*****************************************************************
01/10/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.8
*****************************************************************
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 Guardian Unlimited: U.N. Nuclear Inspectors Arrive in Iran
2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Says It Has Arrested a Nuclear Spy
3 Guardian Unlimited: China, Israel to Discuss Iran Nuke Issue
4 AFP: China assures Israeli PM on Iranian nuclear bomb -
5 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI to try all option on N-issue
6 AFP: US sees signs financial sanctions against Iran are biting -
7 Korea Times: US Stealth Fighters to Be Deployed Here
8 YONHAP NEWS: Philippines to host informal meeting of experts on N. K
9 AFP: Japan PM arrives in Berlin for talks on N. Korea, energy -
10 Korea Times: Second Inter-Korean Summit
11 AFP: US Stealth fighters to be deployed in South Korea
12 US: [toeslist] U.S. moves closer to build first nuke warhead in 20 y
13 UN Nuclear Watchdog Agency Helps Africa Boost Water Supplies, Agricu
14 AFP: Japan denies policy change on nuclear India
NUCLEAR REACTORS
15 India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
16 [NukeNet] India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
17 US: [NukeNet] U.S. Moves to Become Global Nuclear Fuel Supplier
18 Guardian Unlimited: Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
19 Guardian Unlimited: EU: Days of Secure, Cheap Energy Over
20 AFP: Japan to recognise India as nuclear state - report -
21 Daily Yomiuri: KEPCO restarts N-plant 2 1/2 years after accident
22 BBC NEWS: EU plans 'industrial revolution'
23 BBC: EU energy plan: What nations think
24 BBC: Blair says energy security 'key'
25 BBC: Germany may retain nuclear power
26 US: Platts: US and Japan agree to develop plan for GNEP collaboratio
27 Platts: NDA asks contractors BNG and UKAEA to cut final-quarter spen
28 Platts: Greenpeace rubbishes Merkel's Russian oil-German nuclear lin
29 IHT: Western Japan nuke reactor to resume operation more than 2 year
30 IAEA: Nuclear Science & Technology in Africa
31 US: NRC: Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Before Administrative Ju
32 US: Albuquerque Tribune: Nation's largest nuclear plant gets new bos
33 Deutsche Welle: Nuclear Power in Germany: A Chronology
NUCLEAR SECURITY
NUCLEAR SAFETY
34 Depeleted Uranium still killing Italian troops
35 [toeslist] US Nuclear sub and tanker collide but no leaks
36 BBC: Uranium 'killing Italian troops'
37 US: Hawk Eye Newspaper: IAAP plans explosions
38 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Location changed for Divine Strake hearing
39 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Demand answers: Guv, congressmen should get t
40 US: Deseret News: Strake info session is today at hotel
41 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Divine Strake: The word is out - and it doesn
42 US: Eureka Alert: Radiation degrades nuclear waste-containing materi
43 US: deseret news: Divine Strake change for hearing sparks ire
44 US: kutv.com: Possible Nuclear Blast Talks Come To SLC
45 US: Monticello Times: NRC offers KI pills to those within 10 miles o
46 US: KRNV.com: Region: Officials Show Plans in Las Vegas For Mushroom
47 icWales: Radiation 'risk' transport ship condemned
48 US: Guardian Unlimited: Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
49 Comments for licensing of the centrifuge public meeting
50 Nevada Appeal: It's 2007, and time to give Yucca Mountain a brake
51 US: AP Wire: Officials say radioactive cleanup will be closely monit
52 AFP: New study doubts zircon ceramics for long-term nuclear waste -
53 chillicothe gazette: Citizens divided on Piketon 30-year license
54 US: AU ABC: Miner committed to uranium prospect despite Govt policy.
55 Whitehaven News: Thorp given OK to re-start
PEACE
56 CS Monitor OpEd: Mid East Nuclear Free Zone Proposal
57 AFP: A Middle East free of nuclear weapons
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
58 Aiken Today: SRS now can perform Homeland Security tests
59 DOE: United States-Japan Cooperation on Energy Security
60 DOE: Department of Energy Releases Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
61 DenverPost.com: 3 Colo. lawmakers want delay in Flats decision
62 Knox News: Y-12's big rehab tests commitment to safety
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
1 Guardian Unlimited: U.N. Nuclear Inspectors Arrive in Iran
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 10:01 PM
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Two inspectors from the U.N. nuclear agency
arrived in Iran on Wednesday to inspect the country's nuclear
facilities, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Iran's parliament urged the government in late December to
re-examine its ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency
after the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against Tehran
over its disputed nuclear program.
The two IAEA inspectors were conducting routine investigations
of Iran's nuclear facilities in the cities of Isfahan and
Natanz, the report said. They were expected to stay about a
week.
The news agency said the IAEA inspectors would also ``review the
trend of cooperation with Iranian nuclear officials.''
Iran says that as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty, it has the right to develop a peaceful nuclear power
program. But the Security Council in December imposed limited
sanctions on Iran for its refusal to cease uranium enrichment -
a process that can produce the material for either nuclear
reactors or atomic bombs.
The United States and its European allies suspect Iran's
civilian nuclear program is a cover for developing such a bomb.
IAEA inspectors regularly visit Iran, but the Islamic republic's
lack of transparency has increased suspicions it is conducting a
secret weapons program.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Says It Has Arrested a Nuclear Spy
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 1:01 AM
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Tuesday it has arrested a man on
suspicion of selling nuclear secrets to an exiled Iranian
opposition group, state radio reported.
The report didn't identify the suspected spy, but said he had
been working at the Iranian Parliament's Research Center, an
organization that advises lawmakers on foreign and strategic
issues.
``The man transferred classified information, including a
bulletin on nuclear activities, to the hypocrites,'' state radio
said, referring to the People's Mujahedeen of Iran.
The Paris-based group, regarded as a terrorist organization by
the United States, has frequently made accusations about Iran's
nuclear activities, reporting on what it says is secret
information received from insiders in Iran.
In 2002, the group disclosed the existence of two previously
secret nuclear facilities, a pilot uranium enrichment plant at
Natanz and a research reactor being built in the city of Arak,
which turned out to house Iran's uranium enrichment program and
a hard-water reactor project. Other claims by the group have not
been substantiated.
Iran said in 2004 that it had arrested 10 military officers,
nuclear workers and others on charges of revealing its nuclear
secrets to Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies.
But the government said the information passed to the United
States and Israel was ``without value.''
Ahmed Tavakoli, a leading lawmaker, confirmed state radio's
report of the arrest of the alleged spy.
``This person has been working in Parliament's Research Center
since 2001,'' Tavakoli told the semiofficial Fars news agency
Tuesday. ``He was arrested by the Intelligence Ministry.''
Tavakoli told Fars that the arrested man will stand trial but
gave no date.
The People's Mujahedeen participated in the 1979 ouster of the
former shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. But it fell out with
the clerical government and launched a campaign of
assassinations and bombings.
For years it fought Iran's Islamic rulers from Iraq with the
backing of Saddam Hussein's regime.
During the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the U.S. military briefly
bombed People's Mujahedeen camps until the group capitulated and
agreed to disarm.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited: China, Israel to Discuss Iran Nuke Issue
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 8:16 AM
AP Photo JRL801 By AUDRA ANG Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) - Iran's nuclear program will be a main topic of
discussion when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets China's
leaders, an Israeli official said Wednesday.
Olmert, scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and
Premier Wen Jiabao during his three-day visit, will talk about
the importance of U.N.-imposed sanctions on Iran, said a member
of his delegation.
``He will surely talk about how Israel is concerned by Iranians
becoming a nuclear state and what are the consequences that can
take place if the Iranians will hold a nuclear bomb or weapon,''
said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as the
person wasn't authorized to speak to the media. ``It will be
high on the agenda.''
China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has
strong trade ties with Iran and has been leery about imposing
punitive measures.
But it supported the U.N. resolution that orders all countries
to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could
contribute to its nuclear and missile programs. The resolution
also freezes Iranian assets of 10 key companies and 12
individuals related to those programs.
The security council has warned that it will adopt further
nonmilitary sanctions if Iran continues to refuse to suspend
uranium enrichment, a process that produces the material for
either nuclear reactors or bombs.
Iran denies that it seeks to build atomic weapons, saying its
nuclear program is limited to generating electricity.
Israel's considers Iran one of its most serious threats, fears
fueled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls
to wipe the Jewish state off the map. Olmert has not ruled out a
military strike against Tehran's nuclear program, but has said
he hopes diplomatic means will work in keeping Iran from
becoming a nuclear power.
Olmert's trip marks the 15-year anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Israel and China, whose good
relations have been marred by occasional political and trade
tensions.
Both sides have emphasized that the visit is aimed at fostering
a deeper friendship and strengthening economic and trade ties.
China is now Israel's third-largest trading partner, following
the United States and Germany. According to the federation of
Israeli Chambers of Commerce, Israeli exports to China jumped 31
percent to $740 million in the first 11 months of last year,
when compared to the same period the previous year.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
4 AFP: China assures Israeli PM on Iranian nuclear bomb -
by Ron Bousso Wed Jan 10, 12:07 PM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, midway
through an official visit to Beijing, said he received a candid
assurance from China that it opposes Iran " /> Iranhaving a
nuclear arsenal.
Speaking to reporters accompanying him on his three-day visit,
Olmert said he was "positively surprised by the things I heard"
during a 90-minute meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
"China made it absolutely clear that it opposed an Iran with a
nuclear bomb," he added, although he refused to elaborate on the
contents of his talks.
Olmert's remarks contrasted with Israeli expectations of a cold
shoulder from Beijing over the Jewish state's call for tough
sanctions to slam the brakes on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
As a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council,
China is a pivotal player. But many observers suspect that its
need for Iranian oil and gas to power its booming economy could
soften its position.
Iran insists that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, but
it has refused to bow to a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment
work.
On Thursday Olmert will meet President Hu Jintao " /> Hu
Jintaoand attend a special concert marking 15 years of diplomatic
ties between the countries before heading back to Israel " />
Israel.
During his talks Wednesday, Olmert discussed the implementation
of the December 23 resolution by the Security Council --
supported by China -- that imposed limited sanctions on Iran, an
Israeli official told AFP.
The Israeli leader stressed to Wen that the international
community "must prepare for the next round of sanctions against
Iran in the coming months," the official added.
Before the meeting, Olmert was received by Wen at the Great Hall
of the People where he reviewed an honour guard. He also spent
part of the day at the Great Wall of China, outside the Chinese
capital.
At the opening of the talks, Wen welcomed the Israeli leader and
spoke of his "historical linkage" with China, referring to the
sojourn to China of Olmert's ancestors who fled anti-Semitic
persecution in Russia in the early 1900s.
Olmert said it was "a very exciting moment" for him and that "it
is very important for Israel to have good, friendly and
extensive relations" with China.
Besides the Iranian question, Olmert and Wen discussed at length
bilateral economic ties.
They also signed agreements on promoting cultural ties, on
protocols for the import of Israeli citrus fruit, and on water
purification technology.
According to Olmert, the two sides also agreed to create a joint
fund for research and development in different fields, including
high technology, hydro-technology and pharmaceuticals.
Olmert, who met on Tuesday with the heads of some of China's
largest companies, said the two sides had agreed to nearly
triple trade volume by 2010 "from 3.6 billion dollars in 2006 to
10 billion dollars."
He told reporters that the sensitive topic of Israeli arms sales
to China "was never raised during my talks with the Chinese."
Nor was the Middle East conflict raised.
China angered Israel last year by hosting the Palestinian
foreign minister Mahmud al-Zahar -- a Hamas member -- in
defiance of a Western-led boycott of the Islamic militant group.
Israeli and Chinese diplomatic ties had been strained for
several years after Israel was forced to scrap two deals to sell
advanced military technology to China due to US pressure in 2000
and a second one in 2005.
Since then, officials told AFP that "Israel and the United
States have reached an understanding over the issue of arms
sales to China."
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
5 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI to try all option on N-issue
2007/01/10
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC),
Ali Larijani, said on Tuesday that Iran does not insist on
withdrawal from NPT, adding that therefore various other options
will be tried.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator made the remark while speaking to
domestic and foreign reporters after his meeting with a
Pakistani official.
In response to a question about revising the country's
cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
he underlined that Iran should not be forced into reducing the
level of such cooperation with the agency.
He said, "Based on the Additional Protocol, we had extensive
cooperation with IAEA in the past. However, we have told the
West that if they have an irrational approach to our nuclear
issue, the Additional Protocol will be suspended by Iran.
"Today the level of cooperation is not according to that
indicated in the protocol on account of their unreasonable
approach."
Larijani noted that partial revision has thus been made in
Iran-IAEA relations.
"We insist on cooperating within the frameworks of the agency,
despite the unjust implementation of NPT in the world.
In reply to a question that whether Iran will have any other
option in solving the nuclear issue, except holding talks with
the 5+1 Group, the Secretary said that the issue is based on
accurate principles and that any approach that can settle it
based on such principles, will be fruitful.
Stressing that the 5+1 Group is not the only party playing a
role in solving Iran's nuclear issue, he added that those having
a part in it should get involved in the issue and so the IAEA
will also be a beneficiary, given the legal and technical nature
of the matter.
"But once the UN nuclear watchdog was bypassed and the case was
sent to the United Nations Security Council, it was meant to say
that it was being treated as a political issue," he said.
Iran's top negotiator said that once a matter is politicized, a
solution should be sought according to political model.
Larijani noted that dialog and diplomacy is the best way to
solve the issue, adding that negotiations can be based on
various innovative approaches and that all those involved in the
matter can propose new solutions.
mk
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center.
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir
*****************************************************************
6 AFP: US sees signs financial sanctions against Iran are biting -
by David Millikin Wed Jan 10, 2:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Weary of the drawn-out diplomatic battle to
rein in Iran " /> 's suspected nuclear weapons program,
Washington welcomed signs that unilateral US measures designed to
squeeze Tehran financially are starting to bear fruit.
The latest move came Tuesday when the US Treasury Department " />
blacklisted Iran's fifth largest bank, Bank Sepah, for allegedly
helping finance the country's illicit weapons programs.
The move bars the state-owned bank from carrying out
transactions in US dollars -- a step which has wide implications
in an interlocking global financial system heavily dependent on
the US currency.
The impact swiftly spread to Europe, where Germany's second
biggest bank, Commerzbank, announced Wednesday that it would
stop handling dollar transactions for Iranian clients, though it
would continue dealings in euros.
US officials said other international banks and businesses were
also reassessing the wisdom of doing business with Iran, which
was slapped with limited UN sanctions last month for refusing
demands to suspend its nuclear enrichment program -- a possible
step towards development of atomic weapons.
"Some financial institutions and other organizations are making
a pretty dry-eyed assessment as to whether now is the right
moment for them to be involved with" Iran, said State Department
deputy spokesman Tom Casey.
"And if Iran continues down this path, then there may be further
measures that will be taken against them," he told reporters
Wednesday.
The UN sanctions were unanimously adopted by the Security
Council, but only after months of difficult negotiations in
which Russia and China -- both key economic partners of Iran --
succeeded in greatly watering down the measures.
The final sanctions package banned sales to Iran of materials
and technology that could contribute to its nuclear and missile
programs and froze the assets of 10 Iranian firms and 12
individuals linked to those sectors.
But it stopped short of more sweeping steps sought by Washington
to isolate Iran.
Casey said this week's action against Bank Sepah fell under the
terms of the UN resolution, but so far US allies in Europe, Asia
and the Gulf have viewed the resolution more narrowly and not
followed suit with similar financial restrictions.
Frustrated with the laborious pace of UN negotiations and the
world body's uneven record in implementing sanctions, Washington
already took action in September against another Iranian bank,
Saderat, citing its alleged support for terrorism.
At the same time, senior US officials led by Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
" /> and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson were pressing allies
to take financial action against Iranian firms allegedly
involved in illicit activities.
"Over the past several months we have been sharing information
with our foreign counterparts and key executives in the private
sector about these deceptive practices and discussing how best
to safeguard the international financial system against them,"
Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey said.
Underlying the message, was a tacit warning that foreign banks
and companies could eventually lose access to the US financial
system if found to be dealing with Iranian interests linked to
terrorism or weapons proliferation.
Such leverage effectively extends the reach of the US measures
against Iran into other countries which may not otherwise have
chosen to take such action -- as witnessed by the decisions of
several major foreign banks to restrict or cut off business with
Tehran in recent months, officials said.
Similar US steps against a Macau bank accused of
money-laundering and circulating counterfeit US currency on
behalf of North Korea
" /> had the same kind of knock-on effect and was credited with
helping entice Pyongyang back into nuclear disarmament
negotiations late last year.
There have also been some signs that the pressure is beginning
to fuel unease in Iran with the hardline regime of President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Two conservative newspapers ran editorials Wednesday complaining
that Ahmadinejad's unyielding and confrontational approach had
led to the UN sanctions.
"I don't think the Iranian people think that being isolated from
the rest of the world, being further cut off and being under
sanctions is something they want to see happen," remarked the
State Department's Casey.
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
7 Korea Times: US Stealth Fighters to Be Deployed Here
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times
US Deploys Stealth Fighters to S. Korea
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter
A U.S. Stealth fighter
About 300 U.S. airmen and a squadron of stealth fighters are
heading for South Korea on a four-month deployment, officials at
the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday.
The deployment came amid speculation that North Korea may
conduct a second nuclear test, following the first one on Oct.
9.
``The deployment of the stealth fighters is not related to North
Korea or any ongoing political situations around the Korean
Peninsula,'' a USFK official told The Korea Times, asking not to
be named. ``This is a routine training mission for the U.S. Air
Force.''
The official said the fighters equipped with radar-evading
technology could participate in a joint military training by
South Korea and the United States, called the Reception,
Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSOI) exercise,
scheduled for March.
On Wednesday, the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force in New
Mexico announced the deployment of about 20 F-117A Nighthawk
Stealth fighters to the Korean Peninsula as part of a training
mission under cold weather conditions.
This is the fourth time since 2003 that the 49th Fighter Wing
has been deployed to the region. North Korea has denounced
previous deployments as preparations for invasion.
In a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday, USFK Commander Gen.
B. B. Bell said that the annual joint military exercise would be
implemented as scheduled to maintain credible deterrence in the
region.
``The scheduled exercise is not provocative in any way. This is
a routine deterrence exercise,'' he said, denying that the U.S.
military has any intention of attacking the North.
The Nighthawk, developed by Lockheed Martin, is the world's
first operational stealth aircraft. The aircraft is mainly used
for nighttime missions.
It can carry a range of tactical ordnance in its weapons bay,
including BLU-109B low-level laser-guided bombs, GBU-10 and
GBU-27 laser-guided bombs and Raytheon AGM-88 HARM
air-to-surface missiles.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr 01-10-2007 18:10
*****************************************************************
8 YONHAP NEWS: Philippines to host informal meeting of experts on N. Korea's
nuclear program: Report
2007/01/10 21:51 KST
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- The Philippines said it will host an
informal meeting of experts, academics and members of
non-governmental organizations from nations involved in
international talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, a
news report said Wednesday.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said the gathering
will be held within the context of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in the Philippines
next month, the Associated Press reported.
*****************************************************************
9 AFP: Japan PM arrives in Berlin for talks on N. Korea, energy -
Wednesday January 10, 12:43 PM
By Kyoko Hasegawa
[Angela Merkel (L) and Shinzo Abe]
BERLIN (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in
Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the
second leg of a four-nation European tour seeking support over
North Korea's nuclear programme.
Abe, meeting the German leader for the first time since
replacing Junichiro Koizumi last September, is also set to make
a courtesy call to German President Horst Koehler.
Abe is expected to invite Merkel to visit Japan as soon as she
can, an aide to the Japanese premier (Advertisement)
[Click Here] [ src=] said Wednesday.
The meeting between the two leaders is expected to cover energy
security, in addition to issues discussed between Abe and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday such as
counter-proliferation efforts in North Korea and Iran.
"They could exchange information on Russia in terms of stable
energy supply," the Japanese official said before the meeting.
"As Germany is focusing on Central Asia, the two leaders may
exchange opinions on how to commit themselves more to the
region," he said.
Japan agreed in July to bolster cooperation with energy-rich
Central Asian nations in the development of transportation links
and the fight against terrorism and drug smuggling.
The pledge came at a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister
Taro Aso and his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan plus an envoy from Kazakhstan.
And German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a rare
tour of the region in November and has strongly promoted
bolstering ties with the countries there under Berlin's
six-month presidency of the European Union.
Japan, which is heavily reliant on foreign energy and imports
most of its oil from the Middle East, is looking to step up
cooperation with energy-rich regions as it competes with booming
China for resources.
Among other issues, Abe is likely to raise his cherished goal of
gaining a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council,
as Germany has been one of three key partners in the drive along
with Brazil and India.
Tokyo has sought to boost its role on the international stage as
part of its bid to win a permanent seat on the council.
It is a participant in the so-called six-party talks over North
Korea's nuclear programme, also involving the United States,
Russia, China and South Korea.
Tokyo is taking the toughest line against Pyongyang with its own
economic sanctions, and has repeatedly raised the issue of
citizens believed to have been abducted by North Korean agents.
Pyongyang announced in October last year that it had carried out
its first atomic bomb test, to worldwide condemnation, following
seven missile launches in July.
Other items on the agenda are expected to be cooperation in
Afghanistan, development aid, climate change, Germany's
year-long presidency of the Group of Eight club of rich nations
and the East Asian regional situation, officials said.
"As Germany is the largest trading partner for Japan among the
European Union countries, the two sides may talk about promoting
mutual investment," a Japanese official said.
Later Wednesday, Abe is to visit the Pergamon Museum, home of
the famed 2nd century BC altar of the same name, with his wife
Akie.
AFP
*****************************************************************
10 Korea Times: Second Inter-Korean Summit
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion
Opposition Should Endorse It With Strings Attached
The government should do nothing in an election year because its
every move is related with winning votes. At least this is what
the opposition Grand National Party appears to be saying, citing
such moves as curtailing military service, disclosing apartment
building costs, proposing a two-term presidency and seeking
another inter-Korean summit. Yes, all these attempts smack of
vote-getting tactics or ``premiums¡¯¡¯ from the governing camp.
As voters see it, these moves can also be election presents,
however.
So knee-jerk opposition to all important policies should not be
the GNP¡¯s strategy, not least because it will make the
conservative party appear counterproductive and lacking in
confidence. Rather, the largest opposition, which would be set
for a landslide win if the election took place now, had better
agree to some policies in general but disagree on specifics.
This is especially so if an issue enjoys the support of a
majority of voters. One such case is a second summit between two
Koreas.
True, the government¡¯s pushing for another summit is not free
from concerns and criticisms. The six-party talks to end North
Korea¡¯s nuclear weapons programs have yet to show any visible
progress with some foreign media predicting Pyongyang conducting
a second nuclear test. Nor is it certain that Seoul has any
well-refined ideas as to why and how the summit should be held.
More difficult to know is the, thoughts of Kim Jong-il, who has
been reneging on his promise for a reciprocal visit for more
than six years.
Simply put, most opponents¡¯ logic is this: There can be no
summit _ or any other inter-Korean breakthroughs for that matter
_ until the atomic issue is resolved. This is self-denying
logic, however, based on the belief that the nuclear standoff
can only be settled between Washington and Pyongyang. Of course
one has to admit that the United States should eventually solve
this stalemate. But that is no reason Seoul should remain as a
passive go-between at best or a spectator at worst.
Worse yet, Seoul has been picking up most of the bills after
Washington and Pyongyang called the party off. The Roh Moo-hyun
administration is willing to continue that role, as well
manifested by the remarks of his new Unification Minister, Lee
Jae-joung. So the GNP¡¯s role as an opposition party with a
competitive edge should be to restore Seoul¡¯s voice to reflect
its economic contribution to the North. Blindly distancing
itself from Pyongyang and just accusing what it sees as leftist
approach will get it nowhere.
The GNP should encourage an inter-Korean summit, as one of its
would-be standard bearers, Sohn Hak-kyu, wisely does, and attach
its own order list. Whether it succeeds or not, voters will no
longer attribute the result to any one party, and judge the
outcome by substantive, not superficial, consequences.
e-mail to opinion@koreatimes.co.kr and
not exceed 900 words. _ ED.
01-10-2007 19:06
*****************************************************************
11 AFP: US Stealth fighters to be deployed in South Korea
Wednesday January 10, 07:27 AM
SEOUL (AFP) - The United States is sending between 15 and 24
radar-evading Stealth fighters to South Korea this month, the US
military has said, amid increasing speculation over a second
North Korean nuclear test.
"One squadron of F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighters will be
deployed this month," said Kim Yong-Kyu, a spokesman for US
Forces Korea. One squadron of fighters has between 15 and 24
aircraft.
"This is a routine deployment," he said, adding that the move
had nothing to do with any particular threat. He declined to
give further details, including where and for how long the
fighters will be deployed.
Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where the fighters are
based, said in a Web posting that the fighters left earlier this
week for South Korea.
General B.B. Bell, the commander of US forces in South Korea,
said Tuesday he believes North Korea will test a second nuclear
bomb at some time in the future, following its first test on
October 9.
"Should North Korea attack the South in any way, the combined
forces command will respond and we will win quickly and we will
win decisively," he said.
Bell heads 29,000 US troops in the peninsula, supporting South
Korea's 680,000-strong armed forces against any attack from the
North's 1.1 million military.
A South Korean foreign ministry official said last week that
activity had been detected at Punggye in northeast North Korea,
near the site of the first test, but there was no sign of
preparations for a second detonation.
The latest round of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear
programme ended in Beijing in December without a breakthrough.
The US State Department has said the talks could resume as early
as this month.
Analysts say North Korea could set off a second nuclear device
to strengthen its hand in the prolonged stand-off.
AFP
*****************************************************************
12 [toeslist] U.S. moves closer to build first nuke warhead in 20 years
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:55:08 -0600 (CST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM
Home >> World
UPDATED: 09:28, January 08, 2007
U.S. moves closer to build first nuke warhead in 20 years
font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
The United States is going head with its plan to build the nation's
first nuclear warheads in nearly 20 years and will announce a hybrid
design for the new weapon next week, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The design, to be unveiled by the interagency Nuclear Weapons Council,
will combine elements of competing designs from two weapons laboratories
in an approach that some experts argue is untested and risky, according
to the report.
But government officials said the new weapon, namely the Reliable
Replacement Warhead (RRW), won't add to but replace the nation's
existing arsenal of aging warheads, with a new generation meant to be
sturdier, more reliable, safer from accidental detonation and more
secure from theft by terrorists.
The effort, if approved by U.S. President George W. Bush and financed by
the U.S. Congress, will require a huge refurbishment of the nation's
complex for nuclear design and manufacturing, with the overall bill
estimated at over 100 billion U.S. dollars.
However, the council's decision to seek a hybrid design, combining
well-tested elements from an older design with new safety and security
elements from a more novel approach, could delay the weapon's production.
It also raises the question of whether the United States will ultimately
be forced to end its moratorium on underground nuclear testing to make
sure the new design works.
On Friday, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration
said the government won't proceed with the RRW if it is determined that
testing is needed.
But other officials in the administration, including Robert Joseph,
undersecretary of state for arms control and international security,
have said that the White House should make no commitment on testing.
The Congress authorized exploratory research for the weapon three years
ago, and has financed it at relatively low levels since. But now the
costs will begin to increase.
Advocates say a generation of more reliable arms would give military
commanders the confidence to abandon the current philosophy of holding
onto huge inventories of old weapons, and could speed a shrinkage of the
American arsenal from some 6,000 warheads to perhaps 2,000 or less.
Critics said a main justification for the program vanished in November
when a secretive federal panel known as Jason found that the plutonium
"pits" at the heart of many nuclear warheads aged far better than
expected, with most able to work reliably for a century or more.
Source: Xinhua
*****************************************************************
13 UN Nuclear Watchdog Agency Helps Africa Boost Water Supplies, Agriculture, Health
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 11:01:24 -0500
UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG AGENCY HELPS AFRICA BOOST WATER SUPPLIES, AGRICULTURE,
HEALTH
New York, Jan 10 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations atomic watchdog agency, better known for its efforts
to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, is <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/dg_algeria.html">boosting
the use of
radiation technology in Africa to promote development in numerous
fields, from groundwater management and pest control to battling
Nearly all of the IAEA’s development activities in Africa support
in some way the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),”
UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General
Muhamad ElBaradei <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2007/ebsp2007n001.html">said
The MDGs seek to slash a host of social ills, such as extreme hunger
and poverty, infant and maternal mortality and lack of access
Highlighting a whole slew of IAEA support for African development,
Mr. ElBaradei cited the use of isotope hydrology as a tool in managing
water resources. Because water contains different isotopes,
isotopic dating can be used to estimate the origins and movement
of water and determine the availability and capacity of underground
In the field of food security, one of the most challenging problems
facing Africa, IAEA is supporting pest control through the sterile
insect technique (SIT), where radiation is used to sterilize
otherwise healthy insects, which are then released to mate without
producing offspring, thus controlling and gradually eradicating
SIT is one of the methods being used to combat the tsetse fly. Trypanosomosis,
also known as sleeping sickness, the parasitic disease
carried by this fly, is considered a major constraint to sustainable
In human health, the IAEA helps countries in using nuclear and isotopic
techniques to assess immune responses of individuals infected
by various diseases, to monitor the emergence of drug resistance,
and to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition strategies. Current
Agency projects support applying these techniques to national
and regional efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
For almost three decades, the IAEA has also been providing developing
countries with radiation technology and training to diagnose
For energy production, a good part of IAEA efforts are focused on
helping Member States to build their capacity to use nuclear technologies
“Capacity building in science and technology is a prerequisite for
addressing national and global challenges associated with basic
human needs: the right to food, water, energy, healthcare, housing
2007-01-10 00:00:00.000
___________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to: http://radio.un.org/
_______________________________
To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/
*****************************************************************
14 AFP: Japan denies policy change on nuclear India
Wed Jan 10, 4:20 AM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan will continue to urge India to join the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-atomic weapons
state, the government's top spokesman said, denying a change in
policy.
"Naturally, we will continue to call on India to join the NPT as
a non-nuclear weapons state," said Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yasuhisa Shiozaki.
"There is no change to our position that we ask India to join the
NPT and take part in the major trend of nuclear non-proliferation
and nuclear arms reduction," he told a regular press briefing on
Wednesday.
Shiozaki was responding to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun that
Japan will effectively recognize India as a nuclear power even
though the South Asian nation has not signed the NPT, which aims
to stop the spread of atomic arms.
Tokyo will announce its support for a landmark deal between the
United States and India offering access to US civilian nuclear
technology, the paper said, citing unnamed government sources.
Japanese firms will be able to participate in the construction
of nuclear power stations in India, Japan's top selling daily
added.
Shiozaki denied any decision had been made on whether to support
the civilian nuclear deal with India that was signed by US
President George W. Bush " /> President George W. Bushlast month.
"We will make the position of our country by closely examining
the content of the US-India agreement," he said.
India in 1998 declared itself a nuclear weapons power and has
refused to sign the NPT, which acknowledges only five nations --
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as
nuclear-weapon states.
In December, Tokyo agreed to start talks with India on a
free-trade pact but declined to extend support to the nuclear
deal between India and the United States.
The US-India deal stipulates that India must put its civilian-use
atomic reactors under the International Atomic Energy Agency " />
International Atomic Energy Agency's scanner.
Washington insists that it has not recognized India as a nuclear
weapons power.
Japan snapped off aid to India and Pakistan after the two rivals
conducted nuclear tests. But Japan has since warmed to India as
it continues its rise as a regional economic power.
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
15 India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:47:04 -0500
X-Sender-Host-Name: elasmtp-banded.atl.sa.earthlink.net
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY
Mothersalert: http://www.mothersalert.org
http://www.mothersalert.org/moreinfo.html
1. India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
2. Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
3. EU Seeks to Lower Energy Consumption
4. Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
>....Like Bonhoeffer, Haushofer was arrested for
speaking out. The SS prison guards were required
to extract a >confession from prisoners before
they were hanged or shot, but Haushofer refused.
When they removed his body, >though, a paper fell
out of his pocket. It was his admission of guilt
written in the form of a sonnet:
>Schuld
>...schuldig bin ich Anders als Ihr denkt.
>Ich musste früher meine Pflicht erkennen;
>Ich musste schärfer Unheil Unheil nennen;
>Mein Urteil habe ich zu lang gelenkt...
>Ich habe gewarnt,
>Aber nicht genug, und klar;
>Und heute weiß ich, was ich schuldig war.
>Guilt
>I am guilty,
>But not in the way you think.
>I should have earlier recognized my duty;
>I should have more sharply called evil evil;
>I reined in my judgment too long.
>I did warn,
>But not enough, and clear;
>And today I know what I was guilty of.
>At Riverside Church 22 years later, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. began by quoting a
statement by Clergy and >Laymen Concerned About
Vietnam: "A time comes when silence is betrayal."
Dr. King added, "That time has come >for us in
relation to Vietnam."
> And that time has come for us in relation to
Iraq. But where are the Clergy and Laymen
Concerned About Iraq? >Where are the successors to
Dr. King, to Bonhoeffer, to Professor Haushofer?
"There is only us," says Annie >Dillard, and she
is right of course. We are the ones we've been
waiting for. ..........
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-india-usa-nuclear.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By REUTERS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 11:57 a.m. ET
Skip to next paragraph
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will walk away from a
civilian nuclear deal with the United States if
New Delhi's concerns are not allayed, its envoy
said on Wednesday.
It was critical the deal allowed India to
reprocess spent U.S. nuclear fuel and did not stop
it conducting nuclear tests, Shyam Saran, India's
special envoy to the negotiations, said.
``This process will have to continue and there are
certain very important issues which would have to
be addressed and these are difficult issues,''
Saran said in a speech to diplomats and strategic
affairs experts.
``Can we walk away from this deal if it does not
correspond to our national interest? Obviously we
have to walk away from this and we will walk away
from it.''
President George W. Bush last month signed into
law a bill approved by Congress allowing the deal
to go through, a major step toward letting India
buy U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel for the first
time in 30 years.
But Congress attached several conditions to the
law which have not gone down well with New Delhi,
and the two countries have returned to
negotiations.
Under the bill, the U.S. president would be
required to end the export of nuclear materials if
India tests another nuclear device. It tested one
in 1998.
It also does not guarantee uninterrupted fuel
supplies for reactors and prevents India from
reprocessing spent fuel.
OPTIMISTIC MINDSET
Saran said these conditions were not acceptable to
India and this had been conveyed to the U.S..
``Reprocessing of spent fuel will be very
important, very critical. Without that it may be
very difficult for us to take this forward,'' he
said.
``While we are prepared to maintain a unilateral
moratorium on fresh testing, we are not prepared
to convert a policy commitment into a legal
commitment,'' he said, referring to India's
voluntary decision not to conduct nuclear tests.
Indian communists, who sho by the 45-nation
Nuclear Suppliers Group, the International Atomic
Energy Agency and again by the U.S. Congress
before nuclear trade can start.
The deal is regarded as the most important symbol
of a new friendship between India and the United
States. It was agreed in principle in 2005 and
went through 18 months of tough negotiations
before it was approved by Congress.
2.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Mushroom-Cloud.html
Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 4:17 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An air-quality engineer says
government plans for a huge non-nuclear blast at
the Nevada Test Site failed to consider the
possibility that the explosion will kick up fine
radioactive dust and carry it hundreds of miles.
A federal official agreed and said the engineer's
objections will be included in a final
environmental assessment.
The proposed test would detonate 700 tons of a
mixture of fuel oil and ammonium nitrate
fertilizer, the same materials in the bomb that
destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City in
1995 and killed 168 people.
It would generate the first mushroom cloud in
decades at the Nevada Test Site.
Critics said it would kick up radioactive dust
left from Cold-War-era nuclear tests and allow it
to drift downwind toward Las Vegas and Utah.
Algirdas Leskys, a data analyst with the Clark
County Department of Air Quality and Environmental
Management, said Tuesday at a public forum on the
proposed test that the draft environmental
assessment didn't consider the likelihood that
extremely small bits of dust -- measuring 2.5
microns -- would become airborne. A micron is one
one-millionth of a meter.
Leskys, who stressed that he was not acting in his
official capacity, said dust that fine could
settle as far away as Las Vegas or Utah. ''They
could stay in the atmosphere for weeks, and settle
hundreds of miles from here,'' he said.
Michael Skougard, an official of the National
Nuclear Security Administration, acknowledged that
analysts looked at larger, 10-micron particles
when they determined that a 10,000-foot cloud
would dissipate within 13 miles.
Skougard said Leskys' concerns will be included in
a final report before officials decide whether to
authorize the test.
Officials say the blast would provide crucial data
on the kind of shock needed to destroy deeply
buried or hardened targets.
However, the test has been postponed indefinitely
by a lawsuit filed by Western Shoshone tribe
members and by people living downwind in Utah and
Nevada.
3.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-EU-Energy.html
EU Seeks to Lower Energy Consumption
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 12:10 p.m. ET
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union on
Wednesday announced plans to lower energy
consumption, develop renewable sources such as
wind power and biofuels and increase research into
cutting carbon emissions from fuels already in
use, particularly coal. The ambitious proposals
seek to deter growing dependence on oil and gas
imports and curb the emissions blamed for climate
change.
But the EU left the contentious issue of nuclear
power up to each state to decide.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said
Europe must embrace a low-carbon economy and lead
the world into a ''post-industrial revolution.''
Those proposals have taken on new urgency as
Europe has seen its oil and gas supplies disrupted
by disputes between Russia -- which provides one
quarter of its natural gas -- and the nations the
supplies pass through on their way to Germany,
Poland and other countries.
''Europe must lead the world into a new ...
post-industrial revolution, the development of a
low-carbon economy,'' Barroso said. ''We need new
policies to face a new reality,'' he said.
The package reflects a renewed sense of purpose
evident in the EU during the past year, after a
period of disarray caused by the rejection of the
bloc's proposed constitution by French and Dutch
voters in 2005.
Climate change is at the center of the new policy,
stressing the need to slash carbon emissions
blamed for global warming -- a matter of dispute
between Europe and the U.S. Barroso said he had
talked to President Bush and congressional leaders
about the issue.
''We are not speaking about European warming, we
are speaking about global warming,'' he said. ''We
need the United States with us, they are after all
the biggest polluter in the world.''
The United States has refused to sign the Kyoto
Protocol, which requires industrial nations to cut
their global-warming gases by an average 5 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012. The Bush administration
contends that would slow its economy, and the
accord should have required cuts by poorer but
fast-growing nations, such as China and India.
Environment ministers of the EU's 27 nations will
debate the new strategy on Feb. 20, with EU
leaders set to vote on the plan at a March summit.
''As soon as we have the endorsement, we will act
swiftly,'' Barroso said.
The EU is currently the world's largest importer
of oil and gas. It buys 82 percent of its oil and
57 percent of its gas from third-party states.
This is projected to rise to 93 percent of its oil
and 84 percent of its gas over the next
quarter-century.
Russia is a large supplier, but concerns about the
reliability of those supplies were underscored
this week when shipments of Russian oil via a
pipeline running through Belarus were disrupted by
a trade dispute between the two former Soviet
republics.
''We consider it unacceptable, this kind of
event,'' Barroso said. ''We will make this very
clear to our Russian and other partners.''
He would not comment on reports that Russia and
Belarus had resolved their dispute.
Surging world demand for limited stocks of oil and
gas is likely to send prices -- and the EU's
energy import costs -- spiraling in future
decades.
The EU is proposing that 20 percent of all its
energy should come from renewable power by 2020,
and a tenth of vehicle fuel from biofuels. It
calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut by at
least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to
limit global warming and prevent serious damage
caused by climate change.
EU Energy chief Andris Piebalgs said the EU wants
to set binding targets for the first time,
suggesting a massive boost in low-carbon,
homegrown power such as wind and solar energy to
cut reliance of imported fossil fuels.
The European Commission will invest 1 billion
euros ($1.3 billion) over the next six years for
research into renewable energies. It will increase
research into cleaning up coal-burning power
plants and developing technologies prevent carbon
dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere.
Priority will be given to improving energy
efficiency so that vehicles, appliances, homes,
and factories burn less fuel -- using methods
ranging from improved insulation to cleaner
engines. The EU hopes that plan alone can ensure
it burns 13 percent less energy by 2020, with
annual savings of 100 billion euros ($130 billion)
and around 860 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Barroso said the EU's executive arm would respect
the right of each nation to determine its own
course.
''It's not up to us to tell the member states
whether in their energy mix they should have more
or less nuclear or none at all,'' he said. ''What
is important is to make progress toward an economy
that is less dependent on carbon.''
4.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Nuclear.html
Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 12:54 a.m. ET
TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese utility company said it
restarted a nuclear reactor Wednesday for the
first time since it was shut down after a fatal
August 2004 accident, the nation's worst at a
nuclear facility.
The No. 3 reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power
Plant was restarted and no trouble has been
reported so far, said Ryuichi Suehiro, spokesman
for Kansai Electric Power Co. which operates the
plant.
The reactor had been shut down since August 2004,
when a corroded pipe ruptured and sprayed plant
workers with boiling water and steam. Five workers
were killed and six others were injured, although
no radiation was released.
The reactor is expected to start generating power
on Thursday and reach full-scale commercial
operation in early February after a final
government inspection, the company has said in a
statement.
Resource-poor Japan depends on nuclear power
plants for a third of its energy needs and aims to
raise that to nearly 40 percent by 2010.
But the Japanese public has grown increasingly
wary of the nuclear power industry following a
spate of safety problems, shutdowns and cover-ups,
and utility companies face difficulty obtaining
local support for new plant sites.
Mihama is about 200 miles west of Tokyo.
*****************************************************************
16 [NukeNet] India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:28:00 -0800
X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (192.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61]
X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61
X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
Mothersalert: http://www.mothersalert.org
http://www.mothersalert.org/moreinfo.html
1. India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
2. Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
3. EU Seeks to Lower Energy Consumption
4. Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
>....Like Bonhoeffer, Haushofer was arrested for
speaking out. The SS prison guards were required
to extract a >confession from prisoners before
they were hanged or shot, but Haushofer refused.
When they removed his body, >though, a paper fell
out of his pocket. It was his admission of guilt
written in the form of a sonnet:
>Schuld
>...schuldig bin ich Anders als Ihr denkt.
>Ich musste früher meine Pflicht erkennen;
>Ich musste schärfer Unheil Unheil nennen;
>Mein Urteil habe ich zu lang gelenkt...
>Ich habe gewarnt,
>Aber nicht genug, und klar;
>Und heute weiß ich, was ich schuldig war.
>Guilt
>I am guilty,
>But not in the way you think.
>I should have earlier recognized my duty;
>I should have more sharply called evil evil;
>I reined in my judgment too long.
>I did warn,
>But not enough, and clear;
>And today I know what I was guilty of.
>At Riverside Church 22 years later, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. began by quoting a
statement by Clergy and >Laymen Concerned About
Vietnam: "A time comes when silence is betrayal."
Dr. King added, "That time has come >for us in
relation to Vietnam."
> And that time has come for us in relation to
Iraq. But where are the Clergy and Laymen
Concerned About Iraq? >Where are the successors to
Dr. King, to Bonhoeffer, to Professor Haushofer?
"There is only us," says Annie >Dillard, and she
is right of course. We are the ones we've been
waiting for. ..........
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-india-usa-nuclear.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
India Could Dump U.S. Nuclear Deal: Envoy
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By REUTERS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 11:57 a.m. ET
Skip to next paragraph
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will walk away from a
civilian nuclear deal with the United States if
New Delhi's concerns are not allayed, its envoy
said on Wednesday.
It was critical the deal allowed India to
reprocess spent U.S. nuclear fuel and did not stop
it conducting nuclear tests, Shyam Saran, India's
special envoy to the negotiations, said.
``This process will have to continue and there are
certain very important issues which would have to
be addressed and these are difficult issues,''
Saran said in a speech to diplomats and strategic
affairs experts.
``Can we walk away from this deal if it does not
correspond to our national interest? Obviously we
have to walk away from this and we will walk away
from it.''
President George W. Bush last month signed into
law a bill approved by Congress allowing the deal
to go through, a major step toward letting India
buy U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel for the first
time in 30 years.
But Congress attached several conditions to the
law which have not gone down well with New Delhi,
and the two countries have returned to
negotiations.
Under the bill, the U.S. president would be
required to end the export of nuclear materials if
India tests another nuclear device. It tested one
in 1998.
It also does not guarantee uninterrupted fuel
supplies for reactors and prevents India from
reprocessing spent fuel.
OPTIMISTIC MINDSET
Saran said these conditions were not acceptable to
India and this had been conveyed to the U.S..
``Reprocessing of spent fuel will be very
important, very critical. Without that it may be
very difficult for us to take this forward,'' he
said.
``While we are prepared to maintain a unilateral
moratorium on fresh testing, we are not prepared
to convert a policy commitment into a legal
commitment,'' he said, referring to India's
voluntary decision not to conduct nuclear tests.
Indian communists, who sho by the 45-nation
Nuclear Suppliers Group, the International Atomic
Energy Agency and again by the U.S. Congress
before nuclear trade can start.
The deal is regarded as the most important symbol
of a new friendship between India and the United
States. It was agreed in principle in 2005 and
went through 18 months of tough negotiations
before it was approved by Congress.
2.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Mushroom-Cloud.html
Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 4:17 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An air-quality engineer says
government plans for a huge non-nuclear blast at
the Nevada Test Site failed to consider the
possibility that the explosion will kick up fine
radioactive dust and carry it hundreds of miles.
A federal official agreed and said the engineer's
objections will be included in a final
environmental assessment.
The proposed test would detonate 700 tons of a
mixture of fuel oil and ammonium nitrate
fertilizer, the same materials in the bomb that
destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City in
1995 and killed 168 people.
It would generate the first mushroom cloud in
decades at the Nevada Test Site.
Critics said it would kick up radioactive dust
left from Cold-War-era nuclear tests and allow it
to drift downwind toward Las Vegas and Utah.
Algirdas Leskys, a data analyst with the Clark
County Department of Air Quality and Environmental
Management, said Tuesday at a public forum on the
proposed test that the draft environmental
assessment didn't consider the likelihood that
extremely small bits of dust -- measuring 2.5
microns -- would become airborne. A micron is one
one-millionth of a meter.
Leskys, who stressed that he was not acting in his
official capacity, said dust that fine could
settle as far away as Las Vegas or Utah. ''They
could stay in the atmosphere for weeks, and settle
hundreds of miles from here,'' he said.
Michael Skougard, an official of the National
Nuclear Security Administration, acknowledged that
analysts looked at larger, 10-micron particles
when they determined that a 10,000-foot cloud
would dissipate within 13 miles.
Skougard said Leskys' concerns will be included in
a final report before officials decide whether to
authorize the test.
Officials say the blast would provide crucial data
on the kind of shock needed to destroy deeply
buried or hardened targets.
However, the test has been postponed indefinitely
by a lawsuit filed by Western Shoshone tribe
members and by people living downwind in Utah and
Nevada.
3.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-EU-Energy.html
EU Seeks to Lower Energy Consumption
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 12:10 p.m. ET
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union on
Wednesday announced plans to lower energy
consumption, develop renewable sources such as
wind power and biofuels and increase research into
cutting carbon emissions from fuels already in
use, particularly coal. The ambitious proposals
seek to deter growing dependence on oil and gas
imports and curb the emissions blamed for climate
change.
But the EU left the contentious issue of nuclear
power up to each state to decide.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said
Europe must embrace a low-carbon economy and lead
the world into a ''post-industrial revolution.''
Those proposals have taken on new urgency as
Europe has seen its oil and gas supplies disrupted
by disputes between Russia -- which provides one
quarter of its natural gas -- and the nations the
supplies pass through on their way to Germany,
Poland and other countries.
''Europe must lead the world into a new ...
post-industrial revolution, the development of a
low-carbon economy,'' Barroso said. ''We need new
policies to face a new reality,'' he said.
The package reflects a renewed sense of purpose
evident in the EU during the past year, after a
period of disarray caused by the rejection of the
bloc's proposed constitution by French and Dutch
voters in 2005.
Climate change is at the center of the new policy,
stressing the need to slash carbon emissions
blamed for global warming -- a matter of dispute
between Europe and the U.S. Barroso said he had
talked to President Bush and congressional leaders
about the issue.
''We are not speaking about European warming, we
are speaking about global warming,'' he said. ''We
need the United States with us, they are after all
the biggest polluter in the world.''
The United States has refused to sign the Kyoto
Protocol, which requires industrial nations to cut
their global-warming gases by an average 5 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012. The Bush administration
contends that would slow its economy, and the
accord should have required cuts by poorer but
fast-growing nations, such as China and India.
Environment ministers of the EU's 27 nations will
debate the new strategy on Feb. 20, with EU
leaders set to vote on the plan at a March summit.
''As soon as we have the endorsement, we will act
swiftly,'' Barroso said.
The EU is currently the world's largest importer
of oil and gas. It buys 82 percent of its oil and
57 percent of its gas from third-party states.
This is projected to rise to 93 percent of its oil
and 84 percent of its gas over the next
quarter-century.
Russia is a large supplier, but concerns about the
reliability of those supplies were underscored
this week when shipments of Russian oil via a
pipeline running through Belarus were disrupted by
a trade dispute between the two former Soviet
republics.
''We consider it unacceptable, this kind of
event,'' Barroso said. ''We will make this very
clear to our Russian and other partners.''
He would not comment on reports that Russia and
Belarus had resolved their dispute.
Surging world demand for limited stocks of oil and
gas is likely to send prices -- and the EU's
energy import costs -- spiraling in future
decades.
The EU is proposing that 20 percent of all its
energy should come from renewable power by 2020,
and a tenth of vehicle fuel from biofuels. It
calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut by at
least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to
limit global warming and prevent serious damage
caused by climate change.
EU Energy chief Andris Piebalgs said the EU wants
to set binding targets for the first time,
suggesting a massive boost in low-carbon,
homegrown power such as wind and solar energy to
cut reliance of imported fossil fuels.
The European Commission will invest 1 billion
euros ($1.3 billion) over the next six years for
research into renewable energies. It will increase
research into cleaning up coal-burning power
plants and developing technologies prevent carbon
dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere.
Priority will be given to improving energy
efficiency so that vehicles, appliances, homes,
and factories burn less fuel -- using methods
ranging from improved insulation to cleaner
engines. The EU hopes that plan alone can ensure
it burns 13 percent less energy by 2020, with
annual savings of 100 billion euros ($130 billion)
and around 860 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Barroso said the EU's executive arm would respect
the right of each nation to determine its own
course.
''It's not up to us to tell the member states
whether in their energy mix they should have more
or less nuclear or none at all,'' he said. ''What
is important is to make progress toward an economy
that is less dependent on carbon.''
4.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Nuclear.html
Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
a.. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
b.. Print
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2007
Filed at 12:54 a.m. ET
TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese utility company said it
restarted a nuclear reactor Wednesday for the
first time since it was shut down after a fatal
August 2004 accident, the nation's worst at a
nuclear facility.
The No. 3 reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power
Plant was restarted and no trouble has been
reported so far, said Ryuichi Suehiro, spokesman
for Kansai Electric Power Co. which operates the
plant.
The reactor had been shut down since August 2004,
when a corroded pipe ruptured and sprayed plant
workers with boiling water and steam. Five workers
were killed and six others were injured, although
no radiation was released.
The reactor is expected to start generating power
on Thursday and reach full-scale commercial
operation in early February after a final
government inspection, the company has said in a
statement.
Resource-poor Japan depends on nuclear power
plants for a third of its energy needs and aims to
raise that to nearly 40 percent by 2010.
But the Japanese public has grown increasingly
wary of the nuclear power industry following a
spate of safety problems, shutdowns and cover-ups,
and utility companies face difficulty obtaining
local support for new plant sites.
Mihama is about 200 miles west of Tokyo.
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
*****************************************************************
17 [NukeNet] U.S. Moves to Become Global Nuclear Fuel Supplier
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:27:57 -0800
X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (192.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61]
X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61
X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2007/2007-01-08-05.asp
U.S. Moves to Become Global Nuclear Fuel Supplier
WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2007 (ENS) - The Bush administration is pressing
forward with plans to recycle spent nuclear fuel in the United States and
supply nuclear fuel to other countries that refrain from building nuclear
enrichment or recycling facilities to make their own nuclear fuel.
The U.S. Department of Energy, DOE, announced Thursday that it intends to
prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Global
Nuclear Energy Partnership Initiative, GNEP, promoted by President George
W. Bush.
Under the GNEP, the Energy Department proposes to design, build, and
operate three facilities in the United States.
A nuclear fuel recycling center would be constructed to separate spent
nuclear fuel into reusable and waste components and then manufacture new
nuclear fast reactor fuel using the reusable components.
An advanced recycling reactor would be built to destroy long-lived
radioactive elements in the new fuel while generating electricity.
And an advanced fuel cycle research facility would be built to explore
spent nuclear fuel recycling processes and other advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
Introducing the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, PEIS, on
Thursday, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon said, "Our
need for nuclear power - a safe, emissions-free and affordable source of
energy - has never been greater and GNEP puts us on a path to encourage
expansion of domestic and international nuclear energy production while
reducing nuclear proliferation risks."
334e58.jpg
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon (Photo courtesy
The World Nuclear Association)
Before he joined the Department of Energy, Spurgeon was executive vice
president and COO of the publicly traded company USEC Inc. With
headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, this global energy company is a
supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Through its subsidiary, the United States Enrichment Corporation, USEC
operates the only two uranium enrichment facilities in the United States,
the gaseous diffusion plants in Paducah, Kentucky and Portsmouth, Ohio.
Uranium enrichment is a key step in the production of nuclear fuel used by
nuclear power plants worldwide to generate electricity.
The GNEP also includes two international initiatives. First, the United
States would supply nuclear fuel services to other countries that decide
not to build their own nuclear enrichment or recycling facilities to make
nuclear fuel.
The program also would develop proliferation-resistant nuclear power
reactors for use in developing economies.
Speaking in Vienna September 19, 2006 at an event called "Assurances of
Nuclear Supply and Nonproliferation" hosted by the UN's International
Atomic Energy Agency, Spurgeon said the United States does not intend to
impose its nuclear fuel services upon other countries.
"Of course," he said, "each state is free to make its own decisions with
respect to nuclear energy policy, consistent with its international
obligations."
"Our intent is not to infringe on the sovereignty of states in making those
decisions, but to provide alternatives that secure energy supplies and
promote our shared nonproliferation goals," said Spurgeon.
334e8b.jpg
The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant where uranium is enriched. In 1988, the
Kentucky Radiation Control Branch found the radioactive material
technetium-99 in private drinking water wells near the plant. In 2003,
Kentucky and the Department of Energy signed an agreement to promote
accelerated cleanup at the plant. (Photo courtesy
KRCEE)
As part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, the GNEP encourages
expansion of domestic and international nuclear energy production.
At the same time, the Energy Department says, the program will help to
minimize proliferation risks, and reduce the volume, thermal output, and
radiotoxicity of spent nuclear fuel before disposal in a geologic repository.
The Bush administration is still pressing forward to develop the nation's
first geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, despite opposition
from the Nevada Congressional Delegation, which includes Senator Harry
Reid, the new Senate majority leader, who has vowed that the facility will
never be built.
Support is growing for the renewed development of the nuclear industry in
the United States. In October 2006, the Progressive Policy Institute, which
is affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council, issued a report on
the energy sources it supports for the 21st century.
Along with support for homegrown biofuels, a cap on carbon emissions and
more wind, solar and clean coal, the report, "A Progressive Energy
Platform," states, "Expand nuclear power, which produces no greenhouse gas
emissions. New plant designs can produce power more safely and economically
than first-generation facilities."
Many environmentalists are still opposed to nuclear development. "To call
nuclear reactors clean and safe is the height of hypocrisy," said
Greenpeace USA spokesman Jim Riccio last April on the 20th anniversary of
the Chernobyl disaster. "Unfortunately, nuclear energy will not address our
addiction to oil and therefore, it isn't a viable solution to global
warming," said Riccio.
The GNEP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement will consider a wide
range of potential impacts from releases of radioactivity and other
hazardous materials to the general population and workers. The PEIS will
consider impacts to air and water quality, as well as to plants and animals
near the proposed facilities.
334f55.jpg
The Department of Energy's Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina
is being considered to host one or more of the GNEP facilities. (Photo
courtesy
Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory)
The PEIS will consider the potential impacts from transportation of the
radioactive materials and waste across the United States and around the
world and the potential impacts from the treatment, storage, and disposal
of these materials.
The potential impacts from accidents, acts of terrorism or sabotage also
will be evaluated.
The PEIS will consider adverse effects on low-income and minority
populations and the cultural and achaeological concerns of Native Americans.
Also under consideration are the short and long-term land use impacts,
long-term health and environmental impacts, site suitability, consumption
of natural resources and energy, pollution prevention and waste management
practices, as well as potential impacts from decontamination and
decommissioning of facilities at the end of their useful lives.
The PEIS will consider 13 sites as possible locations for one or more of
the proposed GNEP facilities.
At this time, the following DOE sites are under consideration for the
location of a nuclear fuel recycling center and/or an advanced recycling
reactor:
* Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
* Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky
* Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio
* Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina
* Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
* Hanford Nuclear Site, Richland, Washington
In addition, five non-DOE sites also are under consideration for the
location of a nuclear fuel recycling center and/or an advanced recycling
reactor:
* Atomic City, Idaho
* Morris, Illinois
* Hobbs, New Mexico
* Roswell, New Mexico
* Barnwell, South Carolina
DOE is proposing that the advanced fuel cycle research facility be located
at a DOE site. Sites under consideration include:
* Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
* Argonne National Laboratory, DuPage County, Illinois
* Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
* Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina
* Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
* Hanford Nuclear Site, Richland, Washington
To further define the PEIS and identify key issues, the Energy Department
is inviting the public to comment on the proposed scope during the 90-day
comment period that began December 27, 2006 continues through April 4,
2007. All comments received during the public scoping period will be
considered in preparing the GNEP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
To encourage public participation in the GNEP PEIS process, the Energy
Department will host scoping meetings:
* February 13 Oak Ridge, Tennessee
* February 15 North Augusta, South Carolina
* February 22 Joliet, Illinois
* February 26 Hobbs, New Mexico
* February 27 Roswell, New Mexico
* March 1 Los Alamos, New Mexico
* March 6 Paducah, Kentucky
* March 8 Piketon, Ohio
* March 13 Pasco, Washington
* March 15 Idaho Falls, Idaho
* March 19 Washington, DC
To see the locations and times for the scoping meetings and to read the
Federal Register Notice for the GNEP Draft PEIS, click
here.
The Energy Department plans to publish the GNEP Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement in 2007 and the GNEP Final PEIS in 2008.
Once it is approved, the Energy Department will announce the availability
of the GNEP Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in the
Federal Register and hold public hearings to solicit comments on the GNEP
Draft PEIS from federal, state, and local governments, Native American
tribes, industry, other organizations, and members of the public.
These comments will be considered and addressed in the GNEP Final PEIS. The
Energy Department will issue one or more Records of Decision at least 30
days after publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice
of Availability of the GNEP Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
For more information on the lease agreement and patent license, access
http://www.gnep.gov/.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Each of the Iraqi children killed by the United States was our child. Each
of the prisoners tortured in Abu Ghraib was our comrade. Each of their
screams was ours. When they were humiliated, we were humiliated. The U.S.
soldiers fighting in Iraq - mostly volunteers in a poverty draft from small
towns and poor urban neighborhoods - are victims just as much as the Iraqis
of the same horrendous process, which asks them to die for a victory that
will never be theirs": Source: Arundhati Roy, "Tide? Or Ivory Snow? Public
Power in the Age of Empire,"
Molly Johnson
6290 Hawk Ridge Place
San Miguel, CA 93451
Cell: 805 296-0524
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net
Attachment Converted: 334e58.jpg: 00000001,76358a4b,00000000,00000000
Attachment Converted: 334e8b.jpg: 00000001,76358a4c,00000000,00000000
Attachment Converted: 334f55.jpg: 00000001,76358a4d,00000000,00000000
*****************************************************************
18 Guardian Unlimited: Japan Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operation
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 4:46 AM
TOKYO (AP) - A Japanese utility company said it restarted a
nuclear reactor Wednesday for the first time since it was shut
down after a fatal August 2004 accident, the nation's worst at a
nuclear facility.
The No. 3 reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant was
restarted and no trouble has been reported so far, said Ryuichi
Suehiro, spokesman for Kansai Electric Power Co. which operates
the plant.
The reactor had been shut down since August 2004, when a corroded
pipe ruptured and sprayed plant workers with boiling water and
steam. Five workers were killed and six others were injured,
although no radiation was released.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
19 Guardian Unlimited: EU: Days of Secure, Cheap Energy Over
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 10:01 AM
By AOIFE WHITE AP Business Writer
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Energy-dependent Europe is moving to
wean itself off oil imports and slash the carbon emissions
blamed for global warming.
With world demand for limited stocks of oil and gas surging, top
EU officials have embraced a new energy strategy that emphasizes
diverse and renewable sources of fuel. The plan is due out
Wednesday.
Europe got a reminder of the high-risk future it faces this week
when a trade dispute between Russia and Belarus disrupted
shipments of Russian oil to Europe via a pipeline through
Belarus. It follows a similar cutoff of natural gas to Ukraine
last year.
The latest disruption presents no immediate threat to EU oil
supplies, but has unsettled European leaders.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined EU President Jose Manuel
Barroso in admonishing Russia for Monday's cutoff, both saying
it was ``not acceptable'' for energy transit or supplier
countries to halt deliveries without consultation.
But such risks are growing, the EU plan warns, saying it is not
certain that major oil and gas producers such as Russia will
make the investments and commitments needed to keep Europe's
economy running and its homes heated and lit.
Europe has to look at alternatives, the plan says, recommending
more renewable energy such as wind power and biofuels.
Officials will suggest setting a new target for renewable power
by 2020, with a binding target for biofuels to replace oil in
vehicles. It says that biofuels could take up 14 percent of that
market by 2020.
``Major investment'' in renewable energy is needed to make such
options viable, the EU said, acknowledging that many EU nations
will fail to meet existing goals to draw 12 percent of all EU
energy from renewable sources by 2010.
But this can only help cut into Europe's growing hunger for
power - and imported oil and gas. Electricity generation will be
``heavily dependent'' on natural gas in the near future, it
said, warning a number of countries reliant on one main supplier
that they should diversify, choosing a wider range of sources,
suppliers, transit routes and methods.
It also suggests that current plans to cut back nuclear power -
which it calls ``one of the cheapest sources of low carbon
energy'' - will endanger the goal of curbing greenhouse gas
emissions. It does not, however, explicitly endorse nuclear
power, calling that a decision for each EU nation.
Germany is in the process of closing its 17 nuclear power plants
over the next 14 years, a policy Merkel questioned on Tuesday.
``One must also consider well what consequences there would be
if we shut down nuclear power plants,'' the chancellor said in
an interview on ARD, Germany's public television.
She stopped short, though, of actually calling for lengthening
the lives of Germany's reactors - could bring her in conflict
with her coalition partners, the Social Democrats, who share
power with her conservatives.
Vast amounts of money also are needed to upgrade Europe's
electricity network, with some $1.17 billion just to provide
more power generation alone in the next 25 years as demand
grows.
Antitrust regulators will also highlight serious problems with
the way the electricity and gas markets work at the moment,
pointing to the control huge energy companies have over energy
production and sales that led to overcharging, underinvestment
and little competition.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
20 AFP: Japan to recognise India as nuclear state - report -
January 10, 04:53 PM
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan will recognise India as a nuclear power even
though the South Asian nation is not a signatory to the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty, a report said.
Japan would treat India as an exception to the steadfast
nonproliferation principle as Tokyo wants to let Japanese firms
participate in projects such as the construction of nuclear
power stations in India, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.
The Japanese government is trying to arrange a visit to India by
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this year, the Yomiuri said on
Wednesday.
Abe is expected to announce his support for the US-India nuclear
cooperation agreement when he meets with India's Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, the Yomiuri said.
"As the only nation in the world to have been a victim of atomic
bombs, Japan has taken a stern attitude toward India's nuclear
tests," the Yomiuri said.
"However, the government decided to give preference to beefing
up relations with India, whose economic development is
proceeding at a remarkable pace," the newspaper said.
In December, Tokyo agreed to start talks with India on a
free-trade pact but declined to extend support to the nuclear
deal between India and the United States, which promised
long-denied civilian nuclear technology to India.
The deal stipulates that India must put its civilian-use atomic
reactors under the International Atomic Energy Agency's scanner.
India in 1998 declared itself a nuclear weapons power and has
refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Japan snapped off aid to India and Pakistan after the two rivals
conducted nuclear tests. But Japan has since warmed to India as
it continues its rise as a regional economic power.
Copyright © 2007 AFP. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
21 Daily Yomiuri: KEPCO restarts N-plant 2 1/2 years after accident
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Kansai Electric Power Co. restarted Mihama nuclear power plant's
No. 3 reactor in Mihamacho, Fukui Prefecture, on Wednesday,
nearly 2-1/2 years after a pipe ruptured at the plant in August
2004, killing five workers and injuring six others.
Commercial operation is expected to resume at the beginning of
February, pending a government inspection.
KEPCO started the reactor at 1 p.m. However, due to a high
density of boron mixed in the reactor's primary coolant, a chain
reaction failed to occur, keeping the reactor from going
critical, requiring KEPCO to repeat the start-up procedure.
The boron is mixed in the primary coolant of the reactor to
control nuclear overreactions when the reactor is activated.
The reactor's failure to become critical is expected to delay
KEPCO's initial plan to start generating electric power on
Thursday evening.
Hiroaki Koide, a research associate of Kyoto University Research
Reactor Institute, said: "Controlling the boron level is the
most elementary procedure in activating a nuclear reactor,
requiring precise measurements by the operators, so the failure
was unthinkable. Because the higher density was controlled, it
caused no safety concerns.
"However, a failure to appropriately increase the boron level
could have triggered excessive reactions of uranium, causing
great danger."
After the 2004 accident, KEPCO took 29 preventive measures,
including transferring the headquarters of its nuclear power
plant business to Mihamacho and increasing the number of
employees that maintain pipes at its nuclear power plants.
In May, the Fukui prefectural government and the Mihama
municipal government authorized KEPCO to resume operations,
based on the measures. KEPCO confirmed the safety of the pipes
at the reactor during a test run in September and October.
Some of the families of the accident victims opposed the
restart, saying it was too soon. But KEPCO President Shosuke
Mori visited the families of the five victims on Dec. 19-20 to
explain the necessity of resuming commercial operations. After
the meeting, KEPCO felt it had the consent of the bereaved to
resume operations, the firm said.
Plans were to begin electric power transmission from the reactor
on Thursday. Its output was scheduled to reach 100 percent by
the middle of this month.
(Jan. 11, 2007)
© The Yomiuri Shimbun.
*****************************************************************
22 BBC NEWS: EU plans 'industrial revolution'
Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 16:18 GMT
[A windmill cafe seen in front of the cooling towers of a nuclear
power plant in Doel, Belgium (file picture)]
The EU wants a radical shift towards renewable energy
The European Commission has urged its members to sign up to an
unprecedented common energy policy, unveiling a plan to diversify
the bloc's energy sources.
Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said it was time for a
"post-industrial revolution" which would see Europe slash
greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020.
But political as well as environmental concerns should spur
change, he noted.
EU vulnerability as an oil importer was thrown into sharp relief
this week when Russia's row with Belarus hit supplies.
Binding targets
This is the first step towards a common energy policy, says the
BBC's Europe editor Mark Mardell.
There are three central pillars to the proposed integrated EU
energy policy.
+ A true internal energy market
+ Accelerating the shift to low-carbon energy
+ Energy efficiency through the 20% target by 2020
[Graph of EU energy use]
EU - emissions and energy
At-a-glance: EU plans
In addition to the 20% of all EU energy that should come from
renewable power by 2020, 10% of vehicle fuel should come from
biofuels, said EU energy chief Andris Piebalgs.
The EU wants to make these targets to be binding for the first
time, he said.
It also wants to make sure all new power stations are carbon
neutral in 13 years - they should be built in such a way that
carbon can be captured and buried - as well as ensuring there is
a big increase in renewable power like wind and wave energy.
"We need new policies to face a new reality - policies which
maintain Europe's competitiveness, protect our environment and
make our energy supplies more secure," said Mr Barroso.
"Europe must lead the world into a new, or maybe one should say
post-industrial revolution - the development of a low-carbon
economy."
Without such investment and energy efficiency measures, the EU
report predicts that EU energy imports will rise from 50% of
consumption to 65% by 2030, requiring increased reliance on
potentially unpredictable sources.
Internal market
Although energy has been a driving factor of the EU, which was
born as the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, policy
has on the whole remained a national issue.
95% of Germans believe that energy security is the top priority
for the EU
EU plan: What nations think
How revolutionary is plan?
The EU wants to fully open up the existing energy market to
enable half a billion citizens to get their electricity or gas
from anywhere else in Europe.
Mr Barroso proposed stopping power generation and power supply
being owned by the same company, which is very controversial in
France and Germany.
"We have two points of disagreement with the commission, which
are the possible eventual abolition of controlled prices and the
question of separating asset ownership by integrated operators,"
AFP cited an official source at the French industry ministry as
saying.
Meanwhile the commission's proposal to reduce emissions was
lambasted by one environmental pressure group.
"If the EU is serious about tackling climate change it must make
far greater cuts in its carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed
20% cut does not demonstrate any intention to stay below the two
degree limit," Catherine Pearce, the group's international
climate co-ordinator, said.
The package of measures will have to be approved by European
governments before it can come into force.
EU leaders will debate the commission's proposals at a summit in
March.
*****************************************************************
23 BBC: EU energy plan: What nations think
Last Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
As the EU announces a new set of proposals on energy and climate
issues, BBC correspondents look at what different European
countries think of the plan.
GERMANY - TRISTANA MOORE "The Russians are switching off our oil
taps" - German newspapers were full of doom and gloom as Russian
oil supplies to Germany were disrupted on Tuesday.
Germany has made energy security one of the top priorities of its
EU presidency. The German government has released a long document
outlining the aims of the presidency. It concludes that "climate
change is one of the most alarming environmental problems in the
world".
The German government has called for more ambitious commitments
to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It says that if the EU
agrees on a reduction target of 30% by 2020, "Germany is willing
to make a commitment that goes beyond that".
Above all, Germany wants to lay the groundwork for a successor
to the Kyoto Protocol.
Following the disruption of Russian energy supplies to Europe,
Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a diversification of
energy sources, to reduce dependence on any one big supplier.
She suggested expanding the use of renewable energies and
reconsidering Germany's plans to phase out nuclear power, which
is a very controversial topic.
With a very mild winter and a shortage of snow in Alpine
resorts, the greenhouse effect has become a reality for many
Germans.
According to a survey carried out by the institute Infratest
Dimap this month, the majority of Germans care passionately
about climate change.
The survey found that 95% of Germans believe that energy
security is the top priority for the EU, and 94% of those
questioned said climate protection was also important.
Last year, Germany was rapped on the knuckles by the European
Commission.
The commission imposed cuts in permitted CO2 emissions by
industry.
Germany was told to reduce its carbon emissions cap from 482
million to 453 million tonnes.
Back then, the German government described the commission's
demands as "totally unacceptable". Ironically, Germany still has
a long way to go to clean up its own backyard.
BALTIC STATES - LAURA SHEETER
The three Baltic states are among the smallest and poorest
countries in the European Union, so their greenhouse gas
emissions are lower than the EU average; but that does not mean
they are happy at the prospect of further emissions cuts.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are all relatively inefficient
energy users, a legacy of their Soviet past. But while they are
starting to use more modern, greener technology, they are
actually seeing emission levels growing.
That is because they have among the fastest growing economies in
the EU, and as people get more prosperous, they use more energy.
As far as the Baltic governments are concerned, that is good
news, and while they agree that emissions should not grow
unchecked, they are worried that new, tougher EU rules could
damage their economic growth.
SPAIN - DANNY WOOD
In terms of introducing legislation, the Spanish government has
certainly demonstrated a commitment to tackling climate change.
If that is any guide, new European measures are likely to be
taken very seriously.
In November, Spain's cabinet approved rules to cut industrial
greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of the levels recorded in 2005.
That followed a National Plan to Adapt to Climate Change. The
first phase of that plan involves assessing the impact of
climate change on Spain's water systems and biodiversity.
The government is also encouraging the use of renewable energy,
for example generating electricity from wind. You only have to
drive around Spain to see the results: giant, wind-driven
propellers covering the parched plains of the south and the
green hills of the north.
The Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says the
government is on the right track, but has raised concerns about
the possibility of the government looking favourably on the
opening of more nuclear power stations.
As far as Spaniards are concerned, awareness and concern about
environmental issues is on the up - especially when it comes to
their chronic water shortages and the urban developments that
have marred their coastlines.
The majority of Spaniards and their current government are
likely to support European attempts to get to grips with climate
change.
POLAND - ADAM EASTON
Poland is by far the biggest coal producer in the EU. With its
40 mines it produces an average of 100 million metric tonnes a
year.
Approximately 95% of the country's electricity is generated in
coal-fired plants.
Renewable energy sources account for less than 5% of the
country's total energy production.
But carbon dioxide emissions have actually fallen by more than
30% compared to levels in 1988, due to falling coal production,
the application of pollution prevention policies and the closure
of loss-making heavy industrial plants in the transition from
communism to a market economy.
Now the Polish economy is undergoing substantial growth and
energy consumption is rising.
"The growth of greenhouse gases is inevitable in the coming
years," the government's National Allocation Plan for CO2
emissions says.
Both the government and environmental lobby groups believe
Poland will fulfil its 6% greenhouse gas reduction target under
the Kyoto Protocol.
But meeting more stringent targets imposed by the EU in the
future will be considerably more difficult.
*****************************************************************
24 BBC: Blair says energy security 'key'
Last Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
[Nuclear power station]
The energy white paper is due to be published in March
The security of energy supplies will become as important in the
next decade as any security issue, Tony Blair says. The PM said
it was important to ensure that the UK had a diverse energy
supply, including nuclear power.
"If we don't get these decisions right, and get them right
quickly, we will pay a very heavy price in the future."
His comments to MPs came after Russia's state pipeline operator
cut oil supplies to Belarus, which had knock-on effects for
Poland and Germany.
Mr Blair was asked during Prime Minister's Questions about the
UK's plans to prevent any similar situation happening to its
energy supply.
Diverse supply
"Energy security for this country will be as important in the
next decade as many of the crucial security issues have been in
the years past," he said.
"It is extremely important that we as a country make sure our
energy supply is secure for the long term - that, in my view,
needs a diverse supply of energy," he said.
He said upcoming decisions about the energy white paper, to be
published in March, were "very, very important".
Replacing ageing nuclear power stations were key, but the UK had
also recently signed a deal with Norway to supply 30% of gas
over the coming years, he said.
In Belarus, the Russian operator, Transneft, said it cut
supplies on the Druzhba pipeline, which goes through Belarus, to
prevent Belarus illegally siphoning off oil.
The European Commission said the cuts posed no immediate risk to
European supplies but it was seeking an urgent explanation from
Belarus and Russia.
*****************************************************************
25 BBC: Germany may retain nuclear power
Last Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
By Steve Rosenberg BBC News, Berlin
[Worker checking Druzhba oil pipeline]
Energy supplies from the east have been disrupted twice
Senior members of Germany's government have suggested
retaining nuclear power as a way of diversifying the country's
sources of energy.
It follows concern that Germany has become too dependent on
Russian fuel.
A year ago it was supplies of Russian gas to Germany which were
hit when the Russians turned off the gas taps to Ukraine.
Now it is Russian oil which has stopped flowing because of a
dispute between Moscow and Minsk.
Two disruptions to energy supply from the east - which, for
Germany, have highlighted the dangers of being over dependent on
Russian fuel - which is why nuclear power here could receive a
stay of execution.
Energy 'mix'
The previous German government under Gerhard Schroeder had voted
to close the country's 17 nuclear power stations.
Angela Merkel's coalition cabinet had said it would not reverse
the decision despite the fact that many in her party, the
Christian Democrats, are far more nuclear friendly.
But in the light of the latest energy dispute Mrs Merkel has
called for an extensive and balanced mix of energy - the
consequences of phasing out nuclear power, she said, must be
considered.
Germany's economy minister was more direct - he has called for
an urgent and necessary rethink of the country's pledge to
abandon atomic energy.
But any attempt to do so would anger the chancellor's coalition
partners, the Social Democrats, and spark major opposition.
*****************************************************************
26 Platts: US and Japan agree to develop plan for GNEP collaboration
Washington (Platts)--9Jan2007
The US and Japan agreed to jointly develop an action plan to
establish the framework for collaboration on such nuclear energy
programs as the US DOE's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership and
the construction of new reactors.
US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Japanese Minister of
Energy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari unveiled the agreement
January 9 at a press conference.
Amari called the agreement "highly significant."
Bodman said he expected the plan, which is to be completed by
April, will include technical efforts by Japanese scientists and
engineers on such GNEP-related issues as spent fuel reprocessing
and recycling, and fast reactor designs.
A joint statement issued at the press conference added the plan
also will cover collaboration on "policies and programs that
support the construction of new nuclear power plants; and ...
regulatory and nonproliferation-related exchanges."
Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
27 Platts: NDA asks contractors BNG and UKAEA to cut final-quarter spending
London (Platts)--10Jan2007
NDA asked contractors BNG and UKAEA to cut final-quarter spending
by a total of 63 million pounds (US$122 million) to cover a
shortfall in the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's cleanup
budget for fiscal year 2006/07, which ends March 31, 2007.
The reason was not UK government underfunding, an NDA spokesman
told Platts January 9. He said that, of the just over two billion
pounds cleanup money planned to be spent during FY-06/07, roughly
half was supplied by a government grant and the rest was provided
by ongoing commercial operations at the various sites being
decommissioned.
"There are issues around some of our commercial operations and
not having quite as much income" from them as expected, he said.
NDA had therefore requested the British Nuclear Group contractual
organizations running the Sellafield reprocessing complex and the
magnox reactor sites, and contractor UK Atomic Energy Authority,
which operates Dounreay and other nuclear research sites, "to
reduce their planned expenditure in the final quarter of the year
by a total of approximately 63 million pounds" between them, he
said.
Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
28 Platts: Greenpeace rubbishes Merkel's Russian oil-German nuclear link
Freiburg (Platts)--10Jan2007
Environmental group Greenpeace Wednesday hung a banner across the
cooling tower of a German nuclear power plant that mocks
Chancellor Angela Merkel's reaction to the Russia oil supply
dispute.
The group's message--"oil=car, nuclear power=electricity,
Frau Merkel"--is its response to Merkel's comment that Germany's
planned exit from nuclear power might have to be reviewed in
connection with the stoppage of oil supplies from Russia.
"How stupid does the government think its people are?" said
Thomas Breuer, Greenpeace energy expert. "Every child in Germany
knows that oil is processed to become gasoline and is pumped into
car tanks. The lack of oil supplies could not even be solved with
new nuclear units. Luckily, there are no nuclear cars."
The green lobby group said almost 100% of radioactive
uranium had to be imported, and if Germany were to scrap its
nuclear withdrawal plan this would cement that dependence.
"A real independence of energy supply can only be reached in
Germany if renewables are massively expanded and energy is
saved," said the group.
Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
29 IHT: Western Japan nuke reactor to resume operation more than 2 years
after fatal accident -
International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: January 9, 2007
TOKYO: A Japanese utility company restarted a nuclear reactor
Wednesday for a commercial operation for the first time since it
was shut down after a fatal August 2004 accident, the nation's
worst at a nuclear facility, plant operators said.
The No. 3 reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant was
restarted Wednesday afternoon and no trouble has been reported
so far, said Ryuichi Suehiro, spokesman for Kansai Electric
Power Co. which operates the plant.
The reactor had been shut down since August 2004, when a
corroded pipe ruptured and sprayed plant workers with boiling
water and steam. Five workers were killed and six others were
injured, although no radiation was released.
The reactor is expected to start generating power beginning
Thursday and reach full-scale commercial operation in early
February after a final government inspection, the company has
said in a statement.
Resource-poor Japan depends on nuclear power plants for a third
of its energy needs and aims to raise that to nearly 40 percent
by 2010.
But Japanese public has grown increasingly wary of the nuclear
power industry following a spate of safety problems, shutdowns
and cover-ups, and utility companies face difficulty obtaining
local support for new plant sites.
Mihama is about 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Tokyo.
IHT
*****************************************************************
30 IAEA: Nuclear Science & Technology in Africa
+ [IAEA.ORG :: Atoms for Peace]
In Algeria, IAEA Director General Surveys the Regional Scene
Staff Report
9 January 2007 [Cocoa Trees]
Ghana - where cocoa trees are a prime resource - stands among
countries in Africa seeing positive results from applications of
nuclear science and technology through IAEA-supported
programmes. (Credit: D. Kinley/IAEA)
+ Story Resources
+ Director General Statement
+ Algeria Nuclear Conference
+ IAEA Technical Cooperation
+ AFRA Regional Cooperation
+ Nuclear Sciences & Applications
Countries of Africa are realizing benefits from a wide range of
applications rooted in nuclear science, radiation and isotope
technologies, and nuclear energy. Speaking in Algiers during an
official visit to Algeria, IAEA Director General Mohamed
ElBaradei surveyed the regional scene in the context of the
IAEA´s support through technical cooperation and research
channels.
"Nearly all of the IAEA´s development activities in Africa
support in some way the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals," Dr. ElBaradei said. "They are also of direct relevance
to the priority programmes of NEPAD, the New Partnership for
Africa´s Development."
He pointed out that areas of assistance include the management
of groundwater resources, crop improvement, combating the tsetse
fly and other pests, treatment of cancer and communicable
diseases, nutritional intervention, industrial productivity,
environmental protection, and the use of nuclear power. In all
these areas, IAEA assistance includes capacity-building through
human resource development and the build-up of infrastructure to
ensure the use of nuclear technology in a safe, secure and
peaceful manner.
See Story Resources for the text of the Director General´s
speech and related resources.
Copyright ©, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100,
Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone (+431) 2600-0; Facsimilie (+431) 2600-7; E-mail:
*****************************************************************
31 NRC: Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Before Administrative Judges:
FR Doc E7-175
[Federal Register: January 10, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 6)]
[Notices] [Page 1249] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr10ja07-79]
Alan S. Rosenthal, Chairman, Dr. Paul B. Abramson, Dr. Richard F.
Cole; In the Matter of U.S. Army (Jefferson Proving Ground Site);
Notice of Hearing (Application for Materials License Amendment)
January 4, 2007.
This proceeding involves the May 25, 2005 application submitted
by the Department of the Army (Licensee) for an amendment to its
NRC materials license (License No. SUB-1435). The amendment would
authorize an alternate schedule for the submittal to the NRC
Staff of a decommissioning plan for the Licensee's Jefferson
Proving Ground (JPG) site located in Madison, Indiana. Such a
plan is required because there is currently amassed on that site
a considerable quantity of depleted uranium (DU) munitions, the
result of the Licensee's conduct, between 1984 and 1994 and under
the auspices of the NRC materials license, of accuracy testing of
DU tank penetration rounds. On December 9, 2005, this Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board was established by the Commission to
preside over the proceeding.
On February 2, 2006, this Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
granted a petition to intervene and request for hearing filed by
Save the Valley, Inc., and deferred any hearing pending the
completion of the NRC Staff's technical review. LBP-06-06, 63 NRC
167, 185-86 (2006). On December 20, 2006, after the completion of
the Staff's technical review and issuance of the requested
license amendment, this Board issued a Memorandum and Order in
which we determined the scope of the evidentiary hearing.
LBP-06-27, 64 NRC--(slip op.) (Dec. 20, 2006).
In light of the foregoing, please take notice that a hearing will
be conducted in this proceeding. The hearing will be governed by
the informal hearing procedures set forth in 10 CFR Part 2,
Subpart L (10 CFR 2.1200-.1213). During the course of the
proceeding, the Board may conduct an oral argument (id. Sec.
2.331), may hold pre-hearing conferences (id. Sec. 2.329), and
may conduct evidentiary hearings (id. Sec. 2.1207). The public
is invited to attend any oral argument, pre-hearing conference,
or evidentiary hearing unless otherwise ordered by the Commission
(id. Sec. Sec. 2.327(b), 2.328). Notices of these sessions will
be published in the Federal Register and/or made available to the
public at the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White
Flint, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland,
and through the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov. Additionally,
as provided in 10 CFR 2.315(a), any person not a party to the
proceeding may submit a written limited appearance statement
setting forth his or her position on the issues in this
proceeding. These statements do not constitute evidence, but may
assist the Board and/or parties in defining the issues being
considered. Persons wishing to submit a written limited
appearance statement should send it by mail to the Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. A
copy of the statement should also be served on the Chairman of
this Atomic Safety and Licensing Board by mail to the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board Panel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Documents relating to this proceeding are available for public
inspection at the NRC's Public Document Room or electronically
from the publicly available records component of NRC's document
system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS may contact the NRC Public Document
Room reference staff by telephone at 1- 800-397-4209 or
301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. It is so ordered.
For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.\1\
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------- \1\ Copies of this Notice of Hearing were sent this
date by Internet e-mail to counsel for (1) the Department of the
Army, (2) the NRC Staff, and (3) Save the Valley, Inc.
Dated: January 4, 2007 in Rockville, Maryland.
Alan S. Rosenthal, Chairman, Administrative Judge.
[FR Doc. E7-175 Filed 1-9-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
32 Albuquerque Tribune: Nation's largest nuclear plant gets new boss
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
PHOENIX — Arizona Public Service has named a new executive to
oversee operations at the problem-plagued Palo Verde Nuclear
Generating Station outside Phoenix.
Randy Edington, 53, will become a senior vice president and
chief nuclear officer of Arizona's largest utility on Jan. 25.
Palo Verde - owned by a consortium of power companies, including
Public Service Company of New Mexico - has been hit with
repeated mechanical problems in the past two years.
U.S. trade deficit falls for third straight month
HAVE YOUR SAY
This site does not necessarily agree with posted comments, they
are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. Readers
will be banned for posting defamatory, obscene, abusive,
threatening or an invasion of privacy comments. Read our privacy
agreement.
© 2007 The Albuquerque TribuneX
*****************************************************************
33 Deutsche Welle: Nuclear Power in Germany: A Chronology
| 10.01.2007
DW-World.de Deutsche Welle
Energy | 10.01.2007
[Germany's first nuclear reactor: The Atomic Egg in Garching]
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Germany's
first nuclear reactor: The Atomic Egg in Garching
Half a century has passed since Germany began exploring nuclear
energy. DW-WORLD.DE takes a look at the history of atomic power
and protests against its use in the country.
1957
The first nuclear research reactor, the so-called Atomic Egg,
begins operating in the town of Garching near Munich.
1960
Germany's Atomic Energy Act takes effect. The law is meant to
promote nuclear energy.
1961
[Otto Hahn with atom symbols ] Bildunterschrift: Otto Hahn with
atom symbols
Germany's first nuclear power plant goes online in Karlstein am
Main, just east of Frankfurt. The town still includes a symbol
of an atom in its seal.
1968
The ore cargo ship "Otto Hahn," which uses nuclear power and is
named after the German discoverer of nuclear fission, begins
work as a research ship. In 1979, it is retrofitted to run on
diesel.
1970s
The oil crisis becomes a major boost for nuclear power in
Germany and leads to the construction of several new nuclear
power plants.
[German nuclear power plants and their remaining lifespans]
Bildunterschrift: German nuclear power plants and their
remaining lifespans
1975
The first major anti-nuclear protests with about 30,000
demonstrators take place in Germany against construction of a
new plant in Wyhl am Kaiserstuhl on the French border in
southwestern Germany. The plant is never built and the land
eventually becomes a nature preserve in 1995.
1979
The meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in
Harrisburg, PA (USA) on March 29, 1979 causes the anti-nuclear
movement in Germany to grow.
Early 1980s
Plans to build a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the Bavarian
town of Wackersdorf lead to major protests. The plans are
abandoned in 1988. It still isn't clear whether protests or
pragmatic cost calculations by the operating company led to the
decision.
1981
[Thousands protest against the Brokdorf nuclear plant]
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der
Bildunterschrift: Thousands protest against the Brokdorf
nuclear plant
On Feb. 28, Germany's largest anti-nuclear demonstration takes
place against construction of the Brokdorf nuclear plant on the
North Sea coast west of Hamburg. Some 100,000 people face off
with 10,000 police officers. The plant begins operations in
October 1986. It is scheduled to go offline in 2018.
1986
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant catastrophe on April 26 leads
to a major shift in attitudes regarding nuclear power in
Germany. The environment ministry is founded as a result.
2002
[Then Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin unveils a ]
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der
Bildunterschrift: Then Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin
unveils a "nuclear power: off" poster on the ministry's wall in
2005
The "Act on the structured phase-out of the utilization of
nuclear energy for the commercial generation of electricity"
takes effect -- 16 years to the day after Chernobyl and
following a drawn-out debate among political parties as well as
lengthy negotiations with nuclear power plant operators. It
calls for the shut-down of all German nuclear plants by 2021.
The Stade nuclear plant is the first one to go offline in
November 2003, followed by the Obrigheim plant in 2005. The
Biblis A plant is scheduled to be shut down this year.
2006
[A Castor transport on Nov. 21, 2006] Bildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: A Castor
transport on Nov. 21, 2006
Nuclear waste transports in so-called Castor containers continue
to trigger protests along the route.
2007
Amid fears that Russian energy supplies to western Europe might
not be reliable, conservative politicians, including Chancellor
Angela Merkel and Economics Minister Michael Glos, continue to
question the decision to phase out nuclear power in Germany.
Compiled by DW staff (win)
1. © 2007 Deutsche Welle
*****************************************************************
34 Depeleted Uranium still killing Italian troops
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:34:17 -0600 (CST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM
Uranium 'killing Italian troops'
By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Rome
* Italian soldiers are still dying following exposure to depleted uranium
in the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, their relatives say. *
Troops who served during the wars in the 1990s believe they have contracted
cancer and other serious illnesses from extended exposure to the munitions.
The US says it fired around 40,000 depleted uranium rounds during the
Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts.
A pressure group says 50 veterans have died and another 200 are seriously
ill.
Depleted uranium is used on the tips of bullets and shells. Because of its
density it can pierce the armour plating on tanks.
But when it explodes it often leaves a footprint of chemically poisonous and
radioactive dust.
The Italians who served in Bosnia and Kosovo were involved in the clear-up
of battlefields and came into close contact with exploded ammunition.
* Children with disabilities *
The association representing the soldiers, known as Anavafaf, says many of
those who have died or are ill have contracted cancer.
In 2002 the Italian defence ministry published a report compiled by
independent scientists which found a higher than average number of
servicemen were suffering from cancer.
It said there was an excessive number of Hodgkin's disease victims among
Italian Balkan peacekeepers.
A number of children fathered by the soldiers have been born with
disabilities.
There are similar reports from soldiers' associations in Belgium, Spain,
Portugal and the Netherlands.
Both the US and Britain acknowledge the dust from depleted uranium can be
dangerous if inhaled but they insist the danger is short-lived and
localised.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6247401.stm
Published: 2007/01/10 09:59:05 GMT
(c) BBC MMVII
*****************************************************************
35 [toeslist] US Nuclear sub and tanker collide but no leaks
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:55:16 -0600 (CST)
X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM
Home >> World
UPDATED: 14:01, January 10, 2007
N-sub and tanker collide but no leaks
font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
A US nuclear submarine and a Japanese tanker collided in the Gulf, but
there were no injuries or oil leaks, officials of the tanker's owner and
the US military said yesterday.
The USS Newport News submarine and the Mogamigawa Japanese cargo ship
collided in the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for oil
transportation, at 10:15 pm local time (1915 GMT) on Monday, the US navy
said.
The Mogamigawa had eight Japanese and 16 Philippine crew members.
"Thankfully no sailors or merchant crewmen were injured," said Charlie
Brown, a spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet which is based in the Gulf
state of Bahrain.
"The damage is still being evaluated but both vessels are seaworthy," he
said, adding that the cause of the accident was under investigation.
The propulsion plant of the nuclear powered sub was unaffected, the navy
said in a statement.
A Japanese Defense Ministry spokesman said it was investigating the
incident, which involved a ship belonging to Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd
carrying oil for Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
A Kawasaki Kisen spokesman said there had been no injuries and no oil
leaked from the vessel, and a Japanese Transport Ministry spokesman said
the ship was still able to move.
"I am very relieved" there were no injuries or oil leak, Japanese
Transport Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba told reporters.
A spokeswoman for the shipping firm said the very large crude carrier
Mogamigawa had been headed for Singapore from the Gulf and would stop at
the United Arab Emirates to check the extent of any damage.
Source: China Daily/agencies
*****************************************************************
36 BBC: Uranium 'killing Italian troops'
Last Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
By Christian Fraser BBC News, Rome
[Italian soldiers measure radiation on a Yugoslav tank destroyed
in Kosovo]
Depleted uranium shells were used to destroy Yugoslav tanks
Italian soldiers are still dying following exposure to depleted
uranium in the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, their relatives say.
Troops who served during the wars in the 1990s believe they have
contracted cancer and other serious illnesses from extended
exposure to the munitions.
The US says it fired around 40,000 depleted uranium rounds during
the Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts.
A pressure group says 50 veterans have died and another 200 are
seriously ill.
Depleted uranium is used on the tips of bullets and shells.
Because of its density it can pierce the armour plating on tanks.
But when it explodes it often leaves a footprint of chemically
poisonous and radioactive dust.
The Italians who served in Bosnia and Kosovo were involved in the
clear-up of battlefields and came into close contact with
exploded ammunition.
Children with disabilities
The association representing the soldiers, known as Anavafaf,
says many of those who have died or are ill have contracted
cancer.
In 2002 the Italian defence ministry published a report compiled
by independent scientists which found a higher than average
number of servicemen were suffering from cancer.
It said there was an excessive number of Hodgkin's disease
victims among Italian Balkan peacekeepers.
A number of children fathered by the soldiers have been born with
disabilities.
There are similar reports from soldiers' associations in Belgium,
Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Both the US and Britain acknowledge the dust from depleted
uranium can be dangerous if inhaled but they insist the danger is
short-lived and localised.
*****************************************************************
37 Hawk Eye Newspaper: IAAP plans explosions
Sunday, January 7, 2007 Site updated daily at 11 a.m. CST
The Hawk Eye
Area residents may hear louder than usual explosions coming from
the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant testing grounds in coming weeks.
The Middletown facility recently received a contract to produce
cratering charges for the U.S. military. The explosions are used
to make areas impassable for traffic, forcing vehicles through
checkpoints.
IAAP is required to test fire small quantities of the charges.
Plant officials said the test firing will begin in the next
several weeks. A group of charges will be fired over a
several–day period, followed by one or two smaller groups test
fired in the spring or early summer.
All test fires will be performed during daylight.
The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington, Iowa 52601 319-754-8461
· 1-800-397-1708 · FAX 319-754-6824 · Problems? contact the
webmaster.
*****************************************************************
38 Salt Lake Tribune: Location changed for Divine Strake hearing
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/09/2007 06:21:38 PM MST
Posted: 3:26 PM- The location has been changed for Wednesday's
public information meeting in Salt Lake City on the proposed huge
experimental explosion at the Nevada Test Site called Divine
Strake.
The meeting will be held at the Grand America Hotel, 555 S.
Main St. Previously, the meeting had been scheduled for the
EnergySolutions Arena.
The meeting is being sponsored by two federal agencies
involved in the planning of the test of 700 tons of explosives
in the area west of the Utah border in Nevada. The federal
government wants to carry out the explosion as part of an effort
to create bombs that can destroy underground bunkers.
The explosion was postponed after public opposition from
people who fear such as test could spread dirt contaminated by
past nuclear testing into Utah and other areas. No date has been
set for the explosion.
*****************************************************************
39 Salt Lake Tribune: Demand answers: Guv, congressmen should get tough on bomb
Article Last Updated: 01/09/2007 07:47:12 PM MST
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is right to gather, on his own, public
comments about the Pentagon's plan for a bomb test in the Nevada
desert, since federal hearings this week are largely a sham.
But the governor should do more than that. What's needed is a
face-to-face meeting between Huntsman and Utah's representatives
in Congress and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. In that
setting, Utah officials can demand answers about the potential
dangers of Divine Strake, a 700-ton non-nuclear explosion
planned for this spring at the Nevada Test Site.
If they are not satisfied with the responses, they should do
what is necessary to delay or, better yet, stop the test
altogether.
The three public sessions the agency called in Las Vegas last
night, Salt Lake City today and in St. George on Thursday were
billed as "open houses," not hearings, and their format does not
allow for open debate. Worse, there is nothing to ensure that
written comments will ever be seriously considered.
Even the hearings that Huntsman has set for next week, in
which ordinary citizens can and should speak out, are not
sufficient to hold the agency accountable. Utahns certainly
deserve to be heard, but their comments don't have the
authoritative weight of state officials and members of Congress,
armed with scientific data, sitting at a table with agency
officials.
The federal government is asking Americans who live around the
test site to trust its claim that the test is safe.
Unfortunately, the government doesn't deserve that level of
trust. Utahns remember too well how the government assured them
that open-air nuclear testing in the 1950s was safe, and they
have paid dearly in lost health and life for exposure to
radioactive fallout.
The agencies involved with Divine Strake have done nothing to
restore trust. They finally admitted that the blast could spread
radioactivity from contaminated dust to the off-site public, but
say the effects likely would be insignificant. That's easy to
say, of course, when you don't have to define "insignificant"
and seem to be under orders to skirt the hurdles of public
opinion and science.
As this is a critical public health issue, it is up to Utah's
elected representatives to ask the tough questions and demand
answers, and to not pull any political or legal punches until
they get them.
| MNG Corporate Site Map
*****************************************************************
40 Deseret News: Strake info session is today at hotel
[deseretnews.com]
January 10, 2007
The location of today's public information session for the Divine
Strake test has been changed.
Instead of EnergySolutions Arena, the session will take
place at the Grand America. The time will remain 6:30-9 p.m.
The event, billed as an open house, will include
representatives from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the
U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security
Administration. They will answer questions about the proposed
non-nuclear bomb test in Nevada. The public can also submit
comments orally or in writing.
The reason for the move was because "management for
EnergySolutions Arena ... are unable to support the event,"
according to a news release. No further information was given.
The Divine Strake test is a 700-ton conventional blast
planned for the Nevada Test Site. The test is intended to help
officials learn more about what kind of explosive power is
needed to destroy underground nuclear facilities.
Opponents of the test worry that the blast could spread
radioactive debris from previous nuclear tests at the site,
although the NNSA contends there is no risk. They also would
prefer that the federal agencies host public hearings instead of
the planned information sessions.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality, at the
direction of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., has scheduled two public
hearings.
© 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
41 Salt Lake Tribune: Divine Strake: The word is out - and it doesn't mean a thing
By Judy Fahys
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/10/2007 10:27:37 AM MST
Michael Berry wrote to a Pentagon official last week for the
answer to a question that's had many Utahns scratching their
heads since they first heard about "Divine Strake," the massive
test explosion the federal government wants to detonate in the
Nevada desert.
What does the name mean, exactly? And what's holy about
using 700 tons of non-nuclear explosives to blow up an old
tunnel in the middle of nowhere?
After his e-mail dialogue Friday with the public affairs
department of the Defense Threat Agency, the government office
behind the blast, the Salt Lake City man divined the answer.
The name is nonsense.
Sure, "divine" means "godlike." And the word "strake" refers
to an architectural feature of boats and aircraft. But the term
is just two words tacked together to meet the criteria of a
military regulation, and they have no deeper meaning.
At first, it made him chuckle. Later, he thought about the
government dreaming up nonsense names.
"Then, you think, if they're doing that at that level, then
what else might be going on?"
Berry says he plans to be among the Utahns headed to public
information sessions this week hosted by the Pentagon agency and
the National Nuclear Security Administration, an arm of the U.S.
Energy Department, in Salt Lake City, St. George and Las Vegas.
And, like many Utahns, he opposes the test, despite the federal
government's assurances the huge explosion won't harm anyone
outside the Nevada Test Site boundaries.
Many Divine Strake critics worry that dirt contaminated with
leftovers from the government's decades-long atomic testing
program will shoot up to 10,000 feet into the sky and drift to
Utah and other states if the test is allowed to go forward. They
also fear the resumption of nuclear weapons tests in Nevada,
like ones many blame for Downwinder illnesses such as thyroid
disease and cancer. Divine Strake, it turns out, follows a long
tradition of absurd monikers for Nevada Test Site experiments.
The Energy Department's system for code-naming weapons tests
evolved after military planners found their initial plan got
repetitive fast, with five "Able" tests, four "Bakers" and three
"Clean Slates."
So, the Pentagon began giving each year an operation name,
such as "Quicksilver" or "Musketeer" and invited scientists at
the national laboratories to name individual tests, according
the Energy Department.
The labs would offer the Pentagon names according to a theme
of the year, and the White House would make the ultimate
decision. Cocktails, cheese, stinging insects, trees, fish,
Nevada ghost towns and New Mexico counties all became code
names.
At the same time, it's clear that there are broader and
deeper meanings in some Pentagon-generated names, like the
recent "Desert Shield," "Desert Storm" or "Iraqi Freedom."
But not these tests, said Darwin Morgan, who works for the
Energy Department at the Nevada Test Site.
"They are arbitrary," he said, "and that's just the way it
works."
Incidentally, Morgan doesn't know anyone else whose two
names have been used for Test Site detonations. "Morgan" was
used in a year of horse-breed names, and "Darwin" in a year when
tests were named after famous scientists.
"Don't know what it means, but . . . "
fahys@sltrib.com
Bomb test names
The 928 atomic weapons experiments at the Nevada Test Site
had names, most of which signified nothing. You can see a
complete list in this Energy Department report:
www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pd
f, but here's a short list with the dates when they were carried
out:
* Plants: Beebalm 05/01/1970; Mint Leaf 05/05/1970;
Delphinium 09/26/1972l; Canna 11/17/1972; Flax 12/21/1972;
Portulaca 06/28/1973
* Cheeses: Edam 04/24/1975; Stilton 06/03/1975; Colby
03/14/1976; Fontina 02/12/1976; Camembert 06/26/1975; Havarti
08/05/1981; Jarlsberg 08/27/1983; Brie 06/18/1987
* Nautical: Bulkhead 04/27/1977; Strake 08/04/1977; Topmast
03/23/1978; Ebbtide 09/15/1977; Transom 05/10/1978
* Semi-Precious Stones: Turquoise 04/14/1983; Carnelian
07/28/1977; Rhyolite 06/22/1988; Mini Jade 05/26/1983
* Texas Cities: Waco 12/01/1987; Laredo 05/21/1988; Abilene
04/07/1988; Alamo 07/07/1988; Midland 07/16/1987; Austin
06/21/1990; Houston 11/14/1990
* Fish: Mackerel 02/18/1964; Pike 3/13/1964; Salmon
10/22/1964; Sturgeon 04/15/1964; Swordfish 05/11/1962; Bonefish
02/18/1964; Sardine 12/04/1963
* Board Games: Backgammon 11/29/1979; Baccarat 01/24/1979;
Chess 06/20/1979; Rummy 09/27/1978 Public meetings
* Today, 6:30-9 p.m., Grand America Hotel, 555 S. Main St.,
Salt Lake City
* Thursday, 6:30-9 p.m., Dixie Center, 1835 Convention
Center Drive, St. George
Location changed for Divine Strake hearing
The location has been changed for today's public information
meeting in Salt Lake City on the proposed huge experimental
explosion at the Nevada Test Site called Divine Strake.
The meeting will be held at the Grand America Hotel, 555 S.
Main St., from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Previously, the meeting had
been scheduled for the EnergySolutions Arena.
© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune.
*****************************************************************
42 Eureka Alert: Radiation degrades nuclear waste-containing materials faster than expected
EurekAlert! date: 10-Jan-2007
Contact: Bill Cannon cannon@pnl.gov 509-375-3732
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Radiation degrades nuclear waste-containing materials faster
than expected
New method enlists NMR to test durability of mineral-based waste
forms
Minerals intended to entrap nuclear waste for hundreds of
thousands of years may be susceptible to structural breakdown
within 1,400 years, a team from the University of Cambridge and
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory reported today (Jan.
11) in the journal Nature.
The new study used nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, to show
that the effects of radiation from plutonium incorporated into
the mineral zircon rapidly degrades the mineral's crystal
structure.
This could lead to swelling, loss of physical strength and
possible cracking of the mineral as soon as 210 years, well
before the radioactivity had decayed to safe levels, said lead
author and Cambridge earth scientist Ian Farnan.
According to current thinking, highly radioactive substances
could be rendered less mobile by combining them, before
disposal, with glass or with a synthetic mineral at a very high
temperature to form a crystal.
However, the crystal structure can only hold the radioactive
elements for so long. Inside the crystal radioactive decay
occurs, and tiny atomic fragments called alpha particles shoot
away from the decaying nucleus, which recoils like a rifle, with
both types repeatedly blasting the structure until it breaks
down.
This may increase the likelihood for radioactive materials to
leak, although co-author William J. Weber, a fellow at the
Department of Energy national laboratory in Richland, Wash., who
made the samples used in the study, cautioned that this work did
not address leakage, and researchers detected no cracking. Weber
noted that the "amorphous," or structurally degraded, natural
radiation-containing zircon can remain intact for millions of
years and is one of the most durable materials on earth.
Some earth and materials scientists believe it is possible to
create a structure that rebuilds itself after these "alpha
events" so that it can contain the radioactive elements for much
longer. The tests developed by the Cambridge and PNNL team would
enable scientists to screen different mineral and synthetic
forms for durability.
As well as making the storage of the waste safer, new storage
methods guided by the NMR technique could offer significant
savings for nations facing disposal of large amounts of
radioactive material. Countries including the United States,
Britain, France, Germany and Japan are all considering burying
their nuclear waste stockpiles hundreds of meters beneath the
earth's surface. Doing so necessitates selection of a site with
sufficiently stringent geological features to withstand any
potential leakage at a cost of billions of dollars. For example,
there is an ongoing debate over the safety of the Yucca Mountain
site in Nevada. A figure published in Science in 2005 put that
project's cost at $57 billion.
"By working harder on the waste form before you started trying
to engineer the repository or choose the site, you could make
billions of dollars worth of savings and improve the overall
safety," Farnan said.
"At the moment, we have very few methods of understanding how
materials behave over the extremely long timescales we are
talking about. Our new research is a step towards that.
"We would suggest that substantive efforts should be made to
produce a waste form which is tougher and has a durability we
are confident of, in a quantitative sense, before it is stored
underground, and before anyone tried to engineer around it. This
would have substantial benefits, particularly from a financial
point of view."
PNNL senior scientist and nuclear magnetic resonance expert
Herman Cho, who co-wrote the report, said: "When the samples
were made in the 1980s, NMR was not in the thinking. NMR has
enabled us to quantify and look at changes in the crystal
structure as the radiation damage progresses.
"This method adds a valuable new perspective to research on
radioactive waste forms. It has also raised the question: 'How
adequate is our understanding of the long-term behavior of these
materials?' Studies of other waste forms, such as glass, could
benefit from this technique."
###
The collaboration was funded by Britain's Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council and the U.S. DOE, with
support from the PNNL-based Environmental Molecular Sciences
Laboratory.
UK contact information: Tom Kirk, Communications Office,
University of Cambridge, Tel: 01223 332300, mobile 07917 535815,
Email: tdk25@admin.cam.ac.uk
EurekAlert!
*****************************************************************
43 deseret news: Divine Strake change for hearing sparks ire
[deseretnews.com]
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Josh Loftin Deseret Morning News
The location of the public information session for the Divine
Strake test has been changed.
Instead of the EnergySolutions Arena, the hearing will
take place at the Grand America. The time for today's hearing
will remain 6:30-9 p.m.
The hearing, billed as an open house, will include
representatives from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the
U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security
Administration. They will answer questions about the proposed
non-nuclear bomb test in Nevada. The public can also submit
comments orally or in writing.
The reason for the move was because "management for
EnergySolutions Arena ... are unable to support the event,"
according to a news release. No further information was given.
Following the announcement, opponents of the proposed
test criticized the move. Utah Democratic Party chairman Wayne
Holland said the move is yet another failure to "meet any
expectation of interaction" by the agencies.
"From denying the people of Utah and Nevada the chance to
have their voices and opinions heard, to the last-minute change
of venue for the Salt Lake presentation, the NNSA and DTRA have
shown a pattern of behavior that feeds directly into the
people's mistrust and suspicion for this entire debacle,"
Holland said in a news release.
The Divine Strake test is a 700-ton conventional blast
planned for the Nevada Test Site. The test is intended to help
officials learn more about what kind of explosive power is
needed to destroy underground nuclear facilities.
Opponents of the test worry that the blast could spread
radioactive debris from previous nuclear tests at the site,
although the NNSA contends there is no risk. Opponents also
would prefer that the federal agencies host public hearings
instead of the planned information sessions.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality, at the
direction of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., has scheduled two public
hearings.
Vanessa Pierce, executive director of HEAL Utah, said the
last-minute venue change is just another example of the federal
government's lack of due diligence. While she said it probably
would have some impact on public turnout, many of the
out-of-town opponents — especially the downwinders who live in
southern Utah — were planning to boycott tonight's hearing and
attend the DEQ hearings.
"If they (the NNSA) can't even do the simple legwork to
make sure that the venue can hold the hearing, how can we trust
their environmental assessment?" Pierce said. "They do not have
their act together ... at least, they are consistently
incompetent."
If you go . . .
What: Divine Strake open house
Where: Grand America Hotel, 555 S. Main
When: Today, 6:30-9 p.m.
© 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
44 kutv.com: Possible Nuclear Blast Talks Come To SLC
[clock] Jan 9, 2007 8:52 pm US/Mountain
(KUTV)
A huge blast planned for the Nevada desert is back on the table.
Wednesday night, the federal government will talk about "Divine
Strake" during a public forum at Salt Lake's Grand America hotel.
They’re calling it a public forum, but no one can make comments
or ask questions. Governor Huntsman is planning some public
comment sessions for later this month. And some Utah lawmakers
have plenty to say about that.
“We want to stop the testing there period.” said a St. George
protester.
It's been a thorn in southern Utah’s side for years. Residents
rallied last summer, trying to stop the federal government from
doing this.
Nuclear blasts from the 1950s and 1960s blew radiation down-wind
to southern Utah, causing health problems. Google earth shows
what remains along the Nevada test site.
Now the government wants to set-off a 700-ton bomb called a
"Bunker Buster", in a deep tunnel. But that could send debris
from the radioactive bombs back into the air, and back over Utah.
“I want our people protected.” Said Senator Orrin Hatch.
Utah Senator Orrin hatch says the government fully intends to go
ahead with this. But it could be a hard pill to swallow for
southern Utahns.
“They shouldn't have to go through this unless it's absolutely
safe. Now they assure us it is, their computer models say that
it is.” said Hatch.
“I think this divine strake test is still problematic in many
respects.” said Congressman Jim Matheson.
Utah congressman Jim Matheson says the people need a voice. And
they're not getting one, If it's left up to the federal
government.
“I think a public meeting, they should have the opportunity for
people to stand up and make statements and also to ask
questions.” said Matheson.
With the test now back on the table, these two lawmakers are
trying to ensure no one gets hurt.
“If they're not safe, I’m not gonna be very happy about this.
And I’m not very happy about it anyway. But I’m certainly not
gonna be happy unless they can absolutely show that our people
are safe.” said Hatch.
Matheson and hatch have even suggested moving the test to New
Mexico. But the government says that's too expensive and will
take too long. Wednesday night's meeting starts at 6:30 pm.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
© MMVII, KUTV Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
45 Monticello Times: NRC offers KI pills to those within 10 miles of plant
www.monticellotimes.com
January 10, 2007
by Kathleen Ostroot News Editor
Come February, in the event of a nuclear accident, when
radioactive iodide may be released into the environment, people
within a 10-mile radius of the Monticello nuclear plant will
have the option of taking potassium iodide pills that can bind
radiation and may prevent thyroid cancer.
This month, emergency planning packets were mailed to about
130,000 people who live and work within the 10-mile radius of
both the Prairie Island and Monticello nuclear plants. In the
packets are vouchers that can be exchanged for two free doses of
potassium iodide per person.
According to Doug Neville at the Minnesota Department of Public
Safety (MDPS), the offer in no way reflects a change in
operation or condition of the plants. It is a result of a free
offering from the federal government to states with nuclear
facilities, he said.
Neville said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division
of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Nuclear Management
Company (NMC), as well as other local partners, finalized
distribution plans to accept a supply of potassium iodide (KI)
from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Residents, businesses and dependent care facilities are eligible
for the free doses.
Neville said businesses and dependent care facilities will also
receive vouchers, but will be asked to attend a KI forum to
receive KI for their employees and customers at the forum.
But doses will also be available in February at local Target
pharmacies. A SuperTarget will open in March in Monticello, and
the tablets will be available at that time.
Potassium iodide, known as KI, is a cheap nonprescription drug
that has proven to prevent thyroid cancer, which is one of the
main causes of death after radiation exposure, if administered
within three to four hours of a nuclear release.
Although the NRC offered KI at no cost to every state with a
nuclear generating plant some states, including Wisconsin, did
not take the offer. However, Minnesota was the 22nd state to
accept the NRC offer.
"The use of KI would be recommended as an additional safeguard,
supplementing other emergency measures such as evacuation,"
Neville said.
For more information about KI distribution, call HSEM at
651-201-7490. For information about health risks associated with
KI, call the MDH radiation program at 651-201-4545.
KI vouchers will be accepted at the following Target Pharmacies:
Elk River Target
19146 Freeport St
Elk River, MN 55330-1264
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sun., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Rogers SuperTarget
21615 S Diamond Lake Rd
Rogers, MN 55374-8893
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sun., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Monticello SuperTarget (opening in March 2007)
1447 E 7th St
Monticello, MN 55362
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sun., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Copyright 2006, Monticello Times
*****************************************************************
46 KRNV.com: Region: Officials Show Plans in Las Vegas For Mushroom Cloud Blast
LAS VEGAS
Turnout was light in Las Vegas for the first of a series of
public forums about a proposed weapons test that federal
officials say will generate a huge mushroom-shaped dust cloud at
the Nevada Test Site.
Forty people turned out last night for what looked like a trade
show. Three people provided oral comments to a stenographer.
Seven people provided written comments. They'll be added to
comments already provided by e-mail on a draft environmental
assessment of the "Divine Strake" blast, which has not been set
for a specific date.
Federal officials used a dozen display boards to show people the
design, reasons and plans for exploding 700 tons of a fuel oil
and fertilizer mixture over a tunnel at the Test Site, about 85
miles northwest of Las Vegas. Officials say the blast will
provide crucial data on the kind of shock needed to destroy
deeply buried or hardened targets. Opponents say it's a
surrogate for a nuclear test. They're raising concerns about the
blast kicking up radioactive debris from Cold-War era nuclear
testing and casting it downwind toward Utah and beyond. Meetings
will also be held tonight in Salt Lake City and tomorrow in
Saint George, Utah.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
.gif"> All content © Copyright 2001 - 2007 WorldNow and KRNV
*****************************************************************
47 icWales: Radiation 'risk' transport ship condemned
Jan 10 2007
Tryst Williams, Western Mail
THE transport of plutonium off the Welsh coast was criticised by
politicians last night as it emerged radioactive cargo was
shipped through the Irish Sea on a former ferry.
Safety fears over the use of the 20-year-old ship, Atlantic
Osprey, on a journey between Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and
Cherbourg in France were raised by the Wales Nuclear Free Local
Authority Forum (NFLA).
With a route taking the ship past the Welsh coast, without using
an armed escort vessel as would be used on similar voyages to
Japan, the organisation claimed Welsh people were being treated
as "second-class citizens".
However the ship's owners, British Nuclear Group, have defended
the shipment of the material from Sellafield to its ultimate
Swiss destination, saying it conformed to rigid safety standards.
The concerns over the shipment of radioactive MOX fuel, made on
November 15, surfaced in an open letter to First Minister Rhodri
Morgan from the chair of the Wales NFLA Forum, Newport
councillor Glyn Jarvis.
He said, "The Forum was very disturbed to learn that this
shipment took place without any special security arrangements,
such as an escort vessel, and was reliant on a 20-year-old
single-engined and single-skinned former roll-on-roll-off ferry.
"This is in contrast to other MOX shipments to Japan that take
place with armed security escort and on purpose-built vessels,
themselves armed, with twin engines and double-skinned hulls to
provide greater protection in the event of incidents or
accidents."
He reiterated previous concerns raised by a coalition of councils
across much of Europe's coastline. The group, known as KIMO - the
Danish initials for the Local Authorities International
Environment Organisation - has 128 local government members
representing six million coastal inhabitants in 10 North European
countries.
The group's review of the Atlantic Osprey noted that the ship has
already suffered an engine room fire on the Manchester Ship
Canal, and expressed concerns over possible MOX fuel leaks in the
event of a fire at sea. According to Mr Jarvis, other studies
have challenged the ability of the ship to contain the
radioactive fuel if it sinks in deep water.
"We fear that either scenario could result in a serious
radiological accident polluting the seas and coastal areas with
very long-lived radioactive plutonium and uranium particles," he
said. "The impact on economies dependent on tourism, agriculture
and fisheries could be devastating. Whilst the risk may be small
it is not tolerable when potential accident or incident
consequences are potentially so great."
Unlike oil tankers, which must have sturdier "double-hulls",
ships that transport reprocessed used uranium fuel across Europe
only need a single hull.
NFLA members have urged the First Minister to call on Westminster
ministers to ban the Atlantic Osprey from carrying future
radioactive cargoes.
Captain Malcolm Miller, head of international transport for
British Nuclear Group, said, "Safety of the public is ensured by
the very robust packages that contain the fuel, which are
designed and tested to international (International Atomic Energy
Agency) standards.
"The ship, the Atlantic Osprey, also has a range of additional
safety features over and above a normal cargo ship, including an
additional watertight bulkhead, cargo fire protection and back-up
electrical supplies."
A British Nuclear Group spokesman added that when shipping MOX to
Japan it made sense to transport more radioactive material, which
meant invoking even more stringent safety standards.
He said an "appropriately armed" response team was on board the
Atlantic Osprey during voyages to European ports. It had made the
journey from Barrow-in-Furness to mainland Europe three times.
What is MOX fuel?
Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel is made of a mixture of plutonium and
uranium oxides. It can be used alongside uranium fuel in
conventional nuclear reactors to make electricity. It is an
energy- efficient fuel which allows the products of reprocessing
used uranium fuel to be recycled.
Reprocessing used uranium fuel recovers 97% of the original fuel,
(96% uranium, 1% plutonium) removing the 3% waste. According to
the British Nuclear Group, this allows new fuel to be produced
without the need to mine fresh uranium. More than 1,500 tonnes of
MOX fuel has been safely loaded into reactors around the world
since 1963.
icWales is a trade mark of Western Mail & Echo Limited.
*****************************************************************
48 Guardian Unlimited: Engineer Says Bomb Test Plan Incomplete
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday January 10, 2007 8:31 PM
By KEN RITTER Associated Press Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) - An air-quality engineer says government plans
for a huge non-nuclear blast at the Nevada Test Site failed to
consider the possibility that the explosion will kick up fine
radioactive dust and carry it hundreds of miles.
A federal official agreed and said the engineer's objections
will be included in a final environmental assessment.
The proposed test would detonate 700 tons of a mixture of fuel
oil and ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the same materials in the
bomb that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City in
1995 and killed 168 people.
It would generate the first mushroom cloud in decades at the
Nevada Test Site.
Critics said it would kick up radioactive dust left from
Cold-War-era nuclear tests and allow it to drift downwind toward
Las Vegas and Utah.
Algirdas Leskys, a data analyst with the Clark County Department
of Air Quality and Environmental Management, said Tuesday at a
public forum on the proposed test that the draft environmental
assessment didn't consider the likelihood that extremely small
bits of dust - measuring 2.5 microns - would become airborne. A
micron is one one-millionth of a meter.
Leskys, who stressed that he was not acting in his official
capacity, said dust that fine could settle as far away as Las
Vegas or Utah. ``They could stay in the atmosphere for weeks,
and settle hundreds of miles from here,'' he said.
Michael Skougard, an official of the National Nuclear Security
Administration, acknowledged that analysts looked at larger,
10-micron particles when they determined that a 10,000-foot
cloud would dissipate within 13 miles.
Skougard said Leskys' concerns will be included in a final
report before officials decide whether to authorize the test.
Officials say the blast would provide crucial data on the kind
of shock needed to destroy deeply buried or hardened targets.
However, the test has been postponed indefinitely by a lawsuit
filed by Western Shoshone tribe members and by people living
downwind in Utah and Nevada.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
49 Comments for licensing of the centrifuge public meeting
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:54:51 -0500
Date: Jan 9, 2007
I’m Vina Colley, President of PRESS (Portsmouth/Piketon Residents
for Environmental Safety and Security). (Co -Chair National
Nuclear Workers for Justice) NNWJ 740-353-2275 cell 740-357-8916
PRESS asks that you stop the licensing of the Centrifuge project
because more time is needed to view the recently revealed
problems with USEC and the site.
We are deeply concerned that we could become the site for storing
spent fuel rods from all over the country if this license is
permitted. We believe that the license would be used to hold
control of the site for the next 30 years while USEC’s subsidiary
company transports in irradiated fuel to be dumped here for the
long haul.
We even question if the centrifuge proposal is for real or just a
carrot that was dangled before us while the real dirty work of
converting Piketon into a high-level nuclear waste dump was going
on behind our backs.
We don’t trust that USEC has even developed a usable centrifuge
technology. If they have, why haven’t they shown it?
We don’t trust that USEC is capable of financing the centrifuge
facility they say they are proposing. If they were, why have they
admitted that they don’t have the investors on board to get
started?
We don’t trust that the EIS has even dealt with the new
revelations about USEC. That is, that they don’t have the
technology, they don’t have the money for uranium enrichment, but
they do now own a subsidiary that’s in the business of storing
and transporting spent fuel rods. And there have been other
traceable connections between USEC and this new plan to dump
radioactive waste at Piketon.
Too many of my neighbors and co-workers have already been killed
by the cover-ups and the contamination at Piketon. The site is
already a super fund sea of contamination and the clean-up is
stalled. Allowing a High Level Nuclear Waste dump to slip in here
under the guise of USEC’s license for a centrifuge plant, would
be an enormous crime.
Holding out the promise of good jobs to a deeply depressed
community, while the real story is that there are no good jobs
coming, well, that would also be an enormous crime.
If the centrifuge is on the level, which we seriously doubt, then
we are concerned because the high costs that the community will
pay in tax abatements and other subsidies will not be balanced
out with an equal return in the number of safe, livable-wage jobs
for our community.
Where, in your EIS have you dealt with the impact of granting a
license to USEC while USEC is connected to the plans for storage
of high-level radioactive waste dump at Piketon?
How will the spent fuel rod dump impact the safety and health of
the workers at the proposed centrifuge facility (that is if there
really is a legitimate plan for a centrifuge facility)?????
How does the public get to consider all these impacts put
together?
Again, we ask that you stop the licensing process at least until
these urgent questions are answered to the benefit of the
community.
*****************************************************************
50 Nevada Appeal: It's 2007, and time to give Yucca Mountain a brake
Opinion
January 10, 2007
by Abby Johnson
For 30 years, the federal government has been forcing a nuclear
waste repository on the state of Nevada. Nevada has pushed back
against Congress, a succession of presidents and secretaries of
energy, and the nuclear-power brokers.
When the feds first eyed Nevada as a dumping ground for the
nation's high-level nuclear waste and spent-nuclear fuel from
power plants, Nevada's population was 621,975, and Gerald Ford
was president.
The Yucca Mountain site, at the western edge of the Nevada Test
Site, was attractive because of its remote, dry isolation and
proximity to land contaminated by radioactivity and already
owned by the government. It would be an easy sell to the state
that was a willing host for nuclear weapons testing. Nevada was
powerless in Congress, it was thought, and easy to override.
Then the feds began to study the site to determine if it was
"safe." Over the years, the litmus test changed from "safe" to
"suitable" to "able to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission." It's more than a word game: The understanding of
what the repository would do and how it would contain the waste
has shifted over time.
It was assumed that a mountain in the desert would be, in the
nuclear power industry's words "bone dry." But one of the
biggest challenges to DOE has been how to handle the water that
moves through the cracks, fissures and earthquake faults in the
volcanic rock above the water table in Yucca Mountain, and how
to handle the heat generated by the waste.
Along the way, DOE realized that geology alone would not contain
the waste. It is now depending on engineered barriers, including
disposal containers made of experimental metals whose long-term
resistance to corrosion is uncertain. The debate is not about
whether the repository will leak radiation into the water table
and atmosphere, it's about when - one hundred, five hundred or
thousands of years into the future.
In the past two years, the repository program has been slowed
down by rule and design changes, and a vexing number of details.
DOE has had problems preparing the body of information that must
be available electronically for the licensing process, a
prerequisite for applying for a license. There have been serious
questions about whether some of the research meets
quality-assurance requirements.
Yucca Mountain isn't remote anymore. Now the population of
Nevada is more than four times higher than in 1975 - pushing 2.6
million. Clark County alone has 1.8 million people, and Pahrump,
down the road from Yucca Mountain, has a 9 percent annual growth
rate. By the time the repository would be operational,
optimistically projected at 2017, Nevada's population will be
seven times greater than it was in 1975.
Yucca Mountain hasn't changed, but Nevada has.
The national political climate has also changed. While DOE's
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management is being
directed by Ward Sproat, a dynamic outsider, Nevada's Sen. Harry
Reid as majority leader is in a place to slow Congressional
action and block fast-tracking of the repository.
But even Reid, speaking to reporters after the November
election, acknowledged that he can't stop Yucca, just slow it
down. Expecting Congress to eliminate all funding for the
project, the ultimate OFF switch, is not a realistic option.
What stopped the ill-conceived Great Basin MX missile project 25
years ago was the president.
In the next 12 months, Nevada is going to be in the spotlight
as an early proving ground for presidential candidates. The
Democratic Party's presidential caucus will be held in January
2008. Like New Hampshire and Iowa, voters and the media should
have unprecedented access to meet the presidential hopefuls and
quiz them about their Yucca stand. Republican candidates will
also court Nevada as a possible swing state.
The next president has the opportunity to smash the glass and
pull the emergency brake to stop the costly and unsafe Yucca
Mountain repository program. The new president can redirect
efforts into research and development, support above ground
storage at or near existing nuclear power plants as a safe
interim measure, and flip the Yucca switch to OFF.
The new year brings Nevadans the opportunity to get commitments
from presidential hopefuls to bring the Yucca Mountain project
to a long overdue and screeching halt.
• Abby Johnson is a resident of Carson City, and a part-time
resident of Baker. She consults on community development and
nuclear waste issues. Her opinions are her own and do not
necessarily reflect those of her clients.
All contents © Copyright 2007 nevadaappeal.com
Nevada Appeal - 580 Mallory Way - Carson City, NV 89701
*****************************************************************
51 AP Wire: Officials say radioactive cleanup will be closely monitored
01/10/2007 |
Associated Press
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - State environmental officials assured
neighbors they will monitor closely for radioactive dust during
demolition of seven contaminated buildings at the Safety Light
Superfund cleanup site.
"We're not going to let them do anything that will release
radioactivity off site," said Jeff Whitehead, of the state
Department of Environmental Protection.
Safety Light used radioactive chemicals for decades in its
manufacturing and continues to manufacture glow-in-the-dark exit
signs, but is required by federal regulators to leave the
property by the end of 2007.
Demolition of the buildings, expected to cost up to $3 million,
may start as early as fall and take six to eight weeks, said
Mitch Cron, heading the cleanup for the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Overall, the cleanup of contaminated buildings, soil and
groundwater at the property will cost taxpayers up to $120
million over many years, said Cron. He said the EPA will host
another public meeting to explain demolition plans once they are
final.
*****************************************************************
52 AFP: New study doubts zircon ceramics for long-term nuclear waste -
Wednesday January 10, 06:56 PM
[Barrels containing high level radioactive nuclear waste are
stored in a pool]
PARIS (AFP) - Zircon ceramics, proposed as a solution for the
headache of plutonium waste, would be swiftly degraded by
radioactive bombardment, scientists have learnt.
More than five decades after the first commercial nuclear
reactor began generating power, waste stockpiles have reached
the point where numerous countries are pushing ahead with
multi-billion-dollar plans for long-term storage of this hazard.
Their biggest problem is highly radioactive waste, especially
plutonium, which has to be stored for tens of thousands, even
hundreds of thousands of years before it can be deemed safe.
As plutonium decays, it emits alpha particles, which are
high-energy particles that whack into the atoms that make up the
container structure. The structure's neat atomic order is
jostled, eventually compromising its strength.
Synthetic zircon has emerged as a leading proposed contender for
storing high-level waste, because zircon, as a crystal, is able
to contain naturally-occurring uranium for millions of years.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge in Britain used
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a technique to
assess the atomic structure of materials, to see how natural
zircon coped with exposure to plutonium 239.
They had expected each alpha particle to jostle between 1,000
and 2,000 zircon atoms, but the tests showed that in fact 5,000
were displaced.
On this basis, a synthetic zircon container could start leaking
radioactivity after only 1,400 years, they calculate.
"This time is very short in terms of the ideal immobilisation of
plutonium 239 for ... 241,000 years," say the authors, led by
Ian Farnan of the university's Department of Earth Sciences.
The paper appears on Thursday in Nature, the weekly British
science journal.
AFP
*****************************************************************
53 chillicothe gazette: Citizens divided on Piketon 30-year license
By LORI McNELLY
Gazette City Editor
PIKETON -Opinions are divided along a few lines when it comes to
the American Centrifuge's application for licensure.
A public meeting Tuesday, conducted by the Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board at the OSU South Centers-Endeavor Center aimed at
gaining public comment was part of the last phase before the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission considers a proposed 30-year
license to USEC Inc.'s American Centrifuge.
While many of the hundred or so who attended the meeting at the
OSU South Centers-Endeavor Center said well-compensated
manufacturing jobs were needed in the region, their neighbors
said the environmental and health impact wasn't worth a 30-year
agreement.
John McCoy, of Chillicothe, works for the company doing cleanup
of waste from decades of enrichment at the Piketon site.
Eventually, he said, the cleanup will be finished and the work
will be done. All the lower-paying jobs in the community
supported by those cleanup jobs will suffer.
"There will be no jobs in the future if the ACP doesn't exist,"
he said. "Those jobs not only represent the work force at the
site, those pay, those benefits" affect services in the
community.
He said the environmental impact is minimal. Saudi Arabia stores
its waste in the desert, while Russia sinks nuclear submarines in
the Black Sea.
"Let's not be buried in the past, let's look forward to the
future," McCoy said. He drew upon images of the oil shortage of
the 1970s and added nuclear fuel is a domestic energy source for
the United States.
Dan Minter's family farm is right across the road from the plant
site, and he is the president of United Steelworkers Local 5-689,
which represents workers at the plant. He is also vice chairman
of Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative.
He encouraged the approval of the license application. Minter
said the safety issues should be addressed by Nuclear Regulatory
Commission oversight, that those efforts would help insure
workers safety and environmental health.
"Having worked at an NRC-regulated facility since 1997, I have
observed firsthand that safe and well-regulated organizations in
turn develop efficient, productive and profitable operations.
This must be the approach taken regarding this technology
deployment," Minter said.
"Both USEC and the union-represented work force must take
ownership of, and responsibility for, ensuring that safety is the
first goal at every stage of this important program and the other
elements of success will follow."
Vina Colley, president of Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for
Environmental Safety and Security, is concerned the Piketon site
could become a storage dump for spent fuel rods if the 30-year
license is approved.
"We believe that the license would be used to hold control of the
site for the next 30 years while USEC's subsidiary company
transports in irradiated fuel to be dumped here for the long
haul," Colley said.
PRESS also points to rising costs and questions whether USEC can
fund the American Centrifuge project, and the viability of the
centrifuge technology.
"We don't trust that the (environmental impact statement) has
even dealt with the new revelations about USEC. That is, that
they don't have the technology, they don't have the money for
uranium enrichment, but they do now own a subsidiary that's in
the business of storing and transporting spent fuel rods," Colley
said.
(McNelly can be reached at 772-9366 or via e-mail at
lmcnelly@nncogannett.com)
*****************************************************************
54 AU ABC: Miner committed to uranium prospect despite Govt policy.
10/01/2007. ABC News Online
Mining company Thundelarra Exploration says it has not been
deterred by the Western Australian Government's strong
anti-uranium mining policy.
The company is eager to exploit its East Kimberley Spinifex
prospect, in the state's north, which contains high-grade
uranium.
The Spinifex project consists of two tenements covering 720
square kilometres just north of the Argyle diamond mine.
The company's director of exploration, Brian Richardson, says
the Government needs to reconsider its position on uranium
mining.
His comments come after federal Environment Minister Ian
Campbell publicly called on the Carpenter Government to
reconsider its position.
Mr Richardson believes many environmentalists now support
uranium mining.
"From the greenies' point of view, uranium is now very well
accepted by a lot of the senior greenie people out there, that
it's good for the environment," he said.
"From the people who want WA or Australia to continue to grow
and prosper, ask them what they think about opening up
additional mines in the state."
But the Greens have lashed out at the suggestions uranium
mining is being endorsed by environmentalists.
WA Greens' Senator Rachel Siewert says uranium mining and
nuclear power are not viable options for the future.
Senator Siewert says mining groups are using climate change as
an excuse to push the case for uranium mining.
She is furious with Thundelarra Exploration suggestions that
senior environmentalists accept uranium mining is good for the
environment.
"That's a load of nonsense. It is not accepted by the green
movement and it is certainly not accepted by the Australian
Greens," he said.
"Uranium and nuclear power is not the fuel of the future. It
does not seriously address the issue of climate change,
renewable energies do."
*****************************************************************
55 Whitehaven News: Thorp given OK to re-start
Published on 10/01/2007
The Health and Safety Executive announced today that it has
granted consent for the re-start of the Thorp facility at the
Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.
HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is satisfied that the
licensee, British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd, has done all the
work necessary to ensure that Thorp can be re-started and
operated safely.
This work includes satisfactorily addressing the recommendations
arising from NII's investigation of a leak of radioactive liquid
inside a shielded facility within Thorp; clearing all BNGSL's
own recommendations arising from that incident; and completing
any plant modifications and safety case improvements necessary
to ensure safety.
The actual date for restart of reprocessing new fuel at Thorp is
a matter for BNGSL.
*****************************************************************
56 CS Monitor OpEd: Mid East Nuclear Free Zone Proposal
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:04:37 EST
X-Sender-Host-Name: imo-d05.mx.aol.com
X-Spam-Class: HAM
Christian Science Monitor
from the January 10, 2007 edition -
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0110/p09s02-coop.html
A Middle East free of nuclear weapons
Such an agreement could not only head off an arms race, but might also help
in addressing fundamental political issues as well.
By Bennett Ramberg
LOS ANGELES
The recent announcement by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to explore
development of nuclear energy sent a shudder through the nonproliferation
community. The concern? Like Iran, these countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - could some- day use the
peaceful atom to mount a nuclear weapons program.
As regional nuclear ambition - and apprehension - grows, it is none too soon
to start thinking seriously about the merits of a bold, old idea: a Middle
East nuclear weapons-free zone (MENFZ). Participating nations could use this
agreement not only to head off a nuclear arms race, but to address more
fundamental political issues as well. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's
advocacy for such a zone in his visit last year to the United States may have been a
trial balloon or mere propaganda, but Arab states increasingly find the
principle attractive.
Given current concerns about Iran, it is not without irony that it initiated
the first MENFZ proposal, albeit in the different era of the US-backed shah.
Iran and Egypt cosponsored a resolution that appeared on the UN General
Assembly agenda on Dec. 9, 1974. It invited all nations in the Middle East to
reciprocally agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.
In the decades that followed, Cairo led the drumbeat for the MENFZ in the UN.
Israel viewed it as an Arab ploy to embarrass the Jewish state. Initially,
Jerusalem tried to use the initiative to garner Arab recognition. It asked its
neighbors to sit down and negotiate. Arab states declined, arguing that
Israel's political legitimacy had to be resolved first. In subsequent years,
Jerusalem turned the tables. It said that denuclearization could not advance apart
from the "peace process" and the end of the "active state of war."
What would it take to initiate such a zone today? The MENFZ requires
resolution of at least four critical issues: geography, prohibitions, verification,
and enforcement.
The zone would include the 22-nation Arab League plus Iran and Israel. The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would eliminate all nuclear weapons,
weapons-usable material, and weapons technology. Libya's denuclearization
provides a template. The MENFZ would not bar nuclear power or other peaceful atomic
activities - including fuel production.
However, a "joint" IAEA/host country team would bear managerial
responsibility. Additional resident agency inspectors would oversee safety protocols while
reserving the right to uncover all undeclared nuclear sites that they could
terminate on proliferation grounds, or subject to safeguards. International
inspectors also would safeguard dual-use technology. Violations, which the host
country failed to promptly rectify, would result in meaningful sanctions -
including military force if necessary - embodied in the zone treaty and endorsed by
the UN Security Council. This would tether Tehran's nuclear ambition to a
tripwire linked to material consequences.
Under the MENFZ, Israel would bear the largest sacrifice - the surrender of
its nuclear weapons capacity. In the 1950s, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion
initiated the program to compensate for the fledgling state's fragile
conventional forces and the unwillingness of the West to forge a military alliance.
Today, a different military balance characterizes the Middle East. Israel is the
dominant regional conventional military power. Nuclear proliferation will put
this superiority at risk. Then there is the possibility of Middle East terrorist
access to poorly secured weapons materials or bombs.
Clearly, no Israeli nuclear deterrent will dissuade the suicidal nuclear
terrorist.
To be sure, the zone must include compensatory measures for Israel's nuclear
disarmament. The solution: Israel's admission into NATO with a substantial
alliance troop presence on Israeli soil, coupled to a separate US guarantee.
Turkey provides precedent for non-European or North American membership in
the alliance. NATO's involvement in Afghanistan marks the body's growing
recognition that its vital security interests extend beyond the European theater. The
risk that nuclear terror could hatch in the Middle East marks NATO's
strategic interest to make the region nuclear-free.
Placing Israel under America's strategic nuclear retaliatory umbrella would
provide it with necessary reassurance. NATO membership would offer it multiple
advantages. For the first time in its history, Israel would be linked to a
family of nations dedicated to its survival, an ambition that goes back to its
earliest years. This alliance and American reassurance would ease the way for
Israel to make the territorial concessions with Palestinians and Syrians that
might help bring peace. And, for Iran and other regional nuclear aspirants, a
nuclear-free zone would eliminate the prospect of a preemptive conventional or
nuclear attack by a Jewish state that believes its very existence is at stake.
• Bennett Ramberg served in the State Department during President Geeorge H.W.
Bush's administration. He is the author of three books on international
security.
www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2006 The Christian Science Monitor. All
rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
57 AFP: A Middle East free of nuclear weapons
Opinion A Middle East free of nuclear weapons
By Bennett Ramberg Wed Jan 10, 3:00 AM ET
LOS ANGELES - The recent announcement by the six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council to explore development of nuclear energy sent
a shudder through the nonproliferation community. The concern?
Like Iran " /> Iran, these countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - could some-
day use the peaceful atom to mount a nuclear weapons program.
As regional nuclear ambition - and apprehension - grows, it is
none too soon to start thinking seriously about the merits of a
bold, old idea: a Middle East nuclear weapons-free zone (MENFZ).
Participating nations could use this agreement not only to head
off a nuclear arms race, but to address more fundamental
political issues as well. Former Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami " /> Mohammad Khatami's advocacy for such a zone in his
visit last year to the United States may have been a trial
balloon or mere propaganda, but Arab states increasingly find the
principle attractive.
Given current concerns about Iran, it is not without irony that
it initiated the first MENFZ proposal, albeit in the different
era of the US-backed shah. Iran and Egypt cosponsored a
resolution that appeared on the UN General Assembly agenda on
Dec. 9, 1974. It invited all nations in the Middle East to
reciprocally agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.
In the decades that followed, Cairo led the drumbeat for the
MENFZ in the UN. Israel " /> Israelviewed it as an Arab ploy to
embarrass the Jewish state. Initially, Jerusalem tried to use the
initiative to garner Arab recognition. It asked its neighbors to
sit down and negotiate. Arab states declined, arguing that
Israel's political legitimacy had to be resolved first. In
subsequent years, Jerusalem turned the tables. It said that
denuclearization could not advance apart from the "peace process"
and the end of the "active state of war."
What would it take to initiate such a zone today? The MENFZ
requires resolution of at least four critical issues: geography,
prohibitions, verification, and enforcement.
The zone would include the 22-nation Arab League plus Iran and
Israel. The International Atomic Energy Agency " /> International
Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) would eliminate all nuclear weapons,
weapons-usable material, and weapons technology. Libya's
denuclearization provides a template. The MENFZ would not bar
nuclear power or other peaceful atomic activities - including
fuel production.
However, a "joint" IAEA/host country team would bear managerial
responsibility. Additional resident agency inspectors would
oversee safety protocols while reserving the right to uncover
all undeclared nuclear sites that they could terminate on
proliferation grounds, or subject to safeguards. International
inspectors also would safeguard dual-use technology. Violations,
which the host country failed to promptly rectify, would result
in meaningful sanctions - including military force if necessary
- embodied in the zone treaty and endorsed by the UN Security
Council. This would tether Tehran's nuclear ambition to a
tripwire linked to material consequences.
Under the MENFZ, Israel would bear the largest sacrifice - the
surrender of its nuclear weapons capacity. In the 1950s, Prime
Minister David Ben Gurion initiated the program to compensate
for the fledgling state's fragile conventional forces and the
unwillingness of the West to forge a military alliance. Today, a
different military balance characterizes the Middle East. Israel
is the dominant regional conventional military power. Nuclear
proliferation will put this superiority at risk. Then there is
the possibility of Middle East terrorist access to poorly
secured weapons materials or bombs.
Clearly, no Israeli nuclear deterrent will dissuade the suicidal
nuclear terrorist.
To be sure, the zone must include compensatory measures for
Israel's nuclear disarmament. The solution: Israel's admission
into NATO " /> NATOwith a substantial alliance troop presence on
Israeli soil, coupled to a separate US guarantee.
Turkey provides precedent for non-European or North American
membership in the alliance. NATO's involvement in Afghanistan "
/> Afghanistanmarks the body's growing recognition that its vital
security interests extend beyond the European theater. The risk
that nuclear terror could hatch in the Middle East marks NATO's
strategic interest to make the region nuclear-free.
Placing Israel under America's strategic nuclear retaliatory
umbrella would provide it with necessary reassurance. NATO
membership would offer it multiple advantages. For the first time
in its history, Israel would be linked to a family of nations
dedicated to its survival, an ambition that goes back to its
earliest years. This alliance and American reassurance would ease
the way for Israel to make the territorial concessions with
Palestinians and Syrians that might help bring peace. And, for
Iran and other regional nuclear aspirants, a nuclear-free zone
would eliminate the prospect of a preemptive conventional or
nuclear attack by a Jewish state that believes its very existence
is at stake.
* Bennett Ramberg served in the State Department during President
George H.W. Bush's administration. He is the author of three
books on international security.
*****************************************************************
58 Aiken Today: SRS now can perform Homeland Security tests
+ AikenStandard.com
Wed, Jan 10, 2007
By PHILIP LORD Senior writer
A recent audit has given officials at the Savannah River Site
the accreditation they need to be able to perform testing for
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The audit by the National Institute of Science and Technology
means DOE's Health Physics Instrument Calibration Laboratory has
achieved National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
(NVLAP) accreditation status for ionizing radiation. NVLAP is a
U.S. Government entity that accredits testing and calibration
laboratories found competent to perform specific tests or
calibrations, said Washington Savannah River Site spokesperson
Fran Poda.
The lab's function at SRS is to test and calibrate instruments
that measure levels of radioactivity. Every year, the lab
calibrates thousands of SRS instruments in state-of-the-art
facilities, Poda said.
"This is an example of a team having a vision and working for
it," says Phil Breidenbach, the WSRC manager responsible for
Environment, Safety and Health. "They did their homework, knew
what they had to do, and improved the process so that they could
achieve this success. They deserve it and everyone involved
should be very proud."
In order to achieve national accreditation, the lab had to go
through a rigorous quality and technical audit. The SRS lab is
only the second in the DOE complex – the other being Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory – to receive this accreditation.
"We have some of the leading experts in the field of instrument
calibration at SRS," says Jim Stafford, WSRC's manager of
Radiological Protection Programs. "The NVLAP auditors recognized
this expertise and were very complimentary of our preparation
and response to the audit."
The accreditation opens the door to opportunities for the
facility to use its capabilities to help stop terrorists from
smuggling radioactive material into our nation, Poda said.
"What is needed is a place that can safely handle radioactive
materials, knowledgeable people, and special capabilities to
conduct the tests," says Breidenbach. "We have all three."
Being able to do work for the Department of Homeland Security
helps to diversify the types of work being done at SRS and the
funding sources from which money is received.
"Our facility calibrates radiological instruments," says
Stafford. "Homeland Security has given out these types of
instruments to fire departments and other agencies around the
country. These are instruments that need to be calibrated, and
we are capable of meeting that need."
Contact Philip Lord at plord@aikenstandard.com
© 2005 The AikenStandard. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
59 DOE: United States-Japan Cooperation on Energy Security
January 9, 2007
The United States and Japan enjoy strong energy cooperation
through the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Working Group, the
Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP),
and the International Energy Forum. Also, the two countries
have energy technology cooperation that includes the
International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (I-NERI), the
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project,
the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), and the
International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE).
The United States and Japan are committed to strengthening the
energy security of both countries as two major economic powers
and energy consumers. Both sides recognize that improving
energy efficiency and diversifying their energy mix - making
wider use of clean and alternative energy, such as clean use of
coal, nuclear energy and renewables, improving the investment
climate in energy producing countries and engaging emerging
economies are essential for ensuring the mutual energy security
of the United States and Japan and addressing global climate
change. Samuel W. Bodman, Secretary of Energy of the United
States of America, and Akira Amari, Minister of Economy, Trade
and Industry of Japan, therefore met in Washington on January 9,
2007, to review their current and prospective cooperative
activities in the energy field.
I. Diversifying Energy Mix
Nuclear Power: The United States and Japan have significant,
longstanding nuclear cooperation and recognize that continued
cooperation in the nuclear energy area would contribute to
energy security, nuclear nonproliferation and addressing global
climate change.
Both sides are committed to collaboration on the various aspects
of the civilian nuclear fuel cycle. The United States and Japan
will jointly develop a civil nuclear energy action plan that
will provide a framework for collaboration. The plan will place
focus on: (a) research and development activities under the
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership initiative that will build
upon the significant civilian nuclear energy technical
cooperation already underway; (b) collaboration on policies and
programs that support the construction of new nuclear power
plants; and (c) regulatory and nonproliferation-related
exchanges. The plan will be completed by April 2007.
Clean Coal: With a common understanding that further promotion
of research and development of clean coal technologies and their
dissemination is an urgent task in addressing global
environmental issues, both sides welcome the intention of the
Japanese government to actively participate in the FutureGen
Project, a United States-sponsored initiative to construct the
worlds first emission-free coal fired electricity generation
plant. Japan will make contributions in the forms of expertise,
funding, and information exchange on carbon capture and
sequestration technology.
Both sides share the interest in accelerating the ongoing
research, development and dissemination of clean coal
technologies, such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
(IGCC) and Carbon Capture and Storage by promoting bilateral
exchange of information between public and private sectors
through the APP.
Methane Hydrates: In addition to the ongoing cooperation among
the United States and Japanese researchers, both sides will
continue their information exchange on methane hydrates. Given
the complicated variability associated with methane hydrate R&D,
enhanced cooperation specifically in the areas of production
testing and detection will substantially accelerate the
feasibility of commercial methane hydrate production.
Renewable Energy: Renewable energy is among the key
alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. International
cooperation to accelerate the use of renewable energy is already
underway, for example, in the IEA, APEC, and the APP. The
United States and Japan recognize the great potential of
renewables and have made significant strides in deployment of
these technologies, as evidenced by Japans investment in
grid-connected solar photovoltaics and the increase in U.S.
production of biofuels. In the area of biofuels, production
from cellulosic feedstocks presents significant opportunities
for limiting oil use and carbon emissions but requires further
R&D efforts before becoming cost-competitive. The United States
and Japan may therefore explore ways to enhance exchange of
information on the technology for production of biofuels from
such cellulosic feedstocks.
II. Improving Energy Efficiency: Both sides recognize that
energy conservation and efficiency provide many of the most
cost-effective ways to enhance energy security and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. With the view to improving the
efficiency of energy use, the United States and Japan will
enhance the exchange of information on good practices in both
public and private sectors.
Both sides also recognize that the APP and the collaborative
efforts it has catalyzed between the government and business
community provide a successful example of technology-focused,
public-private partnership, and encourage its greater political
momentum. Accordingly, both sides will continue to support the
APP activities. The United States and Japan support efforts by
the IEA in developing energy efficiency indicators and compiling
best practices, which will provide useful inputs to the APP.
III. Improving Investment Climate in Energy Producing
Countries: The United States and Japan share concerns about
impediments in energy producing countries to the significant new
investment needed to meet world wide growing energy demand.
Both sides will therefore continue to encourage energy producing
countries to improve their investment climate in the ways that
were endorsed by the G8 Leaders in the St. Petersburg Plan of
Action on Global Energy Security. Specifically, the United
States and Japan will endeavor to enhance understanding that
foreign investments in upstream sectors are beneficial for
energy producing and consuming countries alike; to encourage
transparent, equitable, stable and effective legal and
regulatory frameworks; and to emphasize the obligation of all
countries to uphold the sanctity of contracts.
IV. Engaging Emerging Economies: Both sides recognize that the
engagement of emerging economies, particularly China and India,
is crucial for ensuring global energy security. Integrating
these growing energy consumers into the global energy market and
promoting responsible market-based policies and energy use will
be a priority for both countries. Both sides therefore agree to
strengthen their cooperation with China and India with
particular focus on energy efficiency and emergency
preparedness. The Five-Country Energy Ministers meeting in
December 2006 (in which ministers from China, India, Japan,
Korea and the United States participated) was a good example of
coordinated engagement efforts by the United States and Japan.
Both sides also agree to ensure close cooperation and
coordination in working with China and India through their
respective bilateral dialogue with these countries and
multilateral fora including APEC, the IEA, and the APP.
Recognizing that there is substantial potential for improving
energy efficiency in China and India, both sides agree to
strengthen their cooperation for institutional and capacity
building in this area and to encourage market-based pricing in
these countries as a prerequisite for energy conservation and
efficiency and investment in conventional and alternative
energies.
Noting the efforts by China and India to build the strategic oil
reserves and recognizing that internationally coordinated
emergency response will substantially enhance their
effectiveness, both sides will continue to encourage China and
India to align with the IEA in such emergency response measures
as a stock draw-down and demand restraint at the time of any
supply disruption.
The cooperative activities highlighted above reflect the breadth
of challenges that the United States and Japan share in
enhancing energy security. The two countries also have a great
deal of expertise to offer in a range of energy technology
fields. Through the commitment to facilitating cooperation in
the areas of energy security and technology options, both sides
further strengthen the ongoing efforts to enhance energy
security, the environment and sustainable economic development
in the world.
Media contact(s): Craig Stevens, 202-586-4940 [ ]
U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW |
Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403
*****************************************************************
60 DOE: Department of Energy Releases Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Strategic Plan
January 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant
Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon today released the
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Strategic Plan, which
details the Initiatives purpose, principles and implementation
strategy. The Plan outlines a path forward to enable worldwide
increase in the use of safe, emissions-free nuclear energy
without contributing to the spread of nuclear weapons
capabilities in a manner that responsibly addresses the waste
produced.
For the United States, GNEP is good policy; for industry, it
could be very good business, Assistant Secretary Spurgeon said.
Releasing GNEPs Strategic Plan demonstrates the seriousness
DOE places on this Initiative as well as the seriousness of our
nations need to incorporate safe, emissions-free nuclear power
into our nations energy mix. While DOE labs and research
facilities host some of the best scientists, the GNEP Strategic
Plan gives researchers, experts and industry the opportunity to
examine and understand our vision.
The Strategic Plan is a guiding document, one that can be
modified if the U.S. Government, our international partners and
industry deem it appropriate. It lays out DOEs plan to prepare
for construction and operation of a nuclear fuel recycling
center and an advanced recycling reactor, and for continuing an
aggressive research and development program focused on advanced
fuel cycle technology. The Plan also specifies criteria
necessary to consider in order to safely and successfully
implement the goals of GNEP.
The Strategic Plan provides a framework for the U.S. to:
1. Expand nuclear power to meet growing energy demand;
2. Develop, demonstrate, and deploy advanced technologies for
recycling spent nuclear fuel without separating plutonium;
3. Develop, demonstrate, and deploy advance reactors that
consume transuranics;
4. Establish reliable fuel services worldwide;
5. Develop, demonstrate, and deploy proliferation resistant
reactors appropriate to power grids and;
6. Develop enhanced safeguards to ensure nuclear energy
systems are used for peaceful purposes.
This Plan identifies the technology, economic and environmental
information necessary to present a convincing case to the
Secretary of Energy for his decision on a path forward regarding
the design and construction of recycling facilities in support
of GNEP.
GNEP is a part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative,
which seeks to reduce our reliance in imported oil by changing
the way we power our cars, homes and business. For more
information on GNEP, visit: http://www.gnep.gov/.
GNEP Strategic Plan Jan 2007
Media contact(s): Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940 [ ]
U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW |
Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403
*****************************************************************
61 DenverPost.com: 3 Colo. lawmakers want delay in Flats decision
By The Denver Post
StaffArticle Last Updated: 01/09/2007 10:50:14 PM MST
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Three members of Colorado's congressional
delegation have asked a federal panel to delay making a decision
on granting compensation to some Rocky Flats workers, citing
concerns that the approval process is flawed.
Sen. Ken Salazar and Reps. Mark Udall and Ed Perlmutter, all
Colorado Democrats, are urging the federal Radiation Advisory
Board to take more time to consider a petition filed by United
Steelworkers Local 8031.
If approved, the petition would grant compensation for workers
who were exposed to radiation and have certain types of cancers.
The delegation complained that the Bush administration has
stacked the advisory board with petition opponents and that
records supporting worker claims are "grossly incomplete and
unreliable."
"Although we - and the Rocky Flats workers and their families -
are anxious to reach a conclusion to this drawn-out
administrative process, it would be wrong to rush to judgment
under certain circumstances," the officials wrote.
The board is scheduled to discuss the petition at its February
meeting in Denver.
All contents Copyright 2007 The Denver Post or other copyright
*****************************************************************
62 Knox News: Y-12's big rehab tests commitment to safety
By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com
January 10, 2007
Much talk at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant focuses on the Oak
Ridge plant's modernization program, including plans for the $1
billion Uranium Processing Facility.
UPF would replace Y-12's main production center, known as the
9212 complex, and would enhance capabilities for producing
uranium parts for nuclear bombs.
The new facility, however, is still in its early stages of
development, awaiting design approvals and big bucks from
Congress, and it's not expected to become operable until at least
2015 and probably later.
That's why the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board continues
to raise safety issues about 9212. If construction plans for UPF
get delayed or nixed in Washington, D.C., the lifetime of 9212
would likely be extended and those safety issues - including
long-standing seismic concerns - would become even more
important.
The National Nuclear Security Administration, the federal
overseer of Y-12, hasn't been very open in discussing the
deficiencies at 9212 or the potential problems should UPF be
delayed. Most information has come from the safety board's
reports, which are released publicly after being screened for
classified info.
There are two big-time reviews under way, and both relate to
safety issues at 9212, where weapons-grade uranium is processed.
According to one safety board report, it may be necessary to
shut down the facility for a couple of months to accomplish the
safety-related improvements.
Steven Wyatt, a federal spokesman at Y-12, said there is no
direct correlation between the two reports, identified as the
Facility Risk Review and the Documented Safety Analysis.
The risk review is looking at longer-term investments that may
be required to operate 9212 safely over the next 15 years, he
said.
"These documents are intended to analyze the risk of nuclear
facility operations, to identify controls to ensure risk is
minimized and to ensure that the nuclear facility operates
within the risk accepted by NNSA," Wyatt said.
He said the plant's managing contractor, BWXT, does not plan to
suspend operations at 9212 for the near term, but it may be
necessary in the future.
There are continuing negotiations on these issues.
The NNSA apparently is reluctant to invest millions of dollars
in a production facility that is slated for closure. On the
other hand, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is
worried that, if those improvements are postponed and then the
schedule for the new UPF gets delayed, it may be too late to
deal with the 9212 problems in a reasonable way.
Under a worst-case scenario, the government could be faced with
this choice: operate a key facility under less-than-desirable
safety conditions or shut it down and perhaps miss production
milestones that relate to national security.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory personnel participated in a
December project that relocated about 590 pounds of
weapons-usable uranium from a former East German nuclear
facility to a secure storage facility in Russia. The five-day
operation took place at the Rossendorf nuclear facility near
Dresden.
ORNL's nonproliferation group has been an integral part of the
Bush administration's Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which
reportedly has conducted 15 different missions that returned
Soviet-origin nuclear material to Russia from vulnerable sites.
The latest project was the biggest haul to date.
There is still no award from DOE on an information technology
contract valued at $125 million. The Oak Ridge contract has been
in process for a couple of years, much to the chagrin of many,
and the last report indicated the decision had been sent to the
Small Business Administration for review.
DOE spokesman John Shewairy said the SBA in November asked DOE
for more information, but other than that, he said he had
nothing to add.
"I have no idea what the timeline is, sad to say," Shewairy
said.
Senior writer Frank Munger covers the Department of Energy for
the News Sentinel. He may be reached at 865-342-6329 or at
munger@knews.com. This column is also available in the opinion
section of knoxnews.com.
© 2007 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more
information go to:
*****************************************************************