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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 IRNA: Egypt urges diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear case
2 IRNA: Speaker: Nuclear dossier a pretext for more pressure on Iran -
3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Says It Opposes Nuclear Weapons
4 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Optimistic As Iran to Resume Talks
5 BBC: Iran forges ahead with enrichment
6 IRNA: Russia attempts to resolve Iran's nuclear issue in IAEA framew
7 IRNA: 3rd round of Iran-Russia talks on nuclear program to open tomo
8 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: All Iran's activities peaceful -IAEA
9 AFP: Iranians insists on right to nuclear technology ahead of talks
10 AFP: Iranian FM upbeat on Russian nuclear compromise
11 IRNA: Spokesman: Enrichment process in Natanz not resumed
12 NMA: Why ElBaradei's report vindicates Iran
13 AFP: Nuclear negotiator says Tehran would mull talks with US
14 IRNA: Volkov: Russia against reporting Iran's nuclear case to UNSC -
15 IRNA: Mottaki: Iranians not to give up right to uranium enrichment -
16 Korea Herald: N.K. says no justification for U.S. sanctions
17 ITAR-TASS: Relations develop under special attention by DPRK and Rus
18 US: SignOnSanDiego.com: Nuclear sub force to nearly double
19 AFP: Deal with US would signal India's nuclear coming of age - analy
20 IRNA: Indian president favors self reliance in N-power program
21 [southnews] Japanese mayors blast US- UK nuclear test
22 PTI: Separation plan under nuclear deal not a dividing issue - PM
23 RIA Novosti: Energy set to take the spotlight in Putin visit to Hung
24 RIA Novosti: Russia, Norway discuss environmental efforts in Barents
25 RIA Novosti: Russia committed to nuclear disarmament - diplomat
26 BBC: Russia challenged by nuclear woes
27 PTI: 'India needed some clarity on mutual commitments on nuke deal'
28 PTI: Self reliance is the best route - Kalam
NUCLEAR REACTORS
29 US: NRC plans inquiry into TMI security
30 US: DEP FINDS NO PROBLEMS DURING FIRST WAVE OF UNANNOUNCED
31 US: [NukeNet] Energy - Nuclear Power Audit - Wavemill - Solar
32 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Drafts Ambitious Nuclear Power Plan
33 Guardian Unlimited: Green party challenges 'push' to nuclear power
34 US: San Luis Obispo Tribune: PG replaces Diablo Canyon’s emergency s
35 allAfrica.com: City Grinds to a Halt As Koeberg Knocked Out
36 US: SignOnSanDiego.com: Radioactive water leak caused by faulty gask
37 RIA Novosti: Russia to propose nuclear licensing centers at G8 summi
38 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
39 BBC: Consumers 'will pay nuclear bill'
40 BBC: S Africa's power cuts 'political'
41 US: APP.COM: NRC will focus on radiation-barrier rust |
42 Xinhua: Unknown group claims responsibility for sabotaging nuclear
43 Xinhua: 3 Baltic countries to build new nuclear power plant
44 TheStar.com: Ontario government too hasty on nuclear power
45 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
46 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Find
47 US: NRC: Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC); Notice of Withdrawal
48 ITAR-TASS: Rosenergoatom hopes n-industry program to be published la
49 AU ABC: Nuclear power opponents urged to reconsider stance.
50 US: PRN: New NRC Investigation of Security at Wackenhut-guarded Nucl
51 Business Day: Eskoms broken contract in CapeÂ
52 US: UPI: Testing ordered of reactor water samples
53 UPI: Problems persist 20 years after Chernobyl
54 UPI: Klaus pushes nuke power over Russian gas
55 US: Brattleboro Reformer: Protesters brave cold to march against VY
NUCLEAR SECURITY
NUCLEAR SAFETY
56 US: reviewjournal.com: Ex-test site workers criticize payment rule
57 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Radiation regulators being taken to court
58 US: STLtoday: Former nuclear workers rally to protect benefits
59 US: Paducah Sun: New task force charged with plant concerns -
60 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Nuclear fallout report leaves government's
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
61 US: Bradenton Herald: Lockheed Martin Corp. puts well offers in writ
62 Platts: Industry's legislative wish list seeks Yucca Mt. revamping
63 US: yaledailynews.com: Univ. receives fine for waste
64 US: Chillicothe Gazette: Contractor hired to handle special waste at
65 US: Salt Lake Tribune: More hot waste in Tooele County?
66 US: NRC: Private Fuel Storage, Limited Liability Company
67 US: KTVB: State says DOE trying to back out of nuclear waste cleanup
68 Scotsman.com News: Nuclear waste plans revealed
69 US: cbs2chicago.com: Build Water System At Spill Site
70 US: cbs2chicago.com: Radioactive Leaks Concern Community
71 US: Morris Daily Herald: Partnership for Repair
72 AFP: Russia revives international nuclear waste depot plan
73 AU ABC: Senator criticises waste dump safety guidelines consultation
PEACE
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
74 Contra Costa Times: Laboratory fined for safety violations
75 lamonitor.com: LLNL cited for nuclear safety breach
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 IRNA: Egypt urges diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear case
, Feb 28, IRNA
--
Egyptian President Husni Mubarak on Monday stressed the
importance of pursuing a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear
issue.
Mubarak spoke to Egypt's national television at the end of a
five-nation tour of Persian Gulf littoral states.
He urged settlement of Iran's nuclear case through diplomatic
channels, saying any military measure could prove dangerous to
the entire region.
Egypt urges states not to use military pressure against Iran,
he said.
The president further said his country was awaiting the outcome
of talks on Russia's proposal to Iran for establishment of a
joint uranium enrichment facility.
He also expressed concerned over the security situation in
Iraq, and called on aid donors to continue their assistance to
the Palestinian people.
*****************************************************************
2 IRNA: Speaker: Nuclear dossier a pretext for more pressure on Iran -
, Feb 28, IRNA
---
Nuclear dossier is merely a pretext for exerting pressures on
Iran by the US, said Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel here
on Tuesday.
Haddad-Adel told Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on
Information Policy Yuri Volkov that Iran's peaceful nuclear
technology poses no danger to regional and global security.
He said the US does not at all favor an independent Iran in the
region.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Haddad-Adel hoped that eventual steps
will be taken for making Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant operational
and Iranian nation will soon witness the power plant joining the
nationwide power network.
He criticized the European press for their recent desecration
of Islamic sanctities, saying, "West is charging Muslims of
terrorism while desecration of Islamic sanctities has provoked
Muslims' wrath." He said the Central Asia, the Caspian Sea,
Afghanistan, Chechnya and Iraq are areas in which Iran and
Russia can have regional cooperation.
"Enemies of Russia and Iran can not derail the friendly and
strategic ties between the two countries," the speaker mentioned.
Volkov for his part said all political wings and officials in
Russia are unanimous in expansion of friendly ties with Iran.
He said Moscow supports Iran's peaceful nuclear activities.
"Russian Duma will try its utmost to make Bushehr Nuclear Power
Plant operational based on schedule," he added.
He said desecration of sanctities is by no means either
justified or acceptable.
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Says It Opposes Nuclear Weapons
[UP]
Tuesday February 28, 2006 7:16 PM
AP Photo TOK207
By KAORI HITOMI
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO (AP) - Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday his nation
opposed atomic weapons, and the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency had
not found any proof it was trying to manufacture them.
But Manouchehr Mottaki reasserted Tehran's right to nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes and rejected demands that the
nation end its uranium enrichment activities.
Mottaki met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and told
reporters afterward he asked Koizumi to encourage Japanese
companies to participate in building 10-15 nuclear power plants
in Iran.
``Iran also, like Japan, enjoys its right to have nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes,'' Mottaki said. ``We are
against nuclear weapons.''
A confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report made
available to The Associated Press on Monday said more than three
years of investigation has not revealed a secret nuclear weapons
program in the Islamic republic.
However, it also cautioned that a lack of sufficient cooperation
by Iran meant the agency could not rule out the existence of a
weapons program.
The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors will meet Monday to
discuss Iran's nuclear program. The meeting could start a
process leading to punishment by the Security Council, which has
the power to impose economic and political sanctions.
Mottaki said the IAEA had found no proof Iran's nuclear program
was intended to make weapons.
``They could not find evidence which shows that Iran has
diverted from its peaceful purposes of nuclear activities in
Iran,'' he said. ``We're glad for that.''
However, the report said Iran plans to start setting up
thousands of uranium enriching centrifuges this year - a
possible pathway to nuclear arms - even as it negotiates with
Russia on scrapping such domestic activity. The Kremlin has
proposed enriching uranium for Iran on Russian territory in an
effort to ensure the nuclear fuel cannot be diverted for atomic
bombs.
Iran went from testing a lone centrifuge - a machine that spins
uranium gas into enriched uranium - to introducing the gas into
10 centrifuges and beginning enrichment between Feb. 11 and Feb.
15. The country also began final maintenance of an additional 20
centrifuges last week, reflecting determination to further
expand enrichment.
That would leave Iran still far short of the thousands of
centrifuges it needs to enrich substantial amounts of uranium.
But just a few months down the road, ``commencement of the
installation of the first 3,000 ...(centrifuges) is planned for
the fourth quarter of 2006,'' the IAEA report said.
Experts estimate Iran already has enough black-market components
in storage to build the 1,500 operating centrifuges it would
need to make the 45 pounds of highly enriched uranium needed for
one crude weapon.
``Iran's leaders are forging ahead to acquire the material,
equipment, and expertise to produce nuclear weapons,'' said
Gregory Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the Vienna,
Austria-based IAEA.
``This is not a peaceful program. This is not innocent research
and development.''
Iran was expected to resume talks with Russia this week on the
enrichment offer, which is supported by the United States and
European Union.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said was confident they could
reach agreement.
``We are very optimistic and our judgment is that we can come to
an agreement with our negotiating partners,'' he told reporters
on a visit to Hungary.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who met with Mottaki on
Monday night, urged Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program.
But Mottaki insisted in an interview with Kyodo news agency that
Tehran would not stop enrichment even if it accepts the Russian
offer for a joint enrichment venture. He said Iran has no
intention of halting small-scale uranium enrichment activities
for ``research and development'' purposes, Kyodo reported.
The comments were a flat refusal of Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov's call for Iran to freeze its own enrichment work.
An Iranian delegation was expected in Moscow on Wednesday for
more discussions on the proposal after an inconclusive first
round of talks. But the negotiations look increasingly unlikely
to yield a deal that could assuage Western concerns.
On Sunday, Iran's nuclear chief said after talks with his
Russian counterpart in Iran that they had agreed in principle to
Moscow's enrichment plan. But Western diplomats dismissed the
statement as an Iranian spin effort aimed at dividing the global
community.
The IAEA decided Feb. 4 to report Tehran to the council over
concerns it might be seeking nuclear arms. But further action
was deferred until the end of next week's meeting at the
insistence of veto-wielding council members Russia and China,
which have close economic and political ties with Iran.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday he
was not optimistic the Russian-Iranian talks would be
successful.
``Still, I think, we should keep trying,'' he said.
---
Associated Press reporters George Jahn in Vienna, Austria, and
Henry Meyer in Moscow contributed to this report.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
4 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Optimistic As Iran to Resume Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Tuesday February 28, 2006 11:16 PM
AP Photo XMJ104
By MIKE ECKEL
Associated Press Writer
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Russia's president said Tuesday that he
is optimistic that his country will strike an agreement with
Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
A delegation led by top Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani is
expected to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for discussions on a
Kremlin proposal to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian territory
to ensure the nuclear fuel cannot be diverted for atomic bombs.
Enrichment is a process that can produce fuel for a nuclear
reactor or fissile material for a weapon.
``We are optimists,'' Vladimir Putin told reporters on a visit
to Hungary. ``It's quite possible for us to reach an agreement
on the establishment of a joint venture on Russian territory to
enrich uranium for Iranian nuclear energy needs.''
The negotiations remain hamstrung over Iran's refusal to restore
a freeze on its domestic uranium activities - a condition that
Moscow says is essential for its plan.
Iran's foreign minister said in Japan Tuesday the U.N. nuclear
watchdog agency had not found any proof it was trying to
manufacture atomic weapons, which his nation opposed. Manouchehr
Mottaki reasserted Tehran's right to peaceful nuclear technology
and rejected demands that the nation end uranium enrichment.
``Iran also, like Japan, enjoys its right to have nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes,'' Mottaki said. ``We are
against nuclear weapons.''
The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of
governors is to meet on Iran Monday, potentially starting a
process leading to the U.N. Security Council, which has the
authority to impose sanctions on Iran.
Moscow's offer to have Iran's enrichment in Russia has been
backed by the United States and the European Union as a way to
provide more assurances that Tehran's atomic program could not
be diverted to build weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program
is only to generate power, but many in the West fear Iran is
aiming to develop weapons.
On Sunday, the Iranian nuclear chief said after talks with his
Russian counterpart that they had agreed in principle to
Moscow's enrichment plan. But Western diplomats dismissed the
statement as an attempt to split the global community.
Reinforcing those concerns, Mottaki said in an interview with
the Japanese news agency Kyodo on Tuesday that Iran will not
stop uranium enrichment even if it accepts Russia's offer for a
joint enrichment venture.
Mottaki, in Tokyo for talks with his Japanese counterpart, said
Iran had no intention of halting small-scale uranium enrichment
activities for ``research and development'' purposes, Kyodo
reported.
This was a rejection of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's
call on Monday for Iran to freeze its own enrichment work.
Russia and Iran held talks last week but made little apparent
progress.
A confidential IAEA report made available to The Associated
Press said that an investigation lasting more than three years
has not revealed a secret nuclear weapons program in Iran, but
cautioned that a lack of sufficient cooperation from the Iranian
side meant the agency could not rule it out.
``They could not find evidence which shows that Iran has
diverted from its peaceful purposes of nuclear activities in
Iran,'' Mottaki said. ``We're glad for that.''
However, the report said Iran plans to start setting up
thousands of uranium-enriching centrifuges this year - a
possible pathway to nuclear arms - even as it negotiates with
Russia.
Experts estimate Iran already has enough black-market components
in storage to build the 1,500 operating centrifuges it would
need to make the 45 pounds of highly enriched uranium needed for
one crude weapon.
``Iran's leaders are forging ahead to acquire the material,
equipment, and expertise to produce nuclear weapons,'' said
Gregory Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the Vienna-based
IAEA.
``This is not a peaceful program,'' he said. ``This is not
innocent research and development.''
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking in
Ukraine Tuesday, said he was not optimistic that the
Russian-Iranian negotiations would be successful.
``Still, I think, we should keep trying,'' he said.
Sergei Markov, a Kremlin-connected analyst, said that a deal on
the Russian plan was unlikely because Iran was adamantly
sticking to its refusal to freeze domestic uranium enrichment.
The IAEA decided at a Feb. 4 meeting to report Tehran to the
council over concerns it might be seeking nuclear arms. Further
action was deferred until the end of next week's meeting.
----^
Associated Press writers George Jahn in Vienna, Henry Meyer in
Moscow and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
5 BBC: Iran forges ahead with enrichment
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
[Mohamed ElBaradei]
Mohamed ElBaradei delivered his report ahead of a crucial meeting
Iran is forging ahead with nuclear enrichment by feeding uranium
gas into centrifuge "cascades", a report by the United Nations'
atomic watchdog says.
Feeding the gas into centrifuges can produce fuel for nuclear
power plants, or, ultimately, atomic weapons.
Iran has begun using a 10-centrifuge machine - or cascade - and
is testing a 20-machine version, chief inspector Mohamed
ElBaradei said.
Iran says its plans are peaceful, but Mr ElBaradei said he could
not be sure.
The report was prepared for a critical 6 March meeting of the
International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors,
which could be followed by punitive measures by the UN Security
Council.
The [IAEA] is not at this poi in time in a position to conclude
that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in
Iran Report by Mohamed ElBaradei UN nuclear chief Q: Nuclear
stand-off Key nations' stance on Iran
A senior British official said that he expected the Security
Council to take up the issue of Iran's nuclear activities in
March, after the meeting of the IAEA board on Monday which will
consider the latest report from Mr ElBaradei.
The official said the council would probably issue a statement in
the first instance giving support to the IAEA and calling on Iran
to comply with the demands the agency has laid out.
A timeframe, yet to be decided, would be attached to this. If
Iran did not comply, the demand would be strengthened and after
that, further measures could be threatened.
Under strain
Mr ElBaradei said it was regrettable that questions over Iran's
nuclear programme remained unanswered "after three years of
intensive agency verification".
"To clarify these uncertainties, Iran's full transparency is
still essential," he added.
ENRICHING URANIUM: CASCADES
For uranium to b used as nuclear fuel, its concentration of
uranium-235 isotopes must be increased To be used in a reactor,
uranium must contain 2-3% U-235 Weapons grade or highly enriched
uranium (HEU) has a concentration of at least 90% U-235 Gas
centrifuges are used to carry out this enrichment process
Cascades are chains of these centrifuges 3,000 of the type of
centrifuges Iran is using would produce enough HEU for one
nuclear bomb, analysts say Guide: Nuclear fuel cycle Iran
'years from bomb'
The report said that although inspectors had not seen any
diversion of nuclear materials, they were not in a position to
conclude that there were "no undeclared nuclear materials or
activities in Iran".
Iranian officials had warned they would restart small-scale
uranium enrichment by early March but they did not specify a
date.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that
Tehran was determined to pursue enrichment.
But speaking on a visit to Japan, Mr Mottaki said he hoped
continuing talks with Russia on a proposal that Iran conduct
nuclear fuel enrichment on Russian territory would ease
international concerns over its nuclear ambitions.
Japan, which relies on Iran for one sixth of its oil imports, is
seeking a compromise on the issue ahead of next week's meeting of
the IAEA, of which it is currently the chair.
But the BBC's Jonathan Head in Tokyo says the two countries' once
close relationship is now under strain.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said that if Iran made enemies
of the UN Security Council, there would be limits on how friendly
Japan could continue to be.
'Chaff'
An Iranian delegation headed by senior security official Ali
Hoseyni-Tash is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday to resume
weekend talks on the joint venture in Russia.
Iran said on Sunday that Tehran and Moscow had agreed in
principle to co-operate over uranium enrichment.
But the next day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said any
deal depended on Iran ending its own enrichment activities.
Washington also cast doubt on the idea that there had been any
kind of agreement.
"There's no deal, frankly, that I'm aware of," said deputy state
department spokesman Adam Ereli.
He described the talks as "chaff being thrown up by the Iranians"
ahead of the IAEA meeting.
*****************************************************************
6 IRNA: Russia attempts to resolve Iran's nuclear issue in IAEA framework -
, Feb 27, IRNA
--
The spokesman for the Russian Atomic Energy Agency, Mikhail
Kamenin, here Monday said that his country attempts to hold
Iran's nuclear dossier on the agenda of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and solve it within the framework of the
agency.
He told Itar-Tass, that an Iranian delegation is expected to
visit Russia for another round of talks on Moscow's proposal for
establishment of a joint uranium enrichment center in the
Russian territory.
The Russian spokesman underlined that the proposed plan is
still valid.
Meanwhile, at a government meeting on Monday, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov submitted a report to President Vladimir
Putin on the recent talks held between the Head of Russia's
Atomic Energy Organization Sergei Kiriyenko and Iranian
officials.
"A better understanding has been reached on implementation of
Russia's proposal on uranium enrichment in the Russian
territory," he added.
Lavrov noted that talks on Iran's nuclear program will continue
in Moscow towards the end of the current week, adding that
details of implementing such a project will be discussed with
Iran.
The Russian minister had earlier said that establishment of a
joint uranium enrichment center in the Russian territory is
associated with suspension of enrichment process in Iran.
Iran-Russia talks on the issue will continue until March 6,
when the IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Iran's
nuclear dossier.
Meanwhile, Kiriyenko hoped that the required agreement will be
reached between Iran and Russia on establishment of enrichment
center in the Russian territory before the upcoming IAEA Board
of Governors meeting.
The two countries reached general agreement on establishment of
such a center during their recent talks.
*****************************************************************
7 IRNA: 3rd round of Iran-Russia talks on nuclear program to open tomorrow -
, Feb 28, IRNA
--
An Iranian delegation led by Secretary of Supreme National
Security Council Ali Larijani will take part in the third round
of negotiations with Russian officials on Iranian nuclear
program tomorrow, Russian National Security Council said on
Tuesday.
Secretary of Russian National Security Council Igor Ivanov
invited his Iranian counterpart Larijani to finalize an
agreement on Russian offer to Iran to establish joint venture
for uranium enrichment, the spokesman for Russian National
Security said.
The Russian press had already said that Larijani's deputy Ali
Hosseini-Tash will come to Moscow for the talks, but, then
corrected their report and said that Larijani himself will
attend the negotiations.
The head of Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO)
Gholamreza Aqazadeh and his Russian counterpart Sergei Kiriyenko
reached an agreement in principle on February 26 to set up joint
venture uranium enrichment plant to produce fuel for Iranian
nuclear power plants.
Iran and Russia held the first and second rounds of
negotiations on Russian offer last January and February in
Moscow and Tehran respectively.
Aqazadeh and Hosseini-Tash are accompanying Larijani to Moscow.
*****************************************************************
8 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: All Iran's activities peaceful -IAEA
IranNews Tehran Times Iran Daily
2006/02/28
Vienna, Feb 28 - IAEA Secretary General Mohammed ElBaradei said
in his Monday report to UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Directors
that no sign of deviation from peaceful activities, or breaching
articles of NPT agreements have been spotted in Iran Parchin
nuclear site.
The same conclusion is drawn in ElBaradei's report where he has
reported on Iran's nuclear Lavizan and Kolahdouz sites in
northern Tehran.
The report reads, "We have no evidence about any deviation from
peaceful nuclear activities in Iran after inspecting all the
suspected cases."
The IAEA Chief elsewhere in the report points out that after the
issuance of last IAEA Board of Governors' resolution on Iran,
Tehran delivered an official letter to the IAEA in which the
Iranians have announced they would resume their activities
"within the framework of the NPT."
The report reiterates, "Under such conditions that Iran has
quite openly resumed activities at Isfahan UCF nuclear complex,
one of whose products is green salt, other claims in the field
are naturally insignificant."
ElBaradei has told the Board of Directors that Iran is currently
engaged in "research work regarding uranium enrichment."
The report stresses in various parts that Iran's nuclear
activities in Natanz are "still" conducted under NPT supervision
overage.
Elbaradei's report was handed out among IAEA members states'
delegations on Monday evening in Vienna.
The IAEA Board of Governors would a week from now convene to
reflect its viewpoints on this report.
Copyright 2004,
All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
News Network
*****************************************************************
9 AFP: Iranians insists on right to nuclear technology ahead of talks -
Tue Feb 28, 4:38 AM ET
MOSCOW (AFP) - Iran" /> Iraninsisted that it had a right to
nuclear technology as officials prepared for 11th hour talks
with Russia aimed at heading off fears that Tehran seeks an
atomic bomb.
An Iranian delegation led by the deputy head of Iran's Supreme
National Security Council, Ali Hosseini-Tash, was due to arrive
Tuesday in Moscow for the talks, a senior Russian official told
AFP.
Russia is proposing to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf -- giving
it the fuel for a nuclear power but not the technology for a
bomb.
The plan is seen as a final effort to avert international
sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme ahead of a key March 6
meeting of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency" />
International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
"We would like to enjoy the right like Japan to have nuclear
technology, of course for peaceful purposes," Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters in Japan as he exited
a meeting with Japanese trade minister Toshihiro Nikai.
Iran was "currently examining the place and the period of time"
for a Russian offer to enrich uranium on behalf of Tehran, he
said. "This proposal is a bridge between Iran's right to the
peaceful use of nuclear energy and restoring the international
community's trust in Iran."
But in a report to the agency's board of governors Monday, IAEA
chief Mohamed ElBaradei said he could not be sure what Tehran's
nuclear motives were because it had failed to answer crucial
questions.
His report also said Iran planned to set up 3,000 centrifuges
for uranium enrichment, which can be the fuel for reactors but
also the core material for nuclear weapons.
ElBaradei's report said further verification would take time.
"Although the agency has not seen any diversion of nuclear
material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices,
the agency is not at this point in time in a position to
conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or
activities in Iran," it said.
Russia's proposal would guarantee that enriched uranium is used
by Iran to generate electricity and not to build a nuclear bomb,
amid fears in the West that Iran is trying to develop an atomic
weapon under the guise of a peaceful nuclear energy programme.
The talks follow negotiations between Russia and Iran here last
week and a weekend visit to Iran by the head of Russia's nuclear
energy agency Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko.
During Kiriyenko's visit, Iran said it had agreed "in principle"
to Russia's offer.
But Russian officials sounded a cautious note, saying there were
still many issues to be resolved and insisting Iran had to
resume a moratorium on uranium enrichment on its own soil.
"Hosseini-Tash has to engage in negotiations under stressful
conditions... The question of the moratorium has become a
stumbling block in the Russian-Iranian dialogue," Russia's
Vremya Novostei daily said Tuesday.
A source in the Russian delegation was quoted by ITAR-TASS news
agency as saying Iran's wish to retain all research and
development of uranium enrichment technology on its territory
"defeats the very purpose" of the offer.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists that
"the Russian proposal to create a joint venture for the
enrichment of uranium in Russia is part of a general effort to
remove concerns on the Iranian nuclear programme.
"We are convinced that, among other components of this effort, a
moratorium on enrichment of uranium in Iran is required," he
added.
Ahead of his visit, Hosseini-Tash struck an equally
uncompromising note.
"There is no reason for Iran to retreat," he was quoted by
Iranian state television as saying Monday.
The United States meanwhile reacted warily to the idea of a
Russia-brokered deal with Iran.
"We will see. Given their history, you can understand why we
remain sceptical," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told
reporters. "The regime has shown they cannot be trusted," he
added.
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
10 AFP: Iranian FM upbeat on Russian nuclear compromise
Tue Feb 28, 3:13 AM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Iran" /> Iran's foreign minister sounded upbeat
about a Russian compromise on its suspect nuclear program but
insisted on his country's right to the technology amid
last-ditch diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
"We would like to enjoy the right like Japan to have nuclear
technology, of course for peaceful purposes," Manouchehr Mottaki
told reporters after a meeting in Tokyo with Japanese Trade
Minister Toshihiro Nikai.
Iran and Russia have been holding drawn-out negotiations on
Moscow's proposal to conduct sensitive uranian work outside
Iran. The plan could ease Western suspicions that Tehran wants
to develop weapons rather than electricity.
Mottaki, asked by the Japanese minister if the marathon talks
had struck a deal, sounded optimistic but declined to say if
there was an agreement.
"This proposal is a bridge between Iran's right to the peaceful
use of nuclear energy and restoring the international
community's trust in Iran," Mottaki said, as quoted by a trade
ministry official in their talks.
"Iran is currently examining the place and the period of time"
under the Russian plan, he was quoted as saying.
Mottaki, who served as ambassador to Japan from 1995 to 1999, is
on a three-day visit to Tokyo as part of a global tour.
Meeting later with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Mottaki
proposed that Japan, a major investor in Iran's oil sector, take
part in the nuclear program to prove its peaceful intentions.
"I requested the Japanese prime minister for the participation
of Japanese companies in our 10 to 15 nuclear plant
establishments because we have to create 20,000 megawatts of
electricity through nuclear power plants," he told reporters.
But Koizumi, whom Mottaki invited to Iran, appeared to rebuff
the call.
"We expect Iran to gain the trust of the international community
because Japan developed after its World War II defeat without
any resources. We think Iran can develop even more considering
its resources," Koizumi told him, as quoted by a government
official.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who met Mottaki Monday, said Japan's
patience would wear thin unless Iran backed down.
"If things carry on like this, the issue will be referred to the
UN Security Council. Japan has been getting on with Iran for
long time. But if Iran makes an enemy of all members of the
Security Council, there would be limitations on our side," Aso
said.
Japan has walked a tightrope in the crisis, supporting US and
European calls for Iran to give up its nuclear program while
trying not to jeopardize its close commercial ties with the
Islamic regime.
The world's second-largest economy imports nearly all of its oil
needs, with 15 percent coming from Iran.
Japan in 2004 inked a two billion-dollar contract to develop
Azadegan in southwestern Iran, considered one of the world's
biggest untapped oil reserves.
Mottaki has said that Japan's position on the nuclear crisis
would not affect the massive oil investment.
"The Azadegan oil reserves are important for us and we expect
Japanese development there," Mottaki was quoted as telling
Koizumi.
"Iran would like to cooperate with Japan for the stability of
the Persian Gulf and to strengthen trade with Japan," he said.
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
11 IRNA: Spokesman: Enrichment process in Natanz not resumed
Tehran, Feb 28, IRNA
Iran-Enrichment
Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) spokesman Hossein
Entezami said here Tuesday that despite removal of seals at
Natanz Nuclear Facility by the inspectors of UN nuclear
watchdog, Iran has not yet resumed enrichment process merely for
further confidence building and removing misunderstandings.
Speaking in a meeting with the editors-in-chief of Islamic
Republic News Agency (IRNA), he added that Iran has not yet
started industrial enrichment on a large scale.
He noted that Iran is determined to defend its right to
enrichment within the framework of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) laws.
Turning to Iran's intention to access nuclear technology in
response to the national will, he said, "Promotion of our
scientific potential will improve the country's geopolitical
stance.
"Over the past two decades, scientific expertise has played a
more crucial role in gaining power, while nuclear technology and
similar strategic knowledge such as nano-technology,
biotechnology and the so-called `high-tech' are within the same
category."
He said that Iran's demands have always been within the IAEA
framework, adding that based on Article 4 of the agency's
convention, it is entitled to access nuclear technology for
peaceful purpose.
"Meanwhile, we are prepared and consider ourselves bound to
accept all the required inspections," he added.
He regretted that the Western public opinion is deprived of
getting to know Iran's stance due to extensive propaganda.
"It is irrational for a country which intends to produce atomic
bomb to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Neither
will it accept the protocols on extensive and unannounced
inspections.
"As the only country voluntarily implementing the Additional
Protocol, Iran facilitated extensive and unannounced
inspections, despite having no commitments officially in this
respect," he added.
Entezami deplored the fact that Iran's close cooperation and
confidence building measures were not appreciated.
"Iran has declared that if the nuclear dossier returns to its
normal course and its right to enrichment under the UN
inspection is officially recognized, just like those of other
members, the Additional Protocol will be taken to Majlis.
"Besides, according to one of the principles of Iran's nuclear
policy, the expenses of materializing the public demand for
access to nuclear technology should be affordable.
"Russia's proposal on establishment of a joint venture for
uranium enrichment in the Russian territory, talks with the IAEA
and the EU3 are three separate issues, despite their impact upon
one another. For instance, once agreement is reached with
Russia, both the UN nuclear watchdog and the EU will exert less
pressure upon Iran," he added.
The official said that the continuing trend of Iran-Russia
talks mark progress.
Entezami said that the visit of the Head of Russia's Atomic
Energy Organization Sergei Kiriyenko had nothing to do with his
country's proposal on enrichment.
"He rather tended to examine the progress at Bushehr Nuclear
Power Plant and pursue the commitments of the Russian partner
involved in the project. To make the proposal practical, it
should be revised to some extent," he added.
Entezami said that for instance the Russians can guarantee
supply of nuclear fuel, given that this is a strategic issue in
the present age.
"Iran will not give up research. Meanwhile, despite our
intention for coming up with a formula for industrial
enrichment, to prove our further goodwill we have not resumed
the enrichment process during the past month.
"Iran's approach towards the Russian proposal is in general
positive. However, our right for research should not be
violated," he added.
Entezami noted that withdrawal from NPT is not on the agenda
and hoped that its potentials as an international treaty will
soon be proved.
Concerning the upcoming March 6 meeting of the Board of
Governors on the country's nuclear dossier, he said that both
Iran and the agency prefer the issue to be settled within the
IAEA framework.
Turning to the US threats against Iran, he said that Washington
will never manage to materialize such threats and that it is
aware that other factors also play a role in this respect.
*****************************************************************
12 NMA: Why ElBaradei's report vindicates Iran
News Analysis By Parviz Esmaeili
TEHRAN, Feb. 28 (MNA) -- Another report on Iran’s nuclear
program was prepared on Monday by International Atomic Energy
Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
According to the February 4 resolution, the IAEA Board of
Governors should decide if Iran’s nuclear dossier should be
referred to the UN Security Council on March 6.
Legal and technical assessment
In assessing the legal and technical aspects of ElBaradei’s
report, we can say that it has been intentionally lengthened to
hide its meaninglessness.
It shows that there is no ambiguity left about Iran’s nuclear
activities and, just as the previous serious ambiguities, or
rather the accusations of ambiguities, have been cleared up, the
remaining partial ambiguities are also being cleared up.
The IAEA spent one year investigating the U.S. claims that Iran
was conducting nuclear military activities at the Lavizan,
Parchin, and Kolahduz sites. However, paragraphs 32, 36, 37, and
especially 52 of the report indicate that neither military nor
peaceful nuclear activities had been conducted at the sites.
The U.S. recently claimed that information based on U.S.
intelligence documents links between the so-called "Green Salt
Project" -- a precursor of uranium enrichment -- with
nuclear-related high explosives and warhead design.
In Article 20, ElBaradei has made an exaggeration of the
documents Iran has presented to the IAEA explaining the process
of casting depleted and enriched uranium metal into the
hemispheres. However, in Article 21 he admits that Iran has not
conducted any operations with these materials or based on the
documents. Finally, in Article 22 he considers the mere
possession of these documents by Iran as worrying. But these
documents are present in the archives of all IAEA inspectors,
otherwise the agency would not have known of their significance.
The green salt (uranium tetrafluoride) issue is so insignificant
that ElBaradei quickly passes over it in the report.
About contamination (Paragraph 9), the truthfulness of Iran’s
statements has been acknowledged.
On the scope of Iran’s centrifuge program, like other
insignificant matters, the conclusion has been postponed until
more IAEA inspections are carried out or Iran increases its
cooperation.
Yet, Iran’s cooperation has been increasing from early
February, although it has suspended the implementation of the
additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT). IAEA Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen traveled to
Iran twice, and it has been indicated in Paragraph 30 that the
IAEA had been given total access, even to Iranian non-nuclear
sites.
According to Paragraph 53, the IAEA has not found any signs that
Iran’s nuclear program has been diverted to a weapons program.
Surprisingly, in paragraph 47 it has been stipulated that Iran
has taken corrective actions with respect to its breaches,
contrary to the September 24, 2005 IAEA Board resolution that had
said that Iran should be referred to the UN Security Council for
non-compliance. This means that Iran has complied with its IAEA
Statute obligations.
At the end of the report, apparently according to a custom, the
IAEA chief has mentioned the cleared up ambiguities, the need
for transparency and more inspections in Iran, and the need for
taking samples for assessment. So the IAEA is following its
normal procedure and should not deviate from it.
Perhaps the most important point of the report is that,
according to Paragraph 53, “All the declared nuclear material
has been accounted for”; and Paragraph 44, “The enrichment
process at Natanz is covered by Agency safeguards containment
and surveillance measures.” In this case, ElBaradei’s
expression of concern is political not technical.
Referral to the Security Council
There is no legal or technical basis for Iran’s nuclear
dossier to be referred to the UN Security Council. According to
the IAEA Statute, the Safeguards Agreements, and the mandate of
the IAEA Board of Governors, a country can be referred or
reported to the Security Council only when it diverts from a
peaceful path or fails to carry out corrective measures.
However, paragraphs 53 and 44 state that Iran has not committed
any of these two infractions. ElBaradei stipulates in Paragraph
55 that he will continue to report to the IAEA Board of
Governors as appropriate, which means Iran’s nuclear dossier
should remain at the IAEA.
As ElBaradei has repeatedly written, Iran’s nuclear standoff
can be resolved at the IAEA and this process is in the middle
not the end.
Iran is still a signatory to the IAEA Statute and the Safeguards
Agreement and has not violated its obligations.
It is the responsibility of the IAEA to ensure the peaceful
nature of nuclear programs, not to investigate accusations of
certain countries.
Over the past three years, instead of attempting to clear up the
ambiguities about Iran’s nuclear dossier, the IAEA has been
investigating the U.S. allegations about Iran, which turned out
to be mere fantasy.
In addition, ElBaradei has repeatedly said that he is not able
to draw a final conclusion.
Moreover, if the IAEA could quickly reach a conclusion about a
country, it would lose its role as watchdog over nuclear
weapons.
The IAEA spent 27 years clearing up the ambiguities about the
nuclear activities of Japan, so why can it not bear three years
of investigations of Iran?
As in other reports, the IAEA chief has said that he can not say
that there are no undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran. In
fact, he cannot conclusively say whether any country that
conducts nuclear activities is conducting undeclared activities
or not.
Therefore, no IAEA member state should pay the price for the
IAEA’s inability to draw conclusions.
If the IAEA needs other international bodies to investigate
Iran’s P2 centrifuges and low-level contamination, there is no
reason for the suspension of Iran’s nuclear activities, which
are being carried out under the supervision of the IAEA.
When ElBaradei calls for full transparency beyond the formal
requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and the additional
protocol to the NPT, he is admitting to the inability of the
IAEA, the IAEA Board of Governors, and himself and is showing
that the IAEA is merely an intermediary body.
To sum it all up, we should not make a hasty decision before the
outcome of the March 6 meeting of the IAEA Board and thus become
trapped in the old snare of the Western carrot and stick
scenario, where the stick is the threat of Security Council
referral and the carrot the Russian mirage.
RS/MS/HL/HG
End
MNA
© 2003-2005 Mehr News Agency
*****************************************************************
13 AFP: Nuclear negotiator says Tehran would mull talks with US
Tue Feb 28, 10:42 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iran" /> Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali
Larijani said in an interview with a US magazine that Tehran
would consider direct talks over its nuclear program with the
Bush administration.
Washington's claims that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, which
Tehran denies, has prompted a tense diplomatic hiatus as world
powers seek a solution to the dispute.
Larijani also said in the interview for Time magazine's online
edition, published Monday, that Iran's response would not be a
"pleasant one" if its territory or "installations" were attacked
by Israel" /> Israel.
Asked why Iran does not talk directly with Washington, Larijani
replied: "We have no problems in negotiating on nuclear issues,
and also issues of interest to Muslims, things that will bring
calm to the region, provided that they are honest and that Mr.
Bush does not harangue us."
Asked what the dispute's worst case scenario would be, Larijani
-- who is also Iran's foreign policy chief -- said "there's a
general rule that he who shoots first, dies in the second phase.
If they take action, the response will not be a very pleasant
one for them."
"We shall definitely defend. Don't doubt that for a second. We
shall not stand idly by and watch Israelis attack our
installations," he said.
Quizzed over how the West could trust Tehran, when its leader,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called for Israel to be
"wiped off the map," Larijani said "these are two separate
issues."
"We are not looking for a nuclear bomb. We are looking for a
peaceful nuclear program," he said.
The Iranian nuclear negotiator said Tehran would not budge under
intense pressure over its atomic program and that a deal with
Russia, to enrich uranium on Russia soil for Iran, would not end
the standoff.
The deal is designed to guarantee the fuel would be used to
generate electricity and not as an ingredient for a nuclear
bomb.
"If they think that we are going to surrender by threats of
being referred to the (UN) Security Council, they are making a
mistake," he told Time.
Ahead of a March 6 meeting of the UN watchdog International
Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agencywhich
will be key in deciding how the international community responds
to Iran's nuclear ambitions, he said Tehran was "flexible" but
would not stop nuclear research.
"What will that solve? Mr. (US President George W.) Bush has
said that Iran is after the nuclear bomb. If we stop research,
will that alleviate his concern?" he asked.
Larijani is to fly to Moscow for talks Wednesday on the Russian
compromise offer, seen as a last effort to ward off possible
international sanctions.
He said it would be pointless for Iran to suspend nuclear
activities while it negotiated over its program.
"We suspended our activities for three years. What was solved?
Nothing ... I think that even if we do that (suspend nuclear
activities), then history will repeat itself."
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
14 IRNA: Volkov: Russia against reporting Iran's nuclear case to UNSC -
Tehran, Feb 28, IRNA
Iran-Nuclear-Volkov
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information
Policy Yuri Volkov said on Tuesday that Russia is against
reporting Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council and
does not support it.
Speaking to reporters along with the member of Majlis National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee Kazem Jalali, he added
that the Russian diplomats will do their best to prevent the
case being reported to the UNSC.
"Despite the great pressure exerted upon Russia by the
international community to accept reporting the dossier to the
UNSC, this will never take place.
"Now, it is up to the Iranians to act, given that Russia has
already taken the necessary measures to this effect," he added.
He noted that on account of Russia's efforts, the Board of
Governors in its last meeting dealt with general issues, adding
that during the March 6 session, a result is presumed to be
gained.
Concerning the prospect of Russia's proposal on establishment
of a joint venture for uranium enrichment in the Russian
territory, he said that the talks between the head of Russia's
Atomic Energy Organization, Sergei Kiriyenko and Iranian
officials on the issue were positive and that a number of issues
are to be examined in the next round of negotiations.
Turning to his country's extensive experience in establishment
of nuclear power stations, he noted that the Russian state Duma
supports such a joint venture.
Volkov pointed to the historical commonalties and interests of
the two states and said that such common points show that all
mutually signed agreements and contracts will lead to a positive
outcome.
About implementation of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, he said
that Russia has realized that the project should be discussed by
the Russian Duma and hoped that further attempts of the two
sides will expedite the process.
For his part, Jalali said that Iran will not withdraw from its
right to enrichment in its territory.
He hoped for more opportunity for holding talks with Russia,
given that more time is needed to examine the proposal to
clarify the ambiguities.
Jalali referred to the Bushehr project as a symbol of
cooperation between Iran and Russia and said that the quicker it
is implemented, the more the Iranian nation will confide in
Russia.
*****************************************************************
15 IRNA: Mottaki: Iranians not to give up right to uranium enrichment -
Tokyo, Feb 28, IRNA
Iran-Japan-Mottaki
Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here
Tuesday that Iranian officials will never compromise Iran's
rights for uranium enrichment.
"Uranium enrichment is a national issue for Iranian people,"
Mottaki said in an address to a group of traders and Iranians
residing in Japan on the second day of his three-day stay in
Tokyo.
"On the one hand that's a right for us and on the other hand
there is concern on the issue; Iran is ready to bridge the two.
"Iran is ready to accept any plan that will both honor our
rights and build trust.
"Iran is flexible in the method for implementation of the
project but will never give up its right."
Mottaki said the UN Security Council should not serve as a tool
for a few countries. "Gone is the era of force," declared the
foreign minister.
He said, "Our efforts is Iran's nuclear case will not find its
way to the UN Security Council; however, you should know that
under no condition we will give up the right."
Elsewhere in his address, Mottaki said confidence-building is a
reciprocal measure and both sides should fulfill the job.
The West is more concerned about the scientific and
technological progress of Iran, he added.
He said that Iran is in need of 20 nuclear power plants such as
the one in Bushehr power plant and this calls for huge
investment.
"But what a sort of guarantee might there be that they would
supply us sufficient fuel in future; therefore, we should
ourselves find a way for it," he made clear.
*****************************************************************
16 Korea Herald: N.K. says no justification for U.S. sanctions
2006.03.01
North Korea's foreign minister said yesterday there was no
justification for recent U.S. financial restrictions over the
Stalinist state's alleged illicit activities, according to a
news report.
Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun also told Russia's ITAR-Tass news
agency in an interview in Pyongyang that the North remained
committed to implementing a September agreement at international
arms talks where it pledged to abandon its nuclear program in
exchange for aid and security guarantees.
"Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is our ultimate
goal," Paek said, according to ITAR-Tass.
The comments come ahead of a meeting next week where a senior
North Korean official is heading to the United States for a
briefing by American officials on their allegations that
Pyongyang is involved in counterfeiting and other illicit
financial activity.
Last year, the U.S. slapped restrictions on a Macau bank and
North Korean companies it said were connected to illegal acts.
The North has refused to return to six-nation international
nuclear talks until those restrictions are lifted.
On Tuesday, Paek repeated the North's insistence that the U.S.
allegations are "in fact a sort of conspiracy designed to
'overthrow the regime"' in North Korea.
"There is no justification for the financial sanctions enforced
by the United States that has put up a barrier to the
implementation" of the nuclear agreement, he said.
"We are ready for talks if the stumbling blocks are removed on
the road to progress at the six-way talks and the implementation
of the joint statement," Paek said, referring to the previous
nuclear agreement.
The nuclear talks include China, Japan, Russia, the United
States and the two Koreas.
He also said that establishing normal diplomatic ties with Japan
would depend on whether Tokyo apologizes for its past actions.
"The main obstacle in the normalization of bilateral relations
is that Japan is not repenting of its past crimes and trying to
avoid drawing a line under the past under a cover of economic
cooperation," Paek said.
The entire Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule
from 1910-45, and recent moves in Japan have raised concerns
across Asia that Tokyo is seeking to gloss over its past abuses.
Japan and the North have sought to resolve issues including
past abductions of Japanese citizens by the Pyongyang regime.
Talks earlier in February between the two countries in Beijing
failed to lead to any breakthroughs.
Since then, Japan has demanded that North Korea hand over
agents suspected of being involved in the kidnappings.
*****************************************************************
17 ITAR-TASS: Relations develop under special attention by DPRK and Russia
leaders
28.02.2006, 10.40
[ hspace=10 src=] Today Korean - Russian relations continue to
develop under the special attention by the leaders of both
countries, said Paek Nam Sun, DPRK’s Foreign Minister ,in an
exclusive interview with ITAR-TASS correspondents Alexey
Goliaiev and Marat Abulkhatin. He dwelt on the relations between
Russia and Korea, prospects for building up contacts by
Pyongyang with Washington and Tokyo as well as on the resumption
of the 6-partite talks on the North Korea’s nuclear problem.
Q. - How would you characterize the present level of relations
between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea? How do you assess Russia's role and place in
the mechanism of the 6-partite talks? What's doing in the
Trans-Korean railway construction?
A. - First off, speaking about the present level of relations
between the DPRK and the RF they are rather remarkable. The
Korean -Russian [ hspace=10 src=] relations today continue to
develop under the special attention by the leaders of both
countries. Historic meetings between the Chairman of the Defense
Committee of the DPRK, esteemed comrade Kim Jong Il and the
President of Russia, esteemed Mr. Vladimir Putin which took
place in Pyongyang, Moscow and Vladivostok in 2000, 2001 and
2002, opened a new page in the development of traditional
relations between the DPRK and the RF. In the last years our
countries exchanged high level delegations and thenceforward
relations of friendship and cooperation develop in different
spheres.
We appreciate our relations with our good neighbor Russia. The
development of Korean - Russian relations fully meet aspirations
and interests of both people. Besides it contributes to peace
and stability in the North East of Asia. Our firm stand is to
strengthen and develop traditional Korean - Russian relations
even more.
We are sure that in the future relations between our countries
will dynamically develop in the spirit of the Joint Declaration
of the DPRK and the RF, the Moscow Declaration and the Treatment
on Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation between the
DPRK and the RF.
In the years past Russia applied many efforts to execute the
plan of [ hspace=10 src=] modernizing the Korean railway. Both
our countries must in the future carry out this plan in
accordance with the spirit of the previously achieved agreements
and thus develop economic cooperation even more.
Our countries support each other and reciprocally cooperate in
the international arena. We are well aware of the position held
by Russia which exerts efforts to settle the nuclear problem on
the Korean Peninsula peacefully at the negotiations table. We
give Russia its due for that.
Q. - In your view, is there a possibility to resume the next
round of the 6-partite talks in the near future? And if so, may
they bring about a concrete outcome having in mind in the first
place attainment of the agreement between DPRK and the USA?
A. - The denuclerization of the Korean peninsula is our final
goal. Inalterable and consequent is our stand to observe the
clauses of the Joint Statement agreed upon through such hard
labor as a result of the Fourth Round of the 6-partite talks.
However, after adopting the Joint Statement the USA openly
transgress the spirit of the Statement and exert even more
pressure against our Republic therefore creating serious
obstacles on the way of moving the 6-partite talks forward.
The “illegal trade version" and the financial sanctions against
the DPRK that [ hspace=10 src=] followed are in essence a
campaign of conspiracy aimed to "bring down the regime" in the
DPRK and to achieve "first-order dismantling of the Nuclear
Program”. There is no .justification for the financial sanctions
by the USA that put a barrier across the road to fulfillment of
the Joint Statement adopted as a result of the Fourth Round of
the 6-partite talks.
Inalterable is our will to fulfill the Joint Statement of the
6-partitel talks. We are ready to have talks at any time
provided the stumbling blocks on the road to the progress of
the 6-partite talks and the fulfillment of the Joint Statement
are removed.
Q. - Is there any chance for further consultations between
Pyongyang and Tokyo relating to normalization of bilateral
relations? Do you consider the possibility of establishing
constant high level contacts with Japan prior to solving the
problem of official reciprocal recognition?
A. – The normalization of relations between DPRK and Japan fully
depends on the approach by Tokyo. The main obstacle for the
normalization of [ hspace=10 src=] bilateral relations is that
Japan still does not in a proper way repent for its past crimes
against our people and tries to avoid the question of drawing
the line to the past under the guise of economic cooperation.
Japan ought to rationally assess the course of time, to repent
in good faith and to draw the line under its past crimes, to
abstain from hostile activities against DPRK including the
nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula. Only then it will be
recognized as a "full member of the international community",
and the problem of normalizing relations between the DPRK and
Japan will also be solved.
Q. - How do you assess the present level of contacts between the
North and the South of Korea?
A. - The unification of the Motherland is an urgent national
task of the Korean people. The esteemed Commander Kim Jong Il
who personally met in June of last year with a special envoy of
the South's President and with the participants of the
Inter-Korean Summit gave guiding directions as to how to .solve
the question of the country's unification "by the proper
strength of the Koreans".
The Joint Declaration of the North and the South of June 15
based on the [ hspace=10 src=] results of the Inter-Korean
Summit which has become possible due to the esteemed Commander
for the first time in more that 50 years of split Nation is a
Declaration of national independence, a Declaration against War
and for Peace, a Declaration of the Great National
Consolidation. Under the banner of the Joint Declaration of June
15 all compatriots have led brave struggle to achieve three-fold
cooperation: that for national independence, against the war and
for peace, for the unification and for patriotism, opening thus
a new page in the history of the movement pro unification of the
Motherland.
Last year for the first time in the history of the split Nation
major events took place in both parts of Korea in the framework
of the Unification Festival held solemnly with the participation
of not only common citizens but also of power structures
representatives. Besides vivid as never before have become the
dialogue, the contacts and the exchanges in different spheres,
Great events of last year occurred in the history of the
movement for the [ hspace=10 src=] unification, showed
unusually impressive strength and vitality of the "by our own
strength" ideal. Nobody in the world can get in the way of the
potent stream towards the self-induced unification of our
Nation, which fully supports the unsurpassed patriot and the
great Commander Kim Jong Il and is moving forward under the
banner of the Joint Declaration of June 15.
All Korean people will in the year begun continue to
energetically lead the patriotic movement towards the
self-induced unification, against the war and for peace, for the
great national consolidation, demonstrating once again the power
of our Nation fully united under the banner of the Joint
Declaration of June 15 to set a new mark in the cause of
unification of the Motherland.
© ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy,
*****************************************************************
18 SignOnSanDiego.com: Nuclear sub force to nearly double
Shift from Atlantic will bring 3 here
By Otto Kreisher COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
and Steve Liewer UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 28, 2006
The nuclear attack-submarine force in San Diego will nearly
double within four years, the Navy said yesterday.
Six submarines will move from the East Coast to the Pacific
Fleet, the Navy said in a statement. Three will come to San
Diego.
The shifts reflect a recently released defense analysis calling
for an increased naval presence in the Pacific. The report,
called the Quadrennial Defense Review, recommended that Navy
officials place 60 percent of their submarine force in the
Pacific, partly because of wariness over China's rapidly
expanding naval force.
Attack submarines form the backbone of the Navy's underwater
fleet. They are capable of launching torpedoes and Tomahawk
cruise missiles, according to the military Web site
globalsecurity.org. They can deploy special operations forces,
lay mines, strike land-based targets and battle enemy subs.
Having additional attack subs in the West Coast will make it
easier for them to deploy with aircraft carrier strike groups,
said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Hawaii-based
Submarine Forces Pacific.
Having submarines in San Diego allows us to do that without
sending subs back from Hawaii, he said.
When the relocation is completed by 2010, the Navy will have 52
attack submarines 31 based in the Pacific and 21 on the East
Coast. Currently, 25 subs are based in the Pacific and 28 in the
Atlantic.
San Diego will gain three Los Angeles-class submarines. It now
has four based at Point Loma Naval Station: the Asheville,
Helena, Jefferson City and Topeka.
San Diego submarines
Four attack submarines the Asheville, Helena, Jefferson City
and Topeka are based in San Diego.
The Navy intends to move three more to the city. They are the
Albuquerque, the Hampton and a still-unidentified submarine,
said Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego.
The naval base at Bangor, Wash., near Bremerton, will go from
one to three attack boats. Pearl Harbor will gain one, for a
total of 18. And Guam will stay at three, according to
information the Navy gave members of Congress.
On the East Coast, New London, Conn., will drop from 17
submarines to 14, and Norfolk, Va., will go from 11 to seven.
Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, said two of the submarines that
will move to San Diego are the Albuquerque, currently based in
New London, and the Hampton, now at Norfolk. The third hasn't
been selected, she said.
Each submarine has a crew of 135 officers and enlisted personnel
and an annual payroll of about $9.1 million, Davis said.
I am pleased to welcome the Albuquerque and the Hampton to San
Diego, she said in a statement. I know that San Diego will
welcome the 270 officers and crew and their families with open
arms.
The total figures don't add up because several submarines will
be decommissioned and new submarines brought into the fleets.
The transfer of the submarines could start as early as July
2007, the Navy said.
2006 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. • A Copley Newspaper Site
*****************************************************************
19 AFP: Deal with US would signal India's nuclear coming of age - analysts -
Mon Feb 27, 11:42 PM ET
NEW DELHI (AFP) - A proposed nuclear deal that could be signed
during US President George W. Bush" /> President George W.
Bush's visit to India this week would not only meet the
energy-starved country's demand for power but also signal its
acceptance into an elite club of trusted nuclear states,
analysts say.
The two have been negotiating on the issue for months and are
trying urgently to bridge remaining differences so the agreement
can be inked during Bush's trip, which begins Wednesday.
The nuclear deal is "important because if it comes through, the
technology denial regime that we faced for the past 30 years
will go away," said Arundhati Ghosh, India's former
representative to the Conference on Disarmament.
According to C.U. Bhaskar, the deputy director of the Institute
for Defence Studies and Analyses, the successful conclusion of
the nuclear deal would mean "recognition of India as a relevant
power, as a responsible nuclear weapons state".
Clinching the deal with Washington would be "a very big plus" as
it paves the way for New Delhi to access nuclear technology from
other countries as well.
India has lately redoubled its efforts to become a permanent
member of the United Nations" /> United NationsSecurity Council.
It is also a regular invitee at the meetings of the Group of
Eight industrialised nations.
"For India, the symbolism of being admitted into the global fold
of nuclear states is enormous," Bhaskar said.
"More than the nuclear weapon, it is the access to the loop of
global nuclear commerce -- obtaining the uranium ore fuel that
India is in dire need of -- and related hi-tech not just from
the US but other states such as Russia and France that is
crucial.
"If the deal goes through it has the potential to influence the
global strategic architecture of the early part of 21st
century," he added.
"From the point of view of public perception, irrespective of
the substance, the visit will be seen as unsuccessful if the
nuclear deal does not go through," said Lalit Mansingh, a former
Indian ambassador to the United States.
If the nuclear deal comes through, it will enable India to rely
less on oil as its economy expands between seven to eight
percent a year, he said.
"It means access to technology and commerce that has been long
been denied to India," Mansingh said.
Under a preliminary agreement reached during a visit by Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington in July, India has
to separate its civilian and military nuclear programs in return
for access to civilian nuclear technology it has been denied for
almost three decades.
Those reactors placed under the civilian program will be open to
international inspection.
The deal commits Washington to get approval from the US Congress
and countries forming the 44-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to
lift restrictions on India -- which has refused to sign the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- in the civilian nuclear
technology trade.
Several rounds of talks have been held between US Under
Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and his Indian
counterpart Shyam Saran but officials have made it clear
differences remain.
Talks have been mired over Washington's demand that India put
more reactors on a list of civilian nuclear facilities to be
placed under international scrutiny -- which Indian scientists
say will effectively cap the country's nuclear weapons program.
US nuclear experts fear that India is keeping its "fast breeder"
reactors out of the list of civilian reactors open to
inspections as they are particularly suitable for the production
of weapons grade plutonium.
On Monday, premier Singh told parliament India would put about
65 percent of its listed nuclear power capacity under
International Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic
Energy Agency(IAEA) safeguards, but would not place an
experimental fast breeder reactor program under outside
inspection.
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
20 IRNA: Indian president favors self reliance in N-power program
New Delhi, Feb 28, IRNA
India-Energy-Kalam
Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam said he favored self-reliance
in the country's nuclear power program and energy independence.
Addressing the nation on the occasion of National Science Day,
Kalam said: "Nuclear scientists have always shown the country
how nuclear technology can be used for increasing the
agricultural produce, medical application and nuclear power
generation." However, "every one of the nuclear scientists and
science leaders realised that the self reliance is the most
promising route", he said.
In a veiled criticism of sanction imposed by developed
countries following India's nuclear tests, he said the country's
nuclear programme had been under technological denials for
decades.
Recalling his experience as chief of Aeronautical Development
Agency (ADA) during the sanctions regime, he said "Particularly
the Light Combat Aircraft programme came to a halt because of
collaborating countries breaking the agreements on the
development contracts undertaken," Kalam said.
"I took an emergency meeting of the ADA Board and we formed a
national team for Low Combat Aircraft (LCA) control system with
20 members drawn from seven organisations in the country with a
two- year project schedule," he said.
Kalam said "in 18 months, we realized a world class digital fly
by wire control system for the LCA."
"Now four LCA aircraft are flying and the 5th one is getting
ready for flight tests. The batch production of LCA Tejas is to
commence," he said.
A large-scale generation of power through nuclear fuel is vital
for the country's energy independence program, Kalam said.
"Going critical of fast breeder reactor which is in an advanced
stage of construction, development of the Advanced Heavy Water
Reactor (AHWR) and Accelerator Driven System (ADS) technologies
have to be pursued in an intergarted way," he said.
Expressing confidence that India could attain the goal of
energy independence well before 2030, he asked the country's
scientists to specifically focus on research in the area of
renewable energy sources.
But for this, the share of power generated through renewable
energy sources would have to be increased from the existing five
to 25 percent and scientists would have to concentrate on
research in the areas of carbon nano tube-based solar cells,
increasing bio-fuel oil content, efficient thorium-based nuclear
fuel and efficient hydrogen fuel, Kalam said.
"Science leads to development of technologies. Availability of
technologies leads to products," Kalam said, and encouraged
scientists to make discoveries that will lead to development of
new technologies and new cost-effective products thus improving
the quality of life.
*****************************************************************
21 [southnews] Japanese mayors blast US- UK nuclear test
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 00:48:04 -0600 (CST)
the US national Nuclear Security Administration said.
The United States carried out a subcritical nuclear experiment with
Britain at an underground test site in Nevada on Thursday. The test also
represented the first such experiment since May 2004 and the ninth under
the administration of President George W. Bush. It was the second
carried out with Britain following the one in February 2002.
Japanese mayors blast nuclear tests
-Kyodo (Feb. 25, 2006)
The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the two Japanese cities
devastated by the world's only atomic bomb attacks - have urged the
United States and Britain to halt nuclear arsenal tests.
US and British government scientists performed an underground nuclear
experiment, short of a nuclear blast, at the Nevada Test Site this week,
the US national Nuclear Security Administration said.
The experiment on Tuesday involved detonating high explosives around
radioactive material in a vault about 1,000 feet below ground at a
remote part of the desert testing range, 85 miles north-west of Las Vegas.
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said he sent letters to US President
George Bush to protest about the test.
Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito said he sent a similar letter of protest to
both US and British ambassadors to Japan.
Talking about the subcritical nuclear test, Akiba wrote: "You have
brought the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the international
agreement regarding nuclear weapons, to the brink of collapse, and we
fear, are provoking a new round of proliferation."
____________________________________________
Hiroshima peace tower reset after nuclear test
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 25, 2006)
The peace watchtower at the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, which
displays the number of days since the last nuclear test, was reset to
zero Friday after a subcritical nuclear experiment in Nevada was jointly
conducted by the U.S. and British governments.
It is the ninth time the number of days has been reset since the tower
was erected on Aug. 6, 2001.
When Minoru Hataguchi, director of the museum, pressed the reset button,
the tower displayed "639," the number of days since the last nuclear
experiment was conducted by the U.S. government on May 26, 2004.
Hataguchi said, "I'm angry because it's an act that tramples on the
feelings of the people of Hiroshima."
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba sent U.S. President George W. Bush and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair a letter of protest saying that
nuclear experiments that lead to the development of new nuclear weapons
cannot be tolerated.
___________________________________________
UK nuclear test prompts claim of new bomb plan
Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday February 23, 2006
Guardian
Britain will today take part in its first nuclear test for four years,
prompting claims, denied by the Ministry of Defence, that it is stepping
up a programme to design and build a new bomb. The test, 1,000 feet
below the Nevada desert, is described as "subcritical", meaning it is
not designed to produce a nuclear blast.
Asked yesterday to comment on the test, the MoD described it as an
"experiment by a responsible government insuring the safety and
reliability of the existing nuclear warhead stockpile". It was designed
to examine the effects of ageing, said a spokesman. He said it was "in
no sense" linked to any possible successor to the Trident nuclear force.
Opponents of nuclear weapons accused the MoD of taking part in tests
designed to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons. John Ainslie,
of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "This is sending
the wrong message to countries that are considering whether to build
their own nuclear deterrent."
The test was said to be part of the American Stockpile Stewardship
Programme, designed to maintain the safety and reliability of the US
nuclear weapons stockpile, but the data could also be used to develop
new warhead designs, according to the British American Security
Informational Council (Basic).
"This test could be the latest in a series of developments designed to
secure Britain's new generation of nuclear weapons before parliament and
the public has had a chance to debate the issue," said Basic's executive
director, Ian Davis. He referred to the investment of #1bn at the Atomic
Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston and Burghfield, saying its purpose
was to keep safe the existing Trident warhead stockpile. However, he
said, given the government's stated intention to decide about a
replacement for Trident before the end of this parliament, it may be
looking at new warhead designs.
The archives of South News can be found at
http://southmovement.alphalink.com.au/southnews/
*****************************************************************
22 PTI: Separation plan under nuclear deal not a dividing issue - PM
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Feb 28 (PTI) Contending that the separation plan
under the Indo-US nuclear deal is not a "dividing" issue, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh has said an agreement on this would be
President George W Bush's "great contribution" to ending India's
isolation from the world nuclear order.
The Prime Minister, in an interview to Charlie Rose telecast on
the Public Broadcast System, hoped that the agreement on the
nuclear pact could be finalised before American leader's arrival
in New Delhi tomorrow.
Asked if he considered separation of India's civilian and
military nuclear facilities under the nuclear deal as a major
dividing factor between India and the US, Singh said "I would
not call it a dividing issue. It is an important issue.
"I recognise the United States (government) has to sell this
deal to the Congress. But we also have a Congress. And I have
always told our Parliament -- as I mentioned it to the President
-- this deal is not about India's strategic programme, What is
in discussion is our civilian nuclear programme." "We have
agreed we will have a credible separation between our strategic
programme and the civilian programme. Whatever we have committed
in our July 18 statement, in letter and spirit, we will fulfill
our obligations," he said.
Asked if there was a 90 per cent chance of hope of an agreement,
Singh replied "I certainly hope that," adding that an agreement
would be a "great contribution" of Bush "to ending India's
isolation from the world nuclear order." PTI
© Copyright PTI 2003-2004
*****************************************************************
23 RIA Novosti: Energy set to take the spotlight in Putin visit to Hungary
28/ 02/ 2006
MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) - Energy is expected to
dominate a historic two-day visit to Hungary made by Vladimir
Putin, which begins Tuesday.
During talks with the country's leadership, Putin, the first
Russian leader to visit the country in 13 years, will discuss
the modernization of a nuclear power plant and Russian oil and
gas supplies, as well as proposals to refit the largely
Soviet-era Budapest subway.
Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said the Russian leadership
was set to support the country's business plans to bid for
investment projects in Hungary, which like many former
Soviet-bloc countries became a member of the European Union in
2004.
"This in particular concerns Russian companies' efforts to
modernize the Paks nuclear power plant, and to expand and
renovate the subway in Budapest and produce cars for it,"
Prikhodko said, adding that bilateral trade had exceeded a
record of $6 billion in 2005.
The Federal Agency for Nuclear Power said Russia was prepared to
modernize four power units of the Soviet-built plant to extend
the service life of Paks, which produces more than 40% of the
country's electricity, for another two decades.
Russia's TVEL corporation, which with 17% of the global market
is one of the world's largest producers of nuclear fuel, said
Paks ran on Russian-made fuel. Under an agreement between the
Russian and Hungarian governments and a 2004 contract between
TVEL and Paks, the Russian producer is to supply nuclear fuel to
the plant until its service life expires, which would be
scheduled to happen between 2013 and 2017 if no extension
program were put into place.
Away from energy, the Russian Economic Development and Trade
Ministry also said that the Russian consortium of metro
constructors had won a tender to build the first station in a
project to modernize a subway line and carry out tunnel work.
The Russian contract will be worth about $70-80 million out of
the overall $210-220 million in the first stage of the fourth
line of the Budapest subway. The entire line is set to cost well
over a billion dollars.
Another Russian company, Metrovagonmash, is bidding to produce
about 200 new subway cars worth about $250 million for the city.
Experts say the chances to win the tender are high, as Budapest
has been using Soviet-made cars for about 30 years.
However, Prikhodko said trade with Hungary remained dominated by
oil and gas supplies.
"Russian energy supplies to Hungary in accordance with the
current long-term contracts and ambitious joint projects in the
oil and gas sector will be high on the agenda," Prikhodko said,
adding that Budapest saw Russia as a strategic oil and gas
supplier.
Hungary is the leading consumer of Russian natural gas in
central and eastern Europe. Since 1975, when the supplies began,
the country has received about 164 billion cubic meters of
Russian gas totaling roughly 80% of Hungarian gas imports.
Under a contract with Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom,
Hungary will be provided with up to 10 billion cu m of gas every
year until 2015.
Hungary is also the transit country for Russian gas designated
for Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, with the transit close on 2.4
billion cu m in 2005.
Russia is the leading oil importer for Hungary. LUKoil, Russia's
no.1 independent crude producer, delivered about 6.4 million
metric tons of oil (128,500 bbl/d) in 2005. The company also
owns a chain of gasoline stations in the country.
© 2005 RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
24 RIA Novosti: Russia, Norway discuss environmental efforts in Barents Sea
28/ 02/ 2006
MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and Norwegian
environmental officials met in Moscow Tuesday to discuss
cooperative measures to protect the Barents Sea, the body of
water that separates the two countries.
Norwegian Minister of the Environment Helen Bjornoy presented a
plan on the use of marine resources in the Norwegian sector of
the sea.
Russian Deputy Natural Resources Minister Valentin Stepankov
said his ministry was prepared to draw up a similar plan to be
included in the 1991 bilateral intergovernmental agreement on
environmental protection.
Stepankov said the document should outline measures to safeguard
the biological resources of the Barents Sea, prevent radioactive
pollution and foster information exchange.
Stepankov informed the Norwegian delegates about the mechanisms
for handling marine biology in Russia. He said the Federal
Service for the Oversight of Natural Resources annually reviewed
the catching norms for various bio-resources in the sea.
"The ministry is ready to convey the opinion of the Norwegian
side about the fishing quotas established by the Russian Natural
Resources Ministry to [Russian] experts," he said.
Bjornoy said the Russian quotas were correct.
The meeting also highlighted the environmental aspect of
Russia's program to explore its continental shelf, which covers
6.2 million sq km. According to oil and gas experts, 4 million
sq km could be developed. The Natural Resources Ministry has
drafted a plan to study and develop the shelf until 2020,
including in the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea and
the Sea of Okhotsk.
Stepankov said the ministry's program included a complex
environmental protection system. He suggested that the Norwegian
side study the main provisions of the document at the next
session of the Russian-Norwegian environmental commission,
tentatively scheduled for October 2006.
Environmental concerns acquired particular significance after a
spate of incidents involving Russian trawlers that occurred in
the Barents Sea toward the end of last year. Two vessels, the
Kapitan Gorbachev and the Dmitry Pokramovich, were detained by
the Norwegian Coast Guard on October 24, 2005 and released four
days after posting bail. The Norwegian authorities had detained
the trawlers near Medvezhy Island in the Barents Sea after the
boats entered a 12-mile exclusion zone without permission.
The Norwegian authorities accused the ships' crews of
unauthorized fish reloading in Norway's territorial waters.
These arrests came in the wake of a more serious drama in the
middle of October, when the Norwegian authorities pursued
another trawler, the Elektron, for five days across the Barents
Sea. The captain had been accused of violating fishing
regulations and holding two Norwegian border guards on board the
trawler until it reached Russian territorial waters.
© 2005 RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
25 RIA Novosti: Russia committed to nuclear disarmament - diplomat
28/ 02/ 2006
GENEVA, February 28 (RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Andrianova) -
Russia will continue pursuing the course of disarmament, a
high-ranking diplomat said Tuesday.
Valery Loshchinin, the permanent representative of Russia to
the UN Office in Geneva, told a meeting of the Disarmament
Commission that Russia had been taking steps to reduce its
nuclear arsenal "on a continuing basis, without pauses or
breaks."
According to the diplomat, the country's nuclear stockpile has
been reduced by more than five times since 1991, and its
non-strategic nuclear arsenal by four times since 1999.
As of January 1, 2006, Russia still had 927 operational
carriers of strategic offensive weapons and 4,300 warheads that
fall under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Loshchinin said Russia had been meeting its obligations to
reduce its nuclear arsenal according to its unilateral
commitments and agreements with the United States, including the
Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions, which stipulates that
both Russia and the United States must lower the number of
strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 by 2013.
© 2005 RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
26 BBC: Russia challenged by nuclear woes
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
By Leonid Ragozin bbcrussian.com, Moscow
The new boss of Russia's nuclear industry, Sergei Kiriyenko, has
announced ambitious expansion plans which alarm environmentalists
worried about continuing radioactive contamination.
[Geiger counter with warning sign in background]
Mayak remains Russia's nuclear flagship (Photo: G. Kabirov)
This week prosecutors charged the director of Russia's main
nuclear waste processing plant - Mayak in the Urals - with
violating safety rules.
Vitaly Sadovnikov is accused of allowing many tons of liquid
radioactive waste to be discharged into the River Techa in
2001-2004.
In a separate investigation, the former head of Russia's Federal
Agency for Nuclear Energy (Rosatom), Yevgeny Adamov, was
arrested in Switzerland last year on corruption charges and
extradited to Russia.
The Mayak plant was also the scene of a major nuclear accident
in 1957, when a waste storage facility blew up, releasing 20
million curies of radiation into the atmosphere. The scale of
the disaster was kept secret by the Soviet authorities at the
time.
Despite that experience, and the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl
plant in Ukraine, the new Rosatom boss believes nuclear power is
vital for Russia's future.
Contamination
Mr Kiriyenko argues that the world's hydrocarbon resources are in
decline and only nuclear power can prevent an acute energy
crisis.
[The village of Musliymovo in the Chelyabinsk region]
Thousands still live inside the contaminated area (Photo:
G. Kabirov)
Mayak remains the flagship of Russia's nuclear industry and is
still discharging tons of liquid radioactive waste into poorly
isolated reservoirs.
The Russian parliament's environmental committee has recommended
that Rosatom move towards halting nuclear waste processing at
Mayak.
The committee's chairman, Vladimir Grachev, has warned that the
dams standing between the radioactive water and the Ob river
basin may collapse.
Environmentalists say dangerous waste water has been seeping
into the soil for years.
Gosman Kabirov, an environmental activist who has spent years
near the Mayak plant, says "the situation is indeed very
dangerous, because the reservoirs have accumulated 1.2bn curies
- that is 22 Chernobyls".
Every time t failed to produce weapons-grade plutonium,
they simply discharged it into the river Gosman Kabirov, Russian
environmentalist
In January, President Vladimir Putin announced plans to create a
network of international centres for uranium enrichment.
Environmentalists fear that Mayak could play a significant role
in that - and want the plant closed.
But Rosatom's spokesman Vladimir Novikov told bbcrussian.com
that Mayak "theoretically... could be included in these plans".
Mr Kiriyenko has approved a project to prevent the waste
reservoirs at Mayak overflowing and announced a tender for a
comprehensive solution to the plant's environmental problems.
Rafail Arutyunyan, deputy director of Russia's Institute for
Nuclear Safety, insists the plant's current activities "do not
increase the environmental risks".
He warns that "once a facility is decommissioned, the level of
attention and scale of work always decrease".
1957 disaster
When Mayak was built in 1949 under the supervision of Stalin's
secret police chief Lavrenty Beria, nobody worried about the
environment.
[Rosatom head Sergei Kiriyenko]
Mr Kiriyenko is pushing for sweeping reforms in the industry
"Every time they failed to produce weapons-grade plutonium, they
simply discharged it into the river", Mr Kabirov says.
Then came the 1957 explosion at Mayak - and nobody knew how to
deal with such an emergency.
Local villagers, soldiers and workers from the plant were
mobilised to clear up the mess without any protection. Children
from nearby villages had to dig up potatoes with their bare
hands in fields still wet from radioactive rain.
"My wife's father was one of the first people to die from
leukaemia. He was a policeman and had to shoo people away from
the River Techa," Mr Kabirov says.
Some of the villages were evacuated, but others remained as they
were, their residents becoming an invaluable resource for Soviet
research centres studying the effects of a nuclear war.
In one such centre, specially created in Chelyabinsk, sick
people were kept in the same building as cows and pigs from the
contaminated area.
'Guinea pigs'
No similar accidents occurred over the next 50 years, but
contamination continued.
Natalia Mironova, leader of the Movement for Nuclear Safety in
Chelyabinsk, says that even today plutonium isotopes can be
found as far as 400km (250 miles) from the plant.
Local villagers call themselves "guinea pigs".
"One in four children has genetic mutations," Mr Kabirov says.
According to Ms Mironova, the occurrence of deformities in
new-born babies is twice the national average.
And tragic incidents still occur.
"In the village of Tatarskaya Karabolka a girl who visited her
grandmother on holiday went to wash a carpet in the river. Very
soon she developed symptoms of acute leucosis and died", Ms
Mironova said.
*****************************************************************
27 PTI: 'India needed some clarity on mutual commitments on nuke deal'
New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) On the eve of President George W Bush's
visit, India today said it needed certain degree of clarity on
mutual commitments on the nuclear deal to make sure that there
were no ambiguities that may create difficulties in the future.
"We still have a short distance to cover," Foreign Secretary
Shyam Saran told reporters about the follow-up agreement on the
Indo-US nuclear deal reached in July last year during the visit
to Washington by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"If necessary, we will of course continue the negotiations
beyond the forthcoming visit, he said. Bush arrives here
tomorrow on a three-day visit during which the two sides are
expected to sign several documents to enhance cooperation in
agriculture, biotechnology, science and technology, energy and
other areas.
"We have managed to make considerable progress. We still have
some distance to go. This is a complicated and complex issue,"
he said.
"Our effort has been not to leave unfinished business which
could create difficulties for us later on," he contended.
"So, we need a certain degree of clarity on our mutual
commitments. We need to make sure there are no ambiguities which
may create difficulties for us in the future," Saran, who has
been India's chief negotiator in the talks with the US on civil
nuclear cooperation, said. PTI
© Copyright PTI 2003-2004
*****************************************************************
28 PTI: Self reliance is the best route - Kalam
New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) As India and the United States remained
locked in hard bargaining to implement their nuclear deal,
President A P J Abdul Kalam today favoured self-reliance in
nuclear power programme and energy independence.
In a veiled criticism of sanctions imposed by developed
countries following India's nuclear tests, he said the country's
nuclear programme had been under technological denials for
decades.
However, "every one of the nuclear scientists and science
leaders realised that the self reliance is the most promising
route," he said.
"Nuclear scientists have always shown the country how nuclear
technology can be used for increasing the agricultural produce,
medical application and nuclear power generation," Kalam said on
the occasion of the National Science Day.
Recalling his experience as chief of Aeronautical Development
Agency (ADA) during the sanctions regime, he said "Particularly
the Light Combat Aircraft programme came to a halt because of
collaborating countries breaking the agreements on the
develoment contracts undertaken," Kalam said.
"I took an emergency meeting of the ADA Board and we formed a
national team for LCA control system with 20 members drawn from
seven organisations in the country with a two years project
schedule," he said.
Kalam said "in 18 months, we realised a world class digital fly
by wire control system for the LCA." "Now four LCA aircarft are
flying and 5th one is getting ready for flight tets...The batch
production of LCA TEJAS is to commence," he said. PTI
© Copyright PTI 2003-2004
*****************************************************************
29 NRC plans inquiry into TMI security
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:10:51 -0800
NRC plans inquiry into TMI security
Agency will focus on reports of sleeping, fatigue, excessive hours
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
BY GARRY LENTON
Of The Patriot-News
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to investigate the management
of the security force at Three Mile Island, focusing on fitness-for-duty
issues such as fatigue and sleeping on the job.
The probe, announced in a certified letter delivered to a Patriot-News
reporter, was prompted by a story published Jan. 29.
The story reported on a memo in which John Young, head of the Wackenhut
security, scolded security supervisors for failing to note that veteran
officers were telling new hires safe places to sleep undetected while on
duty. Wackenhut is a private security firm hired by plant owner Exelon
Nuclear to guard the nuclear station.
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The memo also said officers were telling new hires ways to short-cut patrol
duties.
Of additional concern to the NRC were reports that security officers were
being allowed to work excessive hours. The newspaper documented one person
who worked more than 150 hours during a 14-day period, and averaged more
than 54 hours a week for more than 10 months.
Since March 2004, AmerGen Energy, the operator of TMI, investigated and
disciplined five workers for "inattentiveness to duty." The phrase is used
by the industry and regulators to cover an array of conditions, including
sleeping. Three of those workers were security officers.
Guards, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said fatigue from long hours
and boredom were to blame for the inattentiveness.
Guards work 12-hour shifts at TMI. Federal regulations limit those hours to
16 out of 24; 26 hours out of 48; and 72 out of seven days.
The agency said it will not announce the findings of the probe.
"Due to the nature of the security-related issues ... we are not providing
you with further information on this matter," wrote David J. Vito, senior
allegation coordinator for the NRC.
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NRC plans inquiry into TMI security
Page 2 of 2
The secrecy reflects a change in policy since the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, said Rick Urban, an allegations coordinator with the NRC.
"It's a sad commentary on where the NRC is as an agency when they
acknowledge a problem but refuse to say how they are going to address it,"
said Eric Epstein, chairman of the watchdog group Three Mile Island Alert.
David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety expert with the Union of Concerned
Scientists, said he was not surprised that the agency planned to keep the
results of the probe secret. The agency has been in a security blackout
since 9/11, he said.
Advertisement
Still, he said he is encouraged by the agency's decision to investigate.
"I think it's a positive step," Lochbaum said.
AmerGen spokesman Ralph DeSantis said yesterday that he was not aware of the
NRC probe, but said the company would cooperate with the agency.
DeSantis said the company conducted its own investigation of Young's memo
and concluded that the concerns were unfounded. The company also brought in
an outside investigator to look into two allegations of inattentiveness at
the plant last December.
GARRY LENTON: 255-8264 or glenton@patriot-news.com
Previous | 1 | 2
*****************************************************************
30 DEP FINDS NO PROBLEMS DURING FIRST WAVE OF UNANNOUNCED
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:11:15 -0800
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Kate Philips
Feb. 28, 2006 717-783-1116
Ron Ruman, DEP
717-787-1323
DEP FINDS NO PROBLEMS DURING FIRST WAVE OF UNANNOUNCED INSPECTIONS AT
STATEąS FIVE NUCLEAR PLANTS
Evening, Overnight Inspections Check Attentiveness of Control Rooms,
Security Staffs; Inspections Continue
HARRISBURG -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that the Department
of Environmental Protection has concluded surprise inspections at each of
the stateąs five nuclear power plants to ensure control room, security and
other vital personnel are alert and performing their duties in a manner to
keep the facilities operating safely.
No instances of inattentiveness on the part of control room operators or
plant security were found during the first wave of inspections by DEPąs
Bureau of Radiation Protection. The inspections will continue through 2006,
with at least two unannounced inspections planned each month at the plants.
łResidents deserve to know if these facilities are being operated in the
safest possible manner to protect public health and the environment,˛
Governor Rendell said. łThese surprise inspections are above and beyond all
other normal oversight activities, adding another layer of protection to
reassure the communities around these plants that everything is being done
to keep residents and workers safe.˛
At least one inspection has been completed at each of the stateąs nuclear
facilities -- Beaver Valley Power Station in Beaver County, Limerick
Generating Station in Montgomery County, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station
in York County, Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in Luzerne County and
Three Mile Island in Dauphin County.
łGovernor Rendell charged us to do all we can to protect public health and
the environment,˛ DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. łSurprise
inspections reinforce the need for operators to remain vigilant and to
promote a culture of safety every minute of every day at these plants.
Taking this extra step also reassures residents that every effort is being
made to protect them and their families.˛
Governor Rendell directed DEP to launch the unannounced, off-hour
inspections in early February in response to public concern over reports of
inattentiveness by a shift manager and plant security at Three Mile Island.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week announced plans to
investigate management of TMI security forces. And, the plantąs operator,
AmerGen Energy, has reassigned a shift manager suspected of falling asleep
on the job.
DEP already has a comprehensive nuclear safety and environmental monitoring
program at all nuclear power plant sites in Pennsylvania. The department
also has an assigned nuclear safety staff member at each of the stateąs five
nuclear sites. On-site safety personnel regularly conduct periodic
inspections of these facilities to ensure their safe operations.
Past off-hour inspections focused on special plant activities, such as
replacement of reactor vessel heads, observation of refueling outage
activities and plant restarts. The recent inspection initiative concentrates
on observing plant staff at various locations, such as security checkpoints,
processing centers, the control room, the shift managerąs office and
radiological control points.
If DEP inspectors discover an incident of inattentiveness on the part of
plant staff, they will document their observation and immediately notify
both the plant operator and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has
final authority over health and safety regulations at all commercial nuclear
power plants in the country. DEP also would work with NRC and the company to
investigate the incident.
DEPąs Bureau of Radiation Protection safeguards residents and workers from
exposure to radiation from man-made and controllable natural sources. The
bureau has a comprehensive environmental radiation monitoring program that
includes evaluating nuclear power plants, inspecting machines such as X-rays
and conducting outreach on radon.
For more information, visit DEPąs Web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us,
Keyword: łRadiation Protection.
###
The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit his Web site at: www.governor.state.pa.us.
*****************************************************************
31 [NukeNet] Energy - Nuclear Power Audit - Wavemill - Solar
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:10:32 -0800
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
Nuclear Power Used Up More Energy
Than It Delivered To Society !
"At the end
of forty years of the US nuclear power program
by 1991, this energy- 381302 MW-yrs -delivered to
society is still less than the gross cumulative
energy invested in nuclear plant construction and
maintenance of 489174 MW-yrs! "
Energy audit of nuclear fuel cycles
By R. Ashok Kumar,
B.E,M.E(Power),Negentropist,Flat 1/13, Telec
Officers' CHS.,Ltd.,Plot 30, Sector 17, Vashi,
Navi Mumbai-400705. Tel:7896209.
It must be noted that a number of surprises
have caused retrofits and replacements like the
steam generator premature replacements and the
replaced radioactive steam generators enclosed in
costly sarcophages worldwide. These have
enormously increased the energy invested in these
white elephants.
---------------------------
To all,
There are alternatives to nuclear power such as wind, solar, biomass,
geothermal, ocean wave, hot air etc.
Here is one "clean, green, cost effective" alternative to nuclear power.
Wavemill ocean wave power technology can be configured to make
hydrogen fuel cells for worldwide distribution.
Wavemill Technology
http://www.wavemill.com/technology.htm
718d4.jpg
View Image
The Wavemill® is a new, highly efficient technology that harnesses the
immense, renewable energy contained in ocean waves. Its unique ability to
extract and convert energy from both the rising and falling waves, as well
as from surge forces - all without trade-offs - represents a technological
breakthrough.
The Wavemill® is the first practical, high-efficiency wave energy converter
capable of being factory produced as a cost-effective, off-the-shelf unit,
rather than having to be built on site.
718e7.jpg
View Image
Significantly Higher Output Than Wind and Solar Technologies
Ocean wave energy is highly concentrated compared to other renewable
sources, often offering 15-20 times more available energy per square meter
than wind or solar. Because wave energy is highly concentrated wind energy,
and because water density is much higher than that of air, the available
energy from ocean waves is known to be many times greater than that of
wind. For example, along the California coast, yearly averages show wave
power as having a 17 times advantage in available energy per square metre.
This advantage, at similar ratios, also holds true in the case of
photovoltaic energy converters, more commonly known as solar panels.
More Flexible than Tidal Energy
The Wavemill® is NOT a tidal energy device. Unlike those site-specific
installations, which require highly unique conditions, the Wavemill® is
designed for broad based site suitability and simple installation.
Respected studies and reports have stated that because of its global
distribution and highly concentrated nature, wave energy represents a
logical choice as the most suitable alternative to traditional energy
sources - once practical conversion technology becomes available. The
Wavemill® provides that practical solution.
-------------------
New Solar Power
SA solar research eclipses rest of the world
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=116&art_id=vn20060211110132138C184427
http://cooltech.iafrica.com/features/508857.htm
http://www.nrf.ac.za/sajs/sm_jan98.stm
http://www.sabcnews.com/sci_tech/science/0,2172,91736,00.html
By Willem Steenkamp
In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South
African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient
solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their
electricity from the sun.
This means high electricity bills and frequent power failures could soon be
a thing of the past.
The unique South African-developed solar panels will make it possible for
houses to become completely self-sufficient for energy supplies.
The panels are able to generate enough energy to run stoves, geysers,
lights, TVs, fridges, computers - in short all the mod-cons of the modern
house.
Nothing else comes close to the effectiveness of the SA invention
The new technology should be available in South Africa within a year and
through a special converter, energy can be fed directly into the wiring of
existing houses. New powerful storage units will allow energy storage to
meet demands even in winter. The panels are so efficient they can operate
through a Cape Town winter. while direct sunlight is ideal for high-energy
generation, other daytime light also generates energy via the panels.
more...
----------------
(Posted for educational and research purposes only,
in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107).
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
Attachment Converted: 718d4.jpg: 00000001,288fc4f9,00000000,00000000
Attachment Converted: 718e7.jpg: 00000001,288fc4fa,00000000,00000000
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32 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Drafts Ambitious Nuclear Power Plan
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Tuesday February 28, 2006 10:01 PM
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's atomic agency is drafting an ambitious
program to build two nuclear reactors a year to make nuclear
power account for a quarter of the nation's energy by 2030,
officials said Tuesday.
Russia currently has 31 reactors at 10 nuclear power plants,
accounting for 16-17 percent of the country's electricity
generation, and President Vladimir Putin has called for raising
the share to 25 percent.
Stanislav Antipov, head of the state Rosenergoatom consortium
that oversees Russian nuclear power plants, said the Cabinet is
to discuss a federal program in March or April, which would
propose funding and other measures to achieve the goal.
In recent years, Russia has overcome a public backlash against
nuclear power that followed the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear
disaster, and the government has supported efforts to revive the
nuclear industries.
Antipov told a news conference Russia has retained the core of
the former Soviet nuclear industries, providing sufficient
technological capacity for setting up the program.
The money would come from the consortium's own resources, the
state budget and private investors, which would likely include
Russia's Gazprom natural gas giant.
``Gazprom has expressed a desire to participate in building new
reactors,'' Antipov said, adding the plan would allow Russia to
save significant natural gas resources for exports.
``It's very advantageous for the state,'' he added.
It takes Rosenergoatom about five years to build a nuclear
reactor, and the company would have to work on 10 reactors
simultaneously to achieve the goal of commissioning two reactors
a year, Antipov said.
Federal Nuclear Agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko said recently that
Russia would have to build 40 new reactors to raise the share of
power that comes from nuclear energy to 25 percent.
Rosenergoatom's technical director, Nikolai Sorokin, said Russia
would continue extending the lifetime of Soviet-built nuclear
reactors, which were designed for 30-year operation.
He said nine reactors already had their lifetime extended by 15
years.
The process will include all Russia's 11 RBMK-type reactors, the
same kind as the one that exploded at the Chernobyl plant in
then-Soviet Ukraine in the world's worst commercial nuclear
catastrophe. One RBMK-type reactor at the Leningrad power plant
near St.Petersburg already had its operational life extended by
15 years, and two others will follow suit this year, Sorokin
said.
Sorokin insisted numerous checks by the International Atomic
Energy Agency and other agencies had shown Chernobyl-type
reactors meeting all safety requirements.
Antipov said Rosenergoatom also has drafted a plan to build six
or seven floating nuclear reactors to provide electricity to
distant Arctic areas. The first such reactor mounted on a barge
is expected to be launched in three years.
He dismissed environmentalists' concerns about the floating
reactors, saying they would meet all safety requirements.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
33 Guardian Unlimited: Green party challenges 'push' to nuclear power
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Tuesday February 28, 2006
The Green party today published a rebuttal of the case for a new
generation of nuclear power stations, as the deadline loomed for
the government's energy review.
The party fears the official review - due back in July - will
sanction a recommencement of the nuclear power, and claims that
energy reduction and investment in renewables will do more for
carbon emission reduction than going nuclear.
Caroline Lucas, MEP and principal speaker for the Greens, said:
"Tony Blair is determined to push this country down the nuclear
route, based on two arguments: guaranteeing affordable energy
supply, and reducing carbon emissions.
"The alternative energy review proves what anti-nuclear
campaigners have long suspected - that, even using these
criteria, nuclear power is the inferior choice.
"It shows that a twin-pronged investment in renewable
alternatives and energy efficiency and conservation measures
will not only deliver greater emissions reductions than nuclear
power, it will deliver them more cheaply, and all without the
huge safety risks inherent in the nuclear option."
The party also claims that going down the nuclear route will
lead to a "huge hike" in energy bills to subsidise the
privatised nuclear energy companies.
The "alternative energy review" calls for a measure of energy
saving measures, such as better home insulation, expansion of
renewable energy such as wind, and calls on manufacturers to
give customers electricity vouchers to the value of the amount
of power used when applications are left on standby - something
the DTI calculates accounts for 6% of UK domestic electricity.
The party's other principal speaker, Keith Taylor, claimed the
government's review, under energy minister Malcolm Wicks, was a
ploy to camouflage a decision that had already been taken.
He said: "The DTI's energy review is a token effort, aimed at
legitimising a pre-determined decision to commission a new
generation of nuclear power stations.
"This report introduces some radical yet practical steps to
combat emissions without expensive investment in unsustainable,
uneconomic and unsafe nuclear power." The Green party's report
also calls for:
· A demand reduction obligation. This would extend the current
energy efficiency commitment to cover the commercial, industrial
and public administration sectors;
· Expansion of the renewables obligation. Under this, a range of
measures is evaluated, specifying how much carbon and investment
capital would be saved, with a net saving economically, compared
the cost of the nuclear option.
Meanwhile, in Downing Street today the prime minister was
hosting a meeting with climate change campaigners over European
carbon emissions.
On the agenda is extending the EU emissions trading scheme
beyond 2012.
Opening the meeting, Mr Blair conceded there was "a long way to
go" in tackling the key issues. But the way forward was now
"somewhat clearer", he added.
He told the meeting that it would take a combination of
international, European and individual action to make a
difference.
In a letter to the umbrella group Stop Climate Chaos, the PM
said: "For we now all recognise the vital role of technology in
finding a sustainable solution to climate change which is one
where cutting carbon emissions goes hand in hand with continued
prosperity.
"This needs a new understanding of the economic, technological
and business opportunities from a low carbon, energy efficient
path."
But he adds; "So I understand frustrations about the seemingly
slow progress in rising to the threat to our planet and our
children.
"At the moment, the UK accounts for something like 2% of
greenhouse gases. By 2020 as the world economy continues to
grow, this proportion will have fallen to 1.5%.
"Even the most extreme and unrealistic action taken in the UK
will have only a tiny impact on global climate change. Even more
crucially, it would do nothing to protect us from its worst
effects.
"I am afraid that, in this case, being virtuous alone will not
bring much reward."
Useful links
The Green party's report
British Energy
Department of Trade and Industry
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
UK atomic energy authority
Friends of the Earth
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
34 San Luis Obispo Tribune: PG replaces Diablo Canyon’s emergency sirens
02/28/2006 |
The upgrade to models with battery backups is prompted by
outages following the 2003 San Simeon Earthquake
By David Sneed dsneed@thetribunenews.com
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has replaced all of Diablo Canyon
nuclear power plant’s emergency warning sirens with newer models
that have battery backups, making them more reliable in a
disaster.
The replacement project was completed 10 months ahead of
schedule, said Jeff Lewis, Diablo Canyon spokesman. Originally,
the utility estimated it would need until the end of the year to
complete the project.
PG decided to replace the 131 sirens following the December 2003
San Simeon Earthquake. Power outages caused by the quake
rendered some of the sirens inoperable.
The sirens were not needed during that emergency. However, the
possibility that they could be unavailable during a future
disaster caused a public outcry and prompted PG to replace them.
The sirens are arrayed throughout San Luis Obispo and most of
the coastal areas of the county. They would be activated to
signal that a radioactive release had occurred at the plant, or
to warn of some other emergency in the county, such as a
tsunami.
*****************************************************************
35 allAfrica.com: City Grinds to a Halt As Koeberg Knocked Out
South Africa:
Cape Argus (Cape Town)
February 28, 2006
Henri Du Plessis
"This is a big crisis, a really big crisis." This is the grim
assessment of the City Council's public lighting manager as Cape
Town once again awoke to darkness and chaos this morning.
Just four days after the misery of the week-long power cuts
ended, Koeberg's Unit 2 has gone down again - and another week
of power cuts misery is on the cards.
Early today it was back to traffic chaos, erratic rail service,
endless taxi queues and an abrupt halt to industrial production.
The latest Koeberg KO blow was attributed to a voltage drop
along the main Eskom lines through the Karoo in the early hours.
Eskom's Tony Stott said it was unclear whether, as it did last
time, it would take another five days to get Unit 2 up and
running again.
Last week, it was the restart procedure that caused the
week-long load-shedding problems, as Koeberg's technicians went
through the lengthy and mandatory drill to restart the
generator.
Stott said the duration of the process depended on the
temperatures in the power station at which the restart procedure
was started.
"If the restart procedure starts when temperatures are fairly
high, it might take less time to get Koeberg back up and
running.
"But we are waiting for that information right now."
Charles Kadalie, manager of Cape Town's public lighting, said
the main Eskom line between Dro'rivier and Muldersvlei went down
shortly after 2am, causing a voltage depression and frequency
drop that forced staff at Koeberg to shut down the nuclear power
station's only working generator.
"Eskom shed out main intake at Montague Gardens and this caused
even the central business district to go down," Kadalie said.
"The Atlantic seaboard had also gone off. Last week, we had an
agreement with them that they would not shed the main intake, so
I don't know why they did.
"This is a big crisis, a really big crisis.
"Eskom is going to have to do a lot of creative tap dancing to
get around this one."
Kadalie said there was no alternative but to shed load, or the
entire Western Cape could go down. The city would try to
implement the load schedule drawn up for last Friday, which was
not brought into effect because Koeberg came fully back on line
that day.
Koeberg's Unit 1 has been out of commission since Christmas Day
and it is not clear how long the repairs will take.
There is concern that further black-outs could endanger
tomorrow's local government elections, but a spokesman for the
IEC said voting and vote-counting could take place by lamplight
and candlelight.
Voters' details would be captured by battery-powered, hand-held
Zip-Zap computers.
Meanwhile, commuters at railways stations around the
metropolitan area were left stranded today as trains failed to
arrive.
Services were expected to be sporadic at best, because the power
supply was very unstable, said spokeswoman Riana Scott.
"And even when the trains can run, the signals still depend on
municipal supply," she said.
"It will therefore be impossible for us to run to schedule.
Safety definitely comes first."
Thousands of commuters turned to taxis and long queues were seen
at ranks around the city.
Traffic officers were sent to key intersections but many
motorists reported nightmare journeys to work.
A motorist from Milnerton said he had set out by car but as the
traffic was "at walking pace", he had turned around, gone home
and fetched his motorbike.
Ridwan Wagiet, director of CCTV and radio communications for the
Metro police department, said: "I think most people got into
work, although some would have been very late."
He said that each time there was a power cut traffic officers
were now being automatically sent to help at the major
intersections.
He said there had been no reports of serious accidents.
Copyright © 2006 Cape Argus. All rights reserved. Distributed
*****************************************************************
36 SignOnSanDiego.com: Radioactive water leak caused by faulty gasket
By Angela Lau UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 28, 2006
SAN ONOFRE Last week's leak from a truck tanker carrying
radioactive wastewater from the San Onofre Power Plant to Utah
was caused by a faulty gasket and valve mount, investigators
said yesterday.
The parts have been replaced, but investigators still are trying
to determine the cause of the failure and whether there will be
penalties, said Dane Finerfrock, Utah's director of radiation
control.
Federal regulations require the transporting company to provide
a strong, tight package that can withstand the rigors of
transportation, Finerfrock said.
No injuries resulted from the leak, which contained trace
amounts of radioactive materials and which seeped into two areas
at a truck stop in Parowan, Utah. It was en route to a disposal
site at Clive, Utah, west of Salt Lake City.
Yesterday, San Onofre power plant spokesman Ray Golden said the
contaminated asphalt, sand and gravel had been removed.
An estimated three gallons of radioactive wastewater spilled
out, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said.
We are concerned about the spill. This shouldn't have
happened, Dricks said.
According to Golden, San Onofre contracted with Utah-based
Energy Solutions, which operates the disposal site, to dump the
wastewater. That contract includes the use of Triad Transport
Co. San Onofre had never used Triad before, Golden said.
But Triad does not own the tankers and is only responsible for
making external inspections, according to a Triad manager, Jim
Faris.
Triad leased the tankers from Eurotainer of Houston, Texas,
which is responsible for mandatory inspections of its fleet
every 2˝ years.
Eurotainer's maintenance and repair manager, Tom Burke, said
yesterday that he was away from his office and did not have
records of when the tanker was inspected or whether it was fit
to transport radioactive wastewater.
I am planning on investigating further, Burke said.
Utah's Finerfrock said he would scrutinize the investigation
report expected to be compiled by San Onofre.
The leak occurred on Wednesday after two tankers from Triad left
San Onofre with 4,500 gallons of wastewater each for the Utah
disposal site.
One of them, manufactured in 1998, leaked. Golden said the spill
could have been caused by air in the pressurized chamber of the
tanker expanding at 6,600-foot altitude, pushing open the valve.
The other tanker arrived at the disposal site without problems.
Angela Lau: (760) 476-8240; angela.lau@uniontrib.com
2006 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. • A Copley Newspaper Site
*****************************************************************
37 RIA Novosti: Russia to propose nuclear licensing centers at G8 summit
28/ 02/ 2006
MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to propose
establishing international centers to license nuclear research
at the July summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations,
the country's nuclear oversight service chief said Tuesday.
"Russia, the U.S. and other countries propose setting up
licensing centers, and each side proceeds from its own national
interests," Konstantin Pulikovsky told journalists.
"Russia would benefit from the establishment of such centers,"
he said. "This proposal will be submitted to the G8 leaders when
they gather in Russia."
Pulikovsky said if such centers were set up in other states,
this would mean certain difficulties for Moscow because the
potential for using such centers for political pressure was
quite real. However, he specified that licensing would not be
mandatory but would rather be consultative.
"Nevertheless, licensing will be particularly important if one
country participates in building an NPP on the territory of
another country," Pulikovsky said. "This will help secure the
consent of all parties taking part in the construction process."
Pulikovsky, who is attending a Moscow conference of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog,
said it would be good if Russia obtained the agreement of IAEA
members.
© 2005 RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
38 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
FR Doc 06-1908
[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices] [Page 10070-10071] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28fe06-125]
Date: Weeks of February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 2006.
Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland.
Status: Public and Closed.
Matters to Be Considered: Week of February 27, 2006 Monday,
February 27, 2006 2:45 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting)
(Tentative). a. Hydro Resources, Inc. (P.O. Box 777, Crownpoint,
NM 87313)(in situ leach mining operation--concerning review of
LBP-06-1. Partial initial Decision (Phase II Radiological Air
Emissions Challenges To In Situ Leach Uranium Mining License).
(Tentative). Week of March 6, 2006--Tentative There are no
meetings scheduled for the Week of March 6, 2006.
Week of March 13, 2006--Tentative Monday, March 13, 2006 1:30
p.m. Briefing on Office of Information Services (OIS) Programs,
Performance, and Plans (Public Meeting). (Contact: Edward Baker,
301- 415-8700).
This meeting will be Webcast live at the Web
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Office of Nuclear
Security and Incident Response (NSIR) Programs, Performance, and
Plans (Public Meeting).
(Contact: Evelyn S. Williams, 301-415-7011). This meeting will be
Webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov .
1:30 p.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1 & 3).
Thursday, March 16, 2006 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation (NRR) Programs, Performance, and Plans (Public
Meeting). (Contact: Cynthia Carpenter, 301-115-1275).
This meeting will be Webcast live at the Web
address--http://www.nrc.gov .
Week of March 20, 2006--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled
for the Week of March 20, 2006.
Week of March 27, 2006--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled
for the Week of March 27, 2006.
Week of April 3, 2006--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled
for the Week of April 3, 2006 The schedule for Commission
meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the
status of meetings call (recording)-- (301)-415-1292. Contact
person for more
[[Page 10071]] information: Michelle Schroll, 301-415-1662.
* * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the
Internet at:
http://nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html. * * * * *
The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate if you need a reasonable
accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need
this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from
the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large
print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator,
Deborah Chan, at 301-415-7041, TDD: 301-415-2100, or by e-mail at
DLC@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable
accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
* * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred
subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition,
distribution of this meeting notice over the internet system is
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic
message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: February 23, 2006.
R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 06-1908 Filed 2-24-06; 11:55 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
b
*****************************************************************
39 BBC: Consumers 'will pay nuclear bill'
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
[Hunterston B nuclear power station]
The UK's ageing nuclear plants are being phased out
Electricity bills will have to go up if the government builds a
new generation of nuclear power stations, the Green Party has
warned.
It claims the government is determined to push ahead with nuclear
power despite evidence it is uneconomic.
The government says it is considering nuclear as part of an
energy review but has not yet made up its mind.
The report comes as Tony Blair admitted there was a "long way to
go" to tackle climate change.
'Not pre-ordained'
The government sees new nuclear plants as a "carbon-free"
alternative to coal and oil - and a more secure source of energy
than gas supplied by foreign states such as Russia, as North Sea
supplies dwindle.
But the DTI insists its current policy review, which is being
carried out by energy minister Malcolm Wicks is "not a foregone
conclusion".
"It is not a bogus review and there isn't a conclusion that is
pre-ordained," a spokesman told the BBC News Website.
The review is looking at both sides of the argument, he added,
including the issue of nuclear waste, the costs involved and
"public concerns around security".
It is also looking at ways of increasing renewable energy
sources, already the subject of major investment by the
government, he added.
But the Green Party says its "alternative energy review" looks at
measures not being considered by the government.
'Inferior choice'
Green Party principal speaker Caroline Lucas MEP said: "Tony
Blair is determined to push this country down the nuclear route,
based on two arguments: guaranteeing affordable energy supply,
and reducing carbon emissions.
"The Alternative Energy Review proves what anti-nuclear
campaigners have long suspected - that, even using these
criteria, nuclear power is the inferior choice.
"It shows that a twin-pronged investment in renewable
alternatives and energy efficiency and conservation measures will
not only deliver greater emissions reductions than nuclear power,
it will deliver them more cheaply, and all without the huge
safety risks inherent in the nuclear option."
The co-author of the Green Party report, Dr David Toke, said talk
of a looming energy gap as North Sea oil runs out had been
exaggerated and ministers had been swayed by the powerful and
well-funded nuclear lobby.
'Stand-by'
He said there should be a centrally-organised programme of
"demand reduction" - forcing companies to cut their use of
electricity use through better efficiency.
Far more wind farms should also be built, he argued, and
electronics companies should be fined if they did not scrap the
"stand-by" button on computers and televisions, which he said was
a major drain on energy supplies.
All of these measures meant consumers would pay less for their
electricity, even if it meant possible increases in costs
associated with energy efficiency, he told reporters.
"Do people want to pay more for nuclear power that will increase
their bills, or do they want to pay for energy efficiencies that
will reduce their bills?," he asked.
The Lib Dems have also attacked nuclear power for being
uneconomic.
The Conservatives are currently reviewing their energy policy.
Zac Goldsmith, deputy chair of the party's environment policy
review, due to report in 18 months time, is strongly opposed to
it.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Blair acknowledged there was still a "long
way to go" to tackle climate change and pledged to work hard with
other European leaders to extend the Emissions Trading Scheme
(ETS) beyond 2012.
He said the ETS must be more robust and he hoped there would be
agreement on a range of new measures to increase energy
efficiency.
He made his pledge as he met green umbrella group "Stop Climate
Chaos" in Downing Street.
The government's advisory body on the environment, the
Sustainable Development Commission, is due to release its advice
on nuclear power on Monday, following a year-long investigation.
*****************************************************************
40 BBC: S Africa's power cuts 'political'
Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
[President Thabo Mbeki with a voter]
President Thabo Mbeki is confident of victory
Power cuts which have caused havoc in Cape Town are the result of
sabotage possibly intended to influence South Africa's local
polls, a minister says.
Minerals and Energy Minister Lindiwe Hendricks said there was a
"curious coincidence" with Wednesday's polls.
"Clearly other forces are at play here," she told local media.
The opposition has used the power cuts to illustrate what it says
is the failure of the ANC government to deliver good services.
Cape Town is one of the few parts of South Africa where the ANC
does not have an overwhelming majority and could be defeated.
'Strong criticism'
Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin also said that the damage
at one of the Koeberg nuclear power plant's two generators was
deliberate.
SERVICE DELIVERY
Achievements since 1994 1.8 new houses built or being built 70%
households electrified 11.4m access to water Challenges ahead
2.4m families still in shacks 3.2m houses need electricity 3.5m
people without water Source: South African government Mbeki on
the campaign trail
"Let me be very clear on this. The bolt that caused the
generator's destruction did not get there by accident," he said.
The generator has not been working properly since December.
President Thabo Mbeki acknowledged that the ANC had come in for
"very strong criticism" during the campaign - mostly over service
delivery and corruption allegations - but said he was confident
of victory.
There have also been violent protests by people demanding housing
and against plans to redraw provincial boundaries.
While many people in squatter camps do not have access to running
water and mains electricity, such services have been delivered to
millions of poor South Africans since the end of apartheid in
1994.
The largest opposition party is the Democratic Alliance but this
suffers from charges that it mostly caters for the white
minority.
*****************************************************************
41 APP.COM: NRC will focus on radiation-barrier rust |
Asbury Park Press Online
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
DRYWELL STRENGTH AT ISSUE
RULING: Judges' panel accepts foes' contention
DENIED: 3 other arguments on Oyster Creek plan
Posted by the on 02/28/06 BY
STAFF WRITER
Safety concerns over a steel radiation barrier weakened by rust
at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant will receive additional
attention during a federal hearing after a three-judge panel on
Monday accepted a contention filed by plant opponents.
In the contention, six activist groups said plant operators
won't be able to adequately measure the amount of corrosion in a
section of the barrier if AmerGen Energy Co. is granted a
renewed license allowing it to operate the plant for an
additional 20 years.
The activists may be the first group to win this kind of
quasilegal hearing at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.
In the same decision, the judges denied three other contentions
raised by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
State officials sought hearings on the plant's vulnerability to
terrorist attacks, the possibility of safety components wearing
out and the availability of critical backup power to help cool
the reactor.
The judges are part of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, a
separate arm of the NRC that reviews licensing decisions
independent from NRC staff. After hearing the activists'
contention, the judges could force AmerGen to strengthen its
aging-management plans as a condition of a license renewal,
Sheehan said.
"This will allow us to question what AmerGen says is adequate
corrosion prevention," said Kelly McNicholas, conservation
coordinator for the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, one of the
groups behind the contention.
The contention challenges Oyster Creek's license renewal
application, which is now under NRC review. A renewal would
allow the plant, the nation's oldest, to run until 2029 -- for a
total of 60 years. Without a renewal, Oyster Creek would close
in 2009.
A large part of AmerGen's application shows regulators how it
plans to manage the aging of components and structures that are
important to plant safety.
But the activists said in their contention that the plan for a
section of a radiation barrier, called the drywell liner, is
inadequate because it failed to include times in which operators
would measure the liner's thickness.
The liner is a 100-foot-tall steel vessel shaped like an
inverted light bulb. Inside the bulb is the reactor vessel, a
container in which atoms are split to make heat.
In the event of an accident, the liner is designed to keep
dangerously radioactive and highly pressurized steam and gas
from entering the environment.
Activists have been concerned about the liner's thickness
because plant operators about 20 years ago found that some of
the metal had rusted away. The corrosion, resembling scum in a
dirty bathtub, occurred all around the liner's lower portion.
While operators arrested the rusting with an epoxy coating in
1993, the thickness of the corroded areas has not been measured
since 1996.
The activists want the drywell measured regularly, especially
before the NRC decides on relicensing.
AmerGen recently agreed to perform a measurement prior to 2009,
but not before the NRC's renewal decision. The company also has
told the NRC that it will measure the liner once every 10 years
after the upcoming inspection, which could happen this year or
in 2008.
Company lawyers attempted to block the activists' petition, but
AmerGen officials on Monday thought the hearing would provide "a
good opportunity for further public participation," said
Rachelle Benson, a plant spokeswoman.
Benson also said that the judges' decision "doesn't mean that
the drywell liner is deficient. It means the contention meets
the minimum standards for admission into the NRC proceeding."
The other activist groups behind the contention are The Nuclear
Information and Resource Service; Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch;
Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety; the New Jersey
Public Interest Research Group and the New Jersey Environmental
Federation.
Officials with the state DEP wouldn't comment on the panel's
denial, saying that they hadn't officially received the document.
All parties involved could appeal the judges' decisions to the
NRC's five presidentially appointed commissioners. But neither
the DEP nor AmerGen expressed interest in pursuing an appeal
thus far.
Staff writer Todd B. Bates contributed to this story. Nicholas
Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or
WHAT'S NEXT?
The three-judge panel that offered to hear arguments on Oyster
Creek's aging-management plan for a critical radiation barrier
will talk with those involved to set rules for the proceedings.
The judges will then ask the parties and their experts for
testimony, in depositions or in writing.
Eventually, the judges will hold a public hearing to question
the parties directly. Those involved, however, won't be allowed
to cross-examine. Related Media
[PDF] ASLB ruling on Oyster Creek hearing requests
Related Articles
• Towns train staff for disaster duties
February 23, 2006
• Radioactive leaks in Ill. spur Lacey water tests
February 17, 2006
• Oyster Creek: Vessel won't collapse
February 11, 2006
• Corrosion concerns Oyster Creek's critics
February 10, 2006
• Few dozen fish killed in reactor shutdown
January 31, 2006
• Oyster Creek nuclear plant temporarily shut down for repairs
January 30, 2006
• Reactor shutdown planned
January 28, 2006
• Exelon: Oyster Creek plant not for sale
January 26, 2006
• Agency to inspect Oyster Creek plant
January 12, 2006
• Radiation barrier will get a checkup
December 20, 2005
• NRC rebuffs N.J. stand on Oyster Creek
December 15, 2005
• Power cut at Oyster Creek
November 22, 2005
• DEP: Prove plant is safe
November 19, 2005
• Anti-nuclear activists question strength of Oyster Creek
drywell
November 15, 2005
• AmerGen vows to address concerns
November 3, 2005
• Views on reactor laid out for NRC
November 2, 2005
• Reactor cooling system pros, cons aired
October 25, 2005
• NRC asks AmerGen for data on plant
October 21, 2005
• Meeting today on nuclear plant's license renewal
October 20, 2005
• Politics playing into Oyster Creek strategy
October 17, 2005
• Nuke plant workers to sign new contract
October 12, 2005
• Oyster Creek union reaches pact with management
September 24, 2005
• People can request Oyster Creek hearing
September 13, 2005
• Oyster Creek managers want more options to get permit
August 31, 2005
• Plant, state taking heat on cooling system
August 30, 2005
Copyright © 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
42 Xinhua: Unknown group claims responsibility for sabotaging nuclear
power plant
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-01 05:18:02
JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- An unknown organization
claimed responsibility on Tuesday for sabotaging the Koeberg
nuclear power station in Cape Town, South Africa, on the eve of
the country's local government elections.
In an e-mail sent to Talk Radio 702, a Johannesburg
radiostation, the organization claimed that the action aimed at
an economy that failed to benefit the poor.
"... As you are fond of electricity cut-offs on the poor and
oppressed in South Africa, so taste a bit of that which they
taste! And let your businesses lose out, in an economy where the
poor see no benefits," read the e-mail.
The e-mail allegedly from the organization, which the
radiostation did not name, threatened to continue with the
raids, the SAPA news agency reported.
Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin indicated early on
Tuesday that damage at the Koeberg, Africa's only nuclear
powerstation, in December was not accidental but deliberate.
"Let me be very clear on this. The bolt that caused the
generator's destruction did not get there by accident," Erwin
said.
The damage to one of the generators at Koeberg, reportedly
caused by a bolt, has brought about frequent shutdown of the
powerplant and outages of electricity in the Western Cape
Province since December, causing huge economic losses.
South Africa will on Wednesday hold the nationwide municipal
elections. But Cape Town is to experience severe electricity
interruptions on the election day, which forced the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) in the Western Cape to plan for
election under circumstance that there is no power available in
the province.
The elections, though described by the IEC as being well
prepared, have been marred by violent protests in at least two
provinces, aroused by local governments' poor performance in
public service delivery.
South African police have carried out an investigation on
the e-mail, but gave no details if a hoax was suspected, the
SAPA said.
Minister of Minerals and Energy Lindiwe Hendricks also
indicated that the damage of the power plant was aiming at the
election on Wednesday.
"These events curiously coincide with an important process
in the democratic calendar of the country.. It has become clear
that the recent event cannot just be linked inadequate
transmission or generation capacity. Clearly other forces are at
play here," she said on Tuesday.
But the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa's leading
opposition, pointed finger to Eskom, South Africa's state-owned
power supplier and the operator of the Koeberg, and the
government led by the African National Congress (ANC).
"It is common cause that there has been a complete neglect
of forward planning by Eskom and the Ministry of Public
Enterprises for South Africa's energy needs," said Helen Zille,
DA mayoral candidate for Cape Town.
"For the ANC to cry 'sabotage' the night before crucial
local government elections shows just how desperate they are to
disguise their incompetence and mismanagement," Zille said in a
statement.Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
43 Xinhua: 3 Baltic countries to build new nuclear power plant
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2006-02-28 10:53:21
RIGA, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Prime ministers of the three
Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Monday gave
their approval to the construction of a new nuclear power plant
in Lithuania, said reports reaching here from the Lithuanian
capital of Vilnius.
In a joint statement issued following their talks in the
Lithuanian resort of Trakai, Estonian Prime Minister Andrus
Ansip, his Latvian counterpart Aigars Kalvitis and Lithuania's
Algirdas Brazauskas said they "support the initiative to build a
new nuclear power plant in Lithuania."
The prime ministers invited Baltic national energy companies
to invest in the project, said the statement, adding they also
agreed to work out an energy strategy for the three Baltic
states.
The statement did not say when or where the new nuclear
plant will be built.
At a joint news conference after the talks, Ansip said
Estonia was interested in the project and was willing to invest
in it.
Latvia's Kalvitis expressed satisfaction on the nuclear
power plant agreement, saying it was a historic agreement which
indicated the solidarity of the three countries on energy
issues.
Lithuania's Brazauskas appealed to the European Union and
related organizations to give more attention to energy issues of
the three Baltic countries. They joined the EU in May 2004.
As part of its deal to join the bloc, Lithuania pledged to
shutdown its nuclear power plant in Ignalina by 2009, which
currently provides 80 percent of the country's electricity.
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
44 TheStar.com: Ontario government too hasty on nuclear power
Feb. 28, 2006.
01:00 AMELIZABETH MAY
Ever since the tabling of the Ontario Power Authority report,
discussions on our energy future have been typified by a sense
of panic. Everything is rushed.
The OPA report was requested by former energy minister Dwight
Duncan on May 2, 2005 with a deadline of reporting within seven
months. Without time to think apparently, the OPA rushed through
the preparation of a draft for public review.
In August 2005, the OPA placed the draft report on a website
for public comment, and gave the public a deadline of 30 days,
in the middle of the dog days of summer.
Ultimately, the OPA served up more or less the same report in
December, and suddenly new Minister of Energy Donna Cansfield
began to talk about making a decision in March. Public outcry
led to a Feb. 2 announcement that public consultations would be
held in 12 different Ontario cities, over a three-day period.
It's all rush, rush, rush.
The old adage "haste makes waste" has never been more true than
on this file.
What is getting lost in the hysterical atmosphere of an imminent
energy crisis, is a thoughtful review of the OPA report.
Instead of jumping into a premature debate, the government
should be scrutinizing the report and asking: Is this a credible
basis for decision making? The answer is clearly "No."
The directive to the OPA from the former energy minister was
clear: "The report should include recommendations with respect
to conservation targets for Ontario for 2015, 2020 and 2025."
In response, the OPA report states: "The first requested
recommendation is for conservation targets for the long term.
OPA is not in a position to recommend long-term conservation
targets at this time."
The government's first response to this report should have been:
"Back to the drawing board."
The OPA has simply failed to deliver one of three mandated jobs
directed by the government identifying the potential for
energy savings through conservation and energy efficiency.
In reality, those power sources with single, large, industry
associations and well-funded lobbyists, and well-placed former
politicians, made a case and brought it to the OPA.
Thus, the OPA report is biased toward everything except the most
cost-effective and environmentally sound approach: reducing
demand.
The "nuclear cult" within the old Ontario Hydro (quoting former
Hydro chair William Farlinger) is still in place and able to
press its case. The only entity pressing for sensible
demand-side management is the public.
The former minister attempted to balance these interests by
demanding a report that provided solid recommendations in all
three areas: Demand-side management, expanded renewables, and
more conventional power sources.
The report fails utterly and completely to meet the mandate
issued to it by former minister Duncan. It delivered two-thirds
of the required content. The OPA report should be rejected on
that ground alone.
One last extraordinary irony of the current debate is this: With
a decision to shut down coal plants in 2009, the government is
justifiably nervous.
The increased peak demand for summer air conditioning coupled
with shutting down coal plants leaves Ontarians nervous of
blackouts as early as this summer.
The panic to "keep the lights on" seems to be driving a
political expedient of ordering a new nuclear reactor.
We may have power shortages this summer, so the McGuinty
government wants to be able to demonstrate it is on top of the
situation by choosing the most expensive and least reliable
power choice with no chance of producing any additional
electricity for at least a decade or so.
I don't want to minimize the real challenge facing the
provincial government. Closing down the coal plants is the right
thing to do. The pressure to know what should be done instead is
real and the choices complex.
But the best way to "keep the lights on" this summer, and into
the future, is to aggressively pursue the energy efficiency and
conservation measures proven effective in other North American
jurisdictions.
California is a leading example. Its successful energy
efficiency programs now save $1,000 in avoided electricity costs
per family per year, for an annual total of $12 billion U.S. in
savings. California experts should be brought to Queen's Park to
share their economical and environmentally sound electricity
strategies.
Neither history, nor the voters, are likely to forgive another
costly commitment to nuclear energy when there was a better
choice left unexplored for lack of political will.
Premier Dalton McGuinty must not squander his reputation for
courage and foresight earned in deciding to close the coal-fired
plants, by rushing into a decision to invest in expensive,
dangerous, and unreliable nuclear power.
Elizabeth E. May is executive director of the Sierra Club of
Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All
*****************************************************************
45 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
FR Doc E6-2783
[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices] [Page 10069] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28fe06-123]
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for the Defense
Logistics Agency, Defense National Stockpile Center Facility In
Scotia, NY AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Commercial and R
Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475
Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 19406 telephone
(610) 337-5040, fax (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a
license amendment to Defense Logistics Agency, Defense National
Stockpile Center (DLA/DNSC) for Materials License No.
STC-133, to authorize release of its facility in Scotia, New York
for unrestricted use. NRC has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) in support of this proposed action in accordance
with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51. Based on the EA, the NRC
has concluded that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate. The amendment will be issued following the
publication of this Notice.
II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed action is to authorize
the release of the licensee's Scotia, New York facility for
unrestricted use.
DLA/DNSC was authorized by NRC from 1970 to use radioactive
materials for storage and sampling purposes at the Scotia site.
On January 8, 2005, DLA/DNSC requested that NRC release the
facility for unrestricted use. DLA/DNSC has conducted surveys of
the facility and provided information to the NRC to demonstrate
that the site meets the license termination criteria in Subpart E
of 10 CFR Part 20 for unrestricted release.
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the license
amendment. The facility was remediated and surveyed prior to the
licensee requesting the license amendment. The NRC staff has
reviewed the information and final status survey submitted by
DLA/DNSC.
Based on its review, the staff has determined that there are no
additional remediation activities necessary to complete the
proposed action. Therefore, the staff considered the impact of
the residual radioactivity at the facility and concluded that
since the residual radioactivity meets the requirements in
Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, a Finding of No Significant Impact
is appropriate.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the
EA (summarized above) in support of the license amendment to
release the facility for unrestricted use.
The NRC staff has evaluated DLA/DNSC's request and the results of
the surveys and has concluded that the completed action complies
with the criteria in Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. The staff has
found that the radiological environmental impacts from the action
are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496, Volumes 1-3,
``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support of Rulemaking
on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of NRC-Licensed
Facilities'' (ML042310492, ML042320379, and ML042330385).
Additionally, no non-radiological or cumulative impacts were
identified. On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that
there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed
action, and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement for the proposed action.
IV. Further Information Documents related to this action,
including the application for the license amendment and
supporting documentation, are available electronically at the
NRC's Electronic Reading Room at .
From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Document
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and
image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession
numbers for the documents related to this Notice are:
Environmental Assessment [ML060520131]; Defense National
Stockpile Center Final Status Survey Report, Scotia Depot, New
York, Final, December 2004 [ADAMS Accession No. ML050340087];
letter dated August 16, 2005 [ML052310209]; and letter dated
October 4, 2005 [ML052910324]. Persons who do not have access to
ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by
telephone at (800) 397-4209 or (301) 415-4737, or by e-mail to .
Documents related to operations conducted under this license not
specifically referenced in this Notice may not be electronically
available and/or may not be publicly available. Persons who have
an interest in reviewing these documents should submit a request
to NRC under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Instructions
for submitting a FOIA request can be found on the NRC's Web site
at .
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 21st day of
February, 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James P. Dwyer, Chief, Commercial and R Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. E6-2783 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
46 NRC: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Finding
FR Doc E6-2785
[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices] [Page 10069-10070] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28fe06-124]
of No Significant Impact for License Amendment for The E. R.
Squibb and Sons, Inc. Facility in Hamilton, NJ AGENCY: Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betsy Ullrich, Commercial and R
Branch, Division of Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I, 475
Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406, telephone
(610) 337-5040, fax (610) 337-5269; or by e-mail: exu@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance of a
license amendment to E. R. Squibb and Sons, Inc. (Squibb) for
Materials License No. 29-00139-02, to authorize release of its
facility in Hamilton, New Jersey, for unrestricted use. NRC has
prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of this
proposed action in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR
part 51.
Based on the EA, the NRC
[[Page 10070]] has concluded that a Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The amendment will be issued
following the publication of this Notice.
II. EA Summary The purpose of the proposed action is to authorize
the release of the licensee's Hamilton, New Jersey, facility for
unrestricted use. Squibb was authorized by NRC from 1998 to use
radioactive materials for research and development purposes at
the site. On September 29, 2005, Squibb requested that NRC
release the facility for unrestricted use. Squibb has conducted
surveys of the facility and provided information to the NRC to
demonstrate that the site meets the license termination criteria
in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20 for unrestricted release.
The NRC staff has prepared an EA in support of the license
amendment. The facility was remediated and surveyed prior to the
licensee requesting the license amendment. The NRC staff has
reviewed the information and final status survey submitted by
Squibb.
Based on its review, the staff has determined that there are no
additional remediation activities necessary to complete the
proposed action. Therefore, the staff considered the impact of
the residual radioactivity at the facility and concluded that
since the residual radioactivity meets the requirements in
Subpart E of 10 CFR part 20, a Finding of No Significant Impact
is appropriate.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact The staff has prepared the
EA (summarized above) in support of the license amendment to
terminate the license and release the facility for unrestricted
use. The NRC staff has evaluated Squibb's request and the results
of the surveys and has concluded that the completed action
complies with the criteria in subpart E of 10 CFR part 20. The
staff has found that the radiological environmental impacts from
the action are bounded by the impacts evaluated by NUREG-1496,
Volumes 1-3, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement in Support
of Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of
NRC-Licensed Facilities'' (ML042310492, ML042320379, and
ML042330385).
Additionally, no non-radiological or cumulative impacts were
identified. On the basis of the EA, the NRC has concluded that
there are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed
action, and the license amendment does not warrant the
preparation of an environmental impact statement for the proposed
action. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No
Significant Impact is appropriate.
IV. Further Information The EA and other documents related to
this action, including the application for the license amendment
and supporting documentation, are available electronically at the
NRC's Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can
access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System
(ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public
documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related
to this Notice are: Environmental Assessment Related to Issuance
of a License Amendment of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Materials License No. 29-00139-02, E. R. Squibb and Sons, Inc. in
Hamilton, New Jersey [ADAMS Accession No. ML060520449]; Final
Status Survey for Bristol Myers Clinical Research Center,
Hamilton, New Jersey, dated August 8, 2005 [ML052510568]; and
letter dated November 9, 2005 [ML053190315].
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems
in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the
NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at (800) 397-4209 or (301)
415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Documents related to
operations conducted under this license not specifically
referenced in this Notice may not be electronically available
and/or may not be publicly available. Persons who have an
interest in reviewing these documents should submit a request to
NRC under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Instructions for
submitting a FOIA request can be found on the NRC's Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/foia/foia-privacy.html .
Dated at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, this 21st day of
February, 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James P. Dwyer, Chief, Commercial and R Branch, Division of
Nuclear Materials Safety, Region I.
[FR Doc. E6-2785 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
47 NRC: Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC); Notice of Withdrawal of
FR Doc E6-2787
[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices] [Page 10067-10068] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28fe06-121]
Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License The U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has granted the
request of Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC) (the licensee)
to withdraw its February 28, 2005, application for proposed
amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-42 and DPR-60 for
the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2,
located in Goodhue County, Minnesota.
The proposed change would allow the use of the small-break
loss-of- coolant accident (SBLOCA) methodology described in
Westinghouse WCAP 10054-P-A Addendum 2 Revision 1, ``Addendum to
the Westinghouse small- break emergency core cooling system
Evaluation Model Using the NOTRUMP Code: Safety Injection into
the Broken Loop and COSI Condensation Model'' dated July 1997.
This revised methodology determines the core response following a
SBLOCA event and would have been used to assure compliance with
the post loss-of-coolant accident acceptance criteria specified
in 10 CFR part 50.46. The Commission had previously issued a
Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment published in the
Federal Register on April 26, 2005 (79 FR 21459). However, by
letter dated February 2, 2006, the licensee withdrew the proposed
change.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendment dated February 28, 2005, and the
licensee's letter dated February 2, 2006, which withdrew the
application for license amendment. Documents may be examined,
and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR),
located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01 F21, 11555
Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly
available records will be accessible electronically from the
Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS) Public
Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web
[[Page 10068]] site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/html.
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems
in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the
NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or
301-415-4737 or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of
February, 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mahesh Chawla, Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch III-1,
Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E6-2787 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
48 ITAR-TASS: Rosenergoatom hopes n-industry program to be published late Mar
28.02.2006, 17.42
MOSCOW, February 28 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia’s nuclear power
concern Rosenergoatom hopes a program for the nuclear power
industry’s development till the year 2030 will be published at
the end of March, Rosenergoatom General Director Stanislav
Antipov told a news conference at the Itar-Tass head office.
“The drafting of the program is nearing completion. When the
program has been finalized, it will possible to name the final
costs and sources of financing,” he said.
Under the program the share of nuclear power plants-generated
electricity is to grow from the current 16 percent to 25 percent
by 2030.
Rosenergoatom plans to be building two nuclear power plant units
a year as of 2010.
By the year 2010 the concern is to build the 2nd unit of the
Volgodonsk nuclear power plant, 4th unit of the Kalinin nuclear
power plant, and 5th unit of the Balakovo power plant, as well
as a 880-megawatt unit at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant.
© ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy,
*****************************************************************
49 AU ABC: Nuclear power opponents urged to reconsider stance.
28/02/2006.
The Northern Territory Minerals Council (NTMC) has urged those
opposed to nuclear power to consider its economic and
environmental benefits.
NTMC spokeswoman Kezia Purick was speaking from a mining
industry seminar in Darwin, where protesters have gathered to
demonstrate against uranium mining and nuclear power.
Ms Purick says about 30 companies have uranium exploration
licenses for the Northern Territory and she hopes they start
looking for the resource soon.
She says the anti-uranium lobby should look to the future.
"What I say to the protesters is they should really get part of
the evolution - and not keep themselves stuck in with the
arguments of the 1950s and the 1960s - because industry has come
a long way since that point of time," she said.
"Advanced technologies and the technologies of uranium mining
and milling in Australia are highly sought after on an
international level."
*****************************************************************
50 PRN: New NRC Investigation of Security at Wackenhut-guarded Nuclear Plant
'Significant Issues' Draw Augmented Inspection Team to Florida's
Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) has launched a new investigation of
security at Wackenhut-guarded Turkey Point nuclear power plant,
owned by Florida Power and Light Company (FP). About half of the
nation's commercial nuclear power plants are guarded by
Wackenhut, a subsidiary of the London-based security
conglomerate, Group 4 Securicor. The news comes within days of a
Department of Energy decision to award several nuclear security
contracts currently held by Wackenhut Services Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Wackenhut. There have been numerous security
problems at multiple nuclear plants guarded by Wackenhut.
According to the NRC, the Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) is
investigating "significant issues" at the Turkey Point nuclear
power plant "to ensure that the security program is being
effectively implemented." However, the NRC statement warns that
details of "inspections of security at the nation's nuclear power
plants are not publicly available." In 2004 the NRC publicly
announced it will no longer reveal security gaps discovered at
nuclear power plants or the subsequent actions taken against
plant operators.
"This is more evidence that there are serious questions about
whether Wackenhut can keep our nuclear energy or weapons plants
safe," said Stephen Lerner, Director of Property Services
Division of Service Employees International Union, the nation's
largest security officers' union.
The DOE's decision to award security contracts at Nevada Test
Site, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security
Complex is expected within days.
The ability of the nation's nuclear security guard force to
protect plants from a terrorist attack cannot be verified and
needs to be independently assessed, according to the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), an independent, private organization
chartered by Congress to provide advice to the government on
scientific issues. Nearly one year ago, the NAS called for
investigation of nuclear plant security forces to be conducted
independent of the NRC and the nuclear industry.
Before the new information blackout, Wackenhut's security
practices at a number of nuclear facilities have come under fire.
* Six Wackenhut security officers and their supervisor were
removed from duty in 2004 by the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant,
also owned by FP after they took shortcuts during patrols and
allowed unescorted visitors to enter protected areas.
* Wackenhut was caught cheating on an anti-terrorism drill at
the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
* Wackenhut "systematically" violated weapons inventory and
handling policies and performed poorly on an anti-terrorism drill
at the Nevada Test Site (NTS).
* Wackenhut's deal with the NRC to test nuclear security
forces at Wackenhut-guarded plants has come under fire as a clear
conflict of interest.
For more information, visit http://www.EyeOnWackenhut.org
Wackenhut-Guarded US Nuclear Power Plants
State Town Plant
AR Russellville Arkansas Nuclear One
FL Florida City Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant
FL Hutchinson Island St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant
IL Braceville Braidwood Nuclear Power Station
IL Byron Byron Nuclear Power Station
IL Clinton Clinton Power Station
IL Cordova Quad Cities Nuclear Power
Station
IL Marseilles LaSalle County Nuclear Power
Station
IL Morris Dresden Nuclear Power Station
IL Zion Zion Nuclear Power Station
(Decommissioned)
LA St. Francisville River Bend Nuclear Station
LA Taft Waterford III, SES
MA Plymouth Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
MI Covert Palisades Nuclear Plant
MN Monticello Monticello Nuclear Generating
Plant
MN Welch Prairie Island Nuclear Plant
MO Portland Callaway Plant
MS Port Gibson Grand Gulf Nuclear Station
NH Seabrook Seabrook Nuclear Plant
NJ Forked River Oyster Creek
NJ Hancocks Bridge Salem/Hope Creek Generating
Station
NY Ontario Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
PA Delta Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station
PA Middletown Three Mile Island Unit 1
PA Sanatoga Limerick Generating Station
SC Jenkinsville Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station
TX Wadsworth South Texas Project Electric
Generating
Station
VT Vernon Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power
Station
WI Kewaunee Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant
WI Two Rivers Point Beach Nuclear Plant
Source: Wackenhut Nuclear Services Division website, at
http://www.wackenhut.com/services/nuclear/facilities.htm
(accessed 03/06/04)
SOURCE Service Employees International Union
Web Site: http://www.seiu.org
Copyright © 1996- PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
51 Business Day: Eskoms broken contract in CapeÂ
Posted to the web on: 28 February 2006
Anton Eberhard
WE PAY our electricity bills (most South Africans do). In return
we expect a reliable and costeffective electricity service. In
effect its a contract. We pay, Eskom delivers. But for those of
us who live in Western Cape, this contract has been broken. We
continue to pay (most of us). But since November last year we no
longer have a secure electricity supply. And last week was the
worst.
Electricity supply has been on and off mostly off when its
been most needed. There has been no power to cook meals or light
homes. Television sets fizzle in the middle of an important
match. The city has been gridlocked through inoperative traffic
lights and cancelled trains. Municipal pumps fail to operate,
and raw sewerage flows into rivers and the sea.
Businesses suffer millions in lost production and sales. Work
deadlines are missed as computers remain off-line and staff
wander from their offices or stay at home. The quality of this
years wine harvest is threatened as cellar pumps and cooling
systems fail. Tourists ask whether they have come to the right
destination. And the investment climate in Western Cape is
trashed as international capital moves to more reliable
countries.
In any other sector, South African consumers would migrate to
alternative suppliers. But in the electricity sector they
cannot. Eskom enjoys a government-protected monopoly (it
generates 96% of our electricity). Consumers anger is
understandable, and angry they are they feel helpless in the
face of continued blackouts. After a week, power has been
restored, but we hear rolling blackouts will return in winter.
Eskom has been a reliable supplier for the past few decades, but
this is no longer the case. Whats going on?
There are many proximate causes. Eskom has offered explanations
that power lines from the coal-fired generation hub in
Mpumalanga to Western Cape have tripped, or that a stray bolt
left in the stator of a generation unit at the Koeberg nuclear
power plant caused irreparable damage.
It is true that power transmission lines from the north can only
supply three-quarters of the power requirements of the Cape. It
is also true that one of the two generation units at Koeberg has
been damaged, and will be out of service for many months because
of the difficulty of sourcing spare equipment. At least one of
the two nuclear units at Koeberg needs to be on line to provide
the balance of power for the Cape that cannot be supplied by the
transmission line from the north. But one unit is damaged and
the other unit has been tripping, and soon will have to be taken
out for a scheduled refuelling and major maintenance overall
that could take months: that is, the blackouts of the past
months will continue.
So there is a real short-term emergency power supply problem.
The residents of Western Cape and national government (this
affects the South African economy), need to know what Eskom is
going to do about this situation. Months have passed since
problems first emerged. Yet all consumers are told is they have
to conserve energy. What is Eskom going to do to restore a
secure supply to Western Cape? When will the damaged
generator/stator in Koeberg unit one be replaced? When will
reactor two be taken out for maintenance and refuelling, and how
long will that take? If both units are out at the same time,
what contingency plans does Eskom have to prevent ongoing power
outages in the Cape? Months tick by. Has Eskom considered
contracting emergency power, such as barge-mounted power units
that could be towed into Cape Town harbour?
Between 2002 and 2004, SA considered moving to a competitive
electricity market. The plan was to break up Eskom and to allow
private generators to compete with Eskom in a power exchange
where electricity consumers would have a choice of supplier.
Last year that policy model was reversed and Eskoms role as the
dominant supplier was reaffirmed. While a limited number of
private independent power producers will be invited to supply
modest amounts of new power, they will have to sell to Eskom on
long-term contracts, and Eskom will retain responsibility as the
supplier of last resort .
The problem with monopolies is that when things go wrong,
consumers bear the cost. Governments decision to retain Eskom
as the national champion implies certain obligations. First,
planning around new power-generation investments needs to be
spot on. And it clearly is not.
We are probably 18 months behind schedule in terms of new
capacity. The current supply/demand equation is extremely tight.
Any unscheduled outage of any of Eskoms generation units places
the national power supply system under severe strain. Eskoms
ageing plant requires more maintenance and longer down-times,
creating an even tighter supply/demand situation. Already, large
industries are panicking at the frequency with which Eskom is
calling on controlled power interrupt provisions in their supply
contracts to keep the national grid powered.
There is another worry and that is whether Eskom has
sufficiently robust operations and maintenance systems to
guarantee a reliable supply. This is not an easy question to
raise as there is often an overforceful response that the
question is racially motivated; that the underlying assumption
is Eskoms new black management is not coping and too many
skilled white technicians have left.
I do not hold these assumptions or support this argument. Eskom
has been remarkably successful in its transformation and has
many qualified and skilled managers and staff. Nevertheless, the
failure to provide a reliable electricity supply to customers
raises serious questions around the robustness of operations and
maintenance. Security of supply problems cannot simply be
credited to immediate or proximate causes such as transmission
line trips caused by fires or pollution (as Eskom media releases
claim). The underlying causes also need to be examined honestly
and purposefully. The National Electricity Regulator has
launched an investigation into Eskoms maintenance systems and
whether it has breached its licence conditions.
Medium- and long-term investment plans also need to be
re-examined. I have no doubt that current investment decisions
in new generation plant and transmission lines will alleviate
our supply shortages in the few years beyond 2007. But as we now
know this is too late and, ironically, there is a real danger
that Eskom will actually overinvest, as it did in the 1970s and
1980s. In other words, monopolies, such as Eskom, are not
particularly good at dealing with investment and uncertainty.
And therein lies the challenge for the future.
Eberhard is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at
UCT.
Copyright © 2005 BDFM Publishers (Pty) Ltd. All Rights
*****************************************************************
52 UPI: Testing ordered of reactor water samples
United Press International - NewsTrack -
2/28/2006 2:12:00 PM -0500
BUCHANAN, N.Y., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Entergy Nuclear Northeast,
which owns the Indian Point, N.Y., nuclear plant, says tiny
amounts of radioactive material may be seeping into the Hudson
River.
Federal nuclear regulators plan to test new samples of
underground water at the plant, but note there is no threat to
public safety now because the levels detected were near or below
amounts allowed for safe drinking water, the White Plains
Journal said.
The materials identified are tritium and strontium-90, both
radioactive isotopes that are byproducts of nuclear reactor
operations.
A spokesman for the company said the state health officials
found the presence of strontium-90 after analyzing split samples
from some wells dug to test for tritium.
Company and public officials say both radioactive materials
could be coming from a leak in a spent-fuel pool near Indian
Point 2, which was found during excavation work at the site in
August, the report said. The leak has since been contained.
© Copyright 2006 United Press
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
53 UPI: Problems persist 20 years after Chernobyl
United Press International -
2/28/2006 3:13:00 PM -0500
By MEREDITH MACKENZIE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- It was September 1990 and the Rev.
Paul Moore, his son, Paul Jr. and their friend Dr. Michael
Christensen were in East Berlin helping to tear down the Berlin
wall. But the process was taking too long by hand, so the Army
Corps of Engineers ordered bulldozers and gave the workers leave
until the reunification of Germany, a few weeks away. The group,
still known as the "three amigos," obtained visas to Belarus and
took the train from Berlin, through Poland and staggered out of
station in Minsk at 2 a.m.
There Paul Moore would meet Tataiana, an 8-year-old with
leukemia and her mother in the onco-hemotological center at the
children's hospital. The child had developed the cancer due to
the high concentration of radiation, spread to that area of
Belarus in the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster of 1986.
"I will give you my child if you will take her to the United
States," the mother had begged.
The reverend offered his prayer for them and the mother looked
skeptical. "What would it take for you to believe in the
possibility of God?" he asked.
She replied without pause, "1,000 vials of Metho-trexate," the
leading injectable oncological drug at the time.
That moment was a defining one for the founder of Citihope
International, a charity dedicated to bringing medicine to
hospitals in need. Six months later Moore, working with the
pharmaceutical company, delivered over 2,000 vials of the drug
to the children's hospital. Fifteen years later, he met up with
Tatiana. She is now a pediatric oncologist in the same unit that
helped save her life.
April 26, 2006 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl
accident. Stakeholders in Belarusian and Eurasian culture and
politics gathered Wednesday to raise awareness of the ongoing
problems in Belarus, especially elevated levels of childhood
cancers, and to highlight a conference that will be held in
Minsk during the anniversary.
"This is not an easy task," said Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian
ambassador to the United States. "Our minds and our hearts
remember that terrible day."
Over half of the radioactive fallout from the accident at the
Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, landed in neighboring Belarus,
affecting one-third of the country's land mass. The government
of the former Soviet republic continues to pay heavily for the
mistake.
"The accident has imposed a heavy burden on the national budget
of Belarus," said the ambassador.
Tuesday's event represented the desire on the part of groups
like Citihope and Chernobyl Children's Project International to
lift that burden as the 20 anniversary approaches. "We want to
help to move them toward a free market economy," said Moore. "We
want to see the county of Belarus stand large and tall as a
sustainable democracy. The way we do that is not by making
political speeches, but just be being present and doing the good
that Citihope is known for."
Chernobyl is a unique disaster, with effects that could last for
centuries as radioactive materials slowly decay. Those gathered
at the embassy want to make sure that this is not forgotten,
even twenty years after the reactor exploded.
"I see the world turn to help in natural disasters like a
hurricane or an earthquake," said Robert Sherretta,
vice-president of the Eurasia Center which sponsored the event.
"But here is a man-made disaster that will be around for
thousands of years and there is not the effort to assist."
The event was part of a concentrated effort to spread awareness
of the continuing medical and economic problems that plague the
Chernobyl-affected area of Belarus. And it seems to be working.
"I thought I knew all the good people in the Unites States who
knew Belarus and cared about its problems," said embassy
counselor Pavel Shidlovsky. "But now I see that is not true,
there is more support than I ever imagined."
Shidlovsky who serves the ambassador in all Chernobyl related
matters emphasized the need for economic development in Belarus.
"Twenty years have shown us that although there are still
difficulties, this is not a humanitarian emergency any more;
people live normal lives," he said. "But people still need
assistance to sustain economic development, to develop
agricultural areas, and to continue social and psychological
rehabilitation. And the twentieth anniversary represents the
best moment to attract donors from the international community."
And despite tense political relations the United States is the
number two donor to Belarus in matters of Chernobyl and is
continuing to lend support. The State Department has coordinated
with Citihope on an airlift mission to bring medicine and other
supplies to Minsk in April just after the anniversary.
The World Bank is set to review a $50 million Chernobyl
development project, which will bring services like a natural
gas pipeline to villages away from the main cities. The project
proposal is scheduled to go before the Board of Governors
sometime in the spring.
While the anniversary offers a chance to look back at the
tragedy Shidlovsky said that it is not a time for sadness. "This
time is a sign of human resilience," he said. "The people who
went through it are not victims, they are survivors. Through
their survival they can aspire to a better life and better
fortune."
© Copyright 2006 United Press
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
54 UPI: Klaus pushes nuke power over Russian gas
United Press International - Energy -
2/28/2006 1:16:00 PM -0500
PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Czech President Vaclav
Klaus is pushing nuclear energy as an alternative to Russian
gas.
"Europe's energy alternative to Russian gas is not only gas from
elsewhere, but mainly other sources of energy, particularly
nuclear energy," he said in an interview to the Russian daily
Kommersant published Tuesday. "As long as various green lobbies
control Europe, we will be an easy victim to manipulation of the
dominant gas supplier in the future."
The comments come ahead of a visit to the Czech Republic by
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier this year, Ukraine had its gas supplies cut by Russian
giant Gazprom over a pricing dispute, prompting several European
nations to talk about diversifying the region's energy supply.
Many capitals began discussing nuclear energy.
Russia is the No. 1 supplier of gas to Europe.
Klaus, however, said Gazprom's behavior was more a case of the
way a dominant firm behaves in the market than Russia's attempts
to manipulate Ukraine.
© Copyright 2006 United Press
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
55 Brattleboro Reformer: Protesters brave cold to march against VY
February 27, 2006 Brattleboro, VT
By DARRY MADDEN
Reformer Staff
BRATTLEBORO -- Some protesters were equipped with homemade
signs, others with cheap party hats and noisemakers.
A Buddhist flag snapped in the sharp wind as they headed north,
in a line of more than 90 anti-nuclear protesters marched from
downtown to the corporate offices of Entergy Nuclear Vermont
Yankee on Old Ferry Road, Sunday.
A man in full circus-clown regalia introduced himself as "Happy
Dan." His mission was to offer a positive angle to the event.
"We are all marching against something today, and we should all
be marching for something at the same time, like a better
world," he said.
The 3.5-mile hike was organized by the Citizens Awareness
Network and the New England Peace Pagoda.
Entergy Nuclear, the plant's owners, are currently seeking a
20-year extension of its operating license, and it's expected
that federal regulators will give Entergy permission this week
to boost the reactor's power output by 20 percent.
The Citizens Awareness Network has pledged to stage a protest
once every month in response to both issues.
"We are marching for peace," said Claire Chang, of the Citizens
Awareness Network. "And we're marching against nuclear power and
nuclear weapons.
"We need to switch from nuclear to renewable sources, either
wind, solar or biomass and we need to do it now," said Chang,
adding that Vermont Yankee was a "living time bomb" that must be
decommissioned.
At similar protests, staged each month since November, dozens
of demonstrators have been arrested for trespassing at Entergy's
offices. Dan Davis, Windham County state's attorney, has dropped
all of the charges against them.
Two weeks ago, when he dismissed charges for the most recent
group, Davis said his office didn't "have the resources to
provide protesters with an additional way to get media coverage."
Deb Katz, who heads the Citizens Awareness Network, told the
Reformer that Davis' position won't silence people. And Sunday's
turnout, despite the frigid temperature, illustrated that.
For Roland Ratte, of Greenfield, Mass., Sunday was his first
anti-nuclear protest. A growing sense that the reactor was
dangerous brought him out.
"I just think it's time they closed," he said.
It was also a first for Morgan Hoyle-Combs, who had never
attended a nuclear protest. His concerns centered on the health
issues surrounding radiation.
Three members of the American Friends Service committee,
wearing pink signs identifying them as "peace keepers" were on
hand. They were there to prevent flare-ups, but they were also a
part of the demonstration.
Two Brattleboro Police officers were also on hand, primarily to
direct traffic so protesters could cross intersections safely,
and to be sure protesters did not block any roadways.
Officers Frechette and Ottinger were on duty for the event.
At Entergy's offices, protesters prayed with Sister Claire and
Brother Tow-Bee, monks from the New England Peace Pagoda in
Leverett, Mass.
The two monks are on a four-week long walk around New England,
which began in Leverett and will end at the Statehouse in Boston.
Representatives of the Peace Pagoda have completed a similar
walk annually since 2002, after "The War on Terror" was
declared. It is an effort at "renouncing fear and seeking ways
to establish the beneficent power of peace and to uphold and be
held by the stabilizing force of equity and justice," according
to their literature.
Nina Kendall, of the Citizens Awareness Network, wrapped up the
protest with these words, "We are not asking politely anymore.
We're demanding politely: shut the damn thing down."
Copyright ©1999-2005 New England Newspapers, Inc.,
a member of MediaNews Group, Inc.
- -
*****************************************************************
56 reviewjournal.com: Ex-test site workers criticize payment rule
Feb. 28, 2006
Government action to help victims not broad enough, they say
WASHINGTON -- Some former Nevada Test Site workers victimized by
cancers after they participated in aboveground nuclear weapons
testing may find it easier to gain compensation under a new
payment rule disclosed Monday.
But former workers and activists say the government action may
help only a few, if any, victims or their survivors.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said
it would streamline the claims process for a category of workers
who are seeking up to $150,000 and medical costs for
catastrophic illnesses linked to their former jobs.
A former test site employee and worker advocate in Las Vegas
said the agency's action is not the broad relief that victims
are seeking.
John Funk, who worked at the site from 1976 to 1992, said the
new claims process may help only about 50 of more than 3,000
former test site workers who have filed compensation claims.
"I'm all for the atmospheric testing guys getting paid, don't
get me wrong," Funk said. "But this is too little too late.
Where does it leave the rest of us?
"Any news is good news, but this really isn't any progress,"
said Funk, 65, who has been treated for skin cancer and two
types of colon cancer and suffers from a type of bone cancer. He
believes his illnesses are tied to exposure to radioactive
materials or benzene, or both.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., urged the Bush administration in
November to place former test site workers on a special exposure
list that would allow them to gain compensation without
paperwork and testing that has delayed payments to some victims
and denied payments to others.
Reid said Monday the occupational health agency has told him it
would establish streamlined "special exposure cohort" procedures
only for workers who were exposed during aboveground testing and
who worked at the test site for at least 250 days and have at
least one of 22 designated cancers.
"This is not enough, but it is a good first step," Reid said.
"At least some of our former test site workers are on the path
to getting the help they deserve."
Reid spokeswoman Sharyn Stein said NIOSH conceded it did not
have adequate records to determine radiation exposures to
atmospheric test workers, "so there would be no point in not
giving them their funding."
NIOSH officials could not be reached on Monday night.
But even workers who could show they participated in the
atmospheric tests will have difficulty meeting the 250-day
requirement because the blasts did not take that long to set up
and set off, said Nick Davis, 73, a former carpenter who said he
was present at the final open air tests in June 1962.
"There was no drilling involved because it was above- ground,"
said Davis, who said he has had prostate cancer and two
malignant melanomas. "Most of the guys would not even qualify
for 250 straight days."
Congress passed a law in 2000 to compensate former workers at
nuclear facilities who were exposed to radiation or chemicals
during Cold War weapons production. But payments have been
spotty and Energy Department program managers were criticized
until the compensation program was handed to the Labor
Department.
Special exposure cohort status has streamlined claims for former
workers at gaseous diffusion plants in Paducah, Ky.; Portsmouth,
Ohio; and Oak Ridge, Tenn., the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in
St. Louis, the Iowa Ordnance Plant, and for workers on Amchitka
Island, Alaska, who before Jan. 1, 1974, were exposed to
ionizing radiation related to three below-ground nuclear tests.
On Monday, Funk sent a letter to senators charging there are
"gross disparities" in the law.
"The Nevada Test Site is 1,000 times larger and tested 1,100
more bombs and these tests were larger than Amchitka, Alaska
weapons tests," Funk wrote. "Could you be so kind and look into
why Amchitka Alaska qualifies for special exposure cohort and
why the Nevada Test Site does not?"
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2006
*****************************************************************
57 Salt Lake Tribune: Radiation regulators being taken to court
Article Last Updated: 02/28/2006 1:24 AM MST
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL) is taking the
state Radiation Control Division to court over its decision to
sign off on EnergySolution's expansion plans for its Tooele
County landfill.
The Radiation Control Board reviewed the matter and, in
January, backed the division's decision to allow the site to
double in size.
The company operates a low-level radioactive and hazardous
waste landfill in Tooele County and has recently expanded into
new areas of the nuclear waste business.
HEAL Utah calls the approval process "a sham," claiming the
division failed to meet the legal or technical requirements
needed to grant an expansion.
"The regulatory board misapplied the law and disregarded the
facts of this case," said Jim McConkie of Trial-lawyers
Representing Utah's Environment (TRUE), a group of attorneys
representing HEAL Utah in its appeal.
"The gravity of locking Utah into another half-century of
nuclear waste disposal deserves a lot more scrutiny than what
was given to this expansion request."
Dane Finerfrock, director of the state Radiation Control
Division, declined to comment on HEAL's request to the Utah
Court of Appeals.
- Judy Fahys
© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune.
*****************************************************************
58 STLtoday: Former nuclear workers rally to protect benefits
By ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH02/27/2006
A group of about sixty people holding signs listened to Denise
Brock, their advocate speaker.
(SAM LEONE/P-D)
WELDON SPRING
Cold War-era nuclear workers and their relatives demonstrated
Monday in opposition to potential cuts in benefits to workers
who developed cancer.
Denise Brock, an advocate for the workers and their families,
said the demonstration was meant to pressure the administration
of President George W. Bush, which she said is taking steps to
limit the cost of the benefit program.
Brock's father worked at the Mallinckrodt Chemical Co. plant in
St. Louis from 1945 to 1960 and developed cancer. She said she
will testify next month before a congressional committee looking
into the program.
The Associated Press reported this month that White House budget
officials had sent the Labor Department a memo saying the
administration would lead an interagency group to develop ways
to contain the growth in the costs of benefits the program
provides.
Under the program Congress created five years ago, workers get
$150,000 plus future medical benefits. Partly at Brock's urging,
the compensation agreement was expanded last year to cover
Mallinckrodt employees who worked at the St. Louis plant for at
least 250 days between 1949 and 1957 and contracted one of 22
different types of cancer.
She said Monday that that success had "opened the floodgate" of
efforts to win coverage for more workers in other parts of the
country. As a result, the Bush administration began looking for
ways to contain costs, she said.
Brock said she had been called to testify March 9 before a House
subcommittee at hearings on the compensation program.
The protest by about 60 people was held at the Weldon Spring
Interpretive Center, a museum on the site where explosives were
made. Behind the interpretive center is a 75-foot pile of rock,
beneath which is buried 1.48 million cubic yards of low-level
radioactive material.
Beginning in the 1940s, workers produced high explosives and,
later, processed uranium at the site.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
*****************************************************************
59 Paducah Sun: New task force charged with plant concerns -
Paducah, Kentucky
By Anne Thrower athrower@paducahsun.com 270.575.8653
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Seven people with technical expertise about the Paducah Gaseous
Diffusion Plant and surrounding area were introduced Monday as
the new task force that will help the community address future
issues at the plant.
“There are a lot of issues the community needs to be involved
in, McCracken County Judge-Executive Danny Orazine said. Those
issues include the U.S. Department of Energy cleanup work and
the millions of dollars of assets in the form of nickel and
aluminum at the plant that could potentially provide revenue to
the community, Orazine said. “They will help determine how the
community can get their hands on those assets.
Another issue is the future use of the plant site as a possible
industrial area. “They will set their own agenda, Orazine said.
The task force includes the current USEC plant manager, Steve
Penrod, and the current director of field services, Charlie
Martin. John Anderson, director of the Paducah Area Community
Reuse Organization, will serve as staff support for the group.
Others in the group are Ray Daily, director of environmental
affairs at NewPage; Jimmie Hodges, former site manager for the
Department of Energy at the plant; Howard Pulley, former USEC
general manager; and Henry Hodges, director of the Purchase Area
Development District.
All the men are volunteering their expertise, Orazine said. Also
serving on the committee are Orazine and Paducah Mayor Bill
Paxton.
It´s not the first task force to be appointed to address issues
at the plant. A task force comprised of community leaders was
formed several years ago when Paducah was competing with the
USEC plant in Piketon, Ohio, to build a more efficient gas
centrifuge plant.
After USEC officials announced it planned to replace the
outdated Paducah plant with the Ohio plant starting in 2010, the
task force no longer had an agenda. “We thought it was best to
form another task force, Orazine said.
In other business, Jailer Bill Adams told the fiscal court that
the state wants the jail to provide inmates with a change of
uniforms twice a week instead of once a week. The additional
uniforms would cost the county about $35,000 annually.
Adams said McCracken County is the only jail in the state under
such an order, so he is appealing the request. “Jail standards
don´t call for that, he said.
Adams also said the jail peaked at 480 inmates on Friday,
causing jail officials to have to release some weekend-only
inmates to make room for the new arrests. The jail population
was down to 460 by Monday.
“It´s a growing issue, Adams said. While other jails in the area
book three or four new inmates daily, in McCracken County the
average number of bookings daily is 21, he said.
*****************************************************************
60 Salt Lake Tribune: Nuclear fallout report leaves government's
course up in air
Article Last Updated: 02/27/2006 12:56 AM MST
By Greg Lavine The Salt Lake Tribune
Scientists could further study the public health consequences
of nuclear weapons testing, but questions remain about how
worthwhile such a project would be, a new federal report says.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
National Cancer Institute report explores the feasibility of
looking more deeply into the health effects from atomic weapons
tests in the 1950s and '60s.
Its answer is that "yes, it is feasible and possible," said
Stephanie Creel, spokeswoman for the CDC's National Center for
Environmental Health.
But whether it ranks as a high public health priority must be
determined before any such study is considered, she added.
The study's results proved discouraging to "downwinders,"
people who lived downwind of above-ground nuclear testing in
Nevada. They believe the government is dragging its feet on such
research.
"We didn't need a study to tell us it was possible," said
Mary Dickson, a Salt Lake City downwinder advocate and author.
Dickson said skepticism exists about whether the government
that conducted the nuclear tests in Nevada is the best entity to
study the health consequences of the testing.
Part of the new study, first requested by Congress in 1998,
discusses a canceled University of Utah study on radioactive
fallout and thyroid disease. The $8 million CDC-funded study
ended last year after being granted several extensions.
Joseph Lyon, the U. researcher running the study, said
government delays in delivering timely funding prevented him
from completing the study on deadline. CDC officials later
questioned the calculations used to determine how much fallout
individuals were exposed to in areas downwind of the Nevada Test
Site.
"Their decision was not based on science," he said.
At the time the study stopped, researchers had examined 1,700
people, falling short of the 3,500 goal. Lyon had estimated it
would have taken another two years with full funding to finish.
The new federal report was written when the U. study was
still under way, and referenced Lyon's work, saying it would
help clarify the extent to which the Nevada tests increased the
risk of thyroid cancer and other diseases of the thyroid.
J. Preston Truman, head of an Idaho-based advocacy group
called Downwinders, called that reference "a really strong
statement."
But Creel said the CDC/NCI study's finding that additional
research would be feasible has not changed the CDC's position on
canceling the U. research program.
Truman said the decision to cancel the study is a source of
continuing frustration. He said the study was just beginning to
find useful information when it was canceled.
"This was to be the definitive study," Truman said.
The U. study investigated the long-term health effects of
radioactive fallout, in particular Iodine 131. After above-ground
nuclear tests, particles including Iodine 131 were carried by
weather patterns to other parts of the country.
Most of the exposure for those downwind of the tests is
believed to be through ingestion. Fallout landed on fields of
grass where dairy cattle grazed. Radioactive particles
concentrated in the cows and entered their milk.
Children drinking this milk in the 1950s also drank
radioactive particles, which ended up concentrated in the
thyroid gland. Research shows that this likely led to an
increase in cases of thyroid cancer, but questions remained
about other thyroid conditions.
The CDC/NCI report specifically notes that little research
has been conducted to understand how fallout and radiation
affect the risk of noncancer diseases.
While the new report indicates more work is needed, there are
cautions about how to move forward.
"Significant resources would be required to implement this
detailed study, however, and careful consideration should be
given to public health priorities before this path is taken,"
the authors wrote.
Creel said the CDC has not decided on a course of action
based on this report.
The study - known as the "Report on the Feasibility of a
Study of the Health Consequences to the American Population from
Nuclear Weapons Tests Conducted by the United States and Other
Nations" - lists several potential options, ranging from
conducting no additional work to undertaking a detailed study
that looks at dose estimation, risk analysis and communication
of the results to the public.
Though the authors finished the report in May 2005, it has
only become recently available on the Internet at
www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout.
Congress requested the report in 1998, following the release
of a 1997 NCI study that looked at radioactive fallout estimates
for each county of United States.
glavine@sltrib.com
* To read "Report on the Feasibility of a Study of the Health
Consequences to the American Population from Nuclear Weapons
Tests Conducted by the United States and Other Nations," visit
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/
fallout.
© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune.
*****************************************************************
61 Bradenton Herald: Lockheed Martin Corp. puts well offers in writing
02/28/2006 |
DONNA WRIGHT Herald Staff Writer
TALLEVAST - Lockheed Martin Corp. has mailed newsletters and
flyers to Tallevast area residents offering a charitable
incentive for identifying and allowing the defense giant to seal
old unusable wells that are no longer in use and were not
identified in a previous well survey.
Lockheed will contribute $500 per well to either Kinnan
Elementary School or Able Elementary School.
Lockheed wants to find all of the wells in the Tallevast area so
they can be sealed to eliminate pathways of exposure from an
underground plume of industrial waste that is now known to cover
more than 131 acres. Tests and drilling for new monitoring wells
continue to find the boundary of the plume that stems from a
broken sump at the former Loral American Beryllium Co. plant at
1600 Tallevast Road.
Lockheed is also offering $10,000 to any Tallevast property
owner who has an operational water well within a half-mile of
the former beryllium plant, said Gail Rymer, company
spokeswoman. To get the $10,000, Tallevast property owners must
agree to let Lockheed seal their wells.
Lockheed has identified 49 wells the company wants to seal,
according to Dr. Tina Armstrong, project manager for the
Tallevast clean-up.
In the newsletter distributed this week, Armstrong said the
$10,000 will help compensate Tallevast property owners for
future water bills for the next 40 years or more and should
cover plumbing costs associated with a well's closure.
Property owners interested in pursuing either offer are to
contact Lockheed's local representative, Clovia Russell, at
360-1843 or to stop by Lockheed's local office at 8051 Tamiami
Trail, Suit E4. Those interested can also e-mail Russell at
clovia.russell@lmco.com. email this print this
*****************************************************************
62 Platts: Industry's legislative wish list seeks Yucca Mt. revamping
Washington (Platts)--27Feb2006
Congress should remove an artificial limit placed on the
disposal capacity of a DOE repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev. and
allow the technical aspects of the site, as well as what's needed
to support the country's reactors, determine how much nuclear
waste can be emplaced there, according to a senior Nuclear Energy
Institute (NEI) official.
It should be a technical decision, Steve Kraft said of the
repository's disposal capacity. Kraft, who is NEI's director of
used fuel management, called the elimination of the current
70,000 metric ton uranium (MTU) disposal limit one of the nuclear
industry's top five priorities for nuclear waste legislation.
He cited the need to move spent fuel to a federal facility as
soon as possible as a leading priority, indicating that could be
accomplished by siting federal interim storage facilities at DOE
sites. Kraft noted in response to a question that the energy
secretary has authority under the Atomic Energy Act to site such
a facility at a DOE site, something that Rep. David Hobson
(R-Ohio) proposed last year as part of the House's fiscal 2006
energy and water funding bill. The storage facility would not
have to be licensed by NRC if it were a "purely DOE facility,
under a purely DOE order," Kraft said.
However, a senior NRC official indicated earlier the agency
didn't agree.
"They [DOE] have our money, we have their fuel; it's time to
close the deal," said Kraft, who presented the NEI legislative
wish list during a media briefing Feb 23. Nuclear utility
customers collectively pay an estimated $750-million a year into
the Nuclear Waste Fund to bankroll the DOE waste program. In
return, standard contracts DOE signed with nuclear utilities in
1983 require DOE to dispose of that waste. DOE failed to meet the
original 1998 contract date for the start of disposal operations.
Other target dates have since gone unheeded, and DOE may have a
new target date by this summer.
NEI unveiled its priorities, which also include legislative
action to eliminate the need for an NRC waste confidence rule, as
industry and congressional officials awaited draft waste
legislation from DOE. Department officials have disclosed few
details of the proposal, saying only that the draft bill would
transfer federal land around Yucca Mountain that's now held by
different agencies to DOE and would give the repository program
greater access to money paid into the waste fund. As of Feb. 23,
the department didn't know when it would send its legislative
proposal to Congress, DOE spokesman Craig Stevens said.
Some DOE officials noted earlier that the draft bill was under
review at the White House Office of Management & Budget.
Regarding action on waste confidence, Kraft said the rule has
grown beyond the original narrow legal concept involved in the
first waste confidence rule NRC issued in 1977. The existing
rule, which NRC is scheduled to reconsider in 2009, states NRC is
confident a repository will be operating by the end of 2025 and
that spent fuel can be safely stored on the reactor sites in
casks for at least 100 years. That confidence allows NRC to
license new reactors and to renew the licenses of existing ones.
Actions already taken by Congress show that waste confidence
exists, Kraft said. He pointed to congressional approval in 2002
of the administration's recommendation that Yucca Mountain be
developed as a high-level waste repository. Last year, he added,
comprehensive energy legislation was enacted that contains
financial incentives for the construction of new reactors.
The concern industry has, Kraft said, is that NRC soon will be
hit with another round of applications for combined construction
permit-operating licenses for new reactors. He said the agency
"needs to concern itself with the licensing and safety of plants.
Waste confidence would be a distraction."
The industry also wants to see so-called funding reform, this
time including action to ensure the entire multibillion-dollar
waste fund is used only for its intended purpose. Kraft said
industry also thinks it appropriate that Congress freeze the
waste fee at its current level of 1 mill for every kilowatt-hour
of nuclear-generated electricity sold. Under existing law, the
fee would increase if the energy secretary told Congress an
increase were needed and Congress failed to pass legislation
prohibiting an increase, Kraft said.
Inclusion of the fund's unspent balance in funding reform could
bolster support for that action in the House, where Rep. John
Dingell (D-Mich.) has historically opposed funding reform
legislation on the grounds that the entire fund should be
included. However, some budget watchers have countered in the
past that such action would significantly increase the federal
budget deficit.
The federal government must maintain a strong commitment to the
Yucca Mountain project, Kraft said of another industry priority.
There are roughly 55,000 MTU of spent utility fuel in storage
today in the U.S., and the inventory grows at a rate of 2,000 MTU
a year.
Under the existing disposal cap at Yucca Mountain, spent fuel
from the existing fleet of nuclear reactors alone, without
license renewal, would more than fill the facility. Though NEI
discussed its legislative priorities with DOE, Kraft said the
industry group did not receive any feedback from DOE. Kraft added
that NEI does not know if any of its legislative priorities are
included in DOE's draft bill.
For more information, take a trial to Nuclear Fuel at
Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill
Companies]
*****************************************************************
63 yaledailynews.com: Univ. receives fine for waste
Published Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Official says clerical error led to slip-up
BY DAVID SHIEH Staff Reporter
Yale is not doing its homework, and the Environmental Protection
Agency is getting a little annoyed.
The EPA is fining the University more than $28,000 for failing
to provide documentation confirming that Yale has the required
funds to properly take care of its hazardous waste, the agency
announced Monday.
Yale is required by federal law to submit documentation to the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection confirming
that it has the funds to properly clean up facilities that store
hazardous waste, such as the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory
on Whitney Avenue. But the University has failed to submit the
proper paperwork for the years 2003 and 2004, the EPA said in a
statement issued Monday.
Deputy Provost Charles Long said he was unaware of the
violation and suspects it is an administrative mistake on the
University's part.
"I've heard in the past frequently that the rules for
disclosing and reporting are complicated," Long said. "They
change a lot, and it's very difficult to keep up with what
you're supposed to say and do on time. If I had to guess, I'd
say it was a bureaucratic slip-up, not an attempt to hide
anything."
The fine comes as part of the EPA's goal to more strictly
enforce the federal Resource and Conservation Recovery Act,
which regulates the handling of solid and hazardous waste. Many
hazardous waste facilities across the nation have not complied
with various stipulations of the regulation in past years,
according to the EPA statement, and numerous Connecticut
facilities were found to be in violation of the law after the
EPA audited the Connecticut DEP's files this year.
DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said he did not know enough details
about the fine to comment Monday night.
Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory hosts a 90-day storage
facility that stores hazardous waste mixed with radioactive
waste. Yale was audited by the EPA in 2002 and found to be in
violation of several federal environmental laws. The University
submitted documentation later that year to confirm it had funds
to dispose of hazardous waste in the lab, but failed to follow
up in succeeding years, the EPA statement said.
Copyright © 1995-2006 Yale Daily News Publishing Company, Inc.
All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
64 Chillicothe Gazette: Contractor hired to handle special waste at Piketon
www.chillicothegazette.com - Chillicothe, OH
Tennessee firm will treat radioactive waste off-site
The Gazette Staff
PIKETON - LATA/Parallax Portsmouth has awarded a $9.4 million
subcontract to Perma-Fix/M of Oak Ridge, Tenn., for the
treatment of about 180 cubic meters of Department of Energy
special process waste stored at the Piketon uranium enrichment
plant.
The waste contains uranium and technetium, as well as heavy
metals that require treatment to remove the hazardous
constituents prior to disposal. The subcontract period of
performance is through Sept. 30, 2007.
Under the subcontract, Perma-Fix/M will design, procure,
install, operate and treat the waste currently stored on-site in
small 5-inch diameter containers, 55-gallon drums, 85-gallon
drums, 110-gallon drums and other miscellaneous-size containers
smaller than 55-gallon drums. There are about 1,063 total
containers of special process wastes for treatment by the
subcontractor. The subcontractor also will be responsible for
shutdown, decontamination/cleaning, removal from the site and
disposal of all subcontractor-provided equipment and supplies
utilized during the execution of the subcontract.
All treatment of the mixed low-level radioactive waste will
occur off-site at Perma-Fix/M's facility. Following treatment,
LATA/Parallax Portsmouth plans to ship the waste to the Nevada
test site for disposal.
Originally published February 28, 2006 Print this article
Copyright ©2006 Chillicothe Gazette
*****************************************************************
65 Salt Lake Tribune: More hot waste in Tooele County?
Article Last Updated: 02/28/2006 3:02 AM MST
Grassy Mountain: The landfill's East Coast owners will seek
permission to handle radioactive material
By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune
New radioactive waste disposal is planned for Tooele County.
Owners of the Clean Harbors Grassy Mountain landfill want to
open up an unused part of their mile-square hazardous waste site
for low-level radioactive waste, the same sort of material
disposed of at the EnergySolutions site formerly known as
Envirocare.
"We know this is going to be a multiyear process," said Phil
Retallick, senior vice president of compliance and regulatory
affairs for the Massachusetts-based company, Clean Harbors
Environmental Services. "We're in the embryonic stages of the
process."
Clean Harbors, the nation's largest hazardous waste company,
operates the Aragonite incinerator about 60 miles west of Salt
Lake City. The landfill, about 10 miles west of the incinerator,
now takes PCBs and other industrial hazardous waste, primarily
from the Western states.
The site already exceeds the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission standards for low-level radioactive waste, said
Retallick. Decommissioned and relicensed reactors need disposal.
Plus, the future looks promising for a revival of the nuclear
industry, he added.
"As a result, we are very interested in being able to
service that," he said.
Two other efforts to establish new radioactive facilities in
Tooele County have failed in recent years.
In 1997, while owned by Laidlaw Environmental, the Grassy
Mountain landfill made a similar move to expand into low-level
radioactive waste. It received approval from the state Radiation
Control Board for its siting plan, but the County Commission
refused to OK the project. Its approval is required under state
law.
A second proposal came from Envirocare's former president,
Charles Judd, who proposed a landfill on acreage just north of
Envirocare. Tooele County rejected the plan in 2004. Judd sold
the land last year to Envirocare.
Envirocare last year requested and received the county's
approval to expand onto that acreage. It also won approval by
the state Radiation Control Board and was poised to be presented
for final approval by the Legislature and the governor.
Now, prompted by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s announcement in
November that he opposed the expansion, the entire process may
be changed to limit the governor's authority over commercial
licensing. Under SB70 by Sen. Howard Stephenson, D-Draper, the
Legislature would be allowed to override a governor's veto on
commercial waste sites.
Huntsman is expected to veto SB70 by the deadline today and
lawmakers may take an override vote by the session's conclusion
at midnight Wednesday.
Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, said low-level waste is
handled safely in Utah, but she still supports the consensus
approach required under current law.
"I want to keep the barriers high," she said. "If it's
worthy, it will pass those barriers."
Retallick said Clean Harbors is aware of SB70 and the past,
failed effort to expand the Grassy Mountain site to include
low-level radioactive waste.
He noted, however, that the facility is already licensed for
hazardous waste and that his company only wants to amend its
license to allow new waste.
fahys@sltrib.com
© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune.
*****************************************************************
66 NRC: Private Fuel Storage, Limited Liability Company
FR Doc E6-2792
[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices] [Page 10068-10069] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28fe06-122]
Notice of Issuance of Materials License Snm-2513 for the Private
Fuel Storage Facility AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Issuance of Materials License; Termination of NHPA
Consultation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stewart W. Brown, Senior Project
Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: (301) 415-8531; fax number:
(301) 415-8555; e-mail: swb1@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC or the Commission) has issued Materials License No. SNM-2513
to Private Fuel Storage, Limited Liability Company (PFS) for the
receipt, possession, storage, and transfer of spent fuel at the
Private Fuel Storage Facility (PFSF), to be located on the
Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians, in
Tooele County, Utah.
In connection with its review of the PFS license application, the
NRC, in coordination with three cooperating Federal agencies,
developed a final environmental impact statement pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which was
published in December 2001. In addition, the NRC participated in
consultations with the three cooperating agencies and other
parties concerning the protection of historic and cultural
properties which may be impacted by the agencies' proposed
actions, in accordance with the National Historic Preservation
Act (NHPA) and regulations promulgated by the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation (ACHP). By letter dated November 22, 2005,
the NRC notified the ACHP that it was terminating the NHPA
consultation process for reasons described in the letter,
pursuant to 36 CFR 800.7(a); notice of such termination was also
provided to all parties involved in the consultation process. By
letter dated January 9, 2006, the ACHP provided its comments in
response to the NRC's letter of November 22, 2005. In accordance
with 36 CFR 800.7(c)(4), the NRC has considered the ACHP's
comments, as set forth in a letter to the ACHP dated February 10,
2006, and has determined that final action on the PFS license
application is appropriate.
Accordingly, notice is hereby provided that the NRC has
determined to grant the PFS license application, and to issue
Materials License No. SNM-2513 to PFS for the PFSF. This
Materials License is issued under the provisions of 10 CFR Part
72, and is effective as of the date of issuance. In accordance
with 10 CFR Part 72, the PFSF license is issued for a term of 20
years, but the licensee may seek to renew the license prior to
its expiration. The license authorizes PFS to provide interim
storage in a dry cask storage system for up to 40,000 metric tons
of uranium contained in intact spent fuel, damaged fuel
assemblies, and fuel debris. The dry cask storage system
authorized for use is a site-specific version of the HI-STORM 100
system designed by Holtec International, Inc., as more fully
described in Materials License No. SNM-2513. Background Following
receipt of PFS's application dated June 20, 1997, the NRC staff
published a ``Notice of Docketing, Notice of Proposed Action, and
Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing for a Materials License for
the PFSF in the Federal Register on July 31, 1997 (62 FR 41099).
In conjunction with the issuance of this license, the staff and
three cooperating Federal agencies (Bureau of Land Management,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Surface Transportation Board)
published the ``Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Construction and Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation on the Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of
Goshute Indians and the Related Transportation Facility in Tooele
County, Utah,'' NUREG-1714 (December 2001) (FEIS). The FEIS
considered the impacts of the construction, operation and
decommissioning of the proposed ISFSI at the Skull Valley site
and the impacts of certain transportation facilities which had
been proposed by PFS. The FEIS indicated that the NRC staff and
the three Cooperating Agencies had concluded, in part, that the
overall benefits of the proposed PFSF outweigh the disadvantages
and cost, and that the measures required by other permitting
authorities and the mitigation measures proposed in the FEIS
would eliminate or ameliorate any potential adverse environmental
impacts associated with the PFS license application.
The safety and security of the proposed PFSF were addressed in a
Safety Evaluation Report (SER) issued in December 2000 and two
amendments thereto, as reissued in a consolidated SER in March
2002. Evidentiary hearings on the proposed license application
were held before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in 2000,
2002 and 2004, and final adjudicatory decisions have been issued
with respect to all contested issues in the proceeding.
In sum, the NRC has completed its environmental and safety
reviews of the PFSF license application. Based on its review of
the application and other pertinent information, the NRC issued
Materials License No. SNM-2513 for the PFSF on February 21, 2006.
Further details with respect to this action are provided in the
application dated June 20, 1997, as amended; the staff's Final
Environmental Impact Statement, dated December 2001; the staff's
Consolidated Safety Evaluation Report, dated March 5, 2002;
Materials License SNM-2513; the NRC's letter to the ACHP dated
November 22, 2005; the ACHP's letter dated January 9, 2006; the
NRC's letter to the ACHP dated February 10, 2006; and other
related documents, which are publicly available in the records
component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management
System (ADAMS). These documents may be accessed through the NRC's
Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. These documents may
also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at
the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), O1F21, One White Flint
North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Persons who do
not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing
the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR
Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209 or (301) 415-4737,
or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents
for a fee.
[[Page 10069]] Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of
February, 2006.
For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Stewart W. Brown, Senior Project Manager, Licensing Section,
Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-2792 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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67 KTVB: State says DOE trying to back out of nuclear waste cleanup pact
03:22 PM MST on Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Associated Press
BOISE -- Idaho attorneys have asked a federal judge not to let
the Department of Energy shirk it's agreement to clean up all
the nuclear waste at the Idaho National Laboratory, including
buried waste.
DOE says the 1995 clean-up agreement it reached with the state
only covered waste stored above ground, not the toxic trash
buried during the Cold War in pits and trenches.
The state has filed its closing arguments in a lawsuit against
DOE with U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge.
Now, the federal government will file its written rebuttal, and
Lodge should rule in the case by the end of March.
2004 and 2005 Edward R. Murrow award winner for best regional
web site
©2006 KTVB-TV
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68 Scotsman.com News: Nuclear waste plans revealed
Tue 28 Feb 2006
Proposals for the long-term disposal of solid, low-level
radioactive waste have been published by environment minister
Ross Finnie.
Low level waste includes paper, plastics and scrap metal mainly
from the operation of nuclear facilities.
Smaller amounts are also produced by a range of non-nuclear
industries such as hospitals, research and educational
facilities and the oil and gas industries.
Mr Finnie said: "We are committed to managing safely the legacy
of Scotland's nuclear industry and the low level radioactive
wastes that are generated from other users of radioactivity."
Most waste is currently sent to the national low level waste
disposal facility near Drigg in Cumbria.
But this is filling up and new options for the long term
management of these wastes are needed.
The latest United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory, published
last month, estimates that about 31,000 tonnes of low level
radioactive wastes (LLW) are awaiting disposal.
A further 2.8 million tonnes, of low level waste, such as soil,
building rubble and items such as ducting, piping and
reinforcement, will arise from decommissioning activities on
nuclear sites.
The review of low level radioactive waste policy will examine
options to minimise waste, as well as managing very low level
wastes more appropriately and reducing transport of low level
waste.
The consultation period runs until May 31 and have been prepared
jointly by the UK Government, the Scottish Executive, The Welsh
Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Department of the
Environment.
© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.
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69 cbs2chicago.com: Build Water System At Spill Site
Feb 28, 2006 7:12 am US/Central
Exelon To Help Build Water System At Spill Site
(AP) GODLEY, Ill. An Exelon official says the company will help
finance construction of a public water system in the Will County
village of Godley, where radioactive tritium was spilled several
years ago.
The Godley Park District found elevated levels of tritium in a
shallow well in 2002.
Exelon vice president Thomas O'Neill said yesterday that the
Chicago-based company would help build a new water system in
Godley by funding whatever costs aren't covered by federal,
state or local government.
He says there's no evidence of tritium contamination in Godley
wells. But the company wants to help finance the project as an
act of goodwill.
Exelon has come under fire recently over the release of
wastewater containing tritium at its Braidwood, Dresden and
Byron plants.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [ /] [ /] [
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70 cbs2chicago.com: Radioactive Leaks Concern Community
Chicago news,
Feb 27, 2006 10:30 pm US/Central
Exelon Says Leaks Pose No Health Hazards
(CBS) GODLEY, Ill. There’s growing concern in Will County about
a radioactive leak from the Braidwood nuclear facility.
The county board held a special meeting in the town of Godley
Monday night, where area residents had a chance to hear from the
health department.
CBS 2’s Derrick Blakely reports that Exelon, the company that
runs Braidwood, was also present.
Exelon officials were quite contrite, but they also took at lot
of heat from area residents concerned about the undisclosed
leaks.
Exelon officials say the leak poses no health hazards, but the
community has a healthy dose of mistrust.
“Personally, I have no trust, whatsoever, for anyone who has
anything to do with Exelon at all,” said Marissa Chastain.
In Godley, citizens aired their anger over four spills of
radioactive tritium from the nearby Braidwood nuclear generating
plant, spills Exelon only recently disclosed to the public.
“We understand your willingness and right to know what’s going
on as members of the public, and we are committed to do better,”
said Exelon Nuclear Representative Tom O'Neil.
Exelon said the Braidwood spills took place in 1996, 1998, 2000
and 2003. Higher than normal levels of tritium were found in
ground water outside the plant, in the Kankakee River and in at
least one private well.
Higher than normal, Exelon says, but still not harmful.
“I say that not to excuse our conduct when we put tritium in the
ground where it didn’t belong,” said O’Neal. “But I say that in
an attempt to reassure you that your health is not in jeopardy.”
Exelon agreed to provide bottled water to the 600 residents of
Godley, where most homes have well water, and to contribute
financially to the construction of a water system.
But many residents remain suspicious.
“They have not been to my house to test the water. Have they
been to your house to test for the oil spills and the tritium in
your well? I bet they haven’t,” said Monica Madden.
The Will County Health Department promised to test the wells of
all area residents to assure them of safety.
But Braidwood hasn’t been the only Exelon facility that has had
a tritium leak. Leaks have also been disclosed at the Byron and
Dresden plants as well. Exelon insists no health problems were
presented.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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71 Morris Daily Herald: Partnership for Repair
news@morrisdailyherald.com
2/28/2006 4:47:00 PM
A packed crowd listens to one of several speakers during the
Will County Board’s Health Committee meeting in the Godley Park
District concerning tritium leaks at Braidwood Generating
Station. (Herald Photo/Jo Ann Hustis)
Exelon pledges to clean up mess, help improve water supply
By Jo Ann Hustis Herald Writer
GODLEY – Exelon Nuclear is pledging to be a good neighbor to
the surrounding communities from now on.
The utility is to supply bottled water to the residents of
Godley for cooking and drinking purposes, and pick up the tab
for a potable water supply to the village after federal and
state funding leaves off.
Tom O’Neal, Exelon’s vice president of legal affairs, committed
the utility during a special meeting Monday evening of the Will
County Board’s Health, Aging and Education Committee.
About 300 attended the session in the Godley Park District
headquarters.
The meeting was in response to underground pipe leaks at
Braidwood Generating Station in 1996, 1998 and 2000, during
which an estimated total six million gallons of tritium-laced
water seeped into the groundwater at the plant site, then spread
northward from Braidwood Station.
Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen that emits
a very low level of radiation, and is a natural part of water.
It is found in more-concentrated levels in water used in nuclear
reactors.
O’Neal told the committee although tritium levels had moved
outside the utility’s property, the isotope has not been seen in
water in Godley.
“It is very apparent the quality of Godley’s water supply is not
good,” he said. “But, Exelon didn’t put (tritium) in the water.”
O’Neal, nevertheless, pledged Exelon’s financial support to
supply bottled water for Godley.
He also committed the utility to assisting the village with
obtaining state and federal grants to get the quality of water
the village needs, and to financially assist with the project on
a cost-share basis.
“We will help this town get good water,” O’Neal said. “We are
forming a public and private partnership tonight to that end.”
Scattered applause followed his announcement.
Godley, with about 800 residents, does not have a municipal
water supply. Water for drinking and cooking is obtained from
private shallow-point wells 12 to 15 feet deep on average.
O’Neal said the key message is the amount of tritium in the
groundwater is not a health hazard, and is not in any of the
drinking wells but one, in which he said the level was well
below the state standard.
“Your health is not in jeopardy, but we’ll clean up our mess,”
he added.
O’Neal said the tritium-tainted leakage from the underground
pipe was discovered in March 2005, and the utility found high
concentrations of the isotope in October of that year.
Historical leaks occurred in 1996, 1998, and 2000, he said.
More than six million gallons of tritium-laced water leaked in
the three incidents, said O’Neal.
He said the utility conducted an extensive internal
investigation following the discovery, and found there was no
set procedure to bring together the right people to respond.
“Weak management contributed to this,” he said. “The issue here
is we simply did not do a good job, and we’re committed to do
better.”
O’Neal said tests by the utility indicated no other radioactive
elements then tritium in the groundwater.
“We will commit to clean things up effectively and thoroughly,
so we can put this behind us,” he said.
O’Neal said it was not up to Exelon to construct a water system
for Godley, but he said the utility will directly assist with
financial resources and help the village obtain state and
federal funding assistance.
“We’re here to help. We will help pay for bottled water, but we
don’t know the total amount. We’ll commit to long-term
solutions,” he said.
“Whatever our misconduct and failure, we don’t think anyone can
say we tried to pass the buck.”
Jim Zelko, executive director of the Will County Health
Department &Community Health Center, told the assembly the
county is not a regulatory agency for what goes on with Exelon.
He said the special meeting was because the committee wanted to
hear recommendations from the citizens.
“We heard their complaints at the (Feb. 8) meeting,” he added.
Will County Board Chairman Jim Moustis noted pending legislation
to address some concerns, and said the county was looking for
long-term solutions to the issue.
“Clean air and water is not a privilege, but a right,” he said,
adding it was not the right of others to impact the area’s water
supply. “We in Will County will not rest until there are
solutions for our problem.”
Moustis said the county plans to have a private laboratory test
the water supply.
“In a measured, scientific process,” he added, “and make the
sampling a part of the broader plan that takes in these issues.”
The testing process might possibly begin in two to three weeks,
and include the Will County Forest Preserve area. The process
will include testing for coliform and nitrates. He said the
quality of the shallow well water comes and goes with the
quality of the groundwater.
Audience participation was limited to 20 speakers, with each
limited to three minutes. Speakers signed a roster, and
addressed the committee from the podium on the floor, not from
their seats in the bleachers.
A spokesman who identified himself as representing Reed -Custer
Township and a grassroots group said Exelon was now storing
tritium on site.
“Will our good neighbor store that witch’s brew — this
cancer-causing material. I think the plan is to boil it up in
the air. All God’s creatures can benefit from Exelon’s benefit,”
the spokesman said.
“We’re going to get some subpoenas for an injunction so they
won’t start polluting the atmosphere.”
Another man said property values dropped in the village because
of the incident.
Wilmington Mayor Roy Strong said this was an opportunity “to get
good water here.”
“We’ve tested the water twice weekly since 1994. Most of the
time there’s no tritium in the water,” he added. “We feel safe —
we’re drinking the water in Wilmington. I hope we all work
together with Exelon to do this.”
A woman from St. Louis, representing a private nuclear citizens’
group, questioned why tritium was found in the water, but no
other isotopes appeared to be present. She said there was no way
to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant without tritium.
Godley Village Board President Michael Valeriano told the
committee he looked forward to working with everyone “to try to
get the (water) system going and cleaned up.”
“I want to get more community involvement on the positive side
to see what we can do to help,” he added.
Will County Executive Larry Walsh summed up the meeting by
saying Exelon admitted its errors and is willing to work
together to fix them.
“They have a major mountain to climb — they have failed us,” he
said.
“We’re not here to point fingers, but to move forward and find
solution. I applaud the residents here tonight. We will use
every source available to us in county government to participate
and get the project done for you.”
Walsh also pointed out that Exelon is a willing participant in
the process.
Morris Daily Herald • 1804 N. Division St. • Morris, Illinois
60450 (815) 942-3221 • (800) 215-9778
*****************************************************************
72 AFP: Russia revives international nuclear waste depot plan
MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia has revived plans for an international
center for treating and storing nuclear waste, an official from
the country's Rostekhnadzor atomic watchdog said.
Russia was one of several industrial countries that wanted to
build such a facility, the agency's head Konstantin Pulikovski
told reporters at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
nuclear security conference in Moscow.
"Proposals are being prepared by Rostekhnadzor and the Rosatom
atomic energy agency for Advertisement
[
src=] such a centre," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted
Pulikovski as saying.
"Plans for creating an international centre such as this on
their territory have been undertaken by several major countries,
including the United States," he said.
The scheme has been on Russian drawing boards for years. In 2001
the government adopted legislation authorizing the importation
of nuclear waste from other countries.
But the project has been stalled by opposition from Washington
and the competition the plant would face from existing treatment
centres in France, the world leader in nuclear power generation.
The Moscow conference also considered an international licensing
scheme to ensure surveillance of nuclear power stations built in
developing countries.
Often a number of countries contributed to the construction of
new plants that after completion ended up being monitored solely
by national agencies, Pulikovski said.
Russia, which is building Iran's nuclear power plant near
Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, has led diplomatic efforts to
convince Tehran to surrender its controversial nuclear research
program which the West fears could be diverted from electricity
generation to making nuclear weapons.
But Tehran has been cool on Moscow's offer to enrich uranium on
its behalf, giving it the fuel for nuclear power but not the
technology for a bomb.
The IAEA board is due to meet in Vienna on Monday in a session
that could trigger United Nations Security Council sanctions
against Iran.
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! UK Limited. All rights reserved.
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73 AU ABC: Senator criticises waste dump safety guidelines consultation.
01/03/2006. ABC News Online
Labor Senator Trish Crossin says the public has not had a chance
to comment on safety guidelines for a nuclear waste dump in the
Northern Territory.
She says the Federal Government released the guidelines six
days before Christmas but has not advertised an invitation for
public comment.
Senator Crossin says the Government has tried to bury the
guidelines, which set out what safety measures must be put in
place at a nuclear waste dump in the Territory.
"I would have thought that environment centres, scientists, the
Northern Territory Government at least would have been sent a
copy of these guidelines for comment and I certainly would have
thought that people would have been alerted to these guidelines
by public advertisement and that hasn't happened," she said.
Senator Crossin says she is concerned the waste dump will now
include a retention pond.
She says she found out during Senate estimates that an
evaporation pond for run-off from radioactive containers would
be needed in the compound.
She says she is concerned about the effect on wildlife
especially if the nuclear waste dump is built in central
Australia.
"If one of the sites ends up being one of the two in the Alice
Springs region I would have thought a retention pond would
attract quite a lot of bird life and wildlife and we know that
the impact of nuclear waste on wildlife is yet to be tested even
in the international arena," she said.
*****************************************************************
74 Contra Costa Times: Laboratory fined for safety violations
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2006
By Betsy Mason CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has been fined nearly $600,000 for
incidents that exposed workers to plutonium and phosphorous
during the past two years.
This is the sixth time the lab has been cited for safety
violations since the inception of the Department of Energy's
nuclear safety enforcement program in 1995.
The $588,500 fine is the highest ever received by the lab on its
own, though it was one of several labs that shared a
million-dollar citation in 2000. However, all the fines are
waived by law because the lab's manager, the University of
California, is a nonprofit institution.
During the summer of 2004, five workers were repeatedly exposed
to low levels of plutonium while working in a mobile facility
that packages and transports radioactive waste.
The exposure levels were well below regulatory limits, but had
the potential to be higher "since work place controls were not
adequate for the observed radiological conditions," according to
a sternly worded letter dated Thursday to lab director Michael
Anastasio from National Nuclear Security Administration head,
Linton Brooks.
In April, a worker in a chemistry lab spilled radioactive
phosphorous on his shoe, and instead of notifying the lab's
hazard control team, he bagged up the shoe and closed up the lab
for the weekend. The proper measures were taken the following
Monday, according to lab spokeswoman Susan Houghton.
"It is absolutely unacceptable that both of these incidents
occurred and we recognize that," she said.
The incidents along with other safety issues at the lab's
plutonium facility -- such as taped-up cracks in the ventilation
system and glove boxes used to handle plutonium without adequate
seismic restraints -- precipitated a nine-month stand-down of
operations at the facility that ended in November.
In his letter, Brooks said the incidents and safety issues, and
the lack of an appropriate response to those problems
"demonstrate the need for significant improvement in LLNL's
nuclear safety culture."
Brooks also wrote that he was disappointed by the "long-standing
and recurring nature" of the problems that "casts significant
doubt on the Laboratory's ability to effectively analyze and
correct performance problems."
Lab officials responded with a statement Monday acknowledging
the lab's role in the incidents and the need for "significant
improvements in the Laboratory's safety culture."
According to the statement, the lab has been working
aggressively over the past year to correct the problems and
avoid future incidents. The steps taken so far include new
equipment and radiation protection procedures, employee
training, a new office to track external assessments of the lab,
and senior management tours of high-hazard activities.
"Laboratory managers also are working to develop and implement a
culture that encourages all employees to stop work at any time
if safety could possibly be compromised," according to the
statement.
Betsy Mason covers science and the national laboratories. Reach
her at 925-847-2158 or bmason@cctimes.com. email this print
*****************************************************************
75 lamonitor.com: LLNL cited for nuclear safety breach
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
ROGER SNODGRASS, , Monitor Assistant Editor
The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to issue a
citation for a series of safety violations going back nearly two
years ago at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in
Livermore, Calif.
In a letter to LLNL Director Michael Anastasio released on
Monday, Administrator Linton Brooks concluded that the nuclear
weapons laboratory broke a number of nuclear safety rules over
more than a year, beginning in April 2004.
Anastasio is the designated director for Los Alamos National
Laboratory under a contract with Los Alamos National Security,
LLC, scheduled to begin June 1.
Officials of Lawrence Livermore, who had previously blamed a
contractor for one of the events, for the first time accepted
responsibility.
"We acknowledge our role in the incidents cited today by the
Department of Energy/Price-Anderson Enforcement Office and the
need for significant improvements in the laboratory's safety
culture," LLNL said in an announcement Monday.
The violations include multiple radiological exposures,
involving five individuals over a six-month period. The problems
could have been worse, according to the notification, because of
faulty protection and inappropriate responses by the Livermore
laboratory.
The notice made a point of LLNL's reluctance to accept
responsibility.
"None of the violations received mitigation for prompt
identification," Brooks wrote, "since the underlying
deficiencies were either disclosed by the events or through
DOE/NNSA contract management and oversight activities."
A total civil penalty of $585,500 was imposed for the
infractions, but waived by law.
Under the Price-Anderson Amendment statutes that govern nuclear
safety, violations are measured by severity and fines are
assessed accordingly, but the fines are waived for nonprofits.
The University of California manages LLNL.
By comparison, Los Alamos National Laboratory was last cited
under the Price-Anderson law in June 2004, for an event in which
five workers were seriously exposed to toxic vapors.
Along with other issues uncovered in the radiological protection
program, the violation was assessed a $770,000 fine.
In January 2005, in the midst of a laboratory-wide shutdown at
Los Alamos National Laboratory, LLNL ordered a standdown of its
plutonium facility as a result of complications related to the
current set of violations.
Two draft plans to resolve the safety issues at Livermore's
plutonium facility were rejected by the NNSA supervisors at
Livermore, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Board site
report at the time, triggering the standdown.
"It has not resumed full operations," said Marylia Kelley,
executive director, of the public interest group Tri-Valley
CAREs. Kelley lives down the street from the laboratory and has
followed events at LLNL very closely.
"Livermore's role for violations from April through August 2004
isn't coming to light until the end of February 2006," she said.
"I am not surprised to find that LLNL was substantially at
fault."
Additional minor contamination incidents occurred during March,
May and October of 2004 and reports were not filed on the
events, as they should have been, according to the DNFSB site
representative in his Dec. 3, 2004, report.
Two separate exposures were penalized in the notice.
One was a radiological uptake involving a trailer - the Mobile
Visual Examination and Repackaging Unit (MOVER), which has a
glovebox and the capacity to open TRU waste drums.
Some visual inspections must be performed on transuranic waste
material prior to shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project
in New Mexico.
The other was a radiological spill involving phosphorous-32. The
spilled chemical was carried home on the shoe of an exposed
worker.
"Without improvement, NNSA cannot have confidence that all
critical elements of LLNL's safety programs are being
effectively implemented," Brooks wrote. "I am also disappointed
by the longstanding and recurring nature of many of the
deficiencies associated with the violations."
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
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