuclear program. Hill said he will discuss with officials in Seoul the matter of fixing a date for the fifth round of the talks. Newspapers have reported Nov. 8 as a likely date for the resumption of the talks. He said he hopes the talks will reopen in early November as agreed. Washington¡¯s goal at the next talks is to identify the future path of the six nations over the nuclear disarmament issue and to determine how agreed principles will be implemented, he said. Questioned about Han¡¯s comments on Seoul¡¯s electricity offer, Hill said he was unaware of what the North Korean diplomat might have been intending by such a remark. Hill is scheduled to leave for Tokyo on Monday for talks with Japanese negotiators. In the last round of talks ended in Beijing last month, Pyongyang agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and economic assistance from the other participating nations. However, Pyongyang said the day immediately following the agreement that it would not dismantle its nuclear program until the United States supplies it with a light-water nuclear reactor, raising doubts about its willingness to proceed. Seoul had suggested a provision of 2,000 megawatts of electricity to help energy-starved North Korea and to counter Pyongyang¡¯s desire for nuclear reactors. 10-30-2005 23:09 ***************************************************************** 13 NRC: Notice of Public Workshop on Draft Report for Comment: FR Doc 05-21650 [Federal Register: October 31, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 209)] [Notices] [Page 62352-62353] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr31oc05-76] [[Page 62352]] ``Estimating Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) Frequencies Through the Elicitation Process,'' NUREG-1829 AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Announcement of public workshop. Revision of workshop date. DATES: Workshop date, November 9, 2005. Background: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued draft NUREG-1829, ``Estimating Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) Frequencies Through the Elicitation Process,'' for public comment in June 2005. The report is available under ADAMS Accession Number ML051520574 and on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1829 /. A separate notice was published in the Federal Register on October 4, 2005, announcing the availability of this report (70 FR 57901). This report describes LOCA frequency estimates developed using an expert elicitation process in support of an effort to develop a risk-informed revision of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) requirements for commercial nuclear power plants by redefinition of the design-basis break size. The expert elicitation process consolidates service history data and insights from probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) studies with knowledge of plant design, operation, and material performance to arrive at the LOCA frequency estimates. The ECCS requirements in the United States are contained in 10 CFR 50.46, Appendix K to part 50, and General Design Criterion (GDC) 35. Specifically, ECCS design, reliability, and operating requirements exist to ensure that the system can successfully mitigate postulated LOCAs. Consideration of an instantaneous break with a flow rate equivalent to a double-ended guillotine break (DEGB) of the largest pipe in the primary piping system of the plant generally provides the limiting condition in the required 10 CFR part 50, Appendix K analysis. However, the DEGB is widely recognized as an extremely unlikely event, so NRC staff is performing a risk-informed revision of the design-basis break size requirements. A central consideration in selecting a risk-informed design basis break size is an evaluation of the LOCA frequency as a function of break size. The most recent NRC-sponsored study of pipe break failure frequencies is contained in NUREG/CR-5750 (Poloski, 1999). Unfortunately, these estimates are not sufficient for design basis break size selection because they do not address all current passive- system degradation concerns (e.g., primary water stress corrosion cracking) and they do not discriminate among breaks having effective diameters greater than 6 inches. There have been two approaches traditionally used to estimate LOCA frequencies and their relationship to pipe size: (i) Estimates based on statistical analysis of service experience data, and (ii) PFM analysis of specific postulated failure mechanisms. Neither approach is fully suitable for evaluating LOCA event frequencies due to the rarity of these events and the modeling complexity. This study used an expert elicitation process, which is well-recognized for quantifying phenomenological knowledge when data or modeling approaches are insufficient. Elicitation responses from a panel of 12 experts determined individual LOCA frequency estimates for the 5th percentile, median, mean and 95th percentile of the frequency distribution for each of six LOCA categories. Group estimates were determined by aggregating the individual estimates using the geometric mean of the individual estimates for each frequency parameter (i.e., median, mean, 5th and 95th percentiles). Group variability was estimated by calculating 95% confidence bounds for each of the group frequency parameters. A number of sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine the effects on the quantitative results from variation of the assumptions, structure and techniques of the baseline analysis procedure. Public Workshop: The NRC will conduct a public workshop on Wednesday, November 9, 2005, to be held in room O6B4 at NRC Headquarters, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. This is a revision to the October 31, 2005, workshop date announced in the Federal Register Notice published, October 4, 2005; 70 FR 57901. The purpose of the workshop is to facilitate the comment process. In the workshop, the staff will provide an overview of the report and address clarification of items identified by the public. A preliminary agenda is attached. Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged to contact the below named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes to the agenda. The NRC seeks comments on the report and is especially interested in comments on the following questions: 1. Is the structure of the expert elicitation process appropriate for the stated problem and goals of the study? 2. Are the assumptions and methodology of the analysis framework used to process the panel responses appropriate and reasonable? Are they consistent with the type of information provided by the expert panel and the goals of the study? 3. Is the geometric mean aggregation methodology appropriate for the panel responses and the study goals? Should other aggregation methodologies be considered and what are their advantages and disadvantages? As previously published in the Federal Register, October 4, 2005; 70 FR 57901, the NRC will consider all written comments on draft NUREG- 1829, ``Estimating Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) Frequencies Through the Elicitation Process,'' received before November 30, 2005. Comments received after November 30, 2005, will be considered if time permits. Comments should be addressed to the contact listed below. An electronic version of the report and the accompanying experts' raw data files, are available electronically at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1829 / and through the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From the latter site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this notice are: ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- Document title ADAMS Accession No. File format ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- NUREG-1829......................... ML051520574..................... Adobe Acrobat Document. BWR Non-piping Raw Data for NUREG- ML051580341..................... Adobe Acrobat Document. 1829. BWR Piping Raw Data for NUREG-1829. ML051580344..................... Adobe Acrobat Document. PWR Non-piping Raw Data for NUREG- ML051580346..................... Adobe Acrobat Document. 1829. [[Page 62353]] PWR Piping Raw Data for NUREG-1829. ML051580347..................... Adobe Acrobat Document. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Charles A. Greene, Mail Stop T10E10, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone (301) 415-6177, facsimile number: (301) 415-5074, e-mail cag2@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of October 2005. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Jennifer Uhle, Chief, Materials Engineering Branch, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Attachment--Preliminary Agenda Public Workshop on Draft Report for Comment: ``Estimating Loss-of- Coolant Accident (LOCA) Frequencies through the Elicitation Process,'' NUREG-1829 November 9, 2005*--9 a.m.-12 p.m., Room O-4B6 Preliminary Agenda 9 a.m.-9:15 a.m.--Introduction 9:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m.--Overview of NUREG-1829 9:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m.--Clarification of items identified by the public 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m.--Break 10:30 a.m.-12 noon--Clarification of items identified by the audience 12 noon--Adjourn *Revised date [FR Doc. 05-21650 Filed 10-28-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 14 India: W123: Agreement to convert natural gas into Helium for atomic energy - News - Webindia123.com Kolkata | October 31, 2005 11:38:41 AM IST The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in association with the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics of Kolkata has recently embarked on an ambitious project for producing Helium from natural gas to meet the increasing demands of the Indian Space and Atomic Energy Commission. ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Subir Raha said here last night that it would open a new window of opportunity for the progress of the country's scientific ventures, adding a formal agreement had been signed with the SINP and the Department of Science and technology by ONGC recently. As part of the initiative, a unique Pilot Project was established this year at Kuthalana in Tamil Nadu, where a team of researchers from ONGC and SINP were trying to extract Helium gas from the largely available natural gas for use in the technologies of Indian Space and Atomic Reserch. ''We have already invested Rs 200 crore at Kuthalana, covering almost 95 per cent cost of the project,'' Dr Raha said and hoped the successful commercial production of Helium would start soon. He said in the absence of any proper technology to produce Helium within the country, its total need for the scientific purpose was currently being met through imports. ''After the success of the pilot project, the country's dependence on outside world would be reduced substantially.'' Moreover, a lot of foreign exchange could be saved under this head, he added. Referring to the possibilities of further exploration of natural gas in West Bengal, Dr Raha said preliminary investigations in the Sunderbans Delta in the interiors of South 24 Parganas suggested very high pressure of gas in a large area. However, further research was needed to determine the exact quantity and quality of the findings, he said and assured that work in this connection was on in full swing. MORE UNI ABA SJC RR RK1058 © 2000-2005 Suni System (P) Ltd. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 15 Fort St. John: Maritimes should get second reactor - P.E.I. utility chief canada.com network Canadian Press Monday, October 31, 2005 SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- The head of Prince Edward Island's power utility says it's time for the Maritime region to seriously consider construction of a second nuclear power plant. Jim Lea, president of Maritime Electric, told an Atlantic Power Summit under way in Saint John, N.B., that while it's fine to talk about wind power and conservation, the region needs a reliable and constant source of electricity to meet growing demand. Lea says that with the soaring cost of fossil fuels and the demand for reductions in greenhouse gases, nuclear is an option that should be on the table for discussion. David Hay, the head of NB Power, says his utility is focused on refurbishing Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant in southern New Brunswick. The 23-year-old reactor at Point Lepreau soon will undergo a complex and costly overhaul. Hay says he believes public opinion is softening towards nuclear power as a result of rising fuel costs and improved performance and safety at nuclear plants. © Canadian Press 2005 Copyright © CanWest Interactive, a division of All rights ***************************************************************** 16 United Press International: China and Russia talk nuclear power 10/30/2005 9:21:00 PM -0500 BEIJING, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- China may lend Russia money to build a floating energy unit for a nuclear power plant being constructed in Severodvinsk. Russia is building a floating atomic power plant in Severodvinsk under a 2003 contract signed between China's Mashimpex and the Russian companies Rosenergoatom and Sudoimport, Novosti reported. A source in the Russian delegation visiting Beijing told Novosti that China also plans to design a pilot energy unit with a 600 megawatt fast-neutron facility based on a closed fuel cycle. Russia and China may also jointly develop an experimental ground-based reactor prototype for a space energy unit, the source said. The source said Russia's cooperation with China in the nuclear fuel cycle has strong potential, given China's plans to bring the capacity of its atomic power plants up to 200 gigawatts by 2020. © Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 17 Helsingin Sanomat: Construction Trade Union threatens strike at nuclear plant construction site International Edition - Home Tuesday 1.11.2005 Dispute over union officials' access The Construction Trade Union has threatened to stop work at the construction site of Finland's fifth commercial nuclear reactor. A dispute has erupted between the union and the power company TVO over the granting of access to the site for union officials wanting to inspect the enforcement of the conditions of the present labour contract. Discussions on the issue are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and if they are not successful, work at the Olkiluoto site could stop later in the week. Kyösti Suokas, second chairman of the Construction Trade Union, says that he expects the talks to be successful, but warns that if they are not, a strike will be implemented rapidly. He also believes that support from other unions will be forthcoming; discussions have already been held with the Transport Workers' Union (AKT) over possible action at Finnish harbours. On Tuesday, the Construction Trade Union complained that its officials were being prevented from entering the construction site. "On Tuesday it was revealed that it is only possible to get in at the invitation of the companies", Suokas says. The union's organisational secretary Jukka Asikainen and regional chief Ismo Mansikka were turned away at the gate as they were trying to enter the building site to meet with Timo A. Kallio, the union's intermediary at the site. Suokas said that the union cannot accept such a decision. There are hundreds of foreign workers at the site, and this is expected to increase to more than 1,000. As Suokas sees it, only the Construction Trade Union can protect their interests well enough. The union has two representatives at the building site - Timo A. Kallio and occupational safety representative Jukka Lindgren. Suokas says that they cannot monitor all aspects of work at the construction site on their own, and that therefore, union officials need to have access to the site without a specific invitation from the companies in question. The head of the project, Martin Landtman of TVO, says that long-term passes are available only to workers at the construction site, as well as to state officials, such as representatives of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). "We have a legal obligation to act in this manner", Landtman emphasises. However, STUK official Petteri Tiippana says that TVO can grant long-term passes to anyone it wishes - including trade union representatives - if they meet certain conditions, and if there is a sufficient need. The conditions for a pass include a drug test and a background check, as well as half a day's orientation on the construction site. When TVO's Landtman was called again, he said that stricter practices came into effect when the earth-moving phase ended and the actual construction phase began. The Construction Trade Union's Mansikka has a different view: "Apparently the question is one of cultural differences. German and French companies see the trade union movement as an enemy, and cannot conceive that it could be a partner." Helsingin Sanomat 31.10.2005 - ***************************************************************** 18 Centre Daily Times: Background radiation is part of daily exposure | 10/31/2005 | The recently released report by the National Academies of Sciences stating that any exposure to low-level radiation can lead to an increased risk of cancer once again raises the question of whether the benefits derived from medically related radiation exposure outweigh the risks. Before addressing that question directly, some facts regarding radiation exposure need to be understood. For starters, all of us receive a certain amount of exposure to low-level radiation, whether we have any medical procedures performed or not. This is called background radiation, and it essentially comes from two sources. The first source is the ground at our feet, which contains trace amounts of radioactive elements. Among the various elements found in ground soil is uranium, and the natural decay of this uranium gives rise to a radioactive by-product gas called radon. In areas such as central Pennsylvania, where the ground soil has relatively high concentrations of uranium, radon can collect in basements of homes and can pose a significant health risk. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, as many as 22,000 lung cancer deaths annually throughout the United States can be traced to radon gas exposure. The second source of background radiation is cosmic rays, which rain down on us from outer space. Because the atmosphere acts as a filter to cosmic rays, when we go to higher altitudes, whether in an airplane or on a mountain trail, we receive a higher dose from cosmic ray background. Natural background radiation exposure is the predominant source of exposure to individuals, accounting for about 82 percent of our annual total. Obviously, it is a source that we can do little to reduce or eliminate. The remaining portion of our average annual radiation exposure is from man-made sources. This includes medical devices such as X-ray machines, CT scanners and linear accelerators used in cancer treatment, as well as radioactive agents used in nuclear medicine. Other sources of man-made exposure include trace amounts of radioactive materials used in consumer products, residual fallout from nuclear weapons tests conducted in the past and radioactive waste from both the nuclear power industry and the weapons program. To put things in better perspective, let's attach some numbers to these various sources of radiation exposures, including some common medical procedures. The total average annual individual exposure from background sources (ground soil and cosmic rays) is roughly 3 mSv. (This unit, the millisievert, is the internationally accepted unit of effective radiation dose.) An international flight from Chicago to London results in an additional dose of around 0.04 mSv, a chest X-ray adds about 0.1 mSv, a mammogram about 0.7 mSv and a CT scan of the chest gives around 8 mSv. This average exposure figure can vary greatly, however, depending on local conditions such as soil makeup and altitude. People who live at high altitudes, such as the residents of Denver, for example, receive a significantly higher background radiation exposure from cosmic rays for the reasons mentioned above than those who live at sea level. These facts and factors all need to be taken into consideration when trying to determine whether radiation exposure we receive from various diagnostic and therapeutic medical represent a significant risk. Charles Wild is a physicist in the radiation oncology department at Mount Nittany Medical Center. ***************************************************************** 19 Independent: Former soldier wins landmark case over Gulf War Syndrome By Geneviève Roberts Published: 01 November 2005 A former guardsman suffering from Gulf War Syndrome has won a landmark legal case against the Ministry of Defence. Daniel Martin, 35, who has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss and impaired concentration since the 1991 conflict, will receive a disability award under the "umbrella term" of Gulf War Syndrome. He is one of 1,500 soldiers who made a claim for a disablement pension because of the syndrome, which, for the past 14 years, the MoD has said does not exist. A war pensions tribunal in London yesterday ruled "the term Gulf War Syndrome is the appropriate medical label to be attached" to Mr Martin's condition. The ruling will enable the other servicemen to claim their disablement pensions. Charles Plumridge, Co-ordinator for the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, said: "Hundreds of veterans have applied to have the diagnostic label of Gulf War Syndrome recognised. While the Ministry of Defence has said in the House of Commons that they do not recognise the syndrome, the Pensions Appeal Tribunal has ruled that there is enough evidence to warrant the term." Mr Plumridge, an army reservist called up at the age of 50 to serve in the first Gulf War, has been waiting five years to be granted a disablement pension from the MoD. "A precedent has now been set," he said. "I would expect, at last, the Veterans Agency to accept what everyone else already knows, and grant pensions to the 1,500 veterans who have claimed them due to Gulf War Syndrome." The veterans claim the syndrome was caused by the many vaccinations they received before combat, including the Anthrax vaccine, combined with exposure to depleted uranium and the pesticides used on the servicemen's tents while serving in the Gulf during the Allied action. © 2005 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd. ***************************************************************** 20 NRC: NRC to Hold Public Meetings November 7 and 9 to Discuss Proposed Changes to Worker Fatigue, Drug-Testing Rules News Release - 2005-14 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: No. 05-145 October 31, 2005 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with interested stakeholders on Nov. 7 in Morris, Ill., and Nov. 9 in Charlotte, N.C., to discuss proposed improvements to the agencys fitness-for-duty requirements for workers who have unescorted access to a nuclear power plants protected areas. The Illinois meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn, 200 Gore Road, Morris, and the North Carolina meeting will be held at the Hampton Inn and Suites, 9110 Southern Pines Blvd., Charlotte. Both meetings will have two sessions, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The meetings will include separate discussions of the proposed changes to drug and alcohol-testing provisions and to proposed fatigue-management provisions. The public will have several opportunities to ask questions throughout the meetings. The meeting agenda is available on the agencys web site at this address: . For more information on the meeting, contact David Diec at 301-415-2834 or via email at . Last revised Monday, October 31, 2005 ***************************************************************** 21 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding FR Doc E5-5994 [Federal Register: October 31, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 209)] [Notices] [Page 62351] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr31oc05-75] of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Morphochem, Inc.'s Facility in Monmouth Junction, NJ AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Commercial and R Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406, telephone (610) 337-5040, fax (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: exu@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a license amendment to Morphochem, Inc. for Materials License No. 29-30442-01, to authorize release of its facility in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey for unrestricted use. NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. II. EA Summary The purpose of the action is to authorize the release of the licensee's Monmouth Junction, New Jersey facility for unrestricted use. Morphochem, Inc. was authorized by NRC from 1998 to use radioactive materials for research and development purposes at the site. On August 8, 2005, Morphochem, Inc. requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted use. Morphochem, Inc. has conducted surveys of the facility and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate that the site meets the license termination criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted use. The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the license amendment. The facility was remediated and surveyed prior to the licensee requesting the license amendment. The NRC staff has reviewed the information and final status survey submitted by Morphochem, Inc. Based on its review, the staff has determined that there are no additional remediation activities necessary to complete the proposed action. Therefore, the staff considered the impact of the residual radioactivity at the facility and concluded that since the residual radioactivity meets the requirements in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate. III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the EA (summarized above) in support of the license amendment to terminate the license and release the facility for unrestricted use. The NRC staff has evaluated Morphochem, Inc.'s request and the results of the surveys and has concluded that the completed action complies with the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. The staff has found that the radiological environmental impacts from the action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496, Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC- Licensed Facilities'' [ML042310492, ML042320379 and ML042330385]. Additionally, no non-radiological or cumulative impacts were identified. On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed action and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the action. IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, including the application for the license amendment and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this Notice are: ``Environmental Assessment Related to an Amendment of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Materials License No. 29-30442-01, Issued to Morphochem, Inc.'' [ML052940097]; and ``Termination of NRC License Number 29-30442-01'' dated August 8, 2005 [ML052270172]. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at (800) 397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Documents related to operations conducted under this license not specifically referenced in this Notice may not be electronically available and/or may not be publicly available. Persons who have an interest in reviewing these documents should submit a request to NRC under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Instructions for submitting a FOIA request can be found on the NRC's Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/foia/foia-privacy.html . Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 21st day of October, 2005. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. James P. Dwyer, Chief, Commercial and R Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I. [FR Doc. E5-5994 Filed 10-28-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 22 Deseret News: Former News writer takes environment post [deseretnews.com] Monday, October 31, 2005 The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has named Donna Kemp Spangler to serve as the agency's new public information officer. DEQ executive director Dianne Nielson said Spangler's experience as a former environmental reporter will be an asset in the public information post. "She will be responsible to help us effectively communicate complex environmental issues so the public can make informed decisions," Nielson said. Spangler said she is looking forward to helping "enhance the public's understanding of environmental issues and the agency's role in protecting the quality of Utah's environment." Spangler replaces Laura Vernon, who resigned to take a position in the private sector. Spangler's most recent position was at the Exchange Monitor Publications in Washington, D.C., where she reported on a variety of nuclear waste, nuclear energy, low-level waste disposal and homeland security issues. From 1999 to 2004, Spangler was an environmental reporter for the Deseret Morning News. She has worked at newspapers in Washington state and Oregon. © 2005 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 23 Pasadena Star: NASA increases clean-up efforts Article Launched: 10/31/2005 01:00:00 AM 2 wells to be added at JPL dump site Kimm Groshong can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451, or by e-mail at kimm.groshong@sgvn.com. LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Since early this year, NASA has pumped water up from a contaminated plume beneath the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, removed about 400 pounds of perchlorate and more than eight pounds of other potentially hazardous chemicals and re-injected the water below ground. Now NASA is proposing to expedite that clean-up process by adding an additional two wells - one for extraction and one for injection - to its JPL treatment plant. The estimated cost for the additions is $1 million. Steve Slaten, remedial project manager for the NASA water cleanup project, said the source area is an eight to 10-acre site near the old disposal pits. "About two-thirds of all the chemicals that are in the groundwater still exist in this area in higher concentrations than off site," he said. "It's important that we capture these chemicals" so they don't spread to other areas. Now that the feasibility study has shown that the treatment technology works well for its location, Slaten said NASA wants to expand its capabilities. And the agency is seeking public comment on its proposal, which is now online and will be available by Nov. 1 at local libraries. This is all part of NASA's comprehensive clean-up of an area beneath JPL where -- between 1945 and 1960 -- employees dumped chemical waste into seepage pits. The treatment process pulls water up from underground, puts the water through a carbon filter and a treatment tank where bacteria destroy any perchlorate, and then re-injects the water into the groundwater. Currently, there are two extraction wells and two injection wells on site. Significant debate exists over the level of danger perchlorate poses to the public. The chemical can interfere with the thyroid's iodide uptake and thyroid hormone production. This is of most concern to pregnant women because the hormones are needed for pre and post-natal development. Perchlorate has been measured at the JPL source area at concentrations of 13,000 parts per billion. Off-site, in areas affected by the plume, levels are generally about 1,000 times lower and still must be cleaned up. California's public health goal, which spells out a level of contamination that would pose no danger to even the most sensitive populations, is 6 parts per billion. Slaten said to thoroughly clean that source area, the system will need to operate for "probably at least a decade." NASA will hold a public meeting to hear comments on the expanded proposal from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 16 at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive in Altadena. The proposal is currently available online at http://jplwater.nasa.gov and will be available by Nov. 1 at the La Canada Flintridge Public Library, the Pasadena Central Library, the Altadena Public Library and the JPL Repository for JPL employees. Copies and additional information can be requested by calling (818) 393-0754. Kimm Groshong can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451, or by e-mail at kimm.groshong@sgvn.com. Copyright © 2005 Pasadena Star-News Los Angeles Newspaper Group ***************************************************************** 24 St. Petersburg Times: Dangers lie beneath its surface The Stauffer Chemical land has been declared one of the nation's worst toxic waste sites. A Times Editorial Published October 31, 2005 It sounds like a joke: To get the land to build more North Pinellas boat ramps, Pinellas County officials are considering buying a federal Superfund site. But county officials are not raising red flags, so eager are they to acquire open land and satisfy unhappy boaters. Or perhaps they just don't know as much as they should about the poisonous past and uncertain future of the former Stauffer Chemical Co. property in northwest Pinellas County. From 1947 to 1981, Stauffer Chemical and its predecessor, Victor Chemical, burned phosphate ore in a giant furnace on the 130-acre property to produce elemental phosphorus used in pesticides, fertilizer and some foods. When Stauffer closed, it left behind 300,000 cubic yards of dirt contaminated with arsenic, heavy metals and radioactive elements. In 1993, Florida declared the property a public health hazard. In 1994, the desolate site was named to the federal Superfund list of worst toxic waste dumps in the country. Stauffer is preparing to "clean up" the site under a binding agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal courts. The remediation consists of mixing the contaminated soil with cement to solidify it in several large mounds, which then will be covered with dirt, a synthetic cap and grass. The design of the mounds has not been completed, but an EPA official said the mounds likely will cover one-third to one-half of the 130 acres. Stauffer and the EPA will monitor them from now on to check for leaks. Pinellas County officials seem comfortable with the prospect that the public could own those mounds along with the more desirable land around them. The county staff already has produced a draft concept plan for the property showing six soccer fields, parking lots, high-and-dry storage for about 450 boats, public boat ramps and about 100 wet slips. County officials say Stauffer is eager to see the property under public ownership. No kidding; the company should just give it to the county. Pinellas officials should consider these points before spending a dime of public money on the Stauffer property: --The EPA says that Stauffer would remain responsible for the capped mounds in perpetuity - unless the future owner did something to contribute to the failure of the cap or mound. Like what? --Neither Stauffer nor the EPA can say how long the solidified mounds and the caps covering them will last or whether they one day might have to be redone. The mound-and-cap method is relatively new, and caps have failed at some other sites. Their longevity is even more of a wild card at the Stauffer site because it is on the river, near the gulf, in a region vulnerable to hurricanes and sinkholes. --The mounds cannot be built on, and an EPA official said the agency would even encourage a new owner to build walking paths around the mounds to discourage lots of foot traffic over them. Yet the county's concept plan shows internal roads and grass parking lots on top of the mounds. The EPA says it could work with the county plan as it designs the mounds, but the issue illustrates that the county would be buying all of the property, yet getting unfettered use of only part of it. The threat of trouble will always hang over the Stauffer site. Does Pinellas County really want to buy that? [Last modified October 31, 2005, 03:00:27] © 2005 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 ***************************************************************** 25 Korea Times: Nuclear Dumpsite Vote Wednesday Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Biz/Finance By Kim Yon-se Staff Reporter A popular vote on the location of the nation¡¯s 19-year-long state project _ building a low- and mid-grade nuclear dumpsite _ is slated for tomorrow in four provincial candidate sites. The four locations voting on the dumpsite are Pohang City, Kyongju City and Yongdok County in North Kyongsang Province and Kunsan City in North Cholla Province. The final bidder will be selected based on the results of the votes by the residents of the four areas. To be named the successful bidder, one-third of all community residents have to vote and more than half of the voters must support the project. The government will chose the location which has the highest approval rate and meets the project¡¯s minimum requirements. According to recent surveys by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and some private research centers, three locations _ Kunsan, Kyongju and Yongdok _ are in a close battle with Pohang trailing behind. The ministry and researchers forecast the approval rates in the three locations to be around 70-80 percent. But some say Pohang may overturn expectations by having a high voter turnout. Formerly, many experts worried that most residents would reject the project for fear that they could be exposed to dangerous nuclear radiation. But the current concern is the competition between the east and west regions. The government has confirmed that the proposed dumpsites are safe and will cause no effects because of radiation exposure. And as it has promised a supplementary development project, most residents in the communities have become eager to win the bid. The ministry had said that some incentives will be offered to residents of the nuclear waste site, including 300 billion won in financial support and the relocation of the Korea Hydro &Nuclear Power headquarters from Seoul to the site. Two years ago, the government designated Wido of Puan County in North Cholla Province as a nuclear waste site, but dropped the designation because of strong resistance from residents. kys@koreatimes.co.kr 10-31-2005 22:39 ***************************************************************** 26 AU ABC: Labor to oppose NT nuclear dump legislation. 01/11/2005. ABC News Online Labor's spokeswoman for science and education, Jenny Macklin, says Labor will oppose legislation forcing a nuclear waste dump on the Northern Territory. Debate on the legislation resumed in Federal Parliament last night. If passed, the legislation would make any Territory Government opposition to the dump irrelevant. Ms Macklin says the legislation is heavy-handed and overrides Territorians' rights to have a say on the issue. "We think there should be an open process that allows people to be involved in discussions about where any nuclear waste dump should take place," she said. "This legislation just completely annihilates any opportunity for people to get involved in the debate and discussion about where the dump should be." The federal Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, spoke to the legislation last night and said traditional owners in central Australia were strongly opposed to a nuclear waste dump on their land. He said they are concerned the legislation overrides their rights as well as the rights of the Northern Territory Government. Meanwhile, the Country Liberal Party has put forward a range of amendments of their own to the Federal Government's legislation. The amendments would stop high level waste from being stored in the Territory and would indemnify the Territory in the event of an accident. They would also allow a Territory representative to sit on the board of the regulator of the waste dump site. The federal CLP Member for Solomon, Dave Tollner, says the amendments would also give Aboriginal land councils the opportunity to suggest sites for the dump. "It will give the land councils the power to look at alternate sites and at the same time to make sure there's no problems with sacred sites issues, environmental issues and the like," he said. Debate on the bill is expected to resume this afternoon. ***************************************************************** 27 Agricultural Research Service: Perchlorate in Milk Examined / October 31, 2005 / News from the USDA [Dairy cow in pasture. Link to photo information] By Kim Kaplan A dairy cow's rumen can act as a biological filter, breaking down most perchlorate in feed, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The research was done by animal physiologist Anthony V. Capuco and a team of scientists from the ARS Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory, and by chemist Clifford Rice and a team from the ARS Environmental Quality Laboratory. Both labs are part of the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center. The scientists found that up to 83 percent of perchlorate fed to cows is metabolized by the rumen. Public concern about perchlorate, an industrially used oxidant as well as a naturally occurring compound, has increased in recent years, especially after very low levels of perchlorate were found in milk. Capuco and his colleagues found that while perchlorate levels in the milk of cows fed various levels of perchlorate did increase slightly as consumption increased, the levels did not rise in direct proportion to the increased consumption. Similar trends were noted in urine, feces and blood. Previous work had shown that perchlorate did not accumulate in the cows' tissues, and the researchers found no deleterious health effects in the cows, even at the highest level of perchlorate fed--40 mg/day--in the study. No changes were found in the cows' blood chemistry, blood differential counts, incidence of mastitis, body temperature or thyroid hormone concentrations, or in indirect measures of health such as feed intake and milk production. This study helps assess environmental influences on milk perchlorate levels and provides a context for assessing the potential for impact on human health. ARS is the 's chief in-house scientific research agency. ***************************************************************** 28 Salt Lake Tribune: Feds plan redesign on hot-waste containers Article Last Updated: 10/29/2005 01:56:02 AM By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune The U.S. Energy Department may have thrown a new complication last week into plans for proposed reactor-fuel storage in Utah's Skull Valley. The department on Tuesday said it would ask its contractor to redesign the containers that would be used to ship waste and bury it permanently underground at Yucca Mountain, Nev., so that it does not need repackaging. That could be an issue for proponents of the Skull Valley site, a utility consortium called Private Fuel Storage LLC, which has just completed eight years of licensing reviews using an existing canister system. PFS spokeswoman Sue Martin said Friday that the problem will wind up being the Energy Department's because nuclear companies have for two decades packed waste in so-called "dry storage" containers that are pre-approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If the Energy Department, which has responsibility for permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste, proceeds with its new containers, it would mean repacking all of the waste that's already in dry storage. "They [Energy Department officials] have an obligation under the law to take the fuel for the utilities," she said, adding that PFS's plan is to use the two-part cask system developed by New Jersey-based Holtec International. "That's what we are licensed for," she said. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reviewed the Holtec containers to serve as a pre-approved option that allows utilities to store their waste at their reactor sites. Last month the commission licensed the PFS facility with those containers. The Energy Department has struggled for more than 20 years to build Yucca Mountain as a permanent repository for high-level waste. Meanwhile, PFS' storage is contemplated as long-term parking of up to 40 years for reactor waste on its way to Yucca Mountain. Described as a stop-gap solution for reactors that were running out of storage space while waiting for the Energy Department to come up with permanent disposal, the PFS site has been analyzed for safety based on the Holtec containers. The containers include an inner cask to hold the highly radioactive fuel and two types of outer containers, one for shipping, the other for above-ground storage. Critics of the Energy Department's Yucca Mountain plan say the proposed changes are intended to smooth the way politically for the repository, cutting the costs and making the facility "cleaner." In the law that designated Yucca Mountain as the national disposal site, the federal government promised to take the waste from the utilities in 1998. Copyright 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 29 Guardian Unlimited: WI asked for views in survey on disposal of nuclear waste David Adam, environment correspondent Monday October 31, 2005 Some members have stripped naked for a charity calendar but now the Women's Institute has been charged with addressing a more serious matter: how to handle thousands of tons of radioactive nuclear waste. The WI is among a host of groups asked by a government committee to weigh up the various ways of safely disposing of the UK's store of lethal radioactive waste. The results of the public discussions will feed into the committee's final advice to ministers next year, a key step in the decision over whether to build new nuclear reactors in Britain. Article continues Gordon MacKerron, chairman of the committee on radioactive waste management, said: "This is an issue that affects the entire country. The views of the public are very important and combined with detailed scientific considerations will help us find a solution." To guide public discussion, the committee has produced a booklet that introduces options and the criteria on which they should be evaluated. Professor MacKerron said: "The guide is designed for groups of people to get together, whether in a school, village hall or the local pub, to discuss the subject. You do not have to have any specialist knowledge on radioactive waste to take part." More than 1,700 copies have been sent to groups including schools and councils. But the move has fuelled criticism that the committee is pursuing public consultation at the expense of expert advice. Senior scientists at the Royal Society and the House of Lords science and technology select committee have expressed concern over the committee's work and two members have quit in protest over how it ignored scientific advice. John Large, an independent nuclear consultant, said: "This is public consultation gone bananas. The disposal of radioactive waste is extremely complex and you have to make sure what you're going to do is technically possible." The committee has four options for the public to consider, including burying the waste deep underground or keeping it in specialist facilities at the surface. Prof MacKerron said: "We have another process for getting the best technical information together and there will be some way we will combine that with the best of the consultation." The government has said it first wants to solve what to do with nuclear waste before it builds more reactors. Some 470,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste are stored. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 ***************************************************************** 30 Sydney Morning Herald: No nuclear dumps: traditional owners - National - smh.com.au By Stephanie Peatling November 1, 2005 Traditional owners of two of the proposed three sites for a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory have urged the Federal Government to look elsewhere for the facility, saying they are worried about the implications for the environment and the health of their people. The Central Land Council held meetings with the traditional owners of the Alcoota-Harts Range and Mt Everard sites, near Alice Springs, a fortnight ago and has formally told the Minister for Science, Brendan Nelson, of the owners' opposition. But under legislation to be debated by Parliament this week, Dr Nelson will gain the power to dismiss all objections to the site he eventually chooses for the nuclear waste dump. "Of primary concern is the need to keep their country safe and healthy for present and future generations, and to be able to continue to use their country for hunting and getting bush tucker," says a letter written by the council outlining the owners' concerns. People are living close to the two proposed sites and are worried about the long-term health and environmental effects should the dump go ahead. "They fought hard to get their country back and they believe they should not be the ones to have to live with radioactive waste on their land," the letter says. A delegation of senior traditional owners will visit Canberra next week to protest against the three proposed sites for the dump. The Federal Government is responsible for finding a site suitable for permanent storage of nuclear waste produced by federal facilities such as Sydney's Lucas Heights reactor. It resumed the search last year after a campaign by the South Australian Government and local groups forced it to abandon plans to put the dump near Woomera. Three sites are being considered, two of them on land looked after by the Central Land Council. The other is on Northern Land Council land. The Northern Land Council has given its support for a waste dump in the NT if it can be done with the co-operation of traditional owners and without endangering environmental or sacred site considerations. Legislation due to be debated this week will give Dr Nelson the power to over-ride NT laws designed to prevent the building of a nuclear dump in the territory. It will also allow him to dismiss objections raised by traditional owners and prevent appeals under federal environmental or heritage protection laws. The Opposition's science spokeswoman, Jenny Macklin, said the new legislation would "crush all opposition to the dump, including that of the Central Land Council". "It's time for the Science Minister to listen to the concerns of the local community, instead of ramming through legislation designed to silence dissent," she said. RADIOACTIVE ISSUE . Federal Government wants to bury nuclear waste at one of three sites in the Northern Territory. . Traditional owners and the NT Government do not want it. . Federal Government will pass legislation this week to override all opposition. Copyright © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald. ***************************************************************** 31 Salt Lake Tribune: Homeland Security reports on Skull Valley facility Article Last Updated: 10/29/2005 01:21:23 AM It's classified: Public won't see it, but Hatch says "there is language that would cause anybody concern” By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security has completed an assessment of a proposed private nuclear waste dump on the Skull Valley Goshute Indian reservation, although the contents of the draft report remain classified. Sen. Orrin Hatch and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. have had secure briefings on the report's findings, but neither was able to discuss specifics from the meeting. “I'm not going to talk about the report except to say that I believe there is language that would cause anybody concern,” Hatch said in an interview Friday. “I won't characterize it beyond that.” Hatch pressed the security issues during a briefing by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Michael P. Jackson in a secure room on the fourth floor of the Capitol on Thursday evening. Hatch and Huntsman had urged Homeland Security to conduct the study in hopes that it might reveal security shortcomings or risks that could help to scuttle the plans by Private Fuel Storage, a group of electric companies, to store 44,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel rods on the Indian reservation in Utah's Skull Valley. “[Governor Huntsman] was not surprised by the fact that the Department of Homeland Security agrees there are some issues that need to be addressed, as you might suspect,” said Huntsman's counsel, Mike Lee. There was some discussion about what could be done to mitigate the risks identified, but “that is cold comfort to the hundreds of thousands of Utahns who live immediately downwind from this site.” The report is still in draft form, and Hatch was not given a copy. It is expected to remain classified in its final form and will likely not be released publicly, Hatch spokesman Peter Carr said. Lee said it is too early to tell how the report might help the state's case. The Department of Homeland Security dispatched a team of experts to the state in August to review plans by Private Fuel Storage, specifically focusing on what sort of construction and response capabilities would need to be in place if the site is to be built and operated safely. Homeland Security spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich said the report is nearly ready to be reviewed by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “This effort that we're working on in no way replaces or supersedes the regulatory authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” she said. “They will take any necessary actions under the law as it relates to this issue.” The Nuclear Regulatory Commission heard numerous arguments from the state that the PFS site would pose an unacceptable security risk or terrorist target, but the NRC dismissed those claims before granting PFS a license in September to build the facility. Hatch also released a letter Friday from Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, in which Bodman assures the senator that the PFS facility is not part of the national nuclear storage strategy and it is prohibited by law from receiving federal funding. “It's now very clear that the administration does not support the PFS plan and it will never be built,” Hatch said. Bodman's assurance echoed a promise made by his predecessor, Spencer Abraham. PFS has, however, not sought federal funds. Bodman also reiterated his continued support for a permanent nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nev. “I believe that the development of Yucca Mountain as a permanent geologic repository for the nation's high-level radioactive waste will reduce, if not eliminate, the need for high-level radioactive waste to go to a private temporary storage facility in Utah,” Bodman wrote in his Oct. 26 letter. © Copyright 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 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. For more information go to: *****************************************************************