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                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 [NYTr] Rice Wants More Bucks to Destabilize Iran
2 [NYTr] Russia Rejects Sanctions Against Iran
3 Russian General Warns Against Striking Iran
4 Guardian Unlimited: France Accuses Iran of Making Nuclear Arms
5 Guardian Unlimited: France: Iran Nuke Program a Military Cover
6 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Puts Condition on Iran Enrichment
7 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Warns U.S. Against Striking Iran
8 Guardian Unlimited: Bush plans huge propaganda campaign in Iran
9 IRNA: Indonesian MPs back Iran's peaceful nuclear case 
10 IRNA: Iranian, Venezuelan parliaments call nuclear arms int'l threat
11 IRNA: China respects Iran's right for nuclear energy 
12 AFP: Iran rejects French nuclear charges 
13 AFP: House condemns Iran nuclear program -
14 AFP: IAEA warns may need compromise on Iranian enrichment - diplomat
15 AFP: Iran nuclear programme is 'military' - France
16 AFP: Iran rejects French nuclear charges 
17 AFP: Rice calls Iran "central banker of terrorism" 
18 AFP: Rice says it will be tough to get UN sanctions against Iran -
19 AFP: US says it would not bow to North Korean boycott threat 
20 US: Guardian Unlimited: Cheney Says He Can Declassify Information
21 US: WT: Commercial photos show Chinese nuke buildup - 
22 US: PTC: Anti-war activists convicted (again) in Hennepin County Cou
23 Rediff: Time to redeem or reject nuclear deal
24 Bellona: Alternative visions for a US climate policy
25 Bellona: Murmansk becomes a powerful oil export center
26 IRNA: US president's visit to India shifts from "nuclear" to "econom
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
27 US: NRC: New NRC Resident Inspector Assigned to Oyster Creek Nuclear
28 Rediff: Pakistan eyes more nuclear power from China
29 US: NRC: NRC Releases Results of its 2005 Safety Culture and Climate
30 RIA Novosti: Duma wants search sped up for radioactive generators in
31 US: Herald News: Tritium leak discovered at Dresden
32 Xinhua: New nuclear power plant to be built in Fujian   
33 US: Rutland Herald: More Yankee activists see charges dropped
34 US: APP.COM: Closing Oyster Creek would be anything but simple
35 US: APP.COM: Safety a concern at Salem County plants | 
36 AFP: China to build two more nuclear power plants
37 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
38 Creamer Media's Engineering News: Top Russian nuclear scientists vis
39 US: WCCO-TV: Public Discussion Set For Xcel-Monticello Plan
40 asahi.com: EDITORIAL/ Pluthermal project
41 UPI: Russia, Vietnam to work on energy
42 Sofia Morning News: Russian, Czech Bids for New Bulgarian Nuke Separ
43 US: Vermont Guardian: Massachusetts officials urge NRC to deny joint
 
                          NUCLEAR SECURITY
 
44 Daily Yomiuri: Is latest export scandal tied to N-black market? 
45 Bellona: Norway to allocate 110m crowns for Russian radiation securi
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
46 US: Philadelphia Inquirer: Contamination-case success
47 US: Seattle Times: U.S. facing $553.9 million payout for plutonium l
48 UK: HSE: Statement of nuclear incidents at nuclear installations
49 US: New West Network: Did Utah Kill John Wayne? Part IV: Well, Did I
50 US: Paducah Sun: Paducah workers untouched by cuts - 
51 US: KLASTV.com - Exclusive: Atomic Workers Have New 'Weapon'
52 canada.com: Nuclear watchdog blamed for leaving Port Hope, Ont., at 
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
53 US: Las Vegas SUN: EPA criticized Nevada for slow cleanup at mine,
54 US: AP Wire: Nuclear waste storage in Monticello up for public discu
55 US: AP Wire: Feinstein, Pombo seek money to clean perchlorate contam
56 US: Deseret News; Bill to constrain governor is OK'd, but veto is
57 EUobserver: Brussels warns UK over Sellafield nuclear material
58 RIA Novosti: Kyrgyz authorities take emergency measures at nuclear d
59 Las Vegas SUN: DOE clueless on Yucca 
60 US: reviewjournal.com: EPA criticized state over mine cleanup
61 US: WBBM 780: Tritium Leaks Found At Dresden, Byron Nukes
62 APP.COM: Activists, Nevada don't want waste site | 
63 US: APP.COM: Spent fuel likely to stay indefinitely | 
64 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Guv vows a veto to retain say over waste 
65 US: Dispatch: Olin Continues Bottled Water
66 Irish Examiner: Nuclear material from Sellafield could be stolen, re
67 US: KRDO: URANIUM SPILL CLOSES HIGHWAY 50
68 US: Morris Daily Herald: Scrutiny of tritium leak intensifies
69 US: KARE 11: State holding hearings on Xcel's desire to expand waste
70 US: Canon City Daily Record: Accident causes hazardous spill
71 UPI: DOE unsure when Yucca nuclear dump ready
72 UK: News & Star: Sellafield operator’s EU breach warning
 
                           PEACE
 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
73 Secrecy News -- 02/16/06
74 [NukeNet] Groups File for Emergency Injunction
75 ContraCostaTimes.com: Livermore lab watchdogs ask court to delay 'ho
76 KIFI: Idaho National Laboratory Reaches Hydrogen Milestone
77 DOE: DOE to Compete Contract for Management and Operation of 
78 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Energy Department to seek bids to manage
79 Hanford News: Administration looking for ways to limit cost of progr
80 Hanford News: N Reactor demolition begins
81 Hanford News: Nuclear waste storage plan up for public discussion
82 Hanford News: PNNL earns 4 technology awards
83 Hanford News: Company looks into 3 Hanford contracts
84 DenverPost.com: No accountability at Rocky Flats site
85 Tri-Valley Herald: Shelter a dual-use facility
86 WSB&C: Jury Awards Over One Half Billion in Environmental Damages to
87 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridg
88 DOE: Office of Fossil Energy; National Coal Council
89 DOE: Advance Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
90 DOE: Office of Science; High Energy Physics Advisory Panel
91 DOE: Office of Science; DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
92 Paducah Sun: DOE: No phosgene danger at gaseous diffusion plant - 
93 SRS: SRS tritium production; US spent fuel imports
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
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 1 [NYTr] Rice Wants More Bucks to Destabilize Iran
 
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:23:43 -0600 (CST)

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
[OF COURSE her plan will backfire... Everything the Bush regime touches
turns to shit in their facex! ]

The Los Angeles Times - Feb 16, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-rice16feb16,0,3517368.story?coll=la-home-world

U.S. Aid Would Fund Iran Opposition

Rice asks for $85 million in an effort to provide a counterbalance to 
the country's Islamic regime. Some say the plan could backfire.

By Paul Richter

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a move to
broaden pressure on Tehran's theocratic regime, asked Congress on
Wednesday to sharply increase spending to promote democracy in Iran,
from $10 million to $85 million this year.

The money would be used to support political opposition and civil
society groups in Iran, increase U.S. broadcasting into the country
and underwrite more student study in the United States, Rice said.

"No one wants to see a Middle East that is dominated by an Iranian
hegemony, particularly one that has access to nuclear technology,"
Rice said, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The move reflects the Bush administration's recognition that
diplomatic efforts to halt Tehran's nuclear program face long odds
and attempts to reform the regime from the inside may offer one of
the best chances for keeping it free of nuclear weapons.

But Iranian officials, who are highly sensitive to signs of foreign
influence, are likely to point to the effort as another example of
U.S. meddling and try to use it to foster anti-Americanism and build
support for the regime, analysts said.

The United Nations Security Council is considering a report by the
world body's nuclear watchdog agency that Iran is in breach of
agreements intended to provide safeguards on the country's nuclear
program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the U.S. and
European nations believe is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.

As outlined by Rice, $50 million of the new outlay would allow the
United States to broadcast Farsi-language programs 24 hours a day.
Another $15 million would be earmarked for increasing participation
in the political process, including measures such as expanded
Internet access. The administration hopes to spend $5 million to fund
scholarships and fellowships for young Iranians, and the State
Department said $5 million "would go to public diplomacy efforts
aimed at Iran, including its Persian-language website."

Jon Wolfsthal, a proliferation expert at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington, said spending more to transmit
broadcasts into Iran would probably have limited impact, considering
that many Iranians have satellite dishes and can watch foreign
programming. He said that although promoting democracy was
worthwhile, "there has to be a recognition that the Iranian regime
has a stable hold.. This can't be a substitute for a broader policy"
to restrain the country's nuclear ambitions.

Wolfsthal said the initiative also reflected domestic pressure on the
administration to do more about the perceived danger posed by Iran.

One of the advocacy groups that has been most alarmed by Iran, the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee, praised the
administration's move, calling it "decisive steps to promote freedom,
human rights and democracy in Iran."

Rice did not give details of how the money would be delivered, but
she said federal prohibitions restricting aid and fund transfers to
Iran would be eased.

At the Senate hearing, members of both parties questioned whether the
administration's strategy in the Middle East, built around promoting
democracy, had improved the situation.

Some noted that U.S.-backed elections had strengthened the influence
of Iran, giving more power to militant groups Hezbollah in Lebanon
and Hamas in the Palestinian territories, and seating a
Shiite-dominated Iraqi government with strong ties to Tehran.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) praised the administration for recently
focusing on multinational diplomacy, but he said he did not see how
"things are getting better."

"I think they're getting worse in Iraq. I think they're getting worse
in Iran," Hagel said. He added that he hoped Hamas' rise to power
would "start to develop in a different direction."

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said elections in the Middle East and
Latin America had handed power to "negative candidates who run
against America," and she questioned whether the administration had
properly handled policy.

Rice insisted that the elections had "made the world - in a
transitional state - a better place."

"There are going to be some outcomes that are not perfect from an
American point of view," she said.

"But I don't think our policy can be that you can only have elections
if you plan to elect . candidates that are friendly to America."

       
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 2 [NYTr] Russia Rejects Sanctions Against Iran
 
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:27:03 -0600 (CST)

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Russia Rejects Sanctions against Iran

Moscow, Feb 15 (Prensa Latina) Russian Foreign Minister Serguei 
Lavrov said application of sanctions against Iran would not make any 
desired effect or allow solving the situation, said the Russian press in 
this capital Wednesday.

Russia insisted that the solution of the problem is inside the 
frame of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and it is opposed 
to sanctions against this country.

Lavrov said the Russian position has not had any change, and 
they were convinced that with the help of specialists and experts from 
IAEA the problem would have a solution.

Lavrov said that Teheran asked for suspension of negotiations 
until February 20 on the creation of a joint venture for uranium 
enrichment in Russia.

Serguei Kirienko, head of the Russian Federal Agency for 
Nuclear Energy (Rosatom) will go to Iran on February 23.

Russia and representatives of the European Union exhorted Iran 
to go back to the negotiation table and abstain from actions that could 
worsen the situation. 

In Vienna, Austria, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, 
who is now the EU temporary President, informed that in the meeting the 
parts were very sorry that Teheran has restarted the uranium enrichment.

Plassnik pointed out that Moscow has worked and is still 
working an important role in the solution of the problem around 
processing nuclear fuel.

Russian TV channel NTV commented Wednesday the enrichment works 
in the atomic center of Natanz are very small, and only researches, 
according to statements given by Iranian Vice President Gholamreza 
Agazade.

Regarding the production of uranium in industrial amounts the 
authorities of Teheran have not decided anything yet.

Western press media are still twisting the objectives of the 
investigations of Iran, and so they are getting things to take the case 
to the UN Security Council.

hr/tac/jpm
       
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 3 Russian General Warns Against Striking Iran
 
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:20:23 -0600 (CST)

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/ap/2006/02/16/ap2532379.html

Associated Press
 	By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV , 02.16.2006, 11:29 AM

Russia's  top  military  chief  on  Thursday  warned the United States 
against  launching  a  military strike against Iran and a top diplomat 
voiced  hope  that close cooperation with China could help resolve the 
Tehran nuclear crisis.

With   tension  mounting  over  Iran's  nuclear  programs,  Gen.  Yuri 
Baluyevsky,  the  chief  of  Russia's general staff, warned the United 
States against attacking Iran.

"A  military  scenario  can't  be ruled out," Baluyevsky was quoted as 
saying by Russian news agencies.

He  said  that  while  Iran's military potential cannot compare to the 
United  States',  "it  is  hard  to  predict how the Muslim world will 
respond to the use of force against Iran."

"This  may stir the whole world, and it is crucial to prevent anything 
like that," Baluyevsky was quoted as saying.

Deputy  Foreign  Minister  Alexander  Alekseyev,  meanwhile, said that 
cooperation  with China could help push Iran toward accepting Moscow's 
offer to host Iran's uranium enrichment program.

The Russian proposal has become a centerpiece of international efforts to 
defuse tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"We  are  counting  on  the  continuation  of  close contacts with our 
Chinese  colleagues  and  other  interested  countries," Alekseyev was 
quoted  as saying by the Interfax news agency. He added, however, that the 
Iranian  nuclear  issue recently had become "sharper," and "it is too 
early  to  assess the effectiveness of our joint steps to resolve it."

Iran's  ambassador  to  Moscow  said Thursday that Tehran hoped Russia 
would be able to help resolve the international crisis surrounding the 
Iranian nuclear program.

"Taking  into  account  the  good relations between Russia and Iran, I 
hope  that  together  we  can  overcome  this  crisis which has arisen 
recently," Gholamreza Ansari said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers.

Ansari  confirmed that a delegation is expected to travel to Moscow on 
Monday to discuss the proposal. He would not say who will lead it, but the 
Interfax  news agency quoted Vyacheslav Moshkalo, a spokesman for the 
Russian embassy in Tehran, as saying that the team will be headed by Javad 
Vaeidi, Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator.

Konstantin  Kosachev, the head of Russian parliament's foreign affairs 
committee,  said after his discussions with the ambassador that he was 
satisfied that the Iranians would be coming in good faith.

"Iran  understands  the  seriousness  of the situation and is ready to 
continue  discussions  between  experts  to  reach a compromise on the 
Russian  proposal,"  he  said. He said he had received assurances that 
"the  delegation  is  getting  ready  for  talks and will have all the 
necessary authority for conducting negotiations."

Kosachev   also   sharply   criticized   Iranian   President   Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad's  remarks in which he called for Israel's destruction and 
questioned whether the Holocaust occurred.

"Such statements don't help strengthen Iran's international prestige," he 
said with Ansari standing at his side.

A  Western  diplomat,  who  spoke  on condition of anonymity, said the 
strong international consensus developed so far, including Russia, "is 
probably the strongest instrument we have going right now in trying to 
influence Iranian behavior."

Moscow   is  deeply  concerned  about  the  current  Iranian  regime's 
prospects  for  acquiring  nuclear weapons, not only because Russia is 
geographically  located  close to Iran, but also because of the impact 
that  could  have  on  other Middle East players' nuclear aspirations, 
including Saudi Arabia's, the diplomat said.

The  diplomat  also  noted  that  by  aspiring  to  a  central role in 
resolving the Iran crisis, Russia wanted to show that it could use the 
contacts   it   has  built  up  over  the  years  -  including  direct 
communications  with  the  Iranians  -  to advance the concerns of the 
international community.
*****************************************************************
 4 Guardian Unlimited: France Accuses Iran of Making Nuclear Arms
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday February 16, 2006 11:46 PM

AP Photo XHS103 By JOHN LEICESTER 

Associated Press Writer 

PARIS (AP) - France accused Iran on Thursday of secretly making
nuclear weapons, ditching Europe's traditional diplomatic
caution for bluntness that echoed the tough U.S. stance and
reflected growing exasperation with Tehran. 

Iran quickly denied the allegation by French Foreign Minister
Philippe Douste-Blazy, who hardened the line that European
negotiators had previously taken in their efforts to persuade
Iran to suspend nuclear activities. 

``No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear
program. It is a clandestine military nuclear program,''
Douste-Blazy said on France-2 television. 

``The international community has sent a very firm message in
telling the Iranians to return to reason and suspend all nuclear
activity and the enrichment and conversion of uranium, but they
aren't listening to us.'' 

Uranium enrichment can produce fuel for both nuclear energy and
nuclear weapons. Iran resumed small-scale uranium enrichment
last week but insists its nuclear activity is aimed solely at
generating electricity. 

While the United States has long accused Iran of seeking nuclear
weapons, European leaders had been more delicate. 

France's Foreign Ministry insisted Douste-Blazy's remarks were
in line with the European position on Iran. France, Germany and
Britain have been negotiating with Iran, but no other European
leader has spoken so frankly. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in contrast to Douste-Blazy's
evident frustration, said Thursday she was ``very optimistic
that we can do everything to solve this conflict with diplomatic
means.'' 

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also struck a more cautious
note than his French counterpart. 

``There are strong suspicions internationally that Iran may be
seeking to use its nuclear program in order to develop a nuclear
weapons capability,'' he said Thursday on a visit to Algeria.
``We do not have absolute proof, we do not have conclusive
evidence of this.'' 

In Washington, the House voted 404-4 on Thursday to approve a
non-binding resolution expressing support for efforts to report
Iran to the U.N. Security Council. The Senate already approved
the symbolic legislation, which imposes no legal consequences on
Iran. 

The U.N. Security Council will consider Iran's nuclear
activities next month. The council has the power to impose
economic and political sanctions on Iran. 

``Now it's up to the Security Council to say what it will do,
what means it will use to stop, to manage, to halt this terrible
crisis of nuclear proliferation caused by Iran,'' Douste-Blazy
said. 

Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Larijani, lashed back. 

``I recommend that Mr. Douste-Blazy speak in diplomatic terms
and avoid increasing tension,'' Iranian state-run television
quoted him as saying. ``The motivation of the French foreign
minister behind his new comments is ambiguous to us. But it is
in the interests of the region that the West adopts a logical
stance toward Iran's nuclear activities.'' 

Georges Le Guelte, a nuclear expert at France's Institute for
International and Strategic Research, called Douste-Blazy's
statement ``remarkable.'' 

``It was not very diplomatic,'' he said, adding it sent a
powerful message to French companies operating in Iran that have
pressured the government to remain cautious. 

Richard Whitman of the Chatham House think tank in London said
Douste-Blazy's comments reflect ``a sense of exasperation with
the Iranian government.'' 

``All of the doors that were open in terms of negotiations ...
are gradually being closed by the Iranians,'' he said. 

So far, the United States, Europe and Russia have stuck together
in an effort to pressure Iran. 

A senior U.S. State Department official visiting Turkey on
Thursday cautioned that Iran's leadership will try to divide the
international community. The official, who requested anonymity
because his meetings with Turkish officials were ongoing, said
for diplomacy to work, countries must quickly send a unified
message that Iran is isolated, losing international trust and
harming itself. 

The next big test comes next week at talks in Moscow on moving
Iran's enrichment program to Russia. The proposal is meant to
allay fears that Tehran might use the technology to make nuclear
arms. Tensions over Iran are likely to diminish if Tehran agrees
to the Russian proposal - and balloon if it does not. 

Meanwhile, Russia's military chief Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky warned
the United States against launching a military strike against
Iran, saying ``it is hard to predict how the Muslim world will
respond.'' 

--- 

Associated Press reporters Angela Charlton in Paris, Geir
Moulson in Berlin, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Ali Akbar
Dareini in Tehran contributed to this report. 	 

      Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 5 Guardian Unlimited: France: Iran Nuke Program a Military Cover
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday February 16, 2006 11:01 AM

By ANGELA CHARLTON 

Associated Press Writer 

PARIS (AP) - France's foreign minister said Thursday that Iran's 
nuclear program was a cover for clandestine military activity, in 
an unusually direct attack on Tehran for a European diplomat. 

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator immediately dismissed the charge, 
insisting that Iran doesn't ``want to have the bomb.'' 

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy's comments were likely to 
increase pressure on Iran amid the international dispute over its 
nuclear activities. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful 
but European and U.S. leaders fear it is aimed at building atomic 
weapons. 

``No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear 
program. It is a clandestine military nuclear program,'' 
Douste-Blazy said on France-2 television. ``The international 
community has sent a very firm message in telling the Iranians to 
return to reason and suspend all nuclear activity and the 
enrichment and conversion of uranium, but they aren't listening 
to us.'' 

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. 
Security Council on Feb. 4 over suspicions about its nuclear 
activities. France, Britain and Germany have led European 
negotiations that have failed to persuade Iran to suspend parts 
of its nuclear program. 

Amid mounting tensions, Iran resumed small-scale uranium 
enrichment last week. Uranium enriched to low level is used to 
produce nuclear fuel for reactors and further enrichment makes it 
suitable for use in nuclear weapons. 

``Now it's up to the Security Council to say what it will do, 
what means it will use to stop, to manage, to halt this terrible 
crisis of nuclear proliferation caused by Iran,'' Douste-Blazy 
said. 

Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani rejected the French minister's 
comments, saying, ``We want civil nuclear energy, we don't want 
to have the bomb.'' 

``Concerning nuclear arms, we are a responsible country,'' he 
said on France-Inter radio from Tehran. ``The propaganda suggests 
that we want the bomb, but this is not the truth.'' 

``We want to be in this camp'' of countries that have nuclear 
energy technology but no nuclear weapons, such as Brazil and 
Japan, he said. 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the 
United States will ``walk a fine line'' in seeking international 
sanctions against Iran. 

Rice detailed a two-track approach to Iran - concerted 
international pressure to deter the Iranians from building a 
bomb, and a newly robust attempt to sew democratic change within 
the country with aid for broadcasts and dissidents. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 6 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Puts Condition on Iran Enrichment
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday February 16, 2006 9:16 AM

AP Photo XHS105 By GEORGE JAHN 

Associated Press Writer 

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov 
said Moscow will only host Iran's uranium enrichment program if 
Tehran agrees to re-impose an indefinite freeze on enrichment at 
home. 

In Paris Thursday, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy 
said that Iran's nuclear program is a cover for clandestine 
military activity. 

``No civil nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear 
program. It is a clandestine military nuclear program,'' 
Douste-Blazy said on France-2 television. ``The international 
community has sent a very firm message in telling the Iranians to 
return to reason and suspend all nuclear activity and the 
enrichment and conversion of uranium, but they aren't listening 
to us.'' 

Lavrov's comments Wednesday came just five days before talks in 
Moscow on moving Iran's enrichment program to Russia to allay 
fears that Tehran might misuse the technology to make nuclear 
arms. The meeting is crucial, with tensions over Iran likely to 
diminish if Tehran agrees to the Russian proposal - and to 
balloon if it does not. 

Lavrov, in Vienna to meet senior European Union officials under 
Austria's EU presidency, suggested that any hope in Tehran for 
Russian backing of enrichment on Iranian soil was a long way off. 

``When confidence in the Iranian nuclear program is 
re-established ... we could come back to the possible 
implementation of the right that Iran has to develop a nuclear 
energy sector full scale,'' said Lavrov. 

Russia, a traditional ally of Iran, backed Tehran's referral to 
the U.N. Security Council earlier this month on condition the 
council take up the issue no earlier than March and based on a 
report being prepared by International Atomic Energy Agency head 
Mohamed ElBaradei on his agency's probe into Tehran's nuclear 
program. 

An Iranian official said Wednesday that Tehran would like to 
avoid having the Security Council take action on its nuclear 
program and believes Russia's proposal could provide the basis 
for an immediate short-term solution. 

But Iran will not abandon its right to full nuclear technology, 
including enriching uranium, which is guaranteed under the 
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, said the official, who is 
knowledgeable about the country's nuclear negotiations. 

Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator, Javad Vaeidi, will lead the 
team heading to Moscow for talks Monday with the Russians to deal 
with concerns and clarifications Tehran has about the Russian 
proposal, the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity 
because he was not authorized to speak publicly. 

``But we have said there are prospects for the proposal to become 
acceptable and to be implemented,'' the official said. ``We will 
do our best in good faith to reach that positive conclusion.'' 

Iran confirmed Tuesday it has resumed small-scale uranium 
enrichment, and on Wednesday Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad visited the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, Iran's 
official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. 

Ahmadinejad's visit to the plant in central Iran was widely seen 
as a gesture of support for scientists involved in Iran's uranium 
enrichment program. Activities at Natanz had been suspended since 
October 2003. 

``What enemies fear is not production of an atomic bomb, because 
in today's world atomic bombs are not efficient,'' Ahmadinejad 
was quoted by the news agency as saying. ``The main fear and 
concern of enemies is the self-reliance and knowledge of the 
Iranian nation and the fact that Iranian youth are acquiring 
peaceful nuclear technology.'' 

The Iranian official said it is a matter of national pride that 
the country has developed or copied the technology to produce and 
run centrifuges and the materials used in the centrifuges despite 
efforts by the United States and other Western countries to 
deprive it of nuclear technology. 

Centrifuges are used to enrich uranium. Uranium enriched to low 
level is used to produce nuclear fuel for reactors and further 
enrichment makes it suitable for use in nuclear weapons. 

Iran had 164 centrifuges in Natanz sealed by the IAEA in 2003. 
The seals were removed last month when Iran resumed nuclear 
research. Iranian officials have indicated that Tehran may 
possess up to 2,000 centrifuges. For a large-scale enrichment, 
Iran has to build up to 60,000 centrifuges. 

The official stressed that Iran wants to use nuclear technology 
purely for peaceful purposes, that it opposes all weapons of mass 
destruction and favors all countries getting rid of nuclear, 
chemical and biological weapons. 

The official asked Security Council members to consider whether 
using pressure and possibly imposing sanctions will advance 
international nonproliferation efforts, or whether the object is 
to ensure that Iran does not divert its nuclear technology into 
the military arena. 

Sanctions could damage Iran's economy, and pressure will only 
strengthen the resolve of the Iranian people to advance their 
peaceful nuclear technology, the official said. 

The way to advance nonproliferation, the official said, is to 
ensure that Iran's nuclear technology is used transparently and 
is closely monitored by the IAEA. Iran is prepared to increase 
monitoring to an unprecedented level, the official said. 

The official said the Russian proposal could pave the way for 
negotiations on a longer-term solution which would allow Iran to 
enrich uranium by 3.5 percent under the strictest monitoring the 
IAEA has ever conducted, along with legal and political 
commitments, the official said. 

--- 

Associated Press Writer Ali Akbar Dareini contributed to this 
report from Tehran 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 7 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Warns U.S. Against Striking Iran
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday February 16, 2006 4:31 PM

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV 

Associated Press Writer 

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's top military chief on Thursday warned the 
United States against launching a military strike against Iran 
and a top diplomat voiced hope that close cooperation with China 
could help resolve the Tehran nuclear crisis. 

With tension mounting over Iran's nuclear programs, Gen. Yuri 
Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, warned the 
United States against attacking Iran. 

``A military scenario can't be ruled out,'' Baluyevsky was quoted 
as saying by Russian news agencies. 

He said that while Iran's military potential cannot compare to 
the United States', ``it is hard to predict how the Muslim world 
will respond to the use of force against Iran.'' 

``This may stir the whole world, and it is crucial to prevent 
anything like that,'' Baluyevsky was quoted as saying. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev, meanwhile, said that 
cooperation with China could help push Iran toward accepting 
Moscow's offer to host Iran's uranium enrichment program. 

The Russian proposal has become a centerpiece of international 
efforts to defuse tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. 

``We are counting on the continuation of close contacts with our 
Chinese colleagues and other interested countries,'' Alekseyev 
was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He added, 
however, that the Iranian nuclear issue recently had become 
``sharper,'' and ``it is too early to assess the effectiveness of 
our joint steps to resolve it.'' 

Iran's ambassador to Moscow said Thursday that Tehran hoped 
Russia would be able to help resolve the international crisis 
surrounding the Iranian nuclear program. 

``Taking into account the good relations between Russia and Iran, 
I hope that together we can overcome this crisis which has arisen 
recently,'' Gholamreza Ansari said at a meeting with Russian 
lawmakers. 

Ansari confirmed that a delegation is expected to travel to 
Moscow on Monday to discuss the proposal. He would not say who 
will lead it, but the Interfax news agency quoted Vyacheslav 
Moshkalo, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Tehran, as 
saying that the team will be headed by Javad Vaeidi, Iran's 
deputy nuclear negotiator. 

Konstantin Kosachev, the head of Russian parliament's foreign 
affairs committee, said after his discussions with the ambassador 
that he was satisfied that the Iranians would be coming in good 
faith. 

``Iran understands the seriousness of the situation and is ready 
to continue discussions between experts to reach a compromise on 
the Russian proposal,'' he said. He said he had received 
assurances that ``the delegation is getting ready for talks and 
will have all the necessary authority for conducting 
negotiations.'' 

Kosachev also sharply criticized Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad's remarks in which he called for Israel's destruction 
and questioned whether the Holocaust occurred. 

``Such statements don't help strengthen Iran's international 
prestige,'' he said with Ansari standing at his side. 

A Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 
strong international consensus developed so far, including 
Russia, ``is probably the strongest instrument we have going 
right now in trying to influence Iranian behavior.'' 

Moscow is deeply concerned about the current Iranian regime's 
prospects for acquiring nuclear weapons, not only because Russia 
is geographically located close to Iran, but also because of the 
impact that could have on other Middle East players' nuclear 
aspirations, including Saudi Arabia's, the diplomat said. 

The diplomat also noted that by aspiring to a central role in 
resolving the Iran crisis, Russia wanted to show that it could 
use the contacts it has built up over the years - including 
direct communications with the Iranians - to advance the concerns 
of the international community.         
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 8 Guardian Unlimited: Bush plans huge propaganda campaign in Iran
 
Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday February 16, 2006
The Guardian 		
 		
The Bush administration made an emergency request to Congress 
yesterday for a seven-fold increase in funding to mount the 
biggest ever propaganda campaign against the Tehran government, 
in a further sign of the worsening crisis between Iran and the 
west.

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said the $75m (�43m) 
in extra funds, on top of $10m already allocated for later this 
year, would be used to broadcast US radio and television 
programmes into Iran, help pay for Iranians to study in America 
and support pro-democracy groups inside the country.

Although US officials acknowledge the limitations of such a 
campaign, the state department is determined to press ahead with 
measures that include extending the government-run Voice of 
America's Farsi service from a few hours a day to round-the-clock 
coverage.

The sudden budget request, which follows an outlay of only $4m 
over the last two years, is to be accompanied by a diplomatic 
drive by Ms Rice to discuss Tehran's suspect nuclear weapons 
programme. She is to begin with a visit to Gulf states. Ms Rice 
told the Senate foreign affairs committee that Iranian leaders 
"have now crossed a point where they are in open defiance of the 
international community".

She added: "The United States will actively confront the 
aggressive policies of the Iranian regime. At the same time, we 
will work to support the aspirations of the Iranian people for 
freedom and democracy in their country."

The US is to increase funds to Iranian non-governmental bodies 
that promote democracy, human rights and trade unionism. It began 
funding such bodies last year for the first time since Washington 
broke off ties with Iran in 1980. A US official said all existing 
citizens' groups and non-governmental organisations in Iran had 
been heavily infiltrated by the Tehran government, so the US 
would seek to help build new dissident networks.

US officials depicted the new pro-democracy spending as just one 
side of a multi-faceted diplomatic offensive aimed at increasing 
pressure on Tehran. They said Ms Rice would make Iran a focal 
point of her talks with Middle East leaders in her tour next 
week, put it centre-stage at the upcoming G8 meeting in Moscow, 
and call a meeting of political directors from the Nato alliance 
in late March or April solely to talk about policy towards Iran.

US propaganda efforts in the Middle East since September 11 have 
been relatively unsuccessful. Analysts say its Arabic news 
station al-Hurra (the Free One) is widely regarded with suspicion 
in the Middle East and has poor listening figures.

The move follows talks in Washington last week with British 
diplomats specialising in Iran. The Foreign Office yesterday 
welcomed the US move, noting it meant the continued pursuit of 
diplomatic means rather than hints of military action.

The Foreign Office funds the BBC World Service, whose Persian 
service has built a following in Iran. This month Iran began 
blocking the Persian service website.

A senior US official claimed there was now "a broad degree of 
concern" in the Middle East and around the world about the recent 
actions taken by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and that the 
proposed US offensive had been greeted "very enthusiastically".

The stand-off between Iran and the west worsened on Tuesday when 
an Iranian official said Tehran had resumed small-scale uranium 
enrichment, a necessary step towards achieving a nuclear weapons 
capability.
 	
 	 	
        Special report United States of America

World news guide North American media

Media New York Times Washington Post CNN

Government US government portal White House Senate House of 
Representatives

[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 9 IRNA: Indonesian MPs back Iran's peaceful nuclear case 

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 16, IRNA                                                                                                               

Iran-Indonesia-Nuclear 

Indonesian parliament deputies on Thursday expressed their
support for Iran's peaceful nuclear program in line with
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

 According to Indonesian National News Agency (Antara), the MPs
expressed their country's abstention vote to recent resolution
of Western states within Board of Governors of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran's nuclear program.

 The MPs said they would call on Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono to expel Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, if
he were not able to appropriately explain the reasons for the
abstention vote.

 On Feb 4, the European Union troika (Germany, France and
Britain) put to voting an anti-Iran resolution at Board of
Governors of IAEA.

 The Western states could not pass the resolution with unanimity
required as per the procedure and put it to voting at the
35-member Board.

 They got 27 votes in favor and three against and five members
abstained.

 Cuba, Venezuela and Syria voted against the draft resolution
while Algeria, Belarus, Indonesia, Libya and South Africa gave
vote of abstention.

 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the resolution does not
represent the aspiration of the international community, because
more than 100 countries, which have not membership of the
governing board, back Iran's nuclear program in line with
Safeguards Agreement of IAEA. 2327/1416

*****************************************************************
 10 IRNA: Iranian, Venezuelan parliaments call nuclear arms int'l threat -
                              
Caracas, Feb 16, IRNA                                                                                                            

Iran-Venezuela-Nuclear 

Iranian and Venezuelan Parliament Speakers in a joint communique
issued here on Wednesday in which they have condemned the
manufacturing, stockpiling, and proliferation of nuclear
weapons, called such moves as threats against international
peace and security.

 Emphasis is made in the communique on all countries' right to
have access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes within the
framework of the international related laws, while taking
instrumental advantage of the international bodies, agencies,
and treaties in order to exert pressure against independent
countries is condemned in the document.

 The Iranian and Venezuelan Parliament Speakers supported the
legitimate liberties of individuals and the rules of human
rights and voiced opposition to the pressure imposed by foreign
forces against independent countries, and their interference in
those countries' internal affairs, resorting to such excuses.

 The two sides recognized the freedom of expression as a basic
human right, condemned taking instrumental advantage of that
right in order to launch orchestrated attacks against sanctities
of civilizations, and asked for strengthening the foundations of
Dialogue among Civilizations.

 Both parliament speakers emphasized the need for deepening
comprehensive bilateral ties and cooperation, while stressing
the need for continuous consultations in political, economic,
parliamentary and cultural fields.

 The two sides asked for accelerating the implementation of the
signed agreements between the two brotherly countries.

 Both Parliament Speakers emphasized the need to boost
 parliamentary ties and exchange of information in the process
of the two countries' law making.

 The two sides have pointed out the significance of
strengthening relations within the framework of the South-South
cooperation and the need for taking full advantage of the
political, industrial, cultural, and energy potentials of south
nations at the service of securing their shared interests,
 They have also asked for continuous cooperation of South
nations at international organizations and agencies,
particularly in the Non Aligned Movement (NAM), the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the United Nations' G15
and G77, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

*****************************************************************
 11 IRNA: China respects Iran's right for nuclear energy 

Beijing, Feb 16, IRNA                                                                                                            

Iran-China-Nuclear Energy 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here Thursday
that peaceful use of nuclear energy based on the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an inalienable right of Iran
and all countries.

 Qin told reporters at his weekly press conference that China
believes in resolving the crisis over Iran's nuclear program
through diplomatic ways and in cooperation with the
international community.

 Iran has the right to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy based on
the NPT regulations, he said.

 China is against proliferation of nuclear weapons while
believes Iran's nuclear issue should be peacefully settled
within frameworks of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) through talks, Qin said.

 He expressed hope that the parties to the crisis would exercise
patience and prepare an atmosphere to settle the issue
appropriately.

 The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly announced its
nuclear issue should be settled within frameworks of
international regulations and expressed its readiness to hold
talks with the European states.

 But five permanent members of the UN Security Council, in their
recent resolution, called for reporting Iran to the council.

 Iran said that it conducted peaceful nuclear research in line
with Safeguards Agreement of International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) and Islam forbids possessing and using weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs). 2327/1416
*****************************************************************
 12 AFP: Iran rejects French nuclear charges 

 Thursday February 16, 06:09 PM 

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran insisted that it was not seeking a nuclear
weapon, rejecting unprecedented accusations by France that its
atomic drive was "clandestine" and "military" in nature.

The allegations from French Foreign Minister Philippe
Douste-Blazy were the first time a top European official has
made such explicit claims against Tehran and highlighted
increasing EU exasperation over Tehran's nuclear program.

"Contrary to all the propaganda against us, we are not seeking a
nuclear bomb, ADVERTISEMENT
 [ src=] since we are a signatory to (the nuclear)
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," said chief nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani.

"It is Western propaganda that keeps on saying that Iran is
seeking a bomb, but it is not true," Larijani, also the head of
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told France Inter
radio.

Douste-Blazy's comments came two days after two days after Iran
confirmed it has resumed sensitive uranium enrichment work, a
process that can be used both to make fuel for a power station
or the explosive core of a nuclear bomb.

"It's very simple: no civilian nuclear program can explain
Iran's nuclear program," the minister told France 2 television.
"Therefore it's a clandestine military nuclear program."

 Larijani retorted: "I am very sorry to hear such comments from
him, France possesses a high position among the Iranians."

"It is better for France to use its position to solve the issue,
complicating the situation is easy, but diplomats should refrain
from harsh comments," he said.

"We should not hear the same comments from the EU countries as
we are used to hear from the Americans," he added.

"I really and definitely think that France has the capability to
come forward. The EU should maintain their own position, without
influence," Larijani said.

He reaffirmed Iran's position that it was ready to continue
negotiations with the Europeans.

Negotiations between Iran and Europe, supposed to have taken
place in mid January, never materialized owing to Iran's
resumption of enrichment related activities.

The United States, for their part, have regularly accused Iran
of seeking nuclear weapons.

The row over Iran's nuclear ambitions -- which Tehran insists is
for civilian nuclear energy only -- has sparked an international
standoff which has led to the brink of UN Security Council
intervention.

Earlier this month the United States and a European Union troika
made up of Britain, France and Germany persuaded the watchdog
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report Iran to the
Security Council for action.

The world body is awaiting a March 6 report by IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei before deciding how to proceed.

Asked about whether Iran would halt oil sales to the West,
Larijani issued a veiled warning but also insisted Iran would
never act irresponsibly.

"We will not take the first step. But if they take on a
behaviour that changes the region's conditions, it may have an
affect."

"We would not resort to any means for any end, we are a
responsible nation," he added.

"We principally do not believe in such methods, the methods
which will disturb the international norms," Larijani said.

Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh also offered
reassuring words about oil production from OPEC's second largest
producer.

"There is no link between the oil and the nuclear issue," he
told reporters. "We have no reason to stop our exports."

Iran has said that the uranium enrichment resumed at the Natanz
plant is small scale in nature, for research purposes only, and
not on an industrial scale.

"The international community has sent a very strong message to
the Iranians: show reason, suspend all nuclear activities and
uranium enrichment," Douste-Blazy said. "And they're not
listening to us.

"That is the reason why, for the first time for days, the
international community is united. It's not just the Europeans
-- France, Germany and the British -- it's also Russia and
China."

Meanwhile, a group of Iranian students rallied outside the
German embassy in protest at Berlin's stance on the nuclear
issue and the cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed but were
prevented by security forces from approaching the compound. 
                                
    Copyright � 2006 Yahoo! UK Limited. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 13 AFP: House condemns Iran nuclear program -

 Thu Feb 16, 1:59 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The House of Representatives, by a vote of
404 to four, passed a resolution condemning the government of
Iran" /> Iranfor resuming its nuclear program. 

 The resolution condemns Tehran for violating its nuclear
nonproliferation obligations and expresses support for efforts
-- including possible United Nations" /> United Nationssanctions
-- to ensure it meets its international commitments. 

"Protecting American citizens from terrorism means keeping a
watchful eye on nations like Iran," Republican House Speaker
Dennis Hastert" /> Dennis Hastertsaid. 

"The Iranian government has blatantly ignored its international
obligations and the Paris Agreement and instead headed down a
path of dangerous, deadly destruction. 

"With this resolution, we let the Iranian government know that
its nuclear ambitions are simply unacceptable," Hastert, the
chamber's top lawmaker, said after the vote. 

Majority Leader John Boehner said the vote in Congress ratchets
up pressure on Iran after earlier action by the international
community. 

"On February 4th, the international community sent a strong
message to Iran when the International Atomic Energy Agency" />
International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors referred
Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council,"
said Boehner. 

"This resolution sends a strong message to the Iranian
government and makes clear that the United States will not stand
idly by and tolerate Iran's path towards nuclear capability." 

"We look forward to the day we can welcome Iran as a free, open,
and responsible member of the international community," Boehner
added. 

"The Iranian people should know the United States will continue
to work with them to promote democracy and freedom." 

Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 14 AFP: IAEA warns may need compromise on Iranian enrichment - diplomats

 Thu Feb 16, 1:18 PM ET 		 	 

VIENNA (AFP) - UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has
warned in quiet diplomacy that it will be hard to strike a
compromise on Iran" /> Iran's nuclear program without letting it
do small-scale enrichment work -- something the West firmly
rejects, diplomats told AFP. 

 A Western diplomat close to ElBaradei's International Atomic
Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agencysaid it
should not be seen as the IAEA director endorsing Iran doing
uranium enrichment, which can make atom bomb material, but as
recognition of political reality. 

Led by the United States and the European Union" /> European
Union, the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors on February 4
referred Iran to the UN Security Council, which can impose
punitive measures such as sanctions to get Tehran to suspend
enrichment and return to talks on guaranteeing its nuclear
program is peaceful. 

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said: "Dr. ElBaradei continues
to both publicly and privately call on Iran to adopt the
confidence-building measures requested by the board, including
suspension of all enrichment-related activities." 

But the Western diplomat said ElBaradei felt that taking the
Iranian issue from the IAEA to the Security Council could lead
to a diplomatic confrontation and a hardening of positions on
both sides, instead of negotiations. 

Because of this, said the diplomat, ElBaradei has said a deal
could hinge around letting Iran operate a pilot enrichment plant
for small-scale work but securing firm guarantees in return for
not doing industrial-scale enrichment. 

Industrial-scale enrichment can produce enough enriched uranium
to produce 20 or so atom bombs a year, according to experts. 

Small-scale enrichment is not enough in the short term to
produce nuclear weapons -- "you can't do a break-out scenario
with a pilot plant," a second diplomat said. 

ElBaradei has mentioned the possibility of this compromise with
the United States and other IAEA board members, but the United
States and the EU, which charge that Iran is secretly developing
nuclear weapons, reject such a deal. 

They insist Iran suspend all efforts on uranium enrichment,
which Tehran says it needs to produce fuel for reactors in a
peaceful program to generate electricity. 

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy of France claimed for the
first time Thursday that Iran was leading a "clandestine
military nuclear programme" -- a charge Tehran fiercely denies. 

Iran had offered to hold off on full-scale enrichment if it were
allowed to do research, namely a pilot enrichment facility in
Natanz with 164 centrifuges which would be tightly monitored by
the IAEA, rather than a facility with tens of thousands of
centrifuges for industrial-scale work. 

But since being referred to the Security Council, Iran has moved
ahead on enrichment work by testing centrifuges at Natanz, and
has even threatened to withdraw from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 

A Western diplomat sympathetic to ElBaradei's position said: "At
the end of the day, the West is going to have to accept a pilot
plant." 

The diplomat said the number of people working there could be
controlled so that "you would be able to see if people were
disappearing into a clandestine program" to enrich uranium. 

The diplomat said enrichment technology is "out of the bag"
anyway and Iran must be given "a pilot enrichment plant in
return for not having an industrial plant" as part of a package
of incentives and caveats. 

A European diplomat, who like others interviewed asked not to be
named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said: "In the end, if
we want an agreement we are going to have to make a compromise." 

But analyst Gary Samore, a former US non-proliferation official,
said that letting Iran do small-scale enrichment was "not a
practical option." 

"Iran is not interested in a deal. Iran's interest is in getting
its weapons option," he said. 

ElBaradei feels however that if Iran suspends enrichment and
guarantees it will not seek nuclear weapons, a pilot plant would
meet its insistence on its right under the NPT to enrich
uranium. 

Moscow has proposed hosting Iranian enrichment in Russia so Iran
would not acquire "breakout" technology, but Tehran says it must
be allowed to enrich on its own soil. 	 		 			
													 			 			 				
Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 15 AFP: Iran nuclear programme is 'military' - France

 Thu Feb 16, 2:45 AM ET 		 	 

PARIS (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
branded Iran" /> 's nuclear programme for the first time as a
"clandestine, military" project. 

 "It's very simple: no civilian nuclear programme can explain
Iran's nuclear programme," he told France 2 television in an
interview, two days after Tehran confirmed it was resuming
sensitive uranium enrichment work. 

"Therefore it's a clandestine military nuclear programme." 

The exact nature of Iran's nuclear ambitions -- Tehran insists
that it just wants to make civilian nuclear power -- has sparked
an international standoff which has led to the brink of UN
Security Council intervention. 

Earlier this month the United States and a European Union" />
troika made up of Britain, France and Germany persuaded the
watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency" /> (IAEA) to report
Iran to the Security Council for action. 

The world body is awaiting a March 6 report by IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei before deciding how to proceed. 

"Firstly, the international community has sent a very strong
message to the Iranians: show reason, suspend all nuclear
activities and uranium enrichment," Douste-Blazy said, adding:
"And they're not listening to us. 

"That is the reason why, for the first time for days, the
international community is united. It's not just the Europeans
-- France, Germany and the British -- it's also Russia and
China." 

Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 16 AFP: Iran rejects French nuclear charges 

 Thu Feb 16, 1:09 PM ET 		 	 

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran" /> Iraninsisted that it was not seeking a
nuclear weapon, rejecting unprecedented accusations by France
that its atomic drive was "clandestine" and "military" in
nature. 

 The allegations from French Foreign Minister Philippe
Douste-Blazy were the first time a top European official has
made such explicit claims against Tehran and highlighted
increasing EU exasperation over Tehran's nuclear program. 

"Contrary to all the propaganda against us, we are not seeking a
nuclear bomb, since we are a signatory to (the nuclear)
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," said chief nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani. 

"It is Western propaganda that keeps on saying that Iran is
seeking a bomb, but it is not true," Larijani, also the head of
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told France Inter
radio. 

Douste-Blazy's comments came two days after two days after Iran
confirmed it has resumed sensitive uranium enrichment work, a
process that can be used both to make fuel for a power station
or the explosive core of a nuclear bomb. 

"It's very simple: no civilian nuclear program can explain
Iran's nuclear program," the minister told France 2 television.
"Therefore it's a clandestine military nuclear program." 

Larijani retorted: "I am very sorry to hear such comments from
him, France possesses a high position among the Iranians." 

"It is better for France to use its position to solve the issue,
complicating the situation is easy, but diplomats should refrain
from harsh comments," he said. 

"We should not hear the same comments from the EU countries as
we are used to hear from the Americans," he added. 

"I really and definitely think that France has the capability to
come forward. The EU should maintain their own position, without
influence," Larijani said. 

He reaffirmed Iran's position that it was ready to continue
negotiations with the Europeans. 

Negotiations between Iran and Europe, supposed to have taken
place in mid January, never materialized owing to Iran's
resumption of enrichment related activities. 

The United States, for their part, have regularly accused Iran
of seeking nuclear weapons. 

The row over Iran's nuclear ambitions -- which Tehran insists is
for civilian nuclear energy only -- has sparked an international
standoff which has led to the brink of UN Security Council
intervention. 

Earlier this month the United States and a European Union" />
European Uniontroika made up of Britain, France and Germany
persuaded the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency" />
International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) to report Iran to the
Security Council for action. 

The world body is awaiting a March 6 report by IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei before deciding how to proceed. 

Asked about whether Iran would halt oil sales to the West,
Larijani issued a veiled warning but also insisted Iran would
never act irresponsibly. 

"We will not take the first step. But if they take on a
behaviour that changes the region's conditions, it may have an
affect." 

"We would not resort to any means for any end, we are a
responsible nation," he added. 

"We principally do not believe in such methods, the methods
which will disturb the international norms," Larijani said. 

Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh also offered
reassuring words about oil production from OPEC" /> OPEC's
second largest producer. 

"There is no link between the oil and the nuclear issue," he
told reporters. "We have no reason to stop our exports." 

Iran has said that the uranium enrichment resumed at the Natanz
plant is small scale in nature, for research purposes only, and
not on an industrial scale. 

"The international community has sent a very strong message to
the Iranians: show reason, suspend all nuclear activities and
uranium enrichment," Douste-Blazy said. "And they're not
listening to us. 

"That is the reason why, for the first time for days, the
international community is united. It's not just the Europeans
-- France, Germany and the British -- it's also Russia and
China." 

Meanwhile, a group of Iranian students rallied outside the
German embassy in protest at Berlin's stance on the nuclear
issue and the cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed but were
prevented by security forces from approaching the compound. 	 		
			
Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 17 AFP: Rice calls Iran "central banker of terrorism" 

 Thu Feb 16, 11:00 AM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" />
pressed the US diplomatic attack against Iran" /> , calling
Tehran the "central banker" for global terrorism and accusing it
of working with Syria" /> to destabilize the Middle East. 

 Testifying before a Senate committee for the second straight
day, Rice again sought to focus world attention on what she
called an Iranian threat that goes beyond fears over its
suspected nuclear weapons program. 

"It's not just Iran's nuclear program but also their support for
terrorism around the world. They are, in effect, the central
banker for terrorism," she told the Senate Budget Committee. 

Rice claimed success in having Iran referred to the UN Security
Council for its nuclear activities but she said, "We will not be
able to address the Iranian nuclear program and problem in a
vacuum. 

"Perhaps one of the biggest challenges we face is the policy of
the Iranian regime, which is a policy of destabilization of the
world's most volatile and vulnerable region" she said, referring
to the Middle East. 

"It is Iran's regional policies that really are concerning as we
watch them, with their sidekick Syria, destabilizing places like
Lebanon and the Palestinian territories and, indeed, even in
southern Iraq" /> ." 

The United States has accused Iran of supporting militant groups
such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as Iraqi insurgents and
Palestinian movements such as Hamas that are opposed to peace
with Israel" /> . 

Rice also reiterated US assertions that the autocratic clerical
regime in Tehran was stomping on the democratic aspirations of
the Iranian people. 

A day earlier, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee" /> , she announced the US administration would ask
Congress for another 75 million dollars to boost democratic
reforms in Iran. 

Most of the new money would go to fund around-the-clock Farsi
television and radio broadcasts into Iran, with the rest
destined for efforts to promote civil society groups, student
exchanges, Internet access and other programs. 

	 		 			
Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 18 AFP: Rice says it will be tough to get UN sanctions against Iran -
     
 Thu Feb 16, 4:33 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" />
Condoleezza Riceconceded it would take tough diplomacy to agree
UN nuclear sanctions on Iran" /> Iranand suggested worried
countries take their own action. 

 Rice made her comments in a day of congressional testimony
where she also called Tehran the "central banker" for global
terrorism and a partner with Syria" /> Syriain destabilizing the
Middle East. 

The chief US diplomat claimed a major success in reporting the
dispute over Iran's nuclear activities to the Security Council,
which has the power to slap sanctions on the Islamic Republic. 

But she added, "I do not underestimate the challenge that we
have in getting robust actions, should Iran continue to defy the
international community when we go into the Security Council." 

"There are many different interests that will be represented
there, by many different countries, and we will have to work
very hard to get robust measures," Rice told the House
International Relations Committee. 

The United States faced opposition from Russia and China, two of
Iran's major trading partners, which have a veto on the
15-member Security Council. 

Looking at a possible impasse in the world body, US officials
have been speaking of the possibility of countries using their
own economic leverage to rein the Iranians in. Rice was more
explicit Thursday. 

"If you do not get everyone to agree, there may be some measures
that like-minded states can take that will still have a
significant effect on the Iranian economy," she told the
legislators. 

The United States says it has exhausted its own sanctions
against Iran after cutting diplomatic relations and virtually
all economic ties since the seizure of US hostages in Tehran in
1979. 

Four days before leaving on a trip to the Gulf for talks on Iran
and other issues, Rice also sought to focus world attention on
what she called a threat that goes beyond Tehran's suspected bid
to build a nuclear bomb. 

"It's not just Iran's nuclear program but also their support for
terrorism around the world. They are, in effect, the central
banker for terrorism," she told the Senate Budget Committee. 

She also said that one of the biggest challenges in the Middle
East was the Iranian regime's "policy of destabilization of the
world's most volatile and vulnerable region." 

"It is Iran's regional policies that really are concerning as we
watch them, with their sidekick Syria, destabilizing places like
Lebanon and the Palestinian territories and, indeed, even in
southern Iraq" /> Iraq." 

The United States has accused Iran of supporting militant groups
such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as Iraqi insurgents and
Palestinian movements such as Hamas that are opposed to peace
with Israel" /> Israel. 

Rice's testimony came a day after she and other US officials
signaled Washington's intention to launch a broadened diplomatic
offensive against Iran calling it a "strategic challenge" to the
world. 

She said she would travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for
talks with the Arab allies on how to contain a regime she says
is bent on "political subversion, terrorism, and support for
violent Islamist extremism." 

Washington hoped to put the spotlight on Tehran at a meeting of
senior envoys from the Group of Eight industrial powers in
Moscow next week, and plans were in the works for a NATO" />
NATOsession specifically on Iran, officials said. 

Iran was also expected to top the agenda when Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov makes his first visit to Washington as
Moscow's top envoy on March 6 and 7. 

As its contribution to ratcheting up the pressure on Iran, the
US House of Representatives voted 404-4 Thursday to approve a
resolution condemning Iran for resuming its nuclear activities. 

Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for peaceful
purposes, pursued its own diplomatic maneuverings Thursday to
counter the American diplomatic onslaught. 

Iranian parliament speaker Gholam Ali Hadad-Adel started a
two-day visit to Cuba, proclaiming that Tehran was "facing
imperialism in the front lines" and needed the Marxist-ruled
island's continued support. 

Rice also reiterated Thursday the US assertion that the
autocratic clerical regime in Tehran was stomping on the
democratic aspirations of its people. 

On Wednesday, she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee"
/> Senate Foreign Relations Committeethat the US administration
would ask Congress for 75 million dollars to campaign for
democratic reforms in Iran, mostly through around-the-clock
television and radio broadcasts. 	 		 			

Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 19 AFP: US says it would not bow to North Korean boycott threat 

 Thu Feb 16, 4:55 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said it would not yield to
North Korea" /> 's threat to boycott nuclear talks following
sanctions imposed on the Stalinist state for alleged
counterfeiting and money laundering. 

 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> said that the clampdown
on counterfeiting of US dollar banknotes would continue even at
the expense of multilateral talks aimed at ending North Korea's
nuclear weapons drive. 

"The US has to pursue it (counterfeiting issue) whether or not
you have six-party talks," Rice told a hearing of the Senate
budget committee. 

The six-party nuclear talks between the United States, China,
North Korea, South Korea" /> , Japan and Russia have been in a
limbo since November following Pyongyang's refusal to attend the
negotiations. 

North Korea said it would attend the China-hosted talks only if
the United States lifted financial sanctions imposed on it. 

In September, the US Treasury Department" /> labelled a
Macau-based bank Banco Delta Asia a "primary money laundering
concern," then blacklisted eight North Korean companies in
connection with the bank that it said were involved in spreading
weapons of mass destruction. 

Denying the charges, North Korea said the sanctions breached the
spirit of the six-party talks, at which it had agreed in
principle to abandon its nuclear weapons in return for security,
diplomatic and energy aid guarantees. 

The last round of the six-party talks was held in November and
some diplomats had believed the negotiations would resume this
month. 

Rice on Thursday said the United States was prepared to resume
the nuclear talks and urged China, North Korea's biggest ally
and supplier of desperately needed aid, to woo back Pyongyang to
the negotiating table. 

"We are more than ready to do that (resume talks). At this point
our conversations are principally with our other interlocuteurs
-- South Korea, China, Japan and to a certain extent Russia,"
she said. 

"But it's our hope that the Chinese in particular are going to
be able to convince the North Koreans that it's time to come
back to the talks and come back seriously. We're ready," she
said. 

The nuclear standoff between Pyongyang and Washington erupted in
2002 when the United States accused North Korea of running a
secret uranium-enrichment program. 

North Korea responded by throwing out UN International Atomic
Energy Agency" /> weapons inspectors and abandoning the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 20 Guardian Unlimited: Cheney Says He Can Declassify Information
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday February 16, 2006 12:46 PM

AP Photo WHRE111 By PETE YOST 

Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney says he has the 
power to declassify government secrets, raising the possibility 
that he authorized his former chief of staff to pass along 
sensitive prewar data on Iraq to reporters. 

Cheney coupled his statement in a TV interview Wednesday with an 
endorsement of I. Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby, his ex-aide. Libby is 
under indictment on charges of perjury, obstruction and lying to 
the FBI about disclosing the identity of undercover CIA officer 
Valerie Plame. 

``Scooter is entitled to the presumption of innocence,'' Cheney 
told Fox News Channel. ``He is a great guy. I worked with him for 
a long time. I have tremendous regard for him. I may well be 
called as a witness at some point in the case, and it is 
therefore inappropriate for me to comment on any facet of the 
case.'' 

In a recent court filing, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald 
revealed Libby's assertions to a grand jury that superiors had 
authorized him to spread sensitive information from a National 
Intelligence Estimate. The administration used the NIE assessment 
on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction as part of its 
justification for going to war. 

At the time of Libby's contacts with reporters in June and July 
2003, the administration, including Cheney, who was among the 
war's most ardent proponents, faced growing criticism. 

No weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq, and Bush 
supporters were anxious to show that the White House had relied 
on prewar intelligence projecting a strong threat from such 
weapons. 

Fitzgerald did not specify which superiors Libby may have been 
referring to when he testified that higher-ups had authorized him 
to spread sensitive information. 

But in the interview, Cheney said an executive order gives him, 
and President Bush, power to declassify information. 

``I have certainly advocated declassification. I have 
participated in declassification decisions,'' Cheney said. Asked 
for details, he said, ``I don't want to get into that. There's an 
executive order that specifies who has classification authority, 
and obviously it focuses first and foremost on the president, but 
also includes the vice president.'' 

Libby is not charged with leaking classified information, and his 
lawyers said last week that there was no truth to a published 
report that they had advised the court or prosecutors that Libby 
will raise a defense based on authorization by superiors. 

A legal expert said Cheney's comments could nonetheless 
foreshadow a Libby defense. 

Former Whitewater independent counsel Robert Ray said, ``If the 
focus is off the defendant and on to somebody else, generally for 
the defense that's a good day. If it turns out that Cheney was 
actively involved in decisions related to the disclosure of a CIA 
officer's identity and if the truth of it is that he was 
orchestrating the disclosure of information to the media, it 
seems to me that's a fundamentally different case than one 
centered around the activities of Libby.'' 

The indictment against Libby says Cheney advised his chief of 
staff on June 12, 2003, that the wife of Bush administration 
critic and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson worked at the CIA 
in the counterproliferation division. 

Libby understood that the vice president had learned this 
information from the CIA, according to the indictment, which says 
Libby also learned of Wilson's wife's identity from the CIA and 
the State Department. 

On July 14, 2003, the CIA identity of Valerie Plame - the maiden 
name of Wilson's wife - was published by columnist Robert Novak. 
Eight days earlier, Wilson had accused the administration of 
twisting prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. 
Wilson concluded it was highly doubtful that a purported sale of 
uranium yellowcake by Niger to Iraq in the late 1990s had ever 
taken place. 

Libby was indicted last October on five counts of perjury, 
obstruction and lying to the FBI about how he learned of Plame's 
identity and what he told reporters about it. 

A defense that Libby was authorized to leak sensitive data about 
Iraq would not appear to provide any defense against the charge 
of making false statements regarding Plame. 

But some lawyers pointed out that setting up defenses before a 
jury involve more than simply constructing legal arguments. 

An authorization defense in the CIA leak case would mean that 
``much of what Libby was trying to do was aid and protect his 
boss Cheney,'' Ray suggested. The downside to employing such an 
approach is that it ``almost comes with a defense that I did 
it.'' 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 21 WT: Commercial photos show Chinese nuke buildup - 

The Washington Times, America's Newspaper 

By Bill Gertz 
February 16, 2006 

Commercial satellite photos made public recently provide a new 
look at China's nuclear forces and bases -- images that include 
the first view of a secret underwater submarine tunnel. 

A Pentagon official said the photograph of the tunnel 
entrance reveals for the first time a key element of China's 
hidden military buildup. Similar but more detailed intelligence 
photos of the entrance are highly classified within the U.S. 
government, the official said. 

"The Chinese have a whole network of secret facilities that 
the U.S. government understands but cannot make public," said 
the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "This is 
the first public revelation of China's secret buildup." 

The photographs, taken from 2000 to 2004, show China's 
Xia-class ballistic missile submarine docked at the 
Jianggezhuang base, located on the Yellow Sea in Shandong 
province. 

Nuclear warheads for the submarine's 12 JL-1 missiles are 
thought to be stored inside an underwater tunnel that was 
photographed about 450 meters to the northwest of the submarine. 
The high-resolution satellite photo shows a waterway leading to 
a ground-covered facility. 

Other photographs show additional underground military 
facilities, including the Feidong air base in Anhui province 
with a runway built into a nearby hill. 

The photographs were obtained by the nonprofit groups 
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Federation of 
American Scientists. The photos first appeared Friday in the 
winter edition of the quarterly newsletter Imaging Notes. 

The photographs are sharp enough to identify objects on the 
ground about 3 feet in size. Such digital images were once the 
exclusive domain of U.S. technical intelligence agencies, but in 
recent years, commercial companies have deployed equally capable 
space-based cameras. 

Disclosure of the underground bases supports analyses of 
Pentagon and intelligence officials who say China is engaged in 
a secret military buildup that threatens U.S. interests, while 
stating publicly that its forces pose no threat. 

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during a trip to 
China in October that Beijing was sending "mixed signals" by 
building up forces in secret and without explaining their 
purpose. 

Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the Navy's Pacific Fleet, 
said he did not consider China "a threat." But he also said in a 
speech Tuesday that China's purpose behind its rapid military 
buildup is not fully known. "That's a little unclear," he said, 
noting that "increased transparency" is needed from China. 

The photographs included several shots of Chinese H-6 
strategic bombers and related aerial refueling tankers at 
Dangyang airfield in Hubei province. Also, 70 nuclear-capable 
Qian-5 aircraft were photographed parked at an airfield in 
Jianqiao, Zhejiang province, on the East China Sea coast. 

					 					 						Page 1 of 2 next � | Email |						Print 
Copyright 2006 The Washington Times 										 							 						 
*****************************************************************
 22 PTC: Anti-war activists convicted (again) in Hennepin County Court

Pulse of the Twin Cities - 

Locally Grown Alternative Newspaper
 
PulseTC.com

Wednesday 15 February @ 14:39:33           
                

by John LaForge

The latest in a long seriesof political trials was held in 
Edina�s Hennepin County courthouse Feb. 8. Another 12 anti-war 
defendants charged with trespassing at Minnesota�s biggest 
weapons merchant, Alliant Techsystems (ATK), argued that 
peacefully interfering with big business is no misdemeanor when 
crimes of war are being perpetrated. No matter. All 12 were 
convicted and sentenced to $100 fines. 

Since 1997, a defense of justification has successfully been used 
by dozens of anti-ATK �trespassers,� so Edina did its local war 
profiteer a favor and adopted a new ordinance that excludes 
juries and affirmative defenses in trespass cases (Edina ord. No. 
1000.14). Accordingly, Judge Marilyn Justman Kaman decided before 
trial that expert testimony about ATK�s illegal weapons is 
irrelevant to the defense. The defendants explained to the judge 
that the alleged trespass was an attempt to warn ATK that its 
production and sale of depleted uranium (DU) munitions is a 
violation of the U.N. Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Hague 
Conventions, the Geneva Gas Protocol and the U.S. Constitution.
 
Depleted uranium shells, made of toxic, radioactive uranium-238 
(nuclear waste left from the production of power reactor fuel and 
H-bombs), are called �tank busters� by the Pentagon because they 
are known to pierce armor plate. DU is notorious around the world 
because of the long-lived and cancer causing uranium dust they 
spew across the battlefield and anywhere else they burn through 
hard targets. The use of these �gene busters� (they�re blamed for 
birth abnormalities in Iraq and among children of U.S. veterans 
of the Iraq invasions)�has been condemned three times by the 
European Parliament and twice by the U.N. Sub-Commission on the 
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
 
At an upcoming March 8 trial on similar charges, defendants will 
challenge the validity of the Edina ordinance which defense 
attorneys say is unconstitutional in Minnesota because it 
conflicts with the state trespass statute. Meanwhile ATK gets 
away with its participation in crimes of state. Forget about the 
civilians and soldiers suffering Gulf War Syndrome and birth 
defects: company representative Bryce Hallowell says, �We�ll 
continue to protect this country.� || 

John LaForge works with Nukewatch. 

<i>Nukewatch.com</i> CircleVision.org 


Copyright � Pulse of the Twin Cities and Hosting Ave LLC This 
site is powered by GNU GPLcode                      
*****************************************************************
 23 Rediff: Time to redeem or reject nuclear deal

 Columnists > S Raghotham

February 16, 2006

 Ominous signs of what the July 18 India-US nuclear agreement
will mean for India in the long term emerged from US
Congressional hearings even before Ambassador David Mulford
unintentionally revealed the tone and tenor that Bush
administration officials have been adopting in their talks with
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

The signs were visible before the current tug-of-war even began
over the Fast Breeder Reactors. Yet, Dr Singh is even now
rushing the nuclear separation plan. 

As the Western media has been gleefully reporting, Indian
officials 'are working overtime' to draw up the nuclear
separation plan before President Bush sets foot on Indian soil
in March. All this is being done much against the advice of many
Indian nuclear scientists and strategists and without so much as
a debate in Parliament, let alone its consent, to please
President Bush and the US Congress. 
'N-deal ends nuclear isolation'

The July 18 India-US Joint Statement was a result of a Bush
administration initiative to find new allies who could help it
counter new threats in the post-Soviet world, especially the
threat arising from China. 

America's traditional security ally, Europe, would not be of
much help against the China threat. A Europe moving into a
'post-modern zone of peace' neither has the capacity nor the
willingness to act militarily far outside its boundaries,
especially against a potential China-scale threat. Moreover,
Europe's geopolitical equations with China are configured to
help build a multi-polar world order to temper American
unilateralism, not to help it perpetuate and expand its already
hegemonic superiority. 

America's other Cold War ally, Japan, is facing an increasingly
acute demographic problem and is unlikely to continue to be a
useful ally for long against a China-scale threat. That is
unless Japan finally 'turns the last screw' in to become a
nuclear weapons power itself, a prospect that the US would
certainly not relish. 
US wants a win-win nuclear deal with India

For both its rising capability and intent India, American
realists have concluded, is its best potential ally. Thus,
building a strategic relationship with India is in America's
interest. Since American championship of nuclear
non-proliferation rules against India has been the main hurdle
to building such a relationship, the Bush administration decided
to eliminate that hurdle. 

It was in accordance with this spirit of the July 18 Joint
Statement that the Indian embassy in Washington issued a
'backgrounder' on the civil nuclear agreement. It claimed that
the implementation of commitments would be reciprocal; that
India's separation of nuclear facilities would be voluntary,
dictated by its national security considerations, and
reversible; that India would take on only the same obligations
as the other nuclear powers; and that the agreement would not in
any way affect India's nuclear weapons programme. 
'Bhabha wanted India to be a Nuclear Weapons State'

Subsequently, however, under the pressure of the US Congress and
the non-proliferation lobby, the Bush administration has let the
agreement turn into an instrument of non-proliferation policy
rather than strategic partnership as originally intended. 

The July 18 agreement has, in fact, turned into an American
second-order non-proliferation effort -- that is, since the US
could not stop India from becoming a Nuclear Weapons State, it
will now try every trick to restrict India's nuclear capability
and posture close to the current levels. 

Congressional testimonies by Bush administration officials
between September and November 2005 show clearly that its
interpretation of the Joint Statement has changed and is now
directly contradictory to the Indian reading of its spirit and
purpose. As Dr Anil Kakodkar, chairman of India's Atomic Energy
Commission, put it recently, the US has shifted the goalposts. 
'India's nuclear arsenal must be diversified'

Worse still, Bush administration officials have testified that
they have conveyed to the Indian government the new conditions
they require India to fulfil and that Foreign Secretary Shyam
Saran has agreed to them. Mr Saran never thought it necessary to
inform the Indian people of this development, we got to know it
from the testimonies of Bush administration officials. 

According to Nicholas Burns, the chief US interlocutor on the
nuclear deal, he had told the Indian leadership that 'it must
craft a credible and transparent plan and have begun to
implement it before the Administration would request
Congressional action�Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, assured me
that the Indian government will produce such a plan.' 

It seems that the Indian government is ready to submit its plan
for separation for the Bush administration's approval first and
then wait for the administration to present its nuclear-related
amendments for congressional approval, neither the contents nor
the outcome of which is assured. If undertaken in this fashion,
this procedure will put the Indian nuclear programme -� both
civil and military -� under grave risk. 
Indo-US nuclear tango

One only has to look at how American officials now envisage the
deal to understand this risk. For instance, what does 'credible
and transparent' mean in the Bush administration's reckoning?
This was spelt out by Robert Joseph, the US undersecretary for
arms control and international security. 'We expect -- and have
indicated to the Government of India -- that the separation and
the resultant safeguards must contribute to our
non-proliferation goals.' 

Further, 'during Under Secretary Burns' recent talks in Delhi,
we have discussed some straightforward principles. Safeguards
must be applied in perpetuity. India (will) not be granted de
jure or de facto status as a Nuclear Weapon State a 'voluntary
offer' arrangement of the type in place in the five
internationally-recognized nuclear weapon States would not be
acceptable for India. We would not view a voluntary offer
arrangement as defensible from a non-proliferation standpoint or
consistent with the Joint Statement.' 
India has to make compromises

What's worse, 'Obviously, the number of facilities and
activities that India places under IAEA safeguards, and the
method and speed with which it does so, will directly affect the
degree to which we will be able to build support for full civil
nuclear cooperation.' 

In effect then, although the plan for separation of nuclear
facilities may be drawn by Indian hands, its terms will be
dictated by the US and 44 other Nuclear Suppliers Group
countries to further their non-proliferation goals. 

First, unlike the NPT-recognised nuclear powers which offer
their nuclear facilities for inspection 'voluntarily', based on
their convenient definitions of which of their facilities are
civil and which military at any given point of time, India will
not be allowed to make a voluntary offer -� that is, India will
have to open up those it declares as civil facilities for
intrusive inspections on demand, anytime, anywhere. 

Second, safeguards will have to be applied in perpetuity � that
is, while the P5 nuclear powers can interchange their facilities
between 'civil' and 'military', India will not be allowed to do
so. For civil nuclear cooperation to continue, those that India
declares to be 'civil' facilities cannot ever be used for
'military' purposes, even temporarily. If India does seek to do
so, it will open itself to blackmail by the NSG countries which
can stop all cooperation. 
Why Bush has to deliver in India

Third, not only will India be subject to forced and perpetual
inspections once it has declared separate civil and military
facilities, but even before the actual separation, the US and
NSG countries will dictate to India as to how many and,
crucially, which facilities it can retain as military facilities
and how many as civilian. 

Now, imagine a situation in 2020 when India has bought several
reactors and other nuclear paraphernalia and is producing 20
gigawatts of power from them. India's industrial might and
economic growth would then be predicated on the continuance of
nuclear cooperation. 

Suddenly, India's assessment of its security environment changes
-� because Pakistan and China will have continued their weapons
programmes unhindered -- and it will need to use some of its
civil facilities for military purposes. But it will not be able
to take a sovereign decision to do so without putting nuclear
cooperation at risk. 

India's ability to use civilian facilities for military
purposes, something the P5 nuclear powers can do with their own
facilities, will be subject to the veto of 45 NSG countries. And
India will have to choose between national security and the 20
gigawatts of power driving its economy. 

Worse is to come. 

By far, the most dangerous change of interpretation has happened
with regard to the Bush administration's understanding of the
relationship between civil nuclear cooperation and future
nuclear testing. India already maintains a self-imposed
moratorium on nuclear testing. 
Now, an India-France nuke deal

In the Joint Statement, India agreed to continue with it, and
the September 8 testimony of Robert Joseph recorded this
faithfully. On November 2, however, Joseph told the SFRC that
India's 'pledge' to maintain its nuclear testing moratorium
contributes to non-proliferation efforts 'by making its ending
of nuclear explosive tests one of the conditions of full civil
nuclear cooperation.' 

Again, if 10 years from now, India decides to resume nuclear
testing, it will have to choose between civil nuclear
cooperation and national security. 

No wonder that Bush administration officials have been pleading
with congressional committees not to break the deal by piling on
additional conditions. If India follows the American reading of
the Joint Statement, as the Manmohan Singh government seems
willing to, the US will have already achieved what has been
impossible until now: India will have submitted itself to the
key principle of the NPT -� that you can't have both a running
weapons programme and civil nuclear cooperation unless you are
one of the NPT-recognised nuclear powers. 

The time to either redeem or reject this deal is now. The
India-US nuclear deal must go through as an imperative of
America's national interest -� in which case, there should be no
American or NSG conditions on India � or not at all. 

Srinivasa Raghotham is an associate and columnist for the Centre
for Defence and International Security Studies,
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Britain. He writes a column
titled 'Strategic View' for the CDISS 

 Copyright � 2006 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 24 Bellona: Alternative visions for a US climate policy
 
WASHINGTON, D.C.�There are several voices in the United States
calling for action on climate policies. In the span of one week,
the Pew Centre on Global Climate Change presented its agenda for
Climate Action, the Evangelical Climate Initiative aired their
first television spots, 202 Mayors signed a climate protection
agreement and President George Bush even learned something new
about corporate America. 

  The Pew Centre agenda offers an alternative to Bush�s
Renewable Energy Initiative.   
  photo.net   

Svend Soeyland, 2006-02-14 10:22

Pew�s Agenda for Climate Action (ACA) is the result of a
two-year effort that sets a pragmatic course of climate action
across all areas of the economy that can be implemented today.
The ACA identifies both broad and specific policies, combining
recommendations on economy-wide mandatory emissions cuts,
technology development, scientific research, energy supply, and
adaptation. It also outlines critical steps that can be taken in
key sectors.

  The Pew Centre Agenda   
  
  Read the Pew Centre on Global Climate agenda.

Both sticks and carrots needed 

In contrast to The Renewable Energy Initiative recently launched
by President Bush, the ACA proposes sticks as well as
carrots�rather than just carrots. Many ACA recommendations on
science and technology seem to be addressed in the 2007 budget.
But the Pew Centre argues that United States needs both
innovations and initiatives that will reduce emissions now. A
tighter and more coherent energy efficiency regime for all
vehicles, both trucks and cars, are some of the more specific
recommendations. The existing Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency
(CAFE) standard, Pew argued, is full of loopholes and lax goals. 

The ACA also calls for a modest and reasonable cap and trade
system for emissions without a �safety valve.� A safety valve
would in effect lift Green house gas emission limits if the cost
were above a set ceiling. The document also reiterates the call
for the United States to become an active player in global
climate change negotiations, rather than relying solely on a
partnership with nations that are outside the Kyoto Agreement. 

Vicki Arroyo, Director of Policy and Analysis at the Pew Centre,
stressed the need for establishing a credible mandatory
greenhouse gas reporting programme. She criticised the proposed
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for not taking
into account reductions achieved prior to 2002.
 
�Pew proposes a system that gives some acknowledgement for past
reductions, and at the same time does not punish late starters,�
she said. �We would like to explore a cap and trade system that
could be compatible with existing systems, such as the European
Carbon Trading System. After all, a global trading regime would
be the most efficient.� 

The path chosen for this approach is based on absolute
reductions rather than the emission intensity reductions
favoured by the Bush Administration. When pressed, Arroyo
suggested that stabilisation at a 550 part per million CO2
atmospheric concentration could be a reasonable goal. 

A nuclear renaissance?
 The Pew Centre also argues that �nuclear power provides a
substantial amount of non-emitting electricity and is therefore
important to keep in the energy mix. The report recommends
support for an advanced generation of nuclear power, while
noting that issues such as safety and waste disposal must also
be addressed. 

Bellona believes that a renaissance of nuclear power in the
United States is imminent, and also opposes it. During a hearing
on the 2007 Budget in the Senate Energy Committee last week,
nuclear energy shone as a holy grail for solving both oil
dependency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions even though
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman had to stress that new reactors
were costly and decades down the road. 

Some 19 applications for building new reactors are in the
pipeline. Loan guarantees, a back-up insurance plan provided by
the US Government called the Price-Andersen Act, and sponsored
application procedures have stimulated the nuclear utilities.
But if and when reactors will actually be built remains to be
seen. 

Several big companies are committed 
Representatives from the power utilities, the oil and gas
industry, the nuclear fuel processing industry and a home
appliance company that had taken part in the development of the
ACA explained its recommendation. Shell, BP, Cinergy, PG, Holcim
and Whirlpool, said emission reduction goals that they had made
on a voluntary basis through the EPA Climate Leader programme,
but they all agreed that federal mandatory programmes would be
beneficial. 

John Homiest, President and US board chairman of Shell Oil
Company was quoted as saying: �The changes needed in our energy
infrastructure to meet future demand and respond to climate
change will not happen by chance�a clear, long term framework
will give business the necessary incentive and confidence to
invest further.� 

During the question and answer session, companies were asked
whether their views on mandatory regulations were held by most
of their competitors. Leaders from energy and utility companies
explained with some chagrin that not everyone shared their
dedication, but claimed that companies supporting tighter
regulations now represent the mainstream rather the margins. 

John Stowell, Vice President for Environmental Strategy, Federal
Affairs and Sustainability at Cinergy, told Bellona Web that;
�not all power utilities share our call for carbon pricing or a
mandatory cap and trade regime, but even those that strongly
oppose this are making discreet adjustments to a future with
these mechanisms.�
 
Evangelical pastors take a stand on global warming 
The goal of ontrolling emissions has found some strange
bedfellows�86 American evangelical pastors are launching a radio
and television campaign to address global warming this week.
Among them are several pastors who, on many other issues, are
staunch supporters of the President. 

A counter-campaign has been mounted by some 20 pastors who argue
that the science on global warming is far from clear, both
regarding actual climate change and to what extent man-made
emissions are to blame for it. 

200 Mayors signs Climate Protection Agreement 
One year ago, the Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, presented the
�Kyoto Challenge� to fellow US Mayors: On February 16th 2005
when the Kyoto Protocol went into effect in 141 countries,
Nickels announced that Seattle would commit to the goals of the
agreement. He asked other mayors to follow his example. As of
this week, 202 cities representing some 40 million inhabitants,
had signed on to the Climate Protection Agreement. 

Smalltalk at the White House 
Senator Tom Carper, Delaware�s Democratic senator, shared a chat
with Mr. Bush during a White House Dinner on Tuesday. Carper
told Bellona Web that he had explained to Mr. Bush that several
of the big emitters and fortune 500 companies in United States
were now calling for mandatory systems to regulate Greenhouse
Gas emissions in order to gain predictability for their
long-term investments. According to Carper, Bush seemed
genuinely surprised by this piece of information.   

  Publisher: , President: 
Information: , Technical contact: 
Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62  * P.O.Box
2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway
*****************************************************************
 25 Bellona: Murmansk becomes a powerful oil export center
 
The growing interest in export of processed oil products instead
of raw oil demands expanded reloading capacities.

2006-02-15 17:39

Several companies have successfully established new reloading
points in the Kola Bay the last years. Today Murmansk port
considers building of several more terminals, BarentsObserver
reported. One of the planned terminals in the port area is
expected to handle raw oil, while several other terminals have
combined functions for both oil products and raw oil. There are
also plans for the construction of specialized terminals, which
handle exclusively processed products, like diesel, condensate
and masut. 

One of the companies operating in the Kola Bay is the Kommandit
Servis. This company has reconstructed facilities previously
owned by the Northern Fleet and now exports oil products to
Singapore, the USA and Western Europe. A 68,000 ton tanker in
the Kola Bay functions as terminal, the capacity of which will
be increased from 2.5 million tons per year to annual 3 million
within 1.5 years.
   
  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
*****************************************************************
 26 IRNA: US president's visit to India shifts from "nuclear" to "economic" - 

New Delhi, Feb 16, IRNA                                                                                                                  

India-US-Nuclear 

US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
will not initial a specific nuclear energy agreement during the
US president's visit starting March 1.

 Instead, both New Delhi and Washington have resigned
themselves, in the face of stiff opposition here, to "review"
progress, if any, during the visit and wait for a better day,
although informed sources said that the delay now could well
spell the "natural death" of this particular agreement.

 The focus of the US president's visit has been shifted from
"nuclear" to "economic."
 Highlights of his three-day stay in India will now be the visit
to an agriculture university and a knowledge park in Hyderabad.

 It is not very clear if he will be signing any major
agreements, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and
Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce &Industry (FICCI) are
silent about the meetings, if any, being planned with US
business delegations either before or during the presidential
visit.

 US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas
Burns, who was due to visit India for further discussions on the
nuclear agreement and preparations for the Bush visit, has
delayed his arrival. It is still not known whether he will be
coming here next week shortly before the President arrives, with
official sources only saying "we do not know" when they were
asked, said a report published in a leading English daily, Asian
Age, here today.

 The dates of the presidential visit to India and Pakistan are
yet to be announced officially, although he is expected to
arrive in New Delhi on the evening of March 1. He will go
through "routine" activities the next day.

 Official sources now claim that it was a misconception to
presume that there was to be a signing ceremony as the original
civilian nuclear agreement had spoken only of a "review."
 The sources said that by March 1 "we should have an idea where
the process is going."
 Earlier, US and Indian government officials had both expressed
optimism that progress on the nuclear agreement that had only
been part of a larger statement of intent by both President Bush
and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be sufficient to allow a
specific deal to be initialed by both leaders during the US
president's visit next month to give a firm shape to the
commitment.

 This is not expected to happen now following strong opposition
from across the political spectrum in the country as well as
major reservations voiced by Indian nuclear scientists.

*****************************************************************
 27 NRC: New NRC Resident Inspector Assigned to Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant
 
News Release - Region I - 2006-00 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY 
COMMISSION 

Office of Public Affairs, Region I No. I-06-008                          
February 16, 2006 CONTACT:     Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil 
A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331                     E-mail: 
opa1@nrc.gov  
  

Commission Resident Inspector at the Oyster Creek nuclear power
plant. He joins NRC Senior Resident Inspector Marc Ferdas at the
plant, in Lacey Township, NJ. The plant is operated by Amergen. 

Ryan Treadway brings with him the experience and commitment to
safety that will help the NRC ensure that Oyster Creek conducts
operations with the highest safety standards to protect public
health and safety," said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J.
Collins. 

Treadway first joined the NRC in October 2004 as a reactor
engineer in the Region I Division of Reactor Projects. He later
was assigned as an engineer in the Regions Division of Reactor
Safety. 

Prior to joining the NRC, Treadway served in the United States
Navy for eight years. 

Treadway was graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy, N.Y., with a bachelors degree in nuclear
engineering/engineering physics. He is currently pursuing a
masters in engineering management at Drexel University in
Philadelphia. 

Each U.S. commercial nuclear plant has at least two NRC resident
inspectors. They serve as the agency's eyes and ears at the
facility, conducting inspections, monitoring major work projects
and interacting with plant workers and the public. 

The Oyster Creek resident inspectors can be reached at
609/693-0702.   



  


 	Last revised Thursday, February 16, 2006 	   
*****************************************************************
 28 Rediff: Pakistan eyes more nuclear power from China
 
February 16, 2006�18:44 IST

Pakistan wants two more 325 MW nuclear power plants from China
to meet its growing energy needs, a Pakistani newspaper said on
Thursday. 

The Dawn quoted sources as saying on Wednesday that President
Pervez Musharraf will take up the issue with the Chinese
leadership during his visit to China beginning next Sunday.

Asked if China's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group can
be a hurdle in concluding a deal, the sources said that the
Chinese official, who represented his government at the
concrete-pouring ceremony for Chashma Nuclear Power Plant II
last year, had promised continued help to Pakistan in the
civilian use of nuclear energy.

The 45-member NSG comprises nuclear supplier countries that seek
to contribute to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through
implementation of guidelines for nuclear exports and
nuclear-related exports.

Sources said the US had also been formally approached to provide
nuclear power plants. The issue would now be raised when
President Bush visits Pakistan next month.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Perwaiz Butt said
Pakistan was an energy-deficient country and needed nuclear
power to meet its future electricity needs.

"We must build nuclear power plants for our economic
development," the paper quoted him as saying. 

UNI

  
 Copyright � 2006 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 29 NRC: NRC Releases Results of its 2005 Safety Culture and Climate Survey
 
News Release - 2006-02
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION   
  Office of Public Affairs     Telephone: 301/415-8200   
  Washington, DC 20555-0001     E-mail: opa@nrc.gov  
  No. 06-025     February 16, 2006   
  

public release of its 2005 Safety Culture and Climate Survey.
According to the survey results, the NRC improved in essentially
all areas as compared to the 2002 survey, with the largest gains
in communication, mission and strategic planning, employee
engagement, recruiting, developing and retaining staff, and
management leadership. 

According to the survey  with an impressive 70 percent response
rate against the 53 percent in 2002  workload and stress
continue to be challenges for employees. Better knowledge
transfer from staff who are retiring and use of the Differing
Professional Opinion program are also areas of opportunity for
continued improvement. 

The survey was conducted by the NRCs Office of Inspector General
(OIG) with assistance from a contractor research firm to gain a
better understanding of NRCs safety culture and climate. In the
experience of the contractor, it is rare that scores improve to
this degree between surveys. It is the third survey conducted;
previous surveys were conducted in 1998 and 2002. The OIGs
definition used for the survey is: Safety culture reflects an
organizations mission, characteristics and policies along with
the beliefs and actions of its individual members, which
establish and support nuclear safety and security as overriding
priorities. 

The 2005 report is now available on the NRCs Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/insp-gen/2006. 

The NRCs Safety Culture and Climate Survey is a key assessment
tool that is an important contributor to enhancing the welfare
of our agency, said NRC Chairman Nils J. Diaz. The high level of
participation underscores the importance both top management and
NRC employees place in the survey. Were very pleased at the
gains weve seen. 

The agency has taken a number of actions based on the results of
the 2002 survey. These were in the areas of reinforcing the
paramount importance of the agencys safety mission, internal
communications, handling of employee concerns, and management
and leadership skills. NRC is committed to taking additional
actions to address the results of the 2005 survey. 

Each office and region within the NRC will receive their
specific survey scores to analyze and develop future
improvements for their organizations. In addition, a management
team will determine whether there are any agency-wide areas that
need additional attention. 

The survey results come just a few months after the NRC was
ranked third in best federal workplaces and the top-ranked
regulatory agency in government. The award was based on a survey
of 150,000 employees at 250 federal organizations by the
Partnership for Public Service and American Universitys
Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation.   



  


 	Last revised Thursday, February 16, 2006 	   
*****************************************************************
 30 RIA Novosti: Duma wants search sped up for radioactive generators in Far East
 
16/ 02/ 2006                                  

MOSCOW, February 16 (RIA Novosti) - The lower house of the
Russian parliament decided Thursday to ask the government to
speed up the enforcement of radiation control procedures and the
search for two radioisotope thermoelectric generators that were
sunk in the Sea of Okhotsk in 1987 and 1997.

 Head of the State Duma Security Committee Vladimir Vasilyev
said he hoped other parliament members would back the decision
of his committee, responsible for forming the petition.

 The generators, owned by the Pacific Fleet, were dropped into
the water from helicopters in 1987 and 1997 to prevent possible
accidents. They weigh more than 2.5 tons.

 Experts said the generators' protective cover could be
destroyed on the seafloor, making an environmental disaster
inevitable. However, Vasilyev said the radiation background from
the generators was within the admissible limits in the Sea of
Okhotsk.

 Vasilyev said Navy and foreign specialists could be asked to
deal with the problem. 

� 2005 "RIA Novosti"   
*****************************************************************
 31 Herald News: Tritium leak discovered at Dresden

  [SuburbanChicagoNews.com]   

 Morris area: Detected in higher concentrations in sampling at
power facility
 
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS 

A tritium leak has been discovered at Exelon Nuclear's Dresden
station near Morris, the company said Wednesday.

 Exelon already is dealing with a tritium leak at its facility
near Braidwood. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen
found naturally in small concentrations in most surface water.
It is produced in higher concentrations in water used in nuclear
reactors.

 High exposures to tritium might increase the risk of developing
cancer.

 At Dresden, indications of higher-than-normal concentrations of
tritium were found in an on-site ground-water sampling well Jan.
19, said Bob Osgood, Exelon spokesman.

 Additional samples were tested, and results returned Feb. 10
confirmed this, he said.

 The approximate location of the leak was determined, water was
rerouted, and excavation was undertaken to pinpoint the problem.

 "It's a very small leak  about a half-cup a minute," Osgood
said. 

The leak was detected a few weeks after it began, company
officials said.

 The leak is not expected to approach the edges of the plant
property and poses no health or safety threat, company officials
said. 

"Our purpose is to ensure that we have a full understanding of
the health of our systems that handle tritium, and that we have
satisfied ourselves, our stakeholders and the communities in
which we are members that our equipment has a high degree of
integrity," said Charles Pardee, chief operating officer of
Exelon Nuclear, in a statement. "Just as important, we want to
ensure that we are fully prepared to properly respond to a leak
should one occur."

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a safe
drinking-water limit of 20,000 picocuries of tritium per liter
of water. 

At Dresden, tritium found in one test well near the center of
the plant property measured 500,000 picocuries per liter.
Surrounding test wells 10 feet to 20 feet away reportedly showed
tritium concentrations of 20,000 picocuries per liter or less.
The affected area is believed to be about 30 feet across near
the center of the plant's 1,782 acres. 

Byron inspections

Recent inspections at the Byron facility, southwest of Rockford,
were initiated in response to the Braidwood issue.

 The inspection found standing water inside concrete vaults in
the ground that are part of the Byron blowdown line, which runs
along a strip of company property to the Rock River, the company
said.

 Water in the vaults was tested last week and found to contain a
tritium concentration of 86,000 picocuries per liter. 

Additional engineering work and environmental sampling is being
undertaken this week to determine if tritium has migrated into
the ground outside the vaults.

Wilmington meeting

 
In Wilmington, Exelon will host a meeting regarding the leaks.

 The meeting will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at its Services
and Training Center on Essex Road, three miles south of Illinois
113, the company said.

 The company has established a community relations hotline,
(815) 458-7000.

 Company officials said they are launching a 2006 initiative
across the 10-station nuclear fleet to systematically assess
systems that handle tritium and take necessary actions to
minimize the risk of inadvertent discharge of tritium into the
environment.

 02/16/06 
          
      SuburbanChicagoNews.com � �  Digital Chicago & Sun-Times
*****************************************************************
 32 Xinhua: New nuclear power plant to be built in Fujian   

  www.xinhuanet.com

  www.chinaview.cn 2006-02-16 20:09:49   

    BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- China is set to build a new
nuclear power plant in Huian City, in East China's Fujian
Province, to resolve the province's power shortage, Thursday's
Beijing-based Economic Information Daily reported. 

    The China Huadian Corporation signed an agreement with the
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on Wednesday to launch
the project officially, the newspaper reported. 

    Located on the north bank of the Quanzhou bay in the
southeast of Fujian Province, the power generating capacity of
the plant will reach about one million kilowatts. 

    The nuclear power plant, the first of its kind in the
province, will ease the power supply tension in Fujian, one of
China's flourishing coastal provinces. 

    According to the agreement, the CNNC is the first big
share-holder, responsible for the construction and operation of
the project. The Huadian Corporation is the second share-holder,
assisting CNNC's work. 

    China now has nine nuclear generation units in operation
including five in the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in East
China's Zhejiang Province and four in the Daya Bay and Ling Ao
Nuclear Power plants in South China's Guangdong Province.
Enditem   

  Copyright �2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 33 Rutland Herald: More Yankee activists see charges dropped

Rutland Vermont News & Information
 	 	 	 	 	 
February 16, 2006 

By Susan SmallheerHerald Staff   
  			 
BRATTLEBORO � Criminal charges have been dropped against the
latest group of anti-nuclear protestors arrested last month
outside the corporate headquarters of Entergy Nuclear, owner of
the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

So far, Windham County State's Attorney Dan M. Davis has
declined to prosecute any of the protesters who have been
arrested since the monthly demonstrations started in November.

Davis, who was prosecuting a second-degree murder case this week
in Windham Superior Court in Newfane, and faces another murder
trial next month, said he didn't have the resources to prosecute
a stream of cases involving protesters.

"I'm not about to give them the media coverage they want," he
said.

Davis said that if the Brattleboro Police Department or Entergy
Nuclear is unhappy with his decision, they can contact the
Vermont Attorney General's Office to see if it will handle the
cases.

Eesha Williams of Dummers-ton, one of the 11 protesters arrested
on Jan. 16, Martin Luther King's birthday, said he was happy the
charges were dropped. "I didn't know what to expect," he said.

Williams said anti-nuclear activists are planning anther
demonstration Sunday, Feb. 26, with a march from the Brattleboro
Food Co-op to Entergy's offices. He said demonstrations,
including acts of civil disobedience, are also planned for March
and April.

Entergy spokesman Larry Smith said the company had no problem
with Davis' decision.

"We have no interest in pursuing any legal action," Smith said.
The demonstrations are "an annoyance, but it's just part of the
process."

Brattleboro Police Chief John Martin couldn't be reached for
comment Wednesday.

Reporter Daniel Barlow of the Southern Vermont Bureau
contributed to this story.
   
� 2006 Rutland Herald
*****************************************************************
 34 APP.COM: Closing Oyster Creek would be anything but simple
                   
| Asbury Park Press Online
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Thursday, February 16, 2006
  	 	 
BY AND STAFF WRITERS

LACEY � By 2017, the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant could be 
gone, its iconic stack toppled and radioactive parts shipped away 
for disposal.

In its place could rise the Oyster Creek Mall, a new hi-tech
power plant, or hundreds of homes with access to both a creek
and a river.

Those are several scenarios if Oyster Creek closes in 2009 when
its 40-year license expires, and it does not win a 20-year
extension from the federal government.

But a shuttered plant, along with its 1,416 acres, could stand
virtually untouched for decades, a ghostly reminder of Lacey's
atomic past.

Dangerous possibilities also exist, said Bradley M. Campbell,
commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection
until Jan. 17, when he left office.

"I think the public needs to recognize that there are both
safety and certain security risks associated with
decommissioning," he said. "There are some security experts, for
example, who think that a decommissioned plant may present
greater risks because there isn't the same level of on-site
security."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that
oversees the permanent closure or decommissioning of reactors,
recognizes that public safety is a concern when it comes to
shutting a plant. But regulators also believe that the potential
for hazards and accidents is much less than when a plant is
operating.

Decommissioning involves reducing the radioactivity of a plant
site as much as possible. Otherwise, plants could degrade and
become hazards, according to the NRC.

The task costs hundreds of millions of dollars since it includes
emptying nuclear waste from reactors, dismantling buildings and
shipping radioactive parts to facilities that can store or
process such waste.

It would cost about $480 million to immediately decommission the
636-megawatt Oyster Creek plant, according to a March 2005
report by its operator, AmerGen Energy Co.

To decommission the 900-megawatt Maine Yankee plant, it took
eight years and less than $500 million. The cleanup, which was
completed in October, exceeded the NRC's target for reducing
radioactivity, according to the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co.

If the NRC denies a 20-year license renewal for Oyster Creek,
now pending, AmerGen would have enough money in a dedicated
trust fund to cover decommissioning costs.

By 2009, the fund would hold an estimated $586 million,
according to the study.

Though AmerGen could mothball Oyster Creek for decades, "prompt
demolition once the license is terminated is clearly the most
appropriate and cost-effective option," according to TLG
Services, which performed the study.

Utilities most often mothball reactors when they have other
reactors still generating power within the same plant, according
to the NRC.

TLG also estimated that it would cost AmerGen $142 million to
load spent nuclear fuel into casks and manage the outdoor cask
storage pad at Oyster Creek over the long term.

Utilities will be responsible for handling plants' spent fuel
until the U.S. government opens a national repository for it.
Spent fuel around the country will likely stay put until at
least 2012, the earliest a repository could open at Yucca
Mountain in Nevada.

Jill Lipoti, director of the DEP's Division of Environmental
Safety and Health, said AmerGen also should promise to clean up
the site according to state rules, which cover chemicals and
generally go beyond what the NRC requires.

"They need to meet the New Jersey standards for
decommissioning," she said.

Oyster Creek's operating license also has strict guidelines for
its owners to follow during decommissioning, said Peter C.
Resler, a spokesman for Exelon, which owns AmerGen.

"Basically, it requires us to return the site to greenfields,
the way it was before we started construction," he said.

If Oyster Creek is dismantled, township officials looking to
make up for lost property tax revenue from the plant � the plant
paid $1.7 million last year � would likely try to fill the
vacant land with taxable properties, said economist James W.
Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and
Public Policy at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Housing or a large mall would be ideal for the plant's large
plot, which straddles Route 9 and abuts the Garden State
Parkway, he said.

But Township Administrator John Adams says another power plant
would be a smart choice. Adams reasons that the value of the
right of way for transmission lines near Oyster Creek must be
high since they run through protected Pinelands and wetlands
areas where a new route would not easily pass environmental
reviews.

When Atlantic City Electric built its new transmission line to
link Oyster Creek with Atlantic County in 2004, it needed to
submit its route for state Pinelands Commission approval, so the
company could avoid an even more costly and protracted fight
with homeowners who didn't want power lines near them.

Government and industry won't likely abandon such an investment,
Adams said.

Staff writer Kirk Moore contributed to this story. Nicholas
Clunn: 609-978-4597 or ; Todd B. Bates: (732) 643-4237 or 		 		
    
  Copyright � 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 35 APP.COM: Safety a concern at Salem County plants | 

Asbury Park Press Online
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
February 16, 2006
  	 	 
BY KIRK MOORE STAFF WRITER

LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK � For a generation, a white plume on the 
southern horizon has signaled money and jobs in a corner of New 
Jersey that was historically short of both.

But during the last two years, the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear
power plants have been associated more with safety and
maintenance problems.

A stream of revelations emerged about defective equipment,
corporate procrastination and workers' fears and frustrations
that the bottom line for the owner, Public Service Enterprise
Group, trumped safety concerns.

After forcing a crackdown on maintenance issues, a federal
investigation into allegations that workers were reluctant to
speak up about safety at the PSEG complex found no pressing
physical dangers at the plant, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission officials reported. Oyster Creek's parent company,
Exelon, is seeking to buy Public Service and add the Salem and
Hope Creek reactors to the Exelon nuclear fleet.

As Exelon � through its subsidiary, AmerGen Energy Co. � seeks a
20-year license renewal for its Oyster Creek plant, supporters
and opponents of nuclear power and people in Salem County are
watching closely to see what that process may bode for New
Jersey's far southwest, where there's still support for the
Salem I and II and Hope Creek plants with their 1,800 jobs.

Although the NRC found the plants are running safely, the agency
discovered some PSEG workers still question the plants'
commitment to maintaining a corporate culture committed to
safety, said Blake Welling, a senior NRC project engineer who
headed the investigation.

At a Nov. 17 meeting with agency officials, PSEG executives
claimed progress.

"There's been a 25 percent increase (in safety and maintenance
notifications) from 2004 to 2005," said Tom Joyce, a vice
president at the Salem plants.

Energy company Exelon wants to acquire PSEG by merger, and with
it, the nuclear complex here on upper Delaware Bay that
collectively can generate up to 2,297 megawatts of electricity �
more than three times the output of Oyster Creek. A year ago,
the companies entered into an agreement to have senior Exelon
personnel supervise daily plant operations and begin
implementing the company's nuclear management model.

"I think it did more for the local economy 30 years ago," said
Harold Smick III, whose family business, Smick Lumber, has sold
building supplies for 99 years in nearby Quinton. "Everyone
around here knows someone who works for the plant.

"Back in the 1960s and '70s when it was booming, everybody
benefited," Smick recalled.

Relentless convoys of heavy construction vehicles and trucks
tore up the two-lane roads leading to Artificial Island, where
the plants are located, Smick said. But the trio of reactors
brought well-paying industrial jobs to the state's most rural
county.

"As long as they keep giving people work and don't have any
problems, they should stay open," Smick said.

DEP on cooling towers

Salem anti-nuclear activists are closely following the
relicensing process for Oyster Creek, especially how the state
Department of Environmental Protection stands on safety issues
and the plant cooling system.

The Hope Creek station recycles its water through a cooling
tower. But the Salem plants � like Oyster Creek � use a
once-through cooling system that draws in bay water to cool heat
exchangers and run discharge dilution pumps. The environmental
costs are estimated to be in the billions of juvenile fish and
eggs destroyed in the process.

And like Oyster Creek, a relicensing process for the Salem
reactors could begin this year, "so how DEP performs on Oyster
Creek will give us some indication of how they will handle
Salem," said Norman Cohen, coordinator of the anti-nuclear
Unplug Salem campaign.

Despite the DEP's stance so far, Cohen said he doesn't expect
that the state will manage to force Oyster Creek owners Exelon
to add a cooling tower to the Oyster Creek or Salem cooling
systems.

"Every time DEP looks like it's going to get its back up over
cooling towers, it folds," Cohen said. "There's no way Exelon is
going to build cooling towers. It would just cost too much."

The troubles at Salem 1 and 2 and the Hope Creek plants received
wide public exposure after a former PSEG consultant, Kymn
Harvin, went public with her allegations that plant managers
routinely dismissed safety concerns.

After a jammed turbine bypass valve forced a shutdown of Hope
Creek in March 2003, senior managers had considered restarting
the reactor before repairing the valve � a serious safety lapse
in the eyes of dissenting plant workers.

Harvin quoted one lower-level manager as complaining that an
early restart would "have been grounds for (the NRC) taking the
keys away" from plant managers.

"We started pressing on the safety-conscious work environment
two years before," Cohen said. "The information she (Harvin)
brought out forced the NRC's hand."

In 2004, PSEG management extended refueling outages for Salem
Unit I and Hope Creek so maintenance backlogs could be reduced.
Workers performed major additional work on the drive mechanisms
that raise and lower control rods in the reactors and completed
other maintenance tasks that would otherwise have been put off
until the power plants were back online, according to PSEG
officials.

About 10 percent of that work could have been done after the
reactors powered up, but the company chose to do it all to
"improve our safety profile," said Joyce of PSEG.

Worker-manager relations

Human factors of trust and communication between workers and
management improved markedly from 2004 through 2005, according
to blue-collar and lower-level management workers who came to
the Nov. 17 conference in Logan Township between PSEG executives
and NRC officials.

"We've seen a significant number of long-term problems resolved
at the plant," said William Schmick, a first line supervisor at
the Hope Creek plant. There are more daily and weekly meetings
among workers and supervisors and more two-way communication, he
said.

Most importantly, workers think there is more accountability for
following up and fixing problems, Schmick said.

"For a long time, that wasn't the way things were done around
here," he said.

The NRC started to focus on the safety culture at Hope Creek and
Salem in 2004, citing inspection findings and persistent
allegations from workers who claimed management was slow to act
when employees reported safety concerns.

When government inspectors went through the plants, they did not
find immediate hardware or safety problems.

"Overall the plants operated in a manner that preserved public
health and safety," said Mel Gray, an acting project chief for
the NRC's Region 1 office in King of Prussia, Pa.

"This was more based on workers' perceptions," said Brian
Holian, director of reactor projects for the NRC regional
office. "But what you did find was a lot of people saying,
"That's right, we don't raise a lot of issues.' "

"Management said, "We're battling history here,' " Holian said.

Still, PSEG President Frank Cassidy told agency officials, "We
took a significant step forward to capture the hearts and minds
of the work force."

In November, four unions representing more than half of PSEG's
work force threw support behind the Exelon merger proposal,
after receiving guarantees their members would not be subjected
to forced layoffs. The rocky history of labor-management
relations at Salem and Hope Creek may have been another factor.

"I would say the majority of people are looking forward to the
merger," Schmick said.

 
This story includes material from the Associated Press. Kirk
Moore: (732) 557-5728
                                
  Copyright � 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 36 AFP: China to build two more nuclear power plants

 Thu Feb 16, 1:52 AM ET 		 	 

BEIJING (AFP) - China intends to build two more nuclear power
plants as part of plans to cope with its fast-rising demand for
energy, state press says. 

 The two plants -- one in the eastern province of Fujian and
another in southern Guangdong -- will add to the 11 reactors
already in operation around the country, state media said. 

The nation's biggest nuclear reactor builder, China National
Nuclear Corp, and China Huadian Group, one of the country's top
five power majors, signed an agreement Wednesday to build the
Fujian plant, the China Daily said. 

The facility, in Hui'an county, in the southeast part of Fujian,
will be able to sit as many as six 1,000-megawatt reactors, the
report said. 

No timeframe was given for the project. 

International bidding will be used to determine whether foreign
or Chinese technology will be used, the report quoted a company
source as saying. 

In a separate report, Xinhua news agency said the Guangdong
government planned to add another nuclear power plant to the
four already in operation in the province. 

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Company signed a
cooperation agreement with the Shaoguan city government on
Wednesday to build the plant. 

The power generating capacity of the new plant is unknown but it
will cost 100 billion yuan (12.5 billion dollars), Xinhua said,
citing Shaoguan mayor Xu Jianhua. 

China's economic planning authorities have previously announced
plans to increase the percentage of the nation's total power
output from nuclear energy from less than two percent to four
power by 2020. 

China National Nuclear president Kang Rixin was quoted as saying
in the China Daily that the amount of nuclear energy could be as
high as six percent of the national total by 2010. 

He said as many as 32 more nuclear reactors could be built
within the next 15 years. 

Coal currently meets 74 percent of China's energy demands. 

The government is looking to nuclear and other fuel sources to
limit the enormous environmental impacts of heavy coal
dependency, as well as to help meet the nation's fast-rising
energy demand. 

Copyright � 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 37 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
 
                         FR Doc E6-2214 [Federal Register: 
February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] [Notices] [Page 
8315-8316] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access 
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-87]                         
 
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for Carroll 
College, Helena, MT AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
ACTION: Notice of availability.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Browder, Project Manager, 
Nuclear Materials Licensing Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials 
Safety, Region IV, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 611 Ryan 
Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, TX 76011. Telephone: (817) 
274-6552; fax number: (817) 860-8188; e-mail: rsb3@nrc.gov.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) is issuing a license amendment to Material 
License No. 25-07093-01, issued to Carroll College, to authorize 
release of its site located in Helena, Montana, for unrestricted 
use and license termination. In support of the license amendment, 
the NRC has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) 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. This license amendment complies with the 
standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 
amended, and NRC's rules and regulations for license termination 
as set forth in 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E, ``Radiological 
Criteria for License Termination.'' Accordingly, this license 
amendment was issued on January 17, 2006, and is effective 
immediately.
 
II. EA Summary The purpose of the license amendment is to allow 
for the release of the licensee's facility at Carroll College, 
Helena, Montana, for unrestricted use and license termination.
 
Carroll College was authorized by the U.S. Atomic Energy 
Commission (AEC) in the 1960's to use radioactive materials for 
training purposes in biology and chemistry courses. By letter 
dated October 10, 2005, with enclosed NRC Form 314, Carroll 
College requested that NRC release the facility for unrestricted 
use. The licensee submitted 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 staff has prepared an EA in support of the proposed license 
amendment. The Carroll College site did not require any 
remediation of the land, buildings or water. The majority of 
radionuclides authorized were small quantities of beta emitters 
with short half-lives, less than 162 days, with the exception of 
tritium, cobalt-60, strontium-90, and carbon-14. The licensee's 
renewal application dated June 20, 1984, states in part that the 
licensee was using only phosphorus-32 and sulfur-35, which are 
considered low-beta emitters with short half- lives. Historical 
records indicate that the radioisotopes were used during four 
months of the year for laboratory instruction in the handling and 
use of radioisotopes and chemistry courses.
 
The licensee disposed of the remaining unsealed radioactive 
materials at the facility in accordance with the regulations for 
disposal by release into sanitary sewerage under 10 CFR 20.2003. 
NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 20 specify the maximum amount of 
radioactive materials that a licensee may release from a site in 
the form of liquid effluents. Additionally, the licensee disposed 
of the sealed sources by transfer to an authorized recipient in 
accordance with 10 CFR 30.41. The sealed source inventory was 
either exempt material under 10 CFR 30.70 or non-NRC licensed 
material. The historical site assessment did not identify any 
short or long-term impacts to human health and the environment 
due to radiological exposures.
 
During the historical site assessment, the license identified one 
onsite burial of carbon-14, iodine-131, and gold-198 on June 30, 
1961. Carbon-14 was the only isotope evaluated because the other 
two isotopes have short half-lives and have since decayed. The 
burial site was adjacent to the U.S. Geological Survey marker 
located on the northeast part of the campus near the gate in the 
fence that leads to the City of Helena Transfer Station. The 
burial site was within six feet of the marker and approximately 
four feet deep. Burial of certain quantities of radioactive waste 
in soil by licensees without prior NRC approval was authorized on 
January 29, 1959 (22 FR 548). Originally, this authorization was 
codified in former 10 CFR 20.304. On January 28, 1981, the NRC 
concluded that it was inappropriate to continue generic 
authorizations of burials pursuant to 10 CFR 20.304 without 
regard to factors such as location of burial, concentrations of 
radioactive material, form of packaging, and notification of NRC, 
and therefore NRC rescinded 10 CFR 20.304 (45 FR 71761). 
Carbon-14 is a low-energy beta emitter with an average energy of 
50 keV and a half-life of 5,730 years. Carbon-14 has a transport 
value of 0.0 in RESRAD, which is indicative of its high mobility 
such that it essentially moves with ground water; therefore, it 
is considered readily transportable. The licensee submitted a 
dose modeling evaluation based on RESRAD Version 6.22 using the 
default parameters, for the carbon-14 burial site. The licensee 
calculated the radioactivity concentration of carbon-14 to be 
0.25 [mu]Ci/g, based on: 1) the log book record of 50 [mu]Ci, and 
2) interview with the professor who stated that a ``coffee can 
size'' was buried, which was assumed to be 200 grams. This 
conservative approach utilizes the resident farmer scenario, 
which is summed over all pathways. The model projected a peak 
dose of 30 mrem, due to water consumption pathway, to occur in 
1965 with a sharp decline to less than 1 mrem in 1971, which is 
approximately 10 years. The NRC staff recognizes that
 
[[Page 8316]] the licensee's projected dose for the burial of 
carbon-14 is conservative based on the volume of the animal 
containing the carbon-14 from the study, which was noted as being 
a ``coffee can'' size (which is variable.) The NRC staff 
performed a dose modeling evaluation based on a buried volume of 
500 grams and using the default parameters in RESRAD, Version 
6.22. The model projected a peak dose of 14 mrem to occur in 
1965, with a sharp decline to less than 1 mrem in 1971.
 
In either scenario, the calculated value beyond year seven (1968) 
is below the current 25 millirem limit for unrestricted use of 
the site as stipulated in 10 CFR 20.1402. The NRC staff 
considered the potential impacts of leaching of radioactive 
material into the shallow groundwater due to the burial of 
carbon-14 in 1961. In 1965, the shallow surface groundwater on 
the Carroll College campus was not used as a drinking water 
source. Additionally, local members of the public obtained their 
drinking water from the city, whose source was several miles 
away. There were only two wells identified on the Montana Bureau 
of Mines and Geology Web site which were installed prior to 1965. 
The impact of potentially contaminated groundwater was considered 
as part of the RESRAD dose modeling evaluation and the primary 
pathway of concern was the direct consumption of water by the 
resident farmer scenario. Based on the evaluations, there was no 
impact to groundwater as a result of the one- time burial of 
carbon-14. The areas of the site where radioactive material had 
been stored and handled were surveyed on April 9, 2005, by the 
radiation safety officer from Montana State University. The 
surveys were performed using Ludlum survey meter with a GM probe 
and a low energy gamma (NaI) probe. In addition, survey wipes 
were taken and analyzed on a Packard Liquid Scintillation 
Counter. The results were less than twice background and 
adequately meet the criteria for unrestricted use.
 
The NRC has the option, depending on the licensee's survey and 
extent of radioactive material that was used at the facility, to 
perform a close out inspection of the facility. Based on the 
low-energy beta emitting radioisotopes and the length of time 
since the last use of radioactive material at the facility, the 
NRC staff determined that a close-out inspection of the facility 
was not justified. The licensee's independent survey was 
sufficient to demonstrate that the facility was suitable for 
unrestricted use in accordance with 10 CFR Part 20. The 
environmental impacts resulting from the release of this site for 
unrestricted use are insignificant. There were no additional 
activities that resulted in cumulative impacts to the 
environment.
 
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The NRC staff concludes 
that the proposed action complies with the radiological criteria 
for unrestricted use as stipulated in 10 CFR 20.1402. The 
licensee demonstrated that any remaining residual radioactivity 
will not result in radiological exposures in excess of the 25 
millirem total effective dose equivalent limit specified in Sec.  
20.1402. Dose modeling indicates that current and future members 
of the public will not receive any radiological dose from the 
burial site. The NRC staff prepared an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) in support of the requested license amendment. On the basis 
of this EA, the NRC has concluded that there are no significant 
environmental impacts and the license amendment does not warrant 
the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. 
Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate.
 
IV. Further Information Documents related to this action, 
including the application for 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 may 
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: Carroll College letter and NRC Form 314, 
dated October 10, 2005, (ML053040347); Carroll College letter 
dose modeling submittal, dated January 17, 2005 (ML050540533); 
NRC Environmental Assessment (ML060170746). 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, 
O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for 
a fee.
 
Dated at Arlington, Texas this 8th day of February 2006.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Jack E. Whitten, Chief, Nuclear Materials Licensing Branch, 
Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region IV.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2214 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 38 Creamer Media's Engineering News: Top Russian nuclear scientists visit SA

 South African Industry

  The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is currently
hosting a senior Russian nuclear research delegation from the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) on a visit to South
Africa until Friday, it said reported this week.

The visit is aimed at strengthening existing cooperation, as
well as exploring new opportunities for nuclear research
collaboration between South Africa and the JINR. Dr Rob Adam,
current Director-General of the DST and CEO-designate of the
Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA), in welcoming
the head of the JINR delegation, Professor Alexei Sissakian,
said that South Africa's ongoing co-operation with the JINR
renders important support to the DST's efforts to strengthen the
country's nuclear research capacities and will further enhance
the development of human capital for the Pebble Bed Modular
Reactor (PBMR) programme in particular.

The visit gives further expression to the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed between South Africa (through the
DST) and the JINR in Russia in October last year.

The management of the JINR considers the visit as a watershed
in terms of moving the relationship between the South Africa and
the JINR forward following the historic signing of the MOU last
year, said Sissakian.

JINR, based at Dubna in the Russian Federation, is an
international organisation established to advance cooperation in
nuclear research and training for peaceful purpose among its
member countries.

The institute is a world leader in research in elementary
particle physics and nuclear physics.

Collaborative activities falling within the MoU include visits
by South African researchers to the JINR and their participation
in JINR training courses, as well as collaborative research
between South African and JINR scientists.

Several South African research groups already collaborate with
the JINR, including the Universities of Pretoria, South Africa,
Cape Town, and the Western Cape, in areas such as thermonuclear
research, nuclear and particle physics, quantum mechanics and
non-linear optics.

In order to strengthen and expand this cooperation, the
delegation is undertaking a number of site visits, including to
the PBMR Design Centre, Necsa, as well as the Universities of
the Witwatersrand, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

   
Published: 2006/02/16     Printer friendly: [View this article
  
  Copyright � Creamer Media (Pty) Ltd   
*****************************************************************
 39 WCCO-TV: Public Discussion Set For Xcel-Monticello Plan

Minnesota's Breaking 

[clock] Feb 16, 2006 6:28 am US/Central 

(AP) St. Paul State officials on Thursday planned to field
public testimony about a $55 million proposal to store
radioactive waste near the Monticello nuclear plant. 

Xcel Energy is seeking state permission for the extra storage
space, saying it's needed for the plant to remain running for
the next few decades. Environmentalists, however, fear it will
lead to further stockpiling of nuclear waste in Minnesota. 

Xcel wants to store the waste in as many as 30 large canisters,
each placed in a modular concrete vault about the size of a
one-car garage. The vaults would sit on a large concrete pad
near the plant, surrounded by security fences. 

The storage is needed for the plant to remain running from 2010,
when its current license expires, to 2030, said Jim Alders,
Xcel's manager of regulatory projects. The plant now keeps its
used nuclear fuel under water inside the plant, but the storage
pool is nearly full. 

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will decide on the
renewal, but the state has authority to decide whether expanded
storage of spent nuclear fuel is in the public interest. 

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission was sponsoring the
hearings Thursday. 

Alders said without the extra storage Xcel would need to shut
the nuclear plant and replace it. "That would require a coal or
natural gas power plant which would be much more expensive for
our customers, and would result in significant increases of
pollutants," he said. 

But environmental leaders said allowing more waste to be stored
at Monticello would simply add to the stockpile of radioactive
material that may never leave Minnesota. A permanent waste
disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been planned, studied
and partially built, but U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W.
Bodman said Monday that he doesn't know when it will open. 

State Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said it was "completely
immoral and irresponsible" to continue to allow more radioactive
waste to be produced in Minnesota with no assurance that it will
ever leave the state. 

That was a major issue in 1994 when the Legislature allowed
expanded storage of radioactive waste at Xcel's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing, she said, and it's more of an issue
now when both nuclear plants are seeking 20-year license
extensions. 

Alders countered, "You don't move that process along by shutting
down a perfectly good nuclear plant that serves our customers
well." 

(� 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) 
*****************************************************************
 40 asahi.com: EDITORIAL/ Pluthermal project

02/16/2006 

The power industry's long-stalled project to burn recycled
plutonium fuel in conventional light water reactors has moved
closer to reality. 

Yasushi Furukawa, the governor of Saga Prefecture, home to
Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s nuclear power plant in Genkai,
recently said he has become convinced of the safety of the use
of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel at the plant,
effectively approving the project. 

The town of Genkai is also expected to give the go-ahead for
Kyushu Electric's plan to use MOX at the No. 3 reactor of its
Genkai plant. But it will be four to five years until the MOX
fuel is ready for the plutonium-thermal project. 

Local residents are far from reassured. The local governments
and Kyushu Electric need to offer a convincing explanation about
the project and address the residents' concerns. At the same
time, serious policy debate is needed to decide the scope of
this undertaking. 

To make MOX fuel for a "pluthermal" project, plutonium is
extracted from spent uranium fuel and mixed with uranium to
produce a blend of plutonium and uranium oxides. 

Originally, Japan set out to establish a nuclear fuel recycling
system based on use of fast-breeder reactors, which run on
plutonium. 

With the practical use of fast-breeder reactors out of reach,
however, the government has adopted plans to use MOX fuel in
existing nuclear reactors as the second best choice. 

Kansai Electric Power Co. and Tokyo Electric Power Co. initially
planned to start using plutonium in their reactors under this
project around 2000. But their plans were delayed following
revelations that inspection data were falsified for MOX fuel for
Kansai Electric, while Tokyo Electric came under fire for
covering up problems at its reactors. 

The power industry is in a rush to start the pluthermal project
because more than 30 tons of plutonium is awaiting shipment to
Japan in Britain and France, which reprocess spent nuclear fuel
from Japanese power plants. 

Japan cannot keep sitting on such a large amount of plutonium,
which can be used to make nuclear weapons. The use of MOX fuel
in existing reactors is a realistic approach to dealing with the
plutonium kept in Britain and France. 

There is, however, no good reason to produce new plutonium at
home for the large-scale use of MOX fuel. Proponents say mixing
with plutonium helps save on uranium. But that would reduce the
amount of uranium used by only 10 to 20 percent. And the cost of
using MOX is 50 to 80 percent higher than simply disposing of
the spent fuel. 

In other words, the MOX program doesn't make economic sense. 

Given the persistent opposition in local communities, the power
industry's plan to start using MOX in 16 to 18 reactors in Japan
by fiscal 2010 is quite unrealistic. 

The industry would be wiser to stop seeking to reprocess all the
spent fuel and instead store it and discuss future options on
how to deal with the radioactive waste, including disposal. 

The MOX project at the Genkai plant, if it is launched, should
be limited to using the plutonium piling up in Britain and
France. 

In December last year, a meeting of local residents was held in
the neighboring city of Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, to discuss the
project. Supporters and opponents clashed over safety and other
issues. 

The city has grown in size through a merger with neighboring
municipalities last year. As a result, 27,000 Karatsu residents,
or 20 percent of the city's entire population, now live within
10 kilometers from the nuclear power plant--a priority area for
the government's nuclear safety and disaster-prevention policy. 

But Kyushu Electric has a safety agreement only with the
prefecture and the town of Genkai. The power company should make
new arrangements to hear the opinions of the Karatsu residents
and incorporate them into the way it proceeds with the project. 

The use of plutonium in MOX fuel should not begin without
serious efforts to reassure the uneasy residents and clearly
define the future of this project. 

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 15(IHT/Asahi: February 16,2006) 
  
  + The Asahi Shimbun Company  
*****************************************************************
 41 UPI: Russia, Vietnam to work on energy
     
United Press International - Energy - 

2/16/2006 9:09:00 AM -0500                              

HANOI, Vietnam, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Russia will submit a bid for
the construction of power stations in Vietnam, Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov announced in Hanoi Thursday. 

The announcement followed talks with his Vietnamese counterpart,
Phan Van Khai, ITAR-TASS reported. 

"Apart from the oil and gas sphere, in which the level of
cooperation is already high, we would like to participate in a
tender for the construction of the Son La hydropower plant,"
Fradkov said. 

Cooperation between Russia and Vietnam looks set to expand in
the future. Already planning to supply $2.4 billion generators
for a hydropower project, there is also talk of Russian
involvement in the construction of Vietnam's first nuclear power
plant. And according to ITAR-TASS reports, the two countries are
also interested in joint ventures in machine-building, high
technologies and space projects. 

In the more immediate future, however, oil experts from the two
countries are to begin consultations on Vietsovpetro, a joint
oil agreement. The current Vietsovpetro agreement expires in
2010, but Russia is keen to extend it.

� Copyright 2006 United Press
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 42 Sofia Morning News: Russian, Czech Bids for New Bulgarian Nuke Separate

www.novinite.com

Business: 16 February 2006, Thursday.

At present a unification of the Czech and Russian offers for the
building of Bulgaria's new Belene Nuclear Power Plant is not an
option, Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov has said.
 
Ovcharov, who is in Prague, accompanying PM Sergey Stanishev for
a work visit, announced this on Thursday after meeting with
representatives of one of the bidders - Cezch Skoda consortium. 

It is true that Russian Gazprom, one of the other companies
whose offer was also accepted for viewing, is a big shareholder
in the Skoda Nuclear company, one of the three firms forming the
Czech consortium, the Minister said. The Skoda representatives,
however, have assured Ovcharov that the offer is entirely Czech,
and have shown him the paperwork to prove it.
 
The Skoda offer will rival the Russian one in every aspect and
will present an alternative to it, Ovcharov has added.


 All Rights Reserved � Novinite Ltd., 2001-2006 - Copyright
&Disclaimer - Privacy Policy
 
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency -
www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news
provider in English that informs its readers about the latest
Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily
*****************************************************************
 43 Vermont Guardian: Massachusetts officials urge NRC to deny joint relicensing review

By Kathryn Casa | Vermont Guardian 

Posted February 16, 2006 

BRATTLEBORO  State and local officials in Massachusetts have
asked federal regulators to conduct separate relicensing reviews
of the Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim nuclear power plants in the
interest of safety. 

In a Jan. 13 letter, Alice Moore, chief of the Public Protection
Bureau in the Massachusetts Attorney Generals office in Boston,
urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to deny a request
from Entergy to review both applications jointly. 

While the plants are owned by one entity and share many
similarities, we do not believe that these factors alone justify
merging the proceedings, Moore wrote. Having separate
proceedings will allow the NRC to fully assess the specific
characteristics of each plant. These matters are far too
important to be merged into one review process. At a minimum,
the NRC should not decide to merge the proceedings before
interested parties have had an opportunity to review the actual
relicensing applications for each facility. 

Moores concerns are shared by a trio of state lawmakers who also
sent a letter to NRC Chairman Nils Diaz. 

We feel strongly that Pilgrim and Yankee are too dissimilar to
be combined under one regulatory review process, wrote Sen.
Therese Murray, Rep. Vinny DeMacedo and Rep. Thomas OBrien in a
Jan. 12 letter. Separate applications for re-licensure would
provide the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission with an
opportunity to focus more accurately on the specific
characteristics of each plant as they pertain and relate to the
host community. 

And in a Jan. 18 letter, Mark Sylvia, the town manager of
Plymouth, MA, said the selectboard there had voted unanimously
to ask the NRC to deny Entergys request. As the host community
for Pilgrim, we believe that it is essential for the
Plymouth-based NRC safety and environmental review teams to
focus on those characteristics specific and unique to Pilgrim. 

Sylvia said town officials had reached that conclusion after a
Jan. 12 meeting with NRC officials to discuss the relicensing
process. It was during that discussion that the NRC explained
that certain efficiencies might be gained through a joint
application review. Although we appreciate that certain
efficiencies may be gained through such a process, it is our
belief that the benefits of a separate review outweigh those
potential efficiencies. And as this issue affects both Plymouth
and the surrounding region, we believe a separate review is
necessary. 

NRC Region I spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency has not yet
ruled on Entergys request for a single relicensing team to
review the applications for 20-year license extensions at both
Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim. 

He also said no Vermont officials had contacted the NRC about
the relicensing application. 

Asked if his office was reviewing the application, Erick Titrud,
assistant attorney general in the environmental unit, said, Im
not dealing at all with the VY relicensing; thats not a matter
in which Im involved. 

Calls to the Department of Public Service and Gov. Jim Douglas
office were not returned at press time. Windham County
legislators, many of whom oppose relicensing, have also been
silent on the issue. 

Sheehan said Massachusetts officials may have misunderstood
Entergys bid for a joint review. What Entergy has asked is, they
are using one team to prepare and handle their license renewal
applications and they would like us to use one team so we dont
have a team at Pilgrim and one at VY at the same time. They
would have to split up their team to accommodate that. 

He said the NRC will devote the same number of hours at each of
the plants. They would get the same kind of review as a single
unit review. The level of oversight does not change just because
we would agree to do this combined review; it really boils down
to maximizing resources. 

The NRC has conducted three other joint reviews, he added. 

Entergy has argued that coordination would enable the
corporation to use its resources more efficiently. 

Vermont Yankee spokesman Rob Williams did not respond to the
Vermont Guardians request for information about Entergys
request. 

NRC officials have begun meeting with local officials near
Vermont Yankee to apprise them of the relicensing process.
Brattleboro Town Manager Jerry Remillard confirmed that he and
Selectboard member Greg Worden met with an NRC team last month.
Remillard said felt confident in the agencys relicensing review
process. 

The NRCs first public meeting on the Vermont Yankee relicensing
will take place at 7 p.m. March 1 at the Latchis Theater in
Brattleboro. 

Vermont Guardian PO Box 335 Winooski, VT 05404 

PO Box 335, Winooski, VT 05404
 Southern Vermont: 139 Main Street, Suite 702, Brattleboro, VT
05301
 Contact: 802.861.4880 (ph) | 802.861.6388 (fax) | 877.231.5382

 �2005 Vermont Guardian | 

Visit us: www.vermontguardian.com
 This document can be located online:
www.vermontguardian.com/local/022006/VYRelicensure.shtml 
*****************************************************************
 44 Daily Yomiuri: Is latest export scandal tied to N-black market? 

: Editorial :

The Yomiuri Shimbun 

Mitutoyo Corp. deserves to be criticized for having possibly
abetted the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the leading
precision measurement device maker on suspicion it violated the
Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. 

The company is suspected of exporting a 3-D measuring tool that
can be used to improve the accuracy of gas centrifuges to China
and Thailand without the permission of the Economy, Trade and
Industry Ministry. A gas centrifuge is a device that enriches
uranium to a level at which it can be used to make nuclear
weapons. 

High-tech products that can be converted for military use, such
as high-performance measuring instruments, are listed under the
Export Trade Control Order. The order strictly regulates the
export of such products, in line with an international framework
whose signatories include developed nations such as Japan, the
United States and European nations. 

=== 

Clarify whole picture of deals 



It was only recently that Yamaha Motor Co. was searched by
police for allegedly exporting remote-controlled crop-spraying
helicopters to China without the government's permission. 

We will have to wait for the result of investigations in the
days ahead to learn whether Yamaha exported the product knowing
that it was listed under the export control order. In any case,
it is evident that Japanese companies have a poor awareness of
security issues. 

The MPD fears that the devices Mitutoyo exported may end up on
the nuclear black market. 

When the International Atomic Energy Agency conducted an
inspection in Libya, which was suspected of trying to develop
nuclear weapons, two years ago, it found three
precision-measuring devices manufactured by Mitutoyo, including
a 3-D measuring tool. 

Mitutoyo had exported the 3-D measuring tool to a Malaysian
precision instrument maker in 2001. The machine was brought into
Libya the following year. 

The Malaysian firm is said to have been founded by aides to
Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist suspected of
being the nuclear black market's mastermind. The Libyan
government admitted to the IAEA that it procured the measuring
tools from the nuclear black market. 

The MPD is investigating whether Mitutoyo exported the product
to Malaysia without permission. The export was thoughtless if
the company did not confirm the end user of the device and
whether it would be used for general purposes. The overall
picture of the deals must be clarified, including possible links
with the nuclear black market. 

=== 

METI should issue reminder 



Japanese high-tech products, deemed treasuries of advanced
technology, are easy targets for countries that aim to acquire
nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and missiles. 

North Korea and Iran are also said to have obtained products and
technologies that can be converted for military use through the
nuclear black market. Some have pointed out that Japanese
companies ended up becoming major suppliers of such products and
technologies to North Korea. 

Market competition among high-tech businesses is fierce. Should
an illegal export by such a company be revealed, it would be
criticized internationally and its reputation would be damaged.
It is also possible that Japan's national security could be
undermined through illegal exports of high-tech products. METI
should make a renewed call on the industrial sector to conduct
strict export controls on such products. 

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 17 ) (Feb. 17, 2006) 


 � The Yomiuri Shimbun.   
*****************************************************************
 45 Bellona: Norway to allocate 110m crowns for Russian radiation security 

The Norwegian government plans to allocate 110 million Norwegian
crowns ($16m) for the implementation of nuclear and radiation
security programs in Russia in 2006.

2006-02-16 13:51

The international environmental foundation Bellona, which
favours increasing the financing of environmental programs by
Norway, said to the Interfax news agency this figure is only 4
million Norwegian crowns higher than that allocated in 2005. The
Murmansk-based Northern Radioactive Waste Handling Federal
Enterprise (SevRAO) said the Norwegian town of Vads� will be the
venue of a meeting between Murmansk region Governor Yury
Yevdokimov and Finnmark County Governor Gunnar Kj�nn�y on
February 21-22. 

SevRAO Chief Engineer Vladimir Khandobin said "the meeting is
designed to sum up the results of the work for last year and set
the primary goals for the upcoming period. The consideration of
financial issues should be tied to the concept of environmental
rehabilitation of the Andreyeva Bay," in which Norway is also
involved, Interfax reported. 

"A negative conclusion has been given as regards the operation
of the berth of this former Northern Fleet base without its
overhaul. Therefore, we need a project for its restoration and
this is one of the priorities issues for us," Khandobin said. In
addition, it is planned to launch the construction of
infrastructure for removing spent nuclear fuel from the base and
resolve a number of concomitant problems starting from 2007, he
said.
   

  Publisher: , President: 
Information: , Technical contact: 
Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62  * P.O.Box
2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway
*****************************************************************
 46 Philadelphia Inquirer: Contamination-case success

| 02/16/2006 | 

Phila. law firm wins $554 million verdict, but 16-year battle
may not be over.

 By Miriam Hill Inquirer Staff Writer 

A Philadelphia law firm won a $554 million jury verdict Tuesday
against two companies that ran the Rocky Flats nuclear-weapons
plant in Colorado and, jurors said, exposed its neighbors to
plutonium. 

Berger & Montague P.C., which has offices on Locust Street in
Center City and is one of the country's largest class-action
firms, led a team that battled for 16 years in the case against
the plant's operators, Dow Chemical Co. and the former Rockwell
International Corp. 

"I think the jury was outraged at the contempt which Dow and
Rockwell showed for the community," said Merrill Davidoff, the
Berger lawyer who led the case for the 12,000 plaintiffs. They
claimed that plutonium contamination from the plant threatened
their health and lowered their property values. Dow said it
would appeal. 

"The jury's verdict is disappointing as numerous independent
scientific studies have concluded that there is no past, present
or future public-health threat," Charles J. Kalil, Dow's general
counsel, said in a statement. Rockwell said in a news release
that it no longer was in the defense business and that it
expected the U.S. Department of Energy to pay its costs and
damage awards. 

Dow and Rockwell operated the plant for the U.S. Department of
Energy, which protected the companies from such suits under
their contract. Jurors in the federal case deliberated for 18
days before determining that the damage from the radioactive
material might never go away. They ruled that Dow and Rockwell
had been negligent and had caused "class members to be exposed
to plutonium and [placed] them at some increased risk of health
problems." 

The Rocky Flats site, about 16 miles from downtown Denver, began
operating in 1952 and built more than 70,000 nuclear weapons. In
1989, the site was added to the federal government's Superfund
cleanup list because of environmental contamination. 

The jury recommended $354 million in actual damages. The jury
also called for Dow Chemical, of Midland, Mich., to pay $110.8
million and for Milwaukee-based Rockwell, now known as Rockwell
Automation Inc., to pay $89.4 million. 

The plant has been shut down and cleaned. Plans call for the
site to become a wildlife refuge. Thousands of neighbors in the
class have moved. 

Plaintiffs' attorneys said they expected the total damage amount
to be lowered, but said it would still be in the hundreds of
millions. A judge will determine how much goes to lawyers and
how much to plaintiffs. 

Merilyn Cook was one of the original seven neighbors of the
plant involved with the class-action suit. 

"It's a tremendous verdict," she told the Rocky Mountain News.
"It just feels wonderful. 

Contact staff writer Miriam Hill at 212-757-2295 or
hillmb@phillynews.com.
*****************************************************************
 47 Seattle Times: U.S. facing $553.9 million payout for plutonium leaks
 
Thursday, February 16, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM 	
 	 		
By Catherine Tsai The Associated Press                                                                                                                                    

DENVER  With a half-billion-dollar verdict hanging over its
head, the Department of Energy was reviewing legal options
Wednesday after a jury ruled that two DOE contractors allowed
plutonium from the Rocky Flats weapons plant to contaminate
nearby land. 

A federal jury on Tuesday decided Dow Chemical and the former
Rockwell International damaged land around the now-defunct plant
through negligence that exposed thousands of property owners to
plutonium and increased their risk of health problems. 

Jurors awarded the plaintiffs $553.9 million in damages. The
government already is facing an estimated $58 million in legal
fees for the contractors. 

State and federal laws likely will limit any verdict payout to
$352 million, attorneys said, but taxpayers may have to foot the
bill because the two companies' contracts called for the federal
government to indemnify them. 

Appeal planned 

The companies were moving ahead with plans to appeal. Energy
Department spokesman Mike Waldron said the agency and the
contractors "are evaluating how best to proceed." 

Dow Chemical operated Rocky Flats for the government from the
1950s until 1975; Rockwell ran it from 1975 until 1989, when it
closed. The plant made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads. 

Dow Chemical spokesman Scot Wheeler said property values around
Rocky Flats have continued to rise, and that several regulatory
agencies have said the surrounding areas could be developed. 

U.S. District Judge John Kane will review the verdict, said
Louise Roselle, an attorney for some of the plaintiffs. The
lawsuit was filed 16 years ago on behalf of 13,000 people. 

Who pays 

Generally, government contracts with companies that work for it
require the Department of Energy to reimburse contractors that
are ordered to pay penalties, Waldron said. 

"The neighbors, the citizens of Colorado, have waited 16 years
for the defense and the government to compensate them for the
harm caused to them," Roselle said. "No amount of money will
compensate them for what happened, but the government should
stop spending money to fight the neighbors. They should spend
money to settle and compensate neighbors." 

The companies and their lawyers have cited several grounds to
appeal, including jury instructions they say were too liberal.
Defense attorney David Bernick has said the jury was allowed to
award damages if it determined the companies were responsible
for even one particle of plutonium on the plaintiffs'
properties. 

He has said the judge wrongly allowed jurors to consider certain
testimony, including claims that the Energy Department was a
conspirator. 	 		 		

Copyright � 2006 The Seattle Times Company                                              

*****************************************************************
 48 UK: HSE: Statement of nuclear incidents at nuclear installations
 
E015:06 15 February 2006 

A statement on incidents at nuclear installations in Britain
that meet Ministerial reporting criteria is reported to the
Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry and for Scotland and
published every quarter by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE). 

For the period 1 October 2005 to 31 December 2005 there was one
incident at a nuclear licensed installation that met the
reporting criteria. 

Sellafield (British Nuclear Group Sellafield Limited) 

On 4 December 2005, British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd,
(BNGSL), the licensee, detected high levels of radiation in an
area of the Highly Active Liquor Evaporation and Storage (HALES)
facility. This occurred during a routine operation to sample
highly active liquor. 

The operation was stopped. Operators evacuated the building
safely and quickly in accordance with instructions. Controlled
re-entries into the building were then carried out to define the
scope of the problem and put in place appropriate contingency
controls and recovery plans. 

There was no loss of primary containment and no environmental
effects were found inside, or external to, the building.
Restrictions were placed on the use of an adjacent building
because of high background radiation levels but were later
removed on successful completion of the recovery plans. 

Three operators carried out the sampling operation. They
received elevated radiation doses, though well within legal
limits. 

The source of the high radiation was traced to a small diameter
wash line feeding the sampling plant. The line has since been
cleared, restoring normal operating conditions except to local
areas where some access restrictions remain. 

HSE’s Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) has conducted a
preliminary investigation and BNGSL is conducting its own
internal investigation. The root cause of the incident has not
yet been established but on the basis of its own investigation,
BNGSL has already recognised the need to improve its approach to
learning from experience in HALES. NII will await completion of
BNGSL's investigation before deciding whether enforcement action
is warranted. 

NII will seek engineered improvements to ensure the safety of
future sampling operations. 
Note to Editors
 

1 The arrangements for reporting nuclear incidents were
announced to Parliament by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State for Energy on 30 April 1987 (Hansard col. 203-204). A
minor modification to the arrangements was announced in HSE
press notice E108:93 of 30 June 1993. 

2 Normally each incident mentioned in HSE's quarterly incident
statements will already have been made public by the licensee or
site operator, either through a press statement or by inclusion
in the newsletter for the site concerned. 
Press Enquiries
 

Mark Wheeler 020 7717 6905
 Out of hours: 020 7928 8382 
Public Enquiries
 

Nuclear Safety Directorate Information Centre 0151 951 4103 

HSE information and news releases can be accessed on the
Internet www.hse.gov.uk/ 
  + Updated 16.02.06 
  + � Copyright 
*****************************************************************
 49 New West Network: Did Utah Kill John Wayne? Part IV: Well, Did It?

"http://www.newwest.net

Part four of a four-part series.
 By Contributing Writer, 2-16-06

By Clint Wardlow, 

Well, Did It?
 
Is the Beehive State responsible for John Wayne's death?
Certainly its irradiated dirt may have had something to do with
it. But if Utah is the killer, it has plenty of accomplices.
 
Howard Hughes is a major suspect. Memos from Hughes seem to
indicate that he was aware of the risks of shooting in the
shadow of Nevada's Yucca Flats testing range. Many theorize the
guilt he felt from that film may have contributed to his
paranoia over the Nevada atomic bomb tests. Hughes was a
vigorous opponent of the tests and spent considerable cash to
get them stopped. He was one of the bigger thorns in the Atomic
Energy Commission's side.
 
R.J. Reynolds shoulders a large portion of the blame. Four packs
of cigs per day couldn't have helped the Duke's health.
 
The Atomic Energy Commission may be the main villain in all of
this. They spent years covering up any culpability in the
alarming cancer rates around the Yucca Flats test range. They
have only ever accepted a grudging responsibility for the epic
suffering of Nevada and Utah downwinders despite overwhelming
evidence of the sickness and death the tests caused. Over 15,000
cancer deaths could be related to the 11 years of open air
atomic bomb tests in Nevada, according to a recent Department of
Health report. Another 20,000 non-fatal cancer cases may also be
related.
 
The toll was not only among the stars of The Conqueror. Wayne's
sons Michael and Patrick also developed health problems that may
be related to the tests. Patrick had a benign tumor removed and
Michael suffered, but recovered from skin cancer. Both were
instrumental in setting up the John Wayne Cancer Institute. On
April 5, 2003, Michael Wayne died following an operation. He had
Lupus. The Conqueror death toll keeps mounting. By , 2-16-06 | |
email this story | --> ['Big Sky Democrats-Young Dems of
Montana' 

  � 2006 NewWest, All Rights Reserved 
*****************************************************************
 50 Paducah Sun: Paducah workers untouched by cuts - 

Employees of the gaseous diffusion plant won�t be affected,
Whitfield says. 

By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com 270.575.8656 

Thursday, February 16, 2006 

Current and former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant employees are
not affected by a Bush administration effort to limit costs of a
program to compensate Cold War-era nuclear workers who developed
cancer from radiation exposure, Rep. Ed Whitfield says. 

�The proposed cuts to the compensation program for workers made
ill by exposure to radiation at DOE facilities will have no
effect on workers from the Paducah plant, said Whitfield,
R-Hopkinsville. 

Whitfield made the statement in response to an Associated Press
story that ran in Wednesday�s Sun quoting a document written by
White House budget officials and sent to the Labor Department.
The document commends Labor officials for �identifying the
potential for a large expansion of a program aimed at
compensating thousands of nuclear workers. It then states that
the White House will lead an interagency working group to
develop ways �to contain growth in the costs of benefits the
program provides, according to the AP. 

Whitfield clarified that legislation he and Sen. Mitch
McConnell, R-Louisville, pushed through Congress in 2001 puts
sick Paducah workers in a special category to automatically
receive benefits if they have qualifying radiation-induced
cancers. The compensation is a lump sum payment of $150,000 plus
lifetime medical benefits. 

�The legislation guarantees that any spending cuts now or in the
future will not affect any Paducah workers entitled to this
compensation, Whitfield said. 

As of Tuesday, the Labor Department had paid $219 million in
lump sum checks and $14.8 million in medical benefits to 1,462
current and former Paducah plant workers. 

The document said the working group will discuss whether
�administration clearance should be required before groups of
workers are deemed eligible for compensation, the AP reported.
An advisory board mentioned in the budget document is supposed
to recommend soon whether groups of workers in Colorado, Iowa,
Tennessee and the Marshall Islands should automatically be
compensated under the program. Similar recommendations would
follow for workers from other sites across the country. 

An Office of Management and Budget spokesman said the goal is to
better coordinate work by the Labor Department, which provides
expertise in claims processing; the Energy Department, which has
records on its former workers; and the Health and Human Services
department, which has scientific expertise. 

However, Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., who chairs a House
Judiciary subcommittee that oversees claims issues, said he
would hold hearings on the compensation program. Other lawmakers
argued that decisions about benefits should be based on science,
not budgets. 
*****************************************************************
 51 KLASTV.com - Exclusive: Atomic Workers Have New 'Weapon'

  George Knapp, Investigative Reporter
 
Dose Reconstruction Study   
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation   

The clock is ticking for thousands of former Nevada Test Site
employees, many of whom are sick or dying because of exposure to
radiation during the atomic testing program. Critics say the
government is waiting for the workers to die so it doesn't have
to compensate them. Now, there's a new weapon that can be used
in the fight. 

Patty Cook, daughter of test site worker, said, "My mom was
proud to work out there. She caught a bus at 5:30 in the morning
and came home at 6:30 at night for years and years." 

Patty Cook's mother Irene worked for 20 years at the Nevada Test
Site during a period when hundreds of atomic devices were
exploded in underground tests. Irene wasn't directly involved in
the testing program, but like tens of thousands of others at the
nuclear range, she was routinely exposed to radiation. Many of
those underground tests accidentally vented radiation into the
air. On Irene's final day of work at the test site, the infamous
Baneberry Test sent a gigantic cloud of radioactive dust into
the sky. 

Patty Cook said, "After a shot with leakage, they'd put them on
a bus and send them to Mercury for an hour or so and she'd be
walking back. She would even tell me, as a little girl, 'you
know Patty, the guys were out there in the white suits cleaning
up and we were walking across the rocks in our shoes.' And she
was pretty concerned about that." 

In 1995, after years of severe back pain, Patty's mom had some
tests done and received the bad news -- terminal bone cancer
that transformed itself into multiple myeloma. Patty Cook
continued, "It metastasized into her lungs, into her breasts,
and during her final days, all the way up into her brain." 

Irene's death was long and painful, and tough on her caregiver
as well. When Patty Cook learned in 2001 about the federal
program that compensates atomic workers who develop
radiation-related diseases, she applied. It took two years
before she was allowed to speak to a person about the claim. It
took another two years before she had a second conversation and
learned the Department of Labor had messed up its evaluation of
the case and had to start over. Eventually, Cook was told that
her late mother didn't qualify for the program because she
hadn't been exposed to enough radiation to cause cancer. 

The government uses what's known as dose reconstruction studies
to reach such conclusions, guestimating how much radiation might
have been present 30 or 40 years prior, and how much a given
worker might have encountered. Critics say dose reconstruction
has been used as an imprecise bludgeon to deny benefits to
thousands of people who did their jobs and became sick as a
result. 

Of the more than 3,200 claims filed by former test site workers
in the past six years, a mere 297 have been approved. Fewer
still have been paid. Ray Slaughter, who worked in the tunnels
at the test site, is now suffering with two kinds of cancer and
was told he has less than two years to live. The government told
him it will take longer than that to even process his claim. 

Ray Slaughter said, "It seems like they look for reasons not to
compensate you instead of trying to help and give the benefit of
the doubt. They take every single thing they can to try and stop
it." 

Senator Harry Reid and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley helped to
get the compensation program through the Congress. Both are
sickened by the bureaucratic foot dragging. In November, Reid
appealed to President Bush to take action. Months later, there
has been no response from the White House, so Reid is planning a
new approach that will be announced next week. 

He and the test site workers will have a new arrow in their
quiver. A government funded study, completed in December and not
yet made public, analyzed the dose reconstruction process as it
applies to test site workers and found much of it to be quote,
"not scientifically defensible since it almost certainly
underestimates radiation exposures in several different ways." 

Back in January, Patty Cook had one final meeting with the
Department of Labor to consider her claim. She wanted to talk
about dose reconstruction problems in her mom's case but was
informed the topic was off limits. The I-Team accompanied her to
the meeting but the hearing officer barred our camera from the
office. 

After the meeting, we asked Patty Cook how it went. She said,
"When it's all said and done... not a chance." 

Senator Reid's office has called for a special meeting of test
site workers and their families. It will be held next Tuesday
afternoon at the Painters' Union Hall in Henderson. 

Nevada Test Site Workers Special Exposure Cohort Meeting
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 21
Time: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Painters' Union
Address: 1701 Whitney Mesa Drive, Henderson, 89014
RSVP by: Friday, Feb. 17 at 702-388-5020 

Email investigative reporter George Knapp at gknapp@klastv.com   

      All content � Copyright 2000 - 2006 WorldNow and KLAS. All
Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 52 canada.com: Nuclear watchdog blamed for leaving Port Hope, Ont., at risk

Ottawa Citizen
         
Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press

Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2006                                  

TORONTO -- Lax enforcement of fire-safety standards by Canada's
nuclear watchdog has left thousands of Ontario residents at risk
of radiation and toxic fumes from two uranium processing plants,
environmentalists and civic officials said Wednesday. 

While the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has known about the
dangers at plants for years, people in Port Hope east of Toronto
are still without a fire department able to deal with fires
involving hazardous materials. 

"The risk is catastrophic even though the risk is low,'' said
Christine Elwell, a lawyer with the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. 

"It's just reckless behaviour on the part of the commission to
not be more strict about these basic requirements.'' 

The Cameco and Zircatec plants, both owned by Saskatchewan-based
Cameco Corp., are located close to homes. 

The facilities store and use potentially deadly chemicals such
as anhydrous hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids to process
uranium ore into radioactive fuel for nuclear reactors. 

Last May, the safety commission ordered the companies to come up
with a plan to deal with the "unacceptable'' risk of fire or
face possible suspension of their licences. 

In a report prepared for a regulatory meeting Thursday, the
agency said the plants had made "an acceptable rate of progress
in addressing the risks.'' 

Cameco has provided training to off-site emergency responders,
"including a number of volunteer firefighters from the Port Hope
Fire Department,'' the report noted. 

But Frank Haylow, chief of the town's 56-member volunteer fire
department, said Wednesday his men simply cannot handle a fire
involving hazardous materials. 

While Cameco has provided some training, the department still
has no specialized hazardous materials gear, he said. 

That means having to call in help, perhaps from as far as
Toronto two hours away, in the event of a serious fire. 

"We cannot guarantee response at any given time,'' Haylow said. 

"Until we have everybody trained, until we have sufficient
equipment, we still can't respond.'' 

Haylow said he planned to make that point to the commission at
Thursday's meeting in Ottawa. 

Resident John Miller, president of the 1,500-member grassroots
Families Against Radiation Exposure, said the town is
unacceptably vulnerable. 

"If there's a fire tomorrow, God help us,'' said Miller. 

"We're depending on the nuclear regulator to say to the
companies, 'Look, you've got to arrange something now'.'' 

At minimum, Cameco should pay for a dedicated firefighting force
or contract with an outside agency able to respond
appropriately, said Miller. 

Cameco spokesman Lyle Krahn said the plants have beefed up
internal training and equipment to satisfy the nuclear
watchdog's demands, and denied Port Hope residents are at risk. 

The company has put together a risk assessment of "realistic
fire scenarios'' and is confident it can deal with them, said
Krahn. 

"We believe we have those scenarios covered off.'' ��The
Canadian Press 		 	 	  	          

© 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest
*****************************************************************
 53 Las Vegas SUN: EPA criticized Nevada for slow cleanup at mine,
contact with Arco 

February 15, 2006 

By SCOTT SONNER ASSOCIATED PRESS 

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
concluded nearly two years ago that Nevada's effort to clean up
a contaminated copper mine was "completely lacking" and was
hampered by ineffective planning, inadequate technical expertise
and inappropriate contact with the company responsible for the
pollution, new documents show. 

Among other things, the Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection often conferred with Atlantic Richfield Co. before
issuing proposals to federal regulators who shared oversight for
the mine, the EPA said in a May 2004 internal memo. 

"An overall project strategy for assessing the site and
evaluating remediation is completely lacking, resulting in hasty
and reactive ineffective efforts at the site," said the memo
entitled "Anaconda Copper Mine Site - Yerington Nevada,
Deficiencies in NDEP's Project Management." 

The mine about 65 miles southeast of Reno was the biggest
producer of copper in the United States in the 1950s and into
the 1960s before it was abandoned in 2000. Although it was not
known publicly until 2003, the processing of the copper
apparently produced uranium, which now contaminates the site
along with arsenic and other heavy metals. 

The EPA memo surfaced last week as part of a hearing on a
whistleblower complaint brought against the Bureau of Land
Management by the agency's former mine site manager, Earle
Dixon. 

Dixon claims he was fired because of political pressure, partly
because he was critical of the state's handling of the cleanup.
He said the state routinely aligned itself with Arco against
more stringent cleanup plans backed by EPA and BLM. 

The memo, by Jim Sickles, EPA's remedial project manager, was
written seven months before the agency took the lead in cleanup
efforts. It sheds light on the whistleblower case and the extent
to which EPA believed Nevada was making a mistake by refusing
EPA's recommendation in 2000 that the mine be declared a
Superfund site. 

"NDEP is unwilling to involve the other regulating agencies (EPA
and BLM) in preliminary decision making process at the site," it
said. 

"Requests from BLM and EPA for status and information are
generally ignored," he wrote. 

State regulators have defended their tactics and said they
believed local residents were best served by trying to persuade
Arco to voluntarily clean up the site without a federal
Superfund declaration or other legal action. 

At the time, the state was equally critical of the way BLM and
EPA were approaching the cleanup, said Allen Biaggi, who was the
state agency's administrator and now is director of its parent
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 

"It was very difficult to get the three parties together and get
everybody to see the same picture because we all come about it
with our own perspective and way of doing things," Biaggi said. 

"But I think it is undisputed that all of us have a goal in mind
of wanting to address the site concerns and protect public
health and the environment." 

The state resisted EPA's call for Superfund designation and
refused to surrender regulatory role until December 2004, when
it asked EPA to assume control under the same law that covers
Superfund sites. 

Preceding the changeover, Sickles had complained that NDEP was
completing the "least significant" work plans that were the
least burdensome on Atlantic Richfield. 

Of special concern was work on the most heavily contaminated
part of the six-square-mile mine site, the processing area where
copper was leached from rocks using cyanide in evaporation
ponds, many of them unlined. 

Tests have shown extremely high concentrations of uranium in the
groundwater beneath that area as well as high radiation levels
in the soil. EPA believes some uranium might have migrated into
domestic wells. 

"NDEP does not have the in house technical expertise for such a
large complex site. ... Also expertise is lacking in regards to
radiological, toxicological and community involvement," Sickles
wrote. 

State regulators deny they had inappropriate contact with Arco. 

"Our role was to coordinate, get the documents, get all the
comments back from Arco. So because of that role as sort of the
historian and clearinghouse, certainly we would be talking more
to Arco than they (EPA) would," said Leo Drozdoff, NDEP's
current administrator. 

The EPA memo reflected concerns each agency brought to a
subsequent meeting that resulted in "a professional, no-holds
barred discussion of each respective concern," Drozdoff said. He
said it led to more candid talks among the agencies. 

"We are going to continue to contribute to the fullest extent we
can to make this a success regardless of how things unraveled,"
he said. 

         All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
 54 AP Wire: Nuclear waste storage in Monticello up for public discussion

02/16/2006 | 

 Associated Press 

ST. PAUL - State officials on Thursday planned to field public
testimony about a $55 million proposal to store radioactive
waste near the Monticello nuclear plant. 

Xcel Energy is seeking state permission for the extra storage
space, saying it's needed for the plant to remain running for
the next few decades. Environmentalists, however, fear it will
lead to further stockpiling of nuclear waste in Minnesota. 

Xcel wants to store the waste in as many as 30 large canisters,
each placed in a modular concrete vault about the size of a
one-car garage. The vaults would sit on a large concrete pad
near the plant, surrounded by security fences. 

The storage is needed for the plant to remain running from 2010,
when its current license expires, to 2030, said Jim Alders,
Xcel's manager of regulatory projects. The plant now keeps its
used nuclear fuel under water inside the plant, but the storage
pool is nearly full. 

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will decide on the
renewal, but the state has authority to decide whether expanded
storage of spent nuclear fuel is in the public interest. 

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission was sponsoring the
hearings Thursday. 

Alders said without the extra storage Xcel would need to shut
the nuclear plant and replace it. "That would require a coal or
natural gas power plant which would be much more expensive for
our customers, and would result in significant increases of
pollutants," he said. 

But environmental leaders said allowing more waste to be stored
at Monticello would simply add to the stockpile of radioactive
material that may never leave Minnesota. A permanent waste
disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been planned, studied
and partially built, but U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W.
Bodman said Monday that he doesn't know when it will open. 

State Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said it was "completely
immoral and irresponsible" to continue to allow more radioactive
waste to be produced in Minnesota with no assurance that it will
ever leave the state. 

That was a major issue in 1994 when the Legislature allowed
expanded storage of radioactive waste at Xcel's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing, she said, and it's more of an issue
now when both nuclear plants are seeking 20-year license
extensions. 

Alders countered, "You don't move that process along by shutting
down a perfectly good nuclear plant that serves our customers
well." 

: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.comemail
*****************************************************************
 55 AP Wire: Feinstein, Pombo seek money to clean perchlorate contamination

02/16/2006 | 

 Associated Press 

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and House
Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., want
Congress to approve $50 million to clean up perchlorate
contamination in California. 

Legislation they introduced in the House and Senate on Thursday
would set up a grant program administered by the Environmental
Protection Agency to help local authorities in the state pay for
ridding ground water of the toxic chemical. 

Perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel, road flares and
fireworks, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states and
is widespread in California. It can interfere with the
production of thyroid hormones, which are needed for pre- and
postnatal growth and development, though there is disagreement
about how much is dangerous. 

The Feinstein-Pombo bill also urges the EPA to set a drinking
water standard for the chemical, something the agency has not
yet done. 

*****************************************************************
 56 Deseret News; Bill to constrain governor is OK'd, but veto is
likely 

DeseretNews.com 

Thursday, February 16, 2006 

By Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News 

The House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday to reduce 
the governor's authority in nuclear waste matters. But supporters
of SB70 didn't have the votes to override the promised veto of 
the measure by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. 

Ironically, a gubernatorial veto of nuclear waste actions 
is at the heart of SB70, sponsored by Sen. Howard A. Stephenson, 
R-Draper. 

The bill seeks to give the Legislature the power to 
override a decision by the governor regarding the siting or 
change of operation of a low-level nuclear waste disposal 
facility. It also covers other types of waste disposal, but the 
nuclear side is the focus of the controversy. 

Under a law passed in the early 1990s, regulators, the 
Legislature and the governor must each give approval for such a 
change. This year, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced that he would 
not approve the expansion of the operations of Envirocare (now 
named EnergySolutions) at its Tooele County landfill. 

Stephenson said that spurred him to sponsor legislation 
that would give the Legislature the same override authority in 
radioactive waste matters as it does in other issues. The bill 
did exempt high-level nuclear waste from the override authority. 

The bill passed the Senate by a 22-6 vote and on 
Wednesday passed 47-27 � three votes shy of those needed to 
override Huntsman's promised veto. 

"There's a constitutional right for us to have a veto 
power," said Rep. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, who introduced the 
bill in the House. 

House Majority White Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, failed 
to amend the bill to make it apply only to non-hazardous waste, 
one of several categories covered by SB70. 

The amendment "would leave radioactive and hazardous 
waste subject to the current process, which requires a 
concurrent resolution" by the Legislature and governor, he said. 

"I strongly resist the amendment," declared Adams. "This 
is a matter of constitutional right and a matter of policy." He 
objected to letting one person have the power of saying no to a 
proposal, whether it concerns education or waste. 

Radioactive waste, said Urquhart, is "something that's 
going to be in the state longer than all the 'begats' in 
Genesis." That requires a special process for approval, he said. 

When the House discussed the bill itself, House Minority 
Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, argued for "a higher burden 
placed on those who want to bring in (radioactive) waste from 
out of state . . . " 

"Having the extra check of a gubernatorial approval 
protects our citizens." 

Mike Mower, the governor's deputy chief of staff, said he 
was disappointed the bill passed, but relieved it didn't have 
the veto-proof margin. 

But Adams said he would "go to work" to get the support 
to reconsider the bill for another vote. 

Legislators indicated the governor must decide whether to 
veto a bill within 10 days of passage. The timing of Wednesday's 
House vote would allow lawmakers to re-vote the bill and 
override a veto before the session adjourns at midnight March 1. 

E-mail: bau@desnews.com 

� 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company 
*****************************************************************
 57 EUobserver: Brussels warns UK over Sellafield nuclear material

'EUobserver.com' /] [''] 06:40 EU Central Time 17.02.2006 

Comment 16.02.2006 - 09:53 CET | By Mark Beunderman 

The European Commission has warned the UK government that its
Sellafield nuclear plant is in breach of EU rules securing the
peaceful use of nuclear fuel. 

Brussels on Wednesday (15 February) told London that accounting
standards at the plant do not meet the rules of the 1957 Euratom
Treaty, which allows EU inspectors to check standards on the
spot. 

The Euratom rules are aimed at ensuring that nuclear materials
in the EU "are not diverted from the peaceful uses for which
they have been declared," a Commission statement said. 

According to Reuters, auditors found in February 2005 that
nearly 30 kg of plutonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons,
was unaccounted for at the nuclear site. 

Moreover, inspectors found in 2000 that safety records had been
falsified at the site, formally owned by the state-owned British
Nuclear Group Sellafield (BNG).
 
An accident in 2005 saw some 20 tonnes of highly radioactive
nitric acid containing plutonium and uranium leaking into a
secondary container. 

But the commission said in a statement that the recent probe by
its inspectors "does not find that nuclear material was actually
lost or diverted from its intended purpose and does not concern
the issue of nuclear safety." 

Irish anxiety 
The latest rebuke to Sellafield from Brussels, which follows a
warning on safety last year following the leaking accident, is
set to raise anxiety in Ireland. 

Dublin, concerned over radioactive discharges from Sellafield
into the Irish Sea, has been campaigning for several years to
get the site shut down. 

Ireland online quotes Ciaran Cuffe, a Green Party environment
spokesman who visited Sellafield two months ago, as saying "It�s
a slap on the wrist for BNG, and certainly having been to
Sellafield I felt that they should be tightening up security and
I�m not surprised by the Commission�s statement" he said.
 
"I don't think enough has been done post 9/11," he added. 

Ireland's legal efforts to close the site down suffered a blow
last month when a high-ranked legal advisor to the European
Court of Justice (ECJ) said Dublin had breached EU law by taking
its case to the United Nations.
 
ECJ advocate general Miguel Poiares Maduro said the Sellafield
case should be dealt with in EU courts, not at a UN tribunal.
 
The Irish minister of foreign affairs Dermot Ahern reacted by
saying the advocate general's opinion did not change Irish
intentions to have Sellafield shut down. 

"I can assure people that we will continue to use every avenue,
both legal and otherwise, to state our case in relation to a
dirty plant on our doorstep." 
  + Back 
  + To the top 
� 2006 EUobserver, All rights reserved ['' /] 
Ireland is concerned over radioactive discharge from Sellafield
into the Irish Sea (Photo: NOTAT) 

*****************************************************************
 58 RIA Novosti: Kyrgyz authorities take emergency measures at nuclear disposal storage
 
16/ 02/ 2006                                  

BISHKEK, February 16 (RIA Novosti) - Officials in Kyrgyzstan are
taking emergency measures to prevent local people from looking
for silicon in the area around a former uranium storage facility
in the north of the country, the press service of the country's
Ministry of Emergency Situations said Thursday.

 According to the press service, experts from the ministry and
the National Security Service have inspected a dump in the
village of Orlovka in the Chui Region and a tailing pit nearby.
The staff of the republic's center of hygienic supervision and
disease control also visited the site.

 "The exposure rate of the gamma ray dose at the deepest point
of the excavations 10 meters from the tailing pit is about 1,500
micro-roentgens per hour," the ministry said. However, the
storage facility, which is left over from a major Soviet-era
enrichment plant, remained intact.

 The experts said they had registered no increase in the
radiation rate at the village dump, which corresponded to the
republic's average rate of 25.5 micro-roentgens per hour.

 Orlovka residents were reported to have started an excavation
in search of silicon a week ago at the village dump and 10
meters away from the nuclear disposal storage. Their efforts
covered some 120 square meters. 

The hygienic supervision center has prohibited excavation work
on the site, while the district administration has introduced
tougher administrative measures and is instructing the local
population on the risks of contagious diseases and accidents,
the Health Ministry's press service said.

 A health official said the silicon was not the source of the
radioactivity.

 A spokesman for the Ministry of Emergency Situations was unable
to say why local people were looking for silicon.
 
� 2005 "RIA Novosti"   
*****************************************************************
 59 Las Vegas SUN: DOE clueless on Yucca 

 Photos: Yucca 1 | Yucca 2 

Today: February 16, 2006 at 7:12:21 PST 

By Matthew L. Wald New York Times News Service 

WASHINGTON - The Energy Department no longer has an estimate of
when it can open the nuclear waste repository that it wants to
build at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and it
may never have an accurate prediction of the cost, the energy
secretary said Monday. 

Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said at a nuclear power
industry conference that his department was redoing research and
design for Yucca, which was supposed to start accepting civilian
power-plant waste in 1998. But it is a first-of-a-kind project,
making cost estimates difficult, he said, and the best that the
department may be able to do is publish an estimate with a very
wide range of error. 

Last week Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell hinted for the first
time that the money that the Energy Department had been
collecting from the nuclear utilities since the 1980s might not
be enough to pay for the project; the last published cost
estimate was $60 billion, in 2001. The last date given for its
planned opening, provided a year ago, was 2012. The department
is facing lawsuits from utilities that want to recover extra
costs created by the delay. 

Bodman spoke Monday to hundreds of nuclear industry executives
at a conference organized by Platts, an energy information
division of McGraw-Hill. Other speakers said that various
companies were considering building as many as 16 new reactors
soon; none has been ordered in this country since the 1970s. 

A lawyer in the audience asked how the industry could build new
plants without assurances of a plan for the waste, as the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires. 

Bodman did not answer, but instead began describing the problems
of the Yucca project. 

For one, he said, government scientists and their commercial
contractors were trying to cope with research work that was done
poorly by the U.S. Geological Survey. Another problem is a court
decision that forced the Environmental Protection Agency to
publish standards governing leakage of radioactive waste for 1
million years, he said; initially the Energy Department had
planned on a timeline of 10,000 years. 

In addition, he said, the project managers recently decided that
they had to space the waste more widely to prevent temperature
inside the mountain from reaching the boiling point because the
effects of steam are more difficult to predict. 

"There are problems with the U.S. Geological Survey work that
was done, there are problems with the EPA standards that are
there, there are problems with the efforts of the Department of
Energy. There's plenty of blame to go around," Bodman said. 

His comments came more than six years after the Energy
Department issued a "viability assessment" asserting that the
mountain could hold waste from power plants and nuclear weapons
plants, and two years after the department had planned to submit
an application to get a license for the project. 

Bodman had been invited to talk about the Bush administration's
new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a plan that includes
reprocessing nuclear waste to reduce its volume and toxicity.
Despite a spirited description of the program, he got no
questions on that subject. 

Some in the industry said, though, that the partnership
introduced a new complication for Yucca. If used reactor fuel
were put through a factory to recover reusable parts, as the
proposal calls for, the new waste could not be buried at Yucca
until the project was reanalyzed, they said. 

Another complication is that the department recently told
utilities that they should ship fuel to Yucca in containers that
could go directly into the mountain for burial. But some of the
waste is now packaged in other kinds of containers, in locations
where the reactors have been torn down, which means there is no
easy way to repackage the materials. 

Other nuclear professionals present, including Nuclear
Regulatory Commission Chairman Nils J. Diaz, predicted that the
nation would shift to a system of above-ground interim storage
and perhaps the solution called for in the nuclear partnership:
breaking up old nuclear fuel to recover reusable materials. But
this could help spread material useful in nuclear weapons.

Las Vegas SUN main page

         All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
                                 
*****************************************************************
 60 reviewjournal.com: EPA criticized state over mine cleanup
 
Feb. 16, 2006

2004 memo called efforts 'completely lacking'    

By SCOTT SONNER <br/>THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
	
RENO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded
nearly two years ago that Nevada's effort to clean up a
contaminated copper mine was "completely lacking" and was
hampered by ineffective planning, inadequate technical expertise
and inappropriate contact with the firm responsible for the
pollution, new documents show. 

Among other things, the Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection Agency often conferred with Atlantic Richfield Co.
before issuing proposals to federal regulators who shared
oversight for the mine, the EPA said in a May 2004 memo. 

"An overall project strategy for assessing the site and
evaluating remediation is completely lacking, resulting in hasty
and reactive ineffective efforts at the site," said the memo,
entitled "Anaconda Copper Mine Site -- Yerington Nevada,
Deficiencies in NDEP's Project Management." 

The mine, about 65 miles southeast of Reno, was the biggest
producer of copper in the United States in the 1950s and into
the 1960s before it was abandoned in 2000. Although it was not
known publicly until 2003, the processing of the copper
apparently produced uranium, which now contaminates the site
along with arsenic and other heavy metals. 

The EPA memo surfaced last week as part of a hearing on a
whistle-blower complaint against the Bureau of Land Management
by the agency's former mine site manager, Earle Dixon. 

Dixon claims he was fired because of political pressure, partly
because he was critical of the state's handling of the cleanup.
He said the state routinely aligned itself with Atlantic
Richfield against more stringent cleanup plans backed by the EPA
and BLM. 

The 2004 memo, by Jim Sickles, EPA's remedial project manager,
was written seven months before the agency took the lead in
cleanup efforts. It sheds light on the whistle-blower case and
the extent to which EPA believed Nevada was making a mistake by
refusing EPA's recommendation in 2000 that the mine be declared
a Superfund site. 

State regulators have defended their strategy and said they
believed local residents were best served by trying to persuade
ARCO to voluntarily clean up the site without a federal
Superfund declaration or other legal action. 

The state resisted EPA's call for Superfund designation and
refused to surrender its regulatory role until December 2004,
when it asked EPA to assume control under the same law that
covers Superfund sites. 	   

Copyright � Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2006
 Stephens Media GroupPrivacy Statement
*****************************************************************
 61 WBBM 780: Tritium Leaks Found At Dresden, Byron Nukes

Chicago

Posted: Thursday, 16 February 2006 8:12AM

WARRENVILLE, Ill. (AP)  -- Elevated levels of radioactive
tritium have been found in water leaked at two more Exelon Corp.
nuclear power plants, the utility announced Wednesday. 

The leaks occurred at the Dresden Generating Station in Grundy
County and Byron Nuclear Generating Station, about 25 miles
southwest of Rockford. 

Exelon recently has come under fire in Will County, where the
state's attorney's office began an investigation last week into
why the company did not disclose until recently a series of
tritium- containing wastewater leaks between 1996 to 2003 at its
Braidwood Generating Station, about 60 miles southwest of
Chicago. 

Tests last week confirmed the Dresden plant leak, Exelon said in
a statement, which was discovered within a few weeks after it
began. Tests also were conducted last week at the Byron station.
Exelon officials said neither leak poses a health or safety
threat. 

Tritium is a radioactive substance commonly found in
groundwater, but is more concentrated in water used in nuclear
reactors. Studies have shown long-term exposure - through
drinking or bathing - can lead to cancer and birth defects. 

Levels of tritium about 25 times higher than the safe drinking
water limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were
found in a test well near the center of the 
Dresden property, officials said. Surrounding test wells found
levels at or lower than the EPA limit, apparently indicating a
localized concentration. 

At Byron, water with tritium levels about four times the EPA
limit was found standing inside concrete vaults in the ground
where several valves are located. Environmental samplings and
engineering work is being done to determine if tritium has
leaked into the ground outside the vaults. 

Exelon said it plans this year to assess all its nuclear power
generating facilities in three states to minimize the risk of
inadvertent tritium discharges. 

``We realize that inadvertent releases are unacceptable and we
are committed to eliminating them,'' Exelon Nuclear chief
operating officer Charles Pardee said in the statement. 

Exelon has 17 nuclear power units at six sites in Illinois,
three in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey.   
  
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This

*****************************************************************
 62 APP.COM: Activists, Nevada don't want waste site | 

Asbury Park Press Online
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Thursday, February 16, 2006
  	 	 
BY STAFF WRITER 

YUCCA MOUNTAIN, Nev. � When John Hartley wants to convince people 
that burying 77,000 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste 
under this mountain is a good idea, he takes them to the peak 
4,950 feet above sea level and asks them to use their senses.

This geologist and tour guide for the federal government's Yucca
Mountain Project then fills in the blanks.

The dry desert air gives you cotton mouth, but the infrequent
rain will help keep the nuclear waste from degrading.

The desolate and dusty landscape below has little but hard rock
and scrub brush. The mountain's remote location 100 miles
northwest of Las Vegas means that people will be kept at a safe
distance.

And the silence here simply adds to the notion that Yucca
Mountain's seclusion may make it an ideal place to store waste
from 72 nuclear power plants � including hundreds of tons from
the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Lacey, N.J. � for the next
million years.

 But there's another view, one that may delay indefinitely the
opening of this site as a national nuclear waste repository and
force the nation's nuclear power plants to store radioactive
fuel on their individual sites.

Activists and virtually all Nevada state and federal officials
oppose the federal government's plan to use the site as a
radioactive waste dump. They say health rules proposed for the
site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would fail to
protect the public from the harmful effects of radiation.

A bill introduced in December by Senate Democratic Leader Harry
Reid of Nevada would require the federal government to keep
nuclear waste stored at the plants, rather than having it
consolidated at Yucca Mountain.

 Jean Treichel, a member of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Taskforce,
which opposes the repository plan, said she fears the federal
government will rush to open the repository so the public would
be more likely to accept an anticipated wave of new power
reactors.

"They can't push for more nuclear power plants until they get
rid of the waste,'' said Treichel, a software consultant who's
lived in Las Vegas her entire life.

The $58 billion plan for storing the country's nuclear waste was
developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. It includes boring
rows of tunnels � 18 feet in diameter and 41 miles in all � to
hold containers of radioactive waste 1,000 feet underground.

 The repository could open as soon 2012, but that's uncertain.
Storage can't begin until the project is approved by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which would determine if the
site's design meets EPA standards. If the standards are
approved, the NRC would have to make sure the site could remain
safe for 1 million years.

No other public project has been devised to protect public
health for such a long period of time, said Elizabeth Cotsworth,
who directs the EPA's radiation office.

Stigma, water safety 

Entrances to the mountain's tunnel system open up on the Nevada
Test Site, property of the U.S. government. At 1,375 square
miles, the restricted area is larger than Rhode Island. Some of
the abandoned 
buildings used for nuclear weapons tests still stand along the
road to the mountain. Signs warning of radiation hang on nearby
fences.

"I wouldn't want to walk through some of this,'' said Hartley,
the project geologist, during one recent tour.

About 220 people work at the Yucca Mountain site today. They
work in a makeshift office complex composed of trailers and are
told not to feed the coyotes that come looking for scraps of
food.

Each weekday morning, all of Yucca's workers file onto buses for
the 90-minute commute from Las Vegas. On their way in, they pass
a golf course run by Native Americans, a mountain range called
Mummy Peak � it resembles a mummy laying on its back � and a
legal brothel.

Workers have been coming this way since the 1980s, when Congress
selected Yucca Mountain as a possible repository site. Work has
since slowed, though testing continues.

The key to a success story at Yucca Mountain is keeping the
waste as dry as possible for as long as possible, according to
officials. Water could break down the waste into tiny
radioactive particles and then seep into the groundwater.

Yucca Mountain Project engineers say they've designed the site
against such a scenario. Even if radiation tainted the water
underground, residents drinking from taps in Las Vegas would be
safe: The aquifer that supplies the city's water is separate
from the water basin beneath Yucca Mountain.

 But the people in the town of Amargosa Valley, about 15 miles
to the south, may not be as fortunate.

In the unlikely event that radiation contaminates the
underground water basin 1,000 feet below the waste and 2,000
feet below Yucca Mountain's surface, their water could become
contaminated, according to the Yucca Mountain Project. Such an
event would not only jeopardize public health but also threaten
the livelihood of farmers.

Pistachios and alfalfa grow in the valley today. In this mostly
brown landscape whose contours appear more lunar than earthly,
the green of a valley farm's field is incongruous when seen from
atop Yucca Mountain.

 About 1,300 people live in the valley today. But Ed Goedhart,
who manages 1,200 cows and 150 employees at the the Ponderosa
dairy farm in Amargosa Valley, said people may not want to live
there much longer.

The potential for water contamination, he said, has him less
worried than the stigma his hometown could develop from being a
neighbor to the nation's nuclear waste repository.

 "I'm thinking more about the possible impacts to the businesses
here and to the property values,'' said Goedhart, 43, who plans
to run for the Nevada Assembly as a Republican in November.

Not everyone in the valley shares Goedhart's passionate
opposition. About half the population doesn't care because they
see the issue as beyond their control, he said. Another 15
percent believe the jobs that the repository would bring would
be an economic boon to the town. 

Site studied for 28 years

 Project supporters hope to bank on a claim made by Yucca
Mountain Project scientists, who say that nuclear waste can be
safely stored by keeping it 1,000 feet underground, beneath
layers and layers of volcanic rock.

 The waste would be stored in double-thick nickel-alloy
cylinders and brought into tunnels by rail cars, the same
concept used to transport coal from underground mines.

Designs also call for corrosive-resistant metal sheets to shield
the casks. Covering the tracks and shaped like Quonset huts, the
sheets would keep the casks dry from rainwater that could
percolate through the mountain.

 Project scientists say the shields add an extra level of
protection. In this part of Nevada, only 7.5 inches of rain
falls on average each year, they say, about 40 inches less than
what New Jersey sees. About 95 percent of the rain on Yucca
Mountain either runs off, evaporates or is absorbed by thirsty
vegetation.

 The unlikely chance of an earthquake powerful enough to damage
the subterranean network also makes Yucca Mountain an attractive
waste site, according to project geologists. The mountain has
changed little over the past several million years. Large sharp
rocks that have longed teetered on the edge of cliffs stand as
testimony to the desert's seismic stability, they say.

For Bruce Reinert, a former Yucca Mountain Project engineer, the
repository represented one of the most challenging projects he
has worked on. The amount of scrutiny, he said, has compelled
scientists to make their work as thorough as possible.

"I've never been questioned or held to task more,'' he said.
"This is really where science and society meet.''

 The reason scientists know so much about Yucca Mountain is
because they've studied it for 28 years. Since 1997, they've
donned hard hats and headlamps to work in an underground
laboratory housed in a 5-mile-long tunnel.

The lab was dug by a machine nicknamed the "Yucca Mucker.'' With
a 720-ton cutting head, the $17 million borring machine slashed
through rock at 18 feet per hour.

 Much of the project's money has come out of the Nuclear Waste
Fund, an account created by Congress in 1983 to fund the
repository until it's filled and sealed.

 Other funding comes from the federal government because the
repository also would store high-level radioactive waste
generated by national defense programs.

New Jersey residents who get their electricity from a nuclear
plant have paid $482 million into the waste fund, according to
project figures.

Consumers of Oyster Creek's power have paid $77.4 million � a
small contribution considering that the federal DOE has
estimated the project to cost $57.6 billion.

 The repository is designed to remain open for 100 years, though
it could stay open for as long as 300 years. An open repository
means future decision makers will have the option to withdraw
the waste for reprocessing into new reactor fuel. Around 2312,
it will be sealed from the outside world for about 1 million
years. 

Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or 

  Copyright � 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 63 APP.COM: Spent fuel likely to stay indefinitely | 

Asbury Park Press Online
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
:Thursday, February 16, 2006
  	 	 
Relicensing Oyster Creek: Is it worth it?

In the final part of a five-day series, the Asbury Park Press
examines the future of the Oyster Creek Site.

BY STAFF WRITER 

LACEY � About two football fields away from Route 9, highly 
radioactive waste from the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant 
slowly decays inside airtight casks.

The protective packaging and the prisonlike security at the
plant's outdoor storage pad provide what the federal government
says is a safe location for the most lethal product of
industrial society.

 But Oyster Creek, which has more radioactive waste than some
government weapons facilities, wasn't designed to store such
material forever. Neither were 71 other nuclear plants from New
Hampshire to southern California.

 Waste storage areas � Oyster Creek has two � are supposed to be
temporary. The cement and steel casks at Oyster Creek, for
instance, are designed to remain intact for at least 100 years,
according to the manufacturer, TransNuclear.

 And plant critics say the casks could tempt terrorists because
the containers are in the open and vulnerable to an airborne
attack.

 The plant's operator, AmerGen Energy Co., has applied to the
federal government to run the plant to 2029, or 20 years past
the end of its current 40-year license. Even if Oyster Creek
shuts down tomorrow, the hundreds of tons of radioactive spent
fuel will likely remain in this bayside township for decades to
come.

 AmerGen officials say they want to remove the nuclear waste
from Oyster Creek but are stuck with it until a planned federal
repository opens.

 The $58 billion federal repository for radioactive waste,
located at Yucca Mountain, an isolated Nevada desert peak 100
miles outside Las Vegas, is years behind schedule and billions
of dollars over budget. Oyster Creek, like most of the 103
commercial nuclear plants in the United States, cannot remove
its waste until the repository is opened.

The construction is being paid for by consumers of nuclear
power, not taxpayers. Ratepayers who've used Oyster Creek's
energy have paid $77.4 million into the fund.

 Even if Yucca Mountain opens in 2012, its earliest completion
date, the federal government could take up to 20 years to move
all of Oyster Creek's waste to the desert. 

Waste buildup a concern 

The mounting nuclear waste at Oyster Creek is an issue that
concerns opponents of the plant's relicensing efforts but not
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will decide if the
plant will run until 2029. The issue of spent fuel, and its
vulnerability to terrorist attacks, will not be considered by
the NRC during the upcoming relicensing hearings.

Doris Piserchia of Tinton Falls, whose daughter and
grandchildren live in Lacey, said she realizes that the plant
provides jobs for the area. But the waste may represent "a
threat to a lot of people.''

 "You have to be careful to make sure that it doesn't fall into
the wrong hands. It has to come to the point where you have to
trust human nature,'' she said.

 Rep. H. James Saxton, R-N.J., and Gov. Corzine have said the
NRC should consider nuclear waste during the hearings.

 Saxton and Corzine, who was in the U.S. Senate last year,
posted separate bills in Congress last year that would expand
all renewal reviews to include, among other areas, the safety
and security of stored nuclear waste.

 But little has happened since the bills were introduced. Both
are bottled up in committees.

The plant's current legacy includes about 960 metric tons of
radioactive waste, the equivalent to the weight of about 700
midsize cars, according to figures provided by AmerGen. That
amount includes the fuel in the reactor now, spent fuel in the
casks, and more recent waste that's cooling in a pool inside the
reactor building.

Tons of additional waste would be generated if the plant runs
for the next two decades.

That provides little comfort to opponents of Oyster Creek's
license renewal.

 "We can't keep adding to it,'' said Peggi Sturmfels, a Jackson
resident and chief Oyster Creek watchdog at the New Jersey
Environmental Federation. "We don't have a plan for what's there
now.''

 This week, the Asbury Park Press has examined several facets of
Oyster Creek, including human errors at the plant, the aging of
critical equipment, evacuation uncertainties, economic impact
and the threat of terrorism.

 But the most lasting issue � one that will outlive everyone at
the Shore by a million years or so � is what to do with the
nuclear waste, which is composed of spent fuel rods and the
thimble-sized uranium pellets inside.

 When they are in the reactor, the pellets produce immense power
through a controlled nuclear chain reaction. The ensuing heat
turns water to steam, which drives the turbines that spin the
generator that produces 636 megawatts of electricity � enough
power for 600,000 homes.

 During this process, the uranium becomes highly radioactive,
more so than when first placed in the reactor. Parts of the
waste will remain radioactive for up to 1 million years.

 Despite the spent fuel issue, surging demand for electricity
and concerns about reducing air pollution from fossil fuel
plants have prompted a renewed interest in nuclear technology.

By the end of the decade, the NRC is expected to license the
first new nuclear plant in 27 years.

Nine sites have been proposed, according to the Nuclear Energy
Institute, an industry policy group. None are in New Jersey. 

Dump behind schedule

Much of the reason for the buildup of nuclear waste rests at the
feet of 
the U.S. Department of Energy, whose plan to store up to 77,000
tons of the waste beneath Yucca Mountain is 14 years behind
schedule.

The repository was supposed to open in 1998, but a string of
engineering difficulties and setbacks has delayed the opening to
2012, at the earliest, according to the department.

 For the repository to open, the DOE needs a license from the
NRC.

Regulators have been preparing to review DOE's application since
the end of 2004, said David McIntyre, an NRC spokesman.

"It is more important that any application submitted by the DOE
be complete and scientifically sound than it meet some
schedule,'' he said. "In other words, do it right. Don't do it
fast.''

 Yucca Mountain could absorb as much as 3,000 tons of waste per
year, according to a report published in 2003 by Science and
Global Security, a research group out of Princeton University
with a focus on nuclear nonproliferation.

 There's about 54,000 tons of waste now in 31 states and about
2,000 tons being produced each year. Moving the waste to Yucca
Mountain could take decades.

 With the ultimate destination of the spent fuel uncertain,
Oyster Creek plans to more than double the size of its waste
storage pad near Route 9.

 Today, the pad holds about 293 tons of waste. The expansion
would allow for nearly 10 times that amount � 2,125 tons � the
equivalent weight of about 1,417 midsize cars. Plant officials
said it would be enough room to meet the plant's needs through
the end of 2029. 

Gov. a critic of storage 

Recent spent fuel at Oyster Creek is stored in a water-filled
pool. All fuel rods taken from the reactor cool there for at
least five years before being inserted into casks.

Plant critics point out that the pool is 119 feet above the
ground in the reactor building, which is covered by a metal
roof. That makes the storage area susceptible to an airborne
terrorist attack, according to critics and nuclear power experts.

If such an attack were successful, it could result in an intense
fire and a release of large amounts of radiation, according to a
report released last year by the National Academy of Sciences,
an independent government advisory group.

Oyster Creek is among 32 plants nationwide with an elevated pool
within the reactor building.

Despite the report's findings, Oyster Creek's project manager
Wayne Romberg said a commercial airliner would have a hard time
getting past the roof, which is reinforced with heavy steel
girders. The fuel, he said, is 20 feet underwater, and the
pool's reinforced concrete walls are 4 feet thick.

 Fumes from burning jet fuel may pose the only public health
threat, he said.

 The idea of storing nuclear waste in Lacey has always been
controversial, but plant critics raised the issue again after
AmerGen applied for a license renewal.

 Those critics included Corzine and Saxton.

In the federal legislation proposed by the lawmakers, the bills
also would require that the National Academy of Sciences assess
the safety of Oyster Creek and require regulators to take its
findings into account.

 An NAS study would be the "most compelling development'' for
opponents of Oyster Creek's license renewal plans, said Michele
Donato, a Lavallette lawyer working pro bono for groups opposed
to the relicensure.

 "I think a blue-ribbon panel of independent experts would find
serious problems with this plant,'' she said.

 Donato said the likelihood of such a review taking place would
increase if lawmakers critical of the NRC's review process
pushed harder. Corzine, she said, should help sharpen the focus
on Oyster Creek before the NRC makes a decision.

 Through Anthony Coley, his press secretary, Corzine said he
wants to have the NRC review all the critical safety issues
surrounding the plant, including the vulnerability of the spent
fuel to terrorist attacks.

 "The process is about having an open and transparent
dialogue,'' Coley said.

 Donato said a lot of pressure may have to be brought to have
these issues heard.

 "The NRC is going to need a lot of convincing,'' Donato said. 

Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or 

  (FILE PHOTO) In a 2002 protest of plans to eventually move
radioactive waste from Oyster Creek and other nuclear plants to
a repository under Yucca Mountain, Nev., several nulcear
watchdog groups drew attention to their cause during a stop in
Lacey. They used a mock fuel storage container to show what the
federal government would use to transport the waste. A telephone
number on the back of the container has been blurred because it
is no longer accurate. Related Articles
 � Safety a concern at Salem County plants
February 16, 2006

� Closing Oyster Creek would be anything but simple
February 16, 2006

� Activists, Nevada don't want waste site
February 16, 2006

� Oyster Creek has brought jobs and money to Lacey
February 15, 2006

� Nuke plant critics say they're stifled
February 15, 2006

� Nuclear power is regenerating interest
February 15, 2006

� If cooling towers are required, plant might close
February 15, 2006

� Spent fuel pool is vulnerable, critics say
February 14, 2006

� In nuclear emergency, students would go to reception centers
February 14, 2006

� Mass chaos feared if too many leave
February 14, 2006

� Fired scientist says boss overruled reactor operators
February 14, 2006

� Evacuation zone excludes southern LBI
February 14, 2006

� Evacuation plan depends on many who lack key training
February 14, 2006

� KI pills protect thyroid from radiation
February 14, 2006

� Escaping could take 9 1/2 hours
February 14, 2006

� Safety upgrades made after TMI
February 13, 2006

� Control room is nuclear plant's nerve center
February 13, 2006

� Corrosion test sought for radiation barrier
February 13, 2006

� Boiling water reactors: more troubling events
February 13, 2006

� Can a 40-year life be extended to 60?
February 13, 2006

� Electric bills could rise if plant closes
February 13, 2006

� Radiation barrier failure is likely in major accident
February 13, 2006

� Hard-to-inspect cables, pipes create problems
February 13, 2006

� Relicensing Oyster Creek: Is It Worth It?
February 12, 2006

� Oyster Creek manager lost job after positive test for cocaine
February 12, 2006

� Near-miss prompts safety wake-up call
February 12, 2006

� Property values far exceed insurance fund limit
February 12, 2006

� "Degraded" list means greater NRC oversight
February 12, 2006

� Human error hurts plant's safety record
February 12, 2006

   
  Copyright � 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 64 Salt Lake Tribune: Guv vows a veto to retain say over waste 

Article Last Updated: 02/16/2006 12:39 PM MST 

SB70 passes: The bill would let lawmakers OK facilities he 
opposes 

By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune 

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said he will veto a bill - passed by the 
Legislature on Wednesday - weakening his role in approving new 
and expanded waste sites, including nuclear facilities. 

"He feels the siting of waste facilities is a 
multi-generational decision," said spokesman Mike Mower. "It's 
an issue that involves the health and safety of all Utahns, as 
well as one that impacts the image of the state." 

SB70 passed the House, 47-27, or three votes shy of the 
number needed to override a veto. So, Huntsman's declaration, 
plus the Legislature's tight vote, sets the stage in the 
session's final two weeks for pitched battle. The bill already 
has passed the Senate with a veto-proof 22-6 vote. 

While most lawmakers call SB70 an opportunity to right the 
balance-of-power, many of their constituents 

Setting the Scene for a Showdown 

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has until Feb. 27 to sign or veto SB70 
or allow it to become law without his action. 

Lawmakers would then have only two days to override the veto 
before the session ends midnight March 1. 

An override requires at least 50 House votes and 20 Senate 
votes. 

The margin is tight in both houses: three shy in the House 
and a cushion of two in the Senate. 

see it simply as a vehicle to bring more radioactive and 
hazardous waste into the state. 

Off Capitol Hill, opposition has steadily grown against the 
bill. The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL) has 
rallied citizen opposition. The League of Women Voters has urged 
members to express their objections to lawmakers. 

They were joined this week by the Alliance for Unity, a 
high-profile coalition of religious, civic and business leaders. 
The Alliance stopped short of opposing SB70, but made it clear 
that the rigorous approval process now in place should stay in 
place. 

"They don't want Utah to serve as a dumping ground for the 
rest of the nation," said Alexander Morrison, a retired leader 
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the 
Alliance's executive director. "Not only are we on the side of 
the angels, but on the side of the majority of Utahns." 

SB70 changes the process for approving commercial waste 
sites - including garbage, hazardous and radioactive disposal - 
which now requires approval by local officials, the state 
Division of Radiation Control, the Legislature and the governor. 
The bill would eliminate the need for consensus and give 
lawmakers the opportunity to override the governor if he vetoes 
a site. 

Only garbage sites have been approved since lawmakers 
established the process in 1990. And the original measure's goal 
back then, to close the gates to new hazardous facilities in 
Utah, has been accomplished - four sites were grandfathered and 
no new ones have been approved since the process was put into 
place. 

SB70 sponsor Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said he got 
the idea for the bill when he heard Huntsman announce in 
November that he would not approve plans by Envirocare of Utah 
to double the size of its square-mile hazardous and radioactive 
waste site in Tooele County. (Since the bill was first 
introduced, it has been amended so it wouldn't apply to the 
pending expansion, now under the company name EnergySolutions.) 

Stephenson said the Legislature should have the right to 
override a veto, as they have with most statutes. He called it 
the "restoration of our constitutional authority." 

But former governors have opposed the bill, noting that the 
Legislature has no say in other licensing decisions. 

One proposed change would have given lawmakers an override 
vote over high-level nuclear sites, too. 

"If we were to leave that out," said Rep. David Hogue, 
R-Riverton, "we'd only be doing half our job." 

SB70 supporters balked at altering the bill. If there had 
been a change, lawmakers might not have had time to override an 
expected governor's veto before the legislative session's March 
1 end. 

Stephenson said he hoped Huntsman would act on SB70 soon, so 
lawmakers can respond. If Huntsman takes all 10 days allowed to 
veto the bill, lawmakers would be faced with taking the override 
vote on the session's final two days - by far the busiest of the 
session. 

"The votes could shift in either direction," said 
Stephenson, referring to the bill's veto-proof majority in the 
Senate and veto-vulnerable tally in the House. "I have done 
everything I can" to lobby for it. 

The governor's spokesman indicated Huntsman will press his 
case. 

"We will continue to work closely with legislators and the 
public to voice our very real concerns with this legislation." 

fahys@sltrib.com 

© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune. 
*****************************************************************
 65 Dispatch: Olin Continues Bottled Water

 Thursday, February 16, 2006

 By Matt King 

Morgan Hill - San Martin residents whose well water is laced
with trace amounts of perchlorate will continue to receive
bottled water.

More than 100 families were due to lose their bottled water this
month because their wells test below 4 parts per billion for the
contaminant known to inhibit thyroid function. 

But in a quiet rebuke to the Olin Corp., the company responsible
for the pollution, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality
Control Board declined to act on the company's request to cease
delivery for the users of 78 wells that have tested at or below
4 ppb for the past year.

The procedural move - the board did not deny the request but did
not take action on a resolution to support it - means the wells
users will continue to receive water through May. Under a state
board order, Olin can at that point stop bottled water delivery
to wells that have tested at or below 6 ppb for a year. 

Company engineer Rick McClure said the board's non-action was
frustrating because it leaves Olin no possibility of redress.

"That they made no motion is just shocking. I think Olin could
have even lived with a denial," McClure said. "The regional
board (staff) wasted a lot of time and effort and taxpayer money
to prepare a resolution ... and Olin wasted a lot of time and
effort addressing this."

Olin polluted South County's groundwater with its road flare
factory that it operated in Morgan Hill from 1955 to 1987. The
plume stretches about 9.5 miles south through San Martin and
east of Gilroy. Olin has supplied water to more than 1,100
families using about 900 wells for three years at a cost of more
than $1 million.

No one in the community has argued against ending bottled water
delivery to families whose wells test at such low levels. Sylvia
Hamilton, chairwoman of the Perchlorate Community Advisory
Group, said the one benefit of the board's lack of action was
that Olin will have to conduct one more round of tests on the
wells, providing more data about the perchlorate plume.

"It's important that there is a lot of monitoring so we know if
there is a change in the trend," Hamilton said. "As long as
we're very careful and make sure there are lots of wells around
those wells [that will not be monitored as of May] being
monitored, the outcome is just fine."

Hector Hernandez, the regional water board engineer said he
believes the water deliveries and monitoring of the 78 wells
will cease in May and that other monitoring efforts are
sufficient to track the plume.

"It appears there is a downward trend in perchlorate
concentrations," Hernandez said. " Thus, at this time, there is
no reason to believe that the wells won't continue to show
levels below the 4 ppb in the coming months. However, we are
confident the existing groundwater monitoring network will
detect any fluctuations in groundwater concentrations."

	   	
	Matt King covers Santa Clara County for The Dispatch. He can be
reached at 847-7240 or mking@gilroydispatch.com.   

*****************************************************************
 66 Irish Examiner: Nuclear material from Sellafield could be stolen, report warns
 
  16/02/06 

By Ann Cahill, Europe Correspondent

NUCLEAR material could have been stolen from Sellafield and used
to make bombs without the knowledge of the British Nuclear
Group, according to a European Commission report. 

The commission yesterday issued a warning to the company that
manages Sellafield over its poor accounting standards. 

BNG was given four months to improve its systems and six months
to implement changes. 

Significantly, the commission could eventually put Sellafield,
one of the largest nuclear engineering centres in the world,
into administration - appointing personnel to ensure that
changes take place. 

Under the Euratom Treaty, the commission must make sure proper
accounting and administrative procedures are in place to ensure
that nuclear materials do not go missing. 

In a statement, the commission said it carried out a series of
inspections at the Sellafield plant and found its procedures did
not meet Euratom standards.

Energy spokesperson Ferran Tarradellas, said: �The system was
not adequate to ensure nuclear materials are not diverted from
the peaceful uses for which they have been intended.� 

Two years ago, BNG could not account for 84,000 litres of
plutonium and uranium in nitric acid at the Thorp reprocessing
plant, in Sellafield, due to an accounting error. 

It was discovered later in a containment pond. 

The commission has no power to take action over safety issues. 

Environment Minister Dick Roche welcomed the warning but urged
the commission to refer the British Government to the European
Court of Justice regarding a similar issue, which it promised to
do last September. 

Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa said the commissioner could and
should do more on the Sellafield issue. 

Fianna F�il MEP Liam Aylward said the formal warning was a step
in the right direction.   
  
        � Irish Examiner, 2005, Thomas Crosbie Media, TCH 
*****************************************************************
 67 KRDO: URANIUM SPILL CLOSES HIGHWAY 50

News 13 - News & Top Stories - Colorado Springs, Pueblo
 
Truck Headed To Cotter Mill Spills Part Of It's Load
 
2/15/2006   
   
 A uranium ore spill, East of Salida closes down Highway 50.
 
Hazmat crews from Pueblo and Alamosa were called out to the
scene, about twelve miles East of Salida, near Howard, Wednesday
afternoon.
 
A tractor-trailer headed to the Cotter Mill in Canon City
over-turned along Highway 50, near mile-marker 231.
 
State troopers say very little of the uranium spilled onto the
road and radiation was not an issue because the ore was a
low-grade of uranium.
 
Crews were more worried that someone would breathe the dust.
 
The driver of the semi has been charged with improper mountain
driving and driving an overweight truck.
 
The road was closed for several hours.
 

BP
 
  
[KRDO News 13 - Colorado Springs, Pueblo] 
KRDO TV, Pikes Peak Broadcasting
399 South 8th Street; Colorado Springs, CO  80905
 � 2000 Copyright Pikes Peak Broadcasting.  All rights reserved. 
*****************************************************************
 68 Morris Daily Herald: Scrutiny of tritium leak intensifies

news@morrisdailyherald.com     		 		
     	
  2/16/2006 5:24:00 PM     Email this article � Print this

Weller calls for plant audit as info on Dresden leak surfaces
 
By Jo Ann Hustis Herald Writer

 Morris Congressman Jerry Weller is calling for intense federal
scrutiny of radioactive material leaks at two area nuclear
stations.

In a letter Wednesday to Nils J. Diaz, chairman of the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Md., Weller said he
is deeply concerned about the groundwater quality situation at
Braidwood Generating Station in Braceville and Dresden
Generating Station east of Morris, both which are dealing with
leakages of tritium-laced water from underground discharge pipes
at their sites.

Weller is asking the NRC to do an independent audit of all
nuclear power facilities in Illinois, with strong emphasis on
system components dealing with tritium.

�When dealing with situations such as currently presented at
Braidwood, it is essential we, as government officials, make
sure the public is protected at all times and is made completely
aware of every measure being taken to remedy the contamination,�
Weller wrote in part.

�I firmly believe if a company is responsible for either on-site
or off-site contamination, it is the complete responsibility of
the company to remedy the situation, both for safety of
surrounding residents and stability of the environment.�

The local Republican also is asking Diaz to strongly enforce NRC
regulations on Exelon Nuclear, which owns all nuclear generating
stations in Illinois.

The incident at Braidwood Station occurred in 1998, when the
valve on an underground discharge pipe leaked about three
million gallons of tritium-laced water into the groundwater at
the plant site. The water was to be discharged in the Kankakee
River.

The tritium from the leakage has since spread to outside the
station perimeters. Exelon made the incident public eight years
later, in November 2005.

The Dresden leakage occurred in early December 2004, when water
bubbled up through the asphalt at the station. The leaking pipe
carried water from the station�s water purification system to a
storage tank on-site, and eventually to the reactor.

The leak was stopped right away and the water sampled, but no
impurities were found, Exelon said at the time. An analysis of
the leaking water confirmed it was not radioactive and posed no
health or environmental issues, Exelon noted on Dec. 9, 2004.

Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen that emits
a very low level of radiation and is a natural part of water.
Tritium is found in more-concentrated levels in water used in
nuclear reactors.

NRC spokesman Jan Strasma, Region 3, Lisle, said today he spoke
with Weller during a conference call at mid-morning, and noted
the agency will very seriously consider his request for the
audit of all nuclear generating plants in Illinois.

�We have an ongoing inspection this week at Braidwood, looking
at what the utility knew, and what are the steps they took,
going back to 1996, with possible leaks from this pipe,� he
said. �That�s under investigation.�

Strasma said the issue at Dresden was not new to the NRC. He
said Exelon replaced a portion of the pipe at the time of the
leak, and planned to replace the remainder of the pipe in June
of this year.

However, the portion up for replacement now appears to be the
source of a more recent leak, he noted.

�Obviously, they are re-evaluating it (the replacement
schedule), and in the meantime, sealed off the pipe and are
pumping the water out,� he said.

Strasma confirmed the water contains tritium, of which he said
Exelon was aware.

�The area where the water leaked was confined to a 30-by-30-foot
space,� he said. �They knew at the time there was tritium in the
water.�

Strasma said the leak was confined to the localized area, and
there is no evidence of it moving off-site.

Paul Gunter, director of the Reactor Watchdog Project at Nuclear
Information &Resources Service, Washington, D. C., a non-profit
advocate for public health and safety in the nuclear power
issue, said Monday Exelon originally claimed a 30-by-30 foot
area around the pipe was contaminated by a trickle of water. 

"Turns out it was actually 65,000 gallons of triniated water,
and it had also leaked into storm drains, some of which
discharge off-site into the discharge canal and into the
Kankakee River," he said.

Gunter said several of the test results came back at more than
10 million picocuries of tritium per liter, whereas 20,000
picocuries per liter is the EPA drinking water standard at the
tap.

"These are not measurements taken at the tap, but from leaks
that went into the groundwater on site. These are basic
disclosures the company was not forthcoming with at the Dresden
plant," he said.

Strasma reiterated today there is no public health danger
involved in the Dresden incident or the leak at Braidwood.

�The bottom line is, while at Braidwood there are low levels of
tritium off-site, there�s no public health and safety threat,
and that�s true at all other nuclear sites in Illinois,� he
noted.

Strasma said the NRC was aware of the Will County Board�s action
Monday in calling for an investigation by the state�s attorney�s
office of the Braidwood incident, and the reason for the years
of delay in going public about the leakage.

�That�s the very question we�re looking at,� he said.

�As regulators we�re concerned that our safety regulations be
followed,� Strasma added. 

�We�re looking at whether Braidwood met our regulations in
response to the earlier leaks.�

La Salle Nuclear Station south of Seneca and Marseilles is
apparently off the hook, because the twin-unit facility has
boiling water reactors instead of steam pressure reactors like
those at Braidwood, Dresden, and Byron Generating Station about
25 miles southwest of Rockford.

�They have a somewhat different design for their discharge pipe
from the plant to the Illinois River,� Strasma said of La Salle
Station. 

�The station hasn�t made liquid discharges of radioactive
material since 2000.�

Nuclear generating facilities are permitted by their NRC
operating licenses and EPA permits to make radioactive releases
under controlled and monitored conditions.

La Salle Station is conditioned to minimize and eliminate liquid
releases, Strasma said.

�One of the things Exelon has said is they�re looking at methods
to minimize or eliminate radioactive releases from Braidwood,�
he noted.

Gunter, however, said there is no safe dose of tritium, or any
radiation, for that matter.

"Any exposure to radiation carries a risk," he said. 

"The more exposure you get, the more risk you�re at,
particularly as the standards that industry operates by are
tailored to the most robust of our population, not the most
vulnerable."

"The National Academy of Scientists � the scientific arm of
Congress, has established there is no safe dose of radiation,"
he said. 

"Each exposure, including medical x-rays, carries more risk. If
you�re a first trimester fetus, or if you are a child, there�s
more risk than if you are a 200-pound Joe Six-pack."

Gunter said the NIRS filed a petition Jan. 25 with the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, requesting emergency enforcement
action requiring all utilities operating nuclear generating
stations to take analysis of pipes, tanks and pools carrying
radioactive water.

"As part of a much-needed disclosure of other leaks and how the
company is proposing to identify these leaks before they happen,
or disclose them when they do happen," he noted.

   Morris Daily Herald � 1804 N. Division St. � Morris, Illinois
60450 (815) 942-3221 � (800) 215-9778 Software � 1998-2006 1up! 
*****************************************************************
 69 KARE 11: State holding hearings on Xcel's desire to expand waste storage 
in Monticello
 
kare11.com :: 

State officials on Thursday planned to field public testimony 
about a $55 million proposal to store radioactive waste near the 
Monticello nuclear plant. 

Xcel Energy is seeking state permission for the extra storage
space, saying it's needed for the plant to remain running for
the next few decades. Environmentalists, however, fear it will
lead to further stockpiling of nuclear waste in Minnesota. 

Xcel wants to store the waste in as many as 30 large canisters,
each placed in a modular concrete vault about the size of a
one-car garage. The vaults would sit on a large concrete pad
near the plant, surrounded by security fences. 

The storage is needed for the plant to remain running from 2010,
when its current license expires, to 2030, said Jim Alders,
Xcel's manager of regulatory projects. The plant now keeps its
used nuclear fuel under water inside the plant, but the storage
pool is nearly full. 

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will decide on the
renewal, but the state has authority to decide whether expanded
storage of spent nuclear fuel is in the public interest. 

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission was sponsoring the
hearings Thursday. 

Alders said without the extra storage Xcel would need to shut
the nuclear plant and replace it. "That would require a coal or
natural gas power plant which would be much more expensive for
our customers, and would result in significant increases of
pollutants," he said. 

But environmental leaders said allowing more waste to be stored
at Monticello would simply add to the stockpile of radioactive
material that may never leave Minnesota. A permanent waste
disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been planned, studied
and partially built, but U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W.
Bodman said Monday that he doesn't know when it will open. 

State Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said it was "completely
immoral and irresponsible" to continue to allow more radioactive
waste to be produced in Minnesota with no assurance that it will
ever leave the state. 

That was a major issue in 1994 when the Legislature allowed
expanded storage of radioactive waste at Xcel's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing, she said, and it's more of an issue
now when both nuclear plants are seeking 20-year license
extensions. 

Alders countered, "You don't move that process along by shutting
down a perfectly good nuclear plant that serves our customers
well." 

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 
Last Updated: 2/16/2006 10:54:35 AM        

*****************************************************************
 70 Canon City Daily Record: Accident causes hazardous spill
 
  Publish Date: 2/16/2006                        

A truck carrying uranium ore to the Cotter Corp. mill in Ca�on
City crashed Wednesday, spilling some of the hazardous material
and causing a temporary closure of U.S. 50.

 David Young/The Daily Record
   
David Young and Blakely Thomas-Aguilar
 The Daily Record 					 					HOWARD � A truck carrying uranium

ore to the Cotter Corp. mill in Ca�on City crashed Wednesday,
spilling the hazardous material and causing a temporary closure
of U.S. 50, Colorado State Trooper Frank Lopez said. 

The truck, driven by Thomas Golightley, 28, of Grand Junction,
was traveling east at 11:15 a.m. on U.S. 50 when it skidded onto
the westbound lane, Lopez said. 

The vehicle rolled onto the driver�s side and struck the guard
rail before coming to a stop. Golightley suf-fered minor
injuries, said Lopez, who attributed the cause of the accident
to driver error. 

The truck spilled a portion of its 50,000 pounds of uranium ore
onto U.S. 50. Lopez said as far as he is aware, the spill did
not reach the Arkansas River. 

Cotter mill manager John Hamrick said environmental safety
coordinator Jim Cain reported to the scene to advise authorities
on how to clean up the radioactive materials. 

Hamrick said the ore spilled onto the road and embankment,
confirming Lopez�s assessment that no ore entered the river. 

�We originally thought it was worse than it is,� said Lopez, who
at one point evacuated the area for fear of contamination. �We
verified that it is not as bad as we thought.� 

Lopez said the primary safety concern is inhalation of the
low-grade uranium. U.S. 50 was closed Wednes-day afternoon as a
safety precaution, Lopez said. 

Hamrick said the fault lies with E trucking company, not Cotter,
but the responsibility for cleanup ultimately lies with the
company. 

Two CSP hazardous material teams handled the spill. Along with
CSP, the Southern Arkansas Fire District, Fremont County
Sheriff�s department, and the Department of Wildlife and State
Parks were on scene. 

Although it is not suspected that the uranium ore contaminated
the Arkansas River, Kim Woodruff, who was on site for the DOW,
said if the uranium ore did reach the river it would have
serious ramifications. 

�Uranium in the complex river system affects everything from
flying mammals to fish,� Woodruff said. 

Hamrick said the ore will arrive at the Cotter mill, despite the
spill, and will be processed into yellowcake for sale. The
shipment is one of the last expected to reach the mill before
employees are �temporarily� released because of lack of
materials for processing, Hamrick said. 				   

  
src="http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/

All contents Copyright � 2005 The Ca�on City Daily Record. All
rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 71 UPI: DOE unsure when Yucca nuclear dump ready
     
 United Press International - NewsTrack - 

2/16/2006 2:31:00 PM -0500

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Energy Department says it
doesn't know when it can open the nuclear waste depository at
Yucca Mountain near Las Vegas. 

Further, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says the department may
never have accurate prediction of how much it will cost, the New
York Times reported. 

Bodman told a nuclear power industry conference in Washington
that his department was redoing research and design for the
plant that had been expected to start accepting civilan
power-plant waste in 1998. The last date given for its planned
opening was 2012. 

Cost estimates are running as high as $60 billion. 

The department is facing lawsuits from utilities that want to
recover extra costs created by the delay. 

"There are problems with the U.S. Geological Survey work that
was done, there are problems with the EPA standards that are
there, there are problems with the efforts of the Department of
Energy," Bodman said. "There's plenty of blame to go around."

� Copyright 2006 United Press
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 72 UK: News & Star: Sellafield operator’s EU breach warning
           
16/02/2006                                                                                                                                              

By Andrea Thompson
 
SELLAFIELD operator British Nuclear Group has come under fire
for being in breach of EU rules imposing strict nuclear
safeguard standards.
 
Yesterday’s warning came from the European Commission which
urged British Nuclear Group to step up controls to ensure that
nuclear materials “are not diverted from the peaceful uses for
which they have been declared”.
 
But the company said that it had not yet received any such
notification and cannot comment until it does.
 
The warning follows a series of commission inspections at
Sellafield, which resulted in a report stating that
“accounting and reporting procedures currently in place at
BNGSL (British Nuclear Group Sellafield) do not fully meet
Euratom (EU) standards”.
 
The Commission did, however, emphasise that the warning related
solely to issues of the adequacy of those procedures – and did
not find that nuclear material was actually lost or diverted
from its intended purpose. 

It also said it did not concern the issue of nuclear safety.
 
A British Nuclear Group spokeswoman said: “We would expect the
European Commission to notify us, as operator of the
installation concerned, of their decision to issue a warning
under Article 83 of the Euratom Treaty in respect to safeguards
on the Sellafield site, prior to issuing any press statement. 

She added: “However, we have not yet received any formal
notification of such a warning from the European Commission. 

“Accordingly, and somewhat disappointingly, we are unable to
comment further at this stage upon current press reports.”
 
*****************************************************************
 73 Secrecy News -- 02/16/06
 
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:10:04 -0600 (CST)

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 21
February 16, 2006

Secrecy News Blog:  http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

**	CONFRONTING THE WHITE HOUSE'S "MONARCHICAL DOCTRINE"
**	THE VICE PRESIDENT'S DECLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY
**	ENERGY DEPARTMENT DECLASSIFICATION PLAN
**	IN THE NEWS
**	HEARING ON ABLE DANGER
**	CRS ON DATA MINING

CONFRONTING THE WHITE HOUSE'S "MONARCHICAL DOCTRINE"

More and more Americans of all political stripes are concerned that the
Bush Administration has exceeded its legal authority by conducting
intelligence surveillance outside of what the law permits.

Anxiety over illegal surveillance is heightened by the prospect that an
ideologically subservient Congress may not insist on the primacy of
law, but will simply defer to the Administration, or authorize whatever
the White House wishes.

"The administration's stance that warrantless surveillance by the
National Security Agency targeting American citizens on American soil
is a legal exercise of the president's inherent powers as commander in
chief, even though it violates the clear language of the 1978 Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act" is a "monarchical doctrine," wrote
columnist George Will today.

"Monarchical" is a curse word in conservative thought, and for an
American conservative monarchy is a provocation to revolutionary
opposition.

"We cannot continue to claim we are a nation of laws and not of men if
our laws, and indeed even the Constitution of the United States itself,
may be summarily breached because of some determination of expediency
or because the President says, 'Trust me'," said Sen. Robert Byrd in a
Senate floor statement yesterday.

"I plead with the American public to tune in to what is happening in
this country. Please forget the political party with which you may
usually be associated and, instead, think about the right of due
process, the presumption of innocence, and the right to a private
life."

"This President, in my judgment, may have broken the law and most
certainly has violated the spirit of the Constitution and the public
trust," Sen. Byrd said.

     http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_cr/byrd021506.html

In an unusual rebuke, the American Bar Association this week found it
necessary to urge President Bush to comply with the law.

"The American Bar Association calls upon the President to abide by the
limitations which the Constitution imposes on a president under our
system of checks and balances and respect the essential roles of the
Congress and the judicial branch in ensuring that our national security
is protected in a manner consistent with constitutional guarantees."

See the report of the American Bar Association Task Force on Domestic
Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism:

     http://www.abanet.org/op/domsurv/

THE VICE PRESIDENT'S DECLASSIFICATION AUTHORITY

"Is it your view that a Vice President has the authority to declassify
information?" Vice President Cheney was asked yesterday by Fox News'
Brit Hume.

"There is an executive order to that effect," replied the Vice
President.

This was a simple answer to a straightforward question, but the matter
is actually a bit more complicated.

The executive order in question is E.O. 13292 on classified national
security information, issued by President Bush in March 2003:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/eoamend.html

It states in section 1.3 that "The authority to classify information
originally may be exercised only by:  (1) the President and, in the
performance of executive duties, the Vice President; (2) agency heads
and officials designated by the President in the Federal Register..."

Remarkably, the phrase "and, in the performance of executive duties, the
Vice President," which dramatically elevates the Vice President's
classification authority to that of the President, was added to the
executive order in 2003.

Prior to that, the Vice President only had classification authority
comparable to that of an agency head, having been delegated such
authority in a 1995 presidential order:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/clinton/oca.html

So much for classification authority.  What about declassification?

Declassification authority is defined in Section 6.1(l) of E.O. 13292.
It is granted to: "(1) the official who authorized the original
classification...;  (2) the originator's current successor in function;
(3) a supervisory official of either; or (4) officials delegated
declassification authority in writing by the agency head or the senior
agency official."

So the Vice President has authority to declassify anything that he
himself classified.  He also clearly has authority to declassify
anything generated in the Office of the Vice President, which he
supervises.

But is the Vice President, like the President, "a supervisory official"
with respect to other executive branch agencies such as the CIA?  Did
the 2003 amendment to the executive order which elevated the Vice
President's classification authority also grant him declassification
authority comparable to the President's?

"The answer is not obvious," said one executive branch expert on
classification policy.

ENERGY DEPARTMENT DECLASSIFICATION PLAN

The Department of Energy expects to complete the declassification review
of 12.7 million pages of its 25 year old historically valuable
permanent records by December 31, 2006, the Department advised the
Information Security Oversight Office last month.

The January 2006 Department of Energy Declassification Plan was obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act by Michael Ravnitzky.  A copy is
posted here (1.1 MB PDF file):

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/declass.pdf

IN THE NEWS

"Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the number of insiders alleging wrongdoing
in government - either through whistle-blower channels or directly to
the press - has surged, as have reprisals against them."

See "A surge in whistle-blowing ... and reprisals" by Gail Russell
Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor, February 16, 2006:

     http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0216/p01s01-uspo.html

"If the Bush administration's interpretation of espionage law is upheld,
then everyone is breaking the law, all the time."  That's the
conclusion that emerges from the Bush Administration's unprecedented
use of the Espionage Act to prosecute non-government employees for
mishandling classified information.

See "You're a Spy" by Fred Kaplan, Slate, February 15, 2006:

     http://www.slate.com/id/2136324/

Jack Shafer sorts out what appeared to be an early post-9/11 disclosure
of warrantless domestic surveillance, and takes a poke at DCIA Porter
Goss for flogging discredited leak allegations.

See "NSA Scoop or Just Bad Writing?" by Jack Shafer, Slate, February 15,
2006:

     http://www.slate.com/id/2136184/

HEARING ON ABLE DANGER

The ABLE DANGER data mining program was the subject of a House Armed
Service Committee hearing yesterday featuring testimony from Under
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen A. Cambone.

"Members must decide for themselves what to believe from the testimony
presented today -- there will be some inconsistencies," cautioned Rep.
Jim Saxton, who co-chaired the hearing.

The prepared testimony from that February 15 hearing is posted here:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2006_hr/index.html#ad

CRS ON DATA MINING

A recently updated report from the Congressional Research Service
addresses data mining -- what it is, what it can and cannot do, and
some of the controversies that have arisen around it.

A copy of the CRS report was obtained by Secrecy News.

See "Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview," updated January
27, 2006:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL31798.pdf

_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, send email to
     secrecy_news-request@lists.fas.org
with "subscribe" in the body of the message.

To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a blank email message to
     secrecy_news-remove@lists.fas.org

OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org

Secrecy News is archived at:
     http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html

Secrecy News is available in blog format at:
     http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

SUPPORT Secrecy News with a donation here:
     http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp

_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web:    www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email:  saftergood@fas.org
voice:  (202) 454-4691
*****************************************************************
 74 [NukeNet] Groups File for Emergency Injunction
 
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 14:31:31 -0800

<x-flowed>
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)

For more information:
Tri-Valley CAREs: Marylia Kelley or Loulena Miles,  (925) 443-7148
Nuclear Watch New Mexico: Jay Coghlan, (505) 989-7342
Atty. Stephan Volker, (510) 496-0600

For immediate release, February 16, 2006
Groups File Request for Emergency Injunction to Stop Operation of Livermore
Biowarfare Agent Testing Facility; Court Will Determine Whether Deadly
Pathogens are Transported to Site

Livermore -- An "urgent motion for stay," and a supplemental memorandum
filed in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals late yesterday, seeks to prevent
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from commencing operation of a new
biowarfare agent testing facility inside the Livermore Laboratory in April
2006. The Biosafety Level-3 Facility is slated to conduct aerosol
experiments and genetic modifications using lethal pathogens such as live
anthrax, plague, botulism and Q fever.

The emergency motion brought by Oakland attorney Stephan Volker on behalf
of the Livermore-based Tri-Valley CAREs and Nuclear Watch of New Mexico
asks the Court to step in and prevent DOE from opening the facility while
the organizations' case is being reviewed by the 9th Circuit Court. As
plaintiffs outline in the motion, "� the deadly bioagents tested at this
facility could escape to the environment through earthquake, fire,
terrorist attack, sabotage, operator error or failure of the containment
filters through which the air in the facility would be exhausted to the
outside."

The groups' underlying lawsuit is aimed at compelling the DOE to conduct a
comprehensive review of the project's potential environmental impacts
before the biowarfare agent research facility begins operating. Plaintiffs
include individuals and community groups located near the Livermore and Los
Alamos nuclear weapons labs. The facilities proposed at these two locations
would be the first time that the U.S. mixes advanced biowarfare and nuclear
weapons research at the same site, raising local and international
complications.

On November 29, 2005, the DOE announced in the Federal Register that it
would conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement, as requested by
plaintiffs and required by law, for the proposed Los Alamos bio-facility.
Potential earthquakes, and the need for "additional seismic analysis," were
listed as a reason for the more stringent review to be undertaken in New
Mexico.

Plaintiffs believe that Livermore and Bay Area residents deserve no less
than their New Mexico counterparts. "I am mystified as to why the
Department of Energy believes it does not need to conduct the same degree
of environmental review in Livermore," commented Tri-Valley CAREs' staff
attorney, Loulena Miles. "Not only is Livermore the more crowded site, but
this is where DOE has decided to experiment with deadly pathogens in a
prefabricated building instead of a permanent structure."

"Federal environmental laws clearly require DOE to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement before experimenting with deadly bioagents in this densely
populated urban area underlain with numerous active earthquake faults.,"
added lead attorney, Stephan Volker. "I am confident the court will grant
our emergency appeal, and that we will ultimately win the case."

Plaintiffs charge that DOE failed to design the facility so that it could
withstand earthquakes of magnitudes projected for the Livermore area. The
agency has acknowledged that its Livermore Biosafety Level 3 facility is
not designed to withstand earthquakes that produce ground accelerations in
excess of 0.6 g. The plaintiffs' expert witness offered testimony in
support of the motion that recent earthquakes in Northern California have
demonstrated ground accelerations in excess of 0.6 g's, including an
earthquake near Hollister that generated a ground acceleration of 1.3 g.

Moreover, the DOE's Environmental Assessment stated that there were "no
active faults . . . in proximity to the location of the proposed facility"
and concluded that there was no potential for a significant impact to the
environment from operations of the advanced biowarfare research facility.
In fact, the Las Positas fault zone sits within 200 feet of the Livermore
Lab, and the Greenville fault runs within one kilometer of the Lab site and
has damaged Livermore in the past.

In January 1980, a 5.9 quake on the Greenville fault injured 44 people in
the Livermore area and caused 10 million dollars in damage to the Livermore
Lab, including significant structural damage that ripped mobile structures
(similar to the proposed bio-research modular facility) from supporting
foundations. Dr. Matthew McKinzie, a Natural Resources Defense Council
modeling expert testified that the release of only 5 grams of anthrax
spores into the environment could cause upwards of 10,000 fatalities in the
Bay Area.

"Biowarfare agent testing just doesn't belong astride active earthquake
faults," said Tri-Valley CAREs' Executive Director, Marylia Kelley, a close
neighbor of Livermore Lab. "If a release occurs, thousands of Livermore Lab
workers and community members could be infected with some of the most
deadly bioagents known." The modular, prefabricated facility that would
house the pathogens is located a half mile from residential neighborhoods.
There are seven million people living within a 50-mile radius of the
Livermore Lab.

The two groups' lawsuit challenges DOE's shoddy analysis under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to
adequately consider the environmental impacts of major projects before
taking further action.

-- 30 --

Copies of the motion and supplemental memorandum will be available at
www.trivalleycares.org and www.nukewatch.org. Copies may be obtained also
by calling Tri-Valley CAREs at (925) 443-7148 or Nuclear Watch at (505)
989-7342.

Marylia Kelley
Executive Director
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94551

<http://www.trivalleycares.org> - is our web site address. Please visit us
there!

(925) 443-7148 - is our phone
(925) 443-0177 - is our fax



_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net

</x-flowed>
*****************************************************************
 75 ContraCostaTimes.com: Livermore lab watchdogs ask court to delay 'hotlab'

| 02/16/2006 | 

 By Betsy Mason CONTRA COSTA TIMES 

LIVERMORE - A local watchdog group has asked for an emergency
injunction to stop Lawrence Livermore Laboratory from opening a
new "hotlab" where anthrax, plague and other deadly pathogens
would routinely be tested. 

"Our main concern is the fact that the facility is not built to
withstand foreseeable earthquakes in the Livermore area," said
Loulena Miles of Livermore-based Tri-Valley Communities against
a Radioactive Environment. 

The group wants the Department of Energy to do a full
environmental impact statement for the "Biosafety Level 3"
facility, or "hotlab," that takes into account the impact of
potential earthquakes and terrorist attacks. 

The DOE already did an environmental assessment, but Miles
claimed it didn't consider possible terrorist attacks or the two
active earthquake faults that lie within two miles of the new
facility. One of those faults, the Greenville Fault, had a 5.9
earthquake in 1980 that injured 44 people and did $10 million
worth of damage to the lab. 

Livermore Lab spokesman Steve Wampler said the new
1,600-square-foot "hotlab" has been built to the same standards
as are fire stations, hospitals and police stations. "These are
buildings that are needed in the event of an earthquake and will
still be standing." 

The lab currently has a Biosafety Level 2 facility that has
already made important advances with plague and anthrax
research, Wampler said. "This proposed facility would allow our
scientists to conduct more sophisticated experiments on a wider
array of microorganisms. We'll also be able to learn more about
new emerging diseases." 

The lab plans to oppose the motion, Wampler said. "The same
issues that were raised at the trial court level - and rejected
there - are being put forward again. We believed then and
continue to believe that this was a sound decision." 

Tri-Valley CAREs doesn't quibble with the value of research that
could be done at a level 3 facility. But Livermore, its members
say, is not the place for that research. "It's already such an
attractive terrorist target without putting advanced biowarfare
agents there," Miles said. 

The current motion is the latest move in a battle over the
"hotlab" that started more than two years ago. 

Tri-Valley CAREs and other watchdog groups originally sued the
Energy Department in U.S. District Court in August 2003 claiming
the environmental impact of proposed "Biosafety Level 3"
facilities at Livermore lab and Los Alamos National Laboratory
had not been adequately studied. The following December, a
federal judge barred shipments of biological agents including
botulism, anthrax, plague, valley fever and Q fever until a
final decision on the lawsuit was made. In September 2004, the
judge gave Livermore's biosafety lab the go-ahead. 

The groups appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals in San Francisco in November 2004 and are waiting for a
hearing date to be set. 

In November 2005, the DOE announced it would do a full
environmental impact review for the proposed hotlab at Los
Alamos. Meanwhile, the Livermore facility is scheduled to begin
work in April, prompting the watchdog groups to file this week's
"urgent motion to stay." 

Reach Betsy Mason at bmason@cctimes.comor 925-847-2158.

*****************************************************************
 76 KIFI: Idaho National Laboratory Reaches Hydrogen Milestone

www.localnews8.com   
      
 February 16, 2006; Written by Sally Showman

We are one baby step closer to driving hydrogen powered cars. The 
INL completed a successful experiment, producing hydrogen more 
efficiently than ever before. 

Inside this little kiln may lie the future of travel – water is 
being split into hydrogen molecules.

This technology could have many uses, from making current oil 
supplies go farther and eventually powering cars by itself. 

If perfected it also has the potential of decreasing foreign oil 
imports.

It is a milestone for scientists and a milestone in hydrogen 
research.

Although this little kiln only produces the equivalent of a third 
a tank of gas an hour, there are other projects on the horizon. 

They hope to complete another experiment this summer, producing 
double the amount of hydrogen as they have this time. 

*****************************************************************
 77 DOE: DOE to Compete Contract for Management and Operation of 
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

  February 16, 2006
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
announced today that it intends to seek competitive bids for the
management and operations contract for the Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington.  The current
five-year contract expires September 30, 2007.     

The competitive process is the best method to provide the 
American taxpayer an optimum management team for PNNL, one of our 
outstanding national laboratories, Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, 
Director of the DOE Office of Science, said.   

Battelle Memorial Institute, a non-profit organization based in 
Columbus, Ohio, has managed the PNNL since its inception in 1965.  
Dr. Orbach noted that the decision to put the PNNL contract out 
to bid in no way reflects on Battelles performance, but is a 
prudent management decision.   

Additional information about the competitive process for the 
contract to manage and operate the PNNL will be announced when 
appropriate.   

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory solves complex problems in 
energy, national security, life sciences and the environment by 
advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and 
computation.  

Media contact(s):
 Jeff Sherwood, 202/586-4826
Mike Talbot, 509/372-4365     [ ]   

  U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW |
Washington, DC 20585
 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403 | 
  
*****************************************************************
 78 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Energy Department to seek bids to manage Richland laboratory
 	 	 	 	 	 
[seattlepi.com]     

Thursday, February 16, 2006 � Last updated 3:39 p.m. PT 

By SHANNON DININNY ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER                         

YAKIMA, Wash. -- For the first time in 41 years, the federal 
government will seek competitive bids for the contract to manage 
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a national science 
laboratory in Richland, the Department of Energy announced 
Thursday.               

Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit group based in Columbus, 
Ohio, has managed and operated the laboratory since its inception 
in 1965 under a series of extended contracts. With an annual 
budget of more than $725 million, the laboratory's research areas 
include science and environment, energy, defense and national 
security.          

News that the government will seek competitive bids follows 
criticism of a recent high-profile research error at the 
laboratory related to cleaning up the highly contaminated Hanford 
nuclear reservation. However, Energy Department officials said 
the decision to seek bids was not a reflection of Battelle's 
performance, but rather a prudent management decision.               

"The competitive process is the best method to provide the 
American taxpayer an optimum management team for PNNL, one of our 
outstanding national laboratories," Raymond L. Orbach, director 
of the Energy Department's Office of Science, said in a 
statement.              

Battelle's current five-year contract expires Sept. 30, 2007. 		

"We are absolutely, positively, and vigorously going to bid. This 
contract is an essential part of our portfolio. We have a 
terrific track record and have every intention of continuing that 
for the next 40 years," Bill Madia, Battelle executive vice 
president for laboratory operations, said in a telephone 
interview from Columbus. Madia served as laboratory director from 
1994 to 2000.              

 [advertising] The laboratory conducts nearly 60 percent of its 
research for the Energy Department, 18 percent for the Department 
of Homeland Security and 7 percent for the Defense Department. 
Private work accounted for 11 percent of the laboratory's budget, 
followed by a mix of research for other national agencies.              

In 2005, 11 percent of the work conducted at the laboratory for 
the Energy Department, or an estimated $76.5 million, was related 
to Hanford, a nuclear weapons facility created during World War 
II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build an atomic 
bomb.           

But the laboratory was criticized last summer after the Energy 
Department was forced to halt proposed shipments of radioactive 
waste from Ohio to Hanford, after the laboratory providing 
inconsistent data about the environmental effects of waste 
disposal there.                 

The discrepancies were uncovered as part of a lawsuit filed by 
Washington state to block waste shipments to Hanford.           

Since the errors were uncovered, Madia said Battelle has adopted 
a more vigorous, independent review of its research to ensure 
quality assurance both at the laboratory and at Battelle 
headquarters.           

"When you find an issue like this ... you look around and you 
raise your expectations broadly," Madia said, stressing that 
there was no correlation between the errors and the government's 
decision to bid out the contract.               

"We knew this was coming. It was clear, when you looked at all 
the labs being competed around the system, it was inevitable, so 
it's not a surprise, not a disappointment" he said.             

At the same time, Madia said, Battelle has the best knowledge of 
the laboratory and, "We're going to fight pretty hard to keep 
it."            

Battelle manages four other laboratories for the Energy 
Department: Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, 
Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, Idaho National 
Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, based 
in Colorado.            

--- 		

On the Net: 		

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: http://www.pnl.gov	      
          
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 
101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000
 
 Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com �1996-2006 Seattle 
Post-Intelligencer Terms of Service/Privacy Policy                                
*****************************************************************
 79 Hanford News: Administration looking for ways to limit cost of program for
sick nuclear workers, document shows
 
This story was published Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 

By Nancy Zuckerbrod, Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is taking steps to
limit costs associated with a benefits program for Cold War-era
nuclear workers who developed cancer from radiation exposure,
according to a White House document. 

Republicans and Democrats say they are concerned, with one GOP
lawmaker saying he plans to hold hearings. 

The document, obtained by The Associated Press, was written by
White House budget officials and sent to the Labor Department. 

It commends Labor officials for "identifying the potential for a
large expansion" of a program aimed at compensating thousands of
nuclear workers. Then, it states that the White House will lead
an interagency working group to develop ways "to contain growth
in the costs of benefits" the program provides. 

The working group will discuss whether "administration
clearance" should be required before groups of workers are
deemed eligible for compensation, the document said. Under the
program, created by Congress five years ago, workers get
$150,000 plus future medical benefits. 

Scott Milburn, a spokesman for the White House Office of
Management and Budget, said the goal is better coordination
between the federal agencies involved in the program. The Labor
Department provides expertise in claims processing, the Energy
Department has records on its former workers, and the Health and
Human Services Department has scientific expertise. 

"In calling for better coordination among agencies, the
administration's goal is to make sure workers get the benefits
they deserve, that the program works as efficiently as possible
and that agencies comply with the law," Milburn said Tuesday. 

Lawmakers familiar with the White House document were not
satisfied. 

Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., who chairs a House Judiciary
subcommittee that oversees claims issues, said he would hold
hearings on the compensation program. 

"The disturbing nature of this information has compelled me to
schedule a series of hearings to look into the matter,"
Hostettler said. "The American people deserve to know whether or
not this program is being run effectively and if it is
fulfilling the promises our government made to these Cold War
veterans." 

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., decried attempts to alter the program,
saying, "Any effort by Department of Labor bureaucrats to limit
these benefits would be a true injustice to these workers, their
families and their memory." 

In a letter to administration officials, Rep. Mark Udall and
Sen. Ken Salazar, both Colorado Democrats, argued that decisions
about benefits should be based on science not budgets. 

The advisory board referenced in the budget document is supposed
to recommend soon whether groups of workers in Colorado, Iowa,
Tennessee and the Marshall Islands should automatically be
compensated under the program. Similar recommendations would
follow for workers from other sites across the country. 

To get the special status granting them automatic compensation,
workers must have radiation-related cancer and must have worked
at a facility with poor records. Once granted the special
status, they would not have to go through a lengthy process in
which officials try to estimate how much radiation workers were
exposed to. 

The White House document is known as an Office of Management and
Budget "passback." It is undated, but such documents often are
sent to agencies before the president's budget is released in
early February. 

--- 

On the Net: 

Compensation Program: http://www.eh.doe.gov/advocacy/ 

White House Office of Management and Budget: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ 

� 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 80 Hanford News: N Reactor demolition begins
 
This story was published Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

Sixteen years of quiet at Hanford's N Reactor have come to an
end. 

This month, a 270,000-pound excavator equipped with a giant
shear is cutting through the 15,500 feet of pipe that once
carried steam from the reactor to the Hanford Generating Plant. 

Since the reactor was permanently shut down in 1989, its
appearance has changed little. 

But the demolition of the 53-foot-high trestle that supports the
pipes and the destruction of the piping marks the beginning of
the end for the complex. 

Lengths of 4-foot diameter pipes crashed to the ground Tuesday,
with a clang, then a rumble. The pipes and the steam they
carried were once important enough to draw a visit from
President John F. Kennedy. 

"A nation dedicated to living in peace is forging, not a sword
but a plowshare, the Hanford Generating Plant," Kennedy said
during the ground breaking for the power production plant on
Sept. 26, 1963, two months before his assassination. 

Construction began in 1958 to build N Reactor to produce
plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. The ninth
production reactor at Hanford was designed to take advantage of
new technologies and address concerns about radioactive
materials released into the Columbia River by older reactors. 

But with a push from Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, D-Wash., the
project was expanded to include a power production mission,
unlike any other Hanford reactor. 

The steam trestle being demolished was used to carry steam from
steam generator cells in a building adjoining the reactor to the
Hanford Generating Plant. 

The project produced 860 megawatts of power, about 75 percent as
much power as Energy Northwest's current reactor north of
Richland, starting in 1966. Production ended after the 1986
Chernobyl reactor disaster in Russia raised safety concerns
about N Reactor's design. 

The Hanford Generating Plant already is gone, torn down in 2004.
Now work is starting on the other side of the fence that divided
the Department of Energy project from the Energy Northwest
project. 

Dismantling of the piping system was expected to last four
months. But now it could take about four weeks. 

Under the initial plan, workers were to be lifted up to the
pipes and use torches to cut through them. Pipe sections would
have been lowered to the ground with a crane. 

But DOE contractor Washington Closure Hanford has switched to
using an excavator equipped with hydraulic shears. 

It's a commercial demolition method, said Chris Watson,
Washington Closure Hanford task lead for decommissioning and
demolition in Hanford's reactor areas along the Columbia River. 

"We're trying to get workers as far away from the hazard as we
can," said Pat Pettiette, president of Washington Closure
Hanford. 

At the steam trestle demolition, that means keeping "the worker
away from elevated work," Watson said. "It allows one person and
one piece of equipment vs. many people." 

After the pipes are gone, work will move to tearing down about
40 outbuildings and other facilities at the N Reactor complex.
Unlike the piping, some of those buildings may contain
significant amounts of radioactive contamination. 

Work to cocoon N Reactor - putting it in safe storage while
radioactivity decays - should be ready to start in 2007. 

Five other reactors have been cocooned at Hanford. They've been
torn down to little more than their radioactive cores, sealed up
and reroofed. 

But because N Reactor was used for plutonium and power
production, its cocoon will be larger. The adjoining facility
that captured steam also will be included in the cocoon.

� 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 81 Hanford News: Nuclear waste storage plan up for public discussion
 
This story was published Thursday, February 16th, 2006 

By Tom Meersman, Minneapolis Star Tribune 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - State officials will hear public testimony
today in St. Paul about a $55 million proposal to store highly
radioactive waste near the Monticello nuclear plant about 50
miles northwest of the Twin Cities. 

Xcel Energy, which owns the plant, is seeking state permission
to store the wastes in as many as 30 large canisters. Each
container would be placed in a modular concrete vault about the
size of a one-car garage, and the vaults would sit on a large
concrete pad near the plant, surrounded by security fences. 

The extra storage is necessary for the plant to remain running
from 2010 to 2030, said Jim Alders, Xcel's manager of regulatory
projects. (Its current license expires in 2010.) The plant now
keeps its used nuclear fuel under water inside the plant, but
the storage pool is nearly full. 

Xcel has applied to renew its operating license for the
Monticello plant for 20 more years after its current license
expires. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will decide
on the renewal, but the state has authority to decide whether
expanded storage of spent nuclear fuel is in the public
interest. 

That issue eventually will be decided by the Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission, which is sponsoring today's hearings at 1
and 7 p.m. 

Alders said that the extra storage will benefit the public,
saying that without it Xcel would need to shut the nuclear plant
and replace it. "That would require a coal or natural gas power
plant which would be much more expensive for our customers, and
would result in significant increases of pollutants," he said. 

However, environmental leaders say that allowing more wastes to
be stored at Monticello would simply add to the stockpile of
radioactive material that may never leave Minnesota. Although a
permanent waste disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been
planned, studied and partially built, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Samuel W. Bodman said Monday that he doesn't know when it will
open. 

Michael Noble, executive director of Minnesotans for an
Energy-Efficient Economy, said that it's not in the public
interest for state officials to allow another 20 years of wastes
to be produced at Monticello when a federal disposal site is so
uncertain. 

"In 1988, the Department of Energy said it would open in 1998;
in 2001, they said it would open in 2012, and now in 2006, they
said they have no idea when it's going to open," Noble said. 

Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said that it is "completely
immoral and irresponsible" to continue to allow more radioactive
waste to be produced in Minnesota with no assurance that it will
ever leave the state. 

That was a major issue in 1994 when the Legislature allowed
expanded storage of radioactive waste at Xcel's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing, she said, and it's more of an issue
now when both nuclear plants are seeking 20-year license
extensions. 

Alders countered, "You don't move that process along by shutting
down a perfectly good nuclear plant that serves our customers
well." 

About 40 Minnesotans will tour Yucca Mountain next week. They
include legislators, city officials from Red Wing and
Monticello, and members of the Prairie Island tribal council. 

Alders said that Xcel hopes to have the storage proposal
approved so that it can be operating by 2008. 

� 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 82 Hanford News: PNNL earns 4 technology awards
 
This story was published Thursday, February 16th, 2006 

By Jeff St. John, Herald staff writer 

Bioactive coatings that make surgical implants safer. Hybrid
materials that suck toxins from waste streams. Software that
finds patterns in masses of data and radioactive seeds that
fight cancer from inside a patient's body. 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was honored with four 2006
Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards this week, in
recognition of its work bringing these inventions from the lab
to commercial use in the outside world. 

That marks another record year for PNNL, which has won 62 of
these awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium, more than
any other federal laboratory since the award's beginning in
1984. 

Past winners include inventions that help fight cancer and
detect explosives or contraband inside shipping containers, to
name a few. 

"We do great science, but it's also a very important and
long-standing part of our culture here that we also do a great
job of putting our science and technology into commercial
application," said Cheryl Cejka, PNNL director of technology
commercialization. 

This year's winners include a cancer-fighting technology first
patented in 2000 that's now being put into use by Richland-based
IsoRay Medical Inc. 

IsoRay's brachytherapy seed cancer treatment process uses a tiny
titanium seed with a radioactive isotope inside to deliver
cancer-killing radiation to tumors, and is available at 36
implant centers across the country. 

IsoRay announced Wednesday that it has raised about $7.3 million
in private funding and has signed an agreement with a Belgian
company to make its cancer-fighting seeds out of a proprietary
polymer substance. 

Other winners this year include: 

n Bioactive thin-film coatings for surgical implants, which can
reduce a patient's risk of infection from, or rejection of,
medical devices like catheters or orthopedic implants. 

The water-based, thin-film calcium-phosphate technology has been
licensed to Belgrade, Mont.-based Bacterin, a company that
provides it to medical devices makers. 

n Starlight Information Visualization System software, which was
originally developed for the U.S. intelligence community to
identify terrorist threats. The software sorts through data
sources like Web pages, maps, pictures, database records and
documents to quickly find and draw out patterns and connections. 

The software is being used by about 40 companies and
organizations, though Cejka said the companies had not given
PNNL permission to reveal their names out of concern that would
erase the competitive advantage they hope to gain by using it. 

n SAMMS, which stands for self-assembled monolayers on
mesoporous support, is a porous substance with molecules that
can be made to remove specific metal contaminants, like mercury,
lead or chromium, from water or air. 

PNNL has a licensing agreement with Steward Advanced Materials,
a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company that is seeking to use the
SAMMS technology in filtering emissions from industrial sources
like coal plants or municipal incinerators. 

� 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 83 Hanford News: Company looks into 3 Hanford contracts
 
This story was published Thursday, February 16th, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

The newly formed nuclear company EnergySolutions is interested
in all three of the proposed prime contracts at Hanford, chief
executive Steve Creamer said during a Tri-City visit this week. 

EnergySolutions, owned by private investors, including Creamer,
is positioning itself to become an industry leader in nuclear
waste services. 

"There is a nuclear resurgence coming up," Creamer said. "We
think we picked the right industry." 

The company was formed by joining Envirocare of Utah and
Scientech D with BNG America, which adds high-level radioactive
waste experience and technology to the company. The Washington
Post reported that BNG America was sold for $90 million by
British Nuclear Fuels of the United Kingdom. 

EnergySolutions also plans to acquire Duratek in a deal that
first must win stockholder and regulatory approval. In a merger
agreement announced by Duratek last week, EnergySolutions would
acquire all of the outstanding shares of Duratek for $22 per
share. 

The transaction would give EnergySolutions about 400 employees
in Richland, who now work for BNG, formerly BNFL, and Duratek. 

BNG holds a $12 million contract to design and supply the
automated sampling system for the multibillion-dollar
vitrification plant being built at Hanford. It also holds a $24
million contract to treat and package radioactive sludge once it
is retrieved from Hanford's K Basins. 

Duratek is a subcontractor to Fluor Hanford and also is a
national leader in nuclear waste vitrification. That includes
the design of melters, such as those that will be used at
Hanford's vitrification plant to turn radioactive waste into a
stable glass form for disposal. 

EnergySolutions could bring expertise to all three of the
contracts proposed to replace expiring Hanford contracts held by
Fluor Hanford and CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Creamer said. 

The contracts expire at the end of September, but could be
extended up to two years to allow transition to new contracts.
The Department of Energy is proposing the new contracts cover
tank farm work, other cleanup in central Hanford and support
services for the nuclear reservation. 

"Teaming is one of the things we need to get right," said Philip
Strawbridge, BNG America president. 

EnergySolutions will consider teaming arrangements for the new
contracts that could include being the primary company or a team
member, Creamer said. 

BNG holds the infrastructure contract at the nuclear site in
Savannah River, S.C. BNG also would bring high-level waste
experience to the contract to operate Hanford's tank farms,
which include 177 underground tanks holding 53 million gallons
of radioactive waste waiting to be treated. 

Duratek, as a Fluor subcontractor, already is doing waste
management work in central Hanford. 

EnergySolutions also has been formed at a time that other major
DOE nuclear contracts at Savannah River and the Yucca Mountain
proposed nuclear waste repository are expected to be put out for
bid. The Bush administration also is proposing developing new
proliferation-resistant technologies to recycle spent nuclear
fuel used in power production. 

"I think reprocessing is the future," Creamer said. 

If the merger with Duratek is approved, EnergySolutions will
have about 2,200 employees across the nation. 

A major investor in Duratek, Totine Capital Partners, has filed
a letter with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying
that $22 a share does not adequately reflect the fair value of
the company and it does not support the merger on those terms.
Stock traded above $28 per share within the last year. 

EnergySolutions is based in Salt Lake City, and is owned by a
private investor group led by Lindsay Goldberg &Bessemer, a New
York-based investment partnership, with Peterson Partners and
Creamer Investments. 

On the Net: www.energysolutions.com 

� 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 84 DenverPost.com: No accountability at Rocky Flats site

Article Launched: 02/16/2006 1:00 AM MST  

editorial

Federal law makes taxpayers responsible for Tuesday's verdict 
that awards hundreds of millions to property owners downwind of 
Rocky Flats.

The huge verdict against two former Rocky Flats contractors will
be paid by U.S. taxpayers, not the corporations that jurors said
harmed property owners near the now-demolished nuclear bomb
factory south of Boulder. A World War II-era law that Congress
again extended last year shields nuclear contractors from
liability. The U.S. District Court case in Denver against Dow
Chemical and Rockwell International should rekindle debate about
the law and why government supervision of nuclear sites was so
sloppy. 

Supporters of the Price Anderson Act say indemnifying
contractors is the only way private industry will do any nuclear
work, but critics say the law erodes the incentive to take care. 

Without doubt, the government should have been more diligent at
Rocky Flats and far more candid about problems as they happened.
When the bomb factory opened in 1953, few environmental laws
were on the books, but common sense should have prevailed at the
then-Atomic Energy Commission. By the 1970s, the new Department
of Energy should have ensured that contractors followed the
spirit of laws passed in that period. 

Instead, until manufacturing ceased in 1989, Uncle Sam's
oversight of contractors was dubious. Rocky Flats had serious
fires in 1957 and 1969. Barrels of nuclear wastes were kept on
an outdoor asphalt lot, letting radioactive dust get raked by
the area's incessant winds. The plumes polluted private
properties not only adjacent to the facility but also downwind, 
according to claims made by 12,000 property owners in the 
class-action lawsuit. 

It took a decade for Rocky Flats to be cleaned up, but the
lawsuit took 16 years. The trial started last October, and the
jury got the case in January. Tuesday's $554 million award will
be cut to no more than $342 million as federal law caps punitive
damages. The verdict or award may be reversed on appeal, but
Uncle Sam will pay the legal bills, $58 million and rising. Two
years ago, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall asked the government to settle
the case because he worried about the costs. But as they weren't
really on the hook, contractors may have lacked incentive to
resolve the matter. 

The dearth of accountability sounds familiar. In 1989, the FBI
raided Rocky Flats for violating environmental laws. While
Rockwell eventually pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges and
paid an $18.5 million fine, no employee was held culpable. 

That theme emerged repeatedly in the decades Rocky Flats made
bombs: No one ever had to take personal responsibility for what
went wrong.   
            
 All contents Copyright 2006 The Denver Post or other copyright
*****************************************************************
 85 Tri-Valley Herald: Shelter a dual-use facility

  Article Last Updated: 02/16/2006 5:19 AM PST  

  Editor's note: This is the second of two parts taking a look
at bomb shelters. 

FORMER Livermore City Manager Bill Parness remembers the Rincon
Avenue city bomb shelter well. He says proudly it was the first
of its kind in the nation and consequently was federally funded. 

Parness, currently a Modesto resident but soon moving to a
Walnut Creek retirement complex, talked on the phone about the
concrete bunker designed for both blast and radiation protection
below the fire station at Rincon and Pine, built in the early
1960s, but recently demolished when a new fire station was
constructed on the site. 

What made it unusual was it doubled as living quarters for the
fire crew that operated out of the station, as well as being the
city's Civil Defense command center. It had food supplies for
two weeks, a power generator with fuel tank and an underground
well nearby that could supply occupants with an unlimited supply
of water. 

Parness explained the entrance was designed so people had to go
through a water spray to decontaminate their skin and clothing,
then proceed to a shower facility for a more thorough scrubbing. 

Talking with a firefighter who worked at the Rincon Station for
12 years, I learned what they thought of the living quarters�not
much. Tom Bramell, recently retired deputy fire chief, spent
many shifts underground where they lived, ate and slept. 

He recalls Murphy-type bunks for 10 or 12 people, a fully
equipped kitchen and two staircases. It was well stocked with
C-rations. Bramell also helped operate the Civil Defense warning
system for the community down there. 

The setup included loudspeakers on poles located every few
blocks around town. He would broadcast a test at noon starting
with "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system" that was
kept up for years in the 1960s. 

But firefighters were more worried about earthquake damage than
anything else, so they kept picks and shovels in the shelter in
case they had to dig their way out of the rubble when "The Big
One" hit. 

Bramell said he experienced a few shakers while at work, but
none that ever damaged their quarters. 

In addition to this city com-mand post, in 1963 the City Council
proposed an extensive shelter network for its citizenry that
included seven shelters each housing 3,000 persons. 

Each underground bunker was to have a two weeks supply of food
and water, filtered ventilation systems, self-contained
sanitation, bunks, medicine and surgery capabilities. 

The shelters were to be designed to protect occupants from the
heat of a 100-million ton nuclear weapon exploded over the Bay
Area and withstand the shock wave from that sized bomb detonated
as close as 7.5 miles from Livermore. 

The council contemplated forming a shelter assessment district
city wide, then decided they probably couldnt afford to build
the seven 31,000 square feet shelters outright. Instead they
would incorporate them into the design of future schools and
community buildings constructed over a period of years around
town. 

But the plan never got off the ground. 

Other shelters were designated, at the high school and at the
Livermore Post Office, where the faded yellow and black Fallout
Shelter sign still shows on the side wall on Second Street. 

A 40-year postal employee, Olga Mullins, told me she remembers
the concrete basement shelter that included barrels of dried
foodstuffs and water. The postmaster at that time told workers
they could bring their families along in case they needed
sheltering. 

Now the basement is just a storage area, classrooms, and break
room for employees. 

The two national laboratories were reluctant to get into the
shelter business, but Sandia did create one in the basement of
Building 912, complete with dried foods and water containers. 

When I first went to work there in 1980, my curiosity caused me
to ask for a tour of this sub-basement. 

All that was left were stale crackers in tins, some hard candy
and some outdated office furniture stored down there over the
years. 

Soon after that the basement area was excavated, enlarged and
the Labs new Cray supercomputer network was housed there. I dont
know what Lawrence Lab did in the 1960s as far as providing
shelters. 

The city also received a complete portable 200-bed hospital
setup from the feds in the summer of 1964, to be stored at the
old rodeo grounds in the warehouse. 

A plan drawn up by Major Marie Callori of the local Veterans
Hospital had the field hospital moving onto the grounds of
Livermore High School in case of a disaster. 

This included three complete surgical units, a 15-killowatt
gasoline engine-driven generator, a second generator for an
X-ray unit, all the necessary pharmaceuticals and sterilized
tools. 

The school library would be taken over for a triage center, the
girls gym would be reserved for radiation casualties, an
inoculation center and contagion ward, and the boys gym would be
turned into a burn treatment center, medical and X-ray labs,
plus pharmacy. 

The music building would house the surgical cases. And the plan
went on and on. 

Back in 1961, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors already
had done a Civil Defense needs study. 

An Oakland Tribune clipping from October 1961 sent to me by
Nancy Hargiss reported that abandoned coal mines were being
studied for possible mass shelters. 

The story reported most old mine shafts in the county were near
Mendenhall Springs, Cedar Mountain, Midway and Tesla. According
to old county records, about 130 mines were registered, going
back as far as 1870. Captain Bud Tari of the sheriffs office was
dispatched by Jeep to locate and inspect the mines for possible
use. 

Obviously, that proposal didnt go anywhere. All the mine shafts
in the eastern side of the Valley have been sealed off or filled
in. 

Columnist Barry Schrader can be reached via email at
historian2@sbcglobal.net, at Box 446 at the Livermore post
office (94551), or through his Web site at
http://www.historydetectives.info. 
  
� 2000-2006 ANG Newspapers 
*****************************************************************
 86 WSB&C: Jury Awards Over One Half Billion in Environmental Damages to 
Rocky Flats Residents

Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley Co. L.P.A. :: 

Rockwell International and Dow Chemical Company Found
Responsible for Plutonium Contamination 


CINCINNATI, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, a Denver,
Colorado federal jury awarded $553 Million to property owners
living near the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant for property
damage and exposure to plutonium contamination. The verdict was
rendered against Rockwell International Corp. (NYSE: ROK) and
Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) , who had operated the plant
for the federal government. The plant made plutonium triggers
for nuclear warheads. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $352
Million in actual damages and $200.2 Million in punitive
damages. $110.8 Million of the punitive damages were assessed
against Dow Chemical and $89.4 Million of the punitive damages
were assessed against Rockwell International. The case was the
largest environmental class action in Colorado history. 

Co-trial counsel for the residents in the four-month long trial
was Louise Roselle of Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley of
Cincinnati, Ohio. Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley was
co-lead counsel in the case. Ms. Roselle had been working on the
case since it was originally filed in 1990. Stanley Chesley,
senior member of the law firm, praised Ms. Roselle's hard work
and dedication to the residents of Rocky Flats. "Louise said she
would never give up," said Mr. Chesley. "She was determined to
bring out the truth about the Rocky Flats plant and its
operations and how the defendants allowed residents who lived
near the plant to be exposed to plutonium contamination, and she
did just that." 

"What happened at Rocky Flats was wrong, and this jury obviously
agreed with that," said Louise Roselle. She also praised the
jurors for their diligence during their deliberations, which
lasted for 17 days. 
  For Questions Contact:
  Louise Roselle
  Office    (513) 621-0267
  or
  Stanley Chesley
  Office    (513) 621-0267
  Cell      (513) 300-7700
  Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley
  1 W. 4th Street
  Cincinnati, Ohio  45202
 

First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:   

Copyright � 1996-2003 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights
*****************************************************************
 87 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge 
 
                         FR Doc E6-2219 
[Federal Register: February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] 
[Notices] [Page 8287-8288] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-41]                         
 
Reservation AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental 
Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge 
Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 
86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be 
announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Wednesday, March 8, 2006, 6 p.m.
 
ADDRESSES: DOE Information Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak 
Ridge, Tennessee.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Halsey, Federal Coordinator, 
Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, 
EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Phone (865)
 
[[Page 8288]] 576-4025; Fax (865) 576-5333 or e-mail:  or check 
the Web site at .
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of 
the Board is to make recommendations to DOE in the areas of 
environmental restoration, waste management, and related 
activities.
 
Tentative Agenda: Update on the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment.
 
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public.
 
Written statements may be filed with the Board either before or 
after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements 
pertaining to the agenda item should contact Pat Halsey at the 
address or telephone number listed above. Requests must be 
received five days prior to the meeting and reasonable provision 
will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The 
Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to conduct the 
meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of 
business. Individuals wishing to make public comment will be 
provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments.
 
Minutes: Minutes of this meeting will be available for public 
review and copying at the Department of Energy's Information 
Center at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN between 8 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by writing to Pat Halsey, 
Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, 
EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, or by calling her at (865) 576-4025.
 
Issued at Washington, DC, on February 10, 2006.
 
Carol Matthews, Acting Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2219 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
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 88 DOE: Office of Fossil Energy; National Coal Council
 
                         FR Doc E6-2221 
[Federal Register: February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] 
[Notices] [Page 8288-8289] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-43]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the National Coal 
Council. Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 
770) requires notice of these meetings be announced in the 
Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Thursday, March 9, 2006, 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon.
 
ADDRESSES: St. Louis Pavilion Hotel Downtown, One South Broadway, 
St. Louis, MO.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Kane, Phone: (202) 
586- 4753, or Ms. Estelle W. Hebron, Phone: (202) 586-6837, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, Washington, DC 
20585.
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Committee: The purpose 
of the National Coal Council is to provide advice, information, 
and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on matters 
relating to coal and coal industry issues: Tentative Agenda: Call 
to Order and Opening Remarks by the Chair Approval of Draft 
Agenda Discussion of Draft Study Requested by Secretary Samuel 
Bodman by Letter Dated April 7, 2005 Action on Draft Study Other 
Business Adjourn Public Participation: The meeting is open to the 
public. The Chairman of the NCC will conduct the meeting to 
facility orderly business. If you would like to file a written 
statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or 
after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements 
regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Mr. 
Robert Kane or Ms. Estelle Hebron at the address and telephone 
numbers listed above. You must make your request for an oral 
statement at lease five business days prior to the meeting, and 
reasonable provisions will be made to include the presentation on 
the agenda. Public comment will follow the 10 minute rule. 
Minutes: The minutes will be available for public review and 
copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information Public 
Reading Room, 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4
 
[[Page 8289]] p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Issued in Washington, DC, on February 10, 2006.
 
Carol Matthews, Acting Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2221 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
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 89 DOE: Advance Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
 
                         FR Doc E6-2222 
[Federal Register: February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] 
[Notices] [Page 8283-8287] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-39]                         
 
Statement for Implementation of the FutureGen Project AGENCY: 
Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Advance Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement.
 
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing in 
advance its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS), pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), for the proposed action of 
providing Federal funding (up to $700 million) for the FutureGen 
Project. FutureGen would comprise the planning, design, 
construction and operation by a private-sector organization of a 
coal-fired electric power and hydrogen gas (H2) production plant 
integrated with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and geologic 
sequestration of the captured gas. DOE has prepared this Advance 
Notice of Intent (ANOI) in accordance with DOE's NEPA regulations 
[(10 CFR 1021.311(b)] to inform interested parties of a pending 
EIS and to invite early public comments on the proposed action, 
including: (1) The proposed plans for implementing the FutureGen 
Project, (2) the potential range of environmental issues and 
alternatives to be analyzed, and (3) the nature of the impact 
analyses to be considered in the EIS. DOE will later issue a 
Notice of Intent (NOI) and initiate a public scoping process 
during which DOE will conduct public meetings and invite the 
public to comment on the scope, proposed action, and alternatives 
to be considered in the EIS.
 
Following President George W. Bush's announcement that the United 
States would sponsor a $1 billion, 10-year FutureGen initiative 
to build the world's first coal-based, near-zero emissions power 
plant that produces both electricity and H2, the DOE signed, on 
December 2, 2005, a Cooperative Agreement (DE-FC26-06NT42073) 
that provides financial assistance to the FutureGen Industrial 
Alliance, Inc. (Alliance), which will undertake the planning, 
design, construction and operation of the project facilities. The 
FutureGen initiative would establish the technical and economic 
feasibility of co-producing electricity and H2 from coal while 
capturing and sequestering the CO2 generated in the process.
 
The Alliance is a consortium led by the coal-fueled electric 
power industry and the coal production industry. Members of the 
Alliance collectively own and produce over 40 percent of the 
Nation's coal and about 20 percent of its coal-fueled 
electricity. The Alliance would plan, design, construct and 
operate the FutureGen power plant and the sequestration facility. 
The Alliance would also monitor, measure, and verify geologic 
sequestration of CO2. DOE will provide technical and programmatic 
guidance to the Alliance, retain certain review and approval 
rights as defined in the Cooperative Agreement, and oversee 
Alliance activities for compliance with the terms of the 
Cooperative Agreement. DOE will be responsible for NEPA 
compliance activities. Both DOE and the Alliance would consider 
ways for state and local agencies, local communities, the 
environmental community, international stakeholders, and research 
organizations to participate in the Project, including 
involvement in testing, monitoring and verification protocols for 
CO2 sequestration.
 
 
[[Page 8284]]
 
DATES: DOE invites Federal agencies, Native American Tribes, 
state and local governments, other organizations and members of 
the public to provide early assistance in environmental planning 
for the FutureGen Project and to identify significant 
environmental issues and alternatives to be analyzed in the 
forthcoming FutureGen Project EIS. DOE will consider public 
comments and other relevant information relating to environmental 
planning for the FutureGen Project.
 
Comments in response to this ANOI are requested by March 20, 
2006. DOE anticipates issuing a NOI to prepare an EIS for the 
FutureGen Project after DOE makes a preliminary determination 
regarding the alternative sites to be evaluated. After the NOI is 
issued, DOE will conduct public scoping meetings to assist in 
defining the scope of the EIS, including alternative sites and 
issues to be addressed. The dates and locations of the scoping 
meetings will be announced in the NOI or subsequent Federal 
Register notices and in local media before the meetings.
 
 
ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the 
EIS should be submitted to Mark L. McKoy, NEPA Document Manager 
for the FutureGen Project, U.S. Department of Energy, National 
Energy Technology Laboratory P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, West 
Virginia, 26507- 0880. Comments also may be submitted by 
telephone: 304-285-4426, fax: 304-285-4403, electronic mail: 
mmckoy@netl.doe.gov, or toll-free telephone number: 800-432-8330 
(ext. 4426). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For information on 
the FutureGen Project or to receive a copy of the Draft EIS for 
review when it is issued, contact Mark L. McKoy as described in 
ADDRESSES above. For general information on the DOE NEPA process, 
contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy 
and Compliance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119, telephone: 
202-586-4600, fax: 202-586-7031, or leave a toll-free message at 
800-472-2756. Additional NEPA information is available at the DOE 
NEPA Web site: http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/. Additional 
information on the FutureGen Project can be found at the 
following Web site: 
http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/futuregen. 
Information from the Alliance, including the draft Request for 
Proposals discussed below, can be found at 
http://www.FutureGenAlliance.org. Comments on the draft Request 
for Proposals are to be sent to the Alliance in accordance with 
the instructions provided by the Alliance. While comments related 
to the NEPA process are due to DOE by March 20, 2006, comments on 
the draft Request for Proposals are due to the Alliance by 
February 28, 2006.
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background President Bush announced 
during 2003 that the United States has committed to proceed with 
a $1 billion, 10-year project to build the world's first 
coal-fueled plant to produce electricity and H2 with near-zero 
emissions. In response to this announcement, the U.S. Department 
of Energy unveiled plans for a FutureGen plant that would 
establish the technical and economic feasibility of producing 
electricity and H2 from coal--a low-cost and abundant energy 
resource--while capturing and geologically storing the CO2 
generated in the process.
 
The FutureGen Project would showcase cutting-edge technologies 
that could address environmental concerns associated with the use 
of coal. DOE plans to implement the FutureGen Project through a 
cooperative agreement that provides financial assistance to the 
FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc., which is a non-profit 
corporation that represents a global coalition of coal and energy 
companies.
 
Members of the Alliance are expected to provide an estimated $250 
million to help fund project development. The Alliance members 
are: American Electric Power; BHP Billiton; the China Huaneng 
Group; CONSOL Energy Inc.; Foundation Coal; Kennecott Energy, a 
member of the Rio Tinto Group; Peabody Energy; and Southern 
Company. The U.S. government and foreign governments would invest 
about $700 million in the project.
 
The Alliance is a consortium of industrial companies that 
collectively own and produce over 40 percent of the Nation's coal 
and about 20 percent of the Nation's coal-fueled electricity. The 
Alliance is: (a) Geographically diverse by including both eastern 
and western domestic coal producers and coal-fueled electricity 
generators; and (b) resource diverse by including producers and 
users of the full range of coal types.
 
Purpose and Need for Agency Action In pursuing its goal of 
providing safe, affordable and clean energy for the citizens of 
the United States, DOE has determined that coal, as the Nation's 
most abundant fossil fuel resource, must play an important role 
in the Nation's efforts to increase its energy independence. DOE 
has identified a need for a near-zero emissions, coal-to-energy 
option that would produce electric power and H2 from coal while 
permanently sequestering CO2 in deep geological formations. The 
technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of producing 
electric power and H2 from coal, when coupled with geologic 
sequestration technology, must be proven.
 
The electricity and transportation sectors are responsible for 
nearly three-fourths of the country's anthropogenic greenhouse 
gas emissions. The continued use of coal entails the need to 
address environmental and greenhouse gas mitigation challenges. A 
key DOE mission is to ensure that fossil fuels--particularly 
coal--are available components of the future energy mix. An 
alternative source of fuel for the transportation sector, such as 
coal-derived H2, could also reduce our dependence on fuel 
imports.
 
In the absence of proven operations of a large, integrated, near- 
zero emissions power plant, the contribution of coal to the 
energy mix could be reduced if environmental regulations continue 
to tighten. This could cause an imbalance in the diversity of the 
domestic energy portfolio, which would impact energy security. 
Accordingly, DOE needs to promote development of such a facility 
to address the environmental concerns over the use of coal, thus 
protecting both energy diversity and security.
 
Proposed Action DOE proposes to provide financial assistance (up 
to $700 million) for the Alliance to plan, design, construct, and 
operate the FutureGen facility, an advanced integrated coal 
gasification combined cycle power plant and CO2 sequestration 
facility sized nominally at 275 MW (equivalent output). The goal 
of this initiative would be to prove the technical and economic 
feasibility of a near-zero emissions, coal- to-energy option that 
could be deployed by 2020. During the first phase of the project, 
the Alliance and DOE will quantify the specific emissions 
objectives of the project. The facility would co-produce electric 
power and H2 in an industrial/utility setting while capturing and 
geologically sequestering approximately one to two million metric 
tons of CO2 per year. As discussed further below, the FutureGen 
Project would incorporate both cutting-edge research and 
demonstrations of emerging technologies ready for testing at a 
large scale to achieve its goal of validating the technical and 
economic feasibility of an integrated near-zero emissions plant.
 
Establishing the technical feasibility and projected economic 
viability of a
 
[[Page 8285]] near-zero emissions, coal-based system that 
integrates advanced technologies at a large scale through the 
FutureGen Project would contribute to DOE's goals by: Addressing 
environmental issues and barriers to fossil fuel use, while 
maintaining the availability and affordability of 
fossil-fuel-derived energy; improving energy efficiency; 
developing technologies that foster a diverse supply of reliable, 
affordable, and environmentally sound energy; providing 
scientific and technological information and analysis to assist 
policymakers and regulators in their decision-making on control 
of greenhouse gas emissions and use of fossil fuels; and focusing 
on public benefits-driven investment in high- risk, high-return 
technology that private companies alone cannot undertake.
 
The FutureGen facility is intended to be a near-zero emissions 
facility that would be the cleanest fossil-fuel-based power 
system in the world. The project would require approximately 10 
years for completion, not including post-project monitoring. 
Performance and economic tests results would be shared among all 
participants, industry, the environmental community, and the 
public. DOE intends to invite participation from international 
organizations to maximize the global applicability and acceptance 
of FutureGen's results, helping to support an international 
consensus on the role of coal and geological sequestration in 
addressing global greenhouse gas emissions and energy security. 
Broad engagement of stakeholders early in the FutureGen effort is 
critical to the successful achievement of understanding and 
acceptance of geologic sequestration as part of a near-zero 
emissions, coal-based energy option.
 
FutureGen Project Processes The FutureGen Project would employ 
advanced coal gasification technology integrated with combined 
cycle electricity generation, H2 production, CO2 capture and CO2 
sequestration in geologic repositories. The gasification process 
would combine coal, oxygen (O2), and steam to produce a H2-rich 
``synthesis gas.'' After exiting the conversion reactor, the 
composition of the synthesis gas would be ``shifted'' to produce 
additional H2. The product stream would consist mostly of H2, 
steam, and CO2. Following separation of these three gas 
components, the H2 would be used to generate electricity in a gas 
turbine and/or fuel cell.
 
Some of the H2 could be used as a feedstock for chemical plants 
or petroleum refineries or as a transportation fuel. Steam from 
the process could be condensed, treated, and recycled into the 
gasifier or added to the plant's cooling water circuit. CO2 from 
the process would be sequestered in deep underground geologic 
formations that would be monitored to verify the permanence of 
CO2 storage.
 
Overall Project Objectives Establish technical and economic 
feasibility of producing electricity and H2 from coal with 
near-zero emissions (including CO2); Verify sustained, integrated 
operation of coal conversion system with geologic sequestration 
of CO2; Verify effectiveness, safety, and permanence of geologic 
sequestration of CO2; Establish standardized technologies and 
protocols for CO2 measuring, monitoring, and verification; 
Confirm the potential of the FutureGen concept to achieve 
economic competitiveness with other near-zero emissions 
approaches through advances in technology by 2020; and Gain 
acceptance by the coal and electricity industries, environmental 
community, international community, and public-at-large for the 
concept of coal-based systems with near-zero emissions through 
the successful operation of FutureGen.
 
Power Plant Performance Objectives Sequester CO2 at an 
operational rate of approximately one to two million metric tons 
per year; Produce electricity and H2 at ratios (may be variable) 
consistent with market needs (equivalent to plant capacity of 275 
MW electricity output); Sequester at least 90 percent of CO2 
initially with the eventual potential for up to 100 percent 
sequestration; Locate plant consistent with, inter alia, adequate 
coal feedstock availability, proximity to market for products 
(especially electricity) as part of proving potential economic 
viability, and proximity to geologic formations for sequestration 
(e.g., deep saline reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, depleted 
oil and natural gas reservoirs, basalt formations); Achieve 
environmental (near-zero emissions) requirements; Provide a 
design database for subsequent, near-zero emissions, commercial 
demonstrations and/or deployments; and Design capability for 
full-flow testing of advanced technologies and advanced 
technology modules, and design incorporation of loosely 
integrated units that increase flexibility and enhance 
operability and reliability.
 
CO2 Sequestration Monitoring and Verification Performance 
Objectives Accurately quantify storage potential of the geologic 
formation(s); Detect and monitor surface and subsurface leakage, 
if it occurs (capability to measure CO2 slightly above 
atmospheric concentration of 370 ppm), and demonstrate 
effectiveness of mitigation; Provide the scientific basis for 
carbon accounting and assurance of permanent storage; Account for 
co-sequestration of CO2 impurities; and Develop information 
necessary to estimate costs of future CO2 management systems.
 
Technology Alternatives The FutureGen Project would incorporate 
both cutting-edge research and demonstrations of emerging 
technologies ready for testing at a large scale to achieve its 
goal of validating the technical and economic feasibility of an 
integrated near-zero emissions plant.
 
The FutureGen power plant would be designed to provide a 
capability for full-scale testing of new technologies prior to 
their commercial demonstration and deployment. The FutureGen 
facility may integrate some combination of new technologies for 
gasification, O2 production, H2 production, combustion gas 
cleanup, H2 turbines, fuel cells and fuel cell/turbine hybrids, 
CO2 sequestration, advanced materials, instrumentation, sensors 
and controls, and byproduct utilization. Decisions on 
incorporation of specific technologies would be made by the 
Alliance keeping in mind the ability to achieve the overall 
project goal of proving the technical and economic feasibility of 
the near-zero emissions concept.
 
Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action Under the proposed 
action, DOE would implement the FutureGen Project to achieve the 
President's goals. The EIS will analyze the reasonable 
alternatives for implementing the FutureGen Project.
 
Once a list of best qualified sites is delivered by the Alliance 
to DOE, DOE will consider all of the available alternatives in 
ascertaining which ones are reasonable. The EIS also may analyze 
technologies and strategies for implementing important elements 
of the Project.
 
Under the no-action alternative, DOE would not fund the proposed 
Project. In the absence of DOE funding, it would be unlikely that 
the Alliance, or industry in
 
[[Page 8286]] general, would soon undertake the utility-scale 
integration of CO2 capture and geologic sequestration with a 
coal-fired power plant. Absent DOE's investment in a 
utility-scale facility, the development of integrated CO2 capture 
and sequestration with power plant operations could occur more 
slowly through a series of small steps, and only then in the 
presence of a regulatory requirement. Given a regulatory 
requirement for the curtailment of greenhouse gas emissions, the 
no-action alternative could result in higher costs of electricity 
due to the use of more expensive, commercially available 
technology and due to a reduction in plant availability as a 
result of the lack of integrated test operations data and 
experience that would have otherwise been available from a 
FutureGen-type facility.
 
DOE may consider other reasonable alternatives that are suggested 
during the public scoping period.
 
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues DOE intends to 
address the issues listed below when considering the potential 
impacts resulting from the siting, construction and operation of 
the FutureGen power plant. This list is neither intended to be 
all- inclusive nor a predetermined set of potential impacts. DOE 
invites comments on these and any other issues that should be 
considered in the EIS. The environmental issues include: Air 
quality impacts: potential for air emissions during construction 
and operation of the power plant and appurtenant facilities to 
impact local sensitive receptors, local environmental conditions, 
and special-use areas, including impacts to smog and haze and 
impacts from dust and any significant vapor plumes; Noise and 
light impacts: potential impacts from construction, 
transportation of materials, and facility operations; Traffic 
issues: potential impacts from the construction and operation of 
the facilities, including changes in local traffic patterns, 
deterioration of roads, traffic hazards, and traffic controls; 
Floodplains: potential impacts to flood flow resulting from 
earthen fills, access roads, and dikes that might be needed in a 
floodplain; Wetlands: potential impacts resulting from fill, 
sediment deposition, vegetation clearing and facility erection 
that might be needed in a wetland; Visual impacts associated with 
facility structures: views from neighborhoods, impacts to scenic 
views (e.g., impacts from water vapor plumes, power transmission 
lines, pipelines), internal and external perception of the 
community or locality; Historic and cultural resources: potential 
impacts from the site selection, design, construction and 
operation of the facilities; Water quality impacts: potential 
impacts from water utilization and consumption, plus potential 
impacts from wastewater discharges; Infrastructure and land use 
impacts: potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts of 
project site selection, construction, delivery of feed materials, 
and distribution of products (e.g., power transmission lines, 
pipelines); Marketability of products and market access to feed 
stocks; Solid wastes: pollution prevention plans and waste 
management strategies, including the handling of ash, slag, water 
treatment sludge, and hazardous materials; Disproportionate 
impacts on minority and low-income populations; Connected 
actions: potential development of support facilities or 
supporting infrastructure; Ecological: potential on-site and 
off-site impacts to vegetation, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic 
wildlife, threatened or endangered species, and ecologically 
sensitive habitats; Geologic impacts: potential impacts from the 
sequestration of CO2 and other captured gases on underground 
resources such as potable water supplies, mineral resources, and 
fossil fuel resources; Ground surface impacts from CO2 
sequestration: potential impacts from leakage of injected CO2, 
potential impacts from induced flows of native fluids to the 
ground surface or near the ground surface, and the potential for 
induced ground heave and/or microseisms; Fate and stability of 
sequestered CO2 and other captured gases; Health and safety 
issues associated with CO2 capture and sequestration; Cumulative 
effects that result from the incremental impacts of the proposed 
project when added to the other past, present, and reasonably 
foreseeable future projects; Compliance with regulatory 
requirements and environmental permitting; Environmental 
monitoring plans associated with the power plant and with the CO2 
sequestration site; and Ultimate closure plans for the CO2 
sequestration site and reservoirs.
 
Host Site Selection The Alliance will conduct a site competition 
to identify one or more candidate sites suitable for the 
FutureGen facility. The process will be an open competition in 
which States, tribes, private organizations and other interested 
parties can offer sites to the Alliance for consideration.
 
The selection process will include the use of both qualification 
criteria and scoring criteria. Qualification criteria will be 
used to initially screen proposals and thereby identify qualified 
sites meriting further evaluation for the FutureGen Project. 
Scoring criteria will be used by the Alliance to distinguish 
among the initial set of qualified sites to identify the 
candidates (proposals and sites) that merit evaluation under the 
NEPA process. Categories of criteria that will be considered by 
the Alliance include: Suitability of the proposed site for 
construction of the power plant, suitability of the proposed 
sequestration reservoir for permanently sequestering CO2, 
availability of necessary infrastructure and resources (e.g. 
railroads, roads, natural gas lines, power transmission lines, 
and water), access, environmental factors, and costs.
 
Following the development of a site selection plan and the site 
screening criteria and subsequent to DOE approval of these items, 
the Alliance is issuing a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for a 
two-week comment period. Following the public comment period, the 
Alliance will issue the final RFP (proposed for March 2006) 
seeking proposals for a host site. The draft RFP and other 
information provided by the Alliance will be available at 
http://www.FutureGenAlliance.org. Site proponents will be 
required to submit information that the Alliance will use to 
determine how, and the extent to which, each of the screening 
criteria would be met at each site. Proponents of each site will 
be required to submit sufficient acceptable technical, 
environmental and economic information. The RFP will also state 
that, for those sites that will be analyzed in the EIS, 
additional information may be requested from site proponents. 
Such information may require some field work, but will not 
require drilling of exploratory wells or conducting seismic 
surveys, because the EIS will be based on readily available 
information.
 
The Alliance will review the proposals received to identify those 
sites that are reasonable from a technical, environmental, and 
economic perspective. At the conclusion of the review of 
proposals, the Alliance will provide DOE with a report that 
describes the screening process and findings and identifies the 
sites that the Alliance concludes are candidates (i.e., those 
believed by the Alliance to be
 
[[Page 8287]] reasonable alternatives). DOE will review the 
Alliance's selection process for fairness, openness and 
compliance with the established approach.
 
Based on its review of the Alliance's identification of candidate 
sites and other relevant information, DOE will then preliminarily 
determine the reasonable alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. 
DOE's NOI to prepare an EIS for the FutureGen Project will 
identify the proposed reasonable alternative sites.
 
The Alliance may assist the DOE and DOE contractors in gathering 
additional information to support completion of the EIS.
 
However, the DOE and DOE contractors will develop the EIS. 
Following the completion of the EIS and the public involvement 
process, the DOE will announce in a Record of Decision (ROD) 
either the no-action alternative or those sites, if any, that are 
acceptable to the DOE for the project.
 
If the action alternative is selected, the Alliance will 
subsequently select a host site from among those, if any, that 
are listed in the ROD as being acceptable to the DOE. Following 
the tentative selection of a host site, the Alliance will conduct 
extensive site characterization work on the chosen site. 
Information obtained from the characterization will be reviewed 
by the DOE and will support the completion of a supplement 
analysis by DOE to determine whether the newly gained information 
would have altered in a significant way the findings in the EIS. 
The supplement analysis will be used to determine whether a 
Supplemental EIS must be prepared.
 
Future Public Involvement This ANOI does not serve as a 
substitute for the Notice of Intent that will initiate the public 
scoping process for the FutureGen Project EIS. Following 
publication of the Notice of Intent, DOE will hold scoping 
meetings, prepare and distribute the Draft EIS for public review, 
hold public hearings to solicit public comment on the Draft EIS, 
and publish a Final EIS. Not less than 30 days after publication 
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of 
Availability of the Final EIS, DOE may issue a Record of Decision 
documenting its decision concerning the proposed action.
 
Preliminary EIS Schedule DOE anticipates issuance of a NOI to 
prepare an EIS in July 2006. The NOI or subsequent notices 
published in the Federal Register will announce the dates for 
public scoping meetings and the target date for completion of a 
Draft EIS.
 
A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS will be published in 
the Federal Register upon completion of the Draft EIS and will 
announce the locations and dates for public hearings on the Draft 
EIS and the means for providing comments. DOE will hold public 
hearings at locations comparable to those for the scoping 
meetings. DOE will consider all comments received at public 
hearings or otherwise during preparation of the Final EIS.
 
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2006.
 
John Spitaleri Shaw, Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety 
and Health.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2222 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
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 90 DOE: Office of Science; High Energy Physics Advisory Panel
 
                         FR Doc E6-2224 
[Federal Register: February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] 
[Notices] [Page 8288] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-42]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the High Energy 
Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP). Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of 
these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Friday, March 3, 2006, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 
March 4, 2006, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
ADDRESSES: The Latham Hotel, Georgetown, 3000 M Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20007.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Kogut, Executive Secretary; 
High Energy Physics Advisory Panel; U.S. Department of Energy; 
SC-25/ Germantown Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-1290; Telephone: 301-903-1298.
 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice 
and guidance on a continuing basis with respect to the high 
energy physics research program.
 
Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the 
following: Friday, March 3, 2006, and Saturday, March 4, 2006 1. 
Discussion of Department of Energy High Energy Physics Programs.
 
2. Discussion of National Science Foundation Elementary Particle 
Physics Program.
 
3. Reports on and Discussions of Topics of General Interest in 
High Energy.
 
Physics 4. Public Comment (10-minute rule). Public Participation: 
The meeting is open to the public. If you would like to file a 
written statement with the Panel, you may do so either before or 
after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements 
regarding any of these items on the agenda, you should contact 
John Kogut, 301-903-1298 or John.Kogut@science.doe.gov (e- mail). 
You must make your request for an oral statement at least 5 
business days before the meeting. Reasonable provision will be 
made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The 
Chairperson of the Panel will conduct the meeting to facilitate 
the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 
10-minute rule. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be 
available for public review and copying within 90 days at the 
Freedom of Information Public Reading Room; Room 1E-190; 
Forrestal Building; 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, 
DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
 
Issued at Washington, DC, on February 10, 2006.
 
Carol Matthews, Acting Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2224 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 91 DOE: Office of Science; DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
 
                         FR Doc E6-2228 
[Federal Register: February 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 32)] 
[Notices] [Page 8287] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16fe06-40]                         
 
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
 
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
 
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the DOE/NSF Nuclear 
Science Advisory Committee (NSAC). Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(Pub. L. 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of 
these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.
 
 
DATES: Thursday, March 2, 2006, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, March 
3, 2006, 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
 
ADDRESSES: Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852-1699.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda L. May, U.S. Department 
of Energy; SC-26/Germantown Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, D.C. 20585-1290; Telephone: 301-903-0536.
 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice 
and guidance on a continuing basis to the Department of Energy 
and the National Science Foundation on scientific priorities 
within the field of basic nuclear science research.
 
Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the 
following: Thursday, March 2, 2006 Perspectives from Department 
of Energy and National Science Foundation.
 
Presentation of the Neutrino Scientific Assessment Group 
Subcommittee Report.
 
Public Comment (10-minute rule).
 
Friday, March 3, 2006 Discussion of NuSAG Report.
 
Preparation of Transmittal Letter.
 
Possible Future Charges.
 
Public Comment (10-minute rule).
 
Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you 
would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you 
may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like 
to make oral statements regarding any of these items on the 
agenda, you should contact Brenda L. May, 301-903-0536 or 
Brenda.May@science.doe.gov (e- mail). You must make your request 
for an oral statement at least 5 business days before the 
meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the 
scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the 
Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly 
conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 10-minute 
rule.
 
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be available for public 
review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information 
Public Reading Room; Room 1E-190; Forrestal Building; 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
 
Issued at Washington, DC, on February 9, 2006.
 
Carol Matthews, Acting Advisory Committee Management Officer.
 
[FR Doc. E6-2228 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

 
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 92 Paducah Sun: DOE: No phosgene danger at gaseous diffusion plant - 


Whitfield was informed as a follow-up to his Jan. 19 field
hearing here. 

By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com 270.575.8656
 
Thursday, February 16, 2006 

The U.S. Department of Energy has assured Rep. Ed Whitfield
there is no hazardous phosgene in 14 cylinders of spent uranium
hexafluoride at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. 

DOE officials informed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville, on Wednesday,
said Jeff Miles, press secretary for the congressman. 

�They said they reviewed the records and determined that the
overwhelming majority of canisters had been purged or cleaned,
Miles said. �Those they couldn�t link up with records were
either tested or purged and cleaned. They have been able to
decide there was no phosgene in those canisters. 

Miles said the finding eliminates a potential threat to workers
and plant neighbors because phosgene is a highly corrosive
chemical once used in warfare. 

A Sept. 30 memo from the DOE Inspector General�s Office said
that based on preliminary findings, phosgene may have been left
in some of the 1,825 cylinders at Paducah. The memo referred to
a 2000 report that some of the cylinders were very rusty and
others may have been breached. DOE officials later downplayed
the memo, saying they had narrowed potential phosgene
contamination to only several cylinders at Paducah. 

Phosgene was one of the topics covered by Whitfield on Jan. 19
in a House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee field
hearing at Paducah City Hall. James Rispoli, assistant DOE
secretary for environmental management, testified he did not
think there was phosgene in the cylinders, but that testing
would begin within a few days to determine for sure. 

The canisters were acquired by DOE from the Army�s Chemical
Warfare Service in the 1940s and 1950s. Testing of 11 similar
cylinders at a closed uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio,
showed no phosgene, Rispoli said at the hearing. 

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 93 SRS: SRS tritium production; US spent fuel imports
 
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:12:19 -0800

tom.clements@wdc.greenpeace.org

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 18:20:31 -0500

Foreign Spent Fuel Imports

According to U.S. Department of Energy, the Tritium Extraction 
Facility (TEF) at the DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS) now �stands 
at 95.2% complete� through the end of January 2006. Further, DOE 
has told me that �the current forecast date for tritium 
introduction and start of tritium testing is August 31, 2006.�

Tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, is used to boost the 
explosive power of (all?) U.S. nuclear weapons &amp; is a key 
component of the hydrogen bomb.

Thus, if hot operation of the TEF begins in August, with 
processing of 215 Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods 
(TPBARs), which were irradiated at the TVA�s Watts Bar reactor 
and are now being stored in casks in the �K reactor truck bay� at 
SRS, the US will further affirm that civilian reactors can indeed 
be an integral and essential part of a nuclear weapons progr am.

Obviously, the proliferation lesson here is that nuclear power 
technology and nuclear weapons are close bedmates. Big surprise, 
right! This program holds an important lesson for Iran and 
others. Unfortunately, you won�t read a word about this US double 
standard in coverage of the Iran nuclear situation.

SRS already stores tritium and reloads tritium into canisters 
that go into nuclear weapons, currently making it a nuclear 
weapons factory. With processing extraction of 
commercially-produced tritium from TPBARs at TEF the site will 
deepen its role in the nuclear weapons maintenance 
infrastructure. (Photo of a tritium canister available on 
request.)

If anyone wants the DOE monthly reports for the TEF from 
January-Oc tober 2005, which DOE provided under a non-FOIA 
request, I can provide them to you on a CD.

*

US research reactor spent fuel imports, 1996-2005

Additionally, DOE has also provided me the list of foreign 
research reactor spent fuel imports - now imported under the 
Global Threat Reduction Initiative - from 1996 through 2005.

In the event anyone might be interested I can send along this 
Word document. Much of this highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel is 
now stored at SRS and hopefully will not be reprocessed in the 
aging H-Canyon reprocessing facility (being considered for use in 
the DOE's Global Nuclear Proliferation Partnership?).

In summary, the imports are made up of 33 shipments (27 to SRS, 6 
to INEEL) in 175 casks (163 to SRS, 15 to INEEL), con sisting of 
5638 MTR spent fuel assemblies to SRS and 1213 TRIGA spent fuel 
elements to INEEL. All of but three of these imports have been 
via ship through the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, South 
Carolina.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two have been via land from Canada and one 
(the most controversial) via the Naval Weapons Station in 
Concord, California.


Tom Clements
tomclements329@cs.com
tel 301-270-0192
cell 202-415-6158
    
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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: 
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml> 
    
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