*****************************************************************
11/09/06 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 14.266
*****************************************************************
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 RIA Novosti: Russia's offer to enrich Iran's uranium still on the ca
2 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI-Russian companies discuss coop
3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Spokesman slams US stancds over IRI
4 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Larijani to visit Moscow on Friday
5 AFP: Iran's Larijani shrugs off sanctions threat, to visit Moscow -
6 ITAR-TASS: Iran insists on returning its nuclear file to IAEA-ambass
7 UPI: Russia's offer to Iran still stands
8 UPI: Iran snubs West's sanctions threat
9 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Rejects European Iran Sanctions
10 North Korea says Japan not welcome at nuclear talks
11 Korea Herald: [NEWS ANALYSIS] President ready to compromise
12 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL] Change in Korea policy
13 Korea Times: Chong Wa Dae Denies Inter-Korean Summit
14 AFP: Japanese media urge US to stay the course on NKorea
15 US: Gov Exec: Report shows little progress reducing case backlog at
16 US: UPI: Groups publish map of U.S. nuke locations
17 Old Congress Could Decide on Nuclear Deal with India - FCNL
18 ITAR-TASS: Agreements signed at Russia-China intergovernmental meeti
19 Guardian Unlimited: France Test-Fires Unarmed Nuclear Weapon
NUCLEAR REACTORS
20 US: NYTimes: Agency Considers A-Plants' Vulnerability
21 [NYTr] China Makes Nuke Deal w/Egypt, US Doesn't Bat an Eye
22 US: NRC: NRC Renews Operating License for Monticello Nuclear Power P
23 AFP: Congress may clear US-Indian nuclear deal despite Republican po
24 HindustanTimes.com: N-deal made easier for India
25 The Hindu: Kakodkar urges hike in use of nuclear energy
26 US: washingtonpost.com: State to Decide on Feasibility of Reactors -
27 US: NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Honors Edward Mcgaffigan for
28 Telugu Portal: Bush vows to push India nuclear deal -
29 The Hindu: Senate may take up Bill on nuclear deal - Mulford
30 US: Brattleboro Reformer: VY conducts safety drill
31 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Draft Interim Staff Guidance Docu
32 US: NRC: Notice of Issuance of Director's Decision Under 10 CFR 2.20
33 AFP: Indonesia can not go nuclear to answer climate change - Greenpe
NUCLEAR SECURITY
34 US: NRC Willing To Allow Nuclear Terrorism
NUCLEAR SAFETY
35 [du-list] An enigma that only Dai Williams can fully explain
36 [du-list] U.N.: No Evidence of Uranium-based Munitions Used in
37 AU ABC: Nuke test veterans to receive free cancer treatment.
38 Canada West: Lead contamination feared from coast guard life-fire ex
39 Herald Sun: Nuclear tests payment for victims
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
40 US: Hemscott: UrAsia Energy announces five new uranium concentrates
41 The Australian: Waste laws 'sideline traditional owners'
42 Pahrump Valley Times: Sparse turnout reviews 'Mina' rail alternative
43 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada senator rises to top leadership slot
PEACE
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
44 Nuclear Lab Breach Could Be 'Devastating'
45 DOE: DOE Announces Plans for Additional Comment Period on
46 DOE: Extension of Public Comment Period and Additional Public Meetin
47 Knox News: Less congressional clout may not hurt
48 DOE: Extension of Public Comment Period and Additional Public Meetin
49 lamonitor.com: Services available for ex-lab workers
50 lamonitor.com: First groundwater cleanup plan approved
51 NB: Energy Secretary Bodman to Address Middle East Institute 60th An
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
1 RIA Novosti: Russia's offer to enrich Iran's uranium still on the cards - FM
09/ 11/ 2006
MOSCOW, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - An offer to enrich Iran's
uranium in Russia could be back on the agenda after full-scale
talks on the country's nuclear program are resumed, Russia's
foreign minister said Thursday, the day before the top Iranian
nuclear negotiator's visit to Moscow.
Sergei Lavrov said, "When talks get underway, options promoting
the non-proliferation regime will be considered. And in this
context, I think our proposal to enrich uranium on Russian soil
for Iran's civilian nuclear program will be well in demand."
On Tuesday, a Russian nuclear industry official had said
Russia's proposal to set up a joint uranium enrichment venture
with Iran is unlikely to ever materialize, citing lack of
interest on the part of the Iranian leadership.
Moscow had come out with the offer earlier this year to allay
Western governments' fears Tehran may be pursuing a covert
nuclear weapons program.
The foreign minister also confirmed that Ali Larijani will be
visiting Moscow on Friday.
"The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,
Larijani, will arrive in Moscow tomorrow for talks at Russia's
Security Council and Foreign Ministry," Lavrov said, after a
meeting with his counterpart from Bahrain.
Lavrov also said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's
Moscow visit had been postponed at Tehran's request.
Following Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment, European
powers have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution on
sanctions against the country, which the United States wants
toughened, but which Russia and China want reduced.
Specifically, Moscow rejected clauses introducing broad
sanctions on Iran's nuclear and missile programs and restricting
the supply of fuel to the Bushehr nuclear plant, which Russia is
building in southern Iran.
The foreign minister said Moscow's stance on Iran remains
unchanged, with its principal 'defining criterion' being 'to
perpetuate the non-proliferation regime.'
© 2005 RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
2 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI-Russian companies discuss coop
2006/11/09
Managers and representatives of major Iranian and Russian
commercial and industrial companies met on Wednesday for talks
on the ways to expand mutual cooperation.
IR. of Iran trade development organization in cooperation with
the commercial attache of Iran's embassy in Moscow sponsored the
gatheringin which 35 merchants and company managers from Iran
and about 20 representatives from Russian companies took part.
The companies are involved in the fields of railway and road
transportation, production of auto spare parts, construction
materials such as decorative stones, steel, engineering and
technical services, oil products, paint, medical equipment and
furniture.
Deputy head of Iran Trade Development Organization
Mohammad-Baqer Mojtabaie attended the meeting.
At the meeting, a set of books and CDs were distributed to
introduce Iran's export and production potential.
Iran and Russia's trade exchanges stood at dlrs 2.5 billion in
2005. The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to increase
export of commodities to Russia given its enormous production
and export capacity.
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center.
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir
*****************************************************************
3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Spokesman slams US stancds over IRI
2006/11/09
Ministry of Foreign Affairs described America's stands on Tehran
as signs of "neo-conservatives' opportunist arrogant
tendencies", whose effects on America's public opinion have
already been clear.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, reacting to
recent anti-Iranian remarks by American officials, also
considered them contradictory with world nations' beliefs.
America's officials on Wednesday considered UN Security
Council's rejection of an EU proposed anti-IRI resolution draft
as a sign of incompetence of the international community and the
UN in meeting their important commitments.
According to the Foreign Ministry's information and press
bureau, Hosseini stressed that the era of adopting unilateral
stands had already been over, since the negative outcome of the
current America's rulers' unilateral stands during the past six
years clearly proves that the competence and legitimacy of
international bodies depends on their logical, justice seeking,
and thoughtful approach towards solving the international crises.
M/D
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: Larijani to visit Moscow on Friday
2006/11/09
Secretary of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani is to visit Moscow on
Friday to discuss issues of mutual interest with senior Russian
officials.
While in Moscow, Larijani will meet with his Russian counterpart
Igor Ivanov.
Tehran-Moscow bilateral ties, latest regional and international
developments and the IRI nuclear issue will top the agenda of
talks between Larijani and Russian officials.
A draft resolution approved by the UN Security Council seeking
to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran will also be
discussed by the two sides.
The draft has been rejected by Russia.
Meanwhile, some Russian sources have announced that IRI's chief
nuclear negotiator will probably meet Russian President Vladimir
Putin to invite him to visit Tehran.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was scheduled to visit
Moscow on Thursday but the trip was postponed.
M/D
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: Iran's Larijani shrugs off sanctions threat, to visit Moscow -
Thu Nov 9, 4:04 AM ET
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran" /> Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali
Larijani shrugged off threatened UN sanctions against Tehran and
said he would visit Russia for talks on the Islamic republic's
disputed atomic program.
"The sanctions are about missiles and our nuclear industry and
since we are already sanctioned in this regard, this will not
have any effect on the economic situation and on the people's
daily life," Larijani was quoted as saying by the semi-official
Mehr news agency.
If the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing
sanctions, he added, it would not have any effect on Iran's
trade situation.
"Seventy percent of the (proposed) resolution is a psychological
operation," he said.
"Certainly the adoption of a resolution given the Russian
revision to it is not an important thing."
The UN Security Council is formally reviewing a European draft
resolution mandating sanctions against Iran for its refusal to
halt sensitive nuclear fuel work that could be used to build
atomic weapons.
However Russia has proposed amendments to the draft, which is
also opposed by China.
The draft mandates nuclear- and ballistic missile-related trade
sanctions against Tehran. It also calls for a freeze on 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
one-billion-dollar nuclear power plant in Bushehr -- an
exemption that diplomats say is crucial to efforts to gain
Moscow's approval.
Larijani said he would hold talks with the Russian authorities
on latest developments.
"In the next two days I will go to Moscow to talk about the
regional matters and also to find a solution for the nuclear
case," Larijani said.
The announcement came as a planned visit to Moscow Thursday by
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was cancelled.
Iran spurned an August 31 UN Security Council deadline to halt
its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can lead to the
production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at generating
energy, vehemently rejecting US allegations it is seeking
nuclear weapons.
Larijani repeated his call for negotiations as a way out of
confrontation.
"Though the position of both sides has changed ... the path to
negotiation is open," he said.
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
6 ITAR-TASS: Iran insists on returning its nuclear file to IAEA-ambassador
09.11.2006, 12.43
MOSCOW, November 9 (Itar-Tass) - Iranian Ambassador to Russia
Goliamreza Ansari, speaking in an interview with Itar-Tass on
Thursday in connection with the coming Moscow visit by Secretary
of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani,
said that Teheran “insists on returning the Iranian nuclear file
to the IAEA”.
According to the ambassador, “the transfer of the Iranian file
to the UN Security Council, apart from interfering with
consolidation of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, will
aggravate the situation still more”. “What we can say to the Six
countries (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and
Germany) is that talks are the most advantageous and reasonable
way of settling the question,” the ambassador emphasized. “Iran
insisted on talks from the very outset,” he added.
“The IAEA Charter and rules are the best grounds for work with
Iran,” Ansari claimed. “We insist that this group of countries
(the Six) should take efforts for the earliest direction of the
Iranian file to its correct channel, that is to the IAEA.”
“A return of the Iranian file to the IAEA will be the best and
most sensible way, while its transfer to the UN Security Council
leads to whipping up the atmosphere,” the diplomat claimed. In
this situation, he went on to say, “a mechanism will be put into
action, and it will operate under a principle ‘measures –
countermeasures’”. “This will undoubtedly bring a murky
situation for settling the entire problem,” the Iranian
ambassador concluded.
Copyright © ITAR-TASS all rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
7 UPI: Russia's offer to Iran still stands
United Press International - NewsTrack -
11/9/2006 1:03:00 PM -0500
MOSCOW, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said Thursday his country's offer to Iran to enrich its uranium
in Russia still stands.
Lavrov's comment came as Russia prepared to receive Iran's top
nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, reports RIA-Novosti news
agency. He said the Russian offer could be reintroduced into the
agenda when international talks on Iran's nuclear program
resume.
"When talks get under way, options promoting the
non-proliferation regime will be considered," he said. "And in
this context, I think our proposal to enrich uranium on Russian
soil for Iran's civilian nuclear program will be well in
demand."
Separately, Iran's Ambassador to Russia Gholam-Reza Ansari told
the Itar-Tass news agency his country will return its nuclear
file only to the International Atomic Energy Agency and not to
the U.N. Security Council.
Ansari was quoted as saying giving the file to the Security
Council would not only interfere with the consolidation of the
nuclear non-proliferation regime but "aggravate the situation
still more."
He said, "What we can say to the six countries (five Security
Council permanent members plus Germany) is that talks are the
most advantageous and reasonable way of settling the question."
© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
8 UPI: Iran snubs West's sanctions threat
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence -
11/9/2006 7:15:00 AM -0500
TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Iran has called Western threats of
international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program
as an ineffective "psychological war."
Secretary-General of Iran's Higher National Security Council Ali
Larijani said the endorsement of a European draft resolution by
the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Tehran "will
have no effect whatsoever on our country, but is part of a
psychological war."
"The ban has been effectively imposed on Iran for a long time,
especially in the field of nuclear technology and military
assistance," Larijani was quoted Thursday as saying by Iranian
news agency IRNA.
He said the Western argument about opposing Iran's nuclear
program under the pretext that it could possess nuclear arms is
"illogical."
"By resorting to such argument, Western countries want to punish
the Islamic Republic of Iran before its commits any breach or
violation. ... Such pretext is not acceptable in any legal
system in the world," Larijani said.
"Western fears, especially America's, regarding Iran's nuclear
activities have no legal base at all," he said, stressing that
Iran's fears and concerns are never taken into consideration.
"Iran's concern is that the Iranian people would be deprived of
the benefits of nuclear technology, because two years after
voluntary suspension of nuclear enrichment, the West offered
Iran incentives in order to give up the quest for such
technology," Larijani added.
He charged that the West's "way of dealing with the issue is
irrational and unreasonable."
© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
9 Guardian Unlimited: Russia Rejects European Iran Sanctions
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday November 9, 2006 8:16 AM
By HENRY MEYER
Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia has rejected European-proposed U.N.
sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to halt its suspected nuclear
weapons drive, but Moscow appears to be applying its own
pressure by threatening to delay a key nuclear power project.
Analysts say the Kremlin is determined not to push Iran into a
corner like North Korea - blaming tough U.S. policies for
Pyongyang's recent nuclear test - but Tehran's refusal to
compromise has led to growing impatience in Moscow despite the
two countries' close commercial ties.
``President Putin is angry at (Iranian President Mahmoud)
Ahmadinejad but he understands that it's probably too late to do
anything now,'' said Georgy Mirsky, chief researcher at the
Institute for World Economics and International Relations in
Moscow.
A planned visit to Moscow by Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr
Mottaki was abruptly postponed on Wednesday, a move seen as a
diplomatic snub reflecting Iranian annoyance at Russian hints of
a delay to the construction of the country's first nuclear power
station.
However, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said later
Wednesday that he will visit Russia in a day or two, describing
Russia's position on the proposed sanctions as ``logical and
principled.'' He did not say with whom he would hold talks in
Moscow.
In a speech to supporters in northern Iran, meanwhile, supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remained defiant, saying his
country would continue to acquire nuclear technology.
``The Americans open their mouth and close their eyes and say
whatever they want, such as 'the world opposes enrichment,'''
Khamenei said, referring to Iran's enrichment of uranium, which
the United Nations has said must cease.
``In a glorious way, the Iranian nation - with awareness, an
informed generation and reason - has challenged Western
fabrications and will go ahead strongly,'' Khamenei added in his
address to thousands in Semnan, 155 miles east of Tehran.
Experts say Moscow could be using its $1 billion contract to
build the plant in the southern city of Bushehr as a lever of
pressure on Tehran.
``Russia is not ready to support fully-fledged sanctions against
Iran but it is looking for ways to persuade the Iranians to be
more transparent in their nuclear research activities,'' said
Anton Khlopkov, deputy director of the Moscow-based PIR Center,
which specializes in nonproliferation.
Russia, which along with China has veto power as a permanent
member of the U.N. Security Council, has been the main obstacle
to efforts by Western nations to punish Iran for its refusal to
halt sensitive uranium enrichment activity.
Moscow has crossed out large sections of a U.S.-backed U.N.
Security Council draft resolution proposing broad sanctions on
Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, according to a document
obtained by The Associated Press.
Russia's changes would weaken demands that Tehran stop working
on a separate reactor that can produce plutonium and that Iran
allow tougher U.N. inspections of its nuclear program. They also
would delete any reference to Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, said
U.N. diplomats in Vienna, Austria, who demanded anonymity
because the Russian amendments had not been officially
announced.
The announcement that Mottaki's trip was postponed came after a
senior Russian nuclear official said Wednesday that Russia would
shortly review the timetable for completing construction of
Bushehr, which already has been repeatedly delayed.
Sergei Shmatko, head of Russian state company Atomstroiexport,
which is in charge of the project, said that work so far was on
schedule.
He added, however, that an assessment of the targets for Bushehr
to be conducted later this month ``will determine the final
timetable for its launch,'' according to the ITAR-Tass news
agency.
In September, Russia agreed to ship fuel to Bushehr by March
2007 and launch the facility in September. Fuel from the plant
potentially could be diverted and used to produce bombs. Iran
claims its nuclear program is peaceful.
But on Tuesday an unidentified Russian nuclear industry official
was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies that Russia could
postpone the timetable if Iran fails to meet commitments that
were not specified. According to ITAR-Tass, the official said
one of the problems is that Iran has not adhered to a payment
schedule.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
10 North Korea says Japan not welcome at nuclear talks
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 23:04:26 -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-VERY
Reuters India
North Korea says Japan not welcome at nuclear talks
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyI
=2006-11-04T094510Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-274928-2.xml
Sat Nov 4, 2006
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday that Japan should not
bother to attend six-country talks on ending its nuclear weapons
programme because it was just a territory of the United States.
Pyongyang agreed on Tuesday to return to the talks involving the two
Koreas, Japan, China, Russia and the United States after staying away
for a year in protest over a U.S. crackdown on its international
finances. Talks are expected to resume in the next month.
"It would be much better for Japan to refrain from participating in the
six-party talks and less attendants would be not bad for making the
talks fruitful," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as
saying by KCNA news agency.
"It is the view of the DPRK that since the U.S. attends the six-party
talks, there is no need for Japan to participate in them as a local
delegate because it is no more than a state of the U.S. and it is enough
for Tokyo just to be informed of the results of the talks by
Washington."
North Korea has feuded with Japan over the abduction of at least 13
Japanese citizens in the 1970s and the 1980s, and criticised Japan for
raising the issue at the six-way talks.
Tokyo has been active in implementing U.N. sanctions after the North
launched ballistic missiles in July and in moving to apply additional
U.N. measures after Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test on Oct.
9.
The escalation of tension, including speculation that the North may be
preparing for a second nuclear test, relented when envoys from North
Korea, the United States and China met secretly in Beijing on Oct. 31
and agreed to restart the talks.
Pyongyang's number two official said on Friday Washington was being
given a face-saving offer from his government when the North agreed to
return to the talks and that it was now the United States' turn to show
good faith by working together on lifting the financial crackdown.
"The result of the six-party talks depends on the attitude of the U.S.,"
the president of the North's assembly, Kim Yong-nam, was quoted as
saying by South Korea's leftist Democratic Labour Party, whose
delegation is visiting Pyongyang.
Washington has so far "used the six-way talks as a campaign tactic"
instead of working to resolve the conflict between the two countries,
Kim was quoted as saying.
Washington has said it had not induced the North with a change in its
position, but South Korea and China have urged the United States to show
"flexibility".
Analysts have said North Korea will push hard at the talks to gain some
ground on the U.S. financial crackdown and also resist Japan's attempt
to take up the abductee issue.
The moves will potentially drive wedges among the other five parties as
North Korea tries to gain a upper hand in negotiations, they said. South
Korea and China have expressed concern about Japan's insistence on
discussing the abductee issue at the six-way talks.
) Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
11 Korea Herald: [NEWS ANALYSIS] President ready to compromise
President Roh Moo-hyun's concession to reshuffle his Cabinet on
parliamentary demands is cited as an indication that he is ready
to compromise in the run-up to next year's presidential
election.
Cheong Wa Dae yesterday said the president is open to assembling
a new Cabinet on condition that lawmakers abandon partisan
activities and help normalize Assembly operations.
More than 200 policy bills have stalled in the National
Assembly on account of party feuding, according to the
presidential office.
The president received a barrage of criticism from all parties -
including his own - following his latest appointments of close
associates to the Cabinet's security and diplomatic teams.
Observers believe the president's willingness to compromise
reflects an urgent need to increase Uri Party ratings at the
presidential elections slated for December 2007.
Roh also appears to be considering the prospect of a merger with
the minor opposition Democratic Party on Uri requests.
Roh initially shunned the idea, but now appears to be
reconsidering as a growing number of Uri lawmakers are openly
talking about leaving Roh out of the picture in the next race.
DP founder and former President Kim Dae-jung retains political
influence over the country's southwest, where Uri has a
relatively weak presence.
Observers say the Kim Dae-jung factor may help tip the scales
in Uri's favor at next year's presidential elections.
On Tuesday, Roh visited the southwestern city of Gwangju - Kim's
hometown - to attend a regional exhibition.
A day after Roh's visit, Kim flew to Roh's hometown of Busan to
deliver a speech at an international logistics and
transportation exhibition.
The two trips, although said by the presidential office to be
coincidental, occurred less than a week after Roh visited Kim's
private residence.
"Visits by former and incumbent presidents to each others'
hometowns are rare in nature and leave little room for doubt as
to what they indicate. Obviously the two are scheming to extend
the governing party's power," the majority opposition Grand
National Party said in a briefing yesterday.
The GNP had been counting on continued discord between Uri and
the DP. Deeply rooted in Gyeongsang Province, the southeast part
of the country, the right-wing party is struggling for votes in
the opposite southwest.
For Uri, joining with the DP is appealing, particularly for the
lawmakers who originated from the DP. As Kim Dae-jung's protege,
Roh was once a part of the DP before he defected in 2003 to form
the Uri Party.
Roh's engagement policy toward North Korea is viewed as a
replica of Kim's Sunshine Policy.
Both policies have come under fire following Pyongyang's Oct. 9
nuclear test.
Other presidential hopefuls were visibly displeased at the
prospect of a possible alliance between the two parties.
Former Prime Minister Goh Kun on Wednesday strongly criticized
the Sunshine Policy in a shot aimed at the former president. Goh
is expected to align with other parties but has yet to make his
choice.
(jemmei@heraldm.com)
By Kim Ji-hyun
2006.11.10
*****************************************************************
12 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL] Change in Korea policy
Nothing better illustrates the impact of the U.S. congressional
elections on the Bush administration than Donald Rumsfeld's
resignation as U.S. defense secretary. President George W. Bush
announced the departure of his trusted defense chief within
hours of the Democratic victory.
Rumsfeld's replacement by Robert Gates signals a change in
Bush's policy on the Iraq war. It is a conflict with which an
increasing number of U.S. voters have become dissatisfied, as
evidenced by the election outcome. But of greater concern to
Seoul, and Pyongyang for that matter, is whether or not Bush
will stay the course in his policy on North Korea.
Democratic control of the House and the Senate should not send
the wrong signal to North Korea. True, some Democratic leaders
have in the past called for direct dialogue with Pyongyang on
its nuclear weapons program. Under pressure from the Democratic
Party, the Bush administration may choose to engage more
actively in bilateral dialogue.
But there is no difference between the Republican and
Democratic Parties in their demand that North Korea's nuclear
weapons program be dismantled and that the Korean Peninsula be
permanently denuclearized. North Korea should be reminded, if
its memory is short, that it was the Clinton administration that
once seriously considered a preemptive strike against North
Korean nuclear facilities.
Moreover, it would be unrealistic to expect anything like the
1994 Agreed Framework, under which the United States agreed to
provide North Korea with, among other things, two light-water
nuclear reactors in return for scrapping its nuclear program.
There will be little change, if any, in the basic U.S. policy
now that North Korea has already detonated a nuclear device.
Another issue of great concern to the South Koreans is what
impact the Democratic Party's electoral triumph will have on the
current negotiations on a free trade agreement. It is difficult
to envision a congressional veto against an agreement once it is
concluded, but it is safe to assume that the U.S. negotiators
will try to accommodate Democratic demands in negotiations with
their South Korean counterparts.
Nonetheless, the South Korean government will have to try to
conclude negotiations before the deadline because it will be
more difficult for the Bush administration to extend the trade
promotion authority, should it so wish, when it expires next
June.
2006.11.10
*****************************************************************
13 Korea Times: Chong Wa Dae Denies Inter-Korean Summit
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
The government is currently not pushing for an inter- Korean
summit, the presidential office said Thursday, in response to a
media report indicating secret contacts to this effect.
¡°There is no push for a summit with North Korea,¡±
presidential spokesman Yoon Taeyoung said in a press briefing.
The report from the Seoulbased Internet media OhmyNews said
that envoys of Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il have held
rounds of secret contacts in Beijing since the North¡¯s nuclear
test on Oct. 9 to discuss a Roh-Kim summit and the resumption of
the six-party talks on the Stalinist state¡¯s nuclear program.
11-09-2006 22:05
*****************************************************************
14 AFP: Japanese media urge US to stay the course on NKorea
Wed Nov 8, 9:25 PM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's leading newspapers have urged the United
States to remain committed to ending the North Korean nuclear
crisis, after the Republicans suffered a major defeat in US
mid-term elections.
"What is extremely important for Japan is how the United States
will deal with the North Korean issue," Japan's most widely-read
newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, said in its editorial.
"If Washington devotes all its attention to the Iraq" />
Iraqproblem and loses interest in the North Korea" /> North
Koreaissue, there is a fear that Pyongyang will take advantage
of such a situation and accelerate its nuclear development
program."
"Without active US involvement in the talks, they will not have
a successful outcome," the daily said, referring to six-party
negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.
Japan and the United States led by President George W. Bush" />
President George W. Bushhave championed a hard line on North
Korea.
The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper called for Washington to pursue
multilateral talks with Pyongyang rather than seek one-on-one
negotiations with the communist state.
"Democrats may raise the voice to call for negotiating with
North Korea bilaterally, but the United States, Japan, China,
South Korea" /> South Koreaand Russia should cooperate to solve
the problem at the six-way talks," it said.
The Sankei Shimbun, the most conservative of the nation's top
newspapers, said: "The defeat of the Republican party led by
President Bush" /> President Bush, who has taken hard-line
policies on the war on terrorism, Iran" /> Iranand North Korea,
must not send a wrong signal to terrorists, Iran and the North."
The liberal Asahi Shimbun daily welcomed a possible change in US
policy on Iraq in a "more realistic direction".
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
15 Gov Exec: Report shows little progress reducing case backlog at OSC
(11/9/06)
By Jenny Mandel
jmandel@govexec.com
A federal agency that handles complaints of improper personnel
actions made little headway in reducing its case backlog, despite
an intensive year-long attempt to do so, according to a report
released Tuesday.
Published more than a year after the reporting period, the
Office of Special Counsel's fiscal 2005 annual report touted a
major effort to reduce a backlog in employee complaints of
prohibited personnel practices. The report attributed poor
results in the timeliness of resolved cases -- the agency
processed 68 percent of its cases quickly in 2005, down from 86
percent of cases the previous year -- to the inclusion of older
cases from the backlog.
But after starting 2005 with an inventory of 524 cases to
resolve, OSC finished the year with almost as many -- 521 cases
-- to be passed along.
The agency's rate of obtaining results favorable to the
complainant on personnel-related cases fell to 2.5 percent in
fiscal 2005, from 3.8 percent in fiscal 2004 and 6.6 percent in
fiscal 2003. Officials said the drop stemmed from the resolution
of older cases that had been neglected because they were not
strong, and said they expect fiscal 2006 numbers to show an
increase in favorable actions.
OSC also processed and closed 473 whistleblower disclosures --
cases in which employees flagged wasteful, unlawful, abusive or
dangerous practices by the government -- in fiscal 2005. Of
those, it found that 19, or 4 percent, had plausible merit and
referred them to the agencies concerned for further
investigation. In fiscal 2004, OSC looked at 1,154 complaints
and referred 18 of them, for a 1.6 percent rate.
Whistleblower advocacy groups contended that the one-year
increase in percentage referred was misleading, because the rate
has fallen from more than 6 percent in 2002.
The OSC process of screening whistleblower complaints for their
plausibility, then referring them to the appropriate agency for
investigation and assessing whether that investigation was
adequate, allows the office leeway in how aggressively to pursue
cases. Adam Miles, legislative representative with the
Government Accountability Project, said that under Special
Counsel Scott Bloch, OSC is "not holding agencies' feet to the
fire like they did when [his predecessor] Elaine Kaplan was
there."
The annual report also showed a significant drop in the use of
mediation to resolve employee disputes. It referenced a change
in "operating philosophy" under which fewer cases are considered
for mediation, and a drop in the percentage of complainants who
accept mediation when offered. That fell from 68 percent in
fiscal 2004 to 27 percent in fiscal 2005. The report did not
offer an explanation for the lower acceptance rate.
Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility, said the mediation office lost its
only highly trained mediator in 2005 when she turned down a
directed reassignment to Detroit. He cited her loss as one
symptom of OSC's failure to represent the interests of federal
employees.
A group of anonymous OSC employees, as well as PEER, GAP and the
Project on Government Oversight, have filed a complaint against
Bloch alleging numerous prohibited personnel practices including
discrimination, retaliation and political bias. Bloch denied all
the charges, and the matter was referred to Office of Personnel
Management Inspector General Patrick McFarland for
investigation, to avoid OSC investigating itself.
An OSC spokesman did not respond to questions on the report.
In May 2005, the House Committee on Government Reform reviewed
allegations that OSC was too quick to dismiss cases from its
backlog. After visiting the office and examining case files,
Republican committee leaders congratulated Bloch in a letter on
the conclusion of the assessment. "At the end of this period of
review, one previously critical Senate staffer informed us 'we
have satisfied ourselves that they did not throw any folders
into the Potomac,'" the letter stated.
©2006 by National Journal Group Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
16 UPI: Groups publish map of U.S. nuke locations
United Press International - Security &Terrorism -
11/9/2006 12:06:00 PM -0500
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Two monitoring groups Thursday
released an online satellite map listing the location of nearly
10,000 U.S. nuclear weapons around the world.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Federation of
American Scientists said in a statement Thursday that they had
published on the Internet an interactive three-dimensional map
using Google Earth photographic satellite technology. They said
their map included the locations of the almost 10,000 nuclear
warheads still in the U.S. strategic arsenal, 15 years after the
end of the Cold War.
"The satellite map offers a fresh accounting of the extensive
U.S. nuclear inventory, and its dynamic graphics let site users
"fly" onscreen across a sprawling network of military facilities
in 12 states and in Europe," the NRDC and the FAS said.
The two groups said they had derived the information they used
to construct the map from an article in the November/December
issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists written by NRDC
analyst Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, director of
FAS's Nuclear Information Project. They said the satellite map
was programmed by Matthew McKinzie, an NRDC nuclear physicist.
"Fifteen years after the end of the Cold War, there are still
thousands of nuclear weapons at military bases stretching from
Georgia's Atlantic Coast to Washington's Puget Sound," said
Norris, who has been tracking nuclear weapons for more than 25
years. "The stockpile is down considerably from its peak, but it
is still too large."
The FAS and the NRDC said in their statement that they used no
classified or secret information to compile their map. "The
researchers emphasize that none of the locations is secret. All
have been known for years to house nuclear weapons and are
highly secure military facilities that do not pose a direct
security risk to surrounding communities," they said..
© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
17 Old Congress Could Decide on Nuclear Deal with India - FCNL
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 14:06:04 -0600 (CST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY
This week the people voted to send a new Congress to Washington,
changing the balance of power and electing new leadership in the House.
But before that new Congress takes office in January, the old Congress
will reconvene here in Washington next week for a "lame duck"
session.
We need your help to ensure that when members of Congress come back to
Washington next week they don't use this short session to undermine
nuclear non-proliferation efforts. In particular, FCNL lobbyists have
learned that the Senate may try to approve the president's dangerous
U.S.-India nuclear deal. Read more about the deal at:
www.fcnl.org/nuclear
Senators from both major political parties support the nuclear deal
with India, but FCNL is urging Congress to amend the deal to ensure
that it does not undermine global non-proliferation efforts or allow
India to produce more nuclear bombs. Several senators are planning to
offer amendments to the U.S.- India nuclear deal (S. 3709) that would
ensure that it does not undermine the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) and require that India stop production of bomb-making materials.
*Take Action: Help Keep the World Safer from Nuclear Weapons
Urge your senators to support nonproliferation amendments to the
U.S.-India nuclear deal (S. 3709) that would keep India from producing
more nuclear weapons. You can use FCNL's website to write a letter:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=9131421&type=CO
*Mark your calendars: Next Tuesday, November 14th, FCNL is joining with
other peace groups for a national call-in day to amend the U.S. --
India nuclear deal. Use FCNL's online congressional directory or call
the Capitol Hill switchboard at 1-202-224-3121, ask for your senators
by name, and urge them to amend the U.S.-India nuclear deal to keep
India from producing more bombs.
Access the online congressional directory at:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/
*Background
In June 2005, President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
signed a nuclear agreement that set the groundwork for the sharing of
nuclear technology and fuel with India. By providing India with nuclear
fuel under the agreement, the U.S. would free India's domestic uranium
deposits for use in production of more nuclear weapons. India is a
known nuclear weapons state that conducted nuclear testing most
recently in 1998, and has not signed the NPT, a treaty controlling the
spread of nuclear weapons and signed by 187 countries.
Before the deal can be approved, Congress must amend the Atomic Energy
Act to allow the U.S. to enable nuclear cooperation with India without
requiring India to sign the NPT or give up production of nuclear bomb
making materials. The House has already passed legislation allowing the
deal to proceed while the companion bill in the Senate has not received
a vote on the floor.
The leadership in the Senate of both parties has publicly stated that
it is their priority to bring up the bill in the upcoming lame duck
session.
Read more at: www.fcnl.org/nuclear
See a timeline of the deal:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1946&issue_id=2
Find out what others are saying about the deal:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1848&issue_id=54
Read an article from FCNL staff on the U.S. -- India Nuclear Deal
entitled "Loose Nukes for India" (TomPaine.com) at:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/04/05/loose_nukes_for_india.php
_______________________________________
The Next Step for Iraq: Join FCNL's Iraq Campaign, http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/
Contact Congress and the Administration:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/
Order FCNL publications and "War is Not the Answer" campaign
bumper stickers and yard signs:
http://www.fcnl.org/pubs/
http://www.fcnl.org/forms/forms.php?type=bump
Contribute to FCNL:
http://www.fcnl.org/donate/
Subscribe or update your information to this list:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/mlm/. To unsubscribe from this list, please see
the end of this message.
Subscribe to other FCNL legislative, policy, and action alert lists:
http://www.fcnl.org/forms/forms.php?type=ls.
________________________________________
Friends Committee on National Legislation
245 Second St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
fcnl@fcnl.org * http://www.fcnl.org
phone: (202)547-6000 * toll-free: (800)630-1330
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
We seek a society with equity and justice for all
We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled
We seek an earth restored.
---
If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please visit
http://capwiz.com/fconl/lmx/u/?jobid=76092499&queueid=949591611.
*****************************************************************
18 ITAR-TASS: Agreements signed at Russia-China intergovernmental meeting
09.11.2006, 15.41
BEIJING, November 9 (Itar-Tass) - More than 10 documents were
been signed after the 11th intergovernmental Russian-Chinese
meeting.
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Jaoxing and Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Alexander Saltanov signed an agreement on the regime of
the Russian-Chinese border.
Russian Minister of Economic Development and Trade German Gref
and Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai signed an agreement on
encouragement and mutual protection of investment.
Other signed documents are a protocol on exchange of letters of
ratification of an agreement on extradition of convicts and a
memorandum on the finalisation of a Russian-Chinese trade and
economic cooperation programme.
The sides also adopted a plan of measures of the Russian
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Chinese
Ministry of Commerce to stimulate bilateral trade in machine
building products in 2007-08.
The Russian Federal Agency of Atomic Energy and the Chinese
Committee on Defence Science, Technology and Defence Industry
signed an accord on development of middle-term cooperation in
the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
An accord was signed on the State Development Bank of China’s
500 million dollar credit line to Russia’s Vneshtorgbank for
funding Russian-Chinese projects in the aircraft-making sector.
Russian and Chinese educations ministry signed an agreement on
cooperation in education.
An agreement was signed on cooperation in investment development
between the Sakhalin regional administration, Vneshtorgbank and
the State Development Bank of China.
The Central Bank of Russia and the People’s Bank of China signed
a protocol on a broader geography in China of banks with the
right for use of settlements in national currencies in
Russian-Chinese border trade.
RAO UES Rossii and the State Electric Grid Corporation of China
signed a contract for electric energy purchase and sale.
An accord was signed on cooperation in financial insurance in
the project Baltic Pearl (St. Petersburg), as well as an
agreement on strategic cooperation between Rosneft and the
Chinese petrochemical corporation Sinopec.
Copyright © ITAR-TASS all rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
19 Guardian Unlimited: France Test-Fires Unarmed Nuclear Weapon
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday November 9, 2006 7:16 PM
PARIS (AP) - France successfully shot its new M51
submarine-launched ballistic missile over the Atlantic on
Thursday in its first experimental test flight, the Defense
Ministry said.
The missile carried no nuclear weapon for the test flight, which
was closely monitored by specialists at a test center in
Biscarosse, in southwest France, as well as by the Monge
missile-tracking ship, ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau
said.
The M51 is designed to replace the M45 submarine-launched
ballistic missile, or SLBM.
The M51 can carry six TN-75 thermonuclear warheads and has a
range of up to 6,000 miles.
Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie ``expressed her great
satisfaction'' at the success of the test, her ministry said.
Alliot-Marie insisted on the ``need to conduct tests to verify
the performance of future missiles of the strategic ocean
forces, and attain an important stage in the adaptation and
modernization of our dissuasive force.''
Greenpeace activist Xavier Renou called the test a violation of
France's commitments to nonproliferation and a provocation to
the international community.
Bureau insisted the test conformed to all of France's
international commitments, including the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty.
The missile is made by EADS Space Transportation in a $3.8
billion project.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
20 NYTimes: Agency Considers A-Plants' Vulnerability
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:35:23 -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
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/us/09nuke.html
[ Click On URL for Hyperlinks]
CRAC-2 Report Mandated By Same NRC [Industry Stooge, Public Enemy] &
Carried Out By Nuclear
Intoxicated Sandia Labs: http://www.mothersalert.org/crac.html
Agency Considers A-Plants' Vulnerability
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 9, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 - With construction of many new nuclear reactors under
discussion, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is grappling with the
question of whether they should be designed to withstand a Sept. 11-style
airplane attack.
The commission has told its staff to study the vulnerabilities of the four
new reactor designs,
two of which it has already approved. But it has decided not to make the
nuclear power industry
meet security requirements any tougher than those for existing plants,
which were designed before
suicide airliner attacks, and even before the development of such airplanes.
Planes are not on the list of weapons that reactors must be prepared to
survive. One of the
five commissioners, Gregory B. Jaczko, has called for the panel to require
design changes to reduce
vulnerability, but the other four seem unpersuaded.
Speaking about protection against aircraft attacks, Mr. Jaczko said in an
interview, "We've
left it in the hands of Transportation Security Administration, the Federal
Aviation
Administration and the reactor vendors, who are building these plants, to
do what they think is
right in this area, and to me that's clearly not the answer."
"We should be requiring they design these plants to withstand such
attacks," he said.
One of one of the four new reactor designs, called the European Pressurized
Reactor, is advertised as
being less vulnerable to planes.
The commission has required that operators of reactors that are already
producing electricity
plan what steps they would take in case of airplane attacks to mitigate the
effect and
minimize releases of radiation. Mr. Jaczko said that improving the new
designs before concrete was
poured could sharply reduce the number of "mitigating actions" the
operators would have to
take a plane attack.
But another member of the commission, Edward McGaffigan Jr., said, "We
think we've done
enough."
In analyzing security, nuclear engineers talk about multiple components
that an attacker would
have to reach and disable, which they call "target sets." New reactors, Mr.
McGaffigan said, have "a
terribly complex set of target sets that makes it highly improbable that a
terrorist would succeed."
The commission should not make companies that want licenses to build and
operate plants treat an
airplane attack the way they would treat an earthquake, flood or other
external threat for
which they are already designed, he said.
A senior staff member of the commission said: "We want to be able to stand
up to answer the logical
question: 'Guys, did you look at the aircraft?' We want to be able to say
yes, and we're confident
that there is no issue, or if there is an issue, we've taken appropriate
measures."
The staff member said the commission was stopping short of setting new
requirements. He said he
could not be identified because he was talking about matters that the five
commissioners had not
yet settled on.
At the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's trade association, Adrian
Heymer, senior director
for new plant deployment, said designers had analyzed existing plants and
made many changes
that cost little but made the new designs more difficult to attack. But, in
general, Mr. Heymer
said, protecting against terrorism was a government function.
"Refineries, tall buildings, those are the responsibility of federal
government to protect,"
he said.
The commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday at its headquarters in
Rockville, Md., to discuss
licensing procedures for new reactors.
At the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group, David Lochbaum, a
nuclear engineer, said
that in the early 1980s the commission had convened outside experts to talk
about hardening
new reactors against plane crashes.
Industry experts, Mr. Lochbaum said, talked about some simple steps. For
example, backup electricity generators could be positioned on two sides of
the plant instead of in one place. Control rooms could be put in less
vulnerable spots, and the pools that hold radioactive spent fuel could be
hardened. The studies were classified after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
he said.
Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, a critic of the
nuclear power
industry and the commission, says more should be done. In a statement, Mr.
Markey said the
commission should not only require design features to protect against
airplane attacks but should
also consider attacks by large truck bombs.
The commission has required substantial changes at existing reactors but
has been reluctant to
consider the threat of terrorism in the same way it handles other risks.
For example, it has
refused to consider the risk of terrorism in environmental impact
statements, arguing that in
contrast to earthquakes or mechanical failures, it does not know what
probability to apply to
attacks.
A California group, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, won a decision in
the United States Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit saying the regulatory commission must
consider terrorism.
Pacific Gas & Electric, a California utility, has asked the Supreme Court
to hear the case.
*****************************************************************
21 [NYTr] China Makes Nuke Deal w/Egypt, US Doesn't Bat an Eye
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 13:18:57 -0500 (EST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: olm.blythe-systems.com
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
[Like Iran, and unlike India and Israel, Egypt is a signatory to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It's fine for Egypt,mIsrael and India
to have nukes, but not Iran, according to the USA. -NYTr]
AFP via Yahoo - Nov 8, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061108/wl_asia_afp/chinaegyptdiplomacy_061108152450
China, Egypt reach nuclear energy agreement
BEIJING (AFP) - China and Egypt agreed to co-operate on the peaceful use of
nuclear energy, state media said, in a development that could rile the
United States, a traditional Cairo ally.
The agreement was announced in a joint communique following talks in Beijing
Tuesday between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Chinese counterpart
Hu Jintao, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
"Egypt is not going to produce nuclear weapons," said He Wenping, an expert
on Africa relations at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
the top government think tank.
"It won't affect the international community, because Egypt will use the
nuclear energy peacefully," she told AFP.
No details were immediately available on how the two nations planned to
co-operate, according to Xinhua.
The agreement comes at a time when both have announced plans to step up
their nuclear energy capacity.
China has an ambitious plan to increase its combined nuclear power capacity
to 40,000 megawatts by 2020, a plan that will require about two 1,000
megawatt nuclear power plants to be built annually for the next 15 years.
Egypt, meanwhile, is reviving its nuclear program two decades after it was
frozen, following an accident at the Chernobyl power plant in what was then
the Soviet Union.
According to reports, Egypt is now looking to build at least one nuclear
power station within 10 years.
He said Egypt is in fact pursuing two separate purposes.
Although it is an exporter of oil, it wants to seek solutions to longer-term
worries about energy security, but just as important, it also hopes to learn
technological know-how from the Chinese, He said.
When Mubarak visited Russia last week, his Moscow hosts also signaled a
willingness to cooperate with Egypt on nuclear energy.
"Egypt has made a decision to transfer to nuclear energy and build four
stations," said Boris Alyoshin, head of Russia's federal industry agency.
"It is beyond doubt that we will take part in the tender and I think we have
good chances of winning," Alyoshin said.
It is not the first time nuclear cooperation has been on the trilateral
agenda between Cairo, Moscow and Beijing.
In the 1960s, Egypt sought technical assistance from China and the former
Soviet Union as it attempted to develop a nuclear program to match research
by arch rival Israel. However, both Beijing and Moscow turned down the
request.
In a shift of strategy, Cairo became a signatory of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty in 1968 and now officially supports the elimination of nuclear
weapons in the region.
It has sought to reassure the international community by insisting it would
not import enriched uranium, amid the tense climate generated by the
standoff with Iran and North Korea's October 9 nuclear test.
Nonetheless, analysts said a nuclear alliance between Egypt and China -- and
possibly including Russia -- risked affronting Washington, Egypt's major
ally.
"Egyptians know that this step can irritate the United States, but they
don't want to be under the influence of the Americans on this issue," Emad
Gad, of the Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies, told AFP earlier.
Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*
================================================================
.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
================================================================
*****************************************************************
22 NRC: NRC Renews Operating License for Monticello Nuclear Power Plant for an Additional 20 Years
News Release - 2006-14
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs
Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: No.
06-141 November 8, 2006
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating
license of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Minnesota
for an additional 20 years.
The Monticello plant is located 30 miles northwest of
Minneapolis. The licensee, Nuclear Management Co., submitted its
license renewal application March 16, 2005. With the renewal,
the license is extended until Sept. 8, 2030.
The NRCs environmental review for this license renewal is
described in a site-specific supplement to the NRCs Generic
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Power Plants (NUREG-1437, Supplement 26), issued in September.
The review concluded there were no environmental impacts that
would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons.
Public meetings to discuss the environmental review were held
near the plant June 30, 2005, and March 22, 2006.
After carefully reviewing the plants safety systems and
specifications, the staff concluded that there were no safety
concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the
licensee had demonstrated effectively the capability to manage
the effects of plant aging. The Safety Evaluation Report Related
to the License Renewal of the Monticello Nuclear Generating
Plant (NUREG-1865) was published in October. In addition, NRC
conducted inspections of the plant to verify information
submitted by the licensee. The reports relating to the
Monticello renewal are available on the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applicati
ons/monticello.html.
On Sept. 19, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards - an
independent body of technical experts which advises the
Commission - issued its recommendation that the operating
license for Monticello be renewed. That recommendation is
contained in Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal
Application for the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. This
document is available on the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/letters/2006/.
The Monticello renewal brings the total number of renewals to
47 reactor units. A complete listing of renewal applications can
be found on the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NRC news releases are available through a free list serve
subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC
homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail
notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are
posted to NRC's Web site.
Last revised Thursday, November 09, 2006
*****************************************************************
23 AFP: Congress may clear US-Indian nuclear deal despite Republican poll setback -
November 9, 04:19 PM
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A key US-India nuclear deal could be cleared
by US Congress before year's end despite the drubbing of
President George W. Bush's Republican party in mid-term
legislative elections.
Bush and Harry Reid, the Senate leader of the Democratic party,
agreed Wednesday to give the accord top priority during a brief
Congress session next week before it adjourns for the year.
A failure to pass the deal in 2006 would mean that the newly
seated Congress next year will have to start from scratch in
considering the accord, which aims to lift a three-decade US ban
on supply of nuclear fuel and equipment to energy-hungry India.
Bush, speaking at a White House news conference after Democrats
won control of the House of Representatives and came close to
taking over the Senate, said that he wanted the nuclear pact and
a deal granting Vietnam normal trading status to be cleared
during the "lame duck" session.
"I'm trying to get the Indian deal done, the Vietnam deal done,
and the budgets done," he said.
Bush is anxious to get the bill granting "permanent normal trade
relations" (PNTR) status to Vietnam passed before he visits
Hanoi for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on
November 18-19.
Reid said, "I think it is important we do something with the
Indian nuclear agreement.
"India is the largest democracy in the world. We want to work
with them, and it is important we move along the lines," he
said, indicating the Democrats would not impose any major
roadblocks to the deal.
The agreement, clinched during Bush's March visit to India as
the centerpiece of a bilateral strategic relationship, is a
controversial component of the Republican administration's
foreign policy.
Under the proposal, India, a non signatory of the nuclear Non
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), would be allowed access to
long-denied civilian nuclear technology in return for placing
its atomic reactors under international safeguards.
As Congress has to amend the US Atomic Energy Act, which
currently prohibits nuclear sales to non NPT signatories, some
legislators want to first study the international safeguards
being negotiated between India and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear watchdog.
The safeguards would be incorporated together with other key
technical details in another bilateral agreement, which the
lawmakers also wanted to study before endorsing the deal.
American weapons experts also have warned that forging a
civilian nuclear agreement with non-NPT member India would not
only make it harder to enforce rules against nuclear renegades
Iran and North Korea, but also set a dangerous precedent to
other countries with nuclear ambitions.
The US House of Representatives gave its thumbs-up to the deal
in July but a vote had been delayed in the Senate ahead of
Tuesday's legislative elections.
Backers of the deal were worried there would be little time left
for the accord to be considered by the Senate, which has to
grapple with nearly a dozen unfinished spending bills.
While Reid agreed with Bush that the Indian nuclear agreement
had to be given priority, he was silent about the trade deal
with Vietnam.
Legislation to grant Vietnam PNTR status has been held up in the
US Congress for months. In its absence, US businesses will not
benefit from the full terms of the country's WTO liberalisation.
Some analysts had said that the Democratic election victory
could leave Vietnam's trading status more firmly on the back
burner due to human rights and protectionism concerns.
Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
24 HindustanTimes.com: N-deal made easier for India
Neelesh Misra and Nilova Roy Chaudhury
New Delhi, November 9
At Delhis insistence, Washington agrees to drop no-detonation
clause
INDIA AND the United States have reached a breakthrough in talks
over the landmark nuclear deal, and the agreement being prepared
will not bar New Delhi from detonating nuclear devices, a senior
official has told the Hindustan Times.
The progress on the bilateral pact also called the "123
agreement" was reported ahead of the US Senate's expected vote
next week on a crucial bill that seeks to reverse US law to
allow Washington to make that deal with India.
The process of seeking legislative approval for the deal a top
priority for US President George W. Bush is running alongside
the hard-nosed quibbling between India and the US over the
actual terms of the agreement.
The US House of Representatives the other House of the US
Congress, or parliament overwhelmingly approved the bill in
July to let Washington supply nuclear fuel to India to meet the
soaring energy demands of its booming economy. In return, India
has promised a separation of its nuclear and civilian facilities.
A senior Indian official with close knowledge of the "123"
negotiations told HT that US officials had accepted India's view
that New Delhi had already imposed on itself a moratorium on
future nuclear testing -- and would not accept the condition in
a bilateral agreement.
This has for months been one of the major sticking points in the
discussions.
"We had said that it would be difficult for us to accept. They
have said that they understand the concerns we have," the
official said.
HT Media Ltd. 2006. India News
*****************************************************************
25 The Hindu: Kakodkar urges hike in use of nuclear energy
Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News :
Thursday, Nov 09, 2006
Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD: Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar has
said that an increase in the share of nuclear energy in the
country's energy mix beyond what is possible based on the
domestic programme, is desirable to minimise stress on global
fuel resources.
Making a presentation on `Future energy basket' at the third
international seminar and exhibition on `Exploration
geophysics,' on Wednesday he said this was also desirable from
local, regional and global environmental considerations.
Stating that there was a strong correlation between per capita
GDP and per capita electricity consumption, he said a 10-fold
growth in electricity generation capacity was necessary over the
next 50 years.
Earlier inaugurating the seminar organised by the Association of
Exploration of Geophysicists (AEG) Reliance Industries Ltd. CMD
Mukesh Ambani said no oil and gas company could afford to sit
smug. "Insatiable demand for energy, new pricing considerations
and socio-political activism has changed industry dynamics."
V.K. Sibal, DG, Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons, said
mineral exploration required a paradigm shift in the country, as
only 18 per cent was explored. R should drive the business
rather than vice-versa.
He gave away AEG awards to Ravi Bastia, RIL vice-president
(exploration), and Mike Watts of Cairn Energy. Mr. Watts said
the potential in Rajasthan oilfields was three times that of
Tapti and Ravva oilfields.
R.S. Sharma, CMD of ONGC, inaugurated the exhibition and
presented the ONGC-AEG awards to Sandeep Gupta and S. Srilakshmi
of NGRI. Y.Sreedhar Murthy, AEG secretary, welcomed.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
*****************************************************************
26 washingtonpost.com: State to Decide on Feasibility of Reactors -
Proposed Site Near Lake Anna in Louisa County Spurs
Environmental Concerns
Associated Press
Thursday, November 9, 2006; Page VA05
RICHMOND -- State environmental officials are scheduled to decide
next Thursday whether Dominion Virginia Power's plans for new
nuclear reactors at its North Anna plant are consistent with
coastal-zone protection laws.
A decision was expected recently, but the Department of
Environmental Quality needed more time to study the proposal. The
department must sign off on large construction projects that
require state and federal permits.
Although Louisa County is technically not part of Virginia's
coastal zone, certification is required because Spotsylvania
County borders Lake Anna across from North Anna Nuclear Power
Station.
Dominion contends that any effect on Virginia coastal resources
would be small and would be mitigated through state-mandated
measures to control erosion and sediment.
Friends of Lake Anna, which represents about 2,600 lake area
residents, contends that the DEQ has not fully addressed
questions it and other groups have raised about Dominion's plans
and the state's certification process.
Harry Ruth, a founder of the group, says the department has
ignored requests for information and failed to address key
questions. For instance: how new reactors would affect lake
water levels, temperatures and recreational use.
"We're not anti-nuke. We do not have a not-in-my-backyard
attitude," Ruth said. "We are concerned about the health, safety
and welfare of the current users of this lake and future
generations and are troubled by the state's handling of this
review."
Bill Hayden, spokesman for the agency in Richmond, said the
agency has not decided what its response will be. "We're still
reviewing it," he said.
Richard Zuercher, spokesman for Dominion, said of the company,
"We think we've made a pretty good case that the [application]
meets coastal-zone management certification requirements."
Lake Anna was formed in the early 1970s to cool reactors at the
plant. Since that time, thousands of homes have been built
around the 13,000-acre impoundment in Fredericksburg's back yard.
Dominion is one of four utilities across the country testing a
new permitting process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
that could lead to building the first commercial nuclear
reactors in more than 30 years.
The Virginia company has applied for an early site permit, which
is the first step. That approval would allow Dominion to resolve
environmental, safety and site issues before applying for
permission to build and operate one or more new reactors.
Under the current timetable, the NRC is expected to decide on
the reactor permit late next year.
Copyright 1996- The Washington Post Company
*****************************************************************
27 NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Honors Edward Mcgaffigan for Leadership and Longest Tenure
News Release - 2006-14 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office
of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC
20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 06-142 November 8,
2006
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission honored Commissioner Edward
McGaffigan today at its Rockville, Md., headquarters in a
ceremony recognizing his exemplary public service, leadership
and tenure as the longest serving Commissioner in the agencys
history. McGaffigan was first appointed to his position on
August 28, 1996, and has been reappointed for an unprecedented
two additional five-year terms.
Chairman Dale Klein presented the Distinguished Service Award
before a crowd of NRC colleagues, staff and invited guests.
Commisioners Merrifield, Lyons and Jaczko also made
presentations, and several Congressional leaders sent their
congratulations.
Among other accolades, Klein cited McGaffigan for working
tirelessly to protect the independence of the NRC, help
establish an effective license renewal process, inaugurate the
improved Reactor Oversight Process and increase security at
nuclear facilities. Prior to his first appointment to the
agency, McGaffigan served as a legislative assistant, then
legislative director, and finally senior policy advisor to
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). He had previously served as a
member of the Foreign Service and as a senior policy analyst and
then assistant director in the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy. Earlier in his career, McGaffigan worked on
Japanese science and technology at the RAND Corporation, and on
strategic arms control issues at the Arms Control and
Disarmament Agency. His complete biography is found at:
http://www.nrc.gov/who-we-are/organization/commission/mcgaffigan.
html.
Commissioner McGaffigans leadership and contributions to
protecting public health, safety and the environment are
recognized throughout government, Klein said. His contributions
to the mission of the NRC reflects the highest ideals of public
service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NRC news releases are available through a free list serve
subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC
homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail
notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are
posted to NRC's Web site.
Last revised Thursday, November 09, 2006
*****************************************************************
28 Telugu Portal: Bush vows to push India nuclear deal -
Posted by on 2006/11/9 1:01:10
Washington, Nov 9 (IANS) A day after the collapse of his
Republican majority in the US Congress, President George W. Bush
vowed to push the India-US civilian nuclear deal through the lame
duck session of the outgoing Senate.
"I'm trying to get the Indian deal done, the Vietnam deal done,
and the budgets done," he told a White House press conference
Wednesday where he extended an olive branch to Democrats and
vowed to strike a new tone of bi-partisanship after years of
partisan rancour.
With Democrats having recaptured the House and control of the
Senate hinging on the outcome of an unsettled contest in
Virginia, Bush's remarks raised hopes that fears about the India
bill being put on the backburner in the changed political
landscape of Washington may turn out to be unfounded.
This is so considering that the deal has wide bipartisan support
with the Senate minority leader Harry Reid himself declaring it
as his first priority during the lame duck session. But time
could run out for the deal if Democratic members insist on
pressing various amendments.
Before the poll, Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs and the chief US negotiator of the US-India
nuclear deal, had asserted that bipartisan support for the
civilian nuclear deal would continue regardless of any political
changes.
"I think most members of Congress agree with us that this is a
very important element in our new strategic partnership," he
told the Indian media.
The civilian nuclear deal has been identified as one of the two
top priorities of the administration in the lame duck session of
the Senate, which meets briefly Thursday for introduction of
bills and then reconvenes on Monday to begin its business
session.
Apart from the India deal, the White House is keen the Vietnam
Trade Bill is taken up first so that he can make an announcement
during his state visit to Hanoi for the Nov 18-19 Leaders'
Summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.
Rating: 0.00 (0 votes) - -
© 2006 TeluguPortal.Net | | | | |
*****************************************************************
29 The Hindu: Senate may take up Bill on nuclear deal - Mulford
Friday, Nov 10, 2006
Amit Baruah
NEW DELHI: The United States' Senate may take up a Bill to
facilitate civilian nuclear cooperation with India during its
"lame duck" session next Wednesday or Thursday, U.S. Ambassador
David Mulford said at a press conference here on Thursday.
While pointing out that there was considerable bipartisan
support — from both Republicans and Democrats, for civilian
nuclear cooperation — Mr. Mulford conceded that there was a
great deal of uncertainty on how this legislation would advance
through Congress.
In case the Senate does pass the Bill, then a "conference" of
select Senators and Congressmen from the House of
Representatives (which has already passed its own Bill), would
meet to hammer out a consensus law, which would then be returned
to both Houses for an "up or down" vote.
Only after these tasks would Mr. Bush be in a position to sign
the Bill into law.
For all this to happen, both the Senate, as well as the House of
Representatives, which have just passed into the hands of
Democrats, would have to remain in session.
Mr. Mulford also made it known that the nuclear agreement (which
would also have to be approved by Congress) could be given final
touches only when the American legislation took shape.
According to him, the number of amendments to the Senate version
of the Bill had been whittled down to about half-a-dozen from
the original 20. This, possibly, could facilitate early passage
of the Bill.
Asked why the Americans and Indians had not pushed through the
required changes in law and the separation plan in 2005 (the
framework for civilian nuclear cooperation having been signed in
July that year), Mr. Mulford said the matter had to be discussed
in Parliament and the separation plan was agreed to only in
March.
On the agreement reached between Nepal's Seven Party Alliance
(SPA) and the Maoists in Kathmandu, the Ambassador said the U.S.
was very positive about the accord and supported it.
Mr. Mulford said he was "impressed" by the manner in which India
handled this agreement.
The U.S., he said, would "stand by" and see how the agreement
worked.
Visa fee cut
The Ambassador also announced a 33 per cent reduction ($50) in
the fee for all non-immigrant visas issued for Indian citizens.
According to him, there was no backlog in giving appointments at
U.S. missions for Indians seeking visas.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
*****************************************************************
30 Brattleboro Reformer: VY conducts safety drill
Reformer Staff
Thursday, November 9
BRATTLEBORO -- Officials at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant
conducted a drill all day Wednesday.
The drill is a quarterly requirement of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. This particular drill tested the staff's
ability to respond to a leak in the reactor containment area and
deal with a release of radioactivity from the plant, according
to plant spokesman Rob Williams.
Staff at Vermont Yankee is separated into four "teams" of about
100 employees and each team is tested once a year in an
unannounced emergency scenario.
The drill is evaluated by Entergy, owners of the plant, and the
results are submitted to federal regulators.
The Vermont Emergency Management Agency participated in
Wednesday's drill, but is not evaluating the event, Williams
said. Annually, VEMA leads an exercise with Vermont Yankee
staff, which can also include emergency planning officials from
local towns and other agencies.
In an exercise, participants actually act out scenarios whereas
in a drill, like Wednesday's, they merely walk through it.
The next full scale VEMA exercise is scheduled for October 2007.
*****************************************************************
31 NRC: Notice of Availability of Draft Interim Staff Guidance Document
FR Doc E6-18976
[Federal Register: November 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 217)]
[Notices] [Page 65840] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09no06-134]
HLWRS-ISG-02, ``Preclosure Safety Analysis--Level of Information
and Reliability Estimation''; Extension of Comment Period AGENCY:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Extension of comment period.
SUMMARY: On September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57584), the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) published, for public comment, a
Notice of Availability of Draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG)
document HLWRS-ISG- 02, ``Preclosure Safety Analysis--Level of
Information and Reliability Estimation.'' On October 26, 2006,
the U.S. Department of Energy requested a 30-day extension to the
public comment period for HLWRS- ISG-02, from November 13, 2006,
to December 13, 2006. In response to this request, NRC is
granting a 30-day extension to the public comment period for
HLWRS-ISG-02, to December 13, 2006.
DATES: The comment period has been extended and now expires on
December 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to: Robert Johnson, Senior
Project Manager, Licensing and Inspection Directorate, High-Level
Waste Repository Safety Division of the Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555- 0001. Comments can also be
submitted by telephone, fax, or e-mail, which are as follows:
telephone: (301) 415-6900; fax number: (301) 415- 5399; or
e-mail: rkj@nrc.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Jon Chen,
Project Manager, Licensing and Inspection Directorate Division of
High-Level Waste Repository Safety, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, Telephone: (301) 415- 5526; fax
number: (301) 415-5399; e-mail: jcc2@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville,
Maryland, this 2nd day of November, 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
N. King Stablein, Chief, Project Management Branch B, Division of
High-Level Waste Repository Safety, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E6-18976 Filed 11-8-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
32 NRC: Notice of Issuance of Director's Decision Under 10 CFR 2.206
FR Doc E6-18980
[Federal Register: November 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 217)]
[Notices] [Page 65840] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09no06-133] [[Page 65840]]
Notice is hereby given that the Director, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or
Commission) has issued a Director's Decision with regard to a
Petition dated January 25, 2006, filed pursuant to Section 2.206
of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) by the
Union of Concerned Scientists and numerous other organizations
and individuals, hereinafter referred to as the ``Petitioners.''
The Petition concerns leaks of radioactively contaminated water
into the ground around NRC-licensed facilities.
The Petition requested that the NRC take immediate action to
issue Demands for Information (DFIs) to research, test, and power
reactors to obtain responses to specific questions regarding
leaks or potential leaks of radioactively contaminated water into
the ground.
As the basis for their request, the Petitioners pointed to
radioactive leaks found during the last few years at several
nuclear power plants.
By teleconference on April 5, 2006, the Petitioners discussed the
Petition with the NRC's Petition Review Board. This
teleconference gave the Petitioners an opportunity to provide
additional information and to clarify issues raised in the
Petition.
The NRC staff sent a copy of the proposed Director's Decision to
the Petitioners and to the Nuclear Energy Institute for comment
by letters dated June 28, 2006. The Petitioners submitted
comments by letter dated July 20, 2006, and these comments are
addressed in the final Director's Decision.
The Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation has
determined that the Petitioners' request to obtain information on
groundwater contamination is granted, in part. The request to
obtain the information by issuing DFIs is denied. The reasons for
this decision are explained in the Director's Decision pursuant
to 10 CFR 2.206 (DD-06-03), the complete text of which is
available for inspection at the Commission's Public Document
Room, located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21,
11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, or
electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the
NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html .
A copy of the Director's Decision will be filed with the
Secretary of the Commission for the Commission's review in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations. As
provided for by this regulation, the Director's Decision will
constitute the final action of the Commission 25 days after the
date of the decision, unless the Commission, on its own motion,
institutes a review of the Director's Decision in that time.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of November, 2006.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
J.E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E6-18980 Filed 11-8-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
33 AFP: Indonesia can not go nuclear to answer climate change - Greenpeace
Thu Nov 9, 3:20 PM ET
JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia does not need nuclear energy as an
answer to climate change or for energy security, an
environmental watchdog said, after rejecting the latest IEA
report.
"All the associated risks (of nuclear power) when placed in an
area with a volatile geological structure like Indonesia will
only pose a danger to the Indonesian public," Nur Hidayati,
Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner, said.
He told AFP Indonesians "have already suffered from many
disasters."
He was responding to the International Energy Agency's 2006
World Energy Outlook, released Tuesday, that said nuclear power
could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide reliable
electricity in the future.
Greenpeace has described the IEA report as "misguided
solutions".
The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire
where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and
volcanic activity.
It has previously said that it plans to build its first nuclear
power plant, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, on
densely-populated Java island by 2015. The government however
has yet to secure investors.
Indonesia's nuclear power plans were shelved in 1997 in the face
of mounting public opposition and the discovery and exploitation
of the large Natuna gas field. But the plans were floated again
last year amid growing power shortages.
In October, Indonesia's Gorontalo province on Sulawesi island
signed a memorandum of understanding with a Russian company to
develop a floating nuclear power plant for the province.
Indonesia is a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries ( OPEC" /> OPEC) but its oil output has fallen in
recent years to about one million barrels per day amid flagging
fresh investment.
Separately, Wetlands International, a Netherlands-based NGO,
said Indonesia could be the third-largest carbon dioxide
producer in the world if emissions from burning peatlands
counted alongside industrial emissions.
Peatlands, ground and forests burn across Sumatra and Borneo
during the dry season sending choking haze that blankets the
region.
*****************************************************************
34 NRC Willing To Allow Nuclear Terrorism
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 19:48:08 -0500
X-Sender-Host-Name: elasmtp-banded.atl.sa.earthlink.net
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/us/09nuke.html
[ Click On URL for Hyperlinks]
CRAC-2 Report Mandated By Same NRC [Industry
Stooge, Public Enemy] & Carried Out By Nuclear
Intoxicated Sandia Labs:
http://www.mothersalert.org/crac.html
Agency Considers A-Plants' Vulnerability
a.. E-Mail
b.. Print
c.. Reprints
d.. Save
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: November 9, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 - With construction of many new
nuclear reactors under discussion, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission is grappling with the
question of whether they should be designed to
withstand a Sept. 11-style airplane attack.
The commission has told its staff to study the
vulnerabilities of the four new reactor designs,
two of which it has already approved. But it has
decided not to make the nuclear power industry
meet security requirements any tougher than those
for existing plants, which were designed before
suicide airliner attacks, and even before the
development of such airplanes.
Planes are not on the list of weapons that
reactors must be prepared to survive. One of the
five commissioners, Gregory B. Jaczko, has called
for the panel to require design changes to reduce
vulnerability, but the other four seem
unpersuaded.
Speaking about protection against aircraft
attacks, Mr. Jaczko said in an interview, "We've
left it in the hands of Transportation Security
Administration, the Federal Aviation
Administration and the reactor vendors, who are
building these plants, to do what they think is
right in this area, and to me that's clearly not
the answer."
"We should be requiring they design these plants
to withstand such attacks," he said.
One of one of the four new reactor designs, called
the European Pressurized Reactor, is advertised as
being less vulnerable to planes.
The commission has required that operators of
reactors that are already producing electricity
plan what steps they would take in case of
airplane attacks to mitigate the effect and
minimize releases of radiation. Mr. Jaczko said
that improving the new designs before concrete was
poured could sharply reduce the number of
"mitigating actions" the operators would have to
take a plane attack.
But another member of the commission, Edward
McGaffigan Jr., said, "We think we've done
enough."
In analyzing security, nuclear engineers talk
about multiple components that an attacker would
have to reach and disable, which they call "target
sets." New reactors, Mr. McGaffigan said, have "a
terribly complex set of target sets that makes it
highly improbable that a terrorist would succeed."
The commission should not make companies that want
licenses to build and operate plants treat an
airplane attack the way they would treat an
earthquake, flood or other external threat for
which they are already designed, he said.
A senior staff member of the commission said: "We
want to be able to stand up to answer the logical
question: 'Guys, did you look at the aircraft?' We
want to be able to say yes, and we're confident
that there is no issue, or if there is an issue,
we've taken appropriate measures."
The staff member said the commission was stopping
short of setting new requirements. He said he
could not be identified because he was talking
about matters that the five commissioners had not
yet settled on.
At the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's
trade association, Adrian Heymer, senior director
for new plant deployment, said designers had
analyzed existing plants and made many changes
that cost little but made the new designs more
difficult to attack. But, in general, Mr. Heymer
said, protecting against terrorism was a
government function.
"Refineries, tall buildings, those are the
responsibility of federal government to protect,"
he said.
The commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday at
its headquarters in Rockville, Md., to discuss
licensing procedures for new reactors.
At the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy
group, David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer, said
that in the early 1980s the commission had
convened outside experts to talk about hardening
new reactors against plane crashes.
Industry experts, Mr. Lochbaum said, talked about
some simple steps. For example, backup electricity
generators could be positioned on two sides of the
plant instead of in one place. Control rooms could
be put in less vulnerable spots, and the pools
that hold radioactive spent fuel could be
hardened. The studies were classified after the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said.
Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of
Massachusetts, a critic of the nuclear power
industry and the commission, says more should be
done. In a statement, Mr. Markey said the
commission should not only require design features
to protect against airplane attacks but should
also consider attacks by large truck bombs.
The commission has required substantial changes at
existing reactors but has been reluctant to
consider the threat of terrorism in the same way
it handles other risks. For example, it has
refused to consider the risk of terrorism in
environmental impact statements, arguing that in
contrast to earthquakes or mechanical failures, it
does not know what probability to apply to
attacks.
A California group, San Luis Obispo Mothers for
Peace, won a decision in the United States Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit saying the
regulatory commission must consider terrorism.
Pacific Gas & Electric, a California utility, has
asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.
*****************************************************************
35 [du-list] An enigma that only Dai Williams can fully explain
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:25:30 -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
UNEP: No evidence of uranium munitions used in Lebanon
UNEP reports that there investigation teams have not measured radiation
levels higher than the background level in Lebanon. In addition, based on
laboratory analyses of samples, UNEP excludes the military use of DU or
use of uranium with another composition of isotopes in Lebanon.
Since the end of the recent war in Lebanon there was much speculation
about the use of uranium munitions by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in
Lebanon. However, while waiting for the results of UNEP no conclusive
statements could be made on the use of DU by the IDF in Lebanon.
Nevertheless one could argue that the use of DU munitions by the IDF has
to be almost excluded. Hizbullah hadn´t any armoured targets, therefore
there was no need at all to use antitank shells. In addition there is no
single
indication that DU or uranium with another isotopes composition are
manufactured in cruise missiles, large guided munitions or so-called bunker
buster bombs, or whatsoever, let alone that such weapons might have been
used. Above this according to Human Rights Watch bunker busters have
been `only´ used a few times on bridges.
On Saturday 28th October 2006 The Independent (UK) reports about the
possible use of "a secret new uranium-based weapon" by the IDF in
southern Lebanon. The British Scientific Secretary of the European
Committee on Radiation Risk (ECCR) Chris Busby bases this claim on two
soil samples with "elevated radiation signatures" taken from a bomb crater
and the partly analysis of one of the samples, a 25-grams soil sample. The
analysis of this sample indicates the presence of (very) slightly enriched
uranium. According to the Lebanese daily As Safir this report has caused
panic among the Lebanese population. Actually unnecessary panic,
because the partly analysis of a 25-grams soil sample is too small and as a
consequence the obtained data is too poor to make conclusive statements.
Therefore Busby´s claim has to be condemned as a highly irresponsible act.
The question remains where the samples delivered by Dai Williams have
been taken. UNEP hasn´t found anything in the craters at Khiam and at-Tiri,
hasn´t it? On the evening before Williams left Lebanon he told the
undersigned implicitely that he hadn´t been on that places. So, we have to
deal with an enigma that only Dai Williams can fully explain.
Henk van der Keur
Sources and links:
Israel did not use depleted uranium during conflict with Hizbollah, UN
agency finds
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKEE-
6VCS3N?OpenDocument
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1935945.ece
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1935931.ece
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id
= 76580
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id
= 76552
__._,_.___
Messages
in this topic (1)
Reply
(via web post) |
Start
a new topic
Messages
|
Files
|
Photos
|
Links
|
Database
|
Polls
|
Members
|
Calendar
To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to
du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type
unsubscribe and send.
1f2f10.jpg
Change
settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email:
Switch delivery to Daily Digest |
Switch format to Traditional
Visit
Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use
| Unsubscribe
Visit
Your Group
SPONSORED LINKS
*
California
energy
*
Science
lab equipment
*
Increase
energy level
*
Life
science research
*
Life
sciences
Yahoo! News
Health
News
Important health
news - get it now
New business?
Get
new customers.
List your web site
in Yahoo! Search.
Share Ideas
Publish
your own
blog with Yahoo
Web Hosting.
.
1f2f28.jpg
__,_._,___
Attachment Converted: 1f2f10.jpg: 00000001,566b8025,00000000,00000000
Attachment Converted: 1f2f28.jpg: 00000001,566b8026,00000000,00000000
*****************************************************************
36 [du-list] U.N.: No Evidence of Uranium-based Munitions Used in
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:25:26 -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
U.N.: No Evidence of Uranium-based Munitions Used in Lebanon
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/C5ED62566B161150C2257
21F004BB796?OpenDocument
Beirut, 07 Nov 06, 15:48
U.N. experts have found no evidence to support a press report that
Israel used depleted uranium (DU) munitions during its July-August
offensive on Lebanon, the U.N. Environment Programme has said.
"The samples taken by the UNEP scientists show no evidence of
penetrators or metal made of DU or other radioactive material," UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement in Nairobi
Monday.
"In addition, no DU shrapnel, or other radioactive residue was found.
The analysis of all smear samples taken shows no DU, nor enriched
uranium nor higher than natural uranium content in the samples."
In October, the British daily The Independent said samples of soil
taken from two bomb craters in Lebanon showed high radiation levels,
suggesting that uranium-based munitions had been used.
The craters, at Khiam and At-Tiri, were caused by Israeli heavy or
guided bombs and showed "elevated radiation signatures," the
Independent quoted Chris Busby, the British scientific secretary of
the European Committee on Radiation Risk, as saying.
Britain's ministry of defense had confirmed the level of uranium
isotopes in the samples, which were also being tested by mass
spectrometry at a laboratory in Oxfordshire, the report had said.
The UNEP statement said a sub-team of inspectors looking specifically
at the DU issue had visited 32 sites south and north of the Litani
river.
"Following strict field procedures, a range of smear, dust and soil
samples were taken. The samples were analyzed in October-November at
an internationally-recognized laboratory in Switzerland," it said.
UNEP had sent the team as part of an assessment into environmental
damage caused by the war.
The investigation confirmed that Israel had used artillery and mortar
ammunition containing white phosphorus, the statement said.
Israel says that none of its weapons are illegal and acknowledged on
October 22 that it used the phosphorus.
Human rights groups have long argued that phosphorus weapons, which
cause agonizing injuries, should be banned under the Chemical Weapons
Convention.(AFP)
Stichting Laka Laka Foundation
Ketelhuisplein 43 Ketelhuisplein 43
1054 RD Amsterdam 1054 RD Amsterdam
the Netherlands
tel : 020 - 61 68 294 phone: +31 20 61 68 294
fax: 020 - 68 92 179 fax : +31 20 68 92 179
E : laka@antenna.nl E :
laka@antenna.nl
http://www.laka.org http://www.laka.org
__._,_.___
Messages
in this topic (1)
Reply
(via web post) |
Start
a new topic
Messages
|
Files
|
Photos
|
Links
|
Database
|
Polls
|
Members
|
Calendar
To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to
du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type
unsubscribe and send.
1f217e.jpg
Change
settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email:
Switch delivery to Daily Digest |
Switch format to Traditional
Visit
Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use
| Unsubscribe
Visit
Your Group
SPONSORED LINKS
*
California
energy
*
Science
lab equipment
*
Increase
energy level
*
Life
science research
*
Life
sciences
Yahoo! News
Health
News
Important health
news - get it now
Need traffic?
Drive
customers
With search ads
on Yahoo!
Sitebuilder
Free
Download
Build your web
site in minutes.
.
1f21bc.jpg
__,_._,___
Attachment Converted: 1f217e.jpg: 00000001,5b0beb13,00000000,00000000
Attachment Converted: 1f21bc.jpg: 00000001,5b0beb14,00000000,00000000
*****************************************************************
37 AU ABC: Nuke test veterans to receive free cancer treatment.
10/11/2006.
Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson says a Bill passed in
the Senate yesterday has paved the way for those involved in
British nuclear tests to receive free comprehensive health
treatment for all forms of cancer.
Mr Billson says all military and civilian participants in the
tests will receive the free cover.
Australian Nuclear Veterans Association spokesman, Ric
Johnstone, says the range of care still needs to be extended.
"Who says comprehensive health treatment?" he said.
"That's what we were promised but that's not what we're
getting. We're getting treatment for cancer only."
He says more needs to be done.
"If we got under the Veterans Entitlements Act, the widows would
be entitled to put in for a pension and that would at least help
them and hopefully the Government would do a survey of their
children as they have done for Vietnam veterans," he said.
Test site officer Avon Hudson says other illnesses such as
psychological trauma have never been recognised.
"These should be recognised but they choose not to, but the
reality is that after 50 years our numbers are relatively low
now," he said.
"Additional recognition on top of that pension would not be a
lot of money in the overall scheme of things."
*****************************************************************
38 Canada West: Lead contamination feared from coast guard life-fire exercises on Great Lakes
[canada.com]
?
Canadian Press
Published: Friday, November 10, 2006
STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) - Carl Scholz of the Northwest Audubon
Society is concerned about thousands of toxic lead bullets
sinking to the bottom of the Great Lakes if the U.S. Coast Guard
creates 34 live-fire weapons-training zones in the Great Lakes.
"We're concerned about the lead," Scholz said Wednesday at the
last of nine public meetings on the proposal that the coast
guard has conducted in the region on the matter.
"They never mentioned the effect on plankton. Larval fish eat
plankton. Even though they said its 10 parts per billion,
nonetheless, lead is toxic."
But Chuck Weier president of the Wisconsin Federation of Great
Lakes Sport Fishing Clubs, worries about terrorism someday
exploding onto the shores of Lake Michigan. He said many of the
4,000 members of his group favour live fire exercises, because
"we don't live in the same world we lived in 10 years ago,
before 9-11."
The coast guard proposed in August creating 34 massive firing
ranges for a weapon that can shoot 10 lead bullets a second. The
agency has said it must train its crews to handle new, more
powerful M240-B machine guns to be ready for terrorism.
Fourteen of the live fire zones would be on Lake Michigan. A
public comment period on the live fire zones ends Monday. The
zones, all at least eight kilometres from shore, would located
near Sturgeon Bay, Manitowoc, Kenosha and Milwaukee.
"We have nuclear power plants on the shore; you don't know when
the coast guard is going to have to be called to defend those,"
said James Tibbetts, a retired Sturgeon Bay surgeon and a
fisherman.
But Thomas Dogan, of the Lake Michigan Yachting Association,
said the Great Lakes represent 90 per cent of America's fresh
water. He said lead-based paint has been illegal for years and
anglers are barred form dropping lead sinkers in lakes.
James Maughan, a water resource specialist with CH2M Hill out of
Boston, whose firm was hired by the coast guard to conduct
environmental analysis and risk assessment, said the company has
concluded the bullets would not elevate risks for humans or the
environment. © The Canadian Press 2006
© 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of . All rights
*****************************************************************
39 Herald Sun: Nuclear tests payment for victims
November 10, 2006 12:00am Article from:
AUSTRALIAN servicemen and civilians suffering cancer after
exposure to British atomic tests will finally be compensated more
than 50 years after the trials began.
The Federal Government will pay for the cancer treatment of
survivors, who include an estimated 5000-plus soldiers, public
servants and other civilians.
The trials were conducted between 1952 and 1963 on the Monte
Bello Islands, off the coast of Western Australia, and at Emu
Field and Maralinga in South Australia.
© Herald and Weekly Times. All times AEDT (GMT + 10).
*****************************************************************
40 Hemscott: UrAsia Energy announces five new uranium concentrates supply contracts
LONDON (AFX) - UrAsia Energy Ltd said it has entered into five
additional agreements to supply a combined 5.75 mln lbs of
uranium concentrates from its Akdala uranium mine in Kazakhstan.
The Canadian company said the contracts are all with North
American facilities and range in length between three and nine
years.
It added the deals have market-related pricing terms, but did
not disclose figures. newsdesk@afxnews.com abr
Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
41 The Australian: Waste laws 'sideline traditional owners'
November 10, 2006
This story is from our news.com.aunetwork Source: AAP
By Tara Ravens and David Crawshaw November 09, 2006
LAWS that allow for a radioactive waste dump on Aboriginal land
in the Northern Territory sideline the rights of traditional
owners, environmentalists said today.
Legislative changes were introduced to Federal Parliament last
week aimed at preventing legal challenges against any move by
the Northern Land Council (NLC) to offer up its land for a
radioactive waste dump.
The Government is currently looking at three commonwealth-owned
sites in the territory for a repository to store low and
medium-level radioactive waste.
It also is negotiating with indigenous communities in the hope
an Aboriginal land council may offer some of its land to the
Government to build the waste facility.
Science Minister Julie Bishop said the Commonwealth Radioactive
Waste Management
Legislation Amendment Bill would provide for the eventual return
of any "volunteered'' Aboriginal land should it be chosen for
the controversial radioactive dump.
She pledged that the Government would not hand back a
contaminated site.
But environmentalists said today the legislative changes would
remove the need for procedural fairness and community consent.
"These changes have seen (Prime Minister) John Howard and Julie
Bishop stoop to new lows,'' said Natalie Wasley of the Beyond
Nuclear Initiative.
"There's a real reason to fear that the passage of these
amendments may be designed to expedite this process.''
Ms Wasley said the proposed changes meant that a nomination by a
land council would no longer require consultation with the
traditional owners.
"Clearly the federal Liberal government sees procedural fairness
as something that could prevent them imposing their radioactive
waste on the territory,'' she said.
Tim Collins, coordinator of the Arid Lands Environment Centre,
called on the NLC to take a stand on the issue and back
traditional Aboriginal owners.
"Given the likely passage of the amendments the ball is now
squarely in the Northern Land Council's court,'' he said.
''(It) must publicly declare its intentions in regard to the
consultation of the traditional owners ...
"If their process is anything but completely transparent, it
will raise questions that they have either bowed to bully-boy
tactics of the Howard government, or have been enticed by
undisclosed benefits that may have been offered.''
A spokesman for Ms Bishop last week told AAP that a private
contractor was examining the three mooted commonwealth-owned
sites in the territory - Harts Range and Mt Everard, near Alice
Springs; and Fishers Ridge, near Katherine.
A full report on the possible sites was due by March 2007, he
said.
Privacy Terms © The Australian
*****************************************************************
42 Pahrump Valley Times: Sparse turnout reviews 'Mina' rail alternative
Nov. 08, 2006
By MARK WAITE PVT
MARK WAITE / Special to PVT
Doc McNeely, a former guide at Yucca Mountain, and his wife, Dee
McNeely, who now live in Amargosa Valley, look at exhibits
showing the Mina and Caliente rail routes during an open house at
the LongStreet Casino Wednesday evening.
AMARGOSA VALLEY -- George Younghans certainly didn't plan on a
rail line carrying high-level nuclear waste passing by his ranch
when he invested in 180 acres in Oasis Valley back in 1981.
But a rail line to Yucca Mountain may go right by his property,
regardless of the corridor chosen: the Caliente from
southeastern Nevada or the Mina alternative, from Hawthorne.
"They want to put the rail line within one mile of my house.
I've given them inputs twice previous. They came out to the
ranch and interviewed me," Younghans said.
But Younghans said he hasn't received any word about whether the
U.S. Department of Energy will accept his recommendation to
relocate the rail line five miles farther east, to keep it
farther from his ranch. That would put it near the border of the
Nellis Air Force Training Range.
"I moved up there for peace and tranquility and they want to put
it by my front door," he said.
Younghans was more concerned about the noise and disruption from
the rail line than nuclear accidents. Younghans said he
supported the nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site, which was
for the country's defense, but he was less enthusiastic about it
becoming the dumping ground for the nation's nuclear waste.
Oasis Valley is a few miles north of Beatty. So Younghans was
walking around the DOE open house at the LongStreet Casino
Wednesday evening to talk with the various experts on hand. He
also left his comments with a stenographer.
The open house was rather sparsely attended. A visit there an
hour after it began showed more officials on hand -- standing
next to the easels with the displays on the rail route and the
new method of handling the waste -- than local residents.
Allen Benson, director of the Office of External Affairs for the
U.S. Department of Energy, said 43 people signed in, of which 12
gave comments, as the open house neared an end.
Younghans could have some reason to be optimistic that he may
convince the DOE to change the route. The Mina route only became
feasible when the Walker Lake Paiute River tribe agreed to drop
its objections last May. It would be shorter than the Caliente
route. Also, two alternatives were outlined for the Mina route
through Esmeralda County, one going right through Silver Peak,
the other looping eastward closer to Tonopah.
The first proposed route came so close to Silver Peak, Nancy
Boland, an Esmeralda County commissioner, couldn't fit her thumb
in the map to get a measurement of the scale of miles between
the rail route and the town center. The route would go between
the center and the evaporation ponds for the lithium mine.
Boland said she'll have to survey her constituents to see what
their feeling is about a rail line going right through Silver
Peak. "I want to make sure everybody is going to be safe,"
Boland said.
Boland had concerns about noise, visual factors, the rail line
crossing a school bus route, and then there's the concern about
whether the rail line will scare off any potential businesses.
"There isn't enough detail. I don't know how wide the
rights-of-way are going to be," Boland said.
The Esmeralda County Commission voted on a resolution for the
U.S. Bureau of Land Management to dispose of lands identified in
the Tonopah Resource Management Plan in 1979, Boland said. Now
some of those sites the county hoped to obtain for private
development, like Blair Junction and Miller's Landing, are being
considered for the Mina route.
"The way I look at it, if people spent so much time looking at
one spot, I think we're going to be stuck with it," Boland said.
Doc McNeely, a former Yucca Mountain employee and tour guide,
said he felt confident enough the repository would be secure. He
bought property down-gradient in Amargosa Valley.
Richard Nelson, senior project manager for BEC Environmental,
hired by Nye County, asked a question long on the minds of local
officials in Nevada: Why don't they extend the line to Jean or
somewhere else on the I-15 corridor so it could be a
dual-purpose route?
"They say it's an economic advantage to us," Nelson said,
referring to the DOE. It would be easier, he said, for the DOE
to schedule shipments if the rail line arrived from two
directions.
Nelson also had concerns over whether the DOE would decide to
ship nuclear waste by road. "We got enough traffic on the road
without a lot of heavy haul trucks out there," he said.
Benson said the DOE wasn't required to hold a scoping meeting at
all on the supplemental environmental impact statement detailing
the new method of shipping casks. It was only required to hold
one public hearing on the Mina route, but chose to have hearings
in Amargosa Valley, Goldfield, Hawthorne and Washington, D.C.,
among other places.
"Have we missed anything? That's what we're asking people to
tell us," Benson said. "If people are dissatisfied, that's a
fair comment. Tell us about it."
Half of the open house dealt with the new method of transporting
the casks of nuclear waste. Instead of transferring the waste at
Yucca Mountain from a transport cask into a storage cask, the
same cask used in shipping the waste will be buried in the
mountain. "The concept is to minimize bare fuel handling,"
Benson said.
The Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, in a written statement,
said the changes to the EIS were major, yet the DOE was
"attempting to shirk its responsibilities and limiting public
and stakeholder involvement by establishing truncated and
unrealistic comment deadlines."
The state agency requested the comment period be extended 90
days and that meetings be held at six additional sites in
Nevada.
Lee Bishop, DOE document manager for the rail alignment EIS,
said the Walker River Paiute tribe agreed only to a study of the
Mina route; it hasn't agreed to construction through the
reservation. The route proposes a detour to the east around the
main reservation town of Schurz.
Bishop was asked about requests by local officials to allow the
rail line to be used by private businesses, not just the nuclear
waste shipments. "Shared use is an option we are studying in the
EIS," he said.
But he rolled his eyes when asked if it was politically possible
to hook up to rail lines on the I-15 corridor.
The notice in the Federal Register states the open house format
used at the LongStreet Casino provides for one-on-one
discussions with DOE representatives rather than the public
hearing format.
Comments on the supplemental EIS and the Mina rail route will be
accepted until Nov. 27. Comments may be addressed to: Jane
Summerson, EIS Document Manager, Regulatory Authority Office,
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1551 Hillshire Dr., M/S 010, Las Vegas, NV. 89134.
The fax number is 1-800-967-0739. The e-mail address is
www.ocrwm.doe.gov
For comment or questions, please e-mail
webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com
Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2006
*****************************************************************
43 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada senator rises to top leadership slot
November 08, 2006
By BRENDAN RILEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Even before a key race was decided,
Democratic Nevada Sen. Harry Reid told reporters Wednesday he
was certain he would emerge as the U.S. Senate majority leader
and promised to deliver major benefits for his home state.
While Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia wouldn't concede
his loss, Reid said, "It doesn't matter whether he concedes." He
said elections experts have looked closely at the contest and
don't see any other outcome than Allen being replaced by
Democrat Jim Webb.
The Associated Press called the race for Webb late Wednesday.
The resulting 51-49 edge for Democrats, who count two
independents among their ranks, means there's no need for the
shared-leadership structure that that developed after the 2000
elections left the Senate evenly divided.
But Reid said he wants a "partnership" with Republicans and
doesn't foresee Democrats turning vindictive now that they're in
control - although there will be a different tone in Congress
with both the House and Senate now under Democratic control.
"The Senate is going to be run in a different manner and the
House is going to be run in a different manner - and I think the
president got the message," Reid said during a telephone press
conference.
Asked to list potential benefits to Nevada now that he's in line
for the top job in the Senate, Reid said he'll oppose future
funding for the federal government's proposed nuclear waste dump
northwest of Las Vegas. That project already has cost about $9
billion but is years away from completion.
Reid said he viewed the project as dead anyway, given the many
delays it has faced, adding, "There's not much to kill." But he
said any new funding plans for the dump would be "cut back
significantly for sure" while alternatives, such as dry-cask
storage elsewhere, would be pursued.
Reid also said that while Republicans held onto two of Nevada's
three House seats and one of its two Senate seats on Tuesday,
Democratic congressional victories elsewhere in the West bodes
well for the region.
"There's some wind blowing out there, winds of change," Reid
added.
On national issues, Reid said the election showed that the U.S.
strategy in Iraq must be changed. He also said he'll push for
"significant" ethics reform legislation that will ensure "more
transparency in government," and also "make sure that Social
Security is not tampered with."
Reid also said he has urged President Bush to host a bipartisan
Iraq summit that would focus on changes in the administration's
war policies.
"Elections have consequences," Reid said, adding that
bipartisanship and compromise are the keys now that GOP
lawmakers have lost their grip on Congress.
Reid became the Senate's Democratic minority leader in 2004,
after serving as the Democrats' second-in-command. In 2001, he
helped encourage the departure of Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt.,
from the GOP, which gave Democrats Senate control for a
year-and-a-half.
Reid worked his way through college, then law school in
Washington as a Capitol Hill cop. He returned to Nevada as an
attorney and started climbing the ranks in state politics,
serving as lieutenant governor and Gaming Commission chairman
before winning a seat in the House and later in the Senate.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
44 Nuclear Lab Breach Could Be 'Devastating'
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 01:16:51 -0600 (CST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM
http://justanotherblowback.blogspot.com/2006/11/nuclear-lab-breach-could-be.html
Nuclear Lab Breach Could Be 'Devastating'
Earlier: Los Alamos: Secret Nuke Data Found During Meth Raid
http://justanotherblowback.blogspot.com/2006/10/los-alamos-secret-nuke-data-found.html
Data Found In Drug Raid Contains Weapons-Design Secrets
(CBS) The recent security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory
was very serious, with sensitive materials being taken out of the
facility possibly including information on how to deactivate locks
on nuclear weapons, officials tell CBS News.
Officials say there is no evidence the information taken from Los
Alamos was sold or transferred to anybody else, but there is no way
to be sure right now.
As CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson was the first to report,
secret documents apparently taken from the lab were found during a
drug raid at a Los Alamos-area home last month. The FBI was called
in to investigate.
Multiple sources now tell CBS News that the material includes
sensitive weapons-design data.
A federal official who has been briefed on the issue said at least
three USB thumb-drives were involved. Those small storage drives
contained 408 separate classified documents ranging in importance
from Secret National Security Information (pertaining to intelligence)
to Secret Restricted Data (pertaining to nuclear weapons).
All of the information came from the classified document video media
vault inside the Lab. Federal officials also found 228 pages printed
front and back of classified documents in the drug trailer during
their investigation.
Los Alamos claims to have done a careful and comprehensive analysis
of the materials that it believes have been compromised as part of
this matter, and has determined that "the majority of the material
was classified at the lowest levels and was twenty to thirty years
old."
"None of the documents in question were classified Top Secret,"
read a statement released by the lab. "None of the materials included
any of the most sensitive nuclear weapons information."
But one federal official recently briefed on the issue says "It's
devastating." If a nuclear weapon were stolen, the information
"would tell the terrorists everything they need to do to get a
weapon to fire."
Sources say she also had something called Sigma-15 clearance allowing
her to access to documents explaining how to deactivate locks on a
nuclear weapon.
The woman believed to have taken the information Jessica Quintana,
22, who owned the trailer worked in three classified vault rooms
across Los Alamos:
-Safeguards and Security (relating to strategic nuclear material
control and accountability) -X-Division (top secret) -Physics
P-Division.
She also had top secret "Q-clearance" with access to all the U.S.
underground nuclear test data. Quintana has not been arrested or
charged. Her attorney says she took the material home to work and
then forgot about it.
For example, if a terrorist steals an American nuclear weapon, he
could not detonate it due to the special access controls. This woman
is authorized to read the reports that tell how to get around those
safety controls.
Only the FBI will be able to tell for sure what's on the thumb
drives, but British security officials are worried that design plans
for Trident nuclear weapons are among the stolen documents. They
are making inquiries of U.S. officials. Britain used to test its
nuclear weapons in the United States, and data on those tests may
have been held at Los Alamos.
Los Alamos has a history of high-profile security problems in the
past decade, with the most notable the case of nuclear scientist
Wen Ho Lee.
After years of accusations, Lee pleaded guilty in a plea bargain
to one count of mishandling nuclear secrets at the lab.
In 2004, the lab was essentially shut down after an inventory showed
that two computer disks containing nuclear secrets were missing. A
year later the lab concluded that it was just a mistake and the
disks never existed.
But the incident highlighted sloppy inventory control and security
failures at the nuclear weapons lab. The Energy Department then
began moving toward a five-year program to create a so-called
diskless environment at Los Alamos to prevent any classified material
being carried outside the lab.
"We are currently taking decisive actions to further enhance our
existing security measures that protect classified information
employing both administrative and engineering controls," the lab
said in a statement.
SOURCE: CBS News
Also see Financing the Far Right With Narcotics
http://www.druglibrary.org/think/~jnr/farright.htm
-- http://www.fastmail.fm - Faster than the air-speed velocity of
an unladen european swallow
*****************************************************************
45 DOE: DOE Announces Plans for Additional Comment Period on
National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
November 9, 2006
Under Section 1221(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the
Department of Energy must issue a report based on the
Department's August 8 Congestion Study. In that report, the
Secretary may designate as a "national interest electric
transmission corridor" (National Corridor) any geographic area
experiencing electric energy transmission capacity constraints
or congestion that adversely affects consumers.
After issuing the August 8 Congestion Study, the Department
invited public comment and received comments on the study from a
variety of entities across the country. The Department
continues to evaluate those comments, and has not yet determined
whether, and if so where, it should designate any National
Corridors.
Because the Department recognizes the broad public interest in
this process and in the implementation of section 1221, the
Department has decided that, prior to issuing a report that
designates any National Corridor, the Department will first
issue any designation that it is considering in draft form, so
as to allow additional opportunities for review and comment by
affected States, regional entities, and the general public. The
Department notes that this additional comment period is not
required by section 1221. DOE believes, however, that this
additional opportunity for review and comment would aid both the
public and the Department. The Department is announcing this
process now, in advance of having preliminarily determined
whether any National Corridor designations should be made, to
inform the States, electric industry stakeholders, and the
general public that an additional opportunity for public comment
will be provided prior to DOE issuing any National Corridor
designations.
Media contact(s): Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940 [ ]
U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW |
Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403
*****************************************************************
46 DOE: Extension of Public Comment Period and Additional Public Meeting
FR Doc E6-19023
[Federal Register: November 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 217)]
[Notices] [Page 65786] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09no06-48]
for the Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement
for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel
and High- Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County,
NV AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of public comment period extension and additional
public meeting.
SUMMARY: On October 13, 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
published a Notice of Intent (71 FR 60490) to prepare a
Supplement to the ``Final Environmental Impact Statement for a
Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and
High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County,
Nevada'' (DOE/EIS-0250F, February 2002), and announced a 45-day
public comment period ending on November 27, 2006. Based on input
from the public, DOE is now announcing an additional public
meeting in Reno, Nevada. The public comment period also is being
extended through December 12, 2006. Additionally, DOE has posted
graphical representations of the transport, aging and disposal
canister on the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
Web site located at http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov under the caption,
What's New.
DATES: The additional public meeting in Reno, Nevada will be held
on November 27, 2006, from 4 to 7 p.m. The addresses for this and
all other public scoping meetings are provided below under Public
Scoping Meetings. The public comment period is extended through
December 12, 2006. Comments received after this date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Requests for additional information on the
Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS (DOE/EIS-0250F-S1) or on the
repository program in general, should be directed to: Dr. Jane
Summerson, EIS Document Manager, Regulatory Authority Office,
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1551 Hillshire Drive, M/S 010, Las Vegas, NV 89134,
telephone 1-800-967-3477. Written comments on the scope of the
Supplemental Yucca Mountain EIS may be submitted to Dr. Jane
Summerson at this address, or by facsimile to 1-800-967-0739, or
via the Internet at http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov under the caption,
What's New.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information
regarding the DOE National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
process contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA
Policy and Compliance, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone
202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
Public Scoping Meetings DOE has scheduled public scoping meetings
on the Supplement to the Yucca Mountain EIS. In order to
facilitate input from the public, comments will also be accepted
on the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail
Alignment EIS at these meetings. DOE will have representatives
responsible for preparation of both EISs at each of the following
meetings to accept comments on either document: Washington,
District of Columbia, L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza,
SW., October 30, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
Longstreet Hotel Casino, Nevada State Highway 373, November 1,
2006, from 4-7 p.m. Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman Center, 850 North
Las Vegas Blvd., November 2, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Caliente,
Nevada. Caliente Youth Center, U.S. 93 North, November 8, 2006,
from 6-8 p.m. Goldfield, Nevada. Goldfield School Gymnasium, Hall
and Euclid, November 13, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Hawthorne, Nevada.
Hawthorne Convention Center, 932 E. Street, November 14, 2006,
from 4-7 p.m. Fallon, Nevada. Fallon Convention Center, 100
Campus Way, November 15, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Reno, Nevada.
University of Nevada, Reno, Lawlor Event Center, 1500 N. Virginia
St., November 27, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Public Reading Rooms The
Notice of Intent published on October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60490),
provided an incorrect phone number for the Pahrump Yucca Mountain
Information Center. The correct phone number is (775) 751-5817.
Issued in Washington, DC, November 3, 2006.
David R. Hill, General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E6-19023 Filed 11-8-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
47 Knox News: Less congressional clout may not hurt
By RICHARD POWELSON, powelsonr@shns.com
November 9, 2006
WASHINGTON - The election results leave a portion of the
Tennessee congressional delegation with less clout but may not
cause dramatic harm to federal projects in the state, officials
and analysts said.
Among the changes:
+ Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the top leader and
scheduler of which bills get floor votes, is retiring. No other
Tennessean is in line for such a high-power role; former
Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, a Republican, won the Senate seat.
+ Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican, is a strong contender for
his party's No. 2 leadership post. But even if he wins, he will
have to work under Democrats' legislative plans unless vote
recounts in Virginia or elsewhere give the GOP at least one more
seat.
+ U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., a Knoxville Republican, has
spent the last 12 years as chairman of a subcommittee overseeing
either water resources or aviation. If the House GOP had kept
majority control, next year he would have been at least a
chairman of one transportation subcommittee or perhaps even
chairman of the full committee. Now he will be working under
Democratic chairs.
+ U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, a Chattanooga Republican, moves up
slightly in seniority on the powerful Appropriations Committee,
which doles out dollars to all federal offices and projects.
But, instead of his party setting spending priorities, Democrats
will take the lead.
+ In perhaps the state's biggest leadership gain, Democratic
Rep. Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro, after about 20 years of
service on the Science Committee is likely to become the
committee chairman. He long has been supportive of science and
research programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and
elsewhere.
"Frist, Alexander, Duncan and Wamp have done a good job getting
money pumped into the state," said Anthony Nownes, a political
science professor at the University of Tennessee. "I think now
we will see less of it. Wamp will still be able to bring in a
lot, but I think it's probably not going to be quite as much."
Wamp said he has good relationships with many Democrats and
plans to remain a strong player aiding Tennessee.
"I think I can play a greater role helping our state," Wamp
said.
He said East Tennessee is fortunate for the first time since the
mid-1970s to have two U.S. senators from its region. For six
years through 1976, GOP Sens. Bill Brock of Chattanooga and
Howard Baker Jr. of Huntsville served together. Next year, it
will be Alexander of the Maryville/Great Smoky Mountains area
and Corker of Chattanooga.
Add in the seniority and committee connections of East
Tennessee's Duncan and Wamp and the region remains influential,
Wamp said.
"I think even without Sen. Frist here, we will continue to do
extremely well," Wamp said. "I'm excited about the prospect for
East Tennessee having a lot of influence in our state delegation
and in our national direction."
Alexander said Tennessee Republicans were fortunate to keep
their same number of seats in Congress when many states Tuesday
lost GOP members. But he said he is used to working with
Democrats on planning from his eight years as the state's
governor dealing with a Democratic legislature.
"We're very fortunate to have some very senior members in our
delegation," Alexander said, noting Gordon, Duncan, Wamp, and
Democrats Jim Cooper of Nashville and John Tanner of Union City.
Alexander said senators have to represent all parts of the
state. However, "I'm very proud of the fact that I vote and grew
up in Maryville."
He said he likely will continue to serve on committees that deal
with science research at ORNL, energy and pollution involving
the Tennessee Valley Authority, protection of the Great Smoky
Mountains and other national parks, and education funding.
Duncan joined Congress in 1988 when Democrats were in charge, so
he said he knows how to work with the other party on priority
legislation.
"I've never been a slash-and-burn or attack-type Republican,"
Duncan said. "I've always managed to get along pretty well with
almost all the Democrats up here."
Richard Powelson may be reached at 202-408-2727.
© 2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
48 DOE: Extension of Public Comment Period and Additional Public Meeting
FR Doc E6-19030
[Federal Register: November 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 217)]
[Notices] [Page 65785-65786] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09no06-47]
for the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail
Alignment Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of public comment period extension and additional
public meeting.
SUMMARY: On October 13, 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
published an Amended Notice of Intent (71 FR 60484) to expand the
scope of the ongoing ``Environmental Impact Statement for the
Alignment, Construction and Operation of a Rail Line to a
Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada''
(entitled the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail
Alignment EIS) (DOE/EIS-0250F-S2 and EIS-0369), and announced a
45-day public comment period ending on November 27, 2006. Based
on input from the public, DOE is now announcing an additional
public meeting in Reno, Nevada. The public comment period also is
being extended through December 12, 2006. Additionally, DOE has
posted graphical representations of the rail routes at the Office
of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Web site under the
caption, What's New.
DATES: The additional public meeting in Reno, Nevada will be held
on November 27, 2006, from 4 to 7 p.m. The address for this and
all other public scoping meetings are provided below under Public
Scoping Meetings. The public comment period is extended through
December 12, 2006. Comments received after this date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Requests for additional information on the
Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment EIS
(DOE/EIS-0250F-S2 and EIS-0369) or transportation planning in
general should be directed to: Mr. M. Lee Bishop, EIS Document
Manager, Office of Logistics Management, Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1551
Hillshire Drive, M/S 011, Las Vegas, NV 89134, Telephone
1-800-967-3477. Written comments on the scope of the Supplemental
Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment EIS may be
submitted to Mr. M. Lee Bishop at this address, by facsimile to
1-800- 967-0739, or via the Internet at under the caption,
What's New.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information
regarding the DOE NEPA process contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom,
Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585,
Telephone 202-586-4600, or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
Public Scoping Meetings DOE has scheduled public scoping meetings
on the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail
[[Page 65786]] Alignment EIS. In order to facilitate input from
the public, comments will also be accepted on the Supplement to
the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic
Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level
Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV at these
meetings. DOE will have representatives responsible for
preparation of both EISs at each of the following meetings to
accept comments on either document: Washington, District of
Columbia, L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., October
30, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Amargosa Valley, Nevada. Longstreet Hotel
Casino, Nevada State Highway 373, November 1, 2006, from 4-7 p.m.
Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman Center, 850 North Las Vegas Blvd.,
November 2, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Caliente, Nevada. Caliente Youth
Center, U.S. 93 North, November 8, 2006, from 6-8 p.m. Goldfield,
Nevada. Goldfield School Gymnasium, Hall and Euclid, November 13,
2006, from 4-7 p.m. Hawthorne, Nevada. Hawthorne Convention
Center, 932 E. Street, November 14, 2006, from 4-7 p.m. Fallon,
Nevada. Fallon Convention Center, 100 Campus Way, November 15,
2006, from 4-7 p.m. Reno, Nevada. University of Nevada, Reno,
Lawlor Event Center, 1500 N. Virginia St., November 27, 2006,
from 4-7 p.m. Public Reading Rooms The Notice of Intent published
on October 13, 2006 (71 FR 60484) provided an incorrect phone
number for the Pahrump Yucca Mountain Information Center. The
correct phone number is (775) 751-5817. Issued in Washington, DC,
November 3, 2006.
David R. Hill, General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E6-19030 Filed 11-8-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
*****************************************************************
49 lamonitor.com: Services available for ex-lab workers
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
ROGER SNODGRASS roger@lamonitor.comMonitor Assistant Editor
Espanola - The state's rapid response team held an introductory
meeting Wednesday afternoon for workers affected by
subcontractor layoffs at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Only two of the several hundred affected employees were there,
but the meeting took place as planned and the state officials
expressed determination to reach more of the workers involved.
Albert Jiron, LANL's acquisition services business manager, who
is the lab's point of contact between the task force and offices
at the laboratory, said after the meeting that he was trying to
provide a list of subcontractors or companies that could be
potentially impacted.
"It's difficult to get the exact number of companies," he said.
Apart from four large staff augmentation companies, he said
there were probably between 75 and 100 others involved in the
change.
Jackie Martinez, an employment security staff manager at the
state Department of Labor, said preliminary data about the
layoffs was based on unemployment claims since June 1, but some
workers may be paid by a payroll from out of state and would be
making their claims elsewhere.
Other workers, including the two Hispanic women attending the
meeting, had not yet lost their jobs, but would be soon.
Some may find other jobs or be reassigned within their
companies.
Laboratory officials have said they expect to layoff 350-600
subcontractor employees over the next several months in order to
meet a budget shortfall.
Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation Assistant
Director Jim Barrigan, told the group that the immediate budget
problem at the laboratory could have long-term effect on the
surrounding communities.
"Los Alamos County is very concerned about the overall effect of
the layoffs by the largest employer north of Albuquerque on the
community and not just the community, but the region," he said.
"Many of the jobs are held by well-trained, well-paid people,
homeowners with kids in schools and both parents working."
When one parent loses a job, the family may have to move, and
because they have skills in demand elsewhere, they leave and
this in turn may impact companies where they are working now, he
added.
Barrigan is also on the Workforce Development Board, which
facilitate efforts like the rapid response team when mass
layoffs occur.
"We want people to stay and be productively re-employed," he
said, noting that LACDC would continue to be a focal point for
referrals.
Christina Williams of New Mexico's One-Stop Career Centers
outlined a variety of services that are available through the
state's Workforce Development Board and its coordinated partners
in the Department of Labor, Department of Human Services, and
Department of Children, Youth and Family.
Williams introduced each of the partners who also described a
variety of programs that might help workers recover from losing
their jobs.
Kenneth Kane from the Department of Labor described the One Stop
Centers, where "soft skills" for job searching and basic
computer skills can be obtained, along with computer terminals,
Internet and e-mail access, faxing and telephone services.
A former laboratory employee himself, Kane said he couldn't
guarantee coming up with another job as a nuclear materials
handler.
"But if you want to venture forth, we might be able to find
something else for you," he said.
Other state programs available through the Department of Human
Services include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
and State Coverage Insurance. Yvonne Martinez of Children, Youth
and Families described options for child-care assistance.
A special jobs fair for displaced workers is planned for Dec. 7,
and other local meetings are anticipated.
An orientation to the One Stop services is available Monday
mornings at 9-10 a.m. through November at the Espanola DOL
office, 319 Paseo de Onate, (505) 753-2285. The Los Alamos
connection is at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos,
662-5919 ext. 607.
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
50 lamonitor.com: First groundwater cleanup plan approved
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
Monitor Staff Report
The New Mexico Environment Department approved the first
groundwater cleanup project at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Under the comprehensive cleanup agreement between the state and
lab managers, NMED has approved a plan to block and scrub
contamination from shallow groundwater in two small canyons
draining from Technical Area 16, in the western section of the
laboratory.
LANL will have six months to prepare a detailed implementation
plan to do the actual work.
"This groundwater clean up effort is the first of many required
by the Order on Consent," said NMED Secretary Ron Curry in an
announcement Wednesday. He said the water-related project was
"timely," given that Gov. Bill Richardson has designated next
year as the "Year of Water," for the legislative session.
The contamination is related to a high explosive processing
complex at Technical Area 16, which dumped "millions of gallons"
into the small canyons nearby.
In order to stop the barium, high explosives and TNT from
reaching the regional aquifer, the laboratory will inject grout
into cracks in the rocks and engineer three barriers in Canon de
Valle and another in Martin Springs Canyon designed to remove
contaminants from the water and prevent additional seepage.
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
51 NB: Energy Secretary Bodman to Address Middle East Institute 60th Anniversary
NewsBlaze
On Monday, November 13, 2006, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Secretary Samuel W. Bodman will deliver keynote remarks to the
Middle East Institute's 60th Anniversary Conference, convened to
discuss the threats and challenges facing the region and takes a
look at some innovative ways to address them. Secretary Bodman
is expected to discuss the Administration's initiatives in
developing and deploying alternatives to diversify our global
energy supply, safely expanding the use of nuclear power, and
increasing the availability of clean, affordable, diverse
sources of energy around the world.
For press registration and information, please contact Laurie
Kassman at the Middle East Institute at 202-785-5336 or email
her at: media@mideasti.org.
WHO: U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman
WHAT: Keynote Remarks at Middle East Institute's 60th
Anniversary Conference "New Approaches to Enduring Issues"
Media Availability to Immediately Follow
WHEN: Monday, November 13, 2006
9:00 AM
WHERE: National Press Club
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
judythpiazza@gmail.com
Copyright © 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News
*****************************************************************
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:
*****************************************************************