***************************************************************** 11/02/06 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 14.260 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 BBC: Khatami labels US policy 'a joke' 2 New York Times: Iranian Military Tests Ballistic Missiles - 3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Russia rules out draft resolution 4 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI starts 10 day wargames by missile launch 5 AFP: Rice warns Iran after missile launches 6 AFP: Iran fires longer-range missiles, to West's dismay 7 AFP: Six major powers to resume talks on Iran sanctions Friday - 8 Guardian Unlimited: Iran begins 10 days of war games 9 UPI: Russia says no to draft Iran resolution 10 UPI: Iran starts own exercises in Gulf waters 11 [NYTr] North Korea Wins Nuclear Poker Round 12 New York Times: U.S. Debates Value of North Korea Talks - 13 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Roh says talks with the North are inevitable 14 washingtonpost.com: N.Korea can put warhead on missile - experts - 15 Reuters: Little U.S. flexibility seen on N.Korea sanctions 16 Reuters: No sign of US compromise on NKorea assets dispute 17 Korea Times: 6-Way Talks and Chinas Pressure 18 Korea Times: Why Is Pyongyang Reluctant to Forget BDA 19 AFP: US envoys to visit Asia to prepare North Korea nuclear talks - 20 Japan Times: Japan stands firm with sanctions on North Korea 21 US: FCW: Study: Contractors outnumber feds 4-to-1 22 IAEA: IAEA Director General Official Visit to United States 23 US: The Scientist: EPA shuts down libraries 24 US: Las Vegas SUN: Scientists Say White House Muzzled Them 25 Guardian Unlimited: The cloud of uncertainty 26 AFP: Mubarak to meet Putin with focus on weapons, nuclear power - NUCLEAR REACTORS 27 [NYTr] US-India Nuke Deal Another Plum for Big Biz 28 Environmental Finance: BNFL publishes final sustainability report 29 Sydney Morning Herald: Nuclear report to reveal skills shortage 30 US: AP Wire: TVA nuclear station boosts generation in fiscal 2006 31 BBC: Egypt and Russia strengthen ties 32 Platts: Finnish Fortum requests licence to use Loviisa nuke until 20 33 www.businessinafrica.net: north africa Egypt, Russia in nuclear powe 34 RBC: Russia's share on nuclear market not to exceed 30% 35 AFP: Nuclear power is 'essential tool' - IEA 36 US: EnergyPulse: Nuclear Risks at Indian Point 37 US: Pantagraph.com: Public input sought on Exelon reactor plan 38 US: NRC: Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Application, Noti 39 IHT: Bulgaria warns of major electricity export cuts - 40 FIA: Roma Beat a Forest Guard 41 US: Monticello Times: NRC Commissioner will not seek a third term 42 US: The Day: Millstone Rehires Critic 43 News & Star: Blair backs the energy review over future of nuclear po NUCLEAR SECURITY 44 UPI: Allies meet to discuss nuclear terrorisism NUCLEAR SAFETY 45 Daily Star: Research team tests Khiam soil samples for signs 46 [du-list] WHO Scientist: Study Pointing To DU Danger Never Saw 47 US: Las Vegas SUN: No new date set for 'mushroom cloud' blast in Nev 48 US: AU ABC: Ombudsmen urge national revision of whistleblower laws 49 TheStar.com: Liberals unveil whistleblower bill 50 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeti 51 US: Sequoyahcountytimes.com: U.S. Army must remove depleted uranium 52 globeandmail.com: Ombudsman says Forces failed troops who battled Ku 53 London Times: Uranium fears denied - 54 AU ABC: Scientist questions use of depleted uranium munitions 55 Mos News: Russian Prosecutors Probe Radioactive Tap Water in Town Ne NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 56 US: EPA: Final Groundwater Cleanup Decision Issued for Portion of Ma 57 Platts: Sweden's SKI recommends government increases waste fund fees 58 US: San Bernardino County Sun: U.S. judge tosses perchlorate suit 59 US: West Australian: NAB posts record $4.4b profit 60 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting 61 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Meeting on Planning and 62 US: ITAR-TASS: Uranium mining company created in Russia 63 US: ITAR-TASS: RF has uranium reserves for next 60 years, not to sel 64 reviewjournal.com: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Questions abound on nuclear waste PEACE 65 China says nuclear-free peninsula remains goal US DEPT. OF ENERGY 66 Daily Star: Head of research council declares battered South 67 [NukeNet] Say No to Building a Biological Weapons Agent Lab in 68 Tri-City Herald: Incident at Areva being probed 69 DOE: Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) 70 KnoxNews: Study charts ORNL's impact ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 BBC: Khatami labels US policy 'a joke' Last Updated: Thursday, 2 November 2006 [Mohammad Khatami] Mohammad Khatami was regarded as a reformist president Khatami interview The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has branded US attempts to impose Western-style democracy in the Middle East as "a great joke". Mr Khatami was critical of the US-led military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, which he said had led to more Muslims supporting al-Qaeda. In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Mr Khatami, said he was committed to fighting extremism around the world. He also called on US and UK to leave Iraq in an effort to reduce violence. Mr Khatami, the most senior Iranian to visit the UK since 1979, served two terms as Iranian president from 1997 until 2005, when he was replaced by the current leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Flawed plans Speaking at Chatham House, a foreign policy think-tank in London, Mr Khatami said Iran was supporting efforts to build strong governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democracy is not something get exported Mohammad Khatami Obey UK laws, Muslims told But he said the near neighbours of both countries should be in charge of solving the problems of insecurity, and that "foreign alien forces" should leave the region as soon as possible. "This has been a terrible idea. You know, the Americans are suffering, and you will see the result of this mistake in the upcoming polls in the United States." The idea that Western-style democracy could be "exported" to the Middle East was flawed from the beginning, Mr Khatami said. "It's a great joke - the greatest joke that Mr Bush said, that he would like to export democracy to the Middle East. "Democracy is not something to get exported." Fighting extremism During his term in office Mr Khatami was regarded as a reformist leader, whose policies were not always supported by clerics on Iran's ruling Guardian Council. Mr Khatami now maintains that he aims to tackle extremism wherever it exists, and to break down barriers between the great religions and civilisations of East and West, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins. He condemned what he called "insurgent terrorism" in Iraq but also branded the Bush administration extremist. During the speech he also urged British Muslims to obey UK law, saying they are "British first". He said that the wearing of the scarf or veil was a woman's personal choice, and she should not be obliged to do so. His visit to the UK has made Mr Khatami the most senior Iranian politician to visit the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, but has also sparked protests. He was forced to enter Chatham House through a side entrance to avoid several hundred demonstrators protesting against Iran's human rights record during his time in office. ***************************************************************** 2 New York Times: Iranian Military Tests Ballistic Missiles - By Published: November 2, 2006 fired several missiles with a range of more than 1,000 miles during a military maneuver today, apparently to send a message to the United States and several of its allies in the Persian Gulf after they conducted naval exercises in the same area this week. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image [ border=] AFP -- Getty Images Iran fired several missiles with a range of more than 1,000 miles today during a military maneuver. Iranian state television reported that “dozens” of missiles were fired, including the Shahab-3, which has a range of about 1,000 miles and is capable of carrying cluster warheads of 1,400 bomblets, and the shorter range Shahab-2. The Iranian news agency ISNA posted photographs of what it said were the missiles, shown billowing smoke as they were launched, in the so-called “Great Prophet” exercises involving air, naval and ground forces. The news agency quoted a senior official as saying that the launchings were not linked to any developments in the Iranian nuclear program. But it said the launchings showed that Iran had reached an international level of achievement in its ballistic missile program. “The first and main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate power and national determination to defend the country against any possible threat, and show Iran’s missile capability which has increased the country’s defense capability,” the ISNA report said. Iran has long seen ballistic missiles as an important weapon, and those fired today are capable of striking Israel, Turkey and other countries and American bases in the region. A State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said that Iran’s “saber-rattling” “underscores the fact that Iran is, at this point in time, with this regime, not a source of stability in the region.” Iran had test-fired Shahab-3 missiles in the late 1990’s and then upgraded versions of it since then. In 2000, it said that it had successfully test-fired the Shahab-3 missile twice in two months, saying that it had no military purpose but was intended to put communications satellites into orbit. Today’s exercises come at a particularly sensitive time for Iran and its troubled relationship with the United States, which says Iran’s nuclear program is intended to develop a weapons arsenal. Earlier this week, more than two dozen countries, including three Arab gulf states, practiced intercepting and searching vessels suspected of trafficking in unconventional weapons. The military maneuvers, conducted about 20 miles outside Iranian territorial waters, appeared to signal to Iran that an American coalition with regional states was intent on denying it access to nuclear, chemical and biological arms. Iran says that it has the right to develop its nuclear program for power, and a spokesman for the country’s parliamentary national security and foreign affairs council said today on ISNA that Iran intended to launch more centrifuge cascades after starting a second one recently. “We are preparing another centrifuge cascade and we plan to continue this until we become capable of providing our own nuclear fuel,” said the spokesman, Kazem Jalali. He said they would only be used for research and development. On Wednesday, the Bush administration also accused Tehran of planning with Syria to topple the Lebanese government. And the has demanded that Iran halt its enrichment program, and members were debating a resolution that could entail sanctions. Iran fired Scud missiles at Baghdad and Kirkuk during its war with Iraq in the 1980’s and later embarked on an effort to secure additional missiles and missile technology from foreign suppliers, including North Korea. The Shahab-3 is a liquid-fueled missile that is based on North Korea’s No-dong missile. The State Department said in March that Iran had a “very active and aggressive” military program, after Iran announced that it had test-fired another missile known as the Fajr-3, which Iranian officials then said was capable of carrying several warheads and evading an enemy’s radar. During the conflict between Israel and this summer, Hezbollah fired several rockets deep inside Israel that American and Israeli officials believed might have been an upgraded version of the Fajr-3 supplied by Iran. Nazila Fathi contributed reporting from Tehran for this article. ***************************************************************** 3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Russia rules out draft resolution 2006/11/02 Russian foreign minister said Moscow cannot support measures aimed to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sergei Lavrov, before his negotiation with Ban Ki-Moon, South Korean foreign minister and the new Secretary General of the United Nations on Wednesday afternoon, rejected the proposed draft of the 3 European countries on Iran's nuclear program. He pointed out, "We cannot support measures which are directed to isolate Iran and officials who should negotiate country's nuclear program." According to the Russian FM, the draft resolution of the UN Security Council about Iran's nuclear program is beyond the former agreement among 5+1 group. The Russian officials have declared their disagreement on the proposed draft of EU-3 concerning imposing sanctions against Iran in the past two weeks. Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir ***************************************************************** 4 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI starts 10 day wargames by missile launch 2006/11/02 The Islamic Republic of Iran started the second stage of a wargames named after the Noblest Messenger of Allah Hazrat Muhammad (A.S.) in the central Qom province by test launching of an array of indigenously manufactured missiles. Shahab 2 and 3 long range missiles as well as short missiels of Zolfaqar 73, Fateh 110, Scad B and Zelzal were fired in the military exercise Thursday morning in a desert area located a two hour driving from the capital Tehran. The missiles are capable of carrying cluster warheads. Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and member combatants of the Basij Organization were reviewing their military training in the ten day exercise held to examine the Islamic country's national power to defend its territorial integrity. The air, marine and ground military wargames is planned to be staged simutaneously in several locations countrywide. Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir ***************************************************************** 5 AFP: Rice warns Iran after missile launches Thu Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> chided Iran" /> for trying to act "tough" after it fired a new long-range missile for the first time on Thursday, but warned Tehran would "suffer greatly" if it used the weapon in anger. Iranian forces launched the Shahab-3 ballistic missile as they began 10 days of war games that coincide with US-led efforts to impose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. "I think they're trying to demonstrate that they're tough," Rice said of the missile test. "But the Iranians also I think are not unaware that the security environment is one in which if they actually were to do something, Iran would suffer greatly and so I think they probably understand that," she said in a radio interview. Referring to Iran's refusal to comply with a UN Security Council resolution demanding it abandon suspect nuclear activities, Rice said: "I think the Iranians are a threat and that's why the international community's got to be strong in resisting their ambitions." She said Thursday's missile test was Iran's way of telling the world "you're not going to keep us from getting a nuclear weapon". "The world has to say to them, yes, we will," she said. Rice was speaking amid ongoing negotiations between the US and its big power partners over a package of sanctions designed to force Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program. Iran insists the program is aimed at providing fuel for nuclear power plants while Washington and others suspect the ultimate aim is to develop atomic weapons. Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: Iran fires longer-range missiles, to West's dismay Thu Nov 2, 7:32 PM ET TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran" /> fired its longer-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile for the first time, official media said, kicking off 10 days of war games and renewed warnings from the West over its nuclear program. "Shahab missiles, carrying cluster warheads, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), were fired from the desert near (Iran's clerical capital) Qom," state television reported. That range is sufficient to threaten US bases in the Gulf. The war games came amid US-led efforts to impose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. They also came a day after a US-led naval force launched maneuvers for the first time in the Gulf near Iran in a test of capabilities to halt trafficking in weapons of mass destruction -- an initiative seen as a clear message to the Islamic republic. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> chided Iran: "I think they're trying to demonstrate that they're tough." The hardline Revolutionary Guards fired the missile during the first phase of military maneuvers in the central desert. "Dozens of Shahab-2 and -3, Zolfaghar-73, Scud B, Fath-110 and Zelzal have been launched in the presence of (Guards chief) General Yahya Rahim Safavi and other high-ranking commanders," the television report said. "The cluster head of the Shahab-2 has the capability to disperse 1,400 bomblets with great destructive power." It was the first time that Iran had fired the longer-range Shahab-3 and commanders said they would also be employing other "new equipment" during the war games. Russia said it would monitor Iran's military moves after the reports of the missile-firing but ruled out the possibility that the Islamic republic had the technological means to create even longer-range missiles. "If we are talking about intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to our information, Iran does not possess the technological capability" to create missiles with a 5,000-kilometer (3,100-mile) range, the head of Russian military's general staff Yury Baluyevsky told ITAR-TASS news agency. Dubbed "Great Prophet 2," the air, land and sea maneuvers are to extend across 14 provinces with the focus on the Gulf and the Sea of Oman. "The first and main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate power and national determination to defend the country against any possible threat," Safavi said. "Heliport operations will be carried out in the Hormozgan region (on the Strait of Hormuz) and some of the Persian Gulf islands." The strategic Strait of Hormuz is the obligatory passage for tankers exiting the Gulf that carry much of the world's oil supply. The Iranian maneuvers come on the heels of naval exercises launched in the Gulf on Monday by a US-led flotilla including warships from Australia, Bahrain, France, Italy and Britain. "That is a propaganda and political maneuver without military value," Safavi said then. "If forces from out of the region want to jeopardize Iran's security and interests, the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij (volunteer militia) will use all their capabilities to strike their enemies and their interests," he warned. But the Guards commander insisted Iran's exercises were no threat to its neighbors. "This maneuver is no threat for the region or neighboring countries," he said, adding: "Our neighbors are our friends and we consider our neighbors' enemies our enemies." The aim of the exercises was the "defense of sensitive centers, strategic bottlenecks and confrontation of possible troubles," he said. It is Iran's third round of war games this year. In August, the armed forces held country-wide maneuvers dubbed Zolfaghar Blow. Iran also staged Great Prophet 1 exercises in April. Rice said Thursday's missile test was Iran's way of telling the world "you're not going to keep us from getting a nuclear weapon". "The world has to say to them, yes, we will," she said. The United States and its big power partners are negotiating among themselves a package of sanctions designed to persuade Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program. Iran insists the program is aimed at providing fuel for nuclear power plants while Washington and others suspect the ultimate aim is to develop atomic weapons. Referring to Iran's refusal to comply with a UN Security Council resolution demanding it abandon suspect nuclear activities, Rice said: "I think the Iranians are a threat and that's why the international community's got to be strong in resisting their ambitions." Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 AFP: Six major powers to resume talks on Iran sanctions Friday - Thu Nov 2, 7:19 PM ET UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Six major UN powers are due to resume delicate negotiations Friday on a package of sanctions against Iran" /> Iranfor its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work, UN diplomats said. The informal meeting will notably hear from Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who travelled home this week to work out Moscow's response to a draft resolution drawn up by Britain, France and Germany, they said. The negotiations were suspended a week ago with Russia and China still deeply reluctant to agree to tough sanctions and Washington feeling the proposals from its European allies did not go far enough. The draft calls for a series of nuclear- and ballistic missile-related trade sanctions, a freeze of assets related to Iran's nuclear and missile programs and travel bans on scientists involved in those programs. But it would allow Russia to continue building a billion-dollar nuclear power plant in the Iranian city of Bushehr -- an exemption crucial to gaining Moscow's approval for any resolution, diplomats said. Iran faces sanctions after rejecting an earlier Security Council resolution requiring it to suspend a long-secret program to enrich uranium -- a process that can eventually provide fissile material for nuclear weapons. Tehran insists the program is only to provide fuel for civilian nuclear power stations. The six powers -- the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany, which has close ties to Iran -- have offered Tehran a package of economic and diplomatic incentives if it gives up the enrichment program. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> Condoleezza Ricecalled her five counterparts on Tuesday to urge speedy passage of the sanctions resolution and on Thursday warned that inaction was not an option. "I think the Iranians are a threat and that's why the international community's got to be strong in resisting their ambitions," she said. Rice also responded to the first launch by Iran earlier in the day of a new long-range ballistic missile, the Shahab-3, during war games seen as a warning to the West over the nuclear showdown. "They're trying to say to the world, 'You're not going to keep us from getting a nuclear weapon.' The world has to say to them, yes, we will," Rice said in a radio interview. "But the Iranians also I think are not unaware that the security environment is one in which if they actually were to do something, Iran would suffer greatly and so I think they probably understand that," she added. But diplomats said there was still protracted and tough haggling to come as Russia and China remain reluctant to accept biting sanctions against a country with which they have close energy and trade ties. The head of Russia's national security council, Igor Ivanov, reaffirmed Russia's reticence on the issue Thursday, warning that any Security Council decision "should be aimed not at punishing Iran but at continuing to resolve the problem through political means." US officials have refused to elaborate publicly on their objections to the European draft, though the fact that Washington has so far not agreed to co-sponsor the measure is a clear sign that differences remain. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack did say earlier in the week that Washington wanted firm guarantees that construction of the Bushehr power plant would not provide Iran with access to sensitive fuel-cycle technology. But McCormack expressed confidence that the issues could be resolved and that the Bushehr project was not a deal-breaker. "The bottom line is, at the end of these negotiations on a resolution, we believe we are going to get a good, strong resolution that sends a message to Iran that it must come into line with what the international community has demanded that they do," he said. Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 Guardian Unlimited: Iran begins 10 days of war games Robert Tait in Tehran Thursday November 2, 2006 Guardian Unlimited Iran opened a sabre-rattling show of military might today by firing a long-range weapon said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads and striking Israel and US forces in the Middle East. Revolutionary Guards tested a Shahab-3 missile at the start of 10 days of war games in a calculated rebuff to the west as it seeks to impose sanctions over Irans nuclear programme. The UN security councils permanent five members - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany are locked in discussions over an appropriate punishment for Irans refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, which many in the west suspect is a front for making atomic bombs. The war games, codenamed Operation Great Prophet 2, were announced in retaliation for US-led manoeuvres earlier this week in the strategically vital Gulf, through which 20% of the worlds oil passes. In an apparent rehearsal for an anti-Iranian embargo, allied warships practised surveillance of suspected illegal shipments of weapons parts. The US and Britain want sanctions to include a ban on components that could be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Iran denounced the manoeuvres - in which Britain also participated along with France, Italy, Australia and Bahrain - as adventurist. It responded yesterday by announcing a series of exercises in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and 14 provinces across the country. The head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Yahya Rahim Safavi, said Irans response was not intended to threaten its neighbours but as a powerful signal to its enemies. We want to show our deterrent and defensive power to trans-regional enemies, and we hope they will understand the message of the manoeuvres, he said. The first and main goal is to demonstrate the power and national determination to defend the country against possible threat. The Shahab-3 missile fired today has an estimated range of 1,240 miles. State television said the exercises also included tests on the shorter-range Shahab-2 to take account of adjustments to install it with cluster warheads and give it the capacity to carry 1,400 bombs. Solid-fuel Zalzal missiles were also launched, as were guided missiles as well as Scud-B, Zolfaghar-73 and Z-3 weapons. It is the third set of war games Irans military has staged this year as it has stepped up activity in response to escalating tensions over the nuclear crisis. In April, new missiles and torpedoes were tested in what was seen as a display of Irans potential to disrupt oil shipments. Further tests were conducted in August, days after Iran had flouted a security council deadline to suspend uranium enrichment. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006 ***************************************************************** 9 UPI: Russia says no to draft Iran resolution United Press International - NewsTrack - 11/2/2006 10:02:00 AM -0500 MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Russia says it will not support a U.N. resolution on Iran drafted by Britain, France and Germany because it is designed to isolate that country. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the resolution by the so-called European troika does not comply with agreements reached earlier, reports the Moscow News. "We cannot support measures that are, in effect, aimed at isolating Iran from the outside world, including isolating people who have the task of holding negotiations on the nuclear program," he said. Lavrov said it had earlier been agreed by the five Security Council members plus Germany that any measures taken by the world body should be thoroughly checked and be appropriate to the actual threat. He said his country will "firmly insist" on talks with Iran in order to resolve its nuclear issue. Separately, the Novosti news agency reported that the so-called EU-3 draft envisions a set of punitive measures against Tehran but allows Moscow to continue its $1 billion nuclear power plant project in the country. Russia and China, both of whom have business interests in Iran, have always opposed sanctions against that country. © Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 10 UPI: Iran starts own exercises in Gulf waters United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 11/2/2006 6:05:00 AM -0500 TEHRAN, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Iran began exercises in the Gulf by firing ballistic missiles with ranges up to 1,200 miles in a show of force linked to the standoff over its nuclear program. The Arab-speaking Iranian al-Alam television said the military maneuvers dubbed "al-Tasoul al-Aazam," or Greater Prophet, kicked off at dawn Thursday near the city of Qom, in central Iran. During the 10-day maneuvers that will cover several parts of the Iranian territory as well as the Gulf waters and Sea of Oman, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards will test long-range Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 ballistic missiles carrying cluster heads and new types of torpedoes fired by submarines and military vessels. Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Raheem Safawi stressed in statement he made late Wednesday that regional countries need not to worry about the maneuvers, which he said do not pose any threats against them. He said the exercises will be carried out in 14 provinces, the Gulf waters and Sea of Oman, and ballistic missiles, including Shabah-3, will be tested. "The aim of these maneuvers is to defend our territory and strategic waterways as well as deterring possible aggression," he said, warning against any "reckless attempt to intervene militarily in Iran." He cautioned that "if non-regional forces plan to undermine Iran's security and interests and expose them to danger, the Republican Guards and popular mobilization forces will retaliate with force against the enemies." Safawi emphasized that the maneuvers, which are intended to show the force and determination of his country to defend itself against dangers, "do not pose any threat on neighboring countries which are friendly countries and our enemies are also theirs." The Iranian exercises follow similar maneuvers in Gulf waters by the United States and five other countries which were said to be aimed at blocking possible nuclear proliferation. © Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 11 [NYTr] North Korea Wins Nuclear Poker Round Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 14:26:51 -0600 (CST) X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A X-Spam-Class: HAM Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit InterPress Service - Nov 2, 2006 http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35346 North Korea Wins Nuclear Poker Round by Praful Bidwai NEW DELHI, Nov 2 (IPS) - By announcing that it would return to the negotiation table and address the major powers' concerns about its nuclear programme, North Korea may have scored an unlikely but impressive diplomatic victory. Pyongyang's move has put on the mat top officials of the United States and its East Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. It has also narrowed China's options in dealing with North Korea. The outcome of the talks, involving six parties, will have important consequences for the future of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, which already stands badly shaken. The six states are North Korea, the U.S., China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. When North Korea conducted its maiden nuclear test on Oct. 9, the world unanimously condemned it and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolved to impose sanctions on Pyongyang. But less than a month later, resumption of the Six-Party Talks has become imminent. The negotiations broke off a year ago, two months after North Korea agreed in principle to scrap its nuclear weapons programme. "This answers, at least for the moment, a question that a lot of strategic experts have been asking: will Pyongyang's blast facilitate, or will it further delay, negotiations involving the U.S.", says Achin Vanaik, an independent nuclear affairs analyst and professor of International Relations and Global Politics at Delhi University. "The answer is now clear, despite the insistence of the Security Council, and the U.S. in particular, that the agreed sanctions must continue." A second question, according to Vanaik, is whether the world can put the nuclear genie back in the bottle in the North Korean case. So far, such an effort has succeeded in only a handful of instances: Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Libya. But in all these cases, barring perhaps South Africa's, the countries concerned had not conducted or acknowledged a nuclear weapons test. By contrast, North Korea overtly crossed the nuclear threshold. If it is persuaded or pressured to roll back its nuclear weapons programme, that would be the first case of its kind. North Korea's agreement to return to the Six-Party format followed trilateral discussions last Tuesday in Beijing between the U.S., China and North Korea. Earlier, China extracted a public declaration from Pyongyang that it would not conduct further nuclear tests. North Korea now seems to have decisively shifted the terms of the Six-Party Talks. Until last year, the negotiations were meant to freeze Pyongyang's non-nuclear status, without guarantees of its regime's stability. Now, the talks will be about reversing North Korea's de facto nuclear weapons status. This is unlikely to happen in the absence of tight security guarantees for North Korea plus a package of energy and economic incentives, say observers in India, which crossed the nuclear weapons threshold with a series of surprise tests in 1998. One of the first assurances that North Korea's dialogue partners are likely to seek is that it will not allow its nuclear know how or materials to leave its borders. North Korea is likely to use this as a lever with which to drive a hard bargain which, among other things, guarantees stability and security of its regime. The stiff sanctions mandated by the Security Council, including halting bank transactions, inspecting cargo and intercepting ships at sea, are unlikely to neutralise this bargaining counter. China and Russia are both reluctant to enforce the toughest part of the sanctions. China has said it would not intercept North Korean ships at sea. 'The New York Times' has reported that China is not putting trans-shipments meant for North Korea through thorough inspections at its land-border crossings. Interception of ships of a sovereign state on the high seas is problematic in international law. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, such interception is only permitted to prevent piracy, narcotic drugs movement or slave trade. The U.S. is not a party to the Convention, but is bound by customary international law. China is reluctant to push Pyongyang into a recalcitrant stance for fear that instability in North Korea will affect its own troubled northeastern region, regarded as China's "rust belt", with high rates of factory closures and industrial unrest. About 40 percent of North Korea's total foreign trade is with China, most of it across the 1,400 km common border. However, China has made its displeasure with North Korea's nuclear test known to Pyongyang. It used usually harsh language to condemn the test. As Susan L. Shirk, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia argues, Beijing saw "the timing of the nuclear test -- during the Chinese Communist Party's most important annual meeting, the day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Chinese President Hu Jintao` as a deliberate slap in the face." China would like to portray itself as a "responsible" nuclear power, which is interested in defending the global non-proliferation regime. Above all, China is also keen to normalise its relations with Japan and restrain it and South Korea from responding to North Korea's nuclearisation by developing a nuclear weapons capability. It is not without significance that Abe's first foreign visit after taking over as Prime Minister was noto the U.S. but to China. And Beijing would like to see itself playing a balancing role in North-east Asia. "This combination of calculations is likely to change the rules of the nuclear poker now being played out in North Korea and its neighbourhood," says N.D. Jayaprakash a researcher with the independent Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace that is based in the Indian capital. "The central issue now is whether the U.S. will moderate its stand vis-`-vis North Korea, which it has declared to be an "Axis of Evil" state. This was a recipe for inept diplomacy, which led to the squandering away of the gains made through the signing of the Agreed Framework between the U.S. and North Korea during the Clinton presidency in 1994," Jayaprakash said. Under that agreement, North Korea agreed to suspend its nuclear activities in return for guarantees of fuel oil supply and a light-water nuclear power reactor. After the agreement's non-implementation, North Korea walked out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003. The Six-Party Talks that followed yielded no results. Just days after North Korea signed the Beijing Declaration in September 2005, pledging to abandon its nuclear weapons pursuit, the U.S. imposed harsh financial sanctions on it. The Six-Party process ground to a halt. If the coming talks lead to a security guarantee and economic/energy assistance package for Pyongyang, the U.S. would be relatively well-placed to secure China's strong support in getting North Korea to roll back its nuclear weapons programme. "If they fail, the world would have a serious nuclear proliferation problem on its hands, which would hold a negative object lesson for would-be nuclear states like Iran, not to speak of Japan and South Korea," Jayaprakash said. (FIN/2006) * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 12 New York Times: U.S. Debates Value of North Korea Talks - By HELENE COOPER Published: November 2, 2006 WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 — Officially, the Bush administration is “pleased” — as President Bush put it on Wednesday — that North Koreahas agreed to resume talks on nuclear disarmament. But behind closed doors at the White House and the State Department, some are less happy, saying the country’s nuclear test should be answered with isolation. When it comes to North Korea, the Bush administration has always found itself pulled in two directions — confrontation versus engagement — and has generally settled on a middle course that was neither. To persuade North Korea to return to the bargaining table, President Bush agreed last week to a slight softening of his stance against direct talks with North Korea, a concession that made clear that Secretary of State Condoleezza Ricewas in charge of the policy, at least for now. But Ms. Rice is coming under increased fire inside and outside the administration from officials and experts who are skeptical about what diplomacy can achieve in this case, and who argue that there is no chance a new round of nuclear talks with North Korea will succeed. “What’s a good description? Fantasy? Dreamworld?” said Nicholas Eberstadt, a North Korea expert with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “All we’re doing with these hapless efforts at conference diplomacy is continuing to talk while North Korea continues to build nuclear weapons.” A senior Bush administration official was equally pointed in criticizing the new initiative. “In the past, the one thing we could never be criticized for was whether our tough talk meant something,” said the official, who has participated in internal debates and would speak only on condition of anonymity about his dissenting views. “When we gave a stick, they knew we were serious. We’ve lost that credibility.” This is not a new debate by any stretch. Within the administration, a more hawkish wing that includes Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeldand John R. Bolton, the ambassador to the United Nations, has chafed against talks with any American foe, be it North Korea or Iran. Meanwhile, advocates of diplomacy, including R. Nicholas Burns and Philip D. Zelikow, two of Ms. Rice’s top lieutenants at the State Department, have sided with European allies in saying that the United Statesshould engage its foes. But the fact that the debate has resurfaced with such vigor suggests that even North Korea’s decision to test a nuclear device on Oct. 9 in defiance of American warnings has not changed the old fault lines. Ms. Rice has found herself in the middle of the tug-of-war as she seeks to mute international criticism of America’s so-called cowboy diplomacy. On the two big nuclear proliferation issues, Iran and North Korea, Ms. Rice has helped to move the administration away from unilateralism, with President Bush offering in May to join European negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Even after North Korea conducted a round of missile tests in July and three months later tested the nuclear device, the United States continued to call for it to return to six-nation disarmament talks. “Pretty clearly, the president of the United States thinks we’re doing the right thing,” the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said Wednesday. “This pathway is the best opportunity we have to achieve the objective we all share: a denuclearized Korean peninsula.” Ms. Rice argues that a new round of talks will be different and that the United States will wield more leverage because the negotiations will take place while North Korea is under United Nations sanctions for the nuclear test. But Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has participated in multiple rounds of talks over the past several years while accelerating his pursuit of nuclear weapons. North Korea boycotted the talks last year after the United States imposed financial penalties in September 2005 on Banco Delta Asia, a bank in Macao, accusing it of helping the North launder money and pass counterfeit $100 bills manufactured by the North Korean government. For a year, North Korea refused to return to the talks, and the United States refused to lift the sanctions. The Bush administration balked at North Korean overtures for one-on-one talks, insisting that America would talk to North Korea only as part of the six-party negotiations. But last week, Chinese officials contacted the American Embassy in Beijing and proposed a three-way meeting involving the United States, North Korea and China. That step required a shift in the American line against direct talks, but in response to a request from Ms. Rice, Mr. Bush agreed. The chief American negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher R. Hill, worked out the deal in a seven-hour session on Tuesday with his Chinese and North Korean counterparts. As a concession to entice North Korea back to the talks, the United States agreed to discuss the financial restrictions arising from the counterfeiting issue, a gesture that has been criticized inside and outside the administration. There is “zero chance” that the talks will persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program, said John Tkacik, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former State Department diplomat. “My Machiavellian mind tells me that the Chinese have worked out a deal with the Russians and the North Koreans that if North Korea comes back to the six-party talks, the main issue will not be denuclearization, it will be counterfeiting.” American negotiators continue to maintain the financial restrictions will remain unless North Korea stops counterfeiting United States currency. “They have to get out of the illicit-activities business and get out of the counterfeiting business,” Mr. Hill said in an interview Tuesday. Copyright 2006The New York Times Company ***************************************************************** 13 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Roh says talks with the North are inevitable November 3, 2006 KST 13:39 (GMT+9) November 03, 2006 ¤Ñ President Roh Moo-hyun used an address to a group of foreign investors in Korea yesterday to lay out a strongly worded defense of his engagement policy with North Korea. He told them that if they understood the reasons any South Korean president, regardless of his political leanings, was fated to keep talking to Pyongyang, "Korea would not seem such an insecure place." At a forum organized by the Commerce Ministry for existing and potential investors, Mr. Roh said his purpose was to explain his administration's position and offer reassurances after the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test, which he said had overly rattled foreign investors. At least for the moment, Mr. Roh said, the military equilibrium on the peninsula had not changed. The Korean Army's capabilities, he continued, together with this country's "firm alliance" with the United States, would ensure that the military balance would not be altered. "We will always hold the dominant position," he continued, "but we will never gamble against North Korea with that superiority." Mr. Roh stressed that good relations between the Koreas were also necessary to keep the peace. In remarks that appeared aimed at his conservative political opposition, he said that policy would continue even after he stepped down from office. "Even if political power changes hands, this is the only path for South Korea to take, because it is what the public wants," he said, and even though public opinion is strongly against North Korea now, people here think that Pyongyang cannot be an enemy forever. "The logic used to attack our administration and the logic used after someone else is in power are not necessarily the same," he said. He cited Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam as conservatives who had both reached out to the North. "The engagement policy between the two Koreas had begun already in President Roh's time," he said, referring to a pact between the two countries forswearing nuclear proliferation in 1991. Roh Tae-woo's successor, Kim Young-sam, the president continued, had broken off dialogue with Pyongyang but still convinced Washington not to use force during the 1993-94 nuclear crisis. by Chun Su-jin sujiney@joongang.co.kr> Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use | ***************************************************************** 14 washingtonpost.com: N.Korea can put warhead on missile - experts - By David MorganReuters Thursday, November 2, 2006; 2:05 PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Koreahas the ability to put a nuclear warhead onto a medium-range missile and threaten its regional neighbors, especially Japan, some U.S. experts believe. With North Korea preparing to return to six-party talks on its nuclear program, scientists and other analysts stress that few facts are known about the reclusive country's capabilities and conclusions depend largely on circumstantial evidence. U.S. intelligence officials say there is no evidence that North Korea has physically "mated" a warhead to a medium-range Rodong missile, let alone has nuclear-armed Rodongs ready for launch. Some officials believe Pyongyang has yet to meet the engineering challenge of arming a missile. But word that the North Koreans tested a relatively small nuclear device on October 9 is bolstering assertions that Pyongyang has moved directly to a warhead for its medium-range arsenal. "We've assessed that North Korea can put a warhead on a Rodong," said physicist David Albright, who heads the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. "What you're trying to do is reduce the diameter to fit inside a re-entry vehicle. You can do that with a crude nuclear weapons design," he added. John Pike, director of the Alexandria, Virginia, online think tank GlobalSecurity.org, agrees. "I have never been able to understand why there would be any doubt about North Korea's capacity to put a nuclear weapon on a medium-range ballistic missile. They've had it for several years," Pike said. The Rodong has a range of 870 miles, which could hit most of Japan and all of South Korea. Richard Garwin of the IBM Research Center and Princeton professor Frank von Hippel also suggest North Korea could be aiming for a warhead small enough for the Rodong or even its shorter-range Scud missiles. MISSILE SPECULATION Until recently, speculation about Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions has concentrated on the long-range multi-stage Taepodong-2 missile, which analysts believe could some day be capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. But the Taepodong-2 exploded just after launch during its first test flight on July 5. Pyongyang would most likely use nuclear-tipped Rodongs to threaten Japan as a means of deterring any U.S. military action against North Korea, experts say. "Even if there's only a 10 percent probability that they've produced a few warheads and put them on Rodong missiles, that could still be enough to deter the United States because the possible effect on Japan is catastrophic," said Daniel Pinkston, Korea expert at the Monterey, California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies. But some experts say Pyongyang would be unlikely to use nuclear weapons against fellow Koreans in the South. Conservative estimates suggest North Korea, which has more than 200 Rodongs and over 600 Scuds, has enough fissile material for six to eight nuclear weapons, though some analysts say the number could top one-dozen. U.S. intelligence determined over a decade ago that Pyongyang trying to develop a warhead for its medium-range arsenal but had yet to overcome the engineering obstacles. Albright and Pike said those hurdles appear now to have been surpassed. North Korea would have to conduct test a Rodong with a simulated warhead, before deploying a credible medium-range nuclear threat, U.S. intelligence officials said. Albright and Pike said Pyongyang may have done just that on July 5, when it test-fired seven missiles including Rodongs. ***************************************************************** 15 Reuters: Little U.S. flexibility seen on N.Korea sanctions Wed 1 Nov 2006 7:07 PM ET By Carol Giacomo and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Details of a U.S. offer to discuss financial sanctions with North Korea in six-party talks are not yet decided, but there is little flexibility for soon easing the pressure, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Three weeks after its first nuclear test, North Korea said it was returning to the talks because Washington agreed to discuss a U.S.-led crackdown on financial assets that Pyongyang says drove it from the negotiating table to start with. Some administration hard-liners, believing the crackdown had a major impact in forcing Pyongyang back to bargaining, have argued in internal discussions against compromise proposals and fretted that talks would inevitably force Washington to weaken the penalties. Asked if the administration agreed on ideas for resolving the financial issue in negotiations with the North, a senior U.S. official said he did not know how all officials felt, but "there is very little ... wiggle room when you have laws and you have various investigations that are ongoing." Another senior official told Reuters: "I think we're going in with a noncompromising position on this, but there is a willingness to talk about these issues." The last round of six-party talks broke off in November 2005 after Washington squeezed Pyongyang's access to the world financial system to punish it for illicit activities, including printing fake U.S. banknotes, worth about $550 million per year. About $24 million was frozen in accounts held by Macau's Banco Delta Asia after the U.S. Treasury Department described the bank as a "willing pawn" in Pyongyang's counterfeiting, cigarette and drug smuggling and money laundering schemes. After the North conducted its first nuclear test on Oct. 9, creating a new dynamic in Asia and giving North Korea new standing as a nuclear-capable state, the U.N. Security Council imposed international sanctions on Pyongyang. N. KOREAN LEADERS' ACCESS TO CURRENCY AFFECTED? In mid-October, China -- Pyongyang's main energy and food benefactor -- ordered banks to begin shutting down financial operations with the North, a third senior administration official said. He was unable to put a value on the interruption but said Washington is "quite confident" that U.S., Chinese and other international moves "have shut down a major portion of the banking world to those involved in North Korean illicit and illegal behaviors." Officials claim this affected North Korean leaders' access to hard currency in ways not previously experienced. The United States initially refused to discuss the assets freeze with Pyongyang, saying the isolated Communist government needed to first end illicit activities. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that in agreeing to establish a "working group" within the six-party format, chief U.S. negotiator Chris Hill had not given the North Koreans any proposals on how the issue might be resolved. Creation of the working group is a face-saving way for the two sides to come together. Hill returns to Washington late Wednesday for high-level administration discussions before two other senior State Department officials head for Asia to discuss strategy for getting the six-party talks underway and to ensure U.N. sanctions are enforced. U.S. officials said the administration would press Pyongyang to end all illicit activities and set up a transparent banking system. "The heart of this discussion is that North Korean companies and diplomats have engaged in clearly illicit activities and if (Pyongyang) wants to see its situation improve, then here are the things you'll need to accomplish," a senior U.S. official said. In addition to the United States and North Korea, the six-party talks -- which aim to persuade Pyongyang to forgo nuclear weapons -- include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Reuters: No sign of US compromise on NKorea assets dispute Thu 2 Nov 2006 6:34 PM ET By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - One solution to the dispute over the crackdown on North Korea's financial assets would be to unfreeze accounts involved in legitimate trade, but U.S. officials on Thursday showed no sign of compromise. "It's all one big criminal enterprise," a senior U.S. official said of North Korea's trading system. "You can't separate it out." The U.S. Treasury Department reaffirmed its tough line on Banco Delta Asia, the Macau bank designated a "primary money laundering concern" in 2005 because of involvement with Pyongyang's accounts. "We have been engaged in an ongoing investigation of BDA, and everything that has come to light confirms the illicit conduct of the bank, including that the bank took a fee from the North Koreans in exchange for lax due diligence on their accounts," said spokeswoman Molly Millerwise. Three weeks after its first nuclear test, North Korea said on Tuesday it was returning to six-country nuclear talks because Washington agreed to discuss a U.S.-led crackdown on financial assets that Pyongyang says drove it from the negotiating table. U.S. officials say the offer has long been on the table and what is significant is that Pyongyang stopped demanding it would only return to negotiations if the assets freeze was lifted. "There were no U.S. concessions as far as I can see," Mike Green, formerly Asia adviser at the Bush White House, told the Center for National Policy policy group. A date for resuming negotiations over the North's nuclear weapons program has not been announced. The plan is for a separate working group to discuss the crackdown within the nuclear talks framework, involving China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, the United States and North Korea. The last six-party round broke off in November 2005 after Washington squeezed Pyongyang's access to the world financial system to punish it for illicit activities, including printing fake U.S. bank notes, worth about $550 million annually. 'WILLING PAWN' About $24 million in Banco Delta Asia accounts was frozen after the U.S. Treasury Department described the bank as a "willing pawn" in Pyongyang's counterfeiting, cigarette and drug-smuggling and money-laundering schemes. Treasury's designation sent a chill through the international banking community, which did not want to risk being tarred as a facilitator of illicit pursuits. Since China, Pyongyang's main benefactor, ordered its banks in mid-October to halt operations with the North, much of the banking world has been off-limits to the North, U.S. officials say. What the working group might try to accomplish -- apart from insisting Pyongyang end illicit activities -- is unclear. One U.S. official insisted that "all we did was agree to take up the (assets freeze) in a working group" and another said there was little "wiggle room" in the U.S. position. North Korea expert Selig Harrison said it was plausible that U.S. negotiator Chris Hill led Pyongyang to believe Washington had ideas for resolving the financial dispute. One idea might be for Treasury to halt its investigation of Banco Delta Asia and to support a move to unfreeze accounts associated with legitimate North Korean activities, while illicit accounts remain frozen, he said. Harrison said $7.5 million of the $24 million in frozen BDA accounts was from the Daedong Credit Bank, a British bank representing foreign companies doing business in North Korea, he said. Hill has explored compromises, including returning funds to Pyongyang if they are unrelated to illicit activities, but met resistance from Treasury and other administration hard-liners who say it is impossible to distinguish among the accounts. An administration insider said Hill may have told the North that Treasury would soon finish its investigation but doubted he gave ground on the frozen accounts because President George W. Bush is determined to pursue Pyongyang's illegal activities. © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 17 Korea Times: 6-Way Talks and Chinas Pressure Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion By Jang Sung-min North Korea finally announced its return to t h e s i x - party talks, a decision that was reportedly a l r e a d y reached in the North two weeks prior to the announcement. A Chinese diplomatic source well versed in North Korean affairs said, ¡°When North Korea returns to the six-party negations, it will no longer demand resolution of its economic or monetary issues. As a nuclear state, it will only deal with the nuclear problem itself. Chairman Kim Jong-il has instructed his foreign ministry not to raise any peripheral issues. ¡°There will be no second nuclear test by North Korea because a second test would infuriate the international community and deal a heavy blow to North Korea. Chairman Kim ordered that North Korea¡¯s defense budget be cut now that the nuclear test ended in success, and that more money be spent for residents. Of course, North Korean officials may not agree with Chairman Kim¡¯s instructions. But the faces of the North Korean people have certainly lit up at this news.¡± Given this situation, it would be accurate to conclude that returning to the dialogue was a voluntary decision by the DPRK, rather than one induced by another country¡¯s mediation. Of course, one cannot deny that China played a certain role as a ¡°messenger¡± in the process. However, it was North Korea, desperately in need of a mediator that made the most of China¡¯s role as the messenger. With China beginning to add pressure on top of U.S. pressure, North Korea obviously started realizing that regime maintenance may become quite a challenge. Thus, the North seems to have decided to return to the six-party talks with China¡¯s assurance of committing to play a certain role in removing American financial sanctions against North Korea. American and Chinese sanctions were decisive factors behind North Korea¡¯s decision to return to the negotiating table. More accurately, it was more Chinese pressure and sanctions than Chinese mediation that led North Korea to decide to return. In this sense, the U.S. strategy of using the China card to pressure North Korea has succeeded. Now, a closer look into the background of North Korea¡¯s decision to return to the six-party dialogue. First, North Korea obviously was threatened by the possibility of China imposing ¡°U.S.-type pressure and sanctions¡± on it. By conducting missile and nuclear tests, North Korea has disgraced China internationally. The North also expressed its mistrust toward China. With North Korea¡¯s confidence in China diminishing, the North diverted its attention to Russia, making China ever more anxious. By doing so, North Korea continued to employ a diplomacy of leveraging its position between China and Russia, and thereby try to have China side with the North. Such North Korean diplomacy garnered success to a certain extent. However, North Korea was taken by surprise when an upset China started intensifying its sanctions against the North. North Korea was threatened by the possibility of intensified or extended Chinese sanctions leading to a dire situation. Second, North Korea wanted to use its missile and nuclear tests to have direct dialogue with the U.S. But unfavorable U.S. response confirmed to North Korea that bilateral U.S.-DPRK dialogue would be difficult. North Korea had wanted direct dialogue to lift U.S. sanctions and revoke the freeze of its account with the Banco Delta Asia. With the U.S. ready to impose sanctions through the U.N., North Korea figured that pressure and sanctions would be beefed up, leading to more difficult economic difficulties. So in order to avert a second ¡°hungry march,¡± the North decided to return to the six-party talks. Previously, North Korea had demanded a lift of U.S. sanctions as the precondition for its return to the talks. The North¡¯s strategy was to resolve the sanctions issue by linking it with its nuclear issue. Such a strategy presupposed that the U.S. deems resolution of the nuclear issue as being far more urgent and important than economic sanctions. North Korea¡¯s perception was correct, but it made a strategic mistake. The U.S. focus was more on the nonproliferation of fissile material rather than on North Korea¡¯s immediate possession or development of nuclear weapons. The U.S. ultimate interest was in scrapping North Korea¡¯s nuclear program. Thus, the U.S. strategy was to first try abolishing the program, or at least to blockade any outflow of fissile material from North Korea if abolition was made difficult. But the U.S. maintained that North Korea¡¯s nuclear problem and its forgery of U.S. dollars are issues to be dealt with separately. That is why the U.S. had called for North Korea to unconditionally return to the six-party talks. The U.S. adhered to the principle that it could have dialogue over sanctions issues with North Korea within the six-party framework once the North returns to the dialogue table. North Korea realized that resolving the financial sanctions issues would not be possible without returning to the six-party dialogue. This is the reason it announced its return to the negotiation table. How will the North proceed within the six-party framework to lift sanctions? North Korea will most likely take part in a gradual negotiating process through which it will agree to abolish its nuclear program in exchange for certain U.S. actions including lifting of sanctions. Upon expressing its willingness to do away with nuclear weapons, North Korea will first and foremost call for the U.S. to lift financial sanctions and undo the freeze on its accounts with Banco Delta Asia. The North will also demand lifting of U.N. sanctions and call for a halt in PSIrelated military exercises. As a matter of fact, the North will demand a complete halt in PSIrelated discussions. Third, through its nuclear test, North Korea not only stirred international public sentiments but also won the status of a nuclear state in the international community, regardless of whether the U.S. and western nuclear powers accept it or not. North Korea¡¯s announcement of a nuclear test prior to the actual testing was a preparatory step to be acknowledged as a nuclear state. North Korea thinks it has finished the race. Fourth, with its ¡°nuclear card,¡± North Korea had aimed to fulfill the dual goal of obtaining deterrence against a U.S. attack and gaining economic benefits. With the former goal attained, the North now feels the need work hard toward achieving the latter. Fifth, with the U.S. announcement that its North Korea policy focus is on nonproliferation of fissile material rather than on preventing the North¡¯s possession of nuclear weapons, North Korea realized that its nuclear test can no longer serve as a valuable bargaining chip. Chairman Kim Jong-il felt a threat to his regime when he realized that the U.S. is more tilted toward resolving the nuclear issue by breaking down the North Korean regime rather than by making diplomatic overtures. To make matters worse, China was indiscriminately imposing sanctions on the North. Against this backdrop, return to the sixparty talks was the dramatic and new way out for North Korea. Are the neo-conservatives in the Bush administration not aware of such North Korean intentions? They are very aware, which is why the U.S. will not easily give in to North Korea¡¯s words. The U.S. thinks that North Korea played a game of trying to obtain both nuclear weapons and economic gains. The U.S. actually has become more skilled in dealing with North Korea now. In other words, the U.S. is convinced that the only policy that works with North Korea is one of intensive pressure and isolation. Unless the U.S. changes its mindset and realizes that having dialogue with a member of the ¡°axis of evil¡± is not an evil act, the upcoming six-party talks will become yet another phase of a vicious cycle. However, if President Bush exercises patience and diplomatic strength by accepting ¡°spending a night with the evil,¡± great diplomatic achievements will be made. This is because Kim is searching for a political exit in his relationship with the U.S. Of great interest is whether the U.S. can use Kim¡¯s intentions or be used by him. Now is just the beginning of sixparty talks. The writer is president of the World and Northeast Asia Peace Forum. He served as a member of the National Assembly and presidential secretary under the Kim Dae-jung administration. smjjang21@gmail.com 11-02-2006 22:26 ***************************************************************** 18 Korea Times: Why Is Pyongyang Reluctant to Forget BDA Hankooki.com > The Korea Times By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter North Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it decided to return to the six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program on condition that it will discuss with Washington ways to lift financial sanctions on Pyongyang. In other words, the North wants to get back $24 million frozen in Macau's Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which cut its relations with Pyongyang after being blacklisted by Washington in September last year as a main money-laundering concern. Since then, the U.S. Treasury Department has continued the investigation into the North Korean accounts in the bank, while the North boycotted the denuclearization talks, citing the U.S. sanctions as an attempt to obliterate the Pyongyang regime. The amount of money involved at BDA is considered too small for a political regime to cling to, even by sacrificing other benefits it could get by implementing the six-party joint statement adopted in the same month that Washington began to choke Pyongyang's sources of earning hard currency. Christopher Hill, the U.S. top nuclear envoy, said earlier this year, $24 million is less than what Pyongyang could get within just one week by receiving energy aid from its neighbors, including South Korea. Then why is the North still attached to its bank accounts in the Chinese bank? Pyongyang apparently considers it a key to lift financial restrictions imposed by two dozen other banks that allegedly accepted the Treasury Department's request to sever their financial ties with the North. Stuart Levey, the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said last September that 24 financial institutions have voluntarily stopped transactions with North Korea. Under this situation, Pyongyang considers the BDA as a symbol of the world's financial crackdown against it, so persistently asks China and the United States lift the sanctions in Macau and elsewhere in Asia. im@koreatimes.co.kr 11-02-2006 17:40 A forgery detector in this file photo in Seoul watches a board showing ¡°super notes,¡± counterfeited $100 bills. / Korea Times ***************************************************************** 19 AFP: US envoys to visit Asia to prepare North Korea nuclear talks - by David Millikin Thu Nov 2, 3:14 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - Senior US diplomats will travel to Asia Sunday to prepare for a resumption of six-way negotiations with North Korea" /> North Koreaaimed at ending Pyongyang's newly proven nuclear weapons program, the State Department said. The envoys will press Japan, China and South Korea" /> South Koreato maintain tough UN-mandated sanctions against North Korea in the run-up to the negotiations and to ensure a united front in insisting the talks lead to Pyongyang's full denuclearization, department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Under pressure from the sanctions imposed after North Korea carried out its first nuclear test explosion on October 9, the Stalinist regime agreed earlier this week to return to the multilateral disarmament negotiations it had been boycotting for nearly a year. But US officials remain wary of Pyongyang's motives, fearing the unpredictable North Korean leadership could use its new nuclear status as leverage to seek an easing of the sanctions against it while stalling on demands it verifiably give up the arsenal. "We don't want this just to be about talk, we want it to be about getting some concrete, positive outcomes," McCormack said. The US team will be led by Nicholas Burns, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> Condoleezza Rice's senior deputy, and include Robert Joseph, the hawkish head of the State Department's non-proliferation initiative who has been charged with overseeing implementation of the sanctions against North Korea. They will meet Sunday and Monday with Japanese leaders in Tokyo before heading to Beijing for two days of talks with both Chinese and Russian officials, McCormack said. The pair will visit Seoul November 8 and 9. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States are the five parties which have been trying for the past three years to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for economic incentives and security guarantees. The two sides reached a framework agreement in September 2005 under which North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear weapons, though the sequencing of the process was left for further negotiations. Pyongyang walked away from those talks two months later after Washington slapped sanctions on a Macau-based bank accused of laundering money and passing counterfeit US currency on behalf of the North Koreans. The US action led the bank, Banco Delta Asia, to freeze some 24 million dollars in North Korean assets, believed to include personal funds belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and his entourage. There were also reports at the time that Washington had angered Pyongyang by backing away from a promise to provide North Korea with a light-water nuclear reactor for its civilian energy program as part of the deal. As part of this week's deal to resume negotiations, Washington told North Korea it was willing to discuss the Banco Delta Asia sanctions as part of the talks. McCormack reaffirmed Thursday that the six-party talks were expected to resume before the end of the year and that Washington wanted the starting point to be the September 2005 framework agreement. The mission for Burns and Joseph, he said, was to "create the right conditions, the best atmosphere" for the negotiations. McCormack said there were no plans for the US envoys to meet with the North Koreans during next week's trip. "I don't see that happening", he said. ***************************************************************** 20 Japan Times: Japan stands firm with sanctions on North Korea Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006 Japan stands firm with sanctions on North Korea By REIJI YOSHIDA and MASAMI ITO Staff writers Japan will continue the economic sanctions it leveled against North Korea despite Pyongyang's apparent about-face on returning to the multilateral talks to end its nuclear threat, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference Wednesday. The top government spokesman pointed out it is still not clear if the North will end its nuclear weapons program as demanded in a recent U.N. Security Council resolution and a joint declaration from the six-party talks in September 2005. "We will calmly implement what we decided to do as long as it remains unclear if (North Korea) will abide by" those requests, Shizoaki said. Following Pyongyang's Oct. 9 declared nuclear test, Japan toughened economic sanctions already in place in the wake of the July ballistic missile tests, including a complete ban on imports from the North, entry of North Korean vessels into Japanese ports and entry of North Korean nationals except for those living in Japan. Japan, the United States, China, Russia and South Korea kept putting stronger pressure on the North to return to the six-nation talks after the nuclear test. The North, which has even threatened to conduct a second test, suddenly agreed to revive the long-stalled talks after having a one-day chat with U.S. and Chinese negotiators Tuesday in Beijing. Foreign Ministry officials in Tokyo have welcomed Pyongyang's turnabout, as they are deeply concerned about the North's nuclear arms and missiles, which can reach most if not all of Japan. But at the same time they remain skeptical of reaching a breakthrough in the six-way talks with a flip-flopping Pyongyang, and thus the economic sanctions will continue. North Korea has a negotiating history of betrayals, turnabouts and delays. In September 2005, the six countries signed a joint declaration with which Pyongyang pledged to renounce all of its nuclear weapons and arms development programs. The talks subsequently stalled when Pyongyang argued that economic assistance should come first as compensation, while Washington argued the North should first end its nuclear weapon program. "We really don't know why the North has decided to return to the talks," a senior Foreign Ministry said on condition of anonymity. "(North Korea) has just returned to the talks after walking out on them. We are trying not to attach too much value on the return itself," the official said, stressing that Japan's goal is the total end of Pyongyang's nuclear threat, not just the resumption of the talks. Tokyo has also refrained from issuing a formal statement on Pyongyang's return to the talks, the official said. The only remarks were casual welcomes Tuesday and Wednesday by Shiozaki and Foreign Ministry Taro Aso in response to questions from reporters. The government's skepticism was echoed by Shoichi Nakagawa, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council. He said it is too soon to judge it a sign of progress. "North Korea is very good at diplomacy and may use this sudden return to play for time," Nakagawa said in a speech at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "We must watch carefully the next step and not harbor any strange hopes because (North Korea) is not such an easygoing country that all we need to do is talk things out," he added. Nakagawa, known as a loose canon when it comes to talk of Japan going nuclear, again touched on that issue. "I think it is a natural that, if your country is under threat, the people or politicians discuss how to protect the country," Nakagawa said. "What I am saying is that since (North Korea) is talking nuclear, Japan needs to discuss nuclear, too." Nakagawa drew criticism last month for stating that Japan should have a debate on nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has attempted to calm the waves by stressing that he stands by Japan's three nonnuclear principles of not building, possessing or introducing nuclear weapons in Japan. The Japan Times (C) All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 21 FCW: Study: Contractors outnumber feds 4-to-1 BY Michael Hardy Published on Oct. 16, 2006 FCW.com The number of contractor employees working on federal projects is growing fast and now exceeds the number of agency employees by fourfold, according to a report by New York University professor Paul Light. According to the report, the army of contractors totaled 7.6 million in 2005, compared with the 1.9 million members of the civilian agency workforce. Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said the report has serious implications for taxpayers. Runaway federal contracting is a shell game, masking the true costs of government to Americas taxpayers and handing the important work of the government to a less accountable workforce, she said in a written statement issued today. However, Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, disputed the findings. The modeling system measures both direct and indirect contractor support, exaggerating the results. Light acknowledges that weakness of his estimate in the report. "They tend to overestimate the contract- and grant-generated workforce, but they are the best available tool for measuring what I call the 'true size of government,'" he wrote. Soloway said the notion that contractor employees outnumber federal employees 4-to-1 is "a mathematical impossibility. Today, it costs some $180 billion or more to pay for the federal workforce. We spend just over $200 billion on service contracts, which is where the contractor displacement NTEU cites comes from. It is simply not possible that for only slightly more money the government is paying to support four times as many contractor employees as civil servants." That is especially true given the gap between private-sector and government pay that the unions have identified, Soloway added. "Has the role of contractors grown as the government has faced growing shortfalls in both numbers and skill sets? Absolutely," he said. "The government today functions through a growing and critical mix of both government and contractor employees. This is the government of the future, as well. But it is nowhere near as out of alignment as some have suggested." Kelley also criticized what she believes is the Bush administration's desire to hand over what should be inherently governmental work to contractors. FCW.com - Study: Contractors outnumber feds 4-to-1 Copyright 2000-2006 1105 Media Inc.. See our Privacy ***************************************************************** 22 IAEA: IAEA Director General Official Visit to United States + [IAEA.ORG :: Atoms for Peace] Staff Report 1 November 2006 [Mohamed ElBaradei and Condoleeza Rice] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets with IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei at the State Department in Washington. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) + Story Resources + US Department of State Briefing + Georgetown University Award + Sadat Chair, University of Maryland + Interfaith Center, New York + Muslim Public Affairs Council + IAEA Director General Awards + Nobel Peace Prize 2005 + Rice-ElBaradei Meeting, May 2006 IAEA Director General completes an official visit to the United States this week. On 31 October, Dr. ElBaradei visited Yale University in the United States, where he spoke on issues of nuclear proliferation at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. He participated in a question-and-answer session at Luce Hall Auditorium with Ernesto Zedillo, Director of the Center and former president of Mexico. Read Story on Yale visit » On Monday, 30 October, Dr. ElBaradei addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. His statement focuses on the IAEA´s work in fields of nuclear safeguards and verification, safety and security, and science and technology. Read Statement » Dr. ElBaradei started off his visit in Washington, DC, 23 October, meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on matters related to nuclear non-proliferation and security, including the verification of nuclear programmes in Iran and the Democratic People´s Republic of Korea (DPRK). During his visits to Washington and New York, Dr. ElBaradei attended events at which he received honorary awards and spoke on a range of nuclear issues. In Washington, DC, Dr. ElBaradei attended events at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, both of which honoured him for his distinguished international service at the IAEA. + At Georgetown University, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy presented Dr. ElBaradei with the 26th Annual Raymond "Jit" Trainor Award for Distinction in the Conduct of Diplomacy. At the School of Foreign Service, Dr. ElBaradei also met with Dean Robert Galluci, who moderated a question and answer session with the Director General on nuclear issues. » Listen to: Welcome :: Conversation with Dean Galluci :: Q & A Session + At the University of Maryland, Dr. ElBaradei received the Honorary Doctorate in Public Service from University Dean Edward Montgomery. Dr. ElBaradei is to present the invited Sadat Peace Lecture at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development was established at the University in 1997 in memory of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The Chair was made possible by the commitment of Anwar Sadat´s widow, Dr. Jehan Sadat, to her husband´s legacy of leadership for peace. With support from all levels of the University, Dr. Sadat created an endowment for the Chair from the generous support of many individual contributors from around the world. Read Sadat Lecture » In New York City, Dr. ElBaradei was honoured by the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). + ICNY honoured Dr. ElBaradei with the 2006 James Parks Morton Interfaith. The award cites the Director General´s "extraordinary work" at the IAEA, as a diplomat, academic, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the lasting impact of the IAEA and his leadership on global efforts for safety, security, and human development. ICNY promotes peace and understanding through a range of secular educational activities that build bridges between communities. + MPAC presented Dr. ElBaradei with its Human Security Award. The MPAC Foundation Human Security Award was created to honor the contributions of extraordinary individuals who protect and empower the world´s most vulnerable populations. The Foundation recognizes Dr. ElBaradei´s contribution as an advocate for disarmament and for his reliance on diplomacy to rid the world of nuclear threats, and acknowledges Dr. ElBaradei´s and the International Atomic Energy Agency´s significant role in coordinating nuclear safety and security around the world. Copyright ©, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone (+431) 2600-0; Facsimilie (+431) 2600-7; E-mail: ***************************************************************** 23 The Scientist: EPA shuts down libraries By Ted Agres EPA shuts down libraries Agency also seeks major cuts in lab costs over the next five years [Published 2nd November 2006 03:06 PM GMT] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has begun shutting down its national library network by closing regional research libraries in Chicago, Dallas, and Kansas City and reducing access to collections in New York, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco. While those actions had been expected, the EPA has also shuttered its chemical pollution and toxic substances resource library in Washington, DC, a move that caught observers off guard. The decision to close the libraries is budget-driven. The EPA plans to cut $2 million from the library system's $2.5 million budget for Fiscal 2007. The agency's total budget request is $7.3 billion for the fiscal year beginning October 1. Scientists and research advocates say the library closings are short-sighted because they will jeopardize the EPA's ability to properly assess environmental issues. "Science-based decision making is central to the mission of the EPA, and access to world-class libraries is essential for that," said Craig M. Schiffries, director of science policy at the National Council for Science and the Environment. "Cutting what appears to be a small dollar value relative to the size of the agency will have a disproportionate effect on EPA's ability to achieve its stated mission and goals," he told The Scientist. In addition to the library closings, the EPA is seeking to markedly reduce funding for research laboratories by 2011. A June 8 internal budget planning document directs assistant and regional administrators to develop plans to reduce laboratory physical infrastructure costs by at least 10 percent by 2009 and by another 10 percent by 2011 through a combination of staff reductions and consolidations or closings of lab/field facilities nationwide. EPA spokesperson Suzanne Ackerman said she had no information about the budget document. Budget cuts are a growing concern not only at EPA, but also at other federal agencies, said Robert Gropp, director of public policy at the American Institute of Biological Sciences. "It's a concern across the board, particularly for an agency like EPA that has such a direct impact on public health and the environment," he told The Scientist. "How will they get work done if they scale back on research and people?" On October 20, the EPA closed its Office of Prevention, Pollution, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) chemical library, a specialized facility whose holdings included information on properties and toxicological effects of pesticides, genetically engineered chemicals and biotech products, as well as emergency planning and chemical risk assessments. The library's paper-only collection was boxed up and moved to a basement cafeteria and five staffers were laid off, according to Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit whistleblower group that has been fighting the library closings. Without the library, EPA scientists will have fewer resources to analyze industry requests to bring new chemicals to market, Ruch said. "There was no public announcement, and this library was not in EPA's original closure plan," he told The Scientist. Jessica Emond, the EPA's deputy press secretary, said the closing was part of the agency's "overall strategy for streamlining/consolidating the libraries." "EPA is committed to ensuring unique library materials are available to the general public, the scientific community, the legal community, and other organizations," Emond said in an email to The Scientist. "Physical holdings of the OPPTS chemical library will be made available online, and other services will be made available electronically." As the EPA closes libraries across the country, monographs and paper documents not available electronically will be digitized, the EPA's library plan states, with materials from libraries that have already been closed receiving first priority. Documents pending digitization will be sent to one of three national repositories, from which they can be retrieved through inter-library loan, according to the agency. But the EPA lacks a clear plan and the budget to perform the digitization, Ruch contends. Three senior Democratic congressmen -- Bart Gordon, Henry Waxman, and John Dingell -- have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the EPA's library closing plans, citing "grave concerns" that "access to many documents will be temporarily or permanently lost" due to "inadequate planning and lack of funding for digitizing documents." The GAO plans to begin the investigation later this year or early in 2007. Ted Agres tagres@the-scientist.com Links within this article: EPA National Libraries http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/overback.htm T. Agres, "Budget cuts imperil EPA Library System," The Scientist, March 10, 2006 http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23221/ National Council for Science and the Environment http://ncseonline.org/ "Memorandum: FY 2008 Technical Budget Guidance" http://www.peer.org/docs/epa/06_13_9_cfo_memo.pdf American Institute of Biological Sciences http://www.aibs.org OPPTS Library http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/library/pubs/collectn.htm Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility http://www.peer.org/ "EPA FY 2007 Library Plan: National Framework for the Headquarters and Regional Libraries" http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/Library_Plan_National_Framework081506 final.pdf Letter to Comptroller General David M. Walker requesting GAO investigation http://sciencedems.house.gov/Media/File/ForReleases/gordon_epa-li braries_09sep06.pdf © 1986-2006 The Scientist ***************************************************************** 24 Las Vegas SUN: Scientists Say White House Muzzled Them November 01, 2006 By JOHN HEILPRIN ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - Two federal agencies are investigating whether the Bush administration tried to block government scientists from speaking freely about global warming and censor their research, a senator said Wednesday. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said he was informed that the inspectors general for the Commerce Department and NASA had begun "coordinated, sweeping investigations of the Bush administration's censorship and suppression" of federal research into global warming. "These investigations are critical because the Republicans in Congress have ignored this serious problem," Lautenberg said. He said the investigations "will uncover internal documents and agency correspondence that may expose widespread misconduct." He added, "Taxpayers do not fund scientific research so the Bush White House can alter it." Messages left Wednesday at the offices of the inspectors general, which serve as the agencies' internal watchdogs, were not immediately returned. Kristen Hellmer, a spokeswoman for the White House Council for Environmental Quality, said Wednesday night that the administration has supported the scientific process in its approach to studying climate change. "We have in place the most transparent system of science reporting, and claims that the administration interfered with scientists are false," Hellmer said. "Our focus is on taking action and making real progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The nearly $2 billion worth of climate science we publish annually leads the world and speaks for itself." Carbon dioxide and other gases primarily from fossil fuel-burning that scientists say trap heat in the atmosphere have warmed the Earth's surface an average 1 degree over the past century. The White House has committed to reducing the "intensity" of U.S. carbon pollution, a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of economic growth. But the total U.S. emissions, now more than 7 billion tons a year, are projected to rise 14 percent from 2002 to 2012. In February, House Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., and other congressional leaders asked NASA to guarantee scientific openness. They complained that a public affairs officer changed or filtered information on global warming and the Big Bang. The officer, George Deutsch, a political appointee, had resigned after being accused of trying to limit reporters' access to James Hansen, a prominent NASA climate scientist, and insisting that a Web designer insert the word "theory" with any mention of the Big Bang. A report last month in the scientific journal Nature claimed administrators at the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration blocked the release of a report that linked hurricane strength and frequency to global warming. Hansen had said in February that NOAA has tried to prevent researchers working on global climate change from speaking freely about their work. NOAA has denied the allegations, saying its work is not politically motivated. --- On the Net: NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html NASA: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/impacts All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 25 Guardian Unlimited: The cloud of uncertainty John Swenson-Wright The news that North Korea is willing to resume talks offers a sliver of optimism, but the crisis is still far from over. John Swenson-Wright November 2, 2006 11:18 AM North's Korea's apparently successful test of a nuclear device on October 9 has fundamentally and perhaps irrevocably transformed the strategic landscape of north-east Asia. In one explosive moment the region's "delicate balance of terror" has been overturned prompting diplomatic protests and consternation around the globe, imposing new tensions on relations between the key powers in the region, and raising the spectre (admittedly still a faint one) of tit-for-tat nuclearisation by North Korea's increasingly nervous South Korean and Japanese neighbours. How might we explain the actions of Kim Jong-il and the leadership in Pyongyang? Since North Korean decision-making remains shrouded in uncertainty, the answer is speculative but a number of potential explanations spring immediately to mind. Like any rational actor, the North may have chosen to test as a means of enhancing its deterrent capability, to minimise the risk of a preventive or pre-emptive attack from a United States which appears (privately at least) to entertain the possibility of engineering regime change in the North. Alternatively, Pyongyang may view the nuclear option primarily as a card in an increasingly high-stakes poker game of diplomatic brinkmanship. Seeking to persuade Washington to relax the economic sanctions in place since last autumn - particularly those targeting the North's foreign currency reserves and alleged counterfeiting operations - Kim has simultaneously raised his ante and called the bluff of the international community and an America that has made it clear that it "will not tolerate" a nuclear-armed North Korea. Less obviously, Kim may be playing to his own domestic gallery, seeking to reassure North Korea's military elites - a group that has grown increasingly influential since the late 1990s in keeping with the regime's "military first" - or songun - strategy. The nuclear option represents, in this context, a form of technonationalism, intended to bolster public pride and feeding on the acute insecurities, xenophobia and anti-Americanism of a people inured to 50-plus years of conflict with the United States. The Korean war may have been temporarily interrupted by the armistice of 1953, but in the psyche of ordinary North Koreans the conflict is a permanent one, reinforced by Pyongyang's propaganda and - ironically - by the ideological and personal animus of the Bush administration towards the Kim regime. The puzzle in the current standoff, is less the North Korean willingness to challenge the international community by unilaterally tearing up its earlier non-nuclear commitments such as membership of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and the Seoul-Pyongyang non-nuclear accord of 1992, and more the confused and contradictory policies of the Bush administration. Frustratingly, this is a crisis that might have been averted. The fourth round of six-party talks in September of last year offered a viable escape route from deadlock in which the North agreed to end all its nuclear programmes (whether plutonium or uranium based) and allow the return of international inspectors. Disarmament would be - in words consistent with US objectives - "comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible". In return, the US reaffirmed its commitment to a nuclear-free peninsula, made clear that it had no intention to attack the North, and opened the door to peaceful co-existence and eventual normalisation of relations. Economic aid to the North would be provided by the other members of the six-party talks and the medium-term prospect of a new, permanent, regional security architecture offered the critical mutual reassurance needed to diffuse regional mistrust and uncertainty. Precisely why this deal failed is not clear. Ostensibly, Pyongyang walked away unilaterally from the agreement citing the refusal of the other parties to commit upfront and unambiguously to providing light-water reactors as a quid-pro-quo for the north's nuclear disarmament. Others - particularly in South Korea - advance a more conspiratorial interpretation and point to an 11th-hour intervention by hardliners in the Bush administration (particularly in the Pentagon and vice-president's office) who felt that the State department's agreement represented a form of appeasement of the North. Even before the ink was dry on the agreement, Washington's hawks had decided to go after the North's counterfeit currency operations, not merely to put pressure on Pyongyang but rather to scupper the entire deal. In the last few days the diplomatic terrain appears to have moved slightly. The surprise announcementby the North Korean leadership on October 31 that it is willing to re-enter the six-party talks offers a sliver of optimism that there might be room for a negotiated solution to the current crisis. However, it is far too early to break open the champagne, as Christopher Hill, the US assistant secretary of state for east Asian affairs has wisely noted. Pyongyang's accommodation appears to have resulted from a US concession, brokered in a three-way meeting this week in Beijing between US, North Korean and Chinese senior representative, to address the issue of financial sanctions within the six-party talks process. However, the US adjustment may be at best a negotiating gambit and there is no prospect of a relaxation in the overall sanctions package introduced under UN resolution 1718. Indeed, the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, made clear in a speech on October 30 the importance of a united response to the North Korean challenge and her opposition to a bilateral solution. With Tokyo both adamant that the North must give up its nuclear weapons and unwavering in maintaining its own comprehensive sanctions against Pyongyang, it is hard to see how a breakthrough might be achieved. The North Koreans for their part are likely to be emboldened by their acknowledged nuclear status and will set their negotiating bar even higher in attempting to extract concessions from the international community. They may reasonably calculate that they have an opportunity to capitalise on tactical differences between the other parties to the talks, and by drawing out the negotiations they increase one of their most important assets, namely time - time in which to continue to build up their nuclear stockpile. If Washington continues to stress punishment as a means of forcing the North to back down, then the prospect for a negotiated settlement looks worryingly distant. Sanctions alone are unlikely to persuade Pyongyang to change course, given Beijing's reluctance to move substantially beyond verbal condemnation of the North. China, as the source of some 70% of North Korea's energy needs and 50% of its food supplies, has the means to impose real pain on the North, but worries that this risks triggering the collapse of Kim's regime. To the Chinese leadership, the consequences of such upheaval are arguably equally if not more troubling than the existence of a nuclear North Korea: not only the mass exodus of North Korean refugees across China's 800-mile border with the North, but a "loose nukes" scenario in which the North's stockpiles of fissile material (sufficient perhaps to make as many as a dozen nuclear devices) fall into the hands of terrorist organisations or other "rogue states", such as Iran. Efforts to address the proliferation challenge posed by the North are at best stop-gap, imperfect measures. While a maritime blockade or selective quarantine of North Korea via the multilateral Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) may signal the resolve of the international community, no one seriously believes that this can hermetically seal off Pyongyang from the outside world. Already, Donald Rumsfeld has indicated publicly (perhaps inadvertently) that an effective anti-proliferation strategy may be "impossible." Fortunately, for now at least, there is no indication that North Korea intends to proliferate. Its public announcement shortly before the October 9 test was revealing in including not only a non-proliferation and no-first use pledge, but also a commitment to ensuring a peaceful resolution of the crisis and a nuclear-free peninsula in the long-term. How long this commitment holds is the key question. At what point might a rational North Korean leadership intent on regime survival calculate that the certain prospect of gradual national asphyxiation from progressively tighter economic sanctions outweighs the dangers of covertly trading fissile material on the international market? When such a tipping point is reached, the west risks, ironically, provoking the very outcome that economic sanctions are designed to prevent. The dangers of Washington's hard-line position of sanctions plus containment are not limited to the uncertainty surrounding Pyongyang's reaction. Already, the crisis is producing strains with America's key allies in the region. Despite the efforts of John Bolton - US ambassador at the UN - to paint the world reaction to the nuclear test as a model of global unanimity, the process has not been smooth and orderly. Already, behind the scenes there are signs of dissent and tension. Seoul has refused to fall into line with demands from Washington to suspend two key development projects with North Korea - one in Kaesong just north of the DMZ and a second tourism initiative at Mount Kumgang. Moreover, there have in recent days been a number of high profile resignations from the South Korean cabinet, including that of the defence and unification ministers - a measure of the internal political turmoil associated with the nuclear test and the gradual discrediting of the Roh administration's engagement strategy towards the North. By contrast, in Japan, the new government of Shinzo Abe remains firm and has seen its electoral stock rise as public opinion - animated by strong anti-North Korean sentiment - has warmed to the notion of tough action against Pyongyang. Even here, though, the looming threat from the peninsula is spurring a historically unprecedented and open debate about the merits of nuclearisation, prompting worries on the part of many outside observers (particularly in the US) that this will fuel a destabilising and debilitating regional arms race, possibly weakening in the long-run the security ties between the United States and Japan. For the time being, the prospect of a nuclear Japan remains low, such is the strength of Japan's nuclear allergy both among public opinion and the country's governing elites. Moreover, of all of Washington's allies, Tokyo is most explicitly wedded to a policy of pressure (atsuryoku) that sits comfortably alongside the American hard-line approach. None the less, the Abe government, formally at least, also accepts the merit of combining this tough posture with a willingness to engage in dialogue (taiwa) with the North. In this, there remains the glimmer of a solution to the current standoff. The Bush administration needs to accept that a wide-ranging bilateral discussion with the North, alongside the multilateral talks, would constitute an opportunity rather than a tactical defeat for the government. Washington needs to unleash some of its more seasoned Korea watchers within the bureaucracy. Christopher Hill might - for example - be constructively permitted to visit the North for face-to-face discussions with the DPRK leadership. Similarly, a senior US politician could be recruited in an effort to reprise Jimmy Carter's surprise 1994 visit to Pyongyang during the last nuclear crisis. Whether a figure such as Bill Richardson (currently governor of New Mexico) or Donald Gregg (chairman of the Korea Society and former US ambassador to South Korea) could break the deadlock is unclear, but such an initiative would have the merit of signalling Washington's commitment to resolving the crisis peacefully. Above all there needs to be a return to the provisions set out in the September 2005 agreement, perhaps coupled with imaginative proposals to encourage the conversion of North Korea's nuclear stockpiles to peaceful use. For example, Joel Witt, a former Clinton administration official now based in Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has devised with his colleagues a cooperative threat reduction regime that could realise such an outcome, while fostering environmental reconstruction and a foundation for sustained collaboration between US and North Korean scientists. In the absence of such creative diplomacy and the proffering of incentives alongside sanctions - carrots as well as sticks - the prognosis for progress remains bleak. Most worrying of all in the current volatile climate, is the persistent cloud of uncertainty - involving doubt about both sides' intentions, about the technical viability and safety of the North's Soviet-era civilian nuclear technology programme, about the long-term viability of the North Korean regime, and above all about the prospects for war on the peninsula. The real and present danger is less the risk of conflict through conscious design and more the danger of war through mutual anxiety and miscalculation. All the more reason for an end to the Bush administration pattern of drift and vacillation and the replacement of a policy of malign neglect with one of engagement and open dialogue. About webfeeds Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006. Registered in England and Wales. No. 908396 Registered office: 164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RR ***************************************************************** 26 AFP: Mubarak to meet Putin with focus on weapons, nuclear power - by Dario Thuburn Thu Nov 2, 7:21 AM ET MOSCOW (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak" /> Hosni Mubarakwill meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin" /> Vladimir Putinin Moscow for trade talks focused on reviving Egypt's civil nuclear programme and arms purchases. [ src=] The head of Russia's security council, Igor Ivanov, said this week that Russia hopes to win an international tender for building nuclear power stations in Egypt. Ahead of the visit, Egypt's ambassador to Moscow, Izzat Saad, hailed Russia's international role and said the resumption of Egypt's atomic energy programme would be a key issue in talks here. Mubarak is to meet the heads of energy giants Gazprom, Lukoil and UES, and the directors of car maker Avtovaz, jetmaker MiG and arms exporter Rosoboronexport during his visit, the Vremya Novostei daily said. Analysts said the visit could rile the United States, particularly because of Egypt's apparent willingness to buy weapons from Russia rather than its traditional US suppliers. A Kremlin official said Mubarak and Putin will also discuss Middle East issues and look for ways to "overcome negative tendencies in the development of the situation in the Middle East". Russia, part of the diplomatic "quartet" of powers charged with settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict along with the European Union" /> European Union, the United Nations" /> United Nationsand the United States, is widening its diplomatic role in the region. In interviews with Russian dailies ahead of his visit, Mubarak spoke of Egypt's interest in reviving its nuclear programme, saying this would not go against the interests of any other country. Egypt drew up plans to build eight nuclear power stations at the end of the 1970s but the project was abandoned in 1986 after the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. Mubarak, who undertook military studies in Moscow in the 1960s, also praised Russia's anti-aircraft systems and fighter jets as "the best in the world" in an interview with Vremya Novostei. "The arms market is extremely politicised. It is very important who you buy from," said Ruslan Pukhov, an arms specialist at the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow. Pukhov said Mubarak's visit might produce a deal on the purchase of MiG fighter jets and that these purchases could anger Egypt's traditional US arms suppliers. The trade turnover between Russia and Egypt amounted to 1.6 billion dollars in 2005 and grew by 52 percent in the first eight months of this year, the Kremlin official said. In another interview, with the official Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, Mubarak said he and Putin, both presidents with strong leadership styles, would see eye-to-eye on politics. "There is no universal democratic model, since each people can implement the democracy that corresponds to the nature of that people, its culture, its characteristics and its customs," Mubarak said. "I was very pleased when President Putin talked about Russia's democracy a few months ago. I am sure that Putin wanted to say the same thing," Mubarak added. Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 27 [NYTr] US-India Nuke Deal Another Plum for Big Biz Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 01:29:09 -0600 (CST) X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A X-Spam-Class: HAM Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Alternet - Oct 28, 2006 http://www.alternet.org/story/43531/ [Editor's Note: This essay is part of a series of Audits of the Conventional Wisdom, a project of the Center for International Studies at MIT.] Business Lobby Triumphs in U.S.-India Nuclear Deal By Subrata Ghoshroy, AlterNet Much has been written and spoken about the U.S.-India nuclear agreement since Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush unveiled it on July 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C. Since then, the U.S. Congress has virtually set aside its much touted concerns about proliferation of nuclear weapons and is nearly ready to approve the amendments to the 1954 Atomic Energy Act that will be necessary for the deal to be consummated. It appears that instead of scrutinizing the deal through the lens of energy and proliferation concerns, the focus of business interests has prevailed. South Asia has come a long way since the days of SEATO and CENTO -- the U.S.- sponsored pacts to contain China and keep India under check. Gone are the days when the Seventh Fleet flexed its muscle on the Bay of Bengal in support of a beleaguered Pakistan in its military campaign against the "mukti bahini" -- the freedom fighters in erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Once the leader of the non-aligned, the Indian government has not expressed even a whimper of protest about what has been happening to Iraq, Lebanon, or Gaza. India and the United States now are "natural allies," apparently forged primarily by mutual economic interests. But there was the China factor as well. Although left unsaid, China entered into the calculation of both India and the United States. The Bush administration is careful not to revive the notion of the Cold War policy of containing China, but many in the Congress are not so reticent. At the same time, the Indian government is equally careful to highlight the growing normalization of relations and the growing trade ties with Beijing. But the clamor in the security community in New Delhi is all about countering China -- a topic I heard repeatedly during my recent visit to the region. So its importance cannot be discounted. But the economic incentives of the deal have not earned as much scrutiny, a major oversight in the public discourse. Selling The Deal The deal allows India to keep its nuclear weapons and to attain, in effect, the status of a nuclear weapons state without calling it as such. India remains a non-signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The recent agreement includes a U.S. commitment to adjust international regimes to enable full civil nuclear energy and trade with India and, specifically, resumption of supply of fuel to the reactors at Tarapur. India would separate its civilian facilities from military ones and put them under international safeguards, would continue its nuclear-weapons testing moratorium, and would refrain from transferring enrichment and reprocessing technologies to states that do not have them. The Bush administration has promoted the deal as a great leap forward toward building a strategic relationship with India. The business case was made as follows. The United States wanted to help India become a world power. To achieve that status, India's current economic growth -- which has been running at about 7 percent for the past few years -- has to be sustained, and the key enabler was plentiful energy. The Congress Party-led government of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) secretly negotiated the agreement with the U.S. government. Neither the Indian Parliament nor the U.S. Congress was aware of the deal until it was announced. In fact, the initial opposition in America was mainly about a Republican president ignoring his party's congressional leaders on such an important matter. However, the leadership was mollified soon enough after the administration offered assurances about future cooperation. In India, the selling job was much less difficult. Consequently, the government did not take an active role politically or otherwise, letting others to do the talking. Given the loud criticisms by the small but vocal non-proliferation community in the United States, which characterized the deal as a total giveaway to the Indians, all the Indian government had to do was to assure the nation that they would not deviate from what was outlined in the July 18 joint statement. A year after the deal was announced, this is exactly the issue that the opposition in India is fixated on -- no deviation from the original statement. Although the Bush administration promoted the nuclear agreement as a virtual down payment to buy a strategic ally, little debate ensued on the principal selling points. Neither the ramifications of such an alliance on peace and stability in Asia, nor the projected role of nuclear power in India received noticeable scrutiny. Instead, the debate in both countries remained focused on nuclear weapons proliferation, albeit from two diametrically different perspectives. In the United States, the opponents repeatedly emphasized how the deal would allow India to free up its indigenous supply of uranium to make more weapons and thus contribute to a nuclear arms race with Pakistan. Opponents also cited the negative impact on the nonproliferation regime that will result from rewarding India, which stoutly has refused to sign the NPT. Ashton Carter, former assistant secretary of defense (1993-1996), noted that the critics were right but were missing the big picture: "Washington's decision to trade a nuclear-recognition quid for a strategic-partnership quo was a reasonable move." In contrast, the opposition in India was based on concerns about the nation losing its ability to continue its nuclear weapons program without external scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose leader, then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee, ordered the nuclear explosives tests in 1998, led the opposition by characterizing the deal as a sellout because it would tie India's hands in pursuing a credible nuclear deterrent. Ironically, the BJP was deeply involved in shuttle diplomacy to forge a strategic alliance with Washington following President Clinton's visit to India in 2000. The BJP's opposition smacks of partisan politics and sour grapes, because they could not take credit for the deal. The left-wing parties, led by the Communists, are deeply worried about India's joining the United States in a strategic partnership. They are concerned about the effects of economic liberalization and pressures exerted by Washington for further opening up of India's economy. They think the nuclear deal would have other quid pro quos and would most certainly constrain India's independent foreign policy. The press in India specifically buzzed about the plan to separate the Indian nuclear facilities into military and civil categories. The atomic energy establishment drew a bright line around the breeder reactor facilities, publicly expressing opposition to their inclusion in the civil list. The scientists prevailed: listed are 22 sites (existing, or under construction). Fourteen sites are to be under international safeguards and the other eight are off limits. The breeders are included in the latter. As important as they are, the arguments put forward by the non-proliferation activists -- and I agree with many of them -- and the debate on nuclear weapons generally were largely a side show. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the NPT regime is not immune to manipulations. The double standard practiced by its guarantors, particularly the neglected obligation under Article VI to move steadily toward nuclear disarmament, produces the supreme irony that a country like India, so often a critic of the double standard, is benefiting from such hypocrisy. To be sure, the Bush administration did respond to the non-proliferation concerns by claiming that the agreement will help bring India closer to the NPT regime and by pointing out that India had a very good record on non-proliferation. The nonproliferation lobbyists had some initial success in getting the attention of key leaders in the Congress, such as Sen. Richard Lugar, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat. There was an abrupt turnaround toward the end, however. Ultimately, the non-proliferation lobby could not match the well-funded effort by the business associations, the Indian embassy, and the political action committees formed by wealthy Indian Americans. The Lobbying Effort While senior administration officials, such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary Nicholas Burns, did the heavy lifting in public, the real action was elsewhere. In Washington, the Indian government mounted a multi-faceted lobbying campaign, expending large sums of money -- e.g., $1.3 million on two lobbying firms -- with the aim of pushing the deal through Congress. One of the firms it hired is Barbour, Griffith, and Rogers, which is headed by Robert Blackwill -- a former U.S. ambassador to India. There were other significant players. These include business lobbies like the Confederation of Indian Industries and the U.S.-India Business Council, and ethnic-based lobbies such as the U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) and the U.S.-India Friendship Council. The powerful Israeli lobby worked less conspicuously, but made its substantial network available to the relative neophytes in the embassy and the Indian lobbies. The American Jewish Committee expressed its strong support for the deal by sending a letter to influential lawmakers. Collectively, they launched a massive lobbying effort by blanketing Capitol Hill with receptions, meetings and briefings, and the like. The lobbyists worked energetically to highlight the commercial potential for the U.S. nuclear industry to participate in the projected build-up of nuclear power in India. They also sponsored numerous trips to India by the American lawmakers and their staff. That there is much more at stake behind the nuclear deal is evident from the importance assigned to it by the business leaders in both countries. For example, the U.S.-India Business Council hired Patton Boggs, reportedly one of the most expensive lobbying firms in Washington, for an undisclosed sum, to push the deal. On the Indian side, the Confederation of Indian Industries is said to have been one of the top international organizations paying for congressional travel between 2000 and 2005, spending some $538,000. Stumping for the deal and soliciting support from the U.S. business community was none other than Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of India's Planning Commission and a close confidant of Prime Minister Singh. They are not related, but both are World Bank alums. In his enthusiasm to woo U.S. business, Dr. Ahluwalia reportedly said that any opening up of the trade would give the United States a "terrific advantage." And referring to a recent order placed by Air India for 68 aircraft from Boeing, he predicted that "the Air India deal is only one example. There will be many others." According to newspaper reports, the U.S.-India Business Council thought that American business could get a considerable portion of the $20-40 billion that India is planning to spend by 2020. It would also open the door for large-scale sale of military hardware to India. For example, Lockheed Martin could get a contract between $4 billion and $9 billion to supply 126 fighter planes India is planning to buy soon. As if on cue, the New York Times said that the Bush administration is organizing a business delegation to India this fall that is "potentially the largest such mission ever to a single country." Nuclear Power and India's Energy Future To sustain its economic expansion, India needs new energy sources. The total electricity generation capacity of India is about 111 gigawatts (GW). Of this, only 2.5 percent is nuclear, while thermal is 70 and hydro 26 percent. According to a recently published draft report on energy policy, India's power generation capacity would have to increase five to seven times by 2031 to about 800 GW in order to maintain a growth rate of 8 percent. The present installed nuclear capacity is 3.3 GW, which is projected to grow three fold -- to a little over 10 GW by 2012 -- and double again to 20 GW by 2020. At 1,000 megawatts per plant, this projects to about 40 new plants in the next quarter century -- music to the American nuclear industry, which has had no new orders in the U.S. for 30 years. What is an appropriate and sustainable energy policy for India? It needs more energy to meet the basic needs of its population, large segments of which do not have access to electricity nearly sixty years after gaining independence. Even if a 20-fold increase takes place in India's nuclear power capacity, the contribution of nuclear energy to India's energy mix is expected to be at best 5-6 percent by 2031-2032. To put things in perspective, an astounding 40 percent or more of the generated electrical power is lost from the transmission and distribution networks for the country as a whole -- a large part due to theft. Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, former Chair of India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, has questioned the Indian government's premise of promoting the deal primarily to enhance the country's energy security. In addition to these serious doubts about appropriateness, there is the peculiar ground shift in U. S. policy toward Pakistan. Only a few years ago South Asia was described as the most dangerous place on earth. With this loose rendering of global nuclear rules, wouldn't stability in the subcontinent be jeopardized? In the bonhomie created after the approval of the deal in principle by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 26, 2006, by an overwhelming majority, there has been little discussion of such substantive issues. Business interests and the allure of 'balancing' China, rather than sensible energy or arms control priorities, have apparently won out. [Subrata Ghoshroy is a Research Associate in the Science, Technology and Society program at MIT. He directs a project to promote nuclear stability in South Asia. ] ) 2006 Independent Media Institute. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 28 Environmental Finance: BNFL publishes final sustainability report Environmental Finance Online News London, 2 November: BNFL, the UK state-owned nuclear technology and fuel reprocessing firm, is among the organisations to publish sustainability reports in October. This will be its last group-level report, as the business is being broken up and sold to the private sector. The company says it met all its environmental, health and safety performance indicators for the 2005-06 year, despite the failure of a pipe at the Thorp reprocessing plant in April 2005, which leaked radioactive material into a sealed concrete pit. No-one was hurt, but a £500,000 ($950,000) fine was imposed. Other Corporate Social Responsibility reports published in October via ReportAlert.info, a report announcement joint venture between Environmental Finance Publications and Corporate Register, include those from: Severn Trent Nationwide Baxter More details on CSR and other non-financial corporate reports can be found at www.reportalert.info ***************************************************************** 29 Sydney Morning Herald: Nuclear report to reveal skills shortage www.smh.com.au November 3, 2006 - 5:59AM Australia may have to import skilled workers to operate a home-grown nuclear power industry. A federal Government review into the nuclear energy is expected to reveal a shortage of skilled nuclear scientists and technicians. News Ltd reports the review - headed by former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski - is expected to produce a draft report by November 21 identifying skills and education in nuclear science as key issues in need of attention. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said an Australian nuclear industry could act as a magnet to highly skilled scientists and technicians who went overseas to pursue their careers. One of the concerns understood to be expressed in the report is that Australia has allowed a gap to develop in its nuclear skills base over the past two decades due to a lacklustre interest in the technology. This could leave the nation exposed as it tries to attract the staff it needs from overseas, News Ltd reports. Other countries are showing much greater interest in going nuclear or expanding their nuclear power industries themselves as international pressure grows to reduce greenhouse gases from fossil fuels. The nuclear taskforce was established in June to review uranium mining, the prospects for processing the ore here and the possible contribution of nuclear energy to Australia in the longer term. © 2006 AAP ***************************************************************** 30 AP Wire: TVA nuclear station boosts generation in fiscal 2006 11/01/2006 | Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The twin-reactor Sequoyah Nuclear Station produced nearly 19 million megawatt hours of electricity in fiscal 2006 - more than enough power to serve three cities the size of Chattanooga for a year, the Tennessee Valley Authority said Wednesday. "Significant effort has gone into implementing a successful turnaround at the plant, and we are now seeing the results of several years of hard work," said Karl Singer, TVA's chief nuclear officer. TVA said the Sequoyah station's output for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 was up 769,000 megawatt hours from the year before. It was the most electricity ever produced by the plant, which opened in 1981. The Sequoyah plant, located in Soddy-Daisy, north of Chattanooga, has the capacity to supply 1.3 million homes a day. Sequoyah is one of three nuclear plants owned and operated by Knoxville-based TVA, the country's largest public utility. The agency is working to return a third reactor to service next spring at the Browns Ferry station in Athens, Ala., and is considering completing a second reactor at the Watts Bar station near Spring City, Tenn. TVA serves about 8.6 million consumers through 158 distributors in Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. ON THE NET TVA: http://www.tva.gov ***************************************************************** 31 BBC: Egypt and Russia strengthen ties Last Updated: Thursday, 2 November 2006 [Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak] Putin and Mubarak have developed a warm relationship The presidents of Russia and Egypt say their relations are blossoming, and expressed hopes for improved trade ties after a meeting in Moscow. Hosni Mubarak said he felt "a strong connection" with Vladimir Putin. In one of the main developments at the meeting, officials said Russia would tender for contracts to build nuclear power plants in Egypt. Mr Putin also suggested Egypt should join the "Quartet" trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. This presidential visit comes almost a year after Vladimir Putin became the first Russian head of state to set foot in Egypt for 40 years. It is clear that the two leaders enjoy a friendly relationship, says the BBC's Emma Simpson in Moscow. Mr Mubarak recently urged Mr Putin to seek a third term in office, despite the constitutional limit of only two, saying his counterpart was a "very good, very clever leader; Russia needs him". Mr Mubarak himself has served back-to-back terms since 1981. The Egyptian president is the first leader of a major country to call for Mr Putin to remain in power. Nuclear revival After the talks, Boris Alyoshin, the head of the Russian Federal State Agency for Industries, said: "Egypt has made a decision to transfer to nuclear energy and build four stations. "It is beyond doubt that we will take part in the tender and I think we have good chances of winning." Mr Mubarak has recently proposed reviving Egypt's nuclear energy programme, which was abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago. Mr Alyoshin also said Egypt had promised tax incentives for Russian companies to invest in the country. Mr Putin praised Egypt's role as a key regional power and said it could be a very useful member of the Quartet, which currently includes the EU, UN, Russia and the US. He said Cairo could play "a vital role in establishing contacts between Palestine and Israel and in bringing much-needed accord to Palestinian ranks." The two countries enjoyed close ties until the 1970s, when Egypt turned to America as its strategic foreign partner. But Egypt has begun to look back to Russia for new weapons - something that will not impress its traditional supplier, the United States, our correspondent says. Mr Mubarak will go on to visit Kazakhstan and China, to try to boost Egypt's relations there too. ***************************************************************** 32 Platts: Finnish Fortum requests licence to use Loviisa nuke until 2030 London (Platts)--1Nov2006 Finland's Fortum applied to the trade and industry ministry Wednesday to extend the operating licence for its 900-MW Loviisa nuclear power plant to 2030, which currently expires at the end of 2007, the company said. The plant's first reactor started operation in 1977 and the second, in 1980. "The power generated annually by Loviisa covers about 10% of the electricity consumption in Finland. That's why it's important that the plant continues to safely generate power. We've made considerable investments in the Loviisa power plant in recent years. Merely modernizing the automation will cost over Eur100 million, and it will ensure that the plant will be able to operate for a long time to come," said Fortum's senior vice president Tapio Kuula. The previous licence to continue operation of the plant was granted in 1998. For more news, request a free trial to Platts Power in Europe at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ or subscribe now at http://www.platts.com/infostore/product_info.php?cPath=2_31&p roducts_id=55 Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 33 www.businessinafrica.net: north africa Egypt, Russia in nuclear power talks EGYPT Posted Thu, 02 Nov 2006 Cairo - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit during which he was set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss arms sales and nuclear power. Mubarak landed at Vnukovo airport in southern Moscow. The visit "is of great importance given the situation in the Middle East, which unfortunately continues to deteriorate," said Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Saltanov, who greeted Mubarak. Saltanov said Egypt was "a key partner for Russia in the region," the news agency ITAR-TASS reported. In an interview with the official daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Mubarak said he and Putin had common ground on their views on democracy. "There is no universal democratic model, since each people can implement the democracy that corresponds to the nature of that people, its culture, its characteristics and its customs," Mubarak said. "I was very pleased when President Putin talked about Russia's democracy a few months ago. I am sure that Putin wanted to say the same thing," Mubarak added. Kremlin officials have called for a "sovereign democracy" for Russia. Sapa-AFP Egypt looks to China, Russia for nuclear help | Following a 20-year freeze, Egypt has turned to China and Russia for help in re-launching its civil nuclear programme, a move which risks ruffling the feathers of its American ally, analysts have said. Safety concerns dog Nigeria’s nuclear dream | Should a country whose oil pipelines and flow stations are routinely sabotaged by armed militiamen own a nuclear plant? No, says Nigeria’s tribe of environmental activists, who appear set to oppose the country’s leader’s plan to build a nuclear plant. Nigeria to build nuclear power station | The Nigerian government said it has plans to develop a nuclear energy station in line with the global trend in the world as it battles to deal with severe power shortages. US to offer Egypt nuclear assistance | The United States ambassador to Egypt, Francis Ricciardone, said his country has no problem with an Egyptian nuclear programme and was ready to supply nuclear technology to help. All material copyright Business in Africa. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 34 RBC: Russia's share on nuclear market not to exceed 30% RosBusinessConsulting rbc.ru RBC, 02.11.2006, Moscow 16:54:32. Russia's optimal share on the global nuclear fuel cycle market is about 25 percent, Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Atomic Energy (Rosatom), told journalists today. If Russia is to enter other countries' nuclear energy markets, it should be guided by the principle that if Russia's share exceeds 30-percent, it will complicate the situation on the market, he said. The federal agency chief stressed that Rosatom would continue to abide by its export policy and reiterated that Russia did not intend to export natural uranium, while it would be ideal to build a nuclear power station abroad and supply it with Russian-produced fuel. Russia does not plan to increase uranium exports considerably due to higher production volumes, Kiriyenko stated, referring to plans to create a uranium mining giant, which will contribute to that effect. Russia's proven uranium stockpiles now stand at 615,000 tonnes, according to Kiriyenko, and that figure is set to increase, he said. send your questions and comments to webmaster@rbc.ru All rights reserved. © 1995 - 2006 RosBusinessConsulting. ***************************************************************** 35 AFP: Nuclear power is 'essential tool' - IEA Thu Nov 2, 2:34 AM ET LONDON (AFP) - The International Energy Agency will urge countries around the world to accelerate construction of nuclear power plants next week, the IEA's chief economist told the Financial Times in an interview. Fatih Birol, speaking ahead of the publication of the agency's World Energy Outlook, said that countries must convince their voters that nuclear power was both safe and an "essential tool" to meet domestic energy security, and global climate change, goals. "We need a decision almost tomorrow if we are going to act before we reach a point of no return in climate and security of supply," Birol told the newspaper. "We are on an energy path that is vulnerable, dirty and expensive," the report, due to be released November 7 in London, will say, according to the FT. The goal, however, was to "prepare an alternative path ... to a cleaner, safer, less costly system," Birol said. The IEA will say that nuclear power costs about as much as coal and gas, and concluded that there were sufficient uranium deposits to meet increased demand for places to dump nuclear waste. Birol also said that the IEA's previous calculation of 17 trillion dollars (13.3 trillion euros) of investment required around the world in energy until 2030 would be revised upwards because of cost inflation. Several countries around the world are planning to construct new power plants and others, such as Britain, are considering installing new ones. Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 36 EnergyPulse: Nuclear Risks at Indian Point 11.2.06 Herschel Specter, President, RBR Consultants, Inc. www.energypulse.net During the next six months, a new study will be made public about ways to improve emergency planning at Indian Point, the nation's most populated nuclear site. Two nuclear power plants, Indian Point units 2 &3, produce over 1000 MWe each and are a vital part of the energy supply of the Metropolitan New York City area. These plants, about 24 miles north of New York City, are the lowest cost electricity producers in this area. However, over 305, 000 people live within the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ), roughly a circle ten miles in radius, and roads are often quite congested. American Airlines flight 11 flew near these plants as it went down the Hudson Valley on its way to crashing into the World Trade Center and the memory of the Katrina tragedy is fresh in our minds. Therefore an effective emergency plan is an important consideration for the people in this area. This new study will show that the health consequences of a major release of radioactive material can be made to be very limited, even at this most challenging of sites. Unlike other risk analyses, which are based on unintended accidents, a willful act of terrorism was assumed as the cause of a large release of radioactive material. It was assumed that terrorists successfully breached one of the massive containment buildings and then caused reactor meltdown. A successful terrorist attack is highly unlikely. Nonetheless, this was the starting point for these advanced emergency planning analyses. This study examined a wide range of potential health effects from exposure to radiation including early fatalities, early injuries, and long-term latent cancer fatalities. An important result of these analyses was the determination of the range of the early fatality risk. Similar to many previous analyses, it was shown that this risk decreases rapidly with distance, with most of this risk within one mile of the point of release and virtually all within two miles. The terrorist scenario that was most likely to cause offsite early fatality consequences had the shortest time between reactor scram and a release entering the environment, about two hours. However, even this short time would still allow an effective evacuation on foot. At normal walking speeds of about 2.5 to 3 mph, pedestrians would soon be outside of the two-mile early fatality zone. Anybody who leaves before the onset of the release of radioactive material to the environment and travels away from the site at normal walking speeds, is not expected to become an early fatality. Most people are expected to evacuate in vehicles. Street -by- street traffic analyses show that vehicular evacuation today would be very slow. However, these same traffic analyses have been used to identify simple traffic control actions that would speed the evacuation up. Because of these traffic control improvements, the delay between reactor scram and release to the environment during which time people would begin their evacuation, and the short range of the early fatality risk, the calculated early fatality risk with a vehicular evacuation is also expected to be quite small. The range of the early injury risk is approximately four miles. In this middle zone, two to four miles, people should first take shelter and some may be evacuated later if local radiation levels warranted this. The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements has identified a simple ad hoc protective action that people can take: Breath through a wet handkerchief and reduce your inhalation doses by a factor of 10. Our examination shows that a ten-fold reduction in inhalation doses virtually eliminates all radiation induced respiratory injuries in the early injury zone. Another ad hoc protective measure is to cover one's skin with a towel, etc., which would essentially eliminate skin doses. These ad hoc measures can be implemented by the public itself without relying on emergency responders. The combination of sheltering, ad hoc protective measures, and localized evacuations is expected to limit the early injury risk to very small numbers. The combination of sheltering and ad hoc protective measures is also a very effective response in the inner two-mile early fatality zone if poor road conditions cause close-in people to delay their evacuation. Beyond four miles there would be no appreciable early fatality or early injury risks and long term health effects would be the remaining health concern. In this outer area taking shelter would be the preferred response. The great majority of the people in the EPZ would be advised to take shelter while those in the early fatality zone promptly evacuated. At worst, latent health effects would be a very small fraction of the normal background cancer rate, perhaps too small to measure. Very small health effects from large releases of radioactive material may be in conflict with some people's perceptions of nuclear power's health risks. However two other events support this conclusion. The Chernobyl accident did not produce early fatalities among the general public, even though they did not evacuate. Fires at Chernobyl lofted the radioactive plume to great heights so that the concentration of radioactive material outside of the site was rather low. Similarly, low concentrations of radioactive material would occur within a short distance from a damaged US plant, whereas it takes high concentrations to cause an early fatality. Such high concentrations were experienced by the fire fighters who came on the Chernobyl site and by people who flew over this site in a helicopter. Many of these highly exposed people later became early fatalities. There have been early injuries from Chernobyl, particularly thyroid injuries. However, about 90% of the thyroid injuries in the Ukraine came from drinking contaminated milk where the grim choice was drink the milk or starve. Food interdiction plans at all U.S. nuclear power plants would prevent such injuries. A recent UN study of the long term health effects of Chernobyl, a 20 year retrospective, shows that earlier projected long term health effects were overly conservative. In any case, previous and present calculated long term health effects are a small fraction of background cancer fatality rates. The largest effects of the Chernobyl accident are the land contamination that it caused and health effects, not from actual irradiation, but from the fear of being irradiated. There have also been recent analyses by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory on the potential effects of dirty bombs. The conclusion here was that health effects from exposure to radiation would be very small, but the economic losses could be huge. It appears that both Chernobyl experience and the analyses of dirty bombs support the notion that offsite health effects from large releases of radioactive material is very limited. Large releases of radioactive material would not be a major off site health risk. Such events would be dominated by economic consequences. Copyright 2006 CyberTech, Inc. Copyright © 2002-2006, CyberTech, Inc. - All rights reserved. Read our Terms of Service. ***************************************************************** 37 Pantagraph.com: Public input sought on Exelon reactor plan Bloomington-Normal, Illinois MoneyWednesday, November 1, 2006 12:00 PM CST Edith Brady-Lunny CLINTON -- The public is invited to offer comments Nov. 8 on an early site permit requested by Exelon Generating Co. for a second reactor at the Clinton Power Station. The meeting, sponsored by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be held from 6 to 10 p.m., at Clinton Junior High School. Statements to the commission may not exceed five minutes. Exelon was the first company to file for a new reactor under the early site procedure adopted by the NRC. The application was made in September 2003. Approval of an early site permit is the first in a two-step process that addresses site suitability, environmental impact and emergency planning for the site. If granted, the permit is valid for 20 years and may be renewed for an additional 20 years. The second step in the process involves approval of a Combined Operating License. A separate licensing process and opportunity for public input must be completed for that step. The early site application indicates that Exelon has not determined a design for the second unit that could be built about 700 feet south of the existing reactor. The Clinton plant was selected by Exelon because the site was originally designed for two units. A public hearing on the permit held in April 2005 attracted about 300 people. Many local residents favored the prospect of a second reactor on economic grounds. Exelon is the largest property tax payer in the county, despite a sharp decrease in taxes paid by Exelon under terms of a five-agreement with county taxing units. A revised tax plan that could increase tax revenue is expected to be finalized soon. Opponents to the permit worry about safety and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The Clinton plant is owned and operated by AmerGen Energy Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Exelon. | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323 Lee Illinois Regional Newspapers: | | | Copyright © 2006, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | | ***************************************************************** 38 NRC: Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Application, Notice of FR Doc E6-18466 [Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)] [Notices] [Page 64566-64568] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02no06-77] Opportunity for Hearing and Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process for Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22 for an Additional 20-Year Period PPL Susquehanna LLC., Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is considering an application for the renewal of Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22, which authorizes PPL Susquehanna LLC. (PPL), to operate the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), Units 1 and 2 at 3489 megawatts thermal. The renewed license would authorize the applicant to operate the SSES, Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in the current license. SSES, Units 1 and 2 are located in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, approximately five miles northeast of Berwick, Pennsylvania. The current operating licenses for the SSES expire on July 17, 2022, and March 23, 2024, for Units 1 and 2, respectively. On September 13, 2006, the NRC staff received the application from PPL to renew the Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22 for SSES, Units 1 and 2, pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54. A Notice of Receipt and Availability of the license renewal application (LRA) was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2006 (71 FR 58014). The NRC staff has reviewed the LRA for its acceptability and has determined that PPL has submitted sufficient information in accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23, and 51.53(c), and the application is acceptable for docketing. The current Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388 for Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22 will be retained. The docketing of the renewal application does not preclude requesting additional information as the review proceeds, nor does it predict whether the Commission will grant or deny the application. Before issuance of each requested renewed license, the NRC will have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations. In accordance with 10 CFR 54.29, the NRC may issue a renewed license on the basis of its review if it finds that actions have been identified and have been or will be taken with respect to: (1) Managing the effects of aging during the period of extended operation on the functionality of structures and components that have been identified as requiring aging management review, and (2) time-limited aging analyses that have been identified as requiring review, such that there is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the renewed license will continue to be conducted in accordance with the current licensing basis (CLB), and that any changes made to the plant's CLB comply with the Act and the Commission's regulations. The Commission also must first find that the requirements of Subpart A of 10 CFR 51 have been satisfied, and that matters raised under 10 CFR 2.335 have been addressed. Within 60 days after the date of publication of this Federal Register Notice, the applicant may file a request for a hearing, and any person whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene with respect to the renewal of the license. Requests for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing Proceedings'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852 and is accessible from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at . Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at . If a request for a hearing/petition for leave to intervene is filed within the 60-day period, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by the Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel will rule on the request/petition; and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an appropriate order. In the event that no request for a hearing/petition for leave to intervene is filed within the 60-day period, the NRC may, upon completion of its evaluations and upon making the findings required under 10 CFR parts 51 and 54, renew the license without further notice. As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of the proceeding, taking into consideration the limited scope of matters that may be considered pursuant to 10 CFR parts 51 and 54. The petition must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the following factors: (1) The nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (2) the nature and extent of the requestor's/ petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (3) the possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the proceeding on the requestor's/petitioner's interest. The petition must also set forth the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor seeks to have litigated at the proceeding. Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the requestor/petitioner shall provide a brief explanation of the bases [[Page 64567]] of each contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or the expert opinion that supports the contention on which the requestor/ petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The requestor/petitioner must also provide references to those specific sources and documents of which the requestor/petitioner is aware and on which the requestor/petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinion. The requestor/petitioner must provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact.\1\ Contentions shall be limited to matters within the scope of the action under consideration. The contention must be one that, if proven, would entitle the requestor/ petitioner to relief. A requestor/petitioner who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \1\ To the extent that the application contains attachments and supporting documents that are not publicly available because they are asserted to contain safeguards or proprietary information, petitioners desiring access to this information should contact the applicant or applicant's counsel to discuss the need for a protective order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- The Commission requests that each contention be given a separate numeric or alpha designation within one of the following groups: (1) Technical (primarily related to safety concerns); (2) environmental; or (3) miscellaneous. As specified in 10 CFR 2.309, if two or more requestors/petitioners seek to co-sponsor a contention or propose substantially the same contention, the requestors/petitioners will be required to jointly designate a representative who shall have the authority to act for the requestors/petitioners with respect to that contention. Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing. A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First class mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier, express mail, and expedited delivery services: Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (3) e-mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ; or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at 301-415-1101, verification number is 301-415-1966.\2\ A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene must also be sent to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that copies be transmitted either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail to . A copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to the attorney for the applicant, Mr. David Lewis, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, 2300 N Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \2\ If the request/petition is filed by e-mail or facsimile, an original and two copies of the document must be mailed within 2 (two) business days thereafter to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Non-timely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition, request and/or contentions should be granted based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii). In addition, the purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the NRC will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) related to the review of the LRA and to provide the public an opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will prepare an EIS that will be used as a supplement to the Commission's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants'' (GEIS), dated May 1996. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.26, and as part of the environmental scoping process, the NRC staff intends to hold a public scoping meeting. In addition, as outlined in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act,'' the NRC plans to coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in meeting the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). In accordance with 10 CFR 51.53(c) and 10 CFR 54.23, PPL prepared and submitted the Environmental Report (ER) as part of the LRA. The LRA and the ER are publicly available at the NRC's PDR, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the NRC's ADAMS. The ADAMS Public Electronic Reading Room is accessible at . The ADAMS Accession Numbers for the LRA and the ER are ML062630225 and ML062630235, respectively. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397- 4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at . The LRA and the ER may also be viewed on the Internet at . In addition, the LRA and the ER are available for public inspection near the SSES, Units 1 and 2 at the following public library: Berwick Public Library, 205 Chestnut Street, Berwick, Pennsylvania 18603, and the Mill Memorial Library, 495 E. Main Street, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania 18634. Possible alternatives to the proposed action (license renewal) include no action and reasonable alternative energy sources. The NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.95 to prepare a supplement to the GEIS in connection with the renewal of an operating license. This notice is being published in accordance with 10 CFR 51.26. The NRC staff will first conduct a scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a draft supplement to the GEIS for public comment. Participation in the scoping process by members of the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal Government agencies are encouraged. As described in 10 CFR 51.29, the scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS will be used to accomplish the following: a. Define the proposed action which is to be the subject of the supplement to the GEIS. b. Determine the scope of the supplement to the GEIS and identify the significant issues to be analyzed in depth. c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are peripheral or that are not significant. d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the scope of the supplement to the GEIS being considered. e. Identify other environmental review and consultation requirements related to the proposed action. [[Page 64568]] f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation of the environmental analyses and the Commission's tentative planning and decision-making schedule. g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the supplement to the GEIS to the NRC and any cooperating agencies. h. Describe how the supplement to the GEIS will be prepared, and include any contractor assistance to be used. The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping: a. The applicant, PPL Susquehanna, LLC. b. Any Federal agency that has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved, or that is authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards. c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards. d. Any affected Indian tribe. e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to participate in the scoping process. f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave to intervene. In accordance with 10 CFR 51.26, the scoping process for an EIS may include a public scoping meeting to help identify significant issues related to a proposed activity and to determine the scope of issues to be addressed in an EIS. The NRC will hold public meetings for the SSES, Units 1 and 2 license renewal supplement to the GEIS, at the Eagles Building,107 South Market St., Berwick, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. There will be two identical meetings to accommodate interested parties. The first meeting will convene at 1:30 p.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second meeting will convene at 7 p.m. and will continue until 10 p.m., as necessary. Both meetings will be transcribed and will include: (1) An overview by the NRC staff of the NRC's license renewal review process; (2) an overview by the NRC staff of the NEPA environmental review process, the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS, and the proposed review schedule; and (3) the opportunity for interested government agencies, organizations, and individuals to submit comments or suggestions on the environmental issues or the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS. Additionally, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior to the start of each session at the same location. No formal comments on the proposed scope of the supplement to the GEIS will be accepted during the informal discussions. To be considered, comments must be provided either at the transcribed public meetings or in writing, as discussed below. For more information about the proposed action, the scoping process, and the EIS, please contact the NRC Environmental Project Manager, Mrs. Alicia Mullins, at Mail Stop O- 11F1, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, extension 1224, or by e-mail at . Persons may register to attend or present oral comments at the meetings on the scope of the NEPA review by contacting Mrs. Mullins. Members of the public may also register to speak at the meeting within 15 minutes of the start of each meeting. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register. Members of the public who have not registered may also have an opportunity to speak, if time permits. Public comments will be considered in the scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS. Mrs. Mullins will need to be contacted no later than November 6, 2006, if special equipment or accommodations are needed to attend or present information at the public meeting, so that the NRC staff can determine whether the request can be accommodated. Members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scope of the SSES, Units 1 and 2 license renewal review to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice. Comments may also be delivered to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T-6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal workdays. To be considered in the scoping process, written comments should be postmarked by December 18, 2006. Electronic comments may be sent by e-mail to the NRC at , and should be sent no later than December 18, 2006, to be considered in the scoping process. Comments will be available electronically and accessible through ADAMS. Participation in the scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS does not entitle participants to become parties to the proceeding to which the supplement to the GEIS relates. Matters related to participation in any hearing are outside the scope of matters to be discussed at this public meeting. At the conclusion of the scoping process, the NRC will prepare a concise summary of the determination and conclusions reached, including the significant issues identified, and will send a copy of the summary to each participant in the scoping process. The summary will also be available for viewing in ADAMS. The staff will then prepare and issue for comment the draft supplement to the GEIS, which will be the subject of separate notices and separate public meetings. Copies will be available for public viewing at the above-mentioned addresses, and one copy per request will be provided free of charge, to the extent of supply. After receipt and consideration of the comments, the NRC will prepare a final supplement to the GEIS, which will also be available for public viewing. Information about the proposed action, the supplement to the GEIS, and the scoping process may be obtained from Mrs. Mullins at the aforementioned telephone number or e-mail address. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 26th day of October 2006. For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Frank P. Gillespie, Director, Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. E6-18466 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 39 IHT: Bulgaria warns of major electricity export cuts - International Herald Tribune Published: November 2, 2006 SOFIA, Bulgaria: Bulgaria's plans to slash its electricity exports next year due to the EU-required closure of two nuclear units, which could threaten energy stability in the Balkans, officials said Thursday. "The electricity that Bulgaria will be able to produce will be directed mainly to the domestic market ... and in certain periods there will be nothing left for export," said Lyubomir Velkov, the chief executive officer of the state-run electricity provider NEK. Bulgaria is the biggest electricity exporter in the Balkans, providing its neighbors and other Balkan countries with more than 7 million megawatt-hours of electricity per year. Bulgaria, however, will mothball two aging reactors in its Kozlodui nuclear plant on Dec. 31, as part of its entry agreements with the European Union, which it is to join on Jan. 1. Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov confirmed the warning, and blamed the issue on the European Union's insistence to see the two units closed by the end of the year. "European Commission experts repeatedly have said that the decommissioning of units 3 and 4 of our nuclear plant would not lead to any shortages and that alternatives exist," Ovcharov wrote in a letter to the European Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs. "Now we expect the European Commission to consider all open options and suggest an acceptable solution." Ovcharov said Bulgaria has been covering between 50 and 100 percent of the electricity deficit in the Balkan countries that need to import electricity, warning that "now panic has begun to rise." Still, he said Bulgaria was not backing from its EU entry agreements. "Despite the difficulties, Bulgaria will keep its commitments towards the European Union." According to Ovcharov, electricity exports already have been cut by a third because of "problems with coal deliveries from Ukraine and Russia." Velkov said they were due to "a Ukrainian decision to stop coal exports and to block Russian coal exports through its territory," but did not elaborate. In an effort to compensate for the nuclear units closure, the government has launched an ambitious ¬4 billion (US$5.1 billion) project to construct a new nuclear plant at the Danube port of Belene. Russia's Atomstroyexport recently won a tender for the construction of the two 1,000 megawatt units, saying the first would be operational in 6.5 years. Earlier this year, U.S.-based energy giant AES Corp. began the construction of a US$1.4 billion (¬1 billion) coal-fired power plant in central Bulgaria that should be completed by the end of 2009. Both projects are hailed as an opportunity for Bulgaria to secure its growing electricity needs and maintain its position as an energy hub in the region. [ width=] IHT Subscriptions Copyright © 2006 the International Herald Tribune All rights reserved [IHT] ***************************************************************** 40 FIA: Roma Beat a Forest Guard FOCUS Information Agency MP: We Should Have Built NPP Belene Long Ago 2 November 2006 | 14:52 | FOCUS News Agency Sofia. "We should have built NPP Belene long ago", independent MP and Energy Commission Deputy Chairman Mario Tagarinski told a reporter of FOCUS News Agency. According to him the NPP Belene issue is too much politically related and we should not be afraid of becoming dependent on another country as far as energy is concerned. It is too much to talk about nuclear energy dependence because nuclear energy is under the force of international conventions, Mario Tagarinski said. It is controlled and guaranteed in terms of security and technology in the best possible way. Ecologically it is the clearest type of energy, paradoxically as it may sound, Mario Tagarinski underlined. All world powers, including those against Bulgaria’s nuclear power industry, develop new generation nuclear industry, he pointed out. Focus Information Agency © 2006 ***************************************************************** 41 Monticello Times: NRC Commissioner will not seek a third term www.monticellotimes.com Thursday, November 02, 2006 Merrifield was appointed by Pres. Clinton and Bush NRC Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield, one of five members of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, notified White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten recently that he would not be seeking a third term at the NRC. Commissioner Merrifield, a Republican, was first appointed by President Clinton to the NRC in October of 1998, and subsequently reappointed by President Bush in August of 2002. Merrifield, whose term ends June 30, 2007, informed Bolten that it was his intention to serve out the remainder of his term, but was notifying the president well in advance of his plans to leave the commission to allow the administration to have sufficient time to find a suitable replacement. "It has been an honor to serve the nation as a commissioner," Merrifield commented. "NRC is an outstanding agency and I am proud to have served for over eight years." He also stated that it was a very difficult decision not to seek a third term ,but believes that the agency is strong and well prepared for the future. "Commissioner Merrifield has made extraordinary contributions to the work of the NRC and rendered exceptional service to the American people," said NRC Chairman Dale Klein. Merrifield has served with five NRC Chairmen-Shirley Jackson, Greta Dicus, Richard Meserve, Nils Diaz and the current Chairman Klein-and has been with the agency at a time of significant change in the outlook of the nuclear industry. Having served on the Commission during and after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Merrifield has been very involved in efforts to improve the agency's security and emergency-preparedness capabilities. These preparations served him well when he was acting chairman during the August 14, 2003, blackout when nine nuclear units shut down as part of the major grid disturbance that darkened the homes of 50 million people in North America. Merrifield has toured all 103 operating nuclear power plants in the United States as well as over 120 nuclear plants outside of the U.S. in visits to 29 of the 31 countries that operate civilian nuclear generating facilities. A New Hampshire native and an attorney by training, Merrifield previously served as a legislative assistant to two United States Senators from his home state-Gordon Humphrey and Bob Smith. Immediately before joining the commission, Merrifield was the majority staff director of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control and Risk Assessment. While he stated that he has no specific plans for what he will do when he leaves the commission, Merrifield pledged, "I will be as active a Commissioner during my last eight months on the commission as I was during my first eight months." Copyright 2006, Monticello Times ***************************************************************** 42 The Day: Millstone Rehires Critic theday.com Whistleblower Mehta To Return To Work Monday By Patricia Daddona Day Staff Writer\, Millstone\/business trends E-mail: p.daddona@theday.com Phone No.: (860) 701 - 4324 Published on 11/2/2006 in Business » Business Local A whistleblower at Millstone Power Station in Waterford has accepted a job there pending the outcome of a full investigation set to be conducted by the state Department of Utility Control. The state agency ordered Sham Mehta of East Lyme reinstated. He will start in the position of shift technical adviser at Millstone on Monday, said his lawyer, Hank Murray of Hartford. He's looking forward to going back, Murray said. The whistleblower case is unusual because it has not been settled, and there was no existing job for the whistleblower to return to when the state's prosecutor recommended that step. The state utility regulator has ordered a full hearing into Mehta's claims of retaliation after he lost his job in Millstone's Employee Concerns Program following his reports of concerns about a security fence alarm system he found routinely disabled because of repeated false alarms. Within a year, Mehta found his position eliminated, and was not rehired for other company posts. Millstone owner Dominion has argued it acted properly in reorganizing the Employee Concerns department, and stated that Mehta failed to qualify for other positions at the company. While the case is pending, Millstone was ordered to reinstate Mehta in a job that is equivalent to his old one and carries the same pay and benefits. Dominion last month supplied a list of three jobs, but only the shift technical adviser offer was unconditional, as required by the state agency. In his old job, Mehta looked into other Millstone employees' concerns. The new post has high advancement potential but requires the passing of a test. Dominion confirmed that Mehta accepted the offer on Tuesday. The state division of the U.S. Department of Labor has found in Dominion's favor, but Mehta has appealed that case, which will be heard on Dec. 11. Mehta has also filed a complaint with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is still pending. p.daddona@theday.com Contact Us at 1 (860) 442-2200 | New London, CT | © 1998-2006 The Day Publishing Co. [Beacon Locator] ***************************************************************** 43 News & Star: Blair backs the energy review over future of nuclear power Published on 02/11/2006 NEW nuclear power generation is essential to maintain Britain’s energy security and maintain efforts to defeat climate change, according to Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr Blair was responding to a question in the House of Commons by Copeland MP Jamie Reed. He called on the Prime Minister to agree with him, business leaders, trade union leaders and the people of Copeland and nuclear industry analysts that a “policy of nuclear as a last resort is a policy of no nuclear generation at allâ€. Mr Blair said the argument for nuclear power was simple and essential in the fight against climate change. He said: “Without nuclear power, it is hard for me to see how we will reduce CO2 emissions and ensure we are not dependent on foreign imports in the future.†In his “farewell†speech to delegates at the Labour' Party conference in September he stressed a new generation of nuclear power stations was the only way to stop the country facing an energy crisis. He said the country will increase the amount of energy from renewable sources fivefold and ensure every major business is responsible for greenhouse gas reduction, treble investment in clean technology and make sure every new home is at least 40 per cent more energy efficient. As much of the UK’s nuclear plants reach the end of their lifespan, he told delegates: “We need a mix of generation, including nuclear power.†In July the government confirmed new nuclear power stations could make a “significant contribution†to meeting Britain’s future energy needs. Announcing the outcome of the government’s energy review, the Commons was told a mix of energy supply, including renewables together with gas and coal-fired generation, remained essential although critics have claimed that Mr Blair had decided to opt for nuclear power even before the review was launched. ***************************************************************** 44 UPI: Allies meet to discuss nuclear terrorisism United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 11/2/2006 6:53:00 AM -0500 RABAT, Morocco, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Twelve nations met in Rabat, Morocco, Oct. 30-31 to discuss the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism meeting was the first since the United States and Russia proposed it at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in July. The U.S. State Department's Washington File reported Oct. 30 that the purpose of the gathering was to determine how to thwart the threat of terrorists using a nuclear or radiological device. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph said during an interview with the Washington File that the international effort was designed to establish a nuclear consensus on how to deal with a terrorist nuclear threat, because a single terrorist attack could have catastrophic consequences. Joseph said during his interview that the program "is designed to build a partnership of countries that are committed to countering nuclear terrorism," adding "we do know that non-state actors -- terrorists -- are very interested in acquiring this type of capability." Attendees at the meeting included Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Russia, the United States, France, Japan, Australia, Kazakhstan, China and Turkey. A representative from the International Atomic Energy Agency was also present. © Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 45 Daily Star: Research team tests Khiam soil samples for signs Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:16:30 -0800 X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61] X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61 X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST Research team tests Khiam soil samples for signs of radiation By Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff Thursday, November 02, 2006 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id= 76580 SIDON: A team from the National Organization for Nuclear Power, affiliated with the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR), surveyed the town of Khiam on Wednesday to follow up on an Environment and Development magazine report that showed high levels of radiation in samples taken from a bomb crater in the area. The team said it used a DETA 5 receiver set to measure the emission of Alpha and Beta rays in a number of bomb craters, but detected no radiation. The head of the research team, Professor Omar Abed al-Samad, said they had gone to Khiam "to extract samples from the soil and water, in order to have them thoroughly examined in our laboratories." The results of lab tests will be revealed within 10 days, he added. Meanwhile, separate research teams from the expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon took samples from water sources in Khiam, but said lab tests showed water in the area was not at all potable or fit for irrigation. NCSR president Mouin Hamzeh said Tuesday that Lebanon "was free of any signs of radiation, but that the NCSR has taken recent media reports claiming the presence of depleted uranium into consideration." A previous assessments in the Khiam area, conducted by the Lebanese University directly after the August 14 cessation of hostilities, failed to detect any presence of radioactive substances in the area. Numerous other lab tests and analyses have produced similar results. However, international experts and non-governmental organizations have urged the Lebanese to take precautionary measures in areas suspected to be contaminated with depleted uranium in order to avoid any potential complications. ***************************************************************** 46 [du-list] WHO Scientist: Study Pointing To DU Danger Never Saw Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:19:59 -0800 X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61] X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61 X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST WHO Scientist: Study Pointing To DU Danger Never Saw Light Of Day http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1779467.htm Scientist questions use of depleted uranium munitions AM - Thursday, 2 November , 2006 08:24:00 Reporter: Rafael Epstein TONY EASTLEY: America and Britain's use of depleted uranium munitions has again been queried by a scientist who says information about their dangers has been suppressed. The man who worked on a definitive World Health Organisation study on the dangers of the munitions, says studies pointing to a potential problem never saw the light of day. Europe Correspondent Rafael Epstein. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: In the 1991 war with Iraq, the United States fired 320 tonnes of depleted uranium munitions. In 2003 they used as much as 2,000 tonnes. This material is used because of its ability to penetrate heavy armour, like the hull of a tank. When the US and Britain defend their use of these materials, they sometimes cite a World Health Organisation study compiled in 2001. It brought together all the available evidence on whether or not such munitions could lead to sickness and even cancer. Dr Keith Baverstock was a senior radiation adviser with the WHO. He told the BBC a study showing the munitions could be carcinogenic was kept out of the final report or monograph. KEITH BAVERSTOCK: When it wasn't included in the monograph I, with two other colleagues, prepared a paper for the open literature and the WHO did not permit me to submit that paper for publication [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. ***************************************************************** 47 Las Vegas SUN: No new date set for 'mushroom cloud' blast in Nevada desert Today: November 02, 2006 at 16:15:20 PST ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - No new date was set Thursday for a proposed non-nuclear explosion that authorities have said would send a mushroom-shaped dust cloud high over the Nevada desert. "At this point, there is no explosion authorized," Justice Department lawyer Carolyn Blanco in Washington, D.C., said during a conference call court hearing with U.S. District Judge Lloyd George in Las Vegas. Blanco repeated an assurance she made during a hearing in October that the so-called "Divine Strake" test won't take place at least until next year. The judge set another hearing for Feb. 1 after Blanco said she could not promise 60 days' notice before the blast would occur. The federal Defense Threat Reduction Agency has called its plan to detonate a 700-ton ammonium nitrate and fuel oil bomb at the Nevada Test Site important for gathering data about penetrating hardened and deeply buried targets. Critics have called the test a surrogate for a low-yield nuclear "bunker-buster" bomb, and expressed fears that it would scatter contaminated material left from 928 atmospheric and below-ground nuclear weapons tests conducted at the vast Nevada Test Site from 1951 to 1992. The explosion, first scheduled June 2, was postponed indefinitely after Western Shoshone tribe members and "downwinders" in Utah and Nevada filed suit and Utah congressional representatives joined in questioning its safety. The blast would involve 280 times more of the same material as the bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has said it would consider other locations and ways of conducting the experiment. No new plans were outlined Thursday. Blanco said the agency was revising environmental studies that would be circulated for public comment before a new date was set. All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 48 AU ABC: Ombudsmen urge national revision of whistleblower laws Thursday, 2 November 2006. 11:44 (AEDT)Thursday, 2 November There are calls for a national approach to the revision of whistleblower protection laws in Australia. A paper on whistleblower protection laws has been launched by the Commonwealth Ombudsman Professor John McMillan, the New South Wales Ombudsman Bruce Barbour and the Queensland Ombudsman David Bevan at a National Investigation Symposium in Sydney today. The paper illustrates the inconsistencies between the nine different acts that cover whistleblowing in Australia. The inconsistencies range from who will be protected to how they are to be protected. Mr Barbour has told the conference whistleblowing helps ensure integrity and accountability in the public sector. But he says a sound legislative structure is needed to protect public interest disclosures. ***************************************************************** 49 TheStar.com: Liberals unveil whistleblower bill Thu. Nov. 2, 2006. | Updated at 11:52 PM ANGELA PACIENZACANADIAN PRESS Civil servants who tattle on the government would be protected under new whistleblower legislation introduced Thursday in the Ontario legislature. Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips said the proposed bill would protect the province’s 65,000 workers who blow the whistle on wrongdoings. “This legislation will help ensure that the public service will continue to be accountable, ethical, non-partisan and professional,” he said in the legislature. If passed, the act would give the provincial integrity commissioner the power to investigate allegations made by those who work for an Ontario ministry or agency. While the opposition welcomed the move, the NDP and Conservatives questioned if the integrity commissioner’s office could handle the workload. Conservative Joe Tascona said with just a staff of two there wouldn’t be any guarantee of addressing complaints in a timely manner. “We’re talking about grave health, safety or environmental hazards,” he said. “You’re going to have to have a quick turnaround in terms of dealing with this.” Phillips said outside the legislature that he’ll ensure the office has the support it needs but wouldn’t commit to anything specific. The proposed legislation would also set up political conflict-of-interest provisions, which would include bringing ministerial staff into the fold. Phillips said the rules would balance the public’s need for non-partisan public service with an employee’s right to participate in political activity. The issue came up last month when Ontario’s Conservatives accused staff members who work for cabinet ministers and staff members in Premier Dalton McGuinty’s office of using government e-mail addresses to work on the federal Liberal leadership race. New Democrat Michael Prue said it’s important for staffers to speak up “as more and more decisions are made away from the public eye.” The union representing a large chunk of the workers that fall under the legislation welcomed the protection but reserved judgment until all the details were worked out. Ontario Public Service Employees Union said it will be checking to ensure workers had “real protection.” “We don’t want to see any kind of a structure or system where public employees have their comments vetoed by somebody else in the managerial chain of command,” said spokesman Randy Robinson. Last month the province proposed extended whistleblower protection to those working in nursing homes. That legislation has yet to be passed. It’s not the first time whistleblower protection has been brought forth at the provincial level. Legislation was passed by the NDP in 1994 that would have given workers many of the same rights but it was never proclaimed into law. Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All ***************************************************************** 50 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Subcommittee Meeting on FR Doc E6-18467 [Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)] [Notices] [Page 64570] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02no06-80] Future Plant Designs; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Future Plant Designs will hold a meeting on November 30, 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: Thursday, November 30, 2006--8:30 a.m. until the conclusion of business. The Subcommittee will summarize and discuss the technical content of Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1145, ``Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants (LWR Edition),'' public comments on DG-1145, and public comment resolution. Certain sections of DG-1145 will be discussed in greater detail. 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. David C. Fischer (telephone 301-415-6889) between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (ET) 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 7:30 a.m. and 5 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: October 26, 2006. Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. E6-18467 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 51 Sequoyahcountytimes.com: U.S. Army must remove depleted uranium 111 N. Oak St. Sallisaw, OK 74955 (918)-775-4433 or 1-800-495-4433 BY SALLY MAXWELL, MANAGING EDITOR Wednesday, November 1, 2006 4:17 PM CST Sequoyah Fuels, the former uranium processing plant near Gore, is one step closer to closing after a clause to have the U.S. Army remove depleted uranium from the plant was included in the Defense Authorization Act signed by President George W. Bush last week. John Ellis, Sequoyah Fuels president, said Tuesday that the Army should be making plans to remove the depleted uranium soon. "I'm assuming they'll move it pretty quickly," Ellis said. "The deadline to remove the materials is March 31." The depleted uranium, a bright green powder, is stored in 1,000 55-gallon drums. Ellis said the amount stored at Sequoyah Fuels is enough to fill about 50 semi-trailer loads. "It's very low radiation, and is about the color of a really bright green lawn," Ellis explained, adding there is no use for the depleted uranium other than armor-piercing bullets, which the Army no longer uses. He has no idea where the depleted uranium will be taken. That decision is up to the Army he said. Two possibilities are Nevada, "Where they tested the atomic bomb," or a site in Utah. Closed since 1993, Sequoyah Fuels has been in the long process of closing ever since. To do so Sequoyah Fuels owners must have the approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other government organizations. Ellis said the Oklahoma legislative delegation helped with the removal of the depleted uranium. U.S. Congressman Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) worked on getting the language in the Defense Authorization Act requiring removal of the depleted uranium by the U.S. Army. Nick Choate, with Boren's office in Washington, D.C., said he talked to Army officials Tuesday to make plans for the removal. Sequoyah Fuels, which originally processed uranium for fuel rods for nuclear power generators, sold the depleted uranium to the U.S. Army for armor-piercing ammunition. "The Army converted the depleted uranium to a heavy metal for armor-piercing bullets," Ellis said. Ellis said Sequoyah Fuels still has several other materials to dispose of or bury in a specially-designed cell. When the site is finally closed, the U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to take possession of the plant site and between 100 and 300 acres surrounding the site. "The Department of Energy is going to be the owner of the property," Ellis said. Before then Ellis said he must dispose of a large amount of raffinate sludge. Raffinate sludge is a by-product of the first step in the processing of uranium, Ellis explained. "I have 11,000 one-ton bags of raffinate sludge, with most of the water removed, waiting to be shipped," Ellis said. He explained that the raffinate still contains some uranium, which can be processed out. Several companies are considering buying the material because, Ellis said, the remaining uranium in the raffinate sludge is worth between $43 and $44 per pound. Sequoyah Fuels will also soon be demolishing buildings, cutting up equipment, and gathering low-contaminated soils to place in a storage cell, which will be on the site. "Everything will be gone but the office building," Ellis said. He added he expects it will take about three years to clean up the rest of the site and place the contaminated materials in the on-site cell. "It will take about another year to transfer ownership to the Department of Energy, and at least five years to completely close the plant," Ellis said. He concluded that he plans to retired at that time. © Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc. ***************************************************************** 52 globeandmail.com: Ombudsman says Forces failed troops who battled Kuwait fire Posted AT 5:04 AM EST ON 02/11/06 From Thursday's Globe and Mail OTTAWA — Canada failed its first Persian Gulf war veterans who fell ill after being exposed to poisonous chemicals, including depleted uranium from U.S. munitions, a military ombudsman said yesterday. One soldier of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment died of cancer, and about 60 others developed cancer or respiratory symptoms after the unit fought a fire at a U.S. munitions depot in Doha, Kuwait, in 1991. The warehouse contained shells made of depleted uranium, a radioactive metal heavier than lead and prized for its armour-piercing properties. But the Canadian Forces have so far systematically ignored the complaints of the soldiers who inhaled that toxic smoke, Forces ombudsman Yves Côté said yesterday. "Their significant health concerns were systematically ignored during, and after, their service to Canada," he told reporters. In a damning 46-page report, the ombudsman detailed how key information was left missing from medical files of some of the 340 combat engineers. That hampered the soldiers' claims to compensation or care, the ombudsman said. And while the Department of National Defence has improved some of its record-keeping procedures since then, the same fate could befall Canadians serving in Afghanistan, Mr. Côté suggested. "The National Defence [Department] seems unable to identify with accuracy and confidence who was deployed and for what period of time during recent missions to Afghanistan," he said. In 2000, a board of inquiry that looked into allegations that Canadian soldiers were exposed to toxic material while serving in the Balkans also found that deployment lists lacked key information. A DND official disputed the ombudsman's position. During the mid-1990s, the Forces implemented a computerized system that keeps track of all its soldiers deployed overseas, Lieutenant-Commander Pierre Babinsky said last night. But that system provides no information as to exactly where in a combat theatre an individual solider has served, LCdr. Babinsky said. Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said in a statement that his department will study the ombudsman's report. A senior officer who served with the combat engineer regiment in Kuwait welcomed Mr. Côté's report. "This is fantastic," said retired major Fred Kaustinen. "It's great that a leader in our system has stepped up and said these guys didn't get what they deserved." The ombudsman's report appears to be the first acknowledgment from a DND official that soldiers were exposed to noxious substances while in Kuwait, an assertion many of them have repeatedly made. But the report could not establish a clear connection between the exposure to depleted uranium and the health problems developed later by the soldiers who served in that mission. Nor did it find a definite link between the smoke billowing from the burning wells in the region -- which sometimes obscured the light of day -- and respiratory diseases some soldiers developed. Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. globeandmail.com and The Globe and Mail are divisions of Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc., 444 Front St. W., Toronto, Canada M5V 2S9 Phillip Crawley, Publisher --> ***************************************************************** 53 London Times: Uranium fears denied - November 02, 2006 By Michael Evans, Defence Editor THE firing of depleted uranium (DU) shells in Iraq had caused no long-term health problems either for British soldiers or for Iraqi civilians, the Ministry of Defence said. After allegations that cancers and birth defects among Iraqis living in southern Iraq were increasing, the MoD said that there was no evidence that depleted uranium weapons had contributed to their health problems. Professor Randall Parrish, of the British Geological Survey, told the BBC Radio programme Today that, at international conferences, Iraqi medical physicians had said incidents of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and birth defects were particularly noticeable in the Basra area. He added: “We have to conduct environmental and health assessments where people are exposed.” The MoD said that many tests had been carried out, including urine checks on 456 soldiers. “No evidence of DU was found,” an official said. Copyright 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd. ***************************************************************** 54 AU ABC: Scientist questions use of depleted uranium munitions AM - Thursday, 2 November , 2006 08:24:00 Reporter: Rafael Epstein TONY EASTLEY: America and Britain's use of depleted uranium munitions has again been queried by a scientist who says information about their dangers has been suppressed. The man who worked on a definitive World Health Organisation study on the dangers of the munitions, says studies pointing to a potential problem never saw the light of day. Europe Correspondent Rafael Epstein. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: In the 1991 war with Iraq, the United States fired 320 tonnes of depleted uranium munitions. In 2003 they used as much as 2,000 tonnes. This material is used because of its ability to penetrate heavy armour, like the hull of a tank. When the US and Britain defend their use of these materials, they sometimes cite a World Health Organisation study compiled in 2001. It brought together all the available evidence on whether or not such munitions could lead to sickness and even cancer. Dr Keith Baverstock was a senior radiation adviser with the WHO. He told the BBC a study showing the munitions could be carcinogenic was kept out of the final report or monograph. KEITH BAVERSTOCK: When it wasn't included in the monograph I, with two other colleagues, prepared a paper for the open literature and the WHO did not permit me to submit that paper for publication. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: And he believes the United States helped stop the publication. KEITH BAVERSTOCK: It is naive to think that in institutions like the United Nations one is free from political influences. The member states have their own agendas. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: But Dr Mike Repacholi disagrees. He coordinated the entire report as head of the WHO's Radiation and Environmental Health Unit. MIKE REPACHOLI: Depleted uranium is basically safe. You can touch depleted uranium for hours and not cause any radiation damage. You can ingest it and it's excreted through the body, 99 per cent of it goes within about a day. You would have to ingest a huge amount of depleted uranium dust to cause any adverse health effect. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Dr Repacholi told the BBC, the studies showing possibly adverse effects were not included at the time, because they were not conclusive and could not stand up to scientific scrutiny. Since then there have been more studies on the possible dangers caused by such weapons. They suggest that depleted uranium chemically alters DNA and could be a precursor to tumour growth. Much of this work has been done by scientists at the US Department of Defence, but their work has since ceased. In London this is Rafael Epstein for AM. ***************************************************************** 55 Mos News: Russian Prosecutors Probe Radioactive Tap Water in Town Near Moscow - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM Image by MosNews.com Created: 02.11.2006 16:09 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:32 MSK MosNews Water analysis carried out by the Prosecutor`s office of the Russian city of Tver has discovered that the radioactivity level exceeded maximum allowed norms more than 10 times, the News.ru web-site agency reported on Thursday. The water samples taken on October 18 in a local nursery school and a hospital has indicated that the norm for pernicious contraries was 5 to 6 times above the safety levels and the Prosecutor`s office initiated proceedings against the Federal Supervision Agency for Customer Protection and Human Welfare. However none of the state officials was charged within the case. The Head of the Federal Supervision Agency for Customer Protection and Human Welfare Arnold Viskupov has addressed Tver residents and adviced them to use water filters. The prosecutors insist on additional water tests that will allow them to make a final conclusion on the water condition. Copyright © 2004 MOSNEWS.COM ***************************************************************** 56 EPA: Final Groundwater Cleanup Decision Issued for Portion of Massachusetts Military Reservation Region 1: New England [ /] Release date: 11/02/2006 Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017 (Boston, Mass.  Nov. 2, 2006) - A comprehensive plan for groundwater cleanup has been completed for the Demolition Area 1 site on Camp Edwards at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). The cleanup plan was finalized and approved by EPA with the review and concurrence of the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection. Selecting a final cleanup plan for one of the largest and most contaminated plumes is a major milestone in our cleanup of Camp Edwards, said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPAs New England office. The work called for in this cleanup plan will preserve the sole source aquifer for the citizens of the Upper Cape, and this is a high priority for EPA. The final plan addresses contamination found in a groundwater plume that could impact a sole source aquifer for citizens of Upper Cape Cod. The plume is slowly migrating from a 7.4 acre portion of Camp Edwards, approximately two miles northeast of the Otis Rotary in Bourne. The plan builds on an interim clean up action that began in Sept. 2004, in which two extraction wells treat close to a half million gallons of groundwater a day. EPAs final cleanup plan outlines how groundwater will be extracted and then treated to remove contamination from explosives and perchlorate. Groundwater will be extracted at a flow rate of 906 gallons per minute, which will then be treated to remove contaminants to below applicable federal and state drinking water standards and risk-based levels. The current levels are: 0.6 parts per billion (ppb) for RDX; 2.0 ppb for TNT; 0.25 ppb for 2,4-DNT; and the Massachusetts standard of 2.0 ppb for perchlorate. The expanded system will treat 1.3 million gallons a day using three new and two existing extraction wells to pump groundwater through containers of granular activated carbon and ion exchange resin housed in a new treatment facility, to be constructed on base, and an existing modular treatment unit at Pew Road. Treated water will be returned to the aquifer through one new and three existing reinjection wells. This cleanup action is expected to restore the groundwater in approximately 11 years. The cleanup plan is contained in a Decision Document that also includes a contingency for an additional extraction well at the leading edge of the plume if contaminants exceeding cleanup levels are found to migrate substantially further than anticipated in the vicinity of North Pond just northeast of the Otis rotary at the base boundary. With the signing of the document, the U.S. Army Environmental Centers Impact Area Groundwater Study Program (IAGWSP) will move forward to complete construction of the cleanup system. System start up is expected in mid-2007. The Decision Document also includes system monitoring to make sure the cleanup is effective and restrictions to prevent groundwater use until cleanup is completed. A soil response action was undertaken at the Demolition Area 1 site in 2004 to remove the source of the groundwater contamination. More than 28,000 tons of soil were removed and treated on site using thermal desorption, which uses heat to separate and breakdown contaminants in the soil. The proposed plan outlined in the Decision Document was made available for public review on August 22, 2005. Two meetings were held to present information to community members. The document includes a section called the Responsiveness Summary that provides formal responses to all public comments received during the public comment period. The site was used from the mid 1970s to late 1980s primarily for demolition and disposal of munitions, explosives, fireworks and other items. Along with extensive background information, the full clean up plan will be posted to (). The plan will also be posted to an (). The documents may also be reviewed at the public libraries in Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich. # # # Last updated on 11/02/2006 02:46:57 PM http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/names/r01_2006-11-2_mmr ***************************************************************** 57 Platts: Sweden's SKI recommends government increases waste fund fees London (Platts)--2Nov2006 Sweden's SKI is recommending the government increase waste fund fees that nuclear operators pay to an average 1.73 oere (0.24 US cents) per kilowatt-hour produced in 2007, from 0.83 oere/kWh currently, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, SKI, said November 1. The fund covers handling of nuclear waste and spent fuel, including building a final spent fuel repository. The utilities are also required to post guarantees to cover any shortfall in financing the repository. SKI said it wants the increase because the real interest rate earned on the fund is expected to decline until 2020, lowering the fund's rate of return. For more news, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ or subscribe now at http://www.platts.com/infostore/product_info.php?cPath=22_41& products_id=67 Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 58 San Bernardino County Sun: U.S. judge tosses perchlorate suit Jason Pesick, Staff Writer Article Launched:11/02/2006 12:00:00 AM PST A federal judge in Los Angeles threw out Colton's case against dozens of suspected perchlorate polluters on Wednesday. Finding that the city did not follow the proper procedures for making a claim under federal law, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter dismissed the city's lawsuit against San Bernardino County, Black & Decker Inc., Pyro Spectaculars Inc. and other defendants. The city filed the lawsuit last year, arguing that defendants were responsible for contaminating the city's drinking water with perchlorate, a chemical used in the production of explosives, rocket fuel and fireworks. Perchlorate can be harmful to humans by interfering with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Perchlorate has spread from properties in north Rialto, contaminating wells in both cities. The cost of cleaning up the entire Rialto-Colton basin is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Rialto has filed its own federal lawsuit against many of the same parties for contamination of its groundwater, and Rialto's attorneys were moving to combine the Rialto lawsuit with Colton's before Colton's was dismissed. Rialto City Attorney Bob Owen said he believes Rialto's case is unaffected by Wednesday's ruling because it followed the proper procedures. "I'm not really concerned about a similar motion succeeding against Rialto," Owen said. Colton's attorney, Gene Tanaka, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Owen said Colton's residents likely will now be stuck with many of the costs of investigating and cleaning up the contamination. The city may be able to file a new lawsuit in state court. More HeadlinesUpdated: November 02, 2006 12:44:25 AM PST Los Angeles Newspaper Group ***************************************************************** 59 West Australian: NAB posts record $4.4b profit [thewest.com.au] 3rd November 2006, 8:45 WST National Australia Bank Ltd today posted a record annual profit of almost $4.4 billion as the group showed signs that its robust recovery was continuing to forge ahead. Australia's largest bank reported a 10 per cent rise in net profit to a record $4.392 billion in the 2005/06 year, beating consensus market forecasts. The bank also flagged a $500 million on-market share buyback to be completed in the first half of 2007. NAB shares shot up 61 cents to $38.81 by 9.15am. NAB chief executive John Stewart said the result was further evidence the bank had turned a corner almost three years after its rogue trading scandal triggered a round of boardroom chaos and disappointing results. "From where we were, this is a great result," Mr Stewart said. "What we've done is taken different companies that were in various states of disarray and all of the companies have contributed. "What we do have is a great set of foundations on which we can build shareholder value." The bank also today announced up to $800 million in capital management initiatives with a $500 million share buyback flagged for the second half of the 2006/07 financial year. In addition, we intend to neutralise the capital impact of shares issued under the dividend reinvestment plan and various employee share plans by either buying back new shares issued on-market or purchasing shares on-market to satisfy our obligations rather than issuing new shares," Mr Stewart said. "This amounts to approximately $300 million of capital in 2007." NAB's underlying result was a 21.9 per cent increase in cash earnings to $3.967 billion for the year, while cash earnings from ongoing operations rose 20.2 per cent to $3.798 billion. The result beat market forecasts, which had been for a record headline net profit of $4.20 billion and cash earnings, the industry's preferred measure of profitability, of around $3.8 billion. "We have faced the issues that confronted the National Australia Bank in 2004 and are fundamentally changing our culture and the way we run the business so that we can consistently grow shareholder value," Mr Stewart said. "Revenue momentum is good, costs have been controlled and overall asset quality remains sound with gross impaired assets to total lending declining from 0.35 per cent to 0.30 per cent." "Consistent with industry experience signs are emerging of credit quality weakness in areas such as personal lending in Australia and the United Kingdom. "We will work with our customers to manage through any difficulties ahead, particularly the drought in Australia." In the year to September 30, NAB's total lending rose by 16.8 per cent to $346.69 billion. Mr Stewart said the Australian economy remained in good shape despite some issues such as drought and slowing demand. "I think it's looking pretty good," he said. "I think we have got some issues we have to deal with like the drought and we have a slowing in demand as well, especially if there is another interest rate rise." NAB declared a final dividend of 84 cents, a rise of one cent, taking the payout for the year to $1.67, also up one cent. AAP thewest.com.au] 'The West Australian' is a trademark of West Australian Newspapers Pty Ltd 2006. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 60 NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting FR Doc E6-18468 [Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)] [Notices] [Page 64568-64570] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02no06-78] The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold its 174th meeting on November 13-16, 2006, Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The schedule for this meeting is as follows: Monday, November 13, 2006 10 a.m.-10:05 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman (Open)-- The ACNW Chairman, Dr. Michael Ryan, will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 10:05 a.m.-12 p.m.: Update on Status of Seismic Design Bases and Methodology: NRC Perspective (Open)--Staff representatives from the NRC Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) will brief the [[Page 64569]] Committee on seismic issues and review methodologies for both pre- and post-closure phases of the Yucca Mountain repository operation. 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.: Results from the Liquid Radioactive Release Lessons Learned Task Force--A representative from the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) will brief the Committee on the results from the recently completed report from the Liquid Radioactive Release Lessons Learned Task Force. 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Preparation for Meeting with NRC Commissioners (Open)--The Committee will discuss topics of mutual interest in preparation for ACNW meeting with the NRC Commissioners that is scheduled for Thursday, December 14, 2006. There may be a 15 minute break at some point during this activity. Tuesday, November 14, 2006 ACNW Working Group Meeting on Decommissioning Lessons Learned (Open) 8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m.: Opening Remarks and Introductions (Open)--The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. ACNW Member Dr. James Clarke will provide an overview of the Working Group Meeting (WGM), including the meeting purpose and scope, and introduce invited subject matter experts. Session I: Decommissioning Lessons Learned 8:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Fuel Cycle Facilities Forum, the Argonne National Laboratory, and the Army Corps of Engineers will discuss their lessons learned in decommissioning of facilities. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Session I Panel Discussion--Committee Member Clarke will lead a panel discussion with the invited subject matter experts on decommissioning lessons learned. Session II: Implementing Decommissioning Lessons Learned in NRC Rules And Guidance 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.: A representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will discuss decommissioning lessons learned from an Agreement State perspective. Staff representatives from NRR and the NRC Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) will discuss decommissioning lessons learned efforts within NRC and implementation of selected decommissioning lessons learned in NRC rules and guidance. 4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m.: Session II Panel Discussion--Committee Member Clarke will lead a panel discussion with the invited subject matter experts on implementing decommissioning lessons learned in NRC rules and guidance. 5:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Wrap Up--ACNW Member Dr. James Clarke will provide a summary of the Working Group Meeting, including a discussion of a possible letter report to the Commission. Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman (Open)-- The Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 8:35 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Dose Effect Relationships and Estimation of the Carcinogenic Effects of Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation (Open)-- French scientists will brief the ACNW regarding the content of the recent report by the French Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine. There may be a 15 minute break at some point during this presentation. 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.: White Paper on Potential Advanced Fuel Cycles (Open)--The draft ACNW white paper on spent nuclear fuel recycling will be discussed. This paper focuses on various known reprocessing methods and their resulting effluents and waste. Licensing of a new reprocessing facility will also be addressed. 4:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Discussion of Draft ACNW Letter Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss potential and proposed ACNW letter reports. Thursday, November 16, 2006 8:30 a.m.-8:35 a.m.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman (Open)-- The Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of today's sessions. 8:35 a.m.-10 a.m.: Proposed Revision to Regulatory Guide 1.112, Calculation of Releases of Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents from Light-Water-Cooled Reactors (Open)--Staff representatives from the NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) will brief the Committee on the proposed modifications to Regulatory Guide 1.112 in support of new reactor licensing. 10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Proposed Revision to Regulatory Guide 4.15, Quality Assurance for Radiological Monitoring Programs (Inception Through Normal Operations to License Termination)--Effluent Streams and the Environment (Open)--RES representatives will brief the Committee on the proposed revision to Regulatory Guide 4.15 in support of new reactor licensing. 1 p.m.--3 p.m.: Discussion of Potential ACNW Letter Reports (Open)--The Committee will discuss potential and proposed ACNW letter reports. 3:15 p.m.-5 p.m.: Miscellaneous (Open)--The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of ACNW activities and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. Discussions may include future Committee Meetings. Procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACNW meetings were published in the Federal Register on October 12, 2006 (71 FR 60196). In accordance with these procedures, oral or written statements may be presented by members of the public. Electronic recordings will be permitted only during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. Persons desiring to make oral statements should notify Mr. Antonio F. Dias (Telephone 301-415-6805), between 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, as far in advance as practicable so that appropriate arrangements can be made to schedule the necessary time during the meeting for such statements. Use of still, motion picture, and television cameras during this meeting will be limited to selected portions of the meeting as determined by the ACNW Chairman. Information regarding the time to be set aside for taking pictures may be obtained by contacting the ACNW office prior to the meeting. In view of the possibility that the schedule for ACNW meetings may be adjusted by the Chairman as necessary to facilitate the conduct of the meeting, persons planning to attend should notify Mr. Dias as to their particular needs. Further information regarding topics to be discussed, whether the meeting has been canceled or rescheduled, the Chairman's ruling on requests for the opportunity to present oral statements and the time allotted, therefore can be obtained by contacting Mr. Dias. ACNW meeting agenda, meeting transcripts, and letter reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) at , or by calling the PDR at 1-800-397-4209, or from the Publicly Available Records System component of NRC's document system (ADAMS) which is accessible from the NRC Web site at or (ACRS & collections/ (ACRS & ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas). Video Teleconferencing service is available for observing open sessions of ACNW meetings. Those wishing to use [[Page 64570]] this service for observing ACNW meetings should contact Mr. Theron Brown, ACNW Audiovisual Technician (301-415-8066), between 7:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. ET, at least 10 days before the meeting to ensure the availability of this service. Individuals or organizations requesting this service will be responsible for telephone line charges and for providing the equipment and facilities that they use to establish the video teleconferencing link. The availability of video teleconferencing services is not guaranteed. Dated: October 27, 2006. Annette L. Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission. [FR Doc. E6-18468 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 61 NRC: Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Meeting on Planning and FR Doc E6-18469 [Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)] [Notices] [Page 64570] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02no06-79] Procedures; Notice of Meeting The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold a Planning and Procedures meeting on November 13, 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 internal personnel rules and practices of ACNW, 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: Monday, November 13, 2006--8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. The Committee will discuss proposed ACNW activities and related matters. The purpose of this meeting is to 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. Antonio F. Dias (Telephone: 301/415-6805) between 8:15 a.m. and 5 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 8:15 a.m. and 5 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: October 26, 2006. Michael R. Snodderly, Branch Chief, ACRS/ACNW. [FR Doc. E6-18469 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 62 ITAR-TASS: Uranium mining company created in Russia 02.11.2006, 15.13 MOSCOW, November 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The constituent documents have been signed at the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom of what is going to become Russia’s Uranium Ore Mining Company. “The company’s main task will be to ensure long-term and stable supplies of uranium for the Russian atomic energy industry,” Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko said on Thursday. The company is a product of joint efforts by TVEL – the monopoly manufacturer of fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants - and the Tekhsnabexport Company – the provider of the full range of nuclear fuel cycle products and services worldwide. Sources at Rosatom have explained there are three main methods of extracting uranium – underground mining, strip mining and underground leaching through wells. Russia does not use strip mining at all. Underground mining is carried out in the Chita Region and the method of leaching, developed in the late 1960s is currently used at Russia’s newly-discovered deposits Khiagda, in Buryatia, and Dalur, in the Kurgan Region. © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 63 ITAR-TASS: RF has uranium reserves for next 60 years, not to sell them 02.11.2006, 16.33 MOSCOW, November 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia has its own uranium reserves for the next 60 years, chief of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Sergei Kiriyenko said Thursday, after the signing ceremony of the constituent agreement establishing Russia’s Uranium Ore Mining Company. “Russia has never sold and will not sell natural uranium, and everything that the new company will produce, will be used for the needs of the Russian atomic energy industry,” he pointed out. According to Kiriyenko, “On the world market we will offer our services in the nuclear industry – the construction of nuclear power plants, fuel for them and uranium enrichment services.” © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 64 reviewjournal.com: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Questions abound on nuclear waste Nov. 02, 2006 Energy officials discuss transportation plans By KEITH ROGERS
REVIEW-JOURNAL AMARGOSA VALLEY -- There were more questions than answers for some of the 44 people who came to this rural community Wednesday night to hear the Department of Energy's new plans for hauling the nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Some expected more details about how the 77,000 tons of used nuclear fuel and highly radioactive waste will be packed in canisters and shipped by trains and trucks to the planned repository site in the volcanic-rock ridge. Others wanted to know if hamlets along the rail lines will be safe. Yet others wanted to know how much the transportation scheme will cost and who will pay for the packing and transfer of nuclear materials to government haulers at reactor sites. "It's a lack of systems engineering that sums this up," said Bob Halstead, Nevada's nuclear waste transportation consultant. "I was expecting them to do a better job." Halstead and full-time state consultant Steve Frishman said plans the Energy Department presented for a rail corridor reaching Yucca Mountain from the north and for a multi-purpose canister to transport, age and dispose of the waste were simply too vague, and the comment period to review and offer informed insights on the project is too short. They referred to a statement written Tuesday by the State Nuclear Projects Agency that among other things alleges California and Utah have been left "totally in the dark by DOE." "Despite the fact that national changes in rail routing as a result of using a Mina rail spur (from the north) would mean exponentially more shipments in California and would request the use of an entirely different main line railroad segment in Utah, DOE has refused to schedule public meetings in those states or even formally seek their input," reads the statement from the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency. Agency chief Bob Loux is scheduled to join Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., at a news conference before today's scoping meeting in Las Vegas to discuss what they say is a history of disregarding public concerns and scientific evidence in the government's effort to license and build a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Allen Benson, an Energy Department spokesman for the Yucca Mountain Project, rejected any notion that the scoping meetings are flawed. "We believe the format for the scoping meetings serves the public," Benson said. "We've gotten a lot of feedback." The department will consider the comments gathered at the meetings, as well as written comments that are submitted, in an attempt to address issues and draft more detailed plans that will be held to public scrutiny in formal, environmental impact hearings next year, Benson said. At least a dozen people gave statements to court reporters at Wednesday night's meeting at the Longstreet Inn. It was the first scoping meeting in Nevada on the new rail alignment plan and the transportation, aging and disposal canisters. Halstead asserted that the plans overlook the possibility that much of the 77,000 tons of nuclear waste might be reprocessed to reduce its volume and potential lethal effects. "There's all this talk about reprocessing," he said. "If you think reprocessing is a good idea, it raises concerns about the (transportation, aging and disposal) canister. It's going to be more difficult and costly to unload when you get it to the reprocessing plant," he said. Frishman said he wonders if the Energy Department will address the possibility of an earthquake causing cranes to drop canisters of deadly waste when they're being handled at above-ground facilities near the mountain. "The reality is Murphy's Law is always at work," he said. Nancy Boland, an Esmeralda County commissioner who traveled 21/2 hours from Silver Peak to attend Wednesday's meeting, said the new rail alignment plan would bring nuclear waste "awfully close to town." "I'm concerned about the noise and the visual effects. ... I want to make sure our people are safe," she said. On a preliminary list of issues the Energy Department intends to address are the potential radiological impact on workers and the public from sabotage of transportation and repository operations. Jane Summerson, the department's compliance officer and Environmental Impact Statement document manager for the project, acknowledged that sabotage would apply to Nevada and all states along transportation routes but there are currently no plans to hold formal hearings in Chicago or Denver for example. Instead, comments from those areas will probably be fielded via the Internet, she said. [Yucca Mountain] More about Yucca Mountain HEARING TODAY The Department of Energy will conduct a meeting regarding plans for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project from 4 p.m to 7 p.m. today at the Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North. It will provide the public with an opportunity to meet Yucca Mountain project officials and discuss plans for design and operation of the repository. Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2006 ***************************************************************** 65 China says nuclear-free peninsula remains goal Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 23:11:00 -0600 (CST) X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A X-Spam-Class: HAM People's Daily Online http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ China UPDATED: 08:21, November 02, 2006 China says nuclear-free peninsula remains goal http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200611/02/eng20061102_317448.html China pledged yesterday to stick to the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and push for the resumption of the Six-Party Talks at an early date. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said all participants to the talks share the objective of achieving denuclearization as well as permanent peace and stability on the peninsula. "China will work with other sides to move closer to that goal step by step and finally realize it," he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at the Great Hall of the People. Li's remarks were China's first official comments following an announcement late on Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry that Beijing, Washington and Pyongyang agreed to resume the six-way talks in the near future. But there are some worries whether the talks would lead to the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a nuclear test on October 9. Li, however, stressed that the three nations' agreement to restart the talks was based on the progress made at the Six-Party Talks in September last year. Pyongyang then committed to scrapping its nuclear programmes in return for energy aid and other benefits. The negotiations, which also involve Russia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, have been stalled since last November because of Pyongyang's boycott in protest of sanctions by Washington for its alleged money laundering and other illicit financial activities. Confirming the planned renewal of the talks yesterday, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang decided to return to the table "on the premise that the issue of lifting financial sanctions will be discussed and settled between the DPRK and the US within the framework of the Six-Party Talks." But it did not say whether it remained committed to its earlier agreement to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Source: China Daily/agencies ***************************************************************** 66 Daily Star: Head of research council declares battered South Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:15:53 -0800 X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61] X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61 X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST Head of research council declares battered South 'free of' radiation http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id= 76552 Daily Star staff Wednesday, November 01, 2006 BEIRUT: The president of the National Council for Scientific Research said on Tuesday that South Lebanon "is free of" signs of radiation resulting from the month-long Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. "We stick to the fact that uranium-based munitions were not used during the recent war; we have not detected any radiation proving the presence of depleted uranium," Mouin Hamzeh said. Speaking to Voice of Lebanon radio station, Hamzeh criticized recent media reports claiming the presence of depleted uranium. "But we have taken this information into consideration and we will survey the areas which are said to contain uranium, notably the southern region of Khiam," he said. However, an environmental research team affiliated with Environment and Development magazine said that analysis of samples taken from a bomb crater in Khiam have shown high radiation levels. The analysis was conducted in British laboratories, according to a statement issued by the group, Environmental Hotline, on Tuesday. The statement added that the magazine was the sole publisher of two photos taken from Khiam of holes in military equipment that could have resulted from the use of depleted-uranium ordnance. However, an expert from Environment Hotline said the group awaited the results of analysis being carried out by a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) team at a laboratory in Spiez, Switzerland. Hamzeh criticized the group's stance, saying: "No expert or person is entitled to take samples and send them abroad to be analyzed ... This is illegal and harms people who might be victim of unfounded allegations." Around 20 experts from the UNEP had spent two weeks with Lebanese environmentalists from the beginning of October evaluating the impact on the environment of the July-August bombardment of Lebanon. The experts tested air, water and soil samples at some 75 heavily bombarded sites in South Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, said Boutros Harb, UNEP director for Asia and the Middle East. "Their report will be made public on November 29 in Beirut," Hamzeh said. In light of the ongoing concern about the presence of uranium, British expert Dai Williams urged the Lebanese to take pre-emptive measures by, for instance, halting reconstruction works in suspected areas. Separately, the United Arab Emirates project to clear up mines and cluster bombs in South Lebanon kicked off on Tuesday, with Brigadier Seif Jaber Alili, the project's manager, saying the work would be done in 15 months. "The mission includes areas north the Litani River where around 26,550 mines have been planted and areas south the Litani where a huge number of cluster bombs was thrown," Alili said. - Additional reporting by Mohammed Zaatari ---------------------------------------------------------------------- stichting Laka Laka foundation documentatie en onderzoeks- documentation and research centrum kernenergie centre on nuclear energy Ketelhuisplein 43 Ketelhuisplein 43 1054 RD Amsterdam NL-1054 RD Amsterdam tel: 020-6168294 Netherlands fax: 020-6892179 tel: +31-20-6168294 fax: +31-20-6892179 www.laka.org info@laka.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************** 67 [NukeNet] Say No to Building a Biological Weapons Agent Lab in Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:20:00 -0800 X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61] X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61 X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net) Dear enviromentalists against war -- Below is a link to send an electronic letter to the Dept. of Homeland Security to tell them NO bio-warfare agent research facility at the Livermore Lab Site 300. It is quick and easy to do. Our friends at Nuclear Age Peace Foundation have set this up. Just click the link below and follow the instructions -- and the letter will send. Peace, Marylia http://capwiz.com/wagingpeace/issues/alert/?alertid=9144536 *Say No to Building a Biological Weapons Agent Lab in California's Agricultural Heartland!* *Tell the Department of Homeland Security that you don't want a biological warfare agent research facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory or its high explosive testing range!! *The University of California Regents have applied to the Department of Homeland Security to build a bio-warfare agent research facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's high explosive testing range adjacent to the city of Tracy, California (population 78,773). The designs for the lab state that it will be one of the world's largest biological warfare labs; approximately half a million square feet for the facility, about the size of five Walmarts, on 30-100 acres of land. It would house some of the most deadly diseases on the planet. This facility may experiment with live Anthrax, "Mad Cow" Disease, plague and other deadly pathogens, including some, like the Ebola Virus, for which there is no known cure. Scientists would use these pathogens to experiment on livestock such as cattle, pigs, and sheep. Placing a biological weapons facility in this densely populated area that is also one of California's agricultural centers is wrong. The consequences of any kind of release would be disastrous for the health and economy of the surrounding community. Additionally, because this work would take place in a nuclear weapons research lab, other countries may assume that we are developing an offensive weapons program. How would the US prove otherwise?!! The Department of Homeland Security considers community acceptance a major factor for determining the location of the bio-warfare agent research facility! Signing this letter will show that the national community does not accept this! For more information contact: Tri-Valley CAREs *2582 Old First Street* Livermore, CA 94551*Phone (925) 443-7148*Fax (925) 443-0177 ____________________________________________________________ Marylia Kelley, Executive Director Tri-Valley CAREs 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA 94551 Ph: (925) 443-7148 Fx: (925) 443-0177 Web: www.trivalleycares.org Email: marylia@trivalleycares.org or marylia@earthlink.net _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings or access the archives at: http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 68 Tri-City Herald: Incident at Areva being probed Published Thursday, November 2nd, 2006 By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating the exposure of a worker to a release of hydrogen fluoride vapor within the Areva NP plant in Richland. Equipment related to the dry conversion plant has been shut down since the incident Oct. 23 at the plant that produced fuel for nuclear power reactors, said Bob Link, manager of environmental health, safety and licensing for the plant. It will not return to service until Areva is confident any problems have been detected, studied and corrected. Two workers entered a process area inside the plant's dry conversion building at noon Oct. 23, the NRC reported. In the building, uranium hexafluoride that's delivered to the plant in large pressurized cylinders is heated in an autoclave to produce a gas. The gas then is taken to a pressurized vessel. Steam and nitrogen are added to convert it to uranium oxide. A byproduct of the process is hydrogen fluoride, which is collected and sold to the electronics industry for etching computer chips. The workers who entered the dry conversion building detected an unusual odor and immediately left the process area, according to the NRC. They reported to the first-aid station, and that evening one of the workers went to the hospital and was admitted, the NRC said. One of the workers had no symptoms, Link said. The other has returned to work. Although hydrogen fluoride is caustic, workers were exposed to it only briefly, according to Areva. At the levels believed to be in the process area, the workers would have had to be exposed for at least 30 minutes for there to be long-term health concerns, Link said. Air samples found elevated levels of hydrogen fluoride vapor near a line for the off-gas system. While Areva NP continues to investigate the cause, it appears that the gas leaked from a deteriorated weld. There was no indication of airborne radioactivity and no indication of the release spreading beyond the immediate process area or to the environment, according to the NRC. The NRC will release its inspection report on the incident, including whether any NRC regulations were violated, at a public meeting today at 4 p.m. It will be held at Areva NP on Horn Rapids Road. © 2006 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 69 DOE: Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) FR Doc E6-18555 [Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)] [Notices] [Page 64513-64514] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02no06-31] AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference meeting. SUMMARY: The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) held its first meeting on October 2-3, 2006. At that time, it was suggested that a conference call take place on November 17, 2006. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies [[Page 64514]] publish these notices in the Federal Register. This notice fulfills that requirement. The public is permitted to listen in but is not permitted to comment until the end of the call at which time public comments will be taken. DATES: The conference call will begin on November 17, 2006, at noon EST and will conclude at approximately 2 p.m. EST. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: HTAC.Committee@ee.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Conference Call: To complete agenda items not fully addressed at the meeting on October 2-3, 2006. The Committee is chartered to provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary on the program authorized by Title VIII, Hydrogen, of EPACT. Tentative Agenda: Agenda items will include discussion: HTAC structure, subcommittees, work plan for FY 2007, and other Committee business. Public Participation: In keeping with procedures, members of the public are welcome to listen in on the business of HTAC and to make oral statements during the specific public comment period. To attend the conference call and/or to make oral statements, e-mail HTAC.Committee@ee.doe.gov no later than November 7, 2006. (Please indicate if you will be making an oral statement.) Members of the public will be permitted to participate on a first come/first serve basis. Oral comments should be limited to two minutes in length. Reasonable provision will be made to include all scheduled oral statements. The Chair of the Committee will make every effort to hear the views of all interested parties and to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do at any time (electronic and hard copy). Minutes: The minutes of Committee meetings will be available for public review and copying at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room; Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Issued at Washington, DC on October 26, 2006. Rachel Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. E6-18555 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 70 KnoxNews: Study charts ORNL's impact Facility's value to state set at $820 million By ANDREW EDER, edera@knews.com November 2, 2006 Oak Ridge National Laboratory last year boosted Tennessee's economy by $820 million and supported, directly or indirectly, more than 20,000 jobs, according to a University of Tennessee study being released today. In 2005, ORNL's payroll in the state was $302.4 million with 3,990 full-time workers. The lab also spent $137.9 million in nonpayroll expenses in Tennessee. That money worked its way through the state's economy to support other workers, who in turn put money back into the economy, resulting in a multiplier effect. Ultimately, ORNL's spending resulted in an increase of $820.3 million in gross state product, a measure of production in Tennessee's economy, and a $683.8 million increase in total personal income, according to the study. The report also found that the lab brought in $30.1 million in state and local sales and use taxes, and $10.1 million in visitor spending. Including jobs at the lab, ORNL supported 20,708 workers, the study found. The study also mentioned qualitative ways ORNL contributes to the economy, such as facilitating startup businesses, supporting 35 joint UT-ORNL faculty appointments and donating to charities and other community efforts. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, a nonprofit collaboration between UT and Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, which manages or co-manages five national laboratories. "The UT-Battelle management team is unique amongst all national labs in that it has taken a middle-of-the-road national lab right to the top," said David Millhorn, UT's vice president for research and economic development. The study was conducted by Bill Fox, director of the UT Center for Business and Economic Research, and Julie Marshall, a research associate at the center. Fox said the researchers created a standard economic model to measure direct, indirect and multiplier effects. Millhorn commissioned the study, but Fox said he had no concerns about a conflict of interest. "We do objective analysis whoever we work for," he said. "It doesn't really matter who the client is, we approach it exactly the same way." Millhorn said UT's role in managing ORNL has benefited the university by putting it on the map in certain fields and expanding its research base. In return, UT-Battelle, which took over management of ORNL from Lockheed Martin in 2000, has enhanced the lab's visibility and reputation. "It's gone from a lab concerned about its future to one that will create a future," Millhorn said. Business writer Andrew Eder may be reached at 865-342-6318. © 2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************