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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 [NYTr] Iran Defends Nuke Program in Oslo
2 [NYTr] US Confusion on Iran
3 Guardian Unlimited: Bush Begins Talks With European Leaders
4 Guardian Unlimited: EU offers Tehran last-minute talks to 'explain'
5 IRNA: Pakistan, Kuwait opposed to confrontation to resolve Iran nucl
6 IRNA: FM: No deadline for Iran to respond to EU incentives package -
7 IRNA: Iranian Jews boast of Iran's access to nuclear energy - Jewish
8 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: OIC rejects preconditions over Iran
9 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: FM met OIC Secretary General in Baku
10 AFP: Bush should not be in a hurry, says Iranian FM
11 IRNA: Iran will remain committed to NPT
12 Guardian Unlimited: Europe Backs Bush on Growing Nuke Crises
13 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Won't Respond to Offer 'Til August
14 Japan gives North Korea fresh missile warning
15 [progchat_action] US turns on missile shield as Korea fears
16 [NYTr] North Korea's Non-Threat
17 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Nixes N. Korea Bid for Missile Talks
18 Guardian Unlimited: N.Korea Seeks Talks With U.S. Over Missile
19 AFP: Bush presses Iran, North Korea on security fears
20 AFP: NKorea must keep promise to US not to test nuclear missile - Bu
21 Annan Pleads For End To International Deadlock On Nuclear Non-prolif
22 [NYTr] World "sleepwalking" to nuclear proliferation: Annan
23 Guardian Unlimited: 'A colossal waste of money'
24 Guardian Unlimited: Annan: World Sleepwalking to Nuke Spread
25 Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free: The axis of diplomacy
26 Guardian Unlimited: Brown intervenes in Trident debate with
NUCLEAR REACTORS
27 US: public financing of campaigns; nuclear power
28 Guardian Unlimited: Brown 'to back nuclear replacement'
29 Guardian Unlimited: Turkey Plans to Build 3 Nuclear Plants
30 Guardian Unlimited: British Energy in profit and bullish on nuclear
31 BBC: Mapping out the UK's nuclear future
32 Platts: EIA reports global nuclear generating capacity expected to r
33 The Herald: McConnell at odds on nuclear power
34 Daily Ittefaq: Hope rekindled for Rooppur Nuclear power project
35 US: Rutland Herald: Yankee critical to clean environment
36 US: Salt Lake City Weekly: Costly Nukes
37 TheStar.com: Nuclear titan eyes Candu
38 TheStar.com: Taxpayers on hook for nuclear folly
39 Telegraph: Lib Dem nuclear pledge
40 globeandmail.com: Nuclear plan marks rubber-stamp era
41 US: St. Petersburg Times: Second nuclear plant won't come without ri
NUCLEAR SECURITY
NUCLEAR SAFETY
42 US: Activist sues FEMA, NRC, Governor
43 BBC: Dounreay Workers
44 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting of The ACR
45 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting of the
46 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Subcommittee Meet
47 UPI: U.S., Jamaica to screen for radiation
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
48 US: [NukeNet] EPA Wants to Cover Radioactive Soil Near Missouri
49 US: NRC: NRC'S Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Re-Elects Chairma
50 US: St. Louis Post-Dispatch: EPA wants to cover-not dig up-radioacti
51 US: thedesertsun.com: Unanswered questions blur picture of Salton Se
52 US: MSPBJ: Tribal leader pushes for nuclear waste clean-up -
53 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca cuts 19 vehicles from fleet
PEACE
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
54 Knox News: Former Y-12 worker charged with taking files
55 The Sun News: Nuclear official: Fuel program to speed up
56 KIFI: INL Signs Deal With Company To Create Nuclear Medicine
57 DOE: Secretary of Energy Appoints Hydrogen Technical Advisory Commit
58 TheNewsTribune.com: Cost for Hanford plant now stands at $11.55 bill
59 Tri-City Herald: DOE delays pension change
60 DOE: Office of Science; Biological and Environmental Research
61 Nuclear Watch of New Mexico: Los Alamos Goes Postal,
62 lamonitor.com: DOE suspends pension directive
63 Knox News: Changes in pension benefits on hold
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 [NYTr] Iran Defends Nuke Program in Oslo
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 22:32:26 -0500 (CDT)
X-Sender-Host-Address: 127.127.127.127
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com
Iran Defends Nuclear Program in Oslo
Oslo, Jun 21 (Prensa Latina) Iranian ambassador to the International
Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asghar Soltanieh said that Teheran has always
wanted to carry out peaceful civil nuclear programs and its enrichment
of uranium is necessary for its research and nuclear reactors.
In a press conference at the Nobel Prize center in Oslo, Austria,
Soltanieh made clear that his country is in favor of dismantling
atomic bombs and reducing the uranium enrichment rate for civilian
purposes, Iranian IRNA news agency reported.
The Iranian IAEA representative denied in Oslo on Wednesday that his
country is enriching uranium at its processing plants for military
purposes.
The US created an artificial crisis after accusing Teheran of trying
to build nuclear weapons, an argument that was rejected by the Persian
country, which defends its right to the nuclear energy peaceful use.
Soltanieh also stressed the need for dismantling existing nuclear
bombs and reiterated that the world opinion should be warned about the
danger and threat represented by the highly enriched uranium used in
that type of weapons.
Western European countries and the US demand that Iran stop its atomic
program, chiefly the production of enriched uranium, but Teheran
states that it is not violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In its struggle with Iran, the White House ignores one of the NPT
regulations, which refers to the total elimination of nuclear weapons
in the world.
Iran also defends its right to receive technological cooperation for
developing nuclear energy as an NPT signatory.
The Iranian issue is one of the main topics for discussion at the
European Union summit with the US in Vienna, which headquarters the
IAEA, though the tone has been rarefied with new sanction threats on
Iran uttered by US President George W. Bush.
sus/ajs/to/mf
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2 [NYTr] US Confusion on Iran
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:22:08 -0500 (CDT)
X-Sender-Host-Address: 127.127.127.127
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
UPI via the Post Chronicle - Jun 19, 2006
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/security/article_21223961.shtml
U.S. Confusion On Iran
by Gennady Yevstafyev
MOSCOW, June 16, 2006 (UPI) -- Things are getting curiouser and curiouser in
the United States as encouraging news comes from Tehran in response to the
latest six-party nuclear offer.
The Bush administration seems to have been taken totally by surprise by new
political advice that negotiations should be promoted and even that Iran, in
fact, has some right to a local version of the nuclear cycle.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Shanghai meeting with Russian
President Vladimir Putin has ended in a declaration of Iran's readiness for
talks -- which certainly adds weight to Russia's long-time calls for
commitment to prudent and unbiased enforcement of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty and respect for all other commitments stemming from
it; the Europeans and the Americans have suddenly emerged with surprisingly
bright ideas on something they had earlier denied even thinking of.
The Iranian leader's Shanghai promises are highly likely to broaden the
divide in the U.S. political community. The hawkish faction will probably
have to back down a little under pressure from "talks" people who have
really big cards to play with. First, with the U.S. forces stuck in Iraq,
the nation simply cannot afford another unpredictable military adventure.
Second, they might add, some of Iran's new decision-makers seem savory
enough for India-like negotiating with the possible outcome of Russians and
Europeans being, slowly but surely, squeezed out of what will then turn into
a new promising playground.
True, the old "you can never trust the Russians, better try the West"
approach is already circulating across Iranian society, especially among
people who have relatives in the United States. This is what they call a
true intrigue, one that makes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's dream
come true -- finally the Russians are being labeled as "undependable
partners" by Iranian ayatollahs, who used to be so loyal to them. But these
subtleties are also exactly what diehard Republican conservatives despise
Rice for, putting on her all the blame for "sluggish progress" on Iran.
Continue reading this article below
Although the gap between neocons and moderates is so narrow that any
inconvenience with Iran -- for example, a single Ahmadinejad offensive
remark on Israel -- might prompt most moderates to suddenly turn hawkish,
some of the turns and twists of the U.S.-Iran nuclear debate are truly
remarkable.
There seems to be a consensus on describing the ideology-driven President
Ahmadinejad as the greatest obstacle to a possible Washington-Tehran deal.
Ahmadinejad is popular with the Iranian youth -- not the urban yuppies
craving for Western mass culture but the poor rural Muslim people who
appreciate his youth development programs. So the U.S. intelligence people,
well aware that the president is foreign to the narrow group of nuclear
decision-makers, wonder how then he managed to win the election against the
rich and powerful Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The obvious American question here is "where's the money?" To some, the
answer is very easy and simple: it's the Russians again. If anyone sees a
"Russian oil money propelled Ahmadinejad to power" headline in a U.S.
newspaper tomorrow, they should look no further than this essay. Ridiculous?
We have seen more ridiculous things, thank you very much, that were printed
and sold as perfectly true.
Meanwhile, United States Director of National Intelligence John D.
Negroponte and Rice are setting up their own Iran think tanks, including a
special office on Iran at the State Department. While this is a sign of hope
that the military option is currently not the first on the table, and what
Ahmadinejad told Putin in Shanghai sounds plausible enough, everyone needs
to do more. Iran, for its part, should move faster to walk the walk on its
deliberations with the "Iranian Six." Dragging out the issue would clearly
not be in its best interests as it would play straight into the hands of the
hawks over the Atlantic.
[Lt. Gen. Gennady Yevstafyev, Ret., is a former senior officer of Russia's
Foreign Intelligence Service, also known as the SVR. He is now a senior
adviser at the Center for Policy Studies in Russia or PIR Center. This
article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti]
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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3 Guardian Unlimited: Bush Begins Talks With European Leaders
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 1:01 PM
AP Photo VIE122
By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - President Bush began talks with European
leaders Wednesday amid rising concern about North Korea's
apparent plans to test a long-range ballistic missile believed
capable of reaching the U.S.
The issue is one of several overshadowing the U.S.-European
Union summit, which began with a morning meeting between Bush
and Heinz Fischer, the president of Austria, which holds the
25-nation EU's rotating presidency.
Fischer told Austrian media he raised the issue of the U.S.
detention center for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
with Bush, acknowledging it was ``a delicate and difficult
problem in relations between the European Union and the United
States.'' Europeans have called on the U.S. to close the
facility. Bush, he said, responded by saying: ``But we're going
to solve it.''
The looming standoff with North Korea wasn't apparent at the
outset of the meeting at the ornate Hofburg Palace. Bush joked
that he and Fischer were like ``thorns between two roses'' as
they posed for photographs between Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik.
North Korea said Wednesday that it wants direct talks with the
United States, which has insisted it will only speak to the
North at talks involving four other countries. The White House
said North Korea's desire for direct talks was not new, and that
it wants to continue to use the venue of six-nation talks as the
forum for communications.
On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Thomas Scheiffer
said the United States has means of responding to a North Korean
missile test that it didn't have the last time Pyongyang carried
out a launch in 1998, and is considering all options.
Scheiffer didn't say what those options were, but U.S. defense
officials in Washington said Tuesday the Pentagon is considering
attempting to intercept the missile if it is fired over the
Pacific. The officials agreed to discuss the matter only on
condition of anonymity because of its political sensitivity.
The formal agenda for the annual U.S.-EU summit centers on
reducing the West's addiction to imported oil and gas, fighting
terror, protecting intellectual property rights and discussing
an EU plan to channel critically needed cash to the
Palestinians.
Bush, who also met with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel
and EU leaders, planned to press his European counterparts to
follow his lead and promise to eliminate government support for
farmers, a sticking point in difficult talks for a global
free-trade pact.
``If they can move in that direction, we're going to be in the
zone of getting an agreement by the end of the year,'' Bush's
national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, told reporters
traveling with the president to Austria.
Bush also is urging European nations to make good on their
pledges of financial assistance for Iraq's reconstruction.
Hadley would not name the countries that have not yet delivered,
but he said the president believes coming up with the money now
is crucial to the success of the fledgling leadership in
Baghdad. The administration says only $3 billion of $13 billion
promised has gone to Baghdad.
Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions also were sure to come up.
Earlier this month, the United States, Britain, France, Germany,
China and Russia offered Iran incentives to impose a long-term
moratorium on uranium enrichment, a process that can produce
material for nuclear generators or bombs. With the Bush
administration insisting Tehran has ``weeks, not months'' to
make a decision, Iran has so far neither rejected nor accepted
the proposal.
That leaves the showdown in a holding pattern with little to
discuss as Bush meets with EU leaders who aren't the major
players in the issue.
Mostly, Iran is a source of some goodwill for Bush on a
continent where anti-Americanism is widespread and dislike of
his foreign policy is strong, primarily stemming from his 2003
decision to invade Iraq.
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib,
allegations of a massacre of unarmed civilians by U.S. Marines
at Haditha and reports of secret prisons for terror suspects
have only added to European concerns about Washington. Bush also
will be greeted by mounting calls for closing the U.S. detention
center for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where three
prisoners committed suicide this month.
But Bush's second-term shift in strategy on Iran - agreeing to
join direct talks if Tehran suspends uranium enrichment and
teaming up to craft the incentives package - has won him
accolades for working closely with other nations.
Still, anti-Bush sentiment was prevalent. About 1,200 students
chanting ``Bush Go Home!'' rallied at a train station to protest
his visit to the capital, where 1,000 police officers were
assigned solely to deal with demonstrators. Another 2,000
officers patrolled the city.
Leading the students was U.S. ``peace mom'' Cindy Sheehan, who
lost her son in Iraq and energized the anti-war movement last
summer with a protest outside Bush's Texas ranch. Demonstrators
waved black flags, blew whistles, beat drums and shouted, ``Hey,
ho, Bush has got to go!'' Others carried banners and signs that
said ``World's No. 1 Terrorist'' and ``Islam is not the enemy.''
---
Associated Press writers William J. Kole and Austin H.M. Childs
contributed to this report.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
4 Guardian Unlimited: EU offers Tehran last-minute talks to 'explain' nuclear deal
Simon Tisdall and Ewen MacAskill in Tehran
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian
The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has made an
unexpected private offer of last-minute talks to persuade the
Iranian government to accept the west's nuclear package.
Sources in Tehran said yesterday that Mr Solana had been having
telephone conversations with Ali Larijani, the chief Iranian
nuclear negotiator, to try to clarify "ambiguities" in the joint
offer from the United States, Britain and other European
countries.
Iran has so far declined to respond formally to the offer, which
includes a range of incentives to persuade it to suspend uranium
enrichment. Although it has described the package as a "positive
step forward", Tehran has said some of the elements are vague
and uncertain.
Saeid Jalili, the deputy minister of foreign affairs,
confirmed in an interview that renewed discussions were under
way. He said: "My colleagues have talked with Mr Solana over the
phone and the gentleman has expressed a willingness to come and
explain the ambiguities. That is good, and we welcome that.
"So far we have not arranged anything. It is just an expression
of willingness," Mr Jalili added.
A western diplomat confirmed the EU initiative, saying: "We have
offered them a further meeting. It would be semi-private and
there would be no press conferences." He said the meeting could
take place in Vienna or Tehran.
Mr Solana's offer has underlined the high stakes riding on
Iran's acceptance of the western negotiations package, which is
designed to halt the long-running dispute over its controversial
nuclear development activities.
The EU said on Monday it expected to have a formal response -
and hopefully an acceptance of the offer - by the end of the
month. The western diplomat agreed there was a de facto
deadline, saying: "Time is important. The G8 foreign ministers
meet at the end of the month and the G8 [leaders] in mid-July.
They will say what is Iran's response to our proposals."
But Iran has insisted it will not be pressurised by the west and
will accept no preconditions for talks.
The foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said this week that
the package was being debated by expert committees. Iran's final
word is expected to come from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, or from Mr Larijani.
The US president, George Bush, warned Iran on Monday that
Washington "would not waver" from its insistence that Tehran
cease all enrichment activities at its Natanz nuclear facility.
If Iran did not comply, he implied the US would refuse to
participate in future negotiations.
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
5 IRNA: Pakistan, Kuwait opposed to confrontation to resolve Iran nuclear issue
Islamabad, June 21, IRNA
Pakistan-Kuwait-Iran nuclear issue
Pakistan and Kuwait on Tuesday opposed any confrontation to
resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and said the
issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
The two countries expressed their opposition in a joint
statement issued at the conclusion of the two-day visit to
Islamabad of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber
al-Sabah.
They underlined that the issue should be resolved through
dialogue and consultations with the aim of giving diplomacy a
chance and avoiding confrontation at all costs, the joint
statement said.
Both sides expressed the hope Iran would positively and
carefully consider the European offer.
The statement said that they had taken note of the current
situation in the Persian Gulf and that while Iran had the right
to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, its activities
should be conducted in consonance with international obligations.
On the subject of Iraq, the joint statement said Kuwait and
Pakistan welcomed the formation of the new government, headed by
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which represents all sections of
Iraqi society, and wished the prime minister and his government
success in their efforts to bring peace, prosperity and
stability to their country.
Both sides expressed their willingness to continue their
assistance to Iraq's reconstruction.
On Palestine, the joint statement said that the two sides were
reiterating their support for establishment of a sovereign,
independent, united and viable state of Palestine within a
reasonable time through negotiated settlement, as envisaged in
the roadmap proposed by the Middle East Quartet and relevant UN
Security Council resolutions.
Both sides condemned the killings of innocent civilians.
Kuwait and Pakistan emphasized the importance of reinvigorating
the peace process in the Middle East in accordance with the Arab
Peace Plan of 2003 and the roadmap, and pledged to continue
their development and humanitarian assistance to Palestine.
The two sides, in their joint statement, further denounced
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed
their intention to strengthen their cooperation to combat this
evil both at the bilateral level and within the multilateral
system of the United Nations.
*****************************************************************
6 IRNA: FM: No deadline for Iran to respond to EU incentives package -
Baku, June 21, IRNA
Iran-OIC-Mottaki
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here Tuesday said
that Iran was under no deadline to respond to the the 5+1
Group's incentives package.
Saying Iran was still reviewing the package, Mottaki said that
Tehran would "inform the Europeans" whenever it finished
examining the proposals.
His remarks came during a press conference held on the
sidelines of the 33rd meeting of foreign ministers of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in the Azeri
capital Baku.
The three-day meeting opened on Monday and will conclude later
today.
Describing the 5+1 Group's proposals to Iran as "positive," the
foreign minister said it was "one step forward" compared with
their proposal last year which Iran was only either to accept or
reject.
However, this time around they (US, Russia, Britain, France,
China and Germany) have told Tehran to study the proposals
carefully and then inform the group of its decision, Mottaki
said.
The foreign minister lauded OIC member states and Muslim
countries for their support for Tehran's indisputable right to
access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Asked to comment on Monday's statements of US President George
W Bush threatening Iran of UN Security Council action or further
sanctions in case it rejected the new proposals, Mottaki said
the US president should remember that "the era of threats is
over." "The language of threats is no longer acceptable in
today's world," Mottaki stressed, and expressed hope the current
nuclear standoff with the West will come to an end with opposing
sides reaching an acceptable solution through goodwill and
recognition of Iran's absolute right to pursue nuclear energy
for peaceful ends.
Asked about recent attempts to sow discord among different
Iranian ethnic groups and create tension inside the country,
Mottaki said that the Iran is a cornucopia of various ethnic
groups which have shown their ability to co-exist for over a
thousand years.
"National unity and solidarity is an Iranian treasure preserved
throughout its long history," Mottaki stressed.
*****************************************************************
7 IRNA: Iranian Jews boast of Iran's access to nuclear energy - Jewish MP
Moscow, June 21, IRNA
Iran-Jews-Rights
The representative of the Jewish community in the Islamic
Consultative Assembly (Majlis), Maurice Motamed, said here that
the Iranian Jews, along with other Iranian nationals, boast of
the country's access to peaceful nuclear technology.
Motamed, currently in Moscow to attend a seminar on Islam and
Judaism and the prospect of cooperation, dialogue, told
reporters that political pressures will not have any impact on
the will of the Iranian nation for making use of nuclear energy
for peaceful purposes.
Iran is an ancient country where various religious and national
ethnic groups live freely, he added.
Referring to the Jewish community as the most ancient minority
group living in Iran, he said peaceful coexistence among
different religions in Iran has a 2,700-year history.
Some 25,000 Jews are living in Iran freely, he said stressing
that the Jews, like other minorities, are free to perform their
religious rituals.
As to anti-Israel remarks by the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and the issue of Holocaust, Motamed said based on
the issue of freedom of expression and democracy, expressing
one's views about Israel is nothing wrong and that President
Ahmadinejad's remarks were made in that context.
Ahmadinejad's remarks did not worry the Jewish community in
Iran, he said, adding that the remarks were not considered as
anti-Jews statement.
However, he said he had expressed his dissatisfaction with
President Ahmadinejad's remarks regarding the Holocaust.
President Ahmadinejad described the Holocaust as a "myth" and
suggested that those who sympathize with alleged Jewish victims
be generous enough to give some of their territories to the
Jewish state.
*****************************************************************
8 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: OIC rejects preconditions over Iran
2006/06/21
Negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme should resume without
any preconditions, the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) said in a declaration adopted in Baku on
Wednesday.
"We express our conviction that the only way to resolve Iran's
nuclear issue is to resume negotiations without any
preconditions," OIC members said in a document called the Baku
declaration.
They also called for the establishment of a nuclear weapons free
zone in the Middle East and for the "prompt placement" of the
Zionist regime under the control of the UN's International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We demand 'Israel's' accession to the NPT (nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty) without delay and prompt placement of
all its nuclear facilities under IAEA comprehensive safeguard
systems," it said.
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center.
*****************************************************************
9 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: FM met OIC Secretary General in Baku
2006/06/21
Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said Tuesday that Iran is legally
entitled to peaceful use of nuclear technology.
The OIC Secretary General made the remarks in his meeting with
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki which was held on the
sidelines of the 33rd Meeting of OIC Foreign Ministers which
opened in the Azeri capital, Baku, on Monday.
At the meeting, the two sides also discussed regular
consultations among Islamic countries on resolving the issues of
world Muslims.
The Islamic Republic of Iran calls more active role of Islamic
countries to help resolve global issues, Mottaki said.
OIC inspired by world Muslims can take concrete measures to
play its global role, underlined the Iranian Foreign Minister.
KH
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center.
E-Mail: Webmaster@IRIBNEWS.ir
*****************************************************************
10 AFP: Bush should not be in a hurry, says Iranian FM
Wed Jun 21, 5:46 PM ET
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran " /> Irantold US President George W. Bush "
/> President George W. Bushnot to rush it into providing an
answer to the offer by major world powers over its uranium
enrichment programme.
"President Bush cannot and must not be in a rush," said Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on a visit to Rome.
"When ( European Union " /> European Unionforeign policy chief)
Javier Solana gave us his suggestions on June 6 no time limit was
set", he told Italian television.
Earlier in the day Bush had said at a United States-EU meeting in
Vienna that Iran should not need until late August 22 -- the date
given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- to respond to
the offer by the world's major powers of a deal designed to
secure guarantees that Tehran's nuclear programme is peaceful.
"It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable proposal," the
US leader said. "It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to
analyze what is a reasonable deal."
"The only undertaking required from Iran is not to divulge the
content of the offer as long as an agreement has not been
reached and we respect that commitment," Mottaki said.
The proposal had "many ambiguities. It is right for Iran to
study the document seriously and precisely until August 22."
Mottaki's brief visit to Rome included a meeting with Italian
Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, who said his country backed
the negotiating position of the EU over Iran's nuclear programme
and urged Tehran to overcome any reservations about reopening
negotiations.
Earlier Iran had dismissed a warning by Bush of stronger
sanctions if Tehran did not bow to international demands over
its nuclear programme, which it says is purely designed to
produce atomic energy but which the West fears could be a cover
for the development of nuclear weapons.
"Bush's language is not acceptable and does not fit in with our
cooperation with Europe," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Asefi was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.
On Monday, Bush turned up the pressure on Tehran, warning of
"progressively stronger political and economic sanctions" if it
refused to freeze sensitive nuclear activities in return for
talks.
Bush signalled that suspending uranium enrichment and
reprocessing was not negotiable.
"If Iran's leaders want peace and prosperity and a more hopeful
future for their people, they should accept our offer, abandon
any ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons and come into compliance
with their international obligations," he said.
The suspension of uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable
precondition set out in the proposal made to Iran by the five
permanent UN Security Council members -- Britain, China, France,
Russia and the United States -- plus Germany.
The offer, presented to Iran on June 6, involves incentives and
multilateral talks if Iran agrees to temporarily halt the
sensitive nuclear activity and cooperate with the International
Atomic Energy Agency " /> International Atomic Energy Agency.
Asefi denied Tehran had been set a deadline to respond to the
offer.
In Vienna however, diplomats have said the EU's Solana told Iran
the world powers expected an answer to their offer by June 29,
although others said the timing remained flexible.
"Expert work is being carried out in specialised committees and
good progress has been made. But there cannot be any time
predicted for the submission of our response," Asefi said.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
11 IRNA: Iran will remain committed to NPT
Tehran, June 21, IRNA
Iran-MP-Nuclear
Iran will remain committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as
long as it enjoys its privileges such as access to nuclear
technology based on Article 4 of the NPT, a Majlis deputy said
here Wednesday.
Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission
Alaeddin Boroujerdi made the remark during his pre-agenda speech
at the Majlis.
"We believe in understanding and logical interaction with the
world based on mutual interests. Any rational proposal within
the NPT frameworks is negotiable," he said.
He stressed the significance of safeguarding the Iranian
nation's rights, adding, "We will never accept violation of the
nation's rights under imposed circumstances."
Pointing to Iran's voluntary suspension of its peaceful nuclear
activities for 2.5 years with an aim of removing ambiguities and
promoting transparency, he said, "The suspension resulted in a
report by the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed
ElBaradei which proved no diversion in Iran's activities from
the IAEA regulations.
"Therefore, continuation of suspension (of peaceful nuclear
activities) will not be acceptable."
The MP from Boroujerd added, "Iran welcomed negotiations with
no preconditions which showed highest level of its goodwill to
reach an agreement.
"We still have no confidence in the United States because
besides its historical hostility to the Iranian people, it still
spares no efforts to put Iran under pressure.
"The US Congress presented a resolution banning gasoline export
to Iran which was a new step leading to strengthening Iran's
lack of confidence in the US."
He pointed to claims raised by Washington on its efforts to
settle Iran's nuclear case and said that if the US is interested
in resolving the case, it should prove its honesty based on an
appropriate political literature.
Boroujerdi added Iran's access to nuclear technology was among
great achievements of the country's domestic and foreign
policies, saying, "Today, a country (the US) makes allegations
against Iran about its lack of commitment to the IAEA
regulations while the United States is the only state using
nuclear weapons.
"The US explicitly violates Article 6 of the NPT by building
new nuclear weapons and testing them."
He stated that policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based
on peaceful coexistence with all countries particularly its
neighbors as well as expansion of its ties and cooperation with
countries. He stressed that Tehran makes a distinction between
the American people and their administration.
The MP said Iran is an independent, strong and influential
country in the region, adding, "We are determined to play our
historical role in establishing peace and tranquility."
Referring to incorrect remarks by the US statesmen on situation
in Iran, he said, "Washington has made the worst judgment about
Iran."
He pointed to a statement by the European Union foreign policy
chief Javier Solana who has said that Iran is the most
influential country in the region and added, "Which country is
really isolated? "Is Iran viewed as an isolated country while it
was invited to attend the conference of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization by two founders of the organization which are among
five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
The Iranian resident (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) delivered a speech at
the conference and held separate meetings with its participants."
Boroujerdi called for a correct judgment, preservation of
national interests and avoidance of sacrificing national
interests for factional interests.
He stressed the importance of cementing convergence and unity
among the Iranian people as main principles of safeguarding
national interests, saying, "Despite the fact that there are
different cultures and languages in Iran, the nation strongly
resists all problems."
*****************************************************************
12 Guardian Unlimited: Europe Backs Bush on Growing Nuke Crises
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 10:16 PM
AP Photo XDB126
By TERENCE HUNT AP White House Correspondent
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - President Bush won solid European support
Wednesday for his handling of escalating nuclear crises with
North Korea and Iran but was challenged over the Iraq war, the
U.S. prison camp in Cuba and rising anti-American sentiment.
``That's absurd,'' Bush snapped at a news conference in response
to an assertion that the United States was regarded as the
biggest threat to global security. ``We'll defend ourselves, but
at the same time we're actively working with our partners to
spread peace and democracy.
Unbidden, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel rose with an
impassioned defense that seemed to surprise the president.
``I think it's grotesque to say that America is a threat to the
peace in the world compared with North Korea, Iran, a lot of
countries,'' Schuessel said. Europe would not enjoy peace and
prosperity if not for U.S. help after World War II, he said.
``We should be fair from the other side of the Atlantic,''
Schuessel said. ``We should understand what September 11th meant
to the American people.''
But the chancellor also prodded Bush.
``We can only have a victory in the fight against terror if we
don't undermine our common values,'' Schuessel said. ``It can
never be a victory, a credible victory over terrorists if we
give up our values: democracy, rule of law, individual rights.''
Bush came here for the annual summit of the United States and
the 25-nation European Union at a time when favorable opinions
of the U.S. have fallen across Europe.
About 1,200 students chanting ``Bush Go Home!'' marched through
Vienna to a church square not far from Hofburg Palace where the
leaders met. They were led by Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in
Iraq and energized the anti-war movement a year ago with a
monthlong protest outside Bush's Texas ranch.
Bush readily acknowledged summit disputes.
``We disagreed in an agreeable way on certain issues,'' the
president said. Bush also chatted with foreign students at a
round-table, toured the national library and listened to the
Vienna Boys Choir before arriving in Budapest, Hungary to spend
the night.
The president won backing for the demand that North Korea
abandon plans to test-fire a long-range missile. ``It should
make people nervous when non-transparent regimes that have
announced that they've got nuclear warheads fire missiles,'' he
said.
Bush said he was glad China had joined in urging North Korea not
to test, and said he had talked with the leaders of Russia and
Japan to enlist their help, as well.
``If this (test) happens, there will be a strong statement and a
strong answer from the international community,'' said
Schuessel, who holds the EU's rotating presidency. ``And Europe
will be part of it. There's no doubt.''
There was solidarity, too, in pressing Iran to accept a
two-week-old offer of incentives in return for a moratorium on
uranium enrichment, a process that can produce material for
nuclear generators or for weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Tehran will respond in
mid-August.
``It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable answer ...
It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a
reasonable deal,'' the president said.
Schuessel agreed. ``The time is limited,'' he said. ``And I
think we should not play with time. ... It's not only time, it's
the right moment.''
Within an hour of Iran's remarks, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and diplomats from the other five nations offering the Iran
incentives had agreed by phone to stick to a deadline of next
week for an answer, a U.S. official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the
diplomats' discussions were confidential, said the six nations
expect an answer near the time of a meeting of foreign ministers
from Group of Eight nations June 29 in Moscow. If Iran does not
reply, that meeting would probably become a springboard toward
action against Iran in the U.N. Security Council, the official
said.
Anticipating a subject of high concern in Europe, Bush raised
the detention of about 460 terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. The recent suicides of three inmates have intensified
international condemnation of the facility and demands for it to
be closed.
``I understand their concerns,'' Bush said. ``I'd like to end
Guantanamo. I'd like it to be over with.
Bush said 200 detainees had been sent home, and that most of the
remaining prisoners are from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and
Afghanistan.
``There are some who need to be tried in U.S. courts,'' Bush
said. ``They're cold-blooded killers. They will murder somebody
if they're let out on the street.'' He said he was waiting for
the Supreme Court to decide how they should be tried.
Schuessel welcomed Bush's statement. ``We got clear, clear
signals and a commitment from the American side - no torture, no
extraordinary or extraterritorial positions to deal with the
terrorists,'' he said. ``All the legal rights must be
preserved.''
Again, Bush asked Europeans to look beyond their anger over the
U.S. invasion of Iraq three years ago and support the country's
reconstruction.
``People have strong opinions on the subject. But what's past is
past, and what's ahead is a hopeful democracy in the Middle
East,'' the president said.
---
Associated Press writers Austin H.M. Childs in Vienna and Anne
Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
13 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Won't Respond to Offer 'Til August
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 2:46 PM
AP Photo VAH103
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday
that Iran will respond in mid-August to the package of
incentives on its nuclear program offered by the West, but
President Bush accused Tehran of dragging its feet.
``We are studying the proposals. Hopefully, we will present our
views about the package by mid-August,'' Ahmadinejad told a
crowd in western Iran in a speech broadcast live on state
television.
Speaking at an annual U.S.-European Union summit in Vienna,
Austria, Bush said that the mid-August timetable ``seems like an
awfully long time'' to wait for an answer.
``It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what's a
reasonable deal,'' Bush said.
The offer, presented by European Union foreign policy chief
Javier Solana during a June 6 visit, provides a range of
incentives for Iran to impose a moratorium on uranium
enrichment, a process that can produce material for nuclear
generators or for weapons.
If Iran rejects the deal, Bush has warned that it can expect
U.N. Security Council action and progressively stronger
political and economic sanctions. The U.S. and Europe are
pressing for a quick answer.
If it accepts the package, Tehran has to suspend its uranium
enrichment entirely before the six powers will start
negotiations on a framework for its nuclear program.
Such a step would be politically difficult. Since Iran resumed
enrichment this year after a three-year suspension, Ahmadinejad
has repeatedly vowed never to halt it again.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel stressed U.S.-European
cooperation in various areas, including the efforts to persuade
Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions.
``Iran has to make the right choice,'' Schuessel said, adding
that the European community welcomes U.S. involvement,
particularly the recent historic signal that the United States
is ready to join negotiations if Iran suspends enrichment
activities.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
14 Japan gives North Korea fresh missile warning
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 07:42:27 -0500 (CDT)
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HindustanTimes.com http://www.hindustantimes.com/
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
; World ; Rest of Asia ;
Japan gives North Korea fresh missile warning
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1723336,00050004.htm
Agence France-Presse
Tokyo, June 19, 2006
Japan on Monday warned North Korea of "stern measures" if it launched a
long-range missile, renewing the threat of economic sanctions.
"If North Korea test-launches missile, naturally Japan and the United
States will take stern measures," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo
Abe. A series of reports have indicated North Korea is planning to test
a long-range missile similar to the type that it fired over Japan in
1998.
Abe said the United States voiced concern to Pyongyang through its UN
mission in New York on Saturday and that Japan did the same a day
earlier via Beijing.
"There are no interests North Korea will achieve by launching a
missile," Abe said.
The Japanese Parliament last week had approved a bill that would
require sanctions -- such as banning port calls by North Korean ships
and blocking remittance payments -- if the North does not make progress
in a separate row over its abductions of Japanese civilians.
"As the bill allowing us to take unilateral action has been enacted, we
will consider such measures if North Korea test-launches," Abe said.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Sunday also brandished the threat of
sanctions, which are seen as hitting the impoverished regime hard by
banning Pyongyang's ships and remittances by North Koreans in Japan.
Aso said Japan would consider a missile landing on its soil an "attack"
and take the matter to the United Nations Security Council.
) HT Media Ltd. 2006.
*****************************************************************
15 [progchat_action] US turns on missile shield as Korea fears
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 03:27:49 -0500 (CDT)
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US turns on missile shield as Korea fears grow
By Alec Russell in Washington
Telegraph.co.uk
(Filed: 21/06/2006)
America has activated its multi-billion-dollar missile defence shield for
the first time, it emerged yesterday, as concern mounted that North Korea
was preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile.
With a typical blast of fiery rhetoric, the Marxist regime suggested it had
no intention of backing down over what would be its most bellicose step in
eight years, saying it was not bound by a four-year moratorium on missile
tests.
In eight tests the incoming missile was hit five times The news that the
Pentagon had switched its missile interceptor system from test mode to
operational overshadowed President George W Bush's departure for today's key
US-EU summit.
The alarm stems from satellite pictures that suggest North Korea has
finished fuelling a new version of the Taepodong missile. It is believed to
have a range of up to 9,300 miles, enabling it, in theory, to reach Alaska
or the west coast of America, although it is unclear if it can be launched
that far.
Pentagon officials refused to say whether they would try to shoot down a
North Korean missile, but they and State Department officials have made
clear that they would regard the test as deliberately provocative.
"It's good to be ready," a US defence official told Reuters. "There's real
caution in how to characterise it [the decision to activate the system] so
as not to be provocative in our own approach."
Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for US Northern Command, would not comment on
the status of the missile defence system. "As the command tasked with
homeland defence, we are prepared to do what is necessary to defend this
nation on land, sea, air and in space," he said.
A missile defence shield has been a dream of "hawks" in America for years,
dating back to Ronald Reagan's space-based "Star Wars" plan in the 1980s.
The new American ground-based system relies on advanced radar networks
dotted around the world detecting an incoming missile and then an
interceptor missile shooting it down.
Tests of the system have had mixed results and sparked widespread
opposition, particularly in Europe, where its advocates have been accused of
sparking an unnecessary arms race.
In eight tests the mock incoming missile has been hit five times. The tests
went on hold last year when interceptors did not leave their silos as
intended.
Bush administration officials, however, have argued that it is an essential
line of defence, particularly in the post-September 11 era when Islamist
terrorist groups are seeking to wreak destruction on the United States.
Mr Bush can be expected to make that point forcefully today at the summit in
Vienna, where it appears that North Korea may take the attention away from
that other US villain, Iran.
George and Laura Bush leave for the US-EU summit
On the 15th visit to Europe of his presidency, Mr Bush is hoping to overcome
widespread European scepticism about his foreign policy and rally the EU to
maintain the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.
On the eve of his departure he indicated that America's patience was rapidly
running out as the world waited for Teheran's response to an offer of
"incentives" in return for a suspension of its uranium enrichment programme.
As part of the offer, the Bush administration has agreed to join
negotiations with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, marking the first time
since the 1979 Islamic revolution that Washington had offered formal talks
with Iran. He said earlier this month however, that Iran had weeks not
months to respond to the overture.
The launch of a Taepodong-2 missile by North Korea would spark an
international crisis in East Asia, upsetting the delicate regional balance
of power.
Japan has said that it would consider sanctions and pressing the UN Security
Council to take retaliatory action.
The last time Pyongyang sparked such alarm was in 1998 when it fired a
missile over northern Japan into the Pacific, proving its ability to hit
Tokyo. Since 1999 there has been an unofficial regional moratorium on
missile launches, which was formalised in 2002 and then reaffirmed by
Pyongyang two years ago.
But North Korea poured scorn on the moratorium yesterday. "The issue
concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to slander that right," a North
Korean official told Japanese journalists.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/21/weapons21.xm
l&sSheet=/news/2006/06/21/ixnews.html
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16 [NYTr] North Korea's Non-Threat
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:28:23 -0400 (EDT)
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Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
sent by Dave Muller (southnews)
The Washington Post - Jun 20, 2006
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/mt/mtb.cgi/8002
North Korea's Non-Threat
by William M. Arkin
Can North Korea save the day and change the subject for the Bush
administration?
Amidst an Iraq withdrawal debate and an Iran nuclear crisis, amidst a
resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and a grave threat to the Kabul
government, amidst growing recognition of al-Qaeda gains in Pakistan,
The We-Still-Can't-Resist-Putting-Any-Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction-Story
-on-the-Front Page Times reported intelligence leaks yesterday that
North Korea was imminently going to test an intercontinental ballistic
missile.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labels it "provocative;" U.N.
Ambassador John R. Bolton is consulting with the Security Council on how
to respond.
Much ado about nothing I say.
North Korea, starved for attention and with its own fish to fry
domestically and in its own region, may or may not be preparing some
rocket for launch, and it may or may not be attempting to use its
missile as a bargaining chip or a PR stunt, and it may just be
attempting to put its own satellite into space. What should crystal
clear though in a world of risks and balances is that North Korea's
missile, even if it exists, is hardly a threat to us.
On Monday, The New York Times reported a leak from an unnamed U.S.
government official that North Korea was preparing a long-range
ballistic missile for launch at an east coast site.
With the sanctioned leak and the suggestion of military confrontation,
the Bush administration shifted to crisis mode: President Bush made
anxious calls to dozens of foreign leaders. Secretary Rice warned that
a launch would be a "provocative act" and a "serious matter" and one
that could torpedo international efforts to control North Korea's
nuclear weapons program. Missile defense advocates are popping
Champagne corks.
And it isn't just Washington. Australia threatened "serious
consequences." Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned if the missile
body fell on Japan during the test, "it will be regarded as an attack."
Lurking behind the story of course is the image of a long-range North
Korean missile capable of hitting Alaska and even Los Angeles.
It is a false image, and one that even if true, would be the least of
America's worries.
North Korea, which can barely feed its own people and is not, shall we
say, known for its technological prowess, may have succeeded in sinking
all of its national treasure into developing a third rate missile. But
so what?
North Korea has conducted all of two live long-range missile tests since
1993. In August 1998, when North Korea launched its Taepo Dong 1
missile over Japan, the U.S. and other nations protested and Cold War
alarm bells were sounded. But the missile ended up being an
unsuccessful attempt to indeed place a North Korean satellite in orbit.
The whole thing was a failure after the small third stage failed and
the satellite, such as it was, was destroyed. (This according to a
March 2006 report from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center
entitled Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat obtained by Hans Kristensen
of the Federation of American Scientists.)
No missiles of this Taepo Dong I class were ever deployed by North
Korea. Despite Clinton administration Cold War reactions and an agreed
missile testing moratorium, the 1998 test did not really end up being a
signal of anything; in fact, over the normal course of events, it has
taken the North another eight years to fabricate another Taepo Dong
missile body. And despite talk of North Korean "threats," it has
managed to deploy fewer than 50 No Dong shorter-range indigenous designs.
Part of the North Korea nuclear narrative is also that U.S. intelligence
believes North Korea has manufactured enough nuclear materials for 10
weapons and might even have two already fabricated. The suggestion is
that a nuclear weapon could be place on the Taepo Dong 2. It would
indeed be a grave and provocative act, one that would be technically
feasible by, say, 2016 at the earliest. And that's if we did nothing
between now and then to help North Korea along in changing the situation.
Ironically the country that is most threatened by North Korea and has
the greatest interest in making progress in negotiations and diplomacy
appears also to be the calmest.
Rep. Woo Sang-ho, spokesman of the ruling Uri Party, says it all: "We
also shared the notion that the worsening of the situation will bring
benefit to no one.''
Seoul began talking to North Korea about the missile launch last month.
The South Korean officials say it explained to the North the
repercussions of a launch, but it also clearly left the lines of
communication open.
According to U.S. intelligence, the new Taepo Dong was scheduled to
launch on Sunday but poor weather around the Musudanri test site in
North Hamgyong Province has evidently delayed the test. Because the
missile is liquid fueled, it normally will have to be launched within
about a 72 hour window. If not, the highly hazardous fuel has to be
pumped out and the motors cleaned before a new launch can be attempted.
Many in Seoul are dismissing the reports of fueling and the military
dimensions of a launch, stressing that all evidence appears to point to
another attempt to launch a North Korean satellite. They point to the
above ground obvious preparations and their own intelligence that
indicates no warhead. What is more, according to South Korea news media
reports, officials of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) told the
National Assembly Intelligence Committee that North Korea does not even
seem to have completed fueling the object on the launch pad, contrary to
The New York Times and most U.S. reporting.
***
AP - Jun 20, 2006
US May Try Shootdown of N. Korea Missile
By ROBERT BURNS
Associated Press
The Bush administration is weighing responses to a possible North Korean
missile test that include attempting to shoot it down in flight over the
Pacific, defense officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Because North Korea is secretive about its missile operations, U.S.
officials say they must consider the possibility that an anticipated
test would turn out to be something else, such as a space launch or even
an attack. Thus, the Pentagon is considering the possibility of
attempting an interception, two defense officials said, even though it
would be unprecedented and is not considered the likeliest scenario.
The officials agreed to discuss the matter only on condition of
anonymity because of its political sensitivity.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he could not say whether the
unproven multibillion-dollar U.S. anti-missile defense system might be
used in the event of a North Korean missile launch. That system, which
includes a handful of missiles that could be fired from Alaska and
California, has had a spotty record in tests.
Although shooting down a North Korean missile is a possibility, the
Pentagon also must consider factors that would argue against such a
response, including the risk of shooting and missing and of escalating
tensions further with the communist nation.
Even if there were no attempt to shoot down a North Korean missile, it
would be tracked by early warning satellites and radars, including
radars based on ships near Japan and ground-based radars in Alaska and
California.
Robert Einhorn, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, said a U.S. shootdown of a North Korean missile
on a test flight or a space launch would draw "very strong international
reaction" against the United States. He saw only a small chance that the
U.S. would attempt a shootdown.
Signs of North Korean preparations to launch a long-range ballistic
missile, possibly with sufficient range to reach U.S. territory, have
grown in recent weeks, although it is unclear whether the missile has
been fully fueled. U.S. officials said Monday the missile was apparently
fully assembled and fueled, but others have since expressed some
uncertainty.
Bush administration officials have urged the North Koreans publicly and
privately not to conduct the missile test, which would end a moratorium
in place since 1999. That ban was adopted after Japan and other nations
expressed outrage over an August 1998 launch in which a North Korean
missile flew over northern Japan.
At the time of the 1998 launch, the United States had no means of
shooting down a long-range missile in flight. Since then, the Pentagon
has developed a rudimentary system that it says is capable of defending
against a limited number of missiles in an emergency with a North
Korean attack particularly in mind.
The Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, says
the Pentagon has spent $91 billion on missile defense over the past two
decades.
The 1998 event turned out to be a space launch rather than a missile
test; U.S. officials said the satellite failed to reach orbit.
U.S. and international concern about North Korea's missile capability is
heightened by its claims to have developed nuclear weapons. It is not
known whether they have mastered the complex art of building a nuclear
warhead small enough to fit a long-range missile, although in April 2005
the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Adm. Lowell
Jacoby, told Congress that North Korea was capable of arming a missile
with a nuclear warhead. U.S. officials have since called it a
"theoretical capability."
No administration official has publicly raised the possibility of
bombing the North Korean missile before it can be launched. Jan Lodel, a
senior Pentagon policy official during the Clinton administration, said
in an interview Tuesday that he would not rule out a pre-emptive strike.
He said it would be the surest away of eliminating the threat of being
surprised by the launch of a Taepodong-2, an intercontinental ballistic
missile that some believe has enough range to reach U.S. territory.
David Wright, a senior scientist at the private Union of Concerned
Scientists, said he strongly doubts that the Bush administration could
back up its claims of having the capability to shoot down a North Korean
missile.
"I consider it to be rhetorical posturing," Wright said. "It currently
has no demonstrated capability."
The last time the Pentagon registered a successful test in intercepting
a mock warhead in flight was in October 2002. Since then, there have
been three unsuccessful attempted intercepts, most recently in February
2005.
Rick Lehner, chief spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency,
said the next intercept test is scheduled for the August-September
period, to be followed by another before the end of the year. Lehner
said that beginning about a year ago, the system has periodically been
placed in "operational status."
Baker Spring, a Heritage Foundation analyst and strong advocate of U.S.
missile defenses, said he believes that "in theoretical terms" the U.S.
system is a capable of defeating a North Korean missile. And he thinks
that if the North Koreans launched on a flight pattern that appeared
threatening to the United States, the administration "would be well
within its rights" under international law to shoot down the missile.
The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the Pentagon has placed its
missile defense system in an active status for potential use.
The archives of South News can be found at
http://southmovement.alphalink.com.au/southnews/
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17 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Nixes N. Korea Bid for Missile Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 10:16 PM
AP Photo AUTD114
By BURT HERMAN Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea called Wednesday for
direct talks with the United States over a potential missile
test, but the Bush administration rejected the overture, saying
threats aren't the way to seek dialogue.
``You don't normally engage in conversations by threatening to
launch intercontinental ballistic missiles,'' U.N. Ambassador
John Bolton said. ``It's not a way to produce a conversation
because if you acquiesce in aberrant behavior you simply
encourage the repetition of it, which we're obviously not going
to do.''
President Bush, meeting with European leaders in Austria, said
North Korea faced further isolation if it went ahead with any
launch.
``It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes who
have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles,'' Bush
said. ``This is not the way you conduct business in the world.''
Earlier Wednesday, Han Song Ryol, deputy chief of North Korea's
mission to the United Nations, said Pyongyang was seeking to
resolve the missile test concerns through direct talks with the
United States.
``North Korea as a sovereign state has the right to develop,
deploy, test fire and export a missile,'' he told South Korea's
Yonhap news agency. ``We are aware of the U.S. concerns about
our missile test-launch. So our position is that we should
resolve the issue through negotiations.''
Pyongyang has consistently pressed for direct dialogue with the
United States, while Washington insists it will only speak to
the North at six-nation nuclear talks. The North has refused to
return to the nuclear talks since November, in anger over a U.S.
crackdown on the country's alleged illicit financial activity.
State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli reiterated the U.S.
position Wednesday, saying direct talks with North Korea are
``not in the cards.''
``The issue of North Korea's nuclear program is not a U.S.-North
Korea issue. It is an issue that concerns the entire region,''
he told reporters in Washington.
``If North Korea wants to talk to the United States about its
missile-launch programs or its nuclear program or about security
and stability on the peninsula in general, then we should do it
through the six-party process,'' Ereli said. ``It's a
multilateral approach which provides for, within it, bilateral
engagement.''
The missile crisis led former South Korean President Kim
Dae-jung to cancel a trip next week to the North that could have
offered a rare chance for talks. In addition, South Korea said a
missile test could affect Seoul's humanitarian aid to Pyongyang.
Washington was weighing responses to a potential test that could
include attempting to shoot down the missile, U.S. officials
have said.
Bolton said he was continuing discussions with U.N. Security
Council members on possible action, and had met with Russia's
U.N. ambassador.
``Obviously the priority remains trying to persuade North Korea
not to conduct the launch,'' Bolton said at U.N. headquarters in
New York.
After North Korea surprised the world in 1998 by firing a
missile that flew over Japan into the Pacific, the Security
Council issued a press statement - its mildest comment. But
Bolton said there would be stronger council reaction this time.
``There's no question about it,'' Bolton said. ``We're seeing
broad support for something stronger but we don't want to be in
a position where we're predicting the future or doing anything
other than making it clear we don't think the launch ought to
take place.''
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Scheiffer said the United States
has means of responding to a North Korean missile test that it
didn't have in 1998, and is considering ``all options.''
In comments published Wednesday, North Korea said its
self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles no longer
applies because it's not in direct dialogue with Washington,
suggesting it would hold off on any launch if Washington agreed
to new talks.
North Korea imposed its missile moratorium in 1999 amid
friendlier relations with the U.S. during the Clinton
administration. During a 2002 summit with Japan, North Korean
leader Kim Jong Il signed an agreement to extend the moratorium
until at least 2003 - and reaffirmed the launch ban at another
summit in 2004.
Intelligence reports say the North is possibly fueling a
Taepodong-2 missile with a range experts estimate could be up to
9,300 miles - making it capable of reaching parts of the United
States.
There are diverging expert opinions on whether fueling would
mean a launch was imminent - due to the highly corrosive nature
of the fuel - or whether the North could wait a month or more.
Victoria Samson, a research analyst with the Washington-based
Center for Defense Information, said that if the missile were
loaded, it would probably have to be fired ``within days.''
``That sort of fuel combination ... starts eating away at the
missile,'' she said.
The key question is, however, whether it was indeed loaded or
whether the North Koreans just wanted to make it appear that way
for the benefit of satellites.
North Korea claims it has nuclear weapons, but isn't believed to
have a design that would be small and light enough to top a
missile.
South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok told opposition
lawmakers Wednesday a missile test could affect Seoul's
humanitarian aid to the North.
``If North Korea test fires a missile, it might have an impact
on aid of rice and fertilizer to North Korea,'' Lee said,
according to his spokesman Yang Chang-seok.
South Korea has shipped 150,000 tons of fertilizer this year and
had planned to send 200,000 tons more. Pyongyang has asked for
500,000 tons of rice this year, but Seoul has yet to agree.
The European Union appealed Wednesday to the North to cancel any
plans for a launch.
``We must say that what they are trying to do ... will have
consequences,'' EU foreign and security affairs chief Javier
Solana said on the sidelines of the European meeting with Bush.
---
Associated Press reporters Edith M. Lederer at the United
Nations, Jennifer Loven in Vienna, Austria, Jae-soon Chang and
Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul, and Hiroko Tabuchi and Joseph Coleman in
Tokyo contributed to this report.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
18 Guardian Unlimited: N.Korea Seeks Talks With U.S. Over Missile
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 11:16 AM
AP Photo NY194
By BURT HERMAN Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Wednesday it wants
direct talks with the United States over its apparent plans to
test-fire a long-range missile, a day after the country issued a
bristling statement in which it declared its right to carry out
the launch.
Tensions in the region have soared following intelligence
reports that the North was fueling a ballistic missile believed
capable of reaching U.S. territory. The U.S. and Japan have said
they could consider sanctions against the impoverished country
if it goes ahead, and Washington was weighing responses that
could include attempting to shoot the missile down.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for former South Korean President Kim
Dae-jung cited the missile crisis as the reason for canceling a
trip next week to the North that could have offered a rare
chance for talks to soothe tensions.
North Korea said in comments published Wednesday that its
self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles from 1999
no longer applies because it's not in direct dialogue with
Washington, suggesting it would hold off on any launch if
Washington agreed to new talks.
``Some say our missile test launch is a violation of the
moratorium, but this is not the case,'' Han Song Ryol, deputy
chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, told South
Korea's Yonhap news agency in an interview from New York.
``North Korea as a sovereign state has the right to develop,
deploy, test fire and export a missile,'' he said. ``We are
aware of the U.S. concerns about our missile test-launch. So our
position is that we should resolve the issue through
negotiations.''
Pyongyang has consistently pressed for direct dialogue with the
United States, while Washington insists it will only speak to
the North at six-nation nuclear talks. The North has refused to
return to those nuclear talks since November because of a U.S.
crackdown on the country's alleged illicit financial activity.
On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Thomas Scheiffer,
called on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks but did not
address the possibility of bilateral negotiations.
``They have the opportunity to do that through the six-party
talks,'' he said. ``They don't have to undertake bad policies in
order to talk to the United States.''
He also said the United States has means of responding to a
North Korean missile test that it didn't have the last time
Pyongyang carried out a launch in 1998, and is considering ``all
options.''
Scheiffer didn't specify what those options were, but defense
officials in Washington told The Associated Press that the White
House was weighing responses to a missile launch that could
include attempting to shoot it down while in flight over the
Pacific. However, such a move was considered unlikely.
On Tuesday, North Korea asserted its right to test-fire missiles
in a sharply worded statement to Japanese reporters in
Pyongyang.
``This issue concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to
slander that right,'' the Kyodo News agency quoted North Korean
Foreign Ministry official Ri Pyong Dok as saying.
A year after it shocked the world by test-firing a missile over
northern Japan, North Korea imposed a missile moratorium in 1999
amid friendlier relations with the United States. During a 2002
summit with Japan, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed an
agreement to extend the moratorium until at least 2003 - and
reaffirmed the launch ban at another summit in 2004.
Japan disputed the North's position on lifting the moratorium.
``If the missile is launched, it is clear the act will violate''
the 2002 agreement, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe
said in Tokyo. ``It will also breach promises with the
international community.''
Meanwhile, a meeting that had raised hopes for dialogue over the
missile issue was called off amid the heightened tensions. Kim
Dae-jung's trip to the North was canceled because the conditions
had ``become difficult,'' Jeong Se-hyun, a former unification
minister, told a Seoul news conference. Jeong said the trip
would be possible only once the missile crisis is resolved.
Kim Dae-jung met Kim Jong Il in June 2000 in the first-and-only
summit between leaders of the divided Koreas. The two Kims had
been expected to meet again during the scheduled four-day visit.
Intelligence reports say the North has fueled a Taepodong-2
missile with a range experts estimate could be up to 9,300 miles
- making it capable of reaching parts of the United States.
North Korea claims it has nuclear weapons, but isn't believed to
have a design that would be small and light enough to top a
missile.
U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said signs of a
possible North Korean launch remained uncertain. ``They seem to
be moving toward a launch, but the intelligence is not
conclusive at this point,'' Hadley told reporters on Air Force
One on the way to Europe, where President Bush was meeting
Wednesday with European leaders.
Bad weather at the launch site Wednesday dimmed chances of an
immediate test.
---
Associated Press reporters Jae-soon Chang and Kwang-tae Kim in
Seoul and Hiroko Tabuchi and Joseph Coleman in Tokyo contributed
to this report.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
19 AFP: Bush presses Iran, North Korea on security fears
by Michael Adler Wed Jun 21, 7:58 PM ET
VIENNA (AFP) - US President George W. Bush " /> President George
W. Bushwarned that Iran " /> Irancan not put off until August
answering a proposed deal to stop making nuclear fuel, amid fears
that Tehran wants to build atomic weapons.
Bush was reacting, at a news conference after an EU-US summit, to
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement earlier
Wednesday that Iran would take until August 22 to respond.
Bush also urged North Korea
" /> North Koreanot to go ahead with plans for a missile test.
The Stalinist regime test-fired a missile over Japan into the
Pacific Ocean in 1998, and reports that it is preparing another
test, this time possibly putting parts of the United States
within range, have drawn warnings of a tough response from both
Tokyo and Washington.
Bush also answered European concerns about human rights
violations by saying he would like to close the Guantanamo Bay
prison camp for terror suspects but that a way must first be
found to send inmates home or put them on trial.
Amid tight security for Bush's visit, some 1,200 students
demonstrated during the day in the north of Vienna, far from the
baroque Hofburg palace where the summit was held. They chanted
"Bush Go Home!" and "Mass Murderer".
After the summit, thousands of people marched peacefully through
the centre of Vienna to protest against Bush's policies. Police
said 15,000 had attended the march. A number wore T-shirts
marked "Bush: Terrorist No. 1".
Responding to the first demonstration Bush, the first US
president to visit Austria since Jimmy Carter in 1979, said "it
was absurd for people to think that we're more dangerous than
Iran."
"We're a transparent democracy. People know exactly what's on
our mind. We debate things in the open. We have a legislative
process that's active," he added.
Bush said Iran should not need until late August 22 to respond
to the offer by the world's major powers of a deal designed to
secure guarantees that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful.
"It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable proposal,"
the US leader said. "It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to
analyze what is a reasonable deal."
The offer by the UN Security Council's five permanent members
plus Germany was delivered to Tehran by EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana on June 6.
Bush said Iran had "weeks not months" to answer, while diplomats
say Tehran was asked to reply by June 29 when Solana delivered
the proposals.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, speaking as the current
European Union
" /> European Unionpresident, said: "We agree... time is
limited. We should not play with time."
Bush has warned of Security Council action, which could mean
sanctions, if Iran does not comply and this position was
re-stated in a joint statement at the EU-US summit.
The president urged North Korea not to go ahead with a planned
missile test that has sharply spiked international tensions.
His comments, urging Pyongyang to honor past international
agreements, came as the reclusive Stalinist state offered the
United States talks on its launch plans in an indication that it
might put off the flight test.
"The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past and
we expect them to keep their agreements, for example on test
launches," Bush said.
"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes that
have announced that they've got nuclear warheads fire missiles,"
Bush said.
He said the issue must be dealt with in six-party talks on North
Korea and he was "pleased" the Chinese government was speaking
out against any test.
On Guantanamo, Bush said he wanted the camp closed.
"I would like to end Guantanamo," Bush said, but cautioned that
while he had explained to the EU leaders the US desire to send
the prisoners home, there were some "who need to be tried in US
courts."
He described these inmates as "cold-blooded killers" who will
"murder someone if out on the street" and said he was waiting
for the US Supreme Court to determine how they would be tried.
"We're working on the issue," Bush said.
After the summit Bush, his wife Laura and US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice " /> Condoleezza Riceflew to Budapest, where the
US president was due Thursday to attend events to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against
communism.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
20 AFP: NKorea must keep promise to US not to test nuclear missile - Bush
Wed Jun 21, 1:46 PM ET
VIENNA (AFP) - US President George W. Bush " /> President George
W. Bushwarned North Korea " /> North Koreato honor pledges not to
test nuclear missiles, without spelling out the consequences, as
Pyongyang offered talks with Washington on its plans.
"The North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past, and
we expect them to keep their agreements, for instance on test
launches," Bush told a press conference after an EU-US summit in
Vienna.
Bush said the issue must be dealt with in six-party talks and
that he was "pleased" that the Chinese government was speaking
out against North Korea's reported plans to test-fire missiles.
North Korea earlier offered the United States talks on its
missile launch plans, indicating that it might put off a planned
flight test that has raised tension and drawn sharp
international warnings.
The number two diplomat at North Korea's UN mission, Han
Song-Ryol, was quoted by South Korea
" /> South Korea's Yonhap news agency as saying the secretive
communist state was open to talks with Washington.
But he underlined the North's position that it had every right
to develop, deploy and test-fire missiles.
US Ambassador to the United Nations
" /> United NationsJohn Bolton ruled out direct talks with North
Korea over the issue and said he was continuing consultations
with other members of the 15-member Security Council on how to
respond to the North Korean test plan.
"I must say you don't normally engage in conversations by
threatening to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles," he
said, commenting on Han's reported offer of talks.
Meanwhile UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
" /> Kofi Annanissued an urgent call to North Korea to allay
nuclear proliferation fears.
"The impasse on the Korean Peninsula is especially
disappointing," Annan said at a UN Conference on Disarmament in
Geneva, where he warned that the world was at a crossroads on
the nuclear issue.
"I hope the leaders of the DPRK will listen to what the world is
telling them, and take great care not to make the situation ...
even more complicated," he said, using the official acronym for
North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We face two very divergent courses," he said, between
restricting nuclear proliferation, and a situation in which
states feel obliged to acquire nuclear weapons and terrorists
manage to get their hands on the bomb.
"The international community seems almost to be sleep-walking
down that latter path," Annan warned.
North Korea test-fired a missile over Japan into the Pacific
Ocean in 1998, and recent reports that it was preparing another
test have drawn warnings of a tough response from Japan and the
United States.
A series of reports have said North Korea is preparing to
test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile with a range of up to 6,700
kilometres (4,200 miles), far enough to hit targets in Alaska
and possibly Hawaii.
Japan and South Korea have agreed they must cooperate to prevent
a missile launch, while Seoul warned it could scrap crucial food
aid to its impoverished neighbour if the launch went ahead.
"If the missile were to be launched, it would threaten the
regional security," the Japanese foreign ministry said in a
statement.
Citing US officials, the Washington Times newspaper meanwhile
reported that a US missile defence system had been activated in
the past two weeks.
Pentagon " /> Pentagonspokesmen refused to confirm or deny the
report. But analysts said it was a virtual certainty that the
defence system was working as a precaution -- and as an
opportunity to test it against a real missile launch.
A standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme erupted
in 2002 when the United States accused it of running a secret
uranium enrichment program.
North Korea responded by throwing out UN International Atomic
Energy Agency " /> International Atomic Energy Agencyweapons
inspectors and abandoning the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In November 2005, it announced it was boycotting six-nation talks
on its nuclear programme until Washington rescinded sanctions
over alleged counterfeiting and money-laundering.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
21 Annan Pleads For End To International Deadlock On Nuclear Non-proliferation
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:00:23 -0400
New York, Jun 21 2006 2:00PM
With the world sleepwalking down the path towards more States,
and possibly terrorists, acquiring nuclear weapons, United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10527.doc.htm">urged
the Conference on
Disarmament to take action after nine years of deadlock and two recent
high-profile failures to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT).
I do not discount the depth of the difficulty that you face in settling
longstanding differences, especially over nuclear disarmament
and negative security assurances, Mr. Annan told the Conference,
which was established in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament
negotiating forum of the international community and is
meeting in Geneva.
Yet those difficulties pale into insignificance, when measured against
the immense challenges that the global community faces in
the broader sphere of non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control,
he said.
He said that twice last year, governments had a chance to strengthen
the foundations of the NPT first at the review conference in
May, and then at the World Summit in September and failed both
times.
This sent a terrible signal of waning respect for the Treatys
authority, and of a dangerous rift on a leading threat to peace
and prosperity, he said.
He noted that the Conference and its predecessors have registered
some truly important gains, such as the major treaties on weapons
of mass destruction it negotiated. But the last such success
the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty was nine years ago, I repeat,
was nine years ago and it has still not entered into force,
he said, once again urging those States whose ratification is still
needed to take action as soon as possible.
The core of the impasse, he said, lies in the fact that the contract
between the nuclear-weapon States and the rest of the international
community, which is the basis of the NPT, has been called
into question and that nuclear weapons worldwide still number in
the thousands, many of them on hair-trigger alert.
These facts have engendered a self-defeating debate between those
who insist on disarmament before further non-proliferation measures,
and those who argue the opposite, while both are essential,
he stressed.
He said nuclear weapons must be devalued for security, citing Japan,
South Africa, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Libya as countries
that have realized that security and status need not be equated
with possession of nuclear weapons.
Noting that it was also urgent to resolve two specific situations,
he expressed hope that the leaders of the Democratic Peoples Republic
of Korea will listen to what the world is telling them,
and take great care not to make the situation on the Peninsula even
more complicated.
Iran, he said, needs to enable the UN International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to assure the world that its nuclear activities are
exclusively peaceful in nature: In both cases, we need solutions
that are not only peaceful, but that buttress the NPTs integrity,
he urged.
2006-06-21 00:00:00.000
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22 [NYTr] World "sleepwalking" to nuclear proliferation: Annan
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:16:06 -0500 (CDT)
X-Sender-Host-Address: 127.127.127.127
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
Reuters - Jun 21, 2006
http://today.reuters.com/misc/PrinterFriendlyPopup.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-06-21T141643Z_01_L21756934_RTRUKOC_0_US-ARMS-NUCLEAR-ANNAN.xml
World "sleepwalking" to nuclear proliferation: Annan
By Richard Waddington
GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on Wednesday
that the world was "sleepwalking" toward nuclear proliferation and must
urgently revive efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.
Addressing the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, he said that
without moves to halt proliferation, more and more states were likely to
seek nuclear weapons which could also fall into non-state hands.
"The international community seems almost to be sleepwalking down that
latter path -- not by conscious choice, but rather through miscalculation,
sterile debate and paralysis," Annan said.
He was speaking against a backdrop of international tension over North
Korea's nuclear program and Western fears that Iran may be trying to develop
nuclear arms.
North Korea says it is preparing to test a long-range missile capable of
carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Alaska in what the United States, South
Korea and Japan have called a grave threat to regional security.
"I hope the leader of the DPRK (North Korea) will listen to what the world
is telling them, and take care not to make the situation on the peninsular
even more complicated," Annan said in his speech to the 65-state conference.
For its part, Iran needs to reassure the world of its peaceful intentions by
cooperating fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he
added.
Globally, he called for a major drive toward nuclear disarmament to restore
confidence between the nuclear powers and the rest of the international
community, along with the strengthening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty.
The argument between those wanting to see moves on disarmament before
agreeing further non-proliferation measures and those who demand the
opposite "is self-defeating", he said.
"If we want to avoid a cascade of nuclear proliferation, we need a major
international effort," he said.
There was an urgent need to revive the Geneva-based arms' forum, whose last
negotiating success was the Comprehensive Test Ban treaty nine years ago --
even though it has still not come into force.
Negotiations must start on halting the production of fissile material as
well as talks on preventing the weaponisation of outer space, Annan said.
The United States opposes any negotiations on outer space, while Russia and
China want discussions to move forward on both fronts.
"If any single group has the collective power to wake the world ... it is
the Conference on Disarmament," Annan said.
) Reuters 2006.
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23 Guardian Unlimited: 'A colossal waste of money'
Sam Jones
Thursday June 22, 2006
The Guardian
Gordon Brown's pledge to keep and upgrade Britain's nuclear
deterrent may have come just hours after Tony Blair promised
parliament "the fullest possible debate" on replacing Trident,
but the Conservatives said neither its timing nor its
significance came as a surprise.
The shadow defence secretary, Liam Fox, described the comments
as "just more spin designed to cast Gordon Brown as a
statesman". He said that the speech was a rehash of Labour's
2005 manifesto: "The chancellor is reheating an old pledge to
retain the current nuclear deterrent, but he is not committing
to replacing the independent nuclear deterrent when it reaches
the end of its current life. Yet again Brown is playing fast and
loose with the truth."
Article continues
The Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, Nick Harvey, said the
chancellor's "posturing" on Trident was "smothering the national
debate" on what could be a 25bn investment. He also called for
"a comprehensive white paper and full parliamentary scrutiny".
The speech met with an angrier response from anti-nuclear
groups, many of whom gave their backing to the 122 MPs - among
them 93 Labour members - who signed a parliamentary motion
urging the government to allow a Commons vote on the issue.
Kate Hudson, chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND), said the group was "appalled" by Mr Brown's apparent
decision to pre-empt parliamentary debate on the matter. "This
issue is too serious to be taken behind closed doors," she said.
" The people's representatives must decide."
Andrew Murray, chairman of the Stop The War Coalition, said the
announcement represented "a dangerous nuclear escalation and a
colossal waste of money". Mr Murray also accused the cabinet of
hypocrisy, saying: "The government cannot urge other countries
like Iran to forego nuclear weapons when it is breaching its own
obligations under the non-proliferation treaty to move towards
nuclear disarmament."
His sentiments were echoed by Dominick Jenkins, a nuclear
disarmament campaigner from Greenpeace. "Does Gordon Brown
really want to destroy the nuclear non-proliferation treaty by
building a new bomb?" he asked. "Senior ministers should not be
trying to pre-empt a full parliamentary and public debate. If
this is Gordon Brown's idea of democracy, it bodes very ill for
any future Brown premiership."
Keith Sonnet, deputy general secretary of Unison, the country's
biggest trade union, said Mr Brown was wrong to support a new
generation of nuclear weapons. "Trident should not go ahead - it
will cost the country up to 25bn against a non-existent threat.
He added: "I hope Mr Brown will reconsider his position on this.
The Labour party promised a full and open debate on this issue
yet the prime minister and chancellor are already making their
views clear, which is wrong."
Useful links
British Energy
Department of Trade and Industry
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Greenpeace
HSE nuclear glossary
Come Clean WMD awareness programme
UK atomic energy authority
National Radiological Protection Board
Friends of the Earth
World Nuclear Association
World Nuclear Transport Institute
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
24 Guardian Unlimited: Annan: World Sleepwalking to Nuke Spread
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 11:46 AM
AP Photo XFM114
By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS Associated Press Writer
GENEVA (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the
65-nation Conference on Disarmament Wednesday to take action to
stop the world from ``sleepwalking'' toward nuclear
proliferation.
``If ever there was a time to break the prolonged impasse that
has stymied your work ... it is now,'' Annan told the body,
noting that it had failed to produce anything of substance since
completing the nuclear weapons test-ban treaty nearly 10 years
ago.
He said there were signs the conference was beginning to return
to action, noting that China and Russia had proposed a treaty to
ban arms in outer space and the United States has offered a plan
for a treaty to ban the production of the nuclear materials
needed to make atomic weapons.
``I hope that these steps represent the beginnings of a new
period of productivity,'' Annan said. ``It is long overdue.''
The world faces a choice between two paths - reversing moves
toward more atomic bombs and ``a world in which a growing number
of states feel obliged to arm themselves with nuclear weapons,
and in which nonstate actors acquire the means to carry out
nuclear terrorism,'' he said.
``The international community seems almost to be sleepwalking
down that latter path - not by conscious choice, but rather
through miscalculation, sterile debate and paralysis,'' Annan
said.
He said the world was confronted by two specific challenges:
North Korea and Iran. Both countries are feared to be moving
toward developing nuclear weapons.
Annan urged North Korea to work with other nations toward
verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
``I hoped the leaders of the DPRK (North Korea) will listen to
what the world is telling them, and take great care not to make
the situation on the peninsula even more complicated,'' Annan
said.
He also urged Iran to enable the International Atomic Energy
Agency ``to assure the world that its nuclear activities are
exclusively peaceful in nature.''
That would help restore confidence in the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty after two meetings that failed to
strengthen it last year, Annan said.
The failure, he said, ``sent a terrible signal - of waning
respect for the treaty's authority, and of a dangerous rift on a
leading threat to peace and prosperity.''
By making progress toward related treaties, the conference can
help reverse those trends, he said.
``I urge you to put your differences and well-rehearsed
arguments behind you and rise to the task,'' Annan said. ``The
hour is late, the choice is clear.''
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
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25 Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free: The axis of diplomacy
North Korea is tweaking the American tail with its threat of a
missile test. But the US need not bite
John Gittings
Thursday June 22, 2006
The Guardian
Will a North Korean long-range missile test be so "provocative",
as Condoleezza Rice has warned, that the Pentagon will have to
activate its missile interceptor system to shoot it down?
Yesterday Pyongyang's man in Geneva repeated what seems a more
reasonable idea, offering to "solve the problem through
negotiations".
International law does not prevent North Korea from conducting a
missile test, as long as it gives proper notice. Pyongyang's
moratorium since 1999 on such testing is a unilateral one, not
part of any binding agreement.
Of course it will be a great pity if the launch does go ahead
and it may be an own goal for Pyongyang: it is contrary to the
spirit of the six-party negotiations conducted in Beijing; it
will increase demands for Japanese militarisation; and
strengthen the voice of US neoconservatives lobbying for regime
change.
Tweaking the tail of the US (Mao Zedong used to call it
"touching the tiger's buttocks") is not a sensible policy.
But it is hardly a serious provocation to the US: a failing
state shows a theoretical capability to reach Alaska on a lucky
day, and could, perhaps, put a nuclear payload on the missile.
In the face of overwhelming US nuclear retaliatory might,
actually to undertake such a venture would be writing the ticket
for self-annihilation.
Let's put this in the wider context of US-North Korean relations:
(1) At the beginning of June, the US turned down an invitation
issued from North Korea for its chief negotiator, Christopher
Hill, to visit Pyongyang. (This was a repeat of an invitation
issued last October.) In making the new offer, Pyongyang said,
"We have already made it clear many times that if the US is not
hostile to us, trust between our country and the US is built and
we no longer feel threatened, there will no longer be a need for
even a single nuclear weapon."
Just words? But that's diplomacy: Iran's President Ahmadinejad
is being castigated for saying that he is not willing to
"abandon his nuclear programme".
(2) US-North Korean relations appeared to improve in the Clinton
era but have become unstable in Bush's. The then secretary of
state, Colin Powell, promised to continue the Madeleine Albright
dialogue with Pyongyang but was quickly disavowed by Bush, who
included North Korea in his axis of evil. US policy eased last
year when Christopher Hill was authorised to negotiate seriously
in the six-party Beijing talks. Yet the agreement at those
talks, which looked forward to normalisation of relations, has
been undermined by a fresh neocon drive, with renewed US
sanctions and the branding of Pyongyang as a "criminal regime".
This, says Pyongyang, is why it refuses to return to those talks
as Washington demands.
(3) Of course North Korea is a repressive regime, devious and
opaque in its policies, but diplomacy is about getting results.
This is the view of the South Korean government, which now finds
itself in the bizarre position of being lambasted by US
conservatives for being too soft on the North. The South Koreans
believe a collapse of Pyongyang would cause chaos across the
Korean peninsula. As one commentator put it, Seoul pursues a
"changing regime" policy through dialogue, but fears that US
policy is "regime change".
(4) The Korean situation is still unfinished business from the
cold war, dating back to the division of the peninsula by the
superpowers followed by decades of isolation. It is a hard
problem to unpick; if it has proved intractable until now,
that's all the more reason to keep on the negotiating track. And
what is so terrible about negotiations between the two main
antagonists, then and now?
John Gittings is the author of The Changing Face of China
john@johngittings.com
Guardian Unlimited Guardian
Newspapers Limited 2006.
Registered in England and Wales. No. 908396
Registered office: 164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RR
*****************************************************************
26 Guardian Unlimited: Brown intervenes in Trident debate with
backing for nuclear deterrent
Patrick Wintour, political editor
Thursday June 22, 2006
The Guardian
Gordon Brown yesterday sprung a surprise - and asserted his
growing authority as prime minister-in-waiting - by unexpectedly
announcing that he is committed to ensuring Britain retains its
independent nuclear deterrent, a move that could cost the
taxpayer between 13bn and 25bn.
His announcement came in his annual Mansion House speech and, in
effect, sets the terms of what is expected to be a difficult
Labour debate over whether to replace Trident, Britain's current
nuclear deterrent.
Article continues
Only hours earlier at prime minister's questions, Tony Blair had
warily sidestepped setting out his view on replacing Trident, and
promised a debate in parliament before any decision was made by
the cabinet. Mr Blair has long said a decision on whether to
replace Trident has to be made in this parliament, largely since
the existing Vanguard submarines will soon be obsolete. Downing
Street did not quarrel with Mr Brown's remarks, although some
officials did not appear to be forewarned of his timing.
During the 2005 election, Mr Blair said he backed a British
deterrent in principle. Treasury sources made it clear that
although Mr Brown talked about retaining the nuclear deterrent
rather than replacing it, the chancellor was giving his personal
backing to a new generation of missiles. They added that the
chancellor would look at all options, even if that meant spending
20bn or more on a replacement for Trident.
In a passage of his speech last night on the need for long-term
decisions, Mr Brown said the government will demonstrate "a
sense of national purpose in protecting our security in this
parliament and in the long-term - strong in defence, in fighting
terrorism, upholding Nato, supporting our armed forces at home
and abroad, and retaining our independent nuclear deterrent. In
an insecure world we must and will always have the strength to
take all necessary long-term decisions for stability and
security".
The Treasury suggested no decisions had yet been made by Mr
Brown, the military or the cabinet on how to replace Trident,
and therefore the estimated cost to the taxpayer. A range of
options are available, with a full replacement costing the most.
Trident, introduced in 1994, is made up of three components,
four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered submarines, each carrying a
maximum of 48 nuclear warheads, which are mounted on up to 16
Trident D5 submarine-launched nuclear missiles.
Mr Brown's move will upset many on the Labour left, and may add
to the moves within the party to put a candidate up against him
if there are elections either this year or next for the
leadership.
A small group has been working on a programme with which to
challenge Mr Brown, but there is no agreement yet and next to no
chance of defeating him.
The chancellor's speech was peppered with remarks that will
disappoint the left, including references to labour market
flexibility, choice and investment in nuclear power. Mr Brown's
support for a deterrent is not in itself surprising, even if the
timing did catch Westminster on the hop.
He has long been suggesting he will be just as tough as the
prime minister on security and crime.
Mr Brown appears to be have been aiming to use his Mansion House
speech to make it clear that he will govern from the centre and
that he backs public sector reform. In another passage, which
may disappoint those hoping he will row back on those reforms,
he approvingly pointed out: "We have set new ambitions for
standards in schools, made contestability, accountability and
choice central to reforms in schools and further education; and
initiated a system of finance for universities."
In a flavour of the argument to come, only two weeks ago, Clare
Short, the former international development secretary, told the
Hay Festival: "Nuclear proliferation is a massive danger to us,
and Britain deciding to go for a new generation of nuclear
weapons is an encouragement to proliferation. Lots of other
countries will say 'if Britain needs them, so do we'. If we get
further proliferation, the risks of a nuclear exchange become
ever larger".
She added: "It's purely a pretence. It's a joke. We are
completely dependent on getting the missile from the US and
having it serviced there. So it absolutely locks us into the
poodle role with the US."
Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND, said: "We were hoping that any
future prime minister would stick by the commitments made last
year by then defence secretary John Reid for a full public and
parliamentary debate.
"Our feeling is, statements like this from someone as
significant as Gordon Brown pre-empts that debate."
Ms Hudson said this was the moment to start multilateral
disarmament talks and added: "When we face no nuclear threat, to
decide on a new Trident replacement is beginning a new nuclear
arms race."
FAQ Missiles
Why is Trident an issue now?
Britain has 16 Trident missiles on four nuclear missile
submarines. The missiles are due to reach the end of their
operational life by 2024 and experts say a decision is needed
soon on whether to replace them.
What is the government doing?
Tony Blair has promised a decision on replacing Trident by the
end of the parliament, which could mean after he has left
office. He has not promised MPs a vote on the issue.
What are the alternatives?
The Foreign Policy Centre thinktank has argued that Trident need
not be replaced, because the notion of an independent deterrent
from the US is an illusion.
Useful links
British Energy
Department of Trade and Industry
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Greenpeace
HSE nuclear glossary
Come Clean WMD awareness programme
UK atomic energy authority
National Radiological Protection Board
Friends of the Earth
World Nuclear Association
World Nuclear Transport Institute
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
27 public financing of campaigns; nuclear power
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:03:14 -0500 (CDT)
X-Sender-Host-Address: 127.127.127.127
June 21, 2006
Reformers Launch National Voters First Pledge to Build Support for Public
Funding of Congressional Campaigns
WASHINGTON, DC Backed by bipartisan public opinion research showing voters
weary of pay-to-play politics, four major national campaign reform
organizations on Wednesday launched a campaign to build public and political
support for comprehensive public financing of congressional campaigns.
To read the entire press release, visit
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2221.
###
New Nuclear Plants Too Risky to Build and Too Costly to Operate
AUSTIN Environmental groups today decried NRG Energy Inc.s plans to build
two new reactors at its South Texas nuclear plant site. The costs for the
reactors are expected to reach $5 billion and will expose Texans to the risks
and radioactive wastes of nuclear power.
To read the entire press release, visit
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2222.
###
New Study Shows WTOs Doha Round Development Package Proposal Would Leave
Many Poor Countries Worse Off
Empty Development Package Announced at December 2005 Hong Kong WTO
Ministerial Cannot Revive Stalled Doha Round
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Development Package announced at the December 2005
World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial in Hong Kong and touted as a way to
boost development in least developed countries (LDCs) could actually leave
some LDCs worse off, according to a new report released today by ActionAid
International and Public Citizens Global Trade Watch division. The report
helps explain why the package which is an attempt to revitalize the stalled
Doha Round of negotiations has not helped revive a WTO expansion that is
opposed by many developing countries.
To read the entire press release, visit
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2219.
/*Your email ID. --*/
*****************************************************************
28 Guardian Unlimited: Brown 'to back nuclear replacement'
From Press Association
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 8:18 PM
Chancellor Gordon Brown is expected to throw his weight behind
replacing Britain's ageing nuclear deterrent.
In a speech in the City of London Mr Brown is set to call for the
a more advanced system which is expected to cost billions of
pounds, it was reported.
Channel Four News said that the Chancellor would give his
personal backing to replacing the system ahead of a Government
decision.
The Government has said that a decision will have to be taken in
this Parliament on whether to replace Trident with a new nuclear
deterrent.
Mr Brown's expected remarks are being interpreted as a move by
him to align himself firmly as Tony Blair's successor by
reassuring Blairites that he is firmly in the New Labour Camp.
Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox described the expected
comments in the annual Mansion House speech as "spin".
"This is just more spin designed to cast Gordon Brown as a
statesman," he said. "His words are exactly the same as those in
the 2005 manifesto and are not new.
"The Chancellor is reheating an old pledge to retain the current
nuclear deterrent, but he is not committing to replacing the
independent nuclear deterrent when it reaches the end of its
current life. Yet again Gordon Brown is playing fast and loose
with the truth."
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: "We welcome Gordon
Brown's commitment to maintaining independent nuclear deterrent
- though quite why he is making such a song and dance about
repeating the exact words that were in the Labour Party
Manifesto just a year ago is a mystery."
Commenting on Mr Brown's expected remarks, European Commissioner
Peter Mandelson told Channel 4 News: "I haven't read the speech.
I'm sure he has considered his position very carefully and I'm
sure the speech will spark a very interesting national debate on
the subject."
Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
29 Guardian Unlimited: Turkey Plans to Build 3 Nuclear Plants
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday June 21, 2006 4:46 AM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's prime minister announced plans
Tuesday to build three nuclear power plants by 2015 to meet the
country's growing energy needs.
Turkey has limited energy resources, relying on natural gas
supplies from Iran and Russia.
``As a country whose energy consumption is increasing rapidly,
we want to benefit from nuclear energy as soon as possible,''
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an energy conference in
Istanbul. ``We foresee the building of three nuclear power
plants by 2015.''
Turkey has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and strict
agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mohamed El-Baradei, head of the IAEA, will visit Ankara July
6-9.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
30 Guardian Unlimited: British Energy in profit and bullish on nuclear future
Terry Macalister
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian
British Energy yesterday set out its stall as a future operator
of a new generation of nuclear power stations by saying it not
only had the sites and skills but would not need subsidies.
The bullish comments came after the biggest operator of atomic
plants - including Sizewell B in Suffolk - unveiled a 599m
annual pre-tax profit compared with a 300m loss 12 months
earlier.
Talks with potential customers appear to have taken place, and
British Energy, which provides more than 20% of the UK's
electricity, said it would need long-term supply contracts and
quicker planning consents to justify future investment. "We
could contribute to a nuclear future but only if we are assured
we could create shareholder value," said chief executive Bill
Colby.
Article continues
Reluctant in the past to discuss new projects, British
Energy yesterday said it had 5,500 "qualified and experienced"
staff and many sites where plants could be located. These
included Sizewell in Suffolk, Hunterston in Ayrshire and Hinkley
Point in Somerset. Existing locations are likely places for new
plants because local communities tend to be supportive.
The company dismissed suggestions that previous financial
difficulties left it an unlikely candidate to operate new
stations, saying the root of previous problems lay in the past
structure of power contracts. But it admitted the terms of a
restructuring left it unable to invest in new capacity till
after 2010. Finance director Stephen Billingham said a steep
downturn in power prices, which had caused difficulty, could be
overcome today because of the health of the firm.
Previous management had spent insufficient money on keeping the
reactors in best condition, leaving them vulnerable to
breakdowns at critical times.
The company bounced back to profit on the back of a 50% increase
(to 32 per megawatt hour) in the price it received for
electricity and a small increase in output.
Future prospects look even better with British Energy able to
win prices of 43 per megawatt hour on its forward contracts
covering 73% of next year's output.
But the company admitted it was still suffering too many
breakdowns. British Energy had cut its year-on-year record on
unplanned outages by 27% but was still behind target. And it had
already fallen slightly behind on its goals for 2006.
The company, which was rescued by a big financial restructuring
in January 2005, said it would pump 300m this year into
refurbishing its ageing fleet of atomic plants. It has already
won permission to operate its Dungeness B facility for a further
10 years, and said the rest of the fleet would be reviewed to
see whether it could be kept going for a similar period.
The company's shares, which were relisted in January 2005 at
286, were up 7p last night at 694.50p. Many analysts were
upbeat. "The contracting position is in line with our full-year
expectation of a net achieved price of 47.5 per megawatt hour,
which drives our 1.98bn Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation) forecast," Citigroup said in a
note.
Mr Colby insisted he did not want to prejudge any decision on a
future generation of atomic power in the government's energy
review. But he added: "It is not possible that you can meet
climate change objectives without new nuclear."
Useful links
British Energy
Department of Trade and Industry
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Greenpeace
HSE nuclear glossary
Come Clean WMD awareness programme
UK atomic energy authority
National Radiological Protection Board
Friends of the Earth
World Nuclear Association
World Nuclear Transport Institute
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
31 BBC: Mapping out the UK's nuclear future
Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 June 2006
By Jorn Madslien
Business reporter, BBC News
Next month, Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make public
Britain's intention to invite the private sector to build a
series of new nuclear power plants.
[Nexia scientist reviews a test tube]
Nexia wants to become a national nuclear laboratory
As part of a UK strategy aimed at ensuring energy security while
at the same time meeting international commitments to protect
the environment, Mr Blair is widely expected to argue that
nuclear power is not only cleaner than fossil fuels, but also a
commercially attractive alternative.
Private sector investment in new power stations would come on
top of plans, announced in March by the Nuclear Development
Authority, to put out to tender 72bn worth of clean-up and
decommissioning and other contracts over the next 75 years.
In short, industrialists are queuing up to get in on the act as
the UK is about to create two parallel nuclear industries - one
getting ready to provide what proponents say would be a
cost-effective and clean energy for the future, the other
looking to sort out the mess from the past.
Straddling the two soon-to-become hugely lucrative nuclear
industries is Peter Bleasdale, managing director of Nexia
Solutions, an organisation at the heart of what could be
described as a nuclear intelligence community.
"Waste is at the forefront of people's minds, the risk and the
cost of it," Mr Bleasdale says.
"We underpin safety.
"And we're answering questions about cost, but strategic
questions."
National laboratory
Nexia remains a fully owned subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels
Limited (BNFL), alongside clean-up operator British Nuclear
Group (BNG) and US-based nuclear power station construction unit
Westinghouse.
[Peter Bleasdale, managing director, Nexi Solutions]
If you're looking to support th nuclear industry, you'll need to
protect the knowledge base for the UK Peter Bleasdale, Nexia
managing director Energy calculator: nuclear, fossil or renewable
energy?
As such, Nexia operates as a limited liability company with an
80m turnover and 750 people, mostly scientists who hold PhDs or
other postgraduate qualifications.
However, as BNFL is gradually being sold off in bits, this is
about to change.
The sale of Westinghouse to Toshiba of Japan was agreed in
February this year, the following month saw the announcement of
plans to sell BNG during 2007, and there are plans to spin off
Nexia as early as next March, Mr Bleasdale explains.
"Our plan is to be established as a national nuclear
laboratory," he declares, hinting at how Nexia could become a
government-controlled research and development operation.
Strategic look
Since its formation last year, Nexia has morphed into the UK's
leading support and advisory organisation for the government, as
well as for companies operating nuclear power plants and for
those involved in decommissioning.
[Nexia scientist at work]
A fleet of identical plants enables scientists to be more
efficient
This means it is involved with the operations of several plants,
looking after the technology within existing reactors. Nexia is
also working closely with decommissioning and clean-up operators
across the UK, and it operates state-of-the-art laboratory
facilities.
But beyond such activities, Mr Bleasdale wants Nexia to take a
strategic role and look beyond short- and medium-term commercial
targets, and thus become central to the development and
implementation of a nuclear strategy for the UK.
Research and expertise
Part of such long-term thinking involves the preservation of the
UK community of nuclear scientists, and here Nexia has gone one
step further by investing in the world of academia.
Sellafield prepares for commercial future
"If you're looking to support the nuclear industry, you'll need
to protect the knowledge base for the UK," says Mr Bleasdale.
"Five or six years ago, the universities were not producing the
people we needed."
So Nexia, which at the time was BNFL's in-house research unit,
entered into research ventures in cooperation with four UK
universities - Leeds and Sheffield, as well as Manchester and
Umist, which have since merged - to create research projects in
the areas of radiochemistry, particle science, immobilisation
and nuclear materials.
"We've created four projects with 35 people in each," says Mr
Bleasdale.
"We've got to make those universities exciting places to work,
so we've given them a challenge and some money."
Waste decisions
But Nexia also wants to analyse the long-term implications of
decisions that might be imminent, such as the development of a
licensing and planning regime to attract private sector
investment.
[Poster at Sellafield]
Nexia is keen to promote science education
Key to this is the choice of what sort of new reactors should be
built, given that there are several systems available to choose
from, each produced by different private operators.
"Each reactor system will have different waste streams,"
explains Mr Bleasdale. "We can give information on what the cost
of each waste stream would be."
In the end, only one reactor system is expected to be built,
then replicated, in order to curb costs.
"A fleet of plants of the same design would allow for the
limited number of nuclear professionals in the UK to be more
efficiently used," observes the consultancy Deloitte in a
research document.
Moreover, "savings on subsequent plants can be between 10% and
40% of the cost of the first plant", Deloitte says, "creating a
significant incentive for an investor to commit to building more
than a single reactor".
And dealing with just one type of waste stream is cheaper than
reprocessing waste from several different types of reactors.
Such choices may soon have to be made, whether by the government
or by what is expected to be a consortium of private operators.
If and when that happens, Nexia will be there to provide a
long-term perspective.
*****************************************************************
32 Platts: EIA reports global nuclear generating capacity expected to rise
Washington (Platts)--20Jun2006
Global nuclear energy generating capacity is projected to rise
from 361 gigawatts in 2003 to 438 GW in 2030, DOE's Energy
Information Administration reported June 20.
The report, which looks at the global energy demand through 2030,
said that higher fossil fuel prices and concerns about the
security of energy supplies were expected to improve the
prospects for nuclear energy.
By 2030, nuclear capacity is expected to increase by 3 GW in the
US "as a result of uprates at existing plants and by 6 GW as a
result of new construction," the EIA said.
Despite the projected rise in the consumption of
nuclear-generated electricity, EIA also noted that significant
declines in nuclear capacity were expected in Europe, "where
several countries have either plans or mandates to phase out
nuclear power, or where old reactors are expected to be retired
and not replaced." The report is on EIA's web site
(www.eia.doe.gov).
Copyright 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
33 The Herald: McConnell at odds on nuclear power
Web Issue 2555 June 21 2006
ROBBIE DINWOODIE June 21 2006
Jack McConnell has gone against his own party's policy by
rejecting nuclear power and saying Scotland should lead the dash
for renewables.
Speaking in Dumfries, Mr McConnell said: "I am not in favour of
new nuclear generation in Scotland until the issue of waste is
satisfactorily resolved. Nuclear waste is virtually permanent
and potentially very, very lethal, so we should not in Scotland
countenance any extension of nuclear power."
What Mr McConnell said is out of step not only with Tony Blair
at Westminster but his party north of the border which passed a
pro-nuclear resolution at its last conference.
He made his point in Dumfries, where nearby Annan, home of
Chapelcross nuclear station, is actively lobbying to be part of
the next nuclear wave hinted at by Westminster.
Appearing to play down the waste issue in favour of renewables
as his main argument, he said of future nuclear stations:
"Whether we do so is, I think, questionable in any case, because
we have a massive renewable power resource in Scotland, not just
in wind and hydro power but increasingly in marine energy as
well.
"People may not be aware of this but 25% of Europe's potential
marine resource in wave and tidal power if technology can be
created to harness it is in the Pentland Firth."
Chris Ballance, Green MSP for the South of Scotland, said: "We
simply don't need nuclear power if we develop Scotland's
renewable potential, but I am surprised at Jack saying that
because it goes against his own party position."
Richard Lochhead, the SNP's Shadow Environment and Energy
Minister, said: "Perhaps it is finally dawning on Jack that his
party faces electoral meltdown next year and that if he doesn't
change his position on the nuclear question then his troubles
can only deepen, given public opinion."
Copyright Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights
*****************************************************************
34 Daily Ittefaq: Hope rekindled for Rooppur Nuclear power project
Last Updated (US EST): Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:43:32
nation.ittefaq.com
By Shamsuddin Ahmed
It is hard to believe that the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will
ever see the light of the day. It is irony that despite sincere
efforts all successive governments since independence failed to
implement the project.
Newspaper report has rekindled the hope to the delight of many.
State Minister for Energy Major General (retd) Anwar Kabir
Talukder informed parliament on Sunday that establishment of
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is under process by the External
Resources Division. He said work on the plant would start with
availability of external assistance. Earlier, Foreign Minister
Morshed Khan on return from Beijing had indicated availability of
the Chinese assistance for the project.
It was not because shortage of money required to procure the
nuclear reactor and lack of manpower to operate it that hindered
implementation of the project. For many years we have been given
to understand that India always opposed every move of the
government when finance and supplier of the nuclear reactor were
lined up. Absence of bold leadership has failed us so far.
It may be mentioned that Pakistan President Ayub Khan in 1960
had planned to establish two nuclear power plants, one at
Kauhata in West Pakistan and the other at Rooppur in East
Pakistan. Smelling contents of cessation in the 6-point movement
of Awami League the government did not advance with the later.
The Kauhata plant was duly established and developed to make
nuclear bomb in 1998. That gave the strength and earned honour
and prestige for Pakistan in the comity of nations, especially
the Muslim world.
After the independence all the leaders, from Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman down to her daughter Sheikh Hasina had indeed took
earnest initiative to implement the project. But we were told
that India had frustrated the moves. New Delhi put up pressure
and also misinterpreted our intention in the international
forums. The leaders had succumbed to the pressure.
After independence three or four Bengali nuclear scientists
working in Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and were associated
with the Kauhata Nuclear Plant returned home on repatriation.
They joined the Atomic Energy Commission of Bangladesh. One of
them who became chairman of the Commission had confided to this
correspondent that he returned from Pakistan with a great hope
of building the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and work for it
until he dies.
He said many proposals were submitted to the government after
lining up funds and supplier of nuclear reactor. But all those
remained in cold shelve. He used to say that it required a bold
step on the part of the government, which is lacking in our
political leadership.
The last attempt was made by Gen. (retd) Noor Uddin Khan, Energy
Minister during the Awami League regime. He took a delegation
from UN Atomic Energy Agency to Rooppur that inspected the site
in December 1997. Khan had received satisfactory nod from the
international body. But again external forces prevailed upon the
AL government.
In 1981 Britain had agreed to built the nuclear plant with
generation capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity at a cost of
Tk 1,500 crore and in 1988 Germany inclined to do it at Tk 2,000
crore but the proposals were finally dropped due to the same
reason.
Now a nuclear reactor of 600-megawatt capacity, as proposed by
the government to procure from China, will cost US$ 7 to 10
billion. Pakistan has already two nuclear plants and the third
one is under construction in Punjab. Early this year Pakistan
moved to buy eight nuclear reactors from China or elsewhere to
meet its growing energy needs. These reactors, when established,
will add 4,800 megawatts to the existing power generation
capacity.
India has already nine nuclear reactors generating electricity.
Eight others are in the process of establishment. Besides, New
Delhi has recently entered into agreement with the USA under
which it will get unknown quantum of nuclear energy for civil
use.
When Pakistan and Indian can have nuclear power plants why
Bangladesh should not have it? Bangladesh is a small country
with vast population. We have no scope of constructing dam for
generating power from hydrolic source. We are burning scarce
natural gas for generating power at high cost. Although the
initial cost is high and setting up plant is time consuming
nuclear is the cheapest source of generating electricity.
Natural gas based high cost electricity is obviously making our
industrial products costlier and hence loosing competition with
those of our neighbours. Today electricity is the mainstay of
industrial as well as agricultural development. The whole world
is aware of our sufferings because of load shedding. This poor,
impoverished nation cannot dream of making bombs. Bangladesh
will be satisfied with the facility for generating electricity
at low cost.
Despite many odds the successive governments have kept alive the
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant for more than four and half decades.
Every year the national budget allocated around Tk 24 lakh for
the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant where some 18 employees are now
posted. None questioned wasting of crores of taka for it kept
alive the aspiration of the nation. Some 260 acres of land had
been acquired for the plant and another 32 acres for residential
area in 1961.
A Rest House and residential building were already built at that
time.
People of Bangladesh have tremendous confidence on the
friendship of China and the commitment of its leaders. With
China in it the nation is hopeful of seeing the long cherished
project implemented at the earliest. And the political
leadership must shake off any kind of pressure from outside
against the project.
Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
*****************************************************************
35 Rutland Herald: Yankee critical to clean environment
Rutland Vermont News & Information
June 21, 2006
By PEGGY FARABAUGH
As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission begins the public process
for evaluating Vermont Yankee's application license renewal, the
plant's environmental and socioeconomic impact now take center
stage.
Vermont Yankee has assisted the state in maintaining a clean
environment while also supplying one-third of the state's power
for over a generation. The plant efficiently produces abundant,
emission-free electricity on a relatively small amount of land,
and is central to maintaining the state's pristine environmental
character.
Many prominent environmentalists from green organizations such
as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club have recently endorsed nuclear
power because it can meet consumer demand, while reducing
greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, that cause global
warming, as well as toxic emissions that cause harmful health
consequences.
For example, Dr. Patrick Moore, a co-founder and former leader
of Greenpeace, recently said, "Nuclear energy is the only
large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce these
(greenhouse gas) emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing
demand for power The extremists who fail to consider the
enormous and obvious benefits of nuclear power also fail to
understand that nuclear energy is practical, safe and
environmentally friendly."
In July 2003, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and Harvard University issued what they
termed "the most comprehensive, interdisciplinary study ever
conducted on the future of nuclear energy." The study served as
a clarion call for using nuclear power to reduce greenhouse
gases that cause global warming, stating, "Taking nuclear power
off the table as a viable alternative will prevent the global
community from achieving long-term gains in the control of
carbon dioxide emissions."
Vermont Yankee, like other nuclear power plants, helps
contribute to a cleaner global environment and curtail the
catastrophic effects that would come from greenhouse gases and
global warming. Since 1972, the release of more than 100 million
tons of pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides,
and carbon dioxide has been avoided by operating Vermont Yankee
instead of depending on fossil fueled plants.
Because Vermont Yankee provides consistently generated, 2-4/7
base-load power, the state is better positioned to factor the
use of renewable sources of power such as wind, solar and hydro
to address our growing power needs.
There are, of course, ongoing controversies over new wind
facilities proposed in the state because of the impact on ridge
lines and the sheer amount of land that must be used for wind
generation. Indeed, there is controversy swirling around all new
proposed energy facilities in Vermont, as any new source of
electricity generation will cause some sort of disruption to the
environment and surrounding communities.
As much as we love the idea of renewables like wind and solar,
we must keep in mind that Vermont Yankee requires far less land
on which to operate. A wind farm would need 145 square miles in
Vermont to produce the same electricity that Vermont Yankee
does. This option would be an environmental disaster, if it were
not so obviously unfeasible.
It is clear that Vermont Yankee provides numerous benefits for
Vermont's environment and for our people. We would all be well
served to discuss these issues in a calm, dispassionate, and
logical manner so Vermont stays a great place to live and work.
Peggy Farabaugh is an associate professor of environmental
health and safety with Tulane University's School of Public
Health distance learning program and a member of the Vermont
Energy Partnership.
2006 Rutland Herald
*****************************************************************
36 Salt Lake City Weekly: Costly Nukes
City Week - June 22, 2006
Local governments could face a hefty bill should nuclear
power-plant waste come to Utah.
Becoming home to nuclear-fuel waste can carry a huge price tag
for state and city governments as local emergency crews take on
the responsibility of guarding waste shipments and protecting
residents.
Even in the best case, where trainloads of spent fuel are shipped
without problem, the cost of monitoring the shipments and gearing
up for a potential emergency could be in the billions.
That warning comes from Nevada where a consultant projects it
will cost $385 million to prepare for shipments to the proposed
national nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain. For
Nevada’s Clark County alone, the projected cost totals $2.5
billion by the time the last shipment arrives 24 years later.
Steve Erickson of the Utah-based Citizens Education Project (CEP)
points to the Nevada numbers as a harbinger of Utah’s costs
should Private Fuel Storage (PFS) succeed in locating a site for
nuclear-power leftovers—billed as “temporary” until Yucca
Mountain comes online—on the Skull Valley Goshute reservation.
PFS has pledged to pay Tooele County, where the waste ultimately
would land, but other areas could incur emergency costs as well.
Before casks of spent nuclear fuel reach the proposed storage
site, they would travel by rail from points as diverse as
Florida and California. Shipments would arrive in Utah on rail
lines from the north, pass near Ogden and through Salt Lake City
near the Gateway development, then head west to Tooele County
and the Skull Valley reservation, about 50 miles southwest of
Salt Lake City.
As part of Nevada’s fight against nuclear shipments, the
consulting firm Urban Environmental Research (UER) examined the
potential costs of training and equipping police and fire crews
for some Nevada cities along the train route to Yucca Mountain.
Sheila Conway, company principal, said few local police and fire
agencies are trained or equipped to deal with a possible nuclear
accident. Getting cities ready means purchasing radiation
detectors and training emergency crews. Then there’s the cost
of getting on the terrorist radar screen. “Nuclear waste
shipments are moving targets,” she said.
Dealing with a potential terrorist threat would mean building an
advanced emergency operations center, adding communications
equipment to monitor shipments and developing the intelligence
capability of local law enforcement.
Utah hasn’t performed similar studies, according to Dianne
Nielson, head of Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality
and Denise Chancellor, the assistant state attorney general
heading up Utah’s opposition to PFS. The Salt Lake Chamber has
considered a study, said Natalie Gochnour, vice president of the
chamber, which came out against PFS complaining the stigma of
the project could harm the business climate.
Erickson said Utah’s costs aren’t likely to be as high as
those calculated for Nevada, given the larger scale of the Yucca
Mountain project. But Utah is sure to face similar issues, he
said.
“And at this point, no one seems to have any idea who would
pay for it,” he said. “Local taxpayers will have to eat the
costs one way or another.”
Bruce Whitehead, a PFS spokesman, called predictions of economic
doom absurd. Spent fuel will be shipped in concrete and steel
casks tested to withstand impacts at highway speeds.
PFS will provide security guards along the entire route, he
said. And the company will pay local governments and lend its
own employees to help with training.
There will be additional money for local governments that
cooperate, Whitehead said. PFS won’t have to pay taxes, being
located on an Indian reservation, he said. But PFS already is
giving Tooele County $4,500 per month and has inked contracts
with Tooele County and the Goshutes worth potentially hundreds
of millions.
If Utah state officials would talk to PFS, the company is happy
to offer the state a “rather healthy” payment as well, he
said.
Whitehead said any costs not covered by PFS will be paid for by
the federal government.
That’s unlikely, said UER’s Conway. The federal Department
of Energy plans to give local governments training grants in
advance of nuclear shipments, but Conway said the money won’t
cover equipment and the DOE is talking about $200,000 per
impacted state.
“That won’t come close to covering the costs,” she said.
Salt Lake City Weekly and slweekly.com 1996-2006 Copperfield
Publishing, Inc.. All rights reserved. offices: 248 S. Main
Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 801-575-7003
*****************************************************************
37 TheStar.com: Nuclear titan eyes Candu
Wed. Jun. 21, 2006. | Updated at 08:04 PM
'Candu technology is something they have a lot of interest in.'
Former nuclear industry official
Nuclear titan eyes CanduBuyout under discussion, sources say
Areva interested in our reactor business
TYLER HAMILTON BUSINESS REPORTER
France's state-owned Areva Group, the world's largest nuclear
company, has had discussions with Ottawa about the possibility of
acquiring the commercial reactor business of federally owned
Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., the Star has learned.
Sources say Areva has expressed an interest in AECL's Candu
reactor business and that a sale to the French nuclear giant,
which had $14 billion in revenues last year and touts a global
workforce of more than 58,000, has been entertained by Ottawa.
"There has been discussion," said one former high-ranking
nuclear industry official, adding that talks were as recent as
last month. "The Candu technology is something they have a lot
of interest in. If I'm Areva, I'm going at them hard right now."
AECL has been the epicentre of Canada's nuclear industry for
more than 50 years. Its technology is behind the construction of
22 nuclear power reactors across the country over the past four
decades, most of them in Ontario where the crown corporation's
workforce is approaching 4,000.
But AECL is now at a crossroads, experts say. The latest talks
come as Ontario embarks on a controversial plan to build two new
nuclear reactors to rejuvenate its aging power system. If
Queen's Park selects a foreign supplier, or decides to purchase
current generation Candu 6 technology, plans by the struggling
nuclear company to sell its next-generation Advanced Candu
Reactor overseas are likely sabotaged.
"If I'm the current prime minister I'm thinking, `How the hell
am I going to get an Advanced Candu Reactor built unless I get
it built in Ontario?" said the industry source. "If Areva took
(AECL) over, they would have the financial wherewithal to say,
we can build it here, here and here."
Under proper terms, a sale to Areva could keep jobs in Canada,
prop up Candu technology in the global marketplace, and shift
the risk of new reactors in Canada from taxpayers to a large
foreign company, the source said.
Ottawa has explored the privatization of AECL's Candu reactor
business before, most recently in 2002 when the then-Liberal
government hired BMO Nesbitt Burns to study the idea.
Ontario Energy Ministry Dwight Duncan has said the province,
while it prefers to select home-grown technology, is open to
choosing a foreign provider if it means the best deal for
taxpayers, who still harbour memories of delays and cost
overruns at Darlington.
Mike Richmond, an energy lawyer with McMillan Binch Mendelsohn,
said a sale to Areva could fly politically if it was properly
crafted and if Ottawa retained ownership of its prized Chalk
River laboratory, AECL's major research and development arm.
"I don't think you'd see the same kind of uproar as you did when
the Ontario government tried to sell Hydro One," said Richmond.
"It's more a matter of national pride than an economic concern.
The federal government would want to put conditions on such a
sale to make sure some of the long-term benefits stay in Canada."
Tom Adams, executive director of Energy Probe, said the federal
Conservative government may find that a sale of AECL is easier
to swallow politically than a decision to subsidize new reactors
in Ontario.
"Looking at it from their (Tories) point of view, there's no
upside for them (to support Ontario)," said Adams. "They don't
have a lot of seats in Ontario, the nuclear program isn't that
popular here. If they start paying for one province's power
bills then other provinces start putting their hands out.
`Candu technology is something they have a lot of interest in'
Former nuclear industry official
"So there's a political logic to dropping this hot potato."
Emma Welford, a spokesperson for Natural Resources Canada, the
ministry overseeing AECL, confirmed Ottawa has explored the idea
of selling parts of the crown corporation.
"There have been discussions with stakeholders, whether Areva or
anybody else, that's talked about this possibility," she said.
"There's been interest expressed in the privatization of AECL,
but while that's the case, the government of Canada is not
planning on pursuing privatization in the near future."
Dale Coffin, spokesperson for AECL, said the company has not
received any purchase offers. "To my knowledge nothing recently
has transpired."
But Tom Christopher, Areva's chief executive for North America,
told the Star in a telephone interview that his company does
have its eye on AECL. "Of course," he said, when asked if Areva
would be interested in an acquisition. "AECL is a fine company
that might produce excellent synergies with any one of the
(nuclear) vendors."
He pointed out that Areva already has 1,300 employees in Canada
and revenues exceeding $500 million related to its Canadian
operations. AECL, by comparison, had revenues of $378 million
last year. Many of Areva's Canadian employees are former AECL
staff.
"To me there is no one particular reactor model that's correct
for the future, as every country has slightly different needs,"
said Christopher, explaining why Areva would be interested in
AECL's Candu technology.
As Areva pursues business in China, which wants to build at
least 30 new nuclear reactors by 2020, he said AECL's recent
experience building two reactors there could prove valuable,
particularly in an industry where skilled talent is dwindling.
Adams said a worldwide shortage of skilled nuclear talent could
be a major motivation for Areva. "AECL's large payroll may be
considered an opportunity for somebody that expects to see
business grow," he said.
In the end it may come down to scale, and uncertainty over
whether AECL can compete against powerhouses such as Areva,
Westinghouse and GE Nuclear Energy Inc. in a rapidly
consolidating market.
"The big vendors that are there today were always there. We've
always been able to find a market for our products because we
offer good products," said Robert Van Adel, CEO and president of
AECL.
But Areva, which lost its bid earlier this year to acquire
Westinghouse Electric Co. from British Nuclear Fuels Plc,
appears committed to bulking up.
Christopher declined comment when asked if Areva is in talks
with the federal government.
Moments after the interview, Areva e-mailed the following
statement to the Star: "At this time, Areva has no plans to make
a major acquisition in North America."
Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All
*****************************************************************
38 TheStar.com: Taxpayers on hook for nuclear folly
Wed. Jun. 21, 2006. | Updated at 04:40 PM
Ottawa must help with new reactors
Editorial, June 19.
Rightly concerned that new nuclear reactors in Ontario will
undergo long delays and cost overruns, Ontario Premier Dalton
McGuinty is asking the Stephen Harper government to provide a
backdoor subsidy for new Ontario reactors through the federal
government's nuclear sinkhole, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
Both McGuinty and Harper should know there is only one taxpayer
who will end up paying for Ontario's nuclear folly Canadians.
In spite of 40 years of trying, there has never been a nuclear
reactor come in on budget or on time in Canada.
Whether it is the Ontario ratepayers or the federal taxpayers,
it is Canadians and the environment who will pay for nuclear
power's high cost in the end.
Bruce Cox, Executive Director, Greenpeace Canada, Toronto
Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All
*****************************************************************
39 Telegraph: Lib Dem nuclear pledge
[telegraph.co.uk]
By Brendan Carlin
(Filed: 21/06/2006)
The Liberal Democrats pledged yesterday to reverse Tony Blair's
so-called "dash for nuclear" amid claims that the project will
cost taxpayers tens of billions of pounds.
The Prime Minister is determined to order a new generation of
nuclear power stations before he steps down. But Norman Lamb,
the chief of staff to Sir Menzies Campbell, indicated that if
the Lib Dems achieved a share of power at the next election,
they would insist on dropping plans to renew ageing reactors.
With many pundits predicting a hung parliament, the Lib Dems
would instead push for more investment on renewable energy and a
huge programme of energy efficiency for houses.
Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006. | Terms &
*****************************************************************
40 globeandmail.com: Nuclear plan marks rubber-stamp era
By MURRAY CAMPBELL
Wednesday, June 21, 2006, Page A11
High-school guidance counsellors will be thrilled to learn that
the Ontario government has created an entirely new job
classification that will provide employment opportunities for
years to come.
The government apparently needs workers to confirm that the
province has a legal system. This would seem to be
counter-intuitive since the newspapers are filled with stories
about law-breakers and library shelves groan with compendiums of
legal statutes.
The full text of this article has 718 words.
globeandmail.com.
*****************************************************************
41 St. Petersburg Times: Second nuclear plant won't come without risks
By GREG HAMILTON
Published June 21, 2006
Sometime within the next few weeks, the leaders of Progress
Energy will make a decision that could forever change Citrus
County.
If the North Carolina-based utility chooses to build a second
nuclear power plant at its Crystal River complex, the
implications would be staggering.
Already, the sprawling energy complex pumps millions of dollars
in property tax revenues into the county budget. The new plant,
costing upward of $3-billion and taking 10 years to build, would
add untold millions in tax revenues for decades to come.
Its work force, among the highest-paid in Citrus, also
contributes an enormous amount of money to the local economy
through purchases of homes, cars and other essentials. And the
company has historically been very generous in its community
goodwill donations to the host community.
For those reasons, the Board of County Commissioners is on
record as unanimously inviting the company to build here. But
this is hardly a done deal. And before the county trips over
itself, it needs to consider a few points.
For starters, there is the question of the spent nuclear fuel.
Disposing of this radioactive stuff is a major issue nationwide,
and Citrus County officials should not turn a blind eye to this
enormous problem.
Since coming online in 1977, the reactor along the shoreline
north of Crystal River has generated untold amounts of
electricity for a wide swath of Central Florida. It has also
created a huge pile of spent fuel pellets that are stored in a
deep pool on the site.
The radiation diminishes over time in the pool, but the danger
remains real. Exposure would be instantly fatal. Proposed EPA
standards would call for keeping the spent fuel away from humans
for 1-million years.
To use an entirely unscientific term, this is nasty stuff. And
Citrus gets to keep it all, at least until the federal
government figures out a better plan to dispose of it.
A second plant would naturally mean even more spent fuel on our
doorstep. With space in the deep pool expected to run out by
2016, Progress Energy is considering another plan: storing it in
huge dry casks.
These would be above ground. Yes, they would be hardened and,
presumably, able to withstand hurricane-force winds and other
natural threats.
But what about a terrorist attack? Sheriff Jeff Dawsy has
pointed out that the regional antiterrorism task force lists the
Crystal River site as the No. 1 potential target for terrorists.
Would these huge casks of radioactive fuel be sitting ducks?
During a visit with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board
last week, Jeff Lyash, the new CEO of Progress Energy Florida,
downplayed such concerns.
"On-site storage is not a technical issue for the industry, but
a political issue,'' he said.
The casks would be designed to handle such threats, he assured
the board. However, this is a theory that has never been tested.
No one ever expected the Twin Towers to collapse after being
struck by jetliners. Until it happened.
It would be foolish, and potentially disastrous, for Citrus
County to underestimate the importance of this issue. After all,
we would be ground zero.
There are other, less-critical concerns. What about the
potential impact on development?
Say a second, sprawling plant is built at Crystal River. That
would push way back the 5-mile zone around the site in which the
county prohibits development.
With renewed attention being paid these days to developing that
part of Citrus County, how would the new plant affect these
building proposals? It does not take much imagination to
envision lawsuits from property owners who now would be
prevented from developing their land.
Then there is the proposed Suncoast Parkway II project. One of
the suggested routes for the highway expansion would follow the
Progress Energy power lines that arc from Crystal River to the
Hernando County line.
A second nuclear reactor would require either greatly upgrading
the existing lines or putting up new ones. If the new lines
follow the old path, would this limit or prohibit its use for
the proposed parkway?
And if the enormous transmission towers go in another direction,
say due east to feed the central part of the state, how would
this affect developments already slated to be built across the
central and eastern parts of the county? How many homeowners
would object to having these towers as neighbors?
It is obvious that Progress Energy is strongly considering
Crystal River as a home for the new nuke. CEO Lyash spelled out
several of the site's advantages, such as its geology and
proximity to cooling water, plus the fact that the local
community has embraced the plant.
He also noted some disadvantages, such as the concern over
having too much power generation at a single site. Utilities
wisely try to spread generation sites around to avoid
catastrophic disruptions of service.
But the planets are aligning in Progress Energy's favor. The
federal government is throwing hundreds of millions of dollars
in tax credits to utilities to develop new nuclear plants. In
Florida, the government has removed virtually all of the risk
for investors in these utilities.
Battered by rising gasoline prices, the national mood seems
ready to accept any alternative fuel, including nuclear power.
Lyash expects the hard-core antinuke protesters to show up once
the site is announced. But communities, he said, are asking to
be considered for a site, not putting up barricades.
Count Citrus County as one of those open-arm communities.
While our elected officials and business leaders salivate over
the prospects of a second nuclear plant in our borders, they
should not forget that it will come with a price for the host
community. [Last modified June 21, 2006, 02:17:03]
2006 All Rights Reserved St. Petersburg Times 490 First
Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-893-8111
*****************************************************************
42 Activist sues FEMA, NRC, Governor
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:46:50 -0700
Press Release
June 21, 2006
Contact:
ericepstein@comcast.net
Eric Epstein, Coordinator (717)-541-1101
Activist Sues FEMA, NRC & Governor Rendell
Immediate Action Sought for Preschool Emergency Plans
(Harrisburg, PA) - Today Eric Epstein* formally notified Harvey
Johnson, Deputy
Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency,
Edward G. Rendell, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Samuel
Collins, Regional Administrator of the United States Nuclear Regulatory
Commission,
of their systematic, deliberate, and coordinated failure to enforce and
implement
federal laws, regulations and guidelines relating to emergency planning
requirements for nursery schools and day care centers located within ten
miles of
nuclear generating stations.
Mr. Epstein said, "This is not a states rights issue. At the core
of this problem is
the naked fact that Pennsylvania has created two separate and unequal
classes of
children. The absence of basic civil rights for 183,00 children is an
affront to human
decency. Protecting our children in accordance with federal law cannot be
reduced
to a business decision."
Despite repeated efforts to alert FEMA, the NRC and Governor Rendell of the
deficiencies and gaps over a three year period (Exhibits 1 thorough 15 are
available
as PDF files upon request), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has steadfastly
refused to provide protective actions as outlined in Guidance Memorandum EV-2
Protective Actions for School Children. These federal regulations have
been in
place since November 3, 1986.
Specifically, GM EV-2 requires that appropriate state and local government
agencies provide all licensed childcare facilities residing in Emergency
Planning
Zones (EPZ) with pre-planned radiological emergency services.
Mr. Epstein observed that small children were the focal point of the only
nuclear
evacuation in American history. On March 30, 1979, Governor Richard Thornburgh
recommended an evacuation for preschool children and pregnant women living
within
five miles of the plant. Out of a target population of 5,000, over 140,000
Central
Pennsylvanians fled the area.
Mr. Epstein asked, How can our most vulnerable population be excluded from
Pennsylvanias emergency planning 27 years after the accident at Three Mile
Island?
Epstein added, "Compliance can only be achieved by providing verifiable
evidence that
protective measures have been instituted for all nursery schools and day
care centers in
the event of another radiological emergency in Pennsylvania."
Epstein asked FEMA to find immediate discovery of these deficiencies and
take the
required enforcement actions in accordance with FEMA Rule 44 of the Code of
Federal
Regulations Part 350. FEMA must notify the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and AmerGen and Exelon that they have 120
days to
bring the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station and the Peach Bottom
Atomic
Power Station into compliance or risk forfeiting their operating licenses.
Mr. Epstein also requested that FEMA review and assess the plans and
procedures at
the Beaver Valley Nuclear Generation Station in Shippingport, the Limerick
Nuclear
Generating Station in Pottstown, and the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in
Berwick, to insure that GM EV-2s protective measures are in place for
preschoolers
throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
_____
* Mr. Epstein is the Chairman of Three Mile Island Alert , Inc., a
safe-energy
organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and founded in 1977. TMIA
monitors Peach Bottom, Susquehanna, and Three Mile Island nuclear generating
stations. tmia.com
He is also the Coordinator of the EFMR Monitoring group, a nonpartisan
community-based organization established in 1992. EFMR monitors radiation
levels at Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island nuclear generating stations,
invests
in community development, and sponsors remote robotics research. efmr.org
Attachment Converted: "c:\program files\eudora\attach\Kids v.FEMA, NRC, Gov. pdf"
Attachment Converted: "c:\program files\eudora\attach\Kids v. FEMA, NRC, Gov.doc"
*****************************************************************
43 BBC: Dounreay Workers
Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 June 2006
[Clyde Valley Drilling staff working in Dounreay]
Clyde Valley Drilling staff working in Dounreay in Caithness
Contractors have completed a project to remove contaminated
concrete as part of a 2.9bn clear-up of the Dounreay nuclear
plant in Caithness.
called a dry wire saw to cut out a drain.
Traditional concrete drilling methods require water to keep the
drill cool and for removing dust.
However, this posed a risk of radioactive waste escaping into the
ground or the environment.
To prevent contaminated dust particles from leaking into the
atmosphere, CVD designed a modular containment system to enclose
the cutting area.
the module their Cybermen costumes after the Dr Who characters.
Owen Barrett, managing director of Glasgow-based CVD, said: "This
was the first piece of nuclear decommissioning work to be
completed in the UK involving a dry wire saw.
Fast reactor
"The equipment worked perfectly and the early finish is a credit
to this and the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff who worked
on the project.
"I understand they became quite attached to their Dr Who-style
Cybermen suits."
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, which runs the
140-acre site, expects the decommissioning of Dounreay to take 30
years.
The clean-up includes dealing with liquid metal coolants from
Dounreay's fast reactor and prototype fast reactor.
*****************************************************************
44 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Meeting of The ACRS
FR Doc E6-9704
[Federal Register: June 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 119)]
[Notices] [Page 35716] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21jn06-150]
Subcommittee on Plant Operations; Notice of Meeting The ACRS
Subcommittee on Plant Operations will hold a meeting on July 26,
2006, at the U.S. NRC Region I, 475 Allendale Road, King of
Prussia, Pennsylvania.
The entire meeting will be open to public attendance.
The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows:
Wednesday, July 26, 2006--8:30 a.m. until the conclusion of
business.
The Subcommittee and Region I will discuss regional inspection,
enforcement, and operational activities. The Subcommittee will
gather information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and
formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for
deliberation by the full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official,
Mr. Michael A. Junge (telephone 301-415-6855) five days prior to
the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be
made. Electronic recordings will be permitted.
Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by
contacting the Designated Federal Official between 6:45 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. (e.t.). Persons planning to attend this meeting are
urged to contract the above named individual at least two working
days prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes
to the agenda.
Dated: June 14, 2006.
Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW.
[FR Doc. E6-9704 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
45 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting of the
FR Doc E6-9719
[Federal Register: June 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 119)]
[Notices] [Page 35716] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21jn06-151]
Subcommittee on Plant License Renewal; Notice of Meeting The ACRS
Subcommittee on Plant License Renewal will hold a meeting on July
11, 2006, Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
The entire meeting will be open to public attendance.
The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows: Tuesday,
July 11, 2006-1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to
discuss the License Renewal Application for the Palisades Nuclear
Power Plant and the related Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with
open items prepared by the NRR staff. The Subcommittee will hear
presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the
NRC staff, Nuclear Management Company, LLC, and other interested
persons regarding this matter. The Subcommittee will gather
information, analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate
proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for deliberation
by the full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official,
Mr. Michael A. Junge (telephone 301/415-6855) five days prior to
the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be
made. Electronic recordings will be permitted.
Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by
contacting the Designated Federal Official between 6:45 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. (ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged
to contact the above named individual at least two working days
prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes to
the agenda.
Dated: June 14, 2006.
Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW.
[FR Doc. E6-9719 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
46 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Subcommittee Meeting
FR Doc E6-9720
[Federal Register: June 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 119)]
[Notices] [Page 35716-35717] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21jn06-152]
on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting The ACRS
Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will hold a meeting on
July 11, 2006, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the
exception of a portion that may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(2) and (6) to discuss organizational and personnel
matters that relate solely to the internal personnel rules and
practices of the ACRS, and information the release of which would
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows:
[[Page 35717]] Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 10:30 a.m.-12 Noon The
Subcommittee will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related
matters. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze
relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and
actions, as appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Official,
Mr. Sam Duraiswamy (telephone: 301-415-7364) between 7:30 a.m.
and 4:15 p.m. (ET) five days prior to the meeting, if possible,
so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic
recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the
meeting that are open to the public.
Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by
contacting the Designated Federal Official between 7:30 a.m. and
4:15 p.m. (ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged
to contact the above named individual at least two working days
prior to the meeting to be advised of any potential changes in
the agenda.
Dated: June 15, 2006.
Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW.
[FR Doc. E6-9720 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
47 UPI: U.S., Jamaica to screen for radiation
United Press International - Security &Terrorism -
6/20/2006 10:29:00 PM -0400
WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- The United States and Jamaica have
agreed to install radiation detection equipment at Jamaican
ports.
The equipment will screen seagoing cargo containers to protect
both countries against nuclear terrorism, the U.S. government
said Tuesday.
"Protecting global shipping lanes from being used by terrorists
to smuggle nuclear materials is critical for U.S. national
security and the national security of our international
partners. Cooperating with the government of Jamaica will enable
our countries to further international nonproliferation
efforts," said National Nuclear Security Administration chief
Linton Brooks in a press release announcing the agreement.
The two governments signed a Declaration of Principles to
implement both the Customs and Border Patrol Container Security
Initiative and the National Nuclear Security Administration's
Megaports Initiative to intercept nuclear and other radioactive
material shipped by smugglers and terrorists.
Similar partnerships exist with the Netherlands, Greece and
other nations, and representatives from Europe, Asia, South
America, the Middle East and the Caribbean are discussing with
the United States a program to install radiation detection
systems at key port facilities worldwide, according to NNSA.
While the Megaport and Container Security Initiative programs
help identify high-risk containers, they do not screen all cargo
for dangerous substances. Only one port in the world -- the port
of Hong Kong -- has the capability to screen 100 percent of the
cargo containers that move through the port. The technology is
part of a pilot program that was conceived by the shipping
industry and but so far has not been adopted by other
governments and port authorities.
The Hong Kong pilot program, the Integrated Container Inspection
System, was the brainchild of Stephen Flynn, a maritime security
expert and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The pilot
program uses no government funding; it is carried out with
funding and by the cooperation of American contractor SAIC and
the Hong Kong Terminal Operators Association.
Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
48 [NukeNet] EPA Wants to Cover Radioactive Soil Near Missouri
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:46:56 -0700
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
http://kmox.com/pages/48732.php?
Posted: Wednesday, 21 June 2006 9:56AM
EPA Wants to Cover Radioactive Soil Near Missouri River
BRIDGETON, Mo. (AP) -- An Environmental Protection Agency plan calls
for contaminated soil at an old landfill in north St. Louis County to
be covered, rather than dug up and hauled away.
The 200-acre West Lake Landfill is a Superfund site contaminated by
Cold War-era weapons work. Critics say the contamination, which sits
near the Missouri River, should be removed.
The E-P-A says the radioactive contamination can be safely managed
using conventional landfill techniques. But the agency says the
current cover system, along with monitoring and maintenance, need to
be improved. The cost is estimated at 23 million dollars over 30 years.
Removing the contaminated soil would cost more than three times as much.
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
*****************************************************************
49 NRC: NRC'S Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Re-Elects Chairman and Vice Chairman
News Release - 2006-08 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office
of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC
20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 06-083 June 20, 2006
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on
Nuclear Waste (ACNW) has re-elected Dr. Michael T. Ryan as
Chairman and Allen G. Croff as Vice Chairman. The ACNW provides
independent technical advice to the Commission on all aspects of
nuclear waste management.
Dr. Ryan is an independent consultant in radiological sciences
and health physics, and an adjunct faculty member in the College
of Health Professions at Texas A&M University. He has more than
25 years of experience in radioactive waste management and
radiation protection. Dr. Ryan has served on the Board of
Directors of the National Council on Radiation Protection and
Measurements and as the Scientific Vice President for the
Council's Radioactive and Mixed Water Management program. He has
authored numerous articles and publications in such areas as
radiation dosimetry, radioactive waste management, regulatory
compliance for radioactive materials and environmental radiation
assessment.
Dr. Ryan holds a bachelor of science degree in radiological
health physics from Lowell Technological Institute and a master
of science degree in radiological sciences and protection from
the University of Lowell. He earned his Ph.D. in health physics
from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been an ACNW
member since June 2002.
Croff worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 29 years,
retiring in 2003. He held positions in staff, line management,
and program management concerning waste management research and
development, analysis of nuclear fuel cycles and nuclear
materials management, and strategic planning. One of his
significant achievements was creating the ORIGEN2 computer code
used worldwide to calculate radionuclide buildup and decay, and
its application to nuclear material and waste characterization,
risk analysis and nuclear fuel cycle analysis. Croff previously
served as chair for a committee of the National Council on
Radiation Protection and Measurements on risk-based waste
classification and has served on numerous committees of the
National Academy of Sciences.
Croff received a bachelor of science degree in chemical
engineering from Michigan State Uuniversity, an MBA from the
University of Tennessee and master of science degree in nuclear
engineering from MIT. He has been an ACNW member since July 2004.
Last revised Wednesday, June 21, 2006
*****************************************************************
50 St. Louis Post-Dispatch: EPA wants to cover-not dig up-radioactive soil
STLtoday -
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 21, 2006
By Ken Leiser
BRIDGETON
Federal regulators want to cover radioactive, contaminated soil
at an old Bridgeton landfill rather than dig it up and haul it
away.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its
proposed plan to deal with the 200-acre West Lake Landfill, a
Superfund site about a mile north of the Interstate 70-270
junction.
But critics say the radioactive contamination, dating to Cold
War-era weapons work, should be removed because of its close
proximity to the Missouri River.
"To leave it in the flood plain of one of the United States'
major rivers is not to be believed," said Kay Drey of University
City, an environmental activist. "It is there, but it doesn't
mean our generation should be leaving it behind for our
offspring."
The material there is "highly radioactive," Drey said, and should
be excavated and transported to a licensed waste repository.
Daniel Wall, remedial project manager for the Environmental
Protection Agency's Superfund Division in Kansas City, Kan., said
the radioactive contamination can be safely managed using
conventional landfill techniques.
"It is just that its current cover system and various monitoring
and maintenance plans that go along with it need to be upgraded,"
he said.
The proposed fix includes bringing in additional fill material,
grading the two radiological contamination sites and covering
them with rubble and rock to limit erosion. The site - which
includes some adjacent land - would be regularly inspected.
Landfill gas and groundwater would be monitored.
The estimated 30-year cost would be roughly $23 million.
Wall said the landfill sits in a historic flood zone, but much of
it lies above the area that would flood if levees failed. The
landfill site did not flood in 1993, he said.
Byproducts of uranium ore processing from the old Mallinckrodt
Chemical Works' facility near downtown St. Louis were stored near
Lambert Field and later blended with soil that found its way to
the municipal landfill in the early 1970s, Wall said. It was used
for cover material at the landfill before it closed.
Because contamination is spread through parts of the landfill,
Wall said, excavation would be difficult. Removal and export of
tainted soil would cost about $76 million over 30 years.
Wall said cost was a factor but not the only one considered.
The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public meeting
on the proposed plan Thursday. It will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the
Bridgeton Community Center, 4201 Fee Fee Road, Bridgeton.
"Obviously, hazardous waste has to go somewhere, but I personally
would prefer that it not be in a large metropolitan area like St.
Louis," said Bridgeton Councilwoman Chris Whitman.
Whitman said she, too, is concerned that contamination could
travel through fissures in the rock and travel toward the
Missouri River, a major source of water in St. Louis County.
"It raises a lot of questions, I think, in terms of overall
public safety," she said. "My suspicion is that probably the
reason they want to leave it is probably the expense of cleaning
up a site like this."
*****************************************************************
51 thedesertsun.com: Unanswered questions blur picture of Salton Sea's future
Editorials
A former bombing range on the Salton Sea may need to
be cleared of ordinance before the area can be developed. WE
SUGGEST: Tests need to be conducted for buried ordinance, and if
it exists then removed.WHAT DO YOU THINK?What should be done
with the former bomb test range? Send a letter via the Web:
Letters to the Editor
The Desert Sun
June 21, 2006
It's time for answers about a former bomb testing range along
the Salton Sea.
No one is really certain if unexploded ordnance sits buried at
the former Salton Sea Test Base, according to a new Navy report.
When the Navy cleared the site five years ago, it only removed
bombs and debris visible on the surface. If the land is to be
developed, however, any unexploded warheads below ground will
have to be found then removed. The Department of the Interior,
which now owns the 20,000 acres, should determine if bombs are
there, and if they are, how much another cleanup would cost.
Not conducting a cleanup hinders efforts to save the shrinking
Salton Sea. The La Quinta-based Salton Sea Authority wants to
divide the water body into two lakes so recreation and wildlife
around it can be preserved. To pay for that $2.2 billion plan,
money would come from a variety of sources, including sale of
the former test base site to developers. That sale could
generate as much as $100 million for saving the sea.
Efforts to convince the state that the authority's plan is the
best of 10 now on the table should continue despite the
uncertainty. Time is running out, after all. State water
officials in September will recommend a sea revitalization plan
for legislators to approve by year's end. The authority's plan
is the only strategy that fully considers local recreation,
economic and environmental issues. Sale of the old test site is
a piece in the authority's plan for funding the sea's
revitalization.
"It's not a showstopper," authority Director Rick Daniels said
of the Navy's findings, "but it's something that certainly could
help. A $100 million here, a $100 million there, and pretty soon
you've got $2.2 billion."
Still, no developer can purchase parts of the test base until
the federal government cleans it up for the buyer's intended
purpose. For housing, that means clearing ordinance at least six
feet deep then backfilling another four feet of soil onto nearly
13,000 acres of the site. About 433 of Rancho Mirage's The River
shopping complexes could be fit into that space. The sooner the
federal government moves on determining the extent of the buried
warheads and then removing any that might exist, the more
quickly development of the property and revitalization of the
sea can begin.
In addition, the state is more likely to recommend the
authority's plan if money from selling the test range is a sure
thing. If the property's future remains uncertain, that's just
one fuzzier frame as the authority presents its picture of what
the sea could become.
But even if the state doesn't approve the local plan, answers
still are needed. Though only dummy warheads were dropped, that
ordnance could have contained lead or depleted uranium, the Navy
admits. As the metal casing erodes, so those chemicals will
enter the soil and potentially the water supply. Determining if
that ordnance really is such a threat - and if it's there,
removing it - is key to the long-term health of the sea and
those who live nearby.
*****************************************************************
52 MSPBJ: Tribal leader pushes for nuclear waste clean-up -
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal:
Officials of the Prairie Island Indian Community urged lawmakers
to push legislation to clean up an nuclear waste storage site
near Yucca Mountain.
Bennett participated in the press conference in Washington D.C.
today.
Prairie Island is the closest community in the country to a
nuclear waste site, about 600 yards away from tribe members'
homes. The tribe said it has been fighting to have the waste
removed since 1994, when the state allowed Minneapolis-based
Xcel (NYSE: XEL) to store waste there. The site includes 20
above-ground, dry-cask storage units of radioactive nuclear
waste.
Yucca Mountain, Nev., had been the proposed site for a national
waste-storage facility. But its prospects are unclear.
The Prairie Island Indian Community is located about 50 miles
southeast of the Twin Cities near Red Wing and Hastings, Minn.
2006 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors.
*****************************************************************
53 Las Vegas SUN: Yucca cuts 19 vehicles from fleet
June 20, 2006
Brief news stories from Las Vegas
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Yucca Mountain managers have cut 19 vehicles
from the project motor fleet after auditors found up to $9.1
million wasted a year on cars, trucks, minibuses and work vans.
An audit published in May by the Energy Department inspector
general found about one in five vehicles was underused based on
mileage or hours on the road. Auditors examined the use of 75
Yucca Mountain project vehicles in 2004, and questioned the use
of 15 of them.
At the much larger Nevada Test Site, auditors reviewed 191
vehicles in 2004, and found 20 percent of them also underused.
Test site officials disagreed with the audit. A follow-up is due
this month.
The Energy Department requires its laboratories and project
sites to monitor vehicle use and reassign or dispose of those
that are underused.
Auditors concluded the underutilization rate departmentwide was
about 28 percent.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
54 Knox News: Former Y-12 worker charged with taking files
By Associated Press
June 21, 2006
A former employee at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak
Ridge has been charged with removing classified documents
without authority, a misdemeanor.
The U.S. Attorneys office has accused Everett Ashley Blauvelt
Jr. of being "in possession of computer files and documents
containing information classified at the Secret Restricted Data
level, which he knowingly removed from the Y-12 complex without
authority," according to an information filed in U.S. District
Court on June 13.
The incident happened in 2000. The information, which is similar
to an indictment, said Blauvelt was going to keep the files on
his personal computer at home. It was unclear what the files and
documents contained, and no reason was given for the delay in
charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Dake said he could not
comment on the case.
"I dont think Im at liberty to say anything beyond what is in
the public record right now," Dake said Wednesday.
Y-12, a product of the World War II bomb-building Manhattan
Project, continues to make components for every warhead in the
countrys nuclear arsenal.
The complex is part of the Department of Energys National
Nuclear Security Administration. Blauvelt left his job with Y-12
contractor BWXT in 2001, said BWXT spokesman Bill Wilburn. He
could not say whether Blauvelt was fired or what his job title
was.
"I dont know anything about his job level," Wilburn said.
Blauvelts attorney, Tom Dillard, said his client made a "simple
mistake."
"I really feel sorry for the guy. I know we cant have all these
hearings in a vacuum, but I know that he regrets any problem that
he caused. He never had any intent to harm the United States in
any way," Dillard said. No hearing dates have been set.
Copyright 2006, Associated Press. All rights
2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
55 The Sun News: Nuclear official: Fuel program to speed up
06/21/2006 |
The Associated Press
AIKEN - The head of the federal nuclear weapons program hopes a
plan to convert weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for commercial
reactors will make significant strides this fall.
Ambassador Linton Brooks, the top administrator of the National
Nuclear Security Administration, said the U.S. is committed to
the mixed-oxide fuel program also known as MOX, the Aiken
Standard reported Tuesday.
"The U.S. program is ready and we need to get along with the
job," Brooks said.
Construction of a mixed-oxide plant at the Savannah River Site
near Aiken has been held up because of complications that have
delayed construction of a Russian facility. Those issues have
apparently been solved in a recent agreement.
Groundbreaking ceremonies on the facility were held last fall.
About 73 acres has been cleared at the site and 80 percent has
been excavated to make way for construction, Brooks said. Also,
85 percent of the facility's design work is complete.
"We need to move forward because the United States has a
commitment," Brooks said. "The United States lives up to its
commitments."
Six years ago, the United States and Russia each agreed to
dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium by
converting it to fuel for use in commercial nuclear reactors.
North Carolina-based Duke Power wants to use the fuel in four of
its reactors.
South Carolina agreed in 2002 to accept the weapons-grade
plutonium at SRS if the U.S. Energy Department built a facility
to convert the plutonium into fuel. At the same time, the U.S.
agreed to help fund the construction of a similar MOX plant in
Russia, meant to operate on a parallel track with the SRS plant.
Brooks also told members of the Citizens for Nuclear Technology
Awareness that he hopes funding issues will be worked out in
Congress.
Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., called for an
investigation of the future of the MOX programs.
Fast fact
Groundbreaking ceremonies on the facility were held last fall.
About 73 acres has been cleared at the site and 80 percent has
been excavated to make way for construction, said Ambassador
Linton Brooks, the top administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration. Also, 85 percent of the facility's
design work is complete.
*****************************************************************
56 KIFI: INL Signs Deal With Company To Create Nuclear Medicine
www.localnews8.com
News-Press &Gazette
June 21, 2006
Almost everyone has had some experience with cancer, and the
majority of those experiences are tragic.
Scientists at the INL are out to change all of that.
They have found an isotope in old, unused nuclear fuel that
could lead to a cure for cancers like leukemia. The isotope is
called Actinium-225.
Wednesday, the INL joined with NorthStar Nuclear Medicine to
separate this isotope on an enhanced level and eventually get
FDA approval.
“Every scientist dreams of helping mankind. So, that's the
exciting part for me. We're doing something to better
mankind,” said co-inventor Terry Todd.
This is the third isotope the INL has separated, but Actinium-225
is different. It would help doctors fight cancer in the blood
stream. However, the technology still has many stages to go
through in the coming years before FDA approval.
*****************************************************************
57 DOE: Secretary of Energy Appoints Hydrogen Technical Advisory Committee
June 20, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today
announced the members of the Department of Energys (DOE) new
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC).
Formed in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT),
HTAC will advise the Secretary on issues related to the
development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, a key
component of President Bushs Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI).
Committee members were selected from more than 100 nominees
submitted in response to a Federal Register Notice. HTAC will
give recommendations to the Secretary regarding DOE's programs,
plans, and activities, as well as safety, economic, and
environmental issues related to hydrogen.
Research, development and deployment of hydrogen is central to
President Bushs Advanced Energy Initiative, Secretary Bodman
said. Receiving candid advice from this committee is one of
the many ways we are working to meet the Presidents goal of
moving toward a hydrogen economy and reducing our dependence on
foreign sources of oil.
Hydrogen is key to DOEs long-term energy and environmental
security strategy, is an integral part of the AEI, and supports
a robust technology portfolio. Under the AEI, President Bushs
FY 2007 budget requests $215 million for hydrogen research and
development, a 55 percent increase from 2006. For more
information on the AEI visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006/energy/index.html.
Following EPACT 2005 guidelines, DOE will deliver a biennial
report to Congress describing committee recommendations, how DOE
will implement those recommendations, as well as a rationale for
recommendations that might not be implemented.
The 25 selected members comprise a balanced committee of both
technical expertise and stakeholder viewpoints. HTAC membership
includes representatives of domestic industry, academia,
professional societies, government agencies, financial
organizations and environmental groups, as well as experts in
the area of hydrogen safety. Members will elect a chairperson
at their first meeting to be held in the coming months and will
meet approximately twice per year. Meetings will be announced
in the Federal Register.
Membership of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory
Committee
Name
Affiliation
Position
Larry Bawden
Jadoo Power Systems
President & CEO
John Bresland
U. S. Chemical Safety Board
Board Member
Mark Chernoby
DaimlerChrysler Corp.
V.P., Advanced Vehicle Engineering
Uma Chowdhry
DuPont
Director of Engineering Technology
Millie Dresselhaus
MIT
Professor
David Friedman
Union of Concerned Scientists
Research Director Clean Vehicles
John Hofmeister
Shell Oil Company
President & U.S. Country Chair
Art Katsaros
Air Products & Chemicals Inc.
Group V.P., Development & Technology
Dan Keuter
Entergy Nuclear
Vice President
Alan Lloyd
California EPA (retired)
Former Secretary of California EPA
Byron McCormick
General Motors
Executive Director of Fuel Cell Activities
Mike Mudd
FutureGen Alliance
Chief Executive Officer
Rand Napoli
Florida State Fire Marshal
Director
Ian Purtle
Cargill, Inc.
Corp. V.P. & Director of Process Solutions
Michael Ramage
ExxonMobil
Executive Advisor
James Reinsch
Bechtel Power
Senior Vice President
Gerry Richmond
University of Oregon
Noyes Professor of Chemistry
Roger Saillant
Plug Power
President & CEO
Robert Shaw
Arete Corporation
President
Kathleen Taylor
General Motors (retired)
Director of Materials & Processes Lab
Jan van Dokkum
UTC Power
President
J. Craig Venter
J. Craig Venter Institute
Founder and President
Gregory Vesey
ChevronTechnology Ventures
President
Robert Walker
Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates
Chairman
John Wootten
Peabody Energy (retired)
V.P. of Environment and Technology
*To learn more about the hydrogen program, visit:
Hydrogen.energy.gov.
HTAC terms vary from one to three years. Approximately a third
of the membership will turnover each year, which will give other
candidates an opportunity to serve in the coming years and to
provide their input and expertise.
Media contact(s): Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940 [ ]
U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW |
Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403 |
*****************************************************************
58 TheNewsTribune.com: Cost for Hanford plant now stands at $11.55 billion |
News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Wednesday, June 21st, 2006 3:31 PM
SHANNON DININNY; Associated Press
Published: June 21st, 2006 03:30 PM
YAKIMA, Wash. -- The cost to build a waste treatment plant at
the highly contaminated Hanford nuclear reservation in
south-central Washington has risen to $11.55 billion, according
to a new cost estimate released Wednesday by the U.S. Department
of Energy.
The vitrification plant is being built to convert millions of
gallons of radioactive waste to glasslike logs for permanent
disposal in a nuclear waste repository. The plant has long been
considered the cornerstone of cleanup at the Hanford site, but
the project has been mired in cost overruns, construction
problems and delays.
In 2000, the construction cost was estimated at $4.3 billion.
The May 2006 estimate released Wednesday estimates the new cost
at $11.553 billion, which includes the addition of $1 billion in
contingency money to address potential unknown costs.
The federal government created Hanford in the 1940s as part of
the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb.
Today, it is the nations most contaminated nuclear site, with
cleanup costs expected to total as much as $60 billion.
Key to the cleanup is the removal of 53 million gallons of
toxic, radioactive waste from 177 aging underground tanks.
Dozens of the tanks have leaked into the groundwater,
threatening the nearby Columbia River and making construction of
the one-of-a-kind vitrification plant a priority.
Once completed, the plant will stand 12 stories tall and be the
size of four football fields. Copyright 2005 Associated Press.
All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
1950 South State Street, Tacoma, Washington 98405 253-597-8742
Copyright 2006 Tacoma News, Inc. A subsidiary of The McClatchy
Company
*****************************************************************
59 Tri-City Herald: DOE delays pension change
Published Wednesday, June 21st, 2006
By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer
The Department of Energy plans to delay unpopular changes to
Hanford pension and medical benefits for one year.
But the federal agency does not intend to drop its plan to
discontinue the traditional Hanford pension plan for new hires
at the nuclear reservation.
"DOE has seen escalating and volatile growth in costs for
reimbursement of contractor employees' defined benefit pension
and other post-retirement benefits," Energy Secretary Samuel
Bodman wrote in a letter sent late Monday to Sen. Pete Domenici,
chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources.
The one-year suspension in changes to benefits for employees of
DOE contractors will be used to continue discussions with
Congress and others. The changes also would affect new workers
at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The suspension "is the right thing to do," Rep. Doc Hastings,
R-Wash., said in a statement Tuesday. "Springing a proposal like
this on workers, contractors, communities and Congress was a bad
decision."
DOE announced April 27 that new employees would be covered by a
different medical plan than other workers. The change was to
start no later than July 28 under a new requirement for medical
plans to be "market based."
In addition, new employees were to be offered a 401(k)-style
plan that invests contributions from the worker and the
employer. Retirement benefits would depend upon how well workers
managed investments in the stock market or other investment
vehicles, rather than the set payments made under the Hanford
pension system.
Although current workers and retirees would continue under the
current system, there were questions about what would happen if
they were laid off and rehired or switched from one Hanford
contractor to another.
The pension system change was to start by March 1, 2007.
"We need to put an end to attempts to strip away benefit plans
or create a volatile, two-tiered pension system," said Sen.
Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in a statement Tuesday. "Cost cutting
shouldn't compromise the basic health care and retirement
security of our state's many dedicated Hanford workers."
Domenici said he shares Bodman's concern with the rising cost of
benefits on the DOE budget, but time is needed to devise the
best policy.
"The cost of DOE contract pensions will have a significant
negative impact on cleanup, science and weapons stewardship if
the right policy is not enacted," Domenici said in a news
release.
In this fiscal year, DOE will spend $784 million on pension and
other retirement benefits for contractor employees, Bodman told
Domenici. That's an increase of nearly 200 percent since 2000.
That cost is expected to increase dramatically, said Megan
Barnett, a DOE spokeswoman in Washington, D.C.
In addition, DOE's unfunded liability for retirement benefits in
fiscal year 2005 was $11.6 billion, an increase of 63 percent
since 2000.
"I am concerned that this spiraling cost growth will result in
fewer dollars available to DOE for meeting our critical
scientific, environmental cleanup and national security
missions," Bodman wrote.
DOE already has made some changes in Hanford pension plans.
In the mid-1990s, some workers were assigned to "enterprise
companies" that were supposed to develop non-Hanford business.
Instead, many workers have continued to do the same Hanford work
they did before the creation of the enterprise companies, but
those workers no longer are building Hanford pension benefits.
When the river corridor contract was awarded, it included a
two-tiered pension policy. Hanford employees who switched from
the former contractor, Bechtel Hanford, to the new contractor,
Washington Closure Hanford, continue to receive benefits under
the Hanford pension plan. However, new employees are offered an
enhanced 401(k)-style plan instead.
Organized labor agreed to the system because work along the
river corridor should be completed in about seven years. That
would not give new workers time to become vested and build
significant benefits in the Hanford pension plan.
However, other work at Hanford, such as cleaning up the central
plateau, will take longer and traditional pension plans should
be offered there for new workers, said Dave Molnaa, president of
the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council, when DOE announced its
new pension policy in April.
DOE is preparing to award new contracts for work done by CH2M
Hill Hanford Group and Fluor Hanford on cleanup of the central
plateau and overall site operations. Their contracts expire at
the end of September, although they will be extended up to two
years to give DOE time to review and award new contracts.
DOE has released little information about the new contracts. But
it announced at the beginning of the year that while current
workers would retain their pension benefits, the new contractors
would be required to provide market-based pension plans for
employees hired after the contract is awarded.
When DOE announced its new nationwide pension strategy in April,
the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee
passed an amendment to the energy budget to block DOE from
spending any money next year to implement the pension changes.
In addition, Cantwell and other senators introduced similar
legislation in the Senate.
2006 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press
*****************************************************************
60 DOE: Office of Science; Biological and Environmental Research
FR Doc E6-9735
[Federal Register: June 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 119)]
[Notices] [Page 35634-35635] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21jn06-65]
Advisory Committee AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting.
SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Biological and
Environmental Research Advisory Committee. Federal Advisory
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public
notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.
DATES: Monday, July 10, 2006, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Tuesday,
July 11, 2006, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. David Thomassen
(301-903-3251 david.thomassen@science.doe.gov) Designated Federal
Officer, Biological and Environmental Research Advisory
Committee, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office
of Biological and Environmental Research, SC-23/Germantown
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20585-1290. The most current information concerning this meeting
can be found on the Web site: http://www.science.doe.gov/ober/
berac/announce.html
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: To provide
advice on a continuing basis to the Director, Office of Science
of the Department of Energy, on the many complex scientific and
technical issues that arise in the development and implementation
of the Biological and Environmental Research Program.
Tentative Agenda: Monday, July 10, and Tuesday, July 11, 2006:
Comments from the Office of Science.
Report on Subcommittee review of Environmental Molecular Sciences
Laboratory (EMSL).
EMSL Dashboard--a way to measure science.
Science talk on atmospheric sciences, aerosols and Mexico City
field campaign.
Science talk on biofuels and DOE biofuels workshop.
Report by Dr. David Thomassen, Acting Associate Director of
Science for Biological and Environmental Research.
Updated status reports on BER for BERAC's review of BER's
progress toward meeting its long-term performance goals.
New business.
Public comment (10 minute rule).
Public Participation: The day and a half meeting is open to the
public. If you would like to file a written statement with the
Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If
you would like to make oral statements regarding any of the items
on the agenda, you should contact David Thomassen at the address
or telephone number listed above. You must make your request for
an oral statement at least five business days before the meeting.
Reasonable provision will be made to include the scheduled oral
statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will
conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of
business. Public comment will follow the 10- minute rule.
Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public
review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information
Public Reading Room, IE-190, Forrestal Building, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
[[Page 35635]] Issued in Washington, DC on June 16, 2006.
Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-9735 Filed 6-20-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
61 Nuclear Watch of New Mexico: Los Alamos Goes Postal,
Gets USPS Funding For New Science Complex
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is implementing a
previously undisclosed plan to spend U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
funds to build a new 400,000 square foot Los Alamos Science
Complex. According to Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, the group
that successfully sued the Department of Energy to obtain
documents that revealed the project, construction is slated to
begin in early 2007. Despite that imminent start date, the Lab
has prepared no known federally required environmental impact
analysis for the project. Further, Congress may be in the dark
about this new Science Complex that could cost 100's of millions
of dollars.
Read about the US Postal Service's special delivery of
construction funding to Los Alamos National Laboratory in:
NukeWatchs press release [144 kb] -June 21, 2006
Selected pages relevant to the Science Complex from Los Alamos
FY05 & FY06 Ten Year Comprehensive Site Plans [704 kb]
The Lab says: "Los Alamos Science Complex: Alternative Financing
for non-directly funded, critically needed facilities - Support
[nuclear weapons] Stockpile Stewardship's related basic and
applied scientific research." (single slide)
Complete LANL presentation on the Science Complex [6M]
House Appropriations Axes Irrational Plutonium Lab at Los Alamos
Watchdogs Call on Domenici to Drop Radioactive Pork
Santa Fe, NM In a stunning move, the congressional House
Subcommittee for Energy and Water Development Appropriations cut
Fiscal Year 2007 construction funding for the Chemistry and
Metallurgy Research Replacement Project at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory (LANL). The cut is from the requested
$112,422,000 to $12,422,000. The old Chemistry and Metallurgy
Research Building, built in the middle 1950s, is highly
contaminated and is being abandoned for nuclear weapons-grade
plutonium work because of prohibitive costs to seismically
upgrade it. The new CMRR project, essentially an advanced
plutonium lab, would be physically linked to LANLs facility for
production of plutonium pits (or nuclear weapons triggers), and
in direct support of that expanding mission.
Listen to The NukeWatch Report on the CMRR facility [2.3MB-mp3]
-June12, 2006
Press Release -[114KB] -May 17, 2006
CMRR Fact Sheet - [120KB] -April 28, 2006
Help Stop LANL's New Plutonium Facility (CMRR). Write a letter
to Senator Domenici!
See a sample letter [in RTF] -May1, 2006
Community Groups Ready to File Suit over LANL Clean Water Act
Violations
May 23, 2006. Albuquerque -- Citing significant violations of
the Clean Water Act at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL), a group of six New Mexico community organizations today
filed a Notice of Intent to Sue the U.S. Department of Energy
and the Regents of the University of California. The Notice is
required by law and gives the defendants an opportunity to
respond prior to an actual filing.
Press Release [80KB] -May 23, 2006
Fact Sheet [64KB] -May 23, 2006
New Los Alamos Contractor To Receive Larger Fees If They Perform
Oversight On Themselves Well
Despite significant risk and Los Alamos National Laboratorys
dismal past performance, DOE wants new contractor to fast-track
new self-oversight plan. The most dysfunctional weapons site is
directed to test out a new oversight plan with first new
contractor in over 60 years.
Read the memorandum [115KB]
Chernobyl: A Grim Reminder
Twenty years ago on April 26, 1986, explosion and fire destroyed
one of the four reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
About five million people live in the surrounding areas of
Belarus, Ukraine and Russia which were contaminated with
cesium-137 and strontium-90. Twenty years later, the debate
persists over the exact cost of the accident in lives lost and
on the health of workers and residents. There is no question
that many suffered, some died and others will die or have
negative health effects due to the fallout. An area the size of
the state of Iowa may be unfit for agriculture for 300 to 600
years. Protecting and/or dismantling the radioactive ruins of
the reactor will burden generations.
The Chernobyl disaster serves as a warning that, when it comes
to nuclear power, design flaws and human error can have
far-reaching, long-lasting and lethal consequences -in addition
to the well-known problems of uranium mining, enrichment,
contamination, potential for proliferation of weapons material
and lack of waste disposal options.
Recommended Links
The Age of U.S. Nuclear Weapons
As part of their argument for new designs and a return to
industrial scale bomb production, U.S. nuclear weaponeers are
consistently pointing out that they are maintaining existing
weapons that are more than 30 years old. In reality, the average
age of nuclear weapons not already slated for retirement is 23
years.
Age of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Fact Sheet [318 KB] -April 27, 2006
Eminent Weapons Scientist Challenges Need for RRW
Eminent scientist Richard Garwin challenges the nuclear weapons
labs'
argument that the Reliable Replacement Warhead is needed.
Read the statement [1.1M] (Courtesy of the Union of Concerned
Scientists)
Sandia's Study Acknowledged Long Ago that Nuclear Weapons Don't
Wear Out
NukeWatch- Given the push by the Department of Energy for
new-design nuclear weapons under the "Reliable Replacement
Warhead" program, we think it worthwhile to refer back to a
"Stockpile Life Study" done by Sandia National Laboratories in
1993. To quote: "It is clear that, although nuclear weapons age,
they do not wear out: they last as long as the nuclear weapons
community (DoD and DOE) desires. In fact, we can find no example
of a nuclear weapon retirement where age was ever a major factor
in the retirement decision." So why new nuclear weapons designs?
Read the study at: Sandia_93_StockpileLife [1.1M]
Watchdog Group Sues to Bring Los Alamos Lab's Hidden Plans into
Public View
Listen to The NukeWatch Report on LANL's Hidden Plans
[1.8MB-mp3] -April 4, 2006
Santa Fe, New Mexico Nuclear Watch New Mexico (NukeWatch) filed
a lawsuit in the federal District Court of New Mexico to compel
the Department of Energy to release blacked out information in
an unclassified Ten Year Comprehensive Site Plan for the Los
Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
+ Press Release: Watchdog Group Sues to Bring LANL Plans into
Public View [141k] -March 23, 2006
+ Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief [308k] -
March 23, 2006
Previous actions, examples of redactions:
+ Press Release: Watchdog Group Appeals Wholesale Redaction of
Labs Plans [61k] November 16, 2005
+ NWNM FOIA Appeal [71k] November 16, 2005
+ Redaction Examples [5.22MB] November 16, 2005 page 1 [750k],
page 2 [636k], page 3 [577k], page 4 [577k], page 5 [692], page
6 [518k], page 7 [1.56MB]
Your Tax Dollars
and
Plutonium Triggers
Listen to The NukeWatch Report [3Mb-mp3] -February 28, 2006
NukeWatch and Tri-Valley Cares Ask for Emergency Injunction to
Stop Livermore Biowarfare Lab
Livermore -- An "urgent motion for stay," and a supplemental
memorandum filed in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals late
yesterday, seeks to prevent the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
from commencing operation of a new biowarfare agent testing
facility inside the Livermore Laboratory in April 2006. The
Biosafety Level-3 Facility is slated to conduct aerosol
experiments and genetic modifications using lethal pathogens
such as live anthrax, plague, botulism and Q fever.
Joint Press Release [128KB] -February 16, 2006
Urgent Motion for Stay [224KB] -February 16, 2006
Supplemental Memorandum [220KB] -February 16, 2006
Nuclear Weapons Activity Increases as Budget for Cleanup of
Weapons Complex Decreases in Congressional Budget Request for
FY2007
Nuclear Weapons, Environmental Management, and Nuclear Waste
Budget Highlights [83KB] -February 8, 2006
Graph of Weapons vs: Cleanup [70KB]- March 17, 2006
See the full Congressional Budget Request at:
http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/07budget/Start.htm
Study predicts Sandia dump will contaminate Albuquerque's
drinking water
Citizen Action News Release -February 9, 2006
NukeWatch Comments on Task Force Recommendations to Modify
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
-helping to keep NEPA strong:
Summarized Comments [100KB] -February 6, 2006
Detailed Comments [344KB] -February 6, 2006
NEPA Task Force Issues Draft Findings and
Recommendations-December 21, 2005
Written comments on changes to the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) [78KB] August 1, 2005
NukeWatch Scoping Comments on the Y-12 Site-Wide Environmental
Impact Statement
The Y-12 National Security Complex is the only full-scale
operating production facility in the DOE complex that fabricates
highly enriched uranium (HEU) components, of special interest to
us the secondaries - the thermonuclear component - of every
nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. Therefore, Y-12 is naturally
complementary to LANLs role as sole producer of primaries, the
fissile plutonium pits surrounded by high explosives that
initiate fusion in the secondaries.
Full Comments [184KB] -January31, 2006
Concern for Plutonium Accounting Discrepancy at LANL
Press Release: More than two dozen arms control, public health,
environmental and consumer advocacy groups from across the
county have called on the U.S. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board (DNFSB) to investigate a finding that the Los Alamos
National Laboratory (LANL) cannot account for at least 300
kilograms of plutonium. [116KB] -January 26, 2006
Letter to DNFSB on unaccounted plutonium [52KB] -January 26,
2006
IEER Letter to LANL Director [43KB] -August 10, 2004
1996 DOE memo [524KB] -showing plutonium accounting discrepancy
LANL BSL-3:
Comments on the Needed Scope of an Environmental Impact
Statement for Operation of a BioSafety Level-3 Facility at Los
Alamos National Laboratory [126KB]-January 17, 2006
The Aliance for Nuclear Accountability(ANA) sent out the
following press release and supporting documents today urging
the government to publish results of a federal study on the
health consequences of fallout from global nuclear weapons
testing - January 12, 2006
NCI Fallout FOIA News Release
NCI Fallout FOIA January 06
NCI Fallout FOIA Letter to Congress
NukeWatch is a proud member of the ANA!
The NukeWatch Newsletter is available for download
The Watch Dog, Volume 6, Issue: 4-Holiday 2005-2006 [1M]
Nuclear Weapons Business as Usual:
Press Release: Despite Past Performances, Bechtel and UC Awarded
Los Alamos Contract [100k] -December 21, 2005
DOE Sites at Which Bechtel Has a Presence -December 21, 2005
Department of Energy Announces 24 Nuclear Energy Research Awards
to U.S. Universities $12 Million in Support to Be Provided for
Innovative R&D Projects-December 15th, 2005
Press Release: State Mounts Investigation of Unregulated Nuclear
Materials Discovered at Sandia National Labs -Citizen
Action/December 13, 2005
Press Release: Activists Victorious in Demand for Comprehensive
Review of Biowarfare Agent Lab at Los Alamos Demand Same for
Livermore Biolab [96k] December 1. 2005
Press Release: SAFETY BOARD SAYS GOVT. NOT READY FOR NEW LANL
CONTRACT -November 22, 2005
For the policy wonks: Energy & Water Development Appropriations
Conference - Nuclear Weapons Highlights [52k] November 14, 2005
Area G at Los Alamos: Lab Plans Expansion and Operations Until
at Least 2044 [129k] October 12, 2005
Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Consolidation of Nuclear Operations Related to the
Production of Radioisotope Power Systems [224k] August 29, 2004
We are a "Best of Santa Fe" award winner!
Best Anti-Nuke Statement
Nuclear Watch New Mexico's bid to run Los Alamos National
Laboratory
Nuclear Watch New Mexico (www.nukewatch.org) released its joint
bid with Tri-Valley CAREs to be the next manager of Los Alamos
National Laboratory. Both groups have been involved with
numerous activist works involving environmental and worker
safety at the lab. LANL's management contract is up for bid for
the first time in the lab's history. The University of
California, which has run the lab since its 1943 inception, has
teamed up with Bechtel, BWX Technologies and Washington Group
International to submit a bid. Lockheed Martin and The
University of Texas are in the other contending group. Will Nuke
Watch and Tri-Valley get serious consideration from The
Department of Energy and The National Nuclear Security
Administration? Maybe not. But their bid also is a testament of
criticism to the nation's nuclear policies and, as such, is a
unique and powerful piece of political protest. Plus, it's all
out there for the public to read--unlike the other proposals.
(Julia Goldberg)
The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a network that Nuke
Watch is proudly a member of, has just released its Radioactive
Pork Report.
From the press release:
As House and Senate negotiators begin working out details of the
nation's nuclear weapons and nuclear energy spending plan for
the coming year, a new report details nearly two billion dollars
in programs that its authors say should be cut by budget
conferees to enhance national security and protect the
environment. Top Ten Department of Energy Radioactive Pork
Projects in the 2006 Budget was delivered to Congress today by
the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA), a network of
groups from communities near U.S. nuclear weapons facilities.
Item of note: Bechtel has teamed with the University of
California in a bid to run Los Alamos National Laboratory,
supposedly providing the corporate expertise in the partnership.
Check out Waste Mismanagementto get a good understanding of how
Bechtel manages to make major profits, via tax payers money,
while doing a shoddy job managing Department of Energy projects.
Nuclear Watch of New Mexico and Tri Valley CAREs bids on Los
Alamos National Laboratory's Contract
Read the contract bid [181k] July 19, 2005
See the organizational chart [153k] July 19. 2005
Press Release [122k] July 19, 2005
Read Jay Coghlan's interview in the Santa Fe Reporter concerning
the Nuke Watch/Tri-Valley CAREs Lab Management Bid
Most Recent Media
Postal Service Funding Nuke Labs
Opponents of 'Divine Strake' Celebrate
Sandia Expects Worker Decline
This time, let's listen to Blix on WMD
Biowar Lab Alarms Residents
Signed Bomb Report Fetches $23,000
Hearings Set for Proposed Biodefense Lab
I-297 ruled unconstitutional
Court hears 'hot lab' appeal - LIVERMORE: Watchdog groups
question putting bio-warfare facility near a highly populated
area
Los Alamos, Livermore Labs competing to design new nuclear bomb
More media
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Radioactive Quotes
"[NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks] should be removed from your
office as expeditiously as possible...And I mean like 5 o'clock
this afternoon if it's possible."
Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, said to Energy Secretary
Sam Bodman in reference to an incident last September when DOE
computers were hacked and employee records were stolen. Top
Energy Department officials were not told about it until this
week, prompting the chairman of the House of Representatives
Energy and Commerce Committee to demand the resignation of the
head of the NNSA.
[link]
"These [waste dump] units have never been adequately
investigated, particularly with respect to ongoing sources of
contamination... The permittees must have groundwater data
beyond reproach before any proposed remedy that contemplates
leaving waste in place may be considered."
James Bearzi, New Mexico Environment Department Hazardous Waste
Bureau Chief, in an official May 4, 2006 letter to the Los
Alamos National Laboratory. Both NMED and EPA have determined
that the Lab's groundwater data is highly suspect.
"[The detonation could simulate] ...a number of weapon concepts.
It could be nuclear or advanced conventional. A charge of this
size would be more related to a nuclear weapon."
Doug Bruder, director of the counter-WMD program for the DoDs
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, April 28, 2006, Las Vegas Sun.
Bruder was commenting on the Divine Strake experiment
scheduled for June 2 with 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel
oil (reportedly 2.5 tons destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City in 1995).
[link]
"We can only eliminate MAD [Mutually Assured Destruction] if we
eliminate those weapons. Even if you have good relations and
good intentions, as long as you have those potentially
devastating nuclear forces, there will always be fear and
suspicion of the other side."
Danil Kobyakov, a nuclear weapons analyst with the independent
PIR Center in Moscow, "In Moscow, buzz over arms race II", April
24, 2006,
Christian Science Monitor
[link]
"If it were to be dispersed into the atmosphere, Chernobyl would
look like a vicar's tea party... They have done a Mickey Mouse
job."
Keith Baverstock, fired last year from a committee that advises
the British government on radioactive waste management, The
Observer, April 23, 2006, Baverstock was commenting on the
history of radioactive (including high-level) waste storage and
disposal at the UK's nuclear power plants at Sellafield and
Dounreay. He also noted there had been no coherent policy on
nuclear waste disposal in Britain since sea dumping was stopped
in the 1980's. Radioactive contamination from that dumping has
been traced as far away as the Artic.
[link]
More quotes
Nuclear Watch of New Mexico
551 W. Cordova Rd. #808
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505.989.7342 - phone
505.989.7352 - fax
info@nukewatch.org The mission of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico
is to provide timely and accurate information to the public on
nuclear issues in New Mexico and the Southwest. Through the
resulting empowerment of effective citizen action, Nuclear Watch
of New Mexico seeks to promote both greater safety and
environmental protection at regional nuclear facilities and
federal policy changes that genuinely encourage international
efforts to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
NWNM is funded in part by the Ploughshares Fundand by donors
like you.
Web Designer/Maintainer: John Witham
Hosted by Studio X
*****************************************************************
62 lamonitor.com: DOE suspends pension directive
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
ROGER SNODGRASS, , Monitor Assistant Editor
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman directed the department's
management office to suspend temporarily a controversial change
in its contractor pension and medical benefit plans.
Bodman made the announcement Monday in a letter to Sen. Pete
Domenici, R-NM, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
"I'm pleased that Secretary Bodman has taken a step back and
decided to suspend its new pension and benefits policy for a
year," said Domenici, in an announcement in response. "I believe
this delay is prudent in order to come up with the best policy
possible given the long-term cost constraints."
Joining the announcement, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, said, "This
is very good news for employees of Los Alamos, Sandia and WIPP,
and I commend Secretary Bodman for taking this action."
On April 27, the DOE announced its new "market-based" policy for
reimbursing contractors for costs related to pension and medical
benefit plans. The measure was explained in terms of basing the
pension and benefits costs on "sound business practices and
market-based benchmarks."
The directive said that the department would continue to
reimburse contractors for the costs of current and retired
employees' defined benefits program under existing contracts,
but would only cover defined contribution pension plans - like
401(k)s - for new employees.
Rather than receive a predictable amount for their pensions,
employees would receive an amount based on how well their
pension savings account or funds performed.
Bodman said DOE was experiencing market volatility and
escalating costs for reimbursement of retirement benefits.
"It is estimated that in FY2006 these costs will be $784
million, an increase of nearly 200 percent since FY 2000,"
Bodman wrote to Domenici.
He said the department calculated "the accrued unfunded
liability" in its FY2005 financial statement was $11.6 billion
and that represented an increase of 63 percent since 2000.
Employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory who were employed
under the previous contract with the University of California,
were given the option of continuing their defined benefits
program under the new contract with Los Alamos National
Security, LLC. But new employees and those who opted to retire
under the UC program and start over in what was called Total
Compensation Package 2, are already consigned to the defined
benefits program.
Manny Trujillo, the president of the local group of the
University Professional and Technical Employees Union said he
was less than reassured by Bodman's temporary change.
"There is some jeopardy based on this notice that eventually
could have a negative impact on retirees," he said. "If the
basic premise is to limit DOE's liabilities, those liabilities
are still the retirees."
He said there has been an assault on American pensions from
nearly every direction.
"Look what's going on in industry right now," he said. "There
has been a complete betrayal of the American worker."
A current fact sheet from the Pension Benefit Guarantee
Corporation, which insures pension benefits in private industry,
notes "the recent termination of a number of large, severely
underfunded pension plans (e.g., LTV Steel, Bethlehem Steel,
U.S. Airways, United airlines, Polaroid and Kemper
Insurance)..." As of the end of last Fiscal Year, PBGC reported
a $22.8 billion deficit in the financial statements of its
single-employer pension insurance program.
A Standard and Poor's report in early June placed U.S. corporate
pension underfunding at about $140 billion and state pension
deficits at $284 billion.
Dwarfing those accounts, federal civilian and military employee
programs were said to face a $4.5 trillion shortfall.
Domenici and Bingaman were among a number of congressional
representatives who voiced objections to DOE's announced change,
which had been set to take effect by March 1, 2007.
The House Appropriation Committee's budget bill for DOE included
language blocking implementation of the notice. A more directed
bill, the Department of Energy Contractor Employee Equitable
Treatment Act of 2006, which is sponsored by 18 Democratic
representatives, is under consideration by the House Committee
on Education and the Workforce.
Also commending Bodman for suspending the plan was the American
Academy of Actuaries, the national professional organization for
actuaries.
Shortly after DOE announced the change, the AAA urged DOE to
rescind the policy.
"Defined benefit plans are essential to a secure retirement," an
official said in a prepared statement. "The department's new
policy goes against decades of public policy."
In his letter to Domenici, Bodman said he would consult with
stakeholders, including Congress, in the months ahead.
2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
63 Knox News: Changes in pension benefits on hold
DOE to delay for year while it examines plan, gathers more input
By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com
June 21, 2006
OAK RIDGE - The U.S. Department of Energy has postponed its
controversial plan to change pension benefits among its
contractors, including those in Oak Ridge. U.S. Sens. Pete
Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., announced Tuesday
that Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman had delayed the plan for a
year to conduct additional evaluations and get more input on
pension benefits and the costs to the federal government.
The changes in pension benefits that were scheduled to
go into effect for new hires next spring could affect thousands
of East Tennesseans. DOE intends to convert the existing
defined-benefits pension plans into a defined contribution
system, which would feature a 401(k)-type fund for retirement
benefits.
DOE already had scheduled a public meeting Thursday to discuss
the changes with Oak Ridge workers and retirees.
Walter Perry, a federal spokesman in Oak Ridge, said DOE intends
to go ahead with the Thursday meeting as scheduled 5:30-7 p.m.
at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. "The meeting
is on, and if there is any change, we will let people know,"
Perry said.
In a statement, Domenici said, "I'm pleased that Secretary
Bodman has taken a step back and decided to suspend its new
pension and benefits policy for a year. While I share the
secretary's concern with the rising costs of benefits in
relation to the DOE budget, I believe this delay is prudent in
order to come up with the best policy given long-term cost
constraints."
The Atomic Trades and Labor Council, which represents hourly
workers at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, opposes the proposed changes and had
planned to start a letter-writing campaign to get Tennessee's
elected officials to block the DOE effort.
Kenny Cook, president of the ATLC, said Tuesday he was pleased
DOE had postponed the change and hoped that the postponement
would become permanent.
Current employees would be grandfathered under the existing
plan, as would retirees, with the new system set to get into
effect in the spring of 2007, but the proposal still generated
uncertainties and considerable opposition.
The Coalition of Retired Oak Ridge Employees expressed strong
reservations about the DOE plan, saying it appeared the
government was going to make it difficult to get adjustments for
inflation in the future.
David Reichle, president of CORRE, said he was glad Bodman and
DOE are stepping back to reconsider the pension changes and
perhaps listen to the concerns of those affected. However,
Reichle said there was still concerns that DOE may use the delay
as an excuse not give retired workers a pension benefits
increase.
"I hope they won't use this as another reason to do nothing," he
said.
In a letter to Domenici, Bodman said he had directed DOE
personnel to consult with "stakeholders," including Congress,
over the next year to get more input on the pension issue.
"As I have discussed with you, DOE has seen escalating and
volatile growth in costs for reimbursement of contractor
employees' defined benefit pension and other post-retirement
benefits. It is estimated that in (fiscal year) 2006, these
costs will be $784 million, an increase of nearly 200 percent
since FY 2000."
Bodman said DOE's "unfunded liability" in 2005 was $11.6
billion, an increase of 63 percent since 2000.
Pete Lotts of the Oak Ridge retirees group said the DOE message
is misleading because the federal agency has not contributed to
the Oak Ridge pension fund since 1984.
DOE spokeswoman Megan Barnett said DOE's reimbursement to
contractors is expected to grow dramatically in years to come.
"The department must work to meet its obligations and carry out
its mission while at the same time being a good steward of
taxpayer dollars," she said.
Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329.
2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
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