***************************************************************** 01/02/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 14.309 ***************************************************************** 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 Xinhua: "Israel can attack Iran on its own": Israeli think tank 2 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iranians pursue nuclear technology 3 New Straits Times: Comment: The dilemma over Iran’s nuclear ambition 4 MPR: The cloudy future of Iran's nuclear program 5 AFP: US to launch campaign to isolate Iran financially - report - 6 AFP: Ahmadinejad warns West of 'historic slap' from Iran - 7 AFP: Israel to test installation to monitor Iran's nuclear activity 8 AFP: Russia anti-aircraft weapons sales to Syria, Iran on schedule - 9 UPI: U.S., Europe ratchet up Iran sanctions 10 AFP: Iran warns West of 'historic slap' over nuclear drive - 11 Korea Herald: N.K. praises nukes, calls for modernization of economy 12 Korea Herald: DJ bullish on Korean summit 13 YONHAP NEWS: S. Korean foreign minister arrives in U.S. for talks on 14 YONHAP NEWS: Kim Dae-jung calls for inter-Korean summit 15 YONHAP NEWS: Unification minister calls for increased assistance for 16 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North Korea goes it alone 17 Korea Times: Nuclear Fusion Project Questioned 18 Korea Times: N. Korea Stresses Economic Revival 19 Korea Times: 26% of Americans think U.S. will go to war with North K 20 AFP: NKorea hails nuclear test in 'year of victory' 21 AFP: SKorea urges NKorea to scrap nuclear weapons and fight poverty 22 AFP: South Korea's Ban takes over as UN chief 23 US: StatesmanJournal.com: Q: New Senate boss lays out priorities 24 US: Connecticut Post: Stratford wants close look at developer 25 UPI: Walker's World: Bush's new order 26 UPI: India, Pakistan do nuclear info swap NUCLEAR REACTORS 27 US: St. Paul Pioneer Press: Residents near nuclear plants can get fr 28 US: Deseret News: Can't rush power alternative 29 US: Platts: NRC board okays early site permit for Exelon's Clinton 30 US: Platts: The EC will openly support nuclear power in Jan 10 state 31 Platts: Four UK magnox reactors permanently ceased operations Dec 31 32 US: CITIZEN-TIMES.com: One rarely mentioned downside of nuclear powe 33 The Hindu: Lists of nuclear facilities exchanged 34 Sofia Echo: NPP REACTORS IN BULGARIA SHUT DOWN TO MEET EU ENTRY CRIT 35 Sofia Echo: BULGARIA’S EU ENTRY PRICE - 36 The Australian: Garrett calls for costings on nuclear plants | 37 Slovak news: First nuclear reactor closed 38 theedgedaily.com: Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power 39 US: toledoblade.com: Feds alter timetable for trial in reactor case 40 IHT: Romania and Bulgaria join EU, bringing bloc to 27 members - Eur 41 FIA: NPP Kozloduy’s Employees not Delighted with Bulgaria’s EU Entry 42 US: St. Petersburg Times: Citrus: Nuclear plant slips away 43 AFP: Russia eyes tie-up with Japanese firms for nuclear power projec 44 The Age: Nuclear power is the story of the past - Opinion - 45 UPI: Hungary reactivates closed nuclear reactor 46 US: Physics Today: Nuclear power's costs and perils - NUCLEAR SECURITY 47 [NYTr] The US Nuclear Threat is Real NUCLEAR SAFETY 48 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Never again NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 49 US: The NewStandard: Senators Move to Rush Yucca Nuke Dump - 50 Idaho Statesman: Joseph Strolin: Yucca Mountain is unsafe and has un 51 US: Platts: NRC issues security order for LES enrichment project 52 US: San Bernardino County Sun: Dangerous waste could be transported 53 US: The Age: Uranium stockpile to get more glow - 54 San Luis Obispo Tribune: Yucca dump doomed? PEACE 55 BBC: Eight arrested at Faslane protest 56 Deutsche Welle: Historic Cold War Bunker to Become a Museum 57 AFP: India and Pakistan swap nuclear site lists - US DEPT. OF ENERGY 58 KnoxNews: Building a fresh face for WWII-era complex 59 KnoxNews: Future of OR research bright 60 Inside Bay Area: Officials pick new weapon design 61 reviewjournal.com: DOE exec dies of cancer 62 IBR: INL receives $2 million loan from state ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Xinhua: "Israel can attack Iran on its own": Israeli think tank www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-03 01:49:52 JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- "An Iranian nuclear bomb is only a matter of time" if no military action is to be taken, Israeli Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University warned in its annual report released to press Tuesday. The report, Middle East Strategic Balance, also made the conclusion that "Israel can attack Iran on its own". INSS head Zvi Shtauber said Israel was "technically" capable of striking alone and would have to do it alone if it is to take any action, as no other country would agree to work openly with Israel. Brigadier General Giora Eiland, a member of the institute's board, suggested that Israel must pursue full "strategic and military" understanding with the United States if it decided to attack Iran. Israel considers Iran its most serious threat. It dismisses Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is designed solely to produce energy and is worried by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to wipe the Jewish state off the map. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, but has said he hoped other ways could be found to keep Tehran from becoming a nuclear power. Israeli Minister asks UN to revoke Iran JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman Tuesday called on the new United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to revoke Iran's UN membership, local media reported. In his letter to Ban Ki-moon, Lieberman also ask UN to impose tough sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment, according to Israeli Army Radio. "(Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad's intentions are clear, and while the free world takes its time, the Iranian president is pressing with his plan to build nuclear weapons. Israel can and will stand alone against Iran, but we shouldn't have to do so. If Iran is allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, the free world will pay a heavy price and Israel will be the first and will pay the heaviest price. But Iran's aggression will not end there," the minister said. Lieberman also pointed out that the Israeli-Palestinian issue was at the core of solving all the problems in the Middle East. "Any connection between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian issue is a pretext used by some of the most anti-Semitic elements the world has known since the Nazi ideology and the Holocaust," Lieberman said in the letter. Ahmadinejad on Tuesday scorned the UN Security Council's sanctions on Iran, and warned that the Western countries would face a "historic slap" in the face if they confront the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear issue. Editor: Luan Shanglin ***************************************************************** 2 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iranians pursue nuclear technology 2007/01/02 Commander of the Basij forces in Hamedan province, Brigadier General Abdol-Reza Azadi, Monday said that as usual by relying on the power of Allah Almighty, the Iranian nation will eventually become victorious in the nuclear field. He made the remark while speaking at a gathering of armed forces officers in the provincial city of Razan. Azadi noted that both people and officials consciously pursue the issue of nuclear technology. "During the celebration of our nuclear achievements concurrent with the upcoming Ten-Day Dawn celebrations (to mark the anniversaryof the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution), the enthusiasm of the Iranians will be evident. "Manwhile, world arrogance should be aware that the Iranian nation will have the last say in this respect and that America will have no role in it," he added. The official said that after the recent glorious elections in Iran, the enemies displayed their fragile power by approving Resolution 1737 against Iran, which according to experts proved their desperation. "By relying on Allah almighty, Iranian scientists and students have achieved access to nuclear technology without depending on other countries," he concluded. sam 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 New Straits Times: Comment: The dilemma over Iran’s nuclear ambitions Wednesday, January 03 2007, 14:05:39 PM Dominique Moisi USING historical analogies to interpret the present is both tempting and dangerous, for history never truly repeats itself. Yet, to understand the difficulty of responding to the problems that Iran’s nuclear ambition and anti-Israel obsession now pose, it might be helpful to analyse the three analogies that are most commonly used. Some compare the Iranian regime to Nazi Germany. Others believe that the only useful analogy is to Europe’s old balance-of-power games. And still others combine the two, pointing to the "balance of terror" during the Cold War. In other words: is Iran to be treated as Hitler’s Germany in 1938, Prussia in 1756, or Stalin’s Soviet Union? Each analogy contains an element of truth, but none, of course, corresponds to the realities of the challenges Iran represents. Above all, each analogy, if taken seriously, should lead to a specific course of action, and this is far from being the case today. Let us start with the analogy between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hitler. Ahmedinejad pursues a dual objective with his anti-Zionist obsession: to de-legitimise Israel and to re-legitimise Iran’s claim to speak for Muslims over the heads of their more cautious governments. He very probably means what he says about Jews and Israel, but is he a latter-day Hitler, and is today’s Iran the equivalent of Germany in the 1930’s? Hitler came close to developing the nuclear bomb, but never had it, whereas Iran very well might. But Hitler’s power over Germany was much more absolute than Ahmadinejad’s power over Iran. The results of Iran’s recent municipal elections were humiliating for Ahmadinejad and his supporters. Those elections would have been unthinkable in Nazi Germany. Although the Iranian regime’s rhetoric may be totalitarian, political power there is much more diffused. The analogy with Hitler’s Germany is also problematic because, if it were regarded as true, the only sensible course of action would be a preventive strike on Iran and the removal of Ahmadinejad. Given the evolution of American strategic thinking after Iraq (and now Afghanistan), and of Israel’s strategic thinking after the 2006 Lebanon, now a preventive strike is highly unlikely. The second analogy, to the old balance-of-power system in Europe, is especially popular among Israeli and American diplomats. According to this view, if Iran wants to de-legitimise Israel and ultimately unite Muslims against the West, the only answer is to isolate Iran in the Middle East, and to create alliances against Iran with moderate Sunni Arab regimes. Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, some in Israel advocated an alliance between Israel, Turkey, and Iran, the Middle East’s three non-Arab powers. Today, many in the United States and Israel dream of a moderate Arab front, with countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt containing and isolating "radical" Iran. That diplomatic project is far from absurd. The rise of Hamas in Palestine and Hizbollah in Lebanon as instruments of Iranian ambitions can only worry moderate Arab regimes. But such an alliance has a price: the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, with serious territorial concessions on Israel’s part to match the Palestinians’ absolute recognition of Israel. Moderate Arab regimes will not dare to engage in an open and serious process of rapprochement with Israel in the absence of real progress over the Palestinian issue. But are the two parties ready for it? Could the US, a wounded power mired in Iraq, implement the part of the James Baker report that suggests "Peace in Baghdad goes through Jerusalem"? While Israel’s non-victory in Lebanon and the Palestinians’ bloody divisions mean that both sides have been humbled, a breakthrough, though possible, remains unlikely. The third analogy is reflected in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s recent references to Israel’s nuclear deterrent, which may have been a mistake, but probably indicate the evolution of Israeli strategic thinking. Olmert seemed to be reminding the Iranians of the hard realities of nuclear deterrence: Iran may join the nuclear club someday, but it will return to the Stone Age if it uses those weapons against a country that has a far more advanced nuclear arsenal. The comparison here is to the Cold War period. But can today’s Iran be compared to the Soviet Union? The success of the "balance of terror" presupposed a mixture of confrontation and dialogue between two "rational actors." Can Iran under Ahmadinejad be considered a rational actor? The dilemma concerning Iran is whether a power imbued with an "absolute" ideology can be allowed to be in control of an "absolute" weapon. Since a military solution is highly improbable, what are the serious alternatives? Is it possible to have a productive dialogue with Iran while rejecting the mad ideology of its president? As the shortcomings of the three most popular historical analogies suggest, the answer is far from obvious. — Project Syndicate * Dominique Moisi, a founder and senior adviser at the French Institute for International Relations, is currently a professor at the College of Europe in Natolin, Warsaw. Copyright © 2006 NST Online. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 MPR: The cloudy future of Iran's nuclear program +[Minnesota Public Radio] Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers a speech during a ceremony at the holy city of Mashhad, 950 kms northeast of Tehran, 11 April 2006. (Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images) The cloudy future of Iran's nuclear program Broadcast: Midmorning, 01/03/2007, 9:06 a.m. Iran's president says U.N. sanctions will have no effect on its economy. The U.N. Security Council recently voted to ban countries from selling nuclear fuel and weapons technology to Iran. Some say despite Iran's tough talk, the country is in desperate need of economic and political reform, and may even run out of oil within ten years. Guests Kenneth Pollack: Director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He's the author of "The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America." (2004) Roger Stern: Author of a study published by the National Academy of Sciences which says Iran will run out of oil by 2015. Minnesota Public Radio ©2007 All rights reserved : Terms of ©2007 Minnesota Public Radio | All rights reserved 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN USA 55101 | 651-290-1212 ***************************************************************** 5 AFP: US to launch campaign to isolate Iran financially - report - Tue Jan 2, 4:24 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is ready to launch a new diplomatic initiative with several European countries to try to isolate Iran" /> Iranfinancially, The New York Times reported. Western powers want Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that they fear could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists its atomic programme is entirely peaceful and it has every right to the nuclear fuel cycle. The UN Security Council last month imposed sanctions and asked International Atomic Energy Agency" /> International Atomic Energy Agencychief Mohamed ElBaradei to report within 60 days on whether Iran has suspended uranium enrichment and cooperated fully with an ongoing IAEA investigation. "The plan is to use the language of the (UN) resolution to help persuade foreign governments and financial institutions to cut ties with Iranian businesses, individuals in its nuclear and missile programs and, by extension, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps," the report said, quoting Stuart Levey, under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. The Times said the US initiative is backed by Britain and France but that Germany was believed to have concerns. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: Ahmadinejad warns West of 'historic slap' from Iran - Tue Jan 2, 4:25 AM ET TEHRAN (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed Iran" /> would deal a "historic slap" to Western nations if they launched any military action against the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme. "Even if all powers who stood behind Saddam Hussein" /> during the sacred defence war are resurrected again against Iran, the Iranian nation will give them an historic slap on the face," Ahmadinejad said in a speech Tuesday. The president was addressing thousands gathered in Ahvaz, the capital of the western Khuzestan province which Saddam Hussein invaded in 1980 and sparked a devastating eight year war with the Islamic republic. "The Iranian nation stands by its nuclear rights and will do its best to defend them," said Ahmadinejad, as he maintained Iran's defiance over its atomic programme. Ahmadinejad shrugged off a resolution passed last month by the UN Security Council imposing sanctions over the Iranian nuclear programme, saying it was illegal and in any case would not hurt the Islamic republic. "The resolution lacks validity and is completely political and unlawful," he told the cheering audience. "It is a political resolution adopted under pressure from the United States and Britain, although the content of the resolution is not very significant. "It was adopted with two objectives. Firstly, to create psychological war and propaganda against Iran and also to give an opportunity to scare some people inside the country under the pretext of a hollow resolution." Western powers want Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that they fear could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists its atomic programme is entirely peaceful and it has every right to the nuclear fuel cycle. "The Iranian nation seeks the complete exploitation of nuclear energy as its undeniable right," Ahmadinejad said. "The nuclear issue is even more important to us than the nationalisation of oil that they (the West) opposed," he said, referring to the nationalisation of Iran's oil resources by the Iranian government in the 1950s. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 AFP: Israel to test installation to monitor Iran's nuclear activity - report - Tue Jan 2, 2:49 AM ET JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel" /> will test, for the UN, an underground installation in the Negev desert designed to monitor any attempt by arch-foe Iran" /> to test nuclear devices, the daily Yediot Aharonot reported. The test will consist of three strong explosions Israel will deliberately set off in the northern Negev using 15 tonnes of liquid explosives, to see how they register on equipment at the underground site. Each blast will be equivalent to a seismic tremor of 2.4 on the Richter scale, the report said. The facility is equipped with seismographs and other equipment able to detect earth tremors and transmits the data directly to the International Atomic Nuclear Agency (IAEA) in Vienna via Israel's nuclear research facility at Nahal Sorek, the paper said. The new underground testing center is in the mountains near the Red Sea beach resort of Eilat. "The station will assess earth tremors, and ways to predict them and other underground and surface activity, such as nuclear tests," the paper quoted Rami Hofshteter of the Lod Geophysics Institute near Tel Aviv as saying. He added that "recent nuclear tests in India and Pakistan were recorded perfectly" at the Negev site. A similar testing station is located in Mount Meron in Upper Galilee in the north of Israel, the report said. Israel and the West suspect Iran of trying to secretly build nuclear arms under the cover of a civilian atomic power program. Tehran denies the charges. The Jewish state, widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, considers the Islamic republic its arch-enemy following repeated calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be wiped off the map. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 AFP: Russia anti-aircraft weapons sales to Syria, Iran on schedule - Tuesday January 2, 10:18 AM [A Russian made Syrian anti-aircraft vehicle] MOSCOW (AFP) - Controversial Russian contracts to sell anti-aircraft weapons to Syria and Iran are being fulfilled on schedule Russian officials said. At least half of the 29 Tor-M1 missile systems bought by Iran for 1.4 billion dollars (1.06 billion euros) had been delivered, state-run ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed source at the defence ministry as saying Tuesday. "We are actively carrying out deliveries of the system to Iran. At least 50 percent of the contract has been delivered," the official was quoted as saying. The air defence systems are being stationed around Iran's civilian nuclear sites, according to ITAR-TASS. The United States, which is leading international pressure against Iran's nuclear programme, strongly resisted the contract and imposed sanctions against Russian jetmaker Sukhoi and arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Meanwhile, Interfax news agency quoted Valery Kashin, head of weapons maker Engineering Design Bureau, as saying that Russia met all its commitments in 2006 under the contract to supply Syria with the Strelets anti-aircraft system. He gave no details. Israel spoke out against the 2005 deal, claiming that Syria would pass on the system, which fires Igla ground-to-air rockets, to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Details about the quantity and cost of the Strelets contract have not been made public. AFP ***************************************************************** 9 UPI: U.S., Europe ratchet up Iran sanctions United Press International - NewsTrack - 1/2/2007 9:16:00 AM -0500 WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The United States and several European countries are trying to add financial bite to U.N. sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear program. Part of the plan is to target the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military power base for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which The New York Times said has moved increasingly into commercial operations involving big government contracts. The push has the support of Britain and France and Germany to a lesser degree because of its extensive business dealings in Iraq. While Japan is not a member of the U.N. Security Council, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation announced it would not issue new loans for Iranian projects until Iran resolved the nuclear impasse with the West. The December Security Council resolution says "all states" will "take the necessary measures" to bar "financial assistance" and "financial resources or services" related to nuclear and ballistic missile programs and named 12 individuals and numerous agencies. Iran claims it has a sovereign right to manufacture nuclear power using its own enriched uranium, which it denies is for nuclear weapons. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 AFP: Iran warns West of 'historic slap' over nuclear drive - January 2, 11:16 PM TEHRAN (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has kept up his defiance over Iran's nuclear programme, saying Tehran would deal an "historic slap" to Western nations if they launched military action. Ahmadinejad also vowed that Iran would press ahead with its atomic drive despite the UN Security Council's decision to impose its first ever sanctions against the Islamic republic. "Even if all powers who stood behind Saddam Hussein during the sacred defence war are resurrected again against Iran, the Iranian nation will give them an historic slap in the face," Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast live on state television Tuesday. The president was addressing thousands gathered in Ahvaz, the capital of the western Khuzestan province which Saddam Hussein invaded in 1980 and sparked a devastating eight year war with the Islamic republic. "The Iranian nation stands by its nuclear rights and will do its best to defend them," said Ahmadinejad. The president shrugged off a resolution passed last month by the UN Security Council imposing sanctions over the Iranian nuclear programme, saying it was illegal and in any case would not hurt the Islamic republic. "The resolution lacks validity and is completely political and unlawful," he told the cheering audience. "It is a political resolution adopted under pressure from the United States and Britain, although the content of the resolution is not very significant. "It was adopted with two objectives. Firstly, to create psychological war and propaganda against Iran and also to give an opportunity to scare some people inside the country under the pretext of a hollow resolution." Western powers want Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that they fear could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists its atomic programme is entirely peaceful and it has every right to the nuclear fuel cycle. "The Iranian nation seeks the complete exploitation of nuclear energy as its undeniable right," Ahmadinejad said. "The nuclear issue is even more important to us than the nationalisation of oil that they (the West) opposed," he said, referring to the nationalisation of Iran's oil resources by the Iranian government in the 1950s. Ahmadinejad did not reveal how he would respond to a bill passed by parliament that obliges the government to revise its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in retaliation to the resolution. But his government spokesman said Tehran was keeping open the option of quitting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Western countries step up pressure on the Islamic republic over its atomic programme. "If we are put under pressure and deprived of our rights we can use our capacity to decide whether to stay within the treaty or to quit it, Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters. Elham said the government would decide how to revise its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog based on the attitude taken by the international community over the Iranian nuclear programme. "We want to move within the framework of the treaties that we have accepted in a transparent way but being part of a treaty is a neutral thing based on duties and rights." An Israeli newspaper, meanwhile, reported that Israel was on Tuesday to test an underground installation in the Negev desert designed to monitor any attempt by Iran, its arch-foe, to test nuclear devices. The daily Yediot Aharonot reported that the test will consist of three strong explosions Israel will deliberately set off in the northern Negev using 15 tonnes of liquid explosives, to see how they register on equipment at the underground site. The facility is equipped with seismographs and other equipment able to detect earth tremors and transmits the data directly to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the paper said. Copyright © 2007 AFP. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 11 Korea Herald: N.K. praises nukes, calls for modernization of economy In a New Year message North Korea heralded its independent military power and emphasized the need to modernize its economy. In a joint newspaper editorial, the North said, "We must muster the production foundations and potential energy in all sides of the people's economy to crush down the sanctions and blockades of the imperialists with strong national pride and audacity." The message also underscored a need to "remove conservative pro-U.S. power" in the South ahead of this year's presidential election and said the two Koreas must "stick together." The North, however, refrained from making any new comments regarding its nuclear power in an apparent consideration of the on-going six-party talks. The six-party talks took a recess last month and the N.K. delegation returned to Pyongyang with Washington's detailed proposal of implementation measures. Sanctions against North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test continue to take shape among the U.N. member countries. "Our access to a nuclear deterrent was an auspicious event in our national history as it meant the realization of the Korean people's centuries-old desire to have national strength no one could dare challenge," the North said. The editorial, printed in the North's party, military and youth newspapers, is an annual release of the regime's main policy direction and goals for the year. The method has replaced the North's official New Year message since the death of its founder Kim Il-sung in 1994. "The current trend of the world shows that the power wielding policy of the imperialists cannot help but face a failure and that it cannot stop the struggle of the people seeking independence," the message said, adding that its "nuclear deterrent defends peace and security in Northeast Asia." Saving its economy was the main task, the editorial said, citing such areas as farming, food shortage, production of consumer goods along with development of power, coal-mining, metal and rail transport industries. "We must focus our national will on solving our economy's problems in order to blossom a people's paradise with prospering sungun Chosun," it said. Sungun, or military-first policy, is the radical communist regime's flagship political principle. Although China remains its biggest donor and ally, North Korea has been facing an uphill battle against an economic collapse since the 1990s. South Korea's government-level aids to the North have halted since its July missile launches. The North said its economy must be modernized and its technology restored. The editorial also called for unwavering loyalty to leader Kim Jong-il. Kim, who will turn 65 this year, controls the world's fifth largest military, numbering 1.1 million people. The editorial called for an "incessant fortification" of the people's military both in ideology and technology for independent military power. (angiely@heraldm.com) By Lee Joo-hee 2007.01.02 ***************************************************************** 12 Korea Herald: DJ bullish on Korean summit Former President Kim Dae-jung yesterday said there was a greater possibility for a second inter-Korean summit to take place now. "I believe the possibility is higher for (the summit) as President Roh Moo-hyun has dropped his condition that N.K. leader Kim Jong-il must come to Seoul and instead said the venue would not matter," Kim said in a radio interview with BBS. "The problem is North Korea's attitude. As promised by North Korea, the second summit meeting must take place despite the delay." The first historic meeting between the two Koreas took place in Pyongyang on June 2000. Then president, Kim Dae-jung, received the Nobel Peace Prize for the accomplishment that was part of his engagement policy with the communist regime. Former President Kim Dae-jung (right) meets with former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at Kim`s residence in Seoul yesterday. [The Korea Herald] Nearly 40 percent of surveyed voters said that a second inter-Korean summit in 2007 would help the ruling Uri Party expand its support ahead of the presidential campaign, a poll by Herald Media showed last week. But Kim Dae-jung distanced his comments from politics. "The election is an election, inter-Korean relations are inter-Korean relations," Kim said to a question as to whether any progress with North Korea could be used politically. "I do not believe the government would do that in a situation where the cooperation between the two Koreas must be maintained." He also said that he will not be involved in this year's presidential election and that all he wanted was to "be of help" to peacefully unify the two Koreas. In a different interview, Lee Su-hoon, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative, said the inter-Korean summit will be possible as long as certain circumstances are met. "When the circumstances are prepared and the two Koreas clarify when they must give and receive from each other, the inter-Korean summit talks will be realized," Lee said in a radio interview with PBC. By circumstances, Lee said he meant the first implementation stage of North Korea's nuclear dismantlement and an improvement in the hostile relationship between North Korea and the United States. "In order for the two Koreas to hold summit talks, we need trust from the eyes of the international community," Lee said. New Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung in his New Year message reaffirmed his determination to help alleviate poverty in North Korea. "(South Korea) must accept its responsibility of (helping) North Korea out of destitution because we are the same people, the 10th largest world economy, and a $300 billion exporting nation," Lee said. "Without fundamentally solving North Korea's poverty, the Korean peninsula will remain dangerous and no peace will be guaranteed." He also called for a change from the North, saying that it was not the nuclear weapon or nuclear program that guaranteed the safety of the North, but the reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas. (angiely@heraldm.com) By Lee Joo-hee 2007.01.03 ***************************************************************** 13 YONHAP NEWS: S. Korean foreign minister arrives in U.S. for talks on N. Korea 2007/01/02 16:38 KST (LEAD) WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon arrived in the United States on Monday for talks with various U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. "I will be discussing (with Rice) how to move forward the efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and how to advance the ongoing efforts to improve the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Song told reporters in Seoul on Monday (Seoul time) before embarking on his six-day trip. www.yonhapnews.co.kr ***************************************************************** 14 YONHAP NEWS: Kim Dae-jung calls for inter-Korean summit /01/01 19:59 KST SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) -- Kim Dae-jung, the former South Korean president who opened a new chapter in inter-Korean reconciliation, asked President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday to redouble his efforts to hold a summit with his North Korean counterpart. Kim also reiterated his call for the United States to have direct talks with the communist nation to resolve the nuclear crisis that has been dogging the Northeast Asian region for years. "The Roh Moo-hyun administration needs to move the two Koreas' relations a step forward through an inter-Korean summit before its tenure ends," Kim said in response to Roh's New Year's greetings delivered by his chief of staff Lee Byung-wan. Roh's five-year tenure has just a year to go, and the Constitution bans him from seeking re-election. It would be an important accomplishment by the current government, Kim added. Kim is the architect of Seoul's policy of appeasing Pyongyang, nicknamed the "sunshine policy." He had an historic summit with North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il in 2000. Following the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test, the former South Korean president has been busy countering criticism by conservatives, who say the North's provocative action has proved the sunshine policy to be a failure. Roh's aide was among a host of political figures who paid courtesy calls to the former president, who still wields much political influence. They include Kim Geun-tae, chairman of the ruling Uri Party, Chang Sang, leader of the minor opposition Democratic Party, and Goh Kun, a former prime minister and a presidential hopeful. (END) ***************************************************************** 15 YONHAP NEWS: Unification minister calls for increased assistance for N. Korea 2007/01/02 14:29 KST SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korea called Tuesday for increased economic assistance for the impoverished North, saying peace on the Korean Peninsula can only be achieved when the North can feed its people by developing its economy, not nuclear weapons. Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said a precondition for resuming assistance for North Korea was the abandoning of its nuclear ambitions, and his remarks come amid international pressure on the communist nation to give up its nuclear program. "Unless we fundamentally solve the problem of poverty in North Korea, security on the Korean Peninsula will always be in danger and we will not be able to guarantee peace on the peninsula," Lee said in a New Year's e-mail to ministry officials. "Not nuclear weapons or nuclear programs, but reconciliation and cooperation between South Korea and North Korea and resolving the North's poverty issue through joint development (between the Koreas) will secure peace on the Korean Peninsula," the minister said. South Korea suspended shipments of humanitarian assistance, mostly food and fertilizer, to the North in July after the latter test-fired seven ballistic missiles earlier that month. The remarks also follow his earlier call for an early resumption of dialogue between the divided Koreas, which have stalled since Seoul's suspension of assistance for Pyongyang. "I hope talks between the South and North will be held at the earliest date possible," the minister said in a regular press briefing on Thursday. "We need to help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue" by deeply analyzing the North's sense of extreme urgency, Lee said. "And we have the responsibility to assist such efforts through talks between the South and North, but there is not too much time," he added. North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for economic and diplomatic benefits during a 2005 round of international negotiations aimed at peacefully resolving the nuclear issue. The nuclear talks resumed in Beijing last month after a 13-month hiatus, but ended without any progress. The talks also involve South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States. No date has been set for a new round. bdk@yna.co.kr (END) ***************************************************************** 16 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North Korea goes it alone January 3, 2007 KST 14:35 (GMT+9) [EDITORIALS] North Korea stressed in New Year's editorials of its major publications, such as Rodong Sinmun, that the country needed to become an economically strong nation. The editorials of the North's official mouthpieces, which these major publications essentially are used as, are an official guideline that serves as a direction for the North's political, economic, foreign affairs and inter-Korean relationships ˇŞ in short, all aspects of the North's society. As the editorials have emphasized the importance of growth, it is likely that the North will put its efforts behind reviving its ailing economy. We do welcome Pyongyang's announcement that it will make reviving its economy a priority. Nevertheless, the key strategy by the North that was outlined to achieve this task is still the nation's own efforts. Because the North is internationally isolated, this seems to be an inevitable choice. But in a global age where every economy is interlinked with others, trying to revive the economy only with one's own hands is like trying to catch fish from trees. We urge the North to make an overall policy change that will end its international isolation quickly. The North might be thinking that the development of nuclear weapons and missiles has enabled it to curb on its conventional arms expansion and use those resources for the revival of the economy. Nevertheless, such a policy will not help the North in ending its isolation. In the East Asian region, this will only result in increasing military tensions and begin an arms race. An arms race in the region, for the North, would be an even bigger burden considering that the North's size, population, and economy is relatively small than its neighboring countries. We urge the North to make a policy change within this year. Only this can provide the North with an opportunity to build the economically strong nation that it has promised. The editorials have also urged the South's citizens to start fighting conservatism, taking aim at the South's December presidential election. We strongly condemn such statements by the North. It is a country that has reacted strongly whenever someone criticized its regime, but the North has taken every opportunity to try to influence the political landscape in the South. Such actions will only earn contempt from the South's citizens and result in ban sentiment here. We advise the North to focus on reforms and open up its society which are essential steps to revive its economy. 2007.01.01 Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use ***************************************************************** 17 Korea Times: Nuclear Fusion Project Questioned Hankooki.com > The Korea Times By Kim Tae-gyu Staff Reporter A classified report, commissioned by the government, says that Korea's 2-trillion won effort to participate in an international nuclear fusion project is not commercially viable in the next 100 years, with its investment unlikely to be recovered. The report is being compiled by the Korea Institute of Science &Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) and The Korea Times obtained a copy of the report. The report is currently dealt with on a confidential basis but no decision was made on whether to publish it or use it internally. The report predicts that nuclear fusion, often called ``the future source of energy,'' will not be used for commercial purposes by 2100 but the tenor of the report is that Korea should stay involved even just for research purposes. The distant time frame is expected to trigger a dispute over whether Korea should spend billions of dollars to support the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), especially because its ITER participation has been pushed ahead on the basis of an assumption that it will be commercially used in 30 years by 2040. On the basis of the 30-year time table, the National Assembly is poised to give its okay to the project in a special session next month. Such countries as France, the United States, India, China, Japan and South Korea as well as other European countries agreed late last year to spend $12.8 billion to build ITER near Marseille. By participating in the project, Korea is expected to shell out 1.82 trillion won through 2040 _ 877 billion won by 2015, 909 billion won by 2035 and 37 billion won by 2040. ``Energy experts project nuclear fusion reactors will commercially start after 2050 and they will be competitive in production prices only after 2080,'' the report said. ``We think that the market (for nuclear fusion reactors) is projected to form after 2100 ˇ¦ If the ITER project fails, we will be unable to recover our investment,'' it said. A Seoul professor, who is familiar with the issue, insists that the Assembly scrap the agreement on the ITER, which will financially weigh on the nation without generating tangible results. ``Should the Assembly disapprove the international contract, it will bring disgrace on the country. But one-off shame is far better than long-time financial burdens on useless projects,'' the professor said. In comparison, Prof. Kim Moo-hwan at the Pohang University of Science and Technology said Korea has to partake in ITER despite some concerns. ``The report is not about forcing the government to stop a nuclear fusion project, but about prompting it to take all things into account in carrying out such big investment,'' said Kim, the chief advisor for the report. Different from today's nuclear reactors, nuclear fusion harnesses the same process of plasma fusion that generates the sun's energy. In the sense, experts call nuclear fusion as the replication of sun on Earth. Current reactors use fission that produces energy when atoms are split apart. In comparison, fusion releases energy as atoms are combined. There are pros and cons for the futuristic technologies. Some hail fusion as a cost-effective, clean and safe alternative to fission while critics predict it will not be commercialized forever due to technical difficulties. voc200@koreatimes.co.01-01-2007 17:27 ***************************************************************** 18 Korea Times: N. Korea Stresses Economic Revival Hankooki.com > The Korea Times By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter North Korea's New Year joint newspaper editorial on Monday underlined that it will strive to modernize its economy. The editorial also said Pyongyang will continue strengthening its defense power by focusing on ``songun'' or ``military-first'' policy that enabled it to conduct an underground nuclear test last October. But the editorial, titled ``Usher in a Great Heyday of Songun Korea Full of Confidence in Victory,'' did not specifically mention Pyongyang's nuclear plan or its relations with the United States. As for ways to revive its economy suffering from sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council following the nuclear test, the editorial stressed the importance of agriculture. ``We should, as in the past, keep up farming as the great foundation of the country and make an epoch-making advance in solving the problem of food for the people,'' it said. In a reaction to the North's emphasis on its economy, South Korea's Ministry of Unification hoped to see Pyongyang try to improve soured inter-Korean relations to attract economic aid from the South. ``The editorial's contents are not very much different from last year's text, but it mentioned economic issues earlier than others,'' a ministry official said, asking not to be named. ``It seems that Pyongyang will pay more attention to its economy with an idea that it is now a nuclear power.'' The editorial also called for more production of consumer goods and the development of power, coal-mining, metal and rail transport industries to better the life of North Koreans. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade interpreted the North's failure to mention the future of its nuclear programs as an attempt to take advantage of the six-party talks that came to a halt again after a five-day meeting ended with no tangible results on Dec. 22. ``It is believed that North Korean leaders are taking a wait-and-see attitude because discussions about U.S. financial sanctions are set to resume sometime soon,'' a ministry official said, requesting anonymity. In September 2005, Washington blacklisted Banco Delta Asia in Macau as a ``primary money laundering concern'' because of suspicions that it was helping the North conduct illegal activities, including counterfeiting and money laundering. As a result, the bank severed its relations with Pyongyang and froze $24 million in North Korean assets. Regarding the presidential election to be held in South Korea in December, the North Korean editorial stressed the importance of cooperation between people in the two Koreas to get rid of conservatives in the South who used to back the United States. The Pyongyang regime also called for loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-il, who will turn 65 this year. The editorial was carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), several hours after Kim visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang where the embalmed body of his father is kept, Yonhap news agency reported. Kim was accompanied by several top military leaders, including Vice Marshal Kim Yong-chun, who serves as chief of the army's general staff, and Vice Marshal Kim Il-chol, a member of the National Defense Commission and minister of the People's Armed Forces, the KCNA said in a separate report. 01-01-2007 17:26 ***************************************************************** 19 Korea Times: 26% of Americans think U.S. will go to war with North Korea Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation Only a minority of Americans think the United States will go to war with North Korea or Iran over those countriesˇŻ nuclear ambitions in 2007, according to an poll. An Associated Press-AOL News poll said Saturday that 26 percent of Americans think it likely the U.S. will go to war with North Korea, while 40 percent said the battle will be with Iran. These are among the findings of a poll that asked people in the U.S. to contemplate what 2007 holds for the country. The telephone poll of 1,000 American adults was conducted Dec. 12-14 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The Associated Press (AP) said the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. Six in 10 Americans said the U.S. will be the victim of a terrorist attack, while an identical percentage thinks it likely that a biological or nuclear weapon will be unleashed somewhere else in the world. Seventy percent of those surveyed predict that a major natural disaster in the U.S. and an equal percentage expects worsening global warming. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents said that it is likely that the U.S. will withdraw its troops from Iraq. Among other predictions for the U.S. this year, 35 percent think it likely the military draft will be reinstated. An identical percentage predicts a cure for cancer will be found. And 25 percent anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ, while 19 percent think scientists are likely to find evidence of extraterrestrial life. According to the survey, over 90 percent of people think higher gas prices are likely. And 57 percent said it is likely that another state will legalize gay marriage. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, while four other states offer civil unions or domestic partnerships. 01-01-2007 18:09 ***************************************************************** 20 AFP: NKorea hails nuclear test in 'year of victory' by Simon Martin Mon Jan 1, 2:50 AM ET SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea" /> has hailed 2006 as a "year of great victory" thanks to its first ever nuclear weapons test and vowed to keep putting its military first in the coming year. A joint New Year editorial in the hardline communist state's major newspapers also vowed to restructure the creaking economy and called for unbending loyalty to leader Kim Jong-Il. "Our access to a nuclear deterrent was an auspicious event in the national history as it meant the realization of the Korean people's centuries-old desire to have national strength no one could dare challenge," said the editorial carried jointly by the party, military and youth newspapers. "Our nuclear deterrent serves as a powerful force for defending peace and security in Northeast Asia and guaranteeing the victorious advance of the cause of independence," it added, referring to the nuclear test on October 9. The editorial termed 2006 a "year of great victory" and made no mention of the international condemnation or UN sanctions which were sparked by the nuclear test and by earlier missile tests in July. It also made no mention of six-nation nuclear talks which resumed last month in Beijing but broke off after a week without setting a date to meet again. "The year 2007 will be a year of great changes, a year which will usher in a new era of prosperity of Songun Korea," the editorial said, referring to the "Songun" army-first policy which directs most resources to the country's 1.1 million-strong military. It described economic revival as "the main task in the present general march" and said emphasis should be put on farming to alleviate chronic food shortages. "We should, as in the past, keep up farming as the great foundation of the country and make an epoch-making advance in solving the problem of food for the people," it said. North Korea suffered famine in the mid- to late 1990s in which hundreds of thousands of people died and severe food shortages persist. The editorial also called for more production of better consumer goods and development of power, coal-mining, metal and rail transport industries, among other areas. Analysts said the editorial stressed the importance of economic development, reflecting the seriousness of the impoverished nation's moribund economy. "The editorial placed particular emphasis on the economy. It shows North Korea will focus on economic affairs as it achieved its goal in defense through its nuclear test," said Dongkuk University professor Koh Yu-Hwan said. The editorial has replaced the North's New Year message since founding president Kim Il-Sung died in 1994. It called on the nation's 23 million people to show loyalty to Kim's son and successor Kim Jong-Il. "The whole Party, the entire army and all the people should loyally uphold the idea and guidance of the leadership, cherishing the unshakeable spirit of defending their leader at all costs," it said. Kim made a midnight visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, where the embalmed body of his father lies, the official Korean Central News Agency said. He was accompanied by several top military leaders, including Vice Marshal Kim Yong-Chun who is chief of the army's general staff, and Vice Marshal Kim Il-Chol, a member of the National Defense Commission and minister of the People's Armed Forces, the agency said. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 21 AFP: SKorea urges NKorea to scrap nuclear weapons and fight poverty - Tuesday January 2, 06:08 [Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung] SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea has urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons and focus on overcoming dire poverty in 2007. In a New Year message, Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung -- in charge of relations with the North -- called on the hardline communist state to cooperate with the South to lift living standards. "As the world's 10th largest economy, South Korea must shoulder the burden to save North Korea from dire poverty," said Lee. "Peace will not be ensured on the Korean peninsula unless North Korea finds a fundamental solution to poverty. "Nuclear weapons or a nuclear program will not provide security for North Korea. They should know their security and safety will be guaranteed if they overcome poverty through inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation and co-prosperity." North Korea suffered famine for several years starting in 1995 which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Its people still suffer persistent food shortages. In July South Korea suspended regular aid shipments worth millions of dollars in protest at the North's missile tests that month. The North halted inter-Korean dialogue in protest at the suspension. South Korea has said it would resume distribution of aid, mostly food and fertilizer, only if North Korea remains sincere about abandoning its nuclear weapons drive. Six-nation nuclear disarmament talks resumed last month for the first time in 13 months but ended in apparent deadlock. The talks took on added urgency after North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October. AFP ***************************************************************** 22 AFP: South Korea's Ban takes over as UN chief by Herve Couturier Mon Jan 1, 5:05 AM ET UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Ban Ki-moon of South Korea" /> takes over as UN secretary general, facing numerous crises across the globe as well as the challenging task of reforming the United Nations" /> itself. The 62-year-old diplomat's handling of the reform, launched in 2005 by his predecessor Kofi Annan" /> , will be closely watched by UN members, notably the most powerful, the United States, which strongly backed his candidacy. Washington and others want the UN to become more efficient and transparent and be stricter over ethics and management following a series of scandals, including in the corruption-tainted Iraq" /> oil-for-food program. Aware of the huge task ahead of him, Ban said in a news conference in December that he wanted to "restore trust" in the United Nations. In subsequent interviews, he promised to devote most of his attention to solving the immediate problem of regional conflicts around the world. He said he wanted to be a "harmoniser" and a "bridge-builder," pointing out that the conflict in the Middle East, the Lebanese situation and the crisis in Darfur would be among his priorities. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Sunday that Ban assumes his new role at a time of great challenge and opportunity at the United Nations. "The United States will rely on his leadership to help steer the UN Organization through the reforms already underway, and to propel the Organization even further on the path of reform," Stanzel noted. Another challenge for the former South Korean foreign minister is the enlargement of the 15-member Security Council, whose composition, member states generally agree, reflects the realities of 1945 rather than of the 21st century. But no enlargement plan has been approved due to disagreements among member states, notably the council's five permanent, veto-wielding members: the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China. While Ban tackles a challenging chore within the world body, he also faces a slew of conflicts and crises around the globe. The gloomy list includes the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region and the disputed nuclear programs of North Korea" /> and Iran" /> . The UN oversees more than 100,000 blue-helmeted international troops from its New York headquarters. Peacekeepers are scattered across the world, from the Democratic Republic of Congo" /> to Kosovo" /> and Haiti. The new UN chief's job also includes numerous other crucial issues of international concern, including the fight against AIDS" /> , protecting children in conflict zones, poverty and global warming. "If we look at middle, long-term affairs, we must take urgent action to address this climate change issue otherwise our future generations will suffer from this issues," Ban told the BBC. As Ban takes over, UN members eagerly await his decisions on key leadership posts in the world body. On Sunday, he named Vijay Nambiar of India as his cabinet chief and Michele Montas as his spokeswoman and said he planned to make more appointments in the coming days. Nambiar was a special adviser to Annan and has also served as India's UN envoy. Montas was a Haitian journalist who heads the French unit of UN Radio. "Today's appointments will serve as a solid basis for establishing my team and pursuing a program of reform of the Secretariat to provide continuity along with change," Ban said in a statement. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 23 StatesmanJournal.com: Q: New Senate boss lays out priorities Opinion - Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Commentary #By DIANA MARRERO Gannett News Service WASHINGTON — Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a tough job ahead of him. The Democratic leader’s negotiating and diplomacy skills will be tested as he tries to push his party’s agenda on a slim 51-49 Senate majority. He will have to reach a compromise with Republican leaders to pass any significant legislation. Reid, of Nevada, discussed his top priorities for the Senate in a wide-ranging interview with Gannett News Service: Question. What will be the toughest part about being the Senate majority leader? Answer. The toughest part about being the Democratic leader when we were in the minority or the majority is trying to point the country in the right direction and have the support of your troops. It’s like leading people into battle. You want to make sure your troops support you. Q. How do you ensure that you actually accomplish the goals you and other party leaders have set out for the country? A. We’re going to pick issues Republicans will have to support us on, starting with ethics reform. We’re going to talk about stem cell research. We’re going to talk about allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. We’re of course interested in the minimum wage, which hasn’t been raised in more than 10 years. We’re interested in giving tax incentives to individuals and companies that invest in alternative energy — solar, wind and geothermal. Q. Are you worried that Democrats won’t be able to deliver the dramatic results Americans might be expecting when it comes to the Iraq war and other issues? A. I think they should have those expectations and we’re going to do our very best in spite of the hole (Republicans) have dug for us. We’re going to do our very best to do everything we can to move the ball down the court and hopefully have the president help us. Q. You’ve said you’re not interested in trying to decrease funding for Iraq for now, but is there anything Democrats can do through the budget process to shift priorities in Iraq? A. The war is breaking us. And we’re going to have extensive hearings to find out what is going on over there. Q. What specific, feasible measures can lawmakers pass next year to help the middle class? A. We’re going to pass Medicare negotiations, which certainly helps the middle class. Minimum wage helps all people, which is something we need to do. One thing we’re going to push very hard on is tax incentives for alternative energy production. That’s certainly directed right at the middle class. And then, one thing we need to do is a tuition tax credit for college. Q. The agenda that was promoted by Democrats called “Six for ’06” did not mention immigration reform. Why? A. I have the opportunity as the majority leader to come forward with 10 bills at the beginning of the session. One of those will be an immigration bill. Immigration is something that’s not easy. But it’s necessary. We have to address the problems we have in America. First of all, the border, our security. Second, we have to have a guest worker program that’s meaningful and works. Thirdly, we have to give people who are here living in the shadows the opportunity to come out of the shadows and be on the pathway to legalization. And finally, we need to do something to make sure that the employer sanctions work. Q. You have long crusaded against a proposal for a national nuclear waste storage site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. What specific steps are you planning to take to kill the plans for storage at Yucca Mountain? A. I’m not sure there’s a spear we can put right through it’s heart. I think Yucca Mountain is on a stretcher, bleeding a lot. Basically it’s gone, it’s just a question of when. Q. Some political observers say you do better behind the scenes than in front of cameras. Is this true? Why? A. I’m just who I am. I can’t change. My 50 senators accepted me. They know who I am. They know the good and the bad of me. These kinds of stories people write stick with you whether they’re true or not. Contact Diana Marrero at dmarrero@gns.gannett.com dagnabbit wrote: Hate, or concern? :roll: While a lot of other people post their "concern" here, KoI is noted for the hatred he/she spews here. Boo Hoo let me cry you a freaken river of tears you liberal panises.. I sm so distraught over you thinknig I hate you all. Ohh my ohh my what will I do.. LOL You panies should nto sweat the small stuff. LOL If memory serves me correct the past election cycle was based upon HATERED.. It is only fitting that the Dems reap what they sow.. I wish them all the ill will that can be wished upon to leaders... Copyright ©2007 StatesmanJournal.com All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 24 Connecticut Post: Stratford wants close look at developer RICHARD WEIZEL Article Last Updated: 01/02/2007 07:19:09 AM EST STRATFORD  Town officials will get a closer look this week at projects by a Long Island developer being considered to rejuvenate Team Stratford, the group charged with renovating the 79-acre former Army engine plant on Main Street for town economic development projects. The Monti-Posillico Group of Farmingdale, N.Y., is the proposed lead developer for Team Stratford, whose plans to redevelop the former manufacturing site, shut down in 1995, have languished under the leadership of Aaron Hochman. Despite being impressed by a Monti-Posillico presentation to the Town Council last month, members want to see firsthand how the developer operates, said Town Council Chairman James Feehan, R-9. So the entire 10-member council will take a daylong trip Thursday touring the Long Island partnership's corporate offices and will visit several sites where it is currently working. "We don't want to make the same mistake again," Feehan said of the stalled redevelopment effort. "We wasted the past six or seven years waiting for Team Stratford, headed by Hochman, to move forward on the most important economic development project in Stratford, and it never happened." Feehan said he wants to "review the new company's corporate site to make sure it can provide both the stability and financial resources needed for the project," as well as visiting work sites to inspect construction and remediation. Councilman Angelo Stavola, D-4, said he believes the council's visit to Long Island is "absolutely necessary" before making any final decisions on the developer. "This is the most important economic development site in town, and we must see everything with our own eyes before reaching a decision," Stavola said. The Monti-Posillico Group comprises two companies that joined forces before on redevelopment projects, and was handpicked by Hochman from among 27 firms considered to replace him, Team Stratford's lawyer, Charles Willinger, told the Town Council last month. The partnership group is working on a $100 million cleanup and revitalization of a former munitions and heavy industrial site in Glen Cove, Long Island, officials told the council. That project involves removing radioactive materials from the property and is similar to the type of multi-use redevelopment plan Stratford is considering at the former engine plant. Hochman, despite failing to get any projects off the ground, said he worked more than six years and spent nearly $3 million of his own money on the effort, and will still be a minor partner in Team Stratford, Willinger said. The Town Council, which was named during the late 1990s, under federal law, as the official land-use agency for redevelopment of the engine plant project, has full authority to decide which group is selected for the project. Estimates of the cleanup cost in Stratford range from $30 million to $100 million to demolish 57 buildings and remediate serious industrial contamination, officials said. "This group has already created the template for a potential redevelopment plan, and it is uncanny how similar it is to what is being considered in Stratford,'' Willinger told the council last month. "They are turning land into the largest real estate redevelopment site in the history of Long Island." Subject to Town Council's approval, Donald Monti, manager of Glen Isle Development of Glen Cove, will become the new manager of Team Stratford, and members of the Posillico Group in Farmingdale also will take on key roles. The Glen Cove plan includes a mix of industrial, commercial and residential uses, a concept also being considered in Stratford. © 1999-2007 MediaNews Group Newspapers :: Privacy Policy :: MNG ***************************************************************** 25 UPI: Walker's World: Bush's new order United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 1/2/2007 7:35:00 AM -0500 By MARTIN WALKER UPI Editor Emeritus PARIS, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Not since the grimmest days of the Cold War has a New Year has opened with such a sense of foreboding for the United States. The sky is darkening with the flocks of chickens coming home to roost. The wretched mismanagement of the Iraq occupation has drained American credibility as a superpower and as the linchpin of the global economy. The dollar's role as the world's reserve currency is eroding fast as the overflowing coffers of the oil-producing states start to hedge their bets against a further fall in its value and start demanding euros and British pounds instead. And beyond Iraq, the deeper challenges are looming of the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, along with the damage this will do to the American role as the strategic arbiter of events in the Middle East and Asia. It will take a brave or a desperate Arab leader these days to let the security of his regime depend on the protection or the wisdom of Washington, or on the security of the dollar as a safe haven. And any Asian leader worth his salt will be wondering how best to balance his country's interests against the evident rise of China and India and the equally evident American decline. Already the Saudi monarchy and its nervous neighbors in the Gulf, faced with the menace of Iran, are beginning to consider their own nuclear options. The Sunni leaders of Riyadh, of Cairo and Amman, are asking openly whether they might have to get involved in the Iraqi maelstrom to defend their fellow Sunni from the revenge of the Shiites. Whether the sectarian slaughter between Sunni and Shiite in Iraq can truly be called a civil war is being overtaken by the more urgent question whether a wider Sunni-Shiite conflict could yet erupt across the Middle East. This is not a good time to be a member of the dwindling band of America's allies. The ranks are thinning fast. Elections in Spain, Italy and Poland have already removed the governments that joined President Bush's misadventure in Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's most reliable friend in Europe, is already packing his bags for a departure expected to come in May or June. And there is little confidence that the Bush administration has much of an idea what to do about these various challenges, even if the new Democratic majority in Congress is prepared to cooperate. The signs are the White House will cross its fingers, trust to luck and try more of the same. At home, it hopes that the Federal Reserve can manage a soft landing for the U.S. economy and avoid a crash in the value of the dollar that would send U.S. interest rates through the roof. Abroad, the Bush team seems trapped in the hope that if 140,000 troops have not been able to stem the violence, then a surge of another 25,000 reinforcements might do the trick. But the evidence of the last three years suggests that holding the line to buy time for the Iraqi police and army to become sufficiently trained and responsible to take over represents the triumph of hope over experience. The hideous reality is that whatever the Bush administration now does is likely to make matters worse. More American troops mean more targets, more casualties, a bigger and clumsier American presence that whittles away what little claim the Iraqi government has of being in charge of events and able to rally sufficient domestic support to curb the sectarian violence. But troop withdrawals, or the kind of deadline for precipitate departure that some Democrats are urging, will spell not just defeat but probably an escalation of the Sunni-Shiite slaughter inside Iraq, along with the kind of ethnic cleansing that is likely to draw Saudi and Turkish and Iranian involvement to protect their interests and fellow Sunni and Shiite. What this all means is that we are witnessing the end of the unipolar world that has endured since the end of the Cold War. For the past two decades, American wealth and power and invention and prestige maintained a broad sense of security that allowed the great miracle of globalization to haul hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians and others out of poverty and into the global economy. But economic revolutions on such a scale have geo-political consequences and we are now living with them. The erosion of trust in a benign American hegemony has furthered the ability of lesser powers to start pursuing their own national interests in the growing confidence that there is little the American superpower can do about it. We see it in North Korea and Iran and Venezuela, in Russia's ruthless use of its energy power to bully its neighbors and investors. We see it in the growing nationalism of Japan, in China's bland rejection of American pressure to revalue its currency and we see it in the distancing from Washington that now characterizes the policies of traditional European allies like France and Germany. We are heading into a new era, whose only parallel is that of 19th century Europe after the Congress of Vienna when the great powers of France, Britain, Russia, Austro-Hungary, Prussia operated a rough balance of power in the interests of a peace and stability that was rudely shattered when the balance was broken in 1914. The new global pattern is emerging of a world that will depend on the balancing abilities of the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the European Union, with India and Brazil and perhaps Iran knocking on the door of this great power club. Even though America will remain for the foreseeable future as first among equals, this new world is unlikely to be very stable, given the disruptive forces of Islamic militancy, of sharpening environmental pressures and the growing competition for raw materials and energy resources. As the power with the widest and therefore the most exposed global interests, and one whose will and resources are now so clearly in question, the United States is in a vulnerable position. It may soon have to consider how long and how far it can continue to act as security guarantor for exposed allies like Taiwan and Israel and South Korea, if their defense is to prove too costly and too dangerous for core American strategic interests. This emergent new world order is the direct result of the mistaken strategic decisions, so costly to American wealth and prestige, taken by the Bush administration after the great shock of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. This is the world that Bush built. Happy New Year. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 26 UPI: India, Pakistan do nuclear info swap United Press International - NewsTrack - 1/1/2007 8:50:00 AM -0500 NEW DELHI, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- India and Pakistan Monday maintained their 16-year-old New Year's day tradition of exchanging information on their nuclear programs. The lists were presented jointly in New Delhi and Islamabad as part of a Jan. 27, 1991 agreement not to conceal development and to indicate locations of nuclear facilities, the Press Trust of India reported. The deal was originally implemented to defuse mounting nuclear competition between the two countries, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. Each country conducted nuclear tests in 1998, leading to the information exchange deal, which also includes pledges not to attack one another's nuclear facilities. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 27 St. Paul Pioneer Press: Residents near nuclear plants can get free anti-radiation pills in February 01/02/2007 | BY NANCY YANG Pioneer Press Beginning next month, residents or businesses within 10 miles of the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear power plants will be offered two doses of potassium iodide as a precaution against radiation, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said today. The dosages would offer the thyroid gland limited protection against radiation absorption, but they wouldn't protect other parts of the body. It is considered an additional safeguard in the event of a nuclear plant incident. Residents will receive a voucher that can be presented to one of six participating Target pharmacies. Businesses and dependent care facilities will also receive vouchers, but will be asked to attend a forum to receive KI for their employees and customers. The vouchers, along with an emergency planning guide, should arrive sometime this week in the mail. The Target pharmacies accepting the vouchers are in Red Wing, Cottage Grove, Buffalo, Elk River, Rogers and Monticello. ***************************************************************** 28 Deseret News: Can't rush power alternative [deseretnews.com] Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Deseret Morning News editorial Perhaps it's the mother of all squeeze plays. If enough municipalities shun electrical power produced by coal-fired power plants, then the nation has to get serious — and quick — about alternative forms of electrical production. Of course, the other possibility is it's a foolish gamble. Coal has been king since the Industrial Age. It's widely available and relatively inexpensive. But coal-fired power plants pollute the air. Environmentalists go so far as to say that coal-fired power plants contribute to global warming. The alternatives pose their own challenges. Although nuclear power is widely used in Europe, the United States — in particular the Western United States — has very limited experience with electricity produced in this manner. After the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania and the world's worst nuclear accident in history at the Chernobyl reactor near Kiev in 1986, the public's enthusiasm for nuclear power was greatly tempered. Overall, however, the industry boasts a very good safety record. But more than two decades after President Ronald Reagan introduced a policy calling for a high-level radioactive waste storage facility, the waste issue is far from settled. So what are other alternatives? Hydroelectric power has fallen from favor because of its environmental effects. Wind power has exciting potential, but it currently supplies very little of our nation's electricity. Likewise for solar power. That takes us back to coal. The science on fossil fuel's role in global warming has become nearly irrefutable. America can't keep doing what it's been doing for centuries without further deleterious impacts. It has to be smarter about how it uses coal, make better use of natural gas reserves for producing electricity and, yes, investigate further use of nuclear power. But, as our nation's history with energy indicates, these advances will take time. Is it prudent, in the meantime, to pressure municipalities to abandon electricity produced by coal-fired power plants? A number of California cities interested in alternative energy have said they won't renew their contracts with Intermountain Power Agency when the agreements expire in 20 years. In February, the Logan Municipal Council will decide whether to purchase an additional 20 megawatts of electricity, in part to prepare for growth. The new demand would help justify the need for a third IPA power unit. Another unit, cautions the Sierra Club, would mean more global warming. The fact of the matter is, American utility customers will not accept supply disruptions. As more people add central cooling and heating systems to their homes and businesses, the demands for electricity will only increase. Add to that the population boom in places such as Utah and Nevada. Environmentalists are correct in that America cannot continue on same road to ruin. But their zeal to phase out coal power must be tempered by the reality that there are difficult public-policy issues tied to energy "alternatives," such as supply and waste disposal. The vast majority of electrical power produced in the United States comes from coal-fired power plants. With time, it may be appropriate to decommission coal-fired power plants. For now, policymakers must figure out how to keep the lights on until new technologies can assume the load effectively. © 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 29 Platts: NRC board okays early site permit for Exelon's Clinton Washington (Platts)--29Dec2006 An early site permit should be issued to Exelon's Clinton, an NRC licensing board concluded in a decision released publicly December 29. However, the permit, if issued, should be subject to certain conditions and stipulations relating to items that have not been resolved at this point, the three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board said in its December 28 decision. An ESP, which authorizes site preparation work and limited construction activities toward building a new nuclear power reactor, legally resolves siting and environmental issues and gives a company up to 20 years to begin building. A legally mandated hearing was held November 7-8 in Decatur, Illinois; there were no intervenors in the ESP proceeding. The ASLB decision, which was issued ahead of its projected January timeframe, marks the final step in the licensing process before the NRC commissioners' decision, which is expected by May. The Clinton ESP application was one of three submitted to the NRC in 2003, and it is the farthest along in the agency's review process. Exelon has not announced any plans to build another reactor at the site, which has an operating 1,077-MW BWR. Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 30 Platts: The EC will openly support nuclear power in Jan 10 statement London (Platts)--28Dec2006 The EC will openly support nuclear power in an energy policy statement to be released January 10, according to a report by the Paris daily Les Echos, citing a draft of the statement. The energy "package" is to be presented by Andris Piebalgs, the European commissioner for energy, to the full European Commission and the European Parliament. The document, according to the newspaper report, says nuclear power is "the most developed" of non-carbon-emitting energy sources in the European Union. It also is said to be the least vulnerable to price fluctuations for fuel materials since the price of uranium represents only a "limited portion" of the kilowatt-hour cost of electricity from nuclear plants. Uranium is also widely available geographically with reserves for several decades, the document says. It's the first time that the EC has expressed open support for nuclear, which is supposed to be phased out as a power source in at least three EU states. According to Les Echos, the EC is also proposing a high-level group to set common nuclear safety standards. Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 31 Platts: Four UK magnox reactors permanently ceased operations Dec 31 London (Platts)--2Jan2007 Four magnox reactors will permanently cease operations December 31, bringing the total number of first-generation magnox units to have closed in the UK to 22, with only the four youngest still operating. The four being closed include Dungeness A-1 and -2, being run at a total 432 MW output, and Sizewell A-1 and -2, being run at 420 MW. The units are to be defueled by 2009, with site decommissioning scheduled for 2110 for Sizewell A and 2111 for Dungeness A, though decommissioning may be accelerated under a new government plan. As of January 1, only two twin-reactor magnox stations will be left operating -- the 39-year-old Oldbury, a 626-MW (original gross) station being run at 434 MW, and the 35-year-old Wylfa, a 1,340-MW station now run at 950 MW. These are the only two magnox stations with prestressed concrete reactor pressure vessels rather than the old steel ones. Oldbury is set to close in 2008, and Wylfa in 2010. Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 32 CITIZEN-TIMES.com: One rarely mentioned downside of nuclear power : Financial risk by Lewis E. Patrie published January 2, 2007 12:15 am It’s not sign-wielding weirdoes who have stopped new nuclear reactor construction for a quarter century; it’s Wall Street. Even with bureaucratic bribes of billions in bonuses from U.S. taxpayers, not one reactor has been built since 1978. (Three Mile Island’s partial meltdown was in 1979.) Why? The world’s biggest investors consider new reactors too risky, despite the huge guarantee of taxpayer-funded insurance that has been repeatedly approved by Congress. Besides, no way to generate electricity is as expensive or dangerous. Peter Bradford, formerly of the Government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told the New York Times: “The abiding lesson that Three Mile Island taught Wall Street was that a group of NRC-licensed reactor operators, as good as any others, could turn a $2 billion asset into a $1 billion cleanup job in about 90 minutes.” Despite more bulbous billion dollar boosts, Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, avows that the effect “will be the same as defibrillating a corpse: It will jump, but it will not revive.” Also there will be at least a 10-to 15-year delay before new reactors could begin to produce power, resulting in a much slower response than the cheaper alternatives of conservation and renewables, if we seriously get to work on these more economical options. Serving as a reminder, a warning emerged just before Christmas, as reported by the Associated Press, when “A tractor-trailer hauling about 6,000 pounds of low-grade uranium overturned” while exiting Interstate 95 ...” south of Raleigh, going from Virginia to a nuclear fuel plant in Wilmington, carrying radioactive material called ... “powdered uranium” ... “in containers that weren’t breached by the accident” ... “There’s no threat to the public. It’s a low grade uranium.” We citizens might not always be so fortunate. Increased risks to our lives, health and economy forevermore could result from the nuclear priests’ proposed 50 new nuclear reactors, along with novel schemes of dealing with so-called “spent” nuclear fuel, the most hazardous products of those reactors. More nuclear reactors would also increase our risks from transportation of these materials. Nuclear experts have also been promoting plutonium as a reactor fuel and proposing it as a reactor fuel globally. Although plutonium might help deal with scarcity of uranium fuel, plutonium is one of the deadliest elements on earth and can be utilized to make nuclear weapons, dirty or sophisticated, take your pick. The more reactors that exist, the more plutonium will be produced. Greater availability of plutonium would increase the likelihood that potential terrorists could obtain plutonium in order to carry out nefarious actions anywhere they could transport it within our borders. The local organization Common Sense at the Nuclear Crossroads, has been pointing out that such options relating to reviving the nuclear industry would markedly increase transportation of dangerous radioactive materials along our highways in Western North Carolina. We appear to have been fortunate, in that nuclear accidents have apparently not yet irradiated people. However, should transportation of radioactive materials increase, so will the risks for all, considering that we live close to seven existing nuclear reactors, plus proposed additional ones, nuclear waste storage areas, not to mention two active nuclear bomb factories. As a part of making our community safer and more sustainable, Common Sense not only opposes construction of any new nuclear reactors, but also the phasing out of existing ones. To benefit us and all of our small planet’s inhabitants, please inform your local, statewide and nationally elected officials to oppose nuclear power. Please consider joining Common Sense at the Nuclear Crossroads which is a partner of Western North Carolina Physicians for Social Responsibility. For more information contact: . or go to the Web Site: . The related movie, “Last Best Chance” will be shown at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 12. See the community calendar at Lewis E. Patrie, M.D., is chair of the Western N. C. Physicians for Social Responsibility. He lives in Asheville. Copyright 2007 Asheville Citizen-Times. ***************************************************************** 33 The Hindu: Lists of nuclear facilities exchanged Tuesday, Jan 02, 2007 Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities. The exchange took place simultaneously through diplomatic channels at New Delhi and Islamabad. The exchange is mandated by the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. "Under the Agreement, the two countries, on 1st January of every calendar year are to inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered by the agreement. The first such exchange of lists took place on January 1, 1992. This is the 16th consecutive time that both countries have exchanged such a list," an External Affairs Ministry statement said. This Agreement, signed on December 31, 1988, came into force on January 27, 1991. Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. ***************************************************************** 34 Sofia Echo: NPP REACTORS IN BULGARIA SHUT DOWN TO MEET EU ENTRY CRITERIA - Business news Tue 02 Jan 2007 To meet previously accepted EU entry nuclear safety requirements Bulgaria shut down third and fourth units of Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) on December 31 2006. Starting January 1 2007 only two Kozloduy reactors are responsible for electricity production, Darik Radio reported. During a December 21 session the Council of Ministers approved the reactor closure on the last day of 2006. Once the units are disconnected from the national energy network, the process of taking them out of use can start. The procedure lasts at least 40 years, Darik reported. Kozloduy NPP executive manager Ivan Genov said the value of electricity produced at the power plant will be 18 per cent higher after the closure of the reactors. National Electric Company (NEC) representative Liubomir Velkov said that power cuts and electricity shortages are not to be expected in the beginning of 2007. NEC said that the national energy network was going to work under tough measures to provide the needed electricity in the country but despite difficulties power shortages were unlikely. Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov said on several occasions that national electricity needs were going to be met but Bulgaria had to compensate for the closure with the electricity it previously exported to neighbouring countries. [Printer friendly version] Web www.sofiaecho.com ***************************************************************** 35 Sofia Echo: BULGARIA’S EU ENTRY PRICE - www.sofiaecho.com BULGARIA’S EU ENTRY PRICE14:40 Mon 01 Jan 2007 In order to join the EU Bulgaria had to unify it legislation with the European standards. After successful accession negotiations, on December 17 2004 Europe concluded that Bulgaria and Romanian were ready to join the union. Bulgaria officials signed the Accession Treaty for Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union on April 25 2005. The treaty scheduled Bulgaria’s accession for January 1 2007. Soon, on June 10 2005, European Commission (EC) sent a warning letter to European Integration Minister Meglena Kouneva stating that Bulgaria had to speed up its reforms related to the EU accession. EC recommended special attentions to reforms in five areas, agriculture, justice and internal order, environmental protection, association law, and free access to services. Later EC expressed concerns over Bulgaria’s food and air safety, agricultural funds, the judiciary and the fight against corruption. If Bulgaria fails to meet all requirements, EC can introduce economic, internal market or justice and home affairs safeguards clauses. Another restrictive measure is agricultural and structural funds cut off. EC already imposed restrictive measure on Bulgaria’s aviation on December 20 2006. Bulgarian air carriers will be treated as ‘third party’ on EU aviation market until it meets all safety standards. A pre-condition for Bulgaria’s EU accession was the closure of two reactors of the six-unit Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP). G7, the world’s seven leading industrial countries decided to shut down all first-generation NPP reactors. Thus, Bulgaria was obliged to close the units by December 31 2006, although experts say that they are in perfect condition. Bulgaria is the biggest electricity exporter on the Balkans but the situation will change after the units’ closure. The country will lose billions of euro from the electricity export revenue. Bulgaria already shut down two units of Kozloduy NPP in 2002. Web www.sofiaecho.com ***************************************************************** 36 The Australian: Garrett calls for costings on nuclear plants | + January 02, 2007 LABOR wants Federal Treasurer Peter Costello to reveal funding details for up to 25 nuclear power plants a report to the government has recommended to satisfy future energy needs. Prime Minister John Howard and Mr Costello welcomed last month's report stating that Australia could obtain a third of its electricity generation needs by 2050 with nuclear power stations. Former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski led the government's Uranium Mining Processing and Nuclear Energy Task Force, which made the recommendation. But both Mr Howard and and Mr Costello have said such a project would have to economically viable to go ahead. Federal Opposition spokesman for climate change Peter Garrett said today Labor opposed the plan and wanted to know who would pay for the reactors. "We definitely don't think it's economically viable but we haven't heard any more from (Mr Costello) on this issue," Mr Garrett told Southern Cross Broadcasting. "And, as I understand it, he made no submissions to this government for the taskforce report, so we think we'd like to hear from the treasurer on this issue." Mr Garrett vowed no nuclear power plants would be built if Labor won power at the next election. A Labor government would also establish mandatory renewable energy targets with a greater focus on solar and wind-powered electricity, he said. "We would do the things that the scientific community and the governments overseas are doing now," Mr Garrett told Southern Cross Broadcasting. "We would move immediately to have a market in carbon emissions. That's something we don't have in Australia, which I think is incredible." - AAP ***************************************************************** 37 Slovak news: First nuclear reactor closed Volume 12, Number 49 December 18 - December 24, 2006 THE FIRST reactor of the nuclear power plant at Jaslovské Bohunice in Western Slovakia was definitively closed on the last day of 2006. The second bloc should be closed in the course of 2008. The closure was part of a commitment made by the previous Slovak government of Mikuláš Dzurinda during Slovakia's accession talks with the EU, when it was agreed to shut down the 1970s-built Soviet style reactors due to safety concerns. However, the closure will mean that Slovakia must import energy to satisfy its needs. According to current Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the agreement of the former government to the EU-entry terms was "energy treason", the Sme daily wrote. Fico suggested, however, that both reactor blocs could in the future again start producing energy, provided the international situation allowed it. In his opinion, both blocs are still in excellent technical condition. "We believe that thea time may come when they will again produce electrical energy for Slovakia," Fico said. [1/2/2007 9:57:27 AM] Copyright © 1998-2006 The Rock spol. s r.o. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 38 theedgedaily.com: Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power Jan 03, 2007 By Isabelle Francis Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power as an alternative source of energy for the country, said 2006 International Energy Conference (IEC) for Sustainable Asia organising chairman Hong Lee Pee. “Up till now, its very difficult to provide the (infrastructure) base for renewable energy such as solar and wind. But a lot of countries are moving towards nuclear,” he told FinancialDaily after the IEC event in Petaling Jaya recently. The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), the Asean Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET) along with five other organisations met at the IEC from Nov 26-28. Hong, who is also ACCCIM treasurer, said moving forward, the country’s current production and consumption of energy would become costlier. “It depends on the oil price. I am not saying that in 10 years’ time, our oil wells will run dry. It will just get (more) expensive to extract. “Bakun (hydro energy) on the other hand... transportation cost is very high. Undersea cables for example are very expensive,” he added. “We have very good engineers (to explore nuclear energy). We have to pull them back; they are now working outside the country. The capital cost to build a nuclear plant is very high, but operational cost is low,” Hong said. He also said the country has a lot of room to explore other renewable and sustainable energy. “It is only in the last two years that there’s been talk on sustainable energy. We are so complacent, probably because we have oil and gas. Even in the Ninth Malaysia Plan, allocation for research and development in this area is relatively small. “We subsidise gas and fuel for producing electricity. Why can’t we subsidise solar power?” he said. At the conference, the organisations consulted with over 670 participants representing policy makers, industrialists, academicians and representatives from Asean and East Asia. The participants also discussed concerns on fast-depleting reserves in fossil fuels, uncertainty in oil prices as well as carbon dioxide emission. ©All rights reserved. 2006. The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd. ***************************************************************** 39 toledoblade.com: Feds alter timetable for trial in reactor case Article published Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Davis-Besse trio charged with lying Geisen By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER Federal prosecutors veered off their timetable for having criminal charges against two former Davis-Besse engineers and a contractor heard in U.S. District Court by the end of this fall - partly because of the complexity of the case, and partly because of recent finger-pointing among the trio. The case now may be split into at least two trials. Defendants Andrew Siemaszko, of Spring, Texas; David Geisen, of DePere, Wis., and Rodney N. Cook, of Millington, Tenn., face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted on charges of making false statements to a federal agency. Mr. Siemaszko and Mr. Geisen are former Davis-Besse engineers. Mr. Cook is a contractor who had been associated with the Ottawa County nuclear plant for years. Each is accused of jeopardizing northern Ohio's safety five years ago by lying about Davis-Besse's old reactor head when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was debating whether the plant was too dangerous to keep operating in the fall of 2001. Siemaszko The NRC, based on what it learned in subsequent months, said acid melted so much steel off the massive lid that it nearly blew open and allowed radioactive steam to form in containment for the first time since the partial meltdown of Three Mile Island Unit 2 in 1979. The agency ultimately said there's no question FirstEnergy Corp., in hindsight, should have shut down the plant at least six weeks earlier than it did on Feb. 16, 2002. Sometime early this year, Judge David Katz of U.S. District Court in Toledo is expected to hear arguments about keeping the case as one trial or splitting it into two. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys want one trial. Mr. Siemaszko's attorneys have asked for their case to be heard separately from Mr. Geisen and Mr. Cook, and vice versa. All defendants claim in separate filings that the government's case centers around five letters that FirstEnergy sent to the NRC in the fall of 2001. Cook None of the three defendants signed the letters. But all are alleged to have helped prepare or approve the information in them. Based on conflicting information about their roles, a jury "could disbelieve all three of the defendants but, if tried together, it cannot believe all three defendants," a brief from the Siemaszko defense team said. It claims "his former colleagues are now severely antagonistic towards him and accuse him of providing them the information submitted and upon which they relied." A brief from the attorneys representing Mr. Geisen and Mr. Cook said their clients have likewise been victims of antagonistic behavior on the part of Mr. Siemaszko, and claim that statements he has made about them to investigators are false. Chuck Boss, a Maumee attorney and part of Mr. Siemaszko's defense team, said he believes his client's case would go first if the judge grants two trials. "The defenses of these people are diametrically opposed to one another. They're 180 degrees apart." Chuck Boss, a Maumee attorney on Andrew Siemaszko's defense team Mr. Siemaszko has been held up as a whistle-blower by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Ohio Citizen Action. Both groups maintain that he is being punished for trying to shed light on Davis-Besse's problems. In September, Mr. Siemaszko sued FirstEnergy for wrongful termination and breach of contract in Ottawa County Commons Pleas Court. That case also is pending. Federal court records claim both sides believe neither can get a fair trial if the criminal cases are heard together. Jury selection for a single trial has been tentatively scheduled for April 16, although that date is subject to change if two trials are granted. Mr. Siemaszko's attorneys also are trying to subpoena FirstEnergy computer records that they consider vital to his defense. Cynthia Magnuson, Justice Department spokesman, last week reiterated the government's policy of declining comment on pending litigation. Mr. Geisen's attorney, Richard Hibey, of Washington, had little to say beyond acknowledging that motions are to be heard. Mr. Cook's attorney, John Conroy, also of Washington, could not be reached for comment. Last January, FirstEnergy Corp. was handed a $28 million fine, the largest in U.S. nuclear history, for its corporate role in covering up evidence about Davis-Besse's old reactor head. Indictments were announced the same day against the trio. They are the only current or former employees to be charged. Federal prosecutors said at the time they expected either to get pleas from the three defendants or have their cases heard by late fall 2006. The government wound up asking for more time. It cited the complexity of the case and its 20,000-plus documents. Contact Tom Henry at: thenry@theblade.com or 419-724-6079. The Toledo Blade Company, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660 , (419) 724-6000 To contact a specific department or an individual person, click here. The Toledo Times ® ***************************************************************** 40 IHT: Romania and Bulgaria join EU, bringing bloc to 27 members - Europe - International Herald Tribune Romania and Bulgaria join EU, bringing bloc to 27 members [ width=] The Associated Press Published: January 1, 2007 SOFIA, Bulgaria: Bulgaria and Romania — two ex-communist nations from one of the poorest corners of Europe — joined the European Union, bringing the bloc's membership to 27 nations. As a military band played the anthems of Bulgaria and the EU, officers hoisted the two flags in front of the St. Sophia church, whose ancient foundations date back to the 6th century. "This is a day of historical justice, because Bulgarians have always been Europeans in spirit and identity," Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told about 2,000 people who attended the elaborate military ceremony. "Bulgaria will be a stable, predictable and consistent member of the EU," Parvanov told a group of visiting European politicians that included EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, EU parliament president Josep Borrell, and the foreign ministers of Germany, Austria, Greece and Romania. In Bucharest, Romanian President Traian Basescu hailed the end of the difficult path to membership that began in 1995. "It was hard, but we arrived at the end of the road. It is the road of our future. It is the road of our joy," Basescu said, prompting cheers from the crowd at University Square. Bulgaria and Romania officially joined the EU at midnight to joyous fireworks celebrations in the two capitals, Sofia and Bucharest, that drew tens of thousands of New Year's Eve revelers. Within hours, Bulgarian officials removed customs barriers at 15 border crossing with Greece and Romania, opening Bulgarian roads to EU trade. But controls at Bulgaria's borders with Turkey, Serbia and Macedonia were strengthened in one sign of the pressure on the EU's newest members to pursue the reforms needed to match EU standards. "We all know that the road to full integration into European structures has not yet come to an end," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement. "This requires more efforts from the two countries, but will make sure that Bulgaria and Romania's EU entry will be a success and that the older 25 members will also benefit from it." Both countries must report to the EU every six months on progress in reforms to curb corruption and streamline their judiciaries — or risk losing a chunk of economic aid. President Georgi Parvanov and EU Parliament President Josep Borrell were to attend a gala celebration at the National Palace of Culture. Borrell, Steinmeier and Rehn helped Romanian leaders raise the EU flag in Bucharest on Sunday. Many in the two countries said they were pinning their hopes on a better future with EU rules and aid. But some were cautious about what EU membership would mean for them. "Bulgaria will suffer economically — or better to say, people will have very low wages compared to EU standards," said Sofia resident Hristo Hristov. "They shut down nuclear plants that brought Bulgaria millions per day. So I think Bulgaria-EU is not good news for us." Bulgaria mothballed two Russian-made reactors at its only nuclear plant in the waning hours Sunday before joining the EU, ceding to an EU request over safety. Both countries have reported strong economic growth in recent years, but salaries remain low by western European standards. In Bulgaria, the average monthly wage is ¬180 (US$235); in Romania, about ¬305 (US$400). In Bulgaria, many wore ribbons to show solidarity with five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya on charges they intentionally infected more than 400 Libyan children with HIV, despite evidence that the children were infected before the medical workers began working at the hospital. The EU's Rehn and Borrell voiced solidarity with the Bulgarian nurses. "I want to express the full solidarity of the European Union with the Bulgarians who were recently unacceptably sentenced by a Libyan court," Rehn said in Sofia. "You are not alone. The EU is with you," he said. "We will go on fighting for the release of the nurses and we will then celebrate together with them," Stanishev told revelers in Sofia's Battenberg Square. Romania and Bulgaria bring 30 million new people into the European Union, bringing the bloc's total population to half a billion. ___ Associated Press writer Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this story. Copyright © 2007 the International Herald Tribune All rights reserved [IHT] ***************************************************************** 41 FIA: NPP Kozloduy’s Employees not Delighted with Bulgaria’s EU Entry FOCUS Information Agency www.focus-radio.net --> www.focus-radio.net 1 January 2007 | 14:05 | FOCUS News Agency Kozloduy. Reactors 3 and 4 of the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Kozloduy were shut down normally, but unfortunately the plant’s employees were not delighted with Bulgaria’s EU entry,” NPP Kozloduy’s director Ivan Genov told FOCUS News Agency. “There will be no layouts in the plant. All the people who worked at units 3 and 4 will remain. The plant’s staff will be decreased only as a result of retirement – about 150 people will retire a year”, Genov explained. He added that if the European Commission changed its decision on the fate of the two reactors, they could be commissioned again in two months at the earliest. Fuel can be found without any problem. If necessary, it can be supplied from other plants”, Ivan Genov stated. Nadezhda BOCHEVA Information Agency FOCUS Focus Information Agency © 2006 ***************************************************************** 42 St. Petersburg Times: Citrus: Nuclear plant slips away By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer Published December 31, 2006 CRYSTAL RIVER For Citrus County, the top story of 2006 turned out to be something that didnt happen. Despite the support of government officials and the public, despite the in-place infrastructure and available property, Progress Energy late in the year bypassed Crystal River as the site for its next nuclear power plant. Instead, citing the need for a higher, drier, separate location, the company announced that it had settled on 3,000 rural acres in Levy County, just past the Citrus County line, as the possible site of its next $2.5-billion nuclear power generating unit. Gone were Citrus officials dreams of adding more millions of dollars in tax revenue to their annual windfall from the utility. Last year, Progress Energy shouldered 15 percent of the countys tax burden, paying more than $27-million in taxes. In Citrus, where locals have had decades of experience with the utility company and its predecessor, Florida Power, the general sentiment was that Citrus County was the logical place for another nuclear unit to add to the four coal units already in the complex. Over the county line, Levy officials have been more cautious, talking about the need to examine just what such a facility would mean to their largely rural community and its 38,000 residents. Even the topic of the safety of nuclear power, which doesnt get much discussion in Citrus anymore, is on the minds of Levy residents and officials. Undeniable is the tax benefit to Levy County if the plant were built there. But workers will also be needed and jobs will be available, opening up the need for new housing, better infrastructure and a booming economy, just like what Citrus County experienced in the 1960s and 70s when the original power plants came on line north of Crystal River. Progress Energy predicts that the peak construction employment will be about 2,000 workers and eventually 500 full-time workers would be on-site. Annual salaries could average $80,000 to $90,000. The utility still has much research and many regulatory hoops to clear at the local, state and federal levels before a plant could ever come on line. That prompts some, such as Citrus Countys director of Development Services Gary Maidhof, to wonder if it will ever really happen in Levy. I wouldnt be surprised if in two years Citrus wasnt being considered again, Maidhof said. Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 564-3621. [Last modified December 31, 2006, 18:53:10] © 2007 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 | | | [ /] ***************************************************************** 43 AFP: Russia eyes tie-up with Japanese firms for nuclear power project - report Monday January 1, 06:41 AM TOKYO (AFP) - Russia is seeking a tie-up with Japanese firms Toshiba (Berlin: - ) and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) for nuclear power, a report has said. Atomprom, the Russian state-run nuclear power company, asked the two firms in late November to begin negotiations on the planned tie-up, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, citing sources close to the deal. Toshiba and IHI agreed and may shortly enter initial talks, the mass-circulation daily said. "We'll target Russia as a possible market," a senior Toshiba official said, while an IHI official described the proposal as "quite interesting," according to the Yomiuri. Full-fledged talks could start in the second half of the year. If a tie-up is agreed, the Japanese firms will manufacture and supply steam turbines and generators, the newspaper said. The two sides are also likely to discuss a capital investment in Atomprom, a company modeled on gas giant Gazprom, and the provision of nuclear power technologies, it said. US-based Westinghouse Electric, bought by Toshiba last year, is likey to take part in the project with the two Japanese firms, the daily added. Atomprom is to be established as a joint-stock corporation and be wholly funded by the Russian government. Like Gazprom for oil and natural gas, the monopoly is designed to reinforce control over the nuclear power generation industry. Moscow plans to raise the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power from 16 percent in 2006 to 25 percent in 2030. Copyright © 2007 AFP AFP. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 44 The Age: Nuclear power is the story of the past - Opinion - www.theage.com.au By Peter Garrett January 2, 2007 On Saturday night, TV news bulletins carried breathtaking satellite photographs of a massive ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields breaking off from Ellesmere Island, in Canada's remote north. Scientists labelled it a dramatic and disturbing incident that may signal the onset of accelerated climate change. As our own drought may be indicating, our planet's climate appears to be heating up and changing faster than previously thought. Given this urgency, can we afford to wait decades for the slowest and riskiest alternative to fossil fuels - nuclear power - to come on line when faster, greener and more affordable solutions already exist? Prime Minister John Howard's hand-picked pro-nuclear panel led by Ziggy Switkowski has released a report that says Australia can meet a third of its electricity generating needs by 2050 by building 25 nuclear reactors. Howard has hailed the report by saying it proves that nuclear power is "clean and green" and "increasingly economic". He has been repeating this obviously focus-tested mantra for some time, believing that repetition will make it true. But I suggest the mantra has as much credibility as his other claim, that he and his neighbours on Sydney's North Shore would be happy to have a nuclear reactor close by to destroy their property values. It's important to put the Prime Minister's claims into their proper perspective. They certainly don't stack up environmentally. In reality, electricity generation accounts for only about 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. So even if we accepted the far-fetched scenario that up to 25 reactors could be built, nuclear power potentially addresses only a maximum of 17 per cent of Australia's contribution to the heating up of our planet. Clearly, nuclear power cannot take the place of serious efforts to reduce our greenhouse emissions. But even this 17 per cent is based on a set of heroic and implausible assumptions that make Switkowski and Howard into the proverbial kings of wishful thinking. They fail to include a number of important calculations relating to waste disposal and decommissioning, making the whole risk much more expensive than we are being led to believe. They assume the viability of a cheaper and safer so-called "new generation" of nuclear power plants and enrichment technologies that are currently nothing more than a set of theoretical assumptions - and, of course, history tells us that previous new generation reactors, like the failed "fast breeder" reactors, have failed to live up to their promise. They assume it will be possible to achieve economies of scale by building 25 reactors, starting just a decade from now, despite our lack of existing nuclear skills and infrastructure. And, most reckless of all, they canvass the removal of legal and regulatory "impediments" that protect the environment and affect the nuclear industry's economic viability - which we can take as code for massive taxpayer subsidies and protection. The spectre of public subsidies hangs over the Switkowski report, and this explains the reluctance of Treasurer Peter Costello and the Treasury to make a submission to it. In fact, as the British House of Commons' Audit Committee on the Environment reported earlier this year, half a century of failed predictions from the nuclear industry inspire little confidence in their claims of affordability and efficiency. How strange then, that a Government led by a supposedly devout believer in the free market is pushing hard for a nuclear power industry that will only stand up if subsidised. What we need is a fair system in which cleaner energy alternatives are allowed to compete within an international market for carbon emissions. Surely it's economically smarter to allow investment in clean technologies to be determined by the market than by a bias for any one particular industry. Australia needs to act now, not 20 years from now, and we already have the technologies to do it. We need to improve our use of gas, which is far cleaner than coal at present. We also need to raise the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to encourage investment in wind, geothermal, wave and solar technologies. It's easy to forget that until recently Australia was a world leader in solar power. Renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing industry sectors in the world, making it, not nuclear power, which is stuck in a rut, the logical place to start. And we need fair dinkum energy efficiency measures that would make the sort of savings the Switkowski report says are possible through the creation of a nuclear industry - all without making us a repository for much of the world's radioactive nuclear waste, another part of the Prime Minister's dream to make Australia an energy superpower. I believe that once people read the Switkowski report and see for themselves that it's based on little more than rubbery figures and superhuman assumptions, they will see through the Prime Minister's claim that nuclear power is clean, green, affordable and futuristic. In reality, nuclear power is an old, dirty and vulnerable technology that will require massive subsidies and come online only when it will be too late. Nuclear is not the way of the future, it's the way of the past. It's the lazy, risky alternative to real energy reform. Combating climate change is one of the biggest environmental, economic and political challenges we have ever faced, so it is vital that we get the answer right. Peter Garrett is the federal member for Kingsford Smith, and Labor's spokesman on climate change, environment and heritage and the arts. | | Copyright © 2007. The Age Company Ltd. ***************************************************************** 45 UPI: Hungary reactivates closed nuclear reactor United Press International - NewsTrack - 1/2/2007 12:43:00 PM -0500 BUDAPEST, Hungary, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Hungary's only nuclear power plant was back in full operation after its second reactor was repaired, a plant official said Tuesday. The Paks plant was shut down in October to remove fuel rods damaged in a April 2003 accident, when they overheated in a cleaning tank adjoining the second reactor, the Hungarian news agency MTI said. Istvan Hamvas, deputy technical manager of the plant, said "almost all of the damaged rods" had been removed to restart the reactor as demanded by the National Atomic Energy office. Russia's TVEL firm completed cleaning up the damaged rods and the cleaning tank for an estimated $4.5 million, MTI said. The plant's first reactor was also repaired during the weekend when power consumption was low, Hamvas said. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 46 Physics Today: Nuclear power's costs and perils - January 2007 In "Stronger Future for Nuclear Power" (PHYSICS TODAY, February 2006, page 19), Paul Guinnessy surveys plans for refurbishing, expanding, and building new civilian nuclear power reactor facilities in numerous countries. In the US, passage of the 2005 energy bill marks the federal government's readiness to put the national credit card behind the nuclear industry. Tax credits worth $3.1 billion and the renewal of legislation mandating that the US taxpayer assume all corporate nuclear liability in excess of about $9.3 billion1 represent a nice vote of confidence. Some observers attribute these ambitious plans, after 25 years of drought in investment in nuclear power, to a gradual dissipation of the fear that followed the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. Arguably the more important factor in the drought was that when all costs are accounted, nuclear energy is not cost-competitive with fossil energy. The reason that well-informed and intelligent people are still talking about Three Mile Island emerges clearly from two major new scholarly works published in 2004. The first, by J. Samuel Walker,2 was sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The authors of the second book, Bonnie A. Osif, Anthony J. Baratta, and Thomas W. Conkling,3 chose the 25th anniversary of the accident as an occasion to evaluate its impact. Both books describe the TMI accident as a watershed event. The story of how that accident happened—how it could possibly have happened—emerges not so much as a technological who-done-it as a loss of the public's confidence in the people who own, operate, regulate, and oversee the nuclear power enterprise. Woven throughout the technical details is the unmistakable thread of facts manipulated and people misinformed. The 1979 Report of the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island documents that what the technical people knew minute by minute had been concealed from the media and public officials. Repeated assurances of "no danger," continued even after TMI station manager Gary Miller had declared a "general emergency," which includes in its official definition "the potential for serious radiological consequences to the health and safety of the general public." Osif and coauthors remind us that before the accident, the nuclear industry believed it had designed "accident-proof plants . . . thanks to the many safety features engineered into each reactor" (page 32). Now, 25 years later, as those same assurances are being repeated, perhaps they are losing credibility. What went wrong at TMI was not primarily a technology fiasco but a character flaw in management and regulation. Lessons learned from the technical failings may well have led to some technical improvements. However, one could easily suspect that the character flaw is intrinsic to the politicalindustrial complex; consider, for example, the sequence last year that started with the coal-mining industry's lobbying for and obtaining a lowering of national safety standards and ended with the needless deaths of 17 coal miners. The TMI accident happened not because a pump failed, but because the management—staffing, training, maintenance, and a sense of public responsibility—failed. For more than two hours on 28 March 1979, reserve coolant injection that could have saved the plant from a major catastrophe was manually throttled because the problem was misdiagnosed. And two of the technical failures leading to the accident—the stuck pressure relief valve and the clogged polisher—had occurred before and had not been properly addressed. Even with the redesign of the failed gadgets, TMI remains an icon of a profit-driven industry cutting corners. One would expect that the decision to give unparalleled government subsidy to the nuclear power industry would be made after public discussion and input from the best scientific and technical authorities in the country. Instead, decisions have been made in a political setting. Even the possible future directions for nuclear power generation were chosen in a casual and cavalier way. As far as anyone not on the inside knows, no one was invited to the Vice President's Energy Task Force in 2002 who might have supported funding for development of Carlo Rubbia's thorium reactor.4 Walker recognizes in his book that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has tried hard to improve its regulatory function. (See a review of Walker's book in PHYSICS TODAY, February 2005, page 63.) However, TMI continues to be discussed because we have not yet come to terms with the fact that it was allowed to happen. Rather than disparage those who raise concerns about nuclear safety, physics educators might try to present students with facts not colored by free teaching materials paid for by those with a financial interest in biasing materials used in schools. The lay public is not as stupid as some experts would have us believe. For one thing, there are out there in America some 2500 young adults who have an appreciation for the complexities of nuclear power, which they gained in a physics unit at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.5 In that unit they learned to think for themselves, to shy away from a decision to be simplistically for or against nuclear energy, and to apply knowledge about how a reactor works, from control rods, primary coolant, and emergency core cooling system, to pressurization, relief valves, and loss-of-coolant conditions. References 1. 1. American Nuclear Society, "The Price-Anderson Act, Background Information" (November 2005), available at . 2. 2. J. S. Walker, Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective, U. California Press, Berkeley (2004). 3. 3. B. A. Osif, A. J. Baratta, T. W. Conkling, TMI 25 Years Later: The Three Mile Island Power Plant Accident and Its Impact, Pennsylvania State U. Press, University Park, PA (2004). 4. 4. CERN Courier at . See also R. Garwin, G. Charpak, Megawatts and Megatons, Knopf, New York (2001), p. 153. 5. 5. See course materials in W. Scheider, A Serious but Not Ponderous Book About Nuclear Energy, Cavendish Press, Ann Arbor, MI (2001). Walter Scheider () Ann Arbor, Michigan In light of Edwin Karlow's letter supporting nuclear power (PHYSICS TODAY, February 2006, page 11) and the article "Stronger Future for Nuclear Power" in that same issue (page 19), I would like to remind readers of the many reasons why nuclear power is a bad idea. Nuclear power is not economically viable. Karlow explains the subsidies that the nuclear power industry needed in the past and pleads for continued subsidies in the future. Contrary to the early promise that nuclear power would be so cheap we would not need electric meters, nuclear power is very expensive. The main reason is that it is so dangerous; expensive safeguards must be attempted. The risk of a catastrophic accident persists. Nuclear power plants are built and run by humans, who make mistakes and who can be pressured into making decisions that put profit above safety. And the same government that took care of us after Hurricane Katrina will assume responsibility for us after a nuclear accident. Nuclear power plants are possible terrorist targets. A dedicated attack against a nuclear plant could not be prevented, and the highly radioactive spent fuel is poorly contained in many plants and is particularly open to attack. The waste disposal problem is not solvable in the near future. The politically chosen Yucca Mountain disposal site is nowhere near opening, precisely because of its geological problems, and because of local opposition. So spent fuel will continue to pile up around the country, producing increasingly dangerous sources of radioactive materials vulnerable to human error, accident, and attack. Current nuclear plants are being operated unsafely. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is lax in its supervision of those plants. The NRC does not have workable evacuation plans for many power plants, including the Indian Point plant just upwind of New York City and the oldest plant in the country, in Oyster Creek, New Jersey. Fire safety problems have not been addressed. Routine operation of nuclear plants results in planned and unplanned releases of radioactivity, and there is no safe level of radiation exposure. The procedures for extending the life of unsafe reactors do not allow meaningful public input. The most important reason why nuclear power is a bad idea is that it results in nuclear weapons proliferation. A fuel-processing plant for a standard 1000-MW reactor could produce enough uranium for between 10 and 30 uranium weapons per year. Its waste reprocessing plant could produce enough plutonium for 30 plutonium weapons per year. It is no accident that Iran and Venezuela, nations awash in oil, are pursuing nuclear power. India and Pakistan received nuclear fuel and technical help from other countries to develop nuclear power, and took advantage of this opportunity to make nuclear weapons. And the material can find its way into the hands of terrorists. Even a small nuclear attack or a small war between newly nuclear states would be devastating to humanity. Having invented nuclear weapons, we physicists have a moral responsibility to do everything we can to lower the probability of their use. I am a climatology professor doing research on global warming. In my opinion, we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate future negative consequences to the climate. But nuclear power is not the answer. Alan Robock () Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey ***************************************************************** 47 [NYTr] The US Nuclear Threat is Real Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2007 18:40:02 -0500 (EST) X-Sender-Host-Name: olm.blythe-systems.com X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; 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 [While the endless Bush War is being justified by the nebulous and so-far totally fictitious threat of "Iranian nuclear weapons," the real nuclear threat is right here in the US. It hasn't gone away. Sorry about some of the strange characters in this one, if they come out looking weird. They are minor and don't destroy the readability of this post.-NY Transfer] sent by Ed Pearl - Jan 2, 2007 More nuclear weapons I don't know if human survival is a lefty thing or not. Having grandchildren I find it important. Of course, this project 2030 is a giant boondoggle for the nuclear corporations and a great theft of moneys needed to make life better for all. Gift of the Magi by Peter G. Cohen Dear Friends, There are few gifts for children that last a lifetime, but the gift of living in a nuclear weapons-free world is one of them. In this Holiday Season we have an unusual opportunity to join with the wise men who have spoken out against these horrible weapons by taking a significant step toward their abolition. The Department of Energy (DOE) is now soliciting public opinion on the creation of a new giant facility to store and handle all plutonium - including the manufacture of pits (plutonium cores) for a new generation of nuclear weapons. This is the same job that was carried out in the past by the notorious Hanford and later by the equally polluted Rocky Flats. Both of these sites have discharged radioactive material and toxic chemicals in to the air, soil and water of their communities and contributed to unknown numbers of cancers, heart and lung disease, and birth defects. They are now in the process of a cleanups that have consumed billions of dollars and will require billions more in the next decades - if it can be done at all. This new plutonium facility is planned to produce 125 new nuclear weapons pits a year! It is part of a DOE plan, called Complex 2030, to rebuild our nuclear weapons stockpile while complying with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, which requires the U.S. to reduce our warheads stockpile to 6,000. In other words, weÂąll cut back, but at the same time weÂąll create a new generation of weapons that are Âłmore reliable and more usable.² Recent research has shown that the existing plutonium pits, once thought to deteriorate, will remain reliable for at least 90 years, and we have thousands of them in reserve. Still the DOE wants to develop Âłthe needed capabilities required to sustain the stockpile in the long term.² CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE The DOE Environmental Impact Statement for this project is designed to consider the location of this new weapons factory at one of five existing nuclear facilities. But the law says that DOE must consider all of the alternatives! The best one is to live up to our national obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to work for total disarmament. We cannot expect other nations to renounce nuclear weapons while we are working to Âłsustain² and improve our own. The United States has a special role in preventing nuclear proliferation. After chairing the international WMD Commission for two years Hans Blix said about nuclear disarmament, ÂłIf the U.S. takes the lead other nations will follow. If it does not, there will be arms races.² We do not need Complex 2030 or any other plan for new nuclear weapons. We need to return to our obligation under the Non-Prolferation Treaty to work for universal disarmament. The Alternative that we support is to lead the world in negotiations and further reductions of all nuclear weapons, while we work for the improvement of nuclear storage, disposal and verification systems worldwiude. This is a long, tough road, but every step improves the chances that our children will not live under the threat of incineration or radiation. We have spent billions of dollars, sickened and killed thousands of our own people in pursuit of these illegal and immoral Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is time to end this disastrous course. Readers have until January 17th to offer their opinions and concerns to the DOE. This is a great opportunity for the public to influence the future safety of our people. What greater gifts can you give those you love than the chance to live free of the nuclear threat to our lives, our health and the national economy. Peter G. Cohen, author, nuke-freeworld.com For a sample letter and mail service please go to: ww2.californiapeaceaction.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5864 Write your own email to: complex2030@nnsa.doe.gov Or a letter to: Theodore A. Wyka Complex 2030 SEIS Document Manager Office of Transformation U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue SW Washington DC 20585 * ================================================================ .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 ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 48 Salt Lake Tribune: Never again Updated: 01/01/2007 12:18:31 AM MST “A mammoth blast known as Divine Strake at the Nevada Test Site would not pose risks to residents downwind from the site, a new study said Friday.” So began the story by Robert Gehrke in the Dec. 23 Tribune about a future weapons test in Nevada. Our government was wrong about the original Nevada tests, resulting in massive cancer rates in Utah's downwind population. Recently our president has been wrong on just about everything from original intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to “Mission Accomplished” to the present situation in Iraq. Only an abundance of clear evidence from the war zone has forced him to abandon “staying the course” and to admit the war is being lost. Moreover, he has bungled efforts to privatize Social Security, strengthen border security and to save public education. And he demonstrated staggering incompetence in his response to Hurricane Katrina. And now we are told this test will not pose downwind risk to the residents of Utah? Given this administration's recent track record, only the most willful gullibility would allow us to believe they are not wrong about possible consequences of Divine Strake. Erin Silva Salt Lake City © Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 49 The NewStandard: Senators Move to Rush Yucca Nuke Dump - by Catherine Komp With no long-term solution for the US nuclear waste problem in sight, activists prefer reinforced, on-site storage rather than distant, centralized dumping. Oct. 2, 2006 Critics of congressional proposals to address the mounting problem of storing radioactive nuclear waste say lawmakers are ignoring science and jeopardizing public health and safety by proposing to push nuclear waste onto a controversial Nevada site that remains far from approval. Before Congress adjourned last week, Senator Pete Domenici (R–New Mexico) introduced the "Nuclear Waste Acceleration to Yucca" bill, which would permit disposal of nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain as early as 2010. Critics see Domenici’s move as an attempt to skirt the established process for waste-storage approval, which they have managed to stall, citing environmental and safety concerns. "[I]t is not a site that can be licensed given reasonable standards for health and public safety," said Michele Boyd, legislative counsel with Public Citizen. Domenici’s bill, co-sponsored by Senator Larry Craig (R–Idaho), would also amend the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act – the bill requiring the US government to start disposing of waste by 1998 – to eliminate the cap on the amount of waste that can be stored at Yucca Mountain. Currently, the statutory limit is 70,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste for the first permanent nuclear storage facility built in the United States. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), 53,440 metric tons of reactor and "defense-related" radioactive waste is currently awaiting a permanent storage solution. The agency estimates that amount will rise to 119,000 metric tons by 2035. Domenici’s bill would also eliminate the cap on the amount of waste that can be stored at Yucca Mountain. Another provision in the bill would permit the DOE to move spent fuel to Yucca Mountain and begin construction on the waste facility before the site is licensed as a permanent repository by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). "This bill does all these things to put pressure on opening up Yucca Mountain when the basic science of the program is really questionable," Boyd told The NewStandard. The Yucca Mountain site has been mired in controversy since Congress approved it in 2002. Critics have questioned the government’s scientific analysis of the site after the DOE released official e-mails suggesting US Geological Survey scientists were falsifying and manipulating data to move the project forward. Last December, the Department suspended some of the safety and engineering work contractor Bechtel was conducting on the site after whistleblowers revealed the company was engaging in questionable scientific analysis. Domenici, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is also under fire for a provision he attached to the FY 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that would create interim storage sites, also called Consolidation and Preparation (CAP) facilities, for nuclear waste in dozens of states. According the DOE, 53,440 metric tons of reactor and "defense-related" radioactive waste is currently awaiting a permanent storage solution. The agency estimates that amount will rise to 119,000 metric tons by 2035. A coalition of ten state attorneys general sent a letter to Domenici and co-sponsor Harry Reid (D–Nevada), lambasting the proposal. Their missive said the bill would give the DOE "fast-tracked" and "unchecked power" to stick their states with unwanted waste sites. A TNS analysis of the provision confirms it would authorize the DOE to designate sites for storage of nuclear waste in each of the 31 states that house nuclear reactors "in consultation with" state governors. Senator Reid, an opponent of the Yucca Mountain site, is supporting Domenici’s interim storage site proposal as a way to keep the waste out of Nevada. Ann Alexander, environmental counsel to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said the provision is unclear about states’ prerogative to influence such plans. Madigan told TNS that the bill’s "silence" on the topic of states’ sovereignty constitutes its "real danger." She noted that the legislation empowers the DOE to choose federal or purchased property and establish a site. Alexander said the provision could trump residential zoning laws or state environmental regulations. "If there were some endangered or threatened species, it’s not all clear under this law that the restrictions that would apply when such a species is present on a site would in any way prevent construction" of a waste site," she said. Alexander said they do not take a position on sending waste to Yucca Mountain "except to say that the law does require that a long-term repository be found" by the federal government. State leaders also criticize the short timetable for choosing interim sites – only nine months – and the unaddressed dangers of transporting radioactive waste, including accidents and the potential for terrorist attacks. "These principles for safeguarding nuclear waste … are not a permanent solution for the waste," said Boyd. "But what we are saying is it’s addressing the real problem, and the real problem is security." "The proposal would, given its truncated time frame, effectively require that shipments commence before any of these issues are sufficiently evaluated," wrote the Attorneys General. "The proposal does not contain even basic measures to address the major transportation-safety issues entailed in moving nuclear waste, such as emergency-response preparation, accident prevention, security and public education." Critics also accuse Domenici of hindering public debate about the controversial proposal by attaching it to an appropriations bill that offers no opportunity for public hearings or input. Public-interest groups also suggest the push for interim storage and to move waste quickly to Yucca Mountain is driven by the nuclear power industry. They argue that if the government creates a "solution" for the industry’s waste, companies can speed up the licensing process for new nuclear-power plants. Congress and the Bush Administration, a strong proponent of nuclear power, have authorized billions of dollars in subsidies for the nuclear industry in recent energy appropriations bills. But without a long-term solution for disposing of nuclear waste, groups say, the government should not be facilitating the generation of more nuclear waste. Boyd with Public Citizen, an organization that advocates for the phase-out of nuclear power, says right now the focus should be on protecting the public from the health, safety and security threats posed by storage of nuclear waste at current sites. Boyd said the investigations and audits following the allegedly flawed and manipulated data from government scientists and contractors has prolonged finding a long-term solution, adding that the decision to establish Yucca Mountain as a repository was a "political decision, not a scientific one." "These principles for safeguarding nuclear waste… are not a permanent solution for the waste," said Boyd. "But what we are saying is it’s addressing the real problem, and the real problem is security." Public Citizen and more than 100 public-interest and environmental groups are advocating for "hardened, on-site storage," or HOSS, at current reactors, in which waste is stored in highly reinforced dry casks. The coalition presented a proposal to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality last month that calls for better protection and placement for pools of spent nuclear fuel, more funding to monitor and review sites and a prohibition against reprocessing nuclear waste. Promotional ToolsShare this article with the world using these popular services! Though no states have yet endorsed HOSS, several members of Congress have voiced their support of this method of storing waste, which advocates say is the best way to secure the radioactive material against accidents and attacks. Congress members Edward Markey (D–Massachusetts), Maurice Hinchey (D–New York) and Eliot Engel (D–New York) are urging Congress and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue mandates requiring HOSS at the 103 reactor sites across the country. © 2006 . All rights reserved. The NewStandard is a non-profit ***************************************************************** 50 Idaho Statesman: Joseph Strolin: Yucca Mountain is unsafe and has unfixable flaws 01-02-2007 By Joseph Strolin Your Dec. 19 editorial, "Nation, Idaho need Yucca Mountain," fails to recognize that the reason the federal government's nuclear waste repository program is on the brink of collapse is not a NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) reaction on the part of the state of Nevada. Rather, Yucca Mountain's intrinsic and unfixable flaws and the federal government's shoddy, fraudulent, and politically motivated science have presented the nation and Nevada with a site that is incapable of isolating deadly radioactive waste for the long time period necessary. The Yucca site was singled out in 1987 solely on the ground that Nevada was politically vulnerable and an attractive target of opportunity for members of Congress who wanted to protect their states from this unwanted project. For over a decade, DOE's own studies have generated information indicating the Yucca site should be disqualified as a repository. Yet each time new, potentially disqualifying data has come to light, DOE has sought to make the site's failings with more and more exotic and unrealistic manmade compensatory "fixes." Probably the most outlandish is DOE's proposal to construct waste disposal containers that will have to remain intact for 100,000 years or more (in a highly corrosive, highly radioactive and thermally hot environment) in order for the site to meet even the relaxed health and safety standards being proposed for Yucca. People in Idaho would do well to look at how Nevada is being treated by the federal government with respect to the Yucca Mountain project and recognize that, there but for the grace of God and the 1980s political winds, there goes Idaho. Small western states like Nevada and Idaho should be on common ground in assuring that decision like where to dispose of deadly radioactive materials are made based on science, not politics. If NIMBY is, in fact, at work in this regard, your editorial citing Idaho's self interest in getting rid of the INL waste is a fine example. The simple fact one that is finally being recognized in Congress and even within the commercial nuclear industry is that Yucca Mountain is not needed for the so-called nuclear renaissance. Spent fuel is and will be perfectly safe and secure at existing and new power plants, with improved dry storage technologies making such storage even safer and more economical. It is unfortunate that Idaho has had to bear the burden for storing radioactive waste at INL and will likely be required to continue to store those wastes for the foreseeable future due to DOE's inept and almost criminal mismanagement of the federal repository program. However, advocating that the Idaho waste and tens of thousands of tons on highly radioactive commercial spent fuel be shipped to a patently unsafe disposal site in Nevada is irresponsible and not in the interests of Idaho or the nation. Joseph C. Strolin is the planning division administrator for Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects in Carson City, Nev. ***************************************************************** 51 Platts: NRC issues security order for LES enrichment project Washington (Platts)--28Dec2006 NRC issued an order to Louisiana Enrichment Services to take additional security measures at the company's planned National Enrichment Facility. The security measures, imposed December 20 and made public in the December 28 Federal Register, were not released because they contain safeguards information. But an NRC spokesman said the requirements were the same as those issued to fuel cycle facilities in 2003 as "interim compensatory measures." The spokesman said the order "requires the licensee to identify potential target areas of their facility and implement physical security measures accordingly." LES received in June its license to construct and operate a uranium enrichment facility in New Mexico, and construction, which began shortly after that, is projected to finish in 2008. NRC is issuing the order now so that LES "can incorporate such measures into the design and construction of the facility," the spokesman said. NRC said LES must complete implementation of the measures no later than six months before the facility begins operating. Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill Companies] ***************************************************************** 52 San Bernardino County Sun: Dangerous waste could be transported through area Andrew Silva, Staff Writer Launched: 01/02/2007 12:00:00 AM PST The clusters of finger-thick steel rods are so radioactive that standing next to them for a few minutes would be fatal. Thousands of such assemblies could be rolling through San Bernardino County if the waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas is built. With Yucca Mountain's most vocal critic, Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, rising to majority leader, opponents are in a good position to slow down or kill building of the facility. Yucca Mountain has generally been off the radar for most local officials, but they do worry that San Bernardino County could be a major transport route, even for waste from outside California. "My biggest problem has been how they chose to route the material - looping around so it had to come through our county," said county Supervisor Dennis Hansberger. "I guess it was to avoid a major metropolitan area. If that's true, then don't send it through a major metropolitan area." He said he's not qualified to say if the Yucca Mountain site itself is safe, but would like to see more thought about how the waste is going to get there. Barstow Mayor Lawrence Dale said he's not up to date on the issue so couldn't comment with authority. "We would not be real pleased with it coming through on Interstate 15 or Interstate 40," he said. "We would be remiss if we made any brash statements about it." Supporters of the Yucca Mountain site argue it's far better to store extremely radioactive waste in one geologically safe location than to leave it at more than 100 sites throughout the nation. Opponents disagree that Yucca Mountain will be safe, and say it's better to leave the waste in those well-guarded locations than to expose it out on highways and railroads. "You'll be taking it away from safe, secure sites and putting it on the transportation system and making it subject to accidents or attack for 30 to 40 years," said Joe Strolin, with the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. The heavily shielded casks that will carry the waste will be designed to withstand severe collisions, fires and sinking. Strolin said the casks could still be vulnerable to military weapons, and that there are no plans to see how they stand up to sabotage. Critics worry there is still no guarantee that full-scale testing of the casks will be done, though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has indicated such tests may be required. The Department of Energy tends to focus on the very low probability of a catastrophic release, but Nevada does look at worst-case scenarios, Strolin said. The federal government did find that a major release of radiation could cost $10 billion to clean up, he said. The Department of Energy has decided to use trains as much as possible to reduce the number of trips and to improve safety. San Bernardino County has seen more than its share of train crashes. A decade ago, there was a spectacular crash in Cajon Pass that shut down I-15 for days as rail cars spewing toxic smoke burned. And in 1989, a runaway train jumped the tracks and plowed through homes on Duffy Street in Muscoy, killing four, followed by a gas line explosion in the same place two weeks later. Those are the kinds of incidents the casks will be designed to survive. And the Yucca Mountain trains will be dedicated solely to transporting high-level waste, allowing for more control and security, something critics have long recommended. High-level waste has been moved around the country for decades without incident, thanks to robust containers and strict security and monitoring, energy officials say. An intensely hot fire in a Baltimore rail tunnel in 2001, which did not involve radioactive waste, would not have breached the casks or led to a release of radiation, according to an analysis by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And the government is looking at building a new 300-mile rail line along one of two possible routes within Nevada that would avoid major population areas and could reduce the number of shipments that have to come through San Bernardino County. It's still too early to comment on particular routes or how much material might go through any one area, said Allen Benson, spokesman for Yucca Mountain. "We need to decide where to build the rail spur. Then we start looking at specific routes," he said. The earliest the Yucca Mountain facility could be open is 2017. Los Angeles Newspaper Group ***************************************************************** 53 The Age: Uranium stockpile to get more glow - www.theage.com.au Barry FitzGerald January 3, 2007 AUSTRALIA'S inventory on uranium is set to be boosted by an initial resource estimate for the Four Mile discovery of US group Heathgate and Melbourne-based Alliance Resources near Heathgate's Beverley uranium mine in South Australia's outback. High-grade uranium hits at the discovery and betting by the market that it could eventually be the biggest uranium deposit of its type in the world (roll-front, sandstone-hosted), put a rocket under the Alliance share price last year. Its shares rose from 17˘ at the start of the year to $1.83 by year end. Yesterday Alliance shares rose 8˘ to $1.91, valuing the company at $467 million. Melbourne businessman Ian Gandel controls about 36 per cent of the company that before the 2005 discovery of Four Mile was best known for its Maldon gold project in Victoria. Alliance has a 25 per cent free-carried interest in Four Mile, named for its distance from the Beverley mine. Operator and 75 per cent partner is Quasar Resources, the exploration arm of Heathgate (itself part of US group General Atomics), owner-operator of Beverley, which produced 854 tonnes of uranium in 2005-06. Quasar has been working towards producing a compliant inferred resource estimate for the high-grade part of the Four Mile West zone. The resource estimate was originally expected to be released last month, but it has been delayed to "early in the new year". The delay was blamed on hold-ups in receiving chemical analyses from the Lucas Heights laboratories of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, as well as what Alliance has told the market — the need to "complete the data verification process". Alliance would not comment yesterday on what the initial resource estimate might be. But it has in the past referred to Four Mile as "Australia's premier uranium discovery". While the initial resource estimate will be based on a small section of the Four Mile West area, which has been drilled on spacings of 100 metres by 100 metres, it will be the expected high grade of the initial resource estimate that could again fire up market interest in the find. And while Alliance has not made any estimate on the eventual size of Four Mile, there has been speculation — and that is all it is — that it could eventually weigh in at more than 40,000 tonnes of uranium — equivalent to four years of Australian production (Olympic Dam, Ranger and Beverley). Among Australia's undeveloped uranium deposits, only Kintyre (Rio Tinto) and Yeelirrie (BHP Billiton) in Western Australia would rank bigger. Both date from the 1970s uranium exploration boom/bust and cannot be developed because of the WA Labor Government's ban on uranium mine developments. About 20 per cent of the world's uranium production comes from roll-front deposits, mainly in the US and Kazakhstan. Spot prices recently hit $US72 a pound, double the price at the start of 2006 and a 605 per cent increase on the December 2002 price of $US10.20 a pound. The surge reflects the possibility of near-term supply shortages. | Copyright © 2007. The Age Company Ltd. ***************************************************************** 54 San Luis Obispo Tribune: Yucca dump doomed? 01/02/2007 | Lisa Friedman The Daily News WASHINGTON - While supporters vow to plow forward with plans for a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nev., critics hope Democrats will be able to kill the project - which would take highly radioactive material transported through the Southland - when they take control of Congress next month. Led by incoming Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who already has declared the federal nuclear waste repository "dead," congressional Democrats are expected to severely decrease funding for the dump. That, opponents say, is good news for Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and other communities through which approximately 70,000 tons of radioactive waste would likely be shipped on its way to the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "All of us in the Inland Empire will be safer if shipments of nuclear waste are not traveling through our communities on local highways or railroad tracks," said Democrat Rep. Joe Baca, whose San Bernardino district lies smack in the middle of the proposed shipment route. "An accident could have deadly consequences," Baca said. "We are fortunate that Harry Reid will be the Senate majority leader and in a better position to block the Yucca Mountain project." First proposed in 1982, the Yucca Mountain depository has been strongly supported by President George W. Bush and the nuclear energy industry. Proponents say it is a secure alternative to storing waste at nuclear plants and hundreds of other sites around the country. Originally targeted to open in 1998, Yucca Mountain has been repeatedly set back by lawsuits, money shortfalls and scientific controversies. The Department of Energy’s best-case opening date is now 2017. Southern Californians are concerned about proposals to ship spent nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain from the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County - a trek that could take it by train through Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley. There have also been discussions about a rail line through the Antelope Valley and across the High Desert; multiple rail links through the San Gabriel, Pomona and San Bernardino valleys; and a truck route from the San Onofre nuclear power plant along the Santa Ana, San Gabriel and San Bernardino freeway corridors. The DOE is poised to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in mid-2008 that will allow it to proceed. But activists on both sides of the issue acknowledge that the DOE is quietly preparing for the likelihood of reduced funding and political support for Yucca. "I’m getting the sense there may be some reluctance to submit a sizeable, needed budget if Mr. Reid is just going to have it reduced," said Brian O’Connell, director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ nuclear waste program. He and other supporters of the repository have accused Reid of overstepping his power by refusing to allow Yucca legislation to come for a vote, and they argue that safety concerns have been blown out of proportion and politicized. "The typical representation of nuclear waste is a 50-ton cannister with green goo hanging out the sides," O’Connell said. "It is well-protected. And the reality is that it has been shipped safely for over 30 years." Annual federal funding for Yucca Mountain has ranged from $450 million to $550 million in recent years. O’Connell predicted that Reid and other lawmakers will "drastically reduce" that amount. Michelle Boyd, legislative director at Public Citizen, agreed, saying Yucca officials "are hobbling along, and they’re going to be hobbling even more when they have less money. It’s certainly on its last legs." She and others also noted that the newly empowered anti-Yucca coalition in Congress has vowed to block bills like the one introduced last year by Sen. Pete Dominic, R-N.M., and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, to guarantee funding for the repository. "No legislation will occur as long as Reid is there," said Bob Loux, executive director of Nevada’s Agency for Nuclear Projects. "We believe this project has been on life support anyway for the last several years. This may be the final nail." O’Connell disagreed that the death of Yucca is near. "I don’t think so," he said. "(Reid) will do everything he can to impede it, but he can’t kill it outright." Argun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research agreed. Though an opponent of Yucca Mountain who calls it a "badly botched project," Makhijani said he expects plans for the repository to move ahead with shrunken resources. "I don’t think the project can be stopped altogether without setting in motion some larger scheme for the management of spent fuel," he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ***************************************************************** 55 BBC: Eight arrested at Faslane protest Last Updated: Tuesday, 2 January 2007, Eight people have been arrested during an anti-nuclear protest at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde, police said. The protesters were among a group of 25 people from Friends of the Earth Flanders and Brussels, according to organisers. The demonstration was carried out as part of the Faslane 365 year-long blockade. According to the group, those arrested included people from Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Finland and the Netherlands. REPLACING TRIDENT [ src=] KEY STORIES US to discuss UK Trident lifespan UK nuclear weapons plan unveiled At-a-glance: Reaction to plans Blair's Trident statement in full Cameron's Trident statement McConnell backs UK nuclear plans ANALYSIS [HMS Vanguard Q&A: Trident A guide to issues surrounding the UK's plans to replace its nuclear weapons What is international impact? Do nukes make military sense? Old Labour battles to resume? BACKGROUND Fact file: Trident missile Q&A: Global nuclear rules Whatever happened to CND? ***************************************************************** 56 Deutsche Welle: Historic Cold War Bunker to Become a Museum 02.01.2007 DW-World.de Deutsche Welle [The entrance to the new Cold War bunker museum ] Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The entrance to the new Cold War bunker museum During the Cold War, a secret underground bunker for the West German government was constructed to protect a chosen few in case of an atomic attack. The site was initially to be sealed up, but is now planned as a museum. Ron Lerke calls out a greeting and his voice echoes into the darkness -- 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) of it, to be exact. He is underground, in what used to be the West German government's ultra-secret atomic bunker, located deep in western Germany near the French border. And it’s here, in a tunnel stretching into a black abyss, that a restored section of the bunker will be used for the first time. Lerke is head engineer of the project to turn the bunker into a tourist site. He walks slowly with a flashlight through the bunker, 200 meters (656 feet) underground, as danger warnings line the walls on the way to decontamination showers, sleeping quarters, a hospital, even a room set up for cutting hair. Most of the rooms are empty and unlit, with dirt floors. In the first 100 meters, at least five massive steel doors are set into the wall, ready to slide shut in case of emergency. This area is a tiny sliver in the 19 kilometers of subterranean passageways, but when it’s opened up as a museum in early 2008, it will offer the public what they never would have seen -- an area where a chosen 3,000 people would have holed up for 30 days after a nuclear attack. “We call it the fortress of the nuclear age," said Florian Mausbach, president of the Federal Authority for Construction and Urban Planning who leads the project. Secrecy spurred public interest In the end, Mausbach says the bunker was never actually used to house government officials, who would have left West Germany’s nearby capital of Bonn to find refuge there. By the late 1990’s, after the capital had moved to Berlin, lawmakers decided to close down the structure, and started in 2001 to seal it up and bury it forever. But the public wanted a peek inside, said Mausbach. [The tunnels stretch for 18 kilometers] Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The tunnels stretch for 18 kilometers “There's a lot of interest by the people around that area and beyond to look around in the tunnel, because it was always a secret," he said. "So I thought we should keep part of the tunnel." Its location typifies the Cold War balance between life and destruction, added Mausbach. After the government toyed with the idea of selling the tunnel -- some ideas were to convert it into a disco or an area to cultivate mushrooms -- Mausbach said the finance ministry agreed on the idea of a small museum, which was actually cheaper than sealing the area up forever. Not really a secret The museum entrance is nestled into a hill, amidst a backdrop of dense forest and vineyards overlooking the town of Ahrweiler. Down a dirt path, through a gate lined with barbed wire, is one of 38 entrances to this network of bunkers. Markus Heibel of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning said that, though the existence of the bunker was meant to be a well-kept secret during the cold war and afterward, it required almost 200 local employees. "It was not really a secret," he said. "They also knew about it in East Germany." [The bunker was a well-known secret] Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The bunker was a well-known secret In fact, the underground labyrinth dates back to the late 19th century, when tunnels meant for moving supplies by train were built all the way into France. During World War II, concentration camp prisoners slaved away building V2 rockets in the tunnels. By 1960, West Germany began the 12-year project of turning it all into a nuclear bunker in compliance with NATO stipulations. With all that history, locals welcome turning the bunker into a museum. JĂĽrgen Reiche, head of Haus der Geschichte Museum in Bonn, leads the museum side of this project. He says the bunker’s history closely parallels that of Germany -- and that restoring even some of the complex into a museum is vital to remembering Germany’s past. “It’s not only a bunker -- it is part of German history,” he said. Provoking questions Only four windows exist in the entire 19 kilometer complex. One of them is near the planned entrance to the museum, with a view no larger than a sheet of paper. It’s bombproof and can be covered by a sliding steel plate. But in 2008, it will be opened up -- for a stark look at the nuclear age. As Reiche looks over plans for the museum, he says that the experience will lead visitors to ask the right questions about the bunker’s significance, both then and now. “If the earth is destroyed, you can’t live on it," he said. "So do we need such bunkers, do we need bombs, do we need war?” Nick McGurk (jb) 1. © 2006 Deutsche Weele ***************************************************************** 57 AFP: India and Pakistan swap nuclear site lists - Mon Jan 1, 5:18 AM ET ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan and India exchanged lists of their nuclear sites under an agreement to swap such information annually on New Year's Day to prevent attacks against each others nuclear facilities, the foreign ministry said. The agreement signed in 1988 between the South Asian arch rivals came into force in 1991 and the first such exchange of information was on January 1, 1992. Under the agreement both Pakistan and India are to refrain from attacking each other's nuclear facilities in the event of a war. "Lists of nuclear sites were exchanged between Pakistan and India today," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told AFP on Monday. India conducted nuclear weapons tests in May 1998 and Pakistan, in a tit-for-tat response, detonated its own devices a few days later. The rivals have fought three wars, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir" /> which is divided between them and claimed in full by both. After coming close to another war in 2002, in January 2004 they began talks to resolve all their disputes including Kashmir. In October 2005 the two countries formalised an agreement on pre-notification of ballistic missile tests. They have also set up a telephone hotline to prevent accidental nuclear conflict. The India-Pakistan peace process was put back on track after foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi in mid-November, during which the two sides agreed to set up a new anti-terror panel. India had put on hold the nearly three-year-old talks in the face of public outrage over July's deadly attacks on Mumbai's commuter network, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan's spy agency and a Pakistan-based militant group. Islamabad denied any involvement in the blasts, which killed 186 people. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of arming and training Islamic militants battling its rule in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir and sponsoring attacks elsewhere in the country. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 58 KnoxNews: Building a fresh face for WWII-era complex In privately financed project, new Y-12 facilities will house 1,500 government workers By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com January 2, 2007 OAK RIDGE - In the heart of the Y-12 National Security Complex, a gigantic, three-story structure is being constructed in the shape of a "U." Considering that Y-12 enriched the uranium for the first atomic bomb in World War II, manufactured uranium parts for every weapon currently in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and houses the nation's stockpile of bomb-grade uranium, there seems to be an obvious question: Does that big U stand for uranium? The answer is no. At least that's the word from Wayne Roquemore, president of Lawler-Wood LLC, who chuckled at the question. He swore it was the first time he'd heard anyone even suggest a uranium tie to the design. "We had two big wings (each the size of a football field), and we had to connect them. That's what created the U," he said. Roquemore, of course, isn't a weapons guy and might not know uranium if he saw it. But he's mighty proud of the 412,750-square-foot office building, known officially as the Jack Case Center, and another multi-purpose facility near Y-12's entrance that Lawler-Wood is developing as part of an unusual, privately financed project at the government complex. By the middle of next summer, these new facilities will house about 1,500 employees - about a third of the Y-12 work force - who are currently located in a couple of dozen buildings at the sprawling complex. The new structures will put a fresh face on the aging Oak Ridge plant, which still reflects its World War II origins. The architect for the project was Susman, Tisdale, Gayle out of Texas, with construction by Turner Universal of Nashville. Lawler-Wood, the developer, will serve as landlord once the buildings are occupied. The Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board financed the project through a bond issue. The $154 million project is 70 percent complete, at least a month ahead of schedule, and drawing positive reviews for its precise planning on everything from the largest concrete slabs to the smallest details in the washrooms. "You plan it, and then you make it happen," said Roquemore, noting there's already a complete, day-by-day work plan for installing furniture, starting Feb. 4. About 400 people are working on the construction. "We have huge debt-service requirements and in order to protect ourselves, we impose significant liquidated damage requirements on the contractor if they fail to meet the schedule. They signed on to be the general contractor with the understanding that schedule is paramount," Roquemore said during a mid-December tour of the site. The New Hope Center, which is being built along Scarboro Road at the Y-12 entrance, will serve as the plant's visitor center and include a 400-seat auditorium, as well as space for historic artifacts of the early nuclear era. There also will be laboratory space and offices for about 300 employees. The Jack Case Center, named for a popular longtime manager of the Y-12, will include the plant's administration and engineering staffs, as well the cafeteria and a full-scale medical clinic. There are secure rooms where staff can discuss the plant's sensitive business: production of nuclear warhead parts. What's truly different about these facilities is they aren't government-owned and weren't built with taxpayer dollars - at least not directly. BWXT, which manages the plant for the federal government, will pay Lawler-Wood about $11 million annually to rent the shiny new digs. That money, of course, comes from the federal government. The private financing plan at Y-12 was based loosely on an earlier arrangement that UT-Battelle used to modernize facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Roquemore said Lawler-Wood bid unsuccessfully on the ORNL project but learned some good lessons in the process. Federal and contractor officials say the project ultimately will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating maintenance and upkeep on dozens of old buildings, which will be torn down as part of the Y-12 modernization program. Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. Copyright Permissions] Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. MICHAEL PATRICK NEWS SENTINEL Wayne Roquemore, president of developer Lawler-Wood, stands in the New Hope Center on the Y-12 complex in Oak Ridge. The New Hope Center and the Jack Case Center will cost $154 million and are expected to be completed by summer 2007. ['' border='0'] MICHAEL PATRICK NEWS SENTINEL Construction on the New Hope Center on the Y-12 complex in Oak Ridge is 70 percent complete and nearly a month ahead of schedule. The New Hope Center will serve as the plant’s visitor center and will include a 400-seat auditorium. RELATED LINKS + Web site: Y-12 National Security Complex ***************************************************************** 59 KnoxNews: Future of OR research bright Even operating at low levels, Spallation Neutron Source wowing scientists By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com January 1, 2007 OAK RIDGE - In 2006, the Spallation Neutron Source made its first neutrons and - by year's end - a little bit of history. Even though operating at limited power while undergoing different stages of testing, the SNS in November established a record for the brightest pulse of neutrons ever produced by a machine. The intensity, or concentration of neutrons, correlates to the ability to perform experiments with materials at the highest level. "We've got a long ways to go, but so far it's tracking well," said Thom Mason, associate lab director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The SNS was shut down in December for monthlong maintenance and to make a series of adjustments based on the operating knowledge to date. "As we're running, we uncover weaknesses in the machine and things that aren't performing as well as they're supposed to," Mason said. "We have to go back and work on those things as we build the power." In October and November, the linear accelerator operated at low power levels to test beams and calibrate the systems and research instruments. The SNS has met or exceeded expectations so far, although full research operations at the Oak Ridge facility won't be achieved for another year or so. The maximum power level so far was a brief demonstration at 60 kilowatts, far short of the eventual operating power of 1.4 megawatts. "This is all part of our plans to ramp up but we've already set world records," Mason said. Even in the beta testing stage, designed to evaluate the operating systems, the facilities are supporting high-level science, he said. Just imagine, he said, what lies in the years ahead when SNS unleashes its full load of neutrons for experiments that will explore the structure and properties of materials. Construction of the $1.4 billion SNS was completed in the spring, months ahead of schedule and within its budget. On April 28, shortly after 2 p.m., a power-packed beam of protons struck the target source of liquid mercury and released - through the process of spallation - the first pulse of neutrons, which was confirmed almost immediately by scientific instruments. It was a historic moment, marking a successful conclusion to seven years of construction and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Now it's all about the science. Jim Roberto, ORNL's deputy director for science and technology, said 2006 was a "phenomenal year" for the SNS and the future is brighter still. "We're just immensely pleased and proud of the team that accomplished this," he said. Roberto said neutron-scattering, which uses measurements of neutrons after they pass through a sample material, is one of three tools that scientists can use to look at the nanostructure of materials and biological systems. "It has inherently been limited by the weakness of the neutron source, the lack of brightness," the ORNL official said. "So what we have done at SNS is - through a combination of the increased power of the facility and the fact that all of the instruments have been designed with the latest state-of-the-art techniques - we have increased the effective brightness of neutrons for doing science by a factor of 10 to 100." That, in turn, should translate into a "whole new era" for materials research, Roberto said. "We are very hopeful and confident that there will be unexpected breakthroughs that will occur as a result of this," he said. In some research fields, including areas of biology, the concentration of neutrons will enable scientists to do studies that heretofore were impossible, Roberto said. Neutron-based research has been limited because scientists couldn't get samples large enough for the experiments, he said. "Typically, neutron-scattering samples have been quite large because the (neutron) beams are large. That was the only way to get a significant number of neutrons," Roberto said. However, the power of the SNS will deliver more neutrons in a tighter beam, enabling scientists to use smaller samples of materials for experiments, he said. The SNS sailed through the construction process, but Mason said there are still challenges ahead, including a potential problem with the fiscal 2007 budget for operations. The new fiscal year began Oct. 1, but federal facilities such as ORNL are operating under a continuing resolution because Congress has not approved a federal budget. There is talk of extending the continuing resolution for the entire fiscal year, which means government institutions likely would operate on a percentage of the previous year's funding level. The SNS, however, did not have a full operating budget for 2006 because part of the year was still devoted to construction. That could complicate things when spending levels are designated for the rest of 2007. "There's potential for a problem," Roberto said, but he said the lab is working closely with decision-makers in Washington. Mason said the SNS funding request for fiscal '07 included about $160 million for base operations and some additional money to work on power upgrades. It also included about $20 million for two additional research instruments, he said. Overall, the requested funding level was $191 million, he said. If ORNL doesn't get that full amount, it could affect the scheduling and delay the availability of SNS to researchers from around the United States and abroad. "At the moment, we haven't been affected," Mason said. "It's a question of what happens in January when Congress gets back." Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. Copyright Permissions] Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY A section of the proton accumulator ring is shown at the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge. The accumulator ring is the final step in a proton’s journey through the accelerator before it strikes the SNS’s mercury target, "spalling" away neutrons to be used for research. ['' border='0'] OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Employees work in the control room at the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source. Jim Roberto, ORNL’s deputy director for science and technology, said 2006 was a "phenomenal year" for the SNS and the future is brighter still. RELATED LINKS + SNS: Learn more about the Spallation Neutron Source ***************************************************************** 60 Inside Bay Area: Officials pick new weapon design Expert warns against building entire arsenal of untested nuclear warheads By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 01/02/2007 02:51:00 AM PST Top Pentagon and Energy Department officials have chosen the first new, nuclear-weapon design for development since the end of the Cold War, and while details await an announcement as early as this week, the new warhead must live up to a whopping sales pitch. It must be more of everything — safer, cheaper, more secure, easier to manufacture and not in need of explosive testing. The warhead would be the first step toward an entirely new U.S. nuclear arsenal, accompanied at a cost of several billion dollars by a rejuvenated complex of factories and labs to care for the bombs. Those lofty goals are among at least 20 different rationales for the latest hydrogen bombs that have been offered by Bush administration nuclear officials, Congress and scientists in the nation's weapons design labs, according to a recent congressional study. One question is whether any nuclear explosive can live up to the hype. Can there be a bomb for all reasons? "Is there anything short of life itself that has 20 justifications?" asks weapons testing veteran Philip Coyle III, a former Lawrence Livermore Lab executive and former Pentagon testing chief. Competing teams of scientists at Livermore Lab and its sister lab in Los Alamos, N.M. contend their latest proposed bomb designs do the trick. The Nuclear Weapons Council — a panel of top Defense and Energy department nuclear weapons officials — agrees. The council said last month that the proposed new "reliable replacement warheads" are feasible. As early as this week, the weapons council is expected to announce its selection of the first reliable replacement warhead, designated "RRW-1." Unless Congress says otherwise, the lab with the winning design can expect potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in future work engineering the computerized design into a prototype over the next three or four years, then refining the warhead for mass production. The first new warhead is slated for manufacture in 2012. True to direction from Congress and the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos and Livermore labs have come up with warhead designs that are safer, more secure and require less hazardous materials than the warhead they intend on replacing. That warhead, known as the W76, is the most numerous nuclear explosive in the west, comprising a third of the U.S. arsenal, and with slight variation in design, the entirety of Britain's nuclear force. It delivers about eight times the destructive energy of the Hiroshima bomb. Keeping the warhead, its missile and the submarines that carry it on patrol for 30 years have cost American taxpayers more than $135 billion. To replace it, Los Alamos and Livermore designers have scrapped most of the features that made the W76 compact. They've used bulkier but safer high explosives and gotten rid of a thin shell of beryllium toxic to machinists. According to a report by Congressional Research Service defense analyst Jonathan Medalia, both teams designed the new warheads to avoid about a third of the manufacturing steps, resulting in higher production rates and less worker exposure to toxins. For added security, both designs attempt to make a warhead useless to a terrorist or an unauthorized insider who tries to detonate it. The methods are secret and may involve using chemicals or some mechanism to wreck the carefully shaped plutonium core inside. Los Alamos scientists call their method "revolutionary," and Livermore scientists say theirs is "beyond the best in the stockpile." There, the similarities end. For the first new warhead of the post-Cold War era, the labs took different tacks and reversed their traditional design personas. Californians at Livermore and Sandia-CA labs produced a highly conservative warhead, a beefed-up version of a fully tested design. "Thus there is direct nuclear test proof that the RRW/CA design will perform properly," lab officials told Medalia at the Congressional Research Service. The historically conservative New Mexicans at Los Alamos and Sandia-NM labs created a new design out of components that each have been well tested but not together. Designers added new features, such as "optical isolation" to interrupt electrical signals to the warhead's detonators and virtually eliminate the risk of static accidentally igniting the explosive. By and large, both designs fit most of what Congress and the White House had in mind for the new warhead. The fact is that the new program never has been clearly defined, freeing lawmakers and scientists and bureaucrats to ascribe whatever attributes they most desired to the new bomb. As the name "reliable replacement warhead" implies, for example, the new warhead and its successors are supposed to emphasize dependable detonation. But the addition of new safety and security features can change the tested physical behavior of a bomb and reduce the certainty of a detonation. Safety, in other words, can come at some small cost to reliability. The new warheads also are supposed to make a return to explosive nuclear testing less likely. The new bombs then must be nearly identical to designs tested decades ago, and both teams are promoting their designs' tight linkages with past bombs. Yet a primary aim of the new warheads is to exercise the creative skills of weapons scientists, engineers and factory workers in fashioning new, untested nuclear explosives. The warheads also are supposed to be designed for longevity so they can be stored confidently for decades. Yet the administration's plan is to keep the nuclear weapons complex working on one new warhead after another, in an uninterrupted cycle of replacement with new models, just as during the Cold War. The new warheads are supposed to be less expensive, yet administration officials so far haven't published any cost estimates in almost two years of work. The new warheads also are intended to reduce security costs, yet Air Force officials suggested to Medalia of the Congressional Research Service that their security costs might not change. The new warheads also have been sold as allowing large reductions in the thousands of Cold War-era warheads and bombs stored as insurance against breakdown or new national security threats. Instead of relying on stored, backup weapons, the argument goes, the United States now can rely on durable bombs backed by a factory capable of churning out more on demand. But it remains unclear that the Defense Department will trade its existing arsenal of tested weapons for new, untested ones. It also is unclear that the Pentagon would drop its insistence on storing backup weapons if defense officials adopt the new, untested arsenal. "It still feels like a program that's not very well defined," said Raymond Jeanloz, a professor of planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, who serves on several panels that advise the government and its labs on weapons issues. Congress has asked for evaluations of the new warhead program within the next several months from two such panels, a committee formed by the nation's largest scientific society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and JASON, a group of senior experts on defense and intelligence science. Until those reports are out, Jeanloz figures there is no reason for the weapons council to rush into the selection of the new warhead design. "It seems they're putting themselves way out on a limb with lots of chance for failure in the political realm or in the technical realm," he said. Coyle notes that weapons scientists are attempting to create an entire arsenal of untested weapons, something they've never done before. "When you're trying to achieve seven or eight or 20 different objectives, that's a heckuva lot easier said than done," said Coyle, who is a senior advisor to the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C. "I do think there's a feeling that there's so much at stake here that the labs themselves have more work to do before a well-considered choice could be made, he said. © 2000-2006 ANG Newspapers ***************************************************************** 61 reviewjournal.com: DOE exec dies of cancer Obituaries Published December 31, 2006. ARTHUR III, JOHN JOHN ARTHUR III W. John Arthur, III, 53, succumbed to cancer Dec. 26, 2006. John led a courageous 27 year career as a public servant for the U.S. Department of Energy, managing operations in support of the nation's largest environmental cleanup and nuclear materials management programs. Some of his assignments included servings as deputy director of the Yucca Mountain Project (Las Vegas), assistant manager for the Office of National Defense Programs, DOE Albuquerque Operations Office, manager of DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Albuquerque Operations Office DOE, manager of the Waste Isolation Pilot Project-WIPP (Carlsbad, N.M.), and chief operating officer for the DOE Office of Environmental Management at DOE headquarters. He accepted some of the most environmentally, technologically, and politically-challenging government assignments and led them with dignity and respect for the good of our country. His down-to-earth and positive approach to life was infectious to everyone he encountered. He was known for his compassion and friendship to all, no matter what station they held in life. As an avid hunter who traveled the world, he loved to share his experiences with all his beloved friends and family. John was born in Atlantic City, N.J., the son of Catherine (Betty) Arthur and W. John Arthur, Jr. He left the East to pursue an education in wildlife biology. He received his masters degree in radiation ecology at Colorado State University, where he also met and married his wife, of 28 years, Rita K. Arthur. John and Rita loved the beauty of the West, and made their homes and lifetime friends in Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. He has left behind two lovely children, Stephanie and James Arthur; his wife, Rita; his mother, Betty; and many countless friends. A visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, at Palm Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd., in Las Vegas. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, Catholic Church, 7260 W. Sahara Ave., in Las Vegas. Burial will be in Littleton, Colo. Memorial contributions may be made to the Nevada Cancer Institute. John, we will miss you more than words could possibly convey and we will never forget your beautiful smile. Date: December 31, 2006 From: Dean and Andrea Olson City/State: Washington, DC Thinking of John always did and always will bring a smile to my face, both for the memories we shared and as a reflection of the appreciation I had for the attitude he carried through life. What a tragic loss of such a beautiful life. Rita, you and Stephanie and James and Betty will be in Andrea`s and my prayers. I`m still working at DOE headquarters and if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Date: December 31, 2006 From: Curvin (Buff) and Kay Strausbaugh City/State: york, pennsylvania ***************************************************************** 62 IBR: INL receives $2 million loan from state Tuesday, January 2, 2007 22:39 MST [Idaho Business Review] by Eddie Kovsky Tags - Battelle Energy Alliance, Idaho National Lab, Jim Risch The Idaho National Laboratory will receive a $2 million loan from the state of Idaho for research and the construction of isotope production facilities. The investment will have several benefits for the state, former Gov. Jim Risch said in a Dec. 29 press release. The new facilities will produce isotopes for use in life-saving medical procedures, and will attract medical and research business to Idaho, he said. The loan allows Battelle Energy Alliance, the private contractor that manages INL, to speed up the installation of isotope production equipment at the lab. The equipment will produce medical isotopes and decrease the time needed to perform some research experiments. The long-term loan comes from a $30 million payment from the U.S. Department of Energy- part of their 1995 court settlement with the State of Idaho. Under the terms of the loan the equipment is to be installed by 2008. Repayment of the loan will begin in 2011 for the first $1 million with the second payment to be made in 2012. Our History | Our Staff | Idaho Business Review 855 W. Broad Street, Suite 103 Boise, ID 83702 | Phone 208.336.3768 | Fax 208.336.5534 ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************