***************************************************************** 03/27/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.72 ***************************************************************** 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 The Australian: Troops contaminated after serving in Iraq 2 BBC NEWS: UK in 'discreet talks' with Iran 3 Reuters: Pentagon chief warns against illusions on Iran 4 AFP: Govt threatens to raise stakes in Iran standoff - 5 Reuters: Russia slams missile shield, wants talks with U.S. 6 AFP: China's Hu on Russian energy expedition - NUCLEAR REACTORS 7 The Hindu Nuke deal: India, US narrow down differences 8 allAfrica.com: Africa: Is Africa Ready for Nuclear Energy? 9 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for Palo Verde N 10 Shoreline Beacon: Nuclear concerns addressed at Bruce Power open hou 11 Shoreline Beacon: Bruce Power making nuclear history 12 RIA Novosti: Russia to spend $5.8 billion on nuclear energy in 2009- 13 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for Kewaunee Nuc 14 BBC: Nuclear Power: an Action Network briefing 15 US: Marketplace: Nuclear power redux 16 EBR: British Energy reportedly in nuclear power station talks with 17 US: Star-News: Energy woes a boost for GE | 18 US: Star-News: GE Energy opens nuclear reactor design center in Wilm 19 US: NRC: OECD/NEA; Margaret Doane Appointed Office of International 20 AFP: Greenpeace activists scale French nuclear tower - 21 US: Hampton Union Local News: NRC will hold plant assessment 22 US: NRC: Commission Vote Authorizes Early Site Permit for Grand Gulf 23 AU ABC: Nuclear power will be a tough sell, says Switkowski. 24 US: ScienceDaily: Need For Nuclear Reactor Permits Powering Up NUCLEAR SECURITY 25 US: NRC: NRC Asks for Help in Locating Missing Radioactive Source in NUCLEAR SAFETY 26 US: Daily Sentinel: Wells closer to nuclear blast site 27 US: NAS: Project: Beryllium Alloy Exposures in Military Aerospace Ap 28 AU ABC: Group says tests prove vets exposed to depleted uranium. NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 29 US: The Australian: WA rejects uranium mining legislation 30 US: The Australian: Switkowski sets off chain reaction 31 SignOnSanDiego.com: Report blames management failures for Yucca Moun 32 CANOE: Canada: Nuclear waste idea panned 33 islandpacket.com: Nuclear dump's impact topic of local discussion 34 US: Tri-City Herald: Oregon hearing unleashes objections 35 Belfast Telegraph: US bidders dominate auction for Sellafield 36 Chillicothe Gazette: Piketon plant, union reach new deal 37 US: Carlsbad Current-Argus: Energy Alliance to provide more GNEP det 38 US: Salt Lake Tribune: N-dump court fight ends 39 THERECORD.COM: No plans for nuke waste in southwestern Ontario 40 UPI: Rep. Porter attempt to kill Yucca fails 41 BBC: Bruce Warden talks nuclear waste 42 Nigeria: Vanguard: Nuclear waste: FG places Shell MD, others under s PEACE 43 BBC NEWS: Glasgow and West | Police arrest Faslane protesters US DEPT. OF ENERGY 44 Rocky Mountain News: Supreme Court rules against Rocky Flats whistle 45 KnoxNews: Oak Ridge research facility named historic landmark 46 KnoxNews: Wadsworth leaving ORNL for Battelle HQ 47 ENS: Dealing With Tons of Plutonium at Savannah River Site 48 DOE: DOE to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 49 DOE: DOE Selects Five Ethanol Conversion Projects for $23 Million 50 DOE: U.S. Department of Energy Commits $15 million to its Idaho 51 7News: Rocky Flats Will Compensate Cancer Patient 52 FR DOE: Office of Management; Request for Public Comment on Departme 53 Rocky Mountain News: Stricken ex-Flats engineer finally wins appeal ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 The Australian: Troops contaminated after serving in Iraq NEWS.com.au | * March 27, 2007 TWO Australian soldiers who served in the first Iraq war have tested positive to depleted uranium (DU) contamination despite assurances from the federal Government they had not been exposed, an anti-nuclear group said today. Any such admission from the Government would leave it open to millions of dollars in compensation, said Pauline Rigby, project co-ordinator for the group Depleted Uranium Silent Killer (DUSK). Urine samples from each of the men, who served in different areas of Iraq, were sent last year for uranium isotope analysis at the JW Goethe University in Germany at a cost of $1,200 each under the auspices of DUSK and the Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC) in Canada, Ms Rigby said. The results, now being evaluated for publication next month in two scientific journals, showed both men had tested positive to depleted uranium contamination more than 15 years after their return from the first Gulf War. Ms Rigby said depleted uranium was the toxic and radioactive waste from the nuclear enrichment process. Denser and heavier than lead, it is used as a projectile to penetrate heavy bunkers and tanks. “This is a huge issue about compensation which the Government would be determined they will never pay,” Ms Rigby said. “It's going to be Agent Orange all over again, except this time it's going to be a little bit worse because the mutations go into the general community from blood and organ donations.” A 52-year-old Sunshine Coast man, known only as “Frank” (not his real name), said he was one of those tested. In 1991, he was an army medic in the mountains of northern Iraq, aiding Kurdish refugees fleeing the persecution of Saddam Hussein's forces. He cannot work and has suffered skin rashes on his face, arms and neck, swollen joints, chronic fatigue and dizzy spells but his doctor can only treat his symptoms because he is at a loss to explain their cause. Frank's wife, from whom he is now separated, had cervical cancer and burning semen syndrome, a condition reported by American Gulf War veterans or their sexual partners since returning from the Persian Gulf. They or their sexual partners have experienced a burning sensation after skin and/or vaginal contact with semen. But Frank says he only wants recognition from the Government. “I'm not looking for millions of dollars in compensation,” Frank told AAP today. “I just want to be treated fairly and I want our service recognised so that I can clearly have what I am entitled to, and so my children can also seek and receive free of charge any and all testing and be honestly told and informed of where they stand.” A Defence spokesperson said the department had no knowledge of the two men who had allegedly tested positive for DU. Australia had not used DU munitions since 1990 and Australian personnel were not in “immediate proximity” to sites in Iraq or Afghanistan where DU munitions were used by Australia's coalition partners. “Accordingly, it is highly unlikely that any ADF personnel received significant exposure to DU residues in Iraq or Afghanistan,” the spokesperson said. AAP © The Australian ***************************************************************** 2 BBC NEWS: UK in 'discreet talks' with Iran Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 17:38 GMT 18:38 UK Faye Turney was interviewed by the BBC last week The government is attempting to "discreetly" talk to the Iranians to secure the release of 15 Royal Navy personnel, Downing Street has said. Tony Blair's spokesman said that if the talks were unsuccessful, the government may have to become "more explicit". He said they were "utterly confident" the 15 had been in Iraqi, not Iranian, waters, when they were captured. The 15 sailors and marines from HMS Cornwall were captured on Friday after searching a boat in the Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, which they suspected was smuggling cars. 'No doubt' Iran says the British personnel were trespassing in Iranian waters when they were seized - but the prime minister said the group were in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate. HMS Cornwall's area of operations Earlier, Mr Blair warned of a "different phase" if diplomacy failed to secure their release. His spokesman said he was referring to a "different way" of handling talks, which could involve making public reasons why the UK was certain the group was in Iraqi waters. It is understood this could include producing evidence such as boat co-ordinates and details of the searched vessel apparently still anchored in Iraqi waters. The spokesman told reporters: "We are utterly confident that we were in Iraqi waters, and not just marginally in Iraqi waters but in Iraqi waters. It's a case of tactics and if and when we have to prove that." However, one high-ranking Iraqi official has expressed surprise that British forces were operating in the area. Brigadier-General Hakim Jassim, commander of Iraq's territorial waters, said: "Usually there is no presence of British forces in that area, so we were surprised and we wondered whether the British forces were inside Iraqi waters or inside Iranian regional waters." The BBC has been told the group are being held at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps base in Tehran. They have been held for five days, but are said to be being treated humanely. Commons statement On Tuesday, Defence Secretary Des Browne chaired a meeting of ministers and officials - under the auspices of the government's "civil contingencies committee" known as Cobra - to discuss the situation. Officials said it was intended to ensure coordination across Whitehall and keep civil servants updated on the latest developments. Cobra leads responses to national crises and convened in recent years for the 7 July London bombings, the fuel protests and 11 September attack. It is understood that while still in Turkey, Mrs Beckett spoke to Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to push again for immediate consular access to them. The Associated Press news agency reported that Iranian officials had repeated assurances that British diplomats would get access to the detainees once their inquiry into the incident was complete. On Wednesday, Mrs Beckett is expected to make a statement to the Commons. Faye Turney, one of the 15 captured, was interviewed by the BBC last week. She said: "Sometimes you may be called upon, and when you do you've just got to deal with it and get on with it". Meanwhile, her family, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, have said it is a "very distressing time" for them. * BBC Copyright Notice ***************************************************************** 3 Reuters: Pentagon chief warns against illusions on Iran Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:18PM EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday said the United States was open to high-level talks with Tehran, but warned against "illusions" about Iran's government and its intentions. "We should have no illusions about the nature of this regime or about their designs for their nuclear program, their intentions for Iraq or their ambitions in the Gulf region," Gates said at a speech to the American-Turkish Council in Washington. Tensions between Washington and Tehran are high and at risk of worsening with Iran's capture and continued detention of 15 military personnel from Britain, America's closest ally. The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of fueling Sunni-Shi'ite violence in Iraq by providing arms and other support to Shi'ite militias. The United States and others also say Iran's nuclear energy program is being used as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. Gates, who advocated U.S. dialogue with Iran before he took the Pentagon job in December, said talks this month in Baghdad that included U.S., Iranian and Syrian officials were "a good start" toward improving cooperation. "Our government is open to high-level exchanges," he said. "But in dealing with a regime like Iran one has to be realistic. The American search for elusive Iranian moderates is a recurring and mostly fruitless theme since the (Iranian) revolution in 1979." © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 AFP: Govt threatens to raise stakes in Iran standoff - by Robin Millard Tue Mar 27, 5:04 PM ET LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Iran on Tuesday that a row over 15 detained sailors could enter a "different phase" if they were not freed soon, remarks which Tehran condemned as provocative. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett meanwhile cut short a visit to Turkey in order to report to parliament Wednesday, having hit a dead end in talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki. Blair earlier cautioned Iran that he was not prepared to see the naval personnel held with "no justification whatever." His official spokesman said London was not looking to escalate the stand-off and would prefer a diplomatic solution, insisting that Britain was not considering military action or throwing out Iran's ambassador. Blair said Britain was trying to "pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released." "If not, then this will move into a different phase," he added in an interview with GMTV television. However in Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini denounced the British remarks. "The media campaigns and provocative ... remarks regarding the violation of Iranian territorial waters by the British sailors are doing nothing to help settle the affair," he said. "The British service personnel entered Iranian waters illegally and the case will follow its legal and judicial course." Hosseini said that British diplomats would be able to meet the 15, who include a woman, once investigators had completed questioning them about what they had been doing in Iranian waters. Beckett's return so soon after speaking to Tehran reflected the mounting concern over the standoff, as Iran rejects growing international calls to free the sailors who were detained last Friday. She said she had decided to return to London after speaking on the telephone with Mottaki, saying that it appeared that there had been no progress in resolving the issues. A Foreign Office spokesman said Beckett "spoke in very robust terms" with Mottaki. "She indicated that the British government will continue to pressurise the Iranian government on all these points." Britain, supported by Iraq, insists that the naval personnel were conducting "routine" anti-smuggling operations in Iraqi waters Friday when they were seized at gunpoint in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the north of the Gulf. Iran says they entered its territorial waters illegally. Pressed on what a "different phase" of the dispute might involve, Blair said: "Well, we will just have to see. "But what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a United Nations mandate, patrolling perfectly rightly and in accordance with that mandate, and then effectively captured and taken to Iran." Blair said that the sailors' welfare was paramount. "There is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them," he added. Blair's spokesman said London was "utterly certain" that the sailors were in Iraqi waters. "So far, we haven't made explicit why we know that because we don't want to escalate this. "We don't want to do that too soon because we prefer to have this ... resolved quietly." But he added: "We may come to the stage where we have to become more explicit about why we know this." Citing unnamed sources, the BBC said the crew were being grilled at a Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran to find out if they were on an intelligence-gathering mission. The investigation involved examining tracking equipment to determine exactly where the sailors were seized. The European Union has demanded the sailors' release and the United States has expressed its "concern and outrage." The German foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had called in the Iranian ambassador to Berlin and reiterated a demand for the immediate release of the naval personnel. The crisis over the detentions comes as concerns also rise over Iran's disputed nuclear programme. World oil prices dipped Tuesday after a surge towards 65 dollars a barrel in London amid the mounting political tensions with the Islamic republic. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The ***************************************************************** 5 Reuters: Russia slams missile shield, wants talks with U.S. Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:16PM EDT By Louis Charbonneau BERLIN (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in central Europe would undermine global non-proliferation efforts and demanded serious discussions on the issue with Washington. "These plans will effectively remove the possibility of dealing with the threat to the nuclear non-proliferation regime with diplomatic means," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wrote in the German newspaper Handelsblatt. The United States wants to deploy a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland by 2011-12. It says the system would counter threats from so-called "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea. Tehran denies Western accusations it is secretly developing nuclear weapons in violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. It accuses Western powers of hypocrisy in continuing to develop and modernise their own nuclear systems. Russia, which sees the missile shield as an encroachment on its former sphere of influence, has accused Washington of using Cold War tactics to persuade Europe to host the system. "What risks do we see in this U.S. project? In the first place, it will lead to an erosion of strategic stability. Also the balance in global politics can be put in danger," Lavrov said in the article, due to be published on Wednesday. BRIEFINGS Continued... © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: China's Hu on Russian energy expedition - Tuesday March 27, 06:40 PM MOSCOW (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao was to open a giant trade fair alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the second day of a visit intended to boost energy shipments and push trade to new highs. Hu met Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov before opening China's biggest-ever trade fair in a foreign country, where nearly 200 Chinese companies are showcasing their products in a show of the growing economic ties between the neighboring countries. The Chinese president accomplished part of his mission when his visit started on Monday, winning an agreement for increased deliveries of Russian oil by rail. Those oil exports to China should jump from the 11 million tonnes shipped in 2006 to 15 million tonnes per year, Russian Railways head Vladimir Yakunin told reporters. Energy-hungry China received a total of 15 million tonnes of Russian oil last year, and analysts say it is eager to secure guarantees for more. The two presidents underlined their energy interdependence in a joint declaration pledging to further develop oil, gas and electricity ties with "large bilateral cooperation projects in the energy sphere." Hu continues his energy quest Tuesday evening with a visit to Tatarstan, a mainly Muslim province in central Russia that has extensive oil reserves. The Chinese president will meet there on Wednesday with the region's leader Mintimir Shaimiyev. New deals in other sectors should include plans to build a 300-million-dollar Chinese business center in Moscow and a contract to deliver 100,000 tonnes of Russian steel products worth about 500 million dollars by 2011, business daily Vedomosti reported Tuesday. Agreements have already been signed between Russian and Chinese banks and space agencies. Russian media earlier reported that deals worth four billion dollars would be signed during Hu's visit. In their talks on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fradkov proposed more frequent meetings to pave the way for increased trade. The Chinese president was set to meet with Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, in the afternoon. Hu and Putin talked up strong diplomatic ties between their countries, which have taken closely aligned positions in talks meant to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and stem Iran's nuclear ambitions. "Russia and China emphasise that the problem of Iran's nuclear programme should be resolved exclusively in a peaceful way, through negotiations," Monday's joint declaration said. "Russia and China will make every effort to ensure the rapid start of negotiations and to find a long-term, all-encompassing and mutually acceptable resolution to the Iranian nuclear problem," the declaration continued. The two leaders also welcomed the "positive dynamic" in six-party talks in Beijing aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear programme and called for a "full and all-encompassing solution." Hu said ahead of the trip, his third to Russia since becoming president, that the visit would cement economic and diplomatic relations that have grown significantly since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Among the possible sources of discord, though, were Russian concerns about China's space ambitions, Chinese worries about the quality of Russian arms imports, and delays in building a Russian oil pipeline branch to the Chinese city of Daqing, business daily Kommersant said. Both sides said bilateral trade jumped over the past year, though their statistics differed: China said trade grew 15 percent in 2006, while Russia said trade grew 43 percent over the same period. ***************************************************************** 7 The Hindu Nuke deal: India, US narrow down differences Tuesday, March 27, 2007 : 2315 Hrs New Delhi, March 27 (PTI): India and the US today concluded their two-day talks on an agreement to operationalise the civil nuclear deal, amid an indication of the two sides narrowing down some differences. Further rounds of discussions will be held in due course of time to firm up the bilateral agreement, called 123 Agreement, with both hoping to conclude by the end of this year, sources said. At the technical-level talks, officials of the two countries sought to iron out differences over various elements, including fuel supply assurances, reprocessing of spent fuel and future nuclear testing by India. The two sides understood each other's position and there was some narrowing down of differences, sources said. New Delhi has alleged that the Henry Hyde Act, passed by the US Congress in December last year to allow civil nuclear trade with India, "significantly deviates" from the understandings of July 18, 2005, and March 2006, which was unacceptable to it. India has made it clear that it will accept no deviation from the understanding reached between the two sides last year. New Delhi has already conveyed its concerns to Washington and handed over a draft text of the agreement suggesting the clauses it wants to be incorporated. At the talks, the Indian side was led by S Jai Shankar, India's High Commissioner to Singapore who had been involved in the talks earlier as Joint Secretary (Americas). His successor Gayatri Kumar and officials of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) also attended the parleys. Richard Stratford, director of Nuclear Division in the State Department, headed the US side. Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the ***************************************************************** 8 allAfrica.com: Africa: Is Africa Ready for Nuclear Energy? The Herald (Harare) OPINION March 26, 2007 Tawanda Kanhema Harare SOUTHERN AFRICA is facing energy shortages as climatic changes intermittently turn off the switch on hydroelectric power generation and oil prices remain exorbitantly high. As regional energy powerhouse South Africa ponders uranium enrichment, there is need to explore whether other uranium-producing African countries that are still in the dark on alternative sources of energy, can take a bite of the "yellow cake" (energy rich uranium oxide) and generate nuclear energy. The Southern African Development Community region is confronted by crippling power shortages blamed on droughts that have lowered water levels in dams powering hydropower stations, and besides cutting down on the region's economic growth, power shortages are retarding investment and threatening expansion plans of companies that have invested in the region. Africa's ongoing energy crisis, probably the biggest and most imminent threat to economic growth, comes at a time a greenhouse gas weary world is experiencing a renaissance in the nuclear energy and uranium mining sectors, and some countries look set to light the nuclear candle. In Tanzania, the energy crisis came to a point where urbanites had to endure 18-hour power cuts and some industrialists were considering closing down after water levels in the Mtera Dam fell below the permitted power-generation level of 690 cubic meters last year. Tanzanian power utility TANESCO's hydro and thermal power stations have a capacity of 447 megawatts, almost half of the country's total energy demands. Tanzania is among the newcomers to the global uranium exploration and mining drive, with significant energy rich uranium deposits along the Mkuju River being explored by Australian uranium concern Mantra Resources. In other countries across southern Africa, power cuts and blackouts have become commonplace due to the widening gap between energy generation capacities and demand, and this has led to a frantic search for cleaner and more reliable sources of energy. Zimbabwe has had plans to invest in nuclear energy since the 1990s, and there were plans to acquire a nuclear reactor from Argentina to process uranium, which was discovered in the Kanyemba area close to the country's border with Zambia and Mozambique. President Mugabe is on record as having said the uranium deposits discovered in Zimbabwe would go a long way in enhancing the Government's rural electrification programme. Zimbabwe currently requires a daily supply of 2 100 megawatts, but generates only 400 to 450 megawatts from its hydroelectricity and thermal power stations. However, a senior official in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development told The Herald that nothing much had been done to pursue nuclear energy in Zimbabwe, adding that the ministry was looking at other forms of renewable energy. The world currently has 440 nuclear reactors, consuming an estimated 171 million pounds of uranium per year. In 2005, all of the world's uranium mines combined produced an estimated 102,5 million pounds, leaving a 68,5 million pound deficit, and this has driven the price of uranium up and brought countries like Niger and Namibia back into the global energy equation. With more than 30 percent of the world's uranium deposits in Africa, a number of European, American and Australian companies are in a scramble to establish uranium mines and nuclear reactors in the region to make up for this deficit and match their rising demand for the "white hot metal", while also investing in the energy sector. The new African countries to join the booming global uranium trade are Tanzania -- Mkuju River concession, Mozambique -- Mavuzi concession, Zimbabwe -- Kanyemba concession, Guinea, Zambia -- Kariba Valley concession, Madagascar, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Uganda and Algeria. Most of the countries above, including Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi are facing energy problems that would easily be solved by establishing programmes to enrich their own uranium and setting up national or joint regional nuclear reactors to meet their energy demands. A Russian energy firm, Vneshtorgbank recently disclosed plans to set up a nuclear reactor and generate electricity in Namibia, set to be Africa's biggest producer of uranium. Vnestorgbank and Tenex recently got licenses to prospect and produce uranium in Namibia. Namibia's oldest producer of uranium oxide, R ö ssing Uranium Limited, has been going since 1975 and recently stated that the life of the mine has been extended beyond 2009. R ö ssing exports between 4 and 5 000 tonnes of U308 per annum and accounts for some seven percent of world production. South Africa already produces six per cent of its electrical energy (about 900 megawatts) from the Koeberg nuclear plant in Cape Town, and the government recently disclosed plans to resume uranium enrichment and establish "pebble-bed" mini-nuclear reactors. South Africa is ranked fifth in world uranium reserves and number 16 in the world on electrical energy generation capacity. The four to six new reactors are expected to produce an additional 5 000 megawatts over the next 25 years and reduce the gap between growth in energy demand and supply. The country currently generates nearly half of Africa's electrical energy, more than 44,7 megawatts. Africa 2007 However, concerns have been raised whether all African countries looking for a way out of the energy squeeze can pursue uranium enrichment without the risk of creating supplies for illicit trade in weapons grade material that would end up in the hands of countries involved in controversial uranium enrichment programmes. The challenge for the rest of Africa is to address the heightened security concerns, since the process of uranium enrichment involves technology precariously close to that required for making nuclear weapons. "First, these African countries are in dire need for development, so if uranium mining emerges as a strategic area of focus to help with their development agendas, they will seize the opportunity, especially that the demand for uranium is soaring," observed Dr Nyambe Nyambe, a consultant at Namibia's Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Dr Nyambe noted that uranium enrichment and construction of nuclear reactors in Africa would require very tight Environmental Impact Analyses and environmental management strategies to avoid contamination of water sources, radiation and other forms of pollution. "Mining experts will tell us that they would extract uranium from underground rocks using environmentally benign chemical processes. This may be true, but one has to be cautious to treat every case as unique. As with mining in general, contamination posed by uranium mining could be controlled if the design is done correctly. EIAs would be needed, but one wonders the extent to which pollution can be avoided given the troubled history of mining in general and uranium mining in particular," he said. Dr Nyambe gave an example of the poor environmental management systems of the present mines of cobalt, copper, lead and zinc, which are scattered around southern Africa and the Zambian town of Kabwe, which was named as one of the top 10 dangerous places to live in because of contamination from old mines. "We will have to work 200 percent better than we have done so far to curb contamination." Australian Company OmegaCorp is reported to have obtained licences to mine the Kariba project in Zambia, the Kanyemba project in Zimbabwe and the Mavuzi concession in Mozambique. OmegaCorp operates in the region through its subsidiary, Mantra Resources. In the Kariba Valley, a company called Africa Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Australian firm Australian Energy Ventures, is understood to have started drilling in May 2006, and there are other Australian companies conducting further exploration. So far, Paladin Resources, one of the world's biggest uranium mining companies, has clinched a 10-year deal to mine uranium at Kayelekera in Malawi, and at least four other mining deals are awaiting approval in Namibia, ranked as Africa's second largest producer of uranium. Malawi approved the Keyelekera project in the country's northern region district of Karonga after months of resistance from environmentalists and human rights organisations. Paladin Resources of Australia will extract 10 000 tonnes of uranium from the site for the next 10 years. Experts project that the Keyelekera plant will produce an estimated 200 tonnes of sulphuric acid a day for use in the leaching process which converts uranium ore to the required 10 000 tonnes of "yellow cake". Environmental experts in Malawi have warned that there are risks of contamination of local rivers and watercourses, saying that possible leaks of ammonia and sulphur-dioxide gases from the plant could threaten communities in Kayelekera, home to more than 1 000 people. For all its environmental shortcomings, the economic implications of uranium mining and non-seasonal reliability of nuclear energy have lured African governments into giving it a second thought. The region's traditional buffer to power shortages, coal-fired power, which has served as a supplementary source of energy for many countries, faces increasing challenges due to its destructive impact on the environment and the cumulatively high costs associated with coal-based energy production have made thermal energy unattractive. Oil and coal were regional energy favourites due to their relatively low extraction costs and abundance, but they have begun to look sooty and unattractive in the face of the more lucrative and greenhouse gas free uranium, which is currently being lauded as a smarter and more efficient form of energy. Research has shown that heavy pollution from coal-fired power generation consumes almost all the energy the power plants produce, and producing massive amounts of power simultaneously generates huge losses that include the high cost of fighting pollution and expenditure on public healthcare. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming and the very same climate change that is being blamed for causing energy shortages in southern Africa. Africa 2007 China, with the world's fastest growing energy demand, is building a new coal-fired plant every week, while in the US, there are about 150 new coal plants planned or already being built. Studies in China showed that losses caused by coal-fired power generation have cost the country nearly eight per cent of its GDP per year since the late 1970s, a figure almost equal to the country's GDP growth of 10 percent per annum, making coal more expensive than nuclear energy. Faced with this challenge, African countries, themselves mass exporters of energy-rich uranium used in the 439 other nuclear reactors around the world, have started to consider nuclear energy as a lifeline for their own economies, currently facing an insurmountable increase in energy consumption. According to the World Nuclear Association, 16 percent of the world's electricity came from 440 nuclear reactors last year, according to the World Nuclear Association. Currently, there are 28 nuclear reactors under construction around the world and another 62 being planned, all of which will require significant amounts of uranium to start up and operate for their life spans ranging from 25 to 30 years each. There are reports that Japan intends to add 11 more nuclear reactors by 2010, while China is expected to build another 30 by 2020. India will build an estimated 20 more reactors to feed its fast expanding economy, while Russia's energy goals call for at least 42 new nuclear reactors, other estimates put the figure at 58. In total, the global energy industry will see the entry of an additional 100 uranium hungry nuclear plants in the next 10 years, with 40 of them in Asia, and the projected demand for uranium from them is phenomenal, spelling positive economic prospects for uranium producing African countries. Energy scientists estimate that by 2050, the world will need about 900 more nuclear power plants to keep up with growing energy requirements. Economic considerations are probably weighing heavier than environmental apprehensions in the uranium debate. The quoted price of uranium recently went up by over 700 per cent from US$8 per pound to over US$60. Experts have speculated that uranium prices could hit the US$100 mark and keep going up until new uranium projects start production and improve availability. Southern Africa's energy demands are growing at a rate of three percent per annum, as the region's population grows and metropolitan centres expand in response to steady economic growth, and this has outstripped the rate at which power generation in the region is growing. African countries with confirmed energy rich uranium deposits are Namibia, Zimbabwe, Niger, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Namibia has Africa's second largest uranium deposits, after Niger, and a Russian company recently disclosed plans to set up a nuclear reactor to generate electricity. It is widely perceived that a region-wide switch to nuclear energy without qualified human resources will result in an exponential increase in the proliferation of weapons grade uranium on the global nuclear parallel market and raise the risk of a major catastrophe with nuclear plants. "First, why do we need nuclear energy? The answer is that there is a deficit in our energy needs at present and the picture gets gloomier when energy needs projections are made. But have we considered other forms of energy sources exhaustively?" argued Dr Nyambe. He said there was need for the region to concentrate on conservation of the little energy available and develop cleaner forms of energy like solar power and wind-powered turbines before rushing to the uranium route, which involves a lot of environmental commitments that many African countries have so far failed to achieve. On the political and economic impact of uranium mining in Africa, Stanton drew an allusion to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta, Nigeria, who continue to live in poverty despite the huge amounts of money generated by Western oil companies. "Look at the horrid poverty that the people of that region live in, all under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Military and Diplomatic machinery. "Who has benefited from such wealth? U.S. Special Forces are training the Nigerian military to kill-off the guerrillas operating in the Delta and there is a good chance that U.S. Special Forces are operating there now if not in the very near future." allAfrica.com your home page ***************************************************************** 9 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station News Release - Region IV - 2007-07-006 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Victor Dricks Phone: 817-860-8128 E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet in Avondale, Ariz., on April 3, with representatives of Arizona Public Service Company to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m at Estrella Mountain Community College, North Community Room, 2nd Floor of Estrella Hall, 3000 N. Dysart Road, Avondale. In addition to the performance assessment, the NRC staff will also discuss the recent decision to increase its oversight of Palo Verde due to performance problems. Before the meeting is adjourned, the NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety performance of Palo Verde, as well as the NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant operation. “Palo Verde is being operated safely,” said Bruce S. Mallett, NRC Region IV Administrator. “But improvements in performance are needed. The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents.” A letter sent from the NRC Region IV office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2006 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/palo_2006q4.pdf. Palo Verde has been under increased NRC oversight since the fourth quarter of 2004 following a finding for a substantial safety issue. Inspectors found that APS had incorrectly left air pockets in portions of the emergency core cooling system at each reactor that could have hindered the system’s operation during certain types of accidents. The finding remains open because APS has not effectively addressed performance problems. Those include a lack of questioning attitude, lack of technical rigor and poor operability determinations by workers - factors which contributed to a finding issued by the NRC last month for problems with the diesel generators at Unit 3, moving Palo Verde into a higher level of NRC oversight. Two substantive cross-cutting issues in the areas of human performance and problem identification and resolution have also remained open since the NRC’s 2004 end-of-cycle assessment. APS has also had numerous operational challenges since 2004, including multiple reactor trips and unplanned shutdowns. Routine inspections at Palo Verde are performed by resident inspectors assigned to the site and by inspection specialists from the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC are a review of safety culture, emergency operations, engineering, maintenance, radiological protection as well as several supplemental inspections associated with emergency diesel generators, design and control issues, and the effectiveness of corrective actions. Current performance information for Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PALO1/palo1_chart.html. Current performance information for Unit 2 is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PALO2/palo2_chart.html. Current information for Unit 3 is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PALO3/palo3_chart.html NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Tuesday, March 27, 2007 ***************************************************************** 10 Shoreline Beacon: Nuclear concerns addressed at Bruce Power open houses Port Elgin, ON March 28, 2007 By Troy Patterson Wednesday March 28, 2007 The idea of Bruce Power hosting new nuclear reactors is a popular one with local residents. It was standing room only at the Visitor’s Centre on March 20, as Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne kicked off a series of public updates on the private generator’s current situation. “We have this belief that our community support is pretty strong,” Hawthorne said. “But we want to know your questions and concerns in order to adjust the content and planning of the EA (Environmental Assessment). Community support is a massive competitive advantage.” Hawthorne outlined the progress being made on the Bruce A Unit 1 and 2 Restart, along with details on the different paths forward for the new build option with studies on possible sites at Bruce Power, the reactor options available and the growing need for electricity production. The long-range forecast was an optimistic one, but was based on the Bruce A Restart being completed “on time and on budget” to garner the support needed to build the first nuclear reactors in Canada in a generation. Hawthorne said he didn’t see himself in competition with Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington site, which is also vying for new build. “As a nuclear family, we stand to fall together,” he said. “OPG is working with us on the (Bruce A) restart and can’t prevent the sharing of information.” Hawthorne said it will come down to what is more popular with ratepayers, to trust the project in public or private hands. “The question is about whether to build public or private,” he said. “With a private company, shareholders eat the cost of overruns, not taxpayers. There’s a lot of dialogue between industries.” The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission accepted the company’s submission in January, in order to begin the EA process, which is expected to take about three years. Hawthorne said every option and every site is being investigated for its potential for the project, in order to leave as many doors open as possible when the application for the project comes up. “We have to plan big enough so they don’t have to go back for more (EA) approvals,” he said. “We’ll start at the highest level and work our way down from there.” The project description on new build is a detailed document that provides information on each option being investigated. It’s available at the Bruce Power Visitor’s Centre and all local public libraries. The company does have approvals for the refurbishment of Bruce B, which could be either the alternative or sister project to the new build. They’ve also requested an immediate referral to a panel review for the project, as a way of being proactive and confronting the challenges head-on. “Our view is that this is the best, most open and transparent way to do this,” said Hawthorne. “That way we’ll be able to meet our opposition with a process that’s wide open.” Transmission capacity off the Bruce site is the “biggest risk to the development”, Hawthorne said, which is in the province’s hands with Hydro One. They are a stakeholder in its success, but it’s also a priority to get fixed on time, or the province could foot the bill for electricity being trapped at the site because of the shortfall. With five new reactor options, two Canadian, the others American and European, Hawthorne said none are “sufficiently developed to recommend them for investment”. But upon the completion and possible approval of the EA, the preferred option would be identified at that time. Based on the costs of the Bruce A refurbishment, the choice of technology and to build or not build will be made. “But there’s no doubt that whatever technology, it will be Canadian-made,” Hawthorne said. “We will not export jobs.” The outlook for the success of the EA was positive, as the company has 30 years of environmental data to work with, along with a number of successful EA for other projects at the site. They’ll also look at the economic and social impacts on the surrounding communities, with influx of people into the area, including the challenges to housing and infrastructure. The current Unit 1 and 2 restart is a “test for the industry”, with the steam generator unit removal and replacement underway, the pressure and feeder tube replacement progressing and the schedule for their hiring and training plans on track. One visitor asked what becomes of the spent steam generators. Hawthorne said they are sealed to contain any radioactive material and stored whole as intermediate level waste in a new building at the Western Waste Management Facility. Another resident asked how much electricity would be needed in 30 years. Hawthorne said Canada is not doing well with energy conservation, so the focus should be on more efficient appliances, economic incentives and education into conservation in general. “A lot of people don’t think about energy the way that we should,” he said. He also addressed climate change and the need for renewable energies. He said with nuclear and coal representing the electricity “workhorses of the province”, wind and solar electricity have a role, but aren’t controllable. He wants nuclear to have a bigger slice of the electricity mix. One resident inquired about next generation reactors and how they will progress over the years. Hawthorne said the new build would focus on Generation 3 reactors, while down the road, Generation 4 reactors could enter the market in 2035. He said this technology will have the potential to use spent fuel as its fuel, so what is now considered waste could later change into an “actual resource”. “It would form a bridge between what we have today and in 2035,” he said. A public meeting was held in in Saugeen Shores Monday. Publisher: Carol McKnight Proprietor and published by Bowes Publishers Limited at 694 Goderich Street, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0 © 2007 Shoreline Beacon ***************************************************************** 11 Shoreline Beacon: Bruce Power making nuclear history Port Elgin, ON March 28, 2007 By Troy Patterson Bruce Power will be looking to make some nuclear history in the next few weeks, by installing the first of 16 new steam generators at the Bruce A CANDU reactors. Next month, weather permitting, the 1,600 tonne-capacity Platform Twinring Containerized (PTC) crane, one of the world’s largest, will assist workers in installing the new 13-metre-long, 100-tonne pieces of equipment; the first of which arrived at the site at the end of last summer. Eight of the generators arrived from manufacturer Babcox & Wilcox in Cambridge last year. The first used steam generator was removed from Bruce A Unit 2 on March 12 by restart crews directed by SNC-Lavalin Nuclear. The lift for the second generator took place March 16. Work is well underway on Unit 2 and progressing at Unit 1. Similar refurbishments have been done on American reactors, but this is a first for Canada’s home-grown nuclear technology. “They’ve never been changed out before, so for us it’s really something,” said Bruce Power communications consultant Rob Liddle. “It’s the first of 40 big lifts.” The generators are removed in pairs and the new ones are installed in pairs also. Each procedure takes extremely precise welding, as the steam drums must match the connections to the new generators exactly. “It’s something that they don’t rush,” Liddle said. The milestone was completed after months of cutting and preparation, which removed structures above the equipment, in order to lift the generators through the roof. The 254-tonne steam drum, which sits on the top of four steam generators, was removed and relocated on Feb. 28. Liddle said the crane operator was pleased with the way the lifts went, as each operation takes a lot of planning and management. After various radiological tests and surveys, the used steam generators are shipped across site to the Western Waste Management Facility (WWMF), which recently constructed buildings to specifically handle the generators. The tops of the four steam generators at Bruce A are connected to a steam drum, while the bottom is connected to the reactor’s heat transportation system. Along with the roof, all connections including pipes, cabling, instrumentation and structural interferences, had to be cut and sealed shut by workers before they could be removed. They’re currently working towards a fall deadline on the completion of the steam generator replacement. In CANDU reactors, heavy water coolant transports heat from the uranium fuel to steam generators, flowing through thousands of U-tubes which gives up its heat to ordinary water on the other side of the generator. The heat then turns the water into steam which drives the turbine generators to produce electricity. For more information visit www.brucepower.com. Publisher: Carol McKnight Proprietor and published by Bowes Publishers Limited at 694 Goderich Street, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0 © 2007 Shoreline Beacon ***************************************************************** 12 RIA Novosti: Russia to spend $5.8 billion on nuclear energy in 2009-2010 20:01 | 27/ 03/ 2007 MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - More than 150 billion rubles ($5.75 billion) will be appropriated for the implementation of a new nuclear energy program in Russia from the draft federal budget for 2008-2010, Russia's deputy prime minister said Tuesday. Alexander Zhukov said: "[Expenditure on nuclear energy] in 2008 will be triple the amount in 2007, and more than 150 billion rubles ($5.75 billion) will be spent on the nuclear energy program in 2009-2010." In addition, he said, the three-year budget envisages financing electric power grid networks in Russia and reducing cross subsidizing in the power sector. "The budget stipulates substantial funds for economic growth," Zhukov said. To illustrate his idea, the official said that 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) of motor roads would be built and more than 50,000 kilometers (30,000 miles) of roads modernized in 2008-2009. He added that aviation, shipbuilding and space exploration programs, as well as a global navigation project would be funded extensively. In January, the lower house of Russia's parliament passed a presidential bill to reform the country's nuclear power sector and to facilitate its development. In mid-March Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said the Russian government would review its energy strategy in April to increase the share of nuclear power, hydroelectric and coal industries in power generation. Russia has 31 operating power reactors at 10 nuclear power plants (NPPs) with a total installed capacity of 23.2 MWe. The average current share of NPPs in electricity generation is 16.5 percent. Ivanov, who recently was entrusted with the supervision of the country's nuclear power and defense industries, said a new state-owned holding company, Atomenergoprom, would be set up to handle activities ranging from uranium extraction, fuel fabrication and electric power generation, to the construction of nuclear power plants, both domestically and abroad. A 2006 report, Uranium 2005, jointly compiled by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), placed Russia ninth on the list of countries that possess the largest reserves of uranium ore, with 172,000 tons (over 3% of the global supply). RIA Novosti ***************************************************************** 13 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant Region III - 2007-07-007 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region III 2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Dominion Energy Kewaunee on Thursday, March 29, to discuss the agency's assessment of safety performance for last year at the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located at Kewaunee, Wisc. The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Kewaunee Municipal Building Council Chamber Conference Room, 401 5th Street. The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment and be available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting. The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Kewaunee plant and the nation's other commercial nuclear power facilities," NRC Region III Administrator James Caldwell said. "This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to explain the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding our regulation of these facilities." A letter sent from the NRC Region III Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/kewa_2006q4.pdf. The NRC's assessment concluded that overall the Kewaunee plant operated safely during the period but with moderate degradation in safety performance. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with "green" and then increase to "white," "yellow" or "red," commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. All of the inspection findings during 2006 were determined to be "green." There was one "white" performance indicator reflecting the increased number of unplanned plant shutdowns. The letter also addresses two substantive cross-cutting areas; problem identification and resolution and human performance. These issues are referred to as "substantive cross-cutting" because they affect multiple areas of plant performance. The NRC's letter to the utility refers to six inspection findings that are attributed to inadequate problem evaluation and seven findings attributed to problems with human performance. The letter states that both of these issues will remain open until the number of findings with the same cross-cutting aspect is reduced or when the NRC gains confidence in the plant's ability to identify and address technical and human performance problems. As a result, in addition to the normal, baseline level of inspections during the upcoming year, the NRC will conduct a follow-up inspection related to the "white" performance indicator. As part of the NRC's continuing review of the substantive cross-cutting issues, an expanded problem identification and resolution inspection will be conducted. In addition, the NRC will hold a public meeting during which the utility has been asked to discuss its efforts and progress in addressing these issues. Routine and focused inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill., and the agency's headquarters in Rockville, Md. Current performance information for Kewaunee is available on the NRC's web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/KEWA/kewa_chart.html NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer Monday, March 26, 2007 ***************************************************************** 14 BBC: Nuclear Power: an Action Network briefing Action Network - This page was created by the BBC. Updated: 27 Mar 2007 A fifth of the UK's energy needs are currently met by its nuclear power stations but these are nearing the end of their lives, and by 2023 all but one of them will have been decommissioned. Now it has to be decided whether to replace these aging power stations with new nuclear plants. Nuclear power is perhaps the most contentious of all means of energy production. An impending energy shortfall, combined with the problem of climate change, has reignited the debate about future nuclear power in the UK. Is Britain's future nuclear? Generating nuclear power produces barely any carbon dioxide and supporters say it is the only way of meeting growing energy needs, while keeping to targets for reducing carbon emissions. But the problem of disposing of radioactive waste is still unsolved and this is one of the main objections raised against nuclear power by those who oppose it. This briefing explores some of the key arguments for and against nuclear power and offers some practical suggestions on what you can do about the issue. What is happening now? In 2003 the Energy White Paper described nuclear power as an unattractive option, and said that before any new stations were built there would have to be "the fullest possible public consultation and the publication of a further White Paper". An energy review was launched in January 2006 and after public consultation The Energy Challenge report was published, supporting the development of new nuclear power stations, saying they would "make a significant contribution to meeting our energy policy goals". Greenpeace oppose nuclear power Environmental campaign group Greenpeace won a High Court case against the government in February 2007, with the judge ruling that the consultation exercise had been "seriously flawed". However, Tony Blair said that the ruling "won't affect the policy at all". Another public consultation on the future of nuclear power in the UK is now planned. The government has said that a new consultation and white paper will be published by early May 2007. Where would new power stations be built? In February 2007 British Energy, which owns and operates half of the UK's existing nuclear power stations, announced that it was looking for potential partners to work on new nuclear projects. It has suggested that sites at Sizewell and Hinkley Point, which already house nuclear generators, would be the most suitable for new power stations. However, all current nuclear plants are by the sea and a report from the Met Office published in January 2007 concluded that new stations should be further inland. This is because of predicted rising sea-levels, and increased wave heights – possible effects of climate change. It is expected that the government will release criteria for future sites as part of the White Paper. What are the arguments? For new nuclear power stations: Supporters include the nuclear industry and some environmentalists who say that nuclear power: Some environmentalists back nuclear Provides a clean source of energy: Generating nuclear power produces barely any carbon dioxide or sulphur. In an interview with the Independent newspaper in May 2004, leading environmentalist James Lovelock said an expansion of nuclear power was the only practical way of meeting growing energy needs while reducing carbon emissions. * Reduces the UK's dependence on imported fuel: As existing nuclear power stations go out of use Britain could become reliant on gas imports from abroad, putting the economy at risk, says campaign group Supporters Of Nuclear Energy (SONE), in 'The Looming Energy Crisis'. * Is cheaper than alternatives: A report for the Royal Academy of Engineering found nuclear energy to cost around the same as fossil fuels and less than renewable sources such as wind power. * Produces low levels of waste: New nuclear plants could use so-called Generation III+ reactors, which industry experts say would create less than a tenth of the waste produced by current nuclear generators. * Could be up and running quickly: The Nuclear Industry Association says that stations could be operational by 2017, this allows time for the planning process as well as the licensing and construction of new generation reactors. This would address the potential energy gap created by the decommissioning of old generators. * Is safe: The nuclear industry has an excellent safety record, and has caused far fewer deaths than other means of energy production, according to campaign group Freedom for Fission. Against new nuclear power stations: Environmental organisations and local residents' groups are among those who oppose atomic energy. They say nuclear power: * Produces toxic waste: No effective means has been found for dealing with the hazardous radioactive waste produced by nuclear power stations. A 2005 inventory found there were 477,860 cubic metres of waste in the UK, including what will be created through the decommissioning of existing power stations. * Is dangerous: The possibility of accidents like those at nuclear plants in Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Windscale (now Sellafield) makes future nuclear power too risky, says the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). There are also concerns that power stations could be targeted by terrorists. * Is expensive: The nuclear power industry has been subsidised by the government and British Energy received a controversial Ł650m bailout in 2002. A report (Mirage and Oasis: Energy choice in an age of global warming) by think tank the New Economic Foundation, found that new nuclear power would be far more expensive than industry predictions. The report says that construction costs have been underestimated and that insurance and security for nuclear plants add to the expense. Should we invest in alternatives? * Could crowd out renewables and microgeneration: Money spent on new nuclear power reduces investment in the development of alternative energy sources, says environmental campaign group Greenpeace. There are also concerns that a new generation of nuclear power stations would mean a continued commitment to a centralised system of energy production. Microgeneration, a new model for energy production which uses lots of small, local generators, is favoured by Stephen Tindale, director of Greenpeace UK. * Does not tackle climate change: Doubling the UK's nuclear capacity would only cut carbon emissions by 8% by 2035, according to the Sustainable Development Commission's report, Nuclear power in a low carbon economy. Mining uranium for nuclear fuel and building nuclear generators both create carbon, so nuclear power is not emission free, say Friends of the Earth. * Is polluting: Nuclear power stations and reprocessing plants release radiation into the atmosphere. Though these amounts are small compared with naturally occurring radiation, any unnecessary exposure to radiation should be kept to a minimum, says the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment. Groups like Cumbria Against a Radioactive Environment are concerned about contamination of local environments and the possible effects on health. What are the main parties' policies on nuclear power? Labour has backed a new generation of nuclear power stations, with Tony Blair saying he cannot see another way of tackling climate change and providing energy security. The Conservatives have said that future nuclear power stations should be a "last resort", but have not ruled them out. The Liberal Democrats are opposed to further nuclear power stations, saying that they would require a massive public subsidy. Instead they propose an energy policy which focuses on efficiency, renewables and microgeneration. What can I do? A nuclear consultation will be held The government has said that it will hold another public consultation on the future of nuclear power, so it is a good time to get your view heard. Once the consultation is open you can contribute through the Department of Trade and Industry website. Talk to interested organisations There are a number of groups and organisations involved in the debate: For: British Energy is the partly government owned company which runs half of the UK's existing nuclear power stations. They are looking for private partnerships to develop new nuclear plants. Their website includes an interactive game which looks at issues around future energy supply. Supporters of Nuclear Energy (SONE) is a group of individuals who believe that nuclear energy is essential for continued economic development while avoiding climate change. They say nuclear power is safe and reliable. Nuclear Cool is a group of pro-nuclear environmental campaigners. They want to see 30 new nuclear power stations built in the UK. Freedom for Fission say that anti-nuclear arguments are irrational. The links section of the website has a useful range of resources and organisations. Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy is an international organisation which supports nuclear power as an environmentally-friendly means of producing energy. As the trade association for the UK nuclear industry the Nuclear Industry Association represents the interests of 130 companies. The British Nuclear Energy Society is an organisation for people with an interest in nuclear power. They aim to provide information about the issues around nuclear energy, and support the public education activities of the nuclear industry. The UK Atomic Energy Authority is a non-departmental government body. It was founded in the 1950s when it established the UK's nuclear industry. Now it is mostly concerned with decommissioning and nuclear clean-up. The World Nuclear Association is a global organisation which aims to promote the future use of nuclear power around the world. Against: Friends of the Earth oppose the development of new nuclear power stations, saying renewables provide a cleaner, safer solution to energy demand and climate change. Greenpeace is campaigning against a new generation of nuclear power stations. Their website includes a briefing on nuclear power and terrorism. The main aim of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is to oppose nuclear weapons but it also opposes nuclear energy. Its website includes a briefing about links between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. The No 2 Nuclear Power website aims to provide news and information about the nuclear industry. The site started in 2005 as a response to speculation that a new generation of nuclear stations were in the pipeline. No New Nukes is a campaign run by the UK Rivers Network which aims to protect seas and rivers from pollution. Their website includes both pro and anti-nuclear information. The website of anti-nuclear campaigners, Nuclear power – no thanks includes a report of a public meeting the group hosted in the House of Commons. People signing up to the Nuclear Pledge promise to resist paying for the cost of new nuclear power stations through any extra charges in electricity bills and to vote in the general election for a party which focuses its energy policy on renewables. Nuclear Spin say they aim to monitor public relations tactics used by the nuclear industry to convince the public that new nuclear power stations should be built in the UK. It is a wiki site, to which users can sign up and contribute. Use the Action Network nuclear power issue page You can join the debate, vote for an existing campaign, or start a campaign of your own on the Action Network nuclear power issue page. The BBC runs Action Network as an open forum for people to influence issues they care about. Most of the content is written by the public and reflects their views. Content provided by the BBC is clearly marked. If you read something which you think breaks the Action Network rules, please use the "complain" link nearest to the content. The BBC is not responsible for any external sites to which there are links on Action Network. * About the BBC ***************************************************************** 15 Marketplace: Nuclear power redux Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Washington is offering billions in incentives to get utility companies to build a new wave of nuclear reactors to meet growing energy demands. The companies are lining up for the subsidies, but investors and consumers are weary. TEXT OF STORY BOB MOON: Utility companies are lining up for federal subsidies that will help power up plans for more than 30 nuclear reactors in the country. Just for the record, there have been no reactors ordered here in the U.S. since things went haywire at Three Mile Island back in 1979. Looking for a spot at the head of the line is the country's largest public utility, the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA officials have been telling energy agencies that more nuclear power will be needed to meet increasing energy demand in the Southeast. Blake Farmer begins our story begins in the TVA town of Spring City, Tennessee. BLAKE FARMER: Spring City would probably fade into the backdrop of rural America except that it sits next door to the newest and most expensive nuclear reactor in the country. Watts Bar came online in 1996 to the tune of $6 billion. There's also an unfinished reactor there, and TVA's considering spending a couple billion to fire it up. Wendy Bearman is the lone employee of the Spring City Chamber of Commerce. She calls TVA a "good partner" and says most of the 2,400 people here feel safe living near a nuclear reactor. WENDY BEARMAN: The only time it's an issue is at noon on the first Wednesday of the month when the siren goes off. That's it. They test the sirens. There isn't much economic development that isn't tied to the plant here. Not everyone in the neighborhood is so receptive to atom-splitting. Driving around town, activist Ann Harris says utilities use job growth to sell the idea of placing reactors in depressed regions. ANN HARRIS: The industry has made the south a dumping ground for stuff that they don't want to live with. Harris is with the nuclear whistleblower group We the People. She's a former TVA employee who helped build the Watts Bar plant, an experience that's left her disillusioned with nuclear power. HARRIS: It's just a crappy way to boil water. The worst of it is, they can't get all this crap back in the little bottle whenever they spilled it all out. That mentality puts utilities that want to expand nuclear energy at odds with many communities, says Robert Bryce, managing editor of the Energy Tribune. He says many still fear the effects of radioactive waste. Though the threat is real, Bryce says it's a choice between carbon-puffing coal and nuclear power. He says wind and solar energy don't have the capacity to meet demand. ROBERT BRYCE: Every energy source has some negative effects. The question is, you've got to pick your poison. Despite the momentum building behind nuclear power, Bryce says investors have been burned by nuclear in the past. That's part of the reason Washington is offering billions in incentives to build more reactors. TVA itself is still crawling out from $25 billion in debt, largely taken on because of an overly-ambitious plan to expand nuclear power in the '70s. I'm Blake Farmer for Marketplace. ©2007 American Public Media ***************************************************************** 16 EBR: British Energy reportedly in nuclear power station talks with Centrica and SSE - Energy Business Review 26th March 2007 By Clare Watson British Energy is reportedly holding secret talks with Scottish and Southern Energy and Centrica regarding plans to build nuclear power stations in the UK, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The publication reported that while the talks are still at an early stage, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Centrica are the first UK companies to show an interest in building nuclear power stations in their domestic market. The development of a new generation of power stations in the UK, which has been estimated to cost around GBP30 billion, will begin once the UK government green-lights nuclear power stations later this year. According to Dow Jones Energy Service, so far, French utility Electricite de France has been the only company to publicly reveal an interest in building nuclear power stations in the UK. The Sunday Telegraph said that British Energy, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Centrica had declined to comment on the situation, but speculated that while SSE and Centrica do not generate nuclear power, they would be able to provide British Energy with a significant retail customer base. The publication cited a senior industry executive as stating: "The key value of British Energy is its sites. It makes sense for the company to want as much competition for those sites as possible. Non-nuclear partners like Scottish and Southern would allow it to keep a bigger slice as they would need its nuclear expertise." The Telegraph speculated that the involvement of a group of domestic companies would almost certainly be welcomed by the UK government. ©2007 Business Review ***************************************************************** 17 Star-News: Energy woes a boost for GE | StarNewsOnline.com | Wilmington, NC Published March 27. 2007 By Sam Scott Staff Writer sam.scott@starnewsonline.com Castle Hayne | Global warming. Dependence on foreign fuel. An ever-soaring appetite for limited energy supplies. Not the cheeriest of topics. But they help explain the sunny mood at GE Energy's nuclear headquarters Monday as local leaders gathered to formally open the company's design facility for a new generation of nuclear reactors. "Energy demand will be doubling by the year 2030," said Rep. Mike McIntyre, who spoke at the opening. "Nuclear energy is and must continue to be an important part of a balanced energy portfolio." The 40,000-square-foot building unifies more than 250 engineers from sites across the country as GE anticipates what could be the first orders for new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. GE's latest reactor is undergoing federal approval and has been provisionally selected for three plants seeking permits to operate in Mississippi, Louisiana and Virginia. "We are looking at them to place orders in the '08 time frame, which would put construction in the 2010 time frame," said Tom Rumsey, manager for communications and public affairs at GE Energy Nuclear. The potential for further orders is considerable, with 15 groups preparing applications to build and operate more than 30 new nuclear plants in the country - a major change of fortune for the industry, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based trade group. Nuclear energy fell into disfavor in the 1970s and '80s after several accidents, especially the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in Ukraine, raised concerns about safety. But those worries have softened with time and the onset of new concerns. Nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a way to help meet the nation's swelling appetite for energy without worsening greenhouse gas emissions or reliance on foreign fuel markets. Not all applicants for permits will come to fruition. It takes 10 years to get a new plant online, and some companies start the permitting process to reduce the time if they later decide to commit and to qualify for time-sensitive government incentives, said Mitch Singer, media relations manager with the Nuclear Energy Institute. Still, the anticipated growth means busy times for GE Energy Nuclear, which moved its headquarters to Wilmington in 2003, thanks in part to $11 million in state and local subsidies. Part of the deal was a commitment to create 400 jobs in seven years, Rumsey said. GE surpassed that goal in 18 months, he added. The company should bring in another 200 to 300 jobs in the next 18 months, said Andrew White, CEO of GE Energy Nuclear. The expansion means the company already has filled its new building and soon might start further building on its Castle Hayne campus, White said. Sam Scott: 343-2370 sam.scott@starnewsonline.com ***************************************************************** 18 Star-News: GE Energy opens nuclear reactor design center in Wilmington StarNewsOnline.com | Wilmington, NC Published March 27. 2007 6:48AM The Associated Press CASTLE HAYNE, N.C. | GE Energy exhibited its hope for nuclear energy Monday when it opened its reactor technology design center for a new generation of nuclear reactors. More than 250 engineers from sites across the U.S. will work in the 40,000-square-foot building. The company is hoping to see the first orders for new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. GE is awaiting federal approval for its latest reactor, which has been provisionally selected for three plants seeking permits to operate in Mississippi, Louisiana and Virginia. The company could get orders in 2008, which would mean construction around 2010, said Tom Rumsey, manager for communications and public affairs at GE Energy Nuclear. Fifteen groups are preparing applications to build and operate more than 30 new nuclear plants in the U.S., according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based trade group. It takes 10 years to get a plant online, officials said. GE Energy Nuclear moved its headquarters to Wilmington in 2003 with help from $11 million in state and local subsidies. Part of the deal was a commitment to create 400 jobs in seven years, Rumsey said. GE surpassed that goal in 18 months, he added. The company should bring in another 200 to 300 jobs in the next 18 months, said Andrew White, CEO of GE Energy Nuclear. Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com ***************************************************************** 19 NRC: OECD/NEA; Margaret Doane Appointed Office of International Programs Director News Release - 2007-038 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov www.nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the appointment of Janice Dunn Lee as the Deputy Director General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) in Paris. Margaret M. Doane will assume the Director of NRC’s Office of International Programs position in mid-July upon Dunn Lee’s departure. “Ms. Dunn Lee’s appointment,” said Chairman Dale Klein, “will greatly enhance NRC’s relationship with the OECD/NEA and confirms our commitment for cooperation with the international nuclear regulatory community.” Dunn Lee began her federal career in 1975 as an intern with the NRC and has held a number of progressively responsible positions in the international field. She served as Special Assistant for International Policy to former Chairmen Lando Zech, Kenneth Carr, Ivan Selin, and Shirley Ann Jackson. Since 1999, she has served as the Director of the Office of International Programs. Dunn Lee received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. The OECD is an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries based in Paris, France. Through the NEA it assists member nations in maintaining and further developing, through international cooperation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. “I am looking forward to contributing to the critical role that the NEA will have in enhancing safe nuclear power during the potential nuclear renaissance gathering speed around the world” said Dunn Lee. Upon Dunn Lee’s departure, Doane will become Director of the Office of International Programs. She has served as the Deputy Director of that office since 2004. Doane began her career at the NRC in 1991 as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary and then served as an attorney in the Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication through 1998. She then served as Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrifield’s Legal Counsel and Chief of Staff from 1998 to 2004. Before joining the NRC, Doane served for three years as an attorney advisor for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans Appeals. NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer Tuesday, March 27, 2007 ***************************************************************** 20 AFP: Greenpeace activists scale French nuclear tower - Tue Mar 27, 2:58 PM ET BELLEVILLE SUR LOIRE, France (AFP) - Greenpeace activists on Tuesday scaled a nuclear cooling tower in central France in a spectacular stunt to draw attention to its campaign against nuclear power. Activists from eight different countries targeted a plant in Belleville sur Loire, climbing the tower's outer ladder and absailing half-way back down to spray-paint the words "EPR = Danger". Construction of France's first so-called "third-generation" European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR), located in Flamanville near the English Channel, is due to begin by the end of the year. But the project is opposed by anti-nuclear activists, who drew tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest earlier this month. "We want to denounce the dangers of nuclear power in general and the EPR in particular," said a Greenpeace spokeswoman Adelaide Colin. France derives more than three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power, the highest ratio of any country in the world, and many of its 58 reactors are nearing the end of their usefulness. Designed to generate power for 60 years, the EPR will gradually take over as the reactors currently in service are start to be decommissioned from 2015. Around 60 police officers, backed by elite commando squads and four helicopters, were mobilised during the operation, although the power provider Electricite de France said the demonstrators had not come close to any dangerous installations. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 21 Hampton Union Local News: NRC will hold plant assessment March 27, 2007 By Susan Morse smorse@seacoastonline.com SEABROOK "" The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual assessment of safety performance at Seabrook Station will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, at the Galley Hatch Conference Center at the Inn of Hampton, 815 Lafayette Road, Hampton. NRC staff will meet with FPL Energy Seabrook, LLC officials in a regularly scheduled assessment meeting. Members of the public will be able to ask questions. The review follows a March 2 assessment letter sent by the NRC to Gene St. Pierre, site vice president for FPL Energy Seabrook, LLC. "We do this every six months," said Glenn Dentel, senior NRC resident inspector for Seabrook Station. "We look back on a year time period." The meeting will be an overview of the availability and reliability of safety performance at the nuclear power plant, but does not address security issues, which are not publicly available, Dentel said. "One of the things we look at are performance indicators," he said. "The number of unplanned shutdowns, a number of different things. We have thresholds they've exceeded. We look at the emergency systems that would respond, and report how well they're doing." One system that exceeded a predetermined threshold during last year's third quarter was the emergency diesel generator on site. "There were a number of times it either failed to start, or once started, shut down," Dentel said. This occurred around Labor Day, Dentel said. Two engines had two issues. The NRC sent out a special inspection team. Another team will inspect the diesel generators, used for back-up power, this May. The number of people attending the annual meeting varies year to year, Dentel said. After Sept. 11, 2001, the meeting was well attended. For the past two years, the meeting has attracted less people. Seacoast Online is owned and operated by Seacoast Media Group. Copyright © 2006 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Commission Vote Authorizes Early Site Permit for Grand Gulf Site in Mississippi News Release - 2007-07-039 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov www.nrc.gov By a 5-0 vote, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today authorized the NRC’s Office of New Reactors to issue an Early Site Permit (ESP) to System Energy Resources Inc. for the Grand Gulf ESP site near Port Gibson, Miss. The staff has 10 business days to carry out the Commission’s directions and issue the permit, the second ESP the NRC has approved. Successful completion of the ESP process resolves many site-related safety and environmental issues, and determines the site is suitable for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. The company filed its ESP application Oct. 21, 2003. The permit will be valid for up to 20 years. During that time, the company (or any other potential applicant interested in the site) must still seek NRC approval for a Combined License to build one or more nuclear plants on the site before any significant construction can occur. The NRC staff’s technical review of the Grand Gulf ESP application covered issues such as how the site’s characteristics affect plant safety, environmental protection, and plans for coping with emergencies. The staff published a final safety evaluation and a final environmental impact statement for the Grand Gulf ESP in April 2006. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) conducted a hearing on the matter and ruled Jan. 26 that the permit could be issued. The NRC issued the first-ever ESP for the Clinton site in Illinois on March 15. The NRC continues to work on two other ESP applications, North Anna in Virginia and Vogtle in Georgia. The staff has completed its technical review of the North Anna application, which is currently the focus of an ASLB hearing. The staff expects to issue a draft environmental impact statement and initial safety report on the Vogtle application by late summer. Copies of the Grand Gulf ESP and related documents will be available on the agency’s Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/esp/grand-gulf.html NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer Tuesday, March 27, 2007 ***************************************************************** 23 AU ABC: Nuclear power will be a tough sell, says Switkowski. 27/03/2007. ABC News Online The man charged by the Prime Minister with selling the idea of nuclear power to Australians admits it will be tough convincing people to embrace the concept. Dr Ziggy Switkowski is in Brisbane today to address the Queensland Media Club about the nuclear power option. He says Australia's demand for energy will more than double over the next 50 years and nuclear power must be considered as a legitimate low emission option. "In Australia where there is not bipartisan support for nuclear power that challenge is formidable and it may take a number of years to get agreement to the first reactor," he said. "But what we also saw overseas is that once a population learns to live with its first reactor than subsequent reactors are accepted [and] in some cases welcome. " Dr Switkowski says it is a realistic solution for Australia. "It is very important that at community level we take the time to build up understanding in the first place and some degree of support before we take that step." ***************************************************************** 24 ScienceDaily: Need For Nuclear Reactor Permits Powering Up Source: DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory The approval marks a significant step in what some are calling the nuclear renaissance, said Van Ramsdell, a PNNL staff scientist. "In the past, we've supported NRC staff in conducting environmental reviews for renewing licenses at existing reactors, but more recently we've assisted in reviewing the first three early site permit applications." Once awarded, the early site permits, or ESPs, allow operators to begin limited construction activities and site preparation work. The ESP process legally resolves siting and environmental issues and gives the ESP holder up to 20 years to apply for a permit to construct and operate a new reactor. As of yet, however, no announcement has been made regarding construction at this new reactor location - the Clinton Site - in central Illinois. A number of factors, including recent legislation, have the NRC gearing up to handle increased interest in new reactors. "Our staff is expecting up to 17 applications for new plants in the next couple of years, and this could lead to 31 or more new reactors if everything is approved," said NRC Director of Public Affairs Eliot Brenner. "We currently regulate 104 nuclear power stations nationwide in 31 states, and we're committed to ensuring their continued safe operation as well as managing the approval of new facilities in coming years." With the nation's desire to minimize carbon dioxide emissions, a key contributor to global warming, "nuclear power appears to be gaining greater acceptance and is becoming a more attractive power source than in the past several decades," said Eva Eckert Hickey, a staff scientist at PNNL. "If the nation does experience a resurgence of nuclear power in coming years, PNNL will be prepared to assist NRC in permitting, siting and licensing the facilities." PNNL has been identified as NRC principal contractor to support EPA environmental reviews and construction applications. PNNL performs several million dollars in regulatory and research support work for the NRC each year, employing between 50 and 60 environmental analysts and safety specialists. Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Copyright © 1995-2007 ScienceDaily LLC ***************************************************************** 25 NRC: NRC Asks for Help in Locating Missing Radioactive Source in Philadelphia News Release - Region I - 2007-011 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking for help in locating a missing radioactive source in the Philadelphia area. The source is one of two that had been inside a gauge stolen from a South Philadelphia construction site last Monday. One source was found with pieces of the gauge at Nicetown Salvage Company in the city’s Nicetown section last Thursday. A second source - an americium-241 source bolted to the aluminum 9- inch-by-15-inch baseplate of the gauge - was not with the other pieces and has not been found. The NRC and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon asked a special Department of Energy team which has more sensitive radiation detection/monitoring equipment to assist in the search. Last week, a shipment of aluminum was sent from the Nicetown company to a processing facility in Camden, N.J. Since it was possible the source could have been part of that shipment, NRC and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection staff members searched this location over the weekend, with negative results. The DOE Radiological Assistance Program teams searched the original construction site, the Nicetown and Camden sites and a route in between the two sites today, but did not find the source. The material is only dangerous to a member of the public if ingested or inhaled or the source container is completely disassembled and the source remains in contact with the skin continuously for several days. "Our primary concern is protecting people and the environment," said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins. "We are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of the source to contact the NRC.” Thefts of industrial gauges such as the one stolen last week typically occur when they are mistaken for high-end tool boxes. Thieves often attempt to sell the devices for their scrap metal value, unaware of the contents. Photographs of a similar gauge and source are included. Anyone with information is asked to call the NRC at 301/816-5100. NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer Tuesday, March 27, 2007 ***************************************************************** 26 Daily Sentinel: Wells closer to nuclear blast site By MIKE McKIBBIN Tuesday, March 27, 2007 BATTLEMENT MESA — Natural-gas drilling is edging closer to a possibly radioactive area around the Project Rulison nuclear blast site, a resident said Monday. Project Rulison was an 8,426-foot-deep underground explosion of a 43-kiloton nuclear bomb in 1969 meant to free gas reserves. After the blast, the Energy Department burned 455 million cubic feet of gas and found no radioactivity above background levels. The DOE bans all drilling below 6,500 feet and requires notification of any surface activity within a three-mile radius of the blast site. The Oil and Gas Commission requires public hearings on any drilling applications within a half-mile radius of the blast site, Macke said. “We feel this is just another energy company moving into this area on the coattails of PRESCO,” resident Wesley Kent said of the Texas-based company that has drilled several wells outside the moratorium area to possibly seek an end to the moratorium. PRESCO has said it is confident the gas within the area is not radioactive. Last year, Apollo Energy of Denver sought permission to drill a dozen directionally drilled wells; the closest to the blast site would be about a mile and a half away. Kent said Williams Production has a lease to drill on the nearby 96 Ranch and EnCana Oil and Gas has a federal lease about a half-mile north of the moratorium boundary. Kent said Noble’s request is an example of the “absurdity of power in the Oil and Gas Commission.” “This is something that really should be left up to the DOE,” he said. “The commission doesn’t have any expertise over nuclear sites.” Noble has told residents it might drill a well in the area this fall, depending on the availability of a drilling rig, Kent said. Macke said the commission continued Noble’s request so more information could be gathered, in an attempt to justify 10-acre down hole spacing on a 5,360-acre parcel. The request will be reconsidered next month, he said. Mike McKibbin can be reached via e-mail at mmckibbin@gjds.com. By Linda Kracht Mar 27, 2007 8:46 PM | Link to this This worries me. Simply because there are MANY thyroid cases from the original blasts, and the cancer rate is outstanding. Do we have enough Cancer centers to do this???? Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F, except on Tuesday when it's open until 9 p.m. Cox Newspapers, L.P. - The Daily Sentinel - Our Partners To report corrections e-mail corrections@gjds.com ***************************************************************** 27 NAS: Project: Beryllium Alloy Exposures in Military Aerospace Applications PIN: BEST-K-05-03-A Major Unit: Division on Earth and Life Studies Sub Unit: Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology RSO: Martel, Susan Project Scope An ad hoc committee under the oversight of the standing Committee on Toxicology (COT) will conduct this study. In its first report, the committee will provide an independent review of the toxicologic, epidemiologic, and other relevant data on beryllium. The committee will also review carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. In its second report, the committee will estimate chronic inhalation exposure levels for military personnel and civilian contractor workers that are unlikely to produce adverse health effects. The committee will provide carcinogenic risk estimates for various inhalation exposure levels. The committee will consider genetic susceptibility among worker subpopulations. If sufficient data are available, the committee will evaluate whether beryllium-alloy exposure levels should be different than those of other forms of beryllium because of differences in particle size. The committee will identify specific tests for workers surveillance and biomonitoring. The committee will also comment on the utility of the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT). Specifically the committee will determine (1) the value of the borderline or a true positive test in predicting CBD, (2) its utility in worker's surveillance, (3) further follow up tests for workers with positive BeLPT (thin slice CT bronchoscopy, biopsy, etc.), (4) the likelihood of developing CBD after a true positive test, and (5) a standardized methodology to achieve consistent test results from different laboratories. The committee will evaluate whether there are more suitable tests that would have more accuracy as screening or surveillance tools. The committee will also identify data gaps relevant to risk assessment of beryllium alloys and make recommendations for further research. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force. Start date: September 29, 2006. The first report will be issued in 12 months, and the final report in approximately 24 months. Project duration: 24 months Provide FEEDBACK on this project. Contact the Public Access Records Office to make an inquiry or to schedule an appointment to view project materials available to the public. Committee Membership Meetings Meeting 1 - 02/05/2007 Meeting 2 - 04/05/2007 Reports Reports having no URL can be seen at the Public Access Records Office Email: info@nas.edu ***************************************************************** 28 AU ABC: Group says tests prove vets exposed to depleted uranium. 27/03/2007. ABC News Online A group concerned about the use of depleted uranium weapons say overseas tests have confirmed two Sunshine Coast Gulf War veterans have been exposed to depleted uranium. Pauline Rigby from the Depleted Uranium Silent Killer organisation says the men's urine samples were tested at the Uranium Medical Research Centre in Canada and the JW Goethe University in Germany. She says the tests prove the veterans were exposed to depleted uranium during their time in the Australian Defence Force. "The maspectrometry does not lie. It very carefully analyses the four uranium isotopes in the urine and there's a considerable presence of depleted uranium in the urine of these veterans 15 years after their service in [the] Gulf War," she said. ***************************************************************** 29 The Australian: WA rejects uranium mining legislation NEWS.com.au | * March 27, 2007 This story is from our news.com.au network Source: AAP WESTERN Australia does not need legislation banning uranium mining in the state, Premier Alan Carpenter said today. The WA Greens have said they will this week introduce legislation to ban uranium mining after Mr Carpenter said the state could exploit its uranium deposits for its own energy needs in decades to come. Mr Carpenter was responding to an apparent backdown by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie from his opposition to uranium mining. Greens MP Giz Watson challenged Mr Carpenter to make his stated opposition to uranium mining "unequivocal'' by supporting the legislation. But Mr Carpenter today said he did not believe the legislation was needed. "I don't believe at this point we need to legislate to prohibit uranium mining, because we've already (banned) it,'' Mr Carpenter told state parliament. "It may be at some point that we decide that it is necessary, but I doubt that. "Uranium mining is not allowed in Western Australia, it hasn't been since we became the government. "And there won't be any uranium mining in WA while we're in government.'' Mr Carpenter said mining companies may seek compensation from the Government if a legislated ban was introduced because there were several applications current. The nuclear issue will be hotly debated at next month's ALP national conference, with right factions pushing for the party to overturn its three mines policy and open up uranium mining in Australia. © The Australian ***************************************************************** 30 The Australian: Switkowski sets off chain reaction NEWS.com.au | * March 28, 2007 * Florence Chong WITH the uranium price this week hitting $US95.00 a pound - its highest level since the 1970s - the Australian share market is seeing a flurry of successful initial public offerings to raise funds for uranium exploration, according to Deloitte energy and resources partner Bhavesh Morar. Mr Morar said the Zwitkowski report had heightened interest in uranium and led to a 100-200percent increase in the price of uranium stocks. Resource sector IPOs were again the five best-performing stocks and returned an average gain of almost 200 per cent for investors, Deloitte's quarterly IPO report, out yesterday, says. "Interest from investors in uranium was a key factor with three of the top five companies involved in uranium exploration," the report says. Six companies listed in the first quarter focused on uranium exploration, with a combined capital raising of $32.5 million, representing 15 per cent of all IPOs in the quarter. Mr Morar said the key was the number of players entering the market. He said that until the Switkowski report late last year, there was little interest in uranium. The bulk of the floats so far were juniors, and these had raised a relatively small amount of money, Mr Morar said. Deloitte partner Steve Woosnam said IPOs collectively raised $256 million in the March quarter, compared with more than $3 billion expected in the next quarter. He said the mooted IPOs included the estimated $2.7 billion float of Boart Longyear, one of the world's largest drilling services providers, India Equities Fund ($200 million) and McArthur Cook Asian Real Estate ($80 million). © The Australian ***************************************************************** 31 SignOnSanDiego.com: Report blames management failures for Yucca Mountain e-mail controversy By Erica Werner ASSOCIATED PRESS 2:24 p.m. March 27, 2007 WASHINGTON – Evidence of paperwork fraud by scientists working on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada was the fault of senior managers who failed to hold subordinates accountable, according to a final report by the Energy Department. Tuesday's report, two years after the controversy came to light, said the problem was limited to a few disgruntled U.S. Geological Survey scientists who no longer work on the project. The project has a new senior management team that has made a number of changes and promised more. At issue were e-mails exchanged among USGS hydrologists between 1998 and 2004 that indicated they falsified documentation of their work by making up dates and keeping two different sets of papers – one for themselves and another for quality-assurance officials. “This is as good as it's going to get. If they need more proof, I will be happy to make up more stuff,” one scientist wrote. Energy Department officials said they hope Tuesday's report would put the whole issue to rest. Among other things, the report said a review of modeling reports and notebooks didn't turn up evidence that information actually was falsified or modified as the e-mails suggested. The U.S. attorney's office in Nevada announced a year ago that no criminal charges would be brought, and the Energy Department said last year that the scientific work was being redone by Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, at a cost of more than $20 million. Edward F. “Ward” Sproat, director of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, told reporters the root cause of the controversy was “senior management's unwillingness or inability to hold people accountable ... a lack of, quite frankly, leadership.” Many of the managers involved have moved on, said Sproat, who took over the Yucca project last May. He said he would visit personally with program employees to communicate expectations and initiate another review of quality assurance requirements, among other fixes. The scientists were studying how water moves through the dump site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a key factor in how much radiation can be released. The USGS validated Energy Department conclusions that water seepage was relatively slow, so radiation would be less likely to escape. That led Yucca Mountain opponents to contend the scientists were changing data to reach a predetermined conclusion. Yucca Mountain, meant to open in 1998 as the first national repository for nuclear waste, has been plagued by troubles and delays. The tentative opening date is now 2017. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 tons of waste from civilian nuclear reactors – as well as highly radioactive waste produced by Defense Department activities – is being held at various sites nationwide, with no place to go. © Copyright 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. ? A Copley Newspaper ***************************************************************** 32 CANOE: Canada: Nuclear waste idea panned March 27, 2007 Area politicians are fuming over a proposal to bury nuclear waste in Southwestern Ontario. By CHIP MARTIN, SUN MEDIA AND NEWS SERVICES Area politicians had a meltdown yesterday over a report radioactive nuclear waste could be buried safely in "mausoleums" under Southwestern Ontario cities such as Sarnia and London. "This defies common sense," Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said. "Are they trying to aggravate everyone in Ontario?" Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and Coun. Harold Usher, chairperson of the city's environment committee, vowed any move to bury the waste under London would be fought. "We've been upset about waste, let alone nuclear waste," the mayor said, referring to Toronto's recent deal to buy the Green Lane landfill on the outskirts of the city. The recommendation comes from an industry group asked by Ottawa to examine disposal of nuclear waste. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization gave a tentative OK to locations such as London, Windsor, Sarnia, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and a swath from Kitchener-Waterloo to Barrie. Nuclear mausoleums could be buried there a kilometre deep because the underlying rock is low risk for fractures and water seepage, the industry group reports. MPP Chris Bentley, the Liberal for London West, said the idea is a non-starter. "They should boot this idea even farther than I can boot a football," he said. No further action will be taken unless Ottawa favours the industry proposal -- and the federal government has still not responded to a 2005 recommendation from the same group to create a $24-billion mausoleum, consisting of caverns dug as far as a kilometre below ground. The latest proposal would put Londoners and others in the region at risk, said MPP Peter Tabuns, the Ontario NDP's environment critic. "It will mean risks of nuclear accidents (and) nuclear waste being carried on the roads and rails going through the community." About 1.9 million bundles of waste uranium fuel are now stored at Canada's 22 nuclear reactors, mostly in concrete casks inside metal sheds on the surface. Almost 90 per cent of Ontario's waste fuel is stored at the Pickering, Darlington and Bruce power stations. The waste remains dangerous as long as 100 centuries. Previous studies found only granite of the Canadian Shield was stable enough to store nuclear waste for millennia. ***************************************************************** 33 islandpacket.com: Nuclear dump's impact topic of local discussion islandpacket.com - The Island Packet Online Hilton Head Island - Bluffton, SC Tuesday, March 27, 2007 By PETER FROST 843-706-8169 As debate stirs in Columbia about a nuclear waste dump in Barnwell County, many people in the Lowcountry are closely following the developments. The site is about 100 miles northwest of southern Beaufort County, but it has a direct connection to the Lowcountry by water. The Barnwell nuclear waste dump, the only one in the nation that accepts the most potent types of low-level nuclear waste, sits on a small waterway that feeds into the Savannah River. The river provides 60 to 70 percent of the potable water used in Beaufort and Jasper counties. Under a law passed in 2000, the Barnwell site would close in 2008 to all but three states: South Carolina, Connecticut and New Jersey. But a S.C. House panel voted 3-2 last week in favor of a bill that would keep the landfill open to the nation for another 15 years. Barnwell County residents and the plant's operator, Utah-based Energy Solutions, support the legislation, saying the dump contributes more than $1 million annually to the county. Barnwell County residents and the plant's operator, Utah-based Energy Solutions, support the legislation, saying the dump contributes more than $1 million annually to the county.

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